Lost In Translation

The Guns Of Navarone

It seems like I saw J. Lee Thompson's The Guns Of Navarone (1961) when I was a child, but I couldn't remember the story at all. I recently saw  a Robert Mitchum WWII film also set in Greece, The Angry Hills, and several reviews mentioned Navarone, so I decided to revisit it. It's almost 3 hours long, but I did enjoy it more than the Mitchum film. Basically the story is about a British team sent to cross occupied Greek territory and destroy the massive German gun emplacement that commands a key sea channel. Which makes me wonder how British Gregory Peck is..., but he's good in it as are the other main ensemble stars such as David Niven, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Baker, etc. Lots of action and suspense-if not overlong.

Sleepy Eyes of Death (11): In the Spider's Lair

Kimiyoshi Yasuda returns to the helm for the 11th installment of the Raizo Ichikawa series-Sleepy Eyes of Death (11): In the Spider's Lair (1968), it would be his last film fully healthy.  At the start of the film Kyoshiro returns back to his home village for the first time since he was a teen to pay respects to his mother's grave. He finds that an evil brother and sister duo on the run have taken up the leadership roles of the village and have been killing the peasants fro sport among other things. There are some more exploitative elements with near nudity and black mass flashbacks throughout. This episode has one of the more straight forward plot in the series, but is embellished by Yasuda's direction that includes classic framing, zooming shots, hand held camera shots, and many fighting set pieces to keep the action going.

The Angry Hills

Over the last few years I have made it a point to try and see all of the worthwhile Robert Mitchum films and my latest viewing was Robert Aldrich's (he is probably most famous for The Dirty Dozen but I associate him with Kiss Me Deadly) The Angry Hills (1959). It is an adaptation of a Leon Uris novel and suffers from a convoluted plot. Basically, in 1941, Greek resistance entrusts an American journalist with a Greek double-agent secret to smuggle out of Greece to the UK. That being said the first 30-45 minutes were very engaged as the thriller/spy aspect of the story captured my attention, after that it slowed down considerably. Oh, and in the British version, which I saw (apparently in the American version she does the dance with her breasts concealed-I wonder what year first allowed nudity?) there is  topless dance in a cabaret with Mitchum covering his eyes...However, the cinematography and on location sets are impressive and Mitchum can carry a film on his charm alone. It feels like a missed opportunity-it should have been better than it was. 

BFI: The Thin Red Line

Michel Chion makes some great observations about Terrance Malick's epic war film in his book BFI: The Thin Red Line (2004). In his book-length essay he addresses the film in context with Malick's other two films to that date, Badlands and Days of Heaven as well as discussing the themes of the film. Early in the essay Chion suggests the influence of American transcendentalists such as Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman which seems obvious in retrospect but incisive nonetheless given Malick's interest in nature in his films. Chion also points out the importance of Hans Zimmer's score to the overall mood of the film. Here's a telling observation from Chion: "Here again we return to the question of loneliness, the space between words and consciousness, and between languages." An interesting discussion of one of the best films of the 90s.

Tora-san's Dream Come True (10)

Yoji Yamada's tenth film in the Tora-san series, Tora-san's Dream-Come-True (1972) is the first that opens with a dream sequence. Tora's (Kiyoshi Atsumi) dream is a reto-1930s thriller set in Macao (we know because he is known as "Macao Tora"!), in which he breaks up a fight with a wealthy man who is trying to seduce Sakura and who was confronted by Hiroshi. Tora swoops in and kills the villain and is taken away by the police-a sacrificial hero. While traveling he meets a grand old lady (played by Japanese screen legend Kinuyo Tanaka who starred in many Mizoguchi films and was also a director) who inspires him to go back home and try to make good as usual. The main story line is not as interesting, Toraya takes on a boarder, a Tokyo University professor (Masakane Yonekura) with no social skills who falls for Tora's neighborhood friend Chiyo (Kaoru Yachigusa), of course Tora is also carrying a torch for her. Tora acts the go-between for Chiyo and the professor. However, this one ends differently, since Tora could have ended his bachelorhood, but it seems it is something he is not yet ready to relinquish.

The Thin Red Line

I saw Terrance Malick's major comeback film, The Thin Red Line (1998), sometime around when it was released and remember liking it, but I  couldn't remember it in detail. That being said, I recently decided to read James Jones' source novel of the same name recently and decided to revisit the Criterion Bluray version of the film after reading the novel. My greatest memory from the original film viewing was the lyrical narration and otherworldly nature shots. I had forgotten that it was a war film with all the bombast and action that is entailed in that-but it is the stunning visual montages coupled with a powerful film score and narration that sears itself in the memory. I can now see that much of the dialogue is lifted from the book and from the supplemental extras I can see that the screenplay originally followed the novel fairly closely. But in the final cut Malick created something unique and transcendent from Jones' source material. The cinematography from John Toll is exceptional-especially the shots from the Solomon Islands. This film introduces many new young actors (Jim Caviezel, Adrian Brody, Jared Leto, ect.) but also boasts some big names such as: Nick Nolte, John Travolta, George Clooney, John C. Reiley, Elias Kostas, John Cusack, and Woody Harrelson. It is one of the best films of the 90s. The Criterion treatment includes:new, restored high-definition digital transfer, new audio commentary featuring John Toll, Jack Fisk, and Grant Hill, outtakes from the film, video interviews with several of the film's actors and crew, new video interview with casting director Dianne Crittenden, World War II newsreels featuring footage from Guadalcanal, original theatrical trailer, and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic David Sterritt.

