Film Review: "A Taxi Driver ("택시운전사") (2017).

"May 1980: A taxi driver heads to Gwangju" in A Taxi Driver (택시운전사). This South Korean historical action drama film directed by Jang Hoon, and written by Eom Yu-na. The film follows a Seoul taxi driver named Man-seob who drives a German reporter named Peter from Seoul down to Gwangju and back again. Although stopped by police roadblocks at the edge of Gwangju, Man-seob eventually manages to find a way into the city. There they encounter students and ordinary citizens taking part in large-scale demonstrations against the government.

May 18th to 27th 1980 saw the Gwangju Uprising (광주 민주화 항쟁), or alternatively called the May 18 Democratic Uprising and May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement in the city of Gwangju, South Korea. The event is sometimes called 5·18 in reference to the date the movement began. During this period, Gwangju citizens took up arms (by robbing local armories and police stations) when local Chonnam University students who were demonstrating against the martial law government were fired upon, killed, raped and beaten by government troops. The movement saw an estimated 606 people may have died, but the numbers may have been suggested as higher. The movement would have been almost ignored altogether if it were not for the heroic efforts of two men; a German journalist named Jürgen Hinzpeter, and an ordinary Korean taxi driver named Kim Sa-bok. Born on 6 July 1937, Hinzpeter was reporter for the ARD and the only journalist to film the massacres during the Gwangju uprising. His footage was delivered to Germany and broadcast worldwide. Because of his efforts, he was dubbed in South Korea as "the blue-eyed witness" ("푸른눈의 목격자"). Born on 3 October 1932 in North Korea, Kim fled south during the Korean War and developed a passion for learning foreign languages. After a failed business venture following his compulsory military service, he moved to Seoul and was subsequently hired as a taxi driver for a luxurious hotel. Following the uprising, Kim fell into a deep depression and severe alcoholism which led to his death on 19 December 1984. Hinzpeter never reunited with Kim and ultimately died on 25 January 2016. In May 2016, a memorial tombstone and a special memorial garden was erected in the Gwangju.

The film stars Song Kang-ho as Kim, Thomas Kretschmann as Hinzpeter, Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Jun-yeol, and Uhm Tae-goo. Terrific performances were given by the cast, especially from Song and Kretschmann. Song continues to prove that he is one of the greatest actors, not only in South Korea, but on the entire planet. Kretschmann gave a terrific performance in a non Nazi/German soldier role.

A Taxi Driver is a familiar yet compelling South Korean period drama, propelled by Song Kang-ho's strong performance as an unlikely hero. Despite some concessions to unrealistic Hollywood conventions, the film's righteous anger at injustice is delivered with effectively mounting urgency.

Simon says A Taxi Driver (택시운전사) receives:

Film Review: "The Glass Castle" (2017).

"Find beauty in the struggle." This is The Glass Castle. This biographical drama film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, adapted by Cretton, Andrew Lanham, and Marti Noxon, and based on Jeannette Walls' 2005 best-selling memoir of the same name. A young woman who, influenced by the joyfully wild nature of her deeply dysfunctional father, found the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

In 2007, Walls announced the film was in development and looking for a director. In April 2012, Lionsgate acquired the rights to the book and announced that a film adaptation was in development. Gary Ross was hired to direct and Jennifer Lawrence was attached to star. In October 2013, it was revealed that Cretton was in talks to direct the film and re-write the screenplay with Andrew Lanham from a previous draft by Marti Noxon. In October 2015, Brie Larson joined the cast of the film, replacing Lawrence; she had exited the film after a prolonged search for a male lead. By late May 2016, Naomi Watts, Woody Harrelson, Sarah Snook, Sadie Sink, Iain Armitage and Max Greenfield. At the same time, principal photography commenced and took place in Welch, West Virginia.

The film stars Larson, Watts, Harrelson, Snook, Sink, Armitage and Greenfield. Impeccably performed by the whole cast, the film is an exhausting ride through every emotion possible. I'm attracted to films that feel real, and the film definitely definitely does. In no small part to the acting - the kids in this are nothing less than fantastic. Larson delivers a character that feels achingly human, and she does it brilliantly.

