Posts by Eternality Tan

For 20 years, ET has been passionate about everything that encompasses cinema. He is an adjunct lecturer of film studies, a professional curator, sometimes producing shorts, and always writing reviews. He's also an incredibly devoted fan of The Criterion Collection, plays the piano/keyboards and guitar, and absolutely adores Snoopies, and Arsenal FC.

November 27, 2018March 17, 2022 by Eternality Tan

Cafe Lumiere (2003)

On hindsight a homage to Ozu by proxy of Kore-eda, this is a subtle if plotless drama that continues Hou’s fascination with trains.

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November 27, 2018June 17, 2020 by Eternality Tan

Three Times (2005)

An unexpectedly weaker effort from Hou —this is a well-intentioned experimental exercise in form, style and structure, but it comes off as uneven and unsatisfactory.

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November 27, 2018June 17, 2020 by Eternality Tan

Flight of the Red Balloon (2007)

Shot in France and starring Juliette Binoche in an excellent performance, this is however a minor work by Hou that doesn’t quite achieve anything substantial.

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November 27, 2018May 21, 2021 by Eternality Tan

Assassin, The (2015)

Hou’s latest may be extremely slow and loosely structured, but its sheer beauty and assured direction will bring you deep into a world of strangely alluring characters, dilemmatic codes of honour and astonishing landscapes.