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Ne Zha (2019)

Plot Summary: Born as a demon orb reincarnation instead of a spirit pearl, Ne Zha is destined to bring destruction to the world. Despite the heavenly gods' decree, his parents refuse to kill him and instead raise him with love while hiding the truth about his origin. As Ne Zha grows up ostracized by his community, he must choose whether to accept his demonic fate or fight to forge his own destiny. Director: Jiaozi Screenplay: Jiaozi Story by: Yi Qiao, Wei Yunyun Based on: Investiture of the Gods by Xu Zhonglin Music: Wan Pin Chu Produced by:   Wei Yunyun, Liu Wenzhang Starring: Lü Yanting as Ne Zha Joseph Cao as Ao Bing Han Mo as Li Jing Chen Hao as Taiyi Zhenren Lü Qi as Lady Yin Zhang Jiaming as Shen Gongbao   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Ancient Gods and Modern Jokes I had some time to watch a movie with my daughter...
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Forbidden City Cop (1996)

Plot Summary: Ling Ling Fat is a royal bodyguard who specializes in inventing rather than martial arts. When a conspiracy threatens the Emperor, Ling must use his wits, inventions, and hidden talents to defeat a pair of supernatural villains and save the kingdom. Director: Stephen Chow, Vincent Kok Screenplay: Stephen Chow, Vincent Kok, Edmund Liu Producers: Wong Jing Music: Tats Lau Cinematography: Lee Kin-keung Editor:   Kwong Chi-leung Starring: Stephen Chow as Ling Ling Fat Carman Lee as Gum Tso Carina Lau as Kar-Ling Cheung Tat-ming as Emperor Yuen Cheung-yan as No Face's Wife Law Kar-ying as Fat Yan Shun-Yee Yuen as Two Face   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Starting Stephen Chow's Wild Ride Hello plebs! A while back, when I asked for Chinese movie recommendations on Red Note, Stephen Chow's name kept pop...

The Wandering Earth (2019)

Plot Summary: Set in a future where the sun is dying, humanity builds enormous engines to propel Earth out of the solar system toward a new star. When Earth passes Jupiter, a gravitational spike threatens the planet, and a group of heroes must race against time to restart a failed engine and save humanity from extinction. Director: Frant Gwo Screenplay: Gong Geer, Frant Gwo, Junce Ye, Yan Dongxu, Yang Zhixue, Ruchang Ye (based on the novella by Liu Cixin) Music: Roc Chen, Liu Tao Cinematography: Michael Liu Starring: Qu Chuxiao as Liu Qi Li Guangjie as Wang Lei Ng Man-tat as Han Zi'ang Zhao Jinmai as Han Duoduo Wu Jing as Liu Peiqiang   ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Belated Promise and a Grand Premise A few months ago, I promised my friends on the Chinese social media app Red Note that I'd review some Chinese movies. Unlike other platforms whe...

Freaky Tales (2024)

Plot Summary: Set against the vibrant and chaotic backdrop of Oakland, California, in 1987, Freaky Tales weaves together four interconnected stories inspired by the city's culture from that era. Narrated by Oakland rap legend Too Short, the film unfolds over a single day and night, following a diverse group of characters on a collision course. Directors: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden Screenplay: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden Music: Raphael Saadiq Cinematography: Jac Fitzgerald Starring: Pedro Pascal as Clint Ben Mendelsohn as The Guy Jay Ellis as Sleepy Floyd Dominique Thorne as Barbie Normani as Entice   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Dude, I Think I'm Too Old For This So I decided to check out a popular new movie, and dude... I think I'm too old for this sh**. The film is set in 1987 and uses all the camera tricks and cinematography to go for that '...

The Surfer (2024)

Plot Summary: A father and son arrive at a remote beach for a surfing vacation, but are met with hostility from the territorial locals. As the father attempts to prove himself worthy of surfing the beach, he descends into an increasingly surreal and menacing experience that challenges his sanity and physical limits. Director: Lorcan Finnegan Screenplay: Thomas Martin Music: François Tétaz Cinematography: Radek Ładczuk Starring: Nicolas Cage as The Surfer Julian McMahon as Scally Nicholas Cassim as The Son   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Welcome to the Church of Cage Someone once said that "Nicolas Cage" is its own movie genre, and I couldn't agree more. I specifically chose to watch The Surfer because I was in desperate need of a fix, and this film, directed by Lorcan Finnegan, couldn't have been a more perfect vehicle for him. One of the absolute...

The Life of Chuck (2024)

Plot Summary: Told in three acts moving backward in time, the film chronicles the life of Charles 'Chuck' Krantz. It begins with his death at age 39, which coincides with apocalyptic events, and moves back to his childhood in a supposedly haunted house, exploring the universe contained within a single life. Director: Mike Flanagan Screenplay: Mike Flanagan (based on the novella by Stephen King) Producers: Trevor Macy, Mike Flanagan Music: The Newton Brothers Cinematography: Eben Bolter Editor:   Mike Flanagan Starring: Tom Hiddleston as Charles Krantz Mark Hamill as Albie Chiwetel Ejiofor as Marty Anderson Karen Gillan as Felicia Gordon Jacob Tremblay as Young Charles Krantz   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Let me start with wtf is wrong with people... After a quick trip to the IMDb page for The Life of Chuck, I have one thi...

Top 5 - Luc Besson

Hey everyone, and welcome back! While I've been posting regularly, it took me a little while to wrap up my thoughts on Luc Besson's filmography and put together this top 5 video. It's been 384 days since my last post on this topic, so I know this video is long overdue, but I hope you'll agree that it was worth the wait! Video Format: For the Visual Film Lovers For those who prefer watching over reading, this video is an easy-to-digest introduction to Luc Besson's movies. I've been wrestling with how to present my thoughts on a director whose career, for me, went from "Cinéma du look" to "cinema don't look." I apologize for the monotonous AI voice in the video; I'm just not that comfortable speaking English with my accent just yet. But...