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Film reviews

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Film reviews
Hollywood blockbusters, local greats, European movies, Japanese and Korean dramas, animation, art house films, you can find them all here.
(From left) Mabel Beaver (voiced by Piper Curda), King George (Bobby Moynihan), Tom Lizard (Tom Law) and Loaf (Eduardo Franco) in a still from Hoppers (category I), directed by Daniel Chong. Photo: Disney/Pixar
American cinema

Review | Hoppers: Pixar’s new animation is a hilarious, heartfelt animal Avatar

Pixar’s Hoppers sees a young animal-lover use secret technology to pilot a robot beaver to recruit real ones and stop a construction project.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Scare Out: Zhang Yimou tackles national security in subpar Chinese spy thriller

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Double Happiness: Liu Kuan-ting, Jennifer Yu lead clever wedding comedy

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | A New Dawn: climate crisis meets fireworks in confusing Japanese anime

Yoshitoshi Shinomiya’s beautiful debut feature is sure to excite fans of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki, even if a muddled plot lets it down.

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A still from A New Dawn, directed by Yoshitoshi Shinomiya. Lead characters voiced by Riku Hagiwara and Kotone Furukawa. Photo: A New Dawn Film Partners
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Blades of the Guardians: Wu Jing leads star-studded Chinese martial arts epic

Starring Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse and Chen Lijun, the visually stunning Blades of the Guardians is one of the fiercest wuxia films in years.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Jackie Chan’s hot streak continues with Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe

Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe manages to overcome its previous instalment’s failings to become a fun, wholesome family adventure.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | We Are All Strangers: Anthony Chen’s epic look at fatherhood in Singapore

A beautiful conclusion to Anthony Chen’s ‘Growing Up’ trilogy, We Are All Strangers is a study of family and love in all its forms.

(Standing, from left) Yeo Yann Yann and Andi Lim in a still from We Are All Strangers, directed by Anthony Chen. Photo: Giraffe Pictures
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Night King: Dayo Wong, Sammi Cheng lead enjoyably fluffy nightclub comedy

While slightly disjointed and overlong, Night King delivers a fun blend of romance and nostalgic glamour set in Hong Kong’s nightclub scene.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | The Snowball on a Sunny Day: Mark Six miss turns into mayhem in family comedy

This witty Lunar New Year film follows a woman pretending to have won the Mark Six lottery after failing to buy the winning ticket.

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American cinema

Review | Wuthering Heights: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi sizzle in modern moorcore

Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights captivates with stunning visuals in the Yorkshire Moors and sizzling chemistry between Elordi and Robbie.

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Jacob Elordi (left) and Margot Robbie in a still from Wuthering Heights (category IIB), directed by Emerald Fennell. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Tokyo Taxi: Takuya Kimura and Chieko Baisho lead moving Yoji Yamada drama

Tokyo Taxi is an utterly captivating ride that sees an elderly woman bond with her taxi driver while reminiscing about her eventful life.

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Takuya Kimura and Chieko Baisho in a still from Tokyo Taxi (category: IIA, Japanese), directed by Yoji Yamada.
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | All You Need Is Kill: Japanese novel behind Edge of Tomorrow gets animated

A young recruit is stuck in a time loop amid an alien invasion in All You Need Is Kill, an animated sci-fi thriller based on a light novel.

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American cinema

Review | Send Help: Rachel McAdams leads bloody island survival satire

McAdams has a ball as an office drone stranded on a desert island with her boss in this entertaining horror/black comedy from Sam Raimi.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Gezhi Town: Chinese war drama with Xiao Zhan dares to entertain

Civilians try to fend off Japanese soldiers in this thrilling drama that focuses on character dynamics rather than patriotic grandstanding.

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Xiao Zhan in a still from Gezhi Town (category IIB, Mandarin), co-starring Peng Yuchang and Zhou Yiran, and directed by Kong Sheng.
American cinema

Review | Mercy: Chris Pratt battles a virtual judge in flawed AI courtroom thriller

Chris Pratt plays a detective accused of murder who has 90 minutes to clear his name in this ‘screenlife’ thriller that fluffs its third act.

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Chris Pratt as Detective Chris Raven in a still from Mercy (category IIA), directed by Timur Bekmambetov. Rebecca Ferguson co-stars.
American cinema

Review | Primate: 47 Meters Down director back for a bloody killer ape slasher

This Johannes Roberts film about a chimp that goes on the attack after contracting rabies relies on low-brow gore, and not much else.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Unexpected Family: Jackie Chan trades kicks for tears in sentimental drama

Chan excels as a man with Alzheimer’s disease in this well-meaning but ham-fisted film about the importance of family.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Finch & Midland: Anthony Wong and Patrick Tam can’t save grim diaspora drama

A strong cast is wasted in this undignified tale about Hong Kong immigrants struggling in Canada, which mistakes grimness for profundity.

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Patrick Tam in a still from Finch & Midland (category IIB; Cantonese, English), directed by Timothy Yeung. Anthony Wong and Harriet Yeung co-star.
European cinema

Review | 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Ralph Fiennes leads savage sequel

Fiennes plays a bigger role alongside Jack O’Connell in this unsettling follow-up that sets the franchise up for a grandstand finish.

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European cinema

Review | The Thing with Feathers: Benedict Cumberbatch carries moving tale of grief

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sam Spruell star in this touching drama about a father struggling to bring up his two boys after his wife dies.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Back to the Past: Louis Koo, Raymond Lam lead nostalgic film sequel

This big-budget sci-fi fantasy may be an emotional watch for fans of the 2001 Hong Kong show A Step into the Past, even if it falls short.

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Louis Koo in a still from Back to the Past.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Pass and Goal: Gigi Leung leads football-themed Hong Kong family comedy

Pass and Goal, starring Gigi Leung and newcomer Chau Tsz-yuet, defies expectations with its feel-good story, good acting and funny dialogue.

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Gigi Leung in a still from football-themed Hong Kong family comedy Pass and Goal (category IIA, Cantonese), directed by Jill Wong. Peter Chan and Ling Man-lung co-star.
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Good Autumn, Mommy: Shu Qi anchors gritty Chinese rural drama

Shu Qi stars as an impoverished woman who believes her newborn was taken from her in Good Autumn, Mommy, set in rural Guangzhou in 1995.

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American cinema

Review | Avatar: Fire and Ash – stunning visuals carry breathless third instalment

Avatar: Fire and Ash sees the Na’vi again fighting for survival in an action-packed sequel that introduces Pandora’s menacing Mangkwan clan.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Two Seasons, Two Strangers: a hypnotic ode to writing and travel

Starring Shim Eun-kyung and Yuumi Kawai, Japanese drama Two Seasons, Two Strangers is both fascinating and beautiful.

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Yuumi Kawai in a still from Two Seasons, Two Strangers
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Under Current: Aaron Kwok, Francis Ng seek justice in fun but silly thriller

This Hong Kong tale of greed and corruption is a watchable portrait of greed and corruption, but it is also thoroughly detached from reality.

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Aaron Kwok in a still from Under Current (category IIB, Cantonese), directed by Alan Mak. Francis Ng and Alex Fong co-star.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Road to Vendetta: Jeffrey Ngai plays an assassin in his first lead role

A John Wick-inspired action thriller co-produced by Hong Kong and Japan, Road to Vendetta is a textbook case of style over substance.

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American cinema

Review | Zootopia 2: Disney’s formulaic sequel delights with visual wit

Full of puns, visual gags and a song written by Shakira and Ed Sheeran seemingly on constant play, Zootopia 2 is a fun if predictable watch.

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