A novelist discovers new creative possibilities after striking an unexpected friendship with a conflict actress in a meta drama from Hong Sang-soo.
Nov 3, 2022 • Subscribe
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Walk Up (탑, Hong Sang-soo, 2022)
An insecure director tries on a series of different personas while moving through several floors of the same building in Hong Sang-soo’s elliptical drama.
Introduction (인트로덕션, Hong Sang-soo, 2021)
A lost young man discovers he’ll need to make his own introductions when faced with parental distance in a minor departure for the prolific Hong Sang-soo
In Front of Your Face (당신얼굴 앞에서, Hong Sang-soo, 2021)
An ageing actress returns to Seoul after many years abroad carrying with her a sense of melancholy vulnerability in Hong’s gentle character study
Heaven: To the Land of Happiness (행복의 나라로, Im Sang-soo, 2021)
A chronically ill thief and a “poetic fugitive” find themselves on the run from a “philosophical gangster” in Im Sang-soo’s playful existential drama
The Roundup (범죄도시 2, Lee Sang-yong, 2022)
Ma Dong-seok returns as maverick cop Seok-do this time righting wrongs abroad he tracks a vicious Korean ganger offing tourists in Vietnam.
Made in Hong Kong (1997) [Film Review]
Made in Hong Kong; or, The Days of Being Dangerous Mom was right when she said that everything is predestined. Ever since Sylvester pic...
Cat Kiss (고양이 키스, Hwang Soo-bin, 2022)
A widowed single father’s life is suddenly thrown into disarray when his son’s decision to take in a local stray cat forces him to confront the trauma of…
Stellar: A Magical Ride (스텔라, Kwon Soo-kyung, 2022) [Fantasia 2022]
A cynical man makes peace with his father’s memory while driving his possibly haunted and very rundown Hyundai Stellar in Kwon Soo-kyung’s charmingly quirky road movie.
I Haven’t Done Anything (좋.댓.구, Park Sang-min, 2022)
A former child star makes a bid for YouTube success in Park Sang-min’s hilariously ironic meta dramedy.
Blue Island (Hong Kong/Japan/Taiwan, 2022) [CAAMFest 2022]
Wilson Kwong reviews Chan Tze-woon's documentary Blue Island.
Aloners 혼자 사는 사람들 Director: Hong Sung-eun (South Korea) [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2022]
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A Wild Roomer (괴인, Lee Jeong-hong, 2022)
An irresponsible and self-interested carpenter ensures a separate but connected existence in Lee Jeong-hong’s quirky indie drama.
Project Wolf Hunting (늑대사냥, Kim Hong-sun, 2022)
Vicious criminals and thuggish cops are trapped aboard a cargo vessel with the embodiment of the unresolved past in Kim Hong-Sun’s bloodthirsty thriller.
Beyond the Dream (Hong Kong, 2019) [Focus Hong Kong 2021]
John Atom reviews Kiwi Chow's drama Beyond the Dream.
Beloved (2022) [Film Review]
Beloved; or, Stay With Me I have an idea. How about we spend one last day together? Go somewhere, walk around, have dinne r… Director B...
Hong Kong Family 過時・過節 (2022) Dir: TSANG Hing Weng Eric [Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023]
Hong Kong Family by director Eric Tsang is a strong ensemble drama that shows he is a promising talent to watch. 過時・過節 (2022) Dir: TSANG Hing Weng Eric…
12.12: The Day (서울의 봄, Kim Sung-soo, 2023)
A righteous general stands alone against an authoritarian insurrection in Kim Sung-soo’s intense exploration of the 1979 coup that brought Chun Doo-hwan to power.
All the Songs We Never Sang (Chris Rudz, 2023)
A young woman finds herself diving into the past after receiving a less than enthusiastic welcome on visiting her mother’s island home in Chris Rudz’s gentle indie drama.
Shin Ultraman (2022) [Film Review]
Shin Ultraman; or, In the Tokuverse of Madness Some things are only clear when you are in between. I believe this is why I exist. Shinj...
