World Movies.
I've seen a lot of films in the last several month but written nothing about them, so here is a movie review dump!
Films reviewed:
Dhoom 2 - India (Bollywood)
Don 2 - India (Bollywood)
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - India (Bollywood)
The Host - South Korea
Kimjongilia - France, USA, South Korea
Keinohrhasen - Germany
Silmido - South Korea
Dark Water - Japan
Thor - USA
Ringu: Rasen - Japan
Portrait of a Beauty - South Korea
Arahan - South Korea
The Eye - China
The Promise - China, South Korea, Japan
Blue Swallow - South Korea
The King's Speech - UK
Devdas - India (Bollywood)
Warriors of Heaven and Earth - China
Ip Man - China
Electric Shadows - China
Underdog Knight 2 - China
Classifications:
Australia // USA
G // G
PG // PG/PG13
M/MA // R
R // NC17
Dhoom 2
Language: Hindi, English
Rating: M
Year: 2006
Director: Sanjay Gadhvi
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwariya Rai, Uday Chopra, Bipasha Basu
Plot: Jai and Ali are back as the buddy cops on their toughest job so far. "Mr.A" is an international thief who has planned to steal a priceless artifact in Mumbai and the police have got to nab him. But Mr.A manages to steal the artifact and elude the police. He finds his match in Sunehri and they form a partnership. They move on to Rio for their next job, with Jai and Ali hot on their trail. Mr.A whose actual name is Aryan, and Sunehri are drawn towards each other but little does Aryan know of Sunehri's little secret.
My thoughts: I really liked this. Aishwarya Rai is gorgeous as always, although some of her dialogue was a bit, like, stilted, like. XD Hrithik Roshan is also gorgeous, and I can't get over how much like Bradley Cooper he looks. They could be twins, it was uncanny. Look! The music was great, the dancing was great, the basketball in the rain scene was adorable, but far and away the best scene was Abhishek Bachan and Uday Chopra chasing Hrithik Roshan along the highways of Mumbai - Hrithik Roshan on rollerblades, Uday Chopra on a motorcycle and Abhishek Bachan in a hellicopter. And still, Hrithik Roshan, Masterthief extraordinaire, managed to escape and outwit them all! Well, mostly.
Ah, thank you YouTube. Clip of the chase scene. No subtitles, but you don't really need them. Trust me. Watch this clip, it's awesome.
Rating: 4/5
Don 2
Language: Hindi, English
Rating: MA
Year: 2011
Director: Farhan Akhtar
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Om Puri
Plot: Having conquered the Asian underworld, Don (Shah Rukh Khan) now has his sights set on European domination. In his way are the bosses of the existing European underworld and all law enforcement agencies. The action shifts from Kuala Lumpur to Berlin as Don must avoid assassination or arrest, whichever comes first, in order for his plan to succeed.
My thoughts: Okay, so not high art. OR IS IT. It's a Bollywood action film, and frankly, I thought it was awesome. Shahrukh Khan's Don is basically a criminal James Bond, complete with casino scene, high speed car chases and Interpol. The casino scene also being the only scene with a musical routine. The plot is fairly simple until the twist at the end, which I didn't actually see coming, so kudos for that. Priyanka Chopra was kickass and gorgeous and every time she and Shahrukh Khan were on screen together, it sizzled. I saw this without English subtitles (online at Daily Motion), which wasn't as confusing as you'd think - a lot of the dialogue is in English, and some in Switzerland is in French, so I could follow it pretty well. Having said that, I'd love to see it again with English subtitles. Another film with a fantastic chase scene, this time, Priyanka's Interpol investigator chasing Shahrukh through Geneva. There's a hilarious scene with Hrithik Roshan playing Don in disguise, because Don is apparently a master of disguises. Not only can he change his face, he also magically grew taller. XD
Here, have a trailer.
Rating: 4/5
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Language: Hindi
Rating: PG
Year: 2008
Director: Aditya Chopra
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Vinay Pathak
Plot: Surinder is married to Taani but there is a huge age gap between them. There is no real romance in the marriage. Then, a dance reality show called "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" airs and Taani wants to participate but can't because her husband is not hip and happening. She has a fear of losing, and she also fears that her friends will laugh at her. Surinder overhears her problem and decides to go in for a makeover. He watches some movies and learns to dance in order to woo his young wife. Throughout the show, Taani keeps falling in love to with this new-and-improved Surinder without once realizing that he's really her husband.
My thoughts: This was the New Year's Eve film on SBS2 and oh, god, they could not have chosen better. This was a delightful film, happy and upbeat, in some parts *hilarious* - Shahrukh Khan's alter ego was, in a word, magical, and the motorcycle jousting was fantastic. It's a simple plot, but it's such a sweet film and so upbeat, that it's impossible not to enjoy it. Shahrukh Khan as Raj then changing back into Surinder.
Rating: 4/5
The Host
Language: Korean
Rating: MA
Year: 2006
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Byeon Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Ko Ah-seong
Plot: The film revolves around Park Hee-bong, a man in his late 60s. He runs a small snack bar on the banks of the Han River and lives with his two sons, one daughter, and one granddaughter. The Parks seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life, but maybe they are a bit poorer than the average Seoulite. Hee-bong's elder son Gang-du is an immature and incompetent man in his 40s, whose wife left home long ago. Nam-il is the youngest son, an unemployed grumbler, and daughter Nam-joo is an archery medalist and member of the national team. One day, an unidentified monster suddenly appears from the depths of the Han River and spreads panic and death, and Gang-du's daughter Hyun-seo is carried off by the monster and disappears. All of the family members are in a great agony because they lost someone very dear to them. But when they find out she is still alive, they resolve to save her.
