coffeeninja's comments

The Silent Sea (2021)
coffeeninja 7 points 2 years ago.

Wow, not even dropped yet and three persons already voted 2 stars. Truly, Prophets are among us! Praise be!

The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)
alicefell 1 points 2 years ago.

So this movie is a “state movie, towing the party line?”

I was just reading on the site “What’s on Weibo” — I have never visited this site and found it through surfing news — and found an article by Manya Koetse, entitled “The Unforgotten Victory:” “Why ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’ “Is One of China’s Biggest Films Yet, NOV 4, 2021)” (Whew! The site asks that you properly acknowledge site/author when quoting :-))

The film: “…became the highest-grossing film anywhere in the world during the first weekend of October, beating the much-anticipated James Bond movie No Time to Die.” And “it became an unprecedented box office hit after it premiered on September 30, just one day before the celebration of the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.”

You might be interested in this article.

coffeeninja 1 points 2 years ago*.

I read the article. Several articles, in fact and I saw the movie a few days after release. Since I speak passable Mandarin, being unsubbed was not much of a problem. The fact is really, whenever such a movie is due to release, the government minimizes the release movies that might be threatening their box office sales. There are mostly no competing (or foreign) blockbusters during the run of zhuxuanlu. That was also the reason for the roaring success of ‘1921’ earlier this year, the movie glorifying the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. There simply was nothing else to watch in the theaters. But what am I arguing here, you want to like this stuff because you lot hate Hollywood and liberals…

The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021)
coffeeninja 0 points 2 years ago*.

Films like this are called ‘zhuxuanlu’ in China, ‘main melody’, meaning something that whistles the Communist Party’s song. Three world renowned directors, Chen Kaige, Dante Lam and the legendary Tsui Hark, the highest budget ever for a Chinese Mainland movie and massive simultanious distribution nation-wide have created a blockbuster that succeeds cinematically and fails nevertheless. Unlike Guan Hu’s THE EIGHT HUNDRED that had to be hammered into patriotic shape by massive recutting after being finished, this was ready-made to fit the party line perfectly. Brave PVA soldiers vs the evil hordes of capitalism. Nope.

Day of the Dead (2021)
coffeeninja 5 points 2 years ago.

Not bad, not bad at all. And Mike Dopud, always a pleasure.

The Firemen's Ball (1968)
coffeeninja 3 points 2 years ago*.

Early feature film by Milos Forman (‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’). It was promptly banned from being shown in then communist-ruled Czechoslovakia, which in turn served to make up his decision to emigrate to the states like so many of his fellow czech film artists. Film stayed banned for 30 yrs.

Tong Pak Foo dim Chau Heung (1993)
coffeeninja 1 points 2 years ago.

English title: ‘The Flirting Scholar’

The Dragon Flies (1975)
coffeeninja 1 points 2 years ago.

Aka ‘The Man From Hong Kong’

Shang Hai zhi yen (1984)
coffeeninja 1 points 2 years ago.

One of the best movies of Tsui Hark. Forgotten jewel of Hong Kong film-making.

Home Before Dark (2020)
Snowdrop -2 points 2 years ago*. (Contains Spoilers)

I fell for all the hype (again) and watched Season 1. It was disappointing to say the least. Just like someone said here in the comments - a weak show about a family and a 10yr old girl. It’s not really interesting or long enough (episode wise) to keep an adult entertained. Seems to be more for a younger, easily pleased audience. Won’t be bothering with Season 2. Don’t fall for the hype especially considering a 10yr old girl was the reason for it. The actors are basically unknown and Jim Sturgess is very forgettable as the dad - like he is in all his roles. He’s past it already! Unfortunately he’s the UK’s disappointment as a 10yr old girl can act circles around him!

coffeeninja 1 points 2 years ago.

Literally NOBODY in the comments here said that, lol. Are you on the correct comment section? 🤣

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997)
coffeeninja 0 points 2 years ago.

Perhaps the greatest TV show ever made. When Joss Whedon was TV-Land’s golden boy…

The Sadness (2022)
coffeeninja 1 points 3 years ago.

Does this movie have a distributor already, US or Europe…?

Kabuki Kool (2014)
Wellington Paranormal (2018)
Arcangel2020 3 points 3 years ago.

Wait.What?! There is a spin-off of the hilarious show “What We Do In The Shadows”? I just recently binged watched the FX Network series and I am totally hooked. I really enjoyed all the episodes and am looking forward to the new season.
Now that I’ve learned of THIS show? I will definitely check it out and add to my “Watch List”

coffeeninja 5 points 3 years ago.

It’s not a spin-off to the US show, it’s a spin-off to the original New Zealand movie which inspired the American re-boot as a tv show.

Superman & Lois (2021)
coffeeninja 5 points 3 years ago.

I like it. Plain & simple.

