Tag: Romance

From Oppenheimer to A Compassionate Spy, This Cinematic to Documentary Pairing Tells All

Whether Ted Hall is truly a hero, a spy or just a person in A Compassionate Spy, what we learn is that he’s pretty much America’s unsung hero.

A Compassionate Spy Movie PosterThere is one plot hole in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer which needs its own story to tell all. Someone leaked the plans on how to make a nuclear bomb to the Russians! While the film went one way to figure out who is to blame, this documentary deftly examines why Ted Hall instigated the deed. Steve James’ A Compassionate Spy nicely helps us understand what motivated him to do so.

Instead of comparing him to Dr. Strangelove aka How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, what this film does is examine why this scientist passed on nuclear secrets to the enemy. The Cold War was beginning and to understand why he did it requires understanding the times, and Saville Sax’s involvement in the whole matter. He was part of Hall’s plans to share the information. He was worried his country might turn into another type of Nazi Germany.

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Paint Me Up! Owen Wilson and The Art of….

Although Brit Mcadams didn’t get to make the movie he hoped for, what he crafted in Paint is still amusing.

Paint Movie Poster starring Owen WilsonAvailable on Amazon Prime
Home Video Release: July 25, 2023

The gentle country melodies of John Denver highlights Paint more than Owen Wilson playing Carl Nargle, a character which looks like Bob Ross, behaves like Bob Ross, but isn’t Bob Ross. That’s because writer/director Brit McAdams probably didn’t get the okay from his estate to make a telling biography. The real Ross found his passion for painting while in the military and the conflict he had with the instructors there helped shape his craft. And just where Carl found his isn’t fully revealed.

What this filmmaker reworked into a story can’t even be considered remotely close to a parody of the man. Although Wilson is the perfect choice because he nearly has the same cander as the painter, to be typecast can be bad. Even though he plays a similarly loosey goosey priest in Disney’s Haunted Mansion (review coming soon), I find he’s at his best when being serious. I particularly liked him as Mobius in Marvel’s Loki over everything he’s collectively done in his career.

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After 3 Episodes of My Adventures with Superman, Who is the Focus?

When all the past lore gets tossed out the window, we have a very different take on what makes My Adventures With Superman great.

My Adventures With Superman PosterMy Adventures with Superman is a very different take on the lore, and for fans of high school style anime, there’s lots to like. It’s being animated by South Korean Studio MIR, and that’s okay. As for those who watched Bruce Timm and Paul Dini’s material, it’s not as sexy. However, I will keep looking for that silver lining. That’s because Lois Lane’s persona is more inspired from the classic Japanese Animation young independent stereotypes, instead of a hard-nosed reporter. To see her and Clark often blush is not to my liking. As a result, this North American icon is hardly that anymore.

Here, all the characters are beginning their careers at the Daily Planet as interns and none of them have earned their wings. Instead of fostering Clark Kent (voiced by Jack Quaid) and Lois Lane’s (Alice Lee) relationship, the two are crushing on each other like teenagers. In regard to Jimmy Olsen (Ishmel Sahid), whom I thought would be the focus, he’s barely the star. Thus, had the story perspective been more about this cub photographer, then I’d get why this latest from Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment is called My Adventures…, rather than My Secret Identity as Superman.

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When Romance Blooms, Blue Thermal Wants to Soar

Where this movie soars is with the obvious romance that’s developing between student and sempai. Blue Thermal is cute in a vintage 50s kind of way.

Blue Thermal Blu-Ray + DVD Slipcover
Available to view on Amazon Prime or to purchase.

Shout! Factory

Adapting any multi-volume manga series to a single film can be tough, and despite some narrative beats that don’t go too deep, Blue Thermal is relatively engaging. The explanation in the home video release offers insight to the changes, and overall, I didn’t mind how the lengthy tale got compressed.

Any story that involves aspiring to fly high and to achieve your dreams will always capture my interest. Although classic works like Macross Zero, Porco Rosso and Nausicaä set the bar, it’s tough to find new material that can live up to that.

Just where this film fits in is somewhere after the top five lists. I love the title song (YouTube link) and can listen to it all day! As for the tale, it’s not about what’s amazing with the sport of gliding. Instead, the movie is about headstrong Tsuru Tamaki (Mayu Hotta) wanting to fit in. This story is about her entering college life. She’s the type who dreams of white picket fences and meeting that cute boy who’ll sweep her off her feet. But being a freshman is tough at Aonagi University. After trying her hand at different clubs, she literally and accidentally lands into a sport she has no familiarity with.

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China’s Give Me Five is Feisty and Quick to Land in North America

Although Give Me Five takes a few ideas from Back to the Future, it ventures into all new territory by the third act.

Give Me Five PosterWell GO USA
Playing at Select Theatres (Please check local listings)
Spoiler Alert

Give Me Five (哥, 你好) is a hilarious Chinese light sci-fi and romantic comedy where Xiao Wu (Chang Yuan) is worried about how Hongqi (Wei Xiang), his father, can go on. He lost his wife when this boy was born and more than two decades later, has Alzheimer’s. It’s sad to see him lose his memories, and thankfully his son has an idea. Xiao believes any mementos he can find can help. In what he discovers is a magical ring and his mom’s diaries.

When reading them, he learns about how his parents met. But it all stopped in 1991, and māmā never hinted at what would result in her disapperance from their lives. Little is known about how she died, and what we discover is heartbreaking. All we need to observe is in how Xiao is looking out for his father. Ever since Daliu (Ma Li) is gone, these two simply no longer understand each other. In this film, they are often very argumentative. Xiao’s heart is in the right place, but what is the missing story?

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