chris k
A dark, witty and certainly inventive creation that can be at times tiring due to its animated style and slow pace. Nonetheless, the film effectively and masterfully gets its point across, communicating China's (and the world's?) moral bankruptcy in a society driven by the pursuit of power, money and avarice.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
âWhatâ(TM)s going on today? Everything is fucked up.â?
Have a Nice Day is the second animated feature from Chinese director Jian Liu, following 2010â(TM)s Piercing I. The style of animation is captivating, expressive, and occasionally surreal: somewhere between Monkey Dust (2003) and Waking Life (2001).
Jian Liu injects his second feature with more humour than the first. He has a penchant for the heist-gone-wrong narrative, not a million miles from Welcome to Collinwood (2002). Although there is an abundance of violence, it is much more comedy than thriller.
At a running time of 103 minutes (Piercing I) and 75 minutes (Have a Nice Day), Jian Liuâ(TM)s animations prove his determination as a filmmaker. Largely a solo effort, they possess the magnetism of a young band perfecting their skills on the gig circuit, whilst maintaining the intoxicating raw energy of a creation still rough around the edges. A necessary counterpoint to big budget animations from powerhouse studios. Piercing I took 3 years to complete, whereas Have a Nice Day took closer to 5. The difference is unmistakable yet Jian Liu preserves his signature style.
Have a Nice Day has been compared to Pulp Fiction (1994), but Tarantino has never devoted so much screen time to examining the shabby and decaying urban landscape. Jian Liu seems to take as much of an interest in small-scale architecture as illustrators Chris Ware or Adrian Tomine. These scenes â" almost stills but for a whisper of cigarette smoke or a buzzing neon sign â" offer a great deal more subtlety and detail than is found in the rendering of the characters. One exquisite scene, a series of cuts showing buildings and alleyways in the rain, adopts clever use of sound â" with the rainfall becoming richer or tinnier to match each setting.
The era of the story is important to the director, choosing to set each film in a very specific time-frame, highlighting it as pivotal to the plot. Each film is placed in time using global political markers, namely the 2008 global financial crisis and the election of Obama, in Piercing I, and the election of Trump referenced in Have a Nice Day.
Looking at the films in tandem, it is interesting to see the artistic development as well as Liuâ(TM)s confidence in his narrative becoming more robust.
Have a Nice Day premiered in the main competition for the Golden Bear at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2017.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
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Audience Member
it's a tarantino-like movie.but i got bored,and the character's where not clearly introduced.after a while you lose the ball.has some nice intentions though.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
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Audience Member
Very good, modern youthful Chinese culture. I loved the little things, like ongoing construction work, mismatched but practical sneakers, hotel staff sleeping at the counter, an Ofo bike parked somewhere random and the casual lighting of cigarettes indoors. I love the portrayal of this kind of China, the kind you'll only see when you're low on cash and spend a lot of time wandering round late at night. I think this is the kind of portrayal that show's China's casual cool. I'd like to see more of this, rather than the "polished boyband" approach of places like South Korea and Japan. China has a youthful, casual, indifferent cool and this movie shows it so well.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/17/23
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Audience Member
Funny thing is, I don't understand why it's an animation. Perhaps the filmmaker didn't have enough money to make a live-action version? While the plot is twisty enough, and the dialogue quite fun, the pacing feels rather slow, and the somewhat dull animation doesn't help.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/10/23
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Audience Member
IncrediblY dull through long stretches of time, this is a movie that would've benefitted from being cut doWn to 35 minutes. the last 15 minutes are interesting though. I also think, had it been shot in live-action, the movie, as it stands currently, would've been a bit more tolerable, as i would've had it's careful framing to comtemplate and become immersed within. the art style, while distinct, doesnt provide much to gander at. The music is preety cool too, in the few sequences its feAtured in.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/01/23
Full Review
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