The Chaser (추격자 / Chugyeogja)

Personally, I feel that Korean cinema is at the forefront of the motion picture business, bringing innovative films that continue to push the boundary even while being well-produced. Unfortunately, The Chaser is one of those that strive to be recognized but falters along the way.

Jung-ho Eom is a fallen detective who now runs a pimping business. Scenes of his office show him ordering a lad around while having a multitude of phones on his desk all being charged. When one of them rings, Jung-ho quickly answers, jotting the customer’s requested time and girl in a childish scribble in an old notebook, desperate for the business. This is how we’re introduced to the situation befalling this man: his girls have been slowly disappearing mysteriously and he can ill afford the loss of business.

Having been a detective once (it’s later revealed that corruption was the cause of his discharge), Jung-ho starts to investigate this “case”, as he suspects foul play from an unruly customer. However, he’s on his own, for his cop friends care little about what happened to some prostitutes. As the culprit is identified and the clock races to rescue the most recent victim, the action and excitement clearly picks up.

However, with all the suspense in the plot and the lead character (played by Yun-seok Kim) doing a decent performance (he is on screen 80% of the time), The Chaser falls short at the halfway mark. The suspect is identified and even apprehended at this point, but frustrating incompetence and implausible coincidences mire the rest of the film, when Jung-ho is forced to run around the city hunting down the suspect by himself.

Jung-ho himself is also a conundrum. During the film, he is clearly an honorable man with a conscience, as he strives tirelessly to rescue his “girl”. But the opinions of his former detective friends say otherwise, as do the opinions of his other girls. They all point to Jung-ho being a despicable character. Later on, Jung-ho takes care of the victim’s daughter, showing the audience his virtuous inner self, but the emotions showed here feel contrived. Finally, Jung-ho’s struggle with the antagonist is a laughable affair, with blood pouring from both men as they continue to strike each other with little effect. What defies explanation is how a scrawny guy can cause a former detective (part of a top-tiered team) so much trouble.

The film does have its merits. It took a risk by telling a story almost entirely through a third-person focus on the main character. This it largely succeeds in, which may warrant the film a watching, but there simply needed to be a stronger plot. The simplicity of just one man chasing another for 2 hours makes the style a simple gimmick, and that will not do in the current competitive climate.

Pros: Interesting style; good character showcase; engaging first half
Cons: Weak story; impossible situations; drags out the second half
Conclusion: A good effort, but casual movie-watchers should take a pass
Score: 3/5

Doomsday

Doomsday seems to be one of those films that has everything you can possibly want in an action flick (explosions, guns, hand-to-hand combat, mobs, eye candy) and yet seem be missing something at its core. The premise is even somewhat plausible. A killer virus has surfaced in Scotland, spreading through skin contact. With no cure in sight, a giant wall is built to quarantine off the entire Scotland area, with residents inside left to fend for themselves. After about 25 years, the virus is found outside of the wall, prompting the desperate UK government to send in a team of experts to find a cure from survivors on the other side of the wall.

This introduction kept me readily engaged but the plausibility ends as soon as the team led by Major Eden Sinclair (played by Rhona Mitra) enters the wall. They encounter a large group of organized punks that seem to do nothing but glorify violence. What defies the realm of possibility is that there are so many survivors who have seemingly no means of sustaining themselves. The excellent premise is further destroyed when this group somehow has vehicles and electricity.

However, Doomsday is an enjoyable adventure. Perhaps it might be more accurate to describe the film as pulling together so many different genres that the experience becomes enjoyable. For instance, the infected mobs act like zombies but in other parts the Major has a solo duel sequence that has a definite Gladiator feel. Sometimes these elements are so over-the-top that the scenes become ludicrously amusing. Throw in crazy car chase sequences, medieval knights, and an amoral politician, then shake them all up in a bag and out comes Doomsday. Best served hot.

Pros: Fascination idea with pretty slick action sequences
Cons: Doesn’t go far enough into seriously exploring the limits of human nature
Conclusion: If you’re familiar with the “suspension of disbelief” concept, then you’re going to have a great time.
Score: 4/5

IMDB

Street Kings

I finally had a chance to catch Street Kings, which I took a pass on originally based mainly on the trailer, but recently a friend has convinced me otherwise. Appearing in theaters just before the arrival of numerous summer blockbusters, Street Kings certainly serves its purpose of bridging the gap between the winter and summer releases.

One area Street Kings certainly impresses is its cast list. With Keanu Reeves taking the charge as Detective Tom Ludlow, Street Kings provides a tale of violence and gore entirely from the police perspective. Rather than a cop-and-robber story, Street Kings focuses mainly on the rivalry between police members. Reeves come as close as the dictionary definition of vigilante, with the twist that no one has any oversight. What ensues is almost constant action, as Reeves goes from one gunfight to the next, with each one being equally brutal. There’s no romanticizing of killing and death here - there simply is a lot of it. Although the plot flows smoothly enough, offering just a tad more than the minimum to avoid feelings of manufactured action sequences, the story is certainly a rehash of previous titles. No surprises found here.

Other characters stand well enough on their own, with the most notable being Forest Whitaker as Captain Jack Wander, Ludlow’s boss. Unfortunately, everyone else is easily forgettable and hardly developed. In fact, the other three members in Ludlow’s squad are basically identical. Ludlow’s girlfriend falls in the same line as those three guys - forgettable.

