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Cinema Escapist

Explore and connect the world through a cinematic lens. To this end, we don’t focus on Hollywood.

Cinema Escapist is a web publication with a mission to explore and connect the world through a cinematic lens. Instead, we comment on international films and television using a unique bent. Normal critics ask: “why is this movie good or bad?”

We ask: “what can you learn from this movie, and why does it matter?”

We take this approach because media and society are intimately intertwined. Movies, t

elevision, and other visual media are not only art, but also portals for intellectual discovery. Intentionally or not, they reflect the politics, history, geography, and culture of the societies that produce them. Therefore: by better understanding media from different parts of the world, we can bridge cultures and create opportunities for mutual understanding.

03/07/2024

Starring Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan, ESCAPE offers veiled commentary on South Korean society through its action-packed yet wistful story of a North Korean defection attempt.

The movie hits North American theaters Jul 5 thanks to WELL GO USA, and will screen at this year's New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) — read our article to learn more!

#구교환 #이제훈 이제훈

Starring Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan, "Escape" packs existentialist and societal musings into an action-packed North Korean defector escape story.

25/03/2024

OLD FOX is one of last year's standout movies, with a nuanced take on income inequality and quality acting. It's getting a Apr 12 limited US theatrical release. Learn more about the movie in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review!

With superb acting and a stirring depiction of 1980’s Taiwan, “Old Fox” explores socioeconomic inequality through the lens of a child.

13/02/2024

THE ASADAS is inspired by real-life Japanese photographer Masashi Asada, who helps families depict their dreams through his photos. Learn more Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review — and watch it in FAMILY PORTRAIT: JAPANESE FAMILY IN FLUX, a program by Japan Society Film Feb 15-24 in New York.

Based on the story of real-life Japanese photographer Masashi Asada, "The Asadas" teeters between cheer and melodrama.

12/02/2024

Starring , YOKO traces a woman's placid yet surreal hitchhiking quest across . Learn more in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review and watch it in FAMILY PORTRAIT: JAPANESE FAMILY IN FLUX, a Japan Society Film program running Feb 15-24 in New York.

Japanese indie film "Yoko" features Rinko Kikuchi as its titular character, who hitchhikes across Japan to her estranged father’s funeral.

08/02/2024

DURING THE RAINS explores the lives of "compensated dating" workers amidst COVID-19.

Learn more in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review and watch it via SF IndieFest between Feb 8-18 2024 in the US.

Independent Japanese film “During the Rains” chronicles the lives of workers in a compensated dating cafe, offering little character background but much empathy.

07/02/2024

Japanese indie movie DEAD FISHES offers a look at generational divides...and a murder plot... in the Tokyo suburbs. Learn more about it in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review and watch it via SF IndieFest from Feb 8-18 2024 in the US.

Japanese independent movie "Dead Fishes" offers an evocative depiction of slower-paced life in a Tokyo suburb, with a murder-related twist.

10/01/2024

IN THE MORNING OF LA PETITE MORT is a beautiful but odd and uneven film that's vaguely reminiscent of Tsai Ming-liang's works... learn more about this movie in this review from Brian Hioe of New Bloom!

The film will start streaming in the US on Jan 19 thanks to Film Movement.

Reminiscent of Tsai Ming-liang’s "Stray Dogs", "In the Morning of La Petite Mort" follows the lives of three working class individuals at the edges of Taiwanese society.

06/01/2024

Starring and (of Triangle of Sadness), film A VERY GOOD GIRL offers a satisfying+class conscious revenge tale, and just hit last week.

Learn more in our review.

Philippine actress Kathryn Bernardo departs from romantic dramas to star alongside Dolly de Leon in "A Very Good Girl", a revenge drama that's familiar yet satisfying.

30/12/2023

came out with a live-action adaptation of popular / franchise YU YU HAKUSHO. But how does it stack up against its source material? Learn more in our review!

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of 33 year-old manga “Yu Yu Hakusho” is entertaining and faithful to its source, but lacks emotional pull across its five episodes.

