The Procurator 检察风云 China, 2023, colour/b&w, 2.35:1, 112 mins. Director: Mai Zhaohui 麦兆辉 [Alan Mak]. Rating: 6/10. Part courtroom drama, part crime procedural, this ends up being not especially involving on either count, though a strong cast makes it watchable. STORY Liucheng city, somewhere in China, 2020. Xia Wei (Wang Likun), a history professor at … Continue reading Review: The Procurator (2023) →
Jul 12, 2023 • Subscribe
More like this
![Featured image for The Burden Of The Past (2023) review [OAFF 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230313/1678687210.55312.88059.jpg)
The Burden Of The Past (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
With his latest drama film, Funahashi’s delivers a contender for this year’s best Japanese film.
![Featured image for Okiku and the World (2023) review [Japannual 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20231024/1698190160.71396.107485.jpg)
Okiku and the World (2023) review [Japannual 2023]
Introduction Junji Sakamoto (Another World (2019), I Never Shot Anyone (2020), My Brother, The Android and Me (2022)) might not be as well-known by international audiences as other…
Review: Under the Light (2023)
Under the Light 坚如磐石 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 127 mins. Director: Zhang Yimou 张艺谋. Rating: 7/10. Stygian drama of municipal corruption and deadly powerplay has a terrific first…
Review: Beyond the Clouds (2023)
Beyond the Clouds 我本是高山 China, 2023, colour, 1.85:1, 129 mins. Directors: Zheng Dasheng 郑大圣, Yang Jin 杨瑾. Rating: 6/10. Portrait of a pioneering Mainland teacher rises above simple…
The Days (2023) [Drama Review]
The Days; or, Anatomy of a Disaster March 11th, 2011. What happened in those days after that fateful date? Japanese filmmakers are not ...
Following The Sound (2023) review
An incredible narrative about the subject’s struggle to deal with his loss and pain.
![Featured image for Cafune (2023) review [OAFF 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230328/1679965210.56239.89158.jpg)
Cafune (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
A very strong debut by Haruki Kinemura.
Review: The Volunteers: To the War (2023)
The Volunteers: To the War 志愿军 雄兵出击 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 140 mins. Director: Chen Kaige 陈凯歌. Rating: 6/10. Korean War blockbuster, as Chinese troops battle US-led western…
Review: The Woman in the Storm (2023)
The Woman in the Storm 我经过风暴 China, 2023, color, 2.35:1, 100 mins. Director: Qin Haiyan 秦海燕. Rating: 6/10. Drama on domestic violence promises more than it delivers, but…
Review: Behind the Blue Eyes (2023)
Behind the Blue Eyes 不能流泪的悲伤 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 96 mins. Director: Tang Jiahui 唐家辉. Rating: 5/10. Fairly standard student romance, set in Taiwan, is kept interesting by…
Review: The Wandering Earth II (2023)
The Wandering Earth II 流浪地球2 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 173 mins. Director: Guo Fan 郭帆. Rating: 5/10. Over-long, untidily-scripted prequel to the sci-fi blockbuster starts well but then…
Review: Faces in the Crowd (2023)
Faces in the Crowd 暴风 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 101 mins. Director: Chen Jiashang 陈嘉上 [Gordon Chan]. Rating: 5/10. Wang Qianyuan’s playing elevates this standard KMT vs CCP…
Review: Tale of the Night (2023)
Tale of the Night 长沙夜生活 China, 2023, colour, 16:9, 105 mins. Director: Zhang Ji 张冀. Rating: 7/10. All-through-the-night ensembler, set in Changsha, has involving performances and plenty of…
Review: Gone with the Boat (2023)
Gone with the Boat 乘船而去 China, 2023, colour, 1.85:1, 98 mins. Director: Chen Xiaoyu 陈小雨. Rating: 5/10. Family portrait centred on the wife’s dying mother is well played…
Review: Ping Pong: The Triumph (2023)
Ping Pong: The Triumph 中国乒乓之绝地反击 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 137 mins. Directors: Deng Chao 邓超, Yu Baimei 俞白眉. Rating: 6/10. A decent but over-long light drama centred on…
Review: Only the River Flows (2023)
