cguldal Reviews

The Impossible (2012)

Well acted, but hyperfocused on experience of a tiny minority of white tourists

[5/10 · 19 December 2020]

No question The Impossible has great acting and a heart wrenching plot. However, for a film that declares to be based on true events (the story of a Spanish family played by British actors), the choice of a British white family is a deliberate one at putting profit over art and truth. Other choices, like focusing on Thailand, which wasn't the epicenter of the disaster, also add to this poor judgement. To have a Spanish director, but to be able to even commit to a Spanish (at least Spanish-speaking) cast, even that... The truth here is that big names of white actors like Watts, McGregor and Holland most definitely sold/sells the movie far more than Spanish names, even well known ones would have, forget about native Thai actors or South Asian actors even. This is then not just a reflection of how racist/white washed the film industry is, but also how racist we as film goers are. Imagine how well a film that would require Western (especially American) audiences to read subtitles would do (gasp!) We all know the answer.

However, the film industry is not off the hook. It is the artists' and film industry's responsibility to commit to diversity and true representation over mere profit (easier said than done, I know), especially when they claim things like "based on true events." This may be acceptable by law, but it't not nearly enough ethically. You can do better than this. Please do. I will watch even if the main characters are not white and privileged.

The film had opportunities to at least highlight the impact of the disaster on local communities, yet each and every one of these was missed. Let's say you had to have white actors, fine. Let's say you had to focus on the white people's struggle to get out and get back to their cushy lives, fine. But those opportunities to show the plight of the local people who were ALSO living the disaster, who also died and suffered and lost their only way of making a living/feeding their families and at the very least had to stop what they were doing and go help the rich tourists, who couldn't get the regular healthcare they normally could have due to their hospitals being overwhelmed by disaster victims, who were heroic, who made so many sacrifices for strangers... Those opportunities were lost here. There wasn't a moment where the hyperfocus on white people was lifted. There wasn't a moment when the white characters looked around them and counted themselves lucky and uberprivileged compared to the locals who had no escape, no charter plane to lift them off and up to Singapore. None, zero.

Even if this was a true story acted by people of the same ethnicity, even if it were absolutely true, I'd like the film industry to choose better which stories to tell, to spend all that production dollars on. Is this the best story to tell about this disaster? Does this story represent the story of more than 200,000 people who died? It doesn't have to, but when you claim it's a true story, and when you decide to spend sooo much money on this one story... maybe it should? Sometimes? Often?

I hope Watts, McGregor and Holland and others make better choices in the future and use their fame to help open and keep open doors for other actors who are not white and would/could easily have played these parts. Still, choosing a project like this over some romantic comedy (which would have made more money for these actors, I imagine (but I don't know for sure)) is a good deed and I applaud them for at least drawing attention to this disaster that took so many lives and devastated whole economies.

Cold War (2018)

Another romanticized dysfunctional relationship

[6/10 · 9 January 2019]

Stunningly filmed with two actors who're very nice to look at and some great (and some purposefully, humorously cringe-worthy) music. Yet, it is hard to feel for the characters, one an almost-alcoholic, self-destructive woman who doesn't think much of herself, and the other, a stupidly loyal man. It's not clear, especially when they meet in France, what they have together that keeps them in love. There seem to be real problems, but we only glimpse at them without much development. It's baffling that he'd leave his freedom and risk being captured and tortured to go back to Poland just for her. The love they so value is not well developed, we do not see it really form and bond them. We see some lust, some physicality, and a lot of betrayal (on her part). The ending will frustrate many people. Comes a bit out of the blue. Why not continue to ruin each other's lives? Sadly, this is a film where form dazzles, but content leaves much to be desired.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018)

Needed more Jack Black

[6/10 · 3 November 2018]

This sequel is not as good as the first one. I think Jack Black was sorely needed, not necessarily because the acting was lacking, but the script seemed a bit too flat at times, characters stating the obvious after the fact, etc. The involvement of the store clerk was unnecessary and was only there to later connect with mom, who seemed more like an extra (again, not because of the acting, which was good). The young actors and the neighbor were successful and did a good job with the lines, I thought. The meta stuff about the plot turns and elements was funny. The bullying stuff was OK, but really stale by now, as it seems to be in every single movie involving kids in school, where the bully is just a stupid, book-hating idiot, and the kids being bullied are just nice, smart kids (and I would argue being bullied would not make anyone nice, at least...) As for the main plot with Slappy, I felt like there was no real mystery, no real drive. Slappy wants a family, OK... And he will try to get it... OK. But at no point do we feel the drive, understand his motives. But then again, I am probably expecting too much from a dummy.

Overall, en enjoyable film, especially for the fans. But I'd have liked smarter dialog and plot, and more Jack Black. The special effects were great, no complaints there. The few kids in the audience seemed engaged, and they were scared at times, but not too much.