Even with its shortfalls, I am reluctant to criticize Street Kings too much. It makes no excuse for what it’s about, offering plenty of mindless action, perfect for those days when you and some buddies just want to watch some solid gunfights without thinking too much.

Pros: Guns and realism
Cons: Not going to be make you question cops and duty
Conclusion: Don’t expect too much and the respectable cast should win you over.
Score: 3/5

IMDB

Apologies

There is simply no excuse for the lack of updates. The reason is certainly not due to my decrease in consumption of media entertainment, so I will attempt to rectify that with more timely posts (and perhaps some back-reviewing of notable titles). For future updates, I will continue to use the 5 point system, but for now I will attempt to do without the half-point increments. After reading thru some of my past reviews, I realize that I am still disinclined to use the top 5/5 rating, settling rather on the 4.5 level. Another change is that I will include links to the appropriate page on IMDB (The Internet Movie Database) whenever possible for easy access to complete actor/actress/production/release information.

Finally, to reiterate the purpose of this blog, I wish only to jot down some initial reactions to some things I have watched to hopefully provide some alternative options to the much-hyped productions. A lot of good media slips through the cracks, if simply due to a lack of funds for advertisements and billboards. Thus, tripe-A movies such as those from Pixar or Marvel will never show up here. I also keep my mind open regarding foreign films, in particular with an emphasis on those coming out of Asia, so those will also receive plenty of coverage here.

Sunshine

From the start, Sunshine looks like another disaster movie, in particular Armageddon. So if you're looking for a feel-good movie about how the ingenuity of humans can save the human race, you are in the wrong place.

Sunshine starts off while a team of eight astronauts are already on their way toward the sun and lets you pick up the background story as the film progresses. Basically, 50 years from now, the sun is dying and a team has been sent to re-ignite the sun by guiding a huge chunk of fissionable matter into the sun's core. Sunshine is at heart a science fiction film and so has many conventions of that genre, such as techno jargon, space suits, and a talking computer system. The grim setting, as well as that of the mission, is conveyed very well, and the gravity of the mission starts to set in as the crew send back video clips to those they left behind on Earth. What starts out as a simple plot begins to grow in complexity as life onboard the space vessel begins to be fleshed out. A notable device used here is the inclusion of a ship psychologist, who acts as a partial narrator during the first half of the film to tell of the state of mind of the crew.

As the reality of traveling in space for several years begins to take a toll on the crew's enthusiasm, the unexpected begins to occur. The conflict in the film seems to stem from the cruelty of outer space and the fight of the crew to stay alive amidst this harsh environment. But almost at once, the producers appear to have taken liberal licenses in drawing out a plausible future event. This detracts from the immersion the film provides so well and really requires a suspension of disbelief for the movie to be enjoyable. For example, with constant communication with headquarters back on Earth, why is the crew so easily disheartened? Another question may be, since the ship practically runs itself, what have the crew done with several years of their time in space? This latter point sticks out near the end when there's a discussion of the different roles each member plays and so who are the more vital members. But with so much time on their hands, it would be expected that all of them should be equally knowledgable about the spacecraft.

Halfway through the film, the tone suddenly changes. It is as if two different directors shot the two sections and mashed them together. The second half is horrendously bad! Not only do the plethora of bad sci-fi film cliches appear simultaneously, but the film suddenly switches into a thriller genre. I don't get into the specifics of how that occurs, but trust me when I say that the plot device used for the switch is pretty ludicrous. With the two contrasting tones comes two separate views of humankind, one where man is good and human will will always triumph and one where man's basic nature is inherently brutal primitive. Which is the correct view? The film seems to suggest both camps, but in proposing the second, negative view, some of the characters starts to "go nuts." But I ask this: if the fate of mankind is at stake, would the crew not give up all personal desires to complete the mission? Or more likely, would each member of the crew not have been tested to ensure maximum compatibility with each other before the mission launched? The producers surely didn't read over the scripts before production and the end product is a lot of potential that led nowhere.

Pros: Good premise; some likeable characters; good buildup of environment
Cons: The plot; the unrealistic aspects of the film; the entire second half
Conclusion: Watch the movie late at night so when the bad part comes on you're already too tired to care...
Score: 3/5

The Book of Three Han - The Chapter of Jumong/ 주몽 (Joo-Mong)

If you wondered why this space has not received an update in a while, Jumong is the reason. Spanning an epic 81 episodes (60 originally, but extended due to its popularity) of over an hour each, finishing Jumong is no small feat! But aside from a few quibbles, this is a series that drama lovers should not miss.

Set in about 50 BCE, the writers took great artistic license in transforming the many myths surrounding the Goguryeo kingdom's founder Jumong into a semi-plausible plotline that's both intricate and entertaining. Starting off from Jumong's father, the story takes us to a time when Korea was divided into small nations and utterly under the influence of the nearby Han dynasty of China, who are depicted as the villains of the time. As Jumong grows up to take on his father's mission to drive out the Han and unite Korea, he meets many perculiar individuals who swears their allegiance to him. This grand story about the founding of a nation is done with style. With twists and turns all over the place, I always felt like I had to watch just one more scene. Saying anything more would probably give something away, so let's leave it at that and proclaim the plot a "plus".

