Month: July 2013

LFM Reviews Together @ The 2013 Asian American International Film Festival

From "Together."

By Joe Bendel. The teenaged Xiao Yang is not exactly Cyrano de Bergerac. Nevertheless, he will do his best to recycle both love letters and lovers. The course of true love never runs smooth, but he will sometimes help it along in Hsu Chao-jen’s multi-character rom-com, Together, which screens this Saturday during the 2013 Asian American International Film Festival.

Scooping up his classmate’s discarded love letter, Xiao Yang is determined to put it to good use. Perhaps his buddy Ma Chih-hao can re-purpose it. Having just dumped his girlfriend, Ma pines for the cute cashier working at their favorite bakery, whose manager in turn nurses a crush on Xiao Yang’s older sister. Of course, she is already involved with a rich jerk, who does not think much of Xiao Yang.

Yes, this is the sort of film where viewers could use a flowchart to keep track of who likes whom. However, his parents’ relationship is easy to pick-up on. The magic has left the easy going Bin’s marriage toward the more assertive Min-min. Ironically, the print shop proprietor soon finds himself producing wedding invitations as his own marriage takes a chilly turn. The free-spirited Lily has recently returned to their Taipei neighborhood to marry Haru, the staid owner of the local Japanese bookstore. Yet the strangely ambiguous chemistry between her and Bin is still there.

From "Together."

Despite all the romantic confusion, the tone of Together is much more bittersweet than cutesy. In fact, for domestic audiences, it is downright nostalgic, given the casting of Kenny Bee and Lee Lieh as Xiao Yang’s parents, who were amongst the break-out co-stars of the classic melodrama The Story of a Small Town. Of course, it is all headed toward a happy place, but there are more surprises and less sentimentality in the third act than one might expect.

Happily, Huang Shao-yang’s Xiao Yang grows on viewers over time, as his character starts using his brattiness for good rather than ill. His presence somewhat suggests a young Taiwanese Leonardo DiCaprio, except he is already considerably more manly (as is everyone else in the cast). Bee remains charismatic in middle age, nicely crooning the film’s signature love song. Supermodel-actress Sonia Sui lights up the screen as Lily, while developing some reasonably believable chemistry with the significantly older Bee. Lee Lieh also does her best to punch-up Min-min, despite her somewhat problematic scoldiness.

Indeed, Hsu definitely favors Bee’s Bin over the rest of the large ensemble. Still, he invests the film with a forgiving vibe that is rather endearing. His unhurried pace might be a bit too languid for slavishly conventional viewers, but Hsu has a good eye for composition and Blaire Ko’s slightly latin-ish score helps it all go down quite smoothly. Recommended with a fair degree of affection for those who enjoy slightly offbeat love stories and family dramas, Together screens this Saturday (7/27) at the New York Institute of Technology, as part of this year’s AAIFF.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on July 25th, 2013 at 1:07pm.

LFM Reviews Innocent Blood @ The 2013 Asian American International Film Festival

By Joe Bendel. James Park ought to know [in]famous undercover detectives never just retire, especially when their biggest case holds some decidedly ugly secrets. The cop-turned-professor will have to revert to his old ways when his young son is kidnapped by a mystery man with revenge on his unhinged mind in DJ Holloway & Sun W. Kim’s Innocent Blood, which screens this Saturday during the 2013 Asian American International Film Festival in New York.

Park knows crime, but with his limited academic credentials he can only land a community college teaching gig. He plans to go back for the right degrees, once his wife Susan finishes law school. It has been hard on their son Cody, who does not see his mother nearly as much as they both would like. As a result, when her husband’s nemesis abducts the young boy, she suffers from an acute attack of guilt.

Prohibited from contacting the authorities, Park will have to figure out just what the kidnapper wants on his own. It all seems to revolve around Brad Lee, a human trafficker framed for a crime he technically did not exactly commit. Park’s first clue will be the trail of dead bodies he cannot explain to Carl Grierr and Jim Collins, the odd couple detectives doggedly tailing him.

While the harsh realities of human trafficking remain off-camera throughout Blood, it is an issue the filmmakers feel strongly about. Like the T.O.M. Film Festival co-founded by screenwriter-co-director Kim, Blood was envisioned as a vehicle to raise funds and awareness. It is well intentioned, but the on-screen business does not always withstand the common sense test. (Park really drops his son off on the very urban looking street around the corner from his school, without watching to see if he makes it inside okay?)

