Reviews

What can I say about this demented Category III depravity? The combination of gore and various other kinds of bodily fluids may make it too much for many to stomach. In 1988, the Hong Kong authorities introduced a rating system, with the most depraved horrific of subject matter falling under Category III. This isn't unusual, as most regions or countries have some description of a rating system in place. However, the most disgusting and hideous of horror films would come from this category. There have been several infamous horror films to come from Hong Kong including, but not limited to; Man Behind the Sun (1988), The Eight Immortals Restaurant: The Untold Story (1993), Devil Fetus (1983), Seeding of a Ghost (1983) and Dr. Lamb (1992). I can only compare it to Italian horror cinema, in terms of the cult following it has developed.

The protagonist, Kai San (Anthony Chau-Sang Wong) is an extremely odious individual, a man who contracts the Ebola virus in South Africa, becomes immune to it, and continues to spread the virus and infects others when he returns to Hong Kong. There are countless sickening and disgusting scenes in the film, including the infamous "burger" scene. The film is relentless with depraved and disgusting scenarios, that will truly shock the viewer. I tried to keep this review spoiler free, because the film must be seen to be believed - it truly knows no bounds. Whatever you do, don't eat before, or during the film!

The Way is a very moving film about the bond between a son and a father. The Way is about a father who heads to France to recover the body of his son who died, and who was estranged to, while there he decides to finish the "El camino de Santiago," in the memory of his son. As he makes his way through the old pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela he meets and forms a group with other pilgrims - who each have their own stories. The pilgrimage covers around 500 miles, or 800 km, and can take around 30 days to complete from the French Pyrenees, through to Northern Spain, to the destination, the Cathedral of Santiago De Compostela, where the remains of Saint James, an apostle, are said to be buried. Many see it as a personal challenge, or a spiritual journey that can be walked, cycled, or even by horseback. Martin Sheen himself, is a devout catholic, had heard about the trail from his father who was from this area of Spain but had emigrated to America.

Emilio Estevez (Martin's son) had written the main character's role specifically for that of his father. Emilio Estevez would later reveal that much of the inspiration he got for the film was the pilgrimage that his father and his son Taylor Estevez made a few years prior. This would be the seventh time that Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez have worked together. Martin's daughter, Renée, also has a part in the film. Martin Sheen would walk around 500 miles in Northern Spain, which is a delight to look at, stunning, a feast for the eyes. You could quite literally frame any second of the beautiful Spanish landscape and put it on your wall - that is how gorgeous the film is to looks at. The chemistry between the father and son, Sheen, and Estevez, is magical. The Way is a beautifully told inspirational film, that pulls you in, and captures your heart.

Seven Pounds really shows you how guilt can weigh on someone. Will Smith, with one of his finest performances, plays Ben, a complex character, and even that more perplexing to the viewer as you see his inner turmoil manifest itself in the most unselfish of ways. Seven Pounds is powerful stuff, almost Shakespeare like, in terms of how the film provokes emotions if I could be so bold to make the comparison. I believe I read somewhere where director Gabriele Muccino's "Seven Pounds" refers to the seven pounds of flesh, a clear reference to Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice". This is high caliber drama at its most beautiful, the humanity shown in the film dumfounds and moves the soul.

I believe that one aspect of a good film, is strong character development, and Ben evolves as events, and circumstances changes his outlook on life, and forces him to change the way he deals with the world around him. You can literally see the pain and stress sketched on his face as his characters evolves, and as he connects with the people around him. At its very heart, this is a fable about redemption and acceptance, a man who suffered deep tragedy, and who was determined to improve the lives of others. I never seen the ending coming, one of the most heart wrenching and visceral I have seen in recent times. Seven Pounds is one of the most significant, passionate and intense films I have seen in a long time, and it leaves the audience with lots of room for discussion, I know it left me with a lot to discuss. If we all shared the same principles and values of Ben Thomas, we would leave this world a little better than we found it.

Mr Nobody is just so utterly unique and profoundly moving, that you feel you must do some soul-searching afterwards. The film is quite literally the best example of poetry put on film. It is so much more than a philosophical sci-fi film, it explores themes such as destiny, perception, dreams, and memories. It is like an onion, for every layer you peel back (in this case - repeat viewings), you receive more wisdom.

