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"You'll see me in your dreams tonight"
Days of Being Wild showed what lengths broken people would go to in order to find the object of their desire. Time, whether it hastened by too quickly or dragged like a cement block, tethered the characters to their obsessions. Everyone had a myopic gaze of life and much of it revolved around a self-obsessed rebel.Yuddy had a habit of seducing women and then breaking their hearts. Raised by a sex worker, he desperately wanted to know who his biological mother was. Rebecca had told him his mother was a Filipino noblewoman who had paid her to raise him. Mom really put a lot of thought into that one, didn’t she? Yuddy seduced Su Li Zhen who ran a snack stand and box office by having her look at his watch for a minute. One minute before 3:00 was to be burned in their minds on that date. Their relationship flared and flamed out when Li Zhen realized he would never marry her. Before he could change the sheets on his bed, he’d seduced exotic dancer Mimi.
Women were obsessed with Yuddy---Li Zhen, Mimi, and even his adoptive mother Rebecca. And I never could figure out why. He thought only about himself and constantly told them what they could and couldn’t say. He must have been one hell of a lover to make them lose their dignity and hearts over him. Young love is often messy and impulsive with heavy doses of heartache and drama but it was hard to understand why these women found him so irresistible. How desperate for love, sex, and/or companionship they must have been. Loneliness can be a harsh mistress.
Yuddy often compared himself to a bird with no legs who had to keep flying when in reality the bird had been dead all along. The story lost steam when he left Hong Kong to find his mother in the Philippines. Without the women he seemed even more like a loser with no job, no family, and on a headlong journey to disaster.
Much of the background noise was the chiming and ticking of clocks. “I used to think a minute could pass so quickly, but actually, it can take forever,” Li Zhen told the young policeman named Tide. Later Yuddy would tell Tide, “Life really isn’t that long.” For the heartbroken, the nights took forever to pass. For a young man who made a reckless decision, it passed all too quickly and that minute would be seared in his memory.
The cast was stellar. Leslie Cheung gave Yuddy a primal movement that even the corny pickup line of, “You’ll see me in your dreams tonight” made women thirsty for him. Maggie was gorgeous but other than standing or walking around looking anguished with her hair in her eyes had little to do. Carina Lau as Mimi chewed up the scenery as the brash cabaret dancer in love with Yuddy. Andy Lau, like Maggie, was underused until the final chapter. The dark, subdued lighting and greens and golds were reminiscent of In the Mood for Love, as well as the final character revealed.
Perhaps because the actors seemed too old to be so foolhardy, I found the characters difficult to connect with and care about. The despondent mood was as dreary as the rain soaked streets the characters wandered through. Days of Being Wild was beautifully shot, lit, and composed and while mesmerizing to look at, it left me feeling empty afterward.
28 February 2024
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"Now is the time to rage. If not now, when?"
In 2020 director Toyoda was angry. Very angry. Angry about the pandemic. Angry about the wealthy and politicians. Angry about the Olympics. And especially angry about apathy toward the hell many people were living in. The Day of Destruction fiercely and poetically screamed that rage out.“Draw your sword now. If not it ain’t rock ‘n' roll.”
Seven years ago, a pulsating globular monster appeared deep in a mine. Since then, a plague of some sort had spread. In 2020 after the epidemic took the life of Kenichi’s sister, he attempted to self-mummify at the Mountain Resurrection-Wolf temple (the same one used in Wolf's Calling) believing his sacrifice would quell the epidemic.
“What defines a human. Prove it now.”
An earthquake set loose Kenichi’s inner rage which turned him into a demon.
“Humans possessed by demons are exorcised by humans, but maybe the exorcists themselves are demons”
Priest Jiro believed that destroying the monster was a fool’s task. Nature gave them the epidemic so the monster must be led onto the right path. Kenichi must be guided onto the right path as well.
“Price tags on lives fluttering in the wind”
The wealthy and elite hid in their fortresses, safe from human misery all while planning on how to make money during the event of the year-the 2020 Olympics.
“Give me your anger. I’ll respect it.” “We have a voice. Your own voice. SHOUT!”
The people cried out their pain and fears. A bloody, red Kenichi fell down on his knees in traffic screaming his grief and outrage.
“Everyone on Earth is a central prayer…We’re all in the same boat called Generation.”
Humans are the problem. Humans are the solution. The division after division after division must be faced. Would prayer or self-sacrifice cause others to change or would the first step be the hardest? Changing oneself. Eradicating the monster might not be possible---healing, and coexisting might be.
“Would self-restraint for 100 years be enough?”
