Progress Report: High Anxiety

Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.

---

High Anxiety is a continuation of director Mel Brooks' parodic takes on genres or individual works, this time narrowing down his source material to the collected films of Alfred Hitchcock.

The film actually uses a location from Hitchock's Vertigo, except it's now an Institute for the Very Very Nervous, where our protagonist, Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (Mel Brooks) is taking over. Even on his way there, there's something clearly strange going on at the institute and when he gets there, he finds the psychiatrists strangely under the sway of the controlling Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman). Murder and foul play start to show up as people inquire into the charges of the institute and Dr. Thorndyke eventually finds himself having to face... his high anxiety!

The plot is rather simple and cobbles together bits and pieces of Vertigo, North By Northwest and other Hitchcock films to form a surprisingly coherent whole. Unfortunately, the story itself is less than compelling--definitely more on the level of Silent Movie over Brooks' best. The suspense itself is largely robbed, leaving the story as a series of by-the-numbers plot points. Strangely enough, this is the most serious seeming of all of Brooks' spoof films because of Brooks' fidelity to Hitchcock's style, which locks the film into a Hitchcockian mood. The comedy itself is even mostly low key and so, when Brooks provides his more distinctive gags (which he's been using since Blazing Saddles), it sort of stands out and feels mismatched against the more homage-like tone of the rest of the film. Which sort of leaves the whole thing not nearly as funny as it might have been.

But, even here, Brooks still has a strong eye for capturing the look and traits of his sources. There's so much Hitchcock in his staging, framing, camera use and music and foley and that's even on top of deliberate references to Hitchcock films. This is great in announcing itself as a parody of Hitchcock films, but unfortunately, most of the gags just use this as a playground, rather than drawing comedy from Hitchcock's films themselves (one such moment includes taking one of Hitchcock's slow zooms through a window and turning into camera movement, which results in the camera crew breaking the window). The acting is actually pretty good and manages to elicit what few laughs are to be had, although Brooks himself is uneven (although he does a great Sinatra-esque number in the middle of the film).

However, the film is limited because Brooks' type of comedy comes less from imitation and more from riffing his own gags in the scenario. Sometimes, he does dig deep to actually find some material to parody and when he does, it usually works exceptionally, but High Anxiety is more homage than parody. To make an homage of Hitchcockian thrillers, but take out the suspense really deflates this film, but the Hitchcockian atmosphere actually also mutes Brooks' gag-centric comedy at the same time and lacking any strong parody-based comedic material, the whole thing just results in a merely mildly entertaining, although seemingly reverential film. Not a must watch. 6/10.

Links:

• Set index
• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD) / (Instant) and iTunes

Inbox:Replay: This Is Spinal Tap

Inbox features items that I have recently purchased or received.

Replay revisits movies and shows that I have seen in the past.

---

In 1984, Marti DiBergi's This Is Spinal Tap was released. A rockumentary about a British band that claims the title of "loudest band", it follows the band during its latest tour as they promote their new album in the US. It's common knowledge now that the film is a mockumentary, starting a long career of successful mockumentaries for many of the talents involved. But this is where it started and it's quite good.

The film is very much structured like a documentary and strongly adheres to the rules of the medium, which is probably why a few early viewers believed it to be real (despite one scene that should give it away). As such, the story of the film is actually uncovered like in a real documentary and revolves around a band dealing with its decline. We watch as things get worse and worse for the band as their tour progresses and tensions mount within the band.

Although the film is a comedy and a parody at that, it operates so close to the intended medium that the comedy has to come from its context, which is often, in this case, the band's goofy members, their interactions with each other and their antics as well as the troubles that go into taking a such a large scale musical act on tour. Genre elements of similar rock bands are very much made fun of, but with a straight face, which somehow makes the whole thing even funnier. At the same time, there such a careful attention to character as well as the underlying story regarding the tensions within the group that it's actually quite a compelling story about a rock band even if the comedy was left out.

High marks go to the players, who take on their characters with such study that, despite the comic nature of the film, they are wholly believable. Also, the attention to detail from the production team and the adherence to the conventions of documentary filmmaking are very respectable. Also, while the lyrics are... silly... the music of Spinal Tap in the film is actually pretty good, perfectly capturing their then-current metal sound as well as perfect parodies of musics of past genres.

Look, This Is Spinal Tap happens to be a very funny film, one that will spawn a number of successful mockumentaries by the minds involved, but furthermore, it's all based on a solid story of a band in decline. On top of that, it plays its genre details and comedy so well it's convincing and it enhances the comedy. Definitely worth a watch or two or eleven. 8/10.

Links:

• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD) / (Instant) and iTunes

Progress Report: Silent Movie

Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.

