A Presently Confusing Decade: Hollywood

Ah, Hollywood, the center of the movie universe. Hollywood blockbusters made gazillions of dollars over the past ten years, but here were the biggest earners of that time.

Large Scale Epics - nothing would dazzle the imagination more than grand sweeping epic films filled with huge battles, drama and pathos. Special effects were fast becoming part of the picture itself rather than a supplement to it. At some points, special effects were all that were there, replacing any traditional scenery, action or what have you. The new Star Wars trilogy is probably the most heinous offender. With its all SFX backgrounds, you tend to lose sight of the personal issues and forget what the movie should really be all about.

Sequels, sequels and more sequels - nothing fueled the industry more than continuing the plots of films that didn't need sequels. Riding on movies that were classics in their own right, films continued stories that needed no continuation; indeed, few could be considered as classics of the caliber of the original. Some sequels were decades apart; feeding on the nostalgia of the moviegoers' populace.

Living on the 80s - And nostalgia was the biggest draw of this decade. How many 70s or 80s TV shows did you see on the screen? Hollywood did its best to sap on the creativity of the past, while offering nothing new but wrapping old material in a glossy new package.

Heroics on Film - The Superhero film. Comics were soon recognized as a legitimate source of inspiration, thanks to their fantastic and deep storylines, interesting characters, and the ability of special effects to do this allowed us to see some great and some not so great films.

But despite this, the imaginations of some filmmakers shined through this decade with their uncompromising visions. American independent cinema had visions of its own, far removed from the popular trends in mainstream Hollywood. Uncompromising films like The Limits of Control or Synecdoche, New York would challenge moviegoing audiences and critics alike.

My favorite Hollywood films of the last 10 +1 years are:

Inception - Christopher Nolan struck gold twice in the past 2 years. I think he has learned from his previous films and made a thinking man's blockbuster. Dreams within dreams within dreams, and a world bound only by one's imagination - makes for a very engaging film. The ending left its mark by sparking a wave of discussion long after the movie had ended.

The Dark Knight - the 2000s gave birth to (or resurrected?) a different genre of films that catered to the newly emerging comic book generation: The Superhero Movie. Although it led to the production of a lot of mediocre adaptations, a couple of good ones, and some considerable garbage, this one stands along as a film that transcends the superhero genre and becomes its own. The unbelievable performance by the late Heath Ledger is once in a lifetime, and his passing was truly a tragic one.

Broken Flowers - One of Bill Murray's standout films this decade, pairing him with director Jim Jarmusch. It's a man's search for his own self through his past loves.

Waking Life - Richard Linklater has made his share of films this decade. Some were sequels (Before Sunset) some were mainstream fare (School of Rock) and some were misguided at best (Fast Food Nation.) This rotoscoped animated film, released in 2001, was my favorite of them all. It's just a couple of dudes talking about stuff, but it is never boring. He would follow this one up with A Scanner Darkly, based on the Philip K. Dick story.

Lost in Translation - Yeah, Bill Murray. Movies like this make me forget that he did shit like Garfield a Tale of Two Kitties. Yep. This movie also made me notice Scarlett Johansson for the first time. That qualifies it for awesomeness immediately. But add a great story about two people meeting by chance and finding each other's friendship in an alien land and you have a winner.

The Lord of the Rings - this movie redefined the definition of Epic for this decade. I have to lump the three movies together as they really only function cohesively as one film (except maybe the first, which can stand on its own.) Peter Jackson pulls out all the stops to recreate the world of Middle-earth on the big screen.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - few films have the visual panache as this one has, interpreting dreamscapes through the quirky mind of Michel Gondry. But beyond the lush visuals is the deconstruction of a relationship in reverse - tracing its events from the breakup and back to happy times. And yet, there is the bittersweet notion that depsite all the things that went on, the end result will forever be the same.

Kill Bill - I think Quentin Tarantino and I would have a lot to say if we got into a room together. A big chunk of what we would say would probably be about the awesome movies we've seen. Tarantino has a penchant of taking the stuff that he likes from various movies and genres and mashing them together to form something of a tribute to these films. With Kill Bill, he takes Wuxia, Chambara, Exploitation films, grindhouse films, Spaghetti Westerns, Japanese splatterfests and whatever thing he can get his hands on and takes them all together to make a pretty good film.

