Exit (2019) [Film Review]

Exit; or, The Ultimate High!
     You really don’t get it! You think you are safe? You’re living inside a disaster. Earthquakes and tsunamis aren’t the only disasters, our lives are the very definition of disaster!
Exit marks the directorial debut of Lee Sang Geun. This disaster/action/comedy film became South Korea's third highest-grossing domestic production for the year 2019 (after Parasite and Extreme Job). In addition, it won in two categories at the 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards. Get your climbing gear out because we are going to take a leap of faith with Exit.
Release Info

Directed by: Lee Sang Geun Starring: Jo Jung Suk, Im Yoon Ah, Go Do Shim,

Language: Korean Original Title: 엑시트 Runtime: 103 min

Synopsis
Yong Nam (Jo Jung Suk) is an experienced rock climber who can’t find a job, so he is forced to live with his relatives. He fell in love with a fellow climber Eui Joo (Im Yoon Ah), but she basically friend-zoned him. A few years later, the two of them meet at Yong Nam’s mom's 70th birthday celebration at a prestigious party complex. In the meantime, a crazy scientist releases a toxic gas which engulfs the central district of Seoul and continues to expand upward. Eui Joo as well as Yong Nam and his family are stranded in a building. In order to save themselves and others, the two climbers join forces in order to get up as high as possible and signal for rescue.

Don’t Look Back and Run

The year 2019 was filled with many epic releases from Asian countries, but Exit somehow passed me by (I guess I was too consumed by the craze generated by Parasite). Still, I was more than aware of positive reviews, but in 2020, I was waiting for some good offer on digital platforms to check it out.

When I finally did see Exit, my mind was blown away. Finally, South Korea did a light-hearted action flick that ticks all the major points of an enjoyable summer blockbuster. I would even dare to classify Exit as a climbing film, even though the action is not set in the mountains but in a metropolis.

If you can recall Sylvester Stallone’s ridiculously pleasing Cliffhanger (1993), then please do know that Exit is a Cliffhanger on steroids. Thanks to a skilful mixture of practical effects and green screen, the main protagonists are ascending/descending and jumping from one building to another in order to avoid the deadly gas and stay alive. On top of that, the great script provides such a powerful sense of chemistry that I found myself cheering even for the supporting characters.

Without a doubt, Exit is a thrilling roller coaster with lots of (literally breathtaking) set pieces. My words of appraisal go to the main stars Jo Jung Suk and Im Yoon Ah who were so great together on the screen. Interestingly, Exit marks Im Yoon Ah’s second movie role after her appearance in Confidential Assignment (2017) (I knew I have seen her somewhere!). Jo Jung Suk, on the other hand, is always "Mr. Cool Guy."

 Recommendations
If you want to see a fast-paced disaster flick without too much drama and pathos, then Exit is the choice for you. Make sure to grab an HD copy to fully enjoy those stunning climb sequences. I know this is wishful thinking but we need a sequel or at least a similar flick made by the same filmmaking team ASAP!Overall score: 9/10

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Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997) [Film Review]

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald; or, The Time of Radio
     Radio drama has something TV doesn't. For example, if you do sci-fi on TV, in order to compete with Hollywood movies, you need expensive special effects and computer graphics. But in radio, a narrator can just say "outer space", and there you are, out in space! With radio you can go as far as the imagination itself!
The film Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald marks the cinematic debut of Koki Mitani, after having directed theatre plays and TV shows. The movie is not only a love letter to immortal radio dramas, but it also serves as an homage to the movies of Juzo Itami. Unsurprisingly, it won three Japanese Academy Awards upon its release.

Release Info

Directed by: Koki Mitani Starring: Kyoka Suzuki, Toshiaki Karasawa, Keiko Toda, Masahiko Nishimura

Language: Japanese Original Title: ラヂオの時間 Runtime:103 min

Synopsis
Miyako Suzuki (Kyoka Suzuki) is a housewife who won the Radio Benten Drama Competition (actually, she was the only contestant). She wrote a screenplay for a romance drama called The Woman of Destiny. The radio managers intend to make a premiere of the drama as a live broadcast due to start at midnight. Everything seems to be in order and the general rehearsal is flawless. However, the main actress, Nokko Senbon (Keiko Toda), demands that the name of her character should be changed from Ritsuko to Mary Jane. This ridiculous request sets in motion a chain of numerous rewrites. As a result, Miyako together with director Kudo (Toshiaki Karasawa) and the rest of the cast and crew make stuff up just as the show is on the air. The Woman of Destiny becomes a drama about an ambitious lawyer from Chicago torn between the love for two men: Heinrich and Donald McDonald.

Drama Magic
I have to say that I saw Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald a few years ago first time round, but only after revisiting the film recently, I realised how much I love it. Movies about the charm of radio times constitute an entire genre of their own (most obvious examples, Radio Days (1987) and Radioland Murders (1994)), and Koki Mitani’s movie definitely occupies a top place among them.

You brag about Sam Mendes who filmed 1917 (2019) in such a way that it looks like one, continuous shot? In that case, watch the first scene of Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald which, indeed, is a real single shot which lasts 5 minutes! Even though the film’s setting is the same for the majority of the story (the recording studio), the wacky screenplay provides enough of dynamic pace and exciting twists to make it an entertaining flick. 

Maybe it is just me, but I have an affinity for stories about people working late in empty offices. Huge advantage of the film are heart-warming characters who make stuff up as they go along. All in all, the subplot about mysterious pilot/astronaut Mr. Donald McDonald has to receive some kind of closure!

In addition, you can spot such nods to Juzo Itami as a small cameo from Nobuko Miyamato herself and the return of Yaro, a truck driver from the film Tampopo (played by the great Ken Watanabe). There are also Yoshimasa Kondo and Masahiko Nishimura (both of whom appeared in Itami’s Marutai no Onna (1997)).

Needless to say, the final act of the film is so epic that it made me do an air punch. Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald may be primarily a comedy, but it is also a thoughtful commentary on the show business and how one’s passion influences creativity.

Recommendations
If you like the movies of Juzo Itami and Koki Mitani, then you need to check this film ASAP. It is a superb movie that will certainly warm you up inside during Autumn evenings. If you will happen to grab the Japanese DVD edition, then you are in for a bonus commentary track from the director himself. All things considered, Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald is just fantastic!Overall score: 10/10

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Mulan (2020) [Film Review]

Mulan; or, A Love Letter to the PRC
Your Chi is strong, Mulan. The Chi is for warriors, not daughters. Soon you will be a young woman and it is time for you to hide your gift away.
The second week of September, 2020 is the Mulan week! After months of postponing the release due to the outbreak, the live-action adaptation of a legend about everybody’s favorite princess finally saw the light of day on Disney+. In spite of mixed opinions and the drama war concerning fake reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, I was very much hopeful about Mulan, and I checked it out with an open heart… Well, the movie turned out to be painfully mediocre.

Release Info

Directed by: Niki Caro Starring: Liu Yifei, Yoson An, Donnie Yen, Gong Li

Language: English Runtime: 120 min

Synopsis
The Rouran tribes under the leadership of Böri Khan (Jason Scott Lee) are attacking the Northern parts of China. The Emperor (Jet Li) orders a nationwide draft into the army that will ward off the Rourans. Soon after, the recruitment instructions arrive to a village where the Hua family lives. Hua Zhou (Tzi Ma) is a proud father of two daughters but he is too sick to participate in the war, yet he obediently accepts the royal order. His daughter, Hua Mulan (Liu Yifei), steals his armour, sword, and horse under the cover of the night. Pretending to be a man, she joins the division led by Commander Tung (Donnie Yen). During her quest, Mulan will have to face not only the Rourans but also struggle with her feelings to Honghui (Yoson An) and battle a mysterious witch known as Xianniang (Gong Li).

#NotMyMulan
I saw Mulan a couple of days ago and wrote my original thoughts about the film on MDL feeds. Initially, I had no intention of writing a review (because even though the film has an all-Asian cast, it was not made by Asians at all), but the more I kept thinking about the film, the more I wanted to elaborate upon my first impressions.

So, I wrote at the beginning of this text that I find Mulan to be painfully mediocre. By saying this, I do not mean that the movie is technically bad, but the executions of many aspects left me pretty underwhelmed. For instance, the opening scenes already establish the fact that Mulan is already a perfect warrior while being a child; therefore, there is no progression of her character. In addition, the screenplay cuts corners at the most important plot-points of the narrative: Mulan has no sidekick (where’s my Mushu!), there is no dramatic reveal of her identity, and she does not single-handedly save the day in the film’s finale. In consequence, where the 1998 animation was pouring heart and passion into each scene, the live-action movie just tries get through the plot without any aim of providing entertainment.

The best example of the film’s blandness is the Matchmaker scene. The sequence in the animation is so much fun, but in the film, everything feels forced and awkward. But hey, at least I recognised Cheng Pei-Pei through heavy make-up (To be honest, she would have been the perfect choice for the grandma character who, similarly to Mushu, was also removed from this version).

That being said, I am not saying that there is not anything I liked about the film. Liu Yifei did not convince me as Mulan, but I was full on board with her performance when she was pretending to be guy. The actress did a good job as Mulan undercover, but as Mulan Mulan… so-so. I also welcomed the presence of Donnie Yen in golden armour. Though he does not do much fighting, his character just loves talking about honour.

Another thing I noticed is shoddy CGI. I do not consider myself to be a demanding viewer, so if I could spot that the background of many outdoors scenes is fake, then you can as well. For a big budget production from Disney, the special effects seem to have been made without an effort.

Recommendations
All things considered, Mulan is yet another Hollywood’s attempt (after the Star Wars sequels) to buy their way into the Chinese market. The best thing about making these movies in accordance with PRC’s rulebook is that China does not care at all about blockbusters from the West. In 2020, they commissioned not one, not two, but three of their own live-action Mulan movies, plus an animation, and two dramas. In addition, the controversy surrounding Disney's Mulan also has to be addressed, especially the disputable remarks of the main actress and more than questionable shooting locations. So… if you want to experience Mulan at her glory, then I suggest coming back to the 1998 animation or checking out the 2009 movie.Overall score: 5/10

Note: All the images come from the official trailer.

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#Alive (2020) [Film Review]

#Alive; or, An Ode to Self-isolation
     I should have gone shopping, just like you told me, mom!
Korean cinema is on the roll with zombie movies. After Train to Busan movies and Kingdom drama, we now get #Alive, a survival thriller directed by Cho Il Hyung and starring Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye in the leading roles.

Release Info

Directed by: Cho Il Hyung Starring: Yoo Ah In, Park Shin Hye

Language: Korean Original Title: #살아있다 Runtime: 98 min

Synopsis
Oh Joon Woo (Yoo Ah In) is a typical Korean gamer with high-tech stuff and too much time on his hands. He lives with his parents and sister. One day, he wakes up and finds a note left by his mother. When he turns on the TV, news anchors are talking about the outbreak of an unknown virus. All of a sudden, Oh Joon Woo’s apartment complex turns into chaos as other inhabitants transform into vicious monsters and start attacking each other. Stranded in an apartment, Oh Joon Woo gradually loses hope for rescue. Suddenly, he discovers that he is not the only survivor...

Running Out of Time
I have heard about #Alive movie a couple of months ago, when reading the box office statistics from the Asian market. On top of that, many users on MDL eagerly shared their thoughts on the film. Needless to say, I had to check this one out, especially in view of the fact that Peninsula (2020) came out just recently.

To be honest, I was surprised at how good this movie is. It starts in a low-key way, but the suspense build up just kept me glued to the TV screen. One could argue that zombie flicks are too clichéd and cheesy, but #Alive provides a much needed breath of fresh air, harking back to such classics about lone survivors as The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971).

All the more I cannot understand the bad rap this movie gets. People write in their reviews that it is boring, unrealistic, and too short. What? Have we seen the same movie? Of course, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I totally understand that people have their own preferences and attention spans, but the movie (with its clever screenplay and nicely done effects) certainly got my blood pumping.

