Love Exposure [2008]

Love Exposure [2008]
Original Title: Ai no mukidashi
Japan
Director: Sion Sono
My Rating: 7/10

Strap yourself in a four hour experience.  To say this movie is too long is an understatement, and kind of obvious.  I really had no idea what I was getting myself into with this one, I came across the title in someone's list of revenge films.  It's the first of three in the writer/director's "hate trilogy".  There is some hate, but only a little revenge or at least a little time devoted to it.  This is an odd one, it starts off as a comedy and veers off into a strange dramatic romance adventure thing.  It sort of has a John Waters feel to it, if he ever had the budget for something this ambitious.

It currently has a high rating on IMDb and it's message boards are full of rave reviews.  If it had been half the run time, it would have been much better.  I can sit through four hours no problem if the story is constantly moving forward, but here it's just not necessary.  Other than that, I don't have any complaints, I like this bizarre story.  Cults and perverts, this makes for an unusual love story. 

Erased [2016]

Erased [2016]
Original Title: Bokudake ga inai machi
Japan
Director: Yuichiro Hirakawa
My Rating: 8/10

I almost skipped this movie entirely because of it's generic name (the original Japanese title is much better) and it's crappy poster.  The poster makes it look like a low budget movie from the early 90's.  Don't let that fool you, it's actually quite good.  It was on it's way to being a perfect 10 of a movie until the final half hour.  Something happens that makes no sense and left me thinking that surely this will be explained or resolved somehow... nope.  The conclusion, although more realistic than what I expected to happen, felt very unsatisfying.

As for the story, it's a time travel mystery/drama with the time travel mechanism being strange and never explained.  It's still a compelling story, and the child actors are quite good.  There is real tension and danger for the children, and due to their age their task of not only survival but of solving a murder is especially challenging.  The mystery of the killer's identity is not particularly mysterious (there is a limited amount of characters), but getting proof and stopping them certainly is.

Overall I really liked this film.  The 1988 setting is done well and makes me nostalgic for the time.  It's nice to see a story about children who are not annoying, but instead portrayed in a realistic manner.  There is an element of tragedy looming over the story but it avoids descending into melodrama.  The future becomes altered but it also avoids going into crazy butterfly effect dramatic changes, which can be fun but don't always make sense.  It's well written and mostly well thought out, a pretty solid time travel story.

At the time of writing this there is only one seller for it on Amazon, and they're asking 50 dollars for the blu-ray.  They should be beaten with a rubber hose for that asking price.  I'm leaving the link here in hopes that more options become available later, because it is a pretty recent movie.

The Assassins [2012]

The Assassins [2012]
Original Title: Tong que tai
China
Director: Linshan Zhao
My Rating: 10/10

I'll admit I'm biased on this one.  I love this particular era of Chinese history and every movie based on it.  The Three Kingdoms is an epic story that's too big for a single movie, but focus on specific events (Red Cliff) and characters (Cao Cao or Zhao Yun), these end up working quite well.  Rather than focus on his entire life, The Assassins focuses on Cao Cao's later years when he is already well established and immensely successful.

As the title implies, this is a movie about an assassination plot.  The target, Cao Cao, was a powerful figure often viewed retrospectively in a negative light.  Chow Yun-Fat's portrayal of the character doesn't do much to change that view and the theme and message of the movie is actually quite similar to Hero.  Theme aside, it's a very well made film.  The sets, costumes, acting, all of these are top notch.

The only bummer here is that other famous names from the time don't show up in the story.  His son Cao Pi is a central character, and Guan Yu has a few brief appearances in flashback, but there aren't a lot of others.  Lu Bu's halberd is shown, but no Lu Bu.  I get it, the movie isn't about the others, but it would have been nice to see Xiahou Dun or Zhang Liao here and there.  This is a minor grievance, I still give this movie a perfect score.

