Berserk Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey (Japan, 2012)

Band of the Hawk, Midlands strongest army led by Griffith, are quickly gaining recognition due to their success on the battlefield. They have defeated every army that once stood in their way, and now the king commands them to overthrow the supposed impenetrable castle of Doldrey.  

The Battle for Doldrey is the second (out of three, the first one being The Egg of the King) Berserk film and it excels over the first one in many ways. It's a violent medieval story with countless of beheadings and incredibly drawn battle scenes, made by the studio behind Tekkonkinkreet (2006). The Battle for Doldrey contains much less of the horrible CG that was scattered over most scenes in The Egg of the King, and thank God for that. This film series is a great way to discover the Berserk universe, both its many manga volumes and also the 25-episode anime series from 1997. It's crazy good.

Genre: Animation/Action/Fantasy

Red Beard (Japan, 1965)

In 1820, young Noboru Yasumoto completes his medical education in Nagasaki and returns to his native Edo hoping both to marry the daughter of a wealthy man and to achieve affluence himself through his medical practice. He happens to visit the famed Koishikawa clinic for the indigent, which is run by the autocratic Dr. Kyojo Niide, better known as Red Beard. To his intense displeasure, he soon finds himself assigned to the clinic for his internship. 

An epic exercise in both humanism and existentialism, Red Beard became one of director Akira Kurosawa's deepest and most emotional films ever, yet it's often overlooked when compared to other Kurosawa classics such as Seven Samurai (1954). It also was the last collaboration between Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune, who starred in 16 of his movies. So this powerful film serves as the duos last bang and as an ending comment, I recommend watching as much as you can of Akira Kurosawa's films.

Genre: Drama

964 Pinocchio (Japan, 1991)

Pinocchio 964, lobotomised cyborg sex slave, is thrown out onto the street by his owners because of his inability to maintain an erection. He is befriended by a criminally insane, memory-wiped, homeless girl. Meanwhile, the corporate entity who manufactured and sold him plots to kill him because of his malfunction.

An insane and surreal journey with some really crazy characters. The camera-work is reminiscent of the cult classic Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) and makes it even more of a mad experience. It's considered to be one of the most important works in the genre of Japanese cyberpunk. 

Genre: Sci-fi/Horror

Blue Gate Crossing (Taiwan, 2002)

Best friends Meng and Yuezhen share everything with each other. One day, Yuezhen wants Meng to give a message to the boy she likes and tell him she's interested. Things don't go according to plan and Meng finds herself in a confusing situation where her sexuality is questioned. 

A simple but warm coming-of-age drama about teen angst, lazy school days and relationships. 

Genre: Drama/Romance

The Bad Sleep Well (Japan, 1960)

In Kurosawa's HAMLET-like story of corporate scandal in post-war Japan, a young man attempts to use his position at the heart of a corrupt company to expose the men responsible for his father's death.

A revenge drama set in post-war corporate Japan, signed by Akira Kurosawa. The director wanted to make 'a movie with some social significance', so he chose the culture of corruption as the films enemy because he thought that was the worst crime there is.

Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller

Happy Together (Hong Kong, 1997)

Yiu-Fai and Po-Wing arrive in Argentina from Hong Kong and take to the road for a holiday. Something is wrong and their relationship goes adrift. A disillusioned Yiu-Fai starts working at a tango bar to save up for his trip home. When a beaten and bruised Po-Wing reappears, Yiu-Fai is empathetic but is unable to enter a more intimate relationship. After all, Po-Wing is not ready to settle down. Yiu-Fai now works in a Chinese restaurant and meets the youthful Chang from Taiwan. Yiu-Fai's life takes on a new spin, while Po-Wing's life shatters continually in contrast.

Great film that centers around the themes of loneliness and jealousy. Happy Together I think did for LGBT-cinema what Brokeback Mountain (2005) got praised for doing almost ten years later, which was a rememberable, beautiful and troubled portrayal of a homosexual relationship without it feeling fake or artificial. Directed by one of my favorites, Wong Kar-wai (Fallen Angels), who uses a lot of stylish and innovative cinematography and makes every scene ten times more interesting. He's also a master of bringing out the very best in his performers, sometimes by basically do so many takes that the actors eventually transforms into their characters. Highly recommended.

