Entry 124: "The Sword with No Name" (2009)

You are not getting more images than this today.

Dear Internet,

                "The Sword with No Name" is a 2009 South Korean romance film set in the late Joseon period.  A literal translation of the original title "불꽃처럼 나비처럼" would be "Like Fireworks, Like Butterflies" which makes sense with some of the films imagery and a lot more sense than "The Sword with No Name."   Specifically, the fictitious film takes place from around 1866 until 1895.  It is most important to highlight the fictitious aspect of the film within the same breath as the very real dates because the film tells of the very real Empress Myeongseong and her fictitious lover/admirer Moo-myeong.  

                The film centers itself around the two characters Moo-myeong, the bounty hunter who as a child had witnessed his mother being killed for practicing Catholicism, and Ja-yeong, the soon to be bride of the king of Joseon despite her obvious hesitations.  Ja-yeon decides to visit the ocean once more before her marriage to ease her mind.  Along the way, she comes across Moo-myeong, whom she asks for a boat ride down the river to the sea.  The man agrees, and both get close to one another during the trip.  After her marriage, Moo-myeong attempts to gain entry into the royal guard so that he can be closer to Ja-yeaong or even see her for that matter.  Even after proving his courage and entering into the guard, it is not for some time before he gets the chance to talk to her again.  Meanwhile, there is a political conspiracy that comes from the outside Japanese influence and from the old king and regent of Joeson.  The political side erupts and threatens not only Joseon's stability as a country but also the life of Ja-yeong.  It is up to Moo-myeong to save the queen while remembering both of their positions as ruler and subject.

                You can tell already that the film is a romance first with a history lesson taking back stage.  The dynamic of the two main characters is the constant string throughout the film.  In the beginning, we wonder if they are going to run off and she will not marry the king.  In the middle, we wonder if they are going to run off and leave the king.  In the end, we wonder much the same as in the middle.  The relationship between the two never gets more than platonic, although there was a night in a damp and cold cave that left me more than confused.  Despite this, or because of this, their non-sexual relationship the romance was for the most part done very sweetly.  You can see the devotion Moo-myeong has for Ja-yeong throughout the film.  His feelings do not stem straightly from shallow reasons like Ja-yeong's appearance or status.  He continues to strive to protect her with his very life for the entirety of the film.

                I will not even try to touch upon the historical accuracies of this film.  I will save that for someone much more knowledgeable in that department.  If you know your Korean history, the film's suspense filled scenes that risk the safety of the queen melt away in a moment.  It is like wondering while watching a biographical film about Julies Caesar if he is going to die on the battlefield.  If you have paid attention to that section of your history class in school, you do not have to worry about him until March comes rolling around.  If you know how the actual queen had died, then you know what to expect of the film.  The only question then for any sort of suspense is if Moo-myeong is going to die first.  His life is constantly in jeopardy.  Even when they return from the trip to the ocean, he ends up taking a few knives to his back in protecting her.  This leads into the action oriented scenes that dot the film.

                There is an immense portion of the film that is dedicated to action scenes.  Moo-myeong wields a weapon that looks like a cross between a butcher knife and a machete.  It is an intimidating weapon that he used in his life as a bounty hunter and continued to use while a palace guard.  It does seem out of place in the film, especially when he continues to wear it while garbed in a regulated uniform, but at least the film treats it with a purpose rather than merely having the weapon as a flashy object.  When he fights, he makes obvious use of the blade's unique design rather than using it as a longer bladed weapon.  The fights in the film are there most likely to amuse the boyfriends and husbands of the woman that had dragged their man to go see the film.  Thankfully, the film does not shirk away from giving its all to entertaining the thrill seekers in the audience.  The first major fight occurs between Moo-myeong and the master swordsman Noe-jeon, who is also the captain of the guard.  Their battle is quickly shifted to computer graphic assisted choreography.   This basically means that it becomes a fight between super-humans instead of being realistic.  That does not mean it is not entertaining.  The two men jump about two small boats on a lake, kicking and slashing to the point that the camera can barely keep up.  Only one other time in the film did I notice that the fight was heavily altered using computer graphics to make it more dynamic.  The second time was a little too over the top for my taste, actually melting away the setting.  What makes me hesitant to like the second time is the fact that there are witnesses to the fight.  The film can play off the first fight as being over the top because the two men are fighting alone, but since the second fight is being witnessed by a large group of people, the over-the-top action feel out of place.  It is still fun to watch it, but the gnawing problem hits the back of my head.

