Tag: John Cho

Reviews

COLUMBUS

Michael J. Casey

“Life’s tragedy begins with the bond between parent and child.” —Ryūnosuke Akutagawa A father is sick and the son is beckoned to his side. Though the set-up may be familiar, the execution is anything but. This is Columbus, the first movie from writer/director Kogonada, a video essayist of considerable reputation, and little of Kogonada’s acute eye is lost in the leap from three-minute analysis to a feature-length narrative. Columbus is the story of two wayward souls who come together in the town of Columbus, Indiana. He is Jin (John Cho), the son of an architecture scholar who has fallen into … Continue reading COLUMBUS

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STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

Michael J. Casey

Star Trek Into Darkness - Poster

Star Trek Into Darkness begins with an action set piece, dropping the audience right in the middle of chaos. Reminiscent of a James Bond or an Indiana Jones pre-credit sequence, Spock is trying to diffuse an erupting volcano while Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy run from an angry mob. Director J.J. Abrams and writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof beg you not to ask any questions about what in the hell is going on, just go with it. Why are these natives chasing Kirk and Bones? Because Kirk stole something of theirs. What did he steal? Who knows, probably some significant religious scrolls. How is Spock going to stop this volcano from erupting? He has a super ice-cube of course! Details are not the important part of this scene, what is important is the presence of action. It lets the viewers know right up front what kind of movie they are in for. Abrams and company present us with a bargain, “We will give you two hours of action, just please don’t ask any questions.”

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Movie Beat

Movie Beat – 02.08.13

Michael J. Casey

Caesar Must Die – William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is one of the most infamous and greatest pieces of theater. It has been performed a countless number of times in virtually every language. One would think that we would reach a saturation point for this particular play, but we never will, and we can thank Paolo and Vittorio Taviani and those of like mind for such inventiveness. Their staging of Julius Caesar is part documentary, part staging. The performers, harden criminals, some with no hope of parole. “Et tu, Brute?” takes on a completely different meaning to one who might have … Continue reading Movie Beat – 02.08.13