Let Him Go

It is a reunion movie for Pa and Ma Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). When I first watched it, Let Him Go seemed like a Western set in the late 50s or early 60s; it turns out the novel upon which it is based is classified in the genre of "neo-Western." The movie is a refreshing change, as it is free from wokeness. Some may think that it is a fempowerment movie, focusing on the words and actions of Diane Lane's character. But I think it can be argued that this Western is a tragedy, showing the consequences of what happens when a strong (and virtuous) patriarch/husband is absent from two families, not just one. I haven't read the original novel, so I don't know if thi sis what the author intended, but there is plenty within the dialogue between the two main characters to support this. Definitely one of the few current Hollywood products worth watching.



If I have any complaints, it is that Kevin Costner's character shows an undue concern for having a gun with him that seems anachronistic. Did the author of the novel grow up and live in an area with gun carry restrictions? Apparently he grew up in North Dakota, but lives in Wisconsin?

Redgum - I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)

Danger Close is a good Vietnam War film even though it is obvious that it wasn't filmed in Vietnam (actually filmed in Queensland); other than the obvious location issue (When We Were Soldiers had that problem as well) it is comparable in quality to When We Were Soldiers, I think.

Some BTS for Extraction (and a Short Review)

Having seen the movie, I'll say this for Extraction: it is an ok portrayal of the stereotypical male hero who is flawed but does everything he can in defense of the weak.

The director seems to be a male feminist, though. Stunt star turned Extraction director Sam Hargrave: 'Charlize Theron is the bravest actor I know'

The story itself is a not PC -- white male savior who is also a father figure, as the [brown] Indian teen's own father is a drug lord. Sure, the drug lord has an Indian former special operator in his employ who also works to save the teen, but Hemsworth's Tyler Rake is the protagonist. I suppose Netflix is trying to expand its business in India and some Indians who receive Netflix $ may not complain, but I bet some nationalists will.

Extraction, despite some nods to PCness (but not enough for SJWs) is decent shelter-in-place entertainment. It may not belong in the same league with the other pro-men movies of last year, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Ford v Ferrari, A Hidden Life, and 1917 (which are not equal in quality), but it is definitely better than the woke garbage on Netflix. As for realistic combat sequences... probably not, just more stylized dramatic stuff in the vein of Strike Back and John Wick.

Joe Russo on how Extraction reaches for the greatness of Heat
Collider Joe Russo Interview

The Gentlemen

Funny and fun movie. No good characters (it's a gangster comedy by Guy Ritchie), no morally praiseworthy character arcs. (It gets an "O" from CNS.) One could try to make the claim it's a Machiavellian ethnonationalist/political allergory, I suppose. It's definitely not politically correct and the SJWs are complaining about it being racist, outdated, etc. In that way it could perhaps be lumped with 1917, Ford v. Ferrari...

Trying to Get as Much Cash as They Can from the Property

#JohnWick Chapter 4 is officially set to release in 2021. https://t.co/DTsZ5w9bRr pic.twitter.com/JXa5RKMLCT

— IGN (@IGN) May 21, 2019

"John Wick 4" confirmed with a 2021 release date https://t.co/fHz1De6XRE pic.twitter.com/XQppiz1EYh

— Variety (@Variety) May 20, 2019

‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ is Coming and It’s Already Been Dated for 2021 Release! https://t.co/rC4pEaw18s

— Bloody Disgusting (@BDisgusting) May 20, 2019

Lionsgate is already ready for round four. #JohnWick 4 sets 2021 release date https://t.co/c3KSXAZdsc pic.twitter.com/x0ruwJwXgc

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 20, 2019

There were several nods to Bruce Lee's Game of Death, and the modernized ninjas were interesting but the movie suffers from too much of the same, stylized shooting choreography. After the first 2 movies, I am a bit tired of that, and the hand-to-hand action was refreshing by comparison. Also, I found the unrealistic special armor to just be stupid. Did they intend all along to have a 4 (or more)-part series? I thought he was going to take on the High Table in 3.

Bodyguard

So I finished the rest of the series, and I did rewatch the assassination scene.

Prepare yourself… #Bodyguard. On now. pic.twitter.com/du0bjHuQjY

— BBC One (@BBCOne) August 26, 2018

Like Korean dramas that have similar set-ups, Bodyguard is a drama written for a woman. I am not sure how a man could enjoy watching this, especially with all of the SJW messaging thrown in -- minorities in every scene, women in authority, and so on. I'm surprised there was actually little LGQBTXYZ messaging in this one. Maybe in the next series. As for the mystery part of the procedural, it actually isn't bad for a contemporary BBC production but you'd have to sit through all of the SJW noise to appreciate it.

Review: Hostiles

Despite the SJW lecturing in one scene and the rather heavy-handed treatment of the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation, the movie is worth a viewing by fans of the genre. The message is comparable to that of Dances with Wolves and the cinematography is beautiful.  Criticisms of the plot, with spoilers, follow below.

