At some point I think movie history is going to be similar to war history.  We will be able to look back on the great achievements & misfortunes and know what path to take to be successful. Nevertheless, Disney’s JOHN CARTER ON MARS did not have this advantage and it showed. Taylor Kitsch plays John Carter, a civil war veteran in search for the oldest treasure…gold.  Although a decorated soldier in the Confederate army, Carter is asked by a Union captain to assist in the Apache slaughters that are occurring within the area.  As Carter declines the offer and escapes from his Union “captors” he comes across these ancient markingS that he believes will lead him to his riches.  However, what he was led to was not the adventure of red proportions.

I love being an audience member; it took $250 million to make the film but took me $8 to figure out it won’t even align with Planet Hollywood. The superb creativity, solid computer graphics and costume design will only be remembered for birthing new projects in the industry. John Carter’s pristine backdrop made for great entertainment, yet in the end, I was more concerned with what movies I could have created with such a great graphic artist. Well, so much for the out-of-this world blockbuster.

This film seemed to be lacking in pace, story line, and ability in keeping the audiences’ attention.  I found myself wondering why I paid to see this, and then realized I thought Disney had finally produced a film of worth.  The only value I saw was that of Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins.  Their on screen romance was well executed and didn’t seem alien at all.  And for the record, Lynn Collins is the best looking Martian I’ve ever seen!  Although the film fulfilled the stereotype of green-men, I thought it quite innovative, to have a more human aspect on an alien planet.

Remember the days of old when Disney films did not disappoint.  When the controversy of the company was only mildly evident in its art. I miss those days.  When I could go and  see a movie that wouldn’t have Walt Disney turning in his grave.  I thought Hollywood would have learned by now.  I figured the disaster of THE GREEN LANTERN was education enough for all production companies. Alas, here we are again suffering through another million dollar creativity that will be lucky to get a third of profitability.

In the end, JOHN CARTER gets a B- on my grading scale. Another prime example of great human potential with an alien follow through.  I look forward to the day when Disney will be great again.  I believe that day will come but not with films like this one. JOHN CARTER may have been a winner on Mars but he’s still struggling to find his place in the world of film.

I seem to be having a string of bad luck in the realm of film.  If you’ve been keeping up with my reviews you’ll notice the last few films haven’t been at the top of my list.  With DANCING QUEEN I can’t say my losing streak necessarily continues but it is a little worse for the wear.  This comedy starring singer/actress Uhm Jung Hwa and MOBY DICK actor Hwang Jeong Min looked quite promising.  Director Lee Seok Hoon’s efforts weren’t a total loss but if I had looked at other reviews instead of box office numbers I would have saved myself the cost of the ticket.

DANCING QUEEN tells the story of a husband and wife whose marriage and family have forced them to let their dreams go astray.  Jeong Min is an accidental political activist turned down-on-his-luck lawyer and his wife, Jung Hwa, was a local dancing legend who is now an aerobics instructor trying to make up for her husband’s financial shortcomings.  Their lives shift when they are both offered opportunities to return them to their former glory.  Jung Hwa is approached to join a girl group that is in need of a replacement for their rapidly approaching debut and Jeong Min decides to run for mayor.  These changes force them to re-evaluate their lives at the moment and their lives with each other.

I found this movie to be very awkward.  I was hoping to have a good laugh but I just wound up with slight giggles and a partial cry.  It was an odd mix of comedy and drama and the poor editing quickly jumped you from one scene to another, making it impossible for you to settle into any type of feeling about the story.  The two plots of politician and dancer didn’t mesh well together and any attempts to make them fit were underwhelming.  The leads did a decent job with their characters which I found to be the film’s only saving grace. Sadly, the characters weren’t enough to make DANCING QUEEN anything other than forgettable.

The 2012 Korean Cinema Blogathon began today and continues until the end of the week. You can follow at the Modern Korean Cinema site here. Lots of must reads for fans of Korean film.

The comic-movie era has been with us for some time.  Marvel and DC films are a mixture of great special effects, good acting, and at times superb directing.  However, the same can’t be said for Nicholas Cage’s new film GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE. Cage once again dons the veil of fire as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, the supernatural bounty hunter, who was cursed with the power of hellfire.  In this non-sequential installment Blaze is a reclusive hero who is offered an opportunity by an agent of the church, played by Idris Elba, to assist in locating a young boy targeted by the demon who cursed Blaze.  If he accomplishes the mission his curse is lifted.  With a great cast the film has moments of action, red-hot special effects and a warm emotional pull.  Nonetheless, it’s a brush fire that should have been controlled.

I have to admit the opening sequence of the film was positively one of the best I’ve seen.  At first I thought the dual directing powers of Neveldine/Taylor were going to give Ghost Rider a crisp espionage taste.  However, like fire in need of oxygen, the film dwindled like a flame under a cup.  As an audience member it was vividly clear that the film had two directors.  The flow of the screenplay burned the iris of my eyes.  It was like watching steel being welded together: sure it’s pretty to look at, but when you watch for too long it could cause damage.

