The Useless Tree

Film

  • Cherish the Young

    I write today in support of a documentary that is currently under production, Living with Dead Hearts: The Search for China's Kidnapped Children, which chronicles a tragic and widespread problem.  It is directed by Charlie Custer, of ChinaGeeks fame, and… Continue reading

  • Last Train Home

    Quite by chance, I watched the documentary, "Last Train Home,' last night. It happened to pop up on television (yah PBS!) as I was watching a baseball game.  I was riveted the whole way through. It is a documentary that… Continue reading

  • Kung Fu Panda Redux

    I have not seen the sequel, and really have no plans to do so.  But I will link here to my commentary on the original, for those, like Zhao Bandi, who seem to think there is some great cultural significance… Continue reading

  • The Last Airbender

    I have a review of the movie up over at Big Questions Online.  Let's just say that I am underwhelmed but looking for something positive… Continue reading

  • “Inception:” Zhuangzi on Steroids

    We saw the movie, "Inception," last night (reviews here and here).  It was fun.  An exploration of the dynamics of dreaming and the boundary between dreams and reality.  Visually stunning but not all that challenging philosophically (or should I say… Continue reading

  • Here on Earth: Confucius v. Avatar

    Not sure how this is going to work, but below is a link to a download of a one hour radio show that I just did.  The program is called Here on Earth.  There is an audio link at their… Continue reading

  • Han Han piles on Confucius

    Chinese l'enfant terrible, Han Han, is merciless in his continuing critique of the Confucius movie.  Chinasmack has the goods: The failure of Confucius is triumphant news for Chinese cinema, and perhaps a turning point in Chinese film-making. Thank you, people… Continue reading

  • Confucius, the movie….where is the love?

    Let me say right up front that I have not yet seen Confucius, the movie, which opened last weekend in China.  Somehow the theaters in my remote northwestern corner of Massachusetts have not yet screened it.  I'll likely have to… Continue reading

  • Another Confucius Movie Trailer

    Manyul beat me to it, but below is the newest trailer for the upcoming Confucius movie. It would seem that the brief scene of the elderly man with white hair is Laozi… In other Confucius movie news: here is a… Continue reading

  • The Tao of Avatar – and why this sort of movie cannot be made in the PRC at this point in time…

    We saw Avatar last night (I know, I've been on a movie kick of late…).  It was visually stunning.  The story was unremarkable: a melodramatic morality tale (the good guy wins in the end!).  But it did have a couple… Continue reading