Saw some great stuff on the flights to and from Japan.
Highly Recommended
The World of Us (2016) (Korean Drama) – At an age when perhaps friends mean more than moms, 10 year-old Sun is an outcast at school. During summer vacation, she meets Jia, who is new to town. As Sun shows Jia around the neighborhood and they play at each other’s houses and share secrets, they become best friends. However when the new semester starts, Jia notices a strange vibe between Sun and the other kids. All of the kids, especially the lead actress Soo-in Choi, give awesome performances. Consequently, this movie becomes a tour de force for schoolgirl politics in film. This focuses a lot on realistic interaction between the characters and is successful at showcasing the quiet intensity of these girls’ relationships that also ebb and flow depending on the situation and who has the “leverage” over others. Some of the girls are mean-spirited, while others are pressured into becoming someone they are not. Awesome. One of the best films from 2016.
Survive Style 5+ (2004) (Japanese Comedy Anthology) (repeat viewing) – Five different stories are told in one of the most hilarious and creative films ever conceived. The primary story involves a man (played by Tadanobu Asano) who repeatedly kills his wife, only to then find her alive and well waiting for him at home. The other stories are also interesting and have their moments, which include some funny commercials, an over-the-top British hitman, and two highschool girls who engage in meaningless, yet humorous, conversations. The Go! Go! Go! song is outrageously vulgar, yet totally entertaining. There is substance here as well, as it makes statements on irony, desire, life-work balance, and acceptance of others. Some scenes down the stretch have surprising dramatic impact. The sets are very pretty and the characters are off-the-wall and unforgettable. There’s even a Christmas vibe. This one is a must see.
Yokai Monogatari (2006) (Japanese Documentary Horror) – The format of this film is encyclopedia style. The purpose is to introduce and briefly describe the Yokai monsters of Japanese folklore. This 4 DVD set is 434 minutes long. That’s over 7 hours of Yokai info! And multiple Yokai are shown every minute, which means that this set covers around 1,000 different Yokai monsters! A very cool drawing is shown for each creature, supplemented with a short narration, creepy music, and some sound effects. At the beginning of every segment, it does give the name of the Yokai in both Japanese and English characters, so the viewer can perform subsequent research on their own (e.g., yokai.com or hyakumonogatari.com). This has to be the quintessential Yokai study on film. Holy crap! (Viewed without subtitles, but it’s really interesting anyways.)
Proof of Innocence (2016) (Korean Crime Drama/Thriller) – The manager of an attorney’s office, who was once a detective, receives a letter from prison from a man who insists he is innocent. After researching the case and seeing that oversights were made from a former rival, our protagonist takes the case to gain personal revenge. This has solid performances all-around, especially the lead actor and the little girl (who plays the prisoner’s daughter). The villainous corporation is a formidable one that patches up loose ends very quickly and thoroughly, which provides good conflict and makes our protagonists’ task very difficult. The ending is cliched, which is the film’s biggest fault, but there is a lot to enjoy in this well-made movie.
Recommended
Asura: The City of Madness (2016) (Korean Crime Drama/Thriller) – Detective Han (Woo-sung Jung), who for yers has been secretly doing dirty work for a corrupt mayor (Jeong-min Hwang), is pressured by a ruthless prosecutor (Do-won Kwak) to cooperate in an investigation to take the mayor down. This is somewhat basic in premise and story, but the outstanding cast brings it to life (Jung is particularly excellent). The script does do a good job of rattling our protagonist between the two big forces, which creates a situation where there is no easy way out for him. Violence ramps up significantly during the latter half, with the highlight being an intense car chase near the mid-point. Use of color is very striking in spots.