Only the River Flows 河边的错误 China, 2023, colour, 1.85:1, 101 mins. Director: Wei Shujun 魏书钧. Rating: 5/10. Darkly-shot psychodrama-cum-whodunit is a brave stab at a China Noir but…
Review: Across the Furious Sea (2023)
Across the Furious Sea 涉过愤怒的海 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 142 mins. Director: Cao Baoping 曹保平. Rating: 3/10. Overheated drama-thriller about a father hunting his daughter’s killer is ludicrously…
Review: Papa (2023)
Papa 学爸 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 117 mins. Director: Su Liang 苏亮. Rating: 5/10. A working-class widower becomes obsessed with his young son’s education in this light drama…
Review: Revival (2023)
Revival 回廊亭 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 98 mins. Director: Lai Mukuan 来牧宽. Rating: 4/10. Atmospheric, well-cast whodunit, set in a remote villa, is severely unbalanced by an over-twisty…
Immersion (2023) review
Spectators looking for something new and fresh will find little to like about Shimizu’s latest.
Yoko (2023) review
A complex full-bodied filmic wine that cannot but stir the spectator’s emotions.
2023 in Review
A year of retreads and repeats, none of them good: War in Ukraine. War in the Middle East. Covid, flu, and RSV. Donald Trump and Joe Biden r...
Laughing Salesman, Noel's Fantastic Trip, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, Undead Murder Farce
Village (2023) review
Introduction Michihito Fujji might not be a big name in Japanese cinema, but he has, over the last few years, put himself on the international map, be it…
Review: Hachiko (2023)
Hachiko 忠犬八公 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 124 mins. Director: Xu Ang 徐昂. Rating: 8/10. A high-quality heartwarmer, inspired by a true story of canine loyalty, that features strong…
Undercurrent (2023) review
Imaizumi delivers an engaging but understated emotional experience that explores the deceptive nature of imaginary veil that binds two subjects together.
Review: Cyberheist (2023)
Cyberheist 断网 Hong Kong/China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 109 mins. Director: Huang Qingxun 黄庆勋 [Danny Wong]. Rating: 5/10. Crime drama centred on an IT specialist targeted by a money-laundering…
Review: Flashover (2023)
Flashover 惊天救援 China, 2023, colour/b&w, 2.35:1, 113 mins. Director: Peng Shun 彭顺 [Oxide Pang]. Rating: 5/10. Solid, procedural firefighting movie is short on character development and has a…
Review: Godspeed (2023)
Godspeed 人生路不熟 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 99 mins. Director: Yi Xiaoxing 易小星. Rating: 5/10. A comedy road movie centred on a dysfunctional family is strongly cast, starts promisingly…
#Manhole (2023) review
A highly engaging and twist-rich narrative that beautifully illustrates the continued importance of the image for the subject as well as the disastrous effects of the frustration of…
Monster (2023) review
Kore-eda succeeds in delivering an utterly engaging narrative about the fundamental misunderstanding that underpins our fabrication of our truth.
![Featured image for Plastic (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230819/1692410921.66848.102075.jpg)
Plastic (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Miyazaki creates a moody narrative that highlights the equivocal functionality of music for the subject as well as the destructive impact of not being able to create an…
![Featured image for Winny (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230805/1691243321.66097.101192.jpg)
Winny (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Matsumoto offers a serene insight in how the Other of the law curtails a subject and, indirectly, sabotages the prospects of a new industry.
![Featured image for Single8 (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230816/1692176321.66687.101896.jpg)
Single8 (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
Konaka offers the spectator a heartwarming invitation to re-find, within oneself, one’s (nearly extinguished) passion for creation.
Yudo: The Way of the Bath (2023) review
If one, as spectator, merely seeks a heartwarming story, Suzuki’s film is an easy recommendation.
