Dhurandhar A Violent Movie with some recent history.

Dhurandhar got my attention as the 2025 highest grossing film for India (since surpassed).  It is a mammoth production with immense production efforts.  Before going any further it must be acknowledged that it is very violent.  It uses historical events, but has wrapped them in fiction. 

It starts with the end of the Kandahar kidnapping in 1999.  The Indian government agreed to free some terrorists and paid a large amount of money.  They felt humiliated, but two discussing officials  said they had no choice and rejected an idea for revenge as the moment was not right.

However, after the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament the same two officials decided to go ahead with an undercover revenge strategy.  We meet Hamza Ali Mazari who looks pretty scruffy and makes his way to Karachi through Afghanistan.  At first he just observes. 

Soon he learns of an impending gang assassination and positions himself  to save the son of gangster Rehman Dakeit who offers him a job with his gang.  They are affiliated with a politician, Jameel Jamli.  Hamza makes an impression with the Jameel's daughter, Yalina who is not turned off when he admits to being a gangster who has done a lot of despicable things.  She is not even discouraged when he revealed he was against her father, Jameel

Hamza is developing trust and his advice is accepted.  He is able to pass on information about an upcoming attack in Mumbai.  He suggests that Jameel should align with him and with his marriage to Yalina  Hamza has solidified his role.  All this has been accompanied by incredible violence and gore.  This film originally was going to be released with more material, but a decision was made to split into two parts and you will have to wait until March to find out more.  

To create the impression this film has, takes a lot of talent.  Here are some of the contributors.    

Aditya Dhar was director, writer and producer.  He is married to one of my favorite actresses, Yami Gautam who must have put up with a lot, while he was working on this film and she has been given an official THANKS in the closing credits.  He has 10 writing credits  2 for directing and 5 for producing, including "Aakrosh" (2010), "Tezz" (2012), "Uri:  The Surgical Strike" (2018), "Article 370" (2024) and "Dhoom Dhaam" (2025).  

Jyoti Despande was another producer.  She has often been put on lists for Today's Most Powerful Woman in Business.  She is the CEO at Viacom 18.  She has 53 credits as producer, including "OMG 2" (2023), "Dunki" (2023), "Article 370" (2024) and "Lapataa Ladies (2024).  See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/04/laapataa-ladies.html

Shashwat Sachdev composed the music.  Although born in India he started his film career in Hollywood before returning to India.  He has 18 composing credits, 8 for the music department and 1 for directing, including "Phillauri" (2017), Uri:  The Surgical Strike" (2018) and "Article 370" (2023).  

Vikash Nowlakha was the cinematographer.  He spent his youth in India, Thailand and Australia.  He received a degree in Eastern Philosophy from the University of Tasmania.  He has 17 cinematography credits, 9 for the camera and electrical department and 3 for directing, including "Black" (2005), "Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year" (2009), "The White Tiger" (2021) and "Lapataa Ladies" (2024).   See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/01/the-white-tiger.html

Shivkumar V. Panicker was the editor and a dialogue writer.  He has 19 editor credits and 3 for the editorial department, including "Kapoor & Sons" (2016),  "Budhia Singh:  Born to Run" (2016)"Uri:  The Surgical Strike" (2018), "Article 370" (2024) and "Dhoom Dhaam" (2025). 

Ranveer Singh played Hamza Ali Mazari, definitely not one of his comic roles.  He got a B.A. from Indiana University in America.  Ranveer worked as a copywriter for ad agencies.  He has 31 acting credits, 2 for the music department and 1 for producing including "Band Baaja Baaraat" (2010), "Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl" (2011), "Dil Dhadakne Do" (2015), "Bajirao Mastani" (2015) and "Gully Boy" (2019).  

 Akshaye Khanna played the gangster Rehman Dakeit.  He has 46 acting credits, including "Taal" (1999), "Dil Chahta Hai" (2001), "Gandhi, My Father" (2007), "Ittefaq" (2007), "Race" (2008), "Mom" (2017), "Drishyam 2" (2022) and "Chhavva" (2025).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/07/dil-chatha-hai-bollywood-classic.html      See also http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/02/drishyam-2-signifies-new-global-movie.html

 Sanjay Dutt played another gangster boss.  In reality he has spent time in jail and been called a terrorist but cleared in 2016.  He has had his own biopic done with the film "Sanju" (2018) in which he appeared in a cameo where he did a dance routine with Ranbir Kapoor who portrayed him in the film.  Sanjay has played many tough guys, but also comic roles .  He has 179 acting credits, 16 for the music department and 4 for producing, including "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S Bhai " (2003), "Parineeti" (2005),  "Lago Raho Munna Bhai" (2006), "Agneepath" (2012), "PK" (2014), "Tobaaz" (2020) and "Toolsidas Junior" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/03/pk.html

"Arjun Rampal" played Major Iqbal.  He was a model.  Arjun has 65 acting credits including "Don" (2006), "Aamir" (2008), "We Are Family" (2010), "Rock On" (2011), "Inkaar" (2013), "D-Day" (2013) and "Kahanni 2" (2016).

Madhavan plays Ajay Sanyal, an IB officer.  At age 18 his college entrusted him as cultural ambassador to Canada representing India.  He had won national public speaking awards and is fluent in English, Hindi and Tamil.  He has appeared in such other films as "Rang de Basanti" (2006), "Guru" (2007) and "3 Idiots" (2009) which were all exceptional movies.   Another film was the American, "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" (2012).  In "Test" (2025)he played a cricket gambler.  My first awareness of him was with "Kannathil Mutthamthal" (A Peck on the Cheek) (2002), but I assumed it was a Bollywood film and much later learned it was a Tamil film, opening another door for me. See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/11/dhokha.html                       

Sara Arjun played Yalina.  She was involved in tv. commercials as young as 1 1/2 and became a child actress in Hindu, Tamil, Telegu and Malaylam films. Sara has 27 acting credits including "Sillu Karuppatti" (2019), "Ajeeb Daastaans" (2021), "Ponniyn Selvan:  Part 1" (2022), "Toolsidas Junior" (2022) and "Ponniyin Selvan Part 2" (2023).

Rakesh Bedi played Jameel Jamli.  He hosted a science program on tv.  He has 337 acting credits including "Yes Boss" (1997) and "Uri:  The Surgical Strike" (2018).

This is truly a violent movie with some historical interest and over 3 hours long.  If you can accept that, I recommend it.  Available on Netflix, subtitled and  dubbed.  

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally these are among my favorites.  If you follow the links you should be better able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

Doctor John Highlights Pain

Medical shows are popular.  Some like watching the guts, some like the life and death decisions and some are roped in by the romantic links.  "Doctor John" (2019) presents a lot of complexities of pain and the end of life and oh yes, links.

This series starts in a prison.  We are soon introduced to one prisoner Cha Yo-han who somehow, with scant information is able to diagnose difficult medical situations.  We learn he had been convicted of performing euthanasia on a murderer who had killed two young daughters of a prominent person.

We are also introduced to a romantic interest, Kang Shi-young.  She was brought to the prison by her uncle who was in charge, to use her as a temporary medical person.  When she is interrupted by the diagnoser she asks if he is a doctor and he replies "no".  They have a short interaction in which he demonstrates an amazing ability to diagnose.

A year or so passes and he has been released from prison and is able to be employed at a hospital where Shi-young works, that is managed by her relatives.  We learn that her father is in a coma and she is blamed for involvement with the accident that caused the injury.  Over time we learn that Yo-han is immune to pain which might sound like a good thing, but the problem is he can suffer injury or disease and not know it.  Over time it is revealed he takes detailed precautions.

There is a nurse in the hospital Chae Eun-jeong who vehemently opposes Yo-han for the killing of the children murderer and she aligns with a legal prosecutor, Son Seok-ki.  Throughout the series they are looking for a chance to prosecute Yo-han and take away his medical license.

