Mar
31
2008
Welcome to the Quiet Room (Quiet room ni yokoso)
Posted by luna6 | Leave a Comment
Movie: Welcome to the Quiet Room / Quiet room ni yokoso / クワイエットルームにようこそ
Release Date : October 20, 2007
Country : Japan
Director : Suzuki Matsuo
Starring : Yuki Uchida, Kankuro Kudo, Yu Aoi
Editor Rating : 7.5
(13 Votes, User Rating: 8)
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Theres something about psychiatric hospitals I guess. Having been thrilled with Chan-wook Parks off-the-wall “I’m a Cyborg but That’s OK,” “Welcome to the Quiet Room” is another film set in a colorful psychiatric hospital that has been sitting high on my to watch list. There’s also that impressive list of supporting actors (Yu Aoi, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kankuro Kudo, and Shinya Tsukamoto) to wet your cinematic appetite. The movie’s trailer reveals an upbeat alternative rock soundtrack with a cast of colorfully punkish characters dancing around in a psychiatric hospital. I didn’t know what to exactly expect from the film, but I did know that I wanted to see the film.
In Welcome to the Quiet Room, 28 year old freelancer writer Sakura Asuka (Yuki Uchida) wakes up strapped to a table in a white room. When her boyfriend visits her for the first time in the quiet room, his first remark is “Wow, you look just like Hannibal Lecter.” The quiet room you see is a protected room located in the isolated ward of a psychiatric hospital. Something like solitary confinement, but with straps. Sakura first became unconscious because of a night of heavy alcohol consumption and then taking sleeping pills. Three days later she’s conscious but not sure what exactly happened.
Sakura tried to talk to the nurses, explaining it was all an accident, but they didn’t seem to listen to her. Under the circumstances another patient Miki (Yu Aoi), who suffers from an eating disorder, leads her to understand the world of the insane. But, Sakura is looking for the way to get back to the real world as soon as possible.
While watching “Welcome to the Quiet Room,” it didn’t take long before I realized this movie would be quite different than “I’m A Cyborg But That’s OK.” No sooner than you could make a funny face and play a few sparse piano keys repeatedly, another film came to mind as a source of inspiration and that film was “Memories of Matsuko.” Through a series of flashbacks we learn about Asuka’s troubled past, similar to the narrative structure in “Memories of Matsuko.” The main character in “Welcome to the Quiet Room,” Asuka (played by the beautiful Yuki Uchida), doesn’t have the troubled past on the same level of Matsuko, but there’s a surprising amount of despair found within her life. While the narrative structure and to some extent visuals share traits with “Memories of Matsuko,” the subject matter differs sharply. Matsuko’s problems originated from a series poor decisions caused ultimately from the lack of love she felt from her father. In Asuka’s case her problems derive squarely from manic depression.
One of the more impressive aspects about “Welcome to the Quiet Room” would be the subtle manner in which Asuka’s depression is revealed. A beautiful woman on the outside and having a hectic, but seemingly successful writing career, you wouldn’t guess such troubles existed in her life. But with each flashback you do get a better understanding of the deep level of despair that gradually took over her life. During Asuka’s stay in the mental ward, several different characters pointed out that Asuka was different, not really belonging there, but was she?
Visually the film was done just right. Colorful, realistic, and having a style that recalled everything from the Loveholic video for their song “Loveholic,” to the prior mentioned movies “Memories of Matsuko” and “I’m A Cyborg but thats OK” there was a lot to enjoy visually. The appearance of Yuki Uchida, Yu Aoi, and Ryo also certainly didn’t hurt the visuals. There were also several funny moments in the film, but the comedic elements were less prominent than I originally expected from viewing the trailer.