Blade of the Immortal (2017) (Japanese Action) – This follows the deeds of Manji, a skilled samurai who has a decisive advantage: no conventional wound can kill him. In the past, his actions of vengeance led to the death of 100 other samurai. He then becomes immortal at the hand of an 800-year-old nun named Yaobikuni, and later befriends a young girl who desperately wants to avenge the death of her parents. The opening 10 minutes of this movie are legitimately awesome, with a fantastic one-vs-many swordfight that is shown in black-and-white. There is a ton of action in this, most of which is staged well (although there is a mix of wide shots and close-ups, with the former being far more effective than the latter). Performances are good, especially the lead, and at times the villains are placed in the same bad predicaments as the protagonists which means that they occasionally have a common enemy. Erika Toda plays a very cool assassin. Tone is much darker and violent than expected, but it’s still a fun movie by Takashi Miike. (Viewed without subtitles.)
Death Note: Light Up the New World (2016) (Japanese Thriller) – 10 years after the confrontation between Kira and L, the Shinigami have now released 6 Death Notes into the world. One successor to Kira attempts to retrieve them all, which a successor to L attempts to stop him. This is a good flick, with effective performances and interesting conflicts. Ryuk gets limited screentime, but has some fun moments near the end. The cat-and-mouse tactics of the previous films, as well as the specifics of Death Note use, are practically non-existent in this movie, which is a disappointment that creates a more simplistic affair. Still, as a different take on the subject, it’s entertaining enough.
Detective Zenigata (2017) (Japanese Crime Drama/Comedy/Thriller) – Zenigata is the guy who usually chases after Lupin III, but he’s on different cases this time. He’s a likeable tough guy who is also quite intelligent and uses logic to solve matters. The beginning scene shows an act of deception that results in the theft of an expensive painting, leading our protagonist detective on a manhunt. Other crimes soon follow, including a bomber who sends riddles for the police to solve. Briskly paced and fun.
Doctor Strange (2016) (American Action) – While on a journey of physical and spiritual healing, a brilliant neurosurgeon is drawn into the world of the mystic arts. Like most of the recent MCU films, this is sufficiently plotted to hold interest and does have a few nice uses of color. Benedict Cumberbatch is a good lead. The fights are interesting, albeit feeling a bit random with little build-up. There are some contrivances present (e.g., instant mastery of the arts, timing of events, etc.) and the most powerful characters don’t feel that powerful, but this is entertaining.
Queen of Walking (2016) (Korean Drama/Comedy) – Due to congenital motion sickness syndrome, a student must walk to and from school, with takes four hours. Her teacher suggests she take up race-walking. This movie is simplistic, but good. Both female leads (Eun-kyung Shim, Joo-hee Park) are very good. The protagonist has difficulty accomplishing much of anything, which provides adequate conflict. There are a few unexpected moments. Humor is a bit silly and mostly ineffective.
Not Recommended
Tracer (2016) (Vietnamese Action) – A policewoman pursues a criminal kingpin. This is strictly B-grade, with a totally unconvincing lead actress. Action is amateurish. There are also a few poor bits of humor spliced in. One odd observation I made is that every actor is abnormally muscular and enjoys showing off their six-pack abs. This is lame.
Heartfall Arises (2016) (Chinese Crime Drama/Thriller) – A cop (Nicholas Tse) tangles with a criminal psychologist (Lau Ching Wan) regarding the effects of organ transplants on human minds. The premise of this film is incomprehensibly stupid – if you get an organ transplant, then you may inherit the mind of the donor. Unfortunately, the script is just as moronic, with horrible dialogue, contrived moments, and dumb revelations. Pacing also drags and there are a few shots of terrible CGI. At least the lead actors try.
Izo (2004) (Japanese Drama/Action/Horror) (repeat viewing) – Bad film by director Takashi Miike. In fact, it could be his worst. This movie is intent on contributing to gratuitous violence that is supplemented with pretentious philosophy. One scene in particular shows a woman pull out a sword that was impaled in her uterus (with liquids oozing onto the ground) after participating in shallow, sexually explicit dialogue. The action is repetitive and sleep-inducing. This is trash filmmaking – purely and simply classless. Add in a musician who hacks up a lung during every chorus, and what results is one of the most obnoxious and disappointing films ever made.
