Asian Cinema Thread

I find the Korean movies the best asian movies at least a few years ago. But maybe its just me lol xD Continue to share your experience, I like to hear other people talking about asian cinema, I want to find more and watch some good stuff.
 
I have too many to list. I'll try to remember to take photos when I get home though, if my internet isn't still broken :(.

I saw the devil was mentioned earlier, gotta add my recommendation to that and suggest checking out cold fish if you liked it.

If you've not seen crows zero (live action manga adaptation by takashi miike) the us blu-ray is actually region free but there's no English sub of crows zero 2 & only a UK DVD release.
 
bakum4tsu said:
I find the Korean movies the best asian movies at least a few years ago. But maybe its just me lol xD Continue to share your experience, I like to hear other people talking about asian cinema, I want to find more and watch some good stuff.

Yeah I'd agree, and if you'd like any recommendations, just check my photos lol, barring Beat and Mother they're all recommended.
 
It's been a few years since I've seen it, but I thought that Kim Jee-woon's earlier film A Bittersweet Life was even better than I Saw the Devil. It's a violent Korean neo-noir gangster film with Lee Byung-hun (who would later be one of the stars of I Saw the Devil) playing a high ranking enforcer who doesn't go along with his boss' orders.


Hard to find cheap nowadays though.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It is a great film. I have a rather nice Korean "coffee book" edition blu ray. It's definitely in my top 10 Korean movies. Maybe pushing for top 5.
 
Lots of interesting answers and lots I want to check out so thanks to everyone who responded.

It's quite interesting that prior to this thread my concept of Asian cinema was primarily historical and samurai films but that is clearly only a very small subsection.
 
My kind of thread. I love cinema!

Adding Chungking Express to my watch-list, ta.

My favorite Asian film has to be Welcome to Dongmakgol, closely followed by Throne Of Blood & Lady Vengeance.
Ichi The Killer, Oldboy & Audition will also always hold a special place in my heart as they were the first three non-western and Asian films I watched, each blew my mind in unique ways I'll never forget.

Other favorites include:

- Pigs & Battleships
- My Sassy Girl
- Happiness Of The Katakuri's
- RAN
- Late Spring
- Story Of The Last Chrysanthemums
- Tokyo Story
- Burmese Harp
- Ugetsu Monogatari
- Lady Snowblood
- The Host
- 3-Iron
- I'm a Cyborg but that's Okay
- Tokyo Gore Police
- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

(I have lots of favorites, always so hard to pick!)


Photos of my Asain film collection bunched together: (Not pictured are Yatterman, Ballad Of Narayama, Blind Womans Curse & Silmido) (EDIT: Just noticed I accidentally left non- Asian film Salo among the collection images, I'm sorry if that bought back any painful memories for any unlucky sods who's also sat through it)

-

6PZsSj.jpg

SPXMwe.jpg

2PZtk2.jpg

MPB71I.jpg

oMs1MN.jpg


Yami said:
Arrow Video announced a beautiful Battles Without Honor and Humanity box set earlier, for a November release. They're amazing.

hnngg, ordered that as soon as they announced it. Super excited.
 
Dannielle said:
Photos of my Asain film collection bunched together: (Not pictured are Yatterman, Ballad Of Narayama, Blind Womans Curse & Silmido) (EDIT: Just noticed I accidentally left non- Asian film Salo among the collection images, I'm sorry if that bought back any painful memories for any unlucky sods who's also sat through it)

Don't listen! Salo is the perfect film to give as a gift for all occasions. Particularly good for Secret Santas. :p

Fantastic collection, Dannielle!

Mizoguchi might actually be my favourite of the three big Japanese directors. His films are just so perfect - though some (Last Chrysanthemums, Ugetsu, Sansho, Life of Oharu, Street of Shame, Crucified Lovers, Straits of Love and Hate...I could probably name even more) are more perfect than others. I have a feeling that I might love Naruse even more if I saw more of his films.
 
I've been attempting to upgrade what I can to Blu but It's been a priority on the back burner for a while. This thread has put me in the position to one again actively search for imports with subs. Thanks msgeek :thumb:

Yami said:
Dannielle said:
Photos of my Asain film collection bunched together: (Not pictured are Yatterman, Ballad Of Narayama, Blind Womans Curse & Silmido) (EDIT: Just noticed I accidentally left non- Asian film Salo among the collection images, I'm sorry if that bought back any painful memories for any unlucky sods who's also sat through it)

Don't listen! Salo is the perfect film to give as a gift for all occasions. Particularly good for Secret Santas. :p

Fantastic collection, Dannielle!