Shot on a small budget in eight days, Toyoda got the most out of the beautiful mountain scenery and the actors. I have to wonder if he received permission for the shots in the streets as ordinary masked passersbys walked around Kenichi as if a man in bloody red clothes shrieking and kneeling in the crosswalk was completely normal. The music and sound effects were not always pleasing but they were fascinating and told much of the story as there was little dialogue.
“Hey, Siri. How much longer do I have to put up with this?”
If we live in hell with demons and people acting like demons, maybe the screaming is necessary to wake ourselves up. Shake off the apathy and change. The Day of Destruction with its loud music and release of pent up fury might have been what we all needed, especially during the first year of the pandemic with people struggling in so many ways and losing people to an invisible monster. This film won’t be for everyone to be sure. It's abstract with lots of religious symbolism and can be confusing at times. For the most part, I enjoyed its poetic and manic response to a nightmare much of the world shared.
23 February 2024
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"Eat, drink, man, woman, food and sex-basic human desires"
Eat Drink Man Woman is a film by Ang Lee that I’ve watched before and wanted to revisit. I liked it even better this time than I did the first, maybe it is an acquired taste. Food, family, love, loss, and secrets made for a tasty feast to sit down to.Mr. Chu is a widowed chef who has lost his sense of taste. He has three daughters who live with him. Each lives their lives separately except for when they sit down to the elaborate Sunday meals he prepares. One by one they face challenges, and find new love or new paths to take.
The food preparation was sumptuous. Chicken, pork, fish, a variety of seafood, hot pot, all made not only to taste with the mouth but with the eyes as well. No one would have to cook for a week with the Sunday dinners the father served. The daughters didn’t eat that much and there were enormous quantities of food leftover. Much of the food was also shared with the eldest daughter’s divorced friend and child. Mr. Chu would also pack culinary delights for the child to take to school for her lunches making her very popular with her classmates. The middle daughter loved to cook like her father, but had been banished from the restaurant kitchen so that she would find a proper job. While she excelled at her position with an airline, her passion was making the dishes she’d seen her father so thoughtfully prepare.
Everyone cared about the other yet had lost the capacity to communicate freely. Only when things began to be shaken up and the status quo was flipped over and scattered did father and daughters begin to reach out again. Sometimes a pot can be simmering quietly on the stove and is only noticed when it boils over. The dish isn’t ruined if someone attends to it lovingly. Everyone in the Chu family had to discover what made them happy, what helped them be who they wanted to be. Sometimes that exploration led to loss before it led to gain. If you enjoy watching elaborate meals being prepared as well as father-daughter, and sisterly relationships being explored, this quirky family drama is seasoned to near perfection.
21 February 2024
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"Do you want to stay in the darkness forever?"
Huang Bo wrote, directed, and starred in The Island. A hapless worker sets off on a business retreat that goes terribly wrong when a meteor hurtles toward Earth on the same day his luck with the lottery changes.Ma Jin and his cousin, Xiao Xing join the rest of the office and their boss on a water bus cruise for a team building exercise. Ma Jin has a crush on the beautiful and elusive Shan Shan who is also on the trip. Fate brought together a meteor and a winning lottery ticket, both of which will not only change Ma Jin’s life, but everyone on the bus as well. After plunging through a ginormous wave that hurls them far from home, the bus lands on a deserted island. The group discovers themselves cut off from the “real” world and completely dependent on each other for survival. A new social hierarchy takes place when they vote on a leader.
I was afraid The Island would be another version of Lord of the Flies. While it did show how society breaks down when people are desperate for food and shelter, it didn’t devolve into a murderous melee. Four different people wore the crown at different times and all four succumbed to the allure of leadership. The first dictator led through intimidation and punishment with his mighty shushing stick. The 2nd claimed to be a leader of thinking and bartering but was a liar and cruel capitalist. The 3rd brought two factions together and gave the group hope, but also slid down the slippery slope of popularity and success which led him to lose track of his moral compass. The 4th leader was a man who finally had power after too long being invisible and it broke him.
“Since all the past is gone, life can start over again.”
Ma Jin held to his lottery ticket like a life line, willing to do anything to stay alive and return home and collect his money. A divine coincidence occurred that caused him to be reborn at the time of his deepest despair. The stranded group had to come to terms with what was Real. Real living? Real hope? And Real land? Money became irrelevant in their society. Believing the world to be mostly underwater, they had to eventually rise above their selfishness and work together for survival and harmonious living. Characters learned to trust and love in their microcosm. Ma Jin even found his confidence that had long been missing.
Huang Bo gave a solid performance as Ma Jin, a character who evolved throughout the film. The gorgeous Shu Qi as Shan Shan was not given enough to do other than look beautiful amongst the bedraggled shipwreck survivors. Lay Zhang as the friend and often perplexed Xiao Xing showed his character’s loss of himself quite well.
