where to start with asian cinema... how do i know if it's any good?! (35 titles)
kung fu, swordplay, love stories, gangster flicks, comedy, drama, a bit of the wacky... here's a bit of everything.
84.2% from 7 members
Chungking Express
one of my favourites (i love wong kar wai). the scene where tony leung chiu wai talks to a bar of soap is so very, very good.
if you like this movie and you've not dug deeper, i'd recommend "fallen angels" (annoyingly, it doesn't seem to be distributed in the uk just yet...).
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Chungking Express
on DVD
(1994)
Starring: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Faye Wong
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Certificate:
'Chungking Express' is the ultra-stylish film by internationally acclaimed Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai. Using gorgeous Hong Kong stars and perfect pop music, 'Chungking Express' tells two stories of lovelorn cops, dangerous drug smugglers and California dreamers. The first story takes place ..read more »
69%
from 4,904 members
In The Mood For Love
i can't think of a more beautiful film.
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In The Mood For Love
on DVD
(2000)
Starring: Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Certificate:
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE centres around Chow Mo-Wan (Tony Leung) and Su Li-Zhen (Maggie Cheung), neighbors living in a crowded apartment building in 1962 Hong Kong. Both married to people who are always away, they spend many nights home alone. The two make each other's acquaintance and soon find that ..read more »
69%
from 10,658 members
Zatoichi at the Fire Festival
there are a million samaurai movies out there. i don't pretend to know anything about them, but i do know that i like zatoichi. and i'm not talking about the the recent remake, much as i love takeshi kitano.
the star, producer and sometimes director shintaro katsu made more than 25 of these films, they were so popular. i find them similar in feel to the spaghetti westerns. formulaic, admittedly, zatoichi is one of the most charming action heroes around.
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Zatoichi at the Fire Festival
on DVD
(1970)
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Tatsuya Nakadai
Director: Kenji Misumi
Certificate:
It is Tempo-era Japan in the nineteenth century. Zatoichi is on his travels again. They will bring him to a village where the Boss of All Bosses, Yamikubo, holds sway, a man known as the Prince of Darkness. This is a place where women can be bought at auction… and if the bidder is unlucky enough to ..read more »
61%
from 288 members
Drunken Master
jackie chan's finest.
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Drunken Master
on DVD
(1978)
Starring: Jackie Chan, Casanova Wong, Siu Tien Yuen
Director: Yuen Woo-Ping
Certificate:
Chan plays Chinese folk legend Wong Fei Hong as a wily teenager getting into and out of trouble on the streets of Hong Kong. AKA "Drunk Monkey in the Tiger's Eyes."
69%
from 4,035 members
Wheels On Meals
jackie chan, yuen biao and sammo hung tear apart early 80s barcelona. it's cheesy as hell but the stunts are amazing.
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Wheels On Meals
on DVD
(1984)
Starring: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao
Director: Sammo Hung
Certificate:
Cousins Jackie and David, owners of a mobile restaurant, team up with their friend Moby, a bumbling private detective, to save the beautiful Sylvia, a pickpocket....
69%
from 2,044 members
The Swordsman II
wirework acrobatics and a gender confusion subplot.
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The Swordsman II
on DVD
Starring: Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Michelle Reis
Director: Siu-Tung Ching, Stanley Tong
Certificate:
With an entirely new set of actors, this movie continues the story from Swordsman (1990). Blademaster and his martial arts school decide to retire to a distant mountain. Before leaving, he visits his friends, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors. He finds that they have been attacked, and their ..read more »
58%
from 629 members
Iron Monkey
robin hood-style period kung fu. "king kong palm!"
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Iron Monkey
on DVD
(1993)
Starring: Donnie Yen, Yu Rong Kwong, Jean Wang
Director: Yuen Woo Ping
Certificate:
Yuen Woo-Ping's exhilarating martial arts film stars Yu Rong Guang as Dr. Yang, a kind family doctor who charitably provides medicine and care to impoverished villagers, along with his assistant, Orchid (the lovely Jean Wang). Yang, however, also masquerades as the crime-fighting Iron Monkey, who ..read more »
67%
from 2,817 members
Shaolin Soccer
this film made me laugh. a lot. hugely enjoyable.
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Shaolin Soccer
on DVD
(2001)
Starring: Stephen Chow, Vicki Zhao, Man Tai Ng
Director: Stephen Chow
Certificate:
Hong Kong satirist Stephen Chow wrote, directed, and stars in this hilarious spoof of sports and kung fu movie cliches. Chow plays 'Mighty Steel Leg' Sing, who can kick soda cans through walls, and is a natural soccer star in the eyes of crippled coach Fung (Patrick Se Yin), who is looking to ..read more »
62%
from 16,007 members
Kung Fu Hustle
more action comedy from stephen chow. he's done a ton of movies in hong kong that you don't get to see over here. i recommend "justice my foot!" and "royal tramp" but that's only scratching the surface.
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Kung Fu Hustle
on DVD
(2005)
Starring: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Qiu Yuen
Director: Stephen Chow
Certificate:
In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.
68%
from 26,755 members
Hero
all star cast, top director, pretty pictures.
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Hero
on DVD
(2002)
Starring: Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang
Director: Yimou Zhang
Certificate:
Jet Li stars in this Academy Award-nominated martial-arts masterpiece takes place amidst the turmoil of China's "Warring States" period. An orphan fighter (Jet Li) presents himself to an avaricious king, bearing the weapons of three assassins (Donny Yen, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung) in exchange ..read more »
64%
from 53,584 members
Average rating for this collection:
84.2% from 7 members
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