Sung Kang

  • Ana Maria in Novela Land (2015)

    Ana Maria in Novela Land (2015)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On TV, May 2020) I suppose that the high-concept was so irresistible that it had to be done at some point: Why not a cute romantic comedy in which an obsessed telenovela fan switches places with the star of her favourite series? In the hands of writer-director Georgina Garcia Riedel, Ana Maria in Novela Land does tap into some of the insanity and stylistic excesses of the stereotypical telenovelas. It does help that it stars Edy Ganem, a preposterously attractive and likable lead actress who looks completely at home in the hyper-sexy nature of telenovelas. While it may not completely deliver on the premise, it’s pleasant enough to watch and is even (like its inspiration) occasionally racy within the confines of the rating. There are a few very interesting casting choices in supporting roles—Elizabeth Peña’s last role, Luis Guzman as the heavy and Sung Kang as a Korean soap opera star. A few quirks and moments don’t quite make cohesive sense—bathroom, zombies, musical segments and Korean soap—which reinforces the feeling that while this is not bad, it’s also a bit scattered and unfocused in how it approaches its premise. A measure of Ana Maria in Novela Land’s imperfect success is to be found in the film’s length feeling overlong even at barely 89 minutes. Still, it’s watchable enough.

  • Code 8 (2019)

    Code 8 (2019)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, March 2020) I wasn’t expecting much from Code 8, but had to give it a chance given that it’s a Canadian Science Fiction movie likely to play for years in order to satisfy CanCon Cable TV requirements. Fortunately, my expectations were exceeded early on. While I didn’t quite believe in the premise of the film (in a parallel reality where some humans have shown supernatural powers for decades, a modern-day metropolis features them as an unwanted, marginalized minority tightly monitored by police), the first few minutes quickly ground Code 8 in a credible reality, and then set up a street-level crime thriller spiked with psi powers. Writer-director Jeff Chan’s refreshingly low-key approach works wonders: this isn’t about superheroes saving the world as much as downtrodden mutants trying to get ahead in a society terrified of them. The obvious parallels with the black American experience with police aren’t really played up, which does allow the film to breathe while not shackling itself to on-the-nose parallels. Robbie Amell is bland but likable as the protagonist, an electrically-gifted young man trying to save his sick mother and get away from the shadow of his dead criminal father. Sung Kang is a bit more interesting at the police officer chasing him, while Kyla Kane makes a bit of an impression as the moral lever of the film’s third act. Code 8 is unassuming and that proves to be one of its greatest assets: it never tries anything too ambitious, but it stays well within the limits of what it can deliver. This is partially illustrated by the script, stronger when dealing with the nitty-gritty of its protagonist’s situation, and substantially weaker when trying to grapple with the wider-scale machinations about organized crime in the city. Still, the story works, and even has a nicely bittersweet ending. I suspect that the film will be championed by a variety of viewers (those convinced that films can be crowdfunded; fans of the Arrow TV show; Canadian movie fans, etc.) but I’m just relieved that it’s a decent production, and a reasonably entertaining film on its own.

  • Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)

    Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, October 2014) My motives were a bit superficial in wanting to watch Better Luck Tomorrow: writer/director Justin Lin went on to direct several installments in the Fast & Furious series, which featured a charismatic character named Han as played by Sung Kang.  I’d heard that Lin’s first film featured the same actor playing a similar (perhaps identical) character and wanted from where both the director and the character came from.  But Better Luck Tomorrow ends up being a somewhat likable high-school crime drama, featuring well-off Asian-American teenagers turning to criminal activities in order to spice up their overachieving lifestyle.  It’s funny and sympathetic up to the point where things turn dark and ugly, but this depiction of characters often glimpsed as stereotypes in other teenager movies feels fresh and interesting.  There are a few laughs, a few cringes and a few moments of condemnation for the characters turning bad.  The slide into serious crime is as shocking as the characters are engaging when they’re merely being bad boys.  Lin’s direction is stylish and engaging (especially considering the limited budget of the film) and the young actors all do good work.  Sung Kang does play a younger “Han” with understated cool, while Parry Shen anchors the film as the protagonist and Karin Anna Cheung plays a love interest with quite a bit more depth than you’d expect.  All in all, Better Luck Tomorrow ends up being a much better experience than simply answering a trivia question about Justin Lin and Sung Kang