8 Asian movies that are wild, weird and worth seeking out

This summer has offered an unusually rich selection of films, spanning major studio blockbusters and indie breakthroughs from Christopher Nolan's " The Odyssey " to the Anthony Bourdain biopic " Tony " and Petaluma native Kane Parsons' "Backrooms." 

Alongside them has also been a remarkable font of thrilling, intelligent and original Asian films - with more to come, too. 

"Forgotten Island," an American animated adventure set in the Philippines starring Vallejo native and R&B star H.E.R. , arrives in theaters Sept. 25.

Farther out is "All of a Sudden," a drama by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (" Drive My Car ") that won this year's Cannes best actress award for its two leads and is Japan's official Oscar entry. It's a heartfelt depiction of two people falling in Platonic love on the edge of personal calamity, but it won't be available to watch in the U.S. until the thick of awards season in November. 

Until then, here are some Asian imports to enjoy now.

'The Furious'

The newly minted two-time Critics Choice Super Award winner is a pure specimen of martial-arts cinema. This explosive Hong Kong entry by Japanese director Kenji Tanigaki is a showcase for the astounding physicality of Chinese star Xie Miao (aka Mo Tse), capable of inflicting damage in ways that will drop jaws. 

Paired with redoubtable Indonesian star Joe Taslim in a workable buddy story involving human trafficking, "The Furious" (not to be confused with the Hulu miniseries "Furious," also involving human trafficking) never runs out of interesting fight choreography. The concluding brouhaha, which mutates through many different combinations in five-way combat, is one of the most spectacular fights ever filmed. 

Watch it:Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Fandango at Home or Apple TV.

'The Samurai and the Prisoner' 

Set against political turmoil in 16th-century Japan, the film finds an honorable regional leader facing civil war against the dominant warlord while mysterious events, including murders, occur within his castle walls. 

Lord Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki), wrestling with alliances and betrayals, takes prisoner the smartest man he knows, Kuroda Kanbei (Masai Suda), then finds himself consulting with his brilliant captive to solve the crimes. 

It's a medieval Japanese detective story that recalls, of all things, "The Silence of the Lambs" (without gore). 

Watch it:Screening for a limited time at the Roxie, 3117 16th St., in San Francisco.

'All Wishes Come True! '

It's unfair to draw large conclusions based on three films, but "Ne Zha" (2019), " Ne Zha II " (2025) and this new caper comedy create a strong impression that Chinese studio animation has leapt ahead of Hollywood. 

In "All Wishes," the world is verging on apocalypse. Super-honorable Lü Dongbin may be able to prevent it, but he needs incorrigible rogue Zhongli Quan's help to purloin a powerful item. Along the way, they pick up a crew of misfit weirdos to pose as immortals in order to stage a magic heist under the noses of deities. Hilarity ensues. 

A beautifully rendered, myth-based adventure (and international box-office hit), "All Wishes" is driven by its characters and, surprisingly, subtlety in acting. Facial expressions and body language are meticulously realized, which will come as a relief to anyone weary of Hollywood's frequent caricature.

Watch it:In select Bay Area theaters.

'Colony'

Asian horror has been well represented this summer, including the offbeat Japanese ghost story "Never After Dark." But the pick here is the Korean "Colony,"

the second infectious bite writer-director Yeon Sang-ho has taken out of the zombie genre in recent years, after the new classic "Train to Busan" (2016). 

It's full of energy and ideas as its slacker-scientist protagonist (Jun Ji-hyun) figures things out on the fly as the world goes to hell around her. It's expertly executed, with top-notch genre action and gore (though not quite the adrenaline-fueled insanity of "Busan"). 

The film's gift to the genre, besides its zombies' weird physical manifestations, is a scientifically-based notion of a hive mind, capable of evolution. In Yeon's deft hands, that is freaky. 

Watch it:In select Bay Area theaters.

'Filipiñana'

Writer-director Rafael Manuel's debut feature film is a biting, stylized satire that makes a sociopolitical microcosm of a Manila golf course. In a recent interview with the Chronicle , he  said the setting appealed to him "as a metaphor for the Philippines in that it's a very large, very fertile plot of land that many people toil on, but ultimately only a few enjoy and profit from."

Idiosyncratically paced and meticulously framed, it follows 17-year-old new employee Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto) on a slow-moving journey of discovery as she awakens to the truth of her situation. Meanwhile, a wealthy young woman returning from America (Carmen Castellanos) is drawn into the social order she had abhorred from afar. 

Watch it:Screening for a limited time at the Roxie in San Francisco.

'Sheep in the Box'

Artificial intelligence and humanoid robots in the forms of lost loved ones sound like elements of a sci-fi horror film. Instead, in "Sheep in the Box," Japan's humanist cinematic master Kore-eda Hirokazu takes those threads and weaves a gentle, thoughtful tapestry about coping with grief and finding one's place in the world. 

As is often the case in his work, the performances he gets are superb across the board, whether by major star Haruka Ayase as the mother who can't let go of her dead son or comedian Daigo Yamamoto as the conflicted father. But the breakout is young Rimu Kuwaki, who is simply remarkable as the humanoid robot the couple has fashioned in the shape of their lost child. 

Watch it:

Available to stream on most major digital platforms Tuesday, Sept. 8.

'Hope'

After a 10-year absence, Na Hong-jin returns with a gloriously strange Korean monster movie set in a remote seaside village, where a mysterious discovery brings an increasingly dire threat to an otherwise ordinary community. 

The result mixes comedy, suspense and spectacular bursts of violence, with a terrific ensemble of Korean stars bringing texture and personality to the residents caught in the chaos.

Na proves a master storyteller, revealing just enough information at just the right times, and the action is bonkers. It's one of the best thrill rides of the summer.

Watch it:In theaters Wednesday, Sept. 9. 

'Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! ' 

Rinko Kikuchi, who became only the second Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award two decades ago for "Babel" (2006), is wonderful as a grieving ballroom dancer who develops a crush on her new instructor.

Japanese American director Josef Kubota Wladyka (who directed Kikuchi in HBO's "Tokyo Vice") delivers a heartfelt movie that conjured pleasant memories of the 1996 arthouse hit "Shall We Dance?" 

Watch it:

In theaters Sept. 25. 

Michael Ordoña is a freelance writer.

Chronicle staff writer G. Allen Johnson contributed to this report.

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This article originally published at 8 Asian movies that are wild, weird and worth seeking out .