Labyrinth (1986)

Fun, retro ride with fantastic puppets

[7/10 · 15 October 2018]

So I've never seen this before, and it certainly is dated in terms of being very specifically from the 80s, but the puppets and the puppetry is top-notch even today! I suspect you have to be a Bowie fan to love it: he is not a great actor and his pants are a bit too thin and his music is a bit forgettable (same melody, uninteresting harmony, strange lyrics that are not that thought or emotion provoking). His hair is fantastic, I give him that, and great make up. I am, obviously, not a huge fan, though for the most part I think he's good and interesting look at and has a very nice voice. So apart from the strange and sudden breaks into songs with questionable lyrics, the film is a great fantasy adventure. It is certainly unique.

One important plot point that I wasn't sure about: just what is the GK's motivation? Why does he take babies? What does he do with them? (presumably, turn them into goblins, so all those goblins were babies at some point. Are they immediately turned into mature, older goblins or is there a goblin nursery somewhere? Shouldn't Sarah have taken on a bigger task than to just save her brother, but more like bring the GK down so he cannot steal any babies again?) Most of these questions were fueled by the fact that David Bowie just looked bored and unoccupied sitting on his throne, playing with the cute human baby every time he was on screen... So in this sense, I think the plot and the story are a bit simple. While Sarah does have a story arc (she emotionally grows as a result of her journey), and even Hoggles has an emotional arc (he learns what it means to be a friend), the villain is just one-dimensional and inexplicable.

The Happytime Murders (2018)

Hilarious, raunchy, fun

[8/10 · 31 August 2018]

The Happytime Murders was funnier and smarter than advertised. Packed with jokes ranging from the dirties and most slap-stick to the subtlest critique of bigotry, racism, and sexism, Murders is a noir murder mystery. It visits all the necessary tropes of the genre successfully and goes overboard to make good fun of the Hollywood attempts at the genre (LA Confidential, Basic Instinct, etc.) At times, the over-the-top humor reminded me of Team USA: World Police (the puke scene = the cum scene!) This is American dark humor at its best, undoubtedly problematic for the part of the American populace still carrying their strong Puritan streak, but enjoyable by the rest.

The artistry and creativity of the puppets and puppetry is phenomenal; make sure to stay for the credits to see how the scenes were shot.

All in all, highly recommended for those who have a sense of humor and an above average IQ.

I Kill Giants (2017)

Fantastic

[9/10 · 25 June 2018]

Based on a great graphic novel, I Kill Giants is the poignant story of a girl who is desperately trying to protect her whole town from giants. Yep, if you have never read a real book in your life or seen a great film that actually deals with issues beyond the surface, then that's what it's about, and expecting that, you might find the film not-so-action-packed. However, if you know anything about real books and real films, then it will be obvious to you from the get go that there is something else going on. It's not difficult to imagine what that something else might be, or at least to have a vague idea, and then see how it all unravels. (I am only saying this because I see a lot of reviews from people who seem to be rather ignorant about how to actually approach a good story. Perhaps these were people who thought this would be a film like Pacific Rim (horrible bore with no real story; and I like action films, even ones with superficial plots/stories...)) No, this is not one of those giants fight humans or giants destroy villages kind of film. It is a young adult coming-of-age story that has the usual stuff: trouble at home, bully at school, new friendship, weird girl.

The acting was superb. The plot had a few holes (wouldn't the neighbors help the family? wouldn't the parents' friends or family help them?) which are not inherent to the film, but carry over form the book. But all in all, a great story with real character growth.

Leap! (2016)

Gets better after the beginning

[7/10 · 21 June 2018]

I have no idea why they started the film as they did. The starting scene is just nothing new, childish, and makes the film seem for younger audiences. I suspect that someone told them they needed to start with an exciting scene with lots of action, so this is what happened... Nevermind the beginning, once the kids get to Paris things start to shape up and an actual narrative emerges. Nothing too revolutionary here, in terms of story or plot, but solid work.

Ocean's Eight (2018)

Mediocre

[5/10 · 9 June 2018]

It's been said, so I won't repeat. I was surprised that the best performances were Helena B. Carter and Anne Hathaway. Yes, really, they were the shining stars, partly because the plot allowed them to have more surprising roles and the story gave them more internal/external conflict. Sandra Bullock was the usual (I call her the Keanu Reeves of female Hollywood, no matter what the character is supposed to be feeling, she has one expression, ok, maybe two expressions, and that's it.) Kate Blanchett didn't really have any real lines. The one scene where the two should have had an emotionally charged conversation fell flat. The writing was certainly not great, but I must say, the plot kind of sucked in general, so there is so much one can write around that. There was no real thrill, no real conflict. Bullock's revenge is supposed to carry the emotional weight in the story, but we barely feel it. We're told it is there, but we really don't experience how mad she is, how upset she is at having gone to prison for five years. The costumes, the small jabs at the fashion industry, and a fantastic performance by James Corden gets this film a few stars. Corden takes a rather flat character that is kind of sidelined and delivers, as he always does. I heard a few young people in the cinema exclaim that they had "never seen such a smart movie" and that, more than anything in the film, made me laugh! Ah, youth...