---

First of all, I feel reluctant to call Silent Movie a spoof. While Silent Movie is actually a silent movie and actually displays much from its source films (predominantly the films of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Llyod), it definitely falls more into homage territory, often reverently copying from or resuscitating the techniques of those beloved clowns. Not to say that there aren't some parodic moments, but, being that the source films are comedies, there's just not that much to poke fun at; so the film reproduces much of what was fun about those early classics.

The story itself is kind of cute. The film is somewhat incidentally about its own making, as it deals with director Mel Funn (Mel Brooks) who, down on his luck, decides to pitch a silent film to a similarly down-on-their-luck studio and, promising a lot of big stars, gets the go-ahead. Meanwhile, evil super corporation, Engulf and Devour wants to buy out the studio, but wouldn't be able to if the studio is successful, so they try to thwart the making of the film. Meanwhile, Funn and his compatriots, Eggs (Marty Feldman) and Bell (Dom DeLuise) do their best to recruit some big name stars (playing themselves) and make their films.

Structurally, the story itself plays out a like a lot of silent films, an overall story largely stitching together a number of gags. In that sense, the film is both sprawling and unfocused. The gags themselves, however, are mostly entertaining, even if much of the comedy is lifted from early silent comedies. Unfortunately, I don't think it wears well for modern viewing, because we've all become so accustomed to smoother tighter-paced storytelling, despite the fact that this film was made in the 1970's. Furthermore, I don't think the film takes advantage of all the inherent comedy in the medium--it does so once in a while, like having Marcel Marceau being the lone person to say a single word audibly in the film. And some of the physical comedy and wordplay bits (done on subtitles) is funny, but many of the gags suffer from feeling a touch by-the-numbers, especially if you've seen a lot of the original silent comedies. Also, there are just a lot of throwaway gags that are hit and miss, that have nothing to do with the story and cause the film to feel just a bit bloated.

Mel Brooks shows himself surprisingly adept at physical comedy and carries the lead just fine. Marty Feldman truly fits the clown role with his body language and physical ability. Of the guest stars, Anne Bancroft and Marceau prove themselves to have the best comic capacity. And the supporting roles do a good job of filling their parts. The music and foley (which might have been built into the music) actually carry a lot of weight in this film because of its silent nature and, fortunately, they do their jobs pretty well, with the music often resorting to mickeymousing in order to cover for the lack of proper sound.

Brooks does manage to elicit some fun performances here, but I just don't feel he's necessarily as creative on this film as his previous originals, perhaps because this one is considerably less original, in tone, story and in actual gags. The film doesn't hit with all of its jokes and drags because of its structure and throwaway gags and the parody isn't particularly sharp, nor the homage bringing too much new to the table. That said, there are enough amusing moments in the film to keep you lightly entertained through the course of the film, but I'd be lying if I said I was in stitches or riveted. 6/10.

Links:

• Set index
• Available at Amazon

Inbox:Replay: Clerks

Inbox features items that I have recently purchased or received.

Replay revisits movies and shows that I have seen in the past.

---

I first watched Clerks back in college, when I was just learning to reach beyond the world of mainstream cinema and it was pretty shocking, being a shoestring budget indie, shot in black and white and full of explicit language, description and content. At the same time, the underlying story actually hit some meaningful themes, exposing a soft introspective underside to all the vulgarity and antics that would stay with Smith through his many films.

Taking place over the course of a day in the life of a convenience store worker, Dante (Brian O'Halloran) gets called into work on his day off and begrudgingly goes in. Over the course of the day, we see his and his next door video store clerk friend, Randal's (Jeff Anderson) interactions with their sometimes bizarre client base as well as figuring out how to fit in their hockey game while stuck at the store, in addition to a number of more personal events and they culminate over the course of the day, from the mundane to potentially life-changing.

The film itself is chopped up into a number of vignettes, which seemingly have no connection, but work very well to inform the characters and actually build up to the events of the climax. The vulgarity of the dialog and subject matter frequently brought up in the film actually serves to make real the characters and their strange world, so I can't really decry it. Also, despite the seemingly scattershot nature of the film, there is a real development of character for Dante. Unfortunately, there are some roughness to the story. Often the pacing is uneven and not every vignette is particularly strong. Also, some support characters and even Randal, at times, seem a bit flat. Finally, the "moral" of the story is told so obviously that it has the subtlety of napalm. But, in terms of story, it works pretty darn well and tells a needed tale.

Production, on the other hand, is a mess. Being low-budget, it's not surprising, but it's shot on low grade black and white film stock with limited control of environment. It does not look pretty and the photography has to make do with what it has. Furthermore, the performances and dialog delivery are all quite rough. Even the leads often struggle with delivering their often witty banter and insightful remarks with believability. Many of these actors would get much better over the course of their careers and the whole thing does look like it was shot somewhat on the fly and possibly with extreme speed. Nonetheless, the performances were often distracting because of their oft-unconvincing nature.

