HYPERTEXT WONDERLAND

I’m never sure when I sit down to watch a Kore-eda movie whether it’ll be one of his expert dramas in the vein of Maborosi and Nobody Knows , or a simpler tale such as Our Little Sister or After the Rain . Broker kind of skirts a line between these types. It’s a combination of grand subject matter but with a delicate character portrayal at its heart. It’s not my favourite Kore-eda movie, nor do I think it blends all of its themes perfectly together, but it stands out because of the way that Kore-eda so expertly lends a humanist touch to the minutiae of interpersonal relationships. Broker is, to my knowledge, the first and only South Korean movie Kore-eda has made. The story focuses on a group of amateur child traffickers led by Sang-hyeon (played by the ever-recognisable Song Kang-ho). They take ownership of a baby abandoned by his mother and seek a buyer which leads them to be chased by detectives; the main one being played by Bae Doona. Their attempts to sell the child deepen their...

Sometimes a movie appears on my and I have literally no idea where it came from. That’s what happened with this one, Josee, The Tiger and the Fish. It’s a Japanese romantic comedy from 2003. It’s also not very good and I’m left wondering if I meant to watch the animated remake instead... The story focus on a boisterous student called Tsuneo who befriends a girl, Josee, who has an unfortunate physical health condition. Early parts show their unconventional friendship develop. Things happens like Tsuneo really enjoying her cooking and gifting Josee books she can’t get hold of herself. This then transcends into a romance, but not before Tsuneo has to work out if he likes Josee or a more conventionally attractive student better. It feels oddly misogynistic in a way because it never explains why Tsuneo is such a catch for the two women. Apparently He. Just. Is. Sadly, very little caught my attention except a constant desire to know where the plot was going. As one reviewer on IMDB said, it ...

Being on a not-very-wanted cusp of a potential exit from the European Union, I thought it best to delve into the topic du jour and learn all about the history of Europe. This represents a small (see: rather big) blind spot in my knowledge owing to what I admit is a terrible understanding of history as a subject. Although I took it at school, I’ve never been one to regale facts and figures about the evolution of our society throughout the ages. It’s something I’m hoping to rectify, beginning with this book – The Shortest History of Europe . Though I do quite like wandering around museums... Much like a tin of Ronseal, the book does exactly what you’d imagine. It takes us through times of antiquity, leading towards Rome, straight through to the canals of Medieval Europe, before dropping us squarely into the tumultuous events of the 20 th Century. It’s divided into three main sections - each providing a brief but engaging pitch about eventful chapters of European life. The wr...

The Keep is an interesting book, if mainly for the big ol' switcheroo it employs at the end. Much of the novel is devoted to Danny, a 30+ year-old hipster clinging to status symbols. His world changes one day when he's called by his Uncle Howard, a retired former financial guru, to a castle in rural Czechia. Danny is enlisted to get rid of a cranky, geriatric Baroness who's hold herself up inside the castle's keep (title drop). Along the way he discovers the fool he's being played for, while also coming to a vital realisation about the hollowness of his technology-saturated world... or does he?? Question marks because the novel subtly plays into a style of meta-fiction that means Danny's story isn't straightforward. In keeping with the light horror framework, there's a lingering sensation of strangeness throughout. Several chapters emerge to describe characters not associated with Danny or Howard. These pop up sporadically as it develops into a nov...

In gaming circles there often emerges a furious debate about what games should be about. A certain party says gameplay. The other, equally vocal, party offers a counterpoint—story. This debate often reaches boiling point, to the extent where it seems like one group is about to enact a bloody revenge on the other. Humour tends to be cast aside, which is probably why neither group says games should be about comedy... Truth be told, comedy games are a rarity. Good humour is after all, subjective. Off the time of my head I can name only a few of them—Jazzpunk, Dr Langeskov, The Stanley Parable and maybe Project Rub. Step aside though because there's a new entrant into the ring... Donut County , a whimsical comedy-cum-novelty game that's almost worth the £11 entrance fee I paid to play it. Donut County is a puzzle game from one-man-team, LA based gamemaker Ben Esposito . It's described as a physics-based-puzzler but that doesn't do it justice. The gameplay only co...

Recently I’ve noticed a bit of a strange tension creeping into certain films I watch. It’s hard to describe but revolves around not knowing whether a character is being truthful or not. It makes me feel uncomfortable; a little bit anxious. It crept up again in Asako I and II , which I thoroughly enjoyed. Asuko I and II is the latest film from Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi – best known in the West for his excellent four-hour film Happy Hour. That film was followed the lives of four female characters and similarly Asuko I & II bases itself on the life of a woman – the main character Asuko. In the beginning she falls madly, deeply, truly in love with a guy called Baku. They eventually split but her feelings remain steadfast years later. This causes consternation when she gets into a relationship with Ryohei – an Osakan businessman who looks exactly like Baku, minus the long hair. I have a feeling the reason the film made me feel uncomfortable is because it expresses the...