Alien: Romulus (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): A well-mixed entry of the 45-year-old series

Posted on August 14, 2024 by kaist455

“Alien: Romulus” surprises me as showing that there are still enough fun and thrill in the series which was started 45 years ago. While there are nice old stuffs to be appreciated, there are also refreshing new stuffs to be savored, and the resulting mix is fairly enjoyable even though we already know what we are going to get right from its first few minutes.

The story, which is incidentally set at a time point somewhere between “Alien” (1979) and “Aliens” (1986), begins with how things have been grim and desperate for Rain Carradine (Caliee Spaeny) and her android brother Andy (David Jonsson). Along with many other poor working-class people, they have been stuck in a big mining colony on some alien planet for many years as exploited by their big company day by day, and Rain becomes all the more frustrated when she belatedly come to learn that she and Andy will be stuck there for several more years because of a sudden company police change.

And then there comes an offer she cannot easily refuse. Tyler (Archie Renaux), an old friend of Rain, and his several associates are planning to get out of the planet and then move to somewhere else in the space, and they happen to come across a good chance via a certain abandoned company space station floating outside the planet. This abandoned company space station may contain something necessary for their long intergalactic journey, and they really need Andy for getting access to this company space station. While initially hesitating at first, Rain eventually agrees to participate in their little operation, and Andy has no problem with that at all because, well, he is programmed to do whatever is the best for his dear human sister.

Of course, as already shown to us from the prologue scene associated with that big spaceship in “Alien”, things are going to be very bad for Rain and her associates. They soon come to realize that their target is not an ordinary space station at all once they get the access to it thanks to Andy, and we instantly notice many bad signs associated with that nasty alien creature of the series.

What will happen next is pretty evident to us to say the least, the movie wisely takes its time for building up more dread and suspense on the screen while peppering the screen with a number of familiar elements from “Alien” and “Aliens”. At one point, a certain plot element from “Alien” becomes more prominent along the story, and the movie has a little wry fun with how Andy becomes a lot more useful than expected when he comes to have a sort of upgrade later in the story.

In case of that nasty alien creature, it does not disappoint us at all as pulling off some old and new surprises. Yes, somebody will definitely be fatally impregnated with that nasty alien creature at one point, and we will eventually get another chestbuster scene later. Yes, we will certainly be served with a number of creepy scenes where that nasty alien creature may suddenly appear around the screen at any point, and you will wince a lot whenever it shows its many vicious sides including highly corrosive acidic blood.

While doling out one familiar stuff after another, the movie also tries some fun variations from that. For example, it shows a bit more of how that nasty alien creature grows up in size (Don’t ask me about what it actually eats for growing that big within such a short time), and I particularly like one key action sequence where the surviving main characters must quickly and carefully evade that very dangerous alien blood in a zero-gravity condition. In addition, the movie sometimes tips its hat to several memorable moments of “Alien” and “Aliens”, and you may chuckle a bit when one certain main character says a line not so far from what Sigourney Weaver defiantly utters during the climax scene of “Aliens”.

Above all, like its two monumental predecessors, the movie makes us care about the story and characters even when things get quite frantic. Although most of its main characters are more or less than stock archetypes, the screenplay by director Fede Álvarez and his co-writer Rodo Sayagues does some character development before eventually shifting itself onto a full-horror mode, and it is actually poignant to observe how strong the bond between Rain and Andy turns out to be.

The main cast members dutifully fill their respective spots as demanded. While ably balancing her character between toughness and vulnerability, Cailee Spaeny, who recently drew more attention from us thanks to her acclaimed performance in “Priscilla” (2023), shows another side of her considerable talent here in this film, and she is supported well by the other main cast members including Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, and David Jonsson, who recently became more prominent thanks to his solid comic performance in “Rye Lane” (2023).

Overall, “Alien: Romulus” is inherently redundant from the beginning, but it is interesting and thrilling to enough to hold our attention, and Álvarez, who previously gave us “Evil Dead” (2013) and “Don’t Breathe” (2016), did a commendable job of learning well from the old ones while also trying the new things. In my humble opinion, this is one of the better products during this summer blockbuster season, and it will certainly remind you again that no one can hear you scream in space.

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I Saw the TV Glow (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): Obsessed with an old TV show

Posted on August 13, 2024 by kaist455

Jane Schoenbrun’s second feature film “I Saw the TV Glow” is a disorienting but compelling piece of work to admire for mood and style. While it feels rather thin in terms of story and characters, it is at least filled with enough personality and atmosphere in addition to being driven by considerable emotional intensity, and its strikingly mind-bending aspects are something you cannot easily forget after it is over.

The early part of the film, which is mainly set in 1996, is about how its introverted hero gets obsessed with “The Pink Opaque”, a fictional TV show for young adults. Although he has only watched its promotional clips on TV, Owen, played by Ian Foreman at this point, becomes quite fascinated with this fictional TV show, but he is not allowed to watch it at late night just because his father thinks it is just for girls.

However, Owen soon comes to find a way to watch “The Pink Opaque”. On one day, he happens to come across an older girl named Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), who happens to be reading the episode guide of “The Pink Opaque” during their first encounter. Maddy gladly suggests that he should spend a night along with her at her house for watching “The Pink Opaque” together, and Owen does not hesitate to go along with that, though he has to tell a little lie to his parents for that.

