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Asian cinema

Vivian Chow backstage before a concert in Shanghai in 1993. Photo: SCMP

Profile | How Hong Kong’s ‘good girl’ Vivian Chow became beloved Cantopop star

Vivian Chow Wai-man was one of the most popular Cantopop singers of the 1990s and also a noteworthy actress, famous for her good-girl persona – and her up-and-down relationship with husband Joe Nieh.

One of the most popular Cantopop singers of the 1990s, Vivian Chow was also famous for her good-girl persona and relationship with Joe Nieh

How Andy Lau and Chow Yun-fat led Hong Kong’s gambling movie craze

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How The Eye movies led Hong Kong horror in the early 2000s

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How Derek Yee used genre crime films to tell truths about Hong Kong

Derek Yee Tung-sing’s crime films One Nite in Mongkok, Protégé and Triple Tap were gritty and realistic, and refused to glamorise the underworld and crime. We unpack these three classics.

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Daniel Wu (left) and Andy Lau in a still from Derek Yee’s Protégé.

Profile | From Hong Kong movie darling to ‘poison’: how Cecilia Cheung overcame scandals

Actress Cecilia Cheung’s personal life has never been far from the spotlight since her debut in 1999. Following scandal she moved to mainland China, where she promotes fashion brands on social media.

Profile | Meet Park Ju-hyun, feisty star of new K-drama Perfect Family

The South Korean star was close to becoming a K-pop trainee before pursuing an acting career. She’s been on the ascendant since 2020’s Extracurricular, and had a star turn in drama series Mouse.

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Profile | How Gillian Chung has risen above the Edison Chen photo scandal to thrive

Gillian Chung, one half of Hong Kong Cantopop duo Twins, is thriving as a singer and actress, but the road to success – marred by a scandal involving intimate photos – has not been an easy one.

Gillian Chung at an interview with the Post in 2009. Photo: SCMP

Profile | Meet Go Min-si, rising K-drama star back for Netflix’s Sweet Home 3

Korean actress Go Min-si, seen in Sweet Home on Netflix, is a rising K-drama star. We recall her roles, consider her versatility and look at what’s next.

Why 1984’s Shanghai Blues remains one of Tsui Hark’s best films

Lively, with slapstick humour and full of romcom tropes, Shanghai Blues remains one of Tsui Hark’s favourite films; 40 years after its release, it was screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

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Profile | Meet Park Eun-bin, star of Castaway Diva and Extraordinary Attorney Woo

K-drama actress Park Eun-bin hit the big time with her title role in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, but her stardom didn’t happen overnight. She began acting when she was five years old.

Park Eun-bin in a still from “Castaway Diva”.

Review | The Chronicles of Libidoists: Wu Kang-ren leads sexually explicit tale

Four lonely souls in Taipei engage in extreme sex in a search for meaning to their lives. They bare their bodies but not their souls.

Liu Chu-ping (left) and Wu Kang-ren in a still from The Chronicles of Libidoists.

4 Hong Kong martial arts films that celebrate deadly ‘flying guillotine’

An assassins’ weapon that removed heads, the fictional ‘flying guillotine’ was featured in a number of Hong Kong wuxia films.

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2024 or 1984? Films from Singapore and Japan tackle surveillance

Stranger Eyes, Happyend and 2073 take a worrying look at surveillance in Singapore, Japan and a Chairperson Trump-led future, respectively.

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The future of filmmaking in Hong Kong, according to the next generation

The fate of the Fresh Wave film festival that’s nurtured generations of budding directors now hangs in the balance after the arts council slashed funding

A scene from Black Sheep, which follows a teenage girl’s sexual awakening. Photo: Black Sheep

Review | Once in a Blue Moon: bittersweet drama set in pandemic-era Hong Kong

Happiness director Andy Lo delivers an emotional, endearing and bittersweet family drama set in Hong Kong during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Gladys Li as Mei-chan in a still from Once in a Blue Moon.

Indian director sues Netflix, says Squid Game ‘rip-off’ of his 2009 film

The platform said Soham Shah’s claim has ‘no merit’ and the show was created by and written by Hwang Dong Hyuk.

