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Reviews
Moonfall (2022)
Horrible lines, weak performances, cliché B movie, I loved it!
This movie has all of the makings of a horrible B movie, poorly written dialog, poor performances, one take scenes, and a mishmash of plots and scenes. The movie tried to be way to big, tried to be too profound, too much stuff going on, could have been 3 movies. But, it was fun. I enjoyed it. It's worth the watch. Get a beer. Get high. It's a fun ride.
Turning Red (2022)
No Real World Value
Pixar has sold out to the trendy expectations of culture and gender inclusion. And they got it wrong. Missed gender empowerment by making boys villains, men heroes and women villains and girls victims of their mothers. Missed the cultural inclusion by portraying cultures within their expected stereotypes and completely missing the richness that culture has to offer. Created a Chinese legend of the "Red Panda" that has zero legend in actual Chinese storytelling. Completely made up and smashed into a oriental setting. Very artificial.
The storyline, interestingly, follows the Taiwanese soap opera drama blueprint. Boy meets girl, girl hates boy, then girl falls for boy, but mother tries to ruin the relationship and a battle ensues. The irony is that the predictable story that follows the Taiwan drama blueprint is the only culturally accurate element of the movie! Funny.
I wanted to like this movie, but, sitting with my Chinese wife and stepson, I was cringing in embarrassment. Like taking her to dinner at Panda Express and patting myself on the back for being culturally educated. What is sweet n sour? What is red panda? That doesn't even look like a panda!
Yellowstone (2018)
Binge Worthy Entertainment
So, I'm all caught up after my son told me that I should watch it. I'm glad he did, but, I'm a little pissed too. It's really tough to simply turn the show off and get to bed. Suffice to say, I haven't had much sleep lately and that might show in my writing.
Yellowstone is a little like GOT in that the bad guy becomes the good guy and then a bad guy later. I like dramas that blur the line between good and bad, it's much more human and more relevant to the human condition. Voldemort nailed it, "There's no good or evil, only power and those too afraid to seek it." That sums up this series.
While, for the most part, the performances are brilliant, I do have issue with how the female characters are portrayed. They become too predictable. Each female character has some psychosis that makes them incapable of rational behavior. While I enjoy the nuisances, and poking fun at women, this show takes it a bit too far as there are really no women who you care to idolize. They come close to creating a character in Beth Dutton, who, at times demonstrates capabilities that I admire, but, then the crazy comes out and undermines it all. This seems to be a common theme in the show and if you see a woman, just know, she's going to be crazy too.
My other complaint are the constant dramatic soliloquies in a slow western drawl. These attempt to be insightful and profound, but, instead of teaching a lesson, these snap us from the realities of their world to that fact that this is only a TV drama and I'm watching actors in a TV show.
Reading some of the other reviews made me giggle. I understand that personal politics influences how you see the world, I do, but, if you let yourself get into the series, you can begin to identify with the differences in culture between urban and rural life. The series demonstrates a conflict between Native American and American values. I don't see that conflict as preachy. One reviewer mentioned that he felt the series was too "woke" because the Native Americans expressed that, "one man should not own this much land." That sentiment was re-expressed by a Chinese tourist as well. But, in both cases, the show allowed you to feel the conflict between how each culture perceives this and how land ownership is something we value in the USA. In the end, I found myself feeling annoyed at the objections against land ownership.
Politics do take part in the show and I appreciate the perspectives and the conflicts that it portrays. It doesn't seem like the show takes sides, instead, the characters take sides and it's up to the viewer to understand the conflict and create there own alliances. I think it's this that most people don't like. Graying the lines between black and white makes people feel "icky" and they don't want to understand the others perspective. It's too much work.
Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)
Binary, polarized, simplistic, thoughtless
Aside from the Hollywood clichés and slow motion blood and guts and brains exploding from skulls, the only thoughtful component of this movie is the realization that the genders in the USA are at war.
Having been a fan of marshal arts and marshal arts movies for years, the fight sequences in this movie are just embarrassing. You can literally see where the actors held back to give the protagonist a chance to defend herself.
Needed to suspend reality a bit too much on this one. A good action movie must make you think that while unlikely, it's at least possible. Too many "not a chance in hell" moments, especially when it was clear that the hero can't fight.
Breaks the rules. It's like playing a card game with a 5 year old and the game is called, "I win"
Why 5/10? I like the little kid.
Game Winning Hit (2009)
A nice change of pace
This is not your typical boy meets girl, boy accidently kisses girl, boy pursues girl for 30 episodes drama. While the romances develop slowly like other shows, the romance is not the purpose of this drama. It's about the relationships among the town folk, their hardships and an agenda to bring people together and create hopes and dreams through baseball. It's an honest look at poverty and the difficulty it creates. What I enjoy most is the development of lower class suburban culture and aboriginal characters on the eastern territory of Taiwan. The adult actors play very compelling and convincing roles. The story is engaging and the life of the village comes alive. But, there are some glaring shortcomings in the writing where you slap your head and exclaim, "what the heck?" Honestly, this happens too much and I need to knock off a few points. The 2 stars this show received on average is really an inaccurate and lazy way to characterize the hard work of the cast and crew. The filmography is amazing and scenery beautiful, the characters are rich and complete, the people are beautiful. Few shows engage me, this one did.
Jexi (2019)
How can this be less than a 10?
It's been a long time since I've laughed this hard. This movie is brilliant and hilarious! Wanda Sykes is to die for, she had me rolling in stitches. I suppose the only way someone might review this less than a 10 would be if the movie hit too close to the mark.
Back to 1989 (2016)
Hits so close to home
I became involved in an online relationship with a woman about 3 years ago. We became incredibly close and fell in love. There's something indescribable about having a love while simultaneously not having her. Your relationship teeters between logic and fantasy, knowing you love her but also knowing that she lives in another world and having your fantasy become reality is nearly impossible. But, despite the impossible reality, we fell in love. Me in America and her in China. Months after falling in love and spending our lives in front of our phones, she had an opportunity to visit the US. We had an amazing 3 weeks together and, impossibly, fell further in love. It was like a dream playing out in fast forward, going skiing, flying, a beautiful date downtown during a romantic snow fall, gazing into each other's eyes across a small sulfur pool, learning each other, struggling with language, but getting closer through the act of communication. I bought her a promise ring, and the night before her flight back to China, I held her hand and with tears in my eyes, told her I loved her and we'd find a way to be together. The fear of knowing that tomorrow, she would no longer be with me wrenched my heart. Our last night together, we made ourselves smile through tears and pain and just held each other, not wanting to let go, ever. The morning alarm went off and I felt the blood drain from my head. An emptiness in my belly, almost emotionless as we made our way around packing her things in the car. We drove to the airport, holding hands, quiet because every word was a struggle to announce choked up with sorrow. We told each other we loved each other. She opened the door and stepped out, suitcase in tow, she went through the airport doors and she was gone. That day was 3 years ago. Despite the odds and after 2 visits to China and an amazing deal of planning and impossible struggles, we are finally married. She is laying next to me asleep and I appreciate every moment we have together. Back to 1989 contains just about everything in my story and is an absolutely beautiful rendition of love, loss, friendships, and family. Amazing!