A Chinese Odyssey: Part Three [2016]

A Chinese Odyssey: Part Three [2016]
Original Title: ?
China
Director: Jeffrey Lau
My Rating: 2/10

Wow, I'm shocked that this was made by the same writer/director.  It tries to be funny, but has none of the humor of the original.  The special effects are superb, it really looks quite nice, but that is all it has going for it.  I'm curious if the original cast turned it down or if they weren't even offered a chance to reprise their roles.  This movie really suffers from Chow's absence.

There are modern references and phrases scattered throughout, sometimes they work, more often they don't.  Simply referencing a modern film isn't in itself funny, there has to be a joke in there somewhere.  The costume design is disappointing as well.  For example, the Monkey King doesn't really look monkey-like at all; he's just a hairy dude.  I usually prefer a subtle approach, but if the goal is slapstick humor, you may as well go for it.

I can't recommend this.  While it does add some backstory to the characters, none of it feels necessary.  The second film ended pretty well, there didn't seem to be any need to add to it, especially twenty years after the fact. 

A Chinese Odyssey [1995]

A Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box, and Part Two: Cinderella [1995]
Original Titles: Sai yau gei: Yut gwong bou haap, Sai yau gei: Sin leui kei yun
Hong Kong
Director: Jeffrey Lau
My Rating: 8/10

 These movies are excellent, they have the same slapstick humor I usually hate, but that Stephen Chow does so well.  You don't need to be familiar with Journey to the West to enjoy this adaptation.  This is an action comedy involving mistaken identity, love triangles, time travel, swordplay and mythology.  The characters are varied with comedic goofballs, strange and monstrous villains, and lovesick warriors.  I think everyone will enjoy the Monkey King especially, there's a reason he's the star.

Coming from 1995, some of the costumes aren't so great, but some other effects are pretty impressive for the time.  The story gets a little convoluted, especially in the second part, and it's easy to lose track of who's who.  It's intentional, magic spells have characters body hopping and confusing each other.  Romances begin and end quickly because the characters are just as fickle and confused as people are today.

The version I watched had poor subtitles.  They sometimes flashed by too quickly and were full of spelling and grammatical errors.  This is a minor grievance, hopefully they have been updated for current releases.

The Wailing [2016]

The Wailing [2016]
Original Title: Goksung
South Korea
Director: Hong-jin Na
My Rating: 7/10

I'll admit, I didn't understand everything upon viewing this film.  It's not David Lynch hard to follow, but there are cultural ideas of the supernatural and religion that I'm just not hip to.  I've read several explanations online, which I consider a victory for the film, because it left me wanting to know more.  Some of these explanations I read were written by Koreans, and they didn't all have the same interpretation, so it's fair to say that this an ambiguous story and can be categorized as a mystery.  Along with that there is horror and some comedy.

At it's core this is a religious story, good versus evil.  The only trouble is discerning which is which.  Your view of the characters will change drastically as more is revealed, and then someone will come along and throw a monkey wrench in that whole line of thinking.  This works because it's not done in a gimmicky unbelievable plot twist sort of way, but in a way that will make you think back to previous actions and see other motivations.

This movie is getting a lot of praise, but once again, I'm not really a fan of ghost stories.  Still, it's definitely a solid 7.  The acting is solid all the way through, it made me laugh, it has a lot going for it.  Not knowing for sure what's going on helps build the tension, I didn't even try to guess in the first 15 minutes like I typically do.  I would recommend this as a good introduction to Korean horror films.

Phone [2002]

Phone [2002]

Original Title: Pon

South Korea

Directed by: Byeong-ki Ahn

My Rating: 6/10

Maybe I should be giving this one a lower rating because it didn’t leave much of an impression on me.  It was okay, slightly better than average.  I don’t like ghost stories.  This movie does have some creepy moments.  The ending clears things up and is satisfying.  People have their dark secrets revealed.  Pretty standard stuff for a ghost story.  This film was released in 2002, so maybe it was not standard then, but if it was groundbreaking I certainly didn’t hear about it.

The two best things about this movie are the little girl, most children are terrible actors, but not this one, and the big reveal at the end.  Maybe I just think all children are secretly evil anyway, or maybe I just like to see them say bad words, I don’t know.  If you make it to the end, you might find it rewarding as it’s something that isn’t seen in every dumas horror movie.

