David M. Brown's Blog, page 69
February 16, 2013
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – Wind of Change
A massive hit in Europe and charting well in the U.S. Scorpions’ Wind of Change is not just a great song but it also in itself a piece of history. As its title suggest this is a song that reflects a big change in European history at a time when the Berlin Wall was taken down and West and East Germany were united.
Singer Klaus Meine wrote the song after a visit to Russia when the Cold War was ending and the Soviet Union was also drawing to a close. The Union ended in 1991 the same year this song took the world by storm. The independence of former Soviet republics and the union of Germany after nearly half a century of division paved the way for a new future in Europe and the rest of the world. Though this song is very much about that time in history it will never stop being a legendary song. In its own right it is magnificent but in its historical context it is poignantly sublime.
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – Wind of Change | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Warlords
Starring: Jet Li, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Xu Jinglei
Directed by: Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Runtime: 110 minutes
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
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Review: Warlords
China’s history is long, turbulent and fascinating with one book being far too little to do full justice to everything that has shaped it into the powerful nation it is today. Peter Chan and Wai Man Yip’s Warlords takes us into nineteenth century China when the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) was at its height Southern China and led to around 20 million deaths in a truly brutal conflict. Warlords takes us to the latter years of that rebellion and focuses on a special bond between three men.
The film opens with Qing general, Qingyun (Jet Li), defeated in battle by Taiping rebels, largely due to General Ho and promised reinforcements not coming to the battlefield. In the aftermath Qingyun wanders into the path of a young woman, Liansheng (Xu Jinglei), who provides him with food and shelter and mutual affection soon develops between the two though she soon disappears. Qingyun next meets a group of bandits led by brothers, Erhu (Andy Lau) and Wuyang (Takeshi Kaneshiro), and they take the fallen soldier back to their village. Qingyun discovers Erhu’s wife is Liansheng and their previous encounter leads to an affair. Qingyun later joins the brothers in their raids, teaching them the art of defeating larger armies, before persuading the bandits to shed their criminal activities and join the Qing army. The brothers agree after Qingyun performs a blood oath with them, binding the three men as brothers. With their unity established and the Qing army bolstered with numbers, Qingyun sets out to lead his forces to victory over the Taiping rebels.
Warlords doesn’t take long in getting things moving. After Qingyun walks away from the opening battlefield and encounters Liansheng, he is soon joining a group of bandits that specialise in stealing food and supplies from rebel convoys. Qingyun joins one raid against a superior army but defeats the leader of the army and demoralises his men, a tactic Erhu and Wuyang observe closely and understand for future engagements. After the bandits’ village is raided and supplies are retaken, Qingyun convinces the two brothers to gather men and join the Qing army thus earning money and food for their families. The three men swear a blood oath to remain loyal to each other under pain of death, an oath Qingyun is secretly breaking with his continued affair with Liansheng. Soon enough we bear witness to some spectacular battles against the Taiping rebels as Qingyun begins to lead his men to many victories. His tactics are often risky but the rewards for the men even in death are hard to resist and they follow his every word. In one battle Qingyun calls on a group of men to volunteer to run at the enemy who will be armed and firing guns at them. Each man is reluctant but Wuyang steps forward to lead a brave force in an almost suicidal charge but one which leads to success when Wuyang manages to break through enemy lines and kills the army leader.
Having gained great momentum the film turns to two key fortresses that stand between Qingyun and ultimate victory – Suzhou and Nanjing. Faced with a depleted army Qingyun turns once again to the Qing lords for reinforcements but they are now stubborn despite supporting him in previous battles. Qingyun’s victories and increasing power leave the lords in fear of his ultimate ambitions and their reservations about assisting him further lead him to beseech his rival General Ho for aid in claiming Suzhou where both defenders and besiegers are starving and near broken. The efforts of Erhu lead to the city being taken without any further bloodshed but this remarkable feat backfires and drives an unrelenting wedge between the three blood brothers. Erhu claims the city from the rebel leader with the promise that the resident army will not be harmed. After slaying the rebel leader, Erhu is true to his word and vows that the army in Suzhou will not be harmed. When Qingyun returns to assume control he does not share the same sentiment. Concerned about feeding so many men what with the siege of Nanjing still to come, Qingyun has Erhu restrained while his men murder all the rebels in Suzhou. This spells the beginning of the end for the three blood brothers though they continue to fight together and do claim Nanjing, thus ending the long Taipan rebellion. Qingyun is now in an unassailable position, his fame and power striking fear into many, but there are still twists and turns to come with Erhu, Wuyang and Liansheng before the film is over.
