Although a favorite of American fans, the road movie is actually a genre that has many fans all over the world, and particularly in Asia, where the occasionally vast spaces provide a great source for such movies. At the same time the category has been used as a metaphor for various psychological, political, social, philosophical etc comments, a plethora of times, highlighting the richness of the particular cinematic approach. Here is a list of 30 of the greatest Asian road movies, in no particular order. Since we already have a list about taxi drivers, we decided to leave these movies out
1. Happy Together
As with many films by Wong, plot isn’t the defining factor. Metaphor is what drives “Happy Together”. The relationship between Lai and Ho and its complicated nature represents the uncertain times ahead for Hong Kong, with high anxiety among the populace. Lai, a homosexual man, represents the...
1. Happy Together
As with many films by Wong, plot isn’t the defining factor. Metaphor is what drives “Happy Together”. The relationship between Lai and Ho and its complicated nature represents the uncertain times ahead for Hong Kong, with high anxiety among the populace. Lai, a homosexual man, represents the...
- 3/22/2022
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Takeshi Kitano is one of the most recognizable contemporary Japanese filmmakers internationally, with films like “Sonatine” and “Hana-bi” having screened in festivals all over the world and netting numerous awards, Venice’s Golden Lion included. However, before becoming an director in 1989 with “Violent Cop”, Kitano also had a significant career as an actor (among other capacities) that reaches as far in as 1969, and currently numbers 68 credits to his name. This list is a celebration of his work as an actor. In case you are wondering, no, “Johnny Mnemonic” and “Ghost in the Shell” are not among them, and yes, the order of films is completely random
1. Shunpei in Blood and Bones
Takeshi Kitano is sublime in the central role, portraying an awful and very violent man, who does not seem to have any shred of kindness or benevolence on him. Sai, through Shunpei and the impact he has to those around him,...
1. Shunpei in Blood and Bones
Takeshi Kitano is sublime in the central role, portraying an awful and very violent man, who does not seem to have any shred of kindness or benevolence on him. Sai, through Shunpei and the impact he has to those around him,...
- 7/27/2020
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Yasha, a concept that comes from Hindu mythology, refers to benevolent nature spirits who take care of trees and the earth. In Buddhism, however, they were interpreted as evil, ghost-like spirits who preyed upon travelers, but later gave up their wicked ways upon hearing the sermons of the Buddha. The Buddhist version of yasha is very similar to another class of Hindu spirits: the ogrish, man-eating demons known as rasetsu. When Buddhism was brought into China, it mixed with Chinese folk religion and astrology, and yasha grew even further away from their Hindu origins. When Buddhism was brought to Japan from China, the Chinese interpretation of yasha was brought along with it. In Japan, yasha were often viewed as Buddhist manifestations of local evil spirits, like amanojaku and oni. Yasha took on some of the characteristics of these spirits, and sometimes even became synonymous with them (source: yokai.com)
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- 12/10/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
No reason has been given for the change in opening film.
Danish director Bille August’s The Chinese Widow will open this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff, June 17-26), replacing Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come, which was previously announced as the opening film.
However, Our Time Will Come will still play in the Golden Goblet competition at Siff. No reason was given for the change by either the festival or the film’s producer Bona Film Group.
Both films are set in China during the Second World War. Starring Emile Hirsch and Yu Nan, The Chinese Widow tells the story of an American pilot who is shot down and saved by Chinese villagers. It remains unclear if the film has been made under the recently signed Danish-Chinese co-production treaty. August recently served as jury president at the Beijing International Film Festival.
Our Time Will Come, which stars Zhou Xun and Eddie Peng, revolves...
Danish director Bille August’s The Chinese Widow will open this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff, June 17-26), replacing Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come, which was previously announced as the opening film.
However, Our Time Will Come will still play in the Golden Goblet competition at Siff. No reason was given for the change by either the festival or the film’s producer Bona Film Group.
Both films are set in China during the Second World War. Starring Emile Hirsch and Yu Nan, The Chinese Widow tells the story of an American pilot who is shot down and saved by Chinese villagers. It remains unclear if the film has been made under the recently signed Danish-Chinese co-production treaty. August recently served as jury president at the Beijing International Film Festival.
Our Time Will Come, which stars Zhou Xun and Eddie Peng, revolves...
- 6/12/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Producer Genki Kawamura and Japanese studio Toho are partnering again after global success of Your Name.