“Welcome to the Quiet Room” works well to deliver a subtle story on the problems of depression. The ancillary characters in the psychiatric hospital also helped to liven up the film while also bringing to light other mental problems like eating disorders. An easy way to describe the film would be to compare visuals with “I’m a Cyborg But thats OK” and “Memories of Matsuko”, while the film’s narrative structure paralleled that of “Memories of Matsuko,” and the film’s subject matter recalled that of Ryuichi Hiroki’s “Its Only Talk.” Not to shabby company I say.
buy Welcome to the Quiet Room from YesAsia
Cast:
Yuki Uchida - Sakura Asuka
Kankuro Kudo - Tetsuo Yakihata
Yu Aoi - Miki
Ryo - Eguchi
Satoshi Tsumabuki
Shinobu Ootake
If you like this movie you may enjoy: Memories of Matsuko, Its Only Talk, Im A Cyborg But Thats OK
2007 Movie Reviews, Japanese Movies, Movie Reviews |
Mar
31
2008
The Drummer
Posted by luna6 | Leave a Comment
Movie: The Drummer / Jin. gwu
Release Date : October 11, 2007
Country : Hong Kong
Director : Kenneth Bi
Starring : Jaycee Chan, Angelica Lee
Runtime : 118 min
Editor Rating : 7.0
(4 Votes, User Rating: 4.5)
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Hong Kong gangsters, the Zen Drummers (played by the real life musical troupe U-Theatre), and Jaycee Chan (son of Jackie Chan) are all featured in Kenneth Bi’s “The Drummer”. The script’s interesting mixture of the usual (HK mob) and the not so usual (the Zen Drummers) work in a likable fashion to make for a simplistic, but nevertheless enjoyable film. Jaycee Chan also performs well in the main lead role as the rebel son that tries to escape the shadow of his legendary father (a powerful mob figure played Tony Leung Kai Fai). If you wonder how the Zen Drummers come into play … just read on.
In “The Drummer”, a nearly out-of-control Sid (Jaycee Chan) roams around Hong Kong, fearing no one, knowing that his all powerful father will save his hide. But the power that his father wields also hangs over Sid’s life like a suffocating cloud. Sid seems to be always looking for trouble and he finds it in spades with a sexy girl named Carmen. Sid knows perfectly well that Carmen is the girlfriend of another powerful mob leader named Stephen Ma. The couple frolic in Stephen Ma’s apartment and things turn for the worse when Stephen Ma himself walks in on the couple. Sid fearing no one, tells Stephen Ma off and walks away unscathed.
Stephen Ma then calls a meeting with Sid’s father named Kwan (Tony Leung Kai Fai). Stephen Ma and Kwan have known each for years and at one point Stephen Ma even saved Kwan’s life. Because of this, Stephen doesn’t demand Sid’s life, but just his hands. Kwan not willing to cut his son’s hands off, concocts a plan to send his son away to hide in a small rural village in Taiwan and fake the the dismemberment of his son’s hands.
In Taiwan, Sid comes across the Zen Drummers. He becomes enchanted with the group and their Zen like drumming manner. He eventually asks to join their group. The Zen Drummers recognizes Sid’s drumming talents, but also recognizes his penchant for undisciplined behavior. Meanwhile Sid’s appointed bodyguard (played by Roy Cheung) tells Sid he can join the group but bets that he won’t last in their group for more than 2 weeks. The Zen Drummers lets Sid join their group but first require Sid to go through a rigorous training program that teaches Sid about life.
Their’s plenty of questionable moments in the movie from the standpoint of believability, but those faults are forgivable because of the general likableness of the script and the performers. The whole bit with Stephen Ma demanding the hands of Sid was one of them. Would a real life gangster expect another gangster to cut his own son’s hands off? Also, Kwan’s plan to fake the dismemberment of his son’s hand was equally bizarre. Did he expect his son to stay in the rural town until Stephen Ma died? Otherwise Ma would eventually discover Kwan’s rouse. But again, these were forgivable moments, with Tony Leung Ka Fai playing his maniacal mobster role to perfection and Kenneth Tsang playing the sinister but refined Stephen Ma to a tee.
In the movie’s second act, the movie shifts gears with the appearance of the Zen Drummers. The movie then pulls out the Buddhist like philosophy while also unveiling the coming-of-age angle of its script. These moments were good, helped by the stellar camera work which breathed life and vitality into the movie ala “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring”. The techniques used by the Zen Drummers to teach Sid lessons on life didn’t make all that much sense to me and some things hinted at greater things to come but never materialized. What was the point of having Sid fetch water and carry the 40 rocks in a bag? Modesty? Selflessness? Importance of group over individual? Discipline? Also one of the drummers emphasized drumming without drumming, which zoomed right over my head.
Lastly, in the third act, Sid returns to Hong Kong. The movie reverts to the HK mafia theme found in the first act. The movie then hinges on some cliché moments for the mafia genre (loyalty / betrayal / revenge), but doesn’t embarrass itself with anything terribly shoddy. I did wonder why Stephen Ma didn’t go after Sid in a more direct manner.
“The Drummer” does offer some fairly entertaining moments, particularly Jaycee Chan’s indoctrination into the world of the drumming vis a vis U-Theatre. The mafia angle is standard fare stuff, but never sinks to cheeseball territory. Angelica Lee seemed a tad off the mark, but otherwise the cast was on the money. Visuals were also stellar, with the best moments reserved for the second act. Whenever you’re in the mood for popcorn entertainment give “The Drummer” a try. Likely to satisfy.
Cast:
Jaycee Chan - Sid
Tony Leung Ka Fai - Kwan
Angelica Lee - Hong Dou
Roy Cheung - Ah Chiu
Josie Ho - Sina
Kenneth Tsang - Stephen Ma
Hei-Yi Cheng - Carmen
Ruo-yu Liu - Lan Jie
Chih-chun Huang - Sifu
Glen Chin - Uncle Tak
Ken Lo - Long
Eugenia Yuan - Kwan’s wife
2007 Movie Reviews, Chinese Movies |
Mar
28
2008
My Blueberry Nights
Posted by luna6 | 3 Comments
Movie: My Blueberry Nights
Release Date : May 16, 2007
Country : USA / Hong Kong
Director : Kar Wai Wong
Starring : Norah Jones, Jude Law
Runtime : 90 min.
Editor Rating : 4.5
(12 Votes, User Rating: 6.58)
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Wong Kar-Wai is the highly praised Hong Kong director championed by the likes of Quentin Tarantino, the major European film festivals and holds a legendary like status in Asia itself. Wong’s “Chunking Express” is one of my personal favorite movies of all-time and turned me on to other films from that region. Wong Kar-Wai has also deftly shown the ability to cross many borders (gay, indie, romanticsm, sci-fiction, action) and always came out as a man able to do no wrong … that is until “My Blueberry Nights’”.
In “My Blueberry Nights”, Elizabeth (Norah Jones) suspects that her long-time boyfriend has been dating other women. She walks into a late night dinner, run by Jeremy (Jude Law), and asks him if he’s seen her boyfriend with other women in his diner. Jeremy confirms Elizabeth’s suspicions and she sinks into complete despair. Elizabeth starts to frequent Jeremy’s dinner regularly, coming in during the early morning hours when the dinner is about to close. Jeremy doesn’t mind Elizabeth’s company and in fact seems to take interest in Elizabethś innocence and naiveté. But, before their relationship can develop further, Elizabeth suddenly disappears completely. A few months later Jeremy starts to receive postcards from Elizabeth and discovers that she has taken a road trip across the U.S. without any final destination in mind.
Elizabeth first stops in Memphis and works two jobs: by day a waitress at a diner and by night a bartender in a dive bar. She becomes friends with an alcoholic patron and learns of his troubled past. Elizabeth then moves on to other cities, finally arriving in Las Vegas after crossing paths with a feisty poker player (Natalie Portman). Meanwhile, Jeremy still hopes to find Elizabeth one day, while Elizabeth hopes to find her true self.
While, the film is tolerable in a pedestrian way, when compared with Wong’s other films, “My Blueberry Nights” seriously underwhelms and underdelivers. I would guess the biggest obstacle for Wong in making “My Blueberry Nights” would have been the language barrier. Probably not able to discern the stiff dialog used in the movie, the tricks used in his film “Chunking Express” and used again in “My Blueberry” comes across as surprisingly artificial and forced this time around.
