Doubt

Certainty is relative.

Yet another play to the big screen, and it turns out to be a decent drama held together by a good cast. I say held together because if it were different actors, I'm not sure it would work. Meryl Streep is perfect in her role, as is Amy Adams and Hoffman is Hoffman. Not particularly exceptional, but it is a mature, thoughtful movie that I enjoyed.

Gomorra

No further comment.

The title is a play on Camorra, a certain Italian mafia organization that I have never heard about. It's a hyperlink story, you know, that kind made famous by Crash which in turn spawned so many other movies with similar styles, most of them quite good. All of them, somehow, seem to follow an implicit formula. If you've watched enough of these kind of shows, you'll be able to predict the story.

Gomorra lacks the punch that most of these hyperlink stories have - most of which comes from the climax and the denouement. Despite not having both of these elements, it still is a decent story. But boy, is it tiring to watch people getting capped, people talking, people getting capped ad nauseum. But kudos to the filmmakers for portraying the mafia in a perhaps more realistic way. This is no Godfather. The Dons live in run down apartments and and are unshaved and unkempt. This is the Italy that they don't show you in those tourist advertisements. Yes, Europe has its dark, murky underworld too.

Waltz With Bashir

Waltz With Bashir is not so much an "animated documentary" than it is a surreal work of art based on a true story. Narration and extraordinary visuals are interweaved in this recount of the 1982 Lebanon War in a way that live-action cannot. Ari Folman has at once crafted a psychedelic "LSD induced" tale that is also haunting in showing the way war affects an individual and how a human copes with horrible, horrible events.

Quick Reviews (14/01/09)

Frozen River (Impression: Not Quite There)

A decent entry in the "neo-realist" genre, but it's shortcomings are quite clear - it's not quite that entertaining, not really that interesting. And while it's portrayals of two desperate women are noteworthy, this is a story that didn't quite resonate with me the way The Visitor did (which was far more structured and plotted).

I've Loved You So Long (Impression: Sad, Character Study)

This movie is practically all about Kristin Scott Thomas' character, and she carries her role well as a just-released convict. But really, if you're not all that interested in her then this movie really doesn't have much to offer now, does it? Interesting at time; dull at others.

Quick Reviews (10/01/09)

Appaloosa (Impression: By The Book)

A somewhat safe effort by Ed Harris that translates into an okay (so-so, middling, etc.) western tale that's not worth watching unless you're a fan of the genre. Don't expect lots of gunfights; do expect lots of talking.

City of Ember (Impression: Fun)

A decently filmed adventure that is, in my opinion, too short. It's 90 minute runtime means that the story goes from beginning to climax too quickly. For the children that may be a good thing, but as for me I wouldn't mind sitting through more exposition just to enjoy the sights, story and Saoirse Ronan the actors.

Featured Band: Yndi Halda

Instrumental/Post-rock band. Extremely accessible, catharsis inducing. Have released their 1 hour long EP, Enjoy Eternal Bliss with four tracks. Favourite would be "Illuminate My Heart, My Darling".

Wikipedia Page

Band Page

Tell No One

Not much running, actually.

Fulsome praise has been lavished upon this thriller, and watching it I wonder why. Maybe it's something called "backlash", or perhaps my expectations were too high. Either way, I came away underwhelmed. Not really any edge of the seat moments (although I do admit that one sequence was particularly tense). Just a whodunnit that winds up only to loosen up right after, with a storyline that occasionally lost me. I'm the guy who likes mystery from the beginning right to the end with oh, lots of chases and twists and turns. This film has them, but in the most minimal amounts, with the rest being devoted to "characters" and lengthy expositions. But that's just me.

Defiance

Who needs Schindler when we have James Bond and Sabertooth to protect the Jews?

In theory the stars seemed to be aligned for Defiance. We have Edward Zwick, the guy behind The Last Samurai and Blood Diamond along with Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber. The setting is woods of Belarussia where two brothers take on the duty of protecting a bunch of Jews. Cue the emotions, gunfights and beautiful scenery. Heck, they even have Joshua Bell to do the violin solos! What can possibly go wrong?

Well, nothing is quite wrong with Defiance, yet it somehow does not seem quite right. It dares not leap out of the invisible boundary set by oh, Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan. Yes, the longstanding tradition of shellshock continues here too. A typical war movie, one might think.

But although it may be somewhat typical, it is by no means bad. We have outstanding performances, wonderful cinematography and pleasant music. All these make a good movie, but not necessarily a great one. Defiance is not great and comparing it to Zwick's last two films, it seems somewhat weaker. Still, with its impeccable production values, it stands tall as a war movie and is also one of 2008's outstanding films. Do watch it, do expect to feel those same things when you watched Schindler's List. But do wonder why they chose to tell a remarkable true story in an unremarkable way.

Happy-Go-Lucky

Smile.

Sally Hawkins pulls off a remarkable performance of being a motor-mouthed unrealistically optimistic woman who in the end somehow still manages to offend people. It's a comedy, and a funny one at that, but you will have to identify with its brand of humour. I managed to get it most of the time and came away laughing, but there were some bizarre, random scenes that just puzzled me. More good than bad I would say, and certainly one of the standout comedies of the year.

Notes For 2009

Yes, it's a new year and I unfortunately haven't done most of the stuff I posted about earlier. Sigh. That's me. I've decided to forgo resolutions after I realized that I tend to achieve my goals as long as I do not set any. Some of you may find yourself in this situation too, hehe.

So here's the plan for the next month or so:

• Top 10 Movies of 2008 - which will be in the end a top 20 or something, because there's no one good movie that stands out and so provides a benchmark (hence why I won't rank any movies these year) for me. I'll try to narrow it down.

• Features and essays will come up soon. Yup, expect write-ups on movies, bands, books etc. When I have the time, that is. Expect film and literary criticism, albeit in a much more subtle style, since it turns me off whenever someone attempts to deconstruct Transformers to find a hidden agenda.
  

That's it, for now.

Happy 2009!

Shotgun Stories

A drama/thriller set in rural Arkansas. Yes, usually the domain of boring indie films. But writer-director Jeff Nichols does a wonderful job of utilizing the minimalist, almost uninteresting setting as a canvas for a spartan yet solid story.

Very little takes place. There is not much "action" per se. Dialogue takes precedence as the story drifts from simple to intense moments. What makes this film all the more remarkable is that it relies on almost no tried and tested gimmicks - no quick cuts, pounding music or bankable stars. But it works beautifully. The result is a tale of revenge where the resolution is not found in violent closure or forgiveness, but weariness.