Director: Lulu Wang Stars: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Shuzhen Zhao It takes a significant amount of hubris on the part of a critic, a blogger (*glances both ways*) or a casual viewer to look at a work of art - the result of many, many collaborations - and say, "I wouldn't change a thing". Have we done any … Continue reading Review: The Farewell
Director: Jia Zhang-ke Actor: Zhao Tao, Liao Fan, Xu Zheng For as long as there have been gangster pictures there has been the trope of the gangster's moll; the beautiful dame as trophy appendage with smart retorts but virtually no agency of her own. The latest film from Chinese auteur Jia Zhang-ke inspects this trope, … Continue reading Review: Ash Is Purest White
Those unfamiliar with the work of Hou Hsiao-Hsien but whose interest in The Assassin has been piqued by the buzz and awards it received on the festival circuit last year might do well to research what they're getting themselves into. Cards on the table; I was one of those people. I've not seen his previous work and … Continue reading Review: The Assassin
Jia Zhangke's latest film, A Touch Of Sin, has caused something of a stir in his native China, where censors refused the film's screening. It seems generally believed that this is not only because of the film's violence (which is considerable at times, but far from boundary-breaking), but also thanks to the greater depiction of a … Continue reading Review: A Touch Of Sin
