Criterion Month Day 24: Take Out

Take Out (2004)

I used to love Mumblecore films. The idea that you could take a few friends and film an improvised drama or comedy on consumer-grade cameras was inspiring to my younger self. Sean Baker is not part of the mumblecore movement, but he taps into the same part of my brain that loves mumblecore. Baker’s films have the same lo-fi, improvised feel as a mumblecore film. He also uses numerous non-professional actors, often in major roles, but there’s a key difference that not only separates Baker from that movement but also elevates his work above most of those films.

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Criterion Month Day 23: Infernal Affairs II

Infernal Affairs II (2003)

When I found out there was an Infernal Affairs II, my first thought was, “Really? A sequel? Isn’t that like trying to add more water to an already perfect cup of instant noodles?” I mean, the original film wrapped up tighter than a mob boss’s alibi, so I wasn’t exactly sure what more could be said. And after seeing how Martin Scorsese did his American Idol version of the first movie with The Departed, I wasn’t sure how Infernal Affairs II could top that. You know, aside from the fact that Infernal Affairs had already topped it by existing first. But hey, when Andrew Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak are behind the camera again, you have to give it a shot, right? So, armed with popcorn and skepticism, I dove in.

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Criterion Month Day 22: Ratcatcher

Ratcatcher (1999)

Lynne Ramsay’s coming-of-age drama Ratcatcher is the kind of film I hate writing about. Don’t get me wrong, it’s artful and subtle in a way that can only be truly communicated through film. The problem, excuse me, my problem, is that I like to believe a good review provides both questions and answers. Ratcatcher is a film where there are no easy answers, and I’m not even sure what questions I should be asking.

What I mean is that it’s hard for me to tell, scene by scene, what decisions are deliberate and what decisions exist to show the randomness of childhood. Film logic dictates that every scene moves the narrative forward, but here, I just don’t know how. Let’s see if we can find out.

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Criterion Month Day 21: Flowers of Shanghai

Flowers of Shanghai (1998)

When I’m tasked with watching and reviewing 10 Criterion movies each year, my fear usually isn’t that one of the movies I watch will be bad. After all, Criterion has such a proven track record as cinephile tastemakers, that they rarely put a film in the collection that doesn’t have at least some artistic or cultural significance. That’s why the biggest fear for me is watching a film where I recognize the artistic merit of the film and can easily see why it would encompass Criterion’s aims of “gathering the greatest films from around the world”, but I just don’t connect with it. Flowers of Shanghai is certainly that kind of film, where I see why it’s innovative from a storytelling and filmmaking perspective, but I wasn’t all that emotionally invested in it. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 20: The Heroic Trio

The Heroic Trio (1993)

Speaking of Maggie Cheung, The Heroic Trio. This would have absolutely been in my catalogue of tapes I watched on repeat as a kid if I had known about it, as The Heroic Trio feels tonally right at home with the like of Paul W. S. Anderson’s Mortal Kombat and Schumacher’s Batman movies. Instead I watched it for the first time as a grown up who is still pretty passionate about super hero action fantasy and even more enthusiastic about the careers of Maggie Cheung and Michelle Yeoh. But this is a trio and Anita Mui is a bit more of a mystery to me, I’ve only seen her in a couple great Jack Chan movies before. After seeing The Heroic Trio, I’ve gotta wonder if maybe I have another actor’s filmography I now need to explore?

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Criterion Month Day 19: Mystery Train

Mystery Train (1989)

I love anthologies! Why don’t they make more anthologies? Yorgos Lanthimos made Kinds of Kindness this year, did I see it? Oops, I’m part of the problem! But I look forward to seeing it because anthologies are perfect for short attention spans (like mine). Don’t like the story? Just wait for the next one. If you want to argue that anthologies are annoying because the movie keeps having to stop and restart, let me try to convince you to reconsider with this review of Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train.

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Criterion Month Day 18: As Tears Go By

As Tears Go By (1988)

It’s the height of the Hong Kong film industry and screenwriter Wong Kar-wai has been given his first chance at directing a feature. Thanks to John Woo, gangster movies are all the rage and Wong has an idea that will make his picture unique: he’ll focus on young, unaccomplished gangsters instead of grizzled badasses. A story about a young man who’s caught between a blossoming romance and his hotheaded partner. Basically he’s remaking Mean Streets but that’s not important right now. What you need to know is that, for a while, As Tears Go By doesn’t feel particularly remarkable. And then, at about the halfway point, this happens:

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