Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (Japan, 2014)

Makoto, an assassin who once was contracted by the government, has since become obsessed with tearing it down. Formerly, Kenshin was mainly concerned with protecting Kaoru, but the stakes are now higher as he struggles to protect the nation itself.

The first Rurouni Kenshin movie was a superb samurai action fest with interesting characters. It's sequel, Kyoto Inferno, multiplies all that with ten. After watching it, my jaw is somewhere on the floor and I'm in some kind of euphoria. The fights in this film are some of the best ones I've ever seen put to film, and I can't help but smile like an idiot when they fly towards each other and their swords smashes against one another with such speed. It get's your heart pumping. 

Being that it's all based on a manga and anime, the antagonists are all very out of the ordinary with crazy outfits and fighting styles. I've seen some amazing samurai films before, so I'm glad that I still can be so impressed by the genre as I am with Rurouni Kenshin. One of the most epic and best films of this year.

Genre: Action

The Little House (Japan, 2014)

A woman looks back on her family's life in Tokyo before and during WWII. A maid arrives from the countryside to work for an upper middle class family. She fits in well, but everyone's emotions are stirred up with the arrival of a student.

Wow. I was not prepared for how sad this film would be. Jesus H. Christ. Kind of a downer actually but really good. The sets and backdrops looks sort of like a theater stage at times, but it fits the story which almost entirely takes place at a certain little house. It's a slice of life kind of film, and the viewers almost becomes the main character in the sense that she doesn't involve herself in the business of her employers, but still is present and observing of the eventful years she spends there. 

If you're anything like me, this film will linger in your mind a good while after you've seen it and make you become a bit nostalgic. 

Genre: Drama

Crows Explode (Japan, 2014)

A month later. Genji Takiya has graduated. New fights begin to see who will climb to the top at Suzuran High School. Meanwhile, a battle against nearby Kurosaki Industrial High School begins.

It's time to go back to Suzuran High School. It's been a couple of years since Crows Zero 2 was released in 2009, but the crows are back and stronger than ever. Takashi Miike, who directed the last two films, has now handed over the director roll over to Toshiaki Toyoda. When I first heard about that my expectations went through the roof due to the fact that Toyoda was the man behind the fantastic Blue Spring (2001), a film which shares many themes with Crows Zero. 

So, was Crows Explode worth the long wait? Of course it was! Toyoda has made a film that actually looks kind of pretty, with sakura leaves that blow through the air and shiny costumes with even shinier bloodstains. You can hardly take a breath before another three students has gotten their teeth smashed in and been thrown into some concrete wall, and that's what Crows Zero always was. A type of ultra-violent King of the Hill game between rival gangs and boys with stylish hairdos. It features an almost entirely new cast, making it feel fresh but retains the same general ideas of which the series is built upon. A strong third entry in the Crows-series.

Genre: Action/Drama

Shady (Japan, 2012)

Because of her last name "Kumada" (bear + rice paddy) and her appearance, Misa's high school classmates call her "Pooh" disparagingly. She obviously has no friends and can only let down her guard around her pet parrot and the goldfish in the science room at school. But then she finds herself quickly becoming best friends with Izumi, a cute and popular classmate. Although somewhat puzzled by Izumi's interest in her, Misa is excited about having a friend for the first time ever. But Izumi's initial angelic demeanor gradually transforms into a demonic one.

For some reason I did not expect this film to be this good. Shady is an outstanding drama that deals with bullying between young girls, and has some slight horror aspects to it. As it goes on, the innocent appearance of a blooming friendship becomes deliciously twisted and wrong. The music is also surprisingly calm and beautiful considering the dark and sinister plot. Do yourself a huge favor and watch this film right now.

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Coming Home (China, 2014)

Lu Yanshi and Feng Wanyu are a devoted couple forced to separate when Lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner, just as his wife is injured in an accident. Released during the last days of the Cultural Revolution, he finally returns home only to find that his beloved wife has amnesia and remembers little of her past. Unable to recognize Lu, she patiently waits for her husband's return. A stranger alone in the heart of his broken family, Lu Yanshi determines to resurrect their past together and reawaken his wife's memory.

Coming Home is the ninth collaboration between director Yimou Zhang and actor Gong Li. Some of their work includes Raise the Red Lantern (1991), To Live (1994) and Red Sorghum (1987), and Coming Home follows the tradition of being a well-played emotional drama. It's actually quite heartbreaking and you desperately wish for a happy ending.   

Genre: Drama

Still Life (China/Hong Kong, 2006)

Coalminer Han Sanming comes from Fengyang in Shanxi to the Three Gorges town Fengjie to look for his ex-wife whom he has not seen for 16 years. The couple meet on the bank of the Yangtze River and vow to remarry. Nurse Shen Hong also comes to Fengjie from Taiyuan in Shanxi to look for her husband who has not been home for two years. The couple embrace each other and waltz under the imposing Three Gorges dam, but feel they are so apart and decide to have a divorce. The old township has been submerged, while a new town has to be built.

Still Life is a story about searching for what has been lost. In a town that's slowly being flooded during the construction of a dam, a man and a woman tries to find family and husbands. The beautiful mountains and rivers serves as a contrasting backdrop to the more desperate plot. 

Genre: Drama

Syndromes and a Century (Thailand, 2006)

A story about director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's parents who were both doctors, and his memories about growing up in the hospital environment.

Syndromes and a Century is one of those films that requires you to be in a certain mood before seeing it. The plot moves like a slowpoke, and there seem to be no hurry at all in advancing the story. If you can accept that, this film is actually really great, and much thank's to how it's filmed. Many static shots and long scenes, just the way I like it. A few times we may get a montage of different rooms and halls of a hospital where the lights are going out, and people that exercises in the park. So bring along a chunk of patience before watching it, and you will hopefully appreciate this meditative experience.

Genre: Drama

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Japan, 2013)

An old man makes a living by selling bamboo. One day, he finds a princess in a bamboo. The princess is only the size of a finger. Her name is Kaguya. When Kaguya grows up, 5 men from prestigious families propose to her. Kaguya asks the men to find memorable marriage gifts for her, but the 5 men are unable to find what Kaguya wants. Then, the Emperor of Japan proposes to her.

Once again a new Studio Ghibli film has made it to western shores, and I dare to say that this is one of their best one yet. For the first time in ages, Hayao Miyazaki is not the director, but Isao Takahata, who made Grave of the Fireflies (1988) and Pom Poko (1994). Here, Takahata has based his film on one of Japan's oldest folktales: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, where a baby girl is discovered inside the stalk of a glowing bamboo plant and is said to be from Tsuki-no-Miyako ("The Capital of the Moon"). The film is rich with Japanese customs and culture and overall feels like a love letter to nature.

There's not much in this film not worth praising, the art style is very distinctive and beautiful, and there's a certain scene where Kaguya runs as fast as she can and flees out into the wild where it's drawn with such perfection and with very violent lines. This film shows an amazing love for traditional animation in a world where CGI has become a standard, and that's extremely endearing to me.

Joe Hisaishi, who composed the score for Studio Ghibli-films such as Princess Mononoke (1997) and Spirited Away (2001), is also back with full force and has written one of his best soundtracks ever (maybe the best?). The story is equally magical and juggles family values, ancient teachings, the importance of home and loss. So basically this film has every quality of a Studio Ghibli-masterpiece, but I'm very sad that this is most probably Takahata's last film. At least he finished amazingly strong, and gave us one hell of a breathtakingly beautiful movie.

For people interested, my Top-3 of Studio Ghibli-films would have to be:

1. Pom Poko (1994)
2. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
3. Porco Rosso (1992)

Genre: Animation/Drama/Fantasy

Man on High Heels (South Korea, 2014)

From people's eyes he seems like a sadistic cop who give no mercy to his enemy. But, deep inside his heart Ji-wook hides his desire to become a woman.

