Month: September 2012

The King is Not Himself Today: LFM Reviews Masquerade

By Joe Bendel. It is like the Joseon-era equivalent of the eighteen minute gap in the Watergate tapes. Fifteen days of King Gwanghae’s official court history mysteriously disappeared. There was a fair bit of intrigue afoot during that period, but the king missed most of it. It is his double who briefly tends to matters of state in Choo Chang-min’s Masquerade, which opens today in select cities, including New York and Los Angeles.

When Gwanghae first assumed the throne, there was great hope for his reign. Unfortunately, he turned out to be a capricious ruler. Sound familiar? At least in early seventeenth century Korea, there were worse alternatives. Given the unsavory nature of his rivals in court, his loyal Chief Secretary Heo Gyun opts for full cover-up mode when the king is incapacitated by a life-threatening mickey. Already employing look-alike actor Ha-seon as the King’s double on a limited basis, Heo Gyun installs him on the throne full time until the royal doctor nurses the king back to health.

Han Hyo-joo as the Queen Consort.

Ha-seon knows little about the issues of the day, but his fundamental decency leads him to make better decisions than had been coming from Gwanghae of late. Trying to make nice with the beautiful Queen Consort, he starts doing those little things, like ending her brother’s torturous inquisition. Of course, these edicts only further antagonize the conspirators who brought about Ha-seon’s impersonation in the first place.

Essentially, Masquerade is the Korean costume drama version of Dave, but the stakes are higher for everyone involved. Obviously, not everybody will make it through the picture alive. The only questions are how high will the body count be and will it include the secret social climber Ha-seon?

In his first true period piece, action star Lee Byung-hun (internationally recognizable for G.I. Joe and I Saw the Devil) handles the dual role of king and clown rather well. He is convincingly imperious as Gwanghae and not terribly shticky as the in-over-his-head Ha-seon. However, it is the supporting cast that really shines, particularly Ryoo Seung-ryong (scary good in War of the Arrows), whose hardnosed Heo Gyun personifies steely gravitas. Likewise, Jang Gwang’s understated turn as Chief Eunuch Jo really sneaks up on viewers. Han Hyo-joo makes the most of the underwritten Queen Consort role, but Shim Eun-kyung really lowers the dramatic boom as Sawol, the young taster who awakens the conscience of the pretend king.

Costume designer Kwon Yoo-jin’s colorful threads look appropriately rich and finely wrought – but Choo is not overawed by the trappings of royalty, largely narrowing his focus to the micro human tribulations rather than the macro geo-politics. While there is more backstabbing than swordplay in Masquerade, it should still satisfy the entire spectrum of period action and romance audiences. Recommended for fans of Korean epic historicals, Masquerade opens today (9/21) in New York at the AMC Empire and in L.A. at the CGV Cinemas, courtesy of CJ Entertainment.

LFM GRADE: B+

Posted on September 21st, 2012 at 12:59pm.

Energy for the Future: LFM Reviews Switch

From "Switch."

By Joe Bendel. Geologist Dr. Scott Tinker is serious about charting a rational energy policy for the future. You can tell this because he can envision a positive role for both nuclear power and hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. fracking). Visiting diverse energy-producing sites around the globe, Dr. Tinker looks for a balanced menu of options to replace so-called “legacy” fuels in Harry Lynch’s documentary Switch (trailer here) , which opens in New York today.

It seems Dr. Tinker largely accepts the current terms of the global warming debate, but he never really belabors it in Switch. He just starts from the premise sending a lot of emissions into the atmosphere is generally a bad idea. Fair enough. However, he is level headed enough not to endorse anything along the lines of the Kyoto Protocols. According to Dr. Tinker, the West really is not going to be the problem in the future. At current rates, China and India will be releasing far more emissions than America and Europe combined—and they are not going to stop unless they determine it is in their economic interests.

He is also honest enough to admit the advantages of petroleum. This is not something the evil oil industry forced onto reluctant consumers – you can fill up your tank and drive for miles, yet it never leaves behind any soot or residue. That is why replacing it is quite the trick.

Lynch follows Tinker as he visits some remarkably photogenic power plants, but he never really finds any one panacea. Ocean and geothermal power are great if you happen to be in the perfect location, like Norway or Iceland, but not practical for a country the size of America, let alone China. Solar and wind can be nice supplements, but they are intermittent. Electric cars are cool, but they are still electric, which largely means more demand for coal.

From "Switch."

Some unexpected dark horses emerge from the pack, like natural gas. Yes, it is a fossil fuel – but a remarkably clean burning one. Addressing the media scare campaign around hydraulic fracturing, Tinker’s experts flatly state there have never been documented cases of ground water contamination, arguing the greatest potential hazard would be spills at surface level. Of course, this is not risk-specific to fracturing, but applicable to just about every commercial endeavor.

Post-Fukushima nuclear power also factors into the mix. While the media focuses on Fukushima and Chernobyl, it has ignored France – where eighty percent of electricity is nuclear generated, without incident. As Tinker and his colleague crunch the numbers, it is hard to see how the world would wean itself from fossil fuels if nuclear is not part of the calculus.

