YOU'VE undoubtedly been reading loads about Rain and his newest Hollywood venture, Ninja Assassin, which opens next Thursday.

But Rain's movie is just one of a whopping five big-budget Asian blockbusters to hit the theatres this month and next.

Besides Assassin, which sees Rain (with zero per cent body fat) under the directorship of James McTeigue (V For Vendetta), my paper tells you what to watch out for.

MULAN
Opens: Next Thursday.
Big Asian names: Vicki Zhao Wei and Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee.
The movie is directed by Jingle Ma (Tokyo Raiders, Seoul Raiders).
Story: The legendary story of Mulan (Zhao), a gal in ancient China who dresses up as a guy to join the army and lead soldiers into battle. Expect themes of gender identification, armoured warfare and enamoured love fare (Mulan has the hots for a fellow commander), and the Chinese version of the military policy of "Don't ask, don't tell".

THE STORM WARRIORS
Opens: Dec 10.
Big Asian names: Ekin Cheng, Aaron Kwok, Nicholas Tse and Charlene Choi, directed by The Pang Brothers (The Eye).
Story: Chinese super warriors Wind (Cheng) and Cloud (Kwok) fight evil Japanese warlord Lord Godless (Simon Yam) to stop him from conquering China. The burning question is: How do Cheng and Kwok look now as opposed to when they faced off in The Storm Riders, screened 11 years ago?

BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS
Opens: Dec 18.
Big Asian names: Donnie Yen, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse, Tony Leong Ka Fai, directed by Teddy Chen (The Accidental Spy). Story: A motley bunch of bodyguards team up to protect VVIP Sun Yat Sen, impending Father of Modern China, from assassins when he visits Hong Kong in 1905. The stars play strangely monikered characters named Gambler, Beggar, Diva, Rickshaw Man and someone called Shaolin Hawker (maybe he makes kick-butt mee pok tah). The film also lays claim to the largest life-sized set of the early 1900s that Hong Kong studios have ever built.

THE TREASURE HUNTER
Opens: Dec 31.
Big Asian names: Jay Chou, Lin Chi-ling, directed by Kevin Chu (Kung Fu Dunk). Story: A guardian (Chou) of buried Chinese treasures and his mentor's hot daughter (Lin, of course) try to prevent the plundering by bad guys of ancient relics hidden in the
desert.

The Mummy, Tomb Raider, National Treasure, Indiana Jones, Michelle Yeoh's The Touch and National Geographic all come to mind.

But it's also Chou and Lin's first time on the big screen together. By the way, she's four years older than him. Cougar alert!

For more my paper stories click here.