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"What the future holds can't be known"
Flowing was a 1956 Naruse Mikio film with an all-star female cast. Centered on a failing geisha house and the women who worked there, it showcased their personal problems, debts, and loyalty.Otsuta is an aging geisha (39 IRL) whose house is diminishing. Once there were 7 geishas working there, now only 2 remain (one of whom is 50-years-old) and her bills are stacking up. Her daughter, Katsuyo, only lasted six months as a geisha and is now looking for work to supplement the family income. Otsuta’s lazy sister and young daughter reside in the house ever since she and her husband broke up. Rounding out the family connections, Otsuta’s step-sister helped her finance the house after Otsuta mortgaged it to give her lover money. The lover promptly left her after receiving the cash. Now she is saddled with heavy debt and a nagging, condescending sister. Into this mix walks in Rika, an older widow (45-years-old) who needs a job and is hired as the maid. Otsuta scrambles to obtain financing to keep her house open and also must confront an extortionist ex-employee. Life as a geisha is never easy.
To clarify, this was not one of those geisha films where the women slept with their customers, these geishas were for entertainment purposes only. The whole career field was languishing in light of modern amusements. Otsuta also wasn’t the most astute businesswoman or ethical. She had a habit of skimming the girls’ profits. Katsuyo felt like she was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea as the daughter of a geisha. She would feel “too small” if she married into another family and what man would marry into hers? Job opportunities for women were few and far between, with long lines around the temporary employment agencies. Rika provided the warmth of the film as she cared for the women calmly, insightfully, and nearly always with a smile. The film was based on a book written by a woman who had been a maid in a geisha house. Currently Tanaka Kinuyo is listed as supporting but she was every bit a main character and our avatar into this world.
It would be difficult to gather a stronger female cast---Tanaka, Yamada Isuzu, Takamine Hideko, Okada Mariko, and Sugimura Haruko to name but a few. It did create a few issues with the ages of the characters. Yamada at 39 was four years older than “older” sister Kahara Natsuko (35). Takamine was just 7 years younger (32) than her film mom! I was actually shocked to find the sisters were only in their 30s. Age discrimination was also shown as poor Rika had been turned away from other jobs for being too old at 45--well, clutch my pearls! And oddly Otsuta found the name Rika to be too complicated and foreign to say so she nicknamed her Oharu, the movie character Tanaka played in “Oharu” (1952).
Much like a river, Flowing, carried these women downstream in their lives, inexorably pulled by age, societal changes, and a need for love and acceptance. Loneliness was bred into their lifestyle despite spending their days entertaining men with song and shamisen. Relationships, like money, flowed in and out of their lives. Stability was a hard boulder to cling to as life rushed around them. I loved the cast and idea behind this film, yet I also found it overly long and repetitive. This is one of those films I desperately wished to enjoy more than I did. It was not a loss, for how could spending two hours with women displaying their polished craft ever be a waste? Even when my mind wandered, I was grateful to take a ride on the river of time with them.
19 February 2026
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"I wish I could paint myself over again"
Kurosawa Akira wrote the script for The Portrait and to quote Sally’s shocked line in When Harry Met Sally, “Well, that's just so optimistic of you, Harry”. Kurosawa wasn’t known for movies about women or stories this positive and heartwarming. The film was deftly directed by Kinoshita Keisuke with strong performances by the cast.Kaneko and Tamai agree to purchase a house together for 200,000 yen and then flip it for 400,000 splitting the profits. The only problem is that there are tenants living in it. Kaneko decides to move his young mistress into the upper room which the family doesn’t fight. Midori is temperamental and not pleased with the move. The family occupying the house is poor but happy. The father, Nomura, is a painter of some renown but not terribly successful. The family automatically assumes that Midori is Kaneko’s daughter and treat her as a treasured guest. Midori isn’t used to positive affirmation and her guilt is made worse when Nomura asks her to sit for him. The woman revealed in the portrait is not who she believes she is.
Nomura with his magical artist’s eye saw deep into Midori, who she really was. This vision stood in stark contrast to who Midori believed she has become in order to survive after the war. The cognitive dissonance finally erupted as the young woman had to decide the person she would choose to be. Could she really paint herself all over again?
The family was almost too good to be true even seeing blackouts as a gift to dance in the moonlight. The one member who grasped that Midori was not Kaneka’s daughter cast no judgment, offering only acceptance. Kurosawa’s social commentary was muted but the blackouts were a bit of reality creeping in as well as the young women resorting to sleeping with old men to make a living. Nomura’s oldest son had been missing since the war with no word, as they hopefully awaited his return. Then of course, there were the realty vultures hoping to turn quick profits as they turned tenants out of their homes. The Nomura family’s impenetrable loving-kindness shield the only detriment to the current flippers’ plans.
