1/23/2019 1 Comment pan's labyrinth (2006)Director: Guillermo del Toro
Pan's Labyrinth talked about an ancient kingdom lost their princess. The king believes one day the princess's soul will return, maybe in another body. Little girl Ofelia and her mom is moving to see their new family. Ofelia saw a faun, little fairies and a labyrinth at the new place. She was told that she is the chosen one, and needs to finish some requests. Just in case you didn't notice, I am really keen on fictional creatures in a fairy tale like story. I loved Fantastic Beasts 1, Tale of Tales, My neighbor Totoro and so on and I loved Pan's Labyrinth. The faun, the fairies, and the monster with eyes on his hands are so intriguing and fun to watch. Also at the end of the day, I am still the old me who enjoy dark content. In my opinion, the twist at the ending is so genius that it makes the movie even more messed up and takes the movie onto another level. It's like an O'Henry's ending, kind of unexpected but makes so much sense. *Spoiler* It reminds the audiences the cruel facts of wars and how all the children are victims. Their life should be filled with fairy tales. Ofelia puts herself into this fantasy. The ending makes the audiences realize that her fantasy doesn't exist. She died but this might be the best ending for her, because she went to her kingdom and became a princess. There are several scenes that gross me out (For instance, the general smashed the farmer's face with a wine bottle.), but overall, the visual effects are still beautiful which is really weird to say because of all the bloody scenes. I love how beautiful and smart this movie is. I wanna hug the faun too D; Rating: 9.2/10
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1/10/2019 1 Comment The Favourite (2018)Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
The Favourite is based on English Queen Anne's story. It is mostly true with some fictional interpret on her relationship with Sarah Churchill. IN the movie, when a girl who claims to be Sarah's cousin, Abigail arrives, two women start to crave and fight for the closest spot next to the Queen. It is so messed up, witty, funny and sarcastic at the same time. I just watched Yorgos Lanthimos's The Lobster and I compared him to one of my favorite directors Wes Anderson. So I might as well keep comparing this movie with Anderson's by far the most well-known movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel: 1) One of the most obvious similarities I noticed right away is that both of them are separated in chapters. In The Favourite, every chapter begins with a line that will appear in the later plot. The chosen line is either very funny, weird or important to the development of the plot. 2) The use of colors are particularly noticeable to me in both of the movies. Now anyone who watched The Grand Budapest Hotel would remember the main color of the movie, pink. The whole movie is filled fairy-tale colors, pastel and warm. However the colors in The Favourite, just like the picture above, is cool toned. They provide the audiences a feeling of cloudy and rainy days in England. They also compromise the story pretty well, a tense and dangerous atmosphere. Lanthimos could easily become one of my favourite directors when he comes out with more works. This movie made me become interested in history again. I read the history behind the story and it only makes the movie more intriguing. The Favourite is definitely a dark and messed up comedy, which I enjoy very much (yeah, the old me). I definitely recommend knowing a little bit of the background of what kind of person was Queen Anne and her relationship with Sarah Churchill. *Spoiler*The relationship between Sarah Churchill, Abigail and Queen Anne is so intense and interesting, it never gets you bored during the entire movie. The personal development of the three characters is also well-written and the pace is just right. Queen Anne was very much a puppet controlled by Sarah. She heavily relies on Sarah mentally, emotionally and physically. It gave me a little bit of shock when their secret loving relationship was revealed. I was like "that's where everything goes down, nice." But after Abigail shows up, audiences will naturally stand by her side because of her "innocence" appearance and passive condition. As the story goes on, audiences start to gradually notice the evil side of her until the last 10 minutes where she turned completely into a generally bad human being. Audiences' emotion, at least mine, was kind of swinging back and forth towards all of the characters. *Still Spoiler* Some people say that the ending was unnecessary but I didn't mind it at all. I like open endings. So here's my interpret: Queen Anne sent people to pick up Sarah. She lets Abigail to massage her legs, which is too shameful for the current Lady Abigail. And there is footstep sound in the background (I think)--Sarah came back, the one and the only favourite. Love it. My type of movie. Rating: 9.3/100 12/14/2018 1 Comment the lobster (2015)Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
