The Butterfly

"Success always comes with a price in suffering"

In Uegetsu, Mizoguchi wove a strange tale of hubris out of fantasy and realism loosely based on Ueda Akinari's stories. The acting and story telling were well done as Mizoguchi explored militarism and the price women paid for it. At least I hope that was the message.

Spoilers Below:
The story opens with two couples-Genjuro and Miyagi and Tobei and Ohama. Genjuro decides to take his pottery to a larger town to sell with war on their doorstep, hoping to make a tidy profit. Tobei has dreams of grandeur as a samurai even though he doesn’t have enough money for a weapon or armor and heads to town with Genjuro. After Genjuro succeeds, he decides to make more pottery for a grander profit against Miyagi's advice. She wants them to be together happily and with soldiers headed their way they need to be prepared to flee. Genjuro ignores her and with Tobei, who was rejected by the samurais, works feverishly to fill his kiln. The soldiers arrive pillaging and enslaving, but the four manage to escape. Afterwards they rescue the pottery and take it to sell. Tobei uses his share to outfit himself and join the army. Genjuro is seduced by Lady Wakasa who says she will help him to make more money if he will marry her. He falls under her spell and forgets all about his wife and son. Ohama is captured by soldiers on the way home and gang raped. Miyagi is killed by ravaging soldiers for the meager amount of food she is carrying for her son. The husbands go about their lives enthralled with their circumstances, scarcely giving a thought to their wives caught up in the chaos of war.

Despite the negative ramifications shown of militarism and the effects it had on women, throughout the film I found the husbands reprehensible. Driven by ambition, lust, or a need for power, they hardly suffered. Yes, there was humor interspersed but the wives were not given the chance to laugh. After finally coming to their senses, Genjuro and Tobei both learned that home is where peace lies, coming full circle from the start.

Ohama's story was resolved too neatly for a woman who had been repeatedly "dishonored," not suffering the fate of so many comfort women from the previous war. I've read that Mizoguchi wanted a different ending, more in line with real life where she would have been shunned and Tobei would have stepped over her to grow his military power. Even with this "happy ending", had she been a real woman and not a man's version of a woman, she most likely would have suffered greatly from her painful and humiliating experiences and not immediately bounced back.

Death could not dim Miyagi's loyalty to her family. She who had been utterly abandoned by her husband continued to be caring toward him, looking out for him and her child by reuniting them. Miyagi who was forever separated from her child and husband due to his ambitious and lustful needs was never allowed to share the peaceful home fires she so lovingly stoked. Finally, Lady Wakasa could not be seen as a villain. She had been murdered along with her family by men bent on more power, and was only seeking the love she never lived to have.

The fantasy elements were well done and the film was well crafted. All of the performers conveyed their characters perfectly. The various soldiers and armies were routinely shown as out of control and often dishonorable---a scathing rebuke of militarism. This is one of those films that is considered a classic and one of Mizoguchi's best. While skillfully woven together, I could not get past the price of the husbands' hubris being paid by the women and why the dutiful wives were the ones who were destined to suffer for the men's misdeeds. How long Genjuro might have been haunted remained to be seen.

So even though the story taught a lesson to the husbands about ambition, and ultimately brought about the fulfillment of peace and harmony for those who remained, it came at a cost, a cost the women paid with their blood. Their selfish husbands finally did what was right for those who survived, but only after blowing everything up to begin with. Whether or not this was what Mizoguchi envisioned, as a woman it was a bitter pill to swallow.

8/15/23

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Character driven with a melancholy atmosphere

Step back to a place in time with video arcades, skating rinks, phone booths, pagers, and no cell phones. Teens have been rebelling since the dawn of time and these teens were trapped in the cement jungle of Taipei with only the detached neon god spreading harsh artificial light over the packed, dreary streets. Welcome to the Rebels of the Neon God.

The film follows the lives primarily of Hsiao and Ah Tze. Hsiao is a teenager failing at his college cram school and completely disinterested in studying. He lives with his parents in a small, but comfortable apartment. His mom is convinced that he is the reincarnation of the god Nezha, explaining the emotional distance between father and son. Tze is a petty crook who with his buddy, Ping, steals change from phone booths and vending machines to use at the arcade. Hsiao's father is a taxi driver whose side-view mirror is broken when Tze smashes it in an act of rebellious aggression, an act that will come back to haunt him in more than one way.

Tze lives with his brother in a filthy apartment with a backed-up kitchen drain that constantly floods the place. He sleeps on a cot above the moat, flicking cigarette butts into the swill. He begins a relationship with Kuei, his older brother's one night stand. She works in a skating rink and for the phone "dating" service but is as aimless as Tze and Ping. When Hsiao withdraws from the college prep class and pockets the money, fate brings him across the path of Tze. He stalks Tze with the adeptness of a serial killer, watching as he and Ping steal the motherboards from the arcade's games. Hsiao's father locks him out of the house for taking the refund money and disappearing. With nowhere else to go, Hsiao returns to the hotel to rent a room where Tze and Kuei are spending the night. Obscured by the falling rain he takes the opportunity to have a little revenge for the road rage incident by vandalizing Tze's motorbike and spray painting that Nezha was there next to it. For nearly the entire movie Hsiao is emotionless and speaks no more than 10 words, but when he sees Tze's frustration over his destroyed bike he literally dances with joy. When the mother board deal goes south, the petty crooks end up escaping in the cab with Hsiao's dad which triggers reactions in both Tze and the father with feelings of guilt for both men.

None of the youth had anything to look forward to and sought to find pleasure in the moment, whether it was games, smoking, sex, or impaling a cockroach on a desk. Hsiao was an isolated boy with anger seething below his benign face, unable to measure up to what his parents wanted from him. Whether he went home again or remained on the streets was never answered, although his father left the door cracked open for him. Hsiao's parents worshipped the old gods, he and the others answered to the cold god of the streets. Tze was always restless whether pulling small jobs, hanging out with his friends, or smoking like an inmate marking time in his apartment. Ping and Kuei were largely side characters, the loyal buddy and the girl Tze had sex with, but struggled to commit to. Despite their gritty exteriors, Tze and Ping weren't hardened criminals, they simply had nowhere to go and no better tomorrow to look forward to.

The area of Taipei where the movie was filmed came across as dirty and deteriorating though there were signs of new construction. Rain fell almost constantly, making the urban setting more claustrophobic. Aside from Tze's dilapidated apartment, two seedy hotels were used as sets, complete with porn on the small televisions. The streets, school room, and arcades were packed with people, people who were side by side but not communicating. Phone "dating" was shown several times, so even the normal act of meeting someone was difficult to do.

These young people were alienated from the general society, living somewhere on the edge without a safety net below them, desperately searching for belonging. Despite the oppressive atmosphere, there was a glimmer of hope. Each person who watches the film will likely come away with a different interpretation based on age and walk of life. I saw young people who felt trapped, rebelling against the suffocating box they'd been put into. They were all longing for love and acceptance and something that would help propel them to a brighter future but with no idea how to get there.

8/9/23

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"I'm a drifter, the man from Tokyo"

If you want a good example of a highly stylized film, Tokyo Drifter fits the bill. With its vibrant Crayon coloring, stagey architecture, and jazzy theme song sung and whistled by various characters throughout the film, it's more of a hypnotic experience than yakuza story.

When Tetsu and his boss Kurata attempt to go straight, the Otsuka gang works to bring them down by ruining a real estate deal Kurata is orchestrating. Three murders later, Tetsu is forced to go on the run or drift until the heat is off. Otsuka's hitman "The Viper" is always close on his tail. Tetsu evades him across Japan with the help of "Shootin' Star," another drifter who warns him that Kurata may betray him. One character observes, "It's hard to handle a man like that once he gets good and mad." Director Suzuki rewarded the audience with Tetsu finally becoming the hurricane he was renowned for being. The film ends predictably in Tokyo for predictable reasons, but the trip there made the ride worthwhile.

Suzuki edited the film in such a way that there were times I wasn't sure what happened. He could make it challenging to keep up, especially in the snowy battles in northern Japan or during a dreamlike fight on a snowy train track. You never knew what to expect, there was even a bar room brawl, of course in a Western bar because no one brawls like Brits and Americans. Though the film supplied plenty of fist fights, gun fights, even sword fights, none of the fights were particularly convincing. The final scene was orchestrated like models doing a shoot, color coordinated with the set's architectural pieces. The gun fight more a dance than a struggle for survival.

Aside from the use of vibrant colors, the lighting could be surreal and contrary to the rules of nature. The sets may have been stylish but also appeared flimsy, especially when someone bumped into a wall causing it to shake. There were gorgeous travelogue shots of Japan as Tetsu drifted through them. But it always came back to the bright neon lights of the seedy side of Tokyo. The film felt quintessentially 1960's in manic mood and color.

While the film could bounce around-the betrayals, alliances, and creative storytelling never let the momentum slow down. Tokyo Drifter is a surreal yakuza experience, but one that is worthwhile if you like arthouse films or those films a little on the vividly strange side.

8/8/23

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Learning to let the music pour out of you

Tale of a Raindrop is a coming of age story about Michiru, a young woman who is on the cusp of graduating from college, and who must confront ghosts from the past and challenges from the present in order to let the music within her pour out.

The movie opens with Michiru stating like a mantra:
"A lot has happened in the past few days. My best friend passed away. A man told me he loves me. I met my sister that I had never met before, and she is gone. And now I'm standing by a snowing beach. I came here to meet my father. I'm going to graduate college next month, and I will start working for a broadcast company. This is the story of my youth."

Chapter 1: Like Music Pouring Out from the World
Michiru was raised by a single mother, never knowing her father. One day she received a letter from an unknown younger sister. Sayuri had also been abandoned by him. She told of things their father liked, especially a book titled "Snowflake". It was a story of a snowflake who fell in love with a raindrop, but when it begat another raindrop the snowflake dissipated. At the theater where she worked a strange young man who loved silent movies mumbled nervously that he loved her. The mumbler took her to a concert in the park which entailed a friend who played the violin. Michiru watched in amazement as the mumbler and violinist danced to the music in their own joyful world.

Chapter 2: Like Music Pouring Out of Her
Michiru finally met up with her sister Sayuri, a high schooler who had turned to prostitution to earn money for herself and to support her older boyfriend's drug habit. The two sisters lived together, seemingly happy for a while, but Sayuri was bitterly disappointed to find that despite sharing an absentee father, Michiru wasn't miserable and hadn't been forced to live as harsh a life as she had. Before she left, Sayuri gave Michiru a letter from their father's old friend. Though Sayuri rejected her older sister, a special gift set her free to dance to her own music.

In anticipation that he would lead to her father, Michiru tracked down the old friend who turned out to be her age. Through him she discovered the lonely and sad life her father had lived. Afterward, as she walked along the snowy beach we returned to where the movie began with her stating her mantra over and over. The music grew louder as Michiru made peace with the past-the losses, the grief, guilt, anger, pain, and betrayals and found the music within. She realized who she was and that person was not reliant on who her father had been. As she began her new life, like the blooming cherry blossoms, she emerged from her dormancy, forgiving and refusing to carry the baggage of the past.

Chapter 3: Like Music Pouring Out from Me
"The world silently crawled inside me. I cannot stay here any longer…I will never stop dancing under the rainbow."