Gemini (II) (2017)

Lacking in depth or clarity

[6/10 · 19 April 2018]

Gemini starts strong. The set-up, if you will, is well done. Tension slowly builds and the event, the "heinous crime," happens as expected. The assistant/friend of the celebrity is under suspicion, as expected. There are some tense moments when questions are asked, and the assistant takes off to find her own answers. After this point, nothing that happens comes as a surprise, or adds to the film. In the end, it's not clear what the movie is trying to say. If it is saying the things that one thinks it is, then it's way too subtle. The events present an opportunity for the assistant to take charge, to have the upper hand, but she doesn't seem to? Not clear. At some point we're to think that the celebrity is a bit evil, manipulating everyone around her, but then again, maybe not. Back and forth, the film left us with a "meh, not sure what that was trying to say." There were also some scenes that did not really serve a purpose, or the same purpose could have been fulfilled in a better way (the meeting with Jaime, for example, or the coffee scene with the detective and Stan).

Ready Player One (2018)

Different, but better than the book

[7/10 · 13 April 2018]

So, a lot of people loved the book. These are not discerning readers, I am assuming. The book is a good adventure, but the voice is super annoying (whiny, teenage boy), though successful (at being whiny and teenage-y). What really sucks about the book is the "telling." Sentence after sentence we are TOLD how he feels, how he sees things, etc, and very rarely are we "shown" how he feels, etc. It is a long-standing, somewhat stale writing trope, this "show, don't tell" and one only really appreciates it when it is so frequently and obviously violated in a book that it just gets in the way of a good story. Beyond that, the writing is just not very tight or impressive, meandering into strangely constructed sentences, ineffective prose, and downright bad wording in some cases. So the book, in my humble opinion, is not very good. Those who loved it loved it because of the geekery and the nostalgia, not because it was a good piece of literature. Perhaps for a genre book, that's OK. (But really, readers, you need to hold the bar higher, to demand better writing...)

The movie is different. The plot is different. The road to the keys, in some cases, is even different. But I thought the differences from the book were good choices. They certainly did not detract from a good movie experience. A lot of the geekery was toned down, though I am sure if I were to watch at home with the ability to stop and rewind, I'd find tons of geekery stuffed in each shot in the film, too. Some of the special effects looked good (I'm no expert). The CGI was good as well. The dialog, reminiscent of the book, was awkward at times, and not just because it is supposed to be awkward teenagers talking. The evil corporation was underwhelming, more so than in the book.

Perhaps the biggest difference from the book was how the main character infiltrates the evil corporation. This happens in the book, and I had found it one of the more interesting events in the plot, but it does not happen in the film. I'm not sure why not.

Overall, if you didn't like the book, you might like the film. I thought the film was much better. If you loved the book because of all the geekery and fantastic trivia, and you're married to the books fantastic (uhm, cough cough) plot line, then you may hate the film. If you have not read the book (you aren't missing much, if you're a literature buff, but you should read it if you only enjoy genre fiction and are OK with plot-driven bad writing), then you'll probably find the film enjoyable.

What Happened to Monday (2017)

Leaves a lot to be desired

[6/10 · 4 September 2017]

The premise (how will the 6 sisters find out what happened to number 7 while avoiding getting caught in the near future where siblings are not allowed to live?) is interesting. Like many movies or books, it is not enough to carry the whole thing through. Rapace and others do a decent job with the script and the action is certainly fast-paced. Some of the character development for the Dr. Cayman (Glenn Close) is confusing, giving off mixed signals: just when we think she might have a conscious or she might actually be a puppet for other invisible powers, the ending throws this off and says "no, she knew all along."

While the story arc of the siblings is more satisfactory, the ending is problematic, to say the least. Although the world's population is a huge problem, the film ends with "hurray more babies" (not that we needed any of this kind of stuff in the end; the emotional end for the characters should have sufficed, the rest just seemed unnecessary and took away from the emotional cohesion.)

Beyond these overarching issues, there are many things that could have been different, some of which would have made the film better. The fact that the siblings insist on remaining in their apartment after the first invasion is too stupid and convenient. The fact that none of them ever (in 30 years) had fallen in love before or had done stupid stuff they lied about before (or not enough to get them in trouble) is rather unbelievable. The fact that all that time the apartment next door was empty and the siblings did not take advantage of this is unbelievable. The fact that after being ordered to keep things under wraps, the henchman decides to send armed guys who kill indiscriminately and blow up stuff is also unbelievable. And the list goes on...

This film is a Netflix original, so it is hard not to notice the similarities in plot points with another Netflix production, Okja. In a problematic near-future, evil woman promises world she will solve their problems with (insert solution) and girl/women fight against evil woman with the help of a bunch of guys and expose her for a liar...