It's a perfect example of the raw emotion and attention to detail that make the film such a moving, unforgettable experience. There's a tendency for movies like the film to be overwrought or contrived in their handling of such a sensitive story. However, Cretton avoids the pitfalls of the genre by balancing out the story with an intense and masterfully deployed empathy. The film races by with its brief running time, but its ambling plot works to reveal a naturalistic discovery of its characters. This look at the staff and clients at a foster care facility compels with its naturalistic approach and delivers believable scenarios and dialogue, while showcasing its young stars. However, that sputtering noise you hear in the nobly intentioned, intermittently moving, the film is the sound of feminism backfiring as it meets screenplay formulas. Nonetheless, the film is a rare, unmissable gem; yes, it's a showcase for its stunning performers and necessary story, but it also pushes us to look at our own emotions, experiences, and relationships in the process. This feel-everything drama is one of those honest and intimate scripts that come out of nowhere to say something incredibly meaningful and memorable. Cinematic without belying its "slice of life" vibe, emotionally enveloping without being saccharine, and wonderfully acted across the board. It's a wild, unruly mess of rampant emotions, and yes, some of them are painful, but there's a great deal of warmth and love here too. It's a truly wonderful movie.

Simon says The Glass Castle receives:

Also see my review for Short Term 12.

'Once Upon a Time in Canada' Chapter 14.

Phase one of my mission complete! More accurately, I’ve finally found an apartment. I guess you could call it a “success”, but I prefer “I’m awesome.” Things are starting to work out. I had a nice delicious meal and a good break to reward myself, then I stopped job and apartment hunting as continuing any or both these tasks were not necessary for the time being. I definitely was happy to have finally found a place. After a few hours of excited hours of celebrating and excitement, I was finally able to get some decent and relived sleep after a long while ever since moving here. A nice, well-deserved sleep, which finally took some stress away and gave me some good thoughts inhabiting my dream world. Nothing like a good sleep finally put me at ease. So I loosened up a bit. I slept like someone who finally won something. Something that wasn’t too huge or important, but something. After a good nights rest, and I mean a good nights rest, the stress of finally finding a home other than the bnb I was staying in for a while went away. When you have lived in the bnb that I was in for as long as I’ve stayed for, you’ll understand what I’m happy about and why. As I said, I felt great for the first time in a while. My own mind and body could finally be at some ease, and some stress and pressure could be driven out. The stress and pressure had been killing me for some time. But now there can be some resolution even though I still had to find a job, but that will eventually be relieved. Within the timeframe before I finally would move in, I talked and negotiated with the landlord. The conversations and negotiations were important. There was no way that I was going let anything screw up my chance with the apartment. After numerous conversations and meet-ups, I could feel more and more at ease and more excited. Once I would get home, I would get happy a bit more. All the things I had hoped for in regards to the apartment were coming together. Damn it, I couldn’t be happier. I’m in a happy mood. The bnb had motivated me to find a place of my own faster than I had anticipated for the past weeks.

Well, I’ll de damned. It’s finally the day to move out. The landlord has accepted me as a tenant and we sorted out the paperwork, so I’m out. Henceforth, I’m finally out of the bib. Yay! I will be moving out on 21^st August. Priorities: pack up all of my stuff and move in problem-free as possible and purchase whatever I need to make myself at home. I won’t be roughing it as much as I did at the bib. I’ll actually start to live a little bit more. I’ll finally have a place of my own. Tonight, I finally could have a nice shower so that I could begin my new life in my apartment clean. I finally get to cook and eat that I want and in a kitchen that wasn’t filthy and infested with bugs. Most of all, I finally get to have roommates I get to talk to on a daily basis who doesn’t get sick every three days because of astrological reasons like my bnb host. Having my own apartment is exciting. I’ll finally get to feel really at home. I can do anything I want (well… almost). I’ll get to do it whenever I want (well… almost). I think I’ll enjoy this while I can.

Also, see Chapters 13 and 15.

