Asian Films

[tapestrybabe]

So like recently i've started getting into buying Asian films. I just recently watched ChungKing Express and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon And man, i enjoyed both of them A LOT!!! I plan on purchasing Fallen Angels next.. and perhaps My Sassy Girl-- a Korean film, but i hear that movie is over rated.. so I'm not sure yet...

Anyways, if anyone has any Asian films that they would like to recommend... i would love to view your list...

[Shuriken]

Originally posted by tapestrybabe@Sep 8 2002, 02:00 AM
Anyways, if anyone has any Asian films that they would like to recommend... i would love to view your list...

If I were going to suggest some Asian movies, I would recommend:


A PAGE OF MADNESS (Teinosuke Kinugasa, Japan, 1927)
THE GODDESS (Yu Yonggang, China, 1934)
RASHOMON (Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1950)
TOKYO STORY (Yasujiro Ozu, Japan, 1953)
UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi, Japan, 1953)
THE SEVEN SAMURAI (Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1954)
PATHER PANCHALI (Satyajit Ray, India, 1955)
THRONE OF BLOOD (Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1957)
HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Alain Resnais, France/ Japan, 1959)
THE STORY OF APU (Satyajit Ray, India, 1959)
HARAKIRI (a.k.a. Seppuku, Masaki Kobayashi, Japan, 1962)
ONIBABA (Kaneto Shindo, Japan, 1963)
WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japan, 1964)
KWAIDAN (Masaki Kobayashi, Japan, 1965)
BRANDED TO KILL (Seijun Suzuki, Japan, 1967)
DEATH BY HANGING (Nagisa Oshima, Japan, 1968)
INFERNO OF FIRST LOVE (Susumu Hani, Japan, 1968)
THE HUMAN BULLET (Kihachi Okamoto, Japan, 1968)
A TOUCH OF ZEN (King Hu, Hong Kong/Taiwan, 1969)
FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES (Toshio Matsumoto, Japan, 1969)
EROS PLUS MASSACRE (Yoshishige Yoshida, Japan, 1969)
THE CHINESE CONNECTION (a.k.a. Fist of Fury, Luo Wei, Hong Kong, 1972)
MANILA (Lino Brocka, Philippines, 1975)
IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES (Nagisa Oshima, France/Japan, 1976)
PERFUMED NIGHTMARE (Kidlat Tahimik, Philippines, 1977)
THE ABANDONED FIELD — FREE-FIRE ZONE (Hong Sen Nguyen, Vietnam, 1979)
SANS SOLIEL (Chris Marker, France/Japan, 1982)
YELLOW EARTH (Chen Kaige, China, 1984)
MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS (Paul Schrader, U.S.A./Japan, 1985)
THE HORSE THIEF (Tian Zhuangzhuang, China, 1985)
PEKING OPERA BLUES (Tsui Hark, Hong Kong, 1986)
RED SORGHUM (Zhang Yimou, China, 1987)
A STORY OF THE WIND (Joris Ivens, France/China, 1988)
A TERRA-COTTA WARRIOR (Ching Siu-Tung, Hong Kong, 1990)
ACTRESS (a.k.a. Centre Stage, Stanley Kwan, Hong Kong, 1991)
SUPERCOP 2 (a.k.a. Project S, Stanley Tong, Hong Kong, 1992)
SOPYONJE (Im Kwon-Taek, South Korea, 1993)
THE EAST IS RED (a.k.a. Swordsman III, Ching Siu-Tung, Hong Kong, 1990)
THE WEDDING BANQUET (Ang Lee, U.S.A./Taiwan, 1993)
CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-Wai, Hong Kong, 1994)
TEMPTRESS MOON (Chen Kaige, China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, 1995)
FALLEN ANGELS (Wong Kar-Wai, Hong Kong, 1995)
MOTEL CACTUS (Park Ki-Yong, South Korea, 1997)
FIREWORKS (a.k.a. Hana-Bi, Takeshi Kitano, Japan, 1998)
SUZHOU RIVER (Lou Ye, China, 2000)


But TapestryBabe never takes my advice... ;)

[karizma]

>> in the mood for love by wong kar wai was pretty well done =).

[SunWuKong]

I'm going to do this by directors. I recommend these films by my four favorite directors (not a complete list of their films), with * next to the must-sees and ** for my favorites of the specific directors. All of these four people have very distinctive styles.


Wong Kar Wai
In the Mood for Love *
Happy Together
Fallen Angels **
Chungking Express
Ashes of Time
Days of Being Wild *
As Tears Go By

Wong Kar Wai's films are very visually stunning. He doesn't just tell a story by going from one plotline to the next. He moves you emotionally with his visuals and sounds. He doesn't even use a script for his films anymore. The actors just show up and he tells them what they need to do in whatever scene they happen to be doing. Alot of actors have said that it can be very difficult working with him because they never even know what the hell the story is actually about during the filming. Fallen Angels is my favorite film of all time. It's about how people in HK (or any crowded city for that matter) are so crowded together physically but yet so emotionally apart. If anybody wants to know what I think of life in general, watch this film. I don't think anybody else can characterize loneliness and desolution as well as Wong Kar Wai. He is my absolute favorite director and pretty much an inspiration for me.

Zhang Yimou
The Road Home (Zhang Ziyi's first film, by the way)
Not One Less *
To Live **
The Story of Qiu Ju
Raise the Red Lantern *
Ju Dou
Red Sorghum

Zhang Yimou started out as a photographer, so in alot of his films, you'll see some very beautiful shots and some great use of colors. Many of his films have been very controversial and banned in China because they indirectly criticize the government. To Live actually became unbanned in China because the government was embarrassed that such an internationally beloved film was banned in China. Not One Less speaks volumes for his directing ability because he went to a remote village and got the villagers to play the roles on that film. The entire cast was made up of people who were not actors and had never acted before - and he won awards for it, including Best Film in the Venice Film Festival.


Ann Hui
July Rhapsody *
Ordinary Heroes **
Eighteen Springs
Summer Snow *
Song of Exile
Boat People (in case anybody's interested to know, this is Andy Lau's first film, before he even became a TV star in the early 80s)

In my own opinion, Ann Hui is probably one of only two directors in HK that can manage to have deep political/social meanings in her films and yet receive a wide following (the other is Fruit Chan). She is absolutely excellent in exploring people's relationships with each other and somehow integrate that with the powerful social surroundings that she puts her characters into. Ordinary Heroes is probably the only non-documentary film in HK that talks about the history of political activism in HK (and believe me, nobody in HK gives a shit about politics), and she somehow managed to weave it all into a part of the characters' relationships with each other.

Peter Chan
Comrades: Almost a Love Story **
He's a Woman, She's a Man *
Tom, Dick, and Harry
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father

I now have to admit to everybody that one of my favorite directors is a master of the chick flick. Yes, that is what Peter Chan is great at doing and that's what his films are. But actually Comrades: Almost a Love Story, the film that really made Peter Chan one of my favorites, is more than just a chick flick. It explores the way that people in mainland China emigrates to Hong Kong, and the way that people in Hong Kong emigrates to the U.S. This film is also a tribute to a great Chinese singer, Teresa Teng, who had suddenly died of a severe asthma attack the year before this film was made.



<!--EDIT|SunWuKung|Sep 8 2002, 03:37 AM-->

[SunWuKong]

damn it! those jokers at www.hkmdb.com (hong kong movie database) made a database of korean films made since 2000 (http://www.krmdb.com/)... but it's only in chinese! if hkmdb has an english version why didn't they make krmdb with an english version? what the hell are they thinking... hopefully the site is a work in progress. anyway for those of you who can read chinese, you can check it out.

anyway tapestrybabe, here are some great korean films i've seen in the past year or two. i watched all these with english subtitles. i'm sure you can find those versions at www.yesasia.com.

