Ok, in the spirit of World Cinema Week a three course dinner of film lovliness from our borscht bashing brothers from Russia
Russian cinema post communism retains some of the Stalinist epic qualities, whilst now maintaining a heavy degree of nationalism and pride in their rich history. Sometimes it can seem a bit over dramatic and emotive, but I like it and appreciate the style of storytelling which unlike Hollywood takes pride in detailing background and explaining situations, and retains a fair degree of characterisation.
Anyways, soup spoons out and latke and sour cream at the ready....here we go.
1612: Chronicles of the Dark Times
The film is set in Russia during the Time of Troubles, a period of civil disorder, famine and foreign invasion that followed the fall of the Rurik dynasty, which had ruled Russia in various capacities from 862 to 1598. The protagonist, Andrey, had been a servant at Tsar Boris Godunov's court while he was a boy, where he became the sole witness to the murder of the tsar's family by the order of plotting boyars. Now, ten years later, he travels across Russia with a Spanish nobleman, Alvaro Borja.
A great historical epic with a healthy dose of fantasy style thrown in....big battles, evil plots, and heroic exploits abound. Brave and noble Russian patriots face down the orrible Polish overlords....I really liked it, and its great eye candy. A sort of Russian King Naresuan nationalistic history epic for lads and dads.
Next a 300 Thermopylae stylee standoff that happened during the Afghan occupation when a batallion of Spetznas troops were left behind in the chaotic retreat.....
9Th Company (9 Rota)
Based on real-life events, 9th COMPANY recounts a year in the shared lives of a group of young soldiers drafted to serve in Afghanistan during the final year of the Soviet conflict. It is a poignant story of the unit’s dedication to each other during their valiant defense of Height 3234…a futile battle that ravaged their forgotten company, who fought on, unaware that the war had ended.
Pulls no punches, and shows both the brutality of war and the brutality of the Russian boot camp training regime, where deaths during training are all an accepted part of the process. Bloody and visceral in a lot of places, beautiful in others, it stands as one of the biggest box office war films in Russia and a sort of Russian version of Private Ryan. Great watching, even if it is madly nationalistic.
And finally, for desert, we are back to historical stuff with the retelling of the classic Russian epic
Taras Bulba
Taras Bulba is a historical drama film, based on a novel of the same title by Nikolai Gogol. The movie has been filmed on different locations in Ukraine such as Zaporizhia, Khotyn and Kamianets-Podilskyi as well as in Poland.
Like 1612 its the Ruskies against their evil occupiers the Poles, and Taras Bulba, a fat loudmouthed but hard as nails patronal head of a clan of cossak bandits sets out to do the right thing and fight like mad for his land. Again lots of epic battles and blood n guts, spliced in with some great nationalistic dog whistling lines.... utter classic epic stuff, beautifully filmed and with a corking cast.
A f**ck*** classic if you are are into emotional mode
RICHARD OF LOXLEY
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
told you so bro....a great film that treats the conflict between Evangelical hardline madness and hardline atheism intelligently.....rare eh?
Anyways, on with World Cinema Week, and on tonights menu are three tasty epic fantasy dishes from Thailand.
First up we have the time travelling fun of SIYAMA: VILLAGE OF WARRIORS
A bunch of modern day history students, played by the usual suspect cast of Thai pop and film stars, falls into a time warp and gets transported back to the days of the Ayyuthaya kingdom when the bad old Burmese came a knocking on the door with their big invasion army, and were admirably faced down by each village of Thais they came across until they packed it in and went home. Its sort of a BANG RAJAN lite fantasy tale, and I wont be impolite and point out its a rip off of an earlier western film called TIMELINES given a thai spinwash.
Its good epic fantasy stuff, and has some lush and lovely eye candy to keep the brain occupied. The acting is no great shakes but its entertaininga nd well worth a watch with the missus
Next something a bit more meaty for our main course....YAMADA: SAMURAI OF AYOTHAYA
Based on a true character, the movie tells the story of Yamada Nagamasa, a Japanese warrior who settled in Ayutthaya in the 16th Century and became a soldier in King Naresuan’s army. After the battle with Burma, Ayutthaya remains in a state of unrest after a group of mysterious men stage a campaign of terror and robbery. Yamada investigates and finds that the men are actually rogue Japanese samurai. He then has a score to settle with his own countrymen.
