Dec
30
2006
I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK
Posted by luna6 | 5 Comments
Movie : I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK / Saibogujiman kwenchana / 싸이보그지만 괜찮아
Release Date : December 7, 2006
Country : South Korea
Director : Chan-Wook Park
Starring: Rain, Im Soo-Jung
Runtime : 105 Minutes
Editor Rating : 8.5
(28 Votes, User Rating: 8.46)
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Plot Synopsis : Young-gyun works at manufacturing plant, assembling radio’s. She keeps to herself and also keeps a secret to herself, which is that she is a cyborg. One day, while working at the factory, she decides to re-charge herself, by slashing her wrist and implanting electrical wires into her arm. This quickly buys Young-gyun a ticket into “New World,” a a hospital specializing in the treatment of mental illnesses.
At New World, Young-gyun spends her time listening to the radio, talking with vending machines, and licking the terminals of 9 volt batteries. She soon encounters a guy, that is somewhat on the same eccentric level, named Il-Sun. Formerly an electrician, Il-Sun is now a thief of souls in the mental hospital, along with being your run-of-the-mill kleptomaniac. He believes that he possesses the power to steal the characteristics of other people. Young-gyun and Il-Sun soon bond together, as their strange personalities complements each other perfectly. Unfortunately Young-gyun becomes seriously ill from malnutrition. She believes that Cyborgs should not eat “human” food and thus has not eaten in weeks. She soon loses most of her energy and becomes bed ridden. The doctors say that she has only a few more days to live, if she continues her ways. Il-Sun must now find a way to connect to her soul and save her from imminent death.
Movie Review : I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok is the latest film directed by Chan-Wook Park. He has stated publicly that for this film, he wanted to move away from the heaviness of his last three films (based on Revenge) and make this film a simpler affair without having to worry about commercial expectations. Well after seeing “I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok,” I can say that superficially, the movie appears simpler then than anything he has done in the past, but there is quite a bit more percolating below this superficial teenage romance layer.
From the opening scene, I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok, grabbed my attention with visuals that seemed like technicolor art. The way Chan-Wook Park interwove the opening credits within the actual opening sequences was utterly impressive and made for one of the best opening scenes I have ever had the pleasure to watch. From there, the visuals were on par with “Sympathy For Lady Vengeance” mixed in with the surreal and colorful worlds of say Terry Gilliam (Brazil) and Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands). I can’t emphasize enough how impressive the visuals were.
The main actors in the movie were Im Soo-Jung and the popular K-Pop singer turned actor Rain. For Im Soo-Jung, I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok may be the movie that gets her elevated beyond the teeny bopper films that she seems to get typecast for so often these days. There were moments in the film where she was completely unrecognizable and still delivered a very impressive performance. I was also very impressed by the fella known as Rain. He seemed to be a natural for the camera and delivered a performance that seemed uncanny for a first time big-screen actor.
Beyond the simple love story between the two eccentric main leads, you have a lot of other things occurring in the film that was harder to comprehend. Definitely Chan-Wook Park seemed to have been implying the importance of a strong motherly figure, because both main characters had mothers that were non-existent or virtually non-existent. As for Young-Gyun she was closest to her grandmother who was also mentally ill. Young-Gyun saw her grandmother taken away by paramedics at a young age and since then, has had a fear of people in white uniforms. When Young-Gyun herself was committed to the mental hospital, she had these persistent visions of her grandmother in the mental hospital. She also had visions where she would kill the hospital workers ala the Terminator, to protect her grandmother from them. Yet, in Young-gyun’s mind, she still possessed 7 traits that would prevent her from being a cyborg and able to “terminate” the workers at the hospital. Some of the more notable of these 7 traits were: Guilt, Gratitude, and Sympathy. It seems Chan-Wook Park is still pretty keen on the importance of sympathy. These seven traits were also a play on a Korean word which is typically used for the 7 qualifications to obtain a legal divorce.
There were also the mysterious words that the grandmother mouthed silently to Young-Gyun while she was being taken away in the ambulance. Through all the years Young-gyun never knew exactly what her grandmother said to her, but finally as an adult and with the help of Il-Sun, she was able to figure out what her grandmother said. Those words could be translated roughly to “The meaning of existence is …1 billion volts.” …Yeah like I said earlier, there are parts in this film that are a little hard to comprehend. Certainly this is one of those movies that would provide more incite on second or third viewings and I certainly did not mind the eccentricity of the story.
Ultimately, I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok is an impressive film for its visual imagery as well as for its two main characters, that are as unique as any characters you will likely encounter in any film. You could just go with the flow and follow the movie for the simple love story between Il-Sun and Young-Gyun or you could try to delve deeper into their worlds to understand some of the more difficult to comprehend aspects that Chan-Wook Park laid beneath the love story layer. Regardless of what path you pick, the core of the movie contains a wonderful humanist theme, that goes along the lines of…”to truly love a person you must try to understand & accept that person for what they are.”
On a sidenote, while leaving the cinema I did listen to two fellow movie goers talk about the film while in the elevator. One guy basically said, “I could kill the bastard that rated this movie 5 stars!” I guess this film isn’t for everyone, but I certainly did enjoy the movie.
buy I’m A Cyborg, But That’s OK from YesAsia
Cast:
Su-jeong Lim - Cha Young-goon
Rain - Park Il-sunHie-jin Choi - Choi Seul-gi
Byeong-ok Kim - Judge
Yong-nyeo Lee - Young-goon’s mother
Dal-su Oh - Shin Duk-cheon
Ho-jeong Yu - Il-sun’s mother
2006 Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews |
Dec
29
2006
Midlake Tour Dates
Posted by luna6 | Leave a Comment
Album Review of The Trials of Van Occupanther
Feb 02 2007 @ The Republic New Orleans, Louisiana
Feb 03 2007 @ Bottle Tree Cafe Birmingham, Alabama
Feb 04 2007 @ The Earl Atlanta, Georgia
Feb 06 2007 @ Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Feb 07 2007 @ Rock and Roll Hotel Washington DC
Feb 08 2007 @ North Star Bar Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 09 2007 @ Bowery Ballroom New York, New York
Feb 10 2007 @ The Middle East Upstairs Cambridge, Massachusetts
Feb 11 2007 @ Mile End Cultural Center Main Montreal, Quebec
Feb 12 2007 @ Lee’s Palace Toronto, Ontario
Feb 13 2007 @ The Magic Stick Detroit, Michigan
Feb 14 2007 @ Schubas Chicago, Illinois
Feb 15 2007 @ 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota
Feb 16 2007 @ The Maintenance Shop Ames, Iowa
Feb 22 2007 @ Walter’s on Washington Houston, Texas
Feb 23 2007 @ The Parish Austin, Texas
Feb 24 2007 @ The Granada Theatre Dallas, Texas
Feb 28 2007 @ The Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 01 2007 @ The Casbah San Diego, California
Mar 03 2007 @ The Troubadour Los Angeles, California
Mar 04 2007 @ Bottom of the Hill San Fransisco, California
Mar 06 2007 @ Doug Fir Portland, Oregon
Mar 07 2007 @ The Crocodile Cafe Seattle, Washington
Mar 09 2007 @ Club Sound Salt Lake City, Utah
Mar 10 2007 @ High Dive Denver, Colorado
Dec
28
2006
Like A Virgin
Posted by luna6 | 5 Comments
Movie: Like A Virgin / Cheonhajangsa madonna / 천하장사 마돈나
Release Date: August 31, 2006
Country : South Korea
Director : Hae-jun Lee, Hae-yeong Lee
Starring: Ryu Deok-Hwan, Baek Yun-Sik, Kim Yun-Seok
Runtime : 116 Minutes
Editor Rating : 8.5
(5 Votes, User Rating: 7)
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2006 Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews |
Dec
28
2006
+/- (Plus/Minus) - Let’s Build A Fire
Posted by Pandamonium | 1 Comment
Artist : +/-
Album : Let’s Build A Fire
Release Date : October 24, 2006
Website : http://www.plusmin.us/
Label : Absolutely Kosher
Free Downloads : Steal The Blueprints
Rating : 7.5
(1 Votes, User Rating: 10)
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Dec
28
2006
Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement’s
Posted by Pandamonium | Leave a Comment
There is a curious passage I recall from George Orwell’s book, NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR, where the character of Winston Smith, before he is captured by the Thought Police to be tortured and stripped of any semblance of humanity and dissident thought, observes among the working class a woman singing as she hangs clothes out on a line to dry.