Still, Jun-seong Kim’s not-quite-retired James Kim is a genuinely compellingly angst-ridden everyman. Alexandra Chun is also entirely believable and sympathetic as the distraught mother. Although still a relatively young thesp, Lance Lim makes a strong return appearance at AAIFF, following up his solid turn in Il Cho’s accomplished short Jin with his engaging work as Cody Park.

However, for most genre fans, the main attraction in Blood will be Doug Jones (the Silver Surfer, etc), somewhat playing against type as Grierr, the acerbic but honest copper. He earns a fair number of sarcastic chuckles, which are truly appreciated, considering the film’s grim and gritty tone. In contrast, C.S. Lee’s villain is rather problematically bland.

Blood tackles some big themes, like sacrifice and redemption, while exhibiting a wider social conscience. However, Sun W. Kim’s screenplay is not good about sharing information, while keeping its cast of characters severely blinkered. Yet the film it effectively taps into some very real emotions that will keep most viewers fully vested in the outcome. Recommended for fans of Jones and dark crime dramas, Innocent Blood screens Saturday afternoon (7/26) at the Anthology Film Archives, as part of this year’s AAIFF.

LFM GRADE: B-

Posted on July 25th, 2013 at 1:06pm.

An Animated Fable That Shines: LFM Reviews Moon Man; Now Available on Tribeca VOD

By Joe Bendel. This has to be the most endearing dystopia you will ever see. One can understand why the Man in the Moon came down for a visit, but he will need a little getting home in Stephan Schesch’s animated feature, Moon Man, which launches Tuesday on Tribeca Films’ VOD platform.

The President (presumably for life) has finally conquered the last little island on Earth free of his control. Yet, it hardly seems to matter to one little girl and her father. They are following their regular routine—a drive-in movie, followed by burgers from a 1950’s style drive-through. Then her father cruises home with the top down while she curls up in the back seat with a blanket and the loyal family pooch.

Tonight, though, something is amiss. The Moon Man is not looking down at her as he should be. Like other children around the world, she is usually reassured by the sight of him up there. (However, grown-ups somehow grow oblivious to him.) Getting a bit bored, the Moon Man hitched a ride on a comet, but it was a one-way ticket. To get back, he seeks the help of Bunsen van der Dunkel, a Rip Van Winkle scientist who has slept through the President’s rise to glory. As it happens, the President also seeks the legendary inventor’s help in developing a rocket to facilitate his conquest of the moon. You get the idea.

First of all, Moon Man is basically right in line with what would be my approach to parenting, if only there were more drive-in movie theaters. Based on Tomi Ungerer’s children’s book, Schesch’s adaptation is unflaggingly sweet and gentle, but one can pick up on the author’s sly sensibilities. Indeed, the constant lampooning of the pompous President definitely follows in the tradition of Chaplin’s Great Dictator and subsequent satires.

From "Moon Man."

Happily, he has not really gotten down to oppressive business yet. This is a bright, vibrant world, filled with flowers and vintage convertibles. In fact, the hand-drawn animation is like a breath of fresh air compared to the computer-generated-focus-grouped tent-poles released by the studios. It looks great and it perfectly suits the secondary theme of adults learning to see the world as kids again.

Frankly, the weakest link in Moon Man is the Moon Man. The innocent, Ziggy-looking fellow does not have much personality, but the world around him compensates for him. There are some clever bits involving the President and van der Dunkel and the soundtrack is inspired, including Louis Armstrong’s rendition of “Moon River.”

Moon Man has a healthy supply of idealism with the right subversive garnish. Schesch keeps the mood light and airy, even when the chips are down, maintaining a pleasant medium-up-tempo pace. Good fun recommended for eyes and ears of all ages, Moon Man is now available on VOD from Tribeca Films.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on July 22nd, 2013 at 11:30pm.

Christian Slater Maintains Protocol: LFM Reviews Stranded

By Joe Bendel. In space, no one can hear you getting chewed out. Frankly, this crew has it coming. You might think scientists would be careful about contagions, but evidently not. Perhaps the semi-competency of their military commander will keep some of them alive in Roger Christian’s Stranded, which opens this Friday in New York.

A small four-person moon-base is a terrible place to be surprised by a meteor shower. That much we can buy. Suffering damage to their power generators and life support systems, Col. Gerard Brauchman’s crew hastens to make repairs. While outside the station, Eva Cameron notices strange glowing spores covering the meteors, so naturally she carries one back inside, in gross violation of station protocol and basic common sense. While she and Dr. Lance Krause analyze it, one of the test tubes breaks in their centrifuge, so naturally she starts digging around in there with her finger. Before you know it, she is spectacularly pregnant with the alien demon spawn—and then just as suddenly she is not.

Cameron and Bruce Johns, the station engineer and resident drunk, know her alien offspring is out there, wreaking havoc. Yet Brauchman and Krause dismiss their warnings, assuming they are just suffering from CO² induced hallucinations. Indeed, Stranded repeatedly explains the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning with impressive thoroughness, so at least it fulfills its public service mandate. Despite all the flak Brauchman takes for sticking by the book, the film also suggests that breaking protocol is a really bad idea.

If Stranded sounds like an Alien wannabe, take into consideration the fact that Christian was nominated for an Academy Award for his art direction on Ridley Scott’s beloved sci-fi horror classic, so maybe he has the right to rip himself off. Christian had previously won an Oscar as an art director on Star Wars (before it was known as A New Hope). His short film The Dollar Bottom also won an Oscar and his previous fantasy short Black Angel screened before The Empire Strikes Back during its initial run in the UK and Australia. To temper your growing optimism, bear in mind Christian also directed the notorious Battlefield Earth.

That is some career, but with Stranded, he lights out into clear-cut b-movie territory. Christian makes a virtue of necessity, emphasizing the claustrophobia of his limited set and the mounting tension within his small ensemble. To an extent, the quartet’s constant bickering and back-biting gives the film a bit of character. Still, there is no getting around the conspicuous carelessness of their actions and the cardboard dimensions of their characterizations.

Frankly, Christian Slater is not bad as Col. Brauchman, largely avoiding his typical tics and shtick. Brendan Fehr comes across reasonably credibly as Dr. Krause. However, it is hard to believe a basket case like Michael Therriault’s Johns could ever pass muster for a mission like this. As Cameron, Amy Matysio is similarly stuck with a problematic character, solely distinguished by head-scratching acts of stupidity.

If Stranded were playing at an old school drive-in, it would be easy to recommend. On some level, dumb mayhem is always diverting, but Manhattan movie ticket prices demand considerably more than that. Those who might be interested solely because of Christian’s past work should note his long presumably lost Black Angel has been found and some sort of online distribution is expected in the near future. That is probably the film to wait for. Basically a time killer for woozy weekend viewing, Stranded opens this Friday (7/26) in New York at the AMC Empire and will also be available on iTunes.

LFM GRADE: C-

Posted on July 22nd, 2013 at 11:29pm.

Working Class Caper: LFM Reviews Wasteland

By Joe Bendel. These scruffy lads are nothing like Raffles the gentleman thief, but their intended target is a real knuckle-dragger. A recently released ex-con and his mates put a working class spin on the movie caper in Rowan Athale’s crackerjack Wasteland (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

Given that the film starts in media res with our protagonist in a police interrogation room, it would seem that the caper wasn’t very successful. However, there will be several twists to the tale the black-and-blue Harvey tells Detective Inspector West. Six weeks ago, he was released on parole. Framed on drug charges by Steve Roper, poor Harvey was a bone the local gang lord threw to the coppers to distract them from his own narcotics business. None too happy about it, Harvey plans to use information he overheard in prison to get some payback and seed money for a new life abroad.

Ostensibly, Roper has no connections to the neighborhood social club, making the basement office safe the ideal place to stash his illicit cash. Of course, Harvey cannot take it alone. He will recruit three friends: Dempsey the fast talker, Dodd the hard drinking goon, and Charlie the momma’s-boy welder. He makes a point of not involving his ex-girl friend Nicola, but he still rekindles their relationship in spite of his better judgment.

