Due to a lack of sleep and a compulsory need to watch The Office Speicals, I haven't have the required time to watch John Woo's epic Red Cliff. However, I have watched Johnnie To's Sparrow, and I absolutely loved it.
Sparrow
Directed by Johnnie To, starring Simon Yam, Kelly Lin and Gordon Lam. From the opening credits, one can tell that Johnnie To's latest foray into celluloid is something special. With a muted color pallet reminiscent of the works of Hitchcock, and the existing beauty of real life Hong Kong locations, To frames his pickpocket romance film that charms as though it were a classic.
Kei (Yam), leader of a gang of pickpockets, and his crew prey upon locals and tourists with glee, making themselves a comfortable living without the stress and monotony of working a standard 9 to 5. One by one, Kei and his three fellows encounter a beatiful woman (Lin) in need of assistance. As each grows more enamored by her exquisite mystique, they become entangled in a dangerous web of love and longing. With their pickpocketing skills and debonair attitudes, Kei's gang sets about aiding their mysterious new friend in finding a resolution to her problems, while testing the limits of their abilities.
To and Milkyway Image spent three years in production on Sparrow. During that time, they managed to put together the finest film I've seen so far this year. Unsurprisingly, Johnnie To's direction is utterly fantastisc. With films like Loving You, Where A Good Man Goes, Too Many Ways to be No. 1, Expect the Unexpected, The Longest Nite, The Mission, Fulltime Killer, PTU, Election, Mad Detective, Triangle, and dozens more to his credit, getting a good film out of Johnnie To is expected. Even getting a great film, sometimes three or four in a year, is all but guaranteed.
Any film with a pedigree like that of Sparrow, a genius director in To, and supremely talented actors in Simon Yam, Kelly Lin and Gordon Lam, has plenty of hype and expectations to live up to. Thankfully, Sparrow easily meets those expectations. Most of what makes a good Hong Kong film a great Hong Kong film is that indescribable Hong Kong Cinema feeling, which Sparrow has in spades. It plays every bit like the characters portrayed by Yam and Lam, with slick and enticing style.
Simon Yam and Gordon Lam are like modern day versions of Humphrey Bogart as the exude cool and calm even when in over their heads, while Kelly Lin expertly captures the role of a femme fetale, whether it be with a blank stare barely masking contempt and sorrow, or with an irresistably sexy allure as she smokes a cigarette. Because of the chemistry, talent and credibility of these actors, the stock characters feel anything but overused and stale.
Though the acting is impeccable, the real star is To's direction. Utilizing skewed angles and dizzyingly terrific tracking shots, To captures the feel of each scene, from tense, yet subdued action, to giddy, infatuated delight. The grace and class of Sparrow would make it a career defining film for a lesser director, but it is just another notch in the exceptional auteur's body of work. Fans of To and Milkyway will almost surely love Sparrow, as well as the fans of film noir and the days of Hollywood yore. Simply put, Sparrow is an inviting film that entertains from start to finish. Other filmmakers should aspire to create films such as this.
21 September, 2008
20 September, 2008
Meeting Daddy
Meeting Daddy
Directed by Peter Gould, starring Josh Charles, Alexandra Wentworth, and Lloyd Bridges. For a film written and directed by the screenwriter of the Scott Wolf and Mark Dacascos film Double Dragon, Meeting Daddy is shockingly good.
Josh Charles plays Peter, a New Yorker struggling to deal with his girlfriend Melanie (Wentworth) and her family while visiting her sick father (Bridges) in the southern U.S. During his stay, Peter deals with religious incongruity, the searing southern summer heat, a cantankerous southern gentleman, and the most complex aspect of southern society, the frustratingly incomprehensible southern belle in her natural element.
Peter's fish-out-of-water feeling is very well portrayed by Josh Charles, who has excellent chemistry with Wentworth's Melanie, as well as her father. Charles' back and forth with Lloyd Bridge's crotchety "Colonel" is comedy gold, and an extremely satifying way to reveal bits about the characters to each other and themselves. As Charles' character futiley attempts to ingratiate himself with his girlfriend's family, Gould's use of shooting locations helps to convey the claustrophobic feeling, showing a much more intelligent director than one would expect for a directorial debut. The only real complaint I have about this film is the marketing, as this doesn't feel much like a happy-feel-good romcom at all.
