Okay! Madam (2020) [Film Review]

Okay! Madam; or, National Lampoon’s Airborne Vacation
     We have to go on this trip!
It has been a while, but I am getting back into Korean movies again. I am not sure if this is a long term thing or a passing mood, but I decided to check out some Korean comedies. My obvious first pick became Lee Chul Ha’s Okay! Madam from 2020. I admit that the movie would have totally missed my radar had it not been for a recommendation post made by my friend @penel over at MyDramaList.

Release Info

Directed by: Lee Chul Ha Starring: Uhm Jung Hwa, Park Sung Woong, Jung Soo Bin

Language: Korean Original Title: 오케이 마담 Runtime: 100 min

Synopsis
Mi Young (Uhm Jung Hwa) and Suk Hwan (Park Sung Woong) are a middle-class family. She runs a shop at a traditional market, and he is a technology wizard who fixes computers. All of a sudden, it turns out that they win a trip to Hawaii. The couple together with their daughter (Jung Soo Bin) board an exclusive plane. Nevertheless, family happiness is quickly disrupted when a group of terrorists takes over the plane. The assailants are looking for a former spy from North Korea who is allegedly on board. Mi Young and Suk Hwan step into action to save their daughter and the rest of the hostages.

High Anxiety
When I saw @penel’s feed post for the first time, I thought to myself, “Oh cool, it's a plane movie!” It was only later when I realised that Okay! Madam is also a comedy. Indeed, it is very hard to make a successful comedy set on board of an aircraft. However, there are a few noticeable examples, such as Airplane! (1980) and Happy Flight (2008).

Okay! Madam is a very light-hearted and briskly paced fun entertainment. It even manages to conjure up a few plot twists along the way. Consequently, I am very grateful I checked out the film without paying attention to the plot synopsis or watching a spoiler-charged theatrical trailer. I suggest you do this as well in order to get full enjoyment out of the movie.

I realise that some demanding viewers may be put off by the film’s low production value. Evidently, it was made on a tight budget, which can be seen in many CGI shots of a plane in distress, whereas all the interior shots were shot in studio conditions. Still again, the greatest advantage of the movie is the script and great performances of the leads.

Speaking about performances, Uhm Jung Hwa is having such a field day in this movie! I mainly know the actress from her dramatic endeavours, but in Okay! Madam she clearly demonstrates her comic abilities. Park Sung Woong is also funny as the geeky husband. Lee Sang Yoon makes a standard appearance as your ordinary Mr Tough Guy, but he does well with his role. The rest of the supporting appearances are fine, but do not particularly stand out.

Recommendations
Even though the film is a Korean production, it makes me wonder if the title is actually a witty reference to Corey Yuen's action-packed Yes, Madam! (1985) which jettisoned Michelle Yeon into stardom. All in all, I greatly enjoyed Okay! Madam. The movie is available on numerous streaming platforms, including Amazon Prime. Overall score: 8/10

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After the Rain (1999) [Film Review]

After the Rain; or, Purification
     With this current… even if the rain stops, the river will remain insuperable.
If I understand correctly, After the Rain is one of the few Akira Kurosawa’s projects that were made after his passing in 1998. I believe these were mentioned in a documentary devoted to the filmmaker called A Message from Akira Kurosawa: For Beautiful Movies (2000), but I am uncertain if the movies were made posthumously because Kurosawa wanted them completed or if his friends decided to honour the director in such a way. Either way, I would like to talk about one of the movies from this 2000-ish lineup; that is, After the Rain directed by Takashi Koizumi.

Release Info

Directed by: Takashi Koizumi Starring: Akira Terao, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Shiro Mifune

Language: Japanese Original Title: 雨あがる Runtime: 91 min

Synopsis
Ihei Misawa (Akira Terao) is a ronin who roams through princely states in search of a new master. He is accompanied by his loyal wife Tayo (Yoshiko Miyazaki). They shelter themselves in an inn waiting for the rain to stop in order to cross the mountain. The Misawas help out the poor who also try to avoid heavy rainfall. When the sky clears, Ihei stops a fight between youngsters in the woods. This mature act draws the attention of a local master Lord Nagai Izuminokami Shigeaki (Shiro Mifune) who invites Ihei to his castle.

Spectres in the Woods
Evidently, After the Rain was only based on Akira Kurosawa’s screenplay, but you can tell from the get-go that a great care was undertaken to replicate the feel of the master’s auteur cinematic style. Takashi Koizumi himself served as an assistant director on Kurosawa’s movies raging from Kagemusha to Madadayo. In addition, legendary composer Masaru Sato was brought on board to provide a film score. In addition, Kurosawa’s frequent performers also appear in the film.

What truly grabbed my heart was the sense of tranquillity oozing from this movie. Amazing cinematography wonderfully captures vivid images of nature, forests, and rivers. Indeed, the film could have been made back in the 1960s, but I really appreciate the fact that it took 30 years to make because we can appreciate all the sequences in colour.

