Left Hand Column: Book and Film Reviews

I just binged watched The Art of Sarah: loved it. To me, it marks an exciting and darker chapter for Shin Hye Sun (also spelled Shin Hae Sun), and it is probably one of her most intriguing projects to date.  Known for her performances in Mr. Queen, My Golden Life, and See You in My 19th Life, Shin Hye Sun has consistently shown that she can anchor both romantic and high concept storytelling with credibility. I also unexpectedly enjoyed her in Angel's Last Mission: Love, where she balanced vulnerability with surprising emotional intensity in a very cheesy love story.  But no matter.  With The Art of Sarah, she steps into a more mysterious, darker, twisted, and at times murderous world, and the result is compelling and genuinely juicy. Plot summary Spoilers follow, so be warned.  The series follows "Sarah Kim", a woman with a carefully constructed identity and a past that refuses to stay buried. On the surface, she is composed, intelligent, and emotionally contained, a...

Crimson Tide is a 1995 American submarine action thriller directed by Tony Scott, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and set aboard the US Navy ballistic missile submarine USS Alabama. What makes it endure is not explosions or spectacle, although the film has plenty of energy, but the moral pressure cooker at its centre. Put simply, it is a gripping story about what happens when two capable officers disagree on what the rules require, and the consequences of being wrong are unthinkable. Plot summary The film unfolds during political turmoil in Russia, as ultranationalists seize control of nuclear weapons and threaten the wider world. The USS Alabama is deployed as part of America’s nuclear deterrent, with Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman) in command and a new executive officer, Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington), joining the boat. Ramsey is confident, battle tested, and intensely committed to decisive action. Hunter is equally committed to duty, but he is...

The Rock is a 1996 American action thriller directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and it remains one of the most satisfying blockbuster films of the 1990s.  From its dramatic opening sequences, which still gives me chills, the film signals that it is aiming for something more than disposable action. The opening music, with urgency and resolve, paired with General Hummel’s desperate efforts to evacuate his men from behind enemy lines and his concern for the lives of his soldiers, immediately grounds the story in grief and frustration.  Anchored by Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris, the film blends spectacle with character, and action with emotion, in a way that still works remarkably well today. Plot summary The story begins properly when Brigadier General Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), a highly decorated US Marine Corps officer, takes control of Alcatraz Island with a group of elite former soldiers. Hummel is not motivated by greed or chaos. He is dri...

The Good Place is an American fantasy comedy series created by Michael Schur and one of the most unexpectedly thoughtful TV comedies.  It looks bright and easygoing at first glance, with Ted Danson and Kristen Bell leading an instantly likable ensemble.  Beneath that playful exterior, however, the show, to me, is actually a surprisingly accessible introduction to philosophy, ethics, and some of the hardest moral questions humans have ever asked.  What does it mean to be a good person? Can people really change? And if we could live forever, would that actually be a blessing?  Plot summary The story begins when Eleanor Shellstrop dies and wakes up in “the Good Place,” a pleasant afterlife reserved for people who lived exceptionally ethical lives. Eleanor quickly realizes something is wrong. She knows she does not belong there, and she fears being exposed and sent somewhere far worse. Trying to stay hidden, Eleanor turns to Chidi Anagonye, her assigned soulmate, who hap...

Plot Summary I just rewatched The Stepford Wives (the one with Nicole Kidman) on Netflix.  It is a campy, glossy, yet knowingly playful sci-fi, horror comedy that deserves more credit than it often gets.  Joanna Eberhart is a high-powered television executive whose life takes a sharp turn after a very public professional breakdown, where she literally gets "shot down" by an angry and murderous gameshow participant.  Looking for a fresh start, she moves with her husband Walter and their children to Stepford, Connecticut, a town that appears frozen in a vision of suburban perfection. Everything is immaculate. The lawns are flawless, the houses are picture perfect, and the women are relentlessly cheerful, impeccably groomed, and devoted to domestic life with an intensity that feels unsettling.  Joanna struggles to fit in almost immediately. As a modern, ambitious woman, she finds Stepford’s values oddly suffocating. She soon befriends Bobbie, another recent arrival who ...