Alienoid (5 Stars)

This is a South Korean time travel science fiction film. The premise is that a distant alien race brings its criminals to Earth. They're a highly civilised race that has abolished the death penalty, so they trap the aliens in human hosts. The humans are unaware that they're carrying aliens in their bodies. When the human dies of old age or any other reason, the alien also dies. It's all so civilised. Some aliens are able to escape from their human host, but Earth's atmosphere is poisonous to them, so they return to their host within a few minutes.

The alien prisoners arrive in waves. A large number of aliens were deposited into human hosts in 1380 AD. In 2012 AD a pair of robots, Guard and Thunder, are waiting for the next delivery. They find out that a powerful alien in 1380 has managed to take control of his host, so they go back in time to capture it. That might sound confusing, but they give a simple explanation. "Time doesn't run in a straight line. Everything happens at the same time". I'm sure Doctor Who would have something to say about that.

The human host (a woman) dies, but she asks the robots to take care of her young daughter. Thunder takes the girl back to 2012, against the wishes of Guard. Over the next 10 years the girl, Yi-An, lives with Guard, who's disguised himself as a man. He claims to be her human father, but she overhears him talking with Thunder, who's disguised himself as the family car.

Then the next batch of alien prisoners arrives, and chaos breaks out.

There are lots more twists and turns in the plot. I don't want to say too much, except to say that this is a brilliant film. It's the equal of anything that's been made in Hollywood. Aliens, sorcery, martial arts. The film has it all.

"Alienoid" is the first film in a two-part story. I already watched the second part out of order. I intend to watch it again soon.

Success Rate:  - 1.8

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.de

Rome 1.10 - Triumph

The wars are over. Several wars, that fall into two categories. First Julius Caesar conquered enemy nations, most notably Gaul. Then he had to fight against his enemies within Rome, in particular Pompey. Now Rome is at peace. Now Caesar stands triumphant. He wants to consolidate his power. In the last episode he claimed that this was only a temporary measure until he restored the Republic. We shall never know whether or not this was his honest intention. In the Senate he asked to be made dictator. Forgetting the modern negative connotations, in the Roman constitution a dictator was a person given absolute power for a limited period of time. The usual time limit for a dictator was six months, but Caesar asked to be made dictator for ten years in order to put right the chaotic aftermath of the civil war.

Caesar's dictatorship is proposed by Cicero, the last person I would have expected to speak on Caesar's behalf. Cicero was a passionate supporter of the Republic, and he took Pompey's side in the war against Caesar. He received a full pardon when he left Pompey after the Battle of Pharsalus. Is he now showing gratitude to his old enemy?

The motion is seconded by Brutus, who's sitting on Cicero's left. He's a more complicated figure. He's always been a close friend of Caesar, but he took Pompey's side in the civil war on moral grounds. Caesar also welcomed him with open arms after the Battle of Pharsalus.

On the recommendation of these two men, the Senate accepts the motion unanimously. Caesar holds the following speech:

"Many of you here today fought against me. Many of you wished me dead. Many of you perhaps still do. But I hold no grudges and seek no revenge. I demand only this: that you join with me in building a new Rome, a Rome that offers justice, peace and land to all its citizens, not just the privileged few. Support me in this task, and old divisions will be forgotten. Oppose me, and Rome will not forgive you a second time. Senators! The war is over!"

After this Caesar declares a triumph will be held, a five-day celebration. The following proclamation is made:

"Tables for 5000 men will be set up in the cattle forum. Slaves and freedmen are not eligible. Those citizens that cannot find a proper seating place must leave when ordered by the civic officers. Gaius Julius Caesar has decreed, in tribute to their virtue,  each and every citizen of Rome will be issued from the public treasury the sum of 100 denarii. Further, 20,000 deserving families will be given farms on the public lands around Capua. Further, for the coming year all rents on low dwellings in the city will be paid in full by Gaius Julius Caesar".

This generosity must have won the support of anyone in Rome who still doubted Caesar. A denarius was the usual amount paid for a day's work, so 100 denarii was a considerable amount. The deserving families who received farms were probably the families of soldiers who had fought for Caesar. No rent payments for a whole year was also a considerable gift.

The triumph is a magnificent affair. Caesar is blessed by the high priest, his nephew Octavian. Everyone is happy. I admit, if I'd been a Roman I would have been happy as well.

When the series "Rome" was made in 2005, it was the most expensive TV series ever filmed. This record has been broken since. The series was planned by the BBC, but since they didn't have enough money to make it they turned to HBO for financing. That's why there are different claims about whether it's a British or an American TV series, depending on who you ask. The episode "Triumph" was the most expensive episode of the series. The triumph itself had 600 extras in full Roman clothing, not to mention the animals in the scene. I regret that this scene only lasts five minutes. I would have liked to watch the ceremony continue for 10 to 15 minutes.

