Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and it's all small stuff

I must seem like a self-righteous blogger, giving out all sorts of advice.  Like most, I am far from perfect,

but I like to think I am improving.  The title has been something I admire and want to strive towards, but also makes me wonder how some people could handle stress better.  "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff" (1997) offers a slightly different perspective and style.

Richard Carlson has lots of ideas.  He bundles them in short manageable chapters that can help you.  Some, you might already feel comfortable about and a few others might prick your conscience.  He is quick to acknowledge that he has wrestled with his own advice.

This post is not intended to analyze each chapter, but hopefully to highlight enough good points you will want to investigate further.  When we admire a good leader' or example setter, we appreciate that there often is a better way to handle any situation.

The first words of a William James quote sets the tone, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude" with apologies to the critical other half of our humanity who can also improve their lives.

We survived all manner of stresses in our evolutionary trail and today many of us have a tendency to over react.  The author gives the example of having our vehicle cut off by a stranger driving.  We can get so angry that it literally affects the rest of our day.  Calming down, (not sweating the small stuff) can help to put it behind us and move forward.

"The need for perfection and the desire for tranquility conflict with each other."  The most important thing is to do your best and move in the right direction.

That life isn't fair, needs to be accepted, so instead of pitying ourselves we can move onto the challenge of improving life.  "Unhappiness is the result of struggling against natural experience. One question to deal with the unfairness is "How can I be of service?"

Borrowing from Stephen R Covey the author quotes Habit number 5, "Seek First to Understand, then to be Understood."  Another chapter suggests we should assume that everyone else is enlightened except us.  We think we understand another person (or situation), but we can never know everything.  In the process of letting someone else explain themselves we not only learn something, but are more apt to open a dialogue that will benefit everyone. 

One virtue with life's up and downs, that will help you in the long run is, patience.  Too often we focus on what we don't have and overlook what we do have.  Gratitude helps you appreciate life.

He ends the book by reminding us of the title message, "Don't sweat the small stuff."

I would like to end by admitting that there is always room for improvement and there are plenty of people with helpful advice.  Below are some of the messages that have helped me.

From a few other efforts to improve myself:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/12/an-antidote-to-chaos-series-of-rules.html

After I reminded myself about all that advice I came across more (and expect there will be even more):  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/04/think-like-monk.html

Another single post with self improvement thoughts:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/11/using-your-subconscious-is-key-to.html

Falling in Love like in the movies

 "Falling in Love Like In the Movies" (2020) is like a play within a play.  At the beginning Bagus, a film writer meets Hana at a supermarket.  Bagus remembers his old love for Hana and feels his love revived.  He comes up with an idea to impress her and approaches his producer, Pak Yoram with an idea for a new film story.  He starts writing a romantic movie to impress Hana with the idea of falling in love like in the movies--the ones that always have a happy ending.

There is a problem.  She is a grieving widow who feels no interest in romance.  Most of the rest of the movie consists of frank talks between Bagus and Hana and Bagus and Pak Yoram.  With Hana it is delicate as he tells her his movie idea and while she insists she is not in the market they play word games.  With the producer it is mostly about how can they turn it into a viable film and Bagus is very persistent.

The two film makers discuss turning the film to black and white and we viewers are also switched.  They discuss what actors take the roles.  Bagus agrees to Julie Estelle who is well regarded, but for the male he resists a suggestion of a big male star, but accepts Dion Wiyoko with more hair.

Other people get involved to make it a viable movie.  Over time they identify the real Hana.  Julie Estelle feels Bagus has not allowed enough room for Hana to grieve.  Adjustments are made for the film script and for reality.  The level of frankness is astonishing with its dual purpose; as a romantic lever and a viable film.  Hana understands his general motivation and even tries to make suggestions, but is adamant she is no mood for a romance.

Did I mention this all takes place in Indonesia?  Indonesia is a very populous country, (over 280 million) but only in the last few decades have their movie theatres approached the level of the economic powers of the cinema world.  In the meantime they have been developing the skills needed to produce more than horror films.  Netflix has seized an opportunity and gotten involved in financing and distributing Indonesian films and we are all benefitting.

This film is a good example of a worthy film and here are a few of those responsible.

Yandy Laurens was the director and writer.  He has also directed commercials and music videos.  Yandrey has 13 writing credits, 14 for directing and 1 for the script and continuity department including "Cemara's Family" (2018) and " A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024).  See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/01/cemaras-family.html  and  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/07/a-brother-and-7-siblings.html

Ernest Prakasa was a producer.  He used being an ethnic Chinese (in Indonesia) to become a standup comedian.  Ernest has 16 writing credits, 36 acting credits and 19 for producing.

Ofel Obaja Setiawan was the music director.  He has 31 composing credits, 3 for the music department and 1 for soundtrack including "One Day We Will Talk About Today" (2020), "Cemara's Family" (2022) and "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/06/one-day-well-talk-about-today.html 

Dimas Bagus Triatma Yoga was the cinematographer.  He has 21 cinematography credits including "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024).

Hendra Adhi Susanto was the editor.  Hendra has 25 editor credits and 4 for the editor department including "Cemara's Family" (2018), "One Day We Will Talk About Today" (2020), "13 Bombs" (2023), "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024) and "Heartbreak Motel" (2024).   See the second film review in   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/12/two-year-end-film-reviews.html

Ringgo Agus Rahman played Bagus.  He had been a radio host starting in 2005 and interviewed well known director Hanung Bramanthyo who gave him a role that got his film career started.  Ringgo has 57 acting credits including "Cemara's Family" (2018), "Cemara's Family 2" (2022), "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024) and as the lovable dad in "Call Me Dad" (2025).  See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/call-me-dad.html

Nirina Zubir played Hana.  She was born in Madagascar where her father was an Indonesian diplomat.  She studied economics and went onto being a radio DJ and a model.  Nirina is fluent in Mandarin (her father was also a diplomat in China) and English.  Her Mandarin allowed her to interpret for a prominent politician.  She has 40 acting credits including "Cemara's Family" (2018), "Ali & the Queens"--filmed mostly in New York City (2021) and "Cemera's Family 2" (2022).

Alex Abbad played Pak Yoram, a producer.  He has been a poet and a musician.  Alex has 40 acting credits.

Sheila Dara Aisha played a film editor.  She has 32 acting credits and 3 for soundtrack including ""One Day We Will Talk About Today" (2020), "Cigarette Girl" (2023) "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024) and "Heartbreak Motel" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/11/cigarette-girl.html

Julie Estelle played herself as an established actress.  Her father was French, enabling her to speak fluent French as well as English and Indonesian.  She has 22 acting credits and will be producing an upcoming production.

Donne Maula plays Denny.  He started in musical theatre and is better known for singing and dancing through albums and videos.  He 3 acting credit, 1 for composing and 1 for producing. 

"Falling Love Like In the Movies" is available on Netflix subtitled.

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

Take Me to Your Leader takes a scientific approach

 Neil deGrasse Tyson confesses he has always been interested in aliens.  At the same time he has become a scientist who believes facts and the search for them should rule.  Dissecting many popular efforts to support aliens are really illusionary.

After the Dark Ages, some Europeans speculated that ancient civilizations such as found in Egypt could not have been done by Africans and must have been done by aliens.  It was difficult to conceive that the primitive people had the intelligence they did in fact have. 

In 1972 and 1973 we launched space ship to escape gravitational forces and signify to any potential aliens that we exist and are friendly.  Among many details we indicated our location in relation to our sun.  We displayed anatomically correct drawings of male and female, but both white.  The author points out that today we would not give out email addresses to strangers, but here we were letting potential enemy aliens how to reach us.

