Music Banter - How about Asian cinema?

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Originally Posted by Goofle (Post 1507013)

Yeah that was me. Was hoping somebody would pat me on the back but alas, we end up here :(

I didn't add it to my list cause you mentioned it. It's a wonderful film.

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Originally Posted by James (Post 1507020)

Oh man, it's a must. It's a style of filmmaking I have seen no where else. Incredibly subdued and subtle. Tokyo Story is the visual starting point, but my favourite of those I've seen is Tokyo Twilight. Very dark film, which is odd to see in such a strange style.

Subtle and subdued like Haneke?

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Originally Posted by Chula Vista (Post 1507015)

I've got The Good, the Bad, and the Weird in my queue too.

somebody at work recently recommended this to me. i might have to give it a watch. i don't know why but if i see the same film or show or whatever pop up twice from two unrelated sources it makes me more interested in seeing it.

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Originally Posted by Exo_ (Post 1507034)

I didn't add it to my list cause you mentioned it. It's a wonderful film.

Thanks man, I really needed that :love:

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Originally Posted by Exo_ (Post 1507035)

Subtle and subdued like Haneke?

Similar vibe, but it's taken to the extreme. Almost unbelievably so. The camera rarely moves, and the majority of shots are at ground level to reflect traditional etiquette in Japan where they sit on the floor to eat. Certainly wouldn't be surprised if he was a major influence for Haneke.

I'm a pretty big fan of Detective Dee and the Phantom Flame. Quirky, unique fun that doesn't take itself too seriously.

Another great newer film is "Cure" (1997). It's a horror movie, but there is something unique about this film. It's difficult to put your finger on what it exactly is though. It has a beautiful, but subtle visual style (as do all Kiyoshi Kurosawa movies), some extremely powerful scenes, great acting and the story does have a lot of well known elements, but it seems like the movie mostly plays with them, hinting at something different at the bottom of it altogether.

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Originally Posted by Lord Larehip (Post 1507014)

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A superb Japanese movie is "Okuribito" a.k.a. "Departures." The plot, at points, is predictable and yet it is so well done that it grabs you anyway. It's the acting. The acting is best I've ever seen in a movie. It does not appear to be acting. You really think it's real, it's so well done. The acting sells the whole movie. It's a tear-jerker and I usually hate that genre because they try too hard to be poignant and I never come close to crying. "Saving Private Ryan" for example just left me cold. "Terms of Endearment"--same thing. But "Departures" just hits the mark perfectly. Typically Japanese movie philosophizing on love and death--and the acting sells it and you'll buy it hook, line and sinker.

My exchange student recommended that to me and I watched it. It was beautifully done and I agree 100% about the acting, but the movie didn't affect me actually. I also found it extraordinarily slow-paced.

Considering the theme primarily deals with death, that might be the reason. Death doesn't seem to bother me or get me emotional in movies. Good to hear of someone else who's seen Okuribito, though.

Ghost in the Shell
Easily my favorite animated film, the Ghost in the Shell franchise is an unparalleled dive into techno-capitalism, evolution, the nature of consciousness, the nature of information & intelligence, cyber-security, telecommunications politics, cyberization, techno-poverty, globalism & digital economics, the evolution of food and drugs, and nearly any other subject regarding the evolution of a technological civilization that you can possibly imagine. The original film is fantastic in both English and Japanese, the sequels are almost equally as enjoyable, and the episodic series is massively ambitious and thoroughly enjoyable start to finish. Absolutely essential viewing for anyone fascinated by the evolution of our species & technology.

And I'm a real sucker for Japanese cyberpunk films.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Legendary exercise in style and atmosphere. Extremely abrasive, dark, loud, obnoxious, cold, alienating, and relentlessly absurd. A soundtrack designed to get under your skin and shift around like a terrible itch, unsettling stop motion animation, and countless scenes of unsettling metal fetishism.

Rubber's Lover
Psychologically jarring, confusing, and surreal. An oftentimes repulsive mixture of cyberpunk, science fiction, technophilia, and primal claustrophobic horror.

964 Pinocchio
Sickening love story between an escaped lobotomized cyborg sex slave and a psychopathic homeless girl with no memory. Relentlessly disgusting, dark, unsettling, and uncomfortably comedic.

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Originally Posted by EPOCH6 (Post 1507381)

How nice to see there are other people who have seen Rubber's Lover and Pinocchio. That's some far out stuff. Can't say I loved those films, they are really annoying at times, but overall they are a fun experience.