The Cat and the Moon (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A solid directorial debut by Alex Wolff

Posted on November 2, 2019 by kaist455

thecanandthemoon04

“The Cat and the Moon” is your typical coming-of-age drama about a troubled adolescent hero wandering and struggling a lot in his unstable life, but it is a bit better than I expected. Sure, there are some rough spots here and there, and it could be improved by tighter storytelling and shorter running time, but it presents its story and characters with considerable realism and sensitivity at least while also generating some poignant moments to be appreciated.

When we meet Nick (Alex Wolff, who also serves here as the co-producer/co-composer in addition to the director/writer of the film) at the beginning, this teenage boy is going through a rather tough period in his life. While his musician father died several years ago to a tragic incident, his mother recently checked herself into a rehabilitation center due to her longtime addiction problem, so he has to leave his home in Detroit and then comes to New York City for staying for a while with his father’s longtime friend/colleague Cal (Mike Epps), who warmly welcomes him into his small but cozy apartment.

Although it seems everything is fine on the surface, we gradually come to see Nick’s problematic sides. Right from when he arrives at Cal’s residence, he looks for marijuana to be smoked. Without telling anything to Cal, he later gets high on the rooftop of the building where Cal’s residence is located, and he even brings the purchased marijuana to a local high school he is going to attend during next several weeks.

While Nick is smoking his purchased marijuana alone at a bathroom, two boys suddenly come into the bathroom, and that is how he comes to befriend Seamus (Skyler Gisondo) and Russell (Tommy Nelson), who are totally cool with him smoking marijuana. As a matter of fact, they invite him to a Friday night party full of their schoolmates, and Seamus gladly introduces Nick to his girlfriend Eliza (Stefania LaVie Owen), who incidentally encountered Nick already on his first day at the school.

thecanandthemoon02

As they and some other teenage kids throw themselves into fun and excitement, the movie occasionally gives us small lively moments brimming with youthful spirit and energy. For example, there is a spirited montage sequence where Nick and his new friends go a bit wild in a subway train, and I observed it with some fascination and amusement as a guy who never dreamed of any transgression during my high school years except when I drank beer and other kinds of alcoholic beverage under my parents’ permission.

And there is also a brief but striking moment which seems to function as a sort of correction to one of Nick’s new friends, who, in my opinion, uses African American slangs a bit too much as a Caucasian kid. When he and other kids are going to a party during one evening, they come across an African American drug dealer willing to sell various kinds of narcotics, but then the situation becomes quite tense when the kid thoughtlessly blurts out a certain word he should not use at any chance in front of African American people.

In the meantime, Nick finds himself attracted to Eliza, and they soon come to sense the mutual feeling growing between them. Both of them understandably hesitate to come closer to each other, but then the situation gets complicated when Nick comes to learn of how promiscuous Seamus can be in his drunken state. As far as I can see, Seamus drinks too often and too much, and I must confess that I actually felt an urge to recommend him to attend an AA meeting as soon as possible.

While he tries to handle his complicated emotional circumstance with Eliza, Nick also becomes more troubled by his messy private life. He still feels sad and angry about his father’s death in addition to feeling conflicted on his mother’s current absence, and he does not interact much with Cal even though Cal is always there for him with lots of patience and compassion.

thecanandthemoon01

Although it trudges a bit during its last act, the movie keeps engaging us while never losing the focus on its main characters. Besides Nick and Eliza, several other substantial characters around them are presented with some human depth, and I particularly like a scene later in the film where Nick and a certain character come to have an unexpected moment of reconciliation.

Besides doing a solid job as its director and lead actor, Alex Wolff, who has been a new talented young actor to watch since his breakout turn in “Hereditary” (2018), also draws good performances from his cast members. While Stefania LaVie Owen clicks well with Wolff during their several intimate scenes in the film, Skyler Gisondo, Giullian Yao Gioiello, and Tommy Nelson are well-cast in their respective supporting roles, and Mike Epps, who drew my attention for the first time via his small supporting role in “The Hangover” (2009), effectively complements Wolff during a certain dramatic scene between them.

In conclusion, “The Cat and the Moon” is a fairly successful feature film debut by Wolff, and he demonstrates well here another side of his talent. By the way, I later came to learn that his older brother Nat Wolff, who has also been quite prominent since his supporting turn in “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014), is currently working on his first film, and it will be really interesting to see how much these two brothers will advance with their respective directing careers during next several years.

thecanandthemoon03

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

63 Up (2019) ☆☆☆☆(4/4): Life at 63

Posted on October 31, 2019 by kaist455

63up01

Dear Roger

How have you been these days, Roger? It has been more than 5 years since you passed away in 2013, but I often cannot help but think of you whenever I encounter something great at a movie theater. At times, I wistfully reflect on how wonderful it will be if you were still here with us, but I am also sort of glad that you are not here to see the social/political ramifications of a certain orange-faced scoundrel occupying the White House at present. I do not doubt that, as a guy who was one of the most influential pundits on the Internet, you would fight and resist as much as many good Americans out there including your dear wife Chaz, but I think you would also be shocked and exasperated a lot by how that loony evil prick has impertinently and thoughtlessly brought back the dark, deplorable sides of your country into spotlight.

Anyway, I am happy to tell you that I and many of our mutual friends and acquaintances have kept going as usual, and we had a pretty good time on the whole thanks to heaps of superlative works during last several years. Considering how much you were supportive to new talented filmmakers to watch, you would be delighted to see how much some of those good filmmakers such as Barry Jenkins, Debra Granik, and Ava DuVernay have advanced. In addition, you would be thrilled about the emerging new talents including Trey Edward Shults, Jennifer Kent, and Robert Eggers, and you would also be excited to see how those great filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Alfonso Cuarón, and Agnès Varda have kept going as usual, though, as you probably know already, Varda sadly died several months ago.

