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"Life is strange"
The Voice of Water showed the progression of Min Jung's career from scam fortune-teller to priestess of the God’s Water cult complete with its own marketing team. Creating a cult was just another business start-up. When her deadbeat dad entered the picture, danger lurked beneath the murky water of greed.Min Jung’s grandparents emigrated from Jeju Island to Osaka during the island’s turbulent era. Because Min Jung’s grandmother had been a shimbang, her friend Mina talks her into starting a fortune telling gig in order to earn money. When it becomes successful, the young women find themselves with a business plan and marketing team. Min Jung begins to tire of being a priestess as her conscience comes to life. Mina tells her that it doesn’t matter if she’s a sham because if people believe they are being helped, then they are. Min Jung’s father makes an unwanted appearance when he runs afoul of the local yakuza boss. Her estranged father brings trouble as well as an unstable disciple who’d like to take her place.
There was an interesting and cynical premise at the heart of this film, that religion is all about having the power to make people believe and is just another business venture. Whether the cult leaders believed what they were selling was irrelevant. Most importantly, the devotees did and eagerly handed over their hard-earned money. When Min Jung returned from a retreat as a true believer, wanting to save the world, she upset not only the business model but her business team as well.
The film did present an angle I’ve not seen used much by showcasing the Korean-Japanese community in Japan. Min Jung reconnected with her family’s past when she learned about the tragic history of Jeju Island and her grandmother’s life as a shimbang there. Archival photos from this terrible time when 30,000 people were killed and 70% of villages were burned during the clashes before, during, and right after the Korean War with the red scare were shown. Early images of Korea Town in Osaka were shown as well.
The Voice of Water wasn’t all religious scams, Min Jung’s father and his connection to the yakuza brought a malevolent touch. Fair warning, there was a rape scene and talk of sexual assaults if this is a trigger for you. The yakuza story was the least interesting part of the film for me and felt out of place unless it was to say that the crime syndicate also had its tentacles in religious cults as well. I’m sure director Yamamoto showed the reasoning behind the violent climax to the film, but whatever meaning there was attached to it eluded me.
One of the problems this film had was a rather large cast with ill-defined characters. I found it impossible to care about most of them. On her retreat into the woods, Min Jung listened to a tree and was suddenly ready to save the world. Despite her epiphany her character still came across as vague. This was due more to the writing than the acting. Hyunri gave a strong performance as the priestess with a serene façade and party girl afterwards drinking with her friends. I liked that Min Jung and her friend Mina were loyal to each other, but even this important friendship wasn’t given enough details
Fans of director Yamamoto’s other films will want to try this one. For me, there were some engaging elements teased but never fully fleshed out. Ultimately, I found Min Jung’s journey to be long and underwhelming. Water could bring rebirth and death, though enlightenment was difficult to find in the nebulous pool of business.
29 June 2024
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"Don't come back!"
If you are curious about those insanely expensive grapes sold in Japan, The Grapes of Joy gives a tiny insight into how they are grown. I’ll admit the heartwarming part of the story was something that attracted me, but the hyperventilating, inept, female lead hired for her smile dragged it down for at least the first half of the movie. This type of overly-enthusiastic character is hugely popular so this is just my curmudgeonly response to her.Soma Haruna shows up late to her interview at Minamoto Kitchoan but the president of the company has mercy on her and lets her interview. Her sob story gets to him and she is hired despite everyone else’s reservations. Haruna is shuttled from department to department after making hilarious and kindhearted mistakes until the only place left for her is working in the vineyards where the grapes are grown for the company’s signature treat. There she meets the owner of the vineyard, Akiyoshi Shinsuke, who has no desire for her to work for him. Haruna doesn’t know the meaning of the word “no” and continues to show up every day.
