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Mother
Bong Joon-Ho jumps genres once more with this engrossing film about a mother’s conviction that her son is innocent; offbeat and engaging, the best film I saw in 2009.

Ponyo

Another beautiful masterwork by the ol’ anime master himself, this treasure swims along with a loopy logic all of its own.

Ip Man

Donnie Yen turns his ego down to “watchable” and delivers a powerhouse period … (read more)

The Good – Sparrow

It’s been a truly great year for Asian cinema! There are so many highlights, such as John Woo’s ambitious historical war epic Red Cliff, the little bit silly but hugely entertaining Hong Kong thriller Connected, and Cape No. 7, Taiwan’s box office hit that may possibly revive its struggling film industry in the same way Shiri did in Korea back in 1999. But my personal favourite Asian film of 2008 has to be Johnnie To’s gentle … (read more)

The Good – The Eighth Wonder of the World

This is actually a short tourist doco presented shown at the Terracotta Warriors Museum in Xi’an, China. Partly for the century-spanning plot from crazed despot who wanted to be buried with an army of life-sized soldiers right through to the accidental farmers who dug a well in 1974 and hit terracotta paydirt; partly because it’s in CIRCLE VISION, which means you stand in a big round room and the warring armies … (read more)

The Good – ?

It’s with much sadness to report that no film made my heart sing this year but the following were commendable – Sparrow, Memories of Matsuko, Jodhaa Akbar. Perhaps next year my heart will thaw out.

The Bad – Tashan, May 18

A large proportion of 2008 Hindi releases were uninspiring and forgettable but not Tashan. I’m certain sitting through root canal surgery would be less painful than this. I want my … (read more)

The Good – Old Fish

Perfectly balances the tension that arises from witnessing makeshift low-budget bomb disposal work with darkly humorous social observation, and demonstrates again how great cinema can surface once seldom necessary systemic norms like professional actors and commentative music are excluded.

The Bad – Rab ne Bana di Jodi

Tarnished by conservative gender politics and drab music, as well as the already stale convention of having a tediously drawn-out dance number in the middle of the picture … (read more)

The Good – Throne of Blood

Kurosawa and Shakespeare getting together so well, almost like peas and carrots.

The Bad – Ashes of Time Redux

Sure it’s looks incredible but the pacing is so horrible that I fell asleep.

The Weird – Imprint

It was a toss up between this and Oldboy, but as both share similar themes and high levels of violence, it came down to which one was generally weirder, and Miike doesn’t disappoint. … (read more)

The Good – The Good, the Bad, the Weird

Kim Jee-Woon’s motorcycle-riding, treasure-hunting 1930s Manchurian Western was the most fun I’ve had in a cinema in ages, though Johnnie To’s elegant Sparrow probably deserves an honourable mention as well.

The Bad – CJ7

Well, OK, so it wasn’t terrible, and it had one or two moments in it that made me laugh… but it felt like only a third of a film tuned for a very different audience than Stephen … (read more)