Confession of Murder

Five days of Fantastic Fest down, three to go, and I'm here for an improbably-plotted South Korean thriller.  With a 15-year statute of limitations on murder, a cop who lost everything chasing a notorious killer is forced to face him, free, and on tour with a new book.  It's a woven game of cat and mouse with the killer, now revealed, over the truth, and the remains of the final victim.

Confession of Murder
2012, 119 minutes, directed by Byeong-gil Jeong

Red Dawn

Sure, this remake of a 1984 classic is all moving and stuff.  America is my home, too, and I don't think we take too kindly to unwelcome guests.  But it's that very point that makes the film so comically unbelievable in this era.

The producer at the Q&A mentioned that they didn't talk to John Milius prior to or during the remake.  I'm not sure they talked to the rest of the world, or really watched the TV or read the internet either.  The film simply does not work in this day and age, and while it will likely do well riding on the coat tails of Chris Hemsworth's popularity, they could have made an actually sensical film using him instead.

Red Dawn
2012, 129 minutes, directed by Dan Bradley


First, look at it from the pro-America standpoint.  Is that really all the resistance a town of that side would see?  Seriously?  And where is the national guard?  The EMP that knocked out the power grid didn't hurt anybody's cell phones or any car electronics, so most military weaponry would be fine.  And where's the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps.?  I have every confidence in our military to handle a situation like this.  Someone has seriously underestimated them.

Point two, where are our allies?  They mentioned Texas at one point in the film.  Assuming somehow that the invaders took Fort Hood, why isn't the Mexican Army marching in to assist?  Where's Canada?  Europe?  For all they call it a "Self-Defense Force", the Japanese military is plenty formidable, and at this point they would certainly come to our immediate assistance vs. North Korea, knowing that they would likely be next.

Finally, and the most important point, what about the worst aspects of America?  Let's assume the Army is decimated, the Air Force grounded, the Marines all dead.  Let's assume all of our allies abandoned us, laughing all the way to the bank.  The U.S. Navy has enough of a nuclear arsenal deep underwater to obliterate the planet.  If our allies don't assist and the situation looks suitably grim, it's hard to imaging we wouldn't squeeze off a few nukes to push North Korea underwater and make a few holes where major Russian cities used to be.  America truly going down would be a flailing, wild, evil beast.

So anyway, that's what I spent too much of the film thinking about.

Doomsday Book

This film is actually a series of three shorts, created together as a single motion picture, all focused on (as you may guess) doomsday scenarios - from a Korean perspective.  The first - Brave New World - is a straight-up zombie scenario as told via patient zero.  For the second short - Heavenly Creature - the definition of "doomsday" is stretched to include singularity, as a UR International robot awakens as Buddha.  Finally the third film - Happy Birthday - takes a new look at asteroid apocalypse in the modern age.

I won't call the film epic or particularly enthralling, but if you like the Future States shorts or similar looks at future probability - and are willing to tolerate a little silliness on the side - then this film provides more footage for you.

Doomsday Book
2012, 115 minutes, directed by Jee-woon Kim and Pil-Sung Yim

King of Pigs

Children have limited filters for emotion, and while at their peaks they are angelic, at their depths their brutality is sickening.  This Korean animated film starts by sticking a knife in your gut, and then just keeps twisting for two hours.  Kyung-min, seemingly calm after an unexplained opening scene, contacts old friend Jong-suk.  It's been 15 years - since middle school - since they've talked, and it's time to catch up on old times.  Prepare to be depressed.

King of Pigs
2011, 97 minutes, directed by Sang-ho Yeon

Blind

A woman and former police cadet, blinded in an accident that killed her brother and cost her a career, witnesses a hit and run by a serial killer who then stalks her.  Brilliant in its execution, this psychological thriller has you crawling up your seat wishing the lead character could see what was going on around her on screen.

Blind
2011, 111 minutes, directed by Ahn Sang-hoon

Invasion of Alien Bikini

I'd say this Korean independent film gets weird, but that implies that it didn't start weird.  Filmed with a total budget of $5000, this "comedy" features an alien who must reproduce tonight, and a vow of chastity by the man she's chosen.  Light-hearted torture ensues.  Seriously.  And then it gets really weird.  Quite a head scratcher, this one.

Invasion of Alien Bikini
2011, 75 minutes, directed by Yound-doo Oh

Chugyeogja (The Chaser)

One film has minor technical difficulties, and the whole day's schedule is shot. I missed the first ten minutes of this one while foolishly watching the credits for Left Bank.

The Chaser is a gritty crime drama. Ex-cop turned pimp realizes his missing girls are all going to the same number. He sets out to save the latest one before she, too, is sold away. If only that was all the culprit did to them...

Spoiler Warning
This movie has what I'd call a "progression ending," kind of like the Empire Strikes Back. The hero finds a small sense of inner focus and a new purpose in life, but ultimately it means everything else went very, very wrong.

Chugyeogja (The Chaser)
2008, 125 minutes, directed by Hong-jin Na

Aachi and Ssipak

This is a delightful romp through the vulgar and obscene. Leave your brain at the door and just enjoy stupid and crass humor in its raw form. The action flows well and the humor is nonstop.

Aachi and Ssipak
2006, 90 minutes, directed by Jo Beom-Jim