The Death Of Truth

Michiko Kakutani's Death Of Truth (2018) is a good brief overview as to how we got to the stage where Americans tolerate and average of six lies a day coming from the current acting president. I thought it was somewhat unusual that The New York Times' book critic was writing this book, but it seems, from the notes section, that she covered the Iraq War lies used to spin the war as necessary in the early oughts. The book is divided into nine sections: 1. The Decline and Fall of Reason, 2. The New Culture Wars, 3. "Moi" and the Rise of Subjectivity, 4. The Vanishing of Reality, 5. The Co-Opting of Language, 6.Filters, Silos, and Tribes, 7. Attention Deficit, 8. "The Firehouse of Falsehood: Propaganda and Fake News, 9. The Schadenfreude of the Trolls, and an Epilogue. While Kakutani puts forth a vigorous defense of truth and reason, she fails to offer any remedies to the state we're in and perhaps there is nothing that can be done but to soldier on with facts and reason. That being said she does do a good job of incorporating her extensive reading in fiction and non-fiction to provide examples and commentary on today's politics and how we got here.

Sleepy Eyes of Death (10): Hell Is a Woman

Sleepy Eyes Of Death (10): Hell Is A Woman (1968) directed by veteran Tokuzo Tanaka is carrying the weight of the previous 9 entries with it. And while there is nothing especially deficient in this episode, it seems to feel somewhat stagnant. It just doesn't feel original, the same women try to seduce and kill him and the virginal women try to get him to help them and the woman who succumbs to his charms will end up dead. he will vanquish the villains as he has in every film to date. The best thing about this film was the finale fight scene that takes place in the snow-it is memorable and cinematic in no uncertain terms.

Shimpo

I first heard about Shimpo, a seafood izakaya and the highest rated-restaurant in Nishi Ogikuo on Tabelog, on Facebook from a guy who used to live in Japan. I can see why it is so popular, it is one of those place that hasn't changed the decor in 30 years and survives by their reputation of serving the freshest seafood available. Above is the mixed seafood sashimi plate-plenty of challenges there for me, but I finished every bite and gained a better appreciation for uni and scallops.

These oysters from Sanriku, Iwate were massive and tasted of the ocean.

Even the "otoshi" (seating charge appetizer) was tasty-buri and daikon in broth.

The Thin Red Line

I originally read James Jones' epic debut novel, From Here to Eternity, based on Joan Didion's admiration for it. That novel and Terrance Malick's 1998 film version of his second novel, The Thin Red Line (1962), convinced me that I needed to read the second novel in Jones' The World War II Trilogy. To be honest, I bought into the trilogy after From Here to Eternity, since I also bought a copy of Whistle after it. But I expect I will read this year after experiencing the second volume. I don't remember Malick's film so well, but I recollect liking it. But it feels so different in tone and narrow in scope compared to Jones' novel in retrospect, but then again I am planning to re-watch it now that I read Jones' original version. Jones' version of the war, no matter how much he has fictionalized it-the Guadalcanal locations of "The Dancing Elephant" and "Boiled Shrimp" are made up-it feels true to life. Jones records the petty back biting between service men, the petty grudges, the homosexuality, the fears, the complexes, as much as the bravado, the bravery, and the competence of the servicemen who populate the novel. The novel opens as the C-Charlie Company is shipped out to Paupa New Guinea to fight the Japanese and the first set piece is a buck private roaming the ship trying to steal another serviceman's pistol-setting the tone that this is not going to a Spielberg-esque canonization of "America's Greatest Generation."  Jones captures the humanity of soldiers at war-frailties as well, no romanticism here. The lack of compassion, self-control, the thievery, buggery, and savagery as they loot dead Japanese soldiers and some even collect their gold teeth. Jones follows the men through their arrival, first march, first battle, second battle, and the aftermath of those campaigns. His ensemble cast seems genuinely distinct and diverse for each individual character. He brings war to life in a very realistic and true to life fashion. Apparently, many of the episodes are based on experiences Jones had such as his captain being removed from his duty as leader after disobeying a suicide order from a general among other episodes. The novel is a classic epic and true-to life in the subtle details of interactions between men and in the greater context of war.