Now this is proper good stuff, combining a Japanese samurai and his bad samurai nemesises with an ONG BAK style muay thai warrior sidekick...so the fights, and there are lots of them, are full on Tony Jaa stylee wham bam bosheroonie spectaculars. Lovely eye candy, kinetic action, and a ripping tale all in one package. Deffo a three cheers keeper all the way
sorry but there isnt a good quality version at StageVu so I reccommend you use the download links for the lovely DVDRIP with full english subtitles found here:
The links are interchangable so you could drop all four parts at the same time. Get at it....
And finally, for desert we have another fully fluffy fantasy epic - EDGE OF THE EMPIRE
This one goes aaaaaall the waaaay baaaaack to the time when Thailand was just being colonised by the Tai tribes from northern Mongolia who were fleeing the orrible opression of the dominant Han Chinese. They said "sod this" and moved lock stock n barrel to the north of THailand round Chang Mai, and the Han persued them - let battle commence.
Again hi quality thai fantasy history at its best, with some great bish bosh cast o thousands battles (well hundreds anyway) and bubblegum eye candy. Should have the missus excited - Mrs S went off the scale with shouts of "Som Nam Na" as each Han met a nasty end..... top stuff.
again no StageVu version but downoad links can be found here for the DVDRIP with full english subtitles:
NB: The password to unlock the files is at the bottom of the page below the download links
All of these films, and stacks more from Thailand and all of SE Asia can be found at my favorite source of asian spectaculars http://myasiancinema.com - its free to register and the downloads are all hi quality and 90% come with proper subtitle files.
So, I hope tonights menu pleases the palate and keeps both you and your Thai partners amused and entertained.
Wafer thin mint? Go on....its wafer thin......
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
All of them are DVDRIP quality with full english subtitles
VeeHD also has a stack of Thai horror films.....and a couple of thousand western films old and new, TV series, documentaries etc etc. One of the best sites out there, and the download speeds are rapid.
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
hope you like it mate....Issan cowboy Robin Hood gets all Ong Bak with Bang Fai rockets and magic.
good film I think
Anyway my leetle par de doux on tonites World Cinema Week menu we are eating Francais, oh ee ho, so napkins tucked into your collars and out with the Bordeaux.....
First up the high action bang boom kinetic madness of the two BANLIEU 13 / DISTRICT 13 films. These two sci-fi crime action flicks tell the tale of District 13, a multi ethnic hellhole area of futuristic Paris where the mafia like gangs run the show, and two coppers struggles against the bad guys, heavily relying on the building hopping jumping running parkour free running skills. The films have inspired a number of Hollywood action flicks including the madass SHOOT EM UP and CRANK films....and they are both top mark excellent action flicks with a distinctly Gallic spin. No wire fu here...just high flying bullet ballet in symphony form. The Beethovens Fifth of action flicks.
District 13 sets the tone, then District 13: Ultimatum takes it up a notch or three and adds heavy artilliary to the mix. Its the Transporter films on crack...Utter classics....make all others seem like the pale and dull imitations they are.
great version english dubbed DVDRIPS are found at StageVu at
Next we have the gentle comedic steampunk Victorian fantasy fun of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec. This is a bit like The Mummy films combined with Indiana Jones films and the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, replacing the league with a sassy, foxy and very very French heroine. Its great fun to watch, and the plot is completely hatstand as you would expect with a French flick. Good fun for both lads and dads...
Original French with english subtitles DVDRIP can be found here at VeeHD...you need to register to get the download link
And finally, for desert we have Vincent Cassel in the two part biopic of famous French criminal Jaques Mesrine in MESRINE Pt 1 and 2. This may be a long Godfather stle telling, but its classic Vince as he sets out the rise and fall of Jaques, bullet ridden and bloody as it is. Jaques rose to be "Public Enemy No1" in France, and watching these films its easy to see why. Great compelling stuff and well worth watching from start to end. Vince shines, and is ably supported by a great cast of French notables....get at it
French version with english subs can be downloaded from VeeHD here:
Great recommendation on the 'District 13' SM. It really is a great movie. I came across it accidentally -'District 9' the alien film was getting great reviews at the time and I thought I'd pop out and get it. Well I got the wrong number and realised I'd purchased some fecking French thing... I decided to put it on anyway as I'd already paid for the damn thing but held no great hopes for it. Needless to say the movie KICKED ASS.