The Portrait was a lovely little film showing a family’s and a young woman’s resiliency in the face of social upheaval and financial strain. Each person had to decide who they were and who they wanted to become, even when their options were few. And the greatest mystery of all, would Chiba the cat return home? An easy recommendation for people who enjoy these old films.
13 February 2026
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"Don't blame me---I have to kill someone!
Every once in a while a low budget, terrible CGI movie can surprise you. Monster was not a great movie, but for its little film niche it performed surprisingly well.A bus full of people wake up to find that they are in the middle of a desert with no memories of who they are. Nearly everyone panics and runs away only to be obliterated by a literal monster sand storm. Five men and one little girl survive on the bus. The desert reveals other horrors when the motley crew is attacked by roaming sand demon dogs. The little girl calls all the men daddy, naming them after characters from the Monkey King. Who were they before this happened and can they find the way home?
Little Daddy quoted Buddhist proverbs, one of which was, “Good people are always protected by the Buddha.” That saying will be tested and provided clues to the men’s backgrounds. Where the survivors were and how they got there was fairly logical given the writers’ world building. The characters could behave stupidly as often happens in these films but less so than in others. The film also brought up the question of how people would behave if they had no memory. Would they be selfless or self-serving? The acting was actually pretty good, I’m used to actors practically sounding out the words off cue cards in some of these low budget creature features. The child actor could be too much at times, but overall, she gave the men a reason to bond together.
The desert was desolate enough to throw fear into anyone. The CGI critters, sandstorms, and other special effects won’t win any awards yet they helped fulfill the Buddhist punishments of wind, water, and fire effectively enough. Not sure how man-eating monsters fit into that philosophy. Much of the film dealt with how people react and act during a crisis and whether they are willing to protect the most vulnerable. To be sure, redemption played a strong role in the story, my own personal butterflynip.
Monster is not a film for everyone. It won’t be terrifying for those looking for jump scares nor quality enough for the majority of movie viewers. If like me, you are the type to wander aimlessly through film sites and randomly pick films to watch, this one might not burn you like others. Truly damning it with faint praise, I know, but I set my bar of expectations low, very low, and came away adequately entertained.
30 October 2025
Trigger warnings: Dismemberment, and creatures attacking and feasting on humans.
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Ichiro and his friends Makoto and Kimi enjoy looking through Ichiro’s telescope. Ichiro’s father is in charge of the Maki Institute and developed a special rocket fuel that will enable interplanetary travel. Makoto and Kimi are the wards of shoe shiner Wakao. One night all television sets are taken over by Dr. Eggman, I mean Ambassador Phantom from Planet Silver who addresses Japan from his spaceship. He declares his imminent arrival, gives the address where he will land, and no one had better get in his way. A contingent of police, scientists, and reporters await him. Oh, and also Ichiro and Makoto. After the aliens vaporize a number of police leaving only their helmets, the Prince of Space arrives and drives the Phantom off. Not to be deterred, Ambassador Phantom devises an evil plan to obtain Dr. Maki’s rocket fuel recipe.
I know it was 1959 and this was a children’s film, albeit with a number of redshirt deaths, but the scientists said that Planet Silver was 305,000km from the moon. The moon is only 385,000 km from the Earth. A planet orbiting so close to Earth sounds like a doomsday film all by itself. Setting that small tidbit aside, if you look at this film from the eyes of children 10 years before the Apollo 11 landing, and in a much less connected world, it’s not that bad. The costumes, special effects, and acting were low budget enough to be hilarious for today’s kids and adults. But this film wasn’t created for us. I found the kids being around dangerous situations unthinkable, but remember equally implausible films/tv shows from my childhood. This film could have benefited from fewer military personnel, reporters, policemen--basically fewer stuffed shirt adults.
Having argued for leniency, Prince of Space wasn’t a measurably good film by any metric, but it was a capsule from a different time before CGI, where a superhero in a baggy costume could point a baton at an alien with a giant beak and utter the words, “Your weapons can’t hurt me!” unironically.
24 October 2025
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Yosaku and his mentor Shigetomo, have trekked into the snow covered mountain forest and find the perfect tree they can use to sculpt a Kannon. When a blizzard hits, they take shelter in an empty hut. That night a figure in white enters and freezes everything including Shigetomo. She spares Yosaku’s life as long as he never mentions having seen her. The day he recounts what he saw to anyone is the day she will kill him. After Yosaku recovers, a young woman named Yuki seeks shelter at his home during a rain storm. His mentor’s wife invites her to stay not knowing the shadow she has let in. Yuki and Yosaku fall in love, but can two lovers from different worlds have a happy ending, especially when human demons lurk in their village?
