I’ve had Mao’s Last Dancer on my “to watch” list for a while now, and finally sat down and gave it a look the other night.
I’ve no doubts that the reason it sat for so long unwatched was because my academic desire to watch it couldn’t beat out the fact that I’d be spending two hours watching a dude dance. Fortunately for me, my less-evolved side succumbed to ever-eroding powers of having nothing else to watch.Read More
When Shanghai-based expat Jakob Montrasio first told me he was directing a spaghetti western set in his adopted city, I’m sure I blinked uncomprehendingly. The movie, Shangdown: The Way of the Spur is an east-meets-west kung fu cowboy mashup. This Bruce with boots (or Clint with a kick) premise for a film seemed strange and …Read More
Later this year Alison Klayman’s feature-length documentary on the infamous Ai Weiwei will be released. Out now is a teaser trailer that does it’s job well, and has whet my appetite to see more. Unfortunately due to its hosting on the blocked Vimeo video sharing site, you’ll need a VPN to watch it (note to …Read More
Our friends at ChinaGeeks.org have recently started an ambitious new project that I have been meaning to find the time to write about for a couple weeks now. Check out this video for an introduction to “Finding Home”, a documentary that will explore on a personal level the terrible practice of kidnapping and selling children …Read More
There are a handful of movies that define the obsessions of my youth, but few moreso than The Karate Kid. Daniel San and Mr. Miyagi, wax on/wax off, Sweep the Leg — these things had me running around my neighbourhood pretending to be a ninja until I discovered girls (and their strange lack of admiration …Read More
I read with interest last week that the new X-Men film, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine“, had been leaked online by somebody close to the production. I was interested because I figured it was only a matter of time before my local DVD shop would have a copy. Sure enough, after a nice meal out with the …Read More
Last summer acclaimed documentary filmmaker Tan Siok Siok headed out into the streets of Beijing with a rather ambitious goal of capturing the essence of the city and its people the summer before the Olympics. The result is Boomtown Beijing, a film that paints a picture of not just a city or the sporting event …Read More
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