The official lineup for the 2012 Cannes Film Festival was announced yesterday and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the list is a bit sparse when it comes to Asian films. Website Film Business Asia has previously examined the difficulty Chinese filmmakers face in making it into Cannes. Regardless, there are a few Asian or Asian-related movies to look forward to this May 16. IN COMPETITION In Another Country – Korean director Hong Sang-soo’s (Night … Continue reading →

If you don’t live in any of the major North American movie markets like New York or L.A., you might not even realize that Chinese-language films like The Viral Factor and Love in the Buff have received a theatrical release over here. All the same, website Chinese Films reports that these foreign films are doing quite well at the US box office. China Lion’s Milt Barlow says: “Audiences are looking … Continue reading →

This is officially labelled ‘coolest movie I hadn’t even heard of until today.’ 24 Frames Per Second linked the trailer and some great character posters for the upcoming Chinese action/thriller An Inaccurate Memoir. Not much is known about the film despite the fact that it opens in China on April 28, but if you watch the trailer it speaks for itself. Vicious bank robbers, sweaty tough guys, cute school girls … Continue reading →

This week is a bit light on Asian releases but the other genres should offer something for everyone. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 4/17/12: ASIAN CINEMA Late Spring (Blu-ray) – the Critertion Collection brings Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu’s 1949 black-and-white masterpiece to Blu-ray After the Banquet (DVD) – Pathfinder Pictures presents this 2009 Korean romantic drama about a wedding disrupted by the appearance of … Continue reading →

The Hong Kong Film Awards will be held tomorrow, April 15th, at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. In preparation of the event, website Chinese Films has an article lamenting the fact that it is increasingly difficult for new talent to make waves in the Hong Kong film industry. The article makes notice that many of the filmmakers nominated for the Best Director award – like Tsui Hark, Ann Hui, and … Continue reading →

The Korean film industry has been putting out game-changing thrillers on a regular basis, with no signs of slowing down. In Korean theaters this March is Helpless, a thriller based on the novel All She Was Worth by Japanese author Miyuki Miyabe, who is known as the Queen of Crime Fiction. The story follows a detective who is approached by a man to help locate his missing fiance’. As the … Continue reading →

The Hollywood Reporter gives word that Gemma Arterton is close to starring in a new film called The Wright Girls from Relativity Media. The article pays mention that the film is a dark comedy “inspired” by the Japanese film 2LDK. So I guess you don’t have to pay for remake rights if you claim you’re only riffing on the source material? This version of the 2LDK story comes from Easy A screenwriter … Continue reading →

The static on your TV might not just be bad reception – that evil little girl from Ringu and The Ring is back. Based on the forthcoming novel from original Ringu author Koji Suzuki, Sadako 3D is a 3D horror film continuing the tragic tale of Sadako, the long-haired ghost with a penchant for climbing out of wells. Sadako 3D hits Japanese cinemas on May 15th but for now we … Continue reading →

Website Chinese Films reports that the China Film Directors’ Guild Awards recently took place on April 8th in Beijing. The action-comedy Let the Bullets Fly ended up making a big impression at the star-studded event. The 2011 film, starring Chow Yun Fat, earned director Jiang Wen a Best Director award. Chow Yun Fat’s co-star, Ge You, took home the Best Actor trophy. Director Jiang Wen said, “I treasure this award very … Continue reading →

Hopefully you have a taste for Japanese exploitation/grindhouse-style flicks as that’s mostly what’s on the agenda for this week. Without further adieu, here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 4/10/12: ASIAN CINEMA Female Convict Scorpion (Blu-ray) – Tokyo Shock brings this 2008 Japanese exploitation flick to hi-def True Story of a Women in Jail: Sex Hell (DVD) – well, that title kind of says it all, doesn’t it? Unrated … Continue reading →

The 2011 French action-thriller Sleepless Night has garnered rave reviews online, with some critics even dubbing it ‘Die Hard in a nightclub.’ The film follows a disgraced police detective out to save his young son’s life by returning some stolen drugs to a mob boss. The drug deal is set to take place in the boss’ swank club but everything that can go wrong, does go wrong and it ends … Continue reading →

The first three months of 2012 set a new record for box office earnings in China, according to the website Chinese Films. Domestic titles like Tony Leung’s The Magician and the romantic comedy LOVE earned high grosses, however no Chinese films managed to reach 200 million yuan in sales. In comparison, the Hollywood blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has bagged a whopping 647 million yaun – and is still being … Continue reading →

Nightfall is a 2012 Hong Kong murder mystery from director Roy Chow (2009’s Aaron Kwok thriller Murderer). The film features a host of familiar faces including Nick Cheung (The Stool Pigeon), Simon Yam (Full Contact), and Michael Wong (Knock Off), as well as Shawn Dou, Janice Man, and Kay Tse. The story is about a hardened detective investigating the death of a Hong Kong celebrity. As he digs deeper, he … Continue reading →