Reviews

Kitano does what Kitano does best

Can't believe this got shadow-dropped onto Prime a few days ago and I'm only just learning about its release now 😭... Takeshi Kitano may be in his twilight years but that's not stopping him from doing what he loves and doing it well, with Broken Rage he paints a rollicking self-portrait of himself; an artist rethinking his relationship with the medium he's mastered and having a decidedly grand time in the process. It's a remarkably clever tactic to initially convey your story one way, only to backpedal in the second half and present it in a completely different style; it's a move that massively pays off and delivers some prime Kitano hilarity; tackling the two genres he's always been most known for, starting from a drier deadpan before rebooting into unbridled absurdity, a concise lesson in parody, creating a simple form and then breaking it with the subtle force of a sledgehammer through wood on a nail bed. In many ways, it can be seen as Kitano mocking the current filmmaking climate we live in, poking holes in everything and everyone he can, a perfect amalgamation of his works distilled into a crisp 66-minute runtime. It is a significant departure from traditional storytelling, that pays off tenfold in many ways with Broken Rage adhering to the two most significant adages in show business: always leave them laughing and wanting more; it's utterly hilarious, Kitano knows it and embraces it delivering both a love letter to himself and his fans while also ridiculing both.

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A tasteless spit in the face of OOO's legacy

Without any exaggeration this is the worst movie i have ever watched. I would rather watch the most disgusting, depraved, cheap porno or watch paint dry than ever glance at this movie again. It is so unbelievably blind and tone deaf to the core ideas and messages of the show that it almost feels like it was specifically made to tarnish it's legacy. It is a soulless, heartless, depressing conclusion that fails to do justice to any narrative aspect of OOO, be it the story, characters or messages. If this is how Toei view OOO I'd rather they never touch the character ever again than try to follow up this disaster.

The only good thing to come out of this movie was Kamen Rider 555: Paradise Regained. It's not a perfect movie, but it showed that Toei learner from their mistakes and will treat all future anniversary movies with more careful thought.

If you are an OOO fan: i do not recommend you watch this. The good this movie has does not make up for it's flaws.

0.5/10

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"Just because you see it with your eyes...Do you believe it?"

Unidentified was anything but straightforward. File it under absurd arthouse, low budget, independent, allegorical tale, and musical sci-fi endeavor. The movie combined seemingly random vignettes and documentary style scenes. Weirdly, it worked on different levels, but will likely not appeal to most.

In 1993, giant spheres settled over major cities around the world. No first contact, just silence…for 29 years. As people became accustomed to the new sky décor, an international theory developed: Alien Mind Control Syndrome. Whether aliens were controlling people’s minds or masquerading as people was up for debate. Those under 29-years-old began to question if they were aliens. Three people in black could have been aliens, from somewhere else, or just mentally stressed from the ever present spheres. Were oddity and social alienation a sign of being an extraterrestrial or just being odd and lonely?

The acting was not great, but better than most low budget films. Romantic love, heartbreak, an alien cult, dream interpretation, burned-out workers, even Korean reunification all made appearances. It was not unusual for characters to break out in dance and/or song. Luckily, the music was actually quite pleasing.

I have no idea what director Jude Chun wanted me to take away from this strange film. What I got from it was how we all deal with the “aliens” in our midst, those who are “different” or foreign. Do the “aliens” in a foreign place still dream of home? Are we welcoming, seeking to learn from each other and peacefully co-existing or do we shut down and listen to our lizard brains and determine we must protect ourselves from the “aliens” and their different ways of thinking, looking, and doing things whether in society or in our personal lives? Chun didn’t spoon feed his vision. The film dragged in places and was obviously not well funded yet it provided interesting existential perspectives and what alien film couldn’t be improved by song and dance?

17 February 2025

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HERS STORIES is a more accurate title of this charming little film

Overall an extremely well made little film about a Mom, her daughter, and a young lady neighbor This should have been a 24 episode series, at least.

1. The cast is excellent. SHE AND HER GIRL FANS will love seeing Song Jia playing her smart but emotionally stunted self, with her now classic hand gestures. IMPERFECT VICTIM fans will be amazed at how lovely and fragile Zhong Chu Xi is in comparison to her frustrated cop role in that series. And (apparently) newcomer Isabella Zeng is terrific as the young daughter trying to navigate her way in the adult world of patriarchy, demanding mothers, annoying Dads, Mom's new boyfriend, etc. Really all the men are just as great as the women -- KUDOS to the casting agent.

2. The story isn't really much but a slice of life of women in China. Like a quality Woody Allen story, the story relentlessly pursues social commentary on topic. Woody is obsessed with infidelity, whereas HER STORY focuses on feminism issues. I'll say if 7 dashes of a spice does it, this had 9. It didn't ruin the recipe, but two dashes could have been removed and only made the 'discussion' tastier. Again, that's why I say this should have been a series where all these interesting women topics didn't have to be crammed into two hours.

3. The costumes, sets, lighting, camera, music -- they were all top notch. When those are this good you don't really notice them at first. Halfway through the film I realized they were all perfect. Watch this filmmaker and her crew.

4. Both posters for this film are TERRIBLE. It's neither a bright Disney affair nor some exotic floral journey. The Mom, Daughter, and friend need to share a poster, that's it.

4. To talk more about this film makes it out to be more than it is. It's just a very good little film. You watch it to observe these characters bump into each other. I've seen many American arthouse films fill a movie with quirky weirdos and sh!t goes down when they get together and eat. It's a sort of tradition of these types of films. Well, it happens here too -- BUT -- it doesn't feel like a sitcom stuffed with weirdos but instead real people in real situations.

Makes a perfect matinee. Don't hesitate. See the comment fields to find a subbed version.

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[As always, the categories don't make sense for a documentary, so please just ignore the rating.]

Intended for a domestic, not international, audience, this documentary does not need to tell the story of Tsukemen, the ramen variant invented by Yamagishi-san in 1961, and it does also not need to tell us about the dish itself.

Instead it focuses on the last active years of Yamagishi, and some of his years after retirement -- as well as how his work and marriage has shaped his life and his legacy.

As always with these documentaries that follow a person's personal life, I admire how close the film maker is able to get to the subjects of his film. The raw honesty with which Yamagishi can show us his life is the main reason this documentary can evoke the deep feelings viewers can feel while watching it -- personally, I cried throughout the last third until the very last second of the closing credits -- they were tears of suffering, of relief, of nostalgia for a life I did not live. Every moment of happiness was tinged with a deep melancholia for the passing of time and the changes it brings with it.

The way Yamagishi suffers through most of the film, and how he is still able to look back on his life and see the good things -- how he can accept the finality of age will stay with me for a long time.

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About coming of age and to raise awareness about coming out and social problems

If contemporary audiovisuals have taken one function seriously, it has been to raise awareness about social problems that harm certain people or groups. Among the themes that fiction increasingly explores is pedophilia and violence against minors.
Many times, the stories that the viewer sees in front of the screen are not a mere result of narrative creation, but of real faces and names that suffer daily from the actions of sexual predators.
Although there has been a worldwide tendency to address these issues through fiction, especially that directed at girls, there is still an interest in making such attacks visible also on children and, as a society, reflecting on it.
That is precisely what 'Hidden' is about, the third short film and also the graduation production, by Taiwanese director, screenwriter, editor and producer Hsuan-Chi Kuo.
From the first frames, the creative and aesthetic seal of the director who graduated from the National University of the Arts in Taipei, known for focusing his films on the problems of growing up and sexual aggression of homosexual teenagers, is evident.
In just under 30 minutes, the film addresses a story about coming of age, self-discovery, first crushes and gay dating apps, through which Xiao-Wei (You-Lun Lin, known for his role in 'Wo men yu e de ju li', 2019), the young protagonist of only thirteen years old, must grow up, although to do so he must face childhood sexual abuse, this type of traumatic experience that can interfere with the proper development of the attacked, as well as having a negative impact on both the physical and psychological state of the person who suffers its consequences.
It is not the first time that the experienced director approaches the universe of childhood and adolescence, since his name has become a reference in terms of gender perspective, exploration of sexuality, gay identity, sexual curiosity and the perplexity of growing up.
Hsuan-Chi Kuo knows well the themes addressed in his filmography, with their evident complexity, when it comes to bringing them to the screen; but also with a beauty achieved from the visual and a particular workmanship that immediately reveals its authorship.
The name behind 'A Boy's Mind' and 'Fly' turns on this occasion to tell a story about a young boy who little by little has been understanding his sexuality and has begun to use dating applications to explore the sensual world, but in his case with a crude setting as a backdrop.
Xiao-Wei, who hides his true self in real life, has complicated and indescribable emotions for his best friend Pin Rui (Chih-Hsuan Wu, known for his role in 'No Strings Attached' (2023), 'Shiba San and Meow Chan' (2018). When Pin Rui confessed to his friend that he has a girlfriend, the friendly relationship between the two gradually drifted apart and made Xiao Wei feel distressed and depressed.
Will the protagonist, who musters the courage to meet netizens in search of solace, get answers, or will he become even more confused?
Presented at the Frameline San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, the International LGBTQ Film Festival, nominated for student narrative short films at the Golden Harvest Awards for Outstanding Short Films, and the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival, all in 2021, and at Wicked Queer Boston's LGBTQ Film Festival, 2022, this short film offers good camera focuses and very excellent cinematography.
As a man highly committed to reality, Hsuan-Chi Kuo sought a thoughtful treatment that would connect with the recipients. With a marked and conscious distinction between explicit and suggestive scenes, the film constitutes, among other things, a call to denounce a clinical, legal and social problem called pedophilia, to destroy the myth of good or bad victims, to understand that child sexual abuse is a type of abuse that has no face or specific social stratum, to internalize that it continues to be a taboo subject that is not talked about enough and, above all, to recognize all forms and not remain silent.

