jiang hu
ashes of time: redux
meat grinder

The Machine Girl (2008). This was simply over-the-top fun. I think that is where the movie craft of gore-fest films either peters out or is is fueled by its own mayhem. Being visually assaulted with barrage after barrage of gore, arterial spray, violence, and a mean streak that cannot be curbed, movies like these can easy become tiresome. But in this case the fun never stops. The story is a simple, black and white take on good, evil, and revenge. Elements of times past and present are thrown in for good measure, and the script's pitching arm does not miss its mark. The acting was sufficient for such an exploit; anything greater would have been drowned in faked blood so why bother. The camera work was more than sufficient and really helped capture the frenzy of each zany moment. The direction takes what should have been a dollar bin disaster and brings it to the fore of the running, even eliciting comparisons to Dead Alive in its attempt to create fountains of gore with a mischievously artistic flair. In all honesty my first go at this flick ended poorly at about 15 minutes deep. Like smoking and drinking, such vices take time to acquire the criminal taste that is necessitated to savor damnable endeavors such as The Machine Girl.
Merry Christmas!
d

Noriko's Dinner Table (2005). What Shion Sono has created here is a type of horror flick whose monster is found in the details of a society that is undergoing a massive cultural shift, its victims adult and child alike. The philosophic endeavors examined include existential reality as it exists and pits it against a reality that is being created and virtually lived by the Japanese by way of personas. Are we how we act or is our verite deeper than that? Life almost seems less true when we live a perfunctory life based on so-called truths than were we to openly prevaricate to ourselves and those around us in regards to our feelings and intentions. Maybe this is this film centers on the ultimate form of existentialism, where unfolding events creates reality, and not the individuals involved and their attempts at persuasion. It is almost as if we are asked to hold true the paradoxes of life as if they were the best of friends, individuals that are polar by nature and yet complimentary in effect. Noriko's Diner Table takes its sweet time achieving such a conundrum, and it does so in a fashion that rarely works. Driven by inner dialog, the story takes place in chapters in order to achieve such a deep level of character development. At times it almost feels more like a book than a movie, which might account for its ability to impart its profound message. At 159 minutes, no time is used with gratuity, each and every scene adds a new piece to the puzzle, and even though some new additions only add more confusion, they each and all work toward the film's denouement. The story itself is quite original, which speaks volumes in a world replete with the same old story being retold in a fresh fashion. The symbolism used here is deep, and though much must have been lost in translation to those whose tongues are not of the Japanese persuasion, much reward is still gifted the non-native audience. The imagery and the camera work were phenomenal, employing techniques that obscures or washes out our players, disconnecting us from them much like their own inner sense of disconnection. Shion Sono has created a masterpiece that deserves more than my limited viewpoint, and that is probably for the better. This film seems a better match for individuals that want to create their own impression as opposed to having predigested notions fed to them. The final climax, a long, complex and emotional shot, was pure cinematic significance. The whole discombobulated enchilada comes together, and sets the score for an ending that is more a journey's beginning than its completion. Merci beaucoup.
d

Lady Snowblood (1973)
Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (1974)

>>: A

Hisss (2010)

>>: D

Gamera vs. Barugon
The Isle

gamera vs gyaos
gamera vs viras
fireball

Fatal Contact -

I found this disappointing.The fight sequences were all very slick but suffered from an overload of wire work,and Jacky Wu's opponents were just a succession of charecterless,uninspired,paperthin mannequins who carried no
menace or threat whatsoever.The ending was a complete and utter mess,an incoherent,illogical,abysmal mess. 3/10

Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)

The tag line on the dvd cover says it all..."It's Evil Dead 2, Braindead and the Matrix; times ten, turned up to eleven!"

:D

Absolutely loved it, from the start to finish!

>>: A

Aakrosh (2010)

A loose Bollywood remake of Alan Parker's 1988 masterpiece Mississippi Burning! Right from the characters, story, some sequence of events, love interests, barber shop, dialogs - everything was quite the same but all comes with a very mediocre adaptation. The "Colored vs White" in MB has been replaced by Upper castes vs Lower castes. The people who haven't seen the original or almost forget about it (like my elder bro), this would turn out to be a good movie for them.

>>: C

gamera vs. guiron
gamera vs. jiger
battle royale
meltdown (aka high risk)
fireball

I dunno, I dont really keep track.. I watch Goemon last.. but i dunno it i'd consider that horror, but then you guys are naming movies that I know are not horror.. so yeah.