Although Timothy Spall only appears as DI West in the wrap-around narrative device, his rumpled gravitas lends the film instant credibility right from the start. In fact, Athale has assembled quite an accomplished cast of recognizable but not necessarily famous faces. Despite his unprepossessing screen presence, Luke Treadaway is suitably world weary as Harvey, whereas Iwan Rheon’s Dempsey is a slyly roguish standout (even if some of his dialogue is hard for American viewers to catch without subtitles). Again projecting a sense of banal menace, Kill List’s Neil Maskell makes another beefy but intense villain as Roper, looking quite at home in this gritty milieu.

As caper movies go, Wasteland is decidedly moody, but it is never slack. For a first time helmer, Athale ushers in each reversal and revelation with an assured touch. Frankly, it turns into an out-and-out crowd-pleaser, while staying true to its working class roots. Thoroughly satisfying, Wasteland is highly recommended for caper fans and viewers of Ken Loach’s more accessible films (like Angels’ Share). It opens this Friday (7/26) in New York at the Cinema Village.

LFM GRADE: A-

Posted on July 22nd, 2013 at 11:27pm.

LFM Reviews Keye Luke, More Than a Face in the Crowd @ The Asian American International Film Festival

By Joe Bendel. Joe Dante’s Gremlins has a strange significance at this year’s Asian American International Film Festival. Two docu-shorts profile actors who worked on the film. In a way, Keye Luke and Jane Chung represent opposite sides of the same coin. Both did their best to navigate the studio system at a time when Hollywood was not particularly hospitable to Asian American talent. While Chung worked steadily but anonymously in small roles, Luke became famous as Kato and Charlie Chan’s Number One Son. Timothy Tau allows Luke to speak for himself in his short docudrama, Keye Luke, which screens as part of the Into the Penumbra short film program at this year’s Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF).

Reflecting on his life, Luke addresses the audience in a manner akin to a stage play. As he reminisces, we see episodes of his life, starting with his early home life, progressing through the double-edged Charlie Chan films, his continuing sidekick-gigging as Kato to the Green Hornet, finally reaching his first starring role in the final Mr. Wong film. Mixing irony and realism, distinctly Anglo actors portray Warner Oland and Sidney Toler, the Swede and the Scot who portrayed Charlie Chan. However, Tau does not hate on the Honolulu detective, acknowledging the franchise represented an opportunity for Asian actors like Luke and his older brother Edwin, albeit a flawed one.

Essentially, Tau argues that Luke did what he could with what the system would give him, eventually becoming a widely respected and recognized character actor, whose credits include quality films like Woody Allen’s Alice. It is quite a reasonable, pragmatic perspective, under-pinning a film that revels in the goofy idiosyncrasies of 1940’s b-movies and serials (the Secret Agent X-9 scene is particularly inspired). Keye Luke also boasts a surprisingly big name cast by short film standards, including ER’s Archie Kao and Bang Bang’s Jessika Van, who all clearly enjoy the retro tribute to the late great Luke.

Fame always eluded filmmaker Sami Chan’s great aunt Jane Chung, but she still enjoyed the business according to those who speak fondly of her in More Than a Face in the Crowd, also screening as part of the Penumbra block. Chung had walk-on or small speaking parts on probably more films and television shows than Michael Caine, but finding her in the frame is usually a challenge. Supposedly, she had a shouting match with Ricky Ricardo, but her family can never find it during their I Love Lucy marathons.

Again, Chan describes how Chung made lemonade out of lemons, finding extra work much more entertaining and rewarding than the sort of part time jobs available to most homemakers in the 1960’s. With credits that include Chinatown, Funny Girl, Flower Drum Song, and When Harry Met Sally, she was a small part of many cinematic milestones.

Although still alive during the production of Crowd, the circumstances of old age prevented her from participating. It is too bad she could not enjoy a taste of wider recognition during her lifetime, but Chan’s short doc is a fitting tribute that also covers some under-examined cinema history with economy and authority. Clocking in just under half an hour, Crowd would be an appropriate programming choice for PBS sometime down the road. For now, it is quite a shrewd selection for AAIFF, especially considering the way it speaks in dialogue with Tau’s Keye Luke. Recommended for movie lovers, More Than a Face in the Crowd and Keye Luke screen this Thursday (7/25) at the Anthology Film Archives during the 2013 AAIFF.

LFM GRADES: B+, B+

Posted on July 22nd, 2013 at 11:26pm.