https://www.scmp.com/rss/322296/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 Hilton Yip Hilton Yip When I was growing up in the Caribbean, I knew three things about my identity: I am ethnic Chinese, I was born in Hong Kong and I have Hakka heritage. Who are the Hakkas, some of you might be wondering. They are a Han Chinese subgroup originally from China’s central plains, who migrated further and further south – to Jiangxi province, then Guangdong and Fujian – centuries ago, during turbulent periods in Chinese history. They also moved to provinces including Hunan and Guangxi, and as far west... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350156/growing-hakka-around-language-few-dared-speak-publicly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350156/growing-hakka-around-language-few-dared-speak-publicly?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 01:30:08 +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 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 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 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 Natasha Rogai Natasha Rogai Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) uses its annual show at the Academy for Performing Arts to present edgier, more modern programmes. This year’s offering was “Glam Rock”, a triple bill featuring the music of three rock bands: Depeche Mode, Queen and Hong Kong’s own Beyond. Brilliantly performed, this was an entertaining evening that showcased the versatility and range of the company’s dancers and included two noteworthy premieres. Martlet is a brand new work by the husband and wife team of Ricky Hu... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3349897/hong-kong-ballet-brilliantly-dances-beyond-queen-and-depeche-mode-glam-rock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3349897/hong-kong-ballet-brilliantly-dances-beyond-queen-and-depeche-mode-glam-rock?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 11:15:07 +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 Carolyn Yim Carolyn Yim Hong Kong is navigating a period of significant economic transition. The city is seeing a surge in family offices. It is an offshore renminbi hub and has one of the world’s most meaningful capital markets. However, it needs systemic change to attract and retain top talent, bring the Hong Kong diaspora back home and lure high-spending tourists. While our capital infrastructure is strong, our cultural infrastructure demands urgent attention. As outlined in China’s 15th five-year plan, the central... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3349328/why-securing-hong-kongs-economic-future-cultural-question?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3349328/why-securing-hong-kongs-economic-future-cultural-question?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Remember the iPod? It is making a quiet comeback. Four years after Apple killed off its digital music player, second-hand sales are surging – fuelled in part by young people interested not just in its retro looks but in listening to music in a focused way and with playlists not determined by algorithms. “There’s a growing trend, particularly among younger users, to mitigate the ease with which they can be distracted by smartphones, often driven by mental health and well-being concerns,” says Ben... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3349514/how-get-ipod-and-set-it-apples-music-device-makes-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3349514/how-get-ipod-and-set-it-apples-music-device-makes-comeback?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse With its grey front door and battered picket fence, No 4 Plaistow Grove in the anonymous London suburb of Bromley is unremarkable in every way except for one. The modest town house – originally built as a cottage for railway workers in the late 19th century – is the childhood home of pop phenomenon David Bowie. An inscription on a small blue plaque to the right of the front door is the only clue to the property’s extraordinary past. “David Bowie Singer and Talented Musician 1955 to 1968”, it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3349500/david-bowies-former-london-home-where-pop-star-dreamed-fame-open-public?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3349500/david-bowies-former-london-home-where-pop-star-dreamed-fame-open-public?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:15:08 +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 SCMP SCMP We have selected five Trending in China 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. How Gingle Wang went from clueless novice to one of Taiwan’s top young actresses 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3349505/gingle-wangs-rise-top-apps-help-fight-jet-lag-7-lifestyle-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3349505/gingle-wangs-rise-top-apps-help-fight-jet-lag-7-lifestyle-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:37:01 +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 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 James Marsh James Marsh One of the highlights of this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is a collection of five animated short films from Taiwanese director Joe Hsieh Wen-ming. Awash with vivid imagery of an often erotic and violent nature, Hsieh’s work also channels a palpable sense of compassion, not least in its depictions of mother-child relationships. His latest film, Praying Mantis (2025), marks the animator’s second collaboration with celebrated Hong Kong art-house auteur Yonfan, following the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348633/why-fierce-mothers-and-violent-monsters-star-joe-hsiehs-animated-films?