Friday 20 December 2013

2013 Favourites

2013 has been an interesting mix of rubbish and excellence - often at the same time. These are my favourite things of the year within music, film and games, though some may have been released at other times. There are many reasons that could be given but this is a subjective choice and so could be very different had things had happened at a different time. But you all know that, right?

Thomas Was Alone (Original review)
This was released on Playstation plus as an included (free) game but I think I'd have bought it anyway. As part of cross-buy, the PS3 or PSV versions were accessible. I was very taken by this in a way that reminded me of my youth - though it is a short game.
Gaming is a simple feeling of control and the simplicity of control can strengthen that feeling. Platformers, 2D platformers especially, do feel as if they are from a different age and they can still captivate. The coherence of the concept is what kept me in it but what drew me in was the atmosphere. The graphics are simple, the sound is simple and the game is easy,but the easiest thing of all is the easy charm of the characters. The characters are wonderfully rounded with narration from Danny Wallace and he gives them all a sense of purpose within the world that you want to help them with. And, yes, they are "them" rather than "you".

Helter Skelter  (Original review)
Deconstruction and destruction are quite different things but I felt this had both. It won't be to everyone's taste, of that I am fairly certain. It is pretty kitsch, ridiculous and nonsensical but who doesn't like that? Beautiful, quick and melodramatic - the ideal woman. Possibly?

Ufabulum
I probably listened to the album Entertainment by Sekai No Owari the most this year (original review) but not sure it ended up being my favourite musical thing of the year (maybe my favourite interview though). One of two albums that I remember really connecting with me after hearing them live. The concert for this was at the Roundhouse but I actually had booked and then cancelled an earlier performance in 2012 due to a wedding. The wedding was great fun so I don't regret that one but I was fortunate to get a chance to go again. Squarepusher is an acquired taste, no doubt, but seemingly each time he releases something, I think "this is the most accessible thing he's done". As was the case for this.
The concert started with a little tenderising massage as the sound system flexed the bass it could produce as almost a sine wave for about 5 minutes. It was bizarre and brilliant. After that, the man on stage with lights for eyes played through the album, track for track with an amazing light show to match. It was great and there is something hugely satisfying about knowing what is going to play next as each song goes on. He then ended with a classic version of A Journey to Reedham (7AM Mix) which was unexpected. A great gig that made me think it was great album.

Saturday 30 November 2013

The Chaser (2008)

Reading around the subject a little after Memories of Murder, this film cropped up due to the style of it. It wasn't the only film mentioned around it, but it was the one with the best cover/film poster. They say you shouldn't judge a book by the cover, does that hold for films.[1]?
Based on a true story, The Chaser follows an investigation into a string of disappearances of young women - disappearances that had not been reported. The simple reason that people didn't seem to care was that they were prostitutes (or women working as prostitutes.[2]) that had gone missing.
The pimp is an ex-police officer and he is annoyed about his girls disappearing - or running away. It is a simple employment dispute. When he notices that a few girls seem to have gone missing from the same customer, he thinks that the punter has sold them on and so he wants his money back. He is very protective of his assets although I cannot think they are thought of as people really. As he goes to find out what has happened to his girls, he flukily runs into the person and gives him a beating. Beatings seem to happen quite regularly throughout the film and it is fairly violent. After the beating, both the pimp and the punter are taken to the police where they are questioned and the punter admits to murdering a string of women - while he is in the police station, to the police officers. This should be the end of the film, but this is only about 20 minutes in - how is this one stretched out beyond that?! Quite well, actually with a few more twists and turns showing police "skill" and it helps that the pimp does not believe him. 
As entertainment, it is a pretty taut film and the fact that you know who has done what does, surprisingly, add quite a bit of tension. I guess the thing I found strangest was the fact that the police were turning a blind eye to a lot of violence and the fact that he was a pimp. I assumed this meant prostitution was legal in South Korea but apparently not [link], just widespread and accepted. If you know it is a true story, it does make some of the coincidences feel contrived and maybe added for dramatic effect but you cannot be sure. Well, I am not sure. 
The reservations I have are to do with the violence of some scenes, it is the first time I have kind of looked away from the screen in a film for about 15 years I think so it was pretty bad. Not in a blood splattered kind of way (which it was) but just an unflinching depiction in parts. Strangely, that is not consistent and some scenes were implied which struck me as a bit odd. In essence it is a pretty dark and dirty film which may not suit everyone and is not really suitable for a Sunday afternoon. I'd go as far as saying it is one of the darkest films I have seen due to the way the main characters are shown and the callousness of a lot of it - some of which may be cultural difference (as in it seems it to me but is actually not). It is also a particularly unflattering portrayal of the police involved, especially as the pimp is also an ex-police officer. This is similar to Memories of Murder in that respect. There are/were rumours of a Martin Scorsese remake [link] to presumably remove some of the cultural differences but you can never be sure how they turn out.
It was a good film, and it had a lot of buzz a few years back it seems but it definitely is not for everyone. Well not until it loses the foreign language, gets about twice as long and loses any type of moral ambiguity, anyway.

You can see a trailer for the Korean film here:

1. Actually, as film is a more visual medium, I think there is some merit in partially judging a film by its cover. And graphic novels are a type of book.
2. There is a very good sketch point by Stewart Lee and the point is made at enemies of reason here[link].

