seandchoi

The answer to the above question is "Not much." This "film"--in reality a propaganda piece for the RSE cult--is in a superposition between being boring and being incoherent. The various Ph.D's that appear throughout the film only confirm my suspicion that being a good physicist or scientist doesn't automatically make one a good philosopher, or an authority on the "big questions of life." I rather sit and contemplate the sound that one-handed clapping makes rather than to sit through this non-sense again. If you really are seeking enlightenment, avoid this #$*! at all cost. You've been warned. (And if Ramtha is right, you should listen to me--for I am God. Modus Tollens, anyone?)

The Way Home (Jibero) is a (deceptively) simple story of the values of the 'two Koreas' (the traditional, and the contemporary, consumerist), and unconditional love that is at the heart of any family. It can properly be called a Korean 'neorealist' film, in the tradition of similar great films from De Sica and Ray--not to mention two Japanese masters, Ozu and Kurosawa. The principal actors in this film (the grandmother and the spoiled boy) have never acted before, but deliver surprisingly effective performances. The viewer will soon forget, as I did, that one is watching a 'foreign' film, for The Way Home is truly universal, as all great films are. It is sad that this small gem will not be opening in 2000+ theatres around the country, but it is far better and more beautiful than any 'blockbuster' which will grace the megaplexes this year. Try to catch it, if at all possible!

The director of this film is Wych Kaosayananda of Thailand, whose nickname is "Kaos." And that is appropriate: for this waste of celluloid is utterly chaotic. It is basically a series of action sequences--many of which are shot in slooooow motion--that are vainly searching for a coherent narrative to unite them. The trailer for this film looked good enough (cf. its fight sequences), but that is only because all of the "good" (or tolerable) parts of Ballistic are packed into it. (This only goes to show that you can't judge a film by its trailers.) The talents of both Lucy Liu and Antonio Banderas are wasted on this would-be action film. It's full of too many explosions, too little of what might be called a storyline, and it's all edited together with scant attention to continuity. The only conceivable way to enjoy this film is to sever your brain from your eyes.