TO LIVE (1994)

TO LIVE is a touching story about the unstoppable determination of the human spirit.

China 1940's. You Ge is married Li Gong. They have a young daughter and live in his family's home along with his mother and father.  A normal heterosexual male would spend his spare time trying to make sweet love to the beautiful Li, but You has a massive gambling addiction and instead spends his nights in a gambling den.  He's not very good at it and eventually looses all of his family's wealth (including their home) to the gambling den's owner.  Little does he know it, but this is the best possible thing that could have happened to him.

Zhang Yimou's TO LIVE is an amazing film and for somebody like me who knows very little about the history of the People's Republic of China it's a fantastic fictional introduction into what life was like for normal people in China during the "Mao era".  I'm sure millions of darker details were left out, but as it is I was still totally wrapped up in the ups and downs (mostly downs) that this family went through.

Masterful storytelling that made the 125 minute runtime absolutely fly by, wonderful direction, top level acting (especially by You Ge and Li Gong), beautiful music...I've watched TO LIVE many times over the years and each time I get lost in the story and think about it for days afterward.  Highly recommended.

Fun fact: I typed this entire review with my left hand since my cat (Susie) is asleep and snoring on my right hand/arm.

PANIC IN YEAR ZERO! (1962)

Ray Milland and family (wife Jean Hagen, daughter Mary Mitchel and son Frankie Avalon) leave Los Angeles early one morning to go on a fishing trip.  After they're only a few miles out of town a nuclear explosion levels all of L.A.  They soon hear on the radio that major cities all over the world have also been blown to smithereens.  Father Milland goes into panic mode and starts gathering up all the supplies he can get his hands on, even if it means armed robbery!  Eventually they move into a secluded cave way off in the woods, but they're not totally alone.

As far as apocalyptic films of the 1960's go, PANIC IN YEAR ZERO! is entertaining.  The action starts off immediately and keeps going at a steady pace for the entire film.  My biggest complaint though, and the reason I'll probably never watch it ever again, is it's just too dated, low-budget and tame.  There's talk of looting and violence, but practically none of it is shown on camera.  The tagline in the poster even promises "An ORGY of LOOTING and LUST..." but that doesn't happen at all.  Not even close!

PIYZ! is interesting from a historical point of view to see the filmmakers vision of what the collapse of society would look like, but nowadays it just seems naive.  Worth a watch, but it's nothing to get excited about.  The snazzy music by Les Baxter was sweet though.

If you need me I'll be in my room reading Robert McCammon's "Swan Song".

Hard to believe, but I think that's Paul Gleason from THE BREAKFAST CLUB and DIE HARD.

Not sure what's going on here, but Frankie straight up gives the camera the bird for 7 seconds.