50 First Dates without the comedy

Silent Rain was like 50 First Dates but without the comedy. Yukisuke and Koyomi found each other and then found themselves in a life neither could have ever imagined. The film showed the everyday moments that build a relationship, it also showed how lack of communication and not taking pre-emptive action could cause emotional hardships.

Yukisuke visits Koyomi's taiyaki stall each day as much to catch a glimpse of her as to enjoy the tasty treat. When Yukisuke helps her deal with a drunk customer a barrier is broken and the two gradually become closer. Fate is not that kind in a Japanese romance and after spending a strange evening together stalking a customer, Koyomi is injured on the way home. After two weeks in a coma, she awakens with all of her long-term memories intact though her short-term memory is damaged. Each day the previous day is wiped clean from her memory. Apparently having no family and friends to help her, the mother visits while she is in a coma and leaves, Yukisuke invites Koyomi to live with him. Every morning they share the same routine. "Is this your home?...It stopped raining." "It's a long story, but can you listen?"

Koyomi doesn't seem to be too rattled by the news upon waking and carries on as usual. She goes back to working in the stall and the two become closer. But as the days continue on and she has no memory of what they did or shared together the day before, it begins to wear on Yukisuke.

I enjoyed the slice of life element to this film and the slow buildup of the relationship. However, it could be frustrating watching two people with inadequate communication skills try to handle this new development in Koyomi's life. Both were emotionally closed off with others. Yukisuke refused to acknowledge to co-workers that he had a girlfriend much less share her short-term memory issues. Koyomi lived a solitary life as well.

Along with their social ineptness, they never brainstormed to see what they could do to ease Koyomi into the day and give her access to what happened the previous day since her brain could no longer grant her that information. Why was there no therapy to help her adapt to her new situation? Why didn't they use journals or her phone or computer to record what she needed to know to ease her into the new world each day? She'd made a few sticky notes but didn't seem to read them and some were in ridiculously obscure hiding places. Neither knew anything about the other, but at least they could have worked toward written shared memories. This lack of communication and understanding left the characters feeling flat.

Silent Rain was a languid walk through the daily lives of two awkward, kind people dealt a life altering blow. As often happens, it was the mundane daily events and interactions that slowly drew them together. Their behavior could be perplexing after Koyomi's accident, as they never felt pressured to find answers or change their lives in any meaningful way even when it could have made things easier for both of them. Perhaps neither was ready to come to terms with their new reality. It would take a series of cathartic events for these two loveable and socially inept people to find their way out of the rain.



8/31/23

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"The time to decide was looming"

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs showcased Takamine Hideko's acting range as Yashiro Keiko, a bar hostess who had come to a crossroads in her life. Elegant with a backbone of steel, Keiko struggled endlessly to do the right thing when doing the morally gray thing could deliver her dream of buying her own bar far quicker. Director Naruse never took it easy on his characters and Keiko was no exception, watching her courageously face setbacks with a concentrated determination was highly compelling.

"I hated climbing those stairs more than anything."

Keiko worked upstairs in a bar that catered to businessman entertaining their clients. The men liked having a pretty woman or two around as they made their deals. Because she was a widow in her 30's the younger hostesses and even the patrons called her Mama. Keiko and the bar manager (charismatic Nakadai Tatsuya) also dealt with the business side of collecting from the companies and businessmen who owed on their tabs. Keiko hated her job, but needed the money as she also provided for her mother and adult brother and young nephew. She had three choices to better her life—get married, buy her own bar, or find a patron to help supplement her lifestyle. At her age, she didn't think the first one was a possibility. Buying a bar required more cash than she had. The third one was a form a prostitution she wasn't ready to submit to.

"The best go by cab, the second-rate take the train, and the worst go off with their customers."

One of the younger women had left and started her own bar, but she found herself swimming in debt with creditors hounding her every move. Another hostess married and moved away. A third young woman had no problem exchanging sex for money. Wealthy customer Goda offered Keiko the capital to start a bar if she would be his mistress. A likeable customer proposed to Keiko and for a moment she was happy until she realized he had not been truthful with her. The man she had fallen in love with was also living a double-life. Every time it looked like she might have found happiness or an answer to her problems, fate was waiting around the corner to trample her. Despite always seeking to do the right thing she was seldom rewarded for it. This was Naruse, not Ozu, so not surprisingly the characters fought to survive and make a living, let alone find love. He preferred a more pessimistic worldview where obstacles confronted or crushed his characters at every opportunity. Whether it was more realistic is up for debate, but the conflicts and character growth did make for an entertaining film.

