Waterboys (2001) [Film Review]

Waterboys; or, Synchro Revolution

     Real synchronised swimmers perform in deep pools, but we’ll manage. The truth is I got super depressed when I heard this was a boys school. I’ve always dreamed of coaching my own team. Why can't boys do it? Let’s go for it. Synchro swim!

I finally brought myself round and it’s time to begin my Shinobu Yaguchi month. I intend to review four of his movies (excluding the already reviewed Survival Family) throughout the four next weeks. So today, I would like to discuss his first major success which spawned a two-season drama and a two-part special; that is, Waterboys from 2001.

Release Info

Directed by: Shinobu Yaguchi Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hiroshi Tamaki, Takatoshi Kaneko, Koen Kondo

Language: Japanese Original Title: ウォーターボーイズ Wōtā Bōizu Runtime: 90 min

 

Plot

Kawagoe High School is a boy’s prep school in Saitama Prefecture. Their students are keen on sports, but some who suck at everything attend swimming classes. Soon, a beautiful new female coach (Kaori Manabe) is hired and she presents to the group the idea of preparing a synchronised swimming event for their school festival. However, the coach suddenly goes into labour and takes maternity leave. Suzuki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) always wanted to be somebody, but he never had the guts to do it. He and his four other colleagues: Sato (Hiroshi Tamaki), Saotome (Takatoshi Kaneko), Kanazawa (Koen Kondo), and Ohta (Akifumi Miura) decide to learn synchro swimming for the event and they ask a certain dolphin trainer (Naoto Takenaka) to help them out.

 

Go For It!

Waterboys was a massive success in Japan back in 2001 due its unusual subject and the way it was executed. Yaguchi had already been an established director with four theatrical movies on his account (which I have yet to check out), but it was the Waterboys movie which gave him a wider recognition.

 

One can regard the film as a teenage-comedy with a bit of sports, but to me this is foremost an excellent zero-to-hero story, the format which Yaguchi would repeat later in Swing Girls (2003) and Wood Job! (2014).

 

The best thing in Waterboys is this happy-go-lucky feel which Yaguchi successfully invokes. Whenever the music kicks in (plus great locations on a beach), I feel as if it’s already vacation time! The comedy is also extremely well written and it works perfectly in every scene (be it fishing in a pool or failed synchro attempt). In other words, Waterboys immediately puts you in a good mood.

 

Speaking about the movie, I can’t omit its definite highlights. I absolutely loved the sequences in the aquarium where the gang is cleaning the tanks and they familiarise themselves with its inhabitants. Also, Naoto Takenaka nails it while riding a giant orca! The Dance Dance Revolution scene is hilarious as well. One cannot forget about the standard appearance of Akira Emoto in a supporting role, who this time around shows up in a drag and a make-up that almost turns him into Joker! Additionally, Tetta Sugimoto has a minor but funny role as a furious P.E. teacher.

 

Oh, and I have to mention the awesome finale with all these synchro acts done to catchy songs. I guess that the cast and crew must have worked really hard to get these done. The composers Gakuji Matsuda and Hitomi Shimizu did a fine job with providing the score, which goes well with the stunts.

 

The actors who played Satoshi Tsumabuki as Suzuki and Aya Hirayama as Shizuko, his love interest, were picked perfectly as the chemistry of that innocent teenagers’ love is vividly noticeable on screen. The supporting actors who played the rest of the swimming team did very well, but the 90-minute screen time does not allow them to explore their characters in greater depth. Synchro is what matters the most.

 

Recommendations

If you are looking for something to relax and unwind yourself on a summer afternoon, then Waterboys is the film definitely for you. Now, I really want to check out the 2003 drama, although I wish there was an official sequel to this movie. Summing up, it’s a funny and witty film that leaves you wanting for more.

Overall score: 9/10

Survival Family (2017) [Film Review]

Survival Family; or, Apocalypse Vacation

     The things humans need for survival. The first is to maintain body temperature. The second is shelter. Third is water. The food is behind these things.

We live through our daily existence without really taking into consideration small, yet grand facilitations of our civilisation. Power outages and water shortages may occur from time to time, but usually such incidents don’t last long and are limited to a small area. However, what would happen if the world’s electricity suddenly went off and never came back? Let’s find out by dusting off our bicycles and embarking on an adventure with the Survival Family.

Release Info

Directed by: Shinobu Yaguchi Starring: Fumiyo Kohinata, Eri Fukatsu, Yumi Izumisawa, Wakana Aoi

Language: Japanese Original Title: サバイバルファミリー Runtime: 117 min

 

Plot

Meet the Suzuki family. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about them. Head of the family, Yoshiyuki (Fumiyo Kohinata), is an average salaryman in a corporate company. His wife Mitsue (Eri Fukatsu) is taking care of home and does everyday household chores. Their children, Kenji (Yuki Izumisawa) and Yui (Wakana Aoi), and typical modern teenagers, glued to their phones and computers. All of a sudden, a power outage sweeps across Tokyo. Everyone thinks that it’s only a temporary inconvenience, but the power does not come back. As days go by, Tokyo becomes a dangerous place to live in, due to shortening food and water supplies. The Suzuki family eventually decides to travel to Kagoshima where Mitsue’s father lives, hoping to be able to survive in the countryside. The family sets out on a journey across Japan that will change their lives.

 

Survivor: Japanese Edition

Survival Family is the latest movie from Shinobu Yaguchi, the creator of such Japanese classics as Waterboys (2001) and Swing Girls (2003). The progression of heroes appears to be the prevalent theme in his movies, and Survival Family is no exception from it. An ordinary Japanese family is taken out of the metropolitan safe zone and put to the trials and tribulations in true Bear Grylls’ style.

