The Butterfly

"Shoot that western ghost!"

I was really looking forward to hopping vampires in Doctor Vampire but had to settle for Western vampires. A virginal doctor’s car breaks down in the UK and an isolated castle in the woods turns out to be a den of vampires “entertaining” their guests with their extra-long incisors!

Dr. Chiang Ta Tsung’s car breaks down on the way to the airport in the UK. He stumbles upon a castle where he hopes to use the phone. Instead, his soda is drugged and he ends up in bed with a gorgeous Chinese vampire who bites him in a very private place. When Chiang returns to Hong Kong, he’s thrilled to no longer be a virgin, something he can’t tell his virgin girlfriend May. Slowly, he notices changes in himself-an aversion to garlic and bright light, a desire for black clothes with a cape, and telekinetic abilities. Alice, the European vamp, shows up and tells him what he needs to do to not become a vampire permanently. The biggest problem the two will face is that the Count who is the head vampire, so enjoyed Chiang’s blood that he’s coming to Hong Kong for more than a taste!

Dr. Chiang had two buddies who were reticent at first about his changes but then jumped onboard and helped with whatever he needed. Regardless of how much they broke their Hippocratic oath. How did these three bozos become surgeons? Side note, the operating scenes were abysmal. Girlfriend May’s roomie Joy kept her friend off-guard always spying and gossiping. Speaking of which, when entertaining a lady vampire across the hall from a girlfriend and gossipy friend, probably best to close the blinds so they can’t see what’s going on.

The film attempted to be a funny sex-tinged romp. A vampire with an enormous erection! Who tried to rape all the nurses in the hospital. Yeah, very funny. Homophobic jokes. Also, hilarious. Not. Doctor Vampire had some stupid funny moments, but many were painfully unfunny and didn’t age well. Where do they find people with really dried out, bad bleached blonde hair and/or wigs? Is that what the filmmakers think Europeans look like? The Count’s wig and makeup actually were clown like and hilarious. Once he showed up things became more interesting. Prolific writer Ni Kuang had a small role as a Taoist priest which was a fun cameo. I loved that they tied the Chinese Opera into the big fight. Never spit on or toss around a Buddha statue!

Doctor Vampire was low budget with low tech special effects and often the story didn’t make sense. Chiang was not going to be voted boyfriend of the year juggling a sexy female vampire and his long-time girlfriend. Nor was he a doctor any sane person would go to. If you enjoy old Hong Kong vampire comedies you might want to try this. For me, it thankfully wasn't long. Hopping vampires might have helped.

23 October 2026

Trigger warnings: Infidelity. The first time could be chalked up to a drugged drink. The next time he was stone cold sober. A huge male erection used as a long running gag. Attempted SA. Homophobic jokes. If you are in the medical field and choose to watch this, don’t have any heavy objects nearby that you can throw at the screen.

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Things that go boom in the night...and the day

If you watched Hard Boiled and thought, “Hmmmm...there weren’t enough bullets and bodies,” Heroes Shed No Tears might be the film you are looking for. One of, if not John Woo’s first action film, he pulled out all the stops for this mercenaries attempting to get a drug lord safely from the Laos/Vietnamese border across hostile territory to the government of Thailand to claim their rewards.

Chan Chung leads a squad of Chinese mercenaries. Their mission is to capture the drug lord, General Samton, and take him to Thailand. Chan is promised an American green card. His co-harts are in it largely for the money. Capturing the general proves to be easy. The journey not so much, as it turns deadly fast as Chan’s family has to be rescued, the General’s men are on their trail, and along the way he manages to infuriate and wound a Vietnamese Colonel who vows to hunt him down with his men.

From beginning to end, Woo found an excuse to blow things up. In one fight I thought to myself the only thing missing was a flame thrower. Voila! A dude with a flame thrower showed up! The combatants’ shooting style appeared to be pray and spray as no real aiming took place. Fortunately for them, the stunt men were quite adept at flying and falling. People were shot, stabbed, set on fire, impaled, blown up, tortured, and then shot again. There were numerous creative ambush scenes. The final battle between Chan and the Colonel was brutally realistic, even when it included flaming poles.

Eddy Ko did a solid job as the squad leader and father of an annoying if not resourceful child. Lam Ching Ying (Mr. Vampire!) was the merciless Colonel tailing Chan Chung. How he lost his eye was actually the most interesting effect in the film. Chin Yuet Sang’s Chin was given way too much time for his “comedic” antics.

