859. Hsimeng jensheng/The Puppetmaster (1993)

Running Time: 142 minutes
Directed By: Hsiao-hsien Hou
Written By: Chu T'ien-wen, Li Tianlu, Wu Nien-jen
Main Cast: Lim Giong, Li Tianlu, Tsai Chen-nan, Yang Lai-yin, Vicky Wei

HOU HSIAO-HSIEN HAT TRICK: PART THREE OF THREE

Finally, we come to the conclusion of the "Hou Hat Trick" with the viewing, via YouTube, of "The Puppetmaster" - Hou's 1993 feature and one that left just as sour of a taste in my mouth as Hou's previous two offerings.

As far as I could tell, all "The Puppetmaster" was about was the life of Li Tianlu, a real puppeteer, living in Taiwan during the first half of the 20th century. Tianlu himself shows up throughout the picture to offer up personal stories and narrate the picture. Tianlu was introduced to the world of entertaining, through the use of puppets, at a young age and continued throughout his life, sometimes even putting on stage shows, with real actors. Unlike Hou's previous two works, the political aspects and Japanese oppression are cut back significantly in this picture, so that the film can focus more on the life of Tianlu.

Yeah, so that's about it. Two hours and twenty minutes of the life of a puppeteer. Are puppeteer's really this popular in Taiwan? I'm all about giving movies a second try and watching them again to make sure your mood was right, but I have serious doubts that I'll ever watch any of Hou's movies again, even ones that I haven't seen yet. He seems to be making pictures that are the exact opposite of what I'm looking for. They are from a different time and culture and they just don't do a damn thing as far as peeking my interest or making me care about what is going on. I seriously overrated "A City of Sadness" and "The Time to Live and the Time to Die" is already leaving me with the impression that it's going to end up being very forgettable.

Did I like anything about "The Puppetmaster"? Well, I liked the real Tianlu and his narration of the picture. I'm a big fan of hearing people talk and tell stories. I think, unlike most of the general population, I'm a better listener than I am a talker. I love hearing people recount stories and, to tell you the truth, I would have rather sat through a two hour interview with Tianlu and let him just tell me what happened to him. The few scenes that actually featured the puppets were pretty cool too, I guess. It is not my intention, with this review, to bash puppeteer's. What they do IS entertaining and I whoever did the puppeteer work on this film was top notch.

Can I just say one last thing without sounding like a giant racist, because truth me, I'm not. One of the problems I've had with Hou's films is that a lot of his actors look the same. And I'm not saying that because they're all of Asian decent and in my eyes all Asians look the same. I'm saying that because the facial features of a lot of Hou's actor's were very similar. Also, their names are hard to keep track of, probably because they all share the same last name and in Asian culture, the last name comes first. So you're left to sort through names like Wen-ching, Wen-heung, Wen-leung and Wen-sun (the names from "A City of Sadness"). At first glance, to an American like me, that looks like four guys who are all named Wen! It's not a big deal, just a very minor gripe that I wanted to air. The real problems are the ones I mentioned above.

RATING: 2.5/10  Well Hou, I tried, I really did, but you're films left a sour taste in my mouth and I have absolutely no interest in ever watching them (or any of your other work) again. That could change, but I doubt it.

MOVIES WATCHED: 580
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 421

November 18, 2012  7:47pm

723. Idi i smotri/Come and See (1985)

Running Time: 142 minutes
Directed By: Elem Klimov
Written By: Ales Adamovich, Elem Klimov
Main Cast: Aleksey Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Lauciavicius, Vladas Bagdonas, Juri Lumiste
Click here to view the trailer

HORRIFYING

I know, I know, you're probably asking yourself, "Is he ever going to finish the Hou Hat Trick?". The answer is "yes", but I REALLY needed a break from the Hou films, which is why I slipped a couple of movies in between "A City of Sadness" and the last Hou film, "The Puppet Master".

Tonight (well actually it's morning now) I take a look at a Soviet Union film entitled "Come and See", which takes place in Belorussia during World War II and the occupation of the Nazi regime. The film begins with two boys digging in the dirt, looking for abandoned military rifles. When Flyora (Kravchenko) finds one, he joins the Soviet partisan forces, to the dismay of his mother. He heads off with two partisan troops and settles down in their campground, becoming their laborer, doing all the dirty work around camp. When the partisans move on, Commander Kosach orders Flyora to stay behind at camp, causing Flyora to run off into the forest bawling. In the woods, Flyora encounters Glasha (Mironova), a blonde-haired girl and they take to each other. When the camp is bombed, Flyora and Glasha return to his home, to make sure his mother and sister's are okay. When they arrive there, they find that Flyora's family is gone and probably dead, although Flyora doesn't want to believe that. As they continue to travel, the stumble into a village where they learn of recent attacks on this village and neighboring villages and Flyora comes to the realization that his family is deceased. At this point, Glasha disappears, but Flyora (who is now deaf from the explosions) hitches his wagon to a group of resistance fighters, who scour the countryside in search of food, meeting Germans and German artillery fire along the way.

I really SHOULD HAVE liked this one, but I'll be damned if I didn't. Why should I have liked it? Well, it's visually stunning. I always love when I go to find a few pictures to include here on the blog and my choices are endless. For "Come and See" there were dozens of shots I could have gone with and I found myself in the same position a policeman might find himself in at Dunkin' Donuts...too many choices. The film is an eye-popping movie and just by looking at it, you know that it's an acclaimed film, because it simply looks like one. The horrors that "Come and See" portrays are very real, showing us graphic scenes of war and letting us know that it's not all about heroes, speeches and happy plane rides home, but rather brutality, horror and loss of life. If you observe the expressions and features of Flyora at the beginning of the film and compare them to his look at the end of the film, there is such a blatant transformation, that he's almost unrecognizable. The film doesn't glorify war in the slightest, always keeping it as real as possible.

However, the war film is not my bag, baby and there were times when "Come and See" seemed to drag on forever, especially the end, which I thought would never wrap. The film is also pretty plot-less and the little plot that is there, isn't anything worth writing home about. You all know how I feel about a movie with lack of plot, so it's got that against it too. Those two things combine to give this movie a thumbs down in MY BOOK and recommendation to avoid, unless you're a war movie nut, then by all means give it a shot. Or, if you're just a sucker for a visual feast, this could also be right up your alley. Also, for the record, I am SO SICK of World War II films and that may have been another reason why I just wasn't into this. I bet if you counted, you'd find that at least a quarter of THE BOOK movies are in some way connected to World War II. I'm also sick of Vietnam movies too, for what it's worth.

RATING: 5/10  That's probably too high, but I have a feeling that some of the images that I witnessed in "Come and See" aren't going to wash off easily.

MOVIES WATCHED: 579
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 422

November 17, 2012  1:30am

729. BRAZIL (1985)

Running Time: 143 minutes
Directed By: Terry Gilliam
Written By: Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown, Tom Stoppard
Main Cast: Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond
Click here to view the trailer

THE BUTTLE-TUTTLE CONUNDRUM

With three films to go before the "Levinson Week" festivities begin, today I continue on with my 1980s filled season and the watching of Terry Gilliam's 1985 work, "Brazil".

We're not exactly sure when "Brazil" takes place, but we're told that it's "sometime in the 20th century", which I guess makes it a film about the past now. The movie stars Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry, a government employee, who has recurring dreams about a fair haired maiden and his rescuing of her, although the maiden is a stranger to him. The film really begins with an error, as government officials set out to seize Archibald Tuttle, but instead arrest Archibald Buttle. While being questioned, Mr. Buttle, surrendering to his heart condition, dies and all of a sudden the government have a problem on their hands. It also seems that Buttle was overcharged during the course of his arrest and that his widow, the distraught Mrs. Buttle, is due a refund check. Sam, realizing that the Buttle's do not have a bank account, drives to the Buttle residence to present Mrs. Buttle with the check. While there, Sam meets the fair haired maiden he's been having recurring dreams about and discovers that her name is Jill Layton (Greist), but she gets away before he can confront her. Sam makes it his obsession to track down Jill and profess his love to her, but instead he must really save her, because she's a suspected terrorist. Meanwhile, Sam also meets Mr. Tuttle (De Niro), the man who should've been arrested in Mr. Buttle's place and a freelance heating and cooling expert.