With the details stuck in the mud of extremely low-budget filmmaking, the part that makes Clerks still meaningful is the story, the characters and the characterization. While the last part of that is hampered by inconsistent performances, writer-director Kevin Smith did a great job creating a unique world, a strong scenario and memorable characters. So, despite its limitations in the production realm, you could tell that Kevin Smith and his View Askew universe would find its way to the big screen again. In reflection, the production values really do hamper the enjoyment of the film, but for anyone feeling trapped in a dead end-scenario and even those who are not, this is still a film well worth watching. 7/10.

Links:

• Feature website
• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD) and iTunes

OOPs: 우리들의 행복한 시간

OOPs features films or television shows that are currently unavailable to be seen or purchased.

---

One of the Korean films that blew me away when I saw it early on in my exploration of Korean film was the drama Failan, an interestingly written romance-drama (based on a story written by Japanese novelist Jiro Asada), but primarily a character study about a fallen man. The film brought me to tears during its peak scene, indeed in large part due to the writing. At the same time, I was impressed by the restraint the director Song Haesung showed, allowing the melodrama to come naturally instead of pushing it.

Surprisingly, although the film never left the periphery of my recollection, I never followed up on the director or the writer and completely missed the theatrical and home video release of the director's following films, Rikidozan, a biopic about a Zainichi professional wrestler and the film I dedicate this entry to: Maundy Thursday. While I will likely mention the biopic in the future as well, a friend of mine actually personally recommended that I see Maundy Thursday, which is why it gets the nod here.

The story appears to be about a pair of unfortunate people who both seek out death, a woman through suicide and a man waits for his death sentence to be executed. At some point, the woman is encouraged to meet this man and find, it seems, via their connection, a reason for living. Which is kinda rough, considering that the guy is to be executed. This is obviously the kind of stuff melodramas are made of and if I read that a lesser director was handling this premise, I might have passed, but Song has a deft touch with these kind of stories and the talent involved, including Yang Ikjoon of Breathless, certainly seem promising.

Unfortunately, the movie is long gone from theaters and like many Korean home video releases, the DVD has long gone out of print. But, we've recently have seen the fortune of a few unexpected (albeit, low profile) re-releases, so that's what I'm left hoping for here.

Progress Report:Replay: Young Frankenstein

Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.

Replay revisits movies and shows that I have seen in the past.

---

I'm just going to say it: Young Frankenstein is director Mel Brooks' best spoof, even though it's one of his earliest ones. It's studied, and even a warm homage at times, that shows an immense amount of restraint, but never lets up on the funny.

Based on the story by Mary Shelley as well as the old movies that the story inspired (Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein), it follows after the story of the original Frankenstein. Frederick Frankenstein ("that's Fronkonsteen!" Gene Wilder), a medical scientist, lives in America, teaching students about the nervous system and does whatever he can to avoid connections to his grandfather's infamous work in reanimating the dead. But, a family will draws him back to his ancestral home and the lure of the study proves too great and a monster he will make. The film partially follows the story arc of the original Frankenstein film, adding in elements from both the Bride and Shelley's book as well.

In keeping so close to the original stories, the Brooks and Wilder, who co-wrote the screenplay had to make gags from the source material or the tropes that litter the genre of the movie and having that focus really helps make the jokes and gags so much more pointed. Furthermore, by tuning down the number of jokes and gags per second and making each one stronger, it highlights the moments of funny and ups the funny ratio overall. Unlike many of Brooks' other spoofs, this one is less madcap and anachronistic, choosing to mine the jokes out of the context, which makes the whole thing seem more coherent overall, even as the silliness spills out. Many of the jokes found in Young Frankenstein end up in later Brooks films (like the "walk this way" joke or the two different jokes about Igor's hump), but here's where it started.

Both Wilder and Marty Feldman, who plays Igor ("that's EYE-gore!") are enormous hams, Wilder playing up the mad scientist role and Feldman being absolutely zany and irreverent as Igor. Teri Garr and Madeline Kahn don't get as lab assistant Inga and fiancé Elizabeth don't have as much to do, but they handle their roles well. And the monster is played well by Peter Boyle, who does a great job and hamming up the monster from the original movie, but adding just a touch of winking awareness to the monster's eyes.

This film also does really well on the visual and production details, being shot in black and white, but also seemingly using many of the props and building sets and scenes to look much like the old movies. The music, likewise seems to be culled from the old soundtracks and the foley really captures the sound of the old movies. The only things that are a little noticeable in the film is how the German accent (and German language) seem to come and go and the inconsistency of language is a pet peeve of mine. But as far as spoofs go, this is one of the greatest examples of how to get it done. A classic comedy that deserves viewing. 9/10.

Links:

• Set index
• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD)

Inbox: 쌍화점

Inbox features items that I have recently purchased or received.

---

I was impressed by writer-director-poet Yu Ha's earlier films, finding them impressive studies of character and, in the case of Once Upon a Time in High School some decent fight sequences. While I haven't yet seen his well received A Dirty Carnival, I did manage to get my hand on his cut of the likewise well received A Frozen Flower, a period piece set during the Chosun era of Korea's history.

Loosely based on a true story, a particular king (Joo Jinmo), from his youth recruits many young boys to become his personal bodyguards. Of these youths, Hong Lim (Jo Insung) becomes his favorite, becoming both captain of the guard and his lover. Of course, being a gay king with a lover leads to some icy relations between the captain of his guard and his neglected, but loyal, queen (Song Jihyo). Meanwhile, Chosun is a tributary nation to the Yuan Empire and the Yuan sends a delegate notifying that they will appoint a new crown prince of one of the Yuan lords should the king and queen fail to produce an heir, undermining the throne. Of course, there is political intrigue pushing for this within the court as well. So, a plot gets hatched by the king to have Hong impregnate the queen. The two reluctant lovers, however, find as they copulate, feelings arising from the pair, who have never otherwise had relations with the opposite sex. This leads to all sorts of interpersonal and intrapersonal strife in addition to the political intrigue.

The story works surprisingly well, being principally a love-triangle royal court drama. All the characters are painted with a welcome complexity, with Hong being torn between his loyalty (and feelings) for the king as well as his newfound lust (and feelings) for his queen. The king, a very interesting character shows how love can become twisted from jealousy. Meanwhile, the court intrigue keeps driving forward the drama until the love-triangle explodes. The last act does drag a bit and feels, at times, just a little too angst ridden, but I don't think the characters are unbelievable, especially considering their background. The central love story actually reminds me a lot of The Surrogate Womb, with a lot more flash, bang and flesh; not a bad comparison to be made.

Special mention should go to Joo Jinmo for an excellent portrayal of the king. While he never spares the king from becoming a jealous monster, he captures the conflict of loving and desiring someone so much that he does terrible things for that love; consequently, keeping the king from being painted as a villain, but as a complex character and possibly the protagonist, depending on the viewpoint of the viewer. Jo performs adequately, but I think it's hard to stand as a counterpoint to Joo's excellent performance. Song also does a pretty good job for her role as a thawing ice queen.

I felt a little torn about the art direction. The art and production team paid particular attention to crafting a specific world, with lots of color and intricate designs--possibly recalling Zhang Yimou's historical epics. This was done at the sacrifice of historical accuracy and sometimes makes the court life look more casual than I was expecting, but the use of color is definitely something pretty to look at with the eyes. Likewise, the incorporation of court-music modern ballad hybrids created similar jarring effects, which, while nice for the ears to hear, doesn't quite seem appropriate.

Finally, the action choreography is quite enjoyable, skirting the edges of wire-fu, but not quite going for the more extreme elements of it, and, perhaps, the fantastic nature of the combat actually does fit the somewhat fanciful nature of the costumes, sets and music. There's plenty of blood, gore and badass action to be seen. Oh, and a lot of sex. There's gay sex and even more straight sex. Which is appropriate for the story.

The film is solid, as expected from Yu. It wraps together an interesting love triangle, passion, love, jealousy, courtly intrigue, action all in a colorful period package. Especially notable because of the complexity of the characters, especially impressive how it refuses to name heroes and villains, but rather showing that romantic liaisons can be devastating, bringing out the best and the worst in people. 8/10.

Links:

• Additional Reviews: City on Fire, Hanguk Yeonghwa, Koreanfilm.org, Modern Korean Cinema
• Available at YesAsia

Progress Report: Blazing Saddles

Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.

---

Blazing Saddles, I think, is the starting place for Mel Brooks' infinite stream of parodies. A parody of the Western genre, it actually introduces its own twist to the narrative of the West by playing with race issues and adding a black Sheriff into the mix. However, like many Brooks films to follow, it's anarchic, uneven, and tends to approach humor by throwing everything including the kitchen sink into it. Fortunately, when it works, like in Blazing Saddles, it's still quite entertaining.

The story itself is an amalgam of various Western classics, but the most obvious one for me was High Noon. Dastardly Attorney General Hedley "Stop calling me Hedy!" Lamarr (Harvey Korman) has a nasty scheme afoot to chase out the good folk (all Johnsons) of Rockridge and take their land as they build a railroad through it. He sets out his muscle, led by Taggart (Slim Pickins) to drive out the folk. Having their sheriff murdered, the people of Rockridge request a new one from the Governer who complies, but influenced by Lamarr, he sends a black man, Bart (Cleavon Little) much to the consternation of the people. What follows is part Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and the rest crazy Mel Brooks spoofing the Western genre and throwing in a lot of everything else he can think of.

