Last batch for September. A bunch of horror movies planned for October.
Highly Recommended
A Snake of June (2002) (Japanese Drama) (repeat viewing) – Shinya Tsukamoto directs this film about a married woman who is blackmailed into overcoming her sexual repression. Despite the implicitly sensual nature of the topic itself, this movie was tastefully done, promoting sexual fulfillment within the bond of marriage. There are some rather erotic moments, one of which is a rather lengthy self-gratification sequence with the lead actress in a rainstorm. Water is omnipresent and plays an important symbolic role at certain times. The cinematography is gorgeous, with the entire film soaked in blue-tinted monochrome. At only 77 minutes, this is a condensed (and at times surrealistic) dive into sexual fulfillment that explodes with originality.
Recommended
Redline (2009) (Japanese Anime Action) (repeat viewing) – This is a flick is about deadly car races and a driver who attempts to win them. First and foremost, the animation is no less than outstanding. (This title is worth watching for the gawk-worthy visuals alone.) Characters and story meander a lot, since everyone simply hangs out between races, but they are vivid and outlandish. Described by some as “Speed Racer on crack”, there are two exciting races that are showcased (the second of which incorporates a plethora of deadly firepower that the racers must avoid). This is very creative with some crazy moments. The finale is incredibly long and satisfying, but the first race (at the very beginning) just might be the best sequence of the entire film. This is a must watch for anime fans due to its hyperkinetic vibe and non-stop eye candy.
She Shoots Straight (1990) (Chinese Action) (repeat viewing) – This film by director Corey Yuen showcases some surprisingly good action sequences with intriguing female protagonists (played by Joyce Godenzi and Carina Lau), with a final confrontation on a cargo ship as well as a construction site. Character development here is also better than most similar Hong Kong “Girls With Funs” flicks, but it does get melodramatic at times. The fighting itself is rather brutal (at times using sledgehammers and machetes), and will surely warrant more than a few shout-outs from the viewer.
Casino Raiders (1989) (Chinese Drama/Action) (repeat viewing) – Andy Lau and Alan Tam star as gamblers who must deal with the consequences of assisting a casino-owner in this film co-directed by Corey Yuen. The “sting” and suspense sequences (including the bar brawl) are interesting and well-placed. Although the mood of the film is light at the beginning, it gets progressively darker and more intense. This has some good character development and dramatic elements. There are also some well-written and surprising moments during the latter half.
Wonder Woman (2017) (American Action/Drama) – When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny. This movie spends quite a bit of time setting things up, but it does a good job of doing so. The comedy is surprisingly effective, with a focus on charming dialogue. Chemistry between the leads is really good too. Only a little bit of action during the open 80 minutes, but the No Man’s Land sequence is fun. CGI is a bit cartoonish and unconvincing at times, which is surprising given the $150 million budget. The finale is typical superhero explosiveness, but at least it conveys the themes of the film while going over-the-top. This is a good film that has a heart.
A Moment of Romance (1990) (Chinese Drama/Romance/Action) – While robbing a bank, a criminal (Andy Lau) takes a young woman hostage and escapes. After preventing her from getting killed by his accomplices, both began a forbidden relationship causing mayhem and chaos for their friends and family. Solid performances and interaction by the leads really anchors this one. A few pretty good action scenes here too, one of which involves women who are balancing on top of racing vehicles. Viewer beware of some bloody violence. Directed by Benny Chan. FYI, the current print available is very crisp. (Viewed without subtitles.)
The Lego Batman Movie (2017) (American Animated Action/Comedy) – A cooler-than-ever Bruce Wayne must deal with the usual suspects as they plan to rule Gotham City, while discovering that he has accidentally adopted a teenage orphan who wishes to become his sidekick. This is a significant improvement over “The Lego Movie” because it has some semblance of an actual plot, themes, and character development. There’s a better sense of rhythm and pacing here as well. It does rely on references to other films, but most of them are Batman films so it doesn’t suffer from being as random as its predecessor.