My Sassy Girlfriend (i love this film)
My Wife is a Gangster
One Fine Spring Day
JSA
I Wish I Had a Wife
La Belle (well... this is really just a movie with lots of sex...)
Il Mare


but alas i will no longer be able to watch any more korean films. at least not in the theaters because i am no longer in HK.



<!--EDIT|SunWuKung|Sep 8 2002, 04:19 AM-->

[tapestrybabe]

Wow, i gotta lot of titles to choose from now!! Thanks everyone for all your input!! I greatly appreciate it!!

[Shuriken]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Sep 8 2002, 08:20 AM
I'm going to do this by directors.

Nice comments, SWK. Thanks for taking the time to write them.

[achtungbaby]

Originally posted by SunWuKung@Sep 8 2002, 12:20 AM
In the Mood for Love *

Am I the only one who thought In the Mood for Love was just a hyped-up, cinematography orgy-fest? Certainly Wong Kar Wai practically invented brilliant, meandering plot lines...but I remember walking out of the theater very disappointed.

[kimpossible]

Originally posted by achtungbaby@Sep 10 2002, 09:32 AM

Am I the only one who thought In the Mood for Love was just a hyped-up, cinematography orgy-fest? Certainly Wong Kar Wai practically invented brilliant, meandering plot lines...but I remember walking out of the theater very disappointed.

We didn't think it was so great either. Thought I was going to lose it if I heard that song one more time...

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by Hello_Hapa@Sep 10 2002, 12:45 PM

We didn't think it was so great either. Thought I was going to lose it if I heard that song one more time...

bah!

Wong Kar Wai's films are an acquired taste. most people in HK actually don't like his films. people just think they're kind of pointless and they don't understand them. but he still gets alot of attention because the international film fest circles like him alot.

but yeah, WKW is all about cinematographic story-telling. kind of reminds you that you're watching a film, not reading a book.



<!--EDIT|SunWuKung|Sep 10 2002, 12:54 PM-->

[achtungbaby]

I'm all for hearing funky music while a character struts in slow motion. I loved Falling Angels and Chungking Express because they told great stories *and* had tons of style...whereas I thought In the Mood... was just style.

I felt like the audience was begging to connect on a less abtsract, emotional level, even for five minutes.

[achtungbaby]

Anyway, didn't mean to go on and on...dunno if anyone's mentioned them already, but check out Farewell My Concubine and To Live...(and Raise the Red Lantern, Temptress Moon or any other movie with Gong Li).

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by achtungbaby@Sep 10 2002, 01:51 PM
Anyway, didn't mean to go on and on...dunno if anyone's mentioned them already, but check out Farewell My Concubine and To Live...(and Raise the Red Lantern, Temptress Moon or any other movie with Gong Li).

To Live and Raise the Red Lantern were directed by Zhang Yimou. Farewell My Concubine and Temptress Moon were directed by Chen Kaige (approximately pronounced kie gay, not "cage" :)). All are good films, but I like Zhang Yimou's work better. Chen Kaige's style is slower, has a more "epic" feel to it, and definitely more complex. On the other hand, Zhang Yimou's work has been criticised as exoticising Chinese culture for the Western audience. Amongst his contemporaries (so called "Fifth Generation" of Chinese directors from mainland), his work is sometimes considered too commercial. But really, his films are hardly commercial at all, but probably only so compared to his contemporaries who all like to do "serious" films. Zhang Yimou was actually Chen Kaige's cameraman on Chen Kaige's directorial debut Yellow Earth.



<!--EDIT|SunWuKung|Sep 10 2002, 02:53 PM-->

[Shuriken]

Here's an article worth checking out:


http://www.asianamericanfilm.com/columns/c...c/09-05-02.html

[blue__blood]

All my female friends said My Sassy Girl was boring, and all my male friends said it was amazing... so I think it's more of a film concept thing.

I would recommend watching White Out, Bounce Kogals, Tales of the Unusual 2, and My Left Eye Sees Ghosts.