Didn't know there was a second one out.... Cheers SM.
In honor of World Cinema Week, I offer you Triplets of Bellville. It's one of my all time favorites, definitely personal top 20. Nominated for the Best Animated film Oscar and the BAFTA Best Foreign Language film in 2004.
I saw it based on the first sentence of the review by Roger Ebert, an American film critic: ""The Triplets of Belleville" will have you walking out of the theater with a goofy damn grin on your face, wondering what just happened to you."
Two paragraphs later in his review: "There is not even a way I can tell you what the film is "like," because I can't think of another film "like" it. Maybe the British cartoonists Ronald Searle and Gerald Scarfe suggest the visual style. Sylvain Chomet, the writer and director, has created an animated feature of appalling originality and scary charm. It's one of those movies where you keep banging your fist against your head to stop yourself from using the word meets, as in Monsieur Hulot meets Tim Burton, or the Marquis de Sade meets Lance Armstrong."
It's animated. Essentially a silent film, with maybe a dozen lines of dialog. I suggest watching just enough of the trailer to establish that this isn't your ordinary animated film. The trailer doesn't give away the plot, but it does alert one to things better experienced as surprises in the film. Maybe that doesn't matter because in Ebert's words "After a certain point it isn't the surprises that surprise us -- it's the surprises about the surprises."
And tonight, on the World Cinema Week menu, we are donning our wooly fishermans jumpers and dishing out the rollmop herrings and meatballs as we head up to the north of Europe, with three WW2 films.
First up we have the Finnish offering of TALVISOTA (aka The Winter War)
Russia attacked Finland in late November 1939. This film tells the story of a Finnish platoon of reservists from the municipality of Kauhava in the province of Pohjanmaa/Osttrobottnia who leave their homes and go to war. The film focuses on the farmer brothers Martti and Paavo Hakala.
I like this film because it is not just a ripping war film, it covers a preiod of history that Europe tends to sweep into the dusty corner, the Winter War when Russia attempted an invasion of Finland, and despite having overwhelming forces were beaten back by the plucky Finns. Its a bit like a Finnish version of All Quiet On The Western Front, and told in classic Finnish epic yarn style. You will also get the shivers....cold, frost and blood are served in bucketloads.
Definitely well worth a watch, and found here at StageVu in DVDRIP format with full english subtitles.
Next we head down south to Norway for the biopic Resistance yarn of MAX MANUS
The film covers the life and wartime experiences of Max as he transforms from a humble have a good time student to a full on resistance commando as his country is first invaded and then subjected to brutal opresion by the Germans. Max struggles with his inner demons and alcoholism as his soul is stripped of humanity and morality bit by bit, for while Max is a consummate resistance fighter his idealistic amateurish fellows and friends are not, and one by one they drop. Moving, spectacular, and thrilling by turn, this is a three cheers keeper all the way.
DVDRIP copy at StageVu with full english subs here:
And finally we head a little over to the east and down a bit to Denmark for a similar wartime resistance biopic of that countrys two wartime Nazi fighting heroes FLAMMEN & CITRONEN
The film covers the wartime Danish resistance struggle against the invading occupier Nazi forces and their brutal regime, centering on the red headed "Flammen" and his partner "Citronen". One is an idealistic hothead, the other a family man who sacrifices hearth and home for the cause. The acting, particularly by the two leads, is truly top notch. The attention to detail is wonderful, and the cinematography some of the best Ive seen in a neo-war film. Excellent top mark stuff, and with MAX MANUS is a standout amongst neo-WW2 films. Definitely a three cheers keeper.
