07/05/2013

NYAFF 2013: “The Last Tycoon” & “Comrade Kim Goes Flying”

by Matthew Edward Hawkins

Time for yet another NYAFF 2013 rundown, this time featuring the king of Hong Kong cinema himself, along with the a girl power flick from… North Korea?!?!

The Last Tycoon

It goes without saying that Chow Yun-Fat is the first name that comes up for most everybody when discussing Hong Kong cinema’s glory years. For myself, he was certainly the man (along with Jackie Chan) that got me so gaga for Asian movies in the first place. And, as such, it’s also been a bummer to see the HK movie scene… not so much tumble, but simply lose most of its steam (hey, nothing good lasts forever). It’s especially heartbreaking that Chow Yun-Fat’s career isn’t where it once was, nor where it should rightfully be. Which is why The Last Tycoon was basically made for people like myself. To be honest, when it comes to Heroic Bloodshed movies, or MGT (“Major Gangster Tragedies” as the NYAFF calls them), there are definitely better examples out there. Yet for fans of the genre, especially the kind cut from the mid 80s-early 90s cloth, The Last Tycoon could be best described as comfort food. It’s all about Cheng Daqi, who was once a simple country boy that dreamt of making it big in the city, and actually did, by becoming one of Shanghai’s three major triad bosses. Apparently, Daqi is based upon a real person, along with his two compatriots, all of whom Chinese history books have conveniently forgotten about.

The movie constantly cuts back and forth in time; initially we meet young Daqi, played by Huang Xiaoming (who kinda/sorta looks like a fresh faced Chow Yun-Fat, minus the charm, but it’s not his fault, cuz that’s pretty much an impossible task for any actor) who is wrongfully sent to death row. Thankfully his cellmate is Mao Zai, played by the always awesome Francis Ng, and the second of the three aforementioned godfathers. He not only busts Daqi out, but also provides him his first chance to kill a guy. Once back home, Daqi discovers that the girl of his dreams has left for Beijing while he was in slammer, so with no real reason to stick around, Daqi decides to finally pursue his dreams in Shanghai. There he becomes a street punk, and almost immediately rises up the ranks, eventually nabbing the attention of Hong Shouting, portrayed by the always amazing Sammo Hung. Who, aside from being the police captain, is also the criminal kingpin, plus the third and final big boss (back then, the people who upheld the law and broke them were often one and the same). Daqi and Hong eventually becomes bros, and eventually Mao enters the picture, with the three of them doing business together, like one big happy family. With his career in tip-top shape, Daqi decides to find the love of his life, and succeeds, but she totally freaks out when there’s an attempt on his life. It’s a bit understandable, being reunited with the man of your dreams after so many years, and then being a hostage less than ten minutes later. Thankfully Daqi already kinda/sorta had a gal pal anyway, and after getting rejected by girl #1, he decides to really give it a try with girl #2, who’s already head over heels for the dude to being with.

Many years pass and Shanghai couldn’t be healthier, until the bad guys rear their heads, which comes in the form of the Japanese Imperialist Army (naturally). Daqi discovers that there’s a local who has is a vital part of the Japanese’s initiatives, so it’s probably a good idea to kill though the dude, except his wife is Daqi’s childhood crush who all of sudden crashes the party. At this point, the constant back and forth in time is replaced by several love triangles all happening at once, involving Daqi, Daqi’s current flame, Daqi’s unrequited love, Hong’s wife, Hong’s concubine, Hong himself, and I believe Mao also. The Last Tycoon has pretty much every classic Hong Kong cinematic trope you can think of: bad guys acting good guys, the horror of seeing someone turn on his sworn brother, the joys of discovering that a turncoat is actually a good guy after all, guns that shoot an endless amount of bullets (except for one, to prove that the film is somewhat based in reality), plus Chow Yun-Fat killing like 500 people at once and not getting a single drop of blood on his all white suit. Sorry, but there’s no slow-mo shots of doves flying away I’m afraid. On one hand, even though it seems like a decent introduction to the genre to total newbies, I would have to recommend more classic fare like A Better Tomorrow or The Killer, but for veterans of the genre, who have seen both aforementioned movies a thousand times, even though you’ve been there/done that, it’s a fun throw back as previously stated. Sadly, it’s lone screening has just past (apologizes for not having my review ready in time), but I have a strong feeling that it’ll find distribution sooner than later.

