Activity Calendar (Jan 1, 2021 - Dec 31, 2021)
My bookshelf
Seek flowers within ruins
Pine Valley
0★★★★★★7.902018 / Australia / Drama Mystery Thriller / Parker Sawyer, Jacqueline McGinns
Watched Dec 31, 2023|Excellent★★★★★A quite enlightening political drama, where the delicate tripartite relationship between Australia, China, and the US is well portrayed in a spy hub. What’s particularly interesting and engaging is Australia’s perception of China from a Western viewpoint. Despite a foreign and distinct sense of distance, the representation is very much equal and pragmatic, rather than perpetuating the usual negative imagery—like portraying it as a colossal, repulsive monster.
Watched Dec 31, 2023|Excellent★★★★★A quite enlightening political drama, where the delicate tripartite relationship between Australia, China, and the US is well portrayed in a spy hub. What’s particularly interesting and engaging is Australia’s perception of China from a Western viewpoint. Despite a foreign and distinct sense of distance, the representation is very much equal and pragmatic, rather than perpetuating the usual negative imagery—like portraying it as a colossal, repulsive monster.
Titmouse
62★★★★★★7.6621987 / Mainland China / Walker / Ru Ping Zhao Jun
Watched Dec 30, 2023|Excellent★★★★★I really didn't expect this movie to be so outstanding. Capturing the uniquely confined narrative space of China, it truly represents a captivating glimpse of the 80s artistic flair! The screenplay of the movie is exquisite, the cinematographic language delicate, and the character portrayal of 'Titmouse' is simply stunning. Titmouse is diligent, hardworking, kind, and vibrant. With a bit of luck and just the right amount of stubbornness and individuality, he finds himself lost at the crossroads of a shifting society, and it is this fusion, this friction, that ignites fierce sparks. The ultimate loneliness of the soul: uncomprehended by everyone around; the merciless play of fate: glimpsing the beauty of freedom and liberation, yet entwined and unable to free oneself. For a lasting relationship, if one grows and changes, the other must follow; if one loves the status quo, the other must also wait. To build a perfect love is not as simple as rocket science; in this ever-changing world, someone always has to sacrifice something. The primitive and rough Chinese flavor of life starkly contrasts with the reserved and refined formalism of Japanese aesthetics.
Watched Dec 30, 2023|Excellent★★★★★I really didn't expect this movie to be so outstanding. Capturing the uniquely confined narrative space of China, it truly represents a captivating glimpse of the 80s artistic flair! The screenplay of the movie is exquisite, the cinematographic language delicate, and the character portrayal of 'Titmouse' is simply stunning. Titmouse is diligent, hardworking, kind, and vibrant. With a bit of luck and just the right amount of stubbornness and individuality, he finds himself lost at the crossroads of a shifting society, and it is this fusion, this friction, that ignites fierce sparks. The ultimate loneliness of the soul: uncomprehended by everyone around; the merciless play of fate: glimpsing the beauty of freedom and liberation, yet entwined and unable to free oneself. For a lasting relationship, if one grows and changes, the other must follow; if one loves the status quo, the other must also wait. To build a perfect love is not as simple as rocket science; in this ever-changing world, someone always has to sacrifice something. The primitive and rough Chinese flavor of life starkly contrasts with the reserved and refined formalism of Japanese aesthetics.
World War II: A Frontline Perspective
25★★★★★★8.7252023 / UK / Documentary / Rob Coldstream
Watched Dec 29, 2023|Below Average★★★★★The film clips are too fragmented, with a strong sense of patchwork, and low documentary value. The post-production is cheap and rushed through. Not a single scene from the Asian battlefield is shown, making it hard to call it a 'world' war.
Watched Dec 29, 2023|Below Average★★★★★The film clips are too fragmented, with a strong sense of patchwork, and low documentary value. The post-production is cheap and rushed through. Not a single scene from the Asian battlefield is shown, making it hard to call it a 'world' war.
Killer of the Flower Moon
0★★★★★★7.302023 / USA / Drama Romance Mystery History Crime Western / Martin Scorsese / Leonardo DiCaprio Robert De Niro
Watched Dec 29, 2023|Excellent★★★★★Lengthy, yet surprisingly good, it never feels dull throughout. It vividly portrays the dark and jungle-like society before modern civilization, revealing the calculative human nature, the survival of the fittest among groups, and the ever-relevant theme of pure, unblemished love. People are creatures willing to take risks and maximize self-interest, where so-called morals and other noble virtues come secondary. When the benefits of an action outweigh the risks, there will always be someone willing to attempt it. The uncle represents pure darkness, the nephew sways between dark and light, and Molly is pure innocence. Ms. Molly's harmless nature and broad generosity serve as an embellishment, a beam of light in the film, offering some solace to the audience.
Watched Dec 29, 2023|Excellent★★★★★Lengthy, yet surprisingly good, it never feels dull throughout. It vividly portrays the dark and jungle-like society before modern civilization, revealing the calculative human nature, the survival of the fittest among groups, and the ever-relevant theme of pure, unblemished love. People are creatures willing to take risks and maximize self-interest, where so-called morals and other noble virtues come secondary. When the benefits of an action outweigh the risks, there will always be someone willing to attempt it. The uncle represents pure darkness, the nephew sways between dark and light, and Molly is pure innocence. Ms. Molly's harmless nature and broad generosity serve as an embellishment, a beam of light in the film, offering some solace to the audience.
Thin Snow
6★★★★★8.161983 / Japan / Drama Romance / Kon Ichikawa / Keiko Kishi Ryoko Sakuma
Watched Dec 24, 2023|Average★★★★★Family trivialities. The Japanese style has a lingering aftertaste, and the wealth of the rich flows like gentle water. Every tile and fabric, every grass and tree of the affluent Japanese family is exquisitely ordered and meticulously cared for, advancing gently with warmth, with dialogue that is reserved and patient.
Watched Dec 24, 2023|Average★★★★★Family trivialities. The Japanese style has a lingering aftertaste, and the wealth of the rich flows like gentle water. Every tile and fabric, every grass and tree of the affluent Japanese family is exquisitely ordered and meticulously cared for, advancing gently with warmth, with dialogue that is reserved and patient.
Lightning Operation
7★★★★★8.071987 / Hong Kong China, Mainland China / Action War / Zhu Yan, Liang Zhiqiang / Du Zhenqing, Chu Zhibo
Watched Dec 22, 2023|Below Average★★★★★Came for the truck counter-surveillance segment. The budget was really sufficient, plenty of explosives, a lot was destroyed, and the actors look great. However, the film isn't that good; it's melodramatic and awkward.
Watched Dec 22, 2023|Below Average★★★★★Came for the truck counter-surveillance segment. The budget was really sufficient, plenty of explosives, a lot was destroyed, and the actors look great. However, the film isn't that good; it's melodramatic and awkward.
Our Forefathers
0★★★★★★9.602013 / Germany / Drama Action History War / Philipp Kadelbach / Volker Bruch Tom Schilling
Watched Dec 22, 2023|Average★★★★★The entertainment elements are heavily overdone, with a vast battlefield where a few people can meet anywhere, and the arrangements of life and death are confusing. The movie intentionally leads the audience to believe it portrays real events, which is somewhat off-putting. Even if true, it appears to be a combination of extreme cases selectively pieced together from the entire battlefield into one picture. The film features a star dream female singer who lives in her own world and is tragically killed by her secret lover, a Jewish man who slashes through a train's undercarriage with a knife to escape and successfully infiltrates the Polish partisans, and another who avoids execution by escaping from the battlefield and killing his superior officer to survive, along with a brother who intentionally provokes enemy bombing with his anti-war stance, yet escapes punishment and transforms into a combat elite, fighting hundreds alone before ultimately committing a heroic suicide. Additionally, a Jewish spy transforms into a Soviet female officer, executing a Soviet nurse without blinking yet repeatedly emerges at critical moments to protect a German nurse who reported her, allowing her to survive until the end. Although the plot consumes and entertains with WWII themes with some unclear threads, the story is still above average, leaving me eager to see Chinese-language war films reaching this production level in my lifetime.
Watched Dec 22, 2023|Average★★★★★The entertainment elements are heavily overdone, with a vast battlefield where a few people can meet anywhere, and the arrangements of life and death are confusing. The movie intentionally leads the audience to believe it portrays real events, which is somewhat off-putting. Even if true, it appears to be a combination of extreme cases selectively pieced together from the entire battlefield into one picture. The film features a star dream female singer who lives in her own world and is tragically killed by her secret lover, a Jewish man who slashes through a train's undercarriage with a knife to escape and successfully infiltrates the Polish partisans, and another who avoids execution by escaping from the battlefield and killing his superior officer to survive, along with a brother who intentionally provokes enemy bombing with his anti-war stance, yet escapes punishment and transforms into a combat elite, fighting hundreds alone before ultimately committing a heroic suicide. Additionally, a Jewish spy transforms into a Soviet female officer, executing a Soviet nurse without blinking yet repeatedly emerges at critical moments to protect a German nurse who reported her, allowing her to survive until the end. Although the plot consumes and entertains with WWII themes with some unclear threads, the story is still above average, leaving me eager to see Chinese-language war films reaching this production level in my lifetime.
Rick and Morty Season 7
1★★★★★★8.912023 / USA / Comedy Sci-Fi Animation Adventure / Ian Cardoni, Harry Belden
Watched Dec 20, 2023|Excellent★★★★★e1 The familiar feeling is back, it's rare to maintain consistent quality / e8 Battle of alphanumeric curly braces infinity.. / e10 Tingling scalp. The theme of this episode is: Recognizing and letting go of one's inner fears.
Watched Dec 20, 2023|Excellent★★★★★e1 The familiar feeling is back, it's rare to maintain consistent quality / e8 Battle of alphanumeric curly braces infinity.. / e10 Tingling scalp. The theme of this episode is: Recognizing and letting go of one's inner fears.
The Dancing Girl of Izu
0★★★★★★8.601974 / Japan / Drama / Kōji Segawa / Momoe Yamaguchi, Tomokazu Miura
Watched Dec 20, 2023|Excellent★★★★★Love at first sight, and from then on, my heart only harbors endless yearning. Everything is exceptionally beautiful, with the play's actors not just being actors, but lively and interesting individuals. The excitement is beautiful, innocence is beautiful simplicity is beautiful, Akebono is beautiful, the male lead is beautiful. A strong influx of Japanese culture is evident, with soft music caressing the ears, decorum exalted, and order respected, the placement of every chess piece audible. What joy could surpass waiting by the window for the beloved to turn the corner? Listening to the tremulous sad melodies of Japanese songs makes one wish to forget everything, to become pure and simple, to lead a simple life undistracted. Parting with a loved one in this life with dignity and openness, sharing thoughts silently and without profanity, without tarnishing the truth, this is a textbook case, bringing tears like rain. The most heart-stirring, the most heartbreaking of this year.
Watched Dec 20, 2023|Excellent★★★★★Love at first sight, and from then on, my heart only harbors endless yearning. Everything is exceptionally beautiful, with the play's actors not just being actors, but lively and interesting individuals. The excitement is beautiful, innocence is beautiful simplicity is beautiful, Akebono is beautiful, the male lead is beautiful. A strong influx of Japanese culture is evident, with soft music caressing the ears, decorum exalted, and order respected, the placement of every chess piece audible. What joy could surpass waiting by the window for the beloved to turn the corner? Listening to the tremulous sad melodies of Japanese songs makes one wish to forget everything, to become pure and simple, to lead a simple life undistracted. Parting with a loved one in this life with dignity and openness, sharing thoughts silently and without profanity, without tarnishing the truth, this is a textbook case, bringing tears like rain. The most heart-stirring, the most heartbreaking of this year.
The Path to Wealth Season 1
2★★★★★8.422017 / UK / Katherine Ryan
Watched Dec 17, 2023|Good★★★★★Episode 1 “Luck” "Wanting to gain everyone's respect" "Failure is not an option" "passion for beauty" / Episode 2 “Born poor, wanting to achieve something" "Providing the best service," fixing plumbing for the rich, planning parties for the rich, "the only one in the world doing this kind of business." The female host casually talks risqué with rich men, physical contact and expressing a desire for money, aligning with themes of decadent opulence. / Episode 4 Successful people are often energetic and capable, willing to do any work. Believe in yourself, even if people think you are ignorant and foolish, hold an unquenchable belief, believe in change, don't always be a product of your environment, go out, change your own conditions.
Watched Dec 17, 2023|Good★★★★★Episode 1 “Luck” "Wanting to gain everyone's respect" "Failure is not an option" "passion for beauty" / Episode 2 “Born poor, wanting to achieve something" "Providing the best service," fixing plumbing for the rich, planning parties for the rich, "the only one in the world doing this kind of business." The female host casually talks risqué with rich men, physical contact and expressing a desire for money, aligning with themes of decadent opulence. / Episode 4 Successful people are often energetic and capable, willing to do any work. Believe in yourself, even if people think you are ignorant and foolish, hold an unquenchable belief, believe in change, don't always be a product of your environment, go out, change your own conditions.