a little quiz

I found this circulating around film blogs and thought it might be interesting to answer... Note that thanks to my relative preference for Asian films, they are going to dominate this list.

1. Total number of films I own on DVD and video

Approaching 500 (maybe 600, since it's been a long time since I checked) with the majority on DVD. A reasonable number came from those VCD sales with VCDs at 75 pesos or lower a pop.

2. Last film I bought

Bought, there was a batch of them, but as for acquisitions, a classmate gave me Seijun Suzuki's Pistol Opera, a 2001 reworking of one of his earlier films, Branded to Kill (1967).

3. Last film I watched

That would have to be the Filipino film Nasaan Ka Man, a strange semi-romance/character study/horror film that doesn't exactly know what kind of film it actually is. It wasn't that good, in my opinion, thanks to loads of exposition cut from the final movie. I'll probably post a review soon.

4. Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me (in no particular order)

This is a hard question since the list changes every, say, five minutes. Out of the top of my head I would say:

Swallowtail Butterfly (1996) One of my favorite Asian movies. It's about a band of immigrants who try to make it big in Japan, although the film is really a tapestry of interesting characters and their dreams and aspirations. It's very postmodern and Shunji Iwai brings an otherwise dull story to life. This movie helped spark my interest in Asian Cinema in general, and I'm grateful for it.

Star Wars (1977) I always watch this at least once a month. A fine example of blockbuster cinema, this reworking of the 1958 Akira Kurosawa film The Hidden Fortress combines cheesy dialogue with classic action sequences to make a product that feels like 400 million bucks.

Ran (1985) One of Akira Kurosawa's best works. Deeply affecting and abound with primal despair, Ran has a story befitting its name: Chaos.

Oldboy (2003) A deeply twisted tale of a man's search for revenge, this movie is a seamless work of cinema. Although not exactly the epitome of cinematic perfection, this movie teaches us what a movie director can do with a story to twist it further.

Ring (1998) This is the movie that defined the new wave of Asian Horror. It set the bar for countless future asian releases, knockoffs and imitations that, one way or another, borrow from this film.

5. If you could be any character portrayed in a movie, who would it be?

I'd be Zatoichi, because he's so badass. hehe.