A tonic from the panoply of adolescent love stories that feel manufactured, prescriptive, or even didactic. Girl Picture is formally and conceptually attuned to the anarchism intrinsic to experience, intimacy, and affect. Life is messy and Girl Picture has no moral precepts about the rules of connection, sexuality, and desire. In fact, one could argue it's radical in its depiction of corporeal pleasure and sexuality due solely to the fact that its theatrics and dramatics are never drawn directly from either. Girl Picture completely detached and uninterested in interrogating puritanical ideals around sex, and heteronormative notions of connection. Simply put, by not giving those things any weight or any substance, Girl Picture transcends social constructs and expectations, ruminating on the existential. The messiness of emotions, the reciprocity necessary for companionship, and how we as individuals may draw from internal impulse and cognitive analysis of what we experience, yet the intrinsic interconnectivity of modernity means we constantly are influenced by others and are in a state of perpetual evolution. I'm probably making this sound more profound in ways than it is, yet it just felt so authentic to living, where experience is tethered to self-discovery and personal growth. We are social creatures, and how we communicate through movement, action, and language influences not only the one we are in direct contact with but ultimately others - we are all nodes on a massive connected network. Conflict is not portrayed solely as an impediment to self-discovery but as a necessity in the journey of life. So many films exhibit love in a way that borders on utopianism, and perhaps what I love the most about this deeply affecting film is how Girl Picture outright rejects such juvenile notions. The desire for connection and companionship is bound to be full of conflict as we, at the end of the day, are emotional creatures. Love isn't logical, it is emotion-based, and with something as powerful as emotion, expressing our internal feelings openly and honestly is simply not easy, which I think this film demonstrates wonderfully. Love is essential, a powerful force against the cold, indifference of existence yet to present it as utopian is a great deception, and Girl Picture wonderfully recognizes that with anything as beautiful as love, pain is almost sure to be a part of that. Surprised my mutuals don't seem to have responded to this as much as I did. Frankly, not sure I've been as affected by a film like this since when I first saw Lukas Moodysson's Show Me Love.
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Certainly ambitious, Carter is an audacious display of kineticism that I can respect but simply can't fully embrace. The continuous camera movement of this sucker does pay off during most of the action set-pieces, the continuous movement inducive to the palpable pleasures of a chaotic tableau of violence in R- rated action filmmaking. Where this film struggles is during the in-between sequences that essentially exist to give this film a semblance of a narrative. In these sequence this continuous movement is abrasive, dizzying, and distracting. The story, in general, is pretty snooze-inducing but obviously, that's not really what we are here for, and the action sequences are imbued with consistent brutalism and bloodshed that can't help but titillate the senses. It may just be personal preference, but I like my action with a little more weight, a little more physicality that is felt, which I feel this film obfuscates due to its desire to be in a state of continuous motion. It's such an ambitious action film, so I struggle to be too negative toward it but I found that the digital facade necessary for its ambitions saps it of some of its authenticity. I will say it's almost impressive how coherent its action set-pieces can be, all things considered. Fun overall. Also, what's up Camilla Belle?
Kakabakaba Ka Ba's tone and treatment could not be more different than De Leon's Kisapmata, Itim, or Batch 88, but it ultimately features its own unique cutting social critique through a maximalist panache that continuously escalates as the film progresses. A sardonic, farcical crime caper musical! that sets its sights on the pervasive ways imperialism infects, distorts, and rearranges cultural identity. From Christianity to the Pan-Asian sphere of influence by Japan and China on the Philippines, Kakabakaba Ka Ba is a biting, playful critique of economic and social imperialism that trades in the suffocating, simmering tension of the three aforementioned films above for a more kinetic, gonzo approach. There of course is a link between the fascism De Leon explores in both Batch 88 (explicitly) and Kisapmata (implicitly) with transnational imperialism he explores in Kakabakaba Ka Ba? as both rely on subjugation, it's just a level of degrees in how explicit it manifests itself. Kakabakaba Ka Ba? proclaims that De Leon is far from a one-trick pony as a filmmaker, as this film's playful formal designs have more in common with Bogdanovich's Whats Up Doc? than it does with some of his other work. De Leon remains fascinated with examining oppression in its more explicit and implicit forms. Subjugation and authority are intertwined, whether it be toxic masculinity under a patriarchal society, outright fascism, religious orthodoxy, or imperialism. The ways in which social or political power restrict social liberty feels like a subtle throughline of De Leon's work I've seen, and there is a continuous focus on cultural identity and the various external forces that continue to sculpt and mold Filipino society.
Remember when spectacle wasn't defined by duration or bombast? An absolutely stunning achievement in which the sheer artistry is next-level. The production design is a salient reminder that despite the digital facades of contemporary cinema and all that digital composites can muster, they will never feel more authentic and palpable to the imagination than old-school production design and artisanal-like attention to detail in scope and scale. It's one of those films that when you sit back and think about the fact that this it was shot in what, 1955? One begins to really be dumbstruck with just how majestic, vibrant, and expansive it manages to be. Of course, this film is nationalist - which for this guy is one of the most despicable, indefensible human conceptions imaginable - yet, it's just so imaginative, jolly, and beautifully constructed, traversing its 90-minute runtime with ease while efficiently creating an absolute spectacle. A stunning achievement of its era, or any era really, it is difficult to not be awe-struck by the images constructed here. This is exactly what I want out of fantasy, mythic cinema.
I like the part where she brushes her teeth with a white, plastic toothbrush. In all seriousness, Prey is a slick, violent, compelling experience that doesn't completely adhere to the Predator ethos but it effectively forges it's own path. Justifying its decisions with efficiency in pacing, strong action set-pieces, and clever overall conception, Prey offers lots of memorable moments with sturdy direction throughout. There is always something bigger in the food chain, and I really liked how this film embraces the duality of nature - life and death are counterweights, violence intrinsic, and the hunt is embedded into living in its most primal sense. It's kinda funny that the Predator is a misogynist, not viewing our main protagonist as a threat. He is a member of the patriarchy which is a fun, compelling choice. It's not even subtext just text. I saw someone proclaim that when one removes nostalgia from the equation that it could be argued that Prey is better than the original, and well, that person is dead wrong. As a proud defender of Predator 2, I would slot Prey somewhere around the 3rd best Predator film. It's better than Predators or The Predator, and I'd likely argue on-par if not a little above AVP, particularly given AVP's aversion to macabre and Prey's embracement. Anyway, I had fun, a good movie.
The duality of desire. How corporeal impulse alone can tether itself to pure objectification and thus, power when viewed within the confines of the patriarchal social order. I just forgot how diabolically delightful Bitter Moon is, a playful sardonic interpretation of relationships in which any form of symbiosis feels like a perverse fantasy. The razor-thin edge between love and hate is expressed via this let's just say tumultuous relationship, and yet somehow, SOMEHOW the denouement remains affecting as if these characters despite their flaws are merely victims of their unadulterated desires, desires which on some level are intrinsically possessive. I personally like to see it as a veiled, provocative critique of monogamy in which Coyote gives one of the truly great performances of the 90s.
At one point in this movie, after his fellow comrade has been brutally stabbed by two swords and lies motionless on the ground, Sammo Hung flippantly remarks "How can you be done so soon". It's a perhaps unintentionally hilarious moment, but it also in a sense, exhibits Hung's directorial vision. Warriors Two is a relatively brutal effort, a film that perhaps best showcases the contrast between Sammo Hung's comedic sensibilities as an actor and his penchant for capturing bodily damage with unequivocal ferocity. I'm wise enough to know I am far from a Sammo Hung expert, but I've seen my fair share and what is really striking about his directorial efforts is how much he wants you to feel the contact, the collision, the damage, and pain inflicted on the flesh regardless of the variant tones he may be going for. Warriors Two is a strong effort in his oeuvre. A relatively simple, succinct story that delivers all the pleasures one would hope for - a cornucopia of well-choreographed fights, bloodshed, tragedy, vengeance, a killer training sequence, and one smooth criminal of a Wing Chun master. I had fun.
A truly gonzo political and cultural allegory that traverses the horror comedy archetype to deliver a sharp, subversive unequivocally ambiguous story as a way of expressing the collective anxiety of Hong Kong and the uncertain and unknown of it's people. Not for horror hounds, The Midnight After has some fun, creative deaths but it's horror is more metaphysical than material, one about the tyranny the unknown can place on the human psyche. There is one scene in this film in particular which I won't spoil here that made me more squeamish than any gorey horror film could manage. A film built around the unexplainable, The Midnight After is an audacious work by Fruit Chan and on initial viewing I'm not sure how good this is, but it feels like a film that will linger in my mind and those are the best. Simon Yam's hair in this >>>>
Very much in line with much of Weir's oeuvre when it comes to thematic investigation but The Plumber in structure and setting is much smaller and more succinct. The 'welcomed stranger enters a home and upsets the equilibrium of the household' motif is deployed with maximum discomfort and unease. Those looking for a home invasion thriller would be disappointed, as The Plumber is abrasive yet not built on any real sense of dread outside of this tradesman making the white liberal couple squirm. I say it has similarities to Weir's other work thematically in the educated white liberal couple are academically linked to aboriginal culture, so perhaps The Plumber is best described as adjacent or an extension of some of Weir's recurring themes, with his interest in colonialism, in this case, being told here through a story of class anxiety, white liberalism, and the thorny dynamics bound to exist between economic and social strata that define everyone's place in modernity. The Plumber is far from one of his best works, but it offers a lot of cringe-inducing comedic pleasures, with a large part of the movie revolving around a brash, working-class character getting under the skin of a woman who essentially represents "polite society". Perhaps I'm taking a precarious leap here, but perhaps this is figurative too, as "polite society has committed a lot of atrocities throughout human history in the form of imperialism/colonialism.
A cute, teenage hangout movie in which the two female protagonists also just happen to be elite assassins. Like this film's eccentricities - the two leads play well off each other, with one being hyper-active chatterbox while the other is a deadpan social outcast. The inevitable tension within their relationship that comes with forced socialization by the organization that employs their services is well-rendered, and ultimately low-key affecting but really what you are here for is the unadulterated violence, and Baby Assassins delivers this while never letting its characterizations or theme fall by the wayside. Bookended by two strong action set-pieces, Baby Assassins is much more interested in the juxtaposition between the innocence of adolescence with the cold, lack of empathy imbued into any person whose profession is murdering people for money. It doesn't fall into sentimentality or overreach, but it plays within the confines of its world well emotionally, juxtaposing moments of teenage adolescence with cold, dispassionate violence. Bookended by two exceptional action set-pieces, what stood out to me about the Baby Assassins is the physicality of its fight choreography - there is a fluidity one would expect, exhibiting the speed and precision of these two young women, but the film also makes sure to get gnarly pronouncing the violence and physicality of each punch or kick in a way that is felt. Not groundbreaking but a peculiar, eccentric fun action flick that balances its various tones quite well.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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