dave32

I'd also request that this video be mandatory viewing prior to participation in the asshole american conversations. Wait a minute... I was going to post this: but the dang youtube function is gone. TRAVESTY! What have we become??

"The Good, The Bad, and The Weird." Korean vision of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. They should've just called it 'The Weird' though. Definitely enjoyed it.

baaaaaah! are you fucking kidding me KS??@!!? that movie was horrid. dang dude. and i liked the series too as a kid. but this movie was so awful i could hardly bear to sit still and make myself endure it. i used to look up to you KS. ya know? i mean, we got guys here circle jerking each other on waffles to pick on some other guy. guys praising lady gaga as a 'true artiste', and enough random stupidity to give one pause in having any faith in the human condition. but you KS, you used to stand tall. and now this? sigh....

Interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bang_Rachan Watching the film, didn't realize there was a genuine historical context (though wiki is a shaky source). Eventually the village is wiped out, but it IS one hell of a story. : --- The Burmese forces encountered little competent resistance from the Siamese and advanced close to the capital, but refused to attack due to uncertainty regarding the strength of the forces they would have to face. There was much raiding of the surrounding country and, in addition to the general policy which required the submission of the Siamese, they began to demand the unmarried daughters of families as well, a policy which provoked the Siamese people into resistance. The beginning of resistance and the first notable appearance of Bang Rajan occurred when a group of Siamese from various villages - notably Sibuathong, Krap and Pho Thale - led by Nai Thaen, Nai Choti, Nai In, Nai Muang, Nai Dok and Nai Thong Kaeo lured a group of Burmese raiders into a forest with the promise of young women and then turned upon them, killing the entire group of twenty. After this they retreated to Bang Rachan where, we are also told, most of the population of the villages of Mueang Wiset Chaichan, Mueang Sing and Mueang San had fled. Bang Rajan is recorded as being ideally situated: "A place where foodstuffs were plentiful...a village on high ground and...it was difficult for the enemy to get at." In addition to its ideal situation geographically and its position as a focus of those fleeing the Burmese, Bang Rajan had at this early point approximately 400 fighting men who elected five leaders amongst themselves and worked on the erection of fortifications. There was also a Buddhist priest, Thammachot, who had been invited into the village monastery where he was held in great veneration by the inhabitants, who believed him to have great knowledge and power with regard to spells, charms and other incantations. The Burmese leaders camped at Mueang Wiset Chaichan, were aware of the slaughter of their men by the Siamese who had fled to Bang Rajan and sent a small force of about a 100 men to capture them. The Burmese were taken by surprise when they were attacked while resting and were almost entirely wiped out by the force led by Nai Thaen, who had been elected leader of Bang Rajan. News of this victory spread quickly across the country and resulted in many more people coming out of hiding to join the resistance movement, swelling the ranks camped within Bang Rachan to 1,000 fighting men. This amateur force was well organized along the lines of a professional military unit but were considerably disadvantaged by their lack of equipment, especially firearms, although this was countered to an extent by their great faith in the presence of the priest Thammachot and his various magic spells and talismans. Well aware that he was facing heavy resistance, the Burmese leader at Wiset Chaichanw requested reinforcements before sending another force against the village. He had underestimated them, as they managed to rout a second army of about 500 as well as a third force, again greater in numbers and under a new leader. A pivotal event occurred during the fourth attack on the village by a force of 1,000 Burmese under Surin Chokhong. This force was not immediately defeated by the Siamese villagers but their commander was killed and after much fighting the villagers retreated. At this point the carelessness of the Burmese appeared once again as they lowered their guard to begin preparing food and caring for the corpse of their commander. Seeing this, the villagers quickly returned to the field and the surprised Burmese force was truly routed and lost most of its manpower due to the determined pursuit by the Siamese villagers. While victorious again, the leader of Bang Rajan, Nai Thaen, was shot in the knee - an event which would have grave consequences for the resistance as it meant he was no longer capable of fighting or leading from the front.

Bang Rajan. Kinda the Thai version of '300,' set in 18th (?) century rural Thailand. Small village stands up to invading Burmese Army with no support. More interesting characters than 300. My favorite was the reckless drunk who turned out to be noble in spirit. Enjoyed it. It's short, clocks in just over an hour.

Twilight Samurai. Japanese film from '02, and not your standard Samurai fare. The story revolves around a man who's a lower class samurai with potential to rise up the ranks, but devotes most of his energy into raising his daughters after his wife has passed. He's sneered at and poor, but creates a worthwhile life nonetheless. My description might sound cliched, but this film does it well. Touching. Worth watching. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/twilight_samurai/

Finally saw 'Inception.' Truth is I think Leonardo is over-rated and I thought this film wouldn't meet the hype. But it's good. Not GREAT, but good. Granted there are holes in the logic if you think about it -- but it's still well written and executed, held my attention. Enjoyed. Won't bother with a synopsis, you can get enough from the previews.

