xym07 Reviews

Tenet (2020)

Nolan's own James Bond film with a time-bending twist.

[6/10 · 23 August 2020]

Christopher Nolan has been a fan of the 007 series for years. Tenet is his version of the spy genre. It's got most Bond films got: the plot intertwines various countries, a luxurious lifestyle with grand scenery and visceral action sequences. It doesn't have the series trademark sensuality, though.

His unique twist is, like most Nolan pictures, the manipulation of time. Unlike Dunkirk it doesn't have various timeframes, but twisting time and having fun with it is a big pry of Tenet. Just as most Nolan films it is a bit too confusing with a single seating, especially for children. Unfortuately this picture, probably because of the 150-minute runtime limit, is all information with little breathing room.

Although this film has little depiction of sensibility, its depiction of violence is pretty intense. There are some suggestive moments of torture. Trigger warning for a portrayal of domestic violence.

Despite the MPAA rating not having strong language, there is one F-bomb in an emotionally intense scene. Take note.

Overall an enjoyable picture, but not the Nolan's best. A bit too intense violence for children under 14 years.

The Last Sentence (2012)

A well-intended disappointment.

[4/10 · 8 October 2012]

Saw it at Busan International Film Festival(BIFF), and it was the most disappointing film of the weekend.

In fact Torgny Segerstedt's story, in which an anti-Nazi journalist became a political martyr, is quite fascinating. His relationships with women are also intriguing drama material. In addition to those good ingredients, the director Jan Troell had one more ambition: making this film as a journey to the mind of Mr. Segerstedt, rather than a bland and harmless biography. What could go wrong?

First of all, making a black and white period piece with digital cameras(Arri Alexa) was not a good idea; especially when you start your film with real archive films filled with gritty film grains. The images here lack any depth of field, resulting in images which are crisp and dull at the same time. The whole feature felt like a cheap TV reenactment of the actual events, rather than an artistic reinterpretation.

The script is not good as well. Without some fantasy elements based on a Bergman tradition, the whole feature consists of a series of important events in the protagonist's life. The timing is always off; things just come and go without proper investments. Most of all, even though it is based on the real events during World War 2, there is no sense of dread or grief.

Even though Jesper Christensen's performance was stellar, I cannot recommend this film. It is a film made with good intentions, but fails to live up to them.

4/10

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Meh.

[5/10 · 29 April 2010]

Iron Man was arguably one of the best superhero film of this decade, and a proper rival to DC comics' leading guy. Yes, it wasn't a sophisticated social study like The Dark Knight, and it had some really cheesy plot points. Despite its flaws, it was a light-hearted, pop-culture-heavy popcorn flick which also had guts to tackle on a masked vigilante cliché; the protagonist revealed its alter-ego! It was the coolest superhero movie till Kick-Ass, for sure.

Now a sequel released. Expectations are massively high. All-star casts are even better than having Jeff 'The Dude' Bridges. Trailers and clips look magnificent. The soundtrack album is a freaking AC/DC collection! So... it it a worthy successor? The answer is NO, thanks to Marvel Entertainment.

The good news first. Robert Downey Jr. IS TONY STARK. He nailed every scene. This movie is, presumably, full of improves, and RDJ stays in the character every time. The action scenes are well executed. Although the final showdown was a bit of let-down, aerial dogfights were new exciting addition to the series. Supporting casts are solid. Sam Rockwell was a dynamite in every lines. Scarlett Johansson was hotter than ever. Sam Jackson is the man. Most of all, long-forgotten Garry Shandling steals the show. The Senate hearing scene is one of the highlights of this movie. Trust me. It shines.

AND the bad news; it just forgot to be intriguing. The reason Tony Stark being so awesome was that it didn't care about the future. He always followed the heart, and even being a hero was his choice. In the sequel, by the way, he's always dragged by other things: his sickness, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, villains, etc. He's SO stressed that he almost becomes another emo-Peter Parker. It made me just... uninterested. Villains are not interesting either. Though performances are magnificent in separate scenes, they just don't flow into the movie itself. Mickey Rourke just disappears from the main plot for half an hour. Improvisations are heavily used throughout the whole film, and one-liners simply fill out. Lines are great, but it feels disjointed at times.

The worst news is that Marvel seems to be dying to see the Avengers in action. The whole feature seems to be a giant checklist for the Avengers. "Tony Stark's internal struggle? Check. Introduction of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Check. Warmachine? Check. Possibility of rivals? Check." They rushes things too much, and the grand finale doesn't feel grand at all. It just feels like a long preparation. This is what makes me worried at future Marvel project; they just don't get the idea of a standalone piece, and if they don't get it the future projects will repeat this mistake.

Summary: It's like Quantum of Solace. It shines at times, but fails to be coherent. It looks like Marvel intended this movie to be a stepping stone to the Avengers, but please Marvel take some time.

Funny Games (2007)

One-time shocker, but enough to check.

[7/10 · 12 July 2008]

Enough words are said; some people loved it, and others hated it. It's is basically a motion picture resume about violence in genre thrillers and our attitude about it. It should've been a good topic in a decade ago, but in the new millennium too much debate has progressed already, making this old dog a bit rusty to swallow. If you haven't seen it, then give it a try. If you are a fan of art-house films then it would make you a good 100-minute chill.

The American remake of Funny Games is almost the same film as the 1997 original except a cinematography by Darius Khondji and American actors, which sometimes becomes too melodramatic. The visual, besides, is what really shines through. It is not spectacular like his usuals, but it is a really pretty upgrade from the grainy original. If you're a first-timer, then this one is your pick thanks to that.

* P.S : This film is not released in South Korea yet, and I just saw it in a Spanish theater in the middle of a trip.

A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

A lost masterpiece

[10/10 · 26 March 2008]

I saw this film on screen in 2005. The place I saw it was an old-fashioned theater in the middle of Seoul, South Korea. The film print was one of the last surviving print of this film, which is now worn out too much for another screening. It was about three years ago, and I frankly do not much about the plot. Two things, however, were still in my mind. First of all, it was much more a film with tranquility. Think about Edward Yang's last film 'Yi Yi.' Do you remember the scene where there were two teenagers walking on the street and there were scarcely any sound effect but someone's monologue? The whole film was like that. The other thing is that, despite of it deals with serious subject matters such as Taiwan's cruel anti-communist regime, it still has a sense of humor: in fact, a plenty of it. For me, now this film is like a lost summer love: passionate but vague. If complicated copyright issues be solved and clean prints of this film to be found, I'd really like to recommend this film; it is a long four-hour movie, but every minute is worth it.