Change Your Image
dannylee-78082
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Fleabag (2016)
Comedy for Broken People
This was an amazing tv show. I loved every single character, their quirks and flaws, with obviously Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Fleabag. Her comedic performance was amazing but she also showed a wide breath of emotions given that she is essentially someone who is grieving. I craved for more after finishing two seasons but I think it ended appropriately. The plot with the priest worked very well in S2 and they showed great chemistry. I loved the deadpan British, in-your-face type humor and I certainly laughed many times. It's really difficult to mix comedy with drama in appropriate ratio and I think Fleabag did it perfectly.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
Lisan Al-Gaib
This movie was way better than I hoped it would be. It was an amazing watch and I absolutely loved watching it on the big screen. I appreciated the characterization and his growth more in Part 2. I also think some random moments of comedy worked pretty well. There were moments of shared laughs in the theater. While part 1 did feel like a setup movie, part 2 certainly felt like an improvement on the first one. The world-building became better. We got to know more about the Fremens and their culture. The conflicts were interesting and high-stakes. Some scenes were definitely visually and sonically overwhelming in a good way (e.g. Worm-riding scene). The scale was so much larger and I almost want to say this movie was the definition of epic. When was the last time we got so much attention on a sci-fi series? I respect Dennis so much for pulling this off and I certainly fell in love with the franchise.
Stalker (1979)
Dreams and Hopes
This was my first Tarkovsky movie but I have to say I was not very impressed by it, sadly. I really wanted to like it given that it's considered a masterpiece. It's always disappointing when you can't vibe with a masterpiece. I think it was somewhat provocative but my modern brain just can't handle a 2+ hour movie with just dialogues. It was also hard to engage given it was entirely in Russian. Some parts were actually quite exciting, existential and mysterious. I barely remember the philosophical discussions we had but perhaps I will be able to dig the movie after a rewatch many years down the road. For now, a tough watch...
Poor Things (2023)
Beautiful Bella Baxter
Unfortunately, I am a little behind on reviews so I am writing this a month later since I watched it. In short words, I loved it very much at the time of viewing. I was very excited to watch this movie given Lanthimos' reputation. It swept Oscar's, which pleasantly surprised my expectations. I gave it a rare 5 for the movies that I watch because of many reasons. As well deserved, Emma stone portrayed Bella Baxter quite fantastically. Her transformation as Bella Baxter and her journey as her throughout the movie was something to admire for. I loved the whimsical yet subtle soundtrack. The camera work was "weird" to best describe but very appropriate. Set design was beautiful and the overall texture of the movie as well. It was realistic enough that it felt tangible but some parts it almost looked AI-generated. They all were oscar-worthy and was able to take some home, rightfully so. But most importantly, the story was fun. It was a very well-written journey. Bella Baxter was a protagonist that we could root for very easily and relate to. I've seen some criticism about how it was male fantasy of pedophilia but I feel that it's very reductionist view of the movie. There is nothing wrong with enjoying sexual experiences and using that as a way to discover yourself. It was not in favor of the men that was depicted in the movies as well.
Overall, one of my favorite movies of the year and I am very glad it received all the recognition it deserved. Apparently, another Lanthimos movie with Emma Stone is coming up so I am excited for that!
The Godfather (1972)
An Offer
Finally got to this epic classic! It's always hard to review a classic and the only value I can bring to this world is that it's a personal review. I was a little apprehensive in the beginning that I may be disappointed in the movie as I was slightly with "Goodfellas", given its legendary status. For some reason, "The Godfather" felt "better" than the "Goodfellas" and I will making some comparisons between them . It might be the charismatic performances of Brando and Pacino. Perhaps I enjoy a more dramatic, heavier type of movie. Some mysterious factor made me appreciate this movie more than Scorsese's classic. I also think that the overall storyline is more memorable, perhaps because it's simpler.
The mob family in this movie feels more dignified in a way that it's not done so in the "Goodfellas". Very few characters were hateable in this movie while many were in "Goodfellas". I have to say Brando's performance is definitely on another level somehow in this film. His screen presence is insane and even though he's not technically the focus of the movie (Michael is), he certainly feels like he deserves the main position of the poster. Though he's a mob boss, Vito doesn't seem in a sense "immoral" and almost feels like he's an upstanding, influential citizen. He refused the narcotics proposal partially due to the concern for his community as well. He embodied the parts of the mafia that people may look up to and I certainly felt that too.
Michael's character was also interesting. I think I was initially surprised at his descent into dark side as he goes from an innocent student to ordering murders heads of the family in peacetime. I don't believe we got a good look at Pacino's innermost thoughts but on the surface, he did lose his wife in a car bomb terror and his brother so his thirst for revenge only made sense and so does his succession. The ending scene juxtaposing his hits and the baptism of his child definitely hit home the climax and was extremely memorable.
The movie itself felt very well shot, with excellent use of lighting and composition. There was just that grittiness to the scenes that is hard to match. The score was also beautiful and used masterfully. Overall, I fully understand why this movie is set as the genre standard and have inspired so many other following movies. Onto Part 2!
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
Alana and Michael
Donald never fails. I had somewhat of average expectations going into this series because of the low iMDB scores, but I was so glad to be proven otherwise. This TV show remake of "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" movie (2005, never watched, probably will not watch for a long time), but from what I gather, it's nothing similar to the movie. The charming two leads, by DG himself and Maya Erskine seem quite perfect for the roles. The main part about this series that I loved was that it was first and foremost about the relationship. The action or any sort of spy-related business that was their work is mostly for the backdrop. The core of the series was always focused on the relationship. Seeing how their relationship evolves over time makes this show captivating. So any comments that lamented the lack of action (which I think there's still an adequate amount) compared to the movie can proudly label themselves as misunderstanding the series. The relationship issues that were presented in the series felt raw and real and very much felt like a dynamic that may actually exist. The ending was also beautiful as they finally reveal themselves to each other. They've loved under their masks but they were ready once again to be further vulnerable to each other. The ambiguous ending was also perfect for this show, while I secretly hope there may be a season 2. The overall comedic tone and subtlety were definitely up my alley and I loved it. The music by David Fleming also felt very fitting and modern. It's hard to find things to criticize about this show. Loved it and was certainly the best watch in recent months.
American Fiction (2023)
Like Johnny Walker
Disclaimer: I watched this while I was high so take this review with a grain of salt.
Decided to watch this movie primarily because it was nominated for Oscars and also because the premise sounded interesting. And I loved it overall. I thought it was such a coincidence that TWO Oscar-nominated movies were both set around Boston area. "American Fiction" starts off by breaking the typical black stereotype by showing how the Ellisons are pretty affluent as a doctor family. They have a beach house and a maid of their own. Stuff that you may not commonly see in other black families and more commonly in white counterparts. This setting makes sense as we can see why Monk might be tired of seeing only portrayal of black trauma being sold as African American studies. The dialogue between Sintara and Monk towards the end of the movie is telling. It's important to write about voiceless people but also not to perpetuate the stereotype. Can a true story be harmful? I understand Monk's frustrations and also Sintara's motivations. The dialogue about "unrealized potential" was interesting because it does indicate that what's in front of you is not good enough. It's a double-edged sword just like the black literature that was described in this movie. I think it's important to understand that any media portrayal of people's lives are never fully comprehensive (for the most part) and should be taken as one slice of the larger picture. But at the same time, if there are too many of the same media, one might mistake it as absolute truth.
Outside of that, I loved the ending. I thought it was hilarious and I had no idea it was going to end like that. The overall satire and comedy of this movie has struck a chord with me (might be because I was high) and it will stay with me for a while. I've read some complaints about the movie where it's not a good adaptation of the novel it was supposed to be based on and its simplicity. I think I'm not cultured enough yet to see through all those layers but for now, I am going to be happy that it was a very funny, insightful movie that happened to be nominated for Oscars.
Roman Holiday (1953)
How to Say Goodbye
What a fun classic to watch! Some classics definitely prove why they are considered classics and happy to say that was the case for "Roman Holiday". Both the casts were perfect in their roles and had great chemistry. Audrey Hepburn managed to make me fall in love with her even after her passing. She was the incarnation of a modern-day princess. Beyond that, I think the idea of a one-day holiday away from all your responsibilities is such an intoxicating idea (as I write this on my fake sick day because I didn't feel like going into work) and the movie captures that perfectly. I've never been to Rome but it certainly feels like a great city to visit at some point. The ending scenes towards the movie was amazing. It didn't turn into cliché rom-com where they fall in love and live happily ever after. Both characters display a level of maturity as they acknowledge the great time they had and the friendship they've built over the excursion. But they also know how to let go and return to their lives. Bradley's hesitance to leave the press conference shows how much he longs for her to some extent, similar with the car scene. He waits for a miracle but is disappointed, but he knows it's wise not to. They are never meant to be (primarily due to their status difference) but that's never explicitly mentioned. Their one-day freedom from responsibilities are childlike but they maintain their adult-likeness when it's time to say goodbye. In my opinion, they've mastered how to say goodbye and that was my favorite part of the movie. A clean ending to the short-lived but memorable romance. It's surprising that a movie in the 50s was able to pull of this kind of subtlety (and I'm sure there's many more to discover for my uneducated self!)
Hotaru no haka (1988)
Koreans hate this movie
Watching this movie was interesting. It was a lot less "violent" than what I expected it to be but it turned out to be a pretty sad wartime story. I want to point out the interesting discrepancy between the receptions of the Western audience vs Asian audience, particularly Korean audience. Korean audience perceives this movie as Japan victimizing itself when it shouldn't because it's cause atrocities during the war. Western audience sees this as just a beautiful wartime drama. I have the previllege to be able to understand both sides and I'd like to think it's somewhere in between them.
I actually think the movie is less about Japan trying to victimize itself but it's actually self-parodying itself. There is a pretty convincing argument that Seita is supposed to represent Japan and Setsuko, the Japanese citizens. That explains the seemingly irrational decisions made by Seita throughout the movie, starting with him moving out of the aunt's house. It was purely out of pride although the aunt did give them a hard time. But this was during wartime and her comments are all somewhat reasonable given the constraints they had to live under. He refused to go back, eventually costing his sister's life (who is adorable) and refuses to go back even after Setsuko was gone. These arrogant and prideful decisions are supposed to represent Japan's inability to change its course until a certain demise came to them. I like this interpretation and it makes more sense so I've decided to reject the popular interpretation of how this movie is victimizing Japan. It feels more self-aware and self-corrective than that.
Outside of what the movie meant, I think it was beautifully animated and definitely one of Ghibli's highlights. Its emotional depth was portrayed very well and it's a moving piece of work. With each war-related movies I watch, there's a certain focus. This movie focused on the civilian life, revolving around the siblings. However, it isn't a survival story as it shows how the sibling died off not only due to the wartime circumstance but also foolish decisions. That is why I think this movie should be reevaluated by Asian audiences but I don't want to put it on a pedestal just yet, as a Korean myself.
Fargo (1996)
Woodchipper
"Fargo" is my first Coen Brothers movie I've watched since I started reviewing and it was so FUN. I was familiar with Fargo as I've watched several seasons of the TV show. I love absurdist comedy mixed with crime, which is what the show was really all about. I could see where all the brilliance came from while watching this movie. It's hard to pinpoint what it really is about Fargo that makes it so entertaining. It might be the well-written characters or just the absurd screenplay, but it has a very distinct style that keeps you glued to the screen. The contrast between Marge's general optimistic "Minnesota Nice" attitude and the normalcy of her life with the heinous triple murder exists throughout the movie is probably the most interesting thing about this movie. It's less about the crime but the reaction to the crime the movie is focusing on. It doesn't want the audience to gasp at the cruelty of the crimes being committed (murder, kidnapping your wife for extortion). It doesn't feel tragic at the end of it all even though it should given the gravity of the crimes. The whole "bad" part of the movie almost feels dreamlike and Marge just treats like it another day as she retreats back into her docile husband's arms.
At the very least, this movie made me want to rewatch and finish Fargo TV show once and for all. Season 1 definitely is very much similar to this and I loved it. Will also plan to watch more Coen brothers' movies. They are surprisingly up my alley.
Kaibutsu (2023)
Pig Brain
What another excellent movie from Kore-eda! And he always casts the most good-looking boys ever (not to sound weird). "Monster" is a movie that makes you want to rewatch it because of all the possible hints left that may have suggested different realities experienced by different characters. Its 3-part structure is a clear homage to the great Kurosawa's "Rashomon" and I think it does it really well without being tacky. It's also a beautiful and really gripping story overall. Until the 3rd act, I thought that Yori was the bully that doesn't look like a bully at all. Until it fully explained what really was going on between them, I couldn't really tell the true story. Perhaps it's me being dense but the screenplay seemed very effective at concealing the truth until the end.
