https://www.scmp.com/rss/328490/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Richard James Havis Richard James Havis The 1967 film The One-Armed Swordsman changed Hong Kong martial arts cinema forever. Its two sequels, while less influential, remain well-regarded and highly entertaining. Here is how those two follow-ups kept the legend alive. Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969) The massive success of the original film made Chang Cheh a “million-dollar director” – and a sequel inevitable. Although leading actor Jimmy Wang Yu returned, this follow-up was a very different film. Screenwriting legend Ni Kuang... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351007/how-one-armed-swordsman-sequels-took-hong-kong-martial-arts-films-next-level?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351007/how-one-armed-swordsman-sequels-took-hong-kong-martial-arts-films-next-level?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 09:15:09 +0000 dpa dpa Not many 85-year-olds are as fit as Ringo Starr. The former Beatle has released yet another album. On it, he indulges his lifelong passion for country music – with some high-profile guests. Working on his 2025 album Look Up with T Bone Burnett was so much fun that he is now following it up. The restless Brit has been back in the studio with the American country icon and has emerged with his 22nd studio album, Long Long Road. The album title has something autobiographical about it, and, at 85,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351280/ringo-starr-his-new-country-album-long-long-road-its-road-ive-taken?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351280/ringo-starr-his-new-country-album-long-long-road-its-road-ive-taken?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Michelle Pfeiffer and a toddler named Elle Fanning first crossed paths as screen partners in the early 2000s, in a story that explored matters of adulthood, parenthood, and the value of love and family amid the chaos of life. Fanning was playing a younger version of her sister Dakota, then seven years old, who was making her major feature-film debut. The role was that of the daughter of a man with an intellectual disability, played by Sean Penn, fighting to secure custody of her in I Am Sam.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351234/elle-fanning-michelle-pfeiffer-talk-motherhood-apple-tvs-margos-got-money-troubles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351234/elle-fanning-michelle-pfeiffer-talk-motherhood-apple-tvs-margos-got-money-troubles?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 20:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, Kwak Sun-young Latest Nielsen rating: 4.1 per cent Picture the scene: outside a rural town in 1980s South Korea, a red scarecrow stands in a field of pale reeds, within which stalks a serial killer whose diabolical acts will consume the detectives who later search for him in vain. From its opening moments and all through its first two episodes, ENA’s new period investigative drama The Scarecrow is unable to escape the spectre of Bong Joon-ho’s landmark... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3351250/k-drama-scarecrow-serial-killer-thriller-echoes-classic-film-memories-murder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3351250/k-drama-scarecrow-serial-killer-thriller-echoes-classic-film-memories-murder?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 10:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 4.5/5 stars Lead cast: Erika Toda, Sairi Ito, Toko Miura Anchored by a sensational central performance from Erika Toda, Netflix’s new drama series Straight to Hell spans 60 years of recent Japanese history as it charts the controversial life of celebrity fortune-teller Kazuko Hosoki. The 37-year-old actress, best known internationally for her breakout role in the Death Note films, portrays this mercurial figure between the ages of 17 and 66, as she claws her way out of abject poverty in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351229/netflix-drama-straight-hell-review-erika-toda-dazzles-japans-famous-fortune-teller?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351229/netflix-drama-straight-hell-review-erika-toda-dazzles-japans-famous-fortune-teller?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran 3/5 stars Lead cast: Jeon So-young, Kang Mi-na, Baek Sun-ho, Hyun Woo-seok, Lee Hyo-je From shopping and dating to content creation, these days it feels like there is very little that you cannot do with your smartphone. Netflix’s latest original K-drama, If Wishes Could Kill, pushes that reality just a little bit further. What if there were an app that could grant your deepest desires? In the world of this series, that app exists and it is called Girigo. There is just one catch: once your wish... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3351274/netflix-k-drama-if-wishes-could-kill-review-high-school-horror-chilling-tech-twist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3351274/netflix-k-drama-if-wishes-could-kill-review-high-school-horror-chilling-tech-twist?