you go backwards again, you go forward again...

TOPIC NUMBER ONE

I'm currently listening to Coldplay's new album, X&Y. It's pretty good, but I don't 100% feel their musical direction. In this new album, everything's a bit more energetic, less sad and melancholy. Well, the main reason I liked Coldplay in the first place was exactly because they were sad and melancholy. Who could I forget songs like like "Trouble" or "Amsterdam" or "Everything's Not Lost," which retained that melancholy feel?

That isn't to say that they haven't completely lost their edge - I'll tell you about four tracks that I really liked from the album.

The first track, Square One, reminds me of a mix of Coldplay's new style and the style they had adapted with A Rush of Blood to the Head. There's fairly much going on at the end and it goes into this great finale that gets stuck in my head whenever I hear it.

The second track, What If, is my favorite track of the entire album. The intro hearkens back to Coldplay's Parachute days. Then it ups the ante a notch and delivers a satisfying transition without being too energetic. It's sad, it's almost deperate, I love it.

The fourth track, Fix You, is similar to track 2, but is a bit more energetic than that one. It however manages to give me a pleasant feel.

The twelfth track, Twisted Logic, is a song unlike any Coldplay I've heard before. The fact that it's so different from the other tracks from the album is the reason I like it so much.

Other tracks include Speed of Sound, which kinda sounds like their hit song Clocks, and Talk, which is enjoyable but could have been a bit shorter.

TOPIC NUMBER TWO

I've watched a peculiar little film last night on the Star Movies Mandarin channel, which is currently having a trial run on Home Cable. (I wish they'd make it permanent, because that channel rocks, having introduced me to many great Chinese Flicks, notably Wong Kar-wai's Fallen Angels, the Takeshi Kaneshiro flicks Fuyajo (1998) and The Odd One Dies, the great parody Chinese Odessey 2002 and Fruit Chan's opus Made in Hong Kong.) It was the 1989 film "Fatal Vacation."

Well anyway, on to the film. The first face I recognized was the venerable Eric Tsang, who has starred and shined in a good number of recent HK flicks (Infernal Affairs, the HK segment of the first Three anthology) and the late but great Victor Wong, most prominent in a number of American movies, most notably The Joy Luck Club and the 3 Ninjas series of movies. Anyway, the plot consisted of Tsang and a number of HK tourists captured by the NPA (!) led by Bernardo Bernardo (!!) and held hostage until the brother of the leader is released. However, there's a little problem: the brother is dead.

Directed and produced by Chang, the film is a collaboration between HK and the Philippines, which is interesting. The film itself is a but absurd and unintentionally funny to boot - the scenes of eeeevil that abound in the movie are so cheesy, it's hard to take them seriously. I almost thought halfway, having not seen the opening credits, that Wong Jing could have directed this movie. That's not good.

I was amazed that Pen Medina was there too... he looks a bit different that what we see of him now, but hey, this movie was made 16 years ago.

Another interesting thing is that the movie ends with the Freddie Aguilar song Anak, which was kind of strange considering almost everybody got shot to death or something. Heh.

TOPIC NUMBER THREE

I saw Coco Lee yesterday. Tres cool.

a little quiz

I found this circulating around film blogs and thought it might be interesting to answer... Note that thanks to my relative preference for Asian films, they are going to dominate this list.

1. Total number of films I own on DVD and video

Approaching 500 (maybe 600, since it's been a long time since I checked) with the majority on DVD. A reasonable number came from those VCD sales with VCDs at 75 pesos or lower a pop.

2. Last film I bought

Bought, there was a batch of them, but as for acquisitions, a classmate gave me Seijun Suzuki's Pistol Opera, a 2001 reworking of one of his earlier films, Branded to Kill (1967).

3. Last film I watched

That would have to be the Filipino film Nasaan Ka Man, a strange semi-romance/character study/horror film that doesn't exactly know what kind of film it actually is. It wasn't that good, in my opinion, thanks to loads of exposition cut from the final movie. I'll probably post a review soon.

4. Five films that I watch a lot or that mean a lot to me (in no particular order)

This is a hard question since the list changes every, say, five minutes. Out of the top of my head I would say:

Swallowtail Butterfly (1996) One of my favorite Asian movies. It's about a band of immigrants who try to make it big in Japan, although the film is really a tapestry of interesting characters and their dreams and aspirations. It's very postmodern and Shunji Iwai brings an otherwise dull story to life. This movie helped spark my interest in Asian Cinema in general, and I'm grateful for it.

Star Wars (1977) I always watch this at least once a month. A fine example of blockbuster cinema, this reworking of the 1958 Akira Kurosawa film The Hidden Fortress combines cheesy dialogue with classic action sequences to make a product that feels like 400 million bucks.

Ran (1985) One of Akira Kurosawa's best works. Deeply affecting and abound with primal despair, Ran has a story befitting its name: Chaos.

Oldboy (2003) A deeply twisted tale of a man's search for revenge, this movie is a seamless work of cinema. Although not exactly the epitome of cinematic perfection, this movie teaches us what a movie director can do with a story to twist it further.

Ring (1998) This is the movie that defined the new wave of Asian Horror. It set the bar for countless future asian releases, knockoffs and imitations that, one way or another, borrow from this film.

5. If you could be any character portrayed in a movie, who would it be?

I'd be Zatoichi, because he's so badass. hehe.

The Travails of a Kickboxing Champion

Yes. Yes it was. FOR ME TO POOP ON!

So there I was, half awake and aimlessly wandering around the confined spaces of my own punch-drunk imagination. Taken over by an overwhelming sense of ennui and general procrastination, I decided to play some games. Old style games. There was one game that beckoned louder than all the others, a Gameboy game called “The Kickboxing.” Engrish title aside (the Kickboxing what?) it was renamed “Best of the Best” for the Americans, who probably agree with the Japanese that despite two different titles, the game sucks more ass than a vacuum cleaner in the rectum.

Yes, that's right: Geriatric Ladies Touting Prince Commemorative Dinnerware

Normally that would entail me going for the alt-f4 route right away, but no, the magical dwarves and their half-breed ilk that made this game managed to entice me ever so slowly into the game. The description of the game was jackhammered into my cerebral cortex: I am an amateur invited to the World Kumite Tournament, to face the strongest fighters in the world, and with training and stuff, I will become the best of the BEST OF THE BEST, SIR! The game obviously expected me, based on its own twisted logic, to “win.” Of course in reality if you pitted an amateur fighter even with a bit of training against established world fighters, you’d expect them to tear the poor newbie a new anus, right? Well, not always. Upsets do happen, you know.

Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

With no choice of name or nationality, I ended up with a player with a portrait that kinda looks like Rocky-era Sly Stallone. Understandable, since the game was made in the early nineties, and I think there was still one Rocky movie back then. Yeah, it was the one where he GETS BRAIN DAMAGED AND LIVES ON AS THE SHADOW OF THE MAN HE ONCE WAS. Er, sorry for spoiling the ending of Rocky V. Nevertheless, it really didn’t matter what my character’s portrait looked like, since at the actual fighting screen you look exactly the same as your enemy.

So, with undaunted resolve (and lack of understanding in the game’s basics), I faced my first opponent, Tsong Po, whose name is probably some Japanese word play on “Chump” or something. This first match was a loss, since without a manual I was left to fend for myself, furiously mashing the buttons to make my character do a lame kick that, 3 times out of 4, miss completely. As I later realized, you don’t really have to mash the buttons to make your character kick. I wonder how many kids’ thumbs were maimed after pressing too hard on the joypad, as their pitiful screams of despair and hate can be heard on the operating table against the makers of “The Kickboxing.”

D-uh, Which way did he go, which way did he go?