It was also nice to watch how the theme of shame and reputation in the community was portrayed throughout the movie. Shame is a powerful emotion in a lot of the Asian cultures, including mine, where it almost holds the group together. Minato's mom holds a certain level of shame as a single mom. Hori's girlfriend who works as a hostess becomes a subject of town gossip. The principal is struggling with her guilt and shame (although I am not quite sure how the husband could possibly go to jail FOR her). And Minato and Yori's homosexual relationship becomes the whole core of the movie as it is something that needs to be hidden and "cured". The movie touches on this aspect excellently and it almost feels as if Kore-eda's movies are evolving outside of the tested and trusted formula of touching family drama, although this movie does contain those aspects. This film along with *Shoplifters* made me want to further explore his work.
RIP Ryuichi Sakamoto. The score was very nice and gorgeous.
The Zone of Interest (2023)
The Wall of Despair
What an experience! I have to preface by saying that my theatre experienced was slightly ruined by the fact that there was weird club music playing in a nearby theatre or some establishment throughout the movie. I haven't been having good theatre experiences recently which makes me greatly disappointed. Despite the challenges, Glazer's "The Zone of Interest" got through to me. It was a very interesting choice to only portray the sufferings of Auschwitz prisoners with sound (which again was impacted by the noise in the theatre) and very minimal visual cue such as the smoke. The negative film scene was interesting which I learned late that it was shot with military-grade thermal camera. It achieved the otherworldly look, portraying a local Polish girl tryign to help out the prisoners, although it looked it sounded it backfired on the prisoners.
The movie gave an overall feeling of uneasiness as you can see how the Höss family is very well aware of the absolute low human beings but completely dissociated from it. They are not oblivious as they *choose* to ignore it. Even the children are aware of it, as we can see some of the boys imitating the gas chamber. We don't see them doing mental gymnastics trying to accept the logic of evil as they seem well past that. Instead, we can see how Hedwig (played by the wonderful Sandra Hüller) almost attached to the place as she was able to achieve her suburban dream. This juxtaposition works very well because it neither glorifies the SS officers but doesn't necessarily portray them as "evil". On the surface, they just look like normal family, although I was confused at what the portrayal of their marriage was supposed to mean because it seemed that they were quite distant. I also appreciated its subtlety in depicting the horror, such as the servant boy washing off the blood off his boots. It remains subtle throughout the movie except for few occasions where it's quite direct (the red screen).
This movie makes you think on many levels and it's hard to think of a Holocaust movie that flips on the narratives of myriads of the genre. There is a well known principle in the genre of horror where if you show the monster, it becomes less scary. "The Zone of Interest" adopts this principle into Auschwitz expertly and definitely deserves its Oscar nom.
Hai shang hua (1998)
Aunties
I really wish I liked this movie because it's one of the major works of well regarded Tawainese director Hou Hsiao-hsien. But for me, I think I was less than stimulated by the overall film. I think I am fine with the extreme long takes (only 40 shots in the 2 hour film!) but there just wasn't anything interesting about the overall dialogues. I could hardly see the emotional expression of the characters which made me feel removed from the movie. Most of the relevant drama happened off-screen which made most of the movie a little dull. A large part about the movie was just men playing drinking game, which wasn't particularly interesting at all. The music was mostly the same throughout, which is what I think was also bothering me. I appreciated the overall atmosphere of the movie and I have to say the overall set design felt like it was a great period film. The relationships portrayed in the film were interesting as the girl seemed like a bit of higher status than the prostitutes that we picture in our head, as they are forming real relationships with their patrons. I really wish I had more good things about to say about this film but as of now, I am running out. I think my brain is a little too modern and scattered to fully appreciate films like this, unfortunately.
