

REVIEW: Fake (2016)
Mamoru Samuragochi was a widely acclaimed composer in Japan, with an 18-year career creating music for orchestras, film and video games. He was also deaf, earning him the nickname ‘Japan’s Beethoven’. Then, in 2014, a college professor named Takashi Niigaki … Continue reading REVIEW: Fake (2016)

REVIEW: Nobody (2020)
A growing appetite for material exploring LGBTIQ issues appears to be settling into Chinese language film industries, with recent years providing a string of pictures focused on gay, lesbian, transgender and other issues. While Taiwan has long established a tradition … Continue reading REVIEW: Nobody (2020)

REVIEW: Someone in the Clouds (2019)
Weng Hsiao-pei (Yao Yi-Ti) is an aspiring reader of tarot cards, following in her grandfather’s footsteps. She uses her gift to give romantic advice to paying men and women. When presented with the possibility of romance herself – with the … Continue reading REVIEW: Someone in the Clouds (2019)

REVIEW: Little Forest (2018)
Hae-won (Kim Tae-ri) returns from a dead-end job in Seoul to her home in a small rural town. Her mother is still missing, having upped and left one day while Hae-won was at school. Alone in a small farmhouse, she … Continue reading REVIEW: Little Forest (2018)

REVIEW: Samurai Shifters (2019)
‘Jidaigeki’, the Japanese period drama, has been a staple of that country’s screen culture since the foundation of narrative film. It typically covers the Edo period, which lasted from the 17th to the 19th century, and exploits the warfare, samurai-based … Continue reading REVIEW: Samurai Shifters (2019)

REVIEW: Thinner (1996)
On paper Thinner seems set up for success. It is based on a Stephen King novel, is directed by Fright Night‘s Tom Holland, and written by Holland with Beetlejuice‘s Michael McDowell. As anyone who has ever failed at making dinner will tell you … Continue reading REVIEW: Thinner (1996)

REVIEW: Dust and Ashes (2019)
South Korean filmmaker Park Hee-kwon marks his feature directing debut with Dust and Ashes, a study of an impoverished young woman struggling to make ends meet in the wake of personal tragedy. Produced on a visibly tight budget, and dominated by … Continue reading REVIEW: Dust and Ashes (2019)

REVIEW: Last Sunrise (2019)
In a near future when human civilization is entirely powered by solar energy, the Earth’s sun suddenly vanishes from the sky. As temperatures across the planet plummet, and the atmosphere begins to dissipate, freelance astronomer Sun Yang (Zhang Jue) and … Continue reading REVIEW: Last Sunrise (2019)

REVIEW: Dying to Survive (2018)
Cheng Yong (Xu Zheng) sells Indian homeopathic oils from a Shanghai storefront. His business is failing, but a last-minute opportunity comes when he is given a lucrative but illegal offer: smuggle Indian medication for chronic myeloid leukaemia into the country … Continue reading REVIEW: Dying to Survive (2018)

REVIEW: Didi’s Dream (2017)
Comedian Shangguan Didi (Dee Hsu) makes a middling living out of appearances on stunt and gag-based comedy television shows, while being estranged from her much more successful actress sister Lingling (Lin Chi-ling). Didi’s first big chance at success comes when … Continue reading REVIEW: Didi’s Dream (2017)