Goemon is dope.

I watch Ghost system not too long ago.. and otogiriso

Was that your first time seeing it? I really need to see it again - Thoroughly LOVED that flick...

kung fu hustle

Yeap...first time! Waited too long to see this one.

Yojimbo (1961). Imagine that, it's still awesome!
d

Meatball Machine (2005)

>>: B

Tokyo Gore Police (2008)

>>: B+

No offense but I think only weird, mind-fucked Japanese people can make this sorta splatter fests in the world these days.:D Loved those awesomely hilarious TV commercials in between scenes in TGP.

But still in the series I like the Machine Girl most.

kim ki-duk's the bow

The Emperor and the Assassin (1998). History, but for those who like to learn from movies, this epic flick is a monumental endeavor that chronicles a feudal Chinese king's efforts and desires to unify a country. It has all the usual suspects: betrayal, intrigue, love, nobility, ambition, redemption, and revelation, and manages to fit them all into a splendid account of the determination to create a Qin dynasty.

The acting was marvelous. What might at first be thought of as unsightly histrionics were actually the proper codes of courtly conduct. The king's antics are showy more for historical context than for show itself. The smarmy smile of the marquis was almost of Shakespearean quality, ambiguity that belied his potential intrigues.

The direction was epic, with scenes that literally employed thousands of human bodies, it is simply astonishing that any coordination could be exacted, let alone that which was achieved. The camera work was more than competent, giving rise to considerable scenes but not reminding us of his presence.

The biggest gripe of this movie, and rightfully so, was the editing. Defenders claim that the fast edits were necessary for effect. I have no problem with fast edits, but good editing is not to be noticed unless it is genuinely clever. Given that, the occasionally flubbed editing was not enough to detract from the splendor of this incredible take on a Chinese story that has been told over and over again, and in this case with an enjoyable style that makes its 160 minute run-time seem almost short.
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The Call, The Call 2 and The Call 3

Chugyeogja aka The Chaser (2008)

For the last couple of years as I have been watching movies regularly & passionately, now I undoubtedly like to admit that South Korea has become the boss in the sub genre of Serial Killer films in today's world cinema. After such recent masterpieces like Memories of Murder & Mother, now here is another superb & magnificent addition to the Korean Serial Killer genre of movies.
The Chaser is an intensely mesmerizing and keeping on the-edge of your seat experience. But more than that I should say it's a devastating experience...that I truly felt at close to the end of the film. The film is based on a real life serial killer in South Korea, who was convicted in 2005 for murdering 20 people. The film starts with a dirty detective turned pimp (Jung-ho) who is in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. While trying to track them down, he finds a clue that the vanished girls were all called up by a same client whom one of his girls is meeting with right now. He begins to look for her in that client's mentioned location of area & during the search, Jung-ho even able to catch that man (wearing blood splattered shirt) in an alley. But just after that the police takes control over the situation. The police suspects & Jung-ho believes this man is the killer or abductor but there's no significant evidence in their hand except his utterly misleading confession. And from that point of the film The Chaser becomes more intriguing the more watch with all the twist & turns till the final credit rolls.
It's not just another crime drama about a serial killer and some guys chasing him; there's comedy of errors in the way the police and politicians are portrayed, there's strong emotional content that grows around the little girl of a prostitute who doubts something happened to her mother, there's sufficient psychological thriller element that comes through the way the killer messes with the minds of the police and last but not the least there's the shattering finale...as in the way everything ends.

Except Derek, I'm not sure who else here already seen this film but this is unmissable! A MUST SEE FOR EVERYONE!

>>: A

Yea, catched some of it last night as well. Looked well made.

Sounds great- I'd love to see this.

Graveyard of Honor (2002). This incredible tango of violence opens with a beautifully poetic sense of devastation that is then backed by one of the best opening scenes ever. Those looking for the corny artistry that is the hallmark of Miike might be thrown for a loop with Graveyard of Honor, for this is one of his grittiest offerings ever. Unlike Ichi and his other flicks, the violence portrayed here is merely brutal and realistic, offering little comic relief.

