Going Back to the Cinema

Movies aren't really my first choice of entertainment nor art form, as I gravitate more towards books, contemporary classical music, theatre, opera, museums, and travel. However, for some random reason, I found myself in a cinema again. After a 5-year hiatus, my husband and I watched Art Aster's Beau is Afraid, and while it was a very long film (179 minutes), it was absolutely amazing!

Going Back to the Cinema

Movies aren't really my first choice of entertainment nor art form, as I gravitate more towards books, classical music, theatre, museums, and travel. Nevertheless, during the summer, when theatre houses and opera houses are typically closed for their annual season break, it is a good time to visit the cinema, as there's not a lot of other interesting choices. And recently, I actually went to the cinema twice in a week, as there were a couple of films that I thought would be interesting to watch.

The Lobster

I rarely blog about film, since I rarely watch them. And during the rare times that I watch movies, for the most part, they only serve as entertainment, and aren't profound enough to ruminate and have thoughts about. But sometimes, there is the rare occurrence in which I find a film that really makes me think, and sometimes I have some words I want to write about. This is the case with the movie The Lobster, which we watched recently.

Richard Linklater's Boyhood

In one of those rare circumstances again, we opted to go to the theatre to watch a movie. I never really planned on watching a film, except that I heard of this film called Boyhood, and that it apparently took twelve years to make. Apparently, it covers the story of a boy, from when he was in first grade, until when he finishes high school and goes to college. And yes, they used just one actor to portray this character, and followed this character for twelve years.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

I rarely watch movies. But recently, we went to the movie theatres, partly because it's been a while. So we decided to see Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, which has been on my radar lately. I love the fact that it is a Wes Anderson film, and that there is an ensemble cast spinning this comedy-drama film. Anyway, since there was a series of holidays recently, we decided to watch it.

German Cinema and the Absence of a Hollywood Ending

Several weeks ago, I watched a German film here in Berlin. I watched Freier Fall, and I found an indie cinema that screened it with English subtitles, which was great. It was an LGBT-themed drama, which is a genre I haven't watched in a long time. It told the story of Marc, who had a girlfriend who is pregnant, and life seemed happy, until a colleague comes along and a homosexual affair starts. Needless to say, this film didn't have a Hollywood ending.

Watching Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children

I rarely watch movies: recently, I've only found myself in a theatre when I am with someone else and they wanted to watch a movie. However, I still find myself watching a movie when it's a movie adaptation of a book I really loved. And so when Midnight's Children was released, I headed to the theatre even though I was just by myself.

I remember reading this 2 years ago: this was the book I was carrying with me during my trip to Chile, and judging from my review, I remember liking the novel, though perhaps not as much as the other two novels of his I also read. I also remember that the novel isn't written in the frame narrative, and is more linear.

The movie is 144 minutes long, and yet as I was watching it, I cannot help but feel a bit disappointed that there are parts of the book that were deleted. I suppose that is always the case with movies adapted from books. But the thing is, one reason I like Salman Rushdie is his painfully detailed narrative. Hence, his books are mostly thick with tons of details embedded in them. When it becomes a movie, then things are ruined. And I cannot imagine moviegoers who haven't read the book marveling at Rushdie's genius with respect to the power of description.

Watching Love Exposure

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to watch the Japanese movie Love Exposure, directed by Sion Sono. This is a movie that is controversial, deals with many issues about love, and is four hours long. If you are interested, you might want to check the plot synopsis in Wikipedia.

Watching David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to watch the film Cloud Atlas, directed by Tom Tykwer (of Perfume and Run Lola Run) and The Wachowskis. I previously read the book, and so I had high expectations for this film. So, after three hours of watching, my mind was completely blown away, and I was glad to have paid 8 EUR for a seat in CineStar in Potsdamer Platz.

