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Author: Grant Watson

Grant Watson is an Australian film critic and writer. He lives in Melbourne.
comedy, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: You People (2023)

January 30, 2023 Grant Watson

If you rated new romantic comedy You People based on boldness and ambition, it would almost certainly be one of the first great features of 2023. Ezra (Jonah Hill) and Amira (Lauren London) are two singles in Los Angeles who meet … Continue reading REVIEW: You People (2023)

drama, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: Little Forest (2018)

January 30, 2023 Grant Watson

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)

comedy, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: Samurai Shifters (2019)

January 29, 2023January 29, 2023 Grant Watson

‘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, science fictionLeave a comment

REVIEW: JUNG_E (2023)

January 28, 2023 Grant Watson

Yeon Sang-ho has become a genre filmmaker well worth watching, most famously through his 2016 global hit Train to Busan but also its live-action sequel Peninsula (2020) and animated prequel Seoul Station (2016), cult work The King of Pigs (2011), and 2020 Netflix series Hellbound. Netflix is … Continue reading REVIEW: JUNG_E (2023)

horror, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: Thinner (1996)

January 26, 2023 Grant Watson

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)

drama, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: Dust and Ashes (2019)

January 26, 2023 Grant Watson

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, science fictionLeave a comment

REVIEW: Last Sunrise (2019)

January 23, 2023 Grant Watson

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)

horror, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: The Outwaters (2022)

January 23, 2023 Grant Watson

This is a little piece that I like to call “Why I hated The Outwaters and why I think you should give it a go”. This is not the traditional sort of film review, because this is not the traditional sort of … Continue reading REVIEW: The Outwaters (2022)

comedy, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: Dying to Survive (2018)

January 22, 2023 Grant Watson

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)

comedy, reviewLeave a comment

REVIEW: Didi’s Dream (2017)

January 21, 2023 Grant Watson

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)

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