Dolls (Japan, 2002)

A young man rejects his engagement to his fiancée to marry the daughter of his company's president. When his former fiancée attempts suicide and ends up in a semi-vegetative state, he takes her out of the hospital and they run away. Another young man is obsessed with the pop-star Haruna; he blinds himself when she is involved in a disfiguring car accident. An aged yakuza, who tries to meet a girlfriend from his youth.

Dolls is made up of three stories about undying love. Directed by  filmmaker/actor Takeshi Kitano (Battle Royale), it's visually a feast for the eyes and Kitano proves to be incredibly artistic in how present his story. The explosion of colors and the excellent screenplay is what I reflected upon the most. The story involving the couple bound together by a rope is inspired by one of Kitano's memories where two people were known as "the bound beggars". A unique film with a somewhat slow tempo, but great as heck.

Genre: Drama/Romance. 1h 54min.

April Snow (South Korea, 2005)

In-soo and Seo-young, who are both married, meet in a hospital after their respective partners are involved in a car accident. This leads them to discover that their spouses had been having an affair and they begin one of their own. Their relationship grows as they approach each other for consolation.

April Snow is Korean melodrama done right, and one of the best drama films I've seen in a long time. It tackles an awkward subject when it's revealed two spouses are having an affair and their partners are left to deal with both their loss and infidelity. The melancholy lays over every scene like a thin sheet, and the sorrowful music plays on your heartstrings. Highly recommended.

Genre: Drama/Romance. 1h 47min.

Christmas In August (South Korea, 1998)

The plot follows a portrait photographer, Jung-won and his developing romance with a parking agent, Da-rim. However, the romance never gets a chance to develop into intimacy. Jung-won soon finds out he is suffering from an unnamed illness and has to come to terms with his impending death. He sets out to continue living as usual, going out with his friends and spending time with his family in the small town he has lived for decades.

To create this excellent screenplay, the director purposely shot the film with slow movements and still camera work to capture the feel of photography, which is a huge part of the plot. A beautiful melodrama with an emotional impact on the viewer, Christmas in August is sure to break down your defenses and make you feel something real.

Genre: Drama/Romance

One Fine Spring Day (South Korea, 2001)

Sound engineer Sang-woo meets local DJ Eun-soo on a recording trip in the quest for nature's voice. They succeed in capturing various sensual sounds as well as each other's tenderness. Their love flourishes as spring comes along, but Sang-woo's ever intensifying passion often reminds Eun-soo of her tragic past. She knows only too well how passion can vanish like a sound: how love always surrenders to its expiry...

A delicate romance with superb actors. Director Hur Jin-ho is famous for his movies which almost all share a common theme: love. He can perfectly portray the subtle changes in a relationship and visualize the beginning and the end of two peoples love. 

Genre: Drama/Romance 

After the Rain (Japan, 1999)

Ihei Misawa and his wife Tayo, stranded by rains at a country inn, bring a great deal of happiness to the other residents of the inn by means of Ihei's generosity and good spirit. Ihei is a masterless samurai and fencing expert. Ihei comes to the attention of Lord Shigeaki, who hires him as fencing instructor for Lord Shigeaki's men. But Ihei's expertise causes friction and jealousy in Shigeaki's castle and his future there comes into doubt.

After the Rain is based on the last script ever written by Akira Kurosawa, and with this one he chose to tell a simple story about a ronin and his wife and how they cope with being poor. A type of feel-good movie, not many bad guys, not exactly a plot with twists and turns, but nonetheless a film that deserves your time.

Genre: Drama

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx (Japan, 1972)

In the second film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan and must assassinate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate.

'The Baby Cart films brought that little something. Especially the second episode. Because suddenly, the genre entered into a new era, where history and reality were of no importance. Based on a popular manga, everything became possible. The film reflects that artistic liberty, it’s both entertaining and surprising. Bringing fresh ideas to the genre, for instance, a desert in Japan? Done. Crazy weapons? Done. All of that, with massive bloody fight scenes, and charismatic characters.'

Source: http://www.wildgrounds.com/

Genre: Action/Drama

Monday (Japan, 2000)

A salaryman wakes up in a posh hotel room, totally clueless about how he got there. Slowly, he recalls what happened a day before - attending a funeral, annoying his girlfriend, getting drunk in a pub and getting to know a yakuza and his beautiful mistress, and last but not least, there's a used rifle right next to him...

Monday is a brilliant film about what happens when a white-collar worker drinks to much booze and gets a hold of a shotgun. Highly entertaining as it is equally funny and thrilling. 

Genre: Comedy/Crime

Tell Me Something (South Korea, 1999)

In Seoul, parts not matching of severed copses of three men are found in cars and bags left in public spaces. Detective Cho, who is under investigation of the Internal Affairs, is assigned to lead the investigation with his team. When the identities of the men are discovered, the police finds that the artist Su-Yeon Chae, who lives with her friend Seungmin Oh, had been involved with all of the victims.

Tell Me Something is just as gruesome and full of suspense as you hope it to be. Koreans are born to make these kind of detective mysteries and always seems to play their cards right when it comes to telling a frightful story with compelling characters. 

Genre: Thriller/Horror/Crime