October's Occupations Part One

Balls of Fury
Starring a poor man's Jack Black, it doesn't really come alive until Christopher Walken shows up. Mildly entertaining, if mostly for Walken's completely bizarre performance that's part drag queen, part mafia boss, and all crazy. Oh yes, and old blind Chinese masters are usually amusing, the P.C. police be damned.




太陽照常升起 (The Sun Also Rises)
Made up of three interconnected segments that build upon one another and gradually add depth to all the characters and circumstances. It starts off rather weakly, but by the end, there is a real richness to everything that's very satisfying.






Joshua
Competent enough creepy buildup, but hurtles over the top once the kid is confirmed to be Pure Evil, and everyone starts getting hysterical. This shatters the credibility of the promising premise, and flushes everything right that's gone before down the toilet.





真相 (Truth Be Told)
The filmmakers poured their life savings into making this movie, a purported mystery set in a poor neighborhood. They also posted promo emails to mailing groups, saying "This might not be the best movie ever made, but it is definitely a Singaporean movie with heart. Passion, hardwork and persistence drive this movie. If we can help bring hope to low-income residents, you can help bring hope to Singapore Independent Filmmaking. Let's pack the halls this weekend and show the nation that we care about the aging population and we care about Singapore's independent filmmaking."

Unfortunately, what they forgot to do was make sure they had a good script to begin with. Passion, hard work and persistence may drive this movie, but they sure as hell can't save it from becoming a well-intentioned drag packed with old clichés from bad TV dramas, clunky dialogue and awful camerawork. It's really too bad that Singapore Independent Filmmaking stands for shoddy work in all departments, fueled by delusions of grandeur. And it's also rather sad that this is all they have to show for their life savings.

Дневной дозор (Day Watch)
It's loud, noisy and flashy... but strangely compelling, and ties up the previous movie nicely. Perhaps a little too nicely though, for it's hard to imagine where they can go for the third. Overall, it's a passable way to spend your time.






Shoot 'Em Up
Don't believe the synopsis, ain't nothin' gritty about this live-action cartoon. Each outlandish action sequence seeks to top the one before, and it's all gleefully tongue-in-cheek and loads of ridiculous fun. For the record, I liked it better than Crank. You'll never look at a carrot the same way again.





The Dead Girl
Absolutely stunning. The individual segments build upon and enrich one another, leading up to the inevitably tragic and hauntingly sad finale. I know it sounds like The Sun Also Rises in that sense, but this does it loads better right off the bat. Fantastic performances all round, with not one false note. Undoubtedly, one of the best films of the year.


그놈 목소리 (Voice of a Murderer)
It's hard to feel sympathy for a fat, whiny kid, even if horrible things do happen to him. Or maybe that's just me. Anyway, the lead actor turns in a strong performance, convincing in his deterioration from arrogance to despair, but the supporting cast is considerably weaker. The film is also given to the strange Korean sense of humor that doesn't really work for other audiences, as well as poor pacing in the middle segment (a common problem for Korean movies in general) and repetitiveness of setups. It ends strongly with the unexpected addition of a real-life element, but by then, it's a little too late.

Jindabyne
A lengthy bore that goes nowhere at a glacial pace. It's a real shame too, since I always love Laura Linney, and the director's previous film Lantana was very good. I wish I'd fallen asleep, but unfortunately I was well-rested that day and so didn't miss a single minute. Too bad for me.




Итальянец (The Italian)
Strong lead performance by an amazingly cute little kid, but there's a niggling feeling that the supposedly horrible conditions in the orphanage aren't quite horrible enough. There's also an overall lack of urgency, as well as a strong sense that the kid is never in any actual peril throughout the film, which makes it lose some credibility. The supporting performances are also mostly weak, but on the whole, it's engaging enough.