What Happened To Monday is still worth watching, especially for sci-fi and Rapace fans. But it leaves a lot to be desired.

Shippû rondo (2016)

Great, silly fun with some poignant moments

[8/10 · 23 July 2017]

I saw this at Japan Cuts 2017 in NY. A great selection and a crowd pleaser for sure. The plot is hilarious and ridiculous, but story manages to make it all believable. A single father of a teenage boy has to retrieve a stolen deadly biological weapon from a huge ski complex. Instead of doing the logical and right thing to do, which would be to call the cops, he is sent to the ski resort, pretending to have a ski vacation with his grumpy son (middle-grader). His plan is to try to ski around and find the marker for the tree under which the weapon is buried (don't ask!!!) Having little skiing experience and being an average goof, he messes up, over and over again and his search becomes more and more desperate. However, he manages to lie his way to getting help from some locals. His son also proves to be a good source of information. While all this is going on, his son develops a friendship with a local middle school student, who is kind of in the middle of a local family drama/mystery. Of course, these two lines of plot converge at the climax and lead to an action and emotion packed ending.

All in all, the acting, the pacing, the story and the plot are all excellently balanced: slapstick comedy meets witty situation comedy meets Bond-ian (well, more like Johnny English-like) spy games meet family drama. Worth mentioning are the skiing and snowboarding scenes, especially the one that later makes it on to YouTube (snowboarding Olympics-hopeful chick battles against guy with weird hat on skis).

Highly recommended for comedy and action film lovers, and anyone who loves snowboarding and skiing.

West North West (2015)

Lost

[5/10 · 23 July 2017]

West North West tells the story of three women: a bar tender, her model lover, and a foreign (Iranian) art student. The film aims to communicate something about the way the characters feel, perhaps coming from or living in cultures that oppress same-sex attraction and relationships. The bar tender and the Iranian woman both seem lonely, depressed, homesick, sad. Long silences, long shots focusing on their inexpressive (or single-expression) faces aim, perhaps, to tell the viewer something. Yet, it is unclear what that something might be.

During most of the film, we spent thinking "use your words, honey, come on." It felt like mind-talking to a 3-year-old who was sulking about something, oh, but what?!? There were hints, of course, and one could interpret them however one wanted, which is great, but most scenes took "understatement" to a new level, that is, they were more in the "nothing-stated" realm. The two main actresses had one or two facial expressions, which made every scene a guessing game. Is she happy? Unhappy? About to cry? Aroused? Is that a smile or a frown?

Luckily, there are two characters, the model (Ai) and her mother, who actually spoke, like in full sentences, and who expressed their feelings and thoughts, so the scenes these characters were in felt explosive in terms of information and emotion. The theater crowd reacted to these characters, not only because they were severe and often unpleasant, but also because on could understand their thoughts and feeling better.

From the beginning, many things were unclear. Perhaps this was on purpose, but it didn't seem to serve any premise or character goal or story arc. The art student kept taking a history class and rarely did any art or painting on screen. Why she went over to the bar tenders house, why she stayed over, why she brought her bird and left it there, why the bar tender later returned the bird, why why why why why... Many things just didn't make sense or didn't seem to serve a purpose or further the story in any meaningful way. Why, in the middle of an emotional conversation, did the bar tender just leave the Iranian woman and go to the bathroom, loosened her hair, and cut, next unrelated scene?!

Sexuality and sexual identity is certainly a big part of the film. We get the feeling that the bar tender is confused (she falls in love with women, but she is not a lesbian, which seemed to be portrayed as a contradiction in the film, yet could certainly be not contradictory, if only she had the words to truly express herself!). We get the feeling that the Iranian woman is the one who is not confused, yet becomes confused towards the end, perhaps falling in love with the bar tender and not being able to consolidate this with her belief system (yet none of this is verbalized or even emotionally developed that well, unless you count crying and sitting in silence as emotional development). In the end, there is some sort of role reversal, where the bar tender is clearer on what she wants and the Iranian woman is left confused and unsatisfied. The only person who is NOT confused is Ai: she knows what she wants, she fights for what she wants, she gets nasty for what she wants, she is unwavering.

As for sexuality, the sex scenes do the mandatory hand clasp which leads to tangled sleeping feet, and beyond that are sterile and unexciting.

Oh, and it is OK not to translate some conversation in another language, but whole scenes without any translation is a bit much (phone calls in Persian were entirely untranslated).

All in all, I am glad I saw this film. If nothing, I got a feeling for what passes as queer cinema in Japan these days. Sadly, West North West was a weak example of queer cinema or cinema of any kind.

The Boy with the Golden Pants (2014)

Great young adult film for tweens and older kids (and adults!)

[8/10 · 25 October 2016]

The Boy with the Golden Pants follows the misadventures of two friends who find a pair of pants that keep producing money. The plot is simple and rather socialist/anti- capitalist; we could tell that it had to be based on a book and probably a book that was written a while ago (1967!) The boys go through the usual euphoria that many would when they first get their hands on the money, do some stupid stuff, but eventually learn the value of money. Perhaps most interesting is the concept that money always comes from somewhere, someone always gains when someone else loses (i.e., money does not grow on trees or in pant pockets).

