Chinese cinema's eclectic appeal

DEPENDING on its origin, Chinese cinema, much like its cuisine, is varied. Each has its own distinctive style and there's a wide range to sample from as the 2nd Singapore Chinese Film Festival heads into its final stretch this weekend.

While Jia Zhangke's A Touch of Sin (mainland China's answer to Oliver Stone's hyper-violent Natural Born Killers) and aerial photographer Chi Po Lin's breathtaking documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above are sold out, there are still a handful of films with tickets available that are worth checking out.

Malaysian singer-songwriter-filmmaker Namewee's Kara King (Malaysia, 2013) fills the "mo lei tau" (nonsensical) void left by Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Chow, who pioneered the genre.