Dong (2006) Movie Review

“Dong” is a companion piece to Chinese director Jia Zhangke’s prize winning “Still Life”, and both played at the 2006 Venice Film Festival. Interestingly, it was this documentary which was actually planned first, with the joint project coming about after Jia was invited...

June 3rd, 2007 | Read More

Mongolian Ping Pong (2005) Movie Review

“Mongolian Ping Pong” was the second film from Chinese director Ning Hao, whose next effort “Crazy Stone” went on to be one of the country’s biggest and best hits of 2006. However, despite its title, which seems to suggest some kind of wacky sports action, “Ping Pong”...

May 24th, 2007 | Read More

Tuya’s Marriage (2006) Movie Review

Director Wang Quan’an’s “Tuya’s Marriage” has attained a high profile for a film which might otherwise have slipped under the international radar, thanks to a surprise win at the 57th Berlin Film Festival, where it took home the prestigious Golden Bear Award. As with Wang’s...

May 16th, 2007 | Read More

The Knot (2006) Movie Review

“The Knot” is of some significance in being the first joint blockbuster production between Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the first to use a Chinese company for its expansive digital effects work. Boasting a big cast of stars and an ambitious story which takes place in a variety...

March 6th, 2007 | Read More

The 601st Phone Call (2006) Movie Review

“The 601st Phone Call” marks the directorial debut of popular television actor Zhang Guoli, who was featured in a couple of films by Feng Xiaogang, who here lends his support to Guoli’s film as producer. The film also provides Zhou Bichang, the first runner up of the famous Chinese...

February 28th, 2007 | Read More

Still Life (2006) Movie Review

“Still Life”, the latest film from Sixth Generation Chinese director Jia Zhangke, caused a stir in 2006 as a last minute entry to the Venice International Film Festival, and surprised many critics by winning the coveted Golden Lion award. In hindsight, it’s perhaps not too difficult...

February 2nd, 2007 | Read More

Peacock (2005) Movie Review

Although the likes of “Curse of the Golden Flower” and other glamorous, big budget costume epics have grabbed headlines with their preening and posturing, arguably one of the most significant films to come from China in recent years has in fact been “Peacock”, a quiet, low budget...

January 19th, 2007 | Read More

Letter from an Unknown Woman (2004) Movie Review

“Letter from an Unknown Woman” is mainland Chinese director/actress Xu Jinglei’s 2004 take on Austrian writer Stefan Zweig’s novella, which had already been adapted for the screen to great acclaim in 1948 by Max Ophuls. The film won Xu the Silver Seashell award for Best Director...

January 15th, 2007 | Read More

Curse of the Golden Flower (2006) Movie Review

The first word which springs to mind when considering Zhang Yimou’s latest effort, “Curse of the Golden Flower”, is ‘breasts’. Crude though this may seem for an Oscar-primed film from one of China’s foremost directors, it’s simply impossible to ignore the fact...

January 1st, 2007 | Read More

The Banquet (2006) Movie Review

It’s hard not to look upon Mainland Chinese director Feng Xiaogang’s latest film “The Banquet” without a certain cynicism, since it in every way seems to be yet another would-be big budget martial arts epic made with the international market in mind. It’s the kind of film...

November 14th, 2006 | Read More

Cell Phone (2003) Movie Review

With his big budget opus “The Banquet” having emerged as one of the most talked about films of 2006, it’s good to see Mainland Chinese director Feng Xiaogang’s earlier “Cell Phone” finally getting a DVD release with English subtitles. Although perhaps not so well known...

November 3rd, 2006 | Read More

Crazy Stone (2006) Movie Review

“Crazy Stone” is the latest offering from Hong Kong megastar Andy Lau’s “FOCUS: First Cuts”, a scheme designed to help young Asian film makers. The film has been a genuine sensation at the Chinese box office, raking in more than 17 million RMB (over US$2 million), an incredible...

October 24th, 2006 | Read More

The Banquet (2006) Movie Review

Over two hours of running time, the most extravagant costumes, eye-catching opulent sets, elaborate fight choreography, and currently the most famous Chinese actress in the world as your star. And yet, director Xiaogang Feng’s “The Banquet” still managed to dull the senses, rot the...

October 4th, 2006 | Read More

How is Your Fish Today? (2006) Movie Review

“How Is Your Fish Today?” began life as a British-commissioned Chinese documentary about Mohe, a small village in the northernmost part of China , lying on the Russian border. However, when the crew reached Mohe, a supposedly mystical town where it’s light twenty hours out of the...

August 31st, 2006 | Read More

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005) Movie Review

“Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles” sees Zhang Yimou returning to the kind of intimate drama with which he made his name as a director. Eschewing the flashy visuals of “Hero” and the cheap melodrama of “House of Flying Daggers”, “Miles” tells a simple,...

February 2nd, 2006 | Read More

The Promise (2005) Movie Review

Chen Kaige’s “The Promise” arrives in a year crowded with Asian big-budget martial arts epics, counting among the competition Jackie Chan’s “The Myth”, Tsui Hark’s “Seven Swords”, and Myung-se Lee’s “The Duelist”, with 2006 promising...

January 4th, 2006 | Read More

A Time to Love (2004) Movie Review

(Guest Movie Review by Alex Lui) It was inevitable that the classic love story Romeo and Juliet would get updated yet again, as if having to endure Baz Luhrmann’s dizzying interpretation in his 1996 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes wasn’t bad enough. Though the story has been...

October 10th, 2005 | Read More

A West Lake Moment (2004) Movie Review

“AWest Lake Moment” is the latest film from Hong Kong director Yim Ho, best known for complex emotional dramas such as “The Kitchen” and “Homecoming”. Here, the director turns his hand to contemporary romance, with an attempt to explore modern relationships in a manner...

August 31st, 2005 | Read More

A World Without Thieves (2004) Movie Review

“A World Without Thieves”, the latest from acclaimed Mainland Chinese director Feng Xiaogang, follows the criminal life of Bo (Andy Lau) and Li (Rene Liu), wandering husband and wife grifters, con artists, and whatever else takes their fancy. They’ve been in the game for years, when...

January 4th, 2005 | Read More

Purple Butterfly (2003) Movie Review

“Purple Butterfly” is a movie with the makings of a great film, but is unfortunately marred by a couple of silly decisions that should have been avoided. There is little doubt that Ye Lou (“Suzhou River”) is a talented filmmaker, but there is such a thing as making a film more...

December 23rd, 2004 | Read More