An Apology to Shia LaBeouf

In the very off chance that Mr. LaBeouf sees this, I have written something for you.

Dear Mr. LaBeouf,

You don’t know me and I don’t know you. What I DO know is that several years ago you were in a franchise that I loved dearly. You probably know which one. And I will freely admit that I was on your hate bandwagon for a while. Thinking back, I don’t even know why. I liked the films-I have the toys to prove that-, and I never found your character distracting. A bit boring, maybe, but never distracting.

Perhaps it was the influence of the masses, or perhaps I was a very impressionable young kid, who didn’t really appreciate the movies back then, but someway or another I started to dislike you. I know, hating someone based on their outward appearances and not for who they really are, pretty stupid, right? I probably should’ve have been more open-minded, but alas, I wasn’t, and your random bouts of social experimentation didn’t really help that either.

When I first heard the news of you doing this #allmymovies thing, I wasn’t surprised. You were known as the ‘just-do-it’ guy, a freaking joke, and I wasn’t going to take you seriously right then and now. In fact, I didn’t even really participate in your experiment. I popped into the website, saw your face for a few seconds, and then closed the tab. I didn’t know what you movie you were watching then, and frankly, I couldn’t care less about you watching movies for 3 days straight.

But you know what? After reading about your event on various news-sites, and watching some pictures, I found something in you that I didn’t know you had. Humanity. You watching your own films, laughing, cringing, crying, basically showing emotion, is what opened my eyes. Like I said, nobody took you seriously, including me. Some people still don’t. Your most famous films ‘shat’ on beloved franchises from people’s childhoods, and you took the blunt of the hate because you were one of the main stars in them. It was easy to hate you, so people did. You were a punching bag. But now, as weird as it sounds, you look more ‘human’ to me. You aren’t a punching bag, you’re a person with feelings and needs and desires. It’s not your fault you got it bad, you just had a string of bad luck.

And so, on behalf of my young stupid self, I would like to apologize to you, Mr. Labeouf. I judged a metaphorical book by its cover and am only now realizing my fault, because in all honesty, you look like a pretty cool guy. I would probably share a beer with you if I could. I’m sorry for ever hating you based on bias, and while I have no idea what you are going to do next, I hope that it works out for you in the end. By God you deserve at least some positive things said about you.

November 21, 2015 by WilliamLi

Spectre – A Review

Good God the opening shot felt so good. No, not the tracking shot, the one before that. That shot.

Spectre, directed by Sam Mendes, is the 24th official film in the James Bond franchise. Daniel Craig once again plays Bond, this time doing a more personal assignment in Mexico. When things get out of hand, and by out of hand I mean demolished a building, Bond is grounded by M. And speaking of M, he’s having a power struggle with C, the head of the new Joint Intelligence Service. The JIS is planning to make an agreement between nine countries called the ‘Nine Eyes’ agreement, which would render the ’00’ section of the MI6 useless. So you can see why M doesn’t want that. Bond, disobeying M’s orders, travels to Rome. I won’t spoil much else, because frankly, the storyline’s way too thick to describe quickly in one paragraph.

This movie, being the 4th Bond movie in the Craig-era, and following after the great Skyfall, has a lot to live up to. Is it better than Skyfall? Well, it depends on how you want your Bond. Skyfall was a grittier Bond film, with the movie having more focus on the issues with the characters. It’s not that there’s no wit and charm, it’s just that it’s severely under-played to fit the darker story, if I recall correctly. Spectre, on the other hand, is a more traditional Bond film, just with a darker coating. It’s Goldfinger wearing Casino Royale, and it wears it pretty well for the most part. Hearing ‘gritty grunty’ Daniel Craig Bond say flirty one-liners can be pretty strange, but you get used to it. Heck it even has some of the more ‘out there’ cliches concerning Bond films. Car with numerous gadgets and gizmos? Check. An near unstoppable mini-boss for Bond and Bond girl to defeat? Batista says hello. Outrageous villain with a love for domestic animals? All hail Christoph Waltz. While the cliches themselves are nonsensical if you think about it too much, director Sam Mendes is able to downplay it not too much as to become boring, but not too little as to retain its goofiness.