"Women working in the Ginza fought desperately for survival…it was a battle she couldn't afford to lose."

Keiko strove to get ahead financially only to have her family continually siphoning off her savings. She didn't enjoy drinking but did so to make money. She despised drunks pawing at her, but she tolerated them to make money. What she wasn't willing to do was to sell herself. During one particularly poignant moment near the end of the film, she revealed her character's strength and resolve in a captivating way that left her integrity intact.

"There are limits, even in business."

Beautiful Takamine Hideko brought an elegant grace and strength to Keiko. I thought she did a wonderful job of conveying a wide gamut of emotions, subtly and effectively. When she emoted more forcefully with anger or sorrow, it was believable and organic to the scenes. Mama was a complex character who wasn't perfect, she made mistakes but she also took care of the people around her. She knew when to draw the line with problematic behavior and when to walk away. She didn't rail at the patriarchal society that limited her options or the widening division of the classes. Keiko took her blows, dusted off her kimono, got back up and kept moving forward even when life refused to offer her something better. As the people around her encouraged her to loosen her grip on her integrity, Keiko stayed true to who she was. After weathering numerous personal storms and losses she refused to buckle. Whether it was acceptance or resignation, she continued to walk up the stairs she dreaded, paste on a fake welcoming smile, and somewhere deep inside hope that her efforts would grant her the future she dreamed of someday.

"…the trees that line the streets can sprout new buds no matter how cold the wind. I too must be just as strong as the winds that gust around me."

8/1/23

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"Sis, daringly keep going ahead"

Red Sorghum was the film that launched Zhang Yi Mou's and Gong Li's careers. For his directorial debut, Zhang's movie won many awards including the Berlin IFF's Golden Bear Award for Best Picture. Saturated in deep colors and textures and accompanied by music that fit every scene perfectly, this 1987 film showed what the world was in for with his mesmerizing style of moviemaking.

A radiant 22-year-old Gong Li played Jui/Grandma, a bride being carried along in a palanquin to be married to a 50-year-old man with leprosy. Jiang Wen as Yu/Grandpa was the expert carrier. The men sang a bawdy song of her fate as a young "ugly" bride marrying an old leper. As she bounced up and down in the small litter you could feel her nausea growing. When they reached the wild red sorghum fields a bandit attacks the group, but the men are not so meek as to let him take the bride into the fields. After the wedding she is allowed to return home with a donkey as a wedding gift/payment to her father. Along the way she is once again set upon, this time alone, and Jui runs frantically through the wind driven sorghum chased by her assailant. The masked man turns out to be Yu. He stomps the sorghum down into a verdant bed with all the gentleness of a wild beast. It was difficult to tell whether Jui initially gave her consent, I hope so, because afterwards, she fell in love with Yu. On her return to her legal husband, she's told he was murdered by an unknown killer. The workers prepare to leave but she convinces them to stay in a profit-sharing business. A drunken Yu shows up and she kicks him out. She's kidnapped for ransom by other bandits. After her return, Yu pees into the wine crocks as if marking his territory and carries her off like a sack of potatoes. Instead of ruining the drink, it is now transformed into an exquisite elixir and business booms.

Yu was often portrayed as a primitive male, dirty and brash, and Jui rarely called him on it. Thank goodness, Zhang displayed a more favorable view of women in future films. It was also a credit to Jiang's performance that Yu was considered even somewhat likeable. With the exception of her relationship with Yu, Jui came across as a competent and independent woman.

Jui gives birth to Yu's son and all seems well. It's a magical winery where anything can happen. Life is often lusty and humor filled. Then the movie switches from How I Met Your Mother to The Deer Hunter. The Japanese invade the peaceful village and one of the villagers is flayed. The film ends in a blood bath, as if everyone had gone swimming in a vat of the red sorghum drink under an eclipse. ***

I am a big fan of Zhang Yi Mou's style. His movies are luscious to drink in, the lighting, sets, costumes, and props are all feasts for the eyes and this one was no exception. I would really like to have a set of the drinking pottery, they were beautiful. Few people can capitalize on scenery as he does, color-soaked fields and skies were suitable for framing. A young Gong Li already exuded the power and sensuousness of a grown woman. Her character took over the winery, mothered a child, and called men to battle quite believably. With a running time under 90 minutes, the characters were not well developed, we know little about them except what we see on the screen. Gong Li's and Jiang Wen's exceptional performances helped me to overlook some narrative issues. The change in mood was abrupt and jarring when the shocking violence erupted, I suppose much like in real life when horror and tragedy hit out of the blue.