Some authorities want Doctor John to be dismissed when they learn he does not experience pain, rationalizing he can't understand patients.  He says that pain is a communication, telling where your body has a problem. 

The series is a forum on euthanasia and other end of life issues.  Aside from the initial situation when Doctor John euthanized a murderer there are some other cases that force a viewer to see another perspective.

In one case a mixed martial arts fighter is on the verge of death and had issued a no resuscitation notification, however Doctor John had diagnosed an underlying medical issue and was able to revive him.  There was concern that he defied the notification and at first, the fighter was upset.

1n another dilemma, a former female movie star had a cancer on her nose that forced one eye to move in a grotesque manner.  She had wanted to contact Swiss authorities that could arrange assisted suicide.  Everyone recognized there was no cure and intense pain.  She was encouraged to see her son who she said earlier she did not want him to remember her in this horrifying manner.   After being persuaded, at the meeting time her son said he was too scared.  This prompted her move to the top of a building and after begging for a better way to die, she jumped.  She was rescued and with difficulty intubated, but someone turned off the ventilator.  That action was charcterized as attempted murder.  This case has a relatively "happy" ending as her son did accept her and express his love.  

Assisted dying is difficult in South Korea.  Some have applied to go to Switzerland to end their suffering, but apparently the government can prosecute anyone who accompanies them.  There may be exceptions, but they are very resdtricted and rare.  The movie advocates a humane way of dealing with unending suffering.

Most movies strive to be realistic to sell their story.  Here are some of those who brought the idea of this series to life.

Young Hwan-Kim was the director with 6 directing credits.

Ji Woon Kim was the writer.  He has 4 writing credits including "Melancholia" (2021) and "When the Phone Rings" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/01/when-phone-rings.html

Moon Seong-nam was involved with the music.  He has 24 composing credits.

Ji Sung played Cha Yo-han.  He has 31 acting credits.

Lee Se-yeong played Kang Shi-young.  She has 34 acting credits and 1for soundtrack.

Kim Hye-eun played Min Tae-kyeon, a senior doctor and mother to Shi-young.  She was a television weather forecaster for several years before getting into films.  She has 35 acting credits including "Itaewon Class" (2019) and "Twenty-five Twenty-one" (2021).  

Shin Dung-mi played Chae Eun-jeong who had had a daughter murdered by the man that Yo-Jon had euthanized.  She has 43 acting credits including "A Hard Day" (2014) and "Welcome to Samdal-ri" (2023).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/06/welcome-to-sandal-ri.html  

Lee Kyoo-hyung played Son Seok-ki, the lawyer wanting to prosecute Yo-hon.  He was involved in theater, especially musical.  He has 31 acting credits.

For some, this may be a difficult movie to stomach, but for many others it is mind opening about things we would rather not think about.  In some ways it is hopeful.  You can catch it on Netflix subtitled.  I recommend it. 

What's after Donald Trump?

 It is a little presumptuous to predict the future, especially in such volatile times.  However, one way or another, sooner or later, Trump will be gone.  Will Americans have learned a lesson?  How about Republicans?

Polling has been trending downward and Trump is concerned about his MAGA base.  Talking about altering elections, perhaps claiming a national emergency.   In the months in between conservative forces will try to control who can vote.  The Texas gerrymandering may backfire as it has been pointed out many Texas Republican districts have been weakened.  Some of their efforts might create heavy protests and even the Supreme Court might rebel against anti democratic efforts.  Never admit mistakes has been a major part of Trump's strategy.

From February of 2026 it seems unlikely he can be ousted, but almost every Republican up for re-election will have some difficult decisions:  retire, seek other employment, change their policy votes and public statements or maybe just hang in there to grab what power might be available?  Might there be a scramble to take advantage of new opportunities?  There will always be opportunities for ambitious people, especially if they have low morals.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/trump-as-tool.html

At the moment it would take only a few Republicans to stymie some of Trump's wishes, but they fear repercussions.  International leaders are trying to align themselves to soften the blows and perhaps force a few retreats.  If Republican legislators wait too long for decisive action they further increase the risk of losing and further tainting their reputation.  It does seem likely the House of Representatives will cut Trump's power significantly.

Depending on how the Senate midterms turn out, impeachment may be realistic or some other legal remedy.  What will the remaining Republican legislators do?  What about all the Trump appointees?  He has appointed countless people based on loyalty, to positions that affect everyone.  His influence will linger until after he is removed from office. 

Notwithstanding unforeseen events it seems likely the Democrats will take over in 2028.  They have their own agenda, but part will be to undo much of the Trump agenda.

How will Democrats approach the future?  In 2024 I thought Kamala Harris was the best candidate, period.  She didn't win, and many Democrats will rule her out because of race and gender.  (see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/09/the-choice.html  Gavin Newsom, another prospect from California is handsome and articulate.   Pete Buttigieg with his intelligence and demeanor would be ideal, but unlikely to get a real chance.  Part of the harm done by Trump has been his selection of advisors (or really executors) based on loyalty.  Democrats have a history of choosing on merit and diversity of opinion and have a lot of possible suitable advisors.

A couple of issues to deal with.

War:  There are a number of sore spots such as Ukraine, Venezuela, Cuba, Greenland, Europe, Iran, Palestine, China, India and of course Canada.  Americans will realize they are stronger when they get along with the rest of the world.  Putin is proving to be a masterful manipulator.

Immigration:  Yes, bad people have crossed the border and will continue to struggle to boost their standard of living.  On the other hand America actually needs immigrants and as their population ages the need will become more desperate.  Increasingly older adults and working mothers will need helpers in a variety of tasks.  Innovation is spurred by diversity and will be needed in a competitive world.  Many prospects will have been discouraged and distrustful.  They may seek alternatives--Canada would be a logical choice.

Environment:  Climate change is creeping up and becoming increasingly difficult to reverse.  There will still be lots of resistance, but the government will need to be more active in correcting misinformation coming from ignorance and vested interests.  The true power of United States comes from setting a good example.

Healthcare:  More people recognize the importance of healthcare for the nation.  It is not only that financing cures are more expensive than preventing illness, but good health is good for the economy.

Tariffs:  It has been proven that tariffs do not encourage international co-operation.  Basically they raise domestic prices and narrow choices.  That some are raised because Trump has a difference of opinion with foreign leaders is despicable.

Taxes have always been an election tool, but eventually the bills have to be paid or there will be even more serious consequences.  The wealthy thrive in a growing economy and are in position to exploit opportunities, but they will have to share the burden of running the government.  Progressive taxation needs to tilt more against the already wealthy.  A good economy for all is a good economy for the rich.

Crime is another emotional issue.  Yes, there will always be a need for enforcing laws and hopefully including fraud of various kinds.  Obama once said that inequality is a cause of crime.  Dealing with it requires skills, training and money.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (D.E.I.) has been attacked as discrimination.  The real need is for equality of opportunity.  Education is a key with a special effort to identify and develop talents.  When a minority gets their foot in the door they are able to widen the opening.  

Of course there are many, many details.  One major change that could expedite everything else would be electoral reform.  This is a very complex issue, but a good start would be to legislate against gerrymandering.  America has a first past the post system that discourages many from voting, realizing (or assuming) their vote won't make any difference.  Most voters try to analyze complex packages of policies.  A proportional system has proved to increase voter turnout, longevity, income equality, environmental improvements and according to some scientific surveys, happiness.  Those who got elected under the present electoral system will resist changes.

I am sure someone has set up betting odds for various possibilities.  Voters need to focus on what is best for them, but also what is best for the nation and the world, because in the long run that is what is best for everyone.

