Author Topic: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts  (Read 561825 times)

Teproc

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2470 on: December 17, 2017, 05:43:17 PM »
Really ? I guess I must have undersold how great the great parts of (spoilering for pix) Vive l'Amour are. It was a harder watch, but not a particularly close decision.
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Jared

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2471 on: December 18, 2017, 01:11:20 PM »
Probably the right choice in my opinion but I will be sorry to see either of these go. Both are probably in my top 10 of those remaining. Great reviews Teproc!

I need to get back on my matchup. I've been finishing up the TSPDT1000 (1 left!) and actually getting to the movie theaters regularly for the first time since the kids were born, but Brackets should always be movie watching priority number 1. At least until I've seen all the remaining films.


oldkid

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2472 on: January 20, 2018, 12:32:48 AM »
Whisper of the Heart (Yoshifumi Kondo, 1995) v. Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-Wai, 1990)

a. Whisper of the Heart
My initial observance of this pair of films is a result of failed expectations

It has been maybe six years since I first saw Whisper of the Heart, when I thought it was a Miyazaki film.  Well, I wasn't completely wrong.  He wrote the script, based on a manga.  But rather than a fantasy-laden speculative fiction, I received a light high school age romantic comedy with a touch of fantasy elements.  It was not the Miyazaki I was expecting, and I was gravely disappointed.

On top of this, the dubs on this film were awful.  They didn't match the tone of this more realistic comedy, imposing a rather cartoonish overlay on the frothy, realistic humor.

But I know that some on this forum love this film, so I really wanted to give it another chance, especially after watching and enjoying many other lighter Studio Ghibili fare.

In my reconsideration of this film, my first consideration is: Is it a romance or a coming of age film?   It has the semblance of a romantic comedy, but the exciting, climatic part is not the end where the two protagonists agree to marry someday, but when Shizuku works to finish the first draft of her novella, it is read and she is a writer.  It is about her growing as a person, which she establishes as a requirement before she gets into a romance.

This movie displays the wisdom of the young, which is wise, but strictly self-disciplined. Perhaps too strict in some ways.  Both of our protagonists have hard requirements for their lives, while the ideal parental figures recognize that they must be given room to grow and stand out of their way.  The sister wants to control, demand the proper path, but she is shown to have no wisdom.

As in all Miyazaki films, hard work is necessary to live a moral life.  But this work doesn’t have to follow a set path, nor obey all the societal requirements.  Miyazaki seems to always promote a quiet rebellion against the status quo, whether Ashitaka mediating in order to avoid war, Haku sneaking around the bathhouse helping Sen, or Howl's anti-war actions.  In this case, it is writing a novel instead of preparing for high school.   And if she doesn’t make it into high school?  That is the cost she willing to pay if it means that she becomes a more accomplished, unique, fulfilled person.

I love that Miyazaki focuses on and promotes the fulfillment of female protagonists.  It is more than worthy to set aside societal expectations to focus on their personal vision, that which they are called by their deepest soul to accomplish.  Sure, many men have this ambition, but it is rare for a child’s movie… a movie aimed at girls… any kind of movie.. to tackle this theme head on and to target girls.  Miyazaki is constantly telling girls, “You are important.  Not just what you can do for others.  Not just who you are to your family.  Not just who you are for your man.  You are important by yourself.  You are the one.  Your relationships are important, but first be you and find out who you are.  Do the hard work of accomplishing yourself before you do all the rest of your life.”  This is the theme of Whisper of the Heart.  And that is what makes it a glorious achievement, on top of the humor, the touches of fantasy, and the perpetual joy. 

For all that, I think that Whisper as a Miyazaki film is weaker Ghibli accomplishment.  Not because it isn’t a fantasy, but because the animation isn’t as sharp, the visuals aren’t as stunning.  It’s a good animated film, but with Ghibli I expect mastery and we don’t get that here.  That isn’t fair, but it is what I want.  This doesn’t mean that Whisper isn’t a wonderful entertainment that I would recommend to everyone.  But it won’t make the top of my Ghibli list, which contains some of the greatest films ever made.  Whisper is not one of the greatest films ever made.  It is simply great.

b. Days of Being Wild
I also stumbled a little due to my expectations coming to this Wong Kar Wai film.  WKW is a director of focus, of intense mood and tone, sometimes to an extreme degree.  This film seems perpetually distracted, as it has so many stories, so many tones it wants to explore that it can’t quite decide.  Is it a boy’s film, a relationship film, an action film, a drama?  It can’t even seem to settle on who the protagonist is, so we have two or three characters we root for.  And the end doesn’t seem to settle anything.  It is just there.

We have York, a man about town, who seduces another of our protagonists, Li-zhen.  But that relationship quickly dissolves, and we see clearly that they aren’t good for each other.  Frankly, York isn’t good for anyone.  He is too flighty, too self-centered.  Then we have a policeman who is the right man for someone, but we aren’t sure who.  It is as if the movie toys with our desires to see one or another pair of characters commit to each other.  Then the two male protagonists spend quite a bit of time together and intense situations occur, but that also seems to accomplish nothing. 

This is a film which is almost a masterpiece.  It is an uncut gem in which the greatness that is WKW can be seen, but only roughly.  We see all the pieces there, just undeveloped.  The cinematography is brilliant, but rough.  The characters are well drawn, but we don’t see enough of them.  The style and fashion sense is sharp.  The story is interesting, but unfocused.  This is all that WKW will be, in future films, but just isn’t, yet.

I love to think of this film as the first in a trilogy in which we see a director move from one stage to another.  If I had seen this one first, I don’t know that I would have moved to the others.  I will say that this film makes me want to see the other two again to see WKW’s world expand and his talent turn into a powerful, unforgettable beam.

c. Verdict
Whisper of the Heart clearly moves ahead, because while both films are brilliant diamonds-in-the-rough, Whisper shines so much more brightly.

"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Beavermoose

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2473 on: February 15, 2018, 09:25:20 PM »


The Road Home Zhang Yimou

A traditional story. A man returns to his hometown after his father's death and is told the story about how his parents meet. His father was a big city teacher who had been assigned to teach in this small village. The men must build the school and the women make the food, each of them hoping to get the teacher's attention with their meals. The main character's mother is played by a very young Zhang Ziyi.
It's a very pleasant movie set in a time where love was very simple. The rural mountain setting is shot beautifully during all seasons. The strength of the movie is Zhang Ziyi who is so emotive and such a pleasure to watch whenever she is on screen. You can't help but smile.



The Hole Tsai Ming-liang
Produced at the advent of the new millennium. The Hole commences as a bleak look at Taiwanese society. Set in a world where everyday is a dark rainy day and a strange disease seems to be affecting a large amount of the population causing them to start exhibiting pest like behavior, the movie follows two neighbors in an apartment complex the man upstairs and the woman downstairs. They both go along living their lonely daily lives until a plumber accidentally leaves a hole in their floor/ceiling.
I'd seen a more recent Tsai film and was not really that excited to watch 20 minute long still shots featuring alienated characters staring off into the distance however The Hole is quite a light-hearted movie and has one thing that makes it so much more enjoyable. At various points in the movie we are treated to these incredible musical fantasy sequences, the characters now dressed in 1940s costumes singing and dancing the classics of Grace Chang. They are disconnected from the rest of the movie yet still set in the same decrepit apartment complex. Perhaps there is hope for joy, in song and dance.

I think it really comes down to whether I'd rather watch Zhang Ziyi running through beautiful fields or Kuei-Mei Yang, dressed up and singing the wonderful songs of Grace Chang.
Both are good movies but The Hole moves on.

MartinTeller

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2474 on: February 15, 2018, 10:40:03 PM »
Woohoo!

Teproc

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2475 on: February 16, 2018, 04:19:44 AM »
The winner does sound more interesting.

