Film reviews

“A Light Never Goes Out” Celebrates Hong Kong’s Iconic Neon Signs

by

"A Light Never Goes Out" is a spirited look into the craftsmen who build and maintain Hong Kong’s iconic neon signs. Though the film’s plot is somewhat boilerplate, it has beautiful cinematography, and demonstrates a genuine love for its subject

From No Man Is an Island
On December 3, 2022
Categories

Looking Through Ẹlẹ́ṣin’s Hourglass

by

Or How to Render Metaphysics in Film

From Olongo Africa
On November 25, 2022
Categories

“Therapy Dogs” Offers a Cleverly Stylized Depiction of High School

by

Therapy Dogs is a creatively stylized take on high school, following two friends in their senior year. Though the film is unlikely to appeal to all viewers, given its deliberately disjointed narrative, it manages to capture something of the nihilism–and violence–of wayward teenagers

From No Man Is an Island
On November 16, 2022
Categories

MELODRAMA-RAMA: ABSORBING DELIGHT

by

The Telugu film RRR is an incredible mixture of genres, influences, and ideas: a historical epic with obvious ahistorical qualities, a combat-heavy actioner with exuberant song-and-dance numbers, a homosocial friendship drama with recognizably romantic montages. Strong notes of melodrama accent its potent blend.

From Tasteful Rude
On September 20, 2022
Categories

Hope Is The Anthem That Runs Through No U-Turn

by

In 1997, a young Ike Nnaebue, along with free of his friends, left Lagos, Nigeria for a journey across West Africa, hoping to get into Europe by road (and ultimately) by sea, but a fortuitous encounter at Mali’s capital city caused him to make a detour, one that would change the trajectory of his life forever.

From Olongo Africa
On September 13, 2022
Categories

“Demigod: The Legend Begins” Breathes New Life Into Taiwanese Puppetry

by

Pili Puppetry is a well-known Taiwanese glove puppet series, which transposes wuxia tales of martial arts chivalry to a fantasy setting.

From No Man Is an Island
On August 22, 2022
Categories

“Before Next Spring” Humanizes the Lives of Chinese Students in Japan

by

Part of coverage of the 2022 New York Asian Film Festival.

From No Man Is an Island
On July 16, 2022
Categories

The Spectacle and Politics of Nudity in “Blood Sisters”

by

If we think of film as “visual storytelling”, Blood Sisters certainly gives us the “visual” even if it sometimes leaves us wondering about the “storytelling.”

From Olongo Africa
On May 27, 2022
Categories

The Many Repetitions of Hong Kong History

by

There are few words fit to describe Blue Island (憂鬱之島), apart from “masterpiece.” The film stands out as an example of its genre, while also managing to be highly powerful and personal.

From No Man Is an Island
On April 22, 2022
Categories

A Miao Church Choir Thrust into the Spotlight

by

A Review of "Singing in the Wilderness" written in collaboration with Cinema Escapist, as part of coverage of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Keep an eye out for more!

From No Man Is an Island
On April 16, 2022
Categories

A Glance into the Everyday of COVID

by

This is a No Man is an Island film review written in collaboration with Cinema Escapist, as part of coverage of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Keep an eye out for more!

From No Man Is an Island
On April 12, 2022
Categories

Gold Leaf Succeeds Where SEQALU and Island Nation Did Not

by

A Review of Episodes One and Two of Gold Leaf (茶金)

From No Man Is an Island
On November 23, 2021
Categories

A Powerful Look into the Struggles of Two Generations in China

by

FATHER (爺爺和父親) is a standout documentary, whose strengths primarily derive from the revealing moments it manages to capture on camera. This is due to the fact that director Deng Wei is filming his father and grandfather as the documentary’s subjects.

From No Man Is an Island
On August 20, 2021
Categories