Anticipation is an expression of bias, which is not to say that the bias is uninformed. I have seen only two of the ten Asian films listed below (“Burning” and “Believer,” both for festivals)—but my piqued interest in the others is not entirely arbitrary. What commends these various titles from Japan, China, Korea and Laos […]
Tag: asianmovies
Ten Best Movies of 2018
2018 has been an incredible for movies. So good in fact, compiling a list of ten films was a tough nut to crack. Plenty of excellent titles were left out. “Roma,” “Sorry To Bother You,” “Loveless,” “Blackkklansman,” “Downsizing,” “Western” and “Climax” all deserve honourable mentions. While summer blockbuster “Mission: Impossible–Fallout” gets a special shout-out for […]
Erotic Films That Expose Korea’s Dark Side
Nothing penetrates the inner workings of a society’s power structures quite so starkly as its sexual practices – and so, by exposing the relations of the genders and the shifting positions of the body politic, films that focus on the erotic can poke, prod and probe the state of a nation. Korean directors like Kim […]
Ten Great Movies Featured at the London Korean Film Festival 2016
Now in its eleventh edition, this year’s London Korean Film Festival boasts some 40 features, a smaller number of which toured beyond London to Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow and Belfast. Amid the usual programme of Korea’s latest hits and indie titles, shorts and documentaries, there was also a welcome showcase of work directed by women […]
10 Erotic Movies From East Asia
Erotic films navigate the oceans of sexual desire, no matter whether that desire is frustrated and repressed or messily fulfilled. It is a category that spans the space between explicitness and restraint, between romance and pornography. Here are ten films from countries of the East Asian region—chiefly Japan, but also Hong Kong, South Korea and […]
The Exuberant Cinematography of Zhang Yimou
Seen by many as one of the giants of Chinese cinema and included within the 5th Generation of filmmakers, Zhang Yimou is revered the world over for his highly distinct style. Starting his career as a bit of a rebel who made independent films that enraged the ruling Communist Party, he wisely realised that if you […]
10 Most Anticipated Asian Films of 2015
From the vast treasurehouse of eastern cinema, there are always choice nuggets that find their way westwards, even though some, like Wong Kar-wai’s “The Grandmaster” (2013) or Bong Joon-ho’s “Snowpiercer” (2013,) can take a very long time getting here. Here are the Asian films to which I am most looking forward to in 2015, whether […]
10 Amazing Modern Japanese Films
As a nation, Japan has always had a strong cinematic heritage. Some of the finest films and directors ever to grace the silver screen have come from these shores. Think of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu and the works of art they have created. Modern Japanese cinema has just as much to offer. New filmmakers […]
5 Asian Action Films That Kick Ass!
Note: This article includes a violent image. Viewer discretion is advised. In a sense, all Asian action movies kick ass—even those no-budget DTV “ninja” flicks that seemed to come out once a week in the Eighties. Ass-kicking is what defines them. Yet there are some martial arts movies that can take on the competition and […]