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Hidden Figures (2016) - USA Review by Andrew Chan Achieving the impossible brings "Hidden Figures" to a standing ovations of celebrating historical achievements for black women overcoming the odds to succeed in NASA during the white dominated 60s. It's an inspiring tale and aided by some brilliant acting from the three leading ladies (Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe). The film is filled with feel good moments, light hearted tone despite the situations these people are facing and essentially an underdogs story overachieving against all odds.What director Theodore Melfi does enormously well is the way he slowly paced...

Shin Godzilla (2016) - Japan Review by Andrew ChanJapanese blockbuster Shin Godzilla transcends beyond the typical disaster monster movie into a satirical take on the Japanese government on handling the recent disasters of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, and Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The result is a film that is realistic in its portrayal of a disaster and how ineffectual the "old school" bureaucratic Japanese government is in managing a crisis at the cost of lives.  The highlight is the stop motion monster CGI enhanced Godzilla whose nuclear energy and laser beams is as amazing to watch as is its own...

Floating City (2012) - Hong Kong  80s New Wave veteran director Yim Ho's 13th film is a flawed, but appreciated look at Hong Kong history through the rise of a mixed half-breed British-Hong Kong man from the Tanka fishing village to the top executive in a White dominated British East India Company prior to the 1997 handover. Political undertones are obvious, but at its core it is about change, exploration and a rare modern film highlighting this historical insight of Hong Kong people. Director Ho stays true to his persona style of telling social stories and portrayal of human characters....

Bad Genius (2017) - Thailand Review by Andrew ChanBad Genius is so much fun, filled with moments of real tension as if we are watching a live crime robbery or an engaging heist thriller. As we all know, the Thai national box office winner is a film about how a group of high schoolers attempts to cheat the school exams and eventually the International University Admission test. The chemistry between the relative newcomers simply strikes gold (charmingly played by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Chanon Santinatornkul, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Eisaya Hosuwan).   Director Nattawut Poonpiriya knows precisely how to film a commercially successful film...

The Big Boss (1971) - Hong Kong Review by Andrew ChanIn celebration of the 4K Ultra HD remastered Bruce Lee films on Blu Ray, we begin with the Hong Kong film that launched Lee into superstardom, The Big Boss. The remastered work done on this version is almost impeccable and all credit goes out to the hard work to restore this classic. Seeing Bruce Lee in HD will likely bring joy to masses of fans and the moment Lee steps on screen, you can sense the beginning of something special. Director Lo Wei famously took over directing duties and insisted...