Films of 2016
BEST
Mr Six
China’s Feng Xiaogang is equally at home behind the camera or in front of it. He is tremendous in this compelling character study of the titular Mr Six (photo 2), a Beijing old-timer of honour and principles who is out of step with the times, and he deservedly walked away with the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor.
The film packs in plenty of observations about contemporary Chinese society and values and ends with a visually spectacular showdown on a frozen lake.

Ten Years
The controversial Hong Kong Film Award winner for Best Film paints a disturbing picture of the territory in 2025. The anthology comprises Extras by Kwok Zune, Season Of The End by Wong Fei Pang, Dialect by Jevons Au, Self-Immolator by Kiwi Chow and Local Egg by Ng Ka Leung. The works run the gamut from heavily metaphorical to darkly humorous to overtly political.
The movieis uneven and raw at times, but is also filled with unbridled passion and a sense of urgency and it taps into a very real sense of unease about Hong Kong’s future.

Your Name
The anime flick, which has been smashing records at home in Japan, tells a beguiling story in an unexpected way and deftly ties together strands of humour, romance and mystery.
The movie starts out as a light-hearted high-school comedy and deepens into an existential mystery and a rumination on the nature of time as the appearance of a comet and the Japanese tradition of braiding cords are woven in.
The animation is gorgeous, detailed and vividly coloured.

WORST
A Chinese Odyssey Part Three
Comedian Stephen Chow’s priceless deadpan performance in his dual roles of Joker and Monkey King is a big reason the two-part A Chinese Odyssey (1995) is so beloved by its fans.
So a part three sans Chow – and much of the original Hong Kong cast – is absolute travesty in this sequel to the Journey To The West movies.
Even the jokes here are recycled. Did director Jeffrey Lau run out of money and ideas?
(ST)