As I proceeded to retry my luck, I realized that there was something else about this game that bugs me- terrible, terrible collision detection. In reality, when two fighters are two inches apart from each other, you’d expect them to hit something. But no- this timeless masterpiece of a game has no idea what the hell that means. Another thing I noticed is that once my character is close enough to the enemy that he’s on the other side, he doesn’t immediately face the other way. He just stands there like a ninny, waiting for the enemy to pummel him to death like the human punch bag that he is.

In a flash of inspiration akin to that of the good Sir Isaac Newton, I saw the little option called “training” which inspired visions of my character running along with his trainer ala Punch Out, or maybe, aptly so, Rocky. Again, my imagination was crushed when I happened to see what I was actually going to do- mash one button again and again to raise my character’s stats, oh, lets see… a staggering 1 percent. On the other hand, there was one fun segment involving reflexes that raised my stats a bit more, which was a faint spot of light amidst a relatively black dark pitch black shadow of blackness.

OHH THE EXCITEMENT!!!111one

After raising my stats up to 90%, which made Tsong Po look like a pussy in comparison, my character proceeded to totally rape his ass goodbye. I made goals for myself, trying to knock the poor bastard down in one round, repeatedly, with my character’s smelly foot. And so he was defeated, and I was free to challenge the other contenders with impunity, but instead, I decided to punish this poor little character again. I mean, he was the guy who humiliated me in my first match. I had time for the others later. I could almost hear his cries of desperation as I challenged him again and again and danced over his twitching body every time my spinning heel kick hurled him to the canvas. SPINNING HEEL KICK, hoooooooooooooooooooooo!

I then went up the ladder, mauling opponent after opponent, laughing as they wept in the corner with gallons of tears streaming down their manly eyes. Yes, it was a visual paradox, if you think about it. I claimed their trophies and belts, ME, this formerly pathetic martial artist who you probably invited to feast on in the ring. Yes, me. Who is writhing in pain in the canvas as I do the splits NOW, huh? Whose groin will be disfigured for life, eh?

I was then stopped by a series of informal challenges, composing of “street brawls” taking place not in some street, but in some medieval dungeon – or perhaps, that place where those two guys fought in Fight Club. Here my progress to the world championship was stymied by this fellow called Doc Jump. Why the makers of this game named such a character with a stupidass name as “Doc Jump” escapes me, since he’s not a doctor, nor does he jump much when he fights. Well, maybe not. They are magical dwarves after all.

Doc Jump was your average high-class white male living in an upscale white subdivision. He was born Edmond Thurston Laplace Honneby XXIV, born to a successful banker and his dominatrix/love slave Exotica. He spent his early years listening to reggae and ska, and eventually became a category-1 lamer, adopting the name “Doc Jump” which has absolutely nothing to do with reggae or ska. Perhaps it came from Doc Martins, or Doc Brown from Back to the Future.

After deciding on a strategy, I defeated this “Doctor” eventually, in a round that was described by journalists and film critics alike as “spamtastic!” Thus I continued on with the champion, learning more about this devil-spawn of a game. Oh, how I looked at your face on the ground, Doc Jump, with such undeniable melancholy. You seemed like the universe had collapsed around your broken body. Oh, fates and destiny hear! How sad it is to live the life of a street brawler. How sad it is.

As I ripped through my enemies with increasing fervor, the game got all cheaty on my ass. Every time I got two hits on my enemy, the referee, who is by all accounts invisible, stops the match and resumes it after the break. There must be something amiss, I thought. This referee might be the personal love slave of all these fighters to be so… dirty. Hey, I’m just making a living here, you know, kicking ass and stuff. You guys invited me, not the other way around.

Cogneur and "Slayer" heat it up with their intense homosexual urges.

And so I was to face my last and final opponent, the champion of champions, Cogneur, whose name instantly reminded me of that clock from Beauty and the Beast. Oh ho ho ho, you and your clocky hands, monsieur Cogneur, they are so ticklish. I fought him and lost, again and again, as I soon realized that Cogneur was shafting me big time. Everytime I got a kick or punch off, Cogneur would score a point, and I would score nothing. I felt like Onyok Velasco when he fought against that Bulgarian guy whose name escapes me at the moment at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Then, after a seemingly innocent exchange of blows, I realized the cruel truth:

COGNEUR AND THE REFEREE ARE GAY LOVERS.

Oh, Cogneur, I can hear Tsong Po saying, “Coggie, what about our dreams together? What about our house in the marina? What about Fluffles the cat, whose oh-so-soft fur astounds us both? Uhuhuhuhuhuhuuuuu….”

I had threatened to fling various expendable items in frustration after Mr. Dirty McFight trounced me again after 22 fights, but I persevered, and won, the end. I have no doubt that this story will win the Pulitzer Prize for outstanding achievement in the field of excellence. As I lay down to sleep, finally exhausted after my travails as a Kickboxing Champion, I know this fact for sure. That Pulitzer is mine, baby.

Oh, and after a torrid eight months, Cogneur and his referee boyfriend split up.

Comics Talk 3

Here we are with the last installment of Comics Talk 3! One note though- whenever there are Japanese words like manga used in english, you write "manga" not "mangas." My bad. But since I'm too lazy to change my thing, there you go.

More Interesting Manga I've Either Partly Seen or Haven't Seen At All And Want To See

Tenjou Tenge

(a.k.a. Tenjo Tenge, Tenjho Tenge, Tenhjo Tenge, That manga with the girls with the big boobies)



This manga by Oh! Great (Ogure Itto) is not really about any one particular person, but it does tell us the days in the lives of Souichiro Nagi, Bob Makihara, Masataka Takayanagi, and Maya and Aya Natsume in a highschool that espouses martial arts training. Souichiro and Bob enroll in this school, thinking that they can just kick everybody's arse and win. But no, this is no ordinary high school. It turns out that there are tons of people in the school who can handily kick their asses. Assisted by Maya Natsume, a sexy babe who turns into a chibi version of herself to conserve energy, they undertake a path to martial arts greatness.

But that isn't the only focus of the story. A large chunk of the series is devoted to the earlier highschool years of Maya and her former friends, providing a backstory so interesting, some people like it better than the main story. The action is often very violent and intense, and when people go berserk, they go berserk.

The art is beautiful and very ecchi at times, but that's what you get for a manga that appeals to the 18-21 age group. It has accumulated around 80-odd chapters into 13 graphic novel volumes in Japan, and is still ongoing. A heavily edited version was released in the USA under DC comic's CMX imprint, which angered a bunch of fans. An anime series, covering the first few volumes of the manga, includes 24 episodes for TV and two OVA episodes.


Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou

(a.k.a. Karekano, His and Her Circumstances)



I first knew Karekano through it's anime adaptation by popular anime studio GAINAX. Helmed by the extremely talented Hideaki Anno (whose series, Evangelion, and live action movie, Love & Pop forever shaped the way I would view stuff) it was a comedy with some shoujo elements and a little bit of character introspection and drama. It told us the romance between Yukino and Soichiro, two model students who decide to become a couple. It also portrayed, through various substories and arcs, the stories and personal onflicts of the other supporting characters, whose interaction with our two protagonists is as interesting as the interaction of the two leads among themselves. It stopped abruptly at around volume 9 of the manga it was based on, and thanks to differences between Anno, the sponsors of the show and the manga's author Masami Tsuda, there never was (and never will be) a second season of Karekano.

Sigh...

But the manga storyline that was mercilessly cut short in the anime continued on, ending just last month after years of circulation, totalling 21 volumes for the entire series. It does continue in a slightly dramatic direction (the path Tsuda wanted to take, as opposed to the path GAINAX wanted, to keep it as a comedy) and details the dark secrets and pasts of the characters in the story. I haven't seem it all yet, but with an ending like that in the anime, anyone would be tempted to look for the manga and finish the series once and for all.

The manga is being serialized in Singapore (I think) and America, who has probably reached around volume 16 or 17 or so.


There are so many more manga I want to discuss with you (X, Evangelion, Love Hina) but I can't be arsed to... at least not yet. That wraps it up for Comics Talk, tune in next time, same Bat Time, same Bat Channel!