Red Sorghum showed the fierce tenacity of the rural people in northern China as they faced a variety of adversities and most times were able to create victory and song out of difficult situations. The film was imperfect, but very much worth the effort to experience the premiere stunning collaboration of Zhang Yi Mou and Gong Li, one of the best partnerships in filmdom.

6/30/23



*** A word of warning, there were disturbing scenes. Animals being butchered and skinned were shown up close as well as the human flaying which I could not watch. There were two urination scenes as well. And depending on how you interpret it, a possible rape.

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Bride for Rent drags out a number of tropes and scatters them about the drama. If you don’t look too deeply it’s a sweet romcom. Dig a little deeper and it unearths one of the more dangerous romantic tropes.

Rocco is turning 25 and under the impression he will receive his trust from his grandmother. He’s a jerk to the women he dates and dictatorial to his buddies whom he has gone into business with. Grandma has been watching and throws a marriage clause into the trust. Regardless of the money he will come into none of his ex-girlfriends will marry him because of the way he had treated them. Along comes impoverished actress Rocky and he hires her to pretend to be married to him.

There’s a reason Rocky doesn’t make much money acting, she’s simply not very good. I’m not sure if that was in the script or a flaw on the real actress’ part. Grandma insists on a church wedding and Rocky balks. Grandma takes her aside and tells her it will be a fake church wedding but she needs Rocco to grow up and learn to love and trust again and be kind again and Rocky is just the person to teach him. At this point the forced cohabitation high jinks begin.

I was able to play along with the jerky playboy wanting to put one over on grandma so that he’d get his money. I had a harder time with the concept of a man being completely changed by a woman. Too many women believe that tired trope and have butted their bloody head against a wall trying to make an unkind man kind.

Most of the cast were capable enough actors with the exception of the female lead. When she was calm she was a pleasure to watch. Too often she came across like she’d had too much coffee with too much sugar and artificial colors.

As long as you don’t fall like Rocky did for the “you can fix a jerky playboy” trope and can look over her overly enthusiastic performance it’s almost watchable. Even the actor who played Rocco looked liked he would rather be somewhere else on several occasions.

12/8/22

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Misfortune makes or breaks you

Misfortune makes or breaks you, depending on the choices you make. Kurosawa takes on postwar Japan's class divide and poverty and the choices people have to make in the face of destitution. Mifune Toshiro and Shimura Takashi star in one of the first buddy cop movies of all time. Mifune as the beleaguered rookie and Shimura as the smooth mentor made a great partnership.

The plot stems from rookie Murakami's service revolver being pickpocketed on a crowded bus. He feels responsible and despondent over its loss. His supervisor refuses to let him give into despair and ultimately teams him up with the experienced Sato. His gun is used in several crimes causing him greater grief as the crimes and violence intensify. This is no brainless, violent cops and robbers film. Kurosawa gives the faceless villain, Yusa, humanity even with the bad things he's done through the witness of other characters. The problems of rampant poverty and crime are highlighted as well as the problems soldiers coming home from the war faced. Murakami and Sato do old fashioned detective work, following the clues and often waiting and being persistent. Kurasawa even has the detectives track a Yakuza at a filled to capacity baseball game where they have to put the welfare of the crowd over their own goals.

I hesitate to write too much about the story after trying and ending up with three pages which hit my editing floor. This was a beautifully made film with amazing framing and compositions. Kurosawa wasn't afraid to linger over shots, especially when they were gloriously put together. Nakai Asakazu did a stunning job with the cinematography. The lighting was especially complex in many shots. There was masterful work going on with this film.

Tokyo was in the middle of not only a crime wave but also a heat wave and you could almost feel the sweat streaming down the characters' backs. As the film nears the culmination the clouds darken and the torrential rain that breaks through also symbolizes the unleashing of the greatest brutality the characters would face as they finally come upon their quarry.

At one point in the movie, Sato and Murakami have a deep conversation at Sato's house. Sato sees Yusa as simply a bad guy who must be caught. Murakami sees himself in Yusa. They both came home from the war only to have their knapsacks stolen on a train. Yusa chose to become bitter and turn to crime, Murakami chose to work on the problem by becoming a policeman. “They say there’s no such thing as a ‘bad man,’ only bad situations,” Murakami said. Sato reminds him of all the damaged sheep left in the wolf's path. A peek at Sato's children sleeping reminds the viewer that children represented the future of Japan, pure and vulnerable who would face their own choices. Would they give into materialism and crime or take the more honorable path?

