‘Mr. Vampire’: The definitive jiangshi movie
To wrap up our series on Chinese horror, we turn to the jiangshi, that most quintessential of Chinese monsters. Part-vampire,…
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‘Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind’: Hong Kong as alienated urban hell
Known as the “Steven Spielberg of Asia,” Tsui Hark began his career directing horror movies, and Dangerous Encounters of the First…
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‘The Enchanting Shadow’: A classic ghostly romance
We continue the countdown to Halloween with our series on Chinese horror. This week: The Enchanting Shadow, the first Hong Kong…
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‘Song at Midnight’: China’s brilliant take on Phantom of the Opera
We’re commencing the countdown to Halloween with a series of film columns about Chinese horror flicks. This week: Song at…
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‘Love on Delivery’: Stephen Chow’s early comedy is breezy, surreal, and funny
Looking for a China-related film? There’s an untapped treasure trove on Netflix of all genres, from documentaries like American Factory…
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The life and work of Dai Tielang, director of ‘Black Cat Detective’
A cat detective. A mouse with one ear. Zany gadgets and surprising violence. Welcome to the mind of animator Dai…
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‘Secrets in the Hot Spring’: A horror-comedy more silly than scary
Secrets in the Hot Spring is a wacky, well-intentioned take at the haunted house genre. Compared to the genre’s heyday in…
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‘A City of Sadness’: Hou Hsiao-hsien’s historical tragedy remains a masterpiece 30 years later
The first Chinese-language film to ever win the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion award, Hou Hsiao-hsien’s A City of Sadness is the…
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Han Han’s racing film ‘Pegasus’ is the best Chinese movie of 2019 (so far)
For his third outing as a director, Han Han returns to his roots as a former race car driver to sculpt…
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Project Gutenberg is a fun, wild ride with a divisive final twist
An award-winning Hong Kong crime thriller from the co-writer of Infernal Affairs and starring Chow Yun-fat and Aaron Kwok. What could go…
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‘Beijing Bastards’: An unsavory portrait of ’90s Beijing with legendary rock star Cui Jian
It can seem slapdash and aimless — it is not a great film, after all — but Beijing Bastards, with…
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‘Cities of Last Things’: A revenge story told backwards in a hodgepodge of genres
A three-part film told backwards, defying style and convention: Cities of Last Things is the first in our series of reviews…
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‘The Kid’: A childhood artifact from Bruce Lee’s pre-kung fu days
The 46th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s death is tomorrow. While fans fondly remember his late-career kung fu movies that made…
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1973: When kung fu ruled the American box office
In 1973, American movie-goers could not get enough of Hong Kong cinema, with the top three spots at the box…
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‘The Crossing’: A crime-tinged teen drama that explores the Hong Kong-mainland China divide
The Crossing, director Bai Xue’s impressive film debut, is a stirring coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of crime and…
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