While Warlords doesn’t have the same wow factor as say Hero, House of Flying Daggers or Mongol it still delivers some excellent set pieces and the battles and sieges are fantastic. The three leads are all very good, Li in particular is in complete contrast to his brilliant performance in Hero. The film captures the hostility and unrelenting violence of the Taiping Rebellion well and we’re in no doubt of what a turbulent time this was for China. The bond at the heart of the film is inevitably tragic with Qingyun already betraying Erhu and the affair with Liansheng inevitably comes out in the end, the consequences are very surprising. As often happens in history, heroes and great leaders are renowned and needed when battles are to be won but Warlords demonstrates brilliantly how quickly things can change when everyone had laid down their arms.
Warlords is an exciting, action-packed film with some terrific set-pieces. It doesn’t have the same visual appeal as other films I have seen from China though it does boast a good cast an story full of political intrigue and heroic deeds.
Verdict: 4/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Warlords | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Guest Post: Douglas Jaffe
We are delighted to welcome Douglas Jaffe, author of Chasing Dragons. Douglas joins us to share some of his favourite reads from his time in Asia.
Guest Post
Hi Everyone!
I want to thank Donna and David for inviting me to contribute a post to their wonderful site!
Although originally from New York, I left the US many years back and have spent the majority of the last two decades in various parts of Asia. I came to the region as a post-graduate student studying Chinese and remained connected to the region ever since. My writing has been heavily influenced by my experiences in this part of the world and after so many years, this is probably to be expected.
I spent a good chunk of my early years in Asia as a student, studying in both Taiwan and China, before eventually entering the working world. Singapore was my first port of call and after more than 7 years there, I moved up to Hong Kong where I currently reside. Through the various countries and career changes, a common thread has always been books. They have grounded, informed and inspired me; and for this guest post, I’d like to highlight a few wonderful titles.
1. Neuromancer by William Gibson
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I chose this book not simply because it is set in Tokyo but because Neuromancer was a stunning eye opener for me. It was my first introduction to cyberpunk and started what has become a lifelong interest in technology and science fiction. In the simplest terms, this book was just so damn cool and rich with images of a future far hipper, grimier and unpredictable than what I could have imagined on my own.
Neuromancer tells the story of Henry Dorsett Case, a talented but damaged hacker who is recruited for the ultimate job. Artificial intelligences, street samurai, “ICE” and even a cloned ninja ensure that no reader will be able to put this book down, if only for the sheer joy of being introduced to a completely new lexicon. Considering the book was written in 1984, it’s ability to remain relevant in the face of unceasing technological change is itself a mark of Gibson’s vision and relevance.
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2. The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher Koch.
This is a novel from the 1970s that most people may recognize from the film that was made with Mel Gibson. I never had much affinity for the film but the book made a deep impression. I was a student in London studying the history of Southeast Asia when I first found this book. It was a sultry, steamy and captivating introduction to Indonesia and its tumultuous history. It follows Guy Hamilton, an ambitious Australian journalist, as he and other members of the press corps try to navigate the dangerous days surrounding the eventual overthrow of President Sukarno.
Perhaps it was my youthful nature and the excitement of being a voyeur at the crux of an historical period, but this book really fired my imagination. Apart from the gripping story, there was also an underlying energy and passion to the book, communicated to me through the imagery of Wayang (Indonesian Shadow Puppet Theater). To this day, I cannot think of Indonesia without bringing to mind this book and the image of those floating, beautiful puppets doing their eternal dance of light and shadow.
3. A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
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This is a sharp, funny, and extremely beautiful work that will appeal to those with only a cursory knowledge of Pakistan’s difficult history. It is a fictional account of the events that led up to the plane crash that killed Pakistan’s leader, General Zia. The story is told through the eyes of Ali, a Junior Officer in the Pakistani Air Force, who has his own reasons for wanting Zia dead.
Like the other books I’ve chosen, this book lifted the curtain on a country about which I had known very little. I’d studied Pakistan’s history in a limited fashion and followed current events in that part of the world, but I had no concept of how an astute Pakistani writer would tell a story about his own country. To his credit, Hanif had me the second I saw that wonderful title, but for the work to linger with me through the years is a credit to his talent as a storyteller.
