clayton-12
Member: Rank 4
LOL - I wouldn't have had a clue which one was in the big shark movie. Makes it all the more harder to distinguish them when both Bingbings have been in Hollywood big-budgeters.
Recently Seen, Part 22 (November 2018)
- Thread starter ebossert
- Start date
divemaster13
Member: Rank 4
Well, I do tend to not recall reviews of movies I've not seen. But reading it (again), yes I do remember seeing it before. It seems like we tracked pretty close on this one.
divemaster13
Member: Rank 4
I liked Meg. Sure, it's a stupid giant shark movie, but sometimes I'm just in the mood for a stupid giant shark movie. It checked all the appropriate boxes for me.
sitenoise
Member: Rank 5
Yeah, probably even more so of reviews that aren't positive. As in "I better remember to not see that one" lol
We did track pretty close on Burning. I give it a point or so more than you, maybe, for the crafty execution which went a little too clever for its britches.
I can't believe you watched The Meg
I too am often in the mood for a stupid giant ... whatever ... flick. I count Anaconda and Deep Blue Sea as among my all time fave Guilty Pleasures. I consider Duane "The Rock" Johnson movies as stupid giant ... whatever ... flicks 
I read that The Meg was heavily edited to make it children friendly. The director said that killing people in films is one of life's great pleasures and he has a director's cut in the bag for us with kills that are far more bloody, and far more funny to boot! Can't wait
clayton-12
Member: Rank 4
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Mouly Surya, 2017) is set on the Indonesian island of Sumba, near Timor Leste – unlike the tropical beaches or urban congestion of the Indonesia we’re used to seeing, the undulating grasslands are a sparsely populated expanse of rural poverty, the people blending their more recently acquired Christianity with ancient animist ritual. Marlina is a widow, living in a two-room outpost with the body of her recently deceased husband, when she is visited by a gang of thugs intent on robbing and raping her. She sets off the next morning to catch a local bus, with the machete and severed head of the leader slung over her shoulder, to go to the police station and report the crime.
The whole film is very intentionally styled on spaghetti westerns, and Sergio Leone in particular – the cinematography, capturing the wide, expansive landscapes, and the musical scoring, are nothing short of sensational. Marsha Timothy is great as the simultaneously laid-back and fricken-pissed-with-world-and-that-includes-you Marlina, and the relationship she builds with her ditsy, 10-month-pregnant travelling companion was in turns hilarious and touching. I absolutely loved this – it’ll take some effort to displace it from the top of my best of 2017 list. I hope it wins the Oscar for best foreign language film.
The Night Comes For Us (Timo Tjahjanto, 2018) is more in line with what most people associate with Indonesian cinema. If you don’t want to watch people kicking each other’s faces in, then you probably should steer of it. But if you fancy a good fight scene, well, this is like one of those all-you-can-eat buffets. The pacing here is relentless, with the violence cranked up and the martial arts action spilling over into splatter gore territory. The plot is thin - I would have liked to see the little girl, who is the raison d’etre of the film’s plot, have a bit more charisma or active engagement. I was thoroughly entertained by it throughout, but if I had to choose, I think I would have a personal preference for Headshot over this.
The whole film is very intentionally styled on spaghetti westerns, and Sergio Leone in particular – the cinematography, capturing the wide, expansive landscapes, and the musical scoring, are nothing short of sensational. Marsha Timothy is great as the simultaneously laid-back and fricken-pissed-with-world-and-that-includes-you Marlina, and the relationship she builds with her ditsy, 10-month-pregnant travelling companion was in turns hilarious and touching. I absolutely loved this – it’ll take some effort to displace it from the top of my best of 2017 list. I hope it wins the Oscar for best foreign language film.
The Night Comes For Us (Timo Tjahjanto, 2018) is more in line with what most people associate with Indonesian cinema. If you don’t want to watch people kicking each other’s faces in, then you probably should steer of it. But if you fancy a good fight scene, well, this is like one of those all-you-can-eat buffets. The pacing here is relentless, with the violence cranked up and the martial arts action spilling over into splatter gore territory. The plot is thin - I would have liked to see the little girl, who is the raison d’etre of the film’s plot, have a bit more charisma or active engagement. I was thoroughly entertained by it throughout, but if I had to choose, I think I would have a personal preference for Headshot over this.
plsletitrain
Member: Rank 5
Okay I had to watch this first because I was afraid it might be put down in the event Kim Jong-un reads this site (I remember when we were hanging out on IMDb someone posted a thread for "Asian superheroes" so I posted a youtube link to the Philippines' Pedro Penduko and you know I'm the textbook definition of naivete I forgot there were mods monitoring our posts--I thought the Asia board was being neglected because of slow traffic and then come a few days/weeks after, the link can't be played anymore!)
The accent is definitely different! Like something befitting for someone living under authoritarian rule. Stiff. Monotone. (Or was that because of the dubbing???? Its weird because if I wasn’t familiar with the language I thought they sounded Chinese
) In stark contrast with the South Korean accent that I’ve been used to hear—gentle, sweet, motherly. Now I initially thought this was a Koreeda movie (Mom cooking tofu, people singing kumbaya) but it fell short to retain my attention span. With theater acting all over the place, it didn’t help that the story was all about simple familial tribulations (Dad neglects family, mom gets terminally illed, child feels resentment, but dad redeems himself through…………………..football!!). Someone rescue me! It took a great deal of “This is from North Korea so you should watch this for posterity” thinking on my part but was glad I made it through the end. If you guys will watch the movie and if you recognize there’s a background soundtrack I swear it rings a bell where have I listened to it before???!!!Watch out for the ending song geared towards……………..Kim Jong-Il.
I think that's my first and last North Korean film. (Kidding of course, I'd love to watch any more NK films if there's still more....just not soon). I can't live with the censorship. I'm all for straightforward stomach churning no holds-barred movies!
Edit: Why do I get the feeling that @clayton-12 will present rebuttal evidence to my last sentence!
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plsletitrain
Member: Rank 5
I still can't get over dad being a cool dad again in his child's books for winning a football match. Not even baked cookies! Is NK like Brazil? Is Football so revered there like how they worship their leader? I've been pulling my hair for 3 hours now.
clayton-12
Member: Rank 4
There's this documentary about the 1966 World Cup team.
sitenoise
Member: Rank 5
Yeah. Okay, you talked me into it. One of the few Indonesian films I've ever watched. This is pure cinema. It's just shot after shot, emotional close up, shot after shot. Both actresses were great. The guys were creepy. Cool soundtrack.
Here's a weird twist: the file I DL'd said the length of the move was 2:26, so right after the final life and death, I thought the film was going to take off and get really bloody. Then I realized all but one were already dead and then the movie ended. It was a surprise, and kind of a gift. I was completely satisfied.
sitenoise
Member: Rank 5
The Holidays:
Mission: Impossible - Fallout 2018
★★
Vehicles chase other vehicles. A group of 2 to 10 or more people gather 'round and make grunting noises. Plot. This is default entertainment.
Ant-Man and the Wasp 2018
★½
The worst kind of humor isn't just the kind that isn't funny. It's the kind that thinks it's funny and isn't funny. This movie didn't even try.
Mile 22 2018
★★★★
The use of women in this is halting. Five stars for that. Deduct a couple for the douche level of Wahlberg (although he had more witty lines than Tom Cruise in MI:F), add one back for Iko Uwais dragging that guy's neck over the broken glass of a car window. Damn.
Gun fights are always super stupid (as are grunting men), but when the second team showed up at the Overwatch location the blond Asian and the black woman with a crew-cut solidified this at four stars.
The overall editing of the film prevented it from going any higher.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout 2018
★★
Vehicles chase other vehicles. A group of 2 to 10 or more people gather 'round and make grunting noises. Plot. This is default entertainment.
Ant-Man and the Wasp 2018
★½
The worst kind of humor isn't just the kind that isn't funny. It's the kind that thinks it's funny and isn't funny. This movie didn't even try.
