No country for old men

I have lost track of how long it had been on my to-watch list; so long I had forgotten why it was there in the first place. Now I know. Probably the best from the Coen Brothers yet, it is so gripping you can't bear to turn away from the screen for ever even when your heart is jumping out from your throat by the sheer horror and suspense. It is a great cinema: the pace is so leisurely, you are reminded of some of Hitchcock's best moments. You know you are being manipulated by two experts of suspense but you are willing to subject yourself to their masterful craft. Javier Bardem is given a total transformation by a weird hairdo, but it is his reincarnation as a single-minded psychopath killer that completed the transformation. This film seals his versatility. Indeed, it is 'an instant classic'.

127 Hours vs Shoot the Moon

Watched 127 Hours last night. Although I had read the reviews and was looking forward to it, nothing, it felt, had prepared me for one of the most gruesome scenes in cinema. To mitigate the sense of terror and shock, I had to quickly put on a family drama before attempting to go to bed to dispel some of its lingering images. That said, the film is extremely well-made and acted, and certainly a much better work than the director's another recent success Millennium Slumdog. Paradoxically, while the film is very uplifting and with a touching finale, I also find myself questioning the need of making such a (near documentary) film about the real life accident. But then while I covered my eyes at one or two of the scenes, I had never attempted to reach the remote control to press the 'stop' mode. Isn't it strange that we can both dread and yet continue the terrifying experience? Shoot the Moon, the film with a romantic cover on its DVD turned out to be the worst follow-up after 127 Hours: it brings another kind of horror and torture, that in the most intimate of human relationships. Despite its critical acclaims when it first came out, I didn't enjoy it at all. This was perhaps in no small part, due to the fact I was looking for an escape after 127 Hours.

The Artist

This is probably the best French film I have watched for a very long time: with a breath-taking performance from Jean Dujardin, the film about one of film industry's difficult periods - from silent to 'talkies', has an incredible soundtrack and never a dull moment. While it reminds me of many highlights in the silent era, it is also incredibly modern in its message and its understated way to express it: behind the romance and drama is also a film about change, the only constant, and how we humans cope with it. Hugo, another film based on the early period of the film industry, is however a mixed bag with many dramatic flaws and too philosophical junior protagonists. But I am glad I rummaged through it.

Elegy

Elegy has all the good signs of a great film: an intelligent script, witty conversations about feelings and commitment, great chemistry between its leads, impressive cinematography. The last quarter though seems to lose its steam and lose its direction. Otherwise it would have been in the same category of Closer.

Sandcastle

Shot within 18 days on shoestring budget, its rough and austere form reminds me of the early works from the Chinese Sixth Generation Directors. And like their best outputs, Sandcastle is audacious in its thematic matters. Although it leaves much to be said, the fact that it dares to touch upon such a taboo in Singapore - its recent history and the public discourse of it, is in itself touching. If more of such films are allowed to surface, we can see hope in its national cinema.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The opening sequences are a bit bland, as if it isn't quite sure where it is leading to. But my, this most unpredictable film is full of surprises and has touched me at the most unexpected moments. Thomas Horn is excellent as the boy who has a mission - to uncover the 'truth' his late father might have set him to. But the greatest moments are when Max von Sydow shines on the screen and he does so with his face and body only as the mysterious muted old man whose stories we can only guess at. And Sandra Bullock, I don't think she has given such a subdued yet brilliant performance ever since her Speed. The rest of the ensemble have also been more than adequate.

Jane Eyre

It must be a very popular item, for it took me a while to get hold of it from the library. And probably there was such rave reviews about its casting, I end up with a rather mixed feeling about it. Unlike numerous other adaptations, this 2011 version tells the story mainly with flashbacks, and also tries to bring an austere focus on the two leading characters by removing lots of minor details. There is also a striking gothic look to the film due to the audacious use of lighting. In this sense, the film breathes a fresh air to an beloved classic. The casting of Mia Wasikowaka as Jane is, as many observes, an inspired choice. Her relative young age and the unusual minimum make-up also makes her probably a lot closer to the character depicted in the book. What seems utterly shocking is there appears to be so little between Jane and Rochester to convince us that theirs is a true love that will draw Jane back to him after inheriting an unexpected fortune. And in addition, it is the first time that it dawns on me that Rochester is not only cold-hearted and cruel (he attacks nearly everybody around him), but we know literarily nothing about him: what he does while he is away, for example. This is rather weird: because while I can remember the dialogues between them, I cannot recall seeing him in such a light ever before. Is it my memory that is playing a trick on me or this particular adaptation has brought out those issues for the first time? Another shocking discovery was the film adaption whose soundtrack I remembered so well was actually made in 1970, not in the 1940s.

