cinema asiatico

No stunt doubles, no computer images, no strings attached…

When the head of a statue sacred to a village is stolen, a young martial artist goes to the big city and finds himself taking on the underworld to retrieve it.

Director:Prachya Pinkaew
Writers:Prachya Pinkaew (story)
Panna Rittikrai (story)
Cast: Tony Jaa, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Pumwaree Yodkamol
Runtime:1h 44m
Country: Thailand
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=PtNmH1KuJaA

A conflict of interest between two high-kicking assassin sisters is complicated as they’re pursued by the criminals who hired them and an equally high-kicking female cop.

Year Released: 2002
Director:Corey Yuen
Writer:Jeffrey Lau
Genre:Action / Adventure / Crime / Drama / Sci-Fi / Thriller
Cast: Qi Shu, Zhao Wei, Karen Mok, Yen, Yasuaki Kurata
Country: Hong Kong (China)
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=XFi05WrM5hM

Super action star Donnie Yen (Iron Monkey, Seven Swords) teams up with his Kill Zone/SPL director Wilson Yip again for this live action adaptation of Tony Wong's long-running and staggeringly popular comic book series! Dragon (Yen) used to belong to the righteous martial arts school Dragon Tiger Gate. A fallout with his master (Yuen Wah from Kung Fu Hustle) led to Dragon being kicked out of the school and leaving his younger brother Tiger (Nicholas Tse from The Promise) behind. Now the two brothers must unite and together with nunchaku expert Turbo Shek (Shawn Yu from Initial D), fight the savage and mysterious villain Shibumi, evil leader of the Lousha Gate.


Donnie Yen ... Dragon Wong
Nicholas Tse ... Tiger Wong
Shawn Yue ... Turbo Shek
Jie Dong ... Ma Xiaoling
Xiao Ran Li ... Lousha
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=bYP2vwcK6h0

Synopsis

Volcano High School is marking its 108th. Every student is a martial arts expert, so it is not surprising to see tea leaves moving in the shape of dragons or hallway windows shattering into bits with no one touching them. At Volcano High, the legend of the Secret Manuscript - the one who inherits these writings will rule the world - has been continuously passed down. From the outside, Volcano High School seems peaceful. But a bitter showdown for the Secret Manuscript is at hand. Among the challengers are the assistant principal who thirsts for the principal’s position; SONG HakRim(KWON SangWoo) becames the best student in the shortest time in the history of Volcano High, while JANG Ryang(KIM SooRoh), captain of the weight lifting team, dreams of being the best at Volcano High. One day, KIM KyungSoo(JANG Hyuk) transfers to Volcano High, after being expelled xpelled from eight other schools because he couldn’t manage the gift of his power. KyungSoo is determined to graduate from Volcano High no matter what happens. At a school where all the students are martial arts experts, inevitably they grasp the potential talent of the new kid. Will KyungSoo manage to graduate in the middle of the violent storm caused by the battle for the Secret Manuscript?
Cast

* Jang Hyeok
* Sin Min-ah
* Kim Soo-ro
* kwon Sang-woo
* Byeon Hee-bong
* Kong Hyo-jin
* Jeong Sang-hoon
* Jeong Won-joong
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=jbCU5_4ARPQ

After an alien invasion threatens to annihilate the human race, a young Japanese girl, named Milly (Anne Suzuki), travels back in time from 2084 to October 2002, and enlists the reluctant aid of skilled Tokyo gunman, named Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro), to discover and prevent the start of the war. However, trouble ensues when the two protagonists are forced to deal with a Japanese mafia boss, named Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani), who is somehow involved in the start of the war by keeping the first alien spaceship and its alien pilot captive, while our two heroes race against the clock to find a way to stop the oncoming destruction from the vengeance-seeking alien invasion fleet on its way to Earth

Cast: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Anne Suzuki
Directed: Takashi Yamazaki
Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi
Runtime: 1h 56m
Also Known As:
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=2v4pWshsQ1U

It is 14th century Yuan Dynasty China, the country is under Mongolian rule and the star-crossed lovers, Jinha (Shin Hyun-june) and Sullie (Kim Hee-sun), illegitimate daughter of a Mongolian commander, are caught in the middle. When her mother died, SullieÕs father, Taruga, took her away and later planned to marry her off to form an alliance with a powerful Chinese warlord. Things get worse when Jinha learns that Taruga was the person who ordered the massacre of his entire family. Fuelled by hatred, he masters his family secret martial arts, the Bichun Secret Art. Many top pugilists, who are also after the secret scroll, try to kill him. During one of such attempts, Junkwang, a rich and powerful son of a Han lord, helps Jinha. But fate has it that Junkwang is the person that Sullie is forced to marry. When Junkwang knows about their love, he plots to have Jinha killed.
Oyuncular:
Hyeon-jun Shin - Yu Jinha
Hee-seon Kim - Sullie
Jin-yeong Jeong - King Namgung
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=0oK423HFdNM

A female warrior (Shibasaki) who was raised as a man joins a young samurai\'s quest to recover his body parts from demons and restore his dad\'s natural form.

