So Long, My Son (China, 2019)

 

Yaoyun and his wife Liyun once had a happy family - until their son drowned playing by a reservoir. And so Yaojun and Liyun leave their home and plunge into the big city, although nobody knows them there and they cannot even understand the local dialect. Their adopted son Liu Xing does not offer them the comfort they had hoped for either. Defiantly rejecting his 'foreign' parents, he one day disappears altogether. The married couple are repeatedly enmeshed in their memories.

So Long, My Son has everything that matters for me in a film. The outstanding performances by the actors hits every mark, and the actress who plays the mother is especially good. This story also demanded that high level acting to be as effective as it could be. So Long, My Son is an epic family drama about that big gap in our lives when someone passes away, set against the backdrop of China's tumultuous history and changing society. We're jumping back in time to get glimpses of events that will have such strong impact many years later, and after following the couple for so long the emotional weight of some scenes are absolutely devastating. All this would have amounted to a great film, but we also have the beautiful cinematography and composed camerawork which do huge favors for the heavy story. A long sit at barely over three hours, but well worth your time if you value true to life storytelling and what you get out of watching a film.  

Genre: Drama

I Just Didn't Do It (Japan, 2006)

An unemployed young man is on the packed Tokyo subway en route to a job interview when a schoolgirl grabs him by the wrist and fingers him as a molester. A man was feeling her up on the train. The young man is arrested and no one, not the station master, the public defender or the police, seems the least interested in his protestations of innocence. It would be much more efficient if he would accept a plea bargain.

When a court drama has to be good, it has to be really good. It takes a lot to keep viewers attention when you're portraying a rather dry and stale environment as the court. I Just Didn't Do It manages to be very engaging, following an innocent man all the way through a tiring, long process in Japan's legal system, fighting a seemingly hopeless battle for justice. The actors are great and Koji Yakusho was a pleasant surprise to see showing up as a defense lawyer. 

The director Masayuki Suo has previously made the wonderful Shall We Dance? so I shouldn't be too surprised at the quality of the film but still, I Just Didn't Do It makes everything needed for a good film click.

Genre: Drama

Karaoke Terror (Japan, 2003)

One member of a gang of karaoke loving middle aged women is murdered by a young man. In need of revenge, her friends track him down and kill him. This starts a war where killing one person means someone's going to be next...

With a plot like that it's pretty clear that you're not meant to take the film too seriously. Karaoke Terror escalates to the point of absurdity, and a particular scene with the blood-thirsty ladies was hilarious in the way they avenged another fallen member of their crew. At times you're wondering what the hell you're watching and later on you're cheering for one of the two rival gangs. 

Based on a book by Ryu Murakami who also wrote Audition which got a widely popular adaption by Takashi Miike.

Genre: Drama/Horror

The Net (South Korea, 2016)

Nam Chul-woo is a poor fisherman living a simple but happy life with his wife and daughter on the north side of a river that divide Korea. Every day he goes fishing on the river, where the checkpoint soldiers know him well and trust him not to cross the invisible border in the water. One day his fishing net gets caught in the boat engine, and Nam cannot stop himself from drifting into the south.

The Net is a fantastic film about a man who's caught in the limbo between South and North Korea, and must go through bureaucratic hell and investigations to determine whether he's a spy or not. Nam is a desperate character and piece by piece is revealed of him, the same with the enemies and friends he makes in the South Korean police force. None are one dimensional characters.

The Net was directed by Kim Ki-duk, and it is with a saddened heart I write that he recently passed away from complications brought on by the ongoing pandemic. Kim was always one of my most reliable directors, making different and way more thought provoking movies than what's usually out there. Pictures such as 3-Iron, The Isle and my personal favorite Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring ranks among some of the best films I've seen and they're described as unforgettable in every sense of the word and not just as shallow reaction bait. No doubt a tragic loss but we're lucky to be left with his surviving art. 

Genre: Drama

Zebraman (Japan, 2004)

Being a failure as a teacher and a family man, Shinichi tries to escape everyday life by dressing up as "Zebraman", the superhero. Although the TV series was canceled after only 6 episodes, this cannot stop him from acting out his escape fantasy in a self made zebra-suit. He gets more then he could ever wish for when his black-and-white dressed alter-ego seems to be the only thing to stand between absolute (green) evil and a happy ending.

Directed by Miike Takashi, Zebraman captures that Japanese oddball culture, while also being an entertaining film in its own right. Leaning heavily on the superhero satire sub-genre Miike is having a great time poking fun at stuff like Kamen Rider, while also reminding me of the film Big Man Japan (2007) with it's self-aware campiness.

It definitely could have benefitted from being 20-30 min shorter, I don't really think there's material here for a two hour film, and the first half gets it right with all the hilarious costumes which gets replaced later by silly CGI aliens. That aside, Zebraman is ridiculous and fun. 