 

The already mentioned what if scenario with power outage is the driving vehicle of the story. What caused the outage on a global scale? How come the power cannot be restored? These questions are irrelevant as the movie is not a horror-thriller like The Road (2009) or The Happening (2008), but rather a comedy drama. Thus, instead of people becoming cannibals, we get Fumiyo Kohinata and Eri Fukatsu on the road to nowhere. The movie tries to stay objective in its examination of a possible apocalypse, but at the same time sways into Kikujiro’s optimistic feel as the Suzukis encounter a variety of positive characters along their way.

 

In view of this, Survival Family attempts to get across the message that modern conveniences are just distractions when not used properly. The fault is at the parents, not their reliance on technology. This is especially visible in the scene where the Suzukis meet a different family (parents played by Saburo Tokito and Norika Fujiwara ;) ) who treat the whole situation as an opportunity for healthy vacation. Nevertheless, the survival skills are also important and the family acquires those during their stay on Mr Tanaka’s farm (Yasuo Daichi). It is only when they reach Mitsuo’s father (Akira Emoto) that the family finally learns how to live together and love each other.

 

With regard to performances, Fumiyo Kohinata and Eri Fukatsu definitely carry the weight of the picture. Knowing the actors from their previous works, they convincingly played a father and a mother who undergo an emotional change along their way. Also, the children did well in their roles. The movie is also filled with many small parts done by well-known actors (apart from those already enumerated, Eri Watanabe and Shin Takuma deserve a mention). In addition, the locations used in the film feel very much like a separate character. The filmmakers did a great job with finding picturesque places to shoot at.

 

Recommendations

I recommend Survival Family to every family who seeks to spend an enjoyable afternoon. This film is a definitive highlight among other Japanese releases of 2017 and one of my personal favourite movies by Shinobu Yaguchi. I liked it so much that now I want to go back and rewatch Yaguchi’s older works. Maybe it’s time for Yaguchi month on the blog? I’ll see. In the meantime, I have to check on my bicycle in case of any unexpected power outage.

Overall score: 9/10

Reset (2017) [Film Review]

Reset; or, Time and Time Again

     Rainbow rangers transcend through time and space.

Time-travel flicks are always fun to watch, at least to me. When I saw the teaser trailer for Reset (a.k.a. Fatal Countdown: Reset) in early 2017, I knew that I couldn’t give this one a miss. However, a whole year passed and I somehow forgot about the film. Thankfully, I checked it out during Christmas time and now I’m ready to discuss this Chinese science fiction masterpiece.

Release Info

Directed by: Chang Starring: Yang Mi, Wallace Huo, Hummer Zhang, Liu Chang

Language: Mandarin Original Title: 逆时营救 Runtime: 106 min

 

Synopsis

It’s the year 2025. Various research labs across the globe are exploring the possibilities of travelling back in time to parallel universes. One of such facilities is the Nexus Corporation, which already performed experiments with animals. Xia Tian (Yang Mi), one of the project’s leading scientists, tries to divide her time between work and home as she is taking care of her small son Doudou (Hummer Zhang). All of a sudden, Doudou is kidnapped by a henchman from an American corporation (Wallace Huo) who orders Xia Tian to bring him all the research data or her son will die. Xia Tian complies, but Doudou is ruthlessly killed anyway. Devastated mother attempts to travel 1 hour and 50 minutes back in time so as to save her child.

 

Help yourself by helping yourself helping yourself

When the movie started, I wasn’t expecting anything exceptional. I was just hoping for a good film with forgivable CGI effects, but, oh boy... I’ve got say that Reset is actually gobsmackingly amazing! The thriller-like beginning already kept me on the edge of my seat. When Xia Tian jumped into this hub/gate portal, which disintegrates every human body cell… Like wow! Just talking about this movie makes me wanna go back in time and re-watch it again!

 

Everything in this movie is a near perfection: the script, well-crafted characters (even the supporting ones), performances, the special effects, and the music score. Director Chang (also known as Yoon Hong Seung) did a splendid job. In addition, this film was also produced by Jackie Chan. At first, I was like: Yeah... his company gave the money and he just slapped his name on the credits, but now I’m convinced that he must have had some input into the creative process.

 

In terms of performances, I know I shouldn’t write something like this in a review, but I can’t help it. I just fell in love with Yang Mi. Her performance of a mother willing to do whatever it takes to save her son is a triumph! Within the time span of about 40 minutes, she goes from Ellen Ripley in Alien (1979) to Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986) effortlessly! Her interpretation of Xia Tian makes her character one of the most tragic time travellers in movie history.

 

Additionally, Wallace Huo is a great addition as a bad-to-the-bone killer. I mean, this guy is willing to kill a kid and blow up the lab full of people just to get the job done. His motivation is eventually explained at the end of the movie (no spoilers here), but he’s still a very dark villain with many issues. Also, Hummer Zhang convincingly played Doudou (it’s always very hard to find a good child actor).

 

With regard to disadvantages... there are only three minutes of stupidity, just because the scriptwriters wanted to provide a double twist. Thankfully, the scene does not last long and it does not affect the overall reception.

 

Recommendations

If you enjoy time-travel movies, I strongly suggest that you jump into your DeLorean, buckle up, and check out Reset as you’re in for a great film (in fact, one of the best time-travel films). I can only hope that the Chinese will make more science fiction pictures (with Yang Mi starring in them). To sum up, Reset is an outstanding showpiece, which casts into the shadows Hollywood’s failed attempts to make outstanding stories with strong heroines.

Overall score: 8/10