The Butterfly

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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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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What price honor and glory?

The Sword asks the question, "what price honor and glory?" It's something I always wonder when I watch these films where swordsmen try to move up the pecking order by defeating someone ranked higher than themselves and toss the word honor around while doing it. "Excuse me, I know we don't have any disagreements, but would you mind terribly battling me to the death to see which of us is the superior swordsman?" This procedure never seemed very polite, much less honorable. In this film, Adam Cheng was forced to weigh the costs of spending years hunting for a legendary swordsman simply to test his skills.

Adam Cheng as Li Mak Yin befriends Ying Chih, a young swordswoman being hunted by a kidnapper, on the road to finding Hua/Wah, the legendary swordsman who has gone into hiding. Along the way he runs into his old flame who grew tired of waiting while he was on his quest and married Lin Wan (Norman Chu). Lin Wan turns out to be a vicious brute who wants Hua's sword Hon Sing. When Ying Chih is finally kidnapped Li goes to help her and is gifted the cursed sword Chi Mud to aid him by a woman who saved his life after a fierce battle with Lin's henchman. Turns out Ying Chih is Hua's daughter. In a very awkward moment after returning the man's daughter, Li asks if they could duel. After that interlude, the bodies start stacking up.

For a 1980 martial arts film, The Sword was slow, melancholic, and artfully done. Director Patrick Tam used beautiful framing and compositions combined with dramatic lighting. 1980's synth music was utilized for the soundtrack which actually worked quite well for setting the mood. The film asked how it felt to get what you wanted. Were the costs in innocent lives worth a lifetime of trying to beat and be the best? For the lone swordsman was the emptiness and loneliness of the lifestyle a satisfying tradeoff to feed one's pride and ambition?

The stunt work and fight choreography were acrobatic and quick. Despite being a more thoughtful movie, it did have gruesome ends to some of the fights. There were not only the traditional impalements, but one person decapitated himself and another was split in half. Chi Mud, much like The Ring of Power, was infused with hate and malice, and considered an evil sword. And just like the ring, it orchestrated the deadly destiny of several lives.

Adam Cheng played the conflicted and ambitious swordsman well. As Li weighed some of his exploitive actions, his life goals began to change. Norman Chu can be counted on to give depth to a villainous character and he did. Tien Feng, often cast as a baddie, was sympathetic as the aging considerate swordsman who cared for those around him. Jade Hsu found just the right balance as the firebrand daughter. She was forced to act idiotic for a scene but the writers finally put Ying Chih back on the right path. Eddy Ko, in a mostly silent role, made for a frightening henchman. Overall, the acting was quite good, especially for the genre.

The Sword was an excellent martial arts film for 1980 in comparison to so many others made during this time. The scenery, settings, and costumes were of a higher quality than most. For those looking for non-stop action, this might be a disappointment because it takes its time developing Li's character arc and the stakes being played for. The movie ends on a mournful note as Li moves beyond what he has been taught about honor and begins to understand that the real world has real consequences for his prideful actions. I would definitely recommend this film for fans of the genre. As always, I rate pre-1990 niche dramas on a curve.

6/27/23

*Many sites use a copy and pasted synopsis that says a swordsman and a samurai team up to find a blade. There is no samurai in this film, my guess is that it's either for a different movie or someone wrote a synopsis who had never seen this film.

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"What does family taste like?"

Final Recipe was like a serving of Grandma's favorite dish. There was nothing unexpected, it was cozy, familiar, and comforting. No matter who in the family makes her recipe, it brings back memories and binds people through those flavors and stories.

Final Recipe was a South Korean production with a multi-cultural cast, set in both Singapore and Shanghai. Henry Lau (Canadian fluent in Mandarin and Korean) as Mark, is a high school student in Singapore who dreams of becoming a chef. His grandfather, Chang Tseng (born in China, emigrated to Canada in 1994) refuses to let him enter the family restaurant business insisting that he go to college and become an engineer. Lori Tan Chinn (American) as Mrs. Wang plays referee between the two. When it's clear the restaurant will have to close, Mark decides to secretly take part in a famous cooking contest in Shanghai called Final Recipe to help his grandfather. Run by Michelle Yeoh's Julia (Malaysian) and her husband Master Chef David Chan (Ng Han Chin-Singapore), the contest is open to people from around the world. With the film's emphasis on family, it's no surprise that family secrets will bubble to the surface of this multi-generational stew.

