Reviews

We are all powerless in the face of senseless evil acts

I’m… oh man this thing is harsh.

Not gonna lie, this movie wasn’t really having me in the first half. It was interesting but I wasn’t too into it.

But, like clockwork, as soon as a Park Chan-wook movie (or any movie, really) begins focusing on Song Kang-oh, it’s like magic happens.

This one is quite sadistic. I’d say so far that it’s this director’s most repulsive movie overall, even felt more genuinely gratuitous than Oldboy to me. As usual the script is well-rounded, the pacing deliberate so we can get really into the characters’ messy heads, and the violence often sudden and brutal. I like the twist with the title, a really nice touch.

But what was lacking to me in this movie compared to his other work was the feeling of going on a journey with the characters. I felt detached a bit, like I was missing a piece of the puzzle. I get that the blind man is dense but why is he so? I didn’t get a good sense of that. While Park Chan-wook’s style was much more pronounced in Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, this felt less distinguished to me. Slightly.

Sounds from my review so far like this movie is not so good but I thought it was great, and I respect it in a weird way, especially from the half-point and onwards. It’s brilliant and unique in a way and Song Kang-oh’s acting was exceptional. The dramatic irony in this movie is off the charts. It stays with you.

I'm thoroughly impressed with this director.

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Masterpiece

What is it with Park Chan-wook that makes him so talented?

The guy clearly understands how to write and frame broken characters in a sympathetic way. It’s a delicate balance to be honest. If my appreciation of his movies are any indication, I should be thirsting for movies with broken characters as leads but... I’m not. In fact, I prefer flawed but ultimately good characters in general, not genuinely broken ones. But he just forces it on you, continuously, then makes it work so well it’s baffling to me. And heart-breaking.

He did it with Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Oldboy, and he did it again with what I consider his masterpiece, Thirst, a sort of Psychological/Horror/Romantic thriller. A movie about damn vampires of all things! I usually don’t like vampires, or vampire movies. Well, except this one. To say it’s merely a vampire movie would be doing it quite the disservice though. Also, The Handmaiden remains his most erotic movie overall but this is definitely the runner-up on that front.

It’s a movie about abuse, physical and psychological. Return to the primal. And about religion, and faith, and giving back. But strangely enough, there is a melancholic and coming of age aspect to it too—vampire stories often are coming of age stories in one way or another as it can be compared to another form of puberty. And lastly, and most importantly, it’s a movie about power, which drives most of the central relationships.

Song Kang-ho… not much left to say about him. Most people who are remotely familiar with Korean cinema know he’s a legend, and so I have to sing his praises again here. He makes the movie work on a number of levels because of his nuanced performance, what an amazing actor.

But the revelation here absolutely has to be Kim Ok-bin who promptly runs away with the movie. Outright theft in plain sight!

I can already imagine casting agents watching this movie back then going like holy fuck, the range on this one. Stoic, vulnerable, badass, romantic, resolute, in despair, faking all of the above... name it. I was already familiar with her because of The Villainess, and while that was great, this is on another level. The sheer intensity in her gaze at times reminded me of Brigitte Lin, who’s had a much, much more prolific career.

It’s somewhat quite deliberately paced, which may or may not be your cup of tea overall. Watching the beginning after the ending, it does feel odd. This movie is truly a journey of some sort.

And I love it.

Onward to Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. I don’t think one can watch them more outrageously out of order than I did, but whaddaya know...

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Another pretty good Park Chan-wook movie. No surprises here.

Started off a bit rough, the English parts were painful a bit, but by the time the ending came on, I had almost entirely forgotten about the bland early parts.

This is one unique story of friendship. It can be found in the unlikeliest of places indeed. You can always count on Park Chan-wook to deliver the heart-wrenching moments when it truly counts. He knows where his movie's goods are, and he goes all-in on them.

Song Kang-ho delivers, as do all the actors involved (at least, as long as they're speaking korean). I like how even though this is a mystery movie, it isn't the focus so much. The focus is on the dynamic akin to a "lovers on opposite camps" but with friendship instead, and it's effective. It's a nuanced piece done with respect for the characters and their relationships.

It also feels less like a Park Chan-wook movie than his other, highly-stylized work he would later direct. I must say I prefer the latter.

I would put it above Stoker so far, and under the rest. It did take a while to get going.

If a movie like this sits at the bottom of his filmography for me... damn, that's some consistency

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She's convinced she's a cyborg and runs on batteries, not food. What will it take to make her eat?

