John Lui
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Film critic at The Straits Times
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Articles by John Lui
Computer Science > Machine Learning
We study quantum multi-armed bandits (QMAB) and quantum linear bandits (QLB) in the model of Wan et al. [2023], where the learner queries each arm or action through a quantum reward oracle or its inverse. Prior work gives algorithms over horizon $T$ with regret $O(K\log T)$ for QMAB with $K$ arms and $O(d^2\operatorname{polylog} T)$ for $d$-dimensional QLB.
Computer Science > Machine Learning
Low-rank adaptation (LoRA) optimizes $J(B,A)=\mathcal L(W_\mathrm{base}+sBA)$ over two adapters $B \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times r}$ and $A \in \mathbb{R}^{r \times n}$ that form a low-rank update to a frozen pretrained weight matrix $W_\mathrm{base} \in \mathbb{R}^{m \times n}$. The prior analysis shows LoRA-GD takes $\exp\{\mathcal{O}(ε^{-2})\}$ oracle calls to find an $ε$-stationary point such that $\|\nabla J(B,A)\|\leq ε$ in the deterministic setting.
Anne Hathaway is convincing as a pop diva in the flawed but compelling Mother Mary
The story: Pop star Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) makes a surprise visit to the country estate of her estranged best friend, the celebrated costume designer Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), looking tired and desperate. The performer is about to kick off her comeback tour and will do anything – no matter how humiliating – to get a dress from Sam. Over the course of one strange night, the women come to grips with personal hurts, public adulation and the intrusion of a supernatural force.
Spider-Man, Star Wars and Toy Story could make 2026’s summer blockbuster season one for the books
SINGAPORE – Hollywood looks set for a great year, according to box-office analysts. They project that worldwide takings from May to August could surpass the record set during the Barbenheimer summer of 2023, when fantasy comedy Barbie and biographical thriller Oppenheimer together grossed nearly US$3 billion (S$3.8 billion) globally.
In acclaimed Hong Kong film Ciao UFO, three friends ponder lost dreams
Charlene Choi in Ciao UFO. In May, the Singapore Film Society will hold screenings on the theme Her Presence: Stories Of Resilience, featuring movies from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan that celebrate the strength and resilience of women.
Cool deaths, messy plot and a wasted Karl Urban in Mortal Kombat II
Mortal Kombat II (M18) 116 minutes, opens on May 7 ★★☆☆☆ The story: After the events of 2021’s first film, strong new fighters must be drafted into the Earthrealm team to cover the losses. At stake: the Earth’s population, which comes under the rule of the cruel Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), emperor of the Outworld realm, should the squad lose.
Meryl Streep’s deliciously cruel Miranda remains fearsome heart of The Devil Wears Prada 2
120 minutes, opens on April 30 ★★★★☆ The story: Twenty years after the events of The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Andrea “Andy” Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is now an award-winning investigative journalist, only to lose her job when her publication’s parent company downsizes. Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the formidable editor-in-chief of fashion monthly Runway, has problems of her own when the magazine is associated with a disgraced brand.
Michael a fan-pleasing biopic that sugarcoats, Taron Egerton is the reason to watch Apex
Jaafar Jackson portrays his late American superstar uncle Michael Jackson in the biopic Michael. 127 minutes, now showing ★★☆☆☆ The story: This biopic of the late American superstar Michael Jackson (portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson) covers his boyhood – when he was a member of the Jackson Five with his brothers – and other key moments of his life. Michael Jackson (Jaafar Jackson) on the Bad tour (1987 to 1989) in the biopic Michael.
The Violinist becomes first Singapore animated feature to compete at Annecy film festival
The Violinist has been selected for the main competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2026, making it the first Singapore-produced animated feature to receive this honour in the festival’s 65-year history.
Actor Ludi Lin made the first Mortal Kombat movie more Chinese with acupuncture scene
SINGAPORE – The traditional Chinese healing practice of acupuncture made its way into martial arts movie Mortal Kombat (2021) because filming the actioner was chaotic, says Chinese-Canadian cast member Ludi Lin. Based on the popular video game of the same name, it was shot in 2019 in Adelaide, South Australia. “The script and the fight scenes were changing all the time.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 sparks racism backlash over Chinese character Original
The comedy The Devil Wears Prada 2 is raising hackles in China after a clip was released showing a stereotypically nerdy Asian woman whose name has been misheard by some as resembling the racist slur “Ching Chong”. In the clip, which appears in promotional materials on the Instagram page of 20th Century Studios – which is owned by The Walt Disney Company – an Asian assistant introduces herself as “Jin Chao”.
