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Film: [REC]
With a sequel already on the loose, and more to come, along with the inevitable and pointless US remake already released, Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza made a vital entry in the horror cannon with 2008’s [REC].
The film opens with a late night reality show being filmed at a fire station, and introduces presenter Angela and her cameraman Pablo, along with two firemen, Alex and Manu, who are responsible for her safety.
An eager for excitement Angela gets her wish when a call comes in for a trapped elderly woman at a building in the city. When the crew arrive at the address, they find all the other residents standing in the hallway, with two police officers preparing to go upstairs to calm the situation. At this point, nobody really knows what’s happening.
The two firemen follow the officers up the spiralling staircase to find an old woman lurking in the dark, clearly disorientated and covered in blood. As they try to calm her, and with the camera still rolling, she jumps on one of the officers and bites a horrific chunk out of his face. They rush downstairs to find that the building has been sealed off. That is the last chance the viewer has to breathe!
Following the first bite, everyone tries to establish why they are being held captive, and what exactly they’ve been trapped with. When the bite on the officer takes effect, panic defies logic.
Alongside this, there is an ongoing power struggle between the remaining officer Joven and Manu, as the officer tries to take charge of the situation and follow his orders, whilst fighting his own fears and the realisation that there is absolutely nothing he can do.
One by one, they are picked off by zombies, as the film advances towards an incredibly frightening conclusion.
Made with a tiny budget and barely any cast, and set chiefly in a single location, this is a refreshing take on the zombie genre, creating a build-up of tension within an incredibly sinister setting. Expect not even a hint of relief from a pitch-black and hopeless situation.
As the film is relatively short, it takes only twelve minutes before the first attack takes place, so there is little to no character development. However, that isn’t the point - it is the chaotic and violent scenario that everyone is left trying to escape.
With everything being filmed on a hand-held camera, it adds to the ongoing turmoil, and drags the audience into the disorientated terror each character is feeling. The entire building is barely lit, which leaves plenty of shadowy coves for the creatures to hide in. At some points, the only lighting comes from the camera, and eventually all that’s left is night vision. This is incredibly effective; as it becomes so claustrophobic it really gets the heart pounding.
Along with the lighting, another effective tool is the soundtrack, or lack of, because without any music at all, the viewer has no chance of being distracted or relieved from what’s happening - it piles on additional nerve shredding tension.
The film also briefly touches upon more sensitive subjects, such as the fear of social integration, specifically in two scenes where a Chinese family is accused of causing the problem for no logical reason - they are just the minority in the building. It also stabs at the ongoing fears of terrorist attacks, with the overall concept of an unknown and toxic virus spreading, and a panicked government doing it’s best to take control. Lastly, emphasising the dire need for reality TV in current society in a not-so-subtle fashion. But these are all minor factors, which are only secondary thoughts set around the horror of the overall story, and never doing anything to interfere with it.
Around the middle of the film, some of the residents are interviewed in various one on one shots, but it is a very brief respite, and feels slightly forced in to advance the narrative. However, it drags, and is a negative point.
An excellent addition to not only the zombie sub-genre, but the horror genre as a whole. A gruesomely unforgiving film, that’s so tense you won’t be left with any fingernails left to bite.
Fan: Sam Fryer
Film: Lucky Luke
Lucky Luke is based on a Belgian comic-book series created by Rene (Asterix/Tintin) Goscinny.
It is the tale of Luke (Jean Dujardin – bearing some resemblance to Robbie Rotten from Lazy Town, with his over-accentuated quiffe), who witnesses his parents being killed in cold-blood. He grows up to become the slickest gun-slinger in The West. The only draw-back (no pun intended) is that he has vowed never to kill anyone. If only life were that simple.
The Union-Pacific railroad is mere weeks away from completion. The final length of track is to be laid right in the centre of Luke’s home town – now a lawless hell-hole! The President of The United States – at the behest of Luke’s old ‘friend’ – hires Luke to clean up Lucky Town in time for the rail-roads arrival. Easy for a man of Luke’s talents. Not!