Comrade Kim Goes Flying

Not only is Comrade Kim Goes Flying the first North Korean movie that the NYAFF has ever screened, it might also be one of the few North Korean movies to be shown in North America, period. Almost nothing is known about the country other than what the news, that VICE documentary, and Team America tells us. Though here’s a fun-fact: my mother was originally from North Korea. After the Korean War ended and the government took over the family business, herself along with all her siblings, led by their mother, all left Pyongyang to traverse the wilderness, to escape to the south. Long story short, everyone has no doubt heard that things in North Korea are both harsh and weird. But it all compares to the stuff I’ve been told, which is literally a million times worse and stranger that what’s been reported. Trust me on this. So with that in mind, I was especially eager to see a flick that supposedly had very little political agenda to push, but instead was all about girl power.

Comrade Kim Yong-mi is a coal miner’s daughter who loves acrobatics, much to her dad’s chagrin. When she finally gets an assignment in the big city, working on a major construction project, the first chance she gets, Kim attends the circus. That’s where her hero, trapeze artist Ri Su Yon, performs. And not only does Kim get to witness Ri’s magic firsthand, but she also gets to meet her backstage, and is even encouraged to audition for a slot herself (especially since Ri is getting a bit too old to perform much longer). Unfortunately, Kim totally flops; she only discovers right then and there that she has a fear of heights, and as such is made fun of by Ri’s partner, Pak Jang Phil. He states that Kim belongs on the ground and not in the air, plus how all miners suck in general (more or less). But Kim is determined to prove the douchebag wrong, and her boss at the Construction Brigade lends a hand as well, by helping Kim overcome her fear of heights, and also motivating her to follow her dreams (he too was insulted by the assertion that a miner can’t do what a circus star does, because she’s part of the working class, like he is, and if they put their mind to it, they can do anything, etc).

To the point that he gets everyone else in the construction crew to learn tricks of their own, for the upcoming Worker’s Festival, in which Kim would be the star of their show. Which goes off without a hitch; not only is Pak forced to eat his own words, he also begins to realize that he’s in love with Comrade Kim! Though next thing you know, she’s back home. Pak follows, in hopes of convincing Kim to give the circus another shot, but she’s perfectly content to live a modest life, simply entertaining her co-workers. Which is why Pak calls in the big guns (i.e. various government officials), who all state that it’s Kim’s responsibility to perform, for the benefit of all of North Korea (and Glorious Leader, despite not being stated as such). Comrade Kim Goes Flying does not shove North Korea propaganda down one’s throat as expected, or at least in a flagrant manner. But it’s definitely there, in a much subtler manner than expected. Furthermore it illustrates a very idealized version of the country and people, which the one of the directors, Nicholas Bonner (who was on-hand for the screening), readily admitted was the point. The colors of the North Korean countryside pop out at you in a very Technicolor-manner, far more so than IRL. The streets are also filled with cheerful people, all totally content with life, a stark contrast to what many people expect the average North Korean citizen to be.

Bonner (who co-wrote and co-directed the movie, along with Belgium and British partners) detailed the five-year odyssey it took to make Comrade Kim Goes Flying happen. Which was a real challenge, given that the only thing the North Korean film industry produces are, not surprisingly, in your face political dogma, instead of a feel good story about the underdog beating the odds, the type of stuff classic Hollywood used to produce. And even though it’s super thin when compared to girl power flicks that we see here in America, it totally pushes the envelope in North Korea, along with various buttons. Like how Kim actually lies to sneak past the security guard to see the circus! That’s pretty progressive stuff, as well scandalous. Speaking of, guess how far Kim and Pak go, when it comes to their romance? Do they at least kiss? Hell no; at best Pak lightly touches Kim’s hand, which apparently is super hot and heavy by North Korean standards. But Comrade Kim Goes Flying as whole is a start, for a nation that could use big screen heroes and heroines to live vicariously through, the kind that celebrates individual feats, even if there’s a nationalistic slant layered on top of everything (which simply can’t be avoided). It’s apparently on tour at the moment, across the globe (as well as back home, playing in community movie houses, which are a staple of the farm country), though a DVD or digital release is a possibility, given that the filmmakers are determined to demystify North Korea.

