Lawyer and cinephile. Programmer for the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.
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The Lady Eve 1941
My new lifehack: set up a recurring calendar entry for an annual Lady Eve viewing in the first week of January. It starts the new year off right.
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Popular reviews
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The Crimson Kimono 1959
Pea Brain: You call this noir? It’s a dopey police procedural, lacking in tension and style, with a last-second revelation that makes absolutely no sense. For my money, this is the weakest entry in Criterion Channel’s Columbia Noir series.
Normal Brain: Look, the whodunnit is a let down, but it’s a fascinating historical document on representation. How many movies of that era feature an Asian-American co-lead? How many explore the “just how American are you” question at the root of…
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France 2021
First 30 mins (a zippy satire of French TV journalism, told via conventional editing and coverage shots): Hey, this is fun! Are we sure Bruno Dumont directed this?
Next 70 mins (moves into a study of depression, with longer takes and more stylized camera angles (e.g., shooting France crying from the point of view of a steering wheel)): Wow, Léa Seydoux is absolutely crushing this, and Dumont's direction--his command of rhythm and the carefully chosen stylistic flourishes--is on point. Has he finally put it all together?
Last 30 mins (starting with France's return to TV): Oh merde, c'est vraiment un film de Bruno Dumont.