Killer-40 Reviews

Koi ni utaeba (2002)

What a wonderful musical!

[9/10 · 5 May 2003]

A ghost in a vase is released by Japanese TV star and model Yuka - and a story full of good and sometimes surreallistic jokes and love songs begins which reminds you of the best times of Hollywood musicals in the 50s and 60s. This must be the starting point of a musical revival, and if some US producer watches the movie, he will surely secure its rights for a remake. By the way, the ghost has to help the girl to find and get back her boyfriend in Australia. This Aladin seems to have very limited abilities until he surprises us viewers with digitally supported wonders.

Aiki (2002)

Onesided view on martial arts

[17 November 2002]

Director Daisuke Tengan is the first son of Shohei Imamura - so his real name is Daisuke Imamura. Indeed his work as a scriptwriter gives no reason to hide his roots: AUDITION (dir. by Takashi Miike), UNAGI (The Eel) and WARM WATER UNDER A RED BRIDGE (both directed by his father) speak of Daisuke's great talent. On a flyer for AIKI which was given to me on MIFED 2002 by the production company he is quoted: "Life is full of troubles, and very little goes ahead as one imagines." Quite frankly, normally I don't feel that way, things go rather smoothly. I feel Daisuke's view on life is the reason for the exaggerations in his movie which is said to be based on a true story of Ole Kingston Jensen from Denmark, obviously a handicapped martial artist whom we see during the end titles but of whom no one in the internet seems to have heard much. He is the model for protagonist Taichi in the movie, a former boxer who has to live in a wheelchair after a motorcycle accident. The accident, by the way, comes as a surprise to the viewer as to the protagonist. Looking for a way out of his depression, Taichi meets an "Aiki Jujutsu" expert. This a a martial art with a tradition of a thousand years and was once passed down as a secret self defense in the emperor's palace, until it became known to the public when a demonstration similar to those techniques shown in the movie (controlling many opponents, even when lying on the back) was shown on national TV: a style called "Daito-ryu". No doubt, we watch an important part of Japanese culture here. No doubt, the message is once again: Don't give up, in the end you'll win (beat "them"). But as we may know, winning in the end is only an illusion for many in this world, as well as it doesn't really count to win at all - and it surely doesn't work that way. In times of violent attacks of religious weirdos all over this earth I can't really stand the showing off of martial arts that even teach in words (through the instructor in AIKI) that there is no need for violence anymore. The last five minutes, where the AIKI practitioner and somewhat rookie in the wheelchair wins over a Kung Fu style expert are really ridiculous in terms of the art. So Tengan, although a talented filmmaker, has done ideological damage to the KI and the spirit that is (or should be) in all martial arts. Steven Seagal offers a more realistic aikido including defences for attacks that might really happen on the streets (not those staged ones like in AIKI), although his movies are much less mentionable ...

Who Are You? (2002)

Love through the internet

[8/10 · 17 November 2002]

Hyung-tae (Cho Seung-woo) is a developer of chatting and dating games for the internet. He works in the same building as In-ju (Lee Na-young) who performs as a mermaid in an aquarium. Hyung-tae falls in love with the girl who herself gets fond of her online-partner without knowing that it is actually Hyung-tae. The movie starts of as unpromising illustrations of internet graphics but soon develops a touching love story between two twentysomethings who come closer through virtual reality as well as they are more isolated by it. The events in one's life that deeply hurt and irritate form In-ju's interesting cautious and vulnerable character. Hyung-tae is so carefully approaching her that viewers long for a happy end. Laconic figures like the manager of the game company (who is looking for love, too) make the audience shift from tears to laughter. The mood of Choi Ho's movie (who studied film at Chung-Ang University and earned a degree in film at the University of Paris VIII) partly reminded me of a story in the famous samurai classic "Hagakure" which states that the unspoken, hidden love is the highest one. "Receive my love from the smoke of my burning body, when my life is gone", said the samurai. Because this would be hard to bear you should discover Hyung-tae's solution in the movie.

