Review: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring is definitely one of the most stunning films that I have ever seen. It grabs your heart right from the beginning and refuses to let go. The star of the film is of course the beautiful Mt. Juwangsan National Park where it was filmed. The film is set on a tiny monastery which floats in the Jusanji reservoir. An elderly monk with seemingly mystic powers (they are subtle so watch closely) raises a young boy as his apprentice. In the opening scenes we are introduced to the jaw droppingly beatiful monastery and its natural surroundings. They live a simple life together according to the seasons and the Master does his best to teach his young apprentice well. Despite this however, the apprentice even as a young child seems to be predisposed to violent outbursts. Eventually a beautiful young woman comes to the monastery to convalesce and she and the apprentice fall in love. The apprentice can't live without her and follows her to 'the world of men' where he disobeys the most basic teachings of his wise and patient master. This is a sad film but it is also brimming with hope and this is expressed by the season of Spring. The themes of love, lust, murder, death, rebirth and redemption are strong throughout the film and these are in turn reflected in the changing seasons.

Starring, O yeong-su, Kim Ki-duk, Kim Young-min and Seo Jae-Kyeong. Directed by Kim Ki-duk.

Please visit the Toronto Korean Film Festival website for info on upcoming screenings.

Korean Indie Shorts at the Toronto Korean Film Festival

The Toronto Korean Film Festival and Reel Asian International Film Festival co-presented Korean indie shorts on Wednesday. The shorts are eligible for a prize and the awards ceremony will take place on the final day of the festival July 1st.

As with the first evening of shorts on Tuesday (Korean-Canadian shorts) I was surprised by how much I enjoyed these films considering that I usually stick to feature length films. It made me consider that in a lot of ways making a short film is more difficult than making a feature film. A story that might be told in 90 mins has to be condensed into just 10 or 30 mins and yet still convey the same emotional impact.

Nan Jian Wan Zi
Bom spends the morning of her birthday meticulously making a special Chinese dish (Nan Jian Wan Zi) for her crush but at the last minute he phones her to say that his band practice is more important and he won't be coming for the meal. Seconds later someone is pounding on her door and it is one of her crush's bandmates (Bom's least favourite). He has come by to use her bathroom and upon seeing the delicious food that she has prepared decided to stay and eat it. Things continue to go wrong for Bom but she ultimately discovers that love can come from the most unexpected places. Directed by Moon Choi who also stars as Bom.


Ari 
A slow dance on the beach, time seems to stop as she performs. Each movement an expression of the inner peace and feeling of freedom felt by the dancer as she does what she loves to do. The film begins indoors and moves to a remote beach the sand of which comes right up to her doorstep. Directed by Baek Ki-hwan.


Etude Solo 

A man is sent to a school to tune a piano in preparation for an outdoor concert being given by the students. there he unexpectedly finds his first love is a teacher. He flashes back to their piano lessons together and of their separtion when she leaves to study abroad. In lieu of payment from the school he asks to be allowed to play piano at the children's concert. His performance expresses all of the bitter-sweet memories of his first love and the pain of those years lost between them. Directed by Yoo Dae-eol.

The Ordinary People

A disgruntled office worker is plagued by nightmares in which he is chased and beaten in the subway station. During the day he experiences strong feelings of Déjà vu and his perception of reality bleeds into memories of his recurring nightmare. Is he having a nervous breakdown or are the pharmaceuticals he takes each morning to blame? Either way you will never look at penguins in quite the same way again. Directed by Go tae-min.

Mark’s Festival 

An Englishman named Mark visit's his Girlfriend Jenny's hometown in rural Korea. I would say that he suffers from culture shock but in reality the character is just suffering from being a chronic asshole. Yes Jenny's hometown is remote and the food and culture might be strange and new to him but he is unnecessarily rude and even racist towards not only Jenny but to her hospitable parents and her childhood friends. You find out as the film progresses that they have been dating for 3 years and yet Mark knows next to nothing about Korean culture and when asked if he will marry Jenny always replies with, 'We're still getting to know each other'. Most upsetting for me was a scene where Mark is  on a bus and reminiscing about his relationship with Jenny. What should be something heartfelt is actually him admitting that he only started dating her because he has a fetish for Asian women and if this wasn't bad enough he goes on to elaborate saying that he likes that they are supposed to be submissive. I could hardly believe what I was hearing. This was made all the more upsetting for me by the fact that Jenny is not only beautiful but also very intelligent and naturally kind and anything but submissive. You can't help but wonder why the hell she is with Mark. In the end -SPOILER ALERT- they get back together and have a traditional Korean wedding in Jenny's hometown. I was disappointed that she got back together with this man who so clearly did not deserver her or her wonderful family. 

