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Reviews
Cheob-sok (1997)
good
This is an interesting movie. On one side you have a music producer who received an lp from someone in his past. He decided to play the song on his radio program. On the other side, you have a tv shopping network telemarketer out for a night drive and while listening to the song played by the music producer she found herself in a road accident. The song by the velvet underground took new meaning for Soo-hyun and she emailed a request. Dong-hyun, the producer, met Soo-hyun through chatting. Later as they shared stories and problems they realized that each one was entangled in a love triangle (past and present).
One might think that this film seems familiar when compared with some foreign box office hits. However, I enjoyed the most its attention to tensions in conversations, how the characters' actions and facial expressions revealed what they did not want to know and did not want others to know. The film also focused on scenes depicting the characters in the same place but not seeing each other (literally and symbolically). A play on its title, contact.
In the last scene, some members of the audience could not believe at what's happening (shots before the film's end). Some would verbalize their thoughts on the matter. I guess they felt the tension and urgency of the scene. I think that is the beauty of the last scene. I guess you just have to see it and judge for yourself.
Mar Baum (1997)
good
I'm giving an overview of the movie here. Mr. Baum went to his doctor for the results of some tests. He was told (after the doctor's convoluted computations) that he has an aggressive cancer and has only 90-92 minutes to live. Mr. Baum then decided to wrap things up and called and met several people close to him. The rest of the film showed how Mr. Baum used his 92 minutes and how people reacted to his actions.
Actually, the audience acted as members of a group touring a museum of sorts in honor of Mr. Baum (a device shown in the movie itself). Inside the museum, the guide would comment on several items, notes, and even a snap shot of Mr. Baum which traced his last few minutes. We were given a treat when some thoughts were 'recorded' and we were shown the dream-thoughts of Mr. Baum of what he thought would happen in several scenarios.
All in all, the film was a good movie because of its interesting script, characters and devices. Long after the film, one might yet think about Mr. Baum and how one will spend his last few minutes on earth.
Léolo (1992)
good
I first saw a segment of the film before I got to watch the film a few weeks later. The segment focused on Leolo's attempt to explore his brother's hidden magazine while inside the comfort room. The segment, in retrospect, showed what the film was about, life as seen through Leolo's eyes. Through Leolo, we get to know about life and the great part tomatoes take in it; we take a peek on the hidden needs of adults and we even get to know how a child thinks of exacting revenge. The film has both humor and drama. We get to see quirky family rituals, secret trysts with refs and books and how ironies abound in Leolo's family.
Daun di Atas Bantal (1998)
different
This movie works for me because it depicts the plight of street children in Indonesia. We follow Asih's life as well as the street children's as they strive to live on a day to day basis. As I watched the movie, I sensed that its power lies in its ability to place us viewers with the children and how we are alarmed and delighted to find with them the worth of their lives in the streets. The children seemed all the more real to me because of how they faced violence, simple pleasures, elderly intrusions, cruel fate, life and death. A sad, moving, different and all too real movie.
Palwolui Keuriseumaseu (1998)
moved
I was lucky enough to watch this film in the recently concluded international film festival here. I was actually able to watch another South Korean film (The Power of Kangwon Province) but Christmas in August caught my attention more. The story is simple enough, the usual boy-meets-girl (or shall we say girl-meets-boy?). What made it special for me was how it was rendered. We can say that the movie was quiet and endearing. We don't have flashy and contrived romance here, only two ordinary beings made wonderful by their friendship and unexpressed love for one another. I also loved how the movie used pictures as expressions of relationships past and present. I wished that this was shown here as a regular film. I'm sure it would call out to a bigger audience.
Un tè con Mussolini (1999)
bubbly
I had no idea what the film was about but I was beckoned by the cast and the movie's title. As I watched the movie, I was moved by its simplicity and characters. The way Luca's life was shown reminded me of Toto in Cinema Paradiso. I liked the witty lines exchanged by the characters. The audience specially liked Cher's one liner after her short song bit. I thought the actresses were in their element as they played their characters. I did not feel that they were contesting for the spotlight on their performances. If you want to watch a film with a good yarn and laugh, this would be it. I left the theater in high spirits. I went back a few days after to watch it again.