Cast:Satoshi Tsumabuki,Kou Shibasaki
Directed:Akihiko Shiota
Genre:Action / Fantasy
Runtime:Hong Kong:139 min
Also Known As:
Country:Japan
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=w7iqQjfl_-U

n the mid-1600s, the Manchurians have taken over sovereignty of China and established the Qing Dynasty. While many nationalist revolts still brew within the martial artists\' community, the newly set-up government immediately imposes a Martial Arts Ban, forbidding the practice of martial arts altogether in order to gain control and order. Wind Fire, a surrendered military official from the previous dynasty, sees this as an opportunity to make a fortune for himself by helping to execute the new law. Greedy, cruel, and immoral, Wind Fire ravages the North-western China, and his next goal is to attack the final frontier,

Starring
.....Donnie Yen
.....Leon Lai
.....Charlie Yeung

Directed by Tsui Hark
trailer -




















http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=GnR7QhSjgSc

The Donnie Yen-Wilson Yip tag team return with the blistering actioner Flash Point. The actor-director combo previously made waves with SPL and Dragon Tiger Gate, reaching new levels of excitement with their depiction of onscreen martial arts mayhem. Flash Point is a return to SPL territory - at least character-wise. This prequel to SPL finds Yen\'s Inspector Ma involved in a difficult case versus a trio of deadly Vietnamese bad guys. Inspector Ma\'s partner Wilson (Louis Koo) poses as a member of the gang to keep tabs on the trio, leading to the arrest of Archer (Ray Lui of To Be Number One). However, Archer\'s cohorts Tony (Collin Chou of The Matrix Reloaded) and Tiger (Xing Yu of Kung Fu Hustle) are still at large, and will stop at nothing to prevent Wilson and other witnesses from testifying. When they kidnap Wilson\'s girlfriend (Fan Bing Bing) to blackmail him, only Inspector Ma is willing to come to his partner\'s aid - and whoever stands in his way had better watch out!

In Flash Point, Donnie Yen utilizes Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to portray Inspector Ma\'s powerful fighting prowess. Yen pulls out a full arsenal of fighting techniques, from kung-fu to Muay Thai to jujitsu, especially during the film\'s climactic mano-a-mano duel between Yen and Collin Chou, which should astound even the most jaded screen fighting fan. A duel between Yen and Xing Yu in street restaurant is also impressive, as are the flashes of stuntwork and gunplay from the action-ready cast. Louis Koo embodies his undercover cop character with appropriate pathos, and the cast is aided by the addition of award-winning actors, including Kent Cheng, Best Actor winner for The Log, and Helena Law Lan, Best Actress winner for Wilson Yip\'s Bullets Over Summer. The Donnie Yen-Wilson Yip combo has proven so successful that the two are planning to work together at least two more times, including a forthcoming adaptation of the popular pulp character Dr. Wesley
Cast:
Donnie Yen (Dragon Tiger Gate, S.P.L.: Sha po lang, Seven Swords, Hero, Blade II)
Collin Chou (Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions)
Louis Koo (Protégé, Happy Birthday, Election 1 & 2)

Directed: Wilson Yip (Dragon Tiger Gate, S.P.L.: Sha po lang)
Genre: Action
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=NyOQw6YL93E

A successful serious crime investigation police unit, headed by articulate senior detective Chan (Simon Yam), tackles crime with three other detectives from different backgrounds. Martial arts expert Ma (Donnie Yen) is set to take over as head of the unit, replacing Chan who wants to have an early retirement. Ma is determined to put things right. Po (Sammo Hung), an upcoming figure in the underworld with interests in every kind of criminal activity, and Jack (Jing Wu) - Po\'s right-hand man, is a reclusive cold-blooded killer. An undercover agent is found dead who sent by Chan to get near to Po. With no evidence whatsoever Chan thinks it\'s the work of Po and sends people to bring him in anyway. Po is released with insufficient evidence and he challenges Chan that if he and his men step out of the police station they are dead.
Donnie Yen
Sammo Hung
Simon Yam
Jacky Wu
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=BJgpvEU822s

Follows three blood brothers and their struggle in the midst of war and political upheaval.
Cast and Credits

