tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30249655223376589862011-08-03T19:49:08.890-04:00tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-14039856330972013182008-09-13T18:25:00.020-04:002009-09-14T14:38:03.664-04:00

The Good, The Bad, and The Weird made its North American premiere in Toronto last night. Playing at the Roy Thompson Hall, a friend and I got our tickets and headed for the screening. Not a regular screening, but they call it an "Opening Night Gala" (I think), with some of the cast and crew present. Director Kim Ji-woon (whose only film I've seen was A Bittersweet Life), Lee Byung-hun (who was

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-467494949282709672007-09-07T17:56:00.001-04:002007-10-16T21:27:20.879-04:00

If You Were Me (various directors, 2003)If You Were Me is comprised of six short films by different directors. Each segment tackles the subject of human rights. The Human Rights Commission in Korea had asked for a film to be made regarding the issues, and If You Were Me is the first of an ongoing series (If You Were Me 2 and I read a third is being made).The Weight of Her (Im Sun-Rye)The Man

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-39804855198454495672007-08-30T12:53:00.000-04:002007-09-02T12:39:01.456-04:00

I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok (Park Chan-Wook, 2006) - 8/10"Sympathy is the worst of the 7 deadly sins.For your reference, the following 6 are as follows.Being sad.Restlessness.Hesitating about anything.Useless daydreaming.Feeling guilty.Thankfulness.The above was in the order of evilness.Useless daydreaming about whether the white 'uns have grannies, too...Sympathy about their grannies if the

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-78107035316864482492007-07-06T12:55:00.001-04:002009-04-02T20:50:30.696-04:00

Café Lumière (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2003) - 8.5/10After watching Café Lumière, my third film from Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien (Three Times, and Millennium Mambo), I realize the patience his films require. When watching Millennium Mambo I was put off by the long takes of the characters doing the most ordinary and mundane actions. Such as a one minute take (might be a little off) of Shu Qi's

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-33047000421254249612007-06-06T10:23:00.001-04:002009-04-02T20:52:22.824-04:00

Millennium Mambo (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2001) - 6/10As she jogs through a blue lit tunnel with a captivating soundtrack playing in the background, the presence of Shu Qi, may compel you from the start. However, it's scenes like this which helps make Millennium Mambo watchable. What this film lacks is any real closure between scenes. Instead, director Hsiao-hsien, crafts his scenes to make them

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-78120148382851407252007-06-05T08:41:00.001-04:002009-09-14T13:35:36.311-04:00

The Road Home (Zhang Yimou, 1999) - 8/10Why not take that one last path to the road home? Another beautifully told dramatic tale from Zhang Yimou. Opening with black and white moving visuals, The Road Home glances back to the life of a young Di (played by Zhang Ziyi), into a luscious and colourful landscape enveloping a small village. Before elaborating into the past life of Di, we first learn

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-54634302161131163962007-05-26T19:21:00.002-04:002009-09-14T13:34:47.107-04:00

Memories of Matsuko (Tetsuya Nakashima, 2006) - 10/10Director, Tetsuya Nakashima brought you Kamikaze Girls previously. A movie boasting two female characters struggling to find common ground in their friendship. My first glance into Nakashima's work, his film-making style hit me from the start. Memories of Matsuko opens almost fairytale-like. The opening underwater sequence reminded my of

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-20132210754835627742007-05-09T21:21:00.001-04:002009-04-02T20:59:11.142-04:00

Nobody Knows (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2004) - 9.5/10A realistic portrayal into the lives of four siblings who struggle to survive and live on their own. After their mother takes off, the oldest sibling Akira, is left responsible to maintain their survival. Based on true accounts (which appear more grisly than what the film portrays), Nobody Knows sustains the touch of realism. The film sucks you

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-70269723912679221172007-04-22T11:53:00.000-04:002007-08-28T20:18:43.476-04:00

Ping Pong (Fumihiko Sori, 2002) - 8.5/10Is a game just a game? Or is a game more than just a game? Two questions and two characters with different mindsets to the game of ping pong. Peco and Smile are two friends who play for a school ping pong team. One has all the talent in the world and fails to utilize them completely. He views the game as just a game to pass time. One brings arrogance

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-57444903190171505842007-03-23T14:01:00.001-04:002007-08-28T20:19:05.577-04:00

Failan (Song Hae-sung, 2001) - 8.5/10**may contain spoilersCecilia Cheung in a Korean drama? Works for me. A Korean drama that manages to stay away from the over-the-top sappiness found in most Korean dramas. What happens when two people bound by an arranged marriage never meet? Failan, starring Cecilia Cheung and Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) -- play Failan and Kang-jae -- whom they discover a

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-17448253634941713752007-03-11T14:41:00.000-04:002007-08-28T20:19:11.068-04:00

