Update

Just a quick update to let you know that I'm going to begin adding e-books to the bunch. I have been reading quite a few of them and, as they are growing more and more popular, thought I would include my thoughts here and give some of those folks, some of our modern writers, some hype. They're also quite easy to find and they give you nice samples of a writers work, hopefully, prompting you to seek out their hard-copy work.

Green Fish (1997)

Korean film directed by Lee Chang-Dong. The story follows a soldier who returns home after serving in the military. Things seem good as he meets a woman on a train at the beginning of the movie but, in defending her, ends up getting beat up on a train and losing his bags. This marks the beginning of a strange relationship and changes the soldiers life dramatically.

Upon returning home, the soldier doesn't really appear to know what to do with himself. His family and friends seem unchanged, but the world around him has changed tremendously. In pursuing the woman he had met on the train, he lucks into a job as a kind of mob henchman and gets caught up in a life and world which quickly exceeds his grasp.

Nice hard-luck movie with, otherwise, nothing too special to offer in terms of exceptional film-making. Ultimately, all of the characters are negatively affected by their apparently random relations or destinies. I enjoyed the tender love story, but generally don't like such tragic endings in which no one seems to survive or rise above daunting circumstances.

War of the Worlds (2005)

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, War of the Worlds follows a father and his two children in the aftermath of an alien invasion of Earth. Following some unusual weather activity, huge three-legged machines mysteriously appear on Earth and begin destroying everything in sight. When you watch a movie like this, you're not exactly dreaming of fine acting performances, and there wasn't really much to mention on that tip. Spielberg's directing was nice, particularly during a tense scene in a car in which the camera was circling around outside the car. I hadn't seen this effect utilized in such a way before and found that it helped build the tension in that scene.

Based on the novel by H. G. Wells, this sci-fi thriller was gripping from start to finish as the action kept the film moving along nicely. I was literally on the edge of my seat. I don't know how well it held up against the book, but I don't think it's an important issue. I don't recall the movie's sub-plot, which dealt with the father's relationship with his children, from the book, which I read many years ago. The special effects were excellent and if you have a chance to see this film on the big screen you should probably look for it.

My only real knock on the film was that there were a few too many American flags scattered throughout, but otherwise, well worth the 100 minutes. It was also quite disgusting, as the space invaders seemed to ingest earthlings and expel their blood back onto the planet in a kind of blood rain, which may not sit well with some folks. All things considered, it was a good ride and that's about my only requirement for a movie.

Bring on the Night (1989)

Rockumentary, directed by Michael Apted, about the making of Sting's first solo album Dream of the Blue Turtles. I'd seen this one before, many years ago, but revisited it again recently.

As you might expect, great music from one of the most talented pop stars, as well as a nice insight into his artistic process, especially with the unusual band he had assembled. Most of the band members were black jazz musicians from America and Sting, an English lad, brought them together to make a pop music album. I thought it was funny that Sting was so concerned about the success of this endeavor, which he and other members for the group mention more than once during the film. The musicians were some of the most renowned in their field and, coming off his former band's most successful album (Synchronicity by The Police), it was a little hard to believe that he would have such trepidations about the success of this project.

There was a nice parallel with the birth of his son and the birth of this group and its first performance in France, which built in a layer of complexity in what would otherwise be simply the making of a successful pop album. The music, highlighting composition of the songs, the band practicing and live performance, is excellent and, if you haven't seen this side of Sting, take a look.

Samsara (2003)

Beautiful, passionate love-story about a Tibetan monk, Tashi, who leaves his monastery to pursue his physical desires. After a long meditation and a number of telling signs, his preoccupation with a woman he had seen once (and also the world outside of the monastery), forces him to leave his home of 20 years. He meets the woman, Pema, and they eventually marry and raise a son together in her small mountain village. They struggle to live in the village and overcome the difficulties that arise due to Tashi being an outsider.

The movie didn't have much dialogue, and many of the changes were handled visually, were suggested. The right choice for a movie. I could only find very little English information about director Pan Nalin, although it seemed like there were a number of links to French websites. Apparently, he filmed for National Geographic. Nonetheless, the movie was particularly nice as it showed the woman's side of the Siddhartha story. As far as I could tell, Siddhartha left his wife and son to seek enlightenment. In this movie, it didn't come across as a particularly acceptable action and, as a result, appeared to be a fresh take on what, I assume, is generally an overlooked part of that myth. I'm not an expert so it's difficult to say without doing more research. Vivid, picturesque movie which was cheapened by the gratuitous sex.