Fallen Angels (Duo luo tian shi)

Release Year: 1995

Director: Wong Kar-wai

Review: This was originally conceived to be the third story to 'Chungking Express', but was broken off into it's own film.  Wong Kar-wai doesn't so much tell a story as he does impress a feeling into you.  The plot doesn't matter much, but its roughly about a hitman who wants to end his semi-romantic, semi-professional, relationship with his female agent who he has never met.  In a parallel story line a mute man makes a living by taking over shops after hours and man-handles people into being his customers.  To say that this is what the movie is about, however, is completely missing the point.

The film is all about mood.  About feeling.  Wong Kar-wai douses his film in style, with every frame being packed with some kind of visual skew.  The narrative, if you can even call it that, is more a string of loosely connected vignettes with an overarching connecting theme.  Bathed in a gritty surrealist tone, Wong expresses insights into love, happiness and purpose in life.  The dialog is sparse in the film, but there are many insightful inner monolouges.  One such monologues explains that personality dictates what a person does for a living.  The hitman loves his job because he doesn't have to think, his decisions are made for him.  The mute is lonely, and works in other peoples stores illegally since he can't make friends or earn capitol with his condition.  Both seemingly happy with their lot in life don't initially see much reason to change.  Over the course of the film, more depth is revealed in their character, and they attempt to break free into a new life.  The struggle to obtain happiness and find ones way in life comes through strong and was the lasting impression on me.

The beauty of the film was power of individual scenes.  Countless scenes stick out and resonate through you, even if they don't quite seem to fit in at the time.  The blond running out into the rain, the force fed ice cream, the emotionally jarring home video, or countless other scenes.  They each have their own message, and leave their own mark.  That's how I enjoyed this film.  It's more of an overall experience than anything.  A flow of beautifully shot, often poignant scenes which somehow leave you reflecting back on it having gained a lot of insight into the lives of these characters and wanting to revisit them.

Rating: 4/5



Don't Cry, Nanking (Nanjing 1937) (Nan Jing yi jiu san qi)

Release Year: 1995

Director: Ziniu Wu

Review: Brutal. Sickening. Inhumane.  These words are not nearly strong enough to describe the atrocities of the Nanking Massacre.  The film focuses on the Japanese overtaking and occupying the Chinese city of Nanking where hundreds of thousands of civilians and soldiers were killed while thousands more women raped.  Guiding us on this harrowing depiction of the 'battle' is a Chinese man and his Japanese wife, their children and their struggle to survive the horrors of the event.

It is easy to be numbed by the sheer quantity of murders and rapes that take place over the course of the movie.  By taking a subset of this devastation, the family, and showing their intimate survival tale allows the magnitude of the horror to sink in.  The fact that the wife and her daughter are Japanese magnifies the absurdity of the brutality.  The Japanese and Chinese cultures are not so far removed that the soldiers can simply disregard their humanity.  Their own countrymen are among those that they blindly massacre.  On the flip side, it gives the Japanese a reprieve of sorts.  The Japanese are portrayed very harshly in the film as heartless beasts, which is accurate of the events.  Having the Japanese wife shows that this is not indicative of the entire Japanese population at the time, but of the soldiers. It serves as a useful tool to bridge the Japanese and Chinese sides without diminishing the focus of the film.

This is not an easy film to sit through.  I was full of emotion, ranging from sadness to rage, watching the relentless disregard for human life.  At one point a soldier comments that it was a shame that the person he just killed wasn't a pig so that they could eat it.  Pigs worth more than humans.  This is the sentiment that the film portrays.  There is a complete disregard for life and it is utterly heartbreaking to watch.  Its overwhelming to witness the large scale massacres and its mind boggling to think about how many extras it took to film.  By using such huge quantities of people it gives scope to how many people actually suffered during the battle.  Its a devastating and haunting look at an inhumane massacre and one that will stick in my mind for a long time.

Rating: 4/5

Before Sunrise

Release Year: 1995

Director: Richard Linklater

Review: Romance isn't something that is new to film.  It seems like every movie has some sort of romantic angle wedged in.  And yet, I don't know if the spirit of the first romantic connection, the spark of love, is captured quite so well as it is in 'Before Sunrise'.   Two strangers meet, and they have a single night to make a meaningful connection.  It is so simple, so eloquent, and so real.  I'm drawn in with dialog, and thats all this movie is.  It's as if we get to peek into this couples unforgettable night, and see every moment which makes these two people fall in love.  The first awkward moments, the little moments that define the foundation of a relationship are laid out so effortlessly and naturally that it entangles you in their relationship.  The purity and honesty captured by Linklater make this film work.  There isn't much here, its the simplicity, the wit and the charm that make this a wonderful movie. 
Rating: 4.5/5



GoldenEye

Release Year: 1995

Director: Martin Campbell

Review: When watching Bond films, one comes to expect certain things.  Those things are certainly all present in 'GoldenEye', Pierce Brosnan's first go as the secret agent.  There are plenty of plot holes, corny gadgets, tired lines and cringe worthy "hackers", but on a whole there was enough thrills to keep me entertained.  Its the first Bond film since the cold war, and seeing them tackle this issue was interesting.  Suddenly the classic villain isn't quite the same as it used to be.  All in all I can't hype too much praise on the film, since the entire experience was a flash back to the beloved video game, which was entirely more enjoyable.  There are some evil doers, some explosions and some twists, which altogether make for an entirely watchable and entertaining, if not mindless, couple hours of enjoyment.
Rating: 3/5

Toy Story

Release Year: 1995

Director: John Lasseter

Review: Pixar's first, and arguably best, picture.  Since this masterpiece, Pixar hasn't let up.  There is a certain simple sweetness to this film that is timeless.  Fifteen years later it hasn't lost a thing.  Pixar doesn't rely on pop culture references and fad styles, but rather rely on sound story telling to create timeless works of art.  The undying themes of loyalty and friendship are identifiable to everyone.  Wrapped in this lighthearted narrative it is a perfect combination of heart and humor.  If nothing else it makes you think twice before tossing a toy in the trash and makes your heart pang for your long deserted childhood toys.  'Toy Story' is undiluted tenderness and is simply a joy to watch.
Rating: 5/5

Fargo

Release Year: 1996
Review: A sort of odd comedy that could only be described as 'Coen-esque', "Fargo" is a bizarre, but oddly endearing film about a kidnapping that goes terribly wrong. For the most part the film was enjoyable, but certain aspects prevented me from really getting behind it. The whole mid-western accent and personality seemed a bit gimmicky, and while the mid-west is where the story takes place, and people from that part of the country may very well be like that, it felt too much like a running joke that eventually went stale. The ever present gloom and misery caused, not only by the circumstances of the plot, but also the setting in the bitter cold and the gray, dull tones, began to ware on me and made some scenes uncomfortable. There were some very funny moments, and the main character, Marge (played by Frances McDormand), is always entertaining and charming. 'Fargo' isn't my favorite Coen brothers movie, but it was certainly worth watching.
Rating: 3/5

Dead Man

Release Year: 1995
Review: This was my first Jim Jarmush experience. This film had some absolutely brilliant moments, but on a whole was incredibly dull. The movie is dragged on seemingly endlessly with nothing happening at all. Despite having a brilliant cast this film has some of the worst acting I've seen. Pivotal death scenes are played out utterly emotionless by the actors. Perhaps this was intentionally done for irony, or some such nonsense, but it was completely lost on me. None the less, I do appreciate the journey and transformation of the character, and there are a few scenes that make the watch worth it. If you have a great attention span I can recommend this movie, but if your easily bored you will end up asleep.
Rating: 3/5