The film is all over the place. Fortunately, it has the good sense to crib its story from the right sources so the core of it stays true to its Western roots. Also, it actually does a good job of sticking to the story until the manic ending sequence which spills out through the fourth wall. Of course, many of the characters actually address the viewer over the course of the film in winking asides, so I guess it's all premeditated, even if it throws what little suspension of disbelief we had out the window with it. It's a Mel Brooks film! The sense of humor is a grab bag as well, mixing in potty humor (it's the West; they eat beans, guess what happens next?), slapstick, sight gags, plenty of anachronism, and plain irreverence. And, because this is in part a story that pays attention to race, race jokes, played straight and also subverted (a wonderful subversion being a Frank Sinatra tune used to outwit some racist taskmasters). It's all over the place and, at times, it's so chaotic and shifty in tone that it doesn't work, but it's packed with so many gags that even if one misses, the next, possibly of a completely different type, hits. That makes it kind of hard to hate, even if a little too dazzling.

All this would've been for naught if it weren't for the success comedic talents of the leads, including a wonderfully nonchalant Gene Wilder as the drunken Jim, who also happens to have been ace gunman Waco Kid. Granted, most of the characters, with the exception of the leads, are played with a great side of pork, but they fortunately keep it all within the scope of what's needed for the various gags. Brooks directs with an eye shooting straight at every gag and does so without reservation. The music is amusing, with the title theme sung straight by Frankie Lane and the rest of the film staying close to the Western genre, except for the intentionally anachronistic moments and when the music is supposed to spoof. Oh, and the film has the actual Count Basie in it as a cameo. There are also a few musical numbers, all funny, either by content or by its juxtaposition.

There's nothing subtle about Blazing Saddles' sense of humor. Brooks and company approaches the film with everything-and-the-kitchen sink and it works just because there's so much in there and it's all done with gusto. That's not to say that it's even, but when the film actually does focus on spoofing the Western genre, it does so well. It just does a whole lot more on top of it and it definitely gets chaotic frequently over the course of its running time. It also tries to break all the rules and push boundaries, but at the same time, it still tries successfully to make a point or two about our stupidities when it comes to race. For me, that means I have to like it, even if it's ultimately too messy for me to love fervently. This is a funny film, by a man who was definitely operating closer to the peak of his comedic prowess, but if you're particularly sensitive, you might steer clear. Everyone else, green light. 7/10.

Links:

• Set index
• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD) / (Instant) and iTunes

Inbox: 시실리 2Km

Inbox features items that I have recently purchased or received.

---

After having appreciated his recent killer boar hybrid comedy/monster movie, I had an opportunity to receive a free copy of director Shin Jeongwon's Sisily 2Km (aka To Catch a Virgin Ghost), so I figured I'd bite and give it a shot. In a snapshot, like its descendant, it's a genre hybrid, this time fusing Korean gangster comedy with black comedy and horror. I think it was a brave attempt and it works better than it should, but ultimately the roughness of it all keeps the film from shining, albeit, it still highlights a lot of promise in both the director and the writers.

The plot initially follow Suktae (Kwon Ohjung), a gangster on the run from his crew with a load of diamonds. He gets in a car accident and winds up finding some sympathetic villagers in the boonies, who shelter him for the night. Due to an accident, he dies and the villagers discover a large diamond in his nose (he swallowed the rest). Greed gets the better of them and as they're deliberating how they'll cover up his death and split the diamond, his ex-gang members, led by Yang Yi (pop balladeer Lim Chang Jung) shows up searching for the missing Suktae. Oh, and there's a mysterious female ghost hanging out around there too. What follows is a whole lot of subterfuge, black comedy, and some genuinely surprising twists.

Honestly, it all worked a lot better than I expected, but the story's pacing and structure is really all over the place. First of all, outside of a couple hints, the ghost story hardly hits the film until the second half. It works, but it makes the film seem quite incongruous. The first half works like a hybrid black comedy (a la The Quiet Family) with greedy villagers trying to hide their deed from violent gangsters whose characters are (intentionally) culled from Korean gangster comedy stereotypes (a la My Boss, My Hero). Unfortunately, the meshing of the two genres, while sometimes successful, more or less weakens both of their strengths and so the first act feels a touch flat and the plot doesn't move too quickly. It is funny at times, no doubt, but it's not exceptionally so. When events really go crazy at the halfway point, the film might have actually been fine without introducing the ghost story, but the ghost story itself, which turns out to be a supernatural comedy itself, funny in its irreverence, works well in the story because it actually ties in a lot with the first act, especially considering the twist. Unfortunately, the structure of the story often feels segmented and the film's comedic tone never really stays in one spot leaving the tone of the film to also feel unstable. Despite this, it still works, which is impressive in itself, but it's very uneven.

