Shoplifters

Eiga Sai 2019

UP Film Institute

This offering from director Hirokazu Kore-eda raked in millions when it opened in Japan, last year. A heartwarming story of a 'family' who shoplift basic necessities like shampoo, food items to tide them over. We soon decipher they are not related by blood but still consider themselves a family. One evening, Osamu (the father) and Shota (young pre-teen son) are heading home after stealing, they spot a young girl of about 5 years old crying on the porch of a house. A chilly night, they take pity on her and bring her home with them where more members are introduced, Nobuyo (the mother), Aki (teenage daughter) and grandmother Hatsue.

Nobuyo works as a presser (irons clothes) in a factory while Osamu is a construction worker. They name the little child Juri and it is established that she lived with abusive parents from the scars on her body. She tends to follow Shota around so he teaches her the tricks of the 'trade'. They all live in Hatsue's house which is tiny and cramped with their things. Hatsue receives a monthly gov't pension while Aki is the granddaughter of Hatsue's husband's second wife. The parents of Aki believe she is studying in Australia even though she ran away from home. They also give Hatsue a certain sum of money because their father was 'stolen' from Hatsue by their mother. 

For me, one of the best parts of the movie is when they learn the police is searching for the missing child. They cut her unruly hair, shoplift a swimwear for her and all go to the beach. The scenes depict a warm, humid spell has hit Tokyo so a train trip to the beach is just what they all need. The change in scenery from their drab house in the suburbs of Tokyo to the sea shore is refreshing. A welcome shift from the travails of their daily lives. The most fun they had before the push turns to shove as things pretty much unravel after that beach outing. 

If the family dynamic was complicated enough, more issues are put to the forefront after Shota is caught by the police for shoplifting. The pace picks up, as the background of each character is revealed while being interrogated by the authorities. It was bound to happen as crime doesn't really pay, no matter how attach we become to these characters. By the end, things are put into their proper order. Each of them back to where they truly belong even though a tinge of sadness is reflected on their faces. 

Kore-eda made us fall in love with his well developed characters, who even though are strangers form a dysfunctional family. We commiserate with them because we know they escaped from a harsher life before they all came together under one roof. Characters who utter "whatever is in a store, doesn't belong to anyone yet" to justify their stealing.

He tackles familial relationships, the social welfare structure in Japan, the corrective justice system, the lives of blue collar workers. Difficult yet relevant issues which can affect any country, but particularly Japan which is known to adhere to strict measures to effectively make it a progressive nation. 

Shoplifters is well crafted with beloved characters interacting in a poignantly realistic plot and it truly deserves the Palme D'or award at the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival, last May 2018.

The Crimes that Bind

Eiga Sai 2019

The Red Carpet @ Shang

This complex crime thriller had numerous side plots which somehow connected to the main story line, that is if you really pay close attention. It starts in the 1960s where a young woman is looking for a job. We follow her story through a fast jump through the years until her death. In 2017, her estranged son, a well known detective is notified of her demise. He has been searching for her for 16 years. His only link to her past life is through a mysterious old man who was her partner for several years. A man who is elusive, and Detective Kaga has been trying to find him since his mother's death.

In a completely unrelated story, the body of a woman is found strangled in a small shack. Days later, the burnt body of a man is found. Could these two murders be related? What is their connection to the detective's late mother? Could the burnt man be the elusive partner of his late mother? Can the detective finally find the answers to his mother's past life? There are many questions which needed answers and some, if not all of these questions are slowly resolved by the conclusion of the film. 

As I mentioned above, one needs to be alertly aware of each subplots so you can completely understand the main issues which the characters face in the various situations. Issues like parental neglect, not losing face, hiding secrets, as well as being true to oneself are coherently tackled. It helps that the pacing of the film is slow so the audience is given the chance to put two and two together to get to the bottom of this crime mystery.

The main characters are well developed and their storied pasts are sometimes shown through several flashback scenes or narrated in the dialogue. These flashbacks are well intertwined, quite flawlessly slip into the present day scenes. I also like how they were able to find closure in their quest for answers. The English subtitles flow by rapidly so you need to read fast. There is probably a lost in translation phase but overall, the plot is easy to understand as its pacing is well stretched out. 

I like the fusion of numerous side plots in movies. It keeps me thinking throughout and it thrills me to no end. I'm usually fast in knowing the who, why, when and how, yet for some reason (perhaps reading subtitles) I was utterly lost in "The Crimes that Bind".  Yet in this instance, it was a good kind of lost, so I'm good.

