'Mahjong,' Yang Guns: Most Appealing Work is Sadder, Sharper, and Funnier
It takes four players to play mahjong, but it turns out our two film reviews here are enough to deliver double the insight – and pulp delight. Enjoy!
Reviews
19 Posts
‘Made in Hong Kong’: The Revolutionary Nature of Being Young, Dumb, and Stumbling Through It All
Restored to 4K in 2017, "Made in Hong Kong" emerges nearly three decades after its initial release as a poignant testament to the city's spirit during a transformative era. Directed by Fruit Chan, the film paints a gritty, punk-infused portrait of life in 1990s Hong Kong
Hiroshi Teshigahara’s 'Pitfall,' a Ghost of the Japanese New Wave’s Art Theatre Guild
Directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara in 1962, Pitfall was the first Japanese film to be distributed by the Art Theatre Guild (ATG), the independent distribution and production company that helped ignite the Japanese New Wave’s radically experimental formalism.
'Millennium Mambo' Is Neon-Lit Nostalgia at Its Finest
Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s time capsule of early-aughts Taipei is 22, and it holds up for a new generation of viewers.
“I’m a storyteller before I’m a filmmaker:” visualizing story with Life for Sale director Tom Teng
Written by: Alexandra Bentzien What draws audiences to Tom Teng’s second feature film is the same curiosity which drew the director to Yukio Mishima’s Life for Sale. Teng first discovered the 1968 Japanese classic after its intriguing title caught his eye in a bookstore. He immediately began turning
Who’s really “Next Door?” Yeom Ji-ho’s debut feature
Written by: Alexandra Bentzien Perhaps South Korean director Yeom Ji-ho’s Next Door can be best described as a Hangover-inspired murder mystery unfolding Memento-style through the eyes of a protagonist with an inclination to freestyle. Oh Dong-min stars as Chan-woo, a young man who’s been trying – and failing – to
Who knew the pandemic could be a feel-good experience? On Hong Kong comedy Chilli Laugh Story
Written by: Alexandra Bentzien “Chilli Laugh Story” emerged as a stand-out crowd pleaser during yesterday night’s North American premiere screening at the New York Asian Film Festival. As fans of the film and its popular cast crowded the theater lobby to snag a good seat and special giveaway posters,