In terms of direction, I think the film also suffers both from novice syndrome (it was the director's first) as the overall direction just doesn't have bite and feels kind of flat (Shin improves greatly for Chaw). It also suffers from inconsistent tone, like the story, and I feel a more enthusiastic charge into its composite genre waters would have benefited the film greatly, but the film sits on the fence and as a result, isn't as convincing as it could have been. The performances, however, were pretty good, with the villagers all being played well by their respective character actors (one of whom would become the A-list lead of The Chaser). The gangsters suffer from being archetypes, but Lim performs well enough to carry his character through to the end--but these characters, more than the villagers, suffer from the uncertain genre problem as well. Production also seems a touch rougher too, but that might be due to the poor quality of the Hong Kong DVD I was watching it on.

Overall, there's a lot of promise in Sisily 2km and it works better than you'd think. However, it is really uneven, in tone, as well as in storytelling, and the presentation is a bit lackluster. But, you can tell that the next project from these folks would be better (and it was!). Here, however, we have a film that is more enjoyable than its flaws should permit, but those flaws really hamper any recommendation at the same time. You could do worse and there still should be some interest to those who want to see how all these elements get juggled together. 6/10.

Note: The Hong Kong DVD version I viewed, distributed by Winson Entertainment was in terrible shape. The picture looked like it was taken from a VHS master and the anemic sound isn't consistently synced with the picture, so it was a frustrating watch. I highly recommend you avoid this version.

Links:

• Additional Reviews: KoreanCinema.org, Koreanfilm.org
• Available at YesAsia

Progress Report: Twelve Chairs

Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.

---

Twelve Chairs was a Mel Brooks film that I'd never heard of until I bought a collection of his movies. It was the film that followed his big hit, The Producers. Unlike his previous film, Twelve Chairs is an adaptation of a satirical Russian novel.

At the beginning of the film, Vorobyaninov (Ron Moody), a former noble who was displaced by the Soviet Revolution, is told about a large stash of wealth sewed into the lining of one of the chairs that graced his home by his dying mother in law. Seized with greed and desire, he makes off to claim these chairs, but runs into Bender (Frank Langella) who blackmails him into partnership to find these chairs. Meanwhile, Vorobyaninov's priest, Father Fyodor (Dom DeLuise), also hears word of the errant wealth and goes off in pursuit of these chairs himself. A series of events leads these three pursuers across Russia and, well, hijinks, of course, ensue.

I think working with a story that isn't his own makes this film rather unique in his filmography. While it still has the broad silly comedy that's in other Brooks films, I feel that Twelve Chairs is more bolted down and straightforward. In some ways, it seems to miss its chances at some the satire that the book implies by playing those scenes silly. In other ways, the film is still kind of amusing, even if nothing really caused me to laugh. On the other hand, there's a kind of attention to the underlying story between Vorobyaninov and Bender as they develop a friendship over their travels that actually shares some insight into human friendships. As a plus, the adventure never really gets boring, even if it never really reaches any peak comical moments.

I don't know if I can fault the actors for this. Although all of the characters, except for Bender, are played broadly, that's the sort of thing that's worked well for Brooks in his other films. Some of the problem of the comedy lies in the gags, many of which are predictable, like the sped up Benny-Hill like chase and fight scenes. Also the light and silly tone of the film seems to draw away from the ridiculousness of pursuing a set of chairs.

As a comedy, I don't find Twelve Chairs to be greatly successful. The story's objective is, overall, a great setup for comedy, but I think the film itself takes a largely different comedic route and so it almost feels like the Brooks-style silliness and buffoonery is grafted on. At the same time, the story itself actually still holds up pretty well by itself as a two-guys on a road trip film, even if its comedic potential is blunted. So, while I wouldn't point at Twelve Chairs as one of Brooks' best efforts, it also certainly stands up better than his misfires. 6/10.

Links:

• Set index
• Available at Amazon

Inbox:Replay: 攻殻機動隊 2.0

Inbox features items that I have recently purchased or received.

Replay revisits movies and shows that I have seen in the past.

---

Many years ago, I would watch Ghost in the Shell both to my confusion and my amazement. It was one of my first experiences with contemporary Japanese animation and I was largely impressed with the layers of philosophical science fiction married with gorgeous animation, but was left a little befuddled by its pacing and storytelling, not being used to certain cultural aspects of Japanese storytelling. But it was a rather unforgettable experience nonetheless and stayed in my head for a bit after the film. Recently, I watched a version 2.0 of this film, which includes new CGI scenes replacing some of the previous hand-drawn scenes as well as a revised score and possibly a new dub.

All the story elements stay the same though. The set up entails a futuristic world where human memories can be replicated as well as technology having developed to the point where cybernetic bodies have become commonplace. In this Japan, a series of events involving a mysterious programmer (hacker) called "The Puppetmaster" begin taking place and as Section 9, an arm of the government, investigate, it draws them into a conspiracy involving Section 6 and a surprise that has our already conflicted heroine, Major Motoko Kusinagi, questioning the nature of the ghost (the human soul).