![Featured image for Father of The Milky Way Railroad (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230903/1693725521.67673.103056.jpg)
Father of The Milky Way Railroad (2023) review [Japan Cuts 2023]
By being able to rely on such talent, Narushima is able to deliver a narrative that gracefully moves the spectator and elegantly provokes spectator’s emotions and tears.
Otakon- the trilogy (Otakon 2023 in review)
Otakon's logo for 2023 Otakon, an event so nice; I’ve been there thrice (so far). It’s hard to say what I dislike about Otakon besides ...
Chihayafuru, Daa! Daa! Daa!, Laura, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, ONIHEI
The Manga Critic’s Year in Review: 2023
At the beginning of 2023, I vowed to post one review or essay per month, a goal I met for the first half of the year. Then work…
The Concierge Review — Scotland Loves Anime 2023
The second movie I watched at this year’s Scotland Loves Anime film festival in Edinburgh is very different to the first. Lonely Castle in…
Review: Raid on the Lethal Zone (2023)
Raid on the Lethal Zone 绝地追击 China/Hong Kong, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 110 mins. Director: Qiu Litao 邱礼涛 [Herman Yau]. Rating: 7/10. Half drugs-busting thriller, half disaster movie, this…
The Manga Review: SDCC 2023 Round-Up
Over the last 20 years, SDCC has morphed from a comics-focused show to a pop-cultural behemoth dominated by movie studios and television stars. The ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA…
Review: Time Still Turns the Pages (2023)
Time Still Turns the Pages 年少日记 Hong Kong, 2023, colour, 2:1, 94 mins. Director: Zhuo Yiqian 卓亦谦 [Nick Cheuk]. Rating: 6/10. Psychological drama, sparked by an unknown student’s…
![Featured image for Side by Side (2023) review [OAFF 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230319/1679205610.55672.88465.jpg)
Side by Side (2023) review [OAFF 2023]
A peaceful dream-like visual experience that celebrates both the impact subjects have on each other as well as the manner in which the subject remains opaque to himself…
![Featured image for Ice Cream Fever (2023) review [Japannual 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20231019/1697676721.70884.106919.jpg)
Ice Cream Fever (2023) review [Japannual 2023]
A gorgeous stylish exploration of the subjective struggles and the solutions subjects invent within the field of love and desire.
![Featured image for River (2023) review [Fantasia Film Fest 2023]](https://cdn.aniblogtracker.com/live/20230801/1690853321.65844.100891.jpg)
River (2023) review [Fantasia Film Fest 2023]
If you like low-key humour and some time-twisting fun, you should not miss Yamaguchi’s latest.
Setagaya Game (2023) review
The Ohara Bros do not only offer the spectator a pleasant concatenation of kicks and punches, but also deliver a touching emotional pay-off.
Review: Ocean Rescue (2023)
Ocean Rescue 深海危机 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 92 mins. Director: Shen Dong 沈东. Rating: 4/10. Routine, poorly plotted action movie, with Mainland operatives taking on terrorists with a…
Review: Moonlight Warrior (2023)
Moonlight Warrior 月光武士 China, 2023, colour, 16:9, 109 mins. Director: Hong Ying 虹影. Rating: 5/10. Decent but conventional light drama between a young teenage boy and an older…
Review: Death Stranding (2023)
Death Stranding 困兽 China/Hong Kong, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 96 mins. Director: Peng Fa 彭发 [Danny Pang]. Rating: 5/10. Generic, Hong Kong-style crime drama is poorly scripted, but watchable…
Techno Brothers (2023) review
An amazing blend of arthouse minimalism and weird deadpan comedy.
Review: Hidden Blade (2023)
Hidden Blade 无名 China, 2023, colour, 2.35:1, 128 mins. Director: Cheng Er 程耳. Rating: 9/10. Cracking WW2 spy drama set among collaborationists in Japanese-controlled Shanghai is challenging but…