Just to end on a more positive note, I loved the depictions of Jenny's hometown and the wedding scene with the beautiful traditional bride and groom's outfits and decorations. Directed by Jang Yujin.

Sera

In this dark comedy by Lim Woo-seong, a woman and her lover have come to a slump in their relationship. they sit in a bar drinking and the woman recalls how things were different at the start of their relationship. The man asks her if she wants to 'start over' and moments later he receives a mysterious text message that reveals something very unexpected about the woman. 

Metamorphoses

A hilarious and  unconventional vampire story. just for the record Garlic has no effect on Korean vampires and neither do crucifixes (provided that they are Buddhist). A comic book artist goes to the park to get inspiration for his work and also to try to talk to a jogger that he has a crush on. He eventually gets the inspiration that he was looking for but there is an unexpected cost. Directed by Oh In-Chun.

Review: Korean-Canadian Shorts at TKFF

Numbers by Robert Hloz on Vimeo.

The Toronto Korean Film Festival and Reel Asian International Film Festival co-presented shorts made by Korean-Canadians. The shorts are eligible for a prize and the awards ceremony will take place on the final day of the festival July 1st. As a voter it was really tough to make a decision since I really enjoyed all of the shorts that were screened. I also enjoyed having the directors in attendance and found the post-screening Q&A to be fascinating since I know very little about the logistics of filmmaking.

Like many people I'm not as receptive to shorts as I am to feature films, however, I would like to say that these wonderful films changed my mind!

D.C. al Fine
Lee Bansuk directed and starred in this short as well as acting in the TKFF promotional video and in Open Invitation (also part of this competition).
The film is about Mr.Ji who at first seems like a typical thug. He works as a loan shark for a local Korean gang and has no qualms about removing the fingers of those who fail to payback their loans on time. However, we soon discover an entirely different side to Mr. Ji, a passionate musician who misses his girlfriend still in Korea. His dream is to bring her to Canada so that they can open a music shop together. Unfortunately these two separate lives are bound to collide and when they do the results are inevitably tragic.
 During the Q&A director Lee Bansuk explained that he made the severed fingers featured in the film (they were very convincing). He also works at the festival and the other night was even doing traditional Korean calligraphy. Guests had their names written on beautiful rice paper for free. It was a nice souvenir of TKFF. He has also done a great interview with Planet of Snail director Yi Seung Jun. You can watch the interview here.


A Drummer's Passion
Kwon Soon Keun leads a low profile life in Toronto but 50 years ago he was the drummer of ADD-4 a rock band often referred to as the 'Korean Beatles'. When a YouTube video of one of his recent performance goes viral it attracts millions of viewers including director Kim Mingu who tracked him down to make this documentary short. Even if you have never heard of ADD-4 or have no interest in retro Korean rock music you will still be carried away by the passion and infectious energy of Kwon Soon Keun. It is hard to believe that he is 71, his love for the drums obviously keeps him young. This film shows that no matter where you are or whether or not you even have an audience, doing what you love to do is important. Kwon Soon Keun may not have the glamorous life he once had as part of  ADD-4 but he has his drum kit and that's all that really matters.


In Retrospect
Directed by Chris K.Kim, this is a beautifully animated short using the rotoscoping aimation technique. This film is only 3 mins long but captures perfectly the degeneration of a romantic relationship including the radically different perspective of events leading to the break-up. The man sees the relationship with rose coloured glasses whereas the woman remembers the exact same events but without the man's insensitive behaviour omitted. They meet by chance in the street which triggers this series of flashbacks.


Numbers (video above)
This short directed by Robert Hloz, manages to capture such a huge story in just 10 minutes. This could easily be expanded into a feature film but is perhaps just as well perfect in it's conciseness. A man and woman meet in Hyang Univeristy (presumably Seoul campus). The man can see random numbers above peoples heads but has no idea what they mean. Suddenly he is drawn to a mysterious woman who seems to see these same numbers. What can she tell him about this bizarre ability and does he really want to know? I loved the concept for this film and the beautiful saturated greys and blues of the crowded streets where this is set. Simple things in the film like steam rising from a bowl of hot ramen were very beautifully shot. Also the world-weariness of the woman is captured perfectly without being melodramatic. The way she knocks back soju seems to say everything about her sadness and the mysterious numbers.


