Author: Andrew Saroch

‘The Village Of No Return’ is stuck between two stools – too disjointed to appeal to the mainstream, but too flat to be considered anything particularly out of the ordinary.

‘Bleeding Steel’ starts with promise and then refuses to flesh out any of the plot details, leaving us bewildered shortly after our interest had piqued.

A poignant family drama with dashes of dry humour, ‘Love Education’ is a film that director and star Sylvia Chang can be suitably proud of.

Only in Japan would a book like ‘The Great Passage’ catch the public imagination, only in Japan would someone then think that this might translate to the big screen and only in Japan would it be a rousing success.

There is a solid mix of winning visual gags, one-liners and absurdism that makes ‘Never Say Die’ entertaining even for those of us who do not speak Mandarin.

Fresh, funny, exciting and full of snappy action, ‘Midnight Runners’ is a joyous ride, rarely missing a beat from first frame until last.

Often unfairly nudged aside when the career of kung-fu auteur Liu Chia-Liang is considered, ‘The Lady is the Boss’ is a fun action comedy that came near the end of the Shaw Brothers’ hegemony in Hong Kong.

Andrew Saroch provides his list of top ten movies watched throughout 2017.

‘Our Time Will Come’ is another excellent Ann Hui film, but it’s Zhou Xun’s aptitude that lingers after the running time ends.

‘The Adventurers’ itself is a breezy romp with a good cast, some smart action sequences and enough momentum to make its duration enjoyable on a standard level.

Based on the book by French author Guillaume Musso, ‘Will You Be There?’ is the kind of time travel drama that never skips a beat.

‘A Violent Prosecutor’ might not be winning awards for originality, but it certainly serves as a good use of two hours.