Margaret Cho: Assassin & Early Summer

Margaret Cho: Assassin is the most recent Cho stand-up movie, far more politically obsessed than her earlier ones. I found it pretty funny, and a couple of times laughed out loud. Which doesn't always happen when I'm watching something that I know is funny. I did think that her comedy moving from more personal to more political meant that I, as a straight, white male, am somewhat more in tune with the comedy. Enjoyable, but ultimately, I have to appreciate her more for the concept and what she does for other people rather than me. It's good she exists, but I don't belong in her fanclub.

Early Summer is sort of a companion piece to Late Spring, another film by Ozu, written by Kôgo Noda, with Setsuko Hara as a late 20s woman named Noriko who her family wants to get married, and also with Chishu Ryu. But they're not sequels. And they're not related to any of his other season related films, except in the same structure and point as every other Ozu film. Meaning that you'll see people from low angles and static camera work. I discussed it more here. Setsuko Hara was one of the biggest stars of Japan at the time, and seeing her, I instantly recognized her as the star of The Idiot and the aforementioned Tokyo Story, and she was very good in this. The film is also about the changing face of Japan post-war, but also the changing face of a family that will be torn apart by the requirement of society that Noriko get married. Everyone in the film knows she must get married, but the family knows that they can't live without her income. That inevitable breaking of the family's living conditions really puts a bitter edge on the film. However, all negatives about the film, and Ozu's style in general, really would show your ignorance of his films. They may be alike, but they're extremely well-made and even enjoyable.