Short Cuts - 18 August

Filmbrain has been in widescreen heaven lately. He finally took the plunge and entered the 16:9 plasma world, and couldn't be happier. Finally, all those anamorphic DVDs he owns can now be enjoyed as they were intended to be. It's been pure bliss -- films like Turning Gate, Lawrence of Arabia, and Contempt have never looked better. Paulie Walnuts said it best: "These flat screens, I tell ya. No glare. High definition. I was watching On the Waterfront down Sears. Karl Malden's nose hairs, they looked like fuckin' BX cable." Now it's off to watch In the Mood For Love again for the first time.

"In hard-boiled fiction by Chandler, Hammet, Mcvaine, and Hemingway, there clearly exists a kind of realism. When a homicide cop commented 'To me, summer is just a season when dead bodies rot faster; no more, no less,' he described a new genre that translates hard-boiled novels into films. When these films became comparatively less realistic for the sake of emphasizing the visual aspect, I was quite discontent. Adding cool finishing touches was just not me. Regardless of whether people agree with me or not, I believe that Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance contains a small amount of realism. It is, of course, the reality of one who considers the world a barren desert. A desert is originally a dry, cold place that is unfair, obscure, and totally unpredictable." Fascinating words from director Park Chan-wook. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance opens in New York and Los Angeles today. Ignore those that clearly didn't get it and check it out for yourself...Filmbrain would love to hear your thoughts.

Fans of Bruno Dumont (L'humanité, Twentynine Palms) will be pleased to read this article from Le Monde (in French) about his latest film, Flanders. From Filmbrain's lousy translation: The film is divided into three parts. An atmospheric prologue: existential languor and amorous rivalry between young people from the north of France. It becomes a film of war: the boys depart for an unidentified Eastern front and are plunged into the horrors of inhumanity. An epilogue: a survivor returns to his country, transformed by the abjection and tragic confrontation with his fiancée. Flanders is set to premiere either at the Berlin Film Festival in February or at Cannes in May. Will no doubt be one of the highlights of 2006.

The big news from the film-blogosphere this week was the launch of Cinephiliac, the blog of film critic (and three-time Filmbrain Screen Capture Quiz winner) Aaron Hillis. Writing about whatever he damn well pleases (as opposed to his professional role of protecting us from evil), his first two offerings are impressive looks at Brian De Palma's 1978 telekinetic melodrama, The Fury and Kusturica's far-too-neglected Arizona Dream. As he states in his introductory post, he encourages "even your crankiest of opinions", so do drop by and give him your two cents (as Filmbrain did). As an added bonus, there's a free MP3 each week, and his premiere offering is Holly Golightly's There is an End, from the Broken Flowers soundtrack. Oh...be sure not to miss Bruno Ganz's glowing wings....perhaps the greatest image rollover ever.

On a somewhat related note, the Blogs of Distinction list on the right has been updated with a handful of film blogs that have become part of Filmbrain's daily diet -- Flickhead, Girish, The Face Knife, Tribe's Movie Talk, 24 Lies Per Second, Reversing the Gaze, Strictly Film School, Motion Picture, It's Called, Looker, and The Dark of the Matinée. Click away...but make sure you have a lot of time to spare.

Comments

[Peter Nellhaus]

My significant other talked me into getting a 60 inch DLP Sony. I was overwhelmed by the size of the set once I got it home, but appreciate it for seeing wide screen films and having an easier time reading subtitles. I have it hooked up to a Bose system. Even with a film I've seen several times before, The Maltese Falcon (Huston), I was caught stuff that I hadn't noticed before.

[Tribe]

Good deal about the widescreen. Once you've been using you wonder how ya ever got along without it.

[Sal C.]

I am curious if you will find yourself going out to the movies less now that you've upgraded your TV set up. Since I bought my widescreen Hi-Def set and upgraded my home theater receiver I find it more and more difficult to pay $11 to sit in a dirty theater watching an 8' x 6' screen while trying to ignore the couple on an obvious first date making awkward small talk throughout the film.
But maybe that's just me. Keep us posted!

