Salli (2023) NYAFF 2024

A woman who raises chickens wants to run off to meet her boyfriend who lives in Paris, except that she is uncertain if he is for real or not, a feeling that is made complicated because she hasn't been entirely honest with him.

Odd comedy is uniquely its own thing. Frequently charming thanks to some winning characters and solid performances, the film over comes it's problems.

The problem for me is that in a weird way the film feels like it's a couple of different films stuck together. It's not that what happens is wrong, it's that several sections feel like they are different movie. Yes I understand why that is, but at the same time it took me out of the film.

My problems aside, there is enough here to warrant a look.

SUFFOCATING LOVE (2023) NYAFF 2024

Story of a young man who meets and falls for a girl with whom he is exchanging books as part of book exchange club.  As he falls for her she begins to make more demanding requests. Should he leave her even though he loves her?

The festival material calls this a riff on the film 500 DAYS OF SUMMER and in many ways that's true. It shares a certain quirky style with that earlier film even if it ends differently.

For me this was a nice little romance. While I doubt I will be hard pressed to remember it at years end, I had a good time while it was on.

Brief thoughts on Trouble Girl (2024) NYAFF 2024

Xiao xiao is a young woman with ADHD (Attention deficit hyper activity disorder).  She is struggling to deal with what life is throwing at her including the cruelty of her schoolmates, the absence of her father, and the fact that her mother is having an affair with her teacher.

This is a good look at how ADHD effects a young kid and the people around her. It's a film that doesn't sugar coat the situation or give us easy answers. It's a film that affects us.

As good as I know the film is, I'm not sure I like it. I know the the film has won awards, in particular for  Audrey Lin as Xiao xiao, but there is something contrived about it. I can feel the hand of writer director Chia-Hua Chin moving things so that there would be some drama. I never fully connected.

Is the film worth seeing? If you are interested give it a shot.

MANTRA WARRIOR: THE LEGEND OF THE EIGHT MOONS (2023) Fantasia 2024

Giant robots and reincarnated gods mix in a retelling of the Ramayana.

The plot has group of rebels trying to rescued a captured princess before her powers can be used for evil and gaining the powers of gods who are to protect her.

Good looking film didn’t work for me. The problem is that in trying to be too many things the film is kind of a bit of nothing. The mythological orgins get lost in the crashing robots. The drive to be family friendly resulted in the film not having any bite.

Yes the film is a visual ballet but nothing stands out and when it’s done you really won’t remember a thing.

A disappointment. 

OPERATION UNDEAD (2024) NYAFF 2024

The programmers of NYAFF have buried one of their best films in the late night slot which is a shame because people other than night owls deserve to see this glorious rethink of the zombie genre.

Set during the Second World War the film has the Thai government surrendering to the Japanese after they see the effect of a new chemical weapon that turns people into zombie like beings. The turned men are faster, largely unkillable and cannibalistic. The idea is that there will be a brief show of resistance and the surrender-but the the brief skirmish releases one of the test subjects who quickly begins to turn the Thai soldiers and civilians.

What starts off as an amusing film turns by degrees darker as it becomes a bloodbath and then into a brutally sad film as some of those turned have animalistic cravings but also their morals and memories. They continue to do terrible things but can't stop themselves. It's crushing.

Brilliantly made, it is wonderful rethink of the the zombie genre that gives us much to think about even as the blood and guts are flying. It is a very serious very well thought out pondering about the cost of war and violence on ourselves and out psyches. (It's a blood relative to Ted Geoghegan's BROOKLYN 45 because of the similar themes)

While I am certain that some people are not going to like some of the more serious turns, the film stands tall because of it's refusal to play by anyone's , even the genres rules. If you can accept that you are going to end up having found one of the great anti-war films of the last few years, not to mention one hell of a horror film

Highly recommended

Supposed (2023) NYAFF 2024

A man who only finds happiness in the women he chases via various dating apps, has has his world turned upside down when he meets a free spirit who is outside his comfort zone.

This is a good romantic drama is that is perfect for anyone who wants heavy drama with their romance. The heavy drama comes when the revelations start to come out. 

How you react to the film is going to be determined by your feelings about the twist and turns. I was interested but never fully engaged. I could see the gears being turned behind the scenes. It felt contrived.

At the same time what really worked for me was the use of music. The mix of songs and image drive the film forwards and kept me watching. 

Worth a look if you're curious.

