A Single Man is aesthetically, an exceedingly gorgeous film. Every aspect feels as if it has been painstakingly considered and polished; from how a shot is framed, to the use of colour and filter, the choice of luxe actors and actresses, the clothes they wear, and how it all comes together and flows in such a deliberate motion. This is initially surprising as Tom Ford, lauded fashion designer, is the director of the film – though after further consideration makes perfect sense. A film as a grand and ambitious fashion spread in motion.

Colin Firth’s brilliant performance as George was highly empathetic and a world away from his usual fair. Julianne Moore comes through with a fine portrayal of a fragile and aging romantic that is unable to accept that her relationship with George will never be more than very close friends; for it is not that George prefers men, but rather that his heart belongs to another man.

The story at times seemed a touch too overwrought and unrealistic; accentuated by the extreme beauty of the film. George’s encounter outside a liquor store with a young insanely good-looking Spaniard exemplified this (though on further reflection was likely a fabrication due to George’s state of mind). Saying this, it was minor against the film’s other achievements.

A Single Man was an affecting experience of visuals that linger – of a mind of a broken man at the edge, and ultimately, release.

I’m not even sure where to begin with describing what’s wrong with this film. So I guess I’ll try starting with what was done right. Firstly, the special effects were very nice. But how many big budget films these days, especially ones bearing the Terminator name, can you honestly say have bad special effects?  Yeah, that’s right. Second of all, um, well… that’s it. Sorry. I tried.

Now, the bad. The direction by McG has no… direction. Even the action is a bore (this is bad for a Terminator film). The story, which in hindsight had enough meat on it to make it worthwhile, instead plays out as if the writers were making it up as they went along. Most characters exist with literally no purpose whatsoever, unless they were written in to please fans who know more about the Terminator universe than the cinemagoer like myself who has only seen the films. Every single plot turn is so predictable that the accompanying flashbacks that are supposed to help the audience connect the dots will seem nothing less than patronising to anyone who hadn’t fallen asleep from the start of the film.

And there’s too many “new” Terminators. In my opinion the previous films worked so well (okay, maybe not so much the third one) partly because there was only one menace, one threat, one hunter that was so fearsomely powerful, so thoughtlessly determined and seemingly unstoppable that you couldn’t help but get a thrill out of watching the Connors try and outrun and outsmart such a nightmarish foe. The despair and fear was concentrated in one villain, one symbol of a horrifying future. Now that the film puts us in the future, there’s all sorts of Terminators — massive ones as tall as skyscrapers, smaller “scout” ones, silly motorbike ones and even fish ones that live underwater — and we are no longer scared, because now it’s just a bad videogame where every enemy has a weak point and where destroying them is more of a chore than an something bordering on the impossible. And since nearly all the characters — human and machine — are so one-dimensional, we no longer care who “wins the war”, either (not that we’d ever expect Hollywood to let the machines win).

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the film’s ending does nothing to save you from feeling like you just wasted your time. In fact, it more or less tells you that you have.

This is going to be one of those series’ that I’m sure will get a “reboot” a bit further down the line, if any more even get made after this, though I’m not sure how successful any re-imagining of the series could be without transporting us all back to the 80s and 90s when Arnie was still fit and legally able to fill what is essentially his role, and when the idea of a vast, world wide computer network was still new enough to frighten a population who hadn’t yet warmed to it thanks to fun things like social networking and watching videos on YouTube. But it’s 2009 now, and The Matrix has already done a fine job of updating this cautionary tale of man vs. machine for modern audiences. It may very well be time to terminate this saga before it gets any more stale.

Now to the “Sony Building” part of this article’s title. I caught this film showing there this afternoon. For those unaware, the Sony Building is located in Ginza, Tokyo, and exhibits all the latest Sony gear from cameras to laptops to videogames to music players, and so on and so forth, most of which you can get hands-on with. On Level 8 of this spiralling building, however, is the “Communication Zone OPUS”, which is used to showcase the company’s latest audio and visual technology. It presently boasts a colossal 200 inch “4K” screen (4,096 x 2,160 resolution, four times higher than full HD) and 7.1 channel surround sound speakers. But the best thing about it are the free shows that Sony puts on to demonstrate its power, such as the Terminator Salvation Blu-Ray they’d been screening until today (the last day for this particular movie). That’s right, they’re free! Simply check the theatre schedule outside and turn up on time. Though be warned that seats are limited, not only in number but in terms of the amount of comfort and back support they provide, and the room and seating itself is set up in such a way that anyone who is not in the first row will most likely have some bottom part of the screen obscured by the people in front of them. This will be of particular concern to you if you are bringing a Japanese friend who cannot understand English, as getting a bad seat will mean that they probably won’t be able to read the subtitles. I suppose the opposite will also be true for non-Japanese speakers if the show is in Japanese with English subtitles…

And because you all probably just ignored what I wrote and scrolled down to see if there were any pictures, here are some photos of a big T-600 that was on display on the ground floor.

No high-fives? Aw.

Say cheese!