But there are things going on behind closed doors. Servilia is still bitter after being publicly disgraced in the last episode. Atia offers her sympathy, not admitting that she was the one who paid the thugs to humiliate her.

Quintus, Pompey's son, walks the street in a drunken stupor, threatening to kill Caesar. Servilia hears him and takes him in. Maybe he can be an ally in her quest to take revenge on Caesar for rejecting her. Brutus dislikes having a man like Quintus in his house, but his mother insists on letting him stay.

Vorenus soon holds his first speech as a candidate for the office of magistrate. Caesar's slave Posca sits next to him, prompting him what to say next. Afterwards Posca gives him advice on what to do as a magistrate, to which Vorenus replies that he should wait until he's elected. Posca tells him that he has already been chosen. The election results have been decided in advance. The other candidates are only standing to make it look like a genuine election. This shocks Vorenus.

Back in Rome, Pullo wants to marry Eirene, but it's not permitted because she's a slave. He borrows money from Vorenus to buy her freedom. He'll be able to pay it back when he gets his 100 denarii from Caesar. After telling her she's a free woman, Niobe's slave Oedipus comes and thanks him, because Eirene wants to marry him. Pullo flies into a rage and batters Oedipus to death with his bare hands.

Pullo spends the evening getting drunk. He's approached by Erastes Fulmen, who offers him a job. Pullo refuses the offer, but he's obviously considering it.

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Blade 2 (4½ Stars)

What a contrast to "Captain America Brave New World"! That was a boring film which will be the latest in Marvel's series of box office flops. "Blade 2" is an exciting action film that gets everything right. What's gone wrong with Marvel since 2002? Oh wait, I know. It was bought by Disney and put under the control of Bob Iger, a businessman who would rather promote his version of the DEI agenda than make good films. Whenever one of his films flops he shrugs his shoulders and continues on as before, demanding a pay rise for his efforts. Walt Disney must be turning in his grave. Bob is 74, well into retirement age. Shouldn't he be sent to an old people's home, so that he can be replaced by someone who knows what he's doing?

I described the plot in my last review, so I'll only add a few words here. My readers who aren't Marvel fans might be excited to see Donnie Yen's name in the credits. Don't get too worked up. He has a minor role and can easily be missed. His potential is wasted. We only see him performing one kick in the whole movie. He was the film's fight choreographer, so he was probably slotted in as an actor at the last minute. He was already on the set, so it saved the trouble of hiring someone else.

This is a better movie than "Blade", and the main reason is that Blade himself is a more likeable character. In the first film he was very remote, but now he's a more sympathetic person. He even smiles. Even if a character is remote and emotionless in comics, he has to show more emotions in a film to win over the audience. In "Blade 2" Wesley Snipes wins me over.

Success Rate:  + 0.9

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Dual (4 Stars)

The film takes place in the near future. Karen Gillan plays Sarah, a young woman who's suffering from a rare terminal illness. She repeatedly coughs up blood. She's told that she only has a few weeks left to live.

The hospital counsellor suggests that she should let herself be cloned. It's a common procedure for people who know they're going to die. After her death her clone will be a comfort for her friends and family, as if they've never lost her.

The clone is ready within a few hours. There's an interim period in which the clone lives with Sarah to get acquainted with her life. Sarah's husband accepts the clone into their life, but Sarah doesn't tell anyone else.

After ten months Sarah is told that she's no longer ill. She isn't allowed to keep the clone, so it – should I say she? – will have to be decommissioned. When she goes home to tell her clone, the clone insists on staying alive. Sarah's husband also says that he's fallen in love with the clone and wants to keep her. The law doesn't allow a person and her clone to both carry on living. They offer to let Sarah die instead, but she wants to live.

There's one last alternative. Sarah and her clone can fight to the death. They're given six months to prepare. Sarah does a rigorous course of combat training.

What about the double? We don't see her any more. Maybe she's training as well, maybe she isn't.

This is a ridiculous film. It's been described as a black comedy. A lot of humour comes from the matter-of-fact way extreme situations are discussed. The lawyer tells Sarah that she can sign a document agreeing to die without the slightest hint of emotion. The film was a box office flop, understandably. It's not the sort of film that many people would like. I enjoyed it, and I think it's worth watching again.

Success Rate:  - 10.6

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk

Captain America: Brave New World (3 Stars)

I don't know what to say about this film. It's not a bad film, definitely not as bad as "The Eternals". But it isn't a good film either. It's just boring.

This is the first film in which Captain America is no longer Steve Rogers, he's Sam Wilson. The torch has been passed. In the course of the film Sam repeatedly says that he's only a second rate Captain America because he hasn't taken the super soldier serum, and yet just look at him. He fights better than Steve Rogers ever did, even when he isn't flying. That doesn't make sense.