Mile 22 2018
★★★★
The use of women in this is halting. Five stars for that. Deduct a couple for the douche level of Wahlberg (although he had more witty lines than Tom Cruise in MI:F), add one back for Iko Uwais dragging that guy's neck over the broken glass of a car window. Damn.
Gun fights are always super stupid (as are grunting men), but when the second team showed up at the Overwatch location the blond Asian and the black woman with a crew-cut solidified this at four stars.
The overall editing of the film prevented it from going any higher.
clayton-12
Member: Rank 4
Last Letter (Shunji Iwai, 2018) Zhihua (Zhou Xun) attends a high school reunion in place of her newly deceased sister Zhilan, intending to let the old classmates know what has happened. But when mistaken by everyone for the sister, she beats a hasty retreat, although not before a dishevelled guy insists she take his contact details and keep in contact. Zhihua assumes her late sister’s name and starts mailing old-school, personal hand-written letters to him without a forwarding address. He tries to write back, but his letters are intercepted by the sisters’ daughters, who take on the persona of Zhilan writing from beyond the grave, engaging him in a correspondence about his recollections of their high school days.
This set-up suggested that the story might be heading into the territory of mistaken-identity farce, but Iwai eschewed the comedic potential and steered his film firmly in the direction of romantic melodrama, with the backstory of the relationship between this scruffy stranger and the two sisters being slowly revealed.
A strong theme of written communication threads its way through whole film. Growing up in an era when telecommunications were expensive (some of my classmates didn’t have a telephone in the house, for everyone long distance calling was a luxury), and having cousins living over 2,500 kms away, I recall the thrill of receiving letters, important news occasionally coming in those exotically coloured, exquisitely thin Air Mail envelopes. So, that whole theme was perfectly primed to tap into my nostalgia triggers. Maybe there were a few things that were a little contrived, maybe there’s one too many subplots, and Iwai really does struggle a bit with knowing when it’s time to finish the movie*, but it tugged at my heartstrings so I’m giving it the thumbs up.
*Apparently he’s actually not finished – look out for his Japanese-language remake due next year.
This set-up suggested that the story might be heading into the territory of mistaken-identity farce, but Iwai eschewed the comedic potential and steered his film firmly in the direction of romantic melodrama, with the backstory of the relationship between this scruffy stranger and the two sisters being slowly revealed.
A strong theme of written communication threads its way through whole film. Growing up in an era when telecommunications were expensive (some of my classmates didn’t have a telephone in the house, for everyone long distance calling was a luxury), and having cousins living over 2,500 kms away, I recall the thrill of receiving letters, important news occasionally coming in those exotically coloured, exquisitely thin Air Mail envelopes. So, that whole theme was perfectly primed to tap into my nostalgia triggers. Maybe there were a few things that were a little contrived, maybe there’s one too many subplots, and Iwai really does struggle a bit with knowing when it’s time to finish the movie*, but it tugged at my heartstrings so I’m giving it the thumbs up.
*Apparently he’s actually not finished – look out for his Japanese-language remake due next year.
ebossert
Member: Rank 3
Highly Recommended
Running Out of Time (1999) (Chinese Action/Drama/Comedy) (repeat viewing) – Johnnie To directs this film about a duel of wits between a cop (Lau Ching Wan) and a criminal (Andy Lau) with enigmatic motives. The scenarios are both intelligent and entertaining, with a number of anti-clichés that keep the viewer off-balance. The lead actors own the screen and have fantastic chemistry. A bit low-key for an “action” movie, but this is a lot of fun. This is one of those flicks with a heart.
Recommended
The Shrimp on the Barbie (1990) (American Romantic Comedy) (OLD repeat viewing) – Down on his luck and working in a Mexican restaurant in Australia, a man (Cheech Marin) is hired by a icy heiress (Emma Samms) to pose as an obnoxious new boyfriend in an attempt to make her father accept her current boyfriend. I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this flick, after not having seen it for so long. It’s a lot of fun and there are many memorable moments. Terence Cooper and Jeanette Cronin are fantastic in their supporting roles. We get appearances by Vernon Wells (the bad guy from Commando) and Bruce Spence (from the Mad Max films). It doesn’t hurt that Emma Samms and Carole Davis are scorching hot! Fans of K-dramas will appreciate the airport scene near the end.
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018) (Chinese Fantasy Action) – The consort is jealous that the king gave Dee the Dragon Taming Mace, so she sets into motion a plan to have it stolen from him. The pacing is very brisk and wastes no time getting into the thick of things. The story flows well and the movie actually feels shorter than it’s runtime of over 2 full hours. The action is also creative, entertaining and has an emphasis on sorcery and magic. There is a lot of CGI, maybe too much, but it works overall since this has a lot of fantasy elements. Another good one from Tsui Hark.
Kemonozume (2006) (Japanese Anime Drama/Horror/Romance Television Series) – This anime series (13 episodes, 24 minutes each) by Masaaki Yuasa is about the conflict between humans and a race of flesh eating monsters. Animation style is interesting because it looks hand-drawn and somewhat crude, but it’s quite beautiful to look at and a lot of fun to watch. Use of color is vibrant, right from the opening scene. Lots of sharp colors like red, blue, yellow are used, but there are also shots in black-and-white. The romance angle is portrayed as mature. The story plays out in rather unorthodox ways. As one might expect from a Yuasa anime, there are lots of boobs, perverted scenes, violence, and demented moments. But it balances things nicely and there are also a few legitimately hilarious episodes as well. There’s one well done and disturbing shot of a decapitated head. I like the little monkey. The earlier episodes have a bit more energy than the latter ones, but the finale is fun.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) (British Drama/Horror) – Victor Frankenstein builds a creature and brings it to life, but it behaves not as he intended. The story and human conflicts are interesting. Peter Cushing gives a really good performance in this one. The horror content is more thematic than visceral. Christopher Lee also appears as the monster. Entertaining stuff!
Murphy’s Law (1986) (American Crime Thriller/Action) (OLD repeat viewing) – Charles Bronson is Jack Murphy, a cop who is running to stay alive long enough to even the score with his wife’s killer. Bronson struts his stuff and is very entertaining. The villain is a merciless old wench psychopath who brutally murders her victims in cold blood. The female lead is annoying but she kinda grows on you. The finale is definitely satisfying. This is a good thriller and I’m surprised no one talks about it anymore.
May the Devil Take You (Sebelum Iblis Menjemput) (2018) (Indonesian Horror) – When her estranged father falls into a mysterious coma, a young woman seeks answers at his old villa, where she and her stepsister uncover dark truths. Acting is good by everyone, including Chelsea Islan in the lead. The biggest positive is the horror elements, which are plentiful, violent and pretty intense (the spirits/demons are very mean-spirited). The big flaw is the scriptwriting, which becomes a dumpster fire during the middle section. The final third has more fluidity and creates more momentum thru the finale. More fun and intense than it is frustrating.
Disorganized Crime (1989) (American Crime Comedy/Thriller) (OLD repeat viewing) – Career criminal Frank (Corbin Bernsen) plans a bank heist and sends for his buddies to help pull the job. Before his buddies arrive, he's caught, forcing his cohorts to pull the job alone. Frank soon escapes, setting off a search by the bumbling cops. This is a fun little flick that uses character interaction and some cool little scriptwriting decisions to earn its laughs. Reuben Blades is particularly funny here. Corbin Bernsen’s character deserves a nomination for “Worst Day Ever” in a motion picture.
The Mummy (1959) (British Horror/Drama) – In 1895, British archaeologists find and open the tomb of Egyptian Princess Ananka with nefarious consequences. This has a lengthy flashback during the middle section that shows the funeral rites of the princess and how the mummy was created. Not a lot of horror content, with only a few short attacks by the mummy, but it is aggressive and deadly when it attacks. The story and human conflicts are good. Stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
Not Recommended
Feng Shui 2 (2014) (Filipino Horror) – The movie continues from the ending of the first film. After Joy has last seen the Bagua mirror, a young man named Lester finds it having the same experiences like what Joy had. It’s up to Joy to help Lester against the curse and the deadly consequences. The scares are rather hokey and ineffective, with a mix of jumps and other lame tactics. The film is well-lit and has some atmospheric shots here and there. The lead actor (Coco) does give a good performance. This is simply forgettable and predictable overall.