DVDRIP version with full english subs found at StageVu here
All three of these wonders have pride of place on my hard drives, and if you dont see them you really are missing out on just how good epic neo-war films are getting nowadays. Any of them could stand side by side with Private Ryan, L' Armee Du Crime and Black Book with head held high.
so its Skoll! to my HHAD chums and see you tomorrow
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
The waiter apologises for his absence....an attack of mutant killer termites from hell destroyed my keyboard....so tonight, to finish off World Cinema Week we will have an all you can eat mega-buffet of international lovliness. Bibs on, spoons out and heads down....here we go
Lets start off with some Dim Sum from China, and appropriately a little number called THE BANQUET
This epic dish takes Shakespear's Hamlet and gives it an epic Chinese wu jia fantasy film spinwash, and the result if truly a sight to behold. Visually lush its end to end wicked plots and beautifully filmed wire fu fighting interspliced with scenes that are pure art and the soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful, as you can hear on the trailer .... and all acted b some of Chinas cream of the crop. Shuns CGI for casts of hundreds and proper fully detailed palace sets it is an utter masterpiece, and even if Shakespear isnt your bag you will love this.....even Mrs S loved it. If you are lucky you may be able to get a cheap copy of it on DVD in the bargain bin section of Tesco in town, like I did, so then you and the missus can watch it together. If not then here is a copy in two parts at Stagevu....right click on the download box on each page and save as.....
Next up, and still in China, we have the wu-jia madness of EMPIRE OF ASSASSINS
This has the pretty standard plotline of wu-jia films.....a baby survives a palace led massacre of his family and grows up learning martial arts. When he is old enough he sets out to avenge his family, not knowing that the head of the palace guard is actually his brother, who was kidnapped by the attackers. Lots of wire fu fighting, albeit done on a smallish budget, and while its not in the top end of the league it still plays a good match and scores decently.
English dubbed version for download at VeeHD - you need to register to get the download link but its free and spam safe and fast doqwnload speeds are the cherry on the cake:
Finally from China we have another epic fantasy history film from the true master himself Donnie Yen... 14 BLADES
Donnie Yen is just one of those Chinese brand names you can always trust....if a martial arts film has him in it you know it is gonna be one of a long list of top notch classics he has starred in, and 14 Blades is another classic. The film tells the tale of the head of the palace guard, a policeman and assassin who works out that he is serving a corrupt and opressive regime when he falls for the daughter of a man he is sent to kill, and so rebels against all he has been brought up to live by and for.
Top notch full on wire fu fury with some spectacular scenes and nifty wu-jia weaponry, including Donnie's swiss army knife like box of choppy accessories of the title. Lovely high rez DVDRIP with english subs can be found at StageVu here:
Now for our main course we have three tasty dishes care of our Korean chefs. All are historical fantasy epics in the Chinese wu-jia mould, some telling (or retelling) firm classic tales from the wu-jia and samurai stables of China and Japan, but all three are must sees for fans of SE Asian cinema:
Lets start this course with the Sherlock Holmes like historical whodunnit BLOOD RAIN
When a series of mysterious deaths and accidents plague an island whose main source of revenue is paper production for the palace, the Joseon emperor of Korea sends in his top investigator who prefers forensics and intelligence to the usual torture. He seems to reveal a revenge plot by a ghost....but is that possible? Are the dead rising to take their bloody revenge on the island, or is it some hidden hand?
Visually stunning, beautifully filmed, and with a twisty turny proper whodunnit plot that will keep your bain engaged all the way to the end reel, this is one of the top examples of Korean historical drama of recent years, and a solid three cheers recc. Fully subbed version available at VeeHD here:
Next we have a joint Chinese/Korean historical drama and martial arts epic MUSA THE WARRIOR
When a political delegation from Korea to the Chinese emperors court gets kippered up and deported to the Gobi desert hinterlands, a raiding party of Mongols sets them loose after killing their guards. As the factions within the delegation battle to control their flight, Musa, a freedman ex-slave takes control and leads them on an epic trek to the coast. Along teh way he stops a Mongol attack on a caravan containing a princess, and so now the Mongol raiders are tracking the Koreans, dogging their steps at every turn.
Epic storytelling interspersing drama with frenetic skirmish and mass battle scenes, all set against lovely eye candy backgrounds and acted by Korea and Chinas best actors. Truly a top notch film, and I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. DVDRIP with full english subs at VeeHD here:
And finally from Korea we have the historical fantasy flick BLADES OF BLOOD
As a kingdom faces an invading army the Joseon court splits into two rival factions, both vying for the king's trust. Frustrated with the lack of action one courtier splits away, forming a rebel army that hacks and slashes its way to power, leaving a trail of betrayed friends and traumatized victims in its wake. But an old blind swordsman, and the young warrior he is training, refuse to stand down and the battle for control of the nation becomes a grudge match between the country's two greatest warriors.
Epic eye candy with some cast of hundreds scraps, some slapstick and comedy, and a ripping plotline that is a sort of homage to the classic Japanese Zatoichi blind swordsman films, this is top notch entertainment all the way and definitely a solid classic recc. Fully subbed two part download available at StageVu here:
Finally, while we rub our bloated tums and contemplate the cheese platter the waiter will dish out the coffee and cigars, and a bevvy of "western" non Hollywood war films old and new(ish), all of which are outstanding examples of the genre.
First up we have a brace of boilers from Israel. Yes... that had me stumped as well at first, but after watching these I can comfortably say there is something good coming out of Israel...their war cinema. First up the frantic and bloody chestbeater BEAUFORT.
BEAUFORT tells the story of LIRAZ LIBERTI the 22 year-old outpost commander and his troops in the months before Israel pulled out of Lebanon. This is not a story of war but of retreat. This is a story with no enemy only an amorphous entity that drops bombs from the skies while terrified young soldiers must find a way to carry out their mission until their very last minutes on that mountaintop. As LIRAZ lays the explosives which would destroy that very same structure that his friends had died defending he witnesses the collapse of all hes been taught as an officer and his soldiers mental and physical disintegration.
Its a great film for a lot of reasons, and this is bourne out b the fact its won a stack of awards and plaudits for its intelligence and outstanding acting and cinematography. It adds an all too recognisable human face to a messy conflict story, and refelcts the current zietgiest in Israel where a nation is beginning to recognise the price it is paying for the wars it fights. OST DVDRIP version available at VeeHD here
Open the film with your player then drag and drop the SRT file onto the player to get subtitles.
Next, and again set in the Lebanon War, we have the oily cordite and sweat ridden claustrophobia of LEBANON
Now this IS a classic.... telling the story of a tank crew as they do a zippo raid patrol through supposedly neutral territory it plunges the viewer into the claustrophobic terror of being the crew by filming it almost entirely within the confines of the tank, a bit like DAS BOOT did with a German sub in WW2. The outside world becomes an abstract seen only through the gun sights and occasional open turret port, the interior filled with sweat and terror as the patrol turns increasingly into a clusterf*ck of epic proportions.
Acted, filmed and scripted par excellence this is a top of the mark war film that deals with the fear and anger of the crew as well as the broader matters of whether they do the right thing and whether the war is even justified and their orders moral or not. Utter three cheers and a big hoorah all round classic, and definitely a film you should see.
Fully subbed DVDRIP version available at StageVu here:
And finally a clasic bit of war cinema care of Ridley "Mr Epic" Scott.....his first proper fully funded foray into film actually, and with this as his first effort its easy to see why he is the legend of directing he became.... THE DUELLISTS
This epic tale of two officers in Napoleon's Grand Armee is based on a classic Jospeh Conrad story, and concerns the battle between two officers, one of whom is a notoriously hot headed fanatic follower of the code of honour and duellist, the other the man who insults him while carrying out orders and has to deal with his lunacy.
Its beautiful eye candy and a ripping tale set against the rise and fall of Napoleons French empire, with stunning scenery and top notch performances by both leads, and particularly Harvey Kietell. Its recognised as an early Scott classic and you really are missing out if you have never seen it.
Well....I hope you enjoyed our menu and previous nights offerings, and I hope that you have been tickled by world cinema and now see why i prefer it to Hollywoods bland fast food diet of mediocrity. You tuck into the wafer thin mints, Ill do the dishes, and we will then get back to our normal service....
Bon appetit chums!
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
