udongexmyon Reviews

Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)

In only 30 minutes, The Wrong Trousers achieves far more than most

[9/10 · 14 July 2021]

There is a reason why conciseness is a virtue in media. If a message can be conveyed across less dialogue, less runtime, it should be done so.

Wallace and Gromit gives itself a massive penalty in storytelling: one of the titular characters is a dog, who is (obviously) mute. With disciplined pacing, expressive animation and genius comedy, Nick Park turns this weakness into an outstanding highlight. Though Grommit is unable to speak, he is the most expressive character in the film, often acting at the center of sequences and reacting with the audience.

The film does not lack in respect to conventional storytelling either: though it is no masterpiece of esoteric storytelling, it fits all elements of a plot efficiently into a short runtime of 30 minutes. Within this short time, devices such as foreshadowing and twists are cunningly snuck in without ever disrupting the flow and pacing of the film, culminating in a climactic action sequence that is still awe inspiring to watch today.

A genre-defining masterpiece of stop motion, if you ever have 30 minutes of free time, give this a watch.

The Handmaiden (2016)

Another masterpiece of Korean cinema

[9/10 · 14 July 2021]

In 2003, Park Chan Wook took the world of cinema by storm with his masterpiece Oldboy. Thirteen years later, he shows how much he's improved.

In structure, The Handmaiden is a perfect film, not wasting a single second of its runtime. The director is in full control, only showing the audience exactly what he intends to show.

Films, and all media by extension are an endless conversation between the medium and the audience. The role of the one presenting said medium is to manipulate the fourth wall so that the messages become muddled. The audience is left questioning the director's intentions, the things unsaid, the missing information. This precisely describes the experience of watching The Handmaiden, a film that carefully weaves together its various plot threads to one of the most satisfying sequences in recent cinema.

The only major issue with the film - and none due to any fault in the film's part - is its use of language as an integral plot device. Audiences who are not fluent in Korean will not be able to have quite the same experience with the film.

Though unfortunate circumstances around the film has prevented it from reaching similar acclaim to Parasite, this is another masterpiece of Korean cinema that should not be overlooked.

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Time travel... Why?

[4/10 · 14 July 2021]

Without time travel, this film is your average "last 20 minute" blockbuster film: everyone entering the theatre goes in for those 20 minutes, and remember those 20 minutes coming out. Though there are a few bits of excitement spaced out within its 3 hour runtime, you'll likely remember none of it by the end of the film, and especially not Black Widow killing herself for no reason when Tony Stark dies in the same film.

The last 20 minutes are good enough, with the battle that we've all been dreaming of; and with how much media manage to fail this seemingly simple task, perhaps this is indeed a monumental task indeed.

However, there is time travel.

There may be a bit of a bias, as I consider the use of time travel to be one of the largest immersion breakers in film. For it to work, it must be either entirely in the background (such as the original Terminators), treated with an air of uncertain fantasy (Back to the Future) or at least given a pretense of respect (Tenet). Endgame, while using time travel as a centerpiece of its plot, decides to break the rules given within the film, and with it any chances of investment from the audience.

In conclusion, Endgame is the average superhero film, only with a cast of twenty heroes. Though there is something to be respected in that, it does not in turn respect the plot device of time travel. It seems they have forgotten Spidey's greatest lesson: With great power, comes great responsibility.

Your Name. (2016)

Chekhov's gun is not only smoking, but lying on the ground broken from overuse

[7/10 · 14 July 2021]

The next Hayao Miyazaki, they said. Does it live up to the expectations?

Well, surprisingly, yeah.

Your Name is a visually stunning film by a hipster by the name of Shinkai Makoto. This is a film that revels in being completely predictable: every moment in the film is set up by noticeably obvious foreshadowing, yet each moment is made meaningful by careful structuring. Where small mistakes would have ended in a sappy drama that is disconnected from the central plot elements, Your Name proves that execution is everything.

Not everything is perfect, however. The immediately noticeable issues are the AMVs seemingly thrown in the runtime at random. There is a total of four pieces of vocal soundtrack for the film, all of which play out like a music video and not a legitimate film. It's a janky disconnect to a otherwise well structured film.

Though a few issues may exist, it's impossible to look past the masterful craftmanship of the film in general. With a few twists on top of following storytelling convention by the book, it may not quite be at the level of Ghibli's best films, but it's pretty damn good.

Gekijô-ban Dôbutsu no Mori (2006)

Better than Earwig and the Witch

[10/10 · 23 March 2021]

This is an awful movie by every metric, but I am obliged to rate it at ten stars for the sake of consistency. Consistency is the critic's greatest strength after all.

