Hong Kong Int'l Film Fest - Asian branch

Grimfarrow · 03-30-04, 11:29 AM

I'm once again attending this year's film festival. Considering that quite a few of these Asian films have already been talked about here, anyone has further comments? (directors' names mentioned if I know them off by heart)

Gozu (Japan) - Takashi Miike
Save the Green Planet! (South Korea)
The Adventure of Iron ***** (Thailand) - Achipatpong Weerasethakul
Vibrator (Japan)
Peep TV Show (Japan)
Bright Future (Japan) - Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Goodbye Dragon Inn (Taiwan) - Tsai Ming-Liang
Samaritan Girl (South Korea) - Kim Ki-Duk
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (South Korea) - Kim Ki-Duk
Tokyo Godfathers (Japan) - Satoshi Kon
Shara (Japan) - Naomi Kawase
Osama (Afghanistan)
At Five the the Afternoon (Iran) - Samira Makhmalbaf
The Story of the Weeping Camel (Mongolia)
Crimson Gold (Iran) - Jafar Panahi

Unfortunately will be missing:

Ramblers (Japan)
Abjad (Iran)
Baober in Love (China)
Goddess of Mercy (Hong Kong) - Ann Hui
Travellers & Magicians (Bhutan)

A full list and some reviews of films I'm seeing is on my website

Trigger · 03-30-04, 12:49 PM

Save the Green Planet is pretty good... and there's 2 Kim Di Duk movies? I've heard good things about Spring Summer etc etc.. I'd like to hear more about Gozu and Vibrator and I'm curious what the title of Adventures of Iron *what word is this* is.

bluntman72 · 03-30-04, 01:25 PM

is there a site I can look at to get some descriptions on some of the japanese movies like Gozu and Vibrator. I am also interested in the last word in the title Adventures of Iron *****

zerotl · 03-30-04, 02:29 PM

midnighteye.com has some good reviews of Japanese movies.

pat00139 · 03-30-04, 10:37 PM

Actually, Kim Ki-Duk has 3 movies: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, The Coast Guard and his new one, Samaria.

For those who are interested, Spring, Summer... is out on DVD here so it should be up on the Internet stores soon enough.

Grimfarrow · 03-31-04, 10:29 AM

All three Kim Ki-Duk films are showing at the HKIFF, but I skipped "The Coast Guard" because the overall concensus I've seen of the film is that it is subpar.

I'm already hesitant about seeing his other two, considering that "Spring, Summer..." has been described to me as a Cliff's Notes version of "Why Has Bodhi Dharma Left for the East?" (a classic), and a friend who saw "Samaria" just hated it. Ah well, I'll keep and open mind and hope they surprise me.

pat00139 · 03-31-04, 08:56 PM

Actually, Spring, Summer... won the best picture prize over Memories of Murder at the Korean awards a few months ago, so I'm kind of curious to see it.

ehonauer · 04-01-04, 01:39 PM

Grimfarrow's just trying to make us all jealous...

Here are links to Midnight Eye's reviews of Gozu, Vibrator, and Bright Future, in case anybody was too lazy to go hunting for them. All 3 ranked highly in their Best Of 2003 polls. I've actually got Gozu on DVD, someday I'll get around to watching it...

http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/gozu.shtml
http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/vibrator.shtml
http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/brightfu.shtml

Oh, and that's "The Adventure of Iron Five-Letter-Word-Starting-With-P-That-Is-Both-A-Nickname-For-A-Feline-And-A-Euphemism- For-Female-Genetalia", from the director of Mysterious Object at Noon.

What do they do in the TV forum when they're talking about the Sopranos?

french fan · 04-01-04, 07:40 PM

One film i recently read about is Li Shouhong's Baober In Love (Lian Ai Zhong De Bao Bei)which is playing at HKIFF. It stars Zhou Yun from "Suzhou River" and the film itself has been compared to Amelie.

Grimfarrow · 04-02-04, 10:41 AM

Yeah, "Baober in Love" is getting tremendous buzz - and it actually isn't like Amelie - the film is grittier. I will be missing it in the main selection, but I hope to see it after (the VCD is out in China anyhow).

dleedlee · 04-02-04, 11:10 AM

I'm looking forward to this one, a lot.

Yesasia is already carrying the mainland DVD and vcd (no Eng.subs).

Here's a review that should be viewable for a day or two:
http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp...d=17023&r=true

Grimfarrow · 04-06-04, 01:02 PM

Well, it turned out that I did indeed go to see "Baober in Love". I have to say I'm underwhelmed. Very uneven, with the beginning overly cutesy and the end overly morbid and bloody. Its split personality didn't really work. I see how they try to make an Amelie with a social conscience, but it doesn't quite work. I did enjoy the opening party, though, so it wasn't a total waste

On the other hand I saw Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Bright Future", and that film was fantastic. The warmest and most hopeful K. Kurosawa film to date.

03-30-04, 11:29 AM	#1
Grimfarrow DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,797	Hong Kong Int'l Film Fest - Asian branch I'm once again attending this year's film festival. Considering that quite a few of these Asian films have already been talked about here, anyone has further comments? (directors' names mentioned if I know them off by heart) Gozu (Japan) - Takashi Miike Save the Green Planet! (South Korea) The Adventure of Iron ***** (Thailand) - Achipatpong Weerasethakul Vibrator (Japan) Peep TV Show (Japan) Bright Future (Japan) - Kiyoshi Kurosawa Goodbye Dragon Inn (Taiwan) - Tsai Ming-Liang Samaritan Girl (South Korea) - Kim Ki-Duk Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (South Korea) - Kim Ki-Duk Tokyo Godfathers (Japan) - Satoshi Kon Shara (Japan) - Naomi Kawase Osama (Afghanistan) At Five the the Afternoon (Iran) - Samira Makhmalbaf The Story of the Weeping Camel (Mongolia) Crimson Gold (Iran) - Jafar Panahi Unfortunately will be missing: Ramblers (Japan) Abjad (Iran) Baober in Love (China) Goddess of Mercy (Hong Kong) - Ann Hui Travellers & Magicians (Bhutan) A full list and some reviews of films I'm seeing is on my website

03-30-04, 12:49 PM	#2
Trigger DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Arizona, USA Posts: 23,458	Save the Green Planet is pretty good... and there's 2 Kim Di Duk movies? I've heard good things about Spring Summer etc etc.. I'd like to hear more about Gozu and Vibrator and I'm curious what the title of Adventures of Iron what word is this is. __________________ theomnom.com Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence? Sai Baba

04-01-04, 01:39 PM	#8
ehonauer DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: May 2001 Location: Rhode Island, USA Posts: 1,023	Grimfarrow's just trying to make us all jealous... Here are links to Midnight Eye's reviews of Gozu, Vibrator, and Bright Future, in case anybody was too lazy to go hunting for them. All 3 ranked highly in their Best Of 2003 polls. I've actually got Gozu on DVD, someday I'll get around to watching it... http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/gozu.shtml http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/vibrator.shtml http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/brightfu.shtml Oh, and that's "The Adventure of Iron Five-Letter-Word-Starting-With-P-That-Is-Both-A-Nickname-For-A-Feline-And-A-Euphemism- For-Female-Genetalia", from the director of Mysterious Object at Noon. What do they do in the TV forum when they're talking about the Sopranos? Last edited by ehonauer; 04-01-04 at 02:13 PM.

04-02-04, 11:10 AM	#11
dleedlee Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: dc-md-va Posts: 874	Baober in Love I'm looking forward to this one, a lot. Yesasia is already carrying the mainland DVD and vcd (no Eng.subs). Here's a review that should be viewable for a day or two: http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp...d=17023&r=true

03-30-04, 01:25 PM	#3
bluntman72 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Houston Posts: 623	is there a site I can look at to get some descriptions on some of the japanese movies like Gozu and Vibrator. I am also interested in the last word in the title Adventures of Iron *****

03-30-04, 02:29 PM	#4
zerotl Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 639	midnighteye.com has some good reviews of Japanese movies.

03-30-04, 10:37 PM	#5
pat00139 Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 624	Actually, Kim Ki-Duk has 3 movies: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, The Coast Guard and his new one, Samaria. For those who are interested, Spring, Summer... is out on DVD here so it should be up on the Internet stores soon enough.

03-31-04, 10:29 AM	#6
Grimfarrow DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,797	All three Kim Ki-Duk films are showing at the HKIFF, but I skipped "The Coast Guard" because the overall concensus I've seen of the film is that it is subpar. I'm already hesitant about seeing his other two, considering that "Spring, Summer..." has been described to me as a Cliff's Notes version of "Why Has Bodhi Dharma Left for the East?" (a classic), and a friend who saw "Samaria" just hated it. Ah well, I'll keep and open mind and hope they surprise me.

03-31-04, 08:56 PM	#7
pat00139 Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 624	Actually, Spring, Summer... won the best picture prize over Memories of Murder at the Korean awards a few months ago, so I'm kind of curious to see it.

04-01-04, 07:40 PM	#9
french fan Suspended Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: University at Buffalo Posts: 153	One film i recently read about is Li Shouhong's Baober In Love (Lian Ai Zhong De Bao Bei)which is playing at HKIFF. It stars Zhou Yun from "Suzhou River" and the film itself has been compared to Amelie.

04-02-04, 10:41 AM	#10
Grimfarrow DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,797	Yeah, "Baober in Love" is getting tremendous buzz - and it actually isn't like Amelie - the film is grittier. I will be missing it in the main selection, but I hope to see it after (the VCD is out in China anyhow).

04-06-04, 01:02 PM	#12
Grimfarrow DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 3,797	Well, it turned out that I did indeed go to see "Baober in Love". I have to say I'm underwhelmed. Very uneven, with the beginning overly cutesy and the end overly morbid and bloody. Its split personality didn't really work. I see how they try to make an Amelie with a social conscience, but it doesn't quite work. I did enjoy the opening party, though, so it wasn't a total waste On the other hand I saw Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Bright Future", and that film was fantastic. The warmest and most hopeful K. Kurosawa film to date.