Starring: Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro,
Directed by: Peter Chan
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=ok_5CKAOch8

The original Zu Warriors, based on a 64-volume novel, was released in 1983. This remake comes complete with massive amounts of state-of-the-art CGI and kick-ass fight choreography from Yuen Wo Ping, whom most know from his work on The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The original film\'s director, Tsui Hark, is helming this remake, which tells the story of a warrior princess (Crouching Tiger\'s Zhang Ziyi) who, along with a band of other soldiers, fights a war against an evil warlord.
Overview
Director: Hark Tsui
Writers: Man Choi Lee, Hark Tsui
Release Date: 9 August 2001 (Hong Kong)
Genre: Action / Fantasy more
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=X10913hqbeA

Synopsis / Plot

The story was set in Ancient China before it’s unification, during which countless kingdoms battle for supremacy. Yen Feier (played by Kelly Chen) is thrust on the throne when her father is killed in a battle. Feier and her loyal Murong Xuehu (played by Donnie Yen) unite to defend the kingdom. But her ambitious cousion Wu Ba (played by Guo Xiaodong) sends assasins to kill her.

A mysterious man Duan Lan-Quan (played by Leon Lai) saves her. Feier falls in love with Duan who offers her another life. With the fate of her kingdom in the balance, Feier must choose between her duty and her dreams.
Cast

Kelly Chen
Guo Xiao-dong
Leon Lai
Donnie Yen
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=I_H2mCqMuo4

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...

This movie is also known as Ambush From Ten Sides, and in that more literal translation of its title you will find its essence. A worthy successor to Hero, though not as magnificent as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, in which Ziyi Zhang gives the performance of a lifetime and the one against all her other roles will be judged, and in this case, fall short, House of Flying Daggars is nevertheless a feast for the senses and a fully satisfying cinematic experience.
Director:Yimou Zhang
Writers:Feng Li, Bin Wang
Also Known As: Shi mian mai fu
Genre: Action, Adventure Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Cast:Andy Lau, Ziyi Zhang, Dandon Song, Hongfei Zhao, Jun Guo, Shu Zhang, Jiusheng Wang
Runtime: 1:19
Country: China/Hong Kong
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=i0UsfwSSYX4

In ancient times China was divided into seven kingdoms. Qin, the king of the northern province, is under permanent threat of assassination attempts.
His greatest fears are the warriors \"Broken Sword\", \"Flying Snow\" and \"Sky\".
One day one of the magistrates of his kingdom enters the palace, claims that he defeated all three of the emperor\'s adversaries and tells his story; how he beat \"Sky\" in a duel and used the love between \"Broken Sword\" and \"Flying Snow\" to subdue them.
Cast

Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Daoming, Donnie Yen
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=jhPH2EZUtHk

Sang-hwan is a well meaning but cowardly Korean policeman. By chance, he meets a mysterious group of old men called the \"Seven Masters\"- who protect the earth from ancient evil. Centuries ago, the Seven Masters imprisoned HeugUn- the master of absolute evil- but now HeugUn has returned to seek bloody vengeance on all mankind. Teamed with the beautiful but deadly Eui-jin, Sang hwan must not only fight for his own life, but to protect the fate of all men. Furious and funny.

Cast: Ryoo Seung-Bum, Ahn Seung-Gi, Jung Doo-Hong, Yun So-Y
Directed: Seung-wan Ryoo
Genre: Action / Comedy
Year Released: 2004
Also Known As: Arahan (UK) (new title)
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=R1dLQ6P_6QI

Battle Royale takes place in an alternate timeline[citation needed] - Japan is a police state, known as the Republic of Greater East Asia (大東亜共和国 Dai Tōa Kyōwakoku). Every year fifty 3rd year junior high (grade 9) classes are chosen to forcibly fight against one another until one student per class remains alive. The \"Program\", as it is known, was supposedly created to aid military research and population control, but it is more likely that it is simply a betting opportunity for high ranking Japanese army officers, or as Sakamochi puts it, to rid the country of trust for one another. The outcome of each battle is later revealed on local television. One character discovers that the program is not an experiment at all, but a means of terrorizing the population. In theory, after seeing such atrocities, the people will become paranoid and divided, preventing an organized rebellion.


