This week's Movie review......

[ben]

Who played the character representing Yoda in Memoirs of a Geisha? Just kidding. They still haven't show Memoirs here yet.

[Ang Mo]

The movie lacked a Yoda character I would have liked to have played the part, as a lecherous old Yoda hitting on those 3 fabulous women......

That was the sad part of the movie. If that was even halfway close to being accurate as to what a Geisha goes through then no wonder it is a vanishing art. They can't win for losing. They are not allowed to be with the person they want to be with, so they have to live some strange life entertaining men who they might not have any feeling for at all, yet those very people have influence over them. It was sad to see that.

At least it did not have as tragic of an ending as Nobody Knows.......

What have you watched lately Ben?

[ben]

On the theater, none for the past couple of weeks. The last week of December and first week of January is alloted to the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), our local version of the Oscar. About a dozen Filipino movies tries to outshine each other for the several awards. I didn't watch any for a simple of reason. I went home to the province and literally spend my 2 weeks vacation relaxing at home. And MMFF is the reason why Memoirs of a Geisha was not yet shown here.

But I did caught PJ's King Kong before Christmas. King Kong was "WOW"... almost all the way. I felt that the fight between Kong and the Bi-planes was a bit dragging. Just when everyone is on the edge of their seats with pity for the great ape, that sense of pity was dragged a bit too long. My favorite scene was actually when Kong fell down from the Empire State Bldg down to the streets. Hey, don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm cheering for the ape to die, it's about how it was shoot. Top view and moving in circular motion, a reminisce of how Gandalf fell in Moria (LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring). That movie is what I would call "entertainment". PJ is a genius.

Last night, on my DVD player. I popped in another Korean film. It's called "Double Agent", can't remember the name of the actor but he was the lead person of "Shiri" (a Korean blockbuster). It's about a North Korean spy defecting and became a South Korean agent. The defect turned out to be staged. I loved the story, but the acting can be a bit flat at some stage. And at some point where it was supposed to be the height of suspense, you just find yourself following it with a steady heartbeat.

[Ang Mo]

I watched one called Picture Bride directed by Kayo Hatta. She is a Japanese American writer and director. I really liked the film and I wanted to try and contact her because she seemed very accessible. I was very saddened to find out that she died in 2005. It was a drowning accident in San Diego. The star of the film is the Japanese girl that plays the adult age "Pumpkin" in Memoirs of a Geisha. Her name is Youki Kudoh. The story is about how in the early 1900's, Japanese men living and working on the sugar plantations in Hawaii would mail their picture to a matchmaker in Japan who would set them up with a mail order bride so to speak. This young woman gets duped by the picture that is mailed to her and when she gets to Hawaii and comes face to face with her husband he happens to be twice the age he was in the picture he sent. He is 43 and she is 18. She has no financial means to get back to Japan and learns that the paradise in Hawaii is nothing but sweating and toiling in the cane fields all day long. Eventually she adapts to her new environment and eventaully accepts the man as her husband. The film has a cameo by Toshiro Mifune in it. He was very ill at the time and he died of Parkinson's disease shortly thereafter. He did a great job in his role though. It is an interesting movie because it is based on historical facts.

[ben]

Toshiro Mifune... is he the guy with a huge katana in The Seven Samurai?

Mail to order bride. After reading your description of the Picture Bride it reminded me of an old Chinese movie I've seen about 2 decades ago. Unfortunately, I never did knew the title. It's a story about buying a wife. Actually a grim reality of what Chinese had done in the past. Groups of men (probably barbarians) would raid a small village, kill the men and enslave the women. They put each women in a cloth sack, sell them to poor bachelors in towns. These bachelors can be from 18-70 years of age. They don't know what the women looks like, they just pick a sack, pay the fee, and goes home with a wife. The catch is, the women are, likewise, from 18-70 years of age. So, here's two men, neighboors actually. One in his early 20s while the other in his late 60s. Both are poor and unable to afford dowry and get a decent wife. So they both had a sack-of-wife each. The lad got an old woman (60s) who was a great cook and knows how to keep a house. While the old chap got a pretty young girl who can only dream about being with a young guy. One thing led to another. Young lad and young lady falls in love with each other and eloped. Old woman moved into old man's home. Everybody happy. I remember I actually loved that movie despite my being in my elementary years.

[Ang Mo]

Toshiro Mifune was in the Seven Samurai and many other Samurai films as well. I remember watching a cool World War 2 movie with Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin where they both wash up on an island. The one of course is American and the other Japanese. At first they try to kill each other, then they ended up befriending each other in order to survive. It had a dark ending but it had a lot of humorous moments in it as well.

[rahau]

I really enjoyed "Picture Bride," too. From what I hear, it was an accurate depiction of life in Hawaii for a Japanese mail-order bride. And the "love story," such as it was, is quite touching.