The protagonist is one of the most unlikable characters to have ever found his way into film, so much so that any affections for him come through those unfortunates in the story that have been relegated to care about him. The thing that is most compelling about the antihero is that he is true to himself. Though we see him as a monster, his acts are that of a feral, viciously antisocial, and rather obtuse animal. Our difficulty in judging him comes with our association of him as human, but he is more a simple beast in search of carnal satisfaction. Like a wolf, keep him fed and he'll heel, but miss a meal and he''ll bite your hand off, no time for questions.

Of course, this is a creature that will never fare well in the real world, even if that world is littered with sociopaths in training, mainly because these students will all contain a remembrance of what it means to be a civilized human. As such, this movie is about an accidental career elevation and the doom that must come to fruition. Adding drugs, misplaced honor, misogyny, and revenge only adds to the fun of the convoluted spiral that our central character almost challenges to come his way. This guy truly sees himself in the mirror. This ugly truth is fully unearthed during the shootout scene, which might be the one comical moments here, more because the scene ends out of the pragmatics of sociopathy.

The acting was solid in every instance. The lead character is disturbing only because we come to believe the confliction of one that lacks empathy but understands the violent necessity of honor through revenge. His forced wife transcends into her role perfectly; submit to the beast or suffer. The irony of the honor that the beast's allies must cling onto is revealed in their faces, for they see the fatalistic nature that this honor will manifest.

The score was a slow, snazzy jazz piece that helped infuse the dreadful imagery with an underlying sense of culture. Sound, or rather a lack of it, is also used with devastating effect. Some scenes are almost too painful to speak of, and so the sound bows out as if doing so will somehow help. But even sound becomes helpless in the wake of this cruel maniac.

What Miike has created here is another example of this great director's scope. Though difficult to watch, for those of us that look for the nastiest methods by which to be moved by cinema, Graveyard of Honor will indeed be a moving presentation, moving us right up to the brink.
d

Watching Tokyo Gore Police


what the hell is in that Sake ?



loving it

Mother (2009). Mother comes into existence with a scene whose photography was spectacular and subconsciously informative, only to have that notion shattered with a seeming unnecessary absurdity that is a joy to experience none the less. It then moves right into the heart of the story whose focus is on a mother's love and the extremes that she will travel to protect her son. To be honest, this is not a great sales pitch, but since this is from the director of Memories of Murder and The Host, we know that this will be no slip shod drama.

The story itself is rather uncomplicated, which is a nice deviation from the typically convoluted South Korean fare that leaves us outsiders scratching our heads as if digging for head lice. This is not to imply that there are no twists and turns because there are. But they make immediate sense, even for an unconventional murder mystery driven by the fanaticism of an overprotective mother with a skeleton or two of her own.

The acting was simply incredible. Lead Hye-ja Kim drags us along in her quirky and chunky capacity as a maternal sleuth, leaving a path of unlikely victims in her wake. Surprisingly, through one of her blunders, she comes upon some unlikely advice that actually points her in the right direction. But even at this point we are unsure as to the intents of this advice, unfriendly as it should seem to be. The denouement was a foreseeable surprise that captures us totally off-guard, but our unlikely heroine still has a shenanigan or two up her sleeve. The end was was a dark shade of morality offset by love, and the end finally makes use of some seemingly unrelated information.

And while this movie is driven by the titular character, the slight roles of the secondary characters feel far from peripheral. These smaller roles are handled with the same intense significance of Mother dearest, making this movie all the meatier.

The direction was simply captivating. Each scene composed to build imaginary dams of emotion that were released with the genius of psychological artistry. The photography seemed simple and effectively portrayed the characters by their current emotion and predicament. The score was typical South Korean musical sophistry, both pleasant and implicative.

That last scene was one of unimaginable brilliance, not only tying up the beginning's loose threads, but serving as an undulating portrayal of emotional transcendence, where we finally feel the meaning of releasing the heaviness of the heart. Merci.
d

Robogeisha (2009)

Ok, not gonna lie, but I was pretty disappointed with this one. I'm not sure if it's because I had hyped myself up about it or if I've seen enough Japanese splatterpunk that I am immune to its quixotic exsanquination, but Robogeisha just didn't do it for me. Sure, they managed to find different ways for women to shoot bullets or protrude guns, but nothing that I haven't already seen before in Tokyo Gore Police or Machine Girl, two films who were significantly more enjoyable.

Quite frankly, I found it boring and derivative. And I shut it off around the time that a building turned into a giant robot.

*YAWN*

2/5.

Dream Home (2010)

A pretty brutal tale of struggle for a seaside view apartment where the story evolves with a nice blend of social commentary & extreme gore.