This year, I have watched a number of various fantastic works which will definitely be included in my upcoming annual list, and the one about which I particularly want to talk to you is Michael Apted’s new documentary film “63 Up”, the latest entry of the Up Series which happened to be broadcast on a South Korea education TV channel during October 28-30th. In a poignant scene in Steve James’ documentary film “Life Itself” (2014), which is based on your memoir of the same name, you enthusiastically watched and then reviewed “56 Up” (2012) even though your life was approaching to its inevitable end, and I am sure that you would be eager to see how the human subjects of this great documentary series have lived during last 7 years.

As you know pretty well, everything began from a simple documentary project commissioned by the British Television company Granada Television, which is called ITV Granada at present. In “Seven Up!” (1964), 14 children from various socio-economic backgrounds were selected and then interviewed for examining their hopes and dreams, and the following seven documentary films, “7 Plus Seven” (1970), “21 Up” (1977), “28 Up” (1984), “35 Up” (1991), “42 Up” (1998), “49 Up” (2005), and “56 Up”, observed their respective lives step by step. As reflected by the recurring quote by Aristotle (“Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man.”), these documentaries attempted to explore whether these kids’ different social environments could predetermine their future lives, and the results have been quite fascinating even though there is no clear answer to the question. While some of these kids became exactly what they were expected to be from the very beginning, others became quite different from who they were once as going through some unexpected changes, and all of their lives are interesting to observe.

63up03

One of the more prominent members in the group is Tony, who was quite an ebullient working-class kid at the age of 7. He aspired to be a jockey, and it looked like he was really going to fulfill his dream at the age of 14 and 21, but then, after realizing that he was not that good enough to pursue the career of a professional jockey, he moved onto what would become his lifelong occupation: driving taxi. He subsequently became a family man, and “49 Up” and “56 Up” showed us how he has been fine and happy with his wife and other family members despite several setbacks including the one involved with a failed business plan in Spain.

At present, Tony is as talky and lively as before in front of the camera, though he has been more aware of the approaching end of the life as he knows. Mainly due to Uber, his income has been considerably decreased during last several years, and he also has to be more careful about his health condition after a blood clot was found in one of his vital organs. At least, he still enjoys his life as usual as shown from his occasional acting jobs, and I am still tickled by an amusing episode associated with Buzz Aldrin.

In case of Neil, a middle-class boy who grew up to be a very troubled lad about whom you often worried a lot, he has been more comfortable with his life even though, as he admits at one point, he still gets quite depressed at times. It turns out that he married some woman a few years ago, but, mainly because of his occasional mood swings, they gradually became estranged from each other, and that eventually led to their bitter divorce, from which he has not still completely recovered yet.

Nevertheless, it is touching to see how Neil’s life has become quite stable compared to those bleak and desperate moments in his life shown in “28 Up” and “35 Up”. As you probably remember, Roger, you feared that he would die soon, but, what do you know, he later came to bounce from the bottom of his life thanks to an unexpected help from his fellow participant Bruce as shown from “42 Up”, and “49 Up” and “56 Up” showed us how diligently and earnestly he kept going since then. In addition to working as a district councilor, he is also the lay preacher of his local church now, and I was moved to see him getting some inner peace and solace through his sincere devotion to his parishioners as well as God.

63up02

Although they have led less dramatic lives compared to Neil or Tony, the other human subjects in the Up series are equally fascinating to observe nonetheless. While Sue, Lynn, Jackie, who were a trio of plucky working-class girls in “Seven Up!”, grew up to be mothers and then grandmothers, John and Andrew, who were two of those three confident upper-class boys, also became family guys as practicing laws, respectively. In case of Paul, who was one of two kids living in a charity-based boarding school, he moved to Australia along with his father after “Seven Up!”, but he has remained close to his schoolmate Symon, who became a father and then a grandfather just like Paul as going through some ups and downs in his life.

Nearly all of the original participants in “Seven Up!” appear in “63 Up”. As before, Apted asks them about their personal feelings and thoughts on the Up series, and they all give frank answers without any hesitation, while also reflecting on how much their lives have been affected by the Up series in one way or another. As I expected, he also asks for opinions on Brexit from some of them, but, as one South Korean twitter user sharply pointed out later, he asks this question only to male participants, and that is a bit disappointing, considering that Apted once said that more girls should have been chosen at the beginning.

And there is also a lingering question on the remaining time of their lives. In case of Nick, a country boy who grew up to be a college professor studying nuclear fusion at an American university, he tells us how much he was disappointed with his longtime research becoming obsolete in the end, and he also reveals to us that he has been battling with a malignant tumor in his throat. In case of Lynn, she died shortly after “56 Up” came out, and her death certainly signals the approaching end of the Up Series along with Nick’s possibly terminal medical condition.

Roger, I do not know how long Apted, who is currently 78, and his participants will be able to continue, but I sincerely hope that they will come back for the next entry. The end is indeed coming, but what Apted and his participants have shown us during last 55 years is extraordinary to say the least, and, regardless of how it will eventually end, the Up series will remain as one of great achievements in the movie history for being, as you wrote in your Great Movies essay, “an inspired, even noble, use of the film medium.”

Yes, it is too bad that you are not here with us at present, but I am now imagining you and your best friend/colleague Gene Siskel watching and then enthusiastically discussing on “63 Up” somewhere up there, and I am sure that you and Siskel appreciate it far more than I do. After all, unlike you and Siskel, I still have not lived even a single lifetime, have I?

Sincerely,
Seongyong Cho

63up04

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Cat People (1942) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Beware, she may scratch

Posted on October 30, 2019 by kaist455

catpeople03.jpg“Cat People” is a little classic B-horror film which creeps us out as demonstrating well the value of our fear and dread on whatever is lurking there in darkness. Although we do not see much of what scares its main characters, the movie lets our imagination do the job via its succinct but undeniably effective storytelling approach, and that is why it has remained as one of the creepiest horror films in the movie history even though it was made more than 75 years ago.

Like many of good horror tales, the movie starts with a seemingly mundane setup. When a beautiful Serbian woman named Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon) is repeatedly drawing sketches in front of a caged black panther at a zoo, she happens to be spotted by a handsome dude named Oliver Reed (Kent Smith), and they soon come to have a Meet Cute moment. As subsequently spending more time with Irena, Oliver becomes more attracted to Irena, so he eventually proposes to her, and she accepts her proposal although she seems a bit reluctant at first.