Within the first 30 minutes, Haruna---fell dramatically twice, was late for her interview, lost her wallet, lost her phone, presented an error riddled resume, ruined two batches of candy, left the candy store and register unattended, got lost, ran a customer off with her pushy, unrestrained enthusiasm, nearly ruined expensive grapes, demonstrated no self-awareness or ability to follow simple instructions, and was unable to comprehend when people were making fun of her. I know I was supposed to be charmed by her, but I sympathized with her supervisors. I wouldn’t have hired her to water my houseplants while on vacation. At one point when she was relegated to making copies I wondered if she’d accidentally and hilariously burn the building down. Of course, Haruna discovered Akiyoshi’s secret pain and worked to save not only the grapes for the company but also heal the older man’s heartache.
I found the grape growing aspects of the film interesting though there wasn’t much to be learned. Haruna calmed down the longer she worked at the vineyard and began to think beyond her own desires around Akiyoshi, which helped my viewing experience. The Grapes of Joy worked hard to be heartwarming, maybe a little too hard and obviously.
15 July 2024
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Sazen Tange and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo
5 people found this review helpful
Treasure map to a hidden gem of a film
I braced myself when I started Tange Sazen and the Pot Worth a Million Ryo. Having watched numerous films from the 1920’s and 30’s, I’m used to darker themes and sadness. To my relief and surprise, this 1935 film was a delightful, lighthearted romp with no undo suffering in sight.A miserly daimyo lord discovers that the old, dirty, monkey pot he’d gifted his brother turns out to hold a map for a million ryo hidden treasure. The brother, Genzaburo, is dominated by his beautiful wife and offended at the cheap gift. When the daimyo’s retainer generously offers to take the "worthless" pot off his hands, Genzaburo refuses. He’s excited when he finds out about the treasure map, but also thwarted when his wife tells him she sold it for a pittance. The missing pot actually gifts him with something better than money. In order to search for the pot, he’s able to leave the house unattended!
“Edo is huge. It might take 10 or even 20 years. It’s like going out for revenge.”
The pot ends up in the hands of an orphan who uses it as a goldfish bowl. Both pot and child are taken in by the one-eyed, one-armed ronin, Sazen Tange. Sazen is also henpecked, not by a wife but by the proprietress of the shop he guards. There are gifts for sale and men can come in to eat and drink and shoot arrows at targets, much like at an arcade. The fun begins as multiple people search for the pot in earnest and Genzaburo delays finding it so that he can have some fun.
I don’t always connect with the humor in nearly 100-year-old films, but I laughed out loud a couple of times with this one. Even when they bickered and verbally refused to do the right thing, the characters always ended up being generous, protective, and kind. There were a few, quick samurai fights and sparring, but nothing to ruin the gentle mood.
This Tange Sazen film was a beautiful hidden gem, highlighting some of the best of humanity in a humorous way. I wish more of director Yamanaka Sadao’s films had survived. I look forward to trying his other two extant films.
8 July 2024
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"It ends fast if you stay still"
What will an Ordinary Person do in the face of poverty and corruption? Will an Ordinary Person fight for the children’s future at the cost of his own? What would an Ordinary Person do for his child’s health and future? Set in Seoul during the turbulent 1980’s, two ordinary men would have to decide how much of themselves they could give away and whether they could do something extraordinary.Kang Sung Jin is a police detective barely making ends meet with a mute wife and a son who needs an operation on his leg. Providence seems to reach out and touch him when Choi Kyoo Nam of the Intelligence Agency gifts him an envelope containing evidence of a serial killer. The killer just happens to be in Sung Jin’s jail cell. It’s up to Sung and his partner to gather the witnesses and coerce a confession from Kim Tae Sung. It’s not long before his friend and reporter Chu Jae Jin, points out conflicting evidence putting Sung Jin in not only an ethical dilemma but both men in a life and death one.
The events in the movie lead up to the 1987 Defense of the Constitution and demonstrations. Torture and forced confessions were business as usual. Jang Hyuk’s Choi Kyoo Nam was ruthless and saw those beneath him as mere dogs which he could order to do his bidding. If they faltered, he would just make dog stew out of them. The Intelligence Agency had its tendrils everywhere.
Ordinary Man forced its characters to dig deep and make diligent and dangerous decisions. Like in an old Kaiju movie, the monster didn’t truly reveal himself until the forty-minute mark. The film could have used some trimming to narrow down the story and focus. It started out with a comedic chase, but anyone who has watched Korean movies knows better than to take that bait, it’s never long before the pain sets in.
