Genre: Drama

‘Nobody To Watch Over Me’ packs quality into every area, from the probing direction to a superb cast without a weak link among them.

It may be an award of distinction for a non-commercial director to have his film populated by bland, feckless characters and have them doing bland, feckless things, but for the viewer there’s nothing admirable about it.

His film version isn’t quite perfect and unfortunately pales compared to the novel but it is far from disrespectful to the source material and is a better version than many may have expected.

‘Not One Less’ is slow-moving and starts awkwardly, but patient viewers will be rewarded with a very memorable Chinese production.

‘Now You See Love… Now You Don’t’ is engrossing and eventually quite touching.

Despite the often tough nature of the film, the unrelenting bleakness of the final third and some questionable plot devices, ‘Oasis’ is a film (unless you are completely black of heart) that stirs the soul.

It may not be the type of film that international Studio Ghibli fans have come to expect, but ‘Ocean Waves’ proves that the studio is just as capable of producing a winner in every genre.

Perhaps not what one might be expecting from all those involved but nevertheless ‘Ode to Gallantry’ is another solid Cheh flick buoyed by a fantastic lead performance from Philip Kwok. 

‘Of Cooks and Kung Fu’ does feature some inventive action and a star in Jacky Chen who is adept at acrobatic fisticuffs.

Definitely not to everyone’s taste, but ink black humour and Choi’s powerhouse performance prevent ‘Oldboy’ from becoming unendurable.

‘On The Run’ is a superb effort from Biao and a welcome change of pace for an actor who is so often seen as just the “little brother” of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.

Hark combines a well-paced and beautifully photographed narrative with strong characters and exciting fight action.