A fantastic fear of sin

  A Touch of Sin (2013) This medley of vignettes highlights the underbelly of contemporary Chinese society. A billion people live in China, but the news is so carefully controlled by the state most outsiders have no clue what is happening there.  It’s both disturbing and reassuring they have as many psychopaths and murderers as the West. In America, every salacious… Continue reading A fantastic fear of sin

A soccer crowd goes to war and John Milius approves

  Drug War (2012) When he’s arrested, drug lord Timmy Choi provides evidence against his partner to avoid the death penalty.  It’s a decent movie, but identical to countless other warnings about the dangers of the drug business.     Milius (2013) This film is a chronicles one of the greatest, unheralded directors in Hollywood history, John… Continue reading A soccer crowd goes to war and John Milius approves

The grandmaster tells us stories

  Stories We Tell (2012) Sarah Polley’s directorial work focuses on fractured relationships. Away from Her (2006) shows the effects of Alzheimer’s on a long-term commitment,  Take This Waltz (2011) is about a young couple who experience a crisis, and her third feature film explores the brokenness in her own family. Twenty years after her mother died,… Continue reading The grandmaster tells us stories