Whispering Corridors (South Korea, 1998)

Whispering Corridors is set in a typical all-female high school in Korea and the story begins on the night before the first day of the new school year. A female teacher, Mrs Park, has discovered something mysterious and weird concerning a late pupil of the school called Jin-ju who had committed suicide in the school’s art rooms nine years previously, and her ghost was said to haunt the art rooms which had been closed up after the incident. However, before she can explain about her discovery she is attacked and murdered, and the next day she's found hanged.

Whispering Corridors is the first movie in its franchise, and it spawned four sequels. This one, and Voice (2005) are really the only ones you need to see, for the others are fairly mediocre. The horror aspects of these films are barely enough to give you a few chills, but they made a strong social commentary on the Korean school system, and they did it with a spooky ghost story in the lead. 

Genre: Drama/Horror

House of Flying Daggers (China/Hong Kong, 2004)

During the reign of the Tang dynasty in China, a secret organization called "The House of the Flying Daggers" rises and opposes the government. A police officer called Leo sends officer Jin to investigate a young dancer named Mei, claiming that she has ties to the "Flying Daggers". Leo arrests Mei, only to have Jin breaking her free in a plot to gain her trust and lead the police to the new leader of the secret organization. But things are far more complicated than they seem...

House of Flying Daggers is yet another visual masterpiece by director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, Hero) and is most definitely one of those movies you need to see at least once in your life. Beautiful action sequences is the name of the game and the film is filled with gorgeous cinematography as you would expect from the aforementioned director. 

Seriously cool and stylistic. 

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama

Sword of the Stranger (Japan, 2007)

The film follows Kotaro, a young boy who is hunted by a group of swordsmen from Ming Dynasty China for mysterious reasons. Among the group is a fearsome Western fighter named Luo-Lang, whose only desire is to find a worthy opponent. Due to circumstances, Kotaro and his dog meet Nanashi, a nameless ronin who is haunted by memories of his past which have led him to avoid drawing his sword ever again. When the Ming clash with a Sengoku-era feudal lord, a proud general, and monks torn between faith and survival, the reason behind the Ming group's pursuit tests the bond between Kotaro and Nanashi.

Now, here's an animated film that completely reeks of quality. If you're interested in either samurai movies or anime, you can't go wrong with this one. Fantastic sword fights is the name of the game, and the soundtrack is just as epic as it is beautiful. 

Genre: Animation/Action/Adventure

Last Train Home (Canada/China, 2009)

Every spring, China's cities are plunged into chaos as 130 million migrant workers travel back to their home villages for the New Year's holiday. This mass exodus is the world's largest human migration, an epic spectacle that exposes a nation tragically caught between its rural past and industrial future. Working over several years in classic cinéma vérité style, director Lixin Fan travelled with one couple who have embarked on this annual trek for almost two decades. 

Last Train Home is a documentary that depicts one family's struggles and hardships and observes them as they try to unite for the holidays. New York Times picked Last Train Home as one of the most outstanding works from the 2010 Sundance by characterizing it as "a beautifully shot, haunting and haunted large scale portrait." The director, Lixin Fan, has a way of making you feel like a 'fly on the wall', like you're always there in the background, always hearing the conflicts, the fights and discussions about the future. A very personal and amazing film.

Happy End (South Korea, 1999)

Bora is a successful career woman who becomes involved with her destructive ex-lover, Kim. Bora's home life is a snore: she's mother to an infant child and her husband Seo, who has lost his job. But as time goes on, Seo starts suspecting his wife more and more...

Happy End stars Choi Min-sik (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil) and Jeon Do-yeon (Secret Sunshine, The Housemaid) as two spouses that drifts further and further away from each other. A dying love story about a desperate husband that culminates in a very powerful and unpredictable way.

Genre: Drama/Romance

Judgement (South Korea, 1999)

1995. Seoul. A huge shopping centre, the Sampung department Store collapsed, killing about 500 people and injuring many others. Half a million dollars were offered in indemnity to the victims' relatives, and this triggered a merciless looting made by unscrupulous people. In a morgue where the lifeless body of a girl lies, waiting to be identified, a man and a woman, who introduce themselves as the parents of the victim, are distraught over the loss of the young girl. However, after a moment's hesitation, a morgue employee claims he is the girls real father.

Judgement (a.k.a. Simpan) is an early film by the fantastic Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Thirst, Joint Security Area). A short film (26 min) that focuses on the greed which followed in the wake of a tragedy, and is an early example of Park Chan-wook's skills in film making.  

Genre: Short/Drama

Raise the Red Lantern (Hong Kong/China, 1991)

China in the 1920's. After her father's death, nineteen year old Songlian is forced to marry Chen Zuoqian, the lord of a powerful family. Fifty year old Chen has already three wives, each of them living in separate houses within the great castle. The competition between the wives is tough, as their master's attention carries power, status and privilege. Each night Chen must decide with which wife to spend the night and a red lantern is lit in front of the house of his choice. And each wife schemes and plots to make sure it's hers.

Raise the Red Lantern was directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), so it's no wonder why the cinematography is stunning. Zhang Yimou knows how to tell a story with unique scenery, almost as if they are his greatest actors. Raise the Red Lantern was named as one of the 25 movies you must see before you die, and is critically acclaimed throughout the world. A must for every asian movie fan.