Compared to Earwig, Animal Crossing: The Movie has a better understanding of children, at least a rudimentary understanding of basic filmmaking techniques, a plot with more integrity and completeness, relatively more humor, more established stakes and goals, sports a better script, understands the appropriate use and strengths of 3D CG in animation as well as a somehow more believable world which is built from animal-people and a super deformed kid.

Of course, the film still has some solid innovations that bring it to comparable levels to Earwig, like having many "flashback" sequences with scenes that have never happened in the movie. At the end of the day though, if you have enough free time to watch Earwig and the Witch, do yourself a favor and watch Animal Crossing the Movie instead.

Wolfwalkers (2020)

Not Pixar, and that's a good thing

[7/10 · 21 March 2021]

Look, I'm not saying Pixar is bad. They've consistently given us the some of the best animated films over the years, and while the Oscars seems to have a fascination with them most of their wins are well deserved.

That is, until Cars 2.

After Cars 2, they've been reduced to making agreeable sequels of their most classic titles, much to the disappointment of those waiting for the next Ratatouille. Sure, there was Inside Out too, but that's one good movie in a sea of mediocrity. Disney Animation has somewhat picked up the mantle, but even their best films are but a minor copy of better Pixar films.

Wolfwalkers is what the world of animation needed, and for this reason it is even more saddening to accept that it will most likely fade into obscurity quickly. Cartoon Saloon delivers another 2D masterpiece that is neither anime or Pixar. Unlike Song of the Sea, the plot is simple and follow a conventional storytelling method. It works for what it is, but isn't particularly compelling nor is it the driving force of this film.

The strength of the film lies in its incredible visuals, and when something has such an obvious strength, the rest just has to avoid being a detriment. It knowingly pulls its punches with the plot, knowing that a more complicated plot will take attention away from from its main strength and appeal. This approach to priority is similar to other visually powerful productions such as Kubo and the Two Strings and the Wallace and Gromit series.

Do not for one moment think that this is just a film with pretty backgrounds. The fine craft of this masterpiece truly shines in motion and shadow. Everything is exaggerated, fluid and incredibly detailed. The background, lighting and shadows are all effectively manipulated to control the scene and create direction, motion and focus, something only possible in the world of traditional animation (and even then so rarely done).

We tend to give little recognition to those that deserve it, and instead choose the easy path with obvious choices. Big Hero 6 won the Best Animated Feature with The Tale of Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in competition, despite being a merely average animated film. While Wolfwalkers is currently nominated for the Best Animated Feature, it seems unlikely that it will win over Soul.

Of course, an award isn't everything. Whether it gains widespread acclaim or fades into obscurity, the best we can do individually is be glad that we were able to experience this film. Do yourself a favor and watch Wolfwalkers.

Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)

The worst movie ever made

[1/10 · 21 March 2021]

There are many ways in which you can approach the question of the worst movie ever made. There are conceptually bad films that should never have made it out of the meeting room (Emoji Movie, Jack and Jill). Those with ridiculously bad effects and painful visuals (Birdemic, Foodfight). Obvious ripoffs seemingly made for tax avoidance schemes (Little Panda Fighter, Ratatoing). Films that have manipulative and destructive messages, those with legal controversies around its production... the list goes on.

Each of the films above and more are as deserving of the crown as Manos in their own rights. However, if one has to make the decision on one definitive "worst movie of all time", I will confidently name Manos: The Hands of Fate.

The fact that Manos is none of those things is what makes the difference. It's not a conceptually bad film as the premise itself is just a standard horror film. While the production design is awful, it's not at the point of being as actively painful as the films listed above. Manos is not a ripoff of anything, doesn't promote a particularly bad message or have a major controversy around its production (though there were definitely issues with it).

Manos is not bad due to any reason aside from the fact that it is simply bad. Bad in every single way. It undermines all of conventional filmmaking by ignoring plot, structure, continuity, development, plausibility, verisimilitude and countless other similarly insignificant details. Even Jack and Jill and the Room has very rudimentary levels of such basic film fundamentals. Only the Neil Breen films could compete with their incoherence and incompetence.

Of course, one could always name a worse film if one delves into the most obscure, low budget productions. The Neil Breen films mentioned above are definitely on a comparable level after all. But notoriety is a significant contributor of being the worst film, for if nobody had seen and suffered through it, does it really matter at all? All in all, Manos: The Hands of Fate has a perfect balance of painful incompetence and cult reputation, earning it the crown of the worst film ever made.

Urusei Yatsura 5: The Final Chapter (1988)

An appropriate sendoff to a great series

[5/10 · 21 March 2021]

The only film based on the manga, The Final Chapter brings the story of Ataru and Lum to an end. As such, while it feels very much like the rest of the series in many ways, there is a definite plot and sense of direction. It borrows from many of the plot arcs earlier in the series, but is bolder and larger in scale.

As it is essentially a faithful adaptation of the source material, there isn't much that pertains exclusively to the film version. The art is fine but isn't quite at the level of best parts of the series, and the soundtrack is definitely less memorable than the other films. While there are very few deviations of even the smallest kind, some restructuring is done to improve the clarity and coherence of the overall plot.

Putting the source material aside, as a standalone film The Final Chapter does its job of being an ending to the series. The major characters are given a generally good share of screentime, while the focus is maintained on the relationship between the two main characters. The ending itself is very clean, and it could be said that Rumiko Takahashi has overcome Oshii's criticisms of an unchanging world by ending it in her own way while still keeping the ends loose.

While there isn't much that separates it from the main series, it is the definitive ending that the TV anime lacks and should be the obvious choice after one has finished watching the series. While not hard to follow, it is still the conclusion of a long, twisted romance between the eccentric couple and one would be recommended to have watched at least a significant portion of the series before watching the film.

Urusei Yatsura: Only You (1983)

Oshii Mamoru's debut film is... weird

[5/10 · 21 March 2021]

One could write all the ways that this film lacks in structure, as well as the issues from inexperience and lack of creative freedom. Alas, this is a movie that I find strangely difficult to hate.

The largest strength of this film is that it did not have to live in the shadow of its landmark successor and the best film of the series, Beautiful Dreamer. All that came out after it had to be the next BD, and therefore strayed even further away from the series (with the exception of Final Chapter, as it is an adaptation of the original manga). It is ironic to think that Oshii Mamoru, the one who directed the film that sparked a minor controversy over disrespecting the source material, has directed the film that is most like Urusei Yatsura.

If one was asked to imagine a spinoff movie of Urusei Yatsura without being aware of the existing films, this would be the resulting imagination. While reportedly not satisfied with his lack of control and a having general disdain for an endless series that never progresses, Oshii still did a generally competent job with constructing its plot arcs and comedy. Though perhaps not true to his vision for the film, the way fanservice is handled is a fine line between a lack thereof and intrusiveness, and therefore feels very much like an extension of the series.

The almost vacant ending rings differently from the weaker endings of Remember my Love and Lum the Forever, using a rather powerful and telling sequence to bring the movie to an end in an anticlimax. Unconventional developments such as this give the film a unique charm that is distinct from any other film of the series.

Those who enjoyed the Urusei Yatsura series will most definitely enjoy this film, while it remains an interesting film to analyze as an early work of a great director.

Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love (1985)

A weaker film in the series

[3/10 · 21 March 2021]

The third film of the franchise, Remember My Love has nothing much to say or offer. The premise, plot and pacing are all dull and are lacking creativity, even compared to shorter story arcs in the TV anime. This would perhaps have been acceptable as a multi episode arc in the TV show, but does not hold up as a standalone film, especially coming after Beautiful Dreamer.

The strengths of the film include a great soundtrack as always (though English speakers may feel discomfort due to the featured songs' inability to understand songwriting in English) and some good visuals, but those also pale in comparison to Beautiful Dreamer and Lum the Forever. Possibly due to the previous film basically ignoring fanservice, Remember My Love gives some screentime to most of the major characters of Urusei Yatsura, though they are not written particularly well either.

Due to the bad pacing and lack of substance, one may choose to skip this one even if they intend to watch all of Urusei Yatsura. That said, it's still recommendable to fans of the series and those who appreciate older anime. It doesn't border on unwatchable, it's simply a dull film with small pockets of excitement.

Urusei Yatsura 4: Lum the Forever (1986)

An ambitious failure

[4/10 · 21 March 2021]

After Oshii Mamoru, Urusei Yatsura had never been able to recreate the charm of Beautiful Dreamer. The main series, other films/OVAs and the original manga all fall short to the titan of a film if compared in terms of direction, depth and creativity. But none have tried harder than Lum the Forever.

Lum the Forever is a carnival of fantastic imagery that bombards the senses with one nonsensical plot after another. There is just one thing missing: consistency. The lack of directing talent is quite apparent as there is a obvious lack of structure and meaningful material to piece anything together in a coherent way. Consistency is surprisingly important when making a film with a focus on powerful imagery and esoteric storytelling, as a consistent anchor of some kind is the major driving force behind interpretation.

