Decided to rewatch Avatar. Had to tinker some but managed to make it look good on my 4K OLED. It´s really not that bad of a Cameron movie it´s up there with T2, Abyss and Aliens. Who cares if they robbed the story with an avatar twitch it´s a good story. 9/10
Onibaba 1964
I've known about this movie for 20 years though finally saw it. Brutal, beautiful and magic! 10/10. I had never seen a trailer, no one told me the plot, nor did I see so much as a frame or two of the film beforehand. I would suggest this as the way to go.
@Redcarmoose A couple of classics there Moose. For more in the traditional ghost story vein, I'd also recommend Ugetsu (Mizoguchi) and Oshima's Empire of Passion. Also, it's not supernatural, but Suna No Onna (Woman of the Dunes) is another great dark Japanese film of the same period.
Previously I had seen this at the theater and was really disappointed in it. The previews made it seem like some sort of disaster flick or action movie. Definitely not.
After loving the director's next film I decided to give this another chance.
This time around I loved every minute of it. I also realized that at the theater there were some extremely important details I totally missed.
It was now like a completely different movie.
It kind of reminds me of the film "Contact". I didn't like that movie much at first and only gave it a 6/10. Now it's one of my favorites (too bad about it's terrible ending).
Anyway, maybe i'd give this one a 9 now. I now want to buy the Blu-Ray.
Gone Girl - 6/10
Ruined by a terrible ending. I actually thought the acting was bad. Pretty surprised at how graphic one death scene was!
Overall I was expecting this to be some really dark and disturbing movie, but it's really not.
PS about Kwaiden and Onibaba. I really liked those too. Has anyone seen "Spirit of the Beehive"? It one that got stuck in my brain for years.
Another one worth checking into is the Japanese film "Double Suicide".
PS about Kwaiden and Onibaba. I really liked those too. Has anyone seen "Spirit of the Beehive"? It one that got stuck in my brain for years.
Another one worth checking into is the Japanese film "Double Suicide".
Spirit of the Beehive is one I first heard of many years ago and which did pique my interest, but I shelved any plans to watch it indefinitely after seeing another of Erice's films, The Quince Tree Sun, which is up there with Malick in the pretentious dullsville stakes; from recollection, honestly one of the most tedious films I ever sat through (though I was in my teens at the time!). Thanks for the tip on Double Suicide - never heard of that.
Thank-you, I'll check those out. Probably the most interesting thing for me has been the sets of Japanese films. The fact that they have some kind of special art of making an entire snow forest on a soundstage. Then with all that control they can shine un-natural light on characters or paint the sky an abstract!
@Redcarmoose A couple of classics there Moose. For more in the traditional ghost story vein, I'd also recommend Ugetsu (Mizoguchi) and Oshima's Empire of Passion. Also, it's not supernatural, but Suna No Onna (Woman of the Dunes) is another great dark Japanese film of the same period.
Korean fimaker takes Besson's La Femme Nikita and gives it a Korean Gore fest revenge thiriller makeover. Entertaining for sure but convoluted over exposed plotting and some of the most frenetic cutting leave it as a bit of a patchwork quilt of a film with the fighting left to hold it all together. Worth a watch for fans of the Asian action genre but I am not sure how it would fare with audiences used to a little more structure. Stylish and violent beyond belief. They should just let her loose on North Korea and it would be all over in seconds
The movie being animated in painting by over 100 artists is reason enough to make it worth watching. Very simple but engaging story line. One of the must watch movies of the year.
Basing his film on the real life case of a 16-year old call girl from the mainland who was murdered and dismembered in Hong Kong in 2008, writer-director Philip Yung goes beyond the sensationalist tabloid coverage of the time to imagine the lives of the young people involved. It's an open and shut case from the outset; Ting Tsz-Chung confesses to the murder and it seems there's no mystery. For Detective Chong (Aaron Kwok) though, what starts out as a routine evidence-collecting exercise becomes a more personal quest to understand what led Wang Jiamei to her fate and what drove Ting to murder her in the way that he did.
This obviously involves a lot of back story embellishment on the part of the director and he chooses to do it by constantly moving backwards and forwards in time, revealing crucial details of the characters' lives that gradually cohere into a bigger picture. This technique is elegantly done and works well in terms of character development but it does tend to make the film feel a little unfocused. Nevertheless, it's a hypnotic watch, thanks to some nuanced and naturalistic performances as well as great camerawork. DOP Christopher Doyle has given the film a very distinctive look; almost a dreamlike quality.
There's also an aspect of social commentary, shining a spotlight of disaffected youth, that puts me in mind of Fruit Chan's Made In Hong Kong. Yung generally resists the potential for exploitative thrills, preferring to make something more socially aware and existentially charged - it's sporadically brutal, and always a dark ride, but there's a humanity at its core.
Good call there Moose. Diabolically executed film which juxtaposes Frank Capra sweetness with pure and quite literally unadulterated evil. The nuance and even the set decorations here make it easy to see the influence of the stage play brought to the screen. The subtle undertones alone should creep one out for days let alone the staggeringly brilliant performances of the two principles in advancing the main story.
Good call there Moose. Diabolically executed film which juxtaposes Frank Capra sweetness with pure and quite literally unadulterated evil. The nuance and even the set decorations here make it easy to see the influence of the stage play brought to the screen. The subtle undertones alone should creep one out for days let alone the staggeringly brilliant performances of the two principles in advancing the main story.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