Colourful characters such as Shakespeare spouting Jesse-James (Melvil Poupaud), she-man Calamity Jane (Sylvie Testaud) and juvenile lolly-pop sucking Billy The Kid (Michael Youh) are out to see that his mission goes anythjng but smoothly. That, coupled with Pat Poker (Daniel Provost), a card dealing villain, bodes the question: how is Luke going to survive the films’ running length without killing anybody!
I almost forgot to mention Belle (Alexandra Lamy), the object of Luke’s desire. Oh dear. Love…the most dangerous thing of all.
I am not a big fan of westerns, but I was very impressed with the gritty feel of the whole film. Under the tempered direction of James Huth, the film stays the right side of farce whilst still having its tongue planted firmly in its cheek.
The cinematography is luscious. The acting faultless. As a comedy, the gags fly out of the screen ten to the dozen. It is a film that deserves to be watched more than once.
Fan: David Watkins
Film: Seven Samurai
The film would be the first of director Akira Kurosawa’s fixation with the roles of samurai in feudal Japan. The idea came to him when he was researching the roles and lifestyles of samurai.
Akira Kurosawa has been known to be one of the greatest directors in introducing new ways of filming and portraying philosophical and cultural views, whilst also having moments of humour to enlighten the dark undertones. The film would later be classed as a masterpiece, and be up for many nominations such as the British Academy awards 1956 and the Jussi awards 1959. The film would have a great affect around the world, with influence on films such as the adaptation of The Magnificent Seven.
In feudal Japan, a group of bandits have repeatedly driven a peasant into fear with the threats of killing them if they do not give them their harvest. In a last act of desperation, the village elder offers advice to hire samurai to help fight the bandits.
A couple of the villagers go to a village in search for ‘hungry samurai’, since the only thing of value they have left is rice. Later they would find an old samurai who reluctantly agrees in helping them. After a couple trials, with one funny scene, six samurai are picked to help the villagers; one of which later becomes the old man’s apprentice.
At first the villagers are reluctant to help the samurai due to the differences in class, but they relent, and the samurai and the villagers begin to build fortifications and help train the villagers to fight. Later tensions between the two classes are shown when the villagers have hidden weapons and armour from the samurai, whilst the old man’s apprentice has an affair with one of the villager’s daughters. Nevertheless, the samurai and the villagers continue to build the fortifications and prepare to fight as the bandits come back to kill them all.
The battle for the villagers begins as the samurai face the bandit hordes and it becomes clear that the samurai may not survive.
Seven Samurai takes on cultural and social theories of the once feudal Japan, when the representation of strict divides in class was black-and-white, and, as such, society treated the classes in different ways; the peasants were lower and so were downtrodden, whilst samurai were the rich class and were praised. As such, the film shows how the different classes were relied upon each other; just as the samurai were needed to govern the land, so too were the peasants in prospering it. This reliability was brought to by the director as he wanted to show the comparison with the samurai and the peasants; the views of the samurai in the film are merely hired mercenaries preying on the peasants, whilst the peasants would later be revealed to have preyed on the rich classes. This comparison goes even further, as, unlike the villagers, who would achieve with prosperity, the samurai would have nothing, stating the profession of a warrior was not all glamorous.
The characters of Seven Samurai each has an identity of their own, making it compelling to see how each character mixes with the others, giving a realistic feel to the characters that makes them all so attachable. The villagers, and even the bandits themselves, are given their own perspectives, which make the characters even more realistic. Yet the one that should take the credit is Toshiro Mifune’s character, as he gives depth in that he becomes the most dramatic and yet humorous throughout.
The cinematography captures the essence of each character and adds little tension until it builds to the battle for the village, as if the audience is sucked in to all that’s going on. Because of this, there is little of soundtrack in the film, so that the use of natural noises, such as rain, gives scenes added depth, and adds to the tension between the villagers and the samurai, which carries on to the final battle.
