Even though I was born and raised in Italy, I was never too fond of Italian movies. Too many T&A comedies and not enough substance. At least on the surface. By the time I started to look for good movies I already left Italy and I couldn’t find the good Italian movies even if I wanted to.
So the bulk of the movies I watched and like are American. However I was always interested in Asian movies. First as a kid I loved the Bruce Lee movies. But more recently I was into the Hong Kong (John Woo etc..), Chinese, Japanese and Korean wave of new titles. I am no expert of Asian movies at all, I only dabbled from time to time, but I watched some unforgettable movies that prompted me to look for others like them.
I also included Japanese animated movies, because these are truly films, not at all like the cute Disney films. Also I did not want to include more than one film for each director, otherwise half of it would be Kurosawa movies and the other half would be Ang Lee ones.
So, in no particular order, here are my favorite Asian movies:
- Seven Samurai (Japan): I’ve written enough about this movie, so just check out my review.
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (China): this is not only a great action movie, but it also speaks to personal relationships and spirituality.
- Hana-bi (Japan): a great story about a police officer and Yakuza. Violent action but also very philosophical and personal.
- Battle Royale (Japan): a brilliant original concept (a high school class stranded in an island, forced to kill each other in order to survive). Lots of fun (violent) action and commentary on war.
- Old Boy (Korea): one of the most original screenplay ever, with a great twist. A man is imprisoned in a hotel room for 15 years, and when he comes out he must find who did it and why. Not for the faint of heart. (I sense a trend in these last 3 movies…)
- Grave of the Fireflies (Japan): the effects of war on a little kid and his sister. The most heartbreaking movie about war, if you don’t cry at the end of this movie you are not human. Just thinking about it my eyes are getting watery. This film shows the power of animation. This should have been in my Top 10 Movies.
- In the mood for love (Hong Kong): a powerful tale of love and affairs, without showing any sex scene, not even a kiss actually. Very poetic and moody.
- Princess Mononoke (Japan): an adult fairy tale about nature vs technology, a fantasy story drawing from Japanese folk tales. My favorite Miyazaki animated movie.
- The Road Home (China): a love story taking place in China, about a woman who waits for her love. You might find it boring, but I thought it was a touching story.
- Yi Yi (Taiwan): a modern tale of a typical Taiwanese family. This is a great family drama that spoke to my roots.
If you want to watch something different from a typical Hollywood movie, I suggest you to start from these movies. If you like these, just look for other movies by the same directors. You won’t be disappointed.