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4. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
Murakami is no doubt well known to many, having published a number of books over the last decade. For me, my introduction to his work came when I read Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. I was living in Taiwan at the time, as a recent university graduate, and just beginning to study Chinese. When I found this book, it just floored me. Murakami is a Japanese writer and he writes about Japan, but for a new Asia transplant with a curiosity about all things Asia, I was hooked.
He was one of the first authors I’d encountered who deftly blended modern, urban fiction with fantasy elements. Tokyo was a city I knew fairly well from a summer spent interning there but his Tokyo and his Japan were so rich and hip that it struck me how little I knew about that marvelous country. His work also taught me that it is ok to discard convention and write what you want to write.
5. Journey to the West by Wu Cheng En (Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China translated by Arthur Waley)
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Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Chinese Classics and is studied by children all across the Chinese-speaking world. It is a fictional account of a Buddhist monk named Xuanzang, who is tasked with going to India and bringing back Buddhist Sutras. The story is loosely based on an actual event, although the book is a subtle mix of farce, fantasy and thinly veiled political satire.
Most people know the story for its irrepressible lead character, Sun Wu Kong, known more commonly as Monkey. He is best described as a flawed hero who has a tendency to act first and consider consequences later. Throughout Journey to the West, he is constantly saving the rather hapless Xuanzang, while managing to have loads of fun along the way.
The Chinese version is extremely long and the prose can be somewhat inaccessible to even many modern Chinese. For English readers, there is an excellent, summarized book published in 1942 by Arthur Waley called Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China. This definitely worth picking up and might actually inspire a few readers to begun studying Chinese in their spare time.
About Chasing Dragons (2012)
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Sebastian is the owner of a bookstore café in Hong Kong who provides informal counseling services to an array of offbeat characters. His quiet life is suddenly upended when he meets Chloe, and their relationship takes a startling turn, as it begins to parallel the relationship of a pair of mythical dragons from Chinese history. The lovers struggle with questions of mortality and immortality, before a choice is made that pulls them apart.
From the safety of his bookstore, Sebastian observes the world around him through his books and his counseling clients, whose problems range from infidelity to the challenges of dealing with an overbearing mother. Living within the frenzied metropolis that is Hong Kong, Sebastian tries his best to live a quiet, predictable life.
Unbeknownst to him, there is a parallel story unfolding about Chi Wen and Zhao Chen, two dragons from Chinese mythology. While initially distinct from Sebastian’s modern life, this alternative reality begins to filter through and he finds himself increasingly subjected to visions and memories of a life he does not remember.
Sebastian has a chance meeting with Chloe one afternoon and they share an immediate attraction and familiarity that quickly draws them together. As the relationship deepens, Sebastian’s visions and dreams of Chi Wen and Zhao Chen intensify, and he begins to lose his grip on his sanity.
Reality and mythology blur and Sebastian is forced to question his own life and his relationship with Chloe. As the modern and mythical worlds start to intersect, Sebastian is drawn back into an ancient battle of wills. Solving the mystery of his frightening visions leads him to a choice that will throw his life into turmoil and potentially destroy his humanity.
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About Douglas Jaffe
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Douglas Jaffe has been in Asia for over 17 years and originally came to the region from New York as a graduate student, studying in China and Taiwan. He has a dual Masters in Chinese Studies and International Affairs and speaks passable Chinese on a good day.
In recent years, Douglas has pursued his interest in writing fiction and has recently published his first novel, Chasing Dragons. A second book is currently in the works.
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Guest Post: Douglas Jaffe | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 15, 2013
Film Review: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and Spring
Starring: Ki-duk Kim, Yeong-su Oh, Jong-ho Kim, Young-min Kim, Jae-kyeong Seo
Directed by: Ki-duk Kim
Runtime: 103 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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Review: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and Spring
Directed by Ki-duk Kim, this beautiful film is pleasing on the eye as it is in its simplicity. Rather than referring to five consecutive seasons, the film focuses on the different stages in the life of a monk’s apprentice, beginning with him as a young boy (Spring), teenager (Summer), young man (Autumn), middle aged man (Winter) and finally an old man (Spring). Under the early tutelage of an aging monk (Yeong-su Oh), the apprentice learns of the world around him before abandoning his faith for the love of a woman only to have his fingers burned by the outside world. He later returns to his former home to begin his life anew.