Of course, it gradually turns out that there is something wrong about Irena. At one point, Oliver buys her a kitten, but then the kitten becomes quite hostile to her for some reason, so he gives a canary bird to her instead, but that leads to a rather disturbing moment. During her engagement party at a restaurant, she is approached by a mysterious Serbian woman, and she is quite disturbed by what that woman says to her in their native language.

catpeople02

Irena eventually confides to Oliver on what has terrified her for years. According to a folk tale in her hometown, there were once a bunch of devil worshippers who could be transformed into big cats, and they were subsequently vanquished by a heroic king, but there were a few survivors who came to hide and then live in forests. Irena believes that she is a descendent of these evil figures, and she says that she will be transformed into a murderous cat if, as a man who really loves her, Oliver ever tries to get closer to her in physical ways – of if she becomes quite jealous and angry.

Of course, Oliver does not believe much what Irena tells him, and he comes to seek help from Dr. Louis Kudd (Tom Conway), a lofty psychiatrist who embarks on your average Freudian analysis on Irena. There is a visually striking moment when Irena’s face is lighted alone in the middle of the dark screen, and we later get a rather amusing moment which uses animation for depicting whatever is churning on the unconscious level of her increasingly troubled mind.

Meanwhile, the situation gets more complicated as Oliver finds himself leaning more on Alice Moore (Jane Randolph), who has had a crush on him for a long time. While trying to be patient with his wife, Olive gradually gets emotionally involved more with Alice, and Irena is not so pleased at all when she later finds out what is going on between her husband and Alice.

Around that narrative point, the movie gets creepier than before as providing a number of spooky moments to remember. There is a tense nocturnal scene where Alice walks alone for a while and then becomes unnerved by whatever seems to be following her, and it is eventually punctuated by a brief shot suggesting something moving inside a bush. In case of an unforgettable moment unfolded around and in a swimming pool, we do not see much of whatever is lurking in darkness, but, thanks to the succinct but undeniably effective utilization of light, shadow, and, yes, a sound of growling, the sense of fear and dread feels palpable to us.

catpeople04

There are a few moments directly revealing to us what disturbs Irena and other characters around her, but the movie mostly depends on the power of suggestion as wisely avoiding showing too much of that. During the eventual confrontation between Irena and her psychiatrist around the end of the story, we can clearly sense what is happening even though it merely shows her face with a bit of visual effect, and what is presented next is quite intense even though it is mainly conveyed to us through the silhouettes projected on the wall.

The movie, whose enormous box office success saved RKO studios from the big financial failure of Orson Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942) (As a matter of fact, the movie used the same staircase set from that film), was the first collaboration between director Jacques Tourneur, who would later move onto classic noir film “Out of the Past” (1947), and producer Val Lewton, who subsequently produced a string of notable B-horror films for RKO Studios such as “I Walked with a Zombie” (1943), “The Leopard Man” (1943), “The Curse of the Cat People” (1944) and “The Body Snatcher” (1945). Although “Cat People” and most of these movies were produced with the budget of under $150,000, Lewton and his directors were allowed to have considerable creative freedom instead, and he brought his own style and sensibility to these films as their de facto auteur. Unfortunately, after this very productive period at RKO Studios, Lewton’s filmmaking career somehow went down, and he died of heart attack a few years later (He was only 46 at that time, by the way).

Although it is not as terrifying as it was when it came out, “Cat People” is still a compelling masterwork in terms of mood and style, and it also has some sad poignancy generated from its disturbed heroine who is simply scared and helpless in front of what makes her tick. Irena does try not to be alone, but, alas, nobody believes her words until it is too late, and you will feel sorry for her as observing the bitter irony from the last line of the film.

catpeople01

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Blinded by the Light (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): When he discovers Bruce Springsteen

Posted on October 29, 2019 by kaist455

blindedbythelight01

“Blinded by the Light” is a familiar but enjoyable feel-good movie driven by a number of songs from Bruce Springsteen. I must confess that I do not know much about the music of Springsteen besides his haunting Oscar-winning song for “Philadelphia” (1993), but the movie made me appreciate the emotional power of his several notable songs via good storytelling, and I came to smile and chuckle as appreciating its witty and lively coming-of-age tale.

Set in the town of Luton in Britain, 1987, the movie, which is loosely based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir “Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N’ Roll”, tells the story of Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra), a British-Pakistani Muslim teenager boy who has been quite unhappy and frustrated with being stuck in Luton for many years. Although a new semester begins in his high school, nothing much is changed in his daily life with his family, and it seems he will never get an opportunity for getting out of Luton. Often occupied with writing in his small room, he wants to pursue writing career someday, but that is not exactly what his headstrong father expects from him.

And then there come several significant changes to him. In a writing class at his high school, his teacher Ms. Clay (Hayley Atwell) pays more attention to him after noticing his considerable talent and aspiration, and she is certainly interested in evaluating and nurturing more of his talent. In addition, Javed finds himself quite attracted to a plucky female student named Eliza (Nell Williams), but he does not know how to approach closer to her even though it is apparent that the feeling is mutual between them.

blindedbythelight02

Meanwhile, Javed comes to have a new friend at his high school after an accidental encounter between them. As a fellow minority student, Roops (Aaron Phagura), who is from a Sikh Indian family, instantly sees that Javed needs to get out of his awkward and miserable status, so he gives Javed a couple of cassette albums by Springsteen. Although he is not particularly interested in Springsteen because, as pointed out at one point, Springsteen was not particularly popular in Britain during that time in Britain, Javed later happens to listen to one of these two cassette albums, and, what do you know, he is caught off guard by how much Springsteen’s songs resonate with his current life and emotional status in many aspects. As listening more and more to Springsteen’s songs, he becomes quite obsessed with everything about Springsteen, and, to be frank with you, that reminds me of how much I was enthusiastic about those great movie scores by Jerry Goldsmith when I was young and wild (I still keep many of the CD copies of his score albums I collected during that time, by the way).

As sharing more enthusiasm on Springsteen’s songs with Roops, Javed becomes more confident about himself while also coming closer to Eliza, and the movie accordingly gives us a number of vibrant scenes accompanied with Springsteen’s songs. While “Born to Run” is the most prominent one, several other songs including “Badlands”, “Thunder Road”, “Hungry Heart”, and, yes, “Blinded by the Light” are effectively used throughout the film, and the movie goes further with them as rolling into a few delightful musical moments along with its young hero and his two new friends.

Of course, this buoyant mood is soon contrasted with the domestic matters in Javed’s family home. Due to the ongoing economic recession, Javed’s father gets laid off even though he has diligently worked in his workplace for more than 15 years, and that puts more pressure on his wife, who has also worked hard as a seamstress but now has to work much more as being the sole breadwinner of the family at present. Furthermore, they and their children become more aware of the racism in their neighborhood, which becomes more prevalent than before as reflected by a key dramatic scene later in the story.

blindedbythelight05

While we can clearly see from the beginning where its story and characters are heading, the movie smoothly rolls from one episodic moment to another as balancing itself well between humor and poignancy under the competent direction of director/co-writer Gurinder Chadha, who also adapted Manzoor’s memoir along with Manzoor and her longtime collaborator Paul Mayeda Berges. Like her previous film “Bend It Like Beckham” (2002), the movie works as a sweet and intimate comedy drama revolving around race, culture, and generation gap, and I appreciate how thoughtfully it shows empathy and understanding toward all of its main characters including Javed’s father, who struggles to accept several other changes in his life besides his continuing unemployment.

Chadha draws solid performances from her main cast members. While Viveik Kalra, Nell Williams, and Aaron Phagura are commendable in their unadulterated acting, the other main cast members in the film including Hayley Atwell, Dean-Charles Chapman, Rob Brydon, Meera Ganatra, and Kulvinder Ghir are also fine in their respective roles, and Ghir is especially poignant during the expected moment of reconciliation and acceptance between his character and Javed.

In conclusion, “Blinded by the Light” is worthwhile to watch for several good reasons besides those wonderful songs by Springsteen, and you may find yourself considering checking them out after the movie is over. It may be pretty predictable, but it is equipped with enough heart and spirit, and I am willing to recommend it to you without hesitation.

blindedbythelight03

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Terminator Genisys (2015) ☆☆(2/4): Another unnecessary sequel

Posted on October 29, 2019 by kaist455

TerminatorGenisys03

“Terminator Genisys” is another unnecessary sequel in a franchise which did not impress or excite me much during last two decades. Sure, James Cameron’s “The Terminator” (1984) is one of the notable science fiction action films in the 1980s, and his following 1991 sequel is also pretty good while also being one of the innovative milestones in the history of movie special effects, but next two sequels are passable flicks lacking excitement and imagination in comparison, so, without any hesitation, I came to pass a chance to watch “Terminator Genisys” when it came out then received heaps of negative responses from critics and audiences a few years ago.

Anyway, mainly because I am soon going to watch the next sequel which will be released tomorrow here in South Korea, I decided to give “Terminator: Genisys” a chance in the end, and it turns out to be not as bad as I feared. It is still as unnecessary and bland as the previous two sequels, and I often got frustrated and confused due to numerous plot holes caused by its strained attempt to bring some changes into its basic story premise, but it is not entirely without fun and amusement at least, though I still observed its story and characters without much care.

At the beginning, the movie retells the story premise of “The Terminator”. On one day in 1997, a powerful artificial intelligence named Skynet wiped out most of human beings on the Earth with nuclear weapons, and the humanity has been helplessly driven to extinction since that fateful day, but then a man named John Connor (Jason Clarke) suddenly appears and then starts a defiant war against Skynet along with remaining human beings including Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), who has been his most trusted guy since he was rescued by Connor when he was a young boy.

TerminatorGenisys02

As many of you know, Connor and his men eventually come to win the war, but, at the last moment before its defeat, Skynet sends a humanoid cyborg model named T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to LA in 1984 for killing Connor’s mother. Because of what she privately told him a long time ago, Connor knows he has to send Reese to LA in 1984, and Reese is willing to sacrifice himself for saving Connor as well as Connor’s mother.

However, right before Reese is sent to LA in 1984, something unexpected happens, and Reese subsequently finds himself in a situation quite different from what we saw from “The Terminator”. Shortly after arriving in his destination, he is confronted by T-1000 (Byung-Hun Lee), a new version of Terminator which appeared for the first in the 1991 sequel film, and the T-800 sent before him is quickly terminated by another T-800, which is also played by Schwarzenegger, and, surprise, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke, who is incidentally not related to the actor playing her character’s son).

After they managed to terminate that new version of Terminator as well, we get a rather convoluted explanation on what has been going on. Skynet sent another T-1000 to Sarah’s childhood period, and she came to lose her parents as a consequence, but she was fortunately rescued and then raised by that another T-800, who taught her a lot during next several years and is also affectionately called “Pops” by her.

Anyway, Sarah is going forward to 1997 with Pops’ assistance for destroying Skynet, but Reese objects because of a series of strange things he saw during his time travel. For some unknown reason, there is a significant change in the timeline as they know at present, and Reese somehow knows that they must go to San Francisco in 2017 instead. Although she is initially skeptical, Sarah comes to believe his words, which seem to sound more convincing to her than Pops’ mumbo jumbo on quantum mechanics and parallel timelines.

TerminatorGenisys04

Of course, Reese turns out to be right when he and Sarah arrive in San Francisco in 2017. While the human civilization is not destroyed yet, there is an upcoming global event associated with a certain high-tech software called Genisys, and Reese and Sarah are shocked to face several changes including an unexpected figure behind the creation of Genisys.