Taecyeon from K-pop group 2PM marries in small-scale Seoul wedding
South Korean singer and actor Ok Taecyeon, a member of K-pop group 2PM, married his non-celebrity girlfriend of 10 years on April 24 in a private ceremony in Seoul. The group performed at the celebration, fulfilling a wish he expressed in 2013 that his bandmates would one day sing at his wedding. South Korean singer and actor Ok Taecyeon, a member of K-pop group 2PM, married his non-celebrity girlfriend of 10 years on April 24 in a private ceremony in Seoul.
With new film Ghost In The Cell, director Joko Anwar uses monsters to expose corruption
SINGAPORE – When government officials in Jakarta invited Indonesian film-maker Joko Anwar to screen his horror comedy Ghost In The Cell for them, he was ready for them to take offence. After all, the grisly deaths in the story stem from abuse of power by the authorities. The film goes further by mocking the way some high-level civil servants flaunt their wealth in public.
Supernatural prison film Ghost In The Cell turns corruption into a blood-soaked comedy
106 minutes, opens on April 30 ★★★★☆ Fans of hardcore horror are spoilt for choice, with Lee Cronin’s The Mummy in cinemas and, now, the release of Ghost In The Cell from Indonesian scare specialist Joko Anwar. Like The Mummy, Joko’s film is made by a horror fan, for horror fans. In February 2026, it screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in the Forum section, which often showcases films with political themes.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is a gory celebration of body horror
133 minutes, now showing ★★★★☆ The story: The Cannon family are expats in Egypt. Charlie (Jack Reynor) and his wife Larissa (Laia Costa) are horrified when their daughter Katie (Natalie Grace) goes missing, possibly kidnapped. Grief-stricken, the couple return to New Mexico in the United States. Eight years later, Cairo detective Dalia (May Calamawy) tells them that the girl they thought was dead has been found alive.
Singapore producers take on microdrama boom with SupermodelMe, One Year Love and Spore Fall
SINGAPORE – In 2009, Singaporean producer Karen Seah launched the reality modelling competition SupermodelMe as a web series. The same year, she founded Refinery Media as an internet-forward production company. She believed in the digital revolution: YouTube launched in 2005; Netflix began streaming in the United States in 2007, and by 2009, the majority of Singapore households had broadband internet access.
Keanu Reeves plays a damaged version of himself in toothless Hollywood satire Outcome
83 minutes, now on Apple TV ★★☆☆☆ The story: Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves) has been a star since he was a child. After recovering from drug addiction, he has been a model citizen for five years. A blackmailer appears, threatening to release a video of the actor behaving inappropriately. His crisis lawyer Ira (Jonah Hill) advises Reef to seek forgiveness from everyone he has ever wronged as a strategic move.
Growing pains: How Shu Qi and other Asian first-time female directors capture girlhood on film
(Clockwise from top left) Kirana Pipityakorn and Fatima Dechawaleekul in Flat Girls; Bai Xiao-ying in Girl; Ranice Tay, Genevieve Tan, Lim Shi-An and Nicole Lee in Amoeba; and Nina Ye in Left-Handed Girl. SINGAPORE – April 16 sees the local theatrical release of Girl, the feature film directing debut of Taiwanese actress Shu Qi – a woman already famous enough not to need a debut.
In the Oscar-nominated Armand, a school meeting turns into a psychological battleground
116 minutes Norwegian film-maker Halfdan Ullmann Tondel comes from a distinguished bloodline, being the grandson of actress and film-maker Liv Ullmann and film-maker Ingmar Bergman. His first feature comes to Singapore after winning the Camera d’Or for best first feature at Cannes 2024 and was Norway’s official submission to the Academy Awards.
In S. Korean top-grosser The King’s Warden, a prison for nobles sets the scene for heartfelt drama
(From left) Park Ji-hoon, Yoo Hae-jin and Jeon Mi-do in The King's Warden. 117 minutes, opens on April 9 ★★★★☆ The story: In 1457, a violent coup throws the Joseon Dynasty into disarray. Teen king Yi Hong-wi (Park Ji-hoon) has been stripped of his crown. In a remote mountain settlement, village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin) struggles to keep his people fed.