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 08:00:13 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee This is the 75th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. When Tony Leung Ka-fai took to the stage of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Grand Theatre on April 19 to accept the best actor prize at the 44th Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA), he became the only person to win that honour across five consecutive decades. Yet for the 68-year-old veteran, his accolades are a by-product of his endurance – he has previously admitted to keeping his... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351095/how-tony-leung-ka-fais-hong-kong-film-awards-record-caps-wild-journey-actor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3351095/how-tony-leung-ka-fais-hong-kong-film-awards-record-caps-wild-journey-actor?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Got knee pain? How exercise can help you avoid surgery, as a rugby player found Exercise and other therapies are often preferred treatment alternatives to knee replacement surgery. Former Hong Kong rugby team player Rob Naylor experienced this first-hand. 2. Is the Year of the Horse’s third month lucky for you?... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3351118/alternative-treatments-knee-pain-monthly-zodiac-forecast-7-lifestyle-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3351118/alternative-treatments-knee-pain-monthly-zodiac-forecast-7-lifestyle-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:15:07 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Kim Hyang-gi, Cha Hak-yeon, Kim Jae-hyun, Son Jeong-hyeok, Kim Dong-kyu The worlds of glossy high school comedy and steamy BL (boys’ love) melodrama collide in the breezy new drama Absolute Value of Romance. Kim Hyang-gi (Cashero) plays Yeo Ui-ju, a high school student in the idyllic old town of Jeonju who spends her evenings at home hunched over her laptop, secretly churning out web novels. Her genre is BL, a popular phenomenon that focuses on the romantic misunderstandings and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3350960/prime-video-k-drama-absolute-value-romance-high-school-comedy-boys-love-twist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3350960/prime-video-k-drama-absolute-value-romance-high-school-comedy-boys-love-twist?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Koo Kyo-hwan, Go Yoon-jung, Oh Jung-se, Park Hae-joon Latest Nielsen rating: 2.24 per cent Park Hae-young, the celebrated scribe behind My Mister and My Liberation Notes, returns with her latest slice-of-life series, the film-industry-set We Are All Trying Here. D.P. actor Koo Kyo-hwan, who recently headlined the big-screen romantic hit Once We Were Us, plays Hwang Dong-man, a passionate and eccentric filmmaker who excelled among his peers at university. Trouble is, that was 20 years... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3350976/netflix-k-drama-we-are-all-trying-here-go-yoon-jung-koo-kyo-hwan-film-industry-drama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3350976/netflix-k-drama-we-are-all-trying-here-go-yoon-jung-koo-kyo-hwan-film-industry-drama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2/5 stars There is a huge elephant in the room with Michael, the slick but insubstantial new biopic about the “King of Pop”. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and made in cooperation with the Michael Jackson estate, the film features all the singer’s mega-hits, from “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” to “Thriller” and “Bad”. But it shirks the controversies that dogged the music star in his later years – when he was accused of child molestation, something he always denied. Originally expected a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350859/michael-movie-review-michael-jackson-biopic-features-all-hits-none-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350859/michael-movie-review-michael-jackson-biopic-features-all-hits-none-controversy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu According to the 2021 population census, Hong Kong is home to 619,568 people from ethnic minorities, making up 8.4 per cent of the population (the figure is 301,344, or roughly 4.1 per cent, excluding foreign domestic workers). About 13,000 to 15,000 asylum seekers also live in the city. One of the closest-knit outposts of non-Chinese communities in Hong Kong is Kam Tin in Yuen Long district, in the New Territories. In a city defined by its dense urban landscape and Cantonese heritage, the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350831/how-new-hong-kong-indie-film-uses-tea-bridge-citys-ethnic-minority-divide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350831/how-new-hong-kong-indie-film-uses-tea-bridge-citys-ethnic-minority-divide?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 dpa dpa Video game developer Capcom brought forward the release date for its long-awaited space sci-fi adventure Pragmata to April 17 amid global excitement over the successful Artemis II moon mission. Players slip into the spacesuit of Hugh Williams, a spacecraft engineer in the near future who travels to the Cradle moon station run by the Delphi Corporation. The base was founded to mine and research the raw material Lunafilament, which is used to expand the base and to build support robots using 3D... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350400/pragmata-review-moon-set-game-released-early-amid-artemis-ii-buzz-amazing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350400/pragmata-review-moon-set-game-released-early-amid-artemis-ii-buzz-amazing?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis It was not all John Woo Yu-sum when it came to Hong Kong crime films in the late 1980s – filmmakers were still making a variety of interesting cops-and-robbers movies. Here, we look at two hidden gems produced by Tsui Hark that were directed by Johnnie To Kei-fung and Kirk Wong Chi-keung, respectively. The Big Heat (1988) This skilfully executed police thriller features some gruesome violence – it opens with a dream sequence in which an electric drill rips through a hand – but the sometimes... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350298/why-these-1980s-hong-kong-crime-movies-produced-tsui-hark-are-hidden-gems?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350298/why-these-1980s-hong-kong-crime-movies-produced-tsui-hark-are-hidden-gems?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 03:15:07 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran As temperatures rise and cherry blossom petals drift across Seoul’s bustling spring streets, the city’s drama industry is whirring with activity. Major stars are circling a collection of enticing new shows, including an Australia-set mystery, a Japanese drama remake and a period hitwoman series. Read on for the latest casting news. Caution, Hazardous Wife Lee Hye-ri and Na In-woo have been approached to take on the leading roles in Caution, Hazardous Wife, a remake of the 2017 Japanese series of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3350389/k-drama-casting-news-about-lee-hye-ri-choi-hyun-wook-kim-da-mi-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3350389/k-drama-casting-news-about-lee-hye-ri-choi-hyun-wook-kim-da-mi-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:15:09 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Standing in her kitchen, Nicole Fontanez let out a gasp as she cut open a cardboard box, revealing a plastic figure of Yoshi, Mario’s dinosaur-like friend from the popular Nintendo games. The bulky toy was holding a hollow, polka-dotted egg. Fontanez, 31, and her husband, Brian Fontanez, 36, were filming their reactions as they unveiled the newest addition to their novelty popcorn bucket collection for their YouTube channel, “Our Guilty Collections”, where they chat about films and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350258/how-us50-popcorn-buckets-have-become-newest-collecting-craze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350258/how-us50-popcorn-buckets-have-become-newest-collecting-craze?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel met like their characters in The Christophers do: with a knock on the door. Coel, taking a break from writing her upcoming BBC-HBO series First Day on Earth in Ghana, turned up at McKellen’s house in London to go over the script with him and screenwriter Ed Solomon. “I walked into your house,” Coel says in an interview with her and McKellen. “I knew who you were. You were like, ‘Hello! What are you? What are you then?’” “You looked interesting and beautiful,”... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350244/how-ian-mckellen-and-michaela-coel-found-screen-chemistry-christophers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350244/how-ian-mckellen-and-michaela-coel-found-screen-chemistry-christophers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Matt Glasby Matt Glasby This is the latest instalment in a feature series reflecting on instances of East meets West in world cinema, including China-US co-productions. “It’s one of your favourite fantasies, isn’t it: the submissive Oriental woman and the cruel white man?” Chinese opera singer Song Liling (John Lone) says to French diplomat René Gallimard (Jeremy Irons) at the start of their metaphorically freighted affair. It is a cliché both explored and exploded in director David Cronenberg’s 1993 drama M.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349334/how-m-butterfly-jeremy-irons-subverted-western-fantasies-chinese-femininity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349334/how-m-butterfly-jeremy-irons-subverted-western-fantasies-chinese-femininity?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung It is officially the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens weekend, which means event domination in headlines, happy hours and MTR carriages. But if the frenzy is not your cup of tea, don’t worry. There is always something else in this city. From a late-night dim sum rave in a century-old teahouse to a pickleball social in West Kowloon and sustainable fashion swaps, there is plenty to do that has nothing to do with the Sevens. Here are five things to check out this weekend. 