The Third Murder

Eiga Sai 2019

The Red Carpet @ Shang

The first scene shows a man murdering another man with a hammer, beating him to a pulp then burning the body. This sets the pace for a complex legal thriller filled with mysterious motives, a dubious confession, the looming sentence of a death penalty and several questions to further make it more complicated than it already is.

Misumi confesses to killing his boss and torching his body. Yet his motives for this brutal crime keeps changing and his legal team have a difficult time believing him. Enter Shigemori, a renowned lawyer brought in to help the defense team. Shigemori has a connection with the defendant as he is the son of the judge who convicted Misumi for a previous crime. A crime for which he served 30 years yet is never clearly mentioned what it was about, merely alluded to. Shigemori starts investigating by questioning several witnesses who vouch for the character of Misumi - the quiet yet strange type who keeps to himself.

Shigemori faces a stumbling block when an article in a tabloid narrates an interview with Misumi. He says that the widow of his boss contacted him through email to hire him to kill her husband and he will be paid for it. They would also share the money from the life insurance she will get. Confronting his flippant client, Shigemori probes him for more details. 

Yet another angle surfaces from the close friendship between Misumi and Sakie who is the daughter of his boss. Sakie has a brace around one leg, walks with difficult and  the real reason for her brace is also as doubtful as Misumi's various motives for the crime. Shigemori also discovers that Sakie's father abused her sexually so this presents as another motive for Misumi to kill his boss.

Another masterpiece from noted director Hirokazu Kore-eda whose films usually focus on family relationships and all its complexities. Here, he explores a common factor among the three main male characters - Misumi, Shigemori and the victim. They are all fathers with tangled ties with their daughters. Misumi is estranged from his now grown up daughter mainly to his 30 year prison term. Shigemori is divorced and hardly has any bonding time with his own daughter. A high school age girl who stole from a store, an act for her lawyer father to come to her rescue. The victim, himself who it turns out was preying on his daughter Sakie.

The third murder also has a vital focal point  - the Japanese legal system which still imposes the death penalty for certain gruesome crimes. A major contention was whether Misumi stole his boss' wallet before or after he burned the body. It seems there is a different sentence just from burglary then murder and/or murder than burglary.

The mininalist cinematography consists of snow capped mountains, courtroom scenes, a small town locale and consultations in jail between Misumi and Shigemori. These sessions are separated by a glass window with a small round circle to hear and listen to each other. 

After the verdict was read, Misumi and Shigemori meet again for their last session and their faces are intertwined as seen from the reflections on the glass partition. It is a memorable scene, one showing they might be the one and the same person in more ways than one. In most movies dealing with a legal drama, this segment would be where the defendant would come clean to his lawyer, either admit or deny he committed the crime. But in true form, this film remains as vague as Misumi and as perplexed as Shigemori. Enough said!

Aladdin 2019

Will Smith, Mena Massoud,
Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari

"The Magic Comes to Life"

I really don't remember much about the animation version of Aladdin except for its famous song "A whole new World". So I watched this 2019 edition with fresh eyes. 

Aladdin (Mena Massoud) is a thief who robs people with the help of his pet monkey, Abu. A chance encounter with a young lady will forever change his life for the better. Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) is the daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah. She likes to go out in disguise to see how the citizens live outside of their immense palace. She introduces herself as Dalia, her chambermaid to Aladdin who stole her bracelet. Meanwhile, Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) the grand Vizier to the Sultan 'hires' Aladdin to steal a magic lamp from within a cave with a Lion Head entrance. He intends to use magic lamp + the genie for his nefarious activities within the sultanate.

But with the help of Abu, Aladdin somehow becomes the 'owner' of the magic lamp. Upon rubbing it, the genie in the personification of a blue floating Will Smith comes out of the lamp and tells Aladdin, he can grant three wishes. One of Aladdin's wishes is to be a prince so he can vie for the hand of Princess Jasmine as mandated in the laws of Agrabah. Naturally, a major stumbling presents itself before everyone has a happy fairy tale ending.

Guy Ritchie, the English director known for his action filled British gangster movies helms this Disney retelling of a well loved story. Quite surprising as you really don't expect Ritchie to deviate from his usual style of filmmaking. But I believe he does a good job in making us fall in love again with Aladdin, Princess Jasmine and the witty genie. 

The costumes are bright, colorful and reminiscent of an Arabian nights setting. Some of the songs from the original are back and sang in the same tone so we can easily recognize them. CGI (computer generated imagery) plays a big part in making this visually vibrant and fast paced fantasy movie, a success.

Will Smith as the blue genie is sometimes ridiculous and over the top while other times, he blends well with the other characters. It is good he is a rapper/singer so he can certainly carry a tune. His witty dialogue is well delivered but nothing can totally match Robin Williams as the hilarious genie in the animated version. 