On the Beach at Night Alone (2017) (Korean Drama/Romance) – An actress wanders around a seaside town, pondering her failed romantic relationships while hanging out with acquaintances. This film by Sang-goo Hong is basically the same as many of his other films. It is a pretty good movie with a mix of mundane and interesting dialogue. There are also some impressive long takes involving conversations without edits. Min-hee Kim gives a stand-out performance.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (American Sci Fi Action/Comedy) (repeat viewing) – A group of space criminals must work together to stop the fanatical villain Ronan the Accuser from destroying the galaxy. First of all, Chris Pratt is not that convincing in the lead role; he’s adequate, but nothing more. In fact, none of the human actors are good. The only genuinely good performance is the voice-acting for the raccoon. The humor is mediocre, but there’s so much of it that it creates a light-hearted tone that assists the brisk pacing. The action is pretty good, but nothing memorable. There are lots of good quality special effects though, and a good soundtrack. One of the most surprising elements involves the plot, which is shamelessly run-of-the-mill and uncreative despite the odd cast of characters. Conflicts and villains are very lame; attempts at serious drama fall flat on their face. This is a decent time-waster, but extremely overrated.
Not Recommended
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 (2017) (American Action/Comedy) – The Guardians must fight to keep their newfound family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's true parentage. The story meanders a lot, which makes the 135-minute runtime drag out. Like its predecessor, the action is merely decent. However, this sequel seems to have more CGI vomit that is thrown at the screen, and too many scenes of characters screaming into the camera. Not terrible or anything, but it’s too flimsy and lacking in memorable moments.
Ghost in the Shell (2017) (American Sci Fi Drama/Action) – In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals. Right from the opening 10 minutes, this movie uses stiff, unconvincing dialogue to beat the viewer over the head with its themes and plot. Scarlett Johansson has the same terrible line deliveries that she does in all of her other films. Most viewers, however, will likely find the biggest flaw to be this film’s lifeless, boring execution overall. It’s so inconsequential and dramatically limp on all levels. Even the cityscapes and special effects are overrated; they are of a good quality for sure, but nothing special. Action is forgettable.
Close-Knit (2017) (Japanese Drama) – When her delinquent mother leaves her for the umteenth time, an 11-year-old girl goes to live with her uncle and his transgender lover. Naoko Ogigami gives us a wafer thin, pro-transgender propaganda piece. It’s ridiculous. The biological mother does nothing right, while the transgender dude is perfectly motherly in every way, despite begging the girl to touch his boobs. This is politically correct nonsense that’s also really damn boring.
The Lego Movie (2014) (American Animated Comedy/Action) (repeat viewing) – Still not buying the hype for this one at all. The animated world is creative but the plot is a painfully generic amalgamation of popular movies. Chris Pratt is a terrible voice-actor and made the lead protagonist insufferable within the opening few minutes. The pacing is very fast, but it lacks rhythm, feels rushed all of the time, and gets obnoxious quickly. The protagonists go from the city to the “wild west” to a metaphysical world in a span of less than 5 minutes. It’s almost like someone yapping right in your face for two hours, going BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. Can you please shut up for 2 seconds? The humor is a big negative because it consists of thoughtless gags (derived from the generic premise) that fail to elicit laughs. It’s almost like the scriptwriters were content with simply referencing other popular movies for their jokes, which doesn’t work if the jokes themselves aren’t funny. In fact, some of the references were cringeworthy. I’d go so far as to say that the dialogue is badly written, lazy, and really damn stupid. To top it all off, the “heartwarming” scenes near the end are incredibly forced. This movie sucks HARD.
). I have said Iwai is best at his briefest. I gave Lily a 6.something because it's indulgent and meandering (Iwai going for the long ball), but was just inspired by a letterboxd friend's review of it and thought I might give it another whirl. Also, I'm looking for some old school Japanese films to kickstart my movie watching again now that Volleyball tournaments are coming to a close. I really enjoyed our group revisit of Wanee and Junah and would like to do something like that again. Any interest or suggestions for a group re-watch?
. The synopsis seems to be right up my alley but the trailer tells me its one of those "sitenoise movies". Hehe love you man.