After their first night with “The Pink Opaque”, Maddy begins to show Owen more episodes of “The Pink Opaque”, which may amuse you a bit for its authentic details which will probably take you back to those old popular TV series of the 1990s such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. It is about two adolescent girls who happen to share a supernatural power between them, and each episode is about how they bravely fight against a number of various henchmen sent by their powerful archnemesis including a vicious duo named Marco and Polo (I am not kidding at all).

While they become closer to each other during next two years, Maddy comes share more of herself with Owen, who is now played by Justice Smith. At one point, she frankly reveals her sexual identity to him, and then Owen finds himself getting confused about his sexual identity. He does not know how to express and then handle his confusion, and he becomes more distant to his parents even when her mother is about to die due to her unfortunate terminal illness. He has no idea on how to deal with this impending personal issue, and he becomes more nervous when he comes to learn about how much Maddy wants to get away from their suburban neighborhood.

During its second half, which moves the story forward to 10 years later, the movie goes for more bafflement and confusion, and Schoenbrun and cinematographer Erik K. Yue continue to fill the screen with dreamy qualities. As its hero becomes more confused about his status of mind, the movie often catches us off guard with odd but undeniably striking moments, and everything eventually culminates to a stupefying monologue scene where Owen’s mind gets more shaken up by his growing confusion. Is his life actually a fake reality? Or, is he simply stuck in his increasingly disturbed mind?

If you watched Schoenbrun’s previous film “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” (2021), you surely know well in advance that Schoenbrun will not give you any easy answer at all. The movie keeps going back and forth between the two possibilities surrounding its hero as he gets more baffled about whatever he is experiencing, and it does not let us get off easily even during its adamantly ambiguous finale.

In case of thematic aspects, the movie is certainly a rich ground filled with queer materials to be appreciated. Considering how both Maddy and Owen are not so fine or comfortable with who they are supposed on the surface, the story can be interpreted as a transgender fantasy fable, and “The Pink Opaque” can be regarded as the projection of whatever they feel inside themselves.

Although the movie sometimes stumbles more than once during its second half, it is still carried well by its two lead performers, who come to function as its emotional center as they revolve around each other along the story. Justice Smith, a promising actor who has steadily advanced during last several years since I noticed him in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (2018), gives his best performance to date, and he is often poignant in his character’s emotional struggles with his sexual identity. On the opposite, Brigette Lundy-Paine, who has been mainly known for her supporting turn in Netflix TV series “Atypical”, is equally wonderful as bringing enough spirit to the screen whenever coming upon the screen, and I am sure that we will see more of this non-binary actor’s considerable talent during next several years.

On the whole, “I Saw the TV Glow” is distinctive and interesting enough to compensate for its several weak aspects including its rather uneven narrative pacing, and the overall result shows how much Schoenbrun has advanced after “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”. This non-binary filmmaker’s movies are still an acquired taste to me, but “I Saw the TV Glow” confirms that they are another interesting filmmaker to watch, and I will certainly have some expectation on whatever will come next from them.

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We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): An elusive horror drama of online dysphoria

Posted on August 13, 2024 by kaist455

Jane Schoenbrun’s first feature film “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” alternatively baffled and fascinated me. On one hand, I was fascinated with its interesting storytelling approach which clearly shows its director’s distinctive personality and talent. On the other hand, I was often frustrated with its rather slow and opaque narrative which may also demand some patience from you.

At first, the movie revolves around Casey (Anna Cobb), an adolescent girl who looks quite isolated in one way or another. While she lives in the attic of a cozy suburban house, we never get any information about whom she has lived with, except when someone comes in the house and then complains about the noise from her attic later. It seems that she is your typical loner, and we are not so surprised to see that her daily life is usually spent on making videos to be posted on her private online channel, though, as far as I can see from the screen, she has not drawn many viewers yet.

The opening scene shows Casey trying what may draw more viewers. There has been a viral online activity called “World’s Fair Challenge”, and she is willing to participate in this activity even though it looks like something much riskier than, say, ice bucket challenge. All one has to do is saying “I want to go to the World’s Fair” three times and then doing several required things in front of a computer screen, but those online people have claimed that this seemingly harmless act can lead to some serious mental/physical changes.

Anyway, Casey seems willing to take the possible risk because she is lonely and desperate. During the first half of the film, we see more of her isolated status filled with ennui and loneliness, and she is eager to show anything weird which may happen to her. As closely observing her, you may come to have some understanding on why some people gladly record themselves doing weird things and then post that on the Internet.

When she attempts to record her sleep at one night, Casey happens to receive a weird warning message from an unknown person. This unknown person, JLB (Michael L. Rogers), wants to talk with her about whatever is happening to her right now, and Casey accepts this guy’s approach because, well, she has no one else to talk with, though this person keeps his identity hidden even when they talk more and more about the possible consequences of World’s Fair Challenge.

Because his voice sounds much older than Casey, we naturally fear for her safety, but then the movie shifts its viewpoint a bit to JLB, who turns out to be a plain older dude who is probably as lonely and desperate as Casey. Just like her, he also resides in a suburban house located somewhere, and we seldom see anyone else besides him in the house. At one point, we see a person moving in the background, we are never sure about who that person is or what that person is doing over there.

