MrLunatic

Wai dor lei ah yat ho (2010)

Crazy...

One of the few times that a "slasher film" actually made sense. Story has a base and you understand (almost) everything. I also like that there is (seemingly) no supernatural elements. This can be my favorite of this genre.

I still don't know how was that girl able to get up and attack someone with a stake in her throat though.

Chung Hing sam lam (1994)

Chungking Express

Chungking Express is a story that is soft but definitely not weak. Wong Kar-wai shows you everything so clear that you can easily empathize with all characters, explore and understand their emotional state and their longing for happiness. Hong Kong is represented as an ordinary place where people like you and me live their lives, rather than a Triad warfare or a kung fu arena. You take a break from the ''tough cop'' cliche and you witness the daily lives of two police officers doing their shifts without chasing serial killers or involving in shootouts all the time.

That feels natural.

Probably because the environment resembles a certain place in the city I live where I'm constantly present at. Similar buildings, similar lighting at nighttime and equally crowded. This made it easier for me to engage with the story.

I've watched this film in a time where I was only watching films with unusual themes and stories. Action-adventures, sci-fi and horror films on so on. While these genres are hard to make (at least in the right way), I believe turning such a simple story into an impactful cinematic ride requires great ingenuity. It would be safe to say that Chungking Express will capture you whether with its fluency, aesthetics, music or all of those combined. At least this is my hope.

Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)

Spirited Away

Probably the only film that applies to everyone. A fairy tale that is entertaining for children and soothing for adults. Not everything makes whole lot of sense but it doesn't need to anyway.

Gongdong gyeongbi guyeok JSA (2000)

JSA

My knowledge about the North Korea/South Korea conflict is embarrassingly inadequate. So I cannot talk about the situation solely based on this film or I cannot make an arguement on if this film is realistic about the situation or not.

But also, this film gives a general idea about it. In essence, film shows you how the conflict between two governments hurts their people and the tension among the militaries of both countries. Done in the most Park Chan-wook-ian way possible.

All I can say is that I am very happy that you did not end up in jail, Mr. Park.

Bakjwi (2009)

Thirst

Mr. Park's first "erotic thriller" before The Handmaiden, Thirst is a both stylish and down-to-earth take on the vampire genre...

...and scissors, of course.

Obviously not for everyone. In fact I don't think Mr. Park has ever done something which speaks to everyone.

Also on side note, it is no secret that films with supernatural themes are not my absolute favorites.

But when you ground supernatural elements in a realistic setting (unlike Twilight), it works well. If the traditional vampire stereotype were to be real, I think that's how they would behave. Representing the proper human behavior, Sang-hyeon understands that the power they have must be controlled carefully, and sometimes even restrained. Even though sometimes he falls for his instincts too. While Tae-ju acts like a greedy, mad dog pampered by what she has become, but her behavior is also understandable due to the way she were treated daily before.

Themes of faith crisis and dehumanization also appear. These aren't exactly new but they manage to enrich the story.

I don't think I can analyze the whole script but the character study is strong, and I believe the story speaks for itself. Just to let you know, you won't see so much action.

I can also recommend this as a date movie with your psycho girlfriend/boyfriend.

Blade Runner (1982)

Rutger Hauer Saves the Day (1982)

I've expected to love it but only elements that saved the film for me was the nicely presented dystopian atmosphere, Rutger Hauer's performance and the film's essence. Other than that, it was just filled with errors and cliches.

• Tyrell Corporation certainly must have the records/profiles of the replicants they have produced (it is a much bigger plot hole if they don't, as they are the biggest company on Earth). Records which include their names, faces etc. Bryant seems to have those files, as he mentions it to Deckard, knowing even their production purposes (Leon being the ''ammunition loader on intergalactic runs'', Pris being the pleasure bot, etc.). They could have just utilized them, there would be no need for the Voight-Kampff test at all.

• We have a world which classic sci-fi stuff like off-world colonies, flying cars and surprisingly ''intergalactic'' travel exists, yet people don't have air conditioners so use cheap ventilators in their offices. This may seem like a small problem with creativity, but there is something bigger:

Intergalactic means between galaxies, closest galaxy to ours is Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, which is 25,000 light years from our Solar System (so even if you move at the speed of light, it would take 25,000 years to reach there). In order to reach CMDG, you must either have space ships traveling way faster than the speed of light or some technology to warp the space-time (a kind of a cosmic shortcut). No matter which one they have, a society that is advanced enough to travel between galaxies would not be in a poor situation such as the one depicted in Blade Runner.

