50 First Dates without the comedy

Silent Rain was like 50 First Dates but without the comedy. Yukisuke and Koyomi found each other and then found themselves in a life neither could have ever imagined. The film showed the everyday moments that build a relationship, it also showed how lack of communication and not taking pre-emptive action could cause emotional hardships.

Yukisuke visits Koyomi's taiyaki stall each day as much to catch a glimpse of her as to enjoy the tasty treat. When Yukisuke helps her deal with a drunk customer a barrier is broken and the two gradually become closer. Fate is not that kind in a Japanese romance and after spending a strange evening together stalking a customer, Koyomi is injured on the way home. After two weeks in a coma, she awakens with all of her long-term memories intact though her short-term memory is damaged. Each day the previous day is wiped clean from her memory. Apparently having no family and friends to help her, the mother visits while she is in a coma and leaves, Yukisuke invites Koyomi to live with him. Every morning they share the same routine. "Is this your home?...It stopped raining." "It's a long story, but can you listen?"

Koyomi doesn't seem to be too rattled by the news upon waking and carries on as usual. She goes back to working in the stall and the two become closer. But as the days continue on and she has no memory of what they did or shared together the day before, it begins to wear on Yukisuke.

I enjoyed the slice of life element to this film and the slow buildup of the relationship. However, it could be frustrating watching two people with inadequate communication skills try to handle this new development in Koyomi's life. Both were emotionally closed off with others. Yukisuke refused to acknowledge to co-workers that he had a girlfriend much less share her short-term memory issues. Koyomi lived a solitary life as well.

Along with their social ineptness, they never brainstormed to see what they could do to ease Koyomi into the day and give her access to what happened the previous day since her brain could no longer grant her that information. Why was there no therapy to help her adapt to her new situation? Why didn't they use journals or her phone or computer to record what she needed to know to ease her into the new world each day? She'd made a few sticky notes but didn't seem to read them and some were in ridiculously obscure hiding places. Neither knew anything about the other, but at least they could have worked toward written shared memories. This lack of communication and understanding left the characters feeling flat.

Silent Rain was a languid walk through the daily lives of two awkward, kind people dealt a life altering blow. As often happens, it was the mundane daily events and interactions that slowly drew them together. Their behavior could be perplexing after Koyomi's accident, as they never felt pressured to find answers or change their lives in any meaningful way even when it could have made things easier for both of them. Perhaps neither was ready to come to terms with their new reality. It would take a series of cathartic events for these two loveable and socially inept people to find their way out of the rain.



8/31/23

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"The time to decide was looming"

When a Woman Ascends the Stairs showcased Takamine Hideko's acting range as Yashiro Keiko, a bar hostess who had come to a crossroads in her life. Elegant with a backbone of steel, Keiko struggled endlessly to do the right thing when doing the morally gray thing could deliver her dream of buying her own bar far quicker. Director Naruse never took it easy on his characters and Keiko was no exception, watching her courageously face setbacks with a concentrated determination was highly compelling.

"I hated climbing those stairs more than anything."

Keiko worked upstairs in a bar that catered to businessman entertaining their clients. The men liked having a pretty woman or two around as they made their deals. Because she was a widow in her 30's the younger hostesses and even the patrons called her Mama. Keiko and the bar manager (charismatic Nakadai Tatsuya) also dealt with the business side of collecting from the companies and businessmen who owed on their tabs. Keiko hated her job, but needed the money as she also provided for her mother and adult brother and young nephew. She had three choices to better her life—get married, buy her own bar, or find a patron to help supplement her lifestyle. At her age, she didn't think the first one was a possibility. Buying a bar required more cash than she had. The third one was a form a prostitution she wasn't ready to submit to.

"The best go by cab, the second-rate take the train, and the worst go off with their customers."

One of the younger women had left and started her own bar, but she found herself swimming in debt with creditors hounding her every move. Another hostess married and moved away. A third young woman had no problem exchanging sex for money. Wealthy customer Goda offered Keiko the capital to start a bar if she would be his mistress. A likeable customer proposed to Keiko and for a moment she was happy until she realized he had not been truthful with her. The man she had fallen in love with was also living a double-life. Every time it looked like she might have found happiness or an answer to her problems, fate was waiting around the corner to trample her. Despite always seeking to do the right thing she was seldom rewarded for it. This was Naruse, not Ozu, so not surprisingly the characters fought to survive and make a living, let alone find love. He preferred a more pessimistic worldview where obstacles confronted or crushed his characters at every opportunity. Whether it was more realistic is up for debate, but the conflicts and character growth did make for an entertaining film.

