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"Every day is April Fools"
Abe Hiroshi played much the same type of character in News Anchor aka Caster as he did in Vivant. I liked that character so I was okay with him looking rumpled, stunning and irreverent in his black suit and white shirt, this time as a no holds barred news anchor.Shindo Soichi is hired to destroy the JBN news program from the root. Failing and stagnant, the evening news might need a shakeup with a journalist who doesn’t play by the rules, but the employees aren’t overjoyed by his process. Sakikubo Hana is tasked with being his handler. She has a secret past connected to him that makes her loathe his presence. Motohashi Yusuke normally handles the camera on assignments and is often caught between Shindo and Sakikubo. What neither of his colleagues know, is that Shindo is also searching for the people behind the death of his father and attack on his former wife.
As I mentioned, I’m okay with Abe playing Abe. At 61, he’s still got it. Shindo was the stereotypical loose cannon that doesn’t play by the rules but (nearly) always gets his man. Nagano Mei as Sakikubo Hana, despite her offset troubles, was handed a tough role. Perhaps Sakikubo was supposed to be the voice of compassion but I found her completely insufferable from beginning to end.
News Anchor had the murder mystery and coverup at its base. On the surface it covered organ transplants and Japan’s extraordinarily low donation rates, murder, sneak photography, and a wildfire. It also showed how reporters and news stations often comply with governmental offices, sponsors, and police departments in order to maintain access. It’s something that happens worldwide and has been one of the worst things to happen to news organizations. By refusing to ask the tough questions and dig for the real answers in order to access the soundbites they need, they cede reality and truth to those in power. Shindo blew past all those niceties.
Aside from Sakikubo who was nails on a chalkboard to me, I enjoyed News Anchor for the most part. That’s not to say it was a great drama, far from it. Aside from the FL, the various pieces of the puzzle were ham-fistedly shoved together in the last episode while leaving the corner piece to be found should there be a season 2. News Anchor took a lot of dramatic license and loved to throw out red herrings. Probably only for fans of Abe Hiroshi or other actors attached to the drama and viewers who don’t need a great deal of realism in their journalistic drama. Categories it would seem, I fell into. lol
13 July 2025
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"I don't scare easy" Well, I do sister
Tetsuo: The Iron Man is one of those movies I started without fully realizing what I was getting into. I am not a body horror fan so this film was not at all my jam. This review is for anyone thinking about watching it who also might have concerns about this sort of film. For fans of the genre, they will most likely find many things to enjoy about it.A metal fetishist who has driven metal into his body runs out in front of a car and is hit. The couple take his body out to the woods to dispose of. The victim takes his revenge on the salaryman by causing metal to begin growing out of his body. That's the simplest explanation.
This film felt like the efforts of someone who had been on a psychedelics bender and brought his horrific hallucinations to life. There were numerous scenes that made it hard to tell if something was really happening and if it was, why it was happening. Was it just a delusion? Much of the action was fast forwarded or stop action which was nausea inducing.
Tsukamoto Shinya who wrote, directed and starred in this film had a penis obsession. Whether mechanical or real, the object of ecstasy or torture, phallic symbols abounded.
Tetsuo is the type of film that is more about the experience than the “plot.” For me, it was not a great experience. A curiosity, yes. Entertaining, not particularly. Again, if you enjoy this horror subgenre, it’s older, but might be one to try. Every time I think I've seen the weirdest movie, there's someone to say, "Hold my motor oil."
16 June 2025
Trigger warnings: Basically, if you have triggers, it would be best to avoid this film. Bugs. Gore. Violence. Sex. Nudity. Penis gore. Sexual assault.
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"An old shirt belonging to our son who is away; my wife washes it and hands it to me to wear."
Ballad of a Workman aka Ballad of a Worker was a loving ode to parents who sacrificed for their children to have better lives. Time jumps were often accompanied by stoic ballads and haikus. The film also showed the struggle many people faced as Japan rebuilt their economy after WWII.Our story starts in 1946 when Yoshio returns home from the war, welcomed by his wife and son who had feared he was dead. Torako had moved to the countryside as the bombings devastated Tokyo. The only job Yoshio can find is working on the roads. As the years pass and he is promoted, Torako is paid to do housekeeping for the workers’ center. They don’t earn much but make sure that their son Toshiyuki is educated. When Toshiyuki leaves for Kyoto to attend college, the little family is hit hard by the burden of their poverty.