Next up are the characters, which often times make or break a series. Fortunately, there were no bad actors, which would stick out like a sore thumb in the series' environment of high caliber acting. The many characters, as well as the important support characters, were all filled by awesome actors/actresses that knew what they were doing. In historical dramas such as Jumong, talking's a large part of what's on screen, leaving the characters to fend for themselves, with no special effects or crazy camera-work to save them. Thus, it is great to see that Jumong got it right. In fact, the only complaint about characters is that the actor playing Jumong isn't expressive enough. Sometimes I felt like being told what he's feeling rather than inferring it from his expression. Character development took on logical routes, and needless to say, the villains in Jumong were exceptionally good and appropriate.

The only real complaint I have is that there were not enough extras. After watching some historical dramas from China, it's hard to go back to seeing a hundred or so soldiers and pretending that it's an army of thousands. This problem didn't occur in much of the series since Jumong employed mostly guerilla tactics, but the few times massive battles took place it was hard on the eyes.

The use of music cues and signature moments (such as Jumong doing this impressive rapid-fire shooting technique) always kept the excitement up. Suspenseful moments tended to be resolved quickly, and almost as a defiance to popular Korean romantic dramas, Jumong kept romance to a bare minimum. There were some moments where the audience may feel like two people should be together, but Jumong is a tale of brotherhood and manlihood, and there usually isn't much time for romance after all the strategizing and fighting.

With Jumong, Korea has shown that it is at the forefront of television drama production. This is definitely one point in favor of the current Korean culture invasion and I can only say, "well earned, Jumong".

Pros: Captivating plotline; good acting; believable characters; good sound mixing
Cons: Bland fighting; questionable pseudo-realism; little basis in history; little emotional attachment
Conclusion: Everyone has something to gain from here, so make time and watch Jumong!
Score: 4/5

Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain /雪山飛狐

Another year, another Jin Yong novel adaptation. This time around, the story is about Hu Fei, who father was killed when he was a child. As he grows up in the martial arts world, he sets out to seek revenge. But who is his true enemy? Of course, the story would not be complete without an ancient treasure thrown into the mix. I can't say I've read the original books, but based on this TV series, the plot's fairly generic.

So what keeps me coming back? The cast themselves. Some of the acting is fairly good (mostly veterans Alex Fong and Anthony Wong), but it's fun to have some recognizable faces such as Gillian Chung of Twins fame. The one big problem with the setting being in ancient times is that bad acting is immediately visible, and these moments do occur. Another potent problem is that the story gets repetitive when the same characters are on-screen scene after scene. Good guy, bad guy, rinse and repeat. This was especially problematic near the end, and I feel that the series would have benefited from a tighter editing. Forty episodes of this quality is simply too much to bear.

Another huge complaint I have is the conclusion of the series. I understand that the original novels ended in a climatic battle, and the scriptwriters have decided to fill in the gaps here. It was a good intention badly executed. The later chunks are so vastly different from earlier portions that I seriously wonder whether the later scripts were hashed out by the TV studio executives.

Despite all these problems, Fox Volant is not a bad series. It took some liberties with an established story and took a few wrong turns. But the core of the source material is still here, and the final product is an enjoyable series. Just don't pay too much attention while watching it.

Pros: Wuxia; good emphasis on the martial arts styles; swordplay
Cons: Repetitive; young, untested actors; hacked-on ending; not memorable
Conclusion: Fun series to watch if you have the time.
Score: 3/5

The Painted Veil

I like to think that I have a somewhat specialized taste in films. I even go as far as to imagine that my taste is refined to such a point that I can categorize films simply by reading its synopsis and watching the trailer. But then films like The Painted Veil come along, and I'm at a loss as to what to make of it.

Two things jumped out at me immediately: that the setting is in the early periods of modern China and Edward Norton is in it. After deciding that one indeed outweigh the other, I was pleasantly surprised at the gentle message the film depicts. Norton plays a very quiet doctor who volunteers to visit China to help with a malaria outbreak while Naomi Watts plays a naive girl who marries Norton to spite her family. When isolated from the English society they were used to, the newlyweds must learn to cope with each other and discover what it truly means to be married.

Norton and Watts do an admirable job at their performances, although this may not be entirely obvious to the causal observer. The film takes on a slow, walking pace, drawing the audience in. Even as the epidemic claims lives in the village, the feel of the film never changes. It is this slow development that proves surprising when the audience suddenly finds that they have established a bond with the characters.

The backdrop accompanying all the action (if you can call it that) is where The Pained Veil ultimately shines. The vast rice fields and the rolling hills convey an excellent sense of the setting, of the lives of the people that possibly existed during this time. I must commend the producers for not following stereotypical white-supremacy views as it makes the film much more realistic.

However, The Painted Veil is not for everyone. This is a very small story, an insignificant story about a couple in the middle of nowhere. There are no world-shattering events here. This is a simple story about two people living together. If you're looking for an epic plot, look elsewhere.

Pros: Great visuals; believable; Anthony Wong makes an appearance; Edward Norton speaks much better Chinese than Tom Cruise (in Misison Impossible 3)
Cons: A greatly simplified look at the relationship between two people; no mass appeal
Conclusion: Prepare for an artistic movie (everything opposite of an action film) - let the characters draw you in and you may find that they have something to offer.
Score: 4/5

Seraphim Falls

Seraphim Falls is something of a peculiarity. The underlying plot is very simple - Carver (Liam Neeson) is hunting down Gideon (Pierce Brosnan) for something Gideon did during the Civil War several years ago. The film attempts to keep suspense by feeding what occurred to the characters in the past in bits and pieces. This works for the most part, but it does tend to get annoying.

