This Russian film is painfully slow at points at the first third, and appears rather random in the subsequent depiction of the family lives in the countryside. At points I almost wanted to turn it off. But my patience was rewarded rather handsomely by the twist of event which, although cannot justify its structure, satisfies my desire to learn more about contemporary Russian cinema.
The painful revelation of the wife to a friend on how her relationship with her husband has suffered due to his 'liking them for his own sake' and ceasing talking to her made me wonder if, like Zhang Yimou's early works is a allegory film. But the film ended too abruptly (especially given its long opening) to confirm this.
Nevertheless, it is a good watch, although, like many critics have commented, it can do with a much better editing.
December 31, 2011
December 29, 2011
Racing with the Moon
Watching this film made me realise that it was a while since I watched anything so raw yet powerful and touching from Hollywood. A few weeks before he joined the Marine, Sean Penn's character met a girl of great intelligence and forbearance and through their relationship, he found something beautiful in her which would also changed his relationship with his pal, played by an equally raw and fresh Nicholas Cage. The film was very well directed and the three leads gave a subdued yet outstanding performance. Like films such as The Fabulous Baker Boys, the film reminds me once again what Hollywood can offer when it stays honest and true to human nature.
December 22, 2011
Happy life
This is another surprise find; an upbeat film about three middle-aged men realising their college dreams of forming a band, with solid performances from the four leads. Though the tone is light-hearted, it does touch upon the Asian culture - so acutely captured by a casual comment from the teenager daughter of the band leader: being in a band is better than being unemployed. Though it is a man's film, it has a universal appeal: how we lost our dreams in the face of reality and what it takes to realise it despite of the challenges.
Jang Guan-suk's role as a guitarist and lead singer in the band predates his apparently much more high profile similar roles in television dramas such as Beethoven's Virus and You Are Beautiful. It shows that he was already a confident actor at that tender age.
The film also serves to remind me the drastic difference in Korean cinema and dramas in their deployment of cast: while the former would normally allow them to appear in their own skin, the latter is consistent in projecting an immaculate look across the board. In other words, while Korean cinema tend to look more realistic, their drama counterpart looks artificial and packed with cosmetically enhanced actresses, if not actors as well.
Jang Guan-suk's role as a guitarist and lead singer in the band predates his apparently much more high profile similar roles in television dramas such as Beethoven's Virus and You Are Beautiful. It shows that he was already a confident actor at that tender age.
The film also serves to remind me the drastic difference in Korean cinema and dramas in their deployment of cast: while the former would normally allow them to appear in their own skin, the latter is consistent in projecting an immaculate look across the board. In other words, while Korean cinema tend to look more realistic, their drama counterpart looks artificial and packed with cosmetically enhanced actresses, if not actors as well.
December 12, 2011
Treeless Mountain
Watched Singles and Treeless Mountain over the weekend, and discovered the 'hidden' treasures of Korean cinema all over again.
The first one, Singles, made in 2003, revolved around two women who are soon to turn 30. Both struggling to find a satisfactory career, they have however decided against an easy option for women of their age circumstances in Asian countries - to get married the man available at the time, which renders their career a secondary issue in effect - and have instead insisted on staying true to their heart, despite the challenges awaiting ahead as a single woman over their first flush of beauty. This is really a woman's film, not only because it is from their prospective, their desire and aspirations, the story is told, but also because the bonding between the two is one of the most engaging elements throughout. The subtle performances from the four leads add a lot to the charm of it as well.
If Singles can appeal to the mass audience without compromising its artistic integrity, Treeless Mountain is a typical art house daring that could be a challenge due to its slow pace, its unusual camerawork, the sparse dialogues, if not the plots. While the story and the use of non-professional actors etc reminds me of another low profile yet unexpectedly satisfying The Way Home, Treeless Mountain deals with more unsettling issues, the deserted children left to a not so welcoming relative, the relationship of the siblings who were put to test of all sorts at such a tender age, which contributes to the initial uncomfortable watching experience. To the credits of the writer-cum-director, and no less of her crew, the film managed to keep me stay tuned despite the unusual camerawork that keeps at the eye level of the two child actresses aged five and seven, the more than usual close-up shots, the 'ordinary' faces of the two leads that tell the story of the hearts and project depth in their changes of inside world. While the story in itself might not be a new one, the capturing of the change of relationship between the siblings and theirs with the outside world is human and certainly a triumph. It is a work of great confidence and very touching at many points, especially when they change all the ten cent coins to one cent ones in order to fill up the piggy - which is supposed to lead to their mother's return.
