What´s HOT in Asian cinema right now?
08-04-13, 10:20 PM
#551
DVD Talk Gold Edition
A Viking Saga: The Darkest Day (U.K. - 2013) - Watched this via the recently released U.S. DVD...yeah I know it's not Asian...anyway, don't judge this film by the misleading coverart at IMDb...I'd actually submit that this film is more a descendant of VALHALLA RISING than anything else. I didn't much care for VALHALLA RISING myself, but this entry - A VIKING SAGA - well, this one I quite liked. I don't recall much of VALHALLA RISING so I can't proclaim this as better, but when talking favorites I certainly can say I prefer A VIKING SAGA. I think that they should have picked a more artsy type title...THE COMING OF THE NORSEMEN or something like that. For those that watched the recent VIKINGS TV-series you will be perfectly at home here as this film kicks off with the aftermath of the Lindisfarne raid shown in that series. For what it is worth, I sampled the TV show here and there but it didn't register much with me. The protagonist in A VIKING SAGA is a young monk who survives the raid. The movie is a low-key chase film as the young monk tries to evade capture by five Vikings giving chase...they are after a holy book being carried by the young monk. This is a low-budget film...not many characters and not much money to spend on production values...still the character costuming is perfectly fine, while the production gets along just fine given that it is an outdoors chase type film. Still don't expect an action-oriented and suspenseful chase type movie...as said it is more low-key...even somewhat talky perhaps as compared to VALHALLA RISING. I thought the cast did well...it is English-language if that matters. I don't get the low rating at IMDb...given the limited budget and such I thought they did quite a nice job. In terms of storytelling it is more conventional than something like VALHALLA RISING, and in that sense, meaning telling a story that I could latch onto, well that is a major reason why I preferred A VIKING SAGA over VALHALLA RISING. A VIKING SAGA turned out to be a nice little surprise...easily recommended.
08-08-13, 12:23 PM
#552
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Yup, it is likely time to reboot this thread as a general "International Cinema" thread...but, hey, at least there is some Mandarin spoken in this next movie...
Neighboring Sounds (2012 - Brazil) - arthouse entry that found a place on some "Best of 2012" lists. I liked it...while at the same time if you are the type that only occasionally indulges in arthouse cinema to sample the cream, then maybe NEIGHBORING SOUNDS isn't successful enough for me to recommend in that particular sense. The movie appealed to me more as a collection of impressive pieces moreso than being a successful whole. In terms of thematic content I didn't find it especially fresh or revelatory. Technically it was impressive in terms of cinematography and as one might expect from the title it was even more impressive as an aural experience with some nice music in the opening credits to an overall solid use of sound. IMDb labels this - among other tags - as a thriller but that tag requires some finesse to be entirely accurate. The opening credits certainly set things up as a "fuse being lit" and you do get an eventual "bang" but the film is more low-key disquiet than not. As far as the aformentioned impressive individual pieces, the "invasion" scene was absolutely chilling...a magnificent use of image and sound mixed to blood-curdling effect. Also notable were a couple of scenes involving household appliances. All that being said, while the film was constantly intriguing, in the end it didn't register much in terms of resonance...I didn't feel much attached to the story or characters beyond a surface interest...so in that sense it slips to "good"...but, yeah, if arthouse cinema is your thing it will certainly be a rewarding experience.
The movie is available on Blu-ray/DVD here in the U.S (along with a U.K. DVD release). Among other extras are four short films totalling nearly an hour in content. Note that you should reduce the audio on your system significantly prior to watching the short films as they are much louder than the feature film. The first and fourth shorts film did not register with me at all. The second was interesting but did not hit the mark in terms of the final payoff. The third short film features a lot of content that was repeated by the director in the feature film...so I'd say you should watch the main feature prior to this particular short film.
Neighboring Sounds (2012 - Brazil) - arthouse entry that found a place on some "Best of 2012" lists. I liked it...while at the same time if you are the type that only occasionally indulges in arthouse cinema to sample the cream, then maybe NEIGHBORING SOUNDS isn't successful enough for me to recommend in that particular sense. The movie appealed to me more as a collection of impressive pieces moreso than being a successful whole. In terms of thematic content I didn't find it especially fresh or revelatory. Technically it was impressive in terms of cinematography and as one might expect from the title it was even more impressive as an aural experience with some nice music in the opening credits to an overall solid use of sound. IMDb labels this - among other tags - as a thriller but that tag requires some finesse to be entirely accurate. The opening credits certainly set things up as a "fuse being lit" and you do get an eventual "bang" but the film is more low-key disquiet than not. As far as the aformentioned impressive individual pieces, the "invasion" scene was absolutely chilling...a magnificent use of image and sound mixed to blood-curdling effect. Also notable were a couple of scenes involving household appliances. All that being said, while the film was constantly intriguing, in the end it didn't register much in terms of resonance...I didn't feel much attached to the story or characters beyond a surface interest...so in that sense it slips to "good"...but, yeah, if arthouse cinema is your thing it will certainly be a rewarding experience.
The movie is available on Blu-ray/DVD here in the U.S (along with a U.K. DVD release). Among other extras are four short films totalling nearly an hour in content. Note that you should reduce the audio on your system significantly prior to watching the short films as they are much louder than the feature film. The first and fourth shorts film did not register with me at all. The second was interesting but did not hit the mark in terms of the final payoff. The third short film features a lot of content that was repeated by the director in the feature film...so I'd say you should watch the main feature prior to this particular short film.
08-10-13, 10:13 PM
#553
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Penance (2012 - Japan) - Watched the first three chapters of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's latest - a five-chaptered made-for-TV effort. The overall runtime is nearly five hours, with the first three chapters clocking in at two-hours and fifty-one minutes (via the Hong Kong DVD released as PENANCE I, there is a separate release for PENANCE II...it should have just been a two-disc set instead of two separate releases). According to filmbiz.asia, the source material is a novel from the writer also responsible for CONFESSIONS (2010)...but being a made-for-TV entry, PENANCE is technically much more a vanilla presentation...at the same time, in terms of content, you can certainly pick up that it is the same writer. The film kicks off with a prologue type section of about ten minutes or more...it covers a traumatic event experienced by a group of young schoolgirls. Following on that, you jump ahead fifteen years where Chapter 1 focuses on one of the girls...this section runs about an hour. I was highly impressed by the opening prologue and Chapter 1. While I wouldn't label it as "horror", Chapter 1 instead had maybe a Twilight Zone vibe going on sometimes. Chapters 2 and 3 each again visit a different girl (now grown women of course)...following on the excellent opening 73-minutes, I'd have to say the following two chapters were a letdown. I was still thoroughly interested/entertained but the vibe of the movie changed...maybe simplistic/obvious/heavy-handed...instructional psychology 101 for survivor guilt coupled with a need for unhealthy moral redemption. It felt like something for mass TV audience consumption as opposed to a more complex treatment with regard to (misplaced) guilt, the psychological effects of childhood trauma, redemption, etc. Of course it was made-for-TV, so I shouldn't be too critical of how things were handled I suppose...it's just that the prologue and opening chapter were so very good, that I can't help but feel let down by what followed. The nearly three-hour runtime I've watched did fly by...if I had started watching earlier, I would certainly have continued straight onto the final two chapters aka Part II. So, let's see how things go with the rest of the movie tomorrow.