Dragon Blade [2015]

Dragon Blade [2015]

Original Title: Tian jiang xiong shi

China

Director: Daniel Lee

My Rating: 8/10

This movie seems to not be well liked on the internet, but I quite enjoyed it.  Sure it’s not best picture material, but it’s better than Gladiator and has a similar feel.  Jackie Chan (or the clown prince of martial arts as I like to think of him)  is always a treat to watch and we get to see him fight John Cusack.  That might seem strange at first, but Cusack has fighting chops.  He holds a 6^th dan black belt and has been training since Say Anything.  Adrien Brody doesn’t do much, but Peng Lin steals a few scenes as Cold Moon.

I’m way too lazy to look into the claims of it being based on history, that wasn’t really a selling point for me.  The film’s message of brotherhood or unity among nations, while positive, is a little sappy and unrealistic for my tastes as well.  I’m too cynical.  None of this mattered to me, I enjoyed it anyway purely for it’s action entertainment.   The spectacle of battle between East and West, I’ve not seen it like this before.  That alone makes it worth a watch in my opinion.

The Assassin [2015]

The Assassin [2015]

Original Title: Cìkè Niè Yinniáng

Taiwan

Director: Hsiao-Hsien Hou

My Rating: 6/10

The fight scenes and swordplay save this film from getting a lower rating, because it is pretty slow paced.  There are many scenes where nothing happens, and shots with the characters staring off into space.  The scenery is nice though, so this isn’t entirely painful to watch.

The plot doesn’t exactly cover new territory, an assassin is tasked with a target that they know/have a history with.  It’s been done before, but it’s interesting nonetheless.  The assassin in this story has been raised as such and been indoctrinated with the idea that she is working for justice and the people.  Resisting and rethinking the ideas we were raised to believe is another familiar theme, and it’s an important one.

The title would imply an action movie, but it’s really more of a drama.  If you know that going in, you might enjoy it.  If you’re expecting excitement, you’ll probably fall asleep.

Windstruck [2004]

Windstruck [2004]
Original Title: Nae yeojachingureul sogae habnida
South Korea
My Rating: 6/10

This movie almost works.  Director Kwak Jae-yong likes to portray "sassy" women in his romantic comedies, and of the two I've seen, this one fits the description better.  The couple tease each other rather than it being a cruel one-sided thing.  It's mostly playful, despite one clear case of physical abuse.  The characters are likable, and their relationship is fun to watch.  There are some unexpected music choices that I enjoyed as well, American oldies.  Maybe they're used more often than I know in Korean films, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Where the movie fails is in the third act.  It's incredibly drawn out and melodramatic.  If it were cut down to a third or fourth of it's time, this movie would be pretty solid.  Regarding the ending, don't read any plot synopsis before seeing this film.  They all spoil an event that happens near the half way point.  Not that there is a twist, but I don't need a road map of spoilers for a romantic comedy either.

Those unfamiliar with Korean culture might see some surprising things in this film.  Can an influential person really assault a police officer with no consequences?  Is it okay to slap women?  I don't know, it's only a movie and I'm no expert.  I'd recommend this movie if you don't mind a painfully drawn out Lord of the Rings style ending.

Ditto [2000]

Ditto [2000]
Original Title: Donggam
South Korea
My Rating: 4/10

 I have not seen the American film, Frequency, but it seems it has the exact same plot.  I doubt either copied the other, but it's interesting when similar ideas pop up at similar times.  As the other was released slightly earlier, this one has a perfect name.  Anyway, Ditto... this movie isn't my favorite.  It's mostly predictable in that I was nearly dead on when I guessed everything in the first act.  Not being Nostradamus, I can only assume it would be equally obvious to everyone else.

This movie involves time travel and a paradox that is oddly never addressed.  That's not the end of the world though.  So what is this movie about?  Romance.  That's pretty much it.  If romantic dramas are your thing, you might enjoy this a lot more than I did.  I'm not completely opposed to the genre, but in order for it to work for me it's better to add a bit of humor and try to stay away from melodrama and shite music.

