Voice of a Murderer by Park Jin-pyo

Category: Non-English

If I could I would turn back the time I'd prevent myself from watching this crappy film. After some decent South Korean cinema this film was very annoying and boring.

The film starts about how it is, "based on a true story". There's a kidnapping in which a famous news anchors son is taken away, the said anchor in question has used the power of the media to put away many people including friends and foe alike. Soon he's on the recieving end of this and the end although a little shocking doesn't really matter. Barring the father, none of the actors pull out anything unique, the detective has some style but eventually just "gives up". The film is very westernized in it's outlook (quick cuts, score, action) but the treatment is wrong... so very wrong.

BLAH, after a point you don't even care if it's based on real life incidents because it's all so dramatized and painful, the acting is hamming at it's best, there's almost no scope for anything unique. The camera work is at least something worth mentioning but beyond this, I spent 2 hours on nothing.

Recommendation level: 1/5 - See above.

Woman is the Future of Man by Hong Sang-soo

Category: Non-English

There are 2 really stand out conversations in this film which make up for the entire film. The first one revolves across two friends who have met after a long time and discuss their lives for a bit. The second one is where one of the said friends is conversing with his students over dinner and argues the benefit of believing in nothing.

These scenes and some more mixed with a plot line that doesn't really go anywhere. The film itself is quite an experimental piece in nature because like I mentioned earlier it doesn't go anywhere in the sense there's nothing concrete that is decided by the end of the film. This already makes it a stand out film for me. The characters are very complex, they are very much based in reality. But what makes it even more riveting is the banter the two lead friends share.

The plot revolves around 2 friends who aim to visit their third friend. There are some romantic undertones to the entire scenario, and some even explicitly sexual. But that shouldn't deter you from watching this 97 minute film, about nothing. Well not completely about nothing it holds a deeper value in what Cinema can achieve at times, this is Sang-Soo's art and you have to sit up and take notice of what this director is showing you and what he doesn't want you to try to decipher.

Recommendation level: 5/5 - Sheer novelty value and execution! If you want to look for something deeper in Asian cinema, start here! The title itself sets the pace for this film.

Flower Island by Song Il-gon

Category: Non-English

Prior to this Il-gon had only be making short films, as a result this film can be separated into 3 distinct halves. There's a clear line between the three sections.

The film follows the lives of 3 women, each with their own problems to bear. The first is a 17 year old girl who at the start of the film kills her own child by washing it down the toilet, we later learn she's a rape victim. The second is a renowned Opera singer who must undergo a surgery to remove the malignant tumour, the only catch - they have to remove her tongue. The third woman is a married woman with a young daughter who prostitutes herself to purchase a piano for the child. Each of them try to find solace in the "Flower Island" a mystical place where all your sorrows go away.

The first half describes them, the second half introduces themselves to each other & the last part sees their journey to the island itself.

The cinematography is almost flawless, shot entirely on a hand held camera and possibly a DV one at that. The message intended by the director is brought out not just by the dialogues but by pro longed silences, strong background music, facial expressions and of course the situations. Blitzing past into their minds at the drop of a hat and back into reality as it were for them. Il-gon is completely in control of this film. The cinematography at times even seems very unlike South Korean cinema, there's nothing pretty about the characters' problems, it's real, it's gritty at times and he doesn't relent. You have to endure it as the protagonists do.

The film is a little too long at almost 2 hours in length and this is something where the films narrative isn't as tight. Made in 2001, there's also one of the rare occasions where South Korean cinema deals with the topic of homosexuals (Gays only). It's touching in its execution and definitely while their problems may seem so deliberate they aren't, the problems these women face are what they are.

Recommendation level: 4/5 - It's not perfect but definitely one of the better Asian cinema films to watch. Some of the concepts & style used seem similar to Tony Takitani.

The Host by Bong Joon-ho

Category: Non-English

If it wasn't for the extras on the DVD I would have probably rated this film really low but now that I did see the extras, I have to say some of the better shots and news clips have been removed from the film.

The premise is simple - there's a monster in the Han river who goes about mutating through the years and finally reaches a point where it can move around killing tons of people and eventually collecting a set of midnight snacks. In all of this a particular girl named Hyun-Seo is kidnapped by the monster but manages to hide while her erstwhile father, uncle, aunt and grand father try to track her down in the hopes of rescuing her.

There's a healthy dose of commentary political commentary from the director especially pertaining to America's interference on several issues of the Korean government. There's also some funny jokes thrown in there as well but the sad part is such films can never really convey it completely, I mean there's a discrepancy in it's format with these social commentaries. Watching the film in Korean but with English sub titles is probably your best bet at getting a clearer understanding of the emotions used in the film.

Recommendation level: 1.5/5 - I don't really think it's a great film, just about passable but entertaining in parts.

Bin Jip by Kim Ki-duk

Category: Non-English

I had this film for quite sometime before I finally got myself to have a look at it! The movie follows a mysterious visitor who puts take away menus on peoples doors, when he finds out they aren't removed he moves in for a while. Never stealing but actually just staying there.

One day he does the same thing to a lady who has a very abusive relationship with her husband, she tags along with him after a brief incident with the husband. They set out doing the same thing and eventually forming a bond - without the utterance of a single word.

Things do however go haywire and their perfect life is ruined after their caught and the lady is sent back to her husband. The last 15 minutes of the film are completely bizarre and while they try to make a last minute stake at 'defining reality' the film doesn't really match up to the tall claims its sets out.

I thought the film would be similar to Visitor Q by Takashi Miike, but the film has a completely different tone and we get to see a really mellow Kim Ki-duk here. Obviously riding the mental high from Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall ... and Spring. It's unique.

Recommendation level: 3/5 - It's good but nothing brilliant.