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Colors of Wind 風の色 (2017) - Japan   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)     Regrets, memories and love are major themes in the magical romantic melodrama about alter egos, mental illness and acceptance of the past. From the Director of “My Sassy Girl” Kwak Jae-Young crafted a film that plays with our suspension of belief as we follow the love story of the protagonist turned magician. In fact the film alludes to many classics, “Vertigo” “Leon The Professional” and “The Prestige” and often reminds us just how good those films were. Instead, we are left...

A Simple Favor 小心幫忙 (2018) - USA   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)     Fresh from the “Crazy Rich Asians” fame, Henry Golding gets to up the love game with not just one Hollywood A-list in the stunning Blake Lively, but also the always lovely Anna Kendrick. The result is a film that works extremely well in the captivating form of an older and classy Woody Allen style, while having the intriguing nature of “Gone Girl”. The acting are easily top notched, as is the pacing and despite the highly risky nature of the plot...

Kung Fu League 功夫联盟 (2018) - Hong Kong / China   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)     The highly anticipated combo of martial arts folk legends combining on the same screen is like China’s answer to America’s Marvel. Director Jeff Lau is known for his wacky yet entertaining comedies and this one is definitely high on the wackiness, but lacks the basic plot line and even entertainment value to elevate the film above what could have been. Putting the like of Vincent Zhao (aka Wong Fei Hung), Andy On (aka Fok Yuen Gaap), Danny Chan...

Tornado Girl 恋上疯狂女 (2017) - Japan   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)     What I enjoyed about the off beat romantic coming of age Japanese comedy “Tornado Girl” is the sense of urgency, love and quirkiness about it that makes it click. It helps when you have the stunning Kiko Mizuhara playing the living in the moment PR girl combining well with the highly likeable Satoshi Tsumabuki. It is the kind of film where you don’t so much bother on how much sense we are making, but rather what happens on-screen. Director Hitoshi Ohne created...

Walking Past the Future 路過未來 (2017) - China   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)     Director Li Ruijin fifth film remains his most accessible to date and commercially casted A-List actress Yang Zishan in an against type and best career performance. Filmed largely in the southern city of Shenzhen, famously on the border with Hong Kong, we see a sad and bleak story about the struggling working class that becomes impacted with the slow down of the Chinese economy. It’s refreshing to see a film show the real struggle of many in China, rather than...