As many know, I am obsessed with movies. It seems I know so many who won't watch movies that aren't in color or, even worse, watch foreign movies. I refuse to watch foreign movies without subtitles. I find when a movie is dubbed, I spend more time watching the person's lips than paying attention to the rest of the movie. You'd be surprised how little, if any, you miss reading the subtitles.
In recent years I have watched tons of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean horror films. Nearly every American horror film that has been made in the last ten years is a remake of an Asian classic. The Ring, The Eye, and the Grudge were all poorer remakes of Asian cinema.
Sure there are classics from other countries. One thing foreign movies seem to all have in common is a slow climb to an incredible climax. Asian films just do it better. Not all are top notch. I wouldn't even say all are in my favorites, but they all possess something that left an imprint on me.
When I first saw The Killer, it appeared to be a buddy movie, along the lines of Lethal Weapon, except the buddies were on different sides of the law. The movie is excellent from start to finish, but the finale is one of action cinemas crowning achievements. John Woo, who has made quite a name for himself in the US, dazzles us with the operatic finale, complete with doves! For any action fan this is a must see. Other options are Woo's A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled or City on fire (the film many credit as being the inspiration for Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs).
For those of you who like the martial arts genre and loved the ballet type fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may I suggest Hero. The use of color has never been used like this. The colors themselves become characters. Visually stunning, but a beautiful story. If the old school Saturday afternoon slap/chop movies are more your style, may I suggest Master of the Flying Guillotine. This movie might lack in other area, but has the coolest weapon of all-time.
I thought I had seen every cliche a horror movie could muster, until I saw Audition. Audition is a long, slow film that many might give up on within the first 30-40 minutes. Trust me when I tell you, that when the movie flips from being what appears to be a story about the search for love, into well, something else, you better get the hot water running. This movie will make you want to wash off the unclean feeling you'll acquire while squirming in your seat. The last 10-15 minutes is flat out difficult to watch, on many levels.
There are lesser known films that I adore, Like the thriller H. A Korean film about a detective who is after a serial killer. Only after the killer is caught does the movie really begin. Any more details would give it away.
While I have probably watched The Killer the most times (at least five). Probably my favorite Asian film is the Korean masterpiece Oldboy. It's the story of a man who for reasons unknown to him has been incarcerated in a hotel room for 15 years. During this time he is drugged, tortured and he doesn't know why. Suddenly he is set free and has a few days to find out who and why he was taken prisoner. What ensues for the next two hours is the most intense movie I've ever seen. It makes you question absolutely everything, even if you don't know why. There are scenes that make you claw at your chair and they don't seem to stop. The final scenes are so chilling that they make you ill and make you think at the same time. To me it's one of the most brilliant films ever made. It's not just a horror film, but you will feel scared. It's a thriller that never lets on until the end. The discomfort one feels while watching lingers long after the film is over. When I first watched it, I sat in the dark minutes after the credits rolled. I showered with water that hurt my skin and then I sat and watched it again. Rinse and Repeat. I think if anyone sees this film, it will open their eyes to not only how good foreign films can be, but how bad our local product is.
In recent years I have watched tons of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean horror films. Nearly every American horror film that has been made in the last ten years is a remake of an Asian classic. The Ring, The Eye, and the Grudge were all poorer remakes of Asian cinema.
Sure there are classics from other countries. One thing foreign movies seem to all have in common is a slow climb to an incredible climax. Asian films just do it better. Not all are top notch. I wouldn't even say all are in my favorites, but they all possess something that left an imprint on me.
When I first saw The Killer, it appeared to be a buddy movie, along the lines of Lethal Weapon, except the buddies were on different sides of the law. The movie is excellent from start to finish, but the finale is one of action cinemas crowning achievements. John Woo, who has made quite a name for himself in the US, dazzles us with the operatic finale, complete with doves! For any action fan this is a must see. Other options are Woo's A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled or City on fire (the film many credit as being the inspiration for Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs).
For those of you who like the martial arts genre and loved the ballet type fight scenes in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may I suggest Hero. The use of color has never been used like this. The colors themselves become characters. Visually stunning, but a beautiful story. If the old school Saturday afternoon slap/chop movies are more your style, may I suggest Master of the Flying Guillotine. This movie might lack in other area, but has the coolest weapon of all-time.
I thought I had seen every cliche a horror movie could muster, until I saw Audition. Audition is a long, slow film that many might give up on within the first 30-40 minutes. Trust me when I tell you, that when the movie flips from being what appears to be a story about the search for love, into well, something else, you better get the hot water running. This movie will make you want to wash off the unclean feeling you'll acquire while squirming in your seat. The last 10-15 minutes is flat out difficult to watch, on many levels.
There are lesser known films that I adore, Like the thriller H. A Korean film about a detective who is after a serial killer. Only after the killer is caught does the movie really begin. Any more details would give it away.
While I have probably watched The Killer the most times (at least five). Probably my favorite Asian film is the Korean masterpiece Oldboy. It's the story of a man who for reasons unknown to him has been incarcerated in a hotel room for 15 years. During this time he is drugged, tortured and he doesn't know why. Suddenly he is set free and has a few days to find out who and why he was taken prisoner. What ensues for the next two hours is the most intense movie I've ever seen. It makes you question absolutely everything, even if you don't know why. There are scenes that make you claw at your chair and they don't seem to stop. The final scenes are so chilling that they make you ill and make you think at the same time. To me it's one of the most brilliant films ever made. It's not just a horror film, but you will feel scared. It's a thriller that never lets on until the end. The discomfort one feels while watching lingers long after the film is over. When I first watched it, I sat in the dark minutes after the credits rolled. I showered with water that hurt my skin and then I sat and watched it again. Rinse and Repeat. I think if anyone sees this film, it will open their eyes to not only how good foreign films can be, but how bad our local product is.
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