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Film Review: Tales From The Occult: Body And Soul 失衡凶間之罪與殺 (2023) Hong Kong 🇭🇰   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) Rapunzel (Short) (30 minutes) Directed by Frank Hui   The first horror short film is directed by “Trivisa” Frank Hui and stars Wong You Nam and Michelle Wai. The film kicks off with a splash with hairdresser Wong, killing his first victim and capturing the hair mould in the process. Such striking imagery sets the tone for aspiring actress played by Michelle Wai to become the next victim. Wong dresses like a gentlemen wolf and...

Film Review: Echoes of the Thunder 速戰 (2023) Hong Kong 🇭🇰   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) The biggest issue with director Tony Tang’s “Echoes of the Thunder” is that it tries too hard to follow the footsteps of successful racing genre films like “Fast and Furious” and “Need for Speed” and in the process forgotten what makes a film entertaining. It’s not the simple car racing scenes, but a good film needs a strong plot line with credible characters and acting and the racing scenes should be icing on the a delicious cake. Instead,...

Film Review: Quiz Lady (2023) USA 🇺🇸   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺 ) For those that recall Director Jessica Yu’s Oscar win for documentary short film over 26 years ago, I am glad to proclaims that “Quiz Lady” is that she is back with her biggest film to date with major studio backing. Starring the odd duo in Awkwafina and Sandra Oh who both perform in out of type roles to amazing perfection and chemistry. The level of detail  that Yu goes into depicting the game quiz TV show, revokes classical childhood memories of...

Film Review: Dust to Dust 第八個嫌疑人 (2023) China 🇨🇳   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) Chinese crime thrillers set in the 90s have a usually sort of canniness that makes it compelling viewing. This is again true for the based on true events - “Dust to Dust”directed by Hong Kong’s Jonathan Li (“The Brink”). In many ways the film appears to be inspired by Hollywood’s Michael Mann genre classic “Heat” as we witness the biggest bank robbery in Chinese history with $15 million RMB at the time. The film is extremely well directed, tightly edited...

Film Review: Time Still Turns the Pages 年少日記 (2023) Hong Kong 🇭🇰   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) Hong Kong cinema is once again having a strong finish to the calendar year, with another socially relevant and heart felt film in “Time Still Turns the Pages” directed and written by the talented Nick Cheuk. The film hits all the right emotional buttons as well as showing difficult moments in a brutal manner that nails you right in the heart and memory. We have all experience some parts of these childhood process in our own lives...