Contextual randomness/longwindedness - a couple more episodes to go before wrapping up the just released Cinemax Season 2 of STRIKE BACK...it is about as fast-paced a TV show as you can find...and it more than delivers for action-junkies...along with a sidedish of sex/nudity...so in that sense it is like Season 1 which I really liked. On the other hand, the show really is...slight...which I suppose is fine, nothing wrong with functioning solely as entertainment...so it succeeds in that sense for sure. But Season 2 does feel a bit more imperialistic..."White is right" good guys laying waste to a rainbow spectrum of "colored" folks. Season 1 also had a much stronger over-arcing storyline threaded through the episodes, along with a greater sense of scope, and variety in the action...lots of siege type setpieces here in Season 2. Heck, I actually kind of like the main bad guys in Season 2 better than the good guys.
Watched Jeff Nichols' latest MUD...while I liked it a lot...because it felt like a "real" movie...aka I'm developing a significant disinterest in all the big-budget CGI Summer stuff being churned out by Hollywood...not saying it is bad, just that I'm finding it incredibly boring. Anyway, back to MUD, I did like it - not as much as TAKE SHELTER - also too MUD didn't feel especially groundbreaking at least with regard to that "newly minted American classic" tag on the Blu-ray cover. MUD just seemed to follow in the path of lots of different stuff without quite coming together as having its own personality...movies such as the assorted HUCK FINN treatments, WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND/RAPTURE, MARTIN'S DAY/A PERFECT WORLD, THE RIVER RAT, SHANE...even extending more loosely to more recent Southern/Rural entries such as SLING BLADE, UNDERTOW, FRAILTY, etc. MUD did surpise me some with its "old-fashioned" sensibility...which I found rather pleasing...at least it works in the film's favor in terms of replay value for me.
Also watched SPRING BREAKERS...even at 94-minutes, the movie still required some major tightening up...at least in the opening third or so...it was slooowww. Still, it did some things rather well...maybe kind of like being to the 2010s what MIAMI VICE was to the 1980s...or maybe as an interesting attempt at low-rent OLIVER STONE (while I liked SAVAGES overall, SPRING BREAKERS did score with some more unique high points)...or maybe as a drunken version of a Terrence Malick film aka something to sort of be "experienced".
edited to add a Cuba Gooding Jr. reference - again with regard to MUD, the Sam Shepard character felt very similar to the Ben Cross character from Cuba Gooding's HERO WANTED (which I recently commented upon).
Contextual randomness/longwindedness - a couple more episodes to go before wrapping up the just released Cinemax Season 2 of STRIKE BACK...it is about as fast-paced a TV show as you can find...and it more than delivers for action-junkies...along with a sidedish of sex/nudity...so in that sense it is like Season 1 which I really liked. On the other hand, the show really is...slight...which I suppose is fine, nothing wrong with functioning solely as entertainment...so it succeeds in that sense for sure. But Season 2 does feel a bit more imperialistic..."White is right" good guys laying waste to a rainbow spectrum of "colored" folks. Season 1 also had a much stronger over-arcing storyline threaded through the episodes, along with a greater sense of scope, and variety in the action...lots of siege type setpieces here in Season 2. Heck, I actually kind of like the main bad guys in Season 2 better than the good guys.
Watched Jeff Nichols' latest MUD...while I liked it a lot...because it felt like a "real" movie...aka I'm developing a significant disinterest in all the big-budget CGI Summer stuff being churned out by Hollywood...not saying it is bad, just that I'm finding it incredibly boring. Anyway, back to MUD, I did like it - not as much as TAKE SHELTER - also too MUD didn't feel especially groundbreaking at least with regard to that "newly minted American classic" tag on the Blu-ray cover. MUD just seemed to follow in the path of lots of different stuff without quite coming together as having its own personality...movies such as the assorted HUCK FINN treatments, WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND/RAPTURE, MARTIN'S DAY/A PERFECT WORLD, THE RIVER RAT, SHANE...even extending more loosely to more recent Southern/Rural entries such as SLING BLADE, UNDERTOW, FRAILTY, etc. MUD did surpise me some with its "old-fashioned" sensibility...which I found rather pleasing...at least it works in the film's favor in terms of replay value for me.
Also watched SPRING BREAKERS...even at 94-minutes, the movie still required some major tightening up...at least in the opening third or so...it was slooowww. Still, it did some things rather well...maybe kind of like being to the 2010s what MIAMI VICE was to the 1980s...or maybe as an interesting attempt at low-rent OLIVER STONE (while I liked SAVAGES overall, SPRING BREAKERS did score with some more unique high points)...or maybe as a drunken version of a Terrence Malick film aka something to sort of be "experienced".
edited to add a Cuba Gooding Jr. reference - again with regard to MUD, the Sam Shepard character felt very similar to the Ben Cross character from Cuba Gooding's HERO WANTED (which I recently commented upon).
Last edited by flixtime; 08-10-13 at 10:19 PM.
08-11-13, 08:30 PM
#554
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Wrapped up the final two chapters of Penance...after Chapters 2 and 3 I was a little concerned the movie would continue on that same path and thus run the risk of flatlining. But Chapter 4 was a nice spring back to form. It was sort of quirky in tone so it felt more layered in appeal than the previous two chapters. And in Chapter 5 all questions are answered as the film...umm...TV-series closes in impressive fashion. Mystery fans should enjoy how things are wrapped up in the final chapter.
These last two chapters had a total runtime of two-hours and three minutes, thus the total runtime for PENANCE was approximately fours hours and fifty-four minutes...don't shy away because of the runtime...in terms of pacing I thought the whole thing moved along quite nicely.