Mizoguchi might actually be my favourite of the three big Japanese directors. His films are just so perfect - though some (Last Chrysanthemums, Ugetsu, Sansho, Life of Oharu, Street of Shame, Crucified Lovers, Straits of Love and Hate...I could probably name even more) are more perfect than others. I have a feeling that I might love Naruse even more if I saw more of his films.

The poor souls who's interest is now peaked...

Thanks Yami! :)

Mizoguchi is just great, when I first started watching his works I was not only impressed with how much I enjoyed the films but how he wrote females, especially in Sisters of the Gion. I'm no feminist (but like any sane person I'm all for equal rights) but you can feel a sense of empowerment (which, before my viewing I didn't think happened in older cinema), it's grand.

I've never seen a Naruse film. The BFI set went OOP before I got round to buying. Gutted to this day. I've been tempted to import the Criterion version of When a Woman Ascends the Stairs but I'm holding out, hoping Eureka pick his films up for their Masters Of Cinema series and give me a tasty art box.
 
Welcome to Dongmakgol is great, it's one of the ones I more regularly re-watch.

I've seen quite a few of the films mentioned but it seems there are an awful lot I should maybe be looking into.
 
A lot of Naruse's films are available with fansubs - not ideal, obviously, but it'll do for now. There was a Masters of Cinema set but that too is, sadly, OOP now. MoC are releasing a couple of great Asian films soon though - Cruel Story of Youth and Dragon Inn. Doubt I'll be able to afford them for a while thanks to paying for Arrow's Yoshida, Rivette and Battles Without Honor and Humanity sets though :p

EDIT: Naruse's Floating Clouds is on Film 4 at 12:50 tonight!!
 
Just finished "Love Exposure" - Yami's recommendation. One heck of a ride. It manages to evoke a greater range of emotion in a single film than perhaps any other I can think of (and it is notoriously difficult to evoke any kind of emotion in me). I would add not to judge it by the trailer there is a lot more to this film than is implied in that.

I'll definitely (for what it's worth) add my voice to it as a recommendation.
 
I'm glad you liked it!

Quite how Sion Sono managed to put so many things into a film and still make it work (and work so well!) still astounds me. I haven't seen another film from him that I'd put on the same level but I've yet to see Tokyo Tribe - "the world's first battle rap musical"...
 
Smeelia said:
Welcome to Dongmakgol is great, it's one of the ones I more regularly re-watch.

I've seen quite a few of the films mentioned but it seems there are an awful lot I should maybe be looking into.

Great to find someone else who's seen (& enjoys) the film, Dongmakgol is (IMO) heavily under watched.

Yami said:
A lot of Naruse's films are available with fansubs - not ideal, obviously, but it'll do for now. There was a Masters of Cinema set but that too is, sadly, OOP now. MoC are releasing a couple of great Asian films soon though - Cruel Story of Youth and Dragon Inn. Doubt I'll be able to afford them for a while thanks to paying for Arrow's Yoshida, Rivette and Battles Without Honor and Humanity sets though :p

EDIT: Naruse's Floating Clouds is on Film 4 at 12:50 tonight!!

Funny that, I have those ordered too .. great minds and all that jazz. Honor's the only one that's been pre-paid but I too, very much want Cruel & Inn.

I was at work during that showing but I don't actually have my TV plugged in to watch broadcast television, thinking about it I'm not even sure how I could do it? :p Much appreciated though!

bakum4tsu said:
Great collection Dannielle!! Actually, this thread has made me starting searching for more titles and adding to wishlit lol

Thanks! Nice to see your face around here again, I did wonder where you'd got off too :)

If you do watch some of the titles mentioned in this thread, I'd love to see your thoughts & that goes for everyone here. We have that movie rating thread that could do with some love. Gonna start posting in there again myself.

Do we have a film thread? Just a general chat one? That'd be interesting as It appears we have some film fans here so topics could be fab.
 
Dannielle said:
Do we have a film thread? Just a general chat one? That'd be interesting as It appears we have some film fans here so topics could be fab.

I had wondered if there would be any interest in a thread like this for other genre's / category's... Asian Cinema seemed like a good thread to have as it has some relation to this boards main topic...

For what it's worth I've organized the majority of my BD's into the following categories;
Space (no aliens)
Space (alien monsters)
Space (anthropomorphic aliens)
Aliens invade (or visit) Earth
Drugs and Gangsters
War
Vampires and Demons
Robots and AI's
Superhero's and Super Powers
Generic Action
Historical and Mythological
Fantasy and Adventure
Dark futures and post apocalypse
Monsters
Comedy
Zombies
Generic Horror
Spies and Espionage

So if there are people about who have a particular interest in one or more of those areas I'd certainly be interested in discussing them and hearing recommendations etc
 
Dannielle said:
bakum4tsu said:
Great collection Dannielle!! Actually, this thread has made me starting searching for more titles and adding to wishlit lol

Thanks! Nice to see your face around here again, I did wonder where you'd got off too :)

If you do watch some of the titles mentioned in this thread, I'd love to see your thoughts & that goes for everyone here. We have that movie rating thread that could do with some love. Gonna start posting in there again myself.