The things I definitely have to praise are the following: great zombie design (way more vivid than in Train to Busan), catchy synthwave music score, out of the blue jump scares, and great performances of the main leads. Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye, who totally nailed it as people trying to escape from the zombie hellhole.

However, there were about two moments in the entire film which seemed a bit too hokey to me. Not getting into the spoilers area, allow me to say that at times the hero is protected by nothing more than plot armour. In my opinion, this is the only disadvantage of #Alive.

Recommendations
If you like zombie horrors, and (most importantly), if you like Yoo Ah In, then I recommend the film. Watching it has been an invigorating experience. I strongly hope that director Cho Il-hyung and writer Matt Naylor will come up with more exciting stuff in the future.
Overall score: 8/10

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In the Line of Duty 4 (1989) [Film Review]

In the Life of Duty 4; or, Someone to Watch Over Me
     We can't be responsible for her emotional state. You know what, Yeung? You are too sentimental. Luk is lying there because of it. I'm beginning to doubt your ability.
After the release of In the Line of Duty 3, D&B Films Company pressed on with the action series about badass police officers by commissioning a fourth instalment with Cynthia Khan slated to return as fearless Inspector Yeung, and accompanied by young and cocky Donnie Yen. Directed by Yuen Woo-ping and produced by Stephen Shin, In the Line of Duty 4 is a classic entry in the series which provides death-defying stunts and exciting fist fights.

Release Info

Directed by: Yuen Woo-ping Starring: Cynthia Khan, Donnie Yen, Yuen Yat-chor, Michael Wong

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 皇家師姐IV直擊證人 Runtime: 94 min

Synopsis
Seattle, USA. Police officers are monitoring a Chinese drug smuggling operation. A local cop witnesses the trade in which a CIA agent takes part. He takes a photo of the agent and tries to escape, but he gets shot by the drug dealers. In his dying moment, he passes on the photo negatives to harbour worker, Luk (Yuen Yat-chor). Luk barely survives the confrontation with the dealers and, fearing for his life, he flees to Hong Kong. Considered to be a suspect who participates in the smuggling endeavour, Luk is now wanted by the police. Inspector Yeung (Cynthia Khan) and Captain Yan (Donnie Yen) are sent to Hong Kong in order to find Luk; however, they are repeatedly interrupted in their search by Captain Wong (Michael Wong).

Witness Protection
I remember seeing In the Line of Duty 4 a couple of years ago and, obviously, I found it to be extremely entertaining. My original copy must have been a rip from a laserdisc due to visible poor quality, but this week, I got my hands on the Blu-ray release and the modern remaster really gives this movie justice it deserves.

From beginning to the end, the movie is filled with bombastic action set pieces revolving around the graceful Cynthia Khan and the brass Donnie Yen. Be it a confrontation with a bloodthirsty biker, fight on top of a speeding ambulance, or sliding down the elevator shaft, all sequences crafted under the watchful eye of Yuen Woo-ping are breathtaking and definitely stand the test of time.

Some fans point out that this movie is more of a Donnie Yen vehicle, than a proper Cynthia Khan flick. Well, I tend to disagree. Both of them have many opportunities to shine in the film, and especially Cynthia seems to be at the top of her game. My favourite girl with a gun plus the leather jacket à la Indian Jones is a double win for me.

The only drawback of the movie is heavily underused Michael Wong. He appears to be a perfect fit for a suave villain, but he has very little stuff to do, apart from the final showdown with Cynthia. Interestingly, Michael also played a police officer in Royal Warriors (1986) (a.k.a. In the Line of Duty Part 1).

From the trivia, I could not help but spot an Easter Egg for Polish viewers. Namely, a Polish trawler called Antares GDY-341 “played” in the opening sequence as the drug boat. Unfortunately, the unit was decommissioned in 1991, so it can’t serve as a relic for movie fanatics like me.

 Recommendations
I highly recommend In the Line of Duty 4 for the fans of Hong Kong action flicks. Watch it for the awesome duo Cynthia Khan and Donnie Yen as well as well choreographed and well paced action that does not let go. In the Line of Duty 4 is a classic cops vs. bandits story.
Overall score: 8/10

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