The entire story is set amidst a backdrop of the Western frontier, with huge expanses filled with sparsely populated towns a common sight. Western movies have not been a popular genre lately, and this puts Seraphim Falls in a uniquely king-of-the-hill position. The film uses a wide variety of shots such that the audience feels like they're traveling through the new frontier with the main characters. But at its heart, this is a tale of revenge and many elements should be familar to the modern audience.

Both Neeson and Brosnan deliver performances befitting their character. I was very surprised at how well Brosnan fit into the Civil War era (his unshaven beard has a large part to do with this), especially well seeing him brings up images of him in the James Bond films. Neeson, on the other hand, gave the impression of a very stiff character where I would have liked to see more life put into the character.

Overall, this film takes itself very seriously, so audiences intending to watch this should make sure to understand the themes of revenge and the duties of a man in this era. With this mindset at hand, an audience will find that there is a strange beauty in all the senseless killing on screen.

Pros: It's a Western!
Cons: Nothing novel about the storytelling here. Ending's a little on the pseud0-supernatural side.
Conclusion: This is a film for anyone who wants to watch Nature with guns and maybe learn some survival techniques at the same time.
Score: 3.5/5

Heroes, Season 1

Heroes - a show that started with such high hopes. With a truly unique presentation style reminiscent of comic books, Heroes quickly captured America's attention, riding the wave of all those recent Marvel and DC movies. However, Heroes seems to have lost itself in the midst of all the attention and thus finished the season with a mere whimper.

Early on, the show took a slow approach to the whole special power business, very much in line with tagline ordinary people with powers. As time passed, however, many characters were introduced with little or no backstory. The entire story has always been moving toward a nuclear detonation in New York, and the show always gave the indication that all the characters would be connected somehow in the greater story. But this did not pan out. The characters all just happened to be in the same place in the finale episode. This is not how fans should be treated.

Another very annoying aspect of Heroes is that it falls in the new trend in drams to keep the audience in the dark, as if not explaining elements of the plot helps the whole thing succeed. This is a device that should be used with caution, and blatant uses of it here in Heroes are frustrating and serve only to discourage potential viewers. It's hard to going into any more details without spoiling the plot, but I certainly hope that NBC can pick up the slack and deliver something we really want to watch.

Pros: It's X-Men without the license. And everybody likes the X-Men.
Cons: Random characters, random stories, random powers. Is anyone directing this thing?
Conclusion: Now that 23 episodes have passed, Heroes will hopefully get better next season. Good thing each season is a fresh start so none of the bad things of this season should carry over.
Score: 3/5

24, Season 6

So Season 6 is finally over. Of course, I'm talking about the mega-hit Fox show 24, where super-agent Jack Bauer leads the fight against all sorts of crazy terrorists trying to take a shot at the USA. 24 has always been a classic good-vs-evil story: good always prevails. But what 24 brings to the mix is the price of that victory - what cost, if any, is acceptable?

Ever since the first season, 24 has distinguished itself with an unpredictable storyline, quick and satisfying action, and a pseudo-plausible set of events. However, after five exciting seasons, cracks may finally be showing. Are the authors running out of ideas? If this season is any indication, 24's future success may need some re-evaluating.

Quick recap of this season: Muslim fundamentalists attempt to detonate suitcase nukes around the country. Lots of finger pointing occurs while CTU attempts to find out the real mastermind. While it took a lot of episodes in Season 2 for suspense to build up regarding the nuke in that season, this season's nuke just simply went BOOM in the suburbs of LA. Even though it was a nuke, it wasn't very exciting. After that, Jack goes about his usual self and the most retarded end to this whole affair comes about. I'm not going to give any details, but drunk guys in a bar are involved. A completely different storyline spins off here involving the Chinese. We knew these guys would return, so why didn't the producers give them a full season's treatment? It seems very strange that Jack (imprisoned by the Chinese at the end of last season) is released in the beginning only to face his captors later on in the same day. During all this, we're also subjected to humanizing efforts in the form of introduction to Jack's family, which for the most part are rather mundane and can lead only to the conclusion that Jack has one screwed-up family.

Aside from some logical potholes along the way, this season also suffers from copying itself. Things like CTU getting attacked (you'd think these people would have stepped up their security by now), possible mole in CTU (same thing here), Jack getting arrested and asking Chloe for help, etc. are becoming overly repetitive. With the use of torture complained about by the military, 24 really needs to find other outlets to engage the audience. And having more action sequences is not going to cut it. Having Jack unrealistically shoot down a bunch of baddies is not fun to watch anymore. Rather than repeating gunfights in different locales, more creative gunfights need to be arranged, be it new weaponry or team tactics. This series really need a huge overhaul.

Pros: Great visuals. By that I mean Jack Bauer.
Cons: Plot is simple, generic, and repetitive. Need smarter (and better equipped) terrorists.
Conclusion: Definitely the low point of the series so far. Let's hope it doesn't get any lower.
Score: 2.5/5

The Hospital/ 白色巨塔

The Hospital is perhaps the greatest Taiwanese TV drama ever. This is definitely a top-notch production. With a star-studded cast and a great source material (the novel of the same name), the Hospital is great in every respect. While at first glance, this may seem to be a rip off ER or other such established medical shows, the Hospital is original in that it takes the good elements from previous medical dramas and runs with it. It is the ability of the producers to bring out these elements that make the Hospital truly unique.