Throughout the book are references to popular culture indicating our fascination with aliens.  In most references aliens have a crude similarity to humans or familiar animals.  One deviation was provided by "The Blob"(1958) where the alien was more like jelly.  Another variation, from "The Invasion of The Body Snatchers" (1978) was aliens who took on human form as a means of hiding themselves from potential enemies while they developed their own strategies. 

 In "Contact" (1997) with Carl Sagan checking for accuracy it was speculated that the means of communication would be mathematical using the universal pi formula. See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/10/carl-sagan-and-our-future.html

UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) are claimed by many.  Neil does analysis pointing out there is an explanation for pretty much all of them.  He points out that flying saucers are not practical for inter galactic travel.  

The mathematics of infinity have convince many that we are not alone in the universe.  Scientists speculate that some far away planets have intelligent beings with a high enough level civilization to communicate across the universe.  Carl Sagan suggested that it was thought any civilization smart enough might self-destruct before communication efforts went far enough.  However Neil points out the nearest likely advanced civilizations are light years away, meaning any message we receive would have been sent light years ago and any response we send would take light years to reach back.  

Although he hopes to contact aliens he demonstrates how distorted our views have been.  Although you too may be hopeful (or fearful) you will learn some practical scientific facts.  There is lots of humour and references to popular culture.

A concern Neil raises is to do with government funding of basic research.  He contends that commercial interests feel some research is too risky and expensive.  Although complaining about waste of tax payer money they use a lot of commercial enterprises are based on government financed research.  Our society advances as we gain new information.

Double Happiness

The premise from the title, "Double Happiness" (2026) sounds promising of a lot of laughs and they do deliver a few.  Tim, the groom has parents who divorced when he was young and they detest one another.  He wanted them both to be at his wedding and because of a variety of circumstances decided to get married twice at the same hotel (where he was the head chef) on the same day so they wouldn't have to meet.  

What could go wrong?  Trying to please two different people has a lot of possibilities for screwups.  One has to do with food.  One parent taught their child to love squid noodles which leave the teeth and mouth blackened.  The other parent pays particular attention to getting the child's teeth whitened.

BUT I cannot describe this film as a comedy.  The divorce left scars.  To make the point, the story includes another young boy torn between two parents separated who tries to meet his mother at the same hotel.  Tim's mother left his father as she felt restricted and went onto to become a successful writer.  The little boy's mother appears to be a successful business woman who left a restrictive husband.

Adults given time to reflect and see how their actions have had a negative effect on their child can sometimes make adjustments.  You have to wait to find out if Tim's parents make any kind of adjustment.

The divorce issue, especially regarding the children spooked me as it is more prevalent than in my youth and is now closer to my family and social circle.  There is no easy solution to its negative impact on children and society.  If we made divorce illegal we would increase the number of unhappy people with negative consequences.  Some ideas are postponing marriage age, perhaps offering domestic living courses in school (or integrated into other subjects) might help.  Maybe requiring therapy before getting married and/or finalizing a divorce.  Some think arranged marriages work better, but parents' motivations do not always reflect the best interests of their children.  There are too many unhappy people as it is.  Our future depends on future generations.

It would be easy to mess up this film, but the cast and crew have done a masterful job of making us laugh and also making us feel pain.  Here are a few of them.

Joseph Chen-Chieh Hsu provided the original story, helped with the script and directed.  He has 5 directing credits, 4 for writing and 5 for producing, including "Little Big Women" (2021).

Pei-ju Hsiah was another writer.  Pei-ju has 8 credits for writing, 9 for directing and 4 for assistant directing including "More Than Blue:  The Series" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/03/more-than-blue-series.html

Clifford Miu was a producer.  He graduated from NYU Tisch School of Arts.  He has 19 credits for producing, 4 for directing and 4 for assistant directing including "American Girl" (2021).   See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/taiwan.html with bits about "A Sun", "The Falls","Light the Night","Eat Drink Man Woman" and "American Girl".

Ko-Chin Chen was the cinematographer.  He has 22 cinematography credits, 20 for acting and 1 for directing including "Left-handed Girl" (2025).  See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/two-unrelated-films-that-deserve-more.html and check the first of two reviewed films.

Chun-Hung Chen was an editor.  Chun-Hung has 26 editor credits and 50 for the editorial department including ""A Sun" (2019) and "Little Big Women" (2020).  

Kuan-Ting Liu played Tim Kao, the groom.  He has 60 acting credits including"A Sun" (2019), "The Falls" (2021) and "A Foggy Tale" (2025).  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/05/a-foggy-tale.html

Jennifer Yu played Daisy Wu.  She has 28 acting credits and 3 for soundtrack.

9m88 played Regina the wedding planner.  9m88 is the stage name for Joanne Tang.  She is better known as a singer and song writer with several albums to her name.  She had a fashion design major at college, but at age 25 studied at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.  She has 8 acting credits and 1 for the music department including "Light the Night" (2021) and "A Foggy Tale" (2025). 

"Kuei-Mei Yang played Carina Bai, the groom's mother.  She has 76 acting credits and 1 for the music department including "Eat Drink Man Woman" (1994) under director Ang Lee. 

Chen Yiwen played Chairman Hsieh.  He has 50 acting credits, 5 for directing and 3 for writing including "A Sun" (2019), "The Falls" (2021), "A Foggy Tale" (2025) and one of my top series for 2025, "Forget You Not" (2025).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/forget-you-not-something-from-taiwan.html 

"Double Happiness" is available on Netflix subtitled or dubbed.  You will find it engaging.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily recommended, but generally found to be worth my time.  If you follow the links you would better be able to decide which films to pursue.

The Evil Lawyer

Thailand for many of us is a mysterious country, perhaps best known for its food.  With "The Evil Lawyer" (2026) it is consolidating its film production.  They have previously concentrated on the winners like romance, comedy and horror, but with this series they are moving into legal dramas.  Already it is receiving very favourable reviews and ratings.  

The writer, director and producers spent several years researching the Thai legal system to get the details accurate.  They are able to call on the expertise for a wide variety of film making skills.

"The Evil Lawyer" is realistic in that it delves into the justice system that is far from pure.  We meet Jettri in a case where she seems to be defending the indefensible and wins.  We learn she discredits opposing witnesses and recruits co-operative witnesses among other underhanded strategies.  Mek is disgusted.  He is concerned about a client who confesses, but Mek determines it is to protect someone with power.  

By the first episode we learn his girlfriend, Ang broke with him without explanation.  He is invited to the home of a boyhood friend, the son of the police chief, Anan.  He wants Mek to drop the case with a (false) confession.  A Burmese servant woman is forced to accompany the two men so they can compete with a golf club.  The woman is abused and at one point strikes the police chief's son with a golf club and kills him.  Gun shots attracted attention, blood flows and the woman flees.  Shortly after, an official shows up.  Mek is accused of murder and it turns out the case is politically very delicate.  He feels political forces are against him and turns to Jittri.

Part of the deal is that Jettri, although not charging him, demands he help her on some other cases.  One is of a verbally graphic sex assault in which a guilty man gets off.  Mek begins to see that life is unfair and to get justice it pays to use tricks.

The situation gets more complicated.  Ang comes back and wants to help.  She is very concerned about justice and makes some big decisions of her own.  Politics, unions, illegal immigrants from Myanmar all seem to be linked.

There is a stunning, I mean for you my reader shocker at the end, on more than one count.  I am looking forward for a possible (likely?) second season.

Many people contributed to this success of this series.  Here are a few.  I recognize the names are difficult for Anglophone ears, but they are well worth knowing more about.

