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MissTofu
Some of the music groups I like: Dead Can Dance, Cocteau twins, Massive Attack, ES Posthumus, Deerhoof, etc.
Movies Wish List: http://www.imdb.com/list/1bAXORJGAjM/
TV Wish List: http://www.imdb.com/list/nC8EcVenYD4
Movies I liked: http://www.imdb.com/list/lDvQNEMYCfA/
TV/Anime Series I never finished watching: http://www.imdb.com/list/M2zyYvhnqIw/
Anime/Animated/Live-action Movies I never finished watching/disliked: http://www.imdb.com/list/_AKtgQp1ioc/
TV Series I'm currently watching: http://www.imdb.com/list/c7ChW2DE1IM/
Reviews
S21, la machine de mort khmère rouge (2003)
Left me cold and didn't really broaden my understanding of said topics
When I saw this, I'd a decent understanding of the Khmer Rogue, not too much but not too little. And normally? I don't make such negative reviews but I was really frustrated as it had plenty of opportunities to have far more depth. This documentary could have been loads better but its construction has some fundamental flaws. There seems very little point in just assembling a group of guards and prisoners when it's evident human nature dictates that abusers are often in denial of everything they have done. Such an attempt is not just cruel but merciless, for it brings untold suffering to the victims who actually have to put up with the torment of seeing their abusers again. There was also no moderator with in-depth and relevant knowledge of said events, to intervene and to help bridge the communication between all the parties involved.
Nor was there a mental health specialist who might be able to comment on the circumstances and guide everyone to a point of understanding and even redemption. What results instead is sensationalism where the victims' suffering and the abusers' depictions are exploited for the sake of eliciting a response in the audience, by accident or intention. Yes, the torture was chilling but without further exploration, what did that really add to the documentary? Missing too were historians or even academics to add layers of rich history, facts, analysis and commentaries which would link the incidents depicted to the Khmer Rogue history and even open set after set of questions.
As mentioned by others, the film makes a fatal flaw of mentioning little about the Khmer Rogue or even the history of the S21 prison. I know some of the "S21 guards" were actually prisoners who were given the choice of "kill or be killed". Yet this issue is never really approached and there is no in-depth analysis of their mindsets, their motivations, trauma, etc. Nor is there any exploration of whether certain historical and even cultural aspects might have further eased the rise and acceptance of the Khmer Rogue or figures like Pol Pot or Duch. For example: did you know that anti-Semitism had existed in Germany since the medieval era, possibly because of the stoning of Jesus Christ or maybe other events?
In certain Asian cultures, authoritarian figures are accepted and sometimes even welcomed, regardless of any acts they're guilty of. Is this blind acceptance a 21st century phenomenon paralleled in other cultures or was that a sign of a decaying structure or had it existed in Cambodian culture for over 1000 years? And did that play any role to the acceptance of Duch as a leader of S21? Or did Duch hold his position simply because of his ability to instill terror and fear and not anything else? And there were many other questions in my mind too. Yet, unlike most documentaries I've watched, I didn't emerge with a broader understanding on at least some of the questions.
Instead, the viewers are left to assume or if not, take certain things at face value. Such an approach is fine in the realm of fiction but for non-fiction, it's never good to allow a viewer's thoughts, viewpoints, prejudices, etc. to influence his perceptions so that he might engage in guesswork. Anyone unfamiliar with the history pertaining to this subject would be in the dark and emerge with no better understanding. At the worst, someone might even emerge with partial denial of said events because of how they deduce and arrive at certain conclusions. Yes, I've seen this before and that happens whenever an approach towards such a sensitive topic isn't handled properly.
Supernatural: All Dogs Go to Heaven (2010)
I really enjoyed this one too
Jared, Jensen and gang put in some credible and masterful performances again. In particular, Sam and Dean's personalities play off sharply in this episode and many moments are really fun to watch.
At first sight, this episode seems extremely bland, with nothing to offer. On a closer look, there are themes of surveillance and voyeurism which parallel and also intersect at a certain point. At what point does surveillance warp into voyeurism? Does it occur by incident or accident or does anyone even care? Traits of ownership, family and protectiveness permeate these themes. I was left wondering as well: who is the true guardian here? Lucky or the woman he watches over? Or are both guardians of one another in their own way?
The contrasting takes on the theme of savior must not be missed either. A monster who looks after a family in his own way versus a cold and ruthless hero whose job is to track a case. When overlapping with the personality of Dean Winchester, these contrasts become even more vivid. At one point, I even wondered who was the real monster here: Sam or Lucky?
There are many other themes present in this episode too but I'll leave them for you to consider: family, what it means to be human, bonds, acceptance versus abandonment, etc.
Again, the monsters in this episode are very humanised and some of their finest moments shine in the later half of the episode as the buildup results in some tight tension and thought-provoking, disturbing or even humorous interactions.
The cinematography is also rather fun to watch and I'm reminded how sophisticated the episodes have evolved over the seasons. There are some very clever shots that alternate from a human's and a monster's point- of-view. Also, I'm sure some might disagree but I thought some of the scenes were full of emotion from the players involved. There were also some really cool and awesome action scenes. Made me feel like I was watching some gangster flick. :P
As for the music? I miss the rock but I don't mind the different style, either. The cinematography and the music made for some very intense action scenes.
Finally, I love how Lucky's situation was resolved: open-ended as things often happen in the real world. One has to wonder how these experiences would impact him though.
Supernatural: Monster Movie (2008)
Nice...
Spoiler warnings! Can't say I didn't warn any of you, folks! =)
I totally loved this episode. It was fun, whacky and a refreshing break from the ongoing plot line. The music, ambiance and even much of the scene setup were really quite well done. Plus with how the entire cast pulled off the cast interactions, it felt more like watching one of those black and white movies than some pretend movie that was pure filler.
The writing wasn't too bad either since it tied the movie tribute elements into a real hunting case and it also hinted at the poor brothers taking a well-deserved break after tangling non-stop with heaven and hell. For this episode, some of my favourite moments were when Mr. D picked up the pizza from the delivery guy and when Sam crept up on some poor sod and tried to yank his ear off.
I felt that the timing of this episode was okay. After all, Supernatural did the same with Season 3 where it sometimes broke off from the ongoing "kicking demon ass" storyline and focused on Sam and Dean chasing after ghosts, monsters and freaks of the nature. As long as the events and plot don't go against the logic in Supernatural's universe, it suits me just fine. Heck knows how many series have strayed from the laws their creators set up and started on a path to damnation by having logic jumps, character turning different with no valid explanation, suddenly trying to do social or political commentary out of nowhere, etc.
The Bone Collector (1999)
Another average crime movie...
*Warning: spoilers in this review*
The acting of Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie was not bad and the acting by the rest of the cast was not bad too.
The failing point of the movie was the plot. There was too much emphasis on gore and not enough emphasis on certain aspects of the film like the ideas, etc. so the audience were not able to interpret nor understand certain aspects of the plot.
Also, some parts of the plot were not very believable. Like: the part towards the ending where Amelie escaped from arrest. I can't believe that the officers were not smart enough to keep an eye on her.
Also, I don't believe how evidence could just be left lying around on the desk. It's plain obvious that if you should lose the evidence, you're partly to blame and a Captain isn't supposed to do that at all.
Other not-so convincing parts were how some of the victims could not be strong enough to try and smash their way out. Normally, when faced with a crisis, the victim will try his best to escape and not let the killer get to him or even suddenly possess an incredible amount of will and do something that's totally unexpected of him.
Another rather weird issue was that the film was made in 1999. So, how come there's a lack of cellphones/handphones, even? It's obvious a lot of people owned cellphones or handphones by 1999, so it was kinda weird how none of the victims owned one and therefore, be able to call for help.
A last point was the lack of realism in this movie concerning how the victims were picked. It seems that the killer managed to get his victims, by coincidence and not by selecting the victims. If I'm not wrong, he drove the cab only when he wanted to kill so as to avoid getting caught by the police. Therefore, it was odd how he didn't manage to get injured if say, he had chosen a victim who was stronger than him.
The pacing of the movie was all right. It was intense at some points but in other parts, the pacing falls flat.
Maybe some of today's film directors should take a lesson from the directors who made great films in the past like Alfred Hitchock: that no matter how much money you have, it isn't just the visual aspect that counts. It's the plot that ties everything together and makes the audience believe what they see on the screen. If Psycho was frightening only with the visuals but had a horrible plot, I doubt it'd be one of the best movies around.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
An excellent movie!!!
***might contain spoilers***
It was not just creepy, but also a very well-made movie too! :)
I really liked the acting in this movie and the lighting really sets the tone. In the beginning of the movie, the atmosphere and music was spooky enough to keep me watching. Then when I saw Clarice running, I was nearly fooled into thinking she was running away from something. But instead, it turned out that she was just jogging...
And what a great movie it was! I returned it to the rental store fully satisfied. :)