The film is set in the same location throughout, the old monk’s monastery floating in the middle of a lake and the surrounding land. At the outset his young apprentice is a curious child but the old monk is willing to punish him if he sins. A stand-out moment is when the boy finds it amusing tying rocks to a fish, a frog and a snake. Observed by his master, the boy later wakes to find he has a rock tied to him and though he cries and complains his master will not untie the burden until he has done the same to the animals he picked on. The old monk promises the boy he will carry guilt for the rest of his life if any of the animals have died. The boy is deeply upset when he finds only the frog is alive which he manages to set free.
As a teenager the apprentice fights with temptation when a mother brings her daughter to the monastery, insisting she is ill and time with the monks will help her find a cure. The daughter does find a cure when she and the apprentice fall in love and begin an affair. When the old monk discovers this he insists the girl should leave. This is too much for the apprentice who ignores his master’s warnings and abandons the monastery to begin a new life with the woman. He later returns as a young man having found himself on the wrong side of the law and seeking redemption from his former master. I won’t say any more about how the apprentice’s life turns as he enters the winter and spring of his life.
I really enjoyed Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and Spring. The apprentice’s story is one of spiritual growth. As a boy he displays cruelty, as a teenager he betrays his faith for love and heads for the outside world only to find pain and sorrow there. The rest of his life is spent in redemption but whether he finds it is not for me to say. I always tell film fans to try world cinema as they may be pleasantly surprised. This is yet another example of why I will always have one eye on world cinema.
Verdict: 5/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and Spring | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 13, 2013
Valentine’s Day Hop: Wuthering Heights – Wild, Dark, Tragic
[image error]This is nothing,’ cried she: ‘I was only going to say that heaven did not seem to be my home; and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath on the top of Wuthering Heights; where I woke sobbing for joy. That will do to explain my secret, as well as the other. I’ve no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn’t have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he’s handsome, Nelly, but because he’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton’s is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire.’
I cannot express it; but surely you and everybody have a notion that there is or should be an existence of yours beyond you. What were the use of my creation, if I were entirely contained here? My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff’s miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it.—My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He’s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.
These two quotations from Wuthering Heights have always been my favourites. Yet although as a teenager they filled me with awe that love could be so wild, so passionate, as an adult I came to realise that love is not always healthy and that a love full of passion and drama isn’t necessarily romantic. Despite this, Wuthering Heights remains one of my favourite romantic reads because of the complexity of the story and the difficulties that the two are presented with and struggle to overcome.
1) Expectations, judgements, assumptions all weigh heavily on the duo.
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Top Withens, Yorkshire (Source: Dave Dunford, Wikipedia)
2) Cathy and Heathcliff are young. The strength of their feelings would overwhelm a mature adult who had experienced love – or at least attraction – before. They are ill-equipped to deal with their changing feelings and it quickly shows. Their immaturity only adds a further obstacle – they are silly and stubborn, where someone with more experience would be measured and avoid childish games.
3) They lack a role model. The absence of a mother is not the issue. It is the absence of any role model. Nelly is arguably one of the kinder characters in the book but only when she wants to be. She can also be devious and unsympathetic, judgemental and callous.
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Bronte Society Plaque, Top Withens, Yorkshire (Source: Dave Dunford, Wikipedia)
4) They are sheltered. For all the dark and wild imagery of the book and its portrayal of their life on the moors, they are sheltered from life. They have been too removed from society to see other perspectives on life. Heathcliff comes across as animalistic. What example has he had that could have led to anything different?
5) They are proud. Ultimately, their unwillingness to be honest, their fear of exposing themselves to one another, their inabilty to reveal the slightest weakness is their final undoing. Despite all opposition and obstacles, the two could have been a force to be reckoned with as a team. They were never a team, though. Not once their feelings had developed. As a result, Heathcliff never sees the real Cathy and vice versa. The novel is plagued with avoidable misunderstandings and the consequences are terrible.
That is why it is still one of my favourite reads. It is a tale of anguish and pain but it is also a tale of incredible love and desire. It is a reminder to us all that love requires honesty and compromise to flourish. Mistrust and stubborness will slowly destroy it.
Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
William Shakespeare
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A Story of Love, Loss, Connection, and Grace
At the heart of the seemingly perfect Tyler family stands sixteen-year-old Leah. Her proud parents are happily married, successful professionals. Her adoring younger sister is wise and responsible beyond her years. And Leah herself is a talented athlete with a bright collegiate future. But living out her father’s lost dreams, and living up to her sister’s worshipful expectations, is no easy task for a teenager. And when temptation enters her life in the form of drugs, desire, and a dangerously exciting boy, Leah’s world turns on a dime from idyllic to chaotic to nearly tragic.
As Leah’s conflicted emotions take their toll on those she loves—turning them against each other and pushing them to destructive extremes—In Leah’s Wake powerfully explores one of fiction’s most enduring themes: the struggle of teenagers coming of age, and coming to terms with the overwhelming feelings that rule them and the demanding world that challenges them. Terri Giuliano Long’s skillfully styled and insightfully informed debut novel captures the intensely personal tragedies, victories, and revelations each new generation faces during those tumultuous transitional years.
Recipient of multiple awards and honors, In Leah’s Wake is a compelling and satisfying reading experience with important truths to share—by a new author with the voice of a natural storyteller and an unfailingly keen understanding of the human condition…at every age.
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The rest of the hoppers..
Valentine’s Day Hop: Wuthering Heights – Wild, Dark, Tragic | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Game Review: Blood Bowl
Blood Bowl – the game of fantasy football. Based on the famous Warhammer fantasy world and American football, Blood Bowl is a combination of a classic strategy game and a sports game. It’s also an incredibly brutal game, where you lead your team through bonecrunching leagues to compete in the prestigious Blood Bowl Cup! Create your team from the 8 playable races: Humans, Orcs, Wood Elves, Dwarves, Skaven, Lizardmen, Chaos or Goblins and manage them as they gain experience through the many championships and tournaments taking place in the Old World. No Holds Barred: Bribe the referee, foul your opponent as they whimper on the ground, hurl devastating fireballs from the stands or even sneak a chainsaw onto the field, whatever it takes to defeat your opponent… But don’t ever forget the ultimate purpose of the game: Get the ball into the End Zone and score touchdowns!
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Review: Blood Bowl (X360)
Blood Bowl takes the basis of American Football into a fantasy world where careers are ended not just through injury but death on the pitch. Adapted from the board game first produced by Games Workshop in 1987, Blood Bowl has already divided the critics but it does offer both positive and negative elements.
Blood Bowl pitches two teams of 11 players against one another in a hostile environment where not even extreme violence is taboo. The main object of the game is to advance into your opponent’s half and score a touchdown in the End Zone. Dependent on your style of play, you can focus purely on scoring touchdowns or you can adopt a more malevolent approach and concentrate on injuring, even killing, opponents, leaving gaps on the pitch to exploit and make scoring much easier. There are eight races in total – humans, orcs, dwarves, lizardmen, skavens, goblins, chaos and wood elves – with each race being purposely built for different tactics and strategy. The nimble wood elves are well suited to swift advances in the pursuit of touchdowns, whereas orcs live for brutality and are more adept at injuring opponents.
Faithful to the board game, the pitch in Blood Bowl is divided into a grid with the 22 players occupying one square each. At the start of play you will be invited to place your team in your own half, applying the formation that suits you best – be it defensive or attack-minded. Once the game begins each team is given a time limit to move each of its players around the pitch. There are 16 turns in total, 8 in each half, and for every move that is made, a roll of the dice can be heard in the background and helps to decide the success of your intended objectives. For instance, if one player is chosen to run towards the end of the pitch and one of the squares on their intended path is adjacent to an opponent then the dice roll will decide if your player successfully evades a tackle and continues. If the dice doesn’t favour you then your player will be knocked down, if you are lucky your player will continue to advance and complete their move. The same rule applies if you choose to attack an opponent. The dice roll will decide the outcome of the exchange with the attacker, defender or even both players being floored in the exchange. Blood Bowl is all about luck in whatever you choose to do – picking up the ball, passing it to a player, scoring a try – all of these intended commands can quickly come unstuck. If you fail to complete a move successfully your turn ends and your opponent takes over.
The menus in Blood Bowl offer plenty to get your teeth into. You can name and customise your own team – Barnsley in my case (no sniggers please!). After choosing one of the eight races you are given a budget to purchase a group of players. As you work your way through the game, players will inevitably be injured or even killed, leading you to replace the loved and lost. To progress you will need to win matches, earn more money and experience for your daring team, and invest this wisely in better protection or designating specific skills to individual players be they evasive, defensive or offensive. Aside from your team you can hire cheerleaders to boost morale, apothecaries to help heal your wounded players, or even resort to bribing the referee.
Unfortunately, Blood Bowl is undone by many factors. Newcomers to the franchise will have to negotiate a series of tutorials that are not helped by the small text. The game is also let down by slow loading times before and after a match which wears at the patience. The matches themselves I found frequently frustrating with such simple tasks as a player running being at the mercy of the dice with a negative outcome leaving your player flat on their face. A seemingly clever strategy could be quickly undone by a player unable to complete the simple task of picking up the ball! Though your opponents are in the same position as you, I did find that they seemed to have the lion’s share of the luck with the bulk of my team left in a bloody heap while they advanced unopposed to score a touchdown. Newcomers to Blood Bowl may find these strategic elements too difficult to persevere with, but on the other hand veteran Blood Bowl players will be able to pick this up quite easily. Blood Bowl is a good concept but instead of the strategy I would have preferred the fast-flowing sport I once enjoyed on the Amiga in the form of Speedball 2 and Brutal Sports Football, both a mixture of violence and sport but more accessible to a wider audience and easier to pick up.
Ratings for Blood Bowl so far have been at both ends of the scale and I believe this will continue. Many aspects of the game work but this is not easy to master and the heavy reliance on luck, though faithful to the board game, I found difficult to accept. That said I believe the game warrants two ratings for my concerns and issues are for newcomers, such as myself, whereas experienced Blood Bowlers will surely find much to enjoy here.
Final Score: 2/5 (for newcomers) 3/5 (for veterans)
Game Review: Blood Bowl | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Mongol
History knows him as Genghis Khan, but before he became a warlord, he was simply a man named Temudgin. Exiled into slavery as a boy and forced into a life of struggle after his father is killed by a rival clan, the greatest military mastermind of all time survived on the strength of a single dream: to unite his people into the largest empire the world has ever known. Asano Tadanobu portrays Temudgin in director Sergei Bodrov’s sweeping, Academy Award nominated epic full of breathtaking landscapes and bloody battles that follows the Mongol warrior as he escapes the shackles of bondage, finds love and rises to become the general who would create history’s most powerful empire.Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Khulan Chuluun, Ji Ri Mu Tu, Amarbold Tuvshinbayar, Aliya (II)
Directed by: Sergey Bodrov
Runtime: 126 minutes
Studio: New Line Home Video
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Review: Mongol
Genghis Khan is arguably the greatest conqueror that has ever lived with his Mongol empire four times that of Alexander the Great’s and twice that of the Roman Empire. By his death in 1227 Genghis’ descendants were on the doorstep of Europe, quite a journey from Mongolia! Sergey Bodrov’s Mongol was initially intended as the first in a trilogy of films about Genghis Khan but any sequels have yet to emerge. Mongol deals with the early life of Genghis Khan when he was known as Temujin.
The film opens with a grown up Temujin (Tadanobu Asano) imprisoned and recounting his early life beginning with his childhood, his first meeting with his wife Borte (Khulan Chulunn) and his rise from obscurity to eventual power over all the tribes in Mongolia. This is very much the early days for Temujin and we don’t bear witness to any of his actions outside Mongolia. This film is very much the life of Temujin from a child to his ordainment as Genghis Khan or the Great Khan.
Bodrov’s film begins with the origins of Temujin (Odnyam Odsuren), riding through the plains with his father Yesugei (Ba Sen) in search of a bride. Yesugei wishes for Temujin to find a wife from the same tribe he abducted his son’s mother from. Yesugei is eager to make peace for his offensive deed many years before but stopping off at a small village, Temujin meets a young Borte (Bayertsetseg Erdenebat) who insists Temujin should choose her. He does! Heading home, Yesugei is poisoned by a rival tribe and hands his position as Khan over to Temujin. The young boy’s fate is not so kind on his eventual return home though. Targutai (Amadu Mamadakov), formerly loyal to Yesugei, claims power and leaves Temujin’s family destitute. He only spares Temujin because he is still a child, though once grown up he becomes a target. While still a boy Temujin is rescued by another boy Jamukha (Amarbold Tuvshinbayar) and the two become close friends and blood brothers. Temujin has to start from the bottom of society but with Jamukha’s friendship and marriage to Borte things seem to be improving.