This film showed the progress of the Nonaka family from 1946-1962. Yoshio had to slowly learn to deal with his miserable job in ways other than drinking. Torako was the rock of the family, the one person who held things together. She worked a demanding physical job in addition to her own household duties but never complained or drank herself to sleep. Takamine Hideko and Sada Keiji were a great duo for the roles of hard-working parents. Toshiyuki dealt with stressors in Kyoto that his less educated parents could scarcely imagine. Yamamoto Toyozo may have been less experienced yet he still managed to convey Toshiyuki’s stress of being his parents’ great hope and reason for living.
The drawbacks to the yearly time jumps with accompanying heavy-handed ballads was that I felt like I missed out on more of the day-to-day lives of the family. They often bounced from one crisis to the next. Despite the family’s troubles, the parents kept moving forward refusing to be dragged down by their privation. Their quiet dignity was moving, even when they hesitated to accompany Toshiyuki to his new school for fear of embarrassing him. The son’s growth and learning to accept them as they were was also quite heartwarming.
Ballad of a Workman could have done with less ballad and more tender moments between Yoshio and Torako. The film showed that the job of parenting is never done. Even after children grow up, there is always something to worry about and plan for. What could have been an overly melodramatic story ended up being a heartfelt slice of life about a family with a dream for their son to have a better life.
“Together we’ve walked through the years. In times of laughter and tears. Our hands are roughened but you and I. We shall walk, foraging ahead with smiles.”
15 June 2025
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"Compared to the cosmos, how tiny we are!"
Two people dancing around a relationship struggle to understand each other’s feelings and even their own as the clock ticks down to the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in Love in a Fallen City. Chow Yun Fat was sizzling as the westernized playboy who takes an interest in Cora Miao’s solemn divorcee.Pai Liu Su is being pressured to attend the funeral of her ex-husband. She’s been living with her family the last 7 years ever since she walked away after the brute had beaten her. In an explosion of words, her family tells her what a burden she’s been and how she never should have gone through with the divorce. All this despite the fact her brother lost her fortune in bad investments. Mrs. Hsu, a family friend, takes Pai and her younger sister to meet a couple of eligible men. Pai and Fan Liu Yuen hit it off before he leaves for Hong Kong. Mrs. Hsu invites Pai to accompany her to Hong Kong and stay as her guest. Pai and Fan grow closer as they spend time together, yet neither is sure of the other’s motives. Pai fears she will be just another notch in Fan’s belt and Fan fears Pai is only using him to get of out of her toxic household. Will the coming invasion drive them further apart or into each other’s arms?
“Life, death, and parting are immense things beyond our control.”
Chow Yun Fat brought the heat as he wooed the introverted Pai. I’d seen him in a number of action movies but here he turned on the charm and romance. It was hard to understand what Fan saw in Pai who appeared sullen most of the time. He seemed to enjoy the fact she was traditional, though untraditional enough to divorce and also to spend time with him.
“Laws can change from day to day, but morals and ethics, kinship and family, these things don’t change”
I’ve seen my share of Shaw Brothers kung fu movies filmed on their studio lots and with familiar exterior shots so it was a pleasant surprise to see the care and creativity allowed in this film. Hong Kong was explored and many scenes were filmed at the Old Repulse Bay Hotel. I was also pleasantly surprised to see so many women involved in the making of this film. Ann Hui was the director, it was produced by Mona Fong, and based on Eileen Chang’s novella. Violet Lam won the Best Original Film Score at the HKFA for her work.
“If everything should burn down, blow up, collapse, perhaps this wall will be left.”
I was confused by the timing of the story. The story took place from 1939-1941 approximately. My knowledge of Chinese history is minimal at best so my concerns may be over nothing. The Japanese occupied Shanghai by 1937 where the story began and there was no mention of their presence there in this film.
“Life’s never over for the poor.”
Despite Pai’s consistently somber attitude and the impending war, the movie never devolved into melodrama. Pai and Fan gradually worked their way through the problems hurled their way. The film clocked in around 90 minutes, short enough for the story to not become too maudlin and long enough to fall in love with Chow Yun Fat’s Fan Liu Yuen.
12 April 2024
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"Don't ever bite your own tail again!"