As with my reaction to the book, I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love the film because it is mentally taxing to the viewer (but in different ways from the book), but I also hate it because of its message of universal connectivity. It seems to suggest that reincarnation is a plausible concept. And that is something I do not believe. I do believe that my actions can affect others in a domino- and ripple-effect fashion, yet I do not believe that souls can cross generations and space-time and be rebirthed again in a different spatio-temporal location.

Anyway, I have already commented on the content of the book in my book review, so I won't repeat it here.

Watching Jack Kerouac's On the Road

A couple of weeks ago, I headed to the theatre and watched the film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. It was a movie that I was rather excited to watch, because I previously have read the book almost two years ago, and I read it while I was in Mexico City, which was a destination in the book. It was all due to coincidence. For my review of the book, click here.

The movie was released in Germany October 4, and I got to see it a couple of days afterwards. The movie was brilliantly made, and I actually liked the fact that there was this asymmetry between the actors that played the parts and the parts themselves. The thing is, well-known actors were just relegated to minor small roles, while the big roles for Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty were played by lesser-known actors. Kristen Dunst played Cammille, which was Dean's second girl, but she doesn't appear as much, and Viggo Mortensen played another writer who we only see for about 5 minutes. Then there's also Steve Buscemi as a gay traveling salesman. I liked this because it showcased the major roles' actors' prowess.

Woody Allen's European Trilogy

I rarely review movies here, for the sole reason that while I enjoy watching movies, I rarely encounter a movie that makes me rave about it, in addition to the fact that I watch quite a few movies regularly that reviewing them all will just make this blog a movie blog. However, I am making an exception, after watching three Woody Allen films set in Europe: Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Midnight in Paris, and To Rome with Love.

Movie Marathon

I rarely go to the movies. There's DVDs for that. However, recently, it turned out that I watched 4 movies in 4 nights, straight in a row. That usually doesn't happen, but somehow the stars aligned right.

The Shameful MPAA

So I recently watched Shame, when it was showing at the arthouse theater in town. My sister and I have been talking about this movie a few months ago, and so when it finally came to town, I figured I should watch it. It is a movie about a thirty-something man who lives in New York City, who is also a sex addict. His younger sister, who is also messed up in some form, moves in with him, and his life is turned upside down. The movie is about the drama that ensues. And yes, it is rated NC-17 by the MPAA.

The Quirkiness of the Screen

Recently, we watched a rather interesting and quirky film that was produced in Iceland. It's title was 101 Reykjavik, and it was perhaps one of the more interesting films that we have seen lately.

Psychologically Thrilled by Cillian Murphy

Yesterday, we watched a movie entitled Peacock. It was a psychological thriller, and since that was a favorite genre of mine, I was looking forward to watching it.

It stars Cillian Murphy, who is the Irish actor known for giving chameleonic performances. I saw a couple of his other films before, such as Batman Begins where he plays the Scarecrow, and more importantly, Breakfast on Pluto, where he plays a transgender character whose name was Patrick but preferred being called Kitten. The reason why this is relevant is because in Breakfast in Pluto and Peacock, Cillian Murphy had played female characters despite him being a male.

And I have to admit, Cillian makes for a very attractive female, although I prefer Emma Skillpa to Kitten.

Anyway, Peacock is one amazing movie. Cillian plays John Skillpa, who happens to have dissociative identity disorder, and his alter ego is Emma Skillpa. It's all a secret but one day, when there is a train accident that happens in his backyard, the small town of Peacock gets to know of Emma's existence, thinking that it was John's wife. And the story begins.

This movie perhaps in my opinion had all the good trappings of a psychological thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, because I never knew what was going to happen next. There was a systematic simulacrum in the mind of John Skillpa, and everything worked. The audience is always left hanging as to what will happen next in John/Emma's mind. I also liked the camerawork, since the movie had full of subtle hints that actually meant a lot. One example was the mother's room, when the first time the main character entered it, the camera made it a point to show that the dresser (and the rest of the room) was dirty, since when the main character's fingers brushed against it, there was a clear contrast due to the dirt, suggesting that the room hasn't been opened in a while (I won't give away why). The next time the main character enters the room, it was clean, and that meant a lot.

I also liked the fact that there was an alternate ending, although I think I prefer the first ending better than the alternate ending. I won't say what it is, so I won't spoil it. Anyway, I loved that movie, and I am glad that I was able to watch it. Cillian Murphy makes a good psychological thriller, and his switches between John and Emma are so superb that one would think they were being played by two different actors. He was so convincing in playing a person with dissociative identity disorder.

(Church of La Compania, from my Cusco Series)

Oh So Surreal

Yesterday night, we watched Inland Empire, which was a 2006 movie by David Lynch. I figured that I liked Mulholland Drive before, and since David Lynch is the surreal director of all time, if I can enjoy Inland Empire, then I can watch anything.

So it was three hours long, and the movie just did not have an understandable story. If I were my dad, I know that he would not like it. My dad is one of those people who wants to watch a film and be entertained by the movie. I remember him watching those action films, and the next few hours after the film, he would be running those cheesy lines to my mom, who somehow enjoys them. This is some movie that doesn't let the audience enjoy it at first glance.

The thing is, with Mulholland Drive, I hated it at first. But it grew on me. And the same thing here. Now, I went to watch this movie with no expectations that it will make sense. And when I had that in mind, I liked it. I liked the fact that the scenes kept me guessing as to what would happen next, and I like that a lot. I like unpredictability in my movies.

So yeah, now that I was able to watch a 3-hour surreal movie, I think I can watch anything now. If I can watch David Lynch and enjoy it, I could potentially enjoy any other movie out there.

Although perhaps, it shows that I have a radical taste in movies.

(Rocky Temple Ruins, from my Q'enqo Series)

Big Brothers and Surveillance

The other day, we watched a rather very good movie entitled The Lives of Others (German: Das Leben der Anderen). I liked it because even though it was set in the 1980s, it was a movie in which the themes were relatable. It was set in East Berlin, where a prominent playwright was put into surveillance by the East German Stasi. It soon turns out that the real reason for this was that the playwright's girlfriend is also fancied by a high member of the party, and the party member has been using his power to eliminate a rival.

Without revealing too much here, I like the fact that the movie had complex characters, and the allegiances of the characters change which make the movie unpredictable. I actually liked that.

Also, given the fact that self-determination is a big thing for me, I liked the way the movie explored the theme of surveillance. Potential dissidents of the government are watched, allowing the government to control the thoughts of the people. I never would want to live in a society like that. I have a brain, I know how to use it. I don't need a government to watch over me and my every move.

See, the thing is, I don't understand why systems like Communism and other forms of totalitarian control work the way they did. They think they are the best thing in the world, and yet they are so afraid of criticism, that they resort to surveillance and other methods of control. If Communism is the best thing in the world, then why be paranoid? Why not defend how good it is?

I guess the movie also reinforced in me the notion that humans are inherently selfish. Even politicians in the Communist regime want to be better than the rest. They want the girl that someone else has, they want the better pay, they want the information that would allow them to put others down. So Communism is just an illusion. It is just the illusion that everyone will be equal and treated the same. Because really, even Communists are selfish.

I remembered when I was still in undergrad. I had to take a course that was supposed to be about the Philippine national hero. It was required for every undergrad in the Philippines, but when I took it, my professor was an activist, and instead of teaching us about Jose Rizal, he taught us about how Communism was awesome.

Obviously, I didn't buy it. As my final paper, I argued how Communism actually doesn't work, citing examples of Communist breakdown in Romania and in other parts of Eastern Europe.

Seriously, people just need to accept that humans are inherently selfish, and not pretend that it is not the case. I want to be better than my neighbor, and I am not afraid to admit that.

(Giants, from my Saqsayhuaman Series)

Delicatessen

The other day, we watched a movie entitled Delicatessen. This is a French movie that was made back in 1991, and it is a black comedy. Overall, I enjoyed it for several reasons, and so if people have the chance to watch it, go for it.

I guess this is a movie that allowed me to appreciate the beauty of movie-making, without the aid of grandiose special effects. It is set somewhere in France in a post-apocalyptic time, where people eat other people to survive. The characters are all inhabitants of a tenement, and they advertise vacancies to prospective tenants, which they chop up later. Corn bits serve as currency.

The characters are also bizarre, yet wonderfully done. There is a lady who hears voices, and wants to commit suicide, with low success. There's also a man who lives with frogs and snails. There's also an old woman who knits only for her finished product to be untied and rolled again into a ball of yarn.

And yes, there's the three main characters, the butcher, his daughter, and the former clown who falls in love to his daughter and yet is the butcher's next victim.

I don't want to give away how everything ends, but the thing I like in this movie was that the story progression wasn't predictable at all. It was a very engaging movie, and so I always was kept guessing with respect to what will happen next. So if you get a chance to watch this, go for it.

(Criss-Crossed Walls, from my Saqsayhuaman Series)

Changeling

Yesterday, we watched the movie Changeling, featuring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich. It was quite long, about 2 and a half hours, but it was a great movie as well. It is based on a true story, and it told the story of 1920s Los Angeles, where the police were corrupt, and women had no power whatsoever in society.

I guess the first thing I noticed was how thick Angelina Jolie's makeup was. It was bizarre, scenes of her waking up and already fully made up with bright red lipstick, that was interesting. Her boobs kinda became small though, which I suppose was okay, since her character wasn't really a sexed-up person, but more of a single mother. Her tattoos disappeared.

Anyway, I am impressed with the performances of the actors. I like John Malkovich's performance, his voice is just so lethargic that I feel being hypnotized. And Jeffrey Donovan's performance as the police officer who breathes corruption was good too.

There are times in which true stories are long and dragging, but that is just reality. Reality is not as fast and page-turning as we think it is. I don't like watching movies where Clint Eastwood acts, but whenever he directs, it seems to always turn out good. I should watch more of his films.

Anyway, this movie turned out to be a good escape from reality for a while. 2 and a half hours of watching scenes that make me happy that we now live in a more ethical society was actually a good experience. I immediately remembered the IRB training that I need to go through every three years, and the practices before of just putting people into mental asylums reminded me of that. I am so glad that I am not living in the 1920s.

All in all, that was a good movie. So, what's next?

(Moai?, from my Saqsayhuaman Series)

Predictability, Realism, and Movies

So we watched Conversations with Other Women the other day. And contrary to the previous movie that we watched, which was Avatar, I actually liked this one. Granted, there are significant differences with respect to the genre, but I think there are higher-ranking constraints that Conversations satisfied, but Avatar didn't.

First, there is the issue of predictability. Avatar was so predictable. Conversations was also predictable to some degree, but at least, you don't know how the story will develop toward that predicted direction. There are twists and turns in the story. And because of this, I could say that Conversations engaged me more than Avatar. Avatar was so easy to watch, one could just sit there passively, while Conversations actually kept me on my toes, because of the dialogue and the mental engagements that the story provided.

Second, there is also realism. Perhaps, that is the reason why I never liked reading science fiction, is that the story is so out of this world that I cannot relate. I don't read fantasy that often either for the same reason. Conversations was a love story about two people who used to know each other, and the drama that they were dealing with were real: there is no happy ending, and most of the time, life is like that.

I also have to say that I liked the way the split screen was used. It was used to portray flashbacks, it was used to extend and modify the temporal sequences, it was used to portray what-if scenarios, and so on. I loved this film for its artsy qualities. Yes, Avatar may have been prettier, but this one was more mentally engaging. I would totally recommend this more than the other movie.

So, perhaps I learned more about myself and my movie preferences after watching two different movies back to back. Hmmm, interesting, eh?



(Old Rooms, from my Pisac Series)