Another Whirlwind (...) Week of the Busan International Film Festival Begins - Written by Marc Smith

Another Whirlwind (...) Week of the Busan International Film Festival Begins

Written by Marc Smith

You may have been forgiven for thinking the 21st Annual BIFF might pass by a little under the radar following the landmark festival last year. Well, Mother Nature had other plans. Typhoon Chaba rocked the seaside city on Tuesday, causing severe damage and flooding. BIFF's usual 'beach village' was battered and many wondered if the festival would go ahead as planned.

Photo by Cody Kimball

The intense weather however did little to hold off the party and, while much of the construction is still ongoing, the 'BIFF buzz' is definitely in full storm. (... no.) The workers I stopped to talk to are optimistic everything will be ready for the weekend and there was a real community spirit - not just at the festival - but around the rest of the city to overcome the disaster. 

I was fortunate enough to attend the packed-out opening ceremony. The red carpet managed to invoke my first 'over-the-top fan boy' moment of the festival when Ken Watanabe (Inception, The Last Samurai) made the walk. I didn't bounce up and down clapping my hands, I swear... Fine. His presence certainly blew me away. (... stop it.) This marks his return after hosting the 19th Busan International Film Festival. I'll be catching his performance in Rage next weekend.

Right, enough gushing, time to talk shop. The film selected to open this years festival was A Quiet Dream, directed by Zhang Lu (Grain in Ear, Gyeongju). AQD followed the story of three men (양익준, 박정범, 윤종빈)  in their attempts to woo their local bartender (한예리) . What follows is a roller-coaster character drama that is sincerely gripping at its highest but a little convoluted at its lowest. Zhang Lu is known for his tendency to mix reality with fantasy and perhaps for this film the clue is in the title. The movie jumps from gritty reality to  a dream-like state where characters disappear or exhibit very odd behaviour - here's to you strange, armed bar patron! These leaps make the movie difficult to follow at times, personified by the Korean gentleman sat behind me that declared "what the..." in English as the title credits rolled. Even though the story seemed lost at times, the quality of the characters carried the film through, leading to an enjoyable experience that I will sit down and watch again. 

As for upcoming movies over the next week and a half, I'm terribly excited for Derailed, directed by Lee Seong-tae and starring 마동석 "Don Lee" and 최민호 "Minho Choi." Don Lee is fresh from his crowd-pleasing performance in Train to Busan (부산행) and I for one can't wait to see more of him. It is Lee Seong-Tae's first feature film but his catalogue of short films show a quality I am hopeful will shine through. 

You can take a bite (seriously, the typhoon puns weren't awful enough?) out of my non-spoiler review of Train to Busan right here.

Photo by Marc Smith

Films That You Should Have Watched Yesterday - Untouchable (2011)

Mon Cher Ami, Mon Raison D'être: Love, Friendship and Moving Forward

          French politicians especially have been known to hold up their nation's film industry as a national champion; perhaps they have once or twice even thought of the strength of France's cinematic legacy as superior if not at least equal to that of its other national treasures, such as cheese, wine, Molière and Nutella crêpes. Fortunately, every now and again, a French movie manages to break into the world of the English-speaking cinema mainstream and illustrate how, on this occasion, the politicians are telling a full-fledged and sincerely heartfelt truth. Like Amélie (2001) or A Very Long Engagement (2004), Untouchable (2011) firmly established a place upon the mosaic within the international collective cinema psyche because the movie was nothing short of a masterpiece, not least because it is one of the few films in existence that truly succeeded in blending the genres of drama and comedy so brilliantly that it seems farcical to seek to define it as either predominantly one or mostly the other. Thus, it is therefore just about the only film that would have been taken seriously, without any need for even its harshest critics to pretend to do so in public, had it been nominated for a Golden Globe Award in both the Best Musical or Comedy and Best Drama categories. While the undeniably charming and poignant buddy comedy-drama may not have even won the award for Best Foreign Language Film from the Hollywood Foreign Press, there was indeed still much to celebrate. 

          After just nine weeks passing since its release date, Untouchable became the second most successful French movie of all time. The movie's co-writer and co-director, Eric Toledano, shared news with the world about how he had received over three-thousand thank you letters from wheelchair users all over the world for his work. One of its stars, Omar Sy, became the first actor of African origin to win the César Award for Best Actor, (France's answer to the Oscars), for his outstanding performance, launching his Hollywood career to new heights with films like X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Jurassic World (2015) and Inferno (2016). What was it about this picture that warranted success on such a grand scale? The roughly two-hour running time of the movie would be more than well-spent by movie lovers in particular, since the undeniable answers are illuminated within minutes and consistently re-affirmed with expert craftsmanship throughout the tale of finding treasure of delight within chests of tragedy.

