MangaTranslation.com

I saw the movie "Hero" (from China) last night. Really beautiful picture. A bit (rather, very much) on the jingoistic side of things though. Still, a very nice picture. I think it is slated for an American release. It was a very big budget picture back in Hong Kong - but I think it will have a tough time making it big in America. It does not conform to standard American movie structure. In fact, it is also based on a well known Chinese bit of historical legend, which of course isn't known here...

In other movie news, I also watched "No such thing" tonight - which was also very good. Not as good as Hero, and a bit blunt with the message they try to hit you over the head with, but a very nice picture.

fugu

I too enjoyed Hero thoroughly. My favorite element is the multiple viewpoints conversation between the king and Jet Li's character. I'm not sure if that's what you're referring to, Fugu, but that structure of storytelling actually seems to be pretty popular for American movies these days. From a review I think Basic is sorta like that. I think of it as being like one of those detective plot twist type things.

I think the the American public's ignorance of the king's historical significance is a big blow though because that seems pretty crucial to the movie's primary point. I also think the inevitable comparisons to Crouching Tiger might be detrimental because people will think of Herp as a derivative work.

standa-man wrote:I too enjoyed Hero thoroughly. My favorite element is the multiple viewpoints conversation between the king and Jet Li's character. I'm not sure if that's what you're referring to, Fugu, but that structure of storytelling actually seems to be pretty popular for American movies these days. From a review I think Basic is sorta like that. I think of it as being like one of those detective plot twist type things.

I think the the American public's ignorance of the king's historical significance is a big blow though because that seems pretty crucial to the movie's primary point. I also think the inevitable comparisons to Crouching Tiger might be detrimental because people will think of Herp as a derivative work.

No, I meant the lack of any identifiable protaganist, how everyone dies in the end, no happy ending, and so on. The narrative trick they used to tell the story is well known, and fairly clear. I wonder how many people would get the PRC / China allegory as well.

Fugu wrote:

No, I meant the lack of any identifiable protaganist, how everyone dies in the end, no happy ending, and so on.

.........way'd a go Fugu give away the ending for us!

Did you know that it is not fully frictional? the movie is actually based on true story (which is highly exaggerated).

Hey, I can't find the JE translation software mentioned in your sig. It isn't on your software pages...

fugu

it is still there....
http://isieo.bravepages.com/soft/J2EDIC.zip

FuguTabetai wrote:Hey, I can't find the JE translation software mentioned in your sig. It isn't on your software pages...

fugu

Bravenet blocks non-Bravenet referers, and there are no links from your software page to that program.

cheers,

fugu

Actually Bravepages only block referers for pictures only... you can download it by just copy and paste the adress into the address bar if you can't ... anyway i updated my webpage...(finally but only one page )

A bit late, this. But on the subject of Asian films, Fugu, you need to hunt down a subtitled copy of Infernal Affairs, starring Tony Leung and Andy Lau. It's one of the best films out of Hong Kong in recent years and well-worth the price.

Agent Wax

Agent_Wax wrote:A bit late, this. But on the subject of Asian films, Fugu, you need to hunt down a subtitled copy of Infernal Affairs, starring Tony Leung and Andy Lau. It's one of the best films out of Hong Kong in recent years and well-worth the price.

Agent Wax

yea I agree, I have that movie somewhere and its a pretty good undercover movie

super super late... but yes its a good movie!! heard that some guy in the u got the rights to do the movie in us and rumour if i heard correctly is that brad pitt is going to start in it

I saw the new Bill Murray movie, "Lost in Translation" yesterday. I didn't know ahead of time that it was set in Tokyo, so that was a pleasant surprise. I liked it quite a bit - a funny movie, and very poignant. Of course, a lot of that could have to do with my connections to Japan, but it is worth seeing. Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola's daughter, and pretty well done at that. I wonder if she wrote the Japanese dialouge as well?

fugu

I just bought Princess Blade / Shurayuki-Hime, starring Hideaki Ito and Yumiko Shaku.

Excellent Japanese action film, with some very elegant katana fight scenes choreographed by Donnie Yen. The cinematography and mise-en-scene are absolutely breathtaking, with settings that range from cyberpunkish to dark forests to post-apocalyptic to beautiful lakes to mist-swallowed rustic homes.

Director Shinsuke Sato allows the camera to linger on some really beautiful 'still-life' shots, framed like paintings, wiht minimal movement. One that really sticks in my head is a shot of Yuki's sheathed blade, propped up against a bedend, with morning sunlight oozing in from an off-screen window and a playful wind gently caressing a curtain in the background. I have got to make a wallpaper from that sometime.

This title should be available on DVD in the US, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys katana duels. Be warned though, that this is not your conventional Hollywood fare. The Japanese have their own moviemaking philosophies, and you shouldn't expect everything to be spelt out for you as in most Hollywood flicks.


Agent Wax

I just watched Kill Bill Vol. 1 on Sunday. Classic Tarantino flair with an incredible soundtrack. Still can't top Reservoir Dogs, but definitely better than From Dusk Till Dawn and perhaps even Pulp Fiction. The cast is brilliant, and special mention goes to Sonny Chiba (who plays Hattori Hanzo with the quiet and tortured dignity of a retired master swordsmith). Two other Japanese members of the cast that stand out are Chiaki Kuriyama, whose character Gogo Yubari projects and embodies the international obssession with Japanese schoolgirls in sailor suits, and the Yakuza Boss beheaded by O-Ren Ishii (don't know the actor's name). Kuriyama didn't get much screentime but she brings a weird sort of psychosis to the film.

Go watch it today!


Agent Wax

Dear all,

If you get the chance to watch 'Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior', don't miss it. Straightforward story, but Phanom Yeerom is tha most amazing martial artist and athlete to come out of Asia since Jackie Chan. And no, that's not an exaggeration. It's one thing to watch Keanu Reeves CGed and wire-fued into a fighter, but watching this Thai guy strut his stuff without any wires or CG will literally take your breath away and unhinge your jaw.

Agent Wax

hero is a very nice flick .and now the movie kongfu panda is very funny .