i find it so cute when the 5 called uncle colm to the investigation & when their plan succeeded, they all celebrated him & he was smiling saying, "any time, weans! any time at all!" :)

1960 Little Red Riding Hood stamps designed by Michel + Kieser

r.i.p paul walker

I watched American Born Chinese, and it is an enjoyable series, honestly. It's silly and fun but it's also a show with a really big heart, it's a show that doesn't take itself too seriously but also makes a point to open important conversations regarding culture and identity, typecasting/stereotyping, the importance of speaking out for yourself, the struggle of breaking the glass ceiling in industries, etc. I also love the many references the show made to art/media forms, like the manga, sitcom, and xianxia, so it's like a study in intertextuality but also feels like a celebration of art. Overall, I could feel that this show was made with a lot of earnest love and thought, and I really hope it gets to tell its story in full!!

— Kung Fu Panda Trilogy (2008 - 2016), created by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris.

Toutes peines confondues (AKA Sweetheart) | Michel Deville | 1992

Hans Michel, Kieler Woche 1963, Kieler Woche, Kiel, June 23-30, 1963 [Museum für Gestaltung Zürich]

American Born Chinese

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2023

American Born Chinese (2023, USA)

Creator: Kelvin Yu (based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang)

Mini-review:

I loved this so much! Sure, it has its flaws, but its strengths far outweigh them. The show feels refreshing and almost groundbreaking thanks to the way it takes inspiration from Journey to the West and Chinese culture. With these elements, the show gets to tell a fantastic story about coming of age and finding your identity. It also tackles the topic of representation head-on, with a beautiful monologue by Ke Huy Quan in one of the last episodes. I can't think of many TV shows that talk so frankly about this, and American Born Chinese deserves big kudos for that.

But the main reason why this show is a hit is its cast. For starters, we have legends like Michelle Yeoh, the aforementioned Ke Huy Quan and Daniel Wu. Obviously, they are as great as anyone would expect from them. But the young cast also delivers: Ben Wang's comedic timing is perfect, and Jimmy Liu pretty much steals the show with an incredibly charming and adorable performance. On top of all this, the action scenes are fantastic, with amazing choreographies and very stylish and cinematic direction. Also, I thought this was supposed to be a limited series, but I guess it's not? I'm not complaining, cause I really enjoyed it, but I hope it's doesn't end up being cancelled.

P.S. Why the f**k is Disney+ not promoting the hell out of this? They have Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu from Everything Everywhere All At Once, plus Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed the Shang-Chi movie, and they are doing nothing to promote it. It's seriously baffling.

Rei: Thank you all for joining in celebrating the upcoming nuptials of my beautiful daughter! Bottoms up, Kirsten!

Kirsten: Woooooooo!

<ka-thud>

Fast X is................ surprisingly not terrible

I watched Fast X this weekend, with a lot of apprehension. I am a fan of this franchise overall, having enjoyed almost all the movies to some extent or another, be it as a B movie guilty pleasure, point break rip off, or balls to walls bananas action movie. From Fast Five to Furious 7 is where the series peaked in my opinion. I think they managed to blend action, humor, and surprising amounts of heart. Since Paul Walker's demise though, the series has lot some of that heart. I think tilting far too much into Dom as a messiah of sorts who can pull of ridiculous superheroics. The Fate of the Furious was meh, but still had Johnson and Statham who provided a lot of the movie's best scenes. F9 is where the series came off the rails for me. I couldn't even enjoy it on a guilty pleasure level. So I was apprehensive about this film, but it turned out to be....... not bad.

Lets be clear, this isn't a good film. It isn't even really a complete film. Its either half a story or a third of a story, depending on whether this becomes a trilogy or not. But it tones down the action from jump the shark stuff of F9 to more palatable bonkers stuff from the previous 4 films. There is ridiculous mayhem in this movie, but not unpalatably so. The thing is that it is only part of a story. It isn't like Infinity War, which felt like a conclusive end to Thanos' mission. I genuinely feels abruptly cut on a big cliffhanger. There are like 4 separate story tracks that are happening simultaneously and there are cameos thrown in left, right, and center. Statham shows up for an abrupt action scene and then leaves, Helen Mirren shows up for one scene, Brie Larson has like 4 scenes total, Charlize Theron has like 3-4 scenes total. On top of that we have Alan Ritchson who joins the mix, with a returning cameo from Scott Eastwood. Jordana Brewster has like 1-2 scenes, and we also have Elena's sister inexplicably. So it is overwhelming and exhausting to keep track of all these characters, with the main cast also getting reduced screen time as a result. But the action sequences are great. I never got bored of the movie, which did happen with F9. And on top of that is Jason Momoa, who is the lifeblood of this film. He clearly knows the film he's in and he's playing to the gallery completely and he adds an additional boost of energy to the film. Thankfully, he has a fair amount of screen time and also has some genuine menace, beneath the theatrics. I'll be honest, at this point, Dom is probably my least favorite character. Vin Diesel plays him a bit too self-seriously and mumbles through his dialogue. He's better here than he was in the last 2 films, but he also has less screen time comparatively, due to the split focus. John Cena is surprisingly good here, this time wisely playing to his strengths. He is much more palatable as uncle goofball, who is a badass, then as the vengeful villain he was in the previous movie. The scenes with him and little B are pretty fun. They seemingly kill him off, but I hope he is alive. Given how Han and Giselle are inexplicably alive, I wouldn't it past Mr. Nobody to come out of nowhere and having saved him. The track with Han, Roman, Tej, and Ramsey kind of flounders around a bit because it literally only consists of them bickering and trying to get to a location. The stuff with Letty and Cipher is fairly fun. The fight scene between the two of them is a highlight of the movie.

Anyways, the performances are all on par. All the returning cast members know their individual roles quite well. Jason Momoa is a clear standout in the cast. Seeing Charlize Theron kick some ass in her brief role is pretty great. I do think this film overall raised my enthusiasm for the next film, but it is an overwhelming watch. It is definitely not going to convert anyone to a fan, but if anyone likes these movies, they will continue to enjoy this one. The mid credit scene, signaling Hobbs' return is pretty cool. Louis Letterier does a solid job with the action. A 6/10.

Star Wars + text posts

Hans Michel | Günther Kieser | Design Reviewed

Hans Holbein the Younger, The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb

"The effect of the open eyes and mouth has been described by the art critic Michel Onfray as giving the impression that "the viewer sees Christ seeing... even in death, Christ still looks and speaks.""

Star Wars Tales #10 December 2001

“Free Memory” 

story by Brett Matthews

art by Vatche Mavlian

colors and letters by Michelle Madsen