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Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996) Review – Love Shaped by Time and Place

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  Header illustration for the film review essay of Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996). Illustration created for editorial movie review purposes. 🎥 Film Overview Title: Comrades: Almost a Love Story (甜蜜蜜 / Tián mì mì / 첨밀밀) Director: Peter Chan (陳可辛 / Chen Ke-xin) Release: November 16, 1996 (Hong Kong) Runtime: 118 minutes (1 hour 58 minutes) Genre: Romantic Drama Screenplay: Ivy Ho (何冀平) Country: Hong Kong Language: Cantonese, Mandarin Cinematography: Jingle Ma (馬楚成) Music: Comfort Chan (陳光榮); featuring Teresa Teng's (鄧麗君) songs including "Tian Mi Mi" (甜蜜蜜) and "Wo Zhi Zai Hu Ni" (我只在乎你) Production Company: United Filmmakers Organisation (UFO) Distributor: Deltamac Co. Ltd. Rating: PG (Hong Kong) Cast: Leon Lai (黎明) (Li Xiaojun), Maggie Cheung (張曼玉) (Li Qiao), Eric Tsang (曾志偉) (Leopard), Kristy Yang (楊采妮) (Xiaoting), Irene Tsu (祖慧), Christopher Doyle (杜可風) Box Office: HK$18.6 million (Hong Kong domestic) Awards: 8 Hong Kong Fil...

Yoshino's Barber Shop (2004) Review – Between Red and Blue

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  Header illustration for the film review essay of Yoshino’s Barber Shop (2004). Illustration created for editorial movie review purposes. 🎥 Film Overview Title: Yoshino's Barber Shop (バーバー吉野 / Bābā Yoshino) Director: Naoko Ogigami Release: September 11, 2004 (Japan) Runtime: 96 minutes (1 hour 36 minutes) Genre: Drama, Comedy-Drama Screenplay: Naoko Ogigami Country: Japan Language: Japanese Cinematography: Toshihiro Isomi Music: Qypthone Production Company: Bandai Visual, Eisei Gekijo, Office Shirous Distributor: Bandai Visual Rating: Not Rated Cast: Masako Motai (Yoshino), Shun Shioya (Koichi Katayama), Hoshi Ishida (Seiji Yamazaki), Ryo Iwamatsu (Sakamoto), Yoshiyuki Morishita (Kojima), Morio Agata (Nakai), Yoichi Nukumizu (Masao Miyoshi), Ken Mitsuishi (Grandfather), Mansaku Ikeuchi Awards: Special Mention at 2004 Locarno International Film Festival, Best Film Award at 2004 Nantes Three Continents Festival, NETPAC Award at 2004 Singapore Internati...

Rent-a-Cat (2012) Review – Small Warmth That Visits Lonely Days

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  Header illustration for the film review essay of Rent-a-Cat (2012). Illustration created for editorial movie review purposes. 🎥 Film Overview Title: Rent-a-Cat (レンタネコ / Rentaneko / 고양이를 빌려드립니다) Director: Naoko Ogigami Release: May 12, 2012 (Japan), December 13, 2012 (South Korea) Runtime: 110 minutes (1 hour 50 minutes) Genre: Comedy-Drama Screenplay: Naoko Ogigami Country: Japan Language: Japanese Cinematography: Kazutaka Abe Music: Kosuke Ito Production Company: Eisei Gekijo Rating: 12+ (South Korea), Not Rated (Japan) Cast: Mikako Ichikawa (Sayoko), Reiko Kusamura, Ken Mitsuishi, Katsuya Kobayashi, Hidekazu Mashima, Maho Yamada, Kei Tanaka Box Office: 14,983 admissions (South Korea) Awards: Premiered at 2012 Stockholm International Film Festival, featured in 17th Busan International Film Festival Critical Reception: 6.9/10 IMDb, 65% Rotten Tomatoes (2 reviews), 6.5/10 audience score Note: Director Naoko Ogigami is known for her "healing cine...

In the Mood for Love (2000) Review - When Love Remains Unspoken

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  Header illustration for the film review essay of In the Mood for Love (2000). Illustration created for editorial movie review purposes. 🎥 Film Overview Title: In the Mood for Love (花樣年華 / 花样年华 / Fa yeung nin wa) Director: Wong Kar-wai Release: May 20, 2000 (Cannes Film Festival), September 29, 2000 (Hong Kong) Runtime: 98 minutes (1 hour 38 minutes) Genre: Romantic Drama Screenplay: Wong Kar-wai Country: Hong Kong, France (co-production) Language: Cantonese, Shanghainese Cinematography: Christopher Doyle, Mark Lee Ping Bin Music: Michael Galasso, Shigeru Umebayashi Production Design: William Chang Film Editing: William Chang Production Companies: Block 2 Pictures, Jet Tone Production, Paradis Films Rating: PG Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Chow Mo-wan), Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (Su Li-zhen), Rebecca Pan (Mrs. Suen), Siu Ping-lam (Ah Ping) Box Office: $14 million worldwide Awards: Best Actor for Tony Leung at 2000 Cannes Film Festival (first Hong Kong a...

Midnight Diner (2014) Review: A Place Where Food and Listening Heal

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  Header illustration for the film review essay of Midnight Diner (2014). Illustration created for editorial movie review purposes. 🎥 Film Overview Title: Midnight Diner (深夜食堂 / Shinya Shokudō) Director: Jōji Matsuoka Release: January 31, 2015 (Japan) Runtime: 119 minutes (1 hour 59 minutes) Genre: Drama, Slice of Life Screenplay: Katsuhiko Manabe, Jōji Matsuoka (based on the manga Shinya Shokudō by Yarō Abe) Country: Japan Language: Japanese Cinematography: Ryo Ohtsuka, Ryuhei Tsutsui Music: Seiji Kameda Rating: Not Rated Cast: Kaoru Kobayashi (Master), Saki Takaoka (Tamako), Mikako Tabe (Michiru), Tokio Emoto (Kenzō), Joe Odagiri (Ryu), Kimiko Yo, Akiko Kikuchi, Kiyohiko Shibukawa Note: Based on Yarō Abe's manga series Shinya Shokudō , first published in 2006. The film adapts storylines from the highly successful TV drama series (2009-2014) which aired at 1 AM in Japan—the same time the fictional diner opens. The series has been remade in South Korea...