A List of Asian movies I own
Submitted by thedciple on Tue, 12/27/2005 - 08:38
Tags:
- 20 30 40
- 2046
- 2LDK
- 3-Iron
- 9 Souls
- All About Lily Chou-Chou
- Appleseed
- April Story
- Aragami
- Arahan
- As Tears Go By
- Attack the Gas Station
- A Gentle Breeze in the Village (Tennen kokekko)
- Attack the Pin-up Boys
- Away With Words
- A World Without Thieves
- Azumi
- Azumi 2
- Battlefield Baseball
- Battle Royale (This is at the top of my favourite movies ever list. A must see for everyone in my opinion)
- Battle Royale II: Requiem (Doesn’t live up to the first ones originality, but nonetheless entertaining and some good action. A little to influenced by Saving Private Ryan et al for my liking. But still a decent movie.)
- The Big Boss
- A Bittersweet Life
- Bizarre Love Triangle
- Blood and Bones
- The Bodyguard (When buying this movie you should really know what you are in for... It's Petchtai Wongkamlao for gods sake! He is a great comedian. It is a little misleading having 'The return of Tony Jaa' on the front. But to be honest ignore that. Do not see this movie for the sole purpose of Tony Jaa, he is in it for about a minute, but it is quite a good minute. I did enjoy the action in this movie, but mainly bought it for the light-hearted humour. And I wasn't dissapointed, it had typical Thai humour [I cannot define Thai humour exactly, but I know what it is when I see it]. This is not a serious film and do not see it expecting the likes of Ong-Bak. The sub-titles are a little patchy, but then again they never read as what exactly is being said. The fight scene near the end where Wong Kom takes on a few men is good, a bit cheesy, but very funny. Petchtai Wongkamlao has made a solid movie that is entertaining. The action sequences are good, it has a great sense of humour and a nice selection of Thailand’s actors. Do not compare this to Ong Bak, because they are in no way meant to be the same kind of film. I am not saying rush out and buy it, it will not be to everyone’s taste. But if you pass it by at a bargain price or feel in the mood for something a little light-hearted, then i recommend it. I am glad I added this to my collection)
- Boiling Point
- Born To Fight
- Breaking News
- Brother ([Takeshi Kitano in America?? Are you sure?!] They were my first thoughts when I picked up this film. But after a few times of viewing it, I have to say the transition to America produces a very entertaining film. Most hardcore Kitano fans will most likely disagree with me. But this film manages to keep the traditions of Japanese gangster films, but also translate these to an American setting and situations. Omar Epps puts in a good performance, and the usual cast including the great Ren Osugi make this a film worth watching. Not one of the strongest films I have ever seen, but its very 'cool' and one i enjoy.)
- Brotherhood [taegukgi]
- Bullet in the Head
- Cafe Lumiere (This movie has been presented as a modern day tribute to Yasujiro Ozu. One of Japans greatest film-makers. Now, i have to confess that I have seen only one of Ozu's films, so I cannot comment on this movie from that perspective. What I can say is that the cast of Yo Hitoto and Tadanobu Asano do a great job in this movie. It has been described by a few poeple as being too slow-paced. But I totally disagree with that, and I think the pace is carried out beautifully. The storlyine on paper seems like it would suite a movie 20 minutes long. Girl comes home to parents, goes about her day, shes 3 months pregnant, goes about her day....etc... But the film is done superbly. In my mind this is along the same lines cinematically as Last Life in the Universe and Chungking Express to a certain point. It is visually pleasant, easy-going, beautiful and just floats by as you watch. Definatly one to check out if you enjoy the slower-pace and beauty that comes about in some really brillaint movies every now and again.)
- Casshern
- Castle in the Sky
- Champion
- Cha No Aji - Taste of Tea
- Chaos
- Chinese Odyssey 2002 (As one of Tony Leung’s biggest fans, I bought this movie mainly because of him. And I’m glad I did, I was treated to a spectacular blend of comedy in a period drama setting. From the odd crossing over of genders to Tony Leung’s gloating cocky comedy style, this film is brilliant. Great cast, good storyline, very funny and overall great to watch. I highly recommend this movie.)
