Discoveries from Asian World Cinema

Historical movie set during the Japanese occupation of China during WWII. Jackie Chan is one of the good guys but has nothing much more than a supporting role.

A male corpse is discovered with a smashed face and burned hands. Strangely, the cause of death is determined to be strangulation. When Detective Kaoru Utsumi attempts to corroborate the victim’s ex-wife’s alibi she discovers the mysterious neighbor and only a few small clues to help her disprove a seemingly "airtight" alibi...

Phillip (Aaron Kwok) is a dance instructor who holds a class devoted to the latest dance craze, Para Para. While in Shanghai, he meets Yee (Cecilia Cheung), a spoiled rich girl who is running away from her impending arranged marriage. Soon, Yee begins using Phillip's dance studio as a sanctuary from her responsibilities, and an attraction begins to form between the two. However, Yee is called back to Japan to be married before long, and Phillip must use more than his dance skills and charisma to prevent her from taking her vows.

Cindy, an American FBI agent, travels to Hong Kong to investigate a newspaper editor, Wong Tak, who is suspected of printing counterfeit money using the newspaper’s presses. The American teams up with a rival reporter and her friend Yu, an undercover law enforcer. Cindy’s investigation takes a sharp turn, however, when Yu’s father, the prosecuting lawyer in the counterfeiting case, is kidnapped.

Smith's boarding house. Women feel the void in Smith greatly. Hyuk-joo and Myung-soo try to approach them, but they all react coldly... Then one day, a black exchange student, Jackson, arrives at a boarding house. Each of the female boarders is dedicated to seducing Jackson in their own way. I like their affectionate attacks, and I accept all affectionate attacks...

The chief of Sampo City Police Office, Seung-u, organizes a simulation of a bank robbery, but a by-the-book cop gets too caught up in the role playing in which the simulation doesn't go the way he had anticipated.

The story of a beautiful mermaid who gave up a kingdom for her beloved prince.

Although new friendships and new love await her, a college freshman discovers that university life is not as simple as she had hoped.

A novelist receives a letter from a female university student named Kubo about strange sounds that emanate from a room in her apartment. They begin to investigate incidents involving former residents, and eventually discover the shocking truths lurking inside the building.

A demonmaster tries to defeat a young priestess who induces archetypal forces in the Chinese zodiac, the twelve animals in the form of her companions. There are monsters, spells, kung fu, and costumes galore for those who appreciate this sort of thing

Over the course of a few days, the paths of a group of young friends, lovers, and acquaintances in Taipei intersect, prompting them to arrive at realizations about their lives.

A bloody civil war is the setting for Lupin's latest caper; the leader for one of the factions holds documents written by Earnest Hemingway and contain the location of a remarkable treasure. With Goemon and Jigen fighting on opposite sides of the war, Lupin must tackle this challenge alone. As the war rages on, can Lupin secure the treasure and keep Goemon and Jigen from killing each other?!

A homicide detective tries to flush out a mob enforcer by befriending the suspect's beautiful girlfriend, but soon develops romantic feelings for her.

In 1984 the Japanese government approved gene recombination experiments. Baggy is Tezuka’s response. A cute kitten escapes a lab, and is befriended by lonely child Ryosuke. Years later, he joins her in a quest that’s part spaghetti Western, part contemporary adventure.

A chance encounter brings together Chen Mingsheng, a mysterious taxi driver, and Yang Zhao, a reserved artifact restorer. As their connection deepens in a mix of intrigue and vulnerability, Chen Mingsheng begins to let down his guard. But his hidden identity as an undercover narcotics officer is exposed during a trip, putting their relationship to the test. Can their intense bond survive the trials of fate?

Sakura Kurumi, Erika's mother, is preparing for a fashion show in Paris. The girls of the school's fashion club are going to model there, including some high school students. While in Paris, they meet a mysterious boy named Oliver. However, Baron Salamander of the Desert Apostles appears, and the girls transform into Pretty Cures to defend Paris.

