Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

The unusual lack of music in Mr. Vengeance, which is the first film in Dir. Park Chan-wook's 'Vengeance' trilogy, is as requisite to the feelings that the work engenders as much as the wonderful use of music is to the two subsequent films. While having such a traditional element of the viewing experience absent helps viewers achieve a measure of 'sympathy' for the key players, the tragic events and grim humour that colour the story (of a brother's well-meaning attempt to ensure that his terminally ill sister receives a replacement kidney) can be tough going at times. In addition, the absence makes the violence feel all the more real, some of which is truly unforgettable stuff.

4 skimming stones out of 5

Linda Linda Linda (2005)

LLL is the kind of film that’s difficult to do justice with just words, for reasons that are equally difficult to define. It must be seen to be understood properly.
It’s the story of a Japanese high school festival and four girls who are set to play a gig but only have a short time in which to practice. There’s a moody one, a timid one, a laid-back one and a thoughtful one. Before the gig can happen trials must be overcome, including bonding for the new girl.
The naturalistic filming style that Yamashita opts for reminds me very much of Takeshi Kitano’s without the violence. He similarly seeks out and embraces the hilarity that can be found in everyday situations. The long scenes and static camera are able to casually partake in the sharing of a time that’ll never come again for the all-girl band, making every moment special.

5 night rehearsals out of 5

JUPITER ASCENDING [2015]

The Wachowski's latest beautiful mess comes in the form of the ambitious space opera Jupiter Ascending.
Mila Kunis stars as the chosen one who learns the Earth is not what it seems and she's fallen smack in the middle of an intergalactic battle for the control of the industrial harvesting of the human race.  It's interesting to see Kunis take the role of what is usually male but unfortunately she still needs to love and be saved by Channing Tatum in his hilarious 60's Star Trek make-up.  It's jam-packed with beyond gorgeous visuals, imaginative easy-to-follow action sequences, a wonderful musical score from Michael Giacchino and great dedication to the genre.  However it's bogged down by flat-lining characters with tired performances, a muddy script, jokes that make George Lucas & Peter Jackson look like comedy geniuses and terribly wonky pacing which includes an overly long tribute to Terry Gilliam's Brazil that would have made one of the best deleted scenes ever due to it's punchline.

3 wings out of 5

Air Doll (2009)

The story of an average Japanese worker’s love doll coming to life is a bizarre premise, I admit, but the result is a fantastic film.

She awakens to the world without prejudices, sees it with new eyes and an emotional state that’s untainted by years of modern living. Through her we meet a small number of lonely people with secret lives, people who do no harm to anyone but exist on the fringes, for whom the city is a collection of impersonal aspects and cold, unknowable faces.

The story does most of what you’d expect it to do but with so much heart ingrained in the subtext that it touches perfection many times.

4½ deep breaths out of 5

The Host (2006)

A screw-up father gets his dog day when a fishy mutation descends upon the town in which he lives and begins snacking on civilians.
The typically bleak attitude of Korean drama is dyed blackly humorous. I felt bad laughing at the family’s misery, but it was hilarious.
The crisis not only spurs a stepping up to the mark for selfless reasons, it also restores something that was absent from the protagonists lives. Sometimes the thing worth living for is the same as the thing worth dying for.
The CGI creature is well-realised, but in truth it could be anything, the actual focus isn't on it. It's not Hollywood. Bong Joon-Ho’s direction is excellent, proficiently adaptive to each scene’s differing requirements.

4 cold beers out of 5

The Ring Virus (1999)

To date, one of four filmed versions of Kôji Suzuki's Ringu novel. Virus is South Korea's attempt to capture the horrors. Like in Nakata's film the protagonist is changed to a female, but otherwise it more closely follows the plot of the novel. It even reinstates some of the more interesting elements that were absent in the second Japanese version.
It’s not as good as Ringu (1998), but I prefer it over the American remake, The Ring (2002). Don't be expecting the piss-your-pants scares of Ringu, either. It's more of a drama than a horror. Think of it as a companion piece to the others and you may enjoy it more.

3 medical mysteries out of 5