Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.
I was genuinely surprised to find that I actually appreciated a return to mythology here after spending several of the last four episodes dealing with political issues that I just found tense, but without a real point to them. I did feel like some of the drama here was forced and the mystery of Gaius' "Head Six", I feel is dragging far too long, but I'm actually relieved that we finally see movement regarding the dreams and some of the elements in the series that's been going on for a long time. I also appreciate that the series is finally reaching a head to it's human/Cylon story and I really appreciate both its more cynical attitude mixed with its continuing idealism. Sure, it's all done with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but it's also more courageous television than a lot of its peers.
I'm a little worried since some of my friends say that they were disappointed by the ending, but I really only have one enormous three parter episode left for the series and I'm braced for disappointment, so I hope that softens the blow. Then it's "The Plan" and I'm finally done with this journey with the crew of the Galactica.
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Having previously seen and appreciated writer-director Shin Dongil's other two films, I finally found that his second film, My Friend & His Wife had received a reprint, so I picked it up to see how this film turned out and I have to say that I appreciate how Shin both manages to stay true to his interest in human relationships, in particular, friendship, while still approaching very different stories. In this case, the film really does veer strongly into melodrama (with even a touch of makjang elements) which would normally turn me away, but the strong emphasis on character and relationships as well as the powerful dramatic tension that was slowly built really kept the whole affair pretty interested in the second half.
As the title suggests, the story revolves around a trio: the titular husband/cook Jaemoon (Park Heesoon) and his wife/hairstylist Jisook (Hong Sohee) as well as Jaemoon's close friend and army buddy, Yejoon (Jang Hyungsung), a former college leftist activist who has become a successful fund manager. At first we just follow the three in their regular lives before a tragedy occurs in the middle of the film which shakes up the relationships between the three.
I have to say that the pacing of the film is very slow, which will no doubt turn away a lot of audiences, because the film spends almost the first half of the film just observing the relationships between the three, the dramatic conflict being small matters that might seen inconsequential at first, but largely influence the course of actions after the major turning point in the middle of the film. From there, the characters mostly understandably undergo serious dramatic conflict and even with some frustration for some (believable) Noble Idiot behavior and the most impressive factor of the storytelling here is the dramatic tension for both Yejoon and Jisook as you understand the tensions that tempt them both. I do think there is some lack of narrative focus as the film seems to focus on Jaemoon early on and then moves to Yejoon and Jisook and, to some extent, the film does fail to delve deeper into Yejoon's character, which is important because the film doesn't simply treat him as an antagonist, but as one of the two central characters for the second half of the film. While this film doesn't have as many comedic moments as his other two films, one darkly comic moment in the final act, dealing with payment for services rendered had me cracking up. Those are the sorts of things that win me over. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed by the climax of the film because that's where it just seems to go off the edge of the tone of the rest of the film, which is otherwise real-world believable. I don't think it needed to go as far as it did, but I think the underlying story was strong enough to survive that assassination attempt against suspension of disbelief.
Shin's direction, as in his other films is very low key and observational, less inclined to being stylish and letting the story and acting shine, which really works for a story like this which is based on the characters. Obviously, that means that the acting had to be strong too and the lead thesps really keep things believable. Special props to Jang for keeping his character from going full on makjang villain, which required a careful balancing act and also to Song for really driving the emotional story of her character home, even if the final act conceit was probably too much. I like that the film's sound track is actually relatively sparse and naturalistic--especially notable in the credits because instead of music, we just hear Jisook's scissors clipping hair. It goes well with the overall observational direction style.
In the end, I think I still find the big flaw at the end of the film too much to embrace this film, but I do think it has a lot going for it, especially as it explores relationships and the decisions we make--there is a point where Jisook says something about how people that make trashy decisions become trash and even if that might be a touch obvious--I think that the film still doesn't lose its heart in cynicism, which I found to be interesting. This film isn't for everyone and even arthouse cinema lovers might be put off by its observational nature and slow pace, but it remains an interesting (even if flawed) entry into Shin's filmography, which seems to be marked by explorations of friendships, which is in itself a valuable addition to the cinematic landscape. 6/10.
Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.
With the WGA Writer's Strike out of the way, Battlestar Galactica returned and lost no momentum in dealing with the aftermath of the "fourth" season, which results in a surprising turn for the series, from hopeful and idealistic, to grim and dark, which I kind of like. There are some frustrating moments, especially as some characters are doing things seemingly for the purpose of being in the right coincidental place at the right coincidental time and some characters behave in rather strange and credibility straining ways. Also, the "shocking moments" that happen are actually quite telegraphed so that I could easily expect what's to come, which takes away some of the surprise factor.