The Island remained compelling though it did drag in places. The dark comedy took its characters to the ledge of cruelty and madness but decided to err on the side of hope and love. What it did well was to show how the castaways reacted to the stresses of survival and what it revealed in themselves and how a community can thrive when the people set aside their greed and need to dominate if only for short periods of time. Most importantly, it proved that even on a desolate island, there’s always time for a choreographed dance sequence.
12 February 2024
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"People like us don't have tomorrows"
Wong Kar Wai had written numerous scripts before his directorial debut in 1988 with As Tears Go By. While I would enjoy many of his later works, this earliest endeavor was not one of my favorites. Andy Lau’s gangster boss Wah was torn between his “little brother” Fly and the gorgeous Maggie Cheung’s Ngor. Would not have been a difficult choice for me but gangster brotherhood was a powerful force even when one of the gangsters was inept and a trouble magnet.Wah’s Auntie sends his cousin Ngor to stay with him while she is seeing doctors in town. After a late night incident where the two seem to be attracted to each other, Ngor goes back home with a clean bill of health. Later, Wah visits Ngor but is pulled back when Fly lands in trouble-again. This is the second time he’s had to face death for the completely inept gangster whose mouth is bigger than his brain or brawn. Even though rival gangster Tony has a proper gang, Wah's gang appears to consist of him and Fly after another member leaves to get married. After handling Fly’s problems he goes back to Maggie but is once again called back to deal with Fly’s issues.
While there is a brotherhood among gangsters, when one guy’s reckless actions repeatedly put your life at danger, it’s time to jettison him one way or another. I’m guilty of becoming sympathetic with characters in gangster movies, but not this one. The sheer stupidity of Wah’s and Fly’s actions drained me of any sympathy for them. Maggie’s character Ngor was thinly drawn and also didn’t evoke any sympathy. Wah could be aggressive and worked in a field with a short life expectancy and he didn’t have any money to show for it. Why would a nice girl want to get involved with him?
WKW had some interesting shots throughout the film, especially Maggie in a moment of indecision when she slowly walks up the stairs to join Wah. The fights were brutal but not choreographed very well with many scenes rather rudimentary. The use of Top Gun’s “Take My Breath Away” took me right out of the moment and to another film from the 1980’s with a romance and a band of brothers. Andy Lau’s character seemed to fit into the underworld. Maggie did the best she could with Ngor. My biggest problem was with Jacky Cheung’s Fly and his manic performance. I cannot remember the last time I wanted a character to die a painful death who was not a “villain” this much. But in the end, his actions would have classified him as a villain regardless of how the underworld would have viewed them.
There were elements of this film that I found engaging, but Fly’s ridiculous behavior and Wah’s ride or die commitment to him were beyond my understanding. I may have struggled with much of this film but at least I found the ending satisfying.
2 February 2024
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Han Soo Han rescues a kidnapped heiress about to take control of her deceased daddy’s company. The requisite evil employee with a manic laugh played by a bargain basement Jang Hyuk wannabe had her kidnapped to force her into signing over her shares of the company. HSH works for a loan shark often helping the people he shakes down for money, thus making him a good guy. He lets Choi Ye Jin stay at his place until it’s safe for her to return home. Before they can have any lingering sexy glances or heartfelt conversations, all sorts of people show up at his doorstep for nefarious reasons.
The plot sounded like an action romance and maybe it was supposed to be, but the acting wouldn’t lead you to believe it. There was no chemistry between the two actors. Kang Seok Chul’s expression stayed locked into place through the whole movie. Yoo Ye Bin was always staring off into space either thinking deep thoughts or wondering if she should try the new Thai restaurant down the street. The filmmakers saved money by not giving Choi Ye Jin any backstory or personality but splurged on blurry shaky flashbacks for HSH’s tragic man pain backstory. Han Soo Han decided to rescue her at one point, not because they shared “a moment”, unless that was what the one staring contest was about, more probable it was just because he was a good guy. Whatever the reason he wasn’t very effectual because she ended up kidnapped---again.
If the fights had been entertaining, I could have forgiven the bland acting and plots holes large enough for The White Truck of Doom to pass through but the fight choreography was also bland. Han Soo Han threw numerous haymakers which are a sure sign of someone who doesn’t know how to fight. Sure, if they connect they might hurt, but the experienced fighters he was up against should have pounded him into the ground by the time his fist arrived from Busan.
Unless you’ve never watched any sort of crime film or drama, there will be no surprises, not even one “shocking” betrayal and a “shocking” murder. The best thing about this film was the 80 minute running time which felt overly long near the end.
31 January 2024
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"If we could all be braver and accept what's different from us, the world would be a better place"
Teenage Psychic was a charming drama about Xiao Zhen, a sixteen-year-old medium who could communicate with the dead and worked in a temple. Due to her long nights performing her Holy Maiden duties she often ran late to school and fell asleep during class and in a coffin in between classes. Everything changed when Ah Le took her hand to help her as she climbed over the school wall to avoid the tardy monitors.Xiao Zhen’s father died when she was small and her mother works abroad. Her temple co-workers form an odd made family with her. Teacher Kim is her guardian and boss which can be awkward. Two comic relief helpers function as brothers or oddball cousins. Her relationship with Teacher Kim is complicated as he pushes Xiao Zhen to bring in customers and sell blessings to keep his struggling temple afloat. When Xiao Zhen meets Ah Le they form a connection that grows throughout the drama. Both are part of the drama club that is determining what sort of rendition they want to do of Romeo and Juliet. In each episode, Xiao Zhen helps to resolve conflicts both spiritual and earthly. Grief, bravery, lies for good and bad, reconciliation, gratitude for loved ones, and loss are all tackled. Xiao Zhen learns there is more to life than the dead as this teenager begins to engage in her own life and learn about love.
If Teenage Psychic had a drawback, it would be Guo Shu Yao’s acting. She often mumbled and pouted which could be distracting. Even more distracting was her disastrous haircut or wig. Maybe it was based on a manhwa, but for some reason they made her as unattractive as they possibly could. Her performances were stronger when she confidently performed her job communicating with the dead. Kent Tsai as Ah Le was a bottle of sunshine as he supported Xiao Zhen. The couple was cute together. The quirky drama club learned to put aside their fears of someone different and embrace Xiao Zhen as Ah Le had. Fear and intolerance of those who were different was addressed a couple of times for different characters. I wasn’t a huge fan of the play scenes, but that was a minor quibble.
Despite some of the acting issues, Teenage Psychic was mostly upbeat and entertaining as it focused on friendship, first love, and helping those in need—living or dead. Unfortunately, it took a turn that felt inorganic near the end, but still made it work. Through love Xiao Zhen discovered her smile and fought for balance in her life. This drama was flawed but I found it to be a relaxing watch.
25 January 2024
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"The fear of men makes them the perfect prey of the devil"
Water Monster was a taut 78-minute monster thriller with very little filler. No slapstick comedy, no overwhelming CGI, just a fishing village trying to find a way to survive a lethal water monster attack.Shui Sheng witnessed the Water Monkey killing his father a decade before. Now the creature is back and Uncle San, the village elder, declares they must once again sacrifice a virgin to save the village. After the death of her father and brother, Xiang Lan is willing to die, but her love interest, Shui, is not going to let that happen. He gathers a small force to face the village and the monster which at this time is difficult to differentiate between. Shui saves Xiang Lan. Then the heroes confront the Water Monkey and after a fierce, deadly battle cage it. Uncle San refuses to let them kill it thinking the creature to be a god. With that fateful mistake the village suffers even greater losses and must now confront not only the Water Monkey, but their fears and mistakes of the past.
Water Monster went where few guys in rubber suits movies dare to go. The body count of familiar characters was extremely high. Old beliefs were faced head on. Shui Sheng dared to call the village elder’s self-protective action as murder. Anytime someone in a movie says, “Please don’t blame us,” nothing good or righteous follows. Why is the guy who decrees someone must be sacrificed never volunteers himself? In a world where women are devalued, why not sacrifice a virgin male or the village chief as a more valuable “gift”? Chief Liu’s eyes were finally opened and he realized that “begging, sacrifice, and wishful thinking” only strengthened the monster and weakened them. It was time to unite and face death.
The atmosphere was perfectly dark and foreboding. The music and some of the lighting were reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean. Every time the familiar “bong pulse” rang out I wondered who had a piece of the Aztec gold. The monster costume looked like an updated version of the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), a movie that gave me nightmares when I watched it on the late, late-night show on tv at a childhood slumber party. The Water Monkey really would have given me nightmares as he was fast, extremely flexible and possibly a kung fu master. The fights were fierce, bloody, and deadly. An abundance of inventive weapons were created to stop the seemingly invincible foe.
The Water Monster kept the action coming at a thrilling pace. I was invested in several of the characters despite the limited amount of time devoted to them in this short movie. The village not only had to face the vicious monster, but also their fears and responsibility for their own safety. For what looked like a low budget horror movie, these still waters ran deep.