Smilla's sense of snow

This is one of the best finds in recent months. A strong and edgy heroine with a damaged enigmatic past who is determined to solve a murder case apparently too big and complicated for her delicate frame. And yet she forges on despite the threat of imprisonment and risk of life. Like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the plot is near implausible, especially in the final thirty minutes, and yet it never fails to grip you with its build-up of atmosphere, the fine performance of Julia Ormond and her chemistry with the charismatic Gabriel Bryne in a mysterious role.

Drive

Drive is a difficult book. I could not quite follow its story and I found none of the characters engaging. I have bought the DVD film because of one thing: Ryan Gosling. And he hasn't disappointed. Actually, I was hooked the minute from the credit sequence: Cary Mulligan is in it. And the chemistry between her and Ryan is just brilliant. I still find the story a bit thin, but then the music, as well as the performance, creates a surreal world where such thing doesn't seem matter that much, at least when you are immersed in it anyway.

Mother

This Korean movie is, on the surface of it, about a mother's desperate efforts to prove the innocence of her retard son who has just been accused of murder. In the last ten to fifteen minutes however, it becomes an observation on human nature and what it can drive us to do in the name of love. 'Mother' gave a virtuous performance, especially in the closing sequence when she dances in the open field to the music only we can hear. It feels as if she is then completely free - beyond any moral boundaries. With this film, Boon Joon-ho proves once again his power in depicting the blurring of the conventional moral boundaries.

Raising Victor Vargas

It is so raw yet real and powerful, one can hardly believe it is made in America.

Midnight in Paris

Although I had already read some rave reviews before I could get hold of a copy of this film, I was still pleasantly surprised by how idiosyncratically amusing it actually is.

Irina Palm

Despite the tragedy and all the uncertainties until the very last minute, this is a hilariously funny film that keeps you stay tuned. A surprising cinematic triumph, much thanks to the subtle performance by its leading lady Marianne Faithful. Great chemistry between her and Miki Manojlovic, who also stars in one of my favourites, Underground.

Nina's tragedies

Made in 2003, this is a the most refreshing and rich in texture film I have ever watched in recent weeks. A real eye-opener.

Sopyonjie

It took enormous patience to sit through this slow pace film featured by regular and lengthy performance of a dying art form pansori. Accompanied only by a hint of drum, the traditional solo recital can sound rather monotonous, especially when the performer has to remain absolute passive throughout and voice becomes the only vehicle they can resort to. But despite the challenge to a foreign audience, it has a drawing power to keep you stay on to see what happens to those wanderers and guardians of a dying art. This is unexpected rewarded when the two siblings reunited briefly after years of separation and sat in the small rundown inn to perform the most challenging piece in their repertoire in great harmony and with repressed longing for each other. This is an exquisite film.

Down in the Valley

It made me realise why all the fuss about Evan Rachel Wood.

Half Nelson

Ryan Gosling gives a mesmerising performance as a drug-addicted school teacher in an inner city school. He makes the character so human that you just want to step in and pull him out from the mess he is so steep in. It is poignant that his 12 year old student seems to be the only one who cares enough to give him the help that the tough journey might need.

Fear and Trembling

Can we claim that we know the cultures of a country if we speak its language? This hilariously funny film poses a poignant question as we witness the Belgium girl who can speak fluent Japanese sinks to the dark pit of a Japanese company.

Stripes

I thought Bill Murray was good in Lost in Translation. But it is Stripes, his second significant film role, that makes me a fan of this talented comedian.

13 Tzameti

This is one of the most enigmatic and compelling films I have watched lately. I am not always a great fan of thriller, but I love every bit of it: its soundtrack (that piqued me instantly), its scripts, its supreme performance, and the stark black and white cinematography. An intelligent and poignant critics on the crude side of human nature, its gripping power keeps you guessing to the last minute.

