Category Archives: 3.0

3.0, Europe, United States/Canada

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2007 / David Yates > I’m not a Harry Potter fanatic by any stretch of the imagination (i.e., I haven’t read the books), so I find watching these films an idle form of entertainment. In such, it’s hard for me to get riled up over them without understanding their long, literate histories (unlike my child-like giddiness towards Transformers). With Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I do feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of the meat by not having read the books (and not refreshing my memories of the last four), but I did come out of the theatre feeling quite comfortable about Yates taking Harry into maturity.

The darkened atmosphere surrounding Harry is quite welcoming to the sense of the world’s impending battle between good and evil. Dolores Umbridge as well as Luna Lovegood add some fresh spices to the character pool, an act that Cho Chang (and that sad, pathetic kiss) absolutely fails at. Fundamentally, it’s not always even or even coherent to us non-readers, and admittedly I did feel by the end that not much had happened. Retrospectively, however, it can be noted that many of the simple events that occur during the film are indeed rather significant in the battle against He Who Must Not Be Named. For that, I would’ve actually liked the film to have been longer, with more depth.

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3.0, Europe

The Patriots

1994 / Eric Rochant > Never saw this one coming: An intelligent spy film that takes the personal aspect of Munich and turns it up a notch. Les Patriotes is less about the methods of espionage but more about human after effects. The ruthlessness and selflessness it takes for one to produce in the field is displayed poignantly in a well-paced effort by Rochant. It has some hiccups, especially with somewhat weak and often stereotypical American acting, but generally stays on point in opening up the world of Mossad to the viewer. A worthy find for those who are fans of the genre, but it may also bore those looking for spy/action films.

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3.0, Japan

Paprika

2006 / Satoshi Kon > Maybe the shine of pseudo-existential anime is new to America, but this has been done before (notably in Ghost in the Shell and Akira, but most recently in Satoshi’s own Paranoia Agent). For all its beauty, I can’t help but think that Paprika falls short in actually showing us something new. And because of that, I also can’t really justify the complexity of the storyline and obtuseness of the conclusion. In Satoshi’s oeuvre, Tokyo Godfathers still reigns supreme in my book.

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3.0, Hong Kong/China

Happy Together

1997 / Wong Kar-Wai > Undeniably my least favorite Wong Kar-Wai film, but not because of the obvious subject matter: The problem was that it felt too easy. When you have a character like Ho Po-wing—that bastard significant other who’s selfish but somehow always comes back to haunt you—it becomes an easy to use conflict creator that tires quickly. It lacks the imagination of Chungking Express and the subtlety of In the Mood for Love, but saves itself by retaining the visuals and music that are so pertinent to Wong’s oeuvre.

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3.0, Korea

I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK

New York Asian Film Festival2006 / Park Chan-wook > It definitely has Park’s touch, biting off the color palette and quirkiness that pervades Jeunet’s films. But ultimately, it isn’t nearly as enjoyable as Oldboy or Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, and falls at the bottom of the feature film list in his catalogue. Nonetheless, it’s worth a watch to witness the director’s range (although his vignette in If You Were Me is far more impressing on that front), and moreover, a delight to see Im Su-jeong mature and Rain perform better than anyone would have expected from a singer-turned-actor.

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3.0, Korea

200 Pounds Beauty

2006 / Kim Yong-hwa > If you can ignore the horrible international title for the film, 200 Pounds Beauty is quite a bit easier to digest. Part social commentary on plastic surgery and part romantic comedy, its script tries to be a little more innovative than typical fair. But while it doesn’t completely succeed, it does have its share of moments that make you cheer. Kim Ah-joong, making her starring debut, is fresh, exciting and beautiful (although lacking the spunk that made her so memorable in When Romance Meets Destiny). Most impressively, she did her own vocals in the film even without any past experience. Ultimately, it’s a fun time, though I wouldn’t expect it to change anyone’s outlook on life.

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3.0, United States/Canada

300

2007 / Zack Snyder > One thing is undeniable: The film is visually stunning with visceral battle scenes that generally satisfy. However, the faithfulness to Frank Miller’s original work keeps 300 from becoming a cinema classic. There are awkward, boring moments of long narration, seemingly infinite slow-motion sequences and not enough liberty taken to adjust and adapt to the different medium. The screenplay felt weak, with a storyline that tried to be a foundation for the action but instead just felt like a distraction to the meat. It has its moments—notably, the oracle and her mystical movements—and it may just have given birth to another generation of comic book films, but ultimately 300 is a film of enjoyable superficiality that should have been 20 minutes shorter.

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3.0, United States/Canada

Zodiac

2007 / David Fincher > Maybe it’s because of my high expectations for Fincher, but the man’s crafting of this solid, methodical work is lacking the underlying charisma that drove Fight Club and Seven into the annals of film history. Moreover, compared to Bong Joon-Ho’s Memories of Murder, Zodiac’s absence of heart tugs on the length of the film, which clocks in at nearly three hours. When you know there’s no payoff (as both cases still remain unsolved), it’s harder to keep from twiddling in your seat. Fincher’s attempt at losing the gimmicks that some would say have plagued his previous films is successful for the most part: By the end, I felt satisfied, but in retrospect there wasn’t enough to make this nearly as memorable as his previous ventures.

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3.0, United States/Canada

The Prestige

2006 / Christopher Nolan > There’s really no other way to put it: This was a well-crafted film that I just couldn’t enjoy as much as I should have. It’s intricate and one can garner a lot of satisfaction dissecting each thread from beginning to end, but I personally couldn’t be motivated to care beyond the broad level. Coming from a person who finds Memento to be one of the most overrated films in history, one might think that I just have it in for Nolan—but I did enjoy Batman Begins and even found Insomnia to be fairly solid. Maybe the fact that Scarlett Johansson just can’t act was an issue, or maybe I just can’t get over the fact that Nolan’s knack for complicating matters just drives me insane. Alright, it’s probably the latter. At least The Dark Knight looks promising.

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3.0, United States/Canada

The Last Kiss

2006 / Tony Goldwyn > It’s nowhere near as bad as I expected (which was, essentially, a cross between Garden State and Crash). It’s definitely a film where personal identification makes or breaks one’s opinion. It’s made for people in certain stages in their lives, especially those in longer-term relationships who question and wonder the long-term viability of these lives. The Last Kiss, surprisingly, does little to answer those questions, which is preferable as not to seem pedantic and righteous. In the sector of emotional resonance, though, it comes nowhere near Nichols’ Closer, which further perfected the art of heartbreaks. Nonetheless, the supporting stories here are relevant and of interest, and Rachel Bilson’s film-debut is full of appreciative spunk.

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