Casting was misguided at best, with singer Norah Jones selected for the starring role as Elizabeth. Norah Jones is certainly a wonderfully gifted singer, but her acting chops are nowhere near as memorable. Stuck with a perpetual dewey-eyed gaze that looked all too plasticine and never genuine enough, it was difficult at times to watch her deliver those stiff lines. This became even more apparent when the effervescent Natalie Portman appeared alongside the wooden Norah Jones. Wong Kar-Wai was able to take Chinese pop-singer Faye Wong to another level in “Chunking Express”, but no such luck was had with Norah Jones in “My Blueberry Nights”.
Music was another big element of “Chunking Express” with the Mama and the Papa’s “California Dreaming” repeatedly played in that film and each successive appearance giving the song a more mystical or grand stature in that movie. In “My Blueberry Nights”, Wong Kar-Wai uses Cat Power’s “The Greatest” in a similar manner, but Cat Powerś “The Greatest” is never able to conjure similar emotions. Timing is all important as they say and in “My Blueberry Nights” Wong Kar-Wai made the unfortunate decision to blare out the moody “The Greatest” immediately, rather than waiting for a more appropriate time later in the film. This gave the song’s appearance a TV commercial like feel and emptying whatever emotional impact that song may have had later in the film.
Also, like “Chunking Express”, where Takeshi Kaneshiro’s character displayed a charming quirkiness (Pineapples, expiration date, May etc), this time around Jude Law’s character holds a similar quirkiness, specifically with the bowl of keys that he kept in his diner. For myself, the keys seemed contrived and lacked any of the genuine quirkiness displayed with Kaneshiro’s character in “Chunking Express”. When Jude Law explained his reasons for holding those keys in that jar, (at least in my mind) it seemed like a brick dropped in the cinema and then their was silence.
As you can tell by now, so much of “My Blueberry Nights” comes across as stiff or forced - the blueberry pie that’s unsold in the dinner, the car keys in the bowl, Norah Jones, the forced manner in which Cat Power’s “The Greatest” blared through the speakers from the get go, the road movie elements, even the locales selected for the road movie (Memphis & Las Vegas - caricatures of what we have seen already in countless other films) - that it’s hard to believe that this film was made by Wong Kai-War. Interestingly enough, there are similar traits with “Chunking Express” and “My Blueberry Nights” but they are similar in form alone and none of the emotional connections delivered by the former movie appears in the latter movie. In a way, “My Blueberry Nights” seems more like “Coyote Ugly” on a road trip through the U.S., rather than the highly evocative love stories Wong Kai-War has weaved together in the past. Bummer.
2007 Movie Reviews, Movie Reviews |
Mar
27
2008
6 days in Tokyo
Posted by luna6 | 7 Comments
Just arrived last night from a week long trip to Tokyo, Japan. Rather than trying to cram many different areas of Japan into a short stay, I decided to stay in the Tokyo metropolitan area and try to absorb as much of that city as possible. After only a week there I did come away with the impression that Tokyo is one of the cleanest cities in the world, sports some of the most impressive urban development and planning, and the people itself seem to be impressively well mannered. It was also fun to finally see in person many of the locations in Tokyo that have been frequently shown in Japanese movies. The people there seem to be some of the more trendiest folks I have seen around. If you want to see some of Tokyo click below. I’ll add some more information about the different sectons of Tokyo a little bit later.
Akihabara
Asakusa
Ginza
Harajuku
Imperial Palace
Odaiba
Roppongi
Shibuya
Tsukiji Fish Market
Etc. |
Mar
17
2008
Once Upon A Time
Posted by luna6 | 2 Comments
Movie: Once Upon A Time
Release Date : January 31, 2008
Country : South Korea
Director : Yong-ki Jeong
Starring : Yong-woo Park, Bo-young Lee
Runtime : 110 min.
Editor Rating : 6.0
(7 Votes, User Rating: 6.43)
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A bit of the unusual (period adventure piece ala Indiana Jones) and bits of the usual (Romantic Comedy) is what you’ll find in the pleasant South Korean film “Once Upon A Time”. The movie is set in the 1940’s during the latter days of the Japanese occupation of Korea. This setting isn’t entirely new for recent South Korean films, just within the last year alone Korean films like “Epitaph”, “Radio Days” and now “Once Upon A Time” have used this period as the backdrop to their films. Furthermore, “La Grand Chef” allotted prominent screen time to this era and there’s another big budget Korean film coming later this year (titled “Dachimawa Lee”) that will be set during this period as well. So, the film’s main drawing card isn’t so much its time setting, but rather the novel swashbuckling adventure elements placed in the film. And how does those moments stack up you may ask? Well you just have to read on….
In “Once Upon A Time” a debonair Korean thief using the alias of Kanemura (Yong-woo Park) tip-toes around Seoul at night, stealing rare artifacts from the Japanese imperialists. When Kanemura isn’t roaming the streets to swindle expensive jewels, he spends his nights chasing after a lovely Jazz singer known as Haruko. What he isn’t aware of is that Haruko has her own particular alter ego as well, which is that of Daehangwha a legendary thief herself.
Meanwhile, the biggest heist yet for Kanemura presents itself in the next couple of days. A legendary 3,000 carat diamond known as the “Light of the East” is about to be taken from Korea and transported to the land of the rising sun. Before that happens the local Japanese commander will hold a special send-off party for the fabled Korean jewel. During this party, Kanemura plans to work his magic and steal the “Light of the East” diamond all for himself. What he isn’t aware of is that others have their own special plans that evening. Specifically, Haruko the lovely Jazz singer, has her sights set on stealing the diamond as well. Further complicating matters, two members of the Korean liberation army plan to assassinate the Japanese commander during the fateful send-off party. Who will get the diamond and then who will get diamond?
There’s lots of things to like about “Once Upon a Time”, but little to love about the film. Visually the film is appealing and does a respectable job in recreating South Korea circa the 1940’s. The action sequences were a tad bit underwhelming, but never shoddy enough to make you want to ask for a refund. Yong-woo Park, as the suave Kanemura, does his best work since performing in the off-beat comedy “My Scary Girl”. When thinking about the films he has done since that film - The World of Silence / For Horowitz / Beautiful Sunday / Changing Partners - I guess that’s not saying a whole lot. Su-hyeon Kim, who played main villain Colonel Yamada, gave the best performance of the group. His performance was over the top, but that’s precisely what the film needed.
Unfortunately co-star Bo-young Lee stood out as the weak link of the film. Obviously miscast as the seductive singer / swindler, everything about her performance screamed out “vanilla ice cream” rather than the required “strawberry sorbet”. Furthermore, if you ever wondered why South Korea never produced many accomplished Jazz singers, just check out Bo-young Lee’s closing song number at the end of the movie for the answer. Ouch.
Storywise, the film was average, often teasing you with anticipation but never able to muster up that edge of your seat excitement that should have arisen. A few unexpected surprises are unveiled at the end of the movie.
Although “Once Upon A Time” was released during the Lunar Holiday earlier this year, the film will likely make you recall another season, specifically the summer season and the blockbuster type of films rolled out during that time. Typical of those summer time flicks, the movie’s I.Q. quotient is remedial, while moderate amounts of thrills, laughs, and romance take center stage. The movie doesn’t excel at any one specific thing, but it’s likable enough as a whole to please the youngsters and adults a like. A little more excitement and someone else cast as the Jazz singer and the movie would have rocked.
buy Once Upon A Time from YesAsia
Cast:
Yong-woo Park
Bo-young Lee
Eung-su Kim
Su-hyeon Kim
Kil-Kang Ahn
Hyeong-jun Lim
Dong-il Song
Hie-bong Jo
2008 Movie Reviews, Korean Movies, Movies |
Mar
14
2008
Hero
Posted by luna6 | 2 Comments
Name : Hero
Release Date : September 8, 2007
Country : Japan
Director : Masayuki Suzuki
Starring : Takuya Kimura, Takako Matsu
Runtime : 130 min
Rating : 6.5
(10 Votes, User Rating: 7)
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“Hero” is based off the immensely popular 2001 Fuji television show of the same name. Back in 2001, the television “Hero” garnered ratings in excess of 30%, an unheard of number at the time. After watching the movie “Hero” I can certainly understand why the television was such a hit in its native Japan. Simply put the star studded cast of “Hero” makes watching the movie a whole lot of fun, even with its run-of-the-mill script.
For the movie version of “Hero”, eccentric District Attorney Kuryu (Takuya Kimura) returns to Tokyo after a six year absence. Dressed in tattered denim jeans and hooded sweatshirts, you would never guess Kuryu is an attorney. His assistant Maiko Amamiya (Takako Matsu) still works at the D.A.’s office and is ready to help Kuryu. Before Kuryu has time to settle in, his boss assigns Kuryu a new case. The case formerly belonged to Shibayama (Hiroshi Abe), but because of Shibayama’s divorce proceedings, his boss would rather have Kuryu handle the case.
At first the case seems fairly straight forward. The defendant, Keiseke Umebayashi, appears to be a hot-tempered young man who beat up another man in a fit of rage resulting in the other person’s unintentional death. They also have Umebayashi’s confession and an an eye witness to the fight. Case closed right? Not quite.
When Kuryu arrives in court a red flag immediately goes off. Kuryu notices that Umebayshi has one of the most renown “not-guilty” attorneys in all of Japan, named Gamo (Koshiro Matsumoto - Takako Matsu’s real life father), as his personal attorney. Kuryu and his staff are stumped on how a low level street kid could retain such an elite lawyer. Furthermore, it doesn’t take Gamo long to refute all the seemingly clear cut evidence brought forth by the D.A.’s office. Kuryu and his staff must now work furiously to uncover the mystery behind Umebayshi and his elite connections.
The hows and whys behind the Umebayshi case is unveiled without much thrills, but rather in a light hearted manner staying true to its television lineage. The movie also makes a side trip to Busan, South Korea and features a cameo appearance by popular South Korean actor Byung-hun Lee, but don’t watch “Hero” for this reason alone. Kuryu and and Amamiya are in South Korea for only 15 minutes of the movie’s runtime and Byung-hun Lee appears in two scenes that lasts no longer than a minute combined. (Nice way for Byung-hun Lee to pick up a paycheck, but not so nice for the fans that wanted more from the Korean connection). Furthermore, the filming locations chosen for the backdrop of their Korean trip was lousy, never revealing any of the charm found in the port city of Busan. The best thing about their 15 minute escapade to Korea was to hear Takako Matsu recite a few Korean lines in her charmingly broken manner.
As stated earlier, the storyline found in “Hero” is strictly marginal stuff, which would normally kill most movies, but “Hero” isn’t your normal movie. Like Umebayashi himself, the movie holds some very elite connections. Those connections would be with the cast of “Hero”, who are able take something so remedial and turn it into such a charming affair. The chemistry between Takuya Kimura and Takako Matsu seem real and their relationship turns out to be the true drawing card of the film. The impressive supporting cast (Hiroshi Abe, Teruyuki Kagawa, Fumiyo Kohinata, Ittoku Kishibe, Haruka Ayase) collectively give the movie a feel good ensemble cast type of feel, something like “The Wow-Choten Hotel” but with a weaker script. Granted, “Hero” is mostly a lightweight shtick, but the movie works anyways because of its charming cast of performers.
Cast:
Takuya Kimura - Ko’hei Kuryu
Takako Matsu - Maiko AmemiyaHiroshi Abe - Mitsugu Shibayama
Haruka Ayase
Takuzo Kadono- Yutaka Ushimaru
Teruyuki Kagawa
Masanobu Katsumura- Tatsuo Egami
Ittoku Kishibe
Kiyoshi Kodama- Toshimitsu Nabeshima
Fumiyo Kohinata- Takayuki Suitsugu
Ryoko Kuninaka
Byung-hun Lee
Bokuzo Masana- Guardman
Koshiro Matsumoto
Kiichi Nakai
Nene Otsuka- Misuzu Nakamura
Gregory Pekar- TV Shopping Host
Tamori
Norito Yashima- Kenji Endo
If you like this movie you may enjoy: The Wow-Choten Hotel, I Just Didn’t Do It, The Star of Prefecture Government