Friday 15 November 2013

Gravity (2013)

Gravity is quite a big film, directed by Alfonso Cuaron (who did the best of the Harry Potter films) and starring big stars George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. It is also quite an intimate film. An intimate film with mass attraction - that is what Gravity is.
Normally, I would not tell people what happens too deep into a film as I feel a lot of the potential enjoyment is lost when given that information ("no spoilers" in the modern parlance). In the case of Gravity, the context is enough for the man on the Clapham omnibus[1] to work out the film's arc. I'm not going to pretend that you don't know what will happen.
Gravity starts out in space with three astronauts talking and working. The floating camera gives the scale needed as down becomes up and left becomes right, which sets up the scene perfectly. It is definitely a cinematic type of film and worth watching at a decent cinema[2].
The opening scene is quite long and feels unbroken (I think it is one take) which is pretty strange but I am not sure that I'd have noticed it had I not watched River the night before (I probably would have, but it may not have been quite so obvious). And that is the strange feel of the film - and a feel I liked - it is very much like a low budget film. It is true that in space, noone can hear you scream[3] - unless you have a radio. That means that all the dialogue, and all the sound basically, is channelled through the radio and that means that it is heard a bit differently to how you'd expect - it sounds compressed, crackly and without much soundstage. That then has the effect, for me, of separating the audio from the video and the visuals are already quite distinct from each other. It is a pretty strange sensation as it has basically been deconstructed with each element - story, visuals and audio - sitting separately. This is exacerbated by the fact that the characters are obviously behind full face helmets so you cannot see them, you cannot hear them and they do not move much. In this way, it reminded me a little of some scenes in Ghost in the Shell where dialogue continues without mouth movement as it is all done through communication chips. The dialogue is sparse, the score is almost non-existent and the visuals are as static as the radio.
The deconstructed atmosphere continues throughout as the story progresses (with some phenomenal visuals). Due to an explosion of a Russian[4] spacecraft, debris has been scattered which is massively destructive in space - the three astronauts must escape. It is a pretty basic premise with the escape played out as an adventure that sees the protagonist(s) get to an escape pod of a Chinese spacecraft via a circuitous route. There is a decent amount of tension in the escape and film is not padded out so the simple story is actually enough. In many ways, with the visuals and pace of it, it does act as an experience style film - especially in 3D. The story could easily be done as a play with changing backdrops but few visible characters which is actually quite refreshing.
Because of the nature of the film - following the survivors - it is a little bit of a character study with the main character's fears, dreams and emotions being looked at closely. In this way, it is a blockbuster arthouse film, which you will probably like and almost certainly appreciate.



1. This refers to a "normal, reasonable" person in a legal context and is a great phrase [link]. 
2. I watched Gravity in the Barbican cinema which is a very nice cinema - arguably my favourite screen as it feels so ideally proportioned. I tried, and failed, my ticket booking and thought I would be unable to go but, in the evening, an hour or so before the showing, they called me and asked if I would want to go. They said it had locked up the seat but I guess other cinemas would have just released the seats. I think that is excellent service (and worthy of a footnote) and I also get to feel like I have been invited to the cinema.
3. This is the tagline for Alien - a great film and the best of all Alien films. Better than Alien 3, which I have some history with.
4. I think some have commented on the film being a little jingoistic and sexist with the portrayal of Sandra Bullock as a rookie waiting to be saved. I felt the Russians being to blame, and the bit in the Chinese spacecraft were a little off, but not massively and were not necessarily negative portrayals. The fact that Bullock's character was a bit rubbish at times was covered by the fact it was one of her first trips - I don't think it is fair to call the film sexist.

Monday 11 November 2013

River (2011)

Akihabara is pretty famous, I’d go as far as saying it is world famous amongst the right type of person – my kind of person. A few years ago, there was an incident there where a man drove a truck into a pedestrian crowd and then started to stab people, leaving a total of 7 dead and 10 injured. In a country with relatively low levels of murder, and violent crime, it was quite a shock and it has affected a few of the industries that rely on the area. Those industries are what I would consider Japan’s strongest pop-culture assets – games, anime and manga[1]. Traditionally, the area grew up as a “radio” district where electrical goods, often black market, could be bought which then developed over time as Japan developed a thriving and innovative electronics industry. This developed further into an area where the videogame industry could develop and that is where I got my own personal interest from.
The film, River, tells a story starting with the Akihabara massacre as its simple exposition, but is about something more than that.
As the film starts, we trail a young woman, Hikari (played by Renbutsu Misako), for an extraordinary opening shot – tracking her walking through Akihabara, not particularly quickly, for about ten minutes. As you follow, in the handheld style, you get a sense of the place and also a strange voyeuristic curiosity. There is no further explanation through dialogue, just a few explanatory subtitles about the area. After a while, she is seemingly lost in thought, if not physically, she rests on a road barrier[2]. Approached by a photographer (female) who requests her photo (“Not for any suspicious reason”), this is an opportunity to explain her reason for coming into this part of town. Her boyfriend had been killed as part of that Akihabara massacre, three years ago, and she had been travelling from Saitama (a district neighbouring Tokyo, to the north) over the past few weeks to try and move on by getting “closure” – something that she had not done.
The film finds her coming back and meeting different people within the area and eventually, by connecting with these people, the film is able to progress.
As a film, I found the opening strangely compelling – it is a very long shot as she walks from the station to the junction she stops at and it is done as one continuous shot. The film is fairly low budget and so it is clear that the film is being shot, as is, with one take, and no extras[3]. It lends an immediacy to the whole thing and although the film is fairly short at 90 minutes, there are still quite a lot of long takes with little seeming to happen. I continued watching after the opening feeling aware of the documentary style and also that it really did feel as if we were just following this girl about. A lot of the film is literally following her about and it is a camera style that some may find off-putting but I really like. It, for me, evokes memories of 3rd person perspective videogames and feels very well suited to the location of the film.
There are some nice little vignettes of life in Akihabara and also in Saitama, where she meets an old friend who is excitedly getting ready for her new boyfriend – and a starring role in a porn film. I found it interesting as the friend had not seen her for three years and seemed less than concerned about that – and the fact that her boyfriend had been killed. The film ends with a visit for another character to the modern wasteland that Fukushima[4] became – again shot as it was without any further post production or apparent staging. The destruction is breath-taking, it really is. I have seen it before, but it still hits you hard when you realise what a developed town could be turned into.
It is quite difficult to judge River as a film, it is pretty contemplative and the narrative element is not strong - but it is not really meant to be. The protagonist has locked herself away for so long, and this is just showing how she has let herself be able to move on. As a film, I enjoyed it but that may partially be a personal connection. It isn't that long anyway, so maybe you would like to watch a slow contemplative film. Or maybe not?
Here is a trailer:

1. There is a word in Japanese, otaku, (お宅), which is used to refer to the kinds of people that are really into anime, manga and games which is usually used, in Japan, pejoratively. Outside Japan, it seems to have been claimed as some type of badge of honour, however, to describe those that enjoy those same things. The word itself actually means “house, or home” but it is a polite form (many words in Japanese starting “o” are honorific forms) that could also refer to a family or home of people. I have heard two theories about its derivation, one is that these people spend a lot of time at home but I prefer the idea that they are held to be so socially awkward that they refer to each other very formally.
2. I really liked this shot actually, as there was a lot of movement around her, Hikari seemed to be levitating by the side of the road. I am not sure if that image was intentional - it probably was - but that thought it may not have been is part of the charm.
3. I was not sure that there were no extras used as I watched it, it definitely had the feel that it had just been shot on the streets without clearing it.
4. In March 2011, a huge earthquake off the coast of Japan caused a massive, and destructive tsunami. You can read about it here [link].

