Noticias

Warning: Spoilers for Hellbound season 2, episode 1.

Jeong Ji-su has been recast for Hellbound season 2, which sees the returns of a lot of characters from season 1. Given that Jeong Ji-su was sentenced to Hell and died in Hellbound season 1, it may be surprising that the character is back in the new season of the Netflix original K-drama. That said, Ji-sus resurrection is part of a larger storyline in Hellbound that was teased at the end of season 1 the return of people who had been sentenced and burned alive. However, Ji-su is no longer played by Yoo Ah-in.

Hellbound had quite a large cast in season 1, particularly because the show introduced a new set of characters after the five-year time jump in episode 4. Several of those characters make a comeback in season 2, including people we saw die on the show. While the wait for Hellbound season 2 was long, the show was also...

The concept of horror on film is most often exhibited with masked killers, mutant monsters, or extraterrestrial terrors that live only in imagination. Defying that very concept, 1986s When the Wind Blows presents a true existential terror that cuts to the core of modern fears. Using a simple, yet effective style of animation, director Jimmy Murakami brought Raymond Briggs gut-wrenching graphic novel to life, depicting the real horrors of nuclear war through a childlike lens. Peggy Ashcroft and John Mills give a terribly sympathetic voice to the potential victims of such a conflict, with the characters of James and Hilda Boggs representing all innocent people who face destruction in the wake of atomic war. When the Wind Blows is one of the saddest, most terrifying visions of an apocalypse ever put on film, and no less than in decades past, it is a film that demands to be viewed and appreciated.

Both "Grave of the Fireflies" and "When the Wind Blows" are anti-war films portraying innocent people suffering from the devastation of armed conflict. The movies showcase the emotional toll of survival amidst war, with characters struggling to maintain normalcy despite dire circumstances. Through national myth-making, the films highlight how governments can blind the public to the harsh realities of war and its aftermath, leading to immense suffering.

Studio Ghibli and Isao Takahata'sGrave Of The Firefliesis widely cited as one of the most harrowing films ever made. The 1988 film viscerally conveys the horrors of war and shows the suffering of the Japanese people in the final days of World War 2. However, itisn'tthe only animated film to cover these topics. Animation fans looking for a film to pair withGrave Of The Firefliesshould watchWhen the Wind Blows,as both it andGrave Of The Firefliescover similar topics from different perspectives, leading to a fascinating double feature.

Where The Wind Blows

25th August 2023, London UK – Director Philip Yung's eagerly-awaited Where The Wind Blows, featuring two of Asian cinema's biggest stars, is released in UK cinemas from 29th September.

Philip Yung's long-awaited follow-up to the critically acclaimed Port of Call is an ambitious, genre-bending epic loosely based on the rise and fall of the notorious “Four Great Sergeants” in 1960s Hong Kong. The film centres on the friendship and rivalry between two resourceful police detectives, Lui Lok and Nam Kong, who forge dangerous alliances with organised crime.

This first onscreen pairing of superstars Aaron Kwok (Port of Call) and Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Infernal Affairs) also boasts a scene stealing performance from Hong Kong Cinema icon Michael Hui (Godspeed). Director Yung says, “filming my favourite actors and actresses was like I had travelled back in time to grow with the old dreamy, glamorous Hong Kong”.

As well as being a glorious,...