Chasing the feel of watching Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story ? Here are the movies we recommend you watch right after.
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
Actor: Aj Muhlach, Andrea Del Rosario, Angeli Bayani, Carlo Aquino, Josef Elizalde, Jourdanne Castillo, Kylie Verzosa, Leo Martinez, Marco Gumabao, Nadine Lustre, Perla Bautista, William Martinez
Director: Irene Villamor
The walk-and-talk roots of the Before Trilogy are traceable to this low-budget cult movie from writer-director Richard Linklater, which came five years before our first introduction to Celine and Jesse. Rather than follow a single, winding conversation, though, Slacker hops from character to character every few minutes, and we never meet them again. In fact, we rarely even learn their names, which makes the credits a particular pleasure to watch as it identifies cast members with wry monikers like “Dostoyevsky wannabe,” “Ultimate loser,” and “Scooby Doo philosopher.”
Shot in Linklater’s adopted hometown of Austin, Texas, the movie captures the city’s uniquely alternative vibe — or, as one character succinctly puts it, “This town has always had its share of crazies.” Conversations range from the spaced-out to the flat-out paranoid, a fair amount of the movie’s ragtag band being partial to conspiracy theories, from the well-worn (JFK's death) or the more bizarre (the real meaning behind The Smurfs). With its freewheeling approach to narrative, Slacker shares the lovable weirdness of its characters, as attested to by its enduring status as a cult classic.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Athina Rachel Tsangari, Bob Boyd, Charles Gunning, Clark Walker, D. Montgomery, Deborah Pastor, Kim Krizan, Lee Daniel, Louis Black, Mark James, Richard Linklater, Robert Jacks, Tommy Pallotta
Director: Richard Linklater
Muriel is a young social outcast who spends her time obsessively planning a dream wedding without ever having been on a date. Her life is flipped upside down when she steals $15,000 from the family business to go on a tropical getaway. This brilliant comedy is memorable as much for Toni Collete’s breakout role as it is for its snarky subversion of rom-com tropes.
Muriel’s Wedding arrived in a wave of bright and brash Australian comedies of the early 90s like Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom. And like these counterparts, its heightened reality gives way to a surprising and heartbreaking emotional core. Director PJ Hogan would go on to direct My Best Friend’s Wedding - a fun but watered-down imitation of the surprising storytelling that made this a cult classic.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Annie Byron, Barry Crocker, Basil Clarke, Belinda Jarrett, Bill Hunter, Cecily Polson, Chris Haywood, Dan Wyllie, Daniel Hepner, Daniel Lapaine, Darrin Klimek, Di Smith, Frankie Davidson, Fred Rouady, Gabby Millgate, Geneviève Picot, Gennie Nevinson, Heather Mitchell, Ineke Rapp, Jacqueline Linke, Jeanie Drynan, John Gaden, John Walton, Jon-Claire Lee, Julian Garner, Kevin Copeland, Kirsty Hinchcliffe, Kuni Hashimoto, Louise Cullen, Matt Day, Nathan Kaye, Penne Hackforth-Jones, Pippa Grandison, Rachel Griffiths, Richard Carter, Richard Morecroft, Richard Sutherland, Rob Steele, Robert Alexander, Robyn Pitt Owen, Roz Hammond, Scott Hall-Watson, Sophie Lee, Susan Prior, Toni Collette, Vincent Ball
Director: P.J. Hogan
From the moment it begins, The Monkey King hardly pauses to take a breath. The characters are always frantically jumping into the next scene, the action is nonstop, and the jokes, though juvenile, arrive one after the other. This is okay if you’re looking for a brisk viewing experience, but not so if you’re prone to vertigo. It moves at a relentless pace, which doesn’t just make the film a dizzying watch; it also robs the animation’s beautiful details of the time it needs to be appreciated. The movie’s core message, too, is buried under all the film’s pizzaz, which is a shame considering its refreshing pragmatism. When all the other kids’ movies are promoting courage and confidence, The Monkey King actually warns against the dangers of an inflated ego. The Monkey King is passable entertainment for the family, but with a better pace, it could’ve been great.
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Kids
Actor: Andrew Kishino, Andrew Pang, Artemis Snow, BD Wong, Bowen Yang, David Chen, Dee Bradley Baker, Hoon Lee, James Sie, Jimmy O. Yang, Jo Koy, Jodi Long, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport, Kaiji Tang, Mark Benninghoffen, Robert Wu, Ron Yuan, Sophie Wu, Stephanie Hsu, Vic Chao
Director: Anthony Stacchi
The Dutch Netflix film Happy Ending means well, but its insistence on the heterosexual relationship limits the film’s potential. Centered on the concept of the orgasm gap, it’s understandable to see the main character Luna have difficulty in expressing this to her partner Mink, however, the film doesn’t fully explore their relationship, or even the reasons behind Luna’s hesitation. Because of this, it’s hard to root for their relationship, especially when the third of their threesome Eve proves to be able to rise to the challenge of Luna’s orgasm. Without spoiling too much, the end result feels as unsatisfying as the main relationship.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Actor: Claire Bender, Gaite Jansen, Joy Delima, Martijn Lakemeier, Sidar Toksöz, Sinem Kavus
Director: Joosje Duk