No Mercy - Korea

          Director:  Hyeong-Joon Kim

          Year:  2010

          Plot:  "When a beautiful young woman is found butchered into six parts by a river, with an arm missing, Kang a forensic pathologist is beckoned for one last job. "

          I have seen a few movies like this one.  The base of this story and others is that someone is kidnapped and instead of going to the less than useful police, they handle it themselves.  This one happened to be more than what I was expecting.  I am very glad I didn't let the seemingly normal Korean thriller plot to stop me from watching.  Based on this, I know I shouldn't be put off by the 'overdone' plot, like some people are.  The last three movies I have seen with this same basic plot (the kidnapping and all) have turned out to be great movies.
          On IMDb, this is listed as a thriller/horror, but I don't see even a little bit of horror in this.  Thus, I chose to put this movie's review on this blog rather than my horror one.  Now, back to the movie.  Like I said, it starts off like a few of the other Korean thrillers I have watched, but it has some differences.  One of the things that really stands out, is that though most of the police force are worthless, there is one detective that seems to know how to actually do her job.
          The other big difference in this movie is the ending.  I was expecting an ending much like some of the others I have seen, but this was completely different.  I absolutely did not see some of that ending coming; okay, I didn't see most of that ending coming.  On another site, someone said they found it to be too much like Oldboy.  I do see a small similarity, but nothing that would really seem like they are copying an idea in anyway.

          I would definitely suggest watching this movie.  I am pretty sure you won't see the ending coming and will enjoy it, even if it does seem to slow down a bit.  I did question a bit whether I should rate this 4 or 5 stars, because some scenes were a little drawn out.  It is the ending though that made me rate it the way I did.

Seven Days - Korea

          Director:  Shin-yeon Won
          Year:  2007
          Plot:  "A successful lawyer who, in order to save her daughter, is pressured into defending the innocence of a man slated to receive the death penalty."

          This movie has been on my "To Watch" list since March.  That isn't as long as some of the movies I want to give a shot, but I decided to watch this before the others.  The thing is, I am not sure how I feel about this movie exactly.  There were parts I loved, and others that I didn't, and others I am just not sure what happened.
          First off, I really loved the ending.  I didn't see it coming, for many reasons, but what happened in the end was pretty great.  It wasn't as great as the ending of Midnight FM, but this movie did have a very effective ending.  This ending though might have been even better if other parts of the movie didn't have some issues.
          While I was watching this movie, I was knitting, but I have absolutely no problem knitting and reading subtitles.  I mention this because I am not one to be distracted by the things I do when watching a movie, so it isn't the reason for the issues I found with this movie.  I have to say this movie had me completely confused, and not in a good way.  There was simply too many suspects that were claimed to be the killers, or covered up the truth.
          I love to be unable to pin down the real murderer, or bad guy, as it makes for a great movie.  This one though made it really confusing.  I get who the killer was, and the kidnapper now that the movie is over, because it was clearly stated at the end.  The issue I have is that some of other suspects kind of blended together.  I am actually not sure what their stories were now that the movie is over and the focus has shifted to the murderer and kidnapper.

          I don't think I would necessarily suggest this movie.  It was decent enough for a watch, and the ending with the kidnapper was great.  For a night where a great movie is called for, this is not one I would watch.  Boring nights are the time for something like this, because it will use your time well enough with some decent scenes.  I just suggest not expecting much, otherwise you are likely to be disappointed.

Kaiji 2: Jinsei dakkai gemu - Japan

          Director:  Toya Sato
          Year:  2011
          Plot:  "Soon after having his debt cleared, Kaiji Ito is soon in debt again, and as is sent back underground. He earns the chance to return above ground for 2 weeks, he takes up the challenge of earning the 200,000,000 yen he needs to help his friends who are relying on him.  To make the money he finds a new game to play, one that is once again set against him."

          It's been over a year since I seen the first one, so I had to go back and look at my post for it.  While watching this movie I really did remember a lot of the first one, but nothing about what I wrote in my review. Time has sure flown by it seems, but I guess movies have a habit of leaving major impressions on me.
          In the second installment of Kaiji, the game has changed.  Instead of playing different strategy games and facing death defying challenges, Kaiji is up against a pachinko machine.  This may not seem like that big of a deal and on the simplest level, it probably wouldn't be much of a big deal.  Factor in that the machines payout would be a little over 1 billion and the fact that the game is likely rigged, and the story line starts to get a boost.
          I am not sure what it is about Kaiji, but these are the only movies involving gambling that I am genuinely nervous for the characters.  I don't know how many times my hands were clenched while watching this.  I think it might have a little something to do with the characters.  Kaiji himself is really sweet and tries to always help everyone, even when he himself is in trouble.  The pressure on him in this movie is even more intense because he not only has his own debt on his shoulders, but that of 20 or so men in the underground that are counting on him.  This isn't enough for Kaiji though and he soon takes on even more charity cases.
           I really don't think either Kaiji movie would have been so good to me if the character wasn't the way he is.  Sure, many consider Tatsuya to be an over-actor, but it has seemed to work really well with the character of Kaiji.  I just couldn't imagine him in any other way.  He is dramatic, but I like the character that way.  n.n

