“Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Review

Creating bucket lists to achieve goals or experience new things is a common occurrence for many individuals, but what stops us from fulfilling them? These problems are reflected in the 2023 film adaptation of Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. Based on the popular manga comics first created in 2018, the narrative follows Akira…

“SHABU” Is the Boss of Peperklip: Film Review

Brought to the screen by Shamira Raphaëla, a documentary film director keen on encapsulating the essence of humanity, comes SHABU, which follows a 14-year-old as he works hard to pay back his grandmother after crashing her car while she’s away in Suriname. We arrive in a bustling neighbourhood as we follow Shabu in his day-to-day…

“Daughter” Film Review

Daughter is Corey Deshon’s directorial debut.  Known for his work as a writer and consulting producer on the TV show A Million Little Things (ABC, 2017-2023) and his short films, Voice (2017) and To Police (2015), Daughter is Deshon’s first foray into the horror genre. However, like his other work, his first feature film is…

21st Udine Far East Film Festival: Door Lock Review

In a society, tightly dominated by men, is there a safe place for a woman? And what if the threat finds its way into the very hearth? Lee Kwon, who previously wrote and directed the horror-laced romantic comedy My Ordinary Love Story (2014), took on the adaptation of Jaume Balagueró’s Spanish film Sleep Tight. His…

21st Udine Far East Film Festival: Innocent Witness Review

Autistic characters are not an unusual appearance in the world of cinema, but they are not as common in Asian film productions. Lee Han, known for his humanistic approach to feature films, tackles the topic of autism in a feature that aims to be several things: a courtroom drama, a crime film and a family…

13th London Korean Film Festival: The Poet and the Boy Review

The Poet and the Boy (Si-e-nui a-rang) is the feature debut for Kim Yang-hee; it premiered at Jeonju International film festival in 2017, and made its way to London Korean Film Festival this fall. The film stars South Korean actor and filmmaker Yang Ik-june, who is best known for his debut film, which he both…

23rd Busan Internationational Film Festival: House of Hummingbird Review

Hummingbirds are the smallest of birds, with their tiny wings flapping away even faster than their heartbeats, unless they experience torpor, a hibernation-like state that hummingbirds use to protect themselves from the cold. Even though they are tiny, they build nests that have been named among the most exquisite wonders of nature. Much like hummingbirds, there…

Justice League Review

Does it or does it not? Suck, that is? We seem to have several very loud sides in this discussion; from Marvel fans, all to happy to jump at anything DC and DCEU, to DC fans, loudly defending not only this film, but also the previous DC hits and misses (and let’s face it, there…

The 12th London Korean Film Festival: The First Lap Review

The London leg of the 12th London Korean Film festival came to a close this year with The First Lap, the second feature of an up-and-coming South Korean indie filmmaker Kim Dae-hwan, who is being continuously compared to his fellow SK indie filmmaker and film festival favourite Hong Sang-soo – and yet, it is The…

The 12th London Korean Film Festival: Jamsil Review

Lee Wan-min is a young South Korean filmmaker. She directed several shorts,  including Chima (2006), Mensrea (2008), Sang (2009) and Mock or Die (2010), and in 2016, she presented her first feature, Jamsil (2016), which she both wrote and directed, at the 21st Busan International Film Festival; this year, the film was screened in the Women’s…

Blade Runner 2049 Review

35 years ago, Ridley Scott released Blade Runner, a film that eventually marked a major spot in film history, even though its future did not seem bright back in 1982 – the futuristic, neo-noir sci-fi film flopped on all levels and found itself drowned in harsh criticism that was only dispelled a decade later, with…