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Stickgrappler

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2015
683
902
Watched:



Lately been watching a bunch of movies, will start with this one …



Bushido (aka Shundo) (2013)




View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmLJkVtbHW4




There was some hype on this film… a Japanese indie film that focused on the spirit of Bushido (Japanese warrior code). It was an authentic period film filled with tension and sword fights. Shot on historical locations, this film was hyped as the pinnacle of Japanese independent films. Bushido was written and directed by Yasuo Mikami. The crew that worked on this film, both in front of the camera as well as behind the camera were all experienced in making period films.



I didn’t know the director or any of the actors. I liked the actor that played the swordsmaster Daihachiro Harada, Takehiro Hira. He had a commanding screen presence reminiscent of Toshirô Mifune or Takakura Ken.



I felt it was slow, very slow, but that worked to build the film’s tension. I expected more sword fights or at least more training scenes and sadly that was not the case. It was well-shot and well-acted, but for me it didn’t work. I felt the plot violated 3 or 4 of the 7 Virtues of Bushido, and the movie is supposed to be focusing on the Bushido spirit.



Basic story: some local village/domain is worried the Shogun will come in and take all their saved monies from them for a flooding project. They kill one of the Shogun’s representatives and framed one of their own who was the most likely to have a beef with the Shogun’s rep. The framed villager wanted to go to another village to learn/train more swordsmanship and is a bit too hot-tempered at times. The village elders framed him to take the fall to save the village.





Watching:



The Challenge (1982)




View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwZupRgKY34




Directed by John Frankenheimer [Ronin (1998); The Manchurian Candidate (1962)]



Starring Scott Glenn (most recently starred as Stick in Netflix TV series Daredevil) and Toshirô Mifune. Billed as Steve Seagal, Seagal worked on this movie as technical advisor and martial arts coordinator.



I’m actually rewatching this, haven’t watched this in ages.



Basic story: Scott Glenn, an American boxer is involved in a feud over a Japanese family heirloom swords.





Will Watch:



Well, actually will rewatch … Man on Fire (1987) starring Scott Glenn – saw it ages ago… after watching Netflix’s Daredevil, am on a Scott Glenn mini-marathon
 

Stickgrappler

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2015
683
902
All of this next are Watched and highly reco'd by me...

A friend on fb asked for 5 movie reco's, most of his friends went with Hollywood movies. I tried not to dupe and went with either older films or Hong Kong films

1) Johnnie To's The Mission is my all-time favorite movie. A triad boss assembles a crew of 5 bodyguards... brotherhood and loyalty themes... great realistic gun/small unit tactics ... Hong Kong movie... this was the first of To's unofficial Hitman Trilogy (Exiled and Vengeance are the others - all explore similar themes, have pretty much same actors, but unrelated to each other)

2) My former all-time favorite: John Woo/Chow Yun-fat's A Better Tomorrow 1 (#2 had crappy story but better gun-fu, #1 great story and the gun-fu was at the time pretty good, each subsequent movie Woo outdid himself)... Hong Kong movie... A Better Tomorrow 2, The Killer, Hard Boiled ... all great choices

3) The Yakuza - Takakura Ken and Robert Mitchum, multi-layered story... Robert Mitchum's friend's daughter is kidnapped by the Yakuza, Mitchum asks Takakura Ken for help thinking he is still Yakuza, he's not ...Hollywood

4) Le Samourai - Alain Delon - ultra-suave and coolness, Jean-Pierre Melville directs this classic. Inspired John Woo's The Killer

Tie for #5 - first is directed by Johnnie To, Hong Kong movie... Mad Detective starring the great Sean Lau Ching-wan, crazy but good detective called out of retirement to help solve a difficult case, this has some plot twists and is a mind trip - don't watch if you want mindless action movie, this requires your attention, the plot twists will be rewarding!

