Fantasia 2013, total films seen: 27
When I look back at last year (which was a very impressive year), there were more films that I reviewed positively in 2012 compared to this year. However, I feel like the best of the best this year was better than last year. Japanese films in particularly were quite strong and the themes suited my sensibilities well. There were also some pleasant surprises in films that were way better than expected.
Mini reviews of The Great Passage, When a Wolf Falls in Love with a Sheep, Bushido Man, and 009 Re: Cyborg after the jump.
Continue reading “Fantasia 2013 Mini Reviews”
Hentai Kamen: Forbidden Super Hero / HK 変態仮面 / HK Hentai Kamen (2013)
Director: Yuichi Fukuda ; Screenplay: Yuichi Fukuda, Shun Oguri, Keisyu Ando
Cast: Ryohei Suzuki, Fumika Shimizu, Tsuyoshi Muro, Nana Katase, Takashi Tsukamoto
This is possibly one of the most hilarious movies I’ve ever seen or at least the most hilarious movie I’ve seen in the past three years of Fantasia. If you can handle seeing a near naked dude (who’s in amazing shape) smash his crotch into villains’ faces and even some crotch to crotch challenge shots then you’ll be in for one of the best super hero parodies ever. There are several well-executed references to Spider-Man in particular like the intro sequence and the swinging segment. When he puts the panties on his face, he inexplicably forms Spider-Man like eyepieces that conceal his eyes.
There is no nudity though (aside from bare butts) so this isn’t really that kinky or perverted of a movie. You will see near naked guys rubbing against each other and making effeminate poses. The various poses and movements that Hentai Kamen performs are absolutely hysterical. The powers he has in relation to his parents’ fetishes is just brilliant stuff. The whole concept of this movie is likely to be so beyond most people’s imaginations that it may be overwhelming to watch a movie like this. While one’s first instinct might be to try to make sense of it all, it’s better not to. Don’t ask questions, just watch the movie and experience it.
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The Rooftop / 天台 / tiān tái (2013)
Director: Jay Chou ; Screenplay: Jay Chou
Cast: Jay Chou, Wang Xueqi, Eric Tsang, Alan Ko
This is a retro, neon-coloured blast from the past where romance, martial arts, dance and music combine and collide to create one of the most energetic films that I’ve seen so far. It’s courtesy of perhaps Taiwan’s biggest popstar Jay Chou who wrote, directed and starred in this feature. It’s an impressive addition to his cinematic resume.
The story reminds one very much of Romeo & Juliet (without the double suicide) so there are really no surprises in the story department but the romance is nicely developed. There are the poor people who live on the rooftops while the rich people live on ground level. Wax (Jay Chou) lives with his best buddies on the rooftops and falls for an actress whom is indebted to the lead actor of the movie she is in the process of filming. I didn’t mind the villains becoming really despicable and cutthroat in the final act but I do think the ending is very dumb but not quite a deal breaker.
The Apology King / 謝罪の王様 / Shazai no Ousama (2013)
Director: Nobuo Mizuta ; Screenplay: Kankuro Kudo
Cast: Sadao Abe, Mao Inoue, Masaki Okada, Machiko Ono, Katsumi Takahashi
The next screening is on August 4, 6:45pm
As far as comedies go, this is okay. What will interest I think non-Japanaese more are all the little details about dogeza, a form of apology where a person goes on their hands and knees and bows their head forward so that it touches the ground. It is the ultimate form of apology. Of course, one does not always need to go that far and depending on the severity of the offense, a genuine heartfelt apology and a proper bow will suffice. Other times, a bit of manipulation and trickery is needed in addition to an apology. The movie follows Ryoro who is an expert in dogeza and runs an apology center to help rude, clueless clients to get out of sticky situations with a well executed apology.
Thermae Romae / テルマエ・ロマエ (2012)
Director: Hideki Takeuchi ; Screenplay: Shogo Muto, Mari Yamazaki
Cast: Hiroshi Abe, Aya Ueto, Kazuki Kitamura, Riki Takeuchi, Kai Shishido
If you’re looking for a laugh out loud, feel good comedy that doesn’t take itself seriously then this is the movie for you. Hiroshi Abe plays the main character Lucius Modestus, a Roman bath architect in 128 AD who gets sucked down a water vortex and time travels to modern day Japan. He is amazed by the “flat faced” clan’s innovations in bath technologies and replicates what he sees when he returns to the past to great success in Rome. Coincidentallly, he always seems to teleport to a place in Japan that is near a manga artist who is immediately attracted to him.
Most of the laughs come from Lucius’ reactions of amazement to the simplest of modern day bath accessories. Even funnier are the ways he replicates the modern bath technologies he observed with primitive Roman technology (usually a lot of slaves). We learn early on that when Lucius is in deep thought about his next bath design, that he will drown in a water vortex of some sort. He seems to easily return to his original time and place in Rome although the trigger for this is actually nicely revealed in a slightly sad scene. Don’t worry though, this is mostly an upbeat film with a happy ending. Credit to Hiroshi Abe’s great comedic talents, deadpan inner monologues and hilarious facial expressions for keeping things light but not totally wacky.
Helter Skelter / ヘルタースケルター / Heruta Sukeruta (2012)
Director: Mika Ninagawa ; Screenplay: Arisa Kaneko, Kyoko Okazaki
Cast: Erika Sawajiri, Nao Omori, Kaori Momoi, Shinobu Terajima, Kiko Mizuhara
The striking visuals will immediately grab your attention. The colours are lush and the set design is luxurious as one would expect for a movie about models. The main actress, Erika Sawajiri, is intense and riveting in the all important main role of Lilico. She’s the most popular model at the moment but never seems to be happy and starts to break down both mentally and physically when younger competition arrives. Indeed she starts getting dark spots on her skin which are getting harder and harder to hide with makeup. The movie focuses on her most of the time with a small side plot of a police investigation into suspicious activities of a “beauty clinic” which Lilico uses.
I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow / 俺はまだ本気出してないだけ / Ore wa Mada Honki Dashite nai Dake (2013)
Director: Yuichi Fukuda ; Screenplay: Yuichi Fukuda, Shunju Aono
Cast: Shinichi Tsutsumi, Ai Hashimoto, Katsuhisa Namase, Takayuki Yamada, Gaku Hamada
I would say the first half of the movie is disappointing but does get better in the second half. There are some decent jokes but I didn’t really find it that funny. It depends on whether you sympathize with the main character, Shizuo or not. I mostly felt he was kinda stupid for his age and thus didn’t find his slapstick humour very amusing most times. However, I liked the other two characters whom Shizuo hangs out with. Like Shizuo they are also looking for their own purposes in life. The premise of dropping a stable salaryman type career to find your true passion (in Shizuo’s case, becoming a manga artist) is not a poor premise to base a movie on. At least the story does a good job of showing the difficulties one must go through to attain one’s dream. It shows him working, getting rejected, becoming lazy and trying again.
The question of whether Shizuo is good enough to even be a manga artist is not really touched upon, he appears to already have some decent drawing ability although it is never explicitly mentioned. Then again, this was not really the point of the movie and likely would’ve dragged it even more than it already does. The first half is a bit dull because Shizuo really does just laze around with his father yelling at him and his 17 year old daughter being quietly supportive. The story picks up when Shizuo does achieve a small amount of success but it’s more because we see significant occurrences with other characters. Credit to the movie for making one question what is truly important in life. None of the characters are necessarily successful by the end of the movie but it’s a hopeful ending about taking chances.
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Film Beats (from the East) 