Movie Review – Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight

Zombiology: Enjoy Yourself Tonight (Gam man da song si) China/Hong Kong (2017) Dir. Alan Lo Quite often one comes across a film where the response once it ends is “What the hell?”. This might be because it is a deeply thoughtful, impenetrably symbolic arthouse film, or it is so out there it makes little sense. …

Movie Review – My Best Friend’s Wedding

My Best Friend's Wedding (Wo zui hao peng you de hun li) China (2016) Dir. Chen Feihong We’re supposed to be happy for our friends, so if your very bestest friend in the whole world announces they are getting married, the last thing you do is try to sabotage the wedding out of jealousy. Gu …

Movie Review – Dying To Survive (Wo bu shi yao shen)

Dying To Survive (Wo bu shi yao shen) China (2018) Dir. Muye Wen Corporate greed is one of the biggest threats to society yet is allowed to operate legally and openly without recourse. It’s an anomaly that will never change because the law is usually on the side of the big corporations, allowing them to …

Movie Review – The Counterfeiter aka Project Gutenberg (Mou seung)

The Counterfeiter aka Project Gutenberg (Mou seung) China/Hong Kong (2018) Dir. Felix Chong If a picture paints a thousand words, films wouldn’t need to be two hours long. As much as an image can tell a story, there is always need for nuance, detail, and clarification as the eye can miss so much from looking …

Movie Review – The Eight Hundred (Ba bai)

The Eight Hundred (Ba bai) China (2020) Dir. Guan Hu “The nature of war is always politics.” I’ve always wondered what the phrase “Theatre of War” meant, assuming it was a poetic term for the drama that plays out on the battlefield. Instead, it refers to any area where warfare takes place. If we were …

Movie Review – Sheep Without A Shepherd

Sheep Without A Shepherd (Cert 15) Digital/VOD (Distributor: Cine Asia) Running Time: 112 minutes approx. “Why do my actions have consequences?” It won’t surprise you to learn this epigrammatic lament came from Homer Simpson, but for the people involved in this messy tale who should really know better, they learn this lesson for too late …

Movie Review – Chinese Zodiac (Sap ji sang ciu)

Chinese Zodiac (Sap ji sang ciu) Hong Kong/China (2012) Dir. Jackie Chan Disclaimer: the version of this film under review is from Amazon Prime and is the US cut, meaning not only is there a horrible English dub but also, per Jackie Chan himself, 20 minutes was cut to make it faster paced for American …

Movie Review – Vanguard

Vanguard China (2020) Dir. Stanley Tong Q: What do rock legends The Who, wrestlers Terry Funk and Atsushi Onita, and Jackie Chan have in common? A: They have all reneged on promises to retire from their chose occupations. Although to be fair to Chan, he never said he would retire from acting, just kung fu …

Movie Review – Maoshan

Maoshan China (2021) Dirs. Shuai Yang & Zhong Weixi “There's a hero / If you look inside your heart” No, I didn’t expect to find myself quoting Mariah Carey in a review for a martial arts film but stranger things have happened. But it is apposite as this is your typical story of a lowly …

Movie Review – Love Education (Xiang ai xiang qin)

Love Education (Xiang ai xiang qin) China/Taiwan (2017) Dir. Sylvia Chang As time moves on and social attitudes change, some old traditions become redundant and more often than not, illogical to modern thinking, and with the separation between rural and metropolitan life, there will be a clash of opinions about this. Then again, not every …