The Swordsman (2020)
coffeeninja 1 points 3 years ago.

Gritty, grim and dark Japan-style Korean swordplay epic for the post-Game of Thrones era. Dirty politics and ice-cold revenge and a smiling Joe Taslim as evil (capital E!) Manchu supervillain. Riveting.

Shock Wave 2 (2021)
coffeeninja 0 points 3 years ago.

The latest action smash hit from Hong Kong’s Herman Yau with Superstar Andy Lau! Unfortunately only Mandarin dubbed version. The language of the oppressors…

Protocols of Zion (2005)
coffeeninja 2 points 3 years ago.

Gryffinodoyle’s discussion point clearly demonstrates why we need documentaries like this one.

WandaVision (2021)
humanityforward2814 3 points 3 years ago.

Nobody cares about the evolution of sitcoms. Im watching a marvel show for gods sake.

coffeeninja 3 points 3 years ago.

No, YOU don’t care about the evolution of sitcoms. Just like any book references the alphabet as well as previous styles. Genre is the syntax of any but especially visual story-telling.

Duel to the Death (1983)
coffeeninja 0 points 3 years ago.

Though I love Tsui Siu-keungs laconic depiction of a yawning, scratching samurai very much, it’s a dubbed version…not for me, then. The movie in itself is great, the first direction of legendary Golden Age fight choreographer Ching Siu-tung.

Beast Cops (1998)
coffeeninja 0 points 3 years ago.

Great film. I’ve been looking for this film for some years. Well, it’s an english dub here, so I’ll keep on looking…

Swordsman II (1992)
coffeeninja 0 points 3 years ago.

The evil, androgynous antagonist here, played by Brigitte Lin, is of course not called.’Fong’. Here we meet the perhaps most colorful baddie in all of chinese martial arts literature, Dongfang Bubai or ‘Invincible Asia’…

Sons of the Neon Night (2021)
[User deleted] 1 points 3 years ago*.

Have you requested this in the proper forum?

EDIT: Sons of the Neon Night is an unreleased Hong Kong crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Juno Mak and starring an ensemble cast led by Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Sean Lau, Louis Koo and Gao Yuanyuan. Production for the film began on in June 2017 and wrapped up in March 2018. Wikipedia

coffeeninja 1 points 3 years ago.

I can’t request this film, because it hasn’t been released yet, and there’s a high probability it will never see the light of day. As I pointed out in my comment the film is being reviewed by the censorship board of Hong Kong, i.e. the People’s Republic of China, and given that it touches on a few topics the PRC doesn’t like to see adressed in a movie it is more than unlikely it will be given a go without major recutting. Even recutting is no guarantee a movie will be allowed to run internationally as we saw last year with Xu Haofeng’s THE HIDDEN SWORD which was retracted from the Cannes Film Festival two days before it was scheduled to premiere (three years after it was finished, btw) and has vanished completely in some secret vault since then….

Sons of the Neon Night (2021)
coffeeninja 1 points 3 years ago.

Over two years in censorship hell now. Will we ever get to see this? A director bulldozed by history.

Warriors Two (1978)
coffeeninja 1 points 3 years ago.

Great Film with Sammo Hung. Unfortunatwly, english dub…

Space Sweepers (2021)
coffeeninja 2 points 3 years ago.

Same here, dubbed asian movies equals no no!

The Eagle Shooting Heroes (1993)
coffeeninja 1 points 3 years ago*.

Hands down one of the most hilarious Hong Kong movies of all times. Made using the sets and locations of Wong Kar-wai’s ASHES OF TIME when the shooting was interrupted for a few days. That’s why the cast is nearly identical. A great spoof on all the wuxia movies based on those heroic books by Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha). The absolutely brilliant all-star cast alone is worth the whole film. Very laugh-out-loud!

Mad Mission V: The Terracotta Hit (1989)
coffeeninja 1 points 3 years ago.

Undying legend Leslie Cheung and Sam Hui of Hui Brothers fame in a deliciously silly and action-heavy crime caper. Part 5 in the legendary ‘Aces Go Places’ franchise. Helmed by Master Lau Kar-leung. Legends all around.

Lockout (2012)
coffeeninja 6 points 3 years ago.

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK in space. John Carpenter thought so too and sued the producers (and won). Pearce is no Kurt Russell, aint that the truth, but it has its moments and it’s not half bad.

Winnetou: The Red Gentleman (1964)
coffeeninja 1 points 3 years ago.

Not a Spaghetti Western, but a German film shot in then communist Yugoslavia. With a B-list ex-pat US lead, a French co-star and lots of German and Yugoslav extras. Scripted after a novel of 19th century German author Karl May who never left Germany in his life. Generations of German kids grew up with his books back then and dreamt about frontier life and thought all americans talked using words like ‘Zounds!’ and ‘By Jove!’ Bizarre and moderately terrible.