          First up flies a soundtrack that achieves the colossal feat of employing era-defining classical music, piano tracks that amount to the status of unsung heroes within their field and landmark pop songs in such a way that re-invigorates the passions for all of those marvellous melodies and for life beyond the movie theatre, as if their musical sheets were written solely for this film alone. In combination, the blend of musical genres and mellifluous harmonies effortlessly carries the audience around in circles from more woebegone tones right up to totally contrasting moods of glee that prompt an inclination to boogie the scene away with the protagonists. Without giving too much away, rest assured, for so long as the right questions are posed to the search engines, these musical gems can be found on the internet in no time.   

          Omar Sy and François Cluzet perform their respective roles with consistently boundless levels of effortless grace and cautious attention to detail in equal measure, aided more than aptly by a great supporting cast while they set ablaze universal social issues that range from race, class and disability, to the somewhat less urgent debates surrounding modern art. In the end, when all is raised and considered, one at least uncovers an avenue through which to see light but nonetheless infectious humour within subjects of incomprehensible peculiarity. Moreover, one also grows to realise the sheer value of embracing the protective quality of friendship as the umbrella against the pouring rain, the freezing snow or the scorching sun, while simultaneously offering that same shield to others, continually striving for the fruition of their friend's joy, which, once achieved, brings about a sense of fulfilment and utter completeness to all involved that no other act can ever hope to rival.    

          The very thought of sitting through a movie with subtitles can sometimes bring about all but total exhaustion to the mind, for even the fastest reader may feel held back from fully indulging in, for instance, a character's facial expressions or the action taking place around that character by having to ensure that they are positioned well enough to comfortably read, even only in their head, all the dialogue from start to finish. An American remake, currently underway with impressive names attached to it like Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart, will certainly address that problem in the not-too-distant future. Yet, albeit it is a timeless story that could easily be retold with a guaranteed positive impact by the right assemblage of dedicated talent, to deny giving a chance to the original French interpretation would ultimately leave a void that would be impossible to fill via any other means. Furthermore, if there was ever a reason to demand that more than just four 'foreign' films a year get any attention from the Oscars or the BAFTAs especially, Untouchable, or Intouchables, as it is known in in French, is and forever will be the proposal's sole justification that simply cannot be countered.  

Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) Movie Review

A Spectacular Mess of Poignant Laughter 

          In no small part is the world indebted to Bridget Jones, certainly one of of film's most effervescent personalities, for making that much-needed time spent in solitude with Ben and Jerry's ice cream socially acceptable, or at least forgivable, among one's closest social circle, as well a notion that everyone knows well enough but still constantly craves a reminder and stern affirmation of: It is totally okay to not have your life together by the time you reach your twenties, or thirties, or even forties, assuming one defines the peak of that mountain as finding and settling down with a life partner in romantic love, which, indeed, many people do, whether they admit it or not. The Bridget Jones series of movies to date (2001-2016) has consistently told stories that are prevalent with such themes in an expertly light-hearted manner that never fails to conjure up laughter and mournful sadness in more or less equal measure. The latest diary entry, a tale filled with serendipity justified principally by the sheer charisma of all of the major players, delivers just that, in a well-overdue comedy, which, like the James Bond series (1962-2015) or the Mission Impossible series (1996-2015), leaves on silently praying for more.  

          A fantastic, carefully-selected soundtrack of chart hits, some oldish and some new, wonderfully accompanies an assortment of great jokes. Albeit they vary in originality and wit, almost all of them inspire laughter, courtesy of consistently flawless and evidently painstakingly earned comic timing in front of the camera.

          Audiences will aquiver in their entities with delight at the boundless levels of charm on display by all of the leading stars and their supporting cast alike. While Renée Zellweger shines as always at the forefront of the adventure, she is accompanied by two equally becoming love interests, each one a determined model of that knight in shining armour, both within and without, played with admirable eloquence by Colin Firth and Patrick Dempsey respectively. Moreover, Emma Thompson adds yet another spark to the already well-illuminated movie theatre as the Angel in the form of Bridget's doctor and confidant throughout her most recent unplanned but nonetheless beautiful mess at the heart of this latest instalment.

          Occasionally some characters serving as the antagonists seem like pantomime villains and are consequently at risk of growing two-dimensional. Thus, the gags related to them once or twice come across as cheesy. However, the humour, overall, thanks to the aforementioned terrific performances and superb comic timing, ultimately and clearly prevails.

          To top it all off, for those who can't contain themselves because just under one hundred days remain until the big day, granting them with the green light for party preparations, photo-shoot ambitions and at least a faint consideration of what memories might define their holiday season this year, there are gleeful, unashamed hints of Christmas. Noel's presentation is notable and necessary but fortunately not excessive, intended not to irritate but rather to serve the film's primary purpose of instilling as pure a joy as a film possibly could within the otherwise desperately turbulent journey of love. Hopefully, just hopefully, this journey won't end here.

THE VERDICT: 9.5/10

Shows That You Should Have Watched Yesterday - The Night Of (2016)

The Last Time I Ever Saw Your Face: Salvaging the American Dream from a City of Nightmares

          Year after year, there stands at least one piece of art that nobody perceived would be that good. If ever one needed proof that there was no formula for successfully achieving a guaranteed excess of critical acclaim, an everlasting sentimental impact, or a genuinely seamless and warmly welcomed element and of a didactic quality, all while remaining true to the primary artistic aim of entertainment through, in this instance, great storytelling, The Night Of (2016) would, without question, be pronounced guilty and be sentenced to join the ranks of fellow HBO dramas, such as the first season of True Detective (2014), or even films like Gladiator (2000), which all proved that surprises are still possible, even in the wake of an apparent overflow of movies and television shows from ostensibly all directions. It is nothing short of magic. Magic that, for better or worse, can never be re-created in quite the same way by a sequel or an additional season of episodes but nonetheless never fails to inspire possibilities for even more success on the passionate search for tasty original flavours on both the big and small screens.     

          A fairly tense yet defiantly beautiful occurrence of serendipity is followed all too quickly by a scarring turpitude that propels the protagonist into the deepest depths of desperation and despair, for both the superb leading character and the audience alike face a test of principally emotional endurance while they cannot figure out who to trust, or, worse still, who bears the ultimate reprehensibility for casting a shadow upon New York City, while other elements of the story simultaneously beam out light after light over both all too familiar and uncomfortably unexpected acts of prejudice and discrimination against minority groups in society. The Night Of plays out like magnificent, unspoiled river, consistently flowing confidently over and under various obstacles and around numerous turning points, each one at least as intriguing as the last, until it gracefully reaches the ocean, allowing the water to join that vast open azure-blue space, which lures the dazed mind into pondering over those questions that are not easily answered and, indeed, all but unanswerable, save for the discovery of who the clear heroes of that journey are in spite of their admirable modesty in the wake of such an enlightenment. The results, which include central character development underpinned by a shocking but arguably necessary corruption of innocence that is not dissimilar both within and without to the iconic transformations witnessed in Breaking Bad (2008-2013), as well as crime scene analysts and suspect interrogations that evidently grip and heighten only the best parts of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-2015), will not soon be forgotten.      

          Navigating the unsettling midnight-black mazes running endlessly throughout The Night Of not infrequently brings one into contact around the numerous corners with the trials of the undeniably quintessential elements of the American Dream - the notion that anybody, no matter where they are born or what class they are initially stuck with, can achieve their own personal vision of success in a collective where ascending up the ostensibly blurred but ultimately bitterly entrenched social ladder is possible for all. Genuine concerns that have been hijacked by those seeking to gain something out of the suffering of others and then hide behind their long-established reputations, while the flames of collateral damage rage and spread mercilessly in the aftermath of such selfishness, threaten to permanently tarnish the lives of perfectly innocent, decent individuals.Thus, the American Dream for an unlucky and disturbingly ever-increasing few in modern society might be all but extinguished, were it not for at least a faint degree of luck in the form of blessed chance encounters with those oozing with genuine pleasantness and a heartfelt desire for his or her fellow citizen, particularly when that fellow citizen presents clear signs to warrant their indignation. All that remains is to fight on against the cancer of complacency. Let good drama never die. Let good hearts never cease to beat. And let good people never, ever give up. Fighting on, with the patience to withstand the overwhelming rage of being stuck in seemingly eternal traffic, well into the night.      

Films That You Should Have Watched Yesterday - Rat Race (2001)

The Benevolence Beneath: Overpowering the Root of All Evil With Compassion and Laughter 

          Sylvester Stallone put together an ensemble of the finest, or, at least, the most recognisable action stars in modern cinema history for The Expendables (2010), re-uniting and even later extending that crew in both 2012 and 2014. Almost ten years before, an assemblage of comedy heroes created an adventure that was no less fuelled by fast-paced, passionate endeavours, but of course came with much less of the blood and much, much more of the humour poured into the film-maker mixing bowl. The final, fully-baked result, was Rat Race (2001) - a film, which, similarly to Stallone's work's ability to demand and capture the superfluous indulgence of film fans who considered themselves to be die-hard action buffs, could help to define an unwritten criminal offence, were it not eventually seen by comedy enthusiasts in particular.    

