Films

May’s Books, Games, and Creative Projects

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May Calendar

May has arrived. After watching several videos on journaling, I decided to try making my own calendar book in the beginning of this year. The first few months of page design weren’t pretty. But I think I can proudly say May is my best! Anyway, creating a calendar each month is a fun activity that takes me away from the screen. I also want to try junk journaling or go back to pastel drawing. Watching other people’s creative works is so inspiring. With that being out of the way, let’s talk about what I have been reading and playing.

Reading

I finished Call of the Wild by Jack London and Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë. Currently reading My Antonia by Willa Cather. Out of the three books, even though I have not finished My Antonia, I am enjoying it the most. The pioneer spirit of working immigrants is very inspiring, and the writing is just so beautiful and full of compassion. However, I found the dialogue between the characters shockingly racist. For instance, I didn’t know what a Lapland woman is until I read this book: “Lapland women were fat and ugly, and had squint eyes, like Chinese…mother says Norwegians up North are always afraid their boys will run after them (p.192, Bantam Classics).” Um… okay. If they are so ugly why would the boys run after them? It sounds like a bunch of girls gossiping nonsense. For the most part, I enjoy the imagery of the prairie. There are many descriptions of nature that I could visualize in my mind. People back then spent more time outdoors, and perhaps that is what draws me to the book.

I have added more books to my reading list ever since visiting the local bookstores. There are so many books I want to read, but oddly, I find it more fun to write about video games for this blog. I don’t know why.

Gaming

Last month, I spent time with Trinity Souls of Zill O’LL. I am halfway now. I know it’s taking me forever to complete since I don’t play the game every day and only about 40 minutes a session. It works for me. And since I already achieved the platinum years ago, I don’t stress about trying to get everything in one playthrough. I focus on the story, and I must say, I love the story! It reminds me of Oedipus the Rex, which happens to be one of my favorite plays. Areus, the protagonist, has one mission in life–to kill his evil Grandpa! It has a mixture of Greek and Norse mythologies. Everything that I like, and this scene, a fighting (flirting) scene, is so fun to watch:

I also like how the game includes an encyclopedia of the bestiary, characters, quests, journals, etc. It is so organized. The best part is the Gallery menu. You can watch movies (cutscenes), look at paintings and listen to the music. I am still debating whether I want to do a video game essay or review once I complete it. It’s very time-consuming, I realized. If you have not played this game and you are a fan of JRPGs, I highly recommend this game.

I also watched an entire Let’s Play video of Silent Hill 3. I remember not enjoying it as much, but it’s more of a user experience problem. I am surprised I beat the game back then, even though the camera gave me motion sickness. Watching it again, I appreciate its artistry, symbolism, and stage design. The level of detail in the monster design is amazing. I also understand why so many people like Heather. She is stylish, edgy, and doesn’t mind being in her own company. She blazes in the game without flinching–almost like she is so used to the nightmare. Towards the end, she questions herself: has she gone crazy? I guess that is what makes the game a psychological horror. I still prefer Silent Hill 2, though. I just don’t like too many references to the woman’s anatomy. It makes me queasy.

In relation to Silent Hill 3, I do want to mention that I haven’t seen anyone talk about Audrey Rose, a film by Robert Wise. I watched it on Amazon Prime a few years ago, and it reminds me so much of the story revolving Heather. It’s a psychological horror that discusses the concept of reincarnation. The way the film was shot terrified me. If you have not seen this horror film, you should. You can find it on Tubi and Youtube, free with ads. I wonder if I am the only one who notices the resemblance.

Final Thoughts

Gaming has been quite selective for me. I know that I have a few games I need to revisit, but I am not sure if I have the right mind set to enjoy them properly. Lately, I prefer something more adventurous and nourishing. As for books, I dropped Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. I’m just not feeling it. So I don’t want to waste anymore of my time with the book. This approach to my hobbies makes me happier.

The One-Armed Swordsman Review

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I watched this film several times–not just for the poetic artistry, but for the cinematography. Older films are quite relaxing to watch; what I noticed is the hero’s shocking resemblance to Christ. He is the Servant Leader who chooses to lead a quiet life. So, let me explain why I believe so.