Both Mena and Naomi can sing well enough without any pitch problems. Aladdin is portrayed as a wily thief with self esteem issues, who redeems himself and changes for the better, by the ending. Jasmine has changed from the love struck princess singing cheesy love songs while riding a flying carpet to a feisty,  sassy female character who can easily rule her country, sans qualms. A sympathetic leader who knows what her people want and want what is good for her country, her citizens and her man, Aladdin.

Overall, this 2 hour 8 minutes movie is an entertaining musical, in the sense that they don't sing every 2 minutes which can be quite irritating. For me, it is 3.5 out of 5, worth of popcorn buckets.

Avengers: Endgame

Robert Downey Jr,  Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo,

Scarlett Johansson, Tom Holland, Chris Hemsworth,

Jeremy Renner, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle,
Chadwick Boseman, Brie Larson, Paul Rudd,
Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana

"Avenge the Fallen"

Cinema 4, The Red Carpet @ Shang

My sister is in town so we normally watch movies at the theater. It has to be said that we are not die hard fans of superheroes films yet we are certainly aware of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's characters. I just got home, still all hyped up so I better compose a post when everything is still fresh in my giddy mind. This film being over 3 hours, we decided to have dinner first so our tummies won't grumble while watching this much anticipated finale.

Avenger: Endgame is the last installment in the Infinity saga. We knew which characters did not make it in the previous Avengers: Infinity War. With a single snap of Thanos' (Josh Brolin) fingers, most of them disintegrated into tiny dust particles.

This film takes place in 2023 where the surviving superheroes have gone on with their lives. Taking them into different directions, all of them trying their best to forget (although it is very difficult) the devastation which occurred. An event which affected the whole planet, their loved ones and themselves.

Not wiling to quit, they devised a complex plan to yet again defeat Thanos and for the 'lost' ones to return. It is comprehensive, very tricky and involves time travel but certainly can work, if it is successful. This plan take our remaining superheroes back in time. For them to gather all the stones, right before Thanos got all of them and snapped his fingers.

All of these thrilling time travel adventures comprise about 85% of the entire movie. The rest is focused on the final battle - between Thanos' army and all of the MCU superheroes. A fight scene of all fight scenes - a visual smorgasbord of protagonists versus villains. Each of them using their superpowers to defeat the enemies. Unfortunately, some don't survive while others are bruised and battered.

The final minutes of the movie calms down as goodbyes are expressed and we bid farewell to certain characters. But with the promise of seeing some of these characters yet again in their own stand alone movies for us to better understand how they evolved into the superhero realm.

Even if it is a three hour movie, there is enough drama, comedy, anxiety and excitement to keep us tuned in till the very last minute. A very lovely and enjoyable epic end to a much beloved saga which has entertained us for many years. We also look forward to more superhero movies to amuse us in the coming years.

Dumbo (2019)

Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton,

Danny deVito, Eva Green,
Nico Parker,  Finley Hobbins

"A Beloved Tale will Take you To new Heights"

Judging from the various reviews, most critics gave this film, a negative rating. They had numerous reasons - it was not true to the original Dumbo story line, it had weak characters, too many side plots etc etc etc. 

Me? I usually don't agree with critics. For many a films, I always found myself on the opposite side of the critics when it comes to liking or disliking a movie. Strange yet, it has happened more than once, in fact, too many times to mention.

First of all, the original and classic Dumbo was released in 1941 in an animation form or as it was known during that era, as a cartoon. It lasted merely an hour and Dumbo only flew in the ending of the cartoon. On these premises alone, naturally this 2019 offering will be entirely different but it still retained some semblance to its original plot.

Set in 1919, war veteran Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns to the Medici Brothers' Circus where he used to be an equestrian. But the Circus is having financial problems so Max Medici (Danny DeVito) had to sell the horses to stay afloat. 

Mrs Jumbo, a giant elephant gives birth to a calf with big ears. Holt's kids, Joe and Milly discover the baby elephant can fly by flapping its ears. Soon after, Mrs Jumbo is sold after it went on a rampage due to the bullying of its offspring. 

The baby elephant becomes part of the Circus show. During a mishap in one performance, it accidentally flies in front of the entire audience. Thus it was named Dumbo, when it was jeered and pelleted with peanuts. News of a flying elephant soon reaches V.A Vandevere (Michael Keaton), the owner of Dreamland. 

He offers a collaboration with Max Medici, they would be partners and the Circus troupe can perform at Dreamland. Vandevere insists that Dumbo should perform with trapeze artist, Colette (Eva Green), his main attraction at the amusement park. In short, many things occur at Dreamland - Dumbo flying with Colette, a damaging fire and the bittersweet reunion of Dumbo with his mother.

