GUNDALA comes to Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD today, July 28, 2020

Well Go USA

Presents

Gundala

Written and Directed by Joko Anwar

Based on the comic by Harya Suraminata

Indonesia, 2019, 124 minutes

Gundala is a superhero origin film based on a popular Indonesian comic book first published in 1969. It debuts today, July 28th, on Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD from Well Go USA Entertainment. This review is based on watching the Blu-ray version.

As a young boy, Sancaka (here played by Muzakki Ramdhan) is orphaned and forced to struggle to survive on the mean streets of Jakarta. He is saved from a beating by a gang of other youths by the somewhat older Awang, who proceeds to train him in the martial arts. Awang also advises Sancaka to not get involved in other people’s affairs and problems, warning him that if he does, his life “will be shitty.” Alas, the two are separated when Sancaka can’t get on the moving train on which Awang is leaving the city.

Years later, as a young man, Sancaka (now portrayed by Abimana Aryasatya) works at the printing house of The Djakarta Times. The political and economic scene is controlled by Haidas Subandi, the head of the underworld and, like Sancaka, an orphan. In flashback we learn how Subandi, better known as Pengkor, lost his family and fortune, and how he received the burn scar on the side of his face.

Seeing the effects of injustice and corruption on people he has come to care about, the adult Sancaka finds he cannot continue to embrace Awang’s advice, but must intervene on behalf of the downtrodden victims. Fortunately, as it turns out, he and lightening have an affinity for each other, and being struck by lightening gives Sancaka superpowers to fight evil.

There is plenty of action in this fine film. The dominant fighting style is Silat, a class of martial arts from the Indonesian archipelago that includes many styles and schools, which tend to focus on either strikes, joint manipulation, weaponry, or a some combination of them. Street fighting is also in evidence, as are some other Asian martial arts.

There’s a coda mid-way through the end credits that sets the stage for the next film in what is planned as an eight film franchise. (Think Marvel Universe, only in Indonesia.) Given what a fine beginning the series has in Gundala, one can only hope that the series continues to a satisfying point, even if all eight films are not made or distributed in North America..

Disc Specs:
— Audio:
  — Indonesian DTS-HDMA 5.1
  — Indonesian Stereo
  — English DTS-HDMA 5.1
  — English Stereo
— Subtitles:
  — English
  — Off
— Bonus:
  — Behind the Scenes
  — Production Vlog
  — International Trailer
  — U.S. Trailer
— Previews:
  — Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Teaser
  — Cut Throat City
  — Enter the Fat Dragon

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; good film

JAPAN CUTS 2020 launches today, Friday, July 17th, 2020

Japan Society New York

Presents

JAPAN CUTS

When: July 17 - 30, 2020

Where: Online

All Films Available for Immediate Streaming

JAPAN CUTS Festival of New Japanese Film, North America’s largest festival of contemporary cinema, kicks off today! From now through July 30, a diverse slate of 30 features and 12 short films can be streamed on demand across the United States. Join fans of Japanese cinema for the Opening Film selection Special Actors and a live virtual Q&A tonight at 9 pm EDT with director Shinichiro Ueda.

Festival highlights also include a series of panel discussions, live virtual Q&As, and a special tribute to the late filmmaker Nobuhiko Obayashi, free and accessible to all worldwide.

Individual films and discounted bundles are available including a limited number of All-Access passes for the low price of $99!

Tickets are on-sale now and quantities are limited, so please be sure to purchase early before titles sell out!

Note: a number of my colleagues at VCinema have already posted reviews of several films and there are more to come. Find them here. (Look for [JAPAN CUTS 2020] at the end of the title of the review.)

BUY JAPAN CUTS 2020 TICKETS

ENTER THE FAT DRAGON becomes available today from Well Go USA on digital, Blu-ray & DVD

Well Go USA

Presents

Enter the Fat Dragon / Fei lung gwoh gong

Directed by Kenji Tanigaki

Hong Kong, 2020, 97 minutes

Enter the Fat Dragon, starring Donnie Yen (the Ip Man franchise & oh, so many other fine action films) debuts on Digital, Blu-ray™ and DVD today, July 14th from Well Go USA Entertainment. This review is based on watching the Blu-ray.

