Author: Harrison Chute

I've been mistaken for a man

Battle of the Warrior Queens Part I

March 21, 2020

2019 was a big year for Rani Lakshmibai. She had two movies, a TV show, and an appearance in a third movie. This isn’t the first time there have been movies and TV shows about the Queen of Jhansi, but why this sudden interest? It’s the kind of thing that would happen in Hollywood once upon a time, where a more mercenary studio would produce a movie to capture some of the craze generated by a big blockbuster: Carnosaur in 1993, or Leviathan and DeepStar Six in 1989. I know why this doesn’t happen anymore, because there’s no market for movies that can be made quickly and cheaply, but it’s fun to see multiple interpretations of the same subject matter, especially with that mercenary edge, and especially when that subject matter is something rare like dinosaurs. I love dinosaurs, and I can hardly think of anything I’d want to see more in a movie. Except for maybe a warrior queen. … More Battle of the Warrior Queens Part I

Julie Estelle | The Future of Action Cinema

February 15, 2020

If you are a movie producer anywhere in the world and you’re looking to make an action movie, there’s someone I need to make sure you know about: Julie Estelle, an Indonesian actress. Now, like many other American filmgoers, I first saw Julie Estelle in The Raid 2: Berandal, in which she played Hammer Girl. The Raid 2 is great movie, and Hammer Girl was a wonderful addition to the cast. But while she was an important supporting role, there is more to roles than even being extremely interesting. … More Julie Estelle | The Future of Action Cinema

Cheer Up! (Sassy Go Go) | Recommended Korean Drama | 발칙하게 고고

February 10, 2020

Ah, what we have here are two friends from opposite sides of the track. You see, in this highly competitive elite school, Soo-ah is the number two student and Yeon-doo is the 196th. Usually, the highest and lowest-ranked students come to blows in the hallways. But Soo-ah gets it. She’s above this petty squabbling. Maybe there’s hope yet at peace across the aisle… … More Cheer Up! (Sassy Go Go) | Recommended Korean Drama | 발칙하게 고고

Motherhood with a Knife | Furie (2019) Review

February 9, 2020

Furie was a mega-hit in Vietnam and became a crossover success; I watched it on Netflix. It’s tempting to ascribe a Thailand/Indonesia breakout narrative here, as the film’s aesthetics recall Ong-Bak Muay: Thai Warrior and Merantau, and the passion behind its making suggests national pride. It broke box office records across the country and provided Vietnam its Oscar submission for 2019. However, this is not an actual debut. The cinema of Vietnam is older and more storied than I realized, and that lack of awareness is partly why I hope Furie indicates the path forward. Gorgeous and confident, graced by moody color and a free-flowing camera, there’s no mistaking it for the unrefined opening statement of a burgeoning industry, as in Ong-Bak and Merantau, but without those rough edges, it comes up short on character. … More Motherhood with a Knife | Furie (2019) Review

A Note on Star Ratings

February 9, 2020

I decided to go with star ratings for this third or fourth movie blog of mine, after a lifetime of deriving mild joy from them but insisting they’re the death of media criticism. Or at least, silently agreeing as media critics insisted so. I’m swiping the awkward four star system from Roger Ebert, yes, but also from the TV Guide magazine of my youth. One summer, ABC was airing its summer of James Bond, and I went next-door to my best bud’s house and watched The Man with the Golden Gun with his family. To date, my favorite 007. I discovered the TV Guide in a heap of the Sunday paper and went looking for the next airing, which was supposed to be Diamonds are Forever, but something was substituted out. I guess the lesson should’ve been, “Trust don’t the TV Guide,” but I was too fascinated by its shorthand for evaluation. It was only in comparing their giving Robocop a 3/4 and The Matrix a 3.5/4 that I could begin to decipher the language and understand the critic behind the printed ink. … More A Note on Star Ratings