Hard Boiled was John Woo’s death filled cops and gun-runners ode to action films. A completely over the top, unrealistic, thrill a minute bloody carnival ride.Officer Tequila Yuen is determined to bring down the Triads running guns that caused the death of his partner. A loose cannon who doesn’t play by the rules, he ignores his boss’ warning about staying off the case. It’s not long before he runs into Alan, an origami making Triad assassin. He deduces Alan’s secret and the two reluctantly work together to bring down the deranged Johnny Wong’s gang.
What I liked:
What’s not to like about a Chow Yun Fat and Tony Leung Chiu Wai pairing? The screen could barely hold their bromantic charisma. I could watch these two in about anything. Phillip Kwok (Lizard Venom) as Mad Dog was right up my kung fu movie loving heart. Lo Meng (Toad Venom) made a brief appearance before he like hundreds of others-died. Kwok was also the action choreographer. Stuntmen flew through windows and fell off buildings, and with all of the bullets hitting and grenades exploding they rolled and were flung about the sets continuously. Chow Yun Fat’s signature move of diving through or over something with both barrels blazing was used several times. Bruce Law was the guy often called for car stunts and there were cars and motorcycles flying, flipping, and exploding everywhere. The stakes were high with hundreds of civilians and a nursery full of new born babies to worry about. Will someone please think of the children!
What I didn’t care for:
It was almost like John Woo wondered how many senseless deaths he could get away with. The gruesome deaths of innocents fleeing a hospital were disturbing in particular and also all the friendly fire deaths. One friendly death was caused because Tequila couldn’t stop taunting Alan instead of guarding the person relying on him for survival! I knew some film nerd would count the casualties for me-thank you Collider!: The body count for Hard Boiled was 305. Honestly, after the first 100 deaths it became monotonous watching the bad guys mow people down with automatic weapons or with RPG fire. Some of the fire fight casualties were funny. I understand a bullet can go through two as easy as one, but not when the people are standing side by side! It's apparent that the carnage had gotten out of hand when the bad guy named Mad Dog complained about the overkill.
While many people enjoyed the reckless slaughter of the masses, it didn’t work for me. I would have rated this film much higher if Woo had showed a modicum of restraint instead of characters gleefully gunning down anyone moving. Despite having some cute babies in the film to lighten things up, Hard Boiled was the kind of relentless gun porn that might have the average viewer wanting to take the dream trip to Antarctica that was talked about in the film. A place where there was always light after living with so much darkness. *
20 March 2024
*(Scientific quibble-Antarctica has light for six months out of the year, it’s dark the other six)
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"It's like a bucket of sand poured over my head"
During Japan's economic boom period, Kurosawa Akira made a film about those who did not benefit from it, living on the fringes of society within or next to a large trash heap. Dodeskaden was his first film in color and he took full advantage of it with brightly painted backdrops and buildings. The colors did not translate into the drab, tragic lives of the people who lived there, as they continued moving in endless circles unable to escape their meager existence.The film begins and ends with teenage Rokuchan and his mother as they chant their Buddhist mantra. The mentally challenged teenage boy believes himself to be a streetcar operator and each day he goes out to his imaginary streetcar and runs his routes through the shanty town. As he "drives" along, he calls out "Dodeskaden", the sound a trolley makes. Out of all of the characters, his full imaginary life might actually be the happiest. Other characters are not so lucky, an overworked niece becomes a victim of rape, a man who saw something he shouldn't have walks around unspeaking with dead eyes, a father and son live in a car with the son begging for their food in town when they need it, and a man with a distinctive facial tic has to put up with a harridan for a wife. For comic measure two day worker drunks swap wives and the viciously gossipy Greek chorus of woman who gather around the water pump give their commentary throughout. A man who makes hairbrushes has a wife who has given him five children with a sixth on the way with none of them being his. And lastly there is the old village saint who tries to help where he can.
Kurosawa has vilified the upper classes and their consumerism in other films. In this one he shows the plight of society's outcasts. Much like The Lower Depths, he doesn't make the characters sympathetic for the most part, only the youngest and most vulnerable who suffer bitter fates. Most of the characters don't truly interact, only tied together by proximity.
While Kurosawa's skill shows through as well as the actors, I can't say I particularly liked this film. Justice hides her face. Redemption is but a dream. And hope is so far in the distance that most people live their lives in resignation to their lots. With the exception of dutiful Rokuchan's mother, women are portrayed as harpies and harlots, completely untrustworthy and for the most part interchangeable. The men are given much broader range from mentally ill to lazy to drunkards to industrious to kindly generous to wise old sage.
