Category: Entertainment

John Wick 4, A Longer Take

Yesterday, I did a short and sweet review that basically said go see it. Today, I want to do a more detailed review and get into at least one area of memetics central to the series and particularly this chapter.

Let’s start with no real spoilers. The acting is superb.

Clancy Brown as the Harbinger is amazing, and while not in the film quite as much as I may have liked, his appearances are critical on several levels. So much so I would be tempted to say that this, not his role in Highlander, is the role he was born to play.

The nuanced and deep performance by Lance Reddick as Charon is fitting for his final role, and a reminder of the amazing talent lost with his death. He will be missed.

Bill Skarsgård plays the psychotic, arrogant, and slightly foppish Marquis almost too well for comfort. There is a fine line in playing such a character that keeps it from becoming either farce or failure, and it was walked with the grace of a tightrope artist. To stay away from spoilers for now, I will simply note that while there were only five or six of us in the early show, there was a distinct hissing heard when he came on screen.

Donnie Yen as Caine was outstanding casting. To combine absolute menace and deadly skill with comedic elements takes a deft touch. Yen appeared to do it with ease. His role, from action to some rather deep philosophical moments, is critical to the film. Without risking spoilers, the introduction of the blind swordsman/assassin meme to the movie was a brilliant stroke. I did, for a moment, flash to Usagi Yojimbo and am glad Yen did not have to utter the line ‘Why does everything smell of pine?’

Hiroyuki Sanada is not as well known to U.S. audiences as he should be, in my opinion. Again, another very good performance that combined excellent acting with amazing action.

The movie also introduces Shamier Anderson to a much wider audience. His character, Tracker, is both ally and enemy to John Wick at different times, and is very well played. The scene where Wick has to decide between shooting him or shooting the evil minion about to kill the dog is classic. I hope to see a lot more of Mr. Anderson in the future as he deserves a larger audience.

Also, I want to commend the performance of Rina Sawayama as Akira. While she is no stranger to the camera from her work as a singer and entertainer, this is not just her first major movie role, it appears to be her first movie role period, and she did it beautifully. Her chemistry with Reeves, Yen, and Sanada in particular is a delight. Maybe a bit more later.

Finally, we have Keanu Reeves. So as to not get into spoilers yet, I will simply say that he plays the weary, world-weary, and determined character to perfection, showcasing the many sides of the character with an excellent, even understated in parts, performance.

And while I should note the performances of Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, and others, I will simply say that if I took the time to go into all the actors/actresses who gave a good performance we’d be here quite a while. If there was a bad performance, it was lost somewhere in the hundreds of evil minions of the movie. The cinematography was it’s usual fantastic success.

Given what happened with Rust, I will note one final element I loved before moving on. The times I looked for it, I was pleased to see both trigger discipline in use (particularly by Mr. Reeves) and that the actors were indeed “cheating” their weapons. By that, I mean that while from the camera angle it looked as though they were pointing directly at another actor, they were not truly doing so. One of the many reasons I’ve enjoyed this series is the realism with weapons and tactics, and the commitment to safety.

Oh, do not leave the theatre until ALL the credits have rolled. Otherwise, you will miss out.

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You Were Warned

You Were Warned

You Were Warned

Yes, John Wick is a live action comic/manga in many respects. Great action and escapism! Larger than life action and adventure.

Yet, it is also a series that takes on a number of tropes and memes cultural, literary, and even religious. It is one of the things that gives it depth for those who see and understand those memes. Some of the religious seem to be based on Orthodox theology, though traditional Catholics can hum the tune.

One element to those is crucial to the series and especially to this movie: the tale of the good man. The good man who must decide where he stands, what he stands for, and what he lives or dies for. Throughout the film, we see John Wick strive to be the good man. He left the life he had known for love, only to lose it. He is drawn back into his former life by the loss of love and hope, symbolized by the death of his wife for the first and the death of the puppy she sent him for the latter.

Throughout the films, he has been told that the killer is who he truly is, and is all he will ever be. In this film, this is almost brutally driven home in a not terribly subtle way. Both bad guy and even some “good” guys delight in telling him that this is all he is, and he should accept that. It becomes the true struggle for the character in the movie, as he sees and learns the consequences not just of his presence on those he counts as friends, but even what his mere existence can mean for those in his life. In the former, it is what happens to Shimazu and Akira because of his presence. In the latter, it is the death of family member Uncle Pyotr, who was executed for his actions earlier in the movie. The look on his face when he learns of this is telling of more than shock, but a growing realization of where he is headed.

