Striking Back With Empire Cards

The cover and a page from the hardcover book Star Wars: The Empire 
Strikes Back: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume Two.

You know time has really passed when the collectibles you purchased as a child find their way to nostalgia-inducing coffee table books. That was the feeling, along with curiosity over who might actually purchase such a publication, I experienced while wandering the shelves at a local bookseller (FYI: this post was first published 8/18/2016). In a time when the demographic (white male nerds, 45-55) to which I belong are willing to part with hard cash for a nostalgic charge, it is not surprising that the hardcover "book" Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: The Original Topps Trading Card Series, Volume Two is now available. The book is exactly as advertised, each page consists of both the front and back of one of the 132-card base set and 33 stickers that compromised the original wax packet release back in 1980(!).

My collection of the original Empire Strikes Back Topps Picture Card Series Two.

Fortunately, I still have a complete card set (though only a partial sticker set), so can save my funds for other fanboy passions. An key aspect of trading card collecting that is lost with the transition to book form is the tactile charge of flipping each individual card over. One never knew what to expect, but it would be something exciting whether cool facts, silly quiz questions, or behind the scenes production secrets. This was, of course, prior to the advent of the internet when production info as limited to that which could be found only in magazines like Starlog or during the occasional Behind the Scenes television special. I even remember looking forward to The Price Is Right Showcase Showdowns where often one would be based on an upcoming movie and offer a clips package. Damn, those were magic days!

Here are just a few representative cards (with caption comment) from my collection:

Straight from 1980... the "title" card for my set of The Empire Strikes Back
Topps Picture Card Series 2.

Card 138: Back before any mystery was blown up by the prequel trilogy,
all things related to Boba Fett, like his ship Slave 1, were super cool!

Card 164: A suitably Eighties caption to this standard Vader shot.

Card 174: This one is interesting as it pre-dates the current practice of
referring to our robot friend by his government name R2-D2 rather than the
much more humanizing Artoo.

Card 207: Clearly the Star Quiz questions were intended to make young fanboys
like myself feel really confident in their Star Wars trivia knowledge.

Card 261: Prior to the Internet, these special cards, complete with
alliterative caption, were the best way to see any behind the
scenes shots. I still love looking at this sub-series.

Card 263: As a kid, I hated getting these cards (they lacked cool pics!) but now
appreciated knowing what cards I am trying to get when you get down to
only a few left for a complete set.

The original packs came with a single sticker so it was not so easy to get a complete set.
Sadly, I have very few of these as I used most of them spelling out cool things with
the letters, such as the word "Awesome": ah, childhood!

Holiday Flick: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

My introduction to the world of Rare Exports came two years ago when I  happened upon a film short entitled Rare Exports Inc. (2003), and its sequel Rare Exports: The Official Safety Instructions (2005). Produced and directed by Norwegian filmmakers Jalmari and Juuso Helander, both were produced as faux documentaries, and collaboratively contributed to developing a mythos around the exportation "distinguished, extremely rare products" to faraway countries from the wilds of Lapland (Finland).

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) is the full-length fantasy film directed by Jalmari Helander that takes elements from both and develops them into a singular  origin story of sorts for the company's product about whom the earlier two "infomercials" are made. Set near the Korvatunturi mountain, Rare Exports tells of a young boy who inadvertently discovers the secret behind the "real" Santa Claus.

The film focuses on a group of local reindeer herders whose Christmas is disturbed by excavations on the mountain. A scientist has ordered a team of workers to dig open what he calls "the largest burial mound in the world". An explosive used by the team uncovers what is referred to as a "sacred grave". However, the occupant of the grave is still alive. Soon, the reindeer important to the local people are mysteriously killed, and children and supplies begin to disappear from the town. It emerges that the occupant is the source of the original Santa Claus myth; a supernatural being who, rather than rewarding good children, punishes the naughty. One family, however, manages to catch the culprit in a trap, and plans to sell it to the scientist to cover the losses caused by his excavation.