If I were a film studies professor, I would use this film as a textbook example for how to subtley get the psychological elements of a character's pysche across. It almost has a German Expressionist feel to it, with the enclosed scenes taking place when the protagonist is at his most frustrated, and wide-open spaces serving as locales for his epiphinatic scenes. To pigeonhold Meeting Daddy as a simple romantic comedy is a great disservice to the film, and those who would see it. With assured direction, cultural habits masquerading as stereotypes, and pleasing performances, Meeting Daddy is a humorous, engaging, and even thoughtful treat.
Next Blog:
Part one of John Woo's epic Red Cliff.
Directed by Peter Gould, starring Josh Charles, Alexandra Wentworth, and Lloyd Bridges. For a film written and directed by the screenwriter of the Scott Wolf and Mark Dacascos film Double Dragon, Meeting Daddy is shockingly good.
Josh Charles plays Peter, a New Yorker struggling to deal with his girlfriend Melanie (Wentworth) and her family while visiting her sick father (Bridges) in the southern U.S. During his stay, Peter deals with religious incongruity, the searing southern summer heat, a cantankerous southern gentleman, and the most complex aspect of southern society, the frustratingly incomprehensible southern belle in her natural element.
Peter's fish-out-of-water feeling is very well portrayed by Josh Charles, who has excellent chemistry with Wentworth's Melanie, as well as her father. Charles' back and forth with Lloyd Bridge's crotchety "Colonel" is comedy gold, and an extremely satifying way to reveal bits about the characters to each other and themselves. As Charles' character futiley attempts to ingratiate himself with his girlfriend's family, Gould's use of shooting locations helps to convey the claustrophobic feeling, showing a much more intelligent director than one would expect for a directorial debut. The only real complaint I have about this film is the marketing, as this doesn't feel much like a happy-feel-good romcom at all.
If I were a film studies professor, I would use this film as a textbook example for how to subtley get the psychological elements of a character's pysche across. It almost has a German Expressionist feel to it, with the enclosed scenes taking place when the protagonist is at his most frustrated, and wide-open spaces serving as locales for his epiphinatic scenes. To pigeonhold Meeting Daddy as a simple romantic comedy is a great disservice to the film, and those who would see it. With assured direction, cultural habits masquerading as stereotypes, and pleasing performances, Meeting Daddy is a humorous, engaging, and even thoughtful treat.
Next Blog:
Part one of John Woo's epic Red Cliff.
Up
Sadly, I haven't had time to watch too many films lately. Working more than may be psychologically safe and laughing my ass off to the original (UK) version of The Office on dvd has kept me busy. Even worse, the first film I'll be mentioning in this blog is the American remake of Bangkok Dangerous. Gah, I know.
Bangkok Dangerous
Directed by The Pang Brothers, starring beautiful locations, unnecessarily loud gunshots, and bad hair. It pains me to recall anything from this "film". Nic Cage gets top billing in a horrid exercise in excess. It was as though The Pang Brothers were trying so hard to please the audience, they ended up losing sight of what they were supposed to be doing. If you absolutely hate yourself, or have a penchant for seeing terrible actors in bad wigs, by all means, go see Bangkok Dangerous.
Once
Directed by John Carney, starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. Once is one of those wonderful films that looks so simplistically fantastic that you'd think it couldn't possibly live up to your expectations. However, it surpasses them in every way. Hansard and Irglova play two musicians that happen upon one another on the the streets of Dublin. Their loneliness and their love of music bring them as close together as platonically possible, and they discover a bit about themselves and the world. Simply a terrific film, filled with honest performances, brilliant direction, and some of the best music you will ever hear.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog
Directed by Joss Whedon, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion. I'm not sure what I can say about Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog that hasn't already been said by legions of fans. If you haven't seen it, shame on you. Shame on you for not having introduced yourself to the Whedonverse. Go now and watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog on iTunes, catch Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, or Serenity on dvd; and/or read Whedon's runs on Astonishing X-Men and Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways. All of the aforementioned forms of entertainment will astound and delight, as Joss Whedon is one of the greatest writer/director/thinkers of our time.
