The Foliage

Description

Shu Qi (The Transporter, So Close, Millennium Mambo, Jackie Chan's Gorgeous) stars in this unforgettable romance set in 1974 China, near the end of the Cultural Revolution. On her way back from a family visit, young female intellectual Xing-Yu (Shu) meets the equally young and rebellious Si-Mong (newcomer Liu Hua) and the two fall in love. When Xing-Yu's childhood friend and lover Yuan gets into a fight with Si-Mong, Xing-Yu tries to make peace between the two jealous rivals. Her attempts for truce further draw her into a forbidden and passionate relationship instead.

Customer Reviews:

The Foliage.......2007-02-03

An different kind of love story that unfolds over several decades. Shu Qi, as usual does a good job with what's she's given. Four stars!

Passionate,forbbidden love story.......2005-11-20

This is a wonderful movie,a very elaborate peice of work on Chinese Communist leader's Mao ruling and governing of China in 1974.

The natives of the country were then divided in to various infantries,wear green and dull-looking clothes,and addressed each other as 'comrades'. Life was tough,and those living inthe rural plains wants to go the city.

Politics aside,The Foliage is mostly a love story.Shu Qi,who recently won Best Actress in the Golden Horse Awards (Chinese equivalent of the Oscars) for her perfomance in Three Times,portrays convincingly as Xing-Yu,a young female intellectual who has just return from the city state,and is awaiting for the goverment to grant her a discharge to move to the city.

Here,on the way back home,she befriends a young rebel,Sie Mong,who falls for her.It did not help when Xing-Yu's childhood sweetheart felt indignant as he realises she,too,is in love with Sie Mong.Because Sie Mong and Xing-Yu are both from different infantries (that is,communities),they have to share a forbidden love affair.Expect lots of clashes,fights and the death of a close friend.

The movie also goes to some 29 years later.It is poignant,as the two young lovers were not together.Xing-Yu later married,and it was only her journey back to the village for her husband's burial that she meets Sie Mong.It was only then she realised she and Sie Mong still love one another.I didn't quite get the ending part,the one where a young Xing-Yu chased after a bus while Sie Mong looks out,for in the beginning of the movie,there was another version,that is Sie Mong stopped the bus driver for Xing-Yu to come on board.

Whatever it is,i think this is a brilliant movie.It is between two young intelletuals pursing a passionate,yet forbidden love affair.It does not help that both leads,Shu Qi and Liu Ye (Sie Mong) are both eye candies.

Average customer rating:

No love for rubbers
Homebrewer
This is a no popcorn movie
Good...strange...I'm just not too sure...

Rubber's Lover
Starring: Nao , Norimizu Ameya , Youta Kawase , Mika Kunihiro , and Sosuke Saito
Director: Shozin Fukui
Manufacturer: Unearthed
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002YCV56
Release Date: 2004-12-28

Description

A powerful and secretive corporation is conducting underground psychic experiments utilizing Digital Direct Drive, otherwise known as D.D.D. While under the influence of the drug ether, the human subjects are outfitted in rubber suits and bombarded with D.D.D. with extremely intense sound. Though the experiments are successful in unleashing psychic powers in the test subjects, the results are usually fatal. As a result, the corporation attempts to shut down the experiments against the wishes of Motomiya and Hitotsubashi who are in charge of the research. In a desperate attempt to salvage their work, the two researchers take over the lab and hold an innocent secretary hostage while they transform their fellow researcher (Iinuma) into an ether addict and use him as the final human guinea pig for their experiments. The result has to be seen to be believed as Iinuma's psychic powers are unleashed in a wave of ferocity that will leave you breathless.

Customer Reviews:

No love for rubbers.......2006-04-21

This movie is basically the same thing as Pinocchio 964 which was also directed by Shozin Fukui. There is very little story and it is just an excuse to show people screeching, twitching spaztically, screaming, shrieking, and spewing blood and other liquids.

This one was not nearly as bad as Pinocchio 964 but still an incredibly boring movie. Fukui doesn't use the obnoxiously annoying constant jump cuts like he did in Pinocchio 964 and many of the visuals are interesting to look at especially in the beginning. The visuals and stated plot really had potential but you soon find out Fukui is only interested in watching people throw violent fits for an hour and a half.