Tale of a Raindrop was an almost whimsical look at a young woman beginning new chapters of discovery in her life and coming to terms with losses along the way. Through her relationships, she learned how people were able to find the music in themselves in order to dance joyfully. There were times it fell into overly precious territory, almost pretentiousness, but then righted itself, as Michiru confronted the past and present. Rainbows cannot form without raindrops, and Michiru found her place in the world as a beautiful raindrop.

8/7/23

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Shaolin vs Ninja!

Duel to the Death was short on plot but delivered with high flying action! Two men met to fight for personal and national honor and pride. More than that it had ninjas-exploding ninjas, invisible ninjas, even naked ninjas. Tony Ching Siu Tung pulled out all the stops for the fight choreography.

Ching Wan leaves the Shaolin temple to participate in a fabled duel. Hashimoto, his opponent, is sent by the Shogun to defeat him in order to honor the country. Kenji, unknown to Hashimoto, is also ordered to go to China with numerous ninjas to "help" Hashimoto win and steal kung fu secrets from the temple. Song Lam, a cross-dressing swordswoman, crosses paths with both of them before revealing that she belongs to the school where the underground arena holds the fights. Surprisingly, both male leads were not fooled by her disguise! The ninjas also kidnap China's greatest fighters to take back to Japan to force them to disclose their kung fu secrets.

The plot and the acting were simple. Where this movie excelled was in the fight choreography and ninja action. The film was quite dark with numerous gruesome deaths and dismemberments. What made this one a winner for me were the ninjas, many of their scenes were hilarious, though I don't think they were intended to be. A giant ninja divided into five ninjas-even a naked one, they hid in the sand, concealed themselves on ceilings and in trees, disappeared, and literally exploded. My favorite scene had ninja kites! When Eddy Ko's character met his demise, I laughed hysterically. The sword action was fast and aided by serious kung fu and ninja flight. I don't think I've ever seen as much wire-fu and prolonged aerial action in an older martial arts movie, especially one that wasn’t a fantasy.

Norman Chu played a mostly respectable samurai who was taught to win at all costs. His was the strongest performance of the lot. Damian Lau as the more thoughtful Shaolin fighter, was sadly lacking in screen charisma. I almost didn't recognize Eddie Ko behind his thick black beard. Speaking of beards, the wigs and beards were among some of the worst I've ever seen---comically bad. The costumes and sets, on the other hand, were quite lovely. A couple of telephone poles and more modern roads weren't camouflaged very well though it did look like they tried with leaves and sand. Overall, the cinematography, scenery, and music were of a higher quality than what you would expect from this era and genre.

Duel to the Death raced along at a fast pace. Whenever there was a quiet moment, a ninja was sure to pop out of the sand or even thin air to liven the place up. For fans of old kung fu movies, this is definitely one to seek out. Whether you watch it in all earnestness or like me, as laugh therapy, you're sure to find at least parts of it entertaining. It's worth it for the ninja kites alone.

8/5/23

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"Don't avoid the truth!"

The Tale of the Bookworm is a drama special book lovers can appreciate. In a little over one hour, it covered as much story ground as most dramas cover in 16 bloated episodes. The only copy of Heo Gyun's book "The Tale of Hong Gildong" aka "The Biography of Hong Gildong" has been stolen and an awkward bookworm must use what he's learned from reading to solve the case. The drama incorporates the usual political intrigue, a loyal bookpig, a hint of romance, a bromance, self-sacrifice, a bookwolf, and the determined bookworm who is willing to risk his life to find the missing treasure.

Low born bookworm Jang Suh Wan is accused of a murder that occurred at the same time as the theft of Heo's book where Jang regularly "borrows" books to copy. He and Capt. Lee are charged by the sinister Minister Lee with finding the radical book or face the consequences. Along the way, Jang meets a book loving concubine and a book obsessed prince. He's also kidnapped a couple of times and threatened with torture, the worst torture was having a book's ending spoiled for him! The horror! It would make any self-professed book lover crack! While there were comedic and fun bromance moments there were also blood spewing and blood pooling deaths.

Han Joo Wan made for a sweet bookworm with Sherlock Holmes abilities. Choi Dae Chul as Capt. Lee had great chemistry with the bookworm and was easy on the eyes. You can always count on Lee Dae Yeon to make for a proper Joseon schemer, he could do this role in his sleep. And Ahn Nae Sang brought the right amount of moral ambiguity to the famous writer. The special looked low budget, but the cast's charisma covered over most of the cinematographic cracks.

Heo Gyun is historically credited with writing The Tale of Hong Gildong, though authorship has come into dispute. In the drama, Jang's hero may not have been what the bookworm had hoped for but the power of the written word was more important and life altering. It was fun learning a bit about this progressive and subversive for the time writer and Hong Gildong, one of the most influential early writings in Korea. The Tale of the Bookworm was simply done but effective and entertaining as it reminded us of the power of books to change minds and the world.

8/3/23

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"War is hell"

Children of Hiroshima was made seven years after the bombing of Hiroshima, when the wounds were still fresh and the horror still a recent memory. The film showed a scarred city rebuilding, but rubble, blown-out buildings and stripped trees were a visible reminder of the terror that took place on August 6, 1945 at 8:15 a.m. Into this setting four years after the blast, Takako, a kindergarten teacher, visits her family's grave and seeks out the three surviving students from her old class.