The Snow Woman was adapted from a tale in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn. The 1964 film Kwaidan contained a well-made short film about the Yuki Onna starring Nakadai Tatsuya and Kishi Keiko. This film expands upon it without losing any tension or the emotional punch of the tragic love story.
Fujimura Shiho was mesmerizing whether playing the ice-cold Snow Woman or warmhearted Yuki. Ishihama Akira’s naïve sculptor Yosaku didn’t have as much to do, nor did his character develop much. Murase Sachiko as the shaman who perceived Yuki’s true form set the scenes she was in on fire. The special effects were limited yet effective. Ifukube Akira (Godzilla) provided his own special brand of music which echoed the characters' moods. While there were outdoor scenes most of the film was indoors and felt almost like a play. The judicious use of lighting added to both the eerie otherworldly elements and the ordinary household setting as a Yuki Onna learned about love and family.
The Snow Woman was a product of its time in terms of acting and film and yet was still captivating largely due to Fujimura’s loving eyes that could grow icy when threatened. If you enjoy older films or you liked Kwaidan, this is one to try.
23 October 2025
Triggers: Attempted sexual assault
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Ah Chi’s opera troupe has been hired to play for a few days by Uncle Ma. Ma invites his nephew, Dick, to watch the opera. He’s hoping Dick and Ah Chi will marry and break the curse her grandfather placed on the Ma family at the time of his death years before. What Uncle Ma doesn’t know is that the real danger lies in a company of soldiers who died due to the bad medicine Ma’s elder had created that killed the soldiers and others in the town.
This film combined low brow comedy, one of the ghosts was named Cat Sh*t, and half haphazard drama. Several characters were possessed and killed by the ghosts, but no one seemed to care. The story wasn’t terribly cohesive and the acting and staging often had the quality of a 6th grade school play. My viewing experience was hampered by a faded copy of the film with almost invisible white subtitles at times. I’m used to old kung fu flicks having this quality and did not grade off for it. In fact, I took the poor quality into consideration and bumped my score up just in case it was affecting my judgement.
If you enjoy old Hong Kong ghost comedies and Cantonese opera to boot, this might be a film to try. Otherwise, it’s skippable.
15 October 2025
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Police officers Lam and 2237 are faced with a bizarre drug mule when they stake out a bar. The problem? She was dead and deadly dangerous. Uncle Feng, a cop stuck out in the sticks is called in to help on the case by Capt. Ma, an old friend and police comrade. Lam doesn’t believe the woman was dead before she was killed (again) and works overtime to drive Feng away. Feng is a supernaturally talented Taoist and supernaturally stubborn. Before long he has used his skills to track down an evil Japanese sorceress and drug trafficker who uses animated corpses to do her bidding.
Lam Ching Ying cannot be beaten as a Taoist ghost and vampire buster. Nearly any scene with Feng and his wild eyebrows was a winner, whether he was taking on a bodybuilder corpse, ticked-off ghost, kung fu bodyguard, or sorceress who was nearly impervious to any assault. Lam also proved in his fight against Billy Chow he could still hold his own with fists and kicks. Nishiwaki Michiko as the sorceress could have used more scenes but nailed her magically bonkers role. The second half of the film was action packed with almost non-stop fights both kung fu and magical.
Where this film let me down was the first half, especially when it centered on the two officers played by Wilson Lam and Michael Miu. I didn’t find their humor funny and Officer Lam’s sexist slapping women on the butt made me hope he’d get eaten. There always seem to be inept sidekicks in these films and these two bordered on grating. They weren’t as bothersome in the last 45 minutes. Feng’s niece was inexplicably thrown into the story as a female presence for the two cops to fight over. Ick. And also for Feng to rescue.
Once the action, magical mirrors, and ropes took hold of the film, it was much more entertaining. The special effects were especially low budget, completely expected and part of the fun. I should be bored of the LCY formula, but I line up to watch him fight the undead every time. I just wish there had been some jiangshi/hopping vampires for him to tackle in this film. As always, rated on a curve against others in the genre/time period.
14 October 2025
Trigger warnings: There was a gross supernatural character for anyone squeamish. I hope there wasn’t but it sure looked like animal abuse of a cat. Officer Lam’s sexist swatting of women was never acceptable, but certainly not in 1990.
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Hachiya Koichi works at the amusement park’s Squid Shack. He’s secretly training for the arrival of an outer space monster due to arrive in 2019. The local Exploration Group led by Kameoka stumbles across his boat carrying his kaiju fighting equipment. Middle schooler, Kame, and his three younger friends are looking for an adventure. Hachiya sends them on a scavenger hunt after he leaves town and the boys are sure they’ve been pranked. At least mostly sure.
