Tag Archives: Vietnam

Control Freak

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: The vampire elders have always been control freaks.

Vampire Bat: The vampire elders shall not be questioned under any circumstance.

Vampire Owl: We are not questioning them, but appreciating their control.

Vampire Bat: They need not be appreciated, but respected and honoured.

Vampire Owl: I would say that they are not bigger than Uncle Dracula.

Vampire Bat: Forefathers are always more significant than the father of modern vampirism.

Vampire Owl: I do not think that they are that old and that much older compared to Dracula.

Vampire Bat: You have seen them, and they definitely look old.

Vampire Owl: They just live a nonsensical life. I still say not old.

Vampire Bat: They have seen the fall of Byzantium, Troy, Babylon and more. Uncle Dracula in comparison, is too young.

[Gets a gobi masala dosa and three cups of Ooty tea].

What is the movie about? :: Valerie Nguye (Kelly Marie Tran) who was born to Vietnamese immigrant parents in the United States of America has turned into a successful motivational speaker with a huge number of fans. But she secretly has a struggle as she always has the urge to scratch the back of her head. This urge has been going on since she lost her mother by drowning after their boat went down the river. As Valerie prepares for an international tour, she finds out that she needs her birth certificate to travel to China, bringing the need for her to get back with her estranged family. Her aunt Thuy (Kieu Chinh) directs her to her father, Sang (Toan Lee), who was a former soldier who fought in the Vietnam War. She sees that he had now turned into a monk, and it is only he who has the necessary documents for her. The relationship between the two has been strained due to their shared traumas, including her mother’s death and Sang’s long history of addiction which followed his time spent in the war.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Sang tells her about a Vietnamese folk tale about a parasitic ghost that feeds on human hosts, leading to the fall and end of the infected human. She does not believe the story at all, but finds something strange from their family photos which points to supernatural elements. Her husband Robbie (Miles Robbins) becomes more and more worried about her as she ends up injuring her head by scratching. She confronts Sang, and he reveals that he had summoned the parasite during the Vietnam War. He further adds that it was also passed to his wife, and she had tried to kill Valerie to stop it from spreading further in her bloodlines, leading to her death by drowning due to Sang’s intervention. As she still hesitates to believe him thinking that he might still be under the influence of the drugs, there is a breakdown for him during a grand motivational speaking programme. The doctors find out that she has scratched a hole right into her skull, and now she would have to go to the most extreme levels to find a solution. Can she do that?

The defence of Control Freak :: The movie’s use of Vietnamese folklore and the ghosts that feed on the hosts works not only with the horror, but also with the themes of immigrant assimilation, generational trauma and the pressure for living up to the expectations, and when the same happens to a motivational speaker, things seem to go nicely towards not just physical, but also psychological terror, which is nicely shown around here. The horror feels very much real, and will be reflected in life for a possible connection when there is a scratch on the head, and the creature outside also brings some more scares. The idea often hits us in more than one way, as we look at it. The best moments of the movie might be when it gets close to the end, even though we would have hoped for everything to happen a little differently. The idea of motivational speakers going to pretentions for fake inspiration will make us remember that we ourselves should have the strength and not listen to others. We have to remember that the very few successful examples are not to be taken as there are more unsuccessful people and there is more chance that we will be unsuccessful if we take that risk with life – the movie reminds us not to take motivation into hearts for we might also be fall into the traps of parasites.

The claws of flaw :: The movie surely has its own pacing problems, as it seems to slow down on too many occasions, and at times fails to pick up pace when there was clear chance of elevation. There is also a certain amount of repetition related to the same with panic coming with repeated itches, but then denying if anything is wrong even after hearing from others and hiding the world, then panicking after sometime, and going through the same thing again. The movie seems to be stretched out due to the same and even a one and three quarter hours feels so much as the protagonist keeps going through the same thing multiple times almost in the same order. From the moment when the parasite becomes an assurance of eating the host, the rest of the elements disappear, and it seems like they come one after the other and not together. The supporting characters could have been given more to do. The final moments seem to be forced and the audience feel like they walked into an ending because there needed to be one, and this kind of an ending seems to be just brought about as a mandatory one.

The performers of the soul :: Kelly Marie Tran has a lot on his shoulders, and she manage to hold them strongly. Considering her real-life parentage to be also from Vietnam, the choice seems to be a near-perfect one for the makers of the movie. As she carries the movie with some intense, vulnerable and physically demanding performance, the movie gets its due. There are moments when things seem to deviate and go slower, but she elevates the whole thing well enough, as she seems to become part of the folk-mystery. Miles Robbins plays Val’s supportive partner, and it is for this character that we feel the most – we feel his character to be loving and with genuine concerns and feelings for her character, and it is one person who remains righteous throughout the movie. He does not become the usual horror film boyfriend at all, and stay with her till the end, and also alive. The Vietnamese family members also have some role to play, but despite the Vietnamese side having so much importance, they are not given enough screen time.

How it finishes :: The movie often feels like something which had a grand potential, especially with body horror involved – this one just focuses on the head and a bug-like parasite when the scope was much more. More of body horror with the parasite spreading through the body would have been nice to have. When we look closer, this is more or less an impressive vehicle for Kelly Marie Tran whose leading performance breathes more energy and keeps the level of the movie higher. The Vietnamese folklore keeps us more and more interested. The only two Vietnamese movies which I have watched are both action thrillers, Furie and Furies, and more reviews which deals with similar topics will have our interest after this one. Indonesian movies like Impetigore or Korean Salmokji and India’s own Stree, Munjya, Thamma and friends had the folklore horror moving well, and we would surely need more of them. For now, this one movie with Vietnamese roots has us interested, and it is indeed available on Jio Hotstar. But as long as body horror is concerned, we would have needed more. Enjoy this one among the new releases of the OTT of Reliance.

Release date: 13 March 2025
Running time: 104 minutes
Directed by: Shal Ngo
Starring: Kelly Marie Tran, Miles Robbins, Kieu Chinh, Scott Takeda, Toan Lee

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Furies

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: We get to watch a Vietnamese film after a long time.

Vampire Bat: Well, this is the prequel of the other Vietnamese movie which we watched.

Vampire Owl: That should remind us to watch more of the same kind.

Vampire Bat: Do you think that we will have time?

Vampire Owl: We are immortals. We have all the time in the end.

Vampire Bat: But the world is everything except immortal.

Vampire Owl: Immortality is subjective as long as we remain vampires.

Vampire Bat: The werewolves and zombies would call us quasi-immortal.

Vampire Owl: Immortality can vary according to situations.

Vampire Bat: All kinds of immortality should serve the purpose.

[Gets a chicken samosa and three cups of Vagamon tea].

What is the movie about? :: Bi (Đồng Ánh Quỳnh) is forced to leave her home in the countryside after her mother is murdered, and she kills the man who is responsible for the plight and had also assaulted her. She is forced to leave her home for Ho Chi Minh City as it is also burned to ashes. She lives in the new city doing some small jobs and also through a little pickpocketing which she masters. She meets Jacqueline (Veronica Ngo) who saves her from being assaulted by her usual opponents in the streets. She decides to go with her instead of continuing to wander around the streets. She finds out that there are many other homeless children in Jacqueline’s place. But there is more the lady she just met than what meets the eye for the first time. She meets Thanh (Tóc Tiên) and Hong (Rima Thanh Vy), who seem to have been taken under the care of Jacqueline just like her. The two girls don’t seem to like the newcomer that much, as she seems to be incapable of blending in, with less skills including the social ones. These girls also feel like well-trained in the unexpected.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: The girls have formed a vigilante group to protect women from the gangs of the city which have been involved in trafficking young women and girls for brothels. As of now, Bi seems to be the weakling among all of them. But she manages to prove her point there, with not being ready to back down. This group known as the Wild Daisies targets the city’s major gang leader Hai a.k.a. Mad Dog (Thuận Nguyễn), who manages trafficking of young women to serve in his brothels with a casino as the front office for all the illegal activities. His dominance is assured by his trusted lieutenants, Long bồ đà (Song Luân), Sơn Lai (Gi A Nguyễn) and Tèo mặt sẹo (Phan Thanh Hiền). But Hai is not without enemies, as there is a continuous gang war going on. Jacqueline also seeks vengeance on him for the atrocities he committed on her family. But the requirement for revenge might not be enough to progress in her mission. There is a long way to go, and she goes through a difficult path with the new girls.