Mr Nobody resembles something near a transcending reality vis-à-vis Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or The Butterfly Effect, but more existential akin to Gattaca. It's possesses a deep introspective and imaginative quality to see through people, situations, and words to find their hidden meanings, motives, and outcomes. Destiny in other words. I won't go too much into the tech aspects, but everything was marvellous as you would expect from a thought-provoking sci-fi. The cinematography is probably the most pleasing aspect, truly poetry in motion. Jared Leto's (Nemo Nobody) performance was particularly outstanding as with most of his performances are. The soundtrack is one of the best I can recall from any film. It includes "Everyday" by Buddy Holly, "Sweet Dreams" by Annie Lennox, Erik Satie's moody Gymnopédie & Gnossiennes, and of course the extremely catchy Mister Sandman soundtrack.

A highly original, ultra intelligent, thought-provoking, poignant, and utterly engaging film. It's certainly not to everyone's taste, some may see it as pretentious artsy fartsy fluff, but I personally took a lot from it. What it thought me is to take the opportunities that are in front of me, and not allow them to be cursed missed opportunities.

I am not ashamed to say that I welled up at the end of this extremely emotional film. The film is based on the true story of Hachiko, an Akita dog immortalized for his undying loyalty to his owner. Hachiko would regularly meet his owner, Professor Ueno, at Shibuya Station each day after he returned from work. He faithfully continued to wait there for over nine years following Ueno's death. Hachiko would die on March 8, 1935, at the age of eleven. When he died, his owner's partner Yaeko Ueno, and the Shibuya Station staff mourned his death, and on March 8, there is a memorial ceremony at the station every year. In April 1934, a bronze statue created in the likeness of Hachiko was erected at Shibuya Station.

The loyalty, love, and devotion that poor Hachiko showed to his owner was nothing short of extraordinary. It really proves the bond between man and his dog. The performance of the actors takes a back seat to the story, but everyone is on fire here. Richard Gere known for his leading man and character driven credentials was outstanding. His performance was a mature and intimate portrayal of the master of Hachiko. Hachi: A Dog's Tale is a remake of Hachiko Monogatari (1987) - which is even more heartbreaking than Hachi: A Dog's Tale. What I love is that the film is devoid of CGI, explosions or violence just pure raw emotion, loyalty, and love between dog and man.

"The worst mistake that you can make is to think you're alive when really you're asleep in life's waiting room."

Waking Life is a film for passionate thinkers, a thought-provoking piece of cinema that works like philosophical therapy. The film may not be for everyone, some may see it as pretentious, while others - who are philosophically inclined, will be thoroughly delighted. Much like all of Linklater's films, the script contains several observations about life, of which we can relate to on a personal level. I absolutely love Richard Linklater's films; his films often tend to take place within a single day in real time, and the emphasis is generally on realistic, and often philosophical dialogue between characters. Ethan Hawke is a marvellous actor who delivers in these strong emotional character driven roles that he is most famous for.

The plot revolves around a man who shuffles through a dream meeting with various people and discussing the true meanings and purposes of the universe. I was very much impressed by the animation, and how the heavy philosophical dialog that would seem complex, but relative and true at the same time. Waking Life is a treat for all the senses, visually and intellectually. In the early 90's, Richard Linklater would give us the offbeat and charming philosophical comedy Slacker. In the mid 90's, he would give us the undeniably romantic Before Sunset. In the early 00's he gave us this quintessential philosophical animation masterpiece. Linklater is perpetually serving up the audience challenging and introspective films, with a dash of nostalgia.

Waking Life deals with the suggestion of lucid dreams and the very nature of our own existence. What also struck me about Waking Life was the way in which the marvellous animation was layered through the film. What this helps achieves is an extreme sense of a dreamlike experience for the viewer. For a deep thinker, this is like spiritual nourishment for my mind and soul.

Wings of Desire is a remarkable achievement, a beautiful film in terms of visuals and themes. This is a film of the highest calibre, a film that possess a dreamlike quality, and one that will surely provoke emotions in the viewer. It is the most emotionally and spiritually moving film of all time, in my opinion. The film centres on an angel who grows exhausted of his purely ethereal life of merely observing human activity of Berlin's residents, and ultimately longs for the very real joys of existence when he falls in love with a woman.

The film attempts to clarify the fundamental notions by which people understand the world, e.g., existence, objects and their properties, space and time, cause and effect, and possibility. It is a calm and personal meditation fantasy that has such a simple vision that really makes you want to believe in this metaphysical world. It contains such lavish cinematography, masterful direction by Wim Winders, and thoroughly impressive performances from all. It even has Peter Falk appearing in several scenes!

