Showing 1 - 10 of 49
A shady underworld
Life, Sawarin Suwichakornpong, Published on 03/05/2019
» We, The Survivors, the fourth novel by the Malaysian-British Tash Aw, is a compelling account of the life of a working-class lad named Lee Hock Lye, or known among friends as Ah Hock. It's a vivid tale of an imaginative young man with ideas of setting foot in a better place than a ramshackle village where livelihood depends on fishing and harvesting cockles from the polluted mudflats. Ah Hock isn't an angry young man, nor is he an idler who accepts whatever comes his way as fate. He tries hard with life, changing numbers of jobs to make ends meet, hoping one day he'd move to settle down with a house and family in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore or even farther afield. The world that he inhabits, however, is a microcosm of the much larger equilibrium, where society permits a select few to climb the ladder, and the majority -- the ilk of Ah Hock -- remains stuck in poverty, leading a life that's going nowhere.
Outstanding films of 2018
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 28/12/2018
» From the spiritual to the scary, many genres had quality offerings.
Sometimes transcendental, always relevant
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 25/05/2018
» The American films were on short supply this year at Cannes -- which in turn deprived the assembly line of red carpet material -- but nobody seemed to mind that except, well, some American media and fashion bloggers. That superfluous caveat aside, the recently wrapped 71st Cannes Film Festival was nearly unanimously praised as one of the best editions in recent memory, with a string of good, sometimes very good, titles playing night after night -- and even the bad films weren't so offensively bad, as was often the case. In the midst of soul-searching following the question of relevance (the world wants Avengers), the rise of streaming (the world watches films on phones), the decline of arthouse popularity, Cannes insists on the sacredness of cinema, on the future of the art, and this year it paid off solidly.
Hoping to take the top prize East
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 16/05/2018
» Asian filmmakers have so far fielded a strong force at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, and when the Palme d'Or is decided on Saturday by the Cate Blanchett-led jury there's a real chance that the top prize might go to one of the Asian titles -- after a Turkish film in 2014 (Winter Sleep) and a Thai film back in 2010 (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives).
Leave the movie at the bedroom door say Cannes couples
AFP, Published on 14/05/2018
» CANNES: Hepburn and Tracey, Bogart and Bacall, Joel Coen and Frances McDormand: movie magic often has real-life love stories behind it, but star couples at Cannes say you must tread carefully when mixing work and romance.
The Cannes spectacle begins
Life, Published on 08/05/2018
» The 71st Cannes Film Festival opens tonight and for the next 10 days its red-carpet glitz, cinematic debates and potential controversies will dominate the news cycle -- exhaust it, to be precise. While security was a talking point last year, the world's largest movie event in 2018 has already invoked discussion through several structural changes -- from moving the opening to Tuesday instead of Wednesday, the revamp of the press screening schedule that has never changed for decades, and notably the selection of films that hints at Cannes' readiness to become less predictable.
'Political' Cannes film festival makes plea for dissidents
AFP, Published on 12/04/2018
» PARIS: The Cannes film festival made a dramatic show of support for dissident directors in Iran and Russia Thursday as it unveiled a highly political selection that mixed grit and glamour.
Virtual reality revolution is here, say filmmakers
Jon Fernquest, Published on 09/12/2016
» Virtual reality cinemas opening around the world this month & watching film from different angles will mean different films for different viewers.
Virtual reality revolution is here, say filmmakers
AFP, Published on 08/12/2016
» PARIS - The first wave of virtual reality cinemas, heralding what their creators claim will be an entertainment revolution, rolls out across the world this month.
Top Chinese director in deal with French arthouse cinema
AFP, Published on 12/09/2016
» PARIS - Acclaimed Chinese film director Jia Zhangke said Monday he had struck a deal with French arthouse producers mk2 to distribute the "best of Asian cinema" worldwide.