Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
KUNG-FU HUSTLE is a slice of fried gold, and I can only imagine how much of a blast it must be in the middle of all these serious Sundance-style films. Here’s Castor’s take on it and one of the other films he got a chance to see...
Harry,
Here with another couple reviews for ya. So far I’ve been surprised this year with the festival, wait lines are not nearly as long as they were up in Park City this year (it seems they finally are getting with releasing tickets for movies as it was horrible two years ago) and everyone seems to be avoiding Salt Lake City like the plague due to the heavy inversion that’s been here for 5 straight days now – you can’t see shit down here. Anyways, I missed out on another film, Hustle and Flow, due to having to work overtime – but here’s my reviews of Kung Fu Hustle and Junebug.
Kung Fu Hustle (4 out of 5)
Like my review of Layer Cake before it, everyone should know enough about this film for me to give it a quick review. In short, this is a comical adrenaline rush from the great Stephen Chow.
Our story starts with the mass uprising of the Axe Gang as they become the deadliest and most feared group in 1940s Shanghai. Many want to join them while others avoid them while staying out further in the country. But after a mishap with Sing (Chow), pretending to be a member at an off turf, starts a war between the Axe Gang and a group of gifted martial artists lead by their landlady. Even more so than Shaolin Soccer before it, Kung Fu Hustle is a wonderful blend of comedy, fantasy, and some ass kicking action sequences.
There’s a many number of scenes that I dug throughout this movie – I loved the short dance sequence at the beginning, the first big brawl in the slums, the musicians, Sing’s backstory, the hilarious movie references, and the final duel between Sing and the most feared, “number one” martial artists. Like his movies before it, I couldn’t help feel that some of it did get a little bit over-the-top, but it’s Chow’s wonderful direction that usually sucks you into the movie anyway and I find it impossible not to have a great time with this. Some people will find this easy to dismiss as they did Shaolin Soccer if this doesn’t get the proper release that it should in the US, but as long as it gets a descent push, the word of mouth should have enough people to hopefully make Stephen Chow a known name here stateside.
Go see this movie.
Junebug (3.5 out of 5)
Since I wasn’t able to attend Hustle and Flow, I picked up these tickets not really knowing anything at all about this movie. I went into it with little expectations other than what I read from Memento Man’s review – although there has been some quiet buzz going around about this piece. And rightly so, Junebug is a pretty simple film told with genuine warmth from its filmmakers.
The plotline might be a little too similar to many Sundance films before it. George (Alessandro Nivola, as some of you will recognize from Laurel Canyon) is a good ‘ol boy from the South who now lives in Chicago with his wife Madeleine (a beautiful Embeth Davidtz) – an “outsider” art dealer. Interested in an artist down in North Carolina, they decide to make the trip down there to meet him as well as George’s family not far away. Being greeted by everyone who either judge Madeleine the second they see her or accepts her, the two standout performances in this family are brother Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie) and his pregnant wife Ashley (a scene stealing Amy Adams).
That’s basically it for the main premise, as you’ve all seen something like this before, even though it’s told better than most. The conflict of accepting someone into your family is not new territory, even if it’s portrayed in a rural North Caroline town – but, for once, this isn’t a movie where people change. Throughout the week they stay there, none of the characters are going through a life changing arc where they won’t be the same person they were at the beginning of the film or they will change their ways. This movie is more interested in the cause and effect of the people we meet and how there actions might affect us. Rest assured, you will not need to see the in-laws crying and wrapping their arms around their sons wife after hating him throughout the entire film – thankfully, this is not that kind of film.
What surprised me most is that the directors (Phil Morrison) main influence on this picture was none other than Yasujiro Ozu. It’s likely many directors have the same influence on Ozu’s work, but this is pretty close to what a real film of his would be like if he ever wanted to tell a story about the South over here. It moves at the same pace by allowing us a chance to breathe and watch these people live their life, and it’s directed quite similar with the camera allowing us to see these people in their environments being the way they are. We as an audience are not forced to hate or love a character at any point here, we can just allow them to critique each of themselves and learn from them.
But this is also a bit of the problem with this film. It seemed that a number of people just didn’t “get it” as they were expecting something big to eventually happen and not much really does. I was expecting some kind of a standoff between the two brothers but when it happens, and it is rather effective, it’s over long before you would expect it to be. This is a very human story as these characters will do what they think is human to do, not necessarily what works for cinema. This can be a bit of fresh air or dead air depending on how you look at it.
Although the reason for my liking of this picture is easily Amy Adams. It’s great to see a girl who is still an unknown (the only place you would likely remember her from is in Catch Me If You Can, the girl with braces that almost married Leo) and if this film gets picked up and gets some attention, she could easily be an Oscar contender for supporting actress next year. She really is that good, and we see her emotional range displayed in full gear here. She’s pretty ecstatic and goofy in one scene and then dealing with her own problems quietly alone in the next. She is the reason why this movie really worked for me.
It’s hard to tell what type of distribution this might pick up. It’s a quiet film that would probably be enjoyed at a small independent theatre or a good video recommendation but I really don’t know. But hopefully, we will hear from Phil Morrison again and, if anything, Amy Adams will get a bit of recognition for her wonderful job here.
I should be back Monday morning with my Sundance wrap with The Matador and reviews for the Grand Jury and Audience Award winners.
Castor
Thanks, man. Can’t wait!
"Moriarty" out.