Speaking of Sam Mendes, this is his second Bond film, and it is one of the best Bond films I’ve ever seen, from a visual standpoint. Then again, I’ve only watched 4 Bond films, including this one, but I digress. This movie is the freaking dictionary definition of the word ‘slick’. Everything about it is just…slick. The way the camera ‘glides’ with its shot setting, the yellow hues from the lighting, all of it just works. It looks like those car commercials you see with a night time setting and a very expensive car. Imagine that, but with James Bond.

The cast is still great as always. Daniel Craig is again great as Bond. He’s still the grittier Bond that we see from Casino Royale onwards, but this time his humor is amped up just a bit. Ben Whishaw is Q, the gadget guy and the source of most of the comic relief. His chemistry with Craig is great, with them exchanging witty dialogue when they meet every time. Ralph Fiennes is the new M, following the great Judi Dench, and while I’m sure he’ll grow into the role with subsequent films, here he’s a bit vanilla. Léa Seydoux is Madeleine, our resident Bond girl for the movie. She’s one of the few Bond girls I remember that actually helps Bond when he gets in a kerfuffle, and I really hope that the relationship that they have doesn’t end à la On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. My poor heart-and Bond’s- will break. Dave Bautista is our Oddjob, and yeah, I can buy that he’s this grizzly bear of a man. Nothing else to add. Christoph Waltz is our main villain Blofeld, and good God does he eat every scene he’s in, all 3 of them. Yes, people have criticized the movie in that Blofeld isn’t in it much, but I think that’s a good thing. Yes. he’s only in 3 scenes, or set pieces to be more precise, but those scenes are long enough for him to establish himself, and not too long for him to out-stay his welcome. Who DOES out-stay his welcome though is Andrew Scott as C. It’s less about the actor and more about the part, really, although his acting in this does feel like he’s rehashing Moriarty. His character’s entire sub-plot felt rushed, and you could see the ‘twist’ from a mile away. Overall though, the cast is well rounded.

And before I conclude, special mention goes to Thomas Newman for the music throughout the movie. I don’t have much to say about him, just wanted to compliment his work. The strings that accompany most of the movie’s sound just fit. Oh, and Sam Smith sang a song I think whatever.

All in all, Spectre is like Goldfinger remade with the stylings of today. Grit with cheese, dirt with sprinkles. This might turn some people away as it deviates slightly from the much more serious Craig-era Bond films like Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, but I personally really liked it. Maybe if the script was re-worked a bit more, it may have been better, but I still enjoyed what I got.

So I guess I should watch Casino Royale now to ease the wrath of Bond fans.

November 11, 2015 by WilliamLi

Halloween (1978) – A Review

This movie didn’t really ‘stick’ with me, and that is in no way its fault. Well, maybe some of it.

Halloween, directed by John Carpenter, is set, of course, on Halloween night. Jack o’lantern’s are all about, children dress up and get candy, and serial killers come out and find fresh victims.

What, don’t act like your neighborhood doesn’t have one, silly.

In one of those suburbs, we meet Laurie Strode and her friends Annie and Lynda. They’re played by Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Loomis and P. J. Soles respectively. Of course, unlike the children, they don’t go and trick-or-treating, no. They go and get laid. Well, except for Laurie. She’s not that type of girl, and so she decides to babysit a kid named Tommy instead. However, what she doesn’t know is that something sinister as afoot, as not to her knowledge, an inmate of a sanitarium escaped, and has set his sights on her, and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Right from the opening, with its iconic eerie theme with the piano stings, to the happy looking pumpkin at the title screen, to the 4 minute POV shot-of what I will not say-the movie sets itself as a
creepy movie. Note that I said ‘creepy’, not ‘scary’. John Carpenter builds up the tension of Laurie’s life and Myers’ danger expertly. Michael Myers actually does very little for the majority of the movie until the third act, and while the payoff is short but sweet, with a very effective ‘oh shit’ plot twist at the end, some people might find it boring, even more so because of the characters.

Yes, I didn’t really connect with the characters, not even Laurie. For one, I find the dialogue in the movie being strangely outdated and pronounced. I don’t know about you guys, but it just feels like the actors are reading off the script as they act, especially the main teenage trio of Laurie, Annie and Lynda. Speaking of them, they do not look like teenagers at all, with Jamie being the youngest at 20 when the movie was made, with the other two being 28 and 29. I’ve heard this was par for the course, and I expected it, but it just takes me out of the movie. With a movie like Halloween that is grounded in realism, that is a very big flaw.

But I digress. They’re serviceable, and when the s**t hits the fan you forget about that. No, what really took away the creep factor of Michael Myers was not a problem of the movie. It just comes down to the simple fact that I do not celebrate Halloween. I have never gone trick-or-treating, I’ve never carved pumpkins, and I’ve never been a part of any Halloween festivities. Here Halloween is thought as this curious oddity of a festival. We know what it is, we just don’t do it, so the thought of a serial killer coming during the 31st of October is lost to me. Again, not the movie’s fault at all. I just wasn’t its intended audience.

Halloween is widely viewed as the film that started the slasher craze of the 80’s, and while I appreciate for what it has influenced, the fact still remains that this movie is based on festival that I’ve never been a part of. It’s still a good movie, don’t get me wrong, the tense scenes are amazingly done, thanks to John Carpenter’s directing and cinematography by Dean Cundy, but when you see shots of little kids going around door-to-door asking for candy, dressed up as princesses, vampires, pumpkins etc., and not knowing that feeling of childhood joy mixed with fright, you feel like you’re watching something that was not intended for you.

So, all in all, Halloween is a well made thriller morror with its now considered ‘old-school’ approach to scaring, it’s grounded atmosphere and amazing score, but it just wasn’t my cup of pumpkin tea. Happy belated Halloween, and go out there and have some spooky fun while you still can.

November 2, 2015 by WilliamLi

The Shawshank Redemption – A Review

Oh, how do I even start?

The Shawshank Redemption, directed by Frank Darabont, tells the story of Andy Dufrense. He’s sentence to 2 consecutive life sentences for the murder of his wife and her lover. He is sent to the Shawshank State Penitentiary, where he meets Red, the guy who can get you anything. What follows is a tale of friendship, prison, and most importantly, hope.

You know, I’ve heard of The Shawshank Redemption way before I decided to watch it today. I knew about because it’s considered one of the best films ever made by just about everyone. Top 10 movies ever made? Chances are it’s on there. What left me confused though was that I never heard why. Most people just say it is. So I went into this movie with some expectation and a smidge of skepticism. And I must say, the people weren’t lying. This is one of the-if not the-best films I have ever watched.

The Shawshank Redemption is ultimately a tale about never giving up, and director Frank Darabont portrays that beautifully. This was him directional debut, and you seriously cannot get a better start than this. He shows the life in prison meticulously and the stories that come from it, from Brook’s life after parole and the roof tarring convict crew of ’49 to Andy’s eventual escape are all oozing with delicious lighting and atmosphere. Hell, he makes eating jail food with fellow inmates feel cozy.

While the performances here are all great, it’s Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman that make this movie. Tim is Andy, the wrong-fully convicted banker. His relentless drive of hope and freedom makes this movie. And if that’s not enough, we have Morgan Freeman as Red, who befriends Andy and helps him, albeit unknowingly, with his escape. He also serves as the narrator of the film, and his soothing voice and narration works so well with the film. This was a decade before he was known as the voice of God, but you can already see where he will go. Oh, and special mention must go to James Whitmore, whose screen-time may be short, but owns every part of it. Don’t check his IMDb page for who he plays, just don’t.

Honestly, what I write here doesn’t do The Shawshank Redemption justice. Words can’t describe just how effective the film can be. You can just cut to a scene of Andy, Red and friends chatting during food-time, talking and joking about what’s happening, and within seconds you feel for them. Hell, you start laughing with them about their going-ons. It’s a shame it didn’t do that well at the box office, but then again, it came out the same week as Pulp f**kingFiction. It also would’ve been nice if it won at least one Academy Award from its nominated 7 categories, but Forrest Gump happened. Are those 2 films better than this one? I can’t say. They appear in top 10 lists as much as The Shawshank Redemption does too. I would say I heavily recommend it, but that was pretty much a given. Get yourself a Blu-ray of this movie, sit down, and watch it. You’ll do yourself a great service for doing so.

