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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.
Alba Rohrwacher (left) and Elio Germano in a still from Three Goodbyes (category IIA; Italian), directed by Isabel Coixet. Francesco Carril co-stars.
European cinema

Review | Three Goodbyes: Alba Rohrwacher stars in moving, life-affirming Italian drama

Isabel Coixet’s adaptation of Michela Murgia’s celebrated novel highlights how we should appreciate what we have in the time gifted to us.

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American cinema

Review | The Odyssey: Christopher Nolan adapts Homer for an anti-war masterpiece

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Asian cinema

Review | The President’s Cake: Cannes-winning Iraqi drama is an instant classic

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Kung Fu Soccer: Stephen Chow loses his touch with Shaolin Soccer spin-off

Dilraba Dilmurat and Zhang Xiaofei lead a team of female football martial artists in Chow’s film that falls far short of its 2001 predecessor.

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Dilraba Dilmurat in a still from Kung Fu Soccer, Stephen Chow’s gender-flipped spin-off of his 2001 comedy classic Shaolin Soccer. The Hong Kong director’s first film in seven years lacks tension and has visuals that resemble AI slop.
American cinema

Review | Evil Dead Burn: gruesome new chapter proves there is life in the franchise

Ultra violence and slapstick humour continue in Evil Dead Burn, the latest instalment of the hit horror franchise that started in 1981.

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American cinema

Review | Moana: Catherine Laga’aia shines in Disney’s vibrant live-action remake

Moana features a breakout performance by Catherine Laga’aia as the titular Moana – but the remake loses some of the magic of the original.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | A Dance with Rainbows: Taiwanese coming-of-age boxing drama packs a punch

Director Lee Yi-shan delivers a quietly powerful Taiwanese sports drama in A Dance with Rainbows, starring Lin Yi-ting.

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Lin Yi-ting in a still from A Dance with Rainbows (category IIA, Mandarin and Minnan), directed by Lee Yi-shan. Tsai Chen-nan and Yu An-shun co-star.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Unidentified Murder: twisty Hong Kong comedy shows admirable ambition

This award-winning comedy about an online prank that ends in a murder is a quirky story underpinned by the performances of its lead actors.

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American cinema

Review | Power Ballad: Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas charm in feel-good music rights drama

This drama about the music industry, stardom and arguments over intellectual property is a fun story with solid performances from its leads.

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American cinema

Review | Minions & Monsters: a clever, self-aware homage to classic Hollywood

Everyone’s favourite Despicable Me sidekicks are back, this time in Hollywood in the 1920s, with plenty of nods to films and culture.

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A still from Minions & Monsters (category I), directed by Pierre Coffin and Patrick Delage, and starring the voices of Pierre Coffin, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges and Jesse Eisenberg.
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Dear You: nostalgic Teochew family drama is a surprise box office hit in China

Lan Hongchun’s film on love, loyalty and immigrant struggles is a sensation in China, with lead Li Sitong giving a career-making performance.

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Li Sitong as the young Nanzhi in a still from Dear You (category IIA, Teochew), directed by Lan Hongchun. Wang Yantong and Wu Shaoqing co-star.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Palimpsest: The Story of a Name – Mary Stephen’s riveting study of identity

Hong Kong-born director Mary Stephen’s documentary explores her obscure heritage against a background of colonialism and self-reinvention.

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American cinema

Review | Toy Story 5: Jessie takes on tech in Pixar’s flawed but enjoyable sequel

A tablet threatens to render the gang obsolete in Toy Story 5, which will charm children but is the first to not stand up to adult scrutiny.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Dog Day Evening: Kafkaesque comedy reflects on a Hong Kong hostage incident

Inspired by a true story, Dog Day Evening explores the often infuriating world of customer hotlines and service cancellations.

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Yukki Tai as the frustrated Tak (left) and Michael Ning as desk agent Ringo in a still from Dog Day Evening.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Beyond Hostage Crisis: Manila tragedy spawns misguided faith-based movie

This dramatisation of the 2010 Manila hostage crisis, in which eight Hongkongers died, fails to explore the tragedy in any depth.

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A still from Beyond Hostage Crisis (category IIB, Cantonese, English), directed by Tony Leung Hung and starring Chris Tong (first from right) and Zhang Yaodong (second from right). Sahronizam Noor and Fish Liew co-star.
American cinema

Review | Disclosure Day: Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller is a flawed but fun ride

Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colin Firth, Disclosure Day starts well and features exciting set pieces, but the final act blows it.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | The Furious: an instant classic if you like gory, bone-crunching violence

Generic, unfunny and emotionally hollow, The Furious will nevertheless delight those who simply want to watch people getting slaughtered.

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American cinema

Review | Masters of the Universe: He-Man returns in a glorious nostalgia trip

Nicholas Galitzine stars as He-Man beside Idris Elba, Jared Leto and Camila Mendes in a film that shows the 1980s hero still has the power.

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(From left) Idris Elba, Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes in a still from Masters of the Universe (category: IIA), directed by Travis Knight and co-starring Jared Leto.
American cinema

Review | Backrooms: A24’s liminal space horror is a stunning, disorienting debut

A bold horror tale directed by YouTube creator Kane Parsons, Backrooms was inspired by the popular Portal video games.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Unexpected Courage: Rene Liu’s mid-40s career woman risks life over pregnancy

Rene Liu stars as a woman whose successful career is put on hold when she continues a risky pregnancy in this poorly conceived drama.

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European cinema

Review | The Voice of Hind Rajab: harrowing Gaza docudrama is vital cinema

Kaouther Ben Hania’s gripping docudrama about a young girl trapped in a car uses real voice recordings to help expose the brutal cost of war.

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Saja Kilani in a still from The Voice of Hind Rajab.
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | The Samurai and the Prisoner: Kiyoshi Kurosawa back with feudal-era thriller

The veteran Japanese director’s new film with Masahiro Motoki as a besieged warlord is an intelligent, captivating spin on the samurai genre.

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(From left) Yuriko Yoshitaka, Masahiro Motoki and Ryota Miyadate in a still from The Samurai and the Prisoner.
American cinema

Review | Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu plays like an extended TV episode

Star Wars fans may find The Mandalorian and Grogu an entertaining watch but it lacks real depth and feels more like a TV episode than a film.

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European cinema

Review | Bitter Christmas: Pedro Almodovar engrosses with his latest meta movie

A film within a film within a film, Bitter Christmas examines the relationship between life and cinema.

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European cinema

Review | Fjord: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve anchor ice-cold child welfare drama

Fjord, set in a remote Norwegian village with stunning backdrops, explores a religious couple’s clash with Norway’s Child Protection Services.

Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan play a married couple with five children in the film Fjord, directed by Cristian Mungiu. Jonathan Ciprian Breazu (far left) and Vanessa Ceban (right) co-star.
Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Hope: director Na Hong-jin of The Wailing fame returns with a monster mess

A promising beginning and strong performances are not enough to save Hope from being a messy spectacle with woeful CGI monsters.

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Jung Ho-yeon (front) and Hwang Jung-min in a still from Hope.
American cinema

Review | Paper Tiger: Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson lead dark gangster movie

Director James Gray returns to his mob roots in this film about two brothers who fall foul of the Russian mafia in New York. Also stars Miles Teller.

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Sheep in the Box: Hirokazu Koreeda tackles grief in sci-fi drama

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Cannes entry probes grief, artificial intelligence and family bonds, but its subplots leave the film scattered.

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