Good German : bad imitation of classic 40s thrillers

On paper, The Good German looked like a promising project : recreating the noirish cinema of classic 1940s studio productions. To mimic the working conditions of these films, Steven Soderbergh shot the film in black and white under a tight budget and even managed to locate a few vintage 1940s camera lens. For the plot, Soderbergh chose Joseph Kanon’s novel set in Berlin immediately after the defeat of Nazi Germany, when both Americans and Soviets tried to poach as many German scientists as possible for their own agendas.

The Good German never made it to the screens in Hong Kong. And when the local region DVD came out a few weeks ago, I knew the film distributors had given up on this film’s chance of securing any decent box office in the territory. After watching the DVD, I can see why. There is very little chemistry between the actors, the direction seems too obviously an imitation of classic noir thrillers and the cinematography is over saturated. The entire film feels too much like a formal exercise on Soderbergh’s part. Some scenes are supposed to be homages to recognized classics like The Third Man and Casablanca, I suppose, but they often just seem like pale imitations, leaving the viewer unsatisfied. I felt the actors were also miscast – Blanchett wasn’t really success at being a German femme fatale, Maguire falls flat as a scheming dirt bag and Clooney can’t replicate the world weariness of say a Humphrey Bogart. A total disappointment.

嫌疑犯 X 的獻身 : one of the best mysteries I’ve read

Higashino Keigo’s 東野圭吾 Yogisha X No Kenshin 嫌疑犯 X 的獻身 is the first full length Japanese mystery novel I have read. A sensational hit in Japan, the novel won numerous critic and reader polls, immediately turning the author into one of the island nation’s most successful writers after years of mediocre sales (though he did win a Rampo Award with his debut in 1985). Higashino is relatively unknown in the West as few of his books have been translated into English. Luckily, there is an abundance of Chinese translations of the author’s works, and I managed to pick up a copy of this novel a few weeks ago.

Yogisha X No Kenshin 嫌疑犯 X 的獻身 follows the classic murder mystery formula and starts off with a deadly crime very quickly. But the novel is not a whodunnit – we know who the criminals are. Instead of pursuing suspects, readers become engrossed with how the killer(s) establish their alibis and mislead the police inspectors. Both parties have alliances. On the side of the investigators, is a perceptive physics professor; on the side of the murderer, is a meticulous and intelligent mathematics teacher. The battle of wits between these two individuals (who happen to be college classmates) provides the novel with a riveting centre of action.

Overall, I found the novel very satisfying: the prose (translated into Chinese) is brisk and despite the structure of the novel, the ending still manages to pack a twist. Higashino Keigo once remarked that apart from being a mystery, the novel is about love and sacrifice (a very rough translation of the title would be “The Devotion of Suspect X”). And indeed, especially towards the end, there is a sense of pathos in the lengths the maths teacher is prepared to go to protect the murderer. Highly recommended.

Info about the author : I found a nice article about the author here.

Edit : hyperlink to external author article updated

Afro Samurai : retro-futuristic actioner rocks

Afro Samurai is one of those modern concoctions that you just know will take place some day – a Japanese animation made exclusively for an US network. Featuring typical Japanese themes, yet voiced by immediately recognizable American actors and a hip hop fuelled soundtrack, even the title of Afro Samurai indicates the bastard nature of this violent animation.

Set in a retro-futuristic wild west, Afro Samurai sets out to the avenge the death of his father by challenging the current No.1 fighter Justice, the man who slaughtered Afro Samurai Sr. Along the way, Afro Samurai is challenged by what seems like a group of monks known as the Empty 7 – in these battles Afro Samurai crosses swords with ninjas, terminator robots and a cybernetic friend from his childhood.

Created by Gonzo Studios (Basilisk, Samurai 7), Afro Samurai delivers very beautiful graphics with a very sharp colour scheme and well choreographed action sequences. The pace of the series remains fast throughout the handful of episodes, despite several flashbacks establishing Afro Samurai’s childhood. Many of the characters in the series remain mysterious but this is the kind of animation in which questions about how they came to be like that are better left off the table. Key characters are amusing, in particular Ninja Ninja (Afro Samurai’s motor mouth imaginary friend) and Kuma (the teddy bear headed assassin). Samuel L. Jackson does an excellent job voicing Ninja Ninja, delivering a sort of Tarantino feel to the dialogue. I bought the Director’s Cut DVD which keeps the swearing and gruesome / violent fights intact. I was very impressed with the gate fold package for the Director’s Cut; it was made with high quality paper bound of stiff cardboard and features awesome artwork.

