We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

(from http://www.overdose.am)

Info:

Director: Lynne Ramsay

Cast: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller

Synopsis:

Kevin’s mother struggles to love her strange child, despite the increasingly vicious things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.

What I Liked:

We Need to Talk About Kevin is a highly underrated movie and I am glad to have watched it.

Tilda Swinton brings out a hauntingly beautiful performance of a mother who has an increasingly difficult relationship with her son Kevin (played brilliantly by Ezra Miller), almost that it seems like  she is being abused by him. Kevin and the mother’s character are visually very similar that you are not sure whether Kevin is a product of his mother or was he born sociopathic. It is difficult to point fingers on an innocent toddler , but is he the abuser or the abused?

Ramsay frames each shot brilliantly and changes between the scenes seamlessly. The story is constructed really well and builds slowly. The beautiful use of the color red which also plays such  prominent role that you might find 50 shades of red an appropriate title.  The soundtrack plays in tune with the haunting mood of the movie, jumping from the campy music to the haunting shamisen. Even the use of water sprinkler noise can bring such a chill into you while watching the movie.

The movie has given me more fear and chills than most other movies I’ve watched. I definitely look forward to watching more of Ramsay’s films.

Score(/4):

Acting : 3.7

Directing: 3.7

Visual: 3.8

Soundtrack: 3.8

Total :  3.8

 (Classic nature vs. nurture with a thrilling twist)

Coming back very soon

For the very few readers and for myself, I will be starting to post some more reviews/thoughts soon. I have been travelling for the past few months and applying to grad school which has kept me busy!

I have lots of movies to talk about, and hopefully this year will be more successful!

Carpe Diem,

T

Tokyo Sonata/ トウキョウソナタ (2008)

(from http://www.movieretrospect.blogspot.com)

Info:

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Cast: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi,Yu Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki, Kanji Tsuda, Koji Yakusho

Synopsis:

An ordinary Japanese family slowly disintegrates after its patriarch loses his job at a prominent company.

What I Liked:

A great family drama that brings you into the types of problem that arise within your average middle class semi-traditional Japanese family.  Kurosawa masterly captured the rising tension between the various members of the family and the father (Teruyuki Kagawa).  The problems seemed all too real especially for today’s generation growing up in Japan.  The best part for me was the way Kurosawa structured the movie (especially in the second half) with everyone in the family going through a personal journey, discovering themselves and their family throughout the journey. The vivid cinematography really excelled the overall movie especially by bringing out the sights and sounds of suburban Japan.

What I wasn’t a fan of:

The movie had confusing moments ,in terms of the movie’s tone, throughout the movie switching from comedic moments to morbidly dark moments really quickly. This gave a mixed message about whether the movie was trying to be a light hearted or a serious drama. Fortunately most of these are sorted out about a third into the movie, which assures the rest for a dramatic and emotion filled movie.

Score(/4):

Acting : 3.5

Directing: 3.8

Visual: 3.7

Soundtrack: 3.3

Total :  3.6

 (Modern Day Japanese Family Drama that feels all too real)

Battleship Potemkin/ Броненосец «Потёмкин» (1925)

 

(from http://www.pausafilm.blogspot.com)

Info:

Director: Sergei Eisenstein

Cast: Aleksandr Antonov,Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov, Ivan Bobrov, Mikhail Gomorov, Aleksandr Levshin, N. Poltavseva, Konstantin Feldman, Beatrice Vitoldi 

Synopsis:

A dramatized account of a great Russian naval mutiny and a resulting street demonstration which brought on a police massacre.

What I Liked:

Battleship Potemkin is the first non-comedic silent movie I’ve watched, and it was brilliant. The cinematography was contemporary in that it matches (even beats) most of the camerawork of current movies that are still in the theaters. Sergei Eisenstein  was a genius, and although Battleship Potemkin was just one of his many experiments; it was a very successful one! The music matched beautifully and the film sends shivers down your spine on the horrors of the Bolshevik Revolution. The writing was flawless and one of the most defining and tragic point in the movie: The Steps of Odessa, was exceptional.This is a propaganda movie like no other and if I were Russian at the time of it’s release, I probably would have fallen head over heels over the film’s message.

What I wasn’t a fan of:

I loved almost everything in this viewing, I don’t find anything weighing it down at this point in time.

Score(/4):

Acting : 3.5

Directing: 3.8

Visual: 3.8

Soundtrack: 3.7

Total :  3.7

 (Propaganda film like no other)

Shane (1953)

(from whatwouldtotowatch.com)

‘A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it.’ 

Info:

Director: George Stevens

Cast: Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon deWilde, Jack Palance

Synopsis:

A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smoldering settler/rancher conflict forces him to act.

What I Liked:

Shane is an enjoyable western even though there wasn’t one particular thing that stood out like in other westerns. Alan Ladd and Jean Arthur as the lead characters (Shane and Marian) were well acted, but Jack Palance steals the limelight who plays the crazy psychotic Jack Wilson. The landscape shots of Wyoming were visually astounding and really added to the film.

What I wasn’t a fan of:

Everything else was dull: the plot, the rest of the cast were just uninteresting. The worst was the little kid Joey (played by Brandon deWilde) throughout the whole movie shouting ‘Shane…Shane…Shane’ in that repetitive and irritating manner turned out to be really annoying which hurt the overall experience of the film.