With all the drudgery and tragedy, a few moments of quiet and joy exist even when only in the imagination. There are beautiful surreal paintings of the house the father and son build together in their minds while starving in the car. Rokuchan's drawings of streetcars on every surface in their hut and his imaginary world are quite vivid. The wise sage tricks a suicidal man into wanting to live and stuns a burglar in his house with generosity. Those gentle moments are few and far between.
Despite Kurosawa's skill behind the camera and the general resilience of the people living on the outside of society, the flat, negative portrayal of women, and the relentless negativity dragged this film down for me. To quote one of the characters, "It's like a bucket of sand poured over my head."
2/22/23
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"Life is an unknown course"
Like the languid lapping of the waves against the shore near the quiet fishing village in this film, Director Ozu brings a gentle rhythm to the past meeting the present and directing the future currents for the people involved. Komajura and his troupe of traveling actors will find their lives changed as they navigate their circumstances and decisions in this remote place.Komajura is an aging actor with a less than successful acting troupe. He readily admits their Kabuki plays are not very good. Most of the players have only known the stage for most of their lives. In the sweltering heat of the day, they form a small parade in their costumes as they enter the village, handing out fliers. Some of the men seek out the prettiest women in town to invite to the play. Komajura seeks out an older woman and her 19-year-old son, Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi is actually Komajura's son, but only knows him as an uncle for Komajura doesn't want his son to have a poor actor for a father. Komajura's current mistress, Sumiko, becomes enraged when she finds out about his devotion to his secret family and hires one of the girls in the troupe, Kayo, to seduce the dutiful Kiyoshi setting into motion a wave of changes.
Though Floating Weeds has a romance with the young lovers, the main focus of the story is Komajura as the tides in his life change. He faces the loss of his troupe, his lover, and his son. He lashes out in fury in some of the most violent scenes I've seen in an Ozu film. He is forced to deal with his lack of control over his life circumstances and other people. Eventually, he comes to accept where he is in his life and what his relationships have come to be and that his loved ones will make their own decisions about their lives which he may not agree with. Many of the characters must decide who and where they want to be.
There are two scenes where Komajura becomes violent with the women who crossed him and his son. Though this male dominance may have been acceptable in 1959, it is jolting in this present time and incredibly offensive, making Komajura less sympathetic as he seeks to control the people around him through force. As with all Ozu films, the acting is normally quite restrained, making these outbursts all the more difficult to absorb.
The film itself is a beautifully staged and shot film. Ozu's scenic frames tell a story in and of themselves. They are contemplative, quiet, familiar, giving the characters and the audience room to think and breathe. Many of his frames would make incredible still lifes. His red tea kettle makes an appearance in the barber shop! In a powerful scene, Komajura and Sumiko have it out during a rainstorm. Each stands on the opposite side of the street, unwilling to budge, unwilling to move closer or get wet, unwilling to see the problem from the other's point of view. The words are vicious as the water pours down. Later, in a subtle bit of acting near the end in a train station, the same two actors drop their walls ever so slightly to let the other in as cigarettes are lit and forgiveness is given.
This film is a remake of his silent film, The Story in the Floating Weeds which I have yet to see as the film has no English subtitles. Floating weeds refers to itinerant actors. There were few weeds in this film, if I have any complaints, the movie did begin to feel long as some of the problems were dragged out and it felt as if some scenes could have been trimmed. Most of the acting was absorbing with the exception of the actor who played Kiyoshi. This young actor gave a rather wooden performance.
Ozu was a master of making family concerns and life decisions go from simple to complex to simply masterful. Though this film was not completely centered in a home, Komajura's family both biological and extended family with the troupe was explored. Ozu never ventures far from home and hearth, simply showing us different views of it. There is something comforting in his movies, we come to know the people and their struggles, their strengths and weaknesses, sometimes even see ourselves in them as they try to make the best of their lives. Komajura tells his old lover, "Life is an unknown course." The longer we live, the more these words resonate.
2/7/23
Edit—I have since watched and reviewed the original silent film.
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First come, first served or first killed, whichever comes first
A shy assassin assigned to guard a yakuza's teenage daughter finds himself in the middle of a revenge fueled war that takes place in a nearly empty school. Undercover as A Janitor, he ends up having to clean up more than empty juice boxes.Fukima Akira saw his father murdered when he was just a boy. His father's blood brother, Majima Yoshiki, took him in as a son and trained him to be an assassin. Majima's biological son, Honda, grew up to develop his own gang to oppose his father. Eventually, Akira finds out that Yoshiki had his father murdered so that he could take over the gang and honor dictated Akira now had to murder his father figure. Other leaders were involved, including Honda, because everyone wanted to take over Yoshiki's turf. Yui, the daughter, was needed to biometrically open the vaults thus creating the deadly situation at the school with only Akira between her and 9 assassins.
The film bordered on the absurd at times with a baby faced serial killer, two female high school assassins, a geriatric assassin, two bozo bro assassins and one that resembled a terminator. Some of the acting could be over the top. Honda, looked like an IT specialist, but what he specialized in was killing, especially his own men. I kept expecting to hear him say, "have you tried turning it off and turning it on?" This was a kill or be killed free for all, where the only ones who would be paid were the ones who completed the job first. First come, first serve. What the assassins learned the hard way was that the gentle spoken janitor had no intention of letting anyone collect a pay day.
A Janitor (the most commonly used title name) looked like it was cheaply made. The school shots were that blown out blue/gray and white that many Jdramas seem fond of. Scenes with Yui and her father having dinner, steak of course, murderous villains tend to like their rare beef, were tinted red.
Some of the scenes were gratuitous in nature, and fair warning, there were a few random high school kids murdered. At times the fighting seemed brutal and real at others times it could seem ludicrous. Suppressing fire is one thing, wasting bullets shooting at something you can't see when you have limited ammo is something else, something stupid. Speaking of stupid, if you have an amazing hiding place don't crawl out in front of the villains in plain sight.
The acting was all over the place. Fukushi Seiji did a fine job as the conflicted and loyal Akira. Imou Haruka asYui had the tough task of playing the high school girl getting dragged all over the place with little agency of her own. Most of the rest of the cast set their acting on crazy overkill.
Despite the limited acting and sets, the movie was entertaining at times. Like a Godzilla movie, the monster didn't show up until 40 minutes into the story, at which point the action began and it became more interesting. Ultimately, a cute assassin wasn't enough for me with the huge gaps in logic though. The film is part of the Baby Assassins world which I know nothing about. So if that franchise is something you enjoyed or you like yakuza assassins pummeling and shooting each other, this might be something to try. It is thankfully as short as much of the logic in the movie, clocking in under 90 minutes.
9/26/22
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I'll have the house salad, hold the radish please
Monster Hunt was a messy quilt made of a variety of genres hurriedly sewn into one piece. Though childish in nature, it had enough disturbing scenes, one should think carefully before letting small children watch it.The lack of clear and consistent narrative troubled me about the movie. A bad monster takes over the monster world and is hunting down the good monsters. When the pregnant ex-queen and her attendants escape, the hunt is on. Monsters are hunting monsters. Humans hunt monsters. It's rough being a squishy tentacled being in this movie.
Jing Bo Ran is Song Tian Yu, the de facto mayor of a backwater town, left in charge when his monster hunting father disappears. In a reversal of gender roles, Tian Yu is meek, a seamstress, and cook. His senile aggressive grandmother scarcely remembers who is and when she does is disappointed in what she sees. Along comes the pregnant hunted queen and her two attendants in human suits. Following them is Bai Bai He as Huo Xiao Lan, a low level monster hunter. When Tian Yu becomes pregnant, hilarity ensues. Eventually, the two humans are left with the baby monster king and have to decide what to do with the little bloodsucker all the while being chased by humans and monsters.
The movie is energetic, bordering on frenetic. Some of the martial arts fights, especially with CGI monsters are creative and captivating. Creatures break into song on occasion. A romance comes out of nowhere. Monsters eat humans and humans eat monsters, it's a dog eat dog world. There are bad monsters and bad humans. While I liked the moral complexity, too often it felt like someone throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks. The baby monster, which I did not find adorable, seemed to be used to try to manipulate the audience emotionally into caring about it and it's human caretakers. I don't mind cutesy cartoon characters, but this one bordered on nauseatingly saccharine. And aside from him being the true heir, we're never really told much about the baby king's importance or place in the world. Like Chekhov's gun on the mantle, a rusty sword foreshadows the limping, docile hero will overtake the heroic female warrior protecting him. I cannot overstate how tired I am of this trope.
I enjoyed parts of this movie. Jing Bo Ran and Bai Bai He were affable and had a nice chemistry together. They were believable when dealing with green screen images something not all actors can do. Jiang Wu as a conflicted bounty hunter was fun to watch as he battled monster and human alike. I was particularly happy seeing Elaine Jin/Kam, Sandra Ng, and Tang Wei make appearances. The theme of seeing creatures and humans for who they are and not what they look like always appeals to me even when I had to sort through a lot of other themes in the movie to latch onto this one.
A brain burrowing bug and open air exotic meat markets may not be for everyone. The movie doesn't shy away from death and oddity.
For those who like lots of random action and a plethora of strange creatures, this will be right up their alley. As much as I enjoy CGI children's movies, this one felt too much like a fever dream hopped up on sugar for me. I left it staggering from the sweetness and weirdness overload.
8/6/22
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The Korean peninsula hangs in the balance when a volcano on the Chinese border threatens to blow everything sky high! Luckily, for both Koreas, Ha Jung Woo and Lee Byung Hun are on the job!Ashfall is an entertaining disaster and spy thriller flick that doesn't try to take itself too seriously. It has all the characters one would expect in a catastrophic volcano movie. Ha Jung Woo plays The Hero who is supposed to be retiring from his EOD squad (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), instead he's leading a group into North Korea to steal a nuclear bomb to stop the volcano from making rubble out of Korea. Along the way, he has to pick up a North Korean agent/double agent/triple agent?, the always cagey Lee Byung Hun, as The Anti-Hero, who has been jailed in a NK prison. Easy peasy, right? Back home giving them support is, Ma Dong Seok, going against type as The Scientist Who Warned Them All and Jeon Hye Jin as the Politico Who Gets It. Bae Suzy also throws in with the scientist as The Hero's Resourceful Pregnant Wife.
Ashfall actually feels more like a spy thriller film with a cranky volcano in the background. Our plucky band has to deal with betrayals and comes under fire from various political powers that don't want them getting their hands on a nuclear bomb for ANY reason and disturbing the power balances regardless of the fact that both North and South Korea are about to be wiped off the map.
The action is non-stop, almost from the first frame and never lets up whether it's fire from the sky or fire fights. As with most disaster movies, you have to let go of reality and just enjoy the ride as nearly everything that happens is implausible.
The heart of the movie is the bromance that develops between The Hero and The Anti-Hero. Lee Byung Hun's character development and the friendship he grudgingly develops with Ha Jung Woo's character brings out the humanity this movie needed as everyone is moving at breakneck speed.
If you are expecting a rational approach to a cataclysmic tragedy in the making, not only for the Korean Peninsula but having an effect worldwide with scientists and world leaders joining hands and acting altruistically and quickly, you're going to be disappointed. If you are expecting vehicles, people, and the starring volcano to obey the rules of nature, you might want to skip this. This is an entertaining, if at times ridiculous, thriller disaster movie set on high drive with a little bit of heart to make it not instantly forgettable.
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The story begins with a man who had lost his wife revisiting places she loved with her ashes. Throughout the movie as he met people, he told them about different parts of their relationship in sweeping flashback. There was nothing extraordinary about this devoted couple, but it was their devotion to each other through the years that made it meaningful.
Both characters, originally from Beijing, met in New Zealand and worked to find their way in their new country. They assimilated fairly easily, making good friends and starting their own business. However, Luo Yun, the wife, quietly struggled with their idyllic life in a remote town where they ran a small restaurant. Sui Dong Feng, the husband, was the practical sort who found the best in whatever situation he was in. Yang Cai Yu and Huang Xuan had a gentle chemistry that made something magical out of their characters' ordinary existence.
New Zealand should have been listed as a character as there were many shots of its gorgeous scenery, whether green bucolic fields, panoramic mountains, the Southern Lights or oceanic whale watching shots.
The OST was also saccharinely emotional, but fit the mood perfectly. The cinematography bestowed lush, warm shots, nestling us into the embrace of Yun and Dong Feng's life. I could almost feel the director pushing me toward tears, something I usually fight off. Instead of rolling my eyes, I found myself reaching for a tissue at several key moments. If the story was predictable, it also felt sincere in the lavish telling of this couple's love story.
Though dealing with the death of a loved one, Only Cloud Knows avoided melodrama and became a celebration of life and love instead.
