I really like Korean action films and this is a classic. If somewhat baffling at times... because two of the main characters change their appearance dramatically and that makes things a bit confusing for them and the audience.
One of the refreshing things about Korean action is that it is far less predictable than the western equivalents. There are similar elements, but they always mix it up and you can never be sure that some main character isn't actually going to die... just because we aren't near the end yet.
The main (anti) heroine is quite like Hannah (from the movie Hannah) in some ways... but then completely opposite in others (she has a child that she cares for so she isn't emotionally blank).
Lots of things happen. There is a mystery agency doing terrible things that may or may not be for the greater good (we never find out). There are gangsters. There are whole sequences that feel more like watching someone playing a video game...
It is very violent. And yet it is also thought provoking ... and sad ... and entertaining.
A real achievement to pack so much into one film.
Saturday, 24 February 2018
Wednesday, 14 February 2018
The Ghoul
This is a fascinating movie.
The first time I attempted to watch The Ghoul I had had a few glasses of wine and completely lost track of what was happening after 30 minutes; so I bailed out.
A few days later I tried again, sober, and really enjoyed it. I still can't say that I understand it. I will probably have to watch it again... was Chris an undercover cop investigating a shooting, or a mental patient imagining an alternative life as an undercover cop?
Or are we not supposed to be able to tell the difference?
Mystery.
The first time I attempted to watch The Ghoul I had had a few glasses of wine and completely lost track of what was happening after 30 minutes; so I bailed out.
A few days later I tried again, sober, and really enjoyed it. I still can't say that I understand it. I will probably have to watch it again... was Chris an undercover cop investigating a shooting, or a mental patient imagining an alternative life as an undercover cop?
Or are we not supposed to be able to tell the difference?
Mystery.
Altered Carbon
I thought that Altered Carbon was barrelling along nicely until about the 3/4 mark and then, for me, it hit the buffers.
All the cyberpunk aspects are something that you either buy into or not. The idea of everyone having a device implanted into their spine at birth seems horrific... but in 350 years, why not - only 35 years ago it would have seemed ridiculous that everyone would willingly carry round a device that allowed them to be contacted and tracked 24/7.
I didn't quite get where all the normal bodies come from. The rich have clones, I got that. But if the poor only get to reuse the bodies of dead people, then aren't those bodies pretty useless? They just died. Were they reconditioned or something? And if so why not fix them before death? Or is medicine just too expensive for most people? (i.e. the US healthcare approach, not the UK one)
Anyway, that was all OK. But then we find out who is really behind all the chaos surrounding Kovacs. And I thought... What? That is just mad.
Was that the point? That after pursuing a cause for 250 years, by whatever means you can employ, the process can destroy the whole point of the cause you started with?
I didn't get it. That's what I think was happening. The "villain" was just insane. The original "client" was unhinged too. So I guess all the people who were very, very old just went mad. Kovacs was cool because he slept for 250 years.
Is there a sequel? I hope there is more to the madness if so.
All the cyberpunk aspects are something that you either buy into or not. The idea of everyone having a device implanted into their spine at birth seems horrific... but in 350 years, why not - only 35 years ago it would have seemed ridiculous that everyone would willingly carry round a device that allowed them to be contacted and tracked 24/7.
I didn't quite get where all the normal bodies come from. The rich have clones, I got that. But if the poor only get to reuse the bodies of dead people, then aren't those bodies pretty useless? They just died. Were they reconditioned or something? And if so why not fix them before death? Or is medicine just too expensive for most people? (i.e. the US healthcare approach, not the UK one)
Anyway, that was all OK. But then we find out who is really behind all the chaos surrounding Kovacs. And I thought... What? That is just mad.
Was that the point? That after pursuing a cause for 250 years, by whatever means you can employ, the process can destroy the whole point of the cause you started with?
I didn't get it. That's what I think was happening. The "villain" was just insane. The original "client" was unhinged too. So I guess all the people who were very, very old just went mad. Kovacs was cool because he slept for 250 years.
Is there a sequel? I hope there is more to the madness if so.
Saturday, 3 February 2018
Black Mirror 4
You might think that Charlie Brooker could have taken Netflix's money and just churned out more of the same Black Mirror ... but he hasn't. It is still getting better with some brilliant episodes here in series 4.
1. USS Callister
This is going to be known as "The Star Trek one" by everyone who likes to wind up Star Trek fans... sorry guys. But you should see it as a homage rather than a spoof. Although casting the bad guy as a fan might upset more. Nice unwinding of the twists as you realise what is going on.
Probably one of my favourites right off the bat.
2. Arkangel
Classic episode because the obvious question of "would a parent go that far?" has an equally obvious, but uncomfortable, answer of "yes, some would."
3. Crocodile
Mixed one. I liked the acting but it was too obvious what would happen when the insurance woman started doing her thing. Apart from the shocking length that the perp went to to hide the truth... and her eventual mistake.
