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Where They From: Ficarra & Requa and the Privileged Perspective

Cinematic depictions of the ongoing conflict(s) in the Middle East continue to be a touchy subject, particularly for those English language illustrations daring to convey a certain satirical element involving the U.S. presence there. While pleasing everyone is never a possibility, there are several elements about Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s Whiskey Tango Foxtrot which could have been easily remedied to avoid inarguable ire, namely with its severely miscast supporting actors. Based on the 2011 memoirs of journalist Kim Barker, The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, this is provocative subject matter made all the more alluring by the self-aware talents of Tina Fey doing her best to subvert our expectations of a white, privileged perspective. Overall, the end product has too many glaring demerits to warrant praise, but as a showcase for a well-rounded serious...

Not that Lou Reed would have recognized me (though I was introduced to him once, which I'll get to), but he and his body of work intersected my life in more personal ways than that of any other major rock star. So this isn't an obituary so much as a series of memories. For obituaries, check out Gary Graff in Billboard and Jon Dolan in Rolling Stone.

Lou was from Long Island and I was from Long Island. At the most basic level, this meant that, growing up listening to Long Island radio stations, I heard lots of Lou even when he was no longer especially fashionable (between about 1976 and 1981). Thus, while most of the world ignored his 1978 album Street Hassle, I heard much of it on Wlir and Wbab, and bought it – my first Lou album. He had started out underground in the Velvet Underground, had managed to claw...

Earlier this year, Korean director Kim Jee-woon released his English-language debut, the Arnie vehicle The Last Stand. Though the film had decent reviews, it nevertheless tanked at the box office. Kim is now back on home soil and his first project was a short film commissioned for the 40th anniversary of the outdoor clothing manufacturer Kolon. You would think that the cineaste would return to his strong suit, namely hyper-stylized and violent genre films (A Bittersweet Life, I Saw the Devil) but then you'd be surprised to discover that his latest is actually a romcom. Kim's One Perfect Day was recently released on YouTube and is now available to watch for free with English subtitles in the embed below. The film follows a hapless young man...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...