https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/322296/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Yim Si-wan, Seol In-ah, Kim Jung-hyun, Yeonwoo Latest Nielsen rating: 4.7 per cent In the romantic comedy Love in Disguise, Yim Si-wan plays a vain corporate heir suspected of murder who hires a new personal bodyguard, unaware that his protector is actually a female detective in disguise (played by Seol In-ah of Business Proposal). The series marks a return to more conventional K-drama fare for Yim, following his intense roles in the action film Mantis (2025) and the second and third... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3371895/prime-video-k-drama-love-disguise-yim-si-wan-seol-ah-lead-gender-reversal-romcom https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3371895/prime-video-k-drama-love-disguise-yim-si-wan-seol-ah-lead-gender-reversal-romcom Fri, 23 Oct 2026 11:15:05 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam This is the 88th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. With her signature polka dot gowns, umbrella skirts and velvet-deep contralto voice that defied the high-pitched norms of her era, Paula Tsui Siu-fung did not just become a Cantopop superstar; she defined the very archetype of the Hong Kong diva. Over a career spanning more than five decades, her record-shattering live performances and unprecedented album sales have cemented her... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371486/how-cantopop-diva-paula-tsui-defined-era-her-contralto-voice-and-polka-dot-dresses https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371486/how-cantopop-diva-paula-tsui-defined-era-her-contralto-voice-and-polka-dot-dresses Thu, 22 Oct 2026 23:15:06 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Nam Ji-hyun, Kim Jae-young South Korea finds itself at an interesting juncture in its social evolution in the mid-2020s. Following the success of works such as the 2016 book Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 and its hit 2019 film adaptation, which brought the country’s gender inequality into sharp focus, the imbalance remains stubbornly stark. People now recognise this imbalance and are unafraid to label it for what it is – “patriarchy” is no longer a dirty word. Yet change has been slow. South... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3371782/hbo-max-k-drama-make-me-tingle-nam-ji-hyun-kim-jae-young-lead-tame-sex-romcom https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3371782/hbo-max-k-drama-make-me-tingle-nam-ji-hyun-kim-jae-young-lead-tame-sex-romcom Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:15:05 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3.5/5 stars From Venom and Morbius to Birds of Prey and The New Mutants, elevating side characters to centre stage in Marvel and DC comic-book adaptations rarely takes flight. Clayface, however, is an exception. Set in the Gotham underworld, the new film features no sign – or even mention – of Batman, but no matter. A grisly but delicious tale of Hollywood excess, this DC thriller is part crime, part horror and certainly not one for the squeamish. Tom Rhys Harries (Suspicion) stars as Matt... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371568/clayface-review-dc-spin-delivers-grisly-vengeance-fuelled-body-horror-thriller https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371568/clayface-review-dc-spin-delivers-grisly-vengeance-fuelled-body-horror-thriller Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:00:06 +0000 Enid Tsui Enid Tsui Before Juan Diego Florez became one of the most celebrated opera tenors of his generation, he was on his way to being a pop star. Music was always part of family life. His father, Ruben Florez, was a respected singer of Peruvian criolla folk music; his mother, Maria Teresa Salom, managed a Lima pub with live music. As a boy, Juan Diego Florez would sometimes be asked to stand in and perform with his guitar. That early exposure gave him his first taste of being on stage, and by his teens, he was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3371621/peruvian-tenor-juan-diego-florez-hong-kong-debut-pavarottis-regret-and-singing-food https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3371621/peruvian-tenor-juan-diego-florez-hong-kong-debut-pavarottis-regret-and-singing-food Wed, 21 Oct 2026 11:15:06 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars In Bird of Paradise, a dutiful middle-aged Hong Kong woman takes up pole dancing and shatters her thankless routine of cooking and cleaning for her family. Marking the feature debut of writer-director Joey Wu Chui-yi, this perfectly pleasant family drama offers an easy watch for viewers seeking light-hearted domestic quibbles. More sophisticated audiences, however, will find it slightly shallow and naive. Crucially, the film provides a rare leading role for Catherine Chau Ka-yee. She... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371368/bird-paradise-review-catherine-chau-takes-pole-dancing-light-hearted-family-drama https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371368/bird-paradise-review-catherine-chau-takes-pole-dancing-light-hearted-family-drama Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:15:04 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which closed on October 15, drew 277,027 visitors, roughly 40,000 more than last year and the highest since 2015. The 10-day event screened more than 300 films from 59 countries. Alongside 95 world premieres, the programme featured the Asian premieres of several prestigious award winners from Cannes and Venice, including Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner Fjord and May el-Toukhy’s Golden Lion recipient Woman Unknown. Other highlights included... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371348/busan-2026-10-festivals-best-movies-midday-meal-satoko-always https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371348/busan-2026-10-festivals-best-movies-midday-meal-satoko-always Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:15:05 +0000 Natasha Rogai Natasha Rogai There is nothing more difficult than living up to expectations. Dunhuang: In Search of Light is the first new full-length production for Hong Kong Ballet by the husband-and-wife choreographic team of Ricky Hu Songwei and Mai Jingwen since the multi-award-winning The Butterfly Lovers in 2024. The exceptional success of its predecessor raised the bar, and while the new work offers plenty to enjoy, it does not reach the same level. On the plus side, the lush, atmospheric score by Tian Mi (composer... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3371349/hong-kong-ballets-visually-stunning-dunhuang-search-light-fails-fully-tell-tale https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3371349/hong-kong-ballets-visually-stunning-dunhuang-search-light-fails-fully-tell-tale Mon, 19 Oct 2026 10:15:05 +0000 Alex Howlett Alex Howlett On September 22, after a five-year trial, 15 men from Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community were convicted and sentenced to 200 to 260 years in prison each for their involvement in the 2019 Easter bombings. The coordinated suicide attacks on luxury hotels and Christian places of worship on April 21, 2019, remain one of the deadliest terror incidents in the island nation’s history, claiming more than 250 lives. While the devastation and subsequent investigations were covered widely in the global... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3370980/sri-lankan-writer-nifraz-rifazs-debut-novel-confronts-islamophobia-after-easter-bombings https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3370980/sri-lankan-writer-nifraz-rifazs-debut-novel-confronts-islamophobia-after-easter-bombings Sun, 18 Oct 2026 11:15:06 +0000 Lisa Cam Lisa Cam Paddy Ma Wendi, a director of vertical dramas since 2023, has had a front-row seat to how fast and hard artificial intelligence has affected the mobile-first entertainment genre in 2026. Digital content farms have started churning out short productions – serialised stories made for smartphones and usually watched in portrait mode – using the latest AI technology. “When I was in the US [for a live-action vertical drama], I usually hired about 20 to 30 people, including the actors,” says Ma, who... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370957/how-ai-reshaping-microdramas-vertical-video-format-takes-generational-jump https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370957/how-ai-reshaping-microdramas-vertical-video-format-takes-generational-jump Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:45:05 +0000 Matt Glasby Matt Glasby Before The Dark Knight made him a household name in 2008, Christopher Nolan crafted intricate thrillers such as Following (1998), Memento (2000) and Insomnia (2002). But 2006’s The Prestige, which turns 20 this month, is the most labyrinthine by far. Made just after Batman Begins (2005), but a far stranger and more personal proposition, it is set in 1890s London. Here, we are introduced to stage magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who risk their lives, and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370672/what-christopher-nolans-prestige-reveals-about-his-cinematic-obsession-20-years https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370672/what-christopher-nolans-prestige-reveals-about-his-cinematic-obsession-20-years Sat, 17 Oct 2026 11:15:05 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis Grace Chang, also known by her stage name Ge Lan, died in August at the age of 93. She is widely remembered today for her lively performance in Mambo Girl, the 1957 Chinese-language musical that made her a star. Famed for pure roles expressing the aspirations of would-be middle-class Hong Kong girls, Chang initially played characters who were hip, popular, socially adept, conscientious and relatively well-off, possessing no hint of sexuality; her character in Mambo Girl is almost... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370576/why-1960-film-wild-wild-rose-late-grace-changs-greatest-cinematic-triumph https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370576/why-1960-film-wild-wild-rose-late-grace-changs-greatest-cinematic-triumph Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:45:06 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3/5 stars Taika Waititi, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Jojo Rabbit (2019), brings his trademark quirk to Klara and the Sun, a sunny-side-up sci-fi fable that occasionally delivers flashes of darkness. Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel of the same name, the film is set in a future where AI companions are the norm. The effervescent Klara (Jenna Ortega) is one such android, albeit a discontinued B1 model now being hawked from a city discount store. Klara’s escape comes when a young girl,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371093/klara-and-sun-review-jenna-ortega-android-upbeat-saccharine-sci-fi-fable https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3371093/klara-and-sun-review-jenna-ortega-android-upbeat-saccharine-sci-fi-fable Fri, 16 Oct 2026 03:28:10 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Lead cast: Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk, Lee Se-young Shin Min-a is, for all intents and purposes, Korea’s first Disney Princess as she plays the titular royal in the lavish new K-drama The Remarried Empress. Adapted from Alphatart’s web novel of the same name, this star-studded romantic fairy tale tells the story of Navier Ellie Trovi (Shin), whose position in the mythical Eastern Empire is threatened when her once-faithful husband, Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon), takes a mistress:... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370679/disney-k-drama-remarried-empress-shin-min-reigns-lavish-royal-romance-fantasy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370679/disney-k-drama-remarried-empress-shin-min-reigns-lavish-royal-romance-fantasy Wed, 14 Oct 2026 10:15:05 +0000 Zabrina Lo Zabrina Lo When Hong Kong’s Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsized and sank in the South China Sea in 2022, social media users lamented the loss of a culinary icon. Some tongue-in-cheek proposals called for it to be transformed into an underwater restaurant or diving sanctuary. No salvage operation or documentary project has materialised, leaving the fate of the wreck a lingering mystery. That sense of loss, nostalgia and imagination surrounding Hong Kong’s vanished and disappearing landmarks anchored City... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3370575/jumbo-floating-restaurant-neon-nostalgia-aplenty-hong-kong-art-tech-show https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3370575/jumbo-floating-restaurant-neon-nostalgia-aplenty-hong-kong-art-tech-show Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:15:04 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3.5/5 stars In Good Trip, a father and daughter’s impromptu final excursion unfolds as a deceptively playful comedy road movie. It tackles one of the most agonising subjects a family can face – the impending death of a parent – with surprising, life-affirming levity. Co-directed by Norris Wong Yee-lam (The Lyricist Wannabe) – who also wrote the screenplay – and Wong Hoi (Let It Ghost), and produced by the acclaimed filmmaker Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting, the film avoids unbearable sentimentality; it... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370541/good-trip-review-nick-cheung-chung-suet-ying-play-father-and-daughter-road-comedy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370541/good-trip-review-nick-cheung-chung-suet-ying-play-father-and-daughter-road-comedy Tue, 13 Oct 2026 07:15:06 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 3.5/5 stars Lead cast: Koji Yakusho, Kento Kaku, Kenichi Matsuyama In Netflix’s new comedy series Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?, Koji Yakusho stars as a world-famous Japanese actor who discovers that almost the whole of Japan has forgotten him. Playful and lighthearted, the eight-episode series follows the veteran performer as he loses his celebrity status overnight and is forced to reassess his character and relationships while rebuilding his life and career. Created by acclaimed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369868/netflix-drama-did-someone-happen-mention-me-review-koji-yakusho-leads-amnesia-comedy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369868/netflix-drama-did-someone-happen-mention-me-review-koji-yakusho-leads-amnesia-comedy Mon, 12 Oct 2026 15:00:14 +0000 Natasha Rogai Natasha Rogai Opera Hong Kong’s first fully staged production of Pietro Mascagni’s 1890 Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s 1892 Pagliacci does justice to the classic double bill. Familiarly known as Cav/Pag, the production features lively staging, strong performances in the leading roles and splendid work by the Opera Hong Kong Chorus. Since 1893, the two operas have often been performed together for obvious reasons. Both are set in the rural Italian south and both explore themes of jealousy,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3370537/opera-hong-kongs-cavalleria-rusticana-and-pagliacci-double-bill-lights-stage https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3370537/opera-hong-kongs-cavalleria-rusticana-and-pagliacci-double-bill-lights-stage Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:15:06 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram When Kitao Sakurai, the Japanese-American director of a new film adaptation of the Street Fighter video game franchise, called to say she had the role, Callina Liang reacted the way anyone might expect. “I was in a park screaming at the top of my lungs,” the 26-year-old actress reveals with a giggle over Zoom. Starring Andrew Koji (Warrior) as Ryu and Noah Centineo (Black Adam) as Ken, the film allows Liang to live out her 16-bit dreams, playing Chun-Li, the franchise’s first-ever female... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370287/who-callina-liang-actress-playing-chun-li-new-street-fighter-movie https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370287/who-callina-liang-actress-playing-chun-li-new-street-fighter-movie Mon, 12 Oct 2026 10:15:05 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Ji Chang-wook, Mio Imada Cross-cultural media ties between Japan and South Korea continue to blossom with Merry Berry Love, a rural romance starring Ji Chang-wook (The Worst of Evil) and Mio Imada (Trillion Game). Co-produced by South Korea’s CJ ENM and Japan’s Nippon Television, the show airs locally on Nippon TV and streams globally on Disney+. Although written and directed by South Korean creatives, the story unfolds largely on Charo Island, in rural Japan. Imada plays Karin... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370330/disney-k-drama-merry-berry-love-ji-chang-wook-goes-japan-hollow-romantic-comedy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370330/disney-k-drama-merry-berry-love-ji-chang-wook-goes-japan-hollow-romantic-comedy Sun, 11 Oct 2026 07:15:05 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Kim So-hyun, Choo Young-woo Latest Nielsen rating: 2.36 per cent Kim So-hyun (My Lovely Liar) and Choo Young-woo (The Tale of Lady Ok) share the screen in this university-set slice-of-life drama, which teases a slow-burn romance between two frustrated young adults trying to find their place in a society that does not always play by the rules. Between Steps is notably the final drama from veteran director Ahn Pan-seok, whose credits include the romance Something in the Rain and the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370311/disney-k-drama-between-steps-kim-so-hyun-choo-young-woo-ahn-pan-seoks-final-romance https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370311/disney-k-drama-between-steps-kim-so-hyun-choo-young-woo-ahn-pan-seoks-final-romance Sat, 10 Oct 2026 08:15:06 +0000 Kavita Daswani Kavita Daswani For Dorothy Wang, documenting her life is hardly new territory. After years of appearing on reality television, including Rich Kids of Beverly Hills, Bling Empire and Bling Empire: New York, the socialite-entrepreneur and heiress – her father Roger Wang is the billionaire founder of Chinese real estate company Golden Eagle International Group – has spent much of her adult life sharing her life with the public. But when she met lawyer Brandon Yankowitz through mutual friends in 2022, she found... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370293/bling-empires-dorothy-wang-back-time-its-her-wedding-her-rules https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3370293/bling-empires-dorothy-wang-back-time-its-her-wedding-her-rules Sat, 10 Oct 2026 04:15:04 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Lead cast: Son Suk-ku, Eita Nagayama Son Suk-ku and Eita Nagayama team up for the transnational crime thriller The Blue Road, Netflix’s upcoming K-drama in which they play rival detectives on the trail of a viciously creative serial killer whose crime spree spans South Korea and Japan. Adapted from the 2002 manhwa (Korean comic) – itself a cross-border collaboration steered by Takashi Nagasaki (aka Keishi Edogawa) and Gaya Kwon – and set against the backdrop of the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370303/netflix-k-drama-blue-road-son-suk-ku-eita-nagayama-hunt-vicious-serial-killer https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370303/netflix-k-drama-blue-road-son-suk-ku-eita-nagayama-hunt-vicious-serial-killer Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:15:05 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu This is the 87th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. For Hong Kong’s culture enthusiasts, sitting just a few seats away from Anthony Wong Yiu-ming at an art-house film screening or standing steps from him at an underground gig has long been a serendipitous staple of the city’s arts scene. He is legendary for his ubiquitous presence as an ordinary spectator. Beyond his genuine enthusiasm as a fellow audience member, the 64-year-old... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369981/how-cantopop-pioneer-and-avid-arts-lover-anthony-wong-yiu-ming-shaped-hong-kong-culture https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369981/how-cantopop-pioneer-and-avid-arts-lover-anthony-wong-yiu-ming-shaped-hong-kong-culture Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:15:05 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Lead cast: Lee Jae-wook, Go Min-si, Kim Min-ha, Lee Hee-jun In Dead-End Job, Lee Jae-wook (Alchemy of Souls) stars as a desperate loser who takes a series of dangerous, increasingly bizarre part-time gigs to escape crippling debt. Netflix’s latest high-concept K-drama series blends humour, horror and social commentary into a kinetic, if tonally wayward, thrill ride with an intriguing supernatural twist. The first four episodes have just premiered at the Busan International Film Festival, ahead... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370191/netflix-k-drama-dead-end-job-squid-game-meets-supernatural-horror-uneven-thrill-ride https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3370191/netflix-k-drama-dead-end-job-squid-game-meets-supernatural-horror-uneven-thrill-ride Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:15:05 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Bali or Europe? A retired Hong Kong couple’s ‘alpine’ mountain retreat After three decades in Hong Kong, a former construction executive and her hotelier husband have opened a resort in Bali’s cool, misty north. 2. Meet the doctor baking some of the UK’s best Cantonese-inspired bread Every fortnight in Walthamstow, East... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3370147/hong-kong-couples-mountain-retreat-hrts-effects-dementia-7-lifestyle-highlights https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3370147/hong-kong-couples-mountain-retreat-hrts-effects-dementia-7-lifestyle-highlights Thu, 08 Oct 2026 06:30:08 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 2.5/5 stars A seemingly deranged rubbish collector makes for an unorthodox cinematic sleuth. Yet this is precisely the conceit of The Mage, a supernatural whodunnit that pairs the pungent outcast with a cynical police detective to make sense of a spate of gruesome deaths in Hong Kong. Beneath the grime is Josie Ho Chiu-yee. The billionaire heiress has long exhibited a fascination with the wealth spectrum’s lower end in the stylised horror films produced by her own studio, 852 Films, having... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369798/mage-review-josie-ho-scavenges-lost-souls-supernatural-detective-thriller https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369798/mage-review-josie-ho-scavenges-lost-souls-supernatural-detective-thriller Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:15:05 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak While cinemas worldwide have suffered waves of closures over the past decade, Hong Kong’s longest-running art house theatre has bucked the trend. As Broadway Cinematheque celebrates its 30th anniversary, shifting audience preferences appear to be playing to its strengths. In November 1996, Broadway Cinematheque (often simply called BC) opened in Kowloon’s Yau Ma Tei district as one of Hong Kong’s few cinemas screening international films that would not otherwise make it onto the city’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369767/how-broadway-cinematheque-hong-kongs-longest-running-art-house-cinema-thriving-30 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369767/how-broadway-cinematheque-hong-kongs-longest-running-art-house-cinema-thriving-30 Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:15:05 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 1/5 stars A fine line separates a labyrinthine murder thriller from an infuriatingly fragmented mess. With Mastermind, emerging Hong Kong writer-director James Hung Ling-ching (The Seventh Lie) crosses it with reckless abandon, delivering a detective mystery with such irredeemably awful plotting that genre fans will rarely have felt so insulted. Set over a single, relentlessly storm-soaked night in H City – a fictional, dystopian metropolis of 5 million starved of proper rule of law – the film... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369912/mastermind-review-louis-koo-plays-detective-ludicrously-bad-hong-kong-mystery-thriller https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369912/mastermind-review-louis-koo-plays-detective-ludicrously-bad-hong-kong-mystery-thriller Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:15:05 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) opens its 31st edition today with a renewed sense of relevance and prestige as it celebrates its newly minted status as an A-list festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). This globally recognised industry benchmark “gives us clear and tangible external validation”, says Busan festival director Jung Han-seok in an email interview with the South China Morning Post. “BIFF’s international standing and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369752/what-does-busan-international-film-festivals-new-pathway-oscars-mean-asia https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369752/what-does-busan-international-film-festivals-new-pathway-oscars-mean-asia Mon, 05 Oct 2026 23:15:06 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu During a whirlwind September press tour in Thailand, Josie Ho Chiu-yee cuts a glamorous figure at the centre of the Bangkok International Film Festival, where she even receives a royal souvenir from Thailand’s Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi, a prominent patron of Thai cinema. But what Ho, a daughter of the late Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho Hung-sun, has come to promote is much darker and grittier: her latest feature, The Mage. As both lead actress of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369749/why-josie-ho-diving-back-macabre-her-new-horror-crime-thriller-mage https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369749/why-josie-ho-diving-back-macabre-her-new-horror-crime-thriller-mage Mon, 05 Oct 2026 08:15:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Fifty years after Sylvester Stallone pulled off one of Hollywood’s all-time long shots with Rocky (1976), the star of the Oscar-winning film still identifies with the character who for many embodies the outsider