The kids in the film are good-hearted for the most part, and go from spending the money for themselves, giving it away to homeless people to do their job, fantasizing about having servants to helping the needy and donating 50 million to charities around the world. The adults are much more morally dubious, ranging from some really bad parents, frauds, jailbirds, an alcoholic homeless guy who is super nice to the evil Otto and his weapons-for-export company. There is one plot hole at the end, where the cops show up knowing about the pants, though we have no indication that they knew about them before (throughout the film the police are perplexed about how the money in the banks is disappearing). It is also not clear if Otto killed his brother or why his brother sailed off one day. I am sure these points are clearer in the book.

All in all, this is a great film for tweens (who are already reading YA novels, Hunger Games, etc.) Probably not appropriate for younger kids, but no need to call the movie a bad film just because it is mislabeled as a family film. As always, the Swedes do a good job of bringing the creepy and thrilling to the younger audience's level without losing the adults. Perhaps a few too many car chases, but good acting and a fast- paced plot that makes you think and wonder in the end.

Miss Hokusai (2015)

Great art, no plot or character development

[6/10 · 15 October 2016]

The art, as well as the way the making of art is portrayed in the film is great; however, there is no real story arc or character development to speak of. Perhaps not much is known about the daughter of Hokusai, but even so, historical fiction is fiction for a reason. Though the film is narrated by the daughter, it is not about her at all, which is misleading (title, trailer all suggest the film will be about her). Her character does not develop much, though there is ample room for it to develop. Just when she may go beyond her immature, mean self, beyond her father's shadow, the film ends with a few narrated summary lines conveying what happens in the next 30 years without actually showing it. The film seems to focus on the period in which the blind daughter of the famous painter (the narrator's sister) is young, falls sick, and dies. It is not clear how and why Hokusai is separated from his wife, why his eldest daughter draws and paints with him (though she resents him plenty)... None of the romantic interests develop during the film, yet the summary in the end tells us she married once! It is hard to imagine her marrying, so this would be a great story, but it is not the subject of the film. At one point, we learn that she has a passion for fire, but have no idea how, if at all, this affects her paintings, her art...

All in all, the art is great, especially the parts where painting and drawing itself is discussed. But the story is severely lacking and aimless.

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Great un-PC remake stands alone (great cameos, too!)

[7/10 · 4 September 2016]

The remake of original Ghostbusters with a female cast is as un-PC, unabashed, and embarrassing to women and men alike. I see that men took issue that all the male characters were either evil or stupid; they overlooked the fact that all the female characters have some pretty weird characteristics, as well. Wiig's character is embarrassingly infatuated with the stupidest man on the planet just because he is a beefcake. So, I'd say, all in all, the film is not merciful to any gender in particular. Sure, the four ladies are smart and awkwardly funny, but so is the evil genius who break the barrier between the other world to bring the vengeful ghosts to NYC. The African- American character is a history buff who knows a lot about the history of NY buildings, which is very cool (and NOT a racial stereotype at all...)

I'd say the only problem with the film is the dialog. It's heartfelt and genuine at times, but at others, it falls flat. It's not consistently funny, which is rather true to the original (having watched the original recently, there is a lot of weird and awkward, but not a lot of "real funny" in there...)

The special effects are very good. The ghosts, the crumbling NYC scenes are worthy of the high end action films.

The cameos are great. Especially Sigourney Weaver is excellent!

So, see it and make up your own mind. Maybe watch the original, because the original that some people are idealizing is not that excellent; just special for the performances, which I think this remake also succeeds in.

Slash (I) (2016)

Great little indie gem

[9/10 · 20 June 2016]

I saw Slash at BAM Cinemafest 2016 last night. It was certainly a crowd-pleaser. The story starts as "innocent, studious, repressed 15-year-old boy meets wild, unruly, sassy girl" and goes from there. It could take many directions, but it chooses a realistic, rather unsure and zigzaggy route, which reflects perfectly the confusion and indecision of the coming-of-age state. I expected the highlights to be the bad fan fic being read out loud awkwardly and the imagined sexual encounters of the burly sci-fi hero, Vanguard, but though these were all extremely hilarious and entertaining, I was surprised to find the emotional scenes about belonging, friendship, love, betrayal also vibrant and smart. The leads are great. Jessie Ennis rocks!

The Corsican File (2004)

Hilarious!

