Tag: Shanghai

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

The title Temple.

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) directed by Steven Spielberg Shanghai, 1935. Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones (Harrison Ford) is in town to swap the ashes of a Manchu emperor for a large diamond of historical and personal interest to him. Unfortunately, gang boss (and shipping magnate) Lao Che (Roy Chiao) wants to… Continue reading Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Magazine Review: Oriental Stories Winter 1932

Magazine Review: Oriental Stories Winter 1932 edited by Farnsworth Wright Oriental Stories was a mostly-quarterly pulp magazine published from 1930-1933, with a name change to The Treasure Chest Magazine for an additional year. Its remit, as you might have guessed from the title, was tales of the exotic, mysterious East, from Islamic North Africa through… Continue reading Magazine Review: Oriental Stories Winter 1932

Movie Review: Fist of Fury (1972)

Chen faces off against the karate school.

Movie Review: Fist of Fury (1972) directed by Wei Lo; aka “The Chinese Connection” It is the 1930s, and Imperial Japan is on the rise. In Shanghai, they hold great power, especially in the International Settlement, and the native Chinese are treated as second-class citizens in their own country. Martial artist Chen Zhen (Bruce Lee) has… Continue reading Movie Review: Fist of Fury (1972)

Movie Review: The Shanghai Cobra

Charlie Chan demonstrates the latest in music video technology.

Movie Review: The Shanghai Cobra (1945) directed by Phil Karlson World War Two may be over, but Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is still working for the federal government. This proves useful when an old friend asks his assistance in handling a series of murders. It seems that each victim works for the Sixth National Bank, and… Continue reading Movie Review: The Shanghai Cobra

Movie Review: The Last Tycoon (2012)

The student has become the master.

Movie Review: The Last Tycoon (2012) directed by Jing Wong Back in the 1910s, when Chen Daqi (Chow-Yun Fat) was just a grocer’s assistant, he fell in love with aspiring actress Ye Zhiqiu (Quan Yuan). After Daqi was framed for murder, he had to flee to Shanghai, while Zhiqiu went to Beijing to join the Opera.… Continue reading Movie Review: The Last Tycoon (2012)

Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales

Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales compiled by Stefan Dziemianowicz The definition of “thriller” is a little loose in this fun anthology, though most of the stories do have at least some suspense.  It feels more like the compiler picked a bunch of the public domain stories he liked, but didn’t have a strong… Continue reading Book Review: Great Thrillers: 101 Suspenseful Tales

Book Review: Jewish Noir

Book Review: Jewish Noir edited by Kenneth Wishnia Many of the themes of noir fiction, alienation, hostile society, darkness and bitter endings, resonate with the experience of Jewish people.  So it’s not surprising that it was easy to find submissions for an anthology of thirty-plus noir stories with Jewish themes.  (Not all of the authors are… Continue reading Book Review: Jewish Noir

Book Review: A Curious Man

Book Review: A Curious Man by Neal Thompson Disclaimer:  I received this volume free from the Blogging for Books program, on the premise that I would write a review. This is a biography of Robert Ripley (nee LeRoy Robert Ripley), the cartoonist who created the Believe It or Not! feature.  I was fascinated by the paperback… Continue reading Book Review: A Curious Man

Book Review: Wounded Tiger

Book Review: Wounded Tiger by T. Martin Bennett Disclosure:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Mitsuo Fuchida was the flight leader in the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Jacob DeShazer was a bombardier who participated in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo.  The Covell family were missionaries.  This… Continue reading Book Review: Wounded Tiger