Asian Movies

This post will be updated from time to time, since I will try to record here all the movies I've seen and were directed in Asia (Australia not included, since Australian movies are considered to be Western Movies under revision of that statement under the term Asian Movies, I will include movies filmed, produced or written in Japan, China, Korea and Thailand).
The movies I will recommend will not be ranked and will not be sorted either alphabetical or by any manner.
Also those movies I present in this post are recommended but not for all, some are at least weird, and you are advised that some of them will test your senses and your ethics, your stomach, and more one at a movie or all together.

Memories of a Murder

...is a South Korean Drama film, directed by Bong Joon-ho, mostly known in the rest of the world so in Greece for "The Host", The film is based on a true story about one of the country's first serial killer. The film tries to explore the characters personalities as those change from the outcome of the murders.
Two detectives trying to solve the mystery behind the identity of the serial killer. Under different methods, a violent one, first shoot then ask questions, and a more methodical educated one, one that trust more the facts than his feelings.



rating from imdb




Premonition (Yogen)

Do not be mislead, this one has nothing to do with the 2007 film under the same title, staring Sandra Bullock

...is a Horror/Drama from Japan. A professor going with his family for an excursion, stops at a public phone booth, to send his work over to the university via modem (damned 56k), when a truck hits the car with their daughter inside. The car burst into flames and professor with his wife run to save their daughter. Only to find a piece of a newspaper...



rating from imdb

Battle Royal

...a Japanese movie, so different from every movie I've seen that I refuse to include it any kind of tag. Directed by Kinji Fukasaku, mostly known as the director of Tora!Tora!Tora!. Based upon the novel by Koushun Takami, tells the story of a parallel universe where grown-ups in order to restore order, send children in a remote area and force them to kill each other till only one is left alive.

"At the dawn of the millennium, the nation collapsed. At fifteen percent unemployment, ten million were out of work. 800,000 students boycotted school. The adults lost confidence, and fearing the youth, eventually passed the Millennium Educational Reform Act - AKA: The BR Act..."

rating from imdb

House of the Flying Daggers

...is a Hong-Kong wuxia film, from the director of the amazing film Hero, Zang Yimu, also known for the raise the red lantern, maybe his best movie. A drama, in beautiful colors, of martial arts choreography, and wonderful scenery, dreaming photography and so on.

The film is set in 859 AD. The once great Tang Dynasty is now in decline. Numerous rebel groups have formed, the largest of which is the House of Flying Daggers, based in Feng Tian county. The Flying Daggers steal from the rich and give to the poor, gaining the support of the locals.
The local deputies have managed to kill the leader of the Flying Daggers, but the rebel group only becomes stronger, due to a mysterious new leader. Jin and Leo, two police captains, are ordered to kill the new leader within ten days.

rating from imdb




Hana-Bi

This movie by Takeshi Kitano if I remember correctly is the one movie that started my journey (some people can't stand me for my love to asian movies, anime, manga) to the diversity of modern japanese films. Till this day Takeshi Kitano remains as one of my favorite director and this movie I still consider it as one of the best movies I ever seen. So beautiful, simple and melacholic, yet so brutal. The plot simple, but full of possibilities:

Kitano plays Nishi, a violent and unpredictable ex-police detective who quits the force after a terrible incident that results in his partner, Horibe (Ren Osugi), being confined to a wheelchair. After his retirement he spends much of his time looking after his wife Miyuki (Kayoko Kishimoto), who has leukemia.

...and one usufull information, hana means flower, bi means fire, all together fireworks, literally fireflower...
rating from imdb


A Cruel Attendance

...is a Korean comedy/ethics/horror(?)/action(?) movie. I've seen a worthless wuxia film by the same director the Shadowless Sword, so I was a little bit prepared for a big time shity film (φόλα, πατάτα κ.λ.π.). But, I really enjoyed that one!!!
The story as far as I recall is about two losers, who own money to yakuza(?), try to get some money by kidnapping rich people's children. But, they never get it right...

rating from imdb (I would give it a 6,5+)

Save the Green Planet

...is a Korean anti-war movie, that defies every known categorization to any known movie genre. If you would like to place it somewhere put it together with the Battle Royal, mentioned above. Director Joon(or Jun)-Hwan Jang in his 2003 debut knows how to surpass the expected and mixes perfectly the violent, sadistic, melacholic, psychedelic, drama, action, horror, thriller, and Sci-Fi genre presenting a truly fresh film.
...and the plot is even more twisted:

A young a man who believes that aliens are about to attack Earth and that he is the only one who can prevent them. With his childlike circus performer girlfriend, he kidnaps a powerful executive who he believes is a top ranking extraterrestrial who can contact the prince of these aliens when the upcoming eclipse occurs. After imprisoning him in his workshop/basement he proceeds to torture the executive, and slowly Byeong-gu's true intentions are revealed.

rating from imdb


This one I've seen it back in 2004, at Athens movie festival called "nights of premiere"(I don't even know if the translation is good) alone in a full cinema after midnight. I believe, judging from the expression of the attendants that most of the people enjoyed it!!!

