International: Asia
LIGHT OF THE SETTING SUN Review: How Trauma Shapes Identity, Inspires Poetry
Director Vicky Du peers into the past through the prism of her own family's history. Why did they leave China? Why did they leave Taiwan?
UGETSU 4K Review: Kenji Mizoguchi's Masterpiece
Our friends at the Criterion Collection continue to be champions of world cinema and film preservation. They recently released the new 4K/Blu-ray combo pack for Kenji Mizoguchi’s 1953 masterpiece, Ugetsu. I reviewed Ugetsu the last time around in 2017, back...
CHUNGKING EXPRESS 4K Review: Loneliness, Yearning, Loss, Romance, Joy, Bliss
Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, and Faye Wong star in Wong Kar Wai's masterpiece.
REVOLVER Review: Character Story in a Smoldering Thriller
Jeon Do-yeon, Ji Chang-wook, and Lim Ji-yeon star in Oh Seung-uk's slow-burn thriller.
LOVE HOTEL Review: Elevated Pinku Movie, Rising Above Genre Trappings
Sômai Shinji directed. Besides the obvious sex scenes and nudity that are required in pinku genre, the film retains all the director's signatures.
Cinequest 2025 Review: I'M NOT AN ACTOR, A Long Distance Drama Unfolds
A man and a woman audition for a film; he from Frankfurt, Germany, her from Mumbai, India. He is a banker, she is a serious actor, but the only way they get the job is by working together over a...
JAILBREAK Review: Martial Arts Mayhem, Behind Bars
Directed by Jimmy Henderson, the Cambodian thriller stars Celine Tran, Laurent Plancel, Tharoth Sm, Jean-Paul Ly, and Dara Our.
THE 4 RASCALS Review: Vietnamese Comedy of Errors Sometimes Turns Dark
Trấn Thành's latest populist hit is a broad comedy, overlaid with menacing melodrama.
Berlinale 2025 Review: WHAT DOES THAT NATURE SAY TO YOU, Subtle Shifts and Social Barriers in Hong Sangsoo's Latest
Hong Sangsoo's latest film continues his exploration of fleeting social encounters, using his signature minimalism to dissect class, artistic ambition, and underlying tensions within intimate spaces.
MICKEY 17: Now Playing, Taking Us to the Stars
Our own Pierce Conran wrote an in-depth review of Bong Joon Ho's latest film, Mickey 17, starring Robert Pattison, upon its premiere at Berlinale 2025 last month. He wrote in part: "With his latest film, Bong Joon Ho reaches for...
Berlinale 2025 Review: PA-GWA / THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE, Assassin Finds Herself Targeted
Min Kyu-dong's film stars Lee Hye-young in the story of an assassin who finds herself targeted after a botched hit.
Corey Yuen's Underseen WOMEN ON THE RUN Is New to Blu from Vinegar Syndrome
Corey Yuen, Billy Tang, and more see new releases from Vinegar Syndrome Archive!
Berlinale 2025 Interview: THE LONGING Director Toshizo Fujiwara Talks Social Realism, Mentorship, and Learning From Each Other
Toshizo Fujiwara is leaning forward in his Zoom window as I speak, listening intently and smiling in recognition. We’re discussing the warmth that he demonstrates towards people in his filmmaking, and the more that he shares, the more the rhythms...
Rotterdam Video Interview: ME, MARYAM, THE CHILDREN AND 26 OTHERS Blurs Boundaries Between Fiction And Reality
What happens when the boundaries between fiction and reality blur, not only on screen, but also during filmmaking itself? In Fiction & Reality – Vice Versa, journalist and filmmaker Ronald Glasbergen sits down with Iranian director Farshad Hashemi, actress and...
Berlinale 2025 Review: GIRLS ON WIRE, Gangsters Pursue Stunt Double and Her Cousin
Wen Qi shines as a stuntwoman chased by a drug ring.
LEGENDS OF THE CONDOR HEROES: THE GALLANTS Review: Tsui Hark's Irresistible Action Eye Candy
Tsui Hark adapts Jin Yong's classic story, starring Xiao Zhan and Zhuang Dafei, and Leung Ka Fai Tony.
Now Streaming: Takeshi Kitano's BROKEN RAGE, Robert De Niro's ZERO DAY
Plus: 'Reacher' and 'Surface' return, 'Watchmen: Chapter II' comes home again.
DEVIL'S DINER Review: Tasty, Twisted, Terrific
Ham Tran's anthology series from Vietnam is diabolical and disturbing. Now streaming on Netflix.
Rotterdam 2025 Interview: YASUKO, SONGS OF DAYS PAST Director Negishi Kichitaro Talks Taisho Entanglements, Roman Porno, Creating Chemistry
A legendary director of Roman Porno and period dramas discusses his IFFR-premiering return to the director's chair.
Rotterdam 2025 Review: TRANSCENDING DIMENSIONS Sees Toshiaki Toyoda Play the Hits
In the Q&A after Transcending Dimensions, Toyoda mentioned that this might be his last feature film, as he felt like he transcended himself with this film. What does a transcendent Toyoda-film look like? As usually loud, violent and surreal,...