First of all, the setup was a bit strange. The story was set in 1970 so Hachiya would be a very old man by the time the creature arrived in 2019. There was no time jump, so you do the math regarding a kaiju actually appearing. Most of the story focused on Kame and his young friends riding their bikes and hanging out. Kame was bullied at school and looking for belonging and meaning in his life. But believing a kaiju was going to destroy his town nearly 50 years in the future was too much for even his imagination.
As a slice of boys’ life I’d rate the film a 7.0 given its low budget. There was some nice cinematography and the friendships were realistic. As a kaiju film it would receive a 3.0. Around the hour mark there was a possible sighting for a few minutes. The filmmaker couldn’t quite make up his mind what kind of film he wanted it to be. Most of the screen time was spent on Kame and the Exploration Group. Given how little Hachiya was shown it was hard to tell if the film was playing it straight about the asteroid or if the pending disaster was all in his head. Perhaps if the extraterrestrial threat looming wasn’t 50 years in the future, there would have been more urgency to the story whether it was for real or the object of a disturbed mind.
10 October 2025
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"If life knocks you down, get back up"
Karate Kid: Legends was the sixth addition to the franchise that began in 1984. Full of nostalgia by calling back old familiar characters and tropes, KKL didn't exactly pave a new cinematic experience but as a popcorn movie it delivered some fun moments for fans.Li Fong is training under sifu Han in Beijing, China. He’s working to overcome his feelings of guilt about the death of his brother who had been attacked and killed. His mother doesn’t want him to practice kung fu, fearing she’ll lose a second son. When she lands a job in New York City, she makes Li promise no more kung fu. When attempting to order a stuffed crust pizza at a local pizzeria (sacrilege in NYC!) he meets Mia and her dad who owns the place. The two hit it off, something her ex-boyfriend and brutal MMA fighter, Conor, is none too pleased about. In order to help Mia’s family and himself, Li may have to break his promise to his mother.
KKL’s poster prominently features Jackie Chan/Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso). The two don’t really show up until nearly an hour into the film. The first hour sets the stage for Li’s motivation to fight in the Five Burroughs Tournament. The second half is mostly training montages with the two mentors flipping poor Li Fong all over Fetterman’s garden roof.
Mr. Miyagi’s family was retrofitted to have a connection with the Hans-“Two branches, one tree.” I wasn’t disappointed that the two teachers weren’t more prominently featured, this was Li Fong’s story. Plus, Jackie is getting older and Ralph is an actor, not an accomplished martial artist. The elders provided humor for the film and gave Li the support he needed to heal and compete. I thought Ben Wang as Li Fong was utterly charming and his authentic martial arts skills helped to sell the fights. Sadie Stanley was one of the better girlfriends and better actresses in the franchise. Wen Ming Na (Disney’s first Mulan and Agents of Shield) didn’t have nearly enough to do. I always enjoy her presence in films and television shows. Joshua Jackson (Dawson’s Creek and Fringe) added another fight style as a retired boxer who was in debt to loan sharks.
The plot followed much of the original’s framework---a fish out of water with a single mother who had to deal with a violent opponent and ex-boyfriend to the girl he had a crush on. The evil gym “We don’t fight for points, we fight to kill!” was badly underdeveloped. Aside from one run-in with Conor and his Demolition posse, Li didn’t suffer much as the new kid in a strange land. He had a supportive mother, girlfriend, girlfriend’s father, and not one, but two mentors! Thankfully, the infamous and totally useless Crane Kick was not used. The equally useless Dragon Kick was but at least they figured out how to make it workable. I loved that Daniel-san made the comment that you can’t teach someone karate in a week. Say it ain’t so---“Wax on, wax off!”
At ninety minutes, the story flew leaving precious little room for character or story development. This was a stream-lined film that often used the familiar characters and plot points to take shortcuts that weren’t completely satisfying. The original Karate Kid was a 1980’s cheese fest with a heart of gold. 2025’s Karate/Kung Fu Kid lacked the original’s heartwarming moments like Daniel had with Mr. Miyagi (d*mn to the depths WWII internment camps!). Just like we probably didn’t need multiple Rocky or Jurassic Park films, we probably didn’t need another addition to the KK family. However, if you enjoy the Karate Kid paradigm, Legends would be one to add to your watch list. It might not have been memorable or groundbreaking but it was 90 minutes of mindless entertainment that kept the fists, kicks, and gentle humor flowing.