From the frying pan to the flame Cage gives the audience a hollowed performance. There are times when he can bring his ‘A’ game but this time I wish he had game.  His 2007 display as the fire-skulled biker was well delivered, but this second portrayal was spotty at best.  In my opinion it was a forced act precisely a product of the uncharismatic pursuit of the directors.  Spirit of Vengeance is only thematically related to the first Ghost Rider which was evident as Cage’s acting in the second film came across as clichéd and unseasoned.

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor should have decided if they were going to do a supernatural or an action drama.  Their attempt in mixing the two failed like a match trying to boil the ocean. The directors made choices that were nominal and sometimes sub-standard. There were moments when I wanted to be amazed followed by occasions of disappointment. However, what’s amazing is that this film is currently ranked third in the box office.  My motto:  “If the movie made money then the movie made sense.”  Remember, this is business and what we like doesn’t always matter.

So, you decide: is GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE worthy of being ranked third or is the only vengeance being bestowed that of the audience having to watch another failed attempt at Marvel history? It’s a ghostly decision but a ride you may be willing to burn rubber for.

Sometimes a movie pulls you in different directions and you can’t form a solid opinion about it.  This can happen for various reasons.  Maybe it had good performances but overall it was a bad film.  Maybe the visuals were great but the acting was terrible.  Or something about it tugged at you a bit but the movie as a whole could’ve been better.  Incidentally, none of these reasons are why I feel the way I do about SIU (특수본), but we’ll get into that.  This movie was one of the most hyped action films of 2011 and, while it’s box office showing was decent but not stellar, it still looked like something worth checking out.  So I did.  I can say that, despite the typical cop movie cliches, director Hwang Byeong Gook started off the film well. But past that is another story.

SIU begins with a case surrounding the death of an undercover police officer.  Detective Kim Seong-Beom (Eom Tae-Woong) is a rebellious and self-righteous cop who is determined to prove that his friend’s death wasn’t the result of a corrupt cop caught up in a drug deal gone wrong.  Adding to the mix, the chief of police brings in the perfectly coiffed Kim Ho-Ryong (Joo Won) as a medical expert to help with the investigation.  Each man has his personal reasons for pursuing this investigation but as they continue on the case they discover that the case is actually linked to their superiors and is the result of a corruption that goes deeper than they could have imagined.

When I first heard about this movie I thought it had classic cop film written all over it.  It’s a shame it didn’t live up to that expectation.  The formula is typical but perfect and I think that, and the inclusion of Eom Tae Woong, was a big draw for viewers and myself.  Honestly, in the beginning I thought it was going to skew towards a comedy action flick.  I wouldn’t have been disappointed if my guess was wrong but by the end the film just wound up doing a poorly executed 180.  The odd twists in the plot seemed to be thrown in just in an attempt to keep the story interesting and the only character development I saw was the gradual disheveled look to Joo Won’s hair.  Their relationships barely developed as well or if they did there was just a beginning and end but no middle.  Case in point is Lee Tae-Im’s character.  She comes in originally as a screw up rookie sidekick but by the end of the the movie she’s been Eom Tae Woong’s love interest all along.   Mind you, this is not alluded to at all.  It was not only jarring but if it’s purpose was to drive other plot lines it was unnecessary and just took more wind out of the film’s sails.  I waited for the opportunity to see this movie and I had high hopes for it but I guess you can’t win them all, even when the formula is seemingly perfect.

War is the most brutal of all conflicts.   Within this entity, loved ones, friends and neighbors are lost in a sea of turmoil.  South Africa has witnessed such adversity and the new film, THE BANG BANG CLUB, brings a perspective that’s a harsh reality. Ryan Phillipe stars as Greg Marinovich, a photographer, trying to make a career in 1994 apartheid-era South Africa.  Marinovich is part of a four man team that endanger their lives daily for the ultimate portrait.  Their job is to show the world what is developing within the racial war zone.  They constantly shoot into the angered face of an assailant, the life-drained eyes of a victim, and along the blood-stained edge of a machete.

If a picture is worth a thousands words, then these are worth the last thousand you’ll ever speak.  I’ve never experienced a film that brought the imagery of racism to the forefront as powerfully.  My eyes were visually violated as I saw pain, hate, anger and cries for mercy…all with a still shot.  Repeatedly I asked the questions: “Why can such brutality exist within humanity?”  “What is it that brings us to this dark place?” I’ve never known the power of a photographer until now. They’re the person you always want in your corner.  The impression they can convey to situations can ignite or defuse a flame.  What’s most perplexing for me is how pictures can be the blueprints of a story and the foundation history.  For it’s within these portraits that we see the absolute truth.  THE BANG BANG CLUB gave us a riveting portrayal of how war can illuminate our notions of right or wrong, good or bad, unlawful or unethical.