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The story is really nothing new, though it does try to show the difficulties Hong Kong's police face with pressure from varying groups. It also asks the question, what does it take to push a good cop over the edge? I was able to call out the major plot points and turning points without reading the synopsis in that it strays very little from stories done before. What Raging Fire has going for it is over the top, frenetic action sequences. Whether with fists, knives, guns, or cars, the action choreography is graphic and breath-taking.
Raging Fire's other strength is its two stars. Donnie Yen as Bong, the tough, honest cop gives a captivating performance as a man struggling to survive in a system that does not reward integrity and sacrifice. Nicholas Tse's Ngo chewed up the scenery and his opponents in a mesmerizing performance of a wronged cop out for revenge. One of the strongest scenes is a quiet, tense conversation between the two men who used to be friends, taut with anger as they play cat and mouse, not knowing for sure who the predator is. Yen and Tse have amazing chemistry.
The rest of the cast, including Qin Lan, who plays Bong's wife, have very little time or moments to stand out. The good cop team and the bad cop team characters are not very memorable.
Raging Fire's explosive action sequences propelled by its two stars' energy tumbles headlong to the climax everyone will know is coming, providing enough entertainment to make this a movie worth watching. Hold on for the ride because the action is non-stop.
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"The only way to grab a beast is to become a scarier beast"
That I am a Woo Do Hwan fan is not a closely guarded secret, but I will say I came into Bloodhounds Season 2 trepidatiously. The pacing and unevenness of season 1 was shored up, but replaced with a lather, rinse, repeat cycle. It was 7 rounds of good vs evil. Someone ring the bell—ding! ding!Kim Geon Woo and Hong Woo Jin are living the dream life in the suburbs with Kim’s mom. They train in the mornings and work for the mom afterwards, happy and content. Kim wins the World Title match and even makes friends with his nasty competitor. Now firmly in the spotlight, he draws the wrong kind of attention. An illegal fight and gambling den (on-line on the dark web of course, this is 2026 after all) boss determines that he needs Kim to be his next fight in order to gain financing and expand his lucrative enterprise. Our Kim may have lethal fists, but he is sweet and pure of heart. “Dirty money always comes with a price,” his mom warns. When evil Baek Jeong is involved, everything comes with a price.
The first thing that has to be said, is that Kim and Hong were the sweetest of puppies, and just about as bright. They had tons of unearned confidence from last season and believed they could handle Baek and his syndicate on their own. It didn’t take long for them to realize that they were going to have to put at least part of the band back together if their loved ones were to survive. These gentle souls cried every episode and required daily pep talks and numerous group hugs. That’s not to say there weren’t deaths and injuries. The stakes for Kim’s Scooby gang were high as several members found out.
The bad guys were completely evil, no vacillating there, especially Rain’s Baek Jeong. He was also the most penny pinching, cheap villain I ever remember seeing. A few of the good guys crossed the line making their moral compass spin. There were faces from last season that joined the fight and some new faces with nebulous motivations. There was a never-ending cycle of threat, rally, retaliate, trying to kidnap mom, threat, rally, retaliate, trying to kidnap mom…which began to get old, along with the episodic weeping pep talks.
I haven’t been able to locate the fight coordinator, but I thought the fights were well done. Fast, vicious, uncompromising, and at times a thing of beauty as bodies danced around the ring. If you are squeamish you will need to look away for a few of the more brutal scenes. Having said that, much like superheroes, their powers came and went depending on the scenario.
I enjoyed Bloodhounds S2 more than the first season mainly because it was consistent, where the cast change last time was jarring (RIP KSR). The boys may not have been strategic geniuses, but they were devoted to each other and their oddly made family. They cared more about each other than hitting people, which was saying something. S2 ended with a couple of scenes to leave the door open for S3. It’s Netflix so you never know.
3 April 2026
Trigger warnings: All sorts of horrific deaths and one ear torn off. Knives, and other pointy weapons used.
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"He is good for nothing. I've made a mistake."