Ghost in the Shell clearly eschews traditional storytelling. While there is a plot that keeps the characters on a journey, there's a lot of space in the film as the characters explore, as well as giving some room for philosophical contemplation to the viewer. Many scenes are just shots of mundane life in the city or following the Major as the spends her time ruminating about the nature of life. In that way, Ghost in the Shell doesn't produce pleasure via typical means, but ends up feeling more like an abbreviated Das Boot in terms of the story's spacing structure. And the film hits the science fiction element very hard, dealing with the implications of what a soul consists of in an age where human memories can be hacked or duplicated and when a person doesn't even need a biological body anymore. Despite the fact that the film primarily stays in this contemplative mode, there are a few stylish action sequences as well, which might also serve to break the contemplative sections, rather than the other way around.

The film is beautifully drawn. I had serious concerns about the new 3D rendered scenes before going in, but they appear to be tastefully done and stay fairly true to the original animations, but for those that would rather watch the original, it's on the Blu Ray too. It does get jarring on occasion when the animation changes from the 3D to the hand-drawn, but some of the transitions were aptly selected as to demonstrate a change in mindset, and that's where they were most effective. I like the rerecorded score as I distinctly remember the original version feeling just a touch shrill, although a remastering might have been able to correct that. The music is still pretty good and I think it's grown on me more now than when I first watched the film.

I think Ghost in the Shell stands up well as a Japanese science fiction film. While there is some action, the primary story is less about the characters and more of a philosophic rumination on the nature of the individual, the human soul, and personal identity and on this level it succeeds, even if it's a touch scant. Combined with beautiful animation, and a not-too-distracting update in 2.0, along with a couple of action scenes, it works well, but is far from the traditional film and so I can't say it's for everyone. But, there is a reason why it remains an animation classic and although it isn't flawless, it is superb. 8/10.

Links:

• Additional Reviews: Otherwhere
• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD)

Seen: Sherlock Holmes

Seen takes a look at the shows I have seen in person.

---

When I first heard that Guy Ritchie was attached to a Sherlock Holmes film, I was skeptical. After all, most of the films I've seen from his involved a lot of characters and gee-whiz directing tricks that I didn't really fit into the sober and mysterious world of Sherlock Holmes. But, after giving it some thought and realizing that Ritchie also does traffic in complicated plots and stories of elaborate crimes, it might work after all. In the end, it turned out to be an uneven mixture, some things working well and others less so.

Basically, we're join Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) as they solve a string of ritual murders and put the enigmatic Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) in prison, set for execution. Meanwhile, Watson's gotten himself a fiancé and is planning on moving out of the flat that he and Holmes shares. In the meantime, an old flame/rival of Holmes', Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), also shows up at his door with a request. And then, finally, Blackwood appears to have resurrected himself from the dead. It's up to Holmes and his partner, Watson to solve the case!

To my surprise, the actual mystery elements of the story come together and stay true to the Sherlock Holmes means, which I appreciated. In terms of actual mystery and its resolution, the film works well. On the other hand, Holmes becomes quite the brawler and added in are a number of large scale blockbuster setpieces, which, while somewhat fun, sometimes seemed like too much. While we see a little character development from Holmes and his ladyfriend/foe and the interplay between Watson and Holmes is cute, I was still left wondering what the real motivating factor for this development was. It seemed to happen as a matter of course and consequently, didn't feel satisfying.

Ritchie clearly draws from some of his previous work, including a boxing match and echoes Snatch. One element that I found that worked with his style was Holmes' methodical planning of action, verbalized and demonstrated in stutter-motion and then wound back to show it happening in a smooth series of actions. On the other hand, there was a seemingly unnecessary flashback thrown into the movie that causes the extended sequence to drag. On the plus side, the film looks pretty neat, a gritty and cool London, but not as dark as Burton's adaptation of Sweeney Todd, yet still falling into the darker and edgier realm. And the music is suited and balanced to the picture and story. Performers do well, with Downey capturing a straightforward eccentricity to Holmes and others working off of his energy well.

In the end, Sherlock Holmes is fun and just smart enough to work as a Holmes picture. At the same time, it's a bit like candy, with lots of pretty things to look at and a mystery to solve, but ultimately, it's just a blockbuster buzz you're going to leave with as the story doesn't really connect on a particularly emotional level with its characters and comes off seeming a touch cheap. But, it's a fun enough ride that it's not wasted and if expectations are kept in check, it's entirely possible to enjoy this one. I never really felt exhilarated or particularly impressed, but it kept my attention over its course. Entertaining, but disposable. 6/10.

Links:

• Feature website
• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD)

Inbox:Replay: L.A. Confidential

Inbox features items that I have recently purchased or received.

Replay revisits movies and shows that I have seen in the past.

---

One thing that I distinctly remember about L.A. Confidential is that it was one of the earliest DVDs I've ever seen as well as one of the first DVDs that I'd ever purchased. We screened it in my freshman year of film class and I remember being mesmerized by the complex woven narrative set in 1950's Los Angeles (in color!). Later, as I had to write a paper about the representation of the past that included at least one of the films that we'd seen, I needed to watch L.A. Confidential again, but, I guess it must have been a very popular choice as the college's sole copy wasn't available for anyone. So I bought one. And as it got a few plays throughout the years, I decided that L.A. Confidential is a remarkable movie about good cops and bad cops and complex cops.

Adapted from the novel by James Ellroy, set just before the takedown of Mickey Cohen, the local gang boss, we are introduced to the three protagonists, Bud White, a bruiser with a thing for defending women (Russell Crowe), Ed Exley, a straight arrow officer with political senses (Guy Pearce), and Jack Vincennes, a narcotics officer who's easily bribed into helping bust celebrities for publicity (Kevin Spacey). As a power vacuum ensues after Cohen's takedown, a shootout at the Nightowl Cafe leads to a large body count and draws the three detectives into a mystery that involves prostitutes that resemble stars as well as the city's elite. Exciting, no? I'd write more, but I don't want to spoil the plot.

Overall, I'd have to say that the film does a very impressive job of paring down what appears to be a very thick novel into a distilled story that manages to get across both the thrills of figuring out what's going on while still retaining the character growth of its characters and actually genuinely relating a sympathy for those characters, despite their flaws. While, there are some fridge logic gaffs in the story, possibly coming from trying to squeeze so much plot into the film, and there's a bit of a slowdown in the middle of the movie as one plot wraps up and the next is still in the hanger, but outside of those instances, the pacing and development is excellent.

Visually, the movie does a swell job of capturing its essence of 1950's Hollywood glamour as well as its underworld. When I first watched it, I was surprised at the believability of this new movie about a time period not often covered in modern film. And Hansen, is good behind the project, drawing out the right performances and feeling no need to resort to fancy tricks to tell the story. Finally, the score and the soundtrack choices, the latter plucked from the late '40's and the 50's add to the period details very well and the former stays low key when not busy evoking a place and time or flowing with the suspense and action.

L.A. Confidential is just spectacular a film as when I first saw it, filled with solid performances, an engaging story with interesting multi-dimensional characters, and great period details. If you can look past the minor logical gaps and the slow middle, it's otherwise flawless. Definitely recommendable. 8/10.

Links:

• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD) / (Instant) and iTunes

Seen: Shutter Island

Seen takes a look at the shows I have seen in person.

---

Shutter Island is one of Scorsese's entries into genre waters he doesn't frequently enter, in this case, a mystery/thriller. While it's not an ambitious film, the twists and turns that the film goes through as Teddy and Chuck attempt to solve the mystery of Shutter Island are enjoyable enough, even though the greater story is a little limited.

We initially meet Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo), on a ferry on the way to Shutter Island, where a patient-prisoner, Rachel, has gone missing from a locked room from a high security mental institution for the violently criminally insane. Teddy, suffering from some pretty crazy dreams, starts noticing some rather strange things about Shutter Island, and as he begins to look into the mystery of Rachel's disappearance, he falls deeper into its rabbit hole.

By nature of being a mystery, there's a twist at the end, and while it's not an enormous twist, since hints of it show up early on in the film, it's satisfying. The film does a good job of getting through all the requisite plot points of the film as well, so it's a solid thriller, always teasing with bits of truth and letting Teddy and the viewer make up their minds. On the other hand, I felt that the emotional story was a little cold, perhaps because the film was so caught up in the genre aspects. In many ways, it's like similar psychological mystery-thrillers, like The Sixth Sense, Memento, and The Usual Suspects, because a lot of the structure has to do with unraveling whether what we've seen is trustworthy and the lines between reality and fiction blur frequently. Not that Teddy's dreams necessarily invade the reality he's in, but that nothing is ever what it seems. And I find that aspect of the film very convincing. I just wish the story of Teddy's personal demons was better represented as well.

Frequent Scorsese collaborator, DiCaprio, capably takes on his character and Ruffalo does well as his often bewildered partner. Both Ben Kingsly and Max von Sydow do excellent jobs of carrying the ambiguous characters of the psychiatrists on the island, never quite obviously showing whether they are menacing or compassionate. Like all Scorsese films, the detail is there and the directing is expectedly apt. Particularly credit to the production team for putting together the creepy environments of Shutter Island and the believable period details. Lastly, I found the scoring just a touch overbearing, especially early on, but it might be a problem with the mix because I just didn't see anything to validate the theater drowning orchestration.

All in all, Shutter Island is a decent mystery-thriller ride. It's not going to go down in history as one of Scorsese's best, but as a genre work, it's very good. I just wish that it payed as much attention to Teddy's personal story as it did to the mystery. But, don't let that stop you, there are plenty of thrills and twists to keep you entertained to the end. 7/10.

Links:

• Feature website
• Available at Amazon (Blu Ray) / (DVD) / (Instant) and iTunes