Genre: Comedy/Sci-Fi

Cursed (Japan, 2004)

Employees at a convenience store must get to the bottom of supernatural goings-on occurring within their workplace.

I'll be the first to admit that Cursed is more passable than awesome, but when you're dealing with the J-horror genre you take what you can get. Basically it's a low-budget B-movie but if I'm going to be fair it had some genuine spooky  moments, more so than some other far more expensive films  I've seen. It never tries to be more than it is and always aims for that creepy atmosphere, nothing over-ambitious. I was surprised over how chilling a few scenes were, and that's a sign of a director who's only using what he has and not trying to compete with the greats within the same genre. 

With expectations in the right places, Cursed can be a good way to pass the time for the big time lovers of J-horror. 

Genre: Horror

Zen (Japan, 2009)

'Zen' Buddhist teacher Dogen Zenji is a very important religious person during the Kamakura period, 750 years ago. After his mother died, he decides to move to China and settle as a Buddhist teacher. One bright morning, enlightened, Zenji returns to Japan as a devoted evangelist of the 'new' Buddhism. However, this new form of Buddhism is not accepted in all communities.

Zen is a very good film for history buffs, and should be seen by anyone who has so much as a fleeting interest in Buddhism. It doesn't at all feel like the dry pages from a schoolbook but way more engrossing and inviting, with beautiful scenery to boot. The actors performances are consistently believable and it never goes overboard with the story, but basically chronicles one man's ambition and journey through the land with his teachings, which somehow never gets boring but only more interesting.    

Genre: Biography/Drama

Sway (Japan, 2006)

On the anniversary of the death of the mother of a hip and happening Tokyo-based photographer, the son returns to his hometown for the funeral. What follows is a return to the past that is more than just a trek home. Old relationships, love, conflicts and memories resurface and collide. Apparently, old perspectives don't wither.

I thought I knew somewhat what Sway was going to be about. The beginning of it seem fairly standard; a man from the big city (played by Joe Odagiri) goes home to his rural roots and long past memories gets uprooted, but then the film does a 180 and what follows is a court room drama where you're not sure of what happened and two brothers perspectives are up against each other. Slow-paced, but still a recommended watch about the fragility of life.

Genre: Drama/Crime

Moonlit Winter (South Korea, 2019)

Yoon-Hee lives with her teenage daughter Sae-Bom. On a winter day, Yoon-Hee receives a letter from Otaru, Japan. Sae-Bom accidentally reads the letter and learns about her mother's first love, which she never spoke about before.

Moonlit Winter starts out like many films before it, but it still gets its hooks in you. Despite South Korea's yearning for sappy melodrama the film avoids desperate attempts at making the viewers cry, yet it has a strong emotional impact and towards the end it culminated beautifully accompanied by a lovely score. Great performances and a director who knew exactly how to pace the film makes it a great watch, not something that will blow you away but every once in a while you see a drama that makes it seem so simple to make you care abut the characters and that's always what I'm looking for. 

Genre: Drama/Romance

Ring 0: Birthday (Japan, 2000)

The prequel to the horror film Ringu, this movie provides the background story of how Sadako later became the vengeful murdering spirit. The story starts with her as a shy, somewhat withdrawn, college student who nonetheless gets involved in a drama club. The director thinks she has talent, but some of the other performers start to get jealous of the attention he gives her. Meanwhile, a reporter investigating Sadako's spiritualist mother thinks there's something very suspicious about the young woman, and arrives on campus to confront Sadako.

While Ring 0 seems to have the biggest chance of failure of the Ring-sequels it's actually one of the more fleshed out ones. I've read it was panned at release and deemed a "mediocre Carrie-ripoff", and while one could certainly see the similarities between the two I enjoyed Birthday for what it was, a prequel with less spooks but an engaging story which slowly evolved into something more sinister. It's based on one of the stories by original Ringu author Koji Suzuki, making it a huge piece of the backstory puzzle, it looks great with slow camera movements mixed with muted colors capturing an almost nostalgic 90's look. 

More story-based than you'd hope out of a Ring film, but still ambitious and a noticeable competent director behind the camera. Maybe it's a guilty pleasure, but still, I liked the film and doesn't see the reason to bash it for not having Sadako constantly coming through the TV-screen.

Genre: Horror/Thriller

Ring 2 (Japan, 1999)

In this sequel to Ringu (1998), Mai Takano is trying to learn more about the death of her professor, Ryûji. She soon hears stories about a videotape haunted by the spirit of a girl named Sadako, who died many years earlier. Supposedly, anyone watching the tape will die of fright exactly one week later. After some investigating, she learns that Ryûji's son, Yôichi, is developing the same psychic powers that Sadako had when she was alive. Mai must now find some way to keep Yôichi and herself from becoming Sadako's next victims.