          Plot-lines that are both ostensibly and ultimately ridiculous but defiantly hilarious ceaselessly intertwine throughout the picture, principally due to the fact that all of the characters, portrayed by British comedy icons like Rowan Atkinson from Mr Bean (1990-1995) and John Cleese from Fawlty Towers (1975-1979), as well as American legends of laughter that include Whoopi Goldberg from Ghost (1990), Seth Green from Family Guy (1999-Present) and Cuba Gooding Jr. from Jerry Maguire (1996), never, ever become crestfallen enough to abandon the competition for what they perceive to be the ultimate prize - Money. F. Scott Fitzgerald himself would revel in viewing these beautiful and damned fools pursue such a prize, often at great cost to others as well as themselves, until each of them at some point, fortunately before it is too late, unlike figures in Fitzgerald's literary classics, discovers, in a variety of equally fulfilling forms, the transformative power of utterly selfless compassion for someone else, albeit not before having endured a great deal of hard trials that inspire sounds of laughter that many viewers never knew existed.      

          Time spent in screenwriting classes will quickly bring to light the notion that one ought not to have more than two coincidences slotted into their scripts if the stories that they tell are to be considered believable, or, put less politely, even as far as comedies are concerned, taken seriously. However, here is a movie that shamelessly defies that expectation to the utmost extreme and beyond, yet it still manages to keep audiences ensorcelled by the tale, owing to one of the most charismatic casts ever crammed onto a film set and their boundless levels of energy. More than once will a gag be pulled off in such a way that could only have worked with the particular artist who performs it. Moreover, the consequences of their actions rarely cease to generate at least a smile from the onlookers behind the forth wall and they additionally seldom fail to inspire hope. Hope for redemption, breaking the rules for the right reasons and the innate goodness in people. Thus, the movie depicts a race in which everyone, cast, crew and audience alike, is a wonderfully worthy winner.  

Films That You Should Have Watched Yesterday - North Country (2005)

Blind Obedience; This Ain't No Way to Make a Living: Finding The Courage to Distinguish Between Charity and Justice in the Fight for Gender Equality    

          After taking a trip to Minnesota, borne through the silver screen into a tale based upon the pivotal true story of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States of America, known as Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, one may never observe women and debate surrounding women's equality in the workplace and beyond through quite same shade of lenses so comfortably worn heretofore. Now, returning to reality, lost in a moment, with a swiftness and a capacity for enlightenment of heavenly proportions, through looking directly into the eyes of that girl, whether she is significant in one's personal life bubble or otherwise, affords a glimpse that sufficiently warrants at least a small degree of tender, passionate optimism for the notion that she, without question, deserves to know equality. That girl, whether she be one's mother, one's wife, one's partner, one's sister, one's daughter, one's co-worker, one's friend, or nothing more than just one's fellow human being, deserves to know justice. Justice in such a way that is graciously granted, without being attached, in any manner, to the expectation of lucrative returns, which might often be said to ostensibly enhance but all too often ultimately corrupt acts of charity in all of their guises. For the two concepts, justice and charity, in this instance, are indeed not the same thing. If just one movie could be said to all but guarantee a shift in attitudes towards such matters, even more effectively than the still fairly recent picture exploring similar, ceaselessly current themes, Suffragette (2015), while of course remaining an entertaining and well-crafted film, then that movie, without dispute, is North Country (2005).

          A courtroom drama seamlessly weaves with plenty of briskly-paced, at times emotionally turbulent flashbacks and, in doing so, gradually raises the stakes so high for the genuinely charismatic protagonist that the cause for which she stands appears ethereal. That is to say, her declaration that all she wants to do is go to work and make a living like everybody else appears to be an impossible outcome, caged in by determined oppression from all sides into the traditional domestic sphere, for not infrequently do even those closest to her at least betray her faith in a fashion not dissimilar to that breaking of trust written of in holy scriptures between Peter and Christ.  