Nottapon Boonprakob was the director and a writer.  He has studied for a Master's degree in Social Documentaries at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.  Nottapon has 5 directing credits, 6 for writing and 4 for camera and the electrical department including "Mad Unicorn" (2025).  See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/mad-unicorn-exciting-series-fromthailand.html

Sopana Chaowwiwatkul was one of the writers.  Sopana has 10 writing credits including "The Notebook" (2019) and "Analog Squad" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/12/analog-squad.html 

Songphon Jantharasom was the producer.  Songphon has 3 producing credits and 6 for assistant directing including "Bad Genius" (2017) and "Mad Unicorn" (2025).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/06/bad-genius-out-of-thailand.html

Siwat Homkom was the composer with 9 composing credits.

Koi Boonyanush Kratheg was the cinematographer.

Supawit Buaket was an editor.  He has 9 credits for the editorial department, 3 for editor and 1 for visual effects including "Thai Cave Rescue" (2022), "The Believers" (2025) and "Send Help" (2026).    See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/09/thai-cave-rescue.html and   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/04/the-believers.html 

Rhatha Phongam  plays Jittri the "evil" lawyer.  She is a trained ballet dancer, singer and has modeled.  Rhatha has 36 acting credits and 1 for soundtrack including "Only God Forgives" (2013) with Ryan Gosling.

Nat Kitcharit plays Mek.  He has 18 acting credits.

Atchareeya Petipipittanakorn played Ang, Mek's girl friend at one time and political activist.  She has 14 acting credits.

Sarinrat Thomas played Atchara, Ang's mother and the head of a progressive political party.  She has been a television hostess in Thailand and became inspired by some of her guests advocating for mental heatlh.  In 1997 she went to the United Kingdom to learn a variety of mental health therapies with the Health Professions Council (HCPC), graduating in 2000.  She is a psychotherapist, a drama therapist, acting coach and workshop facilitator.  Sarinrat has 10 acting credits including "The Impossible" (2012), "Bad Genius" (2017) and the very popular "How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/04/how-to-make-millions-before-grandma-dies.html

Songait Roognophakunsri played Anan, a police chief.  He has 58 acting credits including "In Family We Trust" (2018).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/09/in-family-we-trust.html

Phollawat Manuprasert played Mek's father, a well respected judge.  He has 34 acting credits including "In Family We Trust" (2018).

Nopoachai Chaiyanam played Kosol.  He has  30 acting credits and 9 for directing including "Analog Squad" (2023) and "Hunger" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/05/hunger-interesting-movie-from-thailand.html

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time and if you follow the links you should be able to determine if any film is worth following up.

"The Evil Lawyer" is available subtitled or dubbed on Netflix. You will find the series very engaging.

Teach you a Lesson

I shudder to think how teachers might react after viewing the "Teach You A Lesson" (2026) series, but I would caution them to view it as extreme problems dealt in an extreme manner.  And as I like to remind viewers, yes, foreigners do have different cultures, but also that they have similar basic problems.  A lot of action, maybe more than reasoning.  This series is fictional.

In Korea in some schools the students are extremely unruly to each other, teachers and even outsiders.  This series is conjecture of how the problems might be handled.  It may seem very right wing, but perhaps force people to look at the issues.  

The idea behind the Education Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB) is to provide students and teachers with an atmosphere conducive to learning.  Some of the issues deal with bullying, drug abuse, drug trafficking, teacher intimidation, teacher corruption, meddling parents, youth crime and gambling addiction.  Some students felt they could do anything as the law would not touch them for almost any crime done under a defined age.

The ERPB was inspired by the murder of a teacher who happened to be the daughter of Choi Gang-seok, a respected member of the education administration and the fiancee of Na Hwa-jin, a man with special operations training.  The opposition kept accusing them of using the ERPB for revenge.  In fact the ERPB only responded to requests for aid in abusive situations as a tribute to their lost loved one.

Two of the ERPB were very adept at martial arts and more.  They were often confronted with belligerent opponents and responded in many cases with physical force.  The viewer sees a lot of disturbing behaviours from students, parents and politicians but assume that most teachers, students or parents are fairly reasonable. 

This series took a lot of  talent and skill.  Here are some who contributed..

Hong Jong-chan was the director.  He has 16 directing credits, 3 for producing and 2 for assistant director including "Live Up to Your Name" (2017) and "Juvenile Justice".(2022).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/07/live-up-to-your-name.htm and   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/03/juvenile-justice.html

Da Hee Kim was one of the writers.   Hee Kim has 8 credits for the animation department, 2 for writing and 2 for special effects including "Along With the Gods:  The  Two Worlds" (2017) and "Daily Dose of Sunshine" (2023).  See http://www.ttheherealjohndavidson.com/2023/11/daily-dose-of-sunshine.html

Kim Mu-yeol played Na Hwa-jin,  the head agent for NRPB.  He has 37 acting credits including "Forgotten" (2017), "Trolley" (2022), "Juvenile Justice" (2022) and "Phantom Lawyer" (2026).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/02/the-trolley.htm and   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/05/phantom-lawyer.html

Lee Sung-min played Choi Gang seok, the founder of ERPB.  He has 80 acting credits including "The Attorney" (2013), "Misaeng" (2014), "The Good, the Bad, The Weird" (2018), "The Man Standing Next" (2020) and "Juvenile Justice" (2022).  

Jin Ki-joo played Im Han-rim agent for ERPB. She has 20 acting credits.

Pyo Ji-hoon played Bong Geun-dae, an ERPB assistant.  He has 15 acting credits.

Lee Bong-jun played Cho gya Cheol, the youngster who killed Choi Gang seok's daughter.  He has performed in musical theatre.  Bong-jun has 5 acting credits including a bit in "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/08/extraordinary-attorney-woo.html

Ha-young played Choi Ga-yoon, the daughter of Choi Gang Seok and fiancee of Na Hwa-jin.  She has 12 acting credits including "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" and "Trauma Code:  Heroes on Call" (2025).    See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/08/trauma-code.html

Kim Jang-soo played  Hwang Gi-tae, a politicians opposed to the ERPB.  He was involved  with acting and directing in the theatre.  Jang-soo has 50 acting credits, 1 for visual effects and 1 for the animation department including "Misaeng" (2014) and "Tunnel" (2016).

Lee Sang-hee plays Jeong Sun-young, an abused teacher.  She has 50 acting credits including "Tunnel" (2016), "Diary of a Prosecutor" (2019), "Juvenile Justice" (2022), "Daily Dose of Sunshine" (2023) and "My Name is Loh Kiwan" (2024).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/11/daily-dose-of-sunshine.html 

I welcome comments from teachers.  The Korean Federation of Teacher Associations was supportive, commenting that they felt there was declining classroom discipline and violations of teacher authority as well a lack of institutional support for education.  Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union wanted the series cancelled.  They felt violence is not the solution and that teachers were portrayed as passive.  Netflix reported the series had reached their top 10 in 85 countries, proving it is entertaining as well as thought provoking.  

My attitude towards teachers is perhaps best expressed in http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/11/what-teachers-make-by-taylor-mali.html which includes a very dynamic video.  Vladimir Putin, who might have different goals than you do, has been quoted saying "War is not won by commanders.  War is won by teachers"--from Oscar winning film "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" (2025).  In high school I cringe to remember how some students mocked a dedicated teacher.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  Some of them are among my favourite 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. 

"Teach You A Lesson" is available on Netflix subtitled or dubbed.  Best to watch the series before commenting and you are likely to find it emotional.

Brazil 70: The Third Star

"Brazil '70:  The Third Star" (2026) seemed like a logical buildup for the World Cup, but turned out to be more than a sports film.  Nonetheless there are a lot of sporting scenes that were constructed based on actual plays some of which were also historically shown in black and white.  Behind the sporting scenes is what made the series interesting.