Okishima Island map seen in the first volume of the manga.Under the guise of a \'study trip\', a group of students from Shiroiwa Junior High School (城岩中学校 Shiroiwa Chūgakkō), a Junior High School in the fictional town of Shiroiwa (in Kagawa Prefecture), are gassed on a bus, only to awaken in a school on an isolated, evacuated island (southwest of Shodoshima, also in the Kagawa Prefecture), wearing metal collars around their necks. After being briefed about the program, the students are issued survival packs (along with a random weapon or a tool) and sent out the island one by one. While some of the students receive guns and knives, many students acquire useless items like boomerangs, some common dartboard darts, and forks. In some cases, instead of a weapon, the student receives a tool; Hiroki Sugimura finds a radar that tracks nearby students, and Toshinori Oda receives a bulletproof vest.

To make sure the students obey the rules and kill each other, the metal collars around their necks track their positions, will explode if they linger in a \'Forbidden Zone\' or attempt to remove the collars, and listen in on their conversations. The Forbidden Zones are randomly chosen areas of the map that increase in number as time goes on, re-sculpting and shrinking the battlefield and forcing the students to move around, eventually meeting in one small area.


Okishima Island map seen throughout the film (the special edition film DVD case also contains a small card size map); the lists in Japanese are the students\' namesThe students are also given a time limit. If twenty-four hours pass without someone being killed, then all of the collars will be detonated simultaneously and there will be no winner. It is mentioned that only 0.5% of Programs end in this fashion.

In the end, four students remain: Shuya Nanahara, Noriko Nakagawa, Shogo Kawada, and antagonist Kazuo Kiriyama. There is a car chase and shoot-out between the three main characters and Kazuo. Kazuo is killed after the chase ends. Shogo then takes his two partners to a hill where there are a lot of trees. After telling Shuya and Noriko that he will kill them, Shogo shoots in the air twice, faking their deaths for the microphones planted on the collars. He then dismantles the collars. When Shogo is on the winner\'s ship, Shuya and Noriko board it and kill the soldiers on board. Shogo tells Shuya how to escape, succumbs to his wounds and dies. The two remaining students go to the mainland, where they become fugitives.
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-T7yPJVvXw

Three years after the events in “Battle Royale,” Shuya Nanahara (Tatsuya Fujiwara)is a well-known terrorist bent on bringing down the government. In response, they order the creation of the “Battle Royale 2″ program, and send a class of junior-high students to catch and kill him.


Review (taken from IMDB)
***Caution May or May not contain spoilers.***

‘Battle Royale II’ is an uneven, but worthy follow-up. It’s one of those sequels that tries something different, but is generally hated due to high expectations and the reputation of the mammoth original.

Here, the two Fukasakus take the story in the exact direction it needs to go. The survival game setting has been ditched…this time, it’s about all-out war between the children and the adults. Naturally, there’s less intimate moments here and only a few characters are well-defined…but seeing the world of ‘Battle Royale’ explode in your face (literally) is completely involving.

The few good character moments we get here are nice and match up with the poetry of the original. Shuya Nanahara is a much more interesting and complex person this time. Shiori Kitano is one of the best characters in either film. And the over-the-top Riki Takeuchi almost steals the film.

There are flaws, though… The children feel less like individuals and more like a collective, so there’s less emotional involvement this time out…but that is perhaps inevitable, given the war setting. Plus, the resolution to the battle seems a tad anti-climactic.

Problems aside, this is a film well worth watching. The story is more complex, the battles are blistering, and the performances are great. It may not match the greatness of the original, but it’s certainly one of the better directions a sequel has taken.
Directed By: Kenta Fukasaku
Kinji Fukasku
Genre: Action / Drama / Thriller
Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ai Maeda, Shûgo Oshinari, Ayana Sakai, Haruka Suenaga
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=YBRHp6881kA

In a world with an alternate history, a great war finally comes to an end leaving the earth diseased and polluted. The geneticist Dr. Azuma vies for support from the government for his neo-cell treatment that he claims can rejuvenate the body and regenerate humankind. The government leaders, guarding their own deeply entrenched powers, turn down the professor. Driven to complete his work, Dr. Azuma accepts a secret offer from a sinister faction of the powerful military. After an incident occurs in Dr. Azuma\'s lab, a race of mutant humans known as the Shinzo Ningen are unleashed upon the world. Now only the warrior known as Casshern, reincarnated with an invincible body, stands between the Shinzo Ningen and a world on the brink of annihilation.
Casshern Cast and Crew:
Yusuke Iseya - (Tetsuya Azuma)
Kumiko Aso - (Luna Kozuki)
Toshiaki Karasawa - (Brai)
Akira Terao - (Prof. Kotaro Azuma)
Kanako Higuchi - (Midori Azuma)
Fumiyo Kohinata - (Dr. Kozuki)
Hiroyuki Miyasako - (Akubone)
Mayumi Sada - (Sagray)
Jun Kaname - (Barashin)
Hidetoshi Nishijima - (Lt. Col. Kamijo)
Mitsuhiro Oikawa - (Kaoru Naito)
Susumu Terajima - (Sakomoto)
Hideji Otaki - (Gen. Kamijo)
Tatsuya Mihashi - (Old Doctor)