Intimate Strangers

This is an extraordinary film, especially in the age of instant gratification seems to be norm, or so it seems at least on the screen. Throughout the film, we, just like the tax lawyer himself who is initially mistaken as a psychiatrist, are only allowed limited access to the two protagonists. We could only see what he sees inside his office, and the whole story is like a myth yet to be decoded with the motivation of the two protagonists never made clear to us, not even until the last moment. Although we could perhaps indeed put a label such as the attractiveness of the opposite to the story. The soundtrack is brilliant in giving the story almost a hint of thriller, like that in a Hitchcock film, in particular his Vertigo.

(500) Days of summer

I have first seen Zooey Deschanel in an offbeat Winter Passing, in which she plays a confused and lost girl but is eventually able to pick up the pieces through a belated visit to her hermit novelist father. Though the DVD jumped at a number of scenes, I love this (500) Days of Summer almost instantly for its unusual storytelling. And I believe that part of its charm also lies in the enigmatic charisma of Zooey and the understated chemistry between her and her screen romantic lead.

Dangerous Liaisons

This is one of those films that I wasn't sure if I had watched it or not and then once the film started I quickly recalled quite a lot of it.

I am not sure I knew of its significance when I first viewed it. I have to admit that I didn't expected much when I put this on but was gripped by it for the strength of the script and the strong performance across the ensemble.

Waterboys

This is a funny and heartwarming film about five high school boys who take on an unlikely activity, synchronised swimming, and surprise everybody, including themselves in the process. I knew it should be good when it says it is from the same producer of Shall We Dance? but didn't realise it could be so good and hilariously funny until I reached the final moment.

The girl from Monaco

This is the sort of film that doesn't tell you anything new and yet you are nevertheless gripped by the storytelling and the magnetic performance given by its stars. In this instance, it is the dilemma suffered by the ageing attorney and the performance by enigmatic Roschdy Zem and sexy Louise Bourgoin that has made the whole experience so thrilling.

Eternal summer

It was a long while since I watched such a captivating Taiwanese film with a tight script and natural and convincing performance from the ensemble. I had seen it on the shelf many times and yet due to my allergy with Taiwanese media products as a whole, I had not been keen to watch it. This made me wonder what I have missed in the process.

Welcome to Dongmakgol

I tend to find 'blockbusters' dull and too eager to please but this one is a breath of fresh air.

People from different backgrounds and with conflicting ideologies had to stay together before going their separate ways. Gradually though under the influence of the pacific villagers, they found their inner desire for peace and learnt to appreciate each other as just human beings.

There are many clever use of minor characters or proms for character depiction purpose. The role of a 'crazy girl', the boar are just two of the most distinguishing ones that showcase how humour and humanity can be intertwined into a film about, on first appearance, conflict and war.

Art is a state of mind

That is what I learnt after two hours at the Art Stage at MBS.

Spring summer fall winter...spring

While I was watching the film, one of the things that amazed me the most was that there seems to be so many Korean films in the last decade that are so simple in format, with barely-there dialogues and few characters. The Way Home, A Brand New Life, Treeless Mountain, for example, all have minimalist plots and the power of the film come from subtle character depiction featuring non-professional actors.

Now that I know it has the same director for 3-Iron and Time, I am surprised I didn't recognise his signature styles straightaway.

Gloomy Sunday

A most captivating film, with one of the most memorable tune, played in many variations throughout the story. It succeeded in making me wonder whether the film was based on, at least loosely, on real characters.

Although I can never quite understand the characters, the story-telling is powerful enough to keep me stay tuned. I was surprised it was made in 1999... because it still feels rather fresh.

It made me dig out all of Billie Holiday's CDs!

Attack the gas station!

Having just finished Midnight FM, I was a bit worried at the first half hour if Attack the Gas Station! was another one of those films that depict extreme violence for its own sake. Indeed, although Midnight FM seems to suggest that the motive behind the violence and kidnap is 'heroic' and 'justified' because the taxi driver believes he is taking law by his own hands, it doesn't make much of an effort to convince us so. Though the film could feel compelling at points, you can never get rid of the bugging feeling there are far too many loose plots to make the story convincing.