The Hospital stars Jerry Yan, formerly of F4 glory and is directed by Tsai Yueh Hsun, who created the hugely successful Meteor Garden series. Yan's character is rising surgeon who gets caught up in the political strugle within the hospital that occurs as two department heads fight for the position of chief-of-staff. It is a vicious battle, with sacrifice and loss on both sides. Unwittingly, Yan's character is dragged deeper and deeper into the struggle, and soon he must choose a side. Adding to the confusion is a female coworker Yan has chased after for 10 years. As his personal and professional life become indistinguishable, Yan must decide what his real goals are and what he is willing to give up to realize them.

Political struggle is not something one would normally associate with a hospital, and it is amazing to see it realized on screen. The Hospital shows that such struggles are commonplace, in every aspect of life. They continue onwards, bringing forth a vicious cycle, as each succeeding generation is forced by the system to rise thru the ranks. As one of the characters say, that's the way the game works. In order to do what he wants, he must first amass power. And if sacrifices have to be made along the way, so be it. Such brutal executions bring forth many questionable judgements, and the audience will find that their ethical sense is challenged at every turn of the story. The surprising thing is that, as the audience gets to know the characters, it will appear that no one is wrong. There're winners and losers, but no one is right and no one is wrong. The two do not equate, and The Hospital exemplifies this beautifully. It is when the audience begins to take sides that the twists in the plotline prove all the more astonishing, and ultimately satisfying.

The characters in the story are all very dynamic. Each of them come alive, as they each strive toward their own clear purposes, with many of them changing their perspectives along the way. This great feat is achieved in part due to the spectacular acting. There are a lot of actors/actresses present, lending a greater feel to the story. There is never a point where the drama felt repetitive or slow, as is often the case with long dramas with a rather small cast (The Hospital is 39 episodes long). I was pleasantly surprised at the believable performances from the cast, which was helped in part by the small use of "young" talent. Contrary to Meteor Garden, where the entire staff seems to be under 30 and the acting was sub-par, The Hospital aims to be a serious drama, and it largely succeeds due to the realistic setting it employs. Other than the main actor/actress, the rest of the staff appears to be veterans, giving the drama solid production values. With an emphasis toward portraying human-human interactions in as realistic a manner as possible, the "sappy" feeling that may otherwise surround The Hospital does not exist. Although some viewers may find that this detracts from the romantic elements in the story, I find that the concentrated bursts is more akin to real life. Work doesn't take a break for personal relationships, and the two intertwine at the hospital where everyone works, creating a hotbed of drama potential waiting to be unlocked in the series.

One area I found disconcerting was the pace of time progression in the story. Many major events occur in short succession, and a change of scenary often indicates a passage of several months. This quick movement of time occurs throughout the series, making the story sometimes a little hard to swallow. Even as the characters all behave plausibly in their life, the situations that crop up are not entirely so. This is noticeable many times, as important characters move on in the story. While one would expect them to return at some point, the story seemingly abandons them and continues on with the remaining cast. Thus, sometimes the drama does seem to get carried away, trying too hard to distinguish itself, to be different, to be captivating at all times, with no dull moments. This actually creates the opposite effect at times.

But these are little concerns in relation to the entire production. The Hospital is a great drama series that is well worth watching, if only to reach the end and understand the overall themes and morals being expressed throughout the story. The Hospital does not try to answer questions about life; it merely raises them. That is perhaps its greatest asset - it tends to ask the right ones.

Pros: Great depiction of the inherent struggle in life; great acting all around; good message!
Cons: Some elements that are not entirely fleshed out; not for those wanting a mindless show (especially the younger crowd)
Conclusion: This should be on everyone's must-watch list!
Score: 4.5/5

The Lives of Others/ Das Leben Der Anderen

How many of us truly know what it meant to live in East Berlin, a time when secret police were everywhere, and any stray thought was considered treasonous? The Lives of Others depicts the life of two individuals in such a situation in 1984, just five years before the fall of the wall. Georg Dreyman was a famous playwright suspected by the secret police and Gerd Wiesler was the agent assigned to keep taps on Dreyman. What occurs is that as Wiesler keeps tabs on every action by Dreyman, he is slowly influenced by the free thinking, love, and literature of Dreyman's world. But Wiesler is a survelliance agent. His own career is on the line to come up with incriminating evidence on Dreyman. What must he do now?

The Lives of Others is a refreshing film. It doesn't attempt to give us a history lesson. It assumes the audience already understands the basic framework of society depicted in the film. Instead, The Lives of Others gives a very select view of one individual, Dreyman, and the one agent, a part of the terrorizing secret police who receives a humanizing treatment. Thus, the story works wonderfully. Without any special effects, the plot slowly unfolds, with only the suspenseful music and the naunces of the characters' expression to move it along. Because of this, I find the acting superbly performed.

The Lives of Others is Germany's official entry for the Oscars, and it easily won Best Foreign Film. Generally, the winners of this category tend to be more focused on artistic merits, and so it should be obvious that The Lives of Others has these qualities in abundance. However, this might also make it appear slow to audiences expecting something quicker-paced, as the trailer for the movie might imply. But, give it a little patience, and The Lives of Others will surprise with its simple and elegant delivery.