Music producer Lee Si Song, 59, cycles 22km twice a week for health after 2025 brain bleed
Singaporean songwriter and music producer Lee Si Song is steadily recovering from a brain haemorrhage he suffered in September 2025, with cycling now a key part of his rehabilitation regimen. The 59-year-old, known for his contributions to the local Mandopop and xinyao music scene, told local Chinese-language publication Lianhe Zaobao that he returned to Singapore at the end of 2025 to recuperate after the medical emergency occurred in Beijing, China.
AI-generated ad of celeb couple Fann Wong and Christopher Lee sparks complaint from agency
SINGAPORE – The management agency representing local actress Fann Wong and her husband, actor-host Christopher Lee, has issued a public warning after a fabricated social media post impersonating the celebrity couple circulated online. The statement, posted on Catwalk Asia’s Instagram and Facebook accounts on April 4, cautioned fans against believing or acting on the fake content, which featured what are believed to be AI-generated images of the pair.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is a gamers-first sequel
98 minutes, opens on April 1 ★★★☆☆ The story: After the events of The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023), the hero plumber brothers Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) have settled in the Mushroom Kingdom with Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy).
With Rida Video Centre winding down end-April, owner gets emotional as customers say goodbye
Madam Laurel Khoo is co-founder of Rida Video Centre. It was founded in 1985 by her and her late husband Ooi Kai Peng. Rida Video Centre, a video rental shop established in 1985, is closing on April 30 after years of dwindling walk-ins due to new technology. Owner Laurel Khoo is closing the store to spend time with family and wants to ensure all customers use their credits to avoid broken promises.
Britney Spears accuses former bodyguard of hacking her private account
American singer Britney Spears alleged that her former bodyguard Thomas Bunbury hacked into her personal devices and Apple iCloud account and has threatened legal action against him. According to celebrity news website TMZ, the entertainer’s lawyer has sent Bunbury a cease-and-desist letter demanding that he stop accessing her account without consent. He must also delete any information obtained by the hack and reveal whether any materials from the account were shared.
Actress Yvonne Lim opens up about loneliness and depression after move to Taiwan
SINGAPORE – Actress Yvonne Lim, 49, revealed that she battled depression and loneliness after moving to Taiwan in 2015 for marriage and motherhood. Speaking in an interview on the Mediacorp travelogue series Those Days Those Places, Lim says when she moved to Taiwan to be with Alex Tien, a 46-year-old businessman and a former member of the Taiwanese boyband B.A.D, she believed it would be a temporary move of two years.
Four Irish siblings bicker over inheritance in Horseshoe, opener at European Film Festival
Ireland is the featured country of the 35th European Film Festival (EUFF) and the event opens with Horseshoe, a feature debut from directors Edwin Mullane and Adam O’Keeffe. Four estranged siblings return to their childhood home after their father’s death, each standing at a personal crossroads. Instead of healing, they find themselves confronting old grudges, while their inheritance becomes a fresh source of conflict. News site Film Ireland calls Horseshoe “a confident feature debut”.
In Tan Siyou’s debut feature Amoeba, teen rebellion at a top Singapore school comes with a price
98 minutes, opens exclusively at Filmhouse on March 26 ★★★★☆ The story: At a Singapore all-girls secondary school noted for its illustrious history and conservative ideas about womanhood, Choo (Ranice Tay) finds herself unable to follow rules about obedience and decorum. Her defiance attracts the attention of like-minded students Vanessa (Nicole Lee), Sofia (Lim Shi-An) and Gina (Genevieve Tan).
How To Make A Killing turns class warfare into a shallow thriller
106 minutes, opens on March 19 ★★☆☆☆ The story: Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) is born the illegitimate child of a woman disowned by her family, one of the wealthiest clans in America. He grows up poor, but a personal crisis forces him to consider murdering his way to financial freedom – if he eliminates every member of the Redfellow clan, he stands to inherit the family fortune.
Rami Malek and Russell Crowe face off in uneven war crimes drama Nuremberg
149 minutes, opens on March 12 ★★★☆☆ The story: Following the defeat of Germany in World War II, American army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) has to assess the mental fitness of 22 high-ranking prisoners, including Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe), the second-most important person in the Nazi hierarchy after Hitler.