Man on High Heels has one of the most unusual twists I've seen in an otherwise pretty good action flick: the main character is a transgender homicide detective. So, it's perfectly natural to believe that this is a silly comedy where Ji-wook gets in all kinds of funny situations just for the sake of having a funny scene, but that's actually far from how this film plays out. The theme of trans-sexuality is taken more seriously (though there's some humor involved) and is balanced well together with the story of how a gang that Ji-wook took down is plotting a cold dish of revenge. The fight scenes are all great and feels lovely painful, fast and stylish. So you might want to give this one a chance, because it's an action drama that is original and interesting, and that's a description which feels way too rare these days.

  

Genre: Action/Crime/Comedy 

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (Japan, 2013)

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness tells the story of how the animation-house Studio Ghibli came into being and goes in-depth on Hayao Miyazaki and his retirement. 

If you're a fan of Studio Ghibli, you simply must see this. It's the best documentary to date about Miyazaki and his co-founder Isao Takahata, whom I always wanted to know more about. I really enjoyed the rare footage of a much, much younger Miyazaki when he was just starting Studio Ghibli many years ago. 

This documentary was filmed when Ghibli still was working on one of their latest films, The Wind Rises, so we get to go behind the scenes and see how that film slowly comes together and that's really interesting. Another thing that struck me while watching this film was how surprisingly serious and honest it felt. It's far from just being a over-happy behind-the-scenes flick where everything feels right, and I can really appreciate that. So, this film you could say is more for longtime fans rather than new, and for those who've followed Miyazaki's work for years and years.

- Aren't you worried about the studio's future?

- The future is clear. It's going to fall apart. I can already see it. What's the use worrying? It's inevitable. "Ghibli" is just a random name I got from an airplane. It's only a name. - Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Documentary

Death Bell (South Korea, 2008)

At an exclusive high school in Seoul, examination marks matter and so do parents' social status. To prepare for a visit from students from England, two popular teachers, Mr. Kim and Ms. Choi, gather top pupils for a Saturday study session. Things go awry: one by one, students disappear, dying in grisly ways, sometimes in view of the others via closed circuit TV. A voice on the P.A. system warns of death if anyone tries to leave. The voice also asks questions, and Mr. Kim leads the students in trying to solve them, hoping to save a student.

Death Bell is a not too serious horror flick with a playful plot, a bunch of students are being targeted by a murderer who wants them to solve puzzles in order to save their lives. I read that it was very gory and had some very shocking deaths, which I wouldn't exactly agree on but there's enough thrills to make you want to see the whole thing through. There's also a sequel, but it's very mediocre and not recommended. 

Genre: Horror/Thriller

The Housemaid (South Korea, 2010/1960)

Eun-yi is a playful young woman, a good match for a job as nanny to a precocious child, Nami, the daughter of a wealthy couple, Hae-ra and Hoon. Hae-ra will soon have twins as well. The majordomo, Mrs. Cho, is the household's cold stone center. Before long, Hoon seduces Eun-yi, and when Mrs. Cho tells Hae-ra's mother about the affair, Eun-yi is up against women with wealth, power, and no conscience. Can Eun-yi maintain her dignity and perhaps even put the family in their place?

Here's two films for the price of one. I don't know what I mean by that, but I know that you should avert your attention to this duo of films. It goes without saying, but The Housemaid (2010) is a remake of a film released in the 60's, also titled The Housemaid. The older version is a bit more melodramatic, while the remake is erotic and full of sexual tension. The cast in the new one features a couple of recognizable faces and great actors from the last years and you're most likely familiar with some of them. Oh, and the ending. The ending will come at you from nowhere, and it's downright wonderful.

Genre: Drama/Thriller

A Hard Day (South Korea, 2014)

Detective Go Geon-soo is having a hard day, and the following events happen to him in less than 24 hours: He receives a divorce notice from his wife. His mother passes away. He and his coworkers are investigated by police inspectors over alleged embezzlement. Then on his way to his mother's funeral, he drives recklessly and commits a fatal hit and run. He tries to cover-up the accident by hiding the man's corpse in his deceased mother's coffin. But someone has been watching all along, and Geon-soo gets a mysterious call from a person claiming that he was the sole witness to the crime, who now begins to threaten him.

I expected A Hard Day to be very lackluster and uninspired, but were surprised at how enjoyable it actually was. Even funny sometimes. Sure, there's not a whole lot of originality here, but it delivers a momentarily rush and the excitement rises by the minute. Not a perfect thriller, but still worth your time.