Pros: Great execution of a simple story; intriguing details of the workings of the secret police
Cons: The scenes tend to be of one color - gray; not for those with short attention spans
Conclusion: It won the Oscars for a reason. Recommended!
Score: 4.5/5

Blood Diamond

Blood Diamond is a story that is at once obvious. There is nothing special about it, nothing different. At its heart, Blood Diamond is a simple story that tries to tell the story of a single diamond, perhaps the largest pink diamond ever found, and how two man, a South African mercenary Danny Archer and a local fisherman Soloman Vandy, are forced to work together to secure their future. From the onset, one can see many parallels between Blood Diamond and similar stories regarding precious jewels of value being found, such as the novel The Pearl. Just as in Steinback's story, the finding of a priceless jewel is both a blessing and a sin, as sacrifices must be made to cash in the diamond. This is perhaps the greatest appeal of Blood Diamond, the story of what these two man see in the diamond, what it means to them. The diamond is not something meant to be part of a ring or some spectacular setpiece - it is their future, a second chance in life for Archer and a reunion with his family for Vandy.

The plot has good mixes between those of action sequences and conversation between the characters, which are usually put to good use to comment on various aspects of the ugly side of the diamond business. However, the story does tend to be very positive in nature, which may not reflect the real world well. Archer, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, undergoes a simple transformation for the better, as is expected of his character. Everything is fairly cliche here, as there are little surprises. What the film has going for it is that the viewer is still compelled to see the ending. This is perhaps the highest compliment a movie can receive.

There is a romantic element introduced in the film between Archer and a journalist. This part I found very superficial, as her character did not appear to be necessary to the plot. However, it does work out in the end when she returns to England and Archer is still in Africa and the two converses on a satellite phone. This part is quite sappy, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, as by this part I had started to care about the fate of Archer. What an appropriate title "Blood Diamond" is.

Pros: Gets you emotionally attached to the characters; some good action scenes to break the monotony
Cons: You can probably guess how the story will go fairly early on.
Conclusion: Makes you wonder where those diamonds really come from...
Score: 3.5/5

The Last King of Scotland

The Last King of Scotland is a story about a select part of the world few people know about: Uganda. In the 1970s, military leader Ida Imin seizes power and takes control of the country. At the same time, a Scottish doctor decides to travel and ends up working in a Ugandan hospital, where he meets the new dictator, who at once uses all his charm to enlist the doctor as his personal physician. As a close confidante to Imin, Dr. Nicholas Garrigan wielded a sizeable amount of power, seemingly second only to the president himself. However, as time goes on, the reality behind the dazzingly lights of the parties and the fancy cars began to set in, and Dr. Garrigan suspected that something was very wrong. The country was not heading toward a new golden age, as Imin had promised when he seized power. Instead, the violence he vowed to end was perpetuated more fiercely by himself. People were dying in the hundreds of thousands. When Garrigan accidentally causes the death of a close colleague by merely casting suspicion on a colleague's motive, he realizes the peril he himself is in. He must get out of Uganda, away from this madman, this man who claims to love Scotland and rules Uganda with an iron fist.

Although this movie's plot is entirely fiction, based on a book exploring the possible relationship between a dictator and his fictional physician, Imin is a real historical figure. The film utilizes several ingenious devices throughout to keep the audience captivated. In the beginning, the innocence of the good doctor is very believable. As doubts creep into his mind, so do they creep into the audience's mind. Can the doctor be wrong? The evidence slowly builds against Imin, and there is a wonderful transition in Garrigan at each stage of the process. Garrigan does not appear to be an idiot sold by the charm of Imin. Instead, the film portrays the plausibility that anyone in Garrigan's position may make the same, bad choice. Other than the shock the viewer must feel along with Garrigan when he "switches sides," the greatest suprise in the movie is perhaps at the end, during the credits, when true facts about the terror of Imin is told in simple, plain text. The greatest shock is that such a tyrant existed in this world and was allowed to reign for eight years.

A large part of why this film succeeds is due to the mood it sets. Without the use of expensive setpieces or add-in effects, the film successfully portrays the mood at all times, usually mirroring Garrigan's mood. However, there really isn't much else to say regarding this, as there really wasn't much that warrants extra attention.

A particular point that did stand out was the performance of Forest Whitaker as Imin. He was very convincing at all points in the movie. His facial features switched from a charming to a genuinely frightening look in quick second. After watching the film, one has to wonder how scary it would be to have man like Imin around, as Whitaker's version of him is so good. I cannot praise Whitaker's performance enough, and I was not surprised when he won the 2006 Academy Awards for Best Actor.

Overall, the Last King of Scotland was a surprisingly good film that I felt was educational and entertaining at the same time.

Pros: Accurate portrayal of dictator Idi Imin, Whitaker's excellent performance
Cons: Some parts were predictable, ending could use more work, film style was nothing special
Conclusion: As far as plausible stories go, this is as close as it gets.
Score: 4/5

Pan's Labyrinth

This is perhaps the first time that I've had problems with Blogger, as magically my previous review of Pan's Labyrinth has disappeared. Here is a shorter review that hopefully captures most of the content of the original.

Pan's Labyrinth is one of those films that comes close to being a classic but fails due to a few glaring flaws. The story involves Ofelia, a girl caught up in a civil war in 1940s Spain during the height of fascism. Ofelia's stepfather is a ruthless captain sent to crush a resistance hiding in a countryside area. Caught up in the middle, Ofelia fails to understand what goes on around her, and instead delves in some magical pursuits, where she is the main character.

