Scott Bierly

Ignore the critics, who sometimes can't see past their own self-important need to sound smart and then miss what's right in front of their eyes. Not without flaws, I still call this movie is a masterpiece. With age appropriateness in mind, all should see it. It is a window into a different time, and very different place for Westerners. The actors--and acting--is exceptional. The cinematography is magnificent. The music!--we are talking John Williams, Itzhak Perlman, and Yo-Yo Ma here!! The story, often in narration from what I assume is the book (I need to read it), is top notch. My only complaint--voiced by others as well--is that despite the excellent acting by some of the key players and best efforts to portray early 20th century Japan, the fact that they are not Japanese is unmistakable and a bit distracting. Nevertheless, I say let that go and just enjoy this important film for what it is.

This show is another masterpiece by the Wachowskis. A bit eclectic?, sure. A bit overindulgent on occasion?...absolutely. But the quality and depth of this series is many layers beyond the typical drivel being produced today, whether cable or streamed. Many strikes against Netflix in my book for cancelling this show prematurely in order to fund a larger quantity of banal junk food for the masses. Sure, there is sadly a demand for that, but finish what you started, have some integrity. I will never forgive Netflix for terminating Marco Polo and Sense8 unfinished. For now, all that can be done is rewatch it and enjoy (I just finished my second time through, love, love, love it).

This was an amazing series, an unusual combination of historical period dramatization and interspersed documentary interview snippets--so expertly woven together that now in recollection I cannot clearly remember when there was drama, narration, and expert historical footnotes, it just is all blurred together into a seamless experience that is beautiful, exciting, and educational. My only complaints are that 1) it was too short, I miss it already and crave more expanded story continuation, and 2) that it was a bit difficult to be dropped into the middle of this cataclysm lacking sufficient historical context to the big picture. But, those complaints allow me to be excited with hopeful anticipation of sequels, and motivated to brush up on my history to fill in the gaps!

Sometimes Tarantino's childishly violent self-indulgences are a bit much for me, but all is forgiven with the many gifts this great film otherwise bestows upon us.

I thought the trailer of this movie looked amusing, and I suspected from the feel of it that it would be funny and maybe even cool to watch. We finally watched it this evening, and wow, what a surprise, thank you instincts! What a treat. Yes, the movie is light, sort of a darkish action sci-fi comedy, and super cool. That was all we wanted tonight, to laugh and escape. But this film was much more in many layers beneath that. The director has serious talent and creativity, he takes you on an adventure in ways you just haven't seen before. So refreshing in this formulaic time. This movie features excellent acting, cool and funny effects, deft attention to detail (it's really like a trip to Korea), and a gentle touch that nuances every character so that you see that everyone is trapped in an intertwined set of dynamic forces, nobody is purely good or evil, just human. The film clearly reflects a love for Korea--the good and the bad--and does all this while taking you on a fun and outrageous ride. Now I see why I liked Train to Busan so much, the pattern is clear. Yeon Sang-ho is clearly a rising film talent, in that movie he actually managed to make a zombie movie feel simply plausible, another day at the office, and managing to make me laugh at what otherwise were the most gruesome moments. This is serious talent, and I look forward to watching all his other prior and future films.