The Best Asian Films (that aren't just high brow)
the best asian films across genres and cultures judged generally by their effect on the author. open to interpretation, suggestion, and revision.
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- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.a film that is able to use nature as a character...incredibly.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko TsushimaFarmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.classic. a must see. by the end of the film you feel each one has become a close friend.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsMayumi TanakaKeiko YokozawaKotoe HatsuiA young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.indiana jones meets childhood spirit meets Miyazaki's great story telling...one of the most amazing rescue scenes i've seen.
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.one of the best films about the loyalty of friendship out there.
- DirectorMamoru HosodaStarsRiisa NakaTakuya IshidaMitsutaka ItakuraA high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.wow. the movements and mannerisms make one forgot they are watching an animation. more than that is the fact that this is a great film. it can be summed up in one untranslatable japanese word: "setsunai" (which in english roughly means "heartbreakingly bittersweet and nostalgic").
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko TanakaOn a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.possibly the most japanese of miyazaki's films. a solid story, conflicts of belief, and an open end.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu IrinoDuring her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.breath-taking scenes
- DirectorYôji YamadaStarsHiroyuki SanadaRie MiyazawaNenji KobayashiAs the feudal Japan era draws to a close, a widower samurai experiences difficulty balancing clan loyalties, 2 young daughters, an aged mother, and the sudden reappearance of his childhood sweetheart.my favorite samurai film next to 7 samurai...keepin it real! no seriously, it kept the portrayal of the late samurai period realistic. what the "last samurai" might have been.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiTang WeiJoan ChenDuring World War II era, a young woman, Wang Jiazhi, gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with a powerful political figure, Mr. Yee.albeit scandalous, the sexual element is vital to understanding the characters...a haunting film.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneMachiko KyôMasayuki MoriThe rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband are recalled from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai's ghost and a woodcutter.based on one of my most favorite short stories.."in the grove"...arguably one of the first post modern works before such a word existed
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsNam-mi KangJeong-nam ChoiHye-Sook GoAfter being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.chan-wook park's final installment of his revenge trilogy (which are each separate stories). a creative, stylish, sensibility-cringing, and heart-breaking take on the topic.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsTony Leung Chiu-waiZiyi ZhangFaye WongSeveral women enter a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years, after the author has lost the woman he considers his one true love.an ode to unrequited love (with an amazing cast... including none other than mr. tony leung).
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.intense and shocking. straight-up shocking.
- DirectorAng LeeStarsChow Yun-FatMichelle YeohZiyi ZhangA young Chinese warrior steals a sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation.the movie that showed the world that the west is ready to see asians on screen, thoughtfully, as well as raising the standard of the action genre to a new level. a beautiful film.
- DirectorShunji IwaiStarsMiho NakayamaEtsushi ToyokawaBunjaku HanWhen exchanging letters two women discover new things about a man they knew.aka "Love Letter." a fate-filled and nostalgic love story.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsCha Tae-hyunJun Ji-hyunIn-mun KimA young man sees a drunk, cute woman standing too close to the tracks at a metro station in Seoul and pulls her back. She ends up getting him into trouble repeatedly after that, starting on the train.ok, im sorry, i thought this was a funny and surprisingly touching film. i cant believe that hollywood remade this (why can't they leave well enough alone?)!
- DirectorFumihiko SoriStarsYôsuke KubozukaArata IuraSam LeeAs a child, the introverted Smile was being bullied by a gang of kids until the brash Peco came by and chased all of them away. Peco then takes Smile under his wing and teaches him how to play the game of ping pong. From there, a lifelong best friend relationship comes into existence between these two polar opposite kids. Fast forward a decade later, and Smile and Peco are now about to compete in a high-stakes regional ping pong tournament. While Peco has always wanted to be the best ping pong player in the world, he has never had the drive to fully devote himself to the game. Rather than finding him practicing in the high school gym, you would more often than not find Peco hustling other kids out of money at the local ping pong parlor. This is in contrast with Smile, who has the god-given talents to actually become the worlds best ping pong player but is too humble to destroy his opponents. More often than not, he allows his opponents to win points and even entire games out of sympathy for them. Now these two best friends try to deal with their own inner turmoils as they move further and further into the regional ping pong tournament. Peco has to overcome a knee injury while trying to rediscover the fun aspects of the game of Ping Pong. Meanwhile, Smile now seems to have gained the killer instinct by going through a rigorous training regiment instilled by his high school coach. As the tournament progresses, it becomes more likely that these two best friends will face off against each other in the final match.aka "Ping Pong." a little known film that might seem silly and childish at first glance but turns out to be an interesting look at what it means to be a hero.
- DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsChieko BaishôTakuya KimuraTatsuya GashûinWhen an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.for the child and romantic in all of us.
- DirectorAndrew LauAlan MakStarsAndy LauTony Leung Chiu-waiAnthony Chau-Sang WongA story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.the REAL "Departed."
- DirectorPrachya PinkaewStarsTony JaaPhetthai VongkumlaoPumwaree YodkamolWhen the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.i thought i saw all that i could from martial arts films...until i saw this.
- DirectorYôji YamadaStarsTakuya KimuraRei DanMitsugorô BandôA look at the relationship between a young blind samurai (Kimura) and his wife, who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband's honor.another beautiful, subtle, samurai film from yoji yamada of "twilight samurai" film about the a man who is tragically blinded and must protect the honor of his wife.
- DirectorGordon ChanStarsJet LiShinobu NakayamaSiu-Ho ChinIn 1937, a Chinese martial artist returns to Shanghai to find his teacher dead and his school harassed by the Japanese.hands down the best hand to hand martial arts film (choreographed by yuen wo-ping of matrix fame). note: DO NOT get the english dubbed version.
- DirectorPen-Ek RatanaruangStarsTadanobu AsanoSinitta BoonyasakTakashi MiikeA suicidal, obsessively compulsive Japanese librarian is forced to lie low in Thailand with a pot-smoking woman coping with the recent loss of her sister.a quirky and attractive film
- DirectorJohnnie ToStarsNick CheungAnthony Chau-Sang WongFrancis NgA friendship is formed between an ex-gangster, and two groups of hitmen - those who want to protect him and those who were sent to kill him.a shanghai triad western. i know it sounds like a contradiction but it works.
- DirectorShinobu YaguchiStarsMasanobu AndôHikari IshidaChikara IshikuraA bullied employee has a run-in with yakuza, a shy nurse, and a stuffed suitcase. So begins his new life of excitement and adventure with the nurse.a little known sweet and funny caper.