The Lobster is about in a future world, people have to find their partner and live as a couple in a limited time, or they will be turned into animals. David was divorced by his wife and went to the hotel where he has to find his partner. I don't know if it is because I wrote a 10 page research paper on Wes Anderson, I can sense a little bit Anderson's style in Yorgos Lanthimos' movies. I watched his new movie's trailer, The Favourite. 1)There is a lot reoccurring cast, sounds like Bill Murray is in every Wes Anderson's movie. 2)The way of the characters speak also have a weird tone and pace, weird wording, etc. In The Lobster, all the characters sound quite emotionless. 3) There is a consistent color palette throughout the movie. It mainly has cool-toned colors. Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel is mainly pink. *Spoiler* The first part of the story is about David trying to find a partner in the hotel. The second part is he ran away from the hotel, and there is a group of anti-partner loners who have strict rules about not having partners. The two places are like the two polars, one has to have a partner, one has to be alone all the time. David is unlucky, he couldn't find a partner in the hotel and he finds one when he joined the loner group. Because of the weird emotionless way of them speaking, even there is romance in the movie, audiences still feel it's "a dark mocking mirror" as someone would say. The movie makes you feel like it's a dark-humored reflection of society. People try so hard to fit in, try to find a common thing with others, like the guy who wants to get the girl who has a nose bleeding problem, so he punches himself just to make himself look like he has a problem with nose bleeding as well. In the end, David even wants to cut his own eyes so that he can be blind just like his partner. This movie is more like a message that is very thought-provoking, especially in today. Weirdest movie I've seen this year, but I loved it. I understand this kind of movies aren't for everyone. I like the director (of course), I am really excited for his new movie. Rating: 9/10 12/10/2018 1 Comment it's a wonderful life (1946)Director: Frank Capra
It's a Wonderful Life is about a young man George Bailey who has big dreams inherited his father's loan company after his accident death. He felt worthless and wishes he has never been born. And he was given an opportunity to see what would the world look like if he has never been born. I've watched Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life. They both have a rather happy ending and make people feel like everything is possible. And I would say there are similarities in both of the film especially Jimmy Steward were in both of them. When George Bailey was in a conference room with Mr. Potter and try to convince other men not to crawl to Mr. Potter and keep his dad's loan company, it makes me flash back to when I was watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Smith stood for hours and tries to talk through the congress men. I watched the color version on the weekend. I noticed some useless details I didn't notice when I was watching the black and white version, like the Baileys have a dog. But also, in the beginning, when George was little, he stops his boss from poisoning a boy. His boss has tears on his face which I didn't know. And George was beat to bleed... This movie is arranged so well that I am very impressed about how Capra was able to bring everything back after George goes back on to the bridge. The police was chasing him and when he arrives, everything goes back to normal. The details like Zuzu's petals and mouth bleeding just work so well together like a flow of creek even it involves reality and fantasy, fiction and nonfiction. The theme is also the most encouraging and heartwarming message. A man with friends is never worthless. ~It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas~ Rating: 9/10 11/30/2018 1 Comment rushmore (1998)Director: Wes Anderson
Rushmore is about a high school student Max Fischer falls in love with a first grade teacher. He tries so many ways to win her. However, his friend Herman Blume, a father of two Max's classmates, falls for the same teacher as well. Let's talk about what classic Wes Anderson elements Rushmore incorporate! Wes Anderson always have the most interesting characters. First of all, Max Fischer came from a divorced family--a Wes Anderson trait. His dad is a barber which he was ashamed of at first. He tells everyone--particularly Miss Cross, the teacher's boyfriend--that his dad is neurosurgeon. As the story goes on, Max's character develops, he introduces his barber father to his friends. Second, Herman Blume is a typical man-child in Wes Anderson's story. He acts like a child when he couldn't deal with things. At his son's birthday party, he saw his wife flirting with another man, he jumps into the swimming pool when everyone's staring. When he is sending the message from Max to Miss Cross, he tries to hide from her at first, and runs away like a kid. The most childish one is when he and Max take revenge on each other--he ran over Max's bicycle with his car. Slow motion is also one of Wes Anderson's traits. Slow motion moments usually state an important turning point in the story. For example, in Rushmore, when everyone was applauding for Max's play, he turns his head and looks at the kid who punched him in the face. Max just proved himself in front of the people he wanted to impress--Miss Cross, the kid who punched him, Blume, the headmaster... When he starts the revenge on Blume by releasing bees into his hotel room... I'd say Rushmore included a lot of Wes Anderson himself. Max does a lot of things--he creates so many clubs. But one thing he consisted doing is writing and directing the play. Fun fact, Wes Anderson joined a playwriting club in college where he met Owen Wilson. They are the writers of Rushmore. When the kid in Max's play messed up one of his lines, Max went for him and yelled at him "Every line matters!" Wes Anderson is known for his detailed work in mise en scene. I bet that's the reason why Anderson dedicated years into his stop motion animations. I really liked this movie. I almost feel bad about how it will never become my favorite Wes Anderson's film since The Grand Budapest Hotel is my top 1 favorite of all time. All the characters are really likable and the development of the movie is really well organized. Rating: 8.7/10 Director: David Yates
This movie is about...I don't even know. I do not know how to summary this movie. I have no idea what has happened in this movie, so here's a summary on google: "In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans of raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world." Fun fact, I have never read any of the Harry Potter books or seen any of its movies (Don't attack). I watched Fantastic Beasts 1 without knowing that it was part of the Harry Potter world. And I was thoroughly impressed by the first one to be honest. Firstly I understand the movie perfectly. Secondly the magic world and the creatures in it fascinate me. So I had both of the two standards to watch the second one--understanding the plot even when I have no knowledge of Hogwarts or Voldemort, the creativity of all the creatures Newt encounters. I don't ask a lot from these types of movies. (I think this is also one of the reasons why I love Marvel Universe so much, every movie self-explains, you don't need to watch the whole series of Avengers to understand why Thanos killed half of the heroes.) Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald tragically fails both of my expectations. *Spoiler* The opening of the movie is a guy called Grindelwald escaped from the prison. I don't know who he is; why he was imprisoned; why the people who imprisoned him want to transfer him to another place; who that boy is, is he helping Grindelwald or not...... The flashing lightenings and the quick cuts were really confusing and uncomfortable. If I list all the questions I had during the film, this blog would be way too long. But here are some of my main problems with this movie. First, I think a short rewind to remind audiences who the minor characters are would help a lot since Fantastic Beasts 1 released 2 years ago, such as Nagini. If this movie is just a transition of what's gonna happen in the next movie, it should help audiences reinforce the characters and the plot. Second, there are several characters who seemed really important in this movie that I was unsure about their purposes: Newt's brother, Leta and her half brother. And some characters that I think are kind of important were not introduced and explained well, such as the old man who was the owner of the safe house in France. Third, the pace of the film didn't help at all. Even though this film supposed to be a transition to next movie that's coming out in 2020, the pace should still be considered within this single movie. It's a 2 hour long movie and I feel like it spends one and a half of hour to bring everything together. Eddie Redmayne is still cute. But other than that, disappointed... Rating: 55/100 11/12/2018 1 Comment family plot (1976)Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Family Plot talks about a psychic and her boyfriend went on a trip to find an old lady’s only legal heir, her nephew. But they encounter the serial kidnapper and murderer in California. He found out that they are trying to locate him and think them as dangers. Family Plot is Alfred Hitchcock’s last film. As the father of suspense, when you’ve seen his Vertigo, The Birds or Psycho, Family Plot is just another Hitchcock’s thriller movie. It is a well-made film however it suffers from the comparison to his previous films. Several scenes throughout the film where they were in the house were really tense and catchy. Although it lacks suspense and twists overall. It does have the right amount of comedy elements that keeps the audiences entertained. This film is an overall seven out of ten, but it definitely is one of Hitchcock’s important films in his later years of career. 11/11/2018 1 Comment jumanji: welcome to the Jungle (2017)Director: Jake Kasdan