Aside from the sketchy details of where they were at any given time, there was a glaring issue with the intrepid band of soldiers. The colonel hired local tribesmen at the point of a gun to track Chan Chung’s group. Why this was necessary was beyond me. Chan’s group was hardly stealthy. Most of the time they were on main roads and well used paths. They were loud, slow, took time to gamble with the locals, and strip bodies of anything valuable. They acted like no one was after them regardless of evidence to the contrary. Aside from the boy who was always yelling for his father, they’d also picked up an annoying French woman. Coupled with the problematic Chin, the Triangle of Irritation was a bit much. Chan Chung also had powerful plot armor and healing abilities, he went from being mostly dead to back in action without missing a beat. Ridiculous 80’s action tropes were strong in this story.

If you are a John Woo completionist, you cannot miss this film where he began to hone his bloody resume. Or if you just enjoy watching things blow up and relentless carnage, this might be one to try. If none of that draws you in, probably best to skip.

14 September 2026

Trigger Warnings: Nudity. Sexual situations. Sexual assaults. Multiple impalements. Dismemberment. Eye torture. Snake. Smoking of drugs.

Multinational note: The cast included actors from Hong Kong, Thailand, France, and South Korea. The movie was filmed in Thailand.

Release day note: The film was completed in 1984 and released in SK that year. Wider release was held until after Woo's A Better Tomorrow (1986)

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What is your most precious memory?

Koreeda Hirokazu asked what comes After Life in a film set in a halfway house for the dearly departed. He tackled meaning and memory in this slow paced almost documentary style film.

A small crew of after-life counselors greet the new arrivals to a drab, spare facility on Mondays. Everyone regardless of what they did or didn’t do on Earth make their way here. This week they have 22 people who have passed and must accomplish a task by Wednesday before they can move on. The task appears to be simple yet trips up several people. What is your most joyous or meaningful memory? They can only take a single recollection with them and will forget all the rest. A businessman felt like everything was humdrum about his existence and can’t remember an extraordinary event. A twenty-one-year-old refuses to choose based on principle calling into question the celestial system. Once memories are chosen, they are reenacted so that the person can travel to the next level.

As a fan of Defending Your Life I was curious about Koreeda’s take on the subject. I honestly needed either a better translation or better understanding of his afterlife philosophy. In a couple of scenes, the new arrivals were told the beloved memory was what they would live over and over. A Groundhog Day eternity of one occurrence on repeat sounded like Hell to me. Earlier in the film it was said that the chosen moment’s feeling would be what the person would experience for eternity. I might have been on the list of those unable to choose, that’s a heck of a commitment to a lone feeling/event.

There were times the film dipped into “inside baseball” territory as the sets were built and filmed for the characters’ revelatory choices. It felt like a low rent afterlife as most of the action took place in a rundown school with peeling paint and fuses that blew when too many people used their hairdryers at once. The sets built were rudimentary, bordering on high school play level. Why not just use the video tapes from the people’s lives that were available?

Memories and how we choose to remember them shape us into who we are and how we interact with others. Setting aside my concerns, I did like how Koreeda challenged not only the characters but also the audience to comb their memory banks for the most cherished event in their lives. Memories fade, morph, and expand as we live. During the process of searching for that crucial occasion, the film bids us to make meaningful memories while we can. Often it was not the grand things that held precious sway in a person’s life, but the small things that provided the most meaning. A mother’s caress, an autumn day on a bench connecting with someone else, even discovering their life was someone else’s treasured remembrance. Like most people, the characters led mundane lives of earning a living and taking care of the day-to-day details that can fill the hours of the days that turn into years. What can we do to find moments and people to cherish, something worth carrying forward? If you enjoy slow, thoughtful, reflective films, this is one to try.

13 September 2026

Casting note: Currently Iseya Yusuke is listed as a main, he is only in a few short, but pivotal scenes.
I was thrilled to see Kagawa Kyoko in the VHS memories!

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"Hope is the beginning of calamity"

The King of Pigs is another drama focusing on South Korea’s national trauma---school bullying. It is hard to peruse very far when looking for a Kdrama or Kfilm to watch that doesn’t touch on bullying—in school, the work place, or in politics. “Know your place” is a well-worn phrase straight out of the Joseon Era. The King of Pigs showed how the emotional damage to two young boys was internalized and then realized in a complex gory and deadly revenge plot played out on both sides of the law.

Lt. Kang Jin Ah is called to a possible suicide scene when a message is found scrawled on the window mentioning another officer she has worked with-Jung Jong Suk. She calls Jung in to help her and it’s not long before Jung’s ties to the killer are revealed. After a gruesome discovery, Jung becomes as much suspect as witness, complicating the case further.

The vicious revenge plot played out well. These types of dramas and films throw me into my own existential and spiritual crisis as I find myself rooting for the killer. Adults who as children had been subjected to what amounted to torture developing psychological breakdowns was not much of a surprise. What was surprising was the calm, methodological manner Hwang Kyung Min planned his vengeance even while hallucinating. For Jung Jong Suk, as the memories flooded in, his mental stability flooded out, causing him to act less rationally as he struggled to deal with the past. Both had basically been POWs, trapped in a cell with their tormentors with no escape and no help coming. For the tormentors it was all fun and games.

The class divide raised its ugly head inside and outside of the classroom. Teachers bowed to money and power and turned a blind eye to the bullying. The homeroom teacher lamented not being able to physically abuse the young men in his class. One wealthy father felt perfectly comfortable beating a student and striking a woman in a public place with no repercussions. The vulnerable had no one to turn to and no one seemed to care about their suffering. The bullies were too cowardly to act on their own but hunted in packs like wolves. Yet if the classmates who did nothing had banded together with the victims, they would have outnumbered the bullies. Instead of pigs, which can be dangerous, they acted more like sheep.

Kim Sung Kyu gave a strong performance as the slowly unraveling Jung. Kim Dong Wook endowed Hwang with a powerful determination to accomplish the tasks set out before him. The flashback scenes worked particularly well because the drama actually utilized teenage actors instead of trying to paste on more makeup and make the audience pretend thirty-five-year-olds were playing middle school students. All of the teens played their roles well. My biggest problem was with Chae Jung An as Lt. Kang. If the writers were going for a loner who liked to work alone and who didn’t always play by the rules, then she better make a difference and better be charismatic. Unfortunately, neither happened. The character vacillated too much, didn’t accomplish anything meaningful, and came across as petty and bland. And dear goodness, she had a bad habit of holding her gun pointed at her own head-gun safety people!

The King of Pigs traveled at a break neck pace, never letting off the pedal of death and mayhem. While the investigation aspect of the drama had weaknesses, the psychological thriller delivered an onslaught of emotional punches. One more drama warning people that extreme bullying can break people down, break them so badly that a glimmer of hope could lead to calamity.

“Dogs are loved for their very existence. But pigs could only have their worth acknowledged when they are torn to bits to become food for the humans.”

3 July 2026

Trigger warnings: SUICIDES, abuse, sexual abuse, smoking, drug use, gory torture, animal cruelty

Traffic notes: Another drama where car chases took place on empty four lane highways. People were constantly laying down in the street. Have they never heard of The White Truck of Doom???

Homeroom Note: Why are teachers never in the classrooms, especially with bullying being an issue?

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"I gradually lost my sense of time"

Buenos Aires Zero Degree: The Making of Happy Together was an interesting if overly long documentary. There were tantalizing “what could have been” storylines and deleted scenes. The film was directed by Amos Lee and Kwan Pung Leung attempting Wong Kar Wai’s style.

*What worked for me:

The early clips of Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Leslie Cheung practicing the dance scenes made me want to watch the film all over again. Their intensity, even in rehearsal, was mesmerizing. When the documentary focused on these two whether in outtakes, deleted scenes, or rehearsals, just like the film, you can't take your eyes off them.

There were snippets of interviews with Tony. He told of his desperate homesickness while they were stuck in Argentina hanging out when Leslie had to return to Hong Kong for his concerts. The six-week Argentina film shoot turned into four months putting pressure on everyone. Tony wondered if Wong had done it purposefully to drive them to the edge for the film.

Wong Kar Wai only knew he wanted to tell the story of Ho Po Wing and Lai Yiu Fai in Argentina and little else upon their arrival on the other side of the world. He proffered several story concepts, including Leslie playing both characters and dressing in drag among other ideas. Deleted scenes were shown and a much different ending was discussed. Crew members gave a tour of the various locations used in the film and told of the troubles they encountered.

*What didn’t work as well:

Initially, the interviews with crew members were insightful, but then it faltered as fewer compelling stories were shared. The last third of the film lapsed into a musical montage featuring supporting characters and their story possibilities.

The shaky, out of focus camera style was more annoying than intriguing.

*Was it worth watching?

