After being acquainted with director Takeshi Kitano from A Scene at the Sea, it’s only right that I pay some attention to what is likely his best known work, especially in the west. Sonatine bombed in Japan when it was released but it gradually attracted the attention of critics and other filmmakers in the west who were intrigued by its unusual style. In fact, the Japanese seemed to be so embarrassed by the film that they were reluctant to license it for distribution.
I’ve played plenty of Western RPGs but never any Chinese or even Japanese ones so I took notice when this title appeared on Steam. Reading up, it seems that this is one of the newer entries in what is supposedly the longest running Chinese RPG series with the first games appearing in the 1990s and the first one that has been completely translated into English and made available on Steam. Jumping straight to this one meant I would have no idea what went on before but that’s okay as I’m mostly interested in seeing what they are like.
Our cinephile friend cautiously recommended this to us, noting that while it’s not a great film overall, it has its moments as an action movie. It’s certainly a high profile release, being directed by Tsui Hark and more importantly, I believe it’s culturally significant to the Chinese. It’s an update to a classic 1970s film that was itself based on a novelized account of a real event in 1946. According to Wikipedia, it might well be one of the most well known stories in China.
So I think I got this from Marginal Revolution but I only realized that it’s a remake until after watching it. It might have been a better idea to watch the original Malayalam-language film from 2013 that won a whole slew of awards even if this Hindi-language version had a wider audience and earned more money.
After being overwhelmed by the sophistication of Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, I approached this earlier novel by Samuel Delany with some trepidation. In retrospect, I needn’t have worried as it is a much shorter and simpler work. Though it is thematically rich with plentiful references to mythology, contemporary events at the time of the novel’s writing, art and much more, I think the plot is a little too straightforward and I’m not sure that its central theory on the relationship between people and the work they holds up well.
My wife added this to our list, probably because it’s been a while since we’ve watched an animated film. I was inclined to dislike it however as it was by Cartoon Saloon, the same studio which made The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. I didn’t like both of them as I felt that they were first and foremost children’s films with no real punch in them. I am pleased to report that the same cannot be said for The Breadwinner which is so hard hitting that it isn’t suitable viewing for children at all.
So I don’t recall seeing lead actress Blythe Danner in anything even though she has had quite a storied career. It turns out that she is the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow and her performance in this film is great. Brett Haley’s direction here is solid as well and does an admirable job of expounding on its theme of relationships as one grows older.