For those who might consider a viewing of the Hong Kong DVDs, try and avert your eyes from the DVD menu when you pop in the second disc...some of the scenes that play in the menu spoil the climax of the movie...I hate when they do stuff like that...so just block out the top two-thirds of the DVD menu and focus on the options presented along the bottom portion. With regard to the English subtitles, while there are some typos...mainly over a section early on where some of the words run together without benefit of a space in between...the subtitles are otherwise fine...and I'm basing that on the fact that the subtitler was Linda Hoaglund who did the English subtitles for some Criterion releases of Japanese films.
These last two chapters had a total runtime of two-hours and three minutes, thus the total runtime for PENANCE was approximately fours hours and fifty-four minutes...don't shy away because of the runtime...in terms of pacing I thought the whole thing moved along quite nicely.
For those who might consider a viewing of the Hong Kong DVDs, try and avert your eyes from the DVD menu when you pop in the second disc...some of the scenes that play in the menu spoil the climax of the movie...I hate when they do stuff like that...so just block out the top two-thirds of the DVD menu and focus on the options presented along the bottom portion. With regard to the English subtitles, while there are some typos...mainly over a section early on where some of the words run together without benefit of a space in between...the subtitles are otherwise fine...and I'm basing that on the fact that the subtitler was Linda Hoaglund who did the English subtitles for some Criterion releases of Japanese films.
08-13-13, 08:54 PM
#555
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013 - Hong Kong) - Please tell me that the well has finally run dry with regard to Ip Man movies. This is the fifth and second from Herman Yau (I liked his first one). The positive reviews from filmbiz.asia and lovehkfilm are entirely valid takes on the movie. I actually would mirror a lot of what those reviews offer...nostalgic, elegiac, warm...dressy period biopic and such. The thing is...well, I found this movie to be quite dull and unengaging...and maybe even artificial in feel. First off, I just don't find the character all that interesting...and this film focusing on the latter parts of his life makes things even less interesting. The second issue is Anthony Wong in the lead...I found him thorougly bland and severely lacking in any sort of charisma. Generally, while I've certainly liked Anthony Wong in some movies, I just don't quite get his appeal...I think his acting range is severely limited...he is the same in every movie. The first third of the movie was a slow snoozefest. It became more tolerable as things progressed but still not to the point that I have any enthusiasm at all for the movie. There are some martial arts/fight scenes sprinkled throughout (well maybe not so much early on), but I thought not much of any of them except for the climactic action scene which did at least register in terms of being exciting. I recall not liking IP MAN 2 at all...while this latest movie is no doubt "better", I'd also have to rank this latest entry as the worst of the five in terms of pure entertainment value...yawn.
Man, I wish China/Hong Kong would find some new historical territory to mine...I've had my fill of the same old same old.
Man, I wish China/Hong Kong would find some new historical territory to mine...I've had my fill of the same old same old.
08-13-13, 10:19 PM
#556
DVD Talk Hero
08-14-13, 10:10 AM
#557
DVD Talk Gold Edition
slop101, luckily I've already cleared that hurdle (post #545 in this thread). I realize it hasn't been released in the U.S. yet but I was going by Hong Kong release date.
If we take the five Ip Man movies:
Ip Man (2008) - Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen
Ip Man 2 (2010) - Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen
The Legend Is Born: Ip Man (2010) - Herman Yau
The Grandmaster (2013) - Wong Kar Wai
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013) - Herman Yau
Then in terms of "favorite", I might rank them as follows:
1 - The Legend Is Born: Ip Man
2 - Ip Man
3 - The Grandmaster
4 - Ip Man 2
5 - Ip Man: The Final Fight
I don't really recall much at all about the first three films so the above ranking is just by tentative "gut" feel.
Random thought - it looks like we never will get English-subbed releases for two Mainland movies I'd be curious to see....The Underdog Knight 2 and East Wind Rain...I was hoping that Hong Kong would come through but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.
I've got some other Mainland movies lined up for viewing:
Beijing Blues
Design of Death
Guns and Roses
Lethal Hostage
Million Dollar Crocodile (Croczilla on the U.S. DVD)
Hopefully, at least a couple of those turn out well.
Randomness - I watched KILLING THEM SOFTLY...as a brutal crime film it was impressive...the whole economic/political thing was sort of mixed in terms of effectiveness, certainly kind of oddball but also a commendable attempt at bringing some fresh to the crime genre...however, all the Tarantino-like conversations, well those were rough going and more than not just major barriers to the film overall...the conversations were just too dull, long, and pointless for the most part.
If we take the five Ip Man movies:
Ip Man (2008) - Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen
Ip Man 2 (2010) - Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen
The Legend Is Born: Ip Man (2010) - Herman Yau
The Grandmaster (2013) - Wong Kar Wai
Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013) - Herman Yau
Then in terms of "favorite", I might rank them as follows:
1 - The Legend Is Born: Ip Man
2 - Ip Man
3 - The Grandmaster
4 - Ip Man 2
5 - Ip Man: The Final Fight
I don't really recall much at all about the first three films so the above ranking is just by tentative "gut" feel.
Random thought - it looks like we never will get English-subbed releases for two Mainland movies I'd be curious to see....The Underdog Knight 2 and East Wind Rain...I was hoping that Hong Kong would come through but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.
I've got some other Mainland movies lined up for viewing:
Beijing Blues
Design of Death
Guns and Roses
Lethal Hostage
Million Dollar Crocodile (Croczilla on the U.S. DVD)
Hopefully, at least a couple of those turn out well.
Randomness - I watched KILLING THEM SOFTLY...as a brutal crime film it was impressive...the whole economic/political thing was sort of mixed in terms of effectiveness, certainly kind of oddball but also a commendable attempt at bringing some fresh to the crime genre...however, all the Tarantino-like conversations, well those were rough going and more than not just major barriers to the film overall...the conversations were just too dull, long, and pointless for the most part.
08-16-13, 04:45 PM
#558
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: What´s HOT in Asian cinema right now?
Watched Utopia (UK Series) the other day and I thought it was ok. I thought it was filmed very well but on some level I just couldn't connect to most of the characters. They''re set up well at the beginning of the series but as it moves on we go mostly between plot points and character development is largely forgotten. I found one of the main characters far too cold as well. Oh and several times during the series some of these characters do the most stupidest things ever. It still beats watching the latest season of Dexter though.