Throughout the movie, we see John Wick grow more and more tired spiritually, even as physical damage takes its toll. We are also treated to a great deal of foreshadowing about both him and what his actions can accomplish. The Harbinger warns the Marquis of the ultimate consequences, more than once, though the second time is very explicit. If the Marquis triumphs, the current order stays. If the Marquis fails, it means the end of the High Table as John Wick will, in terms of this universe, become a saint-like figure to those under the table. As such, the High Table’s power will be broken.

In addition to that, we see some of the theological struggles at play. Wick prays for and talks to his dead wife in a Church. When asked by Caine if he thinks she hears him, he replies no; but, he could be wrong so does it anyway. This is playing out part of that meme, of the good man who has lost his way, who thinks he deserves hell but prays for his wife in heaven/to be in heaven. Who is right, him or Caine who believes there is nothing after this life?

We see this continue in the attempt to climb the stairs and the fights along the way. Allegory doesn’t begin to describe this, and the fact that non-believer Caine joins him and helps him reach the top and duel that decides all is a masterstroke. BTW, if those are the steps I think they are, I’ve been up them and they are a bear even without all the evil minions trying to kill you.

At the top of the stairs awaits the duel in front of the Basilica Sacre-Coeur of Montmartre. As an aside, it is a beautiful place and I would really like to go back and attend the full mass, as what I did get to see prior to joining the Church was a thing of beauty.

The Harbinger not only officiates the duel, he takes on the role of priest within the world of the Table. Wick must face Caine, who has been chosen to shoot for the Marquis. I don’t want to give away too much, but will say that when the Marquis gets his just desserts, the people in the theatre cheered and clapped even more loudly than they did for the death of his main minion.

Wounded and staggering, John Wick simply turns to Winston and asks him to take him home. Then, following up on previous symbolism with the sunrise, he turns into the sunrise and down the steps. As he goes, he makes his choice and discards weapons and all that go with the life of being the Baba Yaga. Sinking down, he turns and stares into the dawn, and at his wife, and simply says “Heaven” as he apparently dies.

They do keep a bit of mystery going, for all that the King and Winston are seen at his grave, where he lies next to his wife. They tease a bit with the interplay, but I hope they don’t play games with this. John Wick made a choice for the lives of others (Caine and his daughter, his family, etc.) and for his own soul. That sacrifice is key to the movies and to this particular meme within those movies. To toss that away for a cheap stunt later would be a betrayal of the story and to the audience.

There are many memes and tropes in play in the movies, and they give them a richness and depth that far surpass what one expects from a live action comic. I suspect there could be any number of academic papers, posts, and books about them. For me, this weekend particularly, the meme of the good man who has done bad if not evil, who works to make it right, and chooses to sacrifice his life to make right what he has done, who puts his faith into Grace and redemption, is particularly apt. John Wick is not the saint proclaimed, but the penitent who chose Faith.

It is a good ending for the character, and a good point of reflection for us the audience. As for the series, there are a number of opportunities. The true end scene pits Akira against Caine in his moment of true happiness as he goes to his daughter, and what the Tracker chooses to do is an open question. I look forward to that, but hope they leave John Wick to his reward.

The Short John Wick 4

It is well worth going to see. I plan to do a longer review here as soon as I can, but have some appointments today. We will see what gets done.

I have to admit the theatre experience was better than I remember. I went to the early show, reserved a recliner for $8.16 with my senior discount, and had the theatre almost to myself. Only about five or so of us there. If the place had sold adult beverages, it would have been just about the perfect movie experience. That’s the first time I’ve been in a theatre in several years I think.

Meantime, what do you think is the best libation for watching John Wick? Vodka, in celebration of his Belarusian heritage, or a good rye for that combo of smooth and barbed wire that go with the character?

The Untold Hogan’s Heroes

Well, not completely untold, but I’m amazed at how many people have never heard this story. Over on Twitter, Don Surber made a post about Hogan’s Heroes and how all the Nazi’s were played by Jewish actors. In fact, the major actors all had very personal stories and reasons to want to portray the Nazis in a bad light.