The Holdovers (2023)
Entre Nous
I went into Holdovers with lots of expectations given that it won a Oscar nom. I think it was good but it certainly didn't blow my mind. I think Paul Giamatti, and Dominic Sessa were both great in their roles and it's especially more surprising to learn that this was Sessa's debut role. It was an overall very wholesome Christmas movie and I am sure it will become one of the Christmas classics that people would like to go back to. I also appreciated the New England sentiment given that I was able to recognize many of the Boston locations. It's not often that you get to recognize places you've been to in film.
The film is able to portray how people with some sort of trauma becomes unlikely friends overtime. How they slowly opened up to each other was very endearing as the writing was done well as the characters felt rich and interesting at the same time. I do think it was a bit of cliché with a level of predictability. It also highlights how bad 70's mental healthcare was. I don't know how this movie could have turned out to be better and I don't have too much to criticize. It does always beg me a question of how I can rate movies more objectively.
Death Note: Desu nôto (2006)
Between Light and Evil
It was a rewarding experience to rewatch this classic. However, "Death Note" follows the classic tragedy of many shows where it falls flat towards the ending. To be frank, it starts going downhill after L's death. The two characters brought in to "replace" L could not reach the level of his character. I understand that the manga is slightly different in terms of character building and pace but I think it became harder to watch in part 2 of this anime. The plot became pretty complex even before L's death but at certain point I just couldn't keep track of all the death notes with different ownership and such.
But outside of its shortfall towards the end, I felt it was excellent. It's such a good premise and throws interesting questions about justice and morality. Light is probably one of the best characters ever written. He's a great example of a villain that is easy to get attached to because his purpose seems somewhat just on the outside. He's extremely charismatic to the point of a cult leader and his only downfall would be hubris. He also makes a real impact in the world dropping crime rate down. Whether this is effective or not is debatable, but it still balances out the reasons why someone would hate him or love him. His game of wit with L was truly masterful writing and I enjoyed it very much.
I also loved its dark atmosphere and music. The soundtrack is actually so amazing that I do listen to it on a regular basis. It maintained a consistent quality to the anime itself and we always appreciate that. Overall, I very much enjoyed "Death Note" and appreciate all of its characters but I just wish it didn't fall flat. But I would certainly recommend it to anyone despite its shortcomings.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Shoot me or Arrest Me
For some reason, it took me bloody long to write this review. I need to be better at keeping up with reviews.
I felt that this was a fun movie. It was a solid story and I found that all three main characters were well written with their core characteristics being very different from each other. With a tight script, the movie portrayed their change towards a common goal skillfully. This common goal of digging deeper into cases have allowed them to rediscover their purposes of becoming a cop.
I think the twist was very surprising at the time but now that I think about it, there weren't that many suspects after many of them were ruled out. It was still a solid twist and I remember feeling genuinely surprised. I think the last shootout scene felt a silly but it was still entertaining nonetheless. The ending scene shows how the cops still went on to cover up their corruption. Cops sucked back then and there still may be that layer of rottenness we may not see often.
Overall, I think this was a crime noir without much flaws and was well executed in many senses but I can't say I was impressed by it.
La sociedad de la nieve (2023)
License to Eat
I first learned about this movie while I was in Spain with my partner and we briefly looked at what was playing in theaters. It was called "La sociedad de la nieve" and I had no idea what it meant. When I saw it being released on Netflix, I was happy to dig into it and I was not prepared for the most dramatic survival story I've ever encountered.
I have to say it was an excellent survival movie and it seems like they hardly changed anything from the true story, which is incredible. It's just so hard to fathom they survived so many days without proper food, albeit water was plenty, proper clothing and gear. It's truly one of the worst places to crash a plane although the landscape was quite breathtaking. It maintained focus on the overall group instead of digging deep into certain characters and their relationships, which was a good choice. That would have lengthened the movie unnecessarily and the length of this movie is my main criticism. It was also an interesting choice to have the main narrator killed off. I think it added a sense of despair to the movie for sure.
I think they survived because most of them were already on the same sports team, meaning that they already worked well together and there was a clear sense of leadership. Without that, they would have certainly had much more internal conflict leading to death. The group's tremendous will to survive, especially the two who made the 10 day trek to Chile without proper gear, is just an example of what humans can do when they are pushed to the very edge. Not sure how this would fare knowing the ending of the story that they do in fact get rescued, but regardless, it was a very solid piece into the survivalist genre.