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"Everything will be okay after tomorrow"

Infernal Affairs 3 finished the trilogy in an effort to tie up loose ends and weave another story into the two previous films. Honestly, I thought the original film was perfect enough. The prequel didn’t do much for me and this third installment felt like it could have been wrapped up in a few scenes at the end of the original. It was still interesting but far less cohesive than the other two installments.

Lau Kin Ming has been cleared of all charges in relation to the events of the original story. He is now on the trail of other moles installed in the police department. His prime suspect is the Security Wing head, Yeung Kam Wing. A new criminal suspect, Shen Ching also enters the picture. Along the way he makes use of Dr. Lee who had seen Chan Wing Yan as a patient. As Ming continues his investigation, reality and hallucinations begin to blur as he sees Yan’s reflection in his mirror.

In trying to build suspense and weave or rather jackhammer, a new story to fit into the other two films, IA3 copiously made use of flashbacks, dreams, and delusions. The back and forth, up and down, constant traveling through time and alternate realities was whiplash inducing. It began to feel less like an engrossing story and more a lament about killing off one of the most interesting characters. The overuse of Dr. Lee, one of the least captivating characters of the three films didn’t help. A few minor mysteries were answered, yet IA3 created a bigger one. Where was Yan’s “Broken Sword” (Hero 2002) facial hair in the flashbacks? Tony Leung’s face was conspicuously smooth.

Leon Lai’s enigmatic Yeung and Chen Dao Ming’s (another Hero alum!) too cool for school and shadowy Shen Ching were compelling, if unnecessary additions to the continuation of Yan’s story. The production values were still on point, but the point of the writing exercise eluded me. The original Infernal Affairs is still one of the best Triad vs Police films out there and like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way. These other films trying to pad the stories with extraneous characters and motivations didn’t make the story any deeper or better. While they were entertaining in their own way, the original was strong enough to stand on its own.

16 February 2025

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ANOTHER MASTER WORK!

This is another incredible example of Gong Yoo's capacity to fearlessly tackle and beautifully portray more complexity in characters and stories than most actors out there. His other is the amazing new drama The Trunk.
For me, and many I am sure, he truly stands out in the world of Korean actors.
A Man And A Woman tackles a lot of complex and sensitive issues so well, without bogging us down with extraneous fillers. It is almost shocking in it's raw presentation of the essential story...giving one no where to hide from the intense feelings and emotional rollercoaster this drama is.
This is really an amazing work...one NOT to miss...and already added to my collection of DVDs!

