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Film Review: Pendatang (2023) Malaysia 🇲🇾   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) Billed as one of the most controversial film in Malaysia, “Pendatang” is entirely funded on crowdfunding platform and released on YouTube, largely to avoid the Malaysian  censorship board as it deals with relevant, social and political concerns that are entirely fictional. This dystopian thriller directed by Ken Kin and written by Lin Boon Siang works well as the core focus on family, racism, segregation and the social and political divide on humanity and right. This is easily one of best and socially relevant...

Film Review: The Boy and the Heron 蒼鷺與少年 (2023) Japan 🇯🇵   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) Billed as the ultimate finale from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, “The Boy and The Heron” is simply a legacy and a masterpiece that transcends thru time, space, love, death and humanity. It’s the ultimate Miyazaki film that will leave the audience questioning, thinking and pondering about our own existence on Earth and beyond. That’s the beauty of cinema and the world of imagination that can bring us thru a timeless era of space and a world that tests...

Film Review: Cyber Heist 斷網 (2023) Hong Kong 🇭🇰   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) There was a time whenever the name Aaron Kwok appears, the film is a guaranteed with a strong and unique performance. Therefore when the news that “Cyber Heist” reunites the successful and relevant  “I’m Livin’ It” duo producer (Soi Cheang Pou-soi) and director (Wong Hing-fan), there is a sense of expectation. Unfortunately, that’s all the excitement ends here, as “Cyber Heist” whilst a watchable thriller headlined by an established star in Kwok, it never goes into second gear and the...

Film Review: Wonka 旺卡(2023) - USA UK 🇬🇧 🇺🇸   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) The beauty of Paul King’s imagination of “Wonka” are clearly the dreams that do come true. This is the undeniably the aspect that comes “Wonka” a film that dwells into our own inner dreams and ambition of who we ultimately want to be. It doesn’t matter what the subject matter is about, it can be chocolate, it is can betterment of humanity or even our own self, but the film manages to invokes that inner kid within us to continue...

Film Review: The Bridge Curse 2: Ritual 女鬼橋2:怨鬼樓 (2023) Taiwan 🇹🇼   Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia 🇦🇺) Having not seen the prequel, I treated the Taiwanese horror thriller sequel “The Bridge Curse 2: Ritual” directed by Lester Hsi as a standalone experience. That being said, for most of the duration, the film remains rather bland, poor special effects and non interesting characters to boot. Adding to the mess is the totally non-coherent script, making this an unnecessary genre experience that does not precisely warrant a sequel.   Wang Yu-xuan leads to the ensemble casting as...