The other #5 - The Bullet Vanishes, inspired by Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies, Sean Lau Ching-wan stars along with Hong Kong heartthrob Nicholas Tse, both are trying to solve a puzzling case where victims die by gunshot, yet no bullets are found, great ending that Guy Ritchie could never pull off
 

jason73

Yuri Bezmenov was right
First 100
Jan 15, 2015
72,789
134,171
im going to try a better tomorrow and hard boiled .they sound like my kind of movies
 

jason73

Yuri Bezmenov was right
First 100
Jan 15, 2015
72,789
134,171
i checked out hard boiled last night. i enjoyed this movie .lots of action .it didnt even seem like it was as old as it is.up next will be the man from nowhere,no tears for the dead and a better tomorow.

 

buicken

Active Member
Apr 22, 2015
32
51
The man from nowhere is a great movie, the final fight scene is one of the best knife fight scenes ever.
 

Stickgrappler

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2015
683
902
I wanted to post earlier but didn't remember :(

IMO if you will watch Woo/Chow you should watch in this order if you can get the movies:

A Better Tomorrow 1
ABT 2
The Killer
Hard Boiled

Many consider Bullet in the Head as Woo's magnum opus. I like it a lot but I prefer ABT, The Killer and HB over it as I'm a huge Chow Yun-fat fanboy

BITH is a thinly veiled statement by Woo against China's govt and the Tianamen Square Massacre (govt sent tanks into Tinamen Square to squash the student protests, even opening fire and killing the students)

Coincidentally it was on this date back in 1989 if memory serves

John Woo used to be good friends with Tsui Hark who produced ABT 1 and 2. At the time Tsui was a bigger director as Woo's career waned from his late 70's and early 80's comedy hits. Woo and Tsui wrote a story that became ABT 1 which was loosely based on their good friendship. They had creative differences on ABT 2 and ABT 3. Woo left ABT 3 and Tsui took over directorial efforts. If you look at the plots of both BITH and ABT 3 they are very similar, even down to the thinly veiled criticism of the Chinese govt handling of Tianamen Square protests

Not sure if the two made up over the years

Tsui Hark is known for A Chinese Ghost Story; The Blade; making Jet Li a superstar with Once Upon a Time in China 1-3 ... Jet and Tsui had differences and Jet left the OUATIC series only to reconcile for #6, zu Warriors if the nagic Mountain, Legend of Zu and loads more

Within Hong Kong cinema history John Woo's and Chow Yun-fat's A Better Tomorrow 1 was hugely influential and very important. It reinvigorated the HK movie industry

In 1986 it was the highest grossing HK film ever. Not sure which movies have since broke that record. ABT 1 made Chow Yun-fat a superstar... HK cinema was stagnating with comedies which was the vogue of early 80's. Woo ushered in a New Wave in HK cinema with his "heroic bloodshed" movies and his ballet-like gunfights. He used slomo on certain scenes especially during the gunfights. One if his favorite directors is Hollywood bad boy "Bloody" Sam Peckinpah. If you haven't watched The Wild Bunch I highly recommend it. You will see its influence on Woo

Countless imitators came out after ABT1's success. Loads of Triad movies/heroic bloodshed movies came out

Woo apprenticed under the great 70's director Chang Cheh. If you don't know Chang, I'm sure you know his movies... many many of the old school Shaw Brothers movies was directed by him. At the time his godsons were the Shaw stars ... Ti Lung (who later revitalized his career playing opposite Chow in ABT 1 and 2), David Chiang, Alexander Fu Sheng to name a few

Later in late 70's early 80's he gathered some supporting actors and made them the core group of stars in his next movie, Five Venom. The Venom Gang became his godsons too

Anyway Chang loved the heroic bloodshed themes of brotherhood and loyalty. And it rubbed off on Woo.