Yes, with caveats. The first half of the documentary was well worth watching to hear how the director cobbled the story together and abandoned creative conceptions that would have carried the story in very different directions. As much as I loved the film Happy Together, the narrative was thin. Tony and Leslie made the film as they threw themselves into their roles. As their presence dissipated from the screen in the documentary, it quickly ran out of steam. Would recommend for anyone who has not read about the difficulties in making the film, but otherwise it was skippable. (7.25 bumped up to 7.5 only for the scenes of Tony and Leslie burning up the screen with their amazing chemistry and presence, even in short clips)

“…in a land of zero degree, with neither east nor west,
has neither day nor night, which is neither cold nor warm,
I learned the feeling of exile.”
-Wong Kar Wai

30 May 2026

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Perception is reality even when it's a poem

Walking to the Moon is a 2022 short film. The actual film was under 8 minutes yet resonated long after. Seen through the eyes of an autistic boy, the world alternated between nightmare and poetry in motion.

Ning An lives with his mother who runs a hair salon. Her boyfriend is derogatory toward him as Ning An is autistic. During a distressing moment, Ning An flees the salon and runs to the ocean.

Much of what transpires in this short film is from Ning An’s perspective, how he sees and experiences the world. A mirror is a window to the moon and ocean. A walk in the surf becomes a dance to the music of the whales and gulls all to the rhythm of the waves. The moon calls to him at the door to the ocean, personified, in a gentle underwater ballet.

This film is ethereal, enigmatic, a song, a dance, and a reminder that everyone sees the world in a deeply personal manner. I suspect viewers will interpret this film that glides between “reality” and “illusion” differently.

“You keep calling me, so I came here.
At the entrance to the deep ocean.
While this moment, ocean and ocean,
I’m here to bring you back.”

19 May 2026

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August was a documentary bike ride to Lhasa, Tibet taken and directed by Zhang Zhe Han. The short film was part scenic trip and part journal revelations.

After being publicly canceled in August of 2021 and dragged through the mud by netizens, Zhang was afraid to leave his house and be seen in public. (Having read the complaints, it seemed like the punishment did not fit the crime at least from this outsider’s perspective.) Music helped restore the embattled actor and he found new ways to express himself, find work, and begin healing his wounds. This documentary was one of the ways he let people know that words can hurt and that he was choosing to focus on the positive.

There were times the set-ups felt overly staged as he played with children, helped a restaurant owner cook and serve, learned from river raft guides about their business and relationship, or interviewed a Tibetan musician. Having said that, I enjoyed the bits and his chats with the different people who opened their lives to him. The scenery, as expected, was stunning. Mountain vistas, glaciers, rivers, green fields with nomadic herds, all were soothing as Zhang experienced them.

If you are a Zhang Zhe Han fan, I could highly recommend “August” as he bared his heart and discussed his life without going into the “scandal” that nearly broke him. If you don’t know who he is, the documentary is still a sweet ride through the Tibetan mountains with brief glimpses into the people who live and work there.

4 May 2026

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"They are my family, no reason is needed"

Yakuza and the Family aka A Family showed the changing world of the yakuza in three acts through the eyes of Yamamoto Kenji. A fatherless child lashing out at the world, he found a place to be with Shibasaki’s yakuza family. He was to learn that a family born of violence would teach him the meaning of suffering and loss.

Yamamoto Kenji spirals out of control after the death of his father that was drug related. His subsequent actions lead him to the door of his own demise when a slip of paper offers him a chance at survival and a new home. Shibasaki gifts him a new father and a place to belong. As the world changes so does Kenji’s fate.

When the film started, we’re watching the classic, cool guys, sunglasses at night yakuza with their pomp and circumstance. As Kenji moved up the ranks he walked openly down the middle of the street and straightened out problems with his fists. Even then, change was in the wings as their turf was scheduled for new development and the police and government were looking to sweep the yakuza away. A further jump in time and the traditional yakuza families were dying from attrition as society had deemed them unworthy. Leaving the yakuza offered no comfort as the men were faced with societal and economic ostracism. Where once Kenji had a found family, now any ties he had were unraveling.

The film was cyclical in its familial, especially fatherly, interactions. As father figures came and went, new ones took their places. Kenji went from having a drug addicted father to a criminal replacement. The viewer had to fill in the shortcuts implying Shibasaki’s paternal feelings for Kenji and vice versa. Violent, loyal men were now Kenji’s family and role models. I’m not sure if it was the director’s goal but it ended up feeling like a nostalgic and sentimental retrospect of the criminal organizations using the family motif.

