Favourite Asian films?

[Yurokashi]

I'm referring to live-action films with this question, not animated, even though I love animations just as much.

I've only really watched a few Japanese and Cantonese films but the ones that I did see I really enjoyed a lot. I LOOOVVEE Wong-Kar Wai's directing and cinematography-style. It's exactly the type of directing and visual style I'm into.

I'm curious to know what films from Asia you all like/love! They can be from anywhere in Asia, from India all the way to Japan lol. I wanna broaden my taste and knowledge with films, because I've been bored with Hollywood for well over 6 years.

Japan:
Radiance (Hikari)
After Life
Shoplifters

Hong Kong:
Chungking Express
In the Mood for Love
2046
Fallen Angels
Infernal Affairs

South Korea:
Parasite

 

[redux007]

Mongolian Ping Pong

Chûgoku no chôjin

YOJIMBO

 

[Sheepy765]

Creepy (2016) and Onibaba (1964) are pretty neat j-horror flicks.

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

Oldboy (2003) A Korean action movie, and one of the main inspirations for the Yakuza/Like a Dragon games. Also part of a spiritual trilogy of films from the same director.

Battle Royale (2000) from Japan.

I'm also a sucker for the Japanese live-action Death Note movies from 2006

 

[Clippy]

Someone's bound to say it at some point, might as well be me:

 

[stealthRUSH stealthRUSH]

Oldboy
All About Lily Chou-Chou
Battle Royale
Shaolin Soccer
Tokyo Sonata
Returner
20th Century Boys
Kung Fu Hustle
Casshern
Gantz

Anyone from the states remember watching Volcano High on MTV back in the day?

 

[diet_orange]

-Shaolin Soccer
-Spiritual Kung-Fu
-Pale Flower
-Mirai Ninja
-Mechanical Violator Hakaider
-Legend Of The 8 Samurai
-Goemon
-Yatterman

 

[StopTheCatastrophe]

There's really nothing like Christopher Doyle and Wong Kar Wai. Doyle was Wong Kar Wai's cinematographer/photographer on the good ones. But here's some great stuff in my opinion:

HONG KONG​

Big Suggestions

• Ashes of Time. This is Wong Kar Wai of course, and my #1 suggestion if you like Wong Kar Wai, it's his excellent artful wuxia/martial arts movie.
• Definitely use LoveHKFilm.com's lists
  • All Time
  • 1990's
  • 2000's
• Eye In The Sky, a detective drama/thriller, and other Milky Way production company movies. Milky Way often did better writing than other productions, meaning the scenario, situations, logic, beats, and character stuff, is better than you expect.

Action - Guns

• Big Bullet
• She Shoots Straight. This also has good hand-fighting.
• Johnnie To's movies like Exiled, Breaking News, PTU (that's his most "neon lights" one if you like that part of Wong Kar Wai)
• Honestly The Killer and Hard Boiled, John Woo action. Especially if you like the kinetic action of games like Namco's Crisis Zone lol.
• For good jokes about Hong Kong "bullet ballet", see the fresh comedy Men Suddenly in Black

Action - Kung Fu and Swords
Note these often involve comedy, romance, drama, not just "action".

• Dragon Gate Inn. The 1990's one by Tsui Hark is my favorite version, not the 60's or ~2010's one
• Swordsman 2. Partly based on the amazingly great book The Smiling, Proud Wanderer which is available in English fan-translation.
• House of Flying Daggers. Probably compatible if a person likes Crouching Tiger, great setpieces, but kind of muddled tone. Very deliberate visual design.

Comedy

• Kung Fu Hustle. Definitely watch other Stephen Chow if you like it. Note, the beginning is misleading in my opinion, so stick with it a while.
• Chinese Ghost Story 1 and 2. These are more like genre-mixtures of comedy, romance, goofy horror, action.
• From Beijing With Love
• God of Gamblers 2

TAIWAN​

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This is actually co-production in Hong Kong etc, the legendary action director, aka action choreographer, is Hong Konger Yuen Woo Ping, director is Taiwanese (but dual-American basically), first credited writer is Taiwanese. This one become hugely famous for good reason: it's great.