The defence of Furies :: There need to be time spent for the appreciation of the action that we see on the screen here. It is not dependent on heroism or overdose of effects or properties, but seemingly dependent on what actually can be done. The training sessions that we see here are almost as good as the fighting scenes outside. The fighting basically never really has a long pause after the procedure begins. The Vietnamese style of Martial arts never really cease to catch our attention either. The colours that we see around here add to overall beauty of the action that we have around here. It is not just limited to the inside environments, as the streets also add to that colourful side. The feeling of being in a world of crime which moves on towards terror is always there, and the villainy is something that works like a dream. The characters do remain interesting at all times, and we have the tales of bonding against all odds, adding a certain emotional side. The ending also nicely sets the world to go to the previous movie whose incidents happen later.

The claws of flaw :: Furies had to fit into the shoes of Furie, which was then selected as the Vietnamese choice for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, and it can be safely said that the effort is very good. The beginning might have the viewers in a little bit of doubt, but those questions never really survive for that long. But the film never gets to the quality of the previous one, as there are moments which seems to be rather forced. Some moments lose the realistic touch, and the emotions here are not able to match the feelings which were so strong in Furie. This film could have surely been much more with some twists and turns along with a more satisfying ending. The adrenaline rush could have also been more. At times, you are reminded of movies like Charlie’s Angels, but without the comic side and having a much darker angle to it. One can be sure that if this movie was produced by Hollywood or Bollywood, it would have looked a lot different, even if most of the violent side is maintained without second thoughts.

The performers of the soul :: Veronica Ngo who played the leading role in the earlier movie also leads the way here. She continues the good form, and the fighting skills go on to exhibit the same strength as the previous flick, even though not for that long – she doesn’t remain the focus of attention here for quite a long period of time as there is the team of three that takes the spotlight. Among the girls, it is Rima Thanh Vy who adds a certain lighter side to the proceedings. There fun whenever she is around, and that stands apart from the rest. Tóc Tiên has the stronger presence among them all, and can be considered as the action star above the rest. Đồng Ánh Quỳnh plays the emotions and trauma of her character really well. Thuận Nguyễn makes a nice villain in the process. Vovinam, the Vietnamese way of martial arts seems to have been effectively used by all the performers well, while elements of Chinese and Japanese systems of fighting can also be seen. The release in Netflix means that the movie will have better viewership than its predecessor.

How it finishes :: Furies serves as a prequel to Furie which released earlier, does that particular job which was given to it really well. A highly stylized martial arts film with female protagonists leading the way is found here with fully powered action sequences. It is only some time back that we had John Wick once again bringing the never-ending action to the big screens, but this kind of a martial arts mixture has been missing for long enough, whether we had Hitman, Transporter, Kate, Mechanic, Accountant or any such character in between. This world with the stylish lighting of Ho Chi Minh City and what lies beneath makes an environment which stays distant from the usual Hollywood-style setting, and yet maintains quality within its divergence. If you are looking for a classic martial arts movie which does not overdo anything and still manages to have so much of action, you have it here. There were opportunities to be lost in the available options, but the movie has risen above them to provide us with an experience which is to be remembered with many other action films.

Release date: 23rd December 2022 (Vietnam); 23rd March 2023 (Netflix)
Running time: 109 minutes
Directed by: Veronica Ngo
Starring: Veronica Ngo, Đồng Ánh Quỳnh, Tóc Tiên, Rima Thanh, Vy Thuận Nguyễn, Song Luân, Gi A Nguyễn, Phan Thanh Hiền

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Furie

Posted on by

Vampire Owl: This surely sounds like fury with the original spelling.

Vampire Bat: There is another movie with this title in English itself.

Vampire Owl: So, you are beginning to explore other language.

Vampire Bat: Yes, this one is Vietnamese, and other languages will follow.

Vampire Owl: Does this remind you of any of your previous journeys to East Asia.

Vampire Bat: No, the journeys were to Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. None of them are the same.

Vampire Owl: So, this doesn’t bring much of those memories back?

Vampire Bat: Well, those memories are not going to return. The trips have all ended with the Corona Virus.

Vampire Owl: Well, a Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos trip should happen at some point.

Vampire Bat: It might come a long time later, and that would mean many years later.

[Gets a marble cake and three cups of iced tea].

What is the movie about? :: Hai Phuong (Veronica Ngo) is a former gangster who used to belong to a powerful family in the city, but is now living in the city with her daughter Mai (Cat Vy), working as a debt collector, while she used her skills in vovinam, a Vietnamese martial arts from. With the kid’s father having died a long time ago, she is having a hard time, as both the mother and the child are harassed due to the kid being born out of wedlock, and also because the mother is a debt collector who is seen as a continuous trouble maker. Mai wishes to stop going to school and start a fish farm with her mother, so that they won’t be bullied again, not at the school and not at the market or the streets. But one day, after having a verbal fight with her daughter, Hai finds Mai being kidnapped by some men, and she follows them through road, but can only see them taking her away on a boat, and then into a transport to Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon.

So, what happens with the events here? :: Hai is returning to the the most populous city in Vietnam, and the capital of the former state South Vietnam after a long time, this time, not as a gangster, but as a mother looking for her daughter who was kidnapped. With no clue about where to search, she asks her former gang members to help, but they refuse help because things did undergo some change around there, and the power balance has shifted – not helping them would be the best for the safety. As he approaches the police, she finds them not good enough, but she does manage to steal the reports of some criminals who could be related to the case of missing children. Detective Luong (Phan Thanh Nhien) is in charge of the cases related to the missing children, but she just misses him. There seems to be a big international gang working behind this, and it could also have a link to her notorious past. Now, can she survive and manage to find her daughter in time?

The defence of Furie :: There is a high dose of action here, provided from the beginning to the end, without any break. All the action sequences are too good, and at the same time believable, taking the best out of the Vietnamese martial arts. We only have the realistic moves here though, with no bodies flying around like in some third-rate superstar movie that we know. We are amazed by the leading lady’s skills in performing action as well as depicting the feelings so well. There is the final action scene on a train, which has been taken in the best possible way. The emotions are also running high, and there is the raw beauty of rural Vietnam as well as the charming style of Ho Chi Minh City. We have those shots from a distance and from the heights, as we get caught in those visuals. We do manage to have a fine chase or two in between here. Furie is a thrilling ride, and we are with a mother in this one, like we were with a father in Taken and its sequels – she is also John Wick of another kind. This is a fine movie to begin your love with Vietnam.

Positives and negatives :: Furie is more or less a full martial arts movie which depends on the same to keep things interesting, taking out John Wick‘s shootout side completely. It is also a tale of redemption, but you need to like the action elements to fall in love with the movie. This is also an amazingly stylish movie, not just with the action, but also with the visuals. You can see the difference between the city and village life, enjoying the beauty of both. With a movie like this, action had to click, and it does, amazingly well, as you are kept on the edge of the seat. If you have watched the Malayalam movie Thira, you will know that it had to be thrilling, but that one never had the need for action sequences, but Furie needed it, and with a desperate mother in the main role, nails it. The chase scenes and the brutal fights will keep this one going strong. The fights are not only on the ground, but also on trains, boats and motor-bikes, as the environment also contributes to making this feel better. The flashbacks give a better idea of the story, but at times, they are redundant.

Performers of the soul :: It is Veronica Ngo who steals the show throughout this movie, with her martial arts moves. There is something that you don’t usually see with the fight scenes as long as she is around. She was there in one of the Star Wars movies, but not noticed much because it was a smaller role. The other main characters are also female, except for a police officer and some others who seem to come into picture for shorter intervals of time. Most of them are there only to get beaten up by her, as the lesser troopers of the evil side. Tran Thanh Hoa plays the antagonist, and she also has her smart moves with some nice action sequences to go with it. Phan Thanh Nhien has a few of them, and is there in a supporting role, after he comes to the picture rather late. Pham Anh Khoa has a smaller, but noticable role to play, and so does the one who plays the nurse at the hospital. The main characters in the village markets are all female too. Cat Vy who plays the daughter is also a fine child actor as proven here.

How it finishes :: Furie is a high quality movie from Vietnam, and it is the first, as well as the only Vietnamese movie which I have watched. This is the kind of movie which has you a lot interested in the movie from the beginning to the end, never wishing to take your eyes off, as you will end up missing the action. The movie was the Vietnamese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards. Among the foreign movies that we watch from here, this movie should have a higher status, and something above the rest of the movies from East Asia. Vietnam surely scores with that, and there is the need to focus on some more of the movies from this nation which makes some very interesting movies along with being a tourism destination that everyone should be visiting. I also had a plan to visit the place, but that didn’t work out – with the Corona Virus problem going on and on, I will have to be satisfied with what can be seen in this wonderful movie.

Release date: 22nd February 2019
Running time: 98 minutes
Directed by: Le Van Kiet
Starring: Veronica Ngo, Cat Vy, Phan Thanh Nhien, Pham Anh Khoa, Tran Thanh Hoa

<— Click here to go to the previous review.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.