During the second half of the film, the movie observes Casey slowing going down her own online rabbit hole along with JLB, who keeps encouraging her to make more videos of hers. As days go by, she comes to show a series of strange behaviors, and the movie sometimes shows rather disturbing online videos associated World’s Fair Challenge. Not so surprisingly, she eventually looks more disturbed than ever, and there is a painfully harrowing scene involved with a certain precious childhood stuff of hers.

However, the movie never clarifies what is exactly going on inside Casey’s mind, and it is also rather ambivalent about the disturbing sides of World’ Fair Challenge. Is this challenge really as dangerous as calling the titular character of “Candyman” (1992) three times in front of the mirror? Or, is this just another mindless online trend which happens to become too popular around the Internet? The movie does not answer these and other questions at all even, and we also cannot be totally certain about a supposedly sincere confession scene later in the story.

Nevertheless, the movie still holds our attention as steadily maintaining an elusive aura of creepiness under Schoenbrun’s deft direction, and Anna Cobb, who incidentally made a debut here in this film, did a splendid job of embodying her character’s growing desperation behind the disaffected façade. Although we are not always sure about whatever her character is feeling and thinking, Cobb constantly draws our attention with her unadorned acting, and we come to care more about whatever may happen to her character in the end. On the other side, Michael J. Rogers effectively complements his co-star throughout the film, and his detached performance also never makes us less guarded as contributing extra creepiness to the screen.

On the whole, I am less enthusiastic about “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” than many other reviewers, but it surely shows Schoenbrun’s considerable potential as a filmmaker, and Schoenbrun already moved on to “I Saw the TV Glow” (2024), which is the second part of Schoenbrun’s Screen trilogy after this movie. Although watching “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” turned out to be more like doing a homework before “I Saw the TV Glow”, but it was an interesting experience to some degree, and I hope I will be more interested and entertained in “I Saw the TV Glow”.

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Jules (2023) ☆☆(2/4): The Old Man and the Alien

Posted on August 12, 2024 by kaist455

My late mentor/friend Roger Ebert hated, hated, hated what he usually called “the Idiot Plot”, and here is his own definition: “A story in which every problem and conflict would be resolved in five minutes, if not for the fact that every character is a complete idiot.” There are several glaring moments of the Idiot Plot in Marc Turtletaub’s sappy SF fable movie “Jules”, and I am willing to bet my $100 that Ebert would roast these idiotic moments without any hesitation.

First, let me describe to you the most annoying example in the bunch. At one point, Milton (Ben Kingsley), the hero of the story, is suddenly visited by his concerned daughter who does not believe at all that he has an alien in his house. For avoiding more misunderstanding, all he should do is simply letting her inside the house and then showing his extraterrestrial guest, but, no, he simply lets her leave after arguing with her a bit, and that is all.

If the story and characters were more realistic and believable, that might not be much of a problem at all. Milton lives alone in a quite rural town of Pennsylvania which does not seem to have many residents besides him, and the town and its residents look like the stock characters from your average American sitcom. His big and comfortable house, which is located in a rather remote spot outside the town, also has a large backyard, and you may wonder how he has maintained this place fairly well even though it seems there is no housekeeper or gardener visiting this place.

I know, I know, I know. The movie does not intend to be very realistic from the beginning, and that is particularly evident when Milton’s another usual night is suddenly interrupted by the crashing of a UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) on his backyard. He naturally calls 911 at one, but, not so surprisingly, his call is promptly disregarded, and nobody pays much attention to him when he talks about that UFO at a routine town council meeting.

Meanwhile, an alien creature happens to crawl out of that UFO and then collapses in front of the backdoor of Milton’s house. While quite flabbergasted to say the least, Milton tries his best for taking care of this alien creature, and this alien creature, which is later named “Jules” (Jade Quon), looks like getting slowly accustomed to being his guest, though there is not much communication between them from the beginning.

What follows next is the cross between “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) and “Cocoon” (1985). Milton’s two old busybody neighbors, Joyce (Jane Curtin) and Sandy (Harriet Samsom Harris), later get involved in his tricky situation, and they all agree to keep their alien visitor in secret as much as possible, while also wondering how to help their alien visitor. While looking rather detached all the time, Jules looks mostly quiet and gentle, and Milton and his two neighbors are certainly brightened up by their unexpected friend.

Of course, things soon get more complicated for several reasons. Milton’s daughter begins to suspect that her father is hiding something serious, and that leads to the aforementioned moment of misunderstanding between them. Furthermore, Jules is also being pursued by those government agents, and we see lots of agents checking on millions of phone calls in the area surrounding Milton’s town (How the hell could possibly they overlook that 911 call from Milton, I wonder?).

All these and other things in the story are pretty familiar to say the least, but the movie does not bring anything particularly new to its conventional genre territory. While you may get some dark amusement from a little special power of Jules or what kind of fuel that flying saucer actually needs (You may be quite disgusted if you are an animal lover, by the way), the movie does not go further with these morbid details for avoiding any unpleasant moment, and it only becomes sappier instead while Milton later comes to confront the growing possibility of mental deterioration. 

