As some of the lists of the previous years were not on par with the ones we have been publishing lately, we decided to take a closer look at some of the years that were not as covered at the time. In that fashion, here is a list with the 50 of the Best Asian movies of 2015, in completely random order.
1. Monster Hunt (Raman Hui, China)
Raman Hui evidently shot a film to indulge every demographic category in the country. In that fashion, the movie entails elements of RPGs, comics, martial arts, comedy, musicals, romance, some drama and a plethora of action scenes. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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2. SPL 2: A Time for Consequences (Cheang Pou Soi, Hong Kong, China)
The action scenes are magnificent, with Tony Jaa as Chatchai and Wu Jing as Kit giving their best selves. Furthermore, the film excels in the technical department, both in cinematography and special effects, and the action choreography is quite impressive in a film that shouts “blockbuster” from its first shot. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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3. Cemetery of Splendour (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand)
“Cemetery of Splendour” will appear enigmatic to those approaching Weerasethakul's works for the first time, but it will feel familiar to those accustomed to his filmography because it takes up themes and dynamics previously introduced and recurring motifs. It's not an easy film for an audience expecting a traditional story, and definitely a festivals' and critics' favourite; however, setting rationality on a side and opening up to a sensory and meditative experience will be well worth the effort. (Adriana Rosati)
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4. The Taking of Tiger Mountain (Tsui Hark, China, Hong Kong)
Tsui Hark's fans will immediately notice that the dangerous stunts have been replaced by 3D graphics, a choice that initially seems out of place. Nevertheless, as the film progresses, the action scenes prove to be utterly impressive, compensating for the lack of “raw power” of the older techniques. Moreover, the action increases in tension and duration as the film progresses, in a tactic whose purpose is to create agony about the finale. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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5. Ode to My Father (JK Youn, S. Korea)
The film entails a plethora of dramatic scenes that resonated with the Koreans' love for melodrama, thus resulting in the film's commercial success. Furthermore, the movie included wonderful performances by its protagonists, Hwang Jung Min as Yoon Deok Soo, Oh Dal Su as his best friend, who also represents the comic element in the film, and the always gorgeous and sublime Yunjin Kim as his wife. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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6. Assassination (Choi Dong-hoon, S Korea)
In terms of pace and aesthetics, “Assassination” moves quite rapidly, occasionally looking like a music video, and entails a number of the genres' favorite techniques and notions. These include women fighters, unexpected humor, martial arts, impressive action scenes, and a number of flashbacks. Regarding the technical aspect, the film is a true masterpiece, as it excels in all the parameters. Ryu Seong-hie's production design has done wonders with the depiction of the era, which is quite accurate. The artfulness of the costumes by Jo Sang-gyeong and Son Na-ri also helps in that direction. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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7. Makeup Room (Kentaro Sakai, Japan)
“Makeup Room” is obviously a low-budget film, however the cinematography by Shinji Kugimiya is quite accomplished, particularly taking into consideration that he has so many characters to fit into one room, and consequently into a single frame. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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8. Right Now, Wrong Then (Hong Sang-soo, S Korea)
“Right Now, Wrong Then” marked the first collaboration between Hong and Kim, the two having worked together on numerous movies since, including 2017's “On the Beach at Night Alone”, in which they worked through their tumultuous private relationship, a relationship that caused quite a stir in South Korea, since Hong was married to another woman. But romantic feelings aside, it's plain to see that the creative partnership works well for the two artists and lovers and if their current run is any indication, it will likely produce more outstanding results in the future. (Fred Barrett)
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9. Parasyte: Part 2 (Takashi Yamazaki, Japan)
Yamazaki's biggest achievement in “Parasyte” lies with the fact that he managed to portray accurately the combination of slapstick and grotesque aesthetics the original medium entailed. Also of note is the way he uses humor, which appears randomly and unexpectedly at points in the film, as with the scene where Izumi and Migi cook together. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
Being an interesting mix of science fiction, horror and some action, the film tells the story of aliens who take over human brains and feed on other people. Shinichi (Shota Sometani), a high school boy, is able to stop the alien parasite just in time, and the creature fails to reach his brain. This results in the shapeshifting creature being stuck in Shinichi's right hand. Since it failed to take over its host completely the alien knows that in order to survive, the host has to survive. It therefore decides to join forces with Shinichi to battle other parasites. The creature, who is called Migi (“right” in Japanese), becomes eager to learn about humans and the way they live. Meanwhile, Shinichi is stuck with a talking alien as his right hand… (Thor)
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10. Our Little Sister (Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan)
One of the film's biggest assets is the strong performance of its cast. All of the actors in the movie seem to have adapted perfectly to the restrained style of acting Koreeda always demands from his actors. Haruka Ayase as Sachi and Masami Nagasawa as Yoshino have the most demanding parts, since they also have to present a number of tensions, which stray a bit from the permeating calmness and subtlety of the film. However, they both deliver in wonderful fashion. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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Watched Assassin the other day… really wasnt impressed :-(