Punch Drunk Love - Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the more exciting American directors of recent times. With this film he made Adam Sandler experience a depth of acting that few knew existed, while exploring the themes of loneliness and belonging in a strange world that not all of us will easily understand.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - It's hyper like an ADHD riddled child, but it's the perfect film to encapsulate the period of the last ten to fifteen years. With Edgar Wright's frenzied directing, the videogame-like setting and the mingling of fantasy and reality, this is a film that sadly flopped at the box office, but for those who did see it, were treated to their money's worth.

Noteworthy: Before Sunset, Hard Candy, Cypher, Babel, A Scanner Darkly, Juno

A Presently Confusing Decade: Anime

It's no secret that I love anime, so I'm making a separate section and treating it like the independent genre that it is.

The 2000's was an interesting decade for anime. Films like Ghost in the Shell and series like Cowboy Bebop had introduced anime for more mainstream fans. Shows like Pokemon and Yugioh targeted kids; and the scene exploded.

Increasing strides in technology allowed for easy sharing of anime, spawning a substantial subtitling community. Gone were the days when you had to wait months for anime to be released in your country (if at all;) now, the latest episodes of the most popular anime could be viewed days or even hours after the original Japanese airing. Streaming sites like Youtube also facilitated the spread of anime throughout the world. This was no longer a Japanese thing; anime fans were beginning to form a large international community the nineties could never have imagined.

Anime studios like Gainax would rehash their old series or make new ones. Anime creators would also show their hand in Hollywood productions, like in the Animatrix, or the sequence in Kill Bill. Genres would also shift; the harem anime of the nineties began to fade away. Ero-game adaptations would surface, as standards on late night TV began to loosen, shows would tend to show even more. Josei anime would find their niche in the noitaminA block on television.

The Shounen genre would find itself a cornerstone of the industry with the "Big Three" Shounen Anime: Bleach, Naruto and One Piece. These new shows would gain large fanbases of their own and push anime even further into the mainstream.

Aside from manga, light novels would also become a source of anime adaptation. Shows like Haruhi Suzumiya and Toradora! would find their beginnings as light novels, then become adapted as highly popular anime. Still, anime creators would find time to make original productions of their own, making some of the best creative works of the decade.

And so, without further ado, my favorite anime of the past ten (+1) years:

Paranoia Agent - one of the most unique anime series to come out of Japan, and one of the late Satoshi Kon's masterpieces. As with most of his works, the series tackles the issues of dreams, perceptions and reality and brings them to life in a way only an animated film can.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - it has to be said that this anime epitomizes the meaning of "epic." Virtually a distillation of every hot-blooded mecha anime series into its purest, most pristine form. As it outdoes itself in over the top shenanigans with every episode, it never fails to deliver. Except probably for Garlock, although the movies correct this a bit.

Death Note - Although fans are divided over the second, lesser half of the series, the first half of Death Note is nothing short of awesome: a pure battle of wits between two supremely clever individuals. It really isn't about the notebook anymore; it's about the rivalry between these two men over their difference in ideology.

Honey and Clover - this series perfectly captured college life for me: the friends, the transcience, the pain, the happiness, the memories. You may notice the rest of the series in this list are either shounen or seinen series. This is the only title that even comes close to being shoujo (it's actually a Josei title) and there's a pretty fucking good reason why: because it kicks ass. Honey and Clover Sandwhiches, that's all I'm going to say about that.

Samurai Champloo - I would include Cowboy Bebop, but that was in 1998 so I can't lol. But this series, a fusion of hip-hop and jidaigeki/chambara culture, creates a great mishmash of both. References to samurai films of old and pop culture in general abound, but one could say the interactions between the three main characters between themselves and with others solidify what is a great series.

Akagi/Kaiji - I'd like to lump these two series by Nobuyuki Fukumoto together. Although not brimming with explosions or over the top mecha battles, these two series erupt with sheer manliness from start to finish. While Kaiji is the kind of poor bastard you'd want to buy a drink, Akagi is the kind of person that you'd cheer on for the sheer reason that the man is freaking insane. For some reason, these two gambling series have a strong (implied?) anti-gambling message. Or maybe it's just me.

Mushishi - Bar none the best anime series of the decade for me. Each tale tells of the human condition through strange creatures neither animal nor human. The show itself feels like some vibrant, quiet organism, thrumming with life. A show that deserved as many seasons that it could get, but settled for 26 amazing episodes.

Genshiken - an anime about anime (and a manga about manga... and I guess about anime too.) Like its spiritual predecessor Otaku no Video, Genshiken is an anime about anime and manga fans. Like me! (and probably you?) But take away the anime and manga, and this show is about a group of people engaging in a hobby that they love, a hobby that is a fundamental part of their lives.

Monster - What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be a good person? What does it mean to be evil? Naoki Urasawa delivers with a rich and complex tale layered with interesting characters and questions that burn through to your moral center. THe awesome thing is, minor characters or not, each one has a story behind them, influencing their actions. Would you agree with Dr. Tenma's actions? Would you agree with Johan's?

Code Geass - Despite the second season, which most deemed a flaming trainwreck, this anime, a sort of bildungsroman of one's ascent from obscurity to total world domination, is pretty engrossing from start to over-the-top finish. One might think of the ascent of emperors or great conquerors while viewing the entirety of the show. Oh, and it has robots on roller skates. ROLLER SKATES.

Special Mention: Rebuild of Evangelion - The original series made such a huge impact on my teenage life that I still consider it a major influence in my tastes and likes today. The revamp of the series, helmed by a more mature (and slightly less depressed) Hideaki Anno, reflects on how I have changed from an angsty teen into a slightly less angsty young adult. lol

Honorable mentions: Eureka 7, Eden of the East

Next: Hollywood!

A Presently Confusing Decade: Rest of Asia

The rest of Asia headed into the new decade quite unsure of itself. Reeling from the Asian financial crisis of the late nineties, the movie industry was not exactly in tip top shape. While the movie industries of South Korea flourished, old established titans of the Asian movie scene were beginning to crumble. The unfortunate casualty of the decade of the new milennium was Hong Kong. A steady decline in production from the mid nineties, combined with overproduction of films, piracy and the threat of Hollywood dealt a blow that sent the industry reeling. By 2003, the Hong Kong movie industry was on life support.

Directors then went to mainland China where they found a new home in the burgeoning economy, although strict government censorship would hinder their expression. In China, directors from there would make large scale epics of their own, but most indie directors would turn to small productions. Documentary films would find a trend among filmmakers in this decade.

Thai Cinema would also experience a kind of resurgence during this decade. The Pang Brothers made a couple of great films in the country, including The Eye and Bangkok Dangerous. (They would continue making films in the country as brothers or as solo directors.) Thailand also rode the Asian Horror wave with films like Bangkok Haunted or Shutter. Tony Jaa introduced a kinetic style of film with Ong Bak, starting a string of films showcasing Muay Thai and the skills and bravery of Thai Stuntmen.

Aside from mainstream fare, Thai New Wave directors gained acclaim in the international film circuit. Rataranuang's Invisible Waves and Last Life in the Universe were astounding films, as well as Weerasethakul's Syndromes and a Century and Uncle Boomee, the latter of which won big at Cannes.

The Philippines continued to languish a bit into the 2000s; but the rise of digital film made it possible for independent directors to gain a voice. While the Metro Manila Film Festival remained the sole hallmark of the commercial side of the film industry, independent filmmakers founded the Cinemalaya Film Festival as a showcase of their own creative work.

Malaysia would find talented directors and interesting films like Sepet, Indonesia would continue on its own, from horror fare to superhero films to sex comedies with sex symbols like Maria Ozawa. India would continue chugging along its huge movie industry; slick production values (and better choreography?) would improve movie quality. Vietnam, while mostly in the shadows, would gain notice with films like Muoi, a co-production with Korea. And the list goes on.

