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

The Quiet Family (South Korea, 1998)

A humble family decides to buy a lodge in a remote hiking area. When they finally gets a customer, he ends up committing suicide, and the distraught family buries his body to avoid the bad publicity. But their luck gets worse, more customers ends up dying, and the family becomes desperate to save the situation.

The Quiet Family is director Kim Ji-woon's (I Saw the Devil, A Bittersweet Life) feature film debut and by far one of the funniest movies I've ever seen; pure 'black comedy' gold. People dies left and right, and it's downright hilarious. It also features pre-stardom Choi Min-sik (Oldboy) and Song Kang-ho (Memories of Murder) as two brothers who just can't get a break.

Everyone needs to see this one. Now!

Genre: Comedy/Crime. 1h 38min.

Peppermint Candy (South Korea, 1999)

Yong-ho, a depressed, mentally broken down man wanders to a reunion of his old student group. Facing an oncoming train, he exclaims "I want to go back". What follows is reversed chronology, where the key events of the past 20 years of Yong-ho's life is unfolded, and bit by bit it's revealed why he decided to take his own life.

A movie that swallows you up in a vortex of sadness, jealousy, hate and every godawful feeling there is. Doesn't sound so great? Well, it is. Peppermint Candy is one of the the best and most memorable moments in Asian film history. The narrative structure of the film isn't anything new, Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is perhaps one of the most well-known examples where a man dies and his life story then unfolds. It's a rewinding of a life where every turn taken was for the worse, and a story about how one can go from youthful innocence to regretful and cruel. It was directed by the great Lee Chang-dong who've made films with deep emotional impact such as Secret Sunshine (2007) and Poetry (2010). Lee is perfect at making silence speak for itself and build atmosphere without too much dialogue. 

An unforgettable journey into the past, and one of my favorite films from South Korea.

Genre: Drama

Kikujiro (Japan, 1999)

Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro hardly seems the ideal companion for little Masao who is determined to travel long distances to see the mother he has never met. Their excursion to the cycle races is the first of a series of adventures for the unlikely pair which soon turns out to be a whimsical journey of laughter and tears with a wide array of surprises and odd ball characters to meet along the way.

A heart-warming drama directed by Takeshi Kitano (Hana-bi, Battle Royale), that explores themes of alienation and isolation in the Japanese society. Along the way we meet a bunch of wacky characters and see an unexpected friendship unfold. It's a summer vacation filled with memorable moments and new experiences, joy and sadness balanced perfectly. A film that puts you in a good mood for the rest of the day, simple as that. Too bad that Kitano doesn't make movies that often anymore, because he's really one those directors you can trust to make a truly good film. Plus, it features a beautiful soundtrack composed by mastermind Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro). The intro music is enough to make me all warm inside and brings back a lot of fond memories from when watching the film for the first time. Do your music collection a favor and get it immediately. Kikujiro is a trip you should take every summer. 

Genre: Drama/Comedy

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (South Korea, 2003)

In the midst of the Korean wilderness, a Buddhist master patiently raises a young boy to grow up in wisdom and compassion, through experience and endless exercises. Once the pupil discovers his sexual lust, he seems lost to contemplative life and follows his first love, but soon fails to adapt to the modern world, gets in jail for a crime of passion and returns to the master in search of spiritual redemption and reconciliation with karma.

One of the finest films to have ever graced the cinema. It's a tale of love, hate and redemption, all with their own seasons. Director Kim Ki-duk (3-Iron, The Isle) uses beautiful settings and lets the nature speak for itself with changing seasons. This is one of those very few moments were a movie ceases to be a movie and instead becomes an experience, and, at least for me, it means something. I guess it's hard for me to explain just how amazing this film is, so you should just go and watch it.

A unique, visually stunning portrayal of the circle of life.

Genre: Drama

Running Turtle (South Korea, 2009)

Jo Pil-seong, a rural detective, is an unhappy husband, often blamed by his wife for gambling. Despite her being hard on him, he steals money from her to bet on bull butting. Fortunately, he chalks up an unexpected win, but his luck, by no means, lasts long because his money gets snatched by an escaped prisoner.

Running Turtle is a highly entertaining thriller with some comic relief thrown in for good measure. The well-directed fight scenes and likable cast makes this another solid chase-film from South Korea. Recommended for viewers who like the 'cat and mouse'-style in thrillers.

Genre: Comedy/Crime/Drama

Bedevilled (South Korea, 2010)

Hae-won is a single woman in her thirties who works at a bank in the Seoul city. She leads a busy life until she becomes a witness to an attempted murder case, and at the same time, things get complicated at work. When things get out of hand she is forced to take a vacation so she heads for 'Moodo', a small undeveloped island, where she had once visited to see her grandparents. And where she had befriended a girl named Bok-nam who stills writes to Hae-won asking her to visit despite the fact that Hae-won never bothered to reply. 

A relentless, brutal thriller that builds up more and more, and with the brilliant actress Seo Young-hee (The Chaser) in the lead. A very dark journey that turns into a much deserved hunt for revenge, in a highly satisfying manner. 

Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller

Tokyo Story (Japan, 1953)

An elderly couple journey to Tokyo to visit their children and are confronted by indifference, ingratitude and selfishness. When the parents are packed off to a resort by their impatient children, the film deepens into an unbearably moving meditation on mortality.

Tokyo Story has countless times been listed as one of the greatest films ever made. Critics and movie magazines all over the world has placed it at the top for over 50 years. There's no denying that this is one of those classics you need to see at least once in your life. Director Yasujiro Ozu uses his own distinctive camera style where the camera height is low and never moves, his so called "tatami-mat"-shot. Whole scenes are being shot this way in one take and it always gives me a rush when it doesn't cut to another shot in a long time, and to me it creates a sort of intense bond between the viewer and the film. You're not watching these folks at their dinner table, you're sitting down with them. A family centered story dealing with a probably all too plausible scenario in many households. 

Genre: Drama

Silenced (South Korea, 2011)

Kang In-Ho is a newly appointed teacher at a school for the hearing-impaired in Mujin city. While teaching the deaf students, In-Ho feels something strange about the kids distant appearances. Soon, he uncover unfathomable actions committed by the school's faculty against the students.

Based on a horrific true story, Silenced deals with hard themes such as child rape and abuse. Few times have there been such a disturbing portrayal about the molestation of young kids, and it's just as horribly sad as it sounds. Not exactly a sunshine story, and the happy moments can be counted on the fingers of one hand, but it's an honest and tragic story that sheds light on an unspeakable crime.

Genre: Drama