Tokyo International Film Festival 2022
Anna Yamada in The Mountain Woman. Scheduling conflicts and sold-out screenings meant that I was only able to see three films at TIFF this year, but it was…
Pure Japanese (2022) [Film Review]
Pure Japanese; or, Bilateral Frenzy Raised right paws beckon fortune, raised left paws beckon people. Both paws raised means beckoning ...
Plan 75 (2022) [Film Review]
Plan 75; or, The Death of Society It’s something I should think about doing for my grandchildren. Plan 75 is one of those films that I...
Considering Hong Kong
China recently passed a new law concerning Hong Kong that erodes the freedoms and autonomy Hong Kong had enjoyed. As part of the agreement with the British, China…
The Monk and The Samurai (2022) [Short Film Review]
The Monk and The Samurai The lives of two men, a monk and a samurai suffer unbearable loss. Heroic to the end their tales intertwine as...
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2022 Details
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The Fish Tale (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
A very heart-warming and touching narrative that shows that a subject does not necessarily need to make use of the neurotic solution to inscribe himself within the societal…
Japanese Films at the Glasgow Film Festival 2022
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Gangnam Zombie (강남좀비, Lee Soo-sung, 2023)
A struggling YouTuber takes on sexism, classism and the zombie apocalypse in Lee Soo-sung’s office-bound horror.
Convenience Story (2022) review [Fantasia Film Festival 2022]
Miki delivers a great psychological mystery narrative, yet it might not be for everyone.
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Runs in Glasgow 2nd to 13th March with selected films screening at partner venues throughout the UK
Love and Leashes (2022) [Film Review]
Love and Leashes; or, In the Realm of Domination I told you I don't think you're a pervert. Or maybe you are. Aren't we all somewhat pe...
Korean Film Nights 2022: Living Memories
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Japanese Films at the Berlin International Film Festival 2022
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Japanese Films at the Vancouver International Film Festival 2022
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Japanese Films at the BFI London Film Festival 2022
A Preview of the Japanese Films at the BFI London Film Festival 2022 – 5 to 16 October in cinemas around the UK, 14 to 23 October on…
Japanese Films at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2022
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Tales from the Occult (失衡凶間, Fruit Chan, Fung Chih-Chiang, Wesley Hoi Ip-Sang, 2022)
Hong Kongers contend with the hidden horrors of the contemporary society in the first instalment in a series of anthology horror films.
Hu Xia - Hong Jue
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The Roundup: No Way Out (범죄도시 3, Lee Sang-yong, 2023)
Good bad cop Seok-do faces off against corrupt cops and yakuza drug dealers in the third instalment in the popular series.
Mercenaries from Hong Kong (獵魔者, Wong Jing, 1982) [Fantasia 2022]
A former mercenary agrees to one last job but finds himself swept into unexpected intrigue in an early action fest from Wong Jing.
Hong Kong Family (過時·過節, Eric Tsang Hing-Weng, 2022)
A fracturing family struggles to repair itself after a traumatic holiday dinner in Eric Tsang Hing-Weng autobiographically inspired familial melodrama.
Stream Contemporary Japanese Film with the Chicago Japan Film Collective (May 21st to 30th 2022)
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Call for Entries – 2022 Alula Film Festival
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My Broken Mariko (2022) [Fantasia Film Festival]
Tanada offers a compelling exploration of the emotional turmoil a female subject caused by the sudden death of someone important.
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At Summerhall and Everyman Everyman Cinema Edinburgh 15th to 20th October.
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Higuchi and Anno deliver an impressive love letter to their childhood, yet their devoted love, which is sensible in every aspect of the narrative, might not be able…
What Lies Beneath – The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2022
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Awoke (복지식당, Jung Jae-ik & Seo Tae-soo, 2020)
Disabled after a car accident, a 30-something man finds himself trapped in a kafkaesque battle for recognition after being incorrectly assessed in Jung & Seo’s impassioned drama
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