Sung Jin found that once you did the devil’s bidding, there was no turning back. A new car, money to spend, an operation for his son all seemed like a dream come true until it became a nightmare of agonizing ethical choices. Choices had consequences, terrible irrevocable consequences. This was not an action movie, and only the framework had to do with the pervasive corruption in society. At its heart, the film asked what would an ordinary man do when faced with dire moral challenges never knowing if his choices would change anything for the better or if he’d be able to live with them.
"If I don't fall, no one can knock me down."
5 July 2024
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Creative writing with a twist!
I was looking for female directors and came across this tantalizing short film. At the age of 21, Go Min Si wrote, directed, and starred in Parallel Novel.This film reminded me of the SpongeBob episode when the pencil with magical powers came into his possession. I wish this film had been longer to develop the elements we were teased with in this fleeting story. In 3 minutes Go Min Si created two worlds, filmed beautifully. With no spoken dialogue the emotions were played out perfectly with body language and aided by the tense musical background. There was more suspense in 90 seconds than some movies accomplish in 2 hours.
What I loved the most about this concise and well paced film was that the female character stood up for herself against a terrible male writer who had subjected her to some of the worst tropes aimed at women. I only wished she had taught him a better lesson!
Go Min Si showed great promise with this short film. I'm disappointed that 8 years later she hasn't had any more screenwriting or directing credits. I'd really like to see what she could do with a bigger budget and full length format. If you have 3 minutes to spare, I could easily recommend Parallel Novel.
19 June 2024
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"You wait"
The Recipe began with a transformative bowl of stew and then worked its way backwards to the origin of the enthralling recipe. There were slow moments where the film tended to get lost in the weeds of the intricacies of making Doenjang Jjigae, but all was forgiven as the investigation finally revealed the truth.After his execution, Kim Jong Gu’s last request sets investigative reporter Choi Yoo Jin on his tireless quest to discover what kind of stew would be the murderer’s last thoughts. As Choi digs into the story he ascertains that the stew was so fragrant and delicious that Kim never felt the cuffs being put on. In fact, the officers were frozen at the tantalizing smell. In his efforts to track down the woman who made the doenjang, he meets one by one all the people who helped with the extensive steps she took to make the magic happen. Choi’s boss isn’t enraptured with the tale but that doesn’t stop the intrepid reporter until at last he learns how love and tears contributed to the story.
While I enjoy recipe detective work, the fine details of each step of the process often bogged the film down. If you are watching for Lee Dong Wook, you may be disappointed. He doesn’t show up until over an hour into the film. This was largely Ry Seung Ryong’s film as Choi Yoo Jin. The veteran actor showed Choi going from cynical to obsessed over the effects the stew had on people and the extraordinary details that went into it. Finally, his journey would lead him to the tragic love which inspired Jang Hye Jin’s recipe.
Anna Lee (Lee Suh Goon) directed and co-wrote this film. Her painstaking attention to food and ingredients and all the people whose hands touched the different elements was intriguing. In the same way Hye Jin had to wait on her soybean paste to ferment, this film will make you wait for the emotional payoff. Ultimately, the conclusion I came to was one any child or grandchild knows instinctively, food made with love and loving attention is the best.
17 June 2024
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The Fascinating Dream in the Grassland
5 people found this review helpful
Dream vs Reality
Fascinating Dream in the Grassland was shot so realistically that it was difficult to tell whether it was a short film or documentary. At only 13 minutes long, the film told the story of Gele/Garus and her love of dance and her love for her family.Gele lives on the Tibetan grasslands with her family. They are the last generation of grazers and herders. There are sheep, yaks, horses, and cattle grazing on the vast grasses. When her father takes a herd to graze further away, Gele must help her mom with the animals left behind. As she works in the fields, Gele dances and dreams of going to the big city to learn more and perform. Gracefully and joyfully, she lifts her arms and moves her feet to the songs in her head. Her dream is compared to the familial needs as her grandfather and brother state her responsibilities to their family in their remote life with their herds.