Genre: Drama/Romance

Lust, Caution (China/Taiwan/Hong Kong, 2007)

Teen Wong Chia Chi, a shy college freshman finds her calling in a drama society devoted to patriotic plays. But the troupe's leader, Kuang Yu Min, isn't just a theater maven -- he's a revolutionary as well, and he's devoted to carrying out a bold plan to assassinate top Japanese collaborator Mr. Yee. Wong puts herself in a dangerous position as Mrs. Mak; she befriends Mr. Yee's wife, and slowly gains trust before tempting him into an affair.

Lust, Caution is a tight, well-directed espionage film with fantastic actors, Tony Leung (Chungking Express) among others. Director Ang Lee has created a beautiful portrayal of 1930-40's Hong Kong and Shanghai and fills it with a thrilling assassination story. 

Genre: Drama/Romance/Thriller

Eat Drink Man Woman (Taiwan, 1994)

Senior Master Chef Chu lives in a large house in Taipei with his three unmarried daughters, Jia-Jen, a chemistry teacher converted to Christianity, Jia-Chien, an airline executive, and Jia-Ning, a student who also works in a fast food restaurant. Life in the house revolves around the ritual of an elaborate dinner each Sunday, and the love lives of all the family members.

A mouth-watering mix of cooking and romance, Eat Drink Man Woman is an exquisite drama that will captivate every type of audience. We follow the three daughters and their very different and changing lives, but they all comes in contact with love in some way or another. I could watch Master Chef Chu cook all day long, it's somehow extremely stimulating and makes you drool and wish that you could eat just about all of it. The word food-porn comes to mind. Directed by Ang Lee who also made Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) but this time he works his magic within the boundaries of a plate full of delicious food, and captures life with all its beautiful and bitter ingredients.

Genre: Drama/Romance

Ikiru (Japan, 1952)

Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for thirty years. His wife is dead and his son and daughter-in-law, who live with him, seem to care mainly about Watanabe's pension and their future inheritance. After learning he has stomach cancer and less than a year to live, Watanabe attempts to come to terms with his impending death.

Ikiru (lit. trans. To Live) takes you through the whole process of a man's last days in life, the fear, the acceptance and the repenting. In the lead role we have one of Akira Kuosawa's favorite actors; Takashi Shimura (Stray Dog, Rashomon) who does a great job of portraying a broken man on the verge of death. It's a study of both loneliness and hope, and doing what's right in your heart. I think the best effect this film can have is that the we the viewers start to value what's important in life, and not waste the short time we've been given.

Genre: Drama

Come Drink with Me (Hong Kong, 1966)

A ruthless band of thugs kidnaps a young official to exchange for their leader who has been captured. Golden Swallow is sent to take on the thugs and free the prisoner (who is also her brother). Though she is able to handle the overwhelming odds, she is hit by a poison dart and gets help from a beggar who is really a kung-fu master in disguise. With his help, she forms a plan to get her brother back.

The martial art-genre owes a lot to Come Drink with Me. It paved the way for many wuxia (chinese martial arts) to come, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) for example, and is considered to be one of Hong Kong's finest films. The fluid, gracious movements of the fights were groundbreaking, the director didn't look for an established actor when casting the lead role, but instead he picked a ballet dancer. The result was excellent film, which is essential for martial arts-fans.

Genre: Action/Crime

Hard Boiled (Hong Kong, 1992)

Mobsters are smuggling guns into Hong Kong. The police orchestrate a raid at a teahouse where an ace detective loses his partner. Meanwhile, the two main gun smugglers are having a war over territory, and a young new gun is enlisted to wipe out informants and overcome barriers to growth. The detective, acting from inside sources, gets closer to the ring leaders and eventually must work with the inside man directly.

You can't be the least disappointed in Hard Boiled. It's one of the best directed actions films ever made, an explosive portrayal of shotguns pulverizing furniture and tearing apart gangsters. Starring trusted veterans Yun-Fat Chow (The Killer) and Tony Leung (Hero), Hard Boiled should please the living hell out of you with brutal ultra-violence.

