Month: March 2013

By Joe Bendel. Any good illusion depends on a distraction. There were plenty of those in Republican era China, including rampant warlordism, the threat of foreign intervention, and a conspiracy to restore the Qing dynasty. Yet master illusionist Chang Hsien is far more concerned with rescuing his former fiancée in Derek Yee’s The Great Magician (see clip above), which releases today on DVD and Blu-ray from Well Go USA.

When Chang left to study magic abroad he left his intended without his ostensive protection. Belatedly learning she has been kidnapped and forced to live as warlord Bully Lei’s wife #7, Chang falls in with a group of revolutionaries plotting to abduct the abductor. However, he finds Liu Yin is just as hacked off at him as she is with Lei, whose clumsy advances she easily foils with some vintage Jackie Chan style acrobatics.

Nonetheless, Chang is determined to save her and his imprisoned mentor (her father, of course), but as he befriends Lei under false pretenses, he learns the circumstances are more complicated than he suspected and the warlord might not be as bad as he assumed. Then the real bad guys get down to business.

There are some stylishly choreographed scenes of Chang in performance that look great and advance the story quite cleverly. However, the film’s real ace in the hole is Zhou Xun’s Liu Yin. Subverting the damsel-in-distress convention, she is a genuine force to be reckoned with.  Zhou frequently flashes her “we are not amused” look and it kills every time.

The suave illusionist might sound like a perfect role for Tony Leung (Little Tony Chiu-wai of Red Cliff and 2046, not Big Tony Ka-fa The Lover and Election) and he indeed fits comfortably into the tuxedo. Although he makes a smooth transition from martial arts to stage illusions, Leung frankly gets a bit hammy when the film periodically veers into slapstick. Yet he is the picture of dignity compared to Lau Ching-wan, who mugs shamelessly as Bully Lei. Still, the way their friendship develops on screen is somewhat endearing.

There is a lot of handsome spectacle in Great Magician, nicely rendered by Siu Fu Ma’s VFX team. Zhou’s fans will also be delighted with a lovely performance dripping with attitude, which considerably elevates the proceedings. There is a fair amount of shtick to wade through, though. Recommended primarily for fans of Leung, Zhou, and magic in general, The Great Magician is now available for home viewing from Well Go USA.

LFM GRADE: B-

Posted on March 19th, 2013 at 1:29pm.

By Joe Bendel. Currency becomes “fiat” money when it is no longer backed by something with intrinsic value – typically precious metals -but relies solely on warm fuzzy feelings for the national government. Historically, this has not worked well, but our leaders (elected and otherwise) have chosen to go down this path, nonetheless. So how much confidence do you have in the Federal government today? In 2019 they apparently have even less, but the Feds have doubled down on measures to control economic freedom. An organized resistance targets the intrusive state bureaucracy where it hurts the most, minting their own silver currency in Pasha Roberts’ animated dystopian feature Silver Circle, which opens this Friday in New York.

Six or so short years from now, the Federal Reserve tries to control the housing market with the same ham-fisted techniques they apply to the money supply. To keep housing prices up, they remove units from the market. Those who do not willingly sell out are forcibly evicted. This often leads to outrage and protests. In fact, one demonstration against the Fed’s Department of Housing Stability turns violent when uniformed HouStab officers start firing into the crowd.

An honest HouStab investigator like Jay Nelson will not be assigned an incident like that. Instead, he is sent out to probe multiple cases of suspected arson at a long vacant housing development HouStab deliberately mothballed. However, his investigation leads him to Zoe Taylor, an underground activist with evidence linking nefarious doings to the current Fed chairman, Victor Brandt. This all rather alarms the off-the-books thugs Brandt has tailing Nelson, particularly since it threatens to rock the boat exactly when Congress is considering legislation to make the Fed chairmanship a lifetime appointment.

It is hard to believe a film giving Ron Paul a shout out for economics (as opposed to foreign policy) would open in New York, but here it is. Frankly, HouStab’s tactics and excesses are frighteningly believable in the current political climate. It is all too easy to see how we would get from here to there in six years.

Unfortunately, Circle’s prophetic/cautionary note is wrapped in a painfully crude animated package. Inexpressive and awkward looking, the figures simply do not measure up to current standard of indie animation. Typically in this film they do not even walk, they waddle. They are also rather charmless. Given the dramatic context, Taylor is clearly meant to be a traffic-stopping beauty, but she’s not going to make any fanboy forget Jessica Rabbit. Oddly enough, the graphic novel version available on the film’s website looks considerably better.

