Niels Matthijs
Antwerp, Belgium

Niels joined Twitch back in 2009. Convinced that there is no such thing as too obscure, he set out to cover some of the weirdest, oddest and incomprehensibly overlooked Asian films. When he's not watching celluloid, he's either writing about his love for electronic music and webdesign or enjoy life with his soon to be wife.

Review: NIGHTFALL (Roy Chow Hin-Yeung)
Nightfall is what you call quality genre film making. It's a film that raises clichés to an artform. There are no surprises, no deviations from the norm, but the execution is simply flawless. Amidst an endless list of competing police... More »
  

Review: LIVIDE (Bustillo and Maury)
Five years ago director duo Bustillo and Maury unleashed À l'Intérieur onto the general public, a film that may be described as one of the most suspenseful and gory films of the past decade and one of the highlights of... More »
  

Review: EX DRUMMER (Personal Favorites #64)
With Ex Drummer, Koen Mortier (22 Mei) followed the path that Tom Barman's Any Way The Wind Blows cleared a couple of years earlier. Mortier merely confirmed it was possible to make challenging, unique films in Flanders, films that holds... More »
  

Review: MEGANE (Naoko Ogigami)
Naoko Ogigami (Yoshino's Barber Shop, Kamome Diner) is one of the few female directors I truly appreciate, with Megane she holds a firm claim for the top spot. If you're looking for two hours of blissful escapism, a couch vacation... More »
  

Review: THE FIELDS (Mattera & Mazzoni)
As is often the case with genre films, the devil is in the details. And while I'm pretty sure some people will consider the latest film of director duo Mattera and Mazzoni a downright bore, there is no bone in... More »
  

Review: Isabella (Personal Favorites #44)
Ho-Cheung Pang (Love In A Puff, Exodus) is definitely one of the most interesting directors working in the Hong Kong movie industry today. With two new films coming up, it felt like a good time to revisit my favorite Pang... More »
  

Review: [REC] 3 GENESIS (Paco Plaza)
The [rec] franchise returns to the big screen and continues its mayhem amongst Spanish citizens. [rec] 3 Genesis is the latest installment in the series, revitalizing the zombie genre with a couple of interesting new twists while at the same... More »
  

Review: HOSHI O OU KODOMO (Makoto Shinkai)
Whenever Makoto Shinkai (5 Centimeters Per Second, Hoshi no Koe) releases a new film it always feels like somewhat of an event. With just a few films to his name Shinkai launched himself as one of the most fresh and... More »
  

Review: THE DIVIDE (Xavier Gens)
Even though Xavier Gens' Frontières has earned its place amongst the front-runners of the French horror wave, a film like Hitman already hinted at Gens' broader vision. With The Divide Gens takes the post-apocalyptic route and serves a slice of... More »
  

Review: USAGI DROP (Hiroyuki Tanaka)
Even though Hiroyuki Tanaka (Monday, Kanikosen) is a certainty in my selection of favorite directors, the past few years Tanaka has been struggling to find his way (much like the rest of the Japanese film industry). While Usagi Drop isn't... More »
  

Review: 2046 (Personal Favorites #60)
2046 was probably Wong Kar Wai's highest anticipated film. After he hit it big with In The Mood For Love everyone with the least bit of interest in Asian cinema was waiting for its (informal) sequel. Upon release reactions were... More »
  

Review: KUHIO TAISA (Daihachi Yoshida)
Hong Kong was long the home turf of conman cinema, but now Japan finally has a certified hustler of its own. His name is Sergeant Kuhio, a jet pilot fighting for world peace, trying to do justice to his royal... More »
  

Review: Jin-Ro (Personal Favorites #27)
The first time I tried to watch Jin-Ro I didn't even make it till the end credits. Years later I gave the film a second chance and through subsequent viewings my appreciation for this film grew bigger. Nowadays (I watched... More »
  

Review: THIS MUST BE THE PLACE
For some people This Must Be The Place is going to be the new Sean Penn flick, for others it will be the new Paolo Sorrentino film. The difference may seem futile, but based on this simple distinction you might... More »
  

REVIEW: LEE'S ADVENTURE
Talk about a pleasant surprise. I referenced the new and upcoming generation of Asian film makers a couple of times already (pk.com.cn, Honey PuPu), Lee's Adventure is allowed to join this illustrious duo as the film further underlines my belief... More »
  

Review: MEMORIES (Personal Favorites #26)
For 10 long years Memories was Studio 4°C's best kept secret. It took the film almost a decade to appear in the West and by that time it just wasn't the technical bombshell it was supposed to be. When it... More »
  

Review: WHITE VENGEANCE (Daniel Lee)
Daniel Lee (14 Blades) is clearly working his way up on the budget tables. After years of operating in (elevated) B territory, White Vengeance is Lee's first true big budget feature. Those of you expecting an overpowering action-fest should take... More »
  

Review: INNOCENCE (Personal Favorites #4)
Mamoru Oshii's (Tenshi no Tamago, Patlabor 2, Sky Crawlers, Tachiguishi Retsuden) Innocence is without a doubt one of the trickiest accomplishments of his already rich and challenging career. From the get go the film was doomed to fail, back then... More »
  

Review: THE WOMAN KNIGHT OF MIRROR LAKE (Herman Yau)
Whatever you do, don't discard The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake as just another martial arts epic. Herman Yau's latest film may be firmly grounded in the martial arts genre, but there is definitely more than meets the eye here.... More »
  

Review: 964 PINOCCHIO (Personal Favorites #88)
Shozin Fukui is one of Japan's hidden cyberpunk talents. After a period of experimentation that resulted in three short films, he burst onto the scene with his first full-length feature film: 964 Pinocchio. It's not what you call a very... More »
  
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