It’s Monday right here at BCB After Darkish: the hippest spot for night time owls, early risers, new mother and father and Cubs followers overseas. Come on in and be part of us. We’re all the time glad to see a good friend and everybody here’s a good friend. There’s no cowl cost. There are nonetheless a number of tables obtainable. There’s no cowl cost. Carry your personal beverage.
BCB After Darkish is the place so that you can speak baseball, music, films, or the rest you must get off your chest, so long as it’s throughout the guidelines of the location. The late-nighters are inspired to get the get together began, however everybody else is invited to hitch in as you get up the following morning and into the afternoon.
Earlier than we get began, we have now an announcement. There can be no BCB After Darkish for the remainder of the week, because the Cubs can be taking part in playoff baseball in San Diego once we would usually open for enterprise. We may have a “speedy recap” shortly after each sport that offers you a spot to debate the great or the unhealthy information, so you’ll have a contemporary spot to both have fun or vent. Nevertheless it didn’t appear clever to have an After Darkish along with that.
Final week I requested a query that’s now not related, however . Too unhealthy. The Cubs are going to do it anyhow.
Right here’s the half with the music and the flicks. You’re free to hitch us for that. Or not.
Tonight I’m simply going to publish a enjoyable little bit of jazz as Billy Check on the hammond organ, backed by the WDR Large Band, will play the “Batman Theme” from the Sixties tv present.
Shanghai Blues is a 1984 Hong Kong movie, directed by Tsui Hark, that tries to recreate the antics of Hollywood’s screwball romantic comedies of the Thirties and ‘40s. Principally set in Shanghai in 1947 earlier than the Communist takeover, it’s a really foolish and uneven movie with the backdrop of some stuff that isn’t very foolish in any respect. The movie is price watching, nonetheless, for the successful comedic performances of the 2 feminine leads, Sylvia Chang and Sally Yeh and the friendship between the 2 characters. The remainder of the forged aren’t unhealthy both.
Shanghai Blues begins in the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese Struggle in 1937, which Individuals normally roll over into World Struggle II. Kenny Bee performs a struggling performer/musician who has works together with his “Uncle Twenty,” performed by Tin Ching. In contrast to numerous characters on this movie, Bee’s character has an actual title—Tung Kwok-man. Nonetheless, virtually nobody calls him that so I’ll simply seek advice from him right here by the nickname he’s given as a result of he’s a musician and a songwriter: “Do-Re-Mi.”
As Do-Re-Mi and Twenty are about to carry out, Shanghai is bombed by the Japanese. Do-Re-Mi vows to hitch the military and flees into the streets the place he actually bumps into Shu-Shu (Chang) and actually knocks her down a flight of steps that lead beneath a bridge. Do-Re-Mi and Shu-Shu wait out the air raid beneath the bridge the place they fall in love with one another. Do-Re-Mi tells her that he’s going to hitch the military and that he’ll meet her beneath the bridge when the conflict is over. Nonetheless, it was darkish and the 2 by no means get a superb have a look at one another they usually’re pressured to flee the bombs earlier than they even get every others’ title.
It’s ten years later and the conflict is over. Do-Re-Mi is again in Shanghai together with his uncle and making an attempt to make a dwelling as a songwriter and a musician. Shu-Shu is a dancer at a nightclub. Do-Re-Mi goes again beneath the bridge, the place he solely finds a bunch of homeless, disabled veterans dwelling there. As Do-Re-Mi is a veteran as properly, the veterans agree to assist him out and vice-versa.
Into this world enters a younger girl who is simply known as “Stool,” performed by Sally Ye. She’s come to the large metropolis to make her means, however the family she supposed to stick with are nowhere to be discovered and all of her cash is straight away stolen. Stool is out wandering on the lookout for a spot to remain when she meets Shu-Shu, whom, after a comedic fall into the river, takes pity on Stool and lets her stay at her house.
Unknown to Shu-Shu, as a result of she by no means obtained a superb have a look at him ten years in the past, Do-Re-Mi resides within the house proper above hers. She will get indignant at his taking part in music in any respect hours.
A love triangle will develop with Stool, Shu-Shu and Do-Re-Mi as a result of neither Shu-Shu nor Do-Re-Mi acknowledge the opposite. Shu-Shu additionally has a suitor within the proprietor of the nightclub that she works at. There’s additionally an attention-grabbing twist the place the glamorous Shu-Shu, by means of a collection of accidents, turns into form of plain-looking whereas the easy Stool finally ends up successful a magnificence contest by means of a collection of ridiculous occasions and Stool turns into the glamorous one. However by means of all these modifications and despite the fact that they didn’t like one another a lot at first, Shu-Shu and Stool develop an actual friendship that will get them by means of all their adversity, even once they notice that they’re each in love with Do-Re-Mi.
