films seen
4
average score
3.25*
nationality
status
Alive and kicking

Movies


Run for Love

Zai Shijie De Zhongxin Huhuan Ai
2016 / 137m - China
Romance - Anthology
Run for Love poster

There are no weak shorts, one exceptional piece and enough variation to breeze through its 140 minutes running time.


The Matrimony

Xin Zhong You Gui
2007 / 91m - China
Horror, Romance
3.5*/5.0*
The Matrimony poster

Solid Chinese genre fare. The Matrimony was an old favorite of mine. When I first watched it, it felt like a welcome change of pace for Asian horror, with a stronger focus on romance/drama, less so on horror. It certainly wasn't a disappointing rewatch, but almost 15 years later the film simply doesn't feel so special anymore.

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The cinematography is on point (though some special effects haven't aged too well), the performances are solid, and the plot is actually well-developed. The pacing is perfect too, the only problem is that nothing in the film stands out enough. It's a perfectly fine horror/romance cross-over, but nothing more.


Up in the Wind

Deng Feng Lai
2013 / 106m - China
Comedy
3.0*/5.0*
Up in the Wind poster

Shanghai Fortress

Shanghai Bi Lei
2019 / 107m - China
Sci-fi, Action
2.5*/5.0*
Shanghai Fortress poster

It's nice that China is getting into sci-fi, but they'll have to do better than this. While it looks like the budget was there, the talent clearly wasn't. Terrible editing, poor CG skills, lifeless designs and a bland story don't do this film any favors. Luckily the action is okay and the alien invasion setup is fun enough, but that's not enough to turn this into a good film.