Flashpoint AKA Dou fo sin (2007). In a breath, this flick was worth it for the Donnie Yen fight scenes alone. The story was fine, but nothing really fresh here. The acting and direction were competent. The camera work was pretty awesome on its own accord. After the initial bruising, this flick makes the action fan wait for it. But the patient fan is rewarded as the end fight scene is nothing if not phenomenal. Ashe.
d

the good the bad the weird

Samaritan Girl AKA Samaria (2004). Once again, Ki-duk Kim has gone and constructed a magnificent piece of work. This one threatened to be insipid, but low and behold he pulls ahead at the first turn. This is a story that revolves around child prostitution, but that is not the main focus. Instead, it is a story of friendship and love, consequences and redemption. The story was powerful, the direction perfect. The cinematography sprinkles in the occasional inspirational expanse characteristic of Kim. The score was touching, and the symbolism effective. All and all another solid entry from what is probably my fav director. Ashe.
derek

good to hear, which others have you yet to see?





death note 2: the last name
death note: l change the world

Tom yum goong (2005)

>>: B+

The Hidden Fortress (1958). Not your typical Akiro Kurosawa flick, this wonderful entry is no slouch. One departure from usual was his use of comic relief of our two peasant characters. Told through their eyes, these crazy peasants are forced to become heroes, not because of any inherent attributes that they may engender, but instead due to their penchant to get themselves into trouble. Of course our true hero is the inimitable Toshiro Mifune. His presence more than anything else announces his cyclopean capacity as a hero warrior, though i doubt that he could even cook for himself. The heroine is not some feeble woman but is a strong silent type whose few words match her intense character and importance. The acting, direction, and cinematography are all strong, and this great film by Kurosawa is another demonstration of how film can be brought to life. Ashe.
derek

You just insulted Tony Jaa, Thailand and a little bit of Australia with that rating. HEATHEN!!!

Muhahahaha!

what do you expect? A- or A...naah! This modern Haathi Mere Sathi with great That martial arts is good enough for a B+, which is actually a pretty good grade though;)

You OBVIOUSLY don't care for martial arts flicks and over-the-top stunts.. :mad:

Yes, stunts were over-the-top indeed and obviously I care...that's why I gave it B+. Again...it's actually a pretty good grade, buddy; better than "B" & very close to "A-".:)

Well, not as good as my 10/10..

But i also looove this kind of martial arts flicks. And especially this kind skilled martial artists. Tony is simply the best i've ever seen.

Only other movies i've given top ratings are "Fellowship of the ring" & "Return of the king", if i'm not mistaking.

I understand. I like to admit I loved his flying kicking style with the knee...that was awesome.

I also thought the coreography and camera work were over the top, all thanks to the director.

Pinkaew and Jaa should keep on working together. They need each other.

Ditto 100%. I'll love to see more collaborate works from them in future. There should be more total Martial art movies need to be made these days.

Like a Dragon (2007)

Somewhat Pulp fictional version a video game with many sub plots; this Takashi Mike film also covers many of his signature themes as Yakuza, bloodlust and cartoon like violence. But delivered an average entertainment ride. Though the baseball bat-wielding character of psycho mob Majima Goro was pretty funny. Above all, here the dvd comes with poor subtitles and mainly the English translation of those character names were hilarious...such as From Beautiful, One Horse, The Living, Water Wood.

>>: C+

"Raging Phoenix" 4-5/10

Slow story and laughable choreography.

Disappointing as the movie stars JeeJa Yanin (Chocolate) and has both Pinkaew (Ong-Bak, Tom Yum Goong) and Rittikrai (Born to Fight) as producers.

Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People (1963). Think Gilligan's Island meets Japanese horror meets an incredible knack to take an over-the-top silly idea and make it credible and you have Matango. At first glance, this might seem a silly Japanese B movie. Look again. This is a great character study on human nature, the desperation that starvation brings about, and the paranoia that becomes the human creature when the chips are down. The acting was fine, the direction solid. It's 1963 so for the time the effects were what you'd expect. The story itself was pretty good. The atmosphere was genuinely creepy. Had i seen this as a kid i probably would have been terrified. Overall a great Japanese horror classic. Ashe.
derek

Thirst

An interesting and intelligent take on the vampire genre. 8/10

Onibaba
Creepy & Atmospheric!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058430/

recommended for everyone

Hansel & Gretal

A curious,melancholy fantasy that is effectively imagined. 7/10

Shadows in the Palace (2007)

A beautiful historic piece--part murder mystery, part horror--in the time of the Josean dynasty in Korea. Although there were little too much going on, but its wonderfully shot and costumed with a fine twisted ending.

