Sean Gilman

A film critic in Tacoma, Washington. Bylines at The Criterion Collection, the Mubi Notebook, Frame.land, InReview Online, Seattle Screen Scene and more.

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Ann Hui

Visible Secret (Ann Hui, 2001)

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Jimmy Wang Yu

Beach of the War Gods (Jimmy Wang Yu, 1973)

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Joseph Kuo

The Mystery of Chess Boxing (Joseph Kuo, 1979)

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Yang Bingjia

Eye for an Eye 2 (Yang Bingjia, 2024)

Xu Haofeng

100 Yards (Xu Haofeng & Xu Junfeng, 2023)

The following is a re-edited and slightly-modified version of the review I wrote for InReview Online's coverage of the Toronto International Film Festival in the fall of 2023. Xu Haofeng makes movies for people who enjoy and understand the finer points of martial arts choreography. His best-known film

Patrick Tam

My Heart is That Eternal Rose (Patrick Tam, 1989)

The following is a re-edited and slightly-modified version of the review I wrote for InReview Online's coverage of the Fantasia International Film Festival in the summer of 2023. One or two festivals ago, I can’t remember which—this time of year they all blend together, I wrote

Patrick Tam

Nomad (Patrick Tam, 1982)

The following is a re-edited and slightly-modified version of the review I wrote for InReview Online's coverage of the New York Asian Film Festival in the summer of 2023. One of the finest films of the Hong Kong New Wave, Patrick Tam’s Nomad plays at this year’

Strange Tales

2023 Fall Festival Compilation

As I put together in 2022 and again for last Spring, here is a collection of the reviews I wrote for InReview Online's coverage of various film festivals from around the world. For publication here, the reviews have been re-edited and occasionally expanded. Check out the rest of

Herman Yau

Death Notice (Herman Yau, 2023)

The fourth 2023 Herman Yau film to come across my digital transom (I’m still searching for the fifth film he released last year, Customs Frontline) is the one most like an actual movie. While The White Storm 3 was a depressing rehash of undercover cop movie tropes (before exploding

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Ching Siu-tung

The Heroic Trio and Executioners (Johnnie To & Ching Siu-tung, 1993)

Kimi Takesue

Onlookers (Kimi Takesue, 2023)

Onlookers is an observational documentary by American filmmaker Kimi Takesue. Over a quick 72 minutes in a series of static shots almost entirely lacking in dialogue, she paints a portrait of a small Laotian village, one whose gorgeous riverside landscapes and picturesque monasteries serve to attract tourists from around the

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Obayashi Nobuhiko

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Obayashi Nobuhiko, 1983)

Jason Kwan

I Did It My Way (Jason Kwan, 2023)

I didn’t see the Andy Lau crime movie with a title borrowed from a hit 1960s American pop song that came out a couple of weeks ago, but I did see the one that comes out this week. I skipped The Goldfinger, despite the promise of an Andy Lau-Tony

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Wong Jing

Last Hero in China (Wong Jing, 1993)

Sammo Hung

Glory to the Fat Dragon!

Since today is Sammo Hung's birthday, I figure it's a good time to repost this look at his career, originally posted on the now-defunct website Frame.land back in the summer of 2017. There were originally several video clips interspersed throughout the essay, but they seem

The Odd One Dies

The Shaolin Cinematic Universe

This was originally commissioned by the Vulgar Cinema website in July 2014, and was published in December 2015. Then, after that site disappeared, it was revised and republished at Frame.land in May 2019. Now that site too appears to be defunct, so I'm posting it once again

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Liu Jiayin

All Ears (Liu Jiayin, 2023)

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Herman Yau

Raid on the Lethal Zone and Moscow Mission (Herman Yau, 2023)

John Woo

Silent Night (John Woo, 2023)

It’s been a rough decade for John Woo. After his triumphant return to Chinese language cinema in 2008 with the excellent two-part war epic Red Cliff, he spent years attempting another big historical film. The first part of The Crossing was released in 2014 and, despite the fact that

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Philip Yung

Where the Wind Blows (Philip Yung, 2022)

Norris Wong

Norris Wong

Reviews: My Prince Edward (2019) - September 8, 2020 The Lyricist Wannabe (2023) - July 20, 2024

Chen Chi-hwa

Chen Chi-hwa

Reviews: The Young Taoism Fighter (1986) – November 8, 2024 Red Pirate (1997) – March 17, 2023

Anno Hideaki

Hideaki Anno Capsule Reviews

Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007) - August 13, 2021 “Our plot unfolds and Shinji unravels.” Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009) - August 13, 2021 Getting into parts of the series I don’t remember well at all (it’s been 20 years since I

Anno Hideaki

Anno Hideaki

Reviews: Shin Godzilla: Orthochromatic (Anno Hideaki & Higuchi Shinji, 2016) – July 12, 2024 Shin Ultraman (Shinji Higuchi, 2022) – July 15, 2022 Shin Kamen Rider (2023) – July 31, 2023 Capsule Reviews: Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007) - August 13, 2021 Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance (2009)

Qin Pengfei

Qin Pengfei

Reviews: Fight Against Evil (2021) – October 15, 2024 Fight Against Evil 2 (2023) – October 15, 2024 Black Storm (2024) – October 15, 2024 The Bodyguard (2024) – November 14, 2024 Blade of Fury (2024) – November 14, 2024 List: Qin Pengfei Movies