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Benicio Del Toro (left) as Zsa-Zsa Korda, Michael Cera as Bjorn and Mia Threapleton as Liesl in a still from The Phoenician Scheme, directed by Wes Anderson. Photo: TPS Productions/Focus Features
American cinema

Review | The Phoenician Scheme, Wes Anderson’s exquisite espionage caper

Director brings his style and a star-studded cast including Bill Murray as God to a mildly baffling spy tale and father-daughter story.

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TV shows and streaming video

Forget You Not, Rene Liu’s broad yet relatable drama series on Netflix

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European cinema

Review | Die, My Love: Jennifer Lawrence gives searing turn as unstable mother

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 Andy Lau movies that show Hong Kong actor’s action chops

In the 2000s, Lau added action star to his CV with roles involving martial arts, guns and gangsters. Three films show his versatility.

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Andy Lau in a still from Firestorm. Photo: Edko Films Ltd/Kingmart Advertising Co.
Andy Lau in a still from Firestorm. Photo: Edko Films Ltd/Kingmart Advertising Co.
TV shows and streaming video

Poker Face’s Natasha Lyonne is unconventional, and it works for her

Natasha Lyonne on Poker Face season 2 and how she ripped off Steven Spielberg’s Columbo to direct two episodes of the hit TV series.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | In Renoir, Plan 75 director paints picture of amorality in Japan

Chie Hayakawa’s story of a girl who, watching her father die, seeks kindred spirits in art has a message about greed-is-good 1980s Japan.

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K-drama news

Profile | Meet Lee Jae-wook, star of Netflix K-drama Dear Hongrang

Lee Jae-wook started acting in K-dramas while at university, and since then the tall, handsome, down-to-earth star has never looked back.

Lee Jae-wook as Sim Hongrang/Soul Reaper in a still from Dear Hongrang. Photo: Eunjung Kim/Netflix
Lee Jae-wook as Sim Hongrang/Soul Reaper in a still from Dear Hongrang. Photo: Eunjung Kim/Netflix
American cinema

Review | Eddington: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal in Ari Aster’s modern western

Joaquin Phoenix puts himself through the wringer as sheriff of a town gripped by Covid-19 and gradually enveloped by violence.

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European cinema

The pain of Russian creatives both home and abroad depicted by filmmaker

Filmmaker Roman Liberov uses film, music and poetry to bring to life the struggles of Russian artists caught up in their country’s politics.

TV shows and streaming video

Leighton Meester on Hot Rabbi husband, love of Gossip Girl role

Seemingly eternally unfazed by attention, Leighton Meester reflects on fame, family and roles on shows like Gossip Girl and Good Cop/Bad Cop.

Leighton Meester at the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 23, 2025. She reflects on her fame, family and roles in shows like Gossip Girl. Photo: TNS
Korean drama reviews

Dear Hongrang: Jo Bo-ah, Lee Jae-wook in ravishing period K-drama

A wealthy merchant’s son vanishes. A man appears and is embraced as the long-lost child, except by his stepsister, who sees a schemer.

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Jo Bo-ah (left) and Lee Jae-wook in a still from Dear Hongrang. Photo: Netflix
Jo Bo-ah (left) and Lee Jae-wook in a still from Dear Hongrang. Photo: Netflix
TV shows and streaming video

Song Ji-hyo on deep dive into a unique Korean culture in BBC documentary

In Deep Dive Korea, Running Man regular Song Ji-hyo trains as a free diver like those depicted in K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines.

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Food and Drinks

Stanley Tucci is back in Italy with Nat Geo, and this time it’s personal

Actor Stanley Tucci goes off the beaten track in new show Tucci in Italy to taste regional specialities and delve into nation’s darker side.

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TV shows and streaming video

In quilting they ‘make beautiful things’. They’re also US prison inmates

Discover how inmates in a US maximum security prison find healing and community through quilting in Netflix documentary The Quilters.

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A scene from The Quilters, a Netflix documentary that focuses on US prison inmates who find healing and community through quilting. Photo: Netflix
Asian cinema: Chinese films

How disaster struck for Air Strike, a Chinese film with Bruce Willis

Rated 0% on Rotten Tomatoes, 2018 film Air Strike with Bruce Willis, Liu Ye and Fan Wei is a mishmash of genres and underwhelming action.

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Bruce Willis (front) and co-stars in a still from Air Strike. Photo: Online
Bruce Willis (front) and co-stars in a still from Air Strike. Photo: Online
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | A Pale View of Hills: Suzu Hirose, Fumi Nikaido in Kazuo Ishiguro adaptation

Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Kei Ishikawa’s film moves adroitly between the 1950s and 1980s as a writer probes her family history.

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American cinema

Endurance swim attempt around Martha’s Vineyard to mark Jaws anniversary

Lewis Pugh braves cold, sharks as he begins 12-day attempt at first swim around island, and urges an end to mass slaughter of the creatures.

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American cinema

Review | Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is fun but no masterpiece

Tom Cruise plays agent Ethan Hunt, out to save the world, this time from a rogue AI, in an instalment that neatly wraps up the franchise.

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Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in a still from Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Photo: Paramount Pictures and Skydance
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt in a still from Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Photo: Paramount Pictures and Skydance
Korean drama reviews

Tastefully Yours: Kang Ha-neul, Go Min-si lead delectable romcom K-drama

In Tastefully Yours, Kang Ha-neul plays a conceited heir who clashes with Go Min-si’s stubborn chef. Expect romance and tempting dishes.

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K-drama news

How Weak Hero and D.P.’s Han Jun-hee masterfully draws modern audiences

The director and screenwriter’s storylines ask deep questions about power and accountability that appeal to both Korean and global viewers.

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American cinema

Review | Final Destination: Bloodlines – horror franchise back after 14-year break

MRI scanners and vending machines are used to kill characters in creative ways in long-awaited gorefest that follows the franchise formula.

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Brec Bassinger as Iris in a still from Final Destination: Bloodlines. Photo: Eric Milner
Korean drama reviews

Heavenly Ever After midseason recap: a jumbled K-drama with no real story

With only four episodes to go, this Korean drama on Netflix is more interested in the novelty of its concept than any significant plot.

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Son Suk-ku in a still from Heavenly Ever After.
Son Suk-ku in a still from Heavenly Ever After.
American cinema

10 best Steven Soderbergh films ranked, from Black Bag to Traffic

As Soderbergh returns with spy thriller Black Bag, starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, we count down his 10 best films to date.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon – sci-fi anime film is for diehard fans only

Kaiju No. 8: Mission Recon offers a big-screen compilation of the anime, but character development and emotional nuance are stripped away.

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European cinema

Cannes Film Festival shows fashion’s stepped up involvement in cinema

From Saint Laurent and AMI to Chanel and Dior, luxury labels are not just dressing the stars but co-producing movies at Cannes Film Festival.

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Cast members of the film Diamant Brut arrive for its screening at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024. Luxury fashion labels are moving beyond the red carpet to partner with filmmakers and production companies. Photo: Reuters
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