Squid Flicks: Joint Security Area

Title: Joint Security Area

Director: Park Chan-wook

Original Release: September 9, 2000

My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

via Amazon

Two North Korean soldiers are killed in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and a South Korean soldier has confessed to the crime.  Swiss Army Major Sophie E. Jean, of Korean heritage herself, is brought in to investigate on behalf of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission.  The film is based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang-yeon.

To tell much more would be to spoil the story and I would hate to do anything to discourage anyone from seeking out this outstanding movie.  It reminds me of A Few Good Men in many ways except the narrative is told mostly from the perspective of the soldiers rather than the investigator.  The basic theme: people are basically decent.  War is the madness.  The madness runs deep when two nations are officially in a state of war for multiple generations.

Joint Security Area was a blockbuster hit in both South Korea and Japan.  It was, at the time of its release, the highest-grossing film ever in South Korea.  It also won four Grand Bell Awards, South Korea's Oscar-equivalent, including best picture.  Quentin Tarantino has claimed it as one of his favorites.

It's not just BTS, folks.  A lot of exciting creative work has been coming out of South Korea for a long time.  It was hard to see it coming when I lived in East Asia a quarter-century ago but this country historically overshadowed by Japan and China is leading the charge in the Asian Century.

Star Trek: Learning Curve

Episode: "Learning Curve"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 1, Episode 16

Original Air Date: May 22, 1995

via Memory Alpha

A few Maquis are struggling to adjust to Starfleet protocols.  Tuvok takes it upon himself to train them.  Not surprisingly, his heavy-handed approach to enforcing conformity doesn't go over too well.  Meanwhile, the ship's bio-neural gel packs are suffering from a debilitating illness and it's spreading quickly.  Also, Janeway's 19th-century England holonovel continues in the second of three installments.

As we reach the end of the first season, it's a great time for broad generalizations.  So far, I feel the most compelling Voyager episodes are the ones that adhere most closely either to the desire to get home or the struggles to integrate the Starfleet and Maquis crews.  It's not surprising.  Especially in the early going, one would imagine those two problems would be foremost in the minds of the characters so building stories built around them seems natural.  The series runs into trouble when it veers too far away from either.

"Learning Curve" is a good one for exploring the tension and also for Tuvok development.

Food Notes

Wouldn't you know, cheese from Neelix's kitchen is the cause of the gel pack trouble.  Fortunately, the same cheese also provides the solution.

Thoughts on Season One

General Impressions

For the most part, Voyager's first season is strong.  It's no stretch at all to say it's better than TNG's first (low bar).  More surprising to me personally is the fact that I might even be willing to concede that it's stronger than DS9's first.  Mind you, Voyager Season 1 is still light years short of where Deep Space Nine is by the concurrent Season 3.  But it's a strong start.

Favorite Episode: "Eye of the Needle"

The series's seventh episode is rock solid, beginning to end.  "Eye of the Needle" deals more intimately with the emotional struggles of being so far from home than any other installment thus far.  Our heroes come tantalizingly close to finding a shortcut back to the Alpha Quadrant, only to have hope snatched away.  It's cruel and it's real.  Every crew member - even so-tough-she-doesn't-care Torres - feels the sting.  

The story also provides meaningful development for the Doctor-Kes relationship, one of the best among the principals thus far.

Least Favorite Episode: "Cathexis" 

A mysterious entity is taking over the minds of the crew one at a time.  Mental possession has an unfortunate legacy in the Star Trek canon, beginning with the notoriously terrible "Spock's Brain" from TOS's third season.  "Cathexis" does little to improve the reputation for this thread.  It's also one of several stories that tread a fine line between innocuous and disrespectful when addressing Chakotay's Native American heritage.  When the wooden flute music kicks in, look out.

Favorite Recurring Character: Seska

via Memory Alpha

Honestly, it's surprising there aren't more characters on Voyager like Seska, former Maquis who simply could never be fully won over.  Of course, there's more to Seska, played by Martha Hackett.  She's Chakotay's former lover.  She turns out to be a spy and, in fact, a Cardassian in disguise.  There aren't a lot of recurring characters to choose from at this early stage but even in a more crowded field, Seska would be a strong choice.

Favorite Blast from the Past: Robert Duncan McNeill

For devotees, there was a familiar face in the principal cast when Voyager launched.  Robert Duncan McNeill, now in the role of Tom Paris, had previously played Nick Locarno in the excellent NextGen episode "The First Duty."  There are other important similarities between Tom and Nick, similarities not lost on the actor when he auditioned for the gig.  

