The Killer (Hollywood, 2023)

 

This dark action thriller from director David Fincher is a stylish "Hitman Procedural" that follows Michael Fassbender as he goes to work in getting some serious payback.

This film is very hypnotic thanks to its sharp visuals and excellent acting.

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Ballerina (Korea, 2023)

 

Jeon Jong-Seo knocks it out of the park with this superb action thriller where she stars as a former bodyguard dead set in avenging her best friend. 

The film features an awesome soundtrack and beautiful cinematography.

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Lost in the Stars (China, 2022)

 

This is an excellent mystery film set in a beautiful island city. The plot twist in the end is very good and reminiscent of the Ocean's Eleven movies.

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Captain America: Civil War (Hollywood, 2016)

The movie that introduced Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is also a memorable throw down between superheroes.

Captain America and Iron Man go head to head as they end up with clashing beliefs on how to move forward with the Avengers. The spectacular action set piece in the airport alone is worth the price of admission.

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The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion (Korea, 2018)

The story is about a young girl who escapes from a lab and grows up in a farm. Ten years later, her violent past catches up to her.

This is a great action mystery film that combines elements from movies like Lucy and A History of Violence.

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Aliens (Hollywood, 1986)

After floating in space for 57 years, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is found. She later joins a group of Colonial Marines to investigate the mysterious disappearance of colonists.

The movie then becomes a thrilling story of survival where humans go against a hostile breed of alien creatures. This film is a true sci-fi classic. 

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Linda Linda Linda (Japan, 2005)

The story follows a high school band as they prepare for their school's cultural festival.

This is a fun and laid-back movie that features an excellent cast and fantastic rock music.

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Mulan (Hollywood, 2020)

 

A disappointing big budget film about a Chinese girl who disguises herself as a male soldier to save her father.

Liu Yifei brings some star power to the role but the movie is too boring to make her shine. The film's production value and soundtrack were at least decent.

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Parasite (Korea, 2019)

Director Bong Joon-ho crafts a mesmerizing tale of a family of con artists moving up in the world by planting themselves into a rich household.

This movie is one of South Korea's highest grossing films. It will also be remembered for making history as the first Korean film to win Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Best Director, and Best Picture at the Academy Awards. 

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Project Gutenberg (Hong Kong, 2018)

 

A very slick action crime film that follows a gang of counterfeit artists as they try to produce the ultimate US banknote.

The film has very entertaining action scenes reminiscent of a John Woo movie and the twist in the end is very clever. 

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Alive (Korea, 2020)

The perfect film to watch during a pandemic, it stars Yoo Ah-In and Park Shin-Hye as trapped residents in an apartment complex devastated by a nasty zombie virus.

It's exciting and the cinematography is well done. The stars both turn in terrific performances as people doing what they have to do to survive. 

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Blind Witness (Japan, 2019)

The movie is about a police cadet who loses her eyesight in a car accident. Years later she gets involved in a kidnapping that points to a serial killer targeting young girls.

What follows is a thrilling cat and mouse chase brilliantly executed right up to the film's climax.

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The Departed (Hollywood, 2006)

Martin Scorsese's ultimate gangster film that features Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon as two moles trying to outsmart each other.

Jack Nicholson also stars as Frank Costello, who is probably the most watchable gangster ever portrayed on film.

This excellent movie is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs and it won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

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Enola Holmes (Hollywood, 2020)

An all-around awesome film about the little sister of the world's most famous detective. 

The title character is played to perfection by Millie Bobby Brown and it's a lot of fun watching her outsmart the bad guys.

The movie also has wonderful cinematography and a nice musical score. This one definitely deserves a sequel.

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Chihayafuru (Japan, 2016)

The movie that made Suzu Hirose a star, Chihayafuru has many interesting layers that makes it the best Japanese film of 2016. 

The story follows Chihaya Ayase (Hirose) as she tries to reach her goal of becoming the top competitive karuta player in Japan. Karuta is a card game that combines sharp reflexes with memorization and good hearing.   

It sounds simple enough, until players join tournaments and then it really becomes fast and furious. This movie has it all: it's a sports film, a high school drama, and a love story. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll end up rooting for the film's heroine. 

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John Wick (Hollywood, 2014)

In 2005 Keanu Reeves starred in the film Constantine. He played John Constantine, an antihero who kills demons. Nine years later, he'll be playing another John, the one who became famous all over the world because some Russians killed his puppy.

This time he kills humans. Lots of humans. The movie is an exercise on how to present very stylish Gun fu with a lot of CGI blood, thanks to an almost never ending array of headshots. 

This movie is followed by Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 which are both as good as the first one. 

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House of Fury (Hong Kong, 2005)

Too much screen time is wasted on unnecessary hi jinks in this modest action thriller that could have been a better venue for its stars. 

The story follows a family of kung-fu practitioners living in Hong Kong as they try to survive an attack from notorious villains. 

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Priest (Hollywood, 2011)

Vampires beware; a new hunter is in town in this supernatural action flick with decent visuals but not much on anything else. Paul Bettany stars as a member of a group of vampire killers called “priests” in the very dark and Gothic future. 

This flick has some nifty set design that really gives it an original atmosphere like in the Underworld movies. 

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Le Grand Chef (Korea, 2007)

A fantastic film about two chefs competing for the grand title of the “Royal Chef” of South Korea. Even if you’re not a fan of cooking, this movie is still a must-see. 

A lot of back-stabbing and rice boiling ensues but it’s done in great taste that makes this flick an attention grabber from start to finish. 

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Azumi (Japan, 2003)

Cute J-pop star Aya Ueto shines in the title role in this kinetic, bloody live-action version of the Japanese manga. 

The film follows a girl assassin as she goes about her business trying to kill war-mongering feudal warlords in ancient Japan. 

This flick is a bit too long for its own good running at 2 1/2 hours, but it’s alright since you’ll have a bloody good time watching it. 

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