Louis Riel and the Metis force in Canada

When describing Canada, one group that is often overlooked, is the Metis but they formed an historical foundation for the country.  When North America was initially commercially exploited it was by fur traders originating primarily from France, England and Scotland.  Inevitably the Europeans were aided by indigenous people.  European women were not encouraged to enter the wilderness so before long the European men formed relations with indigenous women and half breeds resulted, later termed Metis.  They were logical middle men between the Europeans and the various indigenous tribes.  The women were a critical part of the transactions.

Some baggage I carry.  Reading about the Metis and Louis Riel it is obvious there was a lot of strife and racism.  Doing the family tree I realized on both of my grandparents there were members of the Orange Lodge, who weren't necessarily violent, but definitely anti-Catholic.

 I was aware that my one grandmother had a nephew visit her fairly often even when we moved from Oshawa to Haliburton.  He was the son of a brother who had lived in Manitoba.  At one time my grandmother had gotten tired of her boyfriend not willing to get married so she went out to visit her two brothers.  The strategy seemed to work as she came back and got married.  My father, an only child was born when she was 44 and must have seemed a miracle.  Reading the history of Manitoba I realize the two brothers had to have moved there likely in the late 1800's or early 1900's, probably supplanting Metis and natives.  The nephew, Bruce Clark was a little older than my father and during the Depression was sent to work with my grandfather-Bruce had a son, Ted my second cousin, and I socialized a bit with him.   He was a grade or two above me at the same high school and was a social leader,-a likeable guy for sure.  I learned that the Davidsons and Clarks shared gravesites in Oshawa.

John A MacDonald, the man credited with Canadian Confederation carried a lot of baggage, similar to many living at that time.  Born in Scotland he wanted to stop America trying to take over British North America.  After Confederation he became conscious that American settlers were expanding to what was then northwestern Canada.  To stop this he sent settlers and military to the same area.  The Metis and indigenous were already there and feeling forced from their life style.  MacDonald felt the British was the model and others needed to be blended in.  He encouraged the residential schools to turn indigenous children to English children.  He needed Chinese to build the CPR, but imposed a Chinese head tax.  Without his efforts it is possible that Americans would gradually have gained control.

Louis Riel was born in 1844 in the Red River Colony, near present day Winnipeg, Manitoba.  At age 14 he had been identified as not only above average intelligence, but also faithful and was sent to Montreal to train for the priesthood..  He left after his father's death and traveled in America.  He had been rejected by the father of a woman he had formed a relationship with which affected him deeply..

By 1868 troubles were stirring in Red River and Riel's mother asked him to return.  After Confederation, surveyors moved in and the Metis found Ottawa was not recognizing their property rights.  The Government surveyers put lots in a square format whereas the Metis  used a seigneurial system that had long lots that ended by  a river.  John A. MacDonald appointed the anti-French William McDougall as Lieutenant-Governor for the North West Territory. 

Riel was a passionate and eloquent speaker.  He was recognized as a leader and chosen to represent Metis interests.  Important to note, that he was supported by the priests in the Red River area.  Riel's group representing a provisional government blocked McDougall and forced him into exile.  In 1870 he led a group of Metis supporters including some English settlers to take over Fort Garry and imprison those opposed.  Orange Lodge members were prominent and  vociferous.  Thomas Scott and Charles Boulton were two of the many that escaped and were re-captured.   Boulton was condemned to be executed, but upon an appeal was pardoned by Riel.

Thomas Scott decides to issue some very harsh criticism and although nothing he did was a capital offense he was  condemned to execution and this time Riel was not willing to pardon.  To me this seems the result of insensitivity to insults and threats and would haunt future efforts.  There was a real threat to stop the Metis movement.

Proving sometimes violence does pay off, less than two months later after direct talks between John A. MacDonald and Metis negotiators, Manitoba is made a province and admitted into Confederation.  No guarantee of amnesty for Riel or his supporters.  An army expedition to the Northwest to quell American expansionism also quells the Metis.  Riel flees and is soon officially exiled.  Riel while in exile is elected to Parliament three times, but is unable to take his seat in Parliament.   

While Riel was in the States the strife moved to what became Saskatchewan and Gabriel Dumont invited him to boost resistance.  MacDonald, back in power after a major scandal was determined to complete the railroad and the Metis appeared an obstacle.  This time the priests were against Riel.  There were a number of battles and the Metis were subdued and Riel captured.

There were many who wanted to see Riel executed, including MacDonald.  Two defenses were pointing out Riel was by now an American citizen, so couldn't be treasonous or that he was insane.  He felt he was a Canadian so would not use the citizenship excuse.  There were many legitimate instances that supported the insanity claims such as acknowledged religious hallucinations.  Although aware that if determined guilty he would be executed, he conceded he might be considered insane he also rejected this excuse.  The judge and jury were stacked and although France, United States and England urged mercy and Quebec had many supporters Riel was hung.

What is his legacy?  Today there are over 300,000 Metis enrolled across Canada plus others who self identify. Manitoba had its first Metis Premier, John Norquay back in 1874 and presently have Wab Kinew as their first Ojibway premier.  The French Metis have maintained much of their unique culture, but the English and Scottish Metis have been blended more.  They certainly were critical for how Canada has developed and the rest of us need to remember that.

I am not comfortable with how Riel and the Metis were presented to me in elementary and primary grades.  There has likely been some improvements and more Canadians better understand  how the Metis have contributed to our culture and national strength.

To close, I would quote the author Joseph Boyden (himself a Metis):  "Progress in all its forms should serve us and not it."

Can This Love be Translated

 One of my favorite binging activities is watching Korean romance comedy series. Like all such they rely on misunderstandings and obstacles.  And there is usually some serious dilemma when we are not laughing.

The female lead, Cha Mu-hee was a journeyman actress when visiting Japan.  She didn't speak Japanese. only English and Korean. --She accidentally met the interpreter, Ho-jin and a series of awkward moments that ended when they got separated by a train and Ho-jin disappeared.  She understood he had hoped to meet a woman he wanted to meet on this her birth day, but we learned that didn't happen.  A short time after she is in a horror movie and because of an accident (that puts her in a coma) it leads to her stardom.  We learn later she was visited by Ho-jin (and others).  She also learn the name of the woman he was pursuing who turned out to be a tv producer in Korea.  Awhile later we learn Ho-jin's brother was her steady boyfriend/fiancee

After her accident Mu-hee seems to hallucinate her film character, Do-Ra-Mi and then later she develops a split personality adopting her film character that for awhile confuses Ho-jin (and others) who seems to be developing feelings for her even though her alter ego is very brutal to him.  That is a lot to remember, but there is lots more and it all makes romantic sense.

A lot of talent went into this series.  Here are a few.

Yoo Young-eun was the director.  She has 4 assistant director credits.

Hong Jeong-eun was a writer.  She has 16 writing credits.

Ju Yeon Park was a producer.  He has 9 producing credits including "Vincenzo" (2021) and "Queen of Tears" (2024)  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/05/queen-of-tears.html

Choi In-hee was the composer.  She has 10 years experience as composer and music director.

Kim Young-jin and Keeha Choi were cinematographers.

Kim Hyung sook was the editor.

Kim Seon-ho played Ho-jin, the interpreter.  He had been involved with the theatre, but finished his military service before acting in films.  He was elevated to leading man status because fans were displeased that he played second fiddle too often.  Seon-ho  has 16 acting credits and 2 soundtrack including "Strongest Deliveryman" (2017) "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" (2021) and "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (2024)   See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/10/hometown-cha-cha-cha-another-delightful.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/04/when-life-gives-you-tangerines.html

Go Youn-jung, played Mu-Hee and Do-Ra-Mi .  She was a model before getting into films.  She has 11 acting credits.

Sota Fukushi played Hiro, the Japanese actor who became a rival to Ho-jin.  He has 60 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing.

