This topic has been included/broached in a few previous threads in the Jin boards, but here I'm creating it anew. Talk about DDK's numerous and different on screen roles here, as well as any other topics relating to Asian Cinema/TV (foreign and domestic) and Asian actors/actresses in the movies/television (foreign and domestic) lol.

I'll start it off.
I've finally seen all three of Justin Lin's major motion pictures. (Not including Finishing the Game)
Really liked Better Luck Tomorrow, thought he showed the plight of Asian-Americans in American High Schools very truthfully and accurately. Loved the four main archetypal, and very different from each other, characters.
Hate to admit it, but I also enjoyed Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, even though I never saw and probably never will see the first movie. The actor Sung Kang (Korean I think) made that movie actually enjoyable. Interestingly, the character he plays in that movie (Han) also happens to be his character's name in Better Luck Tomorrow. Also enjoyed Sonny Chiba's guest role as the Yakuza boss.
Actually watched Annapolis today. Well.....two out three aint bad, right? lol. Disliked this movie. No redeeming characteristics. the only Asian element in the movie is the character Woo, but even he's very underused. Considering how notorious the Navy is for racial intolerance, I found that disappointing. Also, a plebe enduring basic training has also been too overdone. This film doesn't compare at all to the likes of An Officer and a Gentleman or Full Metal Jacket. Also, considering that it takes place in the present, where American soldiers are dying almost every day in Iraq, just found it hard to sympathize with these characters, who will never see combat in the streets of Bagdad or wherever else.

Better Luck Tomorrow was decent.
Annapolis....argh!
Tokyo Drift. Like Talladega Nights, I'll never watch it regardless of who's in it. :rolleyes:

Any discussion about Asian cinema should probably start with the master himself, Akira Kurosawa.
Think about all the influential American moviemakers and Directors that, through their works, pay homage to the man. (George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorcese, Sergio Leone, Quentin Tarantino, etc..)
I've seen Seven Samurai and Ikiru countless times and I still consider those two movies to be up there in my top 10 films of all time.
Also, how many times has the premise for Yojimbo been copied over or stolen?! Three or four times at least, I'm sure.
Akira Kurosawa was/is the man!!!

BTW: His detective mysteries are just as entertaining as his Samurai flicks.

BTW: His detective mysteries are just as entertaining as his Samurai flicks.

High and Low was an excellent detective/police procedural movie.
My Kurosawa favorite has to be the Hidden Fortress. Supposedly the movie that George Lucas loosely adapted Star Wars after.
Don't think your gonna get too much of a response to Kurosawa flicks here though, Sienna.
The Fuselage is like majority millenial generation. Kids that consider the Star Wars prequels and the Pirates of the Carribean movies to be like the pinnacle of motion picture entertainment. lol.

Don't think your gonna get too much of a response to Kurosawa flicks here though, Sienna.
The Fuselage is like majority millenial generation. Kids that consider the Star Wars prequels and the Pirates of the Carribean movies to be like the pinnacle of motion picture entertainment. lol.

We definitely won't so long as you keep insulting people like that, Mel. lol.
BTW, I don't think people actually think highly of those Pirates of the Caribbean movies, as much as they think highly of Johnny Depp and...Legolas. lol.
All those smitten lady fans of Depp and Legolas would probably wait for hours in line to see a movie where those two do nothing but take a long dump in a smelly outhouse.

Anyhoo, I borrowed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon recently. I found it very colorful and vibrant, but kept thinking, while sitting through it, this is why Asians and Asian cinema is not taken too seriously by American audiences.
For all intents and purposes, CTHD is a Chinese Mary Poppins, with all that ludicrous flying about.
Whatever happened to realism and drama? Movies that clarify and enlighten us about the human condition?
Nowadays its all comic book and fantasy, both in Asia as well as here in the U.S.
Mozart's Magic Flute over and over again, with Hamlet and King Lear irrevocably lost.

We definitely won't so long as you keep insulting people like that, Mel. lol.
BTW, I don't think people actually think highly of those Pirates of the Caribbean movies, as much as they think highly of Johnny Depp and...Legolas. lol.
All those smitten lady fans of Depp and Legolas would probably wait for hours in line to see a movie where those two do nothing but take a long dump in a smelly outhouse.

This is like the pot calling the kettle black. :biggrin:
Just saw Youth of the Beast, a 1960s Japanese gangster flick. Entertaining but in a slapstick kind of way. The main character's definitely the model for the Japanese Anime character and series Golgo 13.

:lol: Sienna, I found it amusing that you would say this:

We definitely won't so long as you keep insulting people like that, Mel. lol.

and then immediately follow it with this:

All those smitten lady fans of Depp and Legolas would probably wait for hours in line to see a movie where those two do nothing but take a long dump in a smelly outhouse.

