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Haihil (2014)
High heels, low score
Man On High Heels follows a very tried and tested Korean gangster/cop formula but with a rather unusual quirk. Korean mega star and tuna salesman, Cha Seung Won plays against type as Yoon Ji Wook, a tough detective with a surprising secret. Cha's no mercy, gung-ho, bone breaking cop is about to go through with gender reassignment surgery.
Homosexuality and gender reassignment are topics rarely touched upon in mainstream Korean movies and all credit must be given for a serious attempt at broaching an oft ignored issue. Cha does put in a very good performance lurching from a deadly fighting force to an emotionally drained and confused individual struggling with his own identity. However the film is rather uneven; the emotional impact of the scenes illustrating Cha's treatment jar against the stereotypical ultra violence. Though the fight scenes are well staged they distract from the drama which should be the focus of the film. The story loses its pace and way in the last quarter and the ending is horribly predictable. An admirable attempt and a good performance by Cha but overall the film is a disappointment.
Wi-heom-han sang-gyeon-rye (2011)
Runs out of steam.
Clash Of The Families or Meet The In Laws as it is also known, is a broad comedy that was a big hit at the box office in Korea that has managed to spawn a spin off film that was released earlier this year.
The film is set in the immediate aftermath of the Seoul 1988 Olympics and concerns itself with the blossoming relationship which starts during Hyun Jun's tenure in the army when he receives pen pal letters from Da Jong. The major obstacle in their relationship is that they are from two different regions in Korea; Hyun Jun is from the liberal, laid back Jeollanamdo area and Da Jong is a resident of Busan in Gyeongsangnamdo, renowned for its political conservatism, frankness, fiery tempers and bad driving. The parents of Da Jong and Hyun Jun are staunchly against their union due to their prejudices about their provinces. This is where all of the films humour comes from and as a non-Korean speaker, a lot of the gags surrounding accent and stereotypes may be lost.
The knockabout comedy is flimsy with regards to plot and though the leads are initially very endearing the script does little to keep interest. One of the best things about the film is Song Sae Byeok's portrayal of Hyun Jun, the quiet, romantic writer which is subtle and effective.
There is enough to enjoy in the first hour, the tone is light and playful and there are enough laughs but the second half drags, the plot, or what there is of a plot is overdrawn, the same jokes are rehashed over and over and the conclusion is visible a mile off. Some editing and a few more gags could have elevated the film into something more but as it stands, the film falls rather flat.
Lost River (2014)
Not bad, not great.
Lost River is neither the cinematic disaster nor the fantastical triumph that has divided many reviews of Gosling's first foray into the director's chair. It is a relatively entertaining left of centre film with many good ideas and a few misguided misfires. Gosling's has learned a lot of his craft under two of most distinct young directors working in America at the moment; Winding Refn and Cianfrance. The style of Gosling's debut borrows from both and also has shades of Mallick and a dash of Jodorowsky thrown into the bubbling mix. Gosling has bravely tried to create an impressionistic version of a dystopia highlighting the crumbling of post-industrial, post-global financial crisis, ravaged small town America.
Gosling has the advantage of being able to call upon a fanatically talented cast. Christina Hendricks is well cast as the mother struggling to keep up payments and prepared to do anything to keep the family home. Ben Mendelson is his usual sinister self as the bank manager cum club owner who uses and abuses his power and position. Iain De Caestecker puts in a good showing as Billy's son Bones. Saoirse Ronan again highlights that she is one of the great young actresses in the world at the moment.
Eva Mendes is as usual extremely charismatic and believable even though she (sadly) does not get much screen time. The only misfire on the acting front is Brit former time traveler, Matt Smith who never really convinces as Bully.
Special note should be made of the excellent soundtrack provided by Johnny Jewel, providing a delectable electro touch to the proceedings.
Gosling has shown he has the chops as a director and that he has plenty of promise and I look forward to seeing more from him.
Noon-e-neun noon i-e-neun i (2008)
Disappointing.
Eye For An Eye has a story so well trodden, you would be walking along a trench; a cop ready to retire who has to see the last job to the end, a devious new criminal gang appear toying with the cops and the established hoods who are well ingrained due to rife corruption in the system. All the makings of an entertaining yet familiar caper.
One of the films two directors, Kwan Kyung Taek, is a big deal in South Korea. Massive success was achieved by his 2001 mega- blockbuster, Chingu, which still stands at number 19 on the all time box office receipts with over 8 million people splurging their money to see it. Kwan has never managed to match or even come close to the financial success . But I feel that his failings as a director are far worse. Chingu runs the gamut of tough upbringing gangsters, 2003's Mutt Boy seems to have forgotten what a plot is and replaced it with violence and Typhoon from 2005 is just plain daft. To put it bluntly the man is a poor director and perhaps the finest example of his flaws is Eye For An Eye. Kwan co-directs the second half f the film whilst Ahn Kwon Tae handles the second part.
Given a fantastic cast including the always interesting, usually fantastic Cha Seung Won and the versatile Han Suk Kyu and a plethora of Korea's finest supporting actors combined with an intriguing revenge plot should be a recipe for cinematic gold. However in the hands of the two director's, they manage to create an erratic and extremely unbelievably performance from Han and develops no sympathy for Cha's character. The direction of the action scenes are poor, the editing makes the film more confusing than it needs be and there is a real lack of character development which devalues the story's twists and turns.