28/12/2023

Check out Cinema Escapist's selection of 2023's Best Filipino Movies — featuring stars like , , , and more.

Learn more in our list:

Discover 2023's top Filipino movies across genres like comedy, horror, romance, action, LGBTQ—with actors like Kathryn Bernardo, Carlo Aquino, etc.

27/12/2023

In collaboration with New Bloom, we've compiled a list of 2023's best movies. Check them out in our article!

Discover the top Taiwanese movies of 2023 across genres like comedy, romance, thriller, LGBTQ, comedy, and more—streaming links included when available.

25/12/2023

Cinema Escapist looks back at 2023's best movies — with titles featuring stars like and more.

Learn more by reading our list!

See the top Korean movies of 2023 across action, romance, thriller, comedy, and more—featuring top stars like Song Joong-ki, Kim Da-mi, Lee Byung-hun, etc.

24/12/2023

Cinema Escapist looks back at 2023's best Japanese movies — learn what we selected by reading our list!

https://www.cinemaescapist.com/2023/12/best-japanese-movies-2023/

Discover the top Japanese movies of 2023 across genres like anime, comedy, action, romance, and more—streaming links included when possible.

23/12/2023

As 2023 starts wrapping up, Cinema Escapist takes a look back at the year's best Korean dramas — featuring top stars like Song Hye-kyo, Ji Chang-wook, Wi Ha-joon, and beyond.

Top Kdramas of 2023 across thriller, romance, comedy and more—with stars like Song Hye-kyo, Ji Chang-wook, Wi Ha-joon, etc. Streaming links when available.

22/11/2023

Thanks to some perplexing writing and artistic choices, DETRIMENTAL could end up as a rare cult scifi movie that's fun to watch precisely because it's such a mess. Learn more in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review!

With its laughably inconsistent plot and confusingly selective use of CGI, "Detrimental" could be Hong Kong’s contribution to the "so-bad-it’s good" genre.

18/10/2023

Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki returned this year from retirement with THE BOY AND THE HERON, an ambitious and beautiful animation that aptly embodies Miyazaki's artistic essence. Learn more in our review!

The film screened at 2023's Vancouver International Film Festival, and will have a wide global release on Dec 8 (with US release thanks to GKIDS).

Hayao Miyazaki’s potentially final film “The Boy and the Heron” plunges us into a world of imagination, colorful characters, and a million birds.

15/10/2023

THE MONK AND THE GUN is Oscar-nominated director Pawo Choyning Dorji's 2nd film—and its heartwarming sociopolitical critique further puts on the global cinematic map.

Learn more in our review of the film, which screened at the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival!

“The Monk and the Gun” is Pawo Choyning Dorji’s followup to “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”—it presents a crowd-pleasing sociopolitical critique.

12/10/2023

20 Days in Mariupol and INVISIBLE NATION focus on and respectively. Amid warnings of "Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow", it's worth highlighting these documentaries—and their role in the US sociopolitical discourse—together.

INVISIBLE NATION is touring the US festival circuit at venues like the Mill Valley Film Festival and Hamptons International Film Festival, while 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL is screening at various festivals and will have a streaming release on November 21 via PBS Frontline.

Ukraine's "20 Days in Mariupol" and Taiwan-focused "Invisible Nation" tour 2023's Western indie documentary circuit with similar political objectives.

11/10/2023

director Lila Avilés' TOTEM is "a beautiful ode to family that is steeped in intense realism and love" — learn more about the movie in our review!

TOTEM screened at 2023's Vancouver International Film Festival.

Mexican filmmaker Lila Avilés’ second film "Tótem" is bursting with life and tenderness, as a seven-year-old girl processes her father’s terminal illness and her family prepares for a party.

09/10/2023

Famed Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi returns with EVIL DOES NOT EXIST, a meditative and powerful movie that follows his -winner DRIVE MY CAR.

Learn more about the film—which screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival —in our review!

