refolded

Casting young actors. They're attractive to look at.

Casting old actors. One more chance to star in an action movie, and swear on film.

Everyone gets a chance to be a hero.

Chase scene: zombie vs. Senior citizen.

Some over-the-top gore, but it's funny. These were blurred out for the TV version. Had to get the DVD.

Violence in just the right amount for a zombie movie.

Granddad is the alpha leader with eyeglasses.

Wheelchair to the rescue.

Granddad's inspirational speech, "We'll ****ing sort this out, the way we have done for centuries...oi, zombies! Get the **** out of my East End."

Rockney song over the credits by Chas & Dave.

Bonus: Lessons in Cockney rhyming slang.

Note: Lots of language.

This modern-set Hamlet was enjoyable. It was cool to see Tennant's Dane as an adolescent. It put his relationships with his friends into those teenage years. Adult friendship is different. The scenes with all the friends were clear and distinct.

Laertes' reactions to his family tragedies were touching. Edward Bennett deserves credit for his part. Also, the elder of the acting troupe John Woodvine was mesmerizing. Patrick Stewart was as good as always.

The behind the scenes video included with the DVD answered some questions about the production. Without understanding the theatre-based set designer refurbished an old building, I would have thought this was filmed in a black box stage, with some scenes shot on real locations. The special feature also clued me in on the theme of mirrors, which now I see even more carried throughout the movie.

The mirrored floor was a challenge for the lighting crew, and also created echoes. As others have said, the sound design was inconsistent. Sometimes the microphones captured the room or outdoor noises, and sometimes they were focused only on his voice. Some of the footfalls were very loud. That said, there were some incredible moments of silence to emphasize the emotion.

My one question about direction regards the asides. The actors talked to the camera to voice their unheard thoughts, except in one scene his thoughts were a voiceover recording. I didn't understand that choice.

It was interesting to watch how they used the mirror theme along with the CCTV cameras. That brought it closer to modern times. Now I wonder if there's a Hamlet who takes selfies and makes TikTok videos.

This Hamlet is not definitive, but it gives some unique perspectives on the classic play.

This kind of documentary is a journey of discovery. It's not illustrating what is already known. Filmmaker John Helde sets out to find his father's history. He takes us along as he travels to a non-scripted conclusion.

This film has an easy pace. The people we meet along the way, sort of take over the story, and fill out what the father can't give. I especially like this dialog by some of the American women who were also born in China before World War II.

"I don't know whether we'll be back to China again. And, that makes me sad in one dimension, but I feel I have enough China in me, so that when I leave, I won't have left completely," says B.J. Elder in the 23rd chapter.

"I needed to fit in and grab a hold of wherever I was and not hold onto the past. If I held onto the past, then I would begin to feel lost," says Anne Lockwood Romasco. "I've always felt as though I was passing through a place...I never had the feeling that that was really my home. I was only going on somewhere else, on my way to some other place."

They discuss feeling like a foreigner in China and also like a foreigner when "home" in America. Then Helde becomes a foreigner himself as he makes his way toward his ancestor's birthplace. It is nice to see the friendly welcome by the people of China.

This film makes for a pleasant evening. Its points are soft. They gather as we walk along the trail with John Helde and his companions.