Genre: Romance

Despite the potential of being a great otaku rom-com and having two good actors playing the brothers, two hours worth of minor incident and low-key humour quickly outstay their welcome.

‘The Mermaid’ has the feel-good factor and is probably as good a rom-com as you’re likely to see this year. Yet that somehow doesn’t seem enough from a film-maker like Chow.

‘The Musketeer’ is a horrible re-interpretation of Dumas’s classic tale that will most likely have him turning in his grave.

With all characters underwritten it seems churlish to criticise performances, but eighties Asian singing sensation Tam is a charisma vacuum and not even the legendary Lin can convince in her thankless damp squib of a role.

Moments of wacky promise are in stark contrast to the majority of the film, which gets stuck down a cul-de-sac while in no desperate rush to turn back again.

‘The Postmodern Life Of My Aunt’ is expertly made, superbly shot and mostly involving. Yet there’s something missing in this odyssey of an elderly woman’s experiences in the city.

Charlie Nguyen’s film takes a dark and violent piece of Vietnam’s history and for the most part crafts an exciting action ride that unfortunately stumbles somewhat in the drama department.

It’s just disappointing that the obvious craft at work by the experienced crew on ‘The Revenger’ never quite translates into a solid, coherent whole.

Rarely has the simple theme of love been given such a spellbinding presentation as Zhang Yimou’s ‘The Road Home’.

‘The Romancing Star’ might be a product of a particular time and culture, but its problems do not lay there – the fact is that it’s unfunny and annoying.

‘The Shopaholics’ is a simple time waster that has a few effective moments, but meanders around until its uninspiring conclusion.

Fairly tame fun that will easily appease the ADD generation who are hooked on special effects. Go into it with that frame of mind and it’s likely that you’ll find an adequate time filler.