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Q: Saw 'Welcome to the Punch' tonight, best film seen this year. What's your best?
Gravity was good. Thor was rubbish. The Bond film was great. Pi was dubbed in Chinese so I slept through it. There was the number one Chinese movie of the year...something about being lost in Thailand. Actually that could've been the name of it... Well it was the worst film I've ever seen in my life and there I was, crushed into a cinema bursting at the seams with all the people laughing their guts up. That truly was a lost in translation moment.
If you get the chance, go see 'Welcome to the Punch', I'm sure you'll be glad you did.
So, film goers...what's the best one you've seen this year?
I agree with your assessment of Lost in Thailand. Chinese mainstream "humour" involves people putting on irritating voices and/or wigs, acting "stupid", or acting "gay". Lost in Thailand has all three, so I can see why it was a hit. The same recipe for success is employed in all Adam Sandler movies, because apparently a large percentage of western people are retarded too.
See also Chinese "cross-talk", which usually has at least two of these elements, and Chinese talk shows, which have frequent "poi-oi-oing" noises to convince people that what they're watching is amusing.
I saw Gravity a couple of days ago. I thought it was rather good, in spite of the Chinese people I saw it with. They kept whispering "What is this movie about?", "Are they just going to be having conversations in space all the time?", etc. FUCK.
Life of Pi was, in my opinion, sentimental CGI rubbish. All visual spectacle, no substance. People in real life don't do dramatic poses against brilliant sunsets, and that's all this movie was really about. The book is marginally better because it doesn't have CGI. It's smug, self-satisfied and condescending, but gullible people like it because it won the Booker Prize.
I've seen some good things on DVD recently, including A Separation (Islamic family drama) and Black Mirror (future-themed short TV series from the UK; very speculative and cynical). There are more, but I have a poor memory and I'm tired. Will add more tomorrow. I'll watch Welcome to the Punch on your recommendation.
Don't know when they were made but 'True Grit' (the Coen Brothers) was great, 'The Sunset Limited' (Samuel Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones sitting in a room talking about God) probably gets to my number one, 'Killing Them Softly' may be my favourite gangster film since Tarantino came on the scene, but 'End of Watch' was f***ing gangsta. All good movies.
Samsara:
I also loved Killing Them Softly (which apparently was a disaster in America - a little too much cynicism/realism I guess) and True Grit. Haven't seen End of Watch, but shall when I find the DVD.
mArtiAn:
Killing them softly is interesting for the background message. Gotta see 'Sunset Limited' though, if only for Tommy Lee Jones's monologue / tirade against religious faith at the end. He kind of says a lot of the stuff we don't want to admit to when viewing the question of God and religion. But no spoilers here. Much cool.
I just saw "No Man's Land"... Imagine a simple but good down-to-the-core Western in Xingjiang 
It's quite violent, don't bring the kids. I really enjoyed it, it's gritty, dirty and punchy. The touch of (dark) humor were quite good. Xingjiang (or is that Ganxu ?) landscapes are full of win too. My 2nd preferred Chinese movie after "Blind Shaft" (a must-see)
DrMonkey:
Lost In Thailand. Okay, I understand why it's popular, that humor is popular here. They "LOL GAY', 'LOL LAOWAI' and 'LOL GIRLBOY' humor made me grin of embarrassment. But I chuckled quite often anyway.
A Russian movie called 'Mayor' (The Major). Very intense and realistic.
Escape. Arnold and Stallone were great.
Paulberger:
i heard this was a great movie, but i refrained from going to see it because a Chinese colleague of mine said it was better than The Shawshank Redemption" which i find really hard to believe.
Welcome to the Punch was not my cup of tea. Gravity has been my fav of the year thus far. This year has been rather disappointing at the cinema. Several movies I have been looking forward to (Ender's Game, Elysium, Lone Ranger...) have been flops. I'm hoping for a better Christmas season with the second installment of the Hobbit coming up. Here's to a better 2014.
I'm slightly less effusive on 'Punch' today (on reflection) but still enjoyed it very much. Forgot about Killing Them Softly...yes, it was terrific.
True Grit was a couple of years ago now and it was very good. Jeff Bridges is one of my favourite actors.
From this yarn I'm now motivated to get hold of the original True Grit and The Dude.