My personal favorites from Asia in the past decade (+1) were:


Green Tea - A little-known romantic movie from mainland China. Gorgeous to look at (thanks to Christopher Doyle,) great performances from the actors. Surprisingly it's one of my all-time favorites.

In the Mood for Love - You don't see him that much these days, but Wong Kar Wai's best is arguably this film, a quiet treatise on love that expresses its intense emotions beneath a seemingly placid exterior.

Hero - another mainland Chinese film that stars Hong Kong actors (sadly after HK cinema started to decline.) It started a wave of similar big budgeted Chinese epics, directed by both Hong Kong and Chinese directors and starring both Hong Kong and mainland Chinese actors, like House of Flying Daggers, The Promise and Red Cliff.

2046 - Although a lesser film than its predecessor, this follow-up to In the Mood for Love echoes the themes and sentiments of his previous films up to that point. He would direct only one more full film, My Blueberry Nights, before taking years on his latest film, The Master, based on the life story of Ip Man.

Last Life in the Universe - Thai cinema has been experiencing something of a resurgence this past decade. Pen-ek Rataranuang's offering, Last Life in the Universe is a strange and quirky film about how two people end up completing each other in more ways than one.

Infernal Affairs (Trilogy) - In the muck that was Hong Kong Cinema in the first decade of the millennium, a few movies stood out and proved to be classics of the genre. This trilogy was definitely one of the crowning works of that time. While the first is definitely the lynchpin of the series, it is the second film that expands upon the universe established by the first and gives it a whole new level of depth.

Shaolin Soccer - Stephen Chow has always made comedy movies in his long career. It's this one, however, that placed the international eye on him. His later, successful followup, Kung Fu Hustle, was also a big hit in Asia.

Ong Bak - Yeah yeah I know, this film has an overly simplistic plot that meanders too much (at least in the original Thai release,) and nothing much going on in the acting department. But DAMN my friend, it delivers action in spades and made Tony Jaa a star. That is, until the stresses of making Ong Bak 2 and 3 pushed him into monasticism. No joke. Will he make a comeback once everything is sorted out? and will the world remember him upon his return?

Engkwentro - I've seen my share of Filipino movies over the past ten years, and with all the mainstream dreck, indie stuff and miscellaneous gunk we produce, this movie stood out in particular for me. Clever editing, and superb acting from actors and non-actors alike make this film what it is.

special mention: Sha Po Lang, Ip Man, Tribu

A Presently Confusing Decade: South Korea

South Korea had a very productive decade with its movie industry. It came off with big earners like Shiri and JSA. With rapidly improving film quality and the advent of digital video and DVD media, Korean movies had a boom in the early 2000s. Like other Asian countries, Korea also tried to ride the Asian horror bandwagon with productions of its own, such as 2002's Phone and 2003's A Tale of Two Sisters.

Korea also made waves with its Romantic Comedies. Films like My Sassy Girl, Windstruck and Sex is Zero were screened in across Asia. Some films were picked up by Hollywood for remake purposes, but were relatively unsuccessful compared to their counterparts. Along with TV series (arguably one of South Korea's largest media exports to Asia,) music and what have you, this began what constituted the Hallyu, or Korean Wave.

Korea would continue to break its own domestic box office records year after year. Nationalistic war epics like Taegukgi and Silmido, historical films like The King and the Clown, monster films like the Host, and grand spectacles like Tsunami and D-War would dominate the box office. This would continue well into 2009, but by this time, Korean cinema had its own share of troubles.

With the global recession, less people were going to cinemas. The screen quota system, having regulated the showing of non-domestic films on Korean screens, saw its power reduced to allow for more Hollywood films to be shown. Low sales of DVDs had almost killed that industry. Although there were still a lot of good films during the latter parts of the decade, the volume of productions lessened. TV dramas had more pull, and were more profitable in the long run due to its format.

Korean film gained international popularity, with major wins at major film festivals. Of note was Jeon Do-yeon's much deserved win at Cannes, as with Oldboy's win at the same film festival. Many others would win accolades in Venice and Berlin. The country's own Pusan film festival would become a major film event in the region over this decade.

