Metropolis 1103 by Metropolis

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REVENGE OF THE GREEN DRAGONS Based on a 1992 article in The New Yorker about unchecked Chinese youth gangs in Queens during the 1980s and co-directed by Andrew Lau (whose Infernal Affairs was remade by Martin Scorsese into the award-winning The Departed ), this one starts off strong but soon devolves into a fairly average, clichéd gangster flick featuring Chinese thugs (and a token Ray Liotta). Numerous twists and a chaotic style complicate rather than enhance the plot, the acting is uninspired, the dialogue tired, and the execution ham-handed. Suitably, even offputtingly brutal, but offers little novelty and less insight. (94 min)

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT I’m a fan. I think even mediocre Woody Allen movies are better than most of what’s out there— but that doesn’t mean they’re not disappointing. This one starts out strong. It’s 1928. Colin Firth is a stage magician and noted paranormal debunker who’s called upon to poke holes in the amazingly accurate prognostications of a pret t y young clair voyant (Emma Stone). But then he’s “converted,” falls in love, and the movie immediately loses steam, along with any magic it might have had. Threadbare and predictable, this one feels off-the-rack. The script could have used a third draft, or even a second. (97 min)

FURIOUS 7 No one needs a review of a 14 -year franchise f ilm with a “7 ” in the title. You are by now a fan or you are not. But if you judge a film by how well the filmmakers know what their audiences want, this one delivers. And then it delivers again. Then it blows some stuff up, has a brutal fistfight or two, drives off a cliff, talks tough, and delivers some more. A plot? What for? Chronologically hazy, but who cares? Major “wow” factor in the stunts, but the indestructible superherowithout-the-cape thing drains any real tension. I liked the tasteful tribute to the late Paul Walker at the end. Japanese title: Wild Speed: Sky Mission. (137 min)

CINDERELLA I was rather surprised to find myself enjoying this live-action revitalization of the 1950 Disney animated classic. The cinematography, costumes, and production design are a delight to behold. The SFX support the story. And best of all: No songs! Downton Abbey ’s Lily James does the title honors with guilelessness and intelligence. Cate Blanchett’s the wicked stepmother. Shakespearean director Kenneth Branagh (okay, he also did Thor) has created something old yet new, more a revitalization rather than a reimagining. Pure of hear t, unabashedly sincere, and wildly entertaining. Uncle Walt would approve. (105 min)

THE LAST FIVE YEARS This is the sad but never m a u d l i n s to r y of t h e courtship, marriage, and dissolution of a loving relationship. He (Jeremy Jordan), a young novelist f inding early success, tells it in chronological order. She (a shining Anna Kendrick), a singer/actress struggling with endless auditions and a stalled career, tells it from finish to start. Your enjoyment will hinge on your attitude toward entirely sung films, but the songs here, by Tony-winning lyricist and composer Jason Robert Brown, advance the plot, and are intricate, varied, and well worth a look/listen. A smart Off-Broadway a d ap t a t io n by Richard L a G r ave n ese. (9 4 m in)

WHIPLASH A talented young jazz drumming student at a prestigious NYC music academy is challenged to rise to his full potential by a brutal, Machiavellian, perfectionist teacher/ bandleader (an Oscar-winning J.K. Simmons). This one turns the sentimental inspirational-teacher genre on its head and plays more like a sports movie, or even a psychothriller. Writer/Director Damien Chazelle never misses a beat in this tightly-paced, propulsive film. Title refers to a difficult big-band number. It also describes what you might feel after surviving the intense and cathartic final scene. Big screen, please. For the sound. Japanese title: Session. (106 min)

eiga Director Hideta Takahata’s wonderful take on the youth district of Harajuku is both light-hearted and thoughtprovoking. There are clever By Rob Schwartz set-ups and romantic interludes, but also some serious points being made about the seamy and exploitative side of Japanese hip culture. Divided into five episodes which slyly double back and interconnect, each story is complete in itself, which almost makes it feel as if you’ve watched two films. The cute Korean boys from the idol group Bee Shuffle portray the male leads, involved in various scams and legit businesses to make a living in flashy and pop-driven Harajuku. Rina Takeda is well cast as a strict police officer who is somehow seduced by a pretty boy in the gang. A few of the stories center around the touts on the street, who say they’re scouting for modeling agencies—but that’s sometimes not the case, as in the linchpin who explores the more unsavory side of Tokyo’s boulevard of broken dreams. The film also shows how not only younger people, but also people their parents’ age can get caught up in the web. Entertaining, clever and fresh, this flick could be a new marker for Japanese film in 2015. (89 min)

HARAJUKU DENIER

movie news English actress Daisy Ridley is enjoying a career upswing few performers dare to dream. It seems one minute she was doing tiny parts for British telly, and the next she was cast in the biggest film franchise in the world. Even though Star Wars: The Force Awakens won’t be released for a full seven months, the 23-year-old star is already on the publicity trail, visiting Tokyo for a recent “kickoff meeting.” J.J. Abrams, who is taking over the director’s chair, decided to follow the example set by George Lucas of casting relatively unknown actors in major parts of the first films, and offered the actress the new role of Rey. At the press conference, Ridley explained she got an email informing her she had the part while she was seeing a play in London. She read it during the intermission and had to contain her excitement in order to go back for the “very long” second act. “Then I raced home to tell my family and didn’t sleep for several days,” she recalled. She didn’t have much time to celebrate, as she soon had to report for grueling training. Asked for some story details by Japanese reporters, Ridley replied “I’ve only seen the teaser trailer, so you know just as much as I do.” Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in Japan December 18. Kevin Mcgue

cinematic underground French actress Marion Cotillard has tasted Hollywood success with big hits like Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, but returns a little closer to home with her Frenchlanguage Oscar-nominated leading role in the Belgian film Two Days, One Night. She plays a working mom who spends a weekend desperately trying to convince her workmates to reverse their votes to axe her due to budget cuts. On from May 23 at Bunkamura’s Le Cinema (2-24-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku; www.bunkamura. co.jp) … Let’s face it, seeing a movie in Tokyo can put a squeeze on your wallet. Luckily, there is help in the form of Waseda Shochiku (1-5-16 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku-ku; www.wasedashochiku.co.jp), which offers not one, but two films for the low price of ¥1,300. Upcoming double features include Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River and Jersey Boys, on from May 16, and The Wind That Shakes the Barley and Jimmy’s Hall by Brit master Ken Loach … Japan continues its love affair with the surrealistic animation of Czech master Jan Švankmajer with encore screenings of the most popular works of a recent touring festival. The lineup includes Alice, which manages to outweird even Lewis Carroll, the Freudian dream Surviving Life, and assorted short works. May 23-June 26 at Image Forum in Shibuya (2-10-2 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku; www.imageforum.co.jp). KM