Hey folks, Harry here with more reviews from the San Francisco International Film Festival... JOURNEYS WITH GEORGE premiered here in Austin at SXSW, but I am dying to see MUSA THE WARRIOR and SPIRITED AWAY. It just seems like it is going to be forever till I see those movies. Here ya go...
Harry and Mori,
I'm enjoying seeing the coverage of the San Fran Film Fest on this site.
Add to it all the activity going on with The Hulk (the news this morning
told viewers to not worry about the military helicopters flying around town,
they're being used in the film) and suddenly there's a lot going on around
here movie-wise. Here's 2 more reviews plus a thought or two about Spirited
Away.
Journeys with George
Alexandra Pelosi was working for NBC News when she was given the assignment
of covering then Texas Governor George W. Bush's presidential campaign. She
then spent the next year and a half sticking a camera in the Governor's face
trying to get glimpses of the man who would be president. She followed this
by quitting NBC News and editing a year and half of life spent on the
campaign trail into a 90 minute documentary.
Journeys with George isn't so much about the current president, or about his
run for office, but a rather curious look at how we get information about
the people we vote for. Does Pelosi, daughter of Democratic Congresswoman
Nancy Pelosi, try to make Bush look foolish? No, on the contrary, the
portrait borders on flattering, not of Bush as a leader, but as a person.
He's friendly, personable, and down to Earth. There are times when he
literally appears to be hammered (the guy often reminds me of my alcoholic
uncle, a nice guy but the last person I'd ever want to be president) but the
camera is quick to show his drink of choice is non-alcoholic beer. He also
displays a good sense of humor, like when he was caught referring to a New
York Times reporter as an asshole, Bush gives his corps of reporters
baseball jerseys with "Major League A's" on the front and "Big Time" on the
back.
Where Pelosi's film really succeeds is shining a light on the political use
of the media. All the while that Bush is running for the office of
President of the United States, the only info on the campaign comes from
this corps of reporters who depend on the man for their livelihood. As Bush
tells Pelosi, it's in her best interest to vote for him. Other reporters
express deep concerns that Bush may lose the election simply because their
job would then be over. At one point Pelosi asks Bush about his support for
the death penalty, a good thoughtful question any candidate should be
answering while running for the office of President. Bush gets miffed and
in the ensuing days gives Pelosi the cold shoulder. She quickly learns that
in order to stay and maintain her access to Bush, she must play by his
rules. Another wonderful moment is when Senator McCain is at a photo-op
lending his support to the Republican nominated Bush, and as soon as the
sound bite is over turns and says something to the effect of "I'm outta
here". It makes one shudder a bit to realize that for the most part, all we
know about some of our political leaders is only what they tell us.
After the film, Pelosi spoke with the home team crowd, and she handled
herself well despite an audience that bordered on confrontational. She had
to repeatedly state that at any point in time Bush, the White House, or NBC
News could have shut her down and she would have had nothing. And she
repeatedly thanked her editor and her attorney for making the film a
possibility, and HBO for giving the film a venue. Expect to see Journeys
with George on HBO in the near future.
Musa the Warrior
For those who thought Braveheart didn't have enough action, or those who weren't interested in the love story in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or those who felt Lord of the Rings wasn't gory enough, let me offer Musa the Warrior. This two and a half hour Korean historical epic offers plenty in the way of action and gory hand to hand combat, but more importantly comes close to recalling the classics of Akira Kurosawa.
The story follows a band of Korean warriors on a diplomatic mission in China during the 14th century. They have been captured as spies by Ming's army, and find themselves lost in the barren wastelands of the Gobi desert far from home. At a remote outpost, our group encounters a Chinese princess (Zhang Ziyi) being held by the Yuan army. They decide their best bet is to rescue her and return her to Emperor Ming in hopes of gaining his gratitude and a safe return home. Of course, this task is not so easy when they have the Yuan army chasing after them. Add to this mix a freed slave by the name of Yeosol who knows how use a sword, and you have a situation that is fraught with intensity and "damn the torpedoes" type of combat.
I've seen other Korean action pictures (Nowhere to Hide and Shiri) but they were more in the style of Tarantino or Cameron. Musa is a nice mixture of the Kurosawa epics and the westerns of Peckinpah and Leone. Add a touch of Hollywood style editing (quick cuts, slow mo) and you have an idea of what you're in for. The area where Musa falters is in its characterizations. For a movie that lasts as long as it does, very little time is spent on character development. The problem here is that without getting to know the players involved, the consequences aren't as meaningful. We simply marvel at the spectacular battles and intense fighting. On every other level Musa succeeds wonderfully, it is easily one of the most visually exciting films to come along. A fight in the middle of a forest is truly spectacular filmmaking. The locations, costumes, weaponry, and special effects are all first rate. I only wish I could get more involved with what was happening, and at 2+ hours the film is just too long.
Fans of Zhang Ziyi will be pleased to see her in this film, for she looks
great and has such a strong presence. But her role is almost identical to
the role she had in Crouching Tiger without any of that character's
complexity. She doesn't even get to kick ass. The one character we get to
know the best is Jinlib, played by a Korean actor who constantly reminded me
of Fred Ward. Movie goers who are into Hong Kong films, Kurosawa films or
who are eager to see quality action films should try to find Sung-su Kim's
Musa. Korean cinema is proving to be a formidable force in the world of
film, should you get the chance Musa would be a great place to start looking
at what they have to offer.
A few thoughts on Spirited Away
I had the pleasure of seeing Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) on the big screen in Japanese. Others have done nice work reviewing the film, so I'll just add that it is a truly magical film that immediately brings to mind The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland and even Where the Wild Things Roam; in other words, classic fantasy. This was my introduction to Miyazaki, but I am now eager to see his previous work to witness some more of this type of film magic. As much as I enjoyed seeing this film in its original presentation, I feel it does warrant a dubbed version for U.S. distribution. Very simply, this will be an extraordinary experience for kids (think of when you first saw The Wizard of Oz or E.T. as a kid) and an English dubbed version is needed for young audiences. It would be nice if Disney could present special subtitled screenings in select theatres, but it sounds like Lasseter is being respectful of this film in his presentation to U.S. audiences. When Spirited Away finally hits American screens, by all means grab the closest 10 year old and experience this wonderful film.
Next on the agenda will be Cherish with Robin Tunney and Johnnie To's Fulltime Killer
