Pumikit lang nang sandali, abril na nung ako’y magising.
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1. Secret (2007) dir. Jay Chou
Written, directed and acted by Jay Chou, I watched this film mainly after the news of a Korean remake in the works starring Do Kyungsoo.
I feel like the first half is slow and not really engaging. We’re not given much about the characters, especially Rain. It all just got interesting at the second half when things are getting revealed yet the path towards this is still quite predictable. Either way I quite liked the cinematography and the soundtrack is definitely great!
I hope the remake will fill all the loose gaps of this film. As remakes should better the film, I can’t wait for Kyungsoo’s new film! Hopefully by next year it’ll be out. I can’t wait!
2. Lost and Found (1996) dir. Lee Chi-Ngai
Quite surprisingly, this is my first Taneshi Kaneshiro and not the classic gateway which are Wong Kar Wai’s films like Chungking Express or Fallen Angels. This is also my first Kelly Chen, she is so gorgeous! Such a cute gem I found online. I love the cinematography, panning from scenes of Hong Kong city streets and the quiet panorama of Scotland, the end of the world. The story is also simple but impactful, following Chai Lam (Kelly Chen) an affluent girl diagnosed with leukemia who is in search for a sailor friend/love interest. Comes Mr. Worm! (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who has a Lost and Found company to help Chai Lam. It weaves into a simple but still interesting and gripping story with lovable characters… it really is such a treasure of a film! I love it so much.
My favourite scene would be the recording studio scene where Kelly and Takeshi sang mando/cantopop…. such a vibe!! I really do love this film.
3. Happy Old Year (2019) dir. Nawopol Thamrongrattanarit
The anthithesis of Marie Kondo’s KonMari method, this is a minimalistic rumination of decluttering of the past. Despite the poster titles following Kondo’s method…again it is a complete opposite of it. We’re met with an unlikeable character, Jean who is either just always escaping, shutting everyone out and completely throwing everything away with no thought. We see her journey of change or at least realization. It’s an uncomfortable process but such a great watch. Made me cry. I want to try her soup. Really pretty scenes and scores!
4. Dancing Cat (2011) dir. Yoon Gi-Hyung
I nicknamed this documentary as Kedi’s depressed sister, for reasons that it shows the other side of stray cats. Following them in the streets of Korea, we see the stark difference of how Koreans treat their stray cats. This is mainly a difference of culture, as in Kedi they celebrate the existence of cats in their streets. However in Korea, most yet not all of them treat them as parasites of the community. The director followed the cats and made video stories of them accompanied with illustrations and photo narrative shots aiming to shed light on the stray’s situation. He has a blog set up which gets support from the locals and has even reached veterinarians interested to help the cats.
This was 10 years ago though and there’s not much work from this director after but I hope the stray cats are getting different treatment and this film has helped changed that. Spaying and neutering of the cats will lessen the suffering of the cats as a whole and will give the community a greater chance to care for the cats.
5. Fukuoka (2019) dir. Zhang Lu
This is my first Zhang Lu (Chinese-Korean director!) film and I loved it! As of now I am on my third watch from his filmography and I love his style. Technically this film is part of a quartet in his universe. There’s always a dreamlike quality in all of his films that is so gripping. I also learn something from the perspective of a Chinese-Korean as it’s always incorporated on his films. I love it so much!
This follows the trio Kwon Hae-hyo, Yoon Je-moon, and Park So-dam playing characters with the same name. We see them talking, ruminating with drinks as they unfold stories from their past, a girl both men dated. I can’t explain much coherently what this film is about but if you’re into a slice of life films this is a great start! There is an eerie and creepy atmosphere in all of Lu’s films that will just have you glued. Park So-dam is such a great actress.
6. Between Maybes (2019) dir. Jason Paul Laxamana
My first Filo (Filipino) watch in a while. I wanted to see if Julia Baretto can really act as most people have been saying and….they were right! I had a convo with my mom about this and Julia really nails characters that are brats or have a strong personality as that’s what she also emanates as a person. I guess she was also right.
This film is surrounded with controversy that I won’t even get into as it’s just Filipino showbiz buzz. Yet these issue didn’t help this film, which in my opinion is a pretty decent one. Shot mostly in Japan, I read a review that says why are the only good modern Filipino movies commonly filmed in foreign countries and that got me thinking….Was it the scenery and the peaceful quality Fukuoka brings? I’m not sure but this film is quite good and an enjoyable watch if you don’t expect much. I heard the ending is pretty new for a Black Sheep production film, which mostly deviates it from the used Star Magic endings. Although at the end of the day, Black Sheep is still a subsidiary sister under Star Magic.
Gerald Anderson can’t act. It’s so sad to watch Filipino movies who are starred by love teams because you always notice how the women carries the entire movie and the man just. Stale bread. Technically this film is a step that steers from the loveteam films, as Julia was part of JoshLia before, the men counterparts still cannot act. I also read a review saying most of Laxamana’s films are hilaw and just lacking in some parts. Maybe that’s it too. There’s a lot of maybes here… Between Maybes lol.
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kariktan 