Kung-Fu Hustle

...is...don't tell me that you haven't seen that one yet? The Chinese movie by Stephen Chow? It was appraised advertised and it worthed it. It's a hilarious parody of the kung-fu movies of the past, especially the ones where an innocent boy, suddenly becomes a kung-fu master. But to get there one has to go through a bunch of gangsters, a trio of furious assassins, but the most fearsome of all is the landlady...ok and later that frog-smelling-dude.



rating from imdb

I sincerely thank - m - for her corrections, Kung-fu hustle is Chinese.






Emperor And The Assassin

...is a historical Chinese film based upon a true story. In the 3rd Century one of the Seven Kings of China sets on a dream, to unite all China under the same sky (Hero, is also another movie based on the same events). King Ying Zheng sends his concubine to find an assassin from the Kingdom of Yan, to fake an assassination against himself, so that king Ying will have an excuse to evade the kingdome of Yan. But, the concubine felt in love with the assassin, something that wasn't in the plan. Do not expect flying scenes, and martial-arts-choreography, this film is more about the characters, a sword is rarely drawn. I would consider to be more than a Historical Drama, than action. Far from the Hero or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon style, 3hrs long but worth viewing.


rating from imdb

Movie: All About Lily Chou-Chou

Αway from the political orgasm that this country just got through and as an interfering post, I would like to recommend a movie, from Japan. It is not a plesant one, it is not a DIE HARD movie for 2 pleasant hours.

All About Lily Chou-Chou



It's a movie about the misleading Japanese youth:
A story about the end of innocence, from a carefree life to being bullied to a dead-end road, leading to a predetermined death. The small parts of past events that are interfering to the main story, will test our feelings towards the main characters, enough to prepare us for the final scene.
The ones considered to be closed friends turn against you, when their way of living dramatically shattered. The film, focus on characters and on events that transformed them, from the late preliminary years, to the last high-school days. Their lives goes one without anyone restraining them without any morality. Parents living in another world, grownups who have turned away from the bitter reality. Salvation can be found only in the music of the pop artist Lily Choo-Choo. For both sides.
Beautiful cinematography, great story.
Beautiful, yet so disturbing.

Hope you'll be able to get a copy in your hands.

The Host

From Korea with love, a movie as good as fun. I've seen it like a year ago but here in Greece it just premiered this week. It's about a family, not the ordinary one, even for a korean standard, i think, that loses theirs daughter by the tail of a GIAND FISH (holy shit!!!)I'll write the rest of the plot and comments for this film... when i feel like it

verdict: 4,5/5 if it can be included in the sci-fi section is better than Sunshine. (but be warned not all of you will find this one intresting, it's one of those weird movies that you love them or you just hate them)

SunShine

Yesterday I watched the "Sunshine" by Danny Boyle. After ages (literally) a new sci-fi movie with a storyline that makes a difference.
The sun is dying and with it humanity (if humanity will be still alive when this event occurs...hehe). So, the solution: a spaceship is sent to sun with a bomb, capable of reestablish the fusion chain reaction in the sun, with the escort of a capable crew. Nice isn't it? plain and simple. Actually it would be as boring as Greek TV, if it weren't for Danny Boyle and a really good twist in this rather simplistic plot.
And do not forget the cast.
Ladies, your favorite blue eyed star is one of the best actors in this film. Cillian Murphy, had one of the leading roles in The Wind That Shakes the Barley, during it i felt asleep (it was late and i was tired the movie is OK), but i really remembered him as the scarecrow in Batman Begins...i remember asking my friends who the hell is this guy?
I liked the character played by Cliff Curtis. His role was the phycologist of the crew, the one to mend the traumas of staying for more than two years in a spaceship. He was the character i liked, almost phycho, but not actually, he was just different in the way that he felt things or comprehended situations, regarding the other crew members.
The other actors are quite good, but not in my opinion worth mentioning, so just visit the links to find more info.

...back to the movie,

So if you wake up one morning and it's a particularly beautiful day, you'll know we made it.

quote from Capa

That's the goal as i wrote, but something has to happen for the movie to be worth your euros. Well, let's make this mission the second one, with the first to fail just before the ending stage. And also let the first spaceship be found, empty, with no clue of what happened to the crew members (hmmmmm mate isn't this sounds like Event Horizon? You bet it does mate, actually is so similar, that i bet he has stolen material from it, nope my mate the idea is not new but the film is really different in a way. Go and watch it)
The colours were great, like the sun burning your skin...anyway I'm not the best to say anything about colors. I liked the soundtrack. And of course the director's way of visualizing madness. So to finish this...

Verdict: one of the best sci-fi for 2007 (is another one out there?)

4/5

Cool Links:

SunshineDNA
imdb link
official actually leads back to SunshineDNA LOL
and wiki


P.S. the second part is violent and completely lunatic. There are lot of cliche but you really gonna love them in this movie. As a friend pointed out and i agree on that, it resembled the atmosphere of the ALIEN. Closed corridors, no room to run, but infinite space, and with the terror that lurks somewhere out there...you'll find it in the second part in flesh.