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Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
The Dragon and the Tiger Kids aka Hell’s Windstaff (or Wind Staff) was made in the spirit of Drunken Master without the drunken part. The film started out featuring two goofball young guys stumbling through comedic scenes. As often happens in these films the laughing turns to crying followed by a revenge filled training montage and rampage.Tiger Wang and Shih Hai Lung are proficient with kung fu but spend most of their time causing problems for the adults in their lives. Tiger’s dad hires a traveling entertainer to train his son in kung fu. Tiger tries to rid himself of his new teacher, but Ching Wan Li is too crafty for him. When Tiger and Shih end up in trouble trying to run human traffickers out of town, it is Ching who comes to their defense. But will his abilities be enough to defeat Lu Shan Tu and his Devil Staff when he comes calling?
Despite the early comedy, this was an old school brutal kung fu blood fest. I watched this for Hwang Jang Lee and his glorious porn stache. Actually, for his incredible kicking techniques. Like Lo Lieh he was often relegated to villain roles which he did well. It seemed perfectly within reason that the heroes would need at least three guys to bring him down. Hwang did a variety of amazing stunts with fists, kicks, and the staff. I had to rerun and re-watch his three for one kicks all done in a single jump. Mang Hoi reminded me of a kung fu Samwise Gamgee. An excellent martial artist in real life and often a martial arts director, this was a rare leading role for him. Meng Yuen Man as Tiger was considered one of the “Seven Little Fortunes”. The two good guys were extremely acrobatic and performed complicated stunts together and alone. There were several martial arts directors including Hsu Hsia and Corey Yuen. With most of the cast more than capable, the choreography was complex and relatively fast. The fights still had the basic rhythm of most of these early kung fu movies but moved quicker than many of their counterparts. Nothing was sacrosanct, there were numerous hair pulling, eye gouging, and pants dropping fights! Bonus points for Jason Pai Piao who played the courageous and clever Ching Wan Li. I really enjoyed his character.
Hell’s Windstaff would have benefited from a stronger lead performer than Meng Yuen Man. However, the copious fights were well staged and exciting. Hwang Jang Lee was given the opportunity to display his quickness and martial arts abilities which made this movie worth the price of admission. It also had a comedic and gruesome surprise ending. If you enjoy old kung fu flicks this is one to give a try.
20 March 2025
Trigger warning: Snake!
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Did not meet wig-spectations
36 Deadly Styles was two different movies consolidated into one which was odd enough, then the costume department apparently must have run out of money and raided a high school drama department and janitor closet to find enough wigs for everyone.Wai Chi and his uncle are being chased by a red-nosed bad guy and his henchmen. They escape into a shaolin temple and are aided by Huang who fights off the bad guys. The uncle dies and Wai Chi is allowed to stay as long as he does menial tasks. Wai Chi meets Yu Ti the soy milk provider for the temple. She is also adept at kung fu as she demonstrates by taking him on when he has no money for the milk he ordered. Eventually, Wai’s belligerent attitude gets him kicked out of the temple just as the villainous brothers hunt him and the mysterious Huang down.
Wai Chi and Yu Ti ended up being the two halves of the “8 Gods Fist” style of kung fu. For some reason Hwang Jang Lee had killed Wai’s dad and other relatives years ago and was still after Wai. Another completely unrelated story, but gave the movie its title were two old kung fu masters with a 10 year old grudge. Kwong Wu Chan had possession of the “36 Deadly Styles” manual, something Yuen Ching Tien was willing to kill to have. Given that Hwang Jang Lee only appeared in the last 15 minutes of the film with a stuntman doubling for him in earlier fights they could have combined the two stories.
The fights were standard early 1970s kung fu posing. Mark and Jack’s fight was slower than I would have anticipated from them. I watched this film for Hwang Jang Lee and his Thunderleg but there was precious little of it. Even when he was showing off his kicks, the camera was so close you couldn’t see the full effect. Another problem with the fights were the terrible wigs. Poor Bolo had the worst wig I have ever seen in anything. It looked like someone took a mop and did macramé with it. Lau Kwok Shing was stuck with a burned-out blonde wig not matching his beard and eyebrows. Hwang had a fried gray wig. All three men could be seen adjusting the monstrosities during fight scenes. Nick Cheung Lik seemed to have his own hair but was relegated to a Jackie Chan light role. All the men had great fighting chops but the choreography by Max Lee did not measure up to their skills.