Wow, I can't believe I was able to type out the plot synopsis of "Brazil" without spilling into an over-sized, double paragraph. What I've written actually makes it sound fairly easy to follow and really it is, there's just a lot facets and elements to it. This movie was a whole lot of fun and to my surprise, I loved it! Sure, sci-fi has always been my least favorite genre, but as long as you give me a followable, decent story, you can throw as many futuristic ideas at me as you wish. What's not to like here? You've got a fantastic cast, that includes an amazing Jonathan Pryce (and after looking at his filmography, I realize that he's never really been a primary cast member in anything I've seen), a low-key Robert De Niro (barely in the movie, so De Niro fans beware) and great performances from supporting players like Ian Holm, Jim Broadbent and Michael Palin (the latter of which is becoming one of my favorites, after his performance here and in "A Fish Called Wanda").

But why did I really like "Brazil"? Because it is simply a near perfect mixture of so many genres and elements. You've got sci-fi, of course, but you've also got a lot of comedy. The comedy never dominates the sci-fi element and vice versa, but instead they blend kind of perfectly. You've also got elements of film-noir (certain government officials in fedora's, lurking in the shadows), you've got plenty of fantasy (the beautiful dream sequences with Sam and Jill) and plenty of action and mystery. If you tie all that up with a twist ending, then you've got the recipe for a great movie. Damn, listen to me, that sounds like something you'd read on the back of a DVD case. Listen, you're going to have to bear with me for these final twenty or so movies, because at this stage in the season, my review writing skills are really burnt out. Lets just suffice it to say that I think the surprise of actually taking to this one plays a big part in why I'm gushing about it now. I read the Netflix slip cover to my wife, prior to watching this and told her and I quote "this movie really sounds like a pile of garbage...here goes nothing". All I ever ask for in my movies is a good story and with "Brazil" you get that and then some. Don't just give me ideas, don't just give me social and political commentaries, give me something that a man can get lost in. "Brazil" delivers, big time!

RATING: 8/10  For the curious, this is even better than "12 Monkeys", a movie that currently sits on my DVD shelf, but one that I re-watched recently and liked a lot less. You can check out my "12 Monkeys" DVD review here.

MOVIES WATCHED: 578
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 423

November 15, 2012  2:04pm

811. beiqing chengshi/A City of Sadness (1989)

Running Time: 157 minutes
Directed By: Hsiao-hsien Hou
Written By: T'ien-wen Chu, Nien-Jen Wu
Main Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Sung Young Chen, Jack Kao, Xin Shufen, Wu Yi-Fang
Click here to view the trailer

HOU HSIAO-HSIEN HAT TRICK: PART TWO OF THREE

Well it's taken me a few days to get back here, but finally I've made it and am ready to bring you the second installment in the "HOU Hat Trick". Normally, this is the time in the season where I start moving at rapid speed, but I'm not there yet, so bear with me.

"A City of Sadness" is set in Taiwan, during a transition period in the governmental status and something known as the "White Terror". The film centers around three brothers: the deaf photographer Wen-ching (Leung), Wen-leung (Kao), who is back from the war and insane and Wen-heung (Chen), the eldest. There is also a fourth brother, Wen-Sun, whom we only hear about, as he was lost in the Philippines during the war. There's also a man character in the form of a nurse named Hinomi (Shufen), who befriends Wen-ching, ultimately falling in love with him. There's also a side-plot which shows Wen-leung recuperating from his madness, only to be lured into a life of organized crime.

You know what, I'm just going to leave it at that, because I'll be damned if I could make heads or tails of this movie. It's really hard for me to admit when I just can't understand what's going on in a movie, even though I really tried to make sense of it all. In fact, I started "A City of Sadness" on Sunday night, but could only make it to the thirty minute mark. When I sat down to resume on Monday night, I decided to re-start at the beginning, fearing I was too tired and may have missed key elements. I really tried, RINGO!! You know what the real disappointing thing is though - not that I simply didn't like the movie, a movie that is supposed to be "must see" - but the fact that EVERYTHING, aside from the plot, was spot on. The music, the acting, the cinematography and not only the cinematography, but I love how Hou leaves his camera stationary, making us feel like onlookers to the story. Literally EVERYTHING else about "A City of Sadness, besides the plot, was perfect, I kid you not. Take one of my favorite movie's "Sideways", for instance. Lets say that instead of taking a scandalous trip through wine country, Jack and Miles were instead, caught up in a military coup, struggling for their freedom and all that jazz. If I left the theater after watching THAT version of "Sideways", I'm sure I'd be saying, "Why couldn't they have just driven through wine country, had some affairs and learned a few lessons?" That's what "A City of Sadness" was like. I just wished we could've examined these characters in more relatable situations, other than historical and political importances that I have no prior knowledge of.

On a side note, the Taiwanese people (and probably the Japanese too) have a very fascinating way of drinking tea. I don't know what they're doing, but it involves pouring water (presumably water) from a large tea pot into a basin and then pouring tea from a tiny tea pot into tea cups. It's all very fascinating and while we're on the subject, if I'm ever rich, I want a Japanese style house! I have an insatiable desire to eat while sitting Indian style and still be sitting at the table! Oh and if I get the Japanese house, you're all invited, but please...please leave your shoes at the doorstep!

RATING: 5.5/10  I probably shouldn't even go that high, but like I said, everything else was so spot on, that I can hardly give it a below average rating. At this point, I'm really not looking forward to "The Puppet Master".

MOVIES WATCHED: 577
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 424

November 14, 2012  5:56pm

728. Tong nien wang shi/The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1985)

Running Time: 138 minutes
Directed By: Hsiao-hsien Hou
Written By: Chu T'ienwen, Hsiao-hsien Hou
Main Cast: Mei-Feng, Tang Yu-Yuen, Tien Feng, Xin Shufen, Yiu Ann-Shuin

HOU HSIAO-HSIEN HAT TRICK: PART ONE OF THREE

Earlier today, it was announced that "Levinson Week" would be the final tribute week of this season, as we roll into the final twenty-five films and toward the sixth TOP 20 list. This, for those of you who care, will be the final "hat trick" of the season. Furthermore, it's worth noting that this was originally intended to be a Brian De Palma hat trick, but, because two of the three Hou films are currently only available via YouTube, I changed it.

The film centers around Ah-ha, who is just a boy when the film starts out. Ah-ha lives with his four older siblings (three brothers, one sister), his mother & father and his grandmother, the latter of whom constantly talks about returning to the mainland. Ah-ha is a typical boy; he has his group of friends, he gets in trouble, he plays games, he goes to school and for the most part, he has fun. His mother is strict and his father, who is in poor health, often distances himself from the rest of the family. When his father dies, Ah-ha and his family are devastated. Following the death of Ah-ha's father, we flash forward to see Ah-ha as a teenager, the leader of a street gang, who seems to have lost his way. He still holds his family in high esteem, keeping his cancer ridden mother at the top of his priority list, but as a troubled youth, still getting into a fair share of trouble.

'Ya know...that's really it! I mean, you'd think at a running time of 138 minutes, there would be more to detail in the plot synopsis, but really, as far as I could tell, this is a nothing happening movie. After watching "The Time to Live and the Time to Die", I visited a few message boards, read a few comments and as far as I could gather, a lot of people seem to think that this movie is a masterpiece. Well, unfortunately, the masterpiece element of this film was totally lost on me. At about the halfway mark, I stopped and wondered when something was going to happen, outside of the father dying. I realize that the film is about a boy who, after the death of his father, is lead astray and the film questions whether he'll return to the right path or continue down the wrong one. That's a fine theme to explore, but this movie just really bored me. If Hou could've juiced up the script a little more (maybe not added more action, but just made me care about the people and their situations more) and made the characters a little more defined and recognizable (besides Ah-ha, who was obviously the main character, since he's the only one that's really fleshed out) I think I could have really enjoyed this work. The music was good and the basic premise was fine, as I'm all for a toned down script, with not a lot of action and the exploration of a basic theme. The film seemed to really be made for a certain culture and a certain period and was very behind it's time, if you ask me. All in all it just totally failed to win me over and I have a feeling this "hat trick" is going to be a tough one to get through.

RATING: 3.5/10  Here's HOPING "A City of Sadness" is, at least, a little better. Expecting disappointment is a good thing, because that's when the biggest surprises happen.