There is something in this film that goes beyond art, that delves deep into our thoughts and all our dreams, it inspires a sense of spiritual mystery, awe, and fascination that really makes you contemplate your own life. I would best categorize Wings of Desire as a cathartic testament to love and ultimately the frailty of life. The bar scene at the end is one of the most beautiful, sweetest, and spellbinding endings, I can ever recall seeing. Wings of Desire is a philosophical, poetic, and a spiritually significant film for all the ages.

Winter Light is the second film in Ingmar Bergman's Faith Trilogy. Through a Glass Darkly (1961) and The Silence (1963) complete the series. Winter Light may very well be Ingmar Bergman's most powerful film on faith and religion. Ingmar Bergman is one of the most influential directors of all time, best known for his profoundly personal meditations of faith and the human soul. The subject matter of Winter Light may be too bleak or depressing for some, but it is a very penetrating look into the human soul, and the fallible search for faith, belonging, and the ambiguity of love.

Ingmar Bergman would name Winter Light as a favourite of his own films. Bergman, the son of a Lutheran minister, was always very invested in religious themes in his films, and Winter Light is no different here. The film, like all of Bergman's films, would explore themes of redemption in a world without meaning, anxiety, and inner turmoil of his characters. Ingrid Thulin's and Max Von Sydow's (You can see the pained anguish and struggle on Von Sydow's face, even when he is saying nothing.) performances were nothing short of magnificent. These would comprise of his famed company of actors which included Harriet Andersson, Bibi Andersson, Liv Ullmann, Gunnar Björnstrand, Erland Josephson, and Gunnel Lindblom.

The wonderful penetrating black-and-white cinematography adds to the relentlessly concentrated internal struggle of our characters. There is so much beauty and meaning in this film including the profoundly thought-provoking "emphasis on physical pain" monologue. Winter Light was deliberately lacking any music to give the feeling of coldness in human faith and nature. This is the quintessential film on the eternal struggle between faith and God.

Léon: The Professional is perhaps one of the finest action films you will likely ever see. The tension builds and builds, the entire film seems to be balanced on a knife's edge. Gary Oldman is superb here, in portraying one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history, in Norman Stansfield. MSM Movies would describe the Norman Stansfield character as "the role that launched a thousand villains". The "Bring me EVERYONE!" line was entirely improvised by Oldman to make Luc Besson laugh. Funny enough, Norman Stansfield - played by Oldman - who is excessively obsessed with Ludwig van Beethoven. That same year, Oldman would portray Beethoven in Immortal Beloved (1994). In all sincerity Oldman is one of the finest actors of his generation. Gary Oldman is an actor of tremendous range and versatility. He is well known for playing characters that are usually borderline psychotics. He has a great ability to change his psychical appearance and voice to make each character believable and unique. It speaks volumes about his acting, through all these years, to be still cast in high-profile films.

The film also features a young Natalie Portman, who would beat two thousand other girls for the role. Léon (played by Jean Reno) is the near unstoppable professional hitman, who reluctantly takes in twelve-year-old Mathilda (Portman) under his wing. The wonderful score by Éric Serra would provide the relentless intensity the film was trying to convey. Who can forget Stings - Shape of My Heart at the ending? This is easily one of his best written songs and works well at the end of the film. This is a real masterpiece - action with real heart.

Taxi Driver is one of the most iconic films in cinematic history and contains one of the most iconic characters in Travis Bickle. The film has remained popular all these years later and is without a doubt one of the most culturally impactful and significant films of its era and one of the greatest ever made and garnered such a cult status. Taxi Driver would explore many themes such as loneliness, depression, redemption, alienation mental illness.

The film is set in a decaying and morally bankrupt New York City following the War in Vietnam, this gritty disintegrating and deteriorating NY - which in-turn can represent the harsh reality of the character's mental health through the progression of the film. The film can be seen as a cautionary tale of alienation and loneliness, and how those circumstances can impact on the mental health of an individual. In my opinion, Travis Bickle is a product of his environment, he is obviously suffering from some description of PTSD from his time in Vietnam, and then to be transplanted into a deteriorating and morally bankrupt New York City - this just makes a combustible situation even that much worse.

As I mentioned, Taxi Driver is not just an incredible character study, though; it's also a scathing social commentary of its time. It is the quintessential character study of a movie loner put to film. Like with any iconic film, it is littered with many unforgettable quotes, such as:

"Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man..."

"I realize now how much she's just like the others, cold and distant, and many people are like that, women for sure, they're like a union."

And, of course, the immortal "You talkin' to me?" scene. I would venture to say that this is Martin Scorsese's best, and Robert De Niro's best - I personally think his best performance was in Awakenings (1990). Taxi Driver would be nominated for four Academy Awards in the Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Score. The impact that "Taxi Driver" has had even in today's society hasn't diminished, it has remained just as powerful as it was when it was first released.

Loving Vincent is one the most beautiful films I have ever seen. You could quite literally frame any second of the film and put it on your wall - that is how gorgeous the film is to looks at. Loving Vincent is the world's very first fully painted animation feature. The film's 65,000 frames were created by using oil paintings on canvas, the very same technique that Vincent van Gogh used, which were created by a team of more than one hundred painters. It was truly an outstanding feat, considering most similar short films run for 10 to 15 minutes.

This film is a beautiful work that was crafted by the loving hands of devoted filmmakers. Vincent van Gogh is among the most influential and famous figures in the history of art. Van Gogh, for all intents and purposes, was considered a loner by many. Van Gogh would never achieve the kind of fame he was seeking in this mortal world, he only sold one painting in his lifetime - he would achieve his success and acclaim after he died. He was only 37 years of age when he died, when he shot himself in the chest with a revolver, on the 27th of July 1890.

The score is provided by Clint Mansell, a wonderful composer associated with the works of Darren Aronofsky. Lianne La Havas provides a haunting rendition of Don McLean's "Vincent". I can't justify in enough words what a beautiful film is Loving Vincent, I will simply say that it is like a beautiful swirling, scintillating dream.

Women in the Dunes is pure existentialist gold, for those who are inclined towards philosophy. The story centres around an entomologist who is on vacation and who becomes trapped by local villagers into living with an unmade woman whose task to shovel sand for them. Women in the Dunes can be seen as an allegory, the sand itself can represent time perpetually flowing and erasing all that it encounters. The woman can represent submission, a symbolic figure - one that can be viewed as damnation or salvation - but that is just my take on it. That is the beauty of Hiroshi Teshigahara's "Woman in the Dunes" - there is such much subtext and metaphor that it is nearly impossible to accurately decipher.

It is deeply thought-provoking, and you feel that you are facing the same faith as the woman is facing. The dialogue is full of rich philosophical utterances such as:

"Are you shoveling sand to live or living to shovel sand?"

"I'm so frightened every morning when I go to sleep that I'll wake up alone again. That really frightens me."

This type of film is food for the brain, it poses many questions that can be applied to any walk of life. It is a metaphorical film that requires discussion, and your attention. The cinematography is gorgeous to look at, the sliding sand which is filmed very close-up as if you are right there shoveling too! Hiroshi Teshigahara's film is for all intents and purposes, a parable. He would later direct The Face of Another (1966), another exceptional highly symbolic masterpiece that explore themes of self-identity.

I absolutely adore these romantic horror stories, horror and romance genres are two of the most difficult to merge and blend, but when they are done effectively, they can yield extraordinary results, and considering the budget for the film was around twenty-five thousand dollars, or so - makes it even that more remarkable. Night Tide is no different, an extremely obscure oddity, has touches of Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. The film would be released as part of a double feature with Roger Corman's 1963 The Raven.

The premise of the film is about young sailor (Dennis Hopper) that is attracted to a mysterious woman performing at a carnival, but soon suspects that the woman is behind the deaths of several men. You can almost see that Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead took inspiration from it, in Spring (2014) - about a young man moving to a new town who becomes fascinated with an exotic woman, but just like Night Tide - nothing is what it seems. The fundamental beauty of Night Tide lies in the fact that it serves as a simple love story about acceptance - of which two people are suddenly cast together in a small town, and share the time they have together.

As I mentioned the essential core aspect of the film, is its romance, that really makes the film appealing. Linda Lawson has the graceful and ethereal presence, and the chemistry between Hopper and Lawson is magical. Night Tide is a sweet romance, that deserves more recognition from horror fans.

"If a warrior's head were to be suddenly cut off, he should still be able to perform one more action with certainty."

Ghost Dog is a strange mix of Hip-Hop and Samurai movies, but those themes seem to deliver the goods here. The film is also meditation on philosophy, literature and honor. With all these themes coming together it really gives the film an independent feel to it. This isn't the first time in film such elements have been thrown together, we can also see many of these themes in Abel Ferrara's The Addiction (1995). Jim Jarmusch is a very talented film-maker, best known for his moody films that focuses on character development. In short, Ghost Dog is effectively a thinking man's action flick.

Ghost Dog tells the story of an African-American mafia hit-man in NY who religiously lives by the rules of the Samurai that is set out in Yamamoto Tsunetomo's, Hagakure. He goes by "Ghost Dog", and lives a simple live alone with his pigeons, and is eternally faithful to his master, who is a local mobster who saved his life years ago. Forest Whitaker is flawless here, and it is a wonderful vehicle to which Whitaker can display his many talents. The score really amplifies the ambiance that Jarmusch was seeking. It is truly a fascinating, strange hybrid of black, Italian and Japanese culture - that is thoughtful in its execution (pardon the pun).

As soon as I had finished watching Ghost Dog immediately bought Yamamoto Tsunetomo's, Hagakure and Sun Tzu's The Art of War. These books are wonderful, and can be applied to any facet of life. In essence, you will never see a more Hip-Hop, cool, and unique film as this.

Before Sunrise is one of the most beautiful romances ever put to screen. The chemistry between Ethan Hawke (Jesse) and Julie Delpy (Celine) is magical. Hawke and Delpy have formed a strong relationship, and have been in at least four films together, all of which are Richard Linklater films. The storyline is pretty straight forward and the dialogue is realistic and moving. Before Sunrise works well for a number of reasons - such as the realistic acting, and of course the immense script that helps build the characters through their emotions, thoughts and feelings, and allows the viewer to understand them, as we would in real life.

Much like all of Linklater's films, the script contains several observations about life, of which we can relate to on a personal level. The fundamental beauty of the film lies in the fact that as a simple love story - of which two lives are suddenly cast together in the midst of life, and the night of simple connection between two people that follows. Before Sunrise deals with themes of self-fulfillment and self-discovery through a person when a connection is formed. This is one of a few films that I have seen in my life that feels like real life. I would best describe the film as a Brief Encounter for the 1990's, in terms of two souls building a connection for a short period of time.

I absolutely love Richard Linklater's films; his films often tend to take place within a single day in real time, and the emphasis is generally on realistic, and often philosophical dialogue between characters. Ethan Hawke is a marvelous actor who delivers in these strong emotional character driven roles that he is most famous for. As a deep thinker, this is like spiritual nourishment for my mind and soul. Now that I have seen Before Sunrise, it makes me want to visit all the locations that was used for the film in Vienna!

Good Will Hunting is a wonderful and touching film that can teach us much about human nature, acceptance, and the innate ability to connect with one another. The film has many wonderful performances, from an outstanding Robin Williams (thoroughly deserving of his Academy Award), as Sean Maguire. Sean Maguire, the therapist assigned to Will Hunting (Matt Damon), a troubled genius, who will try to break through the Will's defenses in order to help him overcome his childhood trauma.

As I mentioned Good Will Hunting is an incredibly touching, powerful and inspirational film that has one of the best screenplay's I seen in a long time. The screenplay would win an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for that year. When Matt Damon was in Harvard, he would start writing a movie, which with the help of Ben Affleck would become this movie. Another little piece of trivia, When Robin Williams died in 2014, the bench in the Boston Public Garden where Matt Damon and Robin had their conversation in the film would become an impromptu memorial site. People would leave flowers, quotes, and other items at the bench.

One of the most powerful and devastating scenes I ever seen in film, was when Sean Maguire and Will Hunting would have the famous "It's not your fault" scene. As the therapist steadily repeats "It's not your fault," Will becomes increasingly agitated. Finally, Will would erupt into emotion, finally allowing the true meaning of those words to sink in. This is one scene that signifies what trauma can do to a person.

I can't really express what Good Will Hunting means to be, other than it greatly affects me to this day. Oh and, I loved the use of Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street too!

American Beauty is a deeply penetrating and thought-provoking film. It is truly a top notch drama, effectively a dark satire about suburbia the fallacies of chasing The American Dream. American Beauty would explore such themes as loneliness, conformity, depression, redemption and repression. Lester Burnham, (Kevin Spacey) is an articulate depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis. It is abundantly clear that Lester is a prisoner of his own life. Whilst every character is in their own prison of loneliness, they are incredibly self-aware of their predicament, for example, Ricky Fitts (played superbly by Wes Bentley) who obsessively captures the most mundane things using his video camera to help him remember the beauty. His character, greatly affected me, I found myself taken aback by how insightful and profound Ricky Fitts was. I mean, how does a teenager become so wise? What events in his life have unfolded to give him such an outlook on life? You can almost see the visceral pain in Ricky's eyes and also his voice. There were many thought-provoking scenes which really affected and resonated with me - to the point where my view of the world has certainly been altered. The unforgettable bag scene - this dancing plastic bag teaches us all a lesson, to appreciate the simple beauty that is all around us:

"It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. Right? And this bag was just dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in."

Thomas Newman's minimalist score for the film is moody, reflective and extremely moving. The cast was superb, Kevin Spacey thoroughly deserved his Academy Award for Best Actor, his performance was so charismatic. The supporting cast of Annette Bening, Chris Cooper, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley and Mena Suvari was nothing short of magnificent. At the Academy Awards of that year, American Beauty won five Oscars, including for Best Picture, along with Best Director for Sam Mendes, Best Actor for Kevin Spacey, Best Original Screenplay for Alan Ball, and Best Cinematography for Conrad L. Hall. This is a film that has stayed with me and gave me a newfound appreciation to Look Closer!

Congratulations Darren Aronofsky! You have just managed to break my heart again with The Fountain. A unique film experience - that is truly incomparable to any other film that you've ever seen. I would best categorize The Fountain as a cathartic testament to love and ultimately the frailty of life. The Fountain is not just "another film", it inspires a sense of spiritual mystery, awe, and fascination that really makes you contemplate your own life.

Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz are absolutely marvellous in their roles, while supported by the wonderful Ellen Burstyn. Tommy Creo (Jackman), is losing his beloved wife Izzi (Weisz) to a brain tumour. Tommy is on the brink of insanity in the hopes of finding a cure to save his wife to the terrible disease. A recurring theme among Aronofsky's films is his characters with strong obsessions that drive them towards ultimate self-destruction. The story focuses on three different time periods, it lays out the three narratives as existing in three time periods: past (1500), present (2000), and the future (2500). The common detonator among these three narratives is Tom's love for his wife, Izzi, he would literally sacrifice his mind, body and soul for Izzi. In my opinion, a great aspect of this film, is that you can feel and breathe the stress, anxiety and pressure that Tom is going through, almost as if you were experiencing it yourself. The empathy that you feel for this couple, is tangible evidence that Aronofsky did a great job at building the story.

Clint Mansell-the composer for much of Aronofsky's films- would reprise his role here for The Fountain. Mansell's soundtrack is intense, tragic and heart-pounding - and this score really elevates the emotional story to wonderful heights. The visual effects are absolutely stunning, a sight to behold, and adds to the mystic of the film. Another remarkable aspect of the film, is the sheer amount of profound quotes, such as:

"For every shadow, no matter how deep, is threatened by morning light."

"All these years, all these memories, there was you. You pull me through time."

"Our bodies are prisons for our souls. Our skin and blood, the iron bars of confinement. But fear not. All flesh decays. Death turns all to ash. And thus, death frees every soul."

"Death is the road to awe."

"Death is a disease, it's like any other. And there's a cure. A cure - and I will find it."

"His body became the trees' roots. They spread and formed the earth. His soul became the branches rising up forming the sky. All the remained is first father's head. His children hung in in the heavens creating Xibalba."

"Every shadow no matter how deep is threatened by morning light."

"I'm sorry father, for you there is only death. But our destiny is life!"

"Through that last dark cloud is a dying star. And soon enough, Xibalbia will die. And when it explodes, it will be reborn. You will bloom.."

"There's no hope for us here, there is only death."

The Fountain is a film that would divide many an opinion, many would slate it, while many, like myself, adore it as a significant spiritual film. Darren Aronofsky would late admit that it was released at the wrong time: "It was pre-Obama, smack in the middle of Paris Hilton time." Aronofsky would reaffirm that the values and the basic principles are as relevant today, as they were when it was first released. I can't speak enough of what The Fountain means to me, it has got me through some difficult times, and helped mould and shape the view of the world that I hold today, along with developing my keen interest in astronomy!