The Neighbour No. 13 (Japan, 2005)

Jûzô Murasaki is a boy miscast in his classroom, being frequently abused, tortured, beaten and humiliated by the bully Tôru Akai and his gang of juvenile punks. After years of repression, rejection and fear without facing Akai, he develops a psychopathic dual personality with a violent alter-ego. While living in the apartment 13 of a tenement building, he becomes unable to control his violent dark personality, who plots an evil revenge.

Based on a manga, The Neighbour No. 13 serves us a mysterious case of underdog turned villain. An interesting story which grabs you right off the bat though it looses some steam and some later scenes starts to drag, even so, it's a story of revenge that you'll want to finish and maybe question who you want to see come out on top. Not too bloody but rather spooky due to the hidden, unreliable and unpredictable dark side of Murasaki.

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Rampo Noir (Japan, 2005)

This four-part anthology takes its cue from the short fiction of legendary horror writer Edogawa Rampo. It begins with Mars Canal, which sees a naked man collapse at the edge of a lake that descends, seemingly into the bowels of hell itself. Mirror Hell follows a detective following a trail of beautiful female corpses back to a mad mirror maker. The Caterpillar sees a limbless war veteran return home only to be systematically abused by his wife. And in Crawling Bugs, a chauffeur becomes obsessed with his actress employer.

I don't know how many viewers who are gonna be familiar with Edogawa, but solely hearing his pseudonym makes it clear from whom he takes inspiration from; Edgar Allan Poe. But their similarities basically stops there, for this film is steeped in Japanese weirdness and Lars von Trier-esque imagery. I saw this film years ago and it was fighting for my attention, but if you see it for what it isn't half bad actually, plus I'm a big fan of Tadanobu Asano who appears throughout the segments. Rampo Noir is a surreal experience with the stories ranging from straightforward murder mystery to  strange, dreamlike body horror. Very far from what westerners usually call horror, but definitely not without its own sense of artistic dread.

Genre: Fantasy/Horror

Haze (Japan, 2005)

A man wakes up to find himself locked in a very tiny, cramped concrete corridor, in which he can barely move. He doesn't remember why he is there or how he got there. He has a terrible stomach injury and is slowly bleeding to death. He begins to edge his way along the narrow maze-like corridors, only to see other people undergoing their own horrible tests though holes in the walls.

Watching Haze is like tumbling down into one of Shinya Tsukamoto's nightmares, and together with him, we're trying to find our way out while also figuring out how we got here and why there's mutilated bodies everywhere. It's a quite short journey (49 min), but it takes you through a cesspool which flows from one of Japans most daring and interesting directors.

Genre: Horror/Mystery

The Wig (South Korea, 2005)

In Seoul, Su-Hyeon is terminal with leukemia, and bald due the treatment of chemotherapy. Her sister Ji-Hyeon buys a long-haired wig, but she does not disclose the truth about Su-Hyeon's health condition to her beloved sister. While wearing the wig, Su-Hyeon recovers her health and hits Ji-Hyeon's former boyfriend Ki-Seok, changing her behavior and relationship with her sister. When Ji-Hyeon discovers that the wig is possessed by a fiend, she finds that it was manufactured using hair of a cadaver and a dark secret about Ki-Seok's sentimental life.

Exte: Hair Extensions (2007), which has been featured on this blog, is somehow not the only film to have murderous hair as the antagonist. Though, The Wig (a.k.a. Scary Hair) is a tad more serious and the plot has a few more layers than Exte. A couple of nasty scenes (one in particular is really gross) and a spooky atmosphere makes The Wig a decent film for the horror fans. Even though it's still kinda silly with killer hair.

Genre: Horror

Noriko's Dinner Table (Japan, 2005)

A teenager called Noriko Shimabara runs away from her family in Tokoyama, to meet Kumiko, the leader of an Internet BBS, Haikyo.com. She becomes involved with Kumiko's "family circle", which grows darker after the mass suicide of 54 high school girls.

Noriko's Dinner Table is the prequel to Sion Sono's Suicide Club (2002), and fleshes out the story surrounding it.  I'm not the biggest fan of Sion Sono, and Suicide Club is probably the best movie I think he's done. So it's only natural that Noriko's Dinner Table will appeal to me. It's 2 hours and 40 minutes long, so it's a lengthy one, but somehow it manages not be too long. After I reviewed Suicide Club on this site, I've heard a rumor that it was made due to the fact that the Japanese government wouldn't take action against the alarming rate of suicides the country was suffering from. To me, that gives the films a new meaning other than just it just being a fantasy from the mind of Sion Sono.