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Good But Could've Been Great

The core idea of this story was a moral one, like it or not. The main character, the doctor Mariko Washiya, clung to a childish, delusional belief that pure, unqualified kindness could "cure" the worst possible criminals of their criminal tendencies. And by "worst" I mean literal pedophiles. This is, I guess, a nice idea, but it is also wildly, dangerously delusional. It stood at the center of all the other host of moral questions posed by this movie. A lot of them, such as the morality of Ikuta Toma's actions throughout his life, presented genuinely interesting examinations of nature versus nurture. In addition, of course, there was the question of the morality or immorality of using extralegal means to stop the truly horrific criminals that escape police and judicial justice. That's one of the oldest moral debates in modern civilization, but it's still worth having and this movie contributed something of value to that.

Where it failed, however, was in its treatment of the doctor's immensely delusional approach to rehabilitation. There is a subset of law-abiding citizens of every nation and culture who find it fundamentally impossible to accept that some people are just bad. Perhaps something could have prevented that outcome, but nothing can change that state one it's reached. Her aim was to prove her hypothesis -- that kindness could cure criminality -- by using the worst possible type of criminal (a pedophile and murderer) as her glittering test case. In the course of the story this "reformed" pedophile was shown to have not been reformed in the slightest, so much so that after being free for less than one week he had already kidnapped another young victim. However, she still maintained her delusion, using her kindness towards Ikuta Toma (which ostensibly but not really caused him to "change") to prove herself right. Overlooking the main fact that Ikuta Toma was never a bad person. Anyone with eyes could see that he was not a deranged, immoral criminal, but rather a vigilante, of sorts, with a firm moral code. However she continued to be "kind" to him even before she realized this. And then, when she started to realize that he was always behaving morally, she took credit for that. This was never called out by the story, this incredible delusional tendency of hers.

A argument could be made that his sense of morality was actually stronger than hers. His shift, however slight and however impermanent, was to allow for the law to occasionally handle some of the criminals who crossed his path, as a way of supporting his efforts, rather than refusing to trust the legal system at all.

The question of pure sociopathy being equivalent to base criminality is an old, tired one made popular by absurd Hollywood representations of wildly brilliant, cunning, interesting serial killer sociopaths, when the reality is that the majority of them are just brainless scum. Pure sociopathy is never seen, in medical or scientific fields, to be a guarantee of criminality or a red flag or a sign of any kind. It's rare enough that it's basically not seen as anything at all but an anomaly. Such a question is so ridiculous that treating it like a deep moral conundrum is beyond boring.

That said, contrasting his sociopathy with that of the two teenage killers made for a very interesting look at nature versus nurture. And it asked some very uncomfortable questions about the nature side more than anything else. That is to say, arguably Ikuta Toma's upbringing was worse than theirs, harder, harsher, crueler. The two girls even, to whatever deranged extent, knew love while he never had. Yet he still had a hard moral core. Could it be, then, that some people are just bad?

I think that's what they were trying to do with this movie, but a few things got left on the editing room floor, I think. All in all, though, very solid. I found the scenes with the female killers almost unwatchably uncomfortable so I doubt I'll ever watch this again. But I'm glad I watched it the one time.

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"Retribution takes its own sweet time"

Infernal Affairs II was a prequel to the successful Infernal Affairs, this time without Tony Leung and Andy Lau. Anthony Wong and Francis Ng carried much of the movie on their veteran shoulders. There were few surprises and less suspense given that after watching IA we already know the fates of all of the primary characters.

Chan Wing Yan is shown on his path to becoming a mole in the triads while Lau Kin Ming straddles making his work life balance with answering to the triad and his police boss. Yan must deal with illicit family ties and Ming courts death with his crush on the wife of his dangerous triad supervisor. Their stories often linger in the background. Officer Wong Chi Shing takes center stage as a cop who plays outside the rules in his efforts to bring the triads under control. When Ngai Wing Hau’s father is assassinated, he takes over the reins of the crime family. Smooth and soft spoken, his distinguished exterior belies his ruthless interior. Hon Sam is merely a flunky whose wife is the brains behind his actions.

Much as Infernal Affairs forced the main characters to answer the question, “Who am I?”, Wong’s actions propelled him head long into criminal activities for the greater good. At some point his conscience began to question those actions. Hau had no such qualms. He had anyone who stood in his way or betrayed him brutally eliminated. Hon Sam used whoever was around him to stay alive and move up the deadly ladder until one fateful decision causes him to burn the ladder down.

IA2 had the same high production values as IA. The acting was more mixed in this one relying on weaker actors and characters. Wong and Ng anchored the film with strong performances, though Wong was hampered by one over-zealous scene. The story was interesting but didn’t neatly align with its predecessor. The first film was so well made it was hard to take a step back to see how minor and supporting characters found their places in the scheme of things. I can see the allure of wanting to further flesh out the characters and make more money off the original, it just didn’t add anything to my enjoyment overall of Yan and Ming’s destructive journeys.

16 February 2025

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Dark tale, with stellar acting, cinematography, and lots of unresolved angst...only if....

This is one beautiful movie....but if you are planning to watch this, be warned that the story will not let you sit easy even for a moment and there is very little in way of redemption, if at all....its dark, painful and bleak all through...if that's not your thing, don't start on it...Do I recommend it? YES

BL-needle score: Not applicable. This is not really a BL, even though gay men are some of the main protagonists.

Even though the storytelling could feel a tad overtly dramatic in places, it rings true on so many levels about the dark and stark reality of same-sex love and relationships....the insecurities given no social or legal sanctions, how easy it is to cheat and betray and yet, get away to live just as you wish, the lurking fear that the person never loved you at all, and was just after what you had to 'supply' to them, the trauma and helplessness when law helps greed and hatred win, the feeling that there is no justice ever, and you just need to suck it up and go on...or give up and perish.....the dreaded and numbing insecurities and triggers of a queer life....it has it ALL....

It made me feel livid, clench my fists and want to punch almost all of the characters ...yes, including even Thongkam at times, but leaving out Jingna, who seemed like about the only saving grace in all this madness......it was a difficult feat to sit through the manipulative and intensely infuriating behaviour of these hyper real characters...made me fret, fume and curse constantly.... and during rare occasions, desperately hope that may be, just may be.....only to end up feeling devastated and drained.....in the end, it hurt like hell....but could relate to a lot of it....in other words, just my thing

It has some really stellar performances, particularly by the actors who play Mo and Saeng (Sek's mother)...Jeff and Keng are good too, but the women plain steal the show....the direction, screenplay and cinematography are stellar too...and that song by Jeff - Rain Wedding...it's plain mesmerising....do check it out on YT!!

But even though all the darkness sits right with me, I wish they would have left some glimmer of hope, maybe at least let Jingna live ....so that Thongkam and Jingna could leave the orchard together for whatever the future had in store for them.....only if.......

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Movie for kids

Don’t expect anything grandiose from this movie; it primarily focuses on the nuanced relationship between a father and his son. The narrative revolves around the father, a man who has prioritized his duties to others over the needs of his own family. However, he comes to a poignant realization: his family truly holds the most significant place in his life.

Interestingly, the role of the son is portrayed by a young girl, which raises questions about the casting choices. It’s unclear whether the production team struggled to find young male talent or if there was a misunderstanding in the translation of the script, leading to the confusion of the term “son” instead of “daughter.” The audience comments largely suggest that they expected the character to be a boy, indicating a mismatch in expectations.

While the performances are commendable, the film caters primarily to a family audience and may not captivate adult viewers. Its themes are deeply rooted in family dynamics, especially the aspects of filial obligation but also the father obligation and the redemptive journey of realizing the value of family relationships.

As an adult, I found the pacing dull and the plot predictable, but I believe the film serves as a valuable lesson for children and young teenagers. It effectively conveys the importance of family bonds, making it a thoughtful choice for young audiences to reflect upon the significance of prioritizing family in their lives.

My hypothesis is that the script was crafted as a form of propaganda aimed at teaching children an important lesson about gratitude and familial responsibility. In a cultural context like China, which still embraces strong paternalistic values, the narrative likely emphasizes that if a father is absent from home, it is not due to neglect but rather because he is toiling diligently to provide for his family’s wellbeing. This portrayal serves to instill a sense of appreciation in children, encouraging them to recognize the sacrifices their fathers make and to foster a mindset that values selflessness over selfish desires.

Yeah. Right…

Even though it may not be a cinematic masterpiece, the movie remains enjoyable..

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