My thoughts: I liked the monster. Which, sadly, is about all I can say about this as half way through, I lost interest and went to read a book instead. While it didn't have a big budget, the monster design was actually fantastic. I just couldn't get into this one.
Rating: 2/5
Kimjongilia
Language: Korean, English
Rating: PG
Year: 2009
Director: N.C. Heikin
Cast: Documentary
Plot: Life in North Korea is examined through interviews with North Korean defectors. Included are stories from people who served time in North Korean prison, former military officers, and artists, among others.
My thoughts: This was a sometimes hard to watch documentary about the lives of defectors from North Korea, but it was also absolutely fascinating. As is the name - the Kimjongilia is a flower named for the former leader of NK. If you have an interest in the politics of the region of the Asia Pacific or in North Korea, I highly recommend this. It's on YouTube.
Rating: 4/5
Keinohrhasen
Language: German
Rating: MA
Year: 2007
Director: Til Schweiger
Cast: Til Schweiger, Nora Tschirner
Plot: Gossip-columnist Ludo finds himself sentenced to three-hundred hours of community service after he literally crashes a private celebrity party. The work is at a children's day-centre and while the job's fine it is his bad luck that the person in charge is a woman whom he used to play endless practical jokes on when they were at school; she hasn't forgotten and is prepared to use her new-found power to get her own back. She finds however that, like the children, she's warming to him. If only the court injunction had stopped his womanising too.
My thoughts: I ended up on SBS on European film night because there was nothing else on telly, and this was on. I didn't expect much, but stuck with it and ended up watching an often genuinely funny rom-com, which is a genre that generally has no appeal for me whatsoever. Til Schweiger's character was a right bastard, but he got better in the end. Having said that, I did find the character highly amusing, even when he was a bastard, and the scenes in the kindergaten when he's interacting with the kids are just pure gold. Highly recommended.
Rating: 3/5
Silmido
Language: Korean
Rating: MA
Year: 2003
Director: Kang Woo-suk
Cast: Sung-kee Ahn, Kyung-gu Sol, Jun-ho Heo
Plot: Based on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the island of Silmi; for two years they are subjected to maximum mental and physical abuse before the mission is cancelled and the unit terminated.
My thoughts: This is not an easy film to watch. It's not a film to re-watch, either. However, I enjoyed it. It was gritty, realistic, the characters were sympathetic, except for the state officials in Seoul and the final scene is heartbreaking. A very thought provoking film that I was thinking about for days afterwards.
Rating: 3/5
Dark Water
Language: Japanese
Rating: MA
Year: 2002
Director: Hideo Nakata
Cast: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Fumiyo Kohinata
Plot: After winning a custody battle for her daughter, Yoshimi tries to make a new start. The apartment she moves into seems perfect at first. Soon though, strange things begin happening. Huge water stains appear on the ceiling and drip constantly, more liquid oozing into the rooms every day. She calls the landlord in but he refuses to do anything about it. A child's red bag shows up in odd places and soon the child herself starts appearing. Yoshimi then discovers the origin of the ghost...
My thoughts: Coming as this does from the same minds that brought the world the Ringu books, movies and TV show, I was steeling myself for a horror that would have me clutching my pillow and not sleeping for a week. Full disclosure: I am a horror wuss. I am such a horror wuss, in fact, that horror afficiondos find watching horror with me highly entertaining. However, the only horror you can get to me watch voluntarily is Asian horror films, because they are better. And why? Because they scare the living hell out of me and the gore is minimal, the horror is often inferred and that's so much worse than in your face.
Anyway, with these expectations, I was a little surprised that this was less horror and more mystery/suspense. The way it's filmed is very much part of that, with muted tones and everything is grey and drab and bleak. The bright colours are things like a child's raincoat or a tree. The only moment that I did scream (and wake the cat) was a scene in the elevator. The end, however, left me feeling very depressed and very sad. I still don't know what to make of this film for that very reason. It was clever, it was wonderfully acted and shot, but... I was in tears at the end of it, and I don't think that was the reaction the filmmakers were going for. The ending of the film is about family - family lost and family gained and that's probably why it got to me as much as it did.
Rating: IDK! :(
Thor
Language: English
Rating: M
Year: 2011
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Renee Russo, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba
Plot: The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.
My thoughts: Yeah, I loved this. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oy, oy, oy. Chris Hemsworth has grown up! Not much to fault with this, JMS wrote it, KB directed it, JMS had a cameo in it, I still think he's amazing, the script was great, the direction was great, the whole thing? Great. Looking forward to The Avengers.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Ringu: Rasen
Language: Japanese
Rating: MA
Year: 1998
Director: Joji Iida
Cast: Miki Nakatani, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koichi Sato
Plot: A young pathologist seeks answers to the mysterious death of a friend and soon comes into contact with the same cursed videotape that caused the death of the friend's wife and son, which is haunted by the curse of Sadako, a relentless spirit.
My thoughts: I am morbidly fascinated by the Ringu franchise. The original, Japanese one, I add hastily. While Ringu did, in fact, scare me so much that I couldn't sleep with the lights off for a week, and I almost had a heart attack when my friend's phone rang ten minutes after we finished watching it, I have watched all the Ringu movies. Ringu 2 was pretty good, Ringu 0 was very sad but still good. Ringu Rasen? I'm not sure what I watched.
