Review LXXIV - 28 Days Later...

Review LXXIV
28 Days Later... (2002)

I completely missed out on Halloween, guys. I promised my friend I'd help him tackle his feminist course and ended up waking up ten minutes before I had to leave (five hours of sleep is over-powered). The rest of the day consisted of running around doing errands (and cracking jokes about politicians with my friend) before heading to my class which was from 18:00 until 22:00. I got home, completely exhausted, and watched Moon (probably won't review it, so in a nutshell, I guessed the plot early on, but it's still an interesting watch)... And went to bed at three in the morning. Yep, I missed out. Thus, I spent the early afternoon listening to Dave Brubeck Quartet, Foster the People, and Karkwa as I studied, and then proceeded to watch Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later... starring the ever wonderful Cillian Murphy and the great Naomie Harris, as well as Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, and Christopher Eccleston.

The film opens with three activists rescuing what they think are innocent primates being experimented on. However, upon opening up a cage - much to the protests of a scientist who says they are infected with "rage" (no, not the French word for rabies) - the primate lunges at one of the activists... Jim (Murphy) wakes up in a hospital in the UK, completely deserted. He quickly finds out what happened when he's attacked by a priest and several church-attendees who are no longer human. He's rescued by two individuals, Mark (Noah Huntley) and Selena (Harris), who inform that a virus spread through contact with blood and saliva has infected all of Britain and potentially the world. Now it is up to these last people standing to survive in a zombie-infected country.

As you know - or don't know - I love zombie films. Horror movies rarely cut it for me (since they're all so lame usually), but I really love the analogy zombies present and the gore that is associated with it. This film, while it doesn't have gore really, is a great take on the zombie series. The zombies in this film are not slow-walking, brain-eating moaners, but, instead, run as a normal person could, throw up blood to infect individuals, and enjoy feasting on the human body as whole. Yum, yum. Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland decided to make the virus just propel the "rage" in individuals to an extreme, which is why they can run and all. They also decided to change the brain-eating bit, I think it was because they thought it was old-fashioned, but I could be wrong. Either way, I thought it was a cool idea. The zombies in this film aren't representing the sheep-driven, zombie-like mob human beings can be, but instead, exaggerate the anger and rage and animalistic nature they possess. Neat, eh? I think the metaphor is befitting, and the film handles it well. It also works well in showing how Jim develops as a character as well, but I'll let you watch the film to get that idea, hehe.

The characters were great. Jim, well, is great. I liked him with his ethics (and lack of) and beautiful eyes... I mean, character disposition. Cillian Murphy, you did a great job! Maybe you were a bit... emotionless at times, but I don't know, I ate up your character. But you know who I want to talk about? Selena. Oh, yes. She's not just there as a love interest, but instead, an interesting, well-developed, fierce, and strong woman lead who isn't afraid to fight fire with fire. Guys, I find it so rare for me to have a female character I legitimately like. Usually they're just there and don't do all that much, but Selena is grand. Her backup story is that she was forced to kill her parents in order to save her brother, only to find he was infected. This helps explain her rage (ah? See? Comparison to the zombies again), but her rage is not so extreme that I turned her down. No, she was human. Her rage and emotional intelligence and sadness show that she is a three-dimensional character. Oh, I loved her. Thank you, Naomie Harries. Please, I just wish there existed more characters like her in horror films, and not just woman-screaming as they run from a slasher. And guess what? This film provides me with another great female character! Hannah (Megan Burns) is also an adolescent who is strong and cunning. She doesn't get as much screentime as Selena, but she's still a great character. Again, a character I really enjoyed. I also like how the director plays on these strong-willed female characters in the mansion, but I don't wish to ruin anything, so I'll be quiet.

At first, I can't say I was really into the whole way the film was shot. When Jim is walking about, the camera shots seemed off to me (that zoom-in into the wall was really meh, I found), but it played out well in the end. I realise they were going for a more realistic feel, and I became more accepting of it as the film went on. I guess I'm just too used to smooth-cut films. The quality of the film also isn't the best (at least the one I watched), but apparently this should be expected. In the end, I can say I liked how it went about and how it was shot. Really authentic, guys.

