Here’s another fiction book that is closer to mainstream literature than genre and I expect I’ll be doing this more often. I first heard of this as a a recommendation from Broken Forum and liked the premise of an older childless couple in Alaska making a child out of snow that comes alive. It’s a familiar story as it was adapted from a Russian folk tale and feels like it might be the stuff of a Disney animated film. The challenge here is that as it needs to be true to fairy tale logic, we can already guess how it will end, so how could this be an interesting, engrossing read? Yet it truly is a wonderful book as it is the path to get to that ending that matters.
Based on the title and the poster, I’d thought that this was a supernatural horror film. But I should have known better, given that it was directed by Kaneto ShindÅ who was responsible for the excellent and very grounded The Naked Island. It is indeed horror but the evil is born from the hearts of people themselves. It’s a powerful retelling of a classic Buddhist parable set in so dystopic a world that it’s almost hell on Earth. My only complaint would be that it drags on a little with too many repetitive shots but it truly is a unique film with few contemporary peers.
Horrors movies have the advantage of usually being short and easy to watch but I find myself liking them less and less. This one has decent reviews and once again stars Nicolas Cage who seemingly will appear in any schlocky project these days. It’s decently put together and has strong vibes but that’s all it has. Not only is it a mishmash of the usual tropes: scary clown-like figure, Satanic cults, dolls and so on, it makes no attempt whatsoever at verisimilitude. The frustrating thing is that at times it’s reminiscent of David Fincher’s style but in the end it’s not a serious film at all.
A few years back, I was extremely impressed by Capernaum, the only Lebanese film I’ve seen so far. Well, this earlier was both the debut of its director Nadine Labaki and she also stars in it. Once again I love the authenticity of its Beirut setting and the matter-of-factly way that it tells the stories of five women there, leaving aside the country’s post-war tensions and instability. Unfortunately this is a lighter film that goes for breadth rather than depth and relies too much on maudlin music. I admire what it’s going for and enjoyed it but it’s nowhere as good as Capernaum.
This bird-themed game won a lot of praise and awards a few years back and I’d always been curious about it though I’d stopped playing physical boardgames by then. So when they made this digital version, I thought I’d at least learn the rules and check it out for myself. I’ve read that some players have had synchronizing issues with multiplayer but that doesn’t concern me and I have to say that this is an exceptionally pretty and slick digital conversion.
I noticed when this popped up on Netflix but didn’t think it was worth paying attention to. Then I read a wonderful essay about how it’s really a masterclass in management as Lionel Richie and Quincey Jones wrangled the biggest pop stars of the 1980s to work on a single world-changing song. Watching it, this really is the case and is full of amusing little anecdotes about these stars interacting with one another. If you’re a child of the ’80s like I am and have fond memories of We are the World, you owe it to yourself to watch this.
This film is said to be representative of the new kind of feminism in China, championing women who are strong enough to take charge and live their own lives as they please. With its rapid fire dialogue and dominant woman characters, it reminds me of the American screwball comedies of the early 20th-century but adapted for China and with both partners of the duo being women. I found it modern, smart and very funny. Unfortunately I’m not hip with Chinese culture and the language often moves too quickly for me to follow, so much of its cleverness is lost on me but I do so admire this film.