Score(/4):

Acting : 3.2

Directing: 3.0

Visual: 3.5

Soundtrack: 3.2

Total :  3.2

 (A fun and entertaining Western, although it’s no Fistful of Dollars)

Shopgirl (2005)

(from http://www.reelingreviews.com)

 

Info:

Director: Anand Tucker

Cast: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras

Synopsis:

A film adaptation of Steve Martin’s novel about a complex love triangle between a bored salesgirl, a wealthy businessman and an aimless young man.

What I Liked:

Shopgirl was one of those movies I wasn’t sure what to think about it before watching it. I had no clue about Steve Martin’s work in the field of drama until this movie came up in the local film club. The visuals were so cinematic, and beautiful which usually isn’t the star of a film of the light hearted dramedy genre. The soundtrack complemented the visual shots very well. Steve Martin was impressive, especially for not being in his usual comic role and Clare Danes fit perfectly for the role of Mirabelle.

What I wasn’t a fan of:

The plot and direction was okay. It had potential to be better, but it seemed that the sometimes the direction of the movie lost focus and I didn’t know to where the movie was going (especially with the subplots).

Score(/4):

Acting : 3.4

Directing: 2.7

Visual: 3.5

Soundtrack: 3.2

Total :  3.2

 ( A nice light hearted movie to watch)

The East (2013)

(from http://www.thevipconcierge.com)

 

Info:

Director: Zal Batmanglij

Cast: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page, Patricia Clarkson

Synopsis:

An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities changing dramatically after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations

What I Liked:

The East is a well made thriller that deals with the themes of eco terrorism. It asks questions that we are too afraid to ask. Marling, Skarsgard and Page do a great job with their characters. The movie is well paced, and the story develops slowly but steadily to a mediocre finale. The cinematography was on par, making The East electrifying and spine-tingling.

What I wasn’t a fan of:

The problem with The East is that it sets itself up for too much, with a powerful beginning. The film gets muddled up at points deciding whether to focus on the characters, the plot or the message. This leads the movie to a mediocre ending. I don’t always look for movies to end in a crescendo, but this movie built itself for that.

Score(/4):

Acting : 3.2

Directing: 3.0

Visual: 3.4

Soundtrack: 3.3

Total :  3.2

 (A good thriller for today’s world and generation)

Yi Yi: A One and a Two (2000)

(from http://www.reverseshot.com)

 

Info:

Director: Edward Yang

Cast: Nien-Jen Wu, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata, Kelly Lee, Jonathan Chang, Hsi-Sheng Chen, Su-Yun Ko

Synopsis:

This warm and thoughtful drama focuses on computer worker N.J. and his family who are suffering a crisis of self-doubt when, following a chance meeting with a former lover, N.J. starts to question the assumptions on which his life is based.

What I Liked:

Yi Yi is a drama about a Taiwanese family which might seem like a very different culture than we know, yet the characters all feel familiar. There isn’t a structural plot but instead the film is a series of events that occur to the central characters (i.e the Jiang Family). This makes the film noteworthy as a a lot of what happens ranges from the subtle emotions going through a teenagers mind to the all out tragicness of losing someone. Jonathan Chang and Kelly Lee who play Yang-Yang and Ting-Ting respectively do a phenomenal job with the acting.

What I wasn’t a fan of:

Slightly too long in certain parts and the editing can make certain scenes seem more confusing than they need to be. The film feels mechanized in its direction at times from a storytelling point of view.

Score(/4):

Acting : 3.3

Directing: 3.0

Visual: 3.4

Soundtrack: 3.2

Total :  3.2

 (Watch it for the Chang’s and Lee’s performances’)

Man Of Steel (2013)

(from http://www.wikipedia.org)

‘You’re the answer, son. You’re the answer to: are we alone in the universe’

Info:

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue. Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Melon, Russell Crowe

Synopsis:

A young itinerant worker is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race.

What I Liked:

Man of Steel was entertaining and fun. One of the better movies of the summer, while still having a bit more substance than the usual formulaic nonsense. Hans Zimmer does a good job with the soundtrack, keeping it with godliness qualities of superman. The movie takes us into a different side of superman. Unlike his previous incarnations, the movie isn’t as comedic or light hearted but gives a slightly deeper look into who superman is. Overall, this movie is an enjoyable and should be taken as such.

What I wasn’t a fan of:

With a number of TV actors making into movies, you would think the acting to be better but the acting was at best, above average. The last hour of Snyder style pure CGI action can definitely be shortened making the movie less distracting.

Score(/4):

Acting : 2.5

Directing: 3.0

Visual: 2.7

Soundtrack: 3.0

Total :  2.8

(Definitely one of the better action movies out for the summer)

Fitzcarraldo (1982)

(from http://www.flickr.com)

Info:

Director: Werner Herzog

Cast: Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy

Synopsis:

The story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle.

What I Liked:

Klaus Kinski is the epitome of madness. He captures the aura of a mad man perfectly (sliglthy different from Aguirre). The visuals were spectacular. The camera shots captured the tensions between the crew, the natives and various characters perfectly. The wide shots of the Amazon were beautiful and mystifying which allows the amazonian forest to be alive with virtually no music. The close ups on the various animals gave a certain feeling of easyness in the unknown exotic setting. The score was magnificent (including the opera). It had an ominous yet ethereal feel which complemented the visuals just brilliantly.

What I wasn’t a fan of:

Rest of the cast were all right. The plot can be anticlimatic at points which can make the movie seem like it’s going in cricles at times.

Score(/4):

Acting : 3.7

Directing: 3.5

Visual: 3.8

Soundtrack: 3.8

Total :  3.7

 (If you haven’t watched a Werzog and Kinski collaboration, this would be the first one to watch. Mad men at their best.)