The film depicts events that are considered to be factual for the young Temujin. His wife was abducted by a rival tribe and Temujin turned to his old friend Jamukha, now a Khan and head of a vast tribe, for help. However, by the time Temujin and Jamukha were able to rescue Borte she was heavily pregnant as a result of being raped. Though Temujin embraced the child as his own son problems would occur many years later when it came to rivalries amongst his successors. Temujin is indebted to Jamukha for liberating Borte and decimating the Merkit tribe that abducted her but divisions appear immediately amongst the men. Jamukha’s policy is for any loot from enemy camps to be entirely at his mercy. He takes as much as he pleases and the rest of his army is left with scraps. Temujin’s approach is to divide the loot equally amongst every man, a token gesture for their bravery and support. Temujin and Jamukha go their separate ways and some of Jamukha’s men flock to Temujin’s banner. War between the friends is inevitable and it is clear that Mongolia is not big enough for both of them. One will have to give way for the other.
Bodrov’s film barely puts a foot wrong. The early life of Temujin and the struggles he endured is fascinating viewing and seeing him at times as a slave and gravely wounded you’ll find it astonishing what he managed to achieve by the time of his death. Asano is brilliant in the lead role and his varying appearances dependent on his many plights are hard-hitting. Temujin’s love story with Borte is a moving one and she is certainly not a damsel in distress as she may initially appear. Borte is cunning and willing to sacrifice anything for her husband as she proves in the latter stages of the film. The battles are fabulous and we have two major exchanges between Temujin and Jamukha to enjoy. My only grievances now are my impatience for the second and third instalments to be released. There is no confirmation that there will be any more films at this stage which is a crying shame.
Mongol is an excellent insight into the early life of Genghis Khan, which should help audiences understand why he felt the need to be brutal once he had assumed power. Mongolia at the time of Temujin was uncompromising and dangerous, ruthlessness was the only way to survive and Temujin learned the hard way how to make it through to the end of each day. Bodorov’s film is an absolute must and let’s hope he gets to work on those sequels very soon.
Verdict: 5/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Mongol | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 11, 2013
Film Review: Persepolis
Persepolis is the poignant story of a young girl coming-of-age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It is through the eyes of precocious and outspoken nine-year-old Marjane that we see a people’s hopes dashed as fundamentalists take power — forcing the veil on women and imprisoning thousands. Clever and fearless, she outsmarts the “social guardians” and discovers punk, ABBA and Iron Maiden. Yet when her uncle is senselessly executed and as bombs fall around Tehran in the Iran/Iraq war the daily fear that permeates life in Iran is palpable. As she gets older, Marjane’s boldness causes her parents to worry over her continued safety. And so, at age fourteen, they make the difficult decision to send her to school in Austria. Vulnerable and alone in a strange land, she endures the typical ordeals of a teenager. In addition, Marjane has to combat being equated with the religious fundamentalism and extremism she fled her country to escape. Over time, she gains acceptance, and even experiences love, but after high school she finds herself alone and horribly homesick. Though it means putting on the veil and living in a tyrannical society, Marjane decides to return to Iran to be close to her family. After a difficult period of adjustment, she enters art school and marries, all the while continuing to speak out against the hypocrisy she witnesses. At age 24, she realizes that while she is deeply Iranian, she cannot live in Iran. She then makes the heartbreaking decision to leave her homeland for France, optimistic about her future, shaped indelibly by her past.Starring: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian
Directed by: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
Runtime: 96 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
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Review: Persepolis
I didn’t know much about Persepolis before I sat down to watch it. It surprised me in many ways, the first being that this is definitely a film aimed at an older audience, from teens upwards in fact. The film follows the story of Marjane Satrapi at various stages of her life. Marji is from Iran and lives through political unrest as a new oppressive government claims power over the country in the late seventies before Iran descends into a brutal war with Iraq in the eighties. Persepolis focuses on Marji, her family and the people of Iran who are caught in the crossfire of a nation torn apart.
Marji’s is often a difficult journey to watch. Iranian society, of course, is very different to the many luxuries those of us in western society enjoy. As a child, Marji idolises an uncle who is a political rebel with affiliations to Communism and has spent many years in prison. When a new government claims power in Iran, Marji is horrified when her uncle is killed for his beliefs. Both Marji’s uncle and grandmother instil in her the belief and importance of always being herself and never forgetting where she comes from.
In the early eighties Marji’s parents send her to Vienna where she comes to experience a different world, drinking and smoking with fellow students, and beginning relationships with boys. Marji does, however, feel maladjusted and ashamed to say she is Iranian. Even in the west her life is not an easy one and culminates in her spending time on the streets at one stage. She doesn’t forget her family back in Iran though and is destined to return one day to the war torn country and find a way to continue to live her life the way she wants to.
