September 7, 2011

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (Tsui Hark, 2010)

Although Hark makes good use of his limited budget, Dectective Dee’s script feels convoluted, while the actors perform as if they’re in a campy picture.
November 28, 2010

The Devils (Ken Russell, 1971)

Legend goes that The Devils was considered so extreme in its time that it was banned in North America and never distributed on home video here.
December 16, 2013

The Lady Assassin (Quang Dung Nguyen, 2013)

The Lady Assassin, a martial arts blockbuster, is my first Vietnamese film. A light Sunday night screening at this year’s Fantasia Festival, it was attended by a notable number of people from Montreal’s Vietnamese community. Billed as a Vietnamese wu xia, in the film, a princess sold in marriage is taken in by a team of high-flying, ass—kicking, thieving assassins […]
November 6, 2013

Ip Man: The Final Fight (Herman Yau, 2013)

Ip Man: The Final Fight is centred around an ensemble cast of characters including Ip Man’s first students, so we get to see the evolution of Hong Kong in this period through their eyes.
November 24, 2010

My Fantasia 2010: Preamble

I look forward to Fantasia every year. I am one of those who check the festival’s website daily hoping to make my selection for this year’s festival.