Jorma Tommila and Onni Tommila.

Tonally, the film deftly shifts from being a tale of a hard-working community suffering through financial times in the holiday season to a horror-noir. The soundtrack by Juri Seppä and Miska Seppä provides subtle auditory transitions, while never jerking the viewer out of the film experience. If the marketing of the film weren't so holiday-themed, the surprises and twists (of which there are a few) might carry even greater impact. The beautiful cinematography by Mika Orasmaa, as well as the superb performances by Jorma Tommila and Onni Tommila, as the father and son, respectively, at the center of the story, lend this movie an eerie mid-Eighties Spielberg-Carpenter vibe. Touching, scary, and beautifully rendered, this holiday-horror-fantasy does something extremely unique (at least in my experience) in recent film: it begs to be re-watched.

In a more discerning world, Rare Exports would find its way to becoming a cult-Christmas favorite, so help get that ball rolling by watching it on direct stream via Amazon Prime this holiday season!

Never a good idea to tease "Santa" with a gingerbread man cookie!

Sources:
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Wikipedia Entry

Seen It: Young Detective Dee: The Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013)

Releasing expensive (and potentially lucrative) prequels/sequels to successful movies is a money-making creative decision common not just too Hollywood, but in other film-making markets internationally. Regardless of the country of origin, prequels/sequels often fall into certain pitfalls such as thinking bigger (more villains, larger threats, higher stakes) is better without concern for narrative quality.

Tsui Hark's 2010 Chinese-Hong Kong action hit Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Secret Flame, (a movie I reviewed previously) spawned a prequel, and unlike lesser movie fare, it proves a worthy follow-up. Returning to Young Detective Dee: The Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013) is the creative force behind the original, director/producer Tsui Hark, while Andy Lau is replaced as Detective Dee by Taiwanese-Canadian actor Mark Chao. Not surprisingly, the contrast between each film's lead actor reflects some key general differences: whereas Lau's Dee was grizzled and driven my a sense of dark foreboding, Chao's younger protagonist is quirky, confident and surprisingly romantic.

With a narrative rooted in Chinese history, providing a quick summary is difficult, and once again Barnes and Noble does so more succinctly than I ever could: "The bustling capital city of Luoyang has come under attack from a powerful force from the depths of the ocean, threatening the entire Celestial Empire. Dispatched by Minister Yan to investigate for the Da Lisi, Detective Dee (Mark Chao) quickly learns that two dragons have appeared in the capital. Meanwhile, the newly crowned Empress Wu (Carina Lau, reprising her role from Mystery of the Secret Flame) has ordered Detective Luchi to investigate as well. Later, the sea monster attacks a ceremonial procession, spreading a wave of chaos throughout the city. When Dee uncovers evidence of a conspiracy implicating the most prominent members of the Imperial Family, he is imprisoned for treason. Now Dee's only hope for exposing the truth behind the bizarre events unfolding in Luoyang is to investigate the radiant courtesan Yin (Angelababy), but in order to do that he'll first need to escape prison with a little help from Shatuo Zhong (Lin Gengxin). Once Dee is free, the race is on to save the city, and expose the treachery that threatens to topple the empire."

Actor Lin Gengxin (pictured right) plays the Robin to Mark Chao's Batman (left).

Beyond the expected wire-fu combat (once again choreographed by the legendary Sammo Hung),  Tsui conceptualizes Dee's powers of deduction (bordering on psychic abilities in the earlier movie) in a variety of ways that give our protagonist the appearance of being superhuman. Early on the film, Dee's ability to read lips is shown visually in a manner reminiscent of Spider-man's spider sense in Sam Riami's original trilogy. Quite a bit of the way objects and scenes interact with the camera (and therefore audience) also seem to suggest a movie that had been intended for release in 3D: ships splinter into the audience's face, weapons come toward the screen, and the camera pans through open porticoes. The special effects have a more obvious CGI appearance than the previous film, but this is liekly due to its use rather than its execution. In (old) Detective Dee, most of the special effects were used to depict backgrounds and architecture; in Young Detective Dee, the narrative requires more interaction by the actors with various CGI elements such as ships on the ocean under attack or giant monsters.

