young adult (2011). directed by jason reitman.

this precautionary tale of self absorption is quite well made and charlize theron portrayed it very well. she's a disaster to herself, quite unaware of that, which is why everybody stays clear of her. the result is of course, humiliating. we hope we all grow up into adulthood for the reason we don't want this kind of baggage to go on. 

eddie the eagle (2016). directed by dexter fletcher.

the movie is alright, not bad but not that great either. the curse of being a feel good movie. however hugh jackman lend an air of charisma for an otherwise pretty flat movie. i am just being picky or the sports genre is probably not the easiest to excel. 

mike and dave need wedding dates (2016). directed by jake szymanski.

i watched this because i think anna kendrick is watchable. well she is, but i think she makes enough of this kind of movies. anyway, i find this movie dumb, and the characters are 12 years old in grown up bodies. or maybe i don't have a sense of humour. 

whiplash (2014). directed by damien chazelle.

i was actually blown when i saw this. damned, that story telling is tight and intense and it's about drumming! what if chazelle makes a film about really heavy subjects, like war or slavery? the last time i had this kind of vigour was when i watched 12 years a slave (2013). 

this is a must watch. 

exodus: gods and kings (2014). directed by ridley scott.

i actually saw this movie twice. standard fare from scott, which is totally fine, and both lead actors christian bale and joel edgerton are engaging. worth the watch. 

kingsman: the secret service (2014). directed by matthew vaughn.

fun, but violent, i wouldn't have cared until i also brought in my 2 young sons who obviously shouldn't be watching this. i enjoyed james bond spoofs rather than bond movies. self assuredness is over rated. at least this one doesn't take itself so seriously. 

out of the furnace (2013). directed by scott cooper.

seen this genre before, woody harrelson is sufficiently menacing, but i think christian bale is on auto pilot. and it's still good. so imagine when he's not. 

accidental love (2015). directed by david o. russell

irreverent, unfortunately not funny. unless everyone being so dorky is considered cute. 

a most violent year (2014). directed by j. c. chandor.

not exactly macbeth, except for the fact that jessica chastain is as menacing as the come. a slow burner, this one. 

the drop (2014). directed by michaël r. roskam.

you know why this film works? because tom hardy is going against type. all that energy and raw masculinity sublimed into this quiet man who doesn't want the troubles he had face in the past. he did the best he could, and we found out that it is not the past that he wants to run away from, but the man that he is. perhaps it was not a good thing, and there is no need for regret. 

mad max: fury road (2015). directed by george miller.

i recently watched this film again, and i must say it is one when the hero (?) says very little (does that still makes him the hero? maybe not). not a problem, but i like the engaging battle lead by charlize theron against a pack of wild, uncivilised men (why is that not hard to imagine?). sometimes i feel this is just the most graphic way of depicting patriarchy and its ensuing stupidity. 

infinitely polar bear (2014). directed by maya forbes.

speaking of mark ruffalo, this is nice family drama about dealing with mental illness, heartbreaking at times, and just plain challenging (or a nightmare?) when you have to be a parent at the same time. both ruffalo and zoe saldana shine in this film, a good weekend watch. 

begin again (2013). directed by john carney.

my sister hates this movie. she said it takes too long to tell the story when it can be done with an hour less. i actually liked it. i never know what does a music producer actually do, which i get to see in this film. i also like how the creative process of making music is depicted in this movie, so it was a pretty good watch. regardless of genre, watching mark ruffalo is always a joy. 

guardians of the galaxy (2014). directed by james gunn.

i don't usually like superhero movies because it often takes itself too seriously that there is no fun in it anymore. this movie proves that superhero movies can be fun, because it's supposed to be fun. i'm sure you guys have enjoyed this one too. 

blue is the warmest colour (2013). directed abdellatif kechiche.

and since then we've seen more lgbtqi themed films coming out, which is great. this is a story of teenage love and lost, the complexity of coming out as well as finding oneself, i guess this would resonate with teenagers today where being gay is not as frowned upon as it used to be. perhaps it is just me that i don't feel it is tortured enough (and why should it be?), at least not like brokeback mountain (2005). 

all about steve (2009). directed by phil traill

i watched this a while back (probably more than 3 years ago). light hearted mostly, and sandra bullock is good at making fun of herself (she's done this in a few other movies too). good for slow saturday nights, i guess? 

love & friendship (2016). directed by whit stillman.

she's manipulative, but oh so charming that men are too flattered to know that they are being conned. kate beckinsale played the part of lady susan to perfection, though it is disturbing to watch how easy she manipulates everybody to get to her aims, you can't help but root for her because no one in the film can be a serious challenger. smartly directed, this film doesn't waste time on scenes and dialogues that don't matter. 

enjoyable if you are up for the challenge to banter with a smart woman. just be prepared to lose. 

gigli (2003). directed by martin brest.

first review of 2017 and we have to start with this. ominous? i hope not. 

oh man, where to begin. i think the only thing i like about this movie is the scene when affleck got schooled by lopez on the virtues of vaginas. the rest, meh. i think the biggest problem about this movie is that it appears to be going nowhere. just lopez and affleck hanging out. which is not a problem if said hanging out is anywhere near interesting. 

i am not going to complain how cheesy (sentimental?) the movie is, because this is a trademark of martin brest. i loved it in scent of a woman (1992), but it doesn't work here.