Genre: Action/Crime/Thriller

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (Japan, 2001)

The year is 2071. Following a terrorist bombing, a deadly virus is released on the populace of Mars and the government has issued a 300 million woo-long reward, the largest bounty in history, for the capture of whoever is behind it. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop; Spike, Faye, Jet and Ed, take the case with hopes of cashing in the bounty. However, the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent, goes deeper than they ever imagined, and they aren't the only ones hunting him.

The anime series Cowboy Bebop is one of the coolest shows out there. It's a space western fanatic's wet dream, with 26 episodes of superb action and funky sci-fi. The movie based on the show is no different when it comes to delivering an exciting story and amazing animation. You can easily watch the movie without having seen the series, as it is a pretty much standalone project. Even those who are new to animation should check this one out, as it is a crazy good and awesome welcome to the genre.

Genre: Animation/Action/Crime

No Tears for the Dead (South Korea, 2014)

Abandoned by his mother shortly after immigrating to America, Gon is raised by the mafia and grows up to become a cold-blooded hit-man. Though usually flawless in taking out his targets, Gon makes a terrible mistake of killing an innocent young girl. A flood of guilt takes over his life and the situation becomes worse when his boss assigns him the job of killing the young girl's mother. Gon's new target, Mogyeong, is a risk manager at an investment firm and has buried herself in work to bury her grief. She is completely unaware of her role at the heart of a dangerous conspiracy. 

No Tears for the Dead is a film I've been dying to see for a long, long time. Ever since it was announced that The Man from Nowhere director Lee Jeong-beom was making a new action film I was hyped like crazy. This led to some impossibly high expectations and that's probably why No Tears for the Dead proved to be slightly underwhelming to me. There's some unnecessary English dialogue between people who both talk Korean, and it's not as packed with amazing fight sequences as The Man from Nowhere was, but instead takes some time to develop the plot. 

Still, that's not exactly a bad thing, and this film has it where it counts and delivers some really cool, fast shots and intense shootouts. You can just tell that the director has completely mastered the art of filming an action scene. So, a good action flick that doesn't quite reach the same level of intensity of the directors previous work, but a satisfying and wonderfully shot action fest nonetheless.    

Genre: Action/Drama

Shower (China, 1999)

Shenzhen businessman, Da Ming, goes home to Beijing when he thinks his father has died. He finds his father hard at work at the family's bathhouse (the false message was a ruse of Da's mentally-handicapped brother, Er Ming, to get Da home). Da stays a couple days, observing his father being social director, marriage counselor, and dispute mediator for his customers and a boon companion to Er. Da is caught between worlds: the decaying district of his childhood and the booming south where he now lives with a wife who's not met his family. When Da realizes his father's health is failing and the district is slated for razing, he must take stock of family and future.

Shower is a film that spends it time developing a father-and-son relationship inside of a bathhouse. The premise makes it sound like a quirky comedy but there's a lot more to it than that, and halfway through the film it drastically changes tone. A good drama, with both humor and grief. 

Genre: Drama/Comedy

Another Family (South Korea, 2014)

Taxi Driver Sang-Gu is an ordinary father. He is so proud of his daughter Yoon-Mi who works at a factory for a large corporation, but somehow also feels sorry for Yoon-Mi. Because of their poor financial situation, Yoon-Mi could not attend college. Meanwhile, Yoon-Mi tells her father that she will one day buy him a new car and pay college tuition fees for her young sibling. Less than 2 years after Yoon-Mi begins her job, she becomes ill and returns home. Yoon-Mi is unable to get proper treatment from the company where she worked and she dies. Sang-Gu promises to Yoon-Mi that he will let others know her story.

You know when a movie is interesting the minute you start to read about the stuff that it's based on. Another Family (a.k.a. Another Promise) tells the true story of how a young woman was diagnosed with leukemia after starting to work at one of Samsung's factories. After her death, her family took legal actions against Samsung and demanded that they took responsibility for the daughters death. It's a relatively straight-forward court drama, but it's the case that got me hooked. The idea of a small group of people taking on South Korea's largest company sounds more than intimidating and you wonder if such a business giant will ever admit that they're responsible for the tragic deaths of a group of employees suffering from leukemia.   