Many of Akira Kurosawa’s films portray a small setting that contains a large number of narratives that may seem to too much to hold, and yet the director is able to keep balance so that nothings feels either thrown in or left out. With the concept of Seven Samurai, even without the use of special effects, Akira Kurosawa makes even the most smallest of fights feel large.
It is this film that starts a benchmark that encourages people to watch more of Akira Kurosawa films, and learn the history and the philosophy of what great film should be.
Fan: Thomas Pearce
Film: The Maid
The Maid (La Nana) was a surprise hit on the festival circuit last year. The Chilean film was a winner at Sundance and also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. “She’s more or less family” taglines the story in which the live in maid Raquel has been working for a family for twenty years. Sebastian Silva, the director, successfully sends the overall subject of family across to the audience.
The opening introduces Raquel, entering the kitchen and eating separately from the family she works with. However, they are in the dining room lighting candles and hiding presents whilst calling her name as it is her birthday. She enters the room, after persuasion by Lucas, who is also referred as her favourite. They shower Raquel with happiness, gifts, and the mention that they are happy she has been with the family for twenty years now. However, with Raquel aging, and the family’s house most probably larger than what is was twenty years ago, Raquel is struggling to keep up with the demands and chores, as well as the uncomfortable relationship between her and the eldest daughter Camila.
It is decided that another maid will help Raquel throughout the week with the chores - much to her dismay. This is expressed by Raquel with her constant bad attitude and game playing, such as locking the maids out of the house whilst putting on the hoover, pretending not to hear them shouting outside. This, however, is counteracted by Lucy who does not let Raquel’s crazy behaviour bother her, and allows a friendship to blossom in which Raquel starts to feel human again.
Her performance throughout the film does have a real, raw feeling to it. We can see and feel every ounce of emotion that runs through Raquel’s (Catalina Saavedra) body and face, which allows us to connect with her. We may not understand her at all times, because of her unique character, but her facial expressions and body movements work well together to visually express what she may feel.
The film’s not faultless. The relationship between Raquel and Camila is never explained, which leaves a couple of unanswered questions. The soundtrack’s surprisingly missing throughout the film, although this could be that Silva wanted to base all possible emotion on the performance itself with no other influence.
The Maid shows the purest form of emotion and desperation when it comes to wanting to belong to family. This is a story that can fit within any culture or surrounding, which allows it to be relatable. It expresses that sooner or later you realise how important family is, but you don’t always have to be blood related. Family comes in many different forms, which are basically built on relationships by people who love you no matter who you are.
Fan: Erin Edwards
Film: Ping Pong
Inter-high school competition is fierce in this manga comic inspired table tennis romp.
Peco (Kubozuka) and Smile (Arata) are life-long friends. Smile (named for his reluctance to just that) is encouraged by Peco to take up his favoured sport, and, as such, they join the high school ping pong team.
Ping Pong is a film that, at its core, seeks to revel in friendship. References to 'chopping', a defensive style that Smile utilizes, serve to cement our understanding of one of the lead characters. Peco, on the other hand, as the very much aggressive type of player, is clear in his desire to reach the heady heights of ping pong fame, also known as Germany.
From the beginning, it's the competition that drives the storyline. Starting with an arrival from the East, Peco decides to challenge the imposter to Japan’s high school prowess (who is much more interested in playing Smile, but settles for Peco) and subsequently loses, 21-0 (a 'Skunking'). This loss is compounded by a 7-year-old at the ping pong hall singing about Peco's defeat (Peco's reaction being to cry and hug the table for comfort). The friends, shortly after competing in an inter-school tournament for their school, Katase High, against nemesis' - in the form of a former childhood playmate Demon (Manabu Sakuma - now a student at a neighbouring school), the head of his team, Dragon (Shido Nakamura) and a ringer from China (Sam Lee), imaginatively named China - find themselves challenged.