Following their collaboration on hit animation Your Name, Japanese studio Toho and producer Genki Kawamura are reteaming on an animated feature based on a TV series created by Shunji Iwai.
The new project, Fireworks, Should We See It From The Side Or The Bottom?, will be directed by Akiyuki Shinbo of Japan’s Shaft animation studio and Nobuyuki Takeuchi, who has worked with Studio Ghibli. Hitoshi One (Bakuman) has adapted the TV series created by writer-director Iwai (A Bride For Rip Van Winkle).
Currently in production, the film tells the story of two young boys and a girl whose fates become intertwined one summer day. Voice talent on the film includes Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister), Masaki Suda (Drowning Love) and Mamoru Miyano (Death Note). Japanese release is scheduled for August 2017.
New titles on Toho’s slate also include suspense...
Following their collaboration on hit animation Your Name, Japanese studio Toho and producer Genki Kawamura are reteaming on an animated feature based on a TV series created by Shunji Iwai.
The new project, Fireworks, Should We See It From The Side Or The Bottom?, will be directed by Akiyuki Shinbo of Japan’s Shaft animation studio and Nobuyuki Takeuchi, who has worked with Studio Ghibli. Hitoshi One (Bakuman) has adapted the TV series created by writer-director Iwai (A Bride For Rip Van Winkle).
Currently in production, the film tells the story of two young boys and a girl whose fates become intertwined one summer day. Voice talent on the film includes Suzu Hirose (Our Little Sister), Masaki Suda (Drowning Love) and Mamoru Miyano (Death Note). Japanese release is scheduled for August 2017.
New titles on Toho’s slate also include suspense...
- 2/9/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
John Woo is to direct a remake of action thriller Manhunt, based on a novel by Japanese writer Juko Nishimura, for Hong Kong-based Media Asia Films.
The novel, Kimi Yo Funnu No Kawa O Watare, was first adapted in 1976 as a Japanese film starring legendary actor Ken Takakura, who passed away last year. It was the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution.
The story follows a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name. Media Asia acquired the rights to the original novel from Japanese publisher Tokuma Shoten Publishing.
Woo has been a huge fan of Takakura since watching him in Yasuo Furuhata’s 1983 Station. In 2005, the Japanese actor worked with Chinese director Zhang Yimou, starring in Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles.
“When I found out that John was a huge fan of the late Ken Takakura, I immediately...
The novel, Kimi Yo Funnu No Kawa O Watare, was first adapted in 1976 as a Japanese film starring legendary actor Ken Takakura, who passed away last year. It was the first foreign film released in China after the Cultural Revolution.
The story follows a prosecutor who is framed for robbery and rape and sets out on a one-man mission to clear his name. Media Asia acquired the rights to the original novel from Japanese publisher Tokuma Shoten Publishing.
Woo has been a huge fan of Takakura since watching him in Yasuo Furuhata’s 1983 Station. In 2005, the Japanese actor worked with Chinese director Zhang Yimou, starring in Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles.
“When I found out that John was a huge fan of the late Ken Takakura, I immediately...
- 3/19/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
The official website for Yasuo Furuhata’s upcoming road movie Dear has been updated with a new 90-second trailer.
In his first movie role in 6 years, Dear stars screen legend Ken Takakura as a prison guidance officer named Eiji Kurashima who drives an Rv from Toyama to Nagasaki to spread his late wife Yoko’s (Yuko Tanaka) ashes in the harbor of her hometown—both to honor her last request and to discover more about her life. Along the way, he meets various characters and reminisces about his time with Yoko.
The movie will be filled with well-known celebrities in small supporting roles, such as Koichi Sato as an ikameshi vendor and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as a pub patron he has a heart-to-heart with. Other supporting roles are filled by Takeshi Kitano, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Mieko Harada, Kimiko Yo, Haruka Ayase, Takahiro Miura, Hideji Otaki, Tadanobu Asano, and Takashi Okamura.
“Dear” will...
In his first movie role in 6 years, Dear stars screen legend Ken Takakura as a prison guidance officer named Eiji Kurashima who drives an Rv from Toyama to Nagasaki to spread his late wife Yoko’s (Yuko Tanaka) ashes in the harbor of her hometown—both to honor her last request and to discover more about her life. Along the way, he meets various characters and reminisces about his time with Yoko.