A scene with Yusa's girlfriend, Harumi, and her mother showed the differences in the generations. Her mother dressed in the wartime austere clothes while Harumi dressed in a far more decorative dress. When the reason Yusa needed the gun to begin with comes to light it highlights the great gap between the classes and how a dress in a window could cause deep seated resentment.

Mifune Toshiro gave a performance that reached several octaves. Always a live wire, you could see his energy coiled and unleashed on occasions as he dealt with the anguish of his gun being used in crimes. He was the perfect Kurosawa hero, tortured and honorable. When he finally faces his alter ego with 3 bullets left in the chamber and a vicious fight takes place, leaving us to wonder who is who, we are reminded not only of their similarities but also the differences in the choices they made. Shimura Takashi was the levelheaded mentor who saw through people and picked up on clues while his pupil was wrapped up in his own head and feelings at times. He gave an incredibly cool performance as the mature detective who knew he could often get what he wanted with honey and smooth words.

The only drawback for me was a lengthy 8-minute part of the film when Murakami goes undercover in the black market for a few days trying to find someone to buy a gun from. Honda Ishiro (Godzilla) followed Mifune around with a hidden camera discreetly filming the homeless and people selling and trading in the market. At one time Tokyo had 60,000 black market vendors. Even during the war people had to use them to find food and clothes. Like a bamboo, people would sell layers of clothes and personal items to get what they needed. After the war people were starving, some to death. He also showed some of the burned-out buildings leftover from the bombings. Though people were dependent on the black market to survive it also bred the Yakuza with gangs having their own territories. Kurosawa apparently had a difficult time leaving much of this footage out, but it felt like it would have been more meaningful if he had culled it down. Japan's economic recovery wasn't far away so this was an historical time capsule of how the people had to live which I appreciated being able to see even if I wish he'd edited it more.

I could talk about his film at length but will leave you with this. The film discussed pertinent social dilemmas and existential questions. The acting was skillful and artfully balanced. The frames, lighting, sets, and composition were skillfully done. It could be slow in places, but Kurosawa also knew when to hit the accelerator and when to brake, when to ramp up the tension and when to take a breath. If you are prepared to be patient when the movie slows and lingers, I can easily recommend this gem.

10/7/22

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Love is found on The Road Home

The Road Home tells of a simple love story, one that is simply beautiful and sincere. It is also a look at how the past informs the present and ties those in memory together.

Yusheng is a grown only child returning to the snowy mountain village where he was raised upon receiving the news that his father has died. His mother will not be consoled until he promises to have his father's body returned to the village from the nearest city by foot, a traditional custom enacted so that the dead can find their way home. As he discovers, it will not be easy, for the only people left in the village are too old or too young to be of help. He perseveres for his mother's sake and as he does he reminisces about his parents' love story.

The present is told in black and white, but as the past opens up it was like leaving Kansas and stepping into Oz. Director Zhang saturated each scene in color, making every shot worthy of being framed. Zhang Zi Yi as Di, in her first role, was ethereal as the eighteen-year-old girl, wearing pigtails and a bright red coat. The village was building its first schoolhouse and it was love at first sight when Di laid eyes on the schoolteacher who rambled into town. The small village was Luo's first job, though well educated he hadn't been able to find work until someone brought him into the mountains. On the road Di would walk the extra distance to the well by the schoolhouse just for the chance to hear his voice. On the road she would watch him walk children home and then stealthily follow him on his return until the day she emboldened herself enough to meet him. When Luo had to leave because of a political offense, Di waited for his return on the road.

Little happens, but even a broken bowl or a lost hair clip have meaning. A bowl of dumplings carried by a girl racing through the hills, propelled by young love has more meaning than a thousand sonnets. The villagers with their traditional roles look out for each other. Di and Luo have few words of dialogue but their earnest looks and actions speak volumes. Yusheng's voice over narration is almost like he's reading a book as he recites their story that he and the other villagers know by heart.

Zhang Yi Mou's use of light and color never fail to mesmerize me. He gets the most out of natural scenery whether it is a golden forest or snow covered fields. He also knows when to hone in on his actors and Zhang Zi Yi made it easy for him with her lovely expressive face. There was no doubt his camera loved her face and movement as Di ran through the mountains for a glimpse of Luo. The softly romantic music enhanced the picturesque scenes and gently developing story of true love.

The film revolves around Di, Luo and the cherished schoolhouse, both in the past and in the present. Traditions and customs thought forgotten give meaning to many in the present as Luo is brought back on The Road Home to be laid to rest. Love is both lost and found on The Road Home. Remembrance and family ties are renewed on The Road Home. This film resonated with me as Yusheng came to terms with life away from the village and the importance of the past as he traveled The Road Home. Quietly simple, the path on The Road Home is one worth traveling.


