Foreign Film Friday | Alica McKenna Johnson

Samurai Gourmet

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 05 May 2017 10:00:24 +0000

First let me say how delighted I am to find foreign language films and shows within Netflix Original Series. So my first glorious find is Samurai Gourmet. It’s about a Japanese man, Kasumi, who has retired from corporate life and now has to figure out how to live. When unsure of what to do, he gains wisdom from an imagined masterless samurai.

A huge part of the show is Kasumi finding new joy and remembering his past through food.

Seriously, this is pretty much him being adorable and food porn. I loved it, and I really hope they make a second season.

Sorry I couldn’t find a trailer with English subtitles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8lvlgu8Qa4

The Eleventh Hour

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 10:29:31 +0000

Go Science!
Patrick Stewart stars as Ian Hood, so, yes, you should watch it right now. LOL. This mystery series has Ian chasing scientists turned to the dark side. He investigates and solves crimes involving human cloning, a deadly virus outbreak, global warming, and a deadly cure for cancer.
There are only four episodes on Acorn TV, a streaming web service for BBC shows. SWOONS.
This was a very fun series. As always, Patrick Stewart is wonderful.

I couldn’t find an official trailer but here is a fan made one.

What We Do In The Shadows

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 08:59:33 +0000

I didn’t realize my life was missing a mockumentary about vampires until I watch What We Do In The Shadows. This shows the ‘real’ struggles of centuries old vampires trying to find their way in the modern world. This is a slow movie, but funny, and it’s also classified as horror, and while, yes, they feed, and there are some bodies, I don’t remember it being very scary.
If you are a vampire fan and enjoy darker comedies, I think you’ll enjoy this movie.

The Brokenwood Mysteries

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:56:12 +0000

I love mysteries, especially ones set in other countries, so this drama set in Auckland, New Zealand, was perfect. Fun little mysteries, quirky, engaging characters. I really enjoyed the first season of this show and look forward to watching more.

Neverlake

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 18:27:30 +0000

A creepy horror /mystery set in Italy. A combination of modern horrors and ancient powers force Jenny into searching for the truth hidden under her estranged father’s home.
This is a movie that builds. There are clues and things that obviously aren’t quite right, until all the different puzzle pieces come together. I will say I was surprised by what was really going on. I hadn’t guessed the truth, which was fun.
I enjoyed it. Not amazing but a creepily fun way to spend a few hours.

Let the Right One In

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 09:55:44 +0000

I love vampire movies, even bad vampire movies, so I’m surprised it took me this long to watch Let the Right One In, the original. This is not a fast paced attack the sexy vampire movie. This is a movie about a sad little boy who finds a friend in his new neighbor who happens to be a vampire trapped as a 12 yr old girl.
The vampire was very well acted, she switched between a killer needing blood, a lonely 12 yr old child, and an immortal being. It blended very well and I found it to be an interesting story.
I’m not sure it was a happy ending. It wasn’t an unhappy ending, but only you can decide if the ending is happy or not.

The Voices

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 16:42:00 +0000

So this was a super creepy movie, not foreign but I wanted to talk about it anyway.

Great actors, well done, super creepy. It’s dark humor, but a bit too dark for me. If you like really dark, dark comedy and don’t mind a lot of cussing, and gory moments then you might want to check it out.
I did learn never ever let the cat guide your actions cause they are amoral assholes.

The Kingman

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 17 Jul 2015 15:34:01 +0000

I tried not to do spoilers, but just in case, this is your spoiler warning.

Colin Firth as a bad ass in a suit. Samuel L Jackson as a bad guy with a lisp. And a sexy assassin with two prostatic legs which turn into swords. Of course I have to watch this movie. Did I mention Colin Firth?? *swoons*
Ass kicking, suits, British accents, Samuel being awesome I loved it. I laughed and cheered and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Until the last fifteen or so minutes of the movie. And then it crashed and burned. I was so disappointed. It felt like the director was going through his to-do list and was all “Oh crap we haven’t sexually degraded women yet, let’s throw this in.”
It had no place in the movie. First the other women in the movie were shown as people not tits and ass. Second they were training him to be a GENTELMAN, not a pathetic man-whore.
When the princess says “If you save the world I’ll give you more than a kiss.” It should have stopped there. And then the cute grin while holding the champagne glasses and bottle and going into her room, and end, because ‘gentleman’ and really you don’t HAVE to sexually degrade women to make a movie.
So IF I watch the movie again I will stop before the very end so I don’t have to be disappointed and pissed off by the ending.

Kung Fury

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 16:52:49 +0000

Today’s foreign Film Friday is special. You get a whole movie! Thirty minutes of awesome to brighten your weekend. It is so bad, so very very bad. Also read the subtitles, they are important.

Foreign Film Friday: Hector and the Search for Happiness

Alica McKenna Johnson — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 10:18:27 +0000

Simon Pegg does a fabulous job as Hector, a psychiatrist who isn’t happy and isn’t making his patients happy. So he heads out into the world to search for happiness. And he finds it, for a moment. Then like most of us, he finds that it isn’t real, or it’s going to leave us, or we thought it would make us happy but doesn’t.

Hector suffers on his journey as he searches for happiness. Have tissues ready, this one made me cry as well as laugh.