08-17-13, 12:36 PM
#559
DVD Talk Gold Edition
..."Broadsword calling Danny Boy".........
with regard to U.K. series, sleepyhead (or anyone), have you checked out entries such as THE FALL, SOUTHCLIFFE, RUN, MAYDAY, INSIDE MEN, THE SHADOW LINE, etc.,...I'm planning on giving it a go on at least some of them...simply curious if you (or anyone) have any thoughts on the matter...
Umm...nothing Asian to add right now...
Randomness...watched Danny Boyle's TRANCE...it is far from fresh, but I still quite liked it...a nice tight little exercise from Director Boyle...though I think he went a bridge too far with all the twists and turns...meaning the final one wasn't necessary...
Relatedly, I really liked the short film extra included on the U.S. Blu-ray...I wish more releases add such high value shorts as extras.
Also watched KILLER JOE...started slow but built up nicely enough...Juno Temple's character/performance kind of overpowered everything...kind of like a character Juliette Lewis would have played back in the 90s...was surprised by the amount of nudity...even TRANCE was surprising in that regard
Still, whether it be (in order of replay value preferance) MUD, TRANCE, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, KILLER JOE, or SPRING BREAKERS...all of them come up short when measured against...
BANSHEE...only watched five of the ten episodes so far...the show is pretty darned awesome! The first two episodes certainly evidenced BANSHEE being molded after JUSTIFIED...but of course with a pleasing Cinemax sensibility to the proceedings. The lead in BANSHEE might come up short when compared to Timothy Olyphant in terms of Southern charm, yet Anthony Starr brings his own down-and-dirty style to BANSHEE (I keep thinking he must have auditioned for the role of Spartacus in the recent show at some point along the casting line). Based on the first five episodes, BANSHEE is the clear winner when compared to JUSTIFIED (JUSTIFIED still rates well for dialogue, but BANSHEE too is starting to score well with one-liners and such in recent episodes). I also think BANSHEE is the clear winner when compared to the other Cinemax series - STRIKE BACK. Since it is a Cinemax series, BANSHEE is not lacking at all when it comes to gorgeous women...and for those that enjoyed the sex/nudity aspects of STRIKE BACK and SPARTACUS, then you will be quite at home with BANSHEE. So if you've liked at least two of the following: JUSTIFIED, SONS OF ANARCHY, THE SHIELD, MAGIC CITY, SPARTACUS, STRIKE BACK....then BANSHEE should be next on your viewing list. And while there will never be another Omar (from THE WIRE), actor Hoon Lee as Job on BANSHEE is certainly creating an unforgettable character in BANSHEE. Just when I thought I wouldn't find new excitement on the small screen to recapture the feelings I had with BREAKING BAD ("tread lightly"...OMG for its awesomeness), SPARTACUS (first two seasons), THE SHIELD, THE WIRE...well BANSHEE comes along and surprises me. And once again the crime genre on television is far superior to the crime genre in film. BANSHEE is highly recommended!
with regard to U.K. series, sleepyhead (or anyone), have you checked out entries such as THE FALL, SOUTHCLIFFE, RUN, MAYDAY, INSIDE MEN, THE SHADOW LINE, etc.,...I'm planning on giving it a go on at least some of them...simply curious if you (or anyone) have any thoughts on the matter...
Umm...nothing Asian to add right now...
Randomness...watched Danny Boyle's TRANCE...it is far from fresh, but I still quite liked it...a nice tight little exercise from Director Boyle...though I think he went a bridge too far with all the twists and turns...meaning the final one wasn't necessary...
Relatedly, I really liked the short film extra included on the U.S. Blu-ray...I wish more releases add such high value shorts as extras.
Also watched KILLER JOE...started slow but built up nicely enough...Juno Temple's character/performance kind of overpowered everything...kind of like a character Juliette Lewis would have played back in the 90s...was surprised by the amount of nudity...even TRANCE was surprising in that regard
Still, whether it be (in order of replay value preferance) MUD, TRANCE, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, KILLER JOE, or SPRING BREAKERS...all of them come up short when measured against...
BANSHEE...only watched five of the ten episodes so far...the show is pretty darned awesome! The first two episodes certainly evidenced BANSHEE being molded after JUSTIFIED...but of course with a pleasing Cinemax sensibility to the proceedings. The lead in BANSHEE might come up short when compared to Timothy Olyphant in terms of Southern charm, yet Anthony Starr brings his own down-and-dirty style to BANSHEE (I keep thinking he must have auditioned for the role of Spartacus in the recent show at some point along the casting line). Based on the first five episodes, BANSHEE is the clear winner when compared to JUSTIFIED (JUSTIFIED still rates well for dialogue, but BANSHEE too is starting to score well with one-liners and such in recent episodes). I also think BANSHEE is the clear winner when compared to the other Cinemax series - STRIKE BACK. Since it is a Cinemax series, BANSHEE is not lacking at all when it comes to gorgeous women...and for those that enjoyed the sex/nudity aspects of STRIKE BACK and SPARTACUS, then you will be quite at home with BANSHEE. So if you've liked at least two of the following: JUSTIFIED, SONS OF ANARCHY, THE SHIELD, MAGIC CITY, SPARTACUS, STRIKE BACK....then BANSHEE should be next on your viewing list. And while there will never be another Omar (from THE WIRE), actor Hoon Lee as Job on BANSHEE is certainly creating an unforgettable character in BANSHEE. Just when I thought I wouldn't find new excitement on the small screen to recapture the feelings I had with BREAKING BAD ("tread lightly"...OMG for its awesomeness), SPARTACUS (first two seasons), THE SHIELD, THE WIRE...well BANSHEE comes along and surprises me. And once again the crime genre on television is far superior to the crime genre in film. BANSHEE is highly recommended!
08-17-13, 02:32 PM
#560
DVD Talk Hero
Re: What´s HOT in Asian cinema right now?
Agreed on Banshee, though I like Justified a bit more, only because it's had longer to stretch it's legs and is a bit more charming - but if I compared just first seasons, then yes, Banshee is the winner.
08-17-13, 09:34 PM
#561
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: What´s HOT in Asian cinema right now?
with regard to U.K. series, sleepyhead (or anyone), have you checked out entries such as THE FALL, SOUTHCLIFFE, RUN, MAYDAY, INSIDE MEN, THE SHADOW LINE, etc.,...I'm planning on giving it a go on at least some of them...simply curious if you (or anyone) have any thoughts on the matter...
INSIDE MEN--Full disclosure here, I love heist films. So I did enjoy this one as it went through the planning, psycholgical motivations, and aftermath of a heist. It isn't perfect as I felt it dragged in spots but I found it watchable. The ending was kind of blah though.
I'm going to try to watch Banshee now as it sounds like something I would really love.
08-18-13, 09:42 PM
#562
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Appreciate the feedback sleepyhead...I think I'll give it a go with INSIDE MEN, THE FALL, THE SHADOW LINE, and SOUTHCLIFFE...heaven only knows when though...even my planned Korean/Hindi viewings have been pushed back to a September kick-off...just too many other viewings I'd like to clear through first.
To continue the BANSHEE talk...no spoilers of course...finished eight out of ten now...the last three have seen things scale down and settle in to a comfort zone of sorts...basically taking time to dig deeper into the characters (no worries it still continues to deliver plenty in terms of violence/sex and story too)...the character development aspect is an element that is greatly missing from the other Cinemax series STRIKE BACK...two seasons and I haven't developed any attachment for the guys on STRIKE BACK. Even compared to JUSTIFIED, I think BANSHEE has a deeper and far more balanced (and interesting) roster of characters. If one thinks of Raylan from JUSTIFIED as a cowboy in the classic Hollywood style, then Lucas in BANSHEE can be described as a Spaghetti Western cowboy. I wasn't too sure about Anthony Starr as Lucas at the very beginning...mainly I suppose because he has a bit of an unusual face for a lead performer...sort of a clenched jaw with a pinch of Skoal tucked in on both sides...but now I really like the character, he has a bit of regular joe to him whereas Raylan has a bit of a regal, above-it-all quality to his character...if I had to choose I'd pick Lucas as a buddy over Raylan. I've only seen the first three series of JUSTIFIED so far...at its best it is often very good/excellent...but I've cooled on it to some degree...I thought the third season was incredibly eventful while at the same time having not much happen (in the big picture sense...I seem to recall a feeling of "much ado about nothing" after watching the third season), and what should have been a great second season (because of the main baddies) suffered with a couple of distracting mid-season episodes that punched a hole in the middle of the season (the first season had some case-of-the-week type episodes early on till the show found its voice in terms of an arcing storyline). BANSHEE just has everything - characters, episode-story, season-story, action/violence, sex, quick-pacing - fitting together quite comfortably.
The King of the Streets (2012 - China) - low-budget, indie that recently released via U.S. Blu-ray. Now...well...I've got a bit of something stuck in my craw...I'm not comfortable with the "vanity production" tag mentioned by filmbiz.asia. Okay, the guy did everything - act/produce/direct/write/edit/choreograph - what if you guys had a dream of making a movie...no one is rolling out the red carpet for you right...so the only way is to do it all yourself...I don't know...that seems like the sort of passion that should be respected in some measure. I'm not really big on the whole "auteur" thing but if it is to be applied isn't this movie the type of thing the term is meant for...I mean really all this big-budget Hollywood stuff and you're telling me Christopher Nolan is an "auteur"...huge budgets and hundreds and hundreds of people contributing in significant roles and these directors of these big movies really have the nerve to consider themselves as "auteurs".
See...the whole "auteur" thing...so let's take Budd Boetticher...now my favorite genre is American Westerns...but in modern (revisionist) theory why does he get number one credit for the Ranown Cycle. As a point, let's take HANGMAN'S KNOT which came a few years before the Ranown films...a lot of what I like about the Ranown films is already in place here...you've got Randolph Scott and the Alabama Hills and cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. (and of course producer Harry Joe Brown)...actually this movie can be argued as being close in Ranown spirit to SEVEN MEN FROM NOW, THE TALL T, RIDE LONESOME, and COMANCHE STATION...I bet if we stripped the director's name off HANGMAN'S KNOT a lot of folks would peg it as a Budd Boetticher film over the likes of WESTBOUND, DECISION AT SUNDOWN, and BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE. And because I don't want to go anymore long-winded we won't even get into the far more appropriate studio-as-the-auteur aspect of things aka Warner gangsters and such. I'll bet a lot of folks are perfectly content with having the Ranown films in their library, while ignoring the logic of including something such as HANGMAN'S KNOT. I just don't like approaching cinema from a narrow-minded "directors-only" approach...it means I read a lot of ULZANA'S RAID (because of Aldrich/Lancaster) but you never see mention of a similar film from six years earlier DUEL AT DIABLO.
Ummm....yeah, so back to THE KING OF THE STREETS, for what it was I quite liked it...I think there was far too much sincerity in the production to label it a vanity project (that is a term I'd define differently). I thought it went about telling its story with a warm and quiet grace. The story is generic DTV fare...maybe very loosely a story such as the Korean film SUNFLOWER or the more recent MERANTAU or maybe Michael Jai White's BLOOD AND BONE. THE KING OF THE STREETS is not to the level of those films but again - for the type of production it was - I thought it was fine enough. The martial arts action doesn't kick in with anything of note until the mid-way point...and what there is is generic (I didn't like the sped up camera work in the final action climax) but generic action is perfectly functional enough if you care about the characters and story...which again are entirely cookie-cutter and simplistic but still told with a heart that had me caring about things. If I had to rewatch THE RAID or THE KING OF THE STREETS tomorrow, I'd pick the latter because I cared about the story/characters...of course the action in THE RAID is far better but to me it is just fight reel type stuff aka if I wanted that I can just watch UFC on television.
So, yeah, I was pleased by my viewing of THE KING OF THE STREETS.
To continue the BANSHEE talk...no spoilers of course...finished eight out of ten now...the last three have seen things scale down and settle in to a comfort zone of sorts...basically taking time to dig deeper into the characters (no worries it still continues to deliver plenty in terms of violence/sex and story too)...the character development aspect is an element that is greatly missing from the other Cinemax series STRIKE BACK...two seasons and I haven't developed any attachment for the guys on STRIKE BACK. Even compared to JUSTIFIED, I think BANSHEE has a deeper and far more balanced (and interesting) roster of characters. If one thinks of Raylan from JUSTIFIED as a cowboy in the classic Hollywood style, then Lucas in BANSHEE can be described as a Spaghetti Western cowboy. I wasn't too sure about Anthony Starr as Lucas at the very beginning...mainly I suppose because he has a bit of an unusual face for a lead performer...sort of a clenched jaw with a pinch of Skoal tucked in on both sides...but now I really like the character, he has a bit of regular joe to him whereas Raylan has a bit of a regal, above-it-all quality to his character...if I had to choose I'd pick Lucas as a buddy over Raylan. I've only seen the first three series of JUSTIFIED so far...at its best it is often very good/excellent...but I've cooled on it to some degree...I thought the third season was incredibly eventful while at the same time having not much happen (in the big picture sense...I seem to recall a feeling of "much ado about nothing" after watching the third season), and what should have been a great second season (because of the main baddies) suffered with a couple of distracting mid-season episodes that punched a hole in the middle of the season (the first season had some case-of-the-week type episodes early on till the show found its voice in terms of an arcing storyline). BANSHEE just has everything - characters, episode-story, season-story, action/violence, sex, quick-pacing - fitting together quite comfortably.
