Asian Cinema (member, quote, 1964)

jackhammer · 06-30-2008, 03:52 PM

The weird and wonderful world of Asian cinema has been getting a lot more attention recently due to the Hollywood machine churning out endless (and the whole;terrible) remakes of Asian films, namely J-Horror but for those of us in the know. Asian cinema has given us some of the very best in cinema. Whether it is the masterful films of Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Ran), the simplistic yet elegant films of Ozu (The Noriko Trilogy), the exploitation classic 'Guinea Pig' series of films, the recent surge in quality Korean films (The Vengeance Trilogy) or the twisted genius of Takashi Miike (Audition). Asian cinema is in many aspects preferable to American cinema.

Consistently imaginative, visually superlative and in many cases, completely bonkers Asian cinema deserves to be delved into more if you love films but want to watch something that little bit different.

Here are a couple of films to get you started:

Arahan:

This Korean film from 2004 marries aspects of 'The Matrix' ( itself a pilferer of Asian cinema) and comedy succinctly. It focuses on a rookie policeman who may just be the only person to save mankind as he may be in possession of a powerful Qi life force.

In a film that cost just under $5 million dollars, the action and set design look like a film that cost ten times that amount. Featuring some stunning martial arts and some great comedy, Arahan is a good first step into Asian martial arts.

06-30-2008, 03:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Asian Cinema The weird and wonderful world of Asian cinema has been getting a lot more attention recently due to the Hollywood machine churning out endless (and the whole;terrible) remakes of Asian films, namely J-Horror but for those of us in the know. Asian cinema has given us some of the very best in cinema. Whether it is the masterful films of Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Ran), the simplistic yet elegant films of Ozu (The Noriko Trilogy), the exploitation classic 'Guinea Pig' series of films, the recent surge in quality Korean films (The Vengeance Trilogy) or the twisted genius of Takashi Miike (Audition). Asian cinema is in many aspects preferable to American cinema. Consistently imaginative, visually superlative and in many cases, completely bonkers Asian cinema deserves to be delved into more if you love films but want to watch something that little bit different. Here are a couple of films to get you started: Arahan: This Korean film from 2004 marries aspects of 'The Matrix' ( itself a pilferer of Asian cinema) and comedy succinctly. It focuses on a rookie policeman who may just be the only person to save mankind as he may be in possession of a powerful Qi life force. In a film that cost just under $5 million dollars, the action and set design look like a film that cost ten times that amount. Featuring some stunning martial arts and some great comedy, Arahan is a good first step into Asian martial arts. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”