Takako escorts the audience on a tour of Hiroshima and her reunions give us a glimpse into the different ways people suffered after surviving the blast. She looks up the only three children still alive from her class four years ago. One child shines shoes to help his family, his mother works on a building while his father lies dying from radiation poisoning. A little girl saved by a priest during the bombing, lives in the church but has fallen ill with radiation poisoning. The last child is likely the luckiest. His parents were killed but he still has two older brothers and an older sister. After five years of waiting, the sister whose leg was badly damaged when she had been trapped under rubble is about to be married. Takako's teaching friend is sterile, yet opens her heart and helps other women have babies. And an old family friend, blinded and deeply scarred is reduced to begging on the street and resides in a shack outside of town. His grandson lives in an orphanage, one among many such children.

The story could feel manipulative at times, especially when Takako intruded into private family moments as if only through her eyes could the audience witness the other's misery. While I loved Ifukube Akira's Godzilla scores, his music here was heavy handed as if attempting to elicit an emotional response and felt out of place. I recognized his ponderous marches immediately.
The anti-war theme while important and still timely was bluntly reinforced with each succeeding encounter.

Director Shindo judiciously left out the debates over why the war was started, how many innocents suffered under the Japanese war hammer, and whether the bomb(s) should have even been dropped. I will follow his lead in those matters. But undeniably by showing the cost to people's lives, and the long road to healing, he did give ample examples of why "war is hell" and "the greatest evil". Perhaps not for the Japanese, but for people around the world, this film may have been the first time they'd seen the damage done in Hiroshima not only to the city but to the people. Both Shindo and actress Otowa Nobuko were from Hiroshima, making this film more personal for themselves. As he did with some of the people Takako came across, he also revealed hope for the future, a resilient and generous people, and life beginning anew out of the ruins.

In 1952, the occupation of Japan had just ended and the people were still reeling and learning how to cope and heal from a national tragedy along with post-war self-reflections. A variety of emotions played out in Children of Hiroshima-grief, resentment, hope, love, fear, and anger. When Takako heard a single plane flying above, the memory of the fateful day was triggered, a day with all the normal things people do under a clear blue sky, until a new horror was unleashed upon them. War is hell and the greatest cost is always for the innocents who pay the price.

7/27/23

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The title is the best thing about this movie

When a sci-fi movie opens quoting Charles Dickens, you might think you're in for an intellectual thriller about gene manipulation. Intelligent writing is something this movie will never be accused of. Bearing the title Mutant Ghost Wargirl, you might also think you are in for some wacky fun or a thriller about a deadly phantom. Disappointingly the movie wasn't much fun or thrilling .

I'd like to blame the terrible subtitles as the reason I struggled to understand the story, but bad as they were, poor translations weren't the major problem. Ghost aka Wu Qing Qing is an agent for The International Security Union who goes undercover in The Korean Mystery Crime Organization in order to bring down an illegal gene experimentation lab called Medusa. She ends up being dosed with a gene injection fluid (GIF). An extraction team arrives to break her out, but the bad guys have a demigorgon which slows them down long enough for a bad mutant to kill most of the team and kidnap Ghost's friend. Mysteriously and off-screen, Qing Qing is rescued by a Chinese investigator named Zhou Yang in Korea. For cliched plot reasons, Qing Qing has developed amnesia. She also has super powers due to the GIF and every time the fluid activates further, an increased percentage appears on her arm to reflect the new abilities. Slowly her memories return prompting Qing Qing and Zhou Yang to seek a way to get the secret microchip she stole from the baddies back to her people. Lots of fights ensue with her powers further increasing.

I was quite confused when the movie indicated it was set in 2077 Korea because where Qing Qing woke up the signs were in Chinese and the street décor was decidedly Chinese. With the exception of a couple of "Korean" police officers and a few people in a strange nightclub with its own green haired Joker, everyone spoke Chinese. Later they mentioned it was Chinatown, but with Chinese agents operating in Korea and a giant holographic dragon circling about downtown Incheon it looked more like China had annexed the country. The Joseon styled robots in hanboks who served the Chinese Big Bad were troubling.

The story and editing were choppy with terrible pacing. Story logic must not have been a priority because there were huge lapses in narrative and logic. A romance was shoe-horned in, developing quicker than Ghost's super speed given the whole story took place over a day or two. The sets and lighting looked straight out of Blade Runner without the charm. Most of the acting was sub-par, with the villains being extra cringe worthy. Qing Qing's dominant power was the ability to teleport like Marvel's Nightcrawler into a puff of black smoke, followed only by her ability to spit up gallons of blood. Out of all the Chinese movies and dramas I've watched this movie wins the Buckets O' Blood Award for the most red goo expectorated. Many of the fight scenes relied on Matrix styled slow-mo action with kung fu posing. Or the fights were almost non-existent as Qing Qing and her black smoke moved so quickly you only saw the bodies falling. As often as weapons flew directly toward the camera I wondered if it was originally filmed for 3-D. Wasn't there anything good about this movie you may be asking? The CGI wasn't bad during several fights, but that's all I've got.

The writers for Mutant Ghost Wargirl could have given the movie more meaning by delving deeper into the ethical issues of gene manipulation. Even without confronting the morality of using people as guinea pigs, the messy story could have been cleaned up some if they had better explained key plot points and not make the viewer fill in the enormous narrative gaps like a road crew filling in potholes after an ice storm. What the movie really needed was for a scientist to have developed a Better Acting Injection Fluid and a Make the Story Coherent Injection Fluid, because as it stands the ridiculous title was the most fun thing about the whole movie.

7/15/23

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"How many deaths are enough?"

The Lost Bladesman followed part of Guan Yun's epic journey from being Chancellor Cao Cao's prisoner to making his way back to Liu Bei while taking down numerous generals and assassins. I can't judge the film on historical or legendary correctness, only on its entertainment value. The film looked amazing, had several creative and well-choreographed fight scenes featuring Donnie Yen and included Jiang Wen's nuanced portrayal of the inscrutable Cao Cao. Those things were more than enough to keep my attention throughout the film.

