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Medysofyan
Reviews
Inside Out (2015)
There is no bad emotion in 'Inside Out'
For me, the film turns out to be more than what I expected: an emotional roller-coaster. It explores not only about the competition of five personified emotions inside an 11-year-old girl to control her actions, but also a dazzlingly picturesque imagery of a world inside a human's head. That includes some of astounding depictions of a mind map, such as Dream Productions, Emotions Head-quarters, Imagination Land, Long Term Memory Labyrinth, Personality Islands, and the creepy, dark chasm of Memory Dump.
The scenes mostly take place in the mind of a girl named Riley, who suddenly finds a bumpy road after being uprooted from her Midwest life as her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), who is the main emotion here, tries as best as she can to ensure Riley to be happy in the new city. However, the other four emotions, Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) dominate Riley's mind as she experience some culture shocks.
The condition is getting worse after Sadness touches some memory orbs containing the Minnesota's memories, making Riley desperately misses the old town and hate her current place. Joy tries to prevent Sadness from touching core memories but they accidentally plunged out of Head-quarters, leaving Fear, Anger and Disgust to take care the fragile girl. I'm sure you can predict what chaos that is going to happen next.
What I love the most about Inside Out, like other Pixar's films, is the ability to touch adult audiences through childhood memories and imagination. In Toy Story, we are all connected to the toys, and reminisce that we used to have a special toy. Inside Out has that charm too. Besides taking us to travel the dazzlingly animated world of Riley's mind, it also shows us the cherished memories that adults might forget about, including the joy of our parents when we were born, the fear of Grandma's vacuum cleaner and the weird Birthday clown, and a cheerful imaginary friend, which in Riley's mind, is a pink elephant named Bing Bong. I love Bing Bong so much I cried when he said Riley had stopped playing with him as she grew older — and told Sadness about a lost wagon-rocket: 'It's all I had of Riley.' I think Inside Out is one of the finest Pixar's animated ever made. I'm surprised that the film gets too much hatred for 'putting an adult theme into a child's movie'. I think it's a perfect movie to watch with the whole family, so the parents can understand what's exactly going on in their children's minds. The kids can learn about prime emotions and how they're all connected. The point is, there is no such thing as a bad emotion, that the emotions all have in common is that they are all about taking care of you.
Annie Hall (1977)
Annie Hall, Woody Allen's Best Movie Ever
I didn't expect much before watching Woody Allen's Annie Hall, given the fact that this movie was released 37 years ago. I was a fan of Allen's works that only out in the 2000's era, such as Vicky Christina Barcelona, Midnight in Paris and Blue Jasmine. However, many movie-critics state that Annie Hall, which made Allen took home Oscar for directing and writing, is Allen's best and one of the best films ever.
After watching this film I couldn't agree more with those reviews. And I knew that writing a review for this perfect movie would be a hard one. So I read those reviews again, and a very good one came from Roger Ebert. He wrote an interesting analysis about what Allen intended through the movie and put a conclusion: "Annie Hall" is a movie about a man who is always looking for the loopholes in perfection. Who can turn everything into a joke, and wishes he couldn't.
Alvy Singer (Woody Allen), a gag writer and stand-up comic is frustrated that his relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) has ended. For Alvy, Annie is an insecure, carefree gal but the only person who can keep up with his wit and negativity. Even though they always argue and fight, that makes them inseparable. Once they argue about sex life while standing in line for the movies. Then they fight because of Alvy's jealousy on Annie having affair with her college professor. Their fights often contain randomly hilarious jokes, a memorable one for me is this: Alvy Singer: It's mental masturbation! Annie Hall: And you would know all about THAT, wouldn't you? Alvy Singer: Hey, don't knock masturbation! It's sex with someone I love.
Go ahead, judge me for highlighting this of all the gags.
