Asian Movie Pulse

Film Review: Haruan: The Snakehead (2014) by Razli Dalan

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 10:54:47 GMT

“10-year old Ikan lives with his older sister Salomah and their stepfather Deris. Ikan adores his sister and loves all fish, especially his pet snakehead fish Haruan. Some snakeheads eat their young. Apparently, some humans do too. Like the snakeheads, hungry Deris has no natural predator. Like the snakeheads, Salomah is a survivor. Ikan and Haruan will do anything to save their beloved Salomah. Deris must be stopped, at whatever cost…” (official)

Razli Dalan’s “Haruan” offers an experimental exploration of a taboo subject matter, one born out of diasporic hatred for some of the cultural practices from his home country of Malaysia. In dealing with such content by abstract means, Dalan manages to craft a cinematic experience that highlights the best of the avant-garde while tripping over itself in a few instances.

To the credit of Dalan’s narrative approach, the format works ideally to convey the raw emotion that can be tied to certain acts, in this case (but not limited to) the theme of child abuse. This sentiment can be relayed in the uncomfortable atmosphere of the film, which utilizes aspects of childlike innocence into the presentation, including art and a young boy’s perspective on the events. With the director stating his intent to “find an alternative cinematic platform to discuss taboos with a society which may not necessarily wish to engage them”, the film becomes an undeniable success in delivery.

Additionally, the sense of exploring taboos’ is heightened by a strong visual approach that utilizes nightmarish imagery along with creative use of animation. Consequently, the movie becomes a visual treat of creative ideas and cinematography that works in spite of the eclectic approach. This sentiment can also be extended to the sound design, which also offers intrigue in diversity and maintains an odd sense of balance. Overall, the time and consideration put into creating a unique visual/audio experience is apparent, marking it as one of the biggest draws.

Where the production does begin to falter is in its tendency to overindulge in its own subject matter, a common critique of the experimental genre as a whole. As a result, the flow can often linger too long in certain sequences, in an attempt to really drive home the implied profundity of any given scene. This can numb the visceral reaction to certain moments, which may have been better served if edited down and using sharper cuts to further push the perturbing atmosphere.

Another issue with the film, also a common trapping within the genre, is its struggle to effectively convey its message. The theme of child abuse, and the systematic failings that can act to agitate the problem, is explored with clarity through a determined and passionate narrative. However, many elements become harder to comprehend, particularly within the varied approach of conveying narrative. This ambiguity in delivery could be a positive to some audiences, particularly to those who enjoy analyzing all the nuances within avant-garde projects.

“Haruan: The Snakehead” is certainly a unique experience, that thrives on its ability to convey emotion through a free form narrative. The movie does trip up in a few places, but for a director trying to find his voice through avant-garde cinema, “Haruan” offers an experience that is both engaging and jarring. Overall, fans of experimental cinema would be well served to give the film a chance, if just to experience the strength that raw emotion can bring into a production of this ilk.

Film Review: Ant Story (2013) by Mostafa Sarwar Farooki

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 08:14:51 GMT

Creating fantasies from the lies we tell people and then starting to believe them ourselves in order to feel better is not something exactly uncommon. In fact, most people do it and occasionally the power of self-illusion is so significant that it ends up having the same consequences as drugs (or alcohol if you prefer), particularly if one actually forgets of how reality actually is. Mostafa Sarwar Farooki deals with this concept in a way that allows him to make a number of additional social, economical and philosophical comments.

“Ant Story” is streaming at Hoichoi

Mithu is a dreamer. Although he leaves with his parents in the suburbs, this unemployed college graduate dreams of living in the rich areas of Dhaka, and it is that dream that leads him into a shady sales work, on which he is instructed to lie to people to sell them everything the company is tasked with promoting. Eventually, he is even sucked into a pyramid scheme, in which he proves so adept, that he even gets a promotion. It is at this point that his boss suggests that he should buy a new mobile phone, since his current broken one dulls his prestige as a salesman. Mithu soon finds himself being coerced into buying one from a shady, black market salesman, but even more, a bit later, he receives a phone call from the actual owner of the stolen device, who proves to be a rather sexy movie star named Reema. The woman demands her phone back and Mithu complies, but not before copying a video of her with her boyfriend that could compromise her fame and career. Not before long, Mithu begins blackmailing her to do his bid, which mostly involves her including him in her actual life, and posing as his girlfriend. Eventually, Reema stops being a victim, and a rather intense and unusual game of cat and mouse begins, while Mithu continues to find ways to bend the borders of reality, even involving the current boyfriend of an ex-girlfriend.

The concept mentioned in the prologue is the main one the narrative revolves around, with Mithu presenting it in all its glory, and with a very entertaining hyperbole that borders on surrealism and at the same time, allows Farooki to present his comments about how Bangladesh works. In that fashion, the movie deals with the illogical rules of marketing, all of which revolve around appearances and lying, the black market, the pyramid schemes, the role of press and public opinion in a society as conservative as the Bangladeshi, the role of social media and also the differences between the poor and the rich. Through all these comments, Mithu is revealed as a constant liar, manipulator and blackmailer, but Farooki does not allow the viewer to hate him, since he also presents the fact that for “ants” (poor people who have very few chances at changing their life) this might be the only way to “escape” and “be happy”, along with indulging in their own fantasy world. Noor Imran Mithu in the role expresses all the aforementioned in excellent fashion, anchoring the movie with his impressive acting.

At the same time, the story does not present Reema as a complete victim, since, despite the annoyance Mithu’s behaviour causes (and his demand for respect and role playing), she actually goes on with her life for the most part, and is never actually in clear danger of having her career destroyed. Furthermore, the threats of having him killed are not exactly unsubstantial, while the way her friend eventually solves the problem is as despicable as Mithu’s tactics. Sheena Chohan looks the part of the movie star, but her acting is a bit excessive at times, essentially pointing towards a TV production. Her antithetical chemistry with Mithu, however, is undeniable.

As it has been repeatedly proven in a number of his movies (“Television” in particular), Farooki is a master of using humor and surrealism to communicate his comments, and “Ant Story” is another testament to the fact. This combination is implemented by Golam Maola Nabir’s cinematography, which presents the differences of the world of the rich and of the poor with eloquence. Even more so by Farooki and Khaled Mahmud Rajon’s editing, that highlights the disappearance of the borders between reality and fantasy in the best fashion. The somewhat hyperbolic episode with the boyfriend of Mithu’s ex-girlfriend can also be interpreted through this approach, although it becomes evident that the film could do with it being a bit smaller in duration.

“Ant Story” is not on the same level as “Television” or the later “No Bed of Roses” and “Saturday Afternoon“, particularly cinematically, since a number of its elements point towards a TV production. However, Farooki communicates his comments extremely well through humor and slight surrealism, which also results in a movie that is also quite entertaining.

Beginner Guideline for CBD and CBD Toothpicks

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 07:38:45 GMT

CBD toothpicks are a relatively new addition to the CBD market and one that has caught many people’s attention. CBD-infused toothpicks are an excellent way to enjoy CBD, whether at home or out in a social situation, but what exactly are they?

While CBD toothpicks might sound interesting, many people are still unsure of what they are and how they work. The lack of information about CBD toothpicks can often put people off giving them a try. So, let’s take a look at what CBD toothpicks are and why you can’t afford to miss out any longer.

What Are CBD Toothpicks?

CBD toothpicks are an exciting twist on traditional toothpicks. A common find in restaurants, toothpicks are a great way to protect your oral health, helping to clean your teeth after a meal while also giving your hands something to do in awkward social situations.

With CBD-infused toothpicks, the much-loved toothpick just got even healthier. They are often made from similar materials to regular picks. However, CBD toothpicks are infused with a precise amount of CBD that is slowly released as you chew.

Sharing a very similar design to the toothpicks that we all know, CBD picks are incredibly discreet, making them perfect for times when you need a CBD boost but don’t want to attract attention. CBD toothpicks often come in a range of tasty flavor options, giving them an extra advantage over traditional picks.

