Tristan Shaw is an American writer who enjoys folklore, film, and history. You can follow him on Twitter @Tristan89201760
It’s actually unfortunate that the English title is "Shanghai Triad," which gives a dishonest emphasis on the mobsters. The Chinese title, taken from the lyrics of an old lullaby, better represents the movie’s theme of traditionalism or nostalgia clashing with modernity.
Bullet in the Head is unlike anything else in John Woo’s repertoire. It’s been compared to Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter in the way the characters endure one atrocity after another, struggling to hold on to their humanity.
A story of modern Shanghai, told with stories from the past. Footage of modern Shanghai, with its flashy skyscrapers and restless crowds, collides with quiet, stationary interviews of times long gone.
Better Days, winner of Best Film at the recent 39th Hong Kong Film Awards, is a coming-of-age drama about two teens seemingly fighting against the...
Chen Kaige's 1984 debut film, Yellow Earth, defied the social realism of its day, revolutionizing the ways the Chinese watched and created films.
April is National Poetry Month, and in honor of that, we present Flirting Scholar, a martial-arts comedy whose main character is based off the 15th/16th-century poet...
April is National Poetry Month, and in honor of that, we present Chicken Poets, a film about a poet who struggles to fit inside modern...
Now available on Netflix, A Sun is a weighty Taiwanese crime-drama filled with shocking violence and repressed emotion. Ultimately, it’ll have you rooting for a family...
To wrap up our series on Chinese horror, we turn to the jiangshi, that most quintessential of Chinese monsters. Part-vampire, part-zombie, the jiangshi get their...