So, all in all, if you liked Suicide Club then by all means watch this one. And if you haven't seen Suicide Club you should take time to amend that as quick as possible.

Genre: Drama

Takeshis' (Japan, 2005)

Beat Takeshi, a prominent actor, meets a lookalike named Kitano, who is a struggling actor, and after that, Kitano's dreams take a violent, surreal turn.

Here's a very surreal and unique film. Directed, written, edited and starring Takeshi Kitano, one of Japans best directors. Takeshis' can be hard to figure out at times, but that's deliberate. We literally get inside this mans head and it's completely bonkers. Dreams and reality seems to collapse into each other, and in the middle of it all we have two Kitano's. So wonderfully strange and puzzling. 

It also was the first one in an autobiographical trilogy all done by Kitano, the second one was called Glory to the Filmmaker! (2007) and the third one Achilles and the Tortoise (2008). Achilles played out more like a traditional drama and was considerably more serious in tone, and Glory to the Filmmaker! kind of went the same direction as Takeshis', but the first one is by far the best one in my opinion. See it with an open mind and let yourself become lost inside the skull of Takeshi Kitano.

Genre: Comedy/Drama

The Bow (South Korea, 2005)

On a fishing boat at sea, a 60-year old man has been raising a girl since she was a baby. It is agreed that they will get married on her 17th birthday, and she is 16 now. They live a quiet and secluded life, renting the boat to day fishermen and practicing strange divination rites. Their life changes when a teenage student comes aboard...

Kim Ki-duk is a director that often has been praised on this blog before, and be it for Moebius (2013) or Samaria (2004), the man deserves it. For The Bow, it shouldn't be any less of that, as it retains some of Kim's trademark film styles such as very little dialogue, a small cast and minimalistic shots. Those trademarks of course go hand in hand with a slower pace, but it's not too slow by any means. One thing I found funny was how the old man shoots arrows at everyone he dislikes, I would never turn my back against him. The soundtrack also stand out, it fits the movie really well with peaceful, melodious violins that dance alongside the calm waves. 

If I only could choose a few of my favorite directors, Kim Ki-duk would without a doubt be on my list. He can convey so much emotion and atmosphere without a single line of dialogue, and films that can survive on other things than dialogue are films I embrace wholeheartedly.   

Genre: Drama/Romance

The President's Last Bang (South Korea, 2005)

A look at the life of President Park Chung-hee and the events leading up to his assassination.

A black comedy about the real life assassination of a president? How can it go wrong? Well, it apparently couldn't because The President's Last Bang is a fantastic and tight film with a good cast. Han Suk-kyu who plays one of the main roles as a Chief Agent, you might recognize from films like The Scarlett Letter (2004) or The Berlin File (2013). The whole film is very well-written and after doing some reading about the actual assassination, I noticed that this film is fairly accurate (which makes the film even more incredible) in the portrayal of something so sensitive as a president's murder. 

After the films release, the film-makers were taken to court because the son of the late President thought that the movie tarnished the image of his father. I'm glad that the court ruled in favor of the director because what we got here is a film that isn't afraid of showing you the killing of a president, and not just that, it has fun with it. 

Black comedies, I tell you, black comedies.

  

Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama

The Wayward Cloud (Taiwan, 2005)

There's a drought in Taiwan. Watermelon are abundant and become juice, food, something to share with a guest, and an aphrodisiac. In a large building of flats, Hsiao-Kang and Shiang-chyi's paths cross; she knew him when he sold watches, now he acts in pornographic films. She scavenges for plastic water bottles. He bathes in the building's cistern. Song and dance numbers punctuate the characters' nearly aimless pursuits: she has lost her keys and he helps her find them; he naps in a park, she watches; can they connect?

First I feel like I should warn you that this film is intended for mature audiences only, due to it's extremely graphic sex scenes. The opening scene sets the bar for how nuts this film is, and the closing shot made people walk out of the theater on it's premiere. It blends sex, anxiety, porn and comedy in such a brutal way that it's impossible not to get affected. Whether you're affected in a good or a bad way, that solely depends on you. 

Directed by Tsai Ming-liang who also made fantastic films such as Vive l'Amour (1994) and Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003), he tried something more daring with The Wayward Cloud and  in my opinion succeeded in creating something we've never seen before and will never see again. That will always be impressive to me.

Genre: Drama

My Girl and I (South Korea, 2005)

Beautiful student Su-Eun prevents her fellow student Su-Ho to drown in the ocean. Su-Ho however, does not know who saved him, until Su-Eun tells him after a while. The love between them starts to grow, seemingly infinite. But then something terrible happens.

My Girl and I is, yes you guessed it, another Korean romance/melodrama that wants you to bawl your eyes out so bad. While I wasn't exactly moved to tears, the film definitely had a certain charm and a heart in the right place. You might recognize the guy in one of the lead roles from My Sassy Girl (2001) or Speed Scandal (2008), he's always doing a good job at balancing the funny and quirky side with the more serious one. 

This film I think would have been a lot better if you hadn't been told how the love story will end early on, but aside from that it's a good love story with lots of warmth, smiles and emotions.

Genre: Drama/Romance

Sad Movie (South Korea, 2005)

Eight individuals are facing seperation in their lives. The passionate fire fighter, tries to propose to his lover, but he misses his chance every time. In the meantime, she becomes anxious whenever she hears a siren. Suk-Hyun intends to break up with her jobless lover, Ha-Suk, and he begins an agency that helps other lovers to break up. Joo-Young is mad at her son's troubles in school, but she realizes that she has little time to spend with him. Soo-Eun, with a hearing impairment and a burn on her face, falls in love for the first time, but she doesn't have the courage to come out in his presence.

Not surprisingly, the title of Sad Movie sums up the whole thing. Melodrama has been the most popular genre in South Korea for decades, it dominates the film industry and Koreans simply can't get enough of the bitterness of love. 

I usually don't think too much of these kinds of films, as it easily can get a little too sappy for my taste but Sad Movie hit a sweet spot.  It got some very adorable moments and a nice soundtrack. If you think you would somehow enjoy a film that's all about the worst parts of a relationship, then you should give this one a chance.  

Genre: Drama/Romance

Three Times (Taiwan, 2005)

In 1966, Chen meets May playing pool in a bar when he is joining the army. He sends letters to her and he comes to the bar to meet her again in his leave. However, May had traveled to another place and Chen seeks her out. In 1911, the writer Mr. Chang works for Mr. Liang and frequently travels to a brothel, where he meets the singer. He financially helps the courtesan Ah Mei to become a concubine. When the singer asks him if he would help her to leave the brothel, there is no answer. In 2005, in Taipei, the messy relationship of the photographer Zhen, his girlfriend Jing and a bisexual singer.

Three love stories set in different time periods, same two actors. Originally the three segments would have different directors, but after some financing problems director Hou Hsiao-Hsien took over the production, which I can't complain about because Three Times is a gorgeous film with some serious variety in settings and characters. Some may find the middle to be a bit slow paced with the dialogue being written instead of spoken, but it's all good if you ask me and I got to hand it to the director for being able to show such range in the story.  

Genre: Drama/Romance

A Stranger of Mine (Japan, 2005)

In one long Friday evening, Takeshi, a straight-arrow businessman, will encounter a number of people (some only fleetingly) who have intertwining fates. The plot of the film is presented in succession first from the point of view of Maki, a young woman disappointed in love, then from Takeshi's point of view, then of his friend, Yusuke, a private detective, and it keeps on switching the viewers perspective like this.

With lots of comic relief and several storylines, A Stranger of Mine is a fun and engaging movie that reward its viewers more and more, and the plot is like a puzzle that is slowly being pieced together. It features some interesting characters and will give you a couple of good laughs, definitely worth a watch. 

Genre: Drama/Comedy

Reincarnation (Japan, 2005)

35 years ago, a college professor named Norihasa Omori visits a local hotel and films himself killing 11 of the hotel guests, employees and his own children as a part of his wish to understand reincarnation. Then, he commits suicide. Since then, the footage of the murders disappears. In the present day, horror movie director, Matsumura, decides to make a film about the massacre. As the date of the shoot draws near, Nagisa Sugiura, the actress who is set to star as Professor Omori's daughter Chisato, is haunted by the ghosts of the victims. She begins to hallucinate as she is plagued by nightmares of the killings.

Reincarnation (a.k.a. Rinne) starts good, gets better and then ends on a weaker note, but it's still an okay horror story. Also, the majority of viewers seems to love it. If you like the sound of ghosts, creepy dolls and serial killers, Reincarnation should be a pleasant surprise. 

Genre: Horror

Linda Linda Linda (Japan, 2005)

Linda Linda Linda tells the story of a group of four high school girls who decide to put together a band for Hiiragi-sai, their school cultural festival. Three days before they are to play the festival, the guitarist and singer quit the band. The remaining members, Kei, Kyoko, and Nozomi must figure out what to do or risk cancelling. They decide to perform covers of The Blue Hearts songs, but all agree that they need to find a new member to be the singer. They ask the first girl that walks by - Son, a Korean foreign exchange student.

Linda Linda Linda is a sweet coming-of-age tale that you might think doesn't have much of a plot, but it has a cult following and is recognized as one of the more popular Japanese drama's in recent years. A likeable cast, good direction and enough side stories to keep things interesting makes the film an enjoyable watch.

Genre: Drama/Music 

Karas (Japan, 2005)

Karas tells the story of Otoha, a former yakuza, living in a fictional version of Shinjuku, Tokyo populated by humans and yōkai (Japanese spirits). He is one of the titular karas, humans appointed as superpowered agents of the land. Able to transform into a car, an aircraft, and an armored crusader; the skilled swordsman is to stop his corrupt predecessor, Eko, from taking over Tokyo. Supporting characters such as Eko's former henchman, Nue; the yōkai; and Homura, the karas of another city, help Otoha in his quest. 

Karas was originally released as six episodes, and was later compiled into two feature length films. They featured extremely fast paced action, some incredible enemy design and gorgeous animations techniques that made viewers drool. It's a little light on the story, but that's okay, with visuals like these you can forgive a lot of things.

Genre: Action

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (Hong Kong/China/Japan, 2005)

Gouichi Takata, an aged Japanese father who, ever since his wife died, has not been in good terms with his son. When he learns that his son has been diagnosed as having liver cancer, he decides to travel to the Yunnan province in China in his son's place to film Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, a traditional item in the local nuo opera, of which his son is a leading scholar. The father hopes that by doing so, he might finally gain the forgiveness of his son.

Riding Alone... is directed by one China's best filmmakers, Yimou Zhan, who's work include Raise the Red Lantern (1991) and Hero (2002). It's a magnificent drama that packs a strong emotional impact, and has a bittersweet feel to itself.

Genre: Drama 

Funky Forest: The First Contact (Japan, 2005)

Three unpopular brothers, Masaichi, Masaru and Masao, are struggling to be popular among the girls. Luckily enough, they finally get a chance to have a co-ed picnic with some pretty young ladies.

Uhm.. wow. After this film, I just don't know what to say. Funky Forest is a movie that pretty much defies everything you think you know about movies. I have no idea how to categorize it either. I can honestly say it's the weirdest film I've ever seen, and that's saying a lot. Great actor Tadanobu Asano (Last Life in the Universe, Ichi the Killer) somehow agreed to be a part of this infinitely weird film, maybe he knew that never in his career would he ever star in a film stranger than this one. 

Some scenes truly raises the insanity-bar beyond max capacity, and then some. A few scenes have made their way to YouTube where many viewers sighs and wonder what the heck happened to the once great and proud land of the rising sun. Others, like me, are glad that crazy stuff like this exists because if it weren't for Japan, nothing would ever come close to being as nuts as this. 

Funky Forest could be called a gem in the world of freaky Japanese cinema, a savior for the viewers who thought they've seen it all. It could also be called nightmare fuel that makes you want to take a long, cold shower. 

Genre: Com... edy?

The Protector (Thailand, 2005)

In Bangkok, the young Kham was raised by his father in the jungle with elephants as members of their family. When his old elephant and the baby Kern are stolen by criminals, Kham finds that the animals were sent to Sidney. He travels to Australia, where he locates the baby elephant in a restaurant owned by the evil Madame Rose, the leader of an international Thai mafia. With the support of the efficient Thai sergeant Mark, who was involved in a conspiracy, Kham fights to rescue the animal from the mobsters.

If you've seen Ong-bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003), you know what to expect from Tony Jaa, who plays the main character. And with The Protector, he delivers yet again, with explosive violence and so much bone crushing fist fights that you wonder if they really can keep it up all the way? The answer is yes. Plus, The Protector features one of the best fight sequences ever made, all shot in one take. 

Genre: Action/Crime

April Snow (South Korea, 2005)

In-soo and Seo-young, who are both married, meet in a hospital after their respective partners are involved in a car accident. This leads them to discover that their spouses had been having an affair and they begin one of their own. Their relationship grows as they approach each other for consolation.

April Snow is Korean melodrama done right, and one of the best drama films I've seen in a long time. It tackles an awkward subject when it's revealed two spouses are having an affair and their partners are left to deal with both their loss and infidelity. The melancholy lays over every scene like a thin sheet, and the sorrowful music plays on your heartstrings. Highly recommended.

Genre: Drama/Romance. 1h 47min.