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Cinema

Cinema
Views, news, and reviews of films, from the latest releases to classic oldies.
Saja Kilani in a still from The Voice of Hind Rajab.
European cinema

Review | The Voice of Hind Rajab: harrowing Gaza docudrama is vital cinema

Kaouther Ben Hania’s gripping docudrama about a young girl trapped in a car uses real voice recordings to help expose the brutal cost of war.

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Cannes Film Festival

The stand-out looks at Cannes – from Demi Moore to Daisy Edgar-Jones

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | The Samurai and the Prisoner: Kiyoshi Kurosawa back with feudal-era thriller

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American cinema

Review | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu plays like an extended TV episode

Star Wars fans may find The Mandalorian and Grogu an entertaining watch but it lacks real depth and feels more like a TV episode than a film.

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The Mandalorian (left, played by Pedro Pascal) and Grogu in a still from Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (category IIA), directed by Jon Favreau. Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White co-star. Photo: Lucasfilm Ltd
European cinema

Review | Bitter Christmas: Pedro Almodovar engrosses with his latest meta movie

A film within a film within a film, Bitter Christmas examines the relationship between life and cinema.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

How Colony features a new kind of zombie to reflect modern fears

Director Yeon Sang-ho of Train to Busan fame explains how AI and social media anxiety inspired the zombies in his new horror film.

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European cinema

Review | Fjord: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve anchor ice-cold child welfare drama

Fjord, set in a remote Norwegian village with stunning backdrops, explores a religious couple’s clash with Norway’s Child Protection Services.

Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan play a married couple with five children in the film Fjord, directed by Cristian Mungiu. Jonathan Ciprian Breazu (far left) and Vanessa Ceban (right) co-star.
Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Hope: director Na Hong-jin of The Wailing fame returns with a monster mess

A promising beginning and strong performances are not enough to save Hope from being a messy spectacle with woeful CGI monsters.

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American cinema

Review | Paper Tiger: Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson lead dark gangster movie

Director James Gray returns to his mob roots in this film about two brothers who fall foul of the Russian mafia in New York. Also stars Miles Teller.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Alex Law and Mabel Cheung’s nostalgic films are among their finest

Two of the most poignant movies by life partners Law and Cheung explore migration and memory, and star the likes of Sammo Hung and Simon Yam.

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Simon Yam (left) and Sandra Ng in a still from Echoes of the Rainbow (2010).
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Sheep in the Box: Hirokazu Koreeda tackles grief in sci-fi drama

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Cannes entry probes grief, artificial intelligence and family bonds, but its subplots leave the film scattered.

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(From left) Daigo Yamamoto, Rimu Kuwaki and Haruka Ayase in a still from Sheep in the Box.
K-drama news

Profile | Who is Cha Eun-woo, K-pop idol starring in Netflix K-drama The Wonderfools?

Since his 2014 debut, the ‘Face Genius’ has embodied a fantasy figure in many roles. His latest hits screens as he performs military service.

China’s film industry

How a tiny indie movie sparked a major tourist boom in southern China

Made on a shoestring budget, the hit drama Dear You has triggered a surge of interest in the history of southern China’s Teochew diaspora.

Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Colony: Jun Ji-hyun returns in slick but empty zombie thriller

Jun Ji-hyun stars as a biotech professor battling bloodthirsty zombies in Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho’s new film.

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Jun Ji-hyun as biotech professor Kwon Se-jeong in a still from Colony (category IIB, Korean), directed by Yeon Sang-ho. Koo Kyo-hwan and Ji Chang-wook co-star.
Fame and celebrity

Travolta gets surprise Cannes prize: ‘beyond the Oscar’

The Hollywood star received an honorary Palme d’Or, as he premiered his first film as a director.

John Travolta holds his honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes on Friday. Photo: AP
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | All of a Sudden: Ryusuke Hamaguchi wows with Paris-set drama

Starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, the three-hour movie on caregiving and capitalism is anchored by a profound bilingual conversation.

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Asian cinema

Review | Parallel Tales: Asghar Farhadi misfires with latest French excursion

This tale of voyeurism in Paris, starring Vincent Cassel, Virginie Efira and Isabelle Huppert, lacks any tension or romantic intrigue.

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American cinema

How Hollywood turned China’s Boxer rebellion into a racist Western

55 Days at Peking (1963) paints the historical event as an Orientalist Alamo, while white actors ‘yellowface’ as the main Chinese characters.

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(From left) Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner and David Niven in a still from 55 Days at Peking. The 1963 Hollywood epic about China’s Boxer rebellion looks the part with stunning sets, but ultimately casts China as a colonial outpost to be squabbled over by white people.
What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this rainy weekend, May 15-17

Check out the Affordable Art Fair, enjoy pickleball and Pilates to the sounds of Justin Bieber or get into the spirit at the Hong Kong Whisky Festival.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Nagi Notes: Koji Fukada ponders the meaning of art in wartime

Featuring nuanced performances and beautiful camerawork, Nagi Notes asks what art should mean in the chaotic world we live in.

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Asian cinema: Korean films

How The King’s Warden sold 16 million tickets and saved the Korean box office

Producer Lim Eun-jung, director Jang Hang-jun and actor Yoo Hae-jin explain why the historical drama struck a chord with Korean audiences.

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Yoo Hae-jin in a still from The King’s Warden, which has revitalised a sluggish Korean film industry.
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | A Man and a Woman: Hong Kong-set quarantine drama is a tough watch

Neighbouring hotel guests develop a relationship over the course of their 21-day quarantine in Hong Kong in Guan Hu’s pandemic-set drama.

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Ni Ni (left) and Huang Bo in a still from A Man and A Woman.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Lau Ching-wan’s best mid-1990s films, from Loving You to Big Bullet

Several of Lau’s mid-1990s roles strongly hinted at the greatness to come for the four-time best actor winner.

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | ‘I don’t want to be a diva or a billionaire’: Kay Tse’s 20-year Cantopop legacy

Cantopop singer Kay Tse’s two-decade career has been built on authenticity, a commitment to social issues and her love of Hong Kong.

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American cinema

Review | Mortal Kombat II: Karl Urban leads brainless, outdated action sequel

Little more than a series of cartoonish ultra-violent vignettes, Mortal Kombat II feels as antiquated as the amulet the characters chase.

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(From left) Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson “Jax” Briggs, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade and Karl Urban as Johnny Cage in a still from Mortal Kombat II (category III), directed by Simon McQuoid. Photo: Warner Bros
Fame and celebrity

Ludi Lin – Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat 2 – talks childhood and representation

Before he resumed his Mortal Kombat role, the actor worked on Power Rangers, Monster Hunt, DC’s Aquaman and Netflix’s Black Mirror.

Ludi Lin, the Chinese-Canadian actor, plays one of lead characters in Mortal Kombat 2. Style photographed him at East Hong Kong hotel. Sweater: Tod’s. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express is a riotous sci-fi anime ride

A 47-minute compilation of Yohei Kameyama’s animated series, Milky Subway provides more laughs and surprises than many feature-length films.

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European cinema

Who was Marguerite Duras? Decoding the French cinema radical’s dual identity

Born in French Indochina in 1914, Duras was a visionary who treated the silver screen as a canvas for her haunting psychological experiments.

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