[Looker]

It's an honor to be anointed, your majesty. I thank thee.

[Filmbrain]

I don't know if the plasma will result in reduced theater-going -- we'll see. I do know that if it's a choice between the Quad or the Lincoln Plaza and home -- home will win.

Tribe -- thanks for all the info you sent me regarding the TV. It was a big help.

[Aaron Hillis]

You're too good to me, Filmbrain, many gracias.
How do I make a blushing emoticon on here?

[Michael]

Whoa. Plasma screen. Too cool. Congrats.

[dvd]

Thank you, too, for the link. And for making me feel guilty about my nearly ten-year-old 36 inch vacuum cleaner of a television!

[la_depressionada]

loved looking at looker kid.

[Flickhead]

Upon thanking the Academy for his new position on the hallowed sleeve of Anna Karina's sweater, Flickhead paid long overdue homage to Sally Field, blurting out, "You like me! You really like me!!"

Thanx, Brain!

[Nino]

Alright, I'll bite on this. I can understand some of the reactions to Sympathy, but even as a viewer with an appreciation of Park's work past the abortive criticisms tossed off at that film, I struggled to take something out of Sympathy.

Of course it's best to skip past the easy Tarantino comparisons that seem to pop up in many reviews of it, but it's still hard for me to see what Park is getting at.

[Campaspe]

DVD: I think we have the same television set. Every time we discuss replacing it, I become terrified at the range of choices and flee the electronics store.

Filmbrain: I believe you when you say Park's film is worthwhile, but an autopsy on a child doesn't sound like something I could sit through. Having children has made me (and some other film freak friends) a wimp when it comes to story lines like that. Perhaps I will try Oldboy instead.

[Missy]

I'm a wimp and and I'm more affected by sound than visual imagery, but I must have acquired some steely reserve with Park. (Incidentally, I started feeling a little queasy during the shots of the step-climbing to the organ peddler--visually, he captured a sense of vertigo without any flourishes.) Oldboy wasn't as horrific as I'd actually hoped it would be (for lack of a better term, "slick" is what I'd call it). Sympathy, unfortunately, took too long to develop for me. Things didn't get moving until 1 hour in and by then I was frozen from the Angelika theater's temperature, which was set at about 1.

I do like the revenge on top of revenge angle that Park enjoys, in ways that I can't quite put into words, and I think it's important to note that he doesn't come off as sadistic towards the audience. That counts for something. Yet, it's hard for me to feel any sympathy (ha) towards Park's characters.

Then again, I was thinking on the way home that I don't dislike Park and that maybe his films are a good segue for me into appreciation of the Western, one of my long-ignored genres.

[Jon]

Just curious Filmbrain, what brand and model TV did you get?

[Filmbrain]

It's the Panasonic TH-37PWD7UY.

[phyrephox]

Shoot, I saw and only kinda liked (C+) Sympathy back when it got an Asian dvd release, but now with a NYC theatrical it looks like I'll have to sit through it again and give it a proper review. I certainly liked it better than Oldboy, but I think I agreed with Ed Gonzalez mostly, that the political criticism is weak.

[nkw88]

Hmm, Sympathy for mr. Vengeance to Old Boy is what Choson white porcelain to Koyro celadon porcelain.
Former one is rather minimalistic and simple while latter is decorative and ornate.
class struggle and inequality is implied rather than explained in this film.
One of the great achievement in this film is Bae Du-Na's character, Young-Mi.
Young-Mi is an unallied political activist who just write some poltical propaganda refleat and
spread by herself.
She is not so sexy or attractive as other femme fatales in other film noirs
but her tongue is still as poisonous as Lady Macbeth's.
About political criticism, it is hard to judege whether it is weak or not without the knowledge of
Korean politics.
The name of the underground political activists in this film
is reminder of SANOMAENG, A League of Socialist Workers, a legendary Volsheviki-type
underground activist in 80s and 90s Korea.

[fission mailed!!!!]

Having lived in Seoul for a couple of years, I've built something fairly akin to a database on Korean film. And even an approximate preference order!

The very good:

****
OLDBOY

***1/2
OASIS
MEMENTO MORI
CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST
NO COMMENT
SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER…AND SPRING
ROAD MOVIE
PUBLIC ENEMY
A FAMILY
THE SCARLET LETTER
THIS CHARMING GIRL
KICK THE MOON

The good:

***
SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE
FAILAN
A TALE OF TWO SISTERS
MEMORIES OF MURDER
MY SASSY GIRL
SAMARIA
3-IRON
ARAHAN
GREEN FISH
THE WAY HOME
MY WIFE IS A GANGSTER
IL MARE
A GOOD LAWYER'S WIFE
CRYING FIST
A BITTERSWEET LIFE
MY BEAUTIFUL GIRL, MARI
THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG
MUSA
LOVER'S CONCERTO
THE CHAMPION
TAKE CARE OF MY CAT
GUNS AND TALKS
MY BROTHER

The bad:

**1/2
THE BIG SWINDLE
ASAKO IN RUBY SHOES
RAGING YEARS
JEALOUSY IS MY MIDDLE NAME
NO MANNERS
PLEASE TEACH ME ENGLISH
FRIEND
RULES OF DATING
GREEN CHAIR
WONDERFUL DAYS
SAVE THE GREEN PLANET!
MY WIFE IS A GANGSTER 2
TURNING GATE
BLOOD RAIN
VOLCANO HIGH
TELL ME SOMETHING
ROMANTIC COMEDY
CRAZY MARRIAGE
SORUM
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL
SPIDER FOREST
MY LITTLE BRIDE
YMCA BASEBALL TEAM
2424
HI, DHARMA
JOINT SECURITY AREA
THE UNINVITED
NATURAL CITY
PHONE

And the fugly:

**
WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN
THE CLASSIC
LOVELY RIVALS
A TALE OF CINEMA
THE ISLE
ARDOR
MAPADO
ANOTHER PUBLIC ENEMY
ADDICTED
…ING
ACACIA
JAIL BREAKERS
MAKE IT BIG
SEX IS ZERO
S DIARY
ATTACK THE GAS STATION
SOME
SOMEONE SPECIAL
MY BOSS, MY HERO
OH LA LA SISTERS
NO BLOOD NO TEARS
JUNGLE JUICE
SO CUTE
H
LAST WITNESS

*1/2
SHIRI
BAD GUY
TAEKWON GIRL
SILMIDO
BUNSHINSABA
WINDSTRUCK
SURPRISE

*
MARRYING THE MAFIA
THE COAST GUARD
100 DAYS WITH MR. ARROGANT
ADDRESS UNKNOWN
SAVING MY HUBBY

I still can't quite figure that D'Angelo out. Sang-soo just sucks. I'm sorry, dissenters, but so far, his oeuvre's been pretty worthless. Or is that hors d'oeuvres?

And what the hell is Chan-wook's Oldboy not doing in his best of '03? It's certainly a lot more invigorating and entertaining a yarn than say IRREVERSIBLE, a technically proficient exercise in extreme violence, but so was BLOODY SUNDAY, and likewise it's nothing more than that.

Or RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, which did little more than prove 1) tiresome grandparently figures have more than overstayed their cinematic welcome; 2) Victor Rasuk is NOT a very good actor or appealing newcomer, let alone Min-sik Choi, period; and 3) had the film been savvy enough to redirect its humble focus on the J-Lo lookalike instead of killing time with all the lame silence it did - think RAISING JUDY MARTE - it would probably have been infinitely better. As is, zzzzzzzz........