Why Use CBD Toothpicks?

CBD-infused toothpicks contain many of the same potential health benefits as other CBD products, including CBD oil tinctures and capsules. The main difference is that the CBD contained within picks is released slowly into your system, providing consistent and long-lasting effects.

Toothpicks are often ready to use straight out of the box. Simply remove the packaging and chew! Their convenience helps to save valuable time in your day compared to many other CBD products that require measuring and that often leave behind a mess.

Another reason that people love CBD toothpicks is that they contain a precise dose of CBD, removing room for human error. With CBD toothpicks, you are guaranteed reliable effects that provide you with consistency.

CBD toothpicks often contain a lower dose of CBD than other products. The lower concentration of CBD means two things. Firstly, you can enjoy multiple toothpicks throughout the day without overwhelming your body with CBD. Secondly, they work perfectly as a small boost during the day to support other CBD products such as oils.

CBD toothpicks can be used as a distraction preventing you from giving in to less healthy habits such as smoking and snacking on sugary treats. CBD toothpicks are often packed with delicious flavors without any of the added sugar that you find in similar products.

Where to Find the Best CBD Toothpicks Online

PureKana offers some of the best CBD toothpicks available with a combination of three delicious flavors to choose from and guaranteed high-quality CBD.

Each CBD stick contains 10mg of PureKana’s famous CBD formula, providing you with a vibrant and healthy range of cannabinoids and terpenes. PureKana sources all of its CBD from USA farms that work to strict organic and eco-friendly standards, ensuring that they grow and deliver the very best quality CBD available.

PureKana aims to keep its CBD toothpicks as natural and healthy as possible, and one of the ways it does this is by using only two ingredients to infuse each stick with CBD. As a base, PureKana uses a blend of CBD extracted from hemp plants and honey. To give each stick its unique flavor profile, PureKana adds natural raspberry flavorings and peppermint oil combined with chocolate liqueur.

The simple formula used by PureKana means that you can enjoy each flavor-packed stick with confidence, knowing exactly what you are putting into your body. PureKana also works to build customer confidence by providing full lab results for each CBD toothpick option so that you can access a complete cannabinoid and terpene breakdown.

PureKana offers three fun flavor options, including honey, chocolate mint, and raspberry. Being able to switch between the different flavors on offer is a fantastic way to keep your CBD intake feeling fun and exciting.

Final Thoughts on CBD Toothpicks

CBD-infused toothpicks are a great addition to anyone’s regular CBD routine. Whether using CBD picks on their own or alongside other CBD products, they offer a flavor-packed experience that works to keep your cannabinoid levels up.

CBD toothpicks are a great example of how the CBD market is changing, with a shift toward products that are convenient and discreet. People are increasingly looking for CBD solutions that they can work into their busy daily schedule, and toothpicks do just that.

Film Review: Atambua 39° Celsius (2012) by Riri Riza

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 06:29:27 GMT

Shot on location in the eponymous border town between Indonesia and East Timor, Riri Riza’s “Atambua 39° Celsius” deals with the consequences of the 1999 referendum which split the hitherto Indonesia-occupied island into two. Partially crowd-funded and using mainly Tetum, the language of the people from Timor Island, the movie premiered at the 25th Tokyo International Film Festival. It has since been shown at numerous festivals around the world and garnered many awards.

Atambua 39° Celsius is Screening at Locarno Film Festival

Joao Bautista (Gudino Soares) lives with his estranged pro-Indonesia father Ronaldo (Petrus Beyleto) in the city of Atambua. Like the majority of its residents, they are just two of the 250 000 people who left their native lands following the 1999 referendum, while the rest of their family chose to stay in the newly created East Timor. Now, Ronaldo works as an inter-city bus driver, spending most of his working hours and money on alcohol and gambling, whereas Joao spends his days hanging out with friends, cleaning his father’s puke, and listening to his mother’s cassette tape “letters.”

One day, Nikia (Putri Moruk) comes back to Atambua from Kupang to perform the mourning rituals for her deceased grandfather. Smitten with her but not knowing how to show it and having had enough of his father’s stubbornly self-defeating behavior, Joao tries to find Nikia in Kupang. Just then, Ronalno hears his wife’s voice for the first time in ten years and realizes the results of his life in denial.

Inspired by stories heard by him while in Atambua, Riri Riza (“Eliana, Eliana”) creates a slow and languid film that is political yet never feeling overly so to the point of forgetting the human aspect of it. Rather, he shows how political decisions, even ones from the past, have large consequences for individuals, families, and entire communities, as the ones on the divided island of Timor.

As subtly shown thorough “Atambua 39° Celsius”, the consequences of this political decision are felt even now and have created people who live between two countries and cultures, between past and present. Even more, their future will always be defined by the referendum from 1999 and their decision to stay in either country. This is nowhere better seen than in two short scenes. The first is when Nikia tells that no-one nowadays remembers the black mourning cloth used by the people on the island, while the second, a group of people trying to carry the remnants of a member of their community over the border. Though dealing with death and shown only in passing, both scenes speak volumes of the personal and societal repercussions of the referendum.

Yet, all of this is shown in a very subtle and restrained manner. Never to the point of feeling preachy or forgetting its main focus, that on the people that inhabit the place and their personal stories. Instead, Riza uses the political and cultural history to give contextual meaning to the stories of the people within.

Like noted earlier, “Atambua 39° Celsius” is shot on location in the settlement, with local residents as actors and it is obvious. It shows not on the sense that they are amateurs who act unconvincingly or have no screen presence, quite the opposite. All of them, from the elderly people sitting under makeshift shades to the market sellers and billiards players, feel so authentic that we can read the history of the region on their darkened, hardened faces. This lends a strong semi-documentary feeling to the movie.

A special mention, of course, deserve the three leads, Gudino Soares, Petrus Beyleto, and Putri Moruk, all of whom portray their characters with a lot of depth and emotional complexity, again due to their closeness with the themes of the movie and the fact they use their native language.

The cinematography by Gunnar Nimpuno not only aptly translates the themes explored by Riza in the film, but also manages to add a new layer of meaning to it. The beautiful skies clash with the dead drabness of the settlement where the movie takes place, creating the impression for people stuck in-between two lands and cultures, living, or rather existing, in a limbo.

This feeling is strengthened by the color palette and severely muted sound design by Satrio Budiono which make the viewer experience the oppressively scorching heat of the savannah the people inhabit. They move slowly and the sometimes documentary-style cinematography follows them suit, slowly and languidly.

At some point, we start feeling so hot that everything becomes like a fever dream. The shots start to go in-and-out of focus and the fade-ins and fade-outs by the editor Waluyo IchwandiarDono become longer as if we come in and out of consciousness. All of this creates the impression of what hallucinations from heatstroke might feel like.

Though somewhat slow and repetitive, Riri Riza’s “Atambua 39° Celsius” is a beautifully shot and thoughtfully executed film that shows a story that is both personal and universal.

Film Review: The Hidden Fortress (1958) by Akira Kurosawa

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 01:00:09 GMT

After his dramatic feature “The Lower Depths”, Japanese auteur Akira Kuroswa returned to the jidai geki genre with his 1958 effort “The Hidden Fortress”. While the movie would continue his exploration of the human condition, in particular, its expression during times of war, this work also marks the first time Kurosawa would use the widescreen-format, a technology which would continue to influence his future works. Besides the often quoted “Rashomon” or “Seven Samurai”, to name just two examples, “The Hidden Fortress” may just be one of the director’s most influential features as it inspired the likes of George Lucas and his Star Wars-movies.

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As mentioned before, the story is set during a time of war, after a significant battle has caused the near defeat of House Akizuki and its leaders. After their escape from imprisonment, two farmers and petty thieves names Tahei (Minoru Chiaki) and Matashichi (Kamatari Fujiwara) try to make their way back home. On their way, they stumble upon a piece of gold hidden in a piece of wood, which is part of the great treasure of House Akizuki, and start looking for the remaining pieces when they run into a stranger (Toshiro Mifune), who promises them he will help them find the rest of the gold and reveals himself as Rokurota Makabe, a mighty warlord for House Akizuki. After much hardship, they manage to dig up the remaining treasure which they now have to bring across the heavily guarded border, accompanied by Makabe and a mute (Misa Uehara).

