Playlist

Oldboy: Not sure why it took me so long to see this, but that kind of thinking isn't going to get us anywhere, now is it? This 2003 South Korean film by director Park Chan-wook has become something of a cult classic, though I think that's selling it a little short. No doubt it's considered "cult" because it's foreign, but not everyone is as worldly as we are here at SMC. The High Life is Worldwide, baby. Yeah, so, this is really good. It has a reputation for its violence, but it plays more psychological, like Fincher's The Game or Nolan's Memento. Two scenes stand out: the eating of a whole live octopus and a fantastic side-scrolling one-shot fight. Neither done with CGI, if you can imagine such a world. Yes, there's an American remake on tap. And yes, it's being directed by Spike Lee (wait, what?). I don't see the point, but I don't think there is one. Remember when I said I liked the American remake of Infernal Affairs better because of it was amplified by its star power? Maybe proposed re-star Josh Brolin will do fine, but Choi Min-sik brings a big star presence to the title role that will be very hard to equal. PLUS

Source Code: We at SMC are big fans of Duncan Jones' 2009 debut, Moon, so we couldn't wait for his follow-up earlier this year. Not enough to actually go to the movies, but excited nonetheless. So? While it's not the follow-up I was hoping for from Jones, it's a very well done sci-fi film. The thing about Moon was how it was so different than other movies being made, a completely anti-Hollywood minimalist take on the genre. Source Code is more of the high concept thriller we are used to, but you can see the difference a quality director can make. It would be very easy to lose control of the idea of having a soldier's consciousness continuously sent back in time to relive the last eight minutes of someone's life in order to discover why a train was blown up. Hell, I had to take a break during that last sentence. But, this film works, and it keeps its focus to simply tell that story. It doesn't cram in some conspiracy subplot or try to make the story bigger than it is. It is what it is, and it's good. And what's the deal with Jake Gyllenhaal? He's becoming a pretty solid go-to actor. Reminds me of where Matt Damon started. Next stop is being good in everything he's in and then to where Damon is now--making movies better just by being in them. So, Jake, that's a "no" to Prince of Persia 2. PLUS

13 Assassins: What Vin said. I have seen Seven Samurai and this holds its own with that classic. Only criticism: there's a very bad CGI scene featuring flaming bulls that should have been cut. Cool concept, but not necessary. Fun Frank Fact: I've mentioned this movie to Vinny High Life two different times and both times I referred to it as 12 Assassins. I have no idea what that means. PLUS

Funner Frank Fact: When I went to find a picture to add (see above), I typed in, "12 Assassins." WTF? Good thing The Distillery has a CAT scan function.

Playlist: "Whistle"

I've always found most DVD extras just filler for filler's sake. Really, there are just so many gag reels and green screens someone can reasonably be expected to pretend to be interested in. (And I'm not talking about director commentaries, Vin.) However, one of my new favorite things is getting a director's earlier short film as a bonus feature.

"Whistle" was a particularly fun find on Duncan Jones' Moon because it's his only other work to date (2002 to be exact). And it's not just an experimental novelty, but an actual short film. It's the high-concept story of a really long range assassin who specializes in precise computer-guided laser killshots (yes, that is extremely freakin cool). But, of course, something happens--damn you, something! Since it's only 28 minutes, I won't say anything more, other than it's definitely worth watching if you get the chance.

As for Moon, Vin covered it in one of our first posts, but I'll chime in with a couple of things. If you don't know, Sam Rockwell plays multiple characters who are quite often filmed together in the same scene. The combo of his acting and Jones' directing actually made me forget at times that I wasn't watching two separate actors interacting with one another and that's a helluva feat. Also, I've heard this mentioned, along with Danny Boyle's Sunshine, as some sort of start to a smart sci-fi renaissance. God forbid. I'd rather get these gems every so often then have it become a "trend" to be co-opted and Hostelesque tortured into mediocrity by some studio hack.

Moon

(The following post is bloated with spoilers. You've been warned.)

Is it a spoiler when most people know that Moon has, like, one actor?...True, there is video feed of other actors who are supposedly in the film...but you must know that the lead character played by Sam Rockwell plays multiple roles...I love twist endings...but what about a twist middle? Moon has that...you get the twist in the middle and then the film dares you to watch and see how this new information is dealt with...imagine if you knew that Bruce Willis was dead about 35 minutes into The Sixth Sense. Would it hold your attention?...Probably not the same...because Shyamalan had no true end to that story except for that one realization that Bruce Willis was dead.

In Moon, director Duncan Jones gives you the twist, then shows you the product of this twist...you have to accept the twist and see the consequences...The ending was satisfactory but the consequences to that Middle twist at one point made me well up in tears. I thought of other movies with twist middles...there just ain't very many of them that are good or come to mind. What if you knew that the chick from the Crying Game was a guy in the middle of the film?...Would Stephen Rhea's character then go out on more dates and court the guy/gal? Twist endings are easy...they have an ending that is easy to digest...you shock the audience and there is a satisfactory feeling in "aha I see where this is going"...feeling...I like twist endings but they have become too easy...its a cop out now a days...Give me the twist middle...show me something that I never saw coming and then let me stew in it for a while and allow the director to punish me for the next 45 minutes and deal with the consequences of the film...that's why I loved Moon and that's why Duncan Jones should be a Director that we pay attention too. PLUS