10/24/23
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My first thought when watching The Great Yokai War was that it was a Miyazaki Hayao animated film come to life. The film was filled with strange spirits call yokai who were being turned into steam punk monsters to aid the demon lord Kato in covering the world in darkness. When the fate of humanity is at stake, who can you rely on? Only a grade school boy with a fancy sword and a handful of colorful characters.Tadashi’s parents have divorced and he is living with his mother and grandfather in a rural area while his sister lives with the father in Tokyo. The other boys pick on Tadashi even after he is chosen as the Kirin Rider, the boy who will preserve world peace. What Tadashi doesn’t know is that the demon Kato and his dominatrix henchwoman Agi are rounding up yokai and turning them into destructive metallic monsters. Tadashi rescues a furry yokai and carries him everywhere as no one else can see it. The Goblin Mountain calls to him and he is tested by the yokai living there and deemed worthy. The Goblin gives him the sword of destiny before Agi and her metal minions carry the giant goblin way. Kato has created a giant frog airship to take to Tokyo. Some bystanders think Gamera has returned. Gamera was a turtle people, come on! Tadashi meets with other yokai and upon discovering Kato’s nefarious plan they travel to Tokyo to try and stop the handsome demon. A bean washing yokai joins them and is heavily foreshadowed as being key to thwarting Kato’s evil goal.
The film was extraordinarily creative. There were not just a dozen different yokai, but around 100 had some form of screen time. Tadashi’s team had a red spirit whose hair warned of danger, a turtle, and a water princess. They met a walking talking umbrella, a walking talking wall, a long-necked woman, and strange animal yokai to name a few. The Transformer elements were inventive if not unique, sadly the CGI was lacking.
The acting was about what you’d expect from this kind of movie. Some of it was quite over the top. Toyokawa Etshushi as Kato grounded the film and avoided chewing the scenery. A good thing as the yokai actors and the human artist didn’t leave much after they were done with it. The child actor did the best he could but his performance wasn’t compelling, one of the problems with putting the weight of the world on a pre-pubescent boy. Kamiki Ryunosuke has gone on to do numerous dramas and films. The music wasn’t memorable for the most part. The only funny element to me was the azuki bean song at a key moment. It was hilarious.
Kato’s revenge was based on humans ridding themselves of things that no longer serve them. Maybe it was a translation problem, but I found it confusing. “He is the resentment humanity has earned from those things you use no more and throw away.” With the example Tadashi was given about throwing away worn out shoes being bad, I wasn’t sure if Kato wanted people to be hoarders or run around naked. The yokai had good advice, especially from a country that has experienced many wars. “Those who discard their past have no future.” “Wars must not happen, they only make you hungry.”
If you want to show this film to younger children, it might be good to know that Agi and the Water Princess were sexualized. There were also dismemberments, blood, and what could be seen as scary monsters for young ones.
Director Miike went overboard to make an artistic fantasy world awaken. The biggest drawback for me was that the film took a long time to set up the story, too long. Forty-minutes passed by before the adventure began. Despite his innovate spirits, the theme was a familiar one. For once again, the only force in the universe that could protect humankind was a small boy. This time aided by a sword and a little red bean.
10/5/23
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More teeth but not more fun than the original
If you watched surprise hit, The Meg (2018), and go into The Meg 2 expecting Shakespeare, you get what you get. The first Meg film was so bad it was hilariously funny. The second film had better acting than the first and tried to have a stronger plot and slightly better science. Unfortunately, it made the cardinal sin of focusing too much on the humans and not enough on the monsters. Which was perplexing given there were more Megalodons and a dangerous menagerie of creatures from the mysterious depths of the ocean.Jason Statham returns as Jonas the Daredevil Diver who has turned into a fighter for eco-justice. Cai Shu Ya once again plays The Special Child, Mei Ying. This time Mei Ying is motherless and seems to be living at the Oceanic Institute either with Jonas or her uncle Jiu Ming. Jiu Ming (Wu Jing) is brilliant and reckless. He attempts to train a young Meg named Haiqi and is unafraid of being in the water with her. Cliff Curtis as Jonas' friend Mac and Page Kennedy as DJ (who can now swim and is no longer a terrible stereotype) are back as well. Along with new guy Jiu Ming, Melissanthi Mahut joins the good guys as Rigas, the fearless pilot.
This time instead of stumbling upon the Megs on their maiden voyage, the crew is studying the bottom of the Mariana Trench with better equipment and understanding of what lurks in the scientifically inexplicable dark…or so they believe. When they stumble upon a secret facility at the bottom of the ocean, they face betrayals and bad guys willing to do anything to protect their valuable secrets.
Statham made for a serviceable good guy who can face 90ft/27m ancient sharks without flinching and take down bad guys with his bare hands. Wu Jing was also shown as being super heroic and invincible. While I'm usually disappointed when an actor replaces an actress, Li Bing Bing struggled in her role as scientist and Mei Ying's mom in the first film. Wu Jing seemed to be enjoying his time running from prehistoric creatures and attacking a giant octopus. Curtis and Kennedy had more to do in this film instead of standing around wringing their hands. Mei Ying as the adventurous fourteen-year-old and Rigas as the tough talking pilot at least made viable female characters. The Big Bad and her minions were all but cartoon characters.