My Granpa
Director Zong eui-yong's moving tribute to his late grandfather. In just 11 mins the life of a man, the impact he has had on different family members and the bond between grandfather and grandson is captured perfectly. There were elements of this film that reminded me of my own family. I was especially moved by Zong eui-yong description of being bullied as a child and taking comfort in the VHS tapes his grandfather would mail to him from Korea. He says in the film that while he was indoors as a result of this bullying these Korean dramas and films sent by his grandfather were his only connection with the outside world.


Open Invitation
Loosely based on the experiences of director Park Jaewoo, Open Invitation is about a Korean international student (Doo-young) in Toronto who is called for his mandatory 2 year military service and will do absolutely anything to avoid it. Compounding all of this is the fact that his room mate is from a well-off family and has permanent residency thus avoiding the military service. There is one scene where Doo-young watches his room mate stay up all night playing video games and he wonders to himself, did he really come all the way to Canada just to do this? 
Doo-young tries a variety of things to avoid the military service including trying to pull out his teeth, trying to injure his shoulders and knees doing Judo, trying to find a Korean girl with permanent residency to marry him and even impersonating his room mate (the results of which are hilarious).


This previously screened as part of the TIFF Student Showcase.


Death Buy Lemonade (video below)
A hilarious and cute dark comedy about lemonade and death. Death encounters a stubborn little-girl at her lemonade stand and the results are unexpected and comic genius. The animation style of this is beautiful and reminded me of sketches done in coloured chalk or conte. Director Lee Kyubum also did the Taste Kimchi Cinema promotional video for TKFF (the one that plays prior to every screening and is brilliant!) and is currently working on the show Sidekick for YTV.

Death Buy Lemonade from Cartoon Brew on Vimeo.

Review: Epitaph

Screening as part  of the Toronto Korean Film Festival, Epitah (Directors Jeong Beom-sik, Jeong Beom-sik) takes place in a Korean hospital during the 1940s. Dr. Jung-nam finds an old photo album from his days as a medical intern and the film flashes from 1979 to 1942. Jung Nam the adopted son of  the hospital director and at the beginning of the film is arranged to marry her daughter whom he vaguely remembers from childhood. He is a gentle soul and would much rather be indulging in his passion for drawing than doing morgue duty. Even his decision to become a doctor was more an obligation to his adopted mother, the hospital director. Once in the morgue he is physically ill at the site of mutilated corpses being brought in due to an apparent serial killer on the loose. Then suddenly the body of a beautiful young girl is brought in, having been perfectly preserved by the frozen river that she was found in. Jung-nam is drawn to her for some reason and spends most of his morgue duty talking to her or sketching her face. Elsewhere in the hospital a young girl named Asako is brought in, the soul survivor of a car accident that has killed her mother and stepfather. She is plagued by vivid nightmares and it soon becomes obvious that this is due to her guilt which is not just mere survivors guilt. 

The plot is at times difficult to follow but viewers will be rewarded by stunning cinematography and stand out performances from actors Jin-goo (Dr.Jung Nam) and Ju Yeon-koo (Asako).

An unexpectedly beautiful and poetic horror film proving that this genre can and should be pushed to it's limits. It masterfully balances moments of gore with moments of sublime beauty.

Review: Secret Sunshine

The opening film for the Toronto Korean Film Festival 2012, Secret Sunshine (Director Lee Chang-dong), tells the story of a mother persevering despite the death of her husband in a car accident. Shin-ae is upbeat and trying to make a fresh start for her and her young son by moving to her husband's hometown, Miryang (meaning Secret Sunshine in Chinese). However, despite her best efforts things do not go according to plan and tragedy strikes yet again. The film charts what is essentially her nervous breakdown as she deals with a grief so powerful that it pushes her to the edge of sanity. Standing by throughout it all however, is the adoring mechanic and Shin-ae's only real friend in Miryang, Jong-chan. Nothing that Shin-ae dishes out is too much for  Jong-chan and he even starts attending an evangelical church when she does, just so that he can be near her. The end of the film does not make any definitive statements about Shin-ae's condition but it is implied that while she will always bear the scars of the traumas that she has been through she has somehow found an inner strength and will go on. In the last scene when she cuts her hair in her backyard, Jong-chan stands in front of her holding up a mirror. We know that he will always be there for her even if it is just to do something simple.

