Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, and Lee Ji-eun. © 2022. Neon, CJ Entertainment, and Zip Cinema. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Watched it at The Chicago International Film Festival 2022 through AMC Theaters (CIFF #4)
One Family Road Trip Will Determine The Future. Korean cinema is thriving every year and with the huge win from Parasite, it's all eyes on South Korea. We recently received two bangers from South Korea this year and with Broker, this is one of the most calming dramatic films I've seen in a while. It's a rich story filled with deep-human characters and beautiful directing to make this film lovable in every way. It's a film that will rethink family, love, and how much it takes to protect the one you care about in your life. Or help the person have a better life and not make the same mistakes as you did in your life. It's a film about life, love, and family. This film is the definition of a sweet film. Join me on this road trip around South Korea to find the perfect home for this abandoned baby. Story: Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho) is the owner of a hand laundry and volunteers at the nearby church, where his friend Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) works. The two run an illegal business together: Sang-hyeon occasionally steals babies from the church's baby box with Dong-soo, who deletes the church's surveillance footage that shows a baby was left there. They sell the babies on the adoption black market but for a good cause. But when a young mother So-young (Lee Ji-eun) comes back after having abandoned her baby, she discovers them and decides to go with them on a road trip to interview the baby's potential parents. Meanwhile, two detectives, Soo-jin (Bae Doona) and Lee (Lee Joo-young), are on their trail to arrest them for the act of selling the baby to a family. This is a heartful film in many ways. It's a film that deals with loss and caring for the ones you love the most. It plays with those subjects through these characters and by the time you get to meet them, you will either love them or hate them. But once the film delves deep into these characters' actions and their purpose in doing this job, you will love them instead of hating them. I really loved how the villain of this film is ourselves. There is no true villain in this story and more about us trying to abandon our love. It's a sad story and it works by bringing the heartful moments alive. I really loved this story and how they play with human trafficking is quite interesting. They make it heartful through the lens of the main characters but from the detective's perspective, it's a dark one. You get to see how each character feels when the baby is about to be sold and you get mixed emotions throughout the scene. But it doesn't quite happen. Without saying the ending, the tone gets a little bit sadder but by the end, it completes its tonal shift cycle into a much happier film. It's a strong story overall and the plot of the film moves very great. It's slow but it gets its job done with its nice pacing. The characters in this film are amazing and I loved the performances from this cast. Song Kang-ho is still fantastic and his performance in this film is so heartwarming. He cares about everyone who is on this road trip and his ending is so sad but much happier for his character arc. The best actor in this film who stole every scene is Gang Dong-won. He is fantastic in his role and it's his best career performance to date. I loved his relationship with the family and his love for Moon So-young (Lee Ji-eun). The little kid is pretty funny in the film and the baby is too adorable that the audiences were "awwing" every time he shows up on the screen. The two detectives are great in the film and their sense of humor is pretty funny. They are the most dramatic ones in the film and they really nailed it off. Love the cast in this film. The directing is very strong and it's great seeing Hirokazu Kore-eda directing a Korean film. He normally directs Japanese films but he still carries his heartful tone into a Korean film and it works perfectly, especially for this cast. His directing shines during small heartful scenes and fun scenes including the car-wash scene and the carnival scene. The carnival scene really broke me and it's a scene I will not forget. Now that's international cinema to me. The cinematography is simple yet beautiful and it captures the emotions of each character. I also really enjoyed the music of this film and the production of this film is great. It feels indie yet feels like a mid-budget Korean film. The screenplay is very strong in this film and I love how the film takes its time to build the love for these characters. Especially the mother since she abandoned the child in the first place. Overall, the production is great and I really enjoyed the heartfulness of this film with its entertainment value. It's a push away from a dramatic tone and playing around with a heartful tone with a serious subject. It's a risky move but the execution is a success. However, there are some minor things that didn't quite work for me. While I like how it added drama when the mafia was involved with the trafficking, their purpose felt empty. They were there just as a small obstacle and they were only featured for around 7 minutes or less. I wish they added more context or backstory about Moon So-young having this baby. I would love even a minute of how it happened and it will help build more character. Also, this film is slow so expect some audiences to be bothered, so let it be warned. But overall, this film was still fantastic and heartful. This is a film that should be seen in theaters. You will be glued to that screen when the heartful moments start playing and I'm betting money that you will definitely cry. It's a heartful film with amazing directing, fantastic performances, and a story that takes it to a calmer tone filled with drama and sunshine. I really loved this film and it's the best Korean film of this year. Check it out when it arrives in theaters and support Korean cinema as always. Another banger on my 2022 list. In Select Theaters December 26, 2022. Vizeit Score: "A" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista. © 2022. Netflix and T-Street. Directed by Rian Johnson.
Watched it at The Chicago International Film Festival 2022 through Music Box Theater (CIFF #3)
A Simple Friendship Group Reunion Gone Wrong...No not a YouTube Prank Gone Wrong The mastermind of the first film is back again with another murder mystery story filled with twists and turns. But with a new cast of characters and location but with the same old detective. This time, however, it takes into a new direction that not a lot of murder mystery films capture in the right way. Luckily, this film does and the execution of it is nearly flawless. This is a film that is absolutely meant to be seen in a theater with a full audience and you will laugh your ass off. This was quite the ride and I was glad to be a part of this ride months early. Join me on the Island of richness and explore the Glass Onion. Unless you will become the first victim of this ride. Story: Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case. Everyone questions their personality and must find out who killed one of their members on board. That's all I can say about the story because it's better to go blind when watching this film. This film is much bigger in scale with a bigger cast and a bigger budget. It's a sequel of course and it has to make unique choices to make the film fresh. Luckily, it keeps what made the first film amazing, and tries new things along the way. Sure, some of the twists are changed including the writing structure and villain. But the core elements of a Knives Out film are still here and it works flawlessly. The writing in this film is stronger as the first one and the comedy is way stronger in this film. The first film included more edgy and crude humor while this one is more light-hearted yet smartly hilarious. Plus, they got away with a lot of shit including visual comedy. The screenplay is a little bit longer but filled with great direction and detail and making the plot and world-building more believable. There are funny cameos in this film including two big-name stars and one funny video game reference that really made me laugh out loud. Fucking brilliant. Besides the screenplay, the directing is very strong in this film. I love Rian Johnson's style and his directing is way bigger and there's a lot of freedom to make this film more amazing. A lot of great directing choices and beautiful framing to make this film as huge as possible. That is what a sequel should do while keeping the core elements intact. The story is also very strong. I love how it's a brand new cast of characters while we have the same old detective looking out for everyone. But there's a major twist in the second act which I won't get into. The plot gets crazier which this film is based on crazy plot twists but the execution of it is done right. Great execution means great directing, and this film's ending is not what I expected. But it's fresh which is a major plus. I really loved the story and how it expanded from one rich house to a goddamn billionaire's island. The characters in this film are amazing. While I prefer the first film's cast, this cast however brought a lot of comedy and tone to this film. Every actor fits perfectly for their character and they each have their moment. The three actors I adore in this film are Daniel Craig, Janelle Monae, and Edward Norton. They are a powerhouse in this film and the rest of the cast is entertaining. Kate Hudson really stole every scene in my opinion and Dave Bautista is still proving that he's a great actor. Everyone is amazing in this film and I thought it could've been anyone who killed this specific character in this film. The build-up is done right and I loved the tension while adding humor at appropriate moments. The cinematography is more beautiful and grander in this film. There are a lot of creative shots than the first one and I'm happy they kept the film grain effect. The richness of the camera work done in this film is well executed and the visual effects are pretty great. The set design is just spectacular. I was mind blown by the architecture of the huge mansion set and I honestly didn't know what was fake or real. I loved the costume designs of each character and the art direction is legit on-point. Rian Johnson's vision is shown here a lot and I'm happy that this film makes everything fresh and new while still having the core production elements of the first film. Overall, the production is fantastic and I can see this film pulling some nominations. Just splendid! However, not every film is perfect, including my short films. Some of the VFX fire looks iffy in some shots which bothered me. Not only that, the film pacing is way slower in this film and while it's not a bad thing for me, I felt like the madness stopped. But the mystery kept the pacing alive which was good. Some audiences will find it a flaw but not me. The one thing I felt watching this film was missing the simple mystery yet grand execution of the first one. But I still loved the risks they took. This film was a mystery surprise. It's a great example of what a sequel should do and I loved the execution of this film. The writing and directing are still top-tier, with an amazing cast of characters, phenomenal production design on a mid-budget film, and a hilarious fun time. Watch this film with a packed audience and I bet you will laugh at every joke, even the non-funny ones. Plus, I got to see Kathryn Hahn which was amazing and her Q&A was very interesting. She told us to not say anything about the plot so I won't. Unless you pay me 100 bucks to spoil the film for you. In Major Theaters Thanksgiving Week. Later on Netflix, December 23, 2022. Vizeit Score: "A" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Brendan Fraser. © 2022. A24 and Protozoa Pictures. Directed by Darren Aronofsky. CIFF #2 Watched it at The Chicago International Film Festival 2022 through AMC Theaters (CIFF #2)
A Struggle With Obesity Won't Block Your Path To Redemption. This film really pushed the boundaries of one-location films into something much greater. This is a film that will rip you apart and rethink how life is precious. Darren Aronofsky really brought something special to Chicago, literally. It was amazing to attend his master class during the festival but with his tips and tricks learned from that presentation and applying them to this film, it really showed how his direction really affected this film. It's a heavy subject that some directors won't risk but Aronofsky takes those risks and he executes them well. But it's not just him, but Brendan Fraser as well. Join me in the apartment of Charlie where his final days are near but there is time to redeem himself. Q&A conversation will also be a part of this review. Be on the lookout while reading this review. Story: 600 lb. (272 kg) middle-aged Charlie tries to reconnect with his seventeen-year-old daughter. The two grew apart after Charlie abandoned his family for his lover, who later died. Charlie then went on to binge eat out of pain and guilt which resulted in his current appearance. But after hearing that his obesity is killing him, he has one last chance to reconnect with her daughter and become a true father one last time. This film was gripping from beginning to end. The score really elevated this film with a haunted vibe from it and it was dreadful all the way through the film. That aspect really stuck with me and it helped bring certain scenes to come to life and give the actor's true performance. While the music wasn't heard during filming, I felt like it added realism and depth to those scenes. Especially in a one-location film. The film isn't fully 100% filmed in one location but the way Darren Aronofsky directed it felt like every shot was fresh and each day had its own story to tell. The film is split into 5 or 6 days but on every day, it shows the struggles of Charlie and his obesity while fighting his own past and his upcoming death. I really loved how they explored his past through small photos and flashbacks but the execution of it is well done. I love how they stuck with Charlie in this film but they switch to the other characters to give some breathing area in the film. Having a small cast really helps the film's pacing and it gives a unique look to this story. The production design of this film is great and helps the audience to understand the situation in which Charlie is in and how is his lifestyle. Even small set details really help sell the world of this film and it makes you care more about Charlie. Even some of the most fucked up moments in the film really show how Charlie is fucked up in this health situation. After the title card, there is one scene that really disturbed me immediately and it shows the struggles of Charlie's life and sexuality. This leads me to the subjects of the film that were presented in this film. Sexuality, religion, family, and obesity really helped the narrative drive including fucking food. All of this works in a disturbing and realistic way because of Aronofsky's directing. The directing in this film is phenomenal. It's fucking gripping and how he pulls this off is very interesting. According to his master class and Q&A at the Chicago international film festival, he used a lot of prosthetics in Brendan Fraser's suit but none of it was CGI. A tiny VFX work had to be done but it was almost all practical which is insane. Plus, the way he directs by having different angles and shots each time for one location, he does it by taking it slow and keeping the performance up close. I really loved his directing in this film and I can't believe he achieved this in one location. The cinematography is amazing. I loved the 4:3 aspect ratio and I think it's the right aspect ratio for this film. It can help bring out emotional scenes including close-up shots and full shots. It really surprised me and it worked out amazingly. Back to the subjects, the way Aronofsky worked with these subjects is well put to use. One of those subjects that will get major controversy is religion. Christianity plays part in this film with the character Thomas, played by Ty Simpkins, and they handle the subject very well. While some audiences will find it a little bit offensive or uneasy with it, it really sets up the tone of the film and it explores finding yourself for redemption. It's an arc of redemption and by the final shot of the film, you will see why redemption is an important theme in this film. Sexuality is an important subject in the film because it relates to it right at the beginning of the film. It's a fucked up scene but it sets up how fucked up Charlie's life is and it plays a lot with it throughout the film. It's a sensitive subject for sure, but it serves its purpose for the main character and it goes into deeper and darker territory. Yes, it's fucked up for sure, but it supports the film's tone. Family is also another subject that is played with and it is done very well. But I cannot forget about obesity. Aronofsky directs the shit out of this film and the subject matter is directed very well. It shows how even being fat won't change who you are. But it can change some perspectives for some people. Aronofsky mentioned during the Q&A that one of the characters was made up in the film and he thought it was an actual character in the play, but the playwriter confirmed he wasn't. The film is based on a play for context. That character has a very small role but it plays a huge part in what society thinks about obesity. This film plays a lot with sensitive subjects but it respects them and pushes it to get to the overall theme and message of this film. Really well fucking done. Finally, the performances. Everyone here is legit fucking fantastic. Ty Simpkins did a great job with his performance and character. Easily his best so far including Sadie Sink. She did a wonderful job and this might top Stranger Things 