As Sarah, Reese, and Pops, who has been waiting for their arrival for 33 years and now looks as old as Schwarzenegger in real life, tries to stop Genisys as well as that figure in question, the movie throws lots of big CGI actions onto the screen, but they do not feel that impactful or distinctive compared to what we saw from “The Terminator” and its 1991 sequel film, which remain fresh and effective thanks to Cameron’s masterful handling of special effects. In addition, the movie does not generate much interest from the changed relationship among its three main figures, and most of its main cast members are stuck with their flat characters and trite lines, though I must say that Schwarzenegger has a fun with his role as much as he can while occasionally throwing a few recognizable line.

Considering what is shown from its trailer, things seem to be changed a lot again in the upcoming Terminator sequel, so I guess you do not have to watch “Terminator Genisys” before watching that film. Though it is not as awful as suggested by its current Rotten Tomatoes score (27%), the movie is still the most uninteresting entry in its franchise, and I sincerely hope that the upcoming Terminator sequel, whose Rotten Tomatoes score is 68% at this point, is really better than this.

TerminatorGenisys01

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Dolemite Is My Name (2019) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Eddie Murphy back in his element

Posted on October 28, 2019 by kaist455

dolemiteismyname04.jpg

“Dolemite Is My Name”, which was released on Netflix on last Friday, is a lively and cheerful biographical comedy film which delighted and entertained me a lot. As a sort of cross between Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood” (1994) and Mario Van Peebles’ “Baadasssss!” (2003), it is often hysterically funny for the broad but loving depiction of the rocky production process of one cheap blaxploitation film, and, above all, it also gives its lead actor a golden opportunity to show himself back in his element.

The screenplay by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who were incidentally the writers of “Ed Wood”, is based on the life and career of Rudy Ray Moore (Eddie Murphy), an African American comedian who was famous for playing a pimp character named Dolemite in his standup routines and his subsequent blaxploitation films including “Dolemite” (1975). Although it may look pretty cheap and silly now, “Dolemite” was actually one of the biggest hits in 1975 as mentioned at the end of the movie, and it is certainly one of notable blaxploitation films in the 1970s like Melvin Van Peebles’s “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (1971), whose production history is the basis of “Baadasssss!”, by the way.

At the beginning of the story, which is set in LA during the early 1970s, Moore is quite frustrated with how his life and career has been going nowhere as he manages a local record store during daytime and performs a rather mediocre opening standup act at a local nightclub, but then there comes a moment of inspiration from a homeless guy, who frequently babbles on the stories of a pimp named, yes, Dolemite. Eager and desperate enough to try anything, Moore subsequently develops a series of vulgar but uproarious standup routines from what he hears from that homeless guy and other ones in his neighborhood, and, what do you know, these new standup routines of his turn out to be quite more popular than expected. Emboldened by this success, he goes further as doing his standup routines here and there around the country, and he also produces a record album of his standup routines, which has to be sold independently by himself at first but then soon draws the attention of a major record company due to its huge popularity among Moore’s many fans and audiences out there.

dolemiteismyname05

While Moore is enjoying this big success along with his close friends/colleagues, there comes another idea for more success to him. During one evening, they go to a movie theater for watching Billy Wilder’s “The Front Page” (1974), but they are perplexed as they do not laugh at all while many other audiences around them, most of whom are Caucasian Americans, laugh a lot, and that subsequently prompts Moore to decide to make a Dolemite movie for his audiences out there, though he and his cohorts do not know anything about filmmaking from the beginning. Once he takes care of financial matters, they promptly embark on assembling the cast and crew for their movie, and one of the funniest moments in the film comes from when they happen to encounter a notable African American movie actor named D’Urville Martin (Wesley Snipes) at a strip club, who comes to agree to join the production as a director/supporting actor although he never directed a film before.

And then we see how Moore and his cohorts move on step by step at an abandoned old hotel in their neighborhood, which comes to function as the main location for the shooting of their film. Moore and his writer Jerry Jones (Keegan-Michael Key), an African American playwright who earnestly believes that he is doing something serious here, often clash with Martin on the set, but, despite small and big problems popping out here and there throughout the production, things go fairly well for the cast and crew members including a young film student named Nick (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Though hurriedly hired as the cinematographer right from his very first day on the set, Nick turns out to be much more resourceful than expected, and he is certainly someone Moore can depend on whenever Martin is not doing anything except filling his seat as required.

As Alexander and Karaszewski’s screenplay lightly bounces from one hilarious moment to another, director Craig Brewer, who is mainly known for “Hustle & Flow” (2005), fills the screen with authentic period and details to be appreciated. The soundtrack of the movie is strewn with a number of notable songs from its period background, and the costumes by Ruth E. Carter, who recently won an Oscar for “Black Panther” (2018), are as colorful and flamboyant as you can expect from the 1970s.

dolemiteismyname02

As the center of the film, Eddie Murphy gives his best performance since his Oscar-nominated turn in “Dreamgirls” (2006). As playing his brash and irrepressible character with considerable gusto, Murphy reminds us again that he has not lost any of his spirit and charisma which were memorably demonstrated on the screen for the first time in “48 Hrs.” (1982), and he is also willing to throw himself into several silly but undeniably uproarious moments for generating more laughs for us.

Murphy is supported well by a bunch of various talented performers. While Keegan-Michael Key, Craig Robinson, Mike Epps, and Tituss Burgess are well-cast as Moore’s cohorts, Wesley Snipes is a riot as a guy whose ego is as big as Moore’s, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph is fabulous as Moore’s no-nonsense singer wife. In case of the other notable supporting performers in the film including Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Chris Rock, Ron Cephas, Snoop Dogg, and Bob Odenkirk, they also have each own moment to shine, and I particularly enjoyed the brief appearance of Barry Shabaka Henley, who plays a movie theater owner giving a small but significant opportunity to Moore and his film along with some good advice.

