ARCHIVED 06/08/2025: The Match ***1/2 Autobiographical / true story films are a dime a dozen, and K-Films definitely do them right. "The Match" is about a Pro "Go" Champion who's been unbeatable or been at the top for years in the '80's. Until he takes on a child prodigy to teach, and the student eventually matures to become the top, unbeatable player as a young adolescent - overthrowing the teacher. Their styles clash, but in the end - it was the student's "own" strategy or way of playing that won him championships. The film centers around Cho Hoon-Hyun, the reigning champ, until Lee Chang-Ho becomes his humble student and reaches the top. The two players are real-life players, still actively playing today so I hear. The game of "Go", is a complete mystery to me. It appears more intricate than Chess itself. It sure as hell takes helluva long time as well. I felt the film flowed well, and captured highlights and key moments fluidly / stylishly. K-Films are becoming must-watches these days. Lee Byung Hun does a fine job as Cho. While I don't know the actual players themselves, I could tell that his potrayal was oozing authenticity with a side of dramatic effect. 05/31/2025: Happy 40th / 50th Anniversaries! Last year and this year marks some anniversaries for quite a few well-known, classic films. If I were to save a playlist with classic films celebrating milestone anniversaries: 1. Jaws 50th 2. The Shawshank Redemption 30th 3. Back To The Future 40th 4. The Goonies 40th 5. The Breakfast Club 40th 05/11/2025: The Accidental Getaway Driver **** A Masterpiece in a tense drama or character-study that felt real and surreal. If you're looking for mindless or senseless action, a lot of shouting / over-acting, you're in the wrong place. Sometimes, popcorn movies are fine. But high-quality films like this are a rarity, or hidden gems. Kudos to Dustin Nguyen, the director Sing Lee and the cast. Especially the central character of the elderly Cabbie played by an elderly actor. How do you act scared when you're that old. You can do the usual crying, weeping, pleading, etc. But the film captures the Cabbie's emotions enough just by filming the Cabbie's flabbergasted facial expressions. His gaze said enough. Kidnapping movies are usually violent and involve some hero rescuing the kidnapped. Or the kidnapped escaping. A tiresome formula. Here - Tay (played by Dustin Nguyen), one of the escaped prisoners / kidnappers forge a "father / son" bond with the elderly Cabbie. The "ring leader" of the trio is ruthless in a quiet way. You can tell he was planning to kill the cabbie eventially. Also incompetent, only hiding it by insinuating, "Do I have to fucken do everything myself!". There isn't a lot of dialogue, but just enough. Perhaps Tay was always a good person - a victim of circumstance, and was just unfortunate in life. He just made poor choices. Same with Eddie Ly, but a bit incompetent. The full-on villain seems to be the ring leader, Aden. All in all, we can probably sympathize with some of the escaped prisoners - they are just as fallible as any human, feeling scared and uncertain. This movie was your atypical escaped prisoner / kidnapping movie. Based on real events, obviously the dramatic or fictional elements made all the more compelling. This was noir-ish character study. 03/11/2025: Last Breath *** Re-creating the eerie, dark atmosphere at the bottom of the sea definitely sent chills down my spine, and the ambiance felt claustrophobic as if you were with them in the submersible and underwater. The film did a great job in that regard. What's even more shocking or stunning, is that this was based on an actual true story. A deep-sea diver is trapped on the ocean floor after an accident when his cord snaps. He runs out of oxygen in the suit, and remains unconscious for 40 mintues before being eventually rescued. And survives! They show actual footage of the characters, to verify the authenticity. Working on the ocean floor is no joke - it's like outer space. It isn't flashy or glamorous as you see in cheezy films. They're both dark and silent. Workers have to sit through decompression for a long time (due to the intense pressure on the sea floor), which can drive anyone with claustrophobia crazy. While this kind of survival might sound as if an angel worked miracles for the diver, it is certainly more plausible than if the person had water in his lungs or was down there for an extended period without a suit or if the suit cracked. Next films to watch: "The Accidental Getaway Driver" and "Love Hurts" (due to rental rates, I probably could only afford one at this point). I'm happy for Simu - he is busy with a lot of projects. Shang-Chi 2 might never happen, but at least Simu Liu's career has taken off. That's more important for me, than being in a cartoonish movie that nobody might remember 10+ years from now (Only Shang-Chi is memorable). Being in dramas, thrillers and other shows / films is most important. 3/05/2025: A Must-See - The Accidental Getaway Driver The film industry in general is just bland. If I never watch another film ever, I would gladly watch this one in a heartbeat or as the final film. But fortunately, there are films worth watching (at least ones that always go under-the-radar or are hidden gems). "The Accidental Getaway Driver" is such a hidden gem. From what I've seen, it is a gritty drama / thriller as well as character studies. I haven't heard from Dustin Nguyen in awhile, but was pleasantly surprised that his film was getting a theatrical release. 1/20/2025: Mikey and Data Re-united We might never get a Goonies sequel, but a mini-Goonies reunion in a new movie. Ke Huy Quan stars in "Love Hurts", and we have a cameo by Sean Astin. There's a new behind-the-scenes of this film, which shows them together. Watch in next month! There's a scene with Ke touting a villainous moustache - I might have thought he played a villain as a second character in the film. It probably was just a disguise. 1/15/2025: This trailer for "Back Home" has that scary creepy vibe. From Far East Films (since there is nothing else going on, other than the ones I mentioned in my previous blogs): 11/24/2024: Didi **** What a film, one of the best yet. A down-to-earth, coming-of-age adolescent story a lot of us can relate to. Especially if you're Asian growing up with a lot of pent-up uncertainties and resentment. We all know too well of making stuff up just to "fit in", pretending you're a different ethnicity and whatnot. Izaac Wang did an excellent job of keeping it real, and not over-doing it or over-acting (which is typical in the industry). Underneath Chris "Didi" Wang's supposedly calm or quiet demeanor, there was a pent-up angst, nervousness and uncertainty all-in-one. Sean Wang did an outstanding job of directing with authenticity as well as taking his time in being meticulous and real, transporting us back as if we were back in 2008. I was 32 back then, and I vaguely remember the flip phones, myspace and AOL haha. Aside from having a flip phone just to "look cool", I never used any of the social media back then. The mother-son relationship is the underlying theme in this one, as Sean Wang mentioned to the effect of writing this film in thinking about his mother. I don't know the actress who played the mother, but it was a heart-felt performance that might get her nominated. I think Sean Wang and the film itself should be recognized. But in this damned industry, if they already filled their bullshit diversity quota, then most likely it'll get overlooked. But we already know how much fetish they have for the women.