Review LXXXII - Forbidden City Cop

Review LXXXII
Forbidden City Cop 大內密探零零發 (1996)

What? Another review? That's right, baby, I'm on fire. I'm here to review the only other film I really looked into from my film class. It was also one of the most hated films we watched. I could not disagree more. I'm talking about Forbidden City Cop 大內密探零零發. The film is directed by Vincent Kok and Stephen Chow, and stars Stephen Chow, Carina Lau, and Carman Lee. I could have stopped after Stephen Chow because, seriously, his name just advocates craziness and hilarity. But hey, this was my first Stephen Chow film (I know, I never watched Shaolin Soccer - shame on me!). Run with it, okay?

The film begins with Ling Ling Fat (Chow) - a parody to James Bond's 007 status - running into a group of trespassers at the Forbidden City. While he fails to capture the swordsmen, he does acquire a scroll describing the kung fu move "flying fairy". Meet one of the elite personal bodyguards of the emperor, folks. However, this man, when not working as a gynaecologist and admiring his wife (Lau), prefers working on new inventions and can barely display any martial arts skills. However, he may just prove to be a useful asset to the emperor's crew in the end.

Writing a synopsis for this film was rather difficult because this film is everywhere. You really get the "mo lei tau" style that Stephen Chow is known for in this movie. Nonetheless, it was hilarious. To say it's a full blown parody of James Bond, it isn't. Instead, it pokes fun at James Bond and kung fu films reigning from Hong Kong. That makes it all the more hilarious. But again, I have difficulty really speaking about this movie because it is all over the place. I can only mention that it had extraordinary scenes. The introduction of the bodyguards was just brilliant. You go through the impeccable guards ready to defend and die for the emperor. Suddenly Ling Ling Fat comes rolling through, failing at a basic somersault. Pure genius. Next scene, the gynaecologist's office. He simply offers medication to everyone who comes in. The sex-crazed woman made me die. That tiger cry was too good. Another memorable scene, this one nearing the end, included the Oscar nomination. That was just brilliant. Just from those three scenes, can you not see how I can't exactly review this movie? It's pure comedy, out there to be crazy. I can see my father laughing at this film, and maybe it's my background that makes me really like this movie. Honestly, it's not something you can really sell to everyone. Hell, everyone in my class disliked the movie. But if you see it as a satire of Hong Kong cinema, specifically kung fu films, as well as a satire of just... random things, you could totally have fun with this movie. Or, you know, if you're 多动症 - hyperactive.

I can't sell this movie, but I had to make mention of it. Check it out if you're looking for something insane - you will not be disappointed.

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Review LXXXI - Farewell My Concubine

Review LXXXI
Farewell My Concubine 霸王别姬 (1993)

I return yet again, and this time I come back from 中国 - China! 你好大家, 最近怎么样? 我很好, 有很多的故事, 看很多的电影! To explain my experiences here would be superfluous given that I only speak about films on this blog, so my last bit is relevant. I watched a lot of films in China! Well, one reason goes to the fact that I downloaded some in case I ever got ridiculously bored (for the fourteen hour plane ride basically), but also because one of my classes consisted of experiencing Chinese cinema. The class was not a dream come true - well, for me, at least. It revolved around the teacher presenting a film briefly (that is, who directed the film, what year it was released), watching the film, and then exiting the class. There was no analysis of the film, no critique of the film, nothing except for a final presentation on whatever the hell you wanted. This translates to a useless class that wasted my time. But I'm not here to insult my university, I'm here to speak about films, which I established above. The films I watched in the class were all Chinese based, whether it be the North or the South (including Hong Kong, though the films were dubbed into Mandarin... Yeah...). The first film we checked out I had been meaning to watch for a long time but, as per usual, had never gotten around to watching. It is directed by Chen Kaige 陈凯歌 and stars the famous Leslie Cheung 張國榮 and Gong Li 巩俐, as well as Zhang Fengyi 张丰毅. The film is notable for making chinese cinema more known worldwide and is the only Chinese film to date to win a Pannes d'Or. The film, of course, is Farewell My Concubine 霸王别姬.