It started off creepily enough and got progressively creepier and there was a scream and CAPSLOCK OF OMG WTFBBQ! on Twitter, because, hello, horror wuss, and Sadako climbed out the TV and did things and gah. GAH. And then it got... well, it switched genres rather abruptly and became a strange sort of alien science fiction thing without a real alien. I was confused. I'm still confused. I got it and it was clever, but I'm not sure that turning it into sci-fi worked in its favour. The jury's still out on this one, but I'll tentatively give it 3/5.
Rating: 3/5
Portrait of a Beauty
Language: Korean
Rating: MA
Year: 2008
Director: Jeon Yoon-soo
Cast: Kim Min-sun, Kim Yeong-ho
Plot: Born to a family of established court painters, a woman is forced to carry on her family name and take over her brother's life after he commits suicide.
My thoughts: Oh. OH. This was wonderful. So lush and full of history and I really do love a well done historical film. The artist Hyewon is depicted as being a woman pretending to be a man, until she falls in love with a peasant and they plan to run off together with tragic consequences. I really, really enjoyed this film, not just because I have a Hyewon print on my wall! Highly recommended.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Arahan
Language: Korean
Rating: M
Year: 2004
Director: Ryu Seung-wan
Cast: Ryu Seung-beom, Yoon So-Yi
Plot: When a thief driving a motorcycle steals a purse of a pedestrian, the clumsy, naive and honest rookie policeman Sang-hwan runs after him, but the skilled specialist in martial arts Wi-jin captures the criminal and Sang-hwan is severely injured. She brings Sang-hwan to her home, where the six Masters of Tao heal him and believe that he has a powerful Qi, the spiritual energy of the universe, and could be a powerful warrior. Sang-hwan begins his training to ascend to a Maruchi, while the evil and ambitious Heuk-woon is accidentally released from his imprisonment. The powerful Heuk-woon attacks the masters, searching a key that they protect, which would permit him to become an Arahan and dominate the world. When the masters are defeated, Sang-hwan and Wi-jin are the only and last hope to mankind.
My thoughts: This was rollicking good fun with some great action scenes and sword fighting. It didn't take itself too seriously, which helped make it so enjoyable. The story was a bit predictable but when the movie is fun and everyone is obviously having fun making it, that makes it all the more entertaining and enjoyable to watch.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
The Eye
Language: Cantonese, Thai, English, Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2002
Director: Pang brothers
Cast: Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou, Chutcha Rujinanon
Plot: A blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she would be able to see again. However, she got more than what she bargained for when she realised she could even see ghosts. And some of these ghosts are down right unfriendly. So she embarks on a journey to find the origins of her cornea and to reveal the history of the previous dead owner.
My thoughts: This was a pleasant surprise. I thought it would be horror, but it wasn't so much horror as suspense. Doesn't hurt that Lawrence Chou is very easy on the eye (pardon the pun), either. I won't give it away, but it had a satisfying ending and I enjoyed it.
Rating: 3/5
The Promise
Language: Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2005
Director: Chen Kaige
Cast: Jang Dong-gun, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung, Nicholas Tse, Liu Ye, Chen Hong
Plot: When the world was young, laid a Kingdom between the Land of Snow and the Barbarian Territory where gods and men lived side by side and promises were lies. When the poor and starving orphaned girl Qingcheng meets the Goddess Manshen, she accepts to become the wealthy beauty of beauties with the curse that she would lose every man she loves, unless three things happen: snow falls in the spring, time moves backwards and the dead comes back to life. Years later, the slave Kunlun helps the Great General Master of the Crimson Armor Guangming to defeat a barbarian army with almost seven times more warriors, and Kunlun becomes his slave. When Guangming is wounded, he asks Kunlun to wear his armor and save the king from the cruel Duke of the North Wuhuan that put the Imperial City under siege with his army. However, Kunlun kills the king to save Princess Qingcheng and promises her to never let her die.
My thoughts: This was a beautiful, lush, magnificent film. I could find no fault with it, the story was engaging, the actors were fantastic, the effects were great. The General's red laquered armour is stunning and his black horse has a dyed red mane to match which looks really effective. I was utterly transfixed by this movie and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fairytales and beautiful cinema.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5.
Blue Swallow
Language: Korean
Rating: MA
Year: 2005
Director: Yoon Jong-chan
Cast: Jang Jin-young, Kim Joo-hyuk, Yu-min
Plot: In the period from about 1900 to the end of World War II was an interesting era for stories of strong Asian women. Blue Sparrow tells the story of one such woman, Park Kyung-won, one of the first female pilots in Asia and one of the best. Her life is one of great tragedy and She remains a controversial character in Korean today because she learnt to fly in Japan during the period when Korea was occupied by Japan.
My thoughts: I found this to be reasonably poignant, but more because of the fate of her lover rather than Kyung-Won's own fate. In order to get her to do what they want, the Japanese torture her lover (who is also Japanese), and those scenes are confronting. The ultimate end for Kyung-Won was not unexpected. There are some beautiful scenes and wonderful attention to detail in the period set dressing, but overall, the film left me with a bit of a 'meh' feeling.
Rating: 3/5
The King's Speech
Language: English
Rating: PG
Year: 2011
Director: David Seidler
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle
Plot: Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.
My thoughts: I love Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle and Geoffrey Rush never fails to impress (except in "Shine," a film I *loathe*), but I can't stand Helena Bonham Carter on a good day. So I was absolutely gobsmacked by how brilliant she was. All four of the main cast were fantastic and the story was told with a quiet, understated Britishness. This is definitely a keeper.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Devdas
Language: Hindi
Rating: MA
Year: 2002
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwariya Rai, Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher
Plot: After his wealthy family prohibits him from marrying the woman he is in love with, Devdas Mukherjee's life spirals further and further out of control as he takes up alcohol and a life of vice to numb the pain.