Following a lack of real interest on the part of Smile, and an over confidence on the part of Peco, the pair are found lacking. Smile, following a barrage of insults from the foreigners sponsor, aimed at the newly drafted in China, feels sorry for him and decides to lose in order to spare him the ridicule. Peco, on the other hand, is beaten badly by ex-friend and now staunch enemy Demon (Bald with large, black rimmed glasses), who wastes little time in expressing his joy at beating his former friend. Peco soon realizes that his lifelong best friend has been losing to him for years and falls out with Smile, subsequently giving up the sport and taking up another Japanese national institution - computer games.
In true sporting drama fashion, each of the friends has a worldly wise mentor. Smile's coach, being the highly underappreciated and former high school prodigy Butterfly Joe (Naoto Takenaka), while Peco is coached by the mistress of the ping pong hall, chain smoking, dry and seemingly uninterested Obaba (Mari Natsuki), an old friend of Butterfly Joe's. While Peco transforms back into his previous, driven persona, via a leap off a high bridge into a slow moving river, Smile is blackmailed into training with Butterfly, his coach having correctly challenged and predicted Smile's willingness to quit in the earlier competition.
Cue the montage, the emotional reveal of how Butterfly could of been a contender, Miss Obaba's realization and rediscovered love of the sport and the friends meeting in the next inter-high school tournament.
With flash backs to childhood littering the film, we uncover that Peco has always cast himself in the superhero mould, eager to keep a friendship that, as in a large number of Japanese films, goes without comment between the emotionally understated characters. Mere hints of manga-esque qualities show in this film that seeks to keep reality at the fore.
From a first time director, it's clear Fumihiko Masuri relishes this script, keeping close to his characters and developing each fully, despite the size of their role, and allowing for the viewer to acknowledge and enjoy their participation. Facial expressions, in particular on the part of Peco, can only serve to ingratiate the bowl headed young man to the viewer. CGI is subtle, seeking mainly to aid the speed and composition of the ping pong ball as it impacts the paddles, and, in a delightful shot, a pair of butterfly wings (a non too subtle reference to the table tennis products giant that are so prevalent throughout) growing from the coaches back.
The soundtrack mixes fast paced techno with, at times, slow paced/almost studio Ghilbli romanticism. Cinematography is clear, clean and striking throughout, allowing for a smooth mix, as fast paced and casual shots slip seamlessly through the editing gates. Harking back to classic training scenes from films we all know, we're given time for characters to be profound and often philosophical. Even with the enemies throwing some ping pong wisdom into the pot.
This feels like a long film. In the mould of many a sporting opus, it takes its time. Showing the leads as inept or losers, only for them to invariably change their direction by the end of the story (which could come sooner), we are given much of what we'd expect and happily, surprisingly, want. This particular incarnation of that staple takes fun and witty side steps, opens up a variety of enjoyable characters, and does much to encourage our devotion.
Fan: David Wing
Let us know what your favourite foreign-language Thriller genre feature film is, and be in with a chance of winning a latest DVD release.
Please let us know in 300 to 500 words why you have chosen the film you have (no more than 5 submissions per person)
Send your submissions to: thisissubtitledmovies@googlemail.com, no later than 13th September 2010.
Please include your full name and address with any submissions – so we know where to send your prize!
Film: Stalker
Enter the ‘Zone’, where it's presumed there’s an escape from the decrepit and cold while tight on security, of post-cold war in Russia. Where only one man named 'stalker' can get you out, to a supposed promised land called The Zone In this classic multi-genre Russian masterpiece.
Stalker works on the basis of a dream-like story of a mystical room within a cordoned-off wasteland at the heart of run-down society. Outside of this there is talk of the ‘Room' within the Zone, is supposed to fulfil the wishes of anyone who goes there, others believe its heaven on earth, however, this is a very difficult place to approach and requires a guide (or ‘stalker’) to help reach it. The film follows the progress of one stalker and his two latest customers (a scientist and a writer). The three newly acquainted but damaged souls must put philosophical disagreements aside and trek through the unforgiving landscape to get to the the Zone.
The film begins in black-and-white, which brings out the darkness of a disturbed city. Slow shots give you better a view of everything that’s wrong. The Zone, despite being questionable, does sound like a great idea for the lives of these people that we meet. After avoiding the futuristic authorities, by using a push cart on the heavily closed off train station they manage to escape. Thus follows a long tracking shot of their escape, which is extremely moving as the camera pans back and forth between the three escapees showing their emotions of regret and triumph - after all the room in the Zone could not exist, and could be a fairytale to raise the hopes the lost people of the dying city they just left. As soon as the track runs out, and its back on foot, the film kicks to colour, and begins the second act which now looks harder than the first. The journey is just one of the problems, as the three characters from different backgrounds argue and dispute over their different beliefs, as they start to question the bigger picture.
The writer simply known as the ‘Writer’ is talkative and excited, and believes in the Zone and just wants to get there. The scientist is more concerned with his bag than the journey. Stalker himself is quiet and only speaks from a distance, and strays away from getting involved in conversations he overhears. The film feels like a dream, or dream sequence comparable to the likes of a David Lynch film. The poetic long shots, the battle between light and dark in its cinematography - every scene is a work of art and the minimalist soundscape and very heavy dialogue complement the visuals very well. The film's setting is a major component of its themes. Tarkovsky makes a point in this film, and unlike many art films, the point is really not very open to interpretation. It is also a little surprising given the content of most of the film.
Stalker for some might be a hard watch, and almost as wrenching as the journey for the characters of the film. Like all journeys, they lead somewhere, and for this particular one, the narrative works like a spiritual guide, and during a day's journey through the Zone. Deeply philosophical themes of human desire and meaning are addressed, leaving the viewer with a lot to think about, both during and after the movie.
Fan: Brett Stone
Film: Veronico Cruz
Set against the scorched and barren backdrop of the rural North-West Andes; Miguel Pereira’s Veronico Cruz shows how even the most isolated of rural communities cannot escape Argentina's encroaching modernism and military regime of the 1970s.
Veronico Cruz tells the story of a young indigenous Argentine boy (of the same name) as he grows up in a stark and isolated hamlet called Chorcán in the North-Andean province of Jujuy. Abandoned as a baby by his father, after his mother’s death, Veronico is left under the care of his strict grandma in a small plot of land where he lives a near solitary existence as a shepherd boy.
With only his goat Chiquito and a wooden flute for company, it is not until an educated and worldly teacher (respectively named ‘el Maestro’ by the villagers) is placed in Veronico’s local school that he learns anything of human interaction or the world around him. Taking him under his wing, el Maestro gives Veronico gifts of a transistor radio and comic set from the navy that enthrals the boy to such an extent it seems Chorcán is completely disconnected from the rest of Argentina.
It is not; however, exempt from the military junta of 1976 that is slowly enveloping the country. Any hope that el Maestro initially had to enlighten Veronico and his classmates is thwarted when his work and life becomes increasingly monitored by military figures. Having already been ordered to remove his anti-revolutionary books and censor his political opinions, el Maestro’s disillusion with the new Argentina is concreted when Veronico’s grandmother passes away, and he takes him to nearby city Jujuy in the hope of finding his father.
As Veronico wanders the city’s sophisticated streets in innocent rapture, el Maestro is treated to heavy-handed questioning by military officials for enquiring after Veronico’s father, who appears to have been blacklisted for his anti-revolutionary sentiments. Returning to the Chorcán hopeless and deflated, Veronico and el Maestro realise they must follow different paths in order to find a place for themselves in the hostile environment of their new country.
Characterised by extreme long shots, slow pans and long takes of its barren setting, Veronico Cruz is an undeniably, and, at some points, infuriatingly slow-paced film that relies heavily on visuals to convey its narrative. However, while minimal action and dialogue may decrease its accessibility to wider audiences, the film is not without touching and effective moments, perhaps due to its starkness of direction. The scenes in which Veronico and the Andean mountains appear to converse with echoes of his cries “Stupid Grandma!” demonstrate not only his utter loneliness but how Veronico's landscape is itself an important voice and presence in his life. Similarly, with little directorial interference, the characters of Veronico and el Maestro are given the space and time to develop naturally within the film's 106 minute running time.
With only two major characters and minimal dialogue, it can be argued that Veronico Cruz is one of those films that manages to encompass big themes and issues through its seemingly small characters. The impoverished inhabitants of Chorcán demonstrate the huge difference of development between Argentina's urban and rural spaces, whilst the subtle military presence that increasingly oppresses el Maestro's movement within the village shifts the focus of the film from a local to national story. Consequently, Veronico Cruz conveys a rather bleak portrayal of a country at a very specific time in its political history. With the gentle-natured Maestro transferred away from Chorcan to a larger school by the government; there is a suggestion that small villages such as these are purposefully denied the tools and education to be able to change their circumstances.
With beautiful visuals, endearing characters and grand themes, Veronico Cruz is a slow-paced yet engaging film that conveys an important time in Argentina's history. Perhaps not the best introduction to Argentine cinema, but for those already interested in its culture and tumultuous history, an interesting view.
Fan: Rachel Barrie
Film: Fist Of Fury
The racial tension of the Japanese and Chinese cultures during a historical period is best placed here, and the film itself retains a classic kung fu look and concept while modernizing it just slightly to make it even more relevant.
Fan: Matt Reifschneider
Film: Police Story
When I was younger it was about the time that Jackie Chan took hold onto US audiences - where they subsequently watered him down with comedy, age, and horrible stories. But "Police Story", is still an amazing watch.
Not necessarily a martial arts film so much as a stunt masters catalog of “crazy stuff he can do,” it still ranks as one of the best and original – and changed how these films could be perceived.
Fan: Matt Reifschneider
Film: Hero
With the new focus on smart and philosophical history pieces for martial arts films that was occurring at the time, it’s not hard to sift through and see the brilliance of Hero.
The fact that it opens with Jet Li and Donnie Yen doing battle is enough to make most kung fu fans flip, but then throw onto it a more intense and slightly less arrogant version of philosophy and historical context than the ever popular Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and this is just a pure winner. Not to mention the twist ending is a bit of a nice touch.
Fan: Matt Reifschneider
Film: The 5 Deadly Venoms
A Classic. Over the top and ridiculous to the 11th degree of awesome.
The outrageous outfits and rather fairytale like approach to storytelling on here is only complimented with the ideological fight styles and different practices of our resident Venoms.
It's a universal tale that weaves its way to being far more than your average Shaw Brother kung fu flick. It's classic from the first minute.
Fan: Matt Reifschneider
Film: Ong Bak: The Beginning
I waited years for this to finally get its US release date, and it was worth every minute.
To see Tony Jaa (whom already is one of the best action stars currently residing in the film industry) change up his choreography into one that combines weapon use with his already stunning hand to hand combat makes this film worth the purchase.
The story is basic but completely base for the sake of the intense beat downs one gets with this film. Count me stoked for the third entry already.
Fan: Matt Reifschneider
Film: Raging Phoenix
Following the current trend of martial arts movies springing from Thailand (and more specifically the “lethal bitch” genre, as some promotional material has referred to it), Raging Phoenix is no exception to the rule. Geared up to practically be the squeal to the cult smash Chocolate, Raging Phoenix features Jeeja Yanin coupled again with martial arts choreographer extortionate Panna Rittikrai, who also has the much celebrated Ong Bak under his belt.
The plot is a simple Macguffin-driven story trying to pose as something more complex than it is. Yanin fills the role of the intentionally irritating Deu, a young drummer-girl with quite the taste for cheap booze. While wandering through a car-park in a drunken stupor, a group of lady-boy gangers attempt to kidnap her when she is saved by a mysterious and attractive young man known as Sanim (played by Kazu Patrick Tan).
