177 replies to this topic

[opus]

I know theoddone will love this... Sony Pictures Classics' website for 3-Iron, including a trailer (which does a nice job of summing up the film's tone, IMHO.

I picked it up on DVD a few months ago, watched it, and... well... was somewhat underwhelmed at the time. But since then, it's been growing in my mind and I'll probably rewatch it again soon. I think I was expecting something much more, um, fantastical and fairy tale-ish, based on the various comments I read, whereas the film is much more slight and subtler than that.

Update: I just looked finished perusing the site, and I really like the director's statement. Short and to the point, but really quite nice. Plus, I learned a little something about golf.

Edited by opus, 04 April 2005 - 11:54 PM.

[theoddone33]

Indeed.

3-Iron was my favorite film of 2004, and Ki-Duk's best work thus far (of the ones I've seen). IMDB says it goes into limited release in US theaters on April 29. It's well-worth seeing.

The best thing is that I suspect that this isn't the pinnacle of Kim Ki-Duk's career, but that he has many other superb films in him.

Regarding the trailer... I'm not sure it's even possible to have spoilers in a film like this, but I'm very glad I saw the movie before I saw the trailer.

Edited by theoddone33, 05 April 2005 - 04:51 AM.

[opus]

Something else I found over on Twitch's site... the trailer for Save The Green Planet. Simply put, I love this movie (here's my review), and it's one my fave Asian movies in recent years.

It's a total mish-mash of genres - black comedy, horror, psychological thriller, romance, suspense, sci-fi parody, tragedy - and yet it does a wonderful job of balancing all of them with a very intriguing plot and a surprisingly sympathetic main character. It's because of this movie that I became a fan of Shin Ha-Kyun (who is one of my fave Korean actors, even when he's in such mediocre fare as A Man Who Went To Mars or Guns And Talks).

[theoddone33]

Not having Nicheflix, I've been somewhat unable to come up with a decent DVD copy of Save the Green Planet. Where's a good place to get it?

[opus]

I bought mine at HKFlix for $27. AZNFilms also has it for $25. Either one of those are good places to order from. I'm sure other retailers, like YesAsia and Poker Industries, will have it as well. Unfortunately, the Korean release is the only current version I know of, and it's going to be more expensive (it's a 2-disc set with lots of special features that are, unfortunately, not subtitled).

[theoddone33]

I feel kinda bad for bumping this thread so much, but here's a couple of news items that are too great to ignore:

Jet Li is making another sequel to The Shaolin Temple. (!!) Hopefully martial arts fans will understand the enormity of this.

Chen Kaige's long-awaited epic The Promise will apparently be out this December. I for one am very excited about this film. Given that it started shooting in early to mid 2004 that seems like a long post-production, but it reportedly uses CG quite heavily.

The Promise features a very talented pan-Asian cast, including Nicholas Tse, Cecilia Cheung, Jang Dong-Kun (Taegukgi), Henry Sonada (The Twilight Samurai) and popular mainland star Liu Ye (The Floating Landscape, The Foliage).

[theoddone33]

Isn't there a thread about Last Life in the Universe already? I guess not.

I just watched it and was underwhelmed for a few reasons... not the least of which being that English dialogue was not subtitled on the Netflix DVD. Doyle's cinematography was good, but not his best work. The story had some nice moments but the movie was so trippy it was hard to tell what was going on, especially without the English dialogue. The ending... trippy as well. I didn't understand it, but at that point I didn't really care. Afterwards I looked on IMDB and realized that the whole movie was full of inside jokes that I hadn't understood because I don't like Miike's films. (I've seen Ichi the Killer, but I didn't realize the two movies shared a lead actor, and I didn't catch the Miike cameo.)

I'll need to give it a second chance sometime, when someone puts out a DVD with good subtitles. Until then it's going in my 3 star category. I feel like I should apologize for not liking it... I guess that's what hype does to you.

Edited by theoddone33, 13 April 2005 - 02:08 AM.

[Persona]

The short discussion between Opus and myself can be found here. The thread will probably get a little longer soon, in that Opus asked me about a brief statement I made on the film here.

I think you should watch it again, Odd One. Wait six months or so, get the R2 and think about Mulholland Drive in the process.

Oh, and by the way, if we are discussing the same Last Life in the Universe, the director is actually Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, and I will advise you to give up on anything Mîke. Stay far, far away (although I must admit that the more debauched side of my nature actually did enjoy the hammering pulse rate of Audition).

-s.

Edited by stef, 13 April 2005 - 09:39 PM.

[opus]

Isn't there a thread about Last Life in the Universe already?  I guess not.

Actually, I started one a few months ago...

Not to derail this thread too much - we can move any extended discussion to the above thread - but I liked the film a lot more than you seemed to. I agree, it's very trippy and surreal, but maybe that's why I like it so much - it's trippy and surreal, but not at the cost of the characters and their ensuing relationship. What gets me most about the film is how quiet it is - from music (I love the soundtrack) and sound design to the understated acting. It drives home the alienation and loneliness, and makes the few moments when the characters connect so much more meaningful.

And I liked the ending quite a bit, as it shows how much Kenji has come in a very simple way. At the beginning of the film, he's attempting to commit suicide, arguably one of the most selfish acts one can commit. By the film's end, he's moved outside of himself, and is [spoilers]dreaming of his life with another person, and how he can impact another's life in a positive manner[/spoilers].

BTW, I'm assuming that you saw the Palm Pictures release. I agree that the english dialog can get hard to follow at times, but for some reason, the awkwardness didn't bother me. It only served to accentuate the differences and alienation between the two characters that they're attempting to overcome.

(Doh... in re-reading this thread, it looks like Stef and I replied at the basically same time. Ah the wonders of decentralized communication. )

Edited by opus, 13 April 2005 - 07:23 PM.

[opus]

Firecracker, an Asian film magazine, just put all of their issues on-line. I haven't had a chance to go through everything, but at just a brief glimpse, it looks pretty impressive. Lots of reviews, interviews, and other articles about cinema from all over Asia. Thankfully, it looks like they focus on the "cult" stuff (like Shaolin Vs. Evil Dead) just as much the "serious" stuff (like Hero).

[theoddone33]

I've posted some comments in the other thread. I was aware that Miike didn't direct Last Life in the Universe... and yes, I generally stay far away from his films. (With the exception of the one with Michelle Reis in it, which was pretty good.)

[opus]

Oh, and by the way, if we are discussing the same Last Life in the Universe, the director is actually Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, and I will advise you to give up on anything Mîke.  Stay far, far away (although I must admit that the more debauched side of my nature actually did enjoy the hammering pulse rate of Audition).

To be fair, not all of Miike's films are as, um, questionable as his more, um, renowned titles. The Bird People In China is quite a change from his normal fare, and has some very wonderful and subtle moments. And Zebraman is relatively harmless and goofy (though it does feature the rather shapely Zebranurse).

[opus]

Just saw this on AICN and Twitch... a new trailer for Tom Yum Goong, the follow up to Ong-Bak, is up and running on the film's official website. The entire trailer is in slow-mo, which gets a bit gratuitous, but there are also some real sweet shots. I think my favorite, speaking as someone whose internal 12 year old still wants to be a ninja more than anything else in the world, is the reverse spin kick in mid-air where he uses his elbow to deflect the guy's sword. Sweet...

[theoddone33]

Some general news:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/...ent_2857320.htm

Chinese director Chen Chong will adapt the novel "Fu Sang" by renowned writer Yan Geling for the big screen.
Rising Chinese star Zhang Ziyi will play the film's lead role, a simple girl that is forced into prostitution in the United States.

Hmm... how will it compare to Bad Guy, I wonder.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/...ent_2847630.htm

Two of Chinese most popular film stars, Jet Li and Zhang Ziyi, will set sail with Keanu Reeves in the updated Sinbad movie.
The film's maker Rob Cohen is hoping the three stars will play Sinbad's crew in what will be the eighth movie voyage for the mythical sailor.

(Rob Cohen... isn't that the guy that makes terrible films?)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/...ent_2849835.htm

This year's high-profile hit "The Promise" will be made into a popular online game, titled "The Promise Online".
The project marks China's first attempt to turn a blockbuster film into an online game.
The Promise will appear at the Cannes Film Festival, which opens early next month.