Sigh, I really enjoyed this film. I'm sorry I didn't watch it earlier. While I wouldn't agree with the cover of the film as being super scary, it was interesting and well-done. It wasn't cheesy and the gore was limited, but I still really enjoyed it. It might not be Halloween anymore, and even be All Saints' Day, but check this film out. It's a really grand zombie film. Happy (belated) Halloween everyone!

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Review LXXIII - Encounters at the End of the World

Review LXXIII
Encounters at the End of the World (2007)

I got the chance to go to the Yukon, Canada this summer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. I tanned very well given the sun is up for, oh, twenty hours per day, and it was very well, so if you're scared of going because of the cold, go in the summer - you'll be fine. That being said, I still adore the cold. My winters consist of snow, snow, and more snow, and I'd go to the Yukon in the wintertime in a heartbeat. I suppose that's why I took an interest to Werner Herzog's documentary Encounters at the End of the World. It involves a place not many people would ever imagine visiting, nor feel the inclination to go. Meanwhile, I'll be booking a one-way ticket, hehe.

Werner Harzog and Peter Zeitlinger, an Austrian cinematographer, hed to Antarctica in order to find out what is going on one of the most desolate places on the Earth. Along the way, they meet some pretty well-accomplished and interesting individuals, as well as capture extraordinary shots on film.

I went into this film biased, but I'd still like to think my opinion of it holds up. It's a... random documentary. It lacks a certain focus, I suppose you can say, given that it focuses on many different aspects, ranging from culture to neutrinos (love those guys!). However, right off the bat, you're warned that this film will get odd, as you start with Werner Harzog asking why a monkey doesn't just get atop a horse and ride off into the sunset. But I mean, this film is tackling the idea of Antarctica and what is going on there. I mean, while it is desolate, McMurdo Station - a research centre on the continent - houses many particular individuals who each have a story to tell. So, in the end, we're forced to hear many different stories. And I was totally fine with this. I thought it peeked my interest in many different fields of study, and, since I am in my pursuit of education, I really took a great interest in seeing where my education and career could one day take me. It was also kind of settling seeing all these different types of people coming together and studying something that, in the end, is to further understand the Earth and the creatures inhabiting it. As they say in Chinese, we're all 在天下, which literally translates to under the sky. Still, as a human species, we forget that we're connected in some way very often... Alright, I'll stop before I go all philosophical and naive in this post.

The cinematography was grand, as expected. I made sure to download a high-quality of the film, and I did not regret it. The underwater shots were great, and even the way the other scenes were shot were great. I liked the movie-within-a-movie when we get to watch Them on screen. Brilliant, just brilliant.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Again, it's pretty all over the place, but I nonetheless stand by it. It makes you feel almost despondent at the end and not happy-go-lucky, but documentaries are made to make you think, I suppose. Either way, if you're looking for something a bit different, quirky, but still pretty good, check it out.

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Review LXXII - Jagten

Review LXXII
Jagten (2012)

Ahhh, Mads Mikkelsen, you seem to follow me. Or, rather, I really enjoy your films, so if I'm looking for a good film, I'll look to your name. One of those films - which is also Denmark's entry for the Best Foreign Film at this year's Oscars - is Jagten, or The Hunt, as it is known to us English-speaking folks. It is directed by Thomas Vinterberg (who also directed Festen - that film was brutal) and stars, besides Mikkelsen himself, Thomas Bo Larsen and Alexandra Rapaport.

Lucas (Mikkelsen), a divorcé, lives in a small Danish community and works at a kindergarten, where he is very popular with the children. He enjoys hunting with his many friends, including Theo (Larsen), one of his childhood friends. He tries to convince his ex-wife to allow their son to live with him, and his efforts prove fruitful when his son agrees. He also becomes successful relationship-wise when a co-worker, Nadja (Rapaport), takes an interest to him. Lucas' life seems to have finally improved, but a small lie will prove to have a huge impact on his future.

I really, really enjoyed this film, and it wasn't just Mad Mikkelsen. I made sure not to ruin the film for myself, avoiding even finding out what the lie was, but if you've seen Festen, you can already guess Vinterberg will not shy away from the brutal details. Plus every trailer tells you, but I refuse to write it here! The film was original - I have yet to have seen a film that deals with such subject matter in this way. Off the bat, this was great. I'm sure there are other films that are very similar, but this is just from my experience. Even so, even if it's been done before, I doubt it's done this way often. Originality is not necessarily a bonus, but, in this case, it definitely was.

