
Beginning of the Great Revival aka Founding of a Party in China DVD
Netflix may be raising their prices too damn high but at least they get some things right. Recently they’ve added a decently-sized collection of Asian movies to their Instant streaming catalog. Here’s a look at some select titles. Be advised that a few of these films are only available on streaming dubbed in English:
1/27/12
Beginning of the Great Revival (2011) – a history of the rise of the Communist Party, featuring Hong Kong heavies like Andy Lau and Daniel Wu in “blink and you’ll miss them” cameos. Streaming in HD
Dynamite Warrior (2006) – a mystical Thai martial arts movie starring Dan Chupong, co-star of Muay Thai Stunt Team flicks like “Born to Fight,” “Ong Bak 3,” and “Muay Thai Giant”
Exiled (2007) – a gritty gangster picture about loyalty and brotherhood from the master of the genre, Johnnie To. Starring top actors Anthony Wong and Francis Ng. Streaming in HD
Audition (1999) – Takashi Miike’s landmark horror film shocked audiences around the world and helped put his name on the map. Wanna know why Miike himself has a cameo in “Hostel”? This is it
Caterpillar (2010) – acclaimed Japanese director Kôji Wakamatsu tells the story of a soldier who returns gravely injured from the Second Sino-Japanese War
United Red Army (2007) – Kôji Wakamatsu’s critically acclaimed docudrama details the political unrest in Japan during the early 1970′s. Streaming in HD
Kiltro (2006) – Chilean stuntman and martial artist Marko Zaror of “Undisputed III” fame stars in this kung fu film by way of Latin America. Streaming in HD
Oliver Stone Presents: Bang Rajan (2007) – set in 18th century Thailand as 11 villagers stand their ground against an invasion of the Burmese Army. At only 71 minutes, there is word this film heavily cut for its Western release
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) – the original “Ong Bak” and most would still say the best. This bone-crunching martial arts flick announced Tony Jaa as an international talent to watch. Streaming in HD
Tears of the Black Tiger (2002) – a hallucinatory spaghetti Western-style film from Thailand. Unfortunately, the version available on streaming is the Miramax edit as opposed to Magnolia’s DVD release so it’s cut by 30 minutes. Streaming in HD
The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman (2010) – Doug Liman of “Go” and “Bourne Identity” fame presents this Chinese action-comedy told from multiple perspectives. Streaming in HD
Mirageman (2007) – Mark Zaror of “Kiltro” and “Undisputed III” returns with a comedic martial arts take on the superhero genre. Streaming in HD
Triple Tap (2010) – Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Yee (“Shinjuku Incident”) directs Louis Koo and Daniel Wu against each other in this action-thriller. Streaming in HD
1/1/12
A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) – the supernatural kung fu love story that would become a Hong Kong new-wave classic, starring the late great Leslie Cheung. Streaming in HD
A Chinese Ghost Story 2 (1990) – director Ching Siu-Tung (“Swordsman” series) returns for the sequel to his landmark film. Streaming in HD
A Chinese Ghost Story 3 (1991) – a loosely related sequel, produced by Tsui Hark and once again directed by Ching Siu-Tung. Streaming in HD
City on Fire (1987) – this is it, the movie that started it all! Chow Yun Fat stars in a gritty crime film directed by Ringo Lam, which would go on to inspire Quentin Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.” Streaming in HD
Swordsman (1990) – Ching Siu-Tung of “A Chinese Ghost Story” fame directs the first entry in this popular wuxia series, starring Jacky Cheung. Streaming in HD
Bunraku (2010) – what do you get when you cross the Western with film noir and classic martial arts flicks? Something like “Bunraku,” which stars Josh Hartnett, Japanese rock god Gackt, Woody Harrelson, and Ron Perlman. Streaming in HD
Helldriver (2010) – the latest and greatest in blood-soaked Japanese splatterpunk from your friends at Sushi Typhoon, the creators of “Machine Gun Girl” and “Tokyo Gore Police.” Streaming in HD
Cold Fish (2010) – a chilling exercise in real world horror from Sion Sono, the director of “Suicide Club.” Highly recommended for fans of extreme Asian cinema. Streaming in HD
Secret Sunshine (2007) – a powerful and moving Korean language drama, which won a Best Actress award at Cannes for lead actress Jeon Do-yeon
12/14/11
Shaolin (2011) – Benny Chan’s ode to the Shaolin Temple stars Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Fan Bingbing, Wu Jing, and Jackie Chan. Streaming in HD
A Better Tomorrow (2010) – John Woo’s classic heroic bloodshed film is re-imagined as a slick Korean melodrama in this remake. Streaming in HD
Avalon (2001) – from the director of “Ghost in the Shell” comes this Polish language science-fiction film, praised by James Cameron for its stylish and artistic filmmaking. Streaming in HD
A Beautiful Life (2011) – a romantic drama from top Hong Kong director Andrew Lau (“Infernal Affairs”) and starring Shu Qi (“The Transporter,” “So Close”). Streaming in HD
If You Are the One: Love and Marriage (2010) – get a double dose of Shu Qi and romance as she stars in this 2010 romantic comedy. Streaming in HD
For titles that were added at an earlier date, please visit the Netflix Instant Asian Film Archive