PCMR's Asian Season!

So, for no legitimate reason other than I've moved into a new gaf recently and got a house-warming present of a box of crazy Asian dvds (that's actually a good reason - Ed) I've decided to share the best, worst and the rest of this little Asian treasure trove! Rucky you! (Ahem, that's enough of that now - Ed)

And I might have an inkling of what you're thinking, it'll just be a collection of crazy J-Horror and ultra-violent Korean weirdness... and you might have a point, there are a few shady J-Horror offerings lurking in the box of derights (Stop that! - Ed). However, amidst all the psychological extremes of 'Ichi the Killer' - reportedly the most extreme movie ever made - 'The Eye' and 'Audition', there is also some light-heartedness, provided by Takashi Miike's uncharacteristic 'The Happiness of the Katakuris' - which looks genuinely off the wall - and also the highest grossing Korean movie of all time - 'Shiri', which looks more like a Jerry Bruckheimer-style action-fest (and doesn't appear to be on iMDB!? - Ed). The Korean Extreme are represented by Chan-Wook Park's 'Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance', and if it's anything like Oldboy, I'm not sure if my mental preparation will be good enough to prevent permanent psychological scarring...

There'll be a few surprises in there to boot, but I'll be kicking things off with a review of the most successful Thai movie of all time, a certain 'Iron Ladies', which is kind of like 'Cool Runnings', except if all the Jamaican bobsledders were Volleyball players, and very gay... What can I say? It's a true story, and a quality opener to what promises to be a real mixed bag of crazy imports from the East.

So forget about the hoity-toitiness of the Cannes film festival, with all those ultra-self-conscious art-house offerings. (Didn't get invited then? - Ed) No, instead, I propose that you sit back, relax, and let the Asian invasion begin...