Highly Recommended
Before We Vanish (2017) (Japanese Drama/Comedy/Romance/Action) – In anticipation of their impending invasion, three aliens take control of three Japanese citizens and attempt to steal their “concepts.” This film has two storylines: (1) a salarywoman (Masami Nagasawa) is having trouble with her husband (Ryuhei Matsuda), who is exhibiting memory loss; and (2) a reporter agrees to be a local boy’s driver as they look for the teenage girl who murdered her family. This is a very creative, interesting, and unorthodox film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. I really enjoyed the genre-bending nature of it, which somehow works and feels natural within the storyline. There are a few hilarious moments, and even a few short action scenes involving a cute schoolgirl! The aliens use a mix of mesmerism and instant lobotomies to accomplish their goals. The ending will likely be divisive, but I think it helps to make the entire film make more sense. It takes balls to make a film this nutty. The more I think about it, the more I like it.
Little Forest (2017) (Korean Drama) – A young woman gets tired of her difficult life in the city and moves back to her hometown in the countryside. There, she heals her emotional wounds with the help of her long-time friends, nature and food. This is based on the same manga that inspired the original Japanese films from 2014/2015. It begins in winter and continues across all four seasons as it showcases some lesser known Korean foods like spicy dough soup, fried cabbage, steamed rice and bean cake, Makgeolli, bracken, pasta and edible flowers, cabbage pancake, flower petal tempura, glazed chestnuts, etc. Tae-ri Kim is endearing in the lead role. So-ri Moon is also good in a supporting role. Not quite as intoxicating as the Japanese films, but it’s pretty damn close.
Recommended
The Third Murder (2017) (Japanese Drama/Mystery) – Twice-convicted killer Takashi Misumi (Koji Yakusho) who, shortly after his release from 30 years in prison, is arrested again on suspicion of committing yet another murder. He confesses to killing his boss at the food factory from where he was recently fired, but his defense attorney (Masaharu Fukuyama) is having doubts about what really happened. This is deliberately paced but proficiently directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. Parallels are drawn between the two leads and the criminal justice system is portrayed as a kind of “dog and pony show”, where the defendant is frequently pressured to admit his guilt instead of defend himself. Performances are top notch. (Viewed with poor subtitles.)
The Housemaid (2016) (Vietnamese Horror) – Set in Vietnam during 1953, a young woman is hired as a housemaid at the mansion of a French officer on a plantation. Strange events begin to happen, which may be related to the officer’s dead wife and/or the spirits of dead workers. This is a beautifully shot film; the cinematography really makes the visuals pop – even in dimly lit scenes. The script focuses more on character relationships over ghostly mysteries, which is a good thing here. There are a few memorable horror sequences too. The ending is a bit convoluted, but it works. This feels, at times, more like a European horror film rather than an Asian horror film.
Wind River (2017) (American Thriller/Drama) – A veteran tracker with the Fish and Wildlife Service helps to investigate the murder of a young Native American woman, and uses the case as a means of seeking redemption. This is a mean-spirited, depressing movie that is well-acted and directed. Not an interesting film per se, but it is emotionally impactful. Most of the town consists of rapists and degenerates with little to no characterization, but there are still some good character moments with other folk. Solid flick overall. The icy, snowy environments are nice too. However, the viewer should go into this expecting constant misery from start to finish.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017) (American Action/Comedy) – Thor is imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, and must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his world, which is at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela. This film leaves a lot of room for improvement. Conflicts are flimsy and come from out of nowhere. The villain Hela is introduced as an extremely powerful adversary but is poorly developed and given very limited screentime. The entire middle hour on Sakaar meanders around and doesn’t really go anywhere. Some important events happen, but are portrayed in a matter-of-fact way that lessons their impact. Almost all of the big surprises were shown in the trailer. Probably a bit too jokey for its own good too, but it generally works in that regard. Fortunately, the casting is solid and the action (while nothing great) is good enough to be moderately entertaining. Soundtrack and score are cool too.
Not Recommended
The Prison (2017) (Korean Crime Drama/Action) – A troubled ex-cop is imprisoned for a hit-and-run accident, but he discovers that the entire penitentiary is controlled by an inmate who has been running a crime syndicate. This has very generic characters and conflicts. It’s simply not very interesting. Performances are good, but the fights are run-of-the-mill.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988) (Japanese Anime Drama) (repeat viewing) – A boy tries to take care of his little sister in wartime. This film by Isao Takahata is easily one of the most overrated movies of all time. The opening scene immediately tells you the ending, which eliminates any kind of suspense or tension. Most of the runtime being dedicated to constantly beating the viewer over the head with one-note, simplistic, repetitive interaction between the characters. Most of its attempts at provoking emotion come off as low-hanging fruit. There’s really nothing interesting or impressive about the scriptwriting here, since it lacks any kind of nuance whatsoever. It may have worked as a short film, but as a 90-minute film, it just drags. Basically, the two kids eat, sleep, and walk around aimlessly. Wake me when it’s over.
Psychokinesis (2018) (Korean Drama/Action) – After accidentally consuming meteorite liquids, a middle-aged man obtains superpowers and tries to protect his daughter from redevelopment company thugs. The script is very badly written, lacking in both details and depth. It fails miserably to earn its more serious moments. The character relationships are wafer thin and boring to watch. The action is cartoonish nonsense. Yu-mi Jung has a few great scenes in a supporting role, but not enough screentime to make that much of a difference. This is utter crap.
