Film

When I finished watching La Cité des Enfants Perdus (The City of Lost Children) for the first time (with a very good friend who sat me down and simply said “You’ll like this”), I was at a loss and couldn’t make out what to think of it. In fact, its impact bypassed the conscious mind completely to nestle in my subconscious, such that the more I ruminated in subsequent days, the more I realized how much it moved me. I watched it again recently with another friend (whom I told “You may like this” - she did), and think I can now verbalize just why I like it so much.

La Cité was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who also made Delicatessen (not watched) and Amélie (watched and liked immensely). As point of reference, Amélie is normal, and strangeness and oddity intrude. La Cité is the exact opposite: strange and odd, and normal intrudes. It’s one of the strangest movies I’ve ever watched, yet it’s that right balance of strange that keeps you a little unsettled, a little disoriented at all times, but nevertheless with one foot still on safe familiarity and reality. It’s weird but not creepy, unsettling but not oppressive. (Well, I didn’t find it so!) It’s not a comfortable movie — but oh, that’s what makes it delightful and memorable.

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I’m probably the only person in the world who has a career in the biological sciences and hasn’t watched Gattaca. But that was rectified a month ago, so I’m legitimate now!

Gattaca is essentially an examination of a future with genetic engineering and eugenics, and the social stratification and discrimination that can occur with classifying people by their genes. I’ll leave the synopsis to others and plunge right into the review.

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I watched Joss Whedon’s Firefly over a period of 6 months with some friends, culminating with the finale of Serenity. I’ve spent months trying to think of how to give a review it deserves, but am falling far short. So this is an acknowledgement that I’ve finally watched this wonderful series that was completely worth my time and commitment, and a little bit more.

Some sundry thoughts: Read the rest of this entry »

Gran Torino is a story about crossing all sorts of borders, and what happens when those borders are crossed. It’s clear that the borders of Walt Kowalski, a white working-class retiree, Korean War veteran and recent widower, lie strictly on the boundaries of his house. And when his next-door neighbours — a multi-generational Vietnamese/Hmong family — and their affairs literally spill over onto his lawn, Walt reacts, and this excellent movie begins.

There are numerous scenes in Gran Torino where borders are toed, and either connection or conflict occurs depending on where the similarities and differences lie. Teenage Su befriends the elderly Walt. Walt goes to an all-Vietnamese luncheon and gathering at her family’s house. Asian and Latino gangs face off. Su and a white male acquaintance clash with black thugs; Walt intervenes in a fascinating multiracial confrontation. World-weary, bitter Walt resists the attempts of the young Catholic priest Father Janovich and his grown-up son to connect with him. Thao, Su’s younger brother, struggles under peer pressure and less-than-innocent bullying from his cousin and his gangster buddies. Walt takes Thao under his wing, and Thao and Su eventually become a welcome part of his life. And more… I’ve just given you an outline of the plot, but more than just a plot, this entire movie examines what happens at the borders of culture, race, age, language, religion, and personality.

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A roundup of a few movies I watched (and remember watching, and have something to say about) in 2008.

Pan’s Labyrinth. In ambience and storyline it it was very reminiscent of The Book of Lost Things. Another example of a dark fairy-tale that seemed stitched together from different mythologies or imaginations, but had no reason for being that way. The trials that Ofelia went through also were disjointed, with no theme, coherency and reason other than she discovered some dark fairy-tale world, she was a chosen one who had a quest, and had to go through some trials. It was a sombre movie and definitely wins points for atmosphere, but not particularly good or memorable.

Wall-E. Pixar makes a great movie as usual, although I don’t like it as much as the Toy Stories, Monsters Inc. or Ratatouille. The story was very sweet, and the landscapes were beautiful, but like Cars it didn’t strike a big chord with me. Nevertheless, I do like the robots a lot, and definitely want to find out more about all the different kinds of robots! An aside: I think that’s where Pixar’s storytelling/concept team excels: the creating of names, ‘types’ and ideas. Be it robots, monsters or superheroes, I find their chars really creative, and would like to discover what they are and how Pixar comes up with them.

The Princess Bride. I’ve finally watched it! What a great movie: a lovely story that’s serious and whimsical at the same time, a fairy-tale romance with some very sly twists and surprises. I especially thought the punctuations by the narrator and his grandson were very funny and aptly placed. Definitely a classic film; now I want to read the book. (And it stars Andre the Giant! W00t!)

Twilight. Yes, I was curious about the movie as I’d read the book. Given what the book was, I guess the movie was faithful to it — and faithful to the quality. It did a good job capturing the mood and spirit of the novel, an average adaptation of an average (or less than) book. And I didn’t even think the vampires looked all that wonderful either, although the actress who played Bella is rather pretty. This, I guess, concludes my interactions with the Twilight series.