5 Gems of Asian Cinema
Submitted by ash_campbell on Wed, 05/28/2003 - 11:16
Tags:
- The world of Asian cinema can be a big scary place: much like its Hollywood counterpart, there are some great gems, but there’s tons of crap to wallow through to find it. Some of the good stuff is easy to find: pretty much anything by Akira Kurosawa, lots of John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat, and films that get nominated for Best Foreign film are sure picks. You know how you feel about the martial arts genre, and whether or not you like Jackie Chan, and you’ve either watched or not watched those films too. And that anime thing can be a bit overwhelming. Where to go? Here’s five solid to great Asian films I’ve found by trial-and-error; feel free to add ones you’ve seen.
- 1. Angel Dust. Creepy suspense film from Sogo Ishii is pretty terrific, and the Japanese in particular seem to have a good sense for psychologically scary (sometimes scarring) films.
- 2. Hana-Bi. Takeshi Kitano has gotten some play in America: Quentin Tarantino’s production company Rolling Thunder distributed Sonatine stateside, he was in the terrible Johnny Mnemonic, and his first US film, Brother, has Omar Epps in it. But, somehow, he hasn’t really caught on. Trust me on this film; it’s a great one. Also look for Sonatine, Violent Cop, and Boiling Point.
- 3. Fist of Legend. Jet Li has been steadily working in America for several years, but he did many in China first. A lot of his films are not that great, but this one is solid.
- 4. Shanghai Triad. This one is a fabulous example of rich cinematography, good acting and wonderful storytelling.
- 5. Red Beard. Yeah, I know it’s a Kurosawa, but it’s an extremely underrated one that doesn’t get much play in Kurosawa discussions. It’s not a samurai flick, but it is the final collaboration between Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune. Well worth the watch.
Cool, another list that stirs the blood. You're two-for-two in my book! I'm adding Angel Dust, Hana-Bi, and Red Beard to my "to see" list.
Regarding Shanghai Triad, while I liked it, it's probably my least favorite movie from my favorite director, at least among his "lavish period piece" movies (I haven't seen Red Sorghum yet). I'm afraid I'm rather conventional in that Raise the Red Lantern is my favorite movie of Zhang Yimou's, although To Live is a close second and Jou Do (to which I owe a rewatch) is way up there too. Upon re-reading your list it sounds like you might have been going for lesser-known works, with might disqualify those three and elevate Triad to the fore (although I think Lantern stands alone as his most widely-known work). Anyway, you really can't go wrong with Zhang, although I've heard he wasn't happy with Happy Times (which I have not seen yet).
As for Fist of Legend I agree that it is one of the better Jet Li movies. I like to think Bruce Lee is NOT rolling over in his grave over this particular remake. Very enjoyable action sequences, good enough to distract from the awful dub you'll mostly likely have to put up with. Once Upon a Time in China (the first one) is pretty good too, although it took me awhile to get into it. That impenetrable (to me) Chinese comedy kept me at bay for the first 45 minutes or so.
Speaking of Jet Li and Zhang Yimou, Hero is terrific, although I'm starting to wonder if it will ever see the light of day in the U.S. It was the first DVD I bought (this all regions edition) without seeing the movie first, and it was a gamble that paid off.
Hmmm...Hero looks interesting. Don't know how I'll track it down, but it goes on the list. Thanks.
Ah, another Hana-Bi (AKA Fireworks) fan! What a terrific film. Welcome!
Just curious, as you are a Kurosawa fan - have you seen Throne of Blood and High and Low?
Yet another great list (though I have yet to see Fist of Legend or Angel Dust).
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I've seen (and liked) High and Low, but have not yet been able to see Throne of Blood. But since it got released on DVD yesterday, I'm planning on watching it as soon as possible.
Do, and enjoy. Throne of Blood is probably my favorite Kurosawa film, although both Ran and Rashomon are very close.
But, to be honest, I haven't watched Throne in years, so I'll certainly be checking out that new Criterion disc also!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Here are some suggestions. Some classic, some contemporary, some not quite so serious, but all excellent!
Woman In the Dunes
Onibaba
Last Life In The Universe
6ixtynin9
Go Go Second Time Virgin
Uzumaki
Tell Me Something
Beyond Hypothermia
Double Vision (HK/US)
Untold Story
Tale Of Two Sisters
Kamikaze Girls
Save The Green Planet!
Sorum
Tetsuo
Cure
And also, anything by Miike!
Have you watched any of Seijun Suzuki's stuff? It's pretty interesting, if not great.
IM not sure if you were talking to me or the owner of the list, but regardless, I had heard the name, but never really checked him out. I just did and there are a number of titles that look really good (most specifically Zigeunerweisen and Kageroza) so Ill be queuing some of those up. Thanks!