The end of the decade saw a shift in Korean film production and contemporary Korean film. Although the occasional blockbuster or genre film will still be there, more and more directors are taking fresh and inventive approaches to the art, and more creative films from this powerhouse in the Asian film community are in the wings, waiting to be made.

For this decade (+1,) my favorite films are:

Oldboy - Although all great films I had to pick only one of Park Chan-wook's vengeance trilogy to leave space for the others, and I think this one is the film representative of this body of work. Oldboy is a fantastic film that punches you in the face the first time you see it.

My Sassy Girl - This film is the definitive example of a wave of Asian romantic comedies that swept through asia for much of the early decade. Director Kwak Jae-yong liked this film so much, he would spend the rest of the decade making nothing but similar films to this one, ranging from more serious fare (The Classic) to rehashes of his original story (Windstruck and Cyborg She) to adaptations of other similar works (My Girl and I.)

Failan - speaaaking of romance, how do you make a love story about two people who have never met in person, ever? The fact that people's lives are affected by others in such simple and profound ways is the point of this film, and is heartbreaking in its final result.

Il Mare - not really a standout film, but one of my favorite non-comedy romantic films from Korea of the decade. The music, the story, the chemistry between the characters, it was perfect. I guess it just came at the right time in my life. Remade in Hollywood as The Lake House.

Memories of Murder - a police procedural that takes in all of the societal issues and bureaucracies of the day. Based on a true story.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring - Kim Ki-duk has made a lot of movies this decade, with almost one movie a year until tapering off around 2008. This one remains one of his simplest films, with almost no dialogue. The cyclical story that was based upon Buddhism is still universal. Life, unto death.

The Chaser - If Oldboy was like a punch to the face, this film is like a hot girl kicking you in the balls. The Chaser brings equal heaps of suspense and pathos thanks to Kim Yoon-wook, who gives the performance of his life in this film.

Welcome to Dongmakgol - numerous films have been made regrarding the tensions between North and South Korea, who are still technically at war after more than fifty years. This film, lighthearted and whimsical as it is, paints a picture of a simple, naive world full of innocence, and how war changes everything.

The Host - not your ordinary monster movie. Again Jong Boon-ho gives us a relatively entertaining mainstream story, while still addressing societal issues. The true enemy in the Host is not the monster that stalks in the shadows; we are.

Cruel Winter Blues - This is a finely acted film that like Il Mare will probably not be remembered by many, but came to me at just the right time. It's a lonely story of disconnection and the desire to reach out to someone. A real hard luck tale, but worth the watch.

Honorable mentions: A Tale of Two Sisters, 3-iron, This Charming Girl, the rest of the Vengeance Trilogy, Thirst, JSA

I Wish I Could Have Seen: Secret Sunshine, Mother (I'll get to this ASAP hehe)

A Presently Confusing Decade: Japan

In the past decade Japan has had something of a resurgence in productivity. Japanese Horror came in the decade strong, riding on the heels of the massive successes of Ring (1998) and The Grudge. This would taper off as the decade progressed, but it would open new doors for J-cinema and the world.

Over the next ten years, manga and anime would serve as both a source and an inspiration for subsequent cinematic productions, including mind blowing anime movies like Paprika and Ghost in the Shell Innocence, stalwart animated films from Ghibli like Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke, and adaptations of manga and anime, including but not limited to Nana and the Death Note trilogy. Some of the best Japanese box office performers were adaptations of manga or anime and would serve to spur the industry into looking into these sources for inspiration.

Tie-ins with TV series, or doramas, would also prove to be popular; movie versions or "finale" versions of J-dramas would enjoy a resurgence, especially in the last five years of the decade. The movie versions of Rookies (itself based on a manga) and Bayside Shakedown would rake in cash like never before.

Japan also received its share of accolades from the international film community, most recently last year's Okuribito (Departures,) which won the best foreign film Oscar for 2009. Japanese actors would also gain acclaim, with Yuya Yagira winning a best actor prize in Cannes for Nobody Knows, and Rinko Kikuchi getting a nomination for her role in Inarritu's Babel.

With even more anime adaptations next year, Japanese cinema seems to be riding the wave of success it has been riding this decade. The future looks bright. And so, my favorite Japanese films of the past ten (+1) years:

Kisaragi - it's just five guys in a room. Granted films like this have been done before (like for example, Chinese Dinner), but none have layered their plot revelations as well as this one. One watch made me an instant fan.
All About Lily Chou-chou - Being a fan of Shunji Iwai, I had to pick one of his films from the past decade, and it was this one that caught my eye the most. A layered, complex depiction of alienation among Japanese youth, it was also one of the first to be captured on high grade digital film. It also launched the careers of some of Japan's top young actors and actresses, like Yu Aoi and Hayato Ichihara, whose performances made the film.

Tony Takitani - putting a Haruki Murakami anything into film is hard to do. But this film by the late Jun Ichikawa captures the essence of the original short story and doesn't resort to cheap theatrics.
The Happiness of the Katakuris - It's part horror, comedy, family drama. And it's a freaking musical? Proof that in between the gorefests (Ichi the Killer), the remarkably mainstream fare (Crows Zero) and the downright 'whoa' films (Visitor Q) Takashi Miike is still responsible for delightfully insane films like this.

Zatoichi - There have been at least three adaptations or approaches to the Zatoichi story in the past decade, including a female version by the Ping Pong director and that 'Final' movie that had a member of SMAP in it. But leave it to Takeshi Kitano to make the definitive remake of the film series with a pomp and swagger that the original films had in spades.

Honorable mentions: 20th Century Boys Trilogy (ambitious!) Yoji Yamada's Samurai Trilogy
Next up: South Korea and the Korean Wave Cinema of the past decade

A Presently Confusing Decade: Favorites from the Past Ten Years of Cinema

2010 is ending, and after 5 years of doing this blog, I guess it would be fun to make a list of all the films from the last ten or so years (2000-2009) that I really, really liked. As a bonus I'm including 2010 too, because what the hell, right?

The films themselves aren't necessarily the most critically acclaimed, nor will they probably be the ones people remember. But the reason I'm making this is because I just freaking like em. Be it the story, the characters, the actors, or just some minor trivial thing that sold the movie to me, it doesn't really matter.

Since they are so many, a top ___ would not suffice. So I'm rearranging this into categories:

Japan
South Korea
Rest of Asia (China, Southeast Asia, and so on)
Anime
Hollywood
The rest of the world (that is, not Asia or Hollywood)
Documentaries
The Worst of the Decade

Click the links to go to the respective posts. Enjoy!!

My Sassy Cyborg

A lot of you probably remember the 2001 romantic movie My Sassy Girl (and hopefully not the recent disaster of a Hollywood remake.) Although the film tended to meander in places, it was funny, fresh, and very romantic in its own way.

The film had this magic that made it one of the bigger box office draws in Asia, and one of the triggers of the Korean Wave that spread out in the 2000s. To say it was because of the formidable chemistry between the two leads, the story itself, the comedy, or the melodramatic latter half that would become a staple of later Korean romantic comedies, one could not truly say. But director Kwak jae-yong would then try to recapture lightning in a bottle using all the elements I described, with varying results.

One of his latter efforts, My Girlfriend is a Cyborg (Cyborg She being the alternate title) heavily borrows from a plot within a plot in My Sassy Girl - there is some similarity between the plot of this film and one of the scripts the Girl writes.

But (luckily?) unlike the mishmash of the script that was in My Sassy Girl, this film manages to tighten up the story and focus on the love story without deviating too much from anything else. After 8 years of trying, Kwak Jae-yong is perfecting his storytelling technique. Does it measure up to the original film? And, does it stand up as its own film?

Jiro (Keisuke Koide) is a single college student who is celebrating his birthday. As it happens, he comes across a very eccentric but lively girl (Haruka Ayase) where Jiro has the time of his life. Unfortunately, she disappears as the night ends. Jiro then resigns himself to the normal life until a year later when someone who looks exactly like that one girl (Also Haruka Ayase) arrives. but this time, she's a cyborg from the future. Apparently she's been sent by Jiro's future self to prevent certain things from happening to him. At the same time, Jiro has to teach her what it means to be human.

The success of a movie like this depends largely on the chemistry between the two actors. Keisuke Koide, who has a lot of TV and movie experience, is a perfect choice for a male lead in a MSG-esque film; like most of the other male protagonists in Kwak's films, Jiro is a lonely twentysomething, an everyman we can all easily sympathize with, continuously weirded out but endlessly patient towards the girl. Haruka Ayase, who has found herself among Japan's rising stars in acting, does an effective performance as the nameless Girl, having to go through a spectrum of emotions (and non-emotions) as she transforms from emotionless cyborg to cyborg with a heart. Her impulsiveness in the first few minutes almost reminds me of Jun Ji-hyun when she starred in My Sassy Girl, with its own flavor. Indeed, 2008 was Ayase's year, having starring roles in four films in such a short period.

Despite being a Japanese film starring Japanese actors, Kwak's message shines through the film, proving that his story transcends cultural barriers. While it does borrow a lot of elements from his previous films, his style gets more polished as time goes on. It also lays off some elements that might be considered cliche after years of repetition: the melodrama doesn't really weigh as heavily as the other films (which feels weird considering the scope of the second to last act of the film.) With it goes some of the sentimentality that made the original film so fun to watch, but at the same time your dose of warm and fuzzy will probably come with the last act that brings a final twist to the story that comes mostly unexpected and brings the film to a circular sense of closure.

And I guess avoiding cliches is one of the points of this article: after this movie, will Kwak try the same formula again? And how long will it be before even the freshest-looking rehash of his landmark film starts to become stale?

In any case, this film is a very enjoyable film in itself, and should be enjoyed as is. It's not perfect, but it's a very polished version of a story that Kwak Jae-yong has been trying to tell us for the past decade. Go out and give it a try.

MARVELLLAAAAHHHHHHH

Supaidaman. I have to talk about this guy.

Back in '78, Marvel Comics made a deal with Toei. They basically said "you can use our characters in any way you want for four years." Lord only knows what the stipulations were on Toei's end. Maybe Godzilla comics?

But anyway, the deal was made, and one of the characters that Toei would use would be Spiderman. Originally the producers wanted the show to be faithful to the comic, but then Bandai showed up and started making demands. Demands that, to the face of any fan of the original comic, would be terribly horrifying (or mildly insane.)

With a heavy heart, the producers and writers reneged. Supaidaman was born.

And the world was better for it.

Peter Parker Yamashiro Takuya is a motorcycle enthusiast who has a scientist for a father. For some unexplicable reason, his father detects something approaching at high speed. It is actually a giant transforming leopard shaped spaceship called Marveller (get it?) that changes into a robot called Leopardon. ...yeah. Leopards, spiders... nothing's clicking in my brain here.

Anyway, his father gets mixed up in weird shit with the Iron Cross Army, led by Professor Monster and his sidekick Amazoness. For some reason, Amazoness looks like a 35 year old Yuko Oshima, so I tended to refer to her as Yuko Oshima whenever I saw her in the series.

Spiderman then battles hordes of minions (after posing stylistically several times,) that in the history of sentai have to be the most idiotic henchmen EVER. Spiderman dispatches of them by throwing them to one side or climbing in inaccessible areas a few feet above their head. Apparently the Iron Cross training manual didn't include punching upwards or throwing weapons.

"He's climbed the wall! Now we'll NEVER catch him!!"

He then fights the monster of the week, called Monster Bems, patterned after some kind of animal. He does this usually in two phases: one during normal size, and another where the Monster Bem turns into a giant version of itself. Supaidaman then calls upon Marveller using his bracelet, but treats his bracelet as if it were a hearing impaired 70 year old woman, because instead of a perfectly acceptable "Marveller!" we get

"MAHHHHVELAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!111"

Which honestly sounded like he was being stabbed by a serial killer and was screaming his lungs off.

Now this is the awesome part: for all the cheapness and drama, the giant battles in Supaidaman are (dare I say) the most realistic. Why? Because once Leopardon transforms, it immediately uses its finishing attack. Sometimes it doesn't even have to transform and pummels the poor monster to death. THIS is the answer to all the rational beings that have asked, "why doesn't the hero just use the finishing attack at the beginning of the fight instead of stalling for five minutes, THEN doing it?"