Brazil had lost the 1966 World Cup after Pele suffered a serious injury after which he declared this was his last World Cup.  Journalist Joao Saldanha was hired to shape the team up for the  1970 World Cup and went through a series of games without a loss.  He had persuaded a reluctant Pele to try one last time.  But then Saldanha was fired.  It turned out he had connections to the Brazilian Communist Party.  He fell back on his journalism career which followed football. 

As this was developing Brazil was being ruled by a military dictatorship and we were shown cases of protestors being chased down including Saldanha's family.  Many of the protestors were resentful of the players, feeling they were an endorsement of the government.  

The players were uncertain about the new coach Mario Zagallo who seemed to be traditional.  There was some tension between Zagallo and Saldanha, but they both wanted Brazil to win.  The players supported one another, but at time confidence was an issue.

If you follow football as most of the world terms the sport, you already know the end result, Brazil's third World Cup.  But a few of the games had dramatic elements.  With Peru they were against a coach that had been a star Brazilian player.  Against Uruguay they were haunted by a previous humiliating loss and we are shown that in the 1950 match one Brazilian fan died in the seats.  Against England there were some outstanding players.  In the final the Italians provided tough competition.  In all games the weather was brutally hot.

A fairly conspicuous element for me was smoking.  One of the main characters, Saldanha was always seen puffing or holding onto a cigarette.  Other smoking was in the background and did not include any of the players.  That was a part of his character and he was the key role.

Brazil assembled a fine crew and cast.  Here are some of them.

Quico Meirelles was the director.  He has 12 directing credits, 3 for cinematography and 3 for the camera & electric department including "Blindness" (2008). 

Rafael Dornellas was the creator and writer.  He has 2 writing credits, 1 for directing and 1 for assistant directing.

Felix Sant'Angelo was the head writer.  He has 12 writing credits, 2 for directing and 2 for the camera & electrical department.

Eric Theobaldo was a composer.  He also wrote music for the theatre.  For the 2016 Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro he wrote the DJ for the marching athletes.  Eric has 21 composing credits, 16 for the music department and 1 for soundtrack.

A second composer was Beto Villares, often paired with Theobaldo.  He has 30 composing credits, 13 for the music department and 1 for directing including "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" (2006) at coinciding with World Cup time and "Xingu" (2011).

A third composer was Fil Pinheiro.  He has 12 composing credits, 27 for the music department and 2 for soundtrack including "Love in the Time of Cholera" (2007).

Alexandre Ermel was a cinematographer.  He has 14 cinematography credits and 38 for the camera & electrical department including "Blindness" (2008).

Kaue Zilli was another cinematographer.  He has 64 cinematography credits, 9 for the camera & electrical department and 1 for writing including one of my very favourite dog films, "Caramelo" (2025).

Guilherme Porto was an editor.  He has 13 credits for editor, 19 for the editorial department and 1 for writing.

Rodrigo Santor played Joao Saldanha.  He has been in some prominent tv. commercials.  He has made films in Portuguese and English with 83 acting credits, 2 for producing and 1 for additional crew including "Love, Actually" (2003), "Heleno" (2011) as a football hero, "Rio" (2011) and "The 33" (2015).   

Bruno Mazzeo played Mario Zagallo, the Brazilian coach.  He got his start in the theatre.  Bruno has 32 acting credits, 17 for writing and 2 for directing. 

Lucas Agricola played Pele as he admitted he has a close physical resemblance to Pele and has some soccer experience.  This is his only listed acting credit.

Caio Horowicz played Mazzetti.  He has 23 acting credits and 1 for the art department, including the Oscar winner "I'm Still Here" (2025) that I have not yet seen.

"Brazil '70:  The Third Star" is available subtitled and dubbed on Netflix.  If you are any kind of sports fan you will appreciate some of the dynamics.  Politics might be more of factor than you might have expected.

A short clip on "The Making of Brazil 70:  The Third Star" showed how they filmed it.  The sporting scenes were re enacted from the original action.  We are shown vehicles following the players on the field to get different perspectives.

As usual I have bolded the first time a film is listed to indicate I have seen it.

American Resistance: the Deep State should be commended

 Trump was opinionated and used to getting his way or hurting those who objected.  In his campaign he made a lot of provocative statements that appealed to different voter segments that helped to elect him.  Russia may have thought they could control him or that America in chaos would benefit them, but they also used resources to help get him elected.

Perhaps because he was surprised to get elected he and his team were unprepared.  That enabled a resistance to slow him down, but unfortunately far from learning how to better serve America he has learned how better to serve his by now obsessed and somewhat demented self.  "American Resistance" was published in 2022 and depicts what Trump has revealed himself to be and how some government employees did what they could to alleviate the stubborn ineptitude.  The author predicted Trump's second term strategy.

Immigration was clearly a key motivating factor for voters.  Trump had suggested that Mexico was sending rapists and murderers.  At various times he instituted travel bans for a variety of countries most often black or brown revealing his motives were driven by bigotry more than security.  Rex Tillerson was declared State Secretary and after a while Tillerson describing Trump  "as a f-----g moron" and resigned.

Many dedicated government employees felt a dilemma:  they could stay on and try to mitigate the damage or they could make a statement and resign.  Some very good people did resign.  Others took advantage of the opportunity.  

Kirstjen Nielsen was chief of staff for the Department of Home Security developed strategies for dealing with the Trump team.  One was to offer alternatives in an effort to find out what he really wanted and explain options within legal rules.  Another was to explain consequences to a wider range of those affected.  She had a list of contacts to deal with specific issues.  She wasn't always successful, but in general did mitigate the overall disasters in her realm.

Trump was sensitive to the notion that Russia helped him, although he publicly asked for it.  The only adjustment made to the Republican platform was to hold back funds for Ukraine.  Before he made his infamous "perfect call" to Volodymyr Zelenskyy he had blocked more funds for Ukraine, but didn't mention that so he could tie it to a threat.  It became obvious that Trump thought he could get Zelenskyy to get damaging information on rival Joe Biden.  Some staff realized this was an impeachable act and before too long it was used for an impeachment proceeding.  He was forced to release the funds on this occasion.  Trump took revenge by forcing out an ambassador and a general who disappointed him.   

H.R. McMaster, a general replaced Mike Flynn as national security advisor, adopted the strategy of restricting who had access to Trump as he learned Trump was too easily distracted.  Knowing what he did, McMaster was quoted as saying "it was incontrovertible that Russia interfered in 2016" and shortly afterward he resigned before he could have been fired.  

Many earlier blog posts could have been selected, but perhaps these two explain Russian interference.:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/06/house-of-trump-house-of-putin.html  and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/10/freezing-order.html

When the Covic Pandemic first got attention, Trump saw it as annoying.  His team had already discarded  the pandemic plan set up by Obama.  Dr. Anthony Fauci found himself very restricted, forbidden at one point talking directly to networks.  He would give a podcast to Harvard and let CNN pick it up.  He found Trump not paying as much attention to rational advice as to uninformed people.  Trump advocated using bleach to cure Covid without out much resistance, until Fauci challenged it.  There was more co-operation with the military who were concerned with personnel safety and used masks and distancing.

George Floyd's death at the hands of police created another crisis.   It had been witnessed and videotaped and quickly went viral.  For years Trump had berated Black Lives Matter as being disruptive.  He tried to get the military involved in putting down protests, but encountered a lot of resistance to that.

As the election approach there was concern over security, but they found Trump upset over any discussion related to what he called the "Russian Hoax."  It has been pointed out that the Russians did indeed try to influence the results.

