So…this poster makes the movie sound like some erotic movie. It is not. It is a very talky drama. Free on Amazon Prime. Approximately 116 minutes. Young Hehe has been suffering from fevers and it has recently come back with a … Continue reading WTF ASIA 34: In Love We Trust (2008)
Here you go, you…butts. Continue reading The Good Place Season 3 Episode 9
So, that article that I posted yesterday about Jewel in the Palace? Please keep that in mind while reading this. Available…online. Approximately 115 minutes. It is 2004 and Geum-Ja the Kindhearted is being let out of prison on parole. She … Continue reading WTF ASIA 33: Lady Vengeance (2005)
Seven years before “Gangnam Style” burst upon the scene, I read this article in the New York Times about the “Korean Wave”. You may have heard of it. Well, back in 2005, East Coast Banana me knew nothing about this Korean Wave that … Continue reading WTF ASIA TELEVISION SPECIAL: Jewel in the Palace (2003)
Just be glad that I talked about Tampopo for Thanksgiving week and not this movie. Free on Amazon Prime. Approximately 115 minutes. Dev Shamser is a bigshot lawyer from Kathmandu who has made international headlines for winning some case. Not … Continue reading WTF ASIA 32: Ko Afno (2015)
This Thanksgiving, consider turkey ramen. Or just ramen. Available on Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, and Youtube. Approximately 115 minutes. Uh…warning…a few animals may have been harmed in the making of this movie. It is a rainy night as Goro and Gun drive … Continue reading WTF ASIA 31: Tampopo (1985)
Ah…kids…just want to look at everything, don’t they? Free on Netflix. Approximately 114 minutes. Ten-year-old Pari and eight-year old Chhotu live with their Aunt and Uncle in a small desert village in the state of Rajasthan. They have been living … Continue reading WTF ASIA 30: Dhanak (2015)
Do you like Back to the Future? How about The Notebook? Well, this is neither of those movies. It used to be legally available to stream, but now it is…uh…on the internet. Approximately 112 minutes. Na-Young has secured a free trip … Continue reading WTF ASIA 29: My Mother, the Mermaid (2004)
Yesterday I got so cold, I felt like I could kill. Available…uh…on the internet, I guess. Amazon Prime is a liar. Approximately 112 minutes. A woman is in what looks like some sort of hospital, and is reading…from the middle … Continue reading WTF ASIA 28: Cure (1997)
A touching story about following your heart, and finding where you truly belong. Available on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and Youtube. Approximately 96 minutes. Sheung grew up in a small, cramped apartment in a poor and noisy section of Hong Kong, with little … Continue reading WTF ASIA 27: Dream Home (2010)
Movies that are based on true stories often have to sacrifice the actual facts of the story in order to fit a coherent narrative. Sometimes, the changes are ridiculously huge, such as with The Sound of Music. Sometimes, criticism concerning accuracy … Continue reading WTF ASIA 26: No One Killed Jessica (2011)
The full of this movie is a little ironic, given the nature of the main character. His name is Choi Ik-Hyun and he wants everyone to know it. It’s the dude from Oldboy. Free on Amazon Prime. Approximately 134 minutes. … Continue reading WTF ASIA 25: Nameless Gangster – The Rules of Time (2012)
Do you want to see a Chinese film with Chow Yun Fat and guns? I have one for you: Let the Bullets Fly. It is an “Eastern Western” action comedy mixed in with political satire that, somehow, managed to avoid getting … Continue reading WTF ASIA 24: Let The Bullets Fly (2010)
NAM!!!! Cyclo is the second movie by Tran Ahn Hung, who had previously made a beautiful slideshow of a French soundstage called Scent of Green Papaya. This time, the French director, his wife, and his music composer actually return to Vietnam, the … Continue reading WTF ASIA 23: Cyclo (1995)
A film about the importance of family. Available on Vudu. Approximately 121 minutes. Yeah, I don’t know what is with that tagline. “Revenge was never this sweet?” Really, the only sweet part of this movie is in the very beginning. … Continue reading WTF ASIA 22: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Hey, remember all that pretentious nonsense I said about Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon last week? Well, forget all that garbage. This movie has a guy jump on top of another guy’s shoulders and give him a double-dose of elbow to … Continue reading WTF ASIA 21: Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)
Hey, College-aged Anukkai. Yeah? You wanna see a movie? Uh…what movie? Something Tiger. It’s a kung fu movie or something. …sure… Available on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Starz, Vudu, and Youtube. Approximately 120 minutes. It is the late 18th century. Master Wudan fighter Li … Continue reading WTF ASIA 20: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
This Yukuza film from Takashi Miike somehow mostly refrains from completely devolving into violent depravity. Uh…is that a spoiler? Available…somewhere online. Approximately 118 minutes. Wada is a salaryman, around thirty-years-old, living in the hustle and bustle of the big … Continue reading WTF ASIA 19: The Bird People in China (1998)
In Part 2 of the completely unintentional Bird Trilogy, humanity is for the birds. Free on Netflix. Approximately 116 minutes. Maya is a teenager who lives with her father, grandmother, and dog in a remote house by the forest. Her … Continue reading WTF ASIA 18: Birdshot (2016)
One type of Chinese film that I feel gets overlooked in the West is the small village dark comedy. They are like a Coen Brothers dark comedy, but with less of that pesky extra-textual stuff. They feature sniveling cowards and … Continue reading WTF ASIA 17: Cock & Bull (2016)