My thoughts: I found this to be a rather rambling, uninspiring film. It's not one of my favourites, but I had to watch to the end to see how it finished. Aishwarya Rai as always was gorgeous (and there seems to be a lot of hate for her on the net - I don't understand why, she's lovely!) and Sharukh Khan was good, but this wasn't one of his more stellar roles, in my opinion.
Rating: 2 1/2 /5
Warriors of Heaven and Earth
Language: Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2002
Director: He Ping
Cast: Jiang Wen, Kiichi Nakai, Wang Xueqi, Zhao Wei, Hasi Bagen
Plot: North of the vast 8th century Tang dynasty Chinese empire, the commercially and culturally priceless silk route is controlled by 36 friendly Buddhist kingdoms. Their are threatened by Turkic nomad tribes, the caravans also by brigand bands. Japanese scholar Lai Qimay not return home until the emperor is satisfied with his missions to retrieve refugees from the barren border lands. The last is competent imperial lieutenant Li, who was proscribed for refusing to execute Turkic prisoners. He now lives among fellow warriors for hire as caravan escorts. Lai Qi and Li reach a gentleman's agreement to postpone their lethal duel till after the safe arrival of a caravan including a young Buddhist monk and his mysterious freight. When Turkic warlord Khan's daughter's hand seals an alliance with brigand sword master An, the only way out is trough the grimly dry Gobi desert.
My thoughts: A history action film, set on the Silk Road, which I'm researching to write about, how fortuitous! Also, it was a great movie. The ending was confusing, but that's a minor quibble compared to the rest of the film. The shots of the Gobi were amazing and the attention to detail for the historic accuracy were impressive. I can't fault China's film industry for historic accuracy at all - they make amazing historic epics and the set dressing, costuming, accoutrements, etc, are always meticulous. So this is a greatly enjoyable film, including a sword-wielding, kick ass woman (not so historically accurate, but hey, it's cinema!) and a slightly perplexing ending.
Rating: 4/5
Ip Man
Language: Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2008
Director: Wilson Yip
Cast: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Gordon Lam Ka-tung, Fan Siu-wong
Plot: A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. (And the teacher of Bruce Lee.)
My thoughts: I love Donnie Yen and he was fabulous in this bio-pic. He gave a sensitive, thoughtful performance in the title role and during the Japanese occupation during World War Two, he made a lot of sacrifices for his family. Set in the 1930s onwards, in the town of Foshan, Ip Man accepts work as a coolie at a coal mine. The Japanese general Miura, who is a master of karate, establishes an arena where Chinese martial artists compete with his military trainees. The Chinese earn a bag of rice for every Japanese opponent they defeat. Ip at first declines to participate in the matches. However, when his friend Lin goes missing, he agrees to take part in order to investigate. A great martial arts movie with wonderful performances from everyone involved.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Electric Shadows
Language: Mandarin
Rating: PG
Year: 2004
Director: Xiao Jiang
Cast: Xia Yu, Li Haibin, Zhang Yijing, Qi Zhongyang, Wang Zhengjia
Plot: Mao Xiaobing, a water bottle delivery boy in Beijing, is also in love with the movies. One day, however, while riding his bike, he is attacked by Ling-Ling (Qi Zhongyang), a disturbed young woman, that lands him in the hospital. Ling-Ling is promptly arrested, but refuses to say why she attacked Mao Xiaobing, asking him only to feed her fish. Upon entering her apartment, however, Mao Xiaobing finds that Ling-Ling has created a veritable shrine to the 1930s film star, Zhou Xuan. When he stumbles upon her diary and begins reading, the film flashes back to Ling-Ling's mother as a young woman in Ningxia.
My thoughts: This is a very sweet film. I'm reminded a little of Cinema Paradiso in that the film's story is told in flashbacks and revolves around a love of cinema at a turbulent time in Chinese history (Although Cinema Paradiso was Italian history, so, you know.), when Mao Zhedong started taking over. It's not a long film, only 93 minutes, but none of that time is wasted on anything superfluous. The child actors are amazing in their roles, and the ending is both poignant and hopeful. If you tend to get teary in films, I recommend having tissues handy, but not because of sadness - because it is such a sweet film and it does end in such a positive way.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Underdog Knight 2
Language: Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2011
Director: Ding Sheng
Cast: En-chun Chiao, Ye Liu, Zilin Zhang, Yoo Seung Jun
Plot: The film is a sequel to Ding Sheng's 2008 film The Underdog Knight. The plot is set in Qingdao, China where a discharged navy man Lao San is caught in the crossfire of a bank robbery. He becomes the a crime-fighter for the city by working with the local police using his strong fighting techniques that he learned from his time with the navy.
My thoughts: I saw this for one reason - Yoo Seung Jun. I also saw this online at Daily Motion not long after it came out, so it had no English subtitles. Despite that, it was fairly easy to follow. YSJ's character is a bank robber, and during a robbery gone bad, his brother is shot and ends up in a coma. After time in jail, YSJ escapes and seeks revenge and salvation for his brother. There's some fantastic action shots, lots of low growly voiced YSJ scenes and lots of him without a shirt, which, in my mind, earn the film five stars. Yes, I'm a fangirl. I wanted to share a clip of one of his awesome fight scenes, but YouTube only had trailers. So here's one of them.
Rating: 4/5
Films reviewed:
Dhoom 2 - India (Bollywood)
Don 2 - India (Bollywood)
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - India (Bollywood)
The Host - South Korea
Kimjongilia - France, USA, South Korea
Keinohrhasen - Germany
Silmido - South Korea
Dark Water - Japan
Thor - USA
Ringu: Rasen - Japan
Portrait of a Beauty - South Korea
Arahan - South Korea
The Eye - China
The Promise - China, South Korea, Japan
Blue Swallow - South Korea
The King's Speech - UK
Devdas - India (Bollywood)
Warriors of Heaven and Earth - China
Ip Man - China
Electric Shadows - China
Underdog Knight 2 - China
Classifications:
Australia // USA
G // G
PG // PG/PG13
M/MA // R
R // NC17
Dhoom 2
Language: Hindi, English
Rating: M
Year: 2006
Director: Sanjay Gadhvi
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwariya Rai, Uday Chopra, Bipasha Basu
Plot: Jai and Ali are back as the buddy cops on their toughest job so far. "Mr.A" is an international thief who has planned to steal a priceless artifact in Mumbai and the police have got to nab him. But Mr.A manages to steal the artifact and elude the police. He finds his match in Sunehri and they form a partnership. They move on to Rio for their next job, with Jai and Ali hot on their trail. Mr.A whose actual name is Aryan, and Sunehri are drawn towards each other but little does Aryan know of Sunehri's little secret.
My thoughts: I really liked this. Aishwarya Rai is gorgeous as always, although some of her dialogue was a bit, like, stilted, like. XD Hrithik Roshan is also gorgeous, and I can't get over how much like Bradley Cooper he looks. They could be twins, it was uncanny. Look! The music was great, the dancing was great, the basketball in the rain scene was adorable, but far and away the best scene was Abhishek Bachan and Uday Chopra chasing Hrithik Roshan along the highways of Mumbai - Hrithik Roshan on rollerblades, Uday Chopra on a motorcycle and Abhishek Bachan in a hellicopter. And still, Hrithik Roshan, Masterthief extraordinaire, managed to escape and outwit them all! Well, mostly.
Ah, thank you YouTube. Clip of the chase scene. No subtitles, but you don't really need them. Trust me. Watch this clip, it's awesome.
Rating: 4/5
Don 2
Language: Hindi, English
Rating: MA
Year: 2011
Director: Farhan Akhtar
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Om Puri
Plot: Having conquered the Asian underworld, Don (Shah Rukh Khan) now has his sights set on European domination. In his way are the bosses of the existing European underworld and all law enforcement agencies. The action shifts from Kuala Lumpur to Berlin as Don must avoid assassination or arrest, whichever comes first, in order for his plan to succeed.
My thoughts: Okay, so not high art. OR IS IT. It's a Bollywood action film, and frankly, I thought it was awesome. Shahrukh Khan's Don is basically a criminal James Bond, complete with casino scene, high speed car chases and Interpol. The casino scene also being the only scene with a musical routine. The plot is fairly simple until the twist at the end, which I didn't actually see coming, so kudos for that. Priyanka Chopra was kickass and gorgeous and every time she and Shahrukh Khan were on screen together, it sizzled. I saw this without English subtitles (online at Daily Motion), which wasn't as confusing as you'd think - a lot of the dialogue is in English, and some in Switzerland is in French, so I could follow it pretty well. Having said that, I'd love to see it again with English subtitles. Another film with a fantastic chase scene, this time, Priyanka's Interpol investigator chasing Shahrukh through Geneva. There's a hilarious scene with Hrithik Roshan playing Don in disguise, because Don is apparently a master of disguises. Not only can he change his face, he also magically grew taller. XD
Here, have a trailer.
Rating: 4/5
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Language: Hindi
Rating: PG
Year: 2008
Director: Aditya Chopra
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Anushka Sharma, Vinay Pathak
Plot: Surinder is married to Taani but there is a huge age gap between them. There is no real romance in the marriage. Then, a dance reality show called "Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" airs and Taani wants to participate but can't because her husband is not hip and happening. She has a fear of losing, and she also fears that her friends will laugh at her. Surinder overhears her problem and decides to go in for a makeover. He watches some movies and learns to dance in order to woo his young wife. Throughout the show, Taani keeps falling in love to with this new-and-improved Surinder without once realizing that he's really her husband.
My thoughts: This was the New Year's Eve film on SBS2 and oh, god, they could not have chosen better. This was a delightful film, happy and upbeat, in some parts *hilarious* - Shahrukh Khan's alter ego was, in a word, magical, and the motorcycle jousting was fantastic. It's a simple plot, but it's such a sweet film and so upbeat, that it's impossible not to enjoy it. Shahrukh Khan as Raj then changing back into Surinder.
Rating: 4/5
The Host
Language: Korean
Rating: MA
Year: 2006
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Byeon Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Ko Ah-seong
Plot: The film revolves around Park Hee-bong, a man in his late 60s. He runs a small snack bar on the banks of the Han River and lives with his two sons, one daughter, and one granddaughter. The Parks seem to lead a quite ordinary and peaceful life, but maybe they are a bit poorer than the average Seoulite. Hee-bong's elder son Gang-du is an immature and incompetent man in his 40s, whose wife left home long ago. Nam-il is the youngest son, an unemployed grumbler, and daughter Nam-joo is an archery medalist and member of the national team. One day, an unidentified monster suddenly appears from the depths of the Han River and spreads panic and death, and Gang-du's daughter Hyun-seo is carried off by the monster and disappears. All of the family members are in a great agony because they lost someone very dear to them. But when they find out she is still alive, they resolve to save her.