OPUS – Sony Building

Is a story “about a teacher that opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son’s elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions — some that have already occurred and others that are about to — that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold.” – imdb

Simply one of the most entertaining sci-fi films in recent times (not difficult) – I went to see Knowing with the intention of liking it. Mainly because the last sci-fi film I saw was Babylon A.D. and I needed to scrub it from my mind. And I like Nicolas Cage because he’s great at playing Nicolas Cage.

It’s overacted, unbelievable and contains plot holes you could drive planets through, but for 121 minutes it was gripping. Some put it down to the director Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow, I, Robot) and I would tend to agree. Knowing didn’t wuss out – going the whole way seemingly without compromise. Disaster scenes were graphic, epic AND surprising. Mix in some horror scenes and religious overtones, and in a way it’s the ultimate disaster film. And those final few scenes…

If you’ve seen the trailers, you know what you’re going to get with Knowing. Knowing this, you might enjoy it, or even love it. Let yourself be taken away. I know I did.

The audience knows it’s staged, the wrestler knows the audience knows, but it doesn’t matter because it’s a show. Like going to the theatre, you go to an arena to watch a very physical, dramatic and action-packed play. Wrestlers perform and improvise but they also inflict intense physical pain. It’s not an easy skill to attain.

The Wrestler is a tale of what happens when a professional wrestler, Randy “The Ram” Robinson, comes down from his extreme highs and the choices he makes to regain those highs. Director Darren Aronofsky, with a screenplay written by Robert D. Siegel, tells this story simply, skilfully and to great effect.

From all accounts the film accurately echoes the experiences of professional wrestlers when they fall out of the limelight – the gaping hole that’s left behind and the consequences of neglecting every other aspect of their life for their profession. It’s heartrending material because you believe it happens.

The Wrestler is a story but it’s greatest achievement is a brilliant performance. Like a wrestler is their character, Mickey Rourke is “The Ram”. He doesn’t just look and act the part, Rourke, a professional actor and boxer, through his performance, becomes a real professional wrestler. Even other wrestlers accept him as one of their own.

It’s Rourke’s perfomance that stands out the most amongst an already standout film. Rourke’s performance is skillful, entertaining and uncomfortable to watch, and at its core, very human, and it’s this aspect which makes The Wrestler a memorable film for many years to come.

It involved a long red carpet leading to the front door.

And a Candy Bar with Hot Dogs and a Coca-Cola Slushie Machine.

Stocked with Candy and Maltesers of course.

And one can’t forget the Popcorn.

To top it off, a projector coupled with a vintage projection screen, presenting a slide show of all 160 movies so far.

So the Movies crew gathered and we sat to watch the night’s film, Sukiyaki Western Django. We laughed, we cringed, we cheered and when the film was over we partied the night away, high on sugar and in the company of good friends.

Movies comes to a close. Long live Movies!

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If you’re curious, we’ve made available all 160 posters in a zip file at the following location: Movies 160 Posters

]]> http://if90.net/2008/12/26/movies-160-closing-night/feed/ 2 http://if90.net/2008/11/14/my-sassy-girl-%ec%97%bd%ea%b8%b0%ec%a0%81%ec%9d%b8%ea%b7%b8%eb%85%80/ http://if90.net/2008/11/14/my-sassy-girl-%ec%97%bd%ea%b8%b0%ec%a0%81%ec%9d%b8%ea%b7%b8%eb%85%80/#comments Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:20:03 +0000 Shu http://if90.net/?p=452 Some things take you by surprise. Sure, I’d heard about My Sassy Girl before – it’s South Korea’s highest-grossing comedy of all time, and if ever there was a Korean movie that non-Koreans I spoke to knew something about, this would be it. So, having been released in 2001, why did it take me all of seven years to finally catch up with it? I’m not sure. The important thing is that I did, and it took me by surprise.

I’m usually one not easily warmed by romantic comedies. But this one was different. My Sassy Girl tells the story of Gyeon-woo (Cha Tae-hyun), a male college student who meets a girl (Jun Ji-hyun) one fateful night on the subway. Their first encounter is a memorable one and establishes their characters succinctly – he’s a hopeless romantic, honest in his appreciation of women, yet genuinely likeable, kind and obliging (almost to a fault); she’s almost certainly an alcoholic sociopath. Whereas the girl is physically Gyeon-woo’s type (and, let’s face it, I doubt he’s alone), her drunkenness turns him off almost immediately. But her inner suffering, which quickly becomes apparent, ignites a resolve in him to heal her pain.

I won’t go into too much detail as to what happens next, or how it happens, as that would be doing the uninitiated a grave disservice, but it may be worthwhile to mention that whilst many of the ensuing shenanigans may leave you shaking your head in disbelief, it’s actually based on a true story.  This film has its origins in a novel by Kim Ho-sik, which in turn came from a series of Internet postings by the same guy, chronicling the antics of his clearly bonkers college girlfriend.

Throwing the everyday guy in with the wacky girl and seeing what happens is a staple approach of the romantic comedy genre, so there’s no surprises here in that sense. So what sets My Sassy Girl apart? It’s the sudden, unexpected bursts of comic violence. It’s director Kwak Jae-yong’s deft ability to hop gleefully from one sub-genre to the next without, for want of a better term, losing the plot. It’s the minimal, yet quirky cast of supporting characters that never, ever get in the way. It’s Cha Tae-hyun’s perfectly pained facial expressions and Jun Ji-hyun’s show-stealing and arguably more challenging performance as his enigmatic, temperamental girlfriend. It’s seeing grand romantic gestures play out in a  country where they still mean something. It’s the delicious twist at the end, which would normally send your eyeballs rolling if you weren’t too busy marveling at how all the dots you didn’t even know were there just magically connected to form something you can’t help but smile at.

But more than anything, it’s the respect the writers have shown for the power of things left unsaid. The most poetic example? The girl is never named. It is in this regard that My Sassy Girl draws its biggest difference from its Hollywood counterparts. The film contains hardly any dialogue between the leads and supporting characters trying to figure each other out, it does not tirelessly tread down every possible avenue of enquiry exploring the motives and subtext of what has been done and said to the extent that there is literally nothing left for the viewer to discover and think about on his own. The relationship between Gyeon-woo and the girl is fascinating enough to sustain interest over the film’s epic 2hr 17min running time because it is organic – it grows and twists and blossoms and tumbles in ways that these things can only do when you’re not looking at them.

And when motives are finally exposed and pieces start falling into place, the pay-off is greater for the fact that you didn’t feel like you weathered a patronising brainstorm to get there.

So do yourself a favour. If you haven’t checked this gem out already, get your hands on a copy and a couple of spare hours. It’s long, yes, perhaps too long for this kind of film, but it never leads to frustration, and regardless of whether you’re a fan or cynic of the romantic comedy genre, you may be surprised at how you feel by the end.

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My Sassy Girl (Wikipedia)

An aside. Having mingled with a few Koreans in the past, I found it highly amusing that throughout the course of the film, I was constantly reminded of the common mannerisms and favourite quips they all seemed to share. I often wondered why the phrase “Wanna die?” was so popular, or if throwing pretend punches and slaps at each other was something encoded in the national DNA. Now I have a better idea. It seems to me now that almost every young Korean I’d met had, at some point, acted out a part of this film. There is an element of Jun Ji-hyun’s character in almost every Korean girl I’ve met, for instance, sometimes (though thankfully not always) to the point where I’m not sure who is mirroring who. The same can be said for the reputation of some Korean guys who dote to romantic excess on their girls. Anyone with any further insight into this is invited to share their thoughts.

A dmgy productions film. Created by a few of us for a university subject many aeons ago. Unearthed for your enjoyment…

A higher quality streaming version can be found here.
YouTube version here.

Credits

Written and Directed – Yang Wong
Cinematography – Miranda Forwood, Grace Peng, David Wallace
Sound Production – Grace Peng, David Wallace
Editing and Special Effects – Miranda Forwood, Grace Peng, David Wallace, Yang Wong

A smart, sharp and self-aware Hollywood comedy that’s hilarious for its entire duration. A keen awareness of Hollywood culture is a must and is directly related to how much you’ll enjoy this film. Its greatest achievement – jokes that you haven’t heard or seen before.

The casting and acting was spot on with Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise stealing the show. Apt for such a comedy considering the contrasting publicity surrounding both actors. Directed by Ben Stiller, Tropic Thunder is his best work yet, exceeding even the highly amusing Zoolander.

A lot has been said about its offensiveness and well… whether one finds it funny or not, one shouldn’t expect any less. It is comedy after all…

A b-grade metaphorical cautionary tale delivered awkwardly, though intentionally so. The Happening is suspenseful and M. Night Shyamalan knows what he’s doing but it doesn’t leave the right impression. I’d rather a Thing or a Triffid any day…

Also known as The Green Effect (working title) and Green Planet (working title), here’s a spoiler, if it wasn’t obvious already, there is no twist. Expect nothing and you might come out with something.

Speed Racer is a relentless impressionistic hyper colour extravaganza, unabated in its vision and visual flare. It is unique and must be seen in a cinema. If you love film, you owe it to yourself to see Speed Racer, though be aware that it may not be an enjoyable experience…

The story and characters are shallow and simple, the action is quick and the dialogue is juvenile. It is blatantly anti-corporation, fiercely independent, and this spirit infuses every element of the film. It could have only been made by artists with little restraint on their creative vision, commercially or by reputation. Its production values are high and it’s polished to the nines but it exists solely in its own reality, beholden to its own rules.

It is too long (2.5 hours) to be a children’s film, too juvenile not to be a children’s film (Spritle and his chimp Chim Chim), too fantastic, virtual and unreal to appeal to a wide audience… it is aimed squarely at no one, but that is its brilliance. It doesn’t care what the audience may think. I loved it.

So I’ve been looking forward to Speed Racer for awhile now, but I guarantee that you have never seen anything quite like it, and if that kind of experience appeals to you, you won’t regret it.