World Cinema
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Gridlocked: Not By Chance (2007, Dir. Philippe Barcinski): “We are all particles. We move. That’s what we do. We attract and repel.” — Enio, Not By Chance What does it…
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Mongol (2007, Dir. Sergei Bodrov): [or, “The Wrath of Khan”] We’ve come a long way, baby. Or have we? In 1956 Howard Hughes took a stab at the Genghis Khan…
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Lady Jane (2007, Dir. Robert Guédiguian): Viewed at the 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival “He who seeks revenge is like the fly that bangs on the window without seeing…
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The Terrorizers (1987, Edward Yang): “Changes are merely rebirths of the past.” – The novelist, “The Terrorizers” Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Tsai Ming-Liang have had their days in the sun, and…
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Lust, Caution (2007, Dir. Ang Lee): Though it was still daylight, the hot lamp was shining full-beam over the mahjong table. Diamond rings flashed under its glare as their wearers…
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The Old Garden (2006, Dir. Im Sang-Soo): “Life is long, history is longer.” — Oh Hyung-Woo, The Old Garden One of the reasons modern Korean cinema is so popular, in…
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Singapore Dreaming (2006, Dir. Yen Yen Woo, Colin Goh) “We wanted to present Singapore family life today — which is quite screwed-up and dysfunctional.” — Yen Yen Woo I must…
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In Praise of Love (Eloge de L’Amour) (2001, Dir. Jean-Luc Godard): This is not a film review. At least, not one of my typical film reviews. Modern time, today time,…
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One Nite in Mongkok (2004, Dir. Derek Yee): Time marches on; some things change, some stay the same. Cliches all, but in the case of mainstream Hong Kong cinema, undeniably…
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New Police Story (2004, Dir. Benny Chan): Bless Jackie Chan. Three decades of bone-crunching acrobatics, mugging for the cameras, and good-natured hijinks, and he’s still at it. Never mind that…