Drunken Master II (1994) Won Fei-Hung (Jackie Chan) hides ginseng in the suitcase of an employee of the British consulate to avoid paying taxes. This innocent act backfires and Hung is inexplicably involved in a crazy conspiracy to steal a valuable Chinese antique. Chan’s genius was a merger of eastern and western entertainment traditions, combining Chinese… Continue reading The drunken fox is afraid
Month: May 2014
Children in America
Children of Men (2006) It’s 2027, and, for unexplained reasons, mankind has been infertile for almost twenty years. Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is an activist turned bureaucrat whose marriage disintegrated after his son died in a flu pandemic. His ex-wife, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore), is a leader of The Fishes, a militant group fighting for the… Continue reading Children in America
A happy, close household
Closer (2004) Dan Woolf (Jude Law) meets Alice Ayres (Natalie Portman) when she’s hit by a car and they become a couple. A year later, he meets photographer, Anna Cameron (Julia Roberts) and pursues her, while continuing his relationship with Alice. After Anna tries to end their relationship, Dan tricks a man he meets in a cybersex… Continue reading A happy, close household
A violent biography
A History of Violence (2005) When one of the waitresses working for Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is threatened, Tom kills her attackers and becomes a local celebrity. This attention brings Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) to town, convinced Tom is Joey Cusack, a former associate in the Irish Mob. The truth of Tom’s past threatens to destroy… Continue reading A violent biography
Lean and deliver
Stand and Deliver (1988) This biographical film about Jaime Escalante and his efforts to teach calculus to students in an impoverished school in Los Angeles, garnered Edward James Olmos an Academy Award nomination. Olmos played Lt. Martin Castillo on Miami Vice for five seasons, but it’s hard for me to see him and not think about William… Continue reading Lean and deliver
Glass hearts don’t make for long lives
Heart of Glass (1976) A German community relies on the unique glass it produces for its income and identity. When the old man who knows how to create the glass dies, the leader of the town tries to replicate his process with little success. Hias, a local fortune-teller (based on Bavarian prophet Mühlhiasl), predicts the glass factory will be… Continue reading Glass hearts don’t make for long lives
Garrincha went on a fantastic voyage to the stars; it ended in a massacre
Fantastic Voyage (1966) Working in the Soviet Union, scientist Jan Benes has discovered how to miniaturize items permanently. He escapes to the west to share this information, but an attempted assassination causes a blood clot in his brain and leaves him comatose. A submarine containing several scientists is shrunk to a micrometer and placed inside… Continue reading Garrincha went on a fantastic voyage to the stars; it ended in a massacre