The King of the Streets (2012 - China) - low-budget, indie that recently released via U.S. Blu-ray. Now...well...I've got a bit of something stuck in my craw...I'm not comfortable with the "vanity production" tag mentioned by filmbiz.asia. Okay, the guy did everything - act/produce/direct/write/edit/choreograph - what if you guys had a dream of making a movie...no one is rolling out the red carpet for you right...so the only way is to do it all yourself...I don't know...that seems like the sort of passion that should be respected in some measure. I'm not really big on the whole "auteur" thing but if it is to be applied isn't this movie the type of thing the term is meant for...I mean really all this big-budget Hollywood stuff and you're telling me Christopher Nolan is an "auteur"...huge budgets and hundreds and hundreds of people contributing in significant roles and these directors of these big movies really have the nerve to consider themselves as "auteurs".
See...the whole "auteur" thing...so let's take Budd Boetticher...now my favorite genre is American Westerns...but in modern (revisionist) theory why does he get number one credit for the Ranown Cycle. As a point, let's take HANGMAN'S KNOT which came a few years before the Ranown films...a lot of what I like about the Ranown films is already in place here...you've got Randolph Scott and the Alabama Hills and cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. (and of course producer Harry Joe Brown)...actually this movie can be argued as being close in Ranown spirit to SEVEN MEN FROM NOW, THE TALL T, RIDE LONESOME, and COMANCHE STATION...I bet if we stripped the director's name off HANGMAN'S KNOT a lot of folks would peg it as a Budd Boetticher film over the likes of WESTBOUND, DECISION AT SUNDOWN, and BUCHANAN RIDES ALONE. And because I don't want to go anymore long-winded we won't even get into the far more appropriate studio-as-the-auteur aspect of things aka Warner gangsters and such. I'll bet a lot of folks are perfectly content with having the Ranown films in their library, while ignoring the logic of including something such as HANGMAN'S KNOT. I just don't like approaching cinema from a narrow-minded "directors-only" approach...it means I read a lot of ULZANA'S RAID (because of Aldrich/Lancaster) but you never see mention of a similar film from six years earlier DUEL AT DIABLO.
Ummm....yeah, so back to THE KING OF THE STREETS, for what it was I quite liked it...I think there was far too much sincerity in the production to label it a vanity project (that is a term I'd define differently). I thought it went about telling its story with a warm and quiet grace. The story is generic DTV fare...maybe very loosely a story such as the Korean film SUNFLOWER or the more recent MERANTAU or maybe Michael Jai White's BLOOD AND BONE. THE KING OF THE STREETS is not to the level of those films but again - for the type of production it was - I thought it was fine enough. The martial arts action doesn't kick in with anything of note until the mid-way point...and what there is is generic (I didn't like the sped up camera work in the final action climax) but generic action is perfectly functional enough if you care about the characters and story...which again are entirely cookie-cutter and simplistic but still told with a heart that had me caring about things. If I had to rewatch THE RAID or THE KING OF THE STREETS tomorrow, I'd pick the latter because I cared about the story/characters...of course the action in THE RAID is far better but to me it is just fight reel type stuff aka if I wanted that I can just watch UFC on television.
So, yeah, I was pleased by my viewing of THE KING OF THE STREETS.
08-19-13, 07:57 PM
#563
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Finished up the final two episodes of BANSHEE and thought it necessary to file this final report. I'd have to say I've come down to earth with regard to the show. I especially thought that the final two episodes lacked the edge and intensity I had hoped for. Superficially the violence/action is still present...though the nudity aspect pretty much disappears...but those are surface aspects. The main thing was...I don't know...the final two episodes felt like watching the season closing episodes of an FX show - JUSTIFIED primarily - but in general BANSHEE felt like an FX show over the final two episodes. I thought I'd be champing at the bit to watch the coming second season, but actually I feel a little let down...I'll keep watching for sure, like I do with JUSTIFIED and such...but I can wait. I have a bad feeling that going forward - in terms of plot/characters - things will have that "the more things change the more things remain the same", "much ado about nothing", eventfully uneventful, spinning its wheels type of proceedings. Like HOMELAND (haven't watched season two yet), I suspect BANSHEE might best have been a glorious one season show...it'll require some suspension of disbelief perhaps to find contentment going forward. It just might end up being lumped in the JUSTIFIED, SONS OF ANARCHY category for me...again I do enjoy those shows...it's just that I thought perhaps BANSHEE could have become something a little more special and unique in that regard, and now maybe I'm not so confident that that will ever happen. Anyway, that's about as far as I can go in terms of spoiler-free comments.
08-20-13, 08:39 PM
#564
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Originally Posted by sleepyhead55
INSIDE MEN--Full disclosure here, I love heist films. So I did enjoy this one as it went through the planning, psycholgical motivations, and aftermath of a heist. It isn't perfect as I felt it dragged in spots but I found it watchable. The ending was kind of blah though.
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
08-21-13, 01:14 PM
#565
DVD Talk Gold Edition
In case anyone is interested, BANSHEE on Blu-ray just dropped to $25.47 at Amazon. That is the new Amazon low beating the pre-order price of $25.99 and the release week price of $27.99.
08-21-13, 01:25 PM
#566
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Giving some more thought to INSIDE MEN, there are at least a couple of nitpicks with regard to the actual heist, but I suppose you can make peace with them by calling them "dramatic concessions". Spoiler details (don't read if you plan to watch the show) -
Spoiler:
08-21-13, 02:30 PM
#567
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: What´s HOT in Asian cinema right now?
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) A funny late 80s film from Pedro Almodovar. Not as dramatic or serious as his most recent offerings. I enjoyed this one as it was pretty easy to watch. I noticed some screwball comedy tendencies in this one. Sometimes, I forget that Antonio Banderas can play other roles as opposed to the usual stuff that Hollywood has pigenholed him with.