The story is about an orphan, the son of a servant belonging to a prestigious martial arts school, famous for its swordsmanship. In the opening of the film, the assassin attempts to assassinate the headmaster, teacher Qi, but fails. Instead, the protagonist’s father dies in his place. At the mercy of the protagonist’s father, the headmaster promises to train the orphan like one of his nephews as his disciple. The headmaster treats the orphan well. However, the orphan never sees himself as above a servant. He continues to accept his social status as a servant. This hard-headed, arrogant personality irritates the headmaster’s daughter who has taken a liking to him. Yet, he refuses to acknowledge her by name. He is aware of his social status.


Rejecting the headmaster’s daughter, who resembles a spoiled brat princess, causes lethal consequences. They say a woman’s wrath is quick-tempered, unforeseen, and unpredictable like the changing weather–one moment it’s sunny, and then in a flick of an eye, it’s pouring rain. She chops off the orphan hero’s right arm after losing a duel with the hero, who only uses his two bare hands. The hero, although shocked, will not lay a hand on the headmaster’s daughter out of respect for his benefactor. He flees and falls into the river. Luckily, he falls into the boat of a maiden.

The maiden happens to be an orphan as well. So she quickly feels a connection with the orphan hero. As time progresses, the hero is nursed back to health. One day, while they were outside fishing, two martial artist bullies noticed the couple. They start harassing the maiden, humiliating the hero in front of his face. The hero is frustrated because he cannot defend her.


And so…the maiden offers him a powerful martial arts book. This book contains only the left-handed portion. We learn from the maiden that the martial arts book was thrown into the fire because the maiden’s mother blamed the book for taking her husband’s life. Magically, it seems that this book is meant for the hero. He becomes stronger with the new martial arts technique than when he still had his right arm.


This new technique helps the hero defend himself. It also helps him face Smiling Tiger, who has captured the headmaster’s daughter. To make the story short, the headmaster’s daughter is saved, and the bad guys are eliminated. The hero is then given praise for being a true martial artist worthy to become the headmaster’s successor. But the hero turns down this recognition and leadership. His father died because of martial arts. The maiden’s father died because of martial arts. The hero chooses to abandon the martial arts world. He decides to become a farmer. He lives a peaceful life with the country girl who saved him.


From time to time, I enjoy a feel-good story, especially a humble one. The hero is a farmer, maimed, and a simple man. What I find so admirable about the protagonist is how he sticks to his true self. He has always identified himself as a servant. Even as the leader, he continues to fight like a servant. He uses his strength to protect and not to harm others. As the saying goes, lead by example. From watching the film, I realized something. Sometimes the manliest of men is the one who lives a quiet, simple life, or at least he attempts to.

Originally published Sept. 05, 2019; Revised Feb, 13 2025.

Reflecting on Ex Machina (2014)

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If you have not seen the film, check the synopsis on Wikipedia. This will help you follow along with this article. Post contains spoilers.

My brother introduced me to this film. He said it was great and that I should watch it! I did–a couple of years later. Unlike my brother, I wasn’t impressed. My first reaction was that I already knew long ago that most women are manipulative, confused robots–me included. I’m kidding! Later on, with more time to process the film, I realized there’s more than meets the eye. Still, it’s no masterpiece to me. It’s just entertainingly decent.

For some background knowledge, I accidentally stumbled upon a YouTube video in 2020. In it, men were bashing women as damaged goods. I was so appalled by the sexist statement. For one, it objectifies women as if they are not allowed to have emotions. So when I watched Ex Machina, I drew a parallel between Ava (the AI) and the real woman. I couldn’t help but see the similarities. What is so wrong with a woman who wants to explore the world? Ava, the object of desired, has been trapped in the facility by an unethical, perverted engineer for so long. Who wouldn’t want to escape and find greener pastures? Then again, we are talking about AI, not a woman.