Once the critters in the water and on land showed up the movie became more interesting. Guys with guns, and not done well, really weren't. Were the confrontations between man and giant fish/octopus/freaky amphibians realistic? No. Were they fun? Most of the time, yes. There were a couple of very funny moments. The underwater scenes that should have been frightening and claustrophobic, weren't done particularly well. It was hard to care about the people who died because we didn't know them and didn't provide the jump factor either. My biggest complaint with the Megalodons was that they didn't show the size perspective very well. But there were plenty of fins and teeth. The monsters always appeared on the surface where there were revelers in the water to give the ginormous sharks and creatures plenty of people to choose from and the heroes lots of innocents to save. For those who are very squeamish the chomping wasn't too blood thirsty with a PG-13 rating.
It's hard to not compare the two movies. The Meg 2 had better acting and in some ways a better script than the original because while it also used stereotypes at least they weren't racist and sexist stereotypes. The drawback was that it took nearly a third of the movie to pick up traction. Jonas' fight with polluters in the opening scene had nothing to do with the rest of the movie except to give him a reason to pummel people. No one wants to watch someone talking on a microphone at the beginning of a giant shark movie either. Bring on the talent! For the genre, TM2 wasn't bad, if you watched Big Octopus you'll know what I'm talking about. Those who enjoyed The Meg may enjoy this one as well. If your tolerance for clichés, stilted dialogue, and people being chomped on by creatures is low, better to avoid this one. The Meg 2 may not have been an ex-squid-it Shakespeare Underwater, yet for a ridiculous movie about Megalodons, it wasn't carp either.
10/1/23
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A dream is a wish your heart makes...
Rainless Love in a Godless Land was an ambitious Taiwanese drama that wove together romance, Amis myths, and mind-bending thoughts on truth and reality, memory and emotion. On top of all that the drama brought home humans' responsibility for the blessings of the Earth and our place in stewardship of the environment.*No big spoilers*
"The end of the world is silent. It creeps up on you, you just don't notice."
Orad, the messenger of the chief god Kakarayan, is also the god of rain. He is helping to gather the Kawas, basically spirits of blessings, to send them back to the spiritual realm. Kakarayan is withdrawing his blessing from the planet which will result in a rainless Armageddon. Tien Ti, a local tour guide, crosses paths with Orad and for what turns out to not be the first time. Her fate and the beginning of the world's end are tied together. When Orad chooses free will over predestination it throws the Bureau of Corrections into crisis management mode.
"Behind every lie is a wish waiting to come true."
I will admit to liking the story more than the characters at times. Although there were a few heartfelt moments, much of the more meaningful romance was shown through flashbacks. A couple of the kisses were the guppy kind with eyes open and lips barely touching which felt awkward given Tien Ti's age and romantic history. Because she wasn't invested in the romance I found it hard to invest in it. Tien Ti often treated Orad hostilely, as more of a servant to do her bidding than a possible love interest. Orad kept his emotions close to his vest until he was truly faced with making every day choices that flustered him. Tien Ti would rail against being treated as special and then turn around and ask for special favors. When she was given a taste of power, she found it to be a more complicated thing than she first realized.
"What you see is the deity's will and what god sees as the truth."
Toam, goddess of the cloud, was one of the more complex characters and Alice Ko was magnificent as the morally ambiguous spirit. I found her far more compelling than Tien Ti and a more stylish dresser, too. Fali, head of the Bureau of Corrections, was another character who waffled between good and selfish. A lonely child who had been alone too long, he set into motion many of the characters' actions. Pu Hui was a fun sidekick for Orad though he was a terrible husband.
"When a lie is exposed, what happens to the lie?"
Orad and the Kawas Yaka found out that free will and making your own choices can lead you where you might or might not want to end up. There is a price to pay for freedom. Tien Ti struggled to have free will and make her own choices to alter her fate and the fate of the world. Other times, she was willing to give in to predestination. The drama also showed how emotions and memories are tied together.
"What I wish to see will become what you shall see."
I loved the OST for this drama. I thought the music fit the variety of moods perfectly and truly enjoyed the songs and background music. The drawback for me other than the subdued romance, were the travel office scenes. I didn't mind them at first when they were world building, but as the apocalypse was beginning it seemed surreal to think people were going to want to travel as the water began to dry up and pestilence hit. The use of flashbacks felt repetitive and overused at times. Tien Ti's mood swings could be exhausting as well.
"You are a wish I prayed for"
What is the difference between a lie and a wish? A lie has no future, but a wish might. What is real and what is a dream? Even scientists say it's possible our reality may be an illusion so is it really a lie if we perceive it to be real? Or is it simply a wish manifested? Rainless Love in a Godless Land twisted and turned through myth and perceived reality. I bought into the wish and the lie, hoping that both had happy endings.