I love this movie because it is not an ordinary comedy about love that makes me giggle but it explores loves and all the emotions involved, the characters don't hide their true feelings and deal with others' weak point in an absurd and hilarious ways. They even ask random people on the streets about relationship things and talk to audience.
Allen and Keaton has the real chemistry in this film, I guess it's because they were playing themselves. The former real life couple portrayed unique ways of spending time together. In their first date, Alvy cheers up sad Annie by offering a kiss so they can digest their food better. Then they try to make meals boiling live lobsters. And yeah, the sweetest thing he ever say to her in the movie is "Love is too weak a word for what I feel – I luuurve you, you know, I loave you, I luff you, two F's, yes I have to invent, of course I – I do, don't you think I do?" A line from this movie that sticks in my head me the most is when Allen says a joke about his relationship with woman: "I don't want to belong to any club that will have me as a member." It makes my mind blown. If you don't want to be a member of any club, then why bother entering? I mean if there is any club that you enjoy, how come you don't want to join? I mean as a member, you will get some advantages, like discount or membership card or social status. I think it's really important for us to have a sense of belonging for something we love. But wait, some people are just different and irrational, including me. I think my ability that always frustrates me is unconsciously distance myself from everyone I love because I'm unconsciously "looking for the loopholes in perfection." I tried to push myself to believe love is not about finding the perfect one unless I want to end up being alone. I'm getting there, I guess.
So, that's all I can say about this movie, and I know I could never top Ebert's review with a great conclusion, but at least I tried to show my love and appreciation to this rare gem made by Allen. How about you? Do you also think that the movie is Allen's best? Feel free to comment and discuss, especially if you are Allen's fans!
Kokuhaku (2010)
Confessions (Kokuhaku): Crime lessons in a bleak coming-of-age tale
Imagine this: You are a teacher who has just discovered that two of your students are responsible for your daughter's death. Filled with anger and grief, you're more than ready to take your revenge. But what if the murderers are considered under-ages (middle school students), and they can't be punished fairly because the law protects them? That is the main plot of this Japanese psychological thriller from the brilliant director Tetsuya Nakashima. Confessions aka Kokuhaku, which is adapted from a debut novel by Kanae Minato, takes unfolding mysteries in a movie to a whole new level, like opening a box of intellectual surprises. As the story reveal the major character's confessions, the more I know about their motives, and made it hard for me to choose sides.
I think Nakashima tries to show how dangerous kids could become if their parents don't treat them properly. In the era of internet and social media, children are prone to be influenced by bad contents if their parents don't guide them. As in Confessions, one of the murderers is a neglected kid who is incredibly smart, but turns into a devious criminal because the society (netizens) doesn't care about his good grades, but cheers to his bad-ass delinquency.
"Nobody taught me that killing people was wrong. Where other kids got read picture books and fairy tales, my mom taught me Ohm's Law and Norton's theorum. She only ever talked about electronics," Shuuya, a 13-year-old genius student who kills innocent people only for his nonchalant, career-oriented mother to notice him.
The setting may resembles 'Elephant' by Gus Van Sant, or 'We Need to Talk about Kevin' by Lynne Ramsay. However, both of which focus on teenagers having mental illness and their insane violence. On the other hand, 'Confessions' portrays how a teacher explores under-aged criminal minds and gives them punishment that serves them right.
The film's palette are dominated by black-and-grey colors, with clever play on details mostly showcase middle school student stuffs, perfectly blended by dark, engaging soundtracks. The tone, art and theme somehow reminds me of Richard Ayoade's work in 'Submarine'. I must say the soundtracks are top-notch and sometimes add cuteness and quirk to bloody scenes. The only flaw is too much slow-motion and repetitive scenes though sometimes effective to deliver emotions.
On the whole, 'Confessions' is a bleak, savage and mind-blowing thriller that takes on heavy subjects in coming age realm, with engrossing story lines and arousing life-lesson quotes.
Lilting (2014)
"Lilting", a thought-provoking slice of cross-cultural life
Lilting: (adj) pleasant rise and fall of the voice Like its title, this movie exhibits that spoken language can't be as good as emotions to connect two different people, who shares grief for the same person they love deeply.
Richard, a British guy, trying to communicate with Junn, a widowed Cambodian-Chinese woman who is the mother of his dead boyfriend, Kai. Richard intends to help Junn, who lives in London but doesn't have any other family taking care of her after Kai's death. It turns out to be difficult, because Junn doesn't speak English and she hates Richard for getting in between Kai and her. She doesn't know her son was gay, and Richard feels responsible to tell her because Kai was about to come out before he died.
To help oil the communication wheel, Richard hires translator, a Chinese descent girl named Vann. She helps translate for Alan, an old man who likes Junn and lives in the same nursing home. However, as Vann helps Richard talk to Junn, somehow the translator got carried away emotionally; she tries making Junn understand that Richard is the love of Kai's life, and the person who can get her son's attention as much as she does. And they need to help each other to move on.
I think the most fascinating element of this movie is that, despite the communication problem, eventually Richard and Junn manage to understand each other by showing their true feelings to Kai. Ben Wishaw has delivered impeccable performance as the achingly suppressed Richard. Every time I remember about Richard's face crumpled with grief, it saddens me. That's how good Wishaw's acting is. Hong Kong actress Cheng Pei-pei also succeeded to portray the stoic and conservative Junn.
The end of the movie is beautifully artistic, depicting Junn's true feeling and why she refuse to adapt to the new culture she's been facing for years. And like any good mother, she'll always love her son unconditionally. Here's Junn's great monologue toward the end of Lilting: Through plenty of crying, I've learnt to be content that I won't always be happy, secure in my loneliness, hopeful that I will be able to cope. Every year on Christmas Day I get very lonely. An incredible feeling of solitude. On this day, everything has stood still, even the trees have stopped rustling, but I'm still moving, I want to move, but I have nothing to move to, and nowhere to go. The scars beneath my skin suddenly surface and I get scared. Scared of being alone.
The sub-conflict between Junn and Alan – who get the benefit from the translator in the beginning but then stop after discover each other bad habits – adds humor to the gloomy story. In a nutshell, the first move of Cambodian-born British director Hong Khaou is a reflection of sensitive subjects, such as same-sex relationship, transcends through cultural barrels: it can be amusing, intense, and poignant. Hong did a tremendous job by making this debut looks personal and real, with the help of wonderful cinematography done by Urszula Pontikus and melancholic music by Stuart Earl.
The Cure (1995)
The Cure, the first movie that taught me the art of letting go
This is the first Western drama I watched when I was a kid that showed me how fun it is to have a childhood adventure with your best friend but at the same time it touched my childish heart with its poignant plot.
I think it's a great movie because I really enjoyed it and I could easily relate to the two lead characters: a hard-edged, misfit Erik and Dexter, an eleven years old boy who got AIDS from blood transfusion. The way these kids deal with the horrible disease and then embark on an adventure to find the cure – is natural and uplifting.
After growing up and watch it again, I've noticed some things that intensify my love for this movie, which I didn't fully understand then. It taught me, in the most simple and sincere way, about the danger of AIDS and the importance of supports to the patients. I love how Erik stand up for his next-door-ailing- best-friend against the bullies and his alcoholic and abusive mother. And Dexter beautifully portrays a terminally-ill kid who is just too young to understand his situation and decides to just live with it.
The acting of Brad Renfro and Joseph Mazzello, who play Erik and Dexter respectively, is impeccable. The relationship between the two boys are solid, like they were meant to complete each other. Erik is a rebel and outdoorsy, which he got from his distant and storming mother. On the contrary, Dexter is smart and witty boy whose sweet relationship with his mom fascinates Erik. He sticks to Dexter and his mother's imperfect but happy life, regardless rejections from surroundings.
The most memorable scene from this movie is what I called 'the shoe metaphor'. On one night in the middle of their naive-but-brave adventure, Dexter tells Erik about his fear of death and nothingness.
Dexter: Suppose you kept going another 18 billion light years, what if there's nothing out there? Suppose you kept going another trillion times further, so far out you see nothing. The light from the universe would be fainter than the faintest star. Infinitely cold. Infinitely dark. Sometimes if I wake up and it's dark, I get really scared, like I'm out there and I'm never coming back.
Erik: Here, hold onto this when you sleep. And if you wake up and you're scared, you'll say, "Wait a minute. I'm holding Eric's shoe. Why the hell would I be holding some smelly basketball shoe a trillion light years from the universe? I must be here on earth, safe in my sleeping bag, and Eric must be close by." And the smelly shoe, continues to bring tears off of my eyes in the end of the movie, when Erik puts the shoe to Dexter's hand in his coffin, – then releases Dexter's black funeral shoe to the river. This is very saddening because the boys start their adventure from the river with a raft made of used tire. The adventure that will always continue and bonds them forever.
Lastly, this movie is the first movie that taught me the art of letting go. No matter how much we love someone, we need to be able to let go and move on. And we gotta keep holding on their beautiful memories so they will live forever in our hearts – and in heaven.
Philomena (2013)
Philomena, another great performance from Judi Dench
"What if he was a drug addict Martin, or
what if he was obese? I watched this documentary that said a lot of Americans are huge – what if that's happened to him?" The quote above is one of many questions that Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) wants to be answered from her long-lost son, Anthony. After 50 years, the Irish middle-aged woman decides to tell everybody, including her daughter, that she has another son whom she doesn't even know where his whereabouts.
First I just want to say that any movie that highlight the connection between a mother and her children always has the potential to be a sweet tear-jerker. Because I believe that every mother have a magical connection with their children, for they have held the babies in their stomachs for nine months and give birth, even deal with the pain that I can't even imagine.
Anyway, Philomena is one of these mother-children films, and I can say that it is a good one. And Judi Dench, who plays the role of Philomena, has successfully portrayed her as a lovely, gentle and religious mother by her amazing acting skills.
The story itself tells about the search of Philomena's son, Anthony, with the help from a retired journalist, Martin Sixsmith. I always love any story which has journalist as the main character because I'm a journalist and I think it's an awesome job and many great films are inspired by journalist stories.
The calamity of Philomena starts when she was a teenage and becomes pregnant out-of-wedlock. In Ireland, unmarried sex is a sin and she must spend some years working in a convent as her punishment. Most of the nuns are cruel and Philomena has only one hour to visit her son. One day, a young couple from America come to the convent and the head nun who is meretricious, Sister Hildegarde, sold Anthony. Philomena is so shocked and screams painfully because her son is taken away in front of her eyes and she can do nothing.
Steve Coogan did a good job in this film (he also co-write the screenplay), portraying a former journalist who still has rebellious and critical thinking. The interesting part for me is how Martin, an atheist and cynic, changed after spending some times with the religious and kindhearted old woman.
However, my heart breaks when Philomena finds that Anthony is already dead years ago. I really want to hug Judi Dench, or Philomena that time. She's been dealing with the pain and shame for 50 years because she is a religious and devoted old lady. And after she gets the courage, the truth is really poignant and makes me cried.
And who deserves the most blame? It's the wicked nun! I think Sister Hildegarde has done a very big crime: separates a mother from her son and hides the truth, even after Anthony finally tries to find his real mother and asks Hildegarde himself. How come a servant of God does such things? I thought that Philomena would be so angry about this. But I was stunned that she could forgive the unforgivable. Watching this movie took me where I did not expect to go. For me, who is lucky enough to get raised by a lovely mother, this movie is a great reminder to be grateful and cherish every moment I have with my mom. Thanks Judi Dench, for depicting Philomena perfectly.