Have a Nice Day

A cute little cartoon that is full of Chinese flavors and memories from the 90s. It is refreshing to see a cartoon that basically has no Japanese or American flavors, for just this the creators should be applauded for. The story is interesting too, and somewhat befitting of the structure, as it is simple, direct and ridiculous. The ironic humor of the film flows propels then story forward and pokes fun at so many aspects of society, but it can only carry it to a certain extent. The film lacks depth to be truly impactful even though it is full of heart.

Greetings again from the darkness. One need only read the credits to understand that this is a personal project of Liu Jian. It's kind of comical to see his name come up as writer, director, illustrator, producer, and editor. He even wrote at least one of the songs featured in the film! An animated film from China that is clearly influenced by the likes of Quentin Tarantino and some modern day madcap caper films offers a nice respite from the typical January releases that hit the theatre.

Jian's film is a crime thriller with socioeconomic subtext that hovers over each scene. An extended opening credits sequence provides the lay of the land (in this case, city) for the upcoming story. There is very little build up to the crime that ignites the cluster that follows. Xiao Zhang steals a bag filled with one million yuan. The bag belongs to "Uncle Liu", a feared crime lord and gangster who sends his trusted and ruthless hitman "Skinny" to retrieve his money.

The old adage, "follow the money", comes into play here. Following the money is not as simple as it sounds, as these aren't brilliant criminal minds at work here. In addition to Tarantino, thoughts of the Coen Brothers came to mind, as did the Scorsese gem AFTER HOURS. Xiao Zhang has no heroic or altruistic motives. He simply wants to pay for a re-do of his fiancé's botched plastic surgery. The zaniness around the money involves many colorful participants, each who have their own designs for the bag.

A couple of odd musical interludes involve Shangri-La and some ocean waves, and there is a God vs. Buddha debate that reminds of the infamous Mighty Mouse vs Superman argument in STAND BY ME. The film played well at festivals and at 77 minutes, it's a briskly-paced chase movie that might have benefitted from a bit more humor.

Xiao Zhang is a good kid, but his girlfriend had botched plastic surgery and he needs money to get her another operation, so he robs Uncle Liu, a shady crime boss, of a million yuan. Uncle Liu, unsurprisingly, wants it back, so he sends enforcer/hit-man Skinny on Xiao Zhang's trail, but already things are complicated because other people have stumbled across the young man and know what's in his bag…. This is kind of a modern Chinese animated take on "Pulp Fiction," only told in a brisk 77 minutes, including a hallucinatory scene in which one of the couples after the money sing about moving to "Shangri- La." It's extremely recent, as it includes Trump's first press conference after his election win and references to Brexit, but the sort of gritty, down-on-its-luck industrial town in which the events of this single day take place is quite timeless, and the down-on-their-luck characters respond to "free money" in the way humans have since it was invented. Quirky, odd and inventive; if you get the chance, by all means see it!

A neo-noir animated take on a mob film, following a big bag of money as it moves from one person to the next, suspiciously. At once an absurdist escape and a biting commentary on consumer culture, the movie will captivate big audiences with its homage to films like "The Godfather," "Blade Runner" and the works of Tarantino. The characters are all fascinating in their oddities, and the animation style captures the mood in even the smallest details— like a dog limping in the background or a neon sign flickering on the street. Watch it for the violence, watch it for the dry humor, but definitely watch it because the visual style is artistic, emotional and insanely brilliant.

Everyone and everything in this movie is a "used to be". The gangster boss who finds out that his money was stolen, used to be involved in more important deals. The hit-man who is supposed to get the money back now works at a butcher's shop. His best days are behind him. The hotel where the main character tries to hide for sure has seen brighter days.

The story is set on the edge of any large Chinese city. The drawing style focuses attention on the fact that decay is everywhere. Even though building sites are part of the cityscape at all times.

Brilliantly ironic, even cynical, with a great soundtrack by the Shanghai Restoration Project this animated movie is a definite recommendation.