>>: B+

Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)

A very beautiful dark comedy from Bong Joon-Ho...the director of internationally acclaimed Korean masterpieces like Memories of Murder, The Host and Mother.

>>: A-

I Saw the Devil (2010)

This is one BLOODY-Ferocious revenge thriller! After finding out his girlfriend has been brutally murdered by a sadistic killer, NSI agent Soo-Hyun takes the matters into his own hand and soon enough able to tracks down the psychopath culprit Kyung-chul who mercilessly likes to kill his young female victims with a dose of sexual assault. Soo-Hyun also takes an oath for his dead gf to give her killer ‘10000 times more pain’ and eventually he tries that through his own macabre catch-and-release game. He finds Kyung-chul & beats him up pretty badly, but instead of killing him, he leaves him alive. He wants to stalk his prey, and exact his revenge slowly and increasingly more painfully. Soo-Hyun takes the vengeance into a new level of gruesomeness where the line between ‘good & evil’ or ‘crime & punishment’ becomes blurred…where both of them explores & shows their darker & meaner side to each other and finally confronts the Devil on earth within them.

This kind of hard-boiled revenge thriller today we can only find in Korea. But in compare to Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy or Korea's rising genre of Serial killer films (like Memories of Murder, Mother & The Chaser) ISTD doesn’t come with the same level of ‘Sympathy’ dilemma or emotional content that leaves you with a devastating or mind blowing experience. But it’s a pure and nearly over the top gore & action pack revenge thriller that surely has the capacity to satisfy its original audience. One sequence involving a brutal double murder in a running cab where the camera swoops around the scene in a circle is simply magnificent to watch. So don’t take it as just another grotesque revenge thriller…there’s plenty of eye catching moments you’ll find in Kim Ji-woon’s (the director of The Quiet Family, A Tale of 2 Sisters, A Bittersweet Life and The Good, the Bad, the Weird) I SAW THE DEVIL.

>>: A-

Our Town (2007)

The film is set in a small, unnamed Korean town and the story surrounds here this time with two killers…an original & a copycat. Since the identities of the killers are never in any doubt, the mystery comes in form of the motives behind and the messages intended by the murders and the link between the three men (the killer, copycat & the detective). And as the story progress in a three way game of cat and mouse, with some twists & turns it comes to question who the original killer here is actually? Though it’s not up to the level of some recent Korean masterpiece Serial Killer flicks and the flashbacks may turn out to be bit confusing for some viewers but I still liked it pretty much.

>>: B+

The legend of the fist: return of chen zhen

I just watched Creepy Hide and Seek.

Scared me quite abit, very enjoyable.

Die a Violent Death (2010)

A very mediocre Thai anthology.

>>: C

2LDK (2003)

A brutal & darkly funny little film about 2 actresses competing for the same role in a movie as their rivalry turns into a deadly cat fight with sad & harrowing consequences.

>>: B+

A Snake of June (2002). From the director of Tetsuo, The Iron Man comes A snake of June, a powerhouse of cinema that recklessly throws its audience into an uncomfortable intimacy of a woman's repressed sexuality. The avant-garde feel will probably put off most of the Hollywood set, but for the rest of us this entry by director Shinya Tsukamoto will leave a remarkably indelible mark.

The story starts out innocent enough, but is soon drawn to the hyper-kinetic and surreal realms where torrents of socially oppressed emotion begins to burst through its mightily walled-up dam. This threat remains throughout and is highlighted with the blue-infused black and white photography coupled with the perpetually rainy weather and busy drain plugs. At some point the story takes a hard turn, leaving many viewers in the dust, but this turn is not without the logic found in irrational behavior.

The acting is primarily dominated by the three main characters. Most impressive is Asuka Kurosawa. Her thinly veiled facade is a treat to watch as it finally comes crashing down. Her husband is played by the unprofessional actor Yugi Kohtari. Up against the monumental Asuka, there is no questioning his self-consciousness, but he nonetheless captures the essence of the creepy husband. Actor/director Shinya Tsukomoto wins the creepy award though. Apparently he had wanted to play the part of a stalker for the previous decade or two, and his time spent training for this discomfiting role shines through.

