Year: 1979
Rating: 6.0 / 10
In a way, I wish I wrote this review earlier. However, in the same manner, I don’t think it matters much. This film was confusing and often times I wasn’t sure what was going on. I watched it with my girlfriend to ring in my birthday, and it felt like whiplash.
I haven’t watched many martial arts movies, so I didn’t have much to compare it to. As someone who’s not initiated with the genre well, I think the fight scenes were done well. I don’t have so much to say for the plot. However, there was a great part where the main girl flirted with another girl as she was dressed as a boy… We were deprived of some great sapphic storyline then…
I think the whole movie was dubbed over. The voices sounded strange and jarring often. However, it may sound like it was a bad time– no, just the opposite! Maybe it was because it was with my girlfriend, I had a lot of fun. But, as for the movie itself, I can’t fully speak on how good it was because I was confused most of the time.
Year: 2022
Rating: 8.0 / 10
This is another review that I didn’t write immediately after. This is a movie by a director whose films I keep ending up watching when I want something strange and unusual. That being said, I’ve liked everything I've seen from him, and this one is no exception.
The plot of the movie is a couple is moving, and end up settling into a strange house: one in which there’s a hole in the basement that after crawling down it, you go ahead 12 hours in time. To spoil something as well, we also learn whoever goes down it ages back 3 days.
This movie is strange to put it lightly. It focuses primarily on the couple and their disputes using it– as the husband is fine without using it, and the wife becomes obsessed. While this plot is going on, we also have the plot of the husband’s boss who we find out has a electronic penis and his plight with it.
I think the charm of this movie really is the strange plot and bizarre characters, like the other films of this guy’s i’ve seen. I don’t think this is a movie people who want a concrete, fully analyzed and closed and shut film will enjoy. In fact, it’s very open-ended, with not much being explained in the way of the world’s rules for why things happen. Either way, it’s very enjoyable overall.
Year: 1985
Rating: 8.0 / 10
80s movies are a gamble for me– While I tend to like them in theory, I often find a lot don’t age particularly well. However, while this has some things that are definitely staples of their time, I think it’s easy to overlook some things in the enjoyment of the plot.
Terri, a highschooler, is aiming to get a journalist scholarship from her highschool. She feels maligned by everyone around her – the chief of the paper, her boyfriend, other students– due to her gender and the fact people expect her to settle into a job that’s “typical” for a woman of the era. Terri decides to take matters into her own hands– by enrolling in a rival highschool while her parents are on a 2-week vacation, disguised as a boy.
I think this movie does stand out as it feels very unique. I think the acting is really good and overall I’d just call it a fun watch in general. Some things are quite dated– the sexism portrayed in it does feel very of the time, and as typical of teen movies of a certain era, there’s a large insistence on sex as a goal (you can argue hormones and whatever, but as an adult, it just feels weird to see; I never like it personally).
I do think Terri should’ve gotten together with her best friend Denise though… But, I wouldn’t expect it. Hell, I was just surprised this movie had a part where they briefly talked about homosexuality at the end and there were no insults and slurs thrown. One thing I don’t normally say, but I will for this– I don’t like remakes but I think this movie would be an interesting one for a remake with a trans and/or gay lens.
Year: 1995
Rating: 9.0 / 10
Content Warnings: Light transphobia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Domestic assault, Eating a snail (not graphic, but it is shown to be alive before)
Bugis Street is a movie that needs some introduction. The namesake of the movie was a place in Singapore that at the time was known for it’s vibrant transgender community. However, years after this movie was made, the street has since been commercialized.
The movie itself revolves around a young girl named Lian, who shows up to the hotel to become a cleaner. However, on obtaining this job, it doesn’t click with her it’s used primarily as a sex hotel and most of the people who come in are trans women who work as prostitutes with sailors. Lian is shocked when she finally does find out, but eventually settles down after the initial surprise. The rest of the movie focuses around not only her, her backstory as a servant to a rich boy she used to love and her work, but the vibrant women who come in and out of the hotel, notably Lola and Drago.
We find out about Lola and her disastrous love affair with her on and off boyfriend, Meng, who I absolutely hated (good actor! I hate his character!). Drago is a socialite and traveling saleswoman from Paris. Slowly, we learn more and more about these two as Lian does.
In general, I think this movie is a beautiful snapshot into a time and place that no longer exists. I feel the movie has a very humanistic lens on– while the initial premise might sound “shocking” and like it could be done in poor taste, I think it does a lovely job preserving the memory of the people who lived and frequented the area. I really like Lian and I really like how they didn’t hang on so much to her shock of being around trans people, even though she’s never encountered them before. It was a really sweet story that made for a really great watch.
The movie was hard to find, but if you do not mind the CWs and are of age to see the film, I suggest you head over to the Internet Archive, download it (and some subtitles if need be) and watch it. It’s a lovely gem that should not be forgotten.
9:50pm .. .. // 8.25.2024
NOTE: This was uploaded in August, but the reviews were written in July 2024.