Statistics
10/10 - 3
9/10 - 7
8.5/10 - 8
8/10 - 24
7.5/10 - 23
7/10 - 24
6.5/10 - 2
6/10 - 7
5/10 - 1
3/10 - 1
Average Moving Rating = 756.6/100 = 7.565
Favorite Movie: Diabolique
Least Favorite Movie: The Room
9/10 - 7
8.5/10 - 8
8/10 - 24
7.5/10 - 23
7/10 - 24
6.5/10 - 2
6/10 - 7
5/10 - 1
3/10 - 1
Average Moving Rating = 756.6/100 = 7.565
Favorite Movie: Diabolique
Least Favorite Movie: The Room
#100 The Apartment (8/09/12)

Dir. Billy Wilder
1960
What a fantastic end to my second round of 100 films 1 year film journals! Seriously, new annual Christmas film right here. Billy Wilder communicates emotions so genuinely as in none of his characters or situations feel scripted nor are they all that ordinary. I see his movies whether it be Some Like it Hot, Witness for the Prosecution, or my favorite piece The Apartment, I'm awed at his ability to bring to light repressed human instincts such as desiring to be the opposite gender (at least temporarily), to protect loved ones even if it means lying, and finally, to get in front of all other competitors through corruption and bribery. Now, let's talk specifically about The Apartment. While I would normally give a brief summary of the piece, I thought seeing how the adorable story unfold from the very beginning was one of the movie's many charms I hope never to take away. Very few movies catch my attention from the start, but the opening monologue spoken by Jack Lemmon (one of my favorite old-timey comedians) dives straight into the core of the narrative without any unnecessary gimmicks. And Lemmon introduces a new type of acting: realism. Yes, it's a black and white movie but the dialogues are so fast-paced and clever and I guarantee cannot be found in today's comedic works.
10/10
1960
What a fantastic end to my second round of 100 films 1 year film journals! Seriously, new annual Christmas film right here. Billy Wilder communicates emotions so genuinely as in none of his characters or situations feel scripted nor are they all that ordinary. I see his movies whether it be Some Like it Hot, Witness for the Prosecution, or my favorite piece The Apartment, I'm awed at his ability to bring to light repressed human instincts such as desiring to be the opposite gender (at least temporarily), to protect loved ones even if it means lying, and finally, to get in front of all other competitors through corruption and bribery. Now, let's talk specifically about The Apartment. While I would normally give a brief summary of the piece, I thought seeing how the adorable story unfold from the very beginning was one of the movie's many charms I hope never to take away. Very few movies catch my attention from the start, but the opening monologue spoken by Jack Lemmon (one of my favorite old-timey comedians) dives straight into the core of the narrative without any unnecessary gimmicks. And Lemmon introduces a new type of acting: realism. Yes, it's a black and white movie but the dialogues are so fast-paced and clever and I guarantee cannot be found in today's comedic works.
10/10
#99 Chungking Express (8/09/12)

Dir. Wong Kar-Wai
1994
Cinematically, this may be one of the best movies I've seen in the last couple months. It's stylistically original with its consistent but not excessive use of dutch angle and experimental editing. However, as a love story, I think Chungking Express had potential but failed to follow through and give the audience a closure. This movie is divided into two stories that ultimately have nothing to do with each other other than the fact that they are both about lonely individuals in the midst of sleepless Hong Kong yearning to love and to be loved. The transition between the two stories is spectacularly unnoticeable. It actually took me a good minute to realize that the director has thrown me into a completely different narrative with brand new characters and brand new situation. For me, contrary to most people's opinions, the first story was more enjoyable. The man shown is a cop who just broke up with his girlfriend of 5 years. His path crosses with that of a drug dealer who loses her supply and is being chased by her boss. Though the two characters have far different backgrounds and as a result their relationship seems to have an odd start, they are ultimately two lovelorn souls wandering the world to find comfort and closure. The second part plays off the same theme, but it felt too dragged on.
8.5/10
1994
Cinematically, this may be one of the best movies I've seen in the last couple months. It's stylistically original with its consistent but not excessive use of dutch angle and experimental editing. However, as a love story, I think Chungking Express had potential but failed to follow through and give the audience a closure. This movie is divided into two stories that ultimately have nothing to do with each other other than the fact that they are both about lonely individuals in the midst of sleepless Hong Kong yearning to love and to be loved. The transition between the two stories is spectacularly unnoticeable. It actually took me a good minute to realize that the director has thrown me into a completely different narrative with brand new characters and brand new situation. For me, contrary to most people's opinions, the first story was more enjoyable. The man shown is a cop who just broke up with his girlfriend of 5 years. His path crosses with that of a drug dealer who loses her supply and is being chased by her boss. Though the two characters have far different backgrounds and as a result their relationship seems to have an odd start, they are ultimately two lovelorn souls wandering the world to find comfort and closure. The second part plays off the same theme, but it felt too dragged on.
8.5/10
#98 Moon (8/08/12)

Dir. Duncan Jones
2009
First off, this rectangle to the left is seriously the best poster. I keep scrolling up and down and getting tripped out by it every time. This vastly under-appreciated science fiction movie stars an equally under-appreciated actor by the name of Sam Rockwell. He's all you get. You see, it's like a one man show with Kevin Spacey's voice playing his one and only computer companion. The plot of Moon reminded me a lot of my favorite classic show, The Twilight Zone, from its dealing with the outer space to its climatic twist to its thought provoking exploration of morality. I hope this isn't a huge spoiler given that it is revealed within the first 20 minutes, but the movie is about human cloning. Sam Bell has a contract of working on the moon for 3 years for Lunar Industries, which specializes in providing clean energy for earthly use. As his contract approaches deadline and he is ready to go home, his body and mind coincidentally deteriorate. He is replaced by a healthier version of himself, but alas, the "original" Sam Bell isn't quite dead yet. The film's main story is composed of the two characters' quest to understand why there are two of them, why Sam Bell 1 is dying, what GERTY knows that they don't know. The film itself is a really fascinating argument against cloning and suggests the heinous immorality in treating clones as if they are far different from regular humans. Plus, what's better than one Sam Rockwell? Multiple of him.
8/10
2009
First off, this rectangle to the left is seriously the best poster. I keep scrolling up and down and getting tripped out by it every time. This vastly under-appreciated science fiction movie stars an equally under-appreciated actor by the name of Sam Rockwell. He's all you get. You see, it's like a one man show with Kevin Spacey's voice playing his one and only computer companion. The plot of Moon reminded me a lot of my favorite classic show, The Twilight Zone, from its dealing with the outer space to its climatic twist to its thought provoking exploration of morality. I hope this isn't a huge spoiler given that it is revealed within the first 20 minutes, but the movie is about human cloning. Sam Bell has a contract of working on the moon for 3 years for Lunar Industries, which specializes in providing clean energy for earthly use. As his contract approaches deadline and he is ready to go home, his body and mind coincidentally deteriorate. He is replaced by a healthier version of himself, but alas, the "original" Sam Bell isn't quite dead yet. The film's main story is composed of the two characters' quest to understand why there are two of them, why Sam Bell 1 is dying, what GERTY knows that they don't know. The film itself is a really fascinating argument against cloning and suggests the heinous immorality in treating clones as if they are far different from regular humans. Plus, what's better than one Sam Rockwell? Multiple of him.
8/10
#97 The Holiday (8/07/12)

Dir. Nancy Meyers
2006
I figured a movie, despite its genre being romantic comedy, would be decent if Kate Winslet starred in it. You see, I'm a huge fan of her. She was jaw-dropping in The Reader and Little Children. Perhaps every actor wants to do a romantic comedy at least once because frankly, it seems like a lot of fun. The Holiday looked like a movie that was fun to make although it really wasn't all that fun for me to watch it. The film embraces stereotypes especially regarding occupations and ethnicities. Of course the owner of a movie advertisement company in LA has a douche boyfriend, wears heels in snow, and has divorced parents which she claims is the cause of her inability to cry. And obviously British men are cultured, work as book editors, and inhumanely romantic. I much preferred the little friendship formed between Kate Winslet and Jack Black's characters because it felt a lot more down-to-earth unlike the scripted and sexual relationship formed between Jude Law and Cameron Diaz's characters. The friends I watched this with agreed with my preference so we were all a bit upset at the huge imbalance of the two stories' exposures. All in all, I think The Holiday makes an okay Christmas movie though I can recommend a dozen better ones. Oh the best part - Dustin Hoffman's 10 second cameo. I screamed, yup.
6.5/10
2006
I figured a movie, despite its genre being romantic comedy, would be decent if Kate Winslet starred in it. You see, I'm a huge fan of her. She was jaw-dropping in The Reader and Little Children. Perhaps every actor wants to do a romantic comedy at least once because frankly, it seems like a lot of fun. The Holiday looked like a movie that was fun to make although it really wasn't all that fun for me to watch it. The film embraces stereotypes especially regarding occupations and ethnicities. Of course the owner of a movie advertisement company in LA has a douche boyfriend, wears heels in snow, and has divorced parents which she claims is the cause of her inability to cry. And obviously British men are cultured, work as book editors, and inhumanely romantic. I much preferred the little friendship formed between Kate Winslet and Jack Black's characters because it felt a lot more down-to-earth unlike the scripted and sexual relationship formed between Jude Law and Cameron Diaz's characters. The friends I watched this with agreed with my preference so we were all a bit upset at the huge imbalance of the two stories' exposures. All in all, I think The Holiday makes an okay Christmas movie though I can recommend a dozen better ones. Oh the best part - Dustin Hoffman's 10 second cameo. I screamed, yup.
6.5/10
#96 The Good, the Bad, the Weird (8/06/12)

Dir. Kim Jee-Woon
2008
I would've thoroughly enjoyed this Korean spaghetti western movie if I hadn't seen Sergio Leoni's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly previously. But I had quite recently and I couldn't help but compare. If one is to adapt a work of art, he or she must do so with the confidence of living up to the greatness of the original piece or making a better version. This Korean film is an exact replica of the narrative and thematic elements of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. The setting is changed to 1930s Manchuria when the political status in Korea is chaotic due to its occupation by Japan. I actually thought this part the most fascinating - the colorful historical background of the film. The actors that play "the Bad" and "the Weird" are two of my current favorite Korean actors and knowing their previous works, I can say that the director of this piece didn't use their performance abilities to their full potential. Unlike spending time in the early half of the film with character development like the original does, the director chooses to skip character development completely and go straight into the never-ending chase scenes and bloody shootouts that got exhausting after a while.
7/10
2008
I would've thoroughly enjoyed this Korean spaghetti western movie if I hadn't seen Sergio Leoni's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly previously. But I had quite recently and I couldn't help but compare. If one is to adapt a work of art, he or she must do so with the confidence of living up to the greatness of the original piece or making a better version. This Korean film is an exact replica of the narrative and thematic elements of The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. The setting is changed to 1930s Manchuria when the political status in Korea is chaotic due to its occupation by Japan. I actually thought this part the most fascinating - the colorful historical background of the film. The actors that play "the Bad" and "the Weird" are two of my current favorite Korean actors and knowing their previous works, I can say that the director of this piece didn't use their performance abilities to their full potential. Unlike spending time in the early half of the film with character development like the original does, the director chooses to skip character development completely and go straight into the never-ending chase scenes and bloody shootouts that got exhausting after a while.
7/10
#95 Gladiator (8/05/12)

Dir. Ridley Scott
2000
Gladiator is an epitome of a film that successfully utilizes CGI to further its potential as a cinematic work, not abuses it to make it an offspring of modern technology. The DVD came with a feature on the making of Gladiator, which I found just as fascinating as the movie itself. The gigantic colosseum that is featured in the film was only built partly by the film crew, but rather completed and enhanced with the touch of the special effects team and the various editors. As with the actual film, I was struck with awe at the grand scale of the story. The protagonist, Maximus (played by Russel Crowe), is a well-liked Roman general who was sentenced execution along with the rest of his family by the new emperor for being a threat to his throne. Being a skilled fighter, Maximus is able to flee his death and return to Rome as a gladiator. Maximus is a timeless character I can't imagine any moviegoer can dislike and we all root for him in unison as he attempts vengeance. But an action film wouldn't be good if it had a mediocre villain. I think what makes Gladiator a modern classic isn't the impressive visuals or the likable main character. Joaquin Phoenix's walking into his role (get the pun guys?) as evil but thoroughly understandable emperor Commodus raised Gladiator into a human story, a moral story. The way he weeps like a child when obstacles stand his way, the way he smirks when the opposite occurs....Joaquin Phoenix is great.
9/10
2000
Gladiator is an epitome of a film that successfully utilizes CGI to further its potential as a cinematic work, not abuses it to make it an offspring of modern technology. The DVD came with a feature on the making of Gladiator, which I found just as fascinating as the movie itself. The gigantic colosseum that is featured in the film was only built partly by the film crew, but rather completed and enhanced with the touch of the special effects team and the various editors. As with the actual film, I was struck with awe at the grand scale of the story. The protagonist, Maximus (played by Russel Crowe), is a well-liked Roman general who was sentenced execution along with the rest of his family by the new emperor for being a threat to his throne. Being a skilled fighter, Maximus is able to flee his death and return to Rome as a gladiator. Maximus is a timeless character I can't imagine any moviegoer can dislike and we all root for him in unison as he attempts vengeance. But an action film wouldn't be good if it had a mediocre villain. I think what makes Gladiator a modern classic isn't the impressive visuals or the likable main character. Joaquin Phoenix's walking into his role (get the pun guys?) as evil but thoroughly understandable emperor Commodus raised Gladiator into a human story, a moral story. The way he weeps like a child when obstacles stand his way, the way he smirks when the opposite occurs....Joaquin Phoenix is great.
9/10
#94 Casino (8/04/12)

Dir. Martin Scorsese
1995
While Goodfellas is generally considered Scorsese's best mafia film, I think Casino deserves that claim more. I wondered a couple times, how do gangster films become so successful? Then I take a look at a movie like Casino and understand that many people, specifically men, constantly fantasize the life of a mob leader - the glory and the money, the ladies and the thrill of smuggling and killing, the family ties and most importantly, the power. Excuse my crude language, but Casino is porn for many moviegoers. Scorsese offers us a private view on the scandalous conducts of humanity that most of us are societally repressed from taking part in. What's the most appealing is the setting of Casino, Las Vegas, which is a "look but don't touch" place for many average Joes. Everyone loves Vegas and no movie takes advantage of this innate human desire more than Casino. What brings to life a fantastic screenplay based on Pileggi's book is the film's top-notch cast. Robert De Niro was born to play a gangster as was Joe Pesci. Strangely enough, I am not familiar with actress Sharon Stone so I was caught with a pleasant surprise as her beautiful aura lingered about me as I watched the movie. Though I have to save major performance kudos to the other two leading characters, Sharon Stone's femme fatale role was well acted without too much theatricality.
8/10
1995
While Goodfellas is generally considered Scorsese's best mafia film, I think Casino deserves that claim more. I wondered a couple times, how do gangster films become so successful? Then I take a look at a movie like Casino and understand that many people, specifically men, constantly fantasize the life of a mob leader - the glory and the money, the ladies and the thrill of smuggling and killing, the family ties and most importantly, the power. Excuse my crude language, but Casino is porn for many moviegoers. Scorsese offers us a private view on the scandalous conducts of humanity that most of us are societally repressed from taking part in. What's the most appealing is the setting of Casino, Las Vegas, which is a "look but don't touch" place for many average Joes. Everyone loves Vegas and no movie takes advantage of this innate human desire more than Casino. What brings to life a fantastic screenplay based on Pileggi's book is the film's top-notch cast. Robert De Niro was born to play a gangster as was Joe Pesci. Strangely enough, I am not familiar with actress Sharon Stone so I was caught with a pleasant surprise as her beautiful aura lingered about me as I watched the movie. Though I have to save major performance kudos to the other two leading characters, Sharon Stone's femme fatale role was well acted without too much theatricality.
8/10
#93 The Five-Year Engagement (8/04/12)

Dir. Nicholas Stoller
2012
I've actually never seen anything Jason Segel was in before this. He kind of has a Paul Rudd caricature but Jason Segel's just bigger and not as adorable. But it seems that Segel writes most of this stuff and for me, there no occupation more attractive than an actor/writer. My ideal future job being a director/writer, I've attempted writing a few comedic skits or short films and I have to say being funny on text and having that humor carry on through the screen is probably one of the hardest cinematic executions. Expectedly, the majority of funny moments in The Five-Year Engagement are vulgar and sexual. So while I'm hesitant in categorizing this along with the more classic, wittier, and upper echelon of romantic comedies, this is easily one of my favorite rom-coms I've seen in the last year after Bridesmaids. One of the biggest weaknesses I believe in modern romantic comedies is that it spends way too much time dwelling on the lows of a relationship. The Five-Year Engagement explores the phase in a relationship when the two reach a flat ground that is neither high or low. Now, I'm not a relationship expert, but I do know that more so than a break up of a young couple that results from a huge conflict or a misunderstanding, the break up often occurs because either one of the two or both people feel as if the relationship isn't going anywhere and are afraid that where they are is the best it can ever get. This film also looks into such phase from a psychological perspective by exploring the behavior and mindset of a person who chooses to accept that dead end and those of another who attempts to better it.
7.5/10
2012
I've actually never seen anything Jason Segel was in before this. He kind of has a Paul Rudd caricature but Jason Segel's just bigger and not as adorable. But it seems that Segel writes most of this stuff and for me, there no occupation more attractive than an actor/writer. My ideal future job being a director/writer, I've attempted writing a few comedic skits or short films and I have to say being funny on text and having that humor carry on through the screen is probably one of the hardest cinematic executions. Expectedly, the majority of funny moments in The Five-Year Engagement are vulgar and sexual. So while I'm hesitant in categorizing this along with the more classic, wittier, and upper echelon of romantic comedies, this is easily one of my favorite rom-coms I've seen in the last year after Bridesmaids. One of the biggest weaknesses I believe in modern romantic comedies is that it spends way too much time dwelling on the lows of a relationship. The Five-Year Engagement explores the phase in a relationship when the two reach a flat ground that is neither high or low. Now, I'm not a relationship expert, but I do know that more so than a break up of a young couple that results from a huge conflict or a misunderstanding, the break up often occurs because either one of the two or both people feel as if the relationship isn't going anywhere and are afraid that where they are is the best it can ever get. This film also looks into such phase from a psychological perspective by exploring the behavior and mindset of a person who chooses to accept that dead end and those of another who attempts to better it.
7.5/10
#92 The Room (8/02/12)

Dir. Tommy Wiseau
2003
Do I even have to review this? Frankly, this is one of the very few movies I didn't watch until the end voluntarily. It's so awful and not the type of awful that is funny either. People that rate this movie highly or claim it is their favorite movie is obviously joking. The only reason I decided to watch it is because I heard it was bad in a stomach-wrenchingly funny way. And now that I've watched the majority of it, I can say it was surely stomach-wrenching all right, but with the humor part out of the picture. Only masochists would enjoy this rubbish and put themselves through it more than once. Director Tommy Wiseau claimed in an interview that The Room was meant to be a black comedy. Oh Mr. Wiseau, I don't know about that. Fargo is a black comedy. Being John Malkovich is a black comedy. Heathers is a black comedy. The Room is not a black comedy. A black comedy is serious all throughout contrary to its implications of a "comedy" (Tommy Wiseau always cracks a horrible joke and ends his sentence with a creepy laugh - why?), presents exaggerated and often implausible situations to make a social or political commentary (the plot line of The Room cannot get any more typical) and explores vulgar issues (love and affairs really aren't that vulgar).
3/10
2003
Do I even have to review this? Frankly, this is one of the very few movies I didn't watch until the end voluntarily. It's so awful and not the type of awful that is funny either. People that rate this movie highly or claim it is their favorite movie is obviously joking. The only reason I decided to watch it is because I heard it was bad in a stomach-wrenchingly funny way. And now that I've watched the majority of it, I can say it was surely stomach-wrenching all right, but with the humor part out of the picture. Only masochists would enjoy this rubbish and put themselves through it more than once. Director Tommy Wiseau claimed in an interview that The Room was meant to be a black comedy. Oh Mr. Wiseau, I don't know about that. Fargo is a black comedy. Being John Malkovich is a black comedy. Heathers is a black comedy. The Room is not a black comedy. A black comedy is serious all throughout contrary to its implications of a "comedy" (Tommy Wiseau always cracks a horrible joke and ends his sentence with a creepy laugh - why?), presents exaggerated and often implausible situations to make a social or political commentary (the plot line of The Room cannot get any more typical) and explores vulgar issues (love and affairs really aren't that vulgar).
3/10
#91 Wicker Park (7/28/12)

Dir. Paul McGuigan
2004
This is a movie recommended by one of my mom's friends and y'all I have a life-altering advice for you and I will say you're welcome in advance: do NOT take recommendations from a middle-aged Korean woman because you will end up with a sappy 2-hour-long Korean drama featuring white actors. Oh, you've never watched a Korean drama? Don't start. Wicker Park tells a highly implausible story of a man whose lover (Lisa) has disappeared without saying a word. He is now engaged and is about to be sent to China for a business trip. The day before his trip, he runs into who he believes is his long-lost lover and spends the next few days chasing down this girl while lying to his fiancée that he is in China. He eventually finds her, but only to discover that he had been following the wrong girl (Alex). The build painfully slow for a simple love story that really shouldn't have been all that confusing. My biggest question is, what exactly was what exactly was the relationship between Lisa and Alex? They were depicted as best friends or simply close neighbors, but I also got the strange vibe that they were gay lovers, which I think would have added an interesting twist to the story. I would have overlooked these flaws regarding plot, but the cinematography and editing aren't any less garbage. tries very hard at looking stylish, which I thought only looked excessive instead of slick. The way the film reverts to flashbacks every 5 minutes as if the director/editor assumes the movie viewers have the memory of a fish was really my biggest complaint.
6.5/10
2004
This is a movie recommended by one of my mom's friends and y'all I have a life-altering advice for you and I will say you're welcome in advance: do NOT take recommendations from a middle-aged Korean woman because you will end up with a sappy 2-hour-long Korean drama featuring white actors. Oh, you've never watched a Korean drama? Don't start. Wicker Park tells a highly implausible story of a man whose lover (Lisa) has disappeared without saying a word. He is now engaged and is about to be sent to China for a business trip. The day before his trip, he runs into who he believes is his long-lost lover and spends the next few days chasing down this girl while lying to his fiancée that he is in China. He eventually finds her, but only to discover that he had been following the wrong girl (Alex). The build painfully slow for a simple love story that really shouldn't have been all that confusing. My biggest question is, what exactly was what exactly was the relationship between Lisa and Alex? They were depicted as best friends or simply close neighbors, but I also got the strange vibe that they were gay lovers, which I think would have added an interesting twist to the story. I would have overlooked these flaws regarding plot, but the cinematography and editing aren't any less garbage. tries very hard at looking stylish, which I thought only looked excessive instead of slick. The way the film reverts to flashbacks every 5 minutes as if the director/editor assumes the movie viewers have the memory of a fish was really my biggest complaint.
6.5/10
#90 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (7/26/12)

Dir. Guy Ritchie
2011
Do the Sherlock Holmes series make any money? Like, seriously? It seems like quite a few people watch them judging by the number of ratings and reviews it has on IMDB. But compared to other blockbusters that have come out in recent years, the Sherlock Holmes movies are made with or seem like they are made with a lot lower budget and the actions are a lot milder than what everyone seems to prefer these days? I am so not a fan of the editing of this film and its prequel even if it looks like a lot of work went into it. The color correction is way overdone to the point where it feels artificial. It looked like an Instagram filter (Sutro perhaps?) was put over it. Aside from visual editing, the slow motion that is utilized a little bit too often in this movie was a huge bother for me. It would've looked suave in other action movies, but I just felt that type of editing didn't suit a movie set in the 19th century. Mystery/crime movies are supposed to require 100% of our attention, but this was easily understandable with inattentive viewing. Two things that kept this movie at the average level were the humor and the relationship between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. The humor is a bit over-the-top (RDJ dressing in drag), but it kept the movie in a relatively light tone which I liked. I also know RDJ and Jude Law are very close friends outside of the screen and such deep brotherly bond showed on screen.
7/10
2011
Do the Sherlock Holmes series make any money? Like, seriously? It seems like quite a few people watch them judging by the number of ratings and reviews it has on IMDB. But compared to other blockbusters that have come out in recent years, the Sherlock Holmes movies are made with or seem like they are made with a lot lower budget and the actions are a lot milder than what everyone seems to prefer these days? I am so not a fan of the editing of this film and its prequel even if it looks like a lot of work went into it. The color correction is way overdone to the point where it feels artificial. It looked like an Instagram filter (Sutro perhaps?) was put over it. Aside from visual editing, the slow motion that is utilized a little bit too often in this movie was a huge bother for me. It would've looked suave in other action movies, but I just felt that type of editing didn't suit a movie set in the 19th century. Mystery/crime movies are supposed to require 100% of our attention, but this was easily understandable with inattentive viewing. Two things that kept this movie at the average level were the humor and the relationship between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. The humor is a bit over-the-top (RDJ dressing in drag), but it kept the movie in a relatively light tone which I liked. I also know RDJ and Jude Law are very close friends outside of the screen and such deep brotherly bond showed on screen.
7/10
#89 The Thieves (7/25/12)

Dir. Choi Hun-Dong
2012
A sexy, new and improved mash-up of The Italian Job and Ocean's Eleven, this summer flick had Korean moviegoers hit the theater immediately. It's a long film and requires a bit of patience, but for the most part, The Thieves is adrenaline-rushing and boasts fantastic performances from Korea's top actors. The first half I felt was mediocre for I thought it was a very loosely altered version of Ocean's Eleven. The Casino robbery plan is exactly the same and the relationships between the characters shown in The Thieves are reflected in that rather average American heist film. The movie doesn't go full speed until the middle when the plan fails and the thieves need to retrace their steps to figure out where they went wrong. There are multiple twists that are revealed one by one towards the end that make this movie superior to most Hollywood heist movies I've seen. The Thieves is definitely dark for an average action flick and delves more deeply into love and emotions, making it more than just a film about a big-scale Casino robbery. What I refer to as dark elements are counteracted by the countless comedic moments that feel uniquely Korean. Another interesting aspect is that most of the movie takes place in Hong Kong, which is quite an unusual location to be filmed for a movie besides one that is Hong Kongese (Hong Konger?).
7.5/10
2012
A sexy, new and improved mash-up of The Italian Job and Ocean's Eleven, this summer flick had Korean moviegoers hit the theater immediately. It's a long film and requires a bit of patience, but for the most part, The Thieves is adrenaline-rushing and boasts fantastic performances from Korea's top actors. The first half I felt was mediocre for I thought it was a very loosely altered version of Ocean's Eleven. The Casino robbery plan is exactly the same and the relationships between the characters shown in The Thieves are reflected in that rather average American heist film. The movie doesn't go full speed until the middle when the plan fails and the thieves need to retrace their steps to figure out where they went wrong. There are multiple twists that are revealed one by one towards the end that make this movie superior to most Hollywood heist movies I've seen. The Thieves is definitely dark for an average action flick and delves more deeply into love and emotions, making it more than just a film about a big-scale Casino robbery. What I refer to as dark elements are counteracted by the countless comedic moments that feel uniquely Korean. Another interesting aspect is that most of the movie takes place in Hong Kong, which is quite an unusual location to be filmed for a movie besides one that is Hong Kongese (Hong Konger?).
7.5/10
#88 Paprika (7/23/12)

Dir. Satoshi Kon
2006
Disney or Dreamworks don't come close in achievements in modern animated filmmaking as Japanese animation studios. If you know me at all, I'm very interested in dreams in general - mostly dream analysis and the psychology behind dreaming. I made a short film junior year, though it didn't turn out as I had hoped, about a man whose dreams become altered and manipulated by science. Paprika takes a very similar route (I swear my story wasn't based on this. This was my first time seeing this film). Paprika is the main character who is implied to be an alter ego of a repressed doctor who seems to be able to freely jump into and out of people's dreams with the aid of an invention called the DC Mini. Three of these devices are stolen and Paprika's responsible to track down the thief and stop him from terrorizing people's dreams. Though an animation, the plot is quite byzantine and deals with quite mature topics such as rape, murder, and the search for identity. What I'm trying to say is, it isn't for everyone. In my opinion, the film is highly creative and communicates a solid dreamy story in a way that was much clearer than Inception did. The two films are not similar at all despite what some reviewers might say, but they do both deal with intercepting dream sequences. I also liked the fact that Paprika was careful with its science explanations because some science fictions depend way too much on the suspension of disbelief.
8.5/10
2006
Disney or Dreamworks don't come close in achievements in modern animated filmmaking as Japanese animation studios. If you know me at all, I'm very interested in dreams in general - mostly dream analysis and the psychology behind dreaming. I made a short film junior year, though it didn't turn out as I had hoped, about a man whose dreams become altered and manipulated by science. Paprika takes a very similar route (I swear my story wasn't based on this. This was my first time seeing this film). Paprika is the main character who is implied to be an alter ego of a repressed doctor who seems to be able to freely jump into and out of people's dreams with the aid of an invention called the DC Mini. Three of these devices are stolen and Paprika's responsible to track down the thief and stop him from terrorizing people's dreams. Though an animation, the plot is quite byzantine and deals with quite mature topics such as rape, murder, and the search for identity. What I'm trying to say is, it isn't for everyone. In my opinion, the film is highly creative and communicates a solid dreamy story in a way that was much clearer than Inception did. The two films are not similar at all despite what some reviewers might say, but they do both deal with intercepting dream sequences. I also liked the fact that Paprika was careful with its science explanations because some science fictions depend way too much on the suspension of disbelief.
8.5/10
#87 The Dark Knight Rises (7/23/12)

Dir. Christopher Nolan
2012
Watching this movie makes me think, was I too young and immature to fully appreciate its precedent The Dark Knight? Because to be honest, The Dark Knight Rises is the only film I've seen in theater that I was moved enough to give a standing ovation. I have this very irritating habit of always disliking what's popular. Maybe it's something psychological? I'm not faking my distaste either, I truly seem to prefer the underdog over what's the center of attention. With that said, I am upset over its 9.2 rating on IMDB. I think it should be a 10! I have mixed opinions about Christian Bale since there hasn't been many movies starring him I liked and also because of past news of his violent behaviors. However, it's really difficult to separate the actor Christian Bale with the character Batman because in The Dark Knight Rises, they are one. He is Batman. Nolan or whoever was responsible for casting also has an impressive eye for casting for I thought all the actors/actresses suited their characters well. One of my only complaints is that five of the major characters (Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, and Marion Cotillard) all appeared in Inception together and while individual actor/director combos never really bother me, multiple actors/director combos feel so commercial, na what I mean? The long running time allows for a story with a well-rounded story arc and also for thorough character development.
10/10
2012
Watching this movie makes me think, was I too young and immature to fully appreciate its precedent The Dark Knight? Because to be honest, The Dark Knight Rises is the only film I've seen in theater that I was moved enough to give a standing ovation. I have this very irritating habit of always disliking what's popular. Maybe it's something psychological? I'm not faking my distaste either, I truly seem to prefer the underdog over what's the center of attention. With that said, I am upset over its 9.2 rating on IMDB. I think it should be a 10! I have mixed opinions about Christian Bale since there hasn't been many movies starring him I liked and also because of past news of his violent behaviors. However, it's really difficult to separate the actor Christian Bale with the character Batman because in The Dark Knight Rises, they are one. He is Batman. Nolan or whoever was responsible for casting also has an impressive eye for casting for I thought all the actors/actresses suited their characters well. One of my only complaints is that five of the major characters (Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, and Marion Cotillard) all appeared in Inception together and while individual actor/director combos never really bother me, multiple actors/director combos feel so commercial, na what I mean? The long running time allows for a story with a well-rounded story arc and also for thorough character development.
10/10
#86 The Chaser (7/17/12)

Dir. Na Hong-Jin
2008
Another hurray to Korean thrillers! The Chaser tells a story about a former detective who has turned into a pimp in order to get by financially when he notices that his girls keep disappearing after being called by a mystery man whose number ends with 4885. He tracks down this man, who the main character assumes is trafficking his girls out to other pimps, fairly early in the film. Alas, that is only the start. With the criminal in the hands of the police, now who I must add is very incompetent, the pimp and the police must find evidence of his crime within 12 hours in order to prosecute him. Although this thriller is fast-paced and intelligent, it may not be appropriate for a very wide range of audience. It's rather disturbing and the director or editor takes no time censoring some of the more explicit scenes involving brutal torture/murder of innocent victims. More so than the visuals we see is the psychological impact of such a harrowing tale about a psycho serial killer. I've heard rumors that it is based on a true story, but I'd rather not look it up and will continue to believe that it is completely fictional for my very sake. I feel that I have said this before in one of my reviews not too long ago, but a good action or thriller film NEEDS to have a good villain. The Chaser's antagonist is one to be remembered. If you're a fan of Memories of Murder and Oldboy, I highly recommend checking this out.
8/10
2008
Another hurray to Korean thrillers! The Chaser tells a story about a former detective who has turned into a pimp in order to get by financially when he notices that his girls keep disappearing after being called by a mystery man whose number ends with 4885. He tracks down this man, who the main character assumes is trafficking his girls out to other pimps, fairly early in the film. Alas, that is only the start. With the criminal in the hands of the police, now who I must add is very incompetent, the pimp and the police must find evidence of his crime within 12 hours in order to prosecute him. Although this thriller is fast-paced and intelligent, it may not be appropriate for a very wide range of audience. It's rather disturbing and the director or editor takes no time censoring some of the more explicit scenes involving brutal torture/murder of innocent victims. More so than the visuals we see is the psychological impact of such a harrowing tale about a psycho serial killer. I've heard rumors that it is based on a true story, but I'd rather not look it up and will continue to believe that it is completely fictional for my very sake. I feel that I have said this before in one of my reviews not too long ago, but a good action or thriller film NEEDS to have a good villain. The Chaser's antagonist is one to be remembered. If you're a fan of Memories of Murder and Oldboy, I highly recommend checking this out.
8/10
#85 Clerks. (7/15/12)

Dir. Kevin Smith
1994
A good film has high-quality cinematography, a variety of special effects, and a well-rounded story. A great film has passion and Clerk. has nothing but passion. Made with a very humble budget, Kevin Smith, then a convenience store clerk himself during the filming of this movie, successfully and entertainingly captures the pathetic lifestyles of two clerks, one somewhat responsible though constantly whiny and under stress and the other always at ease and completely neglecting of his responsibility. For a movie that hopes to tell the story of an underground, often forgotten sector of the society, Clerks. avoids the clichéd "indie" editing and dialogues. In fact, the dialogues written by Smith are unbelievably humorous and unique. The slice of life we see on screen feels honest as if all the footage for this movie came from a surveillance camera. One of the flaws I'd like to point out is the amateurism of some of the actors including Silent Bob, who is played by the writer-director Smith and almost all of the customers. Sure, it was difficult to cast more professional actors with such meek resources. Some other parts of the movie that I didn't particularly like including the randomness of the black and white cinematography (one of my least favorite tricks directors pull is abusively shooting in black and white) were all hindered by the budget.
8/10
1994
A good film has high-quality cinematography, a variety of special effects, and a well-rounded story. A great film has passion and Clerk. has nothing but passion. Made with a very humble budget, Kevin Smith, then a convenience store clerk himself during the filming of this movie, successfully and entertainingly captures the pathetic lifestyles of two clerks, one somewhat responsible though constantly whiny and under stress and the other always at ease and completely neglecting of his responsibility. For a movie that hopes to tell the story of an underground, often forgotten sector of the society, Clerks. avoids the clichéd "indie" editing and dialogues. In fact, the dialogues written by Smith are unbelievably humorous and unique. The slice of life we see on screen feels honest as if all the footage for this movie came from a surveillance camera. One of the flaws I'd like to point out is the amateurism of some of the actors including Silent Bob, who is played by the writer-director Smith and almost all of the customers. Sure, it was difficult to cast more professional actors with such meek resources. Some other parts of the movie that I didn't particularly like including the randomness of the black and white cinematography (one of my least favorite tricks directors pull is abusively shooting in black and white) were all hindered by the budget.
8/10
#84 The Amazing Spider-Man (7/08/12)

Dir. Marc Webb
2012
I saw a funny comment on the trailer for this movie a while back and it said, "Isn't Hollywood supposed to remake old movies?" Yeah, but seriously what's up with that? The original Spiderman movie that was made in the early 2000s was a fine movie in my opinion. It was a huge hit at the time and very, very American in its making. The stars of the film Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco are still relatively young. Has America forgotten that movie? Aside from the purpose of this new remake that I still have a hard time comprehending, I have to say The Amazing Spider-Man went beyond the expectations I had for this summer blockbuster. Unfortunately, I think the premier of this film was overshadowed by the Dark Knight Rises hype that's been going on since the beginning of this year. I'm glad Andrew Garfield is much better known now to the general public after filming this because I feel like behind his pretty face is a real talent. He delivers more of a expressive performance that Tobey Maguire had in the titular character. He's more down-to-earth, angsty, and sensitive. I found Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy unbelievably scripted (cute, wealthy, strong-willed bound for Ivy League yet not popular), but I prefer her over Kirsten Dunst's damsel in distress role as Mary-Jane. I didn't like how the film left the story regarding the avenging of the hit-and-run robber who killed Uncle Ben without a clear conclusion. Nothing said about Peter's change in attitude towards revenge. Did the film crew forget completely about that?
7.5/10
2012
I saw a funny comment on the trailer for this movie a while back and it said, "Isn't Hollywood supposed to remake old movies?" Yeah, but seriously what's up with that? The original Spiderman movie that was made in the early 2000s was a fine movie in my opinion. It was a huge hit at the time and very, very American in its making. The stars of the film Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco are still relatively young. Has America forgotten that movie? Aside from the purpose of this new remake that I still have a hard time comprehending, I have to say The Amazing Spider-Man went beyond the expectations I had for this summer blockbuster. Unfortunately, I think the premier of this film was overshadowed by the Dark Knight Rises hype that's been going on since the beginning of this year. I'm glad Andrew Garfield is much better known now to the general public after filming this because I feel like behind his pretty face is a real talent. He delivers more of a expressive performance that Tobey Maguire had in the titular character. He's more down-to-earth, angsty, and sensitive. I found Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy unbelievably scripted (cute, wealthy, strong-willed bound for Ivy League yet not popular), but I prefer her over Kirsten Dunst's damsel in distress role as Mary-Jane. I didn't like how the film left the story regarding the avenging of the hit-and-run robber who killed Uncle Ben without a clear conclusion. Nothing said about Peter's change in attitude towards revenge. Did the film crew forget completely about that?
7.5/10
#83 Valkyrie (7/01/12)

Dir. Bryan Singer
2008
I'm glad there are endless movies playing on Korean movie channels. I was fortunate enough to catch Valkyrie one night and I've frankly been wanting to watch it for a while. It's based on a true story in which a group of high Nazi officers congregate and execute a plan called "Valkyrie" to murder Hitler. We all know (hopefully) that Hitler was not assassinated in real life so the outcome of this movie isn't made to be a surprise. Alas, what fun is a dramatic thriller movie if we know what will happen from the beginning? Valkyrie fortunately keeps the movie interesting through with its thorough exploration of Claus von Stauffenberg, played surprisingly with depth by Tom Cruise, who was the leading member of the plan to assassinate the world's greatest criminal. I didn't have any problem with Cruise playing Stauffenberg other than his rather awkward accent. To be honest, the cast of the movie held a very eclectic mix of accents with many of the actors including Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branagh being British and some like Thomas Kreschmann and Christian Berkel being German. Having seen Downfall not to long again featuring the last two German actors I just mentioned, I couldn't help but notice the vast difference in authenticity between the two films. Making an American version of a historical happening of a different country may be needed to attract and educate American audiences, but given that there are so many great German films accessible about the Hitler period, I don't find the adaptation so necessary. Nevertheless, I found it enjoyable.
7.5/10
2008
I'm glad there are endless movies playing on Korean movie channels. I was fortunate enough to catch Valkyrie one night and I've frankly been wanting to watch it for a while. It's based on a true story in which a group of high Nazi officers congregate and execute a plan called "Valkyrie" to murder Hitler. We all know (hopefully) that Hitler was not assassinated in real life so the outcome of this movie isn't made to be a surprise. Alas, what fun is a dramatic thriller movie if we know what will happen from the beginning? Valkyrie fortunately keeps the movie interesting through with its thorough exploration of Claus von Stauffenberg, played surprisingly with depth by Tom Cruise, who was the leading member of the plan to assassinate the world's greatest criminal. I didn't have any problem with Cruise playing Stauffenberg other than his rather awkward accent. To be honest, the cast of the movie held a very eclectic mix of accents with many of the actors including Bill Nighy and Kenneth Branagh being British and some like Thomas Kreschmann and Christian Berkel being German. Having seen Downfall not to long again featuring the last two German actors I just mentioned, I couldn't help but notice the vast difference in authenticity between the two films. Making an American version of a historical happening of a different country may be needed to attract and educate American audiences, but given that there are so many great German films accessible about the Hitler period, I don't find the adaptation so necessary. Nevertheless, I found it enjoyable.
7.5/10
#82 Pretty Woman (6/30/12)

Dir. Garry Marshall
1990
Sometimes when I forget that I'm a girl (weird sentence starter but bear with me), all I have to do is turn on a notorious romantic comedy and soon I will realize how much I love sugar-coated movie romance and perfect men that don't exist in real life. It's more stupid than cheesy, which is actually how I prefer my rom-coms. I have never encountered a prostitute in my life, but I would expect most of them are not as naive and good-hearted as Julia Robert's character was in Pretty Woman? And with such a blatant title, you would expect they would've casted an actual pretty woman, huh? Just kidding.....I don't really like Julia Roberts though. They should've casted me tehe. ANYway, Richard Gere plays a filthily wealthy businessman whose work involves a legal but insidious "corporate raiding". He is in Los Angeles for business and is lost in the midst Hollywood Boulevard when a hooker says she can help him get to his hotel for a few bucks. He immediately notices her charm and takes a liking to her. He asks her to be his escort and pretty much his personal prostitute for the week he is there for in exchange for 4,000 dollars (I'd do that too, pick me Richard!!). The direction of the story is pathetically obvious, but it's also hard to deny that it's a very entertaining watch. I'm not quite sure how I feel about Julia Roberts's Best Actress oscar nomination for Pretty Woman, but her character in it is easily the best role she has taken.
7.5/10
1990
Sometimes when I forget that I'm a girl (weird sentence starter but bear with me), all I have to do is turn on a notorious romantic comedy and soon I will realize how much I love sugar-coated movie romance and perfect men that don't exist in real life. It's more stupid than cheesy, which is actually how I prefer my rom-coms. I have never encountered a prostitute in my life, but I would expect most of them are not as naive and good-hearted as Julia Robert's character was in Pretty Woman? And with such a blatant title, you would expect they would've casted an actual pretty woman, huh? Just kidding.....I don't really like Julia Roberts though. They should've casted me tehe. ANYway, Richard Gere plays a filthily wealthy businessman whose work involves a legal but insidious "corporate raiding". He is in Los Angeles for business and is lost in the midst Hollywood Boulevard when a hooker says she can help him get to his hotel for a few bucks. He immediately notices her charm and takes a liking to her. He asks her to be his escort and pretty much his personal prostitute for the week he is there for in exchange for 4,000 dollars (I'd do that too, pick me Richard!!). The direction of the story is pathetically obvious, but it's also hard to deny that it's a very entertaining watch. I'm not quite sure how I feel about Julia Roberts's Best Actress oscar nomination for Pretty Woman, but her character in it is easily the best role she has taken.
7.5/10
#81 Carnage (6/27/12)

Dir. Roman Polanski
2011
Another movie I was able to watch during my plane ride except this one wasn't a treat at all. On top of the headache I then experiencing, I was struck with a nightmarish series of migraine thanks to this uncomfortable, unnerving film that falls short in so many terms. It's a film based on a play, evident by its setting in a single room. I'm not a huge fan of movies based on plays because I feel that they are completely different forms of art mediums and plays are enjoyable in its on way because the audience gets to experience a theatrical, unedited narrative whereas in a movie, the viewers get to experience a compilation of various shots laboriously put together by editors. I just think, why take away that beautiful element of filmmaking by turning a play into a film? I found Carnage quite boring and causing claustrophobia. The performance is probably the most tolerable part about this movie given that the four actors that appear here are unanimously agreed by film critics to be some of the west's greatest entertainers in modern day. However, Jodie Foster has been better in other better films so has Christoph Waltz in a different movie and same can be said for Winslet and Reilly. This film ultimately wants to communicate the fact that it's human tendency to regress into our inherently stubborn and illogical behavior even as adults, but fails to do so in a remotely interesting way.
6/10
2011
Another movie I was able to watch during my plane ride except this one wasn't a treat at all. On top of the headache I then experiencing, I was struck with a nightmarish series of migraine thanks to this uncomfortable, unnerving film that falls short in so many terms. It's a film based on a play, evident by its setting in a single room. I'm not a huge fan of movies based on plays because I feel that they are completely different forms of art mediums and plays are enjoyable in its on way because the audience gets to experience a theatrical, unedited narrative whereas in a movie, the viewers get to experience a compilation of various shots laboriously put together by editors. I just think, why take away that beautiful element of filmmaking by turning a play into a film? I found Carnage quite boring and causing claustrophobia. The performance is probably the most tolerable part about this movie given that the four actors that appear here are unanimously agreed by film critics to be some of the west's greatest entertainers in modern day. However, Jodie Foster has been better in other better films so has Christoph Waltz in a different movie and same can be said for Winslet and Reilly. This film ultimately wants to communicate the fact that it's human tendency to regress into our inherently stubborn and illogical behavior even as adults, but fails to do so in a remotely interesting way.
6/10
#80 Young Adult (6/26/12)

Dir. Jason Reitman
2011
I got the pleasure of seeing this somewhat entertaining film on HD during my plane ride to Incheon. I love being able to watch movies on the plane because 100% of your attention is on the screen mostly because there is absolutely nothing else to do on a 12-hour flight. Despite the rather awful reviews Young Adult received, I found its exploration of what happens to the popular kids in high school once they become adults quite fascinating. I, having been somewhat of an average Joe girl in high school, has always and I mean always been curious to what the lifestyle of a cool girl would be in 10, 15 years. WELL, that's exactly what this movie is about. Sure, it's a huge generalization. Not all girls that were popular in high school end up as trashy, alcoholic, third-rate writers for a tacky teen novel series just as not all nerdy girls end up as successful doctors or rocket scientists. Jason Reitman, the creator of the brilliant Juno and Up in the Air, brings to screen an interesting dynamism between multiple grown ups that are actually really just tall, wrinkled up children. Charlize Theron (Mavis Gary) fits the role really well. However, I had a problem with Patrick Wilson playing the once good-looking jock who was never able to escape the trap of the hick town he and Mavis grew up in. He just feels like another pretty face who looks disinterested the whole time.
7.5/10
2011
I got the pleasure of seeing this somewhat entertaining film on HD during my plane ride to Incheon. I love being able to watch movies on the plane because 100% of your attention is on the screen mostly because there is absolutely nothing else to do on a 12-hour flight. Despite the rather awful reviews Young Adult received, I found its exploration of what happens to the popular kids in high school once they become adults quite fascinating. I, having been somewhat of an average Joe girl in high school, has always and I mean always been curious to what the lifestyle of a cool girl would be in 10, 15 years. WELL, that's exactly what this movie is about. Sure, it's a huge generalization. Not all girls that were popular in high school end up as trashy, alcoholic, third-rate writers for a tacky teen novel series just as not all nerdy girls end up as successful doctors or rocket scientists. Jason Reitman, the creator of the brilliant Juno and Up in the Air, brings to screen an interesting dynamism between multiple grown ups that are actually really just tall, wrinkled up children. Charlize Theron (Mavis Gary) fits the role really well. However, I had a problem with Patrick Wilson playing the once good-looking jock who was never able to escape the trap of the hick town he and Mavis grew up in. He just feels like another pretty face who looks disinterested the whole time.
7.5/10
#79 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (6/25/12)

Dir. James Cameron
1991
Much, much better than the first Terminator. For a movie that came out in the early 90's, the special effects are spectacular and if you know anything about me, CGI almost never impresses me when watching an action flick. My dad said when this movie first came out when he was younger, everyone in the theater had their jaws dropped to the floor due to the FX regarding the cyborg police officer. 21 years later, the visuals are still awesome. If it wasn't for the god-awful grungy 90's fashion and Arnold Schwarzenegger's similarity in age with the first of the series, I would have definitely thought this film was made in the 21st century. The first 20 minutes is absolutely a cliffhanger with the viewers trying to figure out who's the good guy, who's the bad guy, what the hell this "Judgment Day" business is, and etc. It outdoes the original, which is always surprising because I cannot think of a single series in which the sequel is better? Other than like, The Empire Strikes Back. Now for some flaws, Terminator 2 once again doesn't address the paradox of time travel and fails to explain its impossible direction the plot travels in. Besides this rather difficult question to address, I could not help but laugh at some of Linda Hamilton's (who plays the mother of the terminator's victim) cheesy voiceover narrations. They were sooo James Cameron and very unnecessary.
8/10
1991
Much, much better than the first Terminator. For a movie that came out in the early 90's, the special effects are spectacular and if you know anything about me, CGI almost never impresses me when watching an action flick. My dad said when this movie first came out when he was younger, everyone in the theater had their jaws dropped to the floor due to the FX regarding the cyborg police officer. 21 years later, the visuals are still awesome. If it wasn't for the god-awful grungy 90's fashion and Arnold Schwarzenegger's similarity in age with the first of the series, I would have definitely thought this film was made in the 21st century. The first 20 minutes is absolutely a cliffhanger with the viewers trying to figure out who's the good guy, who's the bad guy, what the hell this "Judgment Day" business is, and etc. It outdoes the original, which is always surprising because I cannot think of a single series in which the sequel is better? Other than like, The Empire Strikes Back. Now for some flaws, Terminator 2 once again doesn't address the paradox of time travel and fails to explain its impossible direction the plot travels in. Besides this rather difficult question to address, I could not help but laugh at some of Linda Hamilton's (who plays the mother of the terminator's victim) cheesy voiceover narrations. They were sooo James Cameron and very unnecessary.
8/10
#78 La Strada (6/23/12)

Dir. Federico Fellini
1954
Now, I still haven't decided if a director with a consistent style is better or worse than a director with eclectic styles. I've only seen two of Fellini's movies (this and Nights of Cabiria) and I noticed the two were very similar. La Strada is a movie about a young woman who has been sold to a street entertainer to serve as an assistant. She has never left her little village in rural Italy before and the movie primarily deals with her learning about love and coping with the harsh truths of reality. The man she works for is a total brute who has sex with any skank he comes across. It's a depressing love story, in which the girl futilely falls in love with the man who makes her life hellish simply because although she tagged along with him out of monetary desperation, she still feels grateful that she serves some sort of purpose to his life. It is also suggested that the man has never loved before, lots of times physically but never emotionally. When he finally comes across a girl who loves him despite his violent tendencies, he can't comprehend his emotions and succumbs to abandoning her because that is the only way he thinks he can free himself of the emotions he can't quite come to terms with. In a way, I thought Fellini's point in making this movie was not only to depict the poverty and corruption-stricken Italy at the time but also to juxtapose the stereotypical brutish nature of men and the naive nature of women.
8/10
1954
Now, I still haven't decided if a director with a consistent style is better or worse than a director with eclectic styles. I've only seen two of Fellini's movies (this and Nights of Cabiria) and I noticed the two were very similar. La Strada is a movie about a young woman who has been sold to a street entertainer to serve as an assistant. She has never left her little village in rural Italy before and the movie primarily deals with her learning about love and coping with the harsh truths of reality. The man she works for is a total brute who has sex with any skank he comes across. It's a depressing love story, in which the girl futilely falls in love with the man who makes her life hellish simply because although she tagged along with him out of monetary desperation, she still feels grateful that she serves some sort of purpose to his life. It is also suggested that the man has never loved before, lots of times physically but never emotionally. When he finally comes across a girl who loves him despite his violent tendencies, he can't comprehend his emotions and succumbs to abandoning her because that is the only way he thinks he can free himself of the emotions he can't quite come to terms with. In a way, I thought Fellini's point in making this movie was not only to depict the poverty and corruption-stricken Italy at the time but also to juxtapose the stereotypical brutish nature of men and the naive nature of women.
8/10
#77 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (6/20/12)

Dir. Luis Buñuel
1972
From a filmmaker/film critic Nora perspective, this is a fairly decent satirical movie. But, from an average joe moviegoer Nora perspective, this movie slowly killed me. The IMDB description of this movie is "A surreal, virtually plotless series of dreams centered around six-middle class people and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together". Upon reading this and seeing the interesting poster to the left, I imagined a film filled with explosions of dadaist surrealism; a cinematic interpretation of Dali-like works. No, the film wasn't weird enough for me to remember it as weird nor was it particularly interesting. Of course, it can't be interesting because what we are being shown here isn't a story but a "plotless series of dreams". I get it. The movie makes an artsy social commentary against the banal and meaningless existence of the bourgeoisie. Couldn't Buñuel have done that without having made the movie banal and meaningless? I know people often see a contemporary art work and go "THEY CALL THIS ART? I CAN MAKE THIS!" and although I find that comment very irritating and usually reply with "then why didn't you?", I feel like I could have made the same film as an 18-year-old and with the budget that is available to me now. Movies are supposed to teach us something, make a statement, sure, but I say entertainment should come first and in this movie, it doesn't even come last - it's not there.
6/10
1972
From a filmmaker/film critic Nora perspective, this is a fairly decent satirical movie. But, from an average joe moviegoer Nora perspective, this movie slowly killed me. The IMDB description of this movie is "A surreal, virtually plotless series of dreams centered around six-middle class people and their consistently interrupted attempts to have a meal together". Upon reading this and seeing the interesting poster to the left, I imagined a film filled with explosions of dadaist surrealism; a cinematic interpretation of Dali-like works. No, the film wasn't weird enough for me to remember it as weird nor was it particularly interesting. Of course, it can't be interesting because what we are being shown here isn't a story but a "plotless series of dreams". I get it. The movie makes an artsy social commentary against the banal and meaningless existence of the bourgeoisie. Couldn't Buñuel have done that without having made the movie banal and meaningless? I know people often see a contemporary art work and go "THEY CALL THIS ART? I CAN MAKE THIS!" and although I find that comment very irritating and usually reply with "then why didn't you?", I feel like I could have made the same film as an 18-year-old and with the budget that is available to me now. Movies are supposed to teach us something, make a statement, sure, but I say entertainment should come first and in this movie, it doesn't even come last - it's not there.
6/10
#76 Moonrise Kingdom (6/19/12)

Dir. Wes Anderson
2012
When Sarah and I were getting our tickets for this movie, the guy at the booth stared as us weirdly, took a look on his computer screen and went, "Oh whoa, I didn't even know we were showing that movie. I hear it's supposed to be really good". Damn right he was! I can't imagine anyone going to see this movie if they didn't know of Wed Anderson prior to the visit. It's definitely one of his best I've seen so far. My favorite aspect of this film is that the two protagonists were played by virtually unknown kid actors, supported by incredibly famous older actors like Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, and Edward Norton. Even the tiniest visual detail is perfected by Anderson's elegant direction. It's stylistically so distinctive. No other director could have possibly pulled off this same kind of quirky, fairy tale. I loved the introduction soliloquy about the instruments behind the music that is being over the scene though it seems like it has no relevance to the story that will later be revealed. It discusses the family of instruments, strings, brass, etc., implying that Moonrise Kingdom is about family whether by blood or by choice. The sheer creativity of the story starting from the creation of the fictional island of New Penzance to the use of split screens separated by different tone of colors. America in the 1960s, which is the setting of this teen dramedy, was marked by a revolutionary turn in the before conservative cultures and also a great time period to experiment with through films and books.
9/10
2012
When Sarah and I were getting our tickets for this movie, the guy at the booth stared as us weirdly, took a look on his computer screen and went, "Oh whoa, I didn't even know we were showing that movie. I hear it's supposed to be really good". Damn right he was! I can't imagine anyone going to see this movie if they didn't know of Wed Anderson prior to the visit. It's definitely one of his best I've seen so far. My favorite aspect of this film is that the two protagonists were played by virtually unknown kid actors, supported by incredibly famous older actors like Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand, and Edward Norton. Even the tiniest visual detail is perfected by Anderson's elegant direction. It's stylistically so distinctive. No other director could have possibly pulled off this same kind of quirky, fairy tale. I loved the introduction soliloquy about the instruments behind the music that is being over the scene though it seems like it has no relevance to the story that will later be revealed. It discusses the family of instruments, strings, brass, etc., implying that Moonrise Kingdom is about family whether by blood or by choice. The sheer creativity of the story starting from the creation of the fictional island of New Penzance to the use of split screens separated by different tone of colors. America in the 1960s, which is the setting of this teen dramedy, was marked by a revolutionary turn in the before conservative cultures and also a great time period to experiment with through films and books.
9/10
#75 Amores Perros (6/17/12)

Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu
2000
Generally being the happy, positive person I am, I felt myself being repulsed by a lot of the dark, unpleasant plot lines of the movie. Is this film a very realistic portrayal of modern day Mexico? Yeah, probably. Is ignorance bliss? Yeah, many times it is. Here's the deal. Artists often mistakenly believe that ugly art is the only good art there is. And by ugly, I don't mean aesthetically ugly. The type of art that captures suffering. Kind of like Picasso's Guernica you know? But what about Renoir's paintings? Isn't Forrest Gump a great film? Woody Allen makes great movies about New York despite the fact that his view of New York is very dreamy. Amores Perros had great potential and it only achieved that emotional poignance with just the first of the three short tales told throughout the movie. The movie unfortunately gets progressively worse with the middle story about an actress whose career becomes forever ruined because of a horrific car accident. Unlike the first, it depicts a wealthy couple and perhaps that is why it is harder to care about the particular characters involved. The third story is just random and the central character is too much of an enigma. His background is given, but his intentions are difficult to comprehend, especially his reasoning to go into the assassination business. All in all, it's a bit of a jumbled, tries-too-hard-to-seem-realistic feature, but it definitely contains cultural value, which is a reason enough to check this out.
7.5/10
2000
Generally being the happy, positive person I am, I felt myself being repulsed by a lot of the dark, unpleasant plot lines of the movie. Is this film a very realistic portrayal of modern day Mexico? Yeah, probably. Is ignorance bliss? Yeah, many times it is. Here's the deal. Artists often mistakenly believe that ugly art is the only good art there is. And by ugly, I don't mean aesthetically ugly. The type of art that captures suffering. Kind of like Picasso's Guernica you know? But what about Renoir's paintings? Isn't Forrest Gump a great film? Woody Allen makes great movies about New York despite the fact that his view of New York is very dreamy. Amores Perros had great potential and it only achieved that emotional poignance with just the first of the three short tales told throughout the movie. The movie unfortunately gets progressively worse with the middle story about an actress whose career becomes forever ruined because of a horrific car accident. Unlike the first, it depicts a wealthy couple and perhaps that is why it is harder to care about the particular characters involved. The third story is just random and the central character is too much of an enigma. His background is given, but his intentions are difficult to comprehend, especially his reasoning to go into the assassination business. All in all, it's a bit of a jumbled, tries-too-hard-to-seem-realistic feature, but it definitely contains cultural value, which is a reason enough to check this out.
7.5/10
#74 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (6/14/12)

Dir. Michael Bay
2011
I didn't get to watch the last 10 minutes of this movie AH THE END OF THE WORLD. Nah, it's okay. It's the third Transformers, not The Godfather, I think I'll be more than fine in assuming the good guys win. Please Michael Bay, no more additions to the Transformers series. You probably already made a couple hundred million dollars from them already. Fyi my friend chose this movie, but it was better than what I expected believe it or not. However, here are the biggest problems I have with this film or actually the entire franchise: 1. Too wordy!! These movies try to sound sophisticated by making up cool sounding sci-fi terms like Autobots, Cybertron, NEST, shallah shallah. Transformers crew, yes it's true the average American isn't the brightest lightbulb ever, but the central target of your movie is fluent in English and there is absolutely no need to bore the audience with a redundant plot exposition. 2. If you're going to utilize some of America's most fantastic actors like McDormand and Malkovich, take advantage of them! Perhaps focus on the acting aspect. Sure, the special effects look great, but the definition of a movie is a filmed performance and if the performance part is bad, the movie inevitably sucks as a whole. 3. Up the humor a bit! One thing Hollywood has that most other nation's film industries lack is comedy. I mean, watch the Oscars for example. It's a knee-slapper. I know Hollywood possesses writers that are able to write funnier dialogues than "It's a Cyrillic alphabet. It's like all the buttons you never push on a calculator".
6/10
2011
I didn't get to watch the last 10 minutes of this movie AH THE END OF THE WORLD. Nah, it's okay. It's the third Transformers, not The Godfather, I think I'll be more than fine in assuming the good guys win. Please Michael Bay, no more additions to the Transformers series. You probably already made a couple hundred million dollars from them already. Fyi my friend chose this movie, but it was better than what I expected believe it or not. However, here are the biggest problems I have with this film or actually the entire franchise: 1. Too wordy!! These movies try to sound sophisticated by making up cool sounding sci-fi terms like Autobots, Cybertron, NEST, shallah shallah. Transformers crew, yes it's true the average American isn't the brightest lightbulb ever, but the central target of your movie is fluent in English and there is absolutely no need to bore the audience with a redundant plot exposition. 2. If you're going to utilize some of America's most fantastic actors like McDormand and Malkovich, take advantage of them! Perhaps focus on the acting aspect. Sure, the special effects look great, but the definition of a movie is a filmed performance and if the performance part is bad, the movie inevitably sucks as a whole. 3. Up the humor a bit! One thing Hollywood has that most other nation's film industries lack is comedy. I mean, watch the Oscars for example. It's a knee-slapper. I know Hollywood possesses writers that are able to write funnier dialogues than "It's a Cyrillic alphabet. It's like all the buttons you never push on a calculator".
6/10
#73 How To Train Your Dragon (6/12/12)

Dir. Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
2010
Why are all American animated films about growing up, learning about your identity, and accepting yourself? I think when I grow up I'm going to make an animation about a drug deal gone bad so the movie will be showered with praise for originality. How To Train Your Dragon actually well went beyond my expectations. Compared to the recent Up and Toy Story 3, HTTYD wasn't as popular and I hardly know anybody that has seen it. Though the animating part wasn't all that impressive, the story line pretty gripping. Sure, it was predictable but it was still entertaining throughout with a good, relatively fast pace. There isn't a single scene that felt misplaced or too long. While I can't say really judge the performance of the characters in an animation, I can say whether or not the voice acting is good and in this film, it is fantastic. I was thrown off a little that the protagonist didn't have a Scottish/Northern European/Viking accent like the others (good example of subtle racism in cinema), but I highly enjoyed listening to Gerald Butler and Craig Ferguson voice. I will get yelled at by my friend who is obsessed with Gerald Butler, but I stand my ground that he is better in voice acting than in actual acting.
8/10
2010
Why are all American animated films about growing up, learning about your identity, and accepting yourself? I think when I grow up I'm going to make an animation about a drug deal gone bad so the movie will be showered with praise for originality. How To Train Your Dragon actually well went beyond my expectations. Compared to the recent Up and Toy Story 3, HTTYD wasn't as popular and I hardly know anybody that has seen it. Though the animating part wasn't all that impressive, the story line pretty gripping. Sure, it was predictable but it was still entertaining throughout with a good, relatively fast pace. There isn't a single scene that felt misplaced or too long. While I can't say really judge the performance of the characters in an animation, I can say whether or not the voice acting is good and in this film, it is fantastic. I was thrown off a little that the protagonist didn't have a Scottish/Northern European/Viking accent like the others (good example of subtle racism in cinema), but I highly enjoyed listening to Gerald Butler and Craig Ferguson voice. I will get yelled at by my friend who is obsessed with Gerald Butler, but I stand my ground that he is better in voice acting than in actual acting.
8/10
#72 The King and the Clown (6/10/12)

Dir. Lee Jun-Ik
2005
I am so proud of South Korea that they made a film sprinkled with a tad of gay theme the top nationally grossing movie in 2005! I mean, it's no Brokeback Mountain as the bromance is way watered down. But it's still about two men with a tight emotional connection and I was so surprised having seen this that a movie like this could ever be popularized in Korea. The story begins with two street entertainers fleeing to Seoul because they have just killed their boss due to their rage for pimping one of the main characters to a wealthy landowner. Once at Seoul, they attempt to make big bucks by satirizing the king. They are arrested and beaten when the older of the guys asks the eunuch if they can perform in front of the king himself and if he laughs, they are forgiven and if he doesn't, they will willingly face death. The king portrayed in the film is surely an odd one (my parents told me the character is based on an actual king but I don't know his name) and he just breaks out in complete laughter as the two clowns make fun of his birth. So they are invited to be the king's personal entertainers and are offered a place to live within the palace. Though...everything goes downhill from that point on, plot wise not the quality of the film. I'm usually not a fan of these olden Joseon Dynasty movies, but I found this one really fascinating and I would like to give a standing ovation to whoever played the king. It's hard to find good Korean actors.
8/10
2005
I am so proud of South Korea that they made a film sprinkled with a tad of gay theme the top nationally grossing movie in 2005! I mean, it's no Brokeback Mountain as the bromance is way watered down. But it's still about two men with a tight emotional connection and I was so surprised having seen this that a movie like this could ever be popularized in Korea. The story begins with two street entertainers fleeing to Seoul because they have just killed their boss due to their rage for pimping one of the main characters to a wealthy landowner. Once at Seoul, they attempt to make big bucks by satirizing the king. They are arrested and beaten when the older of the guys asks the eunuch if they can perform in front of the king himself and if he laughs, they are forgiven and if he doesn't, they will willingly face death. The king portrayed in the film is surely an odd one (my parents told me the character is based on an actual king but I don't know his name) and he just breaks out in complete laughter as the two clowns make fun of his birth. So they are invited to be the king's personal entertainers and are offered a place to live within the palace. Though...everything goes downhill from that point on, plot wise not the quality of the film. I'm usually not a fan of these olden Joseon Dynasty movies, but I found this one really fascinating and I would like to give a standing ovation to whoever played the king. It's hard to find good Korean actors.
8/10
#71 Bicycle Thieves (6/07/12)

Dir. Vittorio De Sica
1948
The key to making a heartfelt movie is to have a adorable little kid in it, or a puppy, a kitty, and create a sad/bittersweet story around it. I'm not even kidding - get a video camera right now, shoot a movie with the first half showing your dad and your little sister playing soccer together and the second half showing your dad suffering from cancer. It's not the most creative story ever, but it's simple and people will love it. That's kind of the initial reaction I had from watching Bicycle Thieves. It was a touching story, very down-to-earth and expressive of raw human feelings. It depicts the plight of Italian citizens in the aftermath of World War II and the story focuses on a father and a son who spend a whole day looking for a stolen bike that is vital for the father's job. Now, I hate that I'm always so critical but that is just the type of person I am and I will be honored to make a movie that is as solid as this, but I know that if this same story was produced in the 21st century, it would have no way as close of a critical acclaim as this 1948 work has. I thought 50/50, which stars a teenage hipster heartthrob Joseph Gordon Levitt and comedian Seth Rogen, was more emotionally poignant than this, but I still give big props to mastermind De Sica for being the first neo-realist filmmaker in the world.
7.5/10
1948
The key to making a heartfelt movie is to have a adorable little kid in it, or a puppy, a kitty, and create a sad/bittersweet story around it. I'm not even kidding - get a video camera right now, shoot a movie with the first half showing your dad and your little sister playing soccer together and the second half showing your dad suffering from cancer. It's not the most creative story ever, but it's simple and people will love it. That's kind of the initial reaction I had from watching Bicycle Thieves. It was a touching story, very down-to-earth and expressive of raw human feelings. It depicts the plight of Italian citizens in the aftermath of World War II and the story focuses on a father and a son who spend a whole day looking for a stolen bike that is vital for the father's job. Now, I hate that I'm always so critical but that is just the type of person I am and I will be honored to make a movie that is as solid as this, but I know that if this same story was produced in the 21st century, it would have no way as close of a critical acclaim as this 1948 work has. I thought 50/50, which stars a teenage hipster heartthrob Joseph Gordon Levitt and comedian Seth Rogen, was more emotionally poignant than this, but I still give big props to mastermind De Sica for being the first neo-realist filmmaker in the world.
7.5/10
#70 Zombieland (6/02/12)

Dir. Ruben Fleischer
2009
When I had my old Tumblr back in '09, I remember countless gifs and stills from this movie being reblogged a thousand times. I figured it'd be one of those cult classics aimed towards zombie-obsessed bloggers and I was spot-on with my hypothesis. The concept of a zombie never occurred to me as fascinating. I never got into the zombie hype that emerged from Shaun of the Dead back in the days. So I have mixed feelings about Zombieland. I didn't think it was exactly funny and there were only three scenes off the top of my head when I genuinely laughed, which include the "zombie kill of the day" piano dropping scene, the entire time Bill Murray is on screen for though very brief, and when Woody Harrelson goes "Thank god for rednecks!" when he comes across a big yellow hummer filled with guns. Other than that, I hardly think the humor of Zombieland is its very appeal. For example, the whole twinkie joke is played around with too often to the point where it's just irritating. I think it's the chemistry between the four main characters that really made this film what it is. Woody Harrelson is always so great and he was undoubtably fantastic as the foul-mouthed badass zombie hunter. I much prefer Emma Stone playing these kind of sassy cool gals over vulnerable girly girls like in The Help and I'm guessing Spider-Man. Abigail Breslin added major cuteness to the film and Mark Zuckerburg, oh god I just called Jesse Eisenberg by his Social Network name and I refuse to correct it, was very suited for his standard Michael Cera-esque role.
7.5/10
2009
When I had my old Tumblr back in '09, I remember countless gifs and stills from this movie being reblogged a thousand times. I figured it'd be one of those cult classics aimed towards zombie-obsessed bloggers and I was spot-on with my hypothesis. The concept of a zombie never occurred to me as fascinating. I never got into the zombie hype that emerged from Shaun of the Dead back in the days. So I have mixed feelings about Zombieland. I didn't think it was exactly funny and there were only three scenes off the top of my head when I genuinely laughed, which include the "zombie kill of the day" piano dropping scene, the entire time Bill Murray is on screen for though very brief, and when Woody Harrelson goes "Thank god for rednecks!" when he comes across a big yellow hummer filled with guns. Other than that, I hardly think the humor of Zombieland is its very appeal. For example, the whole twinkie joke is played around with too often to the point where it's just irritating. I think it's the chemistry between the four main characters that really made this film what it is. Woody Harrelson is always so great and he was undoubtably fantastic as the foul-mouthed badass zombie hunter. I much prefer Emma Stone playing these kind of sassy cool gals over vulnerable girly girls like in The Help and I'm guessing Spider-Man. Abigail Breslin added major cuteness to the film and Mark Zuckerburg, oh god I just called Jesse Eisenberg by his Social Network name and I refuse to correct it, was very suited for his standard Michael Cera-esque role.
7.5/10
#69 The Terminator (6/02/12)

Dir. James Cameron
1984
If you know me at all, I am not a big James Cameron fan mostly because I think he's a money-making machine and I can't respect him as a creative filmmaker. I'm glad I watched The Terminator because it will very well support my previous statement about him. What is the story of The Terminator? So a guy from the future shows up, claims that a nuclear war has occurred and he volunteered himself to go back to the past to save the mother of a guy who will apparently save humanity from being dominated by machines. The woman buys the story way too easily and has sex with the guy from the future because he tells her he loves her....No wonder she's pregnant. Ladies, let me tell you something. You do not make love with a guy just because he tells you he loves you. You got that? Anyway, a cyborg man named "The Terminator" (gasp* the movie title!) also time travels to the past to assassinate the woman. The biggest flaw of all films/books that contain time travel is that writers often overlook the extremely paradoxical nature of time travel. Cause comes before the effect in this very universe. Sure, sure this movie is supposed to be purely a fantasy and we as the audience are expected to suspend our disbelief. But how can we? When other great, more sensible time travel movies exist such as Back to the Future and La Jeteé?
7/10
1984
If you know me at all, I am not a big James Cameron fan mostly because I think he's a money-making machine and I can't respect him as a creative filmmaker. I'm glad I watched The Terminator because it will very well support my previous statement about him. What is the story of The Terminator? So a guy from the future shows up, claims that a nuclear war has occurred and he volunteered himself to go back to the past to save the mother of a guy who will apparently save humanity from being dominated by machines. The woman buys the story way too easily and has sex with the guy from the future because he tells her he loves her....No wonder she's pregnant. Ladies, let me tell you something. You do not make love with a guy just because he tells you he loves you. You got that? Anyway, a cyborg man named "The Terminator" (gasp* the movie title!) also time travels to the past to assassinate the woman. The biggest flaw of all films/books that contain time travel is that writers often overlook the extremely paradoxical nature of time travel. Cause comes before the effect in this very universe. Sure, sure this movie is supposed to be purely a fantasy and we as the audience are expected to suspend our disbelief. But how can we? When other great, more sensible time travel movies exist such as Back to the Future and La Jeteé?
7/10
#68 Anatomy of a Murder (5/28/12)

Dir. Otto Preminger
1959
Okay, so here's the deal. These are the types of movies that make me really sad, but not because the story is sad....because its effort in bringing together the scattered plot was pathetic. Don't get me wrong, Anatomy of Murder is a fantastic movie. Until the last 5 minutes and then all the emotions you've been feeling since the beginning of the film just go *snap*. Seriously, what? The set-up is perfect. James Stewart, a small-town lawyer looking to earn some bucks, comes across a murder case, in which a wife of a soldier gets raped and the husband kills the raper an hour after the incident. He is asked to defend the husband and he decides to go with the insanity plea. I can see how this courtroom heavy drama could have been very fascinating to audience in the 1950s because as far as I know, there weren't a whole lot of courtroom movies and TV shows during that time. The acting is good though not James Stewart's best. I haven't seen the other leading actors and actresses in other films, but their performances were worth noting as well. Now, I'm going to drop a spoiler but it's very predictable so whatever, keep reading. Basically what happens is the husband is not charged guilty and THAT'S IT. The good guy wins and nothing interesting is revealed. I even thought of a better ending on the spot. What if the husband actually created the evidence in advance to avoid being sentenced? Quite a disappointing ending, but the rest I'm satisfied with.
7.5/10
1959
Okay, so here's the deal. These are the types of movies that make me really sad, but not because the story is sad....because its effort in bringing together the scattered plot was pathetic. Don't get me wrong, Anatomy of Murder is a fantastic movie. Until the last 5 minutes and then all the emotions you've been feeling since the beginning of the film just go *snap*. Seriously, what? The set-up is perfect. James Stewart, a small-town lawyer looking to earn some bucks, comes across a murder case, in which a wife of a soldier gets raped and the husband kills the raper an hour after the incident. He is asked to defend the husband and he decides to go with the insanity plea. I can see how this courtroom heavy drama could have been very fascinating to audience in the 1950s because as far as I know, there weren't a whole lot of courtroom movies and TV shows during that time. The acting is good though not James Stewart's best. I haven't seen the other leading actors and actresses in other films, but their performances were worth noting as well. Now, I'm going to drop a spoiler but it's very predictable so whatever, keep reading. Basically what happens is the husband is not charged guilty and THAT'S IT. The good guy wins and nothing interesting is revealed. I even thought of a better ending on the spot. What if the husband actually created the evidence in advance to avoid being sentenced? Quite a disappointing ending, but the rest I'm satisfied with.
7.5/10
#67 The Matrix (5/26/12)

Dir. Andy Wachowski & Lana Wachowski
1999
I finally got around watching The Matrix after months, and even years, of intentionally ignoring it because I've always heard that it was a confusing bundle of mess. I figured one day, hey I'm going to be a film major, Keanu Reeves is hot, I'm not doing anything on this beautiful Saturday, I have a copy of The Matrix in front of me, why not give it a try? Y'all that misleadingly fed me info that The Matrix is confusing, are ya serious? The Matrix is a more sci-fi, action-filled version of The Giver pretty much and that is in the required reading list for middle schoolers. If you watched and somewhat understood Inception, you will be more than fine comprehending this. Anyway, The Matrix is one of the finest science fiction films I've seen in a long time. For one thing, it actually makes sense and the plot line isn't too much of a stretch. I mean, just take a look at Speilberg's Close Encounters With the Third Kind. COME ON!! I guarantee that every person on this planet has thought at least once about the purpose of his or her existence, whether or not virtual reality exists, and what would happen if machines took over humanity in the future. The Matrix is the Bible, it's Star Wars, and it's The Giver as I have mentioned before. It's a very modern, sleek philosophical masterpiece of today's internet generation. I wish I had been old enough to be watching this in theater in 1999, at the brink end of the 20th century, waiting for a whole new futuristic century dominated by machinery? Ah it's giving me chills!
8.5/10
1999
I finally got around watching The Matrix after months, and even years, of intentionally ignoring it because I've always heard that it was a confusing bundle of mess. I figured one day, hey I'm going to be a film major, Keanu Reeves is hot, I'm not doing anything on this beautiful Saturday, I have a copy of The Matrix in front of me, why not give it a try? Y'all that misleadingly fed me info that The Matrix is confusing, are ya serious? The Matrix is a more sci-fi, action-filled version of The Giver pretty much and that is in the required reading list for middle schoolers. If you watched and somewhat understood Inception, you will be more than fine comprehending this. Anyway, The Matrix is one of the finest science fiction films I've seen in a long time. For one thing, it actually makes sense and the plot line isn't too much of a stretch. I mean, just take a look at Speilberg's Close Encounters With the Third Kind. COME ON!! I guarantee that every person on this planet has thought at least once about the purpose of his or her existence, whether or not virtual reality exists, and what would happen if machines took over humanity in the future. The Matrix is the Bible, it's Star Wars, and it's The Giver as I have mentioned before. It's a very modern, sleek philosophical masterpiece of today's internet generation. I wish I had been old enough to be watching this in theater in 1999, at the brink end of the 20th century, waiting for a whole new futuristic century dominated by machinery? Ah it's giving me chills!
8.5/10
#66 Legends of the Fall (5/26/12)

Dir. Edward Zwick
1994
Oh hi there, hello hot 90s Brad Pitt. There isn't really much in Legends of the Fall other than Bradley's overpowering masculinity. You can tell right from the painfully typical poster and the god-awful title that the film is going to be one cheesy corn aka a cheesy, corny movie in Nora's term. I actually kind of enjoyed it though and the historically rich background of the story had a lot to offer. It's also Native American-friendly. Obviously the main roles are reserved for Caucasians and the Native American part of the story is quite minor, but its stance on the treatment of the Native people in the early 20th century is definitely admirable. Too bad Americans are only about a a century late in publicly making statements like that. On a different note, I don't notice this aspect of filmmaking well in most movies, but I thought the make-up in this film was spot-on. Now, I know there aren't many ladies starring in this film, but Anthony Hopkins' old, sickly man make-up was surely jaw-dropping. You know how you know Hollywood is number 1? Just look at the high-tech special effects, make-up, costumes, set design, etc. Take Marie Antoinette for example (though sort of ironic since it's more of a Coppola indie flick). Crappy, and I mean, crappy movie but with top-notch rococo costuming and make-up.
7/10
1994
Oh hi there, hello hot 90s Brad Pitt. There isn't really much in Legends of the Fall other than Bradley's overpowering masculinity. You can tell right from the painfully typical poster and the god-awful title that the film is going to be one cheesy corn aka a cheesy, corny movie in Nora's term. I actually kind of enjoyed it though and the historically rich background of the story had a lot to offer. It's also Native American-friendly. Obviously the main roles are reserved for Caucasians and the Native American part of the story is quite minor, but its stance on the treatment of the Native people in the early 20th century is definitely admirable. Too bad Americans are only about a a century late in publicly making statements like that. On a different note, I don't notice this aspect of filmmaking well in most movies, but I thought the make-up in this film was spot-on. Now, I know there aren't many ladies starring in this film, but Anthony Hopkins' old, sickly man make-up was surely jaw-dropping. You know how you know Hollywood is number 1? Just look at the high-tech special effects, make-up, costumes, set design, etc. Take Marie Antoinette for example (though sort of ironic since it's more of a Coppola indie flick). Crappy, and I mean, crappy movie but with top-notch rococo costuming and make-up.
7/10
#65 Being There (5/25/12)

Dir. Hal Ashby
1979
What a frustrating, almost an infuriating plot line this film has! I can't believe how many people in my Euro class thoroughly enjoyed this. Peter Sellers is fabulous playing his role as a slightly autistic and mentally challenged, Forrest Gump-type of guy who is just a humble gardener named Chance. With the owner of the estate dead, he has no choice but to go out into the real world to look for a new job and a new place to live. The majority of knowledge he has about how society functions comes from his excessive TV watching. He gets in a harmless car accident with a wealthy woman, whom he befriends rather too quickly. It doesn't make any sense how easily the wealthy couple buys Chance's charm and assumes he originates from an upper class background. Believe it or not, this was my first Shirley MacLaine film and I wasn't particularly impressed by her performance given that her name is huge in the film industry. The aspect that bothered me the most was the story and the characters' close parallel to Christianity. The ending scene is of Chance walking on water, which is an obvious biblical allusion. In addition, the wealthy woman Chance encounters is named Eve. He manages to gain a group of loyal followers throughout the film, sort of like Jesus. If I'm right about the Christian parallels, which I'm confident I am, isn't the director making a statement about Jesus and how it was simply luck that allowed him to achieve what he did?
7/10
1979
What a frustrating, almost an infuriating plot line this film has! I can't believe how many people in my Euro class thoroughly enjoyed this. Peter Sellers is fabulous playing his role as a slightly autistic and mentally challenged, Forrest Gump-type of guy who is just a humble gardener named Chance. With the owner of the estate dead, he has no choice but to go out into the real world to look for a new job and a new place to live. The majority of knowledge he has about how society functions comes from his excessive TV watching. He gets in a harmless car accident with a wealthy woman, whom he befriends rather too quickly. It doesn't make any sense how easily the wealthy couple buys Chance's charm and assumes he originates from an upper class background. Believe it or not, this was my first Shirley MacLaine film and I wasn't particularly impressed by her performance given that her name is huge in the film industry. The aspect that bothered me the most was the story and the characters' close parallel to Christianity. The ending scene is of Chance walking on water, which is an obvious biblical allusion. In addition, the wealthy woman Chance encounters is named Eve. He manages to gain a group of loyal followers throughout the film, sort of like Jesus. If I'm right about the Christian parallels, which I'm confident I am, isn't the director making a statement about Jesus and how it was simply luck that allowed him to achieve what he did?
7/10
#64 The Best of Youth (5/23/12)

Dir. Marco Tullio Giordana
2003
You guys, this was frickin' 6 hours long. 6 HOURS LONG. But you know what, it was 6 hours of laughs, surprises, tears, excitement, and a million other emotions so it was all right. I'm actually glad I watched it. So there are two parts to it, though they aren't considered two different movies like say The Godfather. I didn't watch both parts in continuation because one, that would have been crazy and two, I really think it was meant to be viewed at two separate sittings for a few reasons. The first part is strictly a coming-of-age story. Two brothers in their 20s sneak out a slightly mentally ill girl from her clinic upon finding out that the doctors use electric shocks. During the journey, the two brothers fall apart due to multiple disagreements over what to do with the girl and because they possessed different outlooks in life in general. The second part picks up when the two are in their late 30s and leading their respective lives. They come together once in a while, some reunions over joyful occasions and others reunions over sad ones. I personally preferred the second part even if both were great, because the film didn't waste any time on set-ups (you know how the pilot of a TV show is never that great because it's just a lot of explaining and not a lot of entertaining?). As a conclusion, I'd like to say The Best of Youth is just as much about modern Italy than it is about the two brothers and it really is an epic movie on a grand scale.
8/10
2003
You guys, this was frickin' 6 hours long. 6 HOURS LONG. But you know what, it was 6 hours of laughs, surprises, tears, excitement, and a million other emotions so it was all right. I'm actually glad I watched it. So there are two parts to it, though they aren't considered two different movies like say The Godfather. I didn't watch both parts in continuation because one, that would have been crazy and two, I really think it was meant to be viewed at two separate sittings for a few reasons. The first part is strictly a coming-of-age story. Two brothers in their 20s sneak out a slightly mentally ill girl from her clinic upon finding out that the doctors use electric shocks. During the journey, the two brothers fall apart due to multiple disagreements over what to do with the girl and because they possessed different outlooks in life in general. The second part picks up when the two are in their late 30s and leading their respective lives. They come together once in a while, some reunions over joyful occasions and others reunions over sad ones. I personally preferred the second part even if both were great, because the film didn't waste any time on set-ups (you know how the pilot of a TV show is never that great because it's just a lot of explaining and not a lot of entertaining?). As a conclusion, I'd like to say The Best of Youth is just as much about modern Italy than it is about the two brothers and it really is an epic movie on a grand scale.
8/10
#63 Manon of the Spring (5/21/12)

Dir. Claude Berri
1986
This is a sequel, but according to my Euro teacher who showed us this, the first movie does not need to be watched for us to understand the plot line. Manon of the Spring is set in the countryside of early 20th century France. An old man named Cesar and his nephew Ugolin own a farm where they tend carnations. Manon is a young, free-spirited girl who lives with her family friends on the out skirt of the village, herding goats and frolicking in nature during the day. Manon's father was a hunchback who used to own the farm now possessed by Cesar and Ugolin, but his business was destroyed when the spring supplying water to his crops one day went dry. There is a dirty, hidden truth to how the hunchback's waterline was randomly blocked and it's part of the fun figuring out what exactly happened to Manon's dad and why. I'm not all that familiar with French actors and actresses, but the girl who plays Manon has got a really unique, beautiful face though I just googled her name and man, she has pulled a major Lindsay Lohan in aging. It's always a bummer when pretty people grow up badly. Anyway, I had a few problems regarding this film. One shallow one being that Manon's overly fashionable attire throughout the film is so distracting because she's supposed to be a goat herder, not a top 1 on lookbook.nu, damn it. Secondly, the pacing of the story is very off with the first hour being told painfully slowly whereas the last 30 minutes is told as if Michael Bay were on steroids.
7.5/10
1986
This is a sequel, but according to my Euro teacher who showed us this, the first movie does not need to be watched for us to understand the plot line. Manon of the Spring is set in the countryside of early 20th century France. An old man named Cesar and his nephew Ugolin own a farm where they tend carnations. Manon is a young, free-spirited girl who lives with her family friends on the out skirt of the village, herding goats and frolicking in nature during the day. Manon's father was a hunchback who used to own the farm now possessed by Cesar and Ugolin, but his business was destroyed when the spring supplying water to his crops one day went dry. There is a dirty, hidden truth to how the hunchback's waterline was randomly blocked and it's part of the fun figuring out what exactly happened to Manon's dad and why. I'm not all that familiar with French actors and actresses, but the girl who plays Manon has got a really unique, beautiful face though I just googled her name and man, she has pulled a major Lindsay Lohan in aging. It's always a bummer when pretty people grow up badly. Anyway, I had a few problems regarding this film. One shallow one being that Manon's overly fashionable attire throughout the film is so distracting because she's supposed to be a goat herder, not a top 1 on lookbook.nu, damn it. Secondly, the pacing of the story is very off with the first hour being told painfully slowly whereas the last 30 minutes is told as if Michael Bay were on steroids.
7.5/10
#62 Klute (5/19/12)

Dir. Alan J. Pakula
1971
You know when you can tell a movie is going to be good right off the bat? Well, this one right here is bit of a deceiver. The opening monologue, which is an eerie taped recorder voice of a call girl talking to her client, was a very edgy way to start off a thriller mystery. Alas, it gets progressively worse unfortunately. Jane Fonda plays a psychologically disturbed prostitute in New York who has gotten herself a stalker. Donald Sutherland, who is the father of Keifer Sutherland, plays a lonely cop from Philly who is investigating a case of a missing person, who is linked to the call girl. It's a crime movie, but it's also very a romance. An awkward one to say the least. You know what, maybe that's the point and the director wanted to capture a humble romance between two nobodies who have never loved before. So in terms of a romance, I give a 7.5, maybe even an 8. As a thriller, though, the ending is much too predictable and although the soundtrack was relatively well-made, it is used so repetitively and almost gets distracting in climactic scenes. For a 70s movie about prostitutes and pimps, the film is not that explicit. I actually wished it had been a bit more explicit and exploitative, not because I am an 18-year-old angsty pervert, but because the whole film felt a bit bland and needed more excitement. I could see this being Taxi Driver-esque. It would have been much better that way.
7/10
1971
You know when you can tell a movie is going to be good right off the bat? Well, this one right here is bit of a deceiver. The opening monologue, which is an eerie taped recorder voice of a call girl talking to her client, was a very edgy way to start off a thriller mystery. Alas, it gets progressively worse unfortunately. Jane Fonda plays a psychologically disturbed prostitute in New York who has gotten herself a stalker. Donald Sutherland, who is the father of Keifer Sutherland, plays a lonely cop from Philly who is investigating a case of a missing person, who is linked to the call girl. It's a crime movie, but it's also very a romance. An awkward one to say the least. You know what, maybe that's the point and the director wanted to capture a humble romance between two nobodies who have never loved before. So in terms of a romance, I give a 7.5, maybe even an 8. As a thriller, though, the ending is much too predictable and although the soundtrack was relatively well-made, it is used so repetitively and almost gets distracting in climactic scenes. For a 70s movie about prostitutes and pimps, the film is not that explicit. I actually wished it had been a bit more explicit and exploitative, not because I am an 18-year-old angsty pervert, but because the whole film felt a bit bland and needed more excitement. I could see this being Taxi Driver-esque. It would have been much better that way.
7/10
#61 Ballad of a Soldier (5/18/12)

Dir. Grigorly Chukhray
1959
Who would have thought a film from the Soviet Union in the 1950's could be this heartwarming and quality! Not to sound ignorant (here we go....), but I, a brainwashed capitalist American pig, just always assumed Soviets possessed no artistic merit and if they did, they were sent to Siberian work camps or something. But Ballad of a Solider completely disproves such absurd assertion and shows that a few films from the Soviet Union had no jingoistic, political purposes, and simply were created to tell an engaging story. The main character is a young soldier named Alyosha and he is offered an award due to his brave actions in the front in World War II. Instead of accepting it, he requests a few days off so that he could visit his mother in the countryside. 10 minutes into the movie, I guarantee you (if you're a lady) will fall in love with this man and he is, trust me, THE Mr. Ideal Husband. Now, if you're a gentleman, no worries because the female lead is just as much of a sweetheart and the whole movie is so full of love and positivism that it would have made the Grinch smile. It definitely is sad and the end of the movie is revealed by a voiceover in the opening scene. You know he's physically going to die in the war (mind you, this is not a spoiler), but it doesn't matter because he's immortal and I had to write an essay on why this is not a tragedy. Friends, I highly recommend this. If you can't watch black and white movies then...shut up.
9/10
1959
Who would have thought a film from the Soviet Union in the 1950's could be this heartwarming and quality! Not to sound ignorant (here we go....), but I, a brainwashed capitalist American pig, just always assumed Soviets possessed no artistic merit and if they did, they were sent to Siberian work camps or something. But Ballad of a Solider completely disproves such absurd assertion and shows that a few films from the Soviet Union had no jingoistic, political purposes, and simply were created to tell an engaging story. The main character is a young soldier named Alyosha and he is offered an award due to his brave actions in the front in World War II. Instead of accepting it, he requests a few days off so that he could visit his mother in the countryside. 10 minutes into the movie, I guarantee you (if you're a lady) will fall in love with this man and he is, trust me, THE Mr. Ideal Husband. Now, if you're a gentleman, no worries because the female lead is just as much of a sweetheart and the whole movie is so full of love and positivism that it would have made the Grinch smile. It definitely is sad and the end of the movie is revealed by a voiceover in the opening scene. You know he's physically going to die in the war (mind you, this is not a spoiler), but it doesn't matter because he's immortal and I had to write an essay on why this is not a tragedy. Friends, I highly recommend this. If you can't watch black and white movies then...shut up.
9/10
#60 Wings of Desire (5/16/12)

Dir. Wim Wenders
1987
Oh Jesus Christ, I am so behind on doing these film journals. I am writing one that I watched on the 16th, a week later on the 23rd. Anyway, this was first of the Post AP test Euro movie marathon in my class. A bit of a heavy one to start off with, but it tied well with the end of the Cold War unit that we just went over in class. Bruno Ganz plays the main character and he was the guy who played Hitler in Downfall, which I watched only a few days before watching Wings of Desire. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of Hitler playing an angel in this movie. As many of the students in my class commented, this film was a bit too existential for my liking. Its exploration of the futility of desires and its celebration of individuality and life was obviously too out of touch for most 17, 18-year-olds in the class. Perhaps, I should revisit this when I become older and have suffered more? Nevertheless, irrelevant thematic elements are only a very minor part of what makes a movie good and enjoyable. The cinematography is drop-dead gorgeous and its so clever with all the visual foreshadowings and references. The soundtrack by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds was extremely eerie but also atmospheric and very fitting of the plot line.
8/10
1987
Oh Jesus Christ, I am so behind on doing these film journals. I am writing one that I watched on the 16th, a week later on the 23rd. Anyway, this was first of the Post AP test Euro movie marathon in my class. A bit of a heavy one to start off with, but it tied well with the end of the Cold War unit that we just went over in class. Bruno Ganz plays the main character and he was the guy who played Hitler in Downfall, which I watched only a few days before watching Wings of Desire. I couldn't help but laugh at the irony of Hitler playing an angel in this movie. As many of the students in my class commented, this film was a bit too existential for my liking. Its exploration of the futility of desires and its celebration of individuality and life was obviously too out of touch for most 17, 18-year-olds in the class. Perhaps, I should revisit this when I become older and have suffered more? Nevertheless, irrelevant thematic elements are only a very minor part of what makes a movie good and enjoyable. The cinematography is drop-dead gorgeous and its so clever with all the visual foreshadowings and references. The soundtrack by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds was extremely eerie but also atmospheric and very fitting of the plot line.
8/10
#59 Downfall (5/14/12)

Dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel
2004
Is it weird that I was seriously so excited to watch this film? I've always thought the Hitler parodies on Youtube ("Hitler reacts to the iPad", etc.) were hilarious and wondered which movie it came from. The scene, which I figured was the climax, actually comes within the first 20 minutes of the movie. Hell, the movie starts with Germany on the edge of unconditional surrender in April 1945. It's a fairly accurate story of the last couple days of Hitler as Fuhrer (or as an earthly being, ba dum tsh!) told through the eyes of his private secretary, Traudl Junge. It takes place in the Fuhrerbunker, which is an air-raid shelter located in the heart of Berlin, Germany. What's most interesting about this movie is that it humanizes Hitler and with pathos. However, the film is in no way glorifying Nazism. In fact, it captures the Nazis in their final days as so pathetic and helpless and most of them renounce their Nazi beliefs at the end anyway. Spoiler coming up......there is this tear-jerking scene when parents of six children are forced to kill their own kids and themselves because they don't want them to grow up in a land where "National Socialism doesn't exist". It's a really heavy story and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are particularly interested in history and biographical movies. It's just capturing the final, most intimate moments of the greatest criminal in history - no big deal.
8/10
2004
Is it weird that I was seriously so excited to watch this film? I've always thought the Hitler parodies on Youtube ("Hitler reacts to the iPad", etc.) were hilarious and wondered which movie it came from. The scene, which I figured was the climax, actually comes within the first 20 minutes of the movie. Hell, the movie starts with Germany on the edge of unconditional surrender in April 1945. It's a fairly accurate story of the last couple days of Hitler as Fuhrer (or as an earthly being, ba dum tsh!) told through the eyes of his private secretary, Traudl Junge. It takes place in the Fuhrerbunker, which is an air-raid shelter located in the heart of Berlin, Germany. What's most interesting about this movie is that it humanizes Hitler and with pathos. However, the film is in no way glorifying Nazism. In fact, it captures the Nazis in their final days as so pathetic and helpless and most of them renounce their Nazi beliefs at the end anyway. Spoiler coming up......there is this tear-jerking scene when parents of six children are forced to kill their own kids and themselves because they don't want them to grow up in a land where "National Socialism doesn't exist". It's a really heavy story and I wouldn't recommend it unless you are particularly interested in history and biographical movies. It's just capturing the final, most intimate moments of the greatest criminal in history - no big deal.
8/10
#58 Porco Rosso (5/11/12)

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki
1992
1992
OKAY, I have finalized my list of favorite directors and I have to give the number two spot to Miyazaki. His ability to create animated works that go beyond the imagination of his contemporaries is so praiseworthy, not to mention all his films are so culturally unique and delightfully exotic. I like that they are meant for a bit of an older audience than the usual animations although I guess people of all age groups can enjoy his movies. Porco Rosso takes place in 1930s Italy with the rise of Mussolini's fascist party. It's subtly satirical although it's really more about love and friendship than an attack on fascism. Porco is a human-turned-pig and is a sea pilot who fought in the side of Italy during World War I. Porco's got this Old Hollywood actor charm where you don't know it, but you're bursting with masculinity from head to toe. He leaves the armed forces and becomes a famous bounty hunter. The sea pirates hire an American pilot to battle Porco and the two fight not only defend their honor, but also over two beautiful women, who both prefer the cursed pig over the arrogant American. It sounds like a silly story and to be honest, it really is. It's more the director's trademark of the bittersweet nuance that squeezes out from all his films that make them so appealing.
8/10
#57 Heat (5/11/12)

Dir. Michael Mann
1995
So like, I had no idea this was directed by the same guy who made Collateral which I watched a few months back and I kept thinking throughout the movie, "dang the Collateral guy TOTALLY ripped off this movie. The music, the scenery, just everything - but made it worse". I mean, you get Al Pacino as the good guy, but foul-mouthed detective and Robert De Niro as the gang leader with a badass goatee of course. On top of that you get Natalie Portman as the most adorable 14-year-old. Seeing this cast is like obtaining three cute articles of clothing in one shopping trip or for you gentlemen, getting three cute girls' numbers in one day, but probably better. Other than the outstanding cast and the great performance in result of it, the story itself is slightly above average. It's a pretty typical cat and mouse chase between a thief and a detective, in which the detective knows the guy is a criminal and he's just waiting to catch him red handed. It's definitely too long and there are way too many scenes of burly men holding guns with their shoulders all tensed-up but not actually firing them. The Los Angeles night scenes were beautiful and it's nice to watch a movie about LAPD busting down Cali gangs instead of NYPD rolling East Coast junkies. The film is a fun, thrilling watch and perfect for heavy action lovers though I thought it only worked on a superficial surface.
7.5/10
1995
So like, I had no idea this was directed by the same guy who made Collateral which I watched a few months back and I kept thinking throughout the movie, "dang the Collateral guy TOTALLY ripped off this movie. The music, the scenery, just everything - but made it worse". I mean, you get Al Pacino as the good guy, but foul-mouthed detective and Robert De Niro as the gang leader with a badass goatee of course. On top of that you get Natalie Portman as the most adorable 14-year-old. Seeing this cast is like obtaining three cute articles of clothing in one shopping trip or for you gentlemen, getting three cute girls' numbers in one day, but probably better. Other than the outstanding cast and the great performance in result of it, the story itself is slightly above average. It's a pretty typical cat and mouse chase between a thief and a detective, in which the detective knows the guy is a criminal and he's just waiting to catch him red handed. It's definitely too long and there are way too many scenes of burly men holding guns with their shoulders all tensed-up but not actually firing them. The Los Angeles night scenes were beautiful and it's nice to watch a movie about LAPD busting down Cali gangs instead of NYPD rolling East Coast junkies. The film is a fun, thrilling watch and perfect for heavy action lovers though I thought it only worked on a superficial surface.
7.5/10
#56 Talk to Her (5/05/12)

Dir. Pedro Almodóvar
2002
Five of the last nine movies I watched were foreign. DoEs ThAt MaKe Me CuLtUrAlLy KnOwLedGeAbLe? Anyway, this is another very odd movie from an odd director. I don't think the poster does much justice to the film because it looks like a third-rate lesbian tragedy (and the sketchy title only reinforces my hypothesis). The only reason I am giddily attacking the poster is because there really isn't anything else to criticize about the film. Talk to Her is told through the eyes of two men whose girlfriend/girl obsession are both in a long-term coma. Benigno is a male nurse who has been taking care of a beautiful coma patient that he is secretly in love with. He has good intentions though his actions go a little out of hand towards the end. Marco is a sensitive journalist whose matador love interest falls into a coma after a horrific bullfighting accident. He is always seen crying, whether during a contemporary dance performance, while listening to music, and pretty much just all the time. With his masterful crafting of characters, Almodóvar has once again created a piece of cinema so unique and Spanish in nature. I particularly found the movie's insight on the bullfighting profession very fascinating. Though not as experimental as the later The Skin I Live In, Talk to Her possesses never-before-seen cinematic elements.
8/10
2002
Five of the last nine movies I watched were foreign. DoEs ThAt MaKe Me CuLtUrAlLy KnOwLedGeAbLe? Anyway, this is another very odd movie from an odd director. I don't think the poster does much justice to the film because it looks like a third-rate lesbian tragedy (and the sketchy title only reinforces my hypothesis). The only reason I am giddily attacking the poster is because there really isn't anything else to criticize about the film. Talk to Her is told through the eyes of two men whose girlfriend/girl obsession are both in a long-term coma. Benigno is a male nurse who has been taking care of a beautiful coma patient that he is secretly in love with. He has good intentions though his actions go a little out of hand towards the end. Marco is a sensitive journalist whose matador love interest falls into a coma after a horrific bullfighting accident. He is always seen crying, whether during a contemporary dance performance, while listening to music, and pretty much just all the time. With his masterful crafting of characters, Almodóvar has once again created a piece of cinema so unique and Spanish in nature. I particularly found the movie's insight on the bullfighting profession very fascinating. Though not as experimental as the later The Skin I Live In, Talk to Her possesses never-before-seen cinematic elements.
8/10
#55 Sunflower (5/05/12)

Dir. Vittorio De Sica
1970
Can Italians make a happy movie??? The only Italian films I ever recall watching off the top of my head are Cinema Paradiso, Life Is Beautiful, and Nights of Cabiria and they are all so equally tragic. This one takes more of the maudlin, Korean drama path instead of the more bittersweet tragedy dealing with humanity as seen in the other three films mentioned. So, I finally got to see the legendary Sophia Loren in a movie! I wasn't particularly in awe of her beauty, but she really is a hell of an actress. Given that Sunflower was a 99% performance driven film, I have to say she and her co-star Marcello Mastroianni strongly held up the slightly far-fetched love story. As far as the story goes, it's a simple tale of a woman in Italy whose husband gets drafted to the Russian front during World War II. He doesn't return when the war ends and being the stone hard woman she is, Sophia Loren's character, Giovanna, goes all the way to the Soviet Union to look for her missing husband. She travels day and night only to discover what she feared the most. I don't wish to sound like a know-it-all history nerd, but being an avid AP Euro student this semester, I have to say it is impossible for Italian civilians to just enter the Soviet Union and freely roam about looking for a missing AXIS SOLDIER. If any Italians did survive in the Russian front, Stalin would have had them executed immediately or have sent them to prison camps to work until they die.
7.5/10
1970
Can Italians make a happy movie??? The only Italian films I ever recall watching off the top of my head are Cinema Paradiso, Life Is Beautiful, and Nights of Cabiria and they are all so equally tragic. This one takes more of the maudlin, Korean drama path instead of the more bittersweet tragedy dealing with humanity as seen in the other three films mentioned. So, I finally got to see the legendary Sophia Loren in a movie! I wasn't particularly in awe of her beauty, but she really is a hell of an actress. Given that Sunflower was a 99% performance driven film, I have to say she and her co-star Marcello Mastroianni strongly held up the slightly far-fetched love story. As far as the story goes, it's a simple tale of a woman in Italy whose husband gets drafted to the Russian front during World War II. He doesn't return when the war ends and being the stone hard woman she is, Sophia Loren's character, Giovanna, goes all the way to the Soviet Union to look for her missing husband. She travels day and night only to discover what she feared the most. I don't wish to sound like a know-it-all history nerd, but being an avid AP Euro student this semester, I have to say it is impossible for Italian civilians to just enter the Soviet Union and freely roam about looking for a missing AXIS SOLDIER. If any Italians did survive in the Russian front, Stalin would have had them executed immediately or have sent them to prison camps to work until they die.
7.5/10
#54 The Avengers (5/04/12)

Dir. Joss Whedon
2012
Ehh, it was just as expected. Being a big Iron Man fan, I thought I'd give this film a watch and I have to say my expectations were met, but just barely. I went to the theater this (Friday) morning at 9:40 and the 90% people in the audience consisted of men in their thirties who have come by themselves wearing their respective favorite superhero t-shirt, or in other words unemployed comic book nerds that still live with their parents. Haha, no I'm kidding....or am I. Anyway, I will summarize The Avengers in a nutshell. Ready? One eyed-black guy in leather trench coat, BOOOOM, pew, pew, pew, AHH, craaaaaaash, hot red-head Scar Jo, pow, broom, broom, ratatatat, 800 men dead, muscular blond guy from Fantastic Four, BOOOOOM, screeeeeech, pew pew, dude from another planet who looks like an extra from 300, broom, broom, small explosion, BIG EXPLOSION. It was entertaining and all, but there was not much narrative value to it. We know what's going to happen - the good guys triumph and the bad guys lose because it wouldn't have a PG-13 rating if the bad guys win like they sometimes do in more sophisticated superhero movies like The Dark Knight. As I have guessed earlier, Tony Spark aka Iron Man was definitely my favorite character and brought about some good laughs. "Big man in a suit of armor. What are you without it?" "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist".
7/10
2012
Ehh, it was just as expected. Being a big Iron Man fan, I thought I'd give this film a watch and I have to say my expectations were met, but just barely. I went to the theater this (Friday) morning at 9:40 and the 90% people in the audience consisted of men in their thirties who have come by themselves wearing their respective favorite superhero t-shirt, or in other words unemployed comic book nerds that still live with their parents. Haha, no I'm kidding....or am I. Anyway, I will summarize The Avengers in a nutshell. Ready? One eyed-black guy in leather trench coat, BOOOOM, pew, pew, pew, AHH, craaaaaaash, hot red-head Scar Jo, pow, broom, broom, ratatatat, 800 men dead, muscular blond guy from Fantastic Four, BOOOOOM, screeeeeech, pew pew, dude from another planet who looks like an extra from 300, broom, broom, small explosion, BIG EXPLOSION. It was entertaining and all, but there was not much narrative value to it. We know what's going to happen - the good guys triumph and the bad guys lose because it wouldn't have a PG-13 rating if the bad guys win like they sometimes do in more sophisticated superhero movies like The Dark Knight. As I have guessed earlier, Tony Spark aka Iron Man was definitely my favorite character and brought about some good laughs. "Big man in a suit of armor. What are you without it?" "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist".
7/10
#53 Diabolique (5/04/12)

Dir. Henri-Georges Clouzot
1955
Mulholland Dr. last month and Diabolique this month, I don't know why I keep making myself watch morbid horror films at the darkest time of the night. But boy, how glad I am to have finally gotten myself to watch this! This has got to be one of the most suspenseful thrillers in cinematic history. I hear there is an awful and very explicit American remake starring Sharon Stone, so make sure to check out the original French one if you are going to take my advice (and you have no reason not to) and rent this movie. For an older movie, it's relatively fast-paced and there are no annoyingly dragged out conversational scenes that 50s film noirs are typically notorious for. It's Hitchcock-esque because the murder mystery plot is more psychological than physical as a Hitchcock thriller, but it was different stylistically in that Diabolique took the much more grim, traditional route while leaving humor and irony behind. However, the surprise ending was executed in such a top notch manner and never did I see such a twist coming. The timing is great, especially the bloodcurdling hallway scene leading up to the climax. I don't want to give anything away (mostly because there was a slide before the ending credits rolled up in French saying, "Don't inform your friends about what happens at the end of this movie").
10/10
1955
Mulholland Dr. last month and Diabolique this month, I don't know why I keep making myself watch morbid horror films at the darkest time of the night. But boy, how glad I am to have finally gotten myself to watch this! This has got to be one of the most suspenseful thrillers in cinematic history. I hear there is an awful and very explicit American remake starring Sharon Stone, so make sure to check out the original French one if you are going to take my advice (and you have no reason not to) and rent this movie. For an older movie, it's relatively fast-paced and there are no annoyingly dragged out conversational scenes that 50s film noirs are typically notorious for. It's Hitchcock-esque because the murder mystery plot is more psychological than physical as a Hitchcock thriller, but it was different stylistically in that Diabolique took the much more grim, traditional route while leaving humor and irony behind. However, the surprise ending was executed in such a top notch manner and never did I see such a twist coming. The timing is great, especially the bloodcurdling hallway scene leading up to the climax. I don't want to give anything away (mostly because there was a slide before the ending credits rolled up in French saying, "Don't inform your friends about what happens at the end of this movie").
10/10
#52 Barton Fink (4/28/12)

Dir. Coen Brothers
1991
To say I fully understood this film would be a lie. Paraphrasing Maeby from Arrested Development, a lot of people tend to think a movie is good because they don't get it. Barton Fink, along with a couple other Coen Brothers' movies, sort of has that effect where it presents a really odd situation with ambiguous symbolisms thrown here and there and an ending that is completely mind-boggling. So okay, there is a semi-successful Jewish playwright from New York, Barton Fink, who takes a screenwriting job at Los Angeles to earn some dirty Hollywood bucks and fame. He's told to write a wrestling film by the industry even if he has never had any experience or interest writing such mainstream action movies. He suffers from writing block and feels that his creativity as a writer has gone down the drain, kind of like how the movie itself went down the drain towards the end. I get that the Coen Brothers are attempting to tell a semi-autobiographical story in which the message is "Hollywood is hellish and completely business-minded". Okaaaaaay, hipsters. Countless other directors have made a film regarding such concern with Mulholland Dr. (below) being a much better example. John Turtorro wasn't good as Barton Fink, John Goodman was good, but his character brought no depth to the story, and the only slightly interesting character played by Steve Buscemi was on screen for 10 minutes maximum.
7/10
1991
To say I fully understood this film would be a lie. Paraphrasing Maeby from Arrested Development, a lot of people tend to think a movie is good because they don't get it. Barton Fink, along with a couple other Coen Brothers' movies, sort of has that effect where it presents a really odd situation with ambiguous symbolisms thrown here and there and an ending that is completely mind-boggling. So okay, there is a semi-successful Jewish playwright from New York, Barton Fink, who takes a screenwriting job at Los Angeles to earn some dirty Hollywood bucks and fame. He's told to write a wrestling film by the industry even if he has never had any experience or interest writing such mainstream action movies. He suffers from writing block and feels that his creativity as a writer has gone down the drain, kind of like how the movie itself went down the drain towards the end. I get that the Coen Brothers are attempting to tell a semi-autobiographical story in which the message is "Hollywood is hellish and completely business-minded". Okaaaaaay, hipsters. Countless other directors have made a film regarding such concern with Mulholland Dr. (below) being a much better example. John Turtorro wasn't good as Barton Fink, John Goodman was good, but his character brought no depth to the story, and the only slightly interesting character played by Steve Buscemi was on screen for 10 minutes maximum.
7/10
#51 Welcome to Dongmakgol (4/22/12)

Dir. Park Kwang-Hyun
2005
You know what Koreans are good at besides math, engineering, creating kpop groups, buying 90% of world's designer handbags, and making really delicious food? Making war films that show how stupid wars are with extremely low budget. Hollywood makes a ton of war films, but most are action-based with lots of explosions and pewpewpew. This, Joint Security Area, and Tae Guk Gi are a few movies I just remembered off the top of my head that build a really great drama with the Korean War as a backstory. Welcome to Dongmakgol is a Korean take on the western Christmas truce stories. Kang Hye-Jeong (who plays the girl in Oldboy) is honestly the cutest person ever and her role in this film as a simple-minded girl frolicking around the mountainous countryside was priceless. It's always odd seeing Caucasian actors in Korean movies, especially in this one where a 6'3 blue-eyed UN soldier played a critical part in. All in all, it's a bittersweet story about the imaginary thin wall of hatred stemming from propaganda that separated the North and South Korean soldiers and the ability of the innately altruistic nature of human beings to overcome these differences. I wish it hadn't used so many fake computer-generated sequences though. Ugh, CGI.
7.5/10
2005
You know what Koreans are good at besides math, engineering, creating kpop groups, buying 90% of world's designer handbags, and making really delicious food? Making war films that show how stupid wars are with extremely low budget. Hollywood makes a ton of war films, but most are action-based with lots of explosions and pewpewpew. This, Joint Security Area, and Tae Guk Gi are a few movies I just remembered off the top of my head that build a really great drama with the Korean War as a backstory. Welcome to Dongmakgol is a Korean take on the western Christmas truce stories. Kang Hye-Jeong (who plays the girl in Oldboy) is honestly the cutest person ever and her role in this film as a simple-minded girl frolicking around the mountainous countryside was priceless. It's always odd seeing Caucasian actors in Korean movies, especially in this one where a 6'3 blue-eyed UN soldier played a critical part in. All in all, it's a bittersweet story about the imaginary thin wall of hatred stemming from propaganda that separated the North and South Korean soldiers and the ability of the innately altruistic nature of human beings to overcome these differences. I wish it hadn't used so many fake computer-generated sequences though. Ugh, CGI.
7.5/10
#50 The Departed (4/21/12)

Dir. Martin Scorsese
2006
Marty at his best! Nicholson at his best! Leo at his best! You know you're watching a quality movie when you run out of popcorn and pretty much any snacks at home, yet you're still having a good time. I think this film marks the movie in which Leonardo DiCaprio emerged as Hollywood's most precious talent and refuted the views of many people that he was just a pretty face. Now, this isn't my favorite Scorsese's work up to date (I give that honor to the 2010 Shutter Island with an equally brilliant performance from DiCaprio who has only gotten better with age). However, The Departed offers something far different than most his other films including a series of dramatic ironies so blatant that I won't be surprised if some viewers complain about how frustrating the movie was. Those dramatic ironies, though, are definitely key in making the audience feel like they are part of the movie. You know, that's the beauty about filmmaking. With a book, it's hard, nearly impossible, to create a main character oblivious to an important part of the story line. With a movie, we get visuals. Scenes interchange. Two stories can be told at once. Heck, a fourteen hundred stories can be told at once. Characters can be saying one thing while acting out another. The Departed really is a roller coaster and a thrilling one at that - oh, it's so going to be worth the long line and the money. Kind of like Disneyland....only it may not be very fun for 8 year olds.
9/10
2006
Marty at his best! Nicholson at his best! Leo at his best! You know you're watching a quality movie when you run out of popcorn and pretty much any snacks at home, yet you're still having a good time. I think this film marks the movie in which Leonardo DiCaprio emerged as Hollywood's most precious talent and refuted the views of many people that he was just a pretty face. Now, this isn't my favorite Scorsese's work up to date (I give that honor to the 2010 Shutter Island with an equally brilliant performance from DiCaprio who has only gotten better with age). However, The Departed offers something far different than most his other films including a series of dramatic ironies so blatant that I won't be surprised if some viewers complain about how frustrating the movie was. Those dramatic ironies, though, are definitely key in making the audience feel like they are part of the movie. You know, that's the beauty about filmmaking. With a book, it's hard, nearly impossible, to create a main character oblivious to an important part of the story line. With a movie, we get visuals. Scenes interchange. Two stories can be told at once. Heck, a fourteen hundred stories can be told at once. Characters can be saying one thing while acting out another. The Departed really is a roller coaster and a thrilling one at that - oh, it's so going to be worth the long line and the money. Kind of like Disneyland....only it may not be very fun for 8 year olds.
9/10
#49 A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (4/15/12)

Dir. Woody Allen
1982
Woody Allen is generally a very funny guy, but A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is definitely one of his weaker attempts at bringing laughter through the screen. I usually like Mia Farrow starring in Woody's movies for I think he writes characters that suit her perfectly. Kind of the serious, passive-aggressive, good mother kind of roles. However, Mia Farrow is the worst actress to go to for slapstick comedy like this film. I could tell that Woody wanted to revert back to the type of comedy he began his filmmaking career with like Bananas and Every Thing You Wanted to Know About Sex..... The whole movie felt a bit shallow and too sex-orientated (although what else can you expect from a movie titled A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy?) This movie is basically about six pseudo-intellectuals each with relationship/sex problems that spend a weekend out in the woods. Sooner or later, a love hexagon breaks out and you can probably imagine the chaos that is imminent. Don't expect any uncontrollable body-shaking laughs from this film since a mere chuckle every couple minutes is all I got out of it. Don't expect a porno out of it either because the most explicit scene is probably when Woody's sexually repressed wife makes a movie on the 5'5, 100lbs Woody Allen on a messy kitchen counter "where they eat oatmeal".
6/10
1982
Woody Allen is generally a very funny guy, but A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy is definitely one of his weaker attempts at bringing laughter through the screen. I usually like Mia Farrow starring in Woody's movies for I think he writes characters that suit her perfectly. Kind of the serious, passive-aggressive, good mother kind of roles. However, Mia Farrow is the worst actress to go to for slapstick comedy like this film. I could tell that Woody wanted to revert back to the type of comedy he began his filmmaking career with like Bananas and Every Thing You Wanted to Know About Sex..... The whole movie felt a bit shallow and too sex-orientated (although what else can you expect from a movie titled A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy?) This movie is basically about six pseudo-intellectuals each with relationship/sex problems that spend a weekend out in the woods. Sooner or later, a love hexagon breaks out and you can probably imagine the chaos that is imminent. Don't expect any uncontrollable body-shaking laughs from this film since a mere chuckle every couple minutes is all I got out of it. Don't expect a porno out of it either because the most explicit scene is probably when Woody's sexually repressed wife makes a movie on the 5'5, 100lbs Woody Allen on a messy kitchen counter "where they eat oatmeal".
6/10
#48 Nights of Cabiria (4/14/12)

Dir. Federico Fellini
1957
Watching this after watching The Pianist was NOT a good idea. They both made my heart weep a little. Cabiria is a humble prostitute in post-war Rome, Italy, who wants nothing more in life other than true love. Now, the regular feminist Nora would say that she is a weak character and the whole film is therefore misogynistic, but the way Fellini portrays her is not that of contempt, but more of sympathy. He perfectly captures the plight of women in 20th century Europe, including the societal pressures of them to get married, especially from the church. I took the movie as a blatant attack on the Christian religion though I may be taking it too far. This having been my first Fellini film, I have to say I am quite satisfied with what I saw. The technical aspects of Nights of Cabiria was wonderful and it was very easy to watch despite its black and white photography. Even the story told is one that is unheard of in Old Hollywood. 1950s America was a whole lot more conservative and I hardly believe there were any films portraying street hookers as tragic heroes. My only one concern was the ambiguity of the ending sequence, which people ironically praise as the best part. Like, you can't just hit me super hard and then suddenly give me a batch of cake. Her smile at the end of the film came too quickly and the reason for it is also not very apparent. If I were directing this, I would've had the character go back to her old home and see her best friend waiting for her and then she whips out a smile. You know, cheesy perhaps but at least it's clear.
8/10
1957
Watching this after watching The Pianist was NOT a good idea. They both made my heart weep a little. Cabiria is a humble prostitute in post-war Rome, Italy, who wants nothing more in life other than true love. Now, the regular feminist Nora would say that she is a weak character and the whole film is therefore misogynistic, but the way Fellini portrays her is not that of contempt, but more of sympathy. He perfectly captures the plight of women in 20th century Europe, including the societal pressures of them to get married, especially from the church. I took the movie as a blatant attack on the Christian religion though I may be taking it too far. This having been my first Fellini film, I have to say I am quite satisfied with what I saw. The technical aspects of Nights of Cabiria was wonderful and it was very easy to watch despite its black and white photography. Even the story told is one that is unheard of in Old Hollywood. 1950s America was a whole lot more conservative and I hardly believe there were any films portraying street hookers as tragic heroes. My only one concern was the ambiguity of the ending sequence, which people ironically praise as the best part. Like, you can't just hit me super hard and then suddenly give me a batch of cake. Her smile at the end of the film came too quickly and the reason for it is also not very apparent. If I were directing this, I would've had the character go back to her old home and see her best friend waiting for her and then she whips out a smile. You know, cheesy perhaps but at least it's clear.
8/10
#47 The Pianist (4/14/12)

Dir. Roman Polanski
2002
As I've said before, I generally refrain from watching Holocaust films because they are haunting and I temporarily lose all my faith in humanity. As my sister put it after the movie, "Jesus....I wouldn't even do that to a bug". However, I thought I'd give The Pianist a shot since I love Roman Polanski and Adrien Brody. I wasn't particularly impressed with Brody's performance given that he was the youngest person to win the Best Leading Actor Oscar this role. And I understand that a film, or even a novel in this case, based on a true story can never be that entertaining since following what actually occurred is far more important and respectable than making the story more appealing towards the audiences, which Michael Bay is very very good at. (The actual bombing at Pearl Harbor wasn't romantic for anyone you guys). However, I thought The Pianist was a bit of a bore and exhaustingly long. Perhaps the last half, in which the main character escapes series of close clutches of the invading Nazis outside the Warsaw Ghetto could have been sped up and shortened. I found the first half a lot more emotionally poignant and engaging with the scene when the father splits caramel into six pieces for each individual members of the family completely breaking my heart. In fact, all the scenes in the Warsaw Ghetto are great and eye-opening.
7.5/10
2002
As I've said before, I generally refrain from watching Holocaust films because they are haunting and I temporarily lose all my faith in humanity. As my sister put it after the movie, "Jesus....I wouldn't even do that to a bug". However, I thought I'd give The Pianist a shot since I love Roman Polanski and Adrien Brody. I wasn't particularly impressed with Brody's performance given that he was the youngest person to win the Best Leading Actor Oscar this role. And I understand that a film, or even a novel in this case, based on a true story can never be that entertaining since following what actually occurred is far more important and respectable than making the story more appealing towards the audiences, which Michael Bay is very very good at. (The actual bombing at Pearl Harbor wasn't romantic for anyone you guys). However, I thought The Pianist was a bit of a bore and exhaustingly long. Perhaps the last half, in which the main character escapes series of close clutches of the invading Nazis outside the Warsaw Ghetto could have been sped up and shortened. I found the first half a lot more emotionally poignant and engaging with the scene when the father splits caramel into six pieces for each individual members of the family completely breaking my heart. In fact, all the scenes in the Warsaw Ghetto are great and eye-opening.
7.5/10
#46 Celebrity (4/12/12)

Dir. Woody Allen
1998
For a film given a 6.2/10 rating on IMDB, I have to say this actually went far beyond my expectations and is better than some Woody Allen movies that have earned over a 7 on that site. (Not that one should ever judge a movie by its score on its IMDB page....numbers are the second worst way to explain how a movie is after letter grades). Anyway, Celebrity stars a youngish Kenneth Branagh with an American accent alongside my beautiful girl crushes Winona Ryder and Charlize Theron, the talented Woody Allen favorite Judy Davis, the young and handsome Leo DiCaprio, and a couple other famous names. This top-notch cast takes us into a journey into the surreal, yet chaotic world of New York celebrities. Kenneth Branagh plays a small-time journalist who makes living off interviewing famous people and writing novels in his spare time. Unfortunately, watching this movie feels a bit like doing hallucinogens (not that I've ever done them y'all, but I did ace the test on the different types of drugs in AP Psych) because new characters are always popping in and disappearing the next second, only to return 20 minutes later, not to mention that two not-very-coherent stories are being told at once. So I can definitely see where people are coming from when they claim that this is a shame to Woody Allen's body of work. It does have one of my favorite quotes in movie history though: "He's very arty, pretentious, one of those assholes, who shoots all his films in black and white". It's especially funny because Celebrity is in black and white.
7/10
1998
For a film given a 6.2/10 rating on IMDB, I have to say this actually went far beyond my expectations and is better than some Woody Allen movies that have earned over a 7 on that site. (Not that one should ever judge a movie by its score on its IMDB page....numbers are the second worst way to explain how a movie is after letter grades). Anyway, Celebrity stars a youngish Kenneth Branagh with an American accent alongside my beautiful girl crushes Winona Ryder and Charlize Theron, the talented Woody Allen favorite Judy Davis, the young and handsome Leo DiCaprio, and a couple other famous names. This top-notch cast takes us into a journey into the surreal, yet chaotic world of New York celebrities. Kenneth Branagh plays a small-time journalist who makes living off interviewing famous people and writing novels in his spare time. Unfortunately, watching this movie feels a bit like doing hallucinogens (not that I've ever done them y'all, but I did ace the test on the different types of drugs in AP Psych) because new characters are always popping in and disappearing the next second, only to return 20 minutes later, not to mention that two not-very-coherent stories are being told at once. So I can definitely see where people are coming from when they claim that this is a shame to Woody Allen's body of work. It does have one of my favorite quotes in movie history though: "He's very arty, pretentious, one of those assholes, who shoots all his films in black and white". It's especially funny because Celebrity is in black and white.
7/10
#45 Cabaret (4/11/12)

Dir. Bob Fosse
1972
So compared to the film below (Sleuth) that also came out in the same year, Caberet was a much more entertaining watch with a better cast and a better adaptation of a musical/play. It's incredibly awkward having been exposed to Liza Minnelli through Arrested Development where she plays a outlandish character who cougars after Buster Bluth, who by the way is my spirit animal. Anyway, I thought she was perfect for the role in Caberet where she plays a materialistic, self-centered nightclub singer in pre-WWII Berlin, Germany. She meets a British writer who moves in next to her and attempts to seduce him, only to find out that he may be gay. They become close friends nevertheless and develop a bit of a romance anyway. Going on at the same time is the rise of the Nazi party, which serves as an important historical background of the movie. The emcee, who is the narrator of the story, leads the musical numbers and while he isn't a main part of the story between Sally (Liza Minnelli) and Brian the writer (Michael York), his presence is essential to understanding what's going on. It's really like two stories combined into one with musical numbers serving as transitions. The film does a great job evoking a type of sympathy for minor characters who were Jewish whose later fate the audience can well predict but which isn't revealed in the movie. The sympathy also goes out to the main male character whose sexual orientation is never fully explained.
8.5/10
1972
So compared to the film below (Sleuth) that also came out in the same year, Caberet was a much more entertaining watch with a better cast and a better adaptation of a musical/play. It's incredibly awkward having been exposed to Liza Minnelli through Arrested Development where she plays a outlandish character who cougars after Buster Bluth, who by the way is my spirit animal. Anyway, I thought she was perfect for the role in Caberet where she plays a materialistic, self-centered nightclub singer in pre-WWII Berlin, Germany. She meets a British writer who moves in next to her and attempts to seduce him, only to find out that he may be gay. They become close friends nevertheless and develop a bit of a romance anyway. Going on at the same time is the rise of the Nazi party, which serves as an important historical background of the movie. The emcee, who is the narrator of the story, leads the musical numbers and while he isn't a main part of the story between Sally (Liza Minnelli) and Brian the writer (Michael York), his presence is essential to understanding what's going on. It's really like two stories combined into one with musical numbers serving as transitions. The film does a great job evoking a type of sympathy for minor characters who were Jewish whose later fate the audience can well predict but which isn't revealed in the movie. The sympathy also goes out to the main male character whose sexual orientation is never fully explained.
8.5/10
#44 Sleuth (4/09/12)

Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1972
So I have this tendency to check the IMDB page of every single movie I just watched and let me tell you that Sleuth had the funniest, cutest trivia fact. "Michael Caine was so very much beside himself to be working with Laurence Olivier, that he didn't even know how to address him. Eventually, he broke down and just asked. Olivier replied, 'Well I am the Lord Olivier and you are Mr. Michael Caine. Of course that's only for the first time you address me. After that I am Larry and you are Mike'". With that being said, I was quite disappointed with what two of the greatest, most versatile British actors in history had in store. Sleuth, originally being a play, takes place in one location, Andrew Wyke's (Laurence Olivier) mansion. And I know a mansion sounds big, but too bad the movie takes use of like three of its rooms. Thus, everything feels a bit claustrophobic and sort of defeats the purpose of adapting a well-praised play into a film. It also doesn't make sense that Milo Tindle (Michael Caine) is supposed to be penniless when he drives a really nice convertible and dresses in a tailored suit. It takes a very long time to get the action going and even once it begins, it's really not that engaging of an action. It's a story much better suited for the stage. Don't let its classic aura fool you, Sleuth is a mediocre mystery film that has lost its edge to modern viewers.
7/10
1972
So I have this tendency to check the IMDB page of every single movie I just watched and let me tell you that Sleuth had the funniest, cutest trivia fact. "Michael Caine was so very much beside himself to be working with Laurence Olivier, that he didn't even know how to address him. Eventually, he broke down and just asked. Olivier replied, 'Well I am the Lord Olivier and you are Mr. Michael Caine. Of course that's only for the first time you address me. After that I am Larry and you are Mike'". With that being said, I was quite disappointed with what two of the greatest, most versatile British actors in history had in store. Sleuth, originally being a play, takes place in one location, Andrew Wyke's (Laurence Olivier) mansion. And I know a mansion sounds big, but too bad the movie takes use of like three of its rooms. Thus, everything feels a bit claustrophobic and sort of defeats the purpose of adapting a well-praised play into a film. It also doesn't make sense that Milo Tindle (Michael Caine) is supposed to be penniless when he drives a really nice convertible and dresses in a tailored suit. It takes a very long time to get the action going and even once it begins, it's really not that engaging of an action. It's a story much better suited for the stage. Don't let its classic aura fool you, Sleuth is a mediocre mystery film that has lost its edge to modern viewers.
7/10
#43 Mulholland Dr. (4/08/12)

Dir. David Lynch
2001
OHMYGOD. My intestines almost exploded in that one scene in the café when the homeless man appears out of nowhere. Though I wouldn't label Mulholland Dr. as a horror, I assure you readers that this film will haunt you for at least a day after the viewing. Watching a movie doesn't require any "work" normally, but for you lazy butts out there, this film is certainly not for you. Mulholland Dr. requires unconditional attention and a headache is a common side effect from such stressful two hours of watching and analyzing. There isn't an easy way to summarize this movie without spoiling it. I will say though that it follows a non-linear story line and intermingles a fantasy dream and a nightmare reality. Guilt and the way of dealing with it are very crucial themes in this movie, thus making it a psycho-thriller in a sense. It's like solving an incredibly byzantine puzzle, but only given 80% of the puzzle pieces. This aspect, that Lynch expects participation from his audience and lets the viewers determine what the movie was about in their own interpretation, was both my favorite and least favorite parts of the movie. With its subtle attack on the corruption of modern Hollywood and its highlight on complex female characters, I have to say this is one fine piece of cinema. But can I just point out that two heterosexual women don't just become lesbians after sleeping in the same house for 3 nights? Lynch, you're a great director but I think you may have overdone your behind-the-scene sexual fantasies.
8/10
2001
OHMYGOD. My intestines almost exploded in that one scene in the café when the homeless man appears out of nowhere. Though I wouldn't label Mulholland Dr. as a horror, I assure you readers that this film will haunt you for at least a day after the viewing. Watching a movie doesn't require any "work" normally, but for you lazy butts out there, this film is certainly not for you. Mulholland Dr. requires unconditional attention and a headache is a common side effect from such stressful two hours of watching and analyzing. There isn't an easy way to summarize this movie without spoiling it. I will say though that it follows a non-linear story line and intermingles a fantasy dream and a nightmare reality. Guilt and the way of dealing with it are very crucial themes in this movie, thus making it a psycho-thriller in a sense. It's like solving an incredibly byzantine puzzle, but only given 80% of the puzzle pieces. This aspect, that Lynch expects participation from his audience and lets the viewers determine what the movie was about in their own interpretation, was both my favorite and least favorite parts of the movie. With its subtle attack on the corruption of modern Hollywood and its highlight on complex female characters, I have to say this is one fine piece of cinema. But can I just point out that two heterosexual women don't just become lesbians after sleeping in the same house for 3 nights? Lynch, you're a great director but I think you may have overdone your behind-the-scene sexual fantasies.
8/10
#42 V For Vendetta (4/08/12)

Dir. James McTeigue
2005
V For Vendetta is a highly acclaimed modern film about a totalitarian regime in futuristic England and one man who sought to change the course of what he felt was an unjust and oppressed society. I remember during my former Tumblr days that the line from this movie, "People should not be afraid of their government. Government should be afraid of its people" was used to rally for last year's Syrian uprising among internet users. Indeed, the revolutionary and satirical themes of this film are not only references to history like the Gunpowder Plot and Nazi Germany, but also relevant social statements of today that can be used to support Occupy Wall Street, Russian protest against Putin's reelection, and etc. The film was surprisingly entertaining also with numerous unpredictable twists and turns. And now to drop a bit of criticisms, sorry Natalie and Hugo, but I just did not buy you two's romance. It's hard to be engaging to the audience whilst wearing a creepy Guy Fawkes mask the entire time and while Portman is typically a very talented actress, she wasn't strong enough of a performer to drive such a heavy movie forward on her own. The writing felt a bit forced and cheesy at times. For instance. V's introduction monologue was just downright silly and didn't fit the solemn vibe of the rest of the movie. In conclusion, was this project worth Natalie Portman shaving off her beautiful, luscious hair? Nah.
7.5/10
2005
V For Vendetta is a highly acclaimed modern film about a totalitarian regime in futuristic England and one man who sought to change the course of what he felt was an unjust and oppressed society. I remember during my former Tumblr days that the line from this movie, "People should not be afraid of their government. Government should be afraid of its people" was used to rally for last year's Syrian uprising among internet users. Indeed, the revolutionary and satirical themes of this film are not only references to history like the Gunpowder Plot and Nazi Germany, but also relevant social statements of today that can be used to support Occupy Wall Street, Russian protest against Putin's reelection, and etc. The film was surprisingly entertaining also with numerous unpredictable twists and turns. And now to drop a bit of criticisms, sorry Natalie and Hugo, but I just did not buy you two's romance. It's hard to be engaging to the audience whilst wearing a creepy Guy Fawkes mask the entire time and while Portman is typically a very talented actress, she wasn't strong enough of a performer to drive such a heavy movie forward on her own. The writing felt a bit forced and cheesy at times. For instance. V's introduction monologue was just downright silly and didn't fit the solemn vibe of the rest of the movie. In conclusion, was this project worth Natalie Portman shaving off her beautiful, luscious hair? Nah.
7.5/10
#41 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....And Spring (3/31/12)

Dir. Kim Ki-Duk
2003
Possibly the second best thing about being an Asian American after getting to eat delicious food all the time is being exposed to great Asian cinema. I'm a bit weak on Chinese and Japanese filmography, but I have awesome parents that recommend me awesome Korean movies and this one especially wowed me. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....And Spring, probably made with 1/1000th of Spider-man 3's budget, is an insightful exploration of the Buddhist concept of the cyclical nature of life and death. It's split into 5 sections - by the seasons of the year. Each season takes place 10 years after the previous one and centers around an unnamed protagonist living in an isolated Buddhist temple in the high mountains of Korea. Symbolism is ubiquitous in this film, especially of animals. The first spring shows a mischievous boy who is an apprentice of a monk with a dog, obviously mirroring the playfulness of youth. The summer when the boy has grown into a young man is depicted with a rooster, the symbol of masculinity and pride. The fall when the main character has become an adult and has committed a horrible sin is shown with a cat, perhaps illustrate the mystery and ambiguity of the adult world that cats often symbolize in literature. And so forth. As far as the cinematic elements go, the cinematography is jaw-droppingly gorgeous and the exotic traditional Asian soundtrack is definitely one of a kind.
8/10
2003
Possibly the second best thing about being an Asian American after getting to eat delicious food all the time is being exposed to great Asian cinema. I'm a bit weak on Chinese and Japanese filmography, but I have awesome parents that recommend me awesome Korean movies and this one especially wowed me. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....And Spring, probably made with 1/1000th of Spider-man 3's budget, is an insightful exploration of the Buddhist concept of the cyclical nature of life and death. It's split into 5 sections - by the seasons of the year. Each season takes place 10 years after the previous one and centers around an unnamed protagonist living in an isolated Buddhist temple in the high mountains of Korea. Symbolism is ubiquitous in this film, especially of animals. The first spring shows a mischievous boy who is an apprentice of a monk with a dog, obviously mirroring the playfulness of youth. The summer when the boy has grown into a young man is depicted with a rooster, the symbol of masculinity and pride. The fall when the main character has become an adult and has committed a horrible sin is shown with a cat, perhaps illustrate the mystery and ambiguity of the adult world that cats often symbolize in literature. And so forth. As far as the cinematic elements go, the cinematography is jaw-droppingly gorgeous and the exotic traditional Asian soundtrack is definitely one of a kind.
8/10
#40 The Hunger Games (3/24/12)

Dir. Gary Ross
2012
You know, I usually hate to jump on the bandwagon for many obvious reasons, but I have succumbed to The Hunger Games fever completely. The book itself is one of the most entertaining reads I've encountered in all of high school. The movie? Did not disappoint. I was surprised Jennifer Lawrence took the role of Katniss for I always thought of her as the "indie actress" with her with her participation with the best picture nominated Winter's Bone that probably earned like 2 cents and last year's indie romance flick Like Crazy. Anyway, I still thought she was perfect for the role in this movie anyway so no complaints there. The first 15 minutes were fantastic and how the director got us believing how much Katniss loved her sister I will never understand. The relationship between Gale and Katniss felt a little underdeveloped but this was a tolerable error given that a lot of details had to be abridged to meet an acceptable running time. I cannot praise more on how great the movie did in illustrating that the game has mentally won over Katniss. The scariest part of the movie for me was not the notorious dog scene, but the scene when Katniss and Peeta are being interviewed after they have won the game and Katniss says how much she loves Peeta and how thankful she is that he saved her life. She's obviously lying, but it's captured in a way that's not so obvious. Na what I'm saying? As an ending note, go team PEENISS!
8/10
2012
You know, I usually hate to jump on the bandwagon for many obvious reasons, but I have succumbed to The Hunger Games fever completely. The book itself is one of the most entertaining reads I've encountered in all of high school. The movie? Did not disappoint. I was surprised Jennifer Lawrence took the role of Katniss for I always thought of her as the "indie actress" with her with her participation with the best picture nominated Winter's Bone that probably earned like 2 cents and last year's indie romance flick Like Crazy. Anyway, I still thought she was perfect for the role in this movie anyway so no complaints there. The first 15 minutes were fantastic and how the director got us believing how much Katniss loved her sister I will never understand. The relationship between Gale and Katniss felt a little underdeveloped but this was a tolerable error given that a lot of details had to be abridged to meet an acceptable running time. I cannot praise more on how great the movie did in illustrating that the game has mentally won over Katniss. The scariest part of the movie for me was not the notorious dog scene, but the scene when Katniss and Peeta are being interviewed after they have won the game and Katniss says how much she loves Peeta and how thankful she is that he saved her life. She's obviously lying, but it's captured in a way that's not so obvious. Na what I'm saying? As an ending note, go team PEENISS!
8/10
#39 Shrek (3/23/12)

Dir. Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson
2001
You know, if all animations were as funny and clever as Shrek, teenage pregnancy would be greatly reduced since less kids would be having sex and instead watching movies. Okay no, that is an awfully weird statement, but I'm just saying that most movies, specifically animated ones, directed towards younger audiences suck miserably, which only strengthens youngsters' neglect of the beauty of film. Besides The Lion King and Spirited Away, Shrek is the best animated film ever created in my opinion and tells a gripping story in a way a live-action motion picture can't. Its classic and needed messages that beauty is arbitrary and things don't always turn out the way they appear to be are very apparent. Its subtle attack on Disney like having the swanky and histrionic Lord Farquaad's kingdom resemble Disneyland was a minor but funny detail, not to mention it surely worked. From what I recall, Shrek dominated the box office. The voice acting was also delightful with an interesting ensemble including Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and the hilarious Eddie Murphy as my favorite character Donkey. The choices of songs used were great and the instrumental score composed by Harry Gregson-William and John Powell is deserving of so much praise.
9/10
2001
You know, if all animations were as funny and clever as Shrek, teenage pregnancy would be greatly reduced since less kids would be having sex and instead watching movies. Okay no, that is an awfully weird statement, but I'm just saying that most movies, specifically animated ones, directed towards younger audiences suck miserably, which only strengthens youngsters' neglect of the beauty of film. Besides The Lion King and Spirited Away, Shrek is the best animated film ever created in my opinion and tells a gripping story in a way a live-action motion picture can't. Its classic and needed messages that beauty is arbitrary and things don't always turn out the way they appear to be are very apparent. Its subtle attack on Disney like having the swanky and histrionic Lord Farquaad's kingdom resemble Disneyland was a minor but funny detail, not to mention it surely worked. From what I recall, Shrek dominated the box office. The voice acting was also delightful with an interesting ensemble including Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, and the hilarious Eddie Murphy as my favorite character Donkey. The choices of songs used were great and the instrumental score composed by Harry Gregson-William and John Powell is deserving of so much praise.
9/10
#38 Battle Royale (3/18/12)

Dir. Kinji Fukasaku
2000
There was a warning in the beginning of the film saying that this movie is not appropriate for people under 15....Usually, I think movie ratings are so arbitrary. There are amazing films out there about growing up, love, family, and whatnot that younger people should be exposed to and it really is a shame when kids are prevented from experiencing greatness because of what I feel is an inaccurate rating system. Anyway, this so-called original Hunger Games should most absolutely have been rated R. On top of the gore fest, the psychological impact of such twisted story is so heavy. And let me tell you something, Japanese people are hardcore with their horrors. They go ALL out. In less than 2 hours, the viewer is expected to absorb the slaughter of 40 something innocent youths, child molestation, multiple suicides, divorces, betrayal of best friends, and etc. One of the only problems I had with the way this film was constructed was that it lacked the explanation of how this bloodcurdling and awful Battle Royale act passed by the bitter adults of the Japanese society was supposed to bring back order. I hear the satire is a lot more apparent in the original novel version, but it was a huge mistake on the film director's part to leave out such an essential detail. However, this film strangely made me appreciate my life more and it certainly dealt with an interesting concept that exceeds those of all futuristic dystopias. My vote is 8.
8/10
2000
There was a warning in the beginning of the film saying that this movie is not appropriate for people under 15....Usually, I think movie ratings are so arbitrary. There are amazing films out there about growing up, love, family, and whatnot that younger people should be exposed to and it really is a shame when kids are prevented from experiencing greatness because of what I feel is an inaccurate rating system. Anyway, this so-called original Hunger Games should most absolutely have been rated R. On top of the gore fest, the psychological impact of such twisted story is so heavy. And let me tell you something, Japanese people are hardcore with their horrors. They go ALL out. In less than 2 hours, the viewer is expected to absorb the slaughter of 40 something innocent youths, child molestation, multiple suicides, divorces, betrayal of best friends, and etc. One of the only problems I had with the way this film was constructed was that it lacked the explanation of how this bloodcurdling and awful Battle Royale act passed by the bitter adults of the Japanese society was supposed to bring back order. I hear the satire is a lot more apparent in the original novel version, but it was a huge mistake on the film director's part to leave out such an essential detail. However, this film strangely made me appreciate my life more and it certainly dealt with an interesting concept that exceeds those of all futuristic dystopias. My vote is 8.
8/10
#37 21 Jump Street (3/18/12)

Dir. Phil Lord & Chris Miller
2012
You know, making one person laugh aloud is really tough. Making the entire theater filled with nearly one hundred people laugh aloud in union is really, I mean, really tough. Doing that in the form of a movie...now that's a challenge. Comedy viewers need to be constantly pleased with a comedic stunt/line occurring every 30 seconds. We're impatient! Movies like 21 Jump Street that are obviously geared towards youngish audiences need not only to be relevant to issues older teens/people in their 20s are concerned with, but also clever, quick-paced, "cool", and most importantly, outrageously funny. 21 Jump Street does all that, and the last part especially well. Sure, I am convinced my IQ went down to a 2-digit number after sitting through such raunchy comedy, but I honestly had a very fun and carefree Saturday night thanks to this movie. To summarize in a nut shell, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill (who surprisingly demonstrated some top-notch bro/homies chemistry) play two underachieving cops who are sent to a high school to infiltrate the network of a dangerous synthetic drug. Contrasting greatly to their own high school experiences half a decade ago, the new school they are sent to consist of popular kids who are smart, concerned about the environment, "hipster-y", and of minority races. I thought that aspect of the movie was very modern and accurate. Now, I can't give this too high a score given the actual story line is very implausible and stupid, but I have to say it's definitely one of the better modern comedies.
7.5/10
2012
You know, making one person laugh aloud is really tough. Making the entire theater filled with nearly one hundred people laugh aloud in union is really, I mean, really tough. Doing that in the form of a movie...now that's a challenge. Comedy viewers need to be constantly pleased with a comedic stunt/line occurring every 30 seconds. We're impatient! Movies like 21 Jump Street that are obviously geared towards youngish audiences need not only to be relevant to issues older teens/people in their 20s are concerned with, but also clever, quick-paced, "cool", and most importantly, outrageously funny. 21 Jump Street does all that, and the last part especially well. Sure, I am convinced my IQ went down to a 2-digit number after sitting through such raunchy comedy, but I honestly had a very fun and carefree Saturday night thanks to this movie. To summarize in a nut shell, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill (who surprisingly demonstrated some top-notch bro/homies chemistry) play two underachieving cops who are sent to a high school to infiltrate the network of a dangerous synthetic drug. Contrasting greatly to their own high school experiences half a decade ago, the new school they are sent to consist of popular kids who are smart, concerned about the environment, "hipster-y", and of minority races. I thought that aspect of the movie was very modern and accurate. Now, I can't give this too high a score given the actual story line is very implausible and stupid, but I have to say it's definitely one of the better modern comedies.
7.5/10
#36 Hugo (3/16/12)

Dir. Martin Scorsese
2011
Hey Mr. Scorsese, I think it's great that you took a shot at making a film directed at younger viewers, but I think it was a mistake and you should go back to directing movies where people get whacked every 5 minutes. Sure, Hugo is a breathtaking movie in terms of visuals, sounds, and camera work. One can never go wrong with using the beautiful Parisian scenery to drive a movie forward, but if that is the only driving force of a film, you know what you call that? A problem. I remember reading this novel as a kid (third or fourth grade?), but the fact that I didn't remember any of the plot while watching the film version demonstrates that the book itself wasn't very impressive to start with. It's an okay story, not very much an original one, but certainly with a potential of appealing to a variety of audiences. I have seen many movies starring children as leading actors and the best part about those movies is the innocence that they are able to portray that most adult actors can't. Asa Butterfield (that has got to be the best name ever) was a cutie with the most beautiful blue eyes ever, but pretty ain't everything when you are going to play the leading character in a Martin Scorsese movie. But I have to say, being a filmmaker myself and all, Hugo was a needed reminder to the public that film is an artful and magical expression of the human mind. Making a movie about making a movie. That's really what Hugo's all about.
7/10
2011
Hey Mr. Scorsese, I think it's great that you took a shot at making a film directed at younger viewers, but I think it was a mistake and you should go back to directing movies where people get whacked every 5 minutes. Sure, Hugo is a breathtaking movie in terms of visuals, sounds, and camera work. One can never go wrong with using the beautiful Parisian scenery to drive a movie forward, but if that is the only driving force of a film, you know what you call that? A problem. I remember reading this novel as a kid (third or fourth grade?), but the fact that I didn't remember any of the plot while watching the film version demonstrates that the book itself wasn't very impressive to start with. It's an okay story, not very much an original one, but certainly with a potential of appealing to a variety of audiences. I have seen many movies starring children as leading actors and the best part about those movies is the innocence that they are able to portray that most adult actors can't. Asa Butterfield (that has got to be the best name ever) was a cutie with the most beautiful blue eyes ever, but pretty ain't everything when you are going to play the leading character in a Martin Scorsese movie. But I have to say, being a filmmaker myself and all, Hugo was a needed reminder to the public that film is an artful and magical expression of the human mind. Making a movie about making a movie. That's really what Hugo's all about.
7/10
#35 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (3/15/12)

Dir. Josef von Báky
1943
Easily one of the strangest movies I have ever seen in my life and the fact that it was made in 1943 makes that so ironic given that most classics tend to not cross any boundaries. Being it an old German film and all, I have quite high expectations for it, at least in terms of how the film was made and put together. I was shocked at how poorly the film was edited and I was wondering whether some of the random story elements were meant to be taken seriously or not (the closet with rabies, the fast runner, the guy wearing a pink necklace that said "HAREM" - to name a few). The movie as a whole is pretty disorienting, making it hard to pay attention, especially during first period at 8 in the morning. The humor is also quite old-fashioned and depends too much on physical stunts, over clever dialogues. The funniest part of the movie probably happened within the first 10 minutes when one guy puts ointment under his nose to attach a fake mustache, and even that wasn't particularly funny. To be honest, if someone were to ask me to briefly summarize this film, I will have a harder time doing that than solving integral of e to the cosine of 3x times the square root of pi plus log of negative x squared all over an imaginary number. However, the parts I do recall were a great example of escapist fantasy. Just a little overboard, maybe.
6.5/10
1943
Easily one of the strangest movies I have ever seen in my life and the fact that it was made in 1943 makes that so ironic given that most classics tend to not cross any boundaries. Being it an old German film and all, I have quite high expectations for it, at least in terms of how the film was made and put together. I was shocked at how poorly the film was edited and I was wondering whether some of the random story elements were meant to be taken seriously or not (the closet with rabies, the fast runner, the guy wearing a pink necklace that said "HAREM" - to name a few). The movie as a whole is pretty disorienting, making it hard to pay attention, especially during first period at 8 in the morning. The humor is also quite old-fashioned and depends too much on physical stunts, over clever dialogues. The funniest part of the movie probably happened within the first 10 minutes when one guy puts ointment under his nose to attach a fake mustache, and even that wasn't particularly funny. To be honest, if someone were to ask me to briefly summarize this film, I will have a harder time doing that than solving integral of e to the cosine of 3x times the square root of pi plus log of negative x squared all over an imaginary number. However, the parts I do recall were a great example of escapist fantasy. Just a little overboard, maybe.
6.5/10
#34 Collateral (3/11/12)

Dir. Michael Mann
2004
Contrary to some of the reviews and feedbacks I've read on this movie on IMDB, I have mixed feelings. I thought it started off relatively well and some of the stylistic choices apparent since the beginning of the film like the shaky camerawork (probably to set a disorienting and suspenseful mood) I liked very much. As time went on, the film kind of lost touch and almost became out of control. Compared to Scorsese's Taxi Driver, which this film reminded me a little bit of (same main characters that are extremely lonely and disillusioned with society), Collateral seemed pretty juvenile. The little romance that develops within the first 10 minutes of the film is hard to believe and I want someone to please tell me the slow-mo coyote scene near the end was a genuine mistake and was not supposed to be there. One of the only parts about the movie I found appealing was its setting in the city of Los Angeles. Countless number of movies we watch are set in LA, yet very few make it seem like an interesting, dynamic place which it actually is. I guess it may be the fact that LA lacks a monumental sign like the Status of Liberty in New York, the Eiffle Tower in Paris, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and etc. However, Collateral fabulously captured the LA nightlife and despite the movie being about a hitman, murders, blackmail, and other dark subjects, its pretty visuals balanced the ying and yang out. And lastly, have you guys seen Tom Cruise run???? 5'7 and 45 years old, it's got to be steroids. It just has to be.
7/10
2004
Contrary to some of the reviews and feedbacks I've read on this movie on IMDB, I have mixed feelings. I thought it started off relatively well and some of the stylistic choices apparent since the beginning of the film like the shaky camerawork (probably to set a disorienting and suspenseful mood) I liked very much. As time went on, the film kind of lost touch and almost became out of control. Compared to Scorsese's Taxi Driver, which this film reminded me a little bit of (same main characters that are extremely lonely and disillusioned with society), Collateral seemed pretty juvenile. The little romance that develops within the first 10 minutes of the film is hard to believe and I want someone to please tell me the slow-mo coyote scene near the end was a genuine mistake and was not supposed to be there. One of the only parts about the movie I found appealing was its setting in the city of Los Angeles. Countless number of movies we watch are set in LA, yet very few make it seem like an interesting, dynamic place which it actually is. I guess it may be the fact that LA lacks a monumental sign like the Status of Liberty in New York, the Eiffle Tower in Paris, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and etc. However, Collateral fabulously captured the LA nightlife and despite the movie being about a hitman, murders, blackmail, and other dark subjects, its pretty visuals balanced the ying and yang out. And lastly, have you guys seen Tom Cruise run???? 5'7 and 45 years old, it's got to be steroids. It just has to be.
7/10
#33 Election (3/10/12)

Dir. Alexander Payne
1999
I popped in this DVD knowing it'll be horrible, but it actually wasn't as bad as I had thought. It was literally 1am on Friday night, my parents were soundly asleep, I couldn't feel my legs due to a week of hardcore track workouts, and I just needed something relaxing to do to kill my boredom. The poster and the synopsis made it seem like a teen comedy, but it actually turned out to be very R and although just siblings, the fact that my recently turned 14-year-old sister was watching it next to me made me feel really awkward. Election is about a polymath high school student (president of 1356534 clubs, straight As in every class, etc.) who is running for the spot of the president in her school's student body. At first she is unopposed, but the teacher overseeing the student body is soon alarmed by her probable win for reasons that weren't very well explained, and encourages a popular senior jock to run against her. Tracy (the main girl), played by the one actress that I can imagine playing such an outrageous and sassy character is threatened and that is when troubles arise. It was certainly a fun watch and though it would be a stretch to say it was a satire against how modern day presidential election is conducted, I thought there were a couple similar elements like the fact that the average students were indifferent to the election and refused to vote (America's public).
7/10
1999
I popped in this DVD knowing it'll be horrible, but it actually wasn't as bad as I had thought. It was literally 1am on Friday night, my parents were soundly asleep, I couldn't feel my legs due to a week of hardcore track workouts, and I just needed something relaxing to do to kill my boredom. The poster and the synopsis made it seem like a teen comedy, but it actually turned out to be very R and although just siblings, the fact that my recently turned 14-year-old sister was watching it next to me made me feel really awkward. Election is about a polymath high school student (president of 1356534 clubs, straight As in every class, etc.) who is running for the spot of the president in her school's student body. At first she is unopposed, but the teacher overseeing the student body is soon alarmed by her probable win for reasons that weren't very well explained, and encourages a popular senior jock to run against her. Tracy (the main girl), played by the one actress that I can imagine playing such an outrageous and sassy character is threatened and that is when troubles arise. It was certainly a fun watch and though it would be a stretch to say it was a satire against how modern day presidential election is conducted, I thought there were a couple similar elements like the fact that the average students were indifferent to the election and refused to vote (America's public).
7/10
#32 Marie Antoinette (3/08/12)

Dir. Sofia Coppola
2006
Of course my AP Euro teacher decides to make the sub play this the day he's absent. Though the timing of this movie came exactly with our French Revolution chapter, I must say Marie Antoinette did absolutely nothing to enrich my knowledge on European history. It's full of anachronisms, vague plot points, and very low level of authenticity. I have ambivalent feelings towards Sofia Coppola. I like the idea of her: probably the most known American female director and although she is the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, she retains her own style and prefers to make independent movies over money-grabbing ones. Lost In Translation still remains to be one of my favorite movies of all time and though The Virgin Suicides didn't quite meet my expectations, I thought it had its merits. Marie Antoinette, however, is an embarrassing adaptation of Marie Antoinette's life as the Queen of France just before the outbreak of the revolution. I have nothing against Kirsten Dunst, but she just doesn't have the face to play a high class young woman in the olden days of Europe. Worse was the frustratingly awkward Jason Schwartzman playing Louis XVI, who looked like he hadn't prepared for the role at all. Perhaps the fault stemmed from the writing, which lacked in substance. Everyone, AP Euro student or not, knows Marie Antoinette spent her money recklessly and led a lavish lifestyle - tell me something I don't already know! Lastly, why did Coppola think indie music would fit a movie set in the late 18th century?
5/10
2006
Of course my AP Euro teacher decides to make the sub play this the day he's absent. Though the timing of this movie came exactly with our French Revolution chapter, I must say Marie Antoinette did absolutely nothing to enrich my knowledge on European history. It's full of anachronisms, vague plot points, and very low level of authenticity. I have ambivalent feelings towards Sofia Coppola. I like the idea of her: probably the most known American female director and although she is the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, she retains her own style and prefers to make independent movies over money-grabbing ones. Lost In Translation still remains to be one of my favorite movies of all time and though The Virgin Suicides didn't quite meet my expectations, I thought it had its merits. Marie Antoinette, however, is an embarrassing adaptation of Marie Antoinette's life as the Queen of France just before the outbreak of the revolution. I have nothing against Kirsten Dunst, but she just doesn't have the face to play a high class young woman in the olden days of Europe. Worse was the frustratingly awkward Jason Schwartzman playing Louis XVI, who looked like he hadn't prepared for the role at all. Perhaps the fault stemmed from the writing, which lacked in substance. Everyone, AP Euro student or not, knows Marie Antoinette spent her money recklessly and led a lavish lifestyle - tell me something I don't already know! Lastly, why did Coppola think indie music would fit a movie set in the late 18th century?
5/10
#31 Children of Paradise (3/04/12)

Dir. Marcel Carné
1945
Children of Paradise revolves around a mime and a woman, both of whom are lost in the theatrical world of the Parisian entertainment industry (no, not porn) during the mid 1800s.I think the primary reason why modern viewers are repulsed by old Classic films is the average length of their running time. This French film, though very bittersweet and lovely, with its running time of over 160 minutes cannot, I repeat CANNOT, be finished by today's average Joe in one sitting. My knowledge of Classic cinema is limited, but I noticed that the same shot is held on the screen for a very long time instead of cutting to a different medium shot, a close-up, a dolly shot, etc. Whether it was due to the inconvenience of using multiple cameras during that time or not, such quality contrasts greatly with the quick film pacing that us Millennium generation is so fond of. In other words, I found Children of Paradise a bit of a bore. But the sheer fact that this film was made when France was occupied by Nazi Germany is so fascinating and impressive. In addition, the movie's setting is authentic and this is seriously the only movie set in Paris I've seen that doesn't depict Paris as a flowery G-rated candy paradise, but a bustling and unpredictable city where both love and suffering are ubiquitous. Honestly though, it's an incredibly hard film to analyze and I am hoping a moment of epiphany regarding the full understanding of this film reaches me soon.
7.5/10
1945
Children of Paradise revolves around a mime and a woman, both of whom are lost in the theatrical world of the Parisian entertainment industry (no, not porn) during the mid 1800s.I think the primary reason why modern viewers are repulsed by old Classic films is the average length of their running time. This French film, though very bittersweet and lovely, with its running time of over 160 minutes cannot, I repeat CANNOT, be finished by today's average Joe in one sitting. My knowledge of Classic cinema is limited, but I noticed that the same shot is held on the screen for a very long time instead of cutting to a different medium shot, a close-up, a dolly shot, etc. Whether it was due to the inconvenience of using multiple cameras during that time or not, such quality contrasts greatly with the quick film pacing that us Millennium generation is so fond of. In other words, I found Children of Paradise a bit of a bore. But the sheer fact that this film was made when France was occupied by Nazi Germany is so fascinating and impressive. In addition, the movie's setting is authentic and this is seriously the only movie set in Paris I've seen that doesn't depict Paris as a flowery G-rated candy paradise, but a bustling and unpredictable city where both love and suffering are ubiquitous. Honestly though, it's an incredibly hard film to analyze and I am hoping a moment of epiphany regarding the full understanding of this film reaches me soon.
7.5/10
#30 Ocean's Eleven (3/03/12)

Dir. Steven Soderbergh
2001
May I refer to this movie as the "Brad Pitt eating movie"? In every single scene he's in, he's either munching on a sandwich or having a drink. The frequent occurrence of his eating was a bit distracting and the insignificant amount of character attribute that habit added to his character wasn't worth such distraction. Even by a glance of the Ocean's Eleven poster can anyone tell this film contains an ensemble of some top notch actors. I mean, you get George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia in the same movie? Holy shit! That's nearly as good as the 2012 Coachella line up. Too bad it turned out to be a mere Friday popcorn movie. I have added this to my list of movies that I will play during a GNO (Girl's Night Out), when I realize a movie must be playing even if I know that us chatty teenage girls are just going talk over it. Ocean's Eleven is fun, it's shallow, it's sleek, it's been done before. The script was surprisingly good and witty one-liners like "He's out of the con business" "He get into religion?" "No, stomach ulcer" were ubiquitous. The quick and smooth camera movements definitely helped with the pacing. I liked that each of the characters got almost equal screen time and while George Clooney was the main character, the supporting actors were integral in really driving the movie forward.
7/10
2001
May I refer to this movie as the "Brad Pitt eating movie"? In every single scene he's in, he's either munching on a sandwich or having a drink. The frequent occurrence of his eating was a bit distracting and the insignificant amount of character attribute that habit added to his character wasn't worth such distraction. Even by a glance of the Ocean's Eleven poster can anyone tell this film contains an ensemble of some top notch actors. I mean, you get George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Andy Garcia in the same movie? Holy shit! That's nearly as good as the 2012 Coachella line up. Too bad it turned out to be a mere Friday popcorn movie. I have added this to my list of movies that I will play during a GNO (Girl's Night Out), when I realize a movie must be playing even if I know that us chatty teenage girls are just going talk over it. Ocean's Eleven is fun, it's shallow, it's sleek, it's been done before. The script was surprisingly good and witty one-liners like "He's out of the con business" "He get into religion?" "No, stomach ulcer" were ubiquitous. The quick and smooth camera movements definitely helped with the pacing. I liked that each of the characters got almost equal screen time and while George Clooney was the main character, the supporting actors were integral in really driving the movie forward.
7/10
#29 Troy (2/25/11)

Dir. Wolfgang Peterson
2004
I wonder if it's ever possible for filmmakers to make these olden days epic war type movies without going over 120 minutes and without any forced cheesy lines like "You gave me peace in a lifetime of war" and "Greece needs you". But Troy was surely a spectacle. I feel like theatergoers should pay extra to go watch this film because watching it on big screen was probably equivalent to taking a time machine and watching the big scale ancient war actually happen right in front of their noses. The cinematography of the Trojan landscape was beautiful and the massive number of extras, fleet of ships, and horses, whether or not they were computer generated, looked authentic and, well, extremely expensive to get together or create. The title Troy suggests that viewers are supposed to root for Troy, which would make this film a tragedy, but telling the tale from the Greek Achilles's (Brad Pitt) point of view threw me off a bit. Now that I think of it, I think it was safe for the filmmakers to take a neutral stance on the sides because both the Greeks and Trojans possessed merits and demerits and it's kind of cool that the viewers got to pick a side and root for them like it's a basketball game or something. Troy is a fine movie, and had it not been for the two complaints I had earlier about it being too long and corny, I think it had the potential to justify Homer's amazing epic.
7.5/10
2004
I wonder if it's ever possible for filmmakers to make these olden days epic war type movies without going over 120 minutes and without any forced cheesy lines like "You gave me peace in a lifetime of war" and "Greece needs you". But Troy was surely a spectacle. I feel like theatergoers should pay extra to go watch this film because watching it on big screen was probably equivalent to taking a time machine and watching the big scale ancient war actually happen right in front of their noses. The cinematography of the Trojan landscape was beautiful and the massive number of extras, fleet of ships, and horses, whether or not they were computer generated, looked authentic and, well, extremely expensive to get together or create. The title Troy suggests that viewers are supposed to root for Troy, which would make this film a tragedy, but telling the tale from the Greek Achilles's (Brad Pitt) point of view threw me off a bit. Now that I think of it, I think it was safe for the filmmakers to take a neutral stance on the sides because both the Greeks and Trojans possessed merits and demerits and it's kind of cool that the viewers got to pick a side and root for them like it's a basketball game or something. Troy is a fine movie, and had it not been for the two complaints I had earlier about it being too long and corny, I think it had the potential to justify Homer's amazing epic.
7.5/10
#28 Rushmore (2/25/11)

Dir. Wes Anderson
1998
Like Andy Warhol in the art world and J.D. Salinger in the literature world, Wes Anderson has succeeded in getting his name out there by creating one great work and the rest mediocre. Like Warhol's Marilyn Diptych and Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums has its merits and is certainly one of a kind. The reason the rest of his works fail to live up to his reputation as the director of The Royal Tenenbaums is that he explores the same themes in all of his movies, which is fine, but unlike Woody Allen or Quentin Tarantino who also have a distinct thematic boundary they rarely leave, Anderson's films don't improve. Rushmore is a quirky movie centering around a high school student (who looks like he's 25) who leads a very active life as the director of many school plays, founder of many unique clubs, and an athlete of almost every sports that exists. His two flaws are that he is a horrible student who flunks every class and he is also oddly attracted to older people in both friends and romantic interests. For me, he felt like a very scripted character whose lines were unnatural and whose motives in pursuing a widow teacher were never really explained. He wasn't particularly in love with her, and if he was, the film did a terrible job depicting such emotion. I could really use a second viewing of this weird teen comedy to further understand each character and movie as a whole, but for now this will have to be a 7.
7/10
1998
Like Andy Warhol in the art world and J.D. Salinger in the literature world, Wes Anderson has succeeded in getting his name out there by creating one great work and the rest mediocre. Like Warhol's Marilyn Diptych and Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums has its merits and is certainly one of a kind. The reason the rest of his works fail to live up to his reputation as the director of The Royal Tenenbaums is that he explores the same themes in all of his movies, which is fine, but unlike Woody Allen or Quentin Tarantino who also have a distinct thematic boundary they rarely leave, Anderson's films don't improve. Rushmore is a quirky movie centering around a high school student (who looks like he's 25) who leads a very active life as the director of many school plays, founder of many unique clubs, and an athlete of almost every sports that exists. His two flaws are that he is a horrible student who flunks every class and he is also oddly attracted to older people in both friends and romantic interests. For me, he felt like a very scripted character whose lines were unnatural and whose motives in pursuing a widow teacher were never really explained. He wasn't particularly in love with her, and if he was, the film did a terrible job depicting such emotion. I could really use a second viewing of this weird teen comedy to further understand each character and movie as a whole, but for now this will have to be a 7.
7/10
#27 Sin City (2/19/12)

Dir. Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, & Quentin Tarantino
2005
Although Sin City isn't my least favorite type of movie, the people that enjoy movies like Sin City are the least likely group of people I would associate myself with. I can't stand violence and gore and will never understand those that thrive off them through movies and video games. In addition, Sin City's depiction of women as purely sexual figures was not acceptable to me and I think many others both male and female will agree. I have to say, however, that it was a stylistically one of a kind movie. I absolutely loved the film noir feel and the addition of artificially bright colors, especially red, thrown in here and there. The cast was a talented ensemble of both old and new generation of actors including the oldies Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke and the newbies Clive Owen and Elijah Wood. The most impressive character, or in this case, the most frightening villain was played by a corrupt cop played by the sleazy Benicio Del Toro. The rest of the cast have partook in much better movies and roles previously and their appearances in this banal splatter film are not worth the watch. Also, there are three different episodes being told, all having to do with the corruption of Sin City and the plight of a man avenging the actual killer after being framed for a murder. Unfortunately, the order of the three stories was put together lousily since it goes from good to bad.
7/10
2005
Although Sin City isn't my least favorite type of movie, the people that enjoy movies like Sin City are the least likely group of people I would associate myself with. I can't stand violence and gore and will never understand those that thrive off them through movies and video games. In addition, Sin City's depiction of women as purely sexual figures was not acceptable to me and I think many others both male and female will agree. I have to say, however, that it was a stylistically one of a kind movie. I absolutely loved the film noir feel and the addition of artificially bright colors, especially red, thrown in here and there. The cast was a talented ensemble of both old and new generation of actors including the oldies Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke and the newbies Clive Owen and Elijah Wood. The most impressive character, or in this case, the most frightening villain was played by a corrupt cop played by the sleazy Benicio Del Toro. The rest of the cast have partook in much better movies and roles previously and their appearances in this banal splatter film are not worth the watch. Also, there are three different episodes being told, all having to do with the corruption of Sin City and the plight of a man avenging the actual killer after being framed for a murder. Unfortunately, the order of the three stories was put together lousily since it goes from good to bad.
7/10
#26 The Reader (2/18/12)

Dir. Stephen Daldry
2008
Kate Winslet! It will always remain a mystery how a beautiful woman such as her can play such a despicable and ugly character and have us believe it, rather than having us merely accept it. The Reader is a very thought-provoking and thematically rich tale involving a young, wealthy boy's affair with an older woman whose job is a ticket collector at a tram during 1950s post-war Germany. She leaves the town mysteriously one day and he doesn't see her until a war crimes trial 8 years later - the woman being charged for her crimes against humanity as a SS guard at Auschwitz and the boy as a law student observing the trial. There, he discovers she has a secret that could help her case, but he acknowledges it isn't in his place to publicize a secret he feels she is completely ashamed of. This part was the hardest for me to understand and accept, out of the numerous ambivalent and unexplained scenes presented in the film, because I can't imagine anything worse than admitting that I was responsible for the killing of hundreds of innocent inmates as if it's a matter of fact. The woman is sentenced to life-imprisonment and the boy grows up to be a successful lawyer but one that leads a lonely, depressed life as a divorcee and father of one daughter who rarely visits him. It's really a compelling story filled with unfathomable moral dilemmas that carefully explores the mindset of modern Germany regarding its Nazi past.
8.5/10
2008
Kate Winslet! It will always remain a mystery how a beautiful woman such as her can play such a despicable and ugly character and have us believe it, rather than having us merely accept it. The Reader is a very thought-provoking and thematically rich tale involving a young, wealthy boy's affair with an older woman whose job is a ticket collector at a tram during 1950s post-war Germany. She leaves the town mysteriously one day and he doesn't see her until a war crimes trial 8 years later - the woman being charged for her crimes against humanity as a SS guard at Auschwitz and the boy as a law student observing the trial. There, he discovers she has a secret that could help her case, but he acknowledges it isn't in his place to publicize a secret he feels she is completely ashamed of. This part was the hardest for me to understand and accept, out of the numerous ambivalent and unexplained scenes presented in the film, because I can't imagine anything worse than admitting that I was responsible for the killing of hundreds of innocent inmates as if it's a matter of fact. The woman is sentenced to life-imprisonment and the boy grows up to be a successful lawyer but one that leads a lonely, depressed life as a divorcee and father of one daughter who rarely visits him. It's really a compelling story filled with unfathomable moral dilemmas that carefully explores the mindset of modern Germany regarding its Nazi past.
8.5/10
#25 No Strings Attached (2/16/12)

Dir. Ivan Reitman
2011
Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Girl too scared to be in a committed relationship. They fall in love at the end nonetheless because love is the strongest force in the world, right??? I am really not proud of my last two movie choices, but I was sick both times and I just wanted to watch a silly movie that didn't involve too much thinking. So I don't know where to start criticizing. To begin with, I didn't understand the significance of the two scenes in the beginning: one when the two characters at age fourteen meet at a summer camp for the first time and the guy awkwardly asks if he can finger her, and the other when the two meet at a college fraternity party and the girl asks the guy, out of the blue, if he will come to her father's funeral the next day. Neither scene revealed anything about the character other than the fact that Ashton Kutcher's character (Adam) was a son of a famous celebrity and Natalie Portman's (Emma) was a smart graduate of MIT, which could have been easily disclosed some other way. There are also a lot of obvious continuity errors in this movie like the fact that Valentine's Day is week after Christmas and the doctor that has a crush on Emma changes in the midst of the movie. They looked similar, but nothing can fool my eyes. All in all, No Strings Attached was a painfully predictable, typical rom-com of today, but the hotness of Portman and Kutcher will round up the F grade.
6/10
2011
Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Girl too scared to be in a committed relationship. They fall in love at the end nonetheless because love is the strongest force in the world, right??? I am really not proud of my last two movie choices, but I was sick both times and I just wanted to watch a silly movie that didn't involve too much thinking. So I don't know where to start criticizing. To begin with, I didn't understand the significance of the two scenes in the beginning: one when the two characters at age fourteen meet at a summer camp for the first time and the guy awkwardly asks if he can finger her, and the other when the two meet at a college fraternity party and the girl asks the guy, out of the blue, if he will come to her father's funeral the next day. Neither scene revealed anything about the character other than the fact that Ashton Kutcher's character (Adam) was a son of a famous celebrity and Natalie Portman's (Emma) was a smart graduate of MIT, which could have been easily disclosed some other way. There are also a lot of obvious continuity errors in this movie like the fact that Valentine's Day is week after Christmas and the doctor that has a crush on Emma changes in the midst of the movie. They looked similar, but nothing can fool my eyes. All in all, No Strings Attached was a painfully predictable, typical rom-com of today, but the hotness of Portman and Kutcher will round up the F grade.
6/10
#24 But I'm a Cheerleader (2/13/12)

Dir. Jamie Babbit
1999
For a movie that had a perfect set up for a funny satire, But I'm a Cheerleader was a major disappointment. It's about a cheerleader who is suspected of being a homosexual by her friends, boyfriend, and parents (she hates kissing her boyfriend and has pictures of girls in her locker). She gets sent to a rehab camp called True Directions that is supposed to turn her straight. So far, so good. It's silly, presents interesting characters and situations, and has the potential to make a needed social commentary. The best part about the last three quarters of this film is Julie Delpy's cameo as an unnamed "Lipstick Lesbian" (so says IMDB). She literally appears for under one minute seen dancing in a gay bar in a rather unimportant scene. I didn't understand the point of her character's presence, but it was certainly nice seeing a familiar face after 30 minutes of boring, predictable, and awkward encounters between the two main characters, Megan (the cheerleader) and her girl crush, Graham. Also, the female stereotypes, though I understand were exaggerated for satirical reasons, would have made sense if the film was made in the 1960s, but I'm pretty sure women from the late 1990s did more than just vacuum and change their kids' diapers. Overall, a highly disappointing film that is borderline offensive. I can't imagine any gays out there having any type of revelation through watching But I'm a Lesbian. Whoops, I meant Cheerleader.
6/10
1999
For a movie that had a perfect set up for a funny satire, But I'm a Cheerleader was a major disappointment. It's about a cheerleader who is suspected of being a homosexual by her friends, boyfriend, and parents (she hates kissing her boyfriend and has pictures of girls in her locker). She gets sent to a rehab camp called True Directions that is supposed to turn her straight. So far, so good. It's silly, presents interesting characters and situations, and has the potential to make a needed social commentary. The best part about the last three quarters of this film is Julie Delpy's cameo as an unnamed "Lipstick Lesbian" (so says IMDB). She literally appears for under one minute seen dancing in a gay bar in a rather unimportant scene. I didn't understand the point of her character's presence, but it was certainly nice seeing a familiar face after 30 minutes of boring, predictable, and awkward encounters between the two main characters, Megan (the cheerleader) and her girl crush, Graham. Also, the female stereotypes, though I understand were exaggerated for satirical reasons, would have made sense if the film was made in the 1960s, but I'm pretty sure women from the late 1990s did more than just vacuum and change their kids' diapers. Overall, a highly disappointing film that is borderline offensive. I can't imagine any gays out there having any type of revelation through watching But I'm a Lesbian. Whoops, I meant Cheerleader.
6/10
#23 Paths of Glory (2/12/12)

Dir. Stanley Kubrick
1957
Earlier Kubrick, the better. I have ambivalent feelings towards Kubrick as a director. There is no doubt he is a genius in cinematography, but a couple of his renowned films especially 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining are too extreme in their unconventionality. They're confusing, hard to relate to, and irritably pretentious. Paths of Glory follows a more straightforward story line and would be a great first film to watch if you are trying to get into Kubrick's body of works. Paths of Glory isn't just about war, it's about the selfishness and evils of humankind that are often revealed in times of war, but also about the compassion and heroism that are disclosed in seemingly hopeless situations. I love World War I and World War II - I just find them so fascinating for some reason, mainly because they were so, so, so pointless and unspeakably gruesome. I also like movies about wars because the their themes tend to hit home universally from an actual WWI war veteran to a 18-year-old Korean girl living in Suburban San Diego. The trench warfare scene from this film was exactly how Mr. Stiven described in AP World History 2 years ago and the authenticity of the trench lifestyle is so high that it almost makes you feel as if you are one of the tired French privates waiting for the Colonel's whistle to go off, prompting you to charge towards the enemy line, or in other words, run right towards your own death.
9/10
1957
Earlier Kubrick, the better. I have ambivalent feelings towards Kubrick as a director. There is no doubt he is a genius in cinematography, but a couple of his renowned films especially 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining are too extreme in their unconventionality. They're confusing, hard to relate to, and irritably pretentious. Paths of Glory follows a more straightforward story line and would be a great first film to watch if you are trying to get into Kubrick's body of works. Paths of Glory isn't just about war, it's about the selfishness and evils of humankind that are often revealed in times of war, but also about the compassion and heroism that are disclosed in seemingly hopeless situations. I love World War I and World War II - I just find them so fascinating for some reason, mainly because they were so, so, so pointless and unspeakably gruesome. I also like movies about wars because the their themes tend to hit home universally from an actual WWI war veteran to a 18-year-old Korean girl living in Suburban San Diego. The trench warfare scene from this film was exactly how Mr. Stiven described in AP World History 2 years ago and the authenticity of the trench lifestyle is so high that it almost makes you feel as if you are one of the tired French privates waiting for the Colonel's whistle to go off, prompting you to charge towards the enemy line, or in other words, run right towards your own death.
9/10
#22 Sweet Smell of Success (2/10/12)

Dir. Alexander MacKendrick
1957
For a film titled Sweet Smell of Success, the movie had no sweet qualities to it. It was very bitter and cynical, dealing with the corruption of big industries and the ability of greed to make an individual completely blind. The film was overall very adult-oriented (not like that, y'all perverts) and it felt like one of those films late middle-aged high school Sociology teachers show you, emphasizing how much of a Classic it is, and have everyone in the class fall asleep. I originally wanted to see this because of Burt Lancaster who is this gigantic hunk who will make Ryan Gosling look like a girl if they are standing side by side. But unfortunately, he never takes off his shirt, or his suit rather, for the entire movie and instead plays this morally corrupt millionaire columnist who wears hipster glasses - in other words, a very unlikable character. The constant backbiting depicted in this movie is exhausting and the ending where everyone gets what they deserved was too obvious and easy of a solution. There are some plot twists here and there, but none big enough to turn a mediocre anti-Capitalism movie into a good anti-Capitalism movie. On a brighter note, the black and white cinematography of 1950s New York was truly beautiful and if any crew member needs major props for the creation of its movie, it is the director of photography James Wong Howe. The screenplay, although felt a bit too chatty, was cleverly written with fun lines like, "If you're funny then I'm a pretzel".
7/10
1957
For a film titled Sweet Smell of Success, the movie had no sweet qualities to it. It was very bitter and cynical, dealing with the corruption of big industries and the ability of greed to make an individual completely blind. The film was overall very adult-oriented (not like that, y'all perverts) and it felt like one of those films late middle-aged high school Sociology teachers show you, emphasizing how much of a Classic it is, and have everyone in the class fall asleep. I originally wanted to see this because of Burt Lancaster who is this gigantic hunk who will make Ryan Gosling look like a girl if they are standing side by side. But unfortunately, he never takes off his shirt, or his suit rather, for the entire movie and instead plays this morally corrupt millionaire columnist who wears hipster glasses - in other words, a very unlikable character. The constant backbiting depicted in this movie is exhausting and the ending where everyone gets what they deserved was too obvious and easy of a solution. There are some plot twists here and there, but none big enough to turn a mediocre anti-Capitalism movie into a good anti-Capitalism movie. On a brighter note, the black and white cinematography of 1950s New York was truly beautiful and if any crew member needs major props for the creation of its movie, it is the director of photography James Wong Howe. The screenplay, although felt a bit too chatty, was cleverly written with fun lines like, "If you're funny then I'm a pretzel".
7/10
#21 Contraband (2/04/12)

Dir. Baltasar Kormákur
2012
I don't have much to say about this film other than that the shaky camera was a bit overdone and gave me a pretty bad headache near the middle. It's very typical of its genre - a family man gets involved in a drug smuggling business and he needs to accomplish a nearly impossible mission in a given time in order to save his beloved wife and children. I also thought the film had overflow of testosterone. The men are just beating each other up, shooting people, speeding their cars, and telling raunchy jokes. Kate Beckinsale, who plays Mark Wahlberg's wife, plays the standard wife who worries a ton, takes her kids to soccer practice, and kind of thrusts her vulnerability to the viewers. Mark Wahlberg was all right. Again, I don't have particularly nice or horrible things to say about his performance. We have seen him play this type of character in many other movies like The Italian Job and Shooter. It's like the producers went, "We makin' a heist movie? Hmm, who is youngish middle-aged, muscular, and looks good holding a gun? Let's call up Wahlberg boy. The cement ending was a little weird and although such scene isn't used very often in other action movies, I didn't see it as particularly shocking or believable.
6/10
2012
I don't have much to say about this film other than that the shaky camera was a bit overdone and gave me a pretty bad headache near the middle. It's very typical of its genre - a family man gets involved in a drug smuggling business and he needs to accomplish a nearly impossible mission in a given time in order to save his beloved wife and children. I also thought the film had overflow of testosterone. The men are just beating each other up, shooting people, speeding their cars, and telling raunchy jokes. Kate Beckinsale, who plays Mark Wahlberg's wife, plays the standard wife who worries a ton, takes her kids to soccer practice, and kind of thrusts her vulnerability to the viewers. Mark Wahlberg was all right. Again, I don't have particularly nice or horrible things to say about his performance. We have seen him play this type of character in many other movies like The Italian Job and Shooter. It's like the producers went, "We makin' a heist movie? Hmm, who is youngish middle-aged, muscular, and looks good holding a gun? Let's call up Wahlberg boy. The cement ending was a little weird and although such scene isn't used very often in other action movies, I didn't see it as particularly shocking or believable.
6/10
#20 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2/04/12)

Dir. Ang Lee
2000
As I said before, butt-kicking female heroines are easily my favorite characters in a movie or a novel and this film carries multiple. To add onto my statement, it helps a lot if those butt-kicking female heroines are also of my heritage. I never paid much attention to Ang Lee's work despite the fact that the only three I watched were all above average. Brokeback Mountain I quite enjoyed and Sense and Sensibility was certainly a classic. I like that he focuses a lot of attention on the minorities like women and homosexuals. The fact that, Lee, a straight male, can direct such dynamic and complex female and gay characters is truly admirable. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon though beautifully scripted and shot had a couple of minor shortcomings. For one, I understood that ninja-like flying action sequences is a signature element in a traditional Chinese film, but it was used too often so as to seem a bit corny. Maybe this says something about my maturity level, but I could not help but laugh at the overly fake flying effects. And perhaps this is only me, but I think the film's greatest strength could also have been its greatest weakness. One of the key difference this film differs from other Chinese HA-YAH action movies is its deliberately slow pacing. With its 2-hour running time, the film wasn't terribly long, but too long for the story it communicated.
7.5/10
2000
As I said before, butt-kicking female heroines are easily my favorite characters in a movie or a novel and this film carries multiple. To add onto my statement, it helps a lot if those butt-kicking female heroines are also of my heritage. I never paid much attention to Ang Lee's work despite the fact that the only three I watched were all above average. Brokeback Mountain I quite enjoyed and Sense and Sensibility was certainly a classic. I like that he focuses a lot of attention on the minorities like women and homosexuals. The fact that, Lee, a straight male, can direct such dynamic and complex female and gay characters is truly admirable. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon though beautifully scripted and shot had a couple of minor shortcomings. For one, I understood that ninja-like flying action sequences is a signature element in a traditional Chinese film, but it was used too often so as to seem a bit corny. Maybe this says something about my maturity level, but I could not help but laugh at the overly fake flying effects. And perhaps this is only me, but I think the film's greatest strength could also have been its greatest weakness. One of the key difference this film differs from other Chinese HA-YAH action movies is its deliberately slow pacing. With its 2-hour running time, the film wasn't terribly long, but too long for the story it communicated.
7.5/10
#19 The Game (2/04/12)

Dir. David Fincher
1997
Let me get out the poetic side of Nora to explain how I felt about this movie. Here's a metaphor. Watching The Game was like eating a fabulously delicious piece of candy, only to find the very end of it awaits gross raspberry filling and inside that filling is an even worse animal manure flavored chocolate. I mean, Michael Douglas could not have acted better as an icy-cold millionaire who has had a tragic childhood and prefers a solitary lifestyle. It was genuinely scary and I was on the edge of my seat as soon as the film began. Unfortunately, the blatantly obvious scripted ending had 0% realism to it and it just so badly ruined the entire movie watching experience for me that I wanted to cry. There were two endings in this movie and I would not have expected the second twist to be worse than the already bad first. It almost felt like a bad Twilight Zone episode. The ending pretty much was an insult to the notion of free will. Being relatively familiar with D Finch's body of work, it is not on his agenda to produce a "yay rainbows and unicorns" film. I wouldn't be surprised if he was told by the studio to come up with a happier ending to appease some viewers that can't take a tragic, unexpected ending for life. Grow up y'all, life is never that easy - today's words of wisdom from an unprofessional 18-year-old, film critic.
7/10
1997
Let me get out the poetic side of Nora to explain how I felt about this movie. Here's a metaphor. Watching The Game was like eating a fabulously delicious piece of candy, only to find the very end of it awaits gross raspberry filling and inside that filling is an even worse animal manure flavored chocolate. I mean, Michael Douglas could not have acted better as an icy-cold millionaire who has had a tragic childhood and prefers a solitary lifestyle. It was genuinely scary and I was on the edge of my seat as soon as the film began. Unfortunately, the blatantly obvious scripted ending had 0% realism to it and it just so badly ruined the entire movie watching experience for me that I wanted to cry. There were two endings in this movie and I would not have expected the second twist to be worse than the already bad first. It almost felt like a bad Twilight Zone episode. The ending pretty much was an insult to the notion of free will. Being relatively familiar with D Finch's body of work, it is not on his agenda to produce a "yay rainbows and unicorns" film. I wouldn't be surprised if he was told by the studio to come up with a happier ending to appease some viewers that can't take a tragic, unexpected ending for life. Grow up y'all, life is never that easy - today's words of wisdom from an unprofessional 18-year-old, film critic.
7/10
#18 Broadway Danny Rose (2/03/12)

Dir. Woody Allen
1984
You know, it's really strange because I remember this being fantabulous and I have always put this in my 10 favorite Woody Allen movies. People always ask me why I don't have a huge collection of DVDs despite my immense love for film. Well among many reasons, the one I always say is watching the same movie multiple times always takes away the initial wonderment. Woody Allen plays a talent manager named Danny Rose who has an eclectic taste in unusual talents like balloon folding, glass music, blind xylophone player, and so forth. His most treasured star is an Italian lounge singer named Lou who Danny believes is going to hit big soon. On the night of his big performance, Lou asks Danny to escort Lou's lover, Tina, whom Lou is cheating on his wife with. Tina is the daughter of a notorious mobster and Danny is mistakenly accused of being Tina's secret boyfriend by one of the gang members who is in love with her. It's all very wacky like a standard Woody comedy, but it strays far from the typical unrequited Woody-Mia (or Woody-Diane) romance which I quite liked. It's a story about how two radically different people come to become friends. The most memorable scene besides the beautifully sweet ending is probably when Danny and Tina are tied up together face-to-face and they wriggle themselves out of the knot. It's a very awkward moment and the closest thing the film goes to sex, but it definitely shows Woody bringing into the movie something funny without the use of any of his signature witty dialogues.
7.5/10
1984
You know, it's really strange because I remember this being fantabulous and I have always put this in my 10 favorite Woody Allen movies. People always ask me why I don't have a huge collection of DVDs despite my immense love for film. Well among many reasons, the one I always say is watching the same movie multiple times always takes away the initial wonderment. Woody Allen plays a talent manager named Danny Rose who has an eclectic taste in unusual talents like balloon folding, glass music, blind xylophone player, and so forth. His most treasured star is an Italian lounge singer named Lou who Danny believes is going to hit big soon. On the night of his big performance, Lou asks Danny to escort Lou's lover, Tina, whom Lou is cheating on his wife with. Tina is the daughter of a notorious mobster and Danny is mistakenly accused of being Tina's secret boyfriend by one of the gang members who is in love with her. It's all very wacky like a standard Woody comedy, but it strays far from the typical unrequited Woody-Mia (or Woody-Diane) romance which I quite liked. It's a story about how two radically different people come to become friends. The most memorable scene besides the beautifully sweet ending is probably when Danny and Tina are tied up together face-to-face and they wriggle themselves out of the knot. It's a very awkward moment and the closest thing the film goes to sex, but it definitely shows Woody bringing into the movie something funny without the use of any of his signature witty dialogues.
7.5/10
#17 The Artist (1/29/12)

Dir. Michel Hazanavicius
2011
I am too embarrassed to admit that I have never seen a silent film before The Artist, and even that is just an homage. There isn't really a reason for it other than the fact that I am still a bit frightened by a notion of a silent movie. Hours of watching a black and white motion picture made in the 1920s with no audio sounds almost distressing. You might as well strap me down on a chair, forcibly open my eyes and make me watch aversion therapy videos like Alex does in A Clockwork Orange. But such belief is as false and ignorant as saying that all Asians want to major in Biology and Engineering. Anyway, The Artist is kind of a silent version of Singin' In the Rain and French actor Jean Duhardin plays a Gene Kelly-like character (lawl, even their names are pretty much the same) as a renowned, heartthrob film star in an era when talkies first emerged. He's looks like a reincarnation of Clark Gable - it's great. It's ironically clever in that The Artist is about the downfall of silent films when it is itself a silent film. The scene that particularly caught my eyes is the one when George (Duhardin) starts hearing all sorts of different noises in his surroundings as a metaphor for the intrusion of "talkie" films into the entertainment industry. Who said romantic comedies are always bad? Darn, they're obviously in love and they don't say a single word.
8.5/10
2011
I am too embarrassed to admit that I have never seen a silent film before The Artist, and even that is just an homage. There isn't really a reason for it other than the fact that I am still a bit frightened by a notion of a silent movie. Hours of watching a black and white motion picture made in the 1920s with no audio sounds almost distressing. You might as well strap me down on a chair, forcibly open my eyes and make me watch aversion therapy videos like Alex does in A Clockwork Orange. But such belief is as false and ignorant as saying that all Asians want to major in Biology and Engineering. Anyway, The Artist is kind of a silent version of Singin' In the Rain and French actor Jean Duhardin plays a Gene Kelly-like character (lawl, even their names are pretty much the same) as a renowned, heartthrob film star in an era when talkies first emerged. He's looks like a reincarnation of Clark Gable - it's great. It's ironically clever in that The Artist is about the downfall of silent films when it is itself a silent film. The scene that particularly caught my eyes is the one when George (Duhardin) starts hearing all sorts of different noises in his surroundings as a metaphor for the intrusion of "talkie" films into the entertainment industry. Who said romantic comedies are always bad? Darn, they're obviously in love and they don't say a single word.
8.5/10
#16 Atonement (1/29/12)

Dir. Joe Wright
2007
Before I begin, I just want to say that Keira Knightley is a bad influence on today's female youth in that she probably weighs 2 digit pounds and James McAvoy in a soldier uniform is to die for - so handsome. I say this film is divided into three main parts: the first third being the background information on how the fledgling romance formed between Cecelia, a daughter of a high-class British family, and Robbie, the son of the family's housekeeper. The second third introduces the start of WWII and interchanges from the life of the guy as a private in the military and the life of the girl as a nurse (she ran away from home after Robbie was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit). The last part focuses on a third character, Cecelia's sister, who matures from her guilt of sending Robbie to prison after testifying false evidence and wrecking the two's relationship. The first third is fantabulous. It's suspenseful, edited very cleanly, and clearly introduces the characters. The second part is a bit boring, tries too hard to stir up melodramatic sentiments, and loses the film's sense of pacing. The last part is completely boring, fails to deliver the emotional gutting it was clearly going for, and leaves the viewers wanting a more compromising ending. Atonement is more of an "Well shucks, that's sad" kind of film whereas its romantic counterparts Titanic and Casablanca have you grabbing for the nearest Kleenex every 30 seconds.
7/10
2007
Before I begin, I just want to say that Keira Knightley is a bad influence on today's female youth in that she probably weighs 2 digit pounds and James McAvoy in a soldier uniform is to die for - so handsome. I say this film is divided into three main parts: the first third being the background information on how the fledgling romance formed between Cecelia, a daughter of a high-class British family, and Robbie, the son of the family's housekeeper. The second third introduces the start of WWII and interchanges from the life of the guy as a private in the military and the life of the girl as a nurse (she ran away from home after Robbie was imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit). The last part focuses on a third character, Cecelia's sister, who matures from her guilt of sending Robbie to prison after testifying false evidence and wrecking the two's relationship. The first third is fantabulous. It's suspenseful, edited very cleanly, and clearly introduces the characters. The second part is a bit boring, tries too hard to stir up melodramatic sentiments, and loses the film's sense of pacing. The last part is completely boring, fails to deliver the emotional gutting it was clearly going for, and leaves the viewers wanting a more compromising ending. Atonement is more of an "Well shucks, that's sad" kind of film whereas its romantic counterparts Titanic and Casablanca have you grabbing for the nearest Kleenex every 30 seconds.
7/10
#15 The Skin I Live In (1/28/12)

Dir. Pedro Almodovár
2011
I cannot believe the guy who made this film is the same person who made Women On the Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. Two movies on the opposite side of the cinematic spectrum. I am quite speechless upon finishing The Skin I Live In. I have never seen anything remotely close to this film in terms of plot and style. A brief summary of this film will be impossible so I suggest you look up the premise on IMDB, but NOT the synopsis for knowing the ending prior to watching the movie would be a huge mistake. Plastic surgery, fetish, rape, and sexual identity are all examples of subjects many filmmakers fear to explore in their works. I'm not sure what genre I think this belongs under. It certainly possesses elements of horror and thriller like the fast pacing and the scary music that is underlaid. I also liked the romantic sub-plot, although I feel uncomfortable calling it a romance because the affair is so twisted and unconventional, to say the LEAST. The film is told in a nonlinear way, meaning the story is told out of chronology. It's not particularly difficult to follow although it's very important that the viewer is paying attention to every minor detail. There are a lot of questions that arise that never get a concrete answer, but it was a conscious decision on Almodovár's part and the open interpretation worked well with the film's stance on enigmatic nature of morality and gender. What was Vera Cruz to Ledgard? Did he love her? Was she simply his experimental toy? Why wasn't this nominated for Best Picture this year? WHY.
8.5/10
2011
I cannot believe the guy who made this film is the same person who made Women On the Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown. Two movies on the opposite side of the cinematic spectrum. I am quite speechless upon finishing The Skin I Live In. I have never seen anything remotely close to this film in terms of plot and style. A brief summary of this film will be impossible so I suggest you look up the premise on IMDB, but NOT the synopsis for knowing the ending prior to watching the movie would be a huge mistake. Plastic surgery, fetish, rape, and sexual identity are all examples of subjects many filmmakers fear to explore in their works. I'm not sure what genre I think this belongs under. It certainly possesses elements of horror and thriller like the fast pacing and the scary music that is underlaid. I also liked the romantic sub-plot, although I feel uncomfortable calling it a romance because the affair is so twisted and unconventional, to say the LEAST. The film is told in a nonlinear way, meaning the story is told out of chronology. It's not particularly difficult to follow although it's very important that the viewer is paying attention to every minor detail. There are a lot of questions that arise that never get a concrete answer, but it was a conscious decision on Almodovár's part and the open interpretation worked well with the film's stance on enigmatic nature of morality and gender. What was Vera Cruz to Ledgard? Did he love her? Was she simply his experimental toy? Why wasn't this nominated for Best Picture this year? WHY.
8.5/10
#14 No Country For Old Men (1/27/12)

Dir. Ethan Coen & Joel Coen
2007
One thing that always fascinated about the Coen Brothers is their tendency and ability to communicate the exact same message in all their movies of such eclectic genre. I mean, they've made some great black comedies like Raising Arizona, a downright thriller like Fargo, along with philosophical dramas, murder mysteries, and others. No matter which movie, its always ironic ending seems to imply the randomness of life and the inevitability of death. No Country For Old Men presents an ambiguous main character in that it's difficult to decide whether the film is told from the hero's point of view or the villain's. The hero, or the tragic hero rather, is a retired Texan welder who randomly stumbles upon a scene of a drug deal gone wrong and decides to keep a case of two million dollars for himself instead of reporting to the police. Chasing him is a psychopath on the loose whose silly middle-aged Asian woman haircut only magnified his intimidating presence. Chasing the psychopath is an old sheriff who struggles with the incongruity that exists between his idealistic views of himself as a responsible officer keeping his town safe and his actual self as a cowardly, helpless man. I mean, it's great as far as analyzing character development, character motivation, and symbolism, but it's so painfully slow at times. There is no doubt NCFOM is one of the Coens' best, but it is also the tedious way of learning how a camera pan works.
8/10
2007
One thing that always fascinated about the Coen Brothers is their tendency and ability to communicate the exact same message in all their movies of such eclectic genre. I mean, they've made some great black comedies like Raising Arizona, a downright thriller like Fargo, along with philosophical dramas, murder mysteries, and others. No matter which movie, its always ironic ending seems to imply the randomness of life and the inevitability of death. No Country For Old Men presents an ambiguous main character in that it's difficult to decide whether the film is told from the hero's point of view or the villain's. The hero, or the tragic hero rather, is a retired Texan welder who randomly stumbles upon a scene of a drug deal gone wrong and decides to keep a case of two million dollars for himself instead of reporting to the police. Chasing him is a psychopath on the loose whose silly middle-aged Asian woman haircut only magnified his intimidating presence. Chasing the psychopath is an old sheriff who struggles with the incongruity that exists between his idealistic views of himself as a responsible officer keeping his town safe and his actual self as a cowardly, helpless man. I mean, it's great as far as analyzing character development, character motivation, and symbolism, but it's so painfully slow at times. There is no doubt NCFOM is one of the Coens' best, but it is also the tedious way of learning how a camera pan works.
8/10
#13 Sherlock Holmes (1/21/12)

Dir. Guy Ritchie
2009
I remember reading Sir Arther Conan Doyle novels when I was little in abridged, Korean versions. So I thought I'd give this movie a try despite the overly commercial, popcorn blockbuster feel that the trailer and the ads gave off. I wasn't totally right on with my predictions given that the script was brainer than I had expected, but for a film titled the name of the most famous fictional detective in the world, the film lacked much of the mystery that should have accompanied. The antagonist, Lord Blackwood, came off as a pretty bland Marvel villain in a kid's comic-book. I thought Robert Downey Jr. was a wrong actor to play the role of a quirky and antisocial, yet sharp and intelligent Holmes. I always associate Downey Jr. as the rich womanizer type he plays so wonderfully in the Iron Man franchise and had a difficult time accepting him playing any other role. The romance between Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams, who plays Sherlock's former lover, was awkward and lousily explained and I felt like more romantic tensions existed between RDJ and Jude Law than RDJ and McAdams to be honest. My favorite aspect of the film was the editing, especially the cool color correction that gave the film this antique, sepia look. The pacing was good and consistent and I was never bored. The set design and costuming were fantastic and the soundtrack wasn't used excessively to drive the film unlike most modern action flicks.
7/10
2009
I remember reading Sir Arther Conan Doyle novels when I was little in abridged, Korean versions. So I thought I'd give this movie a try despite the overly commercial, popcorn blockbuster feel that the trailer and the ads gave off. I wasn't totally right on with my predictions given that the script was brainer than I had expected, but for a film titled the name of the most famous fictional detective in the world, the film lacked much of the mystery that should have accompanied. The antagonist, Lord Blackwood, came off as a pretty bland Marvel villain in a kid's comic-book. I thought Robert Downey Jr. was a wrong actor to play the role of a quirky and antisocial, yet sharp and intelligent Holmes. I always associate Downey Jr. as the rich womanizer type he plays so wonderfully in the Iron Man franchise and had a difficult time accepting him playing any other role. The romance between Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams, who plays Sherlock's former lover, was awkward and lousily explained and I felt like more romantic tensions existed between RDJ and Jude Law than RDJ and McAdams to be honest. My favorite aspect of the film was the editing, especially the cool color correction that gave the film this antique, sepia look. The pacing was good and consistent and I was never bored. The set design and costuming were fantastic and the soundtrack wasn't used excessively to drive the film unlike most modern action flicks.
7/10
#12 Joint Security Area (1/21/12)

Dir. Park Chan-Wook
2000
I could not help but laugh during the scenes Lee Young-Ae was speaking English with an accent that was too far from believable that she was born and raised in Swiss for 25-30 years. For an otherwise very professional movie, the believability of her character was nonexistent. The film revolves around two soldiers, one South Korean and the other North Korean. Both take nightshifts guarding what is called the "Joint Security Area" where South Korean and North Korean forces stand pretty much face-to-face. They form a friendship despite the heavy discrimination that exists on either side against each others' nationality. When an apparent murder occurs that may break the peace between the two forces, a neutral Swiss agent comes to investigate the case. I was disappointed upon finding out that 99% of the film is focused on the friendship and a lot of the thrilling aspect of a crime, investigation movie was left out. Not that that is necessarily bad, but it was difficult to focus all my attention on the film when it lacked any interesting plot twists and "OH MY GOD WHAT" moments. It felt a bit slow and the protagonist's decision and motivation SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT to commit suicide at the end is extremely ambiguous. I felt such a melodramatic ending was a mistake in that I went from feeling warmth and fuzz to unpleasant shock and repulsion.
7/10
2000
I could not help but laugh during the scenes Lee Young-Ae was speaking English with an accent that was too far from believable that she was born and raised in Swiss for 25-30 years. For an otherwise very professional movie, the believability of her character was nonexistent. The film revolves around two soldiers, one South Korean and the other North Korean. Both take nightshifts guarding what is called the "Joint Security Area" where South Korean and North Korean forces stand pretty much face-to-face. They form a friendship despite the heavy discrimination that exists on either side against each others' nationality. When an apparent murder occurs that may break the peace between the two forces, a neutral Swiss agent comes to investigate the case. I was disappointed upon finding out that 99% of the film is focused on the friendship and a lot of the thrilling aspect of a crime, investigation movie was left out. Not that that is necessarily bad, but it was difficult to focus all my attention on the film when it lacked any interesting plot twists and "OH MY GOD WHAT" moments. It felt a bit slow and the protagonist's decision and motivation SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT to commit suicide at the end is extremely ambiguous. I felt such a melodramatic ending was a mistake in that I went from feeling warmth and fuzz to unpleasant shock and repulsion.
7/10
#11 Dangerous Liaisons (1/20/12)

Dir. Stephen Frears
1988
What a great novel/movie to end the AP Literature course! Had Mr. Leal not fast forwarded some of the scandalous scenes and others he regarded as unimportant, the movie viewing experience would have been a lot better, but I will review the film based only on what I watched. As y'all friends and family may know perhaps too well, Glenn Close (and my mother) is the cause of my nightmares as a child and an early adolescent. Her depiction of Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians and Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction truly taught me the definition of fear. Her portrayal in Dangerous Liaisons of the master of deception, Marquise de Merteuil, was probably her best performance by far and the most frightening role she has played, though not as much in a physical sense as the other two characters I have mentioned earlier, but in this psychological, ice cold princess type of nuance if you know what I mean. Brushing that horribly written run-on sentence aside, I am surprised I was able to enjoy such a historical-based film. And for a novel written more than 200 years ago, the story is so modern, sexy, and sleek that I won't be surprised if the authority later finds out Choderlos de Laclos was the first human to ever use the time machine. The web of lies and betrayal that the viewer is thrown into within 5 minutes of the film is sure to create a bit of a headache, but a great work of art is sure to come with some side effects. That last scene showing Merteuil taking off make-up. I mean, wow! Talk about subtle symbolism.
8/10
1988
What a great novel/movie to end the AP Literature course! Had Mr. Leal not fast forwarded some of the scandalous scenes and others he regarded as unimportant, the movie viewing experience would have been a lot better, but I will review the film based only on what I watched. As y'all friends and family may know perhaps too well, Glenn Close (and my mother) is the cause of my nightmares as a child and an early adolescent. Her depiction of Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians and Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction truly taught me the definition of fear. Her portrayal in Dangerous Liaisons of the master of deception, Marquise de Merteuil, was probably her best performance by far and the most frightening role she has played, though not as much in a physical sense as the other two characters I have mentioned earlier, but in this psychological, ice cold princess type of nuance if you know what I mean. Brushing that horribly written run-on sentence aside, I am surprised I was able to enjoy such a historical-based film. And for a novel written more than 200 years ago, the story is so modern, sexy, and sleek that I won't be surprised if the authority later finds out Choderlos de Laclos was the first human to ever use the time machine. The web of lies and betrayal that the viewer is thrown into within 5 minutes of the film is sure to create a bit of a headache, but a great work of art is sure to come with some side effects. That last scene showing Merteuil taking off make-up. I mean, wow! Talk about subtle symbolism.
8/10
#10 Mean Creek (1/15/12)

Dir. Jacob Aaron Estes
2004
I am confused to why coming-of-age films are generally not critically acclaimed, at least in terms of Academy Awards. In short, Mean Creek centers around a shy, contemplative boy in middle school (Sam) who is bullied by a big rich kid (George). He looks to his older brother to help him avenge the bully. They plan a mean prank on him, in which they set up a fake birthday party for Sam and invite George to go boating with them, only to play truth or dare and have him jump into the lake naked. Having been 14 not too long ago, I know what it is like to feel the impulsive need to get back at somebody for causing a minor annoyance. Being an older sister, I know what it is like to feel the need to protect the little one. Maybe this film will fail to appeal to those that aren't from the Millennial Generation. Sure, it certainly isn't made for too young of an audience either. It's full of sexual innuendos, profanity, and drug use. But it has a good message of having to deal with the consequences to your own actions regardless of how severe they may be and I strongly recommend that those who don't mind a bit of tedious nature scenes, which I believe are one of the very few shortcomings of this otherwise thought-provoking and honest film.
8/10
2004
I am confused to why coming-of-age films are generally not critically acclaimed, at least in terms of Academy Awards. In short, Mean Creek centers around a shy, contemplative boy in middle school (Sam) who is bullied by a big rich kid (George). He looks to his older brother to help him avenge the bully. They plan a mean prank on him, in which they set up a fake birthday party for Sam and invite George to go boating with them, only to play truth or dare and have him jump into the lake naked. Having been 14 not too long ago, I know what it is like to feel the impulsive need to get back at somebody for causing a minor annoyance. Being an older sister, I know what it is like to feel the need to protect the little one. Maybe this film will fail to appeal to those that aren't from the Millennial Generation. Sure, it certainly isn't made for too young of an audience either. It's full of sexual innuendos, profanity, and drug use. But it has a good message of having to deal with the consequences to your own actions regardless of how severe they may be and I strongly recommend that those who don't mind a bit of tedious nature scenes, which I believe are one of the very few shortcomings of this otherwise thought-provoking and honest film.
8/10
#9 Some Like It Hot (1/13/12)

Dir. Billy Wilder
1959
You know, I never got the phrase "Pregnant lady glow" until I watched Some Like It Hot. Sure, Marilyn Monroe looked a bit heavy compared to some other photos I have seen of her, but wow did she brighten up the screen! Also, I think Monroe have been the one of the first American celebrities I've heard of, yet I haven't seen a movie starring her until tonight. Along with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, whose names I easily recognized as Old Hollywood comedy legends, but I frankly have never come across movies starring either of them prior to this. Two impoverished musicians (Curtis and Lemmon), who have just witnessed a mass murder by a mafia, decide to flee to Florida and dress in drag to join a women's band. One of them falls in love with the band's vocalist played by Marilyn Monroe and alternate from being a girl to a guy to be both her lover and her friend while also maintaining her position as a band member. I like the concept of gender swapping in movies. If done right, it's completely hilarious and require extremely versatile and flexible acting. I say it's more of a modern idea though: to make a comedic film about cross-dressing and such. I usually hate remakes for I always attach myself too closely to the original to possibly care for a new version, but I think Some Like It Hot, while being a brilliant classic, has much potential to widely appeal to modern audiences if made into a new version.
8.5/10
1959
You know, I never got the phrase "Pregnant lady glow" until I watched Some Like It Hot. Sure, Marilyn Monroe looked a bit heavy compared to some other photos I have seen of her, but wow did she brighten up the screen! Also, I think Monroe have been the one of the first American celebrities I've heard of, yet I haven't seen a movie starring her until tonight. Along with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, whose names I easily recognized as Old Hollywood comedy legends, but I frankly have never come across movies starring either of them prior to this. Two impoverished musicians (Curtis and Lemmon), who have just witnessed a mass murder by a mafia, decide to flee to Florida and dress in drag to join a women's band. One of them falls in love with the band's vocalist played by Marilyn Monroe and alternate from being a girl to a guy to be both her lover and her friend while also maintaining her position as a band member. I like the concept of gender swapping in movies. If done right, it's completely hilarious and require extremely versatile and flexible acting. I say it's more of a modern idea though: to make a comedic film about cross-dressing and such. I usually hate remakes for I always attach myself too closely to the original to possibly care for a new version, but I think Some Like It Hot, while being a brilliant classic, has much potential to widely appeal to modern audiences if made into a new version.
8.5/10
#8 Carrie (1/13/12)

Dir. Brian De Palma
1976
Oh boy, oh boy. I wasn't prepared for the last 20 minutes of the movie and I'm not going to lie, I screamed like a character from Mean Girls when the bloody arm popped out of nowhere at the very end. Before I comment on anything more about the film, can I just share my gratitude that I did not have to go to high school in the 70s? Boys coming to prom in sky blue blue tux and ruffled button-up, oh you have to be kidding. The titular character Carrie is an antisocial girl with an insane religious fanatic as her mother who thinks every normal occurrence in high school like getting a period and being asked out by a boy is "sinful". One of her classmates takes pity on her and decides to get her hot senior boyfriend to ask her out to prom. Another girl, who is not so kind-hearted, decides to embarrass her in front of the entire senior class through well, a very nasty trick if you ask me. One thing that the film crew should have done differently in the movie promotion is to take out the right picture (bloody Carrie) out of the poster. It pretty much reveals what's going to happen in the climax and I think the movie would have been a lot more enjoyable had I not known what the trick was going to be. Especially compared to the other flawless Stephen King novel to film adaptations Misery and The Shawshank Redemption, Carrie certainly carried (whoa, unintentional alliteration) too many flaws both in plot, acting, editing, and music to be considered a good film. Entertaining and scary sure, I just wish there would have been more depth to it.
7/10
1976
Oh boy, oh boy. I wasn't prepared for the last 20 minutes of the movie and I'm not going to lie, I screamed like a character from Mean Girls when the bloody arm popped out of nowhere at the very end. Before I comment on anything more about the film, can I just share my gratitude that I did not have to go to high school in the 70s? Boys coming to prom in sky blue blue tux and ruffled button-up, oh you have to be kidding. The titular character Carrie is an antisocial girl with an insane religious fanatic as her mother who thinks every normal occurrence in high school like getting a period and being asked out by a boy is "sinful". One of her classmates takes pity on her and decides to get her hot senior boyfriend to ask her out to prom. Another girl, who is not so kind-hearted, decides to embarrass her in front of the entire senior class through well, a very nasty trick if you ask me. One thing that the film crew should have done differently in the movie promotion is to take out the right picture (bloody Carrie) out of the poster. It pretty much reveals what's going to happen in the climax and I think the movie would have been a lot more enjoyable had I not known what the trick was going to be. Especially compared to the other flawless Stephen King novel to film adaptations Misery and The Shawshank Redemption, Carrie certainly carried (whoa, unintentional alliteration) too many flaws both in plot, acting, editing, and music to be considered a good film. Entertaining and scary sure, I just wish there would have been more depth to it.
7/10
#7 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (1/08/12)

Dir. Brad Bird
2011
I cannot believe Tom Cruise is 49. He is pretty much flying around in this movie, climbing the tallest building in the world in one scene, and it is stated on a reliable source IMDB that he did not use a stunt double for that scene. And that my friends, is a perfect example of insanity. Anyway, I am a big fan of the Mission Impossible franchise although I don't necessarily like many action flicks. This is probably my favorite out of the four and for multiple reasons. First, the story is SO clear and simple - a Russian nuclear strategist wants to start a nuclear war against America because he is evil and wants to start the next stage of human evolution. Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team are assigned to stop him but they are set up and have the Russian police chasing their tale. All the while, the new member of the team Brandt (Jeremy Renner) has a dark secret in which he thinks he let Hunt's wife die because of a mistake he made when he was an agent. I think what all great action movies have in common is that the action sequences are fast-paced, sleek, and technologically advanced, yet they are not too flamboyant (*coughMichaelBay) so as to take away from the main character's quest to achieve a specific goal. Ghost Protocol puts much focus on Ethan Hunt and his growth as a character, which is especially evident if you have been following the prequels (preludes?).
8/10
2011
I cannot believe Tom Cruise is 49. He is pretty much flying around in this movie, climbing the tallest building in the world in one scene, and it is stated on a reliable source IMDB that he did not use a stunt double for that scene. And that my friends, is a perfect example of insanity. Anyway, I am a big fan of the Mission Impossible franchise although I don't necessarily like many action flicks. This is probably my favorite out of the four and for multiple reasons. First, the story is SO clear and simple - a Russian nuclear strategist wants to start a nuclear war against America because he is evil and wants to start the next stage of human evolution. Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team are assigned to stop him but they are set up and have the Russian police chasing their tale. All the while, the new member of the team Brandt (Jeremy Renner) has a dark secret in which he thinks he let Hunt's wife die because of a mistake he made when he was an agent. I think what all great action movies have in common is that the action sequences are fast-paced, sleek, and technologically advanced, yet they are not too flamboyant (*coughMichaelBay) so as to take away from the main character's quest to achieve a specific goal. Ghost Protocol puts much focus on Ethan Hunt and his growth as a character, which is especially evident if you have been following the prequels (preludes?).
8/10
#6 Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1/06/12)

Dir. Pedro Almodovár
1988
Oh I forgot to mention it in my list of New Year's resolutions, but I am going to try to watch more foreign films this year that aren't Korean. This movie seemed of particular interest for me because of its rather unusual title. The movie is about exactly what the title says and there isn't a better way to explain it than to call it an hour and a half of complete chaos and not necessarily in a bad way because the movie was clearly intended to be that way. I realize the movie is supposed to be a comedy, but I wasn't exactly laughing throughout. Sure, there was that unexpected shoot-out en route to the airport that was funny because of its irony and theatricality. Perhaps it was that I solely relied on the English subtitles instead of listening to the individual lines and integrating the visuals with them that I was unable to grasp the comedy in it. Now I don't mean to sound ignorant, but through the viewing of this Spanish comedy, I can say that cinematic humor is subjective. It was difficult to believe any of the characters were real because most were very histrionic including the mambo taxi driver who I could tell was supposed to be comedic but only came off to me as creepy. On a different note, I have never seen such a young Antonio Banderas before and it surely is refreshing to see an actor acting in a different language.
7/10
1988
Oh I forgot to mention it in my list of New Year's resolutions, but I am going to try to watch more foreign films this year that aren't Korean. This movie seemed of particular interest for me because of its rather unusual title. The movie is about exactly what the title says and there isn't a better way to explain it than to call it an hour and a half of complete chaos and not necessarily in a bad way because the movie was clearly intended to be that way. I realize the movie is supposed to be a comedy, but I wasn't exactly laughing throughout. Sure, there was that unexpected shoot-out en route to the airport that was funny because of its irony and theatricality. Perhaps it was that I solely relied on the English subtitles instead of listening to the individual lines and integrating the visuals with them that I was unable to grasp the comedy in it. Now I don't mean to sound ignorant, but through the viewing of this Spanish comedy, I can say that cinematic humor is subjective. It was difficult to believe any of the characters were real because most were very histrionic including the mambo taxi driver who I could tell was supposed to be comedic but only came off to me as creepy. On a different note, I have never seen such a young Antonio Banderas before and it surely is refreshing to see an actor acting in a different language.
7/10
#5 50/50 (1/03/12)

Dir. Jonathan Levine
2011
Can I just say Seth Rogen 's face on the poster is priceless? And to think the film crew almost casted James McAvoy instead of Joseph Gordon Levitt....I don't think JGL is the next Brad Pitt or anything remotely close to such a position (not in looks anyway), but in every movie/TV show I have seen him in, he has played his characters in a very down-to-earth, realistic manner. I think it may be the fact that he isn't particularly hot or macho that brings so much realism to his characters. Although the story line has been explored in previous movies very many times, I could not help but sympathize completely with Levitt's character, Adam, who is diagnosed with cancer and has to come in terms with the terminal illness under the comfort of his best friend, his therapist with whom he shares a mutual crush, and his loving mother. Seth Rogen was also really great. I wasn't aware at the time of the viewing, but apparently Rogen's friend in real life was diagnosed with the same cancer and Rogen was the one who encouraged his cancer survivor friend to write a screenplay that later became 50/50. So obviously it was a very personal role and the honesty and sincerity are obvious in his performance. I could tell there wasn't too much actor direction in this movie as in the director probably told the two boys, "Interpret the characters however you want and go in front of the camera and do your thing".
8/10
2011
Can I just say Seth Rogen 's face on the poster is priceless? And to think the film crew almost casted James McAvoy instead of Joseph Gordon Levitt....I don't think JGL is the next Brad Pitt or anything remotely close to such a position (not in looks anyway), but in every movie/TV show I have seen him in, he has played his characters in a very down-to-earth, realistic manner. I think it may be the fact that he isn't particularly hot or macho that brings so much realism to his characters. Although the story line has been explored in previous movies very many times, I could not help but sympathize completely with Levitt's character, Adam, who is diagnosed with cancer and has to come in terms with the terminal illness under the comfort of his best friend, his therapist with whom he shares a mutual crush, and his loving mother. Seth Rogen was also really great. I wasn't aware at the time of the viewing, but apparently Rogen's friend in real life was diagnosed with the same cancer and Rogen was the one who encouraged his cancer survivor friend to write a screenplay that later became 50/50. So obviously it was a very personal role and the honesty and sincerity are obvious in his performance. I could tell there wasn't too much actor direction in this movie as in the director probably told the two boys, "Interpret the characters however you want and go in front of the camera and do your thing".
8/10
#4 Bridesmaids (1/01/12)

Dir. Paul Feig
2011
Female Hangover? Really? I have been avoiding this movie for the longest time because it has been labeled as the girl version of what I believe to be is one of the worst comedies of the last decade. Bridesmaids was great! Full of uncontrollable laughs, bittersweet tingles, and relatable nods. The jokes weren't classy or sophisticated, but they were a lot less vulgar than the ones featured in other recent R-rated comedies. The chick flick-y romance sub-plot was very minor and didn't overdo the cheesiness. My favorite scene was between Megan, the butch bridesmaid, and the main character, Annie, when Annie feels as though she has hit rock bottom and Megan is there to snap her back to reality. Paul Feig and the two actresses took what would have been the most clichéd scene ever into a hilarious yet heartwarming conversation between two new and very unlikely friends. I forget the exact line but when Megan says, "I know you probably though I breezed through high school....", I nearly died from laughing obnoxiously. The film did a good job exploring each of the very unique characters, from the very bizarre British siblings Annie dorms with to the big-shot sleaze ball who uses Annie as a booty call. Overall, the running time was a bit long and I really think the throw-up scene at the bridal shop could have definitely been shorter. Ladies, give yourself a break and watch this movie in your spare time. I guarantee you'll have a fun time.
8/10
2011
Female Hangover? Really? I have been avoiding this movie for the longest time because it has been labeled as the girl version of what I believe to be is one of the worst comedies of the last decade. Bridesmaids was great! Full of uncontrollable laughs, bittersweet tingles, and relatable nods. The jokes weren't classy or sophisticated, but they were a lot less vulgar than the ones featured in other recent R-rated comedies. The chick flick-y romance sub-plot was very minor and didn't overdo the cheesiness. My favorite scene was between Megan, the butch bridesmaid, and the main character, Annie, when Annie feels as though she has hit rock bottom and Megan is there to snap her back to reality. Paul Feig and the two actresses took what would have been the most clichéd scene ever into a hilarious yet heartwarming conversation between two new and very unlikely friends. I forget the exact line but when Megan says, "I know you probably though I breezed through high school....", I nearly died from laughing obnoxiously. The film did a good job exploring each of the very unique characters, from the very bizarre British siblings Annie dorms with to the big-shot sleaze ball who uses Annie as a booty call. Overall, the running time was a bit long and I really think the throw-up scene at the bridal shop could have definitely been shorter. Ladies, give yourself a break and watch this movie in your spare time. I guarantee you'll have a fun time.
8/10
#3 The Way Home (12/31/11)

Dir. Lee Jeong-Hyang
2002
As much as I love Seoul, Korea has a beautiful countryside and this film did a good job presenting such invaluable scenery. For some reason, I remember this movie being better and more touching, but it might have been just that I was around 9 or 10 when I came across it for the first time and back then I used to think every movie was good. Nonetheless, The Way Home is still a classic and it's so amazing to me that the lady who plays the mute grandmother in the movie has never seen a motion picture in her life before shooting this movie and this is the little boy's first feature movie he ever starred in. Although the characters weren't written very realistically, the two individuals brought so much screen presence and saved the film from becoming a melodrama aimed solely at creating a sobfest. The love presented in here is sweet and sincere and is never forced. However, I can hardly imagine any 7-year-old boy to be that abusive and disrespectful towards his own grandmother like the one in the movie. What I feel would strengthen the bond between the two and make the movie more believable is to have approached the boy character as an ignorant and stubborn kid rather than the evil monster that he is depicted as for the three quarters of the story. In addition, it's too simple of a story for a 90 minute movie. There were too many shots of them just walking, sleeping, and eating, some of which presented a great deal of characterization but others simply unnecessary.
7.5/10
2002
As much as I love Seoul, Korea has a beautiful countryside and this film did a good job presenting such invaluable scenery. For some reason, I remember this movie being better and more touching, but it might have been just that I was around 9 or 10 when I came across it for the first time and back then I used to think every movie was good. Nonetheless, The Way Home is still a classic and it's so amazing to me that the lady who plays the mute grandmother in the movie has never seen a motion picture in her life before shooting this movie and this is the little boy's first feature movie he ever starred in. Although the characters weren't written very realistically, the two individuals brought so much screen presence and saved the film from becoming a melodrama aimed solely at creating a sobfest. The love presented in here is sweet and sincere and is never forced. However, I can hardly imagine any 7-year-old boy to be that abusive and disrespectful towards his own grandmother like the one in the movie. What I feel would strengthen the bond between the two and make the movie more believable is to have approached the boy character as an ignorant and stubborn kid rather than the evil monster that he is depicted as for the three quarters of the story. In addition, it's too simple of a story for a 90 minute movie. There were too many shots of them just walking, sleeping, and eating, some of which presented a great deal of characterization but others simply unnecessary.
7.5/10
#2 Hannah and Her Sisters (12/30/11)

Dir. Woody Allen
1986
Third time watching this movie and it never fails to amaze me with its maturity and profoundness. My friend Hannah has a huge framed poster of this film by her room and upon seeing it, I freaked out of course and told her it was one of my favorite movies and do you know what she said??? She hasn't seen it before! And she has a 5 foot poster of it framed in the hallway....GIVE IT TO ME. Anyway, I am particularly fond of this movie out of all the great works Woody Allen has made because it centers around some of the most interesting and dynamic female characters I have ever seen in a movie. Hannah, the oldest sister played by Mia Farrow, is a passive and giving wife to her husband played by Michael Caine who has a gigantic crush on the middle sister Lee who succumbs to having an affair with him despite her tight relationship with Hannah. There is also Holly, the youngest sister, who is a coke-addict, a starving actress, and a hopeless romantic. Then there is Mickey played by Woody Allen who is a cynical hypochondriac who attempts at discovering the meaning of life through pursuing religion. It sounds complicated, but the story is rather simple. The movie presents an adulterous affair, philosophical questions involving life and death, and sisters who cannot be anymore different from one another. Many films before HAHS have explored such subject matters, but nobody told it funnier and simpler than Woody did.
9/10
1986
Third time watching this movie and it never fails to amaze me with its maturity and profoundness. My friend Hannah has a huge framed poster of this film by her room and upon seeing it, I freaked out of course and told her it was one of my favorite movies and do you know what she said??? She hasn't seen it before! And she has a 5 foot poster of it framed in the hallway....GIVE IT TO ME. Anyway, I am particularly fond of this movie out of all the great works Woody Allen has made because it centers around some of the most interesting and dynamic female characters I have ever seen in a movie. Hannah, the oldest sister played by Mia Farrow, is a passive and giving wife to her husband played by Michael Caine who has a gigantic crush on the middle sister Lee who succumbs to having an affair with him despite her tight relationship with Hannah. There is also Holly, the youngest sister, who is a coke-addict, a starving actress, and a hopeless romantic. Then there is Mickey played by Woody Allen who is a cynical hypochondriac who attempts at discovering the meaning of life through pursuing religion. It sounds complicated, but the story is rather simple. The movie presents an adulterous affair, philosophical questions involving life and death, and sisters who cannot be anymore different from one another. Many films before HAHS have explored such subject matters, but nobody told it funnier and simpler than Woody did.
9/10
#1 Spellbound (12/29/11)

Dir. Hwang In-Ho
2011
When my mom, my sister, and I were down in LA a couple days ago, we stopped at this fancy little theater in Korean town and watched this film! Ever since Sunny, my family has been faithfully following Korean cinema and watching countless number of critically acclaimed ones from the past as you probably figured from my prior entries. Anyway, I honestly had no expectations going into this movie because it was such a last minute decision. I was able to watch the trailer on my phone and it looked cute and typical - kind of like a more modern My Sassy Girl. It took a really long time for this movie to get interesting (about 20 minutes), but when it did, I was actually really hooked. The integration of comedy, romance, and horror (and I mean real HORROR - I instinctively closed my eyes every time that horrifying music came up) was done wonderfully and I don't think I have ever seen those three genres being combined before so I quite enjoyed the originality. This is a huge generalization given that I haven't watched very many Hollywood rom-coms and have seen around five Korean rom-coms, but I think Koreans generally make much more interesting and unique romantic comedies than Americans. Korean rom-coms aren't so sex-oriented, which I find very refreshing. Hollywood ones tend to be very sordid and the humor only stems from sexual immorality, affairs, and such.
7.5/10
2011
When my mom, my sister, and I were down in LA a couple days ago, we stopped at this fancy little theater in Korean town and watched this film! Ever since Sunny, my family has been faithfully following Korean cinema and watching countless number of critically acclaimed ones from the past as you probably figured from my prior entries. Anyway, I honestly had no expectations going into this movie because it was such a last minute decision. I was able to watch the trailer on my phone and it looked cute and typical - kind of like a more modern My Sassy Girl. It took a really long time for this movie to get interesting (about 20 minutes), but when it did, I was actually really hooked. The integration of comedy, romance, and horror (and I mean real HORROR - I instinctively closed my eyes every time that horrifying music came up) was done wonderfully and I don't think I have ever seen those three genres being combined before so I quite enjoyed the originality. This is a huge generalization given that I haven't watched very many Hollywood rom-coms and have seen around five Korean rom-coms, but I think Koreans generally make much more interesting and unique romantic comedies than Americans. Korean rom-coms aren't so sex-oriented, which I find very refreshing. Hollywood ones tend to be very sordid and the humor only stems from sexual immorality, affairs, and such.
7.5/10