The quality of HK dvds has increased this year don't you think ?

What are your favourite asian movies for 2001 ?

For me it is
1 : FULL TIME KILLER
2 : SHAOLIN SOCCER
3 : BATTLE ROYALE

I would have to agree with your 3, and add:

Brother
&
Legend of ZU

sorry, but I think hk movies have been greatly declining in quality the last few years, mostly due to effect of hollywood, larger budgets, etc.

e.g. shaolin soccer == god of cookery + money + western influence

sure it was funny and ok to watch, but just seemed a bit tired and self-derivative.

thank jeebus there are so many korean movies now becoming accessible -- they still seem to be very fresh and creative.

but I would definitely agree that quality of dvd itself in hk is improving so much...esp considering how theatre used to be considered such a disposable media in hk (which is also probably why it's so hard to get any good video transfer of so many older hk movies onto dvd...)

battle royal and brother are both japanese movies

Korean cinema has even more of a western hollywood influence than HK cinema does. They also tend to lean towards style over substance. Hong Kong cinema still remains very unique IMHO and despite the larger budgets, for the most part they still retain the same fresh quality. The early 90's seemed to be somewhat of a golden age for Action films in HK - especially WRT period films. I love Korean cinema, but I think to say that they are so much more fresh and creative than Hong Kong cinema is to overlook the fact that many of these films tend to be lacking in the plot and character development department. I haven't seen nearly as many Korean films as I have films from Hong Kong, but from what I've seen, they all tend to be very stylish and flashy yet lack a good solid story. For example - Shiri is a dazzling film to watch, but the plot is fairly weak and heavily influenced by Hollywood-type action flims. Even though they've been using digital effects in HK for over a decade, it's still a new toy for them since they only just started getting really advanced with it... as with any toy, they'll grow tired of it and it will become more subtle... still, I think that such technology is going to bring on (and has already started to bring on) a new era in HK cinema - outside of the odd film here and there I don't think Hong Kong filmmakers are going to start making Hollywood clones - they'll still retain their unique style. It's a totally different culture over there and as new filmmakers emerge and push boundaries, we'll be seeing more innovative films. I'm excited because this is a good time for movies over there whereas over here things have been pretty stale for the past 18 months at least (arguably more).

I liked Shaolin Soccer and I thought that as an effects film it was pretty good... it's not Stephen Chow's best film and certainly not his funniest, but it's certainly not a stinker and it certainly wasn't "tired and self-derivative" (whatever you mean by that - self-derivative doesn't even make sense). It was a standard sports film with an underdog team taking it to the top. This has been an American movie staple for a long time, but that doesn't mean that all films using such a story are just copying a formula. I think it followed along with typical Stephen Chow films as far as the trials his character goes through and how he develops a love interest and positive ending. The only fault I have with Shaolin Soccer is that it wasn't so much funny as it was effects driven and I was expecting to laugh more than go "ooooh ahhhh".

I loved Battle Royale, but it's not a HK film - someone needs to whip up a list of films that came out in 2001 in HK so I can make a decision. I think my recent favorites might've come out in 2000... that was a good year for HK cinema IMHO.

He stated in the initial post "favourite asian movies for 2001".

@ what Trigger said...

yes i did , because i think that japan movies (especially the takeshi kitano's movies) are very important, even if i'm not a big fan of his last one : BROTHER

favourite asian movies:

01. Ichi the Killer - Japanese film
02. Musa - The Warrior - Korean film
03. Versus - Japanese film
04. Shaolin Soccer
05. Dil Chahta Hai (The Heart Needs) - Bollywood film
06. Love on a Diet
07. Lagaan (Tax) - Bollywood film
08. Legend of Zu
09. Full Time Killer
10. Lajja (Shame) - Bollywood film

The Hottest movies to catch this year:
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad)
Running Out of Time 2

These are just some recent ones I've seen, but there might be other great HK films of 2001 that I just can't think of at the moment. But here are ones that come to mind (since they are fresh in my memory):

Shaolin Soccer (one of the best movie I've seen in years!)
Full Time Killer
Love on a Diet
Para Para Sakura
My Schoolmate Barbarian

Possibly these films (I'm not sure if they are 2000 or 2001):
Gen-Y Cops
China Strike Force
Accidental Spy

For Japanese films:
Brother

(I'm also looking forward to seeing Battle Royale when I get the chance)

I haven't seen Battle Royale yet, but I'm dying to.

I agree with your #1 and #2 picks though (but I'd reverse them).

Cheers,

-matt

yep, shaolin soccer is really a masterpiece (as well as King of Comedy, remember...)

By the way, does anybody know if the soundtrack of FULL TIME KILLER is available ?