   

          Now that the movie is over a decade old, its star-studded ensemble that includes Charlize Theron, Jeremy Renner, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sissy Spacek, Richard Jenkins, Michelle Monaghan and Sean Bean, all at least once illustrate during the feature that they were all inevitably going to enjoy long, prosperous careers and remain current in Hollywood's mainstream cinema for years to come. The last of the aforementioned cast, revealed without noteworthy risk to ruining the total engagement in the film by audiences, does not perish - hopefully a relief for those wishing that his often brutal departures from stories told through the moving image should be made illicit, particularly after Game of Thrones (2011-Present). Better still, while playing more of a supporting role in this adventure, his presence, like most of his fellow dramatic players, is no less felt in the protagonist's struggle for a final, ideally peaceful resolution, which might hopefully end or certainly ease the trauma felt by so many before and and after her in similar circumstances, both in America and around the world.

          It is written that many of the horrific acts of harassment and abuse depicted in the picture actually happened at least in part within the true story acting as the film's source material. These actions that may not quite scar but definitely demand a permanent place in the long-term memory of the collective psyche of those in society who witness them. In the wake of such a shocking viewing,  temptation suggests a need to focus solely on issues like sexual harassment in the workplace and domestic violence as if they experienced by women alone. Yet, by the film's conclusion, it becomes about so much more than that, as it goes on to demand that a genuine state of sonder be willed from within by all in the inevitably uphill skirmishes against those in positions of absolute power claiming to be beacons of righteousness while behaving, often in the darkest, coldest of shadows but sometimes even more boldly under the brightest rays of burning sunlight, in a manner that highlights beyond reasonable doubt an all but total lack of empathy and a complete disregard for those around them, especially the little people, men and women alike, whom they seem to thrive on torturing, unchecked and unchallenged, for profits of varying kinds. Even with all of the laws, rules and regulations put in place to end issues like sexual harassment in the workplace, recent reports in the mainstream media suggest that they remain as current as ever. North County offers, through a superbly-made, entertaining work of drama, no clear answer. However, there is at least one clear, intriguing starting point, even if not a terribly eloquent one with great depth to it at first. As one character out of new-found courage asserts at some point in the movie - "What are you supposed to do when the ones with all the power are hurting those with none? Well, for starters, you stand up. You stand up and tell the truth. You stand up for your friends. You stand up even when you're all alone. You stand up."

     

Finding Dory (2016) Movie Review

The Prodigal Fish Returns

          Disney Pixar loyalists, animation buffs and fish enthusiasts, in the wake of well-received sequels for Toy Story (1995), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Cars (2006), might have justly deemed it utterly tragic that the artists behind some of the most iconic Disney pictures and characters in the world had not dived in to waters of boundless possibilities for story and character development gracefully but teasingly left uncharted by the end of Finding Nemo (2003). Thirteen years later, risks have been taken; courage has paid off. Dreams have come true and hopes have been realised with the return of some of the most adorable animated characters in cinema history.    

          Not infrequently do fears of déjà vu rise above the waters that share much in common with all sequels past and current, from Jason Bourne (2016) to Bridget Jones's Baby (2016). In the end, however, these concerns are fortunately almost always swept away within moments by unstoppable tides, rising in the form of the sheer eloquence and magnetism of sympathetic but nonetheless genuine adoration of Dory's more prevalent presentation under the spotlight this time around. Ears may be flooded by the distinct qualities of Thomas Newman's emotionally-charged musical score that never fails to demand tears of both joy and sadness at its leisure, with the sprinkles of magic that have consistently oozed from his works, which include other Disney treasures like WALL.E (2008) and Saving Mr Banks (2013). Moreover, eyes may be excessively indulged by the vibrant and masterful animation that successfully conveys the emotional turbulence of the cranky but not quite heartless octopus in particular, not dissimilar to the alluring facial expressions, underpinned by amusing eye movements especially, of another vibrant animal in Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out (1990). Ultimately, there are plenty of buried treasures uncovered throughout the well-paced adventure to warrant a great number of relieved breaths.     

          By comparison with previous summers, 2016 has frankly been a much less explosive and memorable one as far as the roster of blockbuster movies is concerned. mainly because the standard has been set that high in the land of the silver screen. Therefore, Summer 2016 has by no means been a bad one. Thus, while the competition might not have been as fierce as it has been in the past for the top prize in audience minds as their favourite summer chill-out session, Finding Dory (2016) remains, with all but total certainly, a worthy winner of that honour in audience hearts, not least for the film's ability to break and fix them in an instant with notions of unbreakable family bonds and undying family love as its key ingredients, bearing fruits far better than even its most hardcore fans could have anticipated. On this occasion, it is perhaps not a cheap marketing ploy when artists behind the movie state in interviews words of assurance for the notion that you are allowed and indeed expected to cry, for you may, without a doubt, at least want to, after seeing sides to a beloved sapphire-blue fish, which, while clearly familiar, remain as inspiring as ever before.

THE VERDICT: 9/10