PATTAYA HEAT(2024) NYAFF 2024

Possibly the best film at this year's New York Asian Film Fest is a grand crime caper with a smart ass attitude. The NYAFF write up called it Tarantino-esque, but quite frankly this film is operating at a so  much higher level that is totally free of the cinematic referential nonsense that Tarantino traffics in.

Told from the POV of a corrupt cop caught in a web of nonsense and surrounded by various people who are less than savory. How they all connect up is the film-and it's such a thrilling ride I'm not going to say any more.

Sitting down to watch this film I wasn't sure what I was going to get. My trip through the festival slate this year has been a very hit or miss affair.  Sure there have been some good films, but at the same time there have been some rather bland films that made me wonder if the programmers had lost their touch.  That thought disappeared moments into PATTAYA HEAT pulled me, handed me a drink and whispered in my ear "you wanna hear a great story?"

This film works because the film has a great cast operating at the top of their game, a director who tweaks things so that we are charmed by these not very nice people, and script which is perfectly modulated to keep us staring at the screen until the final fade out.

One of the best films of 2024? Oh hell yea. This is pure movie magic. This is the sort of film that will make you fall in love with the movies all over again.

Track this movie down any way you can.

Highly recommended.

Not reviewing Not Friends (2023) NYAFF 2024 Fantasia 2024

This film didn't  work for me. The story of a bunch of high school kids who make a film about their dead friend, egged on by a transfer student who didn't know him, didn't work for me. 

The reason it didn't work is that I never connected to the humor. I could see the jokes but they never made me laugh. The same thing about the touching moments, I know I was supposed to feel something but instead I felt like I was eating treacle.

(I won't go into the echoes of Dr Evan Hansen)

I know this worked for some people, but for me it was along 129 minutes.

Kitty The Killer (2023) NYAFF 2023

Alleged comic book logic rules the day in the battle of assassins controlled by secret organizations as a young school girl code named kitty tries to unravel a mess her boss got himself into and get revenge for his killing.

I'm sorry if that doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense, that's because this film doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense. Pulling plot points from at least three or four dozen other sources from books, comics, TV series and movies. Its a film that borrows liberally from everywhere to make stew that explodes and splash itself all over the place. Things seem to happen just to keep the movie going. The filmmakers claim it's comic book logic, but comics have logic, this just has odd turns just because.

That might have worked if the film was fast paced, but this film is slow as molasses. Everything in this movie moves at one quarter speed including the action sequences which while blood soaked  are all in slow motion. There is no spark no zip. Worse there is no suspense because there is no hurry. This is quite simply one of the dullest action films I've ever seen.

Who was this film made for?

I can not in good conscience recommend this film to anyone who even remote likes action films.

Cracked (2022) hits VOD and DVD on May 26

CRACKED shouldn’t work. It’s a tale that is similar to any number of films and it’s full of cliché turns and yet the film works and results in chills as tells it’s story of past evils invading the present.

The film is the story of a widowed mother who needs money desperately to pay for an eye operation for her daughter. With no way to get the money a friend of her father shows up in New York to say that her father had passed away and left behind a couple of paintings  that some rich guy wants to buy once a little restoration is done. If she goes back to Thailand she will be able to get the money she needs.  However once she arrives things begin to go south as weird things happen, the painting start to decay and the ghosts of the past come back.

This is a dark and moody film about how the sins of our families past come back to haunt us. The back story here is a creepy one and suitably unpleasant. I’m not going to  ruin it by going into details.

To be honest some of the ghostly happenings reminded me of other supernatural tales, however director Surapong Ploensang cleverly uses some of the cliché turns against us. We maybe expecting certain turns but Ploensang ups the ante in such away that we can’t help but remain at the edge of our seat. (remember cliches would be cliches if they didn’t work). I may have had an idea how some of the plot was going to go but I didn’t know it all and I didn’t expect somethings to be taken as far as they were.

What an absolute delight.

I loved this film and recommend the madness to anyone who wants to have a chilly night at the movies.

ARNOLD IS A MODEL STUDENT (2022) NDNF 2023

A young man returning from the US finds that is integration back into the Thai school system difficult. The schools, run with an iron fist, make it ripe for cheating because it’s an easier way to avoid the grief inflicted upon them

Dark comedy is a bracing commentary not only on the Thai school system but also the rise of authority in the world. It’s a troubling look at the way things are done in order to get the best results.

While very well made, the film is a bit too mannered in the telling for my taste and I never fully connected emotionally.

That said  this is worth a look if it interests you,

The Lake (2022)

What happens when you mash Korean monster film THE HOST with GORGO (or GAPPA or…) and films where victims connect with killers and filter it through the Thai film industry? THE LAKE is a good idea.