My thoughts: I liked the monster. Which, sadly, is about all I can say about this as half way through, I lost interest and went to read a book instead. While it didn't have a big budget, the monster design was actually fantastic. I just couldn't get into this one.
Rating: 2/5
Kimjongilia
Language: Korean, English
Rating: PG
Year: 2009
Director: N.C. Heikin
Cast: Documentary
Plot: Life in North Korea is examined through interviews with North Korean defectors. Included are stories from people who served time in North Korean prison, former military officers, and artists, among others.
My thoughts: This was a sometimes hard to watch documentary about the lives of defectors from North Korea, but it was also absolutely fascinating. As is the name - the Kimjongilia is a flower named for the former leader of NK. If you have an interest in the politics of the region of the Asia Pacific or in North Korea, I highly recommend this. It's on YouTube.
Rating: 4/5
Keinohrhasen
Language: German
Rating: MA
Year: 2007
Director: Til Schweiger
Cast: Til Schweiger, Nora Tschirner
Plot: Gossip-columnist Ludo finds himself sentenced to three-hundred hours of community service after he literally crashes a private celebrity party. The work is at a children's day-centre and while the job's fine it is his bad luck that the person in charge is a woman whom he used to play endless practical jokes on when they were at school; she hasn't forgotten and is prepared to use her new-found power to get her own back. She finds however that, like the children, she's warming to him. If only the court injunction had stopped his womanising too.
My thoughts: I ended up on SBS on European film night because there was nothing else on telly, and this was on. I didn't expect much, but stuck with it and ended up watching an often genuinely funny rom-com, which is a genre that generally has no appeal for me whatsoever. Til Schweiger's character was a right bastard, but he got better in the end. Having said that, I did find the character highly amusing, even when he was a bastard, and the scenes in the kindergaten when he's interacting with the kids are just pure gold. Highly recommended.
Rating: 3/5
Silmido
Language: Korean
Rating: MA
Year: 2003
Director: Kang Woo-suk
Cast: Sung-kee Ahn, Kyung-gu Sol, Jun-ho Heo
Plot: Based on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the island of Silmi; for two years they are subjected to maximum mental and physical abuse before the mission is cancelled and the unit terminated.
My thoughts: This is not an easy film to watch. It's not a film to re-watch, either. However, I enjoyed it. It was gritty, realistic, the characters were sympathetic, except for the state officials in Seoul and the final scene is heartbreaking. A very thought provoking film that I was thinking about for days afterwards.
Rating: 3/5
Dark Water
Language: Japanese
Rating: MA
Year: 2002
Director: Hideo Nakata
Cast: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Fumiyo Kohinata
Plot: After winning a custody battle for her daughter, Yoshimi tries to make a new start. The apartment she moves into seems perfect at first. Soon though, strange things begin happening. Huge water stains appear on the ceiling and drip constantly, more liquid oozing into the rooms every day. She calls the landlord in but he refuses to do anything about it. A child's red bag shows up in odd places and soon the child herself starts appearing. Yoshimi then discovers the origin of the ghost...
My thoughts: Coming as this does from the same minds that brought the world the Ringu books, movies and TV show, I was steeling myself for a horror that would have me clutching my pillow and not sleeping for a week. Full disclosure: I am a horror wuss. I am such a horror wuss, in fact, that horror afficiondos find watching horror with me highly entertaining. However, the only horror you can get to me watch voluntarily is Asian horror films, because they are better. And why? Because they scare the living hell out of me and the gore is minimal, the horror is often inferred and that's so much worse than in your face.
Anyway, with these expectations, I was a little surprised that this was less horror and more mystery/suspense. The way it's filmed is very much part of that, with muted tones and everything is grey and drab and bleak. The bright colours are things like a child's raincoat or a tree. The only moment that I did scream (and wake the cat) was a scene in the elevator. The end, however, left me feeling very depressed and very sad. I still don't know what to make of this film for that very reason. It was clever, it was wonderfully acted and shot, but... I was in tears at the end of it, and I don't think that was the reaction the filmmakers were going for. The ending of the film is about family - family lost and family gained and that's probably why it got to me as much as it did.
Rating: IDK! :(
Thor
Language: English
Rating: M
Year: 2011
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Renee Russo, Kat Dennings, Idris Elba
Plot: The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.
My thoughts: Yeah, I loved this. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oy, oy, oy. Chris Hemsworth has grown up! Not much to fault with this, JMS wrote it, KB directed it, JMS had a cameo in it, I still think he's amazing, the script was great, the direction was great, the whole thing? Great. Looking forward to The Avengers.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Ringu: Rasen
Language: Japanese
Rating: MA
Year: 1998
Director: Joji Iida
Cast: Miki Nakatani, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koichi Sato
Plot: A young pathologist seeks answers to the mysterious death of a friend and soon comes into contact with the same cursed videotape that caused the death of the friend's wife and son, which is haunted by the curse of Sadako, a relentless spirit.
My thoughts: I am morbidly fascinated by the Ringu franchise. The original, Japanese one, I add hastily. While Ringu did, in fact, scare me so much that I couldn't sleep with the lights off for a week, and I almost had a heart attack when my friend's phone rang ten minutes after we finished watching it, I have watched all the Ringu movies. Ringu 2 was pretty good, Ringu 0 was very sad but still good. Ringu Rasen? I'm not sure what I watched.