I'm just teasing you Sienna ;)

Anyhoo, I borrowed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon recently. I found it very colorful and vibrant, but kept thinking, while sitting through it, this is why Asians and Asian cinema is not taken too seriously by American audiences.
For all intents and purposes, CTHD is a Chinese Mary Poppins, with all that ludicrous flying about.
Whatever happened to realism and drama? Movies that clarify and enlighten us about the human condition?
Nowadays its all comic book and fantasy, both in Asia as well as here in the U.S.
Mozart's Magic Flute over and over again, with Hamlet and King Lear irrevocably lost.

Yeah I don't really like CTHD that much either. I think one of the reasons we don't see many Asian films get major releases based on realism and drama over here, is that there are a good chunk of people who don't want to read subtitles with that much depth. (At least judging from some of the comments from posters about Jin and Sun episodes) Perhaps watching Lost will change some people's perspectives.

I really like Wong Kar Wai, not many have the same balance of elegance and grit.

I think one of the reasons we don't see many Asian films get major releases based on realism and drama over here, is that there are a good chunk of people who don't want to read subtitles with that much depth. (At least judging from some of the comments from posters about Jin and Sun episodes) Perhaps watching Lost will change some people's perspectives.

Yeah, Lost does seem to have a large Texas viewership. lol.
It also might be a matter of not being able to read moreso than not wanting to read subtitles. ;)
Rewatched OldBoy on DVD this past weekend. Actually liked it more the second time around. One of the most bloody and violent flicks I've seen in a long time. Q. Tarrantino movies seem milder in comparison. :undecide:

Oldboy was excruciatingly painful to sit through. Like extracting teeth, no pun intended.
You wanna see a really great Korean movie, go rent either Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring or Memories of Murder (based on the true case of South Korea's first and never solved serial killer).
Shiri, of course, just because a younger and more gorgeous Yunjin stars in it.

Shiri, of course, just because a younger and more gorgeous Yunjin stars in it.

Younger, but not more gorgeous;).

She looked great in Yesterday too, although the movie itself was not that good.

Chunhyang! It's directed by Im Kwon Taek, quite a renowned film director from S. Korea. It really stands out from other Asian (Korean) period films because pansori (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pansori) is blended into the story-telling process. It's beautifully done. It's easily my favorite Korean movie.

Chunhyang!
I actually bought that DVD and I tried to watch the movie twice and fell asleep both times. Better than Valium, that one. I'll eventually get to watching it though, perhaps after a couple cups of black Starbucks coffee...
Borrowed Joint Security Area, a movie structured similar to Kurosawa's Rashomon, about four North and South Korean infantry soldiers at a border crossing putting aside political/ideological differences and befriending each other, but ending in tragedy.

Better Luck Tomorrow was decent.
Annapolis....argh!
Tokyo Drift. Like Talladega Nights, I'll never watch it regardless of who's in it. :rolleyes:


yup BLT was promising, but Justin Lin has sort of hit a brickwall in Hollywood in terms of trying to get his own visions across in mainstream cinema.


Oldboy was excruciatingly painful to sit through. Like extracting teeth, no pun intended.
You wanna see a really great Korean movie, go rent either Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring or Memories of Murder (based on the true case of South Korea's first and never solved serial killer).
Shiri, of course, just because a younger and more gorgeous Yunjin stars in it.


Now that you mention SSFW, I really like that movie but when I was watching it, something happened and I had to stop the flick and for some reason. I've never gone back to see the rest of the film, even though I think it was great, strange ,huh. I always felt sorry for that frog. :frown:

Right now, I'm curious about Jung Ji-hoon/Rain being in the new Wachowski brothers' film Speed Racer.

Right now, I'm curious about Jung Ji-hoon/Rain being in the new Wachowski brothers' film Speed Racer.

Hey, that's cool, he'll be starring with Matthew Fox.
BTW: Isn't the speedracer supposed to be a Japanese guy? It's a japanese cartoon, right? Whatever.:rolleyes:

What's the deal with all the "bug-eyed" characters in Japanese manga anyway? Is it an ongoing slight against caucasians/Americans? They look cute as cartoons but imagine running into a person on the street whose eyes covered half his/her head. lol. A sight that would freak adults out and give young children bed-wetting nightmares. :biggrin:

I dunno if anyone has seen it but The Host is an awesome Korean movie especially if you like monster movies. The effects in the film are awesome.

Then of course theres the Infernal Affairs trilogy.

I actually bought that DVD and I tried to watch the movie twice and fell asleep both times. Better than Valium, that one. I'll eventually get to watching it though, perhaps after a couple cups of black Starbucks coffee...