4. Hang The DJ
Another candidate for favourite. I guessed some of what was happening but the ending was a surprise. Brilliant that it now seems obvious; so hiding it so well was a real triumph.
5. Metalhead
I love Maxine Peake and this was a creepy episode. Shooting in black-and-white was a good idea. The reveal about the contents of the box was cool... but somehow, for me, the lack of context killed it - why were the dogs doing that and who were the people?
6. Black Museum
Probably my favourite. Lots of tech gone wrong and a brilliant reveal at the end which had a real Tales of the Unexpected feel about it.
1. USS Callister
This is going to be known as "The Star Trek one" by everyone who likes to wind up Star Trek fans... sorry guys. But you should see it as a homage rather than a spoof. Although casting the bad guy as a fan might upset more. Nice unwinding of the twists as you realise what is going on.
Probably one of my favourites right off the bat.
2. Arkangel
Classic episode because the obvious question of "would a parent go that far?" has an equally obvious, but uncomfortable, answer of "yes, some would."
3. Crocodile
Mixed one. I liked the acting but it was too obvious what would happen when the insurance woman started doing her thing. Apart from the shocking length that the perp went to to hide the truth... and her eventual mistake.
4. Hang The DJ
Another candidate for favourite. I guessed some of what was happening but the ending was a surprise. Brilliant that it now seems obvious; so hiding it so well was a real triumph.
5. Metalhead
I love Maxine Peake and this was a creepy episode. Shooting in black-and-white was a good idea. The reveal about the contents of the box was cool... but somehow, for me, the lack of context killed it - why were the dogs doing that and who were the people?
6. Black Museum
Probably my favourite. Lots of tech gone wrong and a brilliant reveal at the end which had a real Tales of the Unexpected feel about it.
Thursday, 1 February 2018
Person of Interest - season 5 (final)
I got impatient of waiting for season 5 of Person of Interest to appear on Netflix. After all, it has only been a year and a half since it aired in the US !!!
Anyway, I used up 3/4 of a month's rentals on Cinema Paradiso to watch it on Blu-ray instead. Keeping my fingers crossed that disk 3 would appear straight after disks 1 and 2, rather than something else from my list. It did. So I got to binge watch it, more or less.
I think PoI was the first modern US TV series that I got into. And it still remains the best in my opinion. Multiple threads of backstory interwoven between the episodes was always a joy to follow. You never knew when an otherwise run of the mill episode was going to be lit up by a revelation from the past.
In comparison this final season feels a bit rushed. There are only 13 episodes rather than the usual 22 or 23. So there are leaps and bounds that we just have to accept.
For example, in previous series, getting access to the NSA data feeds was always a big deal. Both for the Machine at the start and Samaritan later. But here, as soon as the Machine gets resurrected it can magically gain access all by itself.
Also, Samaritan managed to find the Machine last time... but now, even though it is stuck in one place, Samaritan can't find it... right under its nose.
Despite all that, we get some great episodes to finish off the story. Not all the characters make it to the end. The moment when the Machine chooses her voice is absolutely brilliant. I watched that episode again straight after...
The last episode is good, although again there are niggles. What was it that Root did to the Machine to give it a chance to beat Samaritan? Did I just miss that or was it glossed over?
I wonder if the cast were asked how they would like their character to end. There didn't seem to be much consistency to the outcomes. Although they were all quite satisfying in their own way. I guess by that point it didn't really matter... I was sad to see it finish.
All good things come to an end. Better a short season, than none at all. And I will remember episode 100 "The Day The World Went Away" for a very long time.
"Hello. Can you hear me?"
Anyway, I used up 3/4 of a month's rentals on Cinema Paradiso to watch it on Blu-ray instead. Keeping my fingers crossed that disk 3 would appear straight after disks 1 and 2, rather than something else from my list. It did. So I got to binge watch it, more or less.
I think PoI was the first modern US TV series that I got into. And it still remains the best in my opinion. Multiple threads of backstory interwoven between the episodes was always a joy to follow. You never knew when an otherwise run of the mill episode was going to be lit up by a revelation from the past.
In comparison this final season feels a bit rushed. There are only 13 episodes rather than the usual 22 or 23. So there are leaps and bounds that we just have to accept.
For example, in previous series, getting access to the NSA data feeds was always a big deal. Both for the Machine at the start and Samaritan later. But here, as soon as the Machine gets resurrected it can magically gain access all by itself.
Also, Samaritan managed to find the Machine last time... but now, even though it is stuck in one place, Samaritan can't find it... right under its nose.
Despite all that, we get some great episodes to finish off the story. Not all the characters make it to the end. The moment when the Machine chooses her voice is absolutely brilliant. I watched that episode again straight after...
The last episode is good, although again there are niggles. What was it that Root did to the Machine to give it a chance to beat Samaritan? Did I just miss that or was it glossed over?