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Meet Tu Tontawan, Thai star of How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies

The actress stole the show in the hit film but, off camera, she’s a fashionista, Dior ambassador, dental student, and sister to fellow actor Tonhon ‘Ton’ Tantivejakul

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Review | Love Lies: Sandra Ng, Michael Cheung in online dating scam dramedy

Ng plays an emotionally stunted doctor who falls prey to an online dating scam in a film with a profound message hidden beneath its comedy.

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Sandra Ng as doctor Veronica Yu and Michael Cheung as scam artist Joe Lee in a still from Love Lies (category I; Cantonese), directed by Ho Miu-ki.

Review | Officer Black Belt: Kim Woo-bin stars in fun Netflix action comedy

Kim Woo-bin plays a martial artist who finds some much-needed purpose in new Netflix action comedy Officer Black Belt, directed by Jason Kim.

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Review | Tales of Taipei: anthology movie with Sammi Cheng a mixed bag

Also featuring Karena Lam and Stephy Tang, Tales of Taipei doesn’t have much to do with that city nor its 10 component films with each other.

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Review | Broken Rage: Takeshi Kitano’s deliciously meta yakuza comedy

Takeshi Kitano blissfully does his own thing as an ageing hitman in short-and-sweet yakuza comedy Broken Rage.

Takeshi Kitano in a still from Broken Rage (category TBC), also directed by Takeshi Kitano. Tadanobu Asano, Nao Omori co-star.

Review | Youth (Homecoming): Wang Bing’s compelling portrait of Chinese workers

Wang Bing spent three years compiling this documentary about migrant workers in Hebei and the moments of joy they find in their harsh lives.

A still from Youth (Homecoming).

Review | Stranger Eyes, unsettling Singaporean drama about being watched

Yeo Siew Hua muses over Singapore’s use of security cameras in his voyeuristic anti-thriller about surveillance of a missing child’s parents.

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Review | Mistress Dispeller: documentary has unique take on love in China

A wife in China, suspecting her husband of an affair, hires a woman to break it up. Remarkable for the access she, the couple, and the mistress grant filmmaker Elisabeth Lo, its finale is extraordinary.

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Review | Cloud: Kiyoshi Kurosawa thriller takes aim at online reselling

The lead character’s get-rich-quick schemes rebound on him, and when a mob turns up the guns come out. Well enough acted and with atmospheric settings, Cloud is somehow less than the sum of its parts.

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Masaki Suda in a still from Cloud.

Why director Tony Bui is telling the story of the Vietnam war’s ‘napalm girl’

As his Sundance hit Three Seasons enjoys a 4k restoration, the Vietnamese-American director is next chronicling Kim Phuc, the screaming young girl seen in newspapers around the world

Vietnamese-American director Tony Bui describes the highs and soggy lows of taking his Sundance-celebrated 1999 film Three Seasons back on the road and his forthcoming project on the ‘napalm girl’. Photo: courtesy Tony Bui

Review | Look Back is a nostalgic Japanese film about manga and friendship

Fujino (voiced by Yuumi Kawai) is a schoolgirl who has built a fan base for her comic strip and who becomes jealous of another girl (Mizuki Yoshida) who is also a popular artist. Then they team up.

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Could Nightmares and Daydreams be the Indonesian Black Mirror?

Netflix looks to keep feeding the growing regional audience with more local productions, following the success of last year’s Cigarette Girl

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Asian cinema
Views, news, and reviews of films from the continent's biggest movie production centres.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Hong Kong bakery Bakehouse’s internet-famous egg tarts are already being resold across the Chinese border – can the city’s F&B venues expand into the mainland without losing their allure? Photo: Bakehouse

How viral F&B brands Bakehouse, Coa and Elephant Grounds plan to conquer China

Bakehouse’s egg tarts are already being resold in Lo Wu – can Hong Kong’s F&B venues expand into China without losing their allure?

