Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)

Di Renjie was a real person. He was an official during the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian’s Zhou Dynasty. His life and work became the inspiration for the novel Di Gong An, which was written in the 18^th century and translated in the 1940s as Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. The character has since been the focus of other stories, dramas, and has now become a supernatural historical fantasy and mystery film by director Tsui Hark.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is set in 687 A.D., just prior to the coronation of Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau), the first and only Empress of China. In honor of this event, she has had a colossal Buddha statue constructed outside the palace. During the construction however, certain mishaps occur (namely the spontaneous combustion of high ranking officials). In desperation, and under the advisement of the mystical Chaplain (who appears in the form of a talking deer), she puts Detective Dee (Andy Lau) on the case, a man who she had previously imprisoned for eight years for trying to lead a rebellion against her. The plot takes a lot of insane twists and turns. The case has an aura of the supernatural, leading Dee and his comrades, the albino Pei Donglai (Chao Deng) and Shangguan Jing’er (Bingbing Li), who works directly for the Empress, to confront demonic beings and an army of assassins as they race against the clock to uncover the answers.

Detective Dee fights a demon

This, being a Tsui Hark film, is packed with all of his signature elements: a cast of thousands to fill every gigantic set (CG or practical), elaborate and over-the-top fight sequences, and a lot of special effects. The scale of this movie is enormous and its settings are larger than life. The Buddha statue towers high over the expansive city and its inner workings are no less impressive. The inside of the statue seems to stretch upwards for miles and makes for a memorable set. From the moment you first see it you just know Tsui Hark has an epic fight planned that will bring the whole place crashing down around the heroes. While there are some ludicrous and physics defying fights, they aren’t quite as impressive as if they were showcasing a martial artist as the star. Andy Lau, though energetic and charismatic, is not as physically captivating as Jet Lee or Donnie Yen, for instance. While some of the duels are interesting to watch, none rival any fight scene from Tsui Hark’s Once Upon a Time in China. Another problem with this movie is the computer animation. It’s always obvious in its usage, but it’s probably most convincing when animating impossible objects into the scenery. Many sets and locations, such as the Buddha statue and the establishing shots of the underground Phantom Bazaar, are aided with the use of CGI, but in other instances (and I’m referring specifically to the computer animated deer) it comes across as silly. I would argue that the silliness is also a part of the charm. Over-the-top is the theme here, though it’s most apparent when Dee uses martial arts to battle a group of angry deer in a magic temple. 

One of the more interesting details of the movie is how Dee feels about the case and his new employer. The Empress is the same woman he rebelled against, so you’d think her enemies would be his friends. It’s not that simple since Dee doesn’t think in terms of black and white. Even though she’s not exactly a saint – something that gets emphasized repeatedly – the kingdom and its people are united and thriving under her rule.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is a loud, crazy, and overall intriguing mystery adventure. It’s pure visual spectacle and makes sure to flex its special effects budget at every turn. Tsui Hark once again created a fantastical and vibrant world to share.

The Artist (2011)

The Artist is a truly unique movie to see in 2011. It’s a French black-and-white silent film, which is something that’s very difficult to imagine finding an audience. Set in the late ‘20s and early ‘30s, it follows the two parallel careers of silent movie star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and the up and coming actress, Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). George is a star comparable to Douglas Fairbanks, in that he makes a lot of action and swashbuckling adventure films. He’s completely devoted to his craft of making silent movies, so much so that he resists the advent of sound. After helping to discover Peppy, her film career blossoms as she becomes a star of the talkies while his rapidly declines.

All in all, the story’s not terribly complex nor is it original. What the movie’s really about is the shift from silent to sound cinema and the impact it had on the former stars. His pride in his art prevents him from adapting to the way of the future and it costs him dearly. In reality his struggle is not so different from many of the real life actors whose careers faded into obscurity after the 1920s. Of course this topic has been covered before, and quite famously. After a few minutes I was reminded of Singin’ in the Rain, the only real difference being where that movie was a lighthearted musical comedy, The Artist is a silent melodrama. The heart of the story centers around the relationship between Peppy and George, although it’s mostly one sided. She falls in love with him and he’s attracted to her at the start, but after their initial meetings they spend the majority of the movie apart, with the focus mainly being on George’s personal struggle to survive in a changing world. It would have been nice to see more time spent on developing their romance, but that isn’t what the story is really about. As for its central ideas, does this movie say anything different or shed any new light on the issue? The answer is: not really. It’s a straightforward and simple plot that echoes other movies like A Star is Born (which has been remade a few times). If you are at all familiar with the actor’s struggle in Hollywood than this story probably won’t be very eye-opening. What it lacks in original and fresh material, it more than makes up for with the great performances of the lead actors and the stunning visual style. 

Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo

First, the acting. The two leads, Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, give amazing performances and seem like genuine stars of the silent screen. So much emotion is conveyed in their expressions without the sense that they’re “mugging for the camera” (as Peppy describes silent film acting in the movie). Jean Dujardin is particularly good and displays an amazing range, showing his capabilities for visual comedy, drama, and even some impressive dance skills. Bérénice Bejo is a beautiful actress and she lights up the screen, making it very easy to believe her in the role of a classic movie star. The energy that comes from the actors is potent and carries the weight of the personal drama that unfolds. The rest of the cast includes some surprising cameos and supporting roles from actors like John Goodman as the head of Kinograph Studios, James Cromwell as George’s loyal butler/chauffer, and if you blink you’ll miss Malcolm McDowell.

Visually, this is an amazing film, but it needs to be stressed that this is a silent movie and not in the sense that the Pixar shorts are usually without dialog. Director Michel Hazanavicius fashioned it as a silent film from the ‘20s in just about every way you can imagine. From the style of opening credits to the 4:3 aspect ratio – it even has a significant amount of grayscale – it’s as if this movie came from the time of its setting. Every single shot is carefully staged in a way that brings the Hollywood of the ‘20s to life. Everything from the camera angles to the placement of the characters on-screen exudes the style of old silent films. The way shots are framed within the limited aspect ratio creates a look to the film that’s just not seen in other modern movies. There are many fascinating scenes in The Artist, but the greatest and most poignant is the nightmare George has. It only lasts for a few minutes, but in those brief moments you get a perfect metaphor for the entire conflict of the story, and it resonates throughout the rest of the movie.

The Artist is one of the must see movies of the year. It’s a silent film and I’m practical enough to know that many people just won’t be interested in seeing an entire movie without dialogue or sound effects, but those people will be missing out on something special.

The Descendants (2011)

The Descendants is based off the book of the same name written by Kaui Hart Hemmings. At first glance, and as the trailers might have you believe, this movie seems like your run-of-the-mill quirky comedy. It stars George Clooney, is set in Hawaii, and seems to be about him running all over the place while he struggles to be a good father to his daughters. On paper it may sound familiar, but the movie is actually a somber and touching look at a troubled family trying to cope with personal loss and the sudden shift in their surroundings. 

The story takes place some time after Matt King’s wife Elizabeth has been in a boating accident. Her injuries have left her in a coma and as a result, their young daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) is now in Matt’s sole care. While this is happening, he’s trying to manage the extensive land that his family owns (and has owned for generations) which is being priced for sale. The final weight that’s gets thrown onto his shoulders is when his older and more unruly daughter Alex (Shailene Woodley) informs him that before her accident, Elizabeth was having an affair with another man (played by Mathew Lillard). 

The acting really sells this movie and George Clooney gives one of his best and most understated performances as the emotionally distraught and morally confused Matt. His character, despite being in a position of unchallengeable power as sole trustee when it comes to the property his family owns, has little control over the conflicts in his personal life. He had absolutely no idea that his wife was having an affair, his daughters are almost strangers to him, and he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with the land that’s been placed as his responsibility. He struggles to find a balance with all the different aspects of his life, and in the end it’s not easy to say if he’ll ever truly succeed. Some of the other really good performances come from his two daughters, Alex and Scottie. Shailene Woodley is particularly good as his reckless and angry older daughter, who insists on bringing her dopey boyfriend everywhere they go. Together, she and Matt go about finding the man Elizabeth was having an affair with, bonding in the process. Despite his small role, even Matthew Lillard gives a good and almost alarmingly subdued performance, which is honestly something I never thought I’d see.

Family trouble in paradise

Suspending the disbelief that any sane woman would cheat on George Clooney with Matthew Lillard, the story is very good and has a consistent tone. It has its moments of humor, but this is not by any means a comedy. The focus remains on the personal struggles of a family dealing with the loss of someone important, but with mixed feelings. Both Matt and Alex have unresolved issues with Elizabeth, but will never see them reach any kind of closure. To Scottie and the rest of the family, they’re losing someone who’s seemingly without flaws. The personal drama of the family is carefully revealed and director Alexander Payne takes his time establishing the characters. Much as with his previous films, such as Sideways, this is a story about nuanced and complex characters. The entire movie is packed with dissolves and the plot flows along at a slow and relaxed pace, which feels suited to the tropical island setting and Hawaiian musical accompaniment. The cinematography is beautiful and shows off the various Hawaiian Islands and their scenic beauty. Although the setting is repeatedly referred to as a paradise, it serves as a visually strong contrast to the emotional state of the main characters. Every one of them, including those that are only there for comic relief, are dealing with some kind of grief. The one character you understand the least about is Elizabeth. As a mother, she fought with Alex and as a wife, she had an affair. Instead of any kind of view of what she was like, we instead only see her effects on those around her. It makes her importance more implicit; she’s a character that we never get a complete understanding of, and that puts the audience on the same level as Matt and his daughters. 

The Descendants is a touching and emotionally heavy character study of average people dealing with a family crisis. It’s hard not to root for these characters who, despite their imperfections, are trying to move on and come to some kind of terms with loss and betrayal.

Trigun: Badlands Rumble (2010)

For those unfamiliar, Trigun was a manga series created in 1996 by Yasuhiro Nightow. The comics proved popular enough to become adapted into an animated series in 1998 which was also released here in the US, likely due to the popularity of other sci-fi westerns at the time like Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star. It was a partly episodic series packed with great action, comedy and colorful characters. Trigun: Badlands Rumble is set sometime within the context of the show, feeling something like an extended episode. This is a natural fit however, since many of those who worked on the show returned to develop the movie. The entire cast is the same, Yasuhiro Nightow helped write the screenplay, and Satoshi Nishimura, a director from the show, returned to direct the movie. The result is a beautifully animated, fun and enormously entertaining action adventure set in an unusual setting.

The story begins with Vash the Stampede (Masaya Onosaka), the man with the $$60,000,000,000 bounty on his head getting mixed up in a bank robbery led by a notorious outlaw named Gasback (Tsutomu Isobe). He and his gang have a falling out and Vash intervenes to prevent any bloodshed. Gasback’s traitorous gang escapes and he vows revenge. The plot takes place twenty years later with Gasback hunting down his former allies and Vash, along with the rest of the cast from the show, getting caught up in the mix. Although having watched the show or read the manga may give you a better appreciation for the characters and their relationships to each other, it’s not required to follow and enjoy the story. Every character and their motivations are introduced so plainly and clearly that anyone can watch without feeling lost. In fact, I would argue that Trigun: Badlands Rumble is a great introduction to these characters and the world they inhabit.

Gasback rides with Wolfwood

Vash is an interesting character. He’s a man with an impossibly high bounty on his head and he’s also the greatest and deadliest gunman to ever walk the earth. That said, you might expect a brooding badass, the kind that’s usually depicted in so many movies, comics, and shows, but that couldn’t be further from the case here. He’s a lovable goof, albeit a seemingly clumsy one. He flirts with women constantly, likes to make a fool of himself, and has a particular taste for fresh donuts. Vash knows how powerful he is and recognizes his world wide fame, so his best defense is how he presents himself. His strongest trait however, is his dedication to protecting others from harm. He adamantly believes in love and peace as the answer to every problem, and for that reason he will not kill anyone, regardless of who it is. No matter how dire the situation, no matter how irredeemable someone may seem, Vash refuses to take a life. Given the highly dangerous western-style world he lives in, his code isn’t exactly practical. This is actually one of the main themes of the movie, and it’s handled in a way that isn’t black or white. They present Vash’s decision to not kill as something that will always have long standing consequences, both good and bad. It’s refreshing to see the story, though often humorous and over-the-top, treat its audience with respect for their intelligence. The rest of the characters are great, with those from the show (the two insurance agents Meryl Stryfe and Millie Thompson, and the mercenary priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood) feeling consistent and likeable, but the newer characters are good as well. Maaya Sakamoto plays Amelia, a beautiful bounty hunter with an allergic reaction to men and the villain is Gasback, a giant, mechanical-armed robber who takes a certain kind of pride in his work to the point that his revenge against his gang isn’t so much because they betrayed him as it is because they “ruined his robbery.” They flesh out the story and blend in perfectly to the world around them.

