Asian

  • Toshiaki Toyoda – Poruno sutâ AKA Pornostar (1998)

    1991-2000AsianCrimeJapanToshiaki Toyoda

    Quote:
    A young and almost autistic-acting man arrives in Tokyo and wanders the streets, running afoul of some Yakuza and proving to be more than he appears to be. The young man speaks very little and his favorite phrase seems to be “not needed” and that’s generally in reference to Yakuza. He is taken into this gang and proves that he’s not well balanced by shooting a couple of drug dealers and then makes a pin cushion out of a rival gang leader, so he’s revered by those that he seems to hate, although they’re quite wary of him with good reason. The young man also hooks up with one of the Yakuza babes, maybe she’s a hooker, maybe she’s just a hanger-on, I couldn’t really tell, but somehow they get their mitts on some acid that was taken from the drug dealers that they young man shot and are going to flee to Fiji, but not before they get into skate-boarding some and wander the streets.Read More »

  • Nobuhiro Suwa – M/Other (1999)

    1991-2000AsianDramaJapanNobuhiro Suwa

    Quote:
    The romantic pretensions of Hollywood to the contrary, love is a very messy business. After all, the other person is a completely separate being, whose independent thoughts, feelings, and experiences cannot be accessed immediately through ESP, whose very actions must always be interpreted through the unreliable filter of subjective impressions. One wonders if we ever really do get to know our lovers.Read More »

  • Yûzô Kawashima – Zoku ueru tamashii AKA Hungry Soul, Part II (1956)

    Drama1951-1960AsianJapanYûzô Kawashima

    Reiko, who tolerates abuse in her marriage to a man 23 years her senior, is friends with Mayumi, a beautiful widow. Reiko meets her husband’s business rival, a young, capable businessman, and falls for him. Meanwhile, Mayumi enters into a relationship with Shimotsuma, a friend of her late husband.Read More »

  • Yûzô Kawashima – Ueru tamashii AKA Hungry Soul (1956)

    1951-1960AsianDramaJapanYûzô Kawashima

    Reiko, who tolerates abuse in her marriage to a man 23 years her senior, is friends with Mayumi, a beautiful widow. Reiko meets her husband’s business rival, a young, capable businessman, and falls for him. Meanwhile, Mayumi enters into a relationship with Shimotsuma, a friend of her late husband.Read More »

  • Sang-soo Hong – List (2011)

    2011-2020AsianSang-soo HongShort FilmSouth Korea

    Plot : Over a slice of chocolate cake, a mother (Yuh Jung Youn) and daughter (Jung Yu-mi) tensely discuss the good-for-nothing relative whose money troubles have brought them to the seaside town of Mohang. For now they have nothing to do but wait, so the younger woman, Mihye, composes a list of goals for her involuntary vacation — a list which she seems to fulfill almost accidentally, as she and her mother wander, eat, drink, and meet with fate, here in the form of a clumsily flirtatious film director (Joon-Sang Yoo).Read More »

  • Yôichi Sai – A Sign Days AKA Via Okinawa (1989)

    1981-1990AsianDramaJapanYôichi Sai

    Summary:
    During the Vietnam War era, the influx of American soldiers to Okinawa boosted the local economy and introduced many bars and nightclubs. With exhausting displays of energy, Sai presents a whirlwind romance between a local rocker and the daughter of a mixed American-Okinawan marriage.Read More »

  • Nobuhiko Obayashi – Seishun dendekedekedeke AKA The Rocking Horsemen (1992)

    1991-2000AsianJapanNobuhiko Obayashi

    It is 1965. High-school student Takeyoshi Fujiwara Yasufumi Hayashi) hears “Pipeline” by the Ventures, and is mesmerized by their unique sound. With three friends, he forms a band called “The Rocking Horsemen.” A warm and comic glimpse into high-school and small-town life in Japan in the 60’s.Read More »

  • Yang Zhang – Xiang ri kui AKA Sunflower (2005)

    2001-2010AsianChinaDramaYang Zhang

    Like Douglas Sirk without the throw pillows, “Sunflower” is a shamelessly old-fashioned melodrama performed with such sincerity that resistance is futile. Following a troubled father-son relationship over more than 30 years in post-Cultural Revolution Beijing, the movie utilizes a simple dramatic structure to support a narrative filled with tumultuous social change.Read More »

  • Seijun Suzuki – Ore ni kaketa yatsura AKA The Guys Who Put Money On Me (1962)

    1961-1970AsianDramaJapanSeijun Suzuki

    An unofficial sequel to Million Dollar Match (1961) which also starred Koji Wada as a young energetic boxer. This story deals more with betting action surrounding a boxing match, concentrating mostly on the high-powered Yakuza gambling dens.

    Once again, Suzuki was reprimanded by his Nikkatsu boss, Kyusaku Hori, for refusing to deliver a simple, straightforward story. The scolding centers on Suzuki’s “extensive use of symbolism in a traditional action picture.”Read More »

Back to top button