Top 10: Asian movies
As a movie lover, it’s always hard to pick the top 10. Frankly speaking, if there is no year limitation (2017), I would definitely have a wider selection.
A movie is not just a form of entertainment, it can also inspire people and even influence an individual’s way of thinking. So here is my top 10 without any specific ranking orders:
Wolf Warrior 2, China
This movie comes together as an Asian medley of “Rambo”, “XXX” and “Fast and Furious”. It combines the heroism of Sylvester Stallone, individualistic character of Vin Diesel, and the physics defying scenes of Fast and Furious coupled with patriotism and love. I cannot find a reason to not watch this film if you have time to kill. Check out the trailer at Popcorn.asia.
Baahubali 2, Bollywood
This movie is full of magnificent scenes with impressive computer-generated imagery, cinematography and editing. If you want to see what modern Indian film production has to offer, this is the film you should watch. If you have time, check out the making of the film and be amazed at how it became a visual phenomenon in India filmmaking!
Secret Superstar, Bollywood
You can always count on an Aamir Khan movie to make you laugh and cry simultaneously. He is one of the very few actors/producers in India that can inspire audiences through his movies to reflect on thought-provoking social issues such as gender equality.
This is a story of a Muslim girl who aspires to be a singer and rebels against her father. She is helped by a man named Shakti Kumar (Aamir Khan) to make her dream come true. See what Aamir Khan has to say about his film at JustSaying.asia
Our Time Will Come (Chinese: 明月幾時有), Hong Kong
Ann Hui is one of my favorite directors. She often incorporates history into her films. I first came across Ann’s movies in 1981, watching “The Story of Woo Viet” and since then, my admiration for her talent began. Standing out for me is “Our Time Will Come”, a depiction of a true story featuring a brave and resilient female protagonist during Japan’s occupation of Hong Kong. This is the third part of Hui’s Sino-Japanese War film trilogy, preceded by “Love in a Fallen City” and “The Golden Era.” Her Vietnam trilogy is also worth checking out too!
Mad World (Chinese: 一念無明), Hong Kong
This movie uncovers BIG social issues faced by the proletariat class, including housing and healthcare problems in Hong Kong.
With a budget of only HKD 260K, “Mad World” is a bold independent film that exposes the issues of its characters and Hong Kong without excessive dramatization or sloganeering to address the social and political controversies of the city.
Photo source: Golden Scene Co. Ltd
In This Corner Of The World (Chinese: 謝謝你，在世界角落中找到我), Japan
This film is the winner of the 40th Japan Academy Award for Best Animation. This affecting story of Japanese domestic life before and after the atomic bomb is beautifully executed with a feathery, watercolour palette of pale colours and fuzzy horizons.
Taxi Driver, South Korea
Song Kang-Ho really is a genius actor who brings life and energy to his characters. Inspired by the true events of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, Song plays the role of a taxi driver who makes a living for his daughter and family. Nevertheless, he sacrifices his personal safety in pursuit of truth and democracy. Song’s performance in this movie is absolutely amazing.
“Taxi Driver” will represent South Korea as its candidate for the 2018 Oscars’ best foreign-language film category. For his role in the movie, Song won Best Actor at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival.
Battleship Island, South Korea
This film is based on a greatly fictionalized retelling of an Asian historical event. This lavishly produced feature revisits Japan’s wartime abuse of Korean civilians who were forced into labor camps and risked their lives to escape.
紅衣小女孩2 (英語：The Tag-Along 2)
, Taiwan
Personally I am not a fan of horror movies but if you are, this movie can definitely bring the chills down your spine. This is a sequel to the 2015 horror film hit “The Tag-Along” — the “little girl in red,” who became a popular legend in Taiwan. Just a reminder, you don’t have to watch the first movie in order to follow second. This is a stand-alone story with the only common thread being the “little girl in red”.
Bad Genius, Thailand
If you like grand heist films like “Now You See Me” and “Ocean’s Eleven”, “Bad Genius” will be a masterpiece of 2017 Asian film for you.
