Subtitle This!

Lately, it seems that I've been renting a lot of foreign films lately, mostly of the action variety. Now, at first I didn't think I'd ever get to this point in my queue since I rented them around the time that Kill Bill was released in theaters but finally, I'm there, and I'm loving it. There's only one so far that I've seen so far that I consider to be a little sub-par, but the rest of them are blog-worthy.

If you get a chance, I'd recommend seeing Five Deadly Venoms, Duel to the Death, or In the Mood for Love. Now the first two are a must for any Kung Fu fan. First off, Five Deadly Venoms was a movie I didn't have high expectations for, but I was ultimately surprised by what was a stronger plot than I expected, amazing fight choreography, and a classic set of characters that has to be seen to be believed. Suffice it to say, I started off on the right foot by watching this film first, a definite classic.

The second recommended film, Duel to the Death is also a martial arts masterpiece. Filmed a few years post-Venoms, this movie has some more obvious strengths, but it doesn't make it any less over the top. Swords cross, limbs fly, and ninjas abound in this film about the conflicting viewpoints of Chinese and Japanese Martial Arts methodology. I found it a lot more compelling than Venoms because there was a lot more emotion behind it, but also because the production values had noticeably improved from the '70s era. See this one, and you'll see where QT got his ideas.

Lastly, we have Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love. Expecting any sort of action at all, one will be sorely disappointed as this movie is somewhat of a twisted love story about a couple who discover that their respective spouses are cheating on them. They end up spending all their time together, but ultimately decide they shall not be like the cheaters. It's a story of lost love, disappointment, and emotional memory. I found the cinematography the most compelling part of the story with each shot carefully framed to convey the maximum impact possible. One must be terribly patient to watch the story unfold though, as it does move a little slowly, but I was pretty happy with it.

Now, I just have to look forward to my slew of Takashi Miike films coming up. Ultra-violence all the way, baby.