For example, Werner Klemperer was the son of a famous conductor who had to flee Germany because of his Jewish heritage. After serving in the U.S. Army during WWII, he moved into acting and if not for Hogan’s Heroes would probably be remembered for his role as an unrepentant Nazi judge in Judgement at Nuremberg. He took the role of Klink on the promise that he could make him as bumbling and foolish as possible, and that none of Klink’s schemes would succeed.

John Banner, who played Sgt. Shultz, was the only survivor of his family. He was on tour in Switzerland when the Anschluss took place, and being unable to return to his native Vienna immigrated to the U.S. His parents and all of his siblings perished in the camps. He never saw Shultz as a Nazi, but rather “…representative of some kind of goodness in any generation.”

Robert Clary, who played Cpl. Lebeau, had the most intense story out of any of the main actors. He survived the camps, though most of his siblings and family did not. He’s still alive in Paris, and still has his number on his arm. He may still lecture on the Holocaust and his experiences, and you should read and/or hear what he has to say.

Leon Askin, who played Gen. Burkhalter, was another who fled. Not once, but twice. In 1933, he was detained and beaten by the SA and fled to Paris for a few years. He then returned to Vienna, and worked on (or leading) various projects until he was forced to leave again in 1938 for Paris. He ended up in the Meslay du Maine internment camp before making his way to New York in 1940. His parents were murdered at Treblinka. During WWII, he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps.

They are not alone, in that any number of supporting or guest actors share a similar background and/or stories. As for why, a number of them apparently relished the idea of portraying the Nazis as bumbling idiots as a measure of revenge as it were. Perhaps, however, John Banner summed it up best with his take “Well, who better to play Nazis than we Jews?”

Something different for the day, with a lot of food for thought inside.

*****

If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the tip jar in the upper right or the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo. Getting hit by lightning is not fun, and it is thanks to your help and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Learning from what they don’t say

What leftists aren’t saying about the controversial lesbian kiss in Lightyear shows that they know the truth about conservative racial beliefs — and always lie about it.

I know conservatives are supposed to be racist scum, but look at what doesn’t get said about the controversy surrounding Disney’s new movie, Lightyear.

The Daily Mail’s headline: “Disney’s Lightyear FLOPS in opening weekend that saw it fail to topple Jurassic Park at box office after controversy over lesbian kiss and decision to ax conservative star Tim Allen as voice of Buzz”

Variety, in March: “Same-Sex Kiss Restored in Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Following Staff Uproar Over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill (EXCLUSIVE)”

The LA Times reports: “…it was reported that a previously cut kiss shared by queer “Lightyear” character Alisha Hawthorne and her wife was reinstated in the film….[I]ncreasingly loud conservative voices [] try to foment irrational outrage over any acknowledgement of the actual reality of LGBTQ people existing.”

And on, and on, and on.

Of all of those articles posted above, only the Daily Mail shows a picture of the couple in question. Notice anything?

Why aren’t the bigots overreacting to this? I was told there would be bigots!

Yes, they’re an interracial couple.

But the horrifyingly evil conservatives who hate the entire LGBTQIA2SNPZ spectrum, people of color, women, and the poor equally, aren’t saying “boo” about this interracial couple — even though overturning Roe v. Wade would apparently lead us to overturn interracial marriage.

And no leftist (a.k.a. “mainstream”) outlets have even tried to claim that horrifyingly evil conservatives might say such a thing. You’d think that one of us vicious racists would have said something racist about queer miscegenation, and that some leftist paper would have picked it up — and if we didn’t say it, they’d make something up and claim that we were thinking it. But we didn’t say anything, and they didn’t report on anything, and they didn’t even think about accusing us of racism because, well, it’s such nonsense that even they couldn’t dream it up.

What leftists aren’t saying shows us that they know the truth about conservative racial beliefs, even though they normally say the exact opposite.

[Laughing in Clarence Thomas]

Disgusting Cancel Culture Attack on Baen Books

In some ways, I’m not surprised as there have been efforts to attack Baen and/or some of its authors before from the slime mold at the bottom of the science fiction sewer. This effort, however, has a very different and new twist that may well become the hallmark of all such efforts.