This dvd also has an early short by Fukui which has a girl paranoidly running around screaming in public for no explained reason. In the middle she vomits for about 4 minutes (or should I say her hand throws up for 4 minutes.)

From Imdb, it appears I have seen all of Fukui's work.

I guess there is not much of a market for full feature films based solely on people violently spewing liquids for extended periods of time.

It is a shame because this movie does show that Fukui can make a very unique interesting film visually but he has no interest in plots except as a starting point to degenerate into another twitch and spew fest.

Homebrewer.......2005-10-22

This movie will make you think twice as to what you just watched. Did you know yhat psychic power is realized when mental anguish exceeds physical pain? You will once you watch this movie! Scientists 'Motomiya & Hitotsubashi' use a brain-altering drug (Ether) to conduct experiments, after one such project goes astray, they need to find another test subject (Linuma) in this Japanese Splatter-Punk Film. After the corporation tries to shut these two 'Crazy' scientists down, they take a hostage (An innocent secretary) and conduct guinea pig like experiments on Linuma. Who in turn does some crazy experiments of his own on the secretary (If you know what I mean). At one point there's a strobing effect that was making me wonder if I was going to grab a kitchen utensil and take to the streets if I continued to watch it, but thankfully it ended and I was fine (and the world continued to be safe). This movie reminds me of Tetsuo 'Shinya Tsukamoto' (Partly because it's in B&W (Black & White) and that it's part of the Japanese Cyberpunk Collection). It also reminds me of Eraserhead 'David Lynch' (Because it's also filmed in B&W and has a lot of Industrial-Type settings). This movie also has a 1987 Short Film called "Gerorisuto". it has an interview with the director 'Shozin Fukui', who also directed 964 Pinocchio (Another must see if you like Japanese Cyberpunk Movies). This is not an easy film to watch (It was for me though); Is it ugly? (Yes it is) Is it dark? (As the middle of the night) Is it Creepy (Like the chills up your spine) and it's an audio-visual assault on your senses "It's what I call squirm factor". Now if your still reading this review click on the 'Purchase ASAP' button and why your at it, go ahead and buy Shozin Fukui's first movie '964 Pinocchio'. You can Thank me later for opening up your Third Eye on movies. Stick around and read some of my other 'What I call Third Eye or Dimension Movies' reviews. You only live once and everyone should see these strange, surreal masterpieces, that haven't even barely surfaced in the U.S.

This is a no popcorn movie.......2005-01-01

I strongly suggest not eating during this movie. I thought this movie was kind of cool, but gruesome.

The movie has a somewhat disjointed plot, but seems to tie things up okay in the end. There are really only six characters in this movie, so in some ways it is more like a disjointed play. A play with blood spray, entrails, cannibalism, and the almost manadatory rapes scenes (though, thankfully, no tentacles).

The premise of this movie is that if you torture people with sound and hype them up on ether, you can induce psychic abilities. The two mad-scientists are essentially creating a monster. The movie is sort of like watching Frankenstein on acid.

A word of warning, if you are not into horror or into Japanese films I would strongly suggest you stay away from this film. It is horrific, and it is very Japanese.

Good...strange...I'm just not too sure..........2004-12-30

While I'm a big fan of the underground movie scene...even the Japanese movie scene that seems to have exploded in America, I can honestly say I don't know how I feel about this film. It's brilliant but at the same time I feel so DIRTY for watching it. Perhaps that's what the director was going for...
I do recommend you buy this even if you're the slightest bit curious. However, if you're looking for some clean cut answers, this is NOT for you. Even when you check out the extra features and watch the interview with the director, it will leave you puzzled.
In the same breath though, I enjoyed watching it. The gritty look of black and white film adds to the "psychoticness" of the overall story. I'd be pressed to say that the characters in the film explore the more primal side of the human psyche.
Ok ok...to sum it up, just buy it! See it for yourself. I still need to watch it a few more times...

Average customer rating:

The Foliage
Starring: Liu Huai-Liang , Zhang Jian , Shu Qi , Li Mengan , and Liu Ye
Director: Lu Le , and Lu Yue
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Average customer rating:

The Foliage
Starring: Liu Huai-Liang , Zhang Jian , Shu Qi , Li Mengan , and Liu Ye
Director: Lu Le , and Lu Yue
Manufacturer: Tai Seng
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Period Piece | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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