30 September 2025
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Five buddies decide to go into business together. Fail. Try again. Rinse and repeat. Two of the friends find girls and fall in love, though the way to romantic happiness is rocky.
Full disclosure, this isn’t my favorite type of film, made much worse by the director’s choices. The characters ran around, bouncing off each other, and anything around them like a drunk puppeteer was pulling their strings. Scenes rapidly cut from one to another. Everyone was frenetic and clumsy. Most of the characters were hard to sympathize with. And the acting was pretty abysmal. I was honestly relieved when the credits rolled. If you enjoy 1990s Hong Kong youth comedies you are likely to enjoy this much more than I did. Also, if these actors and actresses are among your faves, it’s probably worth while to watch and see them in their youth. If not, it’s skippable.
20 September 2025
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"Studying is the only equality this country offers"
I have not seen Dragon Zakura S1 (2005) and stumbled upon S2 (2021) on Netflix. Dragon Zakura S2 takes place two years after an unfortunate incident at another school with Sakuragi having gone underground. When a new school needs help motivating their students, it takes an old student to drag Sakuragi back into the land of the living.Mizuno Naomi was one of the students Sakuragi Kenji helped get into the University of Tokyo (UT) back in 2005. Now a full-fledged lawyer with her own firm she needs fellow lawyer Sakuragi’s help at a high school with a dismal track record of sending kids to UT. With the carrot of a 5-year contract with the school if they can turn the ship around, Mizuno hunts her mentor down. The current chairperson, Tatsuno Kumiko, is firmly against stringent study habits, preferring the students to be autonomous. After Mizuno finds Sakuragi and cleans him up, she puts him back into the trenches. Tatsuno and Sakuragi butt heads with a wager being placed that if 5 students don’t make it into UT, the special course will be shut down.
What I liked:
Sakuragi played by Abe Hiroshi in the only suit he owns, seriously, I’ve never seen him in anything other than a black suit with a white dress shirt. At 169 cm/6’2” is that the only thing he can find to fit in Japan? Okay, that height is not unusual where I’m from but regardless of looking stunning in the uniform, can the next wardrobe department please make him something new to wear? Now, where was I… Right, Sakuragi may have had a Tiger Dad/Tough Love approach, but he never gave up on his students. He also left their life decisions up to them.
Sakuragi did have a point--Education and not memorization was key, the lifetime habit of asking questions and researching the answers was the best way to avoid being a nameless cog only useful for paying taxes.
Thank you, Sakuragi, for telling one mom that boys can do housework and another dad that girls can go to university. It’s the 21st century people!
The bonding of the students and their team camaraderie as they overcame obstacles may have been predictable, but was still satisfying.
What didn’t work for me:
The villain story was clumsily implemented. And what precipitated Sakuragi’s disappearance was never satisfactorily explained.
Mizuno called in a known tiger and then became frustrated when he didn’t act like a pampered house cat.
The handling of a gay character and an autistic savant student were borderline offensive at times.
Not a major turnoff, but problems and obstacles were easily overcome. Bad students made up for years of slacking quickly.
What dragged this drama’s score down for me and what tempts me to reduce it yet again is that they let abusers off the hook. Not once, not twice, not three times, but four. Forgive the abuser if you want, but they needed to be held accountable. ***rant below the date***
To sum up:
If I was still in school, this might have been a motivating drama for me. Sakuragi taught the kids that mistakes were normal and they should emotionally prepare for not being perfect. He helped them discover their weaknesses and how to overcome them so that they could still find joy while studying. Every student had been underestimated, with his program they gained confidence and became happier, freer. They learned to live up to their own expectations instead of living down to the low expectations set by others. Sakuragi guided the students onto a path of their own choosing, one that would lead to a future with more possibilities. Now, if he'd taught them they not only didn't have to take physical and emotional abuse, but could hold their abusers accountable, his job would have been well done. He failed spectacularly in that life course.
26 August 2025
Rant below with spoilery comments:
#1 The badminton coach who nearly ruined Kaede’s body and career purposefully should have been fired at the very least. Was he sleeping with a student as well? Kaede refused to report him, insisting the team needed him because he was a good coach. NO, HE WAS NOT. Good coaches don’t do the reprehensible things he did. Stop excusing men for abusing their power. Kaede's badminton partner working in cahoots with him and who purposely injured her during a tournament should have been kicked off the team. Made me ill seeing her going back and supporting the team and the abusers. Her parents were awful as well, pushing her when her body was broken.
#2- Mari’s dad was physically and emotionally abusive for years. She prevented the teachers and lawyers from turning him in saying TEN YEARS ago he was faced with a stressful situation which changed his behavior. Stop excusing physical abuse against girls/women!!!