Realising that he will be defeated in no time during a police showdown, a thug shoots himself to force the cops to cease fire and take him to the hospital. In the hospital, he claims human rights to refuse immediate treatment in order to buy time for his underlings to rescue him. The detective in charge sees through his scheme but decides to play along so as to capture his whole gang once and for all.

One day, the Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure receive an amazing invitation from the Land of Snow, Shantia. They're holding a ceremony to celebrate Sharon becoming the new queen. They all depart to the sparkling world of snow. Laura, who wants to be the queen of the Mermaid Kingdom, befriends Sharon who gives her a beautiful ring. But just as they decide to keep a promise, a mysterious monster suddenly appears and locks everyone inside of the kingdom. When it seems like all hope is lost, the Heartcatch Pretty Cure team rush in and give them all a boost of motivation. And when their feelings become one, the ring transforms into the Snow Heartful Ring...

A biker is forced to deliver a ticking time bomb by a mysterious caller who has put an explosive helmet on his ex-girlfriend.

Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger vs. Kiramager vs. Senpaiger is a Japanese superhero crossover film between Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger Mashin Sentai Kiramager, and serves as the 28th installment of the Super Sentai's VS series of films.

A successful sales executive and his pregnant wife find their dream home. But after moving in, strange occurrences begin to happen, while a mysterious connection between the husband and the house next door emerges.

In 2100, the newly built Bayside City serves as Japan's premier international port. The Angel Arms Company is established by a former policewoman named Takako, to help wage war on terrorism with armed security suits. When the mayor is assassinated, the women of Angel Arms end up protecting the evil crime-lord Hassan, in hopes that his information will help bring down a global terror ring. Takako's back is to the wall as a band of criminals plot to kill Hassan, and the organization's leader is revealed to be the former lover of Angel Arms' own Alisa.

Sakuragi and the Shohoko team takes on Oda and Takezono High School. This is Sakuragi's second match as he faces Oda, a basketball player who went to the same junior high.

A live-action series based on the erotic SM novel by the genius Oniroku Dan. A man from a financial company comes to visit the proprietress of a traditional restaurant who is in debt...

So-jin, who has been ignored by her friends because she doesn't have a luxury bag, gets a job as a housekeeper at Joon-ha's house to earn money. When Joon-ha found out about the real reason why So-jin started working for him, he made a secret request to her for the equivalent amount of money she needed.

The Emperor's armies have developed a new weapon: a thrown blade that can remove someone's head from long distance. As the paranoid Emperor begins decapitating anyone he fears might be a threat, his guard Mau Tang becomes disillusioned with the excesses of his master. He leaves his post and takes up the quiet life of farming and raising a family. Eventually, though, his past catches up with him, and he must find a way to fight the flying guillotine if he is to save his head.

After losing her laundry store to a fire incident, a single mom Duk-hee receives a call from a bank offering a generous upfront loan so she takes it right away. But soon after, she finds out that she has become a victim of a voice phishing scheme. Devastated, Duk-hee turns to the police for help, only to be more disappointed that there is no hope of retrieving her money. At the moment of despair, Jae-min, the phisher who tricked her, rings her phone once again to tip Duk-hee off about the criminal organization that locked him up and coerced him to make voice phishing calls from China. With that call, Duk-hee makes up her mind to investigate this case for herself and take a plane to China with her friends.

Two blood brothers, who have grown up on the streets of Macau, are bound together by a special code of honour. However, this bond ultimately leads them into brutal conflict when they struggle to leave the violent world they live in.

Japan, 1159. Moritō, a brave samurai, performs a heroic act by rescuing the lovely Kesa during a violent uprising. Moritō falls in love with her, but becomes distraught when he finds out that she is married.

It is only at their sister's and mother's funeral when a woman meets her niece after many years. The niece is now a grown girl. The sister takes on the task of informing the deceased's friends of the death while the daughter cannot bring herself to symbolically accept the demise of her mother. In the midst of all this an old flame messages the sister to say he is still in love with her, but is he messaging the living sister or the dead one?