Confessions of Pain - (Wai Keung Lau & Siu Fai Mak, 2006) - 7.5/10I caught the HK film Confessions of Pain a few days ago. Starring Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs) and Takashi Kaneshiro (House of Flying Daggers), and the same crew that made the Infernal Affairs trilogy. The film functions as a murder mystery/thriller. The finding and analyzing of clues and suspects carries sort of the same style

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-88433170809213834312007-03-02T21:18:00.000-05:002007-08-28T20:19:18.215-04:00

Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (Ten Shimoyama, 2005) - 6.5/10A film based on a manga and the anime series, Basilisk, both of which I've never read and seen. Two rival ninja clans (Koga and Iga) are forced to battle each other by the ruling of Japan's Emperor. The Emperor, wanting to bring all of Japan under his ruling, fears the powers these two clan possess. Five top warriors from each clan are

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-9386792599581389752007-02-26T10:49:00.001-05:002009-04-02T21:06:44.453-04:00

Battle Of Wits (Chi Leung 'Jacob' Cheung, 2006) - 6/10There hasn't been any costumed battle epics that I've really like. I've seen, Musa the Warrior, Seven Swords, The Myth, and that's all I can think of right now. I was sort of recommended Battle of Wits, based on using strategy and wit to outsmart one's opponent instead of sheer numbers and brute force. Andy Lau as Ge Li, a Mozi warrior

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-69981957529757574212007-02-24T12:21:00.002-05:002009-04-02T21:07:19.657-04:00

My Boss My Student (Dong-won Kim, 2006) - 7/10The sequel to the 2001 Korean hit, My Boss My Hero, where 30-something gang leader Gae Do-Shik is forced to get his high school diploma by posing as a teenage student. In My Boss My Teacher, Gae Do-Shik continues his studies to get a college degree. He decides to become a student teacher at a high school. Coincidentally, Gae Do-Shik's boss is

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-33103294950063696622007-02-23T12:15:00.000-05:002007-08-28T20:20:34.203-04:00

Exiled (Johnnie To, 2006) - 8/10A film by Johnnie To, soon to be or if he already isn't, a HK legendary filmmaker. His latest action thriller Exiled is reminiscent of the shoot-em-up genre of John Woo's The Killer, A Better Tomorrow, and Hard Boiled. Johnnie To has brought in some of the same casts in his other films, Election, Election 2, Breaking News.Ordering hits, accepting missions, and

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-27463392676799273352007-02-21T17:18:00.000-05:002007-08-28T20:20:40.039-04:00

The Host (Joon-ho Bong, 2006) - 7.5/10Like Steven Spielberg's film Jaws, about a creature terrorizing the ocean, the Korean film The Host treads on the same idea. Except The Host isn't about a shark, but a sewer monster that lives in the Han River of Seoul and terrorizes those that surround it.The film opens with two doctors rummaging through bottles of toxic chemicals. One of the doctor is

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-45835462734085703662007-02-21T15:32:00.000-05:002007-08-28T20:20:46.603-04:00

Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) - 7/10A film set during the Spanish Civil War, Pan's Labyrinth is a dark tale of one girl trying to escape her violent reality into a fantasy world. When Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) steps into another world, a gorgeous display of creatures and visuals capture the imagination of a fairy tale -- a dark, grim fairy tale. A world of fairies, a faun, giant toads

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-5376942398813918902007-02-20T11:42:00.001-05:002009-04-02T21:08:57.314-04:00

Stranger Than Fiction (Marc Forster, 2006) - 9/10"Who just said that I was counting brush strokes?"Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), an IRS agent lives his life counting. From counting brush strokes, to counting his steps, Harold Crick lives a routine life. Until one morning he begins to hear a woman's voice narrating his life. That voice is Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an author who has written a

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-55428650101061806802007-02-19T13:50:00.002-05:002009-04-02T21:13:33.478-04:00

Babel (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2006) - 7.5/10Three different stories, three different settings, and all manage to somehow connect together in the least spectacular way.Brad Pitt (Richard) and Cate Blanchett (Susan) play a married American couple/tourist in Morocco. Their rocky relationship unfolds off the top -- seeing them scuffle over ice -- and as tragic circumstances happen, we get a

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-79994242377660934222007-02-12T10:20:00.003-05:002009-04-02T21:17:31.933-04:00

Worst blog title ever. I'll be reviewing two films, Re-Cycle and Rob-B-Hood.Re-Cycle (Oxide Pang & Danny Pang, 2006) - 8.5/10Ting-Yin (Angelica Lee - The Eye) is an author who writes from her own life experiences. After finishing writing a novel of love stories, she titles her new book "Recycle", about the supernatural world.The film starts off as a typical horror film with strange figures,

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-86339076728777602992007-02-05T10:35:00.003-05:002009-09-14T13:36:55.160-04:00

Really short review:Pistol Opera (Seijun Suzuki, 2001) - 8/10A visual masterpiece from director Seijun Suzuki. A remake/sequel to his 1967 film, Branded to Kill. This film is filled with awesome visual imagery. Vivid colours, costumes, set designs. As the title suggests, the film plays out mostly like a stage play (Japanese opera).The story plays out more intricately than a straight narrative

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-18455105238311120072007-01-29T13:00:00.001-05:002007-08-28T20:21:17.771-04:00

The Great Yokai War (Takashi Miike, 2005) - 6/10This Miike film is panned as family-friendly. To some extent, yes. If you've seen other Miike films, you'd know that he doesn't shy away from sexual innuendo. Even this family-friendly film contains a little trace of that, but nothing to the extent of his other films. Plus, some dark scenes and characters that may scare the little kiddies.A

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-51354576372913195752007-01-22T18:17:00.000-05:002007-08-28T20:21:23.650-04:00

I meant to post this days ago, but got lazy.Samaritan Girl (Ki-duk Kim, 2004) - 10/10*Contains Spoilers*Just when I thought Kim Ki-duk couldn't create an almost masterful gem like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring, I may have witnessed his best work so far in Samaritan Girl.Samaritan Girl conveys two teenage girls, Jae-yeong (Yeo-reum Han) and Yeo-jin (Ji-min Kwak) who resort to

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-12695222284094031912007-01-08T18:24:00.001-05:002007-08-28T20:21:38.949-04:00

Versus (Ryuhei Kitamura, 2000) - 7/10After reading a book on zombies, Versus provided a gorefest of the living dead. Blended in with gunplay and samurai swordplay, the movie splurged all kinds of blood and guts. Violence so over-the-top, it becomes laughable. Forget how thin and messy the story becomes (about good vs. evil), but be entertained for the film's stylish, choreographed action

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-624884882758039042007-01-02T14:03:00.000-05:002007-08-28T20:21:46.195-04:00

I got around to viewing Tetsuo: the Iron Man and Audition.Tetsuo: the Iron Man (Shinya Tsukamoto, 1989) - 7/10The back of the DVD cover states, "...a cinematic experience like you've never seen." I really don't know what to make from this film. Or I've never experienced Tsukamoto before, or any Lynch films which I read this movie is in the realm of. Which means I need to experience this movie

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-40087899449530294962006-12-27T12:17:00.001-05:002009-04-02T20:00:36.271-04:00

Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki, 1986) - 8/10Another beautiful created film from Hayao Miyazaki. The animation and artwork is great, as always. Miyazaki has a way of creating different worlds -- the castle in Howl's Moving Castle, the forest in Princess Mononoke -- wanting to submerge myself into the tv screen. The floating castle in Castle in the Sky is no different. And the score by Joe

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-70086616514626851932006-12-19T13:22:00.002-05:002009-04-02T19:58:51.106-04:00

Dolls, my second Takashi Kitano film. My first Kitano film was The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi. Kitano's films are known for its gritty violence. We see Kitano's softer side in Dolls, as he presents three somewhat tragic and sad tales. Dolls (Takeshi Kitano, 2002) - 9/10The film includes three different stories intertwined together. In the first story, Matsumoto (Hidetoshi Nishijima) decides

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-56359632419920401442006-12-15T16:33:00.002-05:002009-12-10T20:08:46.848-05:00

Why did I see this movie? I'm not sure why either, but Eriko Sato is pretty good looking lol.Cutie Honey (Hideaki Anno, 2004) - 8/10I expected a cheesy movie something like Power Rangers. I was right, sort of. Semi-cheap special effects and costumed villains you might find watching Power Rangers. The formula for this film spells disaster from the start, seeing how it's a live action take on

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-10577836965014437792006-12-14T15:55:00.001-05:002009-04-02T19:50:58.948-04:00

I don't really watch any anime except from Studio Ghibli. I managed to see this 45 min movie, cause someone told me it was good. Blood: The Last Vampire (Hiroyuki Kitakubo, 2000) - 7.5/10Blood: The Last Vampire tells of a girl (Saya) who must take down demon-like creatures that feed off human blood. The film consistently provided a dark and tense mood. The animation was well done. But sadly,

tm.unagihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04412930483131806625noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3024965522337658986.post-49406265046115204112006-12-08T00:21:00.016-05:002009-12-10T00:54:02.764-05:00

2009 movie database:09.02.09The Hidden Blade (Yôji Yamada, 2004) - 8.5/1008.27.09Ichi (Fumihiko Sori, 2008) - 7.5/1008.25.09Tokyo! (Michel Gondry, Leos Carax & Bong Joon-ho, 2008) - 7/10~ Interior Design (Michel Gondry) - 7/10~ Merde (Leos Carax) - 5.5/10~ Shaking Tokyo (Bong Joon-ho) - 8/1008.18.09Mad Detective (Johnnie To & Wai Ka-Fai, 2007) - 8.5/1008.16.09Geisha Assassin (Gô Ohara, 2008) - 3/

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