[8/10 · 24 March 2016]

I don't know much about Corsica, but it is not hard to imagine that this island stuck rigidly between Italian and French cultures is made fun of often. This hilarious film brings out the beauty of the island and its culture with great humor. Every scene has something hilarious in it. I suppose you do have to start off with an international mind set to enjoy the details. I do not speak any French, but the argument about Corsican ("it's not a dialect, it's a language" "but I understand everything you're saying" "shut up!"), the street names named after Rome and Napoleon, the mutt dog which the "mainlander" French detective calls a mutt and is corrected by an offended bar owner, saying it is a special Corsican breed, the island men singing songs "of Corsican culture" at 2 AM in the morning, the guilt tripping while drinking at the bar, the political separatist factions that are made up of the same group of 20 or so men with ridiculous outfits, the local police vs. crime unit vs. secret police trying to catch Jean Reno's character, Ange... Everything is just hilarious. The ridiculous backward and rural mindset of the locals is juxtaposed with the international tourist destination identity of the island. Everything is, as should be in a comedy like this, a bit over the top, and the locals are not that backward, and the island is just beautiful even in parts that are rural, or maybe especially so... Reno is excellent, as usual. Christian Clavier, probably even more so. The duo have great chemistry. The supporting cast, especially the two men who are Ange's most trusted accomplices, are superbly acted.

Overall, a great crime farce and a heartwarming comedy (with a few bombs... with tampons...)

The Misfits (1961)

Good supporting acts, a few glimmers of hope

[6/10 · 5 December 2015]

When I see old Hollywood films that are supposed to be "the best," I tend to agree they are better than the usual Hollywood fare. But to say The Misfits is a great film would be misleading. It seems like an American attempt to be French, except the French can pull it off and Americans can't somehow, or at least couldn't in this case. Arthur Miller's preachy dialog and monologues are just hitting you over the head. The allegories, parallels, metaphors, symbols... are all too obvious, to the point of being annoying and making you roll your eyes. Monroe's acting is mediocre, though she is fascinating to watch. Wallach and Clift do a good job in general. Thelma Ritter, I would be brave enough to say, is the best actor in the film! Gable is just a caricature of a cowboy (and himself). Clift's and Monroe's ongoing substance abuse issues show through, which probably "helps" their acting, since they are supposed to be drunk throughout most of the film. The drastic character changes, especially for Gable's character, seem extremely forced. And of course, this being Hollywood and not a good French film, there is a happy ending! What?!?! No way should this film have a happy ending! But it does, go figure...

Perhaps the most captivating scenes are when the men and Monroe go out mustanging (catching wild horses). These scenes with the horses, the struggle between man and nature, the struggle to make a living vs. being kind at the face of losing manliness and income... They are impressive and memorable.

The film in the second half seems like an advertisement for PETA, Monroe being extremely upset at the men who are capturing the wild horses.

I'd say watch it, if you must cover the "important" oldies or if you are a die hard fan of Monroe, Clift, Gable et al. But otherwise, those are 2 hours of your life you'll never get back...

A Small September Affair (2014)

Engaging, perhaps too sentimental

[7/10 · 15 September 2015]

There's a lot going on in A Small September Affair. But first, the name in English... Well, it is not a great translation, because it gives something away which it should not. The word in Turkish "mesele" is best translated as "issue" or "problem" as in "there's the issue of what happened in September." Ordinarily, this is a good translation, but when, at the beginning, we are not supposed to have any idea about an affair, the title gives away that there is an affair, it is not such a great choice. In Turkish, the title does not imply an affair and one starts watching the film with the intended ignorance about any affair. The name of the leading female character is Eylul, which means September, so the title plays on the word successfully in Turkish.

The acting is done well, the music is perhaps overdone a bit in places, and the usual Turkish melodramatic tendencies are there, but all realistic enough (for after all, we are dealing with Turks here, so lack of sentimentality would be like asking Almodovar not to have anything campy in his films!) The plot is mysterious and successfully unraveled at a good pace. I was aware what the big reveal would be in the end half way into the film, but the film was engaging enough to keep me interested and wait to see how things would happen.

Perhaps my biggest complaint is the overwhelmingly stupid narration about ugly people and beautiful people. Ugly people are just dying for a look from beautiful people, and when they get that glance, they just fall in love right away, because ugly people have nothing else they value in their lives and so on. To add to this, the "ugly" male lead is not at all ugly, and the beautiful woman is a fake blond who is OK looking, but nothing special (I am aware she would still be considered special In Turkey...) It is NOT that difficult to find someone who is not traditionally "handsome" by many people's standards, yet the film has failed to do this. Together, the couple looks pretty good, if you ask me. He was horribly dressed in fisherman- looking beach wear most of the time, in an attempt, I am assuming, at making him look "ugly."

In the end, big points for a twisty plot that is well-paced. The whole sentimental ugly vs. beautiful people narration should have dealt with the real issues at hand: that the male lead was shy, antisocial, withdrawn, while the female character was fake, shallow, and unable to engage with other people in an emotionally fulfilling way. To attribute these fundamental characteristics to their ugliness or beauty makes one wonder how the writer can have such a shallow point of view.

