Seligor's Asian Greats [A-Z] [M-N]
Welcome to my own list of mainly Asian Films and DVDs for your enjoyment. I am sure there are many lists like this but the following are all close to my heart. I watched my first Korean film here on IMDb a long time ago and was caught in the web of intrigue so much so that myself and my husband ended up in South Korea a few months later and we are still visiting when ever we've saved enough money. We hope to go to China and Taiwan this next year. And there you have it, my reason for "My collection of Asian Greats; from A to Z. I hope you enjoy the patter as well as the film identity. x Dorothy Milnes-Simm.
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- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsWon BinKim Sae-ronKim Tae-hoonA quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend.Korean thriller, the Man from Nowhere is a bit different from the usual thriller though it does have quite a few gut wrenching moments that's for sure. Former Special Agent Tae-shik lives a life on his own, after a tragic outcome to his last mission as an agent his only connection to the outside world is a young girl So-mi who lives next door. Through no fault of her own So-mi falls prey to a Korean drug lord.
To save his only friend Tae-shik decides to become the protector of So-mi and without doubt the mob are in for a bit of a shock.
Directed by Lee Jeong-beom. Won Bin , Kim Sae-ron , Kim Tae-hoon Kim Hee-won . - DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsJang Dong-gunJoe OdagiriBingbing FanIn World War II-era Korea, rival runners, one Korean (Jang Dong-gun) and one Japanese (Joe Odagiri), go to war together against the Soviets.A Kang Je-kyu a film based on true events. At the outbreak of when Korea was still in the grasp of the Japanese, two men "Jun-shik" Korean and "Tatsuo" Japanese, already rivals before the war started they are enlisted in the same division of the Imperial Army. But it wasn't long until their unit was brutally shattered and they are taken prisoner.
And so the story takes on a new dimension, do they survive? well no more shockers you will have to wait till you watch this wonderful film... and if you haven't already noticed it is directed by Kang Je-kyu who also directed "Brotherhood." Brilliant - DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.Another "True Story" this time Memories of Murder (Korean: 살인의 추억; RR: Sarinui chueok) Another South Korean crime-drama film directed by Bong Joon-ho. It is based on the true story of the country's first known serial murders, which took place between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.
Song Kang-ho (Detective Park) and Kim Sang-kyung (Detective Seo) star as two of the detectives trying to solve the crimes. It's funny but when you see which actors are playing what part, you know that the film is going to be dramatic or down right horrific. This film however has a lot of both.
I was in Gyeonggi Province just a few months ago Nov. 2013. A Fabulous Place I must say and definitely no murders then :)
It says at the bottom of the blurb that "Memories of Murder" is blackly humourous, provocative and nail-bitingly tense. Yep that just about describes most Korean Films. Brilliant - DirectorChuan LuStarsDuobujieLei ZhangDao QiA moving true story about volunteers protecting antelope against poachers in the severe mountains of Tibet.Another true story that is still going on today. Kekexili, Mountain Patrol is set in Tibet. Kekexili lies in the wilderness of unimaginable beauty but is it heaven or is it hell? Is it a battleground between conscience and greed? Only those who have lived there know the answer.
A journalist from Beijing Ga Yu [Zhang Lei] arrives at the camp of the Kekexili Mountain Patrol. He is seeking evidence to find the real story behind the missing patrol volunteers, the cruel slaughter of the Tibetan Antelopes, and the rumour that it is one or more of the patrol that are co-operating with the illegal hunters
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (Chinese: 可可西里; pinyin: Kěkěxīlǐ) (ཨ་ཆེན་གངས་རྒྱལ། in Tibetan) is a 2004 film by Chinese director Lu Chuan (陆川) It was inspired by the documentary "Balance" by "Peng Hui." - DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsDenjirô ÔkôchiSusumu FujitaKen'ichi EnomotoA Japanese general and his men disguise themselves as monks in order to pass an enemy border patrol."The Men who Tread on the Tiger's Tail." Akira Kurosawa, but this time without "Mifune"
In 1185, the Heike family fights against the Minamoto family. After a bloody naval battle in the Pacific Ocean, Yoshitsune Minamoto defeats the enemy and the survivors commit suicide. When the triumphant "Yoshitsune" arrives in Kyoto, his brother, the "Kamakura Shogun " is uneasy and orders his men to arrest Yoshitsune. However, Yoshitsune escapes with six loyal samurai led by Benkei and they head to the country of Mutsu-no-kuni and his only friend Idehira *beep* Near the border, after crossing the forest disguised as monks, their porter Suruga discovers that they are Yoshitsune and the six samurais and advises that the fearful Kagiwara and his soldiers are waiting for them in the border to arrest them. Yoshitsune disguises as a carrier and at the barrier at the border, Benkei has to convince Kagiwara that they are six monks traveling to collect donation to build a large temple in Kyoto. I must admit to not writing all of this story line myself but have all Japanese here and no English. Starring Denjiro Okochi and Susumu Fujita, this film of 1945. - DirectorSergei BodrovStarsTadanobu AsanoAmadu MamadakovKhulan ChuluunThe story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world in 1206.A film this time by Russian film maker Sergei Bodrov, it was written somewhere that this film easily rivaled Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" for sheer scale and mysticism.
Hm m m I'm afraid I can't agree with that statement but as far as films of Genghis Khan go, this is one of the best I've seen. It is of course the same story that after the brutal murder of his dad, his young son and wife, the ensuing battles. But what this film has that many haven't is the amazing bonus features about the making of Mongol. The film was produced by Bodrov, as well as Sergei Selyanov and Anton Melnik and it stars Tadanobu Asano, Sun Honglei and Chuluuny Khulan in principal roles. Mongol explores abduction, kinship and the repercussions of war. all explained in the bonus features. - DirectorJingle MaWei DongStarsWei ZhaoKun ChenRongguang YuThe epic story of the Chinese girl-warrior, Mulan, who fights to defend her father.I do love two disc productions, there is so much you can learn about war through history from the Bonus features and story-telling. Mulan the daughter of an old man who has been summons to fight in defense of his emperor's Northern Provence. To save her father from being killed in war Mulan decides to go in his place. (I often wonder why they pick such pretty girly featured women to take the part of a man in these films.) Still no one seems to suspect her of being a girl in the beginning and after she has helped win a battle or two they don't seem to mind. apart from that I LOVE this film, it was one of the first Chinese Legends I read way back-in time and it has been made into a film quite quite beautifully. Starring as Mulan "Vicki Zhao"
And Jackie Chan's son "Jaycee" Chan as her love support. There have been many followups to "Mulan" but according to the ancient legend after 12 years of war she returned to her homeland and was never seen again. - DirectorCorey YuenStarsHiroyuki SanadaConan LeeJeong-lee HwangTwo rival warriors, a Japanese and a Chinese, are forced to work together after their master has been killed by a mighty enemy.Otherwise entitled "Ninja in the Dragon's Den this Hong Kong Legend was given to me by a friend. It is a good film but for me not different enough to be a great film Producer "Ng See Yuen" used this as a follow up to his successful "Drunken Master" and "Snake on the Eagle's Shadow." It combines Chinese Kung Fu with Ninja Martial Arts but I can only place it in the same category as Drunken Shadow etc. This film is set at first in Japan in the Tokugawa Ieyasu period, a young ninja named Jin Wu (Hiroyuki Sanada) wantonly kills a samurai and other government officials, leaving his clan to face the blame.
When they start hunting him down, Jin Wu and his wife Akane (Kaname Tsushima) sail to China both to escape their wrathful kinsmen, and for Jin Wu to complete revenge by finding the last man he holds responsible for his father's death. The plot then find many twists and turns. - DirectorDave HendrieStarsRick CramerYun ChoiMatt HillHm m again, "Nowhere to Hide". I'm not over sure as to whether many of these Tartan Asia Extreme Films are really Extreme!! It is set in Incheon in South Korea, not the International Airport but the place Incheon on the mainland. Don't get me wrong I do love this film but to compare it to Hard-Boiled is not truly fair for this film is an awful lot better than hard-boiled that had Chow Yun Fat as its main star.
Nowhere to Hide, (Korean title, Injeong sajeong bol geot eobtda) is directed by Lee Myung-se. It has Park Joong-hoon ( I like him) who stars as the obsessive Detective Woo. And Jang Dong-gun who won the best supporting actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his role as Detective Kim. The story is simple;
A murder is committed, and the cops search for the killer making sure he has Nowhere to Hide! - DirectorTetsuya NakashimaStarsMiki NakataniEita NagayamaYûsuke IseyaWhen Matsuko is murdered, her nephew, Sho, gets to progressively unveil the many details of her mysterious past, discovering she wasn't just a forgotten outcast and had led an intriguing yet bizarre life.I have just read the description given above by whoever.... BUT I can assure you it has very little truth about it, Memories of Matsuko or Kiraware Matsuko no Isshō? [Life of Despised Matsuko"] is a 2006 Japanese film written and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. It is based on a Japanese novel by Muneki Yamada.
The actress "Miki Nakatani" who takes the part of Matsuko in the film is amazing. I guarantee you will never find anyone close to the performance she gives. Brilliant, truly brilliant.
The story begins with Sho (her nephew) cleaning out the remaining belongings of his recently deceased aunt Matsuko. He gradually learns many details of his aunt's life, and it is through his investigations that the audience learns the story of Matsuko's past.
Her story begins as a teacher in school and ends up murdered by the river she used to constantly stand by thinking of her life as it passed her by. Such a brilliant film. Please watch it.