I'll dive straight into the acting. Guys, it was great. I have my bias toward Mikkelsen, but really, I thought this was probably his best acting job I've seen so far. His acting throughout the whole film was completely believable. I hope he continues to make films that test his acting as well as this one did because he can handle it fantastically. Rapaport was great - she spoke English, yay - but her screentime was limited, so I can't go ahead and bow down to it. Nonetheless, when she was there, it was good. Larsen was also great. I really bought into his character, and I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. Annika Wedderkopp was also very good in her role. I always feel better when you have a child who can act well in a film. She definitely did a great job.

I don't have that much else to say on the film, so I'll cut the review short. Honestly, I thought it was well done. I'm hoping it makes it as a nomination for Best Foreign film. I haven't seen the other entries, so I can't be sure, but I'm assuming it'll make it. Definitely check it out if you're looking to watch an interesting film! It's not a happy film, but it's very well done.

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Review LXXI - Gravity

Review LXXI
Gravity (2013)

It takes a lot to get me to go to the movies, especially as of late. Sure, school may be one excuse, but it's primarily because the films that are released on a weekly basis all look awful. When I saw the trailer for Bad Grandpa before seeing The World's End, I nearly walked out of the theatre. Instead, I should have taken it as foreshadowing for the film I was about to watch... But seriously, I'll enjoy a little piece of Hollywood extra-sweet fudge every once in a while. I did enjoy The Last Stand after all, and Con Air (directed by the same guy who directed the Rick Astley "Never Gonna Give You Up" video, Simon West) is one of my top films. Nonetheless, it's hard for me to actually pay to watch these films in theatres, and I'm still nitpicky as schnitzel when it comes to watching these bad films. When I heard that Alfonso Cuarón had directed Gravity, and I heard out-standing reviews for the film, I decided it was time to visit the theatre once again.

Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are on their final spacewalk for their mission in fixing the Hubble Space Telescope (which will soon enough be replaced by the James Webb Space Telescope! The new telescope will focus on taking in infrared rays with a primary mirror being five times larger than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. The reason, by the way, that these telescopes are set in orbit is because the atmosphere does not allow for all types of electromagnetic waves to enter it. Thank you, Astrophysics! I knew you'd come in handy one day!). However, Mission Control warns that Kessler syndrome (chain reaction of destruction) is playing into effect after debris from a Russian missile have hit an old satellite. The Hubble Space Telescope is hit, and Stone is sent hurtling into space. Kowalski manages to get her back, but it comes to their realisation that they are the lone survivors. They desperately try to communicate with the ground crew in hopes they can hear them, however, they are soon faced with a difficult path in order to try and survive.

I'd just like to thank humankind for leaving junk, not only on the ground, but in space, as well. Earth may one day have rings, but they'll be made of garbage, not destroyed planets/moons because of the Roche limit. ... Now that that is out of the way, I'll just go ahead and compliment the film on its long shots, as expected from Alfonso Cuarón (who directed Children of Men, which I reviewed!). Of course, these long shots were filled with absolutely stunning cinematography. The view of the Earth was outstanding. It's kind of crazy when you think how far we've come in cinema - and space travel. But I digress... The cinematography was great, and I bought into it. My friend really enjoyed how the crew paid attention to detail on the space suits (I don't question his statement), as well. I'm also studying Chinese, so I was excited to recognise the characters for electricity (电) and power (力)! But seriously, it was well-filmed. Aesthetically, this film got it DOWN.

The acting was also great, but this was expected. My friend really enjoyed George Clooney's acting (or, maybe, it was really just his character), and I really enjoyed Sandra Bullock's. But, then again, this is expected. Sandra Bullock is a phenomenal actress, and George Clooney, well, he's good. He plays the manly character well - I'll give him that.

If you're looking to see a good film in theatres, take your chances on this one - it'll be showing up at the Oscars, I'm sure, and it's well done. You won't be wasting your money! I didn't see it in 3D, but it was made for it. If you can't sit through 3D films, don't worry, it's just as grand without the 3D effects.

