Asia Extreme
For the uninitiated, the most ground-breaking, unpredictable and inventive films are being made in the Far East. Alice opens Pandora's Box unleashing an astonishing world of cinema from Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan; introducing cinema-watchers to the stylish and often violent world of Miike Takashi, Hideo Nakata, Takeshi 'Beat' Kitano and the Pang Brothers amongst others. While films such as 'Battle Royale', 'Ring', 'The Eye', 'Dark Water' and 'Audition' continue to satisfy the ever increasing hunger for astounding cinematic style and outrageous shock moments, Alice is committed to the development of the most exciting and unique of all contemporary genres. Stay tuned...
Right: The hills are alive with the sound of screaming in Miike Takashi's 'The Happiness of the Katakuris'.
Sonatine (1993)
7.6/10
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Aya Kokumai, Takeshi Kitano, Tetsu Watanabe
'Beat' Takeshi Kitano stars in this very original tale of the last days of a Tokyo gangster. Hard action combines brilliantly with haunting stillness. Read more
The Bride with White Hair (1992)
7.1/10
Director: Ronny Yu
Starring: Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin
Hong Kong fantasy at its most amazing is on display in this tale of a woman raised in the mountains by wolves and in the service of an evil cult led b... Read more
Hard Boiled (1992)
7.9/10
Director: John Woo
Starring: Chow Yun-Fat, Tony Leung (Chiu Wai), Teresa Mo, Philip Chan
John Woo's stylish, ultra-violent story of a police inspector (Chow Yun Fat) who teams up with a mysterious hit man (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) to stop a ga... Read more
Once Upon A Time In China: The Trilogy (1991)
7.4/10
Director: Tsui Hark
Starring: Jet Li, Yuen Biao, Rosamund Kwan, Ken Chang, Jacky Cheung, Donnie Yen, Siu Chung...
The most celebrated film series in Hong Kong cinema history is now available as a box set. All 3 films have been digitally restored and enhanced for... Read more
Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1991)
6.4/10
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
Starring: Tomoroh Taguchi, Nobu Kanaoka, Shinya Tsukamoto
More of a companion piece to "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" than a sequel, "Tetsuo II: Body Hammer" sees director Shinya Tsukamoto's disturbing vision of a wo... Read more
Battle Heater (1990)
Director: Joji Iida
Starring: Pappara Kawai, Akira Emoto, Kaoru Okunuki
When the Kotatsu heater he finds on a rubbish dump turns out to be the host for a demonic entity, Furuchi has to find a way to return it to its rightf... Read more
Zatoichi 26: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)
Director: Shintaro Katsu
Starring: Shintaro Katsu, Kanako Higuchi, Takanori Jinnai, Yudai Okumura
This 26th instalment capped one of Japan's most loved and enduring movie franchises. With a gap of more than 15 years between this and number 25, Ich... Read more
Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
7/10
Director: Shinya Tsukamoto
Starring: Kei Fujiwara, Shinya Tsukamoto, Tomoroh Taguchi
Compared to the work of Lynch and Cronenberg, telling the strange tale of a man's gradual metamorphosis into a synergy of flesh and metal. Tomoroh Tag... Read more
Violent Cop (1989)
7.2/10
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Haku Ryu
Sex, violence, and the dark world of the yakuza provide the basis of this Japanese thriller. 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano plays a rogue cop who employs his o... Read more
Flaming Brothers (1987)
6.4/10
Director: Joe Cheung
Starring: Pat Ha, Chow Yun-Fat, Philip Chan, Emily Chu
Two brothers grow up poor on the streets of Macau involved in organised crime they soon rise to the top of their game, but one wants to go straight.... Read more