Do we have a film thread? Just a general chat one? That'd be interesting as It appears we have some film fans here so topics could be fab.

Thanks! I've been a bit away but visiting the forum everytime I can.

About the movies, I think I've posted my list in the beggining. I havent seen that many Asian movies but I do like to watch from time to time. Actually, I'm not a big movie fan overall, I like to watch but I don't watch that many, lets say, just the ones that really make me hyped about them. lol

I will post my list again for you and what I've said at the time too.

Azumi 1 + 2
Battle Royale 1 + 2
Bichunmoo - The Warrior
Blood - The Last Vampire (2009)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Curse of the Golden Flower
Death Note 1 + 2
Fearless
Gantz + Gantz: The Perfect Answer
Ichi (2008)
Internal Affairs 1 + 2 + 3
Memoirs of a Geisha
Old Boy
Ong Bak
The House of the Flying Daggers
The Host
The Last Samurai

I've also seen Zatoichi which it was cool but I don't own it along with the first Rurouni Kenshin movie and Nana. I still wanna check out Beck and Detroit Metal City live actions. Just cause I've enjoyed the anime a lot.

Anyway, for some reason, there are time where I feel I should buy a few more asian movies but then its falls into pieces. Its a very weird situation, I like to watch some asian cinema but I never end up doing it.
 
I tend to sort my collection by director, which gives me a slight headache with some box sets that I've decided to separate into a 'various' category (I'm looking at you, Alien Anthology).
 
bakum4tsu said:
Thanks! I've been a bit away but visiting the forum everytime I can.

About the movies, I think I've posted my list in the beggining. I havent seen that many Asian movies but I do like to watch from time to time. Actually, I'm not a big movie fan overall, I like to watch but I don't watch that many, lets say, just the ones that really make me hyped about them. lol

I will post my list again for you and what I've said at the time too.

Azumi 1 + 2
Battle Royale 1 + 2
Bichunmoo - The Warrior
Blood - The Last Vampire (2009)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Curse of the Golden Flower
Death Note 1 + 2
Fearless
Gantz + Gantz: The Perfect Answer
Ichi (2008)
Internal Affairs 1 + 2 + 3
Memoirs of a Geisha
Old Boy
Ong Bak
The House of the Flying Daggers
The Host
The Last Samurai

I've also seen Zatoichi which it was cool but I don't own it along with the first Rurouni Kenshin movie and Nana. I still wanna check out Beck and Detroit Metal City live actions. Just cause I've enjoyed the anime a lot.

Anyway, for some reason, there are time where I feel I should buy a few more asian movies but then its falls into pieces. Its a very weird situation, I like to watch some asian cinema but I never end up doing it.

:)

Internal Affairs! How did I forget that, great film. The third one is worth a watch then? Only seen the first & second.

Bichunmoo - The Warrior & Azumi added to my never ending list.

Gantz..I never finished the Anime nor have I read the Manga, alright films to go into blind?



msgeek said:
Dannielle said:
Do we have a film thread? Just a general chat one? That'd be interesting as It appears we have some film fans here so topics could be fab.

I had wondered if there would be any interest in a thread like this for other genre's / category's... Asian Cinema seemed like a good thread to have as it has some relation to this boards main topic...

For what it's worth I've organized the majority of my BD's into the following categories;
Space (no aliens)
Space (alien monsters)
Space (anthropomorphic aliens)
Aliens invade (or visit) Earth
Drugs and Gangsters
War
Vampires and Demons
Robots and AI's
Superhero's and Super Powers
Generic Action
Historical and Mythological
Fantasy and Adventure
Dark futures and post apocalypse
Monsters
Comedy
Zombies
Generic Horror
Spies and Espionage

So if there are people about who have a particular interest in one or more of those areas I'd certainly be interested in discussing them and hearing recommendations etc

Same! Maybe we could make a thread that's purely about cinema OR turn this one into a mass cinema thread. Just an idea as I'd love to discuss cinema more with people as I don't have an online outlet for just that and the opinions of others is always interesting.

Yami said:
I tend to sort my collection by director, which gives me a slight headache with some box sets that I've decided to separate into a 'various' category (I'm looking at you, Alien Anthology).

That does sound headache inducing, couldn't imagine doing that..the various categories sounds much simpler :3

I sort mine by company/film type/alphabetically & separate BD/DVD

Do any posters here have a http://letterboxd.com/ account?
 
Back
Top