“One had the feeling that she would have been perfectly content if the June evening had been endless and the supply of clothes inexhaustible, to remain there for a thousand years, pegging out diapers and singing rubbish… …Perhaps it was only when people were somewhere near the starvation level that they had anything to sing about.”
What sort of power dwells within a simple, sweet tune that makes the vulgarities of one’s meager existence somehow a little more tolerable?
Etc. |
Dec
26
2006
Our Happy Time / Maundy Thursday
Posted by luna6 | 8 Comments
Movie : Our Happy Time / Maundy Thursday / Urideul-ui haengbok-han shigan / 우리들의 행복한 시간
Release Date: September 14, 2006
Country : South Korea
Director : Hae-sung Song
Starring: Kang Dong-Won, Lee Na-Young
Runtime : 120 Minutes
Editor Rating : 4.5
(23 Votes, User Rating: 9.04)
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Plot Synopsis : Yu-Jung has now attempted her third suicide attempt. Her disdain for her mother and indifference to the rest of the world, isolates her from any chance for happiness. Yu-Jung also has an aunt named Sister Monica. Her aunt often goes to prison to meet with death row inmates. Sister Monica meets a new death row inmate, who asks Sister Monica if he could meet her niece Yu-Jung. Sister Monica asks Yu-Jung if she would counsel this death row inmate and Yu-Jung reluctantly agrees to do so.
Yu-Jung and the death row inmate do not open up to each other immediately. Yu-Jung comes from a family of wealth and is now a professor at a university. Yet, she has never known happiness since the age of 15. The inmate that she meets, named Yun-Soo, has had an even more traumatic childhood experience. He was abandoned by his parents at an early age and has had to live on the streets while caring for a younger brother. Eventually Yun-Soo ends up involved in the criminal world and gets convicted for murder. With their disparate backgrounds, Yu-Jung and Yun-Soo are still able to connect with each other, because both people know grief like few others could possibly know. As they both regain the will to live through their weekly meetings, they must now deal with their feelings for each other and come to grips with the short amount of time they have together.
Movie Review : Considering Maundy Thursday aka Our Happy Time is directed by Hae-Sung Song (Failan/Rikodazan), has an interesting premise and features one of my favorite actresses on the planet, Lee Na-Young, I was just stoked to see this film. After viewing the film, I was left with a teary eyed expression, but not from any strong emotional ties to the film, but more like the nauseating feeling from whiffing extrememly foul scented cheese. Lots of cheese. Boatloads of cheese and its cheesiness.
Cliche after cliche was thrown into this tear jerker film. For starters, we have a poor orphaned boy, that has had to take care of a younger brother, until that younger brother dies while sleeping out on the cold streets. Eventually the poor orphaned boy almost gets his life straightened, but has to come up with money to pay for his sick pregnant girlfriend. He gets involved in one last criminal act, but winds up getting the blame for a crime that he almost doesn’t commit, which is hard to fathom, but nonetheless plausible. Unfortunately the breaking straw to this plausibility is that the condemned killer is played by former model and now actor Dong-Won Kang. Nothing personal against Dong-Won Kang, he was good in the lightweight comedy Too Beautiful Too Lie and was passable as the action hero stud in Temptation of the Wolves, but the guy was simply miscast as a street hardened death row inmate. In a pivotal point in the movie, where he apologizes to the mother of a girl that he killed, he simply could not carry the weight of emotions that the scene required. Or put in a slimper way, the dude just ain’t no Choi Min-Sik.