October 29, 2015 by WilliamLi

Inherent Vice – A Review

I don’t have an opening quip for this one. My mind’s still dazed.

Inherent Vice, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is this look at a private detective named Doc. He goes through his days smoking pot and doing f**k all. During one of those days, his ex-girlfriend Shasta comes to his place out of nowhere and asks him for help. What follows is this seemingly convoluted and absurd mess of a case and a melancholy look at a romance that is on its last legs, if it’s even still alive.

This movie, uh… ok, what PTA does very well is set up an atmosphere. Just imagine, It’s 1970, the hippie craze is at its end but remnants of it are still around. PTA is able to set that scene up with flawless technique. He’s only 7 features in in his career, but he’s already garnered big name recognition and this film shows you why. No wonder people call him a prodigy. There’s this almost constant haze that hangs in the air, and even if it’s not shown, you can feel its presence. This movie made me feel high is what I’m saying.

Plot-wise, the story is pretty close to the Thomas Pynchon book it’s based on, so saying the story’s hard to follow is an understatement but it’s also redundant. It’s lack-or little use-of a constant narrative adds to this sense of confusion that PTA is trying to invoke. It makes no sense, and that, in of itself, makes sense. Not only that, this movie is strangely humorous, although it’s more of a snort and chuckle type of humor than the hearty laugh type of humor. The jokes in this movie comes from its visuals, from how the characters movie their faces when they talk to I think.

The cast of this movie is excellent, but the best performer in this movie is its main star, Joaquin Phoenix as the P.I. Larry “Doc” Sportello. Hideous facial hair aside, he’s able to breathe dazed air into his role, which in other hands could’ve been dull as hell to watch. His glassy eyes and constant look of confusion just adds to Doc’s laid-back persona. To describe each of the other characters singularly would take the word length of this review to the thousands, however, so I’ll stop here. There’s just too many characters to go into detail about. What’s important to know though is that while the movie is filled characters, none of them feel out of place in the setting nor story. Within minutes PTA is able to establish a connection between characters that both the audience and main star have just met. He’s a pretty smart guy like that.

Overall, Inherent Vice is this a film that is able to grab you with its directing, acting, cinematography, production design, every aspect that you can think of. Watch it if you have 2 and a half hours to spare and want to slow your mind down without using any illegal substances. Just sit back and let PTA and Joaquin Phoenix blow you away. And if you don’t take my word for it, just read what these two fanboys have written about it. Everything I could write about, they already have.

October 21, 2015 by WilliamLi

Forbidden Planet – A Review

Holy s**t, Leslie Nielsen had dark hair?

Forbidden Planet, directed by Fred M. Wilcox, is the 50’s science fiction classic of a spaceship travelling to the planet Altair IV to discover what happened to a group of scientists that were sent there decades earlier. When they arrive, they find that only 2 people are on that planet, Dr. Mobius and his daughter Altaira. Soon, the commander John J. Adams begins to uncover the mystery of the planet, and why Morbius and Altaira are it’s only survivors.

I had forgotten that Hollywood science fiction was, for a while, fun. Most people think that the sci-fi boom originated from Star Wars, but in fact sci-fi movies have been around decades prior. Of course, most of them didn’t left the impact that Star Wars did, and the reason why can be seen in episodes of MS3TK. For the most part, the acting was terrible, the effects were laughable, and nothing of substance came from them. For every The Day The Earth Stood Still there were 5 Robot Monsters.

And then Forbidden Planet came along and slapped the sci-fi genre silly.

For one, it actually had a budget. This was one of the few times a major movie studio invested in what was considered a ‘B-movie’. Look at Robot Monster again for an example. The movie has gorgeous landscape matte paintings, colorful and well-made set pieces, and even the lesser special effects, like the exterior of the spaceship and Robby the Robot are endearing in a way. I guess it’s just the 50’s optimism working its magic. I have a thing for the abundance of chrome and over-sized public transport vehicles. If you guys have a fondness for it, just type ‘Retro Futurism’ into Google Images. Its kinda makes me feel sad, actually, like I’m watching a much better future that never was. A future where going to other planets is the same as going on a road trip. A future that will probably never happen.

Well, s**t, that went depressing fast. Back to the review.

Another difference Forbidden Planet had instead of other sci-fi films of the time was the acting. Most sci-fi flicks had hoaky acting, at best. While it’s no Oscar worthy performance, the leads do a pretty good job. Leslie ‘don’t call me Shirley’ Nielsen is the Commander J. J. Adams in one of his earliest roles. It was a bit strange seeing Nielsen in a serious serious role, but he does a legitimately good job. He is the stereotypical no-nonsense leader of the pack. Watching him is just a delight. You will not find a squarer jaw in his vicinity. The rest of the cast is pretty good too, from the deep-voiced formality of Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Mobius to the amazingly beautiful Anne Francis as Mobius’ daughter Altaira. Now yes, it could be argued that Altaira is a symbol of 50’s misogyny against woman, and looking at what she wears and what she says, she doesn’t give much for a rebuttal. But by the time you think about it you will already be engaged in its story and others characters, and won’t give a damn.

Speaking of the plot, Fred M. Wilcox does a damn good job making a plot as outrageous as Forbidden Planet‘s easy to understand and grasp to the viewer. All this talk of Krells and ids and subconscious minds could’ve have been a huge incomprehensible blurb of science terms in a lesser skilled hand, but Wilcox pulled it off. Kudos to him for that.

Overall, Forbidden Planet lives up to its reputation it has garnered. It sits squarely in the phase when science fiction movies were usually double features in drive-ins, but it had the budget and the talent to rise from becoming just another forgotten relic of pictures gone by. Its legacy can still be seen today. I mean, what do you think inspired a Mr. Gene Roddenberry to make a simple show called Star Trek over 50 years ago? If you’re into sci-fi, especially older sci-fi, watch this film. It’s 98 minutes will just fly by.

Oh, and of course, it’s a part of one of the most remembered songs in-and about-film. Cue the guitar and piano.

October 18, 2015 by WilliamLi

The Martian – A Review

Why didn’t they use ‘Stayin’ Alive’?

The Martian, directed by Sir Ridley Scott, is the film adaptation of the best-selling book from Andy Weir. Mark Watney is part of a 6 man crew of the Ares III, a manned Mars mission. When a freak storm occurs, they are forced to abort the mission and go back to their ship, the Hermes. However, when Mark is hit by flying debris, he is presumed dead and left behind. He is of course, not dead and finds himself stranded on the Red Planet. And so, with limited supplies, he must find a way to communicate with NASA, grow more food, and in general a way to escape from Mars.

As I’ve said, the movie is based on the novel of the same name from Andy Weir. The book is not your usual standard sci-fi fare. Aliens are nowhere in sight. This is hard, down-to-earth science. Usually something like ‘if I x reacts with y it’ll make z, but I don’t want z, so I’ll heat x and let that react with y, which in turn will make a. But to heat x, I’ll need to bla bla bla…’ gets looked over in sci-fi, or at least not went into detail. The novel, however, relishes in that science explanation. We want to know how to heat x. That type of story-telling of course can be considered boring to some people, and while I can see why, I personally am a sucker for these things. I deliberately bought the book and read it within a month to prep myself for the movie. And as I was reading it, I was kinda skeptical about how the film would turn out. Sciency-talk movies don’t really have a wide appeal, and to make that interesting for 2 and a half hours? Props to the screenwriter Drew Goddard and Ridley Scott for making 2 and a half hours worth of science engaging as all hell.

It’s a shame that I couldn’t watch this in IMAX, because oh my god Mars is so beautiful to look at. Sweeping shots of the desolate planet and just the overall…red of it makes it so eye-warming. And when it’s not flying around Mars, the camera is hand-held, getting down and dirty with Mark Watney and the people at NASA trying to help him. Ridley Scott really has a great eye for visuals. But then,what did you expect from the guy who made Alien?