How lazy student Tan Siyou turned rebellion into cinema
SINGAPORE - A rule in storytelling is to write what you know, so Tan Siyou chose to make her first featurefilm based on what she knew: life as a teenage misfit. The United States-based Singaporean writer-director, who is in her 30s,says that her report slips contained words such as “poor”, “lazy” or “never applies herself” in the conduct section.
Scream 7 review: Horror franchise becomes the walking dead
114 minutes, opens March 5 ★★☆☆☆ The story: Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who has survived knife attacks over the years from killers using the Ghostface mask first seen in the original movie Scream (1996), now lives a quiet life in a small town with her police chief husband Mark (Joel McHale) and teen daughter Tatum (Isabel May). When a deadly new threat appears, Sidney and fellow Ghostface survivor, television reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), must stop the rampage.
Christina Applegate reveals she spends most days bedridden due to multiple sclerosis
American actress Christina Applegate has revealed that she spends most of her day bedridden due to pain from multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, often disabling autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. Speaking to American entertainment publication People, the 54-year-old says the saddest part of her mobility loss is her inability to be a more active parent to her 15-year-old daughter Sadie.
Actor Jack Lim slams smear campaign directed at this comedy
SINGAPORE – Malaysian actor Jack Lim has alleged that there is a social media smear campaign being waged against his Chinese New Year comedy film Liang Po Po Vs Ah Beng. Singaporean film-maker Jack Neo and Lim play the titular characters respectively.
New TV thrillers: Paradise 2, The Iris Affair, Scarpetta | The Straits Times
Now on Disney+ ★★★★☆ Season 1 (2025) of this thriller did something fresh with the old “people sheltering from the apocalypse in a bunker” scenario, seen in science-fiction shows like Silo (2023 to present) and Fallout (2024 to present). Paradise places the story close to the present day while introducing political intrigue that feels compellingly relevant. Xavier Collins (Oscar-nominated American actor Sterling K.
Marty Supreme movie review: Timothee Chalamet shines as delusional table tennis dreamer
149 minutes, opens on Feb 26 ★★★★☆ The story: In 1952 New York, Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet) is a shoe salesman trying to be the world’s greatest table tennis player. It is a lonely dream because no one, not even his mother (Fran Drescher), has any faith in it. He hatches a series of plans to fly to London, and later Tokyo, so he can make his name on the world stage. Despite setbacks, Marty’s faith in himself remains undimmed.
Why the internet cried for Punch the monkey but ignores other kinds of suffering
SINGAPORE – Anyone in need of a good cleansing cry in the last week has only had to peek at TikTok, Reddit or X. Punch the Japanese macaque’s virality has turned the internet into one big grief support group. Abandoned by his mother at birth and hand-raised by keepers, the young primate is one of about 60 at Ichikawa City Zoo’s Monkey Mountain exhibit. The humans gave Punch an Ikea orang utan stuffed toy because it provided the comfort and security missing from his life.
The Westin Nirup Island Resort & Spa: A private Indonesian island 30 minutes from Singapore
NIRUP ISLAND, Indonesia – Quiet luxury is stepping off a 40-minute ferry ride from Singapore and finding that my hotel has its own immigration counter. It is an island where petrol vehicles are neither seen nor heard; where only whisper-quiet electric buggies are used. It is a restaurant and pool only 14km from downtown Singapore – the skyscrapers of the central district still visible across the water – but which might as well be a world away.
Anthony Chen's We Are All Strangers opens in Berlin to a warm welcome
SINGAPORE – Local film-maker Anthony Chen’s We Are All Strangers made its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb 16 to positive reviews from international press and tears from audience members. The drama, the first Singaporean film to be selected to compete for the top prize of the Golden Bear at the festival, also known as the Berlinale, was screened at the Berlinale Palast in the German city.
In Thai supernatural satire A Useful Ghost, a dead wife haunts her husband's vacuum cleaner.
130 minutes In a world where the dead stick around as ghosts if someone close to them remembers their former life, Nat (singer-actress Davika Hoorne) comes to haunt a vacuum cleaner that belongs to her husband March (Witsarut Himmarat), who is still grieving her death. Complications ensue when his mother Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon) has ghost problems of her own: Her electronics factory is plagued by a vengeful spirit of a worker who died on the job.
Blades of the Guardians review: A grounded wuxia epic that trades CGI excess for bloody swordplay
127 minutes, now showing in cinemas ★★★★☆ The story: Wandering swordsman Dao Ma (Chinese actor Wu Jing) travels the Western wastelands, pocketing rewards for capturing wanted men. Warlords and rebels seek his services in their fight against cruel Sui dynasty officials, but he refuses, choosing to lie low so he can protect a child under his charge.