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller

The Scent of Green Papaya (Vietnam, 1993)

Ten-year-old Mui arrives from the provinces of Vietnam to work as a servant girl in the home of a Saigon merchant family. The year is 1951. She is a shy and resourceful girl whose tasks include preparing and stir-frying vegetables, serving meals, dusting, scrubbing the tile floors, and polishing shoes. While Mui adapts effortlessly to her responsibilities, the merchant family doesn't fare as well. The mother, who is still mourning the death of her daughter, is abandoned by her husband and her two youngest sons act out their anger on poor Mui.

One of the greatest dramas ever. Beautifully filmed, visually it's a true achievement in the art of film making, and has a haunting, bone-chilling score. Directed by the amazing Tran Anh Hung (Cyclo, Norwegian Wood). 

Genre: Drama

Street of Shame (Japan, 1956)

Five prostitutes work at Dreamland, in Tokyo's Yoshiwara district. As the government considers a ban on prostitution, the women's daily dramas play out. Each has dreams and motivations. Hanae is married, her husband unemployed; they have a young child. Yumeko, a widow, uses her earnings to raise and support her son, who's now old enough to work and care for her. The aging Yorie has a man who wants to marry her, and so on. 

Street of Shame juggles many characters in its hands, and still no one is left behind. Every woman has their own tale and different background, and faces all kind of problems at the brothel. It was the last film of highly acclaimed director Kenji Mizoguchi.

Genre: Drama

Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Japan, 1979)

Renowned international thief Lupin III (known as "Wolf" in the English dub) comes to the small European duchy of Cagliostro to investigate some excellently-forged money and stumbles across a national conspiracy going back some hundreds of years. Lupin and his friends must rescue the beautiful Clarice from the hands of the evil Count Cagliostro and solve the mystery of a hidden treasure dating back to the 15th century.

The Castle of Cagliostro is hailed as one of the best stand-alone films from the Lupin III franchise, and rightfully so. It was co-written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who five years later would found the animation giant Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke). The incredible style and charm mixed with old-school animation makes it a joyride from the get-go and steps on the gas constantly, but even though there's tons of action the film is not at all afraid to have very small and subtle moments. One thing I love about it is how there seems to be so much history and lore behind everything, and we're not watching a crazy anime but true historical fiction. There's just enough backstory to make things seem very mystical but we're also exploring and learning alongside Lupin. There's something about it that just makes you wish it's not going to end, that Lupin will get himself in one more dangerous situation and go on another adventure. 

Genre: Animation/Action/Comedy

Samaritan Girl (South Korea, 2004)

Jae-Young is an amateur prostitute who sleeps with men while her best friend Yeo-Jin "manages" her, fixing dates, taking care of the money, etc. One Day Yeo-Jin fails in doing her job overlooking police officers looking for under-aged prostitutes. In order to not get caught Jae-Young jumps out of a window almost killing herself. On her deathbed, she wishes to see the man again whom she fell in love with. But the man only agrees if Yeo-Jin sleeps with him. She does, but as they arrive in the hospital Jae-Young is already dead. Trying to understand her best friend, Yeo-Jin tracks down every man she slept with and does the same. 

Consisting of three chapters with their own distinctive tones, Samaritan Girl (a.k.a. Samaria) explores themes such as sin and atonement. Directed by the magnificent Kim Ki-duk (3-Iron) it has that certain feel to it that only he can create. An unbelievably dark story of youth gone wrong.

Genre: Drama

The Front Line (South Korea, 2011)

Towards the end of the Korean War an uneasy ceasefire is ordered, but out on the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills fierce fighting continues. A race to capture a strategic point to determine a new border between the two Koreas is the ultimate prize. A bullet is then found in the body of dead company commander of the South Korean army. The bullet that killed the company commander belongs to the South Korean army. Lieutenant of the Defense Security Command Kang Eun-Pyo is ordered to go out into the Eastern front line and investigate the murder.

Emotionally powerful and lots of well-directed, great-looking battle scenes. The Front Line has everything that makes for a good war movie. It features great actors like Shin Ha-kyun (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) and Kim Ok-bin (Thirst), deals with the struggles of a single platoon and manages to pull you in to its hellish warzone. 

Genre: Drama/History/War

Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41

Matsu, known to the prisoners as Scorpion, is locked away in the bowels of the prison as revenge for disrupting the smooth operation of the prison and for her disfiguring attack on the warden. Granted a one day reprieve due to the visit of a dignitary, she takes advantage and attacks the warden again. This leads to more brutal punishment and humiliation. But the punishment gives her an opportunity to escape along with six other female prisoners. 

The stunningly beautiful Meiko Kaji (Lady Snowblood 1 & 2) plays the lead role in this deadly series of prison escape films, Jailhouse 41 being the second one (out of 4). It's a grim and bloody road to freedom and everyone who gets in Scorpion's way is about to feel the pain. 

A superb series and a Japanese cult classic, Female Convict (a.k.a. Female Prisoner) should be on everyone's 'to-watch list'. 

Genre: Drama/Thriller/Crime

Ace Attorney (Japan, 2012)

Phoenix Wright, a novice lawyer, is up against expert prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, who had a perfect win record. The court system of the time dictates that the trial can only convene for a total of three days before a verdict must be reached. Not before long, Miles is charged with murder, and it is up to Phoenix to defend him against the best prosecutor of all time, as well as Miles' mentor, Manfred Von Karma, who has not lost a case in forty years.

Court rooms aren't exactly the most exciting places you could think of. Unless Phoenix Wright serves as the defense attorney. Ace Attorney (a.k.a. Gyakuten Saiban) is a court room drama/detective story on steroids and follows you through a number of different cases. The scene with the parrot was fantastic and just hilariously unbelievable. 

Based on a massively popular video game and directed by acclaimed director Takashi Miike (Audition), Ace Attorney is a crazy fantasy version of the Japanese legal system. It's as if superheroes got stuck in court because these lawyers aren't exactly your typical defenders and prosecutors. A superb adaption where everything looks just like it should.

Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama

Caterpillar (Japan, 2010)

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, in 1940, Lieutenant Kurokawa returns home as a honored and decorated soldier... but deprived of his arms and legs lost in battle in mainland China. All hopes, from the village men and women to close family members, turn to Shigeko, the Lieutenant's wife: she must honor the Emperor and the country in setting an example for all by fulfilling her duty and taking care of the 'God soldier'.

A solid drama dealing with difficult themes such as war crimes and handicapped veterans. Recommended for those who's interested in gaining insight in how Japanese women were treated with unfair demands during wartimes. 

A tough film about the damages of war.

Genre: Drama

Gozu (Japan, 2003)

Minami, a member of the Azamawari crew, highly respects his brother Ozaki who has saved his life in the past. However, lately Ozaki's eccentricities (like claiming that a Chihuahua hs sees is a 'Yakuza attack dog') have been making everyone wonder about his sanity. Chairman Azamawari is unsympathetic to Ozaki's little outbursts and secretly orders Minami to take Ozaki to a disposal facility in the city of Nagoya. There, the fate of these two follows a twisted path filled with violence, mother's milk, strange locals, and ultimately the disappearance of Ozaki's corpse which Minami now desperately tries to recover.

A deeply surreal story about the Yakuza, men with cow heads and bizarre sexual activities. All from the strange mind of Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, 13 Assassins), Gozu is one of his most Lynch-ian film due to the perplexing nature of the plot. And then of course, there's that certain birth-scene, which is one of the most bizarre and nastiest things I've ever seen.

Genre: Crime/Drama

Shall We Dance? (Japan, 1996)

Sugiyama is a successful salaryman, with a house in the suburbs, a devoted wife, Masako, and a teenage daughter. He works as an accountant for a firm in Tokyo. Despite these external signs of success, however, Sugiyama begins to feel as if his life has lost direction and meaning and falls into depression. One night, while coming home on the Tokyo Subway, he spots a beautiful woman with a melancholy expression looking out from a window in a dance studio. This is Mai, a well-known figure on the Western ballroom dance circuit. Sugiyama becomes infatuated with her and decides to take lessons in order to get to know her better.

Shall We Dance? is a charming and splendid drama that puts you in a happy mood. The movie became actor Koji Yakusho's (13 Assassins, Cure) major breakthrough, and that's great because he's one of my favorite Japanese actors. It gives an interesting insight to the conservative view the Japanese people have of relationships. It became such a big deal that it inspired a huge dance craze all over Japan, A delightful movie that will without a doubt lift you off your feet.

Genre: Drama/Comedy