Bottom Line: While the pacing early in the series is uneven, this beautifully shot Hong Kong fantasy will draw you in the world of the mirrorspy.

LUMINA is an original web series written and directed by Jennifer Thym and starring JuJu Chan, Michael Chan and Vince Matthew Chung. Filmed on the RED One, the nine part web series is a dark, densely woven fantasy set against the sparkling backdrop of Hong Kong.

Lumina Wong is beautiful but works far too much; although she lives in a city of millions, she still feels lonely and isolated. Late one night, Lumina has a chance encounter with Ryder Lee, a handsome young man from another world that she can see in mirrors and darkened window reflections. She revels in the fantasy relationship until mirrorspy Eben Sanchez comes into her life, warning her of the treacheries of the people of the Dark Realm. Soon Lumina must choose between the safety of the world she knows and the deadly allure of the unknown.

Details

Cast: Juju Chan, Michael Chan, Jacob Ziacan, Shell Z. Zhu, Vince Chung, Emilie Guillot, Lawrence Milman, Kate Sullivan, Aisling Kinsella
YouTube Channel: Lumina
Website: Lumina
Support the Show: Watch Lumina On Koldcast

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Ratings

The entire series is beautifully shot in Red One, the “mirrorspy” effect is believable and the Hong Kong backdrop that we find ourselves in is one of the most stunning of any web series I’ve seen. (Style 5)

My biggest criticism of the show is that it skips around more than it should, in the first few episodes so many cast members are introduced that you never really get a sense for any of them. Even the “Prince” feels more like a sketch than a fully developed character. In a lot of ways it feels more like a problem with the length of each episodes than the writing, and as things pick up I’m hoping we’ll have more time to truly get to know the people we are following. (Pacing 3.5)

You can really tell that a lot of time was put into the mirrorspy mythology, the story is rich and the concepts they are drawing on make you hope they get past the somewhat uneven pace of the early season. In all, unlike a lot of other single-concept based web series, Lumina really feels like you have been drawn into a new,different and altogether compelling world. (Storytelling 4)

Polish 4

Watchability 3.5

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Dystopias don’t do too well on a low budget. They almost always end up seeming too cheesy to really sell the theme. Oasis might be the exception to prove the rule. The story surrounds one man’s search for the Oasis, a legendary Eden that might restore man to his former glory, the real action though comes in the form of his fight against an opposing band of survivors and what he discovers about war, friendship and humanity.

It’s dirty, gritty and an all around good showing for the genre.

If you want Sci-Fi that doesn’t rely on camp, Oasis Terminal might just be your, er, Oasis.

Creator’s Description

25 years into the future, civilization has been destroyed by nuclear war. Andres, one of the few survivors, searches for a mythical place called The Oasis, the only hope for mankind.

Details

Cast: Andres Sandoval, Ruben Di Pietro, Rey Vazques, Catalina Navas, Julian Caballero
Executive Producers: Veronica Echeverri, Lucrecia Villa
Vimeo Channel: Oasis Terminal
Website: Pacifica Films

Ratings

Really good costumes, nice gunfire effects and an overall sense of oppression missing from a lot of other independent dystopias. (Style 4.5)

For a story driven primarily by action and flash backs it does move pretty slowly. There is probably a minute or two that could be cut out without effecting the strength of the narrative. (Pacing 3.5)

Storytelling 4

Polish 4

Good characterization, good storytelling and top tier execution. (Watchability 4)

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 3.91 out of 5 stars

Usually I use “low budget” as a justification for bad production values, campy execution or generally forgivable silliness in film-making but movies like Ai prove that even when you are working with a shoestring if you aren’t afraid to obsess a little over the details you can create something spectacular.
Plot-wise it is a pretty standard story, it’s an Asian-themed revenge story with a woman whose parents are killed who then trains under a sensei so that she can get revenge on the people who murdered her family. While it won’t win any awards for originality in script writing, it is one of the most well executed movies of this kind I’ve ever seen on the small screen.

Everything from the costumes to the choreography drips style and it looks like some serious time was put in to squeeze every bit of class out of what they had at their disposal. There were moments I forgot I wasn’t watching a scene from a feature film and that’s probably the best compliment I can give a made-for-the-web video.

If there is any downside at all to this film it’s exactly what I mentioned earlier, for all the time and effort that went into making this beautiful, a little more could have been done with the plot. This, however, is only the most minor of gripes and I cannot recommend this more.

Creator’s Description

A young woman, haunted by the memories of her parents being murdered, discovers the truth about herself and her sensei. Inspired by the great tradition of Japanese cinema, Ai is an exploration of themes that stem from the era of the fearless warriors, the samurai.

Details

Cast: Yoshi Amao, Kuwayama “Bob” Yoshihisa
Youtube Channel: Zaffi Pictures
Website: Raffi Asdourian

Ratings

The visual effects are stunning, the action is well scripted and the overall feel of the setting is extraordinarily well captured. (Style 5)

Pacing 4

While it is a classic revenge story is tightly scripted and well executed. (Storytelling 5)

This is a film quality experience, if it was fleshed out a little more I could imagine seeing a very similar movie in theaters. (Polish 4.5)

Watchability 4

Novelty 3

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

ABIMBOWE is a playful look at problems of race and immigration. It’s a simple, evocative story written by Alex Montoya. The plot is driven in such a matter of fact way, from Maria’s “revelation” to the climax that I was left smiling throughout. The only thing that could have been improved is that the first time I saw it, it took me a while to realize that Maria’s mother-in-law was actually blind. There are a few seconds near the middle when Maria is helping her into the chair that it’s implied, but a little more clarity there might have helped make the point stronger.

At just over 3 minutes, this is a clever little film well worth investing some time into and deserving of the 60 film festivals it has been selected for internationally.

Creator’s Description

English subbed version of this awarded short film that playfully addresses issues such as racism and immigration.

Written and directed by Alex Montoya.

Cinematography by Jon D. Domínguez.

Featuring Irene Anula and Aurora Villanueva.

Details

Cast: Irene Anula, Aurora Villanueva
Vimeo Channel: ABIMBOWE
Website: Alex Montoya

Ratings

Style 3

Pacing 4

The only issue was that it was never made clear that the mother-in-law is blind. (Storytelling 3.5)

Polish 4

Watchability 3.5

Novelty 3.5

Overall Rating: 3.58 out of 5 stars

This is a story about age, family and lose. A son and his father find their roles suddenly reversed. I thoroughly enjoyed this short film written by Nikos and Constantin Pilavios.

It’s a simple story beautifully told and while it is in Greek it’s subtitled for all of us with only one language under our belts.

Creator’s Description

Father and son are sitting on a bench. Suddenly a sparrow lands across them.

Details

Creators: Nikos Pilavios, Constantin Pilavios
Vimeo Channel: What Is That?
Website: Movie Teller

Ratings

Style 4

Pacing 3.5

For a story that comes in at under 6 minutes they manage to make their point brilliantly. (Storytelling 5)

Polish 4

It’s deliberately slow paced and rather sentimental, if you were looking for something more upbeat then you might want to take a pass on this one. (Watchability 4)

Novelty 4

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars