East Asian Films

Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

director I'm most familiar with is Ki-duk Kim;whats your favorite ki-duk-kim movie??is address unknown worth renting or watching??

Korean(current ones)films tend to be more graphically violent and not afraid to show nudity or talk  about very controversial subjects;

around the early 90s to the late 90s ,i saw a lot of historical,epic,family ,taboo/drama  chinese movies;A lot of them starring gongli

Indian(india)movie have a lot of movies that deal with family traditions,cultures,religion,race,caste system and taboo;this also includes a lot of indian(hindu) and pakistani movie made in the uk,usa, etc....;I have also seen a  bit of epic movies and musicals(bollywood)that have very g rated material(no actual sexual/nudity scenes);i have seen also many indian movies that deal with hardship/poverty

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

The movies i have seen by Ki-duk kim seem to be disturbing;that is one of the qualities that make him great especially in Bad guy;Have you seen Bow??how funny,just as i wrote that ,i noticed that movie was just shipped in my (blockbuster)queue

just i should not rent address unknown,Thanks for the advice

have you seen time and breath???tried to rent them but they are not yet available;if you have seen them would you recommend it??Have you seen blue gate,real fiction,the isle and coastguard?if you did which would you recommend??whats your favorite Ki-duk kim movie???MIne is bad guy

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

You've both mentioned disturbing as a description of some of Ki-duk Kim's films. I wonder if we view them that way because we can't help comparing to what comes out of Hollywood or if it has to do with that focus on different aspects of everyday life that might be a commonality among East Asian films. 

 I worry a lot about falling into a kind of east v west kind of dichotomy when trying to see what makes these films a category of their own. Within the geographical area that is represented there seem to be recognizable differences in things like politics and culture.  It may also be the case that some folks see certain countries represented here and others not - where does Hong Kong cinema fit? It seem to me that many of the directors coming out of East Asian cinema and making it big in hollywood are coming from Hong Kong, but that may be a mistaken impression. 

 I certainly enjoy many of the films listed with the group because they are contemplative and they do focus on daily life. 

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

I don't find Kim Ki-duk's other films disturbing, which is why Address Unknown surprised me. Regardless of what I think about it, it's probably worth seeing. 

I have seen The Bow (Hwal), and yes, I liked it.

I saw Time, but I unfortunately haven't seen Breath yet. I definately recommend Time. It's an angry little film, but I enjoyed it. I haven't seen Blue Gate, Real Fiction, or the Coastguard yet, but I did see The Isle, which I liked.

My favorite Kim Ki-duk film is 3-Iron.

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

I think Address Unknown is deliberately designed to be disturbing. I think Kim Ki-Duk was trying to encourage a sense of revulsion along with a few darker emotions. I also think I can't help comparing his films to what's coming out of the US, which is probably why he shines for me as a director, much more so than most American filmmakers.

I tend to include Hong Kong under China despite its history. I made my decision about the lists somewhat arbitrarily, but it's clear that there's a great deal more complexity to this than I anticipated.

There are a very small number of East Asian filmmakers working in American film, but yes, most seem to be Chinese, though there are a few Japanese filmmakers as well. Actors seem to more readily move between countries than directors, which seems a bit odd now that I think about it.

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

thanks for your insight

i have seen 3-iron and it was not a disturbung film;it was unlike any story i have seen and iliked it

And a friend of mine has seen  Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring and he said it was enlightening and he higly recommended it,i have yet to see it

i will try to rent time when it becomes available at blockbuster online

Re: Commonalities & Contrasts - what "defines" East Asian Films?

"I have seen The Bow (Hwal), and yes, I liked it."Ijust sw it last night and i liked it too

The bow was a very visual movie with a good soundtrack;I have never seen a movie quite like that;The pace was much slower than oldboy or any other korean movies i have seen but yet captivating;Everything was based on the main characters facial expressions,their body movements,their environment and the other fishermen since the main characters had no spoken dialogue(except those whispers which we never knew what was said).The boats, and the bow was also a big thing;Also that ending ceremonial wedding was something(the red dotted stickers on the girls cheek was a bit comical to me);there was a lot of symbolism there that the viewer has to figure for herself  or the viewer has to figure their own conclusion ;AND that arrow being shot between the girls legs,intriguing???This the quitest,least disturbing kim-ki duk movie i have seen compared to bad guy and samaritan girl:

Can you give me your take or view towards the conclusion of the bow??anyhting from the ceremonial wedding til the end of the movie;this movie is left to a lot of the audience own interpretation;did you ever wonder what they said on those fortune whispers;And how about that bow and arrow with multiple uses;even as a musical instrument???

Which do you think is a quieter movie  3-iron or the bow???

my next kim-ki duk movie is real fiction,it is next on my queue