- Chungking Express (This is a magical movie. An absolutely brilliant soundtrack. And amazing performances from Tony Leung and Faye Wong. Spectacular settings and camerawork and a great storyline to boot. Definatly a must-see. Wong Kai War is an exceptionally talented man.)
- The City of Lost Souls
- City on Fire
- Conduct Zero
- Cop on a Mission
- Cromartie High - The Movie
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Crying Fist
- Crying Out Love in the Centre of the World
- Cursed
- Dangan Runner
- Dark Water
- Dead or Alive
- Dead or Alive 2 :Birds
- Dead or Alive: Final
- Death Trance
- Distance
- Dolls (I put-off buying this movie for quite a while. For about 4 months actually from first seeing it sat on a shelf. When I first picked it up i saw that Takeshi Kitano had written and directed it, and instantly put it in my hand to buy. But as i wandered round I became slightly unsure of it, and for once was surprised at my indecisiveness to buy a Kitano movie. So I never did. A few months have passed and I have just watched it a last night. And my god I wish I had purchased it back then. Initially it was the fact that I am used to only three main sides of Takeshi Kitano: The Yakuza side he plays so well, The 'beat' Takeshi we all know and love as a great comedian and the pleasant loving Kitano I picked up on in films such as Kikujiro and Hana-Bi. I did not feel myself ready to try to experience what I thought was a tragic movie about death by Kitano. But it was wonderful. Yes it could be seen as tragic, and yes it made me cry. But it was a wonderfully beautiful and mesmerising journey getting there. With intriguing characters, superb performances from all involved [especially Miho Kanno and Hidetoshi Nishijima, who were exceptionally superb] great settings and a soundtrack which could not be any better from the one and only Joe Hisaishi! This is a visually impressive, touching, and in an odd way joyful journey. I know I say that a lot of movies are my favourites. And that means they cannot all be. But this is one I am again going to class as that. Absolutly wonderful. Well done Kitano, I shall never doubt him again!)
- Drunken Master
- Dr Wai in the Scriptures with no Words
- Election Vol.1
- Election Vol.2
- Electric Dragon 80,000V
- Eli, Eli, Lema Sabatchani?
- Exiled
- The Eye
- Fantastipo
- Fist of Fury
- Fist Of Legend
- Freezer
- Fried Dragon Fish
- Fudoh: The New Generation
- Full Alert
- Full Metal Yakuza
- Fulltime Killer
- Gen-X-Cops II Metal Mayhem
- Getting Any? (Takeshi Kitano proving that he has not forgotten his 'Beat' era origins. Very funny, if not a little over the top and strange. But one of the greatest comedy films ever made.. In fact I would go as far as to say that this is my number one COMEDY film. The basis of the story is pretty simple, a guy trying to get laid gets into a whole load of bother. Is it really this hard to get laid? Takeshi Kitano is versatile and has not forgotten his comedic origins, and to make a film like this proves that.)
- Gohatto (Very touching and emotional film. Brilliant)
- GoJoe
- Gorgeous (All I can say is Tony Leung playing an extremely camp character is a must-see, proving he is a diverse actor. Oh and Jackie Chan is as good as always)
- Gozu (The last scene will most likely shock, but a great movie)
- The Great Yokai War
- Green Mind, Metal Bats
- The Group
- Grudge:Ju-On (In my opinion this is a much stronger and more tense movie than the Ring.)
- Hana-bi (Takeshi Kitano hardly speaks a word for the first half of the movie, and for the second says very little. But yet he conveys the feelings of the character and the storyline exceptionally well. Both emotional and exciting, this is an all time classic movie.)