Friday 8 November 2013

Toilet and Women (2012) / どんずまり便器

I've watched a fair few weird[1] films in my time - some have been good, some have been great and some have been absolutely rubbish. As the name suggests, this is a film about a toilet and a woman. There is a bit more to it, but how much?
The film opens showing a schoolgirl and boy lain on the ground and the girl pulls her pants up. It is fair to assume they are post-coital. Rather oddly, she then asks for 300 yen (this is the equivalent of about £2, a small sum in Japan) which he thinks is weird but then gives it. Moments later, they are at it again. The girl, called Narumi (played by Nanaha) does not seem to be enjoying it and it does seem pretty transactional but then there is the tiny sum involved - so it can't really be that. A few scenes later, you can see the girl, who is the main character, talking to a doctor in a lab and then stealing a test tube from him. The contents of the test tube? Just some semen. It is a pretty weird film.
The opening of the film closes about 3 years later showing Narumi leaving prison (it is not clear what for) and returning home to her home and younger brother. Their parents have passed and she's not best pleased to see another person in their home - her brother's girlfriend. "not best pleased" is one way of putting it, but is it just a simple jealousy now that her brother has found a girlfriend?
Low budgets do not have to mean low quality and the low budget aesthetic is worn on the sleeve of this film. It does not feel like there are many things to get in the way of the story which is quite refreshing. Of course, this puts a greater burden on the quality of the story and the acting. I think it just about gets away with it.
The main actress, who has to go through a form of breakdown at parts, is compelling throughout with burning eyes but often quite a blank face. As a result, you do feel she is on the edge quite a lot and the early scenes do set up a film where you know quite bizarre things can happen. Her brother, who has a little less screen time, is also an engaging watch and so their relationship at the heart of the film is similarly engaging.
In many ways, this is classic indie fodder - dealing with things in a matter of fact way even though they are not necessarily "standard", and I can see why some have difficulty with almost normalising behaviour. I found it to be thought-provoking but not too pretentious, and providing no answers at all. That kind of film is not to everyone's taste but, as a short film, it might be worth the risk. If you can handle the indie sensibility, I'd say it is well worth searching out.
 
You can see the trailer here: 
1. Most of the very oddest and most interesting of these films, conceptually at least, have been Japanese, From the blancmange ending of Akira to the rent-a-family oddities of Noriko's Dinner Table, these ideas have stuck with me for longer than most..

Goodbye Lenin (2003)

Ostalgie is nice word, which I'd imagine is a portmanteau[1] of nostalgia and ost (east), which represents some of the warmth many feel towards the East German times. I remember coming across it when I went to Berlin for the first (and, presently, only) time which was embodied by the Ampelmann[2]. phenomenon.
Good Bye Lenin falls into the category of ostalgie with its relatively warm depiction of the 1980s. Following a young man, Alex (played by Daniel Brühl, seen recently in Rush), through his memories of childhood, initially, there is a sepia tinge that is almost inherent with the voiceover and music bed. The basic theme of the story is directly about nostalgia as the story revolves around the recreation of the east for a single person - his mother.
As the world hurtled into the 1990s, unknown to many on the red side of the world, communism was close to its end. When the wall fell in Berlin, it set in motion a quite breathtakingly quick reunification process and that does not always take everyone with it... A few days before the change of the world, the main character's mother, Christiane (played by Katrin Saß) has a heart attack and falls into a coma. She does wake but, eight months later, there have been some major changes and the shock of that could be enough to spark another heart attack. Alex decides that she, although bedridden, should be brought home so that she does not discover the change and so recreates the very recent past in a single room. Once the setup is complete, it is a fairly simple romp through until the eventual discovery. It is fairly predictable but, at the same time, is so charmingly put together that you don't step out of the film and worry about predicting it. There are some other elements to the film but it is essentially all through that prism of unification.
I've not seen a huge number of German films so I was not always sure how the whole thing would work out, and whether there is a different narrative style to take in, I don't know if this is particularly typical either. There is an element of darkness in some of the humour but I'd say it was a fairly straightforward comedy. The premise is quite enjoyable and also quite interesting as it shows how quickly the change was made to happen for the people in the East with a huge cultural shift[3]. Within a few months, the cityscape was so different that it was a large project to hide it from her - and I think the film really made me sit and wonder about that change. An amazing upheaval and it shows that it was not all good for the inhabitants. After 40 years within a given system, many in the East really lost out and the little vignettes of the older people wistfully thinking of the past are quite touching. There are some scenes where Alex persuades some other people (with capitalist cash, of course) to play along with his mother and they come and sing socialist songs for her and join in the party. Another friend goes to the trouble of mocking up news broadcasts to explain random Coca-Cola signs that have been spotted.
Apart from being a good film in its own right, there are also some great touches and nods to the differences between East and West Berlin that I found satisfying. If you think that aspect of it would be enjoyable, I can definitely recommend it but even without that, it is still a pleasant way to spend a few hours of your life.

1. This means words that are made up of others, my favourite is the cross-cultural word karaoke which means empty (kara - also used in karate) orchestra (oke) which is now an English word though it is from Japanese. The reason I like it is because "oke" is directly from the English word orchestra so it is a loan word returned back, with interest, to form the portmanteau.
2. This is the symbol that was used in the traffic lights in the DDR which has gained cult status. You can see more about it here [link].
3. There are some real question marks, even now, as to how deep that divide was and there are still massive differences between the east and west. This should be expected, of course, but it is fairly stark as reported in recent elections [link].