proving all the naysayers wrong. But he no longer claims to be an underdog. “It would be so disingenuous to say you’re an underdog, ‘as he said from his penthouse’,” Stallone says, on a high floor of a luxury Manhattan hotel. “Yeah. Come on. I am a lucky dog.” Stallone, who turned 80 in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369520/lucky-dog-sylvester-stallone-80-fate-insecurity-and-his-rocky-road-success https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369520/lucky-dog-sylvester-stallone-80-fate-insecurity-and-his-rocky-road-success Sun, 04 Oct 2026 08:15:05 +0000 Matt Glasby Matt Glasby In 1986, a strange coincidence occurred in Hollywood. Despite the industry having previously shown little interest in the subject, two major Chinese-themed fantasy films were released in the same year: John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China and the Eddie Murphy vehicle The Golden Child. Ever the cynic, Carpenter refused to believe in serendipity. “How many adventure pictures dealing with Chinese mysticism have been released by the major studios in the past 20 years?” he asked Starlog... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369539/why-john-carpenters-big-trouble-little-china-both-problematic-and-progressive https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369539/why-john-carpenters-big-trouble-little-china-both-problematic-and-progressive Sat, 03 Oct 2026 11:15:06 +0000 Yap Yok Foo Yap Yok Foo Every morning, I settle into my armchair in Kuala Lumpur, pen in hand, to tackle The Times cryptic crossword, freshly downloaded from the internet. It is a ritual I have observed since my university days in the United Kingdom. I have become rather adept at it; in fact, puzzle devotees might recognise Sayang, the pseudonym under which I set crosswords for the Financial Times. I can still recite the names of England’s 1966 World Cup squad in my sleep. My youth was scored to the sounds of Cliff... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368822/im-80-its-not-too-late-reconnect-my-chinese-roots https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3368822/im-80-its-not-too-late-reconnect-my-chinese-roots Fri, 02 Oct 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran Lead cast: Kim Ji-yeon (aka Bona), Park Seo-ham, Jang Se-hyuk Latest Nielsen rating: 0.5 per cent In the new fantasy romance Dive into You, a mysterious camcorder allows a pair of superstar siblings to travel back in time and swap bodies in a desperate bid to save a loved one. Kim Ji-yeon (Twenty-Five Twenty-One) – also known as Bona from the K-pop girl group WJSN – appears as screen siren Yoon Ha-na, who has reached the top of her field but is experiencing an emotional numbness that affects her... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3369496/k-drama-dive-you-kim-ji-yeon-aka-bona-leads-superficial-time-travel-body-swap-romcom https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3369496/k-drama-dive-you-kim-ji-yeon-aka-bona-leads-superficial-time-travel-body-swap-romcom Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:15:05 +0000 Richard James Havis Richard James Havis It is easy to misremember the Hong Kong New Wave of the late 1970s and 80s. Nearly five decades after its inception, that iconic chapter in the city’s cinema history is generally thought of as a socially inclined art-house movement that addressed everyday issues – a stark contrast to the martial arts films that dominated the local box office at the time. While partially true, viewing New Wave films merely as local iterations of 1960s and 70s rarefied European art-house cinema misses the mark.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369332/how-hong-kong-new-wave-directors-hijacked-martial-arts-and-crime-films-make-art https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369332/how-hong-kong-new-wave-directors-hijacked-martial-arts-and-crime-films-make-art Fri, 02 Oct 2026 08:15:07 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee Japanese director Sabu’s Arrested Memory leads the race for the 63rd Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan with 11 nominations, including best picture, best director and acting nods for Ethan Juan Ching-tien and Akira Huang Guan-zhi. The crime thriller, which recently premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, is closely followed by Girl. A coming-of-age drama marking the feature directorial debut of Taiwanese actress Shu Qi, the film secured 10 nominations, including best picture and best new... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369500/golden-horse-awards-2026-nominations-full-arrested-memory-and-girl-lead-race https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369500/golden-horse-awards-2026-nominations-full-arrested-memory-and-girl-lead-race Fri, 02 Oct 2026 03:08:23 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven Lifestyle stories from the past seven days that resonated with our readers. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. How Helena Law Lan, 91, became Hong Kong cinema’s grand dame of horror Few figures are as synonymous with Hong Kong horror films as Helena Law Lan, who has been a household name for over half a century. 2. How Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan is a symbol of China’s fashion soft power Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan has... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/article/3369430/helena-law-lans-horror-film-legacy-hong-kongs-gen-z-jeweller-7-lifestyle-highlights https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/article/3369430/helena-law-lans-horror-film-legacy-hong-kongs-gen-z-jeweller-7-lifestyle-highlights Thu, 01 Oct 2026 08:30:12 +0000 Pierce Conran Pierce Conran October brings with it cooler weather and 12 new shows sure to keep K-drama fans very busy, from romantic comedies to mystery thrillers. Read on to find out what to watch over the next month. 1. Your Personal Taxi Lead cast: Cha Tae-hyun My Sassy Girl’s Cha Tae-hyun is back on screens in the heartwarming limited series Your Personal Taxi, based on a webtoon of the same name by Mose Lee. Cha plays a kind taxi driver who chauffeurs passengers and listens to their special stories. He helps his... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3369196/12-best-new-k-dramas-watch-october-2026-including-100-days-deception https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3369196/12-best-new-k-dramas-watch-october-2026-including-100-days-deception Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:15:10 +0000 Edmund Lee Edmund Lee 3.5/5 stars Philip Yung Tsz-kwong’s Cyclone is an alternately transgressive and lyrical drama charting the sexual escapades of a transgender woman fleeing her traumatic past. The film takes its name from the protagonist’s chosen alias – a literary allusion that may enlighten and confuse audiences in equal measure. It references Cyclone Mei, a fabled villainess from Louis Cha Leung-yung’s wuxia epic The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Forged by a tragic childhood into a ruthless killer, she is the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369188/cyclone-review-philip-yungs-transgender-drama-bold-lyrical-and-utterly-divisive https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369188/cyclone-review-philip-yungs-transgender-drama-bold-lyrical-and-utterly-divisive Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:15:05 +0000 Zabrina Lo Zabrina Lo Far removed from the sweeping historical epics and sleek commercial blockbusters that have long defined the region’s cinematic exports, a quieter evolution is unfolding across Asian cinema. An emerging cohort of storytellers is eschewing grand spectacles to navigate the intimate, the unspoken and the marginalised. In doing so, these young directors are carving out a new path – one they view as more grounded and representative of contemporary life. Nadia Chui and Law Yik-man from Hong Kong, Bo... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369065/how-asian-film-awards-academys-filmmaking-camp-grooming-new-generation-directors https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369065/how-asian-film-awards-academys-filmmaking-camp-grooming-new-generation-directors Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:15:06 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh 1/5 stars Japanese comedian Naomi Watanabe plays a pop star who travels to the Taiwanese countryside in search of her ancestral home in the horror comedy Oh My Ghost! Oh My God! Marking the directorial debut of indigenous actor Soda Voyu, the film follows an eclectic group of oddball characters as they navigate all manner of supernatural obstacles in the hostile mountains, but fails spectacularly to be either scary or funny. A spiritual sequel to Hidden Treasures in the Mountain (2018), Oh My... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369054/oh-my-ghost-oh-my-god-review-naomi-watanabe-gets-lost-dismal-taiwanese-horror-comedy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3369054/oh-my-ghost-oh-my-god-review-naomi-watanabe-gets-lost-dismal-taiwanese-horror-comedy Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:15:05 +0000 Christopher Halls Christopher Halls Georges Bizet’s Carmen is not the only 19th century piece of music crammed with Spanish flair and flavour. A month before the March 1875 premiere of Bizet’s southern Spain-set opera came fellow French composer Edouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole – a brilliant five-movement fiesta for violin and orchestra written for the legendary Spanish violinist, conductor and composer Pablo de Sarasate. Seduction was the word du jour for Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s concert centrepiece on September 26, when... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3369131/violin-virtuoso-kevin-zhu-joins-hong-kong-sinfonietta-evening-full-spanish-flair https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3369131/violin-virtuoso-kevin-zhu-joins-hong-kong-sinfonietta-evening-full-spanish-flair Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:15:06 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak The grimy basements of underground punk music and the pristine white walls of contemporary art galleries are usually opposing forces of the creative world, but to Janice Laujan – the screaming, growling frontwoman of Hong Kong cult band David Boring – they are simply different mediums through which she gets to “have a public breakdown”. “Performance is the only time I can be completely honest about something and project a very intense part of my personality,” says the Hong Kong