This all reminds me I gotta get to my own matchup. Soon...ish.
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PeacefulAnarchy

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2476 on: March 09, 2018, 11:39:33 PM »
I apologize in advance for the reviews being a bit short
Comrades: Almost a Love Story
I watched this one first because it was the one I was most interested, in part because of some pretty screenshots. And it mostly lived up to my expectations. Lai, the leading man, is a bit plain with a puppy dog sensibility but it fits the character really well, but it's Cheung, as his co-lead, who really takes full advantage of the opportunity for a complex and sympathetic performance. It is, as the title suggest "almost" a love story, with the two leads coming together at various moments that are not quite right, giving us the trappings of a romance story but without really giving us the payoff. It works exceedingly well at the start, but as it cycles through its beats it does so to diminishing returns. The peripheral commentary on China/Hong Kong inner and outer perceptions is still interesting, but the human side of the equation feels increasingly forced and while the film never gets stagnant or boring it does lose some of the pop and wonder of the beginning. The penultimate scene is expected, though decently handled, but the final scene really hammers home the film's insistence on controlling its characters rather than letting the flow feel natural. I wouldn't say it ruins the film, but it does highlight the reasons why the film doesn't manage to achieve the greatness that felt possible at the start.

Like Grains of Sand
I picked this because I hadn't seen it and it fit the matchup, I knew nothing about it and went in with no expectations. The opening dumps you right into the high school setting and the characterization is what I'd call fake subtle, the film goes out of its way to avoid being explicit but at the same time is very obvious in making implications about who the characters are and who they like and what their main motivation is going to be throughout the movie. It feels a bit silly and coy, but it does set up the setting and characters, and past that the film is full to the brim with humanity and eschews melodrama very well even as it very much makes you feel the emotional turmoil of teenagers, something that is inherently melodramatic. Perhaps it's the sheen of having just watched it, but this feels like one of the most effective depictions of high school I've ever seen. Even if almost none of the things in the film are ones I experienced it has that atmosphere of teenage angst that is palpable throughout and feels very genuine, the awkward looks, the teasing, the inane conversations, the cliquishness, they're all here but in subdued natural forms rather than the usual exaggerated forms that are most familiar in movies and TV. The performances don't feel great, but they sure are effective and when the characters did dumb teenage things I was mentally scolding the characters not the writing, so something must have been working.

Verdict: Much to my own surprise I'm choosing the underdog, Like Grains of Sand. I enjoyed both films a lot and wouldn't be disappointed if it ends up going the other way, but while Like Grains of Sand lacks some the ephemeral quality of Comrades it works a bit better as a complete film

Teproc

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2477 on: March 10, 2018, 05:59:36 PM »
Yay, the bracket is not dead ! Also, I largely agree with what you had to say re: Like Grains of Sand, though you might be the first person in the bracket not to mention the film's best scene in your review.

WIll get to my matchup sometime this week.
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PeacefulAnarchy

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2478 on: March 10, 2018, 06:20:38 PM »
Which is the best scene? I read the other reviews after posting mine and I couldn't figure out which scene it was.

Teproc

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Re: 1990s Far East Bracket: Verdicts
« Reply #2479 on: March 11, 2018, 04:42:08 AM »
Which is the best scene? I read the other reviews after posting mine and I couldn't figure out which scene it was.

I was thinking of the scene around the middle of the film where the main character tries to kiss the boy he's attracted to, in the classroom.

worm@work elaborates on it quite a bit (with screenshots), pixote mentions it (well, I assume it's that scene) as "what may well prove to be the most touching scene of any film in this bracket, one which persists in my memory with near perfect clarity despite my being four years removed from seeing the movie". Jared doesn't mention it, and neither does BlueVoid but he does include a screenshot of it. WHatever the case may be, I find it interesting that it didn't seem to particularly stand out to you since it's one of two scenes I remember vividly from that film, a little over a year afterwards (the other one being the beach scene at the end).
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