2022/01/04 |
‘Being the Ricardos’ Turns ‘I Love Lucy’ into the Nicole Kidman Show
‘Being the Ricardos’ has divided critics on everything but one point: Nicole Kidman is a revelation.
2021/12/09 |
‘Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy’ Encapsulates the Odd Vicissitudes of Life
Winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, ‘Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy’ is a three-part anthology film full of incident, confidently walking a fine line between realism in acting and melodrama in plot.
2021/08/30 |
The Unexplored Existential Angst of ‘Night Drive’
Between the trendy conceits of time travel and taxi drivers taken hostage, ‘Night Drive’ is an original and weird tale.
2021/07/06 |
‘Longing for the Rain’ Makes You Long for a Shorter Film
Shot in Beijing and Changchun, Longing for the Rain’s explicit treatment of female desire clearly distinguishes it as a Hong Kong film.
2021/06/16 |
‘River of Exploding Durians’ Makes a Virtue of a Small Budget
On the surface a critique of Malaysian political corruption and societal acquiescence — and it still is that — ‘River of Exploding Durians’ is grounded in one young man’s devastation at losing everyone he cares about.
2021/05/03 |
‘Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet’ A Solid Entry in a Stellar Series
‘Scarlet Bullet’ is the latest in the Detective Conan crime manga film series. Its action, humor, and formulaic plot are the main draws.
2021/03/26 |
‘Our Story’ and the Possibilities of Literature
The manga-influenced ‘Our Story’ has the charms of a coming of age story, but also contemplates the power of literature.
2021/02/20 |
‘Recipe for Happiness’ Shows How Muddling Through Life Can Keep Us Sane
Following the everyday life of openly unambitious and mediocre civil servant Namgoong Jin-Soo, 'Recipe for Happiness' captures what it’s like to be a young adult in the age of precarious neoliberal ecotastrophe.
2021/01/07 |
In the Age of Digital Streaming, Will Literature Survive?
How to learn to stop worrying and love the literature of our new streaming-centric life.
2020/11/12 |
‘Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down’ Is a Minor Gem
'Memories, Drinks' shows how Hong Kong's turbulent history is still very much with us.
2020/09/01 |
‘Tenet’ Gives You Seven Heist Films for the Price of One
After the multi-paced reverse-heist of Inception, Nolan has upped the ante by folding time back on itself to create seven heists — count them with me: opera house, penthouse, warehouse, convoy, convoy again, warehouse again, pit.
2020/08/14 |
2020 Is Wild. 'Bacurau' Is Wilder.
'Bacurau' starts with a truckload of coffins spilled across the road and ends with a burial. It's a wild tale well told.
2020/07/17 |
Tsai Ming-liang's 'Days': A Diary of Connection and Loneliness
Tsai Ming-liang's new film 'Days' makes us nostalgic for a time when loneliness and alienation had a romantic tinge.
2020/06/02 |
Bong Joon Ho’s 'Memories of Murder' Is a Film for Our Moment
Bong Joon-ho's 'Memories of Murder' will be rereleased in Taiwan on June 12. It couldn't have arrived at a more fitting time.
2019/12/24 |
'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Defies the Male Gaze in Cinema
"Portrait of a Lady on Fire," which won Best Screenplay at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, is a passionate film that explores the female gaze and female desire with various art forms.
2019/11/15 |
'The Gangs, the Oscars, and the Walking Dead' Runs on Queerphobic Jokes
Perhaps "The Gangs, the Oscars, and the Walking Dead" shouldn't have been produced in the first place.
2019/10/16 |
‘Queering Voices’ Shorts Highlight Variety in Gender Experience
As Taiwan celebrates same-sex marriage legalization this year, the 2019 Women Make Waves Film Festival continues to voice the LGBT community’s concerns through its ‘Queering Voices’ series.
2019/10/03 |
‘Romantic Comedy’ Makes a Case for Higher Quality Rom-Coms
The 2019 Women Make Waves Film Festival takes place from 10/4 to 10/13 at SPOT Huashan Cinema in Taipei. This review is based on a complimentary media screener.