artist. “It’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368266/hong-kong-rocker-janice-laujan-her-dark-disturbing-tender-debut-art-show https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368266/hong-kong-rocker-janice-laujan-her-dark-disturbing-tender-debut-art-show Sun, 27 Sep 2026 08:15:05 +0000 James Mottram James Mottram 3.5/5 stars If the runaway success of 2023’s Godzilla Minus One proved anything, it is that there is plenty of life left in the old kaiju. This century’s revival of the fabled giant monster has been a sort of tit for tat between Hollywood – with Legendary Pictures’ Monsterverse films placing the creature alongside King Kong – and the Japanese originator, Toho, which has also rebooted the franchise. Godzilla Minus One – directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also wrote the script and oversaw the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3368758/godzilla-minus-zero-review-visually-stunning-japanese-monster-sequel-full-surprises https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3368758/godzilla-minus-zero-review-visually-stunning-japanese-monster-sequel-full-surprises Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:15:07 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak This is the 86th instalment in a biweekly series profiling major Hong Kong pop culture figures of recent decades. Few figures are as synonymous with Hong Kong horror films as Helena Law Lan, who has been a household name for over half a century. Unlike the typical “scream queens” who gain popularity playing damsels in distress, 91-year-old Law has been the city’s on-screen spirit medium for over three decades and for years served as Hong Kong theme park Ocean Park’s Halloween... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3368350/how-91-year-old-helena-law-lan-became-hong-kong-cinemas-grand-dame-horror https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3368350/how-91-year-old-helena-law-lan-became-hong-kong-cinemas-grand-dame-horror Fri, 25 Sep 2026 04:15:06 +0000 James Marsh James Marsh Few cinematic stories are as life-affirming or tug as effectively at our heartstrings as those exploring the bond between humans and dogs. The unwavering loyalty and adoration of a faithful pup can melt even the hardest of hearts, making it little wonder that filmmakers continually return to the subject. This week sees the release of David Ayer’s Heart of the Beast, starring Brad Pitt as a retired US Special Forces officer stranded in the Alaskan wilderness alongside his loyal dog, Odin –... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3368251/loved-heart-beast-10-best-dog-movies-where-canine-takes-lead https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3368251/loved-heart-beast-10-best-dog-movies-where-canine-takes-lead Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:15:05 +0000 Quentin Parker Quentin Parker More than three years ago, I articulated concerns regarding the existential threat of artificial intelligence in a piece entitled “How Hong Kong can play a role in preventing AI Armageddon”. There is an increasing number of articles about exactly this. Here I concentrate on a more insidious encroachment on our humanity – how AI is capturing our creative expression and replacing us in a way that is making it harder to discern what is creatively human. As a scientist, my inclination is to filter... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3368408/dont-let-ai-take-over-our-human-creative-expression https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3368408/dont-let-ai-take-over-our-human-creative-expression Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Ashlyn Chak Ashlyn Chak A short film depicting an unexpected friendship between a Pakistani tailor and a Hong Kong florist has scooped the top Hong Kong prize at this year’s Inspiring Asia Micro Film Festival. Between the Unsaid, produced by Kaneeta Arshad and directed by Qasim Khan, champions integration and how different communities in the city should work and learn together. “We see this very commonly in Hong Kong with our parents or someone who comes from outside Hong Kong,” Khan says. “There’s a communication... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368512/pakistani-made-micro-film-scoops-top-prize-asian-festivals-hong-kong-final https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368512/pakistani-made-micro-film-scoops-top-prize-asian-festivals-hong-kong-final Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:15:05 +0000 Zabrina Lo Zabrina Lo Mongolia and heavy metal are rarely mentioned in the same sentence, but folk metal band Uuhai are here to prove the music genre fuses surprisingly well with the nomadic culture’s distinctive vocal and instrumental traditions. Founded in the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar in 2020 by drummer and producer Otgonbaatar “Ombo” Damba, the band’s current line-up features Damba, Khurtsgerel Damiranjav (horsehead fiddler and vocalist), Zorigoo Battsooj (horsehead fiddler and throat singer), Saruul... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368469/metal-meets-mongolian-throat-singing-and-instruments-uuhais-hong-kong-debut https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3368469/metal-meets-mongolian-throat-singing-and-instruments-uuhais-hong-kong-debut Wed, 23 Sep 2026 10:15:06 +0000