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Film reviews
Hollywood blockbusters, local greats, European movies, Japanese and Korean dramas, animation, art house films, you can find them all here.
Iris (left, voiced by Romy Fay) and Arco (Juliano Krue Valdi) in a screen grab from Arco (category I), directed by Ugo Bienvenu. Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo co-star.
European cinema

Review | Arco: Annecy winner is a charming Peter Pan-esque sci-fi fable for our times

Featuring voices including Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo, Ugo Bienvenu’s directorial debut Arco delivers a powerful ecological message.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Pegasus 3: Shen Teng roars back in Han Han’s blockbuster racing sequel

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | We’re Nothing at All: Herman Yau’s grim social critique lacks all subtlety

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American cinema

Review | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie: Nintendo sequel looks great but lacks laughs

Donald Glover, Brie Larson and Benny Safdie join the cast in this sequel to 2023’s hugely successful The Super Mario Bros Movie.

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(From left) Yoshi (voiced by Donald Glover), Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) in a screen grab from The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (category 1), directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Humint: dynamic Korean spy thriller from Ryoo Seung-wan on Netflix

Starring Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min and Park Hae-joon, Humint rewards patient viewers with some of the best heroic bloodshed in recent times.

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American cinema

Review | They Will Kill You: Zazie Beetz leads a delicious slice of midnight madness

They Will Kill You delivers dark comic madness, with Zazie Beetz taking a magnetic turn as an ex-con battling satanic elites in New York.

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American cinema

Review | Ready or Not 2: Here I Come – Samara Weaving back for stale horror sequel

Good casting and funny moments aside, this horror sequel with Sarah Michelle Gellar is heavier on bloodshed than on new ideas.

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Samara Weaving (left) and Kathryn Newton in a still from Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (category: III), co-starring Elijah Wood. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Photo: Searchlight Pictures
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Ciao UFO: Charlene Choi leads nostalgic trip through Hong Kong history

Chui Tien-you and Wong You-nam join Charlene Choi in Patrick Leung’s poignant character drama that finally arrives at cinemas after debuting in 2019.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Gamer Girls: Angela Yuen leads beguiling Hong Kong esports drama

This engaging tale of an all-female esports team delivers an underdog story with a light touch and punches well above its modest budget.

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American cinema

Review | Project Hail Mary: Ryan Gosling is stranded in dull Martian clone

Ryan Gosling plays an astronaut on a mission to save Earth in this film directed by The Lego Movie’s Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

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Ryan Gosling in a still from Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Sandra Hüller co-stars. Photo: Jonathan Olley
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Girlfriends: Fish Liew and Jennifer Yu reunite for tender lesbian romance

Tracy Choi’s semi-autobiographical, episodic drama gives an intimate portrait of a woman searching for her place at different stages of life.

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Fish Liew (left) and Jennifer Yu in a still from Girlfriends (category: IIB, Cantonese, Mandarin). Directed by Tracy Choi and co-starring Elizabeth Tang.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Ultimate Revenge: Hong Kong crime thriller is all brawn and no brains

Loud, action-packed and completely chaotic, Terry Ng’s Ultimate Revenge is packed with thrills but fails to deliver on plot.

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American cinema

Review | Hoppers: Pixar’s new animation is a hilarious, heartfelt animal Avatar

Pixar’s Hoppers sees a young animal-lover use secret technology to pilot a robot beaver to recruit real ones and stop a construction project.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Scare Out: Zhang Yimou tackles national security in subpar Chinese spy thriller

A story of a mole inside a state security team in China, Scare Out is slickly executed but narratively muddled, and far from Zhang’s best.

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Jackson Yee as security operative Yan Di in a still from Scare Out (category IIB, Mandarin), directed by Zhang Yimou. Zhu Yilong and Song Jia co-star.
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Double Happiness: Liu Kuan-ting, Jennifer Yu lead clever wedding comedy

A couple have two simultaneous wedding ceremonies to keep their parents apart in Double Happiness, an ingenious comedy of errors.

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Jennifer Yu (left) and Liu Kuan-ting in a still from Double Happiness.
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | A New Dawn: climate crisis meets fireworks in confusing Japanese anime

Yoshitoshi Shinomiya’s beautiful debut feature is sure to excite fans of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki, even if a muddled plot lets it down.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Blades of the Guardians: Wu Jing leads star-studded Chinese martial arts epic

Starring Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse and Chen Lijun, the visually stunning Blades of the Guardians is one of the fiercest wuxia films in years.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Jackie Chan’s hot streak continues with Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe

Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe manages to overcome its previous instalment’s failings to become a fun, wholesome family adventure.

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Jackie Chan in a still from Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe (category IIA, Mandarin), directed by Derek Hui. Ma Li co-stars.
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | We Are All Strangers: Anthony Chen’s epic look at fatherhood in Singapore

A beautiful conclusion to Anthony Chen’s ‘Growing Up’ trilogy, We Are All Strangers is a study of family and love in all its forms.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Night King: Dayo Wong, Sammi Cheng lead enjoyably fluffy nightclub comedy

While slightly disjointed and overlong, Night King delivers a fun blend of romance and nostalgic glamour set in Hong Kong’s nightclub scene.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | The Snowball on a Sunny Day: Mark Six miss turns into mayhem in family comedy

This witty Lunar New Year film follows a woman pretending to have won the Mark Six lottery after failing to buy the winning ticket.

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Chung Suet-ying (left) and Edan Lui in a still from The Snowball on a Sunny Day.
American cinema

Review | Wuthering Heights: Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi sizzle in modern moorcore

Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights captivates with stunning visuals in the Yorkshire Moors and sizzling chemistry between Elordi and Robbie.

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Jacob Elordi (left) and Margot Robbie in a still from Wuthering Heights (category IIB), directed by Emerald Fennell. Photo: Warner Bros Pictures
Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Tokyo Taxi: Takuya Kimura and Chieko Baisho lead moving Yoji Yamada drama

Tokyo Taxi is an utterly captivating ride that sees an elderly woman bond with her taxi driver while reminiscing about her eventful life.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | All You Need Is Kill: Japanese novel behind Edge of Tomorrow gets animated

A young recruit is stuck in a time loop amid an alien invasion in All You Need Is Kill, an animated sci-fi thriller based on a light novel.

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American cinema

Review | Send Help: Rachel McAdams leads bloody island survival satire

McAdams has a ball as an office drone stranded on a desert island with her boss in this entertaining horror/black comedy from Sam Raimi.

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Rachel McAdams in a still from Send Help (category IIB), directed by Sam Raimi and co-starring Dylan O’Brien. Photo: 20th Century Studios
Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Gezhi Town: Chinese war drama with Xiao Zhan dares to entertain

Civilians try to fend off Japanese soldiers in this thrilling drama that focuses on character dynamics rather than patriotic grandstanding.

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Xiao Zhan in a still from Gezhi Town (category IIB, Mandarin), co-starring Peng Yuchang and Zhou Yiran, and directed by Kong Sheng.
American cinema

Review | Mercy: Chris Pratt battles a virtual judge in flawed AI courtroom thriller

Chris Pratt plays a detective accused of murder who has 90 minutes to clear his name in this ‘screenlife’ thriller that fluffs its third act.

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American cinema

Review | Primate: 47 Meters Down director back for a bloody killer ape slasher

This Johannes Roberts film about a chimp that goes on the attack after contracting rabies relies on low-brow gore, and not much else.

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