Lee Yi-Dam played Ji-Seon, the girl friend of his brother (and his secret crush).  She has 8 acting credits including "Daily Dose of Sunshine" (2023).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/11/daily-dose-of-sunshine.html 

Choi Woo-Sung played Kim Young-woo, Mu-Hee's manager.  He has 11 acting credits and 3 for directing including "It's Okay Not To Be Okay" (2020) and "Melancholia" (2021).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/its-okay-not-to-be-okay.html

Im Chul-so played supporting staff.  Got his start acting in theatre.  Chul-so has 19 acting credits including "Crash Landing on You" (2019), "When the Phone Rings" (2024) and "Our Unwritten Seoul" (2025).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/02/crash-landing-on-you-very-addicting.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/our-unwritten-seoul.html

More than an episode was filmed in both Canada and Italy as well as Korea.  Available on Netflix subtitled or dubbed.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  Some of them are among my favorite Korean films and a big part of my Korean obsession.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if any film is worth following up.

Yojimbo,

Akira Kurosawa is considered a Japanese master film maker and by many, "Yojimbo" (1961) his considered his best.  

"Yojimbo" is basically a story about a wandering samurai looking for something to do.  He sees an opportunity when he discovers two quarreling gangs.  As he put it "I make money from killing.  This town has a lot of people deserving to die."  

There are a few instances where he demonstrates his killing ability, but mainly he set the two factions against each other.  He settles the town and at the end moves on.  He never really gave his name.  When he is asked he looks around and sees a mulberry field and proclaims "mulberry field."

It may seem fairly simple, but there were a lot of talented people.  Here are a few.

We have to start with Akira Kurosawa who was director, writer, producer and editor.  He began as a painter and later on he painted full scale story boards for his films.  In 1936 he worked as an assistant director and starting in 1942 he became a director and spotted a promising book, then got the movie rights ahead of competition, but he did run into censorship problems with the Japanese authorities claiming it was too British/American and eventually they got 18 minutes cut out.  His next film in 1944 he decided to direct a film on female munitions workers and the actresses rebelled at some rules with one actress chosen to voice their complaints.  He ended up marrying her for the rest of her life.  After the Americans took over he had a few problems with their censors, but he felt pointed in a new better way.  In 1990 he was awarded a special Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

In "Roshomon" (1951) depicted a crime from four conflicting perspectives.  Members of his cast confronted Kurosawa about the script wanting to know what it all means.  He responded that the movie is a reflection of life and life does not always have a clear meaning.

Akira has 85 credits as writer, 33 as director, 25 as assistant director and many as an editor including "One Wonderful Sunday" (1949), "Ikiru" (1950), "The Idiot" (1951), "Seven Sumurai" (1954), "The Hidden Fortress" (1958), "High and Low" (1963),  "Dersu Uzala" (1975), "Kagemusha" (1980), "Dreams" 1990) and "Rhapsody in August" (1991).

Masaru Sato was the composer.  He was raised in Sapporo,  He developed a taste for jazz, especially like Quincey Jones.  Masuru had 305 composing credits, 12 for the music department and 7 for soundtrack including "Seven Samurai" (1954).

Kazuo Miyagawa was the cinematographer.  He trained in ink painting.  He went from laboratory technician to assistant camera man.  Kazuo was the inventor of the bleach bypass optic and was also noted for his tracking.  He had 138 cinematography credits, 4 for the animation department and 1 for the camera and electrical department including "Roshomon" (1951). 

Yoshiro Maraki was the production designer.  He explained in the special bonus that he had been asked by Kurosawa to find a severed hand for a dog to carry for one scene.  With the help of one of the actors he was successful.  Yoshiro has 62 production designer credits, 16 for art directer and 4 for the art department including "Kagemusha" (1980) and "Rhapsody in August" (1990).

Toshiro Mifune played the lone samurai and was one of Kurosawa's favorite actors.  He was born in Japanese occupied China and consequently is fluent in Mandarin.  He was drafted by Japan and joined the Air Force and was involved in aerial photography during WWII.  A follower of American cinema he was critical of how the Japanese depicted the impact of a bullet; just a puff of smoke.  He had 186 acting credits, 15 for producing and 1 for directing including "The Idiot" (1951), "Roshomon" (1951), "Seven Samurai" (1954), "The Hidden Fortress" (1958), "High and Low" (1963) and "Shogun" (1980) plus at least one in Mexico.  

Tatsuya Nakadai played a leader of one of the gangs.  He was discovered by director Masaki Kobayashi.  A theatrical actor, he and his wife founded an acting school.  He has 184 acting credits and 2 for soundtrack including "When a Woman Ascends the Stairs" (1960), "High and Low" (1963) "Kagemusha" (1980).

Because of relatively poor resources before and just after WWII, the Japanese were innovative and the world wide cinema has benefited greatly.  I watched this film on a DVD with some insightful extras.  I do recommend it, but especially for those who appreciate cinema history.

I have done posts on many interesting Japanese films, but the following post gives a base:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/03/japanese-movies-are-more-than-godzilla.html

Influence: Want to get More?

This is a unique sales book as it is not just for sales people.  Robert B. Cialdini describes himself as a "patsy" as he is an easy sell.  As a psychology researcher he became curious about how it was done on him.  In this regard the book is mainly about what he calls "compliance professionals" and "compliance  practitioners" either of which you might fall into.  On the other hand, he occasionally offers antidotes so everyone can benefit from reading this book, which is perhaps the best sales book I have read.

He quotes Alfred North. "Civilization advances by extending the number of operations we can perform without thinking about them."  That means a lot of our decisions are made with little thought.

7 Strategies that have been used on you or you have used on others are the core of his book.  They are reciprocity, social proof, liking, authority, commitment and consistency, scarcity and unity.  His research has given persuasion a scientific basis and his anecdotes make them more understandable.

There are many decisions we frequently make and for the most part we use heuristics, that are just mental short cuts.  For instance "expensive is good" or "inexpensive is cheap", both of which are reliably true, but can be misleading. 

Reciprocity is simply if you give something to another person you might expect something in return.  It can be something concrete (like a sample), a favor or a concession.  One interesting example was with the Watergate break in, that on the surface was very risky with not much payoff.  However one member of the group started with an even more outlandish plan involving much more money and risk and it was rejected by all the other members of the tight group.  A second proposal was about half the cost and, it too was rejected.  The other members were exasperated and ended up accepting a third proposal that cost about 1/4 of the original.  It was a dumb decision that was partly the result of concessions made in return for agreement.

Often the person who made the concession feels more in control by steering the decision closer to their preference.

As a side issue that demonstrates the author's contention on how to get others to like you is with the partial failures of school desegregation.  Most liberals felt it would work when blacks and whites were in contact, but it didn't work in many cases.  The author pointed out that blacks were mostly disadvantaged in situations where they competed in classroom for attention.  Cialdini felt it would (and did) work better when students were encouraged to be co-operative to achieve mutual goals.

Social proof acts as a reassurance that one is not the only one making a decision.  Netflix, just by pointing out the popularity of a film increased its popularity.  Another example would be during Covid, many would not wear a mask until they saw others wearing masks.

Using authority as a strategy means relying at least in part on a title that suggests expertise.  As consumers we are often approached this way and when it really reflects expertise and is relevant we should pay attention.  The author points out methods to buttress authority, but also tells consumers to check the expertise and just as important, determine the relevance.  An expert in physics is not necessarily knowledgeable or relevant to climate change.

When something is scarce or becoming scarce, generally it is considered more valuable.   Prospects can become afraid of losing something they want (or might want).  In the game of love, a partner taken for granted can become more desired when a romantic rival appears.  Cialdini feels to protect yourself you should realize ownership and enjoyment are two separate things and before you make a choice bear that in mind.  Also realize that scarcity can be deceiving or manipulated.

 Another perspective on scarcity and how you might deal with it:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/scarcity.html

If I can get you to commit to something you can often be persuaded to continue to a consistent agreement.  Nobody wants to appear inconsistent.  An example given is with the Chinese prison staff during the Korean War that seeks only a small agreement from one of their American prisoners, but are able to eventually get written and signed statements supporting a Chinese view.  One of their tools was to block outgoing mail to soldiers that wanted their families to know they were alive.

Anwar Sadat was known to flatter someone by suggesting they had an excellent reputation.  Then to be consistent they were encouraged to move closer to his position.

To avoid the consistency trap it is important to nip it in the bud.  At first chance claim you are not chained to previous commitments.

The seventh strategy is labeled"'unity" that points out we prefer to interact with those most like us.  Obviously family can be decisive.  Anyone can stretch things to find a common point of unity.  Common examples are race, ethnicity, gender, favorite sports teams and musical tastes.  One example was how a Jewish rabbi explained to Japanese administrators (allied with Nazis) that what the two of them had in common was they were both Asian and that alleviated suffering.

Unity can also be abused and the author gives at least two examples:  labor unions and Catholic clergy that he maintains protect abusers amongst their members.  In a personal example Cialdini had been called on as an expert witness and found himself on a legal team determined to defeat an opposition, no matter what facts opposed them.

Ethics plays a role in his philosophy.  We should not allow ourselves to be railroaded under a unity strategy that abuses others.  One piece of paper I keep with me is a quote from Benjamin Franklin:  "For having lived long I have experienced many instances by being obliged by better information or fuller consideration to change opinions even on important subjects which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise."

We now live in a world where most of the information is less than 15 years old and we need time to process it.  With all the future changes we will find ourselves deciding on smaller reliable strategies.

I have been a professional compliancer and would like to think I have always been honest, but that would be stretching things a little bit.  I have in fact walked away from opportunities to make money that made me feel uncomfortable and I have tried to present a true case for whatever I was trying to sell.  Robert B. Cialdini points out all the strategies he has told us about are legitimate, but are also subject to abuse.  Unlike most sales books he tells us how to minimize abuses against us.  Thank you.

There is a lot of value in "Influence" that can't be covered in a blog post.  This book was highly recommended by Daniel Pink and it has sold over 5 million copies.  There; I am using social proof and authority for you to consider.

Labyrinth of Lies--A German Attempt to cleanse

 "Labyrinth of Lies" starts in 1958. At one point an older man asks some younger adults if any of them including our lead character, a lawyer, Johann Radman knew of Auschwitz.  They had no awareness.  Survivors did not want to talk about their suffering.  An actual historical character, Fritz Bauer charges Radman, a fictional composite with bringing out the Truth.  We learn Bauer chose only young prosecutors to avoid contamination.

An awkward time in German history.  By 1958 it was inevitable that former members of the Nazis were in positions of authority as well in common jobs.  They wanted to forget about their shame,  and move on.  

Radman found the task very difficult as he was greeted with denial from many and refusals from those whose current situation was tied to the guilty.  

Radman was given a romantic lead, Marlene to individualize the predicament.  It turns out he learns his father had been a Nazi and then he learns that Marlene's father had been a Nazi.  That accusation broke their relationship. 

We are told many Germans joined the Nazis pragmatically and that many like the two fathers drank to excess to bury their feelings.  Bystanders realize  they helped make the Holocaust possible.  Many want to get back to normal as soon as possible and not talk about it.  They feel the big concern is Russia.

There was disappointment when Adolf Eichmann wasl bundled off to Israel for trial and execution as the Germans felt they could have learned about Eichmann's superiors.  They knew of Josif Mengele's location in South America and visits to Europe, but in the end Mengele died outside justice.

Near the end, Radman and a Auschwitz survivor Simon traveled to Auschwitz to read a Kaddish for Simon's two daughters that had been apprehended by Josif Mengele.

Just before the end we are assembled to enter a court room.  The results are posted before the end credits.  There is no mystery to the basic outcome, but the film is focused on the social and legal process. 

Without the brutality of most Holocaust films, "Labyrinth of Lies" deals with the adjustments made by the German public.  Here are some of the people who made it gripping.

Giulio Ricciarelli was the director and a co-writer.  He was born in Italy, but raised in Germany.  Initially he was active in the theatre.  He has 14 credits as actor, 6 as producer and 4 as director.  

Sebastian Pille and Nicki Reiser handled the music.  Between the two they have over 90 composing credits.

Romain Osin was a cinematographer.  He has 38 cinematography credits and 4 for the camera and electrical department including "Pride & Prejudice' (2005).

Andrea Martens was the editor.  She has 14 credits as editor, 3 for the editorial department and 1 for the sound department including "When We Leave"(2010).

Alexander Fehling played Johann Radman.  He has 32 acting credits, 1 for directing, 1 for writing and 1 for dubbing including "Inglorious Basterds" (2009), "Homeland" (2015) and "A Hidden Life" (2019).

Friederike Becht played Marlene.  She has 46 acting credits including "The Reader" (2008).

Gert Voss played Fritz Bauer.  He was born in China and his family returned to Germany in 1948.  He established his credibility in German theatre.  He died just a few months before the release of the film.  Gert has 26 acting credits.

Ted Williams played Major Parker.  He was raised in America, but learned German as adult.  He attracted attention for his "Trivago" commercials.  He has 39 acting credits including for the French film "Chicken aux plums" (2011).

My viewing was with a DVD that allowed me to hear the director and lead actor commentary as well as Question and Answer session with the two, both in fluent English.  It gives a little different perspective on Germany and the Holocaust and helps explain the feeling of shame, guilt and fear.  Worth while

The Iraq Invasion from a Brazilian perspective

"A Symphony for a Common Man" (2022) recounts a step made towards the Iraqi Invasion of 2003.  The Americans under George W. Bush were determined to attack Iraq, some thought for the "noble" purpose of regime change of an oppressive nation holding weapons of mass destruction.  Others thought they just wanted the oil.   Sound familiar?

There was one obstacle.  Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction.  Sure, they did at one time, but they had been destroyed and any that had been hidden away would have deteriorated.  American inspectors had actually found that out.  Apparently Saddam Hussein did not want to admit this "weakness."  Nevertheless, the American leadership proclaimed he still had these weapons.  

Back in 1987 the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons had been set up with the director-general Jose Bustani, headquartered in the Hague, Netherlands.  He also knew there were no chemical weapons and started to negotiate with Saddam Hussein and planned to send inspectors that would confirm.  The Americans were very upset over that and asked him to resign.  John Bolton, avid to attack Iraq demanded him to resign threatening Bustani saying they knew where his children lived (in New York and London).  Bustani replied his children felt the same way he did and thus refused.  The Americans looked for a way to force him out by lining up other nations to vote against him.  They were successful in getting small countries and loyal allies that he was forced out.  The vote went 47-7 with 43 abstentions.

The next year, 2003 after Colin Powell spoke at the United Nations that there were weapons of mass destruction the United States did invade resulting in deaths of about 5 million Iraqi and 5,000 American troops.  Colin Powell later felt he had been misled, but he had the most international credibility of the Bush administration.  

That year Bustani, still a member of the Brazilian foreign service was able to be appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom by a new Brazilian Prime Minister, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.  Lula felt they had to make a statement and decided to make him ambassador to Britain.  Bustani met with the Queen and later confronted Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister who supported the Americans.  He finished his career as ambassador to the United Kingdom and France retiring in 2015. 

After retirement he was consulted with the Douma chemical attack in Syria.  He claims that, again Americans ignored findings of the OPCW.  He was blocked from testifying at the UN by America, France and Britain.  Interestingly, during Donald Trump's first administration he found a way to appoint John Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations.  Bolton was pleased to see Jair Bolsonaro, a very Trump like conservative who replaced Lula as Brazilian Prime Minister--does that sound familiar?  A few times we are shown Bustani as a concert pianist with an orchestra.