After the election he refused to accept the results.  Some staff tried to restrain him, but were only partially successful.  The January 6th insurrection was witnessed by millions around the world.  Mike Pence has been credited with stopping Trump's desire to nullify the election and throw back the decision to the states, however he had to be coaxed and wavered at some of the early steps.  The police took the brunt of the attack suffering deaths and injuries to 150 officers.  Many staff tried to talk sense into Trump and finally he called off the rioters.

Afterwards Trump fired "unreliable" staff and replaced them with some he felt more loyal.

Rothkopf was concerned Trump was readying to make another run.  On one of his campaign speeches he threatened to legislate for the president to be able to fire anybody and "bring the deep state... to heel."  We know the Trump team has planned to do a more thorough job to make America fit their image. 

One view might be that Trump's first term was a rehearsal.  In the future we have to be concerned how Trump will react to humiliation.  On another hand there are plenty of right wingers ready to pick up where Trump has left off.  Will voters "wake" up?

We are All Trying Here--a study with egotistical artists

"We Are All Trying Here" (2026) is a bit of a new experience for me or at least a new perspective.  We all have seen films with temperamental actors and directors and writers that make life trying for those who work with them.  In reality there are a lot of inadequacies artistic people share with the rest of us.

Hwang Dong Do is first introduced as a failure, as the only one of the group of 8 not to have debuted a film.  But he is not quiet about it.  He hysterically rants about the deficiencies of the others.  The others protest, mocking him and from time to time ostracizing him.

He comes across Byun Eun-a as she very precisely denigrates his script in front of a producer.  Afterwards they meet by happenstance, without taking back her criticism she concedes that he had some intriguing insights.  At a studio she is mostly very quiet, but valued because of her incisive analysis of scripts.  We learn a little later she has secrets from her past as does Dong Do.  They become closer over time and she encourages him to re-write his script.

Although the series focuses on the two of them the viewers are made aware of the dynamics of the Group of 8 as well as some personal issues.  Hwang Jin-man is Dong Do's brother who at one time wrote a highly regarded poem, but has descended to alcoholism and suicide attempts.  Go Hye-jin as a CEO of film studio, a member of the Group of 8 and married to another member who she feels has an inferiority feeling towards Dong Do despite his vociferous attacks.  Eun-a deals with depression and personal concerns.  

Park Hae Young has a history of writing social series with psychological insights.  Perhaps where he comes closest is with his own craft.  The rest of staff and cast have also dealt with psychological subtleties.  This is a very emotionally sensitive series deserving a delicate touch.  These are some of the people who delivered.

Chae Yeong-hoon was the director.   He has 11 director credits and 1 for assistant director including "When the Camellias Bloom" (2019) and "Welcome to Sandal-ri" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/06/welcome-to-sandal-ri.html

Park Hae Young was the writer.  He has 8 writing credits including "My Mister" (2018) and "My Liberation Diary" (2020).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/01/my-mister-is-slow-drama-with-emotional.html 

Koo Kyo-hwan played Hwang Dong Do.  He has acted in theatre and done music videos.  He once played a lead role as a transgender woman winning awards for it.  He has 23 acting credits, 3 for writing and 2 for directing including "A Werewolf Boy" (2012), "Escape from Mogadishu" (2021), "D.P." (2021-22) and "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (2022).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/04/escape-from-mogadishu-we-can-learn-to.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/04/dp-stands-for-deserter-pursuit.html

Go Youn Jung played Byun Eun-a.  She has been a model in demand internationally.  Youn Jung has 112 acting credits including a favourite for this year "Can This Love Be Translated?" (2026).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/01/can-this-love-be-translated.html

Oh Jung Se played Park Geung-se, one of the successful members of the Group of Eight.  He has 100 acting credits including "Swing Kids" (2018), "When the Camellias Bloom" (2019), "It's Okay Not To Be Okay" (2020), "Little Women" (2022),  "When Life Gives you Tangerines" (2025) and "When the Stars Gossip" (2025).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/03/its-okay-not-to-be-okay.html

and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/04/when-life-gives-you-tangerines.html

Kang Mal-geum played Ko He-jin wife to Park Geung-se and the CEO of a film company.  Like other cast members she started in the theatre.  She has 28 acting credits including "Squid Game" (2021), "Thirty Nine" (2022), "Divorce Attorney Shin" (2023), "The Good Bad Mother" (2023) and "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (2025).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/04/divorce-attorney-shin.html  and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/06/the-good-bad-mother.html

Park Hae-joon played Hwan Jin-mae brother to Hwang Dong Do.  He also started in the theatre.  Jin-mae has 36 acting credits including  "Misaeng" (2014), "My Mister" (2018), "Broker" (2022) and "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (2025).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/broker-japanese-korean-collaboration.html

Bae Jong Ok played Oh Jeong Hui, an older influential actress.  She has 48 acting credits including "Designated Survivor:  60 Days" (2019).   See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/10/designated-survivor-60-days-remake-of.html

Disproportionately film makers like to present themselves, as honestly that is what they know best.  "We Are All Trying Here" is one of the best examples of this genre.  It is available sub-titled on Netflix.  

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  If you are able to follow some of the links you will better appreciate why this team was so suitable for such a nuanced portrayal of their own business.

One Day We'll talk about Today

 

Indonesia is turning out to be a bit of a gold mine for engaging films, fortunately Netflix has discovered them."One day We'll Talk About Today" (2020) is a family drama.  If you don't have any siblings you will view it as an outsider, but assuming you do have siblings you will identify with some of the tensions.

The first scenes are of a birth for the youngest daughter, Awan.  For some reason there is a bit of tension and the father Narenda talks to his oldest son Ankase who would be about 7 years old and commands him to take responsibility for his two sisters.  That commitment is taken seriously over the next decades.  

The family seems normal and even happy, but many of you will recognize patterns.  As Angkase grows up and is reminded he is responsible for his sisters, sometimes the youngest in particular, is testing him.  Awan has become conscious that much of her life is dependent on her brother and her father.  As they age towards their 20's the children  seem to feel their father is too controlling, but overlook how much effort he has exerted to protect them.   

Tension results in an outburst of resentment at one point.  It takes some cool heads to calm things down.   The ending is not surprising requiring a little give and take as you might have experienced.

What makes the film so engaging are the people behind it.   Here are some of them.

Anggga Dwimas Sasongko was the Director and an executive producer.  He got to a young start with tv commercials and music videos.  Angga has 47 credits  as a producer, 20 as director and 13 as a writer including "Cemara's Family" (2028), "13 Bombs" (2023), "Heartbreak Motel" (2024) and "Call Me Dad" (2025).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/01/cemaras-family.html

Mohammad Irfan Ramly He has 20 writing credits, 4 for the script and continuity department and 2 for producer.

Ofel Obaja Setiawan was the composer.  He has 31 composing credits, 3 for the music department and 1 for soundtrack including "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024).  See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/07/a-brother-and-7-siblings.html

Yadi Sugandi was the cinematographer.  He has 69 cinematography credits, 3 for directing and 1 for the camera and electrical department.

Hendra Adhi Susanto was the editor with 25 editor credits and 4 for the editorial department including "Cemara's Family" (2018), "13 Bombs" (2023), "Heartbreak Motel" (2024), "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024) and "Call Me Dad" (2025).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/12/call-me-dad.html

Rio Dewanto played Angkase, the older brother.  He has 51 acting credits and 3 for producer including "13 Bombs" (2023).

Sheila Dara Aisha played the older sister, Aurora.  She has 32 acting credits and 3 for soundtrack including "Miracle in Cell No. 7" (2022), "Cigarette Girl" (2023), "Heartbreak Motel" (2024) and "A Brother and 7 Siblings" (2024).    See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/11/cigarette-girl.htm and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/04/2nd-miracle-in-cell-no-7.html

Rachel Amanda played Awan, the youngest daughter.  She was a model and a singer.  Rachel has 22 acting credits and 2 for soundtrack.  