                Within the film, there is a great level of political intrigue and conspiracies that take place.  They were confusing to me for much of the film.  It was only about halfway through the film that I fully understood what I should have.  This might have more to do with the how common knowledge of the timeframe is for the average South Korean as compared to an outside viewer than it have to do with the amount of information that the film gives out.  If this is the case, then I cannot strike it against the film.  I did, however, find parts confusing enough that I was lost for large amounts of time.  Eventually, I pulled together who was backstabbing who, but perhaps I might just be slow when it concerns Asian politics.

                Then there is Moo-myeong's origin scene.  The film opens up with Moo-myeong as a child witnessing his parents being killed for practicing Catholicism.  This is a harsh stain on the history of Korea, but the film paints it less as a crime against religion and more of an attack against Westernization.  This might be because this was the reason for the attack since through the film, the old guard is seen striving to keep Joeson free from Western influence.  The old king constantly fights with the queen about how she interjects Western ability and individuals into the inner court.  The film wants to makes sure that the clash of East meets West is the center point for the confrontation between generations and individuals.  This is all well and understandable, however, the fact that Moo-myeong is shown to having lost his parents in one of these clashes years ago is a big hole in the story.  I do not mean that it creates a hole within the narrative, but that it creates a hole in his character.  Other than the Christian name that his mother gives him, Johannes, and a cross shaped scar on his chest that is never explained, he has no connection to those that dies that night years ago.  He does not seek out some sort of vengeance or shown to have any sort of ill will towards those that killed his parent.  In fact, there is no connecting theme to his past to the events that occur elsewhere in the film.  It just dissolves instead of being a character trait.  At that point, there really is no reason to having him be born of Catholic parents or even parents who were "Westernized."  The persecution scene is there only to illustrate the level of resistance that Joseon had to Western influences, not add character depth to Moo-myeong.  

                "The Sword with No Name" is an average film.  It does somewhat OK with the romance, action, and suspense, but nothing great or memorable worth revisiting for a second time.  You might find a moment or two that is poignant, but it is surrounded by a lot of filler.  I should not make it seem like the film has got nothing going for itself.  The romance is handled very well, showcasing Moo-myeong's devotion and the conflict with Ja-yeong having to be queen to a king she does not love.  Instead of shirking their responsibilities, like flighty children, they act accountable, respecting one another and the duties of the other, even if that means denying themselves.  The film does this one thing well, but the rest was just average.

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

P.S. Next is "Parasite Dolls."

Entry 103: "Singin' in the Rain" (1952)

Dear Internet,

                It has been a while since I covered a musical.  "K-On!" does not count despite what the tags claim.  The last one, and only one now that I think about it, was "Funny Girl" some 60 entries ago.  You can go back and reread that if you want.  I only wanted to point out how in frequent musicals seem to appear on this Backlog despite their importance in film and stage.  It is no secret that the American musical film has come and gone.  The golden age of musicals is long gone and will most likely not come back anytime soon.  The logistics and cost are a headache.  The audiences do not clamor for them like they once did.  A public that places less emphasis on lyrics and melody but want only as much as a "nice beat" do not want to watch a musical.  They want a drum line, not a song that can be sung in the shower or in the rain.

                "Singin' in the Rain" is a musical first and foremost.  Secondly, it is a story about the transition from silent films to talkies in the late 20s and early 30's.  Somewhere in all of that is a love story, but I suppose it is important, so I will talk about it.  Don Lockwood is a major actor in Hollywood who plays alongside leading lady, Lina Lamont.  Both are silent film stars, although Don has a skillful background in vaudeville and show business.  Not a successful one, but he has more experience in more types of entertainment than Lina.  After the premier of their newest film, the two along with a number of studio brass and employees watch a presentation of a short recording that makes use of synchronized audio alongside a projection.  Also at the party, Don meets with Kathy Selden, a dancer who had just snubbed Don when he tried to put the moves on her.  A few days pass, and Warner Brothers puts out "The Jazz Singer," the first fully talkie film.  It is a monster of a hit, and Don's studio decides to rework the film he is working on into a talkie as well.  The biggest problem is that Lina has got the voice of a screeching cat.  Reenter Kathy, who not only is able to help the situation but also works her way into Don's heart.