It started off creepily enough and got progressively creepier and there was a scream and CAPSLOCK OF OMG WTFBBQ! on Twitter, because, hello, horror wuss, and Sadako climbed out the TV and did things and gah. GAH. And then it got... well, it switched genres rather abruptly and became a strange sort of alien science fiction thing without a real alien. I was confused. I'm still confused. I got it and it was clever, but I'm not sure that turning it into sci-fi worked in its favour. The jury's still out on this one, but I'll tentatively give it 3/5.
Rating: 3/5
Portrait of a Beauty
Language: Korean
Rating: MA
Year: 2008
Director: Jeon Yoon-soo
Cast: Kim Min-sun, Kim Yeong-ho
Plot: Born to a family of established court painters, a woman is forced to carry on her family name and take over her brother's life after he commits suicide.
My thoughts: Oh. OH. This was wonderful. So lush and full of history and I really do love a well done historical film. The artist Hyewon is depicted as being a woman pretending to be a man, until she falls in love with a peasant and they plan to run off together with tragic consequences. I really, really enjoyed this film, not just because I have a Hyewon print on my wall! Highly recommended.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Arahan
Language: Korean
Rating: M
Year: 2004
Director: Ryu Seung-wan
Cast: Ryu Seung-beom, Yoon So-Yi
Plot: When a thief driving a motorcycle steals a purse of a pedestrian, the clumsy, naive and honest rookie policeman Sang-hwan runs after him, but the skilled specialist in martial arts Wi-jin captures the criminal and Sang-hwan is severely injured. She brings Sang-hwan to her home, where the six Masters of Tao heal him and believe that he has a powerful Qi, the spiritual energy of the universe, and could be a powerful warrior. Sang-hwan begins his training to ascend to a Maruchi, while the evil and ambitious Heuk-woon is accidentally released from his imprisonment. The powerful Heuk-woon attacks the masters, searching a key that they protect, which would permit him to become an Arahan and dominate the world. When the masters are defeated, Sang-hwan and Wi-jin are the only and last hope to mankind.
My thoughts: This was rollicking good fun with some great action scenes and sword fighting. It didn't take itself too seriously, which helped make it so enjoyable. The story was a bit predictable but when the movie is fun and everyone is obviously having fun making it, that makes it all the more entertaining and enjoyable to watch.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
The Eye
Language: Cantonese, Thai, English, Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2002
Director: Pang brothers
Cast: Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou, Chutcha Rujinanon
Plot: A blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she would be able to see again. However, she got more than what she bargained for when she realised she could even see ghosts. And some of these ghosts are down right unfriendly. So she embarks on a journey to find the origins of her cornea and to reveal the history of the previous dead owner.
My thoughts: This was a pleasant surprise. I thought it would be horror, but it wasn't so much horror as suspense. Doesn't hurt that Lawrence Chou is very easy on the eye (pardon the pun), either. I won't give it away, but it had a satisfying ending and I enjoyed it.
Rating: 3/5
The Promise
Language: Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2005
Director: Chen Kaige
Cast: Jang Dong-gun, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cecilia Cheung, Nicholas Tse, Liu Ye, Chen Hong
Plot: When the world was young, laid a Kingdom between the Land of Snow and the Barbarian Territory where gods and men lived side by side and promises were lies. When the poor and starving orphaned girl Qingcheng meets the Goddess Manshen, she accepts to become the wealthy beauty of beauties with the curse that she would lose every man she loves, unless three things happen: snow falls in the spring, time moves backwards and the dead comes back to life. Years later, the slave Kunlun helps the Great General Master of the Crimson Armor Guangming to defeat a barbarian army with almost seven times more warriors, and Kunlun becomes his slave. When Guangming is wounded, he asks Kunlun to wear his armor and save the king from the cruel Duke of the North Wuhuan that put the Imperial City under siege with his army. However, Kunlun kills the king to save Princess Qingcheng and promises her to never let her die.
My thoughts: This was a beautiful, lush, magnificent film. I could find no fault with it, the story was engaging, the actors were fantastic, the effects were great. The General's red laquered armour is stunning and his black horse has a dyed red mane to match which looks really effective. I was utterly transfixed by this movie and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes fairytales and beautiful cinema.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5.
Blue Swallow
Language: Korean
Rating: MA
Year: 2005
Director: Yoon Jong-chan
Cast: Jang Jin-young, Kim Joo-hyuk, Yu-min
Plot: In the period from about 1900 to the end of World War II was an interesting era for stories of strong Asian women. Blue Sparrow tells the story of one such woman, Park Kyung-won, one of the first female pilots in Asia and one of the best. Her life is one of great tragedy and She remains a controversial character in Korean today because she learnt to fly in Japan during the period when Korea was occupied by Japan.
My thoughts: I found this to be reasonably poignant, but more because of the fate of her lover rather than Kyung-Won's own fate. In order to get her to do what they want, the Japanese torture her lover (who is also Japanese), and those scenes are confronting. The ultimate end for Kyung-Won was not unexpected. There are some beautiful scenes and wonderful attention to detail in the period set dressing, but overall, the film left me with a bit of a 'meh' feeling.
Rating: 3/5
The King's Speech
Language: English
Rating: PG
Year: 2011
Director: David Seidler
Cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Jennifer Ehle
Plot: Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.
My thoughts: I love Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle and Geoffrey Rush never fails to impress (except in "Shine," a film I *loathe*), but I can't stand Helena Bonham Carter on a good day. So I was absolutely gobsmacked by how brilliant she was. All four of the main cast were fantastic and the story was told with a quiet, understated Britishness. This is definitely a keeper.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Devdas
Language: Hindi
Rating: MA
Year: 2002
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwariya Rai, Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher
Plot: After his wealthy family prohibits him from marrying the woman he is in love with, Devdas Mukherjee's life spirals further and further out of control as he takes up alcohol and a life of vice to numb the pain.
