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. 

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?