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)

Well…this movie aged a little weirdly in only eight years…uh… Available on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and Youtube. Approximately 107 minutes.   The movie starts out in the big bustling city. Everyone is doing something. Working, hanging out, exercising, playing. None of them seem … Continue reading WTF ASIA 16: The Housemaid (2010)

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald is a good-natured and somewhat of a throwback screwball comedy that looks at the business of entertainment, the consequences of compromise, creativity on a budget, the influence of the outside cultures, the wonders of the old … Continue reading WTF ASIA 15: Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997)

First off, a thanks for El Santo, who kindly stepped switched out his own review for this movie this week after learning that I had scheduled it almost two weeks ago, so that we would not step on each other’s … Continue reading WTF ASIA 14: The Raid (2011)

Perhaps money cannot buy class, but class cannot buy money either. Available on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, Youtube. Approximately 99 minutes.   Lord Biswambhar Roy is a pre-Independence princely landlord of vast tracts of land, but he does not do much lording these … Continue reading WTF ASIA 13: The Music Room (1958)

Jet Li has been one of the premiere Kung Fu Film Stars for decades. He played the legendary Wong Fei Hong in the Once Upon a Time in China series and he was a principle player in the Expendables movies…well, at least the first … Continue reading WTF ASIA 12: Ocean Heaven (2010)

Your job. The thing that you do to be able to afford what you need to live and what you want to enjoy that life. The thing takes up so much of your time and your thoughts. The thing that … Continue reading WTF ASIA 11: A Company Man (2012)

Hey, y’all. Y’all like A Bug’s Life? Well, this movie is sort of like that, but with more people and fewer bugs. Available on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, and Youtube. Approximately 207 minutes. Note: I originally posted this almost four years ago. I do … Continue reading WTF ASIA 10: Seven Samurai (1954)

I may not know much about India, but I know that quite a lot of it is hot. Yes, even hotter than the summer that is descending upon me. Sure, maybe not in the snowy mountains, but elsewhere. And air … Continue reading WTF ASIA 9: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)

China. Ancient land of mystery. The place that lends us money and takes away our manufacturing jobs. The place recently most certainly did not celebrate the 29th anniversary of…something…ahem ahem. The place where Winnie the Pooh and Peppa Pig are … Continue reading WTF ASIA 8: To Live (1994)