As I frequently laughed and chucked during my viewing at last night, my mind soon came to compare the movie with James Franco’s “The Disaster Artist” (2017), which is also a comedy film based on one loony independent filmmaking process in real life. While that movie is funny to some degree, I observed its highlights from the distance nonetheless due to its rather thin plot and characterization, and that is the main reason why I think “Dolemite Is My Name” is a better film. In contrast to that film, the movie genuinely cares about its characters and what they created while also brimming with more life and personality, and, in my inconsequential opinion, it is surely one of the sweetest and funniest films of this year.

dolemiteismyname01

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Art of Self-Defense (2019) ☆☆☆(3/4): A little dark satire on toxic masculinity

Posted on October 27, 2019 by kaist455

theartofselfdefense01

“The Art of Self-Defense” does not pull its chops and kicks in its dark satiric examination of toxic masculinity, and I appreciate that to some degree. At first, it initially seems to be a whimsical send-up of “The Karate Kid” (1984), but then it becomes increasingly unnerving and uncomfortable as its meek hero is drawn into more aggression and violence under the virulent influence of his shady martial art instructor, and I observed this disturbing progress with alarmed fascination.

At the beginning, we see how things are often miserable and frustrating for a young accountant named Casey Davies (Jesse Eisenberg). In the opening scene, he silently endures being ridiculed by a French couple who happen to drop by a cafe where he often spends some time, and he later has a very awkward moment with several colleagues of his, who casually disregard him when he makes a pathetic attempt to join their conversation.

At least, Casey gets some consolation from a little pet dog as he comes back to his residence in the evening. When he subsequently finds that he runs out of dog food, he promptly goes outside for buying a new bag of dog food, but then, unfortunately, he comes across a bunch of anonymous motorcycle gang members, who, after finding that he does not carry a gun or any other weapon, ambush him and then beat him pretty hard.

As a consequence, Casey has to spend some days at a local hospital, and he is expected to recover and go back to work as soon as possible, but he cannot help but feel the need to be strong enough to protect himself. He considers buying a gun at one point, but then he is told that he needs to wait for several days before allowed to buy a gun, and that certainly makes him feel more frustrated and emasculated than before.

theartofselfdefense04

And then there comes an unexpected opportunity to him on one day. When he happens to pass by a local Karate hall belonging to a guy who simply calls himself ‘Sensei’, Casey decides to go inside the hall, and then he sees the possibility of strengthening himself through learning Karate. He does not hesitate at all when he is told that he can join the daytime class taught by Sensei (Alessandro Nivola) right now, and he is certainly eager to learn a lot from Sensei along with other pupils including Anna (Imogen Poots), the sole female member in Sensei’s Karate hall who has also taken care of a class for children.

As he trains day by day, Casey becomes more occupied with practicing Karate, and he also comes to pay more attention to what Sensei often emphasizes to him and other pupils. Always speaking with utmost seriousness, Sensei frequently makes a point on being strong and masculine, and his pupils including Anna always listen to him without any question while also hoping for another advance in their rank, which is mainly represented by the color of their waist belts.

As a new pupil, Casey initially received a white waist belt, but he soon finds himself advancing to a yellow one, and things accordingly look better to him than before. During one amusing scene, he goes to a local supermarket and then buys a bunch of yellow products for emboldening himself more, but, alas, his supposedly soaring spirit only gets thwarted by an unfortunate encounter with some rude guy.

As Casey feels frustrated and emasculated again, he is drawn more to what has been espoused by Sensei, and then the story takes an unexpected dark turn. Although Casey is still stuck with his yellow waist belt, Sensei allows him to join his nighttime class, and Casey soon comes to behold the hidden dark side of Sensei, who subsequently pushes Casey toward his twisted conception of masculinity. While he is quite unnerved by what is demonstrated and taught to him, Casey feels more emboldened than before, and he eventually comes to commit a number of violent acts he has never imagined before.

theartofselfdefense03

Although it stumbles during its last act and the finale does not work as well as intended, the movie remains engaging thanks to the competent direction of director/writer Riley Stearns, who previously made a feature film debut with “Faults” (2014). She and her crew members including her cinematographer Michael Ragen did a good job of establishing the offbeat comic tone on the screen, and I particularly enjoyed the period mood and details which look deliberately retro.

Stearns also drew enjoyable performances from her main cast members. Jesse Eisenberg, who is no stranger to looking meek and neurotic, conveys well to us his character’s conflicted thoughts and feelings, and he also ably handles a number of darkly humorous moments in the film. While Alessandro Nivola imbues his role with enough charm and charisma as required, Imogen Poots holds her own place well around Eisenberg and Nivola, and she is especially good when her character reveals her longtime frustration to Casey later in the story.

On the whole, “The Art of Self-Defense” intrigued me enough for recommendation despite its weak aspects. Although it could be more focused and acerbic in terms of story and characters, it gave me a fair share of amusement at least, and I think you will enjoy it more than me if you have ever tried to learn martial art.

theartofselfdefense02

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Blood Simple (1984) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): An exemplary debut work by the Coen brothers

Posted on October 27, 2019 by kaist455

bloodsimple05

The Coen brothers’ debut film “Blood Simple”, which happened to be released in South Korea in last week, is an exemplary genre exercise to be appreciated and cherished for many good reasons. While it may look modest compared to what these two exceptional filmmakers have achieved during last 35 years, the movie remains fresh and timeless while still capable of gripping and electrifying us, and it certainly deserves to be mentioned along with their several stellar works such as “Fargo” (1996) and “No Country for Old Men” (2007).

The premise of the movie seems familiar to the bone at first. After the opening monologue scene which succinctly establishes its hard-boiled tone, we are introduced to Ray (John Getz) and Abby (Frances McDormand), and we get to know about their current trouble as listening to the hushed private conversation between them. They are quite concerned about whether Abby’s husband Marty (Dan Hedaya), who also happens to be the owner of a Texan bar where Ray works, will learn of their ongoing affair someday, and, though Abby is willing to leave her husband as soon as possible, Marty is not someone they cannot easily mess with.

Not so surprisingly, it soon turns out to us that Marty has already suspected them. As a matter of fact, he hired some sleazy private detective, who subsequently presents him a definite evidence on Ray and Abby’s affair. Once it becomes quite clear to him that Abby is going to leave him anyway, Marty goes to the private detective again, and, this time, he offers ten thousand dollars for killing his wife and her lover. While understandably reluctant at first, the private detective eventually accepts the offer, and we later see him approaching to Ray and Abby during one night, but then….

bloodsimple04

Now I have to be more discreet in describing the plot for not spoiling your entertainment, but I can tell you instead on how deviously the movie dials up and down the level of suspense once everything is set and then begins to roll along its twisted narrative. For example, there is a running visual gag involved with a couple of fishes placed on a certain important object, and there is also an absurdly nightmarish sequence where a certain main character attempts a foolish cover-up due to a rather amusing misunderstanding. As its main characters get mired in more chaos and confusion, the Coen brothers’ screenplay often throws some wry moments to be savored, and you may be tickled a bit by the one involved with the accidental discovery of a certain morbid photograph.

The movie is pretty impressive in technical aspects although its production budget was around 1.5 million dollars. The Coen brothers, who also unofficially edited the film with Don Wiegmann, did an impeccable job of filling the screen with authentic local atmosphere, and the cinematography by Barry Sonnefeld, who would later move onto his own directing career with “The Addams Family” (1991), is often breathtaking for a number of impeccable visual moments including a brief but striking scene where the camera suddenly swoops upon two main characters for dramatic effect.

In the end, thanks to the masterful manipulation of plot and characters by the Coen brothers, everything in the story eventually culminates to a climatic sequence which deserves to be studied and analyzed for its sheer precision. At one point during this sequence, we get a grisly moment as a stupefying act of violence is inflicted on the hand of one of the main characters in the film, and we wince and then become quite amused as observing how that main character takes care of the consequence of that act of violence in a very painful but undeniably logical way.

bloodsimple02

The four main performers are suitably cast in their broad archetype roles. While John Getz is convincing as an ordinary guy struggling to grasp and handle his increasingly confusing circumstance, Frances McDormand, who would become more prominent thanks to a series of stellar performances including an unforgettable Oscar-winning turn in “Fargo”, is solid in her debut acting, and Dan Hedaya, who would also enjoy a long, productive acting career like McDormand, is unpleasant and pugnacious as required. In case of M. Emmet Walsh, a dependable character actor who has never bored the audiences since his small supporting turn in “Midnight Cowboy” (1969), it is evident that he is enjoying every moment of his in the film, and his private detective character is indubitably one of the most colorful elements in the movie.

While appreciating many excellent aspects of “Blood Simple” again, I could not help but muse on how steadily the Coen brothers has gone up and down as trying many different things during last 35 years. After “Blood Simple”, they went all the way for the wacky comedy of “Raising Arizona” (1987), but then they got quite more serious with “Miller’s Crossing” (1990) and “Barton Fink” (1991), and then they went in a completely opposite direction with “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994). After “Fargo” and “The Big Lebowski” (1998), there came more idiosyncratic works such as “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000) and “The Man Who Wasn’t There” (2001), and then there came “No Country for Old Men”, which garnered them three Oscars including the one for Best Picture.

Overall, “Blood Simple” entertains me as much as it did when I watched it for the first time more than 10 years ago, and this neo-noir masterwork surely reminds me again of how talented and skillful the Coen brothers were even at the beginning of their illustrious career. As shown from their recent notable works such as “A Serious Man” (2009), “True Grit” (2010), “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2013), and “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” (2018), they still remain at the top of their game, and I certainly hope that they will keep going as before.

bloodsimple03

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The King (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): To be a king

Posted on October 26, 2019 by kaist455

theking01

Don’t expect romance or eloquence from David Michôd’s new film “The King”, which is released in South Korea this week before its upcoming online release on November 1st. This is a solemn and brooding reinterpretation of a series of plays by William Shakespeare including “Henry V”, so you may be disappointed with a number of notable changes in the film, but, at least, it is not wholly without interest thanks to the good efforts from its main cast members.

After the opening scene showing the grim and bleak aftermath of a battle, the movie immediately thrusts us into the problematic political situation surrounding King Henry IV of England (Ben Mendelsohn). It is around the early 15th century, and his country has been suffering from civil wars while the military conflict with France is still being continued, but he is not that willing to solve this complicated circumstance as his body keeps getting deteriorated due to serious illness, even when one of his followers throws a blatant comment on how he lets things get worse day by day without doing anything at all.

More aware of his impending death, Henry IV calls for his eldest son Prince Hal (Timothée Chalamet), who has been spending time with lowlife bums in one of the seediest areas of London since he became quite estranged from his father some time ago. Although he is not that willing to meet his father again, he eventually comes to the court as advised by his loyal drinking buddy Falstaff (Joel Edgerton), but he is only told that his younger brother will succeed his father instead of him.

Prince Hal is not so upset by his father’s decision, and he instantly goes back to his usual days of drinking and other debaucheries, but then a series of unexpected incidents push him toward the position he never wanted from the beginning. After his younger brother dies due to another civil war, he finds himself next in line for the crown again, and then he gets a sort of closure between him and his father right before his father’s death, which promptly leads to his ascension to the throne.

theking04

Once he officially becomes King Henry V of England, Prince Hal goes all the way for distancing himself from his former self, and he also tries to bring some changes into his exhausted country with the assistance of his advisor William Gascoigne (Sean Harris), but he cannot help but feel self-doubt and uncertainty at times. As his younger sister, who is incidentally the Queen of Denmark, shrewdly points out to him during their little private moment, being a king is a lonely and risky business because there is not anyone to be wholly trusted in court, and the situation between England and France becomes more tense especially after a rather insulting gift is sent to him.

Although the king wants to do as little as possible on this increasingly troublesome political matter, there eventually comes a point where he eventually decides that enough is enough. With the full support from Gascoigne and other lords, he boldly embarks on the battle with France, and he also appoints Falstaff as his commander-in-chief because he knows there is a wise and seasoned war veteran behind Falstaff’s seemingly seedy appearance.

During the following battle sequences, the movie curiously sticks to its restrained tone as before. In case of the first battle sequence, it is more or less than a long, arduous waiting game while lots of fireballs are periodically hurled toward a castle, and how this situation is resolved in the end may be a bit too anti-climactic for you. In case of the supposedly climactic sequence unfolded in Agincourt, the movie closely looks at all those grisly and grimy details of soldiers fighting to death on a muddy field, and that is certainly far different from what we saw from Laurence Olivier’s “Henry V” (1944) or Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 film of the same name.

theking02

Although the movie often trudges during its second half, it is mostly held together well together by the strong lead performance from Timothée Chalamet, who feels quite different from his Oscar-nominated turn in “Call Me by Your Name” (2017). While initially looking casual and youthful as required, Chalamet is believable in his character’s subsequent transformation along the plot, and he also handles well a crucial scene where his character has to galvanize the army before their big battle, though it is a bit of shame that he is not allowed to deliver something as rousing as that famous speech in Shakespeare’s aforementioned play.

The other notable main cast members did an adequate job of filling their respective supporting roles. While Joel Edgerton, who wrote the screenplay with Michôd, has a little juicy fun with playing one of the most memorable characters created by Shakespeare, Sean Harris and Ben Mendelsohn are dependable as usual, and, as an arrogant French prince, Robert Pattinson gleefully chews his scenes with a deliberately ridiculous Gallic accent. Although she only briefly appears in two scenes, Thomasin McKenzie, who was unforgettable in Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” (2018), leaves considerable impression, and the same thing can be said about Lily-Rose Depp, who holds her small place well during her few moments with Chalamet.

While it is not entirely successful in its reinterpretation attempt on Shakespeare’s plays, “The King” is a fairly competent period drama on the whole, and I enjoyed its mood and performance to some degree although I felt impatient with its rather ponderous narrative pacing from time to time. I am glad to watch it at a movie theater instead of watching it at my home later, but I will not urge you to watch it right now.

theking03

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Kill Team (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A conflicted young solider facing war crime

Posted on October 25, 2019 by kaist455

thekillteam01

“The Kill Team” is a passable war drama film which does not show or tell me anything particularly new about what has been committed during War on Terror. Partially based on a shocking real-life case of war crime in 2010, the movie attempts to present a tense moral drama to reflect on, but it is hampered a lot by its rather weak story and characters, and the overall result is mostly flat despite several intense moments coupled with effective mood and performance.

The story of the movie is mainly told via the viewpoint of Andrew Briggman (Nat Wolff), an ordinary American lad ready to serve his country just like his marine father did. After we get a brief glimpse into his private life during the opening scene, the movie promptly moves to Afghanistan along with him, and we soon see him going through his first field mission along with his platoon members at a village located somewhere in Kandahar.

Unfortunately, they happen to lose their platoon leader due to an unexpected tragic incident during that field mission, and they subsequently get their new platoon leader. Looking quite intense and serious, Sergeant Deeks (Alexander Skarsgård) instantly grabs the attention of his soldiers right from when he arrives at their military base, and Briggman becomes eager to be Deeks’ second-in-command just like some of his platoon members. After Briggman shows that he does have the right stuff, Deeks accordingly chooses Briggman as his right-hand guy, and Briggman is ready to watch and learn anything from Deeks, who surely has had lots of combat experience as doing his duties in Iraq as well as Afghanistan.

thekillteam02

However, Briggman gradually becomes uncomfortable with what Deeks does in the name of war and country. In Deeks’ view, any of local civilians is a potential enemy to be eliminated, and Briggman soon witnesses how far his direct superior is willing to go. When he confides to Deeks on how much he hates their enemies and how willing he is to kill them all for those fallen comrades of theirs, Deeks shows him a local guy detained in the base for some reason, and then he suggests that Briggman should beat this guy hard for revenge. Briggman eventually hesitates, but he feels tempted nonetheless, and Deeks is ready to push him further in next time.

As a result, Briggman finds himself in a more conflicted status. When a civilian happens to get killed while Briggman and his platoon members are doing another field mission, he suspects that one of his platoon members deliberately shot that civilian under Deeks’ permission, and, of course, his suspicion turns out to be right as he later comes to witness another unjust killing. When he confronts Deeks not long after that, Deeks flatly justifies his heinous deeds without any remorse, and the other platoon members have no problem with going along with that.

Briggman feels that he should report this serious case of war crime as soon as possible, but he only comes to be reminded of how difficult it is to do that within a military base isolated in the middle of barren field. When he contacts with his father for help, his father is certainly ready to call the criminal investigation division of the US Army, but Deeks turns out to be capable of pulling some strings for his safety, and Briggman becomes more scared and pressured when Deeks demands more from him besides his silence. He cannot possibly trust anyone in the military base, and there is a tensely ambiguous scene where he nervously walks toward target boards with his several armed platoon members behind his back.

thekillteam03

However, the screenplay by director/writer Dan Krauss, who previously presented the same subject via the 2013 documentary film of the same name, does not engage us much. While many of key scenes in the film are dryly presented with admirable verisimilitude, the Krauss’ lean screenplay is rather deficient in terms of story and characters, and it merely trudges from one point after another without generating enough narrative momentum to hold our attention. Even during a crucial scene later in the story where Briggman is pushed toward the point of no return, the movie feels trite and predictable, and what eventually follows after that point is disappointingly anti-climactic to say the least.

Nat Wolff and Alexander Skarsgård did as much as they could do with their respective archetype roles. Wolff, who drew my attention for the first time with his solid supporting turn in “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014), is effective in his earnest performance, and he is complemented well by Skarsgård, who is effortless in generating considerable intensity on the screen whenever he appears on the screen. Some of the best scenes in the film come from the increasingly strained interactions between their characters, and Skarsgård is utterly chilling especially when his character casually lets Briggman fallen into an impossible situation which will considerably affect Briggman in one way or another.

In conclusion, “The Kill Game” is fairly solid in technical aspects, and Krauss, who was previously Oscar-nominated for his excellent short documentary film “Extremis” (2016), made a competent feature film debut on the whole, but the movie does not leave much impression on me in the end. To be frank with you, there are a bunch of better modern war films and documentaries out there such as “The Hurt Locker” (2008) and “Restrepo” (2010), and I assure you that you will have a more interesting time with them.

thekillteam04

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment