Drive 極速罪駕

My Rating: 3.5/5
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I didn’t know this movie’s director Nicolas Winding Refn was awarded ‘Best Director’ in 2011 Cannes Film Festival previously……nevertheless, I saw/heard lot of talks/hypes on this movie recently especially in the indie scene……so, having lot of expectation to watch this movie last Saturday with my girlfriend in the nice and very-comfortable IFC Broadway cinema…….but the outcome is a bit disappointing!!!

Honestly, the movie is fine enough…....with not bad direction, photography, acting, etc….but I don’t think it’s a great movie and going to be classic like some hypes suggested……..one more thing I want to point out from this movie is you can’t try to be directing a movie cool and acting a role cool in the cool way that all-we-have-seen-before, it's pretentious and will never be a great/classic movie ……a cool great movie we have been seeing in our life time is those with uncommonly characteristic story, direction, acting, etc. and they should be originals!!!……..this movie’s cult and violence scenes remind me David Lynch, and those overly slow motion of conversation, romance and motion of the starring actors, Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan also remind me of those 60s/70s movies…….a bit kitsch overall speaking for me!! (though I heard it’s a tribute movie to 60s avant-garde film maker Alejandro Jodorowsky)

     

Pina

My Rating: 4/5

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I’m not really a fan of modern dance though I also admire the beauty it turns out.......nevertheless, I do know the name of the legendary German choreographer, Pina Bausch, for her redefinition of modern dance with delicate touches and expression to the human life that you and me also possess……… and also watched once of their performance….

In addition to Wim Wenders, it makes sense we need to see this movie or you can say documentary to pay tribute to Pina Bausch……it’s also rare to see 3D art film and the effect is very good indeed……the documentary is mainly filmed with interviews with dancers worked for Pina Bausch and telling their feeling to work with Pina........weaving together with the absolutely stunning photography of dance performance cut under the Wim Wenders’ unique movie language & atmosphere (a bit reminding me the vibe of Wings of Desire, Faraway, So Close, etc…)………it’s a impressive documentary in simplicity, beauty and faith to truly reflect the works and philosophy of Pina even you are not a dance or Pina’s fan……..    

     

Midnight in Paris

My Rating: 4/5

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I always have expectation from Woody Allen even at his such old ages………Midnight in Paris didn’t make me disappointed…....the movie talks about a Hollywood screenwriter travels with his fiancée to Paris and has funny and strange time-traveling adventure back to 20s of Paris at every midnight meeting famous authors like Hemingway, etc and surrealists like Dali, etc…….As a trilogy with the ones in Barcelona and London as well as this one in Paris, Woody Allen seems coming back to his creative peak under such fresh European background……..a special movie full of strange idea, clever fun, middle-class irony, intellectual nostalgia that we are longing for!!!      

The Tree of Life 生命樹

My Rating: 3.8/5
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According to Wikipedia, some movie’s background information is as…..”The Tree of Life is a 2011 American drama written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. Malick's film chronicles the origins and meaning of life by way of a middle-aged man's childhood memories of his family living in 1950s Texas, while also featuring themes and imagery of space and the birth of life on Earth. (The film's unorthodox style reflects the nature of memory.) After decades in development and missed 2009 and 2010 release dates, the film premiered in competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or. The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews for its technical and artistic merits, but there were also polarizing reactions in response to Malick's directorial style and, in particular, the film's fragmented and non-linear narrative.”

I think The Tree of Life is the most talked art film recently (at least in Hong Kong) and the comments are also very extreme. Some also compare it to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey……I also had such expectation going to see this movie and my feeling is the movie is simply not really up to that grade…. The Tree of Life in fact is a good movie, but not really a great/classic one as 2001: A Space Odyssey……I also think the movie is a bit hollow in details as the movie did only speak for its main theme largely by the visual effect and music score rather than the story itself which the story is in fact quite a flat and boring 50/60s American family grow-up story (also a bit in hollywood way that miss a bit artistic way of independent film’s expression)..….those abstract theatre drama play is also quite pretentious and make me feel something force audiences to get into the main theme of the movie……I feel the Director is very eager to express loads of his idea, thinking and philosophy in Life, but I think I prefer a wonderful story of a movie speaks for its main theme in a subtle way rather than such forceful expression……

Submarine 愛情潛水

My Rating: 3.7/5
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Submarine is a comedy film about a love and family story of a 15 years old secondary school kid, Oliver Tate, with two objectives - to lose his virginity before his next birthday and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.