          As with the first movie, I highly recommend this.  Of course, the first one is probably necessary to get a feel for the characters as a few come from that one.  If you don't care for the characters and what is happening to them, neither movie will probably be all that enjoyable.  The thing is, that is the same with every movie, so you have to watch them for yourself to see if you will love the character and the movie.

          Check out my review of Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler!

The Sorcerer and the White Snake - China

          Director:  Siu-Tung Ching

          Year:  2011

          Plot:  "Action director Ching Siu-Tung helms this fantasy film based on an old Chinese legend about an herbalist who falls in love with a thousand-year-old White Snake disguised as a woman. Jet Li stars as a sorcerer who discovers her true identity and battles to save the man's soul."

          I actually watching this movie about a week or so ago, but homework has gotten in the way of writing a review.  As such, this review might not be as specific as those that I write right after viewing the movie.  I bought this from a little stand in the Mall of America, because my store was closed down (F.Y.E).  Because of the place I got it, the subtitles were a little interesting.  They weren't hard to understand, but they were so light sometimes, the white would disappear into scenery and clothes.

          Anyway, that has nothing to do with the movie itself.  n.n  Though I have seen quite a bit of complaints about this movie, I really enjoyed it.  It wasn't the best because I do admit some of the flaws it faces.  This movie has a lot of CGI, and it wasn't exactly on par with some of the movies that come out in the US.  This fact really doesn't bother me though as Asian movies don't usually us CGI as much, so it makes sense that they haven't exactly perfected everything.  Many parts of the movie were still very well done despite the usual CGI problems.  The only reason I had even a little problem with it is that it did take away from some of the fight scenes.

          I really like the story of the movie though.  It does come from a legend so it really has a fairytale feel to it, just with more fighting than most of us are used to.  n.n  I found that some people also had a problem with Jet Li's character in the movie because he is kind of mean towards the demons.  I actually enjoyed his character.  Sure, he is kind of mean to the snake lady, but he is a monk who fights demons.  In general cases, it is usually not a good thing to trust any demon, even if they play nice.  I also have to say that the end really made the movie and especially Jet Li's character.

          I would definitely suggest this movie to those who enjoy a variety of Asian movies.  I do not think this is one for those knew to Asian movies or culture.  I had to explain a few things to my mother, but she did understand the basic story because it falls pretty inline with some of our own tales.  Also, I really only wanted to see this movie because I love Jet Li.  I think Neng Ren is my favorite character though.  n.n

War of the Arrows - Korea

          Director:  Han-min Kim
          Year:  2011
          Plot:  "During Second Manchu invasion of Korea, one village is attacked by Manchurian soldiers.  The soldiers kidnap Ja-in on her wedding day with her childhood sweetheart Seo-Goon.  Her brother Nam-Yi takes on the enemy to free the victims with only one bow."

          I am very glad I decided to watch this movie, despite much of it being very pixelated (watched it on some site).  Even with that, I have to say that I really enjoyed this movie.  I really loved seeing Kim Mu-Yeol in this as well.  I loved him in Iljimae and was happy to see him playing a completely different character.  In Iljimae, he played a rather big idiot for the most part, but in this movie he was quite brave and useful.
          I really loved just before our hero showed up to help the captives the first time, that had to be my favorite part with Kim Mu-Yeol.  I hadn't expected much from his character because of Iljimae, but what he did was really cool in my mind.  And after that my next favorite part had to be with Ja-in.  She was really strong and her scenes with the Prince were definitely notable.
          This movie was of course about a man with nothing but a bow taking on Manchurian soldiers.  The movie did splendid with the entire story and I have to say that the chase through the forest was more entertaining for me then many car chase scenes.  I was definitely invested in the character of Nam-Yi and was practically biting my nails near the end of the movie (I don't bite my nails anymore though).  I have to say Ja-in  did amazing with her choice of shot.
           I could go on forever with this movie I think, but I will stop here.  I just have to say that even with the pixelation, I thought this movie looked great.  The tiger seemed to look rather fake from what I could tell through the blocks, but other than that, everything looked great.