The performances are strong and Chao plays Dee as smart and quirky, but with a naivete playing the younger version allows; Chao's Dee always has something brewing. His relationship with impromptu sidekick Shatuo Zhong (Lin Gengxin) is presented as a respectful, collaborative one rather than for laughs, a refreshing dynamic given some action filmmakers' crutch of using minor characters for comic relief. Many of the nuanced actions and interactions between Dee and Zhong seem to reflect or suggest things that result in the older Dee character from the first film. My sense is that some of the characterization groundwork laid in Rise of the Sea Dragon will come into clearer view after a re-watch of The Secret Flame.

Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon is an effective and entertaining historical action film with strong performances and suitably cartoony effects that do not detract form the overall viewing experience. It is best viewed with the original, to which it is a prequel. Both are available for instant online viewing via Netflix.

Late to the Party: A Game of Thrones

It seems to be a recurring theme this summer: whether it was because I am being contrarian or due to some unfair preconceived notion of a thing, I have almost missed out on some pretty cool literary experiences. Once gain, this has to do with a book which was once avoided, being read and greatly enjoyed.

George R. R. Martin's A Game Thrones has been an international phenomenon the past few years due in great part, I assume, to the success of the television series on HBO which began airing in 2011. As one of the rare folks who just recently purchased cable television just over a year ago, and has yet to succumb to the desire for "special" stations, I have never seen the show, but this past week bought the first novel in Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series, the aforementioned A Game of Thrones.

Like some, I have occasionally suffered from an unsubstantiated bias against fantasy. As I sit here trying to type "I've never read much fantasy," I am reminded of my teen appreciation of the C.S. Lewis' Narnia books as well as some other sword and sorcery books the titles of which I have forgotten. This lazy dismissal runs opposite my recent affection for comic books based on the pulp heroes of Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter) and Robert E. Howard (Solomon Kane, Conan, Red Sonja).

There is not much for me to contribute to the praise for these books except to suggest that the high recommendation you've heard for the first novel are warranted. The most recognizable equivalents for literary merit and cultural impact I can think of are the original Frank Herbert Dune novels or (more obviously) Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. The Dune comparison has more to do with the "wheels within wheels" structure of the plotting and romantic elements of the character development than the setting. In all three cases, each series is about "world building": the creation of a detailed and sophisticated "universe" that in some ways mirrors our own notions of a possible, imaginative histories, but with an added element of the fantastic.

As of this writing, I have yet to watch a single frame of HBO's well regarded adaptation, but am "all in" when it comes to most things A Game of Thrones. I look very forward to eventually watching the cable series on DVD (after first reading the novel which has been adapted for each season) and have recently taken it upon myself to quickly acquire as many individual issues of Dynamite Entertainment's comic book adaptation of the first novel. I have even seriously considered tracking down a used copy of the poorly reviewed X-Box 360 system game which depicts events which transpire alongside those in the first novel. In decorating my classroom, I also hung the poster to the rigth festuring Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) with one of my favorite quotes from the first novel.

The lesson here: don't make the mistake(s) I have by dismissing certain books because they seem "too popular" or "mainstream" to be worthy of your time. I've been nearly burned twice this past summer by such limited thinking and continue to be thankful for the reading experience I came late to the party for.

Seen It: Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012)

With nicer weather around the corner, my days of watching movies on weekends may soon be drawing to a close. Hoping to go out with something a little adventurous, I came across the oddly titled Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012) on Netflix this morning and completely on a lark made the decision to check it out, based upon to the aesthetic similarities to the previously reviewed Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Secret Flame (2010).

