bringing out the dead (1999). directed by martin scorsese.

i've watched this movie some time ago and recently felt like watching nicolas cage. i like his manic energy and desperation. the movie is like a documentary instead of a conventional film, determined to show the new york beyond the brownstones, 5th avenue and wall street. all through the eye of a tired medic who had not saved anyone in months, and beginning to blame himself for each death he has to handle. he is their witness, their departing angel. the hospital is a crazy place, doctors and nurses working over time treating the city's down and out selflessly the best they could even though sometimes there is no hope left. people keep on living, no matter how tired they are. some tried to reverse the destructive forces in their life, sometimes they win, sometimes they don't. life in new york is a battle everyday that needs a good fight to deserve a win. 

all the broken people of new york, you gotta be tough, because if you don't, you can't survive this city. the only good thing is, you have each other. 

shutter island (2010). directed by martin scorsese.

some people i just do not find watchable especially when they are bankable megastars and have a film out every year. it's them, again, and again, and again. boring is an understatement. unfortunately, for the talented leonardo dicaprio, is exactly that in my book. 

however shutter island is full of twists and turns worth the amount of frowning dicaprio was aiming for in the movie. i like the sombre mood, the gray colours, the perpetual rain, the word play. and i like the tortured dicaprio forever falling down for not ever wanting to let go. memory, is indeed, a hateful thing.

i am going to be up all night downloading mahler, for free. tonnes of them are available at 4shared.com. this movie introduces me to mahler's melancholic quartet in a minor. a sorrowful song to a sorrowful story of a man in war with no other but himself.

the departed (2006). directed by martin scorsese.

scorsese is losing it.if the departed wins at the golden globe, then the standards has definitely sunk.the departed is no way comparable to infernal affairs, be it the plot, story telling, even the cast.

i personally believed there's a casting mistake in scorsese's adaptation of the hong kong mole game to the boston landscape. di caprio was too high strung for an undercover, and damon was too 2D, devoid of personal conflicts. casting jack nicholson is too overpowering, because he obtained the lot of the screentime, swallowing the movie and overshadowing the two main characters (of di caprio and damon). which is not the point. the point of infernal affairs was the conflict of 2 men living their lives in a way none of them wants to be. worse, the feeling is like watching a cut and paste job. 70% of the scenes are directly adapted from infernal affairs. the two are so close, yet couldn't be more dissimilar. one can say scorsese made a different movie, but the departed failed to raised to the occasion of previous efforts by scorsese, such as the goodfellas and casino. i have also watched infernal affairs part 3. what i like abt the first and third part is that both movies respect us as the audience. both never tried to overly explained anything, they left it to us to figure out what's going on and this is vastly helped by the good acting displayed (of leung chi wai and lau tak wah). it is subtle, but you cant missed it if you pay attention. i find the departed dwelling on some scenes for far too long than it needs to be as if scorsese wants to be sure that we "get it".

ps: bravo, hong kong films can be a better watch than hollywood stuff sans the gadgets and effects.