The young woman feels she is betrayed by the forty-something groom, who had sent her a picture of himself taken in his twenties. She coldly rebuffs him for most of the film. But in the end, he wins her over. The final scene, when they launch the paper lantern in memory of Tamlyn Tomita's character, is deeply moving.

This is one of those films that must be watched several times before it can be fully appreciated.

[ben]

Talking about enemies becoming friends to survive, I also remember a sci-fi film about such a tale. Actually I won't be surprise if the Mifune-Marvin show inspired this one. It's the 1985's "Enemy Mine", which stars Dennis Quaid and Louis Gosset, Jr. . One is earthling while the other is an alien. The thing was Earth was at war with another planet. And these two guys were soldiers who manage to get stranded in another "uninhabited planet". Quite similar with American and Japanese soldiers stranded in an island, they fought and then they became friends. The strange thing in the movie was... (here's the dialogue)

Jeriba 'Jerry' Shigan (Gossett): It is not longer my life that matters. I am not fat, I am not lazy. Davidge... I await a new life.
Willis Davidge (Quaid): A new life? From where?
[Jerry uncovers his abdomen]
Davidge: Oh, my God... Oh, my God, are you telling me you're pregnant?

Jerry died after giving birth, and Willis took care of the baby and loved the kid like his own. Then some adventures and misadventures and it actually had a happy ending.

I don't really recall how the acting went. All I can remember was that I actually liked that movie too.

[Ang Mo]

Kayo Hatta grew up in Hawaii and of course she had been told these stories by her grandmother. As a graduate of a film school she was determined to get the story to the screen. The DVD goes into detail on this and just how hard it was for her to get the financing and how difficult it was for her to tear up many pages of script because there just wasn't enough money to complete the film. Partially financed by a grant, and some donations from the Japanese lingerie company that featured Youki Koudoh, as one of their models. It is interesting to see where all the money came from. It is the only film she did besides a short film that once again concentrated on the sugar cane plantation and the aspirations of two young japanese boys. Too bad she was not given some larger projects by a studio because her movie to me was far more interesting then the usual two hours of massive explosions and non stop shoot outs.

Ben, you are correct, that film Enemy Mine was based on the earlier movie I was talking about.

[ben]

I'll try to look for Picture Bride, not only for the reviews you guys have but I've always like Tamlyn Tomita.

[Ang Mo]

Finished watching White Dragon featuring Cecilia Cheung. She has a really smokey voice like Kathleen Turner....why?....because like Kathleen Turner she must smoke about six packs of Camels a day. In spite of that unhealthy personal choice of hers, she is rather cute in the movie. The movie itself is lame. The way it was packaged on the DVD cover was as an action/drama/romance, but it was basically sort of a slapstick satire. In spite of the lameness, I rather liked it. I loaned it to a lady at work who will watch it with her children. She is always nice to me and told me that although I am much older then her children, I am at the same emotional level as they are.........anyhow old Seletta showed up and looked at the DVD cover and asked who the person was on the cover. I told her the name of the actress was Cecilia Cheung and that I knew her personally, and if Cecilia were here in the United States she would be eating out of my hand. Seletta replied

..only if she were tied up in your basement...

......always with the zingers old Seletta. I just hate Seletta............

[ben]

Very funny Ang Mo, that really cracked me up.

Watched a new movie last night. And yeah, another Korean flick. It's called TaeGukGi (a.k.a. Brotherhood of War). Set in 1950 during the North and South Korean civil war. It's about two brothers, one is about 16 and the other in his mid (or late) 20's. Both got drafted as soldiers, which was unusual because SoKors, during those times, only draft 1 man from every family (don't know if it still applies today). Anyway, it was by accident that it happened. Kid brother was such a baby in the battlefield, and big brother set his mind on gaining a medal of honor. Because the medal would be a ticket for him to send his kid brother home. He got out of focus and turned from a loving brother and a good man into a heartless soldier. The kid brother in turn became a man. But unfortunately, he became a man because of the change in his brother, he became a man because of hate.

It's a great flick, probably the best Korean film I've seen. Great story and great acting... very touching. And it's the only war movie that I actually cried.

[Ang Mo]

Hi Ben,

Have you watched a Korean film called "Oldboy"? Is it any good? Have you seen a new Chinese Wuxia film called, "The Promise"?

I have seen that War film you mentioned at the store. I will have to rent it and check it out.

[ben]

I haven't seen "Old Boy" yet, actually this the first time I've heard of it. With regards to "The Promise", I actually came accross it twice. Last December and just last weekend, but they were both bootleg copies and the type that are of very poor quality. So I didn't buy it and still haven't watch it.

[Nummie]

I've seen Oldboy and it is truly amazing.. it blows you away and it made me even buy it on DVD recently.