I do wish the show were a little more willing to shed a little light on the larger mysteries, which we still only see hints of at this point, but I suppose that's further to come. Also, the events of the first four episodes show a bit of a departure from the larger themes, at times, and some muddier storytelling regarding the nature of law and order and governance, which wasn't entirely satisfying. Nevertheless, the larger story remains interesting, even as during the final stretch, the show seems to be wearing thin, so I'm pretty certain that I want to see this through to the end.
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When I watched 여배우들 earlier this year, I instantly found it to be a downright enjoyable experiment in faux-documentary, close-to-reality filmmaking and highly recommended it. I actually got a second chance to watch it when I was in Korea this summer and my opinion hasn't changed at all. This was a funny, entertaining and, at times, revelatory film about high profile actresses and I don't hesitate to reiterate my recommendation to see it. Even having seen it twice, I liked it so much that I bought the DVD so that I'll have further opportunities to watch it and share it with others. While Asako in Ruby Shoes was a start, Untold Scandal a strong adaptation and Dasepo Naughty Girls an interesting divergence, it's none other than The Actresses that sold me on writer-director E J Yong. I look forward to what he's up to next.
Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.
Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica was an abbreviated season, lasting just ten episodes and really pushed deep into the mythology of the series, and, fortunately, the mythology itself finally started touching on the broader and more interesting themes embedded into the overarching narrative. The search for Earth finally yields a kind of reflection on the value of life, the nature of humanity and runs the series from the darker more cynical mood to a slightly more idealistic one while still dealing very much with matters of pragmatism.
I actually like that both President Roslin and Admiral Adama get some noticeable character development, but I do feel that Lee "Apollo" Adama really starts taking a back seat due to his miring in politics, which I don't really find that troublesome, except that I feel like he gets more spotlight than his character deserves for this arc. I did actually like the development on part of the Cylon models as well and the civil war aspect is pretty interesting, although I felt that the overall impact of the big battle was a little more than anticlimactic. In fact, I feel like the season was a touch on the anti-climatic side and so when it ends with a whole lot of hoopla, it feels more than a little bit manufactured.
Still, having come this close to the end, I remain curious as to where the series will go in its final half-season considering that this could have been the end of the series right here. I'm hoping that it actually charges into its themes and the bigger picture somehow and resolves that aspect in a meaningful way.
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Hong Sangsoo is one of those arthouse film directors that I keep watching, even though I find myself conflicted on his later work just because there's always something interesting going on in them. For a while now, I feel like director Hong has been making variations on the same film for a while (especially after Tale of Cinema in 2005) and here we find the same actor in a very similar role with the classic Hongian setup, which is a two act structure where the second act repeats the antics of the first in a different setup and the whole thing revolves around some cynical Korean man who has a lot of character flaws and inevitably chases women that he encounters in each act all of this action which results in some rather unfortunate consequences. While this isn't exclusively the case, Like You Know It All follows this formula more closely than some of his other films.
Like Tale of Cinema and Woman on the Beach, we follow an independent arthouse film director Goo Gyungnam (Kim Taewoo portraying yet another Hongian arthouse film director) on a serious of exploits. This time, he is on a panel of a film festival in the first act and does a lecture for a college professor. While at the film festival, he encounters a number of characters, including the temperamental festival director and also ends up meeting an old friend with whom he visits and meets his hyper-idealistic wife. This is a Hong film, so the things that happen are in part due to personal failings and part due to circumstance. At the lecture, he runs into an older respected friend who has recently re-married to a woman that he used to know. Uh. I need not say anymore.
Hong's films are definitely a different beast and have to be appreciated on their own level. They do tend towards ambiguity, but usually follow a somewhat cynical outlook and especially examine human flaws. What I find different about this film in particular is that the main character isn't painted as cynically and actually comes across as more likable, perhaps due to his earnest. I also think there's a stronger thematic cohesiveness and a more forgiving attitude than previous films. Still, since the overall film doesn't deviate much from Hong's typical film, it's only about as interesting. Mentally stimulating as you try to make sense of the observations, but this is not the typical cathartic cinematic experience, although it remains entertaining thanks to its awkward situations and character comedy.