Kenji’s utter lack of polite social skills became more apparent as he attempted to find a girlfriend. “Get in the car!” is not exactly the line most women are hoping to hear from a potential suitor. The romance was the real weak point in this film and I found it incredibly difficult to buy into. Kenji was capable of showing emotions, but often when he did, the audience was left out of their true depth. His first loss as a yakuza, one he grieved and whose death turned his life upside down, was a character who had few lines. Again, the audience was required to do the writer’s work.

A Family wasn’t just one unit, it was a dysfunctional extended family entangled with other families and loved ones spanning generations. Kenji’s made family was complicated and fraught with danger and slowly disappearing. He fought for them, suffered for them, and even killed for them, only on rare occasions allowing himself to show the personal costs to himself. Kenji might have secretly wished for a normal existence, but a yakuza’s path rarely proceeded peacefully as he discovered. All he could do was what seemed right though it might not be right, to avenge or help the people he cared about despite the price he would have to pay. I’m not sure if it was the director’s goal but it ended up feeling like a nostalgic and sentimental retrospect of the criminal organizations.

3 May 2026
Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, smoking, bare butts.

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"Games between men are pathetic"

I don’t require a lot from martial arts films. Give me some good fights and a somewhat coherent story, maybe even one compelling character and I’m in. 100 Yards had maybe one out of those three criteria.

Shen An’s father is the head of a martial arts academy and dying. His best student comes home and his father has him dual his son for the academy. The academies are part of The Circle which helps to keep the peace. Once upon a time each academy was responsible for policing 100 yards around their school and gradually those territories grew. Now the student and the son butt heads over the future of The Circle and the city.

The fights were well shot without wires and without ridiculous undercranked or sped up shots. They were also sans CGI and extreme close-ups ---thank goodness. No one was thrown twenty feet into the air and bodies didn’t crush brick walls. The fight choreography was more realistic and Jacky Heung had nice moves. His acting, on the other hand, was painfully bad. He only had one facial expression in his bag of tricks which began to wear thin. Andy On’s Qi wasn’t much better. The never-ending fights began to feel pointless and in the end were pointless. The writing and directing went too heavy on the try and instead of cool came across as overly dramatic and cringey.

100 Yards is worth seeing if you are interested in a variety of fights with different weapons and styles. As long as you don’t expect any sort of compelling story or characters.

27 March 2026
Trigger warnings: there were a few slicey scenes but nothing egregious.

Note: The original Circle Chairperson was an actress they styled to look like a cross dressing Brigitte Lin. Hoping it was a respectful homage.

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"I can't jump! I'm not Tony Jaa!"

If you are looking for a tight, nail-biting action film with strong acting, Striking Rescue ain’t it. If you are in the mood to see Tony Jaa cut loose with fierce elbows and knees on his opponents like he hasn’t done in recent history…this is it. My rating is comparing this film against other Jaa films.

Bai An is on a vengeful rampage after his wife and daughter are gunned down in front of him. Believing the perpetrator to be his wife’s boss, Chairman He Ying Hao, Bai An leaves no stone unturned and no body unbroken in his hunt for He. Lying in wait for He and his caravan travelling through the jungle, Bai An is surprised to find He’s crew attacked and He taken prisoner. In a strange trick of fate, Bai An ends up saving He’s daughter, Ting. The two join forces to find He with nearly everyone in town hunting the pair including Ting’s dutiful bodyguard, Wu Zheng.

The story was a flat framework used to hold up the fights. There were a half-dozen bad guys with their own crews of machete carrying minions that queued up for Bai An to pummel his way through. Despite his hatred of He, he risked his life repeatedly to keep Ting unharmed. Chen Duo Yi made the most of her damsel in distress role. Wu Zheng ended up being a nice fight buddy as the two reluctantly helped each other out. Two of the villains were wildly over the top which didn’t enhance the story. Shi Yan Neng played a villain he could do in his sleep at this point.

Now for a reason to watch this film. Tony Jaa at nearly 50 years old was amazing. I had to look up the fight choreographer and discovered it was Guo Yu Long. I’m not familiar with his work and it doesn’t look like he’s worked on many films, but he certainly knew how to showcase Tony’s talents. One of the best things about Tony’s fights was that he didn’t do a lot of rapid-fire punches that seemed pointless, unless it was the main villain. He aimed for the weak spots-elbows, shoulders, knees, and neck, which down an opponent immediately. Tony may be small but he’s mighty and a thing of frightening beauty to behold.

Striking Rescue may not have provided anything new in an action story and did run long, but it was good to see Tony in fine form again. I’ve missed his vicious knees and elbows. Don’t stay away so long, ‘kay? Rated on a Jaa curve. If you are a Tony fan, you’ll think it’s Jaa-some. If not, probably Jaa-ful.

