cinema asiatico

Plot:

The Restless is set in fantasy world for souls that have passed away long before

they are reincarnated. This epic film combines various elements/genres like

romance, fantasy, sword plays, martial arts and the never-ending fight between

good and evil. The midheaven is a place for to those who have died in the real

world but have failed to ascend to heaven. Written by Erol H.

Cast:Jun-ho Heo,Woo-sung Jung,Tae-hee Kim,Jeong-Hak Park
Directedong-oh Cho
Genre:Action / Adventure / Fantasy / Drama / Romance
Runtime:104 mins
Also Known As:Jungcheon
Country:South-Korea (filmed in China)
Language:Korean
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=lXVNZqKd_Bo

A pair of escaped convicts meet up with a group of gangsters by a remote forest road. After an arguement over a girl the mobsters have kidnapped, shots are fired and one of the gangsters is killed. The standoff is cut short, however, when the dead man suddenly springs to life and starts trying to kill his former friends. The zombie eventually goes down in a hail bullets, but their problems aren\'t over. It seems the gangsters have been using this forest to dispose of of their victims, all of whom are now looking to settle some old scores. Even if they get through this mess, there is still the question of why they\'ve arranged to meet the convicts out here, and why they\'ve brought along the girl. How are they connected to the dead bodies coming back to life?


Crazy japanese fantasy/action/comedy movie, think evil dead crossed with japanese action comedy (+ gun wielding zombies!).
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=mt2IwAHWYmw

The story of the blind swordsman Zatoichi should be well known to most aficionados of Japanese cinema. I was thrilled when
i heard that Takeshi Kitano (of all people) would be making a re-make of the classic series. And i was not disappointed.

The blind masseur/swordsman Zatoichi stumbles upon a lone widow when he comes walking in the countryside. He helps her carry a basket and she tells him of her problems while he is invited to stay with her. The local town is plagued by a war between different criminal factions and the protection rates are constantly going up. Soon two geishas also arrive in town with their own agenda, linked to one of the warring gangs.

Zatoichi is a beautiful film in my opinion. Everything from photography and scenery to music is exceptionally well tuned to the mood of the film. Also the action sequences are very well made, the fencing well choreographed and nicely shot. What distracted me somewhat though is the use of liquid animation for the blood. There is almost no usual fake blood in this movie, rather it’s liquid animation-blood spraying when people are stabbed. This looks odd, but it’s still a minor distraction.

Zatoichi feels both like a nice tribute to 60’s and 70’s samurai-films as well as a fresh take on the genre. Both modern and classic, which is one of the finest compliments i feel you can give a movie like this one. I enjoyed it very much
Cast
Takeshi Kitano ... Zatôichi / Ichi (as Beat Takeshi)
Tadanobu Asano ... Hattori Genosuke
Michiyo Ookusu ... Aunt Oume
Gadarukanaru Taka ... Shinkichi
Daigorô Tachibana ... Geisha Seitaro \'Osei\' Naruto
Yuuko Daike ... Geisha Okinu Naruto
Yui Natsukawa ... O-Shino, Hattori\'s Wife
Ittoku Kishibe ... Boss Inosuke Ginzo
Saburo Ishikura ... Boss Tashichi Ogi
Akira Emoto ... Tavern Owner Pops
Ben Hiura ... Tavern Gramps
Kohji Miura ... Lord Sakai
Hideboh ... Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Ron II ... Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
Suji ... Dancing Farmer (as The Stripes)
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=_3WNmW5X8dI

Teen comedy about college students and they\'re campus life. Gross, funny and touching.
After 2 years in the Navy, 28-year-old Eunsik (Lim Chang-Jung) returns to college where he takes up a hardcore Cha-Ryeok taekwondo practice. Imagine his surprise, when he discovers that the university\'s female aerobics team (led by gorgeous Eunhyo (Ha Ji-Won )) will be training right alongside him. Naturally, our hero\'s focus shifts from pumping iron to picking up the ladies. And, just as naturally, the attraction isn\'t exactly mutual at first.
Cast:Ha Ji-won, Lim Chang Jung, Jin Jae-yeong, Jung Min, Choi Seong-guk, Yu Chae-yeong
Country:South Korea
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=pXQ9YycK_MY