9/21/22

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Sometimes you have to risk all to have a safer and better life

When you open up your mind, you never know where you will meet your Best Friend. Set in the tumultuous 1980's in Korea, this film was very loosely based on real events and presidential candidate and activist Kim Dae Jung.

During a time of martial law, student protests, brutal interrogations and arrests, Lee Ui Sik finds himself and his family under house arrest for being in opposition to the ruling power. As the intelligence chief states, anyone not like himself is a "commie" and "commies" are detained, or deported, or killed. The chief calls upon Dae Kwon, a part-time patriotic helper, to move in next to the Presidential candidate, Lee Ui Sik and his family, who are serving under house imprisonment and surveil them. The goal is to prove Lee is a commie with ties to North Korea and finally rid themselves of him. Through a series of comic adventures, Dae Kwon and Lee meet, even ending up in a bathhouse with Lee's son. Though on opposite sides, both men are lonely and in need of friendship. The more Dae Kwon listens in on the upright Lee and the more he sees how the current government covers up its own dirty work, he slowly begins to change his mind and his ideas.

Like many Korean movies, Best Friend's mood changed on a dime and went from comedy to tragedy, back to comedy and a host of other emotions. Some of it worked and some of it didn't. It could be uneven and even jarring at times, but it was never boring. Veteran actor Kim Byung Chul as Dae Kwon's assistant was the catalyst for many of the laughs. Lee's family played it dramatically straight for much of the movie. Though a few scenes went fully into melodramatic territory, the final act revealed the dangers of attempting to change a corrupt regime.

Jung Woo gave a complex performance having to work both the comedy and melodramatic beats of the film. Dae Kwon not only dealt with spying on his neighbor, but he was also a husband and dad and not a very good one. Through his clandestine observations, Jung Woo shows Dae Kwon's epiphanies as old beliefs and habits make way for new ones. Scandal plagued Oh Dal Soo was fine as the beleaguered candidate having to make decisions even as he faced personal crises and death threats.

I have to give Korea points for being willing to look at difficult times in their history and work through them artistically. Though a fictional work, bordering on fantasy at times, Best Friend did push forth the idea that in order to change society even when it might come at great personal cost, it had to be done for the good of all and future generations.
With the themes of enemies to friendship, sacrifice for the greater good, and personal evolution, Best Friend, if not inspiring, could be funny, entertaining and even heartwarming. Not a perfect film, it was too erratic and sometimes heavy-handed, but one worth trying sometime. (7.75)



8/24/22

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The Monkey King 2 takes place 500 years after the Havoc in Heaven, a sequel to The Monkey King starring Donnie Yen. In this film Aaron Kwok plays the hairy hero to good effect. The Monkey King 2 boasts a strong cast with Feng Shao Feng as a righteous monk and Gong Li as a deadly and deadly alluring demon. The story didn't always serve them well but it was entertaining.

When a bumbling monk accidentally unleashes the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kong is given the task by the goddess of accompanying the monk to a temple and retrieving some holy scriptures. If he accomplishes the task his binding golden crown will be removed. Standing in their way is the White Bone Demon played to perfection by the ethereal Gong Li. She has several creepy demons to help her and if you have a fear of snakes, best to avoid this movie or use the fast forward button in some scenes. Another triggering thing is the death of children and torturing of children, let the viewer beware.

This version of the Monkey King is the most understated I have seen, and to be honest a relief. Some actors take their monkey performance over the top. Maybe all those years trapped in the Five Elements Mountain gave Wu Kong time to reflect. I quite enjoyed Kwok's performance which was emotionally compelling even through the hair and makeup. Sheng's monk could be overly righteous at times but did bring up the ethics of killing even when it meant self-preservation.

The side-kicks weren't fully developed though Pigsy did give some comic relief. And the big blue guy, Sand Demon Sha Wujing got to show his stuff in a battle with a near endless supply of skeleton warriors. As I've stated previously Gong Li made the White Bone Demon a formidable and believably malevolent villainess.

Sammo Hung choreographed the fight scenes and the high flying fighting was right up his alley. This was wire-fu on steroids but also quite fun and visually interesting. When dealing with an array of demons and other supernatural characters in a fantasy film the super-powered fighting made sense.

The sets, costumes, and CGI were all top notch. The final battle was creative and something to behold. The drawbacks for me, were some lulls in the story and an ending scene that put the onus on the Monkey King to kill when throughout the entire movie, the righteous monk had berated him for killing even to save lives. I enjoyed this Monkey King more than most in this genre, even with its flaws it was an entertaining movie.