Like many kung fu comedies the body count was quite high. I truly have no idea why director/writer Joseph Kuo shoehorned the secret book and old masters’ story parallel to the revenge tale, especially since he didn’t establish a strong enough reason for the blood feud with Wai and the abominable wig villains. Graded on a curve, and only for Joseph Kuo fans (maybe) or Bolo fans though why see the poor guy with that embarrassing mop hanging off his head.
19 March 2025
Trigger warning: a rather gruesome snake skinning and eating.
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"You're not the only hero with a sad story"
Blade of the Immortal cut through 30 volumes of manga (none of which I’ve read) condensing them into a two-hour movie. Manji, “The Killer of 100,” who was tired of living found a spark of life in helping a young girl avenge the deaths of her parents. The cyclical nature of revenge and the price people pay for it was woven throughout the endless bloody fights.Manji is a wanted man after killing for his lord and then discovering the order was a murder to hide his boss’ illegal actions. Unable to live with that dishonor, he killed his boss and his boss’ bodyguards. After a key death drives him to the edge, he is ready to die after killing 100 men, or at least a lot of men. But death was not found so easily as an ancient crone puts a curse on him. He is destined to live forever with his guilt, assisted by creepy bloodworms that can heal his body, even reattach limbs, an ability that will be used often. After 50 years, a girl named Rin finds him and asks him to help her avenge her parents’ death. A cruel group of assassins led by Anotsu is eliminating traditional dojos in an attempt to become the preeminent martial power. Manji and Rin will face every bad guy, corrupt official, and nutjob in Japan on their path to revenge.
In the 50 years leading up to meeting Rin, Manji must not have touched his swords. Without his miracle worms, he would have died very early in the movie as he was often dominated by baddies with a sword, simply outlasting them. Every few minutes, a member of Anotsu’s crew or a bounty hunter from the Shogun’s Suicide Squad met him on the road or in an alleyway. Arms and legs flew everywhere, including Manji’s. This is not a movie for the squeamish. I had to look away when severed body parts were flung about or when the worms played Florence Nightengale.
The multitude of fights were well choreographed. Manji managed to hide numerous weapons in his clothes (seriously, how big were his pockets?) so that he could show off different skills. I liked Kimura Takuya’s turn at the world-weary warrior searching for a modicum of redemption in protecting Rin. Sugisaki Hana as Rin was stuck with the formulaic female part of running headlong into trouble and mistaking yelling as strength. Even though she’d studied the sword at her father’s dojo, Rin was completely inept with it. Fukushi Sota’s Anotsu was pretty though not nearly menacing enough. Anotsu and Rin’s interactions illustrated how revenge begets revenge which begets another cycle of revenge.
The continual parade of new bad guys to fight began to wear thin. At one point it became humorous when Manji was fighting an army, Anotsu, and then another villain showed up to confront him! Even as a fan of samurai movies, 140 minutes of nearly continuous hacking and blood spewing of random soldiers and villain cameos became monotonous. Despite these reservations, I did enjoy Blade of the Immortal. The movie was well shot and acted with only the severed bodies "disarming".
16 March 2025
Warning: So many body parts
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"The guy who trusts you is passed out now"
Twins Mission was a kung fu fest starring several sets of twins both identical and fraternal. The story and much of the acting was weak. My reason for watching? Yuen Wah in a dual role, Sammo Hung, and Wu Jing flaunting their fists and kicks in this high-flying wire-fu, glass breaking free-for-all.Monks Lau Hay and Uncle Luck are transporting a precious Tibetan bead onboard a train headed to Hong Kong. They are attacked by sets of twins and the bead is lost. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, powerful real estate developers are pressuring the owner of several homes to sell in exchange for the bead which might be able to heal her cancer stricken sister. Two acrobat sisters work in a circus with two other sets of twins. Eventually, the Principal, Chang Chung, comes calling to ask them to help him retrieve the artifact for the monks. None of the twins are happy to see him as he had dumped them off with the circus when they were young. Their fate was better off than the twins that ended up with his twin brother, Chang Yung, who runs a crime syndicate. The bead will trade many hands as the two twin teams battle it out with the life of one little girl hanging in the balance.