4 but I still loved her performance. Samantha Morton did an amazing job as well and her character was heartbreaking and believable. Hong Chau did a fantastic job with her performance and she really made this film more heartbreaking. She needs to be in more films because she is really that fucking great. Like, she can earn a nomination just for this performance. Every supporting character including the pizza guy is amazing. The protagonist himself, Charlie, played by Brendan Fraser is phenomenal and I smell an Oscar from a mile away. He transformed into this character in seconds and I felt like this character was real. Something about his performance really worked with me and while you can see that's Fraser in the film, by the second act of the film, you're already believing that's Charlie and not Fraser. His performance is heartbreaking and I cried twice while watching this film. The audience really fell in love with Charlie and the rest of the cast. It's a gut-wrenching film that will leave you thinking about the ending and overall message of this film. It left me with a "wow" at the end of the film and indeed it was a true "wow." I don't have any huge critiques but I felt like the second act dragged a little bit with its pacing. It's a slow film for sure but I wished they could've used a little bit of faster editing but that's my nitpick. I wish we could've explored more of one anonymous room which I won't spoil but it would've added more story to the film. Besides that, this film was very fucking strong from start to finish. Overall, this film is a huge win for Fraser, Aronofsky, and for the crew of the film. This is a fantastic well-made film with a phenomenal performance from Brendan Fraser including the supporting cast. The directing is a home run and this is a film that will be talked about in the film community. This is a film that even non-cinephiles should watch because of its subjectivity and performances. This was quite an experience to watch it early with no trailer or clips and being there with a full crowd and the director present made my experience, memorable. I highly recommend watching it in theaters and I can't wait for Darren Aronofsky's next project! In Theaters December 9, 2022. Vizeit Score: "A" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Park Hae-il and Tang Wei. © 2022. CJ Entertainment, Mubi, and Moho Film. Directed by Park Chan-wook. CIFF #1. Watched it at The Chicago International Film Festival 2022 through AMC Theaters (CIFF #1)
With One Murder Case, You Can Fall For A Girl That Will Rethink Your Life... A murder mystery film filled with love, drama, and comedy? That's a package and this film delivered it. This is another banger from Park Chan-wook and he delivered a simple story but with complex characters that you will fall in love with. A memorizing film that explores affairs, detective work, and love. Love is being played with every second and it will play with your love in this film. By the end, you will decide if you love this film or not. With Park Chan-wook's style of filmmaking flooring me while watching this film, it really brought my love of film alive, especially for an international film. Join me in South Korea and let's explore the world of love through murder and sushi. Story: The film follows detective Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) as he probes a man's seemingly accidental death. The deceased's wife, Seo-rae (Tang Wei), now a widow from China living in South Korea, cooperates with his inquiry. But soon, she starts to play with his feelings and detective Hae-jun goes deeper into the investigation of this woman. Not the official investigation, but her personal investigation of love and life. This film really brought interesting ideas and genres into one film with great execution. It starts off fast in the first 20 minutes but it takes a slow turn to understand more of the characters. I really liked the pacing in this film and I feel like it's better suited for this type of story. It's a mix of romance and thriller but with a spice of action. I really loved the tone and it balances the romance and thriller very well. It's hard to balance those genres but if done slowly yet building character and direction, it will have a great result. I loved the directing in this film. It feels like going back to his roots from the Oldboy days with a modern twist. He still plays with the romantic genre in a serious and murderous tone of it. He makes the city very twisted yet beautiful. I really loved Park Chan-wook's direction and he tasks risks, which is what every director should do. The characters in this film are also great as well. I really liked the protagonist in this film. Park Hae-il had a great performance and Tang Wei did a great job as well in the film. I really liked their chemistry and their romance is very interesting. But I like how they keep ending up on the same paths together and found a weird loving relationship. It works naturally in my opinion. There is a quite bit of comedy in this film which made me and the audience laugh. The action in this film is well done and while it's minimal, it's still entertaining. The cinematography is amazing in this film and there are interesting edits that make this film strong. The editing is top notch and I loved the sound design in this film as well. Overall, the production is amazing and it's no surprise they made a fantastic film. But I still have some nitpicking during the film. While I liked the unique pacing, it kind of started to slow down even more during the second act of the film in some parts but the pacing went back up in the final act. What's funny is that there's another killing that ties to a character that was supposed to be serious but in a way, it was funny to me. The ending will definitely divide audiences. For me personally, I'm mixed with the ending of the film but some people will find it perfect. But still, even with those flaws, I really loved this film. This film was amazing from start to finish. I really loved the characters, story, and production design. It's a well-made film for sure but Park Chan-wook made it more awesome and dramatic. It's a slow burn but it will be worth the experience. I can tell that this will win an international feature film award at the Oscars and if it does, I won't be disappointed. Now Playing in select theaters. Coming soon on Mubi. Vizeit Score: "A" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Christian Bale, John David Washington, and Margot Robbie. © 2022. 20th Century Studios, New Regency, DreamCrew, Keep Your Head, and Corazon Hayagriva. Directed by David O. Russell. Watched it in IMAX @ AMC Theaters
A Group of Friends Stuck in The Most Craziest Conspiracy in American History. A film filled with a huge A-list cast, a critically acclaimed director, and a fantastic production team. What could go wrong? It went wrong. Even besides the director's allegations, the script is overflowed with a lot of story and confusing contradictions that became a mess. A dull film but with energy left to be squeezed. It's not the worst film of the year or a really bad film. It's just that this film could've used more rewrites and cut down a little bit of the plot. But on the bright side, it's watchable because of the amazing cast. But we have to know why this film is getting dumped by critics. Well, join me in this review, and let's explore the world of Amsterdam. Story: Set in the '30s, it follows three friends who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. Their ego is being tested and can this trio survive with each other, or depart like this never happened before? While there are flaws present in the film, there are positives that I would like to point out. The biggest one is the cast itself. They legit carried the film and made it watchable because of their charisma and performances. It's the Don't Look Up of 2022 in terms of casting. The main trio which is Christian Bale, John David Washington, and Margot Robbie did a great job with their characters. They are great when the three characters are together and they are fun. Christian Bale's character Burt is my favorite character out of all the cast. His character was better written and he was more fun because of Bale's performance. The rest of the supporting cast was also great as well. It's nice to see Chris Rock in this project and I liked his charm in the film. The two US agents played by Mike Myers and Michael Shannon are funny in this film. Robert De Niro and Raimi Malek are also great as well. Everyone is great in the film and they made the film entertaining. Besides the cast, the production design is great. I really liked the costumes in the film and the cinematography is pretty good. Besides the production and the cast, this film has a lot of flaws within the narrative of the story. While the film starts off strong in the first 30 minutes, it starts to derail itself in the second act but picks back up in the third act but it is still weak. While I liked the tension within the final act, it was a weird climactic ending. Those are some of the positives of the film but unfortunately, we start to get into the flaws. When going into this film, I felt like something might go wrong when watching the film. Even though I trusted the director's script, it can sometimes be bad. Well, it was indeed bad. The narrative story was quite interesting but the plot starts to get a little bit stale in the middle of the film. There were some moments where it didn't concentrate on the main story and felt like it has forgotten the whole story. I was, unfortunately, a little bit bored in the second act and there was any action in the film or big drama. I wished there was a battle sequence or another chase sequence but it was just exposition after exposition. While it didn't bore me, it felt like it wasn't suited for this type of film. Especially for this type of film with big-name stars. Even fucking Dune had big stars and there are huge dramatic sequences and small action sequences to make the narrative feel fresh and alive. This film however didn't have enough of that. Not even the biggest film stars in this film didn't save the film. There was a lot to work with in this film and unfortunately, it was too much. Even with a big cast, there was too much to work with. But there are films that have a huge cast and they pull it off because it focuses on a great story and plot. For this film, it was a lot and the execution wasn't that great. The pacing in this film felt a little bit dragged and I wished they could've cut scenes out or made it shorter. Another critique of this film was the chemistry between John David Washington and Margot Robbie. While I liked their performance, I felt like there were some scenes that I felt didn't have a connection to each other. After the film was finished, I felt like there was more but not really. A bunch of critiques I have with this film and sometimes, it always leads to the narrative. This could've been great but it ain't getting its awards campaign anytime soon. This film was disappointing and I felt like it was while watching the film. I loved the cast and production design, but the narrative felt weak and the directing was questionable. This was quite a film and I wished they could've fixed the narrative more. But I feel like even with the allegations from the director, it would've flopped. A bunch of controversy behind the film and it didn't receive any good reviews and I'm one of them. This could've been the Don't Look Up of 2022 but instead, it became Cats with bad writing but good production. But Cats was totally dog shit. Not worth your time. Now Playing Only in Theaters in IMAX and 2D/Digital. Vizeit Score: "C" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. |
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