The main performers of the film try their best with their rather thin roles. Ben Kingsley, an intelligent actor who has been usually dependable for more than 40 years since his Oscar-winning performance in “Gandhi” (1982), conveys well to us his aging character’s melancholic existence, and we can easily discern why his character accepts Jules into his house without much fear or hesitation. While Jane Curtin, whom I still fondly remember for her supporting turn in TV comedy series “The 3rd Rock from the Sun”, brings some humor to her functional supporting part, Harriet Sansom Harris, whom you may remember for her scene-stealing appearances in TV comedy series “Frasier”, also manages to acquit herself well, and Jade Quon, who has been mainly known for her stunt performances in a number of recent blockbuster films such as “The Hunger Games” (2012), holds her own small place well even though she is simply required to occupy the screen throughout the movie.       

In conclusion, “Jules” is disappointing in its big failure to engage us in terms of story and characters, and it only makes me want to revisit “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” as soon as possible. Just like “Jaws” (1975) did everything a shark movie can possibly do and then made many subsequent shark movies nearly pointless, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” remains on the top of its genre even at present while also making its many imitators look inconsequential and forgettable, and I am sure that “Jules” will be also forgotten within a few years.

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Shine (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A slow story in the island

Posted on August 12, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean film “Shine” is curiously somber and distant in terms of story and character. While it seems to care about its main characters at times, it also often observes them from the distance without delving that much into whatever they think or feel behind their phlegmatic appearance, and the result is not interesting enough to hold our interest during its 2-hour running time.

The story is set in one small village located in Jeju Island, and the early part of the movie focuses on the melancholic sadness and grief of an adolescent girl named Ye-seon (Jang Hae-geum), who has recently lost her dear grandmother. Although her grandmother was under the good care of two kind local nuns of a local Catholic church before she eventually passed away, Ye-seon cannot help but miss her grandmother because there is no adult figure to stay around her in their little house.

At least, there are several persons who really care about Ye-seon’s welfare. Her schoolmate/best friend Da-hee (Chae Yo-won) tries to cheer up Ye-seon a bit, and we later see Da-hee and two other friends of theirs visiting Ye-seon’s residence, but Ye-seon does not seem to welcome them much as putting more distance between them. In case of those two nuns, Sister Rafaella (Jang Sun) and Sister Stella (Jang Eun-kyung), they also check on Ye-seon from time to time, but they also feel some distance between them between her despite their sincere efforts of reaching closer to her.

In the end, Ye-seon comes to open her heart a bit at one night, and things get a bit better as winter is over and then summer begins on the island. Ye-seon becomes a bit more spirited than before as hanging around with her friends more than before, and they later come to have a little mountain picnic time along with Sister Rafaella and Stella, who gladly accompany them as their chaperones (We never get to know about the parents of Ye-seon’s friends, by the way).

And there comes an unexpected change into Ye-seon’s daily life. We see a little girl suddenly coming out of the church and being led to Ye-seon’s house, and both Ye-seon and Da-hee are certainly suddenly surprised to see this little girl. While they do not know anything about this little girl, they decide to take care of her instead of whoever abandoned her, and they even lie to Sister Rafaella and Stella as pretending that that little girl is the daughter of Ye-seon’s currently absent uncle.

However, Sister Rafaella and Stella have some reservation about what Ye-seon told her, especially after they try to reach to Ye-seon’s absent uncle for a matter involved with Ye-seon’s future. Nonetheless, they do not have any problem in helping Ye-seon taking care of that little girl, who seems to be totally fine with being under the care of Ye-seon and others around her.

Of course, the situation soon becomes a bit more complicated for the reason some of you already have guessed. After coming to learn that it is not all right to let Ye-seon take care of that little girl, Sister Rafaella and Stella become quite conflicted about what to do about her problematic circumstance, and Ye-seon also comes to face the emotional consequence of her rather unwise action later in the story.

This sounds like a nice setup for melodramatic moments to come, but the movie adamantly keeps everything in a distant low-key tone. While the camera looks like more interested in capturing those lovely locations of Jeju Island than focusing on the main characters, the main cast members stick to their understated mode without conveying that much to us, and it may take some time for you to gather the relationships among the main characters in the story.

Although this restrained storytelling approach is admirable to some degree, the movie unfortunately ends up scratching the surface without really letting us get to know its main characters. While Ye-seon often feels too distant and passive as the center of the story, the other main characters around her are also rather flat and superficial, and a little moment involved with a visiting photographer feels redundant without much purpose, except for emphasizing how soothing the village really is.

I can only appreciate how Jang Hae-geum and several other main cast members fill their under-developed roles as much as possible. While Jang manages to bring some life and personality to her character, Jang-sun and Jung Eun-kyung did a decent job of embodying their characters’ wholesome kindness, and Chae Yo-won also has her own small moment despite her seemingly thankless supporting role.

“Shine” is the fifth feature of director/writer Park Suk-young, who drew my attention for his two previous films “Steel Flower” (2015) and “Ash Flower” (2016). While these two films are engaging for solid storytelling and strong characters to remember, “Shine” feels relatively less impressive despite showing some technical competence, and it only reminds me of what a nice place Jeju Island is. Although I visited there for a few days of family vacation months ago, and I am now willing to visit there soon again just for checking several locations shown in “Shine”. but I seriously doubt whether that is enough for making me re-evaluate the movie later.