Prisoners (2013)
They only cried when I left them
I've known about this movie for many months and I finally got around to it. I have a tendency to procrastinate on movies until they are "Leaving soon" on Netflix. My procrastinator instincts are shining even in movies. I went into it without much expectations and I thought it was excellent. It was a gritty, dark and moody drama with a simple premise of two girls going missing. It sets off the story right away and spends little time effectively building up the characters. I love it when movies do that. There is deep, explorative type of characterization and also efficient characterization. Both are great but in terms of introducing the character, Villeneuve chose the latter in this movie.
It's a gripping story overall and Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal both were in their top form in this movie. Certainly should have at least been considered for a nomination but unfortunate that did not happen. Paul Dano has never had a bad performance and he was very important in this movie although he was a supporting role. Even towards the end, I had no idea how the story was going to turn out (even though my brain thought it was smart to look at wikipedia real quick while watching the movie and as a consequence, I got spoilers that the girls were going to be fine). I was very surprised when the "aunt" was the perpetrator. I kept thinking that Alex definitely knew something and was connected to the cases somehow but Paul Dano's performance did such a good job continuing that ambiguity.
I realized the movie was more nuanced that it was. We don't know how involved Alex was in these crimes and what his true character was like. The imitator "Bob" who killed himself was a very good red herring but also an important signal of how these events could really damage a child. I also thought the motives of the child murderers were interesting as well. It made sense and worked for the religious overtone the movie had. Keller Dover was an interesting character as well because it was very easy to connect to him as a "vigilante" but also what he did to Alex was essentially torture and normal people wouldn't go that far.
Prisoners is an excellent movie with little to criticize and it's a very satisfying watch to see everything come together. Its questions about morality and how far a man's conviction can stretch out their values was well played out in the movie.
Angst essen Seele auf (1974)
Couscous
It's always challenging to write reviews about classics. This is my first Fassbinder movie and also my first West German movie. I get why it's a classic. It deals with an interesting topic of interracial marriage and quite explicit racism happening in West Germany at the time. The movie seems to be extremely relevant of the time because it mentions Munich Massacre, which fueled much hatred against immigrants at the time.
The best part of this movie is that racism can be very direct but also hidden at the same time. Many characters in the movie were willing to be extremely rude to Ali but changed their attitude when it suited them. Both partners in an interracial relationship were immediately ostracized from the society. It also portrayed this relationship as a dichotomy with her own German community as for Emmi, she has to choose either being accepted or love. What's also interesting about this relationship is not only their racial barrier and also the age barrier. Would it be less frowned upon if they were in similar age range? Hard to tell.
My main complaint of this movie comes from the fact that I don't understand what's in it for Ali in this relationship. It's a nice companionship and all for Emmi, but Ali has clearly been involved with another German woman (bartender) who's more of his age range prior to meeting Emmi. What is so special about Emmi, who is a nice old lady that he needs to get married to her? Since my conviction in this relationship was not rock solid, the rest of the movie felt similar too. I wish I can simply say that love knows no boundaries but it's hard to do that in a movie where such love is central to it.
Perhaps I'm being nitpicky and nearsighted but maybe I can come back to this movie later with my perspective being a bit wider. Definitely willing to try other Fassbinder movies. He certainly had a very unique style of his own and I like movies that are quiet and dialogue-driven such as this one.
Gojira -1.0 (2023)
My War isn't Over Yet
This movie came into my radar with unexpected raving reviews towards the end of the year. I've never seen a Godzilla film even though there are 37 films in the franchise, the longest in cinema history. The movie was interesting but it also lacked in several aspects. My biggest gripe was performances. I definitely think the main character overdid his character quite a bit. It was a little over the top and the other characters didn't match his energy at all. He is supposed to be one of Japan's child prodigy actor so I imagine there's a bit of an issue with directing. There was also the general Japanese overacting tone that you'd see in anime. This is certainly not in all films because there are normally toned Japanese movies too such as Shoplifter. Obviously, I'm not Japanese so I can't judge the exact inflections in the dialogues but it took me a while to turn my brain off. I also do have some issues with the characterization of Shikishima because it was a little too direct for my liking but then again, this is essentially Japanese blockbuster. The depth it goes to explore survivor's guilt is not something you wouldn't see often in Hollywood blockbuster so I'm fine with it.