I may be rambling but the importance of ABT1 cannot be overlooked in HK Cinema history

Ohnyeah, ABT 1 is a story of two brothers. One a Triad gangster and his blood brother graduating from the police academy. Their father urges the gangster, an underboss, to quit as his younger brother is a cop now. The triad boss asks the underboss to do one more job but there us a double cross and he is caught and jailed. The underboss does his time and cones out looking to go straight but his former right hand man wants to get revenge on the doublecrosser who is now the underboss

The Killer is about an assassin who accidentally blinds an innocent bystander and feels guilt and tries to help her while the gangsters try to kill the assassin

Hard Boiled is about a tough cop working with an undercover cop to bring down a triad boss

My simple descriptions doesn't begin to convey the rich plots and superb gun Fu. HK and Hollywood alike has copied Woo's gun Fu to death. But he was the Master who started it alltruly hope you enjoy these movies. Envy you for watching it for your first time!
 

Stickgrappler

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2015
683
902
The Man From Nowhere was awesome. Inspired by Leon aka The Professional no doubt

That last fire fight and knife fight had me so hyped I couldn't sleep that night. I was filled with testosterone and adrenaline! Sadly felt the fights were sparse. Which in a way made me cherish that last fight so much more

No Tears for the Dead is by the same director. Liked it a lot! one short knife work scene was awesome. The gunfights are great. This was meant to make you cry in a way more so that TMFN

2 other Korean films I'll mention now:

1) City of Violence. If you like Tae Kwon do, this movie is filled with ax kicks and spinning kicks lol. 2 gangsters fight their way into a highly guarded building to take revenge on the gang boss there. There is an homage to the Hollywood cult classic The Warriors, where the pair of gangsters fight their way through many different street gangs a la The Warriors movie

2) The Good, the Bad, And the Weird ... called a 'Kimchi western' (Korean western, after 'spaghetti western' made by Italians in 60's)

Enjoy!
 
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Stickgrappler

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2015
683
902
I enjoyed the Netflix tremendously. Normally I don't have time to watch too much tv or movies, but i made time and powered through the season. Can't wait for S2!

Enjoyed Stick a lot! so much i use him as my avatar lol
 
P

Punch

Guest
I enjoyed the Netflix tremendously. Normally I don't have time to watch too much tv or movies, but i made time and powered through the season. Can't wait for S2!

Enjoyed Stick a lot! so much i use him as my avatar lol
Always loved stick in the comics. They played him well. Truly no fucks to give. :D
 

Stickgrappler

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2015
683
902
WATCHED

The Pirates (2014)



Jumped a few spots on my To Watch list 'cos lead actress reminds me of Jaime Chung ... lead actress is Ye-jin Son.


Korean period film about pirates and bandits. Tad long at 2 hrs and a few minutes, tad too many characters and that results in some underdeveloped characters and viewers' lack of care for those superfluous characters

Some comedic moments probably could've been trimmed

Great production values, nice costumes and ships, fighting wasn't that great - like hollywood's artifice of shaky cam to cover up for actors lack of fighting skills and to create false sense of energy and excitement

Band of pirates, band of bandits, and govt soldiers all looking for a whale that swallowed the Royal Seal.

I was entertained a little mostly because of Ye-jin Son but this movie is a "Pick 'Em" - you can watch or you can pass on this
 

Ministry of Silly Walks

came in like a wrecking ball
First 100
Amateur Fighter
Jan 15, 2015
4,566
5,134
if you have some shrooms, or some good weed, i suggest

i didn't even want to see this movie, but i love it now. the dance scenes are amazing.
 

Ministry of Silly Walks

came in like a wrecking ball
First 100
Amateur Fighter
Jan 15, 2015
4,566
5,134
Saw it when it first came out. What's not to like?

Girls with Guns gers me everytime! Jaime Chung to boot!
the first battle is my favorite

but i like the steam soldiers too.
the few previews i saw, didn't sell me on it. a couple of years later, i took a chance and bought it when my internet was down. i'm very glad i did. i love this kind of movie, and wish they made more with this type of feel.