Asian films

We don't seem to have a thread for discussing Asian Films that are not classics, and in this case I would feel dumb to mention this one in the obscure films thread.

I just watched Shoplifters [2], a Japanese film that received quite a few awards (including a Palme d'Or so you may expect some success in France). I thought it was very good. I will probably start a work page if nobody beats me to it.

I'd love to see Shoplifters which should also be a contender for the Foreign Language Film Oscar. Hope it gets offered on pay per view.

Now I started the work page for The Third Murder (2017) by the same director. It is a stub, because I watched it one year ago.

Edited by gropcbf on Dec 17th 2018 at 9:37:45 PM

Anyone looking for more Korean zombie movies?

Dunno about zombie movies but the disgraceful failure of the Oscars to recognize South Korean movies might finally end this year with Burning.

Just because William Faulkner I bet.

I really liked Burning, this being said.

Yes, I am interested. However this seems to be a tv series.

Edited by gropcbf on Jan 5th 2019 at 2:19:29 PM

South East Asian Movies

1. Bakwit Boys (2018)

Movie Synopsis : A supertyphoon ravages the hometown of a family band composed of four boys, putting a halt to their musical pursuits. While taking refuge in a distant farmland, they meet a rich girl who offers to help them record their songs and have them played on the radio. Individual interests and trauma caused by the calamity test the unity of the band, as they struggle to make sense of life’s ironies and tragedies.

Starring : Vence Larena https://cinemalogy.com/actor/vance-larena/, Devon Seron, Mackie Empuerto, Nikko Natividad, and Ryle Paolo Santiago

2. Pinay Beauty

Movie Synopsis : Migs needs to settle a huge debt to a loan shark. When Migs explains that he doesn't have the money yet, the loan shark proposes that he could settle the bill if Migs could find Lovi Poe and introduce him to the actress. How does a regular guy who knows no one in show business meet a celebrity?

Starring : Edgar Allan Guzman, Janus del Prado, Nico Antonio, Hanna Ledesma, and Mariko Ledesma https://cinemalogy.com/actor/mariko-ledesma/.

Philippines Comedy with Interesting story.

3. Hilang Akal

Movie Synopsis : Desperate to find a dowry, a man stubbornly kidnaps a dictator to get a ransom. The situation became chaos when the kidnapped girl was her mother-in-law!

Starring : Farid Kami, Tiz Zaqya, Jasmin Hamid, dan Zaki Azeman https://cinemalogy.com/actor/Zaki-Azeman/.

4. Ti Amo Sweetheart 100 Hari

Plot Synopsis : Story of patience and love of a malicious wife named Malissa when her husband Iskandar disappeared without news. Malissa was abandoned by her husband Iskandar after a year of established household. Dina, Malissa's daughter were taken away by Iskandar. Malissa went to Rome after getting her husband's information there. For an explanation, Malissa decided to go to Italy to meet up with Iskandar.

Starring : Syerinie Myra https://cinemalogy.com/actor/syerinie-myra/ as Fatin, Zul Ariffin as Isaac Iskandar, Neelofa as Malissa, Nur Qistina Raisah as Dina, [b]Scha Alyahya as Rania.

Edited by postingm on Jan 5th 2019 at 1:16:56 AM

Finally got around to watching The Handmaiden. I think I now know why it didn't get a Foreign Language Film nomination. All that lesbian sex put the old fuddy-duddies at AMPAS off.

I loved this one, but it is certainly not Oscar Bait. I watched it in a cinema, and most people in the room were oldish, except for a girl who looked like she was thirteen and came with her mom. The room felt quite awkward at times.

I am not sure how they did in the rest of the world, but here the subs were either white or yellow depending on translating from either Korean or Japanese (so the audience could easily figure which was being spoken). I thought it was a clever thing to do.

Today I watched Asako I & II. It was a bit weird but nice.

Edited by gropcbf on Jan 6th 2019 at 10:23:17 AM

That's how the subtitles were done in English. I suspect that's probably how they were done around the world. And I agree it was quite smart.

I am starting a work page for Burning (2018). I am not sure how much of the plot should go into spoilers. Also I watched it months ago, so I may be misremembering things.

Edited by gropcbf on Jan 23rd 2019 at 7:58:44 PM

My advice: spoilers are bad. Never use them.

Netflix doesn't have Burning and Amazon doesn't even have it to rent. So annoying.

I removed all the spoiler tags except for the Downer Ending entry (although seeing this trope mentioned is somewhat spoiling already; but this is a Korean drama so what would you expect?). Incidentally I am using this site with the "Show Spoilers" option enabled.

Edited by gropcbf on Jan 24th 2019 at 2:20:44 PM

Shoplifters, which won the Palme d'Or, did get a nomination. And it's available for rent on Amazon.

I watched Shoplifters and it really affected me. I couldn't stop thinking of the movie for hours. The portrayal of familial ties and experiences was just so genuine. Sometimes I forgot the rest of the movie just watching the characters interact on screen. Glad it won the Palme d'Or. I'm working my way through the academy foreign film nominees for this year and have only seen one other, but so far Shoplifters is my favorite. We'll see if things change as I watch more.

Has anyone seen any other movies by Hirokazu Kore-eda that have a similar feel that they'd recommend?

Additionally, I believe Burning is available to rent now on Amazon!

I saw Wandering Earth, it's basically the Chinese version of a Roland Emmerich movie. It has an utterly absurd premise but embraces it so fully, with some spectacular production values and cinematography, that it is hard not to appreciate it. It is very much in the vein of a Hollywood blockbuster, with all the drawbacks thereof. The theater I was in had about 50 people, I was one of maybe two who weren't Asian.

Our Little Sister has a similar feel (although it is a very different kind of film, if it was anime one could describe it as a Slice of Life about four cute girls doing cute things - but I thought it was a nice watch).

Sounds intriguing. Few release dates seem to be known at the moment.

Edited by gropcbf on Feb 14th 2019 at 9:45:27 PM

So, who here has heard of a recent Korean film, Extreme Job?

Basically, it's a crime-comedy film about a team of police unit who starts a chicken restaurant as part of an undercover...and Hilarity Ensue as the said restaurant becomes a massive hit and the unit struggles to actually do police work.

It is hands-down the most entertaining Korean film I've ever seen, incorporating humor styles of classical comedy films in the line of Jackie Chan and even Charlie Chaplin.

One of my favorite scenes:

A rival police unit officer: I heard your prime suspect got ran over by a transit bus.

Main character: That's a load of crap. It was a school bus!

Edited by dRoy on Feb 17th 2019 at 7:53:23 PM

So I've recently rewatched The Admiral: Roaring Currents. It's about the Battle of Myeongnyang.

The acting is good for the most part and the battle itself is stunning, though it is heavy on Hollywood Tactics. Maybe they thought Yi Sun-Sin destroying Japanese ships from afar is not interesting enough.

Edited by RAlexa21th on Feb 14th 2019 at 7:06:42 AM

Oh, that movie. Heh, yeah, that movie had Hollywood blockbuster level of spectacles, but sacrificed everything else for it. A worthwhile watch though.

Speaking of Korean movies, who here watched Train to Busan? I think it's one of the better zombie movies amidst the torrents of them in 2010s.

Train to Busan is very good. And several friends of mine who don't care for Asian films loved it.

Re: entertaining Korean films, have you watched The Good, The Bad, The Weird?

(I will try to watch The Admiral: Roaring Currents. It seems a bit early to try and find Extreme Job here).

Edited by gropcbf on Feb 16th 2019 at 2:39:13 PM

It's great for sure. My personal favorite Korean movie for now is A Taxi Driver.

Edited by Alycus on Feb 16th 2019 at 5:39:19 AM

Steel Rain is a really good techno-thriller that's up on Netflix, if you're into Tom Clancy novels and the likes.

I'd like to add a recommendation: the Taiwanese animated film, On Happiness Road. It has no page on Wikipedia or here and has largely gone under the radar, but the few reviewers who have seen it love it.

It shows the life of a young woman, Chi, and her experience growing up in Taiwan in the 80s and 90s before moving to America to try and find happiness, but realizes it still remains elusive.

The film is based heavily on Taiwan's culture and history, with details like Chi learning propaganda about Chiang Kai-Shek at school, being taught to speak Mandarin and not Taiwanese Hokkien, and showing how things change after martial law is lifted. Family and happiness are the main themes, and being animated means it can depict Chi's vivid imagination and dreams in a way similar to Studio Ghibli.

Given that Taiwan has virtually no animation industry of its own, it's amazing what this team was able to achieve. However, I'm not sure where it can be watched legally for now.

Looks good, I have watched like 30 minutes of it and it is very nice.

(I went through illegal means because I am cheap, but I found vod links for both French subs and French dubs, which means that someone put money into producing French dubs).

This is not the thread about Taiwanese animation, but since it doesn't exist I will add that I have a game named Detention from there. I don't play it often because it's a horror game and I am a scaredy cat, but it is very pretty whenever a zombi isn't eating your character.

Edited by gropcbf on Feb 24th 2019 at 9:51:04 PM