Attack the Gas Station was quite close to reaching the point that it is one of those films. Yet the director has quite cleverly steered us away from this thought with two crafts: the depiction of those patrons at the gas station, and later on, the intermitting flashbacks of the four young delinquents. When their nonsensical criminal act was put in the context of the overall crudeness, greediness (of the police force) and violence, it does not only draw sympathy towards the delinquents but also gradually, made them appear human (the singer love music that much that he demand various people to sing for him), funny (in front of a 'beautiful' lady, one of them subjected her to take off a piece of garment every time when she loses in a word puzzle), and even dignified and brave (when the baseball player demanded payment from the police for the gas and sends away a gangster whose mum is 'ill'). Their success in the end at realising their dream and getting away from the punishment therefore seems justified.

Just sex and nothing else

I must have seen it on the shelf a number of times, but the comparison on the synopsis to Sex and the City put me off. But when I eventually put it on the player, it turned out to be, to my surprise, a little gem.

First the film has a very tight script, it is about a theatre editor who wants to have a child without any of the downsides of a committed relationship, after finding out her man is actually married with a pregnant wife. During that process and despite her initial prejudice against a charming leading man in her play, they fell in love and had a family.

But the fun also come with the smart dialogues, and more significantly, the 'sparkling performances of the ensemble, and in particular the chemistry between the two leads.

A very addictive film.

The music room

Three prolonged set of performances from three different groups of musicians, and a rather minimalist and 'static' narrative in-between. The Music Room wants the audience to sit down quietly, like those at those performances, to experience how the protagonist felt before and after those highlights of his existence. Not much drama, but a lot of minute observations, and the camera stayed, except at the last scene, within the compound of the crumbling mansion that had hosted several generations of good life.

A very confident work. An ode to Indian music and dance.

Indian fabric

Went to the Patterns of Trade: Indian Textile for Export, 1400 to 1900 exhibition at the Asian Civilisation Museum this morning. It didn't disappoint, and I spent a good 90 minutes there to examine all the items.

I was first introduced to Indian fabric and 'fashion' in 1999 when my ex bought me two Indian dresses and shawls. Though I wasn't impressed by their quality (some of the buttons were rustic on a dress and the fabric of the shawls too rough to wrap around the bare neck), I was intrigued by its traditional design and the unique patterns on the shawls. In the follow nine years, I would continue receive gifts from India, some of them dresses, and had come to the conclusion that Indian fabric was cheaply made (at least those sold in the mass market where my ex frequented) but had a distinctive ethnic touch to them, and could look rather feminine if fitted well. Despite the fact that their colours come off quite easily, the Indian dresses also seemed to me like an ideal pregnancy dresses and when my younger sister was pregnant, I 'ordered' some for her - which turned her into an instant 'fashion icon' at her regular bus stops; female fellow passengers were fascinated by how graceful she looked in those 'exotic' dresses and would even enquire where they could get some.

Indian dresses and shawls were in fact only part of our collection of ethnic fabric; apart from a few Indian pieces for hanging, we had also acquired decorative fabric from Bali, Tibet and southwestern China. While the dry condition in England allow them to be displayed in the house quite easily (the fact windows were closed most of the time also helped), it became a headache of sort in this tropical climate with high humidity. All all the pieces, the most expensive item was in fact purchased in Hong Kong from a friend's ex-boyfriend. A medium size piece for hanging, it was made from several fabric women in Guizhou used for carrying their babies on their backs. The original fabrics were all worn due to overuse and so the seller had someone cut out the better ones and patched them together as a whole piece. How to keep them and make sure they are fine in such climate was a challenge.

This cursory knowledge about Indian fabrics made me want to know more about it and its history, and to my satisfaction, the exhibition was well-researched and executed. Not only it traces the origin, the development of the textile industry inside India, it also discuses its impact across the border and beyond. The video that is played on look provides interesting display on the process Indian patterns are made traditionally. While I was watching it, it dawned to me how come those pieces were so 'rough' and appeared to repeat the patterns. But the surprise was how beautiful the exhibition room looks with the huge fabric hanging on the wall, as most of them should be in their proper settings. It made me realise that they were in fact a form of art.

I felt rather 'civilised' while examining those delicate items; some with silk like texture.