The Berlin File (2013)

Country: South-Korea
Format: movie
Genre: action
Cast: Ha Jung Woo, Gianna Jun, Suk Kyu Han, Seung Bum Ryo, Kyoung Young Lee, Do Won Kwak, Moo Sung Choi, Jong Bin Yoon, Seo Hyung Kim, Jeong Nam Bae, Ha Suk Jo, Gye Nam Myoung, Jin Seok Kwak, John Keogh, Numan Avar, Tayfun Bademsoy, Werner Daehn, Pasquale Aleardi, Sinja Deiks,
Synopsis: After an international weapon deal between North-Korea, Middle-East and Russia has gone wrong in Berlin, North-Korean spy Jung Seong Pyo finds out that Myung Soo Dong, soulless killer and son of powerful North-Korean official, is coming to Berlin. At the same time he has been noticed by South-Korean NIS Suk Kyu Han, who has taken it for his duty to catch him, in addition to South-Korea, CIA and Mossad seem to be involved with missions. Jung Seong Pyo finds himself in a position where he is either betrayed by his wife or homeland and no place becomes safe to stay.
Rating: 4/5
It was the last movie I watched on film festival and it did not fail to keep me captivated. (I had a really long day behind me, so I was afraid that I will fall asleep in the cinema).

Au revoir l'été (2013)

Country: Japan
Format: movie
Genre: slice of life
Cast: Nikaido Fumi, Tsuruta Mayu, Taiga, Furutachi Kanji, Sugino Kiki, Otake Tadashi, Koshino Ena,
Synopsis: Sakuko decides to accompany her aunt Mikie on a summer holidays to go to the seaside town where her other aunt lives. Within one week she meets many different people and comes to understand their problems. Stuck in age where she is no longer a child and not yet an adult, she sees the difficult lives of becoming an adult.
Rating: 3/5
At first I thought of not watching this movie, but because Yanne kept going on about it I bought the tickets, only to find out that she just had the mood at that second. I think I would not have been sad if I had missed it.

Trap Street (2013)

Country: China
Format: movie
Genre: romance, real life
Cast: Yulai Lu, Wenchao He, Yong Hou, Xiaofei Hao, Qun Xiang, Tiejian Liu, Xinghong Li, Tong Liu, Shijie Feng, Jiao Wang, Liao Jin, Si Sun, Guoha Ma, Youliang Li, 
Synopsis: Li Qiuming is a young guy in his twenties who is working at digital mapping company. One day he meets with beautiful Guan Lifen, who he gives a lift. As he is trying to enter the street code to system the street he only gets errors. He does not know that his attempts to get close to Lifen will change his life forever.  
Rating: 3/5
If anyone has ever read Kafka's "The Trial" then you may be sure that this movie has similar elements in it. So you can predict whether you like this movie or not by knowing if you like Kafkaesque style or not. For example I like it, but Yanne hates it and same is with the movie - Yanne was so-so, while I liked it.

Pluto (2012)

Country: South-Korea
Format: movie
Genre: school
Cast: Sung Joon, Lee Da Wit (Lee David), Kim Kkobbi, Kim Kwon, Sun Joo Ah, Nam Tae Boo, Ryoo Kyung Soo, Park Tae Sung, Kil Hae Yeon, Oh Jung Woo, Jo Sung Ha,  
Synopsis: During the entrance exam session a young boy Yoo Jin is found dead. Joon gets accused for the murder, but for what reason? One murder leads to an unexpected discovery of the lives of the school elite, school bullying and well kept secrets.
Rating: 4/5
I wanted to see this movie, because the theme reminds me of one my country's movie and school violence is something that is happening everywhere.

Soushite chichi ni naru (2013)

Country: Japan
Format: movie
Genre: family
Cast: Fukuyama Masaharu, Lily Franky, Maki Yoko, Ono Machiko, Ninomiya Keita, Shogen Hwang, Kunimura Jun, Kiki Kirin, Natsuyagi Isao, Fubuki Jun,
Synopsis: Nonomiya family consists of successful businessman Ryota, sweet and caring housewife Midori and their son Keita. Idyllic life of Ryota is broken with a phone call from the hospital were Keita was born with a message that "their son" was changed after birth and they have been raising someone's else child for 6 years. They meet with Saiki family - father Yudai who is  carefree small electronic shop owner, down-to-earth Yukari, Nonomiya's real son Ryusei and Saiki's two younger children. The families must face the difficult decision whether blood-ties or time spent with child is more important.
Rating: 5/5
This movie has gone through many many film festivals and has won Jury prize on Cannes Film festival. It is talking about really delicate subject and it made me think about many many things.