21 March 2026

Trigger warnings: A few grisly fight scenes and a short operation scene. Child murder.

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"It's not hopelessness that makes me suffer, but the endless hope"

When two grieving and angry mothers feel that justice has not been served, they bring a killer back to life in order to exact their revenge in The Resurrected. Vengeance turns out to not be so slick and clean, nor easily attained.

Wang Hui Chun is vigilant in the care of her daughter Jin Jin who lies in a coma in the distant country of Benkha. Her abusive, unfaithful husband continually berates her for not pulling the plug on their daughter but Hui Chun clings to the hope her daughter will one day awaken. Widow Chao Ching’s daughter Hsin Yi was brutally murdered by the same people responsible for Jin Jin’s coma. The mothers use their own resources to bring the killer to justice with the aid of another victim’s mother. When the killer dies “with dignity” it is too much for them and they put into motion an unnatural plan to resurrect him. Chang Shih Kai is not so easily manipulated and begins to create doubt in the mothers. Hui Chun and Chao Ching also grapple with the powerful people behind Chang, who could prove to be far more dangerous than the dead man.

The strength of this drama lay with the lead actresses. Shu Qi as Hui Chun was the follower of the two, usually siding with whatever Chao Ching decided on. Her world was swallowed up in debt and caring for the comatose Jin Jin, and drowning in endless hope. Angelica Lee’s Chao Ching came across as hard, obsessive and ruthless in her desire for vengeance. Broken by the cruel death of her daughter and her own guilty feelings, her only reason for living was to punish anyone involved with Hsin Yi’s suffering. She doggedly followed every lead offering zero compassion. Fu Meng Po as the killer Chang Shih Kai spent most of his scenes bloodied and tied up. He had to dig deep to bring nuance to the mothers’ despicable foe. While the writers tried to soften him with a tragic backstory, it had no effect on my view of him. He and his organization emotionally and physically tortured young people, killing them when they were no longer useful.

I had no problem with the mothers’ desire for vengeance on the man who tortured and killed their children. Hsin Yi died a horrific death. A mother’s need to protect resides deep in her DNA. Knowing her child was in danger, crying out for her and she’d been unable to save her, would be a parent’s worst nightmare. The first few episodes were enthralling. Even the social commentary on the wicked ways of the rich fit into the story. Then it seemed the writers didn’t trust their characters and added mysterious layers that were unnecessary and garbled things up. KISS is always best (Keep It Simple Stupid). The last few eps ran off the rails, though they managed to salvage the two mothers after tearing their characters up. The writers also reverted to a trope at the end that was tired and overused by the 1980s. I don’t think they were setting up a sequel, I think it was just a cheap trick at a jump scare.

I loved watching Shu Qi and Angelica Lee delve deeply into their characters’ pain and anger. They were quite compelling to watch. For these two alone, it was a drama worth giving a try. Despite the erratic and convoluted nature of the writing in the last three episodes, I still enjoyed this drama overall. The Resurrected was a dark, twisted vengeance drama that will not be for everyone. Please take note of the triggers. Others may find it far too tame. The supernatural element didn’t play into the story too much. The real draw for me was watching two, actually three women process their grief and rage in different manners, all by skilled actresses.

17 October 2025
Trigger warnings: Torture-both of the guilty and the innocent. Sexual assault. Sexual content. Brief nudity. Drug use. Smoking. The occult.

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"I've lost my breasts. What can I write about?"

Tanaka Kinuyo tackled three sensitive topics for 1955 in The Eternal Breasts aka Forever a Woman—divorce, breast cancer, and a woman’s sexuality. I'd watched the other four films she directed but saved this fifth one for last as I knew it would be the most devastating for me. Having lost the two most important women in my life to it, I take this disease personally.

Fumiko and her two small children, Noboru and Aiko, make the most of their days. Her mother helps the family out when she can as Fumiko’s husband has given up on finding a job, is for all practical purposes a drug addict, and an unapologetic adulterer. After having enough, Fumiko files for divorce. Her only solace through her marriage and divorce was the poetry club she belonged to. Because of the depressing nature of her marriage her poems were described as “overblown.” An old friend sends her poems to a Tokyo newspaper looking for new talent and she is “discovered.” Unfortunately, Fumiko also discovers she has late-stage breast cancer. A young reporter enters her life, more concerned for her health than the story.