However, Makabe’s company is none other than the remaining leader of the Akizukis, Princess Yuki who needs to return her home to reign her people and rebuild her army with the help of the gold. After the loss of his last battle, Makabe feels obliged to rescue and protect her, even if it means sacrificing himself and the lives of others which makes him rely on the greed of his two newfound companions more than anything. Nevertheless, their disguise as a band of woodsmen is quickly blown and the enemies of Princess Yuki approach, willing to end House Akizuki once and for all.

It is no surprise many of Kurosawa’s works, including “The Hidden Fortress”, are regarded as highly influential on modern blockbuster cinema. The script, written by Kurosawa and co-author Shinobu Hashimoto, combines dramatic elements with action as well as adventure, while also offering the occasional comic relief through the various shenanigans of Tahei and Matashichi. However, Kurosawa never loses focus of his characters, even minor ones, establishing their feature, the world they live in and the unique dynamics between them. Perhaps the smartest aspect is how the first minutes of “The Hidden Fortress” focus solely on Minoru Chiaki’s and Kamatari Fujiwara’s characters, thus giving a more than thorough and believable insight to a world and time defined by war and the struggle to stay alive.

On the other hand, Kurosawa shows the conflict between the realities of this world and the virtues someone like Rokurota stands for. Essentially, the encounter of the two farmers, the warrior and the princess emphasizes the clash of two realities, two perspectives on the war and two quite disparate ways of perceiving the world. Clearly, the motivation of characters like Rokurota, noble as it might be, is driven by the concept of the greater good and the ideas of bushido, though the latter is not explicitly named in the narrative. Mifune, similar to many collaborations with Kurosawa, again plays the hero, a role he fulfills with confidence, bravado and skill which is evident in scenes such as the brilliantly executed spear fight with an enemy general.

In some way, “The Hidden Fortress” also fulfills many of the criteria of the road movie, if one regards the traditional narrative of that genre as a journey of initiation. Perhaps best explained by Misa Uehara’s character, the journey through enemy territory also helps to bridge the distance towards the empress and the common folk, showing rather drastically the grim realities of war, poverty and exploitation, with the authorities being mere observers rather than restorers of order and justice.

In conclusion, “The Hidden Fortress” by Akira Kurosawa is a magnificent and highly enjoyable show of talent, combining various genre elements to an entertaining feature. With its focus on well-defined characters, the world and times they live in, Kurosawa again demonstrates how a movie on a scale like this can be entertaining without being superficial, which is a lesson many modern (Hollywood) blockbusters have forgotten.

Film Review: Masquerade Hotel (2019) by Masayuki Suzuki

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 22:17:09 GMT

The classic whodunit genre is seeing a revival of sorts, with tentpole Hollywood blockbusters like “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Knives Out” leading the way and recently even Netflix jumping on the bandwagon with the Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston starring “Murder Mystery” and the Hindi-language film “Raat Akeli Hai” proving to be hits for the streaming platform. Yet another project in the same genre which saw a fair amount of success was 2019’s “Masquerade Hotel” by Masayuki Suzuki, which is based on a Keigo Higashino book and was produced and released, like many Higashino adaptations, after a long drawn-out bidding battle over the book’s rights.

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A serial killer is on the loose in Tokyo, three seemingly random murders only having a code left at the scene being the connecting factor between them. The code, when decoded, tells of the location of the next murder and the one left at the scene of the third murder points to the posh Hotel Cortesia Tokyo being the location of the next homicide. The police launch an undercover operation at the Hotel and brash and cocky Detective Kosuke Nitta is stationed at the Front Desk to try and identify the suspect, where he is assisted by Head Desk Clerk Naomi Yamagishi, who prides herself for the Hotel’s impeccable customer service. Two completely opposite personalities, Nitta and Yamagishi attempt to ascertain the murderer’s identity and as each new guest arrives, and with them problems new or familiar to the existing staff, the net of suspicion widens.

For a whodunit, Masayuki Suzuki adapts quite a light tone, incorporating humour within the narrative at regular intervals, which mostly comes from the interactions between Nitta and Yamagishi, as the two personalities clash over everything from the way they each handle customers down to Nitta’s haircut. The central mystery is engrossing enough to hold your attention and makes the most of the massive hotel location. Michitaka Okada’s script sets up the characters well, leaving nobody above suspicion, including old blind women, hotel staff, several guests and even members of the police team. However, when the ultimate reveal happens, it does border the “too elaborate to the point of being ludicrous” line, causing the suspense to crumble at the last hurdle.

“Masquerade Hotel” also includes several glimpses into the working lives of hotel staff and this works as both a positive and, in the long run, a negative for it. While these stories are interesting to look at, they have a two-fold disadvantage. Firstly, they give a rather episodic feel to the whole film and secondly, and actually far worse, they cause the film to lose focus from the central mystery too often and for far too long. At 133 minutes, “Masquerade Hotel” has by no means a short runtime, particularly for its genre, and one just can’t help but feel that several of these scenes could’ve just as easily been trimmed down for a much smoother flow of the storyline. Sometimes, it really is better to not be completely faithful to the source material while adapting. Funnily enough, the script does away with one of the book’s subplot involving dark web co-conspirators that could’ve actually helped hold the mystery reveal of the story together, but retains other guest interactions that prove to be its detriment.

A key element gluing everything together is the fantastic chemistry that its leads Takuya Kimura and Masami Nagasawa share. The will-they-won’t-they romantic angle might be all too obvious, but it makes the less engaging moments bearable to sit through. Individually too, the two actors have fun with their parts, with Kimura really living the rough and brazen Kitta, while Nagasawa embodying the polite and dutiful Yamagishi to perfection. In fact, their constant bickering and different ways of doing things often remind of a buddy-cop comedy. The rest of the ensemble cast includes big names like Fumiyo Kohinata, Zen Kajihara, Nanao and Atsuko Maeda, among others, who all play their respective parts well and help make “Masquerade Hotel” an entertaining watch, while it’s always good to see Ryo Ishibashi on screen, even if in a small cameo role.

In addition to the beautiful people populating the screen, Shoji Ehara’s cinematography captures the gorgeous behemoth structure in all its glory, both from the inside and outside elegantly, and has a fluidic approach for the most part. The overall lighting is also very reminiscent of actual hotel interiors. The hotel lobby is the setting for most of the action here and Ehara shows the hustle and bustle of such a chaotic location with accuracy. Naomi Sato’s music suits the genre well, but does tend to get repetitive at times.

Ultimately, “Masquerade Hotel” feels like a decent companion piece to Suzuki’s previous work “Honnouji Hotel”. It might be overlong but ends up retaining the audience’s attention thanks to the entire cast’s sincere efforts, Higashino’s original story concept and a mystery that is intriguing for the most part.

Fantasia Announces Final Mammoth Wave of Films and more

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 18:28:56 GMT

Johnnie To’s CHASING DREAM and Tran Thanh Huy’s ROM are among the wealth of final titles announced for Fantasia’s 24th edition.

The Fantasia Film Festival announces today a massive new assortment of feature films for its 24th edition, and here are all the Asian titles that are announced:

THE INCREDIBLE JOHNNIE TO MAKE OUR DREAM COME TRUE

When Tiger (Jacky Heung, of PUSH and FEARLESS) and Cuckoo (Keru Wang, YOUTH) meet, it’s a match made in heaven. Both involved with moneylenders, one is an over-enthusiastic rising star in the MMA world; the other a resourceful, aspiring singer on-the-run who will stop at nothing for a spot on ‘Perfect Diva’! Following THREE (Fantasia 2016), master filmmaker Johnnie To is back with CHASING DREAM: an unexpected blend of mixed-martial-arts drama and high-stakes musical comedy, taking the viewers back to the madcap energy of his mid-2000s collaborations with Wai Ka-Fai and the themes of his sports-and-destiny masterpiece THROW DOWN. Canadian Premiere.