In what seems like a coordinated effort, complaints were filed with the ISPs behind Baen Books, in an effort to deplatform the publisher. Note, from the information I have right now, they not only wanted to take down the Bar, a forum that has been around for roughly 20 years now; but, to take down Baen Books so that it could not promote, sell, or give away (you have no idea how many free books and stories you can get there, but should).

I won’t link to the sleazy “author” (cough, choke, gasp, wheeze, yeah right) who is either behind this attack or fronting for it. I won’t link to the intellectually dishonest paetron story which is the public pretext for the attack on Baen. I especially won’t linke to Vile 770 which seems to be championing the effort (no surprise that slime mold central is so doing).

What I will do is link to the (as usual excellent) response from Larry Correia which now also includes responses from David Weber and Baen Publisher Toni Weisskopf. Please read them all.

Now, in the interest of transparency (something more in modern journalism should try) I do need to note a number of items.

While I am not published by Baen (yet), I have known Toni for more years than a gentleman (or cranky old wolf) should disclose. Indeed, Toni has edited my three photo books from Iraq as a friend. Toni has encouraged me for years (along with the late Jim Baen) to move from science writing to writing science fiction. She’s provided feedback on my efforts to do just that.

Second, I was (am?) a member of the Bar (Baen’s Bar). I haven’t been on in years, but in my time there the only thing of which it was a hotbed was geekery. The forums and posts were wide rangning, engaging, and quite often enlightening as you had posts from scientists in various fields on topics of interest (especially to writers), a forum on theology, and even a place to share recipes. The original “no hitting” rule was in place and rarely did anyone cross that line. Not to say that some discussions did not become intense, or even fractious, but people toed the line and showed respect for differing opinions and the people behind them. It was and is the mature way to handle things, and to learn in the process. I would also note that those who “ran” the Bar were all volunteers.

Sadly, the people behind cancel culture have an emotional maturity to shame a spoiled 4-year-old. I also have to wonder if this effort wasn’t just a way to try to shut down Baen because some of it’s authors are conservative, but to gain fame and fortune (maybe someone will buy/pay for his work) in the process.

Third, I know a number of the Baen authors and consider some of them good personal friends. For the record, Baen publishes books by authors who range from card-carrying socialists to those who go far right. Honestly, Toni doesn’t care about the politics, religion, etc. of the authors, artists, editors, etc. What matters is that they write good and engaging stories that sell. Nor does she care if the stories lean right, left, or any other way. Again, good stories that sell. It’s what real publishing is all about: good writing that sells rather than messaging crap that doesn’t.

Fourth, I will admit that Baen not only helped with arrangements but assisted in covering the costs for me to do a series of video interviews with some of their authors a while back. You can find those somewhere on the Baen site (at least I think you still can) or at the Blackfive YouTube Channel.

I suppose I should be furious about this dispicable effort to de-platform Baen by a group of philisophically and morally bankrupt people who’s intellect makes a cherrystone clam shake its head. The fact is, they are not worth that level of attention by me. In fact, I will simply say that I hope their actions bring them what they deserve.

So, what can you or I do? Save the outrage, they deserve only mocking laughter. What we can do is cheerfully go and buy from Baen books. Look at what they have available, and buy as many as you can.

Oh, and if you want to claim that Baen and its authors deserve this; or that Baen has caved by taking the Bar offline temporarily; or any other silly virtue signalling that actually only calls out your, ah, shortcomings to the world, take it elsewhere. If you do try to come here, I will savagely mock you and your physical and intellectual shortcomings. You are warned.

Laugh at the first group, and buy from the second. So easy anyone can do it.

Quick Monday Roundup

Yes, I’m behind on the book posts and other writing. Trying to get caught up.

First, my thanks to Wombat-socho at The Other McCain for the link! Much appreciated, and those visiting: please look around, check out the other stories, and feel free to chime in on all, but in particular the preparedness pays posts.

Second, congratulations to David Weber on receiving the Frank Herbert Lifetime Achievent Award from Helicon. It is truly a well-deserved honor for a good man and author.