Why? Because sometime around episode 8, someone STOLE the Leopardon costume. What motivations a man might have to steal a foam costume that has no other practical use is baffling. Compounded with the fact that the special effects budget of the show ran out around this time as well, and you have a problem. Thus, they had to use stock footage and edit in reaction shots of the monster exploding. That is why Leopardon's finishing attack with its huge ass sword does not involve him doing any stabbing or slashing. The fucker literally hurls his sword at the enemy, exploding in the monster's face and ending the fight. However two wrongs made a right: big monster battles were short and practical, and the wirework that Supaidaman used was better off in the later part of the series anyway.

pictured: sword throwing action

In a series where the main character tends to climb whatever he can lay his hands on, you have to make a convincing special "climbing on walls" effect for our hero. In all fairness, for something that was made in the late seventies the effects are pretty decent. Sometimes though you can see where the SFX people spliced the film to hide the wires that were holding Spidey (Supaidi? hehe) in place. Astute observers will note one or two episodes where you can see the wire/rope holding our webslinger aloft thanks to reflections in building windows.

Speaking of "webslinger," Spidey's webs don't come organically from Spiderman himself. He fires it from his all-purpose bracelet. His "webs" are more like twine rope nets, and his Tarzan like swinging web is obviously a white rope. In fact the Spiderman costume shoots out of this bracelet and covers Takuya instantly, leaving him to zip the head part himself. The costume itself is hilarious if only for one simple fact: the tight spandex means you can see Spidey's crotch bulge. It's not a cup, it's not underwear. It disturbs me to no end. I'm scarred for life.

For an evil organization, the Iron Cross Army is pretty up there on the evil scale. Unlike totally harmless organizations (like those dudes from Shaider, whose existence seems to revolve around trolling little kids) the Iron Cross Army does have some pretty decent ideas of world domination (going along regular sentai standards, of course.) In fact, if there was an adult in an episode of Supaidaman, and he was not a main character, there's a good chance that by the end of the episode he or she will be dead, and Supaidaman would end the episode swearing revenge against the Iron Cross Army. The adult casualty rate is quite astounding, even compared to the sentai of the 80's, which is pretty "dark" to begin with.

That doesn't mean the Iron Cross Army comes up with brilliant ideas all the time; at times, the organization comes up with really stupid ideas, in others, the ideas are quite frankly quite ridiculous. One episode involved an illegal gambling ring where the gambling games are things you would see five year olds play, like racing bunnies and chicks.

HOT GAMING ACTION RIGHT HERE

A series of episodes featured the Kids Detective Group - a group of kids that stick their nosy noses in places they shouldn't stick em into. They basically do little more than serve as bait or cannon fodder, occasionally giving our spidery hero a clue or two in his investigation. Thankfully (or not?) none of the kids are in any real danger of death, as kids get special immunity from the grim reaper in Supaidaman.

The bad guys are pretty fruity as bad guys come. As previously stated, most of the bad guys are animals or plants given monstrous appearances. But other bad guys include masked shapeshifting magicians, gaijin amazonesses and even the devil himself.

The weirdness also didn't come only from the bad guys: some guest stars of Supaidaman are completely fucking ridiculous. One boy annoys the fuck out of everyone for collecting cockroaches. Another character is a down and out wrestler. Another is a shrine girl whose powers include kicking Spiderman's ass. Another, a gun-toting cowboy-like detective scares a bunch of people by throwing a stick of dynamite inside a room full of people.

You think I'm fucking kidding?

And one of the crowning moments of the series happens in that episode. Our cowboy muses on the circumstances of his son, who has lost his memory thanks to the death of his mother. While that happens, Freddie Aguilar's Anak plays in the background. I'm not fucking kidding.

Supaidaman left a lasting legacy on the world of Tokusatsu. Along with Battle Fever J, it was the grandfather of the Super Sentai genre. Most of the conventions it introduced into the genre (2 - tier fighting, transforming robots) endure to this day in the latest Super Sentai effort, Goseiger (which finishes early next year.) Despite the camp and the cheap special effects, it's one of those shows that you just have to watch.