This is a debut film directed by Richard Ayoade and you can feel the movie is full of british sense of humor in an old fashioned england seaside town with 80s/90s background (like they still play tapes for music, etc) but filmed and edited in a very contemporary sense….though not a ground breaking classic movie, but is a very good independent movie that make you feel good in a sunday afternoon……

Incendies 母親的告白

(My Rating: 4.2/5)

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Without too much knowledge and expectation to see this movie as my girlfriend bought me the ticket……since the first shot seeing number of middle-east orphan war child’s hair shaving shot backed with saddened Radiohead’s “You and Whose Army?"…….I know I meet a movie with something special……it’s a master piece of works in nowadays movie standard especially for those who love independent culture (or Radiohead?!) with concerns and thinking on humanity, war-child, war, peace, religions, love/hate of middle-east in our universe….. although the end of movie seems a bit overly dramatic becoming anti-climax (preventing the movie becoming a real 5 start movie), it is still a sad but highly stunning movie you should not miss…..

Incendies is a 2010 Quebec film written and directed by Denis Villeneuve. This epic story is talking about a mother's last wishes send her twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love and discovers the story of the woman who brought them into the world, discovering a tragic fate forever marked by war and hatred as well as the courage of an exceptional woman.

The King's Speech

(My Rating: 3.8/5)

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The King's Speech is a 2010 British historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper and written by David Seidler. Colin Firth plays King George VI, who, to overcome his stutter, is introduced to Lionel Logue, an unorthodox Australian speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush. The two men become friends as they work together, and after his brother abdicates, the new king relies on Logue to help him make a radio broadcast at the beginning of World War II according to Wikipedia.

An Oscar’s big winner movie….To be fair, it’s a good (but not excellent) movie with very good production, photography and actor/actress acting performance. So, it’s understandable for Colin Firth to win the Best Actor award (though I think it’s not his best and his play in “Single Man” is even better). For Best Director, well, it’s ok though not too convincing for me….but I really have hesitation for this movie to win Best Picture award as the whole movie is quite flat and single line that is not quite memorable, convincing and moving as the type of award-winning movie we all can recall….maybe it’s world war II historical epic nature helps a lot!!!

Somewhere 迷失某地

(My Rating: 4/5)

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I like Sofia Coppola’s previous movies, but I didn’t have too much expectation on this one before heading to Broadway Cinematheque to see it as I have just heard too many negative comments about this movie in last couple of weeks….too boring, too slow, too much elongated scenes, seeing audiences’ early leave, bababa…….

  

‘Somewhere’ is a new drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola. The story talks about the emptiness of life on Johnny Marco, a famous actor played by Stephen Dorff, who has long stay in the Chateau Marmont, a well-known Hollywood retreat with only money, fame, professional success, sensuality and his relationship as well as happy days with his lovely daughter.

After the movie moving on and on, I think I get to the same mood with Sofia Coppola and really like this movie…..yes, the script honestly is a down side with single layer uninteresting story line (to most common people like me except those celebrities under the same situation of emptiness)…..but in terms of directing technique (of course for those her familiar art film genre only), cinematic language and aesthetic sense, she seemingly become a masterful level now that is even better than ‘Lost in Translation’. Those minimal touches in long shot and silence of many scenes provide a most stunning contrast on how the empty/hollow life he’s been on his own and how the humanly-warm meaningful life when he’s been with his lovely daughter……so it’s good reflection when audiences feeling bored when they watch the boring life Johnny is living in, but they should stay, feel and immerse in the mood of director’s sophisticated heart rather than early leave of the cinema…..’Somewhere’ confirms Sofia Coppola to be a director of different class capable to be legendary!!!

The Kids Are All Right 非單親關係

(My Rating: 3.5.5) 

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50-50 want to watch this movie previously after seeing some positive and negative critic reviews and at last watched this one on the Chinese new year eve at Broadway Cinematheque due to plenty of seats available in that festive night….

‘The Kids Are All Right’ is quite a good comedy with a very new and interesting story about a lesbian family with their almost-adult kids looking for their unknown father who donates his sperm for their mothers many years ago…..you can still feel that Hollywood styled production that you might not feel cool, but you can imagine such relationship will be interesting and funny……in fact, the movie is turned out to be warm, intimate, funny and meaningful and also provides room for audiences to think about such lesbian or gay family situation in the postmodern world we are living in!! A good movie worthy to watch!!!……one thing worth to mention is that Annette Bening安妮貝寧 has had a magnificant performance in this movie as you can see she put a lot of effort to play well the role of a lesbian with ‘father-character’ that is just so impressive!!

  

The film was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, and Annette Bening was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film also got Nominated for 4 Academy Awards, including a Nomination for Best Picture, at the 83rd Academy Awards.

