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| 5 FEB 2006 at 4:12pm | |
MarkGuild Master  Posts : 3803 Joined: 10 OCT 2002 Location: US, Georgia Status : Offline | Okay, since we are officially Off-Topic on the subject of "Top 10 Films of 2005!" - in which case I didn't even see ten films at movie theaters in 2005 because, for example - a movie like Sideways was released here in 2004 as well as many others several of you have mentioned as your favorites for 2005. We Ugly Americans saw them - or had the opportunity to see many of them in 2004. Anyway, I've seen these Asian ( and a couple of other nationalities) films at theaters - not on DVD (which to me makes a lot of difference. The cinematic experience cannot be topped by a home viewing experience and I don't care how large your wide-screen CRT, plasma, or LCD TV monitor is or if you have 6.1 Dolby or THX or whatever):
On DVD, I've seen:
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| 5 FEB 2006 at 4:59pm | |
MarkGuild MasterPosts : 3803 Joined: 10 OCT 2002 Location: US, Georgia Status : Offline | Oops! Misspelled Tomei. It should be spelled Tomie. Again, the only one worth watching is Tomie: Reborn if one is into a bit of Asian horror. Another Asian horror film - beautifully photographed - was a little film called A Tale of Two Sisters. Don't let the ugly DVD cover throw you off - it wasn't that particularly gory. The two sisters are a delight to watch - and the evil Mom - well, you'll just have to see her for yourself. Please proofread your posts carefully to see if you any words out. |
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| 5 FEB 2006 at 6:26pm | |
dombrewerGuild Master Posts : 3103 Joined: 19 JAN 2003 Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Wimli (5 FEB 2006 2:45pm) Now we're getting down to the heart of the matter... a personal 100 films... mmmm.... Haven't been able to check out other Ghibli Studios films cause of lousy Benelux dvd releases and dubbed-in-Dutch only cinema releases. I'll have to import some of those supposedly excellent UK special editions. |
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| 5 FEB 2006 at 6:29pm | |
dombrewerGuild MasterPosts : 3103 Joined: 19 JAN 2003 Status : Offline | Thanks Mark - some good recommendations there. [img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/detective.gif[/img][b]Playing:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/blahblah.gif[/img][b]Reading:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/whistle.gif[/img][b]Listening:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/indie.gif[/img][b]Watching:[/b] |
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| 6 FEB 2006 at 2:22am | |
WimliGuild Master Posts : 3259 Joined: 14 MAR 2003 Status : Offline | Hey Mark! Welcome on the discussion here! Some excellent recommendations there! And yeah, this topic has gone totally of topic which is good, it's been a while since these boards have had a good old fashioned all-kinds-of-movies discussion. Originally Posted By Mark (5 FEB 2006 4:11pm) I agree on 'Tokyo Godfathers'! Great manga, intercganging funny moments with dramatic ones. 'Kamakazi Girls' isn't out here yet, or maybe under another title? I'll check on it. And I think the other one was released here as 'Ong-Bak', haven't seen it though. I'll discuss TV DVD boxsets I like later. I enjoyed the series Cowboy Bebop and The Big O somewhat, but they aren't among my favorites. I guess I have grown weary of the futuristic ugliness of evil corporations, rogue space scavengers, and such. I too love to watch tv series on dvd! the luxury of watching your favourite series without commercial breaks and being able to watch them at your own pace, that's just priceless (well, almost ). Right now I'm watching Six Feet Under which must be one of the most brilliant drama series ever to make it to the small screen! I've just finished season 3, and I can't wait for season 4 to arrive (already ordered on the internet. ). After that, I'll start on Lars Von Trier's Riget (Kingdom). I've heard so much about this creepy hospital series, I'm really lookinh forward to watching it! In between, I'm also working my way through the boxset of the Complete Absolutely Fabulous series and Sex and the City seaon 3. After that, The Office will cover my comic need. 8-) And i must say, I still love Cowboy Bebop! Excellent stories, great characters, funny and, well cool. Also, the trilogy of Memories must not be missed, as well as a personal favorite of mine - Samurai Jack. "Jack" was not what I had expected to see, and turned out to be quite a funny trilogy. What was your favourite part of 'Memories'? Though I liked all three of them, I think my choice would go to Magnetic Rose, the first part. Such a haunting story! And i don't know Samurai Jack, another one I will have to check out. |
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| 6 FEB 2006 at 2:47am | |
WimliGuild MasterPosts : 3259 Joined: 14 MAR 2003 Status : Offline | Originally Posted By dombrewer (5 FEB 2006 6:25pm)Originally Posted By Wimli (5 FEB 2006 2:45pm) Lol, that one'll need some serious thinking and a rigorous elimination process before I'll be able to come up with that! But who knows, I'll get to work on it, I'll see where I'll come out. How about you, could you easily name your 100 favourite movies?
I'm especially looking forward to seeing their older productions, like 'Graveyard of the Fireflies' and 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind'. 'Howl's Moving Castle' looks great as well. I think 'The Cat Returns' was aimed at a younger audience than their other productions, maybe that's why it was simpler than the other Ghibli films. Haven't heard of 'Sky Blue'. Let me know how the dvd is when you get it! It reminded me of another title: 'Perfect Blue'. Have you seen that one? It's supposed to be great manga as well. I haven't been able to get my hands on that one either. Same actually goes for Ghost in the Shell, again because of a crappy dvd release here. :-/
Well, Kitano didn't make that much of an impression on me in Battle Royale, not his fault really, I never got into that movie. I've heard some good things about his directorial efforts. Again, one of the many unexplored areas of cinema. Haven't heard of Brother yet, but if it's anything like Oldboy, I'll probably like it! Another one to put one my list. Why oh why are there only 24 hours in each day? I need more time to watch all these movies! In case of the latter one, it felt like it became more estheticism for itself, instead of in function of a story, a dramatic drive or its characters. You know, overplaying the WOW factor so much, my emotional connection to the story was cut off. Hm, I found with Hero that an entire movie build on that principle of WOWing its audience, was a bit much for me to keep up the interest all throughout the movie. As for Crouching Tiger, though I like it already much better than eg Hero, I again didn't get into it as much as many others did. When they were running and jumping across rooftops or flying through trees, I found it more embarrassingly funny than exciting or tense. It again were those moments that got me 'out' of the movie, broke through my suspension of disbelief. Still, moments like that were much more rare in Crouching Tiger, and most of the time I really did enjoy it. It does feature a great story and topnotch acting! I haven't seen Audition yet, I might check it out when I run across it. ok, now I'm intrigued! I did however remember a few other Asian films I really enjoyed: the hilarious action comedy Shaolin Soccer and western parody Tears of the Black Tiger. Seen those? What did you think of them? I've heard some really disappointing reactions on Kungfu Hustle. I'll wait on your opinion before I'll watch this one. Oh, and if you can, do check out 'Tears of the Black Tiger'! Excellent film! See? You do like Asian cinema. Jup, apparently I do. 8-) |
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| 6 FEB 2006 at 4:37am | |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By Mark (5 FEB 2006 4:11pm) Mark, I saw the US version of The Ring version and loved it, but disliked the US sequel. Do you recomend the Japanese Ringu 2? |
| 6 FEB 2006 at 11:36am | |
MarkGuild MasterPosts : 3803 Joined: 10 OCT 2002 Location: US, Georgia Status : Offline | Originally Posted By dombrewer (5 FEB 2006 6:29pm) You're welcome, Dom. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Thanks to you, too, Wimli. We know the Topic was "Top 10 Film of 2005!", but since we live all over the globe, sometimes movie release dates are "staggered". So yes, it's neat just to talk about films "in general" - no matter what year they came out. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Kamakazi Girls (2004) is a dumb Americanized title for the Japanese movie Shimotsuma monogatari. The movie really has very little to do with "kamakazi" anything. It's a very charming movie about two totally different young Japanese girls - one tough; one frilly - and the unlikely development of their friendship. I think early-to-mid-teenage girls of any nationality or culture would have a lot of fun with this movie. The first hour is hilarious. The "frilly" girl has a Father that is a total mess - a mobster that screws up constantly - and her Mother just literally "floats" away to marry into "better" money. It has pretty amazing imagery, and some really over-the-top scenes that will have even the most staid viewer crack a smile. The point is this: for all the hardships both girls have had to endure during their short lives, they act like nothing fazes them. They try to be very stoic in their own individual ways. They also "act out" their teenage frustrations each in their own way. And bicker and fight about it between themselves - constantly. But they learn to truly love, appreciate, and care for each other during the course of the movie. Ego defenses are shattered. Roles are exchanged. Enemies are defeated or dealt with in (mostly) non-violent ways. There is a lot of riotous color (pinks, especially) - and simply a very special movie for anyone except very small children. Teenage boys that have "done-it-all-and-seen-it-all" may not be able to relate, but even they would laugh at some of the scenes. And Wim - you are absolutely right about the spelling of Ong-bak (2003) - another fantastic Asian Live Action film with no special effects - that means no Computer Graphic Images, no stunt doubles for the main actors, no wires. Everything is live. The choreography and timing of the slapstick is impeccable. The entire viewing audience was in stitches. There is a fair share of comic violence in the form of Thai-style kick-boxing, but very little bloodshed. The "quest" storyline is thin, but no matter. Its ballet is as pure as "Swan Lake". It's a parody. And a divine disaster. The viewer is well-rewarded with colorful and bizarre characters and for no extra cost: lots of chickens, 3-wheeled tipsy rickshaws, acrobatics, slap fights, and fruit flying around. The film was made in Thailand, and I hope the main actor - Tony Jaa - becomes a international star. He deserves global recognition. I've really never cared much for Van Damme, Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, etc. movies, so I was coerced into seeing Ong-bak unwillingly. I will never be so pig-headed and closed-minded ever again. I haven't seen anything this funny since the height of Jerry Lewis, Harold Lloyd, and The Marx Brothers and their films of sheer nutball capers. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Indeed. What a show. What a brave American show! (Makes me proud!) Six Feet Under isn't for everyone, though. It isn't for the squeamish, it isn't for homophobics, it isn't for those that like their "soaps" merely trashy and predictably smarmy. It can be trashy and violent but yet at the same time - tear-jerkingly tender and poignant. There is drug use, lip-locks of all varieties, faithfulness and infidelities, wacky "West Coast" New Age weirdnesses, conservatives, liberals, Catholics, Russian-Americans, Afro-Americans, Latin-Americans, Caucasians, blondes, red-heads, brunettes, babies, senior citizens, obsessive-compulsive disorders, psychotic psychiatrists, nymphomania, self-obsessed Hollywood "stars", wanna-be musicians, "artistés", crack-heads, criminals, saints, devils, angels, unscrupulous funeral home "magnates", a bonfire of family heirlooms, casket-shoppers, deaths, births - plus even a '50's bomb shelter enters the mix. And all this comes together somehow under the auspices of a family funeral home and I still can't believe this was green-lit by HBO. Like any series, it has "better" episodes than others, but My Word! What a soap! ~more responses in following post~ Please proofread your posts carefully to see if you any words out. |
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| 6 FEB 2006 at 12:16pm | |
MarkGuild MasterPosts : 3803 Joined: 10 OCT 2002 Location: US, Georgia Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Wimli, since I don't have (nor want) cable TV, I have been renting each season of Six Feet Under as it has become available for rent and have been now through the first four seasons. Sounds expensive to do it that way, but with a fistful of coupons, it was much cheaper to rent all the episodes than to buy or subscribe to a cable network with HBO to see Six Feet Under. And Season Four? Grand! Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Wim, there was a US broadcast version of Kingdom adapted by Stephen King. It did so poorly here that most of the shows were pre-empted several times. The flow of the story was lost, because no one knew when the next episode was going to be aired. Needless to say, Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital (2004) didn't fare well at all, but has been available as a DVD boxset for quite some time now here in the U.S. I've heard the German/Danish version Riget (1994) is the superlative version. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) "Sweetie, dahling!" Gosh, Ab Fab is so ill! The first three seasons (1992-1994) are the best, most screwed-up, garish, rude, and downright..well...either the viewer likes it or hates it. Me, I hated Ab Fab at first, but then closely watched the episodes "Fat", "oorknob", and the episode with Miranda Richardson as the "minimalist" that comes to visit Edina's home: "Clear!" "Clear surfaces!" After finally "getting" it, I absolutely had to see the others. Basically a female actress-based show, you won't find any ditzier British "ladies" than this. Ab Fab rolls up all notions of a "proper English lady" into a joint, smokes it, then downs a refrigerator full of "Bolly", and gets totally blitzed. Wearing fashions meant for 12-year-old girls but just somehow managing to cram their aging bodies into the tightest spandex - they soon become incontinent. However, avoid the episode "Gay" although it answered a persistent question about one of the minor (yet heretofore unseen characters). Whoopi Goldberg wasn't funny, the situations were tired, - it just wasn't very Ab Fab. So, seek out the first three seasons of Ab Fab and witness Patsy and Edina take a Concorde jet non-stop to Manhattan merely to check out...a doorknob. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Sorry, Wimli, but I have seen nary an episode of Sex and the City, nor do I ever wish to. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Well, now you're talkin'! But only the orignal UK version with Ricky Gervais. This show is an office cubicle gone mad - especially the very first season. And the second season of The Office had scenes of utter embarrassment. I was alone when I first saw some of these episodes. Even then - I squirmed, I fidgeted, and had moments of utter shock as to how that office was ran by its maniac manager. "Step away from the cookie jar!" "Step away from the cookie jar!" Ricky, to new hire: "Everyone gets here early just to get a glimpse at the crack of Dawn." "awn" is the receptionist. More squirming. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Yes, it was. Good music, situations...I cannot deny it is a great program. But like I said, I suppose I'm a little burnt out on the space opera/rogue-thing. I love the little dog. He's my favorite character, actually. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:22am) Of course it was the best. Magnetic Rose gave me the uncanny feeling that I was there. A part of their lives. I remember thinking, "Am I playing an incredible Adventure game?" Magnetic Rose gives so much to the viewer: horror, beauty, trickery, illusion...and it also takes something from the viewer as well. It briefly removes one's sense of reality. It is a story that asks one to come to it. And how well the juxtaposition of horror and fear is portrayed amid beauty and hope. Originally Posted By Not A Speck Of Cereal (6 FEB 2006 4:37am) Well, quite frankly Speck, I liked the American version of Ring 2 better - but I think it had quite a lot to do with my enjoying King Kong. Please click here to find out why. Eh? Please proofread your posts carefully to see if you any words out. |