MOVIES WATCHED: 576
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 425

November 11, 2012  11:33pm

LEVINSON WEEK - The Last Big Event of the Season

787. Hotaru no Haka/Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Running Time: 89 minutes
Directed By: Isao Takahata
Written By: Isao Takahata, from novel by Akiyuki Nosaka
Main Cast: (voices): J. Robert Spencer, Rhoda Chrosite, Veronica Taylor, Amy Jones, Crispin Freeman

DEPRESSING

Well, my migraine headache turned into, what appears to be, a touch of the flu, which is why I've been away from the blog for a few days. Last night, I was finally able to prop myself up against the wall and take in a movie and today, I feel well enough to drag my very tired and worn out behind to the desk chair and bring you a review.

"Grave of the Fireflies" is a Japanese animation (or anime - of which my only experience with is "Spirited Away - a "Ten Worth Mentioning" movie) that takes place during World War II, after the firebombing of the city of Kobe. The film follows a brother, 14-year-old Seita and his little sister, 4-year-old Setsuko, as they leave their mother to the confines of a bomb shelter, while they secure their home. Meanwhile, their father is a member of the Japanese Navy and hasn't been around for months. Once the raids end, Seita and Setsuko find shelter at the elementary school, which is where Seita learns that his mother was killed in the bombing - news that he decides to keep from Setsuko, despite her constant crying for her mother. The siblings eventually go to stay with their distant aunt, who treats them badly and makes them feel like burdens, eventually making them find and prepare their own meals. With the air raids, there has been a massive food shortage and Seita and Setsuko have a hard time avoiding malnourishment. Ultimately, Seita and Setsuko leave their distant aunt's house and move into a small shelter, on a river bank, near the outskirts of town. There, they won't be bothered and they set up a nice little place, which keeps Setsuko happy. However, eventually the siblings run very low on food and are forced to resort to stealing and selling belongings of their mother's to stay alive.

SPOILER ALERT!

Okay, first off, a few questions:

1) Why didn't Seita and Setsuko go with their mother to the bomb shelter? Okay, so the bomb shelter obviously wasn't that much shelter since their mother died, but why would a mother leave behind her two children (especially one who was only 4-years-old) to make sure she, herself, was safe? I didn't get that.

2) Why was there never any discussion of Seita and Setsuko's part about selling their mother's ring? Actually once Seita gives Setsuko the ring, there's never anymore talk about it, even to say something like "Well, yes we ARE starving, but we just can't sell mom's ring". It's totally forgotten about and you'd think that if these two kids we're starving, staying alive would be more important than holding onto an heirloom.

and now the biggie...

3) WHY...Why didn't Seita withdrawal the money from his mother's account before Setsuko was on the verge of death??? About halfway through the film, he comes out of the bank and tells Setsuko that their mother had 7000 yen deposited - more than enough for them to live on. They leave it at the bank and continue to pillage for food. Later, when Setsuko is near death, Seita finally goes and takes out 3000 yen and buys a big order of groceries. Why wait?? And don't tell me it's because both of his parents were now dead, so now he could legally withdrawal the funds, because he didn't find out his father was dead until after he withdrew the money. That was a huge plot hole, if you ask me.

My other big problem with the film was the animation and I kind of have a differing opinion on this, as on one hand I love the animation and on the other I found it very difficult to relate emotionally with cartoons. Apparently there are a couple live action versions of this film, so I could go that route next time, but I have a feeling that this "Grave of the Fireflies" is the best one. I didn't hate it by any means, I just had several problems with it, from the plot holes to the being able to relate to the animation. I think when viewing animation, I'd rather be seeing tales of a more fantastical element and not animated movies that try to display human emotions.

On the other hand, it is a very depressing, very sad film and when animated figures are able to make you feel that deeply, then obviously the filmmaker's were onto something. The point where we see Seita's bandaged mother really got to me, as I think I literally gasped in horror at the sight. Again, when a drawing can make you gasp like that, it's quite amazing.

RATING: 7/10  I can't really think of anything else to add to this one, so I'll go ahead and wrap it up there and call it a review.

MOVIES WATCHED: 575
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 426

November 11, 2012  11:29am