Gele’s father will make the final decision whether she can leave and if they have the money for her to go. And Gele will have to decide what she truly wants. Whether performing in front of people is her dream or dancing on the grasses with the mountains in the background.
The cinematography was stunning with the grasslands and mountains as the backdrop for the story. The acting came across very naturally as if it was a documentary. For a short film, Fascinating Dream gave an intriguing glimpse into a young woman’s heart and a fading way of life.
27 May 2024
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"The more secrets you know, the sooner you will die"
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate Inn was a weirdly addictive drama despite uneven storytelling and even more uneven acting. If you are looking for a drama centered around the famous Dragon Gate Inn, look elsewhere. This inn might as well have been named the Flamingo Palm Tree Inn as little as the mythology of the inn played into the story. If, like me, you see where Nie Yuan is listed as a main character, prepare to be disappointed. His Zhao Huai An was a supporting character who occasionally lent emotional and martial arts support. This was primarily a palace drama and a case of missing royal twins who grew up to be the princess and crown prince. The only trouble was, only one person knew how to identify them and he wasn’t talking.There will be slight spoilers from the first few episodes in the next *two paragraphs* to follow because the synopsis is not what this drama is about, if you want to avoid them, please skip down to general comments:
*The emperor’s consort Lady Lan bears him twins while he is away. The jealous empress manages to steal the girl baby while Dr. Feng quickly takes the boy child and gives him to General Yu who hands the baby off to Zhao for safe keeping. The eunuch and close ally to the empress, Wan Yu Lou, accidentally kills Lady Lan. The emperor returns to find Lady Lan dead and only a deformed daughter that he orders to be killed. Wan and the empress work to cover up their vile deeds with Wan agreeing to secretly adopt the baby princess. The two are determined to find the missing crown prince as well.
*Twenty years later Hu Zhong Yu is one of Zhao’s disciples, though Zhao isn’t around much. Hu also vowed to protect the young master of the Ma clan, Ma Tian You. When the Wanma Hall is destroyed and the young master goes missing Hu goes in search of him. During this time, he rebuilds the Dragon Gate Inn with the help of the Xia princess Bu Lu Du and tomb raider Gu Shao Tang. Later, Hu sees Tian You entering the palace grounds and follows him. Dressed as a eunuch Hu ends up serving the Western Depot under You Jia and his second in command Yu Hua Tian, a no-nonsense warrior who unknowingly to You is one of the adopted daughters of the evil Eastern Depot commander, Wan Yu Lou. Hu and Yu find themselves going from adversaries to allies as they struggle to survive the dangerous politics of the palace driven by an incompetent emperor and a treacherous Eunuch Wan.
This drama focused on the relationship between Hu Zhong Yu and Yu Hua Tian. The two actors had a nice chemistry together and were fun to watch. The other dominant stories involved Wan and his “daughters” and how he used them to gain power and advantages over his enemies. Zhou Huai An and Jin Xian Gyu showed up to guide the patriotic rebels against Wan and to give sage advice. Two of the most annoying characters to ever set foot in Dramaland were the princess Bu Lu Du and tomb raider Gu Shao Tang. They bickered non-stop and fought over Zhong Yu for 38 ½ episodes. They were childish and downright dangerous to have as allies. With the exception of Yu and Jin as the drama progressed, most of the female characters were not shown in a positive light. Thankfully, Yu, for the most part, was a thoroughly competent warrior and character. She protected those she loved and was unafraid to stand up to evil. On a side note, I was happy to see old kung fu movie star, David Chiang, in the role of Dr. Feng.
While there were scenes at the Dragon Gate Inn, they were few and far between. Most of the action took place at the palace. The “Who’s your daddy?” storylines gave a slightly different angle to the usual fight for the throne trope. It also changed relationship dynamics when people thought they knew who the royal children were and caused heartache as well. The censors could be felt when characters awkwardly declared that love was only between a man and a woman. This sentiment was largely overshadowed as one of Wan’s daughters deeply loved Yu thinking Yu was a male eunuch. Hu fell in love with Yu thinking the same thing. Both still loved Yu when “he” was revealed to be a woman. Love was love regardless of gender which felt like a bold step for a Cdrama. Flying Swords of Dragon Gate Inn could be campy and fun, dark and emotional, with terribly uneven acting and annoying characters, but it was also hard to stop watching.