Review LXX - Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Review LXX
Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

My friend worked as a sous-chef for a sushi place at one point, and I learned how to make sushi from him. While we'd make completely debacled sushi where we'd mix the most outrageous ingredients together, turning out delicious, but not exactly kosher, sushi, I have the general connaissance to make sushi on my own now. That is, until I saw David Gelb's documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Jiro Ono has been making sushi since his late childhood. He is now eighty-five years old, and his restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, is sometimes called the best sushi restaurant in the whole world. He continues to work at improving his sushi-making methods to this day, and he hopes to one day pass on his legacy to his eldest son, Yoshikazu.

This is going to be a short review, partly because I'm just about to sit down and finish watching Microcosmos (les insectes sont trop mignons, hehe), and partly because there really isn't much to say about this one. While this film is a documentary, it specialises in getting the most beautiful shots. This includes the mouth-watering sushi, but also quite wonderful shots of the city, live stock, the trainees, everything. The content is interesting, but the reason you watch this film is for the absolutely stunning shots. If you're looking for an easy-going film about one man's passion, along with some superb shots, check out Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

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Review LXIX - The World's End

Review LXIX
The World's End (2013)

I remember when I first plopped down on my couch to watch Hot Fuzz. My British friend had mentioned it in passing in one of our conversations, so, of course, I checked it out. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it started an Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost following. I proceeded to watch Shaun of the Dead and Spaced. I checked out Scott Pilgrim vs. The World once I heard Edgar Wright was attached to the project. I watched Paul because Simon Pegg and Nick Frost wrote and starred in the film. I was not short in extending myself to watching the work that starred these guys. While I didn't like Paul in the least, I was impressed with everything else. Thus when I saw that The World's End was coming out, the last film in the Three Flavours Cornetto triology, I made a date with a friend to watch it.

Gary King (Pegg) was the king back in 1990. Him and his friends - Peter Page (Eddie Marsan, Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine, and Andy Knightley (Frost) - attempted the Golden Mile, a pub crawl consisting of twelve bars. A minimum of a pint of beer per bar was part of the challenge, but, sadly, the group never made it to the end - that is, The World's End, the last bar. While Peter, Ollie, Steven, and Andy have moved on with their lives, Gary continues to dwell on the Golden Mile. He manages to convince everyone to regroup to finish unfinished business, but the Golden Mile turns out to be even more difficult than the gang recalls.

When the film was over, my friend and I remained oddly silent. That is, until I told him I hadn't particularly liked it. Subsequently, we scratched our heads trying to figure out what we hadn't liked about the film. We were mostly left speechless, only saying that it didn't seem on par with the other two films. Now that I've had many days to sit down and think about the film, I think maybe I can explain myself a bit more clearly.

I think the biggest issue I had with the film was the rush feel I got from it. I'd have to watch Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz again, but somehow, the development of the characters didn't seem as rushed as in this film. This makes sense given that we were mostly building on two characters in those films. The World's End takes on five. Two of the characters - Oliver and Peter - aren't built on as much, but I still take them as main characters given that they get an opening bit at the beginning of the film. The third - Steven - gets a bit more attention given that a love interest is established for him, Oliver's sister, Sam (Rosamund Pike), but still, I felt that whole love interest part rushed, and otherwise, he felt underplayed. Andy, well, he was established a bit more, but again, I didn't feel super connected with him. The only thing I had going for him was the "incident" between him and Gary that has left him a teetotaler (which he quickly ABANDONS *sighs*) and extremely bitter, but the way the situation is eventually "solves" seemed so farfetched to me that I quickly shut it down. And, finally, Gary the king. I'm sure Simon Pegg had great fun acting out this guy - oh, man, I know I would have loved it. Plus Simon Pegg sported those clothes absolutely brilliantly. But, again, I felt this lack of a motive for wanting to complete the pub crawl. I mean, sure, he's an alcoholic, but I would have preferred a deeper meaning to this guy. I would have enjoyed seeing how the last twenty years have been so devoid of everything, but instead, it was just, "I'm an alcoholic, and I want to complete this pub crawl."

