AFFD 2014 Review: PRETTY ROSEBUD- Jonesy's Take

PRETTY ROSEBUD

Directed by Oscar Torre

Written by Chuti Tiu 

Starring: Chuti Tiu, Kipp Shiotani, Dana Lee, Bel Hernandez, and Oscar Torre

Synopsis: A successful woman feels that her personal life isn't as great as she once thought. 

There's a balancing act that most adults tread at some point. After a few years of marriage and establishing a semi-successful career, it's easy to fall into a routine and become bored with your significant other, especially when they're not at the same level you're at. PRETTY ROSEBUD tells the story of such a woman whose career is taking off, but her personal life seems to be crumbling beneath her.

Sissy (Tiu) is strong-willed woman who works hard, and her bosses are beginning to take notice. But that's the only thing she has going for her. Her husband has been out of a job for two years and even though he gets potential leads, he's being picky and doesn't want to take a "lower" job. Sissy's parents are the typical, conservative types who just want her to have children. They believe that children will bring her the utmost satisfaction that she's missing in her life. 

With all the pressure around her, Sissy can't handle it, so she breaks. She has an affair and enjoys the attention she gets from other men in her life. Her journey is story we've seen over and over again. Every beat that happens is too stereotypical. There are no surprises in the plot, and it felt increasingly boring. Even the pinnacle of Sissy's frustration with her life is portrayed in such an obvious and cliched metaphor, it was difficult not to giggle at the cheesiness.

Tiu is the only redeemable part of the film. Her performance in subtle, and it's easy to see the struggles Sissy is feeling even when there's no dialogue. The same cannot be said about the rest of the cast. All the other performances feel forced and rigid. Any time the characters raise their voices or a scene is particularly emotional, it feels like you're watching a bad high school production.

This film suffers heavily from a boring plot. Sometimes a boring plot isn't as noticeable if there are interesting characters, but unfortunately, no such luck here. Even with a fairly strong lead performance, this film is totally skippable.

AFFD 2014 Review: FUNNY MONEY- Jonesy's Take

FUNNY MONEY

Directed by Thien Do

Written by Thien Do

Starring: Van Trang and Khuong Ngoc

Synopsis: A man is in the search for a lost bill which is bringing bad luck to a local girl. 

It's funny how one person can see an object as good luck, while someone else only sees it as bad luck. When a person loses a valuable object, and all of a sudden a bunch of bad things happen, they connect the two occurrences, even if it's only a coincidence. FUNNY MONEY explores this idea of how an object could bring you luck or curse you.

Loc (Ngoc) is a entrepreneur of sorts. He creates fake products, like handbags, shoes, and "ghost money" for loved ones to use in the afterlife. He has had a string of good luck thanks to a bill that's been ripped. But now he's lost that bill, and it has fallen into the hands of Quyen (Trang), a local young woman who works at a flower shop. However, the ripped bill curses Quyen, or so she thinks. She lost her job, boyfriend, and has other strings of misfortune. Loc is enamored with Quyen, but she doesn't feel the same.

The strength in this film lies with the two leads. They're charming, quirky, and have fantastic chemistry. Trang is the perfect blend of energy and spunk as Quyen. Even though she is very upset when her boyfriend dumps her, she still comes across as an independent woman determined to pick up her life. It would have been easy for her character to be helpless and whiney, but she thankfully ends up being much more dynamic. Ngoc initially feels like an almost sleazy salesman. But as we follow him as he pursues Quyen, he becomes more and more sweet and charming. His sleaziness goes away, and we see his more lovable side, which Quyen is able to bring out of him.

In terms of plot, the story begins to drag a little in the middle. It's a little unclear of where exactly the film is taking us. Then, in the final act, the biggest plot development of the film happens. This brought some much needed life to the story, but it came a little too late. If this development had come a little earlier, it would have created some much needed tension because searching for a ripped bill can only be interesting for so long.

FUNNY MONEY has enough going for it with the two leads to keep the film sweet and entertaining. It has some funny moments, and even if it lulls a bit in the middle half, it's worth a viewing.

Most Anticipated Asian Film Festival 2014 Picks From Javi & Jonesy

The 13th annual Asian Film Festival of Dallas is coming up July 10th - July 17th and as always we want to highlight a few films that look like they might be worth your time. Of special notice I (Javi) was asked to help judge their short films and hand out award. I can tell you that  you'll find something great in there, but I personally recommend the experimental and late night shorts blocks.

After the break, you can check out our feature film.