The film opens with Guan Yun being held prisoner and aiding his injured men. Cao Cao admires Guan's military prowess and seeks to convert him to his side. A man of immense integrity, compassion, and loyalty, Guan Yun largely refused. Guan's only goal was to return Liu Bei's concubine to him who was being held hostage and support his sworn brother. Cao Cao releases him, but his men call upon just about every swordsman in the land to execute Guan on sight. The movie really gets going at this point.

The story was not terribly complex, but a cursory glance at history did help explain a few things that were glossed over for an audience familiar with the tale and characters. I've heard complaints that Donnie Yen didn't look the part. Guan Yun's legend stated that he wielded a 49kg/108lb Green Dragon Crescent Blade, that's like swinging a large child holding an enormous broadsword in battle, not sure who they were going to find who would fit that description. I'm certainly not in the place to judge how a revered legendary character stood up to cultural expectations. I can only offer my opinion how the movie came across as entertainment in my neck of the woods. As the movie played out with numerous fight scenes, Yen did what he does best---fight. His Guan was compassionate and benevolent but he kept being drawn back into bloodshed as he reluctantly faced down the six generals ordered to kill him. Jiang Wen did what he does best---bring a complex character who was thinly written to life. His Cao Cao was the mesmerizing power behind the throne who tried to appear benevolent though many of his actions would say otherwise. Yen and Jiang had great chemistry in their politely adversarial relationship. A half-hearted love story thrown in did not enhance the narrative. The cinematography was nicely done as well as the sets and costumes giving a feeling of authenticity.

If you are looking for historical and mythical accuracy, this may not be the film for you. If you are looking for an entertaining martial arts film with some good performances and a little history added to the mix, this might be for you. I enjoyed The Lost Bladesman more for the fight choreography than for the story. There were several scenes including one in an alley with a reluctant Guan not wanting to kill anyone off the battlefield that were quite exciting. The film did a fairly good job of portraying the man who was a lamb in wolf's clothes and another man who would rather be wrong than be wronged. Both wanted peace, but took different paths to try and reach that unreachable destination. "How many deaths are enough?" History would tell us way too many.

6/16/23

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"Hope is within yourself"

Ilo Ilo is a domestic slice of life film played out in a middle-class family's time of challenges during the financial crisis of the 1990's in Singapore. When the mother hires a Filipino nanny to care for her mischievous son, the move only exasperates an already tenuous situation. The deceptively simple story hides layers of social and familial concerns augmented by a capable cast and an unsentimental approach.

Lim Keng Teck tries to hide the fact he was fired from his sales job and is now working as a security guard from his wife Hwee Leng, a clerical worker who spends much of her day typing up termination notices. Their son, Jiale, spends most of his time being disciplined at school which causes headaches for his mother. She decides to hire a Filipino nanny to watch over him with the hopes of him staying out of trouble. Hwee Leng doesn't hide the fact she is suspicious of her nanny, holding onto her passport, and thinks less of her due to her status and background, offering her only the plastic to cup to drink out of. Terry is prepared to deal with her employer's condescending attitude but is unwilling to be bullied by a 10-year-old child which she quickly makes clear to the impish and at times, cruel Jiale.

Hwee Leng could come across as difficult to like. However, upon further examination, she was a pregnant mom who worked long hours all while trying to raise a troubled son. Her jealousy of the nanny as Terry's relationship with Jiale became closer was understandable if not particularly admirable. No one was there to comfort her, and she struggled to give comfort to others. Keng Teck was guilt ridden after he squandered much of their savings in the failing stock market. Though he endured the henpecking of his wife affably most of the time, he did crack and explode as well under the strain. Terry had a baby back home she was trying to provide for by working in a foreign country where she was treated as less than. She was fully capable of deception in order to earn some money on the side, but at heart she was a kind woman who managed to break through Jiale's shell. And it was Jiale who was the crux of this family, the desire to give him a good life, to raise him, to reach him that compelled many of the characters. The little lottery obsessed boy who desperately needed to feel loved and seen, who missed his grandfather, was the emotional center of the story that everyone else orbited.

The financial crisis was manifested through the crashing stocks, a shyster financial guru, suicides, firings, and a general air of desperation around the populace. In this little microcosm we were shown the pressure it put on the family and their relationships to each other. The story skimmed over what appeared to be racial and class disparities, the kind not singular to Singapore. Hidden habits like smoking and drinking, secrets kept from spouses, and typical extended family issues were touched on as well during this time of financial downturn.

Yeo Yan Yan, Chen Tian Wen, and Angeli Bayani made for very believable adults adjusting and adapting to their positions, sometimes in a deeply flawed manner and other times with gentle humor. Koh Jia Ler as the naughty yet fiercely loyal Jiale brought a naturalness and vulnerability to the problematic child.

Despite the title Ilo Ilo, which was the province Terry was from, and despite Terry being one of the most sympathetic characters, the story was not told from her point of view. This was a slice of this family's life and much of her background was left unknown. We saw her struggles, yet in the end it was always going to be about whether this family could pull together during a crisis and overcome their anxieties and shortcomings.

Much as in real life, the mood of this film could swing from tears, to anger, to fear to laughter. I would have preferred for some of the elements of the story to have been expanded on and brought to a close but like many slice of life films, Ilo Ilo doesn't tell us how the story ends, we are left to figure that out for ourselves. We can hope the characters take what they have learned and grow as individuals and strengthen their familial bonds but that is up the viewer in the end to decide. If you are looking for a film about family with all the good and bad that comes along with it, this is a film worth trying.