Burn After Reading
Directed by The Coen Brothers, starring George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt. To explain this film would give far too much away. If you are familiar with the works of The Coen Brothers (The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, The Ladykillers, No County for Old Men) then you know what to expect. If you aren't well versed in the filmic world of The Coen Brothers, Burn After Reading would be a great place to start. Every bit as sly as their other works, Burn After Reading posseses humor and intrigue, but in a light-hearted way more akin to The Ladykillers than their last flick, No Country for Old Men. For a good laugh, and a good experience, check out Burn After Reading.
Next Blog: The, more than a simple romantic comedy, romantic comedy Meeting Daddy.
Bangkok Dangerous
Directed by The Pang Brothers, starring beautiful locations, unnecessarily loud gunshots, and bad hair. It pains me to recall anything from this "film". Nic Cage gets top billing in a horrid exercise in excess. It was as though The Pang Brothers were trying so hard to please the audience, they ended up losing sight of what they were supposed to be doing. If you absolutely hate yourself, or have a penchant for seeing terrible actors in bad wigs, by all means, go see Bangkok Dangerous.
Once
Directed by John Carney, starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. Once is one of those wonderful films that looks so simplistically fantastic that you'd think it couldn't possibly live up to your expectations. However, it surpasses them in every way. Hansard and Irglova play two musicians that happen upon one another on the the streets of Dublin. Their loneliness and their love of music bring them as close together as platonically possible, and they discover a bit about themselves and the world. Simply a terrific film, filled with honest performances, brilliant direction, and some of the best music you will ever hear.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog
Directed by Joss Whedon, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion. I'm not sure what I can say about Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog that hasn't already been said by legions of fans. If you haven't seen it, shame on you. Shame on you for not having introduced yourself to the Whedonverse. Go now and watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog on iTunes, catch Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, or Serenity on dvd; and/or read Whedon's runs on Astonishing X-Men and Brian K. Vaughan's Runaways. All of the aforementioned forms of entertainment will astound and delight, as Joss Whedon is one of the greatest writer/director/thinkers of our time.
Burn After Reading
Directed by The Coen Brothers, starring George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt. To explain this film would give far too much away. If you are familiar with the works of The Coen Brothers (The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, The Ladykillers, No County for Old Men) then you know what to expect. If you aren't well versed in the filmic world of The Coen Brothers, Burn After Reading would be a great place to start. Every bit as sly as their other works, Burn After Reading posseses humor and intrigue, but in a light-hearted way more akin to The Ladykillers than their last flick, No Country for Old Men. For a good laugh, and a good experience, check out Burn After Reading.
Next Blog: The, more than a simple romantic comedy, romantic comedy Meeting Daddy.
17 September, 2008
Coming Up
Next blog: The American remake of Bangkok Dangerous, Indie Irish flick Once, Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog, the new Coen Brothers comedy Burn After Reading, a romcom that is more than it seems with Meeting Daddy, and more.
01 September, 2008
Away With Words
Away With Words
Christopher Doyle, known primarily as a world class cinematographer, branched out back before the turn of the century into the world of directing. What came of his first foray in the director's chair is disconnected, loud, alienating, and charming. Away With Words captures what it is too feel like an outsider or a stranger in your own shoes. Like great poetry or a film by David Lynch, the best part of Away With Words isn't something anyone can tell you, it is what you take away from viewing it that matters.
With any luck, I'll soon get back to my regular film watching schedule of five or more films a week, as I have a fairly long list of films to watch. However, that luck isn't going to kick in until at least next month, if then, so the amount of movies I watch will be smaller, while the blogs I post about them will probably be longer. Yay for words.
Happy Labor Day.
Christopher Doyle, known primarily as a world class cinematographer, branched out back before the turn of the century into the world of directing. What came of his first foray in the director's chair is disconnected, loud, alienating, and charming. Away With Words captures what it is too feel like an outsider or a stranger in your own shoes. Like great poetry or a film by David Lynch, the best part of Away With Words isn't something anyone can tell you, it is what you take away from viewing it that matters.
With any luck, I'll soon get back to my regular film watching schedule of five or more films a week, as I have a fairly long list of films to watch. However, that luck isn't going to kick in until at least next month, if then, so the amount of movies I watch will be smaller, while the blogs I post about them will probably be longer. Yay for words.
Happy Labor Day.
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