27 May 2024
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Grade schooler Jin and her little sister Bin are dropped off at their paternal aunt’s house when their mother goes in search of their missing deadbeat father. As the mother leaves, she hands Jin a red piggy bank and tells her when it is full of coins they earn for doing chores for their aunt, she’ll return. Their aunt who doesn’t work and drinks too much soju does the bare minimum for them and sometimes not even that. The girls often find themselves alone and fending for themselves or asking a neighbor for food. Jin, who was a good student, is no longer enrolled in school. Despite their circumstances the girls stick together and look for ways to earn money to fill their piggybank.
This film eschewed dramatic music for natural sounds or the girls singing. The young actresses gave beautifully genuine, unpretentious performances. They carried the weight of the movie on their tiny shoulders as the story was seen through their eyes. It was agonizing watching Jin slowly piece together the reality of her life after the harsh realization of their situation hit her. Each emotional blow would rock her and she would slowly absorb the new information and try again. Kim Hee Yeon’s eyes told the depth of Jin’s pain. Though the girls were shuttled about, they stayed together and never gave into despair, always making the best of their lives.
Treeless Mountain demonstrated how vulnerable children are and how resilient they can be when they shouldn’t have to be. There were moments that were genuinely heartbreaking as Jin came to realize that adults lie and had let her down repeatedly and others that were filled with hope when she offered all she had to someone in need. This film will cause you to want to show great kindness to any children in your life-to cuddle them and fill their bellies with warm food and shelter them from all danger. Not every child has that security, some sisters live on a treeless mountain with only each other to truly depend on. While this slow meditation on the perils of childhood may not be for everyone, I found it to be deeply moving.
21 May 2024
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"Goryeo is more resilient than we thought"
I had been looking forward to watching the historical Korea-Khitan War as it wasn’t a fantasy or focused on the romantic involvements of the king or other characters. I ended up having mixed reactions to the varied approaches to history and the different levels of acting abilities.Goryeo was dealing with its larger and more aggressive neighbor, the Liao Empire run by the Khitans. There had already been one invasion by the Khitans which had been repelled but led to concessions on both sides. After a coup, Gang Jo has the teenager Hyun Jong coronated king. The Khitans use the coup as justification for another invasion and for the people of Goryeo and their new king it won’t be the last.
When the drama focused on the historical events of the invasions, I found it quite compelling. This small country stood its ground and used every trick and resource it could to repel the invaders. I became deeply invested in characters like Kang Kam Chan, Yang Kyu, Kim Sook Heung, Ji Chae Mun, and even the Khitan general Xiao Pai Ya. Goryeo not only dealt with the enemy across the border but the enemy within, as traitors opened their gates to the invaders or planned to cooperate with the Khitans. After the Khitans were successfully repelled the second time, the drama lapsed into internal conflicts for around 14 episodes that apparently were not based in historical evidence which I found disappointing. When they once again faced the Khitans, more prepared for their familiar enemy, the drama picked back up for me.
The battle scenes required an understanding that with a limited budget, armies of over 100,000 troops were going to be represented by two dozen people. Battle fields that should have been hip deep in bodies and blood were suddenly washed clean with no one there. For the most part when they showed the fighting up close and the stakes involved it was easier to buy in. The battle at Heunghwajin was done quite well. I was hoping to see the damming of the river battle in the third invasion, but that was likely beyond their budget.
Some of the acting was quite good. Choi Soo Jong as the rigid and canny Kang Kam Chan gave a brilliant performance. Ji Seung Hyun as Yang Kyu was quite believable as the determined warrior who could adapt and improvise on the battlefield. The deep voiced Kim Tae Han as Xiao Pai Ya provided the perfect foil for Kang Kam Chan. There were some limited performances by many other characters that often pulled me out of the moment. The drama focused much of its attention on the saintly, emotional king, but I found him to be one of the least interesting characters and performances. The amateurish camera pans of obvious reaction shots of people being wide-eyed, open-mouthed shocked in the court were overused. The villains, Emperor Shengzong of Liao and Park Jin of Chungju, were overacted and did everything but twirl their mustaches to let you know how evil they were.
When Korea-Khitan War focused on the war, it was engrossing to see how the Goryeo army was going to outfox and outfight the larger armies of the Khitans. When it lapsed into endless political jockeying and arguments, focusing on less compelling characters and actors, it lost some steam and historical integrity.
20 May 2024
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"A decade, is that a long time or no time at all?"
Going into The Last 10 Years there was no denying what type of movie I would be watching-a story about a young woman with a terminal illness based on a true story. But as with any genre, it’s how the story is implemented as to whether it touches you or not. The moment the director cues the violins and tries to manipulate my feelings, I tend to dig in and become resentful. This film was quite the opposite. While the music was emotional and lovely, the story slowly unfolded allowing the characters to make their way through decisions about life, death, relationships, and whatever the future means.When Matsuri is in the hospital she is given a camcorder by a dying mother and admonished to, “Live every minute to the fullest.” That advice is hard to follow after she returns home and boredom overtakes her. Diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension her list of restrictions and medications is quite long. She goes to a middle school class reunion where no one knows about her illness and reconnects with old friends. The standard questions arise about marriage, children, and work. Kazuto, a boy she doesn’t remember, attempts to reach out to her. Kazuto has his own issues with life and death and before long, he, his friend Takeru, Matsuri and her editor friend, Sanae, begin to hang out. In the dark about her illness, Kazuto is clearly smitten but Matsuri has her daily grind with avoiding death to deal with as well as her loving but concerned family.
Matsuri and Kazuto both had their issues with life’s disappointments and whether death would be a tragedy or a gift. As they grew closer, both began to embrace life more. For Kazuto, the future held promise and an unknown amount of time. For Matsuri, tomorrow was always in question knowing her time was imminently finite. No one gets out of this life alive, but for Matsuri, that harsh reality faced her every day. I was happy there was no countdown clock as if the 10 years prognosis was ironclad. The median life expectancy for someone with PAH is 5 years. Each crisis she faced could have been her last. The film didn’t throw roadblocks into her relationship with Kazuto just for the standard effect. Matsuri not only had to take Kazuto’s feelings into consideration but her own as well. She did what she needed to do to be strong enough to face death.
Komatsu Nana gave a beautifully nuanced performance as Matsuri. Layers of emotions peeled forward and back as she portrayed Matsuri dealing with her day-to-day struggles with Death hanging over her shoulder. Ever aware of her parents’ pain, she put a mask on for them most of the time and for her friends. When the dam finally broke and her fears and disappointments rolled over her, Komatsu’s performance was raw and real. Ever cautious with Kazuto so as not to get too close, but staying close enough to bask in his warmth, you could feel the walls she kept carefully erected. And finally, as Matsuri’s body began to collapse, the slow acknowledgement of a clock ticking down.
Far from being maudlin, The Last 10 Years was an exercise in living well and making the most of life regardless of circumstances. Whatever Matsuri gained-a relationship, a job, a friendship, she was always aware how close she was to losing them. Yet she still found the strength to try. She was searching for meaning and just the simple experiences of living. I was here. I lived. I loved. And in her strength, she gave Kazuto a love for life as well.
“My life might look like just another boring existence but you’ll always be with me.”
16 May 2024
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"This is personal" Well, of course it is...
Triple Threat had an embarrassment of martial artists riches and also embarrassingly bad dialogue, even for an action movie. The martial arts were also short shrifted in lieu of guns and things that go boom far too often.Payu and Long Fei have been hired to help with a “humanitarian” mission that turns out to be anything but. Local security for the site, Jaka, loses his wife in the deadly firefight that erupts when the mercenaries enter the village to release Collins, a notorious terrorist. Payu, Long Fei, and Jaka develop a tenuous partnership to bring down the mercs and end up protecting a Chinese heiress/local philanthropist along the way.
The firefights were often over the top as the bad guys mowed down people throughout the small country of Maha Jaya. Things were always more interesting when the guns were down and the fists and kicks were up. Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, and Tiger Chen all have experience with fighting on screen and choreography. The weakest of the three was Tiger as his fights often looked slow and uninspired. Tony and Iko were far more entertaining as they defied gravity with their flexibility, quickness, and strength. Bad guy, Scott Adkins, was able to keep up with the kicks as was Michael Jai White. Jeeja Yanin had what amounted to a glorified guest role and didn’t have many chances to show her skills.
The action came fast and furious with the fighters and heiress on the run. Unfortunately, some of the acting and much of the dialogue was painfully cringeworthy. Not much effort was made to create a cohesive story either. As a check your brain at the door, let’s watch Tony Jaa fly and flip, it was rudimentary martial arts action entertainment.
15 May 2024
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"Do you think monsters are afraid of themselves?"
Seventeen-year-old Satoko struggles with an eating disorder and sense of alienation from her family and friends as she deals with her hidden eating habits alone in Taste of Emptiness. Director Tsukada Marina drew from her own experiences in the making of this independent film. Both heartbreaking and hopeful, Taste of Emptiness didn’t shy away from Satoko’s daily confrontations with her obsessive behaviors and the desire to overcome them.Satoko and her friends, Yuko and Kanae, belong to the dance club and are preparing for a competition. The talk in the dressing room often revolves around weight and boys. At home, Satoko goes to the frig, hungry, but concerned about the calories in the food. When she does succumb to pudding she exercises afterwards. Her anxiety and OCD behaviors gradually grow worse as she begins to binge and purge. Her father notices she’s not eating but her mother chalks it up to a small appetite and the changing seasons despite Satoko’s weight loss. When her older brother realizes she's purging, the men organize an intervention at dinner against the mother’s wishes. After words held tightly for too long coming spewing out, Satoko leaves to stay with Kanae. Her problems only escalate in the new environment and soon she’s not going to school and drops out of dance. When she runs out of money, she returns home and begins therapy. While waiting on the doctor, she meets Maki, an “evening office worker.” The two become friends and spend time together. Satoko begins to understand Maki’s problems run deeper than they appeared at first glance, yet the unorthodox woman’s acceptance of her as she is bolsters her confidence.
Taste of Emptiness used an array of symbolism for Satoko’s emotions such as being underwater and wearing a Noh mask to hide her inner feelings. When she confronted her family at the intervention you could see her withdrawing into herself, the pain palpable and intensifying. Confused and scared of people discovering how confused she was, she vacillated between being angry at her family and angry at herself. “When I’m invisible, I can relax.” Satoko’s mom had to fight through her own denial about her daughter’s condition. Eventually, both mother and child worked to find a better place between them.
Reasons for eating disorders are as complicated and varied as the means for healing them and this film didn’t take any shortcuts or give any easy answers. Satoko worked with a doctor, medications, her family, and her friends. Maki’s influence on her also came as a double-edged sword though it did seem to jumpstart her healing. Taste of Emptiness was a slow paced jarringly realistic film about one teen’s search for healing and meaning as she dealt with the “thin ideal” and coming to accept she was okay even when she didn’t feel okay.
“I hope you can be who you want to be.”
“Even if I’m crazy?”
“You have to start somewhere.”
7 May 2024
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"Impossibilities are what make this world interesting"
The Sealer was a short drama involving a secret organization that seals blades filled with “filth” such as malice and hatred and causes the humans wielding them to disappear. A reporter who can see the evil black haze emitted from the demons and swords becomes involved with the group and aids in needed research to help one of their own.The premise of the story was interesting if dark. Anyone dealing with anger or other strong emotions could become a victim of the sword and then be turned into mindless killers, even good people. The Sealers absorbed the “filth” from Blades of Filth until they could no longer contain that “filth”, then they were eliminated lest they become demonic as well. Not a great retirement plan or selling point for new candidates. Over the centuries, no one figured out how to resolve some of the more problematic issues. Karen, the maker of the scabbards that sealed the evil blades, believed that scabbards could be made that would save the humans attached to the blades and grant them the ability to atone for their deeds instead of disappearing. The blades were similar to Mordor blades, wounds caused by them would never heal.