Genre: Drama

Harakiri (Japan, 1962)

Peace in 17th-century Japan causes the Shogunate's breakup of warrior clans, throwing thousands of samurai out of work and into poverty. An honorable end to such fate under the samurai code is ritual suicide, or hara-kiri (self-inflicted disembowelment). An elder warrior, Hanshiro Tsugumo, seeks admittance to the house of a feudal lord to commit the act. There, he learns of the fate of his son-in-law, a young samurai who sought work at the house but was instead barbarically forced to commit hara-kiri. In flashbacks, Hanshiro tells the tragic story of his son-in-law, and how he was forced to sell his real sword to support his sick wife and child.

A fascinating, tragic samurai tale that explores and tears down the code which the samurai lives by. Director Masaki Kobayashi (Kwaidan) was a huge fan of Akira Kurosawa's work and managed to make a jidaigeki film that doesn't try to compete with Kurosawa's epics, but has numerous times been called an anti-samurai film due to how it throws the whole samurai establishment under a bus, and exposes a lot of hypocrisy. Many scenes has a genuine sense of tangible anxiety, when it dawns on the character that death is unavoidable. Delivers great dialogue and minimalistic cinematography, and under a thick layer of grain portrays a much more restrained story compared to other films in the genre. Actor Tatsuya Nakadai (Sword of Doom) plays the lead role, and has cited Harakiri as his favorite film.

Genre: Drama

Black Belt (Japan, 2007)

The events take place in 1932 in Japanese-occupied Manchuria, in which the corrupt leaders of the Japanese army are trying to take over all the Karate dojos for their own personal benefit. Amidst these circumstances the master of one of these dojos dies before choosing his successor, leaving three of his pupils Taikan, Giryu and Choei the task of deciding amongst themselves who deserves it most.

A super powerful knuckle buster of a martial arts film. The main characters are played by real karate experts, and it shows in every bone breaking punch. No special effects were used, and the film is free from the slapstick that often can be seen in other fighting movies. All for a more realistic, more painful display of karate. 

Genre: Action/Drama

Silmido (South Korea, 2003)

In 1968, the Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the island of Silmido; for two years they are subjected to maximum mental and physical abuse until the long awaited day slowly closes in...

Based on the true story of Unit 684, Silmido tells the story of a group of soldiers who refuses to be the politicians pawns. Knowing that it's based on true events, the conclusion becomes ten times more emotional and thought provoking. 

Highly recommended. 

Genre: Action/Drama

Sad Vacation (Japan, 2007)

Kenji, abandoned by his mother, scrapes out a meager existence doing odd jobs including driving bar hostesses and their customers home. Besides this he takes care of the sister of an old friend in jail and a young illegal immigrant. But his life reaches a turning point when he happens to meet Chiyoko, his long lost mother. She is now married to Mamiya, the owner of an express package delivery service. 

Tadanobu Asano (Last Life in the Universe) gives a great performance as usual in this great drama written by Shinji Aoyama, who also directed Eureka (2000). Centers around a family whom all got their own problems. Nothing new really, but it features a likeable cast and fans of Asano should check it out.

Genre: Drama 

Mind Game (Japan, 2004)

The film follows Nishi, a loser who has a crush on his childhood girlfriend. After an encounter with the yakuza, the film follows Nishi as he journeys to heaven and back, and ends up trapped in an even more unlikely place. Nishi and his friends attempt to break out of their trap, and discover what it truly means to be alive along the way.

Oh, boy... how do I explain this one. Mind Game is most likely like nothing you've ever seen before. It was produced by Studio4°C, who also created the wonderful Tekkonkinkreet (2006). With this one, they made a big name for themselves, and delivered an animation fest like no other. I feel like it should say on the cover that you can't watch this film while under the influence, or while taking heavy medication because you will most likely go insane and sail into a world beyond ours. Imagine being on a drug that's been dipped in every crazy, over-the-top anime in existence, multiply the weirdness by a thousand, and you got yourself a trippy ride to another world.

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Comedy

Once Upon a Time in High School (South Korea, 2004)

The year is 1978. Hyun-su transfers to a new school in Seoul. He is sent to a bottom-rank class and experiences violence by a group of gangsters in his class. Surrounded by  bullies, Hyun-su befriends Woo-shik, a strong man who's the only one who dares to fight the gangsters, and Hamburger, a chubby but kind student who sells naughty magazines. From amidst all the gang rivalry, violence and abuse from teachers, Hyun-su sees the beautiful Eun-ju; a student from an all-girls school. Welcome to JungMoon High.

Definitely one of the best school dramas I've seen. It depicts all the trials and tribulations a South Korean student could encounter in the harsh year of 1978. If you like it, be sure to check out Blue Spring (2001), another masterpiece with school environment.

Genre: Drama/Romance

Freeze Me (Japan, 2000)

Chihiro is raped by three men and it is captured on video. She leaves her hometown, prepares to marry a colleague five years later and tries to live a normal life. However, one day she's visited by her three rapists in her apartment...

Freeze Me (a.k.a. Freezer) is made out of two themes: rape and revenge. You may get frustrated over how the main character first acts when she's faced with the horrors of her past, but trust me, the solution is brutally satisfying. 

Genre: Drama/Thriller

A Dirty Carnival (South Korea, 2006)

Byung-du is a 29-year-old career criminal, working for the middle-rank enforcer Sang-chul. Burdened with a terminally ill mother and taking care of younger siblings, Byung-du is feeling financial pressure as a substitute patriarch. When the big boss President Hwang is cornered by a corrupt prosecutor, Byung-du volunteers for an assassination and wins the big man's trust. However, this only makes more people turn against him...

Step into a world of small time mobsters, gang violence and one man's rise to power. A Dirty Carnival never treads water, the focus remains on Byung-du and he faces one problem after another that he must deal with, often in a bloody manner. Features some great fighting sequences and tight mob drama. 

Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller