go beyond the restrictions of your era, forget about purpose or meaning, separate yourself from historical limitations

More accurate than a Buzzfeed quiz; less accurate than your therapist’s raised eyebrow.🤨

 

⏳ Which Historical Era Are You From? ⏳

 

Every era of history carries its own spirit—times of exploration, invention, elegance, and dramatic change. Some people feel drawn to quiet intellectual ages, others to bold periods of discovery or creativity. If your personality belonged to another century, when might you feel most at home? Take this quiz to discover your historical era.  

---

1. Your ideal way to spend an afternoon would be: 

    A. Debating ideas with thoughtful people. 

    B. Exploring somewhere new and unfamiliar. 

    C. Creating art, music, or literature. 

    D. Enjoying a refined social gathering. 

 

2. The kind of story you enjoy most is: 

    A. Philosophical or intellectual journeys. 

    B. Adventures across unknown lands. 

    C. Dramatic artistic movements. 

    D. Intricate social relationships. 

 

3. The atmosphere you’re most drawn to is: 

    A. Libraries, academies, and lively debate. 

    B. Ships, maps, and distant horizons. 

    C. Studios, cafés, and creative circles. 

    D. Ballrooms, gardens, and elegant conversation. 

 

4. Your friends might say you are: 

    A. Thoughtful and intellectually curious. 

    B. Bold and adventurous. 

    C. Creative and expressive. 

    D. Graceful and socially perceptive. 

 

5. If you could witness one historical scene, it would be: 

    A. Philosophers exchanging ideas. 

    B. Explorers setting sail into the unknown. 

    C. Artists unveiling bold new works. 

    D. A refined gathering full of wit and conversation. 

 

Results in the comments! 

 

[the title quotation is from Santoka Taneda, in Mountain Tasting: Haiku and Journals of Santoka Taneda]

the world won't last. What are You? What am I?

    This is the newest in a recurring series called The Interview Game, the first of which was conducted by Michael and posted here, and the most recent of which was conducted by The Onion and posted here. These questions were posed by my mysterious friend Elliott.     

    Questions are always welcome, to appear in future posts. Add in the comments or send them directly to me by private message.

---

1. You inherit a perfectly ordinary house from a mysterious relative. In the attic, you discover one locked trunk. Inside can be anything except money. What do you hope is in it, and why? 

    a novel, handwritten, never published. Preferably hand-illustrated as well. To be able to read something that is essentially secret until that moment would be amazing. Even if it's not the best work ever written, it would be an honor and a gift. 

 

2. You've written before about films, books, objects, places, and even rooms that seem to gather emotional weight over time. What's something you own that has become far more important to you than it had any right to be when you first acquired it? 

    putting aside the obvious things like letters from friends who've died... the first thing that comes to mind is my wedding ring. I've long since traded away the engagement ring (for the diamond earrings I'm wearing right this moment, in fact). The wedding band, I had made smaller so it fits my pinkie, and also had the inscription buffed out. I wear it on a chain with some other charms. The ring seems to stand for affection and loyalty, and the idea that I was once the kind of person who could be so loving, and so loved. 

 

3. You have one free day, no obligations, no errands, no guilt, and a modest amount of spending money. What does the day actually look like from waking up to going to bed? 

    sleep, eat, read, sleep, eat, movies, sleep. My desires are simple.

    If it had to involve going out, I'd wander the downtown bookstore near the financial company where I used to work, then get red beans & rice from the BBQ place. I'd come home, eat spicy food, and read - probably poetry. 

 

4. What's a belief or assumption you held at twenty that you now find charming, misguided, incomplete, or surprisingly correct?

    charming: love wins in the end

    misguided: "I deserve it" is sufficient reason for whatever indulgence appeals at the moment

    incomplete: any phrase starting education is..., education will..., or education justifies...

    surprisingly correct: living away, at least for a while, is the right thing for me to do 

 
5. Suppose a friend who knows you very well is asked to describe you in one paragraph. What's the thing you hope they mention, and what's the thing you suspect they'd mention instead?

    I would hope they would mention sometimes-surprising thoughtfulness, e.g. well-chosen cards. I would suspect they would mention organization or detail (which I consider a thing that I do, but not necessarily a thing that I am).

 

6. What's the most beautiful thing you've ever bought for a completely impractical reason?

    this photo print ("Couples, Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh (1966)") by Robert Blomfield, upon which I splurged—big time—and that I never, ever regretted. It hangs in my bedroom (now with a tiny watering can and an even tinier glass cat perched on the frame) and always, always brings me peace and joy to see. (Read this post for more on the subject.) Owning something purely for the feelings it gives to look at it is highly impractical, but by no means irrational. 

 

7. What subject could someone accidentally get you talking about for three hours?

    houseplant care

8. What's something you've become better at letting go of?

   tangible evidence of affection. Sometimes it's better to appreciate a memory as a memory and not by way of a thing.

 

9. Which movie scene would you most like to step into and inhabit for one hour?

    the ending scene of This is Not What I Expected (2017). Quiet sunset,
congenial company. Possibility. 

10. If future historians were reconstructing your life from the contents of your home, what conclusion would they get spectacularly wrong?

    it seems like my eBay inventory might give the idea that I'm a scholar, a tech geek, and maybe a machinist. And that I wear an extremely strange array of clothing and shoes.

[the title quotation is by Yunus Emre, from The Drop That Became the Sea: Lyric Poems]

there was never any substitute for those friendships of childhood that survive into adult years

More accurate than a Buzzfeed quiz; less accurate than your therapist’s raised eyebrow.🤨

 

🛝 What Kind of Childhood Friend Were You? 🛝

 

Childhood friendships had their own special magic. Some kids organized grand backyard adventures, some provided steady loyalty, some were the creative dreamers, and some were the quiet companions who made everything feel easier. Looking back, what role did you play in your childhood friend group? Take this quiz to find out.  

---

1. On a free afternoon as a kid, you were most likely to: 

    A. Invent a big game or adventure for everyone to play. 

    B. Hang out and chat while doing something simple together. 

    C. Build or draw something imaginative. 

    D. Be the dependable one who showed up every time. 

 

2. Your friends probably counted on you to: 

    A. Come up with fun ideas when everyone was bored. 

    B. Listen and keep conversations going. 

    C. Add creativity and imagination to everything. 

    D. Stick by them no matter what. 

 

3. Your ideal childhood hangout spot was: 

    A. A big yard or park where games could unfold. 

    B. A quiet corner where friends could talk for hours. 

    C. Somewhere that sparked imagination—treehouse, art table, blanket fort. 

    D. Wherever your closest friends happened to be. 

 

4. When a problem came up in your group, you usually: 

    A. Turned it into part of the game. 

    B. Talked it through calmly. 

    C. Found a creative solution. 

    D. Stayed loyal and supportive. 

 

5. Looking back, your friendship style was: 

    A. The adventurous ringleader. 

    B. The thoughtful conversationalist. 

    C. The imaginative creator. 

    D. The loyal best friend. 

 

Results in the comments! 

 

[the title quotation is Alexander McCall Smith, from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency]

you don't. give FIRE. to a kitten!

Average rating: 7.25

My Blueberry Nights (2007) - "After a painful breakup, a young woman leaves New York and drifts across America, forming fleeting connections with wounded strangers while searching for a way to heal her heart and rediscover herself. The question isn't 'Where is she going?' but 'How does a person become open to love again after being hurt?'"

length: 1h, 35m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Wong Kar-wai  |  why I watched: I'm working through the director's films

IMDb: 6.6/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 45% / 61% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: PG-13

tone & texture: melancholic, lush & romantic

notable quote: "'You know, I didn't even think you'd still be here.'

    'Why'd you come?' 

    'I guess I just wanted to see if I could remember what it felt like."

my notes: gorgeous, charming, contemplative. It falls somewhere between Romantic Drama and Philosophical Exploration/Indie, despite the well-known cast. Norah Jones, in her cinematic debut, blew me away as Elizabeth. She really does seem to be a natural actress. I also particularly enjoyed Jude Law (Jeremy) and David Strathairn (Arnie). 

themes: transformation, loss, love

overall: highly recommended

 

RED 2 (2013) - "Former CIA black-ops agent Frank Moses and his old partner, Marvin Boggs, are caught in the grip of retirement—but that soon changes when a powerful Cold War weapon known as Nightshade resurfaces decades after its disappearance. With assassins hot on their trail, Frank and his team set out to find the one scientist who can unravel the mystery of Nightshade and help them save themselves—and the world." 

length: 1h, 56m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Dean Parisot  |  why I watched: I've seen it before, but have not reviewed it

IMDb: 6.6/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 44% / 63% Audience  |  my IMDb: 6/10  |  MPAA: PG-13

tone & texture: playful, hyper-glossy action

notable quote: "'She has talents you and I will never have.'

    'What talents?' 

    'People like her.' 

    'If she lives, this'll be good for your relationship. You're right.' 

    'And if there's one thing I know, it's women and covert ops.'

    'That's two things.'

    'No, grasshopper. It is not.'"

my notes: kiss of death for an action movie: it's boring, and I didn't really care how it turned out. I think that Catherine Zeta-Jones killed this one for me, as she did for Ocean's Twelve (2004, reviewed here); her characters are all surface, no substance. 

    I love the interplay between Bruce Willis and Mary-Louise Parker, and even more I love that between Willis and John Malkovich; their grumpy, reluctant affection is completely adorable. And I understand that this film, even more than the original, is about the effects of aging on one's abilities and perceptions. And I really dig Lee Byung-hun. But.... 

themes: loyalty

overall: weakly recommended

War {Rogue Assassin} (2007) - "John Crawford spends years chasing Rogue, the assassin responsible for murdering his partner Tom Lone  and Lone's family. The hunt drags Crawford deep into obsession, hollowing out his marriage and turning every criminal operation into personal theater. Rogue resurfaces in San Francisco and engineers escalating warfare between Chinese Triads and Japanese Yakuza syndicates, exploiting greed, pride, and ritual loyalty to destabilize both empires. As bodies accumulate and alliances fracture, Crawford closes in on the assassin while unknowingly circling the collapse of his own moral identity. Every confrontation tightens around concealed guilt, damaged masculinity, and the unbearable weight of unfinished grief." 

length: 1h, 43m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Philip G. Atwell  |  why I watched: I've seen it many times, but never reviewed it

IMDb: 6.2/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 14% / 51% Audience  |  my IMDb: 7/10  |  MPAA: R

tone & texture: gritty, hyper-glossy action

notable quote: "Pain can be a weapon, if you so choose."

my notes: it's not the best film Jet Li or Jason Statham has ever made, but it's for sure the best of the five they've done together (also including the first 3 'Expendables' and The One, {2001, reviewed here}). And there's a moment (49:55) that makes the entire thing worthwhile, where the exquisitely controlled, precise, and withholding Rogue, watching through a window as a woman plays with her child, lets loose the emotions. It is startling and beautiful, perfectly lit and shot and acted. 

themes: revenge, identity, loss

overall:  recommended

The Major {Mayor} (2013) - "On a cold winter’s day Sergey Sobolev, a major at the local police office, is driving to the hospital where his wife is about to give birth to their child. High from happiness, he’s driving too fast and runs down a boy on a passage walk, who dies. Now the major has only two options: go to prison or conceal the crime. Sobolev decides to compromise with his conscience and calls on a colleague to help him out. But the case turns out to be messy and when Sobolev finally changes his mind and tries to make up for his deed, it might already be too late." 

length: 1h, 39m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Yuriy Bykov  |  why I watched: I found a listing a catalog of movies, and it caught my eye

IMDb: 7.2/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: NA% / 70% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: not rated

tone & texture: bleak, grit & grain

notable quote: "Stop sniveling."

my notes: this is the most grim movie I've ever seen. I couldn't watch it all in one sitting, but had to keep stopping it to clear my head. 

themes: moral ambiguity

overall:  recommended only to someone who is fully prepared for dark. 

 

[the title quotation is from RED 2]

we brighten in a blaze of rhymes

Such figures if they succeed are beautiful 

because for a moment we brighten in a blaze of rhymes 

and yet they always fail and must fail 

and give way to other poems 

in the endless approximations of what we feel 

Hopeless it is hopeless     Only the wheel 

endures     It spins and spins winding 

the was the is the willbe out of nothing 

and thus we are     Thus on the wheel we touch 

each to each a part 

of the great determining reality     How much 

we give to one another     Perhaps our art 

succeeds after all our small song done in the faith 

of lovers who endlessly change heart for heart. 

as the gift of being     Come let us sing against death. 

 

 [Hayden Carruth {1921-2008}, 'The Wheel of Being II', from Last Poems]

I have seen the dark universe yawning Where the black planets roll without aim

More accurate than a Buzzfeed quiz; less accurate than your therapist’s raised eyebrow.🤨

 

🪐 Which Planet Is Your Spiritual Home? 🌏

 

Some people feel most themselves in places of warmth and brightness, others in quiet mystery, and others where wonder and possibility stretch to the horizon. If you could claim a cosmic home somewhere in the solar system, which world would feel most like you? Take this quiz to discover the planet that matches your spirit.  

---

1. Your ideal environment feels: 

    A. Warm, vibrant, and full of life. 

    B. Bright and energetic, always in motion. 

    C. Calm, spacious, and quietly majestic. 

    D. Mysterious and reflective. 

 

2. When facing something unknown, you usually: 

    A. Approach it with curiosity and optimism. 

    B. Dive in quickly and see what happens. 

    C. Step back and take in the bigger picture. 

    D. Reflect quietly before acting. 

 

3. The view you’d most like to wake up to is: 

    A. Oceans and clouds swirling with color. 

    B. A blazing sunrise over a rocky horizon. 

    C. Vast rings stretching across the sky. 

    D. Quiet moons drifting through deep space. 

 

4. Your personality is closest to: 

    A. Balanced and nurturing. 

    B. Bold and adventurous. 

    C. Wise and expansive. 

    D. Thoughtful and introspective. 

 

5. Your guiding feeling about the universe is: 

    A. Life is precious and interconnected. 

    B. Adventure is waiting everywhere. 

    C. There is grandeur in the vastness. 

    D. Mystery gives life its depth. 

 

Results in the comments! 

 

[the title quotation is by H. P. Lovecraft, from Nemesis]

the buttoning of shirts

    "He managed a genuine smile then. They broke her 

heart freshly every time, his smiles. And then he flung 

open his wardrobe and found another shirt, one with-

out any bloodstains, slid his arms into it, and deftly

buttoned it up. She watched with regret as all of that

masculine gloriousness disappeared under linen.

    "It occurred to her that if she'd been able to spend

her life with him she would see this sort of thing all

the time. The buttoning of shirts. Shaving. All the less

erotic things, nonetheless cherished. The acts of inti-

macy that knit lives together. She wanted to soothe his

wounds and share his burdens and make his life easier,

more spontaneous, more passionate.

    "It hurt." 

 

[from How the Marquess was Won, by Julie Anne Long]

I like chatting with you, but I'm not sure if I can love you

Average rating: 8.25, disregarding the turkey 🦃

Moonstruck (1987) - "Widowed bookkeeper Loretta Castorini expects stability rather than passion when she agrees to marry a dependable but uninspiring man. But while helping to settle a family obligation, she meets his estranged younger brother—a volatile, wounded baker whose intensity unsettles the orderly life she has constructed for herself. Set amid the rhythms of an Italian-American Brooklyn neighborhood, Moonstruck blends romance, comedy, and melancholy into a story about the ways people negotiate loneliness, desire, duty, and the terrifying possibility of joy." 

length: 1h, 42m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Norman Jewison  |  why I watched: I've seen it before, but it's been ages - and I was in the mood for something romantic

IMDb: 7.2/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 90% / 81% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: PG

tone & texture: warm, lush & romantic

notable quote: "Chrissy, over on the wall, bring me the big knife."

my notes: what a sweet film. It has moments of blissful silliness, is both small and melodramatic, and makes my heart sigh. 

themes: love

    Roger Ebert's review is here. 

overall: highly recommended

 

Shaolin {Xin Shaolin si} (2011) - "After ruthlessly consolidating power during China’s violent warlord era, ambitious commander Hou Chieh finds his triumphs collapsing into betrayal, grief, and spiritual ruin. Fleeing the wreckage of the life he helped create, he takes refuge in a remote Shaolin monastery, where the quiet discipline and compassion of the monks gradually challenge the pride and brutality that once defined him. Blending sweeping action with meditative humanity, this film traces one man’s painful movement from domination toward humility, asking whether redemption is possible after immense harm has already been done." 

length: 2h, 11m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Benny Chan  |  why I watched: I love Andy Lau (Hou Chieh) and Nicholas Tse (Cao Man) (previously reviewed here, and discussed here)

IMDb: 6.8/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 73% / 71% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: R

tone & texture: somber, textured/earthy

notable quote: "All I know is, it's worthless to train just the moves without the spirit."