Ardhito Pramona played Kale, a boyfriend to Awan.  He is a singer and songwriter and wrote a song for this film that won an award.  Ardhito has 7 acting credits including "13 Bombs" (2023).

"One Day We'll Talk About Today" is available subtitled on Netflix.  If you like family dramas it is very realistic.  

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

A Foggy Tale

Taiwan is in the news.  China claims it for their own and most of the rulers of the world acknowledge that, but also hope it can retain its independence from the juggernaut.  We look at Russia trying to bring Ukraine back to its fold and wonder what signals American indifference sends to the Bhinces.  We now are watching Iran fighting back against the American/Israeli onslaught with ties to both China an Russia and how that will effect Taiwan's situation.  

Taiwan as we know it today, resulted when the ROC (Republic of China) lost against the Communist party and retreated to Taiwan.  Initially they were a dictatorship under Chiang Kai-Shek.  Protecting their sovereignty required a tight control that too often resulted in false arrests.  China is a prolific source of misinformation, hoping to gain credibility in their quest to force Taiwan into their control.

"A Foggy Tale" tries to give a little humanity to an awkward time in their history.  In about the year 1953 we see a young girl, Yue (guessing late elementary grades or early secondary) talking with an older brother Yun in a sugar cane field and soon a group of soldiers chases after him.  Shortly after, his family is notified that he has been executed.  Yue decides she wants to retrieve his body and give it a dignified burial.

She walks from a small town to the capital city, Tapei.  She is trapped, kidnapped and set to be sold likely to a brothel.  Yue is rescued by a rickshaw driver Kumog-dao who had suspected foul play.  It turns out he is a former Nationalist soldier who fled to Taiwan, but felt he had been poorly treated.   The two pair together and soon Yue is able to reunite with an older sister, Hsiah, a performer at a live show.  Eventually they are able to get through an obstructive bureaucracy.  

It may seem like a spoiler, but there is no mystery that her brother is dead to let you know he is located.  To give you a feeling of how unfeeling the authorities can be, the brother's body is with several other executed victims in a pool and a steady stern faced man brings him out using a stick.

The value of the story is not so much the plot, but the people who lived through a time they would all like to forget.  In the closing we are told of the fate of not only of the key individuals, but also how Taiwan progressed to a modern democracy.

Before leaving, you deserve a bit of an explanation about the title.  When Yun is talking to his sister in the field he tells her a story about two drops of water who aspired to help the earth.  They evaporate and end up as clouds.  From there they rain down.  Towards the end of the film the older sister Hsiah tells Yue she received a letter from their brother Yun that gives another version of the story about the two drops of water.  They also become part of the clouds, but instead of rain they come down as foggy mist.  The story serves as a metaphor about the misty view of that history.

"A Foggy Tale" won a lot of awards not only in Taiwan, but beyond.  Below are a few of the contributors.

Yu-Hsun Chen was the director and writer.  After his initial film making he decided to get out and concentrated on advertising, particularly tv. commercials for about 13 years.  He also did a few music videos.  He has 9 writing credits, 8 for directing and 6 for acting.  

Lu Luming composed the music score.  Up through college he played and wrote for a number of music bands.  He studied applied mathematics and got a job coaching math, but was unhappy.  His older sister Jenny Lu was a film director based in London and suggested he consider writing film scores.  He then went to London to study music at Kingston University and afterwards decided to go back to Taiwan.  He found it difficult to get film scores at first and wrote for pop music.  Eventually Lu won awards and at one of them he dedicated the award for the Hong Kong protesters of 2019.  He now has 28 credits for composing, 2 for the music department and 1 for the sound department, including "The Falls" (2021).  

Chen Chi-wen was the cinematographer.  He has 28 cinematography credits and 1for assistant directing.

Lai Hsiu-hsiung was the editor.  He has over 8 editor credits including  "A Sun" (2019) and "The Falls" (2019).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/taiwan.html which covers several other films referred to in this post.

Caitlin Fang played Yue.  She was born in the U.S. but returned to Taiwan at age 2.  She has since decided to study at Columbia University.  Caitlin has 8 acting credits including for "American Girl" (2021).  

Will Or played Kung-Dao, the veteran and rickshaw driver.  Born in Hong Kong.  He has 31 acting credits and 1 for producing.

9m88, the stage name for Joanne Tang Yu-chi played Hsiah, the older sister.  She is better known as a singer and song writer with several albums to her name.  She had a fashion design major at college, but at age 25 studied at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.  9m88 has 8 acting credits and 1 for the music department including "Light the Night" (2021).

Jing Hoa-Tseng played Yun, the older brother who was executed.  He has 18 acting credits including "Light the Night" (2021).

Chen Yi-wen played a secret agent who harassed Kung-Dao.  He was a director who once did a short film that cost NT$3,000 to produce, but earned over NT$600,000 that early in his career helped finance other activities.  He has 49 acting credits, 5 directing credits and 3 for writing including one of my favourites last year, "Forget You Not" (2025).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/forget-you-not-something-from-taiwan.html

Taiwan has struck me as being a major film producer.  "A Foggy Tale" gives a little about their days of martial rule, but with some humanity.  Available on Netflix with subtitles.  

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  The two links cover a lot of interesting and engaging films.

"Delhi Crime" five years later

 Back in 2021 I watched the "Delhi Crime" (2019) series and posted a blog after the first season   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/01/delhi-crime-is-gripping-drama-about.html

Since then they have added two more seasons and it seemed a good time to go back to the beginning and follow up to the end of the third season.

In the second series, Vartika, a senior police official is admired, but is confronted with another serious crime.  Some elderly middle class citizens are brutally murdered and the public seems certain that a notorious gang is responsible.  As with the previous season there is police bureaucracy infighting, compounded by agitated journalists along and limited resources.  Some gang associated suspects are rounded up, but Vartika soon realizes they are innocent of the murders and releases them.  Being very methodical she contends with a lot of criticism, but solves the crime.  

In the third season Vartika has been promoted to Assam, a distant jurisdiction, noted for tea.  While following an illegal arms movement the police stumble on a trafficking ring for women from Assam to Delhi.  Likely it was mostly for purposes you can easily imagine, but at one time they were specifically looking for pre puberty girls for illegal medical experiments.  Soon we encounter Meena, a recruiter and trainer for the girls.  Vartika takes it upon herself to follow up to Delhi and work with familiar support staff.  Later she travels to Mumbai on the same project.  She is close to being demoted, but she is very methodical. 

Neeti Singh, an important assistant has gone through a romance and then a divorce.  Vartika's daughter Chandni moved to Toronto, Canada and returned.

Richie Mehta was the creator  writer and executive producer of the original "Delhi Crime" (2019).  He is not related to Deepa Mehta, well known Canadian film maker who also has done films based in India.  Richie from Mississauga, Ontario graduated from the University of Toronto.  He took a film production course at Sheridan College and one of his experimental shorts ended up being made into a feature, "Amal" (2007) which made it to the international circuit and won him some awards.  Over the years he has written, directed and/or produced successful films such as "I'll Follow You Down (2013) and "Siddharth" (2013).  When he heard of the major rape story on international news he was concerned that it painted India in a bad light and overlooked elements of the crime which was resolved very quickly.  Looking for a feature film his six years of research he needed a mini series to squeeze in all the relevant details.  He saw it as a mission to bring light to the story.  Richie chose to emphasize the people involved rather than the horror of the actual crime.  To be as authentic as practical he used Neeraj Kumar who had been Delhi Police Commissioner at the time as consultant.