The film was dedicated to the memory of Bob Rigg.     He had been the senior editor at OPCW.   He was from New Zealand and served on their National Consultative Committee on Disarmament.  Bob died in 2021, a year before this film was released.

Consists of a few current interviews (as of 2022) and archived interviews/videos

Jose Jiffily was the director.  He has 7 credits as actor, 20 as director and 6 as cinematographer. 

Pedro Rossi was a writer and cinematographer.  He has 14 credits for editing, 10 for cinemtography and 8 for directing.

Pedro Leal David composed some music.  He has 3 composing credits and 1 for the music department.

Unlike most films I post about, this one might be hard to get.  I picked up a copy at my local library.  You might find it as "A Symphony for a Common Man" or its Portuguese title "Sinfonia de um Homem Comum"  Its value for me is to recognize that the Americans, particularly Republicans have a history of interfering in other countries.

Eko--A mysterious dog story

 We love mysteries, challenging the writer and admiring when we are fooled.  "Eko" (2025) fooled me, but maybe not you.  It is not dead bodies so much (there are a few of them), but you can't help looking in the wrong direction.

One confusing factor is the link between Malayalam and Malaysia (known as Malaya in colonial times).  Malayalam is spoken in the part of India called Kerala which was where Vasco da Gama first touched on India after being the first European to go around Africa.  Malaya is another British colony across the Bay of Bengal.  They are fairly far apart, but it is claimed sea trips between the two were common from historical times.  The attraction in the film is a dog trainer who was pursuing a breed found in Malaya that could be trained to be a better protector.

In the current time we meet an old woman, known as Mlathi Chedathi and a young man Peeyoss who acts as a sort of caretaker.  In flashbacks we learn that the woman had originated in Malaya at the time of World War II and had married the dog trainer, Kuriachan who brought her and the dog back to a remote area of Kerala.  We come across two other men who are interested in the trained dogs.  Soon Kur disappears and we are told had died.  The two men try to help Soyi but the dogs stop them and they inflict some bite marks preventing her from approaching.  One of the men takes a gun and kills all the protective dogs.  

Years pass and we become aware of dogs running loose in the area (from a litter that had been born before the mature dogs had been killed).  Some other men believe Kuriachan had not been killed and was hiding in the area.  Part of their proof was the dogs appeared to be well trained.  There appears to be a revenge motive (while claiming to want to understand the unique dogs) for something that happened in Malaya many years before.  

There is violence.  Not everyone is as they appear.  We are set up for an ambiguous resolution.  If anything really is explained, it can be predicted.  Even so, the mystery catches most of us off guard and I predict most of you will very surprised.

Of course all mysteries depend upon careful plotting and compatible presentation to be enjoyable.  Here are some of those responsible. 

Dinjth Aryathan was the director.  He graduated with a Fine Arts degree.  At first he was involved in animation projects.  He has 3 directing credits.

Bahul Ramesh was the writer and also cinematographer.  An odd combination, but he turned the visuals to one of the outstanding features.  The script started with one sentence "Sometimes protection and restriction look like the same thing" and from there he developed a plot.  He has 3 writing credits and 7 for cinematography

Mujeeb Majeed was the composer.  He has 19 composer credits, 3 for the music department and 1 for soundtrack.

Sooraj E.S. was the editor.  He has 25 editor credits and 1 for the editorial department.

Jijesh S was the dog trainer.  They selected the dogs in nearby Tamil Nadu.  Most of the owners insisted on the dogs being rented, but the most promising dog Kurumbi had to be bought and has since moved in with Jijesh.  He started by feeding the dogs only by hand.  The dogs were a critical part of the cast.

Sandeep Pradeep played Peeyoos.  During Covid he worked with VFX.  He has 9 acting credits.

Biana Momim played Mlaathi Chedathi.  She studied English literature and went on to become a professor and principal.  At age 70 she just has the one acting credit.

Saurabh Sachdeva played Kuriachan, the dog trainer.  He has been an acting coach and has helped train Anushka Sharma and Dulquer Salmaan.  Saurabh has 27 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing including "Sacred Games" (2018-2019) and "Pushpa: The Rule Part 2" (2024).

Vineeth played Mohan Pothan, one of the men pursuing Kuriachan.   He was a classically trained dancer who won awards.  He has 122 acting credits including "Bhool Bhualiyaa" (2007), "Sarvam Thaala" (2019) and "Mukundan" (2022).

 Sim Zhi Fei played Soyi,  She was a model in Malaysia.  This was her only credit.

Binu Pappu played a lorry driver.  Before getting into acting he had been an animator for 13 years.  He has 44 acting credits, 6 for assistant directing and 1 for writing including "Helen" (2019) and "Virus" (2019).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/how-i-discovered-malayalam-cinema-and.html that has a paragraph on "Virus" and some interesting Malayalam films"

It is early in the year, but I have to say this is a particularly good one which can be seen subtitled on Netflix.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen that I generally found worth my time.  Check out the link to learn of some excellent films.

Rob Reiner's film The American President

Inspired by Heather Cox Richardson who quoted a line from "The     American President" (1925) to the effect that citizens do not work for the president.--he works for them and is answerable.  Behind the politics there was a love story, smaltzy enough to satisfy romance fans.

This post is intended as a tribute to Rob Reiner who directed and produced this film.  Like many, I first noticed him on "All in the Family" and my impression was that he was a lazy liberal.  Carol O'Connor was obviously a bigot.  It turns out they were both actively liberal and became friends.  

Like some actors Rob realized that to be really creative you have to get involved in writing, directing and producing, among other details.  He did get involved with film making, but also became more active with political concerns.

In 1988 he was active in a campaign to tax cigarettes to help pay for early childhood development and it passed.  He protested the invasion of Iraq.  To the point that irritated Donald Trump I quote "I 'm worried about the country not being here....You have a Republican Congress that is more than willing to enable a man who lies every minute of his life and is in league with an authoritarian enemy."

Rob has 90 acting credits, 55 for writing, 23 as director and 31 as producer including such stalwarts as "The Princess Bride" (1987), "Stand By Me" (1988), "When Harry Met Sally" (1989), "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993), "The First Wives Club" (1996),  "The Wolf of Wall Street" (2013), "LBJ" (2016) and "Shock and Awe" ((2017).

The setup starts with the current President, Andrew Shepherd had won his election just after becoming a widower.  A Republican, Senator Rumson, a presidential candidate complained they could not go after Andrew's character as it would have seemed too harsh to the voters.  However, Andrew decides he wants to date again and chooses an environmental lobbyist Sydney. and Senator Rumson decides character is fair game.  The fact that the president and the flag burning lobbyist sleep just a few feet away from his daughter is shouted out.

The romance is tested by the difficulties of his job and the fact that his staff is very concerned about his ability to get re-elected.  At the end, when trying to pass difficult legislation with pressures to cut Sydney's policy preference he reacts with strong righteous rhetoric that helps to win her back.

Admittedly I share the political beliefs of Rob Reiner and the writer Aaron Sorkin and also detest character assassination that seems favored by the Republicans.  The lobbyist points out that many experts claim climate change can make a mess only exceeded by a nuclear holocaust.  The environmental bill runs against a crime bill, but the president discards it as he believes it is pointless without stronger gun rules.

This film combines romance with politics, always a delicate balance and here are some others who contributed to its success

Aaron Sorkin the writer has often worked with Rob Reiner to fine tune their political message.  He also plays as a bar manager in this film.  He started acting, but soon decided writing was his real talent.  He gets physically active while writing and once broke his nose figuring out a fight scene.  He loves writing, but finds it difficult to get started.  He was involved with writing "Schlinder's List" (1994), but was not credited.  His sister worked with the Navy and told him of an incident that inspired "A Few Good Men" (1992).  Aaron has 15 writing credits (including one Oscar), 6 for producing and 8 for acting including "Charlie Wilson's War" (2007), "The Social Network" (2010), "Moneyball" (2011), "Steve Jobs" (2015), "Molly's Game" (2017), "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (2020) and "Being the Ricardos" (2021), 

Marc Shaiman  composed the music.  He met Rob Reiner and Billy Crystal working on the music for Saturday Night Live.  Aside from working on films he won a Tony award for "Hairspray."  Marc has 74 composing credits, 75 for the music department and 22 for acting including  "City Slickers" (1991), "Flipped" (2010), "LBJ" (2016) "Only Murders in the Building" (2023).

John Seale was the cinematographer.   Born in Australia and has won an Oscar.  John has 49 cinematographer credits, 34 for the camera and electrical department and 1 for directing including "Witness" (1985), "Children of a Lesser God" (1986), "Gorillas in the Mist" (1988), "Rain Man" (1989), "The Paper" (1994), "The English Patient" (1996), "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999) and "Cold Mountain" (2003).

Michael Douglas played President Andrew Shepherd.  Michael had a steady position with "The Streets of San Francisco", but quit for an opportunity to produce "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) that earned him an Oscar.  He has 69 acting credits, 30 for producing and 1 for directing including "A Chorus Line" (1985), "Wall Street" (1987), "Fatal Attraction" (1987), "The War of he Roses" (1992). "Basic Instinct" (1992), "The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996), "Ant-Man" (2015) and "The Kominsky Method" (2018-2021).

Annette Bening played Sydney Wade, the environmental lobbyist.  She has 54 acting credits, 1 for producing and 3 for soundtrack including "American Beauty" (1999), "The Kids are All Right" (2010), "Danny Collins" (2015), "20th Century Women" (2016), "The Report" (2019), "Georgetown" (2021), "Jerry and Marge Go Large" (2022), "Death on the Nile" (2022) and "Apples Never Fall" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/05/the-report.html

 Martin Sheen played A. J. MacInerney, a campaign manager for the president.  Martin had actually been arrested for liberal protests.  He has 264 acting credits, 10 for producing and 2 for directing including "Apocalypse Now" (1979), "Gandhi" (1982), "Roswell" (1994), "The Departed" (2006), "The Way" (2010), "Bhopal:  A Prayer for Rain" (2014), "Trash" (2015) and "Judas and the Black Messiah" (2021).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/10/trash-movie-from-brazil.html

 Michael J. Fox played Lewis Rothchild, an aide to the president and the one who made a famous speech about the president serves the people not the other way around.  For this role Michael was starting to develop Parkinson's and hid it.  He has since become an advocate for Parkinson's and has managed to perform while showing symptoms.  He has 83 acting credits, 7 for producing and 1 for additional crew including "Back to the Future" (1985), "Designated Survivor" (2018) and "The Good Fight" (2020).  He admired James Cagney and Cagney had requested Michael be given his role if ever Cagney's biography was put to film.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/09/james-cagney.html

Richard Dreyfuss played the despicable Senator Rumson (well, somebody had to do it).  He has 129 acting credits, 15 producing credits, 4 writing credits and 1 for the production department including "The Graduate" (1967), "The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz" (1974), "American Graffitti" (1973), "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1978), "Whose Life is it Anyway?" (1981), "Stand By Me" (1988), "Mr. Holland's Opus" (1995) and "Fail Safe" (2000).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/10/paralyzed-men-in-4-foreign-movies.html 

David Paymer played Leon Kodak, a presidential aide.  His mother's family had fled Nazi occupied Belgium.  David has 183 acting credits, 34 directing credits and 1 for producing including "No Way Out" (1987), "City Slickers" (1991), "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (1993), "Quiz Show" (1994), "Amistad" (1997), "The Hurricane" (1999), "In Good Company" (2004) and "Into the West" (2005).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/08/into-west.html

This post was my way of honoring and remembering Rob Reiner who not only gave us a lot of good films, but also made the world a better place.  I watched this on a Blu-Ray disc. 

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally worth while.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

HAQ deals with religious and legal conflicts

Religion or at least its followers often require believers to follow their law while some nations feel religion and government are separate.  It seems that all the world's religious cultures subjugated women to the control of men.

Abbas Khan had tried to divorce his wife Shazia Bono and cut off child support using Sharia law and the courts seemed to have upheld it.  However Shazia had found a lawyer who claimed the Indian constitution required him to support her.  A lot of details were debated over several years and I confess it was very confusing.  The bottom line was a successful struggle to assert constitutional rights that not only benefited Muslim women, but also all citizens.

As in many such battles there were a lot of heated arguments and emotions ran high.  Arrogance prevailed on the male side.

One interesting scene for me was a burial that in subtitles used the term "coffin", but I believe should have been "shroud" that to me was a more natural burial.

This was an extremely well done movie and here are some of the contributors.

Suparn Varma was the director.  He started out in journalism and spent 6 years as an entertainment journalist.   He helped to set up a recording studio for chat.  Suparn has 22 credits as a writer, 14 as a director and 4 as a producer including "The Family Man" (2019).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/03/the-family-man.html

Reshu Nath was the writer.  She has 10 credits for writing, 1 for additional crew and 3 for directing.

Vineet Jain was one of the producers.  He had risen to Managing Director at Bennett and Coleman Company, the largest media group in India.  He has 12 producing credits including "Raazi" (2018), "Doctor G" (2022), "Badhaai Do" (2022) and "Ulajh" (2024).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/12/doctor-g.html 

Sandeep Chowta was the musical score writer.  He was born in Ghana, but raised in Nigeria.  He became the head of Columbia Records for India.  Sandeep has 66 composing credits, 18 for the music department and one for directing including "Satya"(1988), "Ashok the Great" (2001), "Om Shanti Om" (2008) and "Parmanu:  The Story of Pokhran" (2018).

Vishal Mishra wrote several songs.   He has 54 composing credits, 53 music department credits and 13 for acting including "Qarib Qarib Single" (2017), "Kabir Singh" (2019) and "Saiyaara" (2025).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/09/arjun-reddy-and-kabir-singh.html

 Pratham Mehta was the cinematographer.  He has 35 cinematographer credits, 14 for camera and electrical department, 2 for producing and 2 for the color department including "Scoop" (2023) and "Srikanth" (2024).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/07/two-films-about-overcoming-blindness.html

Ninad Khanolkar was the editor.  He has 24 editor credits and 7 for the editorial department including "Agent Vinod" (2012),  "Shubh Mangal Savdhan" (2017), "Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan" (2020) and "Khel Khel Mein" (2024).

Yami Gautam played Shazia.  She studied law and later did many commercials and appeared on fashion magazine covers.  She has performed in Hindi,Kannada, Punjabi, Telegu, Malayalam and Tamil films.  Her film credits include "Vicky Donor" (2012), "Badlapur" (2015), "Kaabil" (2017), "Uri:  The Surgical Strike" (2019), "Bala" (2019). "A Thursday" (2022) and "Dasvi" (2022). http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/02/the-message-is-spoiler.html

Emraan Hashmi played Abbas.  At one time Emraan was credited as being a good "kisser".  He has 61 acting credits and 3 assistant director credits including  "Murder" (2004), "Gangster" (2006), "Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai" (2010), "The Dirty Picture" (2011), "Shanghai" (2012), "Hamari Adhuri Kahani" (2015), "The Body" (2019) and "Ae Watan Mere Watan" (2023).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/09/danis-tanovic-with-bosnian-perspective.html 

Sheeba Chaddha played Bela Jain, the defense lawyer.  She acts in theatre plays.  Sheeba has 101 acting credits including "Talaash" (2012), "Badhai Ho" (2018), "Gully Boy" (2019) and "Baadhai Do" (2022).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/03/badhaai-do-lgbt-film-from-conservative.html

Women in most societies have been controlled by men and "HAQ" demonstrates how some women have gained more freedom.  Available subtitled on Netflix. 

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally these are among my favorites.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

Is it only weirdos who like foreign films?

 It might seem obvious, I am one of those weirdos.  Although the scorn of others makes me feel defensive I feel the benefits outweigh the occasional flak.  The world is a big place with more things on offer than anyone has the capacity be aware of, let alone to enjoy.  Better understanding of the other 99% of the world is not only important, but often very enjoyable.  Still many of us live in something resembling a cocoon.  

Why do you watch any movie?  Some times they amount to time fillers, but hopefully you are enjoyably entertained and you might learn something.  Viewers of foreign films will pick up differences quickly and some of them might enhance your life.  But I hope you will notice the similarities.  We all seek love, security and meaning; we all get angry, jealous and even depressed.  

Not only to understand another culture a little better, but we might also appreciate some insight to our own human nature.  Sometimes they are just from a different perspective.  On top of all that there is some creativity and FUN.  Humor is universal, but varies; some subtle, some direct and often we don't understand the context.

Subtitles distract from the action and dubbing seems incongruous.   See at bottom for efforts to ease your understanding.

A complaint of some is they can't tell some Asian actors apart from one another.  A matter of experience minimizes this natural phenomenon.  See for a personal confession:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/biased.html

Trump voiced a threat to impose a tariff on foreign films expressing the concern in economic terms.  Trump seems to look down on foreign countries, once referring to "shithole countries".  India and Nigeria release hundreds of films of various quality and interest and when you add in all the other non English countries the number is overwhelming.  I am one of those who have found more than a few gems among the rest of the world's offerings.

Censorship or standards vary from country to country and even media to media.  So you prefer good clean romance without the graphic sex?  Or, do you prefer suggestive dialogue and discrete interplay?  Or do you feel let down if there is not explicit sex?   How about violence?   Definitely censorship restricts all those things and also politics.

Here are some examples that are worth checking out

 "The Secret in their Eyes" (2015) won an Oscar for best foreign film.  I have enjoyed the star Ricardo Darin in several films.   He feels he can get more challenging roles in Spanish where he already has name recognition.  Many foreign actors are attracted by bigger money in the American and British markets.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/04/ricardo-darin-brings-charm-from.html

Spanish is actually the most common European language spoken in the world, but as it is spread around the world there is a very wide range.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/07/hispanic-cinema-spans-globe.html
 

 

 

 

 This is about a man who is overlooked by his family.

 http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/05/home-comedic-clash-of-generations.html

With modern communication I was able to learn about films in a language not heard of beforehand:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/how-i-discovered-malayalam-cinema-and.html

 

My first awareness of Mads Mikkelsen.  This one only received an Oscar nomination, but other Danish films actually won.  In all his films which include English and French he always makes you believe.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/05/mads-mikkelsen-helping-denmark.html 

 

 

 

 Taiwan is a unique country.  China considers it their rightful property, but Taiwan sees themselves as distinctly different.  This film features a standup comedian who has to deal with dementia.   Having seen Ying Hsuan Hsieh in a few films and she has become a favored actress.  Not only is she a good actress she is chosen for or chooses some interesting scripts.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/forget-you-not-something-from-taiwan.html

 

More about Taiwan cinema::  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/taiwan.html

 

 

Concerned about male chauvinism.  The main focus is on female circumcision, called purification by the men.  They are Muslim, but as one women proclaims "Purification is not from Islam." and ""Our men want to lock up our minds."  Also saw "Making Moolaade" of that spoke of technical progression by Africans.  Won an award at Cannes and was highly rated by the Roger Ebert website.   Filmed in Senegal in Bambara and French languages.

 

 

 

 

 

In Africa, albinism (white skin) is a source of prejudice and also misinformation.  For instance albinos are thought to have medicinal benefits which result in their deaths.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/09/can-you-see-us.html

Filmed in Zambia.

 

 

 

 

 

 This won an Oscar using several African language with a little English thrown in.  A young boy stealing, find himself with an infant and doesn't know what to do.  Filmed in South Africa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Life is Beautiful" is concerned about Jewish victims in Italy during World War II.  It won 3 Oscars for best foreign film, music score, and  best actor for Roberto Benigni who also received a nomination for best director and the film for best script and best feature film.

Italy has a long film history and has contributed to the English speaking world" http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/04/italian-cinema.html

 

 

 

 

Korea is loved for its clean romances that are very well done.  But they also put out grittier films such as recent Oscar winner, "Parasite" that competed directly against American films.  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/parasite-breaks-oscar-tradition.html

My introduction to Korean films:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/a-slice-of-korean-cinema.html

 An ongoing bias  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/korean-mini-series-to-watch.html

 

 

Korea also illustrates similar culture (and behavior.)  What North American is not familiar with baseball?  Well they are in Korea as well and they have prima donna players, locker room conflicts, dramatic games and this movie illustrates all that.  It also follows a typical sports plot line, except victory comes a little differently and the particular drama is unique.  One unique feature is dealing with baseball among the deaf.

 

 

 

The Iranian government was embarrassed that this won the best foreign film Oscar., but it demonstrates a human dilemma that is not all that remote from the rest of the world.  The director has done a film in Spanish.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/03/three-persian-directors.html
 

 

 

 

The Oscar winner, "CODA"  (2022) focused on a family of three deaf people and one hearing.  They had the problem of communicating with the rest of the world.  Sign language was the mechanism, but few outsiders  understood it.  Most viewers relied on subtitles to follow the story.  Typically involved conflicts within family and with the outside world.  Originally the concept came from France, "La Famille Belier" (2018)

 

 

 

"Malbatt" from Malaysia gives the perspective of the rescuers helping those downed in "Black Hawk Down"  The American version was informative, but diminished the role of the Malaysian rescuers.  Another interesting one from same event was "Escape From Mogadishu" (2021) which related about North and South Koreans uniting to escape from the same situation

 

 

 

 

 

There are literally another hundred languages from many nationalities.   I would have included more examples, but this post is long enough. 

 Dubbing allows you to more easily follow the story line, but there is a little cognitive dissonance. The voices may not match the bodies and the mouth movements aren't quite synchronized.  For instance Koreans have distinctive ways of talking; when excited the last words seem to rise in tone and they also drag out some words making it difficult to match the lip movement  Netflix is investing in dubbing.  The quality can vary greatly.  Jackie Chan has done dubbing into Mandarin and English and recognizes preciseness makes a better impression.  I have noticed American dubbers tend to over do it.

Subtitles demand concentration that may detract from the background.  Many lines are actually shortened to give you time to comprehend, but may lose depth.  Some films have adopted a consistent background .

There is not much to lose and much to gain when you watch a foreign film.   There is a gold mine of entertainment and thought provoking stories in foreign films waiting for you attention. 

January 8/26 P.S. Less than a week from my posting I encountered a relevant situation (in my mind at least).  Donald Trump has continued to say he wants Greenland and lately has been more aggressive and pointed.  My tv viewing is necessarily selective, but I have managed to watch CNN coverage and CBC.  I have not noticed from CNN so far that selects interviews with American and sometime Danish politicians.  CBC is quick succession had interviews with the mayor  of a Greenland town and a former national politician who gave their perspective.  One thing that stood out for me was they were articulate in English.  The more underlying emotion was they are human.  The American media and politicians need to see Greenlanders as human beings and not insignificant creatures.  A few years ago we watched a Danish series, "Borgen" that in its last season was set in Greenland under rule by Denmark.  My post on that only mentioned Greenland a little bit, but I would encourage anyone to see the actual series as it helps make the Greenlanders seem more human.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/borgen.html