Category: Movie Reviews

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Diary Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Celebrated Christmas Eve With Avatar, An Impromptu Dinner Party, And A Midnight Mass

A Merry Christmas to my readers.  ¡Feliz Navidad!

While we were queuing to enter the AMK Hub car park, out of nowhere, Cynthia asked what do people really mean when they say Merry Christmas to one another.  Good question.  I wonder how many of us genuinely ponder upon the good news of the birth of a savior – God in the flesh of a man – when delivering or upon receiving such a wish.

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I have a theory.  I think “Avatar” has some borrowed ideas from the game “World of Warcraft”.  No spoilers here of course.  And I bury my theory at the bottom of this entry.

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The question is not whether you should watch “Avatar” or give it a miss.  It is an experience not to be missed.  If ticket price was to be pegged with the movie budget and if you are happy to pay S$10 for “He’s Just Not That Into You”, watching “Avatar” would have cost you S$100.  So, what motivates the filmmakers to pour in $240 million – a budget is closed to what it took to create the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy – to make a movie?  I suppose pushing the film boundary with new technology (and hence money) so as to give the audience a never-seen-before experience often pays off.  I remember how the first installment of “Lord of the Rings” wowed me to the core.  And somehow, the next two installments did not seem to be as visually stimulating as the first one.

Now, the question is: Should you watch “Avatar” on 3D or not?  We picked the 3D version.  It was an unique experience.  It works especially well with computer generated imaginary.  It makes sense when you think about it.  For real life objects, the 3D effect has already been take care of by the field of depth.  Objects in the background are often blurred out.  Using the current 3D technology on real life objects as seen in the film tends to make the image less sharp with washed down color, though it is without a doubt a wow factor to see a gun or grass bushes popping out of the screen – however blurry it seems.  The same effect on the computer generated imaginary is absolutely stunning.  Personally, I find the 3D goggles occasionally gave me a faint headache.  It is like the discomfort I experience when an object is placed very close to that one point between my eyes.  Cynthia finds the goggles keep slipping down and of course, you can wear the 3D goggles on top of your spectacles.  Also, if I am to watch another 3D movie, I would bring along a cloth wiper to clean the goggles.

Back to the question.  3D format is for an unique cinematic experience and the non-3D format is for the visual effect in its full glory.  Either way, you can’t be wrong.

After watching “Avatar”, I asked myself: What moves me a great deal when watching “Avatar” or “Bodyguards and Assassins“?  I think it is bravery against formidable adversary.

*     *     II     *     *

Just before we entered into the movie theatre, my sister texted me and asked if we wanted to catch up in the evening.  Did I have plan on the Christmas Eve?  A Christmas Mass and my ‘date’ with Mark to show him how to joust in the World of Warcraft.  I guess jousting would have to wait (sorry Mark!).

After the movie, TK asked what’s-for-dinner.  Good question.  In this two weeks holiday of ours, Cynthia and I have hardly put our heads together for any planning.  So, why not invite our good buddy and my sister and her hubby for a home cook dinner?  One minor logistic challenge though: we don’t have meat in our refrigerator ever since we have become vegetarians.  TK volunteered to buy roasted duck and we boosted our menu to a 4-course meal: green salad, soup, pasta with roasted duck, and our dessert was a birthday cake for TK.  So few stones, so many birds!

We had a lovely time.  And it is good to spend Christmas Eve with family and friends.

*     *     III     *     *

We did not plan to attend the Midnight Mass for we planned to attend one of the earlier slots.  Personally I prefer the one at midnight.  It appears to be more authentic.  Cynthia feels that Midnight Mass is a bit too late.  It is true.  The calling of my bed or the comfort of my home was hard to ignore especially when the Mass has passed the 1 am mark.

We arrived at the Church before 11 pm.  Seats are hard to come by on Christmas.  11.30 pm the choir started singing the Christmas songs.  Surprisingly, the quality of the choir this year was really good, at Christ the King.  Even the priest commented that how nice if we are to have this level of standard for our Sunday Masses.  The Church was full, our priest was exceptionally energetic, and the congregation was in high spirit.  Personally, I would like to thank those who have made this Midnight Mass such a memorable experience.  I think the nonstop rounds of applause said it all.