my notes: it's such a lovely movie, wrapped up in spectacle and fighting. Andy Lau is such a talented actor, so complex and open to both dark and light. And Jackie Chan might be one of the most underrated dramatic actors ever to hide in plain sight. 

themes: redemption, courage

overall: strongly recommended

The Tall Texan (1953) - "From the Panhandle to the Rio Grande, he was known as all man and ready to fight: a suspected murderer in the custody of a sheriff and now stranded in Indian territory after a Comanche attack on their stagecoach." 

length: 1h, 24m  |  source: TubiTV  |  directed by Elmo Williams  |  why I watched: it rolled up on my Tubi watchlist on a night fit for Westerns

IMDb: 6.1/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: NA / 43% Audience  |  my IMDb: DNF  |  MPAA: Approved

tone & texture: gritty, grit &grain

notable quote: "'Pioneering in this country can be awful rough.' 

    'Men go where there's money to be made.' 

    'And women?' 

    'They go with the men who make it... or try.'"

my notes: the dialog exchange above made me think this might be a good movie for me. Alas, it was as good as it got. I gave up at the one-third mark, having mentally wandered away earlier. If Lee J. Cobb can't hold my attention, it's not gonna get any better. 

themes: identity, courage

overall: not  recommended

Open Range (2003) - “Aging cowboys seeking a simple life on the open range are forced to confront violence, loyalty, and the possibility of tenderness in a town ruled by fear.”

length: 2h, 19m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Kevin Costner  |  why I watched: I've seen it before (previously reviewed here) and loved it

IMDb: 7.4/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 79% / 84% Audience  |  my IMDb: 9/10  |  MPAA: R

tone & texture: gritty, textured/earthy

notable quote: "A man's trust is a valuable thing; you don't want to lose it for a handful of cards"

my notes: deceptively simple, this movie is big, strangely warm, and surprisingly funny. Kevin Costner is marvelous, playing a complicated man with a very troubled past, but with an open heart. Robert Duvall is the star of the show. His weary, loving, gruff, morally certain Boss is a fully-fledged human from the start. It is incredibly easy to slip into the story and stay there through to the end.

themes: justice, found family, revenge

    Roger Ebert's review of the film is here, and it says in technical terms what I can only hint at as an enthusiastic amateur.  

overall: highly recommended

Confession of Pain {Seung sing} (2006) - “In rain-soaked Hong Kong, a former detective numbing himself with alcohol is drawn into the aftermath of a brutal family murder, uncovering secrets that blur the lines between justice, grief, and emotional ruin.”

length: 1h, 50m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Wai Keung [Andrew] Lau, Alan Mak  |  why I watched: I'm obsessed with both of the lead actors

IMDb: 6.5/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: NA% / 62% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: Not Rated

tone & texture: somber, noir shadows

notable quote: "'Isn't it true that every man describes his wife as a crazy bitch?'

    'What the hell... Cheers!'"

my notes: whoooooo boy, this is a sharp one. Beautiful performances from Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro, with super subtle shadings that reveal their characters in delightfully surprising ways. There's a scene where the two play table tennis that I watched three times, each viewing shedding new light. Brilliant direction and camera work make this a new favorite.

themes: loss, revenge, justice

overall: strongly recommended

  

[the title quotation is from Confession of Pain]

I do not know how to hide it

When I go alone at night to my love-tryst, birds do not sing, the 

wind does not stir, the houses on both sides of the street stand 

silent. 

It is my own anklets that grow loud at every step and I am ashamed. 

 

    When I sit on my balcony and listen for his footsteps, leaves do 

not rustle on the trees, and the water is still in the river like the 

sword on the knees of a sentry fallen asleep. 

    It is my own heart that beats wildly—I do not know how to 

quiet it. 

 

    When my love comes and sits by my side, when my body trembles 

and my eyelids droop, the night darkens, the wind blows out the 

lamp, and the clouds draw veils over the stars. 

 

    It is the jewel at my own breast that shines and gives light. I do 

not know how to hide it. 

 

[Rabindranath Tagore {1861-1941} 'IX' {When I go alone at night} from ‘The Gardener’, in Collected Poems and Prose of Rabindranath Tagore]

a place ain’t a place without a bookstore

More accurate than a Buzzfeed quiz; less accurate than your therapist’s raised eyebrow.🤨

 

📚 What Kind of Bookstore Are You? 