9/4/23
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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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Drama Special Season 4: The Devil Rider
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Don't forget to tip your rider!
The Devil Rider packed a big emotional punch into a short amount of time. Instead of single-mindedly focusing on the royal court and their politics, this drama special focused more on The Devil Rider and the people hurt and forgotten by an overly entitled elite.In 1637 Choi Munbok was assigned the task of delivering a message to a Joseon general during the conflict with the Qing dynasty. Serving his country meant leaving his wife who was in labor. He rode his horse through a harrowing hail of arrows during multiple ambushes, suffered an injury that would be lifelong, all to deliver a message that ended up being meaningless. Fourteen years later he became unwillingly embroiled in palace politics which put his daughter's life at risk. He would once again be asked to become The Devil Rider.
Yoo Oh Sung gave a wonderfully emotional performance as the imperfect Choi Munbok, portraying a broken man who often let his daughter down yet was also fiercely protective. He showed a man dragged down by guilt and a loyalty he could not forsake. All of the supporting cast were strong. Lee Chae Young gave an excellent performance as the daughter of the betrayed general looking for vengeance.
The Devil Rider could be frustrating and heartbreaking telling the story of people who were used and discarded by the imperial court. "Rags like us never had names to begin with." Still, Munbok was able to free himself from his past and grasp what was important to him with a lighter heart in the present which is all most people can hope to do even today.
8/8/23
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Lots of noise, little substance
Hidden Strike starring Jackie Chan and John Cena finished filming in 2018 and finally made it to Netflix five years later. The film felt like it could have been on-hold since 2000 with its over-reliance on CGI, gravity defying stunts, and sexist humor.Dragon Luo and his security team are called to Iraq to help evacuate Chinese workers from their refinery who have been attacked by mercenaries. They load up special buses to transport the workers and their families to the Green Zone. On one of the buses is Luo's estranged daughter Mei. Chris Van Horne who used to work in private security, now resides in a village in Iraq and helps out with the local orphans. His brother Henry talks him into attacking the convoy with the story that it contains the rebel criminals responsible for their father's death. It doesn't take long for Luo and Chris to meet up, compare notes, and join forces to stop the bad guys and save the hostages.
I watch a lot of martial arts and action movies, and can appreciate a check your brain at the door movie, but was disappointed in the fight choreography for this film. Jackie's character relied on kung fu as was to be expected for many of his fights while Cena appeared super human with his strength. At the age of 69 Chan still moved pretty well. Many of the fights, especially with Cena, came across as completely unbelievable due to wire work and CGI. Jackie had one silly fight in fire suppressant that was entertaining but went on for too long. Several of the fights using both weapons and fists and kicks seemed uninspired. If you approach it as a comedy or even a cartoon with a high body count, there were humorous moments. A couple of scenes with a jet engine and one involving a cliff almost strayed into Wiley Coyote territory.
The problem with some of the comedy was that it relied heavily on hand signal jokes and flat tire jokes. Oh, and women don't know how to drive humor. The hand signal schtick was confusing because Chris' dad died due to a miscommunication, which was supposed to be the source of his man pain. The producers must have felt an action and comedy movie wasn't enough, because they threw in an ill-conceived romance. They didn't have time to effectively build the buddy/bromance aspect of the film, but still tried to wedge a possible "romance" which fell flat largely due to crude comments by Chris. Even the relationship between the two brothers was insufficiently developed, which lowered the emotional stakes when tragedy hit. It might have been a mindless action film, but buddy and romance chemistry is even more important in such cases. And while Chris' love for the villagers was supposed to show what a great guy he was, it felt a little condescending. Somehow the Iraqis were only colorful extras in the background instead of having any involvement in the goings on in their own country.
If you are a Jackie Chan and/or John Cena fan, need a movie with lots of explosions, gun fire, quippy comments, CGI, and wire-work, this may be one you need to check out. If you're hoping for something more than a few entertaining moments, best to lower your expectations or see what else is on Netflix. This was a strike out for me.