In concluding, if you like animations like Ninja Scroll, Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, you are likely to be entertained by Afro Samurai. Recommended.

Zodiac : David Fincher’s best work yet

Fantastic Four : Rise Of The Silver Surfer – pure pop corn fun with no pretence of any high brow themes (or moralizing), this Fantastic Four film is probably the shortest blockbuster of the summer, clocking in at only 92 minutes. This is a plus in my books, as it means we cut straight to the actions scenes, with a little bit of comedy serving as diversion in between the set pieces. The best sequence was the introduction of the Silver Surfer and the subsequent chase with the Human Touch; unfortunately, the trailer exposed this scene months ago. All in all the film was fun: the Silver Surfer was cool and I can accept the compromise of Galactus being a cosmic cloud rather than Jack Kirby’s purple armoured giant (which wouldn’t work at all on the silver screen). Special effects were decent but not groundbreaking.

Zodiac – I have waited for David Fincher’s latest critically acclaimed film for months and I would say this is one of the best non-action movies I have seen so far in 2007. Based on the real life unsolved case, the film traces how both the press and the police failed to pin the Zodiac killings to anyone. The murders took place in San Francisco from the late 1960s to the 1970s and the serial killer has fascinated the public – in fact, the original Dirty Harry movie imagined a scenario where the maverick cop managed to identify and kill the Zodaic killer. In real life, the case was much more complex and David Fincher gives us an engrossing look at how a reporter, an inspector and a cartoonist dedicate their lives to uncovering the man behind these murders. Of the trio of stars (Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.), I thought Ruffalo was the most convincing one, though all three were outstanding. This is definitely Fincher’s most mature and controlled film to date. The film also features an excellent soundtrack. Highly recommended.

Eye In The Sky 跟蹤 – well received when it was shown abroad at various film festivals, I missed the Johnnie To produced, Yau Nai Hoi directed police thriller at this year’s HKIFF, but managed to catch it last week. Eye In The Sky follows the mould of most of Johnnie To’s thrilling police procedurals – I found the plot engaging, and the acting strong and generally subtle (in the case of Simon Yam and Tony Leung Ka Fai). Former Miss Hong Kong Kate Tsui makes her big screen debut and acquits herself with an OK performance. The production was partially financed by Cable TV – this means prominent product placements for many Wharf Holdings companies, from Cable TV to New T&T. Overall, not quite as good as To’s Election movies or Exiled but still above average.

JLA #10 : a convoluted mess

I desperately wanted to like the JLA / JSA Lightning Saga crossover, but I became disappointed after 2 issues. The artwork was generally good on both titles, but the plot was a horrible mess. Stuff with an overwhelming amount of minute detail, I found this arc really difficult to follow and for the most part rather petty. Now, I did grow up with the Legion of Super Heroes (pre-crisis version), so I was extremely excited to see Karate Kid, Wildfire, Dawnstar and their fellow legionnaires. But what a nightmare this series must be to those unfamiliar with the pre-crisis Legion. Man, even I got confused and had to use Google to clarify a few plot points. If DC wants to bring back the classic Legion line-up, they really need to get the continuity straight instead of making an already convoluted back story even more mind-boggling. [mind you, I would love to see the classic Legion on a regular basis, but not like this!]

Last week, I was hoping the final instalment of the series would deliver a explosive conclusion making the entire arc worthwhile (or at least make sense). Well, JLA #10 failed to deliver and I felt duped. What??? The Legion came back in time to bring back Wally West? But even Brainiac 5 thought it ought to have been someone else! The final chapter offers no answers and leaves plenty of questions hanging. Even the artwork on JLA #10 seems rushed and less impressive than previous issues. It feels like the writers developed more plot than they could handle. Most disappointing.

寂寞獵人 : My first Miyabe Miyuki collection

Lately, I’ve become fascinated with Japanese detective novels 日本推理小說. Perhaps “detective” is not the most accurate adjective as the genre covers a wide range of crime fiction. One of my first forays into this particular genre was Miyabe Miyuki’s 宮部美幸 collection of short stories under the title 寂寞獵人. This volume follows the adventures of a elderly second hand book store owner and his grandson. I found 寂寞獵人 interesting for several reasons. 1) The author seems more interested in books than in crime and most of the cases lead back to stories or specific editions of books. 2) Rather than imitating an Agatha Christie style of solving mysteries, the cases presented in this collection don’t come across as cryptic but are in many cases rather touching in that they explore human weaknesses and loneliness. 3) The most fascinating part of the collection is following the changing relationship between the book store owner and his teenage grandson. Perhaps the only negative aspect of the collection is that I found it to be a rather slow read.