Henry Lau was effervescent as Mark and a real bright spot in the movie as he dealt with his beloved grandfather and also when he sought unusual paths to making recipes work. Michelle Yeoh ended up being the bridge between generations, correcting mistakes made in the past. Mrs. Wang saw beyond the moment and dealt with the little family with humor and wisdom. Chin Han was more of the straight man in his role as the master chef as was Chang Tseng's stubborn grandfather. Both characters would have to deal with their decisions from the past. The team Mark worked with during the contest brought some nice conflict and comedy among the comrades in flames.

The story in this film was not particularly unique and had huge plot holes. What it did have was heart and warmth that poured out in every scene. The film showed how food and heritage can bind people even when distance has kept them apart. It also showed how families can become locked into rigid cycles. A parent wanting a child to follow in their footsteps or not wanting that for the younger generation, desperately desiring something better for them. Ultimately, the older generation had to realize that the children and grandchildren must choose their own paths which may take them on the road to be more successful or cause them to make mistakes as well. Though their paths may diverge, food and family are still intricately bound together.

Final Recipe's recipes were a true joy to visually experience. The delectable dishes bordered on food porn at times and were treats for the eyes. This is not a film to watch on an empty stomach, be sure to have a snack nearby.

I wish the story had been stronger, yet even with the plot flaws, the characters caused me to flow right along with them on their improbable journey. The healing and reconciliations while over-simplified still brought a smile to this viewer. In the end, Final Recipe was a charming and heartwarming film about family and the food that ties them together that left me gently satisfied.

4/19/23

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"People today have forgotten that they are really just part of nature."

Over eight vignettes from Kurosawa's Dreams, you'll float through surreal settings with dolls come to life, tremble from the hellish landscape of a post-apocalyptic war and sit by a soothing river where life flows by, the past, present and future. Many of Kurosawa Akira's familiar themes run through the stories and some you may find more meaningful or interesting than others. If you've ever wanted to wander through a Van Gogh painting this is the film to do it with.

Kurosawa begins the film with a wedding with possibly tragic consequences and ends the film with a joyful funeral. The old film master certainly likes to shake things up when he bookends stories. The first two dreams are when the central character standing in for Kurosawa, I, is a child. In "Sunshine Through the Rain", young I disobeys his mother and runs off to watch a Fox wedding procession leading to one of the most beautiful and disturbing scenes in the film. "Peach Orchard" has little I confronting the spirits of the peach trees his family had cut down. The spirits have taken the form of his sister's dolls and have mercy on the young boy due to his love of the lost blossoming trees. The spirits cause the trees to bloom momentarily in a most creative manner.

The next dreams feature an adult I. In "The Blizzard", four explorers are caught in a deadly snow storm. One by one, they succumb to the cold and fall asleep even as I encourages them onward. A mountain spirit attempts to lure I to sleep and he must resist or they will all die. "The Tunnel" sees I returning from WWII and walking through a long rural tunnel. He's confronted by a bloody grenade carrying anti-tank dog, then a private who had died in his arms. Finally, his whole ghost platoon confronts him. He must deal with his guilt and grief of being the only survivor as he faces his men.

In "Crows", I is an artist who travels through Van Gogh's paintings and meets the great artist. What he finds is a man driven to madness by his need to work and create the perfect paintings in his mind on the canvas. Perhaps the story is a reflection of Kurosawa and his own relentless drive to work. He too, had contemplated suicide, but went on to survive and continue his artistry.

The next two dreams are dark and as subtle as the old man in his I Fear to Live. In "Mt. Fuji in Red" Japan is ruined by the explosion of a nuclear reactor which covers the island in radioactive clouds. I and the people he is with have no place to run and one decision to make. Do they choose to die quickly or slowly? "The Weeping Demon" has I traipsing through a barren wasteland burned away by a nuclear war. The only life are giant dandelions and avaricious survivors with horns forced to devour one another to survive.

In the last dream, I crosses a narrow wooden bridge over a pristine river with waterwheels flanking both banks in "Village of the Water Mills". He comes across an old man fixing one of the wheels and discovers they use no electricity and have no need for scientific inventions. Most of the villagers live until they are very old due to their simple healthy way of life. The old man leaves I to join a rousing processional for a villager who has died, a celebration of the fulfilled life she had led. Kurosawa took us from cynicism.

Kurosawa's signature fog and wind showed up in most dreams, from the gentle rain misting in the sunshine, to the blinding blizzard on the mountain, to the colorful radioactive winds after the explosion with Mt. Fuji ablaze in orange and red. Many scenes were either brilliantly swathed in colorful flowers or menacingly gray and windy, never letting you find a comfortable place to rest.

