I reverberate Tony Takitani, especially if you like the writings of Haruki Murakami. I have to check out so many of these films, I’m not up to date on the recent Asian cinema.
Wait, there’s a movie based on some Murakami? Which book?
Tony Takitani is based Murakami’s short story of the same name which can be found in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Willow,_Sleeping_Woman
Whaaaaat, that’s crazy. They need to make a film adaptation of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
I’m about to start that, I just finished Kafka on the Shore and am having a break from Murakami and reading Stasiland.
how about Oasis and Nobody Knows….?? great movies
Recent…Tokyo!
All About Lily Chou Chou… anything to do with Shunji Iwai, I wish The Auteurs would add him already.
Hana & Alice
Memories of Matsuko
Oldboy
Linda Linda Linda
Paprika
Tekkonkinkreet
Dreams
3 Iron
Nobody Knows
Hmm… I should really expand my Chinese cinema beyond Yimou, Kar-Wai and Ang Lee. Any suggestions?
My favourite Asian films since 2000 are as follows
Chinese:
Wong Kar-Wai – In the Mood for Love
Jia Zhangke – Still Life
Ang Lee – Lust, Caution
Lu Chuan – Kekexili
Tian Zhuangzhuang – Springtime in a Small Town
Feng Xiaogang – Assembly, If You Are the One
Stephen Chow – Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu
Infernal Affairs
The Best of Times
Korean:
Lee Chang-dong – Oasis (my favourite out of all of these)
Kim Ki-Duk – Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring, 3-Iron, Samaria
Kim Ji-Woon – A Tale of Two Sisters
Park Chan-Wook – JSA, Oldboy
Bong Joon-Ho – The Host, Memories of Murder
Silmido
My Sassy Girl
Anime:
Satoshi Kon – Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress
Finally, not really Asian but Mongol directed by Sergei Bodrov
Any love for Eric Khoo?
All About Lily Chou Chou
Nobody Knows
Twilight Samurai
In the Mood for Love
Tony Takitani
Oldboy
Tokyo Trash Baby
Love Letter
Swallowtail Butterfly
Hana & Alice
Spirited Away
Millenium Actress
Paprika
My recent two Korean favorites —
Lies (1999)
Tears (2000)
The South Koreans really know how to put together a gritty movie.
I’m also really excited to see AIR DOLL.
Treeless Mountain (2008) is very good, and another vote for Millenium Actress
Still Walking
That’s pretty much it.
Fredo, have you seen anything by Hong Sang-soo?
GULABI TALKIES by Girish Kasaravalli, India
filmy by Abu Sayeed, Bangladesh
TREELESS MOUNTAIN was really sad. Those two kids were quite adorable.
So far this year these have stood out (this year is ‘recent’, right?):
Eighteen – Jang Kun-jae
Routine Holiday – Li Hongqi
Malaysian Gods – Amir Muhammad
This Area is Under Quarantine – Thunska
Agrarian Utopia – Uruphong Raksasad
Forbidden Door – Joko Anwar
Cheonggyecheon Dog – Kim Kyungmook
Love Exposure – Sion Sono
God’s Puzzle – Miike Takashi
City of Life and Death – Lu Chuan
Petition – Zhao Liang
Like You Know It All – Hong Sangsoo
White Rain – Ma Xiang
Kinatay – Brillante Mendoza
Lola – Brillante Mendoza
Nymph – Penek Ratanaruang
At The End of Daybreak – Ho Yuhang
15 Malaysia – Various
Island of Dreams – Tsuta Tetsuichiro
Air Doll – Koreeda Hirokazu
Sun Spots – Yang Heng
The Search – Pema Tsedan
Mother – Bong Joonho
Independence – Raya Martin
1428 – Du Haibin
Cats – Kim Jihyun
Dirty Bitch – Sun Koh
Phantoms of Nabua – Apichatpong
Sex/Less – Kim Kyungmook
Purgatorio – Lav Diaz
Man and Gravity – Jakrawal Nilthamrong
Block B – Chris Chong
Yeah yeah some of these are technically 2008, I know.
I really want Hong Kong films to return to its former glory days where they shot 300 films a year. What happened to the Chow Yun-Fat romantic comedies, the Tony Leung gangsters, the Jet li epic fights and the Anita Mui musicals (sorta)? Johnnie To, Pang Ho-Cheung, Wilson Yip and Soi Cheang seem to be the only directors that can represent the finest of HK cinema now. We need more!
many of the one’s already mentioned….
but also,
Welcome to Dongmakgol (if you can find it) is another example of excellent (recent) Korean cinema.
Ben, thanks for your incredible list!
I found it via google after searching for info on Routine Holiday by Li Hongqi, that I saw in 2008 at the london film festival and wanted to track down again. There is currently so little information about this film online!
Anyone interested in this incredibly deadpan Chineese Beckettian allegory should definitely put in the work to track it down. Its really haunted me and Id love to see it again.
@Ben: I’ve read such negative comments about Ratanaruang’s “Nymph” that I lost the interest checking it out. If you read this, please be so kind and say something positive about it so that I will nevertheless give it a try.
From my country as Ben already mentioned is Forbidden Door, Tony Rayns had mentioned it in his top 5 last year. Ironically here it’s only got screened IIRC for about 3 weeks only, but Anwar has built his own cult follower.
A few I haven’t seen mentioned yet:
Dead Leaves (2004)
Hanging Garden (2005)
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
5 Centimeters per Second (2007)
Triangle (2007)
This site has a list of them http://jadehive.com/asian-films/
Shinichi
Japanese films:
Tokyo Eyes
Audition
Paprika
Any Miyazaki or Takahata
Anything by Kitano
Anything by Oshii (ESPECIALLY Avalon)
Ichi the Killer
Chinese Films:
Johnnie To stuff like Election or Fulltime Killer
INFERNAL AFFAIRS
Any Yimou
Any Wong Kar Wai
Three Times
Korean Films (I think Korean cinema is underrated and i’m glad it’s starting to get recognize all over):
Pak Chan Wook- Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Joint Security Area, I’m a Cyborg but that’s OK
Bong Joon Ho- The Host, Barking Dogs Never Bite, MEMORIES OF MURDER (everyone should watch this, one of the best police procedurals i’ve EVER seen)
Friend
Tae-Guk-Gi
Seven Days
Secret Sunshine
The President’s Last Bang
The Unforgiven
3 Iron
Jealousy is My Middle Name