'Once Upon a Time in Canada' Chapter 13.

Finding an apartment was a lot easier than I had thought lately. They are commodities that are always on sale. Well, okay. It’s my opinion. I pretty much search REALLY hard in my search for an apartment. But not just an apartment, the right apartment. I’ve spent a considerable amount of my time online and through a real-estate agent (an associate of the Mins who got them their apartments). Where I searched on websites such as Kijiji and scrolled listings upon listings of potential apartments. You might be wondering out of all the apartments I scrolled through, which one caught my attention. Well, there were quite a few apartments that looked good. For your information, everything I was looking for in an apartment were the following qualities; $1500 per month rent (that included utilities), a modern apartment in a nice area, and, if I ever got lucky, good, nice and/or decent roommates. Each attribute was essential in my search for the right apartment. I’ll admit, these were quite a bit to ask for considering my current situation. But something about my past experience in living an apartment (I’m talking about my Disney internship) that absolutely convinced me that these qualities were important. Anyway, removing or taking away any one, if not all, of the qualities listed would decrease my chances of finding and acquiring the right apartment. I considered the possibility that I might have to settle for an apartment that did not have the qualities I wanted. It’s a possibility I had feared throughout my search. With some time on my hands, I made all-consuming efforts. The search was daunting and exhaustive for hours and hours. The hours were killers. They were killing me in the inside and crushing my soul. I sat at my desk, staring endlessly into my laptop screen. Hey, how else am I supposed to go about it? I know it’s not good for my eyes but it was the only way. At least I took breaks in between. I came back from my bathroom break, had a drink, and got back into my search. It had been over five hours, and it was time that I gave it a break and had my well-deserved dinner. The search became harder and harder than I had anticipated. Finding an apartment that was $1500 per month, a good building in a good area, and with a roommate was challenging for all of my daily searches. All I wanted in an apartment was these specifications. I pretty much went through dozens upon dozens of apartments, carefully looking at them and making sure they were what I was looking for. Then I’d eliminate the ones that did not make the cut. If only there were more apartments like the ones I had imagined, I’ll be able to stop this exhaustive search and I would’ve finally stop worrying about finding a good home. After that entire search, I stopped and called it a day. I’d wrap it up and finally spend the rest of the night for some downtime until I’d hit the sack.

The time had come for me to stop searching for an apartment! Kijiji had finally delivered in presenting an apartment that would be a suitable home for me for a year. The apartment: a nice apartment in a nice three-year-old building in Fort York Boulevard (a nice area close to the Harbour Front), with a rent price of $1300 per month (utilities included), and, fortunately, I would be living with a roommate. I know for a fact that it doesn’t take an idiot to realize that this was the one I was searching endlessly for. Plus, it wasn’t too far from Koreatown, it was next door from the public library and a great supermarket, and it was in walking distance to the Entertainment District (this includes TIFF Lightbox). Today was finally the day that I’d found a place I could actually live, unlike my bnb. I was ready to make that phone call to see the apartment in person. I’m pretty sure, if not confident, that the apartment is the one. And I’ll be meeting with the landlord sometime next week and have a look at the place. And I’m really excited.

Also, see Chapters 12 and 14.

Film Review: "Detroit" (2017).

"It's Time We Knew." "Based on the true story of one of the most terrifying secrets in American History" These taglines sum up the story of Detroit. This period crime drama film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. Based on the Algiers Motel incident during Detroit's 1967 12th Street Riot. This is the true story of one of the most terrifying moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of '67. Amidst the chaos of the Detroit Rebellion, with the city under curfew and as the Michigan National Guard patrolled the streets, three young African American men were murdered at the Algiers Motel. 50 years after the events of July 25th, 1967, the question remains: what happened at the motel? This film answers that question.

