In Short, Please
posted on 22 Nov 2009 13:03 by eakearly in Films
Despite many mysteries unsolved, the emotional consequences in the audiences' mind after the end are very creepy and sad. Creepy thinking about who could the children be in the world history in the next decades (from the time in the film). Sadly thinking about what made they become like that, which Michael Haneke (made me understand that he) told it all in this film - THE WHITE RIBBON (2009). Almost a horror movie to me, and yes, without any single ghost!
DREAM (2008, Kim Ki-Duk) is still surreal as always, yet beautiful art direction. Joe Odagiri's self-torturing trying not to sleep is VERY Kim Ki-Duk (if you know what I mean :P). Too much conversations and too less violences based on his standard :P
P.S. How can Odagiri speaks Japanese among all the others speak Korean and they all understand each other smoothly like speaking the same language??!! Maybe this is the most surreal thing in this film. :D
VINYAN (2008, Fabrice Du Welz) is so damn creepy! Cinematography, light, sound, score, story, acting invaded the audiences mercilessly. Emmanuelle Beart did kill everyone on the screen! The film also reminds me a lot about Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola).
The scenes I like:
1. When Beart took rice from the children and ate.
2. When the children attacked Rufus Seawell.
What I don't like:
1. The way the film unhumanitized the children.
2. Petch Osathanugrah was mis-casted, to me.
MUNDANE HISTORY (เจ้านกกระจอก, 2009, Anocha Suwichakornpong) has moved me from the inside. Apart from its braveness, every element is at the right level - not too much, not too little - yet powerful. I hope it’s not too exaggerated to say that surely it will be another milestone in Thai film history.
It reminds me of “Son Frere” by Patrice Chereau in terms of conflict between male characters espcially in the same family, which one of them is sick. But that might be the only similarity of the two because all other elements are different. To compare these two might not be comparing apple to apple, and although Son Frere is very good, but Mundane History looks more real and sharper by all means.
It's hard to tell whether HOME (2008, Ursula Meier) is predictable (in terms of French film) or unpredictable (in terms of what will happen next). A family of five lives nearby a highway which has not yet opened after built for a long time and is about to open. As more and more of the cars come and go, they also drive this family crazy. Watching this family sinking insanely little by little is undeniably enjoyable :P Not many chances to see Isabelle Huppert on a big screen, and this is my one of the few.
5 stars to "THE BOX" (2009, Richard Kelly). I could hardly breathe during the scene that Diaz and Marsden called out for their son who was locked in the bathroom, so intense. Also love the score and library scene.
In terms of Woodstock Music Festival, this film talks about it in a humble way. In terms of coming-of-age drama kind of film, it has a satisfiable taste. And 5 stars to Imelda Staunton! (TAKING WOODSTOCK, 2009, directed by Ang Lee)
A guitarist secretly fell in love with the frontman. After the frontman died by overdosing, the guitarist kept on sinking himself into sex and drug. Until he fell in love again with a self-destructive girl. How can the two lost souls get back to life again? Or never will be? - This film has very interesting plot but it's too "dry" to me. (I DREAMT UNDER THE WATER, 2008, directed by Hormoz)