Lee Na-Young was better in her role as the bipolar rich bitch with the occasional mean-streak. Her character, Yu-Jung, has been angry at the world since the age of 15. Her anger is strongest against her mother, because her mother did not try to help her at an earlier traumatic time (and in fact blamed her for her problems). The flashback scene where Yu-Jung confides to her mother, only to get slapped in the face by her mother, was hard to fathom but made more sense after a friend explained the scene better than the actual movie. The movie “Maundy Thursday” was based on a popular Korean novel and in the novel, (but not explained in the movie) Yu-Jung’s family was wealthy because of a family run business. Furthermore, the cousin that Yu-Jung accused to her mother, had a father that was an extremely influential politician. That politician could have destroyed their family’s business if such accusations became public and this is why Yu-Jung’s mother reacted the way she did. Corny, but at least the scene made more sense after knowing that fact.
I should note that Lee Na-Young is one of the more talented actresses when it comes to convincingly shedding tears on screen and, unlike her co-star, she was able to do so convincingly again in Maundy Thursday. As you can tell I am quite enamored with Lee Na-Young and this fact may have led me to notice some strange quirks in the movie. One of the more notable goofs would have been early in the film, when Lee Na-Young was sitting alone in her parked car. She takes out a bottle of pills and proceeds to swallow a handful in another attempted suicide. Of course during this scene, I had to notice her hair, which was straight as can be and quite alluring. Yet, in the next scene, Lee Na-Young is laying down in a hospital bed with a fashionably permed hairstyle! I’m not sure if the pills caused her to get the kinky hair or maybe a hair stylist came out to the operation room, but regardless it was another scene hard to fathom.
Besides the presence of Lee Na-Young, there just wasn’t much in Maundy Thursday to get excited about. The male lead was seriously miscast and the film had just way to many cliches. These cliches all came to a crescendo during the final scene which was representative of the film as a whole: quite touching in concept but just way to much cheesiness in execution. Pardon the pun.
buy Maundy Thursday (Our Happy Times) from YesAsia
Cast:
Lee Na-Young - Moon Yu-jung
Dong-won Kang - Jung Yun-suHyeong-seong Jang
Yeong-suk Jeong
In-gi Jung
Shin-il Kang
Bu-seon Kim
Jin-hyeok Kim
Ji-yeong Kim
Jae-gu Lee
Kwang-rok Oh
Yeo-Jong Yun - Yu-jung’s aunt
2006 Movie Reviews, Korean Movies, Movie Reviews |
Dec
4
2006
Fedora Core 6 installed on a MacBook w/ MythFrontend
Posted by luna6 | 16 Comments
Here are some tips to get keyboard mapping (right click and volume), wifi, and MythFrontend working with Fedora Core 6 and the MacBook. The main reason I wanted to install Linux on my MacBook was to be able to use MythFrontend (part of the wonderful multimedia application known as MythTV). There is a native OS X port of Mythfrontend which can be downlaoded here, which works relatively well. A nice thing about MythFrontend for OS X is that the Apple Remote functions out of the box with that program. With that said, I did feel the OS X port was more sluggish than it should have been and getting additional applications to function in MythVideo was a total pain. I could never get mplayer to go entirely fullscreen (a blue line would appear where the OS X menu bar would normally be).
So with those problems I decided to install Linux on my MacBook. I actually prefer Ubuntu for my daily desktop, but Ubuntu’s Edgy is not as prepared for Intel Mac’s, out of the box, like Fedora Core 6. You have to take a few more steps to get grub working in Edgy and there are problems with kernel panics as well. Even with those problems the main reason I chose Fedora Core 6 over Ubuntu’s Edgy Eft is that Fedora Core 6 uses the newer “intel” drivers, whereas Edgy uses the “i910″ drivers. I like to watch HDTV in MythTV and with the older intel drivers it is almost impossible to use “i910″ drivers with the MacBook and watch HDTV. So, with those problems I installed Fedora Core 6 and managed to get it working it very nicely. The installation itself was a breeze and these are some tips to get Fedora Core 6 running optimally with the MacBook.