Jeon Do -yeon puts a tremendous amount of emotional and physical energy into her performance as Shin-ae. It is at times difficult to watch because it feels as though you are watching someone that you know going through a breakdown. Song Kang -ho gives a humorous and touching performance as Jong-chan who is regarded as a loser even by his own mother but is actually the most decent person in Shin-ae's life. 

Review: Cosmopolis

David Cronenberg's latest film, Cosmopolis follows a sociopathic man-child in his space-age (laughably so) limousine as he travels across town through traffic jams caused by a visit from the President and anti-capitalism demonstrations, so that he can visit his childhood barber shop. His chief of security tries and tries to dissuade him pointing out the numerous nearby salons but he is insistent that it is a particular haircutting experience that he desires, one that can only be delivered by his childhood barber. The film is the 24-hour journey across Manhattan (actually Toronto) to get a haircut, however it is more than a  seemingly pointless limousine ride and actually a slow meditation on the dehumanising effects of unbridled power and capitalism.

Based on the novel by Don DeLillo, Robert Pattinson plays Eric Packer, a 28 year old asset manager billionaire who constantly craves stimuli, sex, pain, violence and yet who is also an unashamed hypochondriac (in one scene he conducts a business discussion whilst having his prostrate examined in his limo). Bad currency speculation causes Eric to lose billions as he rides his limousine to his barbershop destination. Throughout the film there is talk of rat currency (from a poem Eric read) and rat protesters crop up throughout the film dangling rats ominously, throwing them at diners in one scene or throwing a giant  Papier-mâché  model onto Eric's Limousine. 

The film is at once ridiculous and poetic, K'Naan plays the sufi rap star Brutha Fez and his ostentatious funeral procession is a hilarious reminder of the ridiculousness of our cult of celebrity. In fact the only time Eric weeps or shows any emotion at all for that that matter is for the deceased rapper. He has Brutha Fez's music playing in one of two elevators in his home which to him makes Brutha Fez godlike.

I admit that I am not a Cronenberg fan and I certainly am not a Pattinson fan either. My sole reason for seeing this film was that it was shot in Toronto. There is a scene in my beloved Lakeview Diner and partial glimpses of the CN Tower lit up at night. Having said that, however, I did enjoy the film. I think Pattinson was well suited to the role and is really convincing as a man without a soul bouncing from one desire to the next like a bored dictator. It is almost as though his increasing self-destruction and violence towards others is meant as a kind of cleansing fire from which he can emerge as an entirely different person. One gets the sense that he is just as repulsed by himself as others are. Juliette Binoche is of course brilliant as Eric's art dealer, as is Samantha Morton who plays his philosophizing chief advisor, and Paul Giamatti as a lunatic former employee determined to kill him. My one criticism as far as acting goes, would be that Sarah Gadon, who plays Erics wife comes across as being a caricature of a spoilt rich girl turned misunderstood poet. I just wonder if there wasn't a less obvious way of playing this character, a way in which we may have actually felt something towards her? 

For Toronto showtimes please click here.

Review: Moonrise Kingdom

Perhaps as is the custom when viewing the work of a cult director like Wes Anderson there is the temptation to constantly compare new work to previous work and to sometimes erroneously conclude that said director has just rehashed an earlier hit. I think that this deters from the otherwise pure pleasure obtained from watching a Wes Anderson film so my advice, if you haven't already seen Moonrise Kingdom is to simply go, watch and enjoy. Moonrise Kingdom is only similar to Anderson's previous work in that it bears the indelible stamp of his unique aesthetic. Naturally, since each of his films bears his unmistakable signature one can imagine a Wes Anderson universe where a Tenenbaum might leaf through a book by oceanographer Steve Zissou or a Max Fischer might attend school with the offspirng of Suzy Bishop and Sam Shakusky.

Suzy and Sam are outsiders in a tiny town on an island off of the coast of New England. Sam is miserable because he doesn’t have a family whereas Susie is miserable because she does have a family. Both are misunderstood, Sam is constantly referred to as being emotionally disturbed and Susie as being violent (which she is but not without provocation). They meet by chance one day  and fall instantly in love. After secretly sending letters to one another for a year they arrange to runaway together and live in the wilderness using Sam's Khaki Scout skills to survive. An island wide search for the two ensues led Suzy's outraged parents (Frances McDormand and bill Murray), the troupe of Khaki Scouts that Sam deserted and the local police officer (Bruce Willis) who is stern but kind.

The film is filled with those little details that we love Anderson for, fantasy book covers designed just for the film (pictured above), simple but memorable costuming like Susie's DIY beetle and fish hook earrings and quirky but believable interiors (doesn't everyone want a house with a faux lighthouse?). 

 My only disappointment with the film was that there was not very much Tilda Swinton in it but that's just my own personal bias. The young stars, Kara Hayward (Suzy) and Jared Gilman (Sam) were superb and were never less than convincing. I should point out that this was the first film role for both Hayward and Gilman. Judging by their performances in the film I would say that they both have long careers ahead of them.

For Toronto screening times and locations click here.

Review: Dark Shadows

Johnny Depp as the vampire Barnabas Collins

Bella Heathcote as Vickie Winters the new governess with a dark past.

Helena Bonham Carter as the brash and often drunk, Dr.Howard.

The Ghost of Barnabas' fiancée, Josette

Probably best described as a kitsch-noir, Tim Burton's latest film Dark Shadows is based loosely upon the the 1966-71 soap opera of the same title.  Enjoyment of the film is heightened if one keeps in mind that it is meant to be unashamedly kitschy and tongue-in-cheek. Serious devotees of vampire cinema, television and literature may find that it is not serious enough for them (which would be their lose anyway).  Johnny Depp is brilliant as the recently unearthed 200-year-old vampire, Barnabas Collins. Whilst this character is often meant to be a humouros buffoon bumbling through the modern world he has just been thrust into, Depp also manages to bring a great deal of pathos to the role. There really is no other actor that would have been so suited to this screen adaptation of the series. In less skilled hands Barnabas would probably have just been irritating and silly. Eva Green is terrifying as vengeful witch Angelique Bouchard. Although she is supposed to be the villain I couldn't help but feel sorry for her and wonder if Barnabas's past and present treatment of her wasn't more than a little to blame. Helena Bonham Carter plays Dr. Howard, a quack psychiatrist and drunkard. Again as unsavoury as her character was I did feel sorry for her and wonder if she wasn't after all just another one of Barnabas' victims.

Bella Heathcote is excellent as governess Vickie Winters and as Josette. Her unusual Blythe doll good looks made her especially suited to play this character. She doesn't overdo her role as the seemingly innocent girl with a dark past. Her story unfolds gradually and is classic Burton fare.

Chloe Moretz is great as the stroppy teenage daughter (also with a dark secret). My only criticism would be that when she reveals her secret towards the end of the film, CGI was used to convey this and it did not look at all convincing nor did it look bad in a neat kitschy way. My only other criticism of the film would be that I found Depp's fight scenes with Eva Green to be disturbing. I think it was meant to be slapstick but there are times when she is just receiving blow after blow and not hitting back. People around me were laughing but I found these scenes to be too reminiscent of domestic violence to be funny. Their love scene earlier in the film, however, is hilarious.


Overall I would say that Dark Shadows is a return to form and I sincerely hope that Tim Burton will consider doing a sequel.



For Toronto showtimes of Dark Shadows, click  here.

Toronto Japanese Film Festival 2012

A still from Colorful.

The Toronto Japanese Film Festival 2012 will be presenting 12 new films this year representing diverse genres such as, drama, samurai, romance, documentary, comedy and anime. Besides the great lineup of films this year another great reason to attend is that a portion of proceeds from the festival will be donated to the JCCC Foundation’s Japanese Earthquake Relief fund. So far the JCCC has raised $1.5 million to assist those in the affected areas of the Tohoku Region of Japan.

Films making their Canadian premier include, Rebirth, MOTEKI – Love Strikes!, Ninja Kids, Leonie, Permanent Nobara, Ending Note, Postcard, Friends after 3.11 and Guilty of Romance. The later film is based on the true-story of a brutal murder in the love hotel district of Maruyama-cho, Shibuya. Highlights also include a screening of  Canadian documentary Hatsumi- One Grandmother's Journey through the Japanese Canadian Internment. Writer and director Chris Hope will introduce the screening and take audience questions after the screening. The film is based on the diaries and war-time experiences of his grandmother, Nancy Hatsumi Okura who opens up about her interment for the first time.... 

To read more please visit the site Toronto Film Scene where this post was originally published.