Genre: Drama

Barefoot Gen 2 (Japan, 1986)

Three years after the Hiroshima bombing, Gen and his adopted brother, Ryuta, befriend a group of orphans. A fierce typhoon hits the city, leaving the orphans' home flooded and beyond repair. Gen helps them build a new home on an abandoned piece of property, and brings love and encouragement to one of the children whose face has been badly scarred by radiation. Gen's mother, though, is getting weaker and weaker from radiation poisoning.

I've written about the first Barefoot Gen movie, and I wouldn't hesitate in calling it one of the best films ever made about the Hiroshima bomb. This sequel takes place three years later and focuses on the same family we got to know in the first film. Hiroshima is still a pile of rubble, and among the ruins a group of kids form a bond. They find friends when their world has fallen apart and it's easy to wonder how life must have been near ground zero. A generation of kids that crawled up from beneath a disintegrated city. Barefoot Gen 2 tells that story, and how they adapted to their new life.

Genre: Animation/Drama/War

Night Train (China, 2007)

Wu Hongyan is a young woman working as a prison guard during executions of female convicts. She feels lonely after her husband died, and she takes a night train to another city to visit a dating service. After a series of unsuccessful dates, she meets Li Jun. It quickly becomes obvious that he is hiding a secret: he is the widower of one of the female convicts of which Wu Hongyan assisted in the execution. Li Jun is torn apart by his feelings, as he is both attracted to Wu Hongyan, and having a desire for revenge for his executed wife.

Night Train is a very somber film, with dark themes and presentation. It's a good film for those who don't necessarily need everything to tie up nicely with a warm, happy ending. For those who don't go mad when it's revealed that there's no light at the end of the tunnel. 

Genre: Drama

Night on the Galactic Railroad (Japan, 1985)

On the night of a cat village's Festival of the Stars, a kitten and his friend go on an celestial journey on a magical space locomotive. On that trip, they have various stops where they meet strange sights, even more unusual fellow passengers and learn some lessons of life on their trip to the terminus of the Galactic Railroad.

It's usually fairly easy to tell if a movie is a happy one or more sinister, but with Night on the Galactic Road I couldn't decide whether it was sweet and lovable, or dark and foreboding. Somewhere in between, I'd have to say. It was based on a classic Japanese novel from 1934, but replaced the main characters with a bunch of cats. It has a very distinctive style to it, and if you think that it's a simple anime adventure you're way off. It's a philosophical journey through the stars with a handful of larger-than-life questions and thoughts. Starring cats. 

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Drama

Vampire Hunter D (Japan, 1985)

In a far-future time ruled by the supernatural, a young girl requests the help of a vampire hunter to kill the vampire who has bitten her and thus prevent her from becoming a vampire herself.

I have already written about Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) before, but this version from 1985 I left out because I felt that it wasn't nearly as good as Bloodlust. After re-watching it I can happily say that I must have been blinded by the greatness of Bloodlust, because this 1985 film is a phenomenal, Gothic adventure. It's disgustingly graphic, full of gore and presents a ton of nightmarish creatures and evil vampires like there's no tomorrow. Just like Bloodlust it has an awesome blend of genres like science fiction and dark fantasy. Cyborg horses and vampires? No problem. The world of Vampire Hunter D is a place hard not to get interested in, so luckily there's a whole franchise of this stuff.

While watching it I couldn't help but make some striking connections between this film and the video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997). I guess that's only natural, since both deals with vampires and Gothic themes. Both D and Alucard (the main character in Symphony of the Night) are a sword-wielding dhampir, which is the child of a vampire and a human. They both fight their way through an army of vampires using supernatural powers and graceful sword techniques. 

                                                 Alucard                                           D

I also saw a resemblance in the women that Alucard and D encounter during their travels. 

                                                  Doris                                        Maria 

Just some fun and interesting observations. Great movie and great game.

Genre: Animation/Action//Horror/Sci-Fi