          If you couldn't tell I would definitely suggest this movie.  I also bought this movie for my collection and I do not regret it in anyway.  I even bought it from Walmart rather than trying to look for a better price online.  This is surely one to watch and not easily to disappoint.  n.n

Arahan - Korea

          Director:  Seung-wan Ryoo
          Year:  2004
          Plot:  "When Sang-hwan, the naive and honest police man, is injured chasing a theif driving a motorcycle, the skilled martial artist Eu-jin brings him to her home.  There the six Masters of Tao heal him and believe that he has a powerful chi, the spiritual energy of the universe, and could be a powerful warrior. Sang-hwan begins his training, while the evil and ambitious Heuk-woon is accidentally released from his imprisonment and begins searching for a key that would permit him to become an Arahan and dominate the world."

          I do have to say that this movie is an action comedy.  Not everything is to be taken seriously, and it is in fact funny.  I am one that usually dislikes comedies, that is those made in the United States.  In other countries, I find that much comedy can be thrown in with a real story line and work quite well.  This movie did in fact do that for me.  The main character Sang-hwan is dumb and goofy which leads to many awkward moments or accidents for him.
          In the beginning, I did find Sang-hwan to be a little too dorky to believe that he could ever amount to the cool hero he needed to become.  I am glad that I was wrong.  The movie did well in changing Sang-hwan into the hero, while still leaving some of his personality behind to show that he didn't just suddenly become something he wasn't.  He only grew, not changed.
          I enjoyed the fight scenes in this movie.  There were points that were ridiculous and fantastical, but that was the point.  This was a comedy and those small points within the fights, especially at the end, kept it from being a completely brutal action movie.  I think the best fight scene had to be when Sang-hwan finally confronts the thugs.  It was very interesting to see him finally notice what he could do.  I also enjoyed how the scene ended because it had to be done, as he was in a mind set he shouldn't have been in.
          The best part of this movie for me had to be the swords.  I have a major love for swords and katanas.  The thing that I have an issue with in most movies is all the blade on blade strikes they do without the blades ever getting damaged.  This movie did amazing with that.  They showed the nicks in the blade where other swords struck.  I haven't seen any other movie do this.  Most of them play off the idea that the swords can strike against one another without anything happening but a clash of maybe a spark.

          I definitely suggest watching this movie.  I wouldn't say it is the best movie I have ever seen, but it is still very good.  The story line of this movie is quite good and the actors did well at playing the varying genres that were throughout this movie.  The characters held up well even as the movie flipped between comedy, drama and action.  I wouldn't mind watching this movie again soon.  n.n

The Samurai of Ayothaya - Thailand

          Director:  Nopporn Watin
          Year:  2010
          Plot:  "Based on a true historic figure during Ayothaya Era, the film depicts the life of Yamada Nagamasa, a Japanese adventurer who gained considerable influence in Thailand and became the governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand."

          I know many people don't agree with my rating, by this I mean many of the people who voted on IMDb as it only got a 5.9 out of 10 rating.  Now though I agree that this movie wasn't a 10 out of 10, I loved this movie.  Oh and one person brought up that for a based on a true story it didn't seem very realistic.  My response is that it is 'based on' and not a documentary.  It was made to be entertaining and not exactly completely historically true.
          I really loved the way that they portrayed the story.  I really love the idea that these people would take in an injured enemy rather than leave him to die.  This fact just really spurs on the events of the rest of the movie.  It is kindness and acceptance that leads the main character to want to be apart of the life rather than seeing them as enemies.
          Someone brought up that the samurai and ninjas aren't as weak as you see in the film.  I have to agree that they were impressive figures in history, but I can accept there lacking in this movie for one reason.  In this movie, it seems that the Japanese characters (samurai and ninja) haven't encounter these warriors before.  I find it hard to believe that a ninja or samurai could be prepared for their sort of fighting style.  It would probably be very intimidating to face someone with such a drastically different style for the first time.  I also have to point out that the samurai beat many ninjas drunk, so they already didn't seem very tough.
          There wasn't really too much I disliked.  I didn't like that they sometimes speed up the fighters and it almost looked like they were teleporting.  I mean if you are going for real fighting styles for most of the movie, the teleporting looks wrong.  I mean these are real people.  Sure the fighting is about speed and power, but real peoples speed and power.

          I do suggest you watch this movie.  Despite the vote on IMDb, this movie is very good.  The story line is just great.  I of course have to bring up the quality of the warriors fighting.  It is really quite great to watch.