Most of the characters were flatly drawn and acted. The characters wore basically the same clothes throughout the episodes. Sanjo, the overly earnest reporter, needed a pair of trainers as many times as she fell down and couldn’t get back up. In fact, characters falling down and being unable to stand afterwards was a common theme. I counted at least nine times it happened, as if they were all part turtle with no way to get up once down.
The Sealer was entertaining for a short drama, but being so short often left the characters underdeveloped as well as the story. There were times characters just stood around and watched what was happening with little to do. Many of the action scenes felt redundant, yet the stakes were high. For the most part The Sealer kept my attention except when I wasn’t wondering what evil spell caused people to freeze on the floor instead of attempting to escape a sword wielding demon.
6 May 2024
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"Your life is more meaningful when you are willing to face yourself'
The Heroic Trio was a weirdly, wildly, stylized superhero movie starring three of the most beautiful women in Hong Kong films at the time. Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung, and Anita Mui were caught up in an evil eunuch’s plan to steal babies and install one of them as the new emperor of China. This film had a Saturday morning superhero television show quality to it, if that show had cannibalism, decapitations, and dead babies and children.Tung is married to Inspector Lau. Little does her husband know that she is the much admired hero, Wonder Woman. When babies are being kidnapped with no ransom notes the duo springs into action in their own ways. Chat, The Thief Catcher, rolls in on her motorcycle armed with a pump shotgun and dynamite and saves the day when she rescues hostages at a chemical warehouse. A superhero for hire, she gives her card to the police chief whose new baby has been targeted. Ching, The Invisible Woman, works for the merciless and powerful eunuch who lives in an enormous fortress in the sewers. The eunuch believes that, “China cannot be without an emperor.” And by that he means an emperor he controls so that he would be the de facto ruler. By day Ching lives with The Professor who invented the Invisible cloak so that when it is perfected, she can steal it and kill him. She may not get the chance as the invisibility process is deadly toxic. The three women warriors collide as the kidnappings become more complicated and deadly. The eunuch’s superpowered minion, Kau, brings danger and loss of body parts whenever he appears.
This movie was off the rails bonkers and not for the faint of heart. In Western films, killing and torturing children is right up there with killing pets, it’s rarely done, or at least not done onscreen so the cruelty toward children was quite disturbing for me. The Flying Guillotine survived the ages from the 1975 movie and made a cameo here. There were also a variety of throwing weapons, explosives, razor bladed chains, and poison darts used. The women’s most powerful weapons were the humanity and sisterhood that had almost been trained out of them. Only through their combined powers could they take down the maniacal eunuch. Many of the actions scenes were filmed in low lighting as the characters climbed, leapt, and fell repeatedly. Despite the darkness, the wires showed at times, at other times the train broke through the fourth wall. While exploring the superhero genre, the film kept its feet firmly flying in Hong Kong wuxia history as well.
What was the draw to this absurd superhero movie? The cast! Michelle Yeoh was gorgeous with her flowing hair and impeccable timing, completely believable as the conflicted anti-hero. Ching had the most painful character growth spurred by her inconvenient love for the professor. It would take Chat and Tung to give her a reason to live and break free from the eunuch’s hold. Maggie Cheung went from cocky bounty hunter to the vulnerable middle child caught between two sisters she loved. Anita Mui alternated as the devoted wife and ferocious heroine who was the moral compass of the trio. The three women each had tortuous pasts that they had to come to terms with in order to move forward.
The Heroic Trio was not a great movie but it was entertaining. At times it veered into so bad it was good, especially near the end with an unhinged final fight. Regardless of the movie's shortcomings, it's always refreshing to have competent women warriors and superheroes even if the movie didn’t always serve them well. For fans of these actresses, if you can keep your expectations low, it’s definitely one to give a try.
10 April 2024
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