Constantly mistreated by her cruel husband, the frail Chan Sau-ying awaits certain death from tuberculosis. The new servant girl, Yi-wah takes pity on her mistress' plight and the pair proceed to drown him one evening. They dump his body in a near-by pond but Sau-ying believes that the man's bloated corpse has risen from the bog to seek vengeance.

After 12 years, the Chinese women's volleyball team again reached the Olympic final. The ups and downs of the Chinese women's volleyball team for more than three decades have slowly spread away.

Word of a monster ape ten stories tall living in the Himalayas reaches fortune hunters in Hong Kong. They travel to India to capture it, but wild animals and quicksand dissuade all but Johnny, an adventurer with a broken heart. He finds the monster and discovers it's been raising a scantily-clad woman, Samantha, since she survived a plane crash years before that killed her parents. In the idyllic jungle, Johnny and Samantha fall in love. Then Johnny asks her to convince "Utam" to go to Hong Kong. Lu Tien, an unscrupulous promoter, takes over: Utam is in chains for freak show exhibitions. When Lu Tien assaults Samantha, Utam's protective instincts take over: havoc in Hong Kong.

A school appears peaceful from a distance, but a fierce gambling battle takes place once again. Yumeko Jabami is involved in the battle.

A psychologist connects her missing brother to the strange case of a mysterious little girl believed to be Sadako reincarnated.

Hong Seol, a student from a poor family, meets a rich Yoo Jung, who is her senior at her university. They both develop a rather inconvenient relationship after knowing each other.

A tremendous tyrannosaurus—who does not eat meat—and a pterodactyl who cannot fly run into each other and begin their journey to find ‘Paradise’.

Three inseparable friends are torn apart when one of them joins a criminal syndicate threatening to overpower his old friends' gang.

Set in postwar America, a man watches his seemingly perfect life fall apart as his daughter's new political affiliation threatens to destroy their family.

A woman who lived an ordinary life as a housewife in a housing complex in the suburbs. One day, a yakuza comes to her to pay off her late mother's debt. Indeed, it was written in her mother's handwriting that her daughter would repay the debt if something were to happen. Confused, the housewife can't even tell her husband about the debt, and begins prostitution at the yakuza's command... Will she return to her normal life? The 21st work in the long-running Nikkatsu "Apartment Wife" series.

A down-and-out schoolteacher receives the calling to become the real life personification of an old television superhero, Zebraman.

When a mysterious corpse is found in a river, a distressed police officer delves into a string of grisly murders as danger quickly approaches.

Two best friends, So-yool and Yeon-hee, dream of becoming the top artists in Seoul together. But their friendship doesn't last long as Yoon-woo, So-yool's first love and songwriter, falls in love with Yeon-hee and her voice. So-yool's feeling of jealousy and inferiority towards Yeon-hee grows by the day, and she eventually makes a drastic decision to bring the two lovers down.

A delivery man has to flee for his life when he is framed for the assassination of a political candidate and the evidence against him begins to accumulate.

Green Leaves Entertainment is a tiny production company on the verge of going out of business in Sendai, Japan. The agency once managed the careers of magicians, photo idols, fortune-tellers, and other entertainers, but its last remaining client finally quit. Faced with having absolutely no one to represent, agency president Tange thinks up a plan to produce an idol group, forming the seven-girl group known as the "Wake Up, Girls".

The plot involves patriots during the Sung Dynasty and their attempts to rescue a kidnapped prince from Ching troops who have invaded the north of China. The patriots are led by Ti Lung who recruits a mysterious but seemingly superhuman fighter played by David Chiang to find a way to cross a perilous bridge to enter an impregnable fortress to locate and rescue the imprisoned prince.

Single mother Sung-hee moves into a new apartment and installs a homecam to protect her sick daughter, Ji-woo. She also hires a babysitter. While closing a suicide case at her insurance job, Sung-hee hears an eerie, ritualistic chant in the recorded footage. Soon after, she begins to witness a mysterious woman and Ji-woo's strange behavior on the homecam. As she digs deeper into the case, an unseen force begins to close in on her. Su-rim, a shaman living downstairs, suggests performing an exorcism ritual.