The film continues with Hong's stylistic trend since Tale of Cinema, especially using the stationary camera with lots of pans and zooms. An interesting element also shows up in the film that has been absent since The Power of Kangwon Province, which is the pans to animals or objects after a scene. The actors, all of whom are top rate, perform very well and take to the improvisation well. With only one minor part seeming a touch over the top. It's clearly an indie film and has the production values to go with it, but I think the production values really suit the nature of the film as well, so that's not a strike against it.
Like You Know It All falls into a weird place with me. It's not innovative enough or different enough from Hong's previous films to really make it strongly appealing to me and, like many of his films, will probably divide his audience. Still, there's something likable to Like You Know It All thanks to its more positive vibe and that leaves me feeling better about it than I thought I would. 7/10.
Progress Report provides ongoing impressions of serials or sets I view them.
The fourth season of Battlestar Galactica starts off a little shaky. There are some highs--such as the brewing inter-Cylon conflict, which is actually one of the main staging points for the themes of the natures of life, intelligence and humanity. Go team! Then there's the whole Cylon-self-discovery Final Five plot, which isn't quite as catching as it should be. Gaius Baltar has also had another huge turn of character, and yes, character development, which makes me even more interested in him and his subplot.
So, ultimately, the upsides of the first half of the fourth season is the character development for some characters and the interesting larger-statement themes that show up when the Cylons get screen time. The downside is that the plot drives a number of characters to be stuck in heavy-angst mode for much of this portion of the season and the mystery of the final Cylon isn't really that mysterious because it seems like a pretty blatant red herring is in place. This part of the series might have worked better if BSG were a more subtle show, but that's just not where BSG excels. I'm still hoping that the larger mythos of the story of finding Earth pans out as interesting, but with just five more episodes left in this season and another half-season to go, the show has only a limited amount of space to put it all together.
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I don't do this often, but Dollhouse was a impulse purchase. I saw it for an amazingly low price and snapped up the first season solely on the good will I have toward the show's creator, Joss Whedon, whose many previous works for TV, film, and web I had appreciated. I do have a little buyer's remorse about it, since I don't have the second season and will probably have to hold off on watching it until I pick it up, because I don't want to be stuck mid-season and be unable to see the rest without starting to rent the second season or have to purchase it at whatever price that it's available at the time. Still, a good price is a good price.
The season comes packaged in a simple Blu Ray case with three discs. Also included with the first season is the original unaired pilot for the series as well as the thirteenth episode of the first season, "Epitaph One", which was never aired with the first season, but instead aired penultimately in the second season, before the series finale "Epitaph Two: Return". As such it's a bit of a strange inclusion here as it doesn't exactly feel like a proper season ender, whereas "Omega" does.
As for the first season, it really does start out rough, especially the first episode. Also the conceit of the show makes it very difficult to draw you in right away, both because the main character, Caroline/Echo (Eliza Dushku) is a bit of a blank by necessity, so you have to rely on getting attached to other characters (it happens better toward the second half of the series) and it struggles also because it has to introduce the whole concept of "Dolls", which means that we get the first half of the season focused on missions-of-the-week before we really can delve into the workings of the world.
However, the first season lays down some great mystery and groundwork for a longer series, with lots of intrigue and greater questions about what's going on with the Dollhouse. Alpha, who is only hinted at in the earlier parts of the season holds a Syler-like menace, at least until the final couple episodes when he really shows up and becomes much less intimidating as a character, which is disappointing. The season ending twist on Agent Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) is also pretty disappointing too, considering how much intrigue was built in about where he's been getting (some) of his leads from. Still, there are some decent episodes in the second half and the intrigue and mystery did keep me curious about the show, at least until I saw the apocalyptic future in "Epitaph One", which also deflated the season (and possibly the series) a bit.
Having been built as a mid-season replacement, perhaps it's too much to expect a full season of great promise. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer didn't provide that either in its first season and didn't lay down nearly as much scope in terms of long-term story arc intrigue. But, I think the project was in some ways doomed to struggle, just because of the nature of the story and its very slow-to-built protagonist. Personally, I think building in a lot more about Caroline, maybe in flashback, would have done a lot to make Echo/Caroline more interesting earlier on and given an interesting storytelling requirement as well. As such, it's still pretty interesting science fiction, at least as far as cyberpunk-type television goes and fans of Whedon (and, to a lesser extent, Battlestar Galactica) will find plenty to appreciate in this first season. 7/10.
Disc List:
Disc 1: Episodes 1-5 (and "Echo" unaired original pilot)
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