- Hana Yori Mo Naho
- Hanging Garden
- Happiness of the Katakuris (If you want a movie thats genre can only be described as horror/comedy/musical/thriller, then this is it. A madcap film full of zombies, death, singing and strange set-pieces. Based on the Korean film The Quiet Family [Which I have yet to see so cannot comment on], this is mental, strange and very odd, but Miike Takashi carries it off with the style that only he posseses. Brilliant and ingenious)
- Happy Times
- Happy Together
- Hard Boiled
- Hero [with Takeshi Kaneshiro and Yuen Biao]
- Hero (Ok, so here we have a movie that stars probably 4 of greatest actors around. You have Jet Li who is no novice to martial arts films. Tony Leung who is brilliant at portraying different types of character. The quite recent but great talent that is Ziyi Zhang. And to top it all off Maggie Cheung. So straight of the mark it looks like a great blend of talent. The story itself is actually quite clever. And I especially like the use of vivid colours to represent the different views of the situations. The scenery is quite spectacular and the performances are all very good. The fight scenes are very well choreographed and pretty entertaining. The one objection I have is that I do not like how too many of the fights were unbelievable. You have this present in a lot of films, e.g. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the fights in the tree tops. But I thought this film might have pushed this to the limit. But they are very pleasing to look at, and if you are a fan of House of Flying Daggers, Crouching tiger etc… Then I suggest you check this out.)
- Hiruko The Goblin
- The Host
- House of Flying Daggers
- Ichi the Killer (This comes very near the top in my favourite films ever, brutal at times, funny and the greatest character [with the best dress sense] ever to grace the big screen - Kakihara. Tadanobu Asano has got to be one of the greatest actors around at the moment.)
- Infernal Affairs (With this film staring two of my favourite actors - Andy Lau and Tony Leung. I knew I was in for a treat. And it defiantly delivered. A stylish action-packed film, that is very entertaining to watch)
- Infernal Affairs II
- Infernal Affairs III
- Initial D: Drift Racer
- In The Mood For Love (Another brilliant piece of art, from Wong Kai War. Just as good as Chungking Express and more brilliant performances and a solid storyline. Great cinematography, atmosphere and a true sense of feeling between the lead actors.)
- Into the Mirror
- Island of Fire
- Izo
- Junk
- Kagemusha
- Kamikaze Girls
- Kantoku-Banzai: Glory to the Filmmaker
- Kikujiro (In my opinion one of the most beautiful, touching and funny movies ever to be made. Takeshi Kitano at his very best. The music is spectacular and fits the movie perfectly. And the chemistry between Kitano and the boy is brilliant.)
- The Killer
- King Boxer 2
- King of Beggars
- Kung Fu Emperor
- Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow again providing us with a great comedy/action film. From dancing gangsters and fights that are very over the top, to maybe some of the strangest characters I have seen for a while. Very entertaining. I cannot wait for the sequel.)
- Lady Vengeance
- Last Life in the Universe
- The Legend
- Ley Lines
- Love Letter
- Mafia Family Yanagawa :Part 1
- Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (David Bowie, Tom Conti and Takeshi Kitano all in one movie. They come together with a brilliant result. A war movie that is not as much concerned with the specific war going on in the world, but more about the conflict, relationships and the general life of people in a concentration camp. With great performances, a good storyline and a contrast of emotional and very funny moments this is a spectacular film which I thoroughly enjoyed. [And I know it isnt exactly an Asian movie 100%, but like Memoirs of a Geisha I have included it here.])
- Memoirs of a Geisha (I have mixed feelings about this movie. From seeing it as an asian movie about the life of a Geisha, to viewing it as an Americans take on the same topic. And this changing of viewpoint does alter the movie. Overall I enjoyed it, but it was not as good as I expected it to be. There are solid performances from the cast, it has an effective setting, and the basic storyline from the book is good. But altogether the movie just didnt have an air of authenticity, and it falls short. Still one to watch mind you, and it could be considered a decent movie to start off with if you havent experienced other Japanese movies of the same style before. Just not as brillaint as was made out.)
- Memories of Murder
- Moonchild
- MPD-Psycho (Not actually a film, but a series from Miike Takashi. I thought I should add it here though because it feels like the storyline to a film. I have to be honest and say I have not yet watched all of the episodes. For the main reason that there are other movies I put ahead of this to watch. I did find the first part I watched very interesting if nothing else. It is a very strange story and at times is very confusing and I got lost a couple of times. But somehow it kept me enthralled and I continued watching it. Not something everyone should check out, it is more complicated than your basic shooting, martial arts films that some people like. Only for serious Miike fans and people maybe looking for something with a bit more to theorise and think about. Or you could watch it while drunk, it might just make more sense then…..)
- My Neighbour Totoro
- My Sassy Girl
- The Myth
- Naisu no mori: The First Contact
- Nana
- Natural City
- Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- New Fist of Fury
- Ninja Scroll
- Nobody Knows
- Nowhere to Hide
- Oldboy (A brilliant film, and one of the best to come out of Korea. A great revenge storyline with a great central character. I will have to wait to see him in more, but I think Choi min-sik, may just be a great upcoming talent.)
- Ong-Bak (Tony Jaa.......A must-see for martial arts fans, no wires, cgi, computer animated stuff or even stunt doubles.)
- Party 7 (Tadanobu Asano is the reason I bought this movie. And also for the fact that noone seems to have seen it. I was not expecting anything in particular when I put it in my dvd player. So i just sat back and watched. it is awkward to explain, and if you want a description of the storyline then I suggest you look at an official site of some kind. But I can say that from my personal view this was a great movie. The cast was brilliant, the characters vivid and presented well. With a storyline that kind of ran in the background behind the images on screen. And also this has one of the best introductory sequences i have ever laid my eyes on. A very vivid sequence using an anime style to introduce each character. I really wish more people could see this. So go out and find it! 'I am Captain Banana')
- Perfect Blue
- Phone
- Ping Pong
- Pokemon Tv Series (Well i know this is not a movie... But I had to include somewhere the fact that I own all the first 420 episodes of Pokemon, which is quite up-to-date, or it was when I bought them. If not to write a proper review of it [Everyone has their own opinions formed about Pokemon as it is so that would be pointless], then just to show more of the type of things I am into.)
- Pom Poko
- Premonition
- Princess Blade
- Princess Mononoke
- Public Enemy
- The Railway
- Rainy Dog
- Return to a Better Tomorrow
- Revenge of the Drunken Master
- Ring (I have never been a huge fan of the Ring films. I am not saying they are badly made, as I can see why some people think these are cult classics. But I always end up comparing them to The Grudge, or some other film following the same lines. They just did not shock, scare or make me jump at all [Although, I am quite desensitised to violence and don’t jump easily]. The acting is good though, and there are a lot of people who will enjoy them. My advice is go and check out number one and see what you think. The sequels pretty much follow the same format, so if you like one, you will most likely enjoy them all.)
- Ring 2
- R-Point
- Sabu
- Sad Movie
- Samurai Commando: Mission 1549
- Save the Green Planet
- Scene at the Sea
- Score
- Scrap Heaven
- Seven Swords
- Shaolin vs Evil Dead
- Shaolin Soccer (Very very funny, and great soccer sequences. Stephen Chow showing what a great comedic telent in cinema he is)
- Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl
- Shikoku
- Shinjuku Triad Society
- Shiri
- Shogun Assassin
- Sky High (Well as this is by the director who gave us the brilliant 'Versus' and 'Azumi', i was expecting an exciting and interesting film. I must make it quite clear that I was not too keen on the storyline. It was not too complicated, but it seemed to lack a little something. Having said that, it was original and well transfered to the film. But to be honest thinking about it now 'Versus' had a very strange storyline and that a great movie. It seems that Kitamura can do anything and still provide a stylish movie, even if the storyline is a little jagged round the edges. The action was good, nothing to complain about, not really near the standards of Versus and not much of a patch on Azumi, but the typical stylish Kitamura. You can definatly tell that it is aone of his films, with the great cinematography and it is a nice film to look at. It was great to see Yumiko Shaku doing something again. For some reason she has not done many films, and in my opinion she is a talented actress. If you like Kitamura's other films, then you will like this. It did not disappoint.)
- Sonatine
- Spirited Away (If you only ever see one Anime film in your life, make sure it is this! It is pure magic.)
- Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter...and Spring (With beautiful scenery and a thought-provoking storyline which is touching and very well carried out, this is also one of my favourite films.)