The film is a reimagining of the popular comedy martial arts film of the same name that starred Sammo Hung, which in turn derived it’s title from Bruce Lee’s ground-breaking Enter the Dragon (1973). This Enter the Fat Dragon was directed by Kenji Tanigaki (Legend of Seven Monks) and costars Teresa Mo (Hard Boiled), Niki Chow (Heavenly Mission) and Wong Jing (Kung Fu Mahjong).

Fallon Zhu (Yen) is a super-fit, by-the-books cop with a fiancée who’s a lovely aspiring actress. His over-enthusiasm at work results in him being demoted into a records clerk . On top of this, he’s dumped by his fiancée. As a result he develops a major snack cake habit and becomes most morbidly obese. A routine assignment escorting of a prisoner extradited to Japan goes wrong, providing Zhu an opportunity to redeem himself at work and in the eyes — and heart — of his fiancée.

Enter the Fat Dragon is a good film with some very fine stunts, lots of action, and some nice comedic touches.  Stick around during the end credits for a time-lapse segment of Donnie getting his “fat face” put on and for some outtakes.

Disc Specs:
— Audio:
  — Cantonese DTS-HDMA 5.1
  — Cantonese Stereo
— Subtitles:
  — English
  — English (Full Version)
  — Traditional Chinese
  — Off
— Trailers:
  — International Trailer
  — U.S. Trailer
— Previews:
  — Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula Teaser
  — Cut Throat City
  — Is Man 4: The Finale

AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES available online and in select theaters tomorrow

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Presents

We Are Little Zombies / Wî â Ritoru Zonbîzu

Written and Directed by Makoto Nagahisa

Japan, 2019, 120 minutes

We Are Little Zombies, Makoto Nagahisa's impressive feature film directorial debut, can be screened at home or seen in select cinemas starting tomorrow, July 10, 2020. Information about how to see the film can be found here.

The film is ostensibly a "youth movie" as it's four young main characters have an average age of 13.5 years. The main protagonist is bespectacled Hikari Takami (Keita Ninomiya), an only child and a video game otaku. His parents die when their tour bus is involved in a road accident. At their cremation, Hikari meets three other young people whose parents have also died in unusual circumstances. Shinpachi Ishi (Satoshi Mizuno) lost his parents to a freak gas explosion; those of Yuki Takamura's (Mondo Okumura) committed suicide; while the parents of Ikuko Ibu (Sena Nakajima), the lone female in the group, were murdered.

(l to r) Sena Nakajima, Keita Ninomiya, Mondo Okumura, and Satoshi Mizuno in Makoto Nagahisa’s WE ARE LITTLE ZOMBIES. Photography by Hiroaki Takeda. © 2020 Oscilloscope Laboratories / The Nikkatsu Corporation

Each of the four are emotionally deadened, as if they're zombies, but alive. They form a rag tag band, calling themselves Little Zombies. Hikari handles vocals, pudgy Ishi is on drums, Takamura plays bass, and Ikuko is on keyboards. They become a big sensation and their album "Who Killed Them" is a huge hit.

We Are Little Zombies tackles some heavy subject matter for a "youth movie." It does so without being either pretentious or preachy. There's a nice touch in using Hikari's devotion to video games as a motif, such as obtaining objects, advancing levels, etc. The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it was the winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Originality, and deservedly so.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended.

For those interested, We Are Little Zombies was previously reviewed by John Atom at VCinema on November 1, 2019 in conjunction with its screening at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival on November 10th. Read John's very positive review here.

Also, two other Japanese "youth films" that are also well worth watching are Linda, Linda, Linda (2005), which starred Doona Bae as a Korean exchange student in an all girl band at a high school in Japan and All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001).