The music and sounds further brought the scenes to life. The heavy breathing of the explorers in the howling wind, fighting for each step in the waist deep snow portrayed their desperate situation and resolve to live. Something as benign as footsteps became utterly haunting as the officer stood at the tunnel hearing the footsteps of his platoon coming toward him echoing louder and louder and later growing fainter and fainter. Several vignettes used stylized music and dancing, makeup, and costumes, reaching back into the past for inspiration.

Kurosawa covered an emotional diversity during his wedding, 2 apocalypses, and a funeral--- forgiveness, survivor's guilt, human resilience, and love for nature, as well as human greed and hubris. As he often did, he showed how the powerful materialistic upper tier with their out of control technology and self-absorption might destroy everything and everyone. Because of the captains of industry and their willful destruction of the environment they would be given a special hell to live in. Those who made friends with nature could live peacefully and well. If we take care of the environment, it will take care of us.

While I loved the sentiment of the final vignette, humankind will need to evolve much higher to do away with hate, envy, and the need for power. Inventions themselves are not always a bad thing, they can be very useful. As quickly as technology develops though so does our need for greater wisdom and love. Simply abandoning technology will not be enough.

Dreams took us on a trip through the river of time into the past, alternate planes of existence, and to possible futures. Whether this film comes across as a self-indulgent exercise by the director or a fascinating look into the beliefs about humankind and art by one of the 20th century's finest directors will be up to the individual. Even though he could be heavy handed at times or completely enigmatic I found the dreams thought provoking, creative, and a delight for the eyes.

2/17/23

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

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

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

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

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

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

12/8/22

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Misfortune makes or breaks you

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10/7/22

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"If you don't let what's in your heart out, you'll choke on it"

Kurosawa calls upon his characters to stand up for what's right even if the odds are against them in Scandal. Honor, weakness, redemption, and a rebel painter on a motorcycle all figure into this film.

A young, handsome Mifune Toshiro played the painter Aoye Ichiro who rebelliously road his motorcycle everywhere. When he offered a beautiful singer, Shirley Yamaguchi as Saijo, a ride back to her hotel in the mountains where he was also staying, the dominoes were stacked. The paparazzi had followed her to the hotel where she refused to have any pictures taken. In a genuinely chaste moment, the two were photographed together in what could have looked like an intimate scene. The tabloid wrote a salacious story about the two having a romantic getaway which went viral in a 1950's manner. When one of the photographers asked if it was okay to write a false story, the boss told him, "It doesn't matter if it's true. Once it's in print the public believes it." And therein lies one of Kurosawa's themes-the unscrupulous press who valued sales over truth and a gullible public who would believe it.

Ichiro decided to sue the magazine for the trouble brought down on himself and Saijo. Another theme-understanding the difference between right and wrong and standing up for what was right regardless of the consequences. In stumbled Hiruta Otokichi (Shimura Takashi) a lawyer begging for the job of representing him and the story became something else. Ichiro decided to hire Hiruta after meeting his tuberculosis bedridden daughter, a purity of love and light. The story now became focused on Hiruta's weakness. Weakness for money, betting, drinking, and in general doing all the things he considered loathsome...including selling out his client. Another theme-the disintegration of the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong in post war Japan. The film also began to center on Hiruta's weaknesses more than the court case and the gradual road to his redemption guided by his daughter and a motorcycle riding artist.

There were times in this film I thought I was watching a version of It's a Wonderful Life only with a down and dirty Clarence. It felt Capraesque in several places. For a Kurosawa film it was more sentimental and predictable than I would have thought. The shift from the story focusing on Mifune and Yamaguchi to Shimura's character was jarring. I normally enjoy Shimura's performances, but his hang dog, self-castigation went on too long for me. He would perfect this "poor me" performance for Ikiru. Fortunately, there were some lighter moments to break up all of his self-recriminations. As lovely as they were, Ichiro and Saijo came across rather one note and too perfect. Even with his habit of gunning his motorcycle and painting nudes, Ichiro practically squeaked when he walked, he was so clean and honorable.

The harsh commentary on the tabloids, moral disintegration, and the judicial system was not subtle. There was the obvious lament that while the fake news stories sold in the tens of thousands, Ichiro had trouble selling his actual works of art. Ultimately, the focus became about Hiruta's weaknesses without condemning them, simply exploring them and his reasons for them. Finally, watching as his lifeline was assembled, one that in the end might condemn him but set him free at the same time was worth rooting for. It takes a lot of courage to become a shining star reflected in a polluted pool of water.

I enjoyed this film, but not as much as I hoped I would. It was definitely worth watching for seeing Mifune Toshiro transporting a decorated Christmas tree on the back of his motorbike.


