Gran Torino

Gran Torino is a movie directed by Clint Eastwood, and he also plays the main character in the movie, Walt Kowalski. Walt is an old man that survied the Korean war, an lives in a multicultural neighbourhood. He seems to hate everyone around him, including his own family. Without his beloved wife that just died, there seems to be no good left in the old guy.

Walt lives next door to a Hmong family. They are asian people who came to America as refugees. He doesn't like his neighbours, and that doesn't get any better when the son in the family, Thao tries to steel his 1972 Gran Torino.

Thao is a young boy struggling to fit in with the other Hmong teenagers. He doesn't want to be a part of their gang, but they convince him to try to steal Mr. Kowalski's car.

Sue is Thao's sister, and a very clever girl. She wants only the best for her younger brother, and wants him to stay out of the the gang, lead by their cousin, Spider.

After an incident where Sue get her self into a bad situation, Walt helps her, and they develop a friendship.

Friendship is the main theme in this movie. How meeting new young people changes Walts life, and he sets his mind to help these two young siblings. He develop a sort of friendship with the priest, that keeps nagging him about coming to confession in church.

There is also a great conflict in the movie between Walt, Sue, Thao and the gang. The whole neighbourhood fears Walt, and they know he is very skilled with guns.

One day when Thao is walking home from work, the gang confront him, and burns his face with a cigarette. Walt revenges Thao, and warns the gang by beating up one of their members. Later that evening Thao and Sue's house where the target in a drive by shooting. Sue wasn't at home, and they all feared for her life. She came home later that night, raped and beaten up.

Thao wants to kill those who raped his sister and tried to kill his family. Walt want let him do that, and sacrifices his own life. Walt dies as a hero while he is lighting his own cigarette.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

These days I'm reading a book in class called Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. The action takes place in Seattle, in the areas around Chinatown and Japantown. The book is about friendship, and in the beginning we get to know Henry. He is a man that just lost his wife and have a distanced relationship with his son, Marty. Henry Grew up in Chinatown during the bombing of Pearl Harbour. We learn that it was not that easy to be an asian young boy, easily mistaken to be japanese during those years in America.

Right now I'm reading about Henry's childhood and his japanese friend, Keiko and how they develop a friendship, dispite the fact that she is japanese.
So far I really enjoy reading the book, and I will update my blog with a new entry every week until I'm done reading the book.

I found the picture on this site.