Genre: Romance

A big-budget mess that occasionally makes good use of its actors, this is a movie that has few strengths to rely on.

Nominated for an Academy Award and sweeping the board at the Japanese equivalent of ‘The Oscars’, Yoji Yamada’s lyrically, tenderly woven tale of dignity is a triumph of substance over action.

A cast of real stars has been assembled and coupled with effects that range from the good to the poor, but overall this is still a cold film with very little heart.

‘Three Of A Kind’ is harmless enough as a stand-alone feature despite its serious flaws. It isn’t necessarily painful to watch, but any film that has such a lack of creativity is hardly going to inspire.

While ‘Till the End of the World’ allows sentiment to become a little too exaggerated as the film nears its end it is, nevertheless, a mixture of the alienating and the intimate that works.

‘Tora-San, Our Lovable Tramp’ is a fine introduction to a great cinematic series, one which should be appreciated worldwide.

With a genuinely affectionate central romance, a captivating female lead and a hero who is believable, bewildering and ultimately winning, ‘Train Man’ is certainly to be commended.

This fun, frothy and occasionally full on violent concoction mashes so many genres together its surprising ‘Treasure Hunt’ turned out this well made, coherent and well, entertaining.

Of course this wouldn’t be a Wong Jing film if some of the jokes weren’t bordering on tasteless and there are a couple that stretch the imagination, but thankfully they do little to deviate from the film’s general fun and frivolity.

Despite the clichés, ‘True Love’ still retains a strong entertainment value though. The ending is also powerful enough to make sure that it is not easily forgotten.

It’s difficult to avoid over-gushing praise, but this is a sweet, enchanting romantic comedy that has enough moments of genuine empathy to fill a dozen lesser films.

The enjoyment that is had from viewing this modest, yet mostly rewarding production is that it is a character piece that avoids action or histrionics.