Birth of Happiness aka A Happy Businesswoman was incredibly close to being a great film for me. 1963 RoK (and most anywhere) wasn’t exactly a feminist utopia and the film's attitudes towards women reflected that. Yet Tosun had a strong desire for independence and used her wits to defy her parents and make money on her own. Of course, a handsome guy showed up and ruined everything, I mean, fell in love with Tosun.Tosun’s father owns a bus and refuses to pay her for work she does for him. Around the same time, Shim Jae Gu comes to town looking for a bus driver job, part or full-time. Tosun’s dad kicks Jae Gu out believing him to be unworthy. Tosun has pity on penniless Jae Gu and buys him cigarettes and loans him enough money for a hotel. When her father finds out, they have a terrible row and Tosun moves out to make a living on her own much to her mother’s chagrin. She and Jae Gu hatch a plan to go into business together if they can earn enough money for a car. A developing love makes their goal more complicated.
First of all, Tosun was an amazing female lead for the most part. She was optimistic, inventive, resourceful, and bounced back when life knocked her down. She could outcon a conman and was always searching for the next best way to realistically make money. Though she was tight with her cash, she also helped people when needed. Jae Gu, on the other hand, was easily discouraged, emotionally weak, and easily duped. When the going got rough, he went drinking, gambling, and seeking intimate entertainment from the local bar hostess. Worst of all, he blamed Tosun for his failures. As so often happens, the heart wants what the heart wants and Tosun loved Jae Gu.
The film also focused on Tosun’s relationship with her mother. Tosun’s mom ran interference for both of her daughters with the dad as he was a difficult and stubborn man to deal with. When Tosun moved out, her mother was devastated. Aside from the loneliness she would face without her daughter, girls could not leave home before marriage or else their “innocence” would be questioned. Tosun refused to let that belief limit her.
I liked Tosun’s drive and cheery disposition though people did not want to get on her bad side. She could defend herself and reputation with words and fists. The romance dragged this film down as I could never see what Tosun saw in Jae Gu. Worth a watch for Tosun or if you are in need of inspiration to try, try again in life.
13 May 2026
B & W note: The film was quite dark in places and smudged looking in a few others. Mildly distracting but I’ve seen much worse.
AKA Tosuni: Birth of Happiness
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"For what purpose are you walking the path of the sword?"
Miyamoto Musashi was a crash course in the legendary figure starring Kimura Takuya. Despite it being twelve years old as of this writing, I thought the cinematography and quality of the drama were well done. And then there was Kimura whom I have a soft spot for, especially with a wig and sword. Battle on!Takezo is involved on the wrong side of the Battle of Sekigahara. More brawn than brains, often operating on instinct, he has the raw skills of a swordsman but not the patience or techniques required. After being captured attempting to leave a message for his friend’s mother, the monk Takuan imprisons him in order to teach him discipline. After his release the newly named Miyamoto Musashi heads out to make a name for himself with his sword hoping to find a job with the Tokugawa shogunate. Along the way he fights, finds love, new advisors, and personal growth.
I enjoyed Kimura in this role. He brought the wildness needed for Miyamoto’s youth, the bloodthirsty determination that followed, and ultimately the calmer swordsman attempting to balance life and death on the edge of his sword. Maki Yoko had the thankless role of Otsu who could be cloying. Nakatani Miki appeared as a geisha styled quite similarly as her role in Jin. Sawamura Ikki played Miyamoto’s rival and what could have been a beautiful bromance if swordsman pride did not come into play. Honestly, I don’t understand the need to be the best when the only way to prove it is, 'one of us will be the best and one of us will be dead'.
The fights were entertaining if straining believability. At least Mifune Toshiro used the terrain to his benefit in his film while Kimura had to take on 70 samurai at one time on flat, dry ground. There was quite a bit of wuxia wire work as Miyamoto leaped great heights or dropped from heights designed to kill other men. He also had super healing abilities because this story didn’t have time for such things as sword wounds. To quote one of the Yoshioka, “How come he won’t die?!”
I burned through both episodes which were around 2 hours each as this mini-series was fast paced, never slowing down much to bother with historical exposition or character development of supporting cast. It helped that I enjoyed watching Kimura devour this role even when the pacing could stumble and the narrative could be heavy handed. For three and a half hours characters berated Miyamoto for killing people even when his life was being threatened and then at the end, his use of the sword was deigned by the cosmos to bring greater purpose and potential to all people. Uh, say what again? Overall, I enjoyed this mini-series though I’d only recommend to people who are fans of Kimura, like martial arts flicks, and have a rudimentary knowledge of Miyamoto.
11 May 2026
Trigger Warnings: Though there was a LOT of sword action, no heads, arms, or legs went flying. Sexual encounters were implied with some groping but nothing bared or overt.
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