The cast is impeccable. Matt Damon is a great Mark Watney, being able to be humorous and sarcastic, but still know when to shut up and think. The people in NASA who try to bring Watney, from Jeff Daniels to Donald ‘Childish Gambino’ Glover are all great, the crew of the Ares III, played by Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan and Aksel Hennie, while having less screen time than Watney or the NASA people, still do a good job. I have no problems with the cast at all.

If I have anything bad to say about The Martian, it’s that I wished there was more sciency-talk. What I got was a more than substantial amount, and I’m very happy with I have, but I just want more. Even if it extends the movie to Satantango length, I would still watch it. Besides that, I have no negativity about The Martian to say.

Overall, The Martian is a masterpiece in science fiction, even-though the fiction isn’t as far-fetched as other movies. Definite recommendation, and a must watch on IMAX. Also, according to my fellow friends, one of Ridley Scott’s best in quite a while.

October 11, 2015October 11, 2015 by WilliamLi

West Side Story – A Review

I have a feeling that people who can’t snap their fingers probably enjoyed the movie a bit less than those who can.

West Side Story, directed by Robert Wise, is a 1961 musical based on the Broadway play of the same name. For the 2 people who don’t know, West Side Story is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the tragic story of a young couple who could not keep their hormones in check. However, instead of Verona, it’s New York; instead of Montague and Capulet, it’s Jets and Sharks, a Polish-American gang street gang and a Puerto Rican street gang respectively. Our Romeo is Tony, one half of the founding members of the Jets, while our Juliet is Maria, the sister of the current leader of the Sharks. They meet for the first time in a dance and of course fall instantly in love. Do I even need to explain what happens next?

It may seem like I’m crapping on the story, and for the most part you’d be right. Romance movies are definitely not my forte, especially those ‘love at first sight’ movies that I hate. Yes, I don’t even like Romeo and Juliet. I appreciate its existence and place in the literary world, but I don’t like it. That’s just not my type of escapism. I’m more Legend of the Drunken Master and less The Notebook. But, that is not being fair to the movie, so I will admit that as a romance movie, West Side Story does its job very well. Robert Wise’s distinctive use of the color red is striking and very appealing, and while they do kiss within seconds of meeting each other, at least the acting and the songs make it believable.

The song and dance of West Side Story is the combined efforts of choreography from Jerome Robbins, a score from Leonard Bernstein, and lyrics from Stephen Sondheim, which is a damn good team up if you consider their awards. Even the playwright, Arthur Laurents and the director Robert Wise have various accomplishments. The music is filled with brass and drums, and mixes traditional orchestral scores with Latin America, arguably one of it’s most famous aspects. The choreography is innovative, unique for its time and incredibly lively, And yet, I couldn’t get into it. The music I had no problem with, but the dancing was just a bit too flamboyant for me. Ballet fighting may be fun to watch, but extended periods of it get boring and repetitive. In fact, the only scene I find myself re-watching quite a bit is the ‘Gee, Officer Krupke’ bit, and that’s because it has just the right amount of song and dance without it becoming a bore.

The actors, or should I say performers of West Side Story range from ‘pretty good’ to ‘slightly tolerable’. Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood as Tony and Maria are great in terms of acting, but singing slightly less so. The Jets and The Sharks are good singers and great dancers, and so are The Sharks’ girls, although Rita Moreno (Anita)’s voice can be a bit ‘eh’ in pitch. Listen to her first verse in ‘America’ and tell me she doesn’t sound a bit off.

Overall, while West Side Story is a master work of choreography and singing in film, it was just a bit too much for me. However, this is a must watch for anyone who loves musicals, if they haven’t watched it already.

October 2, 2015 by WilliamLi

Ran – A Review

Fun fact: the image you see on most covers of this movie, 乱, is actually the Mandarin word for chaos/disorder, which I think fits perfectly into the context of this movie, doesn’t it?