Jellyfish Eyes (2013)

Everything Takashi Murakami

[7/10 · 19 July 2015]

Those who are familiar with Takashi Murakami's work will instantly recognize the elements that are the essentials of his art in Jellyfish Eyes, which goes beyond the instantly recognizable creatures (F.R.I.E.N.D.s). There is the plot line, which is classic melodramatic anime plot that has elements of family life, school life, and supernatural science fiction stuff. The "good" characters are interested, and at times conflicted, but the "bad" characters (there really is only one outwardly and consistently super bad guy with an evil laugh) lack dimension. The dialog (in Japanese) sounds just like the overwrought dialog of an epic anime series; you could close your eyes and swear this is an anime show! And then there is the real stuff, which may not be too obvious to the Western audience, but all too familiar to the Japanese, I imagine: the dad who died in the national disaster, the stay in the evacuation center that is mentioned twice, the religious cults that found an increasing number of followers after the recent events in Japan, the age-old idea that war and destruction is cleansing and required for a new beginning... The negative energy cloud that looks a lot like an inverted atom bomb mushroom...

All in all, highly recommended for people who like Japanese anime, epic stories, and weird science. Not recommended for anyone who is not open to the anime tradition, as expecting something different will cause disappointment. Also, recommended for Godzilla and cheekama fans!

Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet (2014)

Great animation

[8/10 · 23 March 2015]

It's difficult to simply judge the film without passing some judgment on the content of Gibran's poetry, which, in the context of the film, sounds even more like self-help advice. So those who like spiritualism, practical philosophy, and one man's interesting (then and still now) take on the world will probably find the content pretty awesome. For the rest of us, as I said, at times, it sounds a bit like self-help stuff, or new age stuff that is not new at all. Interestingly, a lot of the stuff about labor and work sounded very much like the stuff the Soviets would love (don't know if he was popular in the USSR).

The film attempts to tell the story of Mustafa, who is been on house arrest for seven years and is finally being released (deported back to his own country). The details of how he came to be in this other country are fuzzy, but it is clear that he is a poet, painter, and philosopher, and his ideologies have landed him in this bind. Mustafa befriends Almitra, who has stopped speaking since her father died a year ago. Almitra's mom does the housework for Mustafa under the (clumsy) watch of Halim (or Halil?) Everyone loves Mustafa. Townsfolk loves him. The cleaning lady and the kid love him. Even the guard loves him. There is a very clear distinction between good and evil here, which will appeal to younger children, and maybe not so much to the older crowd. So Mustafa is taken through the town (mistake!) to the boat that is supposed to take him back, but needless to say, things don't turn out that way at all. There is some strong imagery here (complete with a firing squad, but we only hear them fire).

I think most of the content is out of reach of most younger children. The stuff about love and life, about how parents do not own their children got through to the kids who were watching around me in the theater. I was surprised that even the youngest did not fall asleep, as some parts were just Mustafa speaking about stuff. I believe this s due to the amazing animation work by many great artists.

If Gibran's work does not interest you at all, I still would say this is a must see, if you like animation art. There's great stuff here. I dare say something for every taste and preference in terms of animation art.

All in all, it was a great film to see on the big screen. Animation was top notch and engaging (as the kids around me proved it). The story involving Almitra also appealed to the children, i think, though not to me as much. Mustafa's story is a classic case of denial of and persecution of freedom of speech; it is good to see something like this being made.

Patema Inverted (2013)

Great art, underwhelming script, bad plot

[5/10 · 16 February 2015]

I had high hopes for Patema Inverted. I set off allowing the plot's main point, that some humans experienced gravity in one direction while others in the opposite all on the same planet, all the artistic license it needed. The Great Change, which is the event that the film starts with, caused this separation among the humans. Not only humans, but their belongings also abide by these strange new physical laws (so my bag would fly off to the sky if I let it, while yours will fall to the ground, let's say). So already the amount of disbelief is rather large at the start. OK, fine. I let it be. I accepted all this as a possibility, no matter how impossible and unexplained.

The problem arose when things happened and they were not explored at all. In the beginning, we get a brief explanation of the "horrible experiment" that lead to the Great Change. At the end, after all Patema and Age have gone through, after their immense discovery that the sky and the stars are NOT what they seem, we are left with the same inane description of how things happened. We end where we ended. No mysteries are explained. Nothing develops. Not once do the teenagers tell anyone what they discovered above. It seems very important. It seems that all those people who "fell into the sky," all those "sinners" may be alive? We have no idea what is going on. We have no idea why they go up there and then come back down right away and then never tell anyone about it. We are left clueless. Forget about us, the poor people of Agai are left completely clueless.

Beyond the fact that the plot is, um, problematic, emotional development of the characters is underwhelming. We see most development in Patema, while everyone else remains somewhat the same. The "friendship" between Lagos and Age's father is left strangely vague (so vague that at times I wondered if they are trying to hint at a gay relationship!!!) The "villain" is entirely flat with a complete lack of real motive. We never get to understand him, not even that he is pure evil, if he is...