The costume design is colorful and vibrant. Director Tim Burton, whom I know as a director of quirky movies, did a good job in making us fall in love with Dumbo. For the most part, being a Tim Burton movie it wasn't eccentric enough, if you know what I mean. Yet again, I guess a flying baby elephant is indeed unconventional. Dumbo is so cute, adorable and has mad flying skills!

Yes, there were one too many side plots to distract you from the essence of the film. The cast composed of credible actors did well given they had to act with a computer generated flying baby elephant. I like to say, the last few minutes of the conclusion was a clever twist. One would not expect such a premise from a movie about a circus, whose main draw are the animals. I'd say, it was politically correct and so appropriate for 2019!

Hotel Mumbai

Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, 

Jason Isaacs, Anupam Kher,

Nazanin Boniadi

"November 26, 2008
Terror Struck the Heart of India"

Cinema 11, SM Megamall

Any movie based on true events can be disturbing to watch, especially if these events involve terrorism, violence and the lost of innocent lives. "Hotel Mumbai" deals with the siege of the prominent Taj Hotel by a group of terrorists in Mumbai, India. Even if this horrific incident happened over 10 years ago, the anguish for those who lost loved ones as well as some survivors is still very raw.

In the beginning, we see the young men who carried out the attack, arriving in Mumbai on rubber boats. They disperse to different places where they will simultaneously unleash their evil plan. Then, we shift to the grand hotel where the staff is busy as guests begin arriving for their stay.

We are introduced to some characters like head chef, Oberoi (Anupam Kerr), a young waiter Arjun (Dev Patel), David (Armie Hammer) an American guest who arrives with his wealthy Indian wife Zahra (Nazanin Boniadi), their foreign nanny and their little baby. You also have a dubious Russian operative named Vasili (Jason Isaacs) as well as the rest of the hotel staff.

I believe the intent to cast some known actors as some of the characters is for us, the audience to get invested with them. The little background or information, we get about them, doesn't really matter because we know these character are based on actual people who became victims of this brutality.

There are also some scenes focused on the attackers. Young men whose orders are given by someone known as the Bull. Just a voice over their cellphones barking his commands, preaching to them, reaping them praises for the terrible acts they were about to commit and were committing.

I remember with clarity a specific scene. One of the terrorists is wounded, panicking and questioning his faith, yet the Bull prods him on. It clearly shows the vulnerability of these young men who were brainwashed, how susceptible they were. Easily influenced by a higher authority, believing their vicious acts are for the greater good. 

Of course, I am not condoning violence, their acts are inconceivable and quite barbaric. What I am trying to say is that this movie did a good job in projecting the different perspectives in this narrative. From the points of view of the terrified hotel staff, the hapless guests to these young men who perhaps didn't know any better but still chose to carry out these assaults.

It is very disturbing to see scenes of violence on screen, but it was necessary to show them. "Hotel Mumbai" was a tale which needed to be told. It didn't glorify these terrorists. More than anything it was a well crafted tribute to the victims, and the survivors - in the hope that they didn't die in vain and that this type of terrorism won't ever happen again, anywhere in the world.

Captain Marvel

Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Lashana Lynch,

Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Annette Bening

"Discover what Makes a (Her)o"

Cinema 4,  the Red Carpet @ Shang

I should say right out that I am not a fan of superhero movies. Fan as in knowing all the backstory of each Avenger, knowing the sequence of the movies of each superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (because there is an order when they were released) and being totally invested to the point of lining up hours before the movie is shown at the local cinemas. 

Having said that, I know enough about each of the Avengers because I would leave the TV on in the movies channel, and more often than not a superhero film would be on - "Guardians of the Galaxy 2", "Iron Man", "Black Panther", "Captain America". We were in a mood to watch and picked "Captain Marvel" because the others did not pique our interest. 

The first few minutes show us Brie Larson as Vers, a Kree warrior who is haunted by nightmares. Flashes of scenes that don't really make sense to her. During one of their battles with their shapeshifting enemies known as the Skrulls, she falls on planet Earth. She crashes on the roof of a Blockbuster video store. Soon enough, we discover she is in Los Angeles during the 1990s. Her name is Carol Danvers and is a training pilot in the Air Force. With the help of her friend, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch) who is also a pilot, agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) of S.H.I.E.L.D and a witty Skrull leader named Talos - she sets to rediscover who she really is, why she returned to Earth and what is her purpose in the grand scheme of superheroes.

