Jackie Chan is an internationally recognized actor. He has one of the most impressive careers in terms of the number of movies he starred in. He is almost universally loved around the world because he used to portray the capable but clumsy type that has to fight his way out of a predicament, usually with hilarious and spectacular results. The man is a perfectionist and over the years he has developed his own style of shooting a movie that has yet to be matched by his contemporaries. He is known for using dozens, sometimes hundreds of takes for the intricate and often funny scenes that have cemented his reputation. He doesn’t accept anything less than perfect synchronization in the complex fight choreographies that are the hallmark of his movies. This is mostly unheard of in the west because of the “time is money” mentality that pushes directors to finish a movie as fast as possible. After he became popular, Jackie was sometimes allowed months to film certain scenes. Another thing that…
Growing up in Japan, I am pretty familiar with Hayao Miyazaki’s anime films. So many Japanese and people around the world are the fans of his films. Still, some of you have never watched or known any of his movies. That’s totally fine because there are so many good movies I don’t know their existences of or have not watched yet. Nevertheless, I really hate some children are missing these fun and loving Miyazaki’s films. Parents and grandparents, please consider these movies I recommend below for your kids and grandkids. I promise both you and they will love it. Must Watch for Kids
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
This is a must see. The very best for elementary age kids, but everyone, younger, older or adults will love it too. So this is best for a family movie night. The Totoro characters including Totoro and cat bus are so adorable, once you see Totoro, you will not forget it. My 2-year old niece has watched multiple times already. She knows its song and of course recognizes Totoro. If you…
Everybody's Mad At Netflix If you have to ask "Why, what did Netflix do this time?" Consider yourself blessed, because the Internet storm that ensued in the wake of Netflix's adaptation of the classic manga series Death Note was deafening. Some protests were over the white-washing of the series, where this award-winning, best-selling manga written by Japanese artists Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, filled with Japanese characters and set in Japan, was re-set in America and re-cast with white people. Yes, that's an issue too. But the casting was just one gripe among many, the main one being that it was apparently made by people who - there is no nice way to put it - were just too stupid to understand anything about the series. Behold the below review, and you'll appreciate how much I held back anyway: The fundamental flaw with Netflix's adaptation is squarely pinned to the script. There is no logic to it at all. They ripped out everything in the manga and anime series they could get their…
Let me fill in some personal background as quickly as possible: When it comes to faith, you could define me pretty close to agnostic. My wife of 25+ years is a lapsed Catholic. There's no real conflict here, but our respective cultural backgrounds give us a different attitude towards religion in general. Christmas is a secular affair for us; when the kids lived with us, it was all Santa and presents. Since we joined the empty nest club, Christmas is an excuse to goof off and relax for me, actually I smirkingly pretend to celebrate Christmas while inwardly considering it "Yule," since Western society has seen fit to rip off the Pagan holiday and rebrand it as Jesus's birthday with the serial numbers filed off. For Mrs. Penguin, it's pretty much the same, but she adds in the ritual of staying up til midnight to watch the Vatican's Midnight Mass. I watch along with her, but for me, it's something to marvel and gawk at. Occasionally I'll look up from my eggnog and laptop gaming session to…
Bored at home?Looking for something to watch, but tired of cycling through the same Netflix options?For those of you who have already burned through your queue, it's time to start looking for rentals, a nearly extinct concept in 2020.Fear not, because there are plenty of exceptional films out there that are not on popular streaming services. This article is meant to dig into a few good choices that you might not have already thought of. Explore these overlooked gems today, then go visit your local video rental store (once they reopen, of course)!Malcolm X
Directed by Spike Lee (1992) When the end credits begin to roll, viewers will be shocked at the conciseness of this almost 3-1/2 hour movie. So much is left out in the open when Malcolm X (played spot-on by Denzel Washington) gets assassinated, you feel ready for more details to be filled in. Lee aims to keep us laser-focused on Malcolm X, balancing a film that feels full but not overstuffed, brief but not insignificant, and…
Score: 1.01
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