article placeholder

Shoplifters – Review

This film was previously reviewed on 15/05/2018 as part of the Cannes Film Festival. Hirokazu Kore-eda is on familiar ground with Shoplifters, the story of an unconventional family unit on the fringes of...
article placeholder

Asako I & II – Cannes 2018 Review

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Asako I & II is an endearing Japanese rom-com with a high-concept premise. Asako (Erika Karata) falls in love with Baku (Masashiro Higashide) at university, but he walks out of her...
article placeholder

Shoplifters – Cannes 2018 Review

Hirokazu Kore-eda is on familiar ground with Shoplifters, the story of an unconventional family unit on the fringes of society who beg, steal and borrow to get by. It’s the most fun Kore-eda has been in...
article placeholder

Blade of the Immortal – Review

This was originally reviewed on 09/10/17 as part of London Film Festival. Takashi Miike’s 100th film Blade of the Immortal is concrete proof that the director has no intentions of slowing down. The usual...
article placeholder

The Handmaiden – Review

Park Chan-wook’s newest film, The Handmaiden, adapted from Sarah Waters’ crime novel Fingersmith, follows the story quite closely, though setting the film in 1930s Korea and Japan instead of Victorian...
article placeholder

Silence – Review

The sound of Silence is astonishing. Insects, waves, weather, chanting, groaning and, yes, prolonged silence - these elements combine into a sensory experience at once rich and austere. The clash of languages...
article placeholder

We Are X – LFF 2016 Review

Documentary director Stephen Kijak is clearly fascinated by band and "visual kei" pioneers X Japan and, although informative, the opening segment of We Are X teeters on the edge of pandering to founder Yoshiki...
article placeholder

Assassination – LFF Review

Assassination is a meticulously crafted film crammed with diverse elements, including sumptuously detailed set design, goofy slapstick humour, and even a meet cute. Best of all, there’s a kickass heroine...