Dr. Tinker is a smart and engaging presenter, who is undeniably far more knowledgeable about energy than the ideologues typically populating documentaries. Nonetheless, Switch gets a bit repetitive, showing scene after scene of Tinker touring big shiny installations, asking just what exactly does that valve-thingy do?

Be that as it may, Switch will definitely sharpen your thinking on energy. It offers a pretty comprehensive Cliff Notes for all forms of energy generation, scrupulously free of bias. While obviously part of a larger media campaign (just like Lee Hirsch’s Bully, a.k.a. The Bully Project, and a host of other theatrical docs), Switch will still reward open-minded viewers. Recommended for slightly wonky types, it opens today (9/21) in New York at the Landmark Sunshine.

LFM GRADE: B

September 21st, 2012 at 12:59pm.

LFM Reviews Romancing in Thin Air @ The San Francisco Film Society’s Hong Kong Cinema Festival

From "Romancing in Thin Air."

By Joe Bendel. Is it the altitude sickness making Michael Lau nauseous or is it love? Whichever, the binge drinking is not helping much. Nevertheless, the heartbroken superstar might pull himself together and find real love with the help of a former fan. Action auteur Johnnie To takes another Mainland-pleasing foray into relationship drama territory with Romancing in Thin Air (trailer here), which screens this weekend as part of the San Francisco Film Society’s crowd-pleasing second annual Hong Kong Cinema Festival.

Michael Lau is coincidentally a lot like Louis Koo, the actor who plays him. Both are popular HK romantic leads with a background in music. Lau is going through a rough patch, though. He was to marry his co-star in an ultra-glitzy ceremony, only to be very publicly dumped at the altar. Lau takes refuge in the bottle—hard. Stowing away in Sue’s vintage army truck, Lau finds himself at her rustic mountain lodge, way above sea level and sick as a dog.

Sue is a widow who will not allow herself to mourn. One night her sensitive mountain man husband went out into the forest in search of a lost child, but never returned. Yet, Sue keeps the lodge exactly as he left it in the unrealistic hope will eventually walk through the front door. Of course, these two broken hearts are perfect for each other, but they will have to learn that the hard way.

Johhnie To can kick it in any genre, but his previous rom-com (heavier on the rom), Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (which screened at the SFFS’s HK fest last year), travels better. Frankly, it is hard to believe that some of the things Lau does to win over/back Sue do not have the opposite effect. However, the first two acts put a nice twist on the Notting Hill concept, establishing Sue as former Michael Lau fan club member and revealing the role the idol’s career played in her courtship with the missing Tian.

From "Romancing in Thin Air."

Having already proved to be a successful box-office pairing, Koo and Sammi Cheng indeed have some nice chemistry together. Conversely, the supporting characters do not have a lot of meat to them, seemingly existing just to bring the two together. That includes Li Guangjie’s impossibly taciturn Tian.

Clearly, both To and cinematographer Cheng Siu-keung love the mountain backdrop, luxuriating in its harsh snowcapped beauty. Guy Zerafa’s lyrical piano score was probably supposed to be syrupier, but is actually quite elegant and evocative. Despite some over-the-top elements here or there, Thin takes its central relationship seriously, which is endearing. It is also an example of a genuine leading man turn from Koo, yet he is also obviously and deliberately having some fun with his own image. Recommended for sentimental romantics, Romancing in This Air screens this Sunday (9/23) as the SFFS’s Hong Kong Cinema Festival continues at the New People Cinema.

Ann Hui’s understated but emotionally powerful A Simple Life also screens earlier that same day (9/23). Based on a true story, it follows a decent but hardly heroic movie producer as he tries his best to look after his family’s elderly servant after she suffers a stroke. An actors’ showcase for Andy Lau and Deanie Ip, it is a tearjerker with too much self-respect to jerk tears. Highly recommended, a full review can be found here.

LFM GRADE: B-

Posted September 21st, 2012 at 12:58pm.

The Few, the Proud, The Knuckleballers: LFM Reviews Knuckleball!

By Joe Bendel. The last two years have been tough for Mets fans, but there have been a few bright spots. They have had the pleasure of watching Bobby Valentine “manage” another team and R. A. Dickey has posted All-Star worthy seasons on the mound. When he signed with the Mets, he was one of two knuckleball pitchers in Major League Baseball. And then there was one. Ricki Stern & Annie Sundberg follow Dickey as he works to make a name for himself, while his knuckleball-throwing colleague Tim Wakefield chases a series of career milestones in the thoroughly entertaining documentary, Knuckleball!, which opens this Thursday at the IFC Center.

Tim Wakefield did just about everything you can do as a member of the Boston Red Sox, an often overlooked Northeastern team best known for trading away Babe Ruth, including giving up the eleventh inning walk-off home run in game seven of the 2003 ALCS. Honestly, that was something of a fluke. Wakefield always had success against the Yankees, which made the Red Sox’s decision to banish him to the bullpen rather baffling. In a year when the Sox were largely out of contention, beating the Yanks whenever possible would have been a logical fallback goal. Nonetheless, Wakefield saw little meaningful time on the mound at the start of the 2011 season, despite the tantalizing closeness of his 200th win.