Singapore cinema’s surprise rebound: Why three indie venues are just the start
SINGAPORE – After a 2025 that saw the collapse of indie cinema The Projector in August and Cathay Cineplexes in September, the start of 2026 seems to show that a recovery of sorts is happening. Growth is happening in specific niches, but it is backed by a common idea – there are enough cinemas aimed at those seeking a quick movie fix close to home; Singaporeans will pay more, and travel farther, for something different.
Shaw Theatres: Singapore's last legacy cinema operator is reclaiming the big screen
SINGAPORE – Book a ticket at a Shaw Theatres cinema and, in addition to standard seats, one might have to choose between Lumiere, Imax, Dreamers and Premiere options. These halls – offering plusher seating, including recliners (Lumiere and Premiere), a larger screen (Imax) or a kid-friendly environment (Dreamers) – are its future. The cinema operator is part of Shaw Organisation, a company that began life in Shanghai in the 1920s and, by 1927, was screening movies in Singapore.
Filmhouse: The new venue reviving Singapore's indie cinema scene
SINGAPORE – The soul of cinema is still alive in Singapore, and the team at indie cinema Filmhouse hopes to be its home. Six months after the folding of The Projector – the indie cinema that opened in 2014 before its debts caused it to close in August 2025 – Filmhouse will focus on the factor that makes it unique: films.
Capitol returns to cinema roots with Classics programme
SINGAPORE – Can going to the cinema be an elevated experience? Mr Andras Biro, general manager of The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, thinks so. He wants patrons who visit Capitol Theatre – just shy of a century in age – to know they are stepping into history. Singapore’s last standalone picture palace will open its doors for regular screenings from Feb 22 and Mr Biro is excited for a new generation to sense its architectural grandeur.
Wuthering Heights review: A visually stunning, psychosexually charged adaptation
136 minutes, opens on Feb 12 ★★★★☆ The story: The already struggling Earnshaw family is further burdened when Mr Earnshaw (Martin Clunes) adopts a homeless child. His daughter Catherine names him Heathcliff, after her dead brother. As they grow older, so does their affection for each other, but the class gap is unbridgeable. Wealthy new neighbour Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif) enters the picture, driving a wedge between Catherine (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi).
Shaw Lido new higher-end Lumiere Grand hall to open on Feb 12
SINGAPORE – Shaw Theatres will launch its newest hall, Lumiere Grand, at its flagship Shaw Lido cinema in Orchard Road on Feb 12. The latest in a range of amenities rolled out since renovations began in May 2025, the higher-end Lumiere Grand space will hold 331 seats, compared with the 500-seat Lido 1 hall it replaces. The hall will kick off operations with screenings of the romantic period drama Wuthering Heights, starring Australian actors Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, which opens Feb 12.
Nathania Ong leads Singapore Repertory Theatre's K-pop inspired Legally Blonde
SINGAPORE – Singaporean actress Nathania Ong will play Elle Woods in Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) production of Legally Blonde – The Musical, which opens here on July 29. The London-based 27-year-old has been active in the city’s West End for several years, taking roles such as that of Eponine in the musical Les Miserables at the Sondheim Theatre from 2022 to 2023. In 2024, Ong played Eliza Hamilton in the musical Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre.
Sirat review: a brutally thrilling apocalyptic nightmare that defies description
115 minutes, opens exclusively at Filmhouse on Feb 5 ★★★★☆ Spain’s entry to the 2026 Academy Awards, which has been nominated in the Best International Feature Film category, defies description. Part apocalyptic road movie in the style of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), part horror flick and part art-house thriller, Sirat sounds like a mess, but it is anything but. Franco-Spanish director and co-writer Oliver Laxe’s picture contains a brutally simple story told as much through action as dialogue.
The Wrecking Crew review: Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista star in forgettable streaming action flick
124 minutes, Prime Video ★★☆☆☆ The story: Cop Jonny (Jason Momoa) left Hawaii years ago, but after Yakuza gangsters attack him at home in Oklahoma, he suspects his estranged father – a private detective recently killed in a traffic incident – might have been caught up in a conspiracy. Jonny returns to the islands to attend his dad’s funeral, where he meets his half-brother James (Dave Bautista), a special operations soldier who gives Jonny a chilly reception.
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