#3 They let a villain off the hook in the “best interest” of a student. Wouldn’t holding a person responsible for illegal behaviors have been better for everyone so that they couldn’t ruin more lives? Will the student who was driven to suicide sleep better at night knowing the villain paid no price for any of their bad deeds?
#4 Where were the test monitors when two students abused another DURING and in-between exams? When discovered the miscreants should have been thrown out instead of being given more chances.
And I just talked myself into dropping this from a 7.5 to a 7.0 despite enjoying much of the drama.
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Gets off the ground but doesn't soar
Thanks to Netflix picking up more Jdramas I’ve been able to check out some of Kimura Takuya’s older dramas such as the enormously popular Good Luck. I enjoyed it for the most part though some of the older tropes haven’t aged well. Kimura has like a fine wine though.Rookie co-pilot Shinkai Hajime is called upon to land a passenger plane in an emergency. Once on the ground, both a cranky mechanic and the pilot auditor call him on the carpet for his errors. Ogawa and Koda are always ready to cut him down to size and call into question whether he should be a pilot. If those two aren’t on his case, his father is ready to let him know he’s a failure as well. Flight attendant Togashi Noriko and Head Purser Ota give Shinkai more balanced perspectives. Despite all the name calling, a romance burgeons between the co-pilot and mechanic and Koda also grudgingly realizes the sunny Shinkai has his uses.
One unrelentingly critical, combative, unpleasant character regardless of their reasons is enough for me in a drama. Two is pushing it. Three made me want to parachute out of the drama. Only Kimura’s goofy grin and positive energy kept me seated with my tray table in an upright position. I’m not a believer that being good at your job entitles you to belittle people in public and get personal with criticisms. The big reveal for Koda’s horrible attitude was weak and arrogant. Ogawa’s crankiness and drop-dead stare she continually leveled at Shinkai began to grate and I could never see the chemistry between the two characters. She had great chemistry with the equally cranky Koda. Both characters and actors appeared far more relaxed together than with their scripted love interests. Only Shinkai and the ever reliable Togashi kept me engaged.
Good Luck was an interesting look behind the scenes at the Japanese airlines with their dedicated and sometimes horny crew-which should have come as no surprise with all of the gorgeous pilots, FAs, and mechanics wandering around. Characters found love, friendship, and redemption. The drama was a solid commercial to show that air travel is safe and well regulated. But I also learned that I hope I’m never on an ANA flight that is delayed or detoured because Japanese businessmen can become dangerously hysterical. And men think women are overly emotional. Lol
16 August 2025
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"What secrets made you leave me behind?"
Peppermint Candy told the story of a man who knew the only light at the end of the tunnel was the beam from an oncoming train bearing inexorably straight for him. As his life passes before his eyes, we see seven chapters that made him the man he became. What we find is a man with his life set on self-destruct.Kim Yong Ho crashes the outdoor 20 year anniversary party for factory workers who once lived in the honeycomb cells near the factory. Obviously distraught he stumbles toward the train tracks while most of the party goers turn up the music and dance. As he shouts, “I’m going back!” the oncoming train suddenly runs in reverse and his life is rewound showing the decisions he could control and the decisions that were ripped away from him.
Director Lee Chang Dong takes the viewer through Kim’s life during the 1980s and 90s. The ROK suffered a traumatic national wound during the times of dictators and martial law, student and union uprisings that led to many of them being arrested and tortured, economic failures, and the shocking Gwangju Massacre. Kim was thoroughly unlikeable, a man filled to overflowing with self-loathing who had nothing left to give but contempt. He felt no mercy had been shown to him so he showed none either. He had done things for which the stench and blood never left him. The backward running train seemingly appeared as a specter of the future at key interludes.
As Lee peeled back the layers of Kim’s life, I’m sure I was supposed to feel empathy for him. Soren Kierkegaard once wrote, “Life is an ironic tragedy. It has to be lived forward but only makes sense in reverse.” We can use past experiences to create a path for the future. Some misfortunes can lead to growth and better decision making or they can completely dismantle a soul. Kim chose the latter. Every stupid decision he made just added to the weight of his suffering and the suffering of those around him. He could have chosen atonement but instead he chose selfishness, cruelty, and bone crushing hopelessness.
Peppermint Candy showed the unflinching violence that sadistic policemen and soldiers, and a jealous husband committed on other people. The harrowing times played a hand in Kim’s trajectory, but he played a larger hand in the act of bleeding out his own humanity. He never took responsibility or asked for forgiveness, never chose a better path. No one forced him to make the horrific decisions he chose so I for one shed no tears for him. I know Lee must have liked his full circle motif, but the story would have played out better for me if he’d traveled back to the furthest moment and worked his way to the present chronologically. Overall, this film was well made and Sul Kyung Gu gave a stellar performance. But I was unable to absolve Kim by saying he was simply a victim of the times he lived in.