Of course, there are the positives. The animation is very much the height of art in Urusei Yatsura, featuring many elaborate sequences that take place in a variety of locations. While the film itself may be a chaotic mess, the fact that it is animated so well adds a strange charm to the disorder. While overall lacking in consistency and structure, one can perhaps find some meaning in the fact that the release of the film coincided with the close of the TV series.

At the end of the day, the film is mostly but a minor copy of Beautiful Dreamer: though they may not share the same ideas, Lum the Forever is a structural mimic of the film, and an unsuccessful one at that. But a failure that strived to be more is more meaningful than the average piece of junk, and one could walk away from the film with mixed emotions but a general feeling of appreciation.

Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984)

A beautiful dream indeed

[7/10 · 21 March 2021]

I have tried writing much for it, but it is difficult to find a way to properly describe the charm of this film. There is the discordant atmosphere that feels almost unsettling, a surprisingly thoughtful handling of a more difficult material, a fantastic score that gives life to energetic and wonderfully animated sequences, and a powerful ending that acknowledges the fourth wall in a clever, unique way. As to not ruin one's enjoyment of this film, I will give simple guidelines that a viewer may find useful as opposed to an extensive review.

For those who have watched/read and loved Urusei Yatsura, Beautiful Dreamer is a film first and Urusei Yatsura second. While it has very much the same characters and they aren't understood particularly badly, the plot distances itself from the general atmosphere of the series quite a lot. If you enjoyed the more quirky story arcs with time travel and alternate universes, this is a film version of such arcs with improved depth and exploration of the themes.

For the fans of Oshii Mamoru and those who've watched Ghost in the Shell, the fact that they've been directed by the same director really shows. While a very early work in his career, many of the posthumanist themes discussed in his later films are apparent in Beautiful Dreamer. In contrast, it lacks the political tone of his future works, as well as missing the more esoteric and avantgarde style that he would adapt later. If you found his films difficult to watch but was interested in some of the ideas he developed, it's a good film to start with.

For those who are just looking for a good movie to watch, give it a go. While not a film for everyone, it by no means is difficult or esoteric. That could perhaps be the largest difference between this film and others that explore similar themes, and often to more depth; at the end of the day, Beautiful Dreamer is a bit of unserious entertainment that has a powerful spark of creativity. It's a little inexperienced, inconsistent and experimental, and that's maybe why we like it so much.

Earwig and the Witch (2020 TV Movie)

Goodbye Jean-Luc Godard, you have become obsolete

[10/10 · 20 February 2021]

The French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard is an influential figure in the development of modern films, prioritizing innovation over convention. He is known to have stated that a "story does need a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order".

But it seems now, even he was limited by perhaps the most fundamental convention of them all: that a story "does" indeed need a beginning, middle and an end. In his third attempt at a directorial breakthrough, Goro not only tears free from the shackles of his father and the legacy of the studio, but from the very facets of conventional storytelling itself.

Many uneducated viewers will be quick to call off the movie on account of its unimpressive animation and seemingly shallow plot, but what lies beneath is a carefully crafted masterpiece that raises fundamental questions about filmmaking. Actions must have consequences, development must lead to payoff and characters must change as they face conflict. These are things that any aspiring filmmaker, nay, any who watches films at all should know by intuition.

Earwig and the Witch presents the fundamental question: Why? If there exists no development, no conflict, motivation or consequences, can it no longer be called a story? Like Duchamp's revolutionary artwork "Fountain" (1917), the film asks us to define the limits of what is acceptable as a plot. Urgency and suspense seem to have been intentionally omitted from sequences that should, traditionally, exploit them. This avoidance of conventional plot devices marks this film as one of the few anti-plot literature in existence, worthy to be among the likes of "Manos: The Hands of Fate" (1966).

In clear evidence of this, the film is structured such that the many individual scenes are reflections of the overall flow and plot: just as the film ends abruptly without any resolution, each individual sequence has no payoff or consequence. This consistency between themes and structure highlight a true talent in filmmaking. Would such a talented director unknowingly let past a film with such obvious flaws? I think not.

While the themes may be lost to the masses that want just another Ghibli film, a true intellectual will appreciate this as a masterpiece ahead of its time that will lay the foundation for artistic filmmaking for years to come. A breakthrough film for Goro's directing career, Hayao Miyazaki will finally be able to rest easy knowing his studio - and the future of filmmaking as a whole - lies in good hands.