CJ Sheu
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CJ Sheu, an Assistant Professor of Applied English at Ming Chuan University, is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved, Taipei-based film critic for The News Lens.
‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ Keeps Its Focus on Its World-Conquering Star
The Eras Tour film presents the no-frills platonic ideal of the show, competently preserved for international and future Swifties.
‘The Boy and the Heron’ Is Dazzling, If Somewhat Unhinged
A young boy learns through adventures in a fantastical Studio Ghibli world that grief can’t be escaped. The arbitrary worldbuilding is part of the point.
Branagh’s Poirot Finally Shines in ‘A Haunting in Venice’
A Haunting in Venice elevates well-worn genre tropes with exceptional casting and filmmaking flair to create a satisfying experience.
The Clueless, Painfully Unfunny ‘Inspector Sun’
Inspector Sun has the sole saving grace of creating an interesting world of anthropomorphic spiders and insects parallel to the human world.
‘Below the Surface’ Is a Tale Worth Telling Better
Below the Surface is agit-prop filmmaking for a regrettable cause that besmirches the reputation of the real-life sailors it portrays.
‘The Moon’ Is Dumb but Exciting
Is it good? Not really. But the excitement and explosions still manage to deliver.
‘Past Lives’ Meditates on the Before and the After
“Past Lives” is a poignant and well-observed character study of an immigrant whose past in the old country walks into her present.
‘Small, Slow but Steady’ Is a Quietly Moving Boxing Film
“Small, Slow but Steady,” a biopic about a Deaf female boxer, has a quiet power that’s incredibly moving.
‘The Idol’ Ends Not with a Bang but a Whimper
“The Idol” contains intense scenes of kinky sex and abuse between the star Jocelyn and club owner Tedros, evoking a one-sided portrayal of the entertainment industry as peculiarly manipulative and misogynistic.
Only Taiwan Could Make ‘Eye of the Storm’
Despite some unconvincing contrivances, Eye of the Storm powerfully evokes the dread and uncertainty of the early days of a communicable viral outbreak.