Director Stephen Silver brought artistic marvel in making the audience experience the impartiality of photographers.  Were the members of The Bang Bang Club making profit off the deaths of Africans?  Should they have done more to help the South African people? Questions like these will pull at your ethical being and gnaw at your moral code while watching this film.  Greg Marinovich and Kevin Carter, played by Taylor Kitsch, both received Pulitzer prizes for their pictures.  Their horrid canvases opened the eyes of the world to the perspective of South Africans.  Nonetheless, where should the line be drawn between candid portraits and profited fame? THE BANG BANG CLUB is a hidden jewel, only being shown at a few theaters across Seoul, but definitely a film that will make you think…feel….hurt.  It is always great to be entertained but sometimes we need a film that stirs great emotion.  The camera is the truest of all hunters because it takes the shot without pause, consequence or prejudice.  Unlike the human eye a camera has no blind spot.  It’s ironic that a photographer can see the picture they are taking, but it’s not until it’s developed that the picture taken is truly seen.

The 2011 Busan International Film Festival had a lot of gems in it’s line-up. One of the top picks at the festival was Kim Han-Min’s ARROW, THE ULTIMATE WEAPON (최종병기 활).  Also, known as WAR OF THE ARROWS, this film was highly praised and almost impossible to get into.  Since I missed it at the festival, I was very happy when it was released on DVD.  Of course, I’d heard what the premise of the film was but I was still unclear on what to expect.  In case you’re in the same boat, let me fill you in.

ARROW, THE ULTIMATE WEAPON is set during the Choseon Dynasty and begins as the story of a boy and his sister.  Their father is accused of being a traitor to the throne during the King Injo Revolt and is subsequently executed.  Before his execution he makes his teenaged son, Na-Mi, promise to always protect his younger sister, Ja-In , from harm.  It’s a promise the boy takes to heart and after escaping death themselves the two children go to an ally of their father’s and are raised in hiding.  During this time Na-Mi (Park Hae-Il) grows and is seen as a person who is constantly begrudging his past and who has no real goals or future.  Unbeknownst to everyone he has secretly taught himself to become a master of the bow and arrow.  He’s never had to use the skill past hunting but, on his sister’s wedding day, their village is attacked by the Chung Dynasty of China.  His sister (Moon Chae-Won) and her new husband (Kim Moo-yeol) are both taken captive by soldiers and Na-Mi arrives to late to stop them.  Sticking to his promise to protect her Na-Mi uses his bow and arrow to bring down the enemy and find her before it’s too late.

Sometimes when watching action films I feel that they stray from the point.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the action that the actual story can get put on the back burner.  That was not the case with ARROW, THE ULTIMATE WEAPON.  While watching this movie I feel it had all of the elements you would expect from an action drama, but the reasons driving the protagonists were always strong and clear.  I was even expecting fancy martial arts sequences and wire work but they were absent.  It really all came down to the man’s strength being his promise and his arrow.  He was strong but he wasn’t invincible and he showed his fear as much as his courage.  Also, the female lead wasn’t left as just a damsel in distress.  Yes, she was in trouble, but she defended herself and held her own to the best of her abilities, which was quite a refreshing thing to see.  While I  felt the suspense and the pain of the characters, on the other hand, I also felt that without these some parts of the movie could’ve fallen a bit flat.  Some scenes went on a bit long and, in my opinion, one or two could have been edited out completely.  These are minor points and overall, it’s a solid, good film that I definitely recommend renting.

Films are highly anticipated for different reasons. Sometimes for the story and sometimes for the actors. In the case of YOU PET (너는 펫) I feel it was completely both. If you’re a fan of most popular contemporary Korean actors then you can’t beat the combination of self proclaimed Asia prince Jang Geun Seok and comedy queen Kim Ha-Neul. On top of that the story is about a man who agrees to be a house pet to a lonely older woman in exchange for free room and board, something that I was definitely curious to see pan out on screen. I recently watched this movie with all of those expectations in tow and so after watching I have a few things to say but first let me give you a little more background.
Kim Ha-Neul plays Lee Ji Eun, a high powered business woman whose had a string of bad luck with men and has decided to give up the opposite sex and get a dog. At this “crucial” moment enters Jang Geun Seok. Jang plays down on his luck ballet dancer Kang In-Ho. He has recently been kicked out of his apartment and desperately needs a place to live for a few months. A friend of his offers to let him take his place as his sister’s live-in housekeeper in exchange for six months rent in advance. When this exchange takes place without her permission she’s determined to get rid of her new roommate by offering him an ultimatum. He can stay if he agrees to be as submissive to her as a house pet. Much to her surprise he agrees and their comical love story ensues.
I didn’t like this film. I think its box office success was completely due to the star power of the cast. I can easily go along with a quirky story line and in fact I prefer one. What I can’t go along with is when the main story line is poorly constructed or when side story lines are left unresolved. This movie also fell into the trap of relying on gimmicks. Yes, Jang Geun Seok can sing but the reason why he has to break out a guitar and bust into song in the middle of the movie is beyond me. As for Kim Ha-Neul, she seemed completely detached from this performance and lacked the comedic energy I’ve seen in her previous films. Maybe this was the result of Kim Byeong Gon being a first time director. While he has production experience, from my stand point it looks like he let too many opinions into the filming process and that resulted in a finished product that felt rushed, patchy and incomplete.  I hope any future projects of his are better executed than this one.  Feel free to watch it and draw your own conclusions but I can’t help but give this movie a thumbs down.