Tanuja Chopra was brought on as director, producer and writer for the remaining two seasons.  Born in California he received a degree in Seminotics from Brown University in 1999 and a  Master of Fine Arts in Film degree from Columbia University in 2007.  He has done music videos.  Tanuja has 15 directing credits, 6 for producing and 10 for writing. 

Ceiri Torjusson, the composer for the last two series was born in Wales and can speak Welsh.  While in high school he started performing and composing for jazz, funk and disco bands.  He received music degrees from York University (in the UK) and University of Southern California.  Ceiri spent seven months touring and teaching in India where he picked up an interest in northern India classical music.  He has 101 composing credits, 56 for the music department and 2 for additional crew including "I Robot" (2004).

Johan Heurlin Aidt, responsible for cinematography was born in Denmark.  He has 13 cinematography credits, 13 for the camera and electrical department and 3 for directing including "The Loudest Voice" (2019), "The Report" (2019), "Ocean'8" (2018),  and "House of Cards" (2013).  Earlier blogs on two of these:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/11/the-loudest-voice.html and  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/05/the-report.html

Parikshhhit Jha was an editor.  He has 25 editor credits, 8 for the editorial department and 4 for producing including "Kai Po Che" (2013).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/05/kai-che-po.html 

Assembling a cast for this level of production requires someone like Mukesh Chhabra.  He has been involved with the casting of such films as "PK" (2014), "Haider" (2014) "She" (2020) and "Del Bechara" (2020). He has acted (small roles) in many of the films including, "Amal" (2007), "Siddharth "(2013) and "Delhi Crime" (2019-2025).  Further research revealed that Richie Mehta wanted to avoid mega stars (expensive and distracting) and this allowed Mukesh to seek out the best actors for the roles.  Earlier blogs on some of his films:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/03/pk.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/02/haider-bollywoods-version-of-shakespeare.html

Shefali Shah played Vartika Chaturvedi, the officer in charge in a no nonsense manner cutting through excuses, political pressures and red tape.  Shefali has won numerous awards, with 45 acting credits including "Mohabbtein" (2000), "Monsoon Wedding" (2007), "Gandhi My Father" (2007) "Laksmi" (2014), "Dil Dhadakne Do" (2015), as the romantic lead in "Once Again" (2018) and as a woman in early dementia who persuades her husband back to where she had an affair in "The Three of Us"  (2020).  She won an award for her role in "Delhi Crime"   See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/01/three-of-us-is-subtle-drama.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/12/doctor-g.html

Raskika Dugal played Neeti Singh a trainee police officer who proved she was more thorough than most male officers.  She commented that for Season 2 she had received a promotion as did her model police officer she was following, but for Season 3, the model police office got another promotion, but she did not.  She got a degree in math.  Raskika has 55 acting credits, 1 for writing and 1 for cinematography including "Manto" (2018), "Once Again" (2018) and "Hamid" (2018) for which she won best actress award.  

Rajesh Taileng  played a key officer in pursuit of the rapists.  In 2022 he wrote a poetry book.  Rajesh has 44 acting credits 8 for writing and 5 for directing including "Mangal Pandy:  The Rising" (2005),  "Amal" (2007), "Siddharth" (2013), "The Second Best Marigold Hotel" (2015) and "Pagglait" (2021).    

Adil Hussain plays a supervisor under pressure from politicians and bureaucrats.  He is very versatile and is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Assamese.  An international award winner including Norway, he has 101 acting credits and 3 for producing including "The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012), "Life of Pi" (2012), "English Vinglish" (2012), "Tigers" (2014), "What Will People Say" (2017) and "Kabir Singh"(2019) and "Good Newwz" (2019).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/02/good-newwz.html  

Denzil Smith played the husband of the chief inspector. and the father of the girl wanting to leave.   He has 76 acting credits including: "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2011),  "Talaash" (2012) "The Lunchbox" (2013), "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (2015), "Viceroy's House" (2017), "Photograph" (2019), "Badla" (2019) and "Tenet" (2020).  Read about Badla, a remake of a Spanish film:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/09/a-masterpiece-film-and-very-good-remake.html

Yashaswini Dayama  plays Chandni, the daughter of the chief inspector and leaves (for opportunity in Toronto) because of her negative opinion of Delhi and becomes involved in protests.  She has 16 acting credits inclukding "Phobia" (2016) and  "Dear Zindagi" (2016).

Huma Qureshi played Meena in the third season.  She was spotted by Anurag Kashup while doing a commercial for Samsung Mobile.  She has 39 acting credits and 2 for producing including "Gangs of Wasseypur" (2012), "Badlapur" (2015),  "Jolly LLB 2 (2017) and "Jolly LLB 3" (2025).

This series, like many other police dramas points out bureaucratic infighting and budget concerns, but tries to emphasize there are many dedicated officers.  "Delhi Crime" is available dubbed or subtitled on Netflix where it is possible to view all three seasons.

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 favourites.  The cast and crew are well connected to outstanding films and if you follow the links you should be better able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.

"The Red Line" tells on scammer scheme.

 Have you ever gotten a strange call from a stranger trying to lure you into transferring your money?  Of course you have, although most of you were smart enough to cut them short before they were able to suck you in.  Apparently, telephone scamming is big business.  "The Red Line" (2026) is a Thai version, just one variation but the procedures are likely similar around the globe.

One woman, Orn is told the police are suspicious and she has to transfer money to prove her legitimacy.  Afterwards she realizes she has been scammed and is embarrassed.  Although she can afford the loss she tells her husband not to tell anyone.  However Orn meets two other women at a therapy session and the three gang together.  Fai, a physiotherapist lost all her savings.  Wow had a grandmother who lost most of her money needed for medical treatment.  The film tries to show that scammers operate against all levels of society. 

We also get perspectives from different angles.  On the women's side they recruit a teenage hacker who helps to locate the scammers.

We look inside at the scammers.  One, Yui is a woman who thinks she is tough and clever, but realized one of the old ladies, the Grandmother was someone she had met and pitying her, she returned some money from her own resources.  The group is led by Aood who has his own personal problems, but nonetheless can be very tough.  On this particular group some of them dress up as police officers so they will feel the part.

The women get closer to the scammers and we learn about their internal organization that is supported internationally.  There is a team of scammers who discuss strategies and brag about their successes.  The strategy is unique to them and their situation.  The perpetrators and victims get involved in a sometimes confusing manner.  The ending might catch you off guard.

There is a little bit of sex and a fair amount of violence including beatings, gun shots, car chase with a spectacular crash.  

I found the cast to be professional and well supported by the crew.  Here are some of the names.

Sitsiri Mongkosiri was the director.  He has 7 director credits and 1 for writing including "Hunger" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/05/hunger-interesting-movie-from-thailand.html

Tinnipat Banyatpiyapoj was the writer with 4 writing credits.

Soros Sukhum was the producer.  He has 32 producing credits and 1 for additional crew including "Pop Aye" (2017) and "Hunger" (2023).

Chaibanyan Seelukwan is listed as the composer,  but I have no further information.  I hope I spelled his name correctly.  He is likely to show up again.

Pasit Tanaechanurat was the cinematographer.  He has 17 cinematography credits and 3 for the camera and electrical department.

Manussa Vorsingha was the editor.  He has 61 editor credits,14 for the editorial department and 2 for directing including "Hunger" (2023). 

Nittha Jirayungyurn played Orn.  She has 13 acting credits includingm"One Day" (2016).

Esther Supreeleela played Fai, the physiotherapist.  She has 33 acting credits.

Chutima Maholakol played Wow, the woman whose Grandmother got scammed.  She has 3 acting credits.

Tonhon Tantivejakul played O.J., the helpful hacker.  He has 12 acting credits.

Paowalee Pornpimol played Yui, the soft scammer.  She is also a singer with an album out.  She has 5 acting credits.

Todsapol Maisuk played Aood, the heavy handed scammer.  He has 12 acting credits.

It was filmed in scenic Phuket and Bangkok, Thailand.

The future seems likely to involve scammers and this will give you some awareness.  "The Red Line" is available on Netflix dubbed or with subtitles.  

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them pretty good. 

Charlatans

"Charlatans"by Moises Naim and Quico Toro give many examples of charlatans and as a skeptic you will be amused or maybe disgusted.  The authors have determined that there are things to learn.  First the victims are not necessarily stupid or ignorant.  The perpetrators do not rely on persuasion.  You, yes YOU are vulnerable.   

A charlatan is defined as "a public figure who manipulatively champions the dream that a group of people share in order to exploit them without overt coercion, turning those marks into enthusiastic participants in their own  exploitation."

The book is listed as published in 2024 which means the research was completed ahead of time.  In one section they point out that one charlatan foolishly predicted that Joe Biden  would be replaced as a candidate by someone before the election.  So, they too were taken in.  More on politics later.

Charlatans have existed for a very long time.  Mamugna visited Venice before 1589 and was elected an official alchemist for the republic.  He was able to create the illusion that he could turn metal into gold.  For awhile he was able to live a life of luxury.  Eventually reality brought him down to earth.  Crypto currency is thought to be another easy path to wealth that few really understand.

Arif Naqvi from Pakistan started off legitimately as a successful entrepreneur.  However he couldn't abide failure and soon switched to setting up an elaborate Ponzi scheme where new clients helped to pay for the earlier clients.  To build his credibility and get a big infusion of capital he was able to get Bill Gates to back him.  Eventually like all Ponzi schemes his scheme collapsed.

Alex Jones was a believer in conspiracies and was able to locate several people who shared the dream of dragging down authority figures.  Perhaps his most dastardly deed was turning a tragic shooting incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School into an extreme reaction where dozens of followers turned on the parents.  The parents were considered actors who were trying to do away with the Second Amendment.  One parent moved from Connecticut to Washington State and still received death threats.  Eventually the parents ganged up with legal help and stopped Alex Jones for the moment.  

A story I read in Michael Cohen's book, "Disloyal" explained how he got a critical endorsement for Donald Trump from Jerry Falwell Jr.  Basically Cohen ingratiated himself with the Falwell family, built up a trust relationship to the point he learned of very damaging circumstances that he used to force them to endorse a most un Christian candidate, Donald Trump.  That endorsement had been sought by Ted Cruz who as an evangelical Christian thought he had it sewn up.  A very significant choice that ended up with what we endure today.  Why did Jerry Falwell Jr. have such an impact?

 

He did not have the preaching ability of his father, but became in charge of Liberty University steering the children of evangelical Christians to this university.  Developed an online presence.  His motive was profit oriented, but he knew he could use his famous name to gain support.  He used Google and the Department of Veteran Affairs to recruit.  His word carried a lot of weight with Christian Evangelicals.  see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/11/disloyal-michael-cohen-version.html

Trump would provide many examples, but the authors focused on Trump University.  Before getting in operation the Trump team was charged with improperly using the title "University".  That was just ignored and steps were taken to set up a curriculum which really just used material already rehashed.  At first outsiders pointed out the dishonesty of the scheme and eventually insiders realized they were being ripped off.  As he was running for the presidency Trump agreed to a $25 million penalty.  This was before his first term.  The authors missed his second term where his followers supported a range of policies that hurt them.  Tump illustrates another trait of charlatans by humiliating references to his enemies.

As outsiders we think that the victims are not well educated or smart.  In fact some very intelligent people have fallen.  The trick is not persuasion, but targeting people with a dream, that are what the authors call

 "marks."  Modern technology make it easier to identify exploitation targets.  The algorithms used by Facebook and Google for example are designed to drive engagement.  

 

As insiders we all like to confirm the rightness of our dreams.  We can latch onto confirmation very easily We use motivated reasoning to justify our hope.  For many, even contrary evidence actually reinforces their beliefs.

What can be done?  The authors feel it is very tricky, especially with modern technology it is easier to identify suitable targets.  Spotting the charlatans out to exploit your dreams has become a critical survival skill.  

On a wide basis we need to strengthen legal protections.  Google has had some success with pre-bunking non scientific ideas.  Social isolation is a risk, but have to be considered carefully.

For individuals it is recommended that we are humble, realizing we can be vulnerable.  Having a network of family and friends is a check on outsiders who want to take advantage of us  If something is too good to be true, it probably is.  Fast thinking needs at times to be replaced by slow thinking.

An earlier blog on Moises Naim; http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/11/the-revenge-of-power.html

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

 "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" (2025) won the Oscar for best documentary feature.  Admittedly it was done without permission of most of the subjects or of government authorities.  Although much was done openly, it was essentially an undercover procedure as it revealed truth against power.

Pavel  Talankin among other things was a school videographer in the city of Karabash, Russia (noted for its pollution) and for awhile it provides a cover for his anti war views, but he learns he has to be cautious, most of the staff knows his anti-war attitude.  Part of his job was teaching students video production skills including editing.

Putin is quoted a few times saying "War is not won by commanders.  War is won by teachers."  After Russia invaded Ukraine there is a marked increase in propaganda  coming from education authorities and passed down through the teachers.  Marching drills become part of the curriculum.  Marksmanship is practiced and at one point it is noted that grades declined and the teachers realized nothing could be done about the military training.

One example of the propaganda was Putin pointing out that Kyiv was one of the key counter forces against the Nazis when they attacked Russia.  Some members of the Wagner group attended the to lecture students.

Students and staff have brothers, fathers, husbands and sons involved.  We learn the desperation of at least one relative who wanted to get out of the military and subsequently died.  The deaths are noted by relatives, but kept quiet from the general public.  Pavel was not allowed to videotape a funeral, but provided us with some audio coverage.  

The fact that you are able to view this film indicates Pavel is no longer in Russia.  

This information was difficult to be revealed and to be organized to a credible production.  Here are some of the key people.

Without Pavel Tarankin, there would be no film.  He grew up and worked in Karabash, Russia.  After his escape he worked with Danish and Czech experts to put it together.  He served as co-director and cinematographer.  When he had to show the Oscar trophy to airport authorities he was told it could be a weapon.  When he reached his German transit point, the Oscar had disappeared.  Fortunately it has been recovered.

David Borenstein was the producer, director and writer.  When Pavel reached out regarding his efforts he made contact with David who encouraged him to stay a little longer.  David had been a graduate from the University of Florida with degrees in Chinese and political science.  He then spent 10 years in China working on a film project.  He had started in radio broadcasting.  He has 6 producing credits, 6 for directing and 4 for writing including episodes for Nova.  During his Oscar acceptance speech he made some anti Trump remarks.

The music was shared.  Jonas Struck has been guitarist and songwriter with the Danish rock band, Swan Lee.  He has 41 composing credits, 15 for the music department and 12 for soundtrack.  Michal Rataj was a Czech composer and sound designer with 26 composing credits and 2 for the music department.

Editing was also shared.   Rebekka Lonqvist has 29 editor credits, 6 for the camera and electrical department and 4 for the editorial department.  Nicolaj Monberg has 48 editor credits, 17 for the editorial department and 2 for directing including "Borgen". See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/07/borgen.html

I watched it on a DVD, but believe there must be other ways you can check this one out.  My version was subtitled. You may get a more accurate view of Russian leadership regarding the illegal invasion of Ukraine.