Sanim takes on the mantle of vigilante leader, knight in shining armour and mild love interest for Deu. He takes her under his wing, and introduces her to his gang of renegade misfits. A duo of alcoholic sidekicks provide the comic relief, and the standard Asian slapstick is definitely present, including a moment where Deu gets her backside lodged in a chair and uses it as a weapon, like some kind of killer bee. As is often the case, some of the humour is lost in translation.
We then learn that Deu’s rescue was no coincidence, after Sanim reveals that his gang has been tracking the very same bad guys that tried to snatch her up. We discover that Sanim and his friends have their own reasons for seeking revenge on the would-be kidnappers, as they are all men who have had women taken from them by the very same kidnapping ring.
Having nothing to lose, the miserable Deu pleads to become a member of Sanim’s gang, and she is given the job of bait. Predictably she must first learn how to take care of herself - cue the training montage. The three friends school her in the art of drunken Mauy Thai, break-dancing and alcohol etiquette, which she picks up surprisingly fast. She must also learn the benefits of being completely inebriated, and is taken on several rights of passage, including consuming copious amounts of alcohol from brightly coloured bottles, and drinking from a bottle while lying in the sea with your hands and feet tied. As unbelievable as it is it that a spoiled brat can pick up excellent mastery of a difficult fighting style in just days, it is essential to the plot, so you just take it with a pinch of salt and go along with it regardless.
The action continues with the gang desperately trying to come face-to-face with the gang’s terrible leader, a muscle bound woman who would give Mr. Universe a run for his money. Things take a turn for the worse with a rather limp try at a plot twist, and a cobbled together revelation, which seems to be nothing more than an attempt to give the story more depth, but, ultimately, is completely unnecessary.
The last half-an-hour of the film reverts to wall-to-wall fights, which remain pretty consistently enjoyable, giving viewers exactly what they signed up for. Although towards the end it does begin to get tedious, and, considering the running time, the odd fight wouldn’t have been missed. The combat scenes aren’t the most impressive and, at times, the action is overdone. However, the pleasant innovation of drunken Muay Thai and break-dancing does make for good viewing, with the odd moment that will inspire you to jump to your feet and join in on the action. The first major fight does standout as one of the more jaw-dropping, as it features a group of men on bladed pogo-boots. The stunts are executed as flawlessly as expected considering the team on board, and certain moments during Deu’s training montage are breathtaking. Yanin once again sets herself up to be a force to be reckoned with in the martial arts genre.
The soundtrack is a mixture of guitar riffs, touching piano heartbreakers and funky hip-hop, complete with Thai rapping, which provides an eccentric accompaniment but fits the mood perfectly.
Raging Phoenix has a plot that leaves a lot to be desired, and the ending boarders on tragic, however, what it lacks in story, it just about makes up for in action. The sprinkles of romance and humour manage to salvage a lot of the enjoyment. Yanin is by far the best thing in it, and she is certainly cementing her place as the one to watch in Thai cinema. If you are looking for something non-too cerebral then leave your brain at the door and get ready to see some unadulterated Mauy Thai violence.
Fan: Oliver Askew
Film: I’m A Cyborg
I’m A Cyborg is a strange tale, taking place in a mental institution. Suicide, depression and schizophrenia are rarely topics covered in a romantic comedy, but this pulls it off. It is only to be expected to be a masterpiece with Park Chan-wook at the helm, shortly after the completion of his highly regarded Vengeance Trilogy.
As mentioned before; there are dark topics in the film, and starting off with a suicide attempt is a powerful way of setting the tone. But there is almost a British style of humour as the film approaches this subject.
The protagonist of this film is Young-goon, who after spending a long time working in an electrical factory, and with her grandmother having being taken into a home, becomes convinced she is a cyborg. Her suicide attempt is actually her thinking that she is re-charging her batteries, because she needs her energy to kill all of the “white-coats” who took her grandmother.