I can't say much more without giving away spoilers. If you're a Marvel fan like me, nothing will stop you going to see the film in the next few days. Today was the film's first day in the cinema. I usually wait a few days because the cinema is too full on the first day. Not today. The cinema was almost empty. That made me sad. It's as if the word had already spread that the film isn't worth seeing. Let's wait a week to see how the box office figures develop.

And to round off my day, when I went home I slipped on the ice in front of my house. Right on the steps. Luckily I fell on my soft rear parts and didn't suffer much damage, but I tried to stop the fall and slightly injured my right hand. I have two small cuts on my fingers. What a way to end a day that was already disappointing.

Rome 1.09 - Utica

Caesar didn't rest after the ten month siege in Alexandria. He pursued Cato and Scipio to Africa, making only a short pause to be joined by additional legions. He faced his enemies at the Battle of Thapsus, which he won decisively, despite being outnumbered again. The episode itself doesn't give any numbers, but according to Wikipedia Caesar had about 6000 men while Cato and Scipio had 9000 men. That's three battles in a row which Caesar won despite being outnumbered. The Gods must truly have been on his side.

We don't see the battle itself. The episode begins with Cato and Scipio sitting in the desert surrounded by corpses and dying elephants. Later in the episode Vorenus describes the battle to his children:

"There's us with the walls of Thapsus at our backs. Now, coming towards us on the plain with all their legions, cavalry and 900 war elephants: Scipio and Juno. 'Hold fast", says General Caesar, 'let the bastards come!' But there are ballistas on the walls, so the front line thinks they've been ordered to advance. So before the officers can stop it, the whole army charges on Scipio's men. The elephants see us come running and screaming, and they turn tail and charge on their own lines. Chaos!"

Cato and Scipio withdraw to Utica, accompanied by only a few soldiers. Scipio says that they can gather a new army to fight again, but Cato kills himself. This demoralises Scipio. At Cato's funeral pyre he orders a soldier to flay him. In Roman times suicide was considered a noble way to die, but when Caesar hears about it he calls Cato and Scipio cowards; he says that they killed themselves to deny him the opportunity to pardon them.

When Vorenus returns to Rome he returns to civilian life yet again. His wife Niobe and her sister Lyde have taken over the butcher's shop that Lyde's dead husband Evander used to run. With the help of two new slaves that she's bought the business is booming. Vorenus grudgingly agrees to become a butcher. Pullo declares his love to the slave girl Eirene that he rescued in the third episode. He's happy to find that she's learnt how to speak Latin in the two years while he was away.

There's an incident outside the butcher's. Two thugs are beating up another tradesman who owes them money. Vorenus challenges them and tells them to take their argument elsewhere. Vorenus slaps one of them, and they threaten to kill him. Soon afterwards Erastes Fulmen visits Vorenus with a gang. That's the money lender for whom Vorenus briefly worked in the fifth episode. Over the last two years he's become the most powerful crook in Rome. He says that he wants a public apology from Vorenus within a week, otherwise he'll kill him and rape his wife.

Octavian returns to Rome after two years studying at an unnamed academy. Presumably a religious academy? His mother Atia is happy to see him again and holds a large banquet in his honour. Caesar makes Octavian the pontifex maximus, the high priest responsible for divining the will of the Gods. Octavian accepts the position unwillingly. He says afterwards that he doesn't believe in the Gods.

I failed to mention that Octavia became Servilia's lover in the last two episodes. I thought it was too trivial to mention, but now it becomes relevant. Servilia is still angry with Caesar for rejecting her. She's heard that Caesar has an illness ("an affliction"), and she wants to find out exactly what it is, so that she can use it against him. The only person who knows about it is Octavia's brother Octavian. Servilia asks Octavia to question him. Octavia asks Octavian what his biggest secret is, and Octavian replies that he helped Titus Pullo kill Lyde's husband Evander. That's a big secret, but of no use to Servilia. She suggests that Octavia should seduce her brother to find out more.

Unlike in Egypt, incest was considered a great crime in Rome. It was punishable by death. Octavia refuses, but Servilia persuades her by telling her that her mother Atia ordered the death of her husband Glabius so that she could marry Pompey. This angers Octavia, and she seduces her brother. Atia's slave witnesses it and informs her mistress. Atia whips them both, and Octavia says that she did it because Servilia had said that Atia had ordered Glabius' death. Atia insists this was a lie.

The revenge comes quickly. Atia sends her lover Timon with a gang of men to ambush Servilia's carriage. They rip her out of the carriage, strip her naked and cut her hair in public view.

Vorenus doesn't apologise to Erastes. While having a meal with his family, Vorenus hears Erastes and his thugs approaching. He prepares to fight them, but at this moment Caesar himself arrives and Erastes flees. Caesar says that he respects Vorenus' integrity and wants to make him a magistrate. Vorenus, always outspoken, says that he doesn't want to serve a tyrant. Brave words, but Caesar isn't insulted. Caesar insists that he isn't a tyrant. He's only become a dictator for a short period of time, and he will give up his power as soon as he's able to restore the Republic. Vorenus is convinced and accepts the office. If I understand correctly, a Roman magistrate was a man who stood between the Senate and the Consuls.

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Wild At Heart (4 Stars)

Last week "Lost Highway" was shown in the cinema, but I couldn't go because it was sold out. I had mixed feelings. On the one hand I was sad, because I've never seen "Lost Highway" on the big screen. On the other hand, I was glad that so many people wanted to see such a wonderful film.

Tonight "Wild at Heart" was shown, also a film I've never previously seen in the cinema. It was a tribute evening to David Lynch. Two short films were shown before it started. The first was a tribute to David Lynch, a montage of short clips from his films and television series. The second was a collection of clips of things he said over the years, mostly taken from interviews. 

Nicolas Cage plays Sailor, a naive young man. He's dating Lula, played by Laura Dern. Lula's mother doesn't approve of him and hires a man to kill him. There's a fight, in which Sailor viciously kills the man with his bare hands. As a result he's sent to prison for two years, but Lula faithfully waits for him. Her mother is furious. She thought Lula would change her mind after having time to cool down.

Lula picks Sailor up from prison, but instead of going home they decide to drive all the way from North Carolina to California. That would be 2600 miles if they drove directly, but Sailor makes a detour through Texas to visit an old friend in Big Tuna, population 603. Meanwhile, Lula's mother has hired an assassin to find and kill Sailor. Since she doesn't trust him, she hires a second assassin, her former lover. (Or maybe he's still her lover, it's not clear).

Sailor drives through the barren landscape, not fully aware of what's happening around him. He's in love, which is all that matters. Nicolas Cage's acting is the opposite of his later performances. In this 1990 film he isn't at all over-the-top, he's supremely laid back.

It's an incredible film. The only thing that disturbs me is the amount of smoking. It's not just an occasional cigarette, Sailor and Lula are smoking in almost every scene. On occasions Sailor even has two cigarettes in his mouth. Maybe David Lynch meant this to be significant, but it's not attractive. In fact, it's repulsive.

Success Rate:  - 0.5

	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Sister Street Fighter (5 Stars)

After the success of the Street Fighter trilogy it was decided to make similar films with a female lead character. I have to say, the Japanese are fast. All three Street Fighter films were made in 1974, and "Sister Street Fighter" was also made in 1974.

There's no connection between the stories in the two film series. What I mean is, "Sister Street Fighter" can't be considered a spin off. The only similarity between the two film series is that both involve martial arts. Sonny Chiba appears in a minor role in "Sister Street Fighter", but he's a different character. He doesn't even use the same fighting style. In the Street Fighter trilogy he's a master of Karate, but in "Sister Street Fighter" he practises Shorinji Kempo, a fighting style that concentrates on self defence, not attack. In fact, when Sonny fights an intruder in the Shorinji school and breaks his arm, his master criticises him.

The lead actress in "Sister Street Fighter" is Etsuko Shihomi. She plays Koryu Lee, a citizen of Hong Kong who has a Chinese father and a Japanese mother. Her brother Mansei is missing. The police inform her that he's a narcotics agent working undercover in a Japanese organisation. She travels to Yokohama to find him, but the drug boss Kakuzaki is expecting her.

There's a lot more action than in the Street Fighter films. Whenever Koryu goes anywhere, she has to run the gauntlet of different fighters with different fighting styles and different weapons. One thing that amused me is that whenever a different style or a new weapon is employed, there's a splash text on the screen telling the viewer what it is. I think the director wanted to educate the viewer.

Koryu visits the Shorinji school looking for her brother. It always disturbs me seeing swastikas, even though I know they aren't being used as racist symbols. The swastika was a symbol of peace for thousands of years, but Adolf Hitler corrupted it. I've never found an answer why he chose the symbol. He could just as easily have picked the letter Z, like modern fascists.

Don't attack the Shorinji school, or Sonny Chiba will break your arm. His master looks on critically.

This is an excellent film. Etsuko Shihomi is a first class fighter who's trained in Karate, Kenjitsu and Shorinji Kempo. She's even skilled in the use of nunchuks. I've been unable find out much about her, apart from the brief description in Wikipedia. I can't wait to see the other two films in the Sister Street Fighter trilogy.

Today I watched the film in Japanese with English subtitles. If you watch the dubbed English version, the names have been changed. For instance, Koryu is called Tina Long. They must think western audiences sre stupid.