The movie will be filled with well-known celebrities in small supporting roles, such as Koichi Sato as an ikameshi vendor and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi as a pub patron he has a heart-to-heart with. Other supporting roles are filled by Takeshi Kitano, Kyozo Nagatsuka, Mieko Harada, Kimiko Yo, Haruka Ayase, Takahiro Miura, Hideji Otaki, Tadanobu Asano, and Takashi Okamura.
“Dear” will...
- 6/8/2012
- Nippon Cinema
Today it was announced that comedian Takashi Okamura, half of the manzai comedy duo Ninety-nine and host of Fuji TV’s long-running comedy show “Mecha-Mecha Iketeru!”, will appear in Yasuo Furuhata’s Dear (working title), following through on a 12-year-old agreement with the film’s star.
Actor Ken Takakura, who had not made a big screen appearance in 6 years, stars in the film as a widower named Eiji Kurashima who discovers a letter from his late wife Yoko (Yuko Tanaka) asking for her ashes to be brought to her hometown so she can be buried at sea. Although they had married late in life, he thought he knew everything about her and wonders why she didn’t tell him about this when she was alive. He sets out on a road trip to fulfill her final wish, meeting several people along the way with different stories and situations that remind...
Actor Ken Takakura, who had not made a big screen appearance in 6 years, stars in the film as a widower named Eiji Kurashima who discovers a letter from his late wife Yoko (Yuko Tanaka) asking for her ashes to be brought to her hometown so she can be buried at sea. Although they had married late in life, he thought he knew everything about her and wonders why she didn’t tell him about this when she was alive. He sets out on a road trip to fulfill her final wish, meeting several people along the way with different stories and situations that remind...
- 4/23/2012
- Nippon Cinema
I've only just now caught up with David Jenkins's interview with Charlie Kaufman for Time Out London in which Jenkins has "asked him about some of the dos, don'ts and more don'ts of his very personalized trade." That alone makes it a must-read, of course, but Kaufman also talks a bit about the project he's working on now, Frank or Francis, noting that "the scope of it and the world it inhabits is very, very large. In the broadest possible sense, it's about online film criticism, but as usual, the world that I'm writing about is not necessarily the world that I'm writing about. It's just a place to set it. There's a lot in there about the internet and anger: cultural, societal and individual anger. And isolation in this particular age we live in. And competition: it's about the idea of people in this world wanting to be seen.
- 9/30/2011
- MUBI
TOKYO -- The Tokyo International Film Festival has chosen the jury for its 20th outing and has tapped David Puttnam as the recipient of its fourth Akira Kurosawa Award.
Alan Ladd Jr. will be president of the international competition jury. Ladd has headed both 20th Century Fox and MGM/UA. His producing credits include the upcoming "Gone Baby Gone".
Also sitting on the jury will be Serge Losique, the Montreal World Film Festival director and president of the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Italian composer Nicola Piovani, who has written more than 130 soundtracks, including the Grammy-nominated "Life Is Beautiful" in 2000, will serve alongside Wu Nien-jen, the Taiwanese director, producer and actor who also has written more than 80 screenplays.
Representing Japan on the jury will be Tokyo actress Kyoko Kagawa and director Yasuo Furuhata. Kagawa made her movie debut in 1950, while Furuhata made his directorial debut in 1966.
The Akira Kurosawa Award, which includes a $100,000 cash prize, is awarded to directors and producers who "made many works of high quality that balance entertainment and artistic objectives and who contributed to the development of world cinema."
Previous winners include Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsein, and joint recipients Steven Spielberg and Yamada Yoji.
Alan Ladd Jr. will be president of the international competition jury. Ladd has headed both 20th Century Fox and MGM/UA. His producing credits include the upcoming "Gone Baby Gone".
Also sitting on the jury will be Serge Losique, the Montreal World Film Festival director and president of the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Italian composer Nicola Piovani, who has written more than 130 soundtracks, including the Grammy-nominated "Life Is Beautiful" in 2000, will serve alongside Wu Nien-jen, the Taiwanese director, producer and actor who also has written more than 80 screenplays.
Representing Japan on the jury will be Tokyo actress Kyoko Kagawa and director Yasuo Furuhata. Kagawa made her movie debut in 1950, while Furuhata made his directorial debut in 1966.
The Akira Kurosawa Award, which includes a $100,000 cash prize, is awarded to directors and producers who "made many works of high quality that balance entertainment and artistic objectives and who contributed to the development of world cinema."
Previous winners include Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsein, and joint recipients Steven Spielberg and Yamada Yoji.
- 10/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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