Director:Kazuaki Kiriya
Genre:Sci-Fi
Runtime: 2:20:32
Country:Japan
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=kk9fGI90qdM

A new, big budget adaptation of the long running, hugely popular horror/action anime created in 1972 by Go Nagai. A sprawling, apocalyptic and violent tale of battling demons that has a considerable cult following, any attempt to transfer \\\"Devilman\\\" to the live action medium was always going to be an uphill struggle. It involves the accidental release of a demonic species from Antarctica, whose numbers spread via an infection, which corrupts and transforms normal people. This leads to an apocalyptic war, in which humanity\\\'s only hope is Akira (Hisato Izaki, from Japanese boy band \\\'Flame\\\'), a weedy teen who merges with a demonic entity to become Devilman, a powerful, yet conscientious beast that fights both monsters and the fascist and brutal human forces trying to wipe out the new species. Akira is opposed by his former best friend, the somewhat psychotic Ryo (Yusuke Izaki, twin brother of Hisato, and fellow \\\'Flame\\\' member), who becomes an equally powerful demon, and a host of other creatures that pop in and out of the story before it all conveniently finishes up with a climatic showdown.

Cast:
Directed:
Genre: Action / Fantasy / Horror / Thriller
Runtime:
Also Known As: Debiruman
Country: Japan
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=wEO3TEnROEI

The police are baffled by a master thief known only as Mr. A (Hrithik Roshan) because he leaves an \'A\' symbol after each robbery. Mr. A steals the English crown by sky diving onto a train, disguising himself as the queen, stealing the crown, and escaping.

He is pursued by ACP Jai Dixit (Abhishek Bachchan), ACP Shonali Bose (Bipasha Basu), and Sub Inspector Ali Akbar (Uday Chopra). They try to catch him in the act as he robs a Mumbai museum, but fail.

Mr. A, in the meantime, is caught by the wiles of Sunehri (Aishwarya Rai), who claims to be Mr. A\'s number-one fan. Attempting to catch Sunehri in the act, Shonali breaks her leg. Mr. A agrees to take Sunehri into partnership, not knowing that she is actually working for the police.
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=PeKGl3aeG5k

The wait\'s over, even though it took quite long.The movie is excels in acting and story. The story is refreshingly different and not abashedly picked up from any of the superheroes of Bollywood. Its in fact very good and innovative.One that is different and yet rooted to its base characters. Hrithik has one again excelled at everything from doing his own stunts to acting and dancing(forte). The direction is sleek and styled. For once i could relax, put down my critical enjoying view and abashedly enjoy whats supposed to be our own superhero with all the values and dignity. The movie has a good mixture of both humor and class
o Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Rekha and Naseeruddin Shah
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=NeXyE9fOGWw

When ex-Buddhist monk turned exotic dancer Biggie (Andy Lau) begins to have premonitions of future events–including murders–he attracts the attention of the beautiful police officer Yee (Cecilia Cheung). Yee quickly falls in love with the sweet, muscular Biggie, and he feels secure in their developing relationship–until he begins to have visions of Yee’s imminent murder! Can Biggie save his new love from what seems like a fated death?

Cast: Andy Lau, Cecilia Cheung, Siu-Fai Cheung, Wong Chun, Karen Tong
Directed: Johnny To, Ka-Fai Wai
Genre: Action / Drama / Thriller
Year Released: 2003
Also Known As: Daai chek liu
Runtime: 93min20sec
Country: Hong Kong
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=yeprZ5PLxSM

Plot:
After the fall of Sanggyongryongchonbu,( Nice Name ) the capital of Palhae in the year A.D 926, Georan tribe establishes ‘Dongrankook’ meaning ‘Georan of the East’. Dongrankook dispatches Chucksaldan, a group of the hit squads and sweeps out the royal family in order to prevent a reconstruction of Palhae. Resistants who are composed of the rest of the followers of Palhae leave to find out the family member of the king, who is able to rebuild Palha




Cast: Lee Seo-jin ,Yoon Soy,Lee Gi-yong,Shin Hyeon-joon ,Lee Han-sol,Jeong Ho-bin ,Lee Sang-hoon,Ji-hyeon ,Choi Ji-woo

Directed:Young-jun Kim
Genre:Action
Runtime:104 min
Also Known As:Muyeong geom (2005)
Country:Korea
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho0ExxMfrWc