Recently Seen, Part 30 (August 2019)

clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
I hope the housekeeper doesn't show up. That would be too easy.
From here on in, all discussion of the movie really should be placed under cover of spoilers. I noticed no reviewer talks about anything that occurs this far in, Richard Gray in the Reel Bits had commented that Bong Joon-ho had written an open letter to reviewers asking them to refrain from doing so.

It feels like a totally different movie.
The whole structure reminded me a bit of a comment someone had made about Cold in July, something along the lines of "the viewer will feel like they walk out of a different movie to the one they walked into". But like that film, with Parasite I didn't feel there was any sleight of hand, cheap tricks or cheating to get there.
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
Parasite

There's a flaw to the film but I can't put my finger on what it is. Maybe it's just a little hangover from the "Oh no! Don't shoot" part of the equation. But that's what Koreans do. "Hey! Great Shot!"

I could have done without the couple socio-politico-economico speeches, but whatever. They didn't take over even though the film sits on top of demonstrable class distinctions that, ya know, lead to the final act.

There is no not seeing this film as a masterclass by a group of players all playing at a high level, at the top of their game. One of many special shout-outs goes to Jang Hye-Jin. Who is she? Other film descriptions have her as "second sister-in-law" and "second daughter-in-law" and "meat restaurant middle age woman". Even here she's "Ki-Taek's wife". She practically pwns everybody else in this film ... except everybody else is doing their own pwning.

Ki-Taek's daughter, Park So-dam ... so damn, yeah ... looked familiar. I thought she was the girl from The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion. That was total pwnership. But no. She was one of the girls in The Silenced. Big whoop. And she played the Linda Blair role in The Priests, in which she kicked ass but it was only one scene, not a movie's worth.

I could go through the whole cast and give them love and bitch about how when you italicize something in this editor it keeps italicizing everything after it, and how much it pisses me off but ...

Let's just talk about the sex scene as a transition to talking about Cho Yeo-jeong. Only from Korea. "Go clockwise" FUCKING ITALICS.

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fuck


Remove formatting. OK

I have to leave this editor now. I'M ANGRY WITH IT. When anyone else watches this we can talk about it more. But stay on SPOILER ALERT !
 

clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
Only from Korea. "Go clockwise" FUCKING ITALICS.
When I initially quickly skimmed through your post, I read this as "ITALIANS" and though "oh no, he's finally flipped". I'm not sure whether there's some glitch or difference between browsers or something or other, I'm finding the editor behaves exactly like it did before.

I could have done without the couple socio-politico-economico speeches,
What in particular were you thinking of here? The only time I thought things became overtly political was in in the denouement, but I thought that was particularly well played. It kind of reminded me of what someone I know says, "endings are always the hardest part", and I liked the way we were dished up two endings - the Hollywood movie ending and the real life ending.
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
Hmmm I don't know how to reply to a spoiler lol ...

Before I go under cover of spoiler, haven't you noticed the forum has changed a couple days ago? The red is darker and the emojis are huge.

Anyway (hope I get this right):
I think I may have been worried/annoyed during the drinking scene, because I don't like drinking scenes, and I feared I was losing the film, so the chit chat there made me grumpy. And there were sprinkles here and there. It's not bad, though, and it is relevant. And there was the housekeeper's imitation of North Korean News Broadcasters. I'm overly sensitive to speeches, forcing some point to be made (explaining your movie). I just want to watch people cook tofu and sing kumbaya :)

It's the ending that erased all reservations I had and uplifted the film. Endings are the hardest part. It seemed like Bong was searching, playing around, trying to figure out how to end it and then he finally ends it and you're punched in the face with the fact that he knew what he was doing all along. It really worked for me. Really made me realize that Bong's not messing around. Like Sono, for example might say "I wonder what will happen if I open this can of worms". Bong says: "We're opening this can of worms and this is precisely how the worms are going to dance".

Something like that.

I really was sort of slightly holding my breath, waiting to pounce from the drinking to the birthday party. That's kind of what I meant when I said "There's a flaw to the film but I can't put my finger on what it is". But the endings brought full redemption--even with the one big "Oh no!, Don't shoot!" moment. Bong made the shot.



 

clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
haven't you noticed the forum has changed a couple days ago? The red is darker and the emojis are huge.
Not just the forum ... the whole world started looking that way after all them socio-politico-economico speeches!