After watching the special feature where the director and her foreign crew met their audience in New York, I thought it could make a very interesting case if one compares it to The Brand New Life, which is also shot by a woman director who brings with her long term overseas experience (I am making this assumption based on the appearance and the fluency of Treeless Mountain's director's English as well as her witty and confident responses to the audience.) Some interesting questions can be asked such as if their more Westernised outlook (and closer than usual associations with the Western world) has made them to inspect their native country and its people differently from their 'domestic' colleagues.
The first one, Singles, made in 2003, revolved around two women who are soon to turn 30. Both struggling to find a satisfactory career, they have however decided against an easy option for women of their age circumstances in Asian countries - to get married the man available at the time, which renders their career a secondary issue in effect - and have instead insisted on staying true to their heart, despite the challenges awaiting ahead as a single woman over their first flush of beauty. This is really a woman's film, not only because it is from their prospective, their desire and aspirations, the story is told, but also because the bonding between the two is one of the most engaging elements throughout. The subtle performances from the four leads add a lot to the charm of it as well.
If Singles can appeal to the mass audience without compromising its artistic integrity, Treeless Mountain is a typical art house daring that could be a challenge due to its slow pace, its unusual camerawork, the sparse dialogues, if not the plots. While the story and the use of non-professional actors etc reminds me of another low profile yet unexpectedly satisfying The Way Home, Treeless Mountain deals with more unsettling issues, the deserted children left to a not so welcoming relative, the relationship of the siblings who were put to test of all sorts at such a tender age, which contributes to the initial uncomfortable watching experience. To the credits of the writer-cum-director, and no less of her crew, the film managed to keep me stay tuned despite the unusual camerawork that keeps at the eye level of the two child actresses aged five and seven, the more than usual close-up shots, the 'ordinary' faces of the two leads that tell the story of the hearts and project depth in their changes of inside world. While the story in itself might not be a new one, the capturing of the change of relationship between the siblings and theirs with the outside world is human and certainly a triumph. It is a work of great confidence and very touching at many points, especially when they change all the ten cent coins to one cent ones in order to fill up the piggy - which is supposed to lead to their mother's return.
After watching the special feature where the director and her foreign crew met their audience in New York, I thought it could make a very interesting case if one compares it to The Brand New Life, which is also shot by a woman director who brings with her long term overseas experience (I am making this assumption based on the appearance and the fluency of Treeless Mountain's director's English as well as her witty and confident responses to the audience.) Some interesting questions can be asked such as if their more Westernised outlook (and closer than usual associations with the Western world) has made them to inspect their native country and its people differently from their 'domestic' colleagues.
December 06, 2011
My girl
After finishing watching The Greatest Love within two days, I felt dizzy and needed desperately a good rest. And what else can serve this purpose better than revisiting My Girl?
This is a rather different copy of My Girl from the one I watched nearly half a year ago. To my relief, no more jumps of scenes, and the subtitles are of a completely different league than the previous one.
In my first round of viewing, I thought Lee Dong-wook was too woody and it wasn't until the last three episodes that he seemed to wake up and became more like a man. This time round though, I found him not only one of the most handsome Korean men, but his acting rather subtle and appropriate to his character. Why such change? Not sure if it has anything to do repeated reviewing and his tango dances in Scent of Woman. I continue to find Lee Dahae very charming and versatile, and in comparison, her part in East of Eden not well developed.
Those scenes I used to skip, such as those romance between Lee Dong-wook's character's aunt and his grandfather's caretaker; those between Lee and his first love's relationship, the scenes that evolves around Lee's grandfather, and these of Lee Dahae's character's best friends, no longer feel like fillers. To me, while some of them are drama devices to make the story more convincing, some add fresh sides to the lead couple, and some, are simply there as gags to lift up the tone.
The magic is I caught myself laughing at the jokes all the time.
This is a rather different copy of My Girl from the one I watched nearly half a year ago. To my relief, no more jumps of scenes, and the subtitles are of a completely different league than the previous one.
In my first round of viewing, I thought Lee Dong-wook was too woody and it wasn't until the last three episodes that he seemed to wake up and became more like a man. This time round though, I found him not only one of the most handsome Korean men, but his acting rather subtle and appropriate to his character. Why such change? Not sure if it has anything to do repeated reviewing and his tango dances in Scent of Woman. I continue to find Lee Dahae very charming and versatile, and in comparison, her part in East of Eden not well developed.
Those scenes I used to skip, such as those romance between Lee Dong-wook's character's aunt and his grandfather's caretaker; those between Lee and his first love's relationship, the scenes that evolves around Lee's grandfather, and these of Lee Dahae's character's best friends, no longer feel like fillers. To me, while some of them are drama devices to make the story more convincing, some add fresh sides to the lead couple, and some, are simply there as gags to lift up the tone.
The magic is I caught myself laughing at the jokes all the time.
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