Dolls (2002)

There is eternal love

[8/10 · 8 November 2002]

"If you want to see a boring movie, leave our booth" joked Shinji Sakoda from Ponycanyon at this year's MIFED film market when I told him that I couldn't wait to see Kitano's DOLLS. Even Yasue Nobusawa from Nikkatsu confessed that she knows no one in Japan that likes this movie. So, let me be the only one who still loves all of Takeshi's films. Let me be the one to tell you that his movies haven't changed after he won prizes in the west but after he tried to commit suicide on his motorbike - from the time you see him twinkling in his films, from the time his strange paintings and the angels appear as a repeated motif. Having been close to death, the message of Kitano's last movies seems purer and more cristallized than before. Three slowly paced stories with one topic - eternal love, that ends unfulfilled with the death of the loving or the beloved one - are packed with original and deeply saddened characters that can't break out of their fate. In spite of all their wrongdoings they don't give up their hope to make love come true. Because Bunraku puppet theatre (which opens and closes the movie) is unfamiliar to me, I will not judge that. But it is obvious that the protagonists move through their lifes as dolls on the strings of another power. I will depict one strong scene which is cut in the typical "Beat"-style that we know from former Kitano movies. It is the scene where the big fan of that female singer finds a way to finally come close to his idol. This is as catching as the suicides of the two gang members in BROTHER. Try to find such strong scenes in earlier movies of Takeshi and ask yourself if you really can't see a development in his work. I love him. I want to see more. I want to read his books. And I just bought a porcelain angel for my shelf.

Lover's Concerto (2002)

Thanks, Takashi Miike

[8/10 · 8 November 2002]

Because Japanese cult director Takashi Miike is just filming too much (five to six movies a year are no exception) and copying not only old Yakuza movies but also his own style, I left a screening of DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA at this year's MIFED in anger and went to LOVERS' CONCERTO instead. Oh, how this Korean romanticism once again pleased me! If love could be like this... A young man between two women whose life is pressured by a serious illness that they manage to hide. When the man writes a love letter to one of them, their feelings for each other lead to unexpected turns. As a model to sublime the refusal by a friend this movie reveals not only the power of love letters but also the chance to really become one with a beloved person. It is director Lee Han's (born 1970) debut film and it had a budget of 2.5 m USD. Small means can lead to convincing results.

Resurrection of the Little Match Girl (2002)

Virtual matching

[8/10 · 8 November 2002]

This is not a follow-up of Kaurismäki's MATCH GIRL - although director Jang Sun-woo is an ironic and sometimes cynical artist. His unpredictability led to the documentary-styled LIES in 1999, a sadomasochistic story that is unconventionally introduced by one actor's explanation about why he chose to participate in the movie. THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL took almost four years to be completed and has those moments, too, where we are reminded that we are 'only' watching a movie. Fantasy film fans usually don't like this breaking-up of the narrative. That might be the reason for a box-office failure of the film in Korea so far. It's budget is one of the highest in the history of Korean film (10 m USD) and justified by all the spectacular stunts and shoot-outs and digital references that seem to say laconically: What's all that fuzz about MATRIX? As we know from former movies of Jang Sun-woo (like A PETAL) he never forgets to comment on social topics. The story is about a guy who needs to log into a virtual game to get rich through fighting other players and saving the poor and starving MATCH GIRL (a figure known from Andersen's tales). Whether you feel computer games are ridiculous after the movie or you reflect about unjustified possession ratios in your society, the movie with its choice of different though on first sight unhappy endings might leave you puzzled - exactly the way it is done. "Techno-Taoist" was this approach to the SF-genre called, and surely those who expect martial arts and BULLETS IN THE HEAD-action will be as pleased as those who look for another playful and wise Jang Sun-woo flick. Be advised not to leave the movie during the end credits. It should be 124 minutes long ...

Oasis (2002)

Destruction of love

[9/10 · 8 November 2002]

At the beginning of the "L'Abri"-screening (which I discuss somewhere else) at the film market MIFED in Milano, CJ Entertainment's young sales responsible asked me: "Which Korean films have you bought?" - "All of them", I answered, to make a point: Korean's movies were just unbeatable in 2002. Then I confessed that I was actually a journalist, not a buyer. The young man surprised me with another question: "Did you cry at the end of 'The Way Home'?" - "No", I said, thinking of my grandmother, "actually I cried at the end of OASIS."

