Nightmare Detective 2 (Japan, 2008)

Still haunted by his unwanted abilities, which allows him to enter other people’s dreams, and memories of his mother dying when he was a child, Kyoichi Kagenuma contemplates suicide while slowly drowns in his world of misery. Yukie Mashiro, having heard rumours about Kagenuma's extraordinary abilities, visits his home to beg for his help. She tells him she suffers from nightly nightmares that are getting scarier. The murderous ghost in the dreams has already killed two of her friends and she's afraid she's the next to die.

Nightmare Detective 2 is directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, and even though he already has an impressive filmography, this movie stands out as one of his best. Probably because it doesn't go off in any crazy direction, and just stays on path the whole way and tells a interesting story. One of his more mainstream films, you could say.

Genre: Drama/Horror

R-Point (South Korea, 2004)

In 1972, the South Korean base in Nah-Trang, Vietnam, receives a radio transmission from a missing platoon presumed dead. The high-command assigns the veteran and decorated Lieutenant Choi Tae-in to lead a squad with eight other soldiers and rescue the missing soldiers from the R-Point. When they arrive in the location, they find a tombstone telling that one hundred years ago, Chinese killed Vietnamese, dropped them in a lake and built a temple over the place, being a sacred location to the Vietnamese. While chasing the missing soldiers, weird things happen with the rescue team.

What would happen if you took a haunting ghost story, and placed it right in the middle of the Vietnam War? You'd get R-Point. Throw in a large amount paranoia, add some frightening visions of dead bodies and you got yourself a winner. 

Genre: Horror/Mystery

Meat Grinder (Thailand, 2009)

Buss is a disturbed woman who hears voices in her head and is tormented by visions. Having been taught some pretty dubious and unconventional food preparation and cooking skills by her mother, she decides to open up a noodle stall, using the body of a man left over from a riot as the main ingredient. Soon enough, the customers are turning up in droves for her delicious meals, and life is starting to look good for her. However, her past comes back to haunt her, and as her mental state breaks down, yet more people end up on the chopping block.

Meat Grinder is a horror film where the visual presentation is a cut above the rest, and we're treated to some really beautifully shot scenes and use of colors. Sure it's also nasty with some dismemberment and bloody killings, but it's nice to see a horror film where the camera work is as interesting as the gore.

Genre: Horror

Living Death (South Korea, 2009)

A college student named Hee-jin returns home when her 14-year-old sister So-jin goes missing. Her mother, a fanatic churchgoer, resorts to prayer and refuses to work with the lazy police to find So-jin. Meanwhile, a neighbor commits suicide and leaves a will for So-jin, and Hee-jin hears rumors that her sister had been possessed. The whereabouts of So-jin become increasingly elusive and the dead neighbor begins appearing in Hee-jin's dreams.

Living Death (a.k.a. Possessed) is a fantastic thriller that barely has any flaws at all. It delivers an eerie and ghostly atmosphere, plays on the more subtle horror strings rather than just gory shock value, and in the end, just proves to be exactly what you want when you're tired of the same horror formula being repeated over and over again. 

Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller

Nobody's Daughter (South Korea, 2013)

University student Hae-Won wants to break up with Teacher Sung-Joon. They have had a secret relationship. Hae-Won meets her mother, who is going to emigrate to Canada tomorrow. After meeting her mother, Hae-Won feels depressed and she decides to meet Sung-Joon for the first time in a long while. On that day, Hae-Won and Sung-Joon happen to meet students at a restaurant who study the same major and their relationship becomes known to others.

If you're somewhat fed up with movies that features an epic storyline, tons of characters and a billion dollar budget, Nobody's Daughter will do wonders. It's an indie film which revolves around a woman who seeks consolation in relationships, but the men in her life doesn't necessarily make it easier for her. A small, good drama with believable actors.

Genre: Drama

Running Man (South Korea, 2013)

Jong-woo is an immature father to a son only 18 years younger than himself. He earns a living by working at an auto repair garage during the day and driving a cab at night. His long-standing dream is to buy a small home to live in. One day, a passenger is found dead in his cab. Overnight, he becomes the prime suspect in a high-profile murder case and is forced to become a fugitive as he's chased by the police, reporters, and unidentified men.

If you're looking for some temporary entertainment, and not expecting to be blown away, The Running Man should suffice. The main role is played by Ha-kyun Shin, who is known for being in great films such as Thirst (2009) and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), and here he plays a likeable guy who just can't get a break. 

Genre: Action/Comedy/Thriller

The Great Passage (Japan, 2013)

Mitsuya Majime is an unsuccessful salesman. But his love of reading and dedication, as well as a post-graduate degree in linguistics, catches the eyes of Nishioka and Araki, dictionary editors who are seeking a replacement for Araki himself, as his wife is sick and he would like to spend more time by her bedside. With Majime on the editing team, the group plans to produce a new dictionary called The Great Passage which would bridge the gap between people and the sea of words and would take years to complete.

The Great Passage is one of those movies that stays with you after you've seen it and makes you want to watch it again. The plot and the characters are so good, it may sound boring to watch a film that's about writing a dictionary but it's actually really exciting and fun to see the kind of problems they face when doing this kind of work. It's one of the best films of 2013, and it's hard not to enjoy just about every scene of this well-written story.

Genre: Drama