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American cinema
From Quentin Tarantino’s violent blockbusters to Steven Spielberg’s family entertainment, and from indie gems premiering at Sundance film festival to popular Hollywood franchises making waves at Comic-Con, this is the place to go for features, interviews and reviews about movies both classic and new from the United States.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Joe Wong poses for a portrait after his Joe Wong: The Twin Tariff Show in Hong Kong. Photo: Alexander Mak

Joe Wong, Ronny Chieng and the rise of Asian voices in comedy

Asian comedians were once forced to resort to stereotypes to find a platform – but a wave of pioneering stars is changing that.

Reading Time:8 minutes
A picture of a young Teresa Teng in Bangkok from The Story of Teresa Teng by Billy. A former employee of the Chiang Mai hotel where she lived and died reveals what happened on the day she died in 1995. Photo: The Story of Teresa Teng by Billy

The day Teresa Teng died in Thailand – what the butler saw

Reading Time:12 minutes
Lam Lau with his son Aidan at Lau Kee Boat Noodles in Hong Kong, which has been in business since 1981. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

How a vanishing Hong Kong boat culture has kept its cuisine afloat

Reading Time:7 minutes
GN Architects’ Seaside Pavilion, on Chaishan island, Zhejiang province, clinched the Temporary Architecture prize in the 2025 RIBA Asia Pacific Awards. Photo: courtesy GN Architects

Building on waves: a Chinese triumph in temporary architecture

Reading Time:4 minutes
A still from the video of Mirror’s “12”, which was released in 2021. Photo: handout

How Cantopop created Hong Kong’s own Christmas soundtrack

Reading Time:3 minutes
Christmas lights on Chater Road, Central, Hong Kong, in 1981. Photo: SCMP Archives

How a washing machine inspired Hong Kong’s most magical Christmas lights

Reading Time:4 minutes
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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Lisa Lu (left) and Rosalind Chao in a still from The Joy Luck Club (1993). The film stands as only the second Hollywood film ever to tell a contemporary story with a majority Asian cast – the first, Flower Drum Song, had arrived 32 years prior.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How The Joy Luck Club opened the door for majority-Asian casts in Hollywood

The Joy Luck Club (1993) is a complex tale of intergenerational trauma focusing on four Chinese mothers and their daughters in San Francisco.

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Fame and celebrity

Who is Oona Chaplin, who plays Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash?

Obituaries

In memoriam: 29 beloved celebrities we lost in 2025

European cinema

12 new Hollywood movies to watch this winter, from Hamnet to Song Sung Blue

Project Hail Mary, Wuthering Heights, Anaconda and Scream 7 join Hamnet, Song Sung Blue and others on our list of anticipated upcoming films.

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Ryan Gosling in a still from Project Hail Mary, coming to Hong Kong cinemas in early 2026. The sci-fi is among a bevvy of star-studded Hollywood movies being released this winter. Photo: Jonathan Olley
Fame and celebrity

Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, leaving US network ABC

Landmark deal with Google’s video giant ends a 50-year TV broadcast era and takes Hollywood’s biggest night fully online.

Crime

Son of filmmaker Rob Reiner in court on charges of murdering parents

Nick Reiner, 32, faces two counts of first-degree murder as the DA weighs whether to seek the death penalty.

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Crime

Rob Reiner’s son Nick charged with murdering his parents

The film director and his wife were found dead from apparent stab wounds in their Los Angeles home on Sunday.

Candles, flowers and notes left by fans at Rob Reiner’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Photo: EPA
Film reviews

Review | Avatar: Fire and Ash – stunning visuals carry breathless third instalment

Avatar: Fire and Ash sees the Na’vi again fighting for survival in an action-packed sequel that introduces Pandora’s menacing Mangkwan clan.

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Crime

Son of Hollywood director Reiner jailed on suspicion of murdering parents

Nick Reiner, 32, who has struggled with substance abuse, is being held in jail with no bail as a decision on formal charges looms.

United States

Son arrested after Hollywood director Rob Reiner and wife found dead in LA home

Nick Reiner was taken into custody after the bodies of the prolific filmmaker, 78, and his wife Michele, 70, were found on Sunday.

Director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner earlier this year. Photo: TNS
TV shows and streaming video

Why Imogen Poots is always ‘trust falling’, according to Kristen Stewart

Imogen Poots has put in some great performances in her career, not least in The Chronology of Water, Kristen Stewart’s directing debut.

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Kristen Stewart (left) and Imogen Poots attend a screening of The Chronology Of Water at San Vicente West Village in New York on December 3, 2025. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Fame and celebrity

Dick Van Dyke turns 100: 5 things to know about the Mary Poppins star

We look back on what the actor – best known as chimney sweep Bert in Mary Poppins – has said about Walt Disney, James Bond and the key to ageing gracefully.

Racism and other prejudice

Christine Choy, who made documentary on racist killing of Vincent Chin, dies at 73

The indie filmmaker brought attention to the 1982 slaying, a galvanising moment in the fight against anti-Asian hate in the US.

Cinema

Why Spielberg’s black drama The Color Purple remains controversial 40 years on

The 1985 film, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey, was much criticised upon release but received 11 Oscar nominations.

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Willard E. Pugh (left) and Oprah Winfrey in a still from The Color Purple (1985). Photo: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Japan

‘Want people to face this issue’: Oscar-nominated #MeToo film finally in Japan

After sensitive footage was cut, Shiori Ito’s ‘Black Box Diaries’ finally debuts in Japan, exposing sexual violence and pushing for #MeToo justice.

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A woman passes a promotional poster for the film “Black Box Diaries” at a Tokyo movie theatre on Friday. Photo: AFP
Art

Famous horse-related works of art as the Year of the Horse 2026 approaches

To celebrate the nearing Year of the Fire Horse, we look at paintings, books and plays that show how the use of horses in art has evolved.

United States

Director convicted of scamming millions from Netflix for unfinished sci-fi show

Carl Erik Rinsch, best known for ‘47 Ronin’, was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and other charges.

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William Shakespeare

In Hamnet, Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal went on an ‘epic journey’

Mescal and Buckley’s performances in Hamnet, nominated for six Golden Globe awards, have been hailed as among the best of the year.

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Hamnet stars Jessie Buckley (left) and Paul Mescal pose for a photo during the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025. Their chemistry and raw performances in the film have captivated audiences. Photo: AP
Fame and celebrity

Who is Josh Hutcherson dating? Meet his Spanish girlfriend, Claudia Traisac

The Hunger Games star has seen continued success in HBO’s I Love LA and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – and he met his long-time girlfriend on a film set too ….

United States

‘One Battle After Another’ leads Golden Globe nominations with 9 nods

Paul Thomas Anderson’s film earns momentum for Oscar season, while Chinese-born director Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet scores six nominations.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Xochitl Gomez, the Marvel actress rumoured to be dating Robert Irwin

Dancing with the Stars winner Robert Irwin has been sparking romance rumours with the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness actress – so who is she?

Xochitl Gomez and Robert Irwin are close. Photos: @_xochitl.gomez/Instagram
Donald Trump

Kennedy Centre Honours fete celebrities, but Trump takes limelight

Sylvester Stallone and KISS are among the entertainers celebrated at the annual Kennedy Centre Honours hosted by the US president.

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk the red carpet. Photo: AP
Celebrity children

Meet Angela Bassett’s daughter, Bronwyn Vance – who made her Le Bal debut

Vance is making headlines after attending Le Bal, which has also debuted celebrity kids like Lily Collins, Apple Martin and Ava Phillippe.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Wicked songs in Cantonese? New online series champions Hong Kong talent

Songs like ‘Popular’ and ‘What Is This Feeling’ have been painstakingly translated for the ‘Wicked in Canto’ series on YouTube and Instagram.

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United States

Netflix’s US$72 billion Warner Bros deal to reshape streaming landscape

Netflix’s acquisition gives it control of HBO Max, Harry Potter, and Game of Thrones, reshaping Hollywood and raising antitrust concerns.

Netflix is set to acquire Warner Bros Discoveryin a bold move set to redefine global entertainment. Photo: Shutterstock
Fame and celebrity

Who plays Stranger Things’ Karen Wheeler? Meet prolific actress Cara Buono

The actress behind ‘Karen wine ‘em down Wheeler’ has appeared in Mad Men and The Sopranos, among over 80 other acting credits – she is also a Columbia grad.

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Cara Buono at the world premiere of Stranger Things’ fifth season in Los Angeles, in November. Photo: AP
Asian cinema

Want to find solace in film? 10 movies that may offer catharsis and hope

Following last week’s tragic fire at a Tai Po estate in Hong Kong, we look at films in which humanity endures through the darkest of hours.

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Obituaries

Oscar-winning UK playwright Tom Stoppard dies aged 88

His work ranges from plays like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to the film Shakespeare in Love, which scooped seven Academy Awards.

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