Movies should move viewers. No hight tech genre film can beat what goes straight to your heart. The love of a naive, warmhearted fool (Sol Kyung-gu as Jong-du) to a spasmic beauty (Moon So-ri as Gong-ju) that is unable to walk and clearly articulate herself is attacked by both of their families. It could be considered a love between handicapped and thus underline the demand for a change of law which seems to have its flaws in Korea as well as here in Germany. Prohibited is the unthinkable, i.e. the sexual demands of those who are stigmatised to not have them. The sad outcome of the events is lightened by the unchangeable affection of the male protagonist. Feminists might argue against the easy way in which the attempt to rape the spasmic woman turns into mutual love. The real challenge for the excellent actress Moon So-ri was indeed to transmit whether we see joy or pain in her wincing mimic. Have you ever asked yourself how a person suffering from cerebral palsy would look during orgasm? See for yourself. The elegant camera moves from the common theme of the movie to dreamlike scenes where all of Gong-jus illness is gone. Her dancing with a young elephant had the same non-intellectual humor as the tree-cutting of Jong-du. When the lights go on in your theatre, you might ask yourself how deeply YOU are able to love.

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

A real movie

[9/10 · 8 November 2002]

Moviemaking doesn't only consist of good acting. Although it is quite astonishing on what professional level Korean actors work, the strength of "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" (by the way, a disturbing title already) starts with a well structured script. Awarded are the ones who sit through the slowly developing film which builds up all those tensions that will lead to helpless violence. Look for the dab of paints that connect scenes, listen exactly when director Park Chan-wook decides to use P.O.H. ("point of hearing") of his green-haired protagonist. Even the importance of cutting is given a literally (and bloody) meaning here. One of the moving scenes was the (improvised?) interaction between the deaf guy and the little girl. Imagine, could any filmmaker of your home country create such a tenderness? Due to the missing subtitles for the murmuring of a dying character at the end I can promise the non-Korean speaking audience an hour-long discussion of the political message which appears multi-leveled to me. I am quite pleased about all the aesthetical risks this movie takes. Surprises that face its protagonists will also stun the viewers. This is an almost depressing suspense masterpiece of auteur-cinema (with topics like organ transplants, unemployment, class struggle, revenge) that will touch people all over the world. It's always worth a second view.

Signs (2002)

Cheap Faith in a wasted topic

[1/10 · 31 July 2002]

***SPOILER-WARNING*** For the first time in my life I really want to give away the main content of a movie to spare others great disappointment. E.g. the crop-circle fans and specialists whom the movie abuses because it neither provides up-to-date interpretations of the phenomena, nor will the crop-circle (known from the ad) play an important role at all. It's the typical US-American fear of invasion - in this case: of aliens - that dictates the film. So it plays with recent events of mass hysteria. Ironically, Mel Gibson's role as a pastor who lost face about a common thing like the death of a beloved gets his faith back when he meets his wife again as an alien. And more ironically, after he has ordered her killing, not detecting her for what she really is and misunderstanding her last words as a human being and her rescue-effort as an alien for her asthmatic son (by a special in-breathing system that the aliens possess). Actually, it is water that kills the alien. More scientific bull***, as we know for years know that esp. water raises the possibility that we are not alone. So - what in the end has director Shyamalan told us? That Christian faith is ridiculous? That we don't know who's our friend and who's not? That one X-Files episode can create a more interesting environment than a big budget movie? That he doesn't know how to end a movie elegantly after building up some tension? Well, thank you, Mr. Shyamalan, at least we understand this: Hollywood just isn't spiritual enough.

