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 … Continue reading Maoshan 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 … Continue reading Love Education (Xiang ai xiang qin)
Ju Dou
Ju Dou China (1990) Dirs. Zhang Yimou & Yang Fengliang We reap what we sow. If you kick a dog long enough it will bite you back. You deserve to be bitten. Once the tables are turned, the dog must learn it to stop biting. Humility and a change in attitude is required by both … Continue reading Ju Dou
The Iron Mask (Tayna pechati drakona)
The Iron Mask (Tayna pechati drakona) Russia/China (2019) Dir. Oleg Stepchenko Marketing in cinema is everything. Get that wrong and you can kiss goodbye to all the hard work of the filmmaker turning a profit, no matter how good the film might or might not be. This Chinese-Russian co-production exemplifies the problem of the metaphoric … Continue reading The Iron Mask (Tayna pechati drakona)
The Unity Of Heroes (Huang Fei Hong: Nan bei ying xiong)
The Unity Of Heroes (Huang Fei Hong: Nan bei ying xiong) China (2018) Dir. Lin Zhenzhao Many countries have their own folk heroes and legends immortalised in film, and for the Chinese it is the martial arts master and medical practitioner Wong Fei-hung. Already the subject of numerous films and TV series, Fei-Hung is back … Continue reading The Unity Of Heroes (Huang Fei Hong: Nan bei ying xiong)
The Enchanting Phantom (Qian nü you hun: Ren jian qing)
The Enchanting Phantom (Qian nü you hun: Ren jian qing) China (2020) Dir. Lin Zhenzhao It’s the same old story - boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, they are separated, can they get back together again? Except, as the title implies, this isn’t quite the same old story, as the girl in question happens to … Continue reading The Enchanting Phantom (Qian nü you hun: Ren jian qing)
Savage (Xue bao)
Savage (Xue bao) China (2018) Dir. Cui Siwei Patience is a virtue but some people run out of it pretty quickly, situation dictating of course. But, if all good things come to those who wait then theoretically so should the bad things, which makes the concept of patience a rather flawed one, doesn’t it? In … Continue reading Savage (Xue bao)
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Diqiu zuihou de yewan)
Long Day's Journey Into Night (Diqiu zuihou de yewan) China (2018) Dir. Bi Gan We all have that dream lover who completes us, but the problem is they only exist in dreams. Some people might be lucky enough to have this dream come true (not me) but there is always that chance you might wake … Continue reading Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Diqiu zuihou de yewan)
Timeless Romance (Chao shi kong ai lian)
Timeless Romance (Chao shi kong ai lian) China (2019) Dir. Tian Tian Many of us spend our lives trying to meet the expectations of others but rarely do we succeed if we don’t know where the fault lies. Clearly, we need help identifying these weaknesses but whom do we turn to? Maybe we don’t need … Continue reading Timeless Romance (Chao shi kong ai lian)
Better Days (Shao nian de ni)
Better Days (Shao nian de ni) China (2019) Dir. Derek Tsang As someone who as bullied at school and in my first two jobs, I can say with assurance that it is a truly soul destroying ordeal for anyone to endure. We are always told we should tell someone if we are being bullied but … Continue reading Better Days (Shao nian de ni)