Comics Talk 2

More Comics Talk from me, since I can't do anything else.

Manga I've Not Completely Read

GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka)

GTO is a funny manga from Toru Fujisawa. It details the story of Eikichi Onizuka, a former motorcycle gang member who decides to become the greatest teacher in Japan (and maybe the world!) After a few early tribulations he gets assigned to a junior high school class. It just turns out that this class is the most notortious in the school, reputed for turning teachers insane. Onizuka deals with the class in a very unorthodox manner... and somehow, thanks to his ways the class warms to him.

The main storyline is peppered with sidestories detailing the various tribulations of the supporting characters, which is just as interesting. The comedy is great and the situations that Onizuka gets himself in, hilarious.

The manga has finished in Japan after 20+ volumes. An anime adaptation followed, with a special ending made for the anime. Live action versions, in movie and TV series form, have also appeared.

Slam Dunk



There are many sports manga out there, but a basketball manga? Slam Dunk is the only one I know. You can see Takehiko Inoue's love for basketball in this series (Shohoku's starters - pictured above - are in some ways patterned after NBA players from the nineties) with detailed notes the rules of the game and how to play inside. In fact, I picked up a few pointers from this series.

The story centers on Hanamichi Sakuragi, a red-headed highschooler who has been rejected by a girl for the 50th time (much to his dismay.) Sakuragi is then smitten by a girl in his new highschool, Haruko Akagi. It turns out that Haruko's brother is the captain of the school's basketball team and Sakuragi joins. As the series progresses, he matures both as a player and as a person, as Sakuragi develops a love for basketball.

The humor in this series is pretty funny, and the basketball games themselves, which can be covered in five or more volumes, are exciting and full of suspense - even if you know the final result. One of the better mangas I've read.

The series has stopped at around 30 or so volumes, and a 110 episode anime has been made, as well as six episode length movies.

that's it for now... coming soon - mangas I want to see!

Comics Talk 1

Hey hey hey kids, time for another fun filled blog from yours truly, as a supreme testament to his powers of procrastination.

I've read my fair share of great comics, and today we'll be talking about Manga, or Japanese comics. Japanese comics are widely accepted in Japanese society, unlike American comics, which are only appreciated by a certain section of the population. Japanese comics basically talk about anything - the heroes can be the ultramuscular strongmen we're used to, or they can be antiheroes with fractured psyches and absurd personalities. Plot ideas can range from the daily life of chefs with supernatural powers to a club obsessed with olfactory pleasures.

Anyway, here are a few manga I've read or want to read. I just want to share them with ya...

Manga I've Read

Blade of the Immortal



Still, after five or so years, one of the best Manga I've ever read. Manji is a samurai who was once a bad, bad man, wanted for killing 100 people. One day this old nun gives him worms that make him virtually immortal - a state that he doesn't want to experience. In addition for death, he vows to kill a thousand evil men. Nice premise, huh? In his quest to kill a thousand people, he meets up with Rin, a vengeance-obsessed girl out to kill the guys who killed her parents. Manji, perhaps out of remembrance of his dead sister, becomes her yojimbo. It just turns out that the guys who killed Rin's parents are members of the most powerful and radical sword school in all Japan...

I love Hiroaki Samura's rough, pencil drawing style. It gives the characters a strange life that I don't think can be achieved through animation. The characters and settings are interesting too, since even the antagonists are not unlikeable at all - everybody has their own agenda, their own motivations for doing the things they do. Anotsu Kagehisa is someone you would assume is the bad guy earlier on, but as the story progresses, he's treated almost as another protagonist. The action is also great when it happpens - limbs fly in this manga, and not in moderate amounts. Motion dissolves into lines and shadows and it is pulled off with relative amounts of style.

The series in Japan is around two to three years ahead of the great American translation from Dark Horse comics, which is currently at material for volume 15. The series is still ongoing.

Mars



Kira is a shy student who is execptionally gifted at drawing. In school she is categorically ignored by her classmates, and she doesn't mind - she likes the loneliness. One day she meets brash, unhinged pretty boy Rei, who is pretty much her opposite. Strangely enough, Rei falls for Kira and a relationship begins...

Mars is your basic Shoujo manga. It shines mainly because of its great characterization that manages to draw you in, volume after volume. Being a basic Shoujo manga, Mars has your compulsory cast of supporting characters, your basic pretty boy male protagonist, the works. What makes it so interesting to read is finding out about the pasts of the two leads, and how those potentially devastating revelations will affect their lovelife.

The series has ended its run at volume 15 and an extra omake volume with sidestories for your pleasure. It has been adapted into a chinovela with two of the stars from another Manga-adapted chinovela, Meteor Garden.

I"s

I"s (pronounced "Eyes") is the brainchild of Masakazu Katsura, known for the Video Girl Ai series. It reads like a shoujo manga, but it is told in the male perspective, and is told with lots of fan service, which would serve the male crowd. It tells the story of Ichitaka, a highschool student who has a crush on one of his classmates Iori Yoshizuki. Iori is a beautiful girl, having appeared in various gravure photoshoots, which really does happen for pretty teens in Japan. Obviously, basically everyone else has a crush on Iori. This leads Ichitaka into various dilemmas that threaten his future together with Iori. This exerts itself in full force when a girl from Ichitaka's past comes to haunt him...

I"s sees our protagonists grow and mature. It's kind of like one of those teen dramas you see on TV, Dawson's Creek and stuff. Characters come and go, Iori and Ichitaka eventually graduate from highschool, relationships form and break, etc. You feel for Ichitaka's character - at times there are scenes where he really isn't at fault, just misunderstood (a theme that reappears in Video Girl Ai) and ends up being a tragic victim. He goes through a lot of emotions and they translate to the printed page rather nicely. The story is accentuated by Katsura's absolutely gorgeous drawing style, which brings his characters to life. There are two versions to the ending- the one that ends up in the graphic novel collection is the better one.

I"s has been adapted into an OVA, which really isn't that good. The series has finished after 15 volumes.

eh- that's it for today! stay tuned (hopefully not too long) for more Comics Talk!

The Persistence of Memories

Today we review two Korean movies, both about past memories, both great films. Without further ado...

The 1999 film Harmonium in my Memory is set in the late fifties/early sixties, as a young, greenhorn teacher Soo-ha (Lee Byung-hun, A Bittersweet Life, JSA,) who goes to a remote village in Kangwon-do to teach. Joined by fellow newbie Eun-hee (Lee Mi-yeon,) who is even more idealistic, they realize the reality of the situation: the grade five kids they are teaching are mostly poor, read at a grade 1 level, most are old enough to be in high school, and most quit after grade 6 to work. After a chaotic first class, the students warm up to the two teachers. The students in Soo-ha's class are taken by their teacher's warm, no-discipline demeanor, and start forming a bond with him. One of the students in particular, Hong-yeon (portrayed excellently by a young Jeon Do-yeon, in one of her earlier roles,) a 17-year old student who lifes along with her mother and three brothers in a small hut, develops a crush towards the young teacher, although she doesn't realize this fully at first. She ponders the meaning of a lot of little things, exchanges and whatnot with Soo-ha. Soo-ha, on the other hand, forms an attraction to Eun-hee the quite quickly. Thus develops a love triangle that eventully leads to some emotional developments between the three characters.

Although it sounds a bit serious, for the most part the movie has bits of humor that lighten the mood. What emerges is a cleverly shot, warm tale of love that manages to stay in your mind long after the credits have rolled. The movie is boosted by the lead actors performances, most notably the versatile actress Jeon Do-yeon, who would later go on to play a daring role in the art film Happy End with Choi Min-shik.

Thanks to poor video quality upon my viewing (a trait attributed to many K-films pre-2000) the ending gave me a different impression than what was originally intended. As I searched around and found out what the real ending was, I was in a bit of a bind, because I had liked my initial impression. Either way, the ending draws its power from the fact that there seemingly is no power in the resolution, ending in a quaint and simple manner.

