Film Picks: Wonder Woman 1984, Wife Of A Spy, Canadian Film Festival

The sequel to the 2017 origin story opens with a sequence that shows director Patty Jenkins (who also directed the first film) to be a master of tone-blending: Diana's (Gal Gadot) battle with robbers at a mall combines comedy, breathless action, 1980s reference and, for good measure, her standing as a female role model.

In this story, a variation of the Monkey's Paw tale in which villain Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) gives out wishes as part of his plot to control the world, co-star Kristen Wiig's sad-funny powers, along with love interest Chris Pine's ability to emote, are put to brilliant use.

There has been much said on social media about how this movie speaks to the times (Lord, for example, is a grifting television personality who lies his way to the top) but not enough about its raw emotional power.

In a bold move that pays off strongly, Jenkins builds the story to a climax that is less about an all-out battle than having a cathartic cry.

It is 1940. Japanese forces have ravaged China, but war with the Western powers has yet to break out. In the city of Kobe, prosperous businessman Mr Fukuhara (Issey Takahashi) is living the good life.

Not only is he blithely dismissive of the war paranoia gripping the nation, he uses his resources to make amateur films, casting his wife, Satoko (Yu Aoi) as the fearless heroine. Her childhood friend, police officer Yasuharu (Masahiro Higashide), shields them from official disapproval, but for how long should the couple tempt fate?

Mild intrigue gives way to something resembling horror after the Fukuharas become embroiled in the activities of the Japanese forces in Manchuria.

Without showing gore, yet eliciting real chills, director and co-writer Kiyoshi Kurosawa brings viewers into the ghastly secret that binds husband and wife - one that could end their lives, if discovered.

Japan's wartime activities in Asia, much less its atrocities, are almost never mentioned in Japanese films, so this work, in its own quiet way, breaks new ground.

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Canadian Film Festival

Four films by women directors will be screened at The Projector, and crime thriller The Fall Of The American Empire by Denys Arcand (2018, M18, 127 minutes) will be shown at Alliance Francaise.

Family drama Meditation Park (2017, PG, 94 minutes, screens from Dec 18 at The Projector) by Chinese-Canadian film-maker Mina Shum tells the story of Maria (Cheng Pei Pei), a woman who has devoted her life to her accountant husband Bing (Tzi Ma), the ruler of their home in Vancouver.

She is shattered when she suspects Bing of infidelity. Their daughter Ava (Sandra Oh) encourages her to discover what she wants for herself.

WHERE: The Projector, Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road

WHEN: Dec 17 to 22

ADMISSION: Various prices