08-23-13, 11:09 AM
#568
08-26-13, 09:16 PM
#569
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Lethal Hostage (2012 - China) - The English-language title doesn't accurately reflect the movie...it is an artful, moody, and unhurried crime drama...I thought it was okay. The movie actually captured the Best Film and Best New Director prizes at a Chinese awards show just a few days back. It's another non-linear narrative, linked characters type exercise...as such it took nearly half the runtime for me to really feel a grasp for things...at the same time the storytelling technique likely made things more engaging and interesting than they otherwise would have been. I appreciated it more on a technical level I suppose, not that it didn't work for me otherwise...again once I got a handle on the players approaching the half-way point. I'd say a case of the sum of the parts being greater than the whole...I liked it for its various pieces here and there.
I watched it via the Mainland China DVD. A couple of points in that regard...one, filmbizasia lists a runtime of 109 minutes...the DVD clocked in at 96 minutes...don't really know what to make of that...the movie felt whole but who knows given the style of narrative it is tough to say. A second more important point perhaps is that the English subs are burned in to the print (below the Chinese subs)...as such the English subtitles are quite small and not in the most friendly font so it'll take some concentration in reading the subtitles. And a few times they did move pretty quickly...but thankfully no issues with white subs disappearing against a white background. At the same time, it isn't a dialogue heavy movie at all...so you don't have to strain yourself too much because the dialogue driven sections are few. That being said, if you are interested in the movie (filmbizasia offers a more appreciative review), then perhaps wait a little longer to see if it turns up via Hong Kong DVD (or perhaps the U.K. and such given that LETHAL HOSTAGE has gained some acclaim here and there).
Giving it some thought, LETHAL HOSTAGE might be more enjoyable on a second viewing...being familiar with how it plays out (and also not having to focus so much on the tough-to-read subtitles) might work in its favor......on the other hand, any charms/mystery aka the finding it engaging factor created by the non-linear narrative and such might suffer on follow-up viewings...while the story/characters aren't really of that much interest that one would want to give it another go (other than to clear up any uncertainty one might have had the first time through).
I watched it via the Mainland China DVD. A couple of points in that regard...one, filmbizasia lists a runtime of 109 minutes...the DVD clocked in at 96 minutes...don't really know what to make of that...the movie felt whole but who knows given the style of narrative it is tough to say. A second more important point perhaps is that the English subs are burned in to the print (below the Chinese subs)...as such the English subtitles are quite small and not in the most friendly font so it'll take some concentration in reading the subtitles. And a few times they did move pretty quickly...but thankfully no issues with white subs disappearing against a white background. At the same time, it isn't a dialogue heavy movie at all...so you don't have to strain yourself too much because the dialogue driven sections are few. That being said, if you are interested in the movie (filmbizasia offers a more appreciative review), then perhaps wait a little longer to see if it turns up via Hong Kong DVD (or perhaps the U.K. and such given that LETHAL HOSTAGE has gained some acclaim here and there).
Giving it some thought, LETHAL HOSTAGE might be more enjoyable on a second viewing...being familiar with how it plays out (and also not having to focus so much on the tough-to-read subtitles) might work in its favor......on the other hand, any charms/mystery aka the finding it engaging factor created by the non-linear narrative and such might suffer on follow-up viewings...while the story/characters aren't really of that much interest that one would want to give it another go (other than to clear up any uncertainty one might have had the first time through).
08-27-13, 05:16 PM
#570
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Presumably nearly everyone who has followed this thread for a while is familiar with the movie TAMPOPO from Director Itami Juzo. He directed nine other films before he died. They were all released on Japanese DVD both individually and bundled into two separate collections. Being Japanese DVDs they of course would've put a hit on your wallet to pick them all up.
I've come across a Korean release of the ten films...again in two separate collections. We are talking DVD not Blu-ray. Anyway, they do seem to be English-friendly and...perhaps they are ported over from the Japanese releases. The Korean cover art is not too far removed from the art used on the Japanese Blu-ray box releases from last year. I don't know how "official" the Korean sets are...a cursory check didn't turn them up at YesAsia or K2DVD, but they are listed at KimchiDVD...price for the two collection bundle is $85.99 (not including shipping...which would run about $16 to the U.S.)...just search Itami Juzo and they'll turn up. On the surface, it seems like a nice bargain...all ten of his films for what it would have cost for only two or three of the Japanese DVDs.
I've come across a Korean release of the ten films...again in two separate collections. We are talking DVD not Blu-ray. Anyway, they do seem to be English-friendly and...perhaps they are ported over from the Japanese releases. The Korean cover art is not too far removed from the art used on the Japanese Blu-ray box releases from last year. I don't know how "official" the Korean sets are...a cursory check didn't turn them up at YesAsia or K2DVD, but they are listed at KimchiDVD...price for the two collection bundle is $85.99 (not including shipping...which would run about $16 to the U.S.)...just search Itami Juzo and they'll turn up. On the surface, it seems like a nice bargain...all ten of his films for what it would have cost for only two or three of the Japanese DVDs.
08-27-13, 08:45 PM
#571
DVD Talk Gold Edition
How To Use Guys With Secret Tips (2013 - South Korea) - With a backdrop of being set in the film/TV industry, this is a romantic comedy where the young female heroine is a frumpy, doormat-type slaving away as an assistant director...until one day she comes across a videotape "How To Use Guys With Secret Tips" and in school for scoundrels fashion she goes about bettering herself. The movie is rather stylish and quirky...but besides that it comes up short in terms of characters and heart. The "Secret Tips" gimmick is clever enough I suppose but it isn't layered enough to sustain interest when you feel no connection to the romantic aspects. The lead actress is cute and turns in a nice performance, but I really didn't feel much for her as a character...you have to be rooting for her and I never felt that. Likewise, I never connected with the male lead who was the object of her desires. So you have a romantic comedy where I didn't feel any emotional connection to the lead couple at all. The instructional timeouts/cutaways by the teacher from the video are rather amusing but they see less screentime in the weaker second half. Ultimately you are left with an overlong and flat romantic comedy. Again, in concept it had promise and it does offer some amusement in that regard, but it is all oddball and quirky style while coming up empty in creating characters for you to care about. I quite enjoy South Korean romantic comedies when done well - MY SASSY GIRL, WINDSTRUCK, CASTAWAY ON THE MOON - but this latest entry is only average at best.