To some it may prove a nostalgic trip into the past, a simple yarn about an innocent first love.


Speaking of innocent first love, Chulsoo and Younghee, a modest little production compared to the blockbusters of the preceeding three years, is one of this year's pleasant surprises for me. A very simple tale of a first love, Chulsoo, a troublemaker known for getting on the nerves of many of the teachers, gets a kick in the pants when one day, a new student, Younghee, joins the class. Younghee is, in some ways, the opposite of Chulsoo, a smart student who loves music. During their first day they are seated together, and thus begins a friendship.

What interests me about the film that it's point centers mainly around the slice of life we are presented with; it doesn't try to preach to us or deliver any sort of message; it just exists, as if invited to a vacation with cherished friends. The story merely serves the characters, especially Chulsoo who, thanks to his new friendship, ends the movie for the better. It is not a drastic change, but a slow, subtle one that grows slowly as the film progresses, and it is evident that it continues long after we witness their childhood experiences.

As such, the movie dwells on characterization, and here the movie shines. Chulsoo is not as one dimensional as other movies would have portrayed him. Like many kids his age, he has a vivid imagination, and deep down he reall has a good heart. Younghee has more issues than she would like to reveal to the other characters; she's dealing with stuff from her past regarding her parents, culminating in a scene that frankly freaks me out. The kids deal with issues regarding growing up, school, and things that would be of concern to kids their age.

There is little doubt that some may compare this movie to When I Turned Nine, another similarly themed movie. In fact, there is one plot device very similar between the two movies regarding stolen items. However, When I Turned Nine seemed at times a little melodramatic for me, while this movie serves it just right. This movie shines because the characterization is so nicely integrated into the film, so subtle, that it feels natural to watch it.

I highly recommend this film; it is a sweet, subtle experience that lingers with you long after the credits have come and gone.

Shaw Me a Little Love, Baby...

The Shaw Brothers studios have been instrumental in the filmmaking careers of many people, including a certain director by the name of Quentin Tarantino. Their films helped shape the asian martial arts film as it is today.

Today we will tackle one movie from the extensive SB selection, the movie Five Shaolin Masters, directed by the legendary Chang Cheh. Since I can't remember much of the cast (there are so many of them it's hard to keep track with just one viewing)so I'll just tell you the story.

So, one fine day, the Qing emperor sends some evil Manchu guys to totally rape the Shaolin Temple. They succeed, and only six survive. Five of them are the titular Shaolin Masters of the film. Led by Hu Dedi (one of only two names I can remember) it also includes a Jacky Chan-ish funny young guy, a serious guy, Meng Fei's character, and some other guy, they escape separately then meet up in some river somewhere. Dedi then gives them some signals to memorize and tells them to recruit more patriots and allies so that they can have sweet revenge and overthrow the Qing court. They also suspect that this thing was an inside job, that there is some sort of spy or something that betrayed the Shaolin. They go their separate ways, running off into the sunset.

MEANWHILE, back in the Shaolin Temple, the sixth monk is walking along minding his own business. After he does something dagnasty evil you realize that this guy is the traitor that sold out the Shaolin. Eventually we are introduced to four other evil Manchu guys, led by the traitor, Ma Puyi and General Chang (or was it Ching? I forget) They have no name per se like the "Five Shaolin Masters," so for the sake of discussion we'll just call them the Fu Manchu Five. There's Ma Puyi, the General and his two Tonfa Baton lackeys, some Mantis Fist practicing guy, some guy with a wicked "flying axe" (an axe blade tied to a rope) and some other muscular guy.

We go back to the Shaolin guys, and their first efforts at recruiting allies and fighting the Fu Manchu Five prove disastrous. It is clearly apparent that compared to the Fu Manchu Five the Shaolin guys are pussies. This culminates in the death of a very strong ally, General Gao, in a rescue mission that aimed to rescue the Jacky Chan-ish fellow.

Realizing that they are pussies, the Shaolin guys decide to train, each specializing on how to defeat the techniques of their Fu Manchu Five counterparts. For example, the Shaolin who challenged Flying Axe Guy decides to counter with using a long range weapon, the staff. Jacky Chan lookalike decides to learn the Tiger and Crane styles against Ma Puyi, who doesn't know those styles, and so on. Eventually they learn to kick ass and they decide that the time is now.

Eventually they lure the Fu Manchu Five into a generic grassy river thingy, they fight, and a titanic battle of Shaw Brothers proportions ensues. After the fight, well, you'll have to see for yourself.

The camerawork is pure Shaw Brothers. Sudden zoom-ins, long panning shots, they're all in there. You also have your generic grassy area as a battlefield, used in many movies of the 1970s. It's chopsocky fun and refreshing to watch. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Breasty Moons

Yeah, this film has a shot of the moon turning into breasts. The title of the recent 2004 film Yeogosaeng sijipgagi (the English title is "Marrying High School Girl") pretty much says it all. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, you're getting that My Little Bride vibe again (or if you haven't, probably some weird sort of double-sided Nabokovian feeling.)

Okay, I didn't make much sense in that last paragraph. I'll try again.

South Koreans lately seem to be kind of preoccupied with this Lolita concept of an old guy having a relationship with a young girl, or two young lovers getting busy or somesuch. Examples of this idea are the aformentioned movie My Little Bride, Kim Ki-duk's movies Samaria and The Bow, and that K-drama showing now on local screens, My Bride is 18. I really don't know why, but heck, I'll take it.

The story is kind of taken from an old Korean folk tale, The Princess and the Beggar. Pyunggang (played by one of the most beautiful young actresses in Korea, Lim Eun-gyeong, pictured to the left) is a high school student who has been cursed by the spirit of Princess Pyunggang (the princess in the folktale.) You see, in the folktale, Pyunggang didn't get to marry her love, Ondal the fool, thus she became a ghost to someday be resurrected. Now the present Pyunggang must find the resurrected Ondal on her 16th birthday and marry him or else she will die.

Eventually, Ondal does come, in the form of a brainy high school student portrayed by Korean musician-turned-actor Eun Ji-won. Pyunggang, a bit of a tomboy (but still cute) is hesitant but throws herself at Ondal, even going as far as to awkwardly seduce him (which is a bonus point to Lim Eun-gyeong's fans... =p) Eventually a lot of stuff happens, a strange subplot is dealt with in cringe inducing manner, a strange foreign girl is thrown in for no apparent reason except to tittilate more viewers, and everything basically ends up happily ever after... kind of.

I personally feel hesitant upon liking the ending too much. It does deal on teen marriage and sex, but it seemed to trivialize the whole thing (you can probably guess the teenage couple does get busy in a hilarious sequence involving the moon, bunnies and a mortar and pestle. Use your imagination) that prevents it from becoming anything remotely socially relevant or responsible; a trend some people are seeing in movies or late (the last half Jenny, Juno for one) and that sort of detracts from their experience.

But you see, I don't think that was the point at all. This is another turn your brain off goofball highschool comedy, full of the slapstick and green humor stuff that you usually see in K-comedies. It is a stranger blend of My Little Bride, although I do admit that despite Lim Eun-gyeong being more beautiful, she stands no chance against the ultra cuteness factor (I just had to bold-ify that) and general charisma of My Little Bride's Moon Geun-young. My Little Bride is the better movie of the two, although I would be lying to you if I said I didn't enjoy watching it. Besides, Lim Eun-gyeong is in it. And that makes any movie (even Resurrection of the Little Match Girl!) around 2381 times better.

If you don't really mind the concept, and if you like over the top, silly K-comedies, try it.

Two movies with much kicking of ass: A Jet Li pseudo-retrospective

Damn, that was a long title. It says it all, anyway. Here are two movies from an Asian Martial Arts Superstar: Jet Li.



