I’m a big fan of Asian cinema. My favorites are the classic Japanese films from their golden age (circa 1948-1965). But I also like many Japanese films from other years, as well as Chinese and Korean cinema, and even Thai and Bollywood movies. Feel free to freepmail me if you wish to talk about Asian films, or if you have any questions. I'm no expert, by any means, but I do have some knowledge of films from the East. Below are some of the films I most strongly recommend:

THE GODDESS (China 1934): China had a thriving film industry before it was disrupted by the Japanese and then destroyed by Mao. It only began to rebound in the late 1980s. This film stars Lingyu Ruan as a young mother who turns to prostitution in Shanghai to provide an education for her son. Pressured by the law on one side, and pimps trying to steal her earnings on the other, she sacrifices all for her child. This is a silent film, since most Chinese theaters still weren't wired for sound in 1934. The lovely actress in this film met a real life tragic end, committing suicide at age 24 after two abusive relationships. Her funeral filled the streets of Shanghai with mourners.

DRUNKEN ANGEL (Japan 1948): The first pairing of director Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune. Takashi Shimura stars as an alcoholic doctor who struggles to help TB patients in a poor Tokyo neighborhood. His patients range from a young schoolgirl to a cocky mobster (Mifune). An emotional snapshot of Japan's post-war struggles amidst poverty and a changing social structure. Kurosawa & Mifune would eventually make 16 films together, one of the greatest director-actor collaborations ever, comparable to the John Ford-John Wayne combo, or Ingmar Bergman & his stock company (Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, etc.)

STRAY DOG (Japan 1949): Film noir style police movie about a stolen gun used in a crime spree. Starring Toshiro Mifune as a young detective and Takashi Shimura as his mentor. Keiko Awaji is a pretty showgirl who knows more about the crime spree than she lets on. Akira Kurosawa directs. This film was released a year before Kurosawa became known worldwide, but his genius shows through here, as does the acting talent of Mifune.

LATE SPRING (Japan 1949): A beautiful film about the traditional Japanese family during an era when Western ideas were gaining prominence. Setsuko Hara plays a loyal daughter who refuses to marry so she can stay with her aging father (Chishu Ryu). Yasujiro Ozu, whose specialty was the quiet family drama, directs.

SCANDAL (Japan 1950): An artist (Toshiro Mifune) and a popular singer (Yoshiko Yamaguchi, the "Judy Garland of Japan") have tea together at a mountain inn. It's all totally innocent, but "paparazzi" type photographers snap some photos and concoct a story for a trashy celebrity gossip magazine, implying that the two had a secret sexual liaison. The two celebrities join forces to sue the magazine, a longshot given the vagueness of the laws, and it gets even more complicated when they suspect their lawyer (Takashi Shimura) to be secretly working for the magazine. One of Akira Kurosawa's less known films, but it should appeal to American audiences given our own discomfort with such "journalism".

RASHOMON (Japan 1950): The film that gained director Akira Kurosawa international acclaim. It also made Toshiro Mifune a star as the bandit Tajomaru. The story delves into the nature of reality as witnesses to a rape & murder each give totally different accounts of what they saw when they are later called to testify. A woodcutter, a priest, and a wayfarer try to determine the truth under Rashomon’s old town gate. Brilliantly photographed and storyboarded in a series of flashbacks. Among the most influential films in cinematic history. Co-starring Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, and the lovely Machiko Kyo.

IKIRU (Japan 1952): The title means “to live”, and many people who see this Akira Kurosawa film think they’ve undergone a religious experience. A bureaucrat (Takashi Shimura) learns he’s dying of cancer and seeks to perform one significant act of kindness before he passes on. Miki Odagiri is the cute, perky office girl who brightens up this beautifully subdued masterpiece. As thoughtful and moving as any film ever produced.

GATE OF HELL (Japan 1953): Japan’s first color epic. It’s the simple story, unfolding like a Noh play, of a samurai (Kazuo Hasegawa) who becomes obsessed with a beautiful married woman (Machiko Kyo). How is this triangle resolved? Watch it and see! Directed by Teinosuke Kenugasa.

TOKYO STORY (Japan 1953): Yasujiro Ozu’s greatest masterpiece. A family drama about an elderly couple (Chishu Ryu & Chieko Higashiyama) who visit their children, who have moved away from their small town to settle in the booming megalopolis of Tokyo. Traditional Japanese family values soon clash with modernity, and Ozu seems pretty clear that he values the former. Watch this one when you have plenty of time to savor it and think it through.