The film follows a Peking Opera duo over the course of 50-odd years, beginning with the brutal teachings at a Peking Opera training school, through the Japanese occupation of China, all the way to the end of the Cultural Revolution. The duo are especially known for their act of Farewell My Concubine, with Duan Xiaolou (Zhang) as our emperor Xiang Yu and Cheng Dieyi (Cheung) as the only-too-real Consort Yu. However, their relationship will be tested with a marriage and a war, as well as the communist takeover of China.

Farewell My Concubine was an interesting piece of work, and it explains the twentieth century history of China in two hours and a half, while making a comparison to the Peking opera of the same name. Thus, you're getting a taste of classic Chinese story-telling (Beijing opera "Farewell My Concubine"), but with a modern twist (set throughout the 1900s). If ever you were looking to research modern China in a glance, this film can get you there in some aspects. Of course, it is very far from explaining the political tensions in China and even really experiencing Peking opera (I went to an opera - I really loved it. No sarcasm in that statement), but again, the film can still give a foreigner a look into how it was to be Chinese in the early 1900s. Not a thorough look, but a little look. So in that regard, I think the film is worth a watch if ever you were interested in getting acquainted with China. Now, how about as a film itself? I re-watched the film while I was in Japan (sitting on the train no less!), so I'm going to give you a first-watching perspective and a re-watching perspective.

As a first-watch, I must admit, I was biased as hell because I knew this film class was going to deliver me typical Hollywood-but-Chinese-version films, so I clung onto this film with such great admiration because it had won a Cannes award. So did I enjoy it? I did. The film really did capture China's modern history well, and I loved the underlying Peking opera story. It was well incorporated. For example, in the original opera, Xiang Yu, the emperor there, ends up being defeated, thus beginning the emergence of the Han dynasty. This directly parallels the communist takeover of China (thank you, Wikipedia). We also see that Zhang's character really reflects a king - he's strong-willed and ready to take risks for others, or at least he is initially - whereas Cheung's character is feminine, fiesty, loves "her" man. Alright, fine, the characters were somewhat lacking, and sometimes rather incompetent, but I forgive it because the film is trying to follow a Peking opera. The characters' personalities are established based on face paint, guys. I mean, the characters do develop a bit, but they're mostly just flat. The prostitute wife (Gong) was added in, but really, I felt she was a tad unnecessary, or rather, just not as necessary as they made her out to be. But given they wanted Gong Li in the film to help sell it, it's only expected she'd be a main character. On the IMDb poster, she's the biggest thing, for Christ's sake. But whatever, I forgave it since the acting was not horrendous, but especially since the film really had some great mirror play. I loved those shots. There were also great shots of the characters, like when Cheung and Zhang's characters are putting on make-up. The film was not just slapped together - there was at least some thought put into it. I wasn't disappointed with the ending, and, though it reflects its opera counterpart, the reasoning behind it was different. Overall, the film was better than I had expected and I would recommend it.

After a second viewing, I can really say that Gong Li's character bothered me. She can be useful and great at times, but mostly, it was like a mosquito coming and buzzing in your ear. Why is she suddenly present when Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi are being punished for breaking up the duo? Why is she there to ask Cheng Dieyi to help Duan Xiaolou, slowing down the movie and then breaking her promise of going back to the brothel? She was a thorn in my side... Not to mention the characters are rather lacking. I mentioned it before, but man, after Cheng Dieyi's hissy fit with Duan Xiaolou marrying Juxian, the characters really stall. Prior to this, I loved the development of Cheng Dieyi's love for Duan Xiaolou, despite being a man (did he take on Consort Yu's role too seriously?). I think this should have gone even further. But no, Duan Xiaolou rejects him and suddenly there's a marriage and then boom, Cheng Dieyi goes for another guy. The two characters on their own was fine, but them together was painful. It was just so... lacking. And what is up with the disgraceful son who Cheng Dieyi raises? However, given that it is a reflection of the director's experiences as a Red Guard and denouncing his father, I suppose it is forgivable, but the way it was done was so quick and sloppy. Cutting to the chase, the film is pretty good, but it was pretty lacking. The mirror play was brilliant and some shots were great. I also still love the initial development as well, but the duo's development gets odd in the middle, and that was the main point of the film. Nonetheless, I could totally watch it again. I also think it is a pretty accessible film for a foreigner. That is to say, I've watched other Mandarin-speaking films and they feel really governed to the Mandarin-speaking public. I watch them, but they fly over my head because I don't understand the issues at hand given I'm not that familiar with China's issues... Well, maybe more so now that I resided in China for two months, but anyway, this is a good film to watch to at least get a taste of Chinese cinema. Hence why I think it did so well internationally. It's a good film to slowly ease into Chinese cinema.