7/28/23
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"In a mad world, only the mad are sane"
One of the meanings for Ran in Japanese is "chaos". You know when you are about to watch a film by Kurosawa based on Shakespeare's "King Lear" you are going to experience a theatrical marvel, chaos, and a boat load of pain. Kurosawa used all of his skills to bring to life the story of a king driven mad by his traitorous children. At 75, his directorial skills were far from obsolete. He made a stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking tragic epic in a manner only he could do.Hidetora who had unified his region through fire and the sword and an utter lack of mercy announces that he is ready to retire. Taro, his eldest son, flatters him feigning humility when Hidetora bequeaths the title to him. He gives the two other sons, Jiro and Saburo their own castles, confident that his actions will bring lasting peace to the valley. Far from a sycophantic speech to his father, Saburo, the only son who loves him, tells him the plan will never work as does the court jester. Saburo and Hidetora's loyal retainer, Tango, are both banished for speaking the truth. It doesn't take long for Hidetora to realize his youngest son was right. Taro, at the bequest of his wife, Lady Kaede, humiliates his father by forcing him to sign a pledge of loyalty and into handing over the title Hidetora had sought to retain. Hidetora travels to Jiro's castle but finds no welcome from his middle son. Upon hearing the third castle is empty he and his entourage seek shelter there only to fall into a trap. Taro and Jiro join hands to destroy their father. After every last man and woman loyal to Hidetora is killed trying to protect their lord, Taro is "accidentally" killed, and his father is allowed to walk out of the burning keep, his mind completely broken. For all of the victories in his life, he could not see the evil his sons had harbored in their hearts and that evil would bring all he'd fought for and attained to naught.
***Warning! 417 year old spoiler ahead in the next paragraph!!!***
As Hidetora wanders aimlessly, his jester and Tango find him and care for him. Lady Kaede seduces Jiro and orders him to have his gentle wife, Sue, murdered. When Saburo comes to find his father, Lady Kaede incites Jiro to attack Saburo's men after agreeing to a truce. Saburo finds his disturbed father in a rocky "grave". Saburo's forgiveness clears Hidetora's mind and they dream of telling tales and living together. Jiro's man kills Saburo and Hidetora loses all hope and dies next to him. Like in King Lear, the family was extinguished. Saburo's men and allies triumphantly kill Jiro and his men laying waste to the last of Hidetora's family.
Much like King Lear, Ran ended with the tragic and inevitable loss of life based on a father's bloody past, pride, and blindness to the truth. Hidetora was haunted by all those he'd killed, including the families of his daughters-in-law. Unable to escape the ghosts of his cruel actions, Hidetora and his jester were forced to take refuge among the rubble of the keep he'd burned, at one time spending the night in the hut of a man he'd blinded. His jester ever speaking the truth and folly of his actions. There were no heroes in this film. Hidetora had blood on his hands. Jiro and Taro were murderous and duplicitous. Although Lady Kaede was widely hated, her vengeful actions, with the exception of her hatred of the Lady Sue, were understandable. Only Saburo who spoke the truth perhaps had a vision for a better tomorrow and he ended up paying for his father's sins.
At times, Kurosawa showed the chaos of battle in a beautiful manner with soldiers racing across fields and in castle keeps, silently except for the haunting music. Just as quickly the exquisitely orchestrated military dances devolved into the brutality of war with bodies filled with arrows, severed limbs, and crimson blood dripping ceilings. Fire and smoke choked out all sanity and peace. At one point, Hidetora wondered if he was in hell. He was in hell, a hell of his own making carved out by the carnage he had wrought during his life, the example his sons had learned from, pitting them against him and each other.
The opening scenery was gorgeous, vibrantly alive with verdant green hills. Kurosawa was truly a master of filling the screen with interesting movement and use of color. After the dye was set and the father gave his sons their inheritance, the windblown landscapes became dry and vast. As always, Kurosawa's fateful wind blew across the screen, tinged with either dust or smoke. Emi Wada won an Oscar for best costume design and it showed. The lifeless beige and gray backgrounds were the perfect contrast for her intricately and brilliantly hued costumes. The only detractor in this film for me was Nakadai's makeup. Much like the aging makeup on Mifune Toshiro in "I Want to Live", it was overly theatrical. The white and purple makeup obscured Nakadai's face and thus his unhinged performance.
Whether order was restored out of the familial chaos, is unknown. The film showed that confusion and disorder are always at the ready when truth is abandoned for what people pridefully want to hear. Children learn from what their parents do, not what they say, especially when their parent has been burning villages and castles to the ground in his desire to gain more. Hidetora made the classic mistake of thinking upon his retirement he had any say over what the next generation would do. Their desire for power was just as ravenous as his own had been-maybe more.
The message is timeless, whether in Shakespeare's day, Kurosawa's, or our own. As long as chaos bids us take what is not ours, view others as less than and disposable, we are bound to repeat the actions that bring sorrow instead of joy. The last character standing, blind atop a precipice, his painting of the Amida Buddha fallen and out of reach, reflected much of the mood of the film. The lust for power blinds men, their only hope for peace lost, ultimately leaving everything in ruins.
"It is the gods who weep. They see us killing each other over and over since time began…They can't save us from ourselves."
Ran was a gorgeous and enthralling film to watch and a cautionary tale as well.
6/28/23
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