It’s the start of a new year so we’ve got another batch of staff top ten’s coming your way. We kick off with Andrew Saroch’s list, packed full of stylish Japanese dramas with a sprinkling of kung fu class. Oh, and look out for our new turkey award which is given to our least favourite movie of the year.

10. Hear Me

Director: Cheng Fen-Fen
Cast: Eddie Peng, Ivy Chen, Michelle Chen, Lin Mei-Shiu, Lo Pei-An

Taiwanese cinema has enjoyed a dramatic resurgence both artistically and commercially over the past few years with actors like Eddie Peng leading the charge. ‘Hear Me’ stars the aforementioned heart-throb in a disarming romantic drama about love between a partially deaf swimmer and an under-appreciated restaurant worker. Utterly sweet, yet never needlessly glossy or airbrushed, this is a film that is very hard to dislike.

9. The Blade Spares None

Director: Teddy Yip
Cast: Nora Miao, Patrick Tse, James Tien, David Lo Tai-Wai, Paul Chang Chung

Nora Miao was one of the most radiant actresses of the Jade Screen, combining gumption and beauty in ample portions. ‘The Blade Spares None’ is perhaps her finest vehicle as she plays a mysterious anti-heroine who slashes through scores of enemies while keeping her motive hidden. Excellent support from the wise-cracking pair of James Tien and Patrick Tse, this is a swordplay film with sparkling interplay, original choreography and a unusual settings.

8. Still Walking

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, Kirin Kiki, Yoshio Harada, Shohei Tanaka

Four years after making a significant impact with ‘Nobody Knows’, Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda gave viewers this meticulous homage to Ozu. Understated, but with ripe emotion bubbling under the surface, this further cemented the director’s reputation and is hard to fault.
Read the Far East Films review

7. Wu Xia

Director: Peter Chan
Cast: Donnie Yen, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tang Wei, Zheng Wei, Li Jia-Min

Peter Chan has never been afraid to play with genres and conventions and ‘Wu Xia’ is the director’s blend of martial arts drama, quirky detective story and a dash of black humour. Donnie Yen gives a strong central performance, Takeshi Kaneshiro is endearingly odd as the detective on his case and the legendary Wang Yu pops up as a scene-stealing villain.
Read the Far East Films review

6. Villain

Director: Lee Sang-Il
Cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Eri Fukatsu, Masaki Okada, Hikari Mitsushima, Sansei Shiomi

Another Japanese hit that has been given an international release and another knockout thriller. A slow-burning film that takes two lonely people running from very different things and puts them on the run, piecing together background as the story progresses. The ending almost undermines what has gone on before, but it’s still another cracker from Nipponese cinema.
Read the Far East Films review

5. Shaolin

Director: Benny Chan
Cast: Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse, Fan Bingbing, Jackie Chan, Wu Jing

It seemed too good to be true: Benny Chan (having got back a little of his old magic with the recent ‘Invisible Target’, though let’s not mention ‘City Under Siege’) tackling the burning of Shaolin, starring Andy Lau and Jackie Chan, choreography by Yuen Kwai and Yuen Tak. But everything is more than alright. An impressive period piece with some outstanding fight action, ‘Shaolin’ lives up to every bit of hype… and then some.
Read the Far East Films review

4. 1,778 Stories Of Me And My Wife

Director: Mamoru Hoshi
Cast: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Yuko Takeuchi, Ren Osugi, Shosuke Tanihara, Michiko Kichise

It seems that there’s a place reserved on my list every year for a good tear-jerker and 2011 is the turn of ‘1,778 Stories Of Me And My Wife’. Based on a true story, this is a gently-paced drama about terminal illness and the lengths people will go to for the one they love. Thoroughly enchanting, deeply moving.
Read the Far East Films review

3. Cageman

Director: Jacob Cheung
Cast: Michael Lee, Roy Chiao, Ku Feng, Liu Kai-Chi, Wu Fung

Jacob Cheung’s ensemble drama – with great performances from the likes of Teddy Robin, Ku Feng and Victor Wong to name but a few – is the kind of earthy story that Hong Kong cinema used to do so well. Many great films have been about characters stuck in one situation or location (‘Twelve Angry Men’ immediately springs to mind) and ‘Cageman’ deserves to be recognised among this company.
Read the Far East Films review

2. About Her Brother

Director: Yoji Yamada
Cast: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Tsurube Shofukutei, Yu Aoi, Ryo Kase, Nenji Kobayashi

Yoji Yamada is criminally under-appreciated outside of Japan, but within his home territory ranks as one its finest directors. ‘About Her Brother’ is a masterclass in combining humour, compassion and carefully apportioned sentimentality. For those yet to dip into Yamada’s oeuvre, this exceptional film might be a perfect starting place.
Read the Far East Films review

1. Confessions

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Cast: Takako Matsu, Masaki Okada, Yoshino Kimura, Mana Ashida, Makiya Yamaguchi

Every now and then I watch a film that starts brilliantly and yet I find myself hoping the end credits will come soon so that nothing can ruin its promise. Within the first ten minutes I thought ‘Confessions’ couldn’t get much better; by the end credits I struggled to think of anything that could. Razor sharp cinema that is practically unmatchable.
Read the Far East Films review

 The Kidnap

Director: Kris Gu Yu
Cast: Chapman To, Sun Xing, Li Fei-Er, Wu Gang, Liu Lei

It would be tempting to say something interesting like ‘The Kidnap’ (2010) is the cinematic equivalent of being rolled down a hill in a urine soaked barrel full of rusty syringes, but that implies that it elicits some kind of feeling. Instead, ‘The Kidnap’ is a mind-grinding melodrama, bereft of charm or interest, ready to inflict rigor mortis on all who dare view it.