Chinese Cinema(s) - There Were No Gods Left

There Were No Gods Left

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Chinese Cinema(s)

Mainland, Hong Kong, & Beyond

REVIEW: Caught by the Tides (2024) dir. Jia Zhangke

Chinese Cinema(s)

REVIEW: Caught by the Tides (2024) dir. Jia Zhangke

I am unaware of a director anywhere in the world who has more thoroughly and philosophically navigated the complicated contradictions of the contemporary world than Jia Zhangke.

Striking Rescue — Siyu Cheng [Review]

Striking Rescue — Siyu Cheng [Review]

Striking Rescue cinematographer Ai Yanjie loses sight of much of the action and regrettably tempers the blows of the stunt team.

Interview with Yuxuan Ethan Wu (Death Education)

Chinese Cinema(s)

Interview with Yuxuan Ethan Wu (Death Education)

"Intent matters."

Death Education

Death Education

Chinese teacher introduces the topic of death education to his students... by experiencing it firsthand - poetic documentary premiered at Sundance

GO TO: Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024) dir. Soi Cheang

GO TO: Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024) dir. Soi Cheang

And Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the star-studded crime actioner, is the most culturally relevant film to originate from Hong Kong last year.

Contact Lens

The contacts work as metaphors for both seeing the world differently and the imprisoning cycle of routine.

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival

BIFAN’s embrace of sexuality is one example of its willingness to reach for something extra.

Hero — Zhang Yimou

Hero — Zhang Yimou

Hero is a film worth celebrating.

BUFF Review: Fatal Termination (1990) dir. Andrew Kam

BUFF Review: Fatal Termination (1990) dir. Andrew Kam

Most movies have warts. But not all warts are made equal.

Year Ender: Top Ten Films of 2023

Year Ender: Top Ten Films of 2023

The best films of the year creatively resist the studio destruction of art and suppression of vision with bold statements of visual-sonic distinction

White River — Ma Xue

White River — Ma Xue

As we enter the last release wave of true Covid films — those titles both produced during and concerned with the real-world crisis — first-time director Ma Xue introduces a new sort of pandemic film in her debut White River.

Observations on What Made Jackie Chan the Greatest

Observations on What Made Jackie Chan the Greatest

Jackie Chan, at his peak, was our greatest entertainer.

The Career of Alan Mak and The Procurator

The Career of Alan Mak and The Procurator

The career of Alan Mak makes for an interesting case study. Apart from the Infernal Affairs trilogy, which he co-directed with Andrew Lau (and was later remade by Martin Scorsese as The Departed), his filmography has been a bit lackluster. If it weren’t for the trilogy—and particularly the

Some Changes…

As you may have noticed, I rebranded my personal film website from Transcendent Cinema to No Gods Left: Toward A Millennium of Cinema. That’s because I have something else in store for that project and that URL, which will be evolving into a team effort with a globally and

Chang Cheh’s <i>Five Shaolin Masters</i>: A Favorite of None

Chang Cheh’s <i>Five Shaolin Masters</i>: A Favorite of None

It’s not one of Chang’s best, that’s for sure.

Don't Go Breaking My Heart Is Sports Genre as a Love Triangle

Don't Go Breaking My Heart Is Sports Genre as a Love Triangle

Johnnie To is well known in the West for his action and crime films but, the populist that he is, he’s also a prolific director of romances and musicals. Entire books have been written on To’s filmmaking focusing on the likes of The Mission (1999), PTU (2003), and

<I>The One-Armed Swordsman</I> and Its Interesting Complications

<I>The One-Armed Swordsman</I> and Its Interesting Complications

As one of the most important wuxia ever made, I came to The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) for Shaw Brothers production quality and one-armed fighting but that’s not what made me fall in love with this film. The One-Armed Swordsman is also an exceptionally romantic four-way love “triangle.” One of

Sakra and the Legacy of Donnie Yen

Sakra and the Legacy of Donnie Yen

On the proverbial Mount Rushmore of cinematic martial artists, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung are gimmes. The debate follows them: Bruce Lee, Tony Jaa, Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, Iko Uwais, Scott Adkins, Cheng Pei-pei, Stephen Chow, and, of course, Donnie Yen. No matter how you filter and juggle the final

Zhang Yimou Does It Again

Zhang Yimou Does It Again

Zhang Yimou’s newest film– his 25th feature film depending, on what you count*– opens with one of the great shots of his career: a one or two-minute bird’s eye view oner tracking a group of Song dynasty soldiers in 1146 CE running through an maze-like corridor on a

Love Under Capitalism in Comrades, Almost a Love Story

No Gods Left Original Piece

Love Under Capitalism in Comrades, Almost a Love Story

“It was winter and cold and we were two lonely people keeping each other warm.”

Hidden Blade Doesn't Impress

Hidden Blade Doesn't Impress

I’m not sure I’d jump to recommend it and its empty calories to many.

The Wandering Earth 2 Surpasses First

The Wandering Earth 2 Surpasses First

The world was a very different place when The Wandering Earth came out in 2019, and The Wandering Earth 2 meets our changed world with a completely reimagined sequel, or rather prequel. Based on Liu Cixin’s short story of the same name, the first was a high-octane space disaster

Infernal Affairs and the Dark Night of the Soul

Infernal Affairs and the Dark Night of the Soul

One thing I find displeasing about the contemporary Western cinematic landscape is its visual flakiness. The best shots of our biggest blockbusters are basically lifeless realizations of pre-vis. The images just aren’t memorable. The whole “One Perfect Shot” phenomenon is remarkably ironic given how many of the contemporary shots

In the Mood for Love

In the Mood for Love

I’ll never understand completionist critics. It’s better, they would have it, to see 10 unique films than only eight unique films with two re-watches littered in the mix. There are so many movies that it would be a waste to spend your precious waking minutes revisiting old film

Don't Miss Out on the Restored Version of Drunken Master II (The Legend of Drunken Master)

Don't Miss Out on the Restored Version of Drunken Master II (The Legend of Drunken Master)

It’d be a mistake of a lifetime to miss out on quite possibly your only chance to ever see this film on the big screen.