Law student Eun-sik and beautiful swimming champion Kyung-ah (Princess Hours’ Song Ji-hyo) are a campus couple. But Eun-sik has not been able to get past kissing. Still in pursuit of “getting laid”, he lets out his sexual frustration by overly working out at the gym and is now used to taking care of it himself.

On the other had, Sung-kook, a long-time college student and the leader of the school’s K-1 fighting club, shares quarters with the members of the girls’ swimming club. He freely indulges in his sexual desires with the beautiful girls of the swimming club.

After learning about Eun-sik’s troubles, Sung-kook sets out to help Eun-sik get what he wants the most. But even with Sung-kook’s guidance, Eun-sik experiences one disaster after another, and even gets mistaken for a pervert. As Eun-sik is preoccupied with finding ways to sleep with Kyung-ah, a new guy enters the picture, Kyung-ah’s childhood sweetheart. Not only could Eun-sik not find ways to sleep with Kyung-ah, he might end up losing her altogether.
Cast: Im Chang-jeong, Song Ji-hyo, Shin-ee, Yoo Chae-yeong, Lee Hwa-seon
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=dDhFY4aEZxY

Synopsis / Plot
It is 1940\'s China, and gangs rule the city. The most notorious of them all is the axe gang, lead by the insane Brother Sum. A slum called Pig Sty Alley is the only area safe from the Axes because the people there are so poor. Soon, wannabe gangster Sing and his pal Bone attempt to extort money out of a barber and fail, drawing the real Axe Gang to Pig Sty. However, it turns out that there are several kung fu masters living in the slum, and soon the two sides are enemies. As the plot thickens, Sing must decide- should he become a mobster, or save the day?


Cast
Stephen Chow ... Sing
Xiaogang Feng ... Crocodile Gang Boss (as Feng Xiao Gang)
Wah Yuen ... Landlord
Qiu Yuen ... Landlady
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=kyWhVUCXY1A

With tons of action, eye-popping special effects, and nonstop laughs, here\'s a hilarious martial arts comedy about a team of misfits who take their best shot at winning a championship! Sing is a skilled Shaolin kung fu devotee whose amazing \"leg of steel\" catches the eye of a soccer coach! Together they assemble a squad of Sing\'s former Shaolin brothers inspired by the big-money prize in a national soccer competition! Using an unlikely mix of martial arts and newfound soccer skills, it seems an unbeatable combination ... until they must face the dreaded Team Evil in the ultimate battle for the title!
Stephen Chow...Mighty Steel Leg Sing
Man Tat Ng...Golden Leg Fung (as Ng Man Tat)
Wei Zhao...Mui
Vincent Kok...Team Puma Leader
Yin Tse...Team Evil Coach Hung (as Patrick Tse Yin)
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=bREfcVPssiE

Synopsis / Plot
Legendary martial artist Li Mu Bai is tracking the murderer of his master. The poised and self-assured Li can handle anything -- except his feelings for lithe, pantherish Yu Shu Lien. Jen Yu, the tremulous and spoiled daughter of the Province\'s governor, is also fascinated by Shu Lien\'s glamorous life: that a woman can have so many adventures and such freedom is marvelous to her. Though the refined Jen is soon to be married off into respectability, she harbors a sinister plan. By night she transforms into a masked and cunning thief, out to steal the Green Destiny, an invincible blade once wielded by Li. At the same time, Li embarks on his own quest to recover the missing sword, possibly the key to his master\'s murder.
Cast
Chow Yun-Fat
Michelle Yeoh
Zhang Ziyi
Chang Chen
Cheng Pei-pe
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=8eUXTBMN5PY

It is the year AD 2009 when Seoul has become the third major city of Japan. Japan is prospering as the second greatest economic nation after the U.S., but anti-government terrorist attacks are prevalent in the formerly independent country known as Korea. Members of the Hureisenjin, Korea\'s largest underground terrorist movement, infiltrate the opening celebration at the artifacts exhibition hall hosted by the Inoue Foundation, a mysterious and influential conglomerate. The two JBI agents assigned to investigate are special agents Sakamoto Masayuki and his close friend, Saigo Shojiro. Sakamoto has taken after his father and become a cop. He has forgotten his Korean heritage by pledging his allegiance to the Japanese Empire. As he investigates the case, he finds that the attacks are connected to the Inoue Foundation and asks for a detailed investigation into the case. He soon find that his investigation is stonewalled by the authorities. He is wrongfully arrested when he is set up by JBI executives in order to stop his investigation. Sakamoto barely escapes with the help of his friend, Saigo. But the combination of events forces the end of their close relationship. A series of events eventually takes Sakamoto to the fateful meeting with Oh Hae-Rin, the Korean woman he may have seen in his dreams. Utterly confused the series of events he encounters, Sakamoto is confronted with the incredible historical truth he was never aware of before.
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=pQTPBokFW-Q

Plot:
This is the story of Huo Yuan Jia - A fighter who represents Chinese martial arts to a nation; A man, who fought his way out of the darkness into history.
Young Yuan Jia was an arrogant fighter who was always spoiling for a fight. On the same day he became the best fighter in Tian Jin, he lost his mother and daughter. Crazed with grief and shame, Yuan Jia fled Tian Jin stumbling upon an idyllic village. Guided by the villagers\' simple kindness and generosity, Yuan Jia began to forget his pain and his desire to fight. At last he makes his peace with world and decides to return home.
Back in Tian Jin, an American wrestler is making headlines by defeating Chinese fighters and dismissing them as \'Sick Men of the East\'. Yuan Jia beats the bulking wrestler easily with his graceful martial arts. This startles members of the Foreign Chamber of Commerce, who worry that Yuan Jia\'s victory would fan the flames of anti-Western sentiment in the Chinese people
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=42NWMluhlfk

PLOT

Thousands of years ago in ancient China, a love struck sword hero fights against his destiny. He wants another chance to be reunited with his loved one and he gets that chance, in a far away place and a far away time, in the cold north, in modern Finland. Jade Warrior is set in ancient China early iron age and present day Finland. The past is feeding the story in present day, slowly revealing our warrior his real origin, his superior skills and his destiny. Jade Warrior - the first Finnish Kung Fu film - combines Finnish and Chinese mythologies into one film. Jade Warrior is an homage to Kung Fu genre strongly spiced with a truly original approach to
Finnish national epic Kalevala. Like Kalevala Jade Warrior is a pure melodrama. A story of Kalevala�s greatest hero
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=kiKrD6FEa6A

An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King. With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=hE7ny2bfXF0

Synopsis
Young, athletic girls are abducted and trained in a secret Southeast Asian camp to become lethal assassins. Charlene (Maggie Q) is one of three to survive the training. On assignment, she rediscovers her humanity after reuniting with her mother (Cheng Pei-pei) and falling in love with a CIA agent (Daniel Wu) sent to bring her in.

Review ( Not exactly a critics favorite, it really is exploitation trash with gorgeous girls. But what else would you expect from Jing Wong the king of exploitation trash. Did I mention the girls are gorgeous!! : p )
For want of a better parallel, Naked Weapon is a cross between La Femme Nikita and Battle Royale (kind of like a twisted Survivor) with a bit of Charlie\'s Angels, Basic Instinct and The Matrix thrown in for good measure. This movie was touted as a long-awaited sequel to Naked Killer however it holds more depth than its predecessor and, thanks to the lead actresses, exudes a more civilised sexuality that actually drives the plot rather than just being a cheap voyeuristic perve at female nudity.(Hmmm not sure about that )
Cast: Maggie Q || Anya || Daniel Wu || Jewel Li Fei || Cheng Pei-Pei
Directed: Siu-Tung Ching ( Written by Jing Wong )
Genre: Action / Drama / Romance / Thriller
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=H3rzqUAe-Jw

Synopsis / Plot
In Bangkok, the young Kham was raised by his father in the jungle with elephants as members of their family. When his old elephant and the baby Kern are stolen by criminals, Kham finds that the animals were sent to Sidney. He travels to Australia, where he locates the baby elephant in a restaurant owned by the evil Madame Rose, the leader of an international Thai mafia. With the support of the efficient Thai sergeant Mark, who was involved in a conspiracy, Kham fights to rescue the animal from the mobsters
Cast
Tony Jaa ... Kham
Petchtai Wongkamlao ... Mark
Bongkoj Khongmalai ... Pla
Xing Jing ... Madame Rose
Nathan Jones ... T.K. (as Nathan B. Jones)
Johnny Nguyen ... Johnny (as Johnny Tri Nguyen)
Lateef Crowder ... Capoeira Fighter
Jon Foo ... Wushu Fighter (as Jonathan Patrick Foo)
Damian de Montemas ... Vincent
David Asavanond ... Officer Rick (as David Chatchavan Asavanod)
Sotorn Rungruaeng ... Kham\'s Father
Amonphan Gongtragan ... Goong
Nutdanai Kong ... Kham (9 years old)
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=8-XZf1a6_R4

Plot:
Ami (Minase Yashiro, in her film debut) is a tough but otherwise average high school girl, trying to lead a normal life. Her world comes crashing down when her brother and his friend are killed by ruthless bullies. As Ami tracks down the ringleader, she is surprised to discover the bullies\' association with a sinister ninja yakuza family. When she goes after her revenge, she soon finds herself in over her head and minus her left arm.
Barely surviving, Ami escapes and seeks out shelter from two kindly garage mechanics. They take pity on her, fitting her with a high-powered machine gun where her arm used to be. She then teams up with the chainsaw-wielding mother (Asami) of her brother\'s slain friend and together they unleash an unholy, non-stop, over-the-top kill fest against the equally creative machinery (drill bra, flying gillotine) of their relentless ninja enemies.
Cast: Asami, Honoka, Yuya Ishikawa, Ryosuke Kawamura, Noriko Kijima, Kentaro Kishi, Nobuhiro Nishihara, Ryoji

Okamoto, Kentaro Shimazu, Taro Suwa, Demo Tanaka, Erika Terajima, Hiroko Yashiki, Minase Yashiro
Genre: Comedy | Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=eSpCWJnnWVI

A young man with superhuman strength is incarcerated at a prison run
by corrupt officials and seeks to use his martial arts to clean up the system.

* Cast: Siu-Wong Fan | Mei Sheng Fan | Ka-Kui Ho | Yukari Ôshima |

trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=XnhLtB3n25c

Synopsis / Plot
Yakuza boss Anjo disappears with three hundred million yen. His loyal gang members, lead by the masochist Kakihara, start a search, but their aggressive and gory methods worry the other yakuza gangs. Kakiharas most frightening counterpart is the mysterious Ichi, a psychopathic killer with a dark childhood secret, who is controlled by a retired cop.

