Movies

I've noticed several threads upstream people are talking about Korean tv-dramas. I don't watch this kind of stuff (dramas - this is for girls -P), but I do love watching films. So, here's the top-3 of my favourite Korean movies. )

1. Memories of Murder - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_of_Murder

As for me, this movie is... perfect. Better simply can't be. And I don't know what else to add here. Oh, yeah, the main character is being played by the best actor of our time, Song Kang-ho.

2. Secret Sunshine - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Sunshine

A drama made by the former Korean minister of Culture and Tourism. Very deep, very thoughtful, really amazing. The lead actress (Jeon Do-yeon) for her role in this film has received the Best Actress award in Cannes. The main male character is being played... by the best actor of our time, Song Kang-ho.

3. Joint Security Area - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Security_Area_(film)

The film is revolving around tragic history of relations between two Koreas. The main male character is being played... mmm... by the best actor of our time, Song Kang-ho. -_-


Song Kang-ho

P.s.
Please join the topic. )

summervie wrote:

3. Joint Security Area - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Security_Area_(film)

The film is revolving around tragic history of relations between two Koreas. The main male character is being played... mmm... by the best actor of our time, Song Kang-ho. -_-

P.s.
Please join the topic. )

I'll join!

Hm, I have not seen 'JSA,' but I do like Lee Byung-Hun, so I might check it out sometime.

summervie - have you ever seen 'Shiri'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiri_(film)

Very similar theme - we watched it in Korean class.

Batsuchan wrote:

I'll join!

Hm, I have not seen 'JSA,' but I do like Lee Byung-Hun, so I might check it out sometime.

summervie - have you ever seen 'Shiri'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiri_(film)

Very similar theme - we watched it in Korean class.

Haven't seen "Shiri" yet, but it's been in my to-watch list for some time already. Two days ago I even found it on dvd, along with the first movie of my favourite Korean director, but both were only with French subtitles. :-)

Lee Byung-Hun? Hm. Seen this new one (probably not in Korean class)? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad,_the_Weird
IMO, really, really not bad.

Taking off from Korean grounds, just rewatched "Children of Men" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Men_(film) - and, well, if some of you haven't seen it, don't miss your chance if there's some.

Children of Men was a great film - its on of my post-2000 top 10 list of favorite movies since it came out (but then again, Cuarón is one of my favorite film makers and PoA, which he directed, is easily the best-made Harry Potter movie, especially in terms of cinematography and working around the script).

Since summervie moved the subject somewhat to excellent cinema, I may as well mention three films from my post-2000 top 10 list that I particularly enjoyed.

1. Maria Full of Grace - simply gut-wrenching.

2. Dancer in the Dark - one of the most unconventional musicals ever filmed in recent memory, with critics either loving it or hating it. It deserved its Palme d'Or, although it would have been nice if it received a little more recognition in the States and by the Academy.

3. Pan's Labyrinth. Just a beautiful movie from start to finish...

And that brings me to my second topic: If both options were available, do you prefer to watch foreign films through subtitles or by dubbing? In my case it is always going to be subtitles.

While I appreciate the effort of voice actors (with some being pleasant surprises), I find miscasts taking place all too often - in Japan its particularly gimmicky with, as usual, popular young actors/actresses grabbing the vocal role over legitimate narrators and veteran voice actors - and the script is further broken down during the translation process so that the dialogue fits the original actors' lip movements. Similar things can be said to American dubbing of foreign films. More importantly though, I always feel that dubbing is disrespectful to the filmmaker and the actors themselves, because it greatly alters the mood and atmosphere of a movie that was, ultimately, meant to be seen in its native tongue.

I'm never too kind on folks who prefer dubs out of the very lazy reasons of "its just easier not looking down to read all the time/you'll miss the action sequences." Once you are over the age of 12, I expect most humans to have enough command of their native language to muster up the ability to both read the subtitles and watch the film as a whole without any problems to begin with.

summervie wrote:

Haven't seen "Shiri" yet, but it's been in my to-watch list for some time already. Two days ago I even found it on dvd, along with the first movie of my favourite Korean director, but both were only with French subtitles. :-)

Lee Byung-Hun? Hm. Seen this new one (probably not in Korean class)? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad,_the_Weird
IMO, really, really not bad.

This was funny - we were just speaking of 'Shiri' and Lee Byung-Hun and look at the article I just found:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/05/135_45568.html

They're making a TV drama based on 'Shiri' and it stars Lee Byung-Hun!
Maybe this will be how you get hooked on K-dramas, summervie!

clovera - I really need to see those films that you mentioned!!

I'm trying to think of the last really great film that I saw...and I'm drawing a blank. This week I watched 'The Red Shoes,' which is certainly a classic, but I'm not sure I would call it fabulous (I'd rather see a real ballet)..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Shoes_(film)

Speaking of ballet films, I also saw the documentary, 'Ballerina' by Bertrand Normand, which was EXCELLENT and very interesting!
http://www.firstrunfeatures.com/ballerina_synopsis.html

Well, I *finally* watched "Schindler's List." I've been saying that I'd love to see Mao skate to that music someday, so I figured I should actually watch the film at some point.

Very moving stuff, is all I can say...

But there was one moment that made me think of Mao - in the first scene, they are playing "Por Una Cabeza!"

Speaking of ballet films, I suggest you watch THE RED SHOES (an old film). Baryshnikov has made 2 movies about dancing. One of his movies is about a tap dancer who shared a cell with him (so sorry I forgot the title), and the other movie is THE TURNING POINT about a dance company. And don't forget to watch ALL THAT JAZZ, a veryyyyy gooooood movie featuring the choreography of Bob Fosse.

During my time when I was about 5 years old,, they used to show ballet movies on tv like MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM, PETER AND THE WOLF but I can't find them recorded on videos or cds. Ohhh, the production was so good and the acting of the dancers were superb hightened by the props and lightings. They don't do the same anymore because at the present time, most of the theatre productions think about how much they will put out instead of just putting out a very good and excellent show.

Anyway, I'm still looking for something that will bring the genuine feeling of watching theatre production shows whether they are musicals, operas, ballet, etc.

Those who might find it interesting, can have a look at which movies I've watched recently and how much I've liked them on my Douban (a very good Chinese portal with focus on books, movies and music) profile.
http://www.douban.com/people/tennenkokekko/ (on the very top there will be a set of movie covers, press "84部看过" above of it).
A 5 stars scoring system, which I 'interprete' like this: 3 stars - liked quite much; 2 stars - just okay; 1 star - nothing fantastic; 4 stars - something really, really good; 5 stars - either films of Studio Ghibli, or some other undying classic, OR... something to die for.

Clovera, thanks for your recommendations. Have downloaded "Maria Full of Grace", will watch as soon as there's any suitable moment.
And the answer on your rhetorical question: of course subtitles!

juliet wrote:

Speaking of ballet films, I suggest you watch THE RED SHOES (an old film).

Oh, I just love The Red Shoes! I wrote a project about this film for my Culture & Media Analysis class. I couldn't believe it was made in 1948! The creators of this movie were decades ahead of their time. The wonderful sequence where Vicky dances the main part in the Red Shoes ballet is just amazing; how did they manage to produce something so trippy and surreal without any use of Computer Graphics is beyond me!

Moira Shearer was just perfect as Vicky.

And I loved the sundtrack! I would love to buy it, but unfortunately I wasn't able to find it anywhere. I really wanted to make a montage to the music that was stolen from Julian.

Now that I think of it, Lermontov is a total opposite of Tatiana, isn't he? Tatiana always says that falling in love improves the artistic expression, while Lermontov stated: "A dancer who relies upon the doubtful comforts of human love will never be a great dancer. Never."
I like TAT's approach more.

And thank you, juliet, for the recommendations of other ballet themed movies. I will make sure to watch them in my free time.

The only other ballet themed film that I've seen so far was Billy Elliot. There wasn't all that much dancing in the film, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The actors were really well chosen. And it was Billy Elliot that introduced me to wonderful world of Matthew Bourne's dance shows (at the very final scene a mature "Billy" appears on the stage. He's played by Aaron Cooper and he wears the same suit as real Aaron Cooper wears in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake). Out of curiosity I bought the show on DVD and it was just amazing!

Here are two of my favourite scenes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8BqSKj1BTM (one of the funniest scenes )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_n-VIwgXC4 (Gorgeous, especially starting from 2.38. This, by the way, is the part of Swan Lake that Mai skated to in her LP! )
Unfortunately, the rest is not available on Youtube. If you have an occassion to watch it, I really recommend it, though!

Okami wrote:

Moira Shearer was just perfect as Vicky.

She was perfect, wasn't she? And she impressed me with her dancing. But the others - I was shocked!! I guess ballet has changed quite a bit since the 1940s (I guess the same can be said of skating). For one, you just don't see 'womanly' dancers/skaters anymore...but also - I'm not sure if it's because it was a movie, but other than Moira, I was kind of appalled by the level of dancing. Either that or technique has evolved a lot since then.

Okami - I totally agree, I prefer TAT's approach.

I need to check out Billy Elliot.

ETA Oh, I just saw this on Amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Shoes-Horoscope-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B000CSTJZC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1244774143&sr=8-1

Not sure if they ship to Poland though, unfortunately...

I forgot to mention THE COMPANY, CHICAGO and FLASH DANCE. Chicago is actually a remake. The current CHORUS LINE, the movie is the second making, I like the original and I can't seem to find it. I saw a ballet excerpt of ADAM AND EVE and the title of the film skipped my mind. It'll dawn on me.

I know of soooooo many Musicales, Operas and anything that has to do with theatre arts(on films or on stage) I'll give them to all of you later, okay?

Ok, clovera - I just watched Pan's Labyrinth, thanks to your recommendation! It was beautiful, but also depressing, so I had to unwind by getting my daily Mao fix, and here I am!

Batsuchan wrote:

Okami wrote:

Moira Shearer was just perfect as Vicky.

She was perfect, wasn't she? And she impressed me with her dancing. But the others - I was shocked!! I guess ballet has changed quite a bit since the 1940s (I guess the same can be said of skating). For one, you just don't see 'womanly' dancers/skaters anymore...but also - I'm not sure if it's because it was a movie, but other than Moira, I was kind of appalled by the level of dancing. Either that or technique has evolved a lot since then.

The technique certainly has evolved a lot! I watched some ballet performances from the first half of the XXth century and it was certainly quite different. There was a lot less emphasis on technique, flexibility, high jumps, pirouettes, etc. The performances were also usually not as dynamic. Instead, more emphasis was put on acting and the story. It takes a bit of using to, but I eventually grew to like it. Actually I think that sometimes (not always!) there is a bit too much emphasis put on flexibility and technique, and watching the performance is like watching how many shapes the prima ballerina can put herself into. (But, of course, there are many gorgeous performances, too. )

I actually rather liked the performances of the Satan-shoemaker and Vicky's on-stage boyfriend. One role that I thought was not very well chosen was Lermontov's prima ballerina before Vicky. I think the choice might have been intentional - she made Moira look even better in comparison.

In the dancers' defence, some of them weren't that young - they were successful ballet dancers in their youth, but their skills might have decreased a bit with their age. What's more, they danced on hard surfaces (usually ballet dancers skate on special kind of floor) and in horrible heat of the lamps (they needed really strong lamps to be able to use the Technicolor technique). All of the dancers, including Moira, found those conditions really difficult- the hard surface hurt their legs, and they tired very quickly because of the heat.

Quote :

ETA Oh, I just saw this on Amazon!
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Shoes-Horoscope-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B000CSTJZC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1244774143&sr=8-1

Not sure if they ship to Poland though, unfortunately...

Oh, thanks for the link! They ship to Poland, but the prices for shipment are sheer ROBBERY! I have a way around that, however. I'll have the package sent to my friend's brother in USA, and he'll send it to Poland next time he sends things to his sister. I got a lot of books this way.

clovera wrote:

2. Dancer in the Dark - one of the most unconventional musicals ever filmed in recent memory, with critics either loving it or hating it. It deserved its Palme d'Or, although it would have been nice if it received a little more recognition in the States and by the Academy.

Most. Depressing. Movie. Ever. I was crying rivers for days after watching that.

Okami wrote:

I actually rather liked the performances of the Satan-shoemaker and Vicky's on-stage boyfriend. One role that I thought was not very well chosen was Lermontov's prima ballerina before Vicky. I think the choice might have been intentional - she made Moira look even better in comparison.

Haha, *she* was the one I was thinking about when I said I was appalled by the technique.

You are probably right that the dancing conditions were probably quite difficult.

I'm glad you found a way around Amazon's usurious shipping rates!

Specially for those whose brain and soul are still intact.

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/25458013/review/28840142/transformers_revenge_of_the_fallen

"Transformers: The Revenge of The Fallen is beyond bad, it carves out its own category of godawfulness. And, please, you don't have to remind me that the original was a colossal hit ($700 million worldwide) and the sequel will probably do just as well. I know it's popular. So is junk food, and they both poison your insides and rot your brain."

"Let's pause a moment and talk about Bay and his masterful objectification of women. He intros Fox in tight shorts, bent over a motorcycle. I can almost hear Bay behind the camera like a porn director who's captured a clone of Angelina Jolie: 'Push that butt out, Megan, twitch it. Now turn, bend, show the rack. Now lick those lips, pout that pout. Hey, makeup, we need more lip gloss'."

I haven't bothered watching the original and more reason for me to not watch the sequel either. I suppose it can fulfill the role of *brainless entertainment* but even that is satisfied by video games and anime in my book, so it's still a no. Sorry, Michael Bay.

http://www.afisha.ru/blogcomments/4861/

Should be a nice one. The cast is very good. And, oh, the skating is involved.

Wow, that looks very interesting, but potentially disturbing like inskate said. Maybe a little too real-life for my tastes.

Speaking of Natalie Portman, she's supposed to be starring in a 'supernatural ballet thriller,' whatever that means, if the director can iron out a deal:
http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/07/will-darren-aronofsky-direct-robocop.html

I just wish they could find a REAL ballet dancer to star!! Sigh!!

Batsuchan wrote:

Wow, that looks very interesting, but potentially disturbing like inskate said. Maybe a little too real-life for my tastes.

Speaking of Natalie Portman, she's supposed to be starring in a 'supernatural ballet thriller,' whatever that means, if the director can iron out a deal:
http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/07/will-darren-aronofsky-direct-robocop.html

I just wish they could find a REAL ballet dancer to star!! Sigh!!

Aronofsky to film a new "Robocop" movie? It seems this gradually becomes a trend - to invite directors with a functioning brain to take care of different 'brainless' intellectual properties. What's next? Wong Kar-wai to direct "Transformers 3"? Jia Zhangke to mastermind the sequel of "Twiblight"? :albino:
But, oh, I'm afraid even Jia wouldn't help there.

Batsuchan wrote:

Wow, that looks very interesting, but potentially disturbing like inskate said. Maybe a little too real-life for my tastes.

Potentially disturbing/too real-life? What, those Hollywood cheese crackers with Portman, Gyllenhaal and Spiderman on the packege?

Batsuchan wrote:

Speaking of Natalie Portman, she's supposed to be starring in a 'supernatural ballet thriller,' whatever that means, if the director can iron out a deal:
http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/07/will-darren-aronofsky-direct-robocop.html

The premise has me worried already, as much as I like Natalie Portman...

I have no words to offer on Twilight. I will, however, say that their creative team was...er, BRAVE to include Clair de Lune in their soundtrack and apparently the film itself (to the point that a percentage of a certain age group refers to it now as "that song from Twilight!").

Just uploaded the final scene from the best movie ever with the greatest actor of our time in it.
Please have a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3UP5pF_tI8

The main character comes to a place where 17 years ago he, being a regular cop, found a body of a dead girl, that would be the beginning of "Korea's first known serial murders, which took place between 1986 and 1991" (the movie is based on real events), the case that would never be solved.

The last few seconds are... just...