My Explorations of Tubi TV: Part 6

Welcome to another selection of interesting (and unfortunately, also less interesting) movies on Tubi TV! I have noticed that my selections tend to be quite international, and this week is no exception. From Denmark to South Korea, from a historical drama to horror, here we go again!

A Danish Oscar Nominee: A Royal Affair (2012)

The Danes have been very popular with the Academy the last 10 years with regular appearances on shortlists, nominations, and even a win. One of the nominations (both for the Oscar and Golden Globe, by the way) is A Royal Affair, a historical drama, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Denmark’s own sex symbol.

The story takes place in the 18th century. Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain is about to marry Christian VII of Denmark. She expects to encounter a dashing young man who shares her passion for the arts and education. Instead, she ends up with a sickly looking king, who suffers from mental health problems. After the birth of their son and because of the growing infidelity of the king, the pair grows apart from each other.

Enter the new royal physician Johann Struensee. In the beginning, Caroline and Struensee are quite indifferent toward each other. That changes when they discover their mutual interest in literature, and a friendship grows. It doesn’t take long for the two become lovers, thus creating one of the most scandalous periods in Danish history. Moreover, the pair try to bring Denmark from the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment by encouraging the king to introduce various laws.

I have to admit: the Danes really deserved their nominations and awards for this movie. A Royal Affair is an elegant, sumptuous production with magnificent cinematography as well as a great soundtrack and some solid acting. You can literally see the sparks flying between Alicia Vikander (princess Caroline) and Mads Mikkelsen (Struensee). If you are not acquainted with Danish cinema, A Royal Affair is the perfect introduction to it.

Another South Korean Masterpiece: Lady Vengeance (2005)

It all started with me watching the American remake of Oldboy, Park Chan-wook‘s 2003 masterpiece. (If you are interested, you can seek out Spike Lee’s remake, but it will not be your best movie experience of the year…) And then I asked myself if I could find the other two movies in his Vengeance Trilogy somewhere else. On Tubi TV, I was lucky: women first, so I typed in Lady Vengeance, and had an immediate result.

The movie starts when Ms. Geum-ja is released from prison, where she spent thirteen and a half years for a kidnap and murder she did not commit. In jail, she was known as a kind-hearted lady. But now it’s time for revenge. She first tracks down her daughter (given up for adoption). And then with the help of some of the former cellmates, she tracks down the kidnapper and murderer. But will revenge lead to relief and gratification?

There are two versions of this movie. The first one is a full-color version. In the second version, the colors fade until there is only a stark black and white left. On Tubi TV, you will find the latter one. A wise choice since this change in color suits the evolution of the atmosphere of the movie.

But how to describe the ambiance of this movie? Several words come up in my head. Intense. Grotesque. Emotional. Over the top. Violent. Fierce. In the hands of a bad main actress, the challenging role of the main character could have led to a disaster. But Lee Yeong-ae perfectly shows you can be fragile and tough at the same time. Moreover, she creates a movie character that stays in your mind long after you have seen Lady Vengeance. Great movie, although just like Oldboy, I guess this is not for everyone.

And will I try to find the first part of the trilogy? I absolutely will!

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