*     *     IV     *     *

I think this section may not make me the most popular guy in the planet, as everyone loves “Avatar”.  While watching the show, I could not help but to associate some of the scenes to an online game that I live and breath for 5 years.  If you have not watched “Avatar”, the following slideshow probably would not make sense to you (and it certainly would not spoil your “Avatar” enjoyment if you see it either).  It is hard to explain in words so I took my avatar in World of Warcraft, traveled around the world, and took some screenshots for illustration’s sake.

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

Bodyguards And Assassins – One Shouldn’t Be Missed This Year, To Me

On the same day we were supposed to meet with our friend on his birthday to watch this film, I was reading “Superfreakonomics” in the morning.  In this new chapter, it says we often complain about how the old days are better, but more often so it is not the case.  After the film, I thought: What if web conferencing was a reality in 1905?  For the 1 hour meeting Sun Yat-sen has with the revolutionists in Hong kong, so many people are willing to put their lives on the front line to make it happens.  Apparently, I was not the only one who thinks that way after the show.

“Bodyguards and Assassins” has a few good surprises to me.  Cynthia and I were supposed to give it a miss as we were more interested in procuring the tickets for “Avatar”.  Not surprisingly, “Avatar” is full house all the way till Christmas and beyond.  Instead, TK picked “Bodyguards and Assassins”.  The storyline is epic, the costumes in the backdrop of 1905 Hong Kong are convincingly authentic, the acting quality of the huge team of Chinese stars is rock solid, and the film talks to me at the emotional level.  So thank you TK for booking this for us!

I have spent a good number of years studying Chinese history when I was in Hong Kong.  And I was holding my breath on what a Hong Kong and China production going to do with Sun Yat-sen, father of the modern China, also co-founder of Kuomintang (KMT) – a political party that eventually established itself in Taiwan after a fallout with the Communist Party of China.  Given the history and tension between China and Taiwan with a story set in a British ex-colony Hong Kong, how far would “Bodyguards and Assassins” push the political boundary?

It turns out to be one story that recounts the few days of logistic preparation prior to the meeting of Dr. Sun and the revolutionists in Hong Kong.  It is a revolution in the making against the Qing Dynasty.  The story ends on the day the meeting has ended.  And I am glad that the story manages not to displease the authorities of either straits.  It is good to be reminded – as a Chinese – how far we have endured in the last century, how much we have progressed in the last century.  A collapse of a Dynasty, the invasion of the Japanese, the colonization by the Western countries, and look where China is today.

Back to the film, as nowhere it is mentioned that the story is based on true characters, I have no basis to verify if these are historical events.  Having said that, the characters are very much alive.  Each individual is portrayed as a genuinely good person, with a future.  And that is why “Bodyguards and Assassins” is so hard to watch.  No one wants to see good people get hurt.  I think Cynthia was tearing all the way.

I get it.  Revolution is painful, very painful.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Foreign Movie Reviews

The Storm Warriors – Huh? What The …

For the record, I am a huge fan of the Wuxia genre.  I am also a fan of the original Chinese comic book series “Fung Wan”.  OK, where shall I begin with this second installment?  Part one is my casual thoughts, which fans of the movie may disagree.  Part two is my deeper albeit random thoughts, which those with little background of the genre who may find interesting to read.

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Cynthia seems to like “The Storm Warriors”.  My mind seems to have paralyzed by the movie not sure if I like it or not.  Casual thoughts as follows.