Right, I should mention the plot.  It's just so dull.  Two people are having some relationship issues and start chatting with a ham radio.  Through time.  More amazing than radio waves traveling through time is the fact that some Koreans were still using ham radios in the year 2000.  I love time travel movies, I really do, but here the time travel aspect is incidental.  It's just a plot device, not an important part of the story and not really explored or discussed.

In the end it's a too sappy and uninteresting.  Others generally rate it higher, so keep my slight genre bias in mind here.

Confessions [2010]

Confessions [2010]

Original Title: Kokuhaku

Japan

My rating: 10/10

I am disappointed that I never heard about this movie until very recently.  This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in quite a while.  It does make me afraid of Japan though.  With a single exception, everyone presented is either a bully or psychopath.  If I had to pick a category for this one, I’d go with revenge.  I mean Titus Andronicus level revenge, or Eric Cartman level.  So good.  So cold.

This one has more than a simple revenge story to share with you, it’s about obsession, abandonment, isolation and grief.  The whole thing is beautifully shot, the color adds to the mood, slow motion is used to great effect… it’s a real treat for the eyes.  The music is perfect too, somber and melancholy.

As much as I enjoyed this, others may not be as impressed.  This movie is bleak and dark as hell, which is a lot of it’s appeal for me.  The story shifts to different perspectives throughout, and each character reveals more pieces until shit gets real at the end.  Some people have said that they felt sympathy for all the characters and others have had none for any of them.  Me?  I love revenge; I was rooting for the heroine.  I’ve seen a little debate over the ending as well, but I for one love a little ambiguity.

The Thieves [2012]

The Thieves [2012]

Original title: Dodookdeul
South Korea

My rating: 6/10

The Korean crime caper is part Ocean’s Eleven, part Mission Impossible and part Shade (a mostly forgettable film).  It ends up being as enjoyable as those others, which is to say it’s enjoyable, but not overly so.  The movie succeeds very well in creating a memorable cast of colorful and dodgy characters with goofy code names.  I suspect this movie reflects the reality of teamwork and thievery, trust no one.  With everyone being so shady, but still likable, I didn’t know who to root for.

The movie aims at a slick style and portrays the characters similarly, which can make for fun stories, but I would prefer something grittier and more realistic.  There has to be a better word than “gritty”, I just can’t think of one.  Maybe I’m just not a fan of heist movies, because the film does a lot of things well, it throws in some romance and mystery along with the action.  Despite this, I just wasn’t drawn in as much as I normally get with other Korean action movies.  When it was over I was just a little bit above “meh”. 

Tokyo Slaves [2014]

Tokyo Slaves [2014]
Original Title: Doreiku: Boku to 23-nin no dorei
AKA: Me & 23 Slaves, Slave District
My rating: 7/10

This is a strange, though entertaining movie.  The plot is a little silly and at times seems to be inconsistent, but everyone involved seems to have fun with it.  The characters, not so much.  A brother and sister take part in a game involving semi-secret, new technology that can turn other users into personal slaves.  Other than an order to kill themselves, anything goes.  Failure to comply results in permanent brain injury.

In order to enslave others the user simply needs to get them to agree to a challenge and then defeat them.  Just like the freedom to do anything with your slaves, the challenges can be anything you want as well.  This sort of freedom offers some creativity in the type of challenges and the freedom to dictate the rules and integrity (or lack thereof) of these same challenges.  Scenes range from good fun to predictably horrible (more so the latter) in short order.

The darker side of human nature which drives the plot is not fully explored, but the film flirts with ideas of obsession, Stockholm syndrome and reckless thrill seeking if only in a superficial way.  The characters all come across as oddly believable even when they are over the top.  Despite the dark subject matter, it feels more of a sci-fi/adventure than the mystery as it's currently labeled on IMDb.

It's admittedly a trifle juvenile in concept and tone, but it's still interesting.  It doesn't rely on gore because it doesn't have to.  The film finds other ways to disturb you.  It's worth a watch, just be prepared for a good B-movie; it doesn't appear to have had much of a budget.   Sometimes a novel idea can go a long way.