A commentary on the complexity of Asia’s education system, this film is about the real-life story of a straight-A student who helps her classmates and friends cheat on their international standardized test for university admission. Bad Genius is an absolutely crazy film to watch. Check out another trailer at Cinematic.asia.
Top 10: .Asia domains
Over the years there have been numerous exciting .Asia domains set up. One of the earliest examples was Johnny Walker’s KeepWalking.Asia as part of an Asia wide TV and online campaign in 2008. Even though the domain is no longer operational, it inspired our continued tracking of live .Asia websites through the KeepClicking.Asia initiative, now integrated with our main site and social media page: http://www.facebook.asia/dot.asia.
Here are my Top 10 picks (at the moment… as it certainly changes all the time) of high traffic .Asia domains that exemplify or showcase how .Asia domains can be used.
Top 10: eSports teams
Claiming the World Championship titles in 2013, 2015, 2016 and now among favourites for 2017, SKT is all too obvious as the choice for top spot. While they suffered from a slump in 2014, SKT’s star player Faker, argued by some to be the most dominant player of all time has stayed with the team throughout his dazzling career. SKT have already forged a lasting legend for themselves; winning this season’s championship would only push it to the next level.
Top 10: Modern history’s Asian political giants
Asia is the largest and most populous continent. Throughout Asian history, there have been several political figures who have been extremely influential in shaping the region. How could I miss this opportunity to list some of the most notable and influential Asian figures in recent history? This is my list of “Asian Political Giants of Modern History”.
Top 10: Cartoons from Asia
No childhood is complete without hours spent watching cartoons (especially in the 80s)! Here, in my opinion, are the top 10 cartoon / anime characters from Asia! If you are looking to experience Anime culture live, check out animefestival.asia.
Top 10: Business trip destinations around Asia
Having been with .Asia for the best part of 10 years now, I have had the honor of traveling around the region, building relationships and increasing the awareness of the domain extension. Here are my top 10 places I have visited in the region.
Top 10: Asian superstitions
Like many other Asians, I grew up in a traditional household and my elders – from my grandmother to my mom (to think of it, maybe it was just the women) are highly superstitious. They told me the craziest things! I didn’t want to believe in them, but I wasn’t going to take any chances so I followed those rules. To this day, even though I still don’t believe in those superstitions, I catch myself passing them onto my own daughter. At the very least, they ARE an excellent way to get her to follow rules.
Top 10: Superfoods
I started falling in love with concept of “food as medicine” since my childhood when I was inspired by “The Huangdi Neijing” (a.k.a The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine 黃帝內經). Later when I started exploring more from the school library, I found that the Greek physician Hippocrates, known as the Father of Early Medicine (ca. 460 BC – ca. 370 BC) had suggested the same concept around the same period of time. He stated “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” This has become my creed of life as eating right is really important! Here are my top 10 choices for super foods.
Top 10: Exotic foods in Asia
While I claim myself as an adventurous foodie, I have to firstly put out a disclaimer that these 10 exotic foods may be only baby level for some while daring for others – especially westerners. This is just a snapshot of my personal top 10 for exotic Asian foods (that I’ve tried). My list will begin with #10 for least adventurous to #1 for most daring dishes. So here we go…
Top 10: Asian athletes
I have always wanted to be an athlete since a very young age, but growing up in a traditional Chinese family, school always came first and there was only just enough room to do sports recreationally. It always makes me proud to see how Asian athletes are making a name for themselves in their respective sports. They have the powerful ability to inspire many more kids, including other Asians to start young. Here are my top 10 Asian athletes of all time that I think have been very influentia
Top 10: Asian musicians
In the face of declining global music sales in recent years, the music industry in Asia, particularly that of China, South Korea and Japan, is a rapidly growing economic sector; home to some of the world’s largest music markets. I have shortlisted my top 10 most influential and outstanding Asian musicians as follows:
Top 10: Kid-friendly family vacation destinations
June is an avid traveler who immerses herself into the local culture wherever she goes. In this list she will take us through her top 10 kid-friendly vacation spots in Asia.