Andrew Heskins

London

Founder and Writer at EasternKicks

Graphic Designer and Art Director at Freelance

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easternkicks.com

Articles

Upstream | easternkicks.com

2 weeks ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

Xu Zheng tackles food delivery worker struggles—but turns hardship into hollow spectacle…People living in China rely heavily on food delivery services, particularly due to the popularity of platforms like Meituan. Whether ordering breakfast at the office or getting a drink during a haircut, these services have become an indispensable part of daily life; it is hard to imagine a day without them.
Movie review: Teki Cometh

2 weeks ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

Yoshiba Daihaici portrays the insecurities of an old man in Teki Cometh, but fails to give his film depth and nuance…Who’s the enemy in ‘Teki Cometh’? Yoshiba Daihaici misses the mark with his film adaptation of Teki Cometh leading to a both muddled and overtly explicit portrait of the insecurities of an old man. On a day like any other retired professor Watanabe (Nagatsuka Kyōzō) wakes up in his traditional Japanese home.
Dollhouse | easternkicks.com

2 weeks ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

You’ve been warned about creepy dolls…Just what is it about creepy dolls that gets under our collective skin? It’s something filmmakers have tried to exploit, from the Brad Dourif-voiced Chucky of the Child’s Play films and TV show, to Annabelle from so-called ‘The Conjuring universe’—so popular she spawned a series of spin-offs. Surely, M3gan personifies the most demonic possession of all, AI.
Love in the Big City

3 weeks ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

A bright, offbeat portrait of friendship and survival, wrapped in the deceptive warmth of a romantic comedy…Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park (2019) is a well-researched work that, along with prestigious book awards, has garnered attention from both filmmakers and audiences across different media. The story has been adapted into a TV series, spanning eight episodes, as well as a movie of the same title.
Dollhouse | easternkicks.com

3 weeks ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

After the tragic death of their child, a couple buy a doll to help them grieve. But the toy seems to have a mind of its own…When a life-sized child doll flings herself at an old lady, with a vigour more commonly associated with sumo wrestlers, should you laugh or scream? It’s a question that Japanese writer and director Shinobu Yaguchi, best known for feel-good comedies such as Waterboys and Swing Girls, struggles with in Dollhouse, his first attempt at horror.
Movie review: The Stone

1 month ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

A dive into the secretive Thai amulet trade scene combines crime, action and unexpected drama in an entertaining debut…The Stone starts small, ends big. It all begins when young man Ake (Jaonaaz Jinjett Wattanasin) tries to sell a set of Buddhist amulets stowed away among his father’s possessions, in order to pay for his sick father’s medical bills. It turns out that what Ake has in hand is the real deal: a genuine Somdej amulet (‘The Stone’), among a market full of fakes.
Movie review: Teki Cometh

1 month ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

An existentially stirring, absurdist, but entertaining look at ageing, historical guilt, and tragedy heralds a modern masterpiece…With the film’s many allusions to works such as Rear Window and texts by Balzac, Camus, and Saint-Exupéry, intertextual references have inevitably plagued much literature about Yoshida Daihachi’s latest release, Teki Cometh, which premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2024 and recently won Best Director at the Asian Film Academy Awards. And why not?
Movie review: Green Wave

1 month ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

A heartfelt father and son dramedy told through colours, challenging what we expect from life and cinema…Kicking off the 27th Far East Film Festival in Udine this past April, Chinese director Xu Lei took the stage to present his second feature, Green Wave, to an eager audience of over 1,000 people. The film had already made waves at last year’s Pingyao Film Festival, where it won two major awards—yet this marked its international premiere.
Down the Yokai Rabbit Hole

1 month ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

Far East Film Festival coupled their retrospective with an exhibition on Mizuki Shigeru, both focusing on the world of ‘yokai’…Before seeing any film at the 27th edition of the Far East Film Festival in Udine I had the pleasure of visiting the Mondo Mizuki, Mondo Yokai exhibition closely related to the festival.
The Land of Morning Calm

1 month ago | easternkicks.com | Andrew Heskins

A fisherman’s faked death unravels buried truths in a coastal village gripped by loss, silence, and fading hope…When the truth comes to light, the sea will not settleThe staged disappearance of a young fisherman sets off a chain of dramatic events in an otherwise stagnant coastal village. As old emotions, new injustices, and deep-rooted social issues surface, the desire to escape an oppressive life intertwines with the need for understanding within a suffocating solitude.