Favorite Guest Actor, One Shot: Vaughn Armstrong

via Memory Alpha

For Armstrong, the role of Doctor Telek R'Mor is one of numerous Trek appearances over four different series.  But "The Eye of the Needle" is R'Mor's only story.  The encounter between him and Janeway is clearly intended to contrast sharply with the one between Kirk and The Romulan Commander in "Balance of Terror."  Perhaps this is indeed the different reality where a Starfleet captain and a Romulan could friends.  It couldn't have worked with a lesser actor.  Armstrong brought the goods.

Onward

Keeping both Voyager and Deep Space Nine going at the same time was clearly not easy.  It was hard enough coming up with 25 quality episodes a season, never mind over 50.  By Season 4, DS9 was humming along beautifully.  Could Voyager keep up? 

We shall find out together.

Squid Flicks: Ikiru

Title: Ikiru

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Original Release: October 9, 1952

My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

Kanji Watanabe is a government bureaucrat.  One day, he discovers (or correctly guesses) that he has terminal stomach cancer and only has a few months to live.  Inspired by a cheerful young colleague, he turns his life around.  Trapped in a career of aimless drudgery, he devotes his final days to championing the construction of a new public park.

Many critics, including Roger Ebert, have named Ikiru as Kurosawa's greatest masterpiece, a distinction which automatically places it on a short list of the best films ever made.  The story was inspired in part by Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illych.  Watanabe is performed by Takashi Shimura who appeared in 21 of Kurosawa's 30 movies, more than any other actor.  Shimura played the very different Kambei Shimada, the leader of the Seven Samurai, if you want a sense of his range.  The director's cinematographic genius shines throughout.  In Ikiru, I was particularly aware of his shots of characters (usually Watanabe) in silhouette against the sky.

The pacing is on the slow side at times but it's nearly impossible not to feel moved by the story by the end.  It is the most universal tale of all: the search for meaning in life.  Is it Kurosawa's best?  For me, it's hard to put anything above Seven Samurai but it's a bit like picking among Shakespeare plays.  They're all works of genius.

Star Trek: Family Business

Episode: "Family Business"

Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Season 3, Episode 23

Original Air Date: May 15, 1995

via Memory Beta

Quark is in trouble.  More accurately, his mother Ishka is in trouble and Quark, as her eldest son, will be expected to shoulder the blame.  She has earned profit, one of many things Ferengi females are not supposed to do.  Quark shuts down the bar and rushes off to the home world of Ferenginar, hoping to sort things out.  Rom insists on tagging along.  

Meanwhile, Jake Sisko succeeds in setting his father up on a date with freighter captain Kasidy Yates.  The evening goes well then really takes off when Yates reveals her brother is a baseball player, the game being one of Benjamin's great passions, esoteric by 24th century standards.  Spoiler alert: while it takes a while for the relationship to achieve permanent status, Yates will be a recurring character for the rest of the series.

"Family Business" has a lot going for it.  Ferengi sexual politics are downright icky.  Females are expected to stay naked, to remain at home, to refrain from speaking to a male outside the immediate family, to not only prepare but also pre-chew the family's food and to refrain from business.  Ishka rebels against all of it, a source of endless frustration and embarrassment for Quark.  

Rom is ultimately the story's hero.  Rom adores his mother - only ever referring to her by the endearment Moogie - and she him.  We soon learn that the boys' deceased father had been a constant failure in business.  Ishka herself was the financial genius, teaching Quark everything she knew while accumulating her own well-concealed fortune.  Rom inherited his gentler demeanor and his devotion to family from dear old Dad.  Rom is the one who finally stands up to both Quark and Ishka, forcing them to reconcile and saving the day for all.

As I've said before, much of Deep Space Nine's strength derives from its deep bench.  Garack will always be my favorite recurring character but not for lack of other worthy candidates.  "Family Business" is a fantastic Rom episode and he only gets better over the rest of the series.  Yates herself will be essential to Benjamin's character development.  The episode also introduces Brunt, one of so many Star Trek characters played by Jeffrey Combs.  Brunt exits this story saying he hopes he never sees the others again.  He'll be back for six more episodes.

Acting Notes

via Hanna-Barbera Wiki

Andrea Martin (Ishka) was born January 15, 1947 in Portland, Maine.  She graduated from Emerson College in Boston.  She was the first of two actors to play the role of Ishka.

Though American, Martin built her early career in the company of Canadian comedy royalty.  After relocating to Toronto, she was cast in a production of Godspell with then-unknowns Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Eugene Levy and Victor Garber.  Later, she joined the legendary sketch show SCTV, appearing alongside Levy, John Candy, Dave Thomas, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis and Joe Flaherty.  Martin was nominated for ten Emmys for her work on the show, one for acting, the rest for writing.  She won twice, both for writing. 

