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Asian cinema
Film reviews
American cinema
European cinema
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Japanese films
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Gong Li and Stephen Chow attend a promotional event for Flirting Scholar in 1993. Gong rose to fame as the muse of China’s Fifth Generation directors, starring in art-house classics such as Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell My Concubine, but found time during the 1990s to make a batch of lesser-known commercial films in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 of Gong Li’s surprising 1990s Hong Kong movie roles

Gong switched gears after making it in Chinese art-house films, starring with Stephen Chow, Brigitte Lin and others in lesser-known movies.

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TV shows and streaming video

8 new TV series to watch this winter, including Bridgerton Season 4

K-drama news

Latest K-drama casting news about Park Min-young, Song Joong-ki and more

TV shows and streaming video

Netflix Japanese drama Gimbap and Onigiri serves up romance one meal at a time

Starring Eiji Akaso and Kang Hye-won, Netflix’s Gimbap and Onigiri explores romance and cultural connection through food.

Eiji Akaso (left) and Kang Hye-won in a still from Gimbap and Onigiri. The new Japanese drama on Netflix explores culture, connection and quiet romance. Photo: courtesy of TV Tokyo
Eiji Akaso (left) and Kang Hye-won in a still from Gimbap and Onigiri. The new Japanese drama on Netflix explores culture, connection and quiet romance. Photo: courtesy of TV Tokyo
American cinema

Why From Dusk Till Dawn starring George Clooney has aged poorly as it turns 30

George Clooney’s charisma can’t mask the flaws of this 1996 gorefest written by Quentin Tarantino, from bad effects to treatment of women.

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Korean drama reviews

Spring Fever: Ahn Bo-hyun, Lee Joo-bin in formulaic rural romcom K-drama

Spring Fever pairs Ahn Bo-hyun and Lee Joo-bin in a rural romcom that leans hard on the ‘city woman finds love and healing in the countryside’ formula.

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European cinema

Review | The Thing with Feathers: Benedict Cumberbatch carries moving tale of grief

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sam Spruell star in this touching drama about a father struggling to bring up his two boys after his wife dies.

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Benedict Cumberbatch in a still from The Thing with Feathers (category: IIB) directed by Dylan Southern. Sam Spruell co-stars.
Benedict Cumberbatch in a still from The Thing with Feathers (category: IIB) directed by Dylan Southern. Sam Spruell co-stars.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

What to know about Back to the Past, record-breaking new Hong Kong film

Back to the Past is the talk of Hong Kong after smashing local box office records. Here’s what to know about the movie starring Louis Koo.

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American cinema

Hollywood in 2026: what to expect, from movies and China focus to ‘Dunesday’

Hollywood faces a pivotal year of change in 2026, with the potential Netflix/Warner deal, AI actors and nostalgia fever among key factors.

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Korean drama reviews

The Judge Returns: Ji Sung fights corruption in legal thriller K-drama

Starring Ji Sung, Won Jin-ah and Park Hee-soon, The Judge Returns is set in a dystopian near-future Seoul torn open by rampant corruption.

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Ji Sung as corrupt judge Lee Han-young in a still from The Judge Returns, a new Korean drama on HBO Max.
Hollywood

Mickey Rourke turns to fans for help to pay owed rent and avoid eviction

The Wrestler star launched a GoFundMe account to avoid eviction from his Los Angeles home, saying ‘fame does not protect against hardship’.

Actor Mickey Rourke in a photoshoot in 2019. Photo: AFP
Actor Mickey Rourke in a photoshoot in 2019. Photo: AFP
Asian cinema: Korean films

Korean film icon Ahn Sung-ki remembered: 5 of his best films

Known affectionately as ‘The Nation’s Actor’, South Korea’s Ahn Sung-ki starred in more than 100 feature films during his long career.

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TV shows and streaming video

Apple TV’s Drops of God star Tomohisa Yamashita on going deeper in season 2

Yamashita talks about ‘hard’ free-diving scenes in the wine drama’s new season as co-star Fleur Geffrier shares how her character got darker.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Jet Li and Wong Jing’s The New Legend of Shaolin is underrated

The 1994 cult classic The New Legend of Shaolin blends comedy, action and child martial artists in a fresh take on the Shaolin myth.

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Jet Li in a still from The New Legend of Shaolin, which married lighthearted comedy and above-average action in an underrated gem of a film.
China consumption

China’s box office up 22% in 2025 to US$7.4 billion, led by smash hit Ne Zha 2

World’s second-largest movie market sees domestic films capture nearly 80 per cent of sales, while Disney’s Zootopia sequel sets new high for imported titles.

A display promoting the record-breaking animated hit Ne Zha 2 is seen in China’s Liaoning province on February 13. Photo: Xinhua
A display promoting the record-breaking animated hit Ne Zha 2 is seen in China’s Liaoning province on February 13. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Profile | How Jordan Chan went from Hong Kong bad boy to patriotic family man in China

Jordan Chan came from poverty in Guangdong, moved to Hong Kong as a child and worked odd jobs before joining TVB as a dance apprentice.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Back to the Past: Louis Koo, Raymond Lam lead nostalgic film sequel

This big-budget sci-fi fantasy may be an emotional watch for fans of the 2001 Hong Kong show A Step into the Past, even if it falls short.

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K-drama news

8 of the best new K-drama series to watch in January 2026

Ji Sung stars in The Judge Returns, Nam Ji-hyun and Moon Sang-min clash in To My Beloved Thief, and Park Shin-hye is Undercover Miss Hong.

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Go Youn-jung in a still from Can This Love Be Translated?. Photo: Netflix
Go Youn-jung in a still from Can This Love Be Translated?. Photo: Netflix
Chinese culture

7 successful people born in the Year of the Horse, from Ang Lee to Lu Han

Horses are considered to be energetic, capable and driven to succeed. Here are 7 famous, successful Horses who epitomise those characteristics.

Asian cinema

The 12 best Asian films of 2025: Ne Zha 2, Kokuho and more

Our pick of the best Asian films of the past year includes a record-breaking animation and a movie that is nothing short of breathtaking.

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Korean drama reviews

Made in Korea: Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung in slick political thriller K-drama

Made in Korea, set in the 1970s, is a political thriller exploring power, corruption and moral ambiguity under an authoritarian regime.

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Hyun Bin as political operator Baek Ki-tae in a still from Made in Korea, a slick political thriller set in 1970s South Korea.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Stephen Chow and Donnie Yen reinvented Bruce Lee’s classic Chen Zhen

Fist of Fury 1991 with Stephen Chow and TV series Fist of Fury with Donnie Yen saw two different versions of Bruce Lee’s famous character.

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Donnie Yen in a still from the television drama series Fist of Fury (1995).
Donnie Yen in a still from the television drama series Fist of Fury (1995).
Korean drama reviews

The 15 best K-dramas of 2025 ranked, from Melo Movie to Squid Game 3

Here are our 15 favourite Korean dramas from the past year, which also include Dear X, Typhoon Family, Way Back Love, Aema and Nine Puzzles.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

How mega-hit Kokuho could make Japanese live-action films global contenders

Kokuho, Japan’s record-breaking cinematic triumph, is helping to redefine global perceptions of Japanese live-action film for modern viewers.

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Korean drama reviews

Idol I: Choi Soo-young, Kim Jae-young lead K-pop-infused legal K-drama

Choi Soo-young plays a lawyer defending Kim Jae-young’s K-pop star – who she’s secretly obsessed with – in this new Korean drama.

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Choi Soo-young as lawyer Maeng Se-na in a still from Idol I, a new K-drama on Netflix.
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