One on One: Point Made, Point Taken

Indie auteur Kim Ki-duk has never been shy about embedding a message within his films. That's no exception with One on One, his didactic movie about the inherent evil of obedient capitalism. That's not the only message, comrade. For Kim's also critiquing inherited violence as a viable tool for effecting change. It's simply what we have that's readily available. We never really learn why the daughter of Ma Dong-seok's unnamed character has been murdered or exactly how this vigilante boss-man has managed to put together a camouflaged crew of six to exact revenge on those responsible for his child's death. I'm not even sure why one of the establishment's underlings gets gassed while another gets electrocuted while another gets his hand smashed by a hammer. There might be a logic that's evading me. The main message I'm receiving is this: Everyone is complicit; a few feel guilt.

Despite Kim's atypical casting of a bona fide action star (Ma Dong-seok) in the lead role, Kim's agitprop pic mostly adheres to an underground esthetic and a renegade style. The settings feel makeshift; the script was supoosedly written on site over a period of ten days; the violence looks fake; the dialogue is stilted. Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissuading you from watching this flick. Because One one One possesses a sense of purpose that makes it impossible to dismiss outright. The unpolished aspect of this film is the point, right? And if it isn't, it certainly could be.

A Female Boss: The Oppressor Wins

Who doesn't want to see a light romantic comedy in which the misogynist comes out on top? Well, I don't. But here we are with A Female Boss, a jarring rom-com in which the mean-spirited publisher (Jo Mi-lyeong) of Modern Woman magazine falls in love with the cute new hire (Lee Su-ryeon) who kicked her dog. That these two end up as a couple is a strange inevitability, considering she's more about scheming an older businessman (Ju Seon-tae) while he's dating her younger sister (Seo Ae-ja). Does he come to love his employer/sexual-harrasser? Not really. But as his former work buddy frankly puts it, this higher-up is an opportunity for a merger. And what a merger it is! Spoiler alert: By the end of the movie, our unlikable "hero" is running the magazine while his former foil is at home knitting baby clothes.

Even acknowledging the times in which A Female Boss was made, Han Myeong-mo's movie is pretty offensive. (I guess we shouldn't be surprised that the director also made the movie My Sister Is a Hussy which, as its title suggests, isn't exactly a rally cry for female empowerment.) But seeing the magazine's two sassy female editors kowtow to the snivelling male staff (Kim Hie-gab) while the jerk is promoted to the big desk, now under a sign that reads "Men Are Superior to Women," is just too much for this viewer to stomach. There's a fun dance number at a nightclub, an enjoyable amateur basketball game, and a running gag involving a late-night ride home but the joys are few and far between in A Female Boss. The patriarchy ruins everything, even movies.