FILM REVIEW: A Single Man

Directed by Tom Ford

Starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore

Synopsis here

Have you ever had the pleasant experience of sitting in a darkened theatre and a high fashion ad plays? And you wished that it would play a little while longer? Yes and yes? Then Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man might be your cup of tea.

The film opens with an underwater shot of a naked body swaying and moving artistically in the depths of the ocean (though I do believe he was meant to be drowning). One would expect the name of Dior or Gucci to appear slowly on the screen announcing a new line of fragrances. It doesn't. Instead we find ourselves in more fashion ads, every scene seemed like it was advertising a dress or a suit, but after being immersed in this world, you forget all about that and you focus on the story.

Call me superificial, but I found myself longing to live in this 'world' that Ford creates. Even for a little while, for a vacation maybe. There was no hair out of place, no shoe mismatched with a dress. Fashion policing is dead here. And everything is breathtaking

Colin Firth was sensational here, he took this film to another level. I was never a big fan of him, mainly because I couldn't get Mr Darcy out of my head, but this performance was heart-stopping. He made subtle changes to his face, eye movements that told a story, creating a performance that made the audience feel, what his character was feeling.

It's a film possessing both inner and outer beauty. The stunning visuals never distracted from the story or the emotional intensity of the film, they worked side by side together. It's a dramatic punch wearing cashmere Chanel gloves.

Some people criticise A Single Man for being TOO beautiful. That is not a valid point, nothing is ever too beautiful in my opinion. Ford brought something new to the table, he was able to show that you can have a film that is over polished and super pretty but still have the strength to carry the emotional weight of the narrative. I can't wait what he does next.

Photo from here

BITE-SIZED FILM REVIEWS: Zombieland

Plot summary here

This is the most fun I had in a movie theatre all year.

It's hilarity is beyond what I expected and is actually (quite) scary at times. Ok laugh.

This is probably the only time I will complain that a movie was too short. I didn't want the fun to end.

The actors have fantastic comedic timing and the characters, although not very three dimensional, are still interesting enough so that you care for them.

Everything about it worked so well, the set of rules that one character lays out in the beginning, and is constanly referred to thorughout the film, was an effective device and also provided some laughs. The cameo in the middle was the highlight of the whole movie and the the setting of the ending perfectly encapsulates what this film is all about, a tremendously enjoyable rollercoaster ride.

RATING: 9/10

FILM REVIEWS: The Cove and Bandslam

THE COVE
Directed by Louie Psihoyos

My favourite documentary from last year was Up The Yangtze, a poignant film detailing the lives of the many Chinese people affected by the rapid change of their homeland. It's a beautiful mix of modern and old China and it almost brought me to tears. Like Up The Yangtze, The Cove addressed one of the most significant issues facing the the world today. Not global warming, or terrorism but marine life, emphasising on the annual dolphin slaughter in the Japanese town of Taiji. A group of filmmakers and activists infiltrate the aforementioned town (who falsely claim themself as "dolphin-loving") to expose the shocking truth of the whaling industry, who kill thousands of dolphins and whales each year.

It sounds very bleak, and it is, but the real achievement of the filmmakers was how they weaved in a sprinkle of comic relief without detracting too much from the seriousness of the subject matter and as a result, gives us quite an entertaining film. It's also quite suspenseful at times and you forget that you're watching a documentary and not a thriller. It is still predominantly a sad film that deserves to be seen, with or without its entertainment value.

I became deply affected by the film, which is strange seeing as I'm not the biggest fan of dolphins out there (UPDATE: I am now). It pulls you in and takes you on a journey that you're glad you have seen, because now you can start the change.

I'm incredibly grateful to the filmmakers involved for shedding light into this significant issue and I hope that, like An Inconvenient Truth, this doco will find a larger audience and have a bigger impact on the whaling industry.

RATING: 10/10

BANDSLAM

Directed by Todd Graff

I was surprised by the amount of praise this movie received from critics. Now that I've seen it, I'm scratching my head, thinking that I viewed a completely different film from what the rest did. Honestly, I found it to be quite lame. Vanessa Hudgens was painfully annoying and I found myself rolling my eyes. So much so, that I began to get dizzy.

Although there were some funny moments, I just couldn't find myself relating to any of the characters or connecting to the film. It's like a middle-aged man's interpretation of what today's high schools are like and unfortunately get most of the elements wrong.

Overall it's still a pleasant film (I loved Lisa Kudrow), it would make an excellent rental.

RATING: 5/10

Movies that I Hate: Slumdog Millionaire

I've been looking through my past film reviews and found that all of them are positive, how boring.
Everyone loves to read a negative review, I know I do.
So I've put together a bunch of films that I truly despise and unleash the Anton Ego within.

Slumdog Millionaire

Contrived to the point of absurdity. Okay, I can live with the fact that every question in the gameshow was related to a significant event in his life, but to take it further and have the questions asked chronologically, in sync with how his story unfolds. Contrived, contrived, contrived!
And it stuck to this formula throughout the entire movie. It was so unbelievably predictable, it was almost painful.
In a couple years, people will question what possessed them to actually enjoy and highly praise this movie. I believed the film's success is a reflection of the current state of the world. Economic recession. Rags to riches story. BOOM. Feel good movie of the year.
The other problem I had with the film was the lack of chemistry between the two leads, Jamal and Latika. I'm referring to the older ones of course (I thought the young actors' performances were the closest I can get to authenticity). I hated them together. I was with them intially when they were still young but as they got older, I just got bored. I was actually hoping that they would not be together. The actors were so bad and why would a boy who grew up in the slums all of a sudden acquire perfect English language skills with an accent to match?

My other problem was that they such heavy subject matter to deal with that it grounded the film to harsh, cold reality. But then aspects of unreality and "fairy-taleness" were weaved into the film which then creates this annoying contradiction (suspend reality, go back to reality. Repeat).

I don't really loathe the movie, I just think it did not live up to the hype and I found that the recognition it received was not well deserved. It's a very flawed film.
I'm a very big supporter of small films that make it (and win) against the big dogs. I'm usually in full support of the underdog, but in this case, I just did not find myself enjoying the film or find it worthy of its accolades.

VERDICT: 3.5/10

The Girlfriend Experience

I haven't put too much attention to Soderbergh's work before but after hearing raves about him in the glorious podcast called Filmspotting, I've developed quite a keen interest on his films.

The Girlfriend Experience, one of his less mainstream films, is an honourable accomplishment despite the poor acting.

I love how he plays with the traditional linear narrative. He makes the audience jump from one conversation to another, from scenario to scenario and minute by minute we are able to understand more of what's it really like to be a call-girl, a sophisticated one at that. The cinematography, my favourite element of all films, is top notch. It captures the personality of high end New York with ease and it's such a splendid experience to be able to peregrinate through it's streets through Soderbergh's lens. This was a really interesting concept of taking the life of a sophisticated call-girl, whose clientele consists of rich, powerful and politically active men and seeing that story play out in the buildup to the 2008 presidential election during the economic crisis. Even though its badly acted, I still felt an odd sympathy for the main character because it is taken to such a personal level. It's shot almost like a fly-on-the-wall documentary and I find these characters, so interesting.

Poster link here

Bite-Sized Film Reviews // Fast and Furious and Junebug

Mindless entertainment. That's what this is. It does what it needs to do and it does it well. There are some days when I don't feel like thinking at all, I just want everything spoonfed to me and this film is one of the few that is perfect to entertain me for those days.

The opening scene, I have to say, is spectacular. If it had helicopters, I would have mistaken it for a Michael Bay movie.

Fans of the franchise will not be disappointed with the new installment, some may argue that it's the best (although my personal favourite has to be Tokyo Drift) that has come out so far.

The characters are quite flat and the script, dreadful. But those things don't really matter for movies like this, so it's forgiven.

Forgettable, yet enjoyable. If you've got nothing else to do and you're in the mood for a bit of adrenalin, then see this movie.

The film begins with a twenty-something second shot of trees. Just still trees on the screen. That's a small representation of the film's overall tone. Quiet, serene and still. It is not rushed, there is very little cuts and minimal music. The subjects are shot raw and are allowed to be absorbed by the lens. The atmosphere and feel of a small country town setting is faithfully translated on screen.

But what makes the movie great is mainly due to its characters. Especially the always joyful and very pregnant Ashley (Amy Adams) whose country girl persona is directly contrasted with her city raised sister-in-law Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) who come to visit from the city. Their interactions with one another are the finer moments of the film. Very funny yet endearing, you can't help but just fall in love with these two.

Ashley's character herself is very simple yet Adams and the writers do a superb job at adding layers to her personality, resulting in a beautiful portrayal of a multi-dimensional and complex character. It could have easily strayed into a caricature but fortunately that path is wisely avoided. Ashley is just so warm and welcoming to everyone around her which makes it more heartbreaking to watch what her character goes through in the end. A lovely country film with gentle warmth. Another indie gem.

It was like Sweet Home Alabama but with more depth and character.

Poster links here and here