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348633/why-fierce-mothers-and-violent-monsters-star-joe-hsiehs-animated-films?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam Like video games, micro dramas can be super addictive. And Timothy Oh, general manager of the Chinese digital content company COL Group, knows exactly how to get viewers hooked. Also called vertical dramas, micro dramas are a rapidly growing entertainment format featuring serialised short-form videos shot in 9:16 aspect ratio specifically for viewing on mobile devices. Series typically consist of 30 to 70 episodes, each lasting only one to three minutes, designed for fast-paced, addictive and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348612/how-micro-dramas-work-tiktok-trend-leaving-big-studios-their-dust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348612/how-micro-dramas-work-tiktok-trend-leaving-big-studios-their-dust?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:15:07 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3/5 stars Meddlesome matchmaker Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) returns for her senior year at the Korean Independent School of Seoul (Kiss) in the third season of XO, Kitty, Netflix’s Korea-set spin-off series from Jenny Han’s hugely successful To All the Boys film franchise. Chief among Kitty’s goals this year is to define her long-running on-again, off-again “situationship” with wealthy hunk and classmate Min-ho (Sang-heon Lee), but showrunner and chief writer Valentina Garza ensures that... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347968/netflix-drama-review-xo-kitty-season-3-all-boys-spin-picks-after-dip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347968/netflix-drama-review-xo-kitty-season-3-all-boys-spin-picks-after-dip?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 07:00:08 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars A bus blast on Valentine’s Day in 1998 that killed 16 and injured dozens in Wuhan, in China’s Hubei province, provides the blueprint for We’re Nothing at All, a trenchant drama that marks a rare rekindling of Herman Yau Lai-to’s passion for socially conscious storytelling after the veteran Hong Kong filmmaker’s mostly bombastic action blockbusters over the past decade. Anchored by visceral performances from a pair of singer-actors, who play the misanthropic gay couple at the heart of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348613/were-nothing-all-movie-review-herman-yaus-grim-social-critique-too-heavy-handed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348613/were-nothing-all-movie-review-herman-yaus-grim-social-critique-too-heavy-handed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:15:08 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 2/5 stars It will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that Nintendo’s crown jewels, those lovable plumbers Mario and Luigi, are back. The Super Mario Bros Movie was a staggering hit in 2023, grossing US$1.36 billion and showing just how beloved these video game icons really are. Now comes the inevitable sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Loosely inspired by the 2007 video game Super Mario Galaxy and its 2010 follow-up, the film takes us back to the hallucinogenic Mushroom Kingdom and its... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348483/super-mario-galaxy-movie-review-nintendo-sequel-looks-great-lacks-laughs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348483/super-mario-galaxy-movie-review-nintendo-sequel-looks-great-lacks-laughs?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:00:09 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars The Russian city of Vladivostok provides the setting for Humint, the latest globe-trotting thriller from South Korean action specialist Ryoo Seung-wan. Set in the high-stakes world of international espionage, the film features Zo In-sung (Escape from Mogadishu) and Park Jeong-min (Uprising) as agents from South and North Korea, respectively, who attempt to foil a human trafficking ring. After opening in South Korean cinemas during the Lunar New Year holiday, Humint launches globally... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3348472/netflix-movie-review-humint-dynamic-korean-spy-thriller-ryoo-seung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-movies/article/3348472/netflix-movie-review-humint-dynamic-korean-spy-thriller-ryoo-seung-wan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:00:09 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls You have to admire long-standing ensembles that still retain the spirit and sound that their original founders intended. The acclaimed Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) began its first Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) concert on Saturday, March 28, fittingly enough, with something quintessentially British: Edward Elgar’s Serenade for String Orchestra. Positioned further back on stage than most groups appearing at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, the ASMF projected breezy wafts... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348389/22-year-old-pianist-yunchan-lim-wows-hong-kong-arts-festival?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3348389/22-year-old-pianist-yunchan-lim-wows-hong-kong-arts-festival?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Alice Wu Alice Wu Last week, a friend and I chatted about our children’s favourite art pieces after happening upon an auction house’s exhibition in a building in the heart of Hong Kong’s business district. We both recalled stopping to look at Yayoi Kusama’s Mount Fuji prints. “I pass by the space twice every day,” my friend said. She told me that my son’s pick – a piece by Sam Francis – was a new installation, replacing what had been a display of handbags. How often do we pause to notice art, or enjoy life in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348095/hong-kong-can-draw-art-marchs-success-keeping-it-authentic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348095/hong-kong-can-draw-art-marchs-success-keeping-it-authentic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:30:11 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Spring is here and with it an all-new line-up of tantalising K-drama offerings, ranging from fantasy, action and animation to a wide variety of romance. 1. Bloodhounds season 2 Lead cast: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi, Rain Following their first rip-roaring adventure, Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) are back for a second helping of cathartic beatdowns in Bloodhounds 2. Jason Kim is once again at the helm, directing from his own scripts, while this season’s villain is the vicious... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3348069/10-best-new-k-dramas-watch-april-2026-including-perfect-crown-disney?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3348069/10-best-new-k-dramas-watch-april-2026-including-perfect-crown-disney?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Anthony Wong Chau-sang is generally known as a character actor who specialises in crazed and outlandish roles. However, long before the Hong Kong cinema veteran became associated with these extreme stereotypes, he spent the early 1990s proving his expansive acting range, as showcased in these three films. 1. Full Contact (1992) Wong plays second fiddle to Chow Yun-fat in Ringo Lam Ling-tung’s hyperviolent actioner, but it is a meaty supporting role that links Chow to his would-be nemesis, played... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347937/3-anthony-wong-films-early-1990s-show-hong-kong-actors-wide-range?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347937/3-anthony-wong-films-early-1990s-show-hong-kong-actors-wide-range?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 03:15:07 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Over the last decade or so, Riz Ahmed has become an actor who was reason enough to give a film or a television series a look. Also a rapper, Ahmed won the Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie for his work in the excellent 2016 HBO miniseries The Night Of and earned an Academy Award nomination for best actor for the engrossing 2019 drama Sound of Metal. Now comes Bait, a solid half-hour comedy series in which he not only stars but also serves as an executive producer... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348160/next-james-bond-riz-ahmeds-bait-dives-one-mans-desperate-quest-fame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348160/next-james-bond-riz-ahmeds-bait-dives-one-mans-desperate-quest-fame?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000 Kamakshi Gupta Kamakshi Gupta https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3348812/new-documentary-explores-manosphere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3348812/new-documentary-explores-manosphere?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 73rd instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. In the golden age of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry, Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing was a star so bright that he rewrote the rules of conservative Asian society. Affectionately nicknamed Gor Gor – Cantonese for “older brother” – the Cantopop legend’s talent spanned disciplines and extended far beyond the city’s borders. Even now, decades after his death in 2003, fans from around the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3348009/how-leslie-cheung-broke-all-rules-become-hong-kongs-greatest-modern-superstar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:15:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press All seven members log onto a live stream, broadcast from a beach. A few years ago, it would have been a common image. But since the K-pop boy band BTS pressed pause on their full-band duties for nearly four years, it is revelatory. That is the scene at the start of BTS: The Return, a new Netflix documentary directed by Bao Nguyen (The Stringer, The Greatest Night in Pop) and produced by This Machine (Martha, Karol G) and Hybe, the South Korean entertainment company behind BTS. The mostly... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347781/netflix-documentary-bts-return-highlights-k-pop-kings-comeback-album?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3347781/netflix-documentary-bts-return-highlights-k-pop-kings-comeback-album?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:15:07 +0000