True Legend (2011)

A badass, throwback Wuxia film, this Chinese kung fu saga tells the story of Su, a war hero who suffers the consequences of handing to his adopted brother, a bitter, venom-poisoned sociopath, his rightful governorship. The opening of the film is an elaborate mountain-set battle scene establishing Su as a stalwart, capable warrior. The initial melodrama moves along quickly; within 20 or so minutes, Su has risen and fallen as a hero, his villainous step-brother has already declared his intentions, and the stakes (the step-brother is in custody of Su's son) are established. Broken and deprived of the use of his right arm, Su heals in the mountains with his wife (and a holy doctor, played by Michelle Yeoh) until he is confronted by The God Of Wushu, a mystical figure who taunts him and assures him that until he can conquer him in battle, he will not be ready for his step-brother. It is here that the story becomes slightly more complex; rather than being a straight-forward wuxia revenge flick, this is just as much about Su conquering his own demons as it is about beating up bad guys. The narrative takes its time to get to its climax, and when you think the film is about to end, it has another chapter, about the West's corrupting influence in the region, that deviates from the rest of the film. However, the central theme of Su living up to his potential, and disregarding his fears, longings, and insecurities to be the best warrior (and father) he can be.

The cast is dedicated, effective, and in tune with the material; the flippant, "I have somewhere else to be" attitude of some Shaw Bros. actors is nowhere to be seen here. Vincent Zhao, as Su, goes through several remarkable character changes, and handles them, both physically and emotionally, with aplomb. Andy On is despicable and terrifying as the villainous step-brother; his physical prowess and shocking training methods keep the tension and forward momentum of the narrative going for a large chunk of the film. In smaller roles, Michelle Yeoh, Jay Chou (as the God of Wushu), and a certain late, great Western martial arts figure (who, singlehandedly, saves the last 20 minutes of the film) add a degree of class and pedigree to what could, on the surface, be easily dismissed as a throwaway kung-fu import. The other key element that separates this from your average Eastern beat-'em-up is the spectacular fighting choreography. Director Yuen Woo Ping's name is synonymous with large-scale, balletic kung-fu; aside from his legendary directorial credits, like Drunken Master, and my personal favorite, Iron Monkey, he provided the choreography for flicks like Kill Bill, The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Fist of Legend, Kung Fu Hustle, and Once Upon A Time in China. He brings his legendary expertise here, with a plethora of fights that come fast and furious like Dom Toretto, each one crucially different than the last. Andy On's 5 venom fist, in particular, is a scary and awe-inspiring delight. The story is strong, and holds up (until the end), but the dynamic fighting is what makes this film occasionally pop off the screen and transcend into something signature and memorable.

Recommended for fans of large-scale Wuxia flicks like Iron Monkey or Fearless. I do not know if it contains enough universal appeal to crossover to western audiences (the crowd I saw it with seemed unsure of how to react, with genuine applause and inappropriate ironic laughter being expressed equally), but I certainly found it to be a remarkable, graciously old-school Wuxia tale.

P.S. This movie is shot REALLY well for any film, let alone an action flick. The skies, mountains, and sets of this movie are fantastic, and will tickle any of the photographically inclined who end up seeing it.

Death Note II: The Last Note (2006)

The sequel to 2006's live-action manga adaptation, this entry tells the contuining story of Light, who uses the Death Note to kill whomever he wishes by merely writing their name within its pages, and L, the gifted, intuitive cyberdetective obsessed with uncovering his identity. Without ruining the last film, the ending implied that there would be a sort of team-up between the two characters, and this film largely revolves around the implications of that partnership, from both sides. While L is nearly certain that Light is the enigmatic "Kira," as he is known, he is continuously thwarted by Light's ability to use the constituents of the book to his advantage. Meanwhile, the rest of the world reacts, in various ways, to Kira's unrelenting presence in the media, along with the arrival of, what seems like, another Death Note into the hands of another "Kira."

As it is more directly bound by plot and specific characters than the last installment, this follow-up is not quite as thematically ambitious as its predecessor, and does not focus on the societal impact of Kira's actions as much as their effect on the familiar characters from part 1, and two crucial new female characters. Where the last one played with the viewer's emotions in regards to Light, and how he simultaneously expressed empathy and ruthlessness through the Death note, this one paints the characters in broader strokes, and makes less of an effort to keep their motivations behind their actions ambiguous. However, in exchange, there is more an emphasis on immediacy and suspense, and, after a full movie setting up the duel between L and Light, it is a blast to see their rivalry take center stage while the global ramifications of the Death Note pile up around them. The fundamental differences in their characters are more highlighted this time around, and their strained, yet somewhat understanding interplay is the main joy of the film. Also along for the ride, with further extrapolation, are Light's police official father, his apple-eating guardian god-of-death, Ryuk, and L's loyal handler, Watari; one of the advantages of the two films being filmed with such little time-lapsed is that not only is the entire cast present, but everyone looks and acts exactly as they should, considering the plot begins mere moments after the original's ending.

Highly Recommended for fans of the original, or of ambitious, morally ambiguous manga or cinema. I was not as taken off guard with this one as I was with the first one, but that is only due to my lack of awareness of the series prior to that viewing; in terms of sequels, I kept waiting for this one to show the dirt under its fingernails from playing in its own playground for too long, but the film managed to ride the momentum provided by the original until its thoroughly satisfying wallop of an ending.

Death Note (2006)

Bleak, serio-comic Japanese film about a young man who comes into possession of a book that has the power to kill any living person on earth by merely writing their name down in it. The protagonist (if you can call him that), Light, is an average teen who finds the book in a dumpster, and is immediately descended upon by a creature named Ryuk, who identifies himself as the previous owner of the book. He explains the rules to Light, and acts as sort of a guardian angel, only without the angel part; he is more of a sounding board for Light's ideas than a conscience. Initially well-meaning and focusing only on nationally known criminals, his antics with the book become so nefarious and undeniably supernatural that a force begins to oppose him, led by the police and an ominous force named L who communicates through a surrogate and a computer. The moral and practical implications and pressures of what he is doing begin to take their toll on Light, and he descends into a pragmatic madness to justify his use of the book.

The film is based on a Manga, and it is evident by the structure of the plot; even more so than Akira, this feels like a perfectly compiled "Greatest Hits" of a larger, more overarching story. Light is a very complicated protagonist, and his issues are certainly not resolved by the films end, enticing me to next seek out the films sequel. His relationships with his girlfriend, his father and, later, L, are layered and real, way above most western portrayals of dark, haunted teens. Him and Ryuk, his Jiminy Cricket, have a uniquely personal interplay that makes one easily forgive the so-so computer animation of his character; neither being a saint, they talk of morality and responsibility in vague terms, aware of goodness but never fully compliant to it. The whole film has a moralist edge that conflicts with the pseudo-nihilism of the characters, and it works in the films favor, creating a world where ethics are impotent without power, while achieving power corrupts ones ethics.

Highly Recommended for fans of gritty Japanese morality tales a la Battle Royale. As I have not read this or any other manga, I cannot refer to how it compares to the final film, but I've heard from friends that the Death Note manga is overdrawn, melodramatic, and superficial, none of which I would say about the cinematic adaptation.

13 Tzameti (2005)

Stark, straightforward French drama about a house-painter who gets fired, and becomes complicit in his former client's illegal activities. The plot, and watching it develop, is the principal joy here; the writing feels real and terse, without giving away anything the audience cannot infer on their own. The black and white cinematography contributes to the neo-realist vibe, allowing for expressionistic and stylized compositions without sacrificing the direct honesty of the piece. The acting is very strong, and, as is common in French productions aware; everyone knows what their part and function is, and deliver their performances in simple, subtle strokes. The central figure of the house-painter is particularly well-cast, exhibiting both amorality and vulnerability in varying degrees, as many of us do regularly in day-to-day life. The worst thing the film has going against it is the impending American remake, starring Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke and Ray Winstone. The slow, deliberate plotting is decidedly un-Hollywood, and I sense that the pleasure of slowly figuring out what the hell is going on will be even more lost once the advertising, beyond the blatantly revealing logline, conveys all the key beats in the first half. Nonetheless, this original currently stands as a terrific example of contemporary French neo-realism, and a very strong, very real crime film.

Highly Recommended for terse, realistic French crime films a la Man Bites Dog. Anyone with any interest in the upcoming remake should check it out first, as, I am sure, the focus there will not be what is key here, namely the deliberate development of the plot.

Zombie (1979)

Boring zombie outbreak movie with a voodoo twist that cannot find a story to justify the great zombie death scenes. The plot starts in New York, as a few zombies attack offshore boats, leading several people to an island where the zombie epidemic is beginning. The decision to leave New York, which is actually used decently well for a foreign production, and take these main characters, who are dull, poorly written and acted, and have no emotional investment from the audience, to an island where they are the only potential victims is a mistake that kills any momentum the film achieves on sheer ingenuity, such as the scene where a zombie eats a shark underwater. The deaths are well designed, as in Fulci's The Beyond, but, like that film, they are the momentary breathers squeezed in between a lifeless, tedious narrative. The shoddy special effects in these scenes (most evident in a dummy head that gets impaled) would be okay if the rest of the film did not take itself so seriously and melancholy and embraced, like the best Argento films do, the pulpy, larger-than-life aspects of the story.

Skip it, save for zombie film nuts that just HAVE to see that movie where that zombie eats that shark...that was me, hee hee.

P.S. The best scenes (zombies crossing the brooklyn bridge, zombie vs. shark, eye piercing) can all be found on youtube to save the hour and a half. THAT is highly recommended.

The Good The Bad The Weird (2010)

Fun, if unremarkable Korean western that sustains an unremarkable plot with a breezy pace and exciting scenarios. The story is basically a retread of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; a drifting badass and a thieving buffoon team up to find a lost treasure, with a traitorous mercenary hot on their tail. While the film apes Leone's story beats, it does not even try to appropriate his style; the long, deliberate takes of Leones are replaced by quick pans and cuts that keep the film moving along quickly enough to look past its faults, namely the soullessness of characters based on better, more nuanced performances. Aside from "The Weird," played by Chan-Wook Park mainstay Song Kang-ho, the central roles are played, for the most part, at face value, with little subtext or mystery present until the final scene, which actually does manage to impress. The set pieces of the film are very well executed, if a tad contained, and the action comes often enough that the hackery of the script rarely catches up with the film. However, even when compared with something like Sukiyaki Western Django, which took its ridiculous plot to even further visual and kinetic heights, it does not make for particularly relevant or compelling viewing for most film goers.

Slightly Recommended for fans of goofy westerns a la Sukiyaki Western Django. This is, as I should've guessed, a clear case of style over substance. If that's your bag, especially in relation to westerns, this is a fun way to spend 2 hours and 10 minutes. Otherwise, there are better movies of the sort worth seeking out.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

Thoroughly badass Shaw Bros. film about a young man who, after watching his family slaughtered by a corrupt general, dedicates his life to revenge via mastering the martial arts. Gordon Liu, Pai Mei AND Johnny Mo from Kill Bill, plays the pissed off youngster, who seeks the tutelage of the monks of the Temple of Shaolin. Once there, they inform him that to truly master martial arts, he must be put through a rigorous testing regiment involving 35 chambers, which contain trials that focus on various aspects of warriordom. While all 35 chambers are not all shown (mercifully), we see enough of his testing that we are not only familiarized with several of the philosophical backbones of the Shaolin temple, but are in awe of the physical prowess the monks must possess, especially Liu's, for making it all seem real, rather than effortless. These scenes are paced well, with Liu's San Te clearly excelling at certain tests, but needing to find his footing in others. Most of the time, his ingenuity leads to solutions that had not been seen before, leading him to be the most prized student of the academy until graduation, where he implores the head Abbott to instate a 36th chamber to train laymen. His quest to bridge the gap between physical empowerment and secularism is at the heart of the film, beyond his revenge plot, and does much to make this more than a kickass kung fu film. That being said, the fights are all fairly unique, and are exceptionally well choreographed; I especially adored the final battle scene, which takes place in the mountains, far from civilization, with the natural beauty being far more powerful in its subdued, unglorified state than, say, the overly stylized fight at the climax of House of Flying Daggers. The closeness of the relationship between Gordon Liu and the director, his half brother, Chia-Liang Liu, is tangible, with the acting, staging, and camera working, seemingly effortlessly, in perfect synergy.

Highly recommended for fans of HK kung-fu movies, particularly those out of the Shaw Bros. camp. Based on the strength of this one, I believe I'll be checking out the array of collaborations between Gordon and Chia-Liang Liu.

Dead Fish (2008)

Cute, if slightly tepid British crime yarn about a hitman and a young lad in love who accidentally switch phones, and the mayhem that ensues. The plot, a collection of contrivances and goofy, colorful characters, all very reminiscent of Guy Ritchie's crime flicks, is most certainly not an appealing factor here. In fact, the biggest thing the film has going against it is that it feels, more or less, like a bunch of shit happening simultaneously without any real, organic sense of cohesion. What IS actually pretty cool and watchable here are the performances. Gary Oldman plays the hitman with a great, surprisingly coiled attitude that is a refreshing change of pace from his typical loud, explosive villain routine. He actually provides the film with a bit of genuine romantic substance that the writing does not nurture in the slightest. Some bloke named Andrew Lee Potts plays the schmuck that switches phones with Oldman, and unwittingly integrates himself into his life, and he's a solid, likeable lead, but he's completely overshadowed by the original love Guru Jimi Mistry as his stoner buddy Sal. Billy Zane and Karel Roden play bumbling hitmen on the hunt for Potts (remember what I said about Guy Ritchie), but aside from Zane's delightfully stuffy attire and demeanor, their scenes have little to write home about and could have easily been cut from the film. And Robert Carlyle basically combines his performances in Transpotting and Formula 51 for his loan shark character, stealing the film in his few scenes with a never-ending spew of verbal abuse and an overarching sense of pragmatic entrepreneurship. The circus-like procession of interesting characters is fairly fun, but the intensity level is not high enough and the events that transpire never deviate far enough from convention to truly be memorable. That being said, there is an interesting, unconventionally toned-down visual aesthetic to the film, and it gives the film more leverage than I believe the script deserved.

Slightly recommended for fans of British gangster films a la Guy Ritchie or Formula 51 (aka The 51st State). I started this one thinking it seemed to be a lost brother to those films; but a distinct creative lack of ambition keeps this one a lesser relative.

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

Humorous, multi-layered concoction by legendary Luis Bunuel involving the dining and living habits of several Bourgeois Frenchies. The central joke of the piece, which I won't ruin here, involves dreams, trips to dine, and the superfluous and interchangable nature of the working class in relation to the middle; the faces of servants, chambermaids, waiters, and even priests seem to blend together into a general subservient mass. Fernando Rey plays the central Bourgeois pig, an ambassador to a Central American country who uses his position to smuggle cocaine, which he reaps huge profits off of as he promotes values and moralism to his dinner companions. He is funny, but the dream-like nature of the narrative only allows him to be that, amusing, rather than well-drawn or deep, unlike his character in Bunuel's That Obscure Object of Desire, which was a tragic victim of his own mortal follies. Much of the movie is pointed satire, and it is successful, but it is only that; Bunuel's obvious hatred for the stereotypes and chariactures he is representing keeps anything of emotional resonance from occurring, as the characters are all lifeless, all-consuming drones. Still, much of what is on display is relevent in any classist society, and the satire truly does breach national and temporal barriers to make it truly relevant, even today. Bunuel's eye for imagery was in full effect, and the scenes here have a haunting, stylized quality that elevates the film, on a superficial level, from boring domestic drama.

Recommended for fans of Bunuel, French and Spanish surrealism, or satires of middle-class life. I am not currently well-scholared in Bunuel's work, having seen only this, Un Chien Andalou, and the aforementioned Obscure Object of Desire, but of the three, this is the weakest, and most superficial.

Boiling Point (1990)

Uncharacteristically subpar effort from "Beat" Takeshi Kitano about a young baseball player who gets involved with the yakuza after a minor incident with an obnoxious thug. The baseball element ends up being a burden; there is countless footage of the sport with little rhyme or reason, save for a fetishistic adoration for the game itself. The main plot is pretty threadbare, typical for Kitano. However, the lead character is fairly nondescript and dumb, and some of the key supporting characters are nothing to write home about. The film truly picks up when Kitano himself enters the scene as an off-the-rails, rebellious gangster. One of his early appearances, involving his use of multiple bottles to make a point to an uncooperative hood, is easily the most lively moment up to that point, and kicks off the lengthy chunk of the film that is tolerable merely for Kitano's screen presence and his keen, deadpan handling of his own material. Nonetheless, he is not the central character, and his extreme antics, when not the focus of the story, do not have quite the same effect as his star vehicles. The framing, staging, and production design are all top-notch, but in service of a relatively tepid story that does not hit any emotional notes.

Slightly Recommended for fans of Beat Takeshi and off-kilter yakuza films. As far as Takeshi films go, I'd start with Violent Cop, Fireworks, or Brother first.

House of Flying Daggers (2004)

Lush, colorful Wuxia film, a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, with a strong story, but somewhat contrived characterizations. Zhang Ziyi plays a blind courtesan in the China of old who is inadvertantly used by the police to discover the location of a rebel group, known as the Flying Daggers. The opening scenes are the most effective, where Ziyi shows the policemen the true extent of her grace in both dance (utilizing her wardrobe and levitated drums as a sort of free-form instrument) and martial arts. As the protaganist, a ladies man who does a Johnny Utah and actually falls for the lass he is using, Takeshi Kaneshiro is broad and boring; his drunken, loutish early scenes and clearly manipulative behavior with Ziyi make him not only pretty reprehensible, but, given what we learn, quite stupid, making him an unsympathetic, lame duck protagonist. Ziyi, who, as the object of affection, requires us to be quite enamored with her, is effective, but, due to the contrivances of the script and the lack of chemistry with her romantic lead, ends up coming off as hollow and inconsequential. The strongest of the performers is veteran Andy Lau, who, as in Infernal Affairs, treads that fine line between sympathy and adversity as Kaneshiro's superior, who trails him into the woods as Ziyi leads him to her presumed leaders. His is the most thankless, unjustified part, and he injects it with a haunted sympathy that makes his scenes the most provacative and deep. The other characters are at the mercy of the plot, which gets nice and complex once the second act wraps up, and the visuals, which definitely benefit from the care and attention that was obviously given to them.

The visuals are very well composed and constructed, but I found them, to my surprise, to get boring; once they are in the woods, they stay in the woods, and the bamboo/forest surroundings got tiresome after a while. At the end, the scenery gets more intense to reflect the characters mood, but it seemed very artificial and showy, rather than moody or powerful. The visuals fare best in the beginning, when the archetypes of the cops and robbers allow for much nuance and dynamics in the presentation of their respective environments. The color of the early brothel scenes does much to justify what comes after, and the intricate interior design of these scenes achieves a unique style that, unlike most of the film, does not evoke another film's imagery. However, for the majority of the running time, I found myself citing Crouching Tiger, Kurosawa's Dreams, and director Zhang Yimou's own Curse of the Golden Flower, and the characterizations did not register strongly enough to rate this higher than any of those superior films. However, the action scenes are more effective and plentiful than those in Crouching Tiger, and, albeit at the cost of the films contemplative, philosophical tone, achieve a sense of energy and excitement. These, along with the strength of the deceptively simple plot, make the film an entertaining, if shallow, endeavor.

Recommended for fans of Wuxia cinema, Zhang Yimou, Zhang Ziyi, Andy Lau, or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. In terms of Yimou, I'd reccomend Hero or Curse of the Golden Flower over this, but this is not a significantly lesser film than those, just a mildly lesser one.

The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)

"Beat" Takeshi Kitano updates the classic Japanese tale of Zatoichi, the blind swordsman/masseur, with his trademark exuberance, deadpan humor, and sporadic, outlandish violence. The plot is overly complicated, but is set up to allow Zatoichi to remain in the background and not wear out his welcome; the Naruto sisters witness their whole family killed by clansmen, and task Zatoichi with taking down them and their rival clan. His chief rival is a ronin, hired as a bodyguard for one of the clan leaders to support his dying wife, and whose skills nearly match Zatoichi's (in the light, that is). The clan politics are interesting, but become tedious; without the traditional Japanese environment, there is little here that significantly deviates from his Yakuza sagas. The two winning elements here are the fight scenes, with use bright, CGI-enhanced blood spurts and lively samurai work to give samurai fans nice sweaty action boners, and, as always, the half-paralyzed superhero of Takeshi himself.

Aside from his understanding of complex crime sagas reminiscent of this one, the match of Kitano with this material is ideal for another reason: his minimalist acting style is so perfect for this environment, it is a wonder why he never felt inclined to tackle the samurai genre before. His face, devoid of movement, as usual, keeps him an enigma, and allows his character to be the catalyst for much of what goes on around him. He massages, gambles, and kills with equal indifference, only consistently taking pleasure at the stupidity of the villains who underestimate him. He shuffles his feet like a pathetic old man, and seems to invite evildoers to test their merit against him. I'm sure his stardom allows this aspect to play much better in Japan, but for an American who appreciates his work, his cheeky, interesting interpretation of Zatoichi definitely made the project worthwhile. Mention must also be made to Gadarukanuru Taka, who, as Zatoichi's goofy companion, Shinkichi, manages to make one forget about all the grotesque old comic foils of these samurai picures, and has several hilarious scenes interspersed with the plot that do much to sustain one's attention span. One scene, where he miserably tries to relay Zatoichi's teachings on three bandits, recalls Beat's brilliant beachside Russian roulette scene in Sonatine.

Recommended to fans of samurai films, color-rich Japanese cinema, or Takeshi Kitano. This is not the rip-roaring samurai adventure one might expect, but definitely contains enough nuance and originality to be a interesting, fun Zatoichi film.

Man Bites Dog (1992)

Provacative, spellbinding French film about a documentary crew following around a serial killer. The killer, Benoit, is a charming son of a bitch, and is the primary aspect of the film that supersedes its avant garde subject matter. He jokes and basks in the "joie de vivre" as he murders completely innocent people in the most inhumane ways you can imagine. The documentary crew is obviously smitten with the man, and accepts his flagrant charm as an excuse for his horrific deeds. The film itself is black and white and, presumably, 16mm, and it truly feels like a documentary. Stylistically, this feels like a French response to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Whereas that film went to great lengths to depict the truest possible monster of his character, this film sees the humor of him; the man that sustains himself through the death of others, including whole families, and yet treasures his own loved ones. I don't want to talk about the film any more. This is a film that deserves to be experienced by everyone, especially today, for it is now more relevant than ever.

Highly Recommended. This is a thoroughly engrossing, intelligent, and powerful film that says much about humanity, filmmaking, and the fragility of life. Must-see.

Happiness of the Katakuris a.k.a. Katakuri-ke no kôfuku (2001)

Funny, but batshit Takashi Miike musical about a family dealing with house-guests repeatedly dying while under their care. The story is light and unchallenging, and provides enough humor and interest to (barely) sustain ones interest. More notable are the directorial touches, such as the musical numbers, which punch up self-consciously corny and cliched scenarios. They are occupied by smoke machines, goofy lyrics, and borderline-slapstick choreography. These scenes are the liveliest in the film, and give the film a subversive edge that rises it above a simple family comedy.

However, the best scene in the film is the opening, a claymation introduction to a weird kind of creature that eats a woman's uvula, and flies away before spawning itself. The spawn, however, does not make a significant appearance in the rest of the film, and I was hoping that this completely fantastical element to the plot would interrupt the relatively mundane proceedings that follow. Even though the cool-ass monster sequence is self-contained, the family plot does pick up once the guests start biting it, and the movie develops its own charming brand of humor. Still, I kept hoping the monster would reveal himself as being the cause of all the deaths, and the film would take a more traditionally Miike turn. Alas...

Recommended for fans of subversive, goofy cinema (John Waters, etc.) and patronizing Japanese humor.