1. Dim Sum Rave On Saturday,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3350246/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-17-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3350246/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-17-19?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:45:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Kim Go-eun, Kim Jae-won Latest Nielsen rating: 1.7 per cent Almost four years after the second season of Yumi’s Cells, Kim Go-eun is back as Kim Yumi for a third helping of the partially animated adaptation of the hit webtoon of the same name, penned by Lee Dong-gun. In the intervening years, Yumi has risen in the world. No longer an employee of Daehan Noodles, she has realised her dormant passion for writing and has become a celebrated author of romance novels, which she writes in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3350309/hbo-max-k-drama-yumis-cells-season-3-kim-go-eun-returns-final-romantic-chapter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3350309/hbo-max-k-drama-yumis-cells-season-3-kim-go-eun-returns-final-romantic-chapter?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service For Taiwanese-American comedian Sheng Wang, purple is more than a colour; it is a way of being. From his style to the way he floats through the world writing jokes based on the small, fleeting moments of life, the 46-year-old maintains a sense of tranquillity and creates impact with his art by not trying so hard. It is no shock that his second Netflix special, Purple, is the most revealing of who he is at a time when people are finally paying attention. Coming off the success of his 2022 Netflix... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350103/asian-american-comedian-sheng-wang-netflixs-purple-ali-wong-and-his-love-cooking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350103/asian-american-comedian-sheng-wang-netflixs-purple-ali-wong-and-his-love-cooking?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:15:07 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. All 7 are dentists and hot. The Asian-American family blowing up social media The Chen family shot to social media stardom over their shared career, good looks and closeness – all achieved without tiger parenting. 2. Hainanese chicken rice origins and its versions in Singapore, Malaysia and more With roots in Hainan’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3350267/asian-american-family-hot-dentists-hainan-chicken-rice-roots-7-lifestyle-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3350267/asian-american-family-hot-dentists-hainan-chicken-rice-roots-7-lifestyle-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:45:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars When it premiered in April 2023, the first season of Netflix’s Beef helped solidify an unprecedented moment for Asian-American representation on screen, arriving hot on the heels of Everything Everywhere All at Once’s historic night at the 95th Academy Awards and just weeks after the premiere of Celine Song’s Past Lives at the Sundance Film Festival. Incidentally, but perhaps not coincidentally, all three of those projects were produced by the pioneering New York-based outfit... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349978/beef-season-2-review-netflixs-chaotic-follow-more-overcooked-well-done?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349978/beef-season-2-review-netflixs-chaotic-follow-more-overcooked-well-done?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:00:09 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak From colonial-era red-brick buildings in the shadows of gleaming new skyscrapers to lush hills that roll into the sea, Hong Kong is a city of contrasts. But not all of these juxtapositions are palatable ones. The Season is a six-episode, English-language revenge thriller miniseries that charts the dark undercurrents flowing beneath Hong Kong’s high-society boating scene. The PCCW Media production, shot in Hong Kong between April and June 2025, features an international ensemble cast led... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349971/how-hong-kong-set-series-season-depicts-dark-side-citys-high-society?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349971/how-hong-kong-set-series-season-depicts-dark-side-citys-high-society?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee This year’s Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) arrives under an unprecedented cloud of controversy, making Sunday’s 44th edition at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre one of the most heavily scrutinised ceremonies in the event’s history. The industry has been reeling ever since the pre-emptive disqualification of four eligible films in early January: Valley of the Shadow of Death, Vital Signs, Finch & Midland and Mother Bhumi. This opaque and as-yet-unexplained move by the HKFA effectively removed... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350125/hong-kong-film-awards-2026-predictions-ciao-ufo-back-past-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350125/hong-kong-film-awards-2026-predictions-ciao-ufo-back-past-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Handing down a name over the generations is a central part of the Japanese traditional theatre art of kabuki, and that ceremony gets celebrated at theatres and special events every few years. Now, the ritual is taking place with the eighth Kikugoro, who is having that honour passed down from his 83-year-old father, the seventh Kikugoro, who in turn got that name from his father. “Taking on the name is about taking on the spirit and responsibility that’s created and getting passed down over... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3350102/how-japans-kabuki-theatre-legacies-are-kept-family?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3350102/how-japans-kabuki-theatre-legacies-are-kept-family?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Setlog is the latest mobile app that is taking South Korea by storm. Designed to be a real-time vlog app for small groups of friends to document their day together, the video and visual diary format has rapidly gained traction on social media. Users are loving its “forced synchronicity” and no-edit approach when it comes to making videos and sharing content. Much of the app’s appeal stems from the trending “day-in-the-life” videos, particularly those that compare daily routines of friends side... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350142/what-setlog-app-trending-hong-kong-and-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3350142/what-setlog-app-trending-hong-kong-and-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:45:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: IU, Byeon Woo-seok, Noh Sang-hyun, Gong Seung-yeon Latest Nielsen rating: 9.5 per cent With all its slow-motion close-ups, high-society razzle-dazzle and swoon-worthy stars, the new romantic vehicle Perfect Crown, starring IU (When Life Gives You Tangerines) and Byeon Woo-seok (Lovely Runner), has all the trappings of a classic Korean drama, an alternative-history fable the kind of which the industry has been routinely producing for 20 years. On paper, the concept is a winner. Imagine... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3349981/disney-k-drama-perfect-crown-iu-and-byeon-woo-seok-lead-fantasy-romance-far-perfect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3349981/disney-k-drama-perfect-crown-iu-and-byeon-woo-seok-lead-fantasy-romance-far-perfect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak In the historical drama A Foggy Tale, which won the best narrative film and best original screenplay gongs at the 2025 Golden Horse Awards, writer-director Chen Yu-hsun tells the emotional stories of everyday individuals who fight tirelessly to survive against a backdrop of intense political and social turbulence. Set in 1950s Taiwan during the early years of the White Terror – a time of rampant political persecution under Kuomintang rule – A Foggy Tale follows Yue (Caitlin Fang Yu-ting,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349843/what-taiwan-white-terror-drama-foggy-tale-taught-will-or-and-9m88-about-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349843/what-taiwan-white-terror-drama-foggy-tale-taught-will-or-and-9m88-about-resilience?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 04:45:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The battered wooden trunk had been in the family for a century – shifted from attic to barn to garage as it was handed down through the generations. No one knew a cinematic treasure was inside. That was until retired American teacher Bill McFarland’s curiosity got the better of him. For the past 20 years, McFarland, 76, has been the keeper of the trunk, which originally belonged to his late great-grandfather who showed silent films to audiences in rural Pennsylvania at the turn of the 20th... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349874/how-french-cinema-pioneers-lost-1897-film-was-found-us-family-heirloom-trunk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349874/how-french-cinema-pioneers-lost-1897-film-was-found-us-family-heirloom-trunk?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:16:19 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak After more than four decades of working with world-renowned European auteurs, from Krzysztof Kieślowski and Michael Haneke to Olivier Assayas and Claire Denis, French actress Juliette Binoche has simple advice for creating great art that moves people: be very human and trust one’s intuition. “The purpose of films is to transform the audience so they become richer at the end of watching a film. It is nourishing their soul and putting questions in their lives,” she says in an interview at the 50th... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349876/why-french-film-icon-juliette-binoche-isnt-worried-about-ai-replacing-human-talent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349876/why-french-film-icon-juliette-binoche-isnt-worried-about-ai-replacing-human-talent?