So basically, what if Park Chan-wook decided to try his hands on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest... but without the incredible story developing throughout the runtime?

Not really my groove, this movie is just too weird and idiosyncratic, but I must admit that the ending was really sweet. It's mostly just a series of oddball events shining light on the setting and colorful characters until the inevitable happens.

I need to gush over Park Chan-wook's directing abilities, yet again. Amazing framing and cinematography as usual. Odd of him to make a romantic comedy, but don't take it to mean that this is a usual romcom, as it couldn't be further from the truth. He heavily injects his own style into it, a style I usually love but here only found serviceable.

By virtue of the quality of his filmography this is, as such, my least favorite film of his, but it's not a bad movie. It was decent. Well at least Stoker isn't at the bottom anymore.

I'll be eagerly waiting for his next movie!

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Came for the action, stayed for the story

I don't know why a lot of people praise the action in this movie, I must commend them for their dedication and it sure must have been quite the effort to stage it and film it, but it's shot in a horrendous and chaotic way. We lack proper perspective or setup for most of it. It's hard to follow when it's first person as well. I think action works at its best when it's a series of "push - release" moments that, in combination with great framing and editing, create a kinetic flow to it.

The motorcycle chase scene in particular stands out as the worst. It's just a mess of shaky cam, awful under-cranking which seems like they actually cut some frames out, and weird editing.

I mean, a lot of the action shots are continuous but they still manage to make it look less slick and coherent than many movies with five times as many cuts. I guess I should blame the camera work.

In fact, this movie is living proof that shaky cam is a lot worse than having many cuts in an action scene. Hong Kong director Corey Yuen is at the opposite end of the spectrum, his action movies have lots of cuts but due to the steady camera work (and precise editing through the cuts), the action stays coherent throughout.

The worst combination is, of course, both of these extreme issues joined together (see: most of Hollywood productions)

HOWEVER, I loved this movie. Came in for the action, stayed for everything else.

The narrative used a lot of wonderful "push-pull" dynamics. If only the action did as well...
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Stunts - 70/100 | Not sure exactly how they filmed some of those stunts which is a plus I guess? This movie is an example of something impressive done behind the camera resulting in... something relatively good on screen but not anything more than that because it's hard to actually see it.

Narrative - 81/100 | I was almost dreading the action-filled finale because the story really drew me in. A great balance of action and drama, shock and tenderness, romance and animosity. It's melodramatic at times but I didn't mind.

Fight Choreography - 67/100 | What I said in the stunts category also applies here. What the action scenes lack in cohesiveness though, they compensate for in terms of violence.

Enjoyment - 84/100 | Kim Ok-bin is the MVP of this movie. Or rather, I thought both actresses playing her character were the MVPs of this movie. But then... apparently she played both versions of herself. How on Earth did they manage to make her look so different before and after plastic surgery?

Or is it what Patrick Stewart refers to when he says "Acting." in a deadpan tone?

If you liked either of LA FEMME NIKITA or THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, be sure not to miss this one.

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Aims for the stars, doesn't reach them, but a valiant effort nonetheless

Always count on the Koreans to make the most batshit crazy movies these days.

When laying out their space opera story, I suppose the question they asked themselves wasn't whether they could do what they envisioned, but instead, how they were gonna do it. Whether they had too much on their plate doesn't seem to have been brought up on the table at all. And somehow, I'd say it worked for me.

My theory is that they threw everything at the wall and hoped something would stick. The human parts did, at least. As did the set design/production design, which were great. Obviously this movie was inspired by American sci-fi movies. Nearly ripping off them, in fact, but since they added this unmistakable Korean touch as soon as the ship crew were brought into the narrative, we'll let it fly. Off the top of my head, I recognized elements of:

WALL-E
Elysium
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and just Star Wars in general.
Firefly/Serenity
Guardians of the Galaxy

And add in The Wandering Earth into the pile, although that's not American.

You get all the crazy, shoddy special effects and endless display of ambition typical of Chinese mainland movies, only without the propaganda. What surprised me the most was that the special effects weren't so bad actually. A few cheap shots here and there sure, but there were many gorgeous effect shots throughout this movie, which was surprising considering its low budget. They managed to accomplish a lot with the resources they had. Also it's worth mentioning but I loved the film's multi-lingual aspect. I heard over 5 different languages spoken extensively in this movie, but it's fine because the characters have universal translators so they understand each other. It's purely there for flavor and worldbuilding, and because they could so they did, which I liked.

The wishful thinking behind the movie's ending was unintentionally hilarious though. Oh sweet summer child…

Speaking of child, the "Cute Kid With Superpowers" MacGuffin is starting to become a bit of a tired cliché.

As for the characters, look... wherever Kim Tae-ri goes, I follow. Firefly-style, drunk and down on her luck captain who's hella badass? Quite the change of pace from her role in The Handmaiden that's for sure. She doesn't look the part, AND gives a speech that essentially inspires the whole planet to fight against corporate overlords (who are headed by Richard Armitage?!) and, however cheesy that was, there's no way in hell she wouldn't win me over. Like nick atkinson on letterboxd said, she makes looking cool so effortless.

You know what, in today's climate, a more realistic take on the ending would have been to show the UTS citizens cheering at the mention of the villain's idea of blowing up this shithole of a planet. "Better them than me! The poor can go hang in the dirt for all I care…" Doesn't sound so far-fetched when you think about it. This movie's sense of morality is a bit too on-the-nose for it to be realistic or believable.

Lastly, the robot who wanted to become a woman was also a highlight for me.

Verdict: Fun and ambitious, albeit uneven. Lots of ideas meshed together. Tonally inconsistent and a tad too long. Aims for the stars, doesn't reach them, but a valiant effort nonetheless.

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All this for a bowl of noodles!

But man, what a bowl it was, so worth it.

Really glad I watched this because the editing in this movie is simply splendid, especially the first two-thirds. Well, except for the foot chase.

I love how so many oddities made their way into this movie. From odd objects the main character managed to fabricate, to intricate and idiosyncratic life habits the girl had, it was great and creative. Like the toy robot in the elevator, amazing! All those sequences of the girl going outside with the biker helmet were sublime, so well made. Great directing.

The ending, although good, was the weakest part of the movie for me. I guess I was so blown away by the rest that I was expecting a bit more.

I have never seen CAST AWAY and now I just found the perfect excuse.

At least this time the American movie came first... Usually it's the other way around.

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The Jun Ji-hyun show

I'm hard to please on the love story front so that was great. So refreshing to get away from American movie tropes especially in the later parts of the story.

>>>> Wanna die?

Jun Ji-hyun is so dorky I love it. Her superstardom begins here and would seemingly continue until the end of times. Sure she's mostly a trash person but she's somehow still endearing because her humanity shows through. Also most guys would just bail out with this kind of behavior but he doesn't because he likes her, and that's relatable.

Great ending, great movie, great story, maybe not ethically the best of morals here but it shows something very real.

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[Director's Cut]

So many twists and turns, it's like the filmmakers watched MEMENTO and dialed it up to 11. I hear that maybe I shouldn't have watched that version first from some, but what's done is done.

How dare anyone try to murder Kim Seol-hyun though? That I can't forgive!
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Stunts - 80/100 | Surprisingly good stunts here, and quite a large number of them too.

Narrative - 70/100 | Terrific performance by lead actor Sol Kyung-gu, impressive from start to finish. Really that's one hell of a show he gave in this movie, by far the best part about it, in fact. The rest of the movie was a bit too convoluted for my tastes, especially the ending which introduces a few problems. Unreliable narrators can be a great tool but sometimes they're kind of annoying.

Fight Choreography - 70/100 | Not much typical choreography going on but the final fight is lengthy and brutal, somehow. Good action directing and stunt work, although this is far from an action movie so don't expect Hong Kong choreography here, it's just fighting for survival.

Enjoyment - 68/100 | There's grim and there's this. This movie is like an endless pit of despair. Goes a tad too long.

But South Korean thrillers are always a good choice because they frankly know how it's done.

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Incredible example of contradictory filmmaking

I actually think there is A LOT to talk about with this movie, and that is… concerning. Concerning because with a title like this, you'd expect something straightforward. Also concerning because I feel like the original intent was to portray this whole plastic surgery situation in South Korea and Kpop superficialism with… an introspective inclination, perhaps? But along the way, the purpose got completely lost.

Never thought I'd sit down to write a 1000+ words essay after watching a cheesy Romcom like this, but here we are.

The conflicting/mixed messaging in this movie is a real sight to see. Wonderfully contradictory. It's just bonkers, and I love contradictory filmmaking! Well, actually, I didn't love this movie. But I loved how contradictory it is with its own self. I don't regret watching this for one second because it's so captivating how tone-deaf the whole ordeal is! It's hard to put a rating on this because I really enjoyed it for those reasons, but let's be honest here, it's not well made.

Let me try to summarize this.

According to this movie, being ugly is bad, being pretty is good, but it's bad if your good looks are fake, although looking good ultimately is a good thing even if it's bad that it's fake, because feeling good about yourself is good even if it's bad that you weren't good-looking before, which is why you wanted to look good in the first place.

And you have to accept that about yourself… I think?

Some horrible messaging in this movie (I may have missed a few):
- Being fat means being clumsy and ugly and worthless, even if you're talented
- If you're fat, tough luck. Kill yourself or get plastic surgery/find a way to get pretty, those are your only options for a better life
- You need to be good-looking to feel good about yourself
- You need to be good-looking to have any form of success
- You don't deserve the person you are infatuated with, even if they like you in return, unless you're good-looking which then becomes acceptable

Interesting messaging in this movie:
- You should accept your flaws as they're a part of you (contradicts above, more on that below)
- You should strive to be better and work on yourself
- You should be more assertive with others concerning your well-being
- Being a good person at heart matters (see the dad resolution)
- Knowing what you want and working to get there pays off
- Having actual talent pays off, being a talentless hack doesn't, even if you're pretty (also contradicts above)

So in light of this, it's funny how this movie clamors for so many things that are in direct contradiction with each other:
- She definitely has a better life now that she's pretty. It fixed most problems in her life, but at the same time, she looks at what she left behind and sees what being herself before brought her. But she was so explicitly and unequivocally miserable. Which one is it, movie?
- Her love interest says to his henchman at the end that they're all assholes for refusing to see Hanna for who she was all along. Wonderful right? Except it's a classic case of do as I say, not as I do. He only cares about her post-surgery, and while he wasn't hostile to her or anything before, he was still only using her and that's it.
- To continue on that, the movie makes a point of saying that who Hanna is inside is what matters (but only now that she's gorgeous, like shown above), then we see her "ugly" best friend lining up for head-to-toe surgery after she's seen what it did for her friend's life. It's shown as a good thing as she's finally fixing up her life. LMAO that's so tone-deaf. Incredible!
- Being fat sucks so much it ruins your life and you should kill yourself. But you should also accept that about yourself… What the hell
- The movie tries to show that talent trumps good looks, as Ammy fails because she's a talentless hack while Hanna succeeds because she's a good singer, but in the process of doing so makes being pretty a requisite of success as she failed earlier because she was ugly… which contradicts its own message as it's not just about talent. Moreover, Ammy doesn't really, actually "fail", she's simply not as successful as Hanna in the end. She still had her moment in the sun, for a talentless hack that's a far cry from failure. And I do mean talentless, even after years of practice her voice still sounds like a broken accordion.

A few positives I noticed
- Kim Ah-joong was actually quite good in the lead and gave a great, funny, varied, and expressive performance. Definitely not cast only because of her looks (ironically).
- Lots of hilarious comedy moments, the morality of them notwithstanding. There's some good fish out of water moments after she gets her surgery, in a "oh you sweet summer child" manner.
- The song "Ave Maria" (actually sang by the lead) is hella, hella catchy

A few negatives
- Script was uneven and by the end nothing makes sense
- Obviously, the epic mixed messaging
- The fat jokes are really, really unfunny
- The fat suit looked like shit
- Too much melodrama
- Main romance sucked

On the subject of the main romance, how can she have a crush on the guy even after she hears him say he's only using her because she sings well and that they have to tolerate her? He literally says that, she hears him say it, and yet she still has a huge crush on him as if nothing happened? Wow. When that happened I thought "oh so she's going to fall for some other guy when she's pretty right?" Love triangle or something? Nope. I guess then that she pursues him only because he's good-looking? I can live with that, it would further reinforce the overall irony of this movie. No matter what he does for her at the end, he's still a prick who was using her when she was fat and only came around because she's hot now.

And finally, in the most insane of ironies (add it to the pile), as if this movie's conflicted messaging couldn't get any more blurred, lead actress and singer Kim Ah-joong has had multiple, expensive plastic surgery done on herself. I'm not judging her for it, but it's so ironic in the context of this movie… You can't write this shit up! Or apparently you can?

Recommended because it's just a fascinating watch.

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Romantic Demolition

Well that was a rollercoaster.

So first of all this movie certifies without a doubt that Jun Ji-hyun's hair is gorgeous and has virtually no equal. It has to be seen to be believed.