Sunday 3 November 2013

London Transport Museum Depot (Acton)



I had already visited the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden (you can read that here) and mentioned that there was a bit too much history for one building. When I went to the LT Museum, I thought it would make sense to become a “friend” of the museum which is the membership scheme. In the past, that “friend” status gave unlimited access for a year but that is now included within the normal price so the benefits have been changed a bit. One of the benefits now is one visit to the museum depot open weekends.
The LT Museum depot is out in Acton (the closest station is Acton Town) and is open every so often for guided tours and open weekends to allow people to wander about at their leisure. The depot has a little youtube playlist here too.
As enjoyable as the museum in Covent Garden is, it is very accessible which makes it a little less technical than might be wanted by some[1] so it is good that the depot allows you to see the real thing in a workshop style environment. It is still quite child-friendly with model trains, and children's activities.
I would imagine that the open weekends are slightly different each time with changing themes but I would think the overall layout is consistent – these are pretty big objects! There is a lot of detail and thought put into the store and you can see that the volunteers and friends are doing so with enjoyment at seeing other people enjoy it. The front of the depot has a number of little stalls selling bits and bobs from collections such as old timetables, maps and postcards. They are quite fun actually, but I can imagine it would be more fun for those that have a memory of London's history. One of the nice things walking around generally was that attack of nostalgia that others got from the objects -
“Oh wow! I remember these from...”
was probably the most common refrain. Brilliant.
There is a little section upstairs with a load of enamel signs – including some very old station ones that have changed name and a load of network maps too.
The back end of the depot has the vehicles which have to be the main reason people come and the biggest draw. There are a lot of old train carriages where you can see the old style seating and the wooden flooring. As I remember some of them from my youth, it was quite memorable as we sometimes had to get the old red trains on the Northern line. The red colour feels much more luxurious[2] than I remember though – I think the restoration is to as new rather than my memory. The depot also has loads of old buses too which are quite nice but I don't have such strong memories of those – and this has to be seen as an exercise in nostalgia.
Outside the depot, there is also some further space where, on this occasion, there was the famous Met 353 carriage and locomotive that I rode on as part of the Tube 150 celebrations as well as a strange “SuperCar” from the Epping and Ongar Railway.
There was also a bit where they were making sales of depot items where I bought some Metropolitan train luggage racks and Bakerloo seat covers. They had other things too so it would be great if you want some memorabilia such as actual bus blind boxes and drivers' seats. In the depot itself, there is another shop which is a little like the lesser version of the museum shop for more conventional items too.
It was a pretty fun day and it was nice that it was both a little more technical and suitable for families – though the parents were having a bit too much fun to say it was just for kids.

1. By some, not that many, obviously. I have no doubt that an accessible museum is better overall seeing how many people go in there.
2. To be honest, the weather was quite good and the lighting meant the paint jobs looked great – I also don't remember the buses being such a brilliant red. 

Saturday 2 November 2013

London Transport Museum

150 years. And that is not even how old transport in London is, but the tube is that old - we had omnibuses and stuff beforehand. That's a lot of history and with so much of it being pioneering, you have to wonder if one building is enough [1].
Apart from the qualities of the underground system which are celebrated, there is a lot more to see here too.
As one of those museums in London that charges, you have to expect something a little different. The charge is not insubstantial but not too bad when you consider kids are free and that with a little extra info (and no more money), it becomes valid for a year. The museum can be found in Covent Garden in a beautiful old building that was once the Covent Garden flower market.
The museum is laid out over three floors [map] of different sizes and the best way of going through would be to start at the top and work down.
The lift acts as a time machine and you go back to 1800 with the soundtrack of some moments in time played through the lift speaker. The second floor is fairly small with some historical information about how London grew and changed before the introduction of the tube. It is pretty interesting to see the way the trains came into the then outskirts of the city and how quickly that happened. There are also some models of omnibuses including some horse manure. That is a nice attention to detail.

First floor
The first floor has a large train locomotive, the only remaining one from the 1860s, and carriage that you can go into. It is indicative of the Metropolitan line which was extended, in some way, from the original line[2] which was built using a cut and cover method. Other lines were built using deep tunnels but this was not until later. The Metropolitan line, when extended out into the suburbs, or "Metro-land", extended the reach and scope of London hugely and there are some nice posters and suchlike about this. There is a bridge connection to a little learning area (great for kids) and the gallery space.

Gallery space
The space on offer is not huge but there is pace for quite a lot of pictures and this is changed fairly rgularly. When I last went, there was an excellent Poster Art exhibition showcasing London Transport posters over the ages but this is changed fairly regularly and is worth returning for if you have an annual ticket.


Ground floor
A transport museum needs transport, and here it is. The ground floor has more modern machines with a couple of heritage carriages (1938 stock I think) to see things as they were in 70s or 80s and a load of buses. It is nice to see them all in such an inviting environment there are displays about London design aspects along with a few train simulators to try your hand at it. It is quite a fun, tactile floor with so many things to ride and have photos taken at. One item I really like is a pixel art style (isometric too) frieze of London with lots of type of transport and stations that are similar to (but not identical to) real places. It is a lot of fun to work out what the inspiration was and I obviously have a soft spot for pixel art. There is a huge map of London onto which data flows are also projected but they can change what is projected and it could even be real time - for example air traffic over London. There is a study of London performed by UCL website [link] and I always find this kind of stuff being visualised really compelling. And, talking of compelling,there is an excellent, enlightening video running of the evolution of the tube's reach. The tube map has its own evolution from geographic to the present network style, which is a work of art in its own right via the ingenuity of Harry Beck. This map is not just how we see the tube but, increasingly, the way we understand the city and so to see the tube grow over time on the map, to see the stops and lines grow over time is fascinating. I know about the time and growth of the network but to see it visualised in this way is superb.