In January 2016, it was announced that director Bigelow and writer Boal would reteam to make a film about the 1967 Detroit riots. Bigelow was inspired to take on the project after she unearthed the Ferguson (MO) riots events (Aug. 2014), where a black man was fatally shot by a white police officer. The film was scheduled to shoot in the summer of 2016, in order to be released in 2017 for the 50th anniversary of the riots. In June 2016, John Boyega and Hannah Murray joined the cast. In August 2016, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, Ben O'Toole, Jacob Latimore, Algee Smith, Joseph David-Jones, Kaitlyn Dever, and Anthony Mackie were cast. In September 2016, Jason Mitchell and John Krasinski joined the cast. In October 2016, Jeremy Strong, Chris Chalk, Austin Hébert, Ephraim Sykes, Laz Alonso, Nathan Davis Jr., Malcolm David Kelley, Peyton Alex Smith, and Leon Thomas III all joined the cast of the film. In late July 2016, principal photography commenced in Boston, Massachusetts. Other locations included Brockton, Dorchester, Lawrence, Malden, as well as Detroit, and Hamtramck, Michigan. The elimination of Michigan's film incentives in 2015 affected the filming locations. Specific locations involved included Ashmont Street, All Saints Ashmont Episcopal Church, and the Dedham District Court. For the Algiers Motel, the exterior, including the neon sign and poolside scenes, were shot in Malden. The pool was installed in the parking lot of the motel specifically for the movie and removed once shooting ended and the parking lot restored. The majority of the film and all of the Algiers sequences were shot in chronological order. Survivor Julie Hysell was present throughout most of filming. Despite being still alive, the producers couldn't reach Vietnam vet Robert Greene.

The film stars Boyega, Poulter, Smith, Latimore, Mitchell, Murray, Dever, Reynor, O'Toole, Davis Jr., Krasinski, and Mackie. The cast gave riveting performances from the moment the story delves into the nightmare scenario that was the Algiers Motel incident. Boyega, Poulter, and Smith, in particular, gave masterful performances that made them the stand-out actors in the entire film.

Gripping, suspenseful, and brilliantly crafted, Detroit dramatizes the the Algiers Motel incident during Detroit's 1967 12th Street Riot with intelligence and an eye for detail.

Simon says Detroit receives:

Also, see my review for Zero Dark Thirty.

'Once Upon a Time in Canada' Chapter 12.

I pretty much finished meeting up with people I’ve managed somehow to get connected with. People who work in industries I dreamed of being a part of. The meetings and conversations went pretty nicely even though it didn’t go exactly where I thought it would go. But then again, nothing ever goes according to plan. And my mind had started to become even more disturbed than usual. Things are not easy here in Toronto. It was about time I started to think about other avenues of getting work. Even if I found ways, there’s absolutely no guarantee that I would be able to get something. I needed to be more productive. I needed to figure out a way and I needed to do it fast. Again, it wasn’t going to be easy. The Staples copy centre was about a five-minute walk from my bnb. In fact, making copies were so cheap that it didn’t cost me much. I know because I checked it out, and it was fine by me. It took me five minutes to get there, by foot, and it only cost me six dollars and seventy-eight cents to print out twelve copies in the best paper possible. But more importantly, it meant that making the next step in getting myself out there just got straightforward.

And what other way of getting yourself out there were effective as direct job-hunting; meaning going to potential places and dropping off your resume. August is not exactly the time of year for job-hunting season, that’s September, but it was a good time to start. I’m fortunate, I guess. I’m here as the job-hunting season is on the horizon. It could be worse; I could have arrived during dead-season. This is going to be an exhaustive effort, with some possible soul-crushing rejections. But I had to overcome this fear and had to what needed to be done. The good news is I had some time to accomplish the task. Some stuff was obvious. I had to go after jobs that fit my qualifications, i.e. customer service and retail. It’ll take some time, so I’ll need some patience and hope. I needed to be prepared. Lucky for me, I have the resources and tips available for the task ahead, even though I may not have all the tools and resources at my disposal. But I guess I had to make due with what I had. I just had to put myself out there. Basically go out there and show people what I could offer in person. There was so much shit I had to figure out and get done. So for now, I’ll just think about that and that only.

Well it’s a start. My mission onwards: job-hunt like crazy until I get one.