Huge emojis aside, I think the changes to the layout are generally positive - I left a comment here about the only functional matter that I thought was a step backwards.

the chit chat there made me grumpy. And there were sprinkles here and there. It's not bad, though, and it is relevant. And there was the housekeeper's imitation of North Korean News Broadcasters. I'm overly sensitive to speeches, forcing some point to be made (explaining your movie).
Possibly I'm more forgiving after the extreme lack of subtlety of Snowpiercer - I could accept characters vocalising their preoccupations about class because it seemed like the characters were doing that for themselves (and would do it in real life) rather than for the audience. It didn't cross over into the type of "Let me remind you that you are in a cell because you are a prisoner" nonsense type dialogue.
It seemed like Bong was searching, playing around, trying to figure out how to end it and then he finally ends it and you're punched in the face with the fact that he knew what he was doing all along. It really worked for me. Really made me realize that Bong's not messing around. Like Sono, for example might say "I wonder what will happen if I open this can of worms". Bong says: "We're opening this can of worms and this is precisely how the worms are going to dance".
<insert oversized thumbs-up emoji here>
 

sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
I left a comment here about the only functional matter that I thought was a step backwards.
Cool. Good post. I noticed that too when I couldn't figure out what you were talking about until I hovered over the word "here" and noticed the link. Figured it was one of those things that's so dumb it will be fixed shortly. No need to tell anyone about it lolsideshake.gif

lack of subtlety
It's because of Snowpiercer and Okja that I've been fearful Bong was going in a direction I'm not fond of. I probably only brought it up as a criticism of Parasite because I had prepared myself for it <giant laughing emoji> maybe disappointed he didn't give me enough to go on <super giant laughing emoji>
It's an authentic film 'about stuff'. Bong's craft is putting it, or using it, in a film that "heads off to god knows where".

 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if you like this one ... I'm sure you'll find it ahem visually appealing. On the other hand, @divemaster13 would be bored stiff and ultimately have the same complaint he had about Memento Mori...
Ha. Not enough "lesbian stuff"? The trailer played it up somewhat. But damn, the girl looks like she's 12. At least in Memento Mori they were old enough to not ping too heavily on the perv radar. I"m not sure I would be bored, though. Something doesn't have to be "action-packed" to be interesting. But something has to keep me engaged. Plot, character, mystery, whatever. Beautiful scenery helps, but can't alone carry a film for me.
 

clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
Charlie’s Country (Rolf de Heer, 2013) is more than a showcase for the great actor David Gulpilil – as was well documented when the film was released, it also stands as a loosely biographical document of a man who became a household name without ever finding a place in mainstream Australia. Initially, the titular character is introduced as a loveable rogue, an everyman who doesn’t have life handed to him on a plate but nevertheless enjoys the simple things in life, who lives rough and wishes he had what the upper class have but nevertheless enjoys nothing more than a laugh with mates, who cheekily thumbs his nose at authority but generally gets on with everyone around him. But the odds are stacked against Charlie – the doctor says eat more healthily, so he goes bush to hunt for some proper food. Then the police take away his unlicenced gun. So he makes a spear to go hunting again. But the police don’t like him lugging a great big spear through the middle of town, and take that away too. So he gives up on modern society, and goes bush forever, to live in the old way.

All this plays out rather entertainingly, with a fair degree of comedy layered over poor Charlie’s misadventures. But the romantic notions of the film are soon abandoned, and the reality of an old man with a chest infection, living with minimal shelter in monsoonal rain, start to set in. The second half of the film is very intentionally way more difficult than the first, and becomes increasingly difficult to watch as it takes on the mindnumbing drudgery that comes with hopelessness.

It’s not the easiest of films to watch, but it is very good. Rolf de Heer is probably Australia’s greatest living filmmaker, but I doubt anyone will recognise this during his lifetime.
 

divemaster13

Member: Rank 4
Tell No One (2006)

I watched this on a recommendation from another forum. I liked it. Above average for sure. But going in I did not know it was a French movie. French movies generally irritate me. Mainly because the whole concept of France irritates me. Anyway, this is one of those murder mystery thrillers where someone may or may not be dead and the person most highly suspected is surely innocent. Like Hitchcock's Frenzy, we know from the get-go "the husband didn't do it," but every turn of the plot casts more and more suspicion on him. There are more murders, and they all point to him. Not only does he have to run from the police (literally), he's got to try to suss out what's really going on. The plot had me.

But, ah, having to watch this froggy pediatrician chain smoke his way through the movie (smoking in his doctor's office, in restaurants, in a movie theater, etc.). I just wanted to punch him in the face (not because of the smoking; just on general principle). Having vaguely attractive froggy women come on scene and immediately light up a cigarette. Plus, the editing was confusing as hell. I had to stop the DVD at several points and run things back because I did not understand the relationships between certain important characters. Who's the friend and who's the sister? Who's this other friend? Wait, they're kissing, are they lovers? No, they're just French. But then these other two chicks are kissing. Are they lesbians, or just French? (In this case, it's the former, and I bet they have hairy armpits.). It's one thing to introduce new characters, but quite another to just pop them in there and assume the viewer knows who they are and what relationship they have to the other characters and the plot.

But like I said, the plot and the mystery hooked me pretty well, despite the cliched Scooby-Doo ending.

3.5 stars
 
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sitenoise

Member: Rank 5
Who's this other friend? Wait, they're kissing, are they lovers? No, they're just French. But then these other two chicks are kissing. Are they lesbians, or just French? (In this case, it's the former, and I bet they have hairy armpits.)
LOL

I watched this a long time ago, 4/5, and kept it around as something I might want to re-watch:
Maybe a little too complex for its own good, needing the cliché 15 minute monologue over flashbacks at the end to unravel and explain everything. It also contains about a dozen strong characters that aren't given their due resolution but it is a compelling, if at times difficult, two hour ride whose main focus is a man who longs to explain the mystery surrounding his presumed dead wife and why he isn't her murderer.
btw - I enjoy a hairy armpit on an attractive woman if deployed properly :emoji_japanese_ogre:
 

clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
if deployed properly
Pray tell, how does an attractive woman properly deploy a hairy armpit?
On second thoughts, maybe that question is better left unanswered.

I can just picture the crackling sound of an old newsreel:
The battle had raged for several days before the allied forces gained the upper hand. Once the hairy armpits were deployed, the enemy troops did not stand a chance, and soon waved the white flag of surrender.
 

ebossert

Member: Rank 3
Recommended

Bamy (2017) (Japanese Horror) – A red umbrella falls from the sky and brings a man and woman together, but their relationship may be linked to a supernatural threat. This low-budget film has effective scoring with abrupt intrusions of silence, which creates a sense of unease. The lighting in this film is really significant. The way the indoor scenes are lit makes the film look like its practically black-and-white. Natural sunlight is used abundantly, but it’s accentuated and intensified so much that it creates pitch black areas within the indoor locations. This proves to be a major tactic for use in presenting the spirits. Some very cool ghost shots in this one. The high contrast lighting makes the ghosts look like shadows in the light. There are no jump scares whatsoever. This is glacially paced and has some ambiguous elements, but the romantic relationship is important here and the connection to horror is both thought-provoking and interesting.

Avengement (2019) (British Action) – While released on furlough from prison, a lowly criminal (Scott Adkins) evades his guards and returns to his old haunts to take revenge on the people that made him a cold-hearted killer. Lots of fighting, some of which is bloody and wince-worthy. The story is actually pretty good too, with antagonists who are definitely unlikeable. Solid flick.

Witchfinder General (1968) (British/American Drama/Horror) – Set in 1645, a young soldier seeks to put an end to the evils caused by a vicious witch-hunter when the latter terrorizes his fiancée and kills her uncle. Vincent Price plays a bad guy in this one, and his subordinate is also very difficult to kill. The conflict is strong here, and the film shows the dubious methods of witchcraft hunting that were used during the era. There are a few disturbing moments. I’m not sure I agree with this being classified as a horror film, but I’m very lenient with my genre classifications.

The Great Outdoors (1988) (American Comedy) (repeat viewing) – A Chicago man’s (John Candy) hope for a peaceful family vacation in the woods is shattered when the annoying in-laws drop in. There are some funny and memorable scenes, my favorites of which involve the raccoons who talk to each other via subtitles. The bear attack is fun and the “Old 96er” eating scene is good too. The subplot involving the local girl is utterly pointless and boring, but at least she’s hot. This movie also has one of the biggest goofs I’ve ever seen, with Dan Aykroyd counting to the other actors for a reaction shot.

Young-ju (2018) (Korean Drama) – Young-Ju's parents died in a car accident and she is now responsible for taking care of her younger brother. Her financial situation gets increasingly worse. This movie does a good job of showing the difficulties of our protagonist, and it touches upon some interesting dilemmas. A bit on the slow side, but as a drama this definitely works.

Duel (1971) (American Thriller) – A business commuter is pursued and terrorized by the malevolent driver of a massive tractor-trailer. The filmmakers never show the truck driver’s face, which was a great choice. It does get a bit repetitive after a while and you do have to suspend your disbelief a bit, but this is effectively unnerving stuff by Stephen Spielberg.

Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2018) (Indonesian Horror) – A woman is murdered and comes back from the dead to both visit her housekeepers and inflict vengeance on her murderers. This movie feels a bit different from other stories of this kind. The film shifts between two groups of humans (protagonists and antagonists) while the ghostly entity interacts with both. It’s an interesting structure that allows the film to shift tones. It also takes its time to set up its big sequences, which makes them feel lengthy and satisfying.

Split Second (1992) (British/American Thriller) – In a flooded future London, Detective Harley Stone (Rutger Hauer) hunts a serial killer who murdered his partner, and has haunted him ever since. He soon discovers what he is hunting might not be human. The scriptwriting and dialogue are underwhelming, and none of the thriller/action scenes are particularly good, but it’s still kinda fun to watch for its violence and the lead actor.

Brewster’s Millions (1985) (American Comedy) – A minor league baseball player has to spend thirty million dollars in thirty days, in order to inherit three hundred million dollars. However, he's not allowed to tell anyone about the deal. The rules are limited and basic, but too ill-defined regarding the details, which creates a situation where the viewer really has no idea what the protagonist is truly allowed to do. The female lead is an unlikeable, pretentious wench who does nothing but lecture people the entire movie. The scriptwriting in general is weak, but it’s still fun watching someone spend absurd amounts of money and think of ways to do it yourself. I want a better written remake.

Not Recommended

Missbehavior (2019) (Chinese Comedy) – The plot is dumb and the script is very flimsy with some horrible gags (farting in the elevator, toilet jokes). To make matters worse, there’s a blunt score that plays throughout the entire film and over-accentuates the mood of every scene. The big name supporting actresses have very little screentime and disappear completely from the film. This is all low-hanging fruit that is severely lacking in interesting content. It’s only 88 minutes long, but it feels longer. Ho-cheung Pang needs to get his act together.

Dad for Rent (2014) (Korean Comedy/Drama) – An unemployed, immature man has let his daughter down so many times, she decides to put him up for rent. The acting is too exaggerated and silly; I suspect the film was made for little kids. It’s watchable early on, but outstays its welcome pretty quickly and has a runtime that’s way too long for this material. It’s cheesy and lame, with an insufferable lead protagonist, then it tries (and fails) to get really dramatic and serious.

Blast (1997) (American Action) – Terrorists are holding the U.S. Olympic swim team hostage, and only the janitor can stop them. Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage from “Mortal Kombat”) is the lead, and Rutger Hauer has an extended cameo and one memorable scene. Unfortunately, all of the performances are painfully flat. Even Ashby’s character is portrayed in a very boring manner; they should have had fun with this and had him be more cocky, like in “Mortal Kombat.” Also, everyone in the movie is wearing the same damn clothes; I know it kinda makes sense given the plot, but it makes the film seem very cheap. The action is really lame too. The hand-to-hand fighting is abysmal, as is the gunplay and chases. There are no squib effects at all! This sucks.

Bottom of the Barrel

Elektra (2005) (American/Canadian Action) – Elektra the warrior survives a near-death experience, becomes an assassin-for-hire, and tries to protect her two latest targets, a single father and his young daughter, from a group of supernatural assassins. Jennifer Garner is totally unconvincing as an action hero and a terrible actress as well. There’s not enough action, and the editing during the fight scenes is atrocious. The story and conflicts are mind-numbingly boring. Some abysmal CGI effects are used that do not age well at all. This is an embarrassment in every aspect.
 

clayton-12

Member: Rank 4
Brewster’s Millions (1985) (American Comedy) – A minor league baseball player has to spend thirty million dollars in thirty days, in order to inherit three hundred million dollars. However, he's not allowed to tell anyone about the deal. The rules are limited and basic, but too ill-defined regarding the details, which creates a situation where the viewer really has no idea what the protagonist is truly allowed to do. The female lead is an unlikeable, pretentious wench who does nothing but lecture people the entire movie. The scriptwriting in general is weak, but it’s still fun watching someone spend absurd amounts of money and think of ways to do it yourself. I want a better written remake.
According to a Wikipedia article, this has been made 14 times over the last 105 years, so chances are there's a better written remake out there!
I watched last year's Mainland Chinese version Hello Mr Billionaire a few months ago - it was definitely enjoyable, amiable entertainment, though nothing groundbreaking. Vivian Sung played the lead female role, and she was possibly the highlight.
 
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