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Hou lai de wo men (2018)
Touching
I could not feel the full scope of this movie's impact, for I have yet to fight the rat race in a strange and bigger city. Nevertheless, this movie really touches me, and after all the crime gore thriller ones I cried at the end of this romance.
The premise is realistic and common: a young couple struggling to survive the city light. All the catch and chase and promises help to make it feel relatable, and even more melancholy considering the actual outcome. It is sad to see as the girl gravitates towards the boy's past self, he also develops to be what she wanted. The timing is just off.
The acting is good, the music is excellent, and the pain is real. I am aware of the fact that this movie has certain (untellable) connections to my love life, but that does not change the fact this this 2-hour watch is objectively worthwhile.
The love lesson is clear: be more understanding. Seasons change, and people too. The life lesson is there too: the inclusion of the father-son side plot makes it even more real and humane.
The Italian Job (2003)
A very boring watch
I cannot stress enough how disappointed I was watching this movie. The pace is too slow for the genre, the jokes are corny, all the action scenes (except from the sewage car chase) are boring, the theft itself is not innovative, and the character developments are just done for the sake of it.
Music would have helped enhance the experience, but the movie is deaf. Considering the vigor Speed achieved in 1994 and the wit shown in Ocean's Eleven in 2001, I really can't comprehend what they were doing with this movie.
The Greatest Showman (2017)
Not quite there
I get it, Hugh Jackman was great in Les Miserable, and the grand success of La La Land was still fresh in people's mind. That might be the idea, but the way the movie turned out really fell short of the expectations.
For a start, The greatest showman clearly lacks the charming atmosphere found in the aforementioned movies, considering feeling is the most important aspect for an art-oriented movie. The story feels rushed, and character developments are unfinished. I appreciate their effort to battle discrimination, but even that end is somewhat lacking in depth.
The music is okay, but is still far from deserving of succeeding La La Land's limelight.
La La Land (2016)
Just what I expected
I envisioned a feel-good musical with excellent lighting and music, and I got what I expected. There are all the elements that account for the hype: the catchy music (obviously), the modern classic dance scene, and the beautiful color scheme.
However, that is it for La La Land. The plot is simple at best, and character arcs are cliche too. It feels like a Wong ka wai movie: it makes you feel good, but does not actually tell anything.
Ajeossi (2010)
A good watch
Ajeossi has a solid story and good action. Although the bonding of the protagonist and the girl is quite under-explained, other aspects of the plot are satisfactory. The rescuer has to go through several layers against different kinds of crime organisation, adding more depth to the world.
The action part was fine, though nothing too spectacular. The only trouble is the plot armor given to the main character, something undetachable from such one-man-against-all movies.
The man from nowhere has a humane theme, denouncing the cruel existence of child trafficking and child labor, which is a good message.
Kokuhaku (2010)
An emotionally strong thriller.
Confession is a well made revenge drama, with extra points on the subject matter. The people involved in this vengeful tale are teachers and students, a setting which is not so familiar. The relation between the characters, combined with their extreme measures to achieve their aims, is able to render the audience speechless and psychologically stressed.
The plot is interesting, with different layers of truth, unraveled step by step as the movie progresses. This method of storytelling helps to engage the audience with the well-placed twists. However, the pace could have been a bit faster, doing away with some dragging moments in reality.
The characters are well made, with non cliche personalities and clear motives for their actions. However, Confession is not subtle enough, as it tries quite hard to explain their players' characteristics.
1917 (2019)
An awe-inspiring cinematography feat
The first aspect that captured my attention was the outstanding cinematographic skills shown in the extremely long shots, beginning right from the start of the movie. I really could not help but marvel at this feat.
1917 is an anti war movie, and it has managed to get this idea across by the omniscience of pain and suffering. That is pretty much what the plot is about: loss and heartbreak in war, accompanied by extinguished ideas of hope and reunion. Aside from the cinematography, the grand scale and formidable magnitude of war is portrayed by the help of excellent sound effects. Of course I cannot say for sure how war really is, but 1917 makes it feel so real.
To me, the reasons 1917 is not to the degree of superlative is because the plot points are not new, and it lacks a profound social message.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Hilarious but repetitive
I got on with the correct foot with this comedy, as the ferry mafia scene got me in stitches. The remaining scenes in The naked gun part 1 are good enough, with enough ridiculousness and physical comedy to entertain the audience. The problem is, that is all The naked gun can provide.
The lack of depth and too bare comedy makes the movie unrewatchable. Not that it's anywhere bad, but the comedic effect is bound to be lost in the second viewing.
Carrie (1976)
A horror that makes you feel
There's hardly anything new when one watches this movie in this day an age, since too much has been talked about it, and the plot is by no means convoluted.
Nevertheless, my experience of watching the known was still an excellent one, as the directing and acting was excellent.
Much compliment is to be given to the White family, for both of them was portrayed so logically and poignantly. In the mother, you see a religious fanatic with all the facial expression and holy teaching and shaky voice. In Carrie, you can see a bullied girl with her fear of the unknown, the crave to get alone, the apprehension from pain, and most painfully the joy in being accepted.
The highlight of the directing lies obviously on the blood stained scene, most remarkably the build up to the explosion. The audience is led through all the emotions, namely happiness seeing nervous Carrie get treated well, then worry witnessing the voting trick, and finally exasperation as Carrie was not saved from the public humiliation. The slow motion, the score on top of the muted room, the fruitless help from the classmate, and the jubilant smile on Carrie made it painful for the audience to continue watching, knowing very well what would happen next.
The anti bully theme is obvious in this movie, as well as the anti Christ, most notably symbolised by the manner and position of the dead mom.
All in all, Carrie is a solid school movie, with excellent acting connecting with the audience's feeling.
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
A lovely experience
It is undeniable that Amelie radiates positive energy. It is one of the few movies that I smile feeling happy while watching.
The movie centers on Amelie, with a few subplots, all revolving around the theme of love and happiness. Amelie has a good heart; she cares for people's feelings and proactively helps them without their awareness. Amelie can love, and when she does, she tries her best to get the response she seeks. The plot is thus simple and easy to follow, with no twist and little suspense.
What captivates the audience is the feel-good vibe felt throughout the whole movie. This is achieved by excellent cinematography, good music, and a superb performance by Audrey Tautou. It is impossible to ignore the lovely way Amelie behaves herself, and it is quite hard to capture all her charm in words. My humble description stays at her cute look, her happy little smiles when seeing others' happiness, and her adorable uncertainty facing the love of her life.
What a wholesome movie. Amelie makes me wanna fall in love.
Zodiac (2007)
A fresh point of view at a serial killer case
Only after about 30 minutes of scene time did I realise Zodiac looks at this serial killer case from the perspective of Jake Gyllenhaal's character, rather than the serial killer's. It was successfully done, as the audience gets more and more absorbed in his pursuit instead of the crime itself.
The plot is well made, throwing at the audience incessant thrills. The series of "catch and release" is really effective, getting us so much hopeful only to dismiss the suspects as not guilty. The audience is left frustrated, curious, and lost, just as what Robert Graysmith is going through.
The scene with the poster writer is common heralded as the best scene, and I too share this view. The acting and cinematography are so excellent the tension is almost unbearable. The character sees the danger, and I the watcher feels it too, with no less fear and desperation and relief.
The only problem of Zodiac is that as it conforms to the integrity of the story, the movie drags at times.
Riaru onigokko (2015)
Too ambitious
This movie has a very promising premise, but fell short of my expectation.
As a horror, it is not at all scary, leaving no fear in the aftertaste. As a psychological thriller, it lacks suspense and a logical plot development as well as world building. As a moral lesson, it could have done much better with more subtlety.
The only thing I like about it is the aforementioned opening scene and the wedding scene where tension is built up quite well.
A very ambitious hot pot, but not at all tasty.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Simple and plain horror with its moments.
The story told is simple to the point of boredom. The build up took too long, while the chase and terror feels dumb and superficial. There is no element of good scare: no jump scare, no good gore, no creepiness, and no psychological fear thereafter.
There are two good moments which salvages the movie from being a disaster. First is the close-ups on the last victim's eyes, and second is the multiple attempts from the grandpa. These scenes have respective terror and comedy values, but are definitely not enough.
Speed (1994)
Good action, but with drawbacks
Speed is full of engaging action. The subject matter is novel, and the action is diverse and fresh enough for the movie to stand out in its genre.
The intense moving thrill is undermined by two factors. First is the quite unnatural reaction and emotion from the passenger. Second is the quite inept aura exuded from the police force. This element has to exist as a plot convenience because the plot fails to make the antagonist's plan intricate enough.
An easy no-brain action, but the values to remember.
The Third Man (1949)
Good but not quite there
The aspect I enjoy the most in this movie is the acting. The third man was made in 1949, but the acting seems to have grown out of the stage-like style found in as late as the 1960s. The performance of note is Harry Lime's, whose half mysterious half self-confident smile on his first appearance impressed me the most.
The previously mentioned scene and its leading up are also the best in the movie. The name Harry Lime has been mentioned for almost half the movie, drawing much curiosity from the audience. However, we don't even get to see his face despite he is virtually all that is discussed. Therefore, when the anonymous man in the dark corner is introduced, we get excited at the thought that the man is Harry. Yes, it is all predictable, but the revelation here, with Harry's smile and the urging guitar tune, feels so satisfying.
However, the movie did not strike me as too excellent. As said, the twist is predictable, and there is no more elements of thriller in the movie.
Ying (2018)
Beautifully crafted
Shadow did not overwhelm me with brilliance as said in my friends' recommendations. However, watching this sure was an enjoyable experience.
The most important plus of Shadow is its beauty. The color is consistently and beautifully grey, reflecting the rain and foreshadowing the tragic events. I am most impressed by the fighting scenes. Some are elegant, some are forceful, yet all are so well choreographed and directed. Even the raindrops look good.
One more thing to say about the fighting scenes is their novelty. I have never seen umbrellas used as weapons before, and sure are impressed with the moves and tricks involved in the tool.
The plot is meant to be full of surprises. However, as a seasoned thriller fan and an avid Chinese war novel reader, I was not taken aback once, even correctly expecting the twists. But this is not to undermine the story; since it is well thought out, with reasonable development and no first-glance plot hole.
The Last House on the Left (2009)
Short of my expectation
The plot goes in a worn out path, without covering any new grounds. The below-average acting is unconvincing, with the only acceptable portion being the crying ones. The violence is boring, falling short of my expectation of incremental torturing by the parents. What's more, the characters also make some major dumb decisions.
Blow-Up (1966)
Slow-paced and boring philosophical overview
The movie has a promising premise for a gripping thriller, but chooses instead to be philosophical.
The movie's idea is to reflect the ennui in the main character's life, as well as his similar perception of it. The interesting premise only appears at the middle of the movie, but its purpose is to serve as a little exception to the unremarkable everyday life the character wants to escape from. He immediately clings to the opportunity, hoping to find something new, only to find it float away quickly. The final scene depicts exactly how the character is feeling: lost between the vast meaningless world.
This movie also attempts to employ several other messages, such as the different values an item has, according to different owners. In short, it means a more general "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." However, these points are poorly connected to the main plot, which means the movie is an over-ambitious and fragmented fable.
Uncut Gems (2019)
Purposefully messy
This movie is hectic, messy and shaky. At first, I attributed it to bad cinematography. However, as the movie went on, I became aware that it is intentional. The purpose is to truthfully depict the life of the main character, and it was a success. The audience is drawn to and immersed in his fast pace of life, his endless mistakes and corrections, as well as his stressful struggle to regain control over his life. Although the lead is more greedy than the average people, we can still sympathise and even empathise with his emotions. The idea is further supported as the character is well portrayed by Adam Sandler.
This is a bad thriller, however, with no new material, no surprises, and even the final twist cannot salvage this.
Unfaithful (2002)
Great acting supports an average plot
There is nothing new about the plot. It is mediocre at best, with very little to surprise. What may grip the audience's attention is (beside the erotic part) are the excellent performances from the main cast. The pain from the hard working husband, as well as the self conflict in the wife, was clearly portrayed.
The movie does not venture far to the realm of psychoanalysis, stopping at showing the internal conflict between the wife's conscience and her body.
It was, nevertheless, an uncomfortable experience, and kudos to that.
Contratiempo (2016)
Smart, full of surprises
This movie starts out slow, but gets better and more gripping as the clock ticks.