The plot itself also seemed rushed, or, at least, random. We went from a regular drama to a science fiction film pretty quickly, but, then again, this seems en style with the other films. You know what, I'm willing to accept all the random bits thrown at us, even though I thought it didn't fit together well, but the deus ex machina ending of "screw this shit" just bothered me to no end. I don't want to spoil it, but seriously, it seemed idiotic. I get the whole premise of the film is going for a "body snatchers" idea, and the body snatchers represent the rejection of globalisation and this static lack-of-a-move in small towns, but then why the ending? Why choose an ending like that? It felt like the film was trying to address the significance of human existence, and it felt completely messy. This rushedness made me not appreciate the humour as much as I could have. And even then, I felt the jokes to be not as sophisticated as in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Some were, definitely, but others seemed not as much. Still, I'm not going to beat on it in that respect because the jokes were not incredibly stupid. I'm also not sure if maybe I didn't find them as funny because I was bothered with the plot overall. Still, though, if I couldn't appreciate the jokes, then what was the point?

I'd really like to watch the film again now that I understand what I disliked because I'm sitting on a rating of seven stars. I mean, really, the film was not that bad, but it was mediocre, in my opinion, and I expected so much more from Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost. Either I've gotten properly posh, or I was not in the right frame of mind when I watched it. Still, the soundtrack was fantastic. Thank you for that, at least!

Review LXVIII - Chasing Amy

Review LXVIII
Chasing Amy (1997)

While discussing the films Clerks II (which I totally reviewed already) and Dogma with my boyfriend, he asked me if I had ever seen Chasing Amy from the same director, Kevin Smith. I had not, so I quickly got to seeing that one given that he enjoyed refusing to tell me the explicit sexual dialogue in the film. Curiousity persists, my friends!

The film opens with Banky Edwards (Jason Lee) raging at a man at a comic convention who has declaired him a measly "tracer", instead of the inker/embellisher he is for the comic "Bluntman and Chronic". We then meet Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck, the artist of the comic, who is more relaxed and easy-going than his best friend and partner. While talking to fellow comic book artist, Hooper X (Dwight Ewell), Holden and Banky meet the lovely Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), who is also a comic book artist (getting redundant, isn't it?). Holden quickly falls for her and believes she is as well until he discovers she is a lesbian.

The sexual dialogue in this one is frequent, but man, it is completely accurate. I have argued the "do lesbians actually have sex?" argument with people before. I've also discussed other sexual topics brought up in the film. For that reason alone, I was able to relate. But that is something Kevin Smith really seems to hit on the head - his dialogue usually flows in a direction that either you have experienced or in a way that seems very real. Chasing Amy is no exception. I swear, if you're, minimum, in your teens, I'm sure you'll relate to the dialogue, even if you believe in sexual abstinence.

While the film has impeccable dialogue, the characters are not necessarily the most memorable. Jason Lee is pretty snazzy with that beard so I find it hard to forget him, but his character is not super developed. He's involved in interesting dialogue, but I didn't find him that present in the film. He's established as part of the duo, but when the whole mess with Alyssa comes up, he comes in maybe twice. The viewer is left to imagine that he is upset during the whole ordeal instead of actually being shown it. Not to mention that when we do see him, he doesn't seem that angry with everything. Holden was a "meh" character, in my opinion. He was a typical middle-middle guy who gets the girls. Otherwise, I can't really say much about him. Hooper X suffers the same thing as Banky. He's there, but not super there. I find he was more present than Banky and more developed, but he was still under-developed. Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob make an appearance, as usual, but you know how they always are. Alyssa is developed. I liked her character a lot. She's headstrong and interesting, instead of being vapid like so many female characters can be in movies. Yay for one developed character! Nonetheless, I was not disappointed with the film. Kevin Smith has always been about his dialogues. If he nails the dialogue, you'll enjoy yourself, even if the characters talking don't feel developed. In this case, he got the dialogue down, in my opinion. As a result, I really enjoyed myself.

I'd give the film seven point nine stars on ten. I really enjoyed it - especially the ending - but the lack of development in most of the characters was a bit bothersome. Definitely worth watching, though, if you like Kevin Smith's films. And if you don't, well, I'd still say go for it because how can you deny yourself dialogue like this?

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