10/5/22

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Oh, what a tangled web we weave...

The legendary team of Kurosawa Akira and Mifune Toshiro tackle Shakespeare's Macbeth in Throne of Blood. While hitting most of the bard's main beats, Kurosawa takes the murderous couple to feudal Japan in this highly stylized film.

Mifune plays Washizu (Macbeth) caging the frenetic energy always just below this actor's surface. Washizu and his friend Miki are returning to their lord's keep, aptly named Spider Web Castle, after defeating an opposing lord's army in battle. Lost in the woods, they come across a ghostly forest spirit who foretells their future. Washizu will become the next lord of Spider Web Castle and Mizi's son will become it's future lord. Both men are incredulous as they make their way to the castle through the fog, even more incredulous when the prophetic events begin to come true.

Washizu becomes the leader of the North Garrison where he and his wife (the talented Yamada Isuzu) live a comfortable life. Lady Washizu is not content though and stirs up feelings of ambition and dread in her husband telling him that the lord may seek to kill him seeing him as a rival, especially if Miki tells of the prophecy. Washizu is not convinced but when the lord ominously drops into their hands, it doesn't take much convincing from his wife to perform the murderous deed. Miki throws in with him out of his own ambition or pragmatism. The prince and Noriyasu (Kurosawa regular-Shimura Takashi) flee to their old enemy and make a pact with him.

Lady Washizu unrelentingly keeps up the murderous whispers until man after man is slain in order to keep their new status. Even as they work to stay on top, the doubts and guilt begin to build until the subtle and not so subtle signs of madness begin to creep in. With each passing day his men's doubts grow as does the strength of their enemy.

There is all sorts of imagery in this film starting with Kurosawa's trademark wind and rain ushering in dark changes. Fog blinding the men as they try to find their way ushers in chaos and uncertainty. Washizu and Lady Washizu act almost as if they are wearing masks. She barely moves and when she does it usually means someone is about to die as the only sound you hear is the rustling of her silk dress as it slithers across the floor. At the end when the opposing army shows up, they are highlighted in sunlight while Washizu always seems to be in rain or fog or dim, claustrophobic lighting. The name Spider Web Castle reflects the deadly web the couple find themselves in, one they cannot extract themselves from.

The forest spirit tells Washizu and Miki,
"Human beings are so strange,
they are terrified to look into
the bottom of their hearts."

Washizu, his wife and Miki end up looking into their hearts and find more darkness than they were aware of. Paranoia drives Washizu to have his best friend murdered and see treachery all around him. The spirit's prophecy causes the chaos that sinks into a man's soul inciting greed and winning at any cost to take over. Was the spirit prophesying or setting events into motion with the prophecy? Did the men act of their own will or were they victims of predestination?

The sets were amazing. Always looking for that perfect shot, Kurosawa didn't like the initial castle set and had another imposing one built on Mt Fuji. In two different scenes, especially the final one, it didn't take much acting to show fear when arrows were being fired as they were really being shot at the actors.

Kurosawa wasn't afraid to use silence and time to create tension in scenes, something rarely used in today's films. The scene with the silent castle as the troops slowly approached not knowing if they would receive a welcome or death was particularly powerful.

Wind and fog come again at the end of the film along with the chorus, reminding the viewer that desire and fate are never changing. The castle of delusion is never far away when one gives into the baser ambitions at the bottom of their hearts. Throne of Blood uses no iambic pentameter, nor Shakespearean quotes, maybe it's the stronger for it.


9/29/22

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

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

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

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

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

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



8/24/22

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Nameless daughter in lost and found!

Reclaim is an uneven but interesting story about a 60-year-old woman who has lived her life for others. When she finds herself between a rock and a hard place with her extended family, her reaction to their needs is to look for a larger home.

Ye Lan Xin's life has become one of many hats---mother, daughter, wife, friend, in-law, teacher, but none of them are truly her own. Her retired husband refuses to help around the house and uses her more like a servant. When she came home in the opening scene to find he had gone through her books telling her which ones to keep, he lost all sympathy with me. You don't mess with a person's books-that's sacred territory!

Her grown daughter soon moves back in after quitting her job and trying to start up her own company hoping for mommy's financial as well as emotional support. The daughter, too, doesn't see her mom as a person but more as an assistant and ATM. The grown son who had been educated on his parent's dime in the States, also expects her to do his bidding. When her mother who suffers from dementia once again wanders away from the nursing home, Lan Xin wants her to move into their apartment. Her husband's "antique" collection and teapot collection take up nearly a whole room but he refuses to part with anything. He even buys a champion pigeon and lets it roam freely through the house without cleaning up its mess.