WHEW. Now that I've discussed and pondered over this film for almost two months, I think I can put it to rest for now. To say it quickly, in a sentence, the film is pretty good. It's a nice introduction to Chinese cinema, but it can be lacking. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed some of the shots. Would I watch it again? Sure. I just hope I won't be graded this time. On to the next film!

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Review LXXX - When Harry Met Sally...

Review LXXX
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Here I was thinking I had written a review for April... Yet it turns out I never did. This month really flew by with exams and all, and in twenty days I head off to Beijing, China to study for two months. I guess this means I really should get on the ball and start watching films I didn't get a chance to watch yet! Well, I felt like watching an American film the other day, and my boyfriend prodded me for a pop culture movie. Thanks to the Internet, I was reminded me of Rob Reiner's hit When Harry Met Sally... starring Meg Ryan (I'm always reminded of Captain Planet. I'm sorry, Meg Ryan) and Billy Crystal (I was just reminded of Throw Momma from the Train and City Slickers. I'm mentioning these films so you can go re-watch them instead of me). Thus we sat down to watch this hit together.

The film begins in 1977, where Harry (Billy Crystal) says goodbye to his girlfriend (what was her name again?) quite, cough, passionately, before Sally finally drives the two apart. Sally is Harry's girlfriend's friend and since they both just graduated and are heading to New York City, they end up spending the ride there together. The drive causes frustration from both parties after Harry makes a "pass" at Sally and the two wish each other good luck in New York. Five years later, the two meet at an airport in New York City and, coincidentally, are on the same plane. While the two are both in committed relationships, it seems that maybe they can be friends after all.

Guys, I'm not a romance type of person. Sure, I like the occasional lovey film, like Braindead, but generally I turn down movies that are under the genre "romantic-comedy". I'm glad I didn't turn this one down. It has witty dialogue that is super catchy and doesn't necessarily make you laugh out loud, but makes you nod silently and grin. The film relies heavily on the dialogue and doesn't place the two people in these "silly" situations like, let's say, almost every single romantic comedy I have seen. You're sitting there watching the relationship between Harry and Sally form instead of just a random encounter where it is "love at first sight". The first time the two meet, Sally and Harry have opposing viewpoints in life and drop it there. It's not a "waw-waw-waaaw" moment where the two meet up again because they know they secretly love each other. Harry has a girlfriend at the time and Sally despises him. Even the second time they meet, it's a chance meeting where Harry didn't quite recognise Sally and he's getting married. Again, it doesn't turn into that type of movie where Sally runs down the aisle claiming her love for Harry and the two end up happily married. No, their relationship blossoms when the circumstance makes sense. That is what makes the film. It's a romantic comedy, but it does it well. It's not necessarily completely realistic, but more so than what I've seen. Except for Braindead - I'd totally dig a guy who pulverises zombies using a lawnmower.

When Harry Met Sally... has wit and charm even if it's a romantic comedy, and I would say that it is definitely worth a watch. Happy viewing!

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Instead of a trailer, here is the iconic "orgasm" scene from the movie:

Review LXXIX - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Review LXXIX
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Remember when I ranted about Wes Anderson in my review of Her? I shouldn't say that I dislike every single Wes Anderson film I've seen... I really liked Fantastic Mr. Fox, minus a few bits (and the fact that it shouldn't be associated with the book all that much). But that's where I drew the line. I saw part of Rushmore and turned it off when I couldn't get rid of the sweet taste in my mouth. I saw Moonrise Kingdom, which I reviewed a while back, and while I thought some parts were grand, overall, it left me feeling off - probably the sweet taste of Wes Anderson I wasn't familiar with yet. I watched The Royal Tenenbaums almost a year ago, and I can't remember much of it, but I remember the crazy characters that were everywhere and a depressing/happy ending. I didn't think much of it. Finally, I recently watched The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and, again, there was this chaos of a beginning which had some really great parts ("This is my boat.") and it was a nice throwback to seventies' ocean exploratory films/documentaries (Jacques Cousteau anyone? Those HATS.), and while the ending moved me, I didn't particularly like it. The beginning was just too... okay. You might be asking why I keep watching Wes Anderson films if I only liked one film out of the few I watched. Well, my boyfriend really loves him, and if I can get even a glimpse of why he claims The Royal Tenenbaums is such a great film, I'll make the effort. So when I decided to get together with some friends to watch a film, inviting my boyfriend along, I decided to give Anderson's latest flick, The Grand Budapest Hotel, a chance. He was paying, so even if I hated it, at least I wouldn't have wasted my money, right?

A woman visits the grave of The Author (Tom Wilkinson) of the novel The Grand Budapest Hotel. She begins to read a chapter of the novel, beginning with the Author explaining that he visited a hotel called The Grand Budapest Hotel nearing its end in the 60s. The Young Writer (Jude Law) meets Mr. Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham), one of the richest men in the world. Mr. Moustafa begins explaining the tale of when he was a young lobby boy (Tony Revolori) at the hotel, under the command of legendary concierge, Mr. Gustave (Ralph Fiennes anyone?).

Well, I guess I should get one thing out of the way: I liked it. In fact, I really liked The Grand Budapest Hotel. To say why I like it so is hard to explain, though. It has similar flavours as his other films, with this mix of adultness and youthfulness, but I find this film really balanced it out well. Normally, his films take a dip into adult themes, but it is laced with this cuteness that I find overwhelming. Sure, The Royal Tenenbaums had a suicide attempt and all, but I don't know, the overall film is just too cute for my liking. I found The Grand Budapest Hotel really had control over these two aspects. Of course, maybe the story itself was just more interesting to me, but I usually like tales of dysfunctional people. I liked The Rum Diary and Withnail and I is one of my favourite films (thank you, Bruce Robinson!). The Grand Budapest Hotel deals with a cocky man, who we only get to know based on the events of Zero Moustafa. I find this idea works so well. Instead of being given snapshots of Mr. Gustave as a child and all, we're left to imagine how he grew up. We know he was once a great lobby boy, but that is it. Yet we grow with him so much throughout the film. We grow with all the characters. I can't put my finger on what is so different, besides the plot, because it still has Wes Anderson elements. But I just felt like Wes Anderson had a lot of control in this film. Again, it walked on the line between overly cute and overly adult, and never dared tip over.

The shots were purely Wes Anderson, but I can't say I ever had a problem with that. Still, you know what to expect - colour, colour, and more colour. The beginning, with the miniature of the hotel itself was so Wes Anderson, but I have no complaints. The random of various concierges was wonderful. The suits and style of everything was very well set-up - the cinematographers and crew must have thought hard about everything. And the shots, oh, the shots. I loved how Wes Anderson would incorporate people into the frame without having them there physically. I'll give an example to show what I mean. At one point, Deputy Kovacs (Jeff Goldblum) gets onto... a bus, I believe it is. He pulls down the frame and we get a glimpse of one of the antagonists reflected on the mirror. Guys, that was brilliant. What a way to incorporate a character into a shot without having him physically standing in front of the camera. Sexy.

I'll stop here since I need to get going, but yes, the film is Wes Anderson, but it's him at his best. Even me, who really doesn't generally like Wes Anderson, would recommend this film. It's a piece of art that deserves to be watched. Maybe it might be overly sweet to some, but I'd say give it a shot. This film shows that Hollywood is still out there to try and tell a story, not just through words, but through the beauty of cinema.

Review LXXVIII - Her

Review LXXVIII
Her (2013)

*bows* Guys, I'm sorry for abandoning you. With work and school overwhelming my schedule, I find it hard to one, watch films, and then two, review them. However, I found an especially catchy song I want to loop, so I decided to take the time to write a review about Spike Jonze's Oscar-winning Her. It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, and Amy Adams. But first, I'll speak about the Oscars briefly.

I didn't watch many Oscar-nominated films this year given that I was busy with everything. I checked out Jagten (which I reviewed), La grande bellezza, Gravity, and American Hustle. You already know my feelings about Mads Mikkelsen, I mean, Jagten. La grande bellezza was a pretty good film (it had Poulenc's first movement of "Mouvements perpetuels" at one point!), albeit the CGI was a bit bothersome as I found it wasn't the best quality and not necessary to the plot (plus I had someone breathing down my neck about it). Overall, it was a modern take on La dolce vita. Gravity was very enjoyable. I mean, I won't go out of my way and say it was exceptional, but the way it was put together was interesting. I recommended it to my parents, and besides my dad ranting about some technical details, they seemed to enjoy it, as well. American Hustle? I'm not one for these con/mafia films, though I did really enjoy The Godfather and Mean Streets. However, this was not an exception. American Hustle consisted of crazy, useless characters and a plot that I barely cared for. I have two guesses as to why it was nominated: the first, David O. Russell made it big with Silver Linings Playbook, which was significantly better than American Hustle, but you know, same director. Two, it had a well-known cast, starring Christian Bale, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, and Louis C.K.. It even gave a quick nod to Martin Scorsese, the king of the gangster/mobster/con films of the seventies by having Robert De Niro make an appearance. American Hustle is set in the seventies, another nod to Scorsese, but let me tell you, American Hustle will not be remembered in years for now. Thankfully, it didn't win best picture, but which film did win? The Steve McQueen film, 12 Years a Slave. I had wanted to watch it because it starred Michael Fassbender (I'm shameless, what can I say), but I never got around to it. Once I had heard it had won, even with Gravity winning seven Oscars, including best cinematography and best director, I proposed, with gleaming eyes, watching it one night with my boyfriend. Soon after starting, he stopped me and proceeded to delete the film, saying there was nothing in that film. We ended up finishing it, but he hated it. I can't say I hated it, but to say it deserved best picture, I disagree. It was very okay, not providing anything new on the take of a slave. It was the typical "white-man-is-bad, black-man-is-innocent", except for Brad Pitt, who comes in as the deus ex machina and, spoilers, frees Chiwetel Ejiofor's character. But whatever, this was expected, I assume. And finally, I checked out Dallas Buyers Club, which was pretty good! Of course, I loved Jared Leto's character. The film was an interesting take on the AIDS epidemic, dealing with a heterosexual man who contracts the disease. Now, let's talk about Her, shall we?

Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) leads a relatively lonely life, working at a job where he writes letters for the individuals in a relationship. He hears of a new operating system that is self-aware and gives it a shot. The operating system, who names herself Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), grows with Theodore as time goes on. Theodore finds himself attracted to Samantha, but this means finally divorcing his wife, Catherine (Rooney Mara). But biggest of all, he'll have to overcome to the idea of loving an operating system.

That synopsis was pretty horrendous, but I'm sorry, folks, I'm not very good at those. Anyway, this was a cute film. I mean, if you check out the colour scheme of the film, or watch the first five minutes, you can guess it's "one of those films". But, thankfully, this isn't a Wes Anderson type of cute. It's cute in the sense that, whil watching this entire film, you yourself feel conflicted because you're questioning exactly what the protagonist is - is this actually real? The operating system is self-aware, but it's still an operating system. It's like taking those "Internet relationships" with a grain of salt. I know I was shrug my shoulders with those, but if I was placed in the situation, I'd feel completely different about the issue.

The acting was pretty good. Joaquin Phoenix was great as Theodore (plus I dig that moustache), and Scarlett Johansson, well, her voice was great, haha. It was believable chemistry between the two, even if it wasn't exactly face-to-face. That makes for some great stuff, doesn't it? No complaints from Amy Adams, either, and the other actors all played their characters well.

I'll just go into more depth of the plot... I praised it already, but I'll do it again. It was interesting! It makes some great social commentary about the types of relationships that are evolving right now (no, not waifus), and what could potentially happen in the future. Her also made quite a few remarks I often find myself thinking, and I always feel excited when a film does that. Maybe the only complaint I had was in relation to the plot involving Amy Adam's and Joaquin Phoenix's relationship. It was obvious the way it played out. Even the film itself was a bit predictable, but it was entertaining nonetheless. The way the film is put together, i.e. the way it was filmed, was also well done. The colours were intense, and it did remind me of Wes Anderson, but the take on the plot was different.

I'll stop here since all I can really do is praise the plot. It's a romance, but it's smart, hence why I enjoyed it. I also just realised that Spike Jonze and Wes Anderson look alike... Hmmm... Take care, folks!

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Review LXXVII - Harold and Maude

Review LXXVII
Harold and Maude (1971)

I always feel like I should stay away from older films that are popular because I'm sure everyone has already said all that needs to be said about the film. But I have to realise that newer generations (and even older generations) may have heard of these films but never taken the time to sit down and watch them. Thus, even though everyone has said what they wanted about the film, the folks that haven't seen the film might sit down and read, well, this, and thus decide to pick it up. Or maybe you'd like to read what I have to say. Or, the most likely scenario, I'm just writing for my own enjoyment. As a result, I'm here to review Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude starring Ruth Gordon (who played the catty neighbour in Rosemary's Baby! What! ... I didn't like that film, by the way), Bud Cort (he plays an important character in Dogma, but doesn't speak. Still, cool!), and Vivian Pickles (! ... I have nothing to say about this woman.).

The film begins with a death... Nearly. A young man steps up on a chair and proceeds to hang himself. His mother (Pickles) walks into the room and promptly ignores her son, only to call out on his ricidulousness and instructing him how to behave. Meet Harold (Cort), our protagonist for the film! Besides being rich, Harold is obsessively morbid, stagging suicides frequently, with a score of approximately fifteen times (it's a rough estimate) thus far, attending funerals for individuals he does not know, and harvesting a knowledge of death-related paraphernalia. He encounters an older woman, Maude (Gordon), at one of the funerals he attends, and the two grow very close. While his mother tries to close him in even further, he finally begins to feel freedom with his unlikely partner.

The black comedy did not do well initially, but it eventually developed a cult following and is now considered a classic (or so Wikipedia tells me, hehe). Does it deserve such a status? Heck yes! I enjoyed the characters' personalities (and Bud Cort's voice - it was beautiful) and I enjoyed the relationship they held. I mean, while they seem contrasting, I never really got the sense they were completely contrasting. Harold might have seemed secluded and seemingly prefer his own company, but as soon as he meets Maude, he opens up. Instead, I really got the feeling he was finally able to blossom once he met the woman he wanted in his life. She finally accepted him for who he was and provided unconditional love and so he was able to grow. Anyway, yes, I liked the characters themselves. Harold was interesting - quirky, but cute. Maude was also interesting - insane, but wonderful. But we actually get a story behind their lives, so their actions all seem so justified at the end. Plus, and this is a slight spoiler I suppose so avoid the rest of the paragraph, we can also take their behaviours as a result of the wars they endured - Maude having endured World War II, a war that brought about a baby boom and a will to live, and Harold having endured the Vietnamese War, a meaningless war. The writer and director of this film knew what they were thinking!

The aesthetics of the film were great, too. There were certain scenes that were really eye-capturing, and the way some scenes were shot were fabulous. Plus the sensualism in that statue scene - oh my. I really don't want to say anything to spoil the film, but check the way the characters are positioned in some scenes - it provides a huge foreshadow for the film. Isn't it nice when the director incorporates such elements into the film? Very nice indeed. Plus that broken-fourth-wall moment? Fabulous. I seem to really like these moments in cinema - probably because they're rarely executed. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack for the film. It's principally Cat Stevens, but man, I thoroughly enjoyed some songs.