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07/02/2013

NYAFF 2013: “Confession of Murder” & “Countdown”

by Matthew Edward Hawkins

Another day, another double dose of the 2013 NYAFF! In which we take a look at a hard boiled Korean cop who wants justice and the pretty boy killer that’s the thorn in his side, plus three Thai hipsters and the drug dealer that may be their worst mistake ever…

Confession of Murder

Choi Hyeong-goo is a detective both scarred physically and mentally by a serial killer, one that slipped through his fingers (after chasing him around dimly lit, rain-soaked back alleys and rooftops, which kicks off the movie in spectacular fashion). 17 years have passed since, which is enough time for Choi to become an absolute wreck, as well for the statue of limitations on said crimes to pass. And on the very day he can no longer be charged, the murder comes out of hiding, to reveal himself as Lee Doo-seok. He’s oh so sorry for all his crimes and ready to spill the beans… all of which are detailed in his brand new tell-all book. Not surprisingly, Lee becomes a celebrity sensation overnight, though it helps that he’s a very good lucking and charming motherf*cker on top of everything, so all the lady folk across the country are madly in love with the guy. Meanwhile the police force is pissed about the entire situation, but due to the law, they can’t put their hands on Lee. Hence why he makes a visit to the station, to ask Choi for forgiveness, in another staged event for the cameras to help promote his book. The more than a little pissed lawman lets everyone knows that he believes the author to be a fraud and is determined to expose the real killer.

Though Lee has other detractors as well, in the form of a small army comprised of family members of the murder’s victims. They want revenge, obviously, and even manage to kidnap Lee, which immediately leads to yet another spectacular action set piece that raises the bar when it comes to car chases. It’s perhaps worth mentioning how Confession of Murder is by Jeong Byeong-gil, who knows a thing or three about on screen action; he previously directed Action Boys, the documentary on Korean stuntmen from a few NYAFFs back. Also, in case it hasn’t been made abundantly clear already, this film is not quite the dark, psycho-drama that one might have expected given the premise; there’s certainly bits of that to be sure, but it’s also a fast paced action flick, with copious amount of black comedy sprinkled about as well. Anyhow, Choi ends up having to save Lee’s ass from certain doom, but only because that’s his job. He also begrudgingly agrees to appear on a live debate show with the killer, in an attempt to expose the pretty boy on live television. But then a funny thing happens; one of the live callers claims to be the actual murder, and then all hell breaks loose. Lee is adamant that he’s the real deal and this other person is the actual wannabe, the aforementioned gang of survivors comes up with a brand new act of vengeance, plus Choi is given a brand new, vital piece to the puzzle. We also discover why the case has been eating away at his soul this entire time as well: one of the murder victims hit awfully close to home.

In the end, we get the inevitable three-way confrontation, on the air of course. Much to delight of ratings hungry television broadcasters, as well as the millions watching at home, who are all too happy to gobble up such drama. To say anything else would be totally giving everything away; Confession of Murder is an absolute must see, plain and simple. Again, like pretty much everything else at this year’s NYAFF, it’s only playing once, but thankfully its lone show time hasn’t happened yet! Unfortunately it’s at a time that’s going to be inconvenient to some, but do whatever you can to make the Wednesday July 3, 3:00PM, at Lincoln Center screening.

Countdown

Countdown is a horror flick that hails from Thailand, but which was filmed here in America, in New York City to be exact. It tells the tale of three Thai hipsters, Pam, Jack, and Bee; all three are in America on the behalf of their parents, some of whom have made great sacrifices for their children. They’re here to earn a better future than themselves, but instead the trio simply acts like totally spoiled rotten brats. Pam‘s supposed to be studying fashion design, but all she does is buy designer threads and banging some American dude named Fabio. Meanwhile, Jack is supposed to be earning a business degree, but hasn’t even been accepted into NYU, and is just concerned with scoring weed and banging Bee. The last one is seemingly the most levelheaded of the bunch, though Bee appears to be almost as lazy and conceited enough to be clumped together with the other two, so all three are totally ripe to be tortured in a horror flick! Anyhow, it’s New Year’s Eve and the three want to usher in 2013 totally high off their asses (okay, not so much Bee).

Jack asks his downstairs neighbor, a fellow Thai youngster, to hook him up. But he refuses, because the guy’s giving drug dealing a rest. It’s a new year, and he’s eager to start a new life, one that’s totally clean. This prompts Jack to gather up the torn pieces of a business card belonging to his pal’s supplier, some guy named Jesus, and call him up. You can pretty much guess what happens next; Jesus swings by the kids’ apartment and initially appears to be a super cool bro. Aside from hooking everyone up with some primo sh*t, he’s also kinda charming, funny even, and also doesn’t mind being laughed, even when he can’t understand the jokes that are being cracked at his expense (he’s American, and therefore doesn’t understand it when the kids make snide comments in Thai). But, as you’d expect most drug dealers to be (especially the kind who not only spouts biblical psalms repeatedly, but also solves every problem by pulling out someone or something’s teeth, or so we are told repeatedly), Jesus begins to creep everyone out and warms out his welcome. So, does he take being asked to get lost kindly? Of course not! Not only that, he also speaks perfect Thai, plus knows a lot about the lives of our three dopes, whom he begins to beat the crap out of.

Despite its extremely modern flourishes, Countdown definitely takes in cues from 80s horror classics. The budget might be close to nothing, the acting might not be the best, and while not everything makes sense, the production as a whole is both refreshing and inspired. Some of the editing and camerawork in particular is especially impressive. It’s the type of ingenuity you saw in Evil Dead 2 (not saying that Countdown is in the same class, or even the same kind of movie), and which you just don’t see in other movies of its kind today. Crap like the Saw movies, for example. While not exactly scary, it’s a fun watch, and a definitely guilty pleasure. Especially if you like seeing hipsters eat sh*t and die. Countdown can be seen Wednesday July 3, 10:20PM, at Lincoln Center.

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07/01/2013

NYAFF 2013: “Aberya” & “The Challenge of the Lady Ninja”

by Matthew Edward Hawkins

So what’s up next up in my rundown of the 2013 edition of the New York Asian Film Festival? Why, another fine example of classic, gonzo Taiwanese filmmaking. As well as a far more recent effort from the Philippines that’s not nearly as enjoyable…

Aberya

As already mentioned, this year’s NYAFF spans over 60 movies. There have been a few standouts already, with more certainly to come. Yet they can’t all be winners, and Aberya most definitely falls in this category. Additionally, it’s a prime example of how the ultra sexy descriptions that accompanies each and every NYAFF flick can sometimes raise expectations a tad bit too high. At times they’re actually more enjoyable to read than watching the movie it’s promoting! In the end, I feel bad saying anything too negative about Aberya, since it’s the very first movie from director Christian Linaban, and debut efforts are hardly ever perfect. Plus the Filipino film scene is still trying to carve an identity for itself, so one should be patient and understanding. Yet I can’t deny the fact that it was an absolute chore to sit through.

The film centers on four individuals whose lives intersect in all sorts of way. First you have Lourd, a boxer who made it big in the United States and is thusly a national hero back home in the Philippines, or at least in his mind. The dude’s a douche, yet popular with the ladies. His “segment” kicks off the movie, in which he details every single woman he’s either currently banging or is trying to, one for each day of the week. Lourd is one of those characters that is written a bit too well, because the dude is flat out obnoxious on every level imaginable. Aside from a totally random breaking of the fourth wall moment, the movie’s only truly engaging moment, Lourd’s also boring as sh*t, though that’s admittedly a problem when it comes to the cast as a whole (but it just seems a tad bit worse with this guy). BTW, early on is also when its established that Linaban prefers to only shoot close ups of everyone, which becomes fairly annoying fairly quickly. Even better is the angle; not from the side, head-on, but just a bit behind their ear. Again, it’ll drive you nuts, guaranteed. Next we have Angel, the nun turned prostitute (whom Lourd bangs), so she’s filled with pathos, thus constantly rattling off of biblical psalms. Which is supposed to be deep and junk (and a total first time director thing, so maybe I shouldn’t be too hard about this). We also discover that she has HIV and willingly has sex with men that she view to be scum, as to punish them. Or something like that.

Third up is Mike, by the far the most interesting of the gang, though not by a whole lot. He likes to experiment with drugs and has created concoctions that allow the bending of time and space. For the record, the whole idea of a drug dealer that’s also a time traveller was honestly the only reason why I bothered with Aberya in the first place. Anyhow, the names of the drugs are all Back To The Future references, and that’s pretty neat (like “DeLorean” , “McFly” , and “Biff”). He’s also haunted by the ghost of his ex-girlfriend, or at least I think that’s who she is, which honestly doesn’t make much since she isn’t dead. Speaking us, we finally have Eden, the aforementioned ex. The reason for the break-up? It’s not the drugs, but how Mike not only convinced her to participate in a sex tape, in which they dressed up in satanic regalia, but how it also somehow got leaked on the internet. Which causes a massive amount of heartache for Eden; she loses her job and becomes dirt poor, but is unable to ask for her parents for help since they’ve disowned her out of shame. Thankfully she gets a new boyfriend, one who’s rich, and also a famous boxer, you know who. Eden ends up being the one person that ties everyone together, as is often the case for movies like this. But when the pivotal final scene finally goes down, which is supposed to bring everything together and be the big pay off, instead of going “HOLY FUCKING SH*T?!?!” you’re actually all “zzzzzz”. Aberya lone screening has just passed, and I feel bad for filing this review so late, since it could have possible prevented a pour soul from wasting $13 and 90+ minutes of their lives. Hey, did I mention that Aberya sucks?

The Challenge of the Lady Ninja

While not a Taiwanese black movie, The Challenge of the Lady Ninja was produced during the genre’s brief lifespan and is just as ridiculous. It’s also by Lee Tso-Nam, the same director that helmed A Life Of Ninja. Which I also discovered though Subway Cinema, though before the NYAFF became a thing and back when they were just running old school kung fu fests. And it has pretty much has everything that one could possibly want in a sh*tty martial arts movie: really bad wire work, a horribly limited assortment of sound effects, gratuitous nudity, gratuitous mud wrestling, the Imperial March from Star Wars that is was not used with permission one must assume, a most convenient fake hand, plus a samurai warrior who looks like Ziggy Stardust if he was bald and, instead of a red lighting bolt, sports a blue scorpion on his head. The Challenge of the Lady Ninja kicks off with Siu Wai, the star of the show, going through a bunch of challenges that a lady ninja must endure. So right off the back, the movie delivers! It’s actually a test to see if she has what it takes to be a bona fide, full-fledged, card carrying ninja. And she does, so she passes the trial with flying colores, but one of the male ninjas makes it abundantly clear that he doesn’t dig the idea of a Chinese woman being a so-called master of Japanese arts (never mind how no one in the flick is actually Japanese). Though he’s mostly jealous that the master taught Siu Wai the art of “shadow clones”, meaning she has serious Ninja Gaiden 2 skills going on, and not him. But that doesn’t matter cuz she has to go back home, to China, when word hits that her fiancé Lee Tong has killed her father. Not only that, but he also sold out to the Japanese Imperialist Army, so you’d think the movie takes place during World War 2, but everything (the architecture, the fashion, the automobiles, and ESPECIALLY the hair) all screams the 70s. Actually, the movie was filled in the early 80s; it takes time for such trends to reach Taiwan. Anyhow, one has to assume that The Challenge of the Lady Ninja takes place in an alternate reality in which WWII either started much later or has simply dragged on an additional 40 years. That or there was either zero budget to account for such discrepancies, or the director simply didn’t care.

Siu Wai decides to seek revenge, but her first attempt at killing Lee Tong is unsuccessful due to his four henchmen, and she only makes it out alive thanks to the help of some stranger in a skull mask (the dude is reminiscent of the Ninja Turtles‘ Casey Jones). Realizing that assistance is required, Siu Wai decides to form an all-female gang of assassins. First she enlists the aide of a legit martial arts practitioner, whose talents outshines even the Lady Ninja herself. Next is an acrobat who lacks fighting ability, but wants to kill Lee Tong for being a sell out, cuz she’s a loves her homeland. And finally there’s the prostitute, who shows up uninvited and forces herself onto the team, but she states “even a whore can be patriotic!” So cue “hilarious” training footage of the prostitute not being able to stay with the program, but at least she can distract bad guys with her boobies, long enough so her teammates can throw ninja stars in their faces. Anyhow, it is determined that the only way to get rid of Lee Tong is to eliminate his bodyguards first, and we get the full rundown of their abilities, along with other personal info that’s not entirely important, but good to know anyways. Like how the Taekwondo expert, aside from being a killing machine, has no friends. Good to know! You also have a Jeet Kune Do expert, a dude who uses wacky weaponry, and the aforementioned samurai with a blue scorpion tattooed onto his chrome dome. One by one, they’re killed. It’s perhaps worth mention that the Taekwondo practitioner, who is also the lone female of the gang, is defeated thanks to an impromptu oil wrestling match. Anyhow, eventually it’s time to close in Lee Tong. But what’s this? He’s actually a good guy, an undercover agent whose mission was to infiltrate the Japanese army? WTF? And that shocker simply pales in comparison to the ending…

Sadly, like most other offerings at this year’s NYAFF, The Challenge of the Lady Ninja will be played just once; tomorrow, Tuesday July 2, 4:30PM, at Lincoln Center. Which I realize is not the most convenient time for most people (apparently, some New Yorkers actually have regular 9-5 jobs out there). Which is why I must also recommend A Life of Ninja; it’s screening is at a far more convenient Friday July 5, 10:05PM, again at Lincoln Center. Instead of giving a rundown (mostly since I recall reviewing it here, ages ago, but I’m unable to find it), simply check out the trailer:

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