You'd think it would be a horrible move to make a sequel to such a big horror milestone as Ringu, and while Ring 2 doesn't live up to high expectations following such a great horror film it does however fill in some gaps and delivers a subtle feeling of dread. It has all the right ingredients; characters that doesn't feel shoehorned in for the sake of the plot, a spooky and unnerving soundtrack (the intro music sets the mood perfectly), no desperate tries to shock the viewers with gore/jump-scares but instead keeps a steady and dark atmosphere throughout the film. It's not as memorable as the first installment but still worth a watch if the Ringu itch didn't end after the first film. 

Genre: Horror/Mystery

Have You Seen the Barefoot God? (Japan, 1986)

Shigeru, an aspiring hobby painter, adores the seemingly unapproachable flutist Haruyo Kikuchi from afar, and secretly paints her portrait for a national contest.

Have You Seen the Barefoot God? sounds far from original on paper; a triangle teen drama between friends, and the girl is caught in the middle, although you'd be missing out if this film were to pass you by. It's done with great respect to the script, the director really squeezes out the emotions out of his actors. I'm also strangely fond of films which takes place in the northern part of Japan, probably because the Tokyo/Kanto area is overrepresented in Japanese film.  

Genre: Drama

Skin of Roses (Japan, 1978)

Ritsuko is a popular madame of a nightclub. But, ever since her gangster husband got caught and imprisoned, her life has taken a turn for the worst. Now, in order to pay off his debts to a yakuza loan shark, Lady Ritsuko is forced to engage in private sex shows for the VIP clientele. After a year of these special shows, the loan is almost paid off.

Skin of Roses might be a hard sell for people uninitiated in the pinku eiga genre (pink film), but compared to many other entries in that field it feels more accessible and looks great too. It does venture into being torture porn as time goes on, but by then it had my full attention and induces feelings of painful sympathy rather than disregard. 

Like I said, for being a pink film it's very ambitious and a strong cinematic vision is present during the whole film. I mean, the director of the film, Katsuhiko Fuji, previously made films with titles such as Female Doctor: Flesh Slave, Rape Climax: Skinning and Horny Working Girl: From 5 to 9, so it's understandable if expectations aren't soaring, but in this particularly outlandish genre it's a welcomed, although sometimes uncomfortable experience.

Genre: Romance/Drama

In Search of Ozu (US/Japan, 2018)

 

In this documentary, filmmaker Daniel Raim delves into Yasujiro Ozu's remarkable late work, in which the master made the leap from black and white to color. In his stirring tribute to the great filmmaker, Raim examines Ozu's life and work through archival treasures such as his diary and the red teakettle from the family drama "Equinox Flower" (1958); sits down with Ozu's nephew and the producer of the director's gently elegiac final film, "An Autumn Afternoon" (1962); and interweaves many scenes and images from the vibrant and humane films with which the director capped his career.

If you're a fan of Ozu, you really should set aside some short quality time (it's only 46min long) to watch this documentary, and learn a lot more about one of the most important directors in history. We're treated to a treasure trove of still existing objects which have appeared in Ozu's films so many years ago, and his family gives some insight into what motivated Ozu to make the kind of family focused films he was best known for. The fact that he stayed single and never married was news to me, and people speculates wether it's because he saw too many failed marriages around him to tie the know himself. I also love the fact that he personally designed a lot of the sets and everything that went into the scenes themselves, like bar signs and posters, etc. He also seemed to be a big joker and drank a lot of sake.

A short and sweet, really informative look at the man behind many films that will be remembered forever.

Genre: Documentary

Mothra (Japan, 1961)

Shipwreck survivors are found on Beiru Island, which was previously used for atomic tests. The interior is amazingly free of radiation effects, and they believe that they were protected by a special juice that was given to them by the island's residents. A joint expedition of Rolisican and Japanese scientists explores Beiru and discovers many curious things, including two women only one foot high. Unscrupulous expedition leader Clark Nelson abducts the women and puts them in a vaudeville show. But their sweet singing contains a telepathic cry for help to Mothra, a gigantic moth that is worshiped as a deity by the island people.

Mothra is the first film to feature the sort of good kaiju that also appeared in the Godzilla-universe. Directed by Ishiro Honda, the co-creator of Godzilla and lifelong friend of Akira Kurosawa, Mothra featured the most detailed miniature work of any Toho film to that point. One of the biggest joys is seeing the city get destroyed by an angry moth, with charmingly obvious toy tanks and humans getting blown away by Mothra's gusts of wind. The destruction is far more enjoyable to watch than any of the latest billion-dollar remakes from the US, which is kind of a sad thought that CGI-films are the way to go nowadays.

 

Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi