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skymount37
Reviews
(500) Days of Summer (2009)
A film about a boy meets & falls in love with a girl .... NOT a love story ....
There are lots of stuff i like about this movie. The A-list hipster main cast Joseph-Gordon Levitt (as Tom) and Zooey Deschanel (as Summer) simply put in praiseworthy performances. The plot is non-linear, director Marc Webb does not rush the inevitable, he shuffles between scenes of courtship and heart-break. The lurches in time of the film keep us well and truly off balance. I also like the fantasy sequence after the two finally consummate their love, as Tom dances with a bunch of strangers in the park.I am appealed to the split screen about expectation and reality when Tom was invited to Summer's 'farewell' party. The film actually poses me with lots of questions about love & life .... both are mysterious in many ways. Do you believe in divine intervention, cosmic coincidences or both? Do love exist securely within marriage? How about romantic love before, during & after marriage? Is it possible to love someone(romantically) apart from your spouse? Do you believe that there's one & only someone somewhere out there for both of you to meet each other to make each other truthfully happy? Care to watch it for yourself & reflect on these questions? Presently, for me at least, i choose to believe that love is to want others to be genuinely happy even though we may not eventually end up together; the process is more important than the outcomes.My heart is broken during the scene when Tom spoke up during his last meeting before he resigned from his greeting-cards designer & writer job. A good film is one which makes you smile, giggle, laugh, tear or even cry unexpectedly within the continuous screening time of the whole film. This is one for me. What makes me smile at the end of the film is when Tom dated a girl named Autumn. Watch it.
The Hangover (2009)
4 good guy friends decided to go to Las Vegas for the wildest bachelor party on the eve of the bridegroom's wedding & the bridegroom(Doug) has eventually gone missing...!
I've never laugh so hard & for such a sustained long period of time during a movie except for this one! The 4 guys are great friends but each have their own idiosyncrasy & different ways of having outrageous silly fun & dealing with preposterous problems... just imagine, after their hangover, Stu can't recall how he lost his tooth, Phil has no idea why he has a hospital tag around his wrist, Alan has become more socially awkward & Doug the bridegroom has gone missing! Nobody remembers what actually happened & each is clueless why they have a baby in their possession & a live tiger lurking in their hotel suite's bathroom... the story plot offers plenty of absolute fun and hilarity. Do try not to leave before the credits end as there are side-splitting photo-shots awaiting for you to laugh your way out of the cinema even long after the movie ends... please go watch it with a relaxed mind as it can be a virtue to be able to laugh at ourselves & others as they provide us as mirrors for our own reflections in life.... indeed, laughter is a good medicine!
Rak haeng Siam (2007)
Reflections on the various aspects of love among people branching out from the friendship of 2 young boys trying to discover their sexual identities
To me at least, The Love of Siam is simply NOT a gay film. The gay theme between the young Mew & Tong is just part of their growing up & pains in exploring their sexual identities through friendship; it's a focal point from which other many aspects of love branch out and develop; the love of Tong's mother for each of her family member, the love, loss & grief of Tang's Dad after Tang's missing, June's love for her own family members( at the expense of her work & job) & Tong's family, The friendship among the August Band members, Mew's love for his Gramdma, Mew's Grandma love for her husband, Ying's love for Mew & Tong..... it's a movie about accepting the fact that love can hurt & it's worthwhile to make mistakes out of love rather than choosing not loving/ not doing anything out of love for fear of getting hurt .... as for the outcome between Mew & Tong, it's quite immaterial to me after sometime... Love is the greatest Christmas gift of all....
Metallic Blues (2004)
Two Israeli friends travel in an American-made limousine to Germany, hoping to sell it there to make a fortune.
It's a 2004 film & i only get to see it tonight ( 10th September 2009) in conjunction with Israel- Film-Festival in Singapore. It is a film with poignant human emotions. Most of us know about how the Jews of Israel suffer under the Nazi-Germans during the Holocaust. If you and your ancestors have traumatic memories of the Holocaust, would you choose to go there to make a fortune or even migrate to Germany with your family for a better life? How would you think about the younger Germans there will interact with you? You may be surprised if you answer the questions with pre-conceived notions. It's not as straight-forward as a story about forgiveness, mercy & redemption. Do go for it with an open-mind if you happen to bump into its screening just as i do. I'm moved to tears as it make me realise that life's setbacks and unpredictable circumstances can point towards our shared humanity.