The story is simple enough, but the multiple layers of truth and lies complicate it to some extreme extent. This results in an compelling experience, with full of surprises from all sides in the story. When the final twist unfolded, I was much taken aback. However, this shock was well made, with enough foreshadow beforehand.
The acting is convincing, except for the somewhat bland facial expression by the male lead. Since the plot clearly required something else, this shortcoming is likely a fault of the actor.
Lola rennt (1998)
Innotive and action-packed life contemplation
Lola, Run is fun and energetic with its nonstop action. I believe the material is new, since I do not know any earlier movies with the same "alternate" realities theme like this. These chances to redo provide new realities and in turn new rewards and consequences. This fits well with the philosophical question of free will vs determinism brought up at the start of the movie. However, although I know this initial hint helps the audience to process the movie better, I still find it somewhat tactless and crude.
The extra spices of love and the supernatural screams managed to provide flavours to the main dish.
Ang-ma-reul bo-at-da (2010)
Quite disturbing but extremely engrossing
I saw the devil is, first and foremost, a revenge story, and it has done well in this aspect. Although there exist a few plot conveniences, the plot is captivating with endless action and twists.
The centre of discussion, however, is the sheer amount of graphic violence portrayed. The movie, with all its blood and dismemberment, chills the audience to their visceral core. However, the idea is not to scare the audience away by sight, but to terrify them by thoughts. The violence looks beautifully real, and we cannot help but to feel the pain the victims are going through, as well as wishing revenge on the callous criminal.
The protagonist, a secret agent, is the boyfriend of one of the victims. His indescribable loss evolved into his desire to revenge in the most satisfying way. As he constantly captures and releases the culprit, he wanted the monster to experience what the victims went through: immense pain and desperation.
Things get philosophical when the secret agent steps to the blurry line between exacting revenge and drawing sadistic satisfaction out of it. It becomes even more thought-provoking when we, as the audience, also wanted to see the criminal suffer incessantly. Is this kind of vengeance right? If yes, where is the stop mark? And just who are we to make such judgement?
All in all, I saw the devil is another brilliant and thought-provoking Korean thriller.
Falling Down (1993)
A movie to criticise certain points of view and realities, yet justify them at the same time
I came for the "good guy turns violent", and was not disappointed at how the plot progresses and the message is delivered.
The central story is on D-Fens, a middle class white man who has recently been divorced and fired. The action revolves around his journey back to his ex-wife's home to attend his daughter's birthday. He has a temper control problem, which, in combination with his distorted view towards certain matters of society and certain problem of its own, has trigger a rage in him. This explained for his several over-the-top reactions towards his journey incidents, from minimal to criminal.
For the plot's convenience, D-Fens is only caught at the end in a usual dramatic fight between the villain and the police. This has been made possible by the inclusion of the subplot, mister Prendergast the policeman and his problematic marriage life, as well as the bureaucratic police force.
Plot wise, the movie is quite simple, for its focus and selling points lies in the perspectives of D-Fens facing his incidents. They reveal all about him, an angry middle class white failure with built up hatred towards the upper class, commercialism, bureaucracy and immigrants. He feels frustrated, like he has been treated unfairly despite all of his effort and capability, which he thinks the aforementioned forces are to blame. As he let offs steam through violence, he believes his actions are justified, for he is just a good guy "walking home to his family". Anger and distorted perspectives make quite a psychopath out of a working man.
Los cronocrímenes (2007)
Reasonably developed, but lack depth
Timecrime deals with time traveling. Specifically, it is not about going to the past changing all things up, but rather getting stuck in a time loop.
Time loop is no longer a new concept in movie as of 2020, the year I see the movie and am writing this review. The good thing about Timecrime is that they managed to build a reasonable plot, with every single detail accounted for in the end. However, due to this very reason, the movie is quite predictable, with no big surprises. Nevertheless, the details are still complicated and creative enough to keep me watching.
There could have been more focus on philosophical matters such as killing another version of yourself, or which is the more true "me". But it was an unfilled void, leaving the movie a pure sci-fi flick.
What bothered me most is the sheer stupidity of the characters involved. In this aspect, Timecrime is just like most other horror movies, where characters suddenly lose all logic and fear and keep on asking stupid questions and ignore the urgency of the situation.
Because of the shortcomings, Timecrime is still quite far from the top level.