08-29-13, 08:47 PM
#572
DVD Talk Gold Edition
The Tower (2012 - South Korea) - Entertaining (just don't analyze things too closely), popcorn-munching (with one caveat), disaster movie. It is clearly meant to be South Korea reproducing THE TOWERING INFERNO (perhaps with a pinch of EARTHQUAKE but I'm not certain on that). While certainly an A-type production, THE TOWER doesn't offer anywhere near the more epic feel of the 44-minute longer THE TOWERING INFERNO. The first quarter (30-minutes) of the runtime introduces the various characters...this section is rather light, pleasant, and comedic in tone...from what I can recall a previous Korean disaster movie - HAEUNDAE - had a similar approach...it was successful in both movies. After the opening you get 26-minutes of mayhem as disaster strikes. The final half focuses mostly on a small group or two - perhaps a half-dozen firefighters and maybe a dozen-and-a-half civilians - as they struggle to escape the burning building. Curiously, amid the misery, the film does inject comedic moments here and there in the second half too...I found the comedy successful, especially some moments with a firefighter and a Christian civilian. Again, this isn't a serious drama...it is escapist fare (for the most part)...and the acting style is melodrama...generally the acting was average but effective. To address my "caveat" and "for the most part" comments, the second half plus might also be rather mood dampening because there are a number of moments which clearly reference 9/11...images and other moments...so for me the "escapist", "popcorn" nature of the kind of clashed with my thinking of 9/11. I thought the movie slipped a bit towards the end in terms of the logic of at least one of the predicaments, as well as not offering satisfying closure to some third-tier character/story aspects. But still, it was an entertaining (and generally undemanding) way to pass two-hours.
Random - watched DEAD MAN DOWN with Colin Farrell...wasn't what I thought it would be aka a straight crime flick, but instead it was more of a vengeance/romance movie....I liked it but that is judging it as a DTV-type movie because that is basically what it is...it might be dressed up by the name cast and twenty-minute longer runtime but in all other regards it is on-par with Cuba Gooding Jr. type DTV movies...which was perfectly fine enough for me. Loosely DEAD MAN DOWN reminded me a little of the Eric Roberts DTV flick THE BUTCHER...in the sense that that was a DTV flick that reached for more by adding twenty minutes to its runtime...in both films it'd be easy to argue against the need for the longer runtimes. And one note with regard to Eric Roberts....holy toledo.....have you checked his listing at IMDb lately....the guy has like a gazillion listings for movies he acted in from 2012 - 2014.
Random - watched DEAD MAN DOWN with Colin Farrell...wasn't what I thought it would be aka a straight crime flick, but instead it was more of a vengeance/romance movie....I liked it but that is judging it as a DTV-type movie because that is basically what it is...it might be dressed up by the name cast and twenty-minute longer runtime but in all other regards it is on-par with Cuba Gooding Jr. type DTV movies...which was perfectly fine enough for me. Loosely DEAD MAN DOWN reminded me a little of the Eric Roberts DTV flick THE BUTCHER...in the sense that that was a DTV flick that reached for more by adding twenty minutes to its runtime...in both films it'd be easy to argue against the need for the longer runtimes. And one note with regard to Eric Roberts....holy toledo.....have you checked his listing at IMDb lately....the guy has like a gazillion listings for movies he acted in from 2012 - 2014.
08-30-13, 06:04 AM
#573
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Giving some more thought to THE TOWER (yeah, I know I said that you shouldn't analyze things too closely here)...but still...so the more thought I apply to the movie the less I like it. It is an A-production with perhaps a B-movie scope and sensibility...and that isn't meant as a compliment. First off, it is a Korean movie for Koreans so maybe this isn't a valid criticism, but for me, all the 9/11 stuff was a little heavy and kind of lingered with me as having an exploitation vibe...again this is a very viewer-specific reaction. And again expanding on a comment I made earlier, THE TOWER isn't really a smart/logical type viewing experience...to its credit it does move along so you don't think too much about that sort of stuff while watching the movie...but looking back it is more problematic...same too going back to my comment with regard to some of the second- or third-tier story and characters. So my point is that I really don't think THE TOWER would hold up in terms of replay value. For most (excluding fans of the disaster-movie genre), simply rewatching THE TOWERING INFERNO might be a better option as opposed to giving it a go with THE TOWER.
08-30-13, 06:39 AM
#574
Moderator
Re: What´s HOT in Asian cinema right now?
I noticed that Vudu has a bunch of Asian movies for $6.99 (HDX). Looks like most (maybe all) are from Well Go USA. Here's a list of titles I've found so far in case you guys are interested.
Flash Point
Ip Man
Ip Man 2
All's Well, Ends Well 2012
Blade of Kings
The Empress and The Warriors
Seven Swords
Painted Skin: The Resurrection
Tai Chi 0 (Tai Chi Zero)
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
My Way
The Front Line
Bedevilled
Shaolin
Little Big Soldier
Let the Bullets Fly
1911
White Vengeance
A Simple Life
The Man From Nowhere
Legendary Amazons
The Viral Factor
A Better Tomorrow
Love in the Buff
Helldriver
Mutant Girls Squad
Triple Tap
Wu Dang
Doomsday Book
Flash Point
Ip Man
Ip Man 2
All's Well, Ends Well 2012
Blade of Kings
The Empress and The Warriors
Seven Swords
Painted Skin: The Resurrection
Tai Chi 0 (Tai Chi Zero)
Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
My Way
The Front Line
Bedevilled
Shaolin
Little Big Soldier
Let the Bullets Fly
1911
White Vengeance
A Simple Life
The Man From Nowhere
Legendary Amazons
The Viral Factor
A Better Tomorrow
Love in the Buff
Helldriver
Mutant Girls Squad
Triple Tap
Wu Dang
Doomsday Book
08-31-13, 08:45 PM
#575
DVD Talk Gold Edition
TheBigDave, very thoughtful of you to deal us in on the Vudu promotion. 
This thread is now getting a reboot via the new "International box of chocolates" thread here in this same International forum. I kind of like the lack of definition in the new title, perhaps it'll help in generating some more varied participation aka the new thread will be defined by each individual and how they choose to be active in it.
This thread is now getting a reboot via the new "International box of chocolates" thread here in this same International forum. I kind of like the lack of definition in the new title, perhaps it'll help in generating some more varied participation aka the new thread will be defined by each individual and how they choose to be active in it.