UGETSU MONOGATARI (Japan 1953): Perhaps the greatest work from director Kenji Mizoguchi. The title loosely means “Tales of a Rainy Moon”. It’s an eerie 16th century morality tale of two peasants who abandon their wives, one to become a samurai, one to pursue a beautiful rich woman (Machiko Kyo). Each man learns a valuable life lesson, one in the real world, the other in the world of ghosts. Co-starring Masayuki Mori and Kinuyo Tanaka.

SEVEN SAMURAI (Japan 1954): Often on the list of the greatest films ever made, this is another Akira Kurosawa work of perfection. Villagers tormented by bandits hire samurai to protect them. A simple sounding plot, but if you watch this film you’ll see that there’s much more to it. Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune are unforgettable as Kambei (the lead samurai) and Kikuchiyo (a renegade). A film filled with intriguing 16th century characters and an action packed finale. This film served as the basis for the American western "The Magnificant Seven" a few years later. A truly classic epic that no movie lover should ever miss.

SANSHO THE BAILIFF (Japan 1954): Without mercy, man is no more than a beast. So says a kind-hearted official as he is sent into exile. Years later his wife and children must come to grips with this ideal when an unrelenting series of tragedies disrupt their lives. One of the saddest films ever made, but uplifting to anyone who understands its message. Kinuyo Tanaka, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, and pretty Kyoko Kagawa (in an early role) star. Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.

GOJIRA (Godzilla)(Japan 1954): Most Americans have seen the "westernized" version of this famous monster film, with inserted footage of Raymond Burr. But the original is the true classic, directed by Ishiro Honda, who made a career out of these city-stomping epics. Starring Akira Takarada as the young hero, Takashi Shimura as his mentor, Akihiro Hirata as the scientist with a dangerous secret, and Momoko Kochi as the adorable love interest. This film was followed by countless other monster films, some of which are enjoyable, such as Rodan (1956) and Mothra (1961 - hey, who doesn't get a kick out of a giant caterpillar spinning a cocoon on Tokyo Tower?), though most are routine kiddie films.

THE SAMURAI TRILOGY (Japan 1954/1955/1956): Three separate films, forming a complete story similar to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Toshiro Mifune is an unruly village peasant who learns to channel his strength and aggression in an honorable way as a samurai, while earning the love of two competing females (Mariko Okada & Kaoru Yachigusa) and building to an inevitable climactic battle against the only other samurai in Japan equal to him in skill (Koji Tsuruta). Three beautiful and exciting color films, directed by Hiroshi Inagaki.

THRONE OF BLOOD (Japan 1957): Yet another Akira Kurosawa masterpiece. It’s a samurai version of “Macbeth” as Toshiro Mifune rises to power via murder and intrigue, goaded on by his power-hungry Lady Macbethish wife (Isuzu Yamada). This one is a must-see if you want to appreciate the Kurosawa genius. The film’s arrow-filled climax is amazing, and it’s hard to imagine an American actor putting himself in as much danger as Mifune was in when the weapons started flying.

THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (Japan 1958): A rare Akira Kurosawa bow to comedy. It’s the story of a beautiful princess (Misa Uehara) being rescued by her bodyguard (Toshiro Mifune) and two conscripted, bumbling peasants (Minoru Chiaki & Kamatari Fujiwara). A great take-off on the samurai genre that Kurosawa himself became so associated with. Both funny and exciting, the rough plot outline became the source of inspiration for Star Wars two decades later.

TOKYO TWILIGHT (Japan 1958): A touching Japanese family drama from Yasujiro Ozu. A father (Chishu Ryu) seeks to help his daughters find solutions to the problems in their lives. One daughter (Setsuko Hara) is quite cooperative but the other (Ineko Arima) has began running around with a bad crowd and ends up pregnant. The causes and negative aftermath of abortion are on display in a manner that’s disturbing. This one won’t make the feminists happy.

UNDERWORLD BEAUTY (Japan 1958): One of the films that launched the Yakuza movie craze. Mari Shiraki plays a bouncy, pretty, and mischevious girl who gets involved in some mob dealings through her brother (a former mobster) and her sleazy boyfriend (a current mobster). The film has some plot holes, but Miss Shiraki is so cute you won’t care. Co-starring Michitaro Mizushima as a reformed mobster determined to save the wayward girl. Directed by the often bizarre Seijun Suzuki.

SAMURAI SAGA (Japan 1959): A samurai version of the Cyrano de Bergerac story. Toshiro Mifune is talented in swordfighting and in poetry, but his huge, ugly nose prevents him from courting the girl he loves (Yoko Tsukasa). He agrees to help a handsome but boring young man (Akira Takarada) woo the pretty lady by writing love letters for him, knowing it's the closest he'll ever come to her. A funny and sad film, rarely seen outside of Japan. Hiroshi Inagaki directs.