The coloring in the movie tends to be very dark, resembling much of the plot. The only colors I can recall are gray and the crimson red of blood, used rather liberally in the movie. As the story progresses, the characters start to gain stature, as the individual motivations become apparent. Most commendable is the dialogue, which is given with great suggestive tones that set the mood quite well. For those understanding Spanish, this movie will be a treat. For everyone else (including me), the subtitles will have to do.

Like a short story, Pan's is short on focus and depth. The characters undergo little development (besides Ofelia's dive into the fantastical) and the plot is fairly generic in nature. The segment covered is very short, and the anti-climatic ending truly destroys whatever suspense and excitement has built up in the hour before.

A constant question Pan's poses is whether magic exists. There is evidence that suggests both sides. I had decided in the first five minutes that magic did not exist in the world. However, I kept noticing the little signs that suggest otherwise, and I almost hate the movie for making me question this belief as the film progressed. But, that is the beauty of Pan's. It shakes things up.

Pros: Hopefully the first of many Spanish imports; gets one thinking
Cons: Doesn't live up to potential or hype; fairly cliche approach
Conclusion: This is one that is going to be whispered for a while, so you may as well watch it now.
Score: 3/5

Sword Stained with Royal Blood/ 碧血劍

What a show! Sword Stained with Royal Blood is another adaptation of a Jin Yong martial arts novel. Having read the actual novel, I had very high expectations of this series going in, and, for the most part, these hopes were met.

Set at the end of the Ming dynasty, the whole of China is in conflict. Ming's top general, sent to guard the country's northern borders against Ching invaders, is wrongly accused of collaboration and killed by Ming's ruler. His son barely escapes the slaughter of the family. After a good number of years have passed, Yuan Chenzhi seeks to avenge his father's death. On his journey, he faces many challenges he must overcome before he can achieve his aim.

The story is very complex, with a large cast of interesting characters. Being a martial arts story, the drama rife with combat sequences. In fact, there is not a single episode where there is no fighting. Although lacking a suspenseful build-up, the many sequences are satisfying on the whole. There are many special effects, with wiring and explosions aplenty. The only complaint I have in this regard is the lack of specilization and explanation to the fights. There are very few signature moves special to each characters. Other than the different weapons used, each person fights more or less in the same way. I would have enjoyed a bigger focus, as that was a highlight from the novel. There are many scenes in the novel where Chengzhi points out the flaws in his opponents techniques that I sorely missed in this adaptation. Another gripe I have is the lack of character development in Chengzhi. Events around him shift and change, but it is not obvious how he has changed. Without the improvement in his martial arts that was specified in the novel, it is puzzling how he beats an opponent that he could not earlier in the story.

Yuan Chengzhi is played by Bobby Dou, who does a decent job throughout the series, although the range of emotions he conveyed varied little from one scene to the next. Eva Huang, who played the notorious girl from Kung Fu Hustle without a single line of dialogue, plays Qingqing, the main actress. At times, I do find her to be a very irritating character, indicating that she must be playing her character right. When Chengzhi and Qingqing stand together, they do look like a very good couple, which is the most important factor for this casting.

A large part of the novel is about understanding the Ming-to-Qing turnover from different perspectives, and this adaptation does a good job of conveying the various factors that led to this historic event in Chinese history. The weaving of history and martial arts storytelling makes this a story that deserves to be told.

Given the emotional attachment to the characters, Sword Stained with Royal Blood is a series that I recommend to anyone who would like an entertaining dive into Chinese history, an entertaining story with nicely choreographed fight scenes, or story about a boy who must juggle the heavy burden on him with his relationships. As for me, I enjoy all of those things.

Pros: Great source material, excellent visuals, satisfying
Cons: De-emphasis on martial arts, weak romantic overtones, sometimes weak acting
Conclusion: A must watch for any lover of martial arts!
Score: 4/5

The Magicians of Love/ 愛情魔髮師

The Magicians of Love is the latest Taiwanese drama following in the footsteps of the successful Meteor Garden series many years ago. So here you have the one girl that starts out rather annoying along with several prominent guys that suddenly appear in her life. This all follows the well-treaded formula. However, from within this framework, Magicians of Love does a wonderful job of weaving the fantastically impossibles of the TV world with the realistic setting of Taiwan.

MoV stars the four members of the singing group 183 Club, three of whom play the role of world-renown hairstylists who just opened a salon in town, across the street from the local salon run by Xiao Bei (played by Joanne Zeng)'s father. The fourth member of 183 Club plays a neighbor who also work at Xiao Bei's family salon. The proximity of these two salons starts off a feud between them, until Xiao Bei decides to join the other team to make her dream of becoming a pro-hairstylist come true.

MoV starts off with the grand opening of the new salon, where huge crowds of girls cheer as the famous hairstylist arrive at the scene. Naturally, this is way over-the-top (come on, how many celebrity hairstylist do you know?). But this is also where MoV shines. Although there are some exaggerated scenes, the setting and scenarios are always on the verge of reality. It requires only a slight bit of belief in this world to accept the story. When the famous hairstylist are out and about, they are not treated as gods - they are recognized only by those who would care to visit their salon. They do not have overwhelming power to influence anything outside of the fashion world. This is a very good direction for Taiwanese pop drama.

