Free Content - November 2003 Archives

• Film Review: 'Twilight Samurai' cuts to the heart
  11/10/03
  It’s simply about this, as Senbei says early in the film: “Watching my girls grow up, day by day, gives me a feeling I cannot explain. It’s like watching a field of crops ripen. Or flowers blooming. And it is great.”
  
  
• Film Review: '2LDK' falls flat despite enormous potential
  11/10/03
  The most overhyped film among the 13 I saw at this year’s HIFF is 2LDK, a self-congratulatory orgy of brutal violence disguised as over-the-top humor. Whatever time limitations director Yukihiko Tsutsumi had on this project—created for a wager with another director—he did himself and a paying audience a disservice by wasting talent left and right. Instead, he “writes” a story that requires the intelligence and savvy of a 4-year-old on steroids.
  
  
• Film Review: 'Save the Green Planet' opens door for Korea's version of Tarantino
  11/08/03
  A hysterically ridiculous close is another sign that Jang is practically telling an inside joke that we may or may not get. He doesn’t seem to mind one way or another.
  
  
• Film Review: 'Drifters' doesn't stray from the pain of parent-child separation
  11/08/03
  For anyone who has experienced separation in a parent/guardian-child relationship from either side, this is strong content. It is the first time I’ve shed a tear at an Asian film with a male lead, and that’s saying a little something.
  
  
• Film Review: 'Lumpia' a homemade relief from unfunny big-budget flicks
  11/08/03
  Even then, however, I found myself glued to the screen, through overdone jokes and repetitious flashbacks. Why? Because Patricio and his cast do a great job of portraying their real-life moments, whether it means gazing—in a non-stalker way, of course—at the object of one’s desire or razzing a buddy for being unconventional.
  
  
• Film Review: 'No Lonely Angels' put twist on love triangles
  11/07/03
  Love-triangle stories have been done and retreaded to a point of no return, but director Zhang Fanfan’s foray into feature films provides a fresh look. No Lonely Angels doesn’t ask new questions, but it does allow us into the daily complexities of four distinct personalities. And Zhang won’t allow us to necessarily take sides.
  
  
• Film Review: 'My Tutor Friend' an undeniably fun fight flick--or is it a romantic comedy?
  11/06/03
  Here she is, the cuter, funnier and Korean version of a young Meg Ryan. If you've never heard of Kim Ha-Neul, you'll get your chance when My Tutor Friend arrives at a theater near you. A combination of physical comedy, street fighting and improbable, yet hilarious romance make this one of the best films of the year.
  
  
• Film Review: 'Don't Cry' a quiet tale of innocence, hardship and courage
  11/06/03
  Lingering camera shots that almost feel too penetrating for private moments within and outside the home left me wondering: Is this really a movie or is this a camera that is quietly intruding on the lives of these sincere, good people?
  
  
• Film Review: 'The Cooler' gets hot and stays hot thanks to Macy, Bello
  11/05/03
  Kramer and Hannah find a way to make it work, and much of the credit goes to Bello, who shows us that an age gap is not necessarily a minus when two people fall in love. I absolutely bought this relationship on a deep-rooted level, and that’s a rarity, re: Lost in Translation.
  
  
• Film Review: 'Traces of the Dragon' no ordinary Jackie Chan film
  11/03/03
  When Cheung and Wong point their cameras into the forlorn faces of Chan’s half-brothers and half-sisters—their memories open a world that is figuratively and literally foreign, but gut-wrenching to see.
  
  
• Film Review: 'Spring Subway' agonizing and compelling
  11/03/03
  Maybe it’s just the 7-year-itch that has both main characters peering outside their wedding circle for companionship and intimacy. Whatever the case, this is another long “pity me, I feel weak, I might cheat on my wife” syndrome for another male lead, re: Lost in Translation. I won’t say this is a chick flick, but a small voice inside me wanted so badly to tell the husband, “Get a grip, moron!”
  
  
• Film Review: 'This Girl's Life' overcomes excesses; James Woods, Juliette Marquis shine
  11/03/03
  In fact, what newcomer Juliette Marquis brings to the camera is an audacious combination of exactly what director-writer Ash (yes, one word) requires: Porn-star flammability, girl-next-door sweetness and ultimately, the vulnerability of a young woman who grows up too fast and has to face her reckoning.
  
  

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