Unleashed, Jet Li's latest work, is an interesting collaboration. For one, the script was written by film director Luc Besson, probably best known for films like Nikita and the Professional. The action choreography is courtesy of Yuen Woo Ping, who has either directed or choreographed some of the greatest martial arts sequences in the last thirty or so years. To the martial arts fan, it is a tremendous moment: Yuen and Li have not been together since Li's Wong Fei Hung days.

It is all the more ironic that if you are looking for stylish martial arts in this film, you won't find much. Jet Li's fight scenes are raw and brutal. Don't worry; he still kicks ass, but only a bit in the style we've come to know him by. When he's punching them, it hurts sometimes to watch it unfold.

Oh, I haven't told you about a story yet, silly me. Jet is Danny, a human "attack dog" that kills efficiently and viciously. His "master" is some British bald guy whose name currently escapes me, who treats him like a dog and is more or less a bastard to everybody. One day they get into an "accident" (read: their car is rammed by a ten wheeler and is peppered with bullets) Jet is freed relatively safe. He is taken in by a blind piano tuner, Sam (played by Morgan Freeman) into his house and through him, his stepdaughter Victoria, and the power of music, the shrouds that cover his humanity are slowly unravelled. But the British guy is still alive, and there are more questions to be asked: why does Danny have an affinity to pianos? Why can he play this one piano piece when he doesn't remember how he learned it? How did evil bastard guy have Danny in the first place?

Jet Li shines here not with his martial arts, but his acting. He sold the part of a man who kills viciously, but still maintains a childlike innocence. He knows hurting people is bad, but it was what he was trained to do. When he gets a taste of what being a normal guy is like, he realizes that he's being taken on a ride by his evil master. At the end, he makes a decision

Plot holes notwithstanding, the movie is quite entertaining to watch. It uses nice editing techniques and I can't say anything bad about the camerawork. There was a little humor in there too that's true to Besson's style. All in all this is one of Jet Li's more unconventional movies. Yes, he leaps, punches and kicks here, but it's a different Jet Li. The jury is still out whether it is a better Jet Li, but for what it's worth, it sure serves the action well.




The Tai-Chi Master is vintage 1990s Jet Li. It tells the story of two Shaolin brothers, Tianbao and Junbao (Jet Li.) Junbao is, kind and good hearted. Tianbao is mischievous, gets Junbao into a lot of trouble, and is highly competitive. After Tianbao is wrongfully removed from a tournament to decide the students who will learn the higher techniques of the Shaolin, he and Junbao (who stepped forward to protect him) are expelled from the monastery. They wander into a province ruled by this evil Eunuch named Liu. The two brothers do their stuff, and meet quite a lot of supporting characters. Tianbao decides to join Liu's private army and become a high ranked military man or something, while Junbao decides to stay in this restaurant. Soon Tianbao becomes dagnasty evil at some point because of his lust for power and predictably does some dagnasty evil things, like, say, betray all his friends including Junbao. Eventually Junbao learns some tai chi and kicks the living crap out of his Shaolin Brother, but not before a few scenes of Jet Li walking around like a nutter.

The martial arts sequences are okay, including an excellent fight scene in the beginning involving wooden poles. It's not Jet Li's best, but it's good enough to be entertaining. One scene involves him and Michelle Yeoh (who is basically pasted onto the movie for the sake of it) seemingly facing off against a gazillion soldiers. Yowza.

Anyway, this movie is solid fun. It's no masterpiece like his work in the OUATIC series, but it's a very fun way to spend 90 or so minutes of your time.

Reality Bites

After much hoopla, Carrie Underwood has won the Fourth Season of American Idol. I really wanted Bo to win. He was original, he took risks. Granted, he was not the besst singer, but at least everytime he sang he had emotion.

I don't dislike Carrie per se, I'm just a bit... disappointed, that's all. I still have the notion that the best singers in this competition left the contest early.

In other news, Sergio Mora has won the Contender championship round in Caesar's Palace! I thought he was going to lose, getting a bad cut in the early rounds, but the Latin Snake kept on making those combinations in the end and that made the difference in the scorecards. I hope Peter Manfredo Jr. won something for that fight, however - I like the guy and he put up one hell of a fight.

So that's it. 1-1 on my count. Looking forward to Amazing Race 8...

oh, put a Cannes on it...

This year's Cannes Film Festival ended recently and the winners were announced. I don't know a lot about this year's films, but they do seem interesting. David Cronenberg and his film A History of Violence is nowhere to be seen, or Gus Van Sant's Last Days... hehe. Lars Von Trier was snubbed again, as his second film in his Land of Opportunities trilogy, Manderlay came up with nothing too.

Interesting Jury selection, too... people like John Woo to Salma Hayek to famed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami (Ten, Five Dedicated to Ozu, etc.)


FEATURE FILMS

Palme d'Or - "L' Enfant" (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Belgium)

Interesting choice - I don't know much about the Dardenne brothers' films except Rosetta, a story about a girl who tries to make a living despite many hardships, which won the Golden Palm in 1999. L'Enfant (The Child) is a tale about this man who sells his newborn infant son for money, but soon, overwhelmed with guilt, decides to take him back.

Grand Prix - "Broken Flowers" (Jim Jarmusch, France-U.S.)

Wow - this totally blows my mind. I can't believe the guy who directed Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai won the Grand Prix at Cannes, hehe. Broken Flowers is kind of like a road movie. Don Johnston (portrayed by Bill Murray) is sort of a guy who has a lot of girlfriends. One day he receives a letter from some guy who claims to be his son, so he goes on a little road trip to find out with whom of his old flames did he have a son with. I'm looking forward to seeing this one.

Best Actress Award - Hanna Laszlo ("Free Zone," Israel-Belgium)

Another road movie, this time starring Laszlo and Natalie Portman. It's basically about two Israeli women bound by circumstance who go around the country doing stuff. I don't know what that stuff exactly is, but it sure involves a kissing scene between Miss Portman and one of her male co-actors at the Wailing Wall, something that was a point of controversy a while back.

Best Actor Award - Tommy Lee Jones ("The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada," U.S.)

Nice Surprise. This is Jones' first theatrical directorial debut, much less a film directorial debut in Cannes. This movie is about how Jones' character is carrying out the wishes of his good friend, to be buried in his home country of Mexico, and undertakes a journey there. Of course, this tackles the state of tensions on the Mexico- US border.

Best Director Award - Michael Haneke ("Hidden," France-Austria-Germany-Italy)

I believe this was the critics' choice for winning the grand prize. Shows you how much they know, huh? hehe. Georges, a TV host guy, finds a couple of tapes that shows their house being filmed from a distance, plus a few weird drawings. Over time the stuff that is being sent kinda sends signals that the sender has known Georges for quite some time. It's one of those "functional family discovers something dark about one or more family member/s and the whole family structure/functionality collapses" kind of thing. The most concrete example of this would probably be one of the greatest Korean movies of all time, the 1960 film The Housemaid. However, from what I've seen Haneke develops the basic thriller premise of the movie and dives into the psychological aspects of the thing. I'll have to see it to find out for sure.

Best Screenplay Award - Guillermo Arriaga ("The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada," U.S.)

See above for comments. Note that Arriaga wrote the screenplay to Amores Perros, another amazing movie.

Jury Prize - Qing Hong ("Shanghai Dreams," Wang Xiaoshuai, China)

By far the only Asian entry in the list. It's a period piece about people leaving the major cities to go to the poorer sections of China and live there. Not much about it has been seen, but it looks terribly interesting.

SHORT FILMS

Palme d'Or -"Wayfarers" (Igor Strembitsky, Ukraine)
Special Mention -"Clara" (Van Sowerwine, Australia)

Dunno much about the short films, so I can't comment on 'em. Clara is animated, however.

UN CERTAIN REGARD

The other Cannes competition. I thought Hong Sang-soo's new movie A Tale of the Cinema was in here somewhere. I know Kim Ki-duk's The Bow was in Director's Fortnight, but I can't be sure.

Prix Un Certain Regard - "Moartea Domnului Lazarescu" ("The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," Cristi Puiu, Romania)
Prix de L'Intimité -"Filmman" (Alain Cavalier, France)
Prix De L'Espoir - "Delwende" (S. Pierre Yameogo, Burkina Faso)

OTHER JURIES' AWARDS

Caméra d'Or Winner
"The Forsaken Land" (Vimukthi Jayasundara, Sri Lanka)
"Me And You And Everyone We Know" (Miranda July, U.S.)

Haven't heard of the first one, but the second one was made by a US indie filmmaker. I think she has another film released this year.

Prix Vulcain de l'Artiste-Technicien (technical award)
Leslie Shatz ("Last Days," U.S.)
Robert Rodriguez ("Sin City," U.S.)

It's cool that Rodriguez managed to get a technical award for Sin City. That film looked tight.

mad props to twitchfilm for the info.

The Adventures of Nothing

I can't believe Star Wars has made 50 million dollars in just one day, in the US alone. That's 10 million more than the previous record holder for the opening day weekend, which I think was Spiderman, and 6 mil more than the all time record holder, Shrek 2.

Well, maybe I can believe it. The movie definitely has replay value, mainly because everything goes fast the first time you watch it, you're tempted to watch it again just to absorb everything you missed the first time around. I have watched the film five times myself, which is impressive considering the most times I saw a film in a cinema was ten, and that was for Fellowship of the Ring, and those ten viewings were spread out over a month.

Speaking of major box office takes, I remember all the hype that surrounded the Matrix Reloaded. I remembered being very slightly disappointed at the Wachowski's version of a sequel, but nevertheless thought the fights were incredible (for some reason, they felt slower.) It did make a lot of money at the box office, so much in fact that I think the profits for the third movie in the trilogy were purely profit.

I rarely see a theater jampacked with people here in the Philippines. The most I think I ever saw in a movie theater was for the Japanese horror flick Ring, Men in Black 2, and Star Wars Episode II. There were so many people, their collective body heat overloaded what passed for the theater's air conditioning. There was no "standing room only" situation, because there was basically no standing room at all. Lines hundreds of people long impeded the traffic of mallgoers from one place to another.

As for Filipino movies, I saw the most people during a screening of Bridal Shower. Sex + comedy = teh win. We (or at least, our cinematic elite) goes nuts for films that have incidental humor, have all-star casts, "drama" that consists of people slapping each other, and a "socially relevant" theme. What happened to free expression unbound by creative constraints under the pretense of social relevance? Whatever happened to decent characterization and solid, untrite plots? Whatever happened to films of the sixties and seventies that did portray social relevance without being preachy or didactic?

* * *

I've been having a strange waking vision of a person I've never met before. It's a girl around my age, not really that attractive, with short hair and half-closed eyes. She wears a white cloth jacket and something black underneath. I have no idea who she is.

* * *

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Leon Kadena.

Reportedly her real name is Minamo Kusano. She's a very cute Japanese model, with traces of Eriko Sato in there and something entirely different. She doesn't do AV per se, but if you watch her videos, she does a lot of teasing - and that's it (which proves to be quite frustrating to most of her fans (read: maniacs) out there.)

I buy into her only because of the cuteness, however. I'm trying to get one of her videos *cough*BT*cough* but it is painfully slow - 1kbps to be exact - I'll probably be done next month.

* * *

reality show time!

Who do you think will win American Idol? I'm rooting for Bo. I think Carrie's performances are mostly flat emotionally, as if she's just singing for the sake of it. Plus, Bo is someone different, he takes risks, and he makes every song he sings his own.

Who do you think will win The Contender? I'm rooting for Sergio Mora. I just like the guy. He's smart, he has plans within plans without being too scheming, and he's a good fighter.

* * *

My download has progressed 0.1 percent. Excellent. 11 days to go.

sigh...

Under the tongue root a fight most dread...

...and another, raging behind, in the head.

This line from Robert Graves' The White Goddess, used in Episode I in Duel of the Fates, pretty much sums up the entire movie, and the trilogy in particular: beneath an external battle of blasters, spaceships and lightsabers, an internal war of the mind rages, using deception, emotion and lies.

I had the extreme pleasure of watching Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in theaters today. Twice, in fact. Did I enjoy it?

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Episode III is the unifying chapter in the Star Wars saga. It is a tragedy in the purest sense of the word: a dark tale of how a good man turned to evil, of how two good friends turned into bitter arch-enemies. It is the story of how an aging Republic turned into a despotic Empire. This is the movie some of us have been waiting for 27 years to see. Ever since George Lucas told us of the backstory of how Darth Vader and Obi-wan fought on that lava planet, we've been wanting to see it. It was The Duel, the fight to end all fights, the stuff legends are made of. We wanted to see who Luke Skywalker's parents were like before the dark times, what the Republic was like, what the old Jedi were like before the Purge.

The story starts with the kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine by the Separatist rebels, which brings us to the first major battle of the movie: the Battle of Coruscant. It is dizzying, amazingly attuned to detail, and you may find yourself breathless as you see the two Jedi starfighters race along the side of what is to become an Imperial Star Destroyer. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of ships in the fray, dwarfing the Battle of Endor through sheer scale. The entire first third of the movie is fast-paced, something that I haven't seen in a long while. At times the action reminded me more of Indy Jones than Star Wars.

Other than the effects, we see the camaraderie between Anakin and Obi-wan, and their chatter is reminiscent of the time when Luke and Han were gunning down TIEs from the Millennum Falcon. There's the sense of 'hey, we're brothers, I won't just leave you behind. Let's have some fun with this.' Once they make it into the Separatist flagship we get Jedi vs. Dooku round 2, and some great scenes with R2-D2. Yes, it's on, and Anakin has improved. Visually, the scene immediately recalls scenes from Episode VI, with Palpatine seated as his minions do battle, seducing his minion's opponent to the dark side. Soon, thanks to Palpatine's egging, Anakin is slowly seduced to the dark side. It's not yet the total conversion thing, but just a little push in that direction.

Once the bells and whistles are finished, it's time for a little exposition. This is the only breathing space you get in the movie, and it's very short. Here Palpatine (portrayed excellently by Ian McDiarmid) places the last pieces of his plan into motion: he plants seeds of distrust between Anakin and the Jedi Council, creating a wedge between them. He knows what is going to happen; he's forseen it. He's been in this deception business ever since Episode I. Anakin has strange visions of his wife dying, much like his dreams about his mother in Episode II, but done in a better way. Palpatine is baiting Anakin by promising the knowledge of powers that can save his wife from death - the knowledge of the dark side. Palpatine must secretly be laughing all the way to the bank as he gives Anakin an offer he cannot refuse. And when all the traps are sprung, the deception revealed, and the dark side finally manifested, things go pretty downhill for our protagonists from here.

What happens next is brutal, scenes of death and destruction. You know the bad guys are raping the good guys. Badly. I did cheer a bit when Anakin killed the separatists, however. Killing Viceroy Gunray was fun.

So it all boils down to this: Anakin sold his soul to the devil because of love. He loved his wife so much he feared letting go of her. An attachment to other people and things is one of the things that the Jedi are not supposed to have, but Anakin does not care; his love is too strong. And his fear of losing her due to that love lead to the dark side, indeed, it is the first step to becoming a Sith. Ironically, it is Luke's attachment to his friends and father that prevented him from turning to the dark side later in Episode VI, and it would be Vader's love for his children that would prompt him to kill his evil master and return to good.

I have to give props to Ian McDiarmid again. His portrayal of the Emperor makes this movie. The whole prequel trilogy is also a story of how he basically screwed everyone up until he was the ruler of everything, and everyone believed him. When he screams "UNLIMITED POWER!!!" you kinda want to applaud the guy. Well done. The galaxy is now yours. Or when he goes from this mild-mannered chancellor into this cackling dirty old bastard in this great scene where his voice changes, you can see the transformation. This is what he truly is - a badass, evil Sith lord.