Chinese poster (2012).

Prior to viewing, I must confess to having no idea what the title is meant to imply. Reportedly a sequel of sorts to 2008's Painted Skin, I suspect the title may have something to do with Chinese folklore (on which some of the characters and story are based), but to my Western mind it made little sense. I would also suspect that the seemingly unrelated title might limit the likelihood of Netflix trollers who happen to give the film a chance, which is unfortunate given its fairly strong entertainment value. Especially those who are leary of subtitles and Chinese cinema. The  meaning of the movie's title is clearer  at the conlcusion though the us of the descripteor word "Painted" seems unnecessarily off-putting.

Directed by Chinese director Wuershan, Painted Skin: The Resurrection is an action-adventure-romance starring a number of prominent Chinese actors, none of who have achieved as much name recognition in the U.S. Each is suitably physically beautiful or made up to be equally grotesque depending on the positive (or negative) nature of the character they play. The acting is superb and the the Fuedal Chinese world in whcih the action is set is very well realized. On the big screen this movie must have been beautiful.

The Princess (Wei Zhou) and the Warrior (Kun Chen) pass through one of the many beautiful vistas.

Given the significant roles played by spirits in the film, I was often reminded of Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke (1999) and Spirited Away (2001), two Japanese animated films that dealt with (although in an even more fantastic way) the connection between both the physical human world and a spirit realm. The influence of Miyazaki seems evident in some character designs--though I am not nearly fluent enough to assure anyone of that--these may just be common Eastern motifs of which I am unschooled. Personally, the most obvious practical similarity the design of Princess Mononoke and that of the primary antagonist's daughter, herself also part of a wolf clan.



Actress Xun Zhou as malevolent fox spirit Xiaowei.

Reminiscent as costume fantasies such the far more familiar Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Painted Skin: The Resurrection embraces the fantasy elements thought he occasional use of CGI, that rarely distracts from the story or performances. Some of the story beats are similar (and the true villain seems to come from just shy of left field), but there is enough here to keep any passing genre fan satisfied. There is also a fair degree of sensuality on display as both female leads, one a demon and the other a warrior princess, vie for the heart (literally--you'll see) of the same man.



Princess and Xiaowei.

Painted Skin: The Resurrection (2012) is streamed on Netflix, presented with subtitles. The original Painted Skin (2008) is available for free on Youtube for viewing, and listening to as well, if you happen to know Mandarin Chinese.

Seen It: Vengeance (2009)

Recently the unusual sub-genre of film that is the Asian (Korean/Japanese/Thai/Chinese) thriller has joined the (Spaghetti) Western as one of my favorites. Once in a blue moon, I get lucky and come across a movie which actually draws on elements of both "genres" effectively. How can can a Chinese movie starring a Frenchman set in modern Hong Kong be a "Western"? While a film such as Vengeance (2009) has a very definite Eastern setting, the movie's tone, characterization and aesthetic are, to this viewer, have an unmistakeably Western flair.

Directed by Johnnie To, from a script by Wai Ka-Fai, Vengeance (2009) stars French music icon Johnny Hallyday as Francis Costello, a grieving (and brooding) father who's daughter is victimized by three home invaders. To add to the trauma, his son-in-law and two young grandsons are also murdered in the pre-title assault.

A chef and restaurateur from France, Hallyday's character, with a suitably "secret past," is very much a fish out of water in the Chinese cities of Macau and Hong Kong. Relying on help from some unlikely allies, Costello seeks revenge for the senseless and brutal attack on his family. Further adding to the outsider dynamic, common in the majority of spaghetti westerns, is the revelation that Costello suffers from periodic memory-loss, a condition that necessitates his taking Polaroid pictures of the faces he needs to remember lest he forget them completely--and therefore re-meeting them throughout the film. Cognisant of his health condition which is the result of a previous "secret" activity, Costello acknowledges that at some point in the near future he will not even remember his daughter even as avenging her pain and loss becomes the focus of his existence.

