moving to a new site.

i will continue (hopefully) to write about movies in a new blog. do visit https://scenesfromfilms.wordpress.com/ and let's keep the conversations going!

happy watching all!

in order of disappearance (2014). directed by hans petter moland.

last year i was on a frenzy to watch all things that i could lay my hands on stellan skarsgard. i have been a long time fan, and the interest was reignited when i watched river (2015) not netflix. of course, this also led to the discovery of hans petter moland, a norwegian director that has spark my passion for scandinavian movies.  

i am a fan of dark comedies. this is a story full of contrasts, the white snowy landscape where nothing moves which should not be mistaken for the dearth of life in the form of violent drug lords, clumsy small time crooks and a grieving father who just can't let go. 

do me a favour and skip liam neeson's frame by frame adaptation of this movie (title cold pursuit (2019)), and give this a watch instead. skipping hollywood once a in a while often feels like a breath of fresh air. 

velvet buzzsaw (2019). directed by dan gilroy.

i find this movie delicious. a lot of people on social media shared their distaste for it - that the film lacked structure, it's dull, that there is no climax - it seems like they don't like dark comedies. 

whether or not this film is well done, is another question altogether. 

to me, this film is rather straightforward. it is playful, like a lot of dark comedies, teasing us with the most unlikable people and in the most impossible situations. and in this case - the stuck up art community is put under the spotlight - gallery owners, art critiques, ambitious personal assistants who want to climb the ladder to fame and riches. these are not nice people, which makes us doubt if they like art at all. 

watch this if you are into dark comedies. 

glass (2019). directed by m. night shyamalan.

i think the movie could have been better. i love unbreakable (2000) which ranks among my favorite movies of all times. it's like a central story is missing, which makes the central characters less engaging. despite a repeat fine performance from james mcavoy, the message is not coming through. the fact that it needed to be spelled out to the audience at the end of the movie shows that the film could benefit from another round of thought process. with the current product, it feels like it rushed for production to sell tickets. 

i still think shyamalan could deliver a much more superior story than this.  

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.