Shop
The visual identity of the tube and TfL is very strong, even apart from the ubiquitous nature of the infrastructure. London was[3] blessed with a progressive transport authority, from when it started in 1933, that has given an identity to places and branding where there was no need. The uniformity of purpose behind London transport has seen, famously, an in-house typeface (New Johnston, a genuinely brilliant typeface) and a world famous logo - the roundel. Tfl know the value of this IP and you can see that in the shop by the prices. The shop is beautiful without the museum attached with the less geeky, design based stuff downstairs and models, technical books and posters upstairs. It is well worth a look with some clever designs and good uses of maps, colours, textures and typefaces. Some of the items, such as cups and plates, are useful but others, such as anything with moquette, are just something to have and enjoy. Even if you are not planning on buying anything, looking at some of the artwork in the posters upstairs and the careful design dotted around the shop is still a joy. You can see some of it online too.

Overall , the museum is worth a visit and is exceptional with children. Although there is an entry charge, it is still very busy almost all of the time so do not expect a quiet stroll through but it is designed to have a flow through and to be experienced as much as looked at. There is a feeling of fun and pride running through the whole thing and it would be a shame to waste it.


1. To be honest, it is not really but the depot is not always open and that has more things there for those of a geekier bent.
2. The original line was from Paddington to Farringdon and is now partially used for the Circle, Hammersmith and City lines along with the Metropolitan line.
3. Regrettably, the past tense is used as the recent introductions by TfL have been usually quite regressive with a design that seems more suitable for an opening photo shoot by newspapers rather than designed for the users. It is depressing, to see such a high quality institution being used for these ends but the recent cable car, bikes and fat bus provide a poor service for the mass transport that TfL should provide - at a high cost.

Sunday 27 October 2013

Break Through! (2004) / パッチギ / Pacchigi!

Break Through! (박치기,パッチギ! Pacchigi!) is a 2005 Japanese film directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu and set in 1960s Kyoto. It centres around the tensions between the minority Zainichi Koreans[1] community and the wider Japanese community.

The film came to my attention for two main reasons based on two other films I had seen (although by the time I watched it, I had forgotten those reasons[2]  - it was just on my "to watch" list) - both to do with the cast.
It starts simply, and lightly, enough showing a crowd of schoolgirls screaming and swooning at the sight of some sixties moptoppers - not The Beatles. A group of boys see this and decide to copy the haircuts for themselves to become equally popular with the ladies... The group includes the main protagonist Kosuke Matsuyama (Shun Shioya).
That opening is just a little different from the rest of the film, but works as a nice introduction to the characters and era, which then moves onto a slightly more serious portrayal of Korean/Japanese tensions. After some stupid rudeness towards some Korean girls by some Japanese schoolboys on a trip, there is a violent retaliation by the Korean schoolboys resulting in an upturned bus. That leads to the Japanese school trying to "outreach" and offering to play a football friendly against the Korean school. The invitation is to be made by Kousuke and a friend. Once there, he becomes smitten with a girl,- Kyung-ja Lee (played by Erika Sawajiri), there and tries to work out a way of asking her out. Her older brother, Lee Ang Son (Sousuke Takaoka), also happens to be the leader of the Korean gang which makes it a little harder. The method is partially successful and involves learning how to play a song that she was playing on the flute. As they cross the divide, the question is as to whether it will work out. 
I personally thought it was a fairly simple film with no particularly easy answers to the questions of discrimination but it was interesting to see a Japanese film that seemed a bit more sympathetic to the Korean side of this debate - though for outsiders looking in, it seems only reasonable. To some degree, it must be seen slightly within the prism of Forbidden Romance genre along with that of discrimination, but maybe all forbidden romances are thus. Watching the story develop is interesting enough and it slightly branches out to encompass the older brother's (Lee Ang Son) troubles with his girlfriend becoming pregnant. On that basis it is a little less focused than it could be but still enjoyable. Once the main character finds himself within the Korean world, the film does become a bit more overtly political with the explanations of tensions spelled out by the Koreans to Kousuke and the audience. It may not be subtle, but it does work and this could be revelatory within the Japanese cinema scene. Some of the themes could be considered similar to GO[3]  but the treatment and film making styles are very different. The two love stories, although effectively forbidden, are done so from different angles. This film came out in 2004 which was in the middle of a Fuyu no Sonata fuelled Korean boom in Japan where many aspects of Korean culture became suddenly popular and that timing may have helped it both commercially and artistically as there was a greater desire to understand the Koreans living in Japan at the time.
Critical reception for Pacchigi! was very good and it has won some acting awards ("Rookie of the Year" ("Erika Sawajiri"/"Shun Shioya") - 2006 (29th) Japan Academy Prize- March 3, 2006) for the two lovebirds. I was impressed again with Erika Sawajiri, and her acceptance of the phone call from Kousuke was strangely touching – it was a subtle type of acting that I rarely see. It did well enough to warrant a sequel of sorts in the form of Pacchigi! Love & Peace which has similar themes.

I did enjoy the film but I would not say that it is particularly worth seeking out unless you are really interested in the themes or some of the cast. It is good though so if it is something that you can watch easily, I would give it a go. It seems ideal for a late Film 4 slot.

You can see the trailer here:

1. This term officially refers to those not Japanese but has often pejorative use.
2. After watching Helter Skelter, I checked to see what other films Erika Sawajiri had been in but, seeing the time difference, I was a little put off. Reading of Sousuke Takaoka going off the rails a bit also pointed me to this film.
3. I came across this film again when I was reading something about Japanese films and nationalism which mentioned the two [link]. It was not particularly well-written but it was interesting content. I think there is a lesson in there.

Saturday 26 October 2013

Battle Royale (2000) / バトル・ロワイアル

Undoubtedly a modern classic, whatever I think of it, for its depiction of school life and violent action, Battle Royale came out at the turn of the century - and in the UK in September 2001[1]. Very simply, it is the story of what happens when friends are asked to turn on each other - and are they still friends once they have done so?