As teased in the film trailer above, Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert has called Vengeance "A Classic Western," and further wrote that the film had "certain parallels" with Clint Eastwood's 1992 film Unforgiven. The film has just as many parallels with some of Eastwood's much earlier westerns. Very much a "Man With No Name," Costello, as played by Hallyday (who at one point was culturally seen as France's equivalent to Elvis Presley), says little while ingratiating himself to the "locals" (translation: Chinese hit men) with whom he develops a deep bond. This bond is further developed when their shared history, and code, are revealed toward the middle of the film. Later, Hallyday is also befriended and assisted by a young women with many children who sees the good in his hear, despite his grisly mission of vengeance.

One thematic cornerstone of the Western present in Vengeance is the depiction of a society organized around codes of honor and personal, direct or private justice. Some other important production choices seem influenced by a desired western motif such as the dramatic staging of key showdowns, as well as the accompanying soundtrack written by Lo Tayu.

Part Western, part Asian Thriller, part character study, more than anything, Vengeance is a well-produced thriller with a number of twists, none of which are novelties, as each further enhances the story of Costello's drive toward revenge. This film is currently available for on-demand viewing on Netflix.

Sources:
Wikipedia

Reflecting on John Carter (2012)

While leaving an afternoon matinee of Andrew Stanton's wonderful film John Carter (2012), I asked my wife what she thought. She is a much more discerning viewer than I (who even paid to see Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance--in 3D no less--so, I am admittedly no expert of what people like) and she surprised me by sharing how much she enjoyed the film, too. Like many movies, I had dragged her to the movie because I had had a long time appreciation of the character, beginning with Edgar Rice Burroughs source material (A Princess of Mars) on through the Marvel Comics title John Carter Warlord of Mars which was published in 1977 (following the success of a little film called Star Wars). I have until very recently read the current comic book adaptation of the material published by Dynamite Publishing.

As much as I enjoyed the movie, I was even happier that my wife had enjoyed it. This meant that maybe other neophyte Carter "fans" might discover this $250 million dollar Valentine-of-a-popcorn flick.

Of course, if you've read the movie news at all today, this was not the case (at least not stateside), as The Lorax... yes THE LORAX, proved even more financially successful this weekend. While I have little doubt that The Lorax is a very entertaining flick (Heck, I'll likely watch it on DVD someday, too), it was up against John Carter... JOHN CARTER... the freakin'  Warlord of Mars... with a beautiful Martian princess... and giant blind Martian apes ... and beheadings and Tharks and...

And this morning at work (school) as I inquired as to whether or not any of my students had ventured to the theaters to see the film this past weekend, too. Of the seventy students I saw today, only two had (both had gone with their fathers) and both enjoyed the film. Unfortunately, had they not been taken by middle aged fanboys such as myself they likely would not have gone at all. When I asked if anyone had heard of John Carter, my query was met with silence.

When I asked if they had known that much of the more popular science-action-adventure they enjoyed owed much to John Carter, again, silence. The only association I could come that did garner any recognition was... not the amazing 100 year literary history of the character, but the word "Tarzan." Raised on Disney's 1999 animated hit (also a wonderful film but not ERB character), they all had heard of Tarzan, but to them John Carter was a mystery and, unfortunately, due to any number of reasons, including terrible marketing, he is likely to remain as such to them.

For me, I've picked up my worn copy of Princess of Mars (a scan of the cover is posted above) and will eventually watch the movie again, with my own son over the next few weeks before it leaves theaters, and hopefully some company somewhere will have the common sense to release a Woola toy for careful placement in my office.

P.S.
If you are on the fence about seeing the film or have seen it and are interested in some analysis of the movies nuances and mythos check out "John Carter & the Political Language of Barsoom". Very cool stuff.