[je12_04]

Marie, not instant rewind. the disc is skipping. i tried playing it in my laptop and it works perfectly. i think my player's overused already. lol

Fla, i still haven't continued watching it. but i've seen almost 3/4 of the film already and it's different from the other 2 films of Ji Hyun. not funny at all. it's a romantic film actually. it's nice one.

Rai, it's with Ji Hyun, the girl from My Sassy Girl, and this guy from Lovers in Paris, the more serious guy in the series.

Prue_Halliwel, . well, it has some parts that are slow.

[-=Mars=-]

Je, yaiks! looks like you need to buy a new player...

hello to the rest.

[***isy***]

just finished watching Fighter in the Wind



Paramui Paito (Fighter in the Wind)’’ is based on the events in the life of legendary Korean martial artist Choi Bae-dal. Or more precisely, the film is based on the comic book based on the martial artist’s life _ a difference that can be felt throughout this entertaining but factually suspect movie.

The first of a handful of local films about famous Koreans who lived during the Japanese occupation period, ``Fighter in the Wind’’ tells of the early part of Choi’s life, how he sneaked into Japan in the late 1930s in hopes of becoming a pilot, joined the martial arts community there, and after training by himself in the mountains for 18 months, came down to become the top fighter of that country.

The film offers a seemingly sentimentalized version of the same story, especially playing up the outsider aspect of Choi’s experiences, of his being a Korean in Japanese society. Given the story’s xenophobic elements, which include evil yakuzas exploiting Koreans, it will be interesting to see how a Japanese audience responds to the film when it gets released there as planned.

"Fighter in the Wind," is about a legendary Korean man who fought 47 bulls and defeated numerous karate experts in Japan. The plot is based largely on a famous cartoon series by Bang Hak-ki, featuring Choi Bae-dal (1922-1994), a real life figure who moved to Japan during the colonial period and established himself as a much-admired karate fighter by founding a new version of the martial arts form called "Kyokushin Karate."

In 1934, 11-year-old Bae-dal (Yang Dong-geun) watches his father's farmhand, Bum-soo, fighting with Japanese officials in the market in Gimjae, Korea. He admires Bum-soo's fighting skills and starts to learn to fight.

Seven years later, 18-year-old Bae-dal smuggles himself into Japan to enroll in an aviation school but instead finds himself being forced into the Kamikaze program. He resists and fights with the Japanese instructor, Kato, who is a karate master and captain of the program.

Bae-dal is shamefully defeated and earns Kato's scorn. His pride deeply hurt, he determines to get stronger and learn real fighting skills. He happens to meet Bum-soo again and obtains a copy of Musashi Miyamoto's "Book of Five Rings," a book detailing techniques on how to fight and survive.

The encounter with Bum-soo is a turning point for Bae-dal. He begins to wander the streets at night, saving women and others from bullies and robbers. A romance is inserted into the plot when Bum-soo rescues Youko (Aya Hirayama), a beautiful geisha, from some ill-mannered American soldiers.

However, Bae-dal can't become complacent. His master, Bum-soo, is brutally killed by a Japanese mob. Filled with anger and desire for revenge, Bae-dal goes to the mountains and commits himself to intense self-training.

this is one seriously wicked film. when the film finished it said this film is in memory of him. he died in 1994, so i had a gander on the net and i found this infomation about him.

also stars Ara Hirayama from Waterboys

[Mei Zhuo]

je: i didn't even know the girl lead is Ji Hyun! really? i have to watch it, when I have the time, hopefully this summer

thanks for the comments on white Valetine I will watch it soon ( i hope)

[je12_04]

finally, i finished watching White Valentine. it's a soft drama, definitely different from the MSG and Windstruck. it's just an ok film for me. not really a must see.

[mukooh]

just a little bump to the thread...haven't watched anything that really pertains to this thread in a while.....but i thought i'd contribute some movie posters that might be of interest to some.....


'the year of the yao'.....a documentary about a 7'6" chinese athelete playing professional basketball in the united states....



'smile'....a portion of this films proceeds go to operation smile........


a russian poster for 'itmfl'....taken from the extra disc......i like it alot because it looks almost art nouveau...



a poster for 'oldboy'...


and finally one for 'kung fu hustle'

[-=Mars=-]

Originally Posted by mukooh a poster for 'oldboy'...

mukooh, thanks for posting those posters...

I've seen some the making and some sneak peek of this movie... The lead actor even lost weight for this.. cool movie..

[je12_04]

who's in Old Boy?

Isy, finally, i found a dvd copy of Young and Dangerous I-IV. as in one disc has 2 films. good thing i spent some time lurking Ruins for dvds or else, i wouldn't have found these dvds. im now only left with 2 more, YnD V and Born to be King (YnD VI). i wish i have a dvd burner to give u a copy. i like every film. finally, i get to understand the whole triad thing in the latter parts.

[mukooh]

asian film news...from imdb.com (indie page).....news from frebruary 27-march 5 2005...

Berlinale Winner Says He May Not Release Film in His Homeland


A Taiwanese film that won the International Critics Prize at the Berlin Film Festival last Saturday may not be released in Taiwan if any of its sexually explicit scenes are ordered deleted by local censors, the film's director told reporters in Taipei. Returning to Taiwan after receiving the award for outstanding artistic contribution, director Tsai Ming-liang vowed not to distribute his film, The Wayward Cloud, in Taiwan "unless in its totality." The Taipei Times observed today (Wednesday) that movies are generally barred from showing genitals, sexual intercourse or nudity. But Tsai commented, "Audiences are smart enough to tell if it is pornography. This film can jerk tears. Can a porn film have [that] effect?" Ironically, the film deals with two porn actors.

[-=Mars=-]

Originally Posted by mukooh "Audiences are smart enough to tell if it is pornography. This film can jerk tears. Can a porn film have [that] effect?"

This cracked me up! sarcastic!

[***isy***]

i forgot to mention that i've also seen beyond our ken - really nice plot. kind of reminded me of another english movie...i just can't recall.

je - Old Boy? gosh i cant remember who the lead is. i suck at remembering korean names.

mukooh - i watched part of ITMFL extras, i love it!!! will get back on the rest of the extras tomorrow, i hope!

kung fu hustle will be out this month!

[Anabela]

"House of Flying Daggers" was released on my country yesterday.
I'll try to watch it soon. Maybe next week.

[mukooh]

Originally Posted by Anabela "House of Flying Daggers" was released on my country yesterday. I'll try to watch it soon. Maybe next week.

yes.......by all means see it in a theater....

Originally Posted by ***isy*** kung fu hustle will be out this month!

i saw the trailer for it at the theater across the street from the university....about a month ago....it looks kind of goofy....but i'm always up for a few good laughs.....

i still haven't seen any asian films recently......in a theater, anyway...........i've been to alot of other countries at the theater though....yesterday france...today.....the czech republic and tomorrow israel.......so i kind of heading in an eastern direction.......

[***isy***]

mukooh - Stephen Chow movies are wildly entertaining. some of it gets really corny, his older movies but i think Kung Fu Hustle is one of his best.

anabela - go see it!

[mukooh]

asian film news...


i believe this film is now playing at the nuart???? in los angeles.... the review is from boxoffice.com.....


FACE

***1/2
Starring Bai Ling, Kristy Wu, Kieu Chinh and Anthony "Treach" Criss. Directed, written and produced by Bertha Bay-Sa Pan. Written by Oren Moverman. Produced by Alexa L. Fogel, Joseph Infantolino, Jonathan Shoemaker and Derrick Tseng. An Indican release. Drama. Unrated. Running time: 84 min.

Three generations of Asian women take turns miscommunicating with each other. Audiences of all nationalities will find a lot to like about "Face" as the characters each struggle with their own unique issues--which they feel makes them qualified to comment on other people's problems. The multi-generational approach used is clever and helps viewers relate to all three women and their motivations.

Based on a short film of the same name by the same filmmaker, the movie begins with a young girl who is date-raped and forced into an unhappy shotgun marriage. Both parents abandon the resulting child, forcing the maternal grandmother to raise her. Flash-forward 16 years, and now the bitter child is beginning her own exploration of dating and adulthood--just as "mom" shows up to attempt a reconciliation, both with her daughter and her past--in particular her own mother and the tradition-bound culture she represents. Each character has their own idea of what's right, and each one has broken their own rules--so when they all get together, it's a powderkeg.

The film rotates a bit too much between scenes of familial arguing and societal clashing (the daughter is dating an African-American man in a close-knit Chinese community), but strong performances (including a surprisingly charming turn from Anthony "Treach" Criss as the supportive beau) and realistic urban and minority sensibilities save the film from being a simple angst-fest. "Face" is about how each of us struggles with our own identity from within our expected roles. From the burden of tradition to the needs of each generation to distinguish itself, the film provides much room for reflection and discussion afterwards. It is an emotional and rewarding film for anyone who's ever struggled to find their place in their family and the world.