Of late, many films have received unnecessary remakes,but this film is crying out it. It would be great if the same cast could reconvene but with a competent director who can develop characters and build tension. Overall, a great idea on paper but the execution is incompetent.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
Sin Sh@$%y.
The original Sin City was a ballsy, exciting, macho, stunning piece of work and the prospect of more of the same sounded, in theory, very appealing. But nearly ten years have passed since the original, so why are the makers returning to give us another installment of the neo- noir comic adaptation?
Well the past few years have not been kind to either directors; Rodriguez seems content to spew out more of the same kid flicks and low quality b-movies homages and Miller continues to move further to the right with his controversial (also read racist) comic book, The Holy Terror. Oh and let's not forget The Spirit, though I have tried to erase this sorry excuse for a film from my memory bank many times. But come on, surely getting the team back together, with most of the original cast who have not yet died, and an assortment of new big names; Joseph Gordon-Levitt(Oh I loved Third Rock From The Sun), Eva Green (classy), Josh Brolin (hmm pushing it already), Lady Gaga (really?) and er, Mr Selfridge himself Jeremy Piven, should equal brilliance? Or a film that is not quite as good as the first but alright? Or something merely mediocre? No.It is far worse than that.
The big difference between the two installments seems to be that second time around they forgot what a plot is/was/should be. So we are left we three, or at least I feel there was an attempt at three, rather under cooked "stories" to the point that they are not only raw but they are walking on all fours and trying to escape from the horror of being savagely placed in this stinker of a film. But Sin City was not really about a great plot was it? It was the superb visuals? This time round the visuals look more primitive than in the original and give the film a sense of a straight-to-video knock off sequel a' la the pointless S. Darko or unessential American Psycho 2. And as for the sexism, well the original did a great job at showcasing the wide world of women's achievement; strippers and hookers. Now you can through in mostly exposed gold digger in the form of Eva Green, who maybe as they had run out of money, is mostly naked due to cut backs to the wardrobe department.
Throw all these inadequacies together and for 102 minutes of your life you have a super sized plateful of disappointment. In ten years time, I will be avoiding Sin City 3: A Film To Bore You To Death like whatever deadly disease is ravaging the world at that time.
Chunmong (1965)
Essential viewing for fans of Korean movies.
An Empty Dream (Chunmong, 1965) is a Korean remake of a Japanese Pinko film released the previous year. In the hands of master director, Yoo Hyeon Mok, he deviates from the originals soft core titillation and instead presents a dizzying surreal flight of fantasy. A man and a woman who are strangers receiving dental treatment at the same clinic are put under anesthesia at the same time. Hints of strangeness have already been glimpsed on screen but once unconscious, all reality is abandoned and we witness the playing out of a strange love triangle between the strangers and the dentist. The dentist, who is reminiscent of the devil, continually torments the couple and attempts to steal the woman away. A strange film with eschewing the common realist film making Mok was popular for making and which was popular at the time. The film takes a blend of French surrealism, Russian montage and German expressionism and adds a distinctly Korean edge to the proceedings.
This is not a film of narrative excellence but one of blissful, visual stimulation. The film had not been seen for years due to rumours at the time of the lead actress, Park Su Jeong, being filmed naked although none of the supposed footage made it into the final cut.
A bold, sensual, stunning experimental film; extremely unique in South Korean film.
Jayu manse (1946)
The start of something new.
Viva Freedom or Hurrah For Freedom as it also know by, is the first truly Korean film still in existence. A handful of films from the period of the Japanese Occupation are still in print but were severely restricted in terms of topic and style. Viva Freedom is the first film made after Korea achieved independence. The film is not complete and it is actually unknown as to how much footage has been lost. This and the urge to create a response to fresh history gives the film a frantic, unpolished feel. It also makes the story difficult at time to follow. Essentially the film concerns itself with freedom fighters battling the Japanese in the latter stages of World War 2. Of the footage that survives we are confronted with a range of characters and varying involvements in the struggle for independence. The film is important historically as the start of a new, independent Korea cinema but also politically; showing how different factions unified to fight an external enemy who would in 4 years after the films release be at war with each other.
Hyeolmaek (1963)
A fascinating look at post war South Korea.
This is a little gem of a film and sadly one that is rather unknown. Thanks to the efforts of The Korean Film Archive many classic Korean movies are being remastered and put online for anyone to view.
The film follows the exploits of a group of refugees who have crossed over from North Korea and are trying to make ends meet whilst enduring extremely difficult conditions in their new surroundings. The classic theme of the old against the new is particularly engaging in this film. The shift from the traditional, conservative views and imposed hierarchy to the new post war optimism: a new state is emerging where there is still talk of the possibility of reunification, new industrialization and the opportunities to benefit, the Korean people's relationship with it's main ally, America and the changing attitudes of youth. The sophisticated direction and effective acting means the film manages to balance laugh out loud comedic moments with harrowing scenes of families in turmoil. A film ripe for rediscovery.