-
“There’s a point where bold becomes stupid.” – Ving Rhames, M:I:3 Nothing is a better barometer of American culture than the summer action blockbuster. Critics may decry the explosions, the…
-
My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? – MATTHEW 27:46 “I choose the camera and actors’ placement based on some idea of spatial distance; and that distance is…
-
More substantive updates coming soon (including my take on films I caught at the San Francisco International Film Festival), but for now, a rough cut from some recording sessions I…
-
Inside Man (2006, Dir. Spike Lee): “As for why? Because I can.” — Clive Owen, Inside Man Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Spike Lee has evolved. The man who admonished us…
-
1 = yi (pronounced “yee”)2 = er (“are”) or liang (“leung”) — see note below3 = san (“san”)4 = si (“suh”)5 = wu (“ooo”)6 = liu (“lieu”)7 = qi (“chee”)8…
-
Restroom = xi shou jian (pronounced “she so jen”)Police = jing cha (“jing tsa”)Help! = Jiu ming a! (“jo ming ah”)
-
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004, Dir. Lu Chuan) “Tibetans always point knives towards themselves.”— Ritai, Kekexili: Mountain Patrol Reviewing a mainland China film can be an interesting, if sometimes tortuous, exercise.…
-
Dirty Ho (1979, Dir. Lau Kar-Leung) “You haven’t lived until you’ve fought Dirty Ho … and then you’re dead!” — Original tagline for Dirty Ho [Originally reviewed for the 2006 Asian…
-
Where is …? = zai na li? (pronounced “zai na lee”)i.e., Where is the [bank]? = [Bank] zai na li?Where is the bathroom? = [Bathroom] zai na li?How much is…
-
The Slanted Screen (2006, Dir. Jeff Adachi) “If I had the choice between playing a wimpy guy and playing a villain, I’ll always take the villain, because at least the…
