April, Week Two

The final week of April, which was Week Two since my return - 23rd to 29th April.


23 April:

The Kallang Wave
Has a tremendous amount of sincerity, but unfortunately, that alone does not make a good documentary. There are far too many talking heads, half of which have nothing significant to say and shouldn't even have been included in the first place. This also results in a fatal lack of focus, and when coupled with overly-cute narration, results in a whole lot of nothing at all. Still, a decent enough polytechnic final-year project - it's makers really have to thank their lucky stars it got a commercial release at all.

黑眼圈 (I Don't Want to Sleep Alone)
Tsai Ming-liang's newest film is also one of his most tender. Shot in his native Kuala Lumpur, it's also back to basics for him in terms of form and content. Casting aside the trashy over-the-top antics and pointless musical numbers of his last few works and focusing on a handful of characters and their gradual discovery of one another works wonders. Casting is a gem, especially unknown actor Norman Atun in the role of the Bangladeshi construction worker who falls for the Chinese man he rescues. The final scenes are moving, tender, and so very human. It also helps that some shots are simply gorgeous, especially those set in an abandoned construction site. Oh, and that one scene where two people try to have sex while holding their breaths due to the overpowering haze is bloody hilarious.


25 April:

Fracture
It's a slick Hollywood vehicle that wants to appear much smarter than it really is. Thankfully, they have Sir Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling squaring off in the leading roles, which makes for a great distraction, for they elevate the rote battle of wits into something immensely entertaining to watch. It's a pity the script is so damn predictable, and the Big Revelation hinges on something that can be spotted by experienced viewers within the first ten minutes of the flick, and so can be seen coming a mile away.


26 April:

武士の一分 (Love and Honor)
This is director Yoji Yamada's third in his samurai trilogy, and features a moving central relationship between a lowly-ranking samurai, blinded in the line of duty and his loving, dutiful wife. Ex-teenybopper Takuya Kimura shows fine acting chops, as does Rei Dan playing his wife. You don't get huge surprises, because that's not the point; it's the delicate crafting of human relationships that are the focus of the film. It moves along at a graceful, stately pace, but is no less gripping for it, and as typical of Yamada, his climactic battle is full of long, suspenseful takes, broken by split-second explosions of violence. A beautiful film, and a wonderful experience.


29 April:

叫 (Retribution)
The English title is a poor alternative for the original "Sakebi", which translates to "call" or "scream". The latter title actually makes sense in the context of the film (the ghost gives a spine-chilling howl as she floats towards the poor sap she's haunting), while the former doesn't really come into play at all. You can only have retribution if someone's done something horrible to another person, and there's really none of that here, just some demented bitch who died and blames everyone for ignoring her. While the glacial pacing could have been speeded up a tad, I must give credit to director Kiyoshi Kurosawa for his unconventional treatment of a banal tale. It's a huge step up from his previous film ロフト (Loft), which didn't make any bloody sense, but it still stays far away from the mainstream. Plotwise, it still needs work, for it gets into a tangle at the end it doesn't quite know how to get out of, wasting an intriguing concept. His effects work is mostly done in-camera, which makes for some pretty cool visuals, especially when he uses techniques most often seen in music videos for a scary effect. I also love the fact that he saves his most stunning CGI effect only till the end, and it's spectacular indeed, making me gasp audibly in my seat. I'm recommending this, but just barely, given that the script still seems like an early draft.

사생결단 (Bloody Tie)
The only film I saw at the Singapore International Film Festival, this is the movie that 門徒 (Protégé) desperately needed to be, but wasn't by a long shot. It's about drugs, it's dirty, gritty, and above all, feels real. Perhaps it's due to the swearing - you can't have a drug pic without swearing; it's just not right. Or maybe it's the amazing drug-induced hallucinations brought to stunning life by CGI - hordes of roaches crawling over a young woman's body is just not cool. Maybe it's the fact that the actors and actresses are willing to give a lot more here - there are no egos or "protecting" of anyone's image; a popular TV actress throws herself with abandon into her role and pretty much spends her earlier scenes nude and whoring herself out. Yes, it lacks some focus at times, and this causes it to be less powerful than it could've been, especially with the long running time. But it's willing to get its hands dirty and the result is a much more visceral and satisfying experience. I wouldn't call it fantastic, but it's definitely better than average.