Discovering you had late-stage breast cancer that had metastasized to the lungs was a deadly diagnosis in 1955. In truth, if it was already in her lungs, it would have been in her brain and limbs as well. Mastectomies were the primary treatment. Chemotherapy was in its infancy and not trusted. Radiation and some hormone therapies were about the extent of possible medical regimens. Fumiko was confined to the hospital that had bars on the windows and doors, functioning effectively as a cage. Her children were not allowed to visit, which for a mother would be barbaric. Her roommates were transferred to a different room as they neared the end of their life and then the long dark hallway to the morgue. It seemed like a lonely way to spend one’s final days.

Despite being relegated to a room waiting to die, Fumiko began to work through her feelings and thoughts. At first, she felt less like a woman without her breasts. As time went on, she came to realize she still had longings and desires. Her poetry reflected her fight with cancer and death, and what it meant to be a woman. Could she still be a woman without her breasts? She began to speak her truth and her mind more openly. At this point what did she have to lose? The same society that kept her from attending her brother’s wedding and caused her to marry a man she didn’t care about could no longer censor her thoughts or actions. She was dying, what else could they do to her?

The women around her stayed by her side and cared for her and her children. Her brother won the good brother award as he, too, didn’t shy away from her as some men are wont to do. The young reporter, Otsuki, gave her the joyous gift she had longed for. While the mystery after death must be walked alone, Fumiko was fortunate to have loved ones who cared for her.

Tanaka Kinuyo created a strong film about an imperfect woman who loved her children and family, loved poetry, loved men, and in the end was able to love her “sinful” self, unconcerned about any “unreliable gods” out there. Nakajo Fumiko, the tanka poet this film was based on, died at the age of 31, leaving behind four children and her poetry. Your Auntie Butterfly implores you to begin doing breast exams in your 20s, talk with your doctor about your risk factors, and when the time comes, march right in and get squished. The treatments now are much more sophisticated and successful, especially if they catch it early.

"Death shall lighten
and free me
to even ride
on your shoulder"

2 September 2025
Triggers: F*cking cancer

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"Your lines are your emotions"

If you imagine a rabbit is blue then the rabbit is blue. Adapted from a manga, Blue Period was a gentle coming of age story about a high school boy going through the motions until he discovers his passion. I have not read the manga so my review will be based solely on the film.

High schooler Yaguchi Yatora excels at academics and after classes hangs out with his three best friends. Life would seem to be perfect, but he’s merely going through the motions. He finds no meaning or thrill in his days until he’s forced to take an art class. In one blue moment, he discovers his zing and something that makes life worthwhile. He throws himself into his artwork, fighting to make up for a lack of natural talent with determined enthusiasm.

Full disclosure, this kind of film is my jam. I am a frustrated artist and love watching other people perform miracles on paper and canvas even when it is fictional. This was not a film with twists and turns, in fact it was quite predictable. Yet I still enjoyed watching Yatora’s artistic journey as well as his internal journey. Forever comparing himself to others and lacking in confidence, Blue Period explored his steady growth as an artist and as a young man. This film was far from perfect, but for me it was soothing and motivational

The supporting characters were given little time. Ayukawa Yuka (Ryuji), a young transwoman, received most of the attention outside of Yatora. For the most part, the writers were sensitive and showed the prejudice she faced especially within her own family. I disliked how Yatora continued to refer to her by her masculine name instead of her chosen name, other than that he strove to be a friend to her. And Yuka gave him the advice and push forward he often needed. The other supporting characters were there to fill in the canvas.

Blue Period had no villains except for the brutal inner critic that lives within all of us. Yatora came to understand that regardless of how “flimsy and pathetic” people appeared to be, everyone deserved to be loved. Through his art, Yatora began to really see the people and world around him. He learned to stop comparing himself to others and focused on his own path that held mistakes but also wonderful bursts of insight and creative innovation. Inspiration is contagious…pass it on!

"They can't create what I can, a world all my own."

11 July 2025

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"This too shall pass"

Unforgivable starring Kim Jung Hyun sporting some sexy facial was a dark and tragic story of how one assumption and ill spoken word could start a domino effect of cruelty, death, and gruesome torture.

Detective Lee is called to a bloody crime scene in a public bathroom. Inside the victim’s mouth is wedged a note. Before long Lee and his young partner, Detective Kim aka Professor of Statistics, are hip deep in bodies tracing back to bullying incidents in high school and the military. The person with the biggest grudge is removed from the suspect list as he committed suicide 10 years prior.