Cast
Tadanobu Asano ... Kakihara
Nao Omori ... Ichi
Shinya Tsukamoto ... Jijii
Paulyn Sun ... Karen (as Alien Sun)
Susumu Terajima ... Suzuki (as Sabu)
Shun Sugata ... Takayama
Toru Tezuka ... Fujiwara
Yoshiki Arizono ... Nakazawa
Kiyohiko Shibukawa ... Ryu Long (as Kee)
Satoshi Niizuma ... Inoue
Suzuki Matsuo ... Jirô / Saburô
Jun Kunimura ... Funaki
Hiroyuki Tanaka ... Kaneko
Moro Morooka ... Coffee Shop Manager
Houka Kinoshita ... Sailor\'s Lover

trailer -http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=coiVr5Pl4-s

THE TWINS EFFECT (2003)
Directed by Dante Lam
Starring: Ekin Cheng, Charlene Choi, Gillian Chung, Edison Chen, Anthony Wong, Josie Ho, Mickey Hardt and Jackie Chan
Running Time: 107 minutes

Synopsis
Eastern pop music sensation the Twins (Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung) star in this action/comedy/horror yarn about an evil Duke\'s attempt to kill and collect the blood of a royal family of European vampires in order to become all powerful. The only surviving member of the family travels to Hong Kong, only to complicate his struggle by falling in love with a mortal girl who just happens to have two vampire hunters for brothers. Jackie Chan makes a cameo appearance. With the help of a high kicking Hong Kong bus driver, two girls who just want to have fun confront the grave responsibility of safekeeping the world from vampire domination.

trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=-lMyQPZQskA

TWINS EFFECT 2 (2004)

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Martial Arts
Origin: Hong Kong
Length: 106 min
Director(s): Corey Yuen Kwai, Patrick Leung
Music: Tommy Wai
Cast: Charlene Choi, Gillian Chung, Jaycee Chan, Ying Qu, Donnie Yen, Daniel Wu, Edison Chen, Tony Leung, Jackie Chan, Fan Bing Bing

Plot

This tale is set in Huadu, an ancient land ruled by a cruel empress (Qu Ying), a place where men are subservient to women. The empress\' reign is disturbed by a prophecy saying a boy will rise to become king, and restore the male regime. Char (Jaycee Chan), a humble boy, is born to be emperor. He and his adopted brother, Leaf (Chen Po-lin), perform in a traveling show run by their adopted father, Blackwood (Tony Leung Ka Fai). Thanks to their friend, Lao (Edison Chen), the pair receive a stone with a map engraved on it. They set out on a quest for the treasure that the map is supposed to reveal.

trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=BS2vOLaK2w4

Cast

* Jackie Chan...Jack/General Meng-yi
* Hee-seon Kim...Ok-soo
* Tony Leung Ka Fai...William
* Mallika Sherawat...Indian Princess
* Ken Lo...Mr. Koo\'s Bodyguard
trailer http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=1pSc0czs0yM

Cast: Tak Sakaguchi
Atsushi Ito
Hideo Sakaki
Directed: Yudai Yamaguchi
Genre: Comedy/Sports/Action

Battlefield Baseball (地獄甲子園, Jigoku Kōshien?, literally Hell Stadium) also known as Battlefield Stadium, is a Japanese film. Released in 2003, the film was directed by Yudai Yamaguchi and written by Gatarô Man, based on his manga of the same title. It stars Tak Sakaguchi, Atsushi Itō, and Hideo Sakaki. It was produced by Ryuhei Kitamura.

The film is a combination of several genres, mixing martial arts action with the clichés of the sports film—particularly skewering baseball, one of Japan\'s most popular high school sports—and the violence and brutality of a horror film. The film\'s bizarre—sometimes almost incoherent—plot, blood & gore, and unique comedy have given it something of a \"cult\" popularity in the West.

Though the film is ostensibly about high school baseball rivalries, the amount of actual baseball in the film is fairly light. There are many scenes involving bats and balls, however.
trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=3iz8mXBX0RY

Cast: Tak Sakaguchi, Honoka Asada, Yôko Fujita, Ben Hiura, Chuck Johnson, Kentaro Seagal
Genre: Action/Adventure/Fantasy
Runtime: 1:30:28
Country: Japan

An unknown time. An unknown place. Without reasons. With no future. His only desire is... Destruction!

trailer - http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=BPXdyUVWEbo