Norwegian Wood 挪威的森林

(Rating: 3.7/5)
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It’s always hard to make a great movie from a great novel like the sort of classical novel - Norwegian Woods….Vietnamese director, Ahn Hung Tran 陳英雄, is taking this huge challenge this time and the result is fortunately not bad though not a great one!! With the art house abstract & stream of consciousness意識流 approach (sometime plays quite like a theater drama during their dialogue), cool music score from Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead with few Can classic Krautrock songs and stylish & moody photography from Lee Ping Bin 李屏賓, you can imagine the movie is going to be eye catching. Nevertheless, I just think the director just made the movie too heavy and self-contained within a thematic boundary resulting the missing of that most valuable and explosive youthful restlessness 躁動 (that we all longing for) in love and sex curiosity in the no-regret twenty-something's age!!

I have bought the soundtrack CD also as the music score is very cool indeed!!

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The American

(Rating: 3.8/5)

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Ocean Eleven's overly commercial George Clooney is just too dominated over my impression to him, so i am not really interested in this movie initially......decide to watch the movie as some critics rate the movie high and knowing the mighty Anton Corbijn as director.....it's a simple killer's love story with single line development to see how a killer decides to quit his profession for a love affair with a prostitute with a sad tragic ending.....in fact nothing special in term of story itself, but Anton Corbijn made the difference with his exceptional beautiful and stylish photography (reminds me his MV works for Depeche Mode , U2, etc) shot in Italy and the moody art house approach......not an excellent movie, but of course worthy to watch.......

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger

(Rating: 3.5/5)

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If you are not Woody Allen's fan, you will not like this movie as it shows very dull pale old-styled London with old-fashioned middle class scent and some familiar seen-before story lines. Nevertheless, with his daydream-like delusion of love and youth chasing and unique sense of humor, it's still full of fun and style of his own.....might not be amongst his best, but still worth to watch!! 

The Social Network

(Rating: 3.8/5)
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Facebook might be a cool stuff, but facebook's founders' biography movie might not be...at least for me is a boring stuff..... after seeing some good reviews and knowing it's David Fincher's film, so decide to take a day off (to clear annual leaves) and go to IFC boardway (for the very good sofa) to see it....... seems David Fincher is in form again since Fight Club after directing those uncharacteristic movies especially Panic Room which was really a disaster....Fight Club is one of best movies in my life and David Fincher just can blend such unique comtemporary cool touches into this movie which is basically a boring story.... to make this movie is very good to watch and stylish.....nevertheless, the movie always talks about the facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to protect the positive image of facebook, but in result the movie itself is making people feeling bad to facebook's founding story...... just like the final statement in the final shot, the beautiful lawyer said "You are not an asshole. You are just trying so hard to be"

A Single Man

 

as a rather mainstream movie, it's more kinky異色 than I expect.......art direction, custom & photography are really good (as expected!?), and the directing is also not bad.........a surprise package for a surprise debut of tom ford.....

(Archive 22 March 2010)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

 

what a surprise for such a fascinating movie......make this boring holidays full of optimistic and wisful thinking as well as lively colorfulness....

(Archive 9 February 2008)

吳清源

it's quite a while not having watched such a bad art film........i expected boring art, but did not expect such emptiness and artificial pretension.........seems田壯壯 is following the same path of those chinese directors of same generation like 陳凱歌, 張藝謀 for big-budget but hollow directing style.......

i also found 舒琪 comments this film as “殆無疑問，縱使《吳清源》到最後仍不免是部失敗作，它也是一部光芒四射的失敗作”.......i always have oppose point of view with 舒琪......

(Archive 12 June 2007)

A Few Days in September

watched this 911 related movie today with my teenage dream lover Juliette Binoche…..disappointed!!!

(Archive 9 April 2007)

Stranger Than Fiction (HKIFF)

 

i'm not really a frequent goer for film festival, normally just take handful of movies to watch every year for the stupid feeling of being-involved and normally not really satisfied every year........so, reluctantly bringing my tired body to see this movie last Friday and sitting at the very top of maintain of the theartre seeing the screen like my computer's monitor and expecting another night of BEING-INVOLVED.........the result was quite fascinating, something like Being John Malkovich with really excellent script and good sense of humor!!! surprised, surprised!!

(Archive 2 April 2007)

Babel

 

have you watched the movie yet?? it's been quite a while not having watched movie with such wonderful directing & editing efforts as well as sophisticated global visions in humanity, morality, culture......i will rate this mexican director is new king of this generation together with his previous two already-excellent movies for his delicate vision, modern directing technique and contemporary thinking with both third-world & developed nations' perspective......i just can't stop thinking the movie and its messages these two days......and buying the soundtrack also of course!!! the last long shot is very astonishing indeed (the modern tower of lost-love from god, isolation, stupidity or arrogant maybe).......reminds me also the last unforgettable shot of Fight Club........

(Archive 15 January 2007)