As for the story, well it would be hard to pinpoint the genre exactly. It seems to me like this movie tries to balance many different tones, tones that would make the sum of it something resembling a Romance/Drama/Comedy/Action movie (in order of importance according to yours truly).

And I loved that about it. It's not afraid to drastically change tone, and it does so to great effect. The movie does veer into excessive melodrama at one point but apart from that, it's wonderfully executed and the drama packs a wallop. Killer score. The central relationship works really well too.

Needless to say that Jun Ji-hyun knocks it out of the park as is tradition.

Credits to Tim on letterboxd for this expression, but it's indeed a worthy addition to the "Romantic Demolition" genre. Some whiplash to be expected.

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What kind of future was I dreaming of?

Director Koreeda Hirokazu challenges three generations of the same family to live in the moment regardless of where they thought they would be or where they want to be in life in After the Storm. A typhoon draws the family members together and forces them to face the illusions they've created and the things they've given up.

Shinoda Ryota (Abe Hiroshi) is the divorced son spiraling down the drain. Only valuing his family after losing them, he works at a detective agency to spy on them. Early success as a writer has now crippled his creative desire and confidence leading him to spend too much time at the racetrack which leads him to sponging off of others.

Shinoda Yoshiko (Kiki Kirin) is the recently widowed mother who instead of mourning is feeling freed from her former convention, even taking a classical music class. This gentle matriarch is the touchstone for truth who connects the characters.

During Typhoon 24, Ryota, his mother, his son, and his ex-wife Kyoko are stuck in Yoshiko's small apartment. During this time excuses and damaging filters are slowly washed away. Yoshiko pointedly talks with her son, "I wonder why it is men can't love the present. Either they keep chasing whatever it is they lost. Or they keep dreaming beyond their reach." Ryota has been hanging on to his ex-wife and the family life he thought he had but never lived, his father's legacy of disappointment, and his writing. He's always looking for the next big deal whether through gambling or some other illicit way instead of working consistently and facing his fears. For his mother life is simple, it is to be lived and enjoyed wherever you are. Ryota begins to shake off the past and realize a relationship with his son is worth fighting for in the present.

Abe Hiroshi had the difficult job of making Ryota at least somewhat sympathetic, not an easy thing to do for a character who is always looking to others for money. Kiki Kirin was the revelation in this film as she gave a splendid performance as the mother who loves her imperfect children, always hoped to be out of the apartment complex she's lived in for 40 years and tries to help her family find their place in the world with the time she has left. Of all the performances, hers is the one I'll remember and the one which touched my heart.

After the Storm is a slow-paced look at characters, especially Ryota as he glacially evolves from the wretched self-centered man who only wants what he can't have to someone who catches a glimmer of what can be. He could be frustrating to watch as he chose the easy way out at a cost to others. Yoshiko's compassion and honesty helped to balance out the emotional weights of the film.

For all of the adults, life hasn't turned out the way they planned. Life rarely does. But wherever we are that is where life is and we are called to live it in the present moment. Ryota finally states, "I haven't become what I want to be---yet." While there is time there is opportunity to become who and what we yearn to be. "So long to myself from yesterday."


10/12/22

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This one freaking hurts!

I didn’t know much about this movie (nor did I want to know) before starting, so I was very very confused initially and really didn’t think I was going to like it. I ended up crying so hard that it gave me an absolute monster of a headache later in the day. This movie is absolutely incredible, and I think it should be watched without much context in order to make the twists and turns more surprising and make the movie an overall more enjoyable ride. I 100% absolutely recommend this, and I can never say this enough. I genuinely don’t have any words to describe how much of a mess this movie left me in (in a wonderful but very sad way ahah)

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Like watching through a window

My one and only problem with this film: I don't feel like I know the characters.

The premise is great. And it was portrayed very realistically. Nothing feels overdone or excessive. I can easily see why this film has been used in classrooms as social commentary material. And there are small details that made for a compelling story that is quite memorable. But I don't feel like I know who the characters are. I don't know their motivations. I don't know the source of their concerns. Instead, we see the plot unfolding - but without access to the "whys" and even a couple "whats."

But when all is said and done, many details were mastered. And I found myself going back to watch all of the characters' reactions. Of course, part of this might have been because of the lack of character focus, but the fact that there were details there that appeared to have meaning upon a rewatch, as well as the remaining urge to do so upon completing the film in the first place, is worth some credit.

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