One of the most important aspects of such a series is going to be the strength of the characters and their interaction with each other. MoV excels for the most part in this area, although most characters have fairly routine personalities, such as the obsessive parent, the sad girl with a tragic past, the mean guy with a good heart, etc. I must commend the director for casting a girl that actually looks cute straight up - that thing with casting a seemingly ugly girl that the audience will grow used to is simply intolerable at this point. This alone takes off much of the heat from the main actress. For the main actor, however, some more work needs to be done. His character's feelings appear genuine from time to time, but it is definitely not consistent. Aside from this minor quibble, the two main characters match very well together on screen. They complement each other well, and the chemistry between appears very real. When the two are happy together, the audience cannot help from smiling.

Thie leads to the next thing - the romance. The couple faces their ups and downs, as is expected. The problem I have is that we know they are meant to be together. This is reinforced in both the title and ending song. There is no ambiguity. While watching the series, the audience knows which choices the characters will pick to fulfill this destiny. No only does this detract from the suspense, this also leads the characters to make some choices that appear illogical.

Several miscellaneous items require mention. The settings rotate around several familiar locales, and the cast is big enough so that they do not appear repetitive. The light tone of the entire series does take away some of the audience involvement, as there is no great evil that challenges the characters. As usual, I paid particular attention to the ending. Although it does wrap up most of the loose ends, it was too abrupt to my liking. Finally, the theme of the series is rooted in fashion. Thus, characters are often very fashionably dressed, adding eye candy to an otherwise bland set. This gives a lot of flavor to the scenes.

TV series such as MoV is a very good move for the Taiwanese industry, as it is a good way to attract new viewers while spending a healthy budget. This is definitely a good response to popular Korean or Japanese romance series that tend to distort reality so much that every scene involves someone crying. Lots of sappy dialogue is not required for a touching story.

Pros: Involving story, adds to established drama framework, somewhat plausible, all on YouTube
Cons: Sometimes amateur acting, ridiculous comic relief, always happy
Conclusion: Excellent effort! Recommended for anyone seeking a solid pop drama.
Score: 3.5/5

Mr 3 Minutes/ 3 分鐘先生

Mr 3 Minutes is a small fun film. With Ronald Cheng as the leading actor, Mr 3 Minutes is a fun affair, as Cheng shows off his comedic skills once more by playing a slightly off-balance Scott Chung, who runs a bridal parlor. With a personal principle to work hard and play hard, Scott vows to only spend 3 minutes at any single thing. Scenes of these 3 minute meetings convinces the audience of how he operates and the audience is also led to believe that Scott spends every night with a different woman he picks up at some club or bar. When a child suddenly appears claiming to be his son, Scott attempts to operate as he has always done by spending 3 minutes a day with the kid. When his son starts gaining the affections of everyone around Scott, he is forced to question what he is doing wrong. This story is therefore about the relationship of a father and son.

While the recent After This Our Exile attempted to explore a more serious side of the father-son relationship, Mr 3 Minutes takes a lighter approach. With a fairly standard plot, Mr 3 Minutes does nothing to extinguish itself from other comedies. Although having seen this film about a week or so ago, I can already remember little of significance. It is hard to pinpoint the exact details of how the movie failed, but the general execution is certainly lacking. Most of the challenges presented to the characters are very basic and their resolution equally unrealistic. It must be questioned whether this movie truly reveals anything about a father-son relationship that is not already obvious. Ronald Cheng does a good job but is bound too much by his weak character to truly shine. Overall, this film offers no contribution to the comedy genre and should be viewed by those with nothing better on their list who wish to spend some time watching a light-hearted film. Just don't expect to remember it later.

Pros: Some comedic value. Light, if that's your thing.
Cons: Nothing new. Not a memorable film.
Conclusion: A fun little affair that will pass the time.
Score: 2.5/5

Re-cycle/ 鬼域

Re-cycle is one of those movies that are just waiting to be discovered. Starring Angelica Lee, an actress who has grown a loyal following since her excellent performance in The Eye, Re-cycle is a film that, although imperfect, proves to be an enjoyable affair. The Pang brothers have always directed films with flair and Re-cycle is no different. The camera work is sweeping and the tight control of each screen allows good story-telling to be done (whether the story is worth telling is often the real question with these guys).

The plot of Re-cycle involves Lee's character, who is a famous fiction author. While writing her new book about supernatural events surrounding a girl, she inexplicably starts to experience the phenomenon she writes about. Slowly, these events increase in intensity until one day she is sucked into a completely different world, the source of these supernatural events. What she finds on in this other world is unlike anything she's ever encountered. As she strives to leave this strange new place, she begins to learn more about the real world and herself.

Being a thriller at heart, Re-cycle does have some pretty good scares. These all fit inside the context of the plot and so are well-delivered. However, these scenes are not original and the overall cohesion of the film suffers from this use of seemingly regurgitated elements. In addition, the CG effects in the film are hit or miss, with some truly spectacular scenes alongside amateurish attempts. Some parts of the story do not add up, such as the resolution at the end of the film, which I'll leave unrevealed here.

Good horror/thriller films are always good to come by, since they are usual one-time affairs that provide no more than cheap thrills. Re-cycle avoids this characterization for the most part by infusing a deeper storyline. Despite its flaws, Re-cycle is a promising addition to any Asian scary movie collection. This might be just that movie you're looking for.

Pros: Good camera work. Blend of fantasy and reality. Some scary moments.
Cons: Very limited cast. Not original plot.
Conclusion: A solid film that will satisfy even if it does not impress.
Score: 3/5