Asian movie recommendations
 

I've been a fan of Asian movies for a few years now, and would like to think I've seen a fair share of great ones. Most of my experience is with martial arts or purely violent movies, so I may be a bit biased, but I'm open to suggestions in other genres. I'm gonna list off a few that are at the top of my list. Feel free to add to it, or merely berate me.

Oldboy - one of the greatest movies I've ever seen, period
A Bittersweet Life
Fighter in the Wind
Ong-bak, Thai Warrior
Fist of Legend
Seven Samurai
Zatoichi
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Based on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I'd recommend House of Flying Daggers and to a little bit lesser extent, Hero. They're both wuxia, the Chinese martial arts/superhero genre, and very, very well made.

For a fan of Seven Samurai, you can't go wrong with the Samurai Trilogy, Yojimbo, and Sanjuro. With those, along with seven Samurai, you have all of the greatest samurai movies ever made covered. Just as the Magnificent Seven was based on Seven Samurai, Yojimbo inspired A Fistfull of Dollars. Kurosawas The Hidden Fortress was a major source of inspiration for Star Wars, and is a damn good movie in it's own right.

If you're a Jet Li fan, you might want to try Swordsman 2. It's insane. I've seen in three times, and I have no idea what it's actually about, but it is a visual feast while its going. More convential are the Once Upon a Time in China movies. The Legend is also a lot of fun.

Chow Yun Fat is also a lot of fun to watch--try Hard Boiled, The Killer, and any movie in the A Better Tomorrow series.

And do not miss Drunken Master 2. It's the greatest martial arts movie of its kind ever made, just ahead of Fist of Legend.

I hope that's helpful.

Gilda

Infernal Affairs was very popular when it came out, and I have to say that I enjoyed it.

The sequels however....are not nearly as good.

If you want a change of pace, I would recommend checking out some of Kar Wai Wong's work.

Chungking Express
In the Mood for Love
2046

Ichi the killer is great as well

Devoid, are you a member of x264.us? PM me if you're not.

If you like horror, try Audition and Versus.

Audition is slow, but very creepy with an awesome finally

Versus is just insane, with zombies, demons, gun fights and all the martial arts mayhem you could want.

Also if you feel a little adventurous, try the Dead Or Alive series. The first two look like the standard yakuza film, but they have a huge twist. The last one is a complete change in genre to a more sci-fi-esque setting.

If you're a fan of animated films, then I'd highly recommend Miyazaki's films.

Spirited Away
Princess Mononoke

These films are geared more towards adults than the typical American animated film. The animation is also breathtaking.

If you're after a complete brain-melting experience, try Gozu by Tikashi Miike.
It is one FUCKED UPmovie!! (And I seem to be the only person who has ever seen it)
Also, Save The Green Planet is ace

You may wish to consider jet li's "Fearless." It is (supposedly) his last martial arts movie.

The story is simple and the action is fairly decent.

Thanks a lot for the responses. I've actually seen some of the ones you guys listed, but there are a bunch more that I haven't. To give a more accurate depiction of my taste, and what I've liked so far:

Hero - like the multiple stories, but a wee bit too artsy
Once Upon a Time in China - love all of Jet Li's action flicks I've seen
Hard Boiled - sold me on Chow Yun Fat
Drunken Master 2 - I used to own until somebody permanently borrowed it :(
Princess Mononoke - really liked it, but haven't seen any other Miyazaki films

I've been meaning to see 2046, Ichi the Killer, Audition, and Gozu, but haven't gone through the trouble of locating them yet. I'll make it a priority, though. Thanks again for the help!!

I've seen is djflish, and while I thought it was a little slow, especially for a Miike movie, I was laughing my ass off while watching the end, especially the "Pop" sound effect.

As for finding those movies, I have found no place better than Netflix for renting Asian cinema. For buying, Ebay is the place as usual.

BETTER LUCK TOMORROW
Directed by Justin Lin. USA. 2002.

Made for only $250,000, Justin Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow is a dark comedy about a group of over-achieving Asian-American high-school students in Orange County, California whose boredom and feelings about being outsiders lead to acts of petty crime and ultimately to serious violence. It is a film that challenges assumptions about Asian-Americans as asexual computer nerds, showing that they can be just as shallow and bereft of values as any white-skinned American.

Second. This movie showcases astounding writing, acting and directing abilites. I'm not sure if this movie can be catagorized as asian, though. The star was born in NY and the movie was shot, produced and distributed in the US. The cast is ofAasian ancestory or birth, though, so who knows? Either way, it's a hell of a movie. Unsupervised asian kids are capable of anything.

Chingoo is a great S. Korean film. I found it in my local Blockbuster under the US release title Friend. It's about childhood friends who grow up and gangs and whatnot. I thought it was good enough to drop 30 fucking dollars on a DVD for it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281718/

Another one is Gojoe. Lots of creepy demon shit and swordsplay.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260054/

You just cannot explain the ending to anyone, I just has to be seen to be believed!

I can't believe I forgot about my favourite, The Last Hurrah For Chivalry (Hao xia).
It's one of John Woo's first films and it's a brilliant twisting, martial-arts/swordplay epic from the 70's.

Also, Iron Monkey and Tai-Chi Boxer are too good martial arts movies, both choreographed by Yuen-Woo Ping.

Oh yeah, and theres Born To Fight, which is another mad stunt-fest by the people who made Ong-Bak.

has anyone seen Yellow?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122804/

is it worth checking out?

-Mav

If you're looking for good old fasioned cheese, try Star Runner. I was surprisingly entertained by this film.

I loved Gozu and Ichi as well. I'm fairly difficult to please, but with Asian movies, I usually look for skill of the actors in their martial art of choice as opposed to acting skills. So here's my most recent list of enjoyed Asian films...
The Duelist
Legend of the Red Dragon
Fearless
Swordsman 2
Shinobi
The Eye
Zu Warriors
Seven Swords

I would recommend avoiding Attack the Gas Station(Korean)... more annoying than entertaining. I'm watching [I]Hitman[I] tonight. I have a bit of a thing for Jet Li. :D