Monrak Transistor (2001)

Thailand. 116 minutes.
Megastar DVD. NTSC. Region 3.
Directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaraug
With Supakorn Kitsuwan, Siriyakorn Pukkavesh, Somlek Sakdikul

By a plot description of its first 28 minutes, MONRAK TRANSISTOR (aka TRANSISTOR LOVE STORY) sounds like a thousand other romantic comedies, but from that point on it departs into more ambitious waters.

Sadaw (Siriyakorn Pukkavesh) is a simple country girl. She is swept off her feet by the romantic gestures of Pan (Supakorn Kitsuwan), a simple boy who loves to sing. Their courtship -- though not initially approved of by Sadaw's stern, shotgun-wielding father -- is depicted with gentle energy and framed with classic Thai melodies.

If it stopped there, it would be a happy short film. And that's a point acknowledged by the narrator, a prison guard to whom we are introduced in the first scene, as he relates various romantic episodes of Pan and Sadaw in flashback.

MONRAK TRANSISTOR aims to tell a larger story, though. What it really wants is to push beyond the traditional "happy ending" to explore how difficult it is to maintain a storybook romance when dealing with real life.

While the ambition can be admired, it doesn't succeed completely I'm not afraid of melodrama -- some of my favorite films embrace it heartily -- but here it's accompanied by a subsequent dilution of dramatic tension, dwelling too long on points that have already been made.

The first part of the film, the somewhat traditional romantic comedy, fairly bursts with good feelings and swiftly-paced episodes. It even plays with the inclusion of scenes influenced by Hollywood musicals. Sadly, the eventual narrative slowdown is accompanied by the dawning realization that Pan allows himself to be acted upon much more than he takes action himself.

It's hard to maintain sympathy for such a character when he keeps making bad decisions. If we attribute this to fate, well, it deals him many bad hands, and he appears resigned to it. It doesn't help that we are restricted to just a few glimpses of Sadaw's life without her man -- not that her life appears any more appealing.

A musical montage near the end brings the mood up a touch. All things considered, maybe I'm not the best audience for this type of film.

Still, it can't be denied that the accomplishments of the film are considerable. And the visual sense displayed by the director throughout -- the often elegant framing, meaningful camera movements, and the like -- keeps the viewer engaged even when the story flags.

* Background *

Director Pen-Ek Ratanaraug's third film made a splash on the festival circuit, begining with Cannes in 2002 and continuing into the following year, when LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE was released. That film received a nominal theatrical release after its numerous festival dates. The director's second effort, 6IXTY9INE, had set the stage at Rotterdam in 2000 before hitting a number of other major festivals, and has subsequently been released on Region 1 DVD. His debut, FUN BAR KARAOKE, played at Berlin in 1997.

His latest, INVISIBLE WAVES, is currently filming and is set for release late this year or early next.

* DVD Notes *

The picture quality is OK. It fares better with the more colorful first portion of the movie, and then falters with the reduction in colors.

The only audio track provided is the original language, Thai, in DD 2.0, which gets the job done.

The removable English-language subtitles are easy to read and well-timed. Also included are traditional and simplified Chinsese subtitles.

An international sales trailer is included, along with a story recap, main credit listing, and a text guide to the proper settings for the anamorphic video.

Another DVD version is available from Thai company Mongkok. It requires PAL conversion, but is Region 0. Reportedly it includes DD 5.1 audio with non-removable English subtitles.

* Recommendation *

My reservations reflect what is evidently a minority opinion, as most other reviewers have been much more positive. Definitely worth a rental, and maybe a puchase if you're inclined toward tales of bittersweet, melodramatic ambition and everlasting romance.

Impatient R1 Chow Fans

If you're eager to see KUNG FU HUSTLE on DVD -- which means you don't have one of the original editions from Asia -- check out this review by Ian Jane at DVD Talk.

The R1 disk will be released August 9, 2005.

It sounds like Columbia/Tri-Star has done a good job with the extras -- including a commentary and features in Cantonese with English subtitles -- but the review points out that the film itself is cut.

I wanted my first experience with the film to be on the big screen, so I'm glad I waited for that -- rather than buying an overseas DVD -- even though I was worn down by Chow's decision to rely so heavily on CGI for much of the story's humor.

If you loved the film and are a completist, you'll have to have two copies -- the original uncut version from Asia, plus the R1 version for the extras. Aargh!! I hate when that happens.

The Beast Must Be Fed

My six-week sojourn in Texas is coming to an end, and where I go from here -- I just don't know. But this return to a daily workplace, after months of unemployment, has been sobering -- financially mandatory and physically exhausting.

Whatever creative energy I normally pump into this site has been siphoned off into paying work (creating marketing content for a financial services company). Beyond this Friday, my entire life is up in the air -- not sure if I will return to Los Angeles for a while or head directly to Chicago for a couple of months.

Far too much of my "leisure" time has been spent slumped in front of a 19-inch television screen, watching one of the 20 channels provided by the corporate housing establishment where I am lodging, too tired to even put a DVD into the portable player I brought expressly for this purpose.

On the bright side, I finally rewrote a short film script from a couple of years back and sent it off to a potential partner, and am putting the finishing touches on another short creative writing endeavor that I hope will find a good home.

Cinematically speaking, I've abstained for the past 10 days, and am growing hungry for something new. The beast must be fed, and I can't wait to write about it -- whatever "it" proves to be.

Cheers!

Howl's Moving Castle (2005) (Dubbed)

Japan. 119 minutes.
Released by Buena Vista International
Screened at Landmark Magnolia, Dallas, TX
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
With the voices of Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Billy Crystal, Lauren Bacall

Certain critics have suggested how ironic it is that director Hayao Miyazaki is finally receiving great acclaim in the United States -- because they feel his artistry is on the decline.

The line is, 'Oh, if you think PRINCESS MONONOKE or SPIRITED AWAY or HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE are good' -- his three latest pictures which have been released in the US by a Disney distribution arm -- 'you should have seen PORCO ROSSO or MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO or LAPUTA: CASTLE IN THE SKY or NAUSICAA or...'

It reminds me of my teenage years, when I would spend all my available money on the latest import 45's (vinyl singles, the equivalent of MP3s for you kids out there) from obscure British punk bunds. It was great music, but the ancillary pleasure was being ahead of the curve, of knowing something before everyone else did, of seeing U2 at a small club, of growing tired of bands by the time their first -- naturally inferior -- album appeared on a major label. The important thing was the music, but those other benefits constituted a nice bonus, a welcome reward for the effort involved in spending money on the British music papers and on music that might suck (yeah, long before the Internet).

Perhaps if I'd been hip to Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli back in the 1980s, if I'd seen everything they'd ever produced, I'd also feel it a bit sad that the plaudits are coming at the wrong time, that US critics and audiences should have started shouting from the rooftops years ago for this maestro of the moving drawing.

I might even feel a sense of loss.

As it is, though, I came late to the party. A cinema viewing of SPIRITED AWAY was my first Miyazaki experience, and I was caught up immediately in the magic. I subsequently watched KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE and NAUSICAA, but still have much more to watch before I can comment on the director's career arc -- and, at the tender age of 64, I hope his career is long from over.

Still. There's HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE.

Young Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer) works quite happily in her mother's hat shop in a small town. When an older woman (voiced by Lauren Bacall) enters the shop at closing time and disparages the hats, Sophie chases her out. Only then does the woman reveal herself as the wicked Witch of the Wastes; in retaliation for Sophie's rebuff, the Witch transforms Sophie into an old woman and prevents her from ever revealing the curse she is under.

Quickly resigned to her fate, Sophie promptly leaves town. Out in the surrounding desolate hills, a hopping, mute scarecrow befriends her, and convinces her that a warm bed for the night may be found in the fantastical castle belonging to the wizard Howl (voiced by Christian Bale). Howl is a mysterious and fear-inspiring figure in Sophie's town, but the lady is desperate.

The castle itself is a huge, bedraggled contraption made up of a variety of building materials. It moves continually, if a bit unsteadily, on two long spindly metal legs. Once inside, Sophie befriends a fire demon named Calcifer (voiced by Billy Crystal) and makes herself at home as the castle's new maid. Over time, she learns what Howl is up to -- hint: there's a war going on -- falls in love, and resolves to help Howl. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to break the magical spells that hold both her and Calcifer captive.

The film is based on a novel by Diana Wynne Jones (Miyazaki is credited with the screenplay), which I haven't read, but some of the plot and story points are unclear. To cite just two: How could such a young woman so quickly accept her transformation into an old hag? Why would she insist upon leaving the protection of the castle at a crucial moment?

But that's nit-picking. The characters are developed sufficiently -- they act differently than each other, and don't always do what you would expect -- the story and themes are absorbing, and at one point late in the film the narrative footing is yanked away and we are transported into another place entirely through sound and imagery.

I think they call that magic...

...especially when it's integrated into the story. It all makes sense in hindsight when you piece it back together, and that may be Miyazaki's greatest gift of all, a true expression of magical realism.

Commenting on the quality of the animation seems superflous. It's like beautiful cinematography -- either you appreciate it or you don't -- and it's easy to take for granted. But this is a gorgeous film that proves the continued viability of traditional 2-D animation as an art form -- even if the Hollywood studios have abandoned it due to perceived commercial concerns.

Dubbing Note: Though I always prefer to the see the original-language version of a film, only the English-dubbed version was playing in town. The dubbing is handled well and the voice acting is very good; still, I intend to seek out the Japanese original.

Thailand Nets Grizzly Fish

This appears to have absolutely nothing to do with movies, but bear with me.

"Fishermen in northern Thailand have netted a fish as big as a grizzly bear, a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish," according to Science Blog (link via Slashdot). "The behemoth was caught in the Mekong River and may be the largest freshwater fish ever found."

The article goes on to note: "The Mekong River Basin is home to more species of massive fish than any river on Earth." Now, doesn't that sound like the basis for a horror movie?

In fact, it probably has been, and if you know the title of a Thai giant fish movie, please send it to (webmaster AT abtdvd.com).