• Replicants, humanoid robots who are able to feel emotion and they live only four years but we don't get even a fictional explanation of how. To have emotions, their neurological structure must be extremely similar to humans, but then you cannot implement any memories. Deckard is a former blade runner and he was the best of them, according to Bryant. Yet, he seems very surprised when he sees the profile of a replicant on the computer screen, he even feels the need to ask ''What's this?'' (at least he could wait for two seconds until Bryant explains it, right?)

• City is presented as a large and overpopulated urban area, so the police force must be equally large in order to preserve order. But when one blade runner gets injured, they pull a former one out of retirement. This indicates that police force is critically insufficient.

• One of the replicants, Leon, is said to be able to lift ''400-pound atomic loads'' but when he confronts our tough cop he decides to pass the time with soft slapping him around instead of just finishing him (so Rachel can show up just in time and save Deckard & they can have romantic moments...)

• It is also very interesting that Rachael doesn't know that she is a replicant, despite these robots have superhuman strength and agility. Have she never tried to lift something heavy or catch something quickly in her life before? If you're going to say that she wasn't designed for missions requiring physical strength, explain me this: why does Pris, a replicant designed for ''pleasure'', has super strength/agility (enough to defeat Deckard, an experienced blade runner, in unarmed combat)?

• Why does Sebastian, a genetic engineer for the biggest company in the world, live in a jerry-built apartment out of electricity? I see no reason for the lights being out all the time in the movie, other than the desperation to make the atmosphere ''darker''.

• Tyrell is wanted by his creations (they killed 20 people and coming after him) so he is supposed to be cautious about his security but somehow there is nothing in the name of security around where he lives (not even a camera in the elevator) and Roy easily gets to his bedroom (Tyrell never panics, presses any emergency button or calls for help by the way) and gouges his eyes, because Tyrell acts like this creature who he limited his life span to four years is his best friend in the world.

• Roy can break bricks with his head but screams in pain when he pierces his hand with a nail...

• Question that how does Roy know Deckard's name is still unanswered.

• Only reason that Roy's death was brought two months forward was to have a dramatic ending.

All right. I don't mean to offend anyone who is a fan of this film, in fact I think Blade Runner could be awesome. I kind of still like it with its flaws. However, I cannot just ignore everything, jump on the fan vagon and claim this is a ''masterpiece''. For me, this is no different than a B-movie you would only watch to have some fun. I know I only pointed out the negative aspects but that's because of the intense hype this film gets. As for the good parts, the atmosphere, action and acting is quite remarkable (mostly because of Rutger Hauer). It is also clear that this film has a historical importance and influence on many films after itself, unfortunately I do not consider this a justification.

Shinjuku kuroshakai: Chaina mafia sensô (1995)

Pretty good Japanese gangster film.

When I heard about Takashi Miike I thougt he was like Quentin Tarantino of Japan. Well, after this movie I realized he's more than that & these two directors are completely different. Also, if we consider some other movies by Miike, I don't think Tarantino could go that far about taboo subjects.

Movie: Tatsuhito Kiriya, a Japanese cop with Chinese descent trying to take care of his old parents while trying to either catch or eliminate a triad boss who's running the organ trafficking business and Kiriya also wants to keep his younger brother Yoshihito (who is a lawyer working for that gang's legal department) away from the underworld.

Now, this movie is definitely not for everyone. Violence and sexuality plays a big role and movie never shies away from using bizzare images, which can be uncomfortable to watch sometimes. Even the main character who supposed to represent the ''goodness'' isn't that much of a good person. In fact, there isn't a ''good guy'' in this film. It's about bad guys vs. worse guys, guns, beating and stuff. You shouldn't overthink it.

Note: Even though this movie is often mentioned as a Yakuza film, it's mostly about a Chinese triad.

.