In life, some things are straightforward, and some things are hard. My father taught me this lesson. He believed that life was both these things and that there is no such things as ‘easy’. Finding potential apartments and work places were pretty straightforward. But writing good cover letters and resumes, and going out to put yourself out there was another story. There’s no other way of putting it.  The task is HARD. I was barely able to get the task itself done, considering doing it in another country. And not being in my own home country, which would have been easier (not ‘easy’, ‘easier’). But fear not, I know what needs to be done, and I’m not alone in this.

For times of trouble and confusion, my good friend Adrian is there for a chat and a good lunch. The kind of chat and lunch that takes my mind off the consuming nature of job-hunting. In the event of an exhausting job-hunting process, and in need of some down-time, I would either Skype my family, all the way back in New Zealand, or call a good old friend I know who lives in Toronto. Which, in this case was Adrian. I’d make one phone call and we’d organize a time and place to catch up. Once we found a place, we’d chat away about what had happened with out lives since we last met. Then he’d reassure me about getting a job and place. The place, or places, where we met up today was first The Poet Café on King St. E, and Greg’s Ice Cream on Bloor St. We had to take care of our own stuff in between. The Poet Café, like all the other cafes I’ve been in, was a nice and quant. We were originally supposed to meet at a French café next door. However, due to being over-booked, we decided to go to the Poets Café three buildings down. We both enjoyed our drinks and sandwiches. Those short periods of time were a great time away from the stress and pressure that is job-hunting. If there was ever occasion to get away from to feel as though you could live again, it was during job-hunting. So when I’m too stressed, I say "Fuck it, I don’t need this shit!" There’s absolutely no need to feel this stressed about looking for a job and/or apartment. Especially when it is to the point where I just want to rip all of my hair out and scream/curse to the heavens. I’ve pretty much spent the early part, and the rest of the month, as well as September, looking for jobs and an apartment.

Also, see Chapters 11 and 13.

Film Review: "Atomic Blonde" (2017).

"Talents can be overrated" in Atomic Blonde. This action thriller spy film directed by David Leitch, in his first solo directorial effort, adapted by Kurt Johnstad, and based on the 2012 graphic novel The Coldest City by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart. The crown jewel of Her Majesty's Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.

In May 2015, an adaptation of the graphic novel was announced with Charlize Theron as producer. Theron first came across the story five years prior, when her production company Denver and Delilah Productions was sent the then-unpublished graphic novel. Theron hired Leitch to direct after watching John Wick (2014). Leitch eventually left John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) to direct the film. In May 2015, the successful release of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) helped Theron gain momentum for the development of the film. In the same month, Theron was announced to play the title role. To prepare for the role, Theron worked with eight personal trainers to help her master her intensely physical performance. During the process, Theron cracked her teeth from clenching her jaw and had to get them fixed in surgery. She also bruised a rib during her training. As Theron's training for the movie overlapped with Keanu Reeves' training for John Wick: Chapter 2, the two developed a competitive relationship, which included sparring together. By late November, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, and Toby Jones rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and took place in Budapest, Hungary, and Berlin, Germany. From the start, Leitch felt that using the right songs for the project was crucial. Part of this was attempting to answer the question "How do you reinvent this stuffy Cold War spy movie?" The soundtrack uses a combination of 1980s songs as well as covers of them. The movie's producers were initially worried that they would not be able to get the rights to all the songs that Leitch wanted to use, but Leitch himself estimated that around 75% of his picks made it into the final product.

The film stars Theron, McAvoy, Goodman, Schweiger, Marsan, Boutella, and Jones. The cast gave juicy performances filled with pure kinetic energy and tender emotions. After a brief absence from the genre, Theron returns with an effortless, kinetic style that positions the film extremely well for any potential follow-ups.

Stylish, thrilling, and giddily kinetic, Atomic Blonde serves as a satisfying return to action for Theron – and what looks like it could be the first of a franchise. Harboring few ambitions beyond knock-your-socks-off action sequences, this crafty spy thriller delivers with so much style – and even some wit – that the lack of substance takes longer than it should to become problematic.

Simon says Atomic Blonde receives: