Dominatio Per Malum

Antichrist (2009) 3/10

Antichrist will polarize audiences. You either love it or hate it. In my case, i hated it. It was a dull, pretentious and needlessly graphic film which made the film experience as enjoyable as a lobotomy. But it one respect it did succeed marvelously in that it managed to evoke despair in the hearts of the audience. Antichrist is bookended by moments of brilliance. The prologue opens in a hauntingly gorgeous black and white sequence while the epilogue finishes with a mind-scratching sequence. But the core of the film is relentlessly bleak, starting out as an exercise in psychological spooks before degenerating into mindless gratuitous torture. This is one film that i won’t watch again. While i am a fan of how director Lars Von Triers pushes the envelope of cinema, this is one film i would classify as a provocative failure. The film plays out like a lucid, psychotic nightmare and the allusions it draws about the fundamental essence of human nature is as haunting as it is repulsive. The leads, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe are fearless in their performance but the limited and unfathomable script lets them down.

“A fever dream of the twisted, depraved and unnerving, it’s quite unlike anything you’ve seen before. And quite unlike anything the right-minded may want to see again.”- David Edwards

“I rarely find a serious film by a major director to be this disturbing. Its images are a fork in the eye. Its cruelty is unrelenting. Its despair is profound. Von Trier has a way of affecting his viewers like that.”- Roger Ebert

Tokyo Godfathers (2003) 5/10

In Tokyo Godfathers, director Satoshi Kon creates over the top characters and situations within a realistic world and the end result is a jarring pastiche that never feels quite right. Whereas his previous films like the excellent Millennium Actress (2001) used animation to give realistic portrait of life and Paprika (2006) allowed his imagination to run wild, Tokyo Godfathers does not seem to know whether to be realistic or exaggerated and the result is a film that tries to aim for pathos even as it becomes increasingly over the top. The main characters are a trio of bums who happen to come across an abandoned baby. In their quest to return the child to its rightful parent, various hijinks occur, many of which feels utterly ridiculous and not particularly realistic. The film does not have particularly likeable characters, and its exaggerated tone makes it all the more difficult to identify with its characters who seem more like caricatures. This is difficult when the film obviously wants to make us sympathetic to for example the young girl estranged from her father but sabotages the attempt at pathos with over the top hijinks. The end result is a disjointed film that neither achieves slapstick comedy nor emotional connection. The film itself is still competently crafted and direction, but lacks soul.

Due to Life, i won’t have the time nor energy to watch movies, much less review them. So, this blog won’t be updated very much. From time to time, if i am very free and it strikes my fancy, i might write something down. Otherwise, this blog is for all intents and purposes semi-dead.

Still, here are some of the films which i recently watched. I may not even bother to write anything about it so just look at the numerical rating.

Australia (2008) 6/10

Way too long and overindulgent. But entertaining nonetheless.

The Girlfriend Experience (2009) 6/10

Stephen Soderberg follows up his epic, 2 part film Che with a small, arthouse flick that uses Sasha Grey as stunt casting. But Ms Grey is surprisingly good in the lead role and the film’s disjointed time-line whilst mildly annoying at first actually enhances the film. While the film looks great, and Sasha Grey provides the requisite eye candy, the film feels distant and the main character remains a cipher, whose motivations and personality never rise to the surface.

Speedy Scandal (2008) 8/10

Despite a totally hackneyed and predictable plot, the film was one of the top grossing Korean films of 2008. And understandably so because it is a great crowd-pleaser and is highly entertaining. Cha Tae-hyun may be repeating the same performance he did in My Sassy Girl but he is so pitch perfect as the comical battered male that you just don’t care that he is recycling his persona. It may not be art, but it sure is entertaining.

Push (2009) 5/10

It has a nice soundtrack. That’s the most positive thing i can say about this film.

Coraline (2009) 8/10

Easily one of the best films of the year and definitely in the running for best animated film (currently only Pixar’s Up seems to be its only challenger) Coraline is a dark, intelligently crafted tale that will win the hearts of adults. Its not really kid friendly and i can best describe it as Pan’s Labyrinth turned into an animated film. Visually, top marks. Its a smart and beautifully rendered film that deserves to be seen.

Yes Man(2008) 3/10

Just Say No to this.

Stage Beauty (2004) 7/10

Claire Danes is good but it is Billy Crudup who gives a phenomenal performance.

JCVD (2008) 8/10

Jean Claude Van Damme in his best film ever. Surprisingly, JCVD is an affectionate, entertaining movie that actually gives Van Damme the opportunity to show off his acting chops. Just as the Wrestler gave Mickey Rourke a new start, JCVD equally gives Van Damme the best film he has ever made. Unfortunately, noone seems to have noticed, but JCVD is well worth taking a look, if only for an amazing extended soliloquy given by Van Damme which is as honest as it is heartbreaking.

Franklyn (2008) 4/10

Bold concept, interesting visuals. But I can’t fucking understand the damn film!

Romeo + Juliet (1996) 3/10

Never ever ever ever let your cast speak in iambic pentameters. The characters speak in Shakespearean dialogue, which unless you are studying R&J as part of Lit class means that the average viewer can’t catch the dialogue. Not even a winsome pairing of Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio could save this overwrought mess.

Suspect X (2008) 5/10

Retarded plot.

Still Walking (2008) 6/10

Very Arthouse and incredibly slow but if you have the patience, Hirokazu Kore-eda weaves an intriguing tale that explores family dynamics. I was a tad disappointed with this because his earlier film Nobody Knows was one of my all time favourite films.

Last Chance Harvey (2008) 6/10

Annie Hall (1977) 6/10

Overrated.

Two Lovers (2008) 5/10

It’s a good thing that Joaquin Phoenix wants to quit acting, because he is not a particularly good actor.

The Spirit (2008) 1/10

Other than look good, the Spirit has absolutely no other redeeming qualities. It was tortuous just watching this ridiculous over the top junk. It jumped the shark very early on with a toilet bowl inspired combat sequence that was utterly ridiculous. Coupled with painfully cheesy dialogue, 1 dimensional cardboard characters, an inspid script and a cast full of talented actors either overacting (Samuel L Jackson in a Razzie worthy performance) or sleepwalking through the script (the normally talented Scarlet Johansson looks shockingly out of place in such a loser of a film) or basically being uninteresting (Gabriel Macht). This is mind-numblingly bad stuff, all the more shocking because of the pedigree of its cast. An unmitigated disaster.

Synedoche, New York (2008) 2/10

Synecdoche: n. A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword). — American Heritage Dictionary

I don’t understand Synecdoche, New York. Directed by Charlie Kaufman, you know that this film will be one of those WTF movies. You either get it or you don’t. I don’t get it. Which makes the film a slow, boring and uninteresting film about a gloomy disenchanted character. The only saving grace is that that character is essayed brilliantly by Philip Seymour Hoffman and the rest of the cast is talented. But the script is labyrinthe, complex and oftentimes does not make a wit of sense. Yes there are themes of fiction blurring with reality, the existential angst of life blah blah blah. But the film is so mystifying and the plot so boring that it all doesn’t matter. The film alienates most viewers who will be bored to tears. But it is bold, it is crazy and the whole film is one big mindfuck. Meaning some people may actually love it. It is impossible to hold a neutral view: either you think it is bold transcendent film-making or pretentious navel gazing.

Personally, i hated it.

“To say that Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York” is one of the best films of the year or even one closest to my heart is such a pathetic response to its soaring ambition that I might as well pack it in right now. That at least would be an appropriate response to a film about failure, about the struggle to make your mark in a world filled with people who are more gifted, beautiful, glamorous and desirable than the rest of us — we who are crippled by narcissistic inadequacy, yes, of course, but also by real horror, by zits, flab and the cancer that we know (we know!) is eating away at us and leaving us no choice but to lie down and die.”- Dargis, New York Times

“What a pretentious piece of garbage from a writer/director I don’t particularly care for. Charlie Kaufman expects the audience to care about a man who doesn’t care about himself, let alone the people around him? “- IGN

The Escapist (2008) 4/10

Feels like a bad episode of Prison Break.