PLACE YOUR BETS ON ROM

Fourteen-year-old Rom (Tran Anh Khoa) is a runner. That is, he runs lottery numbers for the indebted inhabitants of a dilapidated tenement – a network of interconnected homes soon to be demolished by greedy developers. The bookie climbs and zips through its many alleys; down streets, up balconies, staircases, and across other unstable contraptions – in order to be the first to give his clients’ numbers to the teller. Tran Thanh Huy’s ROM, winner of the New Currents Award at the 2020 Busan Film Festival, is an electrifying debut: a jolt of a film, shot with great, street-savvy energy and constant forward momentum. North American Premiere.

BEING A GEEK IS NOTHING TO HIDE, EVEN THOUGH LOVE IS HARD FOR OTAKU

Narumi is starting a new job and doing everything she can to hide the fact she is an otaku, but one of her new colleagues is a childhood friend who knows all about her passion for manga and anime. Thanks to the superb chemistry between Mitsuki Takahata (ALMOST A MIRACLE) and Kento Yamazaki (KINGDOM), the unique creativity of writer/director Yuichi Fukuda (HK: FORBIDDEN SUPERHERO), and musical numbers going from J-pop to jazz, WOTAKOI: LOVE IS HARD FOR OTAKU is the perfect immersion into the fascinating world of otaku culture. North American Premiere.

PREPARE FOR A FISHY KAIJU ATTACK WITH MONSTER SEAFOOD WARS

When a disgraced scientist who now works at his dad’s sushi shop gets into a minor bicycle accident, he ends up creating a huge-but-delicious problem that can only be described as MONSTER SEAFOOD WARS! Before you can say “colossal calamari”, a squid, an octopus, and a crab – each as big as buildings – are wreaking massive kaiju havoc all over Tokyo! Beloved director Minoru Kawasaki (THE CALAMARI WRESTLER, EXECUTIVE KOALA) employs incredible oldschool techniques in this hilarious and heartfelt monster film, and brings back a disappearing genre in Japanese cinema known as “kigurumi tokusatsu”, or, as we know them, sci-fi movies featuring actors in rubber giant monster costumes! International Premiere.

IT’LL TAKE MUSCLES TO FOLD THESE PAPER TIGERS!

Three childhood Kung Fu prodigies have grown into washed-up, middle-aged men one kick away from pulling their hamstrings. But when their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs and dad duties to overcome old grudges and avenge his death. Writer/director Bao Tran has made not just another martial arts movie, but a film that’s about martial arts: its philosophies and the lessons it continues to teach you into old age. Anchored by immensely likeable performances from its cast, THE PAPER TIGERS delivers all the quality ass-kicking you want out of a good martial arts film, while also impacting much more: a story about the importance of friendship and staying true to your heart, which is what makes THE PAPER TIGERS so special. World Premiere.

CONSEQUENCES ARE HIGH WHEN A MAN’S SON IS LEGALLY DECLARED DEAD

An insurance agent suspects his client (Anthony Wong, of UNTOLD STORY and INFERNAL AFFAIRS) may have murdered his own son to collect the insurance money. As he investigates the suspicious death, he begins to be met with threats on all sides. Director Yuen Kim-Wai elevates a thrilling story by expertly balancing a touchy subject with suspense and nuanced characters. Based on the famous Japanese novel BLACK HOUSE, the striking, exciting LEGALLY DECLARED DEAD recently launched in Hong Kong and Taiwan. North American Premiere.

THIS MOM-TO-BE DEFINITELY HAS NO IDEA WHAT’S IN STORE FOR HER!

Award-winning Hong Kong screenwriter and director Luk Yee-Sum returns to Fantasia with the expectant comedy, BABY: THE SECRET DIARY OF A MOM TO BE, the perfect follow-up to her coming of age debut LAZY HAZY CRAZY (Fantasia 2016). As far as Carmen (Dada Chan, VULGARIA) is concerned, she has it all: a handsome basketball-star husband, a great job with an exciting promotion in reach, and a group of lifelong friends that are closer than family. But she’s about to get one thing she didn’t plan for – a baby on the way. Having previously screened at Tokyo International Film Festival and Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, this charming dramedy draws back the curtain on the ups and downs of when you’re unexpectedly expecting. Canadian Premiere.

IN THESE PHOTOGRAPHS, BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Solitary photographer Kai (Hideki Nagai) is afraid of women, but it doesn’t keep him from shamelessly retouching their photographs when asked. On a trek through the forest, he encounters a model, Kyoko (Itsuki Otaki), who soon asks him to retouch hers. As their relationship grows, Kai feels a rare pang of responsibility, motivated for the first time to challenge his vindictive perception of women. Takeshi Kushida’s WOMAN OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS is a mysterious and captivating debut, throwing the viewer into an uncertain world of obsession and forgery; a potent examination of image-making and alienation in our contemporary age. Quebec Premiere.

IT’S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR A SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD

When Lee’s teenage daughter accidentally kills a classmate who is blackmailing her, she, unfortunately, discovers that the deceased’s mother happens to be a merciless cop (legendary actress Joan Chen of Twin Peaks and THE LAST EMPEROR). Lee, armed with an arsenal of film knowledge and wits, devises the ultimate alibi, ready for every counter-move that awaits his family. SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD is a relentless cat-and-mouse thriller with just the right dose of dark humor, emotional nuance, and tension from first-time director Sam Quah. Released to such an avalanche of positive press, the film overtook STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER in China’s box office! Quebec Premiere.

A CRIMINAL, A DETECTIVE, AND A TALKING PARROT ARE NEEDED TO SOLVE A THRILLING CRIME PUZZLE IN A WITNESS OUT OF THE BLUE!

Three months after a botched robbery, Wong, the mastermind behind it, is now a prime suspect for the murder of one of his teammates. Trying to clear his name, Wong instead falls into a complex web of betrayal and collateral damage, while a detective scrambles to piece together the puzzle with the help of a talking parrot. A WITNESS OUT OF THE BLUE is a riveting thriller from director Fung Chih-Chiang, who previously collaborated with Stephen Chow (SHAOLIN SOCCER) and Johnny To (SPARROW), and has screened at Bucheon Film Festival and Rotterdam Film Festival. Canadian Premiere

ADDITIONAL THIRD WAVE TITLES

BRING ME HOME
South Korea – Dir: Kim Seung-woo
Six years after her son’s disappearance, Jung-yeon goes to a small fishing village to track him down. But nothing could have prepared for what she discovers upon arrival. Actress Lee Young-ae (LADY VENGEANCE) shines in writer-director Kim Seung-woo’s feature debut. Quebec Premiere.

KAKEGURUI
Japan – Dir: Tsutomu Hanabusa
Welcome to Hyakkaoh Private Academy, where gambling determines the school’s hierarchy. But the status quo is about to be shaken up by the arrival of a new student who is ready to take on the head of the powerful student council. Based on the popular manga by Homura Kawamoto and Toru Naomura, Tsutomu Hanabusa’s KAKEGURUI (PROJECT DREAMS) is a hilarious and riveting school drama with biting social critique. Canadian Premiere.

NO LONGER HUMAN
Japan – Dir. Mika Ninagawa
Genius writer Osamu Dazai has become a star, despite rumors of affairs, multiple suicide attempts, and an eccentric, anti-Establishment way of life. Mika Ninagawa (HELTER SKELTER, SAKURAN) tackles the life of one of Japan’s foremost literary figures in this bold, colourful, and stylish film. Quebec Premiere.

REDISCOVER FANTASIA CLASSICS AT HOME!

Unavailable in North America, or previously hard to find, Fantasia’s digital 2020 edition brings back a selection of beloved favorites from its past editions, under its new label, Fantasia Classics. This year’s titles featured under this moniker include Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Air Doll (2009), Yosuke Fujita’s Fukuchan of Fukufuku Flats (2014), Johnnie To’s A Hero Never Dies (1998), Hideki Takeuchi’s Fly Me to the Saitama (2019), Yuichi Fukuda’s HK: Forbidden Superhero (2014) and HK2: The Abnormal Crisis (2016), Yoshimasa Ishibashi’s Milocrorze: A Love Story (2011), and Koichiro Miki’s The Travelling Cat Chronicles (2018). Also included will be a special 15-year-anniversary screening of Wilson Yip’s SPL: Kill Zone (2005).

JURIES AND COMPETITIONS

Fantasia announces the 2020 Cheval Noir competition titles and the Asian titles competing are:

CHASING DREAM – Hong Kong, Dir: Johnnie To

I WEIRDO – Taiwan, Dir: Liao Ming-Yi

KRIYA – India-UK, Dir: Sidharth Srinivasan

LEGALLY DECLARED DEAD – Hong Kong, Dir: Yuen Kim-Wai

ME AND ME – South Korea, Dir: Jung Jin-young

SPECIAL ACTORS – Japan, Dir: Shinichiro Ueda

WOTAKOI: LOVE IS HARD FOR OTAKU – Japan, Dir: Yuichi Fukuda

The following talented industry professionals make up the Fantasia 2020 juries:

CHEVAL NOIR COMPETITION

Jennifer Lynch (Jury President) – USA – Director, Writer

Joko Anwar – Indonesia – Director, Writer, Producer
Mattie Do – Laos – Director, Producer
Steve Moore – USA – Composer and Musician
Jongsuk Thomas Nam – South Korea – Festival Programmer (Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival), Managing Director of the Network of Asian Fantastic Films
Karen Walton – Canada – Writer, Producer

NEW FLESH COMPETITION FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE

Darin Scott (Jury President) – USA – Director, Writer, Producer
Mette-Marie Kongsved – Denmark – Producer, Co-Founder of Nowhere
Miguel Llansó – Spain – Director, Writer, Producer
Shinji Sakoda – Japan – International Sales and Film Festival Representative
April Wolfe – USA – Director, Writer, Critic, Podcaster

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

Nosipho Dumisa (Jury President) – South Africa – Director, Writer, Co-Founder of Gambit Films
Simon Barrett – USA – Director, Writer, Actor
Pierce Conran – Ireland – Critic, Producer, Acquisitions Executive at XYZ Films
Natalie Erika James – Australia – Director, Writer
Jennifer Reeder – USA – Director, Writer

AQCC CAMERA LUCIDA COMPETITION
– Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma (Québec Critic’s Association)

Martin Gignac – Canada – Critic and Author
Marc-Antoine Lévesque – Canada – Critic
Benjamin Pelletier – Canada – Critic

AXIS: SATOSHI KON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION

Marina Antunes (Jury President) – Canada – Festival Director, Film Critic, Podcaster
Han Han Li – Canada – Animator, Animation Teacher
Emily Paige – Canada – Co-founder, Creative Producer, ED Films
Chad VanGaalen – Canada – Animator, Artist, Musician

Film Review: A Moment of Innocence (1996) by Mohsen Makhmalbaf

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 12:22:13 GMT

In his youth, Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf was involved with a militant anti-Shah group. During one protest, then 17-year-old Makhmalbaf stabbed a policeman, was arrested and imprisoned until he was released during the Iranian revolution in the 1970s. The event itself troubled the director for quite some time as it was crucial for his development as a person as well as an artist, which is why he finally decided to confront it in his 1996 feature “A Moment of Innocence”, a movie that, like most of his other works, was banned in Iran, but praised especially by European and American critics who compared it to Francois Truffaut’s “The 400 Blows”, for example.

At the center of the story, we have Mohsen Makhmalbaf playing himself as a director attempting to make a feature film about an event in his youth which led to his imprisonment and defined himself. In order to make the story as authentic as possible, he and his team even managed to track down the policemen Makhmalbaf had stabbed then (Mirhadi Tayebi), who is not only supposed to act as himself, but should also train the actor who will be cast as his younger self. Even though he expresses dissatisfaction with the casting decision, a somewhat clumsy, but committed young man (Ali Bakshi), he nevertheless understands the greater purpose of the work they are doing and start to instruct the young man on how to be a policeman.

Meanwhile, Makhmalbaf has started instructing the young actor (Ammar Tafti) who will play his younger self in the feature, telling him about his past, his motivation and his relationship to his cousin who helped him during the attack. Everything seems to go as planned until the actual shooting of the scene, when Makhmalbaf’s agenda, the ex-policemen’s idea of the event as well as the emotions of the actors regarding what they are about to do collide.

A feature such as “A Moment of Innocence” is semi-autobiographical by nature. Perhaps driven by the realization that one can only approach the reality of a moment, but never fully re-capture it, Makhmalbaf never aims for the latter, but instead focuses on the feelings connected to the event, the idea of losing one’s innocence as a human being through one act of violence. For the director, the one in the film and Makhmalbaf himself, the event holds a key to unravel a far greater truth or link to the present, whereas Mirhadi Tayebi, who is the actual policemen that was stabbed by Makhmalbaf, understands the action in a different way, hoping for a certain kind of depiction. This is only one conflict the story creates, considering both understand the event quite differently as it had quite a different impact on their lives.

Repeatedly, Makhmalbaf blurs the line between the real person, the actor and the character they play, as well as the different narrative layers of “A Moment of Innocence”. Some scenes seem confusing at first, but have a much deeper connection to the overall narrative, a revelation to the viewer who notices the beauty in the complicated, interwoven story Makhmalbaf tells here. Similarly, his script suspends the differentiation between character, real person and actor, for example, when Tayebi constantly corrects the young man playing his younger self until he, fed up with the actor’s inadequate performance, finally takes over and acts alongside him during their rehearsals. On the other hand, the director aims to make the actor who play his younger self understand his past motivations and the chronology of the event, ignoring the somewhat naive, pacifist notions of the young actor. In the end, the young man even breaks down crying, claiming he is unable to stab another person, even if it is fake, since the violence of the event appalls him.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s “A Moment of Innocence” is a narratively and formally challenging drama about a person dealing with a decisive moment in his life. Its interwoven storylines and ambivalent nature make the movie something like a cinematic parable on loss of innocence, a story which is beautifully told while also quite sad at times.

Short Film Review: Sadhu in Bombay (2017) by Kabir Mehta

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 12:00:47 GMT

According to Wikipedia, Sadhu is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively referred to as jogi, sannyasi or vairagi. In “Sadhu in Bombay”, which was released the same year with his feature debut, “Buddha.mov“, Kabir Mehta presents another mockumentary, which, this time, mocks the whole concept.

“Sadhu in Bombay” is available through the YouTube Channel of Slamdance

“Bombay is a city of fuckers”, “Sadhu are big swindlers” are just two of the first statements the protagonist makes, as he speaks to the camera of a director who is shooting a film on his life, setting the tone for the rest of movie. With each phrase and movement, Sadhu seems to make another “blasphemous” comment, all of which are directed to concepts that could easily be perceived as taboo. Wives who cheat with their employees, husbands who cheat with young boys and home-made porn videos with police officers are just some of the stories the short deals with, in a style that is hilariously inappropriate.

Ahtesha Hussain gives a great performance as Sadhu, highlighting a kind of naivety that leads to frequently inappropriate sincerity, which is actually the main element of the narrative. The mockumentary style works quite well also, particularly since Mehta also includes some scenes with the director editing, with the breaking of the fourth wall adding even more to the overall aesthetics of the short, along with the concept of how directors decide what they keep in their movie and what they leave out. The frequent cuts that result in a rather fast pace in the editing department also work pretty well, adding more to the entertainment the title offers. The cinematography follows the rules of the documentary, with the camera focusing on the subject intently, occasionally through extreme close-ups.

“Sadhu in Bombay” is pointy, completely non-pc, and most of all, extremely funny through the sincerity it deals with social issues.

