2008 EoTY: Movies

I’ve rounded up ten of my favorite Asian films for 2008. They’re in no particular order and each is unique. Some are comedies. Some are dramas. Some are for the whole family. And some might have you scratching your head asking “What did I just watch?”

Anyone posting spoilers will be dealt with severely.

Ashes of Time Redux

Wong Kar Wai’s martial-arts saga returns restored and expanded from his original 1994 production. With multiple story lines and kinetic fight scenes, action fans and arty film fans can enjoy it together. It’s got a new coat of paint from today’s latest post-production technologies, but is that for better or for worse?
Cast: Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Jacky Cheung, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Li Bai, Carina Lau, Charlie Yeung

The Sky Crawlers

Mamoru Oshii returns with existentialism in anime form. Continuing his quiet storytelling laden with philosophical subtext, and not so subtext at times, “The Sky Crawlers” asks what does being forever young really mean? Despite the amazing fighter plane scenes, this is a thinking person’s film. Oshii builds a complete alternate reality mixing Japan, Europe and America for a surreal journey into the world of children that can only die in battle.
Cast: Rinko Kikuchi, Ryo Kase, Chiaki Kuriyama

Speed Racer

Rain comes to the American big screen in this psychedelic crap-fest of a movie from the Wachowski Brothers. I have nothing to hide here. It’s just in the list cause Rain made it to Hollywood. Suddenly, American girls everywhere realized “Asian guys are yummy”.
Cast: Rain, some other actors in a stink bomb of a movie

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki o kakeru shôjo)

Ok, I know a lot of you are saying this is a 2006 film - and you’re right - IN JAPAN!!! But it didn’t make it to the US theaters till 2008. I thought this was some childish coming of age movie for the girls. I was wrong. There’s a reason this movie from a small anime studio beat out Studio Ghiibli at the box office. Because it’s just so damn good. I cried at the end.
Cast: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura

Ping Pong Playa

Director Jessica Yu and writer-actor Jimmy Tsai reclaim the Chinese roots of table tennis with 2008’s major Asian American indie film. Family, redemption, ping pong, and the honor of Miss Chinatown equal a lot of laughs. You know what I’m sayin’, dawg?!
Cast: Jimmy Tsai, Andrew Vo, Khary Payton, Jim Lau, Roger Fan

Princess of Nebraska

Director Wayne Wang goes from big budget Hollywood to an indie film on a shoestring budget. Through the eyes of a girl born and raised in “New China”, Wang examines Chinese identity in Mainland and America, Cultural Revolution and after. The entire film was available legally in High Quality on YouTube but has since been taken down. =(
Cast: Ling Li, Brian Danforth, Pamelyn Chee

Ponyo on the Cliff (Gake no Ue no Ponyo)

Written and directed by famed anime filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. (Do I really need to say anything else?) Ponyo is a ‘fish girl’. She befriends a five-year-old human boy, Soosuke. I could tell you more, but you would hate me for spoiling it.
Cast: Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi

The Chaser (Chugyeogja)

A cop-turned-pimp has his girls disappearing. Why? (Hint: relliK laireS) This is the kind of sex and violence thriller that Hollywood just can’t seem to get right most of the time. That’s a job best left to Korean Cinema.
Cast: Yun-seok Kim, Jung-woo Ha, Yeong-hie Seo

Cape No.7 (海角七號 Hai jiao qi hao)

Director Wei Te-Sheng’s first feature film and winner of three awards at the Taipei Film Festival has become the 2nd top grossing film in Taiwan’s history. Long lost loves and a rock band of misfits will have you cheering at the end then coming straight home to order the soundtrack on YesAsia.com.
Cast: Van Fan, Chie Tanaka

Kung Fu Panda

Hollywood finally got China right. It only took a cartoon to make it happen. If you know kung fu, you’ll smile at the kung fu inside jokes, and if you don’t, then why haven’t you signed up for a kung fu class yet?! Great story, amazing animation, an all star cast, and a sincere Asian sensibility are the (secret?) ingredients that make this a big winner.
Cast: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler