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Post by crimsonryan on Mar 28, 2012 19:18:46 GMT
I was reading Kotaku East earlier today and they've done a feature on some Eastern films and the general stereotype of Holywood remakes whitewashing Japanese films.
Two that came up are Yakuza related. One being Ridley Scott's excellent Black Rain and a film I've been wanting to see for ages 'The Yakuza' starring Robert Mitchum. Coincidentally both films star Takakura Ken in supporting roles.
I'd like to get into more foreign films, especially some Japanese, any suggestions?
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Post by godahd93 on Mar 28, 2012 21:13:06 GMT
i saw sonatine or something like that and it was good. an old one from 1993. this has a really cool music score.
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Post by Riku Rose on Mar 28, 2012 22:03:37 GMT
There are two films based on the Yakuza series. I know one got a translation with subtitles but don't think the other one did.
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OL
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Post by OL on Mar 29, 2012 5:46:37 GMT
I love Yakuza flicks.
The Battles Without Honor and Humanity series (AKA the Yakuza Papers) is generally considered as sort of the quintessential series of Yakuza films. They're really good, but I have heard them accused of being kind of slow/boring, which I suppose is fair. There's also the fact that they all have a HUGE cast of characters, which makes it a little hard to follow, apparently even for Japanese viewers.
The way the Yakuza games do a freeze frame when a new character appears, with their name and family affiliation, is a direct reference to this series.
Another that I really enjoy, which is quite a bit more "cult" than the Yakuza Papers, is called Youth of the Beast. It's VERY "60s" in its style, with a lot of flamboyant color all over the place, and really over-the-top performances from the actors. It's a great little revenge story though, with some clever little story twists and plenty of tough guy posturing. Entertaining movie all around.
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893
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Post by 893 on Apr 1, 2012 13:58:00 GMT
I was reading Kotaku East earlier today and they've done a feature on some Eastern films and the general stereotype of Holywood remakes whitewashing Japanese films. I'd like to get into more foreign films, especially some Japanese, any suggestions? You reminded me of this Kotaku article, which might help point you in the right direction. kotaku.com/5484392/five-yakuza-movies-you-must-seeYakuza films aside, you can't go wrong checking out Kurosawa's stuff. What type of films do you enjoy most? It's hard to make more specific recommendations without knowing your tastes. |
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Post by crimsonryan on Apr 1, 2012 16:35:54 GMT
Thanks, that's a great list. Any film with Ken Takakura in it is golden. I had no idea he'd done other gangster movies than what I mentioned. Must of been a breath of fresh air for him to play a cop in a Yakuza movie for a change!
I don't have any specific tastes in films. If it's good, it's good enough. Don't have a stomach for horror films unfortunately though.
Another one to add to the list would be Red Heat with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. Not about yakuza per se, but it does have Connery speaking Japanese..
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893
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Post by 893 on Apr 1, 2012 20:57:11 GMT
Well, here's a bunch of random recommendations then!
The Twilight Samurai, A Bittersweet Life, 3-Iron, The Man From Nowhere, Ip Man, Kung Fu Hustle, Infernal Affairs
Hopefully there'll be something you enjoy among those.
Edit: There's only one Japanese film listed, the others are a mix of Korean and Chinese films. Hope that's ok. I could list more Japanese ones, but it'd probably just be a bunch more samurai flicks.
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Post by cavejohnson on Apr 1, 2012 21:51:52 GMT
Another one to add to the list would be Red Heat with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. Not about yakuza per se, but it does have Connery speaking Japanese.. I believe the movie was called Rising Sun. Red Heat was with Arnold Schwarzenegger playing as a soviet officer lol. Other movies that are of interest are Crows Zero 1 and 2 directed by Takashi Miike. |
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893
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Post by 893 on Apr 1, 2012 22:44:02 GMT
Other movies that are of interest are Crows Zero 1 and 2 directed by Takashi Miike. Genji! Fly!  The Street Beats alone are a good enough reason to watch it ;D www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EnwKuny-TQ |
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OL
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Post by OL on Apr 2, 2012 0:57:20 GMT
Crows Zero was effing cool. Love that movie.
My only problem with it was the random stupid Jpop performance that happens at one point. There's no point to it, and it just drags on for the entire song.
Great movie otherwise though. Really wish they'd come out with a domestic release of Crows Zero 2.
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Post by crimsonryan on Apr 2, 2012 10:02:43 GMT
Another one to add to the list would be Red Heat with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. Not about yakuza per se, but it does have Connery speaking Japanese.. I believe the movie was called Rising Sun. Red Heat was with Arnold Schwarzenegger playing as a soviet officer lol. Other movies that are of interest are Crows Zero 1 and 2 directed by Takashi Miike. Yeah, you got me. I was thinking about it earlier and realised I said the wrong film. Both good films. |
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The Street Beats alone are a good enough reason to watch it ;D