12 August 2025
Trigger warnings: Frontal nudity-male and female. Sexual situations. Torture scenes.
#JusticeforPoppy!
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"Making clear judgments is key to surviving in Antarctica"
Antarctica was based on the real adventures of the first Japanese crew to spend the winter on the frozen continent. The story took place during the mid to late 1950s encompassing the struggles to get the expedition off the ground to fighting to return to recover the furry crew left behind. For dog lovers, this will be a painful watch because these were some of the best boys and girls ever.Kuramochi Takeshi is a geology professor determined to help Japan participate in the International Geophysical Year with a trip to Antarctica. His father had once traveled there and Takeshi is eager to follow in his snowshoes. With Japan suffering from not only devastating economic post war issues, it was also grappling with an identity crisis. Takeshi believes that a successful trip to the bottom of the world will revive the people’s spirits and help them to dream big once again. Takeshi desperately wants to give the children something to look forward to and to be proud of. The Japanese government and the international community are not keen on the idea, thinking Japan under prepared and funded for such a venture. Takeshi and friends convince even the most hard-hearted politicians with the help of school children donating their meager savings to the cause. When the men finally set sail, they have no idea of the wonder and hardships that await them.
The first episode was slow with political posturing and the struggles of adapting a ship for the ice filled waters, finding and training sled dogs, and picking a crew. Time was severely limited and those involved were not always experts on what needed to happen. Takeshi and the young Inuzuka were charged with finding sled dogs and training them, something neither had ever done. Takeshi also helped with the ship renovations. Developing a cohesive crew that could depend on each other with their lives proved daunting.
The acting was quite strong overall. With a great deal of melodrama milked for all it was worth the tears flowed freely. Men from different walks of life with different motivations for the trip had to overcome personality conflicts to work together. The drama filmed in Antarctica which showed the beauty and grandeur of the isolated continent. And of course, the stars of the show, the sled dogs were the heart and heartbreak of the story. I was saddened to learn that Sakhalin huskies couldn’t be used as there were only two purebreds left in Japan in 2011. Today there are none according to a recent report.
The drama often stalled due to a great deal of redundancy. Watching them retrofit the Soya once was okay, three times a bit much. And then the crowds gathering to send them off and welcome them home each time became repetitive. Every people wants to feel proud of their country and rousing speeches used judiciously lead to a heartwarming effect. But when patriotic, rousing speeches are overused it begins to wear thin.
This drama, like my review, felt like it should have been significantly shortened, a lengthy list of concerns follows for anyone interested in reading the rest. I enjoyed the redemption stories and the desire to venture forth to new horizons and give the people new dreams to dream. Takeshi’s developing love for his dogs and need to return to them was the crux of the drama buried in a pile of bureaucratic red tape. Dramas and films based on real world events are something I enjoy, but this one strained my attention span on several occasions. Near the end even when I knew a scene was made up for dramatic effect, tears still filled my eyes. The Sakhalin huskies were a lesson in triumph, resiliency, and survival. And ultimately, the bottomless well of forgiveness and love these majestic animals bestow on us, whether we are worthy of their devotion or not.
8 August 2025
Things that perplexed me, spoilery, but not too spoilery comments below:
The Japanese felt looked down upon because they had lost WWII and were constantly declaring that a successful trip would cause the international community to no longer think of them as losers. This felt like projection as much of the world was more concerned with the aggressor actions of the Japanese that contributed to a world war and up to 85 million deaths, not the fact that they were stopped. Germany had fences to mend as well. Acceptance and forgiveness take time.
I hope that many of the hazards the men dealt with were examples of dramatic license, otherwise they nearly proved to the international community that they were in fact not quite ready to take this step. Sometimes it pays to call in experts, I could not understand the decision for men unaccustomed to dogs in general attempting to train sled dogs which is a specialized skill. The decision to over-winter was shown as a last-minute decision onboard the Soya which went against governmental orders. How did they have enough supplies? Especially when they lost months’ worth of food supplies not once, but twice. Sakhalin huskies are voracious eaters and would have needed an enormous amount of food. The humans would also have required twice their normal calorie consumption. They mentioned fishing but catching enough fish in the deep dark of winter would have been a dangerous proposition. They often failed to plan ahead and had nearly deadly consequences more than once. Also, when facing death due to hypothermia, wouldn’t using the dogs for warmth have helped? They also didn’t seem to know that being so close to the magnetic pole would affect their compasses. One man made the team by lying on his resume which was caught early on, but was allowed to stay. His ineptitude all but caused a deadly disaster. Einstein’s quote was used repeatedly, “People are born to gain experience.” True, but in a place as unforgiving as Antarctica’s winter, everyone had to be counted on for survival.
Poor planning may have contributed to the canine tragedy as well. When the ship was in trouble, they delayed asking for help in order for the higher ups to save face putting the men and dogs in danger. The dogs’ lives were only considered by the government when the people turned against them and by then it was too late. The haphazard approach the team often defaulted to could be frustrating to watch.
The men would have stayed in Antarctica during the long dark winter. This total blackness was never shown to great effect, too often all of the action was well lit outdoors. Given they would have filmed in the summer when it was safer, but the rising sun constantly appearing over the horizon was overused. Yes, we wanted to see the actors' faces but that exposed skin would have been a health hazard in the winter. Same for when the sun was out all the time, where were their sunglasses to protect their eyes? Finally, even sled dogs should be given some form of shelter when conditions are extreme. Many of the dogs dying of “natural” causes at the age of 4 or 6 may not have been so natural. Sakhalin lifespans often reached 20 years old.
These are the things that tripped me up as I watched this drama, making me feel far more sympathy for the dogs than the people who couldn’t seem to get out of their own way at times. The expeditions and discovery of Jiro and Taro gave the Japanese a sense of excitement and pride when they dearly needed it so in the end perhaps it was all worth it, though the loss of the dogs that saved their lives on more than one occasion was a heartbreaker. Worth a watch, but would have benefited from condensing the story.
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Today's ally may be tomorrow's enemy
Jin Season 2 picked up two years after the good doctor fell into 1862 Edo. The warring factions were turning up the heat which could lead to cities and castles burning. Jin tried to convince his friend Sakamoto Ryoma to find a better way to unite Japan than all-out war. In the meantime, he had Jinyudo to run and penicillin to make. His headaches became worse and Jin feared his time in the past might well be ending one way or another.Jin must deal with wounded soldiers, burned civilians, an injured time traveler, and beriberi sufferers. In his spare time, he travels to medical conferences to tout his penicillin and share the formula. During his journeys he treats patients from both sides of the conflict, yet is always left wondering if he has actually saved anyone. A royal trip lands him in prison with only his friends to rely upon. He and Saki help a pregnant friend and try to save the life of another. An old nemesis causes Jin and his disciples trouble that could cost them their lives and Jinyudo.
This season the oft mentioned Miki was all but forgotten. Despite their repressed---deeply repressed---feelings, Saki and Jin spent awkward time together in those old school hotel tropes, the kind with only one room. Jin slammed into history’s boundaries on a regular basis that were a pain in the old noggin’. He and his friends still ran, but this time steam boating was added as the plucky doctors traveled across the country saving lives.
Jin came across emotionally volatile and twitchy this season, something unexpected after having lived in ye olden times for 6 years and possessing the nerves of a surgeon (regardless of his health issues). Saki retreated behind her Edo smile which caused her to appear distant and enigmatic. I was truly disappointed that this pivotal character was not better written. Wanting to be a doctor and not so secretly being in love with her sensei were not true character traits. Ayase Haruka had an ethereal beauty about her, but I would like to have seen clearer growth and depth for Saki. Ryoma, as in S1, often came across as being slightly unhinged. Cunning and loyal, but unhinged.
Having watched both seasons now, I have a few unresolved issues with the drama. They struggled to answer the question of why Jin was sent back, something he questioned in every episode. Their basic time traveling rules were erratic. Instead of sympathizing with Jin and Saki’s unrequited love, it felt like the drama was baiting me by mentioning it. They were both so good at hiding their feelings that had they not reminded me, I would never have known. Jin and Ryoma had more passionate scenes than any between Jin and Saki. Trying to cover the various political factions along with the medical stories made this season feel less cohesive. Due to many of these problems, the ending didn’t hit for me, the way I’m sure the writers wanted it to.
After the previous paragraph it may sound as if I didn’t like it, but overall, I enjoyed this time traveling medical drama. Most of the characters had good hearts and were eager to help others. People desired for their country to be unified and peaceful. In this drama it wasn’t karma being a bitch, this time it was history. Speaking of history, I enjoyed this angle on the tumultuous end of the Tokugawa Shogunate era. S2 might not have been as strong as S1 but Jin is definitely worth trying if you like any of the genres or actors involved in it.
27 July 2025
7.75 upgraded to an 8.0
Triggers: Ryoma upped his nose picking. Ick. Like season 1, there were graphic surgery scenes. There were also torture scenes if you are sensitive to those.
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