Our mark is 銀幕, ginmaku — the silver screen, and the same two characters in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

I came to Tokyo at twenty-three for a summer job at a Shibuya mini-theatre and the job never quite ended. Fifteen years of festivals later I still think the only review that counts is the one the room gives you: where the laugh lands, the moment three hundred people stop moving at once, whether anybody stays for the credits.

Cinepuuulse follows Asian cinema — Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand — across about a hundred and twenty sources. A good number of them are Spanish, French and Portuguese, because those countries programme this work seriously and write about it better than most of the English-language trade. Genre and art-house get the same seat here. I am not ranking them, and nothing is scored out of ten.

Each story is a headline, a short excerpt, one still and a link to the outlet that did the reporting. We never republish the piece, and the still belongs to its studio or its photographer. A Korean trade paper appears in Korean, a French review in French. We point at the work; we do not put words in anyone's mouth.

— Daren Wise, Tokyo

← Cinepuuulse Archive

POV MagazineCanada

Always Lalisa Review: K-Pop Star Is Born Again

September 18

Always Lalisa (USA, 97 min.) Dir. Sue Kim Prod. Sue Kim, Courtney Crockett Programme: TIFF Galas (World premiere) Fans know Lisa as the rapper from the girl group BLACKPINK, but the K-pop icon would…

Festivals & awards

Read at POV Magazine ↗

One letter a week, in your inbox.

Latest

Always Lalisa Review: K-Pop Star Is Born Again

Related

‘Hirayasumi’ Anime Sets NYC World Premiere Special Event Animation Magazine

Annecy Festival Seeks Replacement for Artistic Director Marcel Jean Animation Magazine

Taylor Hale, Kristen Chenowith, & Bianca Del Rio Among ‘The Traitors’ Season 5 Cast The Playlist

Access:Horror 2026: One Day Live Event Next Week, Program Streams Later in October ScreenAnarchy

‘River’ Review: Jane Levy & Jessica Rothe Battle An Aquatically Apocalyptic Slasher In Joshua Giuliano’s Riveting Debut [TIFF] The Playlist

FranceTiff : The Market annonce plus de 7 000 participants Le Film français — Cinéma