Ya know, Alba isn't much of an actress but damn she is nice to look at. And yeah, Sin City was a Robert Rodriguez thing and him/Tarantino are BFF. So Tarantino's influence and participation is throughout. Plus, you forgot fucking Clive Owen. Croupier anyone? (Hint: If you haven't seen Croupier, it's a beautiful thing....) O5qk4ybjWTc

This must be good movie week. Gran Torino. Potent film. Anti Political Correctness but the main them is of people reaching across a divide of difference. And real friendship. Anyway, the political correctness thing is ancillary to the story, which is of sacrifice and -- the struggle for a better life -- and things we have in common in spite of all that makes us different. Who would've thought Dirty Harry would mature into this kind of director (and I like Dirty Harry). Surprised to find some involuntary tears flow. Damn good movie. And then some.

Just saw Winter's Bone. 17 y/o Ozarks girl from an extended community of poverty and meth dealers searches for her father, who put up their home for bail then skipped -- meaning her and the two young siblings she cares for will be turned out. There are few 'good guys' other than the girl, but there are heroics in surprising places. Meanwhile she has to cut through a thick wall of characters who live by a very different code than mainstream society -- to discover the truth. Best movie I've seen this year in a theater. Will watch again. HQ8kqytI_oA

In the first week of May I went with a girl from Carousel/Carnival (whatever it's called) on the 3rd floor of Nana. Got dragged there and don't even like it that much, but damn this girl did it for me. Anyway, she wanted to hook up a second night. Sure. No problem. So there's foreplay and I've got the condoms right there on the nightstand and bam, this girl is mounting me bareback. No, I did not resist, but was a bit surprised as she was definitely a pro. Anyway, it weighed on me the next day. Got a bad cold a couple days later and I start to worry, start to google. Even though most literature indicated female to male transmission during vaginal intercourse is rare, I still worried. Got tested - it's OK. But then I read some post somewhere where a guy says it takes three months to germinate and you have to be tested then to be sure. I don't know how much credence this has or if there's any truth to it -- but I'm going to get tested again first week of August, just because i don't like having that doubt at the back of the mind. I don't know what the moral is. Won't be barebacking any pros anytime soon.

I liked your list. Actually have 'Waltz with Bashir' sitting here waiting to be viewed, prolly this weekend. I cut out a few I would've put at the very top -- we'll have to disagree over your ratings: Mystic River 4.31 The Squid And The Whale 4.25 Before The Devil Knows You're Dead 4.13 Murderball 4.12 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 4.10 The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada 4.00 The Lives Of Others 4.35 Donnie Darko Director's Cut 4.33 No Country For Old Men 4.39 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 4.49 Grizzly Man 4.48 The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada 4.00 Factotum ------ I don't like Jim Carrey and was surprised at how good Eternal Sunshine was. Same with Grizzly Man, it just kinda seeped in for a few days as I tried to figure out what it meant. Was also surprised at how good Matt Dillon was able to carry off a 'Bukowski.' But dude: Iron Man? Lost in Translation Bader-Meinhof These three were all over-rated IMHO.

What did you think? Saw it at a screening here and had no idea it was actually Morrison in the opening and ending clip. That was fucking weird in a surreal way. The narrator they used in that film excerpt, 'uncle' Joe Benson, is still a late night DJ on LA Radio. Not a Doors fanatic but appreciate their contribution, I liked the film. Not 'great,' but definitely worth a watch.

Ashamed that I forgot 'Kick Ass' earlier -- also saw it in LOS, and was surprised at how good it was. Don't know what genre to put it in -- dark, quirky, violent, well written action-comedy would be the best way to describe. Walt Disney it wasn't, gratefully. Saw 'Harry Brown' last night in Pasadena. British vigilante film starring Michael Caine. The film sold-out and there were a bunch of rowdy old couples (60s, 70s) comprising the audience. Well, you can't go wrong with Michael Caine and he DID deliver. Potent action film that kept my attention. Oh yeah. The bad guys were just a wee bit over-the-top at times -- but hey, this wasn't a Sunday School brunch. The movie rocked live a proverbial hurricane. OVOSfHFNlcI

