Asian Movies

Matthias · **on:** January 12, 2009, 08:31:05 PM

As I was talking with edyork at the 'Hong Kong 16/17' Thread about 'Red Cliff' I thought it may be a good idea to open a Topic where we can put all the asian movies which we like, want to see or suck

Have to say at first that I haven't seen all the films I want to see but I do my best.

Among the asian directors I really like are Zhang Yimou, Takeshi Kitano, John Woo, Tsui Hark, Park Chan-wook, Prachya Pinkaew and propably a lot more who I forgot to mention.
Let's start with Takeshi Kitano (and let's not start with Takeshis Castle, which rocks btw), among his movies Brother is the one I think is underrated the most, don't know why but imho it didn't get the attention it deserved cause it's a really good movie, story and actor wise, so if you are interested in Yakuza-Movies and haven't seen this one, do it, YES YOU CAN

What movies do you like the most and think are worth a look at?

denx · **Reply #1 on:** January 12, 2009, 09:36:16 PM

red cliff movies are based on romance of 3 kongdoms history (chinese ancient history), if u read through all the history, u should enjoy the movie very much. and also top asian actors such as tony leung, takeshi kaneshiro, vicky zhao also in this movie

Skooter · **Reply #2 on:** January 13, 2009, 10:11:07 AM

Movies I liked:
Every single Wong Kar-Wai movie (haven't seen My Blueberry Nights yet though)
Bin-Jip, Old Boy, Nobody Knows

Movies I didn't like:
Ichi the Killer :<

Kayero · **Reply #3 on:** January 13, 2009, 12:44:31 PM

I'm a huge fan of asian movies.
My favourites are Kikujiro, Infernal Affairs I, Joint Security Area, Strange Circus, Samaria, Audition, Hard Boiled, Sound of Colours... oh the list is getting too long. xD
Hmm... I'm a fan of Takeshi Kitano but I haven't seen Brother yet. Maybe I should buy this one soon.

@ Skooter
I really can understand people who dislikes Ichi even if I liked it very much. ^_^

Matthias · **Reply #4 on:** January 13, 2009, 01:09:57 PM

@denxdenx: I know a bit about the story of the movie, but not into details.

@Skooter: Yeah, Oldboy is great, and haven't seen Ichi yet, have only seen two Miike-movies till now: Agitator and Sukiyaki Western: Django

@Kayero: Infernal Affairs rules

And as I said, if you like Yakuza-movies give Brother a try.

mC · **Reply #5 on:** January 13, 2009, 06:01:24 PM

I quite like asian films. Last one I saw was IP Man. The cinema in my city decided that they would start playing a different asian film every now and then...it is the busiest I have ever seen a cinema...

Envenom · **Reply #6 on:** January 13, 2009, 06:08:15 PM

I like Godzilla, does that count?

edyork · **Reply #7 on:** January 13, 2009, 06:16:25 PM

woah!
i LOVE infernal affairs too! but have not got time to watch the 3rd one (online lol)
i like how they twist the story around.. and andy lau is still looking good hahaha
btw i dont really know who you guys are talking about (directors etc) except the usual ones cos i know them by their chinese name lol... got to go check them up!

@ mC : i was supposed to catch it with my friend but ended up getting cancelled! was it nice?? most of my friends' rating of that was good....

p/s i especially love hong kong movies! cos i have a thing for cantonese haha anyway most famous asian movies are HK ones..

Matthias · **Reply #8 on:** January 13, 2009, 07:33:24 PM

I still haven't seen the 2nd one, but it's floating around on DVD somewhere at my place

A movie which really surprised me was Arahan (아라한 장풍 대작전), haven't heard anything about it and just bought it on DVD cause the Cover and the synopsis looked entertaining and funny (and a bit silly, but who cares lol)

When a thief driving a motorcycle steals a purse of a pedestrian, the clumsy, naive and honest rookie policeman Sang-hwan runs after him, but the skilled specialist in martial arts Eui-jin captures the criminal and Sang-hwan is severely injured. She brings Sang-hwan to her home, where the six Masters of Tao heal him and believe that he has a powerful Qi, the spiritual energy of the universe, and could be a powerful warrior. Sang-hwan begins his training to ascend to a Maruchi, while the evil and ambitious Heuk-woon is accidentally released from his imprisonment. The powerful Heuk-woon attacks the masters, searching a key that they protect, which would permit him to become an Arahan and dominate the world. When the masters are defeated, Sang-hwan and Eui-jin are the only and last hope to mankind.

Kayero · **Reply #9 on:** January 14, 2009, 10:32:26 AM

Arahan rocks! ^_^
I've seen it 4 times and it's still damn cool.

Hey, does anyone know when Red Cliff will be released in the UK?

mC · **Reply #10 on:** January 21, 2009, 02:53:42 AM

Quote from: edyork on January 13, 2009, 06:16:25 PM

@ mC : i was supposed to catch it with my friend but ended up getting cancelled! was it nice?? most of my friends' rating of that was good....

Yes, it was very good. Considering I had no idea about Japan's occupation of China (don't ask

), I found it quite hard hitting. It was a real good watch, with quite a few funny moments at the start. Also, the martial arts were amazing!

TG · **Reply #11 on:** January 24, 2009, 04:05:26 PM

Anything that consists of 90's Stephen Chow at his peak or anything similar to Mr Vampire are particular favourites of mine.

Matthias · **Reply #12 on:** January 24, 2009, 04:24:19 PM

Stephen Chow is great, although I only knew his newer movies, but really have to check out his old stuff.

Here the trailer for Goemon, the new movie of Kazuaki Kiriya (directed Casshern), enjoy ;-)

Kim Kyung Ho · **Reply #13 on:** January 25, 2009, 01:22:23 AM

Quote from: Matthias on January 24, 2009, 04:24:19 PM

Stephen Chow is great, although I only knew his newer movies, but really have to check out his old stuff.

Here the trailer for Goemon, the new movie of Kazuaki Kiriya (directed Casshern), enjoy ;-)

Alot of Stephen Chow's earlier films are very good, but unless you have a fluent command of Cantonese, alot of the humour will be lost on you; there is alot of wordplay. Relying completely on the slapstick element's of mo lei tau, can sometimes be a bit of a drain.

The best film's pre-shaolin soccer that are probably still funny to a non-speaker are; King of Comedy, Forbidden City Cop, and King of Beggars.

The Chinese Odyssey franchise is very good, but the translation is so horrendously butchered in English, it makes people think "where is the critical acclaim in this bunch of rubbish?".

TG · **Reply #14 on:** January 25, 2009, 12:50:04 PM

Agreed, Since I am fluent in Cantonese I understand a lot of the jokes and I think that's what makes his earlier stuff so appealing to me. Agreed with Kim Kyung Ho, all those Stephen Chow films are great. I recommend the God of gamblers stuff with him in or "From Beijing With Love" which is a spoof of James Bond.

ferret · **Reply #15 on:** February 28, 2009, 04:05:01 AM

Quote from: TG on January 24, 2009, 04:05:26 PM

Anything that consists of 90's Stephen Chow at his peak or anything similar to Mr Vampire are particular favourites of mine.

I saw Mr. Vampire 2 just for Yuen Biao and Lam Ching Ying.

I mostly watch HK cinema. Lately I grew fond of Shaw Brother movies with David Chiang and Ti Lung (they started to sell the DVDs in German

), but I wouldn't even know where to start recommending.

This is the one of the best movies I've ever seen, it's called The Twilight Samurai

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME2d1JXt10A[/youtube]

Hiroyuki Sanada is just too fucking amazing.

Valentine · **Reply #16 on:** March 04, 2009, 07:20:15 PM

I don't have anything contributing to say, just that I found all your posts very intriguing and will try to see those movies as soon as possible, a lot of them really unknown to me.

Kim Kyung Ho · **Reply #17 on:** March 11, 2009, 01:33:16 AM

Quote from: Matthias on January 12, 2009, 08:31:05 PM

among his movies Brother is the one I think is underrated the most, don't know why but imho it didn't get the attention it deserved cause it's a really good movie, story and actor wise

I think the reasons were that critics had been looking for another Hana-Bi, and it simply wasn't. However I very much doubt that Takeshi was aiming for that. I can't say myself that Brother was a bad film, because it simply wasn't; it was by far his weakest film though in my opinion. That is only though if you draw comparison to his past directoral achievements. On it's own merit, it decent enough to be a standalone gangster film without the Takeshi-Tag. It's drawback however is it's not abstract enough to appeal to the average art film consumer like most of Kitano's fans tend to expect. He came back to that audience with avengence though in "Takeshis" lol.

Going back to Cantonese films, I'd recommend Chow Yun Fat in "An Autumn Tale". One of them lovely sweet romances that standout in the thousands of 80's Hong Kong films. Chow's ability to make any of his characters so likeable definately backs up why he is one of the most popular actors in Asia.

mC · **Reply #18 on:** May 01, 2009, 03:53:56 AM

Just watched Jay Chou's "Secret" last night. Thought it was an awesome movie, with a good twist and beautiful music. Has anyone else seen it?

holly.x · **Reply #19 on:** May 24, 2009, 06:10:07 PM

the best and most hilarious movies of Stephen Chow were from his earlier days although I do like Kung Fu Hustle as well. I just watched Jackie Chan's "Policy Story 2" and surprisingly was very good although I never was his fan.

BTW, the best foreign movie from the Oscars this year "The Departures" was a very very good movie. worth a watch really as I strongly recommend.

shane140 · **Reply #20 on:** August 12, 2009, 02:26:44 PM

i like most jackie chan movies and recently watched battle royale which was awesome but number 2 wasn't that good

lucy_bkk · **Reply #21 on:** August 13, 2009, 11:31:31 AM

I watch Japan TV series or movies ...