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is about four high school kids got detention and were locked into a room to clean up as their punishment. They found an old-fashioned video game machine, and the game was called Jumanji. After all four of them selected their avatars, they were sucked into the game Jumanji. And in there, they were given a mission to put the jewel back to where it should be. During the mission, they realized they could actually die, or stuck in the game forever. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is the newer version of Jumanji (1995) which unfortunately I haven't watched. I didn't know what to expect from the movie but I guess it reached the expectation of being an adventurous, action movie, but nothing more. In other words, it is a very basic movie. The message, the relationship between characters and the development of the relationship, the challenges, even the jokes are all...really...BASIC. Also, again, I usually don't pay much attention to background music. But the music in this movie was confusing and noticeable, in a bad way. I don't know if they are trying to make them sound like in a video game or not. The special effects were not the best either, especially at the most important scene where Spencer reached the statue and put the jewel in, the background looks like they spent 5 cents on it. I was forced to watch this movie but I had fun with my friends. (When you are having a movie night with a bunch of underaged boys, the options were pretty limited.) It's a good choice to let your brain go blank and laugh stupidly for 2 hours. Rating: 55/100 11/5/2018 1 Comment in the mood for love (2000)Director: 王家卫/ Kar-Wai Wong
Not surprised, definitely a top five, it has everything i want in a movie ;) In the Mood for Love is about two married couples move and become neighbors. Zhen and Mo-Wan's both found out that their spouses are cheating on them with each other. They start talking and writing novels together since they both love the martial arts novels. But they promise they won't go on to the same path as their spouses. This movie is set in 1900s Hong Kong, and within three minutes, the movie sets the audiences into this crowded city--it doesn't give people much personal space. Wong used tons of close-up shots to show the short physical distance between each other. In the Mood for Love is a romantic movie. Every bit of it is about love, but there is no single kiss, barely touching between the woman and the man. I usually pay no attention to the music in the movie because they are so easy to be neglected, but the repeated music (a motif!) works so well in this movie to show their change in relationship. Every time they meet in the narrow staircase to the noodle restaurant, they exchange a brief greeting. Then they start writing novels together which makes them closer. And the last time the music starts, Mo-Wan's smoking at his work place and Zhen is looking at the neighbor's playing cards. Without saying anything, the audiences know they are thinking of each other because of the music. It's brilliant. The visual effects are just beyond words. The use of color is incredible as well, especially red. It is so unclear and ambiguous. Wong also uses a lot of framing, which creates the tone of vagueness. There are two scenes that confused me a bit at first. After Zhen and Mo-Wan told each other that they think their spouses are cheating on each other, they walked home together. First, the man grabs Zhen's hand and asks her not to go home. Then everything rewinds, Zhen flirted with Mo-Wan. But then I realized, none of these actually happened probably. Everything in the movie is implied. I love the ending scene so much. Mo-Wan whispers into the hole on the wall. No one knows what he said but every one knows what he said. Brilliant. Brilliant! This movie is shouting my name. I love this movie so much! Definitely will be my favorites. I will probably watch it again because there are some scenes that are kind of confusing. Rating: 9.2/10 10/29/2018 1 Comment amelie (2001)Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
This movie is about a young girl Amelie who works at a small coffee shop. She is shy but she tries to help people around her--she helps her dad, her neighbor, and the boy at the fruit shop. But then she met a guy and had a secret crush on him. So she decided to meet him in an unique way. Amelie is probably one of the most unique movie I've ever seen so I don't know how to feel about it. The storyline is kind of vague compare to any other classical films, since the movie is consisted of different parts of stories. I usually prefer an in-order storyline with a rather clear goal rather than jumping around in different stories. For me, I need a clear main plot and a quest. During the movie, I just wanted it to be focused on one thing, which would be Amelie met a mysterious guy at the train station collecting other people's photos. Other stories I didn't care that much, they just felt like they are in the way. Maybe it's just because I am not a romantic person. However I have to say Amelie is an easy and heartwarming movie to watch. One of the review says this is the movie equivalent of a hug. I couldn't agree more. It makes you smile. Although the parts of stories bother me, every single one of them is worthy to fall for. And I ask a lot for visual experiences. Amelie does have a beautiful framework. (Although the poster looks horrible, I didn't watch it for so long was because of the poster.) Rating: 7/10 |
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