 

Bookstores come in many varieties. Some are cozy labyrinths of old paperbacks, some are bright community gathering places, some specialize in rare treasures, and some invite you to linger for hours with coffee and a good read. If your personality were a bookstore, what kind would it be? Take this quiz to find out.  

---

1. When you enter a bookstore, your first instinct is to: 

    A. Wander the shelves and see what unexpected book finds you. 

    B. Head straight to a cozy reading chair. 

    C. Look for beautifully curated displays. 

    D. Ask for recommendations and start a conversation. 

 

2. Your ideal bookstore atmosphere is: 

    A. Floor-to-ceiling shelves and the smell of old paper. 

    B. Soft lighting and quiet corners. 

    C. Stylish, thoughtfully arranged, and visually inspiring. 

    D. Lively, welcoming, and full of readers. 

 

3. The books you’re most drawn to are: 

    A. Quirky finds and forgotten gems. 

    B. Comfort reads you can revisit anytime. 

    C. Beautiful editions or thoughtfully chosen titles. 

    D. Whatever people are excited to talk about. 

 

4. Your role in a reading community would probably be: 

    A. The treasure hunter who discovers unusual books. 

    B. The quiet reader always happy to share a favorite. 

    C. The curator with impeccable taste. 

    D. The enthusiastic host of book discussions. 

 

5. Visitors leaving your bookstore would probably say: 

    A. “I found something I didn’t even know I wanted.” 

    B. “That place felt wonderfully peaceful.” 

    C. “Every book there felt thoughtfully chosen.” 

    D. “Everyone there was so welcoming.” 

 

Results in the comments! 

 

[the title quotation is by Gabrielle Zevin, from The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry]

it went historically well

A man lies down in my mind. 

We have just made love. 

It went historically well, the kind 

of hand-in-glove 

expertise team workouts can evoke. 

Now we lie still and smoke, 

the ashtray on my belly blue 

as chicory in the dixie cup 

on the deal bureau. True, 

it's a borrowed room. Third-floor walk-up 

as a matter of fact, 

foreign enough to enhance the act. 

Say it's Grand Forks, where I've never been. 

All this takes place in the head, 

you understand. I play to win 

back wicked afternoons in bed, 

old afternoons that were 

shadows on the grass longer 

than home runs lofted out of the park. 

We smoke. The chicory blue goes dark, 

the ashtray deepens 

and the sun drops 

under the rim the way it happens 

like a used-up lollipop 

and the room goes blind 

and a man 

a man lies down in my mind. 

 

[Maxine Kumin {1925-2014} 'This Day Will Self-Destruct', from Our Ground time Here will be Brief]

so, you're an enforcer...at a hotel?

Average rating: 7.25

Police Story {Ging chaat goo si} (1985) - "After a high-risk operation brings down a powerful drug lord, a determined Hong Kong police officer is assigned to protect a key witness—only to find himself entangled in a web of intimidation, corruption, and public pressure that threatens both the case and his reputation. In this world, the line between heroism and collateral damage blurs as duty collides with chaos. Driven by escalating set pieces and grounded by flashes of humor and human frustration, the film captures a man trying to do the right thing in a system that rarely makes it easy." 

length: 1h, 40m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Jackie Chan  |  why I watched: I have loved some of Chan's movies before (Gorgeous {1999}, Little Big Soldier {2010}, Shaolin {2011}) and heard good things about this one.

IMDb: 7.5/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 90% / 88% Audience  |  my IMDb: 7/10  |  MPAA: PG-13

tone & texture: energetic, fast-cut/kinetic

notable quote: "'Don't you like her?'

    'Frankly, yes - but that's no reason for me to apologize. I know she's going to call back to say she's sorry.'"

my notes: entertaining, great stunts, a metric shit-ton of glass breaking. I didn't love it, but there are much, much less enjoyable ways to spend an evening. 

themes: courage

    The RogerEbert.com review is here - and it's 4 stars. 

overall:  recommended

 

Blood Simple. (1984) - "In a dusty Texas town, an adulterous affair sets off a chain of suspicion, betrayal, and escalating mistakes. What begins as a straightforward act of jealousy fractures into something far more unstable, as each character acts on incomplete information and private assumptions. Violence isn’t driven by grand motives but by small, human errors—misread intentions, panicked decisions, and the quiet, irreversible momentum that follows. The film tightens around its characters with clinical precision, revealing how quickly control can slip when no one sees the full picture." 

length: 1h, 39m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen  |  why I watched: I have seen it, but it's long enough ago that I recalled nothing about it (except that Nick had something to do with seeing it the first time...)

IMDb: 7.5/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 94% / 88% Audience  |  my IMDb: 5/10  |  MPAA: R

tone & texture: unsettling, noir shadows

notable quote: "Never point a gun at anyone, unless you mean to shoot him. And if you shoot him, you better make sure he's dead. Because if he ain't dead, he's gonna get up and try to kill you. That's the only thing they taught us in the service that's worth a god damn."

my notes: bleak, harsh, and small. I guess I'm looking for some silver lining in my clouds.

themes: moral ambiguity

    Roger Ebert's 4-star review is here, and it is a doozy. "Is the movie fun? Well, that depends on you. It is violent, unrelenting, absurd, and fiendishly clever. There is a cliché I never use: “Not for the squeamish.” But let me put it this way. Blood Simple may make you squeam."

overall: very mildly recommended as a classic of a sort, and with a boatload of caveats

A Bittersweet Life {Dalkomhan insaeng} (2005) - "A disciplined enforcer working for a powerful crime boss lives by routine, restraint, and absolute loyalty—until a seemingly simple assignment places emotion in conflict with obedience. A moment of hesitation fractures the carefully ordered world of a man who has long suppressed his own desires and doubts. As violence escalates and betrayal reverberates outward, the film traces the unraveling of identity, revealing how quickly control collapses once a person begins to recognize the emptiness beneath their own discipline." 

length: 1h, 59m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Kim Jee-Woon  |  why I watched: it's been recommended to me by several sources

IMDb: 7.5/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 100% / 90% Audience  |  my IMDb: 9/10  |  MPAA: Not Rated

tone & texture: melancholic, crisp & modern

notable quote: "Stop digging. We're so fucked."

my notes: intensely violent, incredibly sad, frightening, melancholic, dirty. Maybe I'm not looking for silver linings in movies, so much as that the clouds feel like they matter?

themes: loyalty, identity

overall: strongly recommended

Panic in the Streets (1950) - "A routine murder investigation in the humid streets and crowded docks of New Orleans takes on terrifying urgency when a public health officer discovers that the victim carried a deadly contagious disease. Racing against time, bureaucracy, and public panic, officials attempt to trace the dead man’s final movements before infection can spread through the city. Blending semi-documentary realism with noir tension, Panic in the Streets transforms an invisible threat into a gripping manhunt, where exhaustion, skepticism, and human error prove nearly as dangerous as the disease itself." 

length: 1h, 36m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Elia Kazan  |  why I watched: I was in the mood for something black &white (previously reviewed here)

IMDb: 7.2/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 97% / 77% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: Approved

tone & texture: gritty, noir shadows

notable quote: "You're a fresh dame."

my notes: Richard Widmark is not my favorite, but this is a good movie well worth watching. Paul Douglas makes such a wonderful, weary, skeptical, logical counterpoint to Widmark's overenthusiastic nerd-bird character. My very favorite, though, is Barbara Bel Geddes as the plucky, smart, intuitive wife who runs the show without anyone else needing to know it. 

themes: chaos vs. order

Science History Institute's take on this film and its relevance in the COVID era is worth a read. 

Academy Award winner 

overall: highly recommended

 

[the title quotation is from A Bittersweet Life]

the ability not to care—at times—as our society erupts and struggles

they're right: maybe it's been too easy just writing about myself and 

horses and drinking, but then I'm not trying to prove anything, taking 

long walks lately has been pleasant and although my desire for the female 

remains, I find that I needn't always be on the lookout for new conquests. 

riding the same mare need not be boring. let the wild young fillies be a 

problem for other men. I am often satisfied just being alone. I now find 

people more amusing than disgusting (am I weakening?) and although 

I still have nights and days of depression the typewriter does not fail me. 

readers expect continual growth from their poets but at this time just 

holding (the fort, haha) seems miraculous. long walks, yes. and the ability 

not to care—at times—as our society erupts and struggles does not mean 

that I am the victim of artistic loss. solitary evenings behind drawn blinds, 

being neither rich nor poor, can be satisfying. will madness arrive on 

schedule? I don't know and I don't seek an answer-just a small quiet 

space between not knowing, not wanting to know and finally finding out. 

 

 [Charles Bukowski, {1920-1994} 'some personal thoughts', from Come On In!]