A Labrador retriever named Quill begins specialized training as a guide dog from an early age, then the canine is paired with a blind man who is initially reluctant to rely on his new partner.

Two feuding brothers of differing political views, one a policeman, the other a martial artist, join forces to avenge the death of their father, a retired agent who was brutally murdered by the mafia.

A woman is prompted to reconsider her current relationship when the reappearance of a decade-old unfulfilled love sparks a secret 10 day romance.

Ji-hoon comes alive only when he sees Ye-eun at college. After a long time, he desires to see her once more. Unfortunately, she has lost her vivacity after marrying her abusive husband, Hyung-oh. Ji-hoon hides under both their noses to rescue her from her suffering.

In Hong Kong, Circa 1940s, World War II, private detective Yoyo and friend Inspector Teddy Robin join a resistance group during the Japanese occupation. They aim to steal back the formula to the atomic bomb from a war traitor and transfer it to an American before the formula ends up in the Japanese emperor's hands.

A rumor has spread that a retiring corrupt official is traveling with a box filled with all kinds of valuables, and is going to make a stop at a remote inn. And multiple criminal martial artists planning to rob him descend on the tavern.

Forty years after the events of the TV series, Remy Shimada, ex-pilot of the GoShogun, suffers a terrible accident while on her way to a meeting with her former robot-piloting comrades. While they rush to the hospital, Remy floats between life and death. She sees visions of her life when she was young, and stranger still, experiences a hallucination of being with her friends, all of them young again, in a mysterious city filled with hostile fanatics. Far from being the reunion Remy hoped for, a ghastly letter arrives for each member of the team that predicts their gruesome deaths. Slated to die in two days, both in reality and in her dream, Remy struggles to find a way out of the City of Fate, relying on the memories of her friends to see her through, even as they surround her death bed in the waking world.

Famous movie actress Nami is being interviewed by a magazine reporter about her new film in which the plot resembles her real life. Her actor husband Yosuke has an affair with a young actress Junko whereas in the movie, Nami acts as an actress whose husband has an extramarital relationship with a young girl, with Yosuke as the husband and Junko as the new girl friend. In the course of the interview, Nami falls into deep thoughts and flashbacks about her lascivious encounters with strangers in a night train, in the movie as in the reality. Despite whether her intention is to revenge her husband or to satisfy her own desires, Nami demonstrates bewitching charm in a series of intercourse with different men, positions and locations. Director Takashi Ishii attempts to explore female sexual psychology through perfect blends of aesthetic nudity and violence.

Soyo, a student in a school with only six students, develops feelings for the new student, Hiromi, who has moved from Tokyo.

A beautiful bride came to the old house. No one knew her past. Life with Husou Genzo was happiness itself... The younger brother, who had returned home, was once the bride's lover. She seems to keep in touch with her brother-in-law... However, they are discovered by the villagers.

After years of war against the monstrous kaiju, the world finally knows a time of prosperity and peace — but the presence of the kaiju can still be felt. Girls with the souls of kaiju are born every so often, and each is gifted with the unusual abilities of kaiju! An organization called GIRLS has collected the kaiju girls to defend the earth, but rising from the shadows comes BLACK STARS, a troupe of evil kaiju girls who just recruited their latest — and somewhat bewildered — new member…

The Lovers is an epic romance time travel adventure film. Helmed by Roland Joffé from a story by Ajey Jhankar, the film is a sweeping tale of an impossible love set against the backdrop of the first Anglo-Maratha war across two time periods and continents and centred around four characters — a British officer in 18th century colonial India, the Indian woman he falls deeply in love with, an American present-day marine biologist and his wife.

Tae-bong, an informant in a smuggling operation, gets exposed during his mission. Meanwhile, bumbling detective Nam-hyuk stumbles into the chaos while attempting his own scheme. Forced into an uneasy alliance, the two must recover their losses and take down the criminals.