BloodofBathory · **Reply #22 on:** August 29, 2009, 05:28:46 AM

Quote from: mC on May 01, 2009, 03:53:56 AM

Just watched Jay Chou's "Secret" last night. Thought it was an awesome movie, with a good twist and beautiful music. Has anyone else seen it?

I've seen it. It didn't have subtitles though, but I still really like it. Very interesting.

I usually like Asian Horror. My favorite director is Takashi Miike, everytime I see his name I grab the movie and scream "It's mine!" LOL.
I also like Jay Chou movies. (KungFu Dunk

)
I buy movies at this place in Chinatown where almost nothing is in english, so I'll usually just look at the cover and if it looks interesting I'll buy it. It's usually actors rather than directors that I look for...it's easier that way *snicker*
Like Takashi Kaneshiro, or Nicholas Tse.
I really liked an asian horror called "The haunted School" it was quite creepy. When I want comedy I'll look for Stephan Chow or Tak Sakaguchi. I actually like to watch Tak movies for the comedy aspects. He's the only one I'll order off the internet for. Anyone ever see "Battlefield Baseball"? It's so stupid you'll love it.
Sometimes I look for romance but I have a curse when it comes to romantic movies...I ALWAYS buy movies with really sad endings. One is called "The Romantic Fool" Another is called "Happy Birthday" and they both made me cry! LOL I can't stand it but I'm always watching them!
Casshern is another movie that I like despite how fast it goes...I honestly think it should have been two parts or at least another 45 minutes longer. I'm looking forward to Goemon.
A movie I'm really looking for is called 'Virgin Snow' I really want to see it...has anyone else?

ben · **Reply #23 on:** October 28, 2009, 04:05:20 AM

I am a big fan of Asian cinema. Grew up watching Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and got a growing DVD/VCD collection.

Anyway, I enjoy mainly Chinese cinema.. alot of the old Shaw Brothers martial arts/drama films, and also 80's/early-mid 90's Hong Kong cinema, all the triad/action films.. doesn't matter how many times the stories have been overdone, I'm always on the lookout for more. Other actors I enjoy apart from the aforementioned are Ti Lung, Chen Kuan Tai, Leung Kar Yan, Yuen Biao, Chow Yun Fat, Anthony Wong, Simon Yam etc..

Silvia · **Reply #24 on:** July 26, 2010, 04:54:02 PM

Mmm I like asian movies but I haven't watched almost any of the commented lol I don't like horror and martial arts movies at all.

I like drama and romance&comedy so I usually enjoy korean movies the most. I like innocent and sad movies. My favourite director is maybe Kwak Jae-Young, from My Sassy Girl, The Classic, Cyborg girl, etc I try to watch all his movies, and the ones from the actor Cha Tae-Hyun

From china I like "Basic Love" a remake from a thai movie I still have to watch, "Summer's Tail", "Eternal Summer"...

From japan I like "Nobody Knows", "Heavenly Forest", "Blue Spring"...

Kasumi · **Reply #25 on:** June 13, 2018, 11:35:33 AM

A few years ago I've been watching some J-Dramas and also some asian movies.

I did not watch a bazillion movies (don't have that much time ^^) but this was my favorite: 1778 Stories of Me and My Wife
It's based on a true story, but let me warn you... this movie is just increadibly sad and there is nothing like a happy end in sight. nb would probably hate it. But if you like sad melancholic love stories and movies without a lot of action: here you are. Watch this movie. You'll find what you're searching for. It's just f***ing sad, okay? ^^°

Apart from sad love stories I quite liked the Shunji Iwai Movie "Picnic". It's well... if you've ever heard of Shunji Iwai you probably know what to expect. The film is not about love, but about some mental ill patients who went to have a picnic. It is seriously weird and does not have much action, too. But some great acting. ^^° Afterwards I watched his next movie "Swallowtail Butterfly", but I somehow did not understand much of what was going on. If someone could explain that movie to me I'd be very grateful.

nb · **Reply #26 on:** June 14, 2018, 07:03:13 AM

Quote from: Kasumi on June 13, 2018, 11:35:33 AM

nb would probably hate it.

I'm sure I would.

What was the name of the series we watched recently with the parents that dont love their daughter? It was heartbreaking

Quote from: Kasumi on June 13, 2018, 11:35:33 AM

Afterwards I watched his next movie "Swallowtail Butterfly", but I somehow did not understand much of what was going on. If someone could explain that movie to me I'd be very grateful.

Sadly idk :-(

I think Hentai Kamen 変態仮面 and Boku Dake ga Inai Machi 僕だけがいない街 are great movies.

Kasumi · **Reply #27 on:** June 14, 2018, 07:05:15 AM

Quote from: nb on June 14, 2018, 07:03:13 AM

Quote from: Kasumi on June 13, 2018, 11:35:33 AM
nb would probably hate it.

I'm sure I would.

What was the name of the series we watched recently with the parents that dont love their daughter? It was heartbreaking

Boku to kanojo to kanojo no ikiru michi

Asian Movies

shane140

ben