You also have to hand it to that little gift Lucas gave to us - the Wookie battle on Kashyyyk. He's been wanting to do this ever since Episode VI, and now he's showing us how it's supposed to be done. It's an amazing little scene that just in there for the cool factor, and I like it.

The lightsaber duels are spectacular, especially The Duel. I loved the way John Williams used Anakin vs. Obi-wan and Battle of the Heroes, with a few strains of Duel of the Fates thrown in for good measure. Hayden and Ewan must have practiced this fight for months; it all feels so natural and so damned fast - there must be like three to four moves a second. This was not just any ordinary battle, this was a battle between former friends. There was an emotional tinge to this battle that parallels the many Luke/Vader confrontations in the other trilogy, and the duel adds more intrigue to Obi-wan and Vader confronting each other in Episode IV.

When Vader is being 'suited' and Padme is giving birth, these two scenes are intercut, a curious visual moment that gives some interesting parallels. Here Padme is dying, giving birth to her children. At the same time, Vader is being 'reborn,' but as one under living death, like a zombie. Excellently, John Williams used the funeral music from Episode I, denying the suited Vader's birth this celebrational feel, only a sense of mourning for the death of a good man and the birth of an evil one.

I had barely any problems with the dialogue, even in the much maligned love scenes. Who goes to Star Wars for the dialogue anyway? The actors are much refined here. Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman are both talented actors, and they use some of the experience from the other movie roles they had after appearing in Episode II. They also appear more natural with each other - their pairing in Episode II seemed a little forced for my tastes.

There are a lot more interesting things you can catch while viewing the film, little easter eggs for you to enjoy. The Rebel Blockade Runner, the Millenium Falcon, Grand Moff Tarkin, the Death Star in it's infancy, a view of Alderaan, the cameos by Lucas and his kids.

One thing I loved about this movie was that it was paced so fast- you can barely feel the two hours on you. It is an exciting event, one that you will want to see again and again.

And yet, this is the last Star Wars film. The circle is complete. And it brings a sense of closure to this tale that happens a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

May the force be where no man has gone before

Tomorrow is a sad day of sorts - with the premiere of the last installment of Star Wars, and with the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise on US television, it will be an end of sorts to these two sci-fi franchises. Of course, they will still be around in some sort of form. Star Trek will have a series, hopefully a better one, under the helm of better people. There's a prequel movie coming, too, although it is a bit doubtful at this point whether it would be completed or not. Star Wars will continue to have TV series, books, and possibly Episodes 7,8, and 9. Someone else will have to do it, since the original actors are quite old, and George Lucas has said himself that he won't be penning any new movies.

These two series have shaped my life for the past 20 or so years. They have been a part of me, they helped me fuel my imagination, take me to places I would never have thought of.

I've considered myself a big Trek fan ever since I first saw it- I couldn't remember what exactly, probably syndicated reruns of the original series. They were unlike anything I have ever seen before. I was intrigued by the fact that a spaceship could travel like that around space. I liked the fact that people like this had evolved ideals, a higher sense of morality. Then I saw Wrath of Khan, the greatest Star Trek movie of all time. It was a battle between two individuals, bound by destiny. Khan, in his throes of revenge, sacrificed everything to kill James Kirk. And Kirk was placed in this situation out of a choice that he thought was the best thing to do. He thought it was the best thing to do to leave Khan and his colleagues on Ceti Alpha V. He never thought the planet would be wasted, Khan's wife and most of his friends dead, or that Khan would be forced to live his life in a hellish limbo. I loved how the two of them dueled in their ships, Kirk with the Enterprise, Khan with the Reliant, and how each phaser blast reflected their inner pain and torment. Then the Next Generation came along. It shaped most of my childhood imagination. With the lack of a proper toy, I wrote NCC-17010 (sic) on my desk lamp and imagined it as the Enterprise D. I made long, crude yet heartfelt comics about it. I liked the new crew, the new adventures. My heart stopped with suspense when I watched The Best of Both Worlds. I liked DS9 and the epicness, the long extended cast of characters. I even liked Voyager to a certain extent. I liked the movies up to First Contact, saw things like the mystery of Star Trek VI, the camaraderie in STV, the sheer fun of STIV, Picard's lust for revenge in STVIII, the last adventure of James Kirk in STVII, the death of my beloved Enterprise in STIII.

Then Insurrection and Nemesis came along. Insurrection was a moralistic tale, much like the episodes of Star Trek and its spawn. It just felt too much like a TV movie than a movie. When I saw Nemesis I felt hollow. Something was missing from this movie. It felt too much like a ripoff of Wrath of Khan. It was full of battles, but the battles lacked intensity. It lacked that singular thing that pushed Wrath of Khan to greatness. It was full of contrived, unnecessary scenes. I felt that something had died that day.

Enterprise came along, and although I had my doubts, it went strong in the fourth season. The original series was referenced often. People wanted it to stay a bit longer. They made petitions, donated millions of dollars.

It was canceled.

While this was going on, I managed to see Star Wars in its vintage 1977 glory in the mid eighties, when I was a kid. There were no special additions, no CG Jabba, and Han shot first. It was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. My heart stopped when Luke was alone on that trench on the Death Star.

I didn't get to see Empire Strikes Back, considered by many to be the greatest Star Wars of all time, and missed out on the revelation that made the entire movie series, that Darth Vader is Luke's daddy. Instead, I saw Return of the Jedi, and that film remained my favorite until a few years ago. Again, there was a rollercoaster ride packed in there. The Battle of Endor forever changed the way I would see a space battle. It was the first epic battle I would ever see- the first of many. In fact, the three films would change the way I was mainstream blockbuster cinema for a long time.

When I later rediscovered the three films, I found that their magic had not faded. I still felt that rush of excitement during the Battle of Yavin, or that duel between Vader and Luke on Bespin, or the Battle of Endor. I had reassigned Episode IV as my all-time favorite. Why not Empire? Episode IV was a straight-and-clean good vs. evil movie, a clever rehash of Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. Episode V changed all that. It wasn't just good vs. evil, because everyone had their shades of gray. Everyone was on the run; this was a story that happened after the "...and they lived happily ever after" part, and for the trilogy it was as bleak for the protagonists as it could get. Plus, there was the cinematic plot twist to end all cinematic plot twists ever since we found out that Soylent Green was made of people.

But Episode V would never have stood its ground without Episode IV. Ep. IV was the template for the rest of the series, the "establishing shot," so to say, the opening act of a three-act play that chronicles Luke Skywalker and his transition from farmboy to a powerful Jedi.

Then I saw the first two prequels. They were okay, but not without their faults: Episode I had Jar Jar Binks. Episode II had the unsatisfactorily played romance story. But there were good things to offset the bad; Episode I had Duel of the Fates, Obi-wan and Qui-gon versus Darth Maul. Episode II had the Battle of Geonosis, and our first glimpse at an Empire near birth. It was somewhat satisfying, but there was something missing from them.

Tomorrow I will watch Episode III, which may or may not redeem the entire prequel trilogy. It will probably also be the last Star Wars movie I will ever see.

Yes, it is a happy and sad day for me tomorrow.

Traces of Sunshine

Korean melodramas are still in full swing not only in their home country, but also the rest of asia, notably Japan and China. They may not be films that get critical acclaim; it is often the case that melodramas are the target of merciless panning from critics. I personally don't mind watching them; after years of trying to avoid them I have finally turned over to the dark side, so to say. While some of them do fall into the generally cheesy category, some do prove to be entertaining films that leave me with a satisfying feeling.

One example of the latter is the 2002 film Over the Rainbow, directed by Ahn Jin-woo. A recent export to Japan, impressive considering that the movie is three years old, the movie centers on Jin-soo, (Lee Jung-jae, who isn't a newcomer to the genre, having worked on one of my personal favorites of the genre, the soon to be remade 2000 film Il Mare) a TV anchorman who, one rainy day, gets involved in a car accident. Due to this accident he gets a case of selective amnesia. Over time he finds that the amnesia has robbed him of the memories of a woman who may have been his girlfriend. As he tries to uncover the story behind this mystery girl through his old college friends, he grows closer to a friend, Yeon-hee, (Jang Jin-young) who willingly helps him in his search. As he comes closer to the truth, he begins to doubt his desire to continue unraveling his mystery and he starts looking towards the present.

The mystery of who this girl is drives the story forward and keeps it from getting boring, but it is really the performances of the leads that raises this film from mediocrity. Lee Jung-jae has this kind of character type nailed, considering the films he's worked on in the past. Jang Jin-young impresses as a contemplative character on one end, a vibrant and slightly outspoken character in another.

The movie may suffer from a few staples of K-melodrama: the shot of the two leads roaming around in one location, yet failing to find each other (I call this the 'salisihan' shot,) the token dramatic scene in the rain, the occasional Korean ballad/English song (this time borrowed from old classics like The Wizard of Oz and Singing in the Rain - the latter marked by a bit of a Fred Astaire-ish dance number from Lee,) and the montage of characters feeling blue or otherwise occupied.

Despite it's shortcomings, the movie was a very entertaining experience, and a bit of a surprise for me. Some may call it cliche, but come on, even the word cliche is cliche. Check it out.

We Want Short Shorts

When I watched the first ambitious compilation of short films by Japanese Filmmakers, Jam Films, I thought the whole thing was pretty uneven, but altogether okay. Yukihiko Tsutsumi (who directed the very interesting Chinese Dinner) made something darkly funny, Ryuhei Kitamura (Versus, Azumi) made something cool, George Iida (Another Heaven, Dragonhead, and the forgotten Ring sequel Rasen) made something very, very strange, Isao Yukisada (Go)made something nice, Shunji Iwai (Swallowtail, Love Letter) made something cute and quirky (which is kind of a given since he had Ryoko Hirosue in it.) However, I was pleasantly surprised that my favorite of the eight shorts was not from any of these directors that I knew, but by someone I was a bit unfamiliar with - Tetsuo Shinohara's Kendama, a light slightly romantic comedy that entertained me a bit. (He would later go on to direct Heaven's Bookstore, a film that I have, which makes me naturally want to watch it.)

The follow-up to this production, Jam Films 2, presents us with some works by up and coming directors, in contrast to the established directors we saw in its predecessor. Instead of six films, we get four 30-minute shorts for our viewing pleasure.

Junji Kojima's "Armchair Theory" (pictured top right) was for me the most entertaining of the four shorts. It is told in a video presentation on the subject of 'kosai' -literally dating, among Japanese people. Quirky and refreshing, it elicited many a laugh from this moviegoer.

Eiki Takahashi's"Clean Room" (pictured top left) is full of beautiful visual symbolism and interesting little nuances that may warrant discussion - if you manage to remember the film after you watch it. Not much really happens in the film that manages to get you. The ambience reminded me of the ambiance from Tatsuya Ishii's 1996 film ACRI - kinda slow, full of pretty images.

Hide Inoue's "Hoops Men Soul" (pictured bottom right) is about how a bakery boy is helped by a gang of street hip-hop guys to save his girlfriend from the clutches of an evil debt collector. It starts out pretty nicely and it has a lot of interesting characters, but it doesn't dwell on them too much. Also, the camera techniques Inoue's cinematographer uses kinda makes it hard to focus on the action, whenever it happens. Inconsequential, but it managed to get a few laughs from me.

The antholog ends with Kouki Tange's "Fastener," (pictured bottom left) inspired by the Mr. Children song of the same name. A dying man remembers a childhood kiss, probably his first, and engages in a long series of dreams, memories and visions, aided by a stunning visual style that can be at times cool, or at times even unnerving. I had seen the Music Video that the short was based on; I wish I could see the original material again.

Also, watch out for a brief cameo by Eihi Shiina (best known from her role in Audition) sometime during the middle.

All in all, this new compilation is a bit better than the first one, quite impressive for works from up-and-coming directors. I look forward to Jam Films S, the newest addition to this short film anthology series, coming out this year.

Travel Time

Ergh... no pics as of now, but I did get to meet Che-che Lazaro while coming home from Malaysia. I also almost got on the wrong airplane - instead of heading towards Clark Air Base, the one we mistakenly lined up for was headed for Kuala Lumpur.

Heh.

Back home, then off to Zamboanga City. Will it be interesting? I hope so.

I am a foot soldier...

Well, I feel like one. Somehow I feel condemned to mediocrity for life. I guess it may because of my own pessimism towards things in general. Well, I feel a bit assured when I realize there are billions of us in this little planet and it makes no difference what I feel, so...

Ok, rant over!

I've rekindled my interest in anime (I hope.) Well, as soon as I get off this computer...

I may get something on the God of Gambler series soon. Watch out for that.

And of course, an epilogue for my little excursion to Malaysia...

No Mind, Instanteity, Perfect Concentration

Welcome to another edition of my blog thingy! I've just returned from Malaysia and am resting nice and comfy in my little place in Manila. I'll miss those cheesy wedges, but hopefully there will be better things.

I haven't had time to prepare the pics for my little epilogue to my excursion in Malaysia, so that'll come a bit later. In the meantime, I'd like to talk to you about some other things.

A long time ago, say, fifteen years, my aunt gave me a sci-fi novel called On My Way to Paradise. Back then, my only exposure to novel-length literature were Star Trek novels, and back then, I didn't want to read anything but Star Trek novels, and from what I saw from the book, I found it uninteresting.

So the book stood in the shelf for years. Once I tried to read it, but I was occupied with other things. Then, last week, I decided to bring it along with me on my Malaysian trip to keep me occupied. Since that day fifteen years ago I've been exposed to the greats of sci-fi literature, Frank Herbert and his Dune series, or the sadly overlooked books of A.A. Attanasio, mainly his Radix tetrad.

Now, having finished the book, I can say that this is a good read, and the timing could not have gone better. Better than all those Star Trek novels I used to read.

The novel depicts the life of a morphologic pharmacologist, Angelo Osic, when one day he helps a woman who calls herself Tamara. This one act of mercy takes him on a ride, divided into three parts, from his quiet little house in Panama to space, to a distant planet called Baker, occupied by two warring Japanese factions, the Motoki Corporation and the Yabajin.

For a first novel, it's pretty impressive that the novel's author, Dave Wolverton (who would later go on to write some Star Wars novels) managed to weave a deep, multilayered tale about how society works, and how an honest or at least decent man can be changed to do almost anything (a similar theme exists in some brilliant movies, like the recent works of Park Chan-wook) Sometimes the tone of Angelo's musings seemed to me a bit too moralistic, but could that speak volumes on my own beliefs and moral standards? I ask myself, how much have I compromised to get where I am now?

There are many powerful scenes of savagery that shook me in a way few other literary works do. As Angelo joins the war and is forced to do acts of destruction that intensify as time goes on, he struggles against his compulsion to continue to do evil things. And as the ending comes, it sheds a different light on his motivations, on the way he made decisions in the past, and on how he decides to live the rest of his life.

Though not thouroughly perfect, the images will stay in my head for a long time to come: the burning cities of Motoki, the riots inside the Chaeron, the standoff in Sol Station, and my personal favorite moment of the book, the last part of the first third of the book, when Angelo dreams of his friend Flaco and Tamara playing along the sea.

"Where are you headed?"

"I'm on my way to paradise!"

"Hah! Good Place! I have a cousin who lives there!"

And Angelo spouts wings and takes flight. I hope you have found paradise, Don Angelo. Free at last.


"Pain is a rose of great peace. Silence is the depth of a song. And stillness is the space of our lives, So empty it can hold everything. " - A.A. Attanasio, Radix