FLOATING WEEDS (Japan 1959): A traveling acting troupe returns to a small coastal town for the first time in years. The troupe's leader (Ganjiro Nakamura) has an out-of-wedlock son he fathered there years earlier during a liaison with a local woman. His pride in his son, who has turned out to be a fine young man, and his desires to keep his past philandering a secret from his new romantic interest (Machiko Kyo), soon conflict. A typically outstanding drama, from director Yasujiro Ozu. The Criterion Collection DVD of this film is accompanied by the 1934 silent film version, also directed by Ozu.

JIGOKU (Japan 1960): The title literally means “hell”, and this is a bizarre horror film which isn’t for everyone. A student (Shigeru Amachi) is goaded by a mysterious roommate (Yoichi Numata) into various situations which bring tragedy to those around him, including the lovely Utako Mitsuya. It soon becomes apparent that sin is abounding and hell is the destination for all concerned. A creepy Buddhist vision of the demonic underworld. Directed by Nobuo Nakagawa.

WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE STAIRS (Japan 1960). An interesting and beautifully acted tale from director Mikio Naruse, who is not as well-known in the West as he should be. A widow (brilliantly portrayed by Hideko Takamine) struggles to survive as a bar hostess in Tokyo's Ginza district, a world in which she feels trapped by economic circumstances, and often sees younger girls advancing because they are willing to sell themselves to wealthy businessmen. It sounds like a chick flick, but it isn't. It's a story of moral courage and perseverence. The outstanding cast includes Masayuki Mori, Tatsuya Nakadai, Reiko Dan, and Ganjiro Nakamura.

YOJIMBO (Japan 1961): This awesome Akira Kurosawa film was copied by Sergio Leone as the spaghetti western “A Fistful of Dollars”. Toshiro Mifune is a ronin (masterless samurai) who wanders into a village (watch for the dog scene) and finds it’s being torn asunder by two feuding criminal gangs. Mifune sets out to destroy both evil groups by alternately offering his services as a yojimbo (bodyguard) for the leaders of the respective gangs. Tatsuya Nakadai is great as one of the thugs, armed with a new type of weapon: a pistol!

HARAKIRI (Japan 1962): Masaki Kobayashi directed this ultra-intense 17th century samurai epic about a ritual suicide and the consequences thereof. I can’t describe the plot very much without giving everything away, so suffice it to say this is one not to be missed. Tatsuya Nakadai is brilliant in the leading role. A sometimes disturbing and sad film, but one ultimately enlightening regarding the Japanese code of honor.

CHUSHINGURA (Japan 1962): An all-star cast (Toshiro Mifune, Setsuko Hara, and many others) star in a film directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. It’s the most famous Japanese samurai story, in which 47 ronin seek revenge after their master is forced to commit seppuku (harakiri). Though they know their actions will lead to their own deaths, they keep their vows. The title means “loyalty”. A great film, though it was made for a Japanese audience that was assumed to be versed in the basics of the story to begin with, so it can sometimes be a little hard to follow for “gaijin”!

SANJURO (Japan 1962): Sequel to Yojimbo, this time with a somewhat comedic touch. Toshiro Mifune stars again as the wandering ronin, now going by the adopted name of Sanjuro. He leads nine idealistic (but somewhat incompetent) young samurai in a rebellion against corrupt governing officials. Good fun, directed by Akira Kurosawa and co-starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Takashi Shimura, and Reiko Dan.

HIGH AND LOW (Japan 1963): One of the greatest crime films ever made, and I find it amazing that this Akira Kurosawa masterpiece is so unknown in the West. Toshiro Mifune is a rich corporate executive who is victimized by a cruel kidnapping plot. The sequence on the bullet train is one of the greatest things ever put on film. If you like police procedurals, this one is for you! Tatsuya Nakadai is on hand as the lead detective and pretty Kyoko Kagawa is Mifune’s wife.

WOMAN IN THE DUNES (Japan 1964): Bizarre, erotic, creepy film about a coastal village whose inhabitants conspire to trap a scientist (Eiji Okada) in a house hidden in a sandpit. The man is needed to help the house’s female occupant (Kyoko Kishida), who struggles daily to keep the house from being buried by the sand. Don’t ask why she doesn’t just move, that’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself when you watch the film! Eerily directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara.

ONIBABA (Japan 1964): During a time of samurai wars, a woman (Nobuko Otawa) and her pretty daughter-in-law (Jitsuko Yoshimura) survive by luring wounded warriors into a reed swamp, where they kill them and then sell their weapons and armour. A deserter (Kei Sato) arrives and threatens to break up the female team by seducing the girl. The result is quite creepy. The title loosely means “devil woman”. Be forwarned that this film is pretty explicit in the nudity department, but it’s tastefully done and not gratuitous as in many R-Rated films. Directed by Kaneto Shindo.