City of Amber (2008) 5/10

I have an irrational dislike of Dakota Fanning the child actress. I think it is probably because i think she can’t act and is terribly annoying. This entry is not about Dakota Fanning, but another young child actress. The difference is that think Saoirse Ronan is immensely talented and trust me, she will go far in showbiz. Saoirse Ronan was the best thing in Atonement where she stole the limelight from Kiera Knightley and she is the best thing in City of Ember, notwithstanding a the fact that her character is a generic cookie cutter role. The other standout in City of Ember is Bill Murray who plays the evil mayor with just the right flair. The visuals are also great and the make believe city is clothed in a beautiful hue. In fact there is so much that is right with the film, that i was really disappointed that the final product was a tepid and mediocre piece of filmmaking. The film had so much potential to be a post-apocalyptic Fallout type movie, but all the edge has been removed by making this a children flick that appeals to all ages. As such, the potential despair of a city of inhabitants living in an artificial cave is never properly brought out and the film becomes a standard Disney-fied flick, shorn of all its edges and just a safe, boring and utterly predictable movie. The film had potential, but because it needed to be PG and family friendly, it became painfully mediocre. A pity, because Saoirse Ronan is quite a promising young actress.

May (2002) 4/10

The film feels like an anti-Amelie, a sort of American Psycho meets Carrie. It is quite a cult hit, but for much of the film’s running time, i was unimpressed. The characters are uninteresting, and their actions often fall on the side of the absurd. Ultimately the film was an alienating experience and i never did connect with either the characters or story.

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) 4/10

I just can’t enjoy Mike Leigh’s films. I did not enjoy his earlier film Vera Drake, and i was bored by his latest, Happy-Go-Lucky. Despite being critically lauded, I was equal bits bored and annoyed by Leigh’s latest film, Happy-Go-Lucky. Ebert has put this film amongst the best films of the year, but for the hell of me i couldn’t see the charm of this film at all. Sally Hawkins’s performance has been praised as Oscar worthy but i found her character obnoxious and frankly annoying. This is not so much a limitation of Hawkins as an actress, but the role was written such that it is almost impossible not to go over the top and turn into a caricature. Hawkin plays an unnaturally optimistic character, the sort that is so cheery it becomes grating. The misanthropic side of me probably found that portrayal immensely annoying and the film itself plods through at a fairly glacial place. The film could easily be renamed the “Mundane and boring existence of an annoyingly cheery girl”. The only enjoyable scenes were the ones where Hawkins’s character takes driving lessons. All the other scenes are just plain boring.

Dream [Bi-Mong] (2008) 5/10

Dream, or Bi-Mong, is Korean auteur Kim Ki Duk’s latest film. Like all his films, Dream is a love it or hate it film. It is obtuse and carries with it a dreamlike quality. By Kim’s standards, the film has a surprisingly significant amount of dialogue. The story, is about how a man’s dream becomes intertwined with the life of a woman, such that she carries out what he dreams. The film’s logic is labyrinthe and not always logical, while Kim moves with his usual style and flair. To me Dream was similar to his earlier film Time: both alienated me and i did not enjoy them. Still, i can appreciate Kim’s ambitions and his unwillingness to churn out easy, crowdpleasing efforts. Dream is challenging, difficult, obtuse and the classic stereotype of arthouse films. I didn’t like it, but i certainly admired it.

Bedtime Stories (2008) 5/10

You know the film is in trouble when the CGI guinea pig upstages the cast. Adam Sandler reprises his lovable schmuck persona for the hundredth time and more or less sleepwalks through this bland and insipid kid-friendly comedy. The film is not bad per se, and may even occasionally provide some chuckles. However, the plot is so relentlessly unambitious and the film often uses CGI as a substitute for good storytelling that it really irks you to see talented actors (Guy Pearce, Keri Russell) sleepwalking through a mediocre flick. The film is tame, predictable and at times feels like it is cheating. The scene where Adam Sandler’s “Skeeter” character presents his winning idea on how to remake the hotel and win the contest is lame beyond description and painfully anti-climatic. The film’s most memorable moments are when the above-said big eyed CGI guinea pig is given screen time. Sometimes, you’d rather watch an ambitious but failed film project than a watchable but undeniably middling effort.

Be Kind Rewind (2008) 6/10

Excellent concept, flawed execution. The idea of sweded films is hilarious, but the film doesn’t actually show alot of sweded films and actually spends more time on the idea of a bunch of guys saving a video store. This is one of those films which had tremendous potential but ended up being only above average.

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) 8/10

Ang Lee’s classic film about food, love, family and women has all the right ingredients and he concocts a delicious and memorable serving of one of the best hours of cinema.

Run Papa Run (2008) 8/10

One of the best HK films of 2008, this is an increasingly small field of contenders, given the slump in quality of HK films. Still there are gems and this film shows off Louis Koo’s range.

Voice (2005) 7/10

Intriguing premise, and one of the better movies in the series of ghost stories set in high school. Not as good as Memento Mori but better than the rest.

Wanted (2008) 8/10

Highly enjoyable guilty pleasure. Angelina Jolie and James McAcvoy camp it up in an over the top hyperrealistic assassin tale. The film is utterly ridiculous yet oh so entertaining.

The Verdict (1982) 7/10

One of the best legal movies ever made. Sideny Lumet as director in one of his best films while Paul Newman puts in a great performance.

Manda Bala [Send a Bullet] (2007) 7/10

What I learnt from this movie: Brazil is very, very , very dangerous.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) 7/10

Highly entertaining. Kristen Bell and Jason Segel are familiar faces from TV and its great to see them in prominent roles in this enjoyable rom-com.

Ad Lib Night (2005) 5/10

Interesting story but too slow and too dreary. (more…)

Cyborg She (2008) 3/10

As much as i am a fan of Kwak Jae-Young’s brilliant My Sassy Girl, i have to say that Kawk’s recent works have been a disappointing downhill slope. Windstruck felt like a shadow of My Sassy Girl while his latest effort Cyborg She feels like a shadow of Windstruck (in other words, a shadow of a shadow). All there remains is the merest glimpse of the talents that Kawk used to have. And even though i was unimpressed by Park Chan Wook’s recent I’m A Cyborg But thats OK, Kawk manages to actually create a more pedantic and boring Cyborg movie. Maybe Jap directors should lay off the hot Cyborg girl genre. With uninteresting leads, tepid story telling and a plotline that opens up a gaping big time paradox the film is an instant trainwreck. It feels like a cheap My Sassy Girl Rip-off with its pairing of (once again) loveable male schmuck with masculine female. Only the Male shumuck of Cyborg She is bland and uninteresting while the female protagonist is wooden and forgettable. Overall, a failure.

Just Follow Law (2008) 5/10

Ok, so i was really bored and had nothing better to do. So i watched a Jack Neo Movie. The good news is that it wasn’t as bad as i’d thought i’d be. That doesn’t actually mean that Just Follow Law is a good film, although it passes off as suitably mediocre mindless entertainment. The wafer-thin plot uses the same body switching device seen in films like Freaky Friday and doesn’t bring anything new to the game. The biggest Achilles heel of Singaporean films is terrible acting and equally terrible dialogue. Luckily, Just Follow Law avoids much of these pitfalls. Fann Wong gives a decent, at times even affecting performance while Gurmit Singh is affably likable albeit mediocre. There are some reasonably good supporting roles and surprisingly there is hardly any obviously bad or cringeworthy performance by the cast in general. Dialogue in a mix of english , chinese and singlish is passable and not gratingly fake unlike previous Jack Neo movies. So to conclude, this is actually the best Jack Neo movie i’ve seen. But, that is damning with faint praise because almost all of Neo’s works were either bad or really, really bad. While Just Follow Law is not obviously bad, and possibly even faintly entertaining, it is far from being good. With a cookie cutter plot, over reliance on (bad) CGI and poor resolutions to plot points the film is a generic and forgettable excercise in crass commercialism. The film never aspires to more than middling mediocrity and although, compared to the rest of Jack Neo’s filmography, the film is watchable, it is also painfully unremarkable. So even though Just Follow Law may be the best Jack Neo movie i’ve seen, it is still decidedly rotten and if you really need to watch a film about body switching you are better off picking up Freaky Friday instead.

Connected (2008) 5/10

The best thing I can say about Connected is that this Asian remake is better than the Hollywood version called Cellular. Unfortunately, that is faint praise since the original was ludicrous and pretty much forgettable. Connected is plagued by the same problem as Cellular, namely ridiculous script. In addition, it also has blatantly obvious Motorola cell phone product placements. When every single character uses the same brand of phone whose logo is always given prominent placement, you know product placement has gone overboard. The cast is passable but largely forgettable although Liu Ye looks ridiculous playing a white haired villain. The main annoyance is Louis Koo who plays a somewhat timid character who magically saves the day through some logic stretching coincidences and sheer luck. And seriously, how is it that Barbie Hsu gets rammed by a car, TWICE and has no visible wounds and still looks good throughout the film? Connected is a dumb, forgettable and passably mediocre film.