At times, the dialog veered into a direction that made me think that some greater meta philosophy was being hinted at, that this was all allegory and such. But no, not really. It was not there, or if it was, it was done so poorly that there was no way to make any heads or tails from it.

In the end, I focused on the comical elements in the film. The jealousy Nato feels and his constant grumbling was a relief. And the awkward inverted hugs between Patema and Age, who are 15 or so, was perfect for some chuckles.

Sometimes I wonder how you can go wrong with a good idea and great art, but here is a good example. I won't comment on the dialog because I had to watch it dubbed and I am sure it was a tad bit better in Japanese with Japanese voices, but the writing was shallow and, even if you forgive that, it made no sense at times. I kept thinking that something, anything, needs to make sense, and other than the teenage jealousy of Nato, nothing really made much sense.

Recommended only for those who love to watch beautiful animated scenes regardless of content.

Dicte (2013–2016)

Soapy fun

[6/10 · 2 January 2015]

Dicte is more a soap opera than a detective/crime/journalism series. At least that's how I felt. There is a lot of family and friend drama, lots of cheating, sleeping around, etc. packed into one season. It seems that everything in the town that is worth a big story happens to Dicte, or right where she is, or to someone she knows, etc. Perhaps the town is too small. Or perhaps we are to appreciate that time passes between each story (two episodes each) so other, perhaps important, things have happened but Dicte wasn't there to poke her nose in. Regardless, many of the story lines seem contrived. But perhaps the one thing that really bothered me was the whole season seemed like a pro-life advertisement. Of course, this is done in a Danish, liberal sort of way, but still there is this overwhelming subliminal message (ok, not so subliminal...) that giving away your newborn is bad, that abortion is bad, that mothers who have to make these choices are, well, not good. And of course, all homes for children are bad, full of adults who want to abuse the children... In a way, the series can be interpreted as positive in many aspects regarding these issues (as Dicte is a good mother, despite the fact that she did give away her first born after being forced to by her religious parents) but somehow every time it tried to give some great message about babies and mothers, it seemed judgmental to me. Maybe something got lost in translation, or maybe, as someone suggested, the writing was not great to begin with. The series could have been more brooding and realistic if the chose to show the lives of some of the other characters, like the lonely detective, Wagner, but it seems like they wanted to keep the show more mainstream. Congrats for having a female gay character who actually has a healthy dating life and is not afraid to talk about it, but again, more on that would have been great.

All in all, Dicte is not at the same level with Wallander, for example, mostly due to the contrived stories and some weird thematic choices. The acting is actually descent, sometimes much better than descent, but the writing certainly has a long way to go.

Abuzer Kadayif (2000)

A classic

[9/10 · 18 September 2014]

Abuzer Kadayif is perhaps marketed as a comedy, but it certainly is a comedy in the traditional Turkish film sense, meaning it is rather tragic than laugh-out-loud funny. As with most satirical comedies, it helps to know what the film is trying to poke fun at, especially since some nuanced nods are difficult to translate properly. Abuzer is a name that invokes the rural, not-so-well educated, Eastern sensibilities. Kadayif is the name of a dessert. So anyone who knows anything in Turkey knows that the name and the character is a spoof of Ibrahim Talises (Abraham Sweetvoice, literally translated. The last name is the stage name of the famous singer).

What's interesting about the film is that a university professor creates Abuzer as a social experiment, dividing his time between acting the part of the extremely popular, if not morally lacking superstar and the insignificant and financially strained professor. Abuzer is revered by the public, while the professor does not merit any reward for his hard work. Abuzer will agree to anything for money and fame, almost naively navigating the dangerous fields of politics and fame, while the professor's only solace is his young girlfriend, who is also an academic and who does not know about his other life. Needless to say, things get complicated after a while.

Perhaps the most interesting voice in the film is Abuzer's right-hand man, who represents a very sensible and pragmatic point of view, which understands the Turkish psyche as well as the status that Abuzer has won in the heart of a nation better than anyone else in the film. In his guidance, the professor finally understands that he is trapped in the superstar's life forever, having created something that requires more responsibility than he ever imagined at the get go.

Metin Akpinar, an immensely successful veteran of Turkish comedy, does an excellent job at playing the two massively different characters (also marked severely by the perfectly diction-ed Istanbul accent (the professor) and the well-spoofed Eastern accent (Abuzer), which may require a trained ear to distinguish, if you do not know Turkish). Talat Bulut and Sibel Turnagol also provide great characterizations that support the main role in every way. The director (Tunc Basaran) and the writer (Kandemir Konduk) are significant and successful members of Turkish cinema, and their understanding of the Turkish sensibilities shines throughout the film.

Recommended for those who are sick of the flat and stupid blockbuster comedies and are looking for something a little different. (I also recommend watching a bunch of YouTube videos of Ibrahim Tatlises singing; he has an amazing voice, and so does Metin Akpinar!)