The Taste of Betel Nut (Bing lang xue) (2017)

This Chinese film seems kind of student-like at times. By that I mean that it doesn't really have a sense of what it wants to be. There are some beautiful shots, but the style varies. Further, there is a compelling love triangle that is not properly resolved. The movie's resolution actually comes from an outside force, a side-plot that was rather insignificant in the grand scheme of the plot. I think that outside obstruction was an unnecessary diversion from the central plot, which is consequently left open. I'm not sure how to interpret the ending.

There is very little dialogue in the movie. The main protagonists live happily together. Nothing needs to be said. It is with the introduction of a third character, a disruptor in paradise, do we add dialogue. Funnily enough, their voices don't sound like they look. At times the movie seems a little cheesy, in a supremely Chinese way. I think Korean and Japanese films have found their way into the Western mainstream, but Chinese movies retain very Chinese elements that I think Western audiences don't appreciate. For example, the different styles of music from the cheesy loud pop to the deep heavy piano sound very Chinese. It's not a bad thing, but I think it is very distinctive.

We get a look at life in Hainan, allegedly the Hawaii of China. It is really pretty. It is a provincial side of China I do not often see. They oddly speak a combination of Mandarin and Cantonese. They have their own customs and dress. 

Have a Nice Day (Hao ji le) (2017)

This animated, dark Chinese comedy is very strange. First, it is in a uniquely low-tech 2D animation style. The shots are almost stills. There is very little movement within shots. That is to say though it is in animation style, they are not very animated. I suppose that's just what movies are, still pictures put one after another. But they don't depict movement. It sits on the one still shot and the talking goes in the background. Now maybe it's just me, but I have a hard time discerning emotion in Chinese. It all seemed rather monotone to me, especially without being able to see real people or movement.

That's not where the strangeness ends. There are some strong communist undertones in the movie. And yet, they're comedic, very knowing. There is a totally out of place music video full of karaoke images of triumphant workers singing about going Shangri-La. It is supremely bizarre. The movie is quite self-aware in its un-seriousness. We hear a clip of Donald Trump on the radio. They talk about Brexit, and The Godfather. They never let us forget that though it may look animated, this takes place in our world. No matter how ridiculous the things we see on screen. 

Logan (2017)

We lucked out at Berlinale, catching the premiere of Logan. Gianna waited in the standby line and with a little bit of luck, got us 3 tickets to the 10pm screening. We thought the cast was the 7 o'clock, but they were at our screening. We saw Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart and the rest of the cast and crew. I actually sat 8 rows behind them in the orchestra. It was very cool.

But now the movie...this is the final film in the Wolverine trilogy, and allegedly Hugh Jackman's swan song in the iconic role, after almost two decades. The ageless Wolverine has aged. The immortal Wolverine is...mortal?  Yes, he's still the same hot tempered, badmouthed bad ass. But after 8 films, Jackman has matured his character. In a series largely about evolution, the character of Wolverine has evolved emotionally. What really sets this film apart from the previous X-Men movies is that it's a film, in the words of Hugh Jackman post-credits from the stage (that's why it's premiering at Berlin). It stands on its own. If you know nothing about X-Men, you can still appreciate this film for what it is.  It is a character driven movie that doesn't rely on the super-ness of the characters. It's not a superhero movie. It doesn't rely on the fight scenes, though they are plentiful (perhaps too gritty and plentiful)--it certainly earns its R rating in terms of blood). The movie has an R-level tone of seriousness.

What I like most about X-Men is the political overtones. This film doesn't really use it. And I am ok with that. This film is something different. It plays out like a Western, driving across the Great Plains. It scoffs at the comic book origins of Wolverine, and paves its own way. It will be a landmark in the Marvel canon, hopefully having changed the superhero genre for good because I, for one, have gotten tired of the Avengers.