Lan Xin decides to buy a larger house so everyone will have their own room. Out of all them, she has the least privacy, unable to even watch Richard Gere movies when she wants to.

Much of the movie involves Lan Xin walking up and downstairs, traveling in elevators and circling around reflecting the ups and downs in her life as she searches for an affordable home. There are a couple of fantasy scenes awkwardly imposed into the movie that don't really fit with the realistic mood and also make it difficult to know if some of the things that are shown really happened. Ultimately, what Lan Xin was looking for was herself and coming to terms with the young girl who wanted to go to Paris to study art and the older woman who had married instead and teaches art on the side. When someone asks her name she goes blank because it has been so long since anyone called her by it. The scenes of Lan Xin creating a dollhouse that resembles her home tells much of what she desires and also what she comes to learn. The movie is beautifully shot, particularly the trip she and her mother take to their home town. The music can be syrupy at times, but in this type of movie fit the mood well.

Nina Paw as Lan Xin gave a subtle performance yet quietly powerful as small clues showed through her almost imperceptible reactions. While his character could be grating with denigrating demands and opinions, Johnny Kou played the self-involved husband perfectly. The sets were all intricately designed, especially the main apartment, important since much of the action took place in the almost claustrophobic spaces as Lan Xin tried to carve out one tiny place for herself.

There are times when you will want to shake Lan Xin for letting herself be used by nearly everyone around her in her need for approval and other times you will want to cheer for her as she gains clarity. Far from a perfect movie, and too long for the subject matter Reclaim is still worth trying out to watch as one woman takes the slow journey to reclaiming her life.

"All of us are alone when we reach the end. There's nothing to be afraid of." -Lan Xin's mother



8/16/22

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chasing the Dragon depended on the star power of Andy Lau and Donnie Yen as the demonic duo of corrupt cop Lee Rock and triad leader Crippled Ho to carry it. While following the lives of the real-life criminal partners this film faltered by trying to portray them in a more noble light.

The two characters meet when Ng Sik Ho and his crew are busted, and Lee Rock sees a use for them. During a particularly brutal gang fight filmed from above and on the ground, Ng is crippled saving Lee Rock's life, thus the nickname. The film shows the rise of the two in their fields and the deep comradery they developed. Eventually, suspicions and differing goals begin to chip away at their trust and friendship.

Ho and Rock are shown almost heroically at times. They are family men with deep loyalties to their people. Rock's system for organizing the gangs and doling out the money is praised for reducing gang wars. Crippled Ho shines with his loyalty to family and friends. The British were portrayed as OTP evil, with no redeeming qualities and the only reason corrupt cops and drug dealing triads existed. If there were no British there would be no need for corruption, triads, drugs and prostitution. What? Yes, the British rule was highly problematic, and I have no argument with them underlining those issues, but these two men were feeding on their own people dealing in heroin for Pete's sake. Ho and Rock were bad guys, not heroes. Lee Rock was known as the 500-million-dollar man for what he made off of the crime trade. Show their hatred for the British but also show the toll of their actions on their own people. Instead, director Wong Jing seemed to want us to empathize for them which I found incredulous.

Aside from portraying the leads as honorable without acknowledging their dark sides, the film lacked in character development for the side characters. When crew members are killed off, the camera lingers, the music swells, yet without a proper bonding with the characters those scenes left me unaffected. There are numerous deaths. While the movie isn't gory, the body count is high. Again, these are murderous drug dealers and very corrupt cops. Not going to feel sorry for any consequences they encounter.

Andy Lau plays the role he has done before, this time smooth and suave. Donnie Yen in a host of really bad wigs struggles more with a performance that should have been menacing yet didn't always come across that way. It didn't help for the first part of the movie he was playing a character much younger than himself. Kent Cheng showed up as Lau's sidekick without much to do. The women were briefly shown for window dressing.

The fights were well choreographed by Yuen Bun, Yan Hua, and Yu Kang. Though Yen is getting older he showed how to fend off several baddies with a coat! Many of the fights were gang against gang with constant action. The brawls tended to be more entertaining than the movie around them.

The draw of Yen and Lau is inexorable for their fans, of which I am one. The fights filled in the gaps between scenes, but much was missing from this tale of two charismatic criminals. Despite the fact these guys were corrupt, dealing in death and drugs nothing felt very ominous. Rendering them as almost folk heroes against the Brits felt disingenuous at best. Instead of Chasing the Dragon (looking for a heroine high) it felt more like Look at the Cute Lizards (can someone pass me a Tylenol?).

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