HEISTS​

Not a country, but:

• Mainland China: Crazy Stone. I've forgotten most of it but I remember it being hilarious.
• Korea: The Thieves. This is glitzy like Ocean's Elevent, but I remember it being really likeable.

SOUTH KOREA​

Since we're on a videogame site, I want to say that I personally think that similar to how Japan has often seemed to be the finest crafts-purveyor of videogame design, Korea for around the last 15 years or so has been the world's finest purveyor of movies and TV. (There's mediocrity and junk like anywhere else, but the best of the best is a level beyond USA's best of the best, in my opinion.)

• You should look at all of Bong Joon-ho's movies if you liked Parasite. I think The Host is the best, while Barking Dogs Never Bite is his most "normal" world.
• Since we're on a videogame site, you can think of these movies as awesome loveable companion pieces to (Japan's) Zettai Zetsumei Toshi series (aka Raw Danger and Disaster Report on PS2)
  • Sinkhole
  • Exit
  • I thought I had a 3rd one to make a "Korean Disaster Report" trilogy but I've forgotten it.
• Exhuma ghost spooky stuff with an omenous vibe. Not the best pay-offs but some great elements. This is probably the most contentious movie on my list, where most other movies I've mentioned are broadly enjoyed by people.
• Steel Reign 1 & 2 for kooky action crisis over-the-top premises. Imagine the Harrison Ford Jack Ryan movies turned up to 20 on a 10-point dial.
• Pirates 2: The Goblin Flag. I'm sorry but I can't remember if the 1st or 2nd one was better.
• Running Turtle. Kind of a black comedy thriller.
• Burning. "Slow" and intense in an uncommon way. Other Lee Chang-dong movies too.
• Decision to Leave by the famous exquisite movie-maker Park Chan-wook
• Extreme Job lol. Just look at this synopsis: "A police team has to run a fried chicken restaurant as an undercover front for their investigation." Yeah, rest assured that hijinx do in fact ensue.
• Train to Busan. You might have heard of this zombie movie, which got famous for a bit for good reason. The quality is high.
• Cold Eyes is a good Korean remake of Hong Kong's detective drama/thriller Eye In The Sky (on my list above)

Shows
Sorry, these are shows not movies, but I have to mention them because they were mind-blowingly excellent and high-quality.

• Possessed. This is spooky but loveable, has some serial killer violence (which I dislike) and some terrible parts/moments but overall great.
• Would You Like A Cup Of Coffee. Hard to describe but incredibly wholesome, like if Mr. Rogers made a cafe-based drama. A lot on my list has action and screen-violence, but this one is the opposite of that.
• Convenience Store Saet-Byeol (also known as "Backstreet Rookie"). Comedy with a colorful cast.
• Vagabond. Well-composed scenario and action, over-the-top thriller.
• Dr Baek Trauma Center. Imagine the Trauma Team / Trauma Center videogames with amazingly excellent screenwriting, cast, direction, editing, etc. Combined with the rescue helicopter stuff of PS2's Air Ranger: Rescue Helicopter!
• Military Prosecutor Doberman. Action + Legal Drama, really good arc pay-offs.
• Minamdang Cafe kind of like a Sherlock comedy and a high-budget version of the American comedy detective show "Psych" but more serious
• Sea Side Village Cha-Cha-Cha, watching this feels exactly like taking a vacation to a small town
• Note Korean shows often get terrible re-titles for US distribution, so the names above might have been changed. But if you search the above you'll find the right thing in information online.
• If you watch the above shows you might find yourself asking: why can't our RPG's and JRPG's have scenarios, scenes, and writing as good as this?

INDIA​

• RRR

JAPAN​

• Since you liked Shoplifters you should look at other stuff by Kore-eda.
• Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade were good in my opinion.
• Godzilla: Final Wars lol

because I've been bored with Hollywood for well over 6 years.

Yeah, if a person likes good art, one of the worst things that can happen to that person is that they accidentally or intentionally limit their experience to English-language or American movies.

 

[JPchicre]

Thirst from 2009

A very unique Vampire movie that is complex and tender, about a Vampire that falls in love with a Human... I swear it is better than Twilight.

 

[Crashbandi]

I've watched some reeeeeeeal crazy Japanese and one Chinesemovie. There's more like Zombie Toilet of the Dead, but i think the cover goes against forum rules. They make some of the craziest shit.