I wonder if the cast were asked how they would like their character to end. There didn't seem to be much consistency to the outcomes. Although they were all quite satisfying in their own way. I guess by that point it didn't really matter... I was sad to see it finish.
All good things come to an end. Better a short season, than none at all. And I will remember episode 100 "The Day The World Went Away" for a very long time.
"Hello. Can you hear me?"
Tuesday, 30 January 2018
Valerian and the Title of a Thousand Words
Another film slammed by the critics, Valerian suffered from four things many critics hate:
1) It has a long title
2) The source material is French
3) The director is French
4) One of the stars is a successful model
So cue the complaints that it would have been great if only the story was better and the lead actress could act...
Are you kidding? Cara Delevingne is at least as good as Dane DeHaan in this movie... and considerably better than Clive Owen who, bless him, chooses cold from his repertoire of "hot or cold". And she's nicer to look at.
OK. It's not perfect. But it is bloody good fun. There is so much going on... I think the bad-mouthers probably missed a lot of the good things because they were too busy looking at Cara Delevingne to notice... then were embarrassed to admit it at the end.
Sometimes with these "critics hated it, fans quite liked it" films I feel the need to defend the people who made it. This time I don't think I need to, because it is so obviously good. Just like The Fifth Element which also split the critics on release, I think it will become more appreciated over time.
Cool film.
1) It has a long title
2) The source material is French
3) The director is French
4) One of the stars is a successful model
So cue the complaints that it would have been great if only the story was better and the lead actress could act...
Are you kidding? Cara Delevingne is at least as good as Dane DeHaan in this movie... and considerably better than Clive Owen who, bless him, chooses cold from his repertoire of "hot or cold". And she's nicer to look at.
OK. It's not perfect. But it is bloody good fun. There is so much going on... I think the bad-mouthers probably missed a lot of the good things because they were too busy looking at Cara Delevingne to notice... then were embarrassed to admit it at the end.
Sometimes with these "critics hated it, fans quite liked it" films I feel the need to defend the people who made it. This time I don't think I need to, because it is so obviously good. Just like The Fifth Element which also split the critics on release, I think it will become more appreciated over time.
Cool film.
Saturday, 27 January 2018
Travelers - season 2
At the end of the first season of Travelers no-one knew what was going to happen next because the mission to change the future had been successful.
So we start season 2 with the team in the dark. Historian Philip starts to notice small differences from the future he learned. They still seem to be getting missions still. Their private lives need a lot of fixing...
The first few episodes feel quite slow; but I think they have to be to reflect the doubts the team have over their ongoing purpose. And then we get the bombshell about The Faction. Cool... bad guys (maybe, maybe not) who didn't even exist in the future when the team left it.
I really liked the way the whole Faction vs Director thing played out with our team stuck in the middle. The skydiving episode came at just the right time to emphasise the problem (which may have been stated before, but I missed it) that The Director can't just send a traveler back further in time to fix something that didn't go right.
That is a nice take on the time travel set-up. Knowing that the present we have seen is now somehow fixed gives me comfort that we wont suffer a Bobby Ewing moment where a whole season or two gets trashed by a future past event.
For a long time I wondered why it mattered that Traveler #1 was still alive. I'm still not sure if he will turn out to just be a nuisance or to be the founder of The Faction. My image of him was heavily coloured by that fact that the same actor (Enrico Colantoni) played Elias, one of my favourite characters in Person Of Interest.
The ending of season 2 really is terrific. Everyone is involved, the sequence of events is not quite clear, and we are left with just enough information to feel satisfied... but still have lots of questions.
Don't make me wait toooooo long for season 3, please.
So we start season 2 with the team in the dark. Historian Philip starts to notice small differences from the future he learned. They still seem to be getting missions still. Their private lives need a lot of fixing...
The first few episodes feel quite slow; but I think they have to be to reflect the doubts the team have over their ongoing purpose. And then we get the bombshell about The Faction. Cool... bad guys (maybe, maybe not) who didn't even exist in the future when the team left it.
I really liked the way the whole Faction vs Director thing played out with our team stuck in the middle. The skydiving episode came at just the right time to emphasise the problem (which may have been stated before, but I missed it) that The Director can't just send a traveler back further in time to fix something that didn't go right.
That is a nice take on the time travel set-up. Knowing that the present we have seen is now somehow fixed gives me comfort that we wont suffer a Bobby Ewing moment where a whole season or two gets trashed by a future past event.
For a long time I wondered why it mattered that Traveler #1 was still alive. I'm still not sure if he will turn out to just be a nuisance or to be the founder of The Faction. My image of him was heavily coloured by that fact that the same actor (Enrico Colantoni) played Elias, one of my favourite characters in Person Of Interest.
The ending of season 2 really is terrific. Everyone is involved, the sequence of events is not quite clear, and we are left with just enough information to feel satisfied... but still have lots of questions.
Don't make me wait toooooo long for season 3, please.
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