*spoiler warning*

Bright

Is the Netflix movie as bad as "critics" think? Let's set aside the casting of Will Smith (and his ghetto bravado) as the main human protagonist; the world-building for the movie is rather lazy. The last great conflict between the different races was 2000 years ago (how convenient -- no need for Christianity to be shown in the movie) and yet everything else since then has turned out to be the same, at least in Los Angeles. The city just some orcs and elves and centaurs (and maybe drawves, but they are not seen in the movie) thrown into the multicultural mix. And the impact of this race-mixing on contemporary interethnic conflicts is of course mostly ignored. Can David Ayer write better than this? (Police corruption is shown to be mostly white, with an Asian [female] thrown into the mix. Was this on purpose)

But I thought it was all right as rather mindless action entertainment, with some fantasy elements thrown in. Though if elves are so superior to humans in intellect and agility and speed, then how is it possible for them to be defeated by a human or an orc? Still, the fanboys will like seeing the hottie elves and probably wish there were more of them. If you like fantasy and have nothing better to do that afternoon...

(Has any SJW complained yet about the equivalence made between the orcs and minorities who live in the ghetto and participate in gang activity?)

The Fortress

The Fortress (남한산성/南漢山城) is not the best movie for a brief escape from reality. It can be a rather depressing movie, with a limited number of action sequences, so it may not be that appealing to a modern audience. It may be too dreary even for a Korean audience, but I don't know what the Korean reviews of the movie have been like..

The movie is critical of the hypocrisy of the royal court (and of most officials in general). The pro-democracy sentiment expressed briefly by one of the characters in the movie was perhaps anachronistic, even if we might agree with it. (And it is this sentiment which leads to the small emotional pay-off at the end of the movie.)

Some may think that the characterization of the minister of the interior Choi Myung-kil and the minister of rites Kim Sang-heon is inadequate. I thought the conflict (and limited cooperation) between them was sufficient enough to draw a contrast between the two men. (Does the original novel pay more attention to court intrigue and conflicts between the various officials?) Their different understandings of what duty and loyalty require are the engine of the story. (Is the movie, or novel, an adequate representation of the neo-Confucian mindset, though?)

The movie does raise an important moral question: of the prudence for waging a just defensive war against an invader when the defeat seems more likely than not.

Given the historical circumstances of the story, watching the movie can be a bit of slog, and the character arcs of the two officials may not be enough to keep most people's attention.

Still, LBH should do more saeguk -- he's good in these roles.

Saw Logan Lucky tonight -- it is a decent heist comedy and I think the movie makers were being respectful of the characters' Western Virginian background.

Asura: The City of Madness

alt

Also playing at Cupertino AMC.

During the first half hour of the movie I was thinking about the corruption of politics in large cities -- mass politics or better, mob politics. How has East Asia fared under modern democracy? Not well, I would think, even if the alternatives would have been worse.

Then there was the display of rigid social hierarchy based on seniority in age (and supposedly experience, but not necessarily merit). Or it could be bad experience and bad judgment, as exemplified by Hilary Clinton. Can South Korea do away with that social hierarchy and remain (neo-)Confucian? More on that when I finish my post on democracy in China (and East Asia).

While there is a hint to corruption in politics and the legal system, the movie is probably not realistic in its depiction of that corruption. (There are probably better, more realistic movies that deal with the partnerships between politicians and gangsters.) By the last 30 minutes I was sitting to the end, with the wrong kind of stamina. There are no clear good guys in the movie; even those who are interested in bringing down the corrupt mayor have questionable motives, and it is suggested that they are merely following orders from another faction jockeying for control. It's just a lot of evil that ends in a lot of death. Not an uplifting movie, though this is not abnormal for Korean cinema. Does the story qualify as a tragedy? And even if it did, would it be worth watching? I am inclined to say no.

The best part of the movie for me? The use of Robert Plant's arrangement of "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down"

The Big Short

Bale. Carell. Gosling. Pitt. WATCH the new trailer for The Big Short. In theatres December

Posted by The Big Short on Monday, November 23, 2015

Saw it tonight; entertaining and educational and it seemed to give an accurate understanding of at least one of the problems behind the crash of 07. How many viewers have become Bernie Sanders voters? I should read the book...

The Big Short — The Sequel, Coming to a Neighborhood Near You
The Big Short's Michael Burry on the Crash



Why Michael Lewis says Adam McKay gets the Wall Street meltdown right in 'The Big Short'
Even Michael Lewis Was Surprised Hollywood Bet on The Big Short
The Atlantic
Jeffrey A. Tucker's review of the movie

"I'll try it once."

Tried the new Lazy Dog on "Main St." Cupertino. The restaurant seems to be popular, as it was busy tonight, but I don't know how many of the patrons were repeat customers.
I thought about getting the baby back ribs as it is one of the benchmarks I use for judging a restaurant but I went with their version of the bacon cheddar burger instead, another benchmark. The fries were cafeteria quality; they tasted like they were heated under a lamp. The burger wasn't better than what you might get at Red Robin, par with BJ's Brewhouse. I wouldn't go there again and if someone suggested it, I would veto it. There are better places for food and drink, even if it's generally a good idea to avoid chains, not all chains are equal.

Tried to ChiMek last night -- it was ok though what they serve is wings, not really Korean fried chicken as you might imagine it. I think 99 Chicken is better and would prefer to go there, but for a sports event with friends who like to drink beer, ChiMek would be suitable.

The Grandmaster, US Version

Finally saw The Grandmaster, or one of the versions (the US) - seemed like half of the movie was about Zhang Zi Yi's character, one-half of a (fictional) doomed romance; Yip Man's wife hardly had a role in it at all. (She did speak; was it dubbed by a Chinese speaker? I don't think Song Hye Gyo can speak Cantonese so well.) I suppose Wong Kar-Wai decided to focus on one of his favorite themes, impossible romantic love, and didn't use anything else that would have made the movie more of a historically accurate biopic.

There is an extra scene after the initial credits -- a montage of fight scenes and the like not scene in the movie. Extra footage that was not included in this cut? Makes me wonder how much of the extra footage shot for the movie is usable for an extended version; however, Wong Kar-Wai may never get around to making one, even if he is interested.

The way some of the scenes were shot in slow-motion or almost at a standstill had the effect of making the images seem artificial, almost as if they were done with CGI (maybe some were?). The fight scene at the train station reminded me of a commercial -- could they have been shot better? I think so.

The fight scenes are decent; like Donnie Yen's Ip Man movies, they are an artistic representation Wing Chun but probably not realistic depictions of how it would be used. Though I wish there were some footage of the fights that Bruce Lee or William Cheung or any of Yip Man's other students participated in back in the day to use as a basis of comparison. I think I would watch the movie again because it is something to look at, despite some of the filming techniques used. But I wish it were more historically accurate and focused more on Yip Man.

Variety article on WKW and the movie

a review of the movie by a Wing Chun practitioner

Last Knights

Last Knights: PC fantasy retelling of the 47 Ronin. Perhaps the diverse casting was meant to help the ticket sales worldwide than to reflect the "secular" moral code given at the beginning of the movie (by Morgan Freeman, whose place in the movie I still found laughably out of place -- his sense of gravitas was not credible). But if one sets aside these flaws, it's passable entertainment and there is no girl power display infecting the movie.

Poster
Variety
RT

Edit. 151117

Japanese director Kazuaki "Kaz" Kiriya is famous in these quarters for his gloriously over-stylized CASSHERN and GOEMON,...

Posted by TwitchFilm on Sunday, November 15, 2015

Spooks: The Greater Good

I didn't read the Variety review or The Telegraph until after I watched the movie, but I found it decent, even though not many characters from the series return for the movie. My only complaint might be that there was too much of the cloak-and-dagger that was trademark of the series -- is that sort of maneuvering more realistic than Bond? I think the movie had a better pacing than 24 and its real-time gimmick?

Harry Pearce and his sort of cold calculus, perhaps in accord with utilitarianism required for the security and prosperity of the modern nation-state, but cold nonetheless. (And even in the series he pays a personal price for doing his "duty.") Will there be a sequel despite the ending of the movie? Did Peter Hitchens see the movie? Did it do well enough at the box office to warrant a sequel? I think fans of the original TV series will probably like the movie despite its imperfections, but I think it unlikely that the movie gained a wider audience for the story.

FB
Spooks: Exploring the past, present and future of the iconic spy series
Max Brown keen on Spooks movie sequel: "I loved playing Dimitri"

Finally tried Sam's BBQ tonight; how do their babyback ribs compare to the pork ribs of Smoking Pig? I think there is more rub on the pork ribs at Smoking Pig and the pork ribs are more moist. One end (the larger, posterior end?) of the ribs was ok but it was a bit dry on the other end. Ah Fai said the hot link was not very memorable and I don't have any reason to doubt him. My nephew's hamburger looked well-done; I don't know if the patty suffered from dryness. I would go again to sample some of the other meats. I didn't get to hear much of the music tonight because we were sitting indoors; next time, I hope.

Drats! Forgot my leftovers. Henry's Hi Life is $$$, but the babyback ribs are probably the best I've had in the area. Still need to try Sam's. Getting old.

I had hopes for this one...

Eve Tushnet on Boyhood.

Over the weekend I saw Jon Favreau's Chef. Two boys who are in broken homes, living with the consequences of divorce. Putting aside the possibly implied (not explicitly shown and it could be said that they were just having a really sensual dinner) one-night stand between Chef Carl Jasper and Scarlett Johansson's character, the movie is a crowd-pleaser for good reasons, among them the romance of operating of a food truck.

1. The importance of fatherhood, and quality father-son time and male bonding.
2. The passion of a man for his craft and to excel in it.
3. And there is also the fixing of the relationship between Jasper and his ex-wife. (Though it may not be so credible; she seems to be doing very well financially. Even at the top of his game, would Jasper be enough to satisfy her hypergamy? Questionable.)

It is a funny movie and there are probably worse Hollywood products out there that are clearly misandrist. At least this one does not mock the main character, though it does have a laugh at his expense because he is behind the times with social networking.