>>: B+

The Bird People of China (1998). More incredible fare from the inimitable Takashi Miike. This guy is the master of, well, everything. How he blends fantasy, indecency, sucker-punch violence, and a wicked story-telling capacity is beyond me. But it works. This is probably one of his more approachable movies, at least here in the west. But that does not take anything away from this flick. In fact, i would contend that this is one of his most moving ventures. The cinematography was resplendent, the story solid, and the acting competent. of course the direction was incredible. All in all a wonderful movie-going experience. Mercie beaucoup.
d

Hanzo The Razor: Who's got the Gold?

"Somtum" 5/10

Had a few nice fights, but the story was ridiculous and Nathan Jones was just too goofy looking and acting that he quickly became Somtums worst flaw.

"Epitaph" 9.5/10

Love horror movies....got bored with the US horror so to spice my fright I moved to asian horror. I've seen MANY asian horro movies but this one was pretty screwed up. Make sure to TURN UP YOUR SURROUND SOUND and definitly WATCH IN THE DARK :)

Sold!!!!!!

ong bak: the beginning

Seven Swords (2005). This is a wonderful flick whose only flaw is the Western viewer. By that i mean that it was hard for me to keep up with events and subtitles, but that is no reason to poo poo this great flick. The story itself is decent enough, but there is more here than just a story. The characters are all wonderfully flawed, and villain and hero alike were portrayed with marked aplomb. A little long to be sure, it probably could have even been more so. The fighting was stylish, brutal, and awesome. Spiced up with honor, sacrifice, and treachery, this incredible flick should probably bee seen twice to catch all the stuff the occidental eye missed in the first go around. Mercie beaucoup.
derek

This thread is too long for me to read....but can anyone quickly recommend a REAL SCARY asian horror movie? I am game for anything!

I recently watched Lady In White which was AWESOME and gets a 8.5/10.

Wicked City.
Showed my mate Audition, i just looked at his face the whole time was heaps better than watching it again, the ahhh slop slop slop bit (everyone whos seen it knows what im on about), made him cringe like someone stuck something in his dick hole, it was golden!!!! LOL

Is that asian???


The scariest asians, imo:

Ju-on
Kairo
Tale of two sisters
One missed call


Another one i'll recomment is "The Park". Not as scary and the actors all play like crap, but the scenery is awsome and the director Wai-keung Lau (Infernal affairs 1,2&3) has a lot of nice ideas/scares up his sleeves.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385598/

Whoops....my bad. I meant "Old Lady in White". Here: http://www.filmai.us/uploads/covers/...y-in-white.jpg

Where the hell do you find these movies??? :confused:

Well....I was getting bit**ed at by some forum members when I told people to check out my site so I guess if I post the site to get info from I'll get bit**ed at again. Just send me a pm and I'll give you a good site to get all the info for Asian horror movies. Also it's like 50/50, some of the movies you find on that site are very good and give you a a hard time to sleep at night while other times the movies just suck and leave you to your imagination :).

Are you talking about asian-horror-movies.com?

*Lol*....yeah thats the site I check on from time to time now, haven't seen too much new stuff there. But check out the movies I recommended because they are tight

"The Grudge: Girl in Black" 5/10

Like the case was with "Ju-rei", "Girl in black" perfectly proves that Only Takashi Shimizu can make Ju-on-scares (the cuts right before climaxes), and a story that constantly jumps back and forth in time, successfully work. This movie also lacks Shimizus flair for creative scares.

Only the face-in-the-stomach scene was nice and new.


This movie WASN'T directed by Takashi Shimizu. Only the story was Shimizus work, but both screenplay as well as direction was done by Mari Asato (That's right. Some nobody).

Sonatine (1993). This Yakuza flick from "Beat" Takeshi is not your standard fare, even by Tokyo standards. Somehow, it takes the humdrum of being a Yakuza and turns it into art. These guys somehow balance their lives as gangsters, which is portrayed as an almost fatalistic affair where they are born to die, and their more playful and silly inclinations where their cultural expressions come to fruitition in a beautiful fashion. With some occasional violence sprinked in, this one is dominated by at time wonderful though prosaic camerawork accompanied by some rather touching and brilliant scenes. And whilst the viewer partakes in the fun at no time do we forget the pointlessness of our protagonist's lives.

Strange Circus (2005)

A very disturbing and twisted film from Sion Sono, the writer-director of "Suicide Club". Sion Sono deals this time a difficult and dark subject matter in a horrific and bizarre way. Besides the poetic imagery (like class rooms filled with bloody walls and a coffin filled with flowers that is set on fire), Sono treated all the sensitive moments with a twisted sense of genius. You will eventually cope yourself in every level of this nightmarish & sexually surreal experience but for a price of unfolding an extremely sad story. You have seen Takashi Miike's AUDITION & VISITOR Q or Chanwook Park's OLDBOY...now if you can dare, then prepare yourself for another weird, devastating & uncomfortable tale of losing innocence & everything!

>>: A

I think I'll pass...