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The shadow shapes everything. The light illuminates it.

The current synopsis tells the entire story of the special on Katsushika Oi so I won’t go much into the story for this review. I wanted to write something to highlight this interesting special to draw attention to it.

Oi and her famous father, Katsushika Hokusai, are at the center of this special. Though their relationship isn’t delved into very deeply it does show some of the conflict and comradery between them. Two artists obsessed with becoming better, letting everything else fall by the wayside. Along with their artistic disciplines there was a glimpse into their domestic habits. Neither cooked or cleaned, moving when the place became too cluttered.

The more Oi observed the world, the more interested she became in vibrant colors and the play of light and shadow. A fire could give her inspiration for creating new colors to work with. How much of Hokusai’s work she contributed to, especially after his stroke and/or palsy, may never be known, but her work can be seen in some of his. The ten surviving paintings directly attributed to her show a stunning use of color and shadow and also a different perspective than was often displayed at the time. This special attempts to understand her thinking as she worked through her own artistic beliefs and style.

The production values were quite good. The sets, costumes, and music all helped this viewer become emersed in the artists’ world. Miyazaki Aoi gave a wonderful performance as the daughter as consumed with painting as her famous father. Nagatsuka Kyozo’s portrayal of the wild haired artist and father was also quite good. Matsuda Ryuhei gave a nice turn in the supporting role of Keisai Eisen, an artist with whom Oi has a flirtatious friendship. It would have been more interesting for me if they could have gone deeper into what it would have been like for a single woman of advancing years staying unmarried and working as an artist with her father. All in all, as a brief look at Oi’s life and work, I found it educational and entertaining. I thought they did a good job of not making it about the more famous men in her life and giving her own artistic journey the proper attention. Even so, Oi may have been the focus of the film, her story couldn’t be told without her father. Until a light was illuminated on her own significant talent she worked in his shadow. Fortunately, a light did find the colorful storytelling in her own paintings.

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Brucesploitation, sexploitation, this was an abysmal kung fu movie. I can sit through just about any kung fu movie but nearly dropped this 90-minute movie-twice-while watching it.

What drew me to the movie was the cast---Lo Lieh, Nora Miao, Michael Chan, a host of famous kung fu stuntmen, and Bolo even makes a guest appearance! Bruce Le was not playing Bruce Lee, his character's name was Bruce Wong, but he tried to duplicate some of THE Bruce Lee's mannerisms which came across as laughable.

Bruce Wong was trying to find Bruce Lee's secrety secret Kung Fu Finger Book which had been entrusted to his sifu. Lo Lieh, playing the Big Bad Lee Hung, was after it as well. There you go, that's the plot. Bruce Wong's sister and ex-girlfriend were kidnapped three times. Did they get their frequent kidnapping card punched each time? There was gratuitous nudity, one scene had a naked woman being threatened with a snake. Those scenes pandering to fifteen-year-old boys dropped my rating to a 1. I gave it a 1 point bump for Lo Lieh and Bolo.

The fight scenes were actually pretty good, especially the ones Bruce Le wasn't in. Wong's buddy and an Interpol agent spent a great deal of time fighting each other and the baddies as well. The strong bit part players lent to some good fights. The nunchuck work, however, like Le's Bruce Lee mannerisms should have been omitted.

The problem the director and writer had was they didn't know what to do in between fights or how to develop anything that resembled a coherent story. Let's kidnap and threaten the women again! Show some boobs! Let's have a shot of someone walking down the street or down a hallway! How about watching someone drive a car or play cards? How about two people watching television? Should we have them say anything that would be considered plot or character development? What's that?

This might have been a watchable movie if Bruce Le hadn't tried to look like and act like Bruce Lee. All he managed to do was remind me how charismatic the original was. Michael Chan seemed to be channeling his inner Bruce, too. It might have been a watchable movie if the women hadn't been there to be objectified and tormented. They didn't need the women as bait because the "good" guys were always looking for a fight anyway. This movie had a strong kung fu cast, with good fights, and a magic kung fu book, everything a kung fu movie needs. Too bad the filmmakers took the low road into exploitation.

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A remake of Dangerous Liaisons made with an international cast of Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Chinese, Korean, and American actors. If this is the first version of this story you've ever seen, you might be far more impressed than I was.

What I liked about this movie: The cinematography was lush and the scenes were wrapped in golden light and settings. 1930's Shanghai came to life beautifully.

What didn't work for me: Mostly the acting and the reworked story. Cecilia Cheung played the Marquise de Merteuil/Madam Mo Jie Yu role. This is a key role, she was the independent, manipulative, devious mind pulling the strings in business, society, and the bedroom. She should have been the alluring lethal danger in this movie. Unfortunately, instead of displaying the cunning and cruelty at the heart of Jie Yu, Cecilia could only manage a fake smile and a grimace occasionally, bringing almost no nuance to this multi-layered character.

Jang Dong Gun in the Vicomte de Valmont /Xie Yi Fan role was pleasing enough but lacked the sexually sinister side needed as Valmont/Fan slept his way across Shanghai and ultimately tripped himself up by falling in love. Zhang Zi Yi portrayed the Madame de Tourvel/Madam Du Fen Yu role. Her performance was perhaps the most disappointing, and I'm a fan of hers. Somehow, they transformed her into a frumpy woman, a woman who moved and dressed like an elderly little old lady. A reserved character became almost lifeless in her hands, and it was hard to understand how Fan fell so hopelessly in love with her.

The secondary younger characters, integral to the story were given short shrift and much of their important action was done offstage.

Key parts of the original story were cut out or given to other characters. Sometimes a new vision works, this retelling of the tale did not for me. Again, if you've never seen other versions of this, this interpretation may be perfectly serviceable.

Most unsatisfactorily of all, they took the bite, rancor, revenge, and tragedy out of the ending. This cast lured me into watching yet another version of this story, bitterly disappointing me in the end. Jang Dong Gun's charisma did lift an otherwise limp version of this sexual and power games movie, but his performance wasn't enough to save it for me. Instead of Dangerous Liaisons it was more like Irksome Liaisons.

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Dumplings anyone?

The Name is a heartwarming and bittersweet love story built on longings and lies.

Ri Ae offers Cheol Woo a small fortune for him to create 20 paintings and let her sign her name to them for an art exhibit. Living in what amounts to an artistic coffin in the park, Cheol Woo ultimately, if not reluctantly, agrees to being a ghost painter. Of course, not all is what it seems with the two characters.

The Name's plot is quite simplistic, with well used tropes and twists that can be seen from a mile/km away. The characters have some growth, but little depth. Cheol Woo's supposedly ground breaking artistic style peaked quite awhile back in the real world, but I understand they needed art for the displays.

Romantic movies whether comedy or tragedy succeed or fail on the chemistry of the leads, something The Name succeeded with for the most part. Jeon So Min gave a nice but not overly wrought performance as a woman with a complicated relationship with her mother, who was dealing with her own health concerns, and living with unrealized dreams. Choi Jung Won gave a charming turn as the down on his luck but rarely down in his mood artist whose success was just always out of reach. The remaining cast give perfunctory if not inspired performances.

If you are looking for something new and innovative, this is not it, unless you haven't watched many dramas. If you are looking for a comfortable, familiar romance with two likable actors this is just the ticket.

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An old school drama that dealt with AIDS, dementia, redemption, and single parenthood in a thoughtful and compelling manner.

I loved how this drama did not back away from confronting the stigma HIV/AIDS patients face, especially nearly two decades ago. Once the little girl's situation was brought out into the open, the drama used each episode as a teachable moment not just for the characters, but the audience as well. The scope of her disease was narrowed down for drama purposes but I'm glad they showed how people afflicted with AIDS need support and not ostracization.

Seo Shin Ae, as little Bom, won my heart with her performance. She moved from tears, to laughter, to precocious behavior seamlessly. She was a joy to watch.

Jang Hyuk gave a stellar performance as the closed off doctor who found redemption and peace on a small island. A family of misfits washed him as clean as the shore after the waves recede-a single mother, a daughter with AIDS, and a father with dementia in a remote community was not where this ill tempered doctor ever thought he would wind up. Throughout the drama Jang Hyuk allowed us to feel Min Ki Seo's contempt, his sorrow, his compassion, and his reluctant love developing.

The drawback for me was Gong Hyo Jin's performance. Most of the characters grew and changed, all except her Lee Young Shin. Hyo Jin excels at playing self-sacrificing doormats, but aside from a few smiles with Bom, her performance was rather one note. The writers were at fault as well, they never fully developed this matriarch of misfits. Up until the very end of this drama, I never understood her, never saw a glimmer of affection for the man they told us she was falling in love with. Her mumbling, stumbling, head down performance and frozen expression took away from the emotional depth of this drama. It was hard to hope for a relationship to develop between Min Ki Seo and this woman who could not crack her heart open long enough to share a part of herself with him.

I enjoyed this drama overall and would have loved it more if the writers and actress had let us watch Lee Young Shin grow and blossom, learn to stand up for herself and her daughter, and bask in the love of the imperfect but dedicated man who fought to stand beside her. As it was, I found Min's and Bom's First Guardian Angel and Angel friendship much more heartwarming and engaging.

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Michelle Yeoh was the star and hero of this movie, let there be no doubt. Everyone else was along for the ride. And what a fun, fast paced, romantic ride it was!

Michelle Yeoh was amazing as the young woman, Wing Chun, who had escaped a forced marriage and gone to study martial arts for years. Upon returning home and setting up a tofu shop she was often the wall between the townspeople and roving bandits. Michelle did nearly all of her own stunt work and truly shone brightly in this role.

Donnie Yen played Leung Pok To, Wing Chun’s childhood friend, who had returned after several years away to ask for her hand in marriage. He didn’t recognize her as she was dressed as a man and mistakenly thought the pretty young widow who worked in Wing’s tofu shop was her. Suitors competed for the women and there was some good-natured bed hopping. There was a love triangle, or maybe square, on second thought it might have been a love heptagon.

Donnie was as cute as a puppy in his role as Wing Chun’s would-be suitor. Leung was skilled in martial arts but not as accomplished as his childhood love. Norman Chu seemed to have a good time playing the Bandit King, he made a brash and comical villain. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to beat Wing Chun or marry her. The side characters were interesting and distinguishable--the money counting and intimidating sister who had eyes on a scholar, the scholar who was torn between Wing Chun and the young widow, the young widow who was in need of a man’s, uh, services, and a bandit who wanted the widow as his wife--all helped fill out the story in a meaningful way.

I liked this movie because unlike a lot of kung fu movies the romances weren’t tacked on and were relevant to the plot. These were all people trying to earn their happily ever afters in between kung fu fights, of course.

Yuen Woo Ping outdid himself with the creative fights, one particularly clever fight between Wing Chun, a hired fighter, and a plate of tofu was ingenious. There were no deaths or blood-soaked bodies, just lots of high wire, good old-fashioned fights with people who knew what they were doing. The action was fast, stunningly choreographed, and well-acted at the same time. Though some parts of the fights were unrealistic, who cares when they were so entertaining.

Importantly, they stuck the landing. I loved the final fight between Wing Chun and the Bandit King. I’ve never seen fight scenes quite like the ones shot for this film. The culmination of it was perfect. They also made me laugh. This film made me laugh several times and I rarely if ever laugh at “funny” kung fu movies. This was not a perfect film and some parts of it were dated. Regardless of its flaws, I enjoyed it.

Michelle and Donnie are two of my favorite actors and this film was a dream team for me complete with romance and spectacular fights. If you enjoy kung fu movies, this one is well worth seeking out.

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When it comes to movies about historical figures I tend to take them with a grain of salt, sometimes a whole bag. I'm neither familiar with Xuan Zang's life nor am I a scholar of Buddhism or this time period so this review is based sheerly on my enjoyment of this film as a work of art. Though I am sure there are discrepancies as with most historical films I have no quarrel with the filmmakers for at least the major characters were dealt with respectfully. I've also neither read the novel nor seen the movie Journey to the West which are based on Xuan's life.

Xuan Zang set out for India, when it was forbidden to leave the country, in order to bring copies of more accurate Buddhist scriptures home. Reason, laws, and the threat of death could not deter him from his holy quest.

The cinematography was extraordinary and a treat for the eyes as Xuan traveled through both cities and desert wilderness, often alone. Varying from lush green to desolate sand and stone, and later snow capped mountains, the scenery was breath-taking. Ancient ruins, temples, and shrines are visited. Often the scenery showed him barely visible, a tiny monk making his way through a vast and sacred world. The music fit with the mood perfectly.

This is a slow, reflective film as Xuan's faith meets up against disappointment and hardship. Living in a time when I can find information with the push of a button, I'm in awe of someone who was willing to risk death, imprisonment, starvation, and thirst to increase his knowledge and faith and then the overwhelming desire to bring it back home again to share. His journey took between 16 and 19 years depending on the source and he covered over 25,000 km (15,534 miles). This film gives a glimpse of what he accomplished, the people he met, the effect he had on others, and the joy the scriptures brought to him. There are a couple of narrative hiccoughs when an inexplicable time and place jump occur, but that's a rarity, and a small quibble. The censor's heavy hand causes a few shadows as well. For the most part this is a film to soothe the eyes, ears, and soul. Every moment and person is treated as holy and a gift. It may be the idealized version of his life but it was a pleasure to sink into it and let the beauty of the colors and notes and love for all life wash over me.

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