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A Song of Korean Factory Girls (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): The oral history of Korean factory girls in Japan

Posted on August 11, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean documentary film “A Song of Korean Factory Girls” illuminates the relatively unknown history of many young Korean women who had to work in Japan during the Japanese colonial period in the early 20th century. As the documentary calmly presents a series of various testimonies from the past, we come to learn a bit more about their sad and painful past, and we are also touched by how they endured and then prevailed despite their utterly grim and harsh reality.

At first, the documentary gives us some background information on how these young women came to Osaka, Japan not long after Korea was colonized by Japan in 1910. They were mostly from poor families, and they all desperately needed any possible way to earn the money to support their dear families. When they heard about those cotton mill factory jobs in Osaka, they certainly hesitated at first for understandable reasons, but they eventually went there because it seemed that there was not any other good option for them in Korea.

Of course, they all came to realize that they were more or less than second-rate laborers to be exploited in one way or another. During that time, the Japanese industry had been boosted a lot since its rapid modernization in the late 19th century. As growing bigger and bigger, many factories in the country naturally needed any cheaper worker available to them, and they preferred South Korean workers simply because South Korean workers were much cheaper than Japanese ones.

At one point, the documentary shows us the location of one of the biggest cotton mill factories in Osaka. The factory is not operating anymore, and the location looks a lot different now, but there are still the remains of the past, nonetheless. We see the big red brown brick walls surrounding the factory, and we can only guess how things were really grim for those South Korean female workers in the factory. Even when they were not working, they were usually not allowed to go outside, and they were also frequently mistreated a lot by their Japanese supervisors and a group of Korean collaborators who were often worse than Japanese people.

The testimonies by several young Korean female workers, which are read by the actresses playing them on the screen, are quite heartbreaking to say the least. Besides having to endure the frequent overtime works in their factory, they were not fed that well on the whole, and the living condition of their factory dormitory was very poor in many aspects. While there was not enough place for everyone, the hygiene of their dormitory was virtually non-existent, and that caused many outbreaks of contagious diseases within the group, which often led to the unfortunate demise of some of them.

Of course, the Japanese supervisors of the factory were well aware of the poor working and living condition of the Korean female workers, but they simply disregarded the Korean female workers’ petitions while mistreating the Korean female workers more and more. When the Korean female workers finally started to protest the ongoing unfair treatment on them, the Japanese supervisors and their Korean collaborators did not hesitate to oppress the Korean female workers by any means necessary, and, not so surprisingly, the local police also helped this brutal suppression.

One of the most poignant moments in the documentary comes from when it looks around a local cemetery where many Korean female workers might have been buried. While the factory allowed them a little proper funeral service, their death was certainly devastating to their dear families, and there is one particularly sorrowful episode about a Korean mother who could not help but wail a lot in front of her deceased daughter’s grave.

Nevertheless, the Korean female workers in Osaka tried their best for not only their survival but also maintaining their national identity. Although many of them were uneducated girls who did not know at all how to write or read in Korean, they actually tried a bit of self-teaching together for corresponding more with their families in Korea via letters, and that certainly boosted their spirit to some degree even though their passionate attempt was subsequently squashed by the Japanese supervisors. They also did not hesitate to cook and eat anything edible enough for them, and it is rather ironic that their humble personal dishes, which were made from the internal organs of pig and cow thrown to them for free during that time, are pretty popular in Japan at present.

Above all, many of them came to settle and then raise their families in the city, and we meet a few remaining survivors who casually reminisce about how things were hard and difficult for them during that time. Later in the documentary, we get some brief glimpses on how these very old ladies have moved on during next several decades since that that time, and it is really moving to observe how they will prevail as usual before their eventual death.

Overall, “A Song of Korean Factory Girls” is an engaging documentary which presents well another important historical part of the Japanese colonization period, and director/writer Lee Won-sik handles the subject of his documentary with enough respect and thoughtfulness. Although it could delve more into its subject, it made me more interested in its subject, and I guess that is what a good documentary can do.

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Revolver (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): She simply wants to get paid as promised…

Posted on August 8, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean film “Revolver” is a dry but wryly engaging mystery noir thriller which keeps its attitude as straight as possible along with its lead actress. While it takes some time for us to discern the rather complicated situation around its criminal heroine, the movie steadily holds our attention thanks to its competent direction and the strong performance from the lead actress, and it also shows some dark sense of humor as several criminal characters around its heroine clumsily try to deal with her in one way or another.

Jeon Do-yeon, who has been one of the most interesting actresses working in South Korea for more than 25 years, plays Soo-yeong, a female ex-cop who has just finished her 2-year prison sentence. As shown from a series of flashback scenes early in the film, she and several other cops had committed a number of serious cases of bribery, but then they and their criminal associates were on the verge of getting arrested and then charged for their crimes due to some unfortunate incident. After some persuasion, Soo-yeong agreed to take the fall alone by herself in exchange for the considerable financial compensation she will receive after her prison sentence.

However, when she is finally released from the prison, it does not take much time for her to realize that she is not going to be paid as promised. Nobody is waiting for her outside, and a certain close colleague of hers, who was supposed to hand out some money and a nice apartment to Soo-yeong later, was killed under a very suspicious circumstance not long before her release.

Naturally, Soo-yeong starts to search for any possible way to get her promised compensation, and we get to know more about the big criminal picture surrounding her. She and her fellow dirty cops were involved with some powerful criminal organization willing to bribe them a lot at that time, so she must go for several key figures in this criminal organization, and she is quite determined for going all the way to the top if that is required.

Meanwhile, the movie throws more pieces of information on her ongoing situation. It seems that that deceased colleague of hers was trying to blackmail the criminal organization, and whatever he planned before his ‘suicide’ was involved with a certain person who has been incidentally gone missing for a while. As Soo-yeong delves more into this possibly criminal matter, those key figures of the criminal organization are not so pleased to say the least, and they are ready to stop her if that is really necessary.

Because of its very title, you may expect the movie to go for a lot of action like “John Wick” (2014), but the screenplay by director/writer Oh Seung-wook, who previously collaborated with Jeon in “The Shameless” (2015), focuses more on mood and character instead. As its flawed heroine tries to find any clue for her increasingly risky private investigation, a number of colorful criminal figures accordingly pop out here and there around her, and that surely contributes extra personality to the story. While you may sometimes scratch your head as trying to understand everything in the story (Full Disclosure: I did), the movie keeps us engaged via building up more mood and tension along the story, and you can at least get some clear idea of where the story and its heroine are heading.

Above all, Jeon diligently carries the film to the end with her stoically unflappable attitude. While we never get to know that much about Soo-yeong except her serious criminal past, Jeon ably fills her taciturn character with enough life and presence, and she is also convincing in a couple of brutal action scenes where her character shows more of the steely toughness behind her detached façade. Yes, Jeon is basically following the time-honored playbook established by many different actors ranging from Lee Marvin to Keanu Reeves for many years, but she brings her own touches to her archetype role nonetheless, and the result is another distinctive performance to be added to her long and illustrious acting career.

Around Jeon, Oh assembles a bunch of interesting performers to watch. While Ji Chang-wook, Kim Jun-han, Kim Jong-soo, and Jung Man-sik are well-cast in their substantial supporting parts, Jeon Hye-jin, Lee Jung-jae, and Jung Jae-young are also solid in their brief but effective appearances, and the special mention goes to Lim Ji-yeon, who effortlessly steals every moment as a wily young lady who must balance herself well among Soo-yeong and several other key figures for her survival and benefit. Yes, her character is not exactly trustworthy, but she is quite frank about that from the very beginning, and it is fun to observe how her character playfully interacts with Soo-yeong as your average moll character. No, they do not look like being sexually attracted to each other on the surface, but you may sense some homoerotic subtext beneath their uneasy but fascinating alliance along the story.

Overall, “Revolver” may require your patience due to its rather slow narrative pacing and frequently murky storyline, but it is a more satisfying work compared to “The Shameless”, which bored me a lot as being merely and solemnly mired in the gloomy misery of its two lead characters. “Revolver” is also quite moody and solemn in many aspects, but it is sometimes darkly amusing in addition to having enough mood and personality to be appreciated, and the result is one of more enjoyable genre products of this year.

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Brother (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Memories of his big brother 

Posted on August 5, 2024 by kaist455

Canadian film “Brother” surprises me for being more sensitive and thoughtful than I expected. On the surface, it may look typical as another black slum neighborhood drama film, but it comes to show more heart and soul as its introverted hero struggles to deal with his past and present along the story, and it is really poignant for us to observe and understand how much he is haunted by the memories of his dear big brother.

At first, the movie, which is mainly set in the 1990s, gradually establishes the history between a young black man named Michael (Lamar Johnson) and his older brother Francis (Aaron Pierre). They grew up together under their single Jamaican mother Ruth (Marsha Stephanie Blake), and a series of early flashback scenes show us how often Michael leaned on his older brother even they were just little young boys. When they grow up more later, Francis becomes a big, hulking dude who is virtually a father figure/protector to his younger brother, and Michael, who always looks rather timid whenever he is with his older brother, still depends a lot on his older brother while not so sure about what to do about his life.

And we see how things can be pretty harsh in their black slum neighborhood in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario. Like many other black people in their neighborhood, their mother is frequently absent due to her demanding menial job, and she is often too exhausted to pay attention to them even when she is at their little apartment. Outside their little residence, many criminal incidents occur day by day, and it goes without saying that the local police are not so nice to any young black man out there.

Not so surprisingly, Francis wants to get out of his neighborhood as soon as possible, but that inadvertently causes a conflict between him and his mother, who is not so pleased at all when he suddenly decides to quit his high school for pursuing the career of a rap music producer. While he eventually moves out of his family residence, Francis remains close to his younger brother as before, and Michael sincerely hopes that things will eventually work out well for his older brother.

 We already know well that things did not go that well for them, as the movie often moves forward to how Michael tries to move on without his older brother several years later. While stuck in a plain part-time job as his older brother once was, Michael also has to deal with taking care of his increasingly senile mother, but he cannot help but feel lost as being more aware of his older brother’s absence, and he is not even consoled much by his old sweetheart Aisha (Kiana Madeira), who returned to their neighborhood shortly before her father’s death. Understanding well how painful it is to lose a loved one, she generously attempts to help him dealing with his anger and grief, but Michael still hesitates to do that, and this causes a big conflict between them.

As frequently going back and forth between several different time periods, the screenplay by director/writer Clement Virgo, which is based on the novel of the same name by David Chariandy, reveals more depth in terms of story and characters. While we come to see that Ruth has had a fair share of frustration and exasperation as trying to support and raise her two boys alone by herself, Francis turns out to have a little soft and sensitive side behind his confidently masculine side, and that is evident particularly after he and his younger brother get their hearts broken by the rejection of someone who may be their biological father.

These and other personal moments are often alternated with the grim moments of the harsh reality surrounding the main characters. There is an intense scene when Michael and Francis happen to confront a bunch of local thugs, and the mood becomes quite tense when Francis shows these thugs that he is definitely not someone they can mess with. In case of several scenes involved with police brutality, the movie does not pull any punch at all, and we see how traumatic these infuriating moments are to both Francis and Michael.

The movie is supported well by the two very good performances from Lamar Johnson and Aaron Pierre, who gradually come to us as the heart and soul of the film. While Johnson, who recently drew more attention thanks to his Emmy-nominated guest appearance in HBO TV drama film “The Last of Us”, diligently holds the center with his earnest performance, Pierre, who recently appeared in Barry Jenkins’ acclaimed TV miniseries “The Underground Railroad”, is equally solid in his nuanced acting, and they did an effortless job of embodying the long history between their characters. As Francis and Michael’s long-suffering mother, Marsha Stephanie Blake has several strong moments to remember, and Kiana Madeira brings some warmth to the story as her character tries her best for the man she still cares about.                    

In conclusion, “Brother” is a rather tough stuff, but it handles its story and character with enough sensitivity and thoughtfulness, and you will be moved by a little glimpse of hope around the end of the film. Considering that it was quickly released and then gone in US in last year, this little but impressive piece of work deserves some more attention in my humble opinion, and I assure you that you will not forget it easily after it is over.

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Carmen (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): As they run away together

Posted on August 5, 2024 by kaist455

I am not sure whether I understood everything in “Carmen”, but that did not bother me at all during my viewing. Mainly driven by a series of musical dance sequences, the movie presents a very familiar type of story with its own distinctive mood and style, and it surely helps that it is supported well by the presence and talent of its two talented lead performers.

The movie opens with the striking prologue scene set in the middle of a barren field located on the Mexican side of the Mexico-US border. As a pair of thugs are coming for a certain purpose, one middle-aged woman begins her defiant flamenco dance in front of her shabby residence, and she remains unflappable in her dance movement even when one of these thugs threatens her with a gun and then eventually kills her.

This dead woman turns out to be the mother of a young woman named Carmen (Melissa Barrera). While grieving a lot for her mother’s death, Carmen immediately embarks on a journey across the border for meeting an old friend of her mother who incidentally resides in LA, and we soon see her crossing the border along with several other people.

On the other side of the border, we get to know a bit about a young ex-marine named Aidan (Paul Mescal). While still struggling to the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his war experiences, he reluctantly agrees to join a militia group patrolling around the border, and then he and his new colleagues come across Carmen and other illegal immigrants in the middle of one night. Unfortunately, a shootout immediately occurs, and Aidan finds himself running away along with Carmen after killing one of the militia group members for saving her.

Around that point, the movie naturally comes to follow the footsteps of its numerous seniors ranging from “Bonny and Clyde” (1967) to “Queen & Slim” (2019). While evading the following pursuit of those law enforcement guys together, Carmen and Aidan become more drawn to each other, but both of them hesitate to get closer to each other for each own reason, and that leads to an interesting romantic tension to observe.  

This mutual attraction between our two accidental lovers is more intensified as the movie goes through one musical dance sequence after another. When they happen to drop by an amusement park at one night, Carmen joins a bunch of dancers at one spot, and what follows next is mesmerizing enough to hold your attention even though you do not totally understand its points. As the camera of cinematographer Jörg Widmer fluidly and dexterously moves here and there around the dancing figures, whatever is expressed by their physical movement on the screen is vividly conveyed to us, and this wonderful visual moment is further enhanced by the boldly impressive score by Nicholas Britell, who became more prominent thanks to his Oscar-nominated work in Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” (2016).

When Aidan and Carman eventually arrive in LA and then goes to where her mother’s friend works as a dancer, the movie does not disappoint us as providing more song and dance scenes to be appreciated. Encouraged a lot by her mother’s friend, Carmen tries a bit of song and dance on the stage, and, what do you know, she turns out to be a fairly good dancer just like her mother was, and that leads to another impressive musical dance scene to remember. 

I must tell you that the screenplay by director Benjamin Millepied (He is the ex-husband of Natalie Portman, by the way) and his co-writers Alexander Dinelaris Jr. and Loïc Barrère is inspired to some degree by Bizet’s opera of the same name, but you do not have to be familiar with that famous opera piece, because the screenplay is a sort of “complete re-imagining” which do not follow much of the story and characters of Bizet’s opera. Although a portion of Bizet’s opera is incorporated into the soundtrack, the songs in the movie are the original ones respectively written by Britell and several other musicians, and these songs function well as the effective components of the narrative of the film.