Speaking of which, it needs to be said that the animation is beautiful. The city is a vibrant and bustling desert metropolis, packed with people and brimming with life and movement. As characters walk around the town, people are coming and going, getting into drunken brawls, or eating at restaurants. It actually seems like a place where people live and work. The animators get a lot out of the background and even though the setting is basically in a desert, during the day the sun is always shining in the cloudless blue skies, and at night, it’s littered with stars. The character animations are wonderfully exaggerated and fluid, matching the style and look of each character. It’s very similar to the look and feel of the show, but with a much bigger budget. There’s some use of 3D models blended in with the 2D animation, but it’s much more seamless and effective than how it seems in some other recent animated movies, like Batman: Year One.

There’s honestly not much to complain about with Trigun: Badlands Rumble. It’s a perfect accompaniment to the series. The movie runs under two hours and is paced really well; they take their time establishing the city and introducing the characters to each other so that their actions later feel natural and make sense. It captures the fun tone and exuberance of the show, while not excluding anyone unfamiliar with it.

Hugo (2011)

Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Hugo is Martin Scorsese’s first attempt at making a family film. The story follows Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield), the young son of a clockmaker who, with the untimely death of his father, finds himself living in a Paris train station repairing the clocks and dodging the watchful eye of the station inspector (Sacha Baron Cohen). While trying to repair a mysterious broken automaton left behind by his father, he meets Georges Méliès (Ben Kingsley), the deeply depressed toy stand owner, and his curious goddaughter, Isabelle (Chloë Grace Moretz).

The first half or so is all about introducing the characters and establishing the setting, which is almost exclusively located in or around a gigantic train station in Paris during the early 1930s. It’s that special part of Paris where everyone speaks with a British accent. The train station is almost a character itself and we get to see nearly every inch of it from the grand exterior to the dark and smoke-filled inner workings. Hugo has made a home of sorts nestled within the walls, with a scenic view of Paris on one side of him and the massive grinding cogs of machinery on the other. The station is filled with color, sounds, and people, and Scorsese brings it all to life as a place brimming with activity and bustling with life. The main characters are equally fleshed out and well acted, especially the two child leads. Asa Butterfield and Chloë Grace Moretz carry the film and it’s always nice to see good child performances. They act like intelligent children, but not in a way that feels unnatural or forced. Even a smaller character like the station inspector, who begins as a seemingly one note antagonist, gets his own character arc. Ben Kingsley gives a very convincing and sympathetic performance as Georges Méliès, a pioneer in cinema who has faded almost completely into social obscurity.

Hugo (Asa Butterfield) tinkers with the machine.

It’s actually when the plot moves more into the territory of uncovering the history of cinema and the extravagant career of Méliès specifically that Hugo really finds its footing. The two protagonists discover the magic (quite literally in this case) of movies and it’s considerably more engaging than simply watching Hugo getting into trouble in the train station. The first half feels more like it’s trying hard to be a kid friendly family film, with charming-but-irrelevant background characters and some awkward slapstick humor involving the station inspector and his dog chasing Hugo around and crashing into things. Once the focus shifts onto learning more about Méliès however, the tone becomes more consistent and the characters begin to feel more genuine. Some of the strongest scenes are those showing how Méliès filmed his movies using huge sets with elaborate props and costumes. Just seeing the joy of making movies offers its own appeal and charm, without the necessity of quirky side characters. There’s so much love for early silent cinema to be found here and Scorsese pays affectionate homage to these films as they are discovered by Hugo and Isabelle with a sense of wonder and excitement. Many scenes are arranged as a visual tribute, some subtly while others are more in your face (such as the reference to Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last). It’s a truly wonderful rediscovery of a part of movie history that few today are familiar with outside of film schools. The imagination and visual creativity of Méliès’ films are still unique and iconic dreamlike masterpieces after all these years.

 There's much to enjoy about Hugo. It's a visually captivating story that, on the surface, is about a lost boy trying to make sense of the world around him while finding his place within it, but it transforms into so much more, becoming an ode to the beauty and art of the moving pictures.