This is likely to be the highest-profile film to come out of China all year. I'm pretty excited about it, even though I certainly won't be at Cannes to see it. Don't be surprised if it makes huge waves... bigger than CTHD or Hero? Maybe.

Edited by theoddone33, 22 April 2005 - 05:18 AM.

[theoddone33]

Top HK director Derrick Yee's latest project started showing in HK theaters on April 28. The film is entitled 2 Young, and stars Jaycee Fong (son of Jackie Chan) as a young man who is forced to grow up quickly when it is discovered that his girlfriend is pregnant. I haven't seen much info or excitement about this film, but given the strength of Yee's 2003 family-issues drama, Lost and Found, it could be worth keeping an eye out for this one on Netflix.

[opus]

'Shaolin Temple' stars reunite for wushu competition

Fans of classic wushu movies from Mainland China like Jet Li's early Shaolin Temple series and Yellow River Fighter should plan on heading to Hartford, Connecticut this weekend for the Greater Hartford International Chinese Martial Arts Tournament.

The event will be hosted by Hu Jianqiang, the former national champion of China who played one of the young monks in "Shaolin Temple" and the oldest brother in "Kids From Shaolin". Yu Chengwei (Yue Sing-wai), the "Yellow River Fighter" himself, will be there, along with Eagle Claw stylist Ji Chunhua (Gai Chun-wa), the bad guy who fought with a claw-tipped staff in "Shaolin Temple".

Chang Hsin-yen (Cheung Yam-yim), director of "Shaolin Temple", "Kids From Shaolin" and "Yellow River Fighter" will be in attendance, as will Zhao Changjun, star of "Blade of Fury" and "White Lotus Cult".

I wouldn't mind seeing these guys strut their stuff, especially considering how old some of them must be.

[opus]

I know The Odd One is going to love this... the screenwriter of Gladiator is looking to remake Park Chan-Wook's JSA, using the U.S./Mexico border as a backdrop. Click here for the full article.

[Andrew]

How utterly ridiculous - I can't see how such a transmogrification could retain even a fraction of the power of the original 'JSA'

[theoddone33]

From HK Entertainment Review:

Paul Fonoroff reviewed Derek Yee Tung-Sing's 2 YOUNG for the South China Morning Post yesterday. Fonoroff gave the film three stars and said it "affords an engaging look at a very real social problem". He predicted that Fiona Sit Hoi-Kei would get a HKFA nomination next year and noted that Jaycee Fong Tso-Ming bounces back from his terrible debut in THE TWINS EFFECT II by showing "genuine charisma".

And more on The Promise here:

Chinese director Chen Kaige's mega-budget film "The Promise" held a meet-the-press conference at the 58th Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night.

The high profile film showed its eleven-minute film trailer attracting over 258 publishing companies across the world st a grand and luxurious premiere banquet at the famous CHATEAU-LANAPOULE castle.

I'm hoping that eleven-minute trailer makes its way onto the Internet sometime soon. This will be the [Asian] film of the year.

Also word has it that five Asian films are competing for the top prize at Cannes, including Johnnie To's latest, Election, a film by Hsiao-hsien Hou, and apparently... though it's not on IMDB... a new film by Hong Sang-soo, whose film Woman is the Future of Man competed last year and won my personal award for worst Korean film ever.

Edited by theoddone33, 15 May 2005 - 03:44 PM.

[opus]

Wow... sounds like Derek Yee is becoming the Hong Kong director to watch. The IMDb page for 2 Young can be found here, but there's very little info as of yet. The cast looks pretty solid... both Eric Tsang and Anthony Wong star.

To be honest, I haven't been paying much attention to the promise. What I've seen of Kaige in the past hasn't impressed me too much. The cast appears pretty solid, though - Liu Ye (the best part about Purple Butterfly), Hiroyuki Sanada (I loved him in The Twilight Samurai), and some lady named Cecilia Cheung or something.

Edited by opus, 15 May 2005 - 07:37 PM.