Ran, directed by Akira Kurosawa, is a tale of greed, lust and power set in the old days of the samurai. The Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji, after years of ruling a vast empire, has decided to abdicate and divide his land to his 3 sons, with the eldest, Taro, reigning as king, while the other sons are expected to follow under his orders. The second son, Jiro, complies but the youngest, Saburo, rejects and is banished by Hidetora. What follows next sets the stage for one of the best samurai movies ever made.

Akira Kurosawa. One of the most influential directors of the 20th century as said by most film magazines. Lifetime Achievement Award receiver. Idolized by film-makers by the likes of Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. A film director that I have no experience of what-so-ever. Yes, Mr Kurosawa has been going under my radar for a while. Well, not really ‘under’, more like ‘tried to watched Seven Samurai three times and ended up sleeping half-way through’. That wasn’t the movie’s fault, by the way. It was late and I was laying on my bed. This is some-what a rite of passage for film lovers, isn’t it? You can’t call yourself a film geek without watching Kurosawa, the elitists would cry out. So, I did the only thing I could do to prevent such a thing from ever happening: I watched a Kurosawa film that wasn’t 4 hours long, and by the golly, it was quite a film.

Of the things I can say about Ran, nothing comes to mind except for the word ‘epic’, with the phrase ‘holy s**t’ coming in a close second. Everything in this movie has Kurosawa’s touch. His attention to detail is amazing. Everything from the way the actors move to the gorgeous costumes to the several hundred extras to even the gusts of wind feel like Kurosawa put them there. Every shot looks like a painting come to life. It may sound like I’m exaggerating, but I’m dead serious. If you told me Kurosawa could bend nature to his will, I would believe it just on this movie alone.

The acting in this movie is phenomenal. Everybody does their job spectacularly, both due to their own ability and Kurosawa’s direction. The way they move, the way they talk, and even the faces they make in all scenes are accounted for. All the important characters you either sympathize with or hate passionately. Even the jester, whom I hated at first, redeemed himself in the end. Oh, and color-coding the three brothers is ingenious. His use of color is so good I’m afraid that I may not be able to go back and watch his black and white films.

All in all, Ran is indeed the masterpiece everyone says it is. If it wasn’t for the f**kin jester, the film would’ve gotten the full 5/5 stars. Nevertheless, this is an absolute must watch. The story is captivating, the characters intriguing, the cinematography stunning. I really should give Kurosawa another chance.

September 26, 2015 by WilliamLi

Death Wish – A Review

Not talking Jeff Goldblum is so much more creepier than talking Jeff Goldblum.

Death Wish, directed by Michael Winner, tells the story of a loving couple, played by Charles Bronson and Hope Lange. They have a daughter named Carol and a son-in-law named Jack. Bronson is Paul Kersey, a kind man who works as an architect and lives in the dirtier parts of New York City. Kersey is not a man of violence, but when three hooligans kill his wife and sexually assault his daughter, he decides to take on the streets his own way.

The plot is as straight-forward as revenge films come; Guy and object of desire are happy, something bad happens to object of desire, guy decides to deal with it. In this case, it’s Paul Kersey and his wife and daughter. That may be sub-par for today’s standard of a good plot, but for 1974 times it was enough. It’s enough for me as well, as this kind of movie doesn’t need intricate stories or many characters, it just needs a solid lead to put ourselves in in our fantasies and some good action scenes. In both departments it delivers well.

Charles Bronson is our main star as Paul Kersey, our family man turned vigilante. What I really like about Kersey how believable and slow he changes. Here’s a man who had everything he ever needed; a loving wife and a great daughter. If you suddenly had that taken from you, and the police could not help in any way, would you not feel just a tiny bit pissed off? And that’s not it. When he actually goes through his plan, he doesn’t just immediately become this dark knight of sorts, no. He actually pukes when he first commits murder, which is probably what most people will do if they did that.

Director Michael Winner is…ok. He’s not a bad director, but nothing about him stands out. Well, perhaps this. He was able to make New York look like a much grimier and slick place, instead of the usual bright lights and stock tickers. The Big Apple is shown to have a sour side.

Overall, Death Wish is a revenge flick that was well made and well acted, but doesn’t have much besides that. Watch it if you have the time.

September 23, 2015 by WilliamLi