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| 6 FEB 2006 at 2:45pm | |
dombrewerGuild MasterPosts : 3103 Joined: 19 JAN 2003 Status : Offline | Mmmmm.....Naomiiiii Such a beautiful woman - I was practically drooling in Mulholland Drive, but she's getting better and better; the definite highlight of King Kong. Originally Posted By Wimli (6 FEB 2006 2:47am) Easily, quickly, probably not. But possible? Oh yes. I'm especially looking forward to seeing their older productions, like 'Graveyard of the Fireflies' and 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind'. I did get Fireflies, and it is beautiful - but more like a real drama than a manga, and all that that implies. I had to watch it twice to really understand the flashback structure too, also, strangely, I think the English dub was better in this case than the subtitled version. An old film, but a great one. Very moving. It reminded me of another title: 'Perfect Blue'. Have you seen that one? It's supposed to be great manga as well. I haven't been able to get my hands on that one either. Same actually goes for Ghost in the Shell, again because of a crappy dvd release here. :-/ Yes, Perfect Blue is a very odd film - sort of bubblegum Hitchcock. Not one of the best, but definitely unique. Ghost in the Shell is brilliant though - I'm sure the Matrix ripped off one of the best sequences in the film for the lobby shoot out. As for Crouching Tiger, though I like it already much better than eg Hero, I again didn't get into it as much as many others did. When they were running and jumping across rooftops or flying through trees, I found it more embarrassingly funny than exciting or tense. I've heard that before and I guess I can follow it, but within the context of Chinese filmmaking it was absolutely right - it's a common conceit - also it didn't matter to me because it looked so balletic and beautiful. [img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/detective.gif[/img][b]Playing:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/blahblah.gif[/img][b]Reading:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/whistle.gif[/img][b]Listening:[/b] &&[img]http://www.justadventure.com/public_html/yabbfiles/Smilies/indie.gif[/img][b]Watching:[/b] |
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| 6 FEB 2006 at 5:32pm | |
| Deleted User | I've seen almost all Ghibli films and they're all something special... Honestly, I didn't think much of The Cat Returns though. As you said, targeted to young children... Whisper of the Heart (the sort of prequel to it) is way better. I still haven't seen Pom Poko, Ocean Waves and On Your Mark though. Got to pick up those! I've got to recommend Lupin III: Castle of Caglisotro here! A Miyazaki classic and the perfect introduction to one of Japan's most beloved cartoon characters ever. If you like Cowboy Bebop and light action/humor shows you should like Lupin. Apart from three major TV series, totalling hundreds of episodes, there are Lupin feature-length films made almost every year. Haven't encountered anything so far that I thought "this was kind of crappy". Oh, and the music in the shows is fantastic! |
| 6 FEB 2006 at 5:55pm | |
| Deleted User | Originally Posted By Mark (6 FEB 2006 12:16pm) Kingdom Hospital was kind of interesting. It had a proper structure and ended in a logical fashion. The original Danish series is something unforgettable though! Three seasons were planned but only two were ever made. Unfortunately the actor playing one of the main characters (Dr. Stegmann in Stephen King's version) died rather unexpected. It was he who really carried the show. One of Sweden's finest actors ever... In comparison, Riget was way more spaced out. Filmed with handheld cameras in a very noisy and almost color-less style and with very creepy sounds... Many elements from the plot were brought along to the American version but the original versions were way more extreme and suggestive, often quite scary, featuring a really bizarre sense of humor that was great! I don't know if the plot would have had a logical conclusion at all because it just freaked out more and more. It didn't follow up on the story of the little girl as The Kingdom did. They just found her body preserved in a glass jar at the end of some episode. It revolved more around evil growing stronger and stronger, causing more and more bizarre events in the hospital. A woman gave birth to a child who was going to embody Satan or something. He came out as a talking baby with a grown man's head and started to develop at an extreme rate, eventually having grown deformed arms and legs that stretched across an entire room... Yeah, it was bizarre enough alright! This show still freaks me out more than most things I've seen. |
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