                Like I said before, "Singin' in the Rain" is a musical first.  There are a number of songs spread throughout, and dance numbers are just as plenty.  The extravagance of Broadway even gets a chance to be injected into the film.  From flashy costumes to giant scenes, the film knows how to splurge on the showmanship.  Unlike modern films that explicitly are aiming at making themselves look realistic and hope to draw in the viewer with promises of "immersion," golden era musicals were all about the glitz and glamour.  There was no attempt to make it seem like anything but a performance for the audience.  The fact that the film is a Hollywood depiction of Hollywood can be argued that it is just a self glorification, but that would be ignoring at how much the film pokes fun at itself.  Take the character of Lina.  She cannot act, sing, or dance at all.  The only reason she is even in show business is because of her looks.  The studio brass knows this and forbid her from talking to prevent the audience from finding out she has a voice as pleasant as a jingling tin can filled with nails.  On top of that is the fake relationship that the studio brass creates in the papers of her and Don.  If the film was a self glorification of Hollywood, it cannot poke fun at itself, lest it poke holes.

                The transition from silent films to talkies was one of the biggest transitions that the movie industry had to see through.   Next to it would have to be, in no particular order, the transition from monochrome to color, the Hays code, and possibly the introduction of 3D filming.  Time will tell if that last one makes any dent, but from a technical standpoint it is a hurdle that directors have to think about unless they want their films to look like generic paddleball-to-the-eye 3D movies.  The transition to talkies caused a number of actors to fade from the public view.  Once the audience learned that the person was just a pretty face, they had trouble getting roles and jobs on screen.  For those working behind the camera, numerous things had to be either reworked or had to be figured out to make the most of it.  "Singin'" points these out in the scenes where Lina fails to say her lines in the direction of the hidden microphone.  The problems are also showcased in the preview showing of Don and Lina's film.  The sound effects are too loud and the dialog is mostly mute and muffled.  The film makes humor on the topic while at the same time showcasing the real problems that an industry had to overcome.  Thankfully the invention of the boom-mic came along. 

                Another thing that the film addresses is the creation and execution of the over-dub.  Studios, for the longest time, would have the actor say their lines and act out their role for the majority of the film.  When it got time for them to sing, another person's voice would be recorded over their own.  Many musicals have such a difference in the voice change that it can be instantly noticeable.  Even if the voice is not over-dubbed by another person, the majority of musicals still need to be recorded again off screen.  Take the iconic scene of Don performing the titular song as he dances in the rain.  The man had a fever, was splashing loudly, and was far away from any sort of microphone that could resist the gallons of water that was pouring down.  If his voice could even be heard, it was most likely so distorted that it would have to be scrapped.  Only a sound booth recording dubbed over his performance could allow him to be heard.  Few films have live singing on scene that is used in the final cut.  The recent "Les Miserables" is one such film.  Thankfully, "Singin'" has excellent actors that do not need to be dubbed by other people.

                The most important aspect of the film has got to be the entertainment value.  As I said, musicals are generally meant to be seen as a performance rather than an immersion filled film.  The fact that people are spontaneously bursting out into song and dancing is a reality breaker.  So, the film has to entertain the audience with those reality breaking segments.  Between the titular song, "Make 'Em Laugh," and "Good Morning" the film knows what the audience wants and needs.  They want songs.  They need songs that can be sung, or at least hummed.  "Singin'" delivers this in stride.  The songs are catchy and have lasting ability.  On top of that, the choreography for the songs is able to express the joy that is in the characters.  There are a few tap-dancing segments that show off the main cast's ability while still breaking that wall of immersion.

That is a scarf right there that is over 30ft.

                What else can I say about "Singin' in the Rain" that has not already been said?  It has withstood the test of time easily.  There are plenty of lists that award it a top place or near to it.  It is a feel-good film.  There are no brooding harsh realities being thrown into the audience's face.  There is gleefulness abounding.  And that is a good thing.  While not escapism, "Singing'" is a brief sidestep that reminds the viewer of good old fashioned fun.  