Shinya's directorial style and prowess glares through the cloud-strewn backdrop effortlessly. The hand-held camera is busily searching for the hidden crevices of humanity best left unearthed, at least in the mind of the owner. Shinya's camera is not to be denied, with uncomfortable close-ups and frenetic shots revealing the discombobulated reality hidden behind Japanese courtesy and composure. And just when the perturbations of the camera are settling in, Shinya throws in some rather disturbing imagery for good measure. The result is fantastic, at least for those that could keep up.

The end seemed rather anticlimactic, but maybe it was for the best, allowing the symbolism to once again say that which is impolite to intimate, at least in this confounding land in the east.
d

Bloody Reunion (2006)

Solid gruesome hack-n-slash from Korea, Bloody Reunion tells the tale of a group of students reuniting at their aging teacher's home. I think that what honestly stands out here is the story and how it's slowly unveiled, like peeling back the skins of an onion - I'm always impressed with a movie who can reveal a back story without painful exposition. Quite frankly, this movie had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to learn more about the histories each student had in their past.

Some people have complained about the ending and, at first, I was amongst them, until I took a moment and thought about it, finally deciding that I liked where we ended up...

[SPOILERS]
Since story-telling is what makes this movie strong, I appreciate that, in the end, it's revealed that the unraveling story was told by an unreliable narrator... Not your average whodunit twist when you realize that the whole first two thirds of the film is a fabrication... I appreciate the direction that they wound up taking with it.[/SPOILERS]


I give it a 3.75/5.

Confessions - A depressing exploration of moral decline in youth culture,Confessions is the story of a single mother whose small Daughter is found dead in the swimming pool of the school where she teaches.The death of the child is thought to be an accident,however the mother uncovers evidence that it was in fact murder and the culprits are two of her students.
The mother's vengeance is to force the students to confront their own mortality and teach them that actions lead to consequences,this sets into motion a chain reaction of events that has a devastating effect on all those involved.The focus of the storyline shifts as each main character tells their tale(Or confesses),with each confession we learn a little more about what really happened to the teachers little girl and what part each of the characters played in the tragedy.These confessions also unravel the motivations of those involved and provide an unsettling insight into the minds of several damaged individuals.
The themes of the film are presented in a non judgemental way,indeed it was difficult to find any of the characters likeable,each were flawed in their own way,even the bereaved teacher.It is interesting that while the lack of morality in the young people of today is the main theme of the film,it is not only the young people whose morality and conscience is called into question.The film also asks serious questions of the parts played in modern society by parents,teachers and other adults in the development of young people.
Confessions is extremely bleak throughout and is quite relentlessly depressing,however the questions raised are absolutely socially relevent and I found it to be quite compelling. 8/10

Assault! Jack the Ripper (1976)

>>: B-

Princess Aurora (2005)

Another pretty decent Korean revenge flick about a mother who turns into a 'Serial killer' named Princess Aurora after losing her only child who had been abducted, raped & killed by a child molester.

>>: B+

Can you share the IMDB link? I just tried to look it up and there are a few films with the name "Hide and Seek" - I'm interested in looking it up.

...


The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008)

In a word: Epic. Byung-hun Lee is an absolutely fantastic villain and Kang-ho Song is the perfect foil. Incredibly directed - Funny, exciting... definitely go and check it out if you haven't seen it already.

4.5/5

Beyond Hypothermia (1996). This Hong Kong action flick can most tersely be categorized as a stylish crime drama with occasionally cheesy romance punctuated in between. And even the the horrible dubbing (no subs), once I realized the trick of laughing in between bouts of violence, could not keep me from enjoying the wondrous Beyond Hypothermia.

Don't even bother with the story, but instead luxuriate in the action sequences when they come. The traffic scene, for example, has such a gut churning sense of nihilistic reality that uncomfortable laughs become a must. The camera and choreography merge into some ethereal realm that only seems available in Hong Kong, where movies that should be awful instead contain that mystical quality that keeps us coming back for more. So just sit back and prepare your eyes to feast in the wonderfully choreographed bouts of violence. One last warning, for those that cannot deal with cinematic No You Didn't moments beware, Beyond Hypothermia is not saddled with Western conventions.
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Alien vs Ninja - Didn't expect much from this,didn't get much from this.Homicidal rubbery dinosaur looking aliens do splattery battle with leather clad ninja,not as much fun as you would think. 4/10

Actually made it until the 1 hour mark....then I had to turn it off

too disjointed and apparently an acid trip might have helped.

House

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076162/

Oh man- that film is AMAZING!