Set in a slightly alternate reality[2] where high unemployment (at a scary level of 15%) has caused many problems with adults unable to work and children and as a crisis develops within society, a BR Act is passed whereby a class is chosen at random, to be placed on an island and kill each other until there is just one remaining. That survivor is allowed to leave and then can live a normal life – as normal as one can be when you have seen all your classmates die. I guess it is supposed to show the scapegoating of those unable to fight back and that it is not too bad to sacrifice these individuals for the good of those in power. I can't help but draw some parallels to a society that so regularly monsters outsiders on the front pages of newspapers or demonises minorities and the dispossessed through policy.
The plot is, in many ways, not so important as it is set up at the beginning and has a clear direction without much departure from what is set up. The crux of the film is how everyone deals with this situation, and the question has to run through the viewer's mind too. What would you do?

The start of the film, as the premise is set up, is really odd and quite difficult to take in as the style is pretty uneven. The students are taking a coach trip to their graduation trip completely unaware of the purpose of their trip and once they find out, they are completely unaware of the BR Act. It seems very unlikely that the kids would not be aware of the act itself and at least have heard rumours of it but I think it is consistent, just, with the world depicted as the children are supposed to be wasteful, decadent and un-engaged with wider society. As they are bundled into a room to start - a truly strange, bubbly instructional video explaining the rules starts to play. It seems to knock all of the seriousness out of the situation but actually makes it feel even more so with the oddness. Let us just say that the number students entering is not the same number leaving.
The premise is simple but it is still quite shocking, and it was even more so at the time to be honest as it was not so long after the Columbine massacre[3] and so there was quite a lot of debate about school age violence. I think, since then, there have been plenty of films, such as Hostel, that fall into the torture porn territory so this feels a little more tame now. Japanese classes are quite large and often have about 40 children in them so there are plenty of kids that have to die to get to the end, and die they do in myriad ways. The benefit, from a storytelling point of view, is that there are plenty of different ways that can be shown though, of course, only one method can be successful. 
The number of kids also means that the cast is quite large and this ensemble cast have, in a few cases, gone on to bigger and better things. Notable cast members that it is interesting to see are Takeshi “Beat” Kitano (well respected film director and actor) as the class teacher, Chiaki Kuriyama (seen in Kill Bill) as a driven student, Tatsuya Fujiwara (seen in Death Note) as the protagonist Shuya, Sôsuke Takaoka (later seen in Break Out!) and Kou Shibasaki (as a girlfriend in Go) as a murderous and lonely Mitsuko. With it being such an ensemble piece, it can be tricky to grab the screen but Kou Shibasaki plays her part really excellently with a real murderous zeal which is at odds with other roles I have seen her in. Problematically, with the acting, is the style of the film itself which is not exactly a realistic depiction. Many of the deaths are very melodramatic with last breaths timed perfectly to deliver lines clearly and eyes closing and opening throughout. I think it is supposed to convey a partly dreamlike state[4] but I can definitely appreciate that it is difficult to take the film seriously when it does this.
When the film was released in the west[5] it built up a reputation as a mindless, fun and violent film but I think it has been misunderstood as a result. I personally think it is fairly dense with social commentary which can be lost within the fast moving action scenes. The main thread that I think runs through the film to give it that weight is just the text at the beginning explaining the high unemployment - and it is understandable that this would not be remembered. This informs the reasons why Shuya finds himself without parents and in a care home, why the scapegoating of the weak has been encouraged and the competitive urges are encouraged in the students. I especially love the depiction of friendship and how it is shown to be so weak and simultaneously strong - a motivation to both kill and protect. The girls, in particular, are shown to be lacking in trust of each other outside of their cliques and that bullying of the students, seemingly chosen at random, is shown very clearly. One scene finds a group of friends holed up in a lighthouse sticking together and cooking meals and keeping watchout as a team. As a plan goes slightly awry, the gossamer thin trust that they all had and the seething resentments come to the boil with a flurry of bullets. Interestingly, all the male killers are shown to be almost acting outside of themselves or are shown to be psychopathic so there could be some gender issues for some viewers. It also seems to be a commentary about how much society forces us all into competition, from school, and tries to enlarge differences until we feel we must crush others. It is interesting that any attempts at co-operation are basically destroyed by lone wolves who also end up being unsuccessful. In many ways, the film plays out like a game of Bomberman/Dynablaster with those that are passive at the beginning often able to get a little further. Well, my games of Bomberman anyway - until everyone gangs up on me.
I forgot how much I liked them all
Incidentally, I watched the Special Edition which seems to have a little more exposition which I do not always think is necessary. A little scene showing Mitsuko's childhood hinting at physical and mental abuse seemed a little too proscribed though it was incredibly creepy.

As I think is fairly clear, I really enjoyed Battle Royale and, over the years, I have rewatched it a few times as it is both very easy to watch and it is also quite thought-provoking. It contains one of my very favourite scenes in film within the lighthouse and I love the uneven treatment of the whole story as it leaves a number of unimportant questions unanswered - meaning you can think about it if you want but it is optional. It is a great film and - with caveats about violence of course - it deserves to be watched by as many people as can watch it.
Watch the trailer and decide if you are one of them:
I also reviewed the sequel here but this was done in 2003 and in a different "guise". You can read it here.

1. I have a little personal history for this film as I searched it out after watching (and having my mind blown by) Ringu with friends and then watched this at the Curzon Soho. As far as I can remember, this may have been the first time I searched out and watched a film with such a limited release.
2. The book, by Koushun Takami, has a slightly different world which I do not think allows such a clear message as that world described, seems a little more removed and much more relevant for a particular type of society whereas this feels as if it is closer to the society we have. The book was recommended by a student of mine and it is sufficiently different to be enjoyed I think.
3. Although, it is fair to say that any film released at any point in the last few decades has been in the aftermath of a senseless shooting/killing spree in the US – and often in schools, such is their problem. This particular massacre is often held up as a reason why Fight Club did poorly at release.
4. The final deaths shown on screen are really difficult to understand as they are so unrealistic – especially where one is shot and then walks around to answer a phone call and then slump, dead, on the sofa.
5. It struggled to find a distributor in the US, even in the wake of Kill Bill which draws from it a little, which was partially due to the level of violence and subject matter. I think this is what has allowed The Hunger Games to be released and not thought of as a massive rip-off. The writer has apparently said that she had not heard of Battle Royale but I, along with many others, am a little dubious.

