Movies
Oldskool martial arts films that borrows more than a couple of cues from Hark's Once upon a Time in China. The result is a fun but shameless love letter to early 90s Hong Kong action cinema, the only problem is that director Lin himself doesn't quite meet the standard. Amusing, but not a modern masterpiece.
A typical Chinese streamer fantasy/actioner that somehow made it to the Western market. I've no idea why they've chosen this one, maybe it has to do with the fact that the West has had a few Tai Chi martial arts films before, other than that there's nothing that makes it stand out for a gazillion other films. That means that the CG is sketchy as best, that the plot is a little messy, and that the setting is very familiar. It also means the film is short, fast-paced, and quite amusing. It's not the best of the bunch, but as someone who appreciates a simple martial arts film I didn't mind this one at all. Just don't expect blockbuster quality.Read all
Chinese streamers have been mostly targeting historical fantasy/action work so far, I wish they'd try a bit more sci-fi if only to get the hang of things. A film like Restart the Earth shows enough promise, but it lacks the routine that makes these cheaper Chinese films better than they're supposed to be. The setup is fun and because of the shameless CG, there's no convoluted world-building. The CG isn't great though, neither are the performances. But the pacing is high and the runtime short. There's hardly a dull moment and while the ending could've done with less melodrama, I still had a good time with this one.Read all