Karafuru (2000)

Funny account of youth problems

[9/10 · 5 November 2000]

Ever found yourself talking to your conscience? Maybe it was something reincarnated in you to make you - better. Makoto, our 14-year-old protagonist here, is mistreated by his cross-dressing brother, watches his mother emotionally involved with other men and himself touched by a girl who is dating adults in return for money, a phenomen now known as enjo-kosai in modern Japan. It is not only the funny characters that catch all our sympathies, it is in the way they naively behave and can't avoid hurting each other. Take the tough looking classmate who's after Makoto and her way to express her fondness. Or Makoto's mother's quick reaction to the crossdressing scene she finds her sons in. This pragmatic humour you will find only in Japanese movies. Through it shines the confusion of youngsters in the midst of bullying, teen prostitution and suicides. The movie is based on the popular novel by Eto Mori, a writer of children's books. It was one of the unspectacular highlights at MIFED 2000.

The City of Lost Souls (2000)

Another strange Miike movie

[6/10 · 5 November 2000]

Well, I couldn't identify with the male protagonist. What's a Brazilian to do in a Japanese gangster movie, one may ask. That's his problem, to avoid deportation he is going on a long trip of bloodshed and revenge driven by sympathy for his girlfriend (a Chinese) and a mysterious small girl. The twists and turns in the story are as unconvincing as the end, at least there are some special characters as we expect them from Miike. Unlike AUDITION Miike seems to have been disinterested in the topic this time.

Chunhyang (2000)

Epic love musical

[9/10 · 5 November 2000]

Cahiers Du Cinema called this epic an "experimental film", and indeed, it is as experimental as Lars von Triers DANCER IN THE DARK by heavily relying on music and songs. On the other hand, the differences are quite obvious. Here the songs come from the off most of the time (until the camera surprisingly moves to the classic singer on a stage) and do something that usually reduces the quality of a movie: they tell you what's going on in the pictures. But those pictures are of such an elegic beauty (with the typical yellow "Im-tone") that you feel a story is told to you by your grandfather and it unfolds perfectly in front of your eyes. I saw the screening during the MIFED 2000 together with only one (!) other guest and am quite astonished that film fans and buyers might overlook this masterpiece about an exclusive one-on-one love that touches our hearts.

I Went To (2000)

Samurai superman fights filthy magistrate

[7/10 · 5 November 2000]

Remember Koji Yakusho from SHALL WE DANCE, UNAGI (THE EEL), CURE or TAMPOPO? The Japanese box-office star is the new magistrate in a corrupt town who spreads rumours about his negligence and dubiosity only to get rid of all the bad guys he has to face and who underestimate him then completely. Dora-heita is an example for a streetwise and easy living guy with the classic abilities of a samurai - although he is making fun of them. The sword fighting seems to be classic but is hidden in camera movements, cuts and other tricks because Yakusho hasn't got the presence and fighting abilities of a Toshiro Mifune. The film was planned long ago by the four famous directors Kurosawa, Kinoshita, Kobayashi and Ichikawa who formed Yonki-no-kai (The Committee of Four Knights) in 1969 and wrote the script together. Only after three of them had died, Ichikawa could finally make his 74th movie out of their script.

Audition (1999)

Sadomasochistic Nightmare

[8/10 · 5 November 2000]

See how male phantasies turn into the weirdest imagination of perverse female powers. What begins with an audition and slowly develops as a love story where the lady is to good and beautiful to be true ends in erotic and violent scenes that make sensitive people leave the cinema (and censors stare their eyes out). Takashi Miike, the cult director well known for FUDO (1996) and quite productive, explores how ideas of sexual mistreatment during childhood may lead to mixed-up preconceptions about adult's sexuality and hinder the sheer enjoyment of lust with the woman of one's dreams. But you may read the movie not as psychologically as I did it and see it as sheer horror. Ryu Murakami, famous for his TOKYO DECADENCE (1992), wrote the novel AUDITION is based on. It was serially published in Penthouse Japan and raised a lot of attention.

6ixtynin9 (1999)

Professional Entertainment from Thailand

[8/10 · 5 November 2000]

Thailand's film industry is on a competitive level with other Asian countries now. One of the finest examples is this thriller with the strange English title. It mainly takes place in the appartment of a young woman who accidentally becomes a murderer, and - by and by - almost a mass murderer. The coincidences in this movie lead to a lot of laughters while the Thai actors are portraying themselves self-ironically. This is a sure killer at phantasy filmfestivals and the like where shootouts, splatter and funny gangsters are most welcome. From the fine script over the professional camerawork to a soundtrack that makes you want to know more about Thai music 6ixtynin9 was one of the greater surprises at Milano's MIFED 2000. The movie was awarded a Special Jury Prize at the Festival des 3 Coninents in France.

Suzhou River (2000)

Greatest lovestory at Mifed 2000

[9/10 · 5 November 2000]

The first five minutes of Suzhou were hard to stand for me because I don't go for an overnervous handcamera. From than on one of the most sophisticated and touching lovestories was unfolded in the scenery of Shanghai where the director could only film unofficially. This makes Suzhou look half-documentary and helps to transmit the cold truth of betrayed love as well as the disturbing search for a warm reunion with the lost lover. You'll not only be surprised by the end. It will deeply move you.

Juvenile (2000)

The Japanese equivalent to E.T.

[8/10 · 5 November 2000]

Hoping to have another look at Miss Boots of distributor Pony Canyon at the film fair MIFED 2000 I instead was surprised with the view of a small robot who is the protagonist in JUVENILE. This funny little thing does magic (though often violent) and makes friend with an 11-year-old boy to protect the world from really ugly extraterrestrial invaders that seem to be from the same race as the ones in MARS ATTACKS! Announced as a children's movie by some Japanese insiders I found this movie quite entertaining (and I am already 36 years old) with its typical Japanese humour and creativity that are a mixture of slapstick and surrealism, not to mention some great special effects. I bet the TETRA robot saying things to children like in JUVENILE would make millions as a merchandising article. Even adults want to befriend him.

The Beach (I) (2000)

Racist dope story without any sense

[1/10 · 14 January 2000]

The press screening in Germany became a nightmare like some visit at the dentist's. Having been to Thailand six times in my life, I wondered how Danny Boyle would catch one of it's most beautiful sights, the island Phi Phi Leh. Not only did Boyle mix reminiscence to APOCALYPSE NOW (not even managing to quote it's moody fans correctly) and THE DEER HUNTER (the "Russian Roulette" scene, but this time with a childish and frightened DiCaprio), he also intertwined a video game with the protagonist running through a virtual jungle. This mix of styles was as empty as the whole plot. No Thai would allow dozens of foreigners to stay on their island for such a long time the way those dope-addicted hippies did. No shark would appear to bite them. No marijuana farmers would shoot them. The only restricted areas in Thailand that equal paradises are on military ground. All the suspense in THE BEACH is based on lies. So it comes as no surprise that the Thais are now blaming the film crew for having destroyed some natural surroundings of the island. Clear as one can see that neither the writer of the novel nor the filmmaker have any understanding of Thailand' true soul, they probably didn't even respect it's natural beauty. So this might be the only parallel to the filming of the masterpiece APOCALYPSE NOW: Wherever an American filmcrew invades, the place is changed to their needs. And they are mostly commercial.

Look for some characters (the French tourist, Swinton's boyfriend) and see their figures stuck in the story. Nothing develops. This movie is like a sketchbook and will not even work as a DiCaprio vehicle because most of the other male actors in the movie look better and more manly than him.

Fly Me to Polaris (1999)

Romantic, but simply acted and with cheap effects

[6/10 · 28 October 1999]

The asian version of HEAVAN CAN WAIT, my favourite with Warren Beatty, moves Chinese teenagers to tears. Probably in scenes that make us Westerners rather laugh because of their simple and direct actors. Only Cecilia Cheung was convincing, the main protagonist Richie Ren, a popstar from Taiwan, a failure at least in the first part where he impersonated a blind man. After a fatal accident he is sent back to earth and tries to convince Cecilia of his love. Of course, there is a competitor ...

