It's been almost one year since I wrote about movies on DVD that I have seen. The movies I watched the past eight months were mostly foreign language and indies. I am not boycotting Hollywood-produced movies but there are only a handful that are worth watching and The Hurt Locker is the only one that I love and think is Oscar worthy. You can bet I am not rooting tonight for the recent blockbuster that has been retitled SMURFAHONTAS by smart alecky types. Not that I will be watching the Oscars anyway; I do not enjoy any award shows because they look like episodes of the Lifestyles of the Vain and Vapid.^__^
The foreign-language movies that I have watched over and over on DVD and streaming from Netflix are Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese. Korean and Thai movies are my latest addiction.
A partial list of Oggi's Movie Awards winners :
Ink USA, independent filmmakers. This is a wonderful good versus evil Sci-fi/fantasy movie about a man and his estranged little daughter who was abducted in her sleep by an incubus-in-training, Ink. In the real world the girl is on a hospital bed in a coma but in another dimension she is traveling with Ink. The incubi who give nightmares are the evil and the good are the storytellers who give nice pleasant dreams to people while they are asleep at night. The storytellers try to save the girl from dying helped by a blind pathfinder who can change a series of events. Of course, the good wins in the end that will lead to Ink's ultimate redemption. This impressive indie movie was made with a tiny budget of $250,000.00. It was downloaded for free 400,000 times and I just wish those people give at least a dollar to the producers so they can make another excellent movie outside the influence of Hollywood. Here is a video of my favorite scene in the movie:
Death Trance Japan. Sci-fi/fantasy set in a post apocalyptic world with warriors, ninjas, zombie ninjas and vampires, a cute but creepy little girl, ginormous weapons, plenty of weird characters, and lots of fight scenes. The warrior, played by my fave Tak Sakaguchi, stole a coffin from a monastery in order to release the goddess of destruction trapped inside it. His main reason is to fight the mother of all fights. Other people want the coffin for different reasons. Some think it has treasures and one lone guy hopes it will grant his wishes. This guy is played by the half Japanese son of Steven Seagal. I love his character, he carries a large bazooka and a raggedy doll attached to his belt and he has thick, think Angelina, pink-glossed lips. There is a not-so-subtle, in fact it's in your face sexual tones in the form of the katana that belonged to the monastery. It has a phallus-shaped handle that throbs when it 'feels' the deserving one is ready for the ultimate fight.The fight between the warrior and the goddess is so weird it's really awesome.
Tak Sakaguchi and his katana Kentaro Seagal and his bazooka
Thirst Korea. A Catholic priest turned into a vampire through blood transfusion.
Chocolate Thailand. Martial arts, drama, action, little bit of comedy
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Tom Yum Goong Thailand. Martial arts, drama, action, a little bit of comedy
These Thai movies have food as their titles but they are not anywhere in the movies except for the brief appearance of M&Ms in Chocolate. They have several things in common, most notably the Thai crime bosses, the yakuza, and the transgenders called the third sex in Thailand and in the Philippines. They are very much a part of society and embraced by both countries. Check out Sidney's photo essay on Gay Boxing in the Philippines.
The Hurt Locker USA. Deserves to win the Oscars in all the categories it is nominated in