My thoughts: I found this to be a rather rambling, uninspiring film. It's not one of my favourites, but I had to watch to the end to see how it finished. Aishwarya Rai as always was gorgeous (and there seems to be a lot of hate for her on the net - I don't understand why, she's lovely!) and Sharukh Khan was good, but this wasn't one of his more stellar roles, in my opinion.
Rating: 2 1/2 /5
Warriors of Heaven and Earth
Language: Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2002
Director: He Ping
Cast: Jiang Wen, Kiichi Nakai, Wang Xueqi, Zhao Wei, Hasi Bagen
Plot: North of the vast 8th century Tang dynasty Chinese empire, the commercially and culturally priceless silk route is controlled by 36 friendly Buddhist kingdoms. Their are threatened by Turkic nomad tribes, the caravans also by brigand bands. Japanese scholar Lai Qimay not return home until the emperor is satisfied with his missions to retrieve refugees from the barren border lands. The last is competent imperial lieutenant Li, who was proscribed for refusing to execute Turkic prisoners. He now lives among fellow warriors for hire as caravan escorts. Lai Qi and Li reach a gentleman's agreement to postpone their lethal duel till after the safe arrival of a caravan including a young Buddhist monk and his mysterious freight. When Turkic warlord Khan's daughter's hand seals an alliance with brigand sword master An, the only way out is trough the grimly dry Gobi desert.
My thoughts: A history action film, set on the Silk Road, which I'm researching to write about, how fortuitous! Also, it was a great movie. The ending was confusing, but that's a minor quibble compared to the rest of the film. The shots of the Gobi were amazing and the attention to detail for the historic accuracy were impressive. I can't fault China's film industry for historic accuracy at all - they make amazing historic epics and the set dressing, costuming, accoutrements, etc, are always meticulous. So this is a greatly enjoyable film, including a sword-wielding, kick ass woman (not so historically accurate, but hey, it's cinema!) and a slightly perplexing ending.
Rating: 4/5
Ip Man
Language: Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2008
Director: Wilson Yip
Cast: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Gordon Lam Ka-tung, Fan Siu-wong
Plot: A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. (And the teacher of Bruce Lee.)
My thoughts: I love Donnie Yen and he was fabulous in this bio-pic. He gave a sensitive, thoughtful performance in the title role and during the Japanese occupation during World War Two, he made a lot of sacrifices for his family. Set in the 1930s onwards, in the town of Foshan, Ip Man accepts work as a coolie at a coal mine. The Japanese general Miura, who is a master of karate, establishes an arena where Chinese martial artists compete with his military trainees. The Chinese earn a bag of rice for every Japanese opponent they defeat. Ip at first declines to participate in the matches. However, when his friend Lin goes missing, he agrees to take part in order to investigate. A great martial arts movie with wonderful performances from everyone involved.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Electric Shadows
Language: Mandarin
Rating: PG
Year: 2004
Director: Xiao Jiang
Cast: Xia Yu, Li Haibin, Zhang Yijing, Qi Zhongyang, Wang Zhengjia
Plot: Mao Xiaobing, a water bottle delivery boy in Beijing, is also in love with the movies. One day, however, while riding his bike, he is attacked by Ling-Ling (Qi Zhongyang), a disturbed young woman, that lands him in the hospital. Ling-Ling is promptly arrested, but refuses to say why she attacked Mao Xiaobing, asking him only to feed her fish. Upon entering her apartment, however, Mao Xiaobing finds that Ling-Ling has created a veritable shrine to the 1930s film star, Zhou Xuan. When he stumbles upon her diary and begins reading, the film flashes back to Ling-Ling's mother as a young woman in Ningxia.
My thoughts: This is a very sweet film. I'm reminded a little of Cinema Paradiso in that the film's story is told in flashbacks and revolves around a love of cinema at a turbulent time in Chinese history (Although Cinema Paradiso was Italian history, so, you know.), when Mao Zhedong started taking over. It's not a long film, only 93 minutes, but none of that time is wasted on anything superfluous. The child actors are amazing in their roles, and the ending is both poignant and hopeful. If you tend to get teary in films, I recommend having tissues handy, but not because of sadness - because it is such a sweet film and it does end in such a positive way.
Rating: 4 1/2 /5
Underdog Knight 2
Language: Mandarin
Rating: MA
Year: 2011
Director: Ding Sheng
Cast: En-chun Chiao, Ye Liu, Zilin Zhang, Yoo Seung Jun
Plot: The film is a sequel to Ding Sheng's 2008 film The Underdog Knight. The plot is set in Qingdao, China where a discharged navy man Lao San is caught in the crossfire of a bank robbery. He becomes the a crime-fighter for the city by working with the local police using his strong fighting techniques that he learned from his time with the navy.
My thoughts: I saw this for one reason - Yoo Seung Jun. I also saw this online at Daily Motion not long after it came out, so it had no English subtitles. Despite that, it was fairly easy to follow. YSJ's character is a bank robber, and during a robbery gone bad, his brother is shot and ends up in a coma. After time in jail, YSJ escapes and seeks revenge and salvation for his brother. There's some fantastic action shots, lots of low growly voiced YSJ scenes and lots of him without a shirt, which, in my mind, earn the film five stars. Yes, I'm a fangirl. I wanted to share a clip of one of his awesome fight scenes, but YouTube only had trailers. So here's one of them.
Rating: 4/5