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

P.S. Next is the "Ghost in the Shell" film.

Entry 069: "Saikano"

AKA: "The Last Love Song on This Little Planet"

Dear Internet,

                Everyone dies.  There, Internet.  I saved you four and a half hours of depressing teenage angst filled with plot holes.  I do not like to spoil stories, as I have said before.  But when the story is already a spoiled mess that is not worth the time to view, the argument against doing so goes out the door, gets shot, blown up and dies a somehow slow death being burned alive.  That could basically sum up my feelings over "Saikano," but that would be taking the easy way out, much like how the characters seem to do countless times through the course of the film. 

                About the only thing good that "Saikano" has going for itself is the premise.  Chise and Shuji are two teenagers in high school who are dating.  A war of unknown details breaks out.  Chise is taken by the Japanese government and has a weapon system implanted into her body.  She then fights the enemy forces that wage war on Japanese land.  Shuji find out and deals with the fact that his girlfriend is has been modified into a bio-weapon soldier.  The two must figure out their relationship with the backdrop of war behind them.

The show pours the creative budget into make a different set of wings for each scene requiring them.

                That is where the good stuff ends.  The only thing that I should add to the premise is that Chise spends a considerable amount of time questioning her humanity and sanity.  Shuji does likewise, but Chise really goes in circles.  Speaking of circles, the first half of the show goes around in circles for much too long.  One episode they are together, next they want to break up, and then they miss each other and want to be together but do not want to go back on saying that they only want to be classmates.  The indecision between the two is annoying at first and just gets worse as the show continues.  Take for example Shuji's actions towards Ms. Fuyumi, his teacher from middles school who he had sex with.  She makes advances towards him because her husband is gone for long stretches because of the war, and she feels lonely.  Shuji keeps going back to her, engaging in some action, and then pulls back at the last moment before doing something that would go against his feelings for Chise.  This happens at least three times in the show and each time it kept feeling like a bad plot point that was going nowhere rather than the test of Shuji's love for Chise that it was supposed to be.  

                You can look at Fuyumi as one of a dozen characters who are thrown in as nothing more than trying to show the horrors of war.  There is the fellow classmate that is killed in the first episode before he can give his girlfriend a necklace.  While one would think that this would act as a catalyst to make the two main characters come closer because they would realize the fragility of life and wish to live without regrets, it does not.  In fact, Shuji and his friends decide to completely ignore their friend's death rather than acknowledge it and heal.  There is the female soldier that dies off screen while on patrol, whose gender was only put there to make the viewer more sympathetic.  What about the man who helped Shuji fix the motorcycle just in time to be blown apart by a bomb?  How about the friend who decided to go fight in the war to protect his sweetheart who does not even like him, which is somewhat even more invalidated because of the fact that the war is never even explained fully until the last scene of the show?

                The war is perhaps one of the biggest problems with the show.  The war is shown to the audience in the same way that it is presented to the characters in it.  Which is to say that next to nothing is ever explained.  International, and even domestic, communication is shut down at the beginning which means that the full scope of the conflict is never quite shown unless what Chise says can be trusted.  More on that in a bit.  Planes just show up whenever they want and bomb towns.  There are no air raid sirens or any sort of warning system to tell the residents that the enemy is coming.  Bombs and planes make no noise until the bomb explodes, then they make lots of racket.  The enemy that Chise and the army is fighting is never explained who they are or why they are bombing civilian cities.  Only at the very end does the show do a horrible job of explaining.  Apparently, the big wigs knew the world was ending and are fighting for resources.  How does the world end?  Earthquakes.  What is causing the earthquakes?  Why are the earthquakes occurring?  No reason.  It is a poor attempt at filling a plot hole that the show created to add the feel of helplessness but only makes a bigger hole in the end.  It is worse because the info is being delved to the audience and characters by an even bigger plot hole, Chise's bio-weapon modifications.