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:15:07 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times The award-winning Netflix series Beef, which swept categories at the Emmys, Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, returns on April 16 with its second season. Korean-American director and writer Lee Sung-jin said in an online interview that he was excited but found season two “even harder than the first” season to make as he aimed to “take some big swings and risks while retaining what is special about the show”. Unlike season one’s road rage feud between lonely strangers, season two unfolds... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349605/netflixs-beef-season-2-bridge-between-west-and-east-says-director-lee-sung-jin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349605/netflixs-beef-season-2-bridge-between-west-and-east-says-director-lee-sung-jin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 10:15:07 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Kung fu and action comedies dominated Hong Kong’s comedy genre in the late 1970s and 80s, but the city’s film industry was also still making mainstream comedies at the time – and audiences loved them. We take a deep dive into three crowd favourites. Itchy Fingers (1979) Hugely popular upon its release, this odd-couple comedy might feel a bit tame for modern viewers. But director Leong Po-chih, a notable member of the Hong Kong New Wave, was a consummate craftsman. He delivers a well-paced romp... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349459/3-hong-kong-comedy-classics-1970s-and-80s-became-local-favourites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349459/3-hong-kong-comedy-classics-1970s-and-80s-became-local-favourites?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 08:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Byeon Woo-seok’s star has been on a sharp rise over the past few years. After sitting out last year’s drama release schedules, he returns this weekend in what is arguably his most hotly anticipated role to date: Grand Prince Ian in the alternate-history fantasy romance Perfect Crown opposite K-pop idol IU (aka Lee Ji-eun). Born in Bucheon, a satellite city southwest of Seoul, in 1991, Byeon spent his early childhood there before relocating to the capital. Influenced by his older sister, he... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3349509/who-byeon-woo-seok-model-turned-actor-starring-opposite-iu-perfect-crown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3349509/who-byeon-woo-seok-model-turned-actor-starring-opposite-iu-perfect-crown?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 07:15:08 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service What is busier than booked and busy? Whatever it is, Zendaya is exactly that this entire year, with a slate filled with high-profile screen projects, including those dropping her back in the drama of Euphoria and the desert sands of Arrakis in the Dune franchise. The 29-year-old, a Disney Channel star who has become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors, kicks off her impressive run this month with the dark romantic comedy The Drama, which co-stars Robert Pattinson, who will also join her for... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349270/2026-year-zendaya-drama-and-euphoria-spider-man-and-dune?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349270/2026-year-zendaya-drama-and-euphoria-spider-man-and-dune?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu It is the weekend before the annual Hong Kong Sevens comes into town, drawing rugby fans from around the world. Take this weekend to perhaps indulge in the calm before the storm, attending introspective exhibitions, eco-friendly local markets and restorative fitness classes. Here are five things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, to ease yourself back from the long Easter weekend and to savour the quiet before the Sevens. 1. The Majestic Han Following the success of the “Tang Vogue Beyond the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3349520/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-10-12?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3349520/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-10-12?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:45:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 74th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. When a young Joey Yung Cho-yee was dropped by her first record label for her supposedly ordinary looks, few would have bet she would one day stand atop Cantopop as one of its most decorated performers. Yet nearly three decades later, the 45-year-old Hong Kong singer has outlasted her critics and claimed, among other accolades, a dozen most popular female singer trophies from TVB’s... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349329/not-pretty-enough-joey-yung-became-one-hong-kongs-biggest-cantopop-idols-anyway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349329/not-pretty-enough-joey-yung-became-one-hong-kongs-biggest-cantopop-idols-anyway?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A very grown-up Malcolm turns to the camera at the beginning of the Malcolm in the Middle revival and, weirdly, has nothing to complain about. “Yeah, I look different, but, hey, everything about me is different. I’m happy. I’m successful,” he says. “My life is fantastic now. You want to know how I did it? All I had to do is stay completely away from my family.” That is going to be very hard to do in Hulu’s four-part Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, which reunites one of the zaniest... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349467/how-malcolm-middle-reboot-lifes-still-unfair-came-being-and-keeps-crazy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349467/how-malcolm-middle-reboot-lifes-still-unfair-came-being-and-keeps-crazy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars After winning the Cristal for a Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, French filmmaker Ugo Bienvenu’s directorial debut Arco went on to be nominated at every major awards ceremony this past season, only to be eclipsed by Netflix’s cultural juggernaut, KPop Demon Hunters. While the latter’s success is undeniable, Arco is more than worthy of recognition, emerging as a charming and delicately handled sci-fi fable with a powerful ecological message. In the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349216/arco-movie-review-annecy-cristal-winner-peter-pan-esque-sci-fi-tale-our-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349216/arco-movie-review-annecy-cristal-winner-peter-pan-esque-sci-fi-tale-our-times?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:15:07 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Las Vegas is – by definition and mission statement – an immersive experience. It wants all of you – your eyes, your ears, your stomach, your imagination and, of course, your wallet. It offers giant resorts with so many amenities and attractions that, once inside one of these complexes, you never really need to leave for the length of your stay. It is the type of place that comes at you the moment you enter the city limits. And then it just keeps right on coming – with concerts, roulette tables,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3349135/5-las-vegas-best-immersive-hi-tech-attractions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3349135/5-las-vegas-best-immersive-hi-tech-attractions?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars Shifting gears between careers as a writer, entrepreneur, rally driver and filmmaker, post-80s poster boy Han Han adds another accolade to his cluttered trophy cabinet, scoring the biggest hit of 2026 so far with the motor-racing sequel Pegasus 3. Having clocked up more than 4.3 billion yuan (US$625 million) at China’s box office since its Chinese New Year release, the blockbuster sequel finally brings the continuing exploits of former champion Zhang Chi (Shen Teng) roaring into Hong... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349140/pegasus-3-movie-review-shen-teng-roars-back-han-hans-blockbuster-racing-sequel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349140/pegasus-3-movie-review-shen-teng-roars-back-han-hans-blockbuster-racing-sequel?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Associated Press,Agence France-Presse Associated Press,Agence France-Presse As The Super Mario Galaxy Movie crushed the competition at the North American box office on its opening weekend, with an estimated US$130.9 million in ticket sales, this screen adaptation of the wildly popular Nintendo video game may have succeeded in enticing arguably the most prized film-goers to Hollywood today: children. The five-day opening of the Super Mario sequel reached US$190.1 million domestically, and around US$372.5 million worldwide. “This is a sensational opening for the second... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349137/how-generation-alpha-could-save-hollywood-pg-rated-films-lead-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3349137/how-generation-alpha-could-save-hollywood-pg-rated-films-lead-way?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee For an actress often hailed by the Taiwanese press as the “box office guarantee” of her generation, Gingle Wang Ching began her career with a startling lack of vocabulary: she had no idea what the word “action” meant on a film set. Her very first scene in her debut feature, 2017’s All Because of Love, required her to walk down a school corridor, open a classroom door and step inside. What should have taken minutes instead took 33 takes. “I didn’t understand anything at all,” Wang, 28, tells the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348889/how-gingle-wang-went-clueless-novice-one-taiwans-top-young-actresses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348889/how-gingle-wang-went-clueless-novice-one-taiwans-top-young-actresses?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Celebrated novelist Eileen Chang Ai-ling was not only a film fan, but she also worked as a film critic and wrote movie scripts. Chang’s own novellas were often considered difficult to adapt for the screen. “Her stories are beautiful because of their language and details, not their plots,” critic Paul Fonoroff wrote in the South China Morning Post. Nevertheless, the great Hong Kong director Ann Hui On-wah has tried three times, with Love in a Fallen City (1984), Eighteen Springs (1997) and Love... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348750/how-did-ann-hui-bring-eileen-changs-love-fallen-city-and-eighteen-springs-life?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348750/how-did-ann-hui-bring-eileen-changs-love-fallen-city-and-eighteen-springs-life?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters After ⁠losing its bid to acquire Warner Bros Discovery and its rich trove of characters and stories, Netflix ⁠is forging ahead with the challenging work of building culture-defining franchises on its own. Chief creative officer Bela ⁠Bajaria says Netflix will keep investing in original ideas, and partner with established studios such as MGM and Warner Bros, to try and produce movies and series that live on for years, in the vein of Stranger Things, Wednesday and Bridgerton. “To me, that’s just... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348894/how-netflix-seeking-next-stranger-things-after-failed-warner-bros-bid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348894/how-netflix-seeking-next-stranger-things-after-failed-warner-bros-bid?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran As the cherry blossoms begin to bloom, K-drama stars are busy signing on to a variety of coming projects, among them a period crime series, a fantasy romance, a mystery melodrama and a film-industry-set romantic drama. Read on for the latest casting news. Born Guilty Itaewon Class star Park Seo-joon is set to act opposite Uhm Tae-goo (My Sweet Mobster) and Jo Hye-joo (Dear Hyeri) in the coming Disney+ drama Born Guilty. Based on a webtoon of the same name, this crime-action series will be set in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3348891/k-drama-casting-news-about-park-seo-joon-park-eun-bin-lee-young-ae-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3348891/k-drama-casting-news-about-park-seo-joon-park-eun-bin-lee-young-ae-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto never imagined that the “little character I drew would become so big”, bouncing through the decades from pixelated New York sewers to a silver-screen space epic. There were more technical constraints when the red-capped plumber made his 1980s debut, says Miyamoto, the design mastermind of Japan’s Nintendo, as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits the cinemas this week. In the earliest Mario arcade games, the character was only 16 pixels tall, a far cry from the rich... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348737/tough-choices-mario-creator-shigeru-miyamoto-made-new-movie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348737/tough-choices-mario-creator-shigeru-miyamoto-made-new-movie?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +0000 Matt Glasby Matt Glasby This is the latest instalment in our From the Vault feature series, in which we reflect on culturally significant movies celebrating notable anniversaries. Released 25 years ago this month, the 2001 film Bridget Jones’s Diary was a huge success, earning its star, Renée Zellweger, an Oscar nomination and spawning three sequels that helped the franchise gross nearly US$900 million worldwide. A London-set romcom about one woman’s search for a “nice, sensible man”, it cleverly repackaged certain... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348077/why-bridget-joness-diary-feels-so-dated-25-years-after-beloved-romcoms-release?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348077/why-bridget-joness-diary-feels-so-dated-25-years-after-beloved-romcoms-release?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi, Rain Woo Do-hwan (Mr. Plankton) and Lee Sang-yi (Spice Up Our Love) return as happy-go-lucky bruisers Gun-woo and Woo-jin in season two of the acclaimed Netflix action-drama Bloodhounds, directed by Kim Joo-hwan (also known as Jason Kim). The young boxers have trimmed their locks and risen up in the world, but their good intentions are once again thwarted by the arrival of a money-hungry villain, this time played by K-pop icon Rain (Red Swan). Following their... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3348869/netflix-k-drama-bloodhounds-season-2-k-pop-star-rain-joins-menacing-villain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3348869/netflix-k-drama-bloodhounds-season-2-k-pop-star-rain-joins-menacing-villain?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:15:12 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung It has only been a few days since the end of Hong Kong’s art week, but the city is already steaming ahead for another action-packed weekend. This Easter holiday, the relentless rhythm shifts from gallery walls to the sprung floors of a dance studio, a Thai holiday festival and yet another convention with anime classics and musical performances in the spotlight. Here are five things to do in Hong Kong this weekend. 1. Easter in Artful Bloom at The Repulse Bay This weekend marks the beginning of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3348872/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-3-5?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3348872/5-best-things-do-hong-kong-weekend-april-3-5?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 03:00:41 +0000