21st Japan-Filmfest Hamburg will be Online, 19th Aug – 2nd Sep

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 06:55:37 GMT

After much thought, and taking into consideration the health of our guests and viewers, Nihon Media announced that Japan Filmfest Hamburg cannot take place this year as a traditional film festival – and will be online instead. Under the motto ‘Breaking Free – From Japan with Love’, Nihon Media will collaborate with Videocity to stream its entire programme of 70+ films in around 40 blocks globally from 19th of August to the 2nd of September.

The 2020 film programme features 70 current productions, from full-length feature films to experimental short films, including many German, European, and international premieres. Most of the films are shown in the original Japanese language with English subtitles. One special highlight of our programme is the gangster-ballad originally planned as the opening film for the 21^st JFFH, “Paradise Next” (2018) from director and film composer Yoshihiro Hanno (“Flowers of Shanghai”). An atmospheric road-movie about the travels of three lost souls living on the edges of society, Hanno has created, in no small part due to immersive camerawork and a thickly atmospheric soundtrack, a thought-provoking masterpiece. Enriched by the main theme of the soundtrack from music legend Ryuichi Sakamoto (“Furyo – Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”, “The Last Emperor”), “Paradise Next” will kick off festival week.

Other highlights include the historical drama “A Town and a Tall Chimney” (2019) from Katsuya Matsumura, based on a novel by Jiro Nitta and with performances by Dai Watanabe and acting legend Tatsuya Nakadai (“The Human Condition”, “Harakiri”, “Kagemusha”, “Ran”), the dark coming of age masterpiece “Forgiven Children” (2020) from Eisuke Naito, the grim yakuza thriller Unfinished (2020) from the directors Yûki Kobayashi, Kiyoto Naruse, Yûgo Sakamoto and Yoshihiro Nishimura (“Tokyo Gore Police”, “Kodoku Meatball Machine”), and “Roar go On” (2019) from Ryo Katayama.

Japanese anime are especially loved by our fans, and for good reason. That’s why we’re showing, alongside a series of anime short films, the visually breathtaking ocean drama “Children of the Sea” (2019) from Ayumu Watanabe as well as the witty teenage sci-fi grotesque “Cencoroll Connect” (2019) from Uki Atsuya, the surreal fantasy drama “Penguin Highway” by Hiroyasu Ishida and the touching fantasy love drama “Ride Your Wave” by Masaaki Yuasa, four current standouts in the area of animated films.

2020 is also a year not to be missed for friends of Japanese genre mainstays. With a film following the tongue-in-cheek tradition of Japanese Kaiju films, “Attack of the Giant Teacher” (2019) from Yoshikazu Ishii, the splatter-grotesque produced by Hiro Kunado, Ghost Master (2019) from Paul Young, and the new atmospherically directed horror-drama “Mimicry Freaks” (2019) by cult-classic director Shugo Fujii, we can show the current gems of genre cinema. Due to their great success, we will also be showing “Kodoku Meatball Machine” (2017) from Yoshihiro Nishimura and “Meatball Machine” (2005) from Yūdai Yamaguchi and Yunichi Yamamoto, two modern classics of Japanese splatterfilms that made an impact at the 2017 FGGH. This is a second chance for anyone who missed these showstoppers in the past.

2020 will also see Nihon Media e. V. distribute various prizes to the best films and filmmakers of the festival-year. These include the jury prize for the best independent production, the special prize for the best genre production, as well as the prize for exceptional artistic performance. Viewers can also vote on the audience prize from home, and have a direct effect on which submission earns the privilege of being named the best film of the festival.

Online tickets will cost 5 euro per block, and may be purchased from their website. A large portion of ticket sales will go directly to the Japanese filmmakers, many of whom are facing hardships due to the corona crisis. The purchase of a ticket therefore not only helps support the festival, but also the filmmakers who make it possible. To accompany the line-up, JFFH will also show free, daily video content as part of the film festival as well interviews with Japanese filmmakers. The videos will be available on the JFFH Youtube channel. The Youtube channel will also release live interviews to connect their German viewers with filmmakers from Japan as a special feature. From Japan and Hamburg with love!

Trailer: Sakura by Hitoshi Yazaki

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 04:37:01 GMT

The original is a novel of the same name by the Naoki Prize writer, Kanako Nishi, who has surpassed 550,000 copies in total. One dog named Sakura and a family of five appear. And the people who are important to them.

Under the direction of Hitoshi Yazaki, the Hasegawa family’s brothers and sisters are Takumi Kitamura, Nana Komatsu, and Ryo Yoshizawa, who are popular actors. Shinobu Terashima played the three mothers and Masatoshi Nagase played the father, and the female characters that they met were Yui Kobayashi (Keyakizaka46), Kaho Mizutani, and Kazumi Yamatani.

World-renowned pianist Adam George is in charge of the songs in the play, and the theme song “Blue ID” written by the Tokyo Incident that “reproduced” this year decorates the ending.

Synopsis:
There is a happy family that consists of parents and their 3 children: Hajime (Ryo Yoshizawa), Kaoru (Takumi Kitamura) and Miki (Nana Komatsu). Hajime is the first son and he is handsome and popular. His presence in the family is large. Kaoru is the second son and he is an ordinary university student. Miki is the youngest child in the family. She looks up to her brother Hajime a lot. One day, Hajime has a car accident and the family falls into despair. Slowly. the family recovers.

Trailer: Diva by Jo Seul-ye

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 01:27:18 GMT

It’s been six years since Shin Min-ah (“A Bittersweet Life”) was last seen on the big screen, having taken some time off work to take care of Kim Woo-bin as he recovered from nasal cancer. While she has been in a couple k-dramas since, she makes her comeback in films with debutante director Jo Seul-ye’s psychological thriller “Diva”.

Synopsis

Skill, beauty, personality, ‘Diving Diva’ Yi-yeong has it all. Not being able to be with her best friend Soo-jin is the only thing that gets in her way. Just so she can help Soo-jin out, she changes her event to synchronizing swimming. While pouring everything to Olympics selection practice, Soo-jin and Yi-yeong are involved in a freak accident. Soo-jin disappears without a trace, while Yi-yeong survives but loses her memory. Her memory slowly comes back to her but remembers strange side of Soo-jin. Her iron will begins to shake on the diving board.

Joining Shin is Lee Yoo-young (“Yourself and Yours”) as Soo-jin, Lee Kyu-hyung (“Innocent Witness”) and Oh Ha-nee (“Rosebud”). “Diva” is expected to release in Korea in September, 2020.

Film Review: Loving You (1995) by Johnnie To

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 22:00:36 GMT

Merging radically different genres is always a tricky business, and most of the time, takes a very steady directorial hand to accomplish the desired balance. In the case of “Loving You”, Johnnie To attempts to combine a crime thriller with a melodramatic romance. Let us see how he fares.

Watch This Title

Inspector Lau Chun-hoi is the embodiment of the anti-hero. While he is very courageous and a workaholic, he also mistreats his colleagues and particularly his underlings, he drinks, he is a womanizer, and constantly ignores his wife who desperately tries to maintain an emotional connection with him. As the film begins, his interactions with a drug dealer named Gwan become the beginning of Lau’s downward spiral. Their second meeting, during which the villain exploits all of his faults and his frustration from learning that his wife is carrying the child of another man, to trap him, ends up with the inspector having a bullet stuck in his head and the criminal getting away easily. Miraculously, he survives but he ends up incapacitated in a hospital, with no sense of smell or taste. His pregnant wife, not being able to abandon him, starts taking care of him again, and a second chance for their marriage appears. People, however, do not change that easily, while Gwan is not done with Lau.

Johnnie To directs a film that is split in three parts. The first part includes all the elements of a distinct action/crime movie, with To’s prowess in the genre being more than evident in pace, camera movement, and the overall setting of the action, which in this case, includes large amounts of bloodshed. The middle part, on the other hand, is much slower, and, although it allows for much character analysis, somewhat cheesy. The main source of this last aspect is the music, which tries to force a kind of sentimentalism that seems completely out of place on occasion. Some brief moments of subtle humor tone this aspect down a bit, but in general, the dramatic part of the movie feels disconnected from the rest of the narrative, particularly since the last part turns to crime action again. The same applies to the overall comment deriving from the middle section, which seems to state that marital bonds can be very strong, even in the face of logic, particularly if love is (was?) involved.

On the other hand, the acting in this part, particularly from Lau Ching Wan is quite convincing, with him highlighting his range in the best fashion. Carmen Lee’s part, although relegated to just looking beautiful (she is gorgeous), also shines in this part, especially due to her chemistry with Lau. Not so much on the rest of the movie, though, where she mostly screams or cries, since her lines are particularly few. To Tsung Hua makes for a great villain as Gwan, with his sinister look and intense moves.

“Loving You” is not a bad film, and at 84 minutes (79 on Netflix) is quite easy to watch. However, it is also uneven, to the point that it seems that To was not sure what he wanted to do with it, thus resulting in a somewhat faulty effort, despite that the action scenes definitely compensate.

Short Film Review: 1978 (2020) by Hamza Bangash

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 16:41:16 GMT

1978 was quite a significant year for Pakistan, since General Zia-ul-Haq, who took over power from Bhutto in a coup d’état in 1977, started passing broad-ranging legislation as part of Pakistan’s Islamization, curbed civil liberties, and heightened press censorship. Hamza Bangash (Dia) makes his comment about that period by focusing (and dedicating the movie) on Norman D’Souza, a rock musician who has been active since the mid 60’s and still goes strong (his words).

1978 is Screening at Locarno Film Festival

His cinematic “equivalent” is called Lenny, and as the film begins, we watch him urinating on a number of poster of some sort of military leader, in a scene that sets the tone of the film quite eloquently. In 1978, Lenny lives with his brother, since their parents are not in the picture, and is the definite rock-star type. He drinks, smokes weed, flirts with women, gets into fights, and is dressed the part, constantly wearing sunglasses, along with flamboyant shirts, jackets and pants, plus he has long hair and full goatee. At the same time, he comes from a Christian background, which means occasionally visiting the church and reciting hymns, although as the first episode of the short shows, occasionally he has to be “coerced” by his little brother to do so. Eventually, a friend of his who works for TV, AJ, gets him an audition for a movie part, although to take the role Lenny has to renounce everything he stands for and embrace the Islamic fervor that dominates the nation.

Hamza Bangash comes up with a captivating portrait of a rather intriguing man who certainly lives up to the role of the rock star. The way the narrative reveals his past and present is very entertaining, with a series of well-placed flashbacks highlighting both the recent and the former past, and adding significant depth to the story, to the point that the short seems much longer than its actual 17 minutes of duration. At the same time, the story of a man who considered succumbing to the norm but remained anti-regime sends a well-communicated message about resistance to religious fundamentalism, thus making the movie quite political.

Visually, the film is equally impressive, with the combination of Yashir Khan’s many close-ups to Lenny and his overall framing, and Shahzeb Hussain’s coloring resulting in a number of impressive images, particularly the ones in the club where the neon lights and the intense red hues dominate.

Muhammad Zeeshan as Lenny is quite convincing in the part of the rock star, with him looking cool with every word and every movement, while the way he highlights his inner struggle for the changes he has to make for the TV part is probably the best part of his performance.

“1978” is an excellent short, especially due to the way it highlights its political messaged through a rather entertaining approach, and a definite sign of Bangash’s cinematic progress.

Short Film Review: A Boring Film (2020) by Mahde Hasan

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 15:17:51 GMT

Naming your own movie “Boring” is a brave decision, even if the title can be perceived under the prism of irony. In the case of Mahde Hasan, however, his unusual choice worked quite well, with “A Boring Film” becoming the first Bangladeshi production to compete in Locarno.

A Boring Film is Screening at Locarno Film Festival

The film revolves around a man (played by the director) who is in self-quarantine in a housing building under construction. The noise does not let him sleep however, and he spends his day trying to glue a broken vase, watching various people from his window, including a worker who burnishes wooden sticks almost constantly, and playing with his cats. Eventually, he decides to leave his building, and after some pondering, his steps bring him to a zoo, where he tries to sleep.

After “I Am Time” Hasan directs another experimental film in black-and-white, which, additionally, is also without dialogue. Despite the abstract, minimalist approach, his comments are quite eloquent. Bangladesh is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, and this growth is mirrored (as always in these cases) in the surge of construction in the country. Hasan highlights the fact through a number of images, showing newly-constructed buildings, but also stresses that this financial progress has its consequences, particularly for people who have not yet gotten used to the noises and lack of serenity of the modern megalopolis. Furthermore, and despite the significant improvement of the economy, a large part of the population still lives in or below the poverty line, with the aforementioned worker mirroring this aspect. The juxtaposition of these two comments with the ending of the film seems to state that “returning to nature” could be a solution, since the animals that inhabit even an artificial setting such as the zoo seem happy, and able to sleep.

Mahde Hasan and his DP, Dibbyo use a number of point-of-view shots to give the viewer the sense that he/she is the one picking on the “action” and to allow him to see and feel exactly as the protagonist. Occasionally, some long shots are also presented, in an effort to highlight the size of the construction surge in the city. The editing is also unusual, since Hasan uses a number of fade-outs (without fade-ins however) to change the scenery, in a tactic that works, however, quite good for the narrative, giving the short a sense of speed.

“A Boring Film” is another impressive (and not boring at all) effort from Mahde Hasan, both technically and contextually. Time to shoot a feature film, I guess.

Trailer: Milocrorze: A Love Story by Yoshimasa Ishibashi

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 08:57:40 GMT

Written and directed by Ishibashi Yoshimasa, Milocroze is his first full-length feature film. Ishibashi’s portfolio to date includes the critically acclaimed 16mm black and white film Kuruwasetaino and the cult mannequin television drama series, OH! Mikey. Ishibashi also directs the art unit Kyupi Kyupi. His latest work both draws on and brings together a range of themes and visual ideas partially developed in previous projects. The culmination of a body of work that spans 2 decades, Milocroze is a film in which Ishibashi displays the full range of his creative talent.

A young man’s world is rocked by a mysterious woman.
An unorthodox youth counselor offers idiosyncratic advice to young men about romance.
A one-eyed ronin falls in love with a florist and is drawn into a quest to recover his kidnapped lover.

Milocrorze is a film containing 2 separate love stories interspersed with a series of irreverent sketches based on the anxieties of young men in love. Both stories and sketches while largely independent from one another are connected through a series of recurring visual motifs. The film explores a range of visual styles and genres that span from musical to samurai drama. And as is usually the case with Ishibashi’s work, the rich carefully worked imagery is often erotic and always woven around the director’s delight in the ridiculous and unique sense of humor.

Monthly Indie Shorts – The Asian Selection of August

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 06:18:00 GMT

Monthly Indie Shorts was created during the COVID19 pandemic in order to encourage filmmakers to continue on producing and allow them to have an affordable platform to show their work. On this platform, filmmakers will have the chance to display both their trailers and films, and a Jury made out of professionals from the film industry will choose monthly a festival winner in different categories.

Monthly Festival allows participants to choose between putting on our platform the full movie or keeping the trailer for premiere consideration. Publishing the trailer doesn’t affect the Judges’ decision.

For August, the Asian selection includes:

Operation Banana – Short Movie – Singapore
http://monthlyindieshorts.com/operacion-banana/

Joker the True Lover – Short Movie – India
http://monthlyindieshorts.com/joker-the-true-lover/

Infinity of the Universe – Short Movie – Turkey
http://monthlyindieshorts.com/infinity-of-the-universe/

Memory – Short Movie – Turkey
http://monthlyindieshorts.com/memory/

Music Video: Cries and Whispers by Lee Ji-Soo and Jo Yeong-wook

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 05:46:00 GMT

Anna Bliss selects this piece of music, from the acclaimed Park Chan-Wook movie “Oldboy,” by Lee Ji-Soo and Jo Yeong-Wook, “Cries and Whispers”.