8/10

Oldeuboi (2003)

Well I didn't see that coming... (the twist)

''In our lives, we have good things and bad things, happiness and pain. Life is full of pain and happiness and that's what I wanted to show.'' - Park Chan-wook

I was reluctant to write a review on this one, mainly because I don't know what can I say about this film that hasn't been already said.

I can write about the story, best to describe it as the groundbreaking revenge tale with a genius twist and ending, but it has already been mentioned by many people on here. What you see is the story of Dae-su, who has lost everything he had, deprived of his freedom for fifteen years and naturally wants revenge against whoever is responsible for everything he went through. On the other hand you see the ''bad guy'' behind the Dae-su's imprisonment, another complex character who has his own understandable reasons for what he did. And we have a girl caught in the middle of the pandemonium. While everyone thinks that this film is about the twist, I can assure you there is way more than that. Everything about the story does make sense, and without any plot holes (which is a huge plus).

I can write about the stylish camerawork done in the most Park Chan-wook way possible, but that has also been mentioned. The smooth and colorful cinetography that makes you feel every second of it like you are there inside the film, surreal sequences to explore the emotional states of certain characters and action direction which plays a rather small but important part. Hallway scene might be getting all the praise but for me every single frame in this film is equally dazzling.

I can also write about the soundtrack, Cho Young-wuk's emotion filled compositions in full synchronization with the moods of their scenes and so on...

Analyzing each and every second of every minute, only conclusion I can reach is that everything about Oldboy is both sturdy and elegant, and totally worthy of applause. Despite knowing all there is to know about this film, I can watch it over and over again, it never gets boring. I can use all the fancy words I know to glamorize this film but my words will be just another pack of praise words among a million others, and that is a good thing. Being ''just another guy who likes Oldboy'' is awesome. To see that this film gets all the love it deserves makes me very happy.

Guess it's time for me to use the word that I don't use often. This word:

✨M A S T E R P I E C E✨

Mad Max (1979)

Budget is low but quality is high.

First ''post-apocalyptic'' movie I've seen. I wasn't interested in this genre so much but... this movie is really cool.

Movie presents a world in which oil resources have been nearly exhausted. This has resulted in constant energy shortages and a breakdown of law and order, society has crumbled & cops are struggling with violent motorcycle gangs. Our protagonist, Max, is a notorious police officer in taking care of road-bums. Later on, after some events, he claims he's slowly being dragged to the madness that he's been fighting against & if he keeps doing this job, he will be one of this maniacs.

Movie has a really low budget ($350,000) but it holds up with it's original story (Yes, this was 1979 so it's pretty original) & nice cinematography. Acting? Ehh... I think Mel Gibson's acting was pretty good & if we consider that Max is the main focus of the movie, I wouldn't complain about the acting skills of the supporting actors.

Quite good & enjoyable. Just don't expect this movie to give you a meaning for your life.

8/10

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Tarantino's first & best.

Despite not being a high budget Tarantino film, it is my favorite one. I saw Pulp Fiction indeed, but there are some things: 1) The cinematography in Reservoir Dogs (for me) is slightly better, as it captures every moment perfectly. 2) Characters are more understandable. 3) Movie focuses on same characters who are connected to the same story which makes it easier to follow.

I believe all of the actors did a pretty good job. Movie is violent no doubt so be careful if you're new to Tarantino. If you already know him and like his movies you've probably seen this but if you haven't, go see it. Also note that the gunplay is remarkably good.

10/10 (Orginally a 9/10 but I had to give an extra point for the rewatchability factor)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Life finds a way...

''Life, uh... finds a way.''

One of the best & most iconic movie quotes of all times.

I don't know what can I say about this movie that hasn't been said. Really...

Considering this movie was made in 1993, visual effects are of incredible quality, as you see it better on blu-ray. When it comes to story, it's completely original, nearly flawless. I can't say too much about the acting. I believe acting is not the movie's strongest point. But still, it was enough for that movie. You don't need to be like Marlon Brando in a sci-fi movie about dinosaurs and has great visual & sound effects. The movie is very fun to watch.

I also sensed a small message like, ''don't mess with nature''.

Best thing about the movie (for me) was the score. Especially the ''Welcome to Jurassic Park'' scene. Of course we're talking about John Williams, the guy who wrote the theme for Star Wars, so that's not a surprise.

Highly recommend it.

9/10