I have class tomorrow, so I'll cut the review here. It is well executed and an unconventional romance. It took me a little while to buy into the film, but when I did, I really enjoyed it. If you enjoy black comedies, it's definitely worth a shot. If you're looking for a slightly screwy film, definitely check it out. Harold and Maude shouldn't disappoint.

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Review LXXVI - Funny Games

Review LXXVI
Funny Games (1997)

I'm sorry I vanished for so long, guys. I don't have an excuse given that I have been watching films, but I'm sure you all understand the feeling of not being in the mood to sit down and write something lengthy. However, now that I have a catchy song to listen to on loop (I'd link, but really, it's pretty odd - let's just say it's about shoes), I'm ready to sit down and write! I'm picking out a film I watched quite a while back, but it might be fun to review it. It's a film from Michael Haneke and stars Susanne Lothar, the wonderful Ulrich Mühe, Arno Frisch, Frank Giering, and Stefan Clapczynski. There was a frame-by-frame remake, but I stuck with the original. The film? Funny Games.

The film starts off with some blaring Naked City (whose genre, among many things, is noise) as we see a happy family consisting of Georg (Mühe), Anna (Lothar), and Georgie (Clapczynski) driving to a cottage near a lake in Austria. They meet two young men - Paul (Arno Frisch) and Peter (Frank Giering) - who initially seem friendly, but quickly overstay their welcome. Now the family is trapped in a game they can't escape.

Funny Games is an interesting piece. I didn't look into the film very much before watching it, so when my boyfriend and I watched it, he was often yelling out all the possible weapons the family could have used to attack and kill Paul and Peter. Of course, being the ignorant (and naive) one, I just kept thinking that they were in shock and I assumed that eventually everything would work out. Well, I can't talk about the ending because that would be giving away everything, but I can talk about the meaning of the film. Violence is common in cinema, or, at the very least, in Hollywood, and Michael Haneke was ready to portray this uber-violent nature in his film Funny Games. In this case we'll narrow it to suspense/horror films. This movie goes out of its way to break all the stock ideas that are recycled in every one of these films. I'll only talk about one so as not to ruin the film completely, but yeah, be warned, it is a spoiler. For example, horror films will keep one protagonist we liked (though I despised the one survivor in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Completely useless), but this film completely throws that out of the window. I won't say in what way, but you can already guess.

The primary antagonist, Paul, also constantly breaks the fourth wall and challenges the audience. I'd say the first moment that happens was the biggest up for me in the film. The way it was executed was just so well done, and so were the rest of them. He challenges you, asking if you bet the family will survive to the end. It's different, and I thought it was pretty cool. But as for the film itself, it's just a one-sided battle the whole way through, so it gets a bit tiresome. I mean, you're rooting for the family, but when all you get is them crying and being beaten down, the film starts to get long. You get these moments when you think maybe things will change, but no, it's static the whole way through. Those moments are not enough to really pick up the film, but some of them - including the one with Anna and the gun - were pretty darn cool. But Funny Games is basically pointing the camera at you and asking if you're falling into the typical rituals of horror/suspense films, and I liked that. I'm not hating on horror and suspense films (even though I can't say I like horror films since they all mostly rely on jump scares and not true horror like Blacula) because they follow a simple formula and it works to entertain the viewer, but I think it's always good to be aware of where a film will place you at times. Are you rooting for all the characters to die because they're completely incompetent? Are you hoping that one screaming female "protagonist" will run out of the building and survive? It's a refreshing change to have a film portraying all this violence and making you question it at the same time.

Can I recommend the film? Well, Arno Frisch and Ulrich Mühe are both beautiful, so, to an extent, yes. As a casual watch, it's not the best film. However, if you're looking for something a bit more deep and you're looking to release your anger on some characters, give it a watch. It's more leaning toward being an okay film than a really good film, but it'll get you talking.

A final remark - I never saw the remake (though it is supposedly the same film), but I don't feel any interest to watch it. The original is in German, so I'm sticking to it.

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