peacock (2010). directed by micheal lander.

there are not a lot of good movies out there. there are good actors, men and women alike - but that doesn't necessarily translate into good movies. things that got screened to the cinema are big budget flicks with sexy women, pretty boys and lots of explosives - the more destructive it is, the better.

i missed watching quiet movies that do not aim to make a statement about anything. it is just a story about someone or something - it doesn't want to judge or save, it just wants to share - this is life out there.

and that's what i thought about peacock (2010). my sister said it was disturbing - despite it not being a horror movie. it was about a town's recluse - john skillpa and the discovery of a woman in his house. he is constantly afraid of people and it only made it worse when a train accidentally smashed into his backyard. the town people who had long been curious about him and his old house can not hide their enthusiasm for his life - it emerged that there is a woman living with him and they seemed not aware about each other's life.

watching this movie reminds me of the powerful story telling a good plot can bring. like the build up of pressure you feel when you watched the king (2005) and no country for old man (2007). cillian murphy played john skillpa which deserves accolade - the thing he does reminds me of the amount it takes for movies like the machinist (2004) and dead ringers (1988) possible to make - and that's what good actors produce - sheer acting brilliance.

it's a story about private madness - and it is out there, in flesh and blood.

alice in wonderland (2010). directed by tim burton.

managed to catch alice in wonderland (2010), i am not impressed. well i don't please easy especially when the story is all fun fare but no substance. where is the tim burton, the visionary, who made edward scissorhands (1990)?

nothing will change this - no story, then no amount of computer graphics can make up for the fact that there is no story to tell in the first place.

ps: i loved lewis carroll's alice in wonderland and through a looking glass. the books are so clever and full of tricks - where is all that in the movie?

kissing jessica stein (2001). directed by charles herman-wurmfeld.

Josh: You know Stein, why don't you cut yourself a break. It's obviously not the time to be meeting someone anyway.
Jessica: [sarcastically] Really? What? Not the season?
Josh: No. It's just because you're clearly not open to it.
Jessica: [laughs] Excuse me? I'm sorry. How would you know?
Josh: Well, I do have a little history to draw from. But even if I didn't, you've known Charles here for about an hour and in that time you've dismissed a panoply of men based on factors as reductive as a linguistic misstep, a different view from yours on going dutch, a kind reaction to your legendary lateness, and a genuine interest in yoga. You know, I think it was Anais Nin who said, "We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are."
[chuckles]
Josh: Generally I'm not much of a Nin fan, but I do feel that bit sums you up to a "T", Stein. So I don't think the problem's with these poor men, these freaks and morons, as you put it. I think the problem is with you.

i am pedantic too. i do not like people who can not spell or put words together properly. i know it is childish to screen people like that - but it is such a turn off to see bad spelling. there is a person that i know - when he sms-ed - he wrote "jew" instead of "je" or wrote "wak" instead of "awak". forgive me god, but i am forever like this and it is not asking too much for someone who can spell - i know it has no bearing on happiness either.

solaris (2002). directed by steven soderbergh.

Chris Kelvin: What does Solaris want from us?

Gibarian: Why do you think it has to want something? This is why you have to leave. If you keep thinking there's a solution, you'll die here.

Chris Kelvin: I can't leave her. I'll figure it out.

Gibarian: Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? There are no answers, only choices.

i love you, beth cooper (2009). directed by chris columbus.

two words, not impressive.

what else, too predictable?

i don't find it cute, say like Juno (2007)

miss this one, i would say.

the only good thing is this

Beth Cooper: Thank you... for loving me.

Denis Cooverman: What's not to love? You remember that.

yes, when someone says i love you to you, it is a compliment. you ought to be flattered. so it is only appropriate to say thank you to them, eventhough you don't feel the same. there is honour in that.

no country for old men (2007). directed by ethan and joel coen.

Ed Tom Bell: [talking to Ellis] I always figured when I got older, God would sorta come into my life somehow. And he didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I would have the same opinion of me that he does.
Ellis: Whatcha got ain't nothin' new. This country's hard on people, you can't stop what's coming, it ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity.

javier bardem had never looked so scary. we are always under the impression that back then when we were younger those were the best times when people are good and everything else is nice. though not so, actually. what happened in the past will happen again in the future. the wheel never stops turning. the only thing you can count on is despite the apparent predictability of it all, life is anything but predictable.

check out No Country For Old Men (2007)

rocknrolla (2008). directed by guy ritchie.

every country needs at least one quentin tarantino. and the brits have one in the form of madonna's ex, guy ritchie. ritchie's RocknRolla (2008) is irreverent and what could go wrong will go wrong. it's a crazy underworld full of drug dealers, small time crooks with gay best friends, russians like roman abrahamovic, bored accountants married to gay men, old school gangsters and junkies.

and it's funny like there's no end to it.

state of play (2009). directed by kevin macdonald.

i love dramas. State of Play (2009) doesn't disappoint at all. five words to take away, investigative reporting can not die. as mentioned by save the media

It’s invaluable to journalists to know where to get information and have strong source relationships, but there is a limit that should not be crossed. However, the movie showed journalists’ contribution to society by exposing wrong. We need to keep doing that.

sherlock holmes (2009). directed by guy ritchie.

roger ebert isn't usually kind towards remakes. he surprisingly is in Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Sherlock Holmes!. i guess he's right when he said "The less I thought about Sherlock Holmes, the more I liked 'Sherlock Holmes'".

it's been some time since i encounter the word dastard, which was aptly used by ebert in the article and frequently employed by arthur conan doyle which means a despicable coward. brings back fond memories of sherlock holmes, indeed.