Series Review: Betaal (2020) by Patrick Graham and Nikhil Mahajan

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 01:00:42 GMT

“Betaal” – original Netflix mini-series influenced by local legends and myths, but also by the forgotten god of dread described in Somdev Bhatt’s storybooks from 11th century, is the first proper Indian attempt at the zombie genre. Spiked with social criticism, the show offers more than just snapping jaws of the undead, who happen to be the former British colonialists.

The Volunteers battalion that served under the command of lieutenant colonel John Lynedoch during the Independence War of 1857 is trapped in a mountain passage built a long time ago by the English, and the flesh-thirsty men are held under control by rituals performed by local villagers, under the guidance of their sorceress. In the very opening scene, people are seen praying to lord Betaal to keep his slumber, and their peace intact.

Solidly plotted horror elements are present from the very beginning of the series and as many of them are recognizable from the standard genre film tropes, original ideas melt in, mainly in terms of the representation of the undead. Since George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) when the Haitian understanding of zombies was appropriated by the western culture and turned into a standard of the flesh-thirsty menace with the ability of infecting the living by a simple scratch or a bite, the trope was repeating itself. The mute, slow-moving rotting corpses were creatures steered by one primal instinct only (food), until Romero himself decided that this wasn’t enough. His “Land of the Dead” (2005) marked the end of the brainless walkers by introducing the character of Big Daddy Zombie, played by Eugene Clark .Two years prior, another significant change took place when Danny Boyle made us shiver in anguish in “28 day Later”, his post-apocalyptic horror set up in London, sending the horde of zombies through the city in manic speed. Paul W.S. Anderson’s “The Resident Evil” franchise was built on the same idea, but the creatures were also lacking the intellectual capability to communicate.

“Betaal” doesn’t play along these lines, and the transformation from a living person to a zombie happens through the corruption of personality, letting the infected keeping their fine motor skills and thinking process intact, despite being influenced by the voice of Betaal. Using any kind of weapon doesn’t impose any problem to them, likewise – the sweet-talking method to get out of the difficult situation. Zombies (if not emaciated, 3 centuries old creatures) look just like any of us, when equipped with a decent pair of sun-glasses and dressed properly to hide their infected wounds.

All four episodes play during one single night that goes very south when a squad of soldiers gets sent to the alleged place of “Naxal” terror, to cleanse them out and make space for “progress” and “prosperity” of the nation, helping the Surya constructions to re-open the passage through the mountain and build the highway. Manipulated by their corrupt commander-in-chief Tyagi (the fantastic Suchitra Pillai), a hard-boiled soldier famous for fighting left-wingers and human right activists publicly on TV, they are led to commit atrocities, not suspecting a scam.

Attacked for its “shallowness” by a handful of critics on Rotten Tomatoes, “Betaal” is expected to solve the problems of the globalized, capitalist world in four episodes and to find that “je ne sais quoi” that will make it relevant in the TV genre domain. Like we ever had that in “The Walking Dead”, a show that George Romero denied with every atom of his body, but which nevertheless was adored by the “certified-fresh” critics.

If there is anything to complain about, it’s the special effects department with its outdated technique in presenting the “originals”. With a recognizable nod to John Carpenter’s “The Fog”, one wishes the eyes of the Brits were less “the creepy toy we got as kids, with the red glass-eyeballs-glowing-stare”, and more of the 21st century scarier than hell things.

The show is packed with strong female characters, including the mercenaries, and this might also be one of the reasons for the show’s harsh critique. Not sexually objectified, makeup-free, in decision-making positions and tough (one of them even severely disfigured), the female leads of “Betaal” steer the narrative with a mighty force.

The capitalist destructive power voiced in the character of the business entrepreneur Ajay Mudhalvan (Jitendra Joshi), a ruthless, spineless man ready to sacrifice his own daughter Saanvi (Syna Anand) to get his riches secured by Betaal, is ridiculed by co-directors Patrick Graham & Nikhil Mahajan. Ajay’s wife Shakuntala (Meenal Kapoor) calls the soldiers of her husband’s “lapdogs”, and the treatment (including beatings) she and her daughter get from Ajay, do not play along the tunes of “it happens, because it’s India”. Unless, you choose not to recognize it.

We finally come to “the man”, according to Rotten Tomatoes critics, “the dude” the series rotates around. Vineet Kumar plays the traumatized soldier Vikram Sirohi, a guy so harmed by his previous killings, that the flashbacks make him paralyzed with fear of harming yet another human being. “Everything but a child” is his motto, until the zombie apocalypse strikes.

Offering a great support to the series is the original score by Naren Chandavarkar and Benedict Taylor (also composers of Patrick Graham’s previous Netflix horror series “Ghoul”), the music embraces the story with its energized power.

Film Review: Gamera vs. Barugon (1966) by Shigeo Tanaka

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 22:10:50 GMT

After the huge commercial success of “Gamera, the Giant Monster” it was only a matter of time before Daei Film would continue their series of films featuring the giant creature which was originally meant as a way to compete with Toei Studios and their successful Godzilla-franchise. Even though directing duties went to experienced director Shigeo Tanaka, according to IMDB, Noriaki Yuasa, who helmed the first movie, is also mentioned as director for “Gamera vs. Barugon”, possibly due to the stock footage from the first used here. Another change is the switch from black-and-white to color as well as, considering the second film was granted a higher budget, more advanced special effects, which is especially relevant for the battle between the two monsters and the miniature effects throughout. Besides being a better movie with regard to technology, “Gamera vs. Barugon” tells a story about greed and how much chaos this character trait has caused in the world.

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Half a year after the world saw Gamera being shot to Mars, the creature returns to Earth due to the rocket colliding with a meteor, setting its course back to where it came from. However, after destroying Kurobe Dam, the giant monster disappears again in search for great sources of heat on the planet’s surface.

Meanwhile, Keisuke Hirata (Kojiro Hongo) has other things on his mind then worrying about a giant monster, since he is about to engage in what will possibly be a quite lucrative adventure. According to his brother, who has been a POW in World War II, he has hidden a giant opal in a cave in New Guinea. As Keisuke, along with two other companions, arrive on the island, the natives try to stop the three men, telling them about a great curse connected to the cave which potentially could bring great evil upon the world. Ignoring the pleas of the natives, the trio manages to get to the cave and finds the opal, but Keisuke is betrayed by Onodera (Koji Fujiyama), who finally escapes with the precious stone and can escape to Kobe. However, as the ship he is on sinks, the stone is lost.

Then, just minutes after the ship sank, a giant monster, later named Barugon appears, which continues its way towards the city, destroying everything in its way and growing stronger every minute. As military firepower cannot stop the creature, whose icy breath freezes everything it touches, all hope lies in the appearance of Gamera, who might be able to fight and beat Barugon.

As with many other kaiju-films, with its second entry, the Gamera-franchise turned to the concept of the monster fight, which is already teased in the title. Somewhat ironically, it also points at the idea of Gamera standing on the side of humankind in some way, emphasizing the statement from the first film that the monster was not evil by nature, even though “Gamera, the Giant Monster” did nothing to confirm that assertion. Nevertheless, with slight improvements in the special effects department, the eventual fight between the two monsters is, given the time of production, quite well-made.

Interestingly, for the majority of the action, we follow the story of Keisuke, a narrative involving human greed, betrayal and the exploitation of others. While the story only comes back to these issues during its final moments, culminating in an overly didactic message which reminds us of the young target audience this film was supposedly meant for, scriptwriter Niisan Takahashi still manages to throw in quite a few interesting concepts. Perhaps the most significant and quite ironical is how the greediest character causes quite literally the birth of Barugon, due to his greed and ignorance.

In the end, “Gamera vs. Barugon” is a solid second entry into the franchise. Considering its improved special effects, the movie manages to entertain its target audience, even though its overly didactic messages in the finale feels unnecessary.