It’s depressing to note that after 120-plus years of cinema, we find ourselves having to sit through junk like Halloween Kills and Space Jam: A New Legacy. This lovely film transports us back to a pre-blockbuster time full of genuine promise.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 24, 2024

A sweet, charming story based on the real-life story of the advent of moving pictures in China at the turn of the century, it's the perfect escape into another place and time.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 21, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 12, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 22, 2005

| Original Score: C | Sep 18, 2002

| Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 22, 2002

In her debut film, director and producer Ann Hu creates a beautiful world with strong characters, both main and supporting.

Full Review | Original Score: 76/100 | Sep 17, 2001

Despite the fact that it's occasionally corny, Shadow Magic is also so low-key and so charming that you might not care.

| Jun 29, 2001

Some of the hostile reactions to Wallace and his movie machine may seem heavy-handed, but the film reminds us that China had been exploited by Western culture, making the opposition a bit more palatable.

| Jun 15, 2001

Hu's affection is contagious, and there are wonderful moments.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 11, 2001

resonates with modern values but maintains its old world charm

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 5, 2001

What an unremarkable movie this is.

| May 31, 2001

Why not trust the subject matter instead of shaping it all to fit a formula?

| Original Score: 2/4 | May 18, 2001

Makes us appreciate what today's audiences take for granted: the miracle of the cinema.

Full Review | May 17, 2001

Gives us a glimpse of what it must have been like to be mesmerized and seduced by images that still convey magic and mystery.

Full Review | May 17, 2001

A sweet evocation of a world on the verge of change.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 7, 2001

Shadow Magic isn't interested in psychology or character study. It's a series of tableaux and on that level succeeds admirably.

Full Review | May 4, 2001

Xia gives Jinglun an earnest likability.

| Apr 27, 2001

There is a humane touch here missing from so many modern movies.

Full Review | Apr 27, 2001

It's a film about film, and Hu's love of the medium's storytelling power shines through every frame.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 20, 2001