                Chise's modifications are the center point of the show.  Without them, she and Shuji would have had a pretty average life compared to her peers who are being blasted apart.  I can deal with the fact that she is implanted with some sort of space-age technology.  That is the free ticket for the show.  However, the show makes no attempt to say WHY she is selected to get the weapon implanted.  She is obviously taken by government spies, but the show never attempts to say if she got the implant willingly or not.  On top of that, the show never explained why she willingly follows orders in the beginning.  Later on, Chise is shown to be acting as a soldier so that she can feel numb to the pain of leaving Shuji, but why she cooperates in the beginning is conveniently left out.  It is not as if she is being forced by some override switch since she is constantly running off and avoiding her military role and duty.  The army cannot even threaten her to do what they want because she is indestructible.  The one thing that the army should have done, and would have made more sense, would be to threaten Shuji's safety, blackmailing Chise to do what they want.  What does occur is even more mindboggling.  No one from the military ever discourages Shuji from interacting with Chise.  In fact, whenever Shuji is anywhere near a soldier while with Chise, he is completely ignored like he is not there.  The single person who interacts with Shuji from the government does so in a jelly-spine, half-hearted manner that it is amazing that he got the position at all.  I just expect my MIB type characters to have more confidence.  

                Then there is the fact that the origin or design of the bio-weapon is never explained.  Even how the weapon works is never quite brought up.  Is it of an alien design, as can be seen in the later half?  Is it made by modern science, since she seems to hide missiles under her shirt?  There is no answer for any of this.  The audience must also conform to the fact that Chise is the only source of information about the world.  How does she know this?  Bio-weapon.  Throughout the show she is constantly getting various powers and abilities and the audience is constantly being told to "just go with it."  The accuracy of her knowledge is never questioned by anyone in the show.  The show just wants to use the excuse of her having a plot device sewn into her to be able to fall back on time and time again.  The problem with this is that unless you explain the plot device to a point, the credibility of it can be called into question.  Even the fact that the show wants to showcase Chise questioning her humanity as the bio-weapon takes over her body falls flat.

                The various things that I have talked about are mostly plot based.  However, the show is supposed to be character driven.  The problem with this is that nearly every single character is completely messed up in the head and has not learned how to grow up.  With the exception of Shuji's parents and the guy who fixed the bike, every character has emotional problems that paint the world as being filled with broken people.  Take the middle school coach who had sex with her student.  How about the character that decided to have sex with a boyfriend she did not love out of pity for that fact, not to mention that he knew she did not love him?  How about the army lieutenant that goes on dates with Chise but ends up crying the name of his wife as he bleeds to death?  When confronted with problems, these characters take a defeatist attitude, which makes even less sense when the soldiers choose such.  It only brings up what kind of training they are giving the recruits if they fall apart so easily.  Even the main two characters are so filled with backwards logic that it becomes grating.  One moment they want to live, the next they want to die.  Each episode feels like a trip down a schizophrenic road with the way that they bounce back and forth.  You might argue that the worst culprits are supposed to be acting so because they are teenagers filled with angst and depression caused by love and war.  The problem with this is that this kind of horrible drama only appeals to teenagers filled with angst and depression.  I did not like that drama when I was a teenager, and it is even more annoying when being portrayed in stories.  Teenagers in stories never have the right answer to life's problems and it takes them forever to reach the right ones.  This is exactly what happens in "Saikano" throughout the show except it applies to nearly everyone.  

At least he was chastised for asking such a dumb question.

                "Saikano" is a screw being turned slowly in my head.  The premise felt exciting and refreshing when I started.  As the show continued, it became bogged down by depressing pessimistic philosophy.  It never shines a gleam of hope, and when it does, the hope is bombed out of nowhere.  The show is not happy in the least.  It is a giant pity party for people who cannot deal with the difficulties of life and would rather wallow in sorrow than better their conditions.  The worst part is that the ending wants to present a picture of some bitter sweet ending, except it fails.  Like I said, everyone is dead, except for Shuji who must wait out his life as the only human alive while walking around in a dream state.  He is trapped in an inverse form of Kurama's Sinning Tree from "Yu YuHakusho," living in a dream world until his death.  "Saikano" would like to think that it can capture the pain of love and war but it feels like a pile of cynicism which spills over into the attempt at romance.  

Yours in digital,

BeepBoop

P.S. Tomorrow is  "The Mysterians" (1957).