Fallen Angels (Hong Kong, 1995)

A disillusioned killer embarks on his last hit but first he has to overcome his affections for his cool, detached partner. Thinking it's dangerous and improper to become involved with a colleague he sets out to find a surrogate for his affections. Against the sordid and surreal urban nightscape, he crosses path with a strange drifter looking for her mysterious ex-boyfriend and an amusing mute trying to get the world's attention in his own unconventional ways.

Fallen Angels is a dreamlike ride through a hazy, violent Hong Kong. Wong's incredible work behind the camera and the perfect cinematography makes this one of the coolest films of his career. One of the biggest surprises is how well he handles the action scenes, making it all look like a John Woo-film with spraying bullets and slow-motion. The use of black-and-white filters to reflect the characters bleak emotions, the constant handheld camera that always flies across the scenes all contribute to making this one of the most brilliant films ever.

Genre: Crime/Drama. 1h 39min.

2046 (Hong Kong, 2004)

The year is 1966, and Chow Mo-wan, a struggling author, asks the woman he loves, Su Lizhen, to sail with him from Singapore to Hong Kong on Christmas Eve. She declines, and over the next three years, we return to Chow Mo-wan on December 24 as he finds himself with another woman each year - lighthearted Lulu in 1967, eccentric hotel heiress Wang Jingwen in 1968, and Bai Ling, a high-class prostitute, in 1969. In time, Chow Mo-wan and Wang Jingwen become reacquainted, and a love affair blooms, but the fates are not on their side. 

2046 is a loose sequel to the 1991 film Days of Being Wild and the 2000 film In the Mood for Love. All directed by the highly critically acclaimed Wong Kar-wai (Fallen Angels). 2046 is a visual treat, and a film that breaks away from the classical narrative and juggles four different arcs in its hands. In the Mood for Love was a very romance heavy film, but I get a much stronger sensual presence from 2046, and Wong is great at showing the raw power of lust.

I always have a hard time choosing a favorite film by Wong, but it always ends in a tie between 2046 and Fallen Angels (1995). A stylistic love story with sci-fi-elements, and so elegant it hurts.

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance

Ran (Japan, 1985)

The Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji has decided to step aside to make room for the younger blood of his three sons, Taro, Jiro, and Saburo, the Lord's only wish now being to live out his years as an honored guest in the castle of each of his sons in turn. While the older two sons flatter their father, the youngest son attempts to warn him of the folly of expecting the three sons to remain united; enraged at the younger son's attempt to point out the danger, the father banishes him. True to the younger son's warning, however, the oldest Son soon conspires with the second son to strip The Great Lord of everything, even his title.

One of Akira Kurosawa's most acclaimed films, and it was the most expensive Japanese movie ever produced up to that time. Kagemusha, which Kurosawa directed a few years before, he referred to as "dress rehearsal" for Ran. It's an incredibly epic samurai drama full of war politics, scheming daimyos and huge battles. A story of greed, lust for power and ultimate revenge. Essential film history.

Genre: Action/Drama/War

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (South Korea, 2006)

A young woman who believes she's a cyborg hears voices and harms herself while at work making radios. She's hospitalized in a mental institution where she eats nothing and talks to inanimate objects. She's Young-goon, granddaughter of a woman who thought she was a mouse and a mother who's a butcher. Young-goon comes to the attention of Il-sun, a ping-pong playing patient at the institution who makes it his goal to get her to eat. 

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK must be one of Park Chan-wook's (Thirst, Oldboy) more unusual films, with a cast of institutionalized crazies. The mental hospital is full of colorful and nutty personalities, delivering a lot of comic relief. Regardless of what you may gain from the plot, Park Chan-wook has done an excellent job with the screenplay and blending a romantic drama with a surreal and quirky comedy-twist. An odd and sweet film with plenty of humor.

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance

Violent Streets (Japan, 1974)

The Western Japan Alliance has control of most of Japan, and only Tokyo is left for them to gain. Starting with the purchase of clubs in Ginza, a yakuza war between Western and Eastern Japan begins! In the midst of it all, a retired yakuza is caught in the middle of a growing conflict between two rival clans.

Violent Streets is a web of different plot strands that clashes with each other, ending up in messy fights and shootouts. The director, Hideo Gosha, is best known for his samurai films, so it's interesting to see his step into the world of yakuza movies.

A fantastic and violent gangster flick from the 70's.

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama