sukapesta Reviews

A Moment to Remember (2004)

Total tearjerker... and I still fell for it...

[10/10 · 9 May 2006]

Having watched so many Korean movies and dramas that end with someone having a terminal illness (Autumn in My Heart, I'm Sorry I Love You, remember those?) I thought I'd discovered all the tearjerker tricks... Nothing, however, could have prepared me for this one... Unlike the previous deals, the illness doesn't so much kill you physically as it does mentally, and trust me, that is much much worse... First of all I'd like to commend the screenwriter for hitting the right spot with the first half... I thought the history between the couple is presented really well... I don't know why some people think it's too fast-paced cos it is possible for people to fall in love and get married in that amount of time, and I thought the use of elliptical editing was just right, not so excessive that you feel like you're seeing a trailer... The second half is the one that I think felt a little bit rushed, but the story is so mesmerizing that honestly you don't really care... And Cheol-soo is one heck of a husband, I don't know if I'd ever be able to do what he did (and let me warn you girls, that guys like Cheol-soo exist only in movies)... And I didn't think the ending was ambiguous, more like open-ended... The last scene is guaranteed to make you shed buckets... The cinematography is beautiful, as others have mentioned... They did a lot of close-ups with both characters in the same frame, which I think is really endearing... And also panoramic shots of the land where they wanted to build their house which were beautiful... My favorite thing, however, is the soundtrack... The Spanish songs are right on target but my absolute favorite is when they played "Nessun Dorma!" from Turandot (my favorite aria of all time) during the wedding scene... I cried, and it wasn't even the sad part yet... All and all, fabulous, fabulous movie... 10/10

What's Up with Cinta? (2002)

a delectable treat, but don't get your hopes up...

[9/10 · 20 September 2005]

i just found that yes, IMDb does have a page on this film, and i'd like to comment on it, cos Indonesia truly owes much of the revival of its film industry to this gem... i don't need to summarize the plot, cos i'm pretty sure those who actually get to this page have watched the film themselves... so, acting-wise... this was the pinnacle of Dian Sastrowardoyo's career, i feel now she's getting arrogant, acting solely in highly art-house flicks that honestly won't sell without her name on the posters, same goes for her co-star Nicholas Saputra... but in this film, both were incredibly successful in depicting the lives of typical teenagers in Jakarta (well, not exactly typical, i have yet to meet teenagers that crazy about poetry)...

script-wise... excellent... unlike most other Indonesian teen flicks, i do not see the formal language syndrome nor excessive, pretentious use of slang... setting... Indonesia at its best, shows only the glamorous, glittery, upper-class side of the city, but there's enough (mostly boring) films out there on the supposedly dark side of Jakarta, so let's not argue on that... directing and editing... i can't remember much about this aspect of the film, which i guess means that it's just mediocre... no great staccato or surrealist style whatsoever here... sound... as another user have commented, the soundtracks are mercilessly inserted into every single scene, all sung by the same singer, sounding very similar one song to the next...

now, the part where you shouldn't get your hopes up... while this film has really made its mark in the Indonesian film history, and has resulted in the newfound appreciation for local cinema, no other teen film since has even come close to it, both in terms of quality and theatrical success... (eiffel i'm in love, anyone?) and then comes the worst part, the TV show... yes, those of you lucky enough to reside in Indonesia know what i'm talking about... this film has spawned a worse-than-average telenovela no one was interested in after the first episode... i'm not even sure if it's still on TV now, if it is, don't bother, if it's not, well good riddance... they cast mostly unknowns in parts our beloved Dian Sastro and Nicholas Saputra made household names, with the casting process hyped up in a soon-forgotten reality show... commercial much?

so my advice would be, rent the film, engross yourself in it, and enjoy it while it lasts, cos it literally doesn't get any better than this...

The Man Who Planted Trees (1987)

One of those movies that touch lives (especially mine)!

[10/10 · 4 September 2005]

I watched this masterpiece on the first day of my Intro to Film class, it's one of the professor's favorites, and I can't see why it shouldn't be... For half an hour I just sat there, completely mesmerized by the beautiful animation and wonderful message of this film... In this era of Finding Nemo, Valiant, and all the 3-D overdose, watching this film is a breath of fresh air... It makes you long for the simpler days of animation, and a single frame of this particular animation is more lively and real than Pixar or Dreamworks can ever hope to achieve...

But the story... Wow... Halfway into the film, I was still sitting there, mouth agape, but then tears just started rolling down my cheeks, as corny as it may sound... Christopher Plummer's soft, grandfather-like voice (and I'm sure the French version has an equally, if not more, accomplished narrator) conveys one of the most meaningful, touching stories I've ever heard... For the first time, there's a movie that I genuinely think everyone should watch, as otherwise they'd be deprived of what may be their greatest cinematic experience ever... This is one superb, inspiring film, and it deserves every single award and nomination it has received...

My Father the Hero (1994)

I LOVE IT!

[29 September 2003]

First time I watched this movie was on Laser Disc about 5 years ago. I liked it so much I taped it from HBO a couple of years later. The plot is a wee bit cliche, but there are many unexpectedly entertaining scenes, like when Gerard Depardieu (Andre) sang 'Thank Heavens for Little Girls', inoblivious to the fact that the audience thought he was a paedophile, and all those fights between Katherine Heigl (Nicole) and James Dalton (Ben) were just so... amusing, especially with Dalton being impossibly cute and all. Anyway, now I've finally bought the DVD and I'm re-watching it regularly.

Passport to Paris (1999 Video)

Just another Olsen movie...

[10 April 2003]

I've watched this movie a few times and it just gets worse every time. At first I thought this movie was... cute. I mean the twins' clothes weren't so bad. The guys are quite fortunate-looking, lousy accent aside, though I cannot understand what these seemingly normal boys see in those two self-centered, shallow, spoiled brats. Anyway the Olsen twins acted horrendously as expected. However in this Olsen movie, and, I've noticed, the ones after, BOTH of the girls are bimbos wearing too much make-up and drooling over boys. Previously one of them would have a grungier style and a clearer conscience. Like all Olsen movies, the plot is predictable and the twins managed to save themselves and in this case the rest of France. I really don't recommend watching it more than once, especially if you're not into family movies.