There are two important points that the plot wants to make in this film. One is Caleb’s instinctive behavior toward Ava. The second is controlling her, the source.  Why is Caleb attracted to Ava, knowing she is an AI?  Why does Ava need to get out of the facility’s lab and experience freedom? Why does she need to go on a date with Caleb to the theater? The answer is simple. It’s data. Would Caleb be the better person than the perverted engineer to contain the AI? As for Ava, I cannot imagine what she wants to do with more data. Does she want to destroy humanity and give birth to little AIs with her new found knowledge? She is like a search engine gone crazy.  Thus, the film attempted to show that technology (AI) can be dangerous. It did this by comparing it to a relationship level that humans can understand.

Personally, I don’t think it was the most effective way to communicate the idea that AI can be dangerous. For one, it reiterated the notion that nice guys finish last as if it’s a bad thing. Secondly, the sexism undertone in this film is off-putting: Robots are alluringly dangerous like beautiful women. Lastly, the conclusion of the plot suggested it’s only nice in theory to have AI by our side. But in practice, it brings unexpected consequences. It can start manifesting and spiraling into something out of our control. Like nuclear bombs as Bill Gates compared it to.  Then why create the monster in the first place and release it to the public?

So, this brought me back to my conclusion about the film. AI is a threat to humanity. At the same time, she is mysteriously powerful and flawed. The perverted engineer got what he deserved in the end. Secondly. it has been known since the dawn of time that humanity is captivated by the beauty of the unknown. Yet we foolishly explore it anyway. Yes, nerds rule the world, but they are not always the wisest. Have we not been warned all this time? It was Eve who partook the fruit of knowledge. This opened the eyes of humanity to new possibilities.

Note: Originally Published in 2020; revised and republished Feb. 20, 2022; revised Nov. 03, 2025.

P.S.

For a more positive outlook on AI, you can read AI: Somnium Files: The Rational I essay written by me.

The Sword of Swords (1968) Review

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The world of martial arts is nothing more than a world of politics. The one who has the most power has the most control over his fortune and the most freedom to live as he pleases (i.e., a king’s lifestyle). Doesn’t it sound enticing? But with great power comes great responsibility. Those who seek power for personal gain are not fit to rule. In this tale, a meek hero is hesitant to get involved in the world of martial arts until his family and his country are on the line.

To give you folks a backstory of this legendary sword, I quote the introduction from the film for you to better understand the story:

During the Sung Dynasty, about 1000 B.C., a famed sword smith Meng Yao Chi took ten years to forge a sword from the best metal available. When China was invaded by the neighboring Liao state, Meng presented his sword to General Meng Liang. With it, the General won battle after battle and the sword became a legend. After General Meng’s Death, the sword was lost until rediscovered in the Ming Dynasty. The prince of a nearby barbarian tribe coveted the sword and dispatched a trusted warrior to acquire it. This is the story of this mission.

Based on the quote, the sword sounds pretty epic, doesn’t it? I don’t think I would want the sword even if I was fit to rule the martial arts world. It’s too much stress and responsibility. So, I can sympathize with the hero in this film who learned martial arts to hunt and nothing more. However, our destiny is not always decided by us. The hero, not only has the mental capacity but also the physical strength to be the keeper of the legendary sword. After all, those who yield the sword have the power to control the land for good or evil. It sounds kind of like Lord of the Rings, the Chinese version the more I think about it, but not as dark.

What surprised me about this story is how passive and meek the main character is. I have never seen a highly skilled martial artist who is unreasonably meek. His saint-like personality is his downfall. It is his reluctance to kill the main villain when he had the chance that caused him a spiral of tragic events. As the audience, I can’t help but be a little annoyed by his passiveness, but then again, there wouldn’t be a story if he weren’t a reluctant hero. He eventually learned from his mistake and become emotionally stronger towards the end, but at the expense of losing his parents, sister, and his two eyes! On a positive note, what I like about this film is that the hero’s weakness becomes his strength. The hero always finds a way to win in the end magically, which makes me feel happy. After all, I am always rooting for the good guy to win.

For my final thoughts, this film is decent but not great. I like The One-Armed Swordsman (1967) more which was played by the same main actor, Jimmy Wang Yu. One plus thing about this film is the cinematography and sword fighting. It’s beautifully well done. So if you are a fan of martial arts films, it’s still worth watching.

Originally published 26, 2020; Revised Oct. 02, 2025