Saw the following in BKK @ Ekkamai, Emporium, and some other places (forgot). Nice escape in the heat and like going to the movies. Must be getting a little old though, now I get restless and start drifting unless it's good. Drifted a lot during some of these. - Legion: Condense it to a half-hour short and might've been entertaining. Good effects. Weak story drawn out to make a feature film. - Ironman 2: I don't understand the mass appeal of these films, though Robert Downey plays the character well -- I hate the dialog and predictable nature of... everything. And I'm not one of the guys that hates blockbusters. LOVED Die Hard. Still do. But Iron Man's big appeal puzzles me. - Brooklyn's Finest: Dark depressing movie about choices and consequences. And the consequences of a life of violence. Not done in a cheesy way. A little long but liked it. - The Hole. Watched it in 3D and still fell asleep. - Wat 9. Thai film about Karma. Along with Brooklyn's Finest, liked it. Another film about consequences to our actions and a big picture kinda meaning to our lives. Was well done. - Ong Bak 3. WTF did they do to this franchise? The first one I liked. This one was OK if you need to kill time. - Clash of the Titans. Also OK. Cool effects and a slightly new interpretation of the story. - Also saw another Thai film that was a slapstick comedy with a Thai Che Geuvara character. Same cast that does the comedy routines on TV. -- it was OK also, I think comedy is a tough genre to pull off anywhere and most of them are mediocre. This one was a little above that, but not much. .02

What did the Buddhist say to the hot dog vendor? Make me one with everything.

Another Australia film. "The Proposition." Knew Nick Cave wrote it, and like his music. A lot. But was skeptical about a rock guy writing a film worth seeing. It was good. Holy shit it was good. One of the better films I've seen in awhile and I'll probably watch it again. Not for the faint of heart though.

My folks had that on tape, and another Selleck movie too - was actually about Australia, 'Quentin Down Under' or something like that - been a long time... I remember liking them both.

So most of the time I'm not into the 'horror' genre as the movies aren't that scary, and I find slasher films boring after 20 minutes or so. Without a doubt the best and most innovative horror films of the past decade came out of Asia, not Hollywood, IMHO. This weekend I had to be at home on call and had nowhere to go -- felt like watching a horror flick for a change. Hell, even a slasher film. So, I get Borderland and Wolf Creek to watch... thinking I'll probably turn them off halfway though due to disinterest. Oh no. They scared me. I haven't been scared by a film in a long time... and they both SCARED me. Maybe it was the left/right combo, but I couldn't sleep on Friday night. Ended up watching 'the Great Escape' at 1am just to get my mind on something else. Good stuff.

Critics panned it. 35% rating (not good) at Rotten Tomatoes. I wasn't expecting much. And surprise... genuinely liked it. When Travolta makes his entrance I initially found it obnoxious and corny -- but the story is unpredictable and enjoyable. And kinda cool. So is his performance as it all unfolds. Thumbs up. Also saw 'Edge of Darkness' with Mel Gibson. Didn't like. Boring. He needs to quit acting and go back to directing 'Apocalypto' kinda shit. That, was good. YMMV.

Saw 4 movies in LOS this past trip. Mostly because I was hungover, and it's a perfect way to let the brain go and wander while the body rests. I'll rate them in order from the worst: Twilight New Moon: Oh my fucking god this was utter shite. I fell asleep because the dialog was too tortured to bear. The girl I was with liked it because wolf-boy had muscles. I give it a D-- 2012: John Cusack what have you become? Acting was dull and people in the film were uninspired. I enjoyed seeing LA being obliterated so thoroughly, so for that I give it a C. Ninja Assassin. Ok, it was bearable. Good action, not much story, if you see the preview -- you've basically seen the entire film. C+ And one I saw in Pattaya: Bad Lieutenant; Port of Call New Orleans. Not much of a Nicolas Cage fan but I must admit... I liked it. Good film. A-.

Yeah, I got dragged into GI Joe awhile back and fell asleep. Bleh. Went to see Surrogates this weekend. Not bad. Somewhat predictable twists but worth a watch. Bruce Willis is just a cool mofo. William Dafoe is in a horror film called Antichrist that's supposed to be ~good~ and -- a little disturbing. Lars Von Trier directing. Made in Denmark? Released in States next month... looking forward to that.

I downloaded/burned Oldboy a couple weeks ago so I could get friends to watch it. Chan-wook Park is a fucking incredible director. Saw it originally at a screening at the Egyptian theater in LA in '04. Lots of people and noise/buzz before the film, after it was dead silence. A lot of Koreans in the audience were visibly shaken. Not for light of heart. 9.5/10 Tuesday night I went to see Inglorious Basterds then snuck into District 9 after. Liked 'em both. 8.5/10