Are we talking about the same movie here?
How could you fall asleep to such stunning visuals and audio?

I dunno if anyone has seen it but The Host is an awesome Korean movie especially if you like monster movies. The effects in the film are awesome.

Then of course theres the Infernal Affairs trilogy.

Never heard of The Host, but I'll be on the lookout for it. Thanks for the recommendation!

Then of course theres the Infernal Affairs trilogy.

Thanks for the recommendations.
BTW, isn't Infernal Affairs an American comedy, that spoofs all the detective/cop movies ever made?

The recent The Departed with Matt Damon,Leonardo Dicaprio, Jack Nicholson etc is a remake of Infernal Affairs.

I'd definitely recommend The Host as well as the directors other movie "Memories of Murder". This film is about South Koreas first serial killer (the movie is partly based on true events) and the attempts to catch him. With no previous experience to draw upon and therefore no protocol in place to deal with such a threat its an interesting film to watch. There is one scene set in the rain in a field which is REALLY creepy.

I thoroughly enjoyed Memories of Murder. Now, I definitely gotta check out Infernal Affairs. It's been sitting in my netflix queue for months now, I've been continuously moving it down and down on the list. lol.

Talking about Asian-American stars that have all but dropped from sight, whatever happened to Russell Wong? The last thing I saw him in was Romeo Must Die.

Talking about Asian-American stars that have all but dropped from sight, whatever happened to Russell Wong? The last thing I saw him in was Romeo Must Die.

He succumbed to the ever present curse for Asian-American male actors trying to make it in Hollywood...limited guest star spots and next to nil regular character roles.
Also, Asian males constantly portraying gangsters has been established as politically incorrect, hence, now Hollywood has a reason for not using Asian-American actors. Makes me wonder how TPTB of Lost got away with making Jin a steretypical "Asian-male" chauvinist, who also happens to be an unwilling gangster and was originally a fisherman (anyone remember Mr. Miyagi?). TPTB won themselves the stereotype trifecta in regards to Jin. lol

Watched the Twilight Samurai over the weekend. The first three quarters of the film is pretty slow, lots of character interactions and character development, but the final battle is well choreographed.

Garret Wang, John Lone and Phillip Rhee...three more Asian-American actors that have faded into the myst.
Masi Oka and DDK better milk their current "Stardom" for all its worth.

Saw Iwo Jima the other night. Ken Watanabe's got to be the most recognizable Japanese actor in Hollywood today. lol.
Incredible special effects, but I didn't find the main characters all that interesting or their backstories very interesting. Also, the whole movie seemed to be in grayscale rather than color.

Saw Iwo Jima the other night. Ken Watanabe's got to be the most recognizable Japanese actor in Hollywood today. lol.
Incredible special effects, but I didn't find the main characters all that interesting or their backstories very interesting. Also, the whole movie seemed to be in grayscale rather than color.
Watanabe's like the Toshiro Mifune of the 21st Century. lol. Still, I'd like to see him in a role where he's not a Samurai, Yakuza or a General in the Japanese Empire.

Watanabe's like the Toshiro Mifune of the 21st Century. lol. Still, I'd like to see him in a role where he's not a Samurai, Yakuza or a General in the Japanese Empire.

Yeah, and I'd like to see DDK back in a role where he speaks fluent English and isn't always cleaning bluefish or toturing helpless sea urchins. :rolleyes:

I dunno if anyone has seen it but The Host is an awesome Korean movie especially if you like monster movies. The effects in the film are awesome.

Just watched this movie last night. The special effects were excellent. The movie was also filled with a lot of humor as well. Definitely a monster movie, but with the emphasis on the family and their interactions. This was the same director that made Memories of Murder. In fact, the main character in the Host was the main character in Memories of Murder, Byeon Hee-Bong.
I'm guessing Hollywood has already stolen Bong Joon-Ho's idea and is in the process of making a sorry-arse remake, starring the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar or Jennifer Love Hewitt.:rolleyes:

Saw Save the Green Planet last night.
What a frenetic ~2 hours that was.
All in all, the movie was a bit too schizophrenic for me.
Enjoyed all but the last five minutes of it. In other words, I didn't like the surprise ending.
The remaining hour and fifty-five minutes or so reminded me of Old Boy and Bad Guy.

Saw The Cave last night.
It was good to to hear DDK speaking English, even if it was for only ~15 lines or so.
In that movie, DDK was the most recognizable face/established actor, yet he was the most minor of all the characters. Funny if you think about it.
DDK did get a cool action-filleddeath scene though.
Hope DDK's role in the upcoming Andromeda Strain remake is more meatier.