Avec mon mari (1999)

A Japanese Rohmer about two couples' problems

[5/10 · 28 October 1999]

2x2 is another title of the movie. The french Avec Mon Mari suggests its closeness to Eric Rohmer's style of filmmaking better. A lot of affectionate talking, almost uninspired shots (as in Rohmer's late work), a play with the colors of the protagonist's clothes. Sets are rather documentary, sound's quality too amateurish. Ren Osugi, whom we know of Kitano's Hana-bi (in the wheel-chair), has a rather funny scene, when he fondles the boring female protagonist. Besides, this is a movie about the illusions and deceptions in human relationships, with some insight into modern Japanese behaviour.

Ganbatte ikimasshoi (1998)

An energetic 15 year old girl founds a female rowing club

[8/10 · 28 October 1999]

Produced by the SHALL WE DANCE-team (Shoji Masui and it's director Masayuki Suo), the movie won 25 awards on film festivals in 1998. The English title of GANBATTE IKIMASSHOI is GIVE IT ALL. This summons the philosophy of it's protagonist, a school girl who manages to build up a successful rowing team in spite of certain defeats and her own illness. In meditative shots, repeating the rowing efforts of the girls again and again, we begin to hope for the happy end of the story. Rena Tanakas charm as Etsuko is a bit rough, still she earned 11 awards as best newcomerin herself. The topic is not of common interest as the dancing theme in SHALL WE DANCE was. Still this is a quiet and convincing movie for the young and the old and a role model for school children's activities.

The Quiet Family (1998)

Death after death in a distant hotel

[8/10 · 28 October 1999]

First they have no customers, than they all die. And how to get rid of them when you are not used to it? In the end, the family which runs a hotel in the woods is threatened by itself. For some, those funny and horrifying events are just too much. From the distributor of THE SOUL GUARDIANS, a clear must for all phantasy genre fans and friends of SCREAM(s). I saw the movie on Mailand's MIFED (the film fair), my colleague Ivo was quite interested to buy it for the German DVD-market. Besides, we were both attached by Ilshin Investment Co.'s female representative Lady Suh who taught me how to hand over a business card correctly: with both hands. Believe me, the killing in THE QUIET FAMILY was much more western style ;-)

The Cut Runs Deep (1999)

Too many Korean copies of Italian mafia slang

[6/10 · 28 October 1999]

A young half-Korean food deliverer is bored by his life and joins a gang. Their leader is a quiet, thoughtful and protective guy who nevertheless causes a lot of bloodshed during the film. By copying Scorsese's Italian mafia slang (with a lot of 'fu**s) spitted out by the gangsters) and relying on amateur actors (a former waiter and a model) who are surprisingly unattractive, the film almost loses its big points made through fine lightsetting and camerawork. Director John H. Lee studied at the Tisch School of Arts in N.Y. THE CUT RUNS DEEP doesn't look like the debut movie it is. A promising director - I hope they send him some good actors.

Red Sorghum (1988)

The Chinese Apocalypse Now

[10/10 · 28 October 1999]

Definitely one of the best anti-war movies with an unforgettable ending where a child sings a song that goes to your heart. Red colours the whole movie, which deals with wine (remember the recipe) and love as well as with the cruelties of the Japanese in China. This film lacks words and totally relies on cinematography. A feast for the eyes, even stronger as the later JI DOU or RED LANTERN by the same director, each image wants to burn itself into your brain.

Curiosity & the Cat (1999)

Visually stun-gunning thriller with kafkaesk topic

[10/10 · 13 August 1999]

An auteur is born! Created by the former editor of the legendary German movie fanzine X-TRO, this debut movie comes as a big surprise. Stimulating lightsetting, engaged actors, smooth cuts, perfect angles and shots, a genuine and original 'handwriting' - this will be the business card for the director to join the world of professional movie makers. Almost unsupported by big money and made through much individual will, the film was originally planned as a shorter one, stretched to 82 minutes (thus qualified to join a Korean festival) and therefore suffers from some script weakness and a lack of suspense in between. Still, we find ourselves in the protagonist, a man disturbed by the strange things happening in his neighbour's appartment which make him so curious that he drills holes in his walls to watch sadistic and mafiotic events that will influence his own relationship with his foreign girlfriend. The hard music of the movie goes well with its developing violence. I can't wait to see Mr. Christian's next film.