  • Those hair!  Oh my.  The hairstyle redefined the art of messiness.  I don’t recall it is that messy in the comic book.
  • I think all the characters in the movie are badly in need of a good bath.  Maybe the costumes are badly in need of a good laundry.  OK, maybe with the exception of the two girls.  Just maybe.
  • Lord Godless reminds me of the Lich King in World of Warcraft.  The evil Wind reminds me of the vampires in Twilight.  Maybe that’s why Cynthia likes the movie.
  • Wow, you call that romance?  The relationship between Cloud and Chu Chu is lifeless.  The relationship between Wind and Second Dream doesn’t even go beyond a good hug.  One may say, so what?  Well, the love relationship between, say, Cloud and Chu Chu is supposed to be epic, for those who have read the comic book series.  Epic!  So epic that makes people cry.  So epic that makes me cry watching “The Storm Warriors” for what it could have been.
  • For those who have forgotten the storyline of the previous installment (11 years ago, who would remember?), this part two does not quite help to refresh our mind.  The storyline of this installment – deviates from the original plot I reckon – leaves much to desire.  The climax, to me, would have been a joint force battle between the two main characters against an evil character.  If the story development is intended for a part 3, I would expand on the battle with Lord Godless, keep the long battle between Wind and Cloud short, and keep the ending as it is (though I still don’t like the bad romance).
  • The original language of the movie is Cantonese I believe.  In Singapore, for reasons beyond my comprehension (or my acceptance), it is dubbed in Mandarin.  Often, I can deal with it if I have to though I would love to watch it in my language (and hence, I seldom watch Hong Kong films in Singapore’s theaters).  The issue I have with dubbing is a missing in synchronization between the acting and the voice emote.  At times, the voice seems to more involved into the plot than the acting (especially so for the two girls).  Just not natural, to me that is.
  • The subtitles are laughable.  I have this urge to re-translate the dialogs just for Cynthia’s sake.  OK, without the background of Chinese and Wuxia, I admit some if not most of the concepts are hard to grasp.  As I read both the Chinese and English subtitles, some of the essence of the dialog could have been better preserved.
  • Computer generated imaginary does not make great movies.  And we know that.
  • 11 years we have waited for this 2nd installment.  Back then, in the year 1998, Ekin Cheng (Wind) was 31 and Aaron Kwok (Cloud) was 33.  Now, imagine if the 3rd installment is to come in the year 2020 with the original casting …

What I do like are the Thai-powered martial arts and the collateral damage incorporated in the storyline.  I think the movie comes alive after some innocent lives are taken.  Look.  If there is no sex and money in the plot, at least give us blood that pops our hearts.  No?

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Wow, part one of this entry is a lot longer than I have anticipated.  Perhaps I am passionate on this genre after all.

For those of you who may not be familiar with this genre, I have a few random thoughts to share.

  • Unlike some of the Western fantasy series, Chinese fantasy series seldom have the demon and angel entities.  Seldom do we summon anything demonic from Hell, or battle the evil with the blessing of God.  In Chinese, characters are gods of good and evil.  It is the person who follow the path of good or evil, not an external divine entity.  We have celestial entities like the dragons and we have evilness in the form of greed and power and the desire of immortality that corrupts.
  • Those who choose the path of good often take years to master the martial art.  In fact, the moral compass is often incorporated into the ‘form’ of the martial art.  If you recall, after the master Nameless has inspired Cloud to create his own martial art, Nameless comments that what Cloud lacks is the ‘form’.  Unfortunately, it is lost in translation.
  • One could also master the martial art without going through the fundamental of the moral values embedded within.  I believe in real life, learning Yoga in its truest form requires practitioners to meditate.  If one is to master the martial art by taking shortcuts, one could be consumed by the chaotic power within and turns ‘evil’.  Why evil?  That goes back to the common observation that anything good be it as reputation, relationship, communal infrastructures, and etc. takes years to build.  Destruction takes seconds.  The same pair of hands spend years building a school can also detonate a bomb that destroys it all.  In the movie, Wind took a shortcut and has become ‘evil’.  So that he can be so powerful in just 3 days.  Interestingly, Cloud also gains a new martial art technique that makes him powerful in the same 3 days.  What gives?
  • Are there any shortcut then for those who choose the path of the good?  According to the famous Wuxia writer Jin Jong, yes we can.  Decade worth of power can apparently be transfered from one character to another, in rare instances.  But that is beyond the scope of this movie.  In retrospect, I suspect the filmmaker wanted to incorporate this concept in the boosting of Cloud’s power by what remains in Nameless (the 10% after some bad wounding from the previous battle).  That would have made more sense as the path to good is often a long process.  I caught that in the dialog between the two.  But somehow, it is not executed that way in the movie.
  • While characters in a Wuxia setting often wield or in perpetual search for the ultimate weapon and armor – one that destroys all and one that is invincible to any attack – even the martial art technique to shield one from all harm, there is always a weakness somewhere (otherwise the story would be incredibly boring, no?).  That is what the repeated clumsy subtitle “his weakest point is hiding behind his strongest point” tries to convey.  Since the intended audience of the English subtitles are the ones who should have some concept of the Western culture, I personally would simply use the term “Achilles’ heel” to help with the translation.

Wow, an equally long part two!  Thanks for reading.  Peace.

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

Don’t Look Back (Ne Te Retourne Pas) – An Ending Worths The Wait

Poster version 1

An European film staring Sophie Marceau and Monica Bullucci?  No way I am going to miss it.  At the opening of the movie, TK and Cynthia simultaneously from my right and left asked if “Don’t Look Back” is a horror show.  Uh-oh.  One tiny detail I have not researched, prior to the booking of the tickets.  As the film got weirder and weirder, I really thought I have picked a horror show acutely aware of every small movements of the two next to me.  As though I was prepared for them to suddenly scream or jump out of their seats.  And then ban me [again] for making decision on which film to watch.

And the second version of the poster

Fortunately, “Don’t Look Back” is not a horror movie, though I could imagine that it could be quite a horrible experience for someone like the main character to have misplaced memories, knowing faces but not recognizing them.  Sophie Marceau and Monica Bullucci both played the same character Jeanne.  At some point, I thought I was watching Niki Sanders from the television series Heroes.  Or watching a ghost movie.  I wouldn’t go too much into the story here.  It is one woman’s psychological suffering and it is one woman’s desire to discover the 8 years of missing childhood memory.  It is an art house type of movie.  And the pace can be slow.  Because the surrounding environments and the faces of the same character change all the time, it could be rather strange and confusing to watch.  Characters at times switch from adult to child form and vice versa, rooms get distorted and elongated to signify the change in perspective from the eyes of an adult to a child, scenes have subtle meanings that perhaps make sense to some towards the end.  I think there are quite a few ways to interpret this movie, at least amongst the three of us.  It is a movie that certainly has re-watch value.

I thought both Sophie Marceau and Monica Bullucci have acted well in “Dont’ Look Back”.  Sophie’s psychological suffering and Monica’s invulnerability.  Pairing them up in the same movie is a nice treat for especially fans of both European actresses.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews Romance

The Twilight Saga: New Moon – The Non-Fans Won’t Get It

2nd Installment

The question, I think, is why “New Moon” can get away with the disjointed subplots and cheesy dialogues and yet able to make tons of girls in the theatre we visited swooning all the way from opening to the end credits – literally so.  Some guys would play along and ‘swooned’ ahead of the girls causing lots of giggles from the audience.  We love the crowd at Cineleisure.  Movie distributors seem to know that this second installment of the Twilight Saga would be a hit in this small island of ours.  Multiple theatres are playing “New Moon” simultaneously to meet the demand.  Cynthia and I  forcefully brought our buddy TK to watch “New Moon”.  He has not watched the first episode and at the end of the show, he said to us, “There won’t be a third for me”.  And we had a good laugh.

The answer, I think, is fantasy.  It is fantasy beyond the beautiful cold-blooded vampires that shimmer under bright daylight (?!) and the over-sized hot-blooded werewolves (?!) that transform from human form at will (and back with the pants on); it is a fantasy beyond the teenage flirtation of lips licking, body hugging, almost kissing, countless promises of the forever-and-ever; it is simply a fantasy of a regular girl becoming the object of great desire and a man’s desire to protect the vulnerable girl at all cost.  Who wouldn’t want to be Bella?  Who wouldn’t want to protect Bella?  And hence, the ticket sales.

To say that Cynthia adores the Twilight Saga with a capital A is an understatement.  It is almost illegal for me to raise the question on what she sees in the pale withering malnutritional vampire played by Robert Pattinson who was named as one of the “Sexiest Men Alive” in 2008 by People magazine (?!).  Equally illegal for me to ask why she has so fallen in love with the werewolf played by Taylor Lautner – like I suppose many of the fans of the saga – who mind you has a stunningly solid body at the age of 17 and a beautiful smile.  The filmmakers seem to play that to its fullest.  Every time Taylor takes off his shirt, all the girls simply melt and swoon and cry for more.

Right.

I for one am not complaining watching Kristen Stewart playing the role of Bella.  I am a big fan of her since the days of “Panic Room”.  Nor any complain with some of the vampire girls like Ashley Greene (plays the role of Alice) and the brief appearance of Dakota Fanning, which I hope I can see more in later episodes.  My only complain is the weak soundtrack compares to the first episode.  There were Muse’s “Supermassive Black Hole”, Paramore’s “Decode”, and Linkin Park’s “Leave Out All The Rest”.  What does the soundtrack of “New Moon” have?  Terribly depressing, terribly boring.  I really hope that they can make a better soundtrack for the next installment.

By the way, “Twilight” the first episode will be on Star Movies tonight.  “Haven’t you watched that on TV recently?” I asked over breakfast.  “It doesn’t matter.  It’s Twilight!” Cynthia answered.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

The Informant! – Still Can’t Pinpoint What Is Missing

A new move by Matt Damon

“So, do you like this movie?” asked I as the credits rolled.  Cynthia nodded, “It is entertaining.  Don’t you like this move [that I pick]?”

“…”

Matt Damon’s acting is convincing, no doubt.  I did a little research on this movie that is based on a non-fiction written by journalist Kurt Eichenwald, which in turn based on true events that happened around the lysine price-fixing conspiracy.  Matt Damon plays the whistle-blower Mark Whitacre.  Fortune 500 company Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and FBI were also involved in this conspiracy.  It is white collar crime, and the director Steven Soderbergh has certainly injected a similar level of dark comedy in “The Informant!” – much like my favorite “Traffic” and the “Ocean” trilogy.

According to my little research after I returned home, bipolar disorder – a mood disorder portrayed by Matt Damon’s character – does not seem to mean that the patient turns into an uncontrollable liar, a syndrome seems to imply by the film.  The book appears to focus on the center character Mark Whitacre ‘s meltdown and bizarre behavior resulting from the pressures of working undercover for the FBI.  And subsequently suffered from depression and have attempted suicide.  That would have made a lot of sense.  A deeper linkage to the film “The Firm” as mentioned in the book would also be nice.  The end of the book examines the unfairly long nine years sentence Mark Whitacre received – disagreed by the author of the book as well as several FBI agents.  That too would have been a better resolution than rounding up the film with yet another lie.

That, of course, is just my opinion.  Something doesn’t gel, and I still can’t pinpoint what it is.  Matt Damon, though.  I have to say he is one great actor.

Categories
Documentary Movie Reviews

Michael Moore Did It Again With Capitalism: A Love Story

A new film by Michael Moore

Whenever I met this friend of mine – whose identity I wish to protect here – inevitably we (or rather he) would talk about making money from the stock market, about his portfolio, which I estimate to be close to a million dollar by now.  Or over half a million.  Either way, it is way more than what I could imagine.  Inevitably, I find myself asking the same question – like a student who just doesn’t get it – “what have you contributed specifically in order to be rewarded with so much money?”  My understanding in economy is basic.  I can see that if you spend time making bread, if there are customers buying your bread, you get paid for what you have worked for.  And the contribution of a bread maker to the society is, bread.  Following that thought, what exactly have the stock traders and investors contributed to our society to be potentially rewarded with that much money?

My friend would shrug and say, “We take part in becoming part of the ‘market sentiment’, the kind of momentum that collectively moves market.”  And I would ask, “But why do we have to create such sentiment?”  He would continue, “Well, mass public plays only a small part.  The corporations take up majority of the market share.  We are just hoping to make a fraction of what the riches are making.”

In Michael Moore’s new film “Capitalism: A Love Story”, he exposed a confidential report Citibank has made for their top clients.  The report declared the ‘United States a “plutonomy” (plutocracy), with the top one percent of the population controlling more financial wealth than the bottom 95 percent’.  It also reported that the threat to this is the one-person-one-vote policy.  In short, the way I see it, if the people gang up against the super-riches, the system will topple.  But why wouldn’t the people do that?  Why do people accept their living condition as it is today?  It is because in America, there is this American dream.  That one day, people may make it to the top 1%.  Wouldn’t toppling the system ruin this wonderful American dream that is fueled by capitalism?  I think this is the main theme of the film.

Like his other films, Michael Moore uses simple terms orchestrated by people’s emotion to expose certain facts.  I have my reservation if what he says is true in entirety.  Having said that, he does bring out some good discussion points on the regulators and the government and the financial institutions, capitalism and its not too glamorous reality.  One may find it puzzling why Michael Moore brings religion into the equation.  In my understanding, American is still very much a country that emphasises on Christian values.  To that end, it seems natural to hear what the Church has to say about capitalism.

I am not from America.  Hence, the impact to me is minimal.  It is a good documentary on one of the leading countries of the world.  I can imagine that Americans may feel the emotional impact watching “Capitalism: A Love Story”.  Perhaps disgusted by the system and the people involved.  Personally, I do not have the sudden revelation of “American is not that great after all”, like some of the other viewers.  I understand that there is no perfect country in this world.

And back to the stock investment discussion with my well-do-do friend.  I always end our conversation with, “I don’t think the stock market is for me.”

Categories
Comedy Foreign Movie Reviews

My Girlfriend Is An Agent – So Very Hilarious!

What a funny show!

Once in a while, there are movies that are so beyond expectation that you thought: Wow, I am so glad that I’ve picked it.  Maybe my week has been somewhat humdrum, maybe there are just too many sad news of old wive poisoning old husband, young teen stabbing his young girlfriend to death, or the groom jumping off from the hotel’s rooftop dead while the new bride was showering, I am so in need of something funny, something to make my day.  So I picked “My Girlfriend Is An Agent”, and mobilized the Movie Review Squad.  Not sure why, I was half expecting something like “My Wife Is A Gangster”.  But the resemblance stops at the title.

This movie is closed to two hours.  And the audience was awesome!  Quite a few were clapping hands and all of us were laughing out loud throughout the show.  To the crowd at The Cathay for the 7.30 pm show last Friday, you guys rock!

OK.  To be honest, there isn’t much storyline per se.  Whether some Koreans are selling some very dangerous bio weapon ingredients to some Russians is not quite what I am interested to find out and follow through.  The main storyline, to me, is merely a background and setup for the comic scenes.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how happy Cynthia laughed inside the theater, knowing that Korean films are usually not her cup of tea.  The overall storyline may not be memorable.  But some of the comical materials certainly are.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews Romance

Love Happens, A Misleading Title?

A mismatch of expectation?

Do bloggers know no bounds in what they write?  Do I know no bounds in what I write?  I am not sure if fellow bloggers have faced a similar situation.  At times, in a friendly catching up occasion, my friend would suddenly turn to me and ask, “You wouldn’t put that into your blog, would you?”  The dilemma of wanting some friends of mine to know – or not – that I have a website.

Of course I know the boundary.  And so, Mr. TK, if you are reading this, our little episode is safe with me.  Though we will likely to laugh over this for years to come.  And until I do the same thing you did, then we would laugh at each other for years to come.

Our band’s drummer wanted to watch that Michael Jackson film.  So I mobilized the Movie Review Squad in the morning.  TK suggested “The Hurt Locker”, a war film (which I promise to loop in another friend, Ng,  to watch).  Cynthia suggested “Love Happens”.  If it was up to me, I would love to pick “My Girlfriend Is An Agent”.  I love watching girls kicking asses.  In retrospect, I thought “Love Happens” is “NewYork, I Love You”.  Since all of us seemed happy about “Love Happens”, “Love Happens” it was.  (Still quite amazed that TK could decipher my morning SMS: Love happens today or tomorrow?)

I think the movie title “Love Happens” is misleading.  If it was to be branded not as a romance movie, it would have attracted lesser criticism just on the title itself.  I walked into the theater thinking it was another show, so obviously, I have little expectation on the outcome.  If we take away the notion of romance, and look at Jennifer Aniston’s role as helping Dr. Burke Ryan (played by the talented Aaron Eckart) – together with everyone in the workshop of how-to-get-over-the-loss-of-your-loved-ones hosted by Ryan – to come to terms with the loss of his wife, it is quite a decent movie to watch.  Some scenes are emotional.  Some are somewhat inspiriting (like taking the ‘stairs’ to see things in a different perspective).  The little word games Eckart and Aniston played onscreen makes the film interesting (to be honest, I know none of the three English words they use).  Cynthia and I have been a big fan of Aaron Eckart since the days of “Thank You For Smoking”.  And acting-wise, I think he delivers.

It is unrealistic – in my opinion – to expect a man to fall madly in love with another woman before he has even come to terms with the loss of his beloved partner three years ago on an accident that he blames himself upon.  In as such, the lack of the elements of romance or the presence of a glimpse of what is to come is only appropriate.  Unfortunately, the movie title and the excerpts suggest that “Love Happens” is a romance story.  Personally, I would prefer the filmmakers to use the title of “Brand New Day”, a variation of what the working title was.

Categories
Action & Thriller Foreign Movie Reviews

Amalfi (Amarufi) – Japanese Diplomacy Is A Long Process

Yet another Japanese film!

When I was young, I often read Japanese novels of the detective and thriller genre.  In Chinese of course.  There is this Oriental exoticism that is different from the similar stories of the West.  The twists and turns, the ambiance, the backdrops, and the attention to details like an art – all in a pace that is less of a page turner, but rather a consistent grind from start to end.  In a strange way, watching the 125 minutes Japanese film “Amalfi” reminds me of just that.

“Amalfi” is a special production to mark Fuji Television’s 50th anniversary, entirely shot in Italy.  The scenery is beautiful.  As Cynthia and I watched the movie, some scenes reminded us of our honeymoon back in 2000.  The plot is full of twists, though somewhat linear.  You could of course sit back and watch the movie as it is.  Or you could – like me – think together with the actor, as he pauses, eyes dashing around the surrounding, and the music stops giving you the opportunity to think.

As for the storyline, I wouldn’t say too much here.  But here is the excerpt.  A single mother has gone for a holiday with her little daughter in Italy and soon, her daughter is kidnapped.  A Japanese diplomat has joined the Japanese Embassy in Rome and is assigned to handle this kidnap case.  Soon, they discover that this entire setup is more than just a kidnap.

I can understand that some may find this movie a bit too long and boring.  Some parts are a bit far fetched, though by and large, the storyline makes sense.  I in especially am delighted by the acting: a single mother who has to appear strong under even the most trying period of her life, a diplomat who has poor communication skill but his eyes say it all.  “Amalfi” is more than a thriller.  I am not a Japanese.  But it is refreshing to see a Japanese film taking on the International arena.  I for one am awed by the breathtaking scenes shot in Rome.  One scene, they are taking a public bus, standing with the crowd, the camera gradually zooms out, through the bus window.  As the bus drives away, there it is, the famous backdrop of Rome.  Such class!

PS. I think the filmmakers are big, big fan of Sarah Brightman.