On 12 August, 2000, an explosion on the Russian nuclear submarine K-141 Kursk caused it to sink in the Barents Sea, killing all 118 naval personnel on board. The disaster triggered a shocking series of lies and cover-ups from the Russian authorities, while their delayed response and refusal to accept international support sparked global condemnation.
Read on: www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/2186831/kursk-film-review-russian-submarine-tragedy-recreated-thomas

Japanese actress Kirin Kiki died last September, but the 75-year-old worked right up until her death and leaves behind an impressive body of work that continues to yield new treasures. The latest of these is Mori, the Artist’s Habitat, in which she plays Hideko, the wife of reclusive yet celebrated painter Morikazu Kumagai, who died in 1977 at the grand old age of 97.
Read on: www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2184142/mori-artists-habitat-film-review-perceptive-portrait-reclusive

Peckinpah's only war movie is also one of his best. James Coburn stars as the anti-authoritarian German sergeant, looking out for his men on the cold Eastern Front, while his imbecilic superior (Maximilian Schell) chases the elusive Iron Cross. Beautifully shot and filled with the violence and camaraderie synonymous with the director's work this rarely gets the praise it deserves as one of Hollywood's most profound meditations on the futility of war.

Takamine Hideko is absolutely devastating as the ageing geisha in 60s Ginza faced with the difficult decision of whether to marry one of her rich customers or set up a bar of her own. Already a widow burdened with debts, derision and illness, Mama becomes a symbol of women's battle for independence in post-war Japan. Naruse's direction is unobtrusive and stylishly laid back, accompanied by a breezy jazz soundtrack symbolising the city's complacency to the plight of our heroine.