A journeyman pitcher who stunned the baseball world – particularly including the Amazin’s, by winning a spot on the rotation – R.A. Dickey finally signed a guaranteed contract. However, a nagging injury threatens to put a damper on the party. Fortunately, Dickey can call on the knuckleball support network – especially his mentor, veteran knuckleballer Charlie Hough, for advice.

Some of Knuckleball!’s best scenes capture the get-togethers of this knuckleball fraternity, including Hough, both active proponents, and Wakefield’s early guru, Phil Niekro. As one might expect, they have some funny stories to tell. Wakefield and Dickey do a fine job explaining what the knuckleball pitch does and does not do. However, all knuckleballers are at a bit of a loss to explain the deep-seated disdain for their bread-and-butter pitch. Considering how radically different it looks to batters, one would think every club would want one knuckleballer on staff – but no, not by a long shot.

Stern and Sundberg do something rather remarkable in Knuckleball! by building to a big, satisfying emotional crescendo, even though they are following two pitchers whose respective teams were a country mile away from the pennant chase. It comes through loud and clear that Wakefield and Dickey are not just concerned with their individual stats. They are representing their pitch, like faithful practitioners of an esoteric martial art. Yet, this is exactly what baseball is all about: tradition.

Dickey and Wakefield are consistently likable subjects – and the old school knuckleballers, including Hough, Niekro, and Jim Bouton, are even more so. Prolific documenterians, Stern & Sundberg’s best known work is probably Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work and their most important project is easily Burma Soldier, but Knuckleball! is by far their most enjoyable. Non-sports viewers will still find it completely engaging, but for baseball fans, it is like a bag of salted peanuts at an office getaway game (that’s a good thing). Enthusiastically recommended to general audiences, Knuckleball! (with exclamation point) opens this Thursday (9/21) in New York at the IFC Center.

LFM GRADE: A-

Posted on September 18th, 2012 at 2:24pm.

New Trailer, Poster for Special Forces; Film Opens Oct. 12th

Apple is exclusively hosting the new trailer for Special Forces, starring Djimon Hounsou and Diane Kruger, and you can also find the film’s new U.S. poster over at the Apple site, as well. Special Forces dramatizes the story of a French special forces team (led by Hounsou) sent to Afghanistan on a rescue mission to save a kidnapped news reporter (Kruger).

Special Forces opens in theaters on Oct. 12th, and will also be available through iTunes. One hopes there won’t be any rioting.

Posted on September 18th, 2012 at 2:23pm.

An Animator’s Holocaust Survival Story: LFM Reviews Blinky & Me

By Joe Bendel. Children of the 1980’s might recognize Dot and the Bunny from its cable broadcasts. That was the work of Polish-born animated filmmaker Yoram Gross, who is best known in his adopted Australian homeland (by way of Israel), for his Blinky Bill series. The story of the beloved children’s book character has deep personal resonance for the animator that he explains to his family and to viewers in Tomasz Magierski’s documentary-profile Blinky & Me (trailer here), which opens this Friday in New York.

Gross was born to a well-respected Jewish merchant family in 1926. Blinky Bill is a koala bear. However, both lost their fathers at a young age and would spend years separated from their mothers. Gross and his mother would survive the war thanks to fellow Poles who sheltered them, but the years apart were difficult. Immigrating to Israel soon after liberation, the Gross family was essentially spared the repression of the Communist era, but they were not immune from personal tragedy.

Though a difficult period, Gross’s international reputation blossomed during his Israeli years. Having seen enough of war, Gross immigrated once again to Australia, where he would create his best known work, featuring the likes of Dot and Blinky Bill, drawn from the country’s favorite children’s literature. For those unfamiliar with Blinky Bill, the clips Magierski shows look like a budget version of Don Bluth’s Secret of NIMH, but they are clearly quite heartfelt. Presumably Gross engendered the sort of trust with Australian parents their American counterparts once invested in the Disney name.

From "Blinky and Me."

In established documentary tradition, Gross revisits Poland for the first time since the war with his large brood of children and grandchildren. Although these scenes are undeniably well intentioned, they do not break any new ground, at least for those who have seen more than one Holocaust related documentary over the last two or three years. However, Gross’s animation could serve as the thin edged of the wedge, introducing some legitimate oral history of the National Socialist occupation to younger or otherwise resistant viewers. (Sadly, it is still hard to envision Ahmadinejad watching B&M, even if he knew there were animated koalas in it.)

B&M will surely spur interest in Gross’s films, particularly his breakout Joseph the Dreamer, the first animated feature produced in Israel. While unflaggingly respectful, Magierski’s straight-forward approach looks a bit workaday. Nonetheless it is accessible as a survivor’s testimony and a profile of a prolific filmmaker. Recommended for animation fans and as a teaching tool for parents ready to start explaining the horrors of WWII to their children, Blinky & Me opens this Friday (9/21) in New York at the Quad Cinema.

LFM GRADE: B-

Posted on September 18th, 2012 at 2:22pm.