Third, three more good bites of food for thought about the current situation. What do they know that we don’t, from Legal Insurrection. He’s right, what is going on there doesn’t make sense unless it is a hysterical overreaction to the demonstration at the Capitol, or they know something we don’t. I’m not sure there were this many video cameras around the Green Zone in Baghdad when I was there, why so many here? Finally, Orwellian language and nightmare, as the media and others pursue gaslighting.

Working on a new Preparedness Pays post, no promises on how soon. Hopefully some more up today, but again, no promises.

The Death Of Pvt. Journalism

Many years ago, at my then blog and later on Blackfive, I wrote a series of posts about what it would take to save modern journalism. In that series, I went into a number of symptoms that had taken journalism from any semblance of fair and balanced into pure advocacy. While the Camelot-like myth of an unbiased media is just that, it used to be that real journalists would occasionally do real journalism.

The problem is, I was focused on the symptoms rather than the root cause of the symptoms. While I am not the first to say this, I have come to think that journalism died when it became a profession, rather than a trade. In days gone by, journalism was not a respectable profession. The portrayal of low-income, not socially acceptable to high society, hard working, hard drinking, and somewhat disreputable (to highly disreputable) portrayals of the media in film noir and beyond was in many ways more accurate than those in the field would have liked.

While there were always exceptions, they were just that. Even some of those exceptions were not as portrayed; rather, they were creations to give a veneer of respectability to both the trade and to the news being disseminated.

I was fortunate to have been trained by some of those who were legend in the days when it was a trade rather than a profession. My first journalism professor was representative of the movie caricature, down to a bottle of booze in a lower desk drawer. Some of the rules of writing still are drilled into me, such as the proper use of “over” versus “more-than” which he taught by the explanation of ‘I have a brick over your head, that weighs more than x pounds. When I drop it on your head for using over, it will hurt.’ Humorous then, likely to get him reprimanded or disciplined today because to snowflakes, it’s a threat.

Looking at things, I’m not sure that any like Mike Royko, Darryl Feldmeir, or Les Brownlee (who set a number of milestones as a black journalist) could find work in the field today. Today, you have to have a four year degree to get started as a “serious” journalist. To truly get ahead, at least a Master’s degree.

And there lies the problem. Our universities provide and demand lockstep indoctrination and obedience to a certain political thought. Increasingly, if you hold a different view, you are shunned. The net result is that while newsrooms might contain every color and multiple genders, they lack almost any ideological diversity outside a very narrow progressive spectrum. Don’t believe me? Take a look at what is going on inside the New York Times (where the spirit of Duranty lives!) right now with the battles between staff and management, or even within the publishing field where the lower level staffers are revolting over the publication of conservative (or even moderate) books.

Can Pvt. Journalism still be saved? Perhaps. I see real journalism happening, even at risk of life and reputation, in the independent media. People like Andy Ngo, Sharyl Attkisson, and organizations like Newsmax give me some hope. However, before they can be truly effective, what passes for the mainstream media will have to crash and burn and/or new media outlets dedicated to real journalism be created and flourish. I see the start of the latter, and am watching the growing fires and explosions within the “old” mainstream media growing. What comes of it remains to be seen, especially since Big Tech and establishment politicians are doing all they can to shore up the ‘right’ type of outlets despite the growing problems.

That said, until there are more organizations like Newsmax and they have real viewership, journalism is dead. Again, others have said it before, but if Trump and others are smart, they will start news organizations and means of distribution (like Parler and Rumble) to bypass the censorious Big Tech and get the word out to the broadest possible audience. Note that such efforts are being fought tooth and nail, and both Big Tech and the media devote a large amount of time to trying to paint such efforts as racist, allowing hate speech, and other double-plus-ungood things. Such efforts rightly terrify them (and those in the establishment political class), and they will stop at nothing to destroy them. Indeed, I expect to see actual physical means used as well to literally harm or kill those behind such efforts. Yes, I’m serious as political assassination was a tool in this last election, though the media did its best to not cover such things.

To save Pvt. Journalism, who — like the Republic — may be dead in many respects, means making use of the “golden hour” for revival. It will take funds and, frankly, more courage than I think many may have. It’s one thing to be fearless for yourself, but when family and friends are threatened and attacked (as has happened) in a variety of means physical, fiscal, and beyond… All we can do is do what we can as individuals to either create such efforts or support them as best we can. Oh, and it would be good to make journalism into an honest trade, rather than a dishonest profession.