Kuntilanak (2018) (Indonesian Horror) – Rizal Mantovani decided to make another Kuntilanak film, but this time it’s not good. A group of kids agree to explore an abandoned house. It tries to be funny with the little kids early on, but it does not work. The sound design uses a goofy sound effect that is very forced in its attempt to make the viewer giggle; and they use it over and over and over again. Scare tactics are mostly amateur hour. Lots of loud jump scares. There are a few pretty good, creepy visuals here and there (which usually occur when the Kuntilanak’s white eyes are showcased). I also liked the popcorn scene. As a whole, this is extremely by-the-book. The finale is kind lame. At least the babysitter is really hot.
Running Out of Time (1999) (Chinese Action/Drama/Comedy) (repeat viewing) – Johnnie To directs this film about a duel of wits between a cop (Lau Ching Wan) and a criminal (Andy Lau) with enigmatic motives. The scenarios are both intelligent and entertaining, with a number of anti-clichés that keep the viewer off-balance. The lead actors own the screen and have fantastic chemistry. A bit low-key for an “action” movie, but this is a lot of fun. This is one of those flicks with a heart.
Recommended
The Shrimp on the Barbie (1990) (American Romantic Comedy) (OLD repeat viewing) – Down on his luck and working in a Mexican restaurant in Australia, a man (Cheech Marin) is hired by a icy heiress (Emma Samms) to pose as an obnoxious new boyfriend in an attempt to make her father accept her current boyfriend. I’m surprised how much I enjoyed this flick, after not having seen it for so long. It’s a lot of fun and there are many memorable moments. Terence Cooper and Jeanette Cronin are fantastic in their supporting roles. We get appearances by Vernon Wells (the bad guy from Commando) and Bruce Spence (from the Mad Max films). It doesn’t hurt that Emma Samms and Carole Davis are scorching hot! Fans of K-dramas will appreciate the airport scene near the end.
Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018) (Chinese Fantasy Action) – The consort is jealous that the king gave Dee the Dragon Taming Mace, so she sets into motion a plan to have it stolen from him. The pacing is very brisk and wastes no time getting into the thick of things. The story flows well and the movie actually feels shorter than it’s runtime of over 2 full hours. The action is also creative, entertaining and has an emphasis on sorcery and magic. There is a lot of CGI, maybe too much, but it works overall since this has a lot of fantasy elements. Another good one from Tsui Hark.
Kemonozume (2006) (Japanese Anime Drama/Horror/Romance Television Series) – This anime series (13 episodes, 24 minutes each) by Masaaki Yuasa is about the conflict between humans and a race of flesh eating monsters. Animation style is interesting because it looks hand-drawn and somewhat crude, but it’s quite beautiful to look at and a lot of fun to watch. Use of color is vibrant, right from the opening scene. Lots of sharp colors like red, blue, yellow are used, but there are also shots in black-and-white. The romance angle is portrayed as mature. The story plays out in rather unorthodox ways. As one might expect from a Yuasa anime, there are lots of boobs, perverted scenes, violence, and demented moments. But it balances things nicely and there are also a few legitimately hilarious episodes as well. There’s one well done and disturbing shot of a decapitated head. I like the little monkey. The earlier episodes have a bit more energy than the latter ones, but the finale is fun.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) (British Drama/Horror) – Victor Frankenstein builds a creature and brings it to life, but it behaves not as he intended. The story and human conflicts are interesting. Peter Cushing gives a really good performance in this one. The horror content is more thematic than visceral. Christopher Lee also appears as the monster. Entertaining stuff!
Murphy’s Law (1986) (American Crime Thriller/Action) (OLD repeat viewing) – Charles Bronson is Jack Murphy, a cop who is running to stay alive long enough to even the score with his wife’s killer. Bronson struts his stuff and is very entertaining. The villain is a merciless old wench psychopath who brutally murders her victims in cold blood. The female lead is annoying but she kinda grows on you. The finale is definitely satisfying. This is a good thriller and I’m surprised no one talks about it anymore.
