June Kim Movies
Playing in a manner that can be conservatively described as larger than life, Kurt Russell plays a macho truck driver who agrees to go to the San Francisco airport and pick up his friend's (Dennis Dun) fiancee (Suzee Pai, freshly arrived from China. Suddenly, a gang of Chinatown toughs kidnap the girl right before Russell's eyes. After a wild chase sequence, Russell discovers that the girl has been abducted by a genuine, bonafide sorceror (James Hong), the ghost of a 3000 year old warlord. And that's just for starters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, (more)
- 1977
The 4077th plays host to an unscrupulous chopper pilot (Michael Bell) who sidelines in a profitable war-souvenir business. As a result, the soldiers and the local Koreans begin incurring injuries or worse by picking up souvenirs that turn out to be booby traps. Hoping to put a stop to this, Col. Potter (Harry Morgan) must rely upon the craftiness of Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and B.J. (Mike Farrell). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
Alan Alda delivers what amounts to a solo performance in this landmark episode. Suffering a serious concussion after a jeep accident far from the 4077th, Hawkeye (Alda) takes refuge in the home of a Korean family. Realizing that he must stay awake if he hopes to stay alive until help arrives, Hawkeye launches into a rambling, free-form sometimes non-sequitur monologue, while the Koreans listen in rapt--and uncomprehending--attention. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Ahn, Shizuko Hoshi, (more)
- 1976
When Margaret (Loretta Swit) disappears, rumors begin spreading that she's been abducted by the North Koreans. Truth to tell, Margaret has ventured into enemy territory, but on an entirely voluntary mission of mercy. But neurotic CIA operative Colonel Flagg (Edward Winter) doesn't know this, and his ensuing "investigation" turns the 4077th inside out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
John Ford's last film to deal with World War II, Donovan's Reef is an alternately comical and sentimental look back on the fighting Navy men from that war, and how and where -- in Ford's eyes, and Frank Nugent and James Edward Grant's script -- they should have ended up. Michael "Guns" Donovan (John Wayne), Thomas "Boats" Gilhooley (Lee Marvin), and Dr. William Dedham (Jack Warden), a trio of navy veterans who fought on the Pacific island of Haleakalowa during the war, now live on the island. Donovan and Gilhooley, biding time and enjoying themselves, engage in rough-house hijinks among themselves, and are both part of the doctor's extended family, enjoying the good will of the islanders for whom they fought during the war. While Dedham is away on a call to a neighboring island, his grown daughter, Amelia (Elizabeth Allen), from his first marriage, whom he has never seen, announces that she is arriving from Boston to determine Dedham's fitness of character to inherit the majority shares in the family shipping business. Donovan contrives to present Dedham's three Polynesian children, whom the doctor had with the island's hereditary princess, as his own, and also squires Amelia around the island in her father's absence. In the process, the cold Bostonian woman discovers a whole world -- of passion, joy, heroism, and a life among men and women whose lives have been about something other than making money -- that she's never known. She also understands all of the good that her father has accomplished away from Boston, even though it entailed abandoning her. Sparks and even a few fists fly between Donovan and Amelia (and between Donovan and several other characters), in the usual Ford rough-house manner, before their eventual reconciliation and a romantic clinch at the end, in this sweet, sentimental comedy-drama. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Lee Marvin, (more)
- 1962
Very freely based upon the book by Thomas DeQuincey, Confessions of an Opium Eater is set in San Francisco during the Tong Wars of the 1800s. Lotus is one of a group of women kidnapped from China and brought to the United States, where they are to be traded in exchange for precious opium. Fortunately, Lotus and her compatriots are rescued by mysterious benefactors and are spirited away. Soon after, DeQuincey sneaks into Chinatown and contacts a merchant by the name of Chin Foon. Both men share the mark of the Moon Serpent, signifying that they work for the enigmatic Ling Tang, who is the mastermind behind the human auctions. Foon instructs DeQuincey to locate Lotus. He finds her but tries to escape with her, rather than handing her over to Foon. His treachery is discovered, and he admits that he is working for both sides in the Tong conflict. He escapes and, stumbling through the bowels of Chinatown, discovers many other bizarre secrets. He also learns that another of Tang’s employees, Ruby Low, is not as loyal as supposed. DeQuincey continues prowling around Chinatown; obviously, he has some sort of plan in mind – but what is it? And who is he really working for? ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
