How far would a mother go to protect her son? Nowhere is too far for the mother in acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho‘s new film "Mother" (마더 | South Korea 2009 | in Korean | 128 min.). The film tells an unforgettable tale about a mother’s daunting effort to save her son who is accused of murder. The film is selected as South Korea’s submission for this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film.
Hye-ja (Kim Hye-ja) is a widow living in a small town with her 27-year-old son Do-joon (Won Bin) who is mentally challenged. After a high school girl is murdered, Do-joon is arrested as the suspect and Hye-ja is devastated. Unable to get help from incompetent lawyer and distrusted police, Hye-ja takes the matter into her own hand and is determined to prove her son’s innocent.
Unlike Bong Joon-ho‘s previous Hollywood style blockbuster "The Host,""Mother" delivers a fascinating character study. While a gripping story unfolds gracefully, the film depicts a mother’s profound desperation, love, and determination. Kim Hye-ja‘s pitch-perfect performance as the mother adds more depth to the character and earns her an Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Best Actress in 2009. It is a pleasant surprise that Won Bin is cast as the slow-minded son, contrary to his heartthrob or tough-guy image. This role extends his range to a new territory.
The plot is unpredictable and nothing seems it appears to be. Even the story intensifies as it proceeds, its twists and turns never overshadow the characters.
You probably have been in a situation that you wish that you were in a dream and you want to snap out of it. Then you can certainly relate to this mother and her nightmares. What is worse is that the more effort she puts in to turn things around, the deeper she sinks into the trouble. And, all the quest is driven by devoted love.
What if you have a crime case that police cannot solve? Well, if you have enough money, you can hire a journalist and a computer hacker to investigate. Apparently this approach is working in a murder mystery thriller "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (Män som hatar kvinnor | Sweden/Denmark/Germany 2009 | in Swedish | 152 min.). The film is directed by Danish director Niels Arden Oplev and based on a bestselling crime novel by Swedish journalist Stieg Larsson. The film is gripping and suspensive, until you begin to wonder why the protagonists have not been recruited by CIA or FBI to locate Osama bin Laden.
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) is hired by the wealthy Vanger family to search for clues about the disappearance of a family member Harriet Vanger forty years ago. Soon into the investigation, he finds out that a troubled and tattooed computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is also hired for the case, independently. After they join force, among other things, the deeper they investigate, the more disturbing secrets they uncover.
The title character is Lisbeth, who has a huge dragon tattoo on her back. The film does not explain the significance of her tattoo, but it does have a thrilling tattoo scene. Although her tattoo is not impressive, her remarkable computer hacker skill seems enable her to find anything she needs, except altering her criminal records or preventing her from her probation supervisor’s abuse. She is the driving force to solve all the puzzles and finding all the clues, as if there is nothing that cannot be figured out once Lisbeth and Mikael get together.
Perhaps the credibility of the characters is not as important as the suspensive style and twisted plot—just listen to the overly dramatic pretentious soundtrack. However, the engaging, and sometimes shocking, story leaves the audience little time to reason during the very long running time and brutal violent acts.
The film makes us wonder what kind of dark secrets might be hiding behind those closed doors in every charming Swedish family. However, one thing can be certain is that whatever it is, this tough girl with a dragon tattoo can find out, and she is not somebody you want to mess with.
To many, the great Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (Лев Толсто́й) is just as celebrated as Shakespeare. But his ideology, which is the foundation of Tolstoyan, might not be as well-known as his grand novel "War and Peace". "The Last Station" (Germany/Russia/UK 2009 | 112 min.) gives a dramatic account about the fight over the copyright inheritance between Tolstoy’s wife Sophia and Tolstoy’s trusted secretary Vladimir Chertkov, the most prominent Tolstoyans, during the last days of Tolstoy’s life.
Toward to the end of his life, Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) becomes increasingly passionate about the Tolstoyan movement. Encouraged by his devoted Tolstoyan friend and secretary Chertkov (Paul Giamatti), he plans to leave his work’s copyright and his estate to Russian people. That draws furious objection from his wife of 48 years Sophia (Helen Mirren) and she puts up a bitter fight with Chertkov. An innocent idealist Valentin (James McAvoy) is hired by Chertkov to be an assistant to Tolstoy. Valentin not only witnesses the turmoil up and close, but he also finds his love and discovers himself.
Despite the larger than life stature of Tolstoy, the true protagonist of the film is Valentin. Vallentin’s story is more captivating and his self-discovery journey is more fascinating. On the contrary, the endless quarrel and shouting between aging Tolstoy and sharp-tongued Sophia become weary quickly.
The film is based on a novel by an American writer Jan Parini. When director Michael Hoffman transforms the novel to the big screen, no language translation is involved.
As a result, Tolstoy knows how to speak English, with a British accent, before Shakespear learns how to speak Russian, also with a British accent. In the film, it looks odd when these characters are surrounded nothing but Russian, but they do not speak one single Russian word even they read and write in Russian. It compromises the credibility of these characters and makes the film look like a PBS drama with a terrific ensemble performance.
Will Tolstoy continue to posses a British accent in his next film when he speaks, perhaps Na’vi?
When a man’s wife cheats on him and leaves him for a younger and better-looking man, what should he do? If this happens in the South in America, he probably plays some country music backwards. But in England, as in Malcolm Venville‘s feature directorial debut "44 Inch Chest" (UK 2009 | 95 min.), he kidnaps the wife’s lover with the help from his pals, and has a little chat.
When middle aged, big belly, and fuzzy beard Colin (Ray Winstone) comes home cheerfully with flowers in hands to his wife of 21 years Liz (Joanne Whalley), he is devastated by the news that she is leaving him for a young handsome bar tender. After a violent outburst, he wants revenge. He assembles his gangster buddies—the foul mouthed Old Man Peanut (John Hurt), the crafty homosexual Meredith (Ian McShane), the avuncular Archie (Tom Wilkinson), and the malevolent Mal (Stephen Dillane). They lock Liz’s lover (Melvil Poupaud) into a wardrobe in a shabby building at a remote location in London, then try to decide what to do next. The old fashioned vengeance over a woman turns out to become a topsy-turvy rhapsody over Colin’s mind.
The film is a platform for these excellent actors to have intriguing verbal exchanges. It creates a few interesting characters who all like to talk, talk, and talk even more. It is hilarious when Old Man Peanut poetically curses profanities as if he is citing Shakespeare.
However, the film looks like a stage production. Most scenes happen in a ragged empty room and people carry on their conversation from where they are sitting or standing. If they laid a couch in the room for Colin to lie on, it would be a decent and productive shrink visit, but without the doctor.
Even most people around the globe are still dealing with the bitter cold winter, the action packed electrifying film "District 13: Ultimatum" (Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum | Frence 2009 | in French | 101 min.) sizzles the big screens like a hot summer blockbuster, and in French! This is an exhilarating and entertaining gem in the action genre.
The film is set in the near future (2013) in District 13 of Paris, where two million people live in a slum filled with crime, drug, and thugs. This war zone consists five gangs—Arabic, black, Chinese, gypsy, and skinhead. Of course, none of them is friend with the police. The corrupted security chief Walter Gassman (Daniel Duval) wants to drive these people out of the district and redevelop the land. He frames the superman alike elite police officer Damien Tomasso (Cyril Raffaelli) to clear his way for his conspiracy. Damien miraculously escapes the jail with the help from his pal Leïto (David Belle). The duet unites the five gangs and fight back with the government’s unjust force.
The film impressively opens with a sequence of images like in a video game. It sets up the story without saying a word, but with energetic soundtrack. However, when those characters do speak, often they are humorous and thought provoking. Even the plot is little stretchy at times, the film is captivating throughout. The fantastic choreography of martial art flawlessly blends in the story, and it is not just for the sake of showing off.
Silky Tofu, 味道好极了! 