Reading Time:7 minutes
Apiwat Chitapanya collaborated with brass furniture brand Masaya on this bench shaped like a giant gleaming arowana fish. He’s one of 10 Southeast Asian artists about to go on show at Emerge, part of Find – Design Fair Asia, which is part of Singapore Design Week. Photo: Courtesy of Apiwat Chitapanya

Singapore Design Week: 10 Southeast Asian artists to know

Reading Time:3 minutes
A good night’s sleep may not be as elusive as you might think. Photo: Shutterstock

Is sleeping well really a skill that insomniacs can learn? Experts say yes

Reading Time:6 minutes
This Hong Kong flat is embracing the curve with rounded furniture and wavy columns. Photo: Ken Wong Photography and Craft of Both

This Hong Kong flat is embracing the curve with rounded furniture and wavy columns

Reading Time:4 minutes
Portrait of Guo Pei. Photo: Hu Pengfei

Guo Pei’s been sewing since childhood – then Rihanna looked her up

Reading Time:6 minutes
Meet Suzy Annetta, Design Anthology’s co-founder and the curator of Emerge @ Find at Singapore Design Week, as her groundbreaking magazine turns 10. Photo: Green

Profile | How Design Anthology’s co-founder is giving a vital voice to regional talent

Reading Time:5 minutes
Hong Kong bakery Bakehouse’s internet-famous egg tarts are already being resold across the Chinese border – can the city’s F&B venues expand into the mainland without losing their allure? Photo: Bakehouse

How viral F&B brands Bakehouse, Coa and Elephant Grounds plan to conquer China

Reading Time:7 minutes
Apiwat Chitapanya collaborated with brass furniture brand Masaya on this bench shaped like a giant gleaming arowana fish. He’s one of 10 Southeast Asian artists about to go on show at Emerge, part of Find – Design Fair Asia, which is part of Singapore Design Week. Photo: Courtesy of Apiwat Chitapanya

Singapore Design Week: 10 Southeast Asian artists to know

Reading Time:3 minutes
A good night’s sleep may not be as elusive as you might think. Photo: Shutterstock

Is sleeping well really a skill that insomniacs can learn? Experts say yes

Reading Time:6 minutes
This Hong Kong flat is embracing the curve with rounded furniture and wavy columns. Photo: Ken Wong Photography and Craft of Both

This Hong Kong flat is embracing the curve with rounded furniture and wavy columns

Reading Time:4 minutes
Portrait of Guo Pei. Photo: Hu Pengfei

Guo Pei’s been sewing since childhood – then Rihanna looked her up

Reading Time:6 minutes
Meet Suzy Annetta, Design Anthology’s co-founder and the curator of Emerge @ Find at Singapore Design Week, as her groundbreaking magazine turns 10. Photo: Green

Profile | How Design Anthology’s co-founder is giving a vital voice to regional talent

Reading Time:5 minutes
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Review | The Unwavering Brotherhood: watchable Hong Kong gangster film

A genre film par excellence, Terry Ng’s film about three mid-level gangsters who land in big trouble is well enough acted. If you like gangster movies, you will love The Unwavering Brotherhood.

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Mark Cheng in a still from The Unwavering Brotherhood.
Mark Cheng in a still from The Unwavering Brotherhood.

Review | The Killer: John Woo’s gender-flipped remake of his classic is a dud

John Woo’s Paris-set remake of his action masterpiece, with Nathalie Emmanuel and Omar Sy in place of Chow Yun-fat and Danny Lee, lacks the original’s dynamism and seems destined to die a quick death.

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How to shoo away a cheating partner’s lover? Chinese documentary sheds light

In her new documentary, premiering at the Venice film festival, Elizabeth Lo, a Hong Kong-born filmmaker, follows a professional mistress dispeller in China who breaks up extramarital affairs.

Review | The Monk and the Gun, Bhutanese political satire, is a triumph

The Monk and the Gun is a witty Bhutanese political satire about the kingdom’s move towards democracy in the wake of the king’s announcement that he is abdicating.

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Tandin Wangchuk as Tashi in a still from The Monk and the Gun.