Part 1
Part 2
60: Ong Bak
Thailand
If nothing else, everybody will remember this film for bringing Tony Jaa into the spotlight.
Ong Bak is a simple story, but it’s the perfect platform to showcase the man pulling off impressive parkour and Muay Thai moves to beat the snot out of oodles of bad guys. The fights and stunts are amazing here, and that’s enough to entice most martial arts fans.
Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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59: Howl’s Moving Castle (Hauru no Ugoku Shiro)
Japan
This magical anime feature includes some cool action, but most of its charm will be in watching a young girl turn into an old woman, and adapt to living in a strange walking castle. The comedy is whimsical, the magic is palpable, and the visuals are pretty. As endearing as this film is, it has good replay value.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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58: Executioners from Shaolin (Hong Xi Guan)
China
Despite being dated, cheap, and silly, this film does totally rock. It has an interesting story, but it’s a real hoot to see Pei Mai (the same Pei Mai as seen in the
Kill Bill movies) beating the snot out of people and chucking them down the temple stairs. Fighting is pretty frequent, training scenes are cool, and the overall concept is pretty fun to watch (even if it is laughable).
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Average | Resonance: Very High
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57: Escaflowne: The Movie
Japan
The anime series
Vision of Escaflowne is a darn good work of high fantasy, with fully-developed characters and a good story arc set in a well-built environment. The film version is heavily condensed, lacking in the quality characterizations and refinement, but it still does its best to shove in as much as it can. It’s still an entertaining saga, with plenty of action, and with some very striking artwork.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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56: Death Note Part I and Part II (Desu Nôto)
Japan
Death Note is a popular series that’s hit the manga, anime, and film markets. They all tell a similar story, but the first two films back-to-back provide a decent rendition of this saga. It cuts through a lot of the crud to get to the point, showcasing the characters and their conflicts in an episodic manner. It’s a very unique concept with its own unique rules and nuances. Overall, the film versions are faithful and well-done; the anime version may be the longer and fuller experience, but these films can help you get the gist of the thing faster.
Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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55: Lupin III: Castle of Cagilostro (Rapan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro)
Japan
What an adventure. I’m not even a fan of
Lupin III (this is the only thing I’ve seen of the franchise), but being a fan is clearly not a requisite. It’s easy and fun to follow Lupin on his madcap chases, which ultimately leads to a majestic, charming, and action-packed adventure. It has all the right elements I could ask for, and it should be appealing for all audiences.
Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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54: Gantz and Gantz II: Perfect Answer
Japan
If you’ve read the manga or seen the anime, you know that
Gantz is one of the weirdest and most psychotic franchises out there. In 2010 and 2011, two films for
Gantz were released, to be watched back-to-back for a singular experience. The first film plays out pretty closely to the manga/anime, albeit a little compressed, but with all the same peril and mysteries. The second film provides more thrills, plus a closing that’s far less ambiguous than the anime. Together, the two films form a saga that’s intriguing, exciting, and really slick.
Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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53: The Thieves (Dodookdeul)
South Korea
This film has just about everything I could want in a heist film. It’s got big action, it’s got impressive stuntwork, it’s got interesting infiltration scenes, it has comedy, and it has some heart to it. Characters are really fun and endearing. It’s a fun flick overall, and should be essential viewing for fans of the genre.
Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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52: Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo)
Japan
This might be the cutest movie I’ve ever seen! As yet another film from Hayao Miyazaki,
Ponyo has a lot of charm and heart. It’s really endearing to watch the title character bonding with a human boy, interacting with human things, with the fantastic backdrops of the seaside as the setting. What it lacks in conflict, it makes up for in humor and childlike imagination.
Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Very Good | Resonance: High
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51: The Executioner (Chokugeki! Jigoku-ken)
Japan
I don’t even know if this film is well-known at all, but if nothing else, it stars the ever-awesome Sonny Chiba, and he plays it as cool as ever in this action-packed flick. This movie gets so intense, he even punches a guy’s eyeballs clean out of their sockets! Fighting is frequent and bloody, but there’s also a lot of playful comedy and banter to this. With some really rough and gritty filming, this picture comes off as a type of exploitation-era martial arts flick, and it’s really fun that way.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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50: Appleseed: Ex Machina (Ekusu Makina)
Japan
Appleseed first came out in the 80s, as a short and exciting piece of grungy sci-fi. Then the 2003 film came out, using a really funky style of CGI animation that gave everything a cell-animated look. It was a fun enough film, but a little weird. In 2007, this film was released as a sequel, and I felt it was a grade better than the films before it. It still has the core cast of good characters, and a decent story. It’s also one cool film with really cool visuals and action.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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49: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Boksuneun Naui Geot)
South Korea
Despite being a little slow and brooding, this is a visually striking, emotionally-poignant, and delicately-composed piece of superb crime fiction. Most of the characters are vulnerable to some level; some are even mentally retarded, throwing some interesting new dynamics into the story. It has its moments of brutal vengeance, as the film’s title promises, but overall it’s best seen for its incredible story and incredible tone and atmosphere.
Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Very Good | Resonance: High
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48: Steamboy (Suchîmubôi)
Japan
Sounds silly, I know, but
Steamboy proved to be even more awesome than I initially imagined possible. Coming from Katsuhiro Otomo, the man behind
Akira,
Steamboy has its fair share of mass carnage, with steam-powered ships, tanks, and planes running amok and wreaking havoc. The cast is filled with likable characters, and the animation quality is top-notch. As unique and entertaining as this film is, I see little reason to not recommend it.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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47: Man From Nowhere (Ajeossi)
South Korea
Pretty much the same story as
Man on Fire, only without Tony Scott’s crazy style; between the two, I prefer this film best. It still has its heart in the right place, for it is touching to see the title character’s bond with a girl who winds up getting kidnapped. Some cool fighting ensues; not much, but enough to make the film satisfying. The film has action, heart, and style, and overall, it’s a decent watch.
Entertainment: Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Very Good | Resonance: Pretty High
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46: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Japan
This movie follows after one of the most revered video games of all time:
Final Fantasy VII. If you’re a fan, chances are that you’ll really love seeing your favorite characters in your favorite settings brought to life with vivid, high-impact CGI animation. Even if you’re not a fan, or if you’re like me and never played the game, the film is still wildly entertaining, with phenomenal motorcycle chases, massive swordfights, and high-flying epic duels in mid-air, all sucking up the last hour or so of the film. It can be a little hard to keep track of who’s who and what’s what, but established fans probably understand it more. If you watch the Complete Edition on Blu-Ray, with 20 extra minutes, you can also understand a little more of the story, and it is generally sound.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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45: Golgo 13: The Kowloon Assignment (Golgo 13: Kûron no Kubi)
Japan
Who else could play the cool, suave assassin
Golgo 13 in a live action film than Sonny Chiba? The man struts his stuff and kicks plenty of butt in this film. At the same time, the film maintains a certain grittiness and sleaze, without sacrificing any excitement. It’s a bit like a Japanese
Dirt Harry or something, and it sure is cool that way.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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44: Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster (Yip Man 2)
China
You’ve certainly heard of Bruce Lee, but who was it that originally trained the martial arts legend? Ip Man is the man, and before taking on Bruce Lee as an apprentice, he led an epic life. In the first autobiographical film, the title character struggled against adversity during the Japanese invasion of WWII. In this follow-up, the Ip Man’s struggles continue, first in challenging the corruption around him, and then in challenging a foreign boxer threatening the dignity and culture of his homeland. What follows is a bit like watching a
Rocky movie, but it sure is gripping. With quality martial arts choreography and quality storytelling, it is a darn good sequel.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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43: Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
Japan
This film brings two clans of rivaling shinobi together, each with unique powers, and all kinds of mayhem ensues. There are plenty of brilliant fight scenes scattered around this picture, and with an imaginative visual style, the film succeeds at entertaining. However, it’s also a romance story at its core, and much like
Romeo and Juliet, it’s made all the more tragic as the lovers are placed on separate sides of the ninja war. As cool as the film is, it also has heart.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good
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42: Good, the Bad, and the Weird (Joheunnom Nabbeunnom Isanghannom)
South Korea
That’s right, this is a western set in the Far East. Does that make this an “eastern,” I wonder? It’s pretty much the same general story as
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, in the sense that there are three dudes looking for treasure somewhere. However, set in turn-of-the-century Manchuria, this film pits horsemen against guys in jeeps with rifles. There’s explosive action, lots of stunts and fights, and it’s pretty much non-stop throughout. With a rip-roaring soundtrack and loads of style, this might go down as the funnest western I’ve ever seen.
Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: High
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41: House of Flying Daggers (Si Mian Mai Fu)
China
This is actually one of my standard go-to films when it comes to historical wuxia-style flicks.
HoFD has a superbly elegant and graceful style, with fantastic color schemes, smooth and flowing camera work, and delicately-nuanced fight scenes. It is as beautiful of a film as it is exciting. It also has a decent story, with good heartfelt characters at its core. I almost wish I could rank it higher, but there is one other film by Yimou Zhang that I prefer over this one…
Entertainment: Good | Story: Good | Film: Good | Resonance: Very High
To be continued...
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