April 22, 2023 (NYC)– Three (3) from Well Go USA. A Look at Three new international films distributed by Well Go USA, and streaming now. One of these is from Korea, one from China, and a surprising release from Greece. Here is a synopsis and review of these Well Go USA Entertainment releases.
HERSTORY
Synopsis: After learning of the horrors her housekeeper faced during forced sexual servitude as a WWII “comfort woman,” a Korean businesswoman takes on the Japanese government in a trial seeking reparations and a formal apology for ten plaintiffs. Direct by Kyu-dong Min and starring Kim Hee-ae, Kim Hae-sook, Ye Soo-jung, Moon Sook, Lee Yong-nyeo and Kim Sun-young
Review: This film is based upon a true story. It tells the story of a 1990’s very public and very drawn out case by Korean Comfort women against the Japanese Government for atrocities against them during World War II. The film is well made and runs the gamut from heartbreaking to infuriating to uplifting. HerStory tells the story of a painful time in Far East Asian history from a Korean perspective, and more specifically, from a Korean Woman’s perspective. These victimized women were faced with the additional burden of feeling shame over the fact that their service involved involuntary intimacy. This is almost hard to comprehend when watching the film.
The Direction, cinematography and acting are superb. The cast is large, but it is filled with talented actors. They do a good job of portraying the Korean comfort women, the Japanese deniers and defenders, and the cast of bureaucrats and court players.
This is an important film on many levels. I applaud Well Go USA for distributing it.
HERSTORY has a runtime of 120 minutes and is not rated.
SHORT FUSE
Synopsis: In this ticking clock action-thriller, a courier’s last delivery of the day may also be the last day of his life. Strapped with explosives, he
must fight for his life while trying to solve a mystery involving both his family and a criminal empire.
Review: It has been a long time since worthwhile films have been exported from Greece. This one was filmed in 2016 at the start of a turn around in the an attempt by Greece’s film industry to compete worldwide. This Well Go USA released Greek export is a thriller about a lawyer with an anger management problem, hence the title, who becomes the victim of a revenge plot against his family of lawyers. This plot doesn’t merely involve the main character, Aris’s death, but involves his punishment in a variety of tribulations.
The film is fast paced and fun to watch. It is low budget film, for sure. The acting, script, and cinematography reflect that, but that is also part of the charm. This is a fun movie and, especially fun, if you are a Greek American looking for content out of Greece. The characters are very Greek, and very much fun to watch.
Directed by Andreas Lampropoulos and Kostas Skiftas.
Starring Apostolis Totsikas, Tasos Nousias, and Evgenia Dimitropoulou.
TOO COOL TO KILL*
*Selected by Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com as one of the overlooked films of 2022.
Synopsis: While pursuing his lifelong dream of landing a starring role, amateur actor Wei Chenggong (Wei Xiang) receives an invitation from famous actress Milan (Ma Li) to play her leading man, “Killer Karl.” However, unbeknownst to Mr. Wei, the new gig has landed him directly in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy. As the brutal truth inches closer and closer, he is left to rely on only his good luck and (somewhat questionable) acting skills to survive.
Review: This Well Go USA release is a comedic , action film of Chinese origin that is very entertaining. It is, to be clear, more on the comedic, than action genre. The film centers around amateur actor Wei Chenggong, played by Wei Xiang, who receives an invitation from famous actress Milan (Ma Li) to play her leading man, “Killer Karl”. Wei is the culpable dreamer who is being used to disrupt the plans of a local crime syndicate. The film pays tribute to American comedic classic films of the 1930’s and 40’s. The notion that the main character is the only person in the film who is not in on the joke is a structure trope of American comedies of the last century. This character, as Wei does, ends up reaching fuller potential through the mechanism of the story. There is some romance and action to support the plot, but the success and failure of the film is the main character. Wei plays it well.
The Director here has a keen sense of comedic timing, even if the audience does not fully understand the nuance. More modern films are mirrored here too, including Singing in the Rain, Pulp Fiction, Desperado, and Clint Eastwood westerns, The film is sharp and funny, and it works. I am not sure if the intent was to honor American cinematic traditions, or to introduce them to a Chines audience, but it works here.
Directed by Wenxiong Xing and Ru Qian.
Starring Li Ma, Xiang Wei, and Minghao Chen.
Film Page: https://wellgousa.com/films/
TOO COOL TO KILL has a runtime of 109 minutes and is not rated.
These films contains English subtitles.
–review by Master Marc Zirogiannis