This already emotional tale of mental illness is then taken to another level as at the institution she falls in love with Il-sun, played by Korean superstar Rain. Il-sun voluntarily sectioned himself as he suffers from various anti-social disorders. It’s the classic tale of insane girl meets insane boy.
The performances are brilliant as you meet various inmates at the institution and we see all of their own problems, fantasies, and loves. Park Chan-wook, as well as directing, put a lot into the writing of the film, and it shows. The strange stories, as well as a view for revenge become familiar after his stunning work on the Vengeance Trilogy.
The only problem with the performances is Rain. If you don’t know, Rain has built himself up in the business world, as well as the culture world of Korea. He owns multiple companies and has had many hit records; this gives him an air of confidence that annoyingly comes across in his acting. He appears very sure of himself, as if he is not focusing on what he is doing, and just thinking about how much everyone will love him for it. Unfortunately, he appears for his name rather than his acting ability.
Despite being a protagonist, this does not ruin the film. Although it does ruin a pivotal scene, as you feel that his character is rather forced into the situation, instead of having a reason to really be there.
However, this does not dampen a viewer’s enjoyment of the film. The rest of the cast play their roles magnificently. This glimpse into the world of mental illness is not over exaggerated. The stories of the inmates are played with respect, and with honestly to their situation. This film shows that people with mental illness are as open to emotion to any other person, but just act differently because of their conditions.
This is a film you could watch with the family, if the youngest viewers are teenagers. Despite its dark tones and realism, it is still a mad-cap rom-com about two crazy kids in love. If you are a fan of Park Chan-wook’s previous work, you will definitely enjoy this.
Fan: James Angus
Film: Machuca
The fourth film from Andrés Wood (Chilean director and writer), 2004’s Machuca is based on one of the most complicated and polemical times of Chile's recent history.
1973 was a year of political chaos in Chile; the society was divided in two. On one side was the first socialist elected president of South America, Mr Salvador Allende. His rise to power was not welcomed by the high society, and the military under the command of General Augusto Pinochet.
It’s in this context that father McEnroe (Ernesto Malbran) started a project of social integration of the classes, mixing the students of the respectable school of Saint Patrick with lower class pupils. The idea was not welcomed by the big families of the right wing in Chile.
The movie focuses on two teenagers - Pedro Machuca (Ariel Mateluna), a poor kid from the ghetto, and Gonzalo Infante (Matias Quer), a rich mother’s boy - and how they become friends, unaware of all the social drama that surrounds them.
Wood tells us this history from the naïve point of view of Gonzalo Infante, who, without realising it, started discovering this completely alien world of Santiago’s skid row. One of the big challenges was not to make it overly political, as events were still fresh with the Chilean audience, and the director manages to pass this subject in a subtle way – truthful but without causing offence. The script is flawless, a crescendo exponentially, and leaving no space for wandering.
The art department’s achievements are omnipresent throughout the running time. For Chilean audiences, this is nostalgic trip back in time, and for foreign viewers, this is a vivid representation of the country during the ‘70s. And the cinematography by Miguel J Littin, washed out and almost without contrast, represents the times historically, but also the feelings of the characters.
Machuca's cast features many big names of the Chilean film industry, such as Ernesto Malbran as father McEnroe and Tamara Acosta as Juana, however, it’s the acting of the protagonist Matias Quer (Matias Infante), and the second roles of Ariel Mateluna (Pedro Machuca) and Manuela Martelli (Silvana) that take most of the plaudits. Andrés Wood had to work for several months with these inexperience actors before the actual shooting to ensure they could deliver the feeling he wanted – and the hard work paid off. Ariel Mateluna steals the movie – a natural talent.
This film was first released in Europe, and enjoyed award success at the Cannes Film Festival (21st May 2004), before its release back home in Chile (August 2004), where it broke all national box office records, and won a number of awards.
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