Time for 6 quick ones…
We have finally jumped on the Moving (2023) bandwagon. When one person recommended it I put it at the back of my watch-list (depending on who recommends it); when the second person recommended it, it jumped to the front of the queue; when the third person recommended it, I stopped whatever I was watching and dived straight in. Moving was recommended to me by four friends. The story is about how the quiet lives of three high school students with genetic superhuman abilities are turn upside down when a mysterious organization starts to hunt them down one by one, including their parents. The plot is reminiscent of Heroes (2006-2010) with each of the earlier episodes expounding on the back story of one of the characters. So in that respect it isn’t fresh, but credit has to be given to how they made the characters so relatable. It is one third of coming-of-age, one third family drama and one third superhero mano a mano fights. Some friends warned me ahead of time that the pace is slow, but what they termed as slow is, to me, character development. For me, the fights and conflicts will only have stakes if the characters have been fleshed out. It was in ep5 that I got really hooked and that episode is devoted to Hi-soo’s poignant back story and how sometimes a particular colour can be a trigger for a traumatic memory. I fed on the wholesome but unlikely love story between Bong-seok and Hi-soo. Both possessing super powers that they look on as curses and stumbling blocks, but they somehow complete each other by showing kindness to each other. The innocence on Bong-seok’s and the vulnerability on Hi-solo’s mien are so palatable and authentic. A superhero story calls for a villain and we are graced with a dead ringer for the landlord in Kung Fu Hustle (2001), who goes on a murder spree of killing the adults who have super powers. The fights are loud, bombastic and inventive. The villain is also given a back story which makes him a more sympathetic character. Extended flashbacks are the modus operandi here and the story in the present gives way to episode-long back stories for every adult character. I particularly enjoy seeing the romantic arc of Mi-hyeon and Do-shik which has so many soul-shattering moments. If I have an issue with Moving it is that many a time the extended flashback stories become another show altogether. The link from these stories in the past to the present is not strongly drawn. This isn’t Lost which flits effortlessly between the past and present with the former informing the latter. But just as I was getting exhausted by these long excursions, along comes ep12 which jolted me out of my lethargy. It was very cleverly written, essentially playing on the timeline of Joo-won’s arc. Suddenly, everything fits. The production values are high and the big fights look like they had the budget of MCU movies. But I don’t know… after ep12 I still have many nagging questions clawing at the back of my head like are these super powers genetic or manufactured? Why are all these superpowers living conveniently in the same town? Why is the CIA so generically portrayed like some nefarious one-dimensional organisation? What’s the deal with the Korean organisation with all these superpower beings? I would think the show will start to answer some questions rather than keep developing characters endlessly. It takes a long time for the story to go back to the present and by that I mean ep15! And then there is one more extended flashback but this one is so well-told, which is basically a Teacher of the Year story and I love it. Not many filmmaker will even take a detour so late in the game. The final battle is very unlike MCU or DCEU stuff which are Defcon One level devastation; practically all of the final denouement happens in the school. There is a freshness to the proceedings and the climatic fights are inventive. Though loud and bombastic, it can somehow find an emotional heart somewhere. Then comes the setup for S2 which disappointed me. I really wanted a closure but alas no. Moving doesn’t reinvent the superhero genre wheel but it does enough to prevent it from being derivative. No regrets watching this but I wouldn’t say it’s “the best show this year” like some of my friends did. (3.5/5)
Lost in the Stars (2023), I nearly caught at the cinema a few months ago because of the good word-of-mouth and it was also a massive box-office hit in China, but somehow I missed it. Then recently it popped up in Netflix. The story has an intriguing premise: He Fei’s wife, Li Muzi, disappears during their anniversary trip. When she reappears, he insists that she is not his wife. As Chen Mai, a top lawyer gets involved in this bizarre case, more mysteries start to emerge. Based on a play by Robert Thomas, “Trap for a Lonely Man”, that has been adapted for television and film at least ten times in nearly as many languages, I was surprised I have never seen a single iteration of the story which makes Lost in the Stars an engaging watch. The cinematography is sleek, the pacing is electric and the twists and turns made my mouth open wider and wider. I am glad I didn’t see this at the cinema because watching it with Choo in the comfort of our home theatre was a very fun activity. Our minds were working over-time throwing out hypotheses left, right and centre. As it turned out, we guessed the ending half an hour before it dropped and we were spot-on even with the falling action. However, I must say the denouement stretches belief and logic, and it was mired in the usual soft music and sad ballad to cement the climatic and manipulative ending. If you don’t put on 100% of your thinking cap and keenest observation of human behaviour, this is quite an entertaining movie. (3/5)
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) is one of four shorts directed by Wes Anderson for Netflix. I have fond memories of this particular Roald Dahl’s short story which depicts a wealthy man who finds new meaning in his life. Anderson practically translated the short story in form and in words to a little 1.33:1 aspect ratio resembling a book. All of Anderson’s choices of stylistic are on full display: the perfect symmetry of the set, the precise placement of the actors, the soft colour palette and the faux fourth wall breaking. It was very fun and entertaining for a while, but it wore on my nerves. Thankfully, it is a 40-minute short because it felt gimmicky and grated on my nerves after the halfway mark. I saw Poison which is shorter but the ending totally missed the mark for me. I am not sure I want to see the other two. (3.5/5)
Renfield (2023): In this modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant, Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his codependency. This was a helluva fun to watch with enough smarts for stop the movie from being too campy. The ultra-violence is a hoot to watch and chemistry between Cage and Hoult is sizzling. Nicholas Cage looks like he was having so much fun being Dracula. We had a blast watching this. (3/5)
Ice Kachang Puppy Love (2010): A reserved, quiet young lad (Botak) bears a secret admiration towards Fighting-Fish, who rents a stall in the same coffee shop. He was never bold enough to confess his love towards her and only conveyed it through drawing portraits of her. This was a joy to watch because it brims over with nostalgia with sights of Malaysia one can hardly see anymore. Botak is acted by Ah Niu who also wrote and directed the film. It isn’t a polished film, but warts and all, Ah Niu wears his heart on his sleeve and made a very personal film. It feels over-loaded with sub-plots but I have a feeling he was trying to translate all his cherished childhood memories onto film. This is a delightful film but it won’t be for everyone, especially if you even know the word “kampong”. (3.5/5)
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (2022): Kaoru Tono is on his way home from school when he wanders into a tunnel one day. Rumor has it this tunnel can grant you any wish, but if you spend too much time there, you will lose many years of life. What he finds there is not quite what he expected-particularly as he’s exiting, and he finds, waiting for him, the troublesome new transfer student Anzu Hanashiro. This has an intriguing premise and if you see it with another person, you will no doubt discuss whether you would give up a few years of your life for this wish. This looks like the perfect conundrum for a fascinating story but the director doesn’t double-down on the life-changing choice, focusing instead on the parameters of how one can get the cake and still eat it. A lot of missed opportunities here, but the animation is gorgeous and the focus on teenage angst and first love is spot-on, but I still feel in the hands of a stronger storyteller this will be a fascinating story in the vein of Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name (2016). (3/5)
I had no idea this is a movie adaptation of a seminal novel published in 1970 and has become a much beloved book for generations of girls. I doubt there will be many complaints about the adaptation because it captures an elusive time and place so remarkably well. The story focuses on Margaret Simon (an incredible Abby Ryder Fortson) is just 11 going on 12 when her family moves from New York City to Fartbrook, New Jersey. Margaret’s mother is Christian and her father is Jewish. Margaret has been raised without an affiliation to either faith, and does not practice an organized religion, although she frequently prays to God in her own words, beginning by saying, “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret.” She is beginning to feel uncomfortable with her lack of a religious affiliation. For a school assignment, she chooses to study people’s religious beliefs, hoping to resolve the question of her own religion in the process. Part of her study involves attending different places of worship to better understand religious practice and also to see if one of them might be right for her. She enjoys spending time with her Jewish paternal grandmother, Sylvia Simon, who loves her as she is, and hopes Margaret will embrace Judaism after taking her to her synagogue for Rosh Hashanah services.