5/31/23

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"A mother who has no right to share the glory of her children"

Love and Duty featured another Ruan Ling Yu tragic character who suffered for making a wrong choice. Old films are not forgiving of women who stray so you know going into this story to buckle up and be prepared for a boat load of pain and at two-and-a-half hours, Ruan's character was on a sinking ship of misery.

The film covered over two decades in the life of Yang Nei Fan (Ruan Ling Yu) starting when she was a school girl. She and a boy named Li Zu Yi (Jin Yan) begin to have feelings for each other, but before anything can get started her father declares she is to be married to a rich young man in a month. With no say in her own life, she is ignored when she begs her father to not force her to marry at such a young age. The marriage ends up being filled with awkward silences, though intimate enough they have two children. When her son falls into a pond and is rescued by Li the two are excitedly reunited. She invites him to meet her husband which he agrees to. While her husband, Huang Ta Jen, is out with his mistress the two begin to connect emotionally, all being witnessed by the troublesome servant Fox. They begin to spend more and more time together until Li gives her an ultimatum. Either she runs away with him or he kills himself. Because she doesn't have grounds for divorce, she would be abandoning her family illegally. When the time comes for her to leave, Li tells her she can't bring the children which she finds to be devastating.

The affair is covered in all the papers and though the lovers take on new identities it's not long before they are discovered and Li has trouble holding down a job. Meanwhile, Nei Fan becomes pregnant. Tragedy strikes leaving her in an even more precarious position. As time passes the younger generation fatefully becomes entwined leading Nei Fan to make a drastic decision.

Love and Duty was a film thought lost for many decades. A copy of it was discovered in Uruguay in the 1990's and was given to Taiwan and is currently stored at the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. The copy I watched had one, sometimes two running clocks on the screen as well as the TFAI stamp on the screen. The film is being shared not only for entertainment purposes but also for research and teaching purposes. There was no music accompanying the version I watched.

The performances were for the most part strong, but the acting style felt dated. There was more overacting than I've seen with quality silent films from this era. Ruan Ling Yu was a special actress who sadly took her life at the age of 24. She was quite young here but still conveyed a wide range of emotions first as an effervescent student and then a tired older woman. She also played her grown daughter with Huang.

With some older silent films, the tragic life of a female lead serves as an indictment on society's treatment of women. This story came across as a cautionary tale of what happens when a woman does not do her duty. The audience is repeatedly told that Nei Fan is unforgivable and a sinner with no path to redemption. She is only worthy of heartache, poverty, shame, and pain. "A mother who has no right to share the glory of her children." The film felt longer than 2 ½ hours and could have been trimmed without losing anything important. It was difficult to watch this woman being ostracized throughout much of the film for making a bad life choice. Her husband who spent much of his time with his mistress suffered no ill effects.

Despite it's unforgiving tone, Love and Duty was an interesting historical piece of entertainment and a peek into the troubling moral code of the day regarding women. Ruan Ling Yu didn't star in many films during her short life and many of those have been lost to time. Though not as strong as other films of hers I have seen it was a gift to be able to watch this talented actress in this rescued film.


5/24/23

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Tony is on fire!

Tony Jaa showed the world the fierce beauty that is Muay Thai in Ong Bak. It helps when watching this movie to recognize that Tony worked without wires, without CGI, and without stunt doubles. Fast, acrobatic, and incredibly limber he did moves that will leave your jaw gaping.

Plot? The story scaffolding holding up the film was exceptionally thin. Tony's Ting goes to Bangkok after his village Buddha's head called Ong Bak is stolen by a drug dealer. He meets up with a cousin and his female friend/"sister"/girlfriend who spend their time gambling or fleecing gamblers. The Big Bad loses a ton of money on the fights in his fight club when Ting accidentally becomes involved in them and defeats all comers. Unlike his cousin, Ting doesn't fight for money or gamble, all he wants is the Ong Bak back.

From start to finish, whether it was the villagers racing to the top of a tree or Ting racing through Bangkok leaping over cars, sliding underneath a moving car or flying up a wall (no wires, remember) the action came fast and often. The fight scenes in the club were brutal. There were no holds barred and everything in the room could be used as a weapon. Ting was even hit with a refrigerator! At one point in a different setting, Ting continued to fight with his pants on fire! Most moments of glorious flight ended in an acrobatic dismount. Even the pickiest judge would have given him a 10 for form and style.

I pity the stuntmen who took the hits in this movie, because even with padding there were numerous hits and kicks that were going to leave a mark afterward. Some of the falls were Sammo Hung hitting the ground hard falls.

The director made use of slow-mo as well as showing impressive stunt scenes repeatedly from different angles just in case you missed something spectacular or your eyes refused to believe what they were seeing the first time. Tony trained for several years in Muay Boran, a predecessor to today's Muay Thai, for this movie. To say he was dedicated to his craft would be an understatement.

Grading this movie was tough. Story: C- Acting: C- Cinematography: C Fight scenes/fight choreography: A

Most people know going into a movie like this you aren't going to see great acting or be entertained with a compelling story. This is a pure smash mouth, elbow hitting, shin kicking, pants on fire, good time with one of the most energetic and acrobatically gifted fighters of his time. No wires, no CGI, no stunt doubles. No problem.


5/18/23

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"Gossip is a fearful thing"

When I watched Ruan Ling Yu in The Goddess I was mesmerized by her performance. It was honestly one of the best performances by an actress I had seen in a long time. Discovering that she had taken her own life at such a young age was crushing. Center Stage was a strange amalgam of documentary and movie about her captivating and tragic life.