Martin made her Broadway debut in 1992 and has since been nominated for a Best Featured Actress Tony six times.  She's won twice, for My Favorite Year in 1993 and a Pippin revival in 2013.  As if all of that weren't enough, there have been films, too, including Wag the Dog, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Squid Eats: Waterworks

Winooski, Vermont is an old textile mill town.  When we first moved to Vermont in 2002 - just across the river in Burlington - Winooski was in the early stages of a Renaissance.  Long abandoned mill buildings were finally finding new life in the form of apartment complexes and retail space.  The once rundown embarrassment has become one of Chittenden County's hip night spots.  One well-established restaurant was Waterworks, occupying a space in the Champlain Mill, providing an elegant view of the river cascading over the falls just before it hits a dam.  The current iteration of Waterworks Food + Drink has been in operation since 2014.

It's a relatively fancy restaurant by Vermont standards, a nice spot to go when my parents are in town.  It's a bustling space with high ceilings, dark wood fixtures and large windows to accommodate the view.  We went recently with a large group.  Our friends the Mocks were in town, inspiring a dinner gathering.

I really wanted the butter poached lobster tail.  I adore lobster and despite the expense, always order it whenever I feel I can reasonably justify it.  The only problem on this visit was that the lobster tail was offered only as an add on at $17.  I was tempted to tell the waitress I'd be happy to simply order two.  For the sake of a more balanced meal, I ordered the Caeser salad at $12.  So yes, the add on cost more than the salad.  Totally worth it.  The salad was perfectly nice.  The lobster was divine.  I wasn't provided much in the way of utensils for eating it but my dinner companions didn't seem to mind me ripping it open with my bare hands.  Not that I would have cared if they did.  I have little shame when it comes to shellfish.

Overall, it was a lovely meal and a wonderful gathering.  We'll be back.

Star Trek: Jetrel

Episode: "Jetrel"

Series: Star Trek: Voyager

Season 1, Episode 15

Original Air Date: May 15, 1995

via Memory Alpha

A Haakonian shuttle approaches Voyager, its occupant wishing to speak with Neelix.  The man introduces himself Dr. Ma'Bor Jetrel, a name which immediate horror into the Neelix's heart.  We soon learn the Haakonians had conquered Neelix's homeworld some fifteen years before and Jetrel had been the inventor of a horrifying weapon of mass destruction, an obvious Oppenheimer/atomic bomb parallel.  Jetrel claims Neelix is terminally ill, the long-term consequence of the weapon's wrath.

29 years after this episode aired, we are a year removed from the film release of Oppenheimer so our world society has spent some time recently confronting the same issues raised in "Jetrel."  It's a strong Neelix episode as he must navigate personal demons in regards to his own role in the war.  

As I write this, I have not yet watched Oppenheimer.  However, I've devoted significant personal time to learning about the bomb, mostly from the Japanese perspective.  In my early 20s, I visited Nagasaki, a city forever haunted by that horrible day but also determined to lead world peace efforts to help ensure it never happens again.  Here on the blog, I've reviewed books that deal with the subject, most meaningfully the excellent Barefoot Gen manga series by Keiji Nakazawa about the Hiroshima bombing and its aftermath (see Volume 1 and Volume 2).  I also reviewed Trinity, a graphic novel by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm about the creation of the first atomic bomb.

Acting Notes

via WikiSein

Character actor Larry Hankin played the role of Gaunt Gary, a pool hustler in Tom Paris's Chez Sardine holodeck program in the light-hearted beginning of this unusually heavy episode.  Hankin was born December 7, 1937 in New York City.  He graduated from Syracuse University, then trained at Second City in Chicago.  "Jetrel" is his second Star Trek appearance, his first of three as Gaunt Gary.

via Friends Central

No one would call Larry Hankin famous, yet anyone who watched American television and/or movies in the 1980s and '90s would recognize him instantly.  Films include Escape from Alcatraz, Running Scared and Billy Madison.  He has appeared on numerous high-profile television shows in memorable roles, including Tom Pepper, the actor cast as Kramer in Seinfeld's "The Pilot," Mr. Heckles, the cranky downstairs neighbor on Friends and junkyard owner Old Joe on Breaking Bad.  He has an Oscar nomination to his name: Best Live Action Short Film in 1980 for Solly's Diner.

Squid Perks: Uncommon Coffee

Uncommon Coffee opened their Essex Junction location in September 2020, a brave move mid-pandemic.  It's been one of our family favorites ever since.  In fact, when the kid is home, it's one of their preferred hangout spots, with friends or on their own.  As it's located in The Essex Experience, it's an ideal spot for a quick caffeine fix while we're out running errands on the weekend.

It's a nice open space with loads of dark wood and old furniture.  Staff is both friendly and professional.  Most importantly, the coffee's good.

We shared a piece of lemon olive oil cake, already partly eaten before I thought to take a photo.  I got a cappuccino, my standard café order.  My wife got a chai latte.