Blog Archives

Dearest (2014)

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Posted on June 4, 2016 by John Snadden

I keep on coming back to one particular word when describing the 2014 mainland drama Dearest — and that word is unsettling. There’s also a subversive thread running through this movie which subtly but resolutely questions the ability of China’s government to comprehend and to act on very complicated legal and emotional issues. Dearest is about child-stealing and is based on a case which caught the public’s attention in 2009.

The film’s director, Peter Chan, is one of a small … (read more)

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The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman (2010)

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Posted on March 15, 2011 by Justin

Opening this week in Australian cinemas, The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman is the cinematic debut for director Wuershan (a successful Beijing-based commercial director), and the second Chinese film with the backing of Fox International, after last year’s star-studded romance Hot Summer Days. It’s also got Doug Liman (director of The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith) on board as an executive producer, and “presenting” the film in the posters for Western markets, much like Quentin … (read more)

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Jump (Tiu Cheut Heui) (2009)

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Posted on December 2, 2009 by Elizabeth Kerr

Before continuing, I’ll admit bias here: I’m a sucker for dancing movies. Yes, they’re schmaltzy and formulaic, but they’re also fun. When Antonio Banderas finally shook his booty in Take the Lead … aah. It was one of those moments of fleeting euphoria that only comes at the movies. Cheesy? Hell, yeah! Bring it.

So it was with an open mind I sat down for the long-delayed Jump, the latest by budding schlockmeister Stephen Fung (Enter the Phoenix… (read more)

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