I think it did its job well as a Kaiju film. Godzilla was definitely menacing and well-designed. I appreciated that while CGI was done great, they still gave him a bit of a clunky look in a good way to not make him too modern. This was an appropriate choice and I'm interpreting it as an homage to the olden days (this year marks 70th anniversary of Godzilla franchise). The score was also quite epic. It's a great orchestral piece on its own.
The most interesting aspect of this movie was its explicit political message. In the setting of Postwar Japan, its blatant distrust in the government who "failed" them in WWII is obvious. However, there is a clear distinction between the government and the Japanese nation and people themselves. In the end, it is the civilian effort that is able to defend Japan against Godzilla. It is this effort that sees people as people not as tools to be used in the war. It's deeply patriotic (perhaps the whole Godzilla franchise is designed to be as Godzilla is a direct symbolism of nuclear attack) but it's patriotic to the nation, not to those who ran it unsuccessfully. I was worried that it was glorifying kamikaze and other war efforts and victimizing itself (which a lot of Korean viewers thought it was doing). While I agree that Japan did many horrible things during the war which they still haven't apologized for, we still have to take account of the many civilian lives lost due to the bombing. To truly enjoy this movie, the ability to separate civilians from the government is very important.
As a side note, the baby who played Akikko is so adorable and it's a very easy to raise the stakes for Shikishima. I was also very impressed that they killed Nokiko off like that initially but was kind of glad that she actually lived. Overall, this was a fun watch that was somewhat of a mix between typical Hollywood blockbuster and a bit too direct drama and political messaging, which was an interesting mix. Although I don't agree with the rave reviews, I'd certainly recommend it, especially those new to the genre like me.
Goodfellas (1990)
Funny How?
I went into this movie with a lot of expectations. It's one of the most highly rated movies on Letterboxd and it frequently is at the "best movies ever made" list. Maybe that backfired on me seeing that the movie unfortunately did not give me similar feelings. I really loved Killers of the Flower Moon (gave it a 5) and many other movies by Scorsese so maybe I had too much expectations. This was like a predecessor to "The Irishman", which I greatly enjoyed, in its structure and style. There really is nothing to criticize about it. It's very well-made with great use of pacing and music. The performances are exceptional as expected from Pesci and de Niro with both making some iconic scenes. Ray Liotta, who was the main star of the movie, also stood his ground. In many senses, I agree that this is like the best mob movie of all time and I do think there's some truth into that. I haven't watched the Godfather series so I will wait on that judgement for a little while.
I think this movie is interesting in that it shows the chronicle of a pretty high-ranking mafia associate (not officially a member because Henry Hill was not full Italian) as realistically as possible. It's a stressful life but Henry Hill remains "delusional" to the very end of his story where he snitched out his associates to be in witness protection program. It shows the mob lifestyle face-on without any glorification and shows why some people might choose this life of thrill and violence. It's not a glamorous lifestyle and everybody in it is a POS for the most part. They are simply just criminals who are more "organized" and perhaps seem more legitimate because of that effect. This movie shouldn't want to make anyone want to join the Mafia (they still exist!) but also at the same time be fascinated by it.
However, I think that's where my challenge comes in. It's a movie full of guys that are hard to root for (cheater, psychopath, betrayer) and it felt easy to become distant from the story. I hope I am not so shallow that I can't enjoy movies with bad guys in it. It's certainly not been the case. It's not even that these guys are written badly. They are exceptional characters that I had a hard time really channeling my attention into. For such a highly regarded film, it's disappointing to feel this way. I truly hoped to feel more impressed by it. It certainly deserves a rewatch down the road.
Salinui chueok (2003)
Documents do not lie
This movie is a classic in Korean films. I have heard about it for a long time and I haven't watched it until now. It was very good. I love Song Gangho to death and he's one of the best Korean actors of all time, if not the best. This movie's a police procedural done perfectly and contains a great level of satire and criticism against the authority and their incompetence. Its criticism against military government of the time is also portrayed subtly with the police officer utilizing methods of violence often to find his suspects. The search for the killer is the main plot of the movie but the tension is heightened between two cops who represent the old and the new. It seems like the "new" cop is superior with all his proper detective work but when his deductive reasoning fails at the hands of the DNA test (which had problems of its own in the real case), we can see him break down. He went from claiming that "documents do not lie" to "documents mean nothing". It's a dramatic transformation that shows our principles can fail us in the most dire situations.
The original case for this movie is one of the first recorded case of serial murder in Korea and was left to be unsolved for a very long time until the killer was finally identified, who was in prison. The movie's finale and its final scene where the detective stares into the audience is very deliberate as it tried to connect with the killer who may still be at large. It's a chilling movie that does not rely on the tears and the melodrama of the victims (as far as my recall goes, there's not a single scene where the victims are mourned). The point of the movie is to express the clash between the old world and the new world using this case, which represents an unprecedented calamity. That's why this stands as a classic and Director Bong found his voice in just his second movie, which not many people do.
Scarface (1983)
The World is Yours
As one review said on Letterboxd, this is such a straight men film. I fully agree it and I love it. It's a very simple movie depicting the rise and fall of Tony Montana, carried by Al Pacino. Although he did have a funny accent in this movie, he was a real charismatic menace. It also is so obvious that he's much shorter than other guys so that adds to the impact of him. Tony Montana is a despicable human being but the way Pacino performed his character really makes him magnetic in a sort of way. He has anger issues to the point he would kill his best man, addicted to coke and a general POS to those around him but he also has a soft spot for kids. I think every men deep inside has a primitive desire to be an alpha male (if that's what you can describe him) like Tony Montana, even for a tiny bit.
The soundtrack done by Giorgio Moroder was also very suitable and amazing. I first heard about him on Daft Punk record, so it was cool to see him in action. Cinematography was also quite solid. The last death scene was, in my limited vocabulary, epic. I can see why this movie inspired so many rappers, who may have come from the same type of macho world (i.e. Scarface).
Scarface is one brutal, stone-cold gangster movie and it definitely deserves to be in the talk of the best in the genre.
The Deer Hunter (1978)
One Shot
This movie was quite a watch. I've known the main theme for years and it's in the same vein with "Cinema Paradiso" that the soundtrack does a lot for me. Other than the soundtrack, the movie was still a solid watch. The first act is a little tough to get through because you'd expect that these "ordinary life" scenes wouldn't last an hour but it does. It's obviously a very tight-knit community and the director takes his liberty in portraying that. I get the point was to contrast with the horrors of Vietnam but still it was a little too long, which is why this movie is not a 5 for me. The rest of the movie was fantastic. The Russian Roulette scenes were thrilling than it anything else. There is no other game that combines lives and chance like this. Young De Niro, Walken and Streep were such a pleasure to watch. This movie does not show much of the typical "battle scenes" but it really focuses how the war has touched those involved in it. Nick's transformation after seeing the futility of life in war goes mad and participates in more of these games. His death is tragic (you need a little suspension of belief that he's survived all these games and became a legend) and heart-wrenching.
I've started to watch some of the well-known war movies and this was one of the very first movies to discuss the most pointless war in history, Vietnam War. Its simple storytelling starts from the lives of those involved in it and contrast it in a most dramatic way possible with those who were in the war vs not. I may have given it a 4 if not the beautiful soundtrack by Stanley Meyers but still a very good watch.
Spotlight (2015)
Takes a village
Anything about exposing catholic priests, sign me up. This is based on a true story and it's a perfect movie about journalism done right. Its gripping story keeps you glued to the story and even though you know these priests are going to pay for what they've done, knowing the ongoing crisis. It's sad that this was only the beginning of what was to be uncovered and even after the movie's release in 2015, many more high-profile cases have been investigated, showing that it truly is a systemic and deeply rooted problem.
For movies like this that writes itself, I often find it hard to judge as long as they've maintained their integrity to the history. The real life story is already a fantastic drama so they didn't a lot of dramatization. The performances were all solid with Mark Ruffalo showing his acting capability as a Bostonian, outside of Dr. Banner. The solidarity that these reporters came to for the purpose of publishing a damning report was something to watch. The power of investigative journalism truly shines on this movie. However, the most profound moment in the movie was that when Robinson was the one who buried reports of this crisis many years ago. Not on purpose, but just a gross overlook.
As the movie states, if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to (continue to) hurt a child. The movie did a great job telling the facts bluntly and effectively and to this day, serves as a model on how to tell historical events (especially regarding journalism) right.