The story itself cannot go unnoticed as well. The main character is a different type of regular on-screen samurai. Ihei Misawa is a man known for his kindness and generosity. Paradoxically, these are the personality traits that frequently get him in trouble and render him unemployed. With its narrative structure (memories and flashbacks), After the Rain feels like a classic fairy tale.

Some viewers on letterboxd expressed disappointment with regard to the ending of the film, but I think it could not have been more perfect. It is touching and at the same time witty conclusion of the misunderstanding between Misawa and the local master.

With regard to performances, Akira Terao (who already appeared in Ran, Dreams, and Madadayo) really shines as the main hero. The same can be said about Yoshiko Miyazaki who plays the graceful wife. Shiro Mifune is very convincing as the hot-headed Lord Shigeaki, but he also gives his character a touch of comedy. The legendary Tatsuya Nakadai appears in a cameo role as the mentor figure of the main character.

I did manage to see the film by complete accident because I spotted a DVD at a book exchange point in my local shopping centre. The disc was issued in 2004 by Tantra distribution label and it is a widescreen version placed within 4:3 aspect ratio, so to get out the original resolution of the film, I had to scale the film via VLC software. There are no bonus features on the disc, but at least the translation seems okay and you have the option to choose between Polish subtitles and Polish voiceover. Interestingly, the distribution label was issued the film on VHS, but I don’t know if it was a 4:3 pan-and-scan version or the widescreen release as on the DVD.

Recommendations
All in all, I extremely enjoyed this film and I wholeheartedly recommend it to not only Akira Kurosawa’s fans but also to viewers who look for peaceful movies to pass their free time. After the Rain is undoubtedly for keeps.Overall score: 10/10

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Important Announcement [September]

The month of September 2023 has arrived and this means more workload for me in real life. For this reason, I am giving the heads-up that up until December the blog may be updated very irregularly: (once a month or twice a month) or sometimes not all. Please be patient and thank you for understanding. I think I should get back on regular posting schedule around Christmas time.

 

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The Days (2023) [Drama Review]

The Days; or, Anatomy of a Disaster
     March 11th, 2011. What happened in those days after that fateful date?
Japanese filmmakers are not backing down when it comes to creating international content for the Netflix platform. This year saw the release of The Days, the drama that serves as yet another retelling of the Fukushima Daiichi incident after the Fukushima 50 movie which was made just three years ago.

Release Info

Developed by: Jun Masumoto Starring: Koji Yakusho, Yutaka Takenouchi, Fumiyo Kohinata

Language: Japanese Original Title: THE DAYS No. of eps.: 8

Synopsis
On the 11th of March, 2011, the Tohoku earthquake suddenly occurred which led to the emergency shutdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant. Afterwards, a massive tsunami generated by the earthquake hits the shoreline and cuts off auxiliary power in the station. The crew is unable to monitor the reactors which are getting out of control. The station manager Masao Yoshida (Koji Yakusho) and his men do everything they can to prevent a nationwide disaster.

Boiling Point
The 8-episode drama, similarly as the feature film, was inspired by Ryūshō Kadota's book - On the Brink: The Inside Story of Fukushima Daiichi, but it also used official reports and Masao Yoshida's testimony as the source materials.

Well, if you have seen the aforementioned feature film, then you basically know the core of the story and you may even spot similar moments in both dramatisations of the event. The main difference is that Fuksuhima 50 rushes at breakneck pace to summarise everything within the two-hour runtime, whereas the drama takes the whole affair very slowly and lays out everything for you, step by step, point by point throughout eight episodes.

If you want to get to know what exactly happened at the power plant in detail, then watching the drama is the best option. Obviously, the character of Masao Yoshida is the main protagonist, but the show also provides a variety of different perspectives from other active players of the event, such as the control room operators, distraught family members, TOEPCO officials, and the Prime Minister of Japan.

I am also very surprised that the drama was shot on location in the Fukushima prefecture, which adds an additional layer of credibility. Evidently, the power plant itself does not look as it did back in 2011, so a lot of CGI compositing must have been done in the post-production process of the episodes. All in all, the nature/disaster sequences were done really well.

With regard to performances, evidently Koji Yakusho carries the emotional weight of the drama on his shoulders, and his portrayal of the station manager is more convincing than that of Ken Watanbe’s in the 2020 film. Words of additional praise also go to the legendary Fumiyo Kohinata for playing the distressed character of the Prime Minister. What is more, Ken Mitsuishi also has a memorable part as the TOEPCO’s deputy manager. Yutaka Takenouchi was also awesome as the control room team leader. You can also spot many great performers in the supporting roles, such as Kaoru Kobayashi, Kenichi Endo, and Yuriko Ishida.

Recommendations
All things considered, The Days is an extremely insightful examination of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. My only (nitpicky) complaint is the generic title that always makes me think of Yurie Kokubu’s Counting Down the Days song. Apart from that, The Days functions as a decent stylistic companion piece to HBO’s Chernobyl (2019). Big thanks to @SumiTheCat for recommending the drama on MDL. If you’re interested, you can check out her review here.
Overall score: 9/10

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