- Stormriders
- Story of Ricky aka Riki-Oh
- Suicide Circle
- Su ki da
- Survive Style 5 (‘What is your function?’ Wow. This movie is mental… And totally awesome. From the bird-man, to Vinnie Jones shoved in the middle, to Tadanobu Asano’s wife who is very persistent and refuses to die… Great performances from the actors. Even though Vinnie Jones isn’t the best at acting, he brings something great to this movie… Inventive storyline. Overall a great movie. I’m sure a lot of people with different tastes can find something they like about this movie.)
- Swallowtail Butterfly
- Swing Girls
- Sympathy for Mr.Vengeance
- Take Care of My Cat
- Takeshis
- A Tale of Two Sisters
- The Thundering Mantis
- Tiger on the Beat
- Time and Tide
- To Kill with Intrigue
- Tokyo Raiders (Brilliant. Funny, great action, great cast. Just please, please, please do not watch this film dubbed. Ruins the whole thing)
- Tokyo Zombie (First off I have to say the dvd I bought had no subtitles, so if you go to buy this one then check out if it does or not. I have only just started learning Japanese, and I dont actually think I needed to speak it to understand this movie. I picked up some of it, and for the other parts the visuals spoke for themselves. The main story is centered on two characters, played by Tadanobu Asano and Sho Aikawa. Both brilliant actors, with Tadanobu being my favourite actor ever. Then there are zombies thrown into the pot, some slapstick comedy and a typical story of friendship too. It was a decent movie. Good performances, very very funny at times, and even though I didnt know what they were saying, I understood it. Im very glad I picked this up.)
- The Triple Cross
- Tsui Harks Vampire Hunters
- The Twilight Samurai
- Twin Warriors
- The Uchoten Hotel
- Uzumaki
- Versus
- Violent Cop
- Visitor Q (Odd, twisted, perverse, but I really really enjoyed it. Miike Takashi showing how shocking he really can be.)
- Vital
- Volcano High
- Warrior King
- The Way of the Dragon
- Welcome to Dongmakgol
- Wild Zero
- Young and Dangerous (Well I have to say I am a little biased on these three films. As I feel that this is one of my favourite casts in a film ever. [A list will be on its way soon about my favourite casts, and also actors and actresses] There is Ekin Cheng who I happen to think is quite brilliant. Jordan Chan also has a lot of positive on-screen presence, and an exceptional performance from Anthony Wong. Putting the actors aside for a minute, these three are very entertaining films. [There are more than 3 in the series, but I have not found anywhere to get hold of the others at the moment] Although one criticism I have is whereas I found the Infernal Affairs films to all be great, these are somewhat repetitive at times. But, the great cast manages keeps them alive.)
- Young and Dangerous 2
- Young and Dangerous 3
- Young and Dangerous 4
- Young and Dangerous 5
- Young and Dangerous 6
- Young Thugs: Innocent Blood
- Young Thugs: Nostalgia
- Zatoichi [Takeshi Kitano version] (Well who would have thought that someone was going to tackle doing their own version of possibly one of the most recognised and classic Japanese characters ever. I honestly thought it was a little foolish for someone to attempt to touch such classic films.......Then I discovered it was none other than Takeshi Kitano at the helm. And all my worries were instantly pushed aside. [I must point out that I think Takeshi Kitano is the greatest director/actor/writer/producer and he is also an important role-model to me] So, what did he end up making...Well I think this is a very competent effort at a re-model of the classics [complete with new blonde hair]. Great swordplay, tender acting from Kitano, and also very humourous at times. Of course, I would end up being foolish if I said it was better then the originals, so I wont... But what I will say is, Mr.Kitano has come as close to perfection on a re-make of a film, than anyone else I can think of off the top of my head [And a lot better if you imagine what would have happened if Hollywood got their grubby hands on it!])
- Zebraman
- Zhou Yu's Train
Author Comments:
Just thought I would add my collection of great Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Thai movies. For any fans of Asian Films to check out, if you so wish.
Also if anyone wants to let me know how they feel about certain movies I may have added, or if they have watched anything after looking through the list and want to share their opinions then that would be interesting.
I WILL BUY KUROSAWA AND OZU MOVIES SOON =^_^=








I've been enjoying watching you flesh this list out. I like most of the movies on this list that I've seen, so it's been fun for me as your comments on those have gradually appeared.
Do Infernal Affairs II and II hold up to the original?
I believe Netflix has The Quiet Family if you feel like doing a compare-and-contrast with Katakuris (which I have not seen yet).
Thanks for the message. And thats an interesting idea about comparing the two films.
Ill pick up a copy of Quiet Family soon and do an article on them both. It will keep me busy anyway.
As for the Infernal Affairs films I think I shall watch the second and third one again before I pass proper judgement as I watched the second a while ago, and cant remember if ive even watched the third yet. lol
Oh and on the theme of Infernal Affairs, Hollywood has gone and done it again! They are re-making it..... Cant they just leave things as they are instead of mucking things up. They should concentrate on getting their own original ideas.
Well I am going to continue adding films and comments to my list. So keep a look out for my views on them if you want.
And theres some interesting lists you've got there yourself Jim, good reading and quite interesting too.
Hey, at least it's not some no-name hack doing the "Infernal" redux -- it's Martin freakin' Scorsese.
Thanks! Oh, and I felt the same way about Infernal Affairs, even with Martin Scorsese running the show. But then I saw how well The Aviator turned out, and he's bringing DiCaprio back. His casting did nothing for me before, but now I'm psyched.
Ahh, I didnt look into who was dealing with it because to be honest, I heard 'Hollywood remake' and thought I would stay away.
But I will give Scorsese his due, he doesn't usually disapoint.
Not sure if I like anyone trying to step into Andy Lau and Tony Leung's shoes though.
I do not know how many people from different countries read these lists. But for anyone living in ENGLAND who has BBC4 they have a very interesting line-up of japanese films next week.
I shall post them here just incase any wants to know about the times:
Monday 9th January - The Twilight Samurai. BBC4 10.00pm - 12.10am
Tuesday 10th January - Kikujiro. BBC4 11.00pm - 12.55am
Friday 13th January - Gohatto. BBC4 10.00pm - 11.35pm
All films I would highly recommend. Especially Kikujiro.
Hi.
I havent added any reviews for a while. Busy doing University assignments currently. But I will add more soon.
Where is the Kurosawa. Where.
Yeah I do intend to some of his movies. I have seen a few and they are great, but dont own them so dont want to include them in the list, as it is just made up of films i possess.
The reason I dont have them is mostly because of the ridiculous prices in shops, and currently short of cash.... Being a student sucks for that reason. lol
Some are on my list to buy though.
Such a high percentage of recent films. What about all the great older masterpieces- Mizoguchi, Ozu, Kurosawa etc
Theres one reason for the lack of older classics...: The cost. I aint the most well off lad in the world. lol And most of these movies I get for decent prices. Ive never seen any Kurosawa/Ozu movies in a price range I would be willing to pay for a dvd.
As soon as I find them cheaper than shop prices (Ill look on ebay probably) then they will be added up to the list. I do enjoy the directors you listed, so i will eventually buy some of their movies. But not adding them to the list until i own them.
I agree with you 100% on Kitano. One of the most brilliant directors there is.
What a great list! With all of your knowledge in Asian flicks, could you help me find the title to a particular animation? I watched it on our local cable "Free Movies On Demand" about 1 1/2 years ago. It's about a little boy who went to a festival in town and was "chosen" for some reason to go up a mountain. His father told him a story about it (sorry, I vaguely remember the details). He went up the mountain and was joined by various spirits to save the village from a dark entity. That's really all I remember. Would you happen to know it?
hallo i am new member from malaysia..the reason i join here is to find funny/comedy Thailand movie for example no.26 [the bodyguard]. That film really make my stomach itchy, its so funny , i hope anyone who love stomach ache/rolling on the floor laughing type of movie can recommend me any good one...please and thanks :D