Shanghai Blues is a really foolish movie with a critical undertone. About 75 p.c of the comedy is slapstick as Shu-Shu, Stool and Do-Re-Mi are all huge klutzes of the primary order. There may be hardly a scene the place they don’t fall down, get knocked over, knock one thing else over or unintentionally hit somebody over the pinnacle. The opposite 25 p.c of so of the humor is the traditional mistaken assumptions which are frequent to farces.
There may be one facet of the movie that doesn’t age so properly in that there are two tried rape scenes which are usually performed off for laughs, or at the least they end up in comedic conditions. All of them are of the sort that you simply’d see in Hollywood films of the screwball period with a lecherous man chasing round a defenseless girl, but it surely does ring form of a false notice in the midst of this lighthearted story.
You need to be considerably conversant in Chinese language historical past to get it, however there’s some ominous foreboding of the Communist takeover that might overtake Shanghai as properly. There’s the scenario of the homeless veterans, after all, however there’s additionally fixed reminders of the corruption and cash problems with 1947 Shanghai. There are a number of scenes the place persons are making an attempt to commerce Yuan for both silver or American {dollars}, and the inflation of the postwar period was a significant purpose for the Communist victory. (The Nationalists have been paying their troops in nugatory foreign money was one purpose.) A number of the characters even head off to Hong Kong on the finish of the movie the place they’ll be secure, at the least for the following 50 years.
The slapstick comedy of Shanghai Blues was extra hit than miss for me, though it’s a little uneven. However what actually offered me on this movie was the full-circle relationship between Shu-Shu and Stool. Chang and Ye actually made me consider that the 2 characters actually cared about one another sufficient that they have been keen to let the opposite one be the one to go off with Do-Re-Mi. Bee is nice as Do-Re-Mi as properly, however that is the uncommon screwball comedy the place the feminine friendship is extra compelling than the heterosexual romance.
Additionally, bear in mind once I complained about movies as of late wanting washed out and darkish? No such downside with Shanghai Blues. Your complete movie is vibrant (aside from the air raid scene) and the colours pop with the 2024 restoration. Sure, among the scenes are clearly shot in a studio with a painted backdrop, however that simply ties in with the character of the good screwball comedies that the movie needs to emulate. That didn’t trouble me in any respect.
Right here’s the trailer for the restored model of Shanghai Blues.
Welcome again to everybody who skips the cultural stuff.
So the Cubs are going to start out the Wild Card Collection in San Diego. This afternoon, Cubs supervisor Craig Counsell introduced that Matthew Boyd goes to get the Sport 1 begin.
Tonight’s query asks you to first-guess Counsell. Would you will have began Boyd in Sport 1? Boyd actually wasn’t nearly as good this season as he was final 12 months, however he has been a lot improved within the second half since he returned from his knee harm. Within the second half, he went 5-4 with a 3.57 ERA. He’s allowed three runs or fewer in 4 of his previous 5 begins, though solely two of these have been towards playoff groups. Each instances have been towards Milwaukee and regardless of how properly or not properly Boyd pitched, the Cubs misplaced each video games to the Brewers.
Boyd can also be left-handed and could be very powerful on lefties. The issue is that the Padres solely have two starters that bat left-handed: Jake Cronenworth and Jackson Merrill. Three if you happen to rely rookie catcher Ethan Salas. Regardless of that, the Padres have a .706 OPS versus lefties and a .722 OPS versus right-handers. In fact, that might be as a result of groups don’t let unhealthy left-handers face the Padres.
You may say that Counsell didn’t have a lot selection however to start out Boyd after Clay Holmes, David Peterson and Shōta Imanaga over the weekend, however Counsell didn’t have to pitch any of these pitchers. Particularly Shōta. He might have saved one for Sport One. Counsell can’t be blamed for Kevin Gausman’s questionable availability, so possibly that possibility actually was off the desk.
So if you happen to have been managing the Cubs, would you will have began Boyd in Tuesday’s sport? Or would you will have seen to it that another person obtained the Sport One begin?
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We’ll be open for a partying or crying all week, however there received’t be any music or reveals. Or will it’s known as BCB After Darkish. Get dwelling safely. We would like you round for the length. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And be part of us once more subsequent week for extra BCB After Darkish.