"Women working in the Ginza fought desperately for survival…it was a battle she couldn't afford to lose."

Keiko strove to get ahead financially only to have her family continually siphoning off her savings. She didn't enjoy drinking but did so to make money. She despised drunks pawing at her, but she tolerated them to make money. What she wasn't willing to do was to sell herself. During one particularly poignant moment near the end of the film, she revealed her character's strength and resolve in a captivating way that left her integrity intact.

"There are limits, even in business."

Beautiful Takamine Hideko brought an elegant grace and strength to Keiko. I thought she did a wonderful job of conveying a wide gamut of emotions, subtly and effectively. When she emoted more forcefully with anger or sorrow, it was believable and organic to the scenes. Mama was a complex character who wasn't perfect, she made mistakes but she also took care of the people around her. She knew when to draw the line with problematic behavior and when to walk away. She didn't rail at the patriarchal society that limited her options or the widening division of the classes. Keiko took her blows, dusted off her kimono, got back up and kept moving forward even when life refused to offer her something better. As the people around her encouraged her to loosen her grip on her integrity, Keiko stayed true to who she was. After weathering numerous personal storms and losses she refused to buckle. Whether it was acceptance or resignation, she continued to walk up the stairs she dreaded, paste on a fake welcoming smile, and somewhere deep inside hope that her efforts would grant her the future she dreamed of someday.

"…the trees that line the streets can sprout new buds no matter how cold the wind. I too must be just as strong as the winds that gust around me."

8/1/23

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Bride for Rent drags out a number of tropes and scatters them about the drama. If you don’t look too deeply it’s a sweet romcom. Dig a little deeper and it unearths one of the more dangerous romantic tropes.

Rocco is turning 25 and under the impression he will receive his trust from his grandmother. He’s a jerk to the women he dates and dictatorial to his buddies whom he has gone into business with. Grandma has been watching and throws a marriage clause into the trust. Regardless of the money he will come into none of his ex-girlfriends will marry him because of the way he had treated them. Along comes impoverished actress Rocky and he hires her to pretend to be married to him.

There’s a reason Rocky doesn’t make much money acting, she’s simply not very good. I’m not sure if that was in the script or a flaw on the real actress’ part. Grandma insists on a church wedding and Rocky balks. Grandma takes her aside and tells her it will be a fake church wedding but she needs Rocco to grow up and learn to love and trust again and be kind again and Rocky is just the person to teach him. At this point the forced cohabitation high jinks begin.

I was able to play along with the jerky playboy wanting to put one over on grandma so that he’d get his money. I had a harder time with the concept of a man being completely changed by a woman. Too many women believe that tired trope and have butted their bloody head against a wall trying to make an unkind man kind.

Most of the cast were capable enough actors with the exception of the female lead. When she was calm she was a pleasure to watch. Too often she came across like she’d had too much coffee with too much sugar and artificial colors.

As long as you don’t fall like Rocky did for the “you can fix a jerky playboy” trope and can look over her overly enthusiastic performance it’s almost watchable. Even the actor who played Rocco looked liked he would rather be somewhere else on several occasions.

12/8/22

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Misfortune makes or breaks you

Misfortune makes or breaks you, depending on the choices you make. Kurosawa takes on postwar Japan's class divide and poverty and the choices people have to make in the face of destitution. Mifune Toshiro and Shimura Takashi star in one of the first buddy cop movies of all time. Mifune as the beleaguered rookie and Shimura as the smooth mentor made a great partnership.

The plot stems from rookie Murakami's service revolver being pickpocketed on a crowded bus. He feels responsible and despondent over its loss. His supervisor refuses to let him give into despair and ultimately teams him up with the experienced Sato. His gun is used in several crimes causing him greater grief as the crimes and violence intensify. This is no brainless, violent cops and robbers film. Kurosawa gives the faceless villain, Yusa, humanity even with the bad things he's done through the witness of other characters. The problems of rampant poverty and crime are highlighted as well as the problems soldiers coming home from the war faced. Murakami and Sato do old fashioned detective work, following the clues and often waiting and being persistent. Kurasawa even has the detectives track a Yakuza at a filled to capacity baseball game where they have to put the welfare of the crowd over their own goals.

I hesitate to write too much about the story after trying and ending up with three pages which hit my editing floor. This was a beautifully made film with amazing framing and compositions. Kurosawa wasn't afraid to linger over shots, especially when they were gloriously put together. Nakai Asakazu did a stunning job with the cinematography. The lighting was especially complex in many shots. There was masterful work going on with this film.

Tokyo was in the middle of not only a crime wave but also a heat wave and you could almost feel the sweat streaming down the characters' backs. As the film nears the culmination the clouds darken and the torrential rain that breaks through also symbolizes the unleashing of the greatest brutality the characters would face as they finally come upon their quarry.

At one point in the movie, Sato and Murakami have a deep conversation at Sato's house. Sato sees Yusa as simply a bad guy who must be caught. Murakami sees himself in Yusa. They both came home from the war only to have their knapsacks stolen on a train. Yusa chose to become bitter and turn to crime, Murakami chose to work on the problem by becoming a policeman. “They say there’s no such thing as a ‘bad man,’ only bad situations,” Murakami said. Sato reminds him of all the damaged sheep left in the wolf's path. A peek at Sato's children sleeping reminds the viewer that children represented the future of Japan, pure and vulnerable who would face their own choices. Would they give into materialism and crime or take the more honorable path?

A scene with Yusa's girlfriend, Harumi, and her mother showed the differences in the generations. Her mother dressed in the wartime austere clothes while Harumi dressed in a far more decorative dress. When the reason Yusa needed the gun to begin with comes to light it highlights the great gap between the classes and how a dress in a window could cause deep seated resentment.

Mifune Toshiro gave a performance that reached several octaves. Always a live wire, you could see his energy coiled and unleashed on occasions as he dealt with the anguish of his gun being used in crimes. He was the perfect Kurosawa hero, tortured and honorable. When he finally faces his alter ego with 3 bullets left in the chamber and a vicious fight takes place, leaving us to wonder who is who, we are reminded not only of their similarities but also the differences in the choices they made. Shimura Takashi was the levelheaded mentor who saw through people and picked up on clues while his pupil was wrapped up in his own head and feelings at times. He gave an incredibly cool performance as the mature detective who knew he could often get what he wanted with honey and smooth words.

The only drawback for me was a lengthy 8-minute part of the film when Murakami goes undercover in the black market for a few days trying to find someone to buy a gun from. Honda Ishiro (Godzilla) followed Mifune around with a hidden camera discreetly filming the homeless and people selling and trading in the market. At one time Tokyo had 60,000 black market vendors. Even during the war people had to use them to find food and clothes. Like a bamboo, people would sell layers of clothes and personal items to get what they needed. After the war people were starving, some to death. He also showed some of the burned-out buildings leftover from the bombings. Though people were dependent on the black market to survive it also bred the Yakuza with gangs having their own territories. Kurosawa apparently had a difficult time leaving much of this footage out, but it felt like it would have been more meaningful if he had culled it down. Japan's economic recovery wasn't far away so this was an historical time capsule of how the people had to live which I appreciated being able to see even if I wish he'd edited it more.

I could talk about his film at length but will leave you with this. The film discussed pertinent social dilemmas and existential questions. The acting was skillful and artfully balanced. The frames, lighting, sets, and composition were skillfully done. It could be slow in places, but Kurosawa also knew when to hit the accelerator and when to brake, when to ramp up the tension and when to take a breath. If you are prepared to be patient when the movie slows and lingers, I can easily recommend this gem.

10/7/22

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"If you don't let what's in your heart out, you'll choke on it"

Kurosawa calls upon his characters to stand up for what's right even if the odds are against them in Scandal. Honor, weakness, redemption, and a rebel painter on a motorcycle all figure into this film.

A young, handsome Mifune Toshiro played the painter Aoye Ichiro who rebelliously road his motorcycle everywhere. When he offered a beautiful singer, Shirley Yamaguchi as Saijo, a ride back to her hotel in the mountains where he was also staying, the dominoes were stacked. The paparazzi had followed her to the hotel where she refused to have any pictures taken. In a genuinely chaste moment, the two were photographed together in what could have looked like an intimate scene. The tabloid wrote a salacious story about the two having a romantic getaway which went viral in a 1950's manner. When one of the photographers asked if it was okay to write a false story, the boss told him, "It doesn't matter if it's true. Once it's in print the public believes it." And therein lies one of Kurosawa's themes-the unscrupulous press who valued sales over truth and a gullible public who would believe it.

Ichiro decided to sue the magazine for the trouble brought down on himself and Saijo. Another theme-understanding the difference between right and wrong and standing up for what was right regardless of the consequences. In stumbled Hiruta Otokichi (Shimura Takashi) a lawyer begging for the job of representing him and the story became something else. Ichiro decided to hire Hiruta after meeting his tuberculosis bedridden daughter, a purity of love and light. The story now became focused on Hiruta's weakness. Weakness for money, betting, drinking, and in general doing all the things he considered loathsome...including selling out his client. Another theme-the disintegration of the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong in post war Japan. The film also began to center on Hiruta's weaknesses more than the court case and the gradual road to his redemption guided by his daughter and a motorcycle riding artist.

There were times in this film I thought I was watching a version of It's a Wonderful Life only with a down and dirty Clarence. It felt Capraesque in several places. For a Kurosawa film it was more sentimental and predictable than I would have thought. The shift from the story focusing on Mifune and Yamaguchi to Shimura's character was jarring. I normally enjoy Shimura's performances, but his hang dog, self-castigation went on too long for me. He would perfect this "poor me" performance for Ikiru. Fortunately, there were some lighter moments to break up all of his self-recriminations. As lovely as they were, Ichiro and Saijo came across rather one note and too perfect. Even with his habit of gunning his motorcycle and painting nudes, Ichiro practically squeaked when he walked, he was so clean and honorable.

The harsh commentary on the tabloids, moral disintegration, and the judicial system was not subtle. There was the obvious lament that while the fake news stories sold in the tens of thousands, Ichiro had trouble selling his actual works of art. Ultimately, the focus became about Hiruta's weaknesses without condemning them, simply exploring them and his reasons for them. Finally, watching as his lifeline was assembled, one that in the end might condemn him but set him free at the same time was worth rooting for. It takes a lot of courage to become a shining star reflected in a polluted pool of water.

I enjoyed this film, but not as much as I hoped I would. It was definitely worth watching for seeing Mifune Toshiro transporting a decorated Christmas tree on the back of his motorbike.


10/5/22

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Love is found on The Road Home

The Road Home tells of a simple love story, one that is simply beautiful and sincere. It is also a look at how the past informs the present and ties those in memory together.

Yusheng is a grown only child returning to the snowy mountain village where he was raised upon receiving the news that his father has died. His mother will not be consoled until he promises to have his father's body returned to the village from the nearest city by foot, a traditional custom enacted so that the dead can find their way home. As he discovers, it will not be easy, for the only people left in the village are too old or too young to be of help. He perseveres for his mother's sake and as he does he reminisces about his parents' love story.

The present is told in black and white, but as the past opens up it was like leaving Kansas and stepping into Oz. Director Zhang saturated each scene in color, making every shot worthy of being framed. Zhang Zi Yi as Di, in her first role, was ethereal as the eighteen-year-old girl, wearing pigtails and a bright red coat. The village was building its first schoolhouse and it was love at first sight when Di laid eyes on the schoolteacher who rambled into town. The small village was Luo's first job, though well educated he hadn't been able to find work until someone brought him into the mountains. On the road Di would walk the extra distance to the well by the schoolhouse just for the chance to hear his voice. On the road she would watch him walk children home and then stealthily follow him on his return until the day she emboldened herself enough to meet him. When Luo had to leave because of a political offense, Di waited for his return on the road.

Little happens, but even a broken bowl or a lost hair clip have meaning. A bowl of dumplings carried by a girl racing through the hills, propelled by young love has more meaning than a thousand sonnets. The villagers with their traditional roles look out for each other. Di and Luo have few words of dialogue but their earnest looks and actions speak volumes. Yusheng's voice over narration is almost like he's reading a book as he recites their story that he and the other villagers know by heart.

Zhang Yi Mou's use of light and color never fail to mesmerize me. He gets the most out of natural scenery whether it is a golden forest or snow covered fields. He also knows when to hone in on his actors and Zhang Zi Yi made it easy for him with her lovely expressive face. There was no doubt his camera loved her face and movement as Di ran through the mountains for a glimpse of Luo. The softly romantic music enhanced the picturesque scenes and gently developing story of true love.

The film revolves around Di, Luo and the cherished schoolhouse, both in the past and in the present. Traditions and customs thought forgotten give meaning to many in the present as Luo is brought back on The Road Home to be laid to rest. Love is both lost and found on The Road Home. Remembrance and family ties are renewed on The Road Home. This film resonated with me as Yusheng came to terms with life away from the village and the importance of the past as he traveled The Road Home. Quietly simple, the path on The Road Home is one worth traveling.


9/21/22

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Sometimes you have to risk all to have a safer and better life

When you open up your mind, you never know where you will meet your Best Friend. Set in the tumultuous 1980's in Korea, this film was very loosely based on real events and presidential candidate and activist Kim Dae Jung.

During a time of martial law, student protests, brutal interrogations and arrests, Lee Ui Sik finds himself and his family under house arrest for being in opposition to the ruling power. As the intelligence chief states, anyone not like himself is a "commie" and "commies" are detained, or deported, or killed. The chief calls upon Dae Kwon, a part-time patriotic helper, to move in next to the Presidential candidate, Lee Ui Sik and his family, who are serving under house imprisonment and surveil them. The goal is to prove Lee is a commie with ties to North Korea and finally rid themselves of him. Through a series of comic adventures, Dae Kwon and Lee meet, even ending up in a bathhouse with Lee's son. Though on opposite sides, both men are lonely and in need of friendship. The more Dae Kwon listens in on the upright Lee and the more he sees how the current government covers up its own dirty work, he slowly begins to change his mind and his ideas.

Like many Korean movies, Best Friend's mood changed on a dime and went from comedy to tragedy, back to comedy and a host of other emotions. Some of it worked and some of it didn't. It could be uneven and even jarring at times, but it was never boring. Veteran actor Kim Byung Chul as Dae Kwon's assistant was the catalyst for many of the laughs. Lee's family played it dramatically straight for much of the movie. Though a few scenes went fully into melodramatic territory, the final act revealed the dangers of attempting to change a corrupt regime.

Jung Woo gave a complex performance having to work both the comedy and melodramatic beats of the film. Dae Kwon not only dealt with spying on his neighbor, but he was also a husband and dad and not a very good one. Through his clandestine observations, Jung Woo shows Dae Kwon's epiphanies as old beliefs and habits make way for new ones. Scandal plagued Oh Dal Soo was fine as the beleaguered candidate having to make decisions even as he faced personal crises and death threats.

I have to give Korea points for being willing to look at difficult times in their history and work through them artistically. Though a fictional work, bordering on fantasy at times, Best Friend did push forth the idea that in order to change society even when it might come at great personal cost, it had to be done for the good of all and future generations.
With the themes of enemies to friendship, sacrifice for the greater good, and personal evolution, Best Friend, if not inspiring, could be funny, entertaining and even heartwarming. Not a perfect film, it was too erratic and sometimes heavy-handed, but one worth trying sometime. (7.75)



8/24/22

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The Monkey King 2 takes place 500 years after the Havoc in Heaven, a sequel to The Monkey King starring Donnie Yen. In this film Aaron Kwok plays the hairy hero to good effect. The Monkey King 2 boasts a strong cast with Feng Shao Feng as a righteous monk and Gong Li as a deadly and deadly alluring demon. The story didn't always serve them well but it was entertaining.

When a bumbling monk accidentally unleashes the Monkey King, Sun Wu Kong is given the task by the goddess of accompanying the monk to a temple and retrieving some holy scriptures. If he accomplishes the task his binding golden crown will be removed. Standing in their way is the White Bone Demon played to perfection by the ethereal Gong Li. She has several creepy demons to help her and if you have a fear of snakes, best to avoid this movie or use the fast forward button in some scenes. Another triggering thing is the death of children and torturing of children, let the viewer beware.

This version of the Monkey King is the most understated I have seen, and to be honest a relief. Some actors take their monkey performance over the top. Maybe all those years trapped in the Five Elements Mountain gave Wu Kong time to reflect. I quite enjoyed Kwok's performance which was emotionally compelling even through the hair and makeup. Sheng's monk could be overly righteous at times but did bring up the ethics of killing even when it meant self-preservation.

The side-kicks weren't fully developed though Pigsy did give some comic relief. And the big blue guy, Sand Demon Sha Wujing got to show his stuff in a battle with a near endless supply of skeleton warriors. As I've stated previously Gong Li made the White Bone Demon a formidable and believably malevolent villainess.

Sammo Hung choreographed the fight scenes and the high flying fighting was right up his alley. This was wire-fu on steroids but also quite fun and visually interesting. When dealing with an array of demons and other supernatural characters in a fantasy film the super-powered fighting made sense.

The sets, costumes, and CGI were all top notch. The final battle was creative and something to behold. The drawbacks for me, were some lulls in the story and an ending scene that put the onus on the Monkey King to kill when throughout the entire movie, the righteous monk had berated him for killing even to save lives. I enjoyed this Monkey King more than most in this genre, even with its flaws it was an entertaining movie.

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