Never, have I been so challenged in picking my “winners”; it was a year of wonderment and wallowing wholeheartedly in a myriad of futuristic realms, historical accuracies, biographical revelations and haunted, hunted psychological evaluations, resulting in delightful, delicious confusion. With the exception of “Avatar: The Way of Water” (“Finding Nemo” is a more satisfying aquatic experience), every film touched a …

An intriguing film of deepest, noir espionage; unforgettable characterizations: focusing on Japan’s colonization of China during WWII; enigmatic portrayals of occupiers and subjects and their objectives during the traumatic enslavement of China’s population, (1937-1945). Delving into the psyches of the protagonists, viewers be forewarned, never trust the obvious; collaborators, communists, xenophobes? Actors Tony Chiu-Wai Leung (“In the Mood for Love”) …

It has been some time since I have submerged myself in a Bollywood epic; and I could not have ventured into a more appropriate tale, starring one of my most cherished Bollywood Boys: Shah Rukh Khan, gone is the dimpled, oh, so loveable, enchanting boy wonder, replaced by a man to be reckoned with; his sculpted style, redolent with mettle, …