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re: Dragon: That's too bad, b/c I would have loved to read it. re: Isabella One of the things that confused me about Isabella is that on-screen graphics kept referring to police corruption indictments in 1999, but the characters kept referring to the "upcoming Handover." Since I knew the...

Isabella (2006) Chapman To plays a somewhat morally compromised detective in Macau who seems to spend most of his time picking up girls at bars. Eventually he comes across a girl about 16 or 17 that gives him more than he bargained for. I've seen Chapman To in gangster films and comedies, but...

Dragon (aka Wuxia) (2011) Every time I see Donnie Yen, I just get more and more amazed. Amazed at what a great martial artist he is, both in pure skill and in action choreography, and how his presence in a film is such a joy. And I'm amazed that he pretty much looks the same as he did 20+...

Cinderella (2006) A good drama could be made about Koreans' fascination with (and some would say, addiction to) plastic surgery. Or a documentary. Or even a horror film. This is not that horror film. The subject matter is ripe for horror. Plastic surgery and cutting of faces and bodies...

Not an Asian film, but "International," so here goes: Phenomena (1985) Dario Argento has a certain style. For some people, it's OMG! an Argento movie! and others it's WTF Argento? I fall somewhere in the middle. I appreciate the style of gore and mystery, and the Goblin (or Goblin-esque)...

I never assumed Asami had anything to do with the son being home unexpectedly. I just figured that when she goes DEFCON-kirikirikirikirikiri that any male within her sphere gets the needle and wire treatment. Just because. Note to self: Movies to avoid at all costs = Let Me Eat Your...

I certainly don't have THE answer to this. (And I could attach "I'm not sure" to just about every concept of this movie, which is much of my frustration with it). I assumed it was some sort of knock-out spray, like chloro or something that would incapacitate him. Once he was incapacitated...

I think it's a matter of trust. When I give over 2 hours of my time, there is a certain amount of trust I give over to the director. I trust that for a mystery, the "reveal" will be such that the clues are presented somehow leading up to the conclusion. Say you have a Victorian era drawing...

I appreciate the feedback on my panning of a much-admired film. I know I'm the outlier here, and I probably didn't do a very good job of voicing exactly why this movie hackled me the way it did. For example, the concept of being manipulated. I LOVE being manipulated by a director. If it's...

Ok, I watched it again this week. I don't know that the below will make any sense to anyone besides me, but I'll give it a shot. After watching the film (now, for the third time), I have to conclude that Miike has contempt for his audience. Regardless of the explanations of dream v. reality...

Laos / Laotian?

The Promise (2005). Good, god. Did one of y'all put me up to this? I'm not sure how I ended up with this in my Netflix queue. It had to have been based on something I read somewhere, or perhaps due to one of Netflix's recommendations based on other viewing. This movie is beyond terrible...

The good news is that I found a copy of Audition at my local used book and media store, so I should be able to watch it within a few days. The BAD news is that I found a copy of Audition at my local used book and media store, so I should be able to watch it within a few days. LOL I know I...

Re: Audition Apparently Netflix does not have this available any more (what? did they lose all the discs?). And there are NO copies available on Amazon. I'll try my luck on eBay. If all goes well I should get a copy in about a week. I am SO looking forward to this. (Where's a puking smiley...

Kuroneko (Japan; 1968) aka "Black Cat from the Grove" I had this in my Netflix queue due to my appreciation for Onibaba, by the same director, and the fact that Kuroneko is of a similar genre--Japanese traditional ghost story. Similar to Onibaba, the central story of Kuroneko revolves around a...

I watched Game Night a few days ago. I figured I liked Bateman in Horrible Bosses, so Game Night might be fun. And it was! I liked it. Have not seen My Ordinary Love Story, so it's me who is lagging here. I don't recall hearing about this one. I need to watch it.

Two of my favorites as well. I gave Fong Sai Yuk 5 stars and Deadly Melody 4 stars. Both are sitting on my DVD shelf, and I will probably use this prompt to watch them again. Have you seen Tai-Chi Master? I believe it might have been released in the U.S. as "Twin Warriors." Jet Li and...

As I mentioned in the "recently seen" thread for June, I absolutely loved this film. 5 stars. I read through y'all's discussion here and don't really have a lot to add. Y'all have captured the look and style and "feeling" of the film beautifully. Both the actor and actress of the girl are...

M (2007) How did I end up with this in my last big purchase? Who recommended this non-linear hallucination of a movie? Was that you, Mr. @sitenoise? I can't thank you enough. This was a wonderful film that I loved from the first frame. I had no idea about the movie at all, as I avoided all...

I'm not sure what it says about me, that not only have I seen this, but I have it sitting on my movie shelf. In VCD rather than DVD, but still. I do recall it being rather mediocre. Better than some Cat III for sure, but lacking that certain, um, something, that would put it into the...