Miss zombie (2013)

Country: Japan
Format: movie
Genre: zombie, life and death
Cast: Komatsu Ayaka, Togashi Makoto,  Tezuka Toru, Onishi Riku, Suruga Taro, Serizawa Tateto, Yamauchi Takaya,
Synopsis: Story is set in the future. One day Teramoto family receives delivery of a big cage - containing gun for safety, instruction manual and a female zombie. It is time when zombie-virus has leaked, but every zombie has a level of how much it still is similar to humans. Shara who is made into a servant at the household is a level 1 zombie, meaning that she is close to normal human that she used to be.
Rating: 5/5
Another great movie from SABU. Before the movie started on the festival a man who had selected the movie for this festival said that he thinks of it as SABU's big comeback movie after "failing" with "Kanikosen" - I do not not think it is right, because I think "Troubleman" was really great too, but maybe they did not count it, because it was a drama. In every way, "Miss zombie" takes back SABU's old style - mind**** and no bright-side.

The Grandmaster (2013)

Country: China
Format: movie
Genre: true-life, martial arts
Cast: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen, Zhao Benshan, Elvis Tsui, Song Hye Kyo, Yuen Woo Ping, Zhang Jin, Wang Qingxiang, Xiaozhenyang, Cung Le, Lo Hoi Pang, Bruce Leung,
Synopsis: Movie tells a story of Ip Man's life - a man who was the teacher to many world-famous martial artists including Bruce Lee. The movie starts from 1930s in Fushan and leads to year 1952 in Hong Kong, during what Ip Man had the biggest changes in his life and what lead him into becoming the grandmaster. 
Rating: 5/5
This was the start of the film festival for me. "The Grandmaster" is amazing film by its storyline and graphics. As it is based on true-life events, it is a bit difficult to review it, but the movie is made really interesting by adding fake-documents as retaken photos into it. There are three different length versions of the movie, but I saw the longest 130 minutes, which also was shown in Beijing.

Ore Ore (2013)

 Country: Japan
Format: movie
Genre: surreal, suspense
Cast: Kamenashi Kazuya, Uchida Yuki, Ryo Kaze, Kimura Midoriko, Takahashi Keiko, Fuse Eri, Nakatani Ryu, Kobayashi Kinako, Iwamatsu Ryo, Satsukawa Aimi, Okano Aya, Machida Marie,
Synopsis: Nagano Hitoshi works at electronic store, his life has became very routinized and he feels as if he is fading away from life. One day he steals a cell phone by chance and performs "ore ore sagi" (scamming money out by pretending to be someone else on the phone). He discovers that the pretended person's life is taking over his real identity and suddenly he meets other people who are also him. At first having many different "me's" feels as relaxing company, but soon they understand that there can be only one "me" in this world. 
Rating: 5/5
I wanted to see this movie ever since they started filming it. It was also screened all over the world - in cinemas and festivals in USA, Canada, Argentina, Italy, Russia, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan and etc, but you know what? It was not showed in my country nor in the countries next to my country and countries next to countries that are next to my country (If we leave Russia out, because you do not want to know how many things I should have had done if I had tried to go to Russia..). So in the end, all I could do was wait until the DVD comes out and the waiting was worth every second.

Acoustic (2010)

Country: South-Korea
Format: movie
Genre: music, drama
Cast: Shin Se Kyung, Lim Joon Il, Baek Jin Hee, Kang Min Hyuk (CN Blue), Lee Jong Hyun (CN Blue), Im Seul Ong (2AM),  Choi Deok Moon, Kim Jeong Seok,
Synopsis: Music can change lives, whether you sing or hear the one song what makes you feel that the world has born again. The movie will follow 3 different stories about not losing hope in this world. 
Rating: 2/5
The movie follows the usual path of omnibus movies - three different stories which have little to do with each other, if we leave out the posters or small hints in other stories. As you might suggest from the title and synopsis the main point of the movie is music.