May the Devil Take You (Sebelum Iblis Menjemput) (2018) (Indonesian Horror) – When her estranged father falls into a mysterious coma, a young woman seeks answers at his old villa, where she and her stepsister uncover dark truths. Acting is good by everyone, including Chelsea Islan in the lead. The biggest positive is the horror elements, which are plentiful, violent and pretty intense (the spirits/demons are very mean-spirited). The big flaw is the scriptwriting, which becomes a dumpster fire during the middle section. The final third has more fluidity and creates more momentum thru the finale. More fun and intense than it is frustrating.
Disorganized Crime (1989) (American Crime Comedy/Thriller) (OLD repeat viewing) – Career criminal Frank (Corbin Bernsen) plans a bank heist and sends for his buddies to help pull the job. Before his buddies arrive, he's caught, forcing his cohorts to pull the job alone. Frank soon escapes, setting off a search by the bumbling cops. This is a fun little flick that uses character interaction and some cool little scriptwriting decisions to earn its laughs. Reuben Blades is particularly funny here. Corbin Bernsen’s character deserves a nomination for “Worst Day Ever” in a motion picture.
The Mummy (1959) (British Horror/Drama) – In 1895, British archaeologists find and open the tomb of Egyptian Princess Ananka with nefarious consequences. This has a lengthy flashback during the middle section that shows the funeral rites of the princess and how the mummy was created. Not a lot of horror content, with only a few short attacks by the mummy, but it is aggressive and deadly when it attacks. The story and human conflicts are good. Stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
Not Recommended
Feng Shui 2 (2014) (Filipino Horror) – The movie continues from the ending of the first film. After Joy has last seen the Bagua mirror, a young man named Lester finds it having the same experiences like what Joy had. It’s up to Joy to help Lester against the curse and the deadly consequences. The scares are rather hokey and ineffective, with a mix of jumps and other lame tactics. The film is well-lit and has some atmospheric shots here and there. The lead actor (Coco) does give a good performance. This is simply forgettable and predictable overall.
Kuntilanak (2018) (Indonesian Horror) – Rizal Mantovani decided to make another Kuntilanak film, but this time it’s not good. A group of kids agree to explore an abandoned house. It tries to be funny with the little kids early on, but it does not work. The sound design uses a goofy sound effect that is very forced in its attempt to make the viewer giggle; and they use it over and over and over again. Scare tactics are mostly amateur hour. Lots of loud jump scares. There are a few pretty good, creepy visuals here and there (which usually occur when the Kuntilanak’s white eyes are showcased). I also liked the popcorn scene. As a whole, this is extremely by-the-book. The finale is kind lame. At least the babysitter is really hot.
sitenoise
Member: Rank 5
There's a Taiwanese remake of the magnificent Korean Film More Than Blue coming out. Can't even hope to be as good, but we'll see.
plsletitrain
Member: Rank 5
Interesting. There's a not-so-positive review on its letterboxd page so I don't know if I should give faith in this remake (I haven't had a memorable experience with Taiwanese remakes as far as I can remember). You know this feels so nostalgic. I've seen it only once because of you (that was what, 8 years ago?) and I can still remember the main story but reading both letterboxd's and IMDb's synopsis made me wonder: how the hell did K hide his terminal cancer from Cream who he was living with??? I wasn't even able to hide mine from online friends haha! (Don't mind me, its one of those days where I spew nonsense---of course I will forgive the movie because its one of the best love stories ever made by mankind). I will watch it again when the Taiwanese remake becomes available on my convenience store and will make a side-by-side comparison of the two. (I swear visiting More Than Blue's page gave me a weird feeling---the universe is playing tricks on me...those movies I love, like really adore and love---have people with terminal cancer). I should get back to watching vampire movies so hopefully the universe will listen. Blade is my favorite.
plsletitrain
Member: Rank 5
I just watched the trailer. Didn't feel anything so yeah..but we'll see. And there's only one K!!! KKKKKKwon Sang-Woo!!! 