By David  Pountain Directed by Jia Zhangke London Film Festival review Ever since the Chinese auteur’s poignant and delightfully lo-fi 1997 debut Xiao Wu (aka Pickpocket), Jia Zhangke’s narrative features have been operating on a […]
Author: David Pountain
By David Pountain Directed by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya London Film Festival review While the basic premise of Very Big Shot could be described, if somewhat crudely, as Argo with drug dealers and indie filmmakers instead […]
By David Pountain Directed by Hong Sang-soo London Film Festival review While the virtual rewind that occurs at the halfway point of Right Now, Wrong Then places Hong Sang-soo’s latest as one of the acclaimed […]
By David Pountain Directed by Daniel di Grado Sitges Film Festival review Anyone who remembers Kimberly Peirce’s 2013 Carrie remake (and I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t) will be wary of how easily female-centric […]
By David Pountain “I’ve always felt like an outsider because I did my own films by myself without money when I started my career. I didn’t know anyone in the film business until recently.†A […]
By David Pountain Lee Po-cheung’s funny and affecting Gangster Payday is not your typical Hong Kong triad flick. Bypassing the taut set pieces and operatic violence you would usually associate with the genre, the film […]