This is not an anime thread. In recent years I have discovered that they make damn good movies in Asia. Saw Oldboy yesterday and I'll be damned if I could think of any recent Western action movie that measures up to it quality-wise. It was that bloody brilliant, convincingly conveying the full spectrum of human emotion and providing an actual reason for all the violence that otherwise only functions as filler. I have only seen the original Thai version of Shutter, but from what I can gather from other people it is vastly superior to its American remake. Makes me embarrassed when I think of Swedish movies, that are almost without exception bland, boring and forgettable. Seriously don't know what the fuck is wrong with compatriot directors nowadays. Some lighthearted comedies aside, the only truly memorable movie to come out of this country in the past fucking decades is Jägarna, and that was in 1996. Granted, most movies anywhere aren't to be written home about, but it seems to me that South East Asia has produced the majority of recent gems. Anyone seen the American version of The Eye? The Hong Kong version was quite good as I recall. Haven't heard anyone compare the two though.
Well, if you liked Oldboy, check out the other two movies of the Vengeance Triology. Also, the latest movie by the same director, Thirst, is, by far, the best vamparie movie I have ever seen.
When I hear Asian movies, I think "Ring" series (1, 2, 0) and "Shaolin Soccer". Loved both. In case of the Rings, the American versions weren't bad but were so focused on special effects that they forgot to be scary (which is, I believe, a trademark of western horrors). The Japanese ones on the other hand taught me that it is actually possible for a film to strike with fear, and the required special ingredient to do so is not throwing gallons of blood and intestines at the screen but affecting the subconscious of the watcher, scaring him with not what he sees but with what he doesn't see. I have yet to read the books on which the films were based and learn if the parents are as good as their children, but it patiently waits on my "to do" list. And Shaolin Soccer is simply an original and funny film with really nice moments of exaggeration and epicness. Can't say I liked every single bit of Chinese humor in it, but it's a film I've already seen several times and will probably watch it again in the near future, now that I reminded myself about it.
Shaolin Soccer is one of the select few movies that made laugh until I choke, and that's the best rating I could give to any comedy. The same people have also made a film called Kung Fu Hustle, which wasn't quite as good but still perfectly watchable.
Shaolin Soccer will always have a special place in my heart. That and Project A, I know its a Jackie Chan movie and everyone says they love him but I really think that was his best movie. Riki-Oh: The story of Ricky is great dubbed, I linked the fight scene to it in the videos thread a week or so ago.
Let the Right One In was a pretty good movie. Ichi the Killer and Casshern are two really good asian movies. If you're a horror/goreporn fan you really can't go wrong with anything released under the Tartan Asian Extreme label such as Memento Mori. The Tommie series is good for a horror thriller. And Seven Samurai is a classic.
Over the years I have seen some Asian movies, but the only ones that can remember are: The Seven Samurai (a classic indeed), Battle royal (I am not sure about the name, but it is with school kids with bombs around their necks.), The Ring, a movie with a phone that predicts death (people hear their last moments), and the horror/gore porn movie called Shaolin VS Evil Dead.
Thanks for providing the title, magikot. The film sounded like something I'd like to see and now finding it will be much easier.
Wasabi is a french film, I believe. Another wonderful asian production is Sukiyaki Western Django, in which japanese swordsmen clash with gunsligers and ragtag bandits. It's a Tarantino-inspired piece of epicness, with a hint of Shakespear in the mix. Also, Tarantino guest-stars in it. All in all, it's a very good movie.