In one of her best performances, the ethereal Maggie Cheung played Ruan. During an interview she stated she could understand how Ruan must have felt finally going from secondary "wall flower" roles to having serious roles offered to her. Maggie had plenty of ditzy female characters on her resume before this film and afterwards would go on to star in such films as In the Mood for Love and Hero. In much the same way Ruan had suffered from gossip, Maggie also understood the vicious nature of gossip about actors' personal lives

The set-up of the film did not work for me. Ruan was a gifted actress with a sad, yet fascinating life. The back-and-forth between re-enactment and interviews and behind the scenes shots destroyed the rhythm of the story. It was very distracting when the film cut from a disturbing scene straight to an interview with a 90-year-old who knew Ruan. Some of the interviews and speculations did not line up with the timeframe of the story as it was laid out which could make the following scenes confusing. Due to the film's structure, I was always aware that people were acting and it destroyed my emotional connection to what was happening on screen. For me, it would have been far better if they'd shown the interviews after the film along with the behind-the-scenes shots. Having the director yell that he could see Maggie breathing and then show them reshooting the scene and then presenting what was supposed to be a sorrowful funeral felt emotionally false.

When the movie had longer stretches of showing Ruan's story instead of people telling us her story, it was much more meaningful. But just as the joyful or sorrowful moods would crescendo, there would be a startling halt and a cut to the documentary.

Ruan Ling Yu was a stunning actress who lived a tumultuous life, having had three different lovers who contributed to some if not most of her problems. Two of the men were married with multiple mistresses and her first love was an inveterate gambler and womanizer. They cost her dearly financially and personally. Because of the constant tonal shifts in the film there would be no catharsis for the viewer at the end as the gossipy papers and people wrought devastation on her life pushing her into a corner, she saw only one way out of. By the time of the funeral scene, it felt more like a sterile documentary with high-end re-enactments one might find on television.

What kept my attention was Maggie's performance and her insightful interviews. The film also had clips and images from Ruan's films no longer available. I found the business aspects of the film informative, more so when they let the characters show the business dealings instead of the documentary telling about them. There were so many sides of this complicated woman to explore which were not touched on, such as---Why did she always choose cruel, unavailable men? Much of the action took place when Japan had invaded Manchuria causing political and financial upheavals which were barely touched upon.

When Ruan starred in New Women, based on a real actress who had been hounded by the press and committed suicide, it exposed an unflattering and malodorous side of the press. Instead of self-reflection and changing of their ways or going after the men in the film or the studio, they turned on her and hunted her relentlessly, plastering what they wanted to about her private life in their rags. I felt the film let me down with explaining the ex-lover's story and how he was legally tied to her. Born a wealthy man, his family disapproved of Ruan, the reason he gave for not marrying her. He burned through his money gambling, then turned to Ruan to support him. When she tired of dealing with him, she broke it off. They had never been married and yet he sued her for support and later for adultery. The last lawsuit seemed to be the final straw for her along with the cruel gossip.

The film's stuttering style failed to affect me emotionally. Which is a shame because I have been quite curious about this talented woman. Ruan Ling Yu's life was more dramatic and heartbreaking than most of her films. Though Ruan had a couple of female friends, an adopted daughter, and at least one lover at any given time, she seemed utterly alone and vulnerable. She was no match against the power of the poisoned pen and wagging tongues in combination with her devious ex at the young age of 24 or 25, especially during a time of crisis for her country. Dying at the pinnacle of her career caused Ruan Ling Yu to become a screen legend. In her suicide note she wrote that she was not afraid of death. "My only fear is the malicious gossip." Nearly one hundred years later too many young entertainers are still dying because of malicious gossip. Gossip truly is a fearful thing.

5/9/23

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"The sword is the soul...Evil mind, evil sword."

The Sword of Doom opens up a flood gate of ethical and individual responsibility discussions when a samurai with his own code ran afoul of just about everyone else in the movie. Upon close examination, many of the characters deriding Ryunosuke for being a cold-blooded murderer should more closely have examined their own actions. But in the end, with the question of "Am I the jerk?", Ryunosuke should have spent more time on self-reflection.

Near the end of the Shogunate different groups were vying for power. Seemingly apart from the political upheavals, a grandfather and granddaughter climb a mountain where there is a Buddhist shrine. As the grandfather is praying for death, Ryunosuke appears and cuts him down. A thief racing by him down the path eludes him and later finds the granddaughter weeping.

Ryunosuke was scheduled to spar with Utsuki Bunnojo. Hama, Utsuki's wife, comes and begs for him to allow her husband to win to save his and the family's reputation and to keep the leadership of the Kogen school intact. Ryunosuke tells her, "A swordsman prizes his skills like a woman prizes her chastity." If she is willing to set aside her pride, he will, too. When her husband finds out she slept with his opponent he hands her a letter of divorce and seeks blood. "This is no match. It's a duel!" proclaims one onlooker. When Utsuki uses a deadly illegal move, Ryunosuke ends the match permanently. Utsuki's clan ambushes him on the way out of town and he slices his way to freedom. Having nowhere else to turn Hama follows him.

After a time, Ryunosuke takes the name Yoshida and joins a group of ronin who help to prop up the Shogunate by assassinating anyone considered an enemy. Bunnojo's brother Hyoma trains at Shimada's school run by Mifune Toshiro. He wants revenge on his brother's death but knows his skills are not nearly good enough to defeat the deadly ronin. Along the way he meets the granddaughter, Omatsu, training at a flower school. The thief with a heart of gold, Shichibei, has cared for her since they met on the mountain.

Yoshida's unshakeable confidence is shaken along the way. That's what happens when you see Mifune Toshiro in action! His vacant gaze falters and fear creeps into his dark eyes. It is one thing to be a ruthless killing machine when you know no one can defeat you, it's quite another when you discover someone with superior skills. Up to this point he might have been able to explain his actions, but he begins to commit murders that cross the line and the invisible guilt cuts into his heart. Eventually, he comes face to face with the consequences of one of his actions and he completely snaps with the guilt manifested visibly.

On the mountain was he simply answering the old man's prayer to die or was he just in the mood to cut someone in half? Though Ryunosuke's actions were despicable when he made the deal with Hama, for him it was a business deal based on his own unflinching code. Completely outside of a normal ethical perspective but perfectly acceptable to him. He would blame her for Bunnojo's death unable to see that his lack of compassion and political foresight set his downfall into motion. No matter how angry and hurt Bunnojo was, he behaved dishonorably during the match and paid the price. His clan was in the wrong for ambushing a single man. At least according to the code of samurai movies, men died in duels all the time. The band of assassins he'd joined also showed that there was no honor among them. A man's character was revealed in and through his sword. Only Shimada fought to remain honorable throughout the film even as he guided Hyoma. Surprisingly, the thief Shichibei showed more honor than many of the samurai. As time went along, Ryunosuke's mental health deteriorated. Never one to show emotion, maniacal grins began to creep onto his face. The ghosts of murders past cried out to him sending him over the blood-soaked edge.

Ryunosuke was not a character you could like or even admire. Nakadai Tatsuya's performance was compelling as Ryunosuke's sanity shattered sending him down a path of no return. The sword fight choreography was better than average for the time, bloodier than average as well. There were a lot of misses but given the number of opponents dancing about that could be forgiven.

The framing and filming of the shots was beautifully done in black and white. The music also fit the mood. At two hours, it could feel long at times, but overall was engaging.

The Sword of Doom was perfectly titled. The blade not only signaled doom to his opponents but to Ryunosuke as well. The film had a Shaw Brothers type ending with a freeze frame during the action. Was it a cliffhanger for further storytelling in a future movie? Many characters still had story left to live. Yet this was probably a perfect ending for the swordsman who had suffered his final break when karma came calling. Not a perfect movie, but an entertaining and action filled samurai film that asked a person to look into their own soul as well as another's for "The sword is the soul. Study the soul to know the sword. Evil mind, evil sword."

5/4/23

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"It's easy to cause a problem, but it's difficult to handle one"

Director Zhang Yi Mou and Gong Li explored the opulent and violent lifestyle of gangsters in the 1930's in Shanghai Triad. The film had many of Zhang's trademarks-lush cinematography, stylish sets and costumes, and moody lighting. He also made subtle criticisms of political power structures without directly criticizing the current regime.

Gong Li was gorgeous, expertly styled with luxurious dresses and bold makeup and hair, far removed from her dressed down performances in other Zhang Yi Mou films like Ju Dou. She played Bijou, the old triad boss' mistress. She was the Queen of Shanghai and the queen of this film as well. Most scenes focused on her because the men and the camera could not stay far away from her charismatic aura.

Yet it is not through her eyes we view this story. A fourteen-year-old boy comes to Shanghai to work with his uncle who is one of Boss Tang's men. By virtue of being a Tang, Shuisheng is deemed worthy of being given a job. On his first day he witnesses a drug deal and a murder. His Uncle Lui assigns him to serve the temperamental and cold Bijou. Shuisheng is completely out of his element having never seen a lighter or phone before. The triad has many unwritten rules for behavior that he must learn fast.

Shuisheng rarely speaks yet through his expressive and innocent eyes we are witness to his fear, horror, and contempt for the people around him. Boss Tang believes that a woman's worst problem is not worth his time but a man's smallest one is. Bijou is as much a slave as Shuisheng, regardless of how well dressed and pampered she is.

By Shuisheng's fourth day in Shanghai he is already fleeing the city with the Boss and Bijou after an assassination attempt on the boss' life. They travel to a remote island and are served by a widow, Chihua, and her nine-year-old daughter, Ajiao. At first Bijou does nothing but whine about being bored. Soon she and Shuisheng settle in with the widow and Bijou reveals that she had once been a poor country bumpkin, too. Disturbingly, Boss Tang and his trusted cousin both see in Ajiao, a replacement for the aging Bijou.

Much like Curse of the Golden Flower, by day 7 there would be far fewer people boarding the boat home. Powerful men, regardless of their title or era, tend to be ruthless to those who have shown disloyalty or are no longer of any use. They don't share power or show mercy.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. The cinematography was stunning and not even Zhang's best in my opinion. Shanghai was shown in bright garish light and colors. The island with regular people on it, unaware of the danger around them, were shown in soft muted colors and light. Only Bijou's vivid red lips and flashy clothes stood out in the gentle setting. Gentle setting until it wasn't.

Gangsters were not shown in a romantic way. They were shown as the violent criminals that they were. Bijou could be brash and unlikeable, a country bumpkin who had clawed her way into a more lavish lifestyle. Unfortunately, she was not cunning or lucky, both of which you needed to be to survive and move ahead in the vicious world she lived in. She still had a heart and a conscience which were not the necessary weapons needed to be a triad boss' moll. Shuisheng's innocence was irrevocably destroyed with his survival and soul hanging by a thread. As in other of Zhang's films, there was no fighting the one in power, it was a futile and fatal task.

Shanghai Triad was bleak and relentless, allowing only brief moments of sunshine through the darkness. With the exception of Shuisheng, who was a moldable ball of clay, there was no one to truly cheer for. Nearly every character had a menacing plan. I found the story gripping but also emotionally exhausting. Gong Li's sensual and intense performance was one of her most compelling and a persuasive reason to watch the film. As much as her performance glowed, the film's glimpse into the cruel criminal world though beautifully acted and filmed was about as appealing as the corpses left behind by Boss Tang. For me, this is a film worth watching but I would not have the heart to watch a second time.

5/2/23

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