After having watched the original twice and being occasionally reminded of the existence of this version by a poster in a local restaurant here in Seremban 2, I thought it was high time that I got around to watching this. A major impediment to this endeavor is that its running time is nearly three hours, requiring some scheduling to achieve.
When I first added this to my list, I thought this was a movie. I only learned on the day I watched it, from a blog post by economist Scott Sumner, that it’s a documentary by Russian director Alexander Sokurov. Upon watching it, I found it utterly unlike any other documentary I’ve ever seen and has decidedly movie-like qualities.
I’m pretty sure that this one was added to our list simply because my wife has to watch every last Studio Ghibli film, especially one that was directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki himself. Upon watching however, I found that it’s probably one of his least notable films and is completely missable.
This isn’t an especially notable documentary but it is extra relevant considering how prominent American politics are this year. Anthony Weiner isn’t an especially prominent politician on a global basis but he was considered a popular and up and coming Democrat until his career was derailed by a sexting scandal. This documentary covers his attempt to revive his career by running for mayor of New York City in 2013.
This film by Tsai Ming-Liang is his very first full-length work and the beginning of his collaboration with his long-time muse Lee Kang-Sheng. It shares similar themes with his others works and while it isn’t as sophisticated as his later works, there’s a sort of effortless flow in it that makes it highly engaging. I was also amused that the “Neon God” of the English title refers to Nezha, a god in Chinese folklore.
This one made the usual rounds on the awards circuit and was highly praised by Tyler Cowen on Marginal Revolution. It’s interesting to note that its rating on Rotten Tomatoes however is decidedly average. After watching it, it’s easy to understand why as its flaws are obvious. Still I found this to be incredibly engaging and authentic film and think that most critics are underrating it.
Hopefully this marks the start of a return to my usual posting schedule. Behind the Sun is another film by director Walter Salles, whose Central Station we watched only recently. They must have been part of a crop of South American works that my wife added to our list all at once. Interestingly, this one is based on a novel by an Albanian writer who set it in Albania. I guess Salles must have decided to adapt it for his native Brazil instead.