KWAIDAN (Japan 1964): Masaki Kobayashi directed this beautifully colored film, which is composed of four separate ghostly tales featuring several top Japanese stars (including Takashi Shimura). My favorite is the story of the female snow vampire, but the “earless” story is the one that has drawn the most comment over the years. Not shocking or gory like many horror films. This one’s reserved and intellectual.

THE FACE OF ANOTHER (Japan 1965): Tatsuya Nakadai plays a man maimed in an industrial accident, who has a new face constructed by a doctor (Mikijiro Hira). But is the man controlling the new face, or is it controlling him? An often bizarre psycho-thriller ensues. There’s also a secondary plot centering on a pretty girl who was scarred as a small child when the Nagasaki bomb exploded. Japanese sixties’ supermodel Miki Irie plays the girl. The film also features Machiko Kyo as the maimed man’s cynical wife. Directed by the quite strange Hiroshi Teshigahara.

RED BEARD (Japan 1965): This film marked the final pairing of master director Akira Kurosawa and legendary actor Toshiro Mifune. An arrogant young doctor (Yuzo Kayama) is infuriated to learn he's been assigned to a charity clinic for the poor for his internship. Mifune plays the stern, wise, and humane clinic director. A drama set in a 19th century charity clinic doesn't sound all that interesting, but Kurosawa worked his magic again and produced a masterpiece. Watch for Kyoko Kagawa in a small role as a beautiful but insane woman who sexually lures men in, for the kill!

SAMURAI REBELLION (Japan 1967): A warlord expels one of his mistresses (Yoko Tsukasa) from the palace when she feuds with a new mistress. She marries the honorable son (Takeshi Kato) of a wise and respected samurai (Toshiro Mifune). All is well, until the warlord decides he wants his former mistress back. A top tier samurai film is the result. Directed by Masaki Kobayashi.

RED LION (Japan 1969): This isn't a classic film in the style of Kurosawa or Ozu, by any means. But it's a fun comedy that highlights Toshiro Mifune's wide acting range. Mifune plays a bragging peasant soldier who enters his hometown for the first time since being ousted by local crime bosses ten years earlier. He's determined to purge the town of the thugs so that the Meiji Restoration can blossom. A fun action-comedy, featuring pretty Shima Iwashita as Mifune's love interest. Directed by Kihachi Okamoto.

GOYOKIN (Japan 1969): A beautifully photographed and unusual samurai film from director Hideo Gosha. An exiled samurai (Tatsuya Nakadai) returns to his home turf to prevent a destitute governor (Tetsuro Tamba) from committing a hideous crime. I don't want to give too much away, but the plot centers around a deadly, and seemingly supernatural, event which also involves the theft of a gold shipment ("goyokin"). The creepy, horror film style opening sequence is awesome! And the final showdown in a bitter snowstorm is one of the most memorable images in samurai film history. Co-starring Ruriko Asaoka & Yoko Tsukasa as the pretty heroines.

KAGEMUSHA (Japan 1980): When a samurai warlord is killed, his followers plot to convince the outside world that he's still alive. They choose a common thief (Tatsuya Nakadai) who happens to look exactly like the deceased leader. It becomes his job to convince everyone that he's really the warlord long enough for an adequately strong successor to be chosen. The thief goes along with the plan for the money and a pardon, but his evolution into an honorable man forms the major plot of this fine film from Akira Kurosawa. The title, incidentally, means "Shadow Warrior".

RAN (Japan 1985): Akira Kurosawa's final samurai epic and a true masterpiece. A warlord (Tatsuya Nakadai) retires, and leaves the kingdom to his eldest son. But chaos ("Ran", in Japanese) breaks out in a family feud involving all three sons and the father. Check out Mieko Harada as Lady Kaeda, one of the best diabolical babes in cinema history! The lavish battle scenes, featuring real horses and men, and a castle fortress built for the movie, will likely never be equalled due to the arrival of CGI. Kurosawa earns my vote for greatest director ever.

TAMPOPO (Japan 1985): A really intelligent comedy about a cowboy hat-wearing truck driver who, along with some buddies, helps a lady named Tampopo (Dandelion) turn her noodle diner into a success. This film is full of take-offs on other films, and the entire story is a spoof of cowboy films such as "Shane". This would be a really good film for the whole family but there are also a few vignettes featuring people enjoying food, and one of them is R-Rated. Directed by Juzo Itami and starring Ken Watanabe, Nobuko Miyamoto, and Koji Yakusho.

RAISE THE RED LANTERN (China 1991): Zhang Yimou (we would say Yimou Zhang) directed this drama set in the 1920s. A wealthy and powerful man (Jingwu Ma) marries lovely Songlian (Gong Li). But he has three other wives, and the competition among the wives for top lady status goes a little too far. A great film with an unexpected and pretty disturbing climax. Yep, the competition did indeed go too far! The title comes from the red lantern lit each night in front of the chamber belonging to the wife chosen for marital relations.

THE STORY OF QIU JU (China 1992): One of the greatest subtle comedies ever! Qiu Ju (Gong Li) is the pregnant wife of a farmer in present-day China. When her husband gets kicked in the balls by the village chief (in an argument over a chili pepper shed), she demands an apology. When she doesn't get it, she goes higher and higher up the Chinese government ladder with her demand. A great comedy from Zhang Yimou which manages to mock the commie bureaucracy in ways so oblique that the censors failed to notice it.

THE BLUE KITE (China 1993): A boy grows up during the heyday of Mao's brutal Cultural Revolution, watching friends and family suffer for even the vaguest "reactionary" thoughts, or even for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This movie had to have post-production work completed outside China when the Communists shut the film down upon discovering its content. Director Tian Zuangzuang was banned from making another film for five years. The crybaby leftists in Hollywood who constantly whine about how oppressive America is ought to study this film, and the censorship encountered by its makers.

TO LIVE (China 1994): Another Zhang Yimou classic, though this one got him into a little trouble afterward (he and Gong Li were banned from working together for two years). It's the story of a prosperous couple (You Ge & Gong Li) whose life is sent into a tailspin, first by the husband's gambling habit, and later by the brutality and degradation of Mao's Cultural Revolution. More subtle than the previous year's "The Blue Kite", it nonetheless raised some eyebrows in Beijing. It's chilling when even a happy occasion like a wedding is turned into a praisefest for Mao, and when student doctors & nurses, whipped into an ideological frenzy by their communist professors, expel experienced doctors from a hospital for being too "reactionary", with tragic results for patients.

AFTER LIFE (Japan 1998): What one memory would you take with you to eternity? That's the question asked by this haunting film directed by Koreda Hirokazu. People who have just died are given three days to choose one memory. Christians should remember that this is not our vision of the afterlife, but one rooted in Shintoism and Buddhism. Still, it's not all that alien to us in the West, and it's hard not to be touched by this film.

APRIL STORY (Japan 1998): What a beautiful little film with such a simple and moving storyline! A sweet, shy girl (Takako Matsu) from a small town in Hokkaido goes away to Tokyo to attend college. On her first day there, she's asked why she chose that school. The rest of the film is an unveiling of that reason. One to cherish! Directed by Shunji Awai.

XIU XIU, THE SENT DOWN GIRL (China 1998): Actress Joan Chen directed this haunting film, which was promptly banned by the Chinese Communist authorities. Watch this one if you hate Communism, but be prepared for shocking content and a downward spiral of depression right to the tragic conclusion. Xiu Xiu is a pretty 15 year old who is sent to a rural area for Communist re-education in the socialist agrarian lifestyle. Shy and moral at first, she loses all sense of self-respect after being repeatedly raped and prostituted by corrupt officials. A kindly Tibetan herder must watch helplessly as the tragedy unfolds. Grim and disturbing, yet beautifully photographed on location. For the record, a body double was used for teen actress Lu Lu in the film's sexual scenes.

THE BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA (Japan 1998): This is an unusual film from cult director Takashi Miike. A man who works for a Tokyo jewelry company travels to an isolated region in Western China to scope out a jade deposit. He's followed by a mobster who demands a share of the profits. They end up in a beautiful, pastoral region where it's rumored people can fly like a bird. There are a couple of less-then-tasteful scenes, but overall it's a wonderful and imaginative story. This film is a change of pace for Miike, who is known primarily for ultraviolent films, such as "Audition" & "Ichi the Killer". I can't recommend those latter films for everyone, but they are good movies and Freepers who can handle extreme levels of bloodletting may enjoy them!

THE ROAD HOME (China 1999): At his father's funeral, a man recounts the story of how his parents met in their tiny rural village. Told in flashback, we're blessed with a simple, wholesome romance between a young man (Honglei Sun) and a shy teen girl (Ziyi Zhang in her debut role). Directed by Zhang Yimou, whom I'm convinced is the Akira Kurosawa of China.

6IXTYNIN9 (Sixty-Nine)(Thailand 1999): A young woman (Lalita Panyopas) loses her job as a bank teller. She soon finds a box containing a fortune in cash outside her apartment door. It was left there by accident by mobsters who got the sixes and nines mixed up in the apartment building addresses. Murders, chases, and diabolical plotting soon dominate the screen, all with a satirical touch. A very weird black comedy! Directed by Pan-Ek Ratanaruang.

NOT ONE LESS (China 1999): An absolutely wonderful family film. A thirteen year old girl (Minzhi Wei) is left in charge of a one room rural school while the regular teacher is away. As the teacher departs, he reminds the girl that there are 28 students there, and he expects to find that many when he returns, not one less! When one of the kids runs off to the big city, the girl sets out on a determined and emotional quest to bring him back. Directed by Zhang Yimou. Every part in this movie is played by a non-actor with no previous acting experience. But they're all so good, you'd never know it.

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (China 2000): A fun "wire fu" martial arts film about a teen girl from a wealthy family (Ziyi Zhang) who runs away from her boring court life and gets into trouble with an outlaw (Chen Chang) and a female assassin (Pei-Pei Chang). Also starring the wonderful Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat as the "good guys". This is the fun type of film Ang Lee once made before he developed the desire to be loved by the liberal establishment.

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (China 2000): A romantic melodrama. Admittedly, it's something of a chick flick, and it's probably too slow paced for some, but the acting and dialogue are wonderful. Two apartment dwellers (Tony Leung and beautiful Maggie Cheung) learn that their respective spouses are having an affair. They're tempted to do the same, but refuse to follow their desires because it would lower them to the level of adulterers. What an uplifting ideal! Directed by Kar Wai Wong.

CHUNHYANG (South Korea 2000): The most recent of many film versions about a legendary Korean heroine. Chunhyang (Hyo-jeong Lee) is the pretty daughter of a courtesan. A virtuous girl, she marries a well-to-do young man (Seong-woo Cho). While the young husband is away attending school, an arrogant governor tries to force Chunhyang to submit to his advances, declaring that since her mother is a courtesan, she must be one as well. The governor is willing to use any means necessary to force himself on Chunhyang, and our heroine is equally willing to never betray her husband. Rated R for a bit of honeymoon frolicking by the newlyweds, but truly a classic tale of courage and honor. Part of the story is told via traditional Korean pansori songs. Directed by Kwon-taek Im.

DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP (China 2000): One of the most amazing films ever made, funny at first, horrifyingly violent by the end. During the Japanese occupation of China in WWII, a resistance fighter leaves a Japanese prisoner and his translator at the home of a peasant (Wen Jiang, who also directs) for interrogation. When the resistance fighter fails to return for them (presumably killed or captured by the Japanese), the peasant and his neighbors are at a loss over what to do with their captives. The resulting comedy, and frightening tragedy, triggered by this are impossible to describe in print. So see the film for yourself!

HAPPY TIMES (China 2000): A comedy with plenty of sad touches, something the Chinese seem to specialize in. It's the story of a factory worker (Benshan Zhou) who tries to bring a little joy into the life of a blind girl (Jie Dong). He originally does this because he wants to marry the girl's stepmother, but soon he has real compassion for the girl and his friends at the factory are all joining in, with the proverbial random acts of kindness, all to brighten the day of a girl who's known little happiness. Great film, directed by Zhang Yimou.

MUSA (South Korea 2001): Sung-su Kim directed this occasionally hard-to-follow action flick. The story centers on a group of Korean envoys trying to make their way back home after being caught in the midst of a war between the Ming and Yuan dynasties in China. In the process, they end up in custody of a beautiful Ming princess (Ziyi Zhang). The storyline's a little muddled, but it's all action with lots of classy heroics! Some Western versions of this film are titled "Musa the Warrior", which is redundant because Musa means "warrior".

MY SASSY GIRL (South Korea 2001): Okay, I admit it. This is a chick flick romantic comedy. But the girl is so adorable, I can't help but love this movie. An average guy (Tae-hyun Cha) encounters a cute but drunk, and apparently troubled, girl (Gianna Jun) on the Seoul subway and ends up involved with her in several comedic escapades. Funny stuff, with plenty of sad touches, directed by Jae-young Kwak. This film became a smash hit all over Asia, and established Miss Jun as the "sassy girl" actress who uses her feminine wiles to get her way when dealing with guys, as in the 2004 ultimate South Korean tearjerker film "Windstruck".

HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS (Japan 2001): This is one truly bizarre film, a black comedy about a nice family who open a bed & breakfast inn. But they have a little bad luck when the guests keep dying in freakish ways. Screenwriter Kikumi Yamagishi had to be on serious acid when scripting this one, billed as a comedy - musical - blood splatter film. So I'm issuing a warning that not everyone will appreciate this definite R-Rated film, but if you have a Monty Python sense of humor, you might think it's a blast! Starring Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, and Naomi Nishida. Check out Kiyoshiro Imawano as a Japanese man claiming to be a member of the British Navy and a relative of Queen Elizabeth! Directed by Takashi Miike.

THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI (Japan 2002): An impoverished samurai (Hiroyuki Sanada) struggles to retain his honor while raising his two daughters and caring for his aging mother, following his wife's death. Can he remain true to his beliefs amidst events that often provide the temptation for moral compromise? An outstanding film, featuring pretty Rie Miyazawa as a young lady who inspires. This is a wonderful story celebrating family values and honor. Directed by Yoji Yamada.

DOLLS (Japan 2002): This is one of those films which not everyone will enjoy. It's a live version of Japanese bunraku puppet theater, featuring several sad stories linked by a young couple who represent the puppets. Most would probably find it too slow and obscure, but if you love Japanese culture you might enjoy it, and the cinematography is beautiful. Starring Miho Kanno and Hidetoshi Nishijima. Cutie pop star Kyoko Fukada appears, playing a cutie pop star! Directed by Takeshi Kitano.

2LDK (Japan 2003): Okay, I'm a little bit bad for liking this one. It's a black comedy about two aspiring young actresses who are sharing an apartment. They don't particularly like each other, and when both end up auditioning for the same part, all hell breaks loose. If you like seeing two beautiful chicks (Maho Nonami & Eiko Koike) trying to kill each other via swords, electrocution, and even a chainsaw, check this one out! Directed by Yukihiro Tsutsumi.

DAE JANG-GEUM (South Korea 2003): A terrific 54 episode TV series set in 15th century Korea. Dae Jang-Geum (Yeong-ae Lee) is a pretty orphan who is taken into the king's palace as a kitchen girl. Unbeknownst to others, her late mother was expelled from the palace kitchen years earlier due to a conspiracy. Jang-Geum is determined to fulfill her mother's dream of becoming the top kitchen lady. But along the way, she faces conspiracies, rivalries, and tragedies of her own. Will she falter or will she rise higher than even she could possibly dream? This is a wonderful series. If this had been filmed in America, it would be filled with sex and feminism, but this series gives us a heroine who is bright, determined, lovely, and uncompromisingly moral. In addition, the cooking scenes often rival those of the Food Network!

HERO (China 2003): Zhang Yimou's martial arts masterpiece, perhaps the best ever film of this genre. A rebel (Jet Li) seeks to assissinate the King of Qin, who is brutally unifying China under his rule. But he must first deal with conflicts among his own allies. Co-starring Tony Leung and the stunningly beautiful Maggie Cheung & Ziyi Zhang. Don't miss this one!

MEMORIES OF MURDER (South Korea 2003): A serial killer is murdering girls in a rural community. A big city detective from Seoul (Sang-kyung Kim) is brought in to help local detective (Kang-ho Song) solve the puzzle. But the murders keep happening and the evidence keeps falling just short of definitive. A creepy and often sad film. The epilogue is really disturbing. Directed by Joon-ho Bong.

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (South Korea 2003): Maybe the most beautiful horror movie ever filmed. Two teen sisters (Su-jeong Lim & Geun-yeong Mun) return home from a mental hospital and encounter some ghostly happenings, centering on their bizarre stepmother (Jung-ah Yum). I can't really say much more about this without revealing too much. The plot is complicated and it really helps to watch it a second time to catch the "hidden" clues you likely missed the first time around. Based on a Korean fairy tale, hence the film's tag line: "Fairy tales have never been this Grimm". Directed by Ji-woon Kim.

OLDBOY (South Korea 2003): I hesitated to include this film, because it contains some elements that are pretty sick and likely would offend many conservatives. But it is an amazing film, the story of a man (Min-sik Choi) imprisoned without explanation for 15 years, and then released to find his tormentor as part of an elaborate (and violent) puzzle. Co-starring Ji-tai Yu and pretty Hye-jeong Kang as the naive, waifish Mi-do. Some of the scenes (such as the hallway fight filmed in a single shot, and the giant ant on the subway car with Mi-do) are pure genius. Still, watch this one at your own risk, and beware of the octopus scene! Directed by Chan-wook Park.

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (China 2004): Another fun "wire fu" film, starring the lovely Ziyi Zhang (such a babe!) as a blind rebel being pursued by officers Andy Lau & Takeshi Kaneshiro. I won't reveal any more of the plot than that. It's just good martial arts fun and intrigue. Nothing fancy, just fun, and beautifully photographed (with Ziyi in the film, could it be otherwise?). Directed by Zhang Yimou.

THE MIRACLE BOX (China 2004): Here's something you don't see very often: A Christian film from China. This is a biopic on Dr. Joanna Tse, the Christian physician who risked her life to continue treating SARS patients during the Hong Kong epidemic. This is a very moving film that is alternately sad and inspirational, focusing both on Dr. Tse and her leukemia patient husband. If you don't enjoy overtly religious films, it may be a little too sentimental for you, but otherwise you'll find it intriguing. The film managed to escape censorship by avoiding any discussion of the Chinese government. Still, it's amazing it got made at all with its Christian theme. Starring lovely Ada Choi as Dr. Tse. Pei-Pei Chang, who was the heroine in many of those fun Shaw Brothers martial arts films made in Hong Kong back in the 60s & 70s, plays Dr. Tse's mother. Directed by Adrian Kwan.

SHE'S ON DUTY (South Korea 2005): Okay, this one's a guilty pleasure. I just get a kick out of this comedy about a female detective (Seon-a Kim) who poses as a high school girl to catch a gangster, whose daughter (Sang-mi Nam) attends the same school. It's sort of a Jackie Chan type fighting comedy, only with a cute girl in the title role. It's hilarious when she gets into it with the school's girl gang (yes, cute girls wearing those sweet sailor suit uniforms, but violent as hell) on her first day in class. Directed by Kwang-chun Park.

LINDA LINDA LINDA (Japan 2005): Great film about a girl rock band rehearsing to appear in their school's festival. When one girl has to drop out due to an injury, a Korean exchange student (Doo-na Bae) is recruited as the vocalist. This is the type of film that couldn't be made in America without including sex scenes or something like that, but this one is totally wholesome and realistic as the girls work desperately to learn the song "Linda Linda" by festival time. Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita.

PRINCESS RACCOON (Japan 2005): I guess I mainly list this one because it stars Ziyi Zhang as a raccoon princess (!?) who can take human form. If that isn't weird enough, this is a fantasy operetta complete with musical numbers. The plot (to the extent there is one) centers on a powerful lord (Mikijiro Hira) who wants to banish his son (Jo Odagiri) because the latter's good looks are threatening to eclipse his own. Yeah, I know it's ludicrous for two guys to be fighting over who is best looking, especially when Ziyi Zhang is in the film. Watch it mainly to see Ziyi, who is as beautiful as humanly, or raccoonly, possible. Directed by 82-year-old Seijun Suzuki.

CAVE OF THE YELLOW DOG (Mongolia 2005): A great film for the whole family. A little girl finds a puppy in a cave and brings him home. Her home is a large tent she shares with her nomadic family (father & mother and two younger siblings). Her father fears the dog will attract wolves, who will kill the family's sheep & goats, so she has to hide the dog from him for much of the film. A beautifully photographed film which also serves as a documentary on the nomadic life of a traditional herding family. The family is a real nomadic family, not actors. Directed by Byambasuren Davaa.

THE HIDDEN BLADE (Japan 2006): Another fine samurai film from director Yoji Yamada. An honorable samurai (Masatoshi Nagase) must make a choice when ordered to kill an old friend who has become a rebel. A wonderful story with leading characters you can truly respect. Takako Matsu (the college girl from APRIL STORY) is an absolute angel...and not in a contrived manner at all...in the role of Kie. If Hollywood still turned out films like this, it wouldn't be such a wasteland.

THE HOST (South Korea 2007): A fun, somewhat satirical monster film. Chemicals dumped in the Han River spawn a huge mutant monster which terrorizes Seoul. Kang-ho Song plays the bumbling hero, who sets out to rescue his daughter (who was carried off by the creature) while evading police and military officials (who think he may have picked up an infectious disease from the monster). He's aided by his ex-leftist agitator brother, who's a drunken loser (heh heh), his cute sister (an Olympic wannabe archer played by Doo-na Bae) and his courageous father. The ending is kind of sad, but overall an enjoyable romp. Directed by Joon-ho Bong.

JUMONG (South Korea 2007): This isn't a movie, but a TV series running 81 episodes and available on DVD. It's a historical drama on the early days of the nation known as Goguryeo, which is one of the smaller kingdoms which eventually became Korea. The events depicted took place over 2000 years ago, so a lot of liberties are obviously taken (including some fantasy touches), but it's an exciting and addictive series if you get started. A fine cast portrays intriguing and exciting characters from Korean history, such as the heroic Prince Jumong and the beautiful Princess Sosuhno. Definitely worth the time if you're willing to commit to 81 episodes. I'm not someone who gets addicted to TV series but I've found this one to be mesmerizing. This show was an off-the-charts ratings smash in South Korea.