Unforgivable once again trod through the national trauma of school and military bullying and how the governing forces are complicit by their inaction. The kind of nightmarish acts that cause victims to commit suicide were difficult to watch. Everyone tied to the case was involved in some manner to Choi Young Hoon, a nice young man who bore the whispers of being gay. Even the hint of being attracted to the same sex was enough for Choi to be ridiculed, shunned, beaten, and eventually driven to his death. Those involved in tormenting him began to be executed by an avenging angel. Detective Lee harbored his own guilt related to Choi that would cause him to break his rule of never becoming emotionally involved with a case.

Unforgivable was in many ways a standard Korean crime drama, which is not a knock, most of them are quite watchable. (Down below I’ll give my reason for bumping it to an 8, above average for my scoring.) Kim Jung Hyun was compelling as the dogged detective and also showing Lee’s downward spiral of guilt upon discovering his connection to the crimes. This film will not be for everyone. The crime scenes were grisly and there was a disturbing sexual assault. In a just world all the tormentors would have faced the legal system and been given serious jail time for their actions. In a better world, Young Hoon would have had access to protection from his bullies and before things escalated, the perpetrators would have been disciplined and deterred. In a more perfect world, there would have been no bullying and people would have accepted Young Hoon for who he was. In Unforgivable’s world, if justice wasn’t an option, neither was forgiveness.

27 May 2025
Trigger Warnings:
Suicides, a rape scene, and gruesome crime scenes

Spoilery thoughts following:

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I bumped my score up .5 for the film following through with the revenge to the end instead of leaving the Big Bad alive to answer with the courts as so often happens. I never had a doubt who the killer was, the person most in need of justice for Choi Young Hoon and who also realized their own complicity in his lonely life.

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Ajummas Assemble!

Could there be anything more fearsome than three ajummas uniting for vengeance? Maybe, but for the self-absorbed and abusive men that had run afoul of our lovely ladies and one teen boy, the Avengers Social Club would strike fear into their hearts before the drama was over.

Through a series of events connected to the local school, Kim Jeong Hye collects two other women in need of vengeance along with herself. The women agree to not physically hurt anyone or do anything (too) illegal. Jeong Hye’s husband is determined to become his father’s heir and brings home his 19-year-old illegitimate son, Lee Su Gyeom, to sweeten the deal. After all, mere girls can’t be in line for running a company. Gyeom isn’t thrilled with the father and mother who abandoned him leaving him to be raised by grandparents. It’s not long before Gyeom joins the Avengers group. Hong Do Hui is at the mercy of a wealthy con artist who wants to shake her down for money when the annoying woman’s bully of a son is “injured” after Do Hui’s son hits him. Lee Mi Suk’s husband has become physically and verbally abusive. He is running for school superintendent and is in bed with Byeong Su and the perverted principal Hong Sang Man. The ladies and Gyeom may be up against an abuser, the school system, the class system, and two major corporations, but they are about to learn just how strong they are.

ASC was a fun wish fulfillment drama. If you live long enough, you’ll be gleefully screwed over by someone and oh how satisfying it would be to have vengeance. As much as I love a good revenge story, ASC was far more about how the women grew as individuals and as friends. All three needed to find their confidence and courage to be their best selves. They also found that three is better than two, and four is better than three. Just like a pack of lionesses (+1 cub) they discovered strength in numbers. The three actresses were all quite good, especially, Ra Mi Ran, as ASC’s resident Unnie.

“Why are they doing this to us?” Rarely has there ever been a group of men less self-aware and more self-absorbed. The women were seen as either property, tools, or impediments. They would learn that it’s very dangerous to underestimate women. Even when it looks like all they do is wear pretty clothes and drink tea.

The biggest drawback to the drama for me was the length of the episodes. Several episodes in the middle could have been shorter with the conflicts and resolutions integrated into one episode instead of two, and the last episode almost felt like a long epilogue due to numerous flashback recaps.

What I learned from ASC:

Don’t anger the woman who cooks your food.
Friends teach friends to cuss and give them a safe place to let loose
Shin kicks are vile but in certain circumstances are well deserved
Korea has children’s books about rabbits who poo on other animals
Do not call women Stodgy Extra Ajummas (especially if any of them are going to cook your food)
The writers could not do math, a 17-year age gap is not small
Mangas can be research material for revenge
Despite the enormous earrings, the drama was set in 2017, not 1985
Never underestimate a woman in a chicken fight!
Some families are made, not born
And most importantly--Sometimes you can feel stronger just knowing that you’re not alone.

24 April 2025

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