Info about the author – Miyabe Miyuki is one of the most successful and prolific writers in Japan. Her fiction covers a wide range of genres from science fiction to mysteries and period novels. She has won a number of literary prizes including the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize in 1993 and the Naoki Prize in 1998.

World War Hulk #1 gets event off to a great start

Most summer comics events don’t really live up to the hype. Over the last few year, on Marvel’s side we’ve had House Of M, Decimation, and last year’s Civil War; on DC’s side, Identity Crisis, Infinite Crisis and it’s VERY convoluted aftermath. The only one I consider a success is DC’s Identity Crisis – this miniseries didn’t involved a ridiculous number of crossovers, the plot was tight, self-contained as well as touching and the art truly dazzled. So I was indeed quite sceptical when Marvel decided to launch World War Hulk this summer, as I found Marvel’s recent crossover events lacklustre. I was, however, pleasantly surprised with World War Hulk #1.

First off, I really liked John Romita Jr.’s pencils. Next, this issue packed a whooping 48 pages of great action, from Hulk’s brief confrontation with Black Bolt to the issue climax battle with Iron Man. Loads of characters pop up but it never feels messy (like the recent JLA JSA crossover). Very promising and by far the best Marvel comic I’ve read in quite a while. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this doesn’t become a crossover and continuity mess as the event progresses over the summer.

Thumbs up for Pirates 3 and Ocean’s 13

Ocean’s Thirteen – Soderbergh plays fast and loose in this third outing. I didn’t bother to count if Danny Ocean actually had a team of 13 this time, and the plot seems very implausible to me – come on, surely the Nevada Gaming Commission and ANY casino in Las Vegas must recognize these guys on sight by now. So how can they keep on conning the people who run casinos? If you can suspend you disbelief, however, the film is very enjoyable, looks incredible (makes Las Vegas comes across as more glamorous than cheap) and even Soderbergh seems to be enjoying himself behind the camera (I particularly liked his use of old style pans and zooms). The film still belongs to George Clooney, but this timeMatt Damon grows more confident in his role as the new kid. Also features one of Al Pacino’s most restrained performances in ages. Recommended.

Premonition – since the Sixth Sense, this is the type of crap that gets passed off as thrillers; I’ve seen better twilight Zone episodes. Sandra Bullock tries yet again to play a non-romantic comedy role but continues to disappoint. This time the entire film is at fault – the plot doesn’t hold up at all if you play any attention to it. Basically, Bullock is a wife who wakes up to find her husband dead and then alive and then dead again. The idea is that sometimes it is a “premonition” – but the film remains totally illogical and Bullock’s memory about events, real or imagined, is controlled by what the plot needs. Dreadful.

Pirates of the Caribbean : At World’s End – the last instalment of the Pirates trilogy ends with neither a bang nor a whimper. It delivers alot of excitement but is too convoluted and long. What keeps it unique from other blockbusters, I feel, is the quirkiness of Depp’s Capt. Jack Sparrow. Some may find the scenes with multiple Jack Sparrow’s indulgent, but I am going to give director Gore Verbinski credit for it in this age of committee driven studio productions. The film may be overlong but has more character than most Bruckheimer productions (working with Bruckheimer, I think Verbinski produces less anonymous and more original work than Michael Bay). The special effects are dazzling with a nice sea battle and the actors are all pleasant enough. Chow Yun-fat’s doesn’t really have a crucial role and I am sure it was a marketing move to cast him to appeal to the Chinese market (and promote HK Disneyland). While Keira Knightley looks real fetching in Chinese armour, Depp remains the prime reason to see the show. Recommended, but convoluted plot means viewing previous films is a must.

Rough Guide Book Of Playlists : nice intro to music

Subtitled “500 irresistible playlist ideas for your iPod or MP3 player”, the pocket sized The Rough Guide Book of Playlists consists of lists compiled according to artists, genres, and themes; basically, you could say the book is a collection of top 10 lists on pop and rock music arranged alphabetically. Throughout the guide, celebrities musicians like Robert Plant, Al Green, Michael Stipe (REM), Elvis Costello and many others offer their takes on songs that influenced them.

Browsing through the guide brought back memories of many songs I had long forgotten, and revisit albums I had put into storage. I also found the book useful in discovering new music, as it gives up some indication about which songs / albums to start off with. Overall, a pleasant browse.