This was Benz Kong’s only film he ever directed. He usually played the role of the martial arts/action choreographer or even stuntman. I remember reading years ago that Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan both said that Yuen Wah was the real deal, the guy you wouldn’t want to fight in real life. Often relegated to “Thug #3” in many early martial arts films, I’m always happy when Yuen plays a more prominent role. Sammo’s character was sidelined early in the film, only again appearing at the end. Jacky Wu Jing was a legitimate Wu Shu champion and is always fun to watch. Old school Bobby Yip in a bowl haircut did a cameo with a twin sister with an equally bad hairdo. The rest of the twins’ action were well choreographed. Most of them were better when they were fighting than when they were talking. I haven’t seen this much breaking glass since the original Police Story.
The story was not great and not particularly well edited, I won’t even mention the ending. There was a lot of cheesy humor and acting. The fights aboard the train, the glass shattering mall encounters, and the final battle featuring the old school kung fu artists were highly entertaining. If only all the parts that connected them were as well thought out.
10 March 2025
Trigger Warning: Twin Snakes!
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"Sorry, you're just making me more confused" Buddy, you're not the only one
Angela Mao starred in Moonlight Sword and the Jade Lion. This script was one of the biggest messes I’ve seen in a while. I tried to attribute the problems to translation issues as the only available version I could find was dubbed in English, but even at that there were serious issues with it. Angela was the only redeeming part of this kung fu flick.Chu Sau Yin leaves to find her master’s brother. Why? Good question. She spends a month running into dead ends, dead people, or simply getting the run around. Don Wong inexplicably picks fights with her when masked men aren’t attacking him. Then he makes like Houdini and disappears for most of the movie. Anyone who is about to give Chu a clue is murdered by a dagger throwing assassin. She ends up fighting everywhere she goes, sometime even with the “good” guys. Why is it so important for her to find Liu Chan? You’ll have to wait 75 minutes into a 90-minute movie to discover that underwhelming tidbit.
This story was just about as thin as a story can get. Chu searched for her master’s brother for whatever reason her master wanted and she also wanted to know what happened to her parents. Apparently, only Liu Chan knew and he never told anyone, not even his brother for over 20+ years. Meanwhile an assortment of baddies were stealing and trafficking in what appeared to be well-to-do women. Doris Lung trained dancing girls and assassins all while romancing the Big Bad. Don Wong, well, I have no idea what his role was in this movie. He didn’t even warrant a name. He attacked Angela Mao’s character for seemingly no reason other than to show off his food fighting skills. Then there were times the two acted like buddies and fought together against whoever might be attacking them. Wong disappeared for over 40 minutes in the middle of the movie. Maybe he had another acting gig he had to work on simultaneously. People appeared and disappeared, said they were going somewhere-but never showed, and motivations were never given for random actions. Chung Ren wrote the script, the only one I could find he was credited with. Even in the bare bones stories of kung fu films, this movie would win a prize for one of the top three most poorly written and poorly edited films I’ve seen.
But how were the fights? Angela made the most of her fights using a spear. She moved quickly and was quite agile. Her stuntman did a great job filling in with the more complicated gymnastics moves. Whenever her character wore the pink pantsuit, it meant she was about to open a can of whoopass. The fights employed reverse filming, trampolines, complicated weaponry, wire-work, and often stilted action. One fight with lethal dancers and their explosive flowers was at least unique. The film might have been called Moonlight Sword because most of Don Wong’s fights were filmed in the dark which made the action difficult to see. There were also fights between characters who were largely inconsequential to the story. Since there wasn’t much of a script, they had to fill the time somehow.
Angela Mao was the absolute best thing about Moonlight Sword and the Jade Lion. I admit to giving the film a slight ratings bump merely because she is one of my favorite martial arts actresses. The film was a mess right up to the very end when certain characters made perplexing decisions, but by that time all I could think was, “why not?” Only for dedicated fans of Angela.
6 March 2025
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"Don't you have an opinion of your own?"
The Deadly Breaking Sword was a Shaw Brothers production starring Ti Lung and Alexander Fu Sheng. It lacked a classic hero, in fact, there were only characters with layers of gray and darker gray. Fu Sheng’s “comedic” character felt completely out of place in this dark story of human pride and greed.Tuan Chang Qing aka The Deadly Breaking Sword prided himself on the flare with which he killed his opponents. He always dressed in nice clothes, prepared a coffin for the soon to be departed, and then broke off an inch of his sword into the bone of the defeated. Classy. He battles halberd wielding Lian San and beats him, but doesn’t kill him. Lian goes to Dr. Guo (secretly the Killer Doctor, given that Ku Feng plays the character and is surrounded by thugs played by Yuen Wah and Eddy Ko, it’s a given that he is the Big Bad). Xiao Dao is gullible and a hapless gambler who ends up as a servant in the casino until he pays off his enormous debt. He falls for Liu Yin Xu, the fancy prostitute next door, even while Luo Jin Hua, the owner of the casino has her eyes set on him. Liu has a secret grudge against the good doctor and tries to rope Tuan and Dao into killing him for her.
This film had a dark theme running through it often derailed by the comedy schtick plopped randomly into it. Fu felt like he belonged in a completely different movie. Not that Xiao Dao wasn’t capable of murder. Without his character, I might have rated this film higher. The long running time would have been cut down and the clumsy fights he was involved in would have been eliminated. The fight choreography overall wasn’t great. Tang Chia implemented a lot of kung fu posing. The first and last fights between Ti Lung and Michael Chan were actually entertaining and much more fluid. The rest of the fights were awkward and the fists, kicks, and weapons often missed their marks by a mile/km.
The Deadly Breaking Sword was filled with anti-heroes and outright villains with the potential for an interesting take on the traveling swordsman. Instead, it was a mish-mash of characters badly stitched together into one story. It wasn’t a comedy, or at least it wasn’t for me. The most comedic thing in the whole movie was Ti’s dreadful fake mustache. The story of revenge and twisted honor codes kept getting tripped up by people slipping on banana peels or in this case, dominoes.
3 March 2025
Trigger warnings: Dismemberments and bloody injuries
Fun fact: Fu Sheng's wife, Jenny Tseng, sang the theme song.
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"You don't understand how women feel"
Sound of the Mountain was a complex story of a father coming to terms with his adult children’s failing marriages. “Success as a parent depends on the success or failure of your children’s marriages. That has me worried.”Shingo and his son, Shuichi, work together and live under the same roof. Shuichi has a mistress and a girlfriend, along with his long-suffering wife, Kikuko. Shingo tries to make his daughter-in-law’s life better and gives her positive attention whenever he can. The rest of the family thinks they are hiding the fact that Shuichi has a mistress, but given that he is out late every night, or doesn’t come home, she’d have to be an idiot to not know. Shingo’s daughter, Fusako, comes home with her two small children, having run away from her husband who is also involved with another woman. She doesn’t receive much comfort or help from her family and goes to stay with other family. Kikuko realizes that Fusako is trapped. She has no job, no money, and will eventually have to return to her husband. This observation will play a key role in Kikuko’s upcoming decision about her marriage with Shuichi.
This family drama focused on Shingo as he was nearing the end of his life and realizing how he utterly failed as a parent. His son was selfish, thoughtless, and a womanizer. He realized that Shuichi has murdered Kikuko’s heart and that his son was completely incapable of love. His daughter was miserable and trapped in a loveless marriage with two children. Shingo tried to patch the relationships with tape. Nothing he did made any of the relationships better. He and his wife vaguely discussed older couples who committed double-suicide when their usefulness was done.
While the film sounded like a melodrama it highlighted women’s plights, how children and lack of money kept them tethered to terrible husbands. The men casually felt it was their right to have sex and relationships outside of marriage. Four women made bold choices that went against social norms. One woman had an abortion to have the option to be free, another decided to have a child out of wedlock, another woman had to leave her son behind when she left her marriage, and another still had to decide what she was going to do. The decisions weren’t easy and had terrible costs, but these women refused to be cowed. Director Naruse Mikio didn’t offer any easy solutions, he simply showed how the patriarchy didn’t benefit these women.
Yamamura So and Hara Setsuko did a splendid job as the conspiratorial in-laws who bolstered each other’s spirits. Quite honestly, the film often made me angry as it unflinchingly showed how the men treated the women in their lives. I would have rated this a 10 if the unfaithful husbands had been hung up like piñatas and beaten for the suffering they caused their wives. Sadly, that wouldn’t have been realistic. I’ll have to take solace in a 1954 film being bold enough to discuss difficult subjects and giving the women the courage to make their lives the best they could under the conditions they lived in. Good job, Naruse.
23 February 2025
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"People can't be worse than wolves"
A World Without Thieves starring Andy Lau, Rene Liu, and Ge You had packs of thieves on a train all stalking a naïve young temple carpenter unwisely carrying his life savings. The cast alone made this film worth watching for me.Wang Bo and Wang Li are thieves looking to fence a BMW in the Gansu province. Li is ready to retire and live a normal life, something Bo has no interest in. When they stop at a temple for Li to pray, Bo makes use of the time pickpocketing the other worshippers. The two agree to part ways when Li insists she’s turning over a new leaf. At the train station, Li befriends a young man who doesn’t believe there are any thieves and announces to the crowd that he is carrying 60,000 yuan ($8000 USD). Li is determined to protect him and his funds while Bo strategizes how to steal them, all while fending off the other thieves he has identified. Before long, it appears that there are more wolves than people on the train all seeking to fleece the innocent lamb.
Lau and Liu had great chemistry as the bickering couple. Lau’s job of being taken seriously was undermined by one of filmdom’s worst wigs ever. Spoiler alert, the wig was murdered later in the movie which all but made me stand up and cheer! Ge You wasn’t outshone as the leader of a gang of thieves. A master of disguise that didn’t fool many people he was the perfect foil for the lovers. An egg peeling duel between Bo and Uncle Li was fascinating. Li Bing Bing played Uncle Li’s very limber #1.
The cinematography, especially in the first part of the movie was stunning. The open vistas and mountains tried to steal focus from the photogenic actors. Once on the train, the feeling became more claustrophobic with thieves circling each other and the hapless and clueless carpenter. There were several fights in tight spaces that were shot super close and more balletic than realistic. And apparently, several of the characters had ride on top of a train in their bucket list.
A World Without Thieves was a comedic thriller for much of the running time. This being a Chinese film, don’t put too much trust in the almost campy thief competitions of one-upmanship. It’s all fun and games until the blood starts flowing. The story of redemption and just deserts was wobbly in places, but like gifted pickpockets, the strong cast were successful in drawing attention away from the film’s weaknesses…most of the time.
“Even ghosts will work for money.”
19 February 2025
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"Behold the snow waits to be seen"
Love Under the Crucifix was Tanaka Kinuyo’s 6th and final film she directed. Set in the late 1500’s, the film included characters based on real people, Sen no Rikyu, the legendary tea master, and Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the “Second Great Unifier.” The rift that developed between the two men played out in the forbidden love story of Rikyu’s adopted daughter Ogin and his former student Takayama Ukon.Ogin receives a marriage proposal that would be difficult to turn down. Her adopted father, Rikyu, knows that it would be unwise to make a powerful enemy but he tells Ogin he would follow her wishes. She meets with the only man she has ever loved, the stalwart and faithful Christian, Ukon, hoping he will finally confess his love for her. Because Ukon is married, they cannot be together. He would prefer she take her vows, if not, Mozuya would be a good husband. Crushed that he will not admit his feelings for her, she leaves hoping to never see him again. Fate is not that kind. A jealous husband and an even more jealous political rival will use the two for their own purposes. Even the most powerful man in the country who has had a falling out with Rikyu plans to punish the tea master through his daughter.
The Christian religion played a part in the film, as Ukon was a devout follower. I wasn’t as familiar with his harsh beliefs regarding love and remarriage. Hideyoshi began to crack down on Catholic priests and lords who were Christians believing that they would create political chaos and be a danger to him. Though Ogin was a Christian, her primary religion was Ukon. Unable to be with the man she loved, she could not simply love the one she was with. Ever faithful to Ukon, even when married to another, Ogin practiced her faith in love zealously. It was only by courting hell and death that she truly felt alive. Ukon for much of the film was unable to be as honest as Ogin was, whether due to his religious constraints or fear of the illicit passion she offered.
Arima Ineko was a powerhouse as Ogin with her volatile nature and commitment to Ukon and her family. Nakadai Tatsuya felt wasted in the role of Ukon. He often played characters with sizzling sex appeal and barely constrained madness. I could almost hear him thinking, “Don’t smolder, don’t smirk.” Ukon kept his feelings locked down tight, knowing that one day he would likely be crucified. Crucifixion wasn’t reserved for Christians, the cruel execution method was more often exercised on adulterous couples or those whose love didn’t remain within the proper societal bounds. Ukon struggled to maintain his faith and stay away from Ogin. Rikyu had no problem with Ogin following her heart, even if it caused him difficulties with the powers above him. And Ogin just wanted to be herself and be free to love the only one in her heart, even if that commitment led to death.
Love Under the Crucifix started out slow as it bounced around the political landscape. Once Tanaka settled down and focused on Ogin and her struggle to love and live, the movie came alive. The famous actress was only 53 when she directed this film, I wish that she’d directed more.
“Rather than a glorious flower in bloom, a weed blooming unknown amongst the snow, is the true embodiment of spring…the heart of tea lies in the simplicity of nature.” For Ogin, one moment of unbridled love, lifted her cold heart out of the snow and into the sun.
8 February 2025
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"That turned out good"
Naruse Mikio’s first talkie, Three Sisters with Maiden Hearts, made use of not only the actors’ voices but a variety of music as well. Each of the sisters dealt with poverty in their own way. This was a women-centric film and Naruse dealt with the female characters in a sympathetic manner without pandering. That’s not to say there was no melodrama, it wouldn’t have been a 1935 film without buckets of angst.Chieko tells her new boyfriend how her mother sent her older sisters Oren and Osame to work when they were eight. The mother trains 3 other young women how to play the samisen and sends them out like she had her older daughters to the street and dingy hostess clubs and bars. Chieko is the youngest and favored child who dances in a revue. The neighborhood boys derogatorily call her a “modern girl,” due to her wearing western style clothes. Osame bears the brunt of her mother’s vitriol and tries to protect the other girls. Simply buying a magazine or food with their earnings instead of turning them all over to the mother can earn a beating. Osame wants Chieko to leave with her boyfriend and get away, much as their older sister Oren had. The women have tried to steer clear of the criminal element in their part of town, but the sisters are on a deadly collision with the gangsters as two try to make their way out.
Naruse displayed the claustrophobic boundaries of poverty. Leaving town or seeking a new place to live, all required money, money the women didn’t have. They earned very little playing in the clubs and bars and spent more time fending off the advances of drunken men. Only Chieko with her “wealthy” boyfriend and kinder treatment from the mother fared well. Even she lamented that her mother hadn’t had the courage to commit suicide with the lot of them when they were younger. Oren’s husband had TB and he refused to let her go back to the seedy side of town to work preferring to live in abject poverty. Osame tried to play peace maker for everyone involved even while she worked in a job she hated. There was nothing glamourous about her work in the dim light that smelled of booze, sweat, and cigarettes.
Like many directors when they were first able to use sound in their films, Naruse made liberal use of it. Samisens played with women and men singing. The revue had a band playing while the women danced and sang. There was whistling, sound effects counting down the minutes, and a soundtrack of heartbreaking music. The version I watched was in desperate need of restoration. Many of the frames were faded and blurred and occasionally the frames would go black. The performances were strong, never delving into histrionics regardless of the situation. Hosokawa Chikako is usually first in the cast list, but Oren didn’t appear on screen until 40 minutes into the film. Tsutsumi Masako as kind and gentle Osame carried much of the story on her slight shoulders. Selfless to a fault, no one had her back in the dangerous world she lived in. Umezono Ryuko as the relatively spoiled Chieko gave an energetic but restrained performance. Often the “modern girl” in these early films could be annoying, yet Umezono and Naruse kept Chieko all too aware of the pain around her, but with hope for escaping it.
Three Sisters with Maiden Hearts could have used a few more minutes to flesh out some plot elements, but overall, it was an entertaining if bittersweet first talkie for Naruse Mikio. In Asakusa, crime and selfishness did pay, while those who were generous paid a higher price.
6 February 2025
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"My job is to be your son"
Coming Home Again was directed and co-written by Wayne Wang, the director of the Joy Luck Club. This independent film’s budget was far below that mainstream film. The story focused on a son making peace with his dying mother as he came home to take care of her and prepare the traditional New Year’s Eve meal for the family.Chang Rae left his prominent New York job to take care of his dying mother in San Francisco. The family had moved from Korea when he and his sister were young because his dad had landed a good job in the States. The story alternated between Rae’s actions on NYE and his memories of his mother. Stricken with stomach cancer and having dealt with two rounds of chemo, his mom was struggling with the effects of both. Rae patiently took care of her and cleaned up after her. He learned more about his mother and what she sacrificed for them as they talked and reminisced.
Coming Home Again was a short slice of life film revolving around one pivotal day in a son’s life. I wish that they’d played out a few more of the family dynamics as the sister and father were given little time. It might have been for the best as their performances were not as strong as the leads. Rae regretted having to go to an exclusive boarding school when he was young, feeling that he would have gotten to know his mother better if he’d stayed at home. Despite a few childhood resentments it was clear that he adored his mother.
Fair warning, this was a low budget film, the sets, costumes, and even acting reflect that. I've rated it as an independent film shot with limited funds and time.
Not much happened in the story, and yet in small meaningful moments a world of things happened between mother and son. Little irritations revealed deep heartache and pain. Love was communicated in ordinary acts of caregiving and preparing a meal with his mother’s recipes. I’m not an immigrant, so I cannot attest to that element of the story, but I have been a child caring for a dying mother, and know how every shared piece of her thoughts and history was a gift, and every minute act of service, a tiny way of trying to give back the love that had been selflessly shared. Coming Home Again was spare in details, yet still a rewarding watch.
“If you’d stayed home, you might have liked me less.” “I might have liked you more.”
30 January 2025
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"Morals or money?"
If you ever wondered what would happen if you combined a yakuza film, a noir, and a spaghetti western, here’s the answer---A Colt Is My Passport. Murder, betrayal, and of course there was a dame involved. Pop the popcorn and kick up your feet for Nomura Takashi’s black and white crime flick.Kamimura and his driver, Shun, have been hired to take out the head of a yakuza family. After successfully completing his mission, the families decide it would be more financially beneficial to work together which means Kamimura and Shun have to be eliminated. The two fugitives hole up in a rundown hotel for truckers and make the acquaintance of Mina, an ex-yakuza moll. The port is crawling with gangsters searching for the partners which makes staying alive, much less escaping nearly impossible.
This was my first Shishido Jo film and I actually paused the film to see if he had been recovering from the mumps while filming this movie as his cheeks looked unnaturally swollen. Turns out he wanted to look different and had the work done. So, if he was happy with them, it wasn’t my business, though they could be distracting to look at initially.
Acts 1 and 3 were gripping. At the beginning Kamimura methodically worked his murderous magic, even taking time to listen to a bird sing. At the slam bang finish he once again contemplated perhaps the last moments of his life by watching a fly crawl around. The slow middle act lacked the intensity and compelling moments the other two contained.
“All that’s left for me is dust and the smell of men and gasoline.” Mina seemed to be there to witness Kamimura and Shun’s loyalty to each other, as well as to fall in love with Kamimura. Sadly, she jealously wished women could have the kind of friendships men had, giving false credence to the old myth that women’s friendships are shallow. Be that as it may, Kamimura and Shun were devoted to each other with the hitman working overtime to protect his friend, even tucking him at night.