Sunday 20 October 2013

Memories of Murder (2003) / 살인의 추억

I've not seen a huge number of Korean films and can barely remember which ones I have seen other than the Vengeance trilogy that Oldboy is part of. Another thing that happens rarely is that people recommend films to me that are in a foreign language so this went quite high in my “interest piqued” list [1].
Memories of Murder is based in the South Korea of 1986 which was under a military dictatorship at the time. The timing does not seem too relevant but does explain some of the communication difficulties that seem a little odd. It is also based on a true story, but you can never be sure how truthful that means it is. Starting off, quite abruptly, in the middle of a field where a corpse is found in the middle of a rural part of Korea[2] and kicks off a murder inquiry. The corpse found is of a young, attractive woman and there is evidence that she has been bound up, raped and murdered. Clearly, this is not common anywhere, but even less so in the small towns of Korea and so the police are not exactly best placed to deal with the investigation. They make a fist of it though showing the incompetence of their methods and brutality of gaining confessions. The main detective, played by Kang-ho Song who has been in a few better known Korean films such as “The Host”[3] and two of the Vengeance trilogy, plays the lead detective convincingly as someone used to his methods and getting results. The first person they pick up “confesses” to the crime after a little violence meted out by the detective pairing and rehearses his confession to be taped outside. By this time, another investigator has come in to assist from the big city (Seoul) and is more than a little sceptical of the methods. The first person that is picked up is known around the town[4] for being a little simple (or a “retard”) and so the special investigator is not convinced that he could have perpetrated such a complex crime and persuades the rest of the police team to let him go. But, of course, not until after they have embarrassed themselves in the town by publicly shaming him. As similar murders occur, and previous ones are found, the serial nature of the killings become apparent to build the tensions around.
As the rest of the film develops, the main point is about the tension between the older, simpler methods of the rural police force and the more analytical approach taken by the special investigator. Obviously, as time goes on, the more intelligent process does seem to be a little more successful but the original detective team only partake grudgingly and still think their methods work – resulting in a few more fights and beatings throughout the film. In many ways, there are some similarities with the excellent BBC series “Life on Mars” (with the ever brilliant John Simm) although achieved quite differently, the two main characters are clearly signifying instinct versus analysis.

As a film dealing with a fairly serious theme, the first half feels quite uneven in its treatment with a few moments seemingly played for comedy and it feels a little silly. The depiction of the first suspect (that has learning difficulties) seems to be almost entirely for light relief as does a lot of the violence at first. I am usually a fan of this type of flitting between seriousness and silliness but it did not seem quite right for me. It was not enough to put me off and I am glad I was not put off as once the momentum builds a bit, the second half of the film is excellent.
At the point where the analysis has yielded what appears to be a modus operandi, the tension around knowing/thinking about what will happen is really well crafted and from fairly early on, it is quite clear that major events can happen to any of the characters and so that tension is palpable.
The story is told fairly simply, with few gimmicks or tricks played on the audience so the strength of the narrative has to be sufficient to hold interest. This extends to the cinematography where there are very few flashy bits of camera work or transitions but it is made very competently – never obstructing what should be happening to the point where most will not even notice it. In that respect, it feels quite unstaged which is a great compliment for this kind of film. The story, being based on a true story, cannot stray massively from reality but it is dealt with well and still manages to be pleasingly ambiguous at the end. That, in itself is quite a bold finish to the story.

I enjoyed the film and would recommend it to those that like thrillers being a little different but to be wary of the uneven (by Hollywood standards) stylings of the first section. In fact, it may even persuade me to search out more recommendations from people I know rather than just from the wild internet.

Trailer here:

1. An entirely made up idea, but one that could be worth creating.
2. Gyunggi is not too far from Seoul, but the film suggests a dual Korea where there is Seoul and everything else.
3. This is also directed by the same person as this - Joon-ho Bong, who seems to be quite popular and so I may try to catch more of his films.
4. As it is a small town, everyone seems to be well known – quite a useful dramatic device but also kind of true.

Central Europe evaluation

Was it eastern or central and is it even important[1]?
In September and October 2013, I went to Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic for a holiday of sorts, and you can see them all here:
I'll place them in order of enjoyment, which may not be the same as how good they are. I found interesting, when looking back on it, how often I missed things or did not get the timing right and just did not plan it properly. I enjoy that aspect of it sometimes and I can get away with it to some degree but there are plenty more things I could have done with a bit more thought. I was also very fortunate with the weather and that has to have an effect. I was glad to go to all of the cities and am also happy to have changed my plans from my initial thoughts.

1. Budapest
I was really taken by Budapest and genuinely very surprised by how much I liked it as I'd only heard a little about it. The scale of the city is ideal for me as it is walkable within areas but it is not a good idea to walk across the whole thing. Architecturally, it is beautiful with well designed buildings that are expertly lit at night. I especially liked the little details in the chain bridge across the Danube. Arguably, the city is made by the Danube as it is a very pleasant width at this point and wide enough to genuinely separate the two sides and give the city an open feel that permeates through. The Pest side is nice and dense with plenty to do and bits of heritage. The castle complex on the Buda side along with Gellert Hill give a great tourist feel with great views and even some fresh feeling air. The icing on the cake was the smattering of social housing and parkland in Obuda.
Transport is excellent throughout with the evocative Millennium line to start with and trams making it easy to get around and have a view. The food was also tasty and fairly cheap with good drinks too.
Budapest is one of the few cities that I have visited that I felt there was more to see as I left and that I would like to go back to in short order. It is possibly, now, my favourite European city to visit which was previously Berlin.

2. Vienna
Vienna is a fairly modern city in many respects with modern buildings interspersed with the older ones. I enjoyed it but I was a little surprised at how small (or intimate) it felt and the more blatant aspects of the tourism industry. The coffee and cake culture has to be appealing to some so I would strongly recommend it for those people. The Danube is not quite as focal as I had hoped it would be so the city feels quite singular as a result, compared to Budapest or Prague. It did not feel quite as organic as a result and the Ringstrasse, whilst making it very simple to comprehend, did feel a little too designed. I really appreciated the cultural parts of the city and it did feel current and progressive rather than just left in stasis, overall. The Museum Quarter is a stunning realisation of what it is trying to achieve and I was glad to see that it was open to modern, accessible designers and artists along with the larger, more famous pieces. The palace is also an amazing place to have but I did not feel an emotional connection with it and so enjoyed the grounds more.

3. Prague
Busy cities can go two ways for me and Prague was just on the wrong side of it. I do not mean busy in the way London or Tokyo are - people getting around with their days and moving quickly, but a lot of tourists and tourists being baited. It felt like a lot of it was for show (even if it was not) and so I was not sure about it. The thing is though, a lot of it is genuinely stunning so even though I was flagging at this point[2], I am still able to appreciate a lot of it in hindsight and did like it then too. The castle and old town are some of the most sumptuous places I have ever seen with the connection between the two, Charles Bridge, one of the most wonderful bridges I have ever seen. I especially like that it was pedestrianised and felt so alive but it was so busy on the first day that it was inconvenient to use. The connection with the city was helped immensely by the tour I went on and I will search out similar things in the future.


4. Brno
As a city to visit on the way somewhere it was ideal. It is definitely small enough to get around on foot and the people were pleasant and helpful. There is the cliche of it feeling more authentic (as if large cities are not real...) but it did feel different to Prague and in a way, less catered. It was not at all difficult to get around, I did not even use the extensive tram network, but it would have been better for me if I could actually have done a few things that I wanted to do! It is, again, a strollable city centre and the sights are different enough to be worth it. The food was cheap, the views were great and the coffee was lovely. I would definitely recommend it as a break although there is not a great amount to do, you can do that in a pleasant and relaxed environment. I probably had fewer frustrations here than in either Vienna or Prague but I have to consider that this was a day trip and it was not as if I missed a great deal.

5. Bratislava
It is a fairly industrial city and less than ideal as a place to see. It does have, however, an old town that seems perfect for evenings and nights out with low costs and plenty of choice. As it is quite a small city, it would be great for this and I am sure it would be a lot of fun with a group of people or if you were to use it as a base for some other trips. I am pleased that I ended up seeing Petrzalka inadvertently as it really changed my feeling about the city with the housing looking amazing in its scope. The city definitely seemed in two parts and I would imagine that the old town and castle area would be nicer but the south side ended up being a bit more memorable. I guess I would not have gone here if it were not another country, so maybe it is good if you have a completionist streak.



1. Granularity and detail are important but the point is to communicate, if nobody understands what I mean, was there any point in saying it?
2. I have found that in Asia, you can use the phrase "all templed out" and it will make sense to people, but I cannot think of an equivalent in Europe as they are not all quite the same, but it starts to feel like that.

Tuesday 15 October 2013

Dancer In The Dark (2000)

Nothing bad ever happens in musicals” 
It is not often that I watch musicals, partly for the quote above feeling true even if it is not actually true. But a paradoxical mixture of Dogme 95 and musicals (The Dogme 95 manifesto actually forbids music) has to be worth watching, especially with Bjork's one and only major acting role.

The main character is a woman, named Selma, from Czechoslovakia (at this time, that was a single country) who has moved to the USA to live her life with her pre-teenage son. She works in a factory, which she finds simple enough but getting harder and harder due to her deteriorating eyesight. She is, essentially, becoming blind and so is trying to hide that fact so that she can continue working and earning money. Little by little, she is earning money but clearly not to lavish on herself or her son as they live in a trailer at the back of a couple's home. This couple are a little more lavish due to the inheritance that they have picked up.
As in so many situations, all is not as it seems and Selma is working to earn enough to pay for a doctor to perform an operation on her son that he does not yet know he needs. Her deteriorating eyesight is hereditary and so will afflict him, something that she would like to stop and is part of the reason for moving to America - the other is her love of musicals. At the same time, her landlord is in a money trap that he dare not tell his materialistic wife about. How could that resolve itself?
I don't want to say too much but we rarely spiral up in films...

As a film, it is quite a melancholy (though maybe not quite Melancholia) one with Selma's situation played out with her slowly realising that her eyesight is going and that she is losing what she could do. The musical parts grow as her eyesight goes as she enters that dreamlike stance more readily as she escapes from her normal life - or daydreaming. Obviously, the quality of the music is dependant on your own taste for Bjork but I am a fan of hers and a fan of the music here (although the album versions, from "Selmasongs" have better singers than the film versions). As Selma explains, she hears music in the sounds and the music is usually created, or at least started from the background noises of wherever she happens to be. It is actually a jarring transition, and there are visual changes too with a slightly more saturated look and more steady camera work. I think this is to differentiate between the dreary normal life she has and the slightly more filmic image she sees in her head. Visually, the film is generally quite dour with most of it set in very simple rooms or the factory but the musical segments do have a song and dance and a particular scene on a train bridge has got a remarkable sense of movement from the nearby train. I think it is to do with the camera movement but it is a very well done scene.

The film did rather well at Cannes in 2000 and picked up the Palme d'Or, along with the Best Actress award for Björk and I was very impressed by the acting. As so much of the film is quite despairing, it had to show that feeling of defeat very clearly which I think Bjork managed sensationally. Counter-intuitively, a lot of that despair was best captured as a result of the fleeting moments of joy and happiness that you see on her face, juxtaposing with the sullen face normally. As the character goes through the film, you sense her very simple moral framework and I guess it is meant to make her seem like an innocent child although she is clearly not. There are questions of b;lame but it would be very difficult to see her as innocent although there is an element of sympathy for her situation. I found her compelling throughout and very watchable up to the bitter end.
As the film is morally dubious, it is not clear how much sympathy should be had for all of the characters but I am not sure clear delineations are either Von Trier's strong point or a real necessity in films.
It is a brilliant film with a great feeling of unease and a genuinely memorable ending. If that is not reason enough to watch it, I don't think it has much more.
It did have a very mixed reception on release, with The Guardian apparently saying it was "one of the worst films, one of the worst artworks and perhaps one of the worst things in the history of the world."

You can see the trailer here:

And the music video for "I've Seen It All" is here too: