Cinema Escapist
Explore and connect the world through a cinematic lens
Review: “Take Point” Is an Action-Packed Critique of Political Selfishness
BY Anthony Kao
This Korean action movie featuring private military contractors offers many explosions—and biting, timely political critiques.
Review: “Air Strike” Is a War Movie Plagued By Tragedy…And Taxes
BY Anthony Kao
Meet the “Sharknado” of Chinese war movies: with US$65M worth of misery... and Bruce Willis.
“Wolf Warrior 2” Shows a New Kind of Chinese Patriotism—That Speaks to Overseas Chinese
BY Richard Yu
"Wolf Warrior 2" breathes new life into the Chinese action genre—and appeals to foreign-born Chinese in the process.
Review: Land of Mine (Denmark/Germany, 2015)
BY Anthony Kao
This Oscar-nominated Danish/German film explores a little-known part of WWII's aftermath.
Review: Stalingrad (Russia, 2013)
BY Jordan Li
A 2013 Russian revisitation of WWII's arguably most important battle, complete with slick production quality and special effects.
Review: Operation Mekong (China, 2016)
BY Anthony Kao
Based on a true 2011 incident, Operation Mekong is China's first major foray into the US-dominated "foreign intervention action epic" genre.
Review: The Eternal Zero (Japan, 2013)
BY Jordan Li
2013 was a good year for Japanese aviation fans. Hayao Miyazaki released his magnum opus The Wind Rises, a fictionalized biopic of Jiro Horikoshi (the...
Review: Heneral Luna (Philippines, 2015)
BY Anthony Kao
It’s always a guilty treat to watch a film in which America is the bad guy. There aren’t that many, probably because most nations that...
Review: My Way (South Korea, 2011)
BY Anthony Kao
During the D-Day landings in 1944, American paratroopers captured an Asian man in Wehrmacht uniform. This man was Yang Kyoungjong, a Korean who had…
Review: The Liberator (Venezuela, 2014)
BY Anthony Kao
The Liberator is a Venezuelan biopic about South American revolutionary Simon Bolivar that is packed with both action and reminders of how Bolivar continues to...