This two hour long film has action packed sequences, a dry sense of humor in its dialogue mostly courtesy of Nick Fury and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn). It retains its 1990s vibe by featuring a soundtrack from artists famous during that era and also through its surroundings like having her land on a Blockbuster video store.

Now I want to focus on Brie Larson's acting as Carol Danvers. She was stoic, to the point of being arrogant and mostly managed just one facial expression throughout the entire film. I, first saw her in the dramatic movie "Room" for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2016. She was excellent there, very emotional and compassionate. So I don't really get the manner she portrayed Vers/ Carol Danvers in "Captain Marvel". Sure, I am all for having an empowered female superhero in the name of the feminist movement yet did she have to be so void of emotions? 

In fact, speaking of another female superhero, Diane Prince aka Wonder Woman, she was also a warrior and a princess at that! She was well portrayed by Gal Gadot, with several emotions amidst all her struggles as "Wonder Woman". 

Now going back to "Captain Marvel", the film provides a good background with a believable plot on how Carol Danvers turned into Captain Mar-vel. It also gave us a teaser on the part she would play in the last installment of the much awaited Avengers movie. Overall, aside from my issues with Brie Larson's acting, this movie is a 3 buckets of popcorn worthy entertainment.

A Private War

Rosamund Pike, Jaime Dornan,

Tom Hollander

"The most Powerful Weapon is the Truth"

War correspondents are brave individuals who enter into dangerous, war raging places to give us news stories straight from the battle scenes. Risking everything even their lives to show us the horrors of war. Raw, disturbing images/videos of the brutality which despots inflict on their citizens, ruining their countries for ages.

Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) was a fearless Foreign Affairs correspondent for the Sunday Times. She reported from war torn areas to show us what it was really like, to give the disenfranchised, a voice. She was dedicated to her career even losing an eye when she was hit by a grenade while covering the civil war in Sri Lanka. But this setback did not deter her, even donning an eye patch while on coverage in different combat zones, all over the world.

But all that bravery came to an end in 2012 in Homs, Syria. Relentless bombing rocked the Syrian city, she perished when the building they (along with her photographer Paul Conroy, who survived) were in was hit by a bomb blast. It has been reported that the Syrian army specifically targeted her because she kept reporting about the brutality during the Arab Spring.

The movie is filled with war zones scenes as well as 'quieter' moments where Colvin is recovering from her injury. It also shows her being haunted with nightmares as she was suffering from PTSD. 

Rosamund Pike is brilliant in her characterization of the larger than life correspondent. From her physical appearance (wavy blond hair, black eye patch) to her inner turmoil, witnessing all these traumatic war experiences. These are manifested by her, being a heavy drinker, chain smoking and also having tempestuous relationships. 

"A Private War" provides a glimpse into the work and life of an interesting, colorful and very brave soul named Marie Colvin. She provided a voice for the numerous hapless victims of conflicts. Excellent acting by Rosamund Pike is the only saving grace for this average movie.

A Star Is Born

Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga

Sam Elliot, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle

This is the fourth version of this iconic film and I haven't seen the other three movies. But the gifted Bradley Cooper directs and stars in this "musician meets unharnessed yet talented songwriter and turns her into a rising star" saga, so I was game! 

After a tiring show, crooner Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) enters a bar to drink his fatigue and troubles away. He comes across a struggling singer Ally (Lady Gaga) who performs there after her job as a waitress is over. He is impressed with her talent and soon invites her to join him in his numerous gigs. Naturally, they fall in love amidst all the fame, his alcoholism and all the intrigues that hound a powerful music couple.

Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Jack as a vulnerable singer with a drinking problem, as his way of coping with his declining fame is a very convincing and heartfelt performance. It was difficult to watch so he did a great job in showcasing his character's flaws and struggles.

First of all, I had no idea he could sing, I like his rich, deep singing voice. I read he had extensive training with a voice coach and he also learned to play the guitar. His voice blended well with Lady Gaga's solid tone in their duets. 

In fact, they exuded so much chemistry on screen, people actually believed they were a couple in real life. Never mind, that Bradley Cooper was with model Irina Shayk with whom he has a daughter, during the filming of the movie. But now, they have already called it quits yet I don't believe Lady Gaga is the third party. Well okay, I will stop gossiping and speculating. LOL

Lady Gaga as Ally in her first full length movie did have some awkward moments. Her lack in acting skills was fortunately masked by her very soulful voice. She has a great tone and most of her songs (as Lady Gaga not Ally) are now anthems for several people who credit her as their inspiration.

The fourth edition of "A Star is Born" steered by Bradley Cooper is a good offering with a brilliant soundtrack. It tackles the trappings of fame, the effects of alcoholism within a believable plot and well performed by its main leads who really sang everything, live.