Persepolis is a gritty film at times but a very rewarding one. While the violence is thankfully not gratuitous, there is a lot of darkness about the film, even when Marji believes a new life in Vienna will promise better things. While her family struggle to survive the war in Iran, Marji fights her own daily battles in Vienna. There are no miracle cures for Marji, life isn’t a bed of roses by the end, but she has grown a lot on her journey and we have been privileged to share in her often difficult story.
Verdict: 5/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Persepolis | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
Film Review: Cyrus
John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill and Oscar® Winner Marisa Tomei star in this quirky, hilarious story about love, family and cutting the cord. Not-so-recently divorced John (Reilly) thinks he’s finally found the perfect woman when he meets the sweet and sexy Molly (Tomei). There’s just one problem – Molly’s son Cyrus (Hill) clings to his mom like lint on a T-shirt, and he’s not about to let another man come between them. It’s one hysterically awkward moment after another as John and Cyrus fight for the right to be Molly’s #1 man.Starring: Marisa Tomei, John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener
Directed by: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass
Runtime: 91 minutes
Studio: Fox Searchlight
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Review: Cyrus (2010)
Starting a relationship with someone who already has children is not always straightforward. If the children still see both parents they may resent the presence of a new man or woman in their home. In Jay and Mark Duplass’ Cyrus we have a similar scenario where a lonely man meets the woman of his dreams but finds a seemingly unstoppable obstacle in her teenage son.
John (John C Reilly) has been down on his luck ever since his marriage ended seven years ago. When his ex-wife Jamie (Catherine Keener) announces she is getting married, John is inconsolable. Jamie decides he needs to meet someone and takes him to a party. John’s advances are rebuffed by every woman he approaches until he meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) and the two fall for one another. Initially ending their dates at John’s house, John eventually follows Molly to her home and meets her son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill). Initially welcomed into the home, John soon realises Cyrus is less than happy to have him around and begins to sabotage his mother’s new relationship any way he can.
Cyrus begins as something of a comedy with John proving inept when it comes to meeting women at a party. After getting drunk he proceeds to urinate outside only to have Molly wander over and admire his penis! It’s an unusual introduction but John and Molly hit it off and spend the night together only for her to sneak off before John wakes though she leaves a note asking him to call. They see each other again the following night but again Molly sneaks off early the next morning. John follows her and bumps into her son Cyrus. John finds mother and son have a very close relationship, so much so that she has to leave the bedroom door open in case he needs her.
What follows is partly comedy and partly drama. John’s trainers go missing to begin with before Cyrus plays his mum and John off against each other informing them both separately that the other thinks the relationship is going too fast. Cyrus’ calculating ways are not seen by his mother and John is gradually pushed further and further away. Though he wants to tell Molly what her son is up to he doesn’t want to risk losing her. When Cyrus eventually admits to John what he is up to, battle lines are drawn between them but who will emerge as the winner?
Cyrus played more like a comedy for the majority of the film before turning serious in the last fifteen minutes or so. It made the film seem somewhat uneven and not really sure what it wanted to be. It’s probably too short as well, building up quite well to an inevitable conflict but one which is resolved very swiftly. The main cast are good with Reilly reliable as usual. In the end though this feels like it could have been a great film but instead it’s just a quite good one.
Cyrus isn’t a new idea and the ending is very predictable after managing to tackle the uncomfortable rivalry between a mother’s boyfriend and her son. This may have worked better as a drama but everything prior to the final few reels plays more like a comedy, albeit a black one. There are some good things here but it could have been better.
Verdict: 3/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Cyrus | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
February 10, 2013
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – Stay on These Roads
In my opinion, A-ha’s best song, and given that the likes of Take On Me are among its rivals that is quite a feat. While Stay on These Roads didn’t trouble the top of the UK charts like previous hits it still nestled in the Top 10 and remains a classic to this day. Every time I see the music video I want to get a motorbike and head out on the road. This song would undoubtedly be one of my theme tunes.
Sung beautifully by Morten Harket, Stay on These Roads isn’t the easiest of songs to decipher. The mention of an old man feeling the cold and waiting to meet the one he loves on the road may suggest the end of life but it’s hard to be certain. The sight of lead singer Harket may have melted many hearts during the band’s heyday but he was part of a trio of very talented musicians that produced some of the best songs of the eighties.
Tweedlers’ Jukebox Song of the Week – Stay on These Roads | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