Wild and crazy, and at times all over the place, THE LAKE is the story of giant monsters coming out of lake and causing all sorts of problems after an egg is found by a little girl. It also raises questions about the destruction of the environment and how its coming back to haunt us...assuming you want to look for something deeper than monsters eat people.

What can I say, but the monsters come early and stay to the closing credits. As a monster fan I love that we didn't have to wait to get to the good stuff. This is a film of amazing set pieces and uneven linking material. Basically it's an old school monster film and a delight.

This is a film where over 60% was achieved with practical effects, including man in suits, making it a delightful giant monster movie. It's so well done I wasn't always sure what was done practical and what was computer generated.

Yes the film riffs on other better films, but at the same time the film is stealing from the best and coloring the mayhem in it’s own unique way. You really won't care, just smile at the nods.

I had an absolute blast. Honestly I was having such a great time I was pissed that I missed the film when it played very briefly in theaters.

High Art? Are you kidding?

Entertaining? Absolutely. This is the perfect film to keep us happy until the next Godzilla project hits.

For details on where to see THE LAKE go here

Fast And Feel Love (2022) NYAFF 2022 Fantasia 2022

Young man with a wicked skill in sport stacking is helped by a regular girl to to all he can be and along the way the pair become friends and help a lot of other people along the way.

First thing you need to know, sport stacking, people stack and  then unstack special designed cups in a prescribed pattern as fast as possible,  is a real thing. There are associations for it and lots of video. I say this because I thought it was something created for the film. I was wrong.

I had no interest in this film. Despite the film opening the New York Asian Film Festival and screening a few days later I was going to take a pass. Then I spoke with people at NYAFF who were raving about it. At the end of the first week of the fest everyone was raving about how it was the best film at the festival so when I got the chance to see it for Fantasia I jumped.

This is a great film.

This is a film that beautifully celebrates the uniqueness of everyone, even if it's just being average. This is a film that wonderfully says that everyone has a passion they should follow. I love that. THis is a film for the outsider in all of us.

What an absolute joy. 

I love that the film is its own thing. It doesn't follow any film cliche it goes off on its own merry way and simply tells it's story, passionately and in it's own way.

A must see.

Highly recommended.

VHS 94 (2021) on Shudder

 

I’m in the minority and in that I don’t particular love VHS 94.  It’s not that the stories that make up the film are bad, rather the conceit of it all being period found footage films didn’t work for me.

The film is the story of a swat team making a raid on a cult. When they arrive at the location they find bodies in cages with their eyes pulled out. We then get three stories and a short commercial. The first story  is about a news crew covering a story about a rat man in the sewers. The second is about a woman having to watch a body in a funeral home in a rain storm. The Third is about a mad scientist. The fourth is a vampire story with a twinge of political shading. The film then returns to the swat team.

Okay full disclosure I am notoriously not a fan of found footage films, finding most of them fall down because the films almost always take liberties with the form, we see things we could never have seen or they are shot in a way that works for a film but would never be something anyone but a filmmaker would shoot.  I am always pulled out of the films as a result. However when the found footage films work, say in the Vicious Brothers GRAVE ENCOUNTERS or the recent Shudder film THE MEDIUM, they are absolutely terrifying.

Sadly VHS94 is not among the best. While having genuinely creepy moments and a few  scares I found the film never fully connected to me. Blame the conceit of the film being a series of found footage tapes inside a found footage tape. Blame the shooting style which aped the various video styles  but never nailed them. This is more apparent when you realize that the film is supposed to be from 1994. I was more aware of the technical issues of what I was seeing rather than being lost in the madness. It also didn’t help that the stories are uneven and have issues of their own.

I liked it but I would have been pissed if I hadn’t seen it as part of Shudder.

Worth a look, but your mileage will vary.

The Rescue (2021) GlobeDocs 2021

 

Last to be chosen for the cricket team, first to be chosen for the cave rescue

This is the story of the rescue of the 12 boys and their coach who were trapped for several in a cave in Thailand when it was flooded by monsoon rains. The focuses on the efforts of the international cave divers who came to help when it was determined that the skills they honed in their hobby, was exactly what was needed to help effect a rescue.

This mix of actual film of the events mixed with recreations is compelling viewing. It is actually one of the best thrillers of the year, despite the fact we ultimately knw how it's all going to come out. It remains compelling because not only does the film put us into the middle of everything  but also explains what a Herculean task the whole affair was. Over 5000 people were involved from many different countries and Thai agencies. It was something bigger than we could have imagined.

I loved this film. I knew how it would go and I was still on the edge of my seat. I love that we get to know the divers as people and not just guys who did this thing. For example the quote above is from one of the divers who wasn't good at sports and was left out of everything. Because we are given background on him, when he says the line towards the end of the film we can't hlp but laugh with delight knowing when it counted he was the one chosen.

It should be noted that the interviews in the film are limited to the divers themselves and a few Thai officials who don't have movie deals. It seems every one connected with the event has some sort of deal in the works which precludes them from speaking to anyone else about what happened. Even the footage of the boys in the cave comes from footage shot at the time and from TV news coverage. Clearly their is a hope that everyone is going to get rich. I suspect that won't happen with the market for versions of this story being small.

This is a great film. It was the source of repeated and loving discussion on the press line at the New York Film Festival. Everyone who was going to the press screenings at night (it did not screen at NYFF) was coming back glowing.  Now that I've seen it I can't stop talking about it either.

Currently in select theaters and on the festival circuit THE RESCUE is highly recommended. Look fo Oscar nominations.

Memoria (2021) NYFF 2021

Dennis Lim, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Tilda Swinton

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's MEMORIA is a major miss. A long  rambling unexplained dream with a WTF moment in it produced interesting reactions in the audience I saw it with.

The film follows Jessica (Tilda Swinton) who is living in Columbia, working as a botanist, visiting her sick sister in the hospital and trying to figure out the weird banging sound she keeps hearing in her head.

The reality is this film is a weird dream where Swinton wanders through the landscape trying to get answers when she occasionally asks questions. Very little is said. What is said is often referencing things we don't know anything about. There are very long takes where nothing happens, we watch a man die and come back to life for no real reason. It is full of pregnant pauses and pretentious lines that are punctuated by an occasional loud bang or the sound of car alarms going off. 

Weerasethakul and Swinton had been trying to put a project together for years and this is it... or rather it's part of it. Apparently so much material was shot that a book was put together that explains the missing material and acts as a behind the scenes guide for the film. How much material was cut out? I was told over 70% which means that roughly seven hours of additional scenes are missing. Its no wonder that the film makes no sense.(Think of it as a version of those old 8mm highlight versions of films that they used to sell before VHS. Those never made sense) It's so bad that a couple people after the screening were discussing how the Q&A made the film make more sense. Additionally both Dennis Lim and a woman I was talking to after the film said that the film was so much better the second time once you have read the book.

I need to read a 50 Euro book to understand a film? Really? In my world any film that needs an instruction manual is a failure. If a film can't stand on its own then there is something wrong with it. MEMORIA's need for a companion book instantly puts into the heap with films like WHITE WHITE WORLD, the bad bad film that played Tribeca a decade ago and required you to read the press notes so you could see the plot that the director had to cut out when he was editing his great looking film.

And don't get me wrong MEMORIA looks good. It also sounds great with one of the most aggressive soundtracks (in the right sort of ay) I've ever heard. The sound and image keep us watching even as the narrative completely disappears into the void.

Actually the soundtrack kept the audience awake with the occasional deafening bang making many in the audience leap out of their seats as they were awakened from their snoozing. I'm serious here, many were snoozing, or at least drifting off, their eyes closed and their heads tilted. And I know because how they jumped was something sdifferent than an audience leaping from a jump scare.

I also suspect the audience probably wasn't into the film when it ended because no one applauded. I've been to too many screenings with press conferences not to realize that some one almost always applauds unless it's a turkey. Additionally every audience will applaud a filmmaker and guests when they come out and the audience I saw the film with sat stone silent. I will not speculate as to their thoughts after the Q&A since Weerasethakul spent some of the time partially explaining what the film was supposed to be.

Again, what the film is as opposed to what it's supposed to be is the make or break point for me. This film had to be explained to a room full of writers who usually get what the director was getting at, and this time they didn't seem to. Even the "shh don't tell anyone WTF as that???" moment caused several people to ask questions concering it forcing Weerasethakul and Swinton to discuss it all the while saying to everyone don't mention it. (if you want to know what it is read some reviews or just watch the NYFF Q&A which is, or will be, on line.)

This truly is sound and fury signifying nothing. It a Cliff Notes version of a longer project that doesn't do it justice. Honestly based on what I was told about the original long version of the film that was described by the filmmakers and the people who've read the book make me want to see that film, not this shortened version

A major miss.

Road to Mandalay (2017) plays at MOMI's Midi Z series

Midi Z's gorgeous to look at downbeat drama, is like his other films a punch in the face and the heart.

The film follows two people who escape from Burma into Thailand hoping for a better life. However their in ability to get the necessary permits to work cause all sorts of tension and it ultimately fractures the relationship.

A solid art film it is deliberately paced and it sucks you in and drags you along. It also gives you much to think about concerning people trying to move to a better place for a better life.

Recommended.

JB's review can be found here

One For The Road (2021) Sundance 2021

 I am going to be honest- I don't know what I think of ONE FOR THE ROAD. Actually I do know, I love the film but I am not certain to what degree.

The film is the story of a man named Boss. He owns a bar in New York. Out of the blue he gets a call from an old friend Aood. Aood is dying and he wants to travel across Thailand and close out accounts with friends he feels he wronged. He needs Boss to go home and travel with him.

Yes, we've been here before, this is a road film after all, but director Baz Poonpiriya makes it something special. Taking a great cast, a light but assured touch that quietly wraps it's hands around your heart and a soundtrack that is one of the most perfect I've ever run across, Baz has fashioned a deeply moving film. Several times over the course of the film I stared at the screen tears streaming down my cheeks thanks to characters I loved and a perfect selection of songs. 

I can't stress how amazing the score is. A mix of songs from everywhere, including well worn rock classics, each song is perfectly deployed. Even the ones you never wanted to hear again is made glorious by how Baz has stitched it into the fabric of the film.

The truth is the craft of film is as good as it gets. In the press notes Baz Poonpiriya says that this is the first of  his films where he said his true self was revealed. He said that working with Wong Kar Wai, who produced the film, allowed him to let the real filmmaker out. May the filmmaker never go back in. I am in awe of this film, it shouldn't work, he shouldn't be able to take a film that is nominally a road film that we've seen before, mix in songs and images that are overly familiar and have it all come out in away that is truly unique and deeply moving.  What cinema god is on his side because I want them on mine too.

Did I say that I loved this film?

I loved it so much I screamed out loud because I saw it while it was under embargo and I couldn't gush about it in public. 

Highly recommended ONE FOR THE ROAD is on my best of 2021 list and it has taken up a place in my heart.

A must see.

Mother (2019) DOC NYC 2019

MOTHER is a crushing look at Pomm, a young mother in Thailand who works as a health care aide for European patients with dementia sent to the country because of cheap healthcare costs. As Pomm cares for the mothers of foreigners she leaves her own daughter in the care of other people because the money is good.

Deeply moving and incredibly affecting MOTHER will rock your world. Working on so many levels beyond the surface this is a film that will haunt you for days after you see it. To be honest there is so much going on here I don’t know where to begin. Worse because I am seeing this in the middle of a festival crush I don’t think I’ve fully formed everything that should be said about the film. (I do think it would make a killer double feature with OVERSEAS about the training of domestic help in the Philippines)

Watching the film I was struck by the care and the humanity Pomm shows her clients. She is a caring “mother” to them even as she is a mere ghost to her own child. She really is a lovely person. At the same time I am forced to ponder our world where mothers have to leave their own children to make money to raise them, as well as the notion that in a civilized society we must send our ailing parents across the globe to get decent health care. There are no easy answers for us or the patients or the caregivers.

In a world where we rely more and more on other people to care for family members this film is a must see. Highly recommended.

MOTHER plays November 8 and 9. For tickets and more information go here

Dangerous Flowers (aka Chai Lai Angels)

This is a Thai version of Charlie's Angels. Here there are five girls instead of three. Its a total goof.

 Everything about the film from the plot (the angels have to protect a little girl who has a rare pearl) to the characters (one is a guy in drag) to the action sequences (they are sending up action sequences) are very silly. At no point are we ever expected to take any of this seriously on any level, even if they are playing it all reasonably straight. If you go in expecting a straight action film you are going to be disappointed. if you go in expecting a Thai blend of action (the action is the reason to see the film) and comedy then you are more likely to have a good time. If there is any flaws its that the film doesn't quite work in the non-action scenes. The comedy there comes off as heavy handed. Thankfully the talking scenes tend to be brief.

Forgive me for not saying more but the plot is very slight. Its the action that stand out, and thankfully its all set pieces beginning with a fight on an airplane that's cross cut with a fight in a house and car chase on to the kidnapping of the girl to a fight in towels in an office tower on and on to the final girls in white dresses bit which takes things about as far as you can go. Its all well done and very tongue and cheek (often suitably cheaply)

Worth a look for action fans with a high tolerance for silly things.