"Evil Does Not Exist", Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's follow-up to the award-winning hit “Drive My Car”, is a slow burn parable with a dark undercurrent.

02/10/2023

SEVEN DAYS IN HEAVEN is a 2010 film that deserves revisiting for its distinct local flavor and blend of humor with family drama, as Brian Hioe of New Bloom explores. The film gets a US streaming release on 10/10 next week thanks to CHENG CHENG FILMS 北美橙橙電影.

2010 tragicomedy "Seven Days in Heaven" explores a working-class family’s mourning rites amidst a southern Taiwanese backdrop.

23/09/2023

Upcoming film SHE'S TALKING IN ISLAND depicts a dialog between Taiwan's millennial Sunflower Generation and Gen Z. It's especially timely given Gen Z's coming of age as political actors amidst Taiwan's upcoming 2024 election. Learn more in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review!

"She's Talking in Island" pairs a Millennial documentary filmmaker with a Gen Z high school student on a reflection of Taiwan's life and society.

18/09/2023

For fans of — 1984 movie TEENAGE FUGITIVE recently got restored. It's one of Tsai's early writing credits, and reveals how his earlier films differ from the slow, meditative ones he makes today. Learn more in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review:

The 1984 Taiwan New Wave film “Teenage Fugitive” was recently restored—and it highlights the earlier style of a young Tsai Ming-liang, who co-wrote its script.

14/08/2023

We spoke with twin directors Wanweaw and Weawwan Hongvivatana about their feature YOU & ME & ME — GDH's latest movie and a charming coming-of-age romp. The film screened at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) last month.

Thai film "You & Me & Me" tells a heartwarming story of twin sisters—but it’s not totally drawn from its twin sister directors Wanweaw and Weawwan Hongvivatana's lives.

30/07/2023

EYE OF THE STORM dramatizes the infamous Heping Hospital lockdown in 's 2003 SARS outbreak—learn more about the movie, which screened at the 2023 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review!

“Eye of the Storm” dramatizes the infamous 2003 lockdown of Taipei’s Heping Hospital, providing a COVID-influenced historiography of the event.

27/07/2023

STARRING JERRY AS HIMSELF is a "remarkable" blend of fact and fiction about a Taiwanese immigrant in Florida who becomes entrapped in a scam. Learn more in our review and watch it at this year's Asian American International Film Festival from Asian CineVision on Jul 30 in NYC.

Inspired by the tale of a Taiwanese American immigrant retiree, “Starring Jerry as Himself” captivates with authentic acting and masterful staging.

26/07/2023

MOUNTAIN ONION is a quirky Wes Anderson-esque Kazakh movie... with interesting stereotypes of China. Learn more about it in our review, and catch it at 2023's New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) on Jul 29!

Director Eldar Shibanov's debut feature "Mountain Onion" brings Wes Anderson-like vibes to the Kazakh steppe, with gender politics and stereotypes of China to boot.

25/07/2023

2023's Asian American International Film Festival from Asian CineVision starts tomorrow! As part of the festival, stream DEAR MOTHER I MEANT TO WRITE ABOUT DEATH from Jul 26-Aug 6...learn more in our review of this film!

Filmmaker Siyi Chen uses an artistic approach to explore mortality, and her own relationship with her cancer-stricken mother.

24/07/2023

TWELVE WEEKS grapples with patriarchy and reproductive politics in the Philippines - learn more about the movie in our review, and catch it at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) in NYC on Wed Jul 26!

Anna Isabelle Matutina’s film "12 Weeks" delves into a 40 year-old Filipino woman’s lack of choice when she becomes unexpectedly pregnant.

21/07/2023

Set in Inner Mongolia, CORD OF LIFE offers a distinct view of modernity v. tradition in music. Read more about it in Brian Hioe of New Bloom's review, and New Yorkers can watch it at the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) on Jul 23 and Jul 25!

Director Qiao Sixue’s “The Cord of Life” uses the story of an Inner Mongolian electronic musician to offer musings on traditional Mongolian culture’s role in modern times.

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