telophase | (no subject)

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So, I need to add more stuff to my Netflix queue. Name some movies/TV shows/documentaries/whatever and explain why I should watch them. Bonus points for gorgeous cinematography, martial arts, or compelling characters, not necessarily at the same time. (I've seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Hero, and House of Flying Daggers is on my list already.) Little-known movies, especially foreign ones and comedies, are another plus.

If you want to know more about my tastes and what I've already seen, just ask.

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I have the opposite problem. My queue is full, AND I've got a spreasheet with another 700 items to add when space is available. :)

I'm not very picky, though.

Lately I really enjoyed Firefly. If you haven't seen that series, I recommend it whole-heartedly.

I second that. Firefly is not to be missed.

Heh. :)

I've seen the first episode of Firefly, and I think I may be the only perosn on the planet not to be terribly impressed. It was that none of the characters really grabbed me, I think, and I'm such a character-oriented person that if none of them do that, I find it very hard to get into a story.

I've been watching a lot lately because I've been drawing manga, and I need to ahve *something* on in the background, and movies and TV shows on DVD are the perfect thing, so I've been zinging through them quickly between Netflix and the media library in the library where I work.

The characters are really worthwhile, I promise. I fully endorse giving it another try. The captain is so very Sanzo to me.

Sanzo, hm? *ponders*

Question: when you say you saw the first episode, did you see "Serenity", the two-hour pilot (that Fox decided to show after they cancelled the series), or did you see "The Train Job" (which Fox had Whedon and crew make at the last moment, because they wanted a series intro with lots of action, because they're Fox and they want action)?

And yes, Mal is Sanzo-in-space. Kaylee is Goku, I think.

Er .. it was 2 hours, but I don't remember what the title of the episode was - a friend of mine showed it to me.

That would most likely be "Serenity", then. I highly encourage you to give it a second try. (Of course, if, after that, it still does nothing for you, then at least you can say you gave it the good old college try. ^_^)

Heh. :) Pretty much everyone I know likes it, so I probably should try it again.

Pretty much everyone I know likes Lost, too, but until it comes out on DVD or I get a TiVo (and that won't happen anytime soon), I won't bother, because I have a very hard time tuning in every week to watch something, and my short attention span ensures that I can't watch an hourlong show all the way through in one sitting.

Yes, this is an important point. The Train Job was okay as a second episode, but there wasn't much in the way of characterization in it so it was downright stupid for Fox to skip that two-hour pilot.

Firefly was, first and foremost, a series about it's characters. Most definately.

I miss those guys. I hope the movie rocks as hard as the series did.

Check out Zatoichi if you can find it. Onmiyoji too (but please, watch that with friends who will MST it with you XD ) Dodgeball is a blast if you haven't seen it. Anchorman is a favorite of mine of recent movies as well. I'm hoping you've seen Shawn of the Dead or I might have to disown you.

I don't know if NetFlix will have it or not, but there's a campy old Japanese horror movie called 'Youkai Monsters' I believe that really looks fun. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet and it is WAY, super-camp, but all the same, looks fun.

In the horror genre 'Bride with White Hair' is also good. There's another Chinese horror/comedy out there. I can't remember the name of it, though. Vampire Hunters or something like that. I have it at home. If I can't confirm the name before then, I'll doublecheck.

Zatoichi's already on the queue. Havne't seen Shaun of the Dead, although I've been intending to and you reminded me, so I put it on there. I put Onmiyoji on, too. Netflix doesn't seem to have 'Youkai Monsters', at least not by that name. Hm.

That would be "Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters", also known as "The Era of Vampire" (according to IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303970/)).

Added. :)

I dunno if its really your kind of thing, but Amy and I just watched "Bamboozled" by Spike Lee. It was a very powerful film and very satirical. Damon Wayans plays a TV producer who (in a bid to get fired) pitches a old fashioned minstrel show to his bosses. Black face and everything. To his chagrin, they pick it up and it becomes a hit.

Sounsd interesting - added. :)

I second the nomination for Bride with White Hair. She is pictured on my icon.

I also highly recommend Peking Opera Blues, one of my favorite movies of all time.

I recommend anything with Takeshi Kaneshiro, who is more gorgeous than any cinematography, especially Lost and Found and Chungking Express. I also love Andy Lau, especially in Running out of Time and Infernal Affairs.

And here's a handful of reviews I've written of various other Hong Kong films:

http://greenmanreview.com/film/film%5Fnewlegend.html

http://greenmanreview.com/film/film%5Fwicked%5Fcity.html

http://greenmanreview.com/film/film%5Fheroicgraceomni.html

http://greenmanreview.com/film/film%5Fsoclose.html

http://greenmanreview.com/film/film%5Fbridewwhitehair.html

http://greenmanreview.com/film/film%5Fmrvampire.html

http://greenmanreview.com/film/film%5Fheroic%5Ftrio.html

Added several of these. Netflix doesn't seem to have Peking Opera Blues, at least not by that name, and I can't find it by searching on 'Do ma daan' (which is what it seems to be called in IMDB, if I've got that right) or the principal's names.

Added Mr. Vampire just to see the hopping vampires. :)

For foreign films, I'd suggest Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. It's been way too many years since I've seen it, but it left me in tears in the middle of a theater (and my two roommates at the time who were with me were reacting similarly) simply because we were all laughing so hard we couldn't breathe and after a bit of that, you tear up quite nicely. It seems to me that was a scene involving gazpacho, but as I said, it's been way too many years since I've seen it. The subtitles are good enough that not knowing Spanish didn't get in the way at all.

Hm. Netflix doens't seem to have it and doesn't have a release date for it, but it's saved and will automagically be added to my queue when they've got a release date. :)

Weird, it's an older film from like 1988--I was wondering if it wasn't on DVD, but I just found it listed on Amazon, so that isn't the case. I just found it on video from the late 90s at my library and put a hold on it -- thanks for making me think about it.

Actually, almost any of Pedro Almodovar's films are funny, weird and twisted and worth watching (at least the ones I've seen), though this is my overall favorite.

It has great reviews on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000059H9F/002-5601225-1497661?v=glance)

I'm always surprised when I come across the occasional movie that Netflix doesn't have. They're my lifeline for small, not-well-known movies and HK cinema.

I highly recommend The Pillow Book, if you haven't seen it. Beautiful cinematography, interesting characters, good plotting, great soundtrack.

If you're in the mood for total and complete dreck, there's a movie called Wild Zero that one of my housemates swears is some of the funniest dreck he's ever seen-- it stars a Japanese rock star named Guitar Wolf, to give you an idea.

Should you like Onmyouji (I did), the sequel exists.

And my random rec-of-movie-no-one-but-me-has-ever-heard-of is Kirikou and the Sorceress, a lovely little West African animated children's movie. There are a few moments of chalk pastel animation that continue to amaze me, and the story and characters are far more true to folklore than anything Disney has ever put out.

Added to queue. Except for Kirikou and the Sorceress, which doesn't seem to exist in Netflix, at least by that title.:(

Find and watch:

So Close
Conduct Zero
2009 Lost Memories

*added*

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Gorgeous cinematography, martial arts, and/or compelling characters

Re: Gorgeous cinematography, martial arts, and/or compelling characters

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