Recently Seen

I'm in the middle of moving from Florida to Rhode Island, so my writing time's rather limited.  Here are some short notes and redirects concerning the films I've seen recently.

Castaway on the Moon

When he was writing for chud.com, my friend Alex Riviello reviewed Castaway on the Moon. He did so well that, rather than write up a new review of my own, I'll just point you to his. Read it, then queue up the movie. I bet you'll be glad you did.

Sir Arne's Treasure

Ed Gonzales of 'Slant Magazine' wrote a nice piece on Sir Arne's Treasure. The film didn't quite work for me, as I found the pacing arduous. Nevertheless, it's one of the great achievements of early Swedish film; it merits an introduction.

Take Shelter

Take Shelter is a film a bout a good man, a family man, slowly coming apart under the assault of mental illness. I found its subject matter so painful and it's execution so slow that I couldn't make it past the 45-minute mark.

Here's setup: Michael Shannon is a skilled laborer with a house in the country, a committed wife (Jessica Chastain), a daughter, a dog, and the trappings of a respectable, middle class country life. Then the dreams kick in: dreams of disasters to come, of pets turning on their masters, of the world falling apart. He begins to react to these dreams, kicking the dog out of the house and getting to work on the cold-war relic fallout shelter in the back yard. His wife is worried. His friends are worried. He's worried.

And that's about where I hit the eject button. I'm a family man, a few rungs up the socioeconomic ladder from Shannon's character, but definitely on that ladder. I found myself empathizing with Shannon's fears and their consequences too much, such that Take Shelter was a painful, vice entertaining, experience.

Perhaps I'd have stuck with the film had it been a faster-paced.  Take Shelter is meditative, however. The net effect was like watching a slow-motion car wreck involving people who were uncomfortably similar to oneself.

BKO: Bangkok Knockout

They have universal health care in Thailand, don't they?

I mean, they must. How else can one explain the utter disregard for personal safety exhibited by the cast of BKO: Bangkok Knockout? And I'm not just talking about the injuries they must have sustained while making the picture - they must have gotten on a first-name basis with their orthopedic surgeons just to get good enough at stuntwork to land their roles.

BKO: Bangkok Knockout, you see, is an extraordinary stunt picture. Though its plot is just another rehash of The Most Dangerous Game (with a whole team, as opposed to just one guy, in the crosshairs) and its acting is weak, its stunt work will remind you of the golden age of Hong Kong thrillers, when guys like Jackie Chan would stage an entire fight sequence on a moving bus crashing through a shantytown. This picture has cage fu, car fu, motorcycle fu, sword fu, chick fu, and even dude on fire swinging a burning axe fu. It's very nicely staged and photographed, with long takes and simple shots that show off the remarkable choreography of the various battles, as well as the athleticism and daring of the performers. Further, it rocks right along, with brisk pacing and just enough of a storyline to actually make you care who lives and who dies.

First credit goes to director Pana Rittikrai, who worked as the stunt coordinator on Ong Bak: Muy Thai Warrior, the action supervisor on Chocolate, and the director of Ong Bak 2 & 3.  The man has learned his craft, and he applies his lessons like a master in Bangkok Knockout.  He works with a fearless, first-rate team that literally risk life and limb to create one thrilling stunt sequence after another.  Together with the remainder of the crew, they create a film that delivers everything you could want in a Thai martial arts picture. I just hope it's cast didn't have to spend too much time recovering - I want a sequel!