Asian

Ogin-sama (1978) Synopsis:
Sen Rikyu is a ceremonial tea master who advises warlord Hideyoshi in sixteenth-century feudal Japan. His daughter, the beautiful Lady Ogin, has an unrequited love for Lord Ukon, who has angered Hideyoshi by becoming a Christian convert. Ogin’s father Rikyu also displeases Hideyoshi by opposing the warlord’s plan to invade China and Korea. When the animalistic Hideyoshi is rejected by Ogin, he threatens her and her father with arrest and worse.

Ogin, a very beautiful young woman, comes to the attention of Hideyoshi, the unifier of 16th century Japan. Her love for another causes her to reject him and precipitates tragedy.Read More »

Synopsis Tian xia di yi (1983):
It’s the 10th century BC, the emperor is not well, and the medicines he is receiving from con artist “Immortal Li” are in reality only making him worse.Read More »

Kamata kôshinkyoku (1982)
Quote:
The English title Fall Guy is fitting – this is a film about a stuntman who takes several plunges for his movie star friend – but there’s a clever touch of subversion in the less obvious Japanese title. Kamata Koshin-Kyoku refers to Shochiku studio’s theme song. But this film about the production of a samurai epic on the Toei studio lot in Kyoto is hardly a fawning tribute to the world of cinema. It’s a film by Kinji Fukasaku. Like the director’s masterpiece, Battles Without Honor and Humanity, Fall Guy exposes the injustices visited on honest, hard-working men serving corrupt and undeserving bosses; all he has done is change the setting. In the place of low-ranking yakuza are stuntmen, the foot soldiers of the entertainment industry. In the place of Japan’s criminal underground is a movie set.Read More »

Plot
A Hong Kong variation on Robin Hood. The corrupt officials of a Chinese village are continually robbed by a masked bandit know as “Iron Monkey” named after a benevolent deity. When all else fails, the Govenor forces a traveling physician (Donnie Yen) into finding the bandit. The arrival of an evil Shaolin monk, brings the Physician and Iron Monkey together to battle the corrupt government.Read More »

Winner of 5 Filmfare Awards: Best Cinematography – Color (Radhu Karmakar); Best Director (Raj Kapoor), Best Music Director (Ravi Shankar); Best Playback Singer – Male (Manna Dey for the song “Ay bhai zara dekh ke chalo”); Best Sound Recordist (Allauddin Khan Qureshi)

Mera Naam Joker is a film about a clown who must make his audience laugh at the cost of his own sorrows. The film is reportedly inspired by Raj Kapoor’s own life and the clown an allegory for his own life as an actor.Read More »

Winner of 4 Filmfare Awards: Best Actress (Vyjayantimala), Best Director (Raj Kapoor), Best Editor (Raj Kapoor), Best Sound Recordist (Allaudin).

Ganga, Jamuna, Saraswati, three sacred rivers in India, meet at Allahbad, and this meeting place is known as Sangam.

Sunder (Raj Kapoor), Gopal (Rajendra Kumar) and Radha (Vyjayantimala) are three childhood friends.Read More »

Yakuza film about Mine, a strong-minded woman, who risks her life and her body in a desperate search for true love.Read More »

Quote:
Set in 1937, this is the story of Asakichi, who is played by Shiuntaro Katsu, best known as being Zatoichi in 26 films. Asakichi has been disowned by his father for gambling, so he heads off to make his living in cockfighting. He, in quick order, wins some money, takes up with a fallen geisha and quickly comes in conflict with the yakuza. Besting their top man, Asakichi, is drawn into the life of a yakuza despite his efforts to remain outside of it.Read More »

Quote:
This movie is a great adaptation from the book by the renown artist Jimmy from Taiwan. Not only faithfully materializing the conception from the poetic illustrations in the book, the movie also adds witty dialogs and funny buffoon performance of the supporting roles for the whole story, which does not exist in the original. The movie debuted as number 1 in the box offices of Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The original book has been sold for more than tens of thousands copies in more than five languages.Read More »