The two lead performers are fabulous as generating enough chemistry between them. Melissa Barrera, who has been mainly known for several recent horror films including Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s “Scream” (2022), demonstrates the other side of her considerable talent here in this movie, and her quiet but passionate performance is complemented well by the more reserved acting by Paul Mescal, who has been one of the new exciting young talents to watch since his Oscar-nominated turn in Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun” (2022). Around them, Rossy de Palma, who has been a frequent actress in many of Pedro Almodóvar’s movies, steals the show everytime, and Tracy “The DOC” Curry, a well-known American raper who incidentally composed one original song for another song and dance sequence in the film, is also excellent in his brief appearance.

On the whole, “Carmen” is definitely not something conventional, so it may take some time for you to get accustomed to how it is about, but it will be quite a rewarding experience once you go along with how its narrative is freely driven by music, dance, and the emotions behind them. In short, this is one of the more distinctive works during last several years, and I wholeheartedly recommend you to take a chance with it someday.

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Will You Please Stop, Please (2024) ☆☆☆(3/4): How she endures at her workplace

Posted on August 4, 2024 by kaist455

South Korean independent film “Will You Please Stop, Please” is often painfully funny as following the ongoing hardships of its rather meek heroine. While usually quite busy with doing one task after another at her workplace, she finds herself cornered into more fatigue and desperation day by day, and that is not so far from what many young working people in South Korea have to endure everyday. Nevertheless, instead of merely resorting to despair and frustration, the movie shows some sense of humor and spirit as she keeps struggling for better days to come, and it certainly earns its optimistic closing scene.

The story, which consists of five separate chapters, begins with how things are usually hectic for Hye-in (Kim Yeon-kyo), a young woman who has worked for 5 years at a small publishing company associated with some big Buddhist temple. As the youngest member in the company, she is always the one expected to take care of many small and big tasks, and the opening chapter humorous depicts her one particularly busy day. At first, it seems that all she will have to do is going to a local post office for sending a book to one of their most prominent customers, but then more tasks come upon her, and that surely pressures her a lot before her working hour is eventually over.

Hye-in works under the two senior employees, who do not look like caring that much about their junior employee’s feelings but are still capable of supporting her to some degree when that seems necessary. At one point, they decide to have a little lunch together in their office, but their little private time happens to be interrupted by a certain senior male employee. As he behaves like your average free-range male rude in front of Hye-in and her senior employees, Hye-in naturally feels quite embarrassed, but she does not dare to express her displeasure, and then there comes a point where her senior employees finally come to decide that enough is enough.

Meanwhile, Hye-in and her senior employees soon come to have another busy period as they are about to publish the monthly magazine of their temple. Again, Hye-in is tasked with a lot of tasks including those usual editing and proofreading jobs, and there is a darkly humorous moment when what she worked on for several hours is irreversibly obliterated by a sudden computer error. If you have ever had such a stressful experience like that, you will surely understand how frustrating it is for her.

While often getting quite exasperated at her workplace, Hye-in tries to find some peace and comfort via the routine group activities inside the temple, though that is not always successful to our little amusement. As shown from the opening scene, her mind is sometimes so stressed out that her mind often gets sleepy or distracted, and that leads to another amusing moment to tickle us.

In the end, there comes an unexpected moment when she happens to do some overtime work at one night. Regardless of whether this moment is real or imagined, Hye-in comes to find some strength for keeping moving on no matter whatever she is expected to do next, though she still feels that her job is as thankless as ever.

Naturally, Hye-in considers quitting her job at times, but, of course, that is not so easy to do to say the least. Whenever her little wage is transferred to her bank account, most of her wage is quickly gone due to not only her scholarship loan but many other things she has to pay every month, and that makes her more reflective about where her life is going now. Just like her senior employees, she attempts to be more productive during her free time, but she is often too exhausted to do anything else after her working hour, and that makes her all the more despaired than before.

Around the end of the story, there comes a sort of breaking point for our very frustrated heroine, but the screenplay by Heisong still maintains its lightweight sense of humor. When Hye-in and her senior employees have to deal with one particularly rude customer of theirs, Hye-in comes to have a little moment of inner conflict, and the movie does not hesitate to go for some surreal touches during that scene. When Hye-in’s senior employees later come to show more support for her, this scene becomes surprisingly touching, and we certainly come to cheer for their little but precious moment of solidarity.

The main cast members give engaging performances under the competent direction of director Kim Eun-young, who makes a feature film debut here. While Kim Yeon-kyo ably carries the film with her fine comic performance, Jang Liu and Son Ye-won have each own moment as Hye-in’s senior employees, and Lim Ho-jun and Kim Geum-soon also have a little fun with their rather unpleasant supporting characters.

In conclusion, “Will You Please Stop, Please” is enjoyable for its sharply humorous moments, and it does not waste any of its rather short running time (63 minutes). I must tell you that there have already been a lot of South Korean independent films about how it is often difficult for young people to live and work in the South Korean society, but this movie distinguishes itself a bit as showing some hope and optimism, and that is surely something to be cherished in my trivial opinion.

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