Country: China

This may not be revolutionary film-making, but ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ is ninety minutes of entertainment that will keep a smile on your face.

It’s just so generic, so riddled with the current Chinese cinematic pox that it is impossible to care about.

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.

‘Not One Less’ is slow-moving and starts awkwardly, but patient viewers will be rewarded with a very memorable Chinese production.

‘One Arm Hero’ has its moments, though they don’t help the finished production achieve anything more than the entertaining.

Lam has made better films but, along with Benny Chan, he is at the forefront of Hong Kong action in terms of delivering large scale spectacle.

It’s big, it’s brash and in several sequences surprisingly gory but ‘Operation Red Sea’ is big screen, blockbusting action done well.

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

Often exciting, action packed and reminiscent of something one would happily rent during the 90s heyday of never-ending-video-store-action-film-releases.

Not to everyone’s tastes, could have been a little shorter and hardcore Yen fans may be let down by the lack of dynamic hand-to-hand combat but ‘Painted Skin’ is still a stylish slice of fantasy filmmaking.

‘Painted Skin 2’ ramps up the CGI spectacle and melodramatic romance, all but forgets the action and excitement and thus is a rather hollow but undeniable pretty to look at fantasy.

The simple fact is that Xiaogang’s latest work is the kind of slick, seamless film that one can admire as much as enjoy.