With music reminiscent of Ennio Morricone’s, a dusty landfill standing in for the dust blown desert towns, and a man in black staring down a killer with guns blazing, the spaghetti western influence was obvious. Being obvious didn’t mean that it didn’t work, there were many powerful and captivating images. If you enjoy old Japanese crime films, this is one to try.
4 January 2025
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That's what friends are for
Louisa at Guada showed the value of friendship in the golden years. I watched this short film a few years ago and felt the need to revisit these lovely older ladies. Louisa and Guada teased each other about their age and supported each other with love and care.Every morning Guada rings Louisa’s doorbell with something for them to do whether it’s a game or talking about celebrities. They discuss how they haven’t seen their kids in the past year. Guada is active on Facebook and uses the internet to communicate with her kids. Louisa is interested in finding a boyfriend so that she won’t have to die alone. Guada is all too eager to help her sign up for a dating site and to give her buddy a glow-up.
Louisa and Guada were as giddy as schoolgirls playing together and sharing their mornings. They brought a zing to each other’s lives. Getting older can be accompanied by isolation and depression, but these two women had the perfect antidote... an enduring and enthusiastic friendship.
15 December 2024
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"Have I ever caused any problems?"
Ma Dong Seok returned as the loose cannon cop who doesn’t play by the rules in The Roundup: No Way Out. Officer Ma Suk Do became even more impervious to pain and injuries in this follow-up. Next time they need to put him in a cape and tights to help better explain why he could punch people through walls and take blows that would be deadly for any other cop. But this was Ma Dong Seok, my favorite ahjussi hitter and I adore him so he can get away with almost anything supernatural and I won’t question it…much.Ma Suk Do is up against big time drug dealer, Joo Sung Cheol, the yakuza, dirty cops, and an assortment of other criminals. When a bag of dope goes missing, everyone is either racing to find it or figuring out a way to use it to their advantage.
Ma Dong Seok is a charismatic actor and fun to watch. As much as I enjoy watching him slap, punch, and body slam people, it became ridiculous that his character was nearly always fighting solo against a group. Where’s this man’s backup? Even when his partner was with him, it was a detriment because after all the years, Kim Man Jae, has never learned adequate self-defense. The film also highlighted for me that police officers need to be able to carry a gun, especially when constantly facing groups of ruthless criminals who are armed with bats, knives, and even a katana.
There wasn’t anything innovative about the story. The age-old trope of adding humorous low-level crooks gave the film some much needed humor during breaks of police brutality. The problem I had with the movie was that there were too many ill-defined criminals. It had a conveyor belt of baddies who were hard to keep up with and some who only popped in for a quick shot or two. I didn’t find Big Bad Joo Sung Cheol particularly menacing or effective. Kunimura Jun had a couple of brief appearances as the head of the yakuza gang and I found myself wishing he had a more substantial role. Katana wielding Aoki Munetaka also made for an interesting character though he too needed more screen time. The police department was just as plagued with poorly drawn characters whose only job was to show up AFTER Ma had clobbered all of the baddies. They’d come in and cleanup the crime scenes and call the ambulances for all the broken bodies.
This Roundup sequel wasn’t as strong as the previous movie largely due to uneven pacing and poorly drawn characters. It was an entertaining watch due largely to Ma Dong Seok’s screen presence and appeal. He loves what he does, but his physical health seems to be deteriorating which always concerns me. Through the years he has suffered various injuries and also has no cartilage in his knees. It was sad watching him struggle to walk upstairs, but as long as he continues to make films and dramas, I’ll continue to watch them even if he’s taking down criminals with his walker or cane.
14 December 2024
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Adorable
Adorkable Shimei x Shijie is one of the more accurate titles I’ve seen. This couple was adorkable. It had the typical clumsy, cute female lead who stumbles and giggles about. And the more mature partner who can wield a sword and protect her.I tried to find information on this cast. I was more intrigued by the mature swordswoman than the giggle box. I’d also like to know who directed this. This was a very sweet, effervescent 2-minute girl love that could have easily been a commercial for sesame cakes or buns. Wind machines, featherlight dresses and hair blowing in the breeze, and a gauzy lens all gave this a romantic, dreamlike quality. Nothing earth shattering, just a miniscule bubbly slice of life to put a smile on your face.
11 December 2024
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