Some real thought went into the narrative of Silver, which we can all appreciate. Yet one wonders if it might do more harm than good by reinforcing the stereotype that Libertarians are all a bunch of gun-toting malcontents. Smart but aesthetically challenged, Silver Circle needs more than a strong understanding of monetary policy to earn it a recommendation, but for the intrigued and the faithful it opens this Friday (3/22) in New York at the Cinema Village.

LFM GRADE: D+

Posted on March 19th, 2013 at 1:28pm.

By Joe Bendel. In 1963, Federico Fellini became a bit player in the Cold War when the Moscow International Film Festival’s non-Soviet judges threatened to walk out unless their decision to award the grand prize to 8½ was honored. It would be one of many accolades bestowed (grudgingly in that case) on Fellini’s masterpiece. Frankly, finding fresh new insights into the Oscar winner is rather daunting, but the fiftieth anniversary is a fitting occasion to take a shot at it. To mark the milestone, Corinth Films will rerelease 8½ this Friday in New York.

8½ and La Dolce Vita may somewhat blend together for many cineastes, because they probably first saw both films – which share similar themes and cast members – in short succession. Dolce has the fountain and 8½ has the weird space age scaffolding. Considered by Fellini his 8½th film (with shorts and collaborations counting as halves), it is a film that rewards revisiting at various stages of life. At first viewing, some will be struck by its Fellini-esqueness. However, those initiated into the auteur’s style will subsequently find it has a strong narrative structure and deep emotional feeling.

As everyone ought to know, Guido Anselmi is an acclaimed director “taking the cure” at an upscale sanatorium. Presumably he is being treated for nerves and exhaustion, but he is really addicted to people and drama. He is woefully behind schedule and over budget on his next film. Intended as a profoundly personal statement, it has evolved into a science fiction epic, with that costly behemoth of a set still under construction.

Anselmi would like to save his career and his marriage to Luisa, but he seems incapable of either. Instead, he spends unrewarding time with his married mistress and is visited in his dreams and reveries by women from his past, including his mother and La Saraghina, the town harlot who fascinated him as a child.

Unlike the Soviets, the Vatican willingly joined the chorus of plaudits, putting 8½ on its list of the 45 greatest films produced before 1995, even though it is not particularly kind in its depiction of Catholic clergy. By the same token, Fellini’s film never celebrates infidelity or materialism. Anouk Aimee’s Luisa is more sophisticated and beautiful (in an earthy way) than his tarty mistress, but Anselmi cannot give her the emotional commitment she rightly demands.

Aimee is truly a wonder in 8½. Likewise, Claudia Cardinale brings down the roof with her late appearance as Claudia, the glamorous movie star with whom Anselmi has some ambiguous history. Although relatively unheralded amongst a cast of giants, Rosella Falk brings a smart, intriguing edge to film as Rosella, the Anselmis’ family friend and counselor. However, it is Marcello Mastroianni who anchors and defines the film. In a way, it is easy to overlook his performance as he is passively pushed and pulled from one episode to another. Yet, in quiet scenes, such as his pseudo-confession to Claudia and his confused late night attempt preserve his marriage, Mastroianni’s work is powerfully direct and honest.

8½ is one of a handful of films everyone has to see to consider themselves cinematically literate, but you cannot just see it once. With the passage of time, Anselmi’s crisis of confidence will resonate differently. If you have only seen the musical Nine or the various pastiches, you have not experienced the real thing. It really is that good. Recommended unreservedly to anyone who takes film seriously, 8½ opens this Friday (3/22) at the Quad Cinema.

LFM GRADE: A+

Posted on March 18th, 2013th at 2:47pm.

By Joe Bendel. It is time to drastically raise the penalties for anyone involved in human trafficking. Currently, for procurers and mules the rewards simply outweigh the risks in what is estimated to be a $32 billion illicit trade. Is capital punishment unreasonable for those who lure innocent women into depraved enslavement and most likely death? It is time to have that debate, prompted by Megan Griffith’s fact-based Eden, which opens this Wednesday in New York at Film Forum.

Eden is largely based on the experiences of Chong Kim, a naturalized American citizen who spent years as a captive of trafficking ring. Hyun Jae is the name of her cinematic analog, but her kidnappers dub her Eden for their clientele. She has a dangerous secret—she looks younger than she is. Most of the gang’s sex-slaves are disposed of once they reach her age. Partly that is due to their customers’ tastes and partly a function of the extreme abuse they endure.

Determined to survive, Hyun Jae makes herself useful to Vaughan, the erratic deputy of the operation’s local supervisor, Federal Marshall Bob Gault. Vaughan is ruthless and tenacious, but his IQ probably does not break 100. Having Hyun Jae handle the cash and the phones helps the psychologically disturbed thug keep calm and collected. However, Hyun Jae has not given up hope. As she learns the inner workings of the organization, she bides her time.

Jamie Chung was perfectly fine in Man with the Iron Fists and became a breath of fresh air in the otherwise dumber-than-bag-full-of-hammers Knife Fight, but the raw power of her work here is something else altogether. It is harrowing to watch her, but also riveting and ultimately inspiring. You are witnessing a victim resolving to be a survivor, which is heavy. Her scenes with Matt O’Leary’s relentlessly unnerving Vaughan are also genuinely intense and completely convincing.

Unlike other issue-driven human trafficking films, the chess game playing out between Hyun Jae and Vaughan focuses the narrative, building unexpected suspense. This is clearly a film, tightly scripted by Griffiths and Richard B. Phillips, not a white paper-backgrounder. Nonetheless, it exposes the horrifying crimes happening right here in America: Nevada for Hyun Jae and presumably someplace in the southwest for Chong Kim.

Unfortunately, both the general public and law enforcement agencies have not been well trained to detect trafficking. Still, those aiding and abetting should take one lesson from Eden to heart. They are just one mistake away from an anonymous grave in the desert—and it’s exactly what they deserve. Cinematographer Sean Porter effectively conveys the harshness of that wide open landscape (so helpful to the sex-slavers) as well as the dark, grimy conditions in which the women are held.

Eden addresses an important and timely topic, but the fearless performances from Chung and O’Leary will completely hook audiences on an emotional level. Recommended for general audiences, Eden opens this Wednesday (2/20) at Film Forum.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on March 18th, 2013 at 2:43pm.

By Joe Bendel. Before the legendary journey there was a sojourn through Hell. Emperor Li Shimin would eventually sponsor the Buddhist monk Xuanzang’s western pilgrimage in search of sacred texts. However, he must first return from an unplanned detour through the underworld. Luo Li gives the early chapters of Journey to the West an arthouse modernization with Emperor Visits the Hell, which screens during this year’s New Directors/New Films, co-presented by MoMA and the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Li Shimin is a municipal boss, who murdered his father and brothers to ascend to his “throne.” When Dragon King, a local gangster, shortsightedly refuses to comply with an order from Heaven, he asks the “Emperor” to protect him from Heaven’s Executioner, who just happens to be Li Shimin’s counselor, Wei Zheng. The imperial mayor does his best to occupy his advisor, but he bores the man to sleep. Much to his surprise, the oblivious Wei decapitates Dragon King in his dream, which pretty much does the trick in real life too.

Somewhat disappointed by the quality of Li Shimin’s protection, Dragon King haunts the ruler as an angry ghost. Eventually, he drives the man to his death. All is not lost though. The faithful Wei has some high placed contacts in the kingdom below.

Li Shimin’s tale is one of many discrete chunks of the great Ming era novel that have been adapted for film and television. However, it is a downright bizarre choice to reboot in a contemporary setting. This is not a bloody combat-driven tragedy like Coriolanus. Rather, the mythic elements, such as Dragon King’s decision to forestall the rains at their appointed time, are at complete odds with Luo’s grubby modern day conception. Yet, he keeps doubling down, essentially emphasizing the contrast between the modern trappings and the fantastical story. It is just a weird vibe to take in.

Frankly, Hell looks a lot like Union City through cinematographer Jie Ren’s lens. There is no fire and brimstone, just drab offices and dilapidated slums. Li Wen’s Li Shimin is also a rather cold fish, at least until he gets hammered at the concluding Return of the Jedi-style feast (doubling as the actual wrap party) and proceeds to go off the contemporary state of things.

Although drained of color and deliberately artificial looking, Luo still presents some intriguing images. While decidedly post-modern in its approach, the film is much more about subverting narrative tradition than authority. It lends itself to all kinds of critical literary analysis, which is great if you are covering ND/NF, but it is impossible to recommend it to anyone looking for a movie to get emotionally caught up in. A coldly cerebral film intended for the like minded, Emperor Visits the Hell screens Thursday (3/21) at MoMA and Saturday (3/23) at the Walter Reade as a selection of the 2013 New Directors/New Films.

LFM GRADE: C-

Posted on March 18th, 2013 at 2:34pm.