mconrad3 Blog

Under discussion:

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War  (2004)

I'd be the first to admit that I haven't been up on foreign films as much as I probably should. One of my favorite films from last year (Let the Right One In) was made in Sweden. Today I had the opportunity to sample South Korean cinema in the form of Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War. I have never seen a war film that didn't deal with Amerian centered conflicts. Letters from Iwo Jima, while impressive, was still a primarily American film. Tae Guk Gi, on the other hand, is a product of Korea in which the American involvement is only mentioned in passing.

The story is of two brothers living in South Korea who are drafted into service following the outbreak of hostilities that would last for three years and serve as a proxy war during the Cold War. The view from the trenches ain't pretty, but that's what makes this film important. Not unlike Saving Private Ryan, this film places a more human face on soldiers in the war. They aren't the brave war heroes marching off to victory. They're sons, brothers, fathers, and people with real motivations and problems. Throughout the story we are presented with gritty examples of the horrors the Korean War had to offer.

What impressed me most about this film was its production value. On only a twelve million dollar budget, these filmmakers managed to create something on par with the greatest American war films. The Korean War was an ordeal that members of my generation have only seen from black and white file footage. In Tae Guk Gi, as it should be, it is treated as one of the most major conflicts their nation faced. Non native audience members can experience it as if it were "their" war and it adds that much impact to it.

Emotionally moving, you are hard pressed not to feel affected by Tae Guk Gi by the time the credits roll. It illustrates a conflict I don't think Americans have been made aware enough of. Unfortunately, it has been dismissed by mainstream audiences, likely because it comes with subtitles. I have no doubts in my mind that if it was an American war film, people would be talking about it like they did for Saving Private Ryan.

Under discussion:

Singin' in the Rain  (1952)

I was never a big fan of musicals. I had to participate in them throughout my elementary school career and even landed a few lead roles, but something about randomly breaking out into song didn't really jive with me. It's probably because it had been parodied so many times in my childhood shows and films that I couldn't take it seriously. Overall even the modern musicals haven't really appealed to me. Of all the musicals I've seen though, the ones from the forties, fifties, and sixties are the ones I can sit through. Singin' in the Rain is no exception.

Taking place just at the beginning of the talkie era of filmmaking, I was quite intrigued by the plot and story of the film. In all honesty, I wasn't expecting that much of an interesting story, being that I was of the assumption the entire movie was about singing in the rain. I admit now that I was wrong, and that I actually enjoyed the tale constructed before me. It may be only because it is one of the few original movies I've seen in the last three years, but it is actually pretty well crafted.

The music, which the film is defined by, was pretty good. Yes, several of the songs were catchy, but I still found somewhat annoyed by the breaking out into song. I think at this point in my life it can't be helped for me to feel that way. That being said, the amount of production that went into the bigger musical numbers is still astonishing to this day. In a world where green screen is the quick fix for every little thing, set design is something of an art unto itself.

I was pleasantly surprised by Singin' in the Rain. It's a more happy and cheery than I'm used to, but it is a well executed feel good film.

Under discussion:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind  (2004)

Eternal Sunshine is a film that I seem to enjoy the more I watch it. The first time I saw it, it struck a chord with me. At the time there was this girl in my life that reminded me very much of Clementine and I think that's what first drew me into the film. The thing is, though, as I watched it a second time, I realized there was much more to it than the quirky love interest. There were a few themes going on that also rang true when I discovered them within the storyline. It's not a mainstream movie, but I'm counting that on the side of the pros. That being said, it no doubt does not appeal to people who aren't interested in thinking about what their watching.

Aside from dissecting a relationship from the end backwards, I found this particularly intriguing kearnel commentary that may not have been intentional, but nevertheless spoke to me. It was the idea seen in many Greek and Shakespearian tragedies: fate cannot be escaped, and some things are meant to be. I'm not saying that there's a grand design to the universe, but I think there's a general procession to how it is going to unfold, and the story of Joel and Clem illustrates this theory. They erased each other from their memory, and yet something is left that goads them on to meet a second time. Even after they hear themselves talk about what they hated about their relationship, they decide to go for it anyway.

I read that the director intended the last shot of the film to convey the repeating cycle that Clem and Joel would get sick of each other, wipe their memories, and start over again ad nauseum until their deaths. While that's not necessarily the interpretation I take away from this film, it also speaks volumes of this existential concept of rhyming events and repeating cycles. All of these little themes and ideas that get voiced throughout the film make me think about life, the universe, and everything. That's what I like about it. But because of this, it won't appeal to the crowd expecting another "zany" hollywood romantic comedy. It's more than that, which is probably why it doesn't gain wide appeal.

Enough ramblings from my cynical mind. If you're into the arthouse scene, you'll like Eternal Sunshine. It's a dark film, a heartfelt film, and a funny film. It isn't the kind of film my dad is going to watch because he enjoys films like Epic Movie. I think all the people involved in the project did a wonderful job in telling a unique story (gasp! I know) that gives you and your friends something to talk about when the credits roll.