Drama
1) Fight club review
Fight club is one of those movies I regret not watching earlier in my life. It showcases the problems men of modern society face. We are a generation of men raised by women. We have no Great War or purpose anymore. We live in a consumerist society where we are empty on the inside so we “work jobs we hate to buy shit we don’t need”. We let our products be our identity almost to the point that they own us. If we lose them, we feel a loss in our identity to the point we feel the need to buy them.
Individuality is lost as we are all just small gears running the machine we call society. Men have lost their masculinity, a few literally, but many figuratively.
The movie sadly doesn’t provide a solution to the loss of masculinity problem other than beating each other and causing chaos in society(which seems more like a tantrum than an actual solution).
I love this movie because I too struggle with this problem. The biggest problem in life I have is that I am a man who doesn’t know what it means to be a man in the 21st century. Does being a husband, a good boss, a father, or a friend make me a man? I don’t know. I am one of the many lost men who don’t know their place in this world.
2) Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)
Review: This movie is an emotional one. It's plot mainly follows the struggles of a dyslexic student who has trouble reading words and numbers. His disability is misinterpreted as laziness which often leads to his punishment. This goes on until he meets an art teacher who understands him. I love the little animation segment which highlights Ishaan's (the main kid) vivid imagination. It varies from paint moving around to clay animation of him figuring out a math problem. Since it's a bollywood movie, it is almost 3 hours long and it includes a few song montages to highlight different aspects of the character. For example, the song is super-fast paced almost like a rap song which represents the rise and grind mentality most people have in a competitive world. When it comes to Ishaan, it slows down to almost a poem-like song showcasing that Ishaan just wants to enjoy life and not participate in the rat race. Overall, it's a masterpiece of a movie almost anybody will enjoy.
Personal stuff:
"I am looking at a mirror"
That's what the art teacher says about the dyslexic student. That's how I felt as a viewer when watching the movie.
Throughout the whole movie, I cried a lot but it wasn't at the heartfelt moments. It was at the scenes of Ishaan being outside class, being the class clown, and looking down from the rooftop. For the most part, this movie summarized most of my grade 3-7 experience in Hong Kong. It opened a lot of old wounds and I was looking away from the screen more times than when I was watching a horror movie with friends. It was painful to watch and I cried a shit load because it reminded me of the bad times of my childhood. A lot of it I covered up and forgot about until the movie reminded me about them. This is one of those movies that I needed to watch again. The first time I watched it, I was 8 years old just starting grade 3. It's been 14 years since and I understand the movie a whole lot better. I feel that the movie understands what I went through and that itself means a lot.
3) Everything Everywhere All at once
This is one of those movies that only happen once in a lifetime and I am glad that I am alive to be able to watch it.
Initially, I was hesitant on watching it. Most drama movies never appealed to me because most movies that I watch often involve action so I thought a movie like this would be too high class for me. I use google review ratings to decide whether I want to watch a movie/tv show and I want the rating to be at least 90% for me to justify myself watching it. That way I know that at least the large majority of the viewers enjoyed watching it. It had an 80% approval on it so initially, I just pushed it away. However, one of my favorite moview reviewers highly recommended it so I decided to give it a watch. I am so glad that I ended up watching it.
This movie will make you laugh, it will make you cry. Sometimes you are in awe of the action stunts they made, other times, you will be saying "What the fuck!" in your head due to how absurd it gets. A lot of times with the visual effects, I am left wondering, "how were they able to create this movie?"
To put it simply. This movie is a masterpiece. I recommend this movie in contrast to another masterpiece, Crazy Rich Asians, which I don't recommend. When I say a movie is a masterpiece, I mean it is a 10/10. It has an interesting story, amazing actors, and good art direction. It fills out all the checkboxes required for a good movie with no flaws. However, Crazy Rich Asians felt lackluster. It feels like a research paper or an essay with no mistakes but no passion or creativity either. It reminds me of a huge mansion with amazing marbling, pure white paint coat on the outside, and everything else ranging from a large swimming pool to an indoor cinema, while also being properly maintained with no architectural flaws. It's perfect.
Everything Everywhere All at once feels like a small log cabin. On the outside, it doesn't seem impressive. When you walk inside, you immediately see the artistry in each room and floor. The carpets are hand-sewed with the names of each resident. There are frames of photo on cupboards and walls alongside different oil paintings, drawings, hand-glazed mug, and clay dolls. The fireplace is painted to depict it as a giant dragon mouth breathing fire from the wood you throw in. The house seems to have a soul of its own. The people who built it had an idea in mind and they poured their heart and soul into it. They didn't build it to sell it to a rich tycoon, rather they built it because it was always a dream of theirs and they wanted to bring their idea to life and have others enjoy it as well.
Both movies are masterpieces, but one feels like a business product while the other feels like a genuine piece of art coming from somewhere sacred. For that reason, I highly recommend this movie. This is my favorite movie after my favorite animated film: "The Night is Short Walk On Girl".
4) Marriage Story
I like this movie because it explores divorce without villifying either side. It's about a married couple who slowly realize that they belong with each other anymore. It starts with lack of communication, it then evolves to separation, and it finalizes into divorce. With amazing performance from both Adam Driver and Scarlet Johanssen, we feel the loneliness, stress, and frustration as they go through the separation process. It also made me even more scared of being married. Almost half of american couples get divorced. Not only do I lose half of my properties and money, I also have to pay tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and I will be stressed out of my mind going through divorce.
5) La La Land
I loved it. I consider this to be a once in a lifetime kind of movie just like "Everything Everywhere All At Once". I grew up in a Nepali household and 80% of the movies my family watched was Bollywood films. Those movies are often 3+hours long. They are so long that they have a dedicated intermission section halfway in the movie for people to use the restroom and get food. Almost every Bollywood film has 5-8 musical plays in them. Each of them are songs that add a musical twist to showcase what the characters are feeling/dreaming about. If you have a guy and a girl, there will be a romantic musical about them being in love. If you have a group of close friends, there will be an upbeat musical about them having fun and enjoying their youth. I hated Indian movies for that specific reasons. I just wanted to watch it for the plot and the action scenes. Musical sections seemed like a waste of time.
La La Land has about 5-6 musical sections in them. Now that I am more mature and older, I love them instead. The music amplifies the feeling of each character whether its being excited for new beginnings, or feeling lonely on beautiful nights. It also takes them a step further by introducing an incomplete song initially and showcasing the full version after the plot has moved forward whether its by adding lyrics to a pure melody song or continuing an interrupted song.
Also, the cinematography in this movie is amazing. With amazing lighting effects, it helps viewers see what to focus on whether its someone being absolutely stunned by someone's passionate performance or one of the characters being so invested in one's performance that everything else but them fades into dark as the spotlight is on them.
This movie is a masterpiece and is easily in my top 10 if not top 5.
6) 3 Idiots
If you had to watch one life-changing movie with your friends, this would be it. Most other movies that challenged my way of thinking, they are often best if watched alone. When I am with my friends, I love to watch action or comedy movies that are a blast to watch or movies that make us laugh. These are the type of movies that don't require your full attention 100% of the time and you can share some banter or discussion during the movie without being thrown out of the loop. These movies are there to give you a good time and not to leave a lasting impression.
3 idiots is a movie that both gives you a good time and leaves you thinking about it after the movie. I may have watched this movie 4-6 times so far. I love the different song segments that highlights what each of the characters are feeling whether its being in love, having a carefree attitude, or feeling hopeless. I also love the foreshadowing throughout the movie. Initially, you see some of the jokes as being absurd or random, but as the movie goes on, the pieces start joining together and everything begins to make sense.
A movie is nothing without character development and this movie has a lot of it. There are a lot of tear-jerking moments that will move you as the three friends go through engineering college from first day of school till graduation.
Highly recommend to watch for anyone.
7) The Whale
"The ugliest truth is better than the prettiest lie"
The Whale is best summarized by the above quote.
I love this film. The main character is just a representation of all the dark embarrassing secrets we keep hidden from others whether its by keeping the camera off or refusing to go outside one's home when others are around. Revealing the ugly truth to others is difficult and very painful. However, only by doing so can we move forward in life and create trust with others. It's not healthy often creating secrets from those around you. They begin to lose trust in you and you yourself feel guilty and burdened by having to keep secrets from them. We begin to run away from our problems and isolate ourselves from others out of shame. It's a downward spiral from there.
This movie isn't for everyone. It's a depressing film. A lot of people including myself will feel disgusted watching it. However, that is the point the movie is trying to make. It makes us as the viewers confront the ugly truths in front of us. That is why I love it. I think everyone in this world has something they are keeping secret or something they are running away from. For me, it was my edge-lord personality. Ever since becoming a teenager, I have always been a very hateful person, especially towards others who are more successful than me. There is a sick part of me that wants to watch them fail and it gives me pleasure out of their failures. My jealousy and my desire to make up for my disappointing teenage-hood and young adulthood has influenced majority of my actions and thoughts. I have kept this dark secret hidden from everyone and during very rare occasions, have I slipped out that side of me. I didn't want my friends nor my family to know about it because it's embarrassing and who would want to be associated with a fucked up person like me. After watching this movie and some late night walks pondering over my thoughts, I slowly began to accept this dark part of me. It's not something I can get rid of because it's been the primary motivation for my self-improvement. It gives meaning to my suffering whether its that at the gym or at work. It gives me hope that one day I will be able to prove to others that I am not a disappointment like I was 10 years ago. However, it's a very negative way of approaching life and despite it, I can't let go of it. It will always remain a part of me, and I owe the people dearest to me the truth of who I am. I don't consider this movie to be a masterpiece but it holds a special place in my heart.
8) Moonlight (06/05/2023)
“At some point, you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be. Can’t let nobody make that decision for you.”
Moonlight is a quiet film. There is less dialogue but I felt the emotions of loneliness, rejection, fear, anger, and self-acceptance much stronger than your average drama film. The movie is made that way to represent our main character, Chiron. He is very quiet due to his troublesome family and school life but there are a lot of emotions and thoughts going through his mind. I love the character progression because I relate to it a lot. In parts 1 and 2, we see how he is quiet as a kid and as a teenager but we feel his emotions of self-doubt whenever he is alone in the bath tub staring at the water or when he is looking at himself in the mirror. In part 3, we get to see him express his thoughts and feelings as the people who hurt him in the past begin to make amends. As he begins to open up, we also see him slowly accept himself whether he is gay, black, or quiet.
It's an amazing film in storytelling.
9) The Godfather Trilogy (06/14/2023)
Overall good watch.
I recently finished watching the Godfather trilogy. With each movie being almost 3 hours long, I had to take one or two breaks during the movie to take a little nap and restore my alertness.
The godfather movie starts with somebody asking the godfather for a favor. As the movie goes on, conflicts arises whether its family conflict or gang/business rivals trying to kill the godfather. Each movie ends with a hit compilation showcasing the godfather's enemies dying in a compilation ranging from gunshots, choking, or stabbing them with glasses.
These movies are well-made with interesting plots and amazing performances from the actors and actresses. The mafia families are full of passion and love for their family but underneath that, they are also hungry for power and paranoid because of their enemies. They try to project an image of selflessness and community while committing assassinations, bribery, and drugs. There is a sense of duality in all this. Each godfather is trying to do the right thing through the wrong means such as protecting his family by killing all his enemies.
I loved the first godfather film the most, while the third and second weren't as good. The first is my favorite because you get to see how Michael develops from a vague college graduate to a remorseless godfather. He wanted to avoid that way of life but he dived into the mafia world to protect his father. He ended up as a worse godfather than his dad because his empire was much larger and he murdered some of his own family members as revenge.
This reminds me of my favorite Chernobyl series quote:
"I thought well, that's it Macho, you put a bullet in someone. You are not you anymore. You will never be you again. But then you wake up the next morning, and you are still you. And you realize, that was you all along. You just didn't know."
10) Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a solid movie by Christopher Nolan. All the actors and actresses give a fabulous acting performance. I also love the minimal usage of CGI which lead to some impressive cinematography shots.
For me, I didn't like too much about the whole political drama arc. My main focus was on the relationship of Oppenheimer with Jean and his creation of the atomic bomb. Both of them revolve around the theme of actions and consequences. Oppenheimer takes severe actions for both and suffers as a result whether it is suffering from the grief caused by Jean's suicide after he left her or the realization that he himself gave mankind the ability to destroy themselves and the world.
I too have recently been familiar with this lesson of actions and consequences. I decided not to help a friend of mine out of my own personal safety and happiness. I get a sense of how Oppenheimer felt when he left Jean on her own knowing she has nobody else to rely on. I made my choice and I am suffering from the consequences of my actions as a result.
11) The Breakfast Club
The main lesson behind the Breakfast Club is about how we conform to meet the expectations created by others whether good or bad. It can be peer pressure or parental pressure. If they expect me to be smart, I will study more hours to avoid disappointing them. If they expect me to be a failure, I feel more comfortable being a class clown who pisses everybody off.
Despite our labels, we all have an inherent desire to be free from those expectations and do what we want to do, not what others expect from us. It's hard being yourself because you are constantly surrounded by other people so you are always expected to act a certain way. Even in the movie, there is a bittersweet ending because the five students will go back to their normal lives and original friend groups.
I have always been a people pleaser. I want people to like me and I hate disappointing others. Everybody had this image of me being hardworking and selfless to others. However, most of the time, it was exhausting because I would help others even I didn't want to. I resented others for it because I felt like a slave, like a dog who would mindlessly obey others for their affection.
One thing I am constantly striving for is to be more authentic. I feel more comfortable saying no now. My beliefs and understanding of the world are more concrete. I am not as scared of being called a weirdo or a bad person compared to before (I still am scared though, just not as much). However, my opinions and morals have pissed off a lot of people and it's something I am getting more comfortable with. I rather have others pissed off at the real me than me being secretly angry towards them for succumbing to their pressure.
12) Didi by Sean Wang
August 4th, 2024
It’s my favorite movie because it’s personal.
This was the first time I felt that every scene in the movie mattered.
I cried three times throughout the movie.
I felt like this movie was made for me specifically.
My favorite scene is when he is walking alone on the street at night and we see him from a Birds Eye view. Just watching that scene filled me with immense feelings of loneliness. It reminds me of the night walks where everything is quiet and dead. All I have is myself alone to my thoughts.
This movie perfectly encapsulates my experience growing up as a teenage boy. I felt pain and embarrassment when Didi couldn't kiss the girl because I failed that too before. Always feeling like an embarrassment, a failed trophy because my cousin has better grades or better extracurriculars than me. Trying to figure out how to date, how to be cool because your immigrant parents don't understand how your American peers work. That feeling of all hope is lost when Didi loses his friends. Life seems like it's over. I felt all of those things because they all happened to me too.
Another scene that made me laugh is when he gets a black eye. The grandma says if he has a black eye, he won't go to school, no school means no good job, no good job means no beautiful wife, no wife means no grandkids, no grandkids = the end of the wang bloodline. That one made me laugh because it's so relatable with my parents and grandparents
I loved the bittersweet ending. Even though Didi fucked up his chances with the girl and lost his skater friends, there is a feeling of hope. He is starting high school and there is a chance for new beginnings. A reset on life to make new friends and try out new things without the baggage from middle school.
13) her (December 18th, 2013)
September 6th, 2024
I finished watching the “her” movie a few days ago. It’s an interesting take on humans developing relationships with artificial intelligence (A.I.).
Initially, Samantha (the name of A.I.) acts very human when speaking as it banters, makes jokes, and has its own wants and needs when interacting with Theodore (the main human). She also takes short breaths when feeling anxious even though she is an A.I. with no physical body requiring oxygen.
However, as the movie progresses the differences between Theodore and Samantha becomes more and more apparent. Many futuristic films and video games show a world where robots and humans live equally. This movie contradicts that. Humans live for 70 or 80 years on average but robots can live almost forever. Their consciousness can be stored, replicated, or edited. Humans can only be in one place at one time. Robots can be everywhere simultaneously. This becomes a problem as Theodore finds out Samantha is talking with and in love with hundreds of other people. Humans have flaws but robots have almost none. They can read a book in a nanosecond while reading it takes us hours or days.
This brings up an important question, is their relationship genuine? We humans can love another and have feelings. Samantha or A.I., they are coded to react in a certain way to different situations. Did she naturally fall in love with Theodore or was it coded in her digital DNA to have somebody like Theodore be her perfect type. After all, in the beginning, Theodore has to answer a few questions about himself before his A.I. is created.
A.I. is still in its early stages but it's developing rapidly. Some people are utilizing chatbots to be their digital romantic partners. It's not as advanced as Samantha yet. However, A.I. is already taking place in our daily lives and relationships. People are more lonely than ever before as a larger part of our lives are spent on the web.
An interesting example are children. Children are supposed to be raised by their parents. However, many parents are busy with work or too tired so they give their kids a smartphone or ipad to keep them entertained. A lot of the content we see are controlled by algorithim which serve the company's best interests. As a result, we are seeing a generation of humans grow up with A.I. influence in their development.
It's scary to think about.
14) American Psycho (2000)
11/09/2024
American Psycho is in my top 5 movies. It is a weird, psychotic, and gruesome film.
I was weirded out by how robotic and inhuman some of the characters interactions were as if it was strictly transactional. Then I was horrified as Patrick Bateman’s killings grew more gruesome and bloody.
American Psycho is an example of how dark and twisted one’s thoughts can become in a modern society where everyone is constantly comparing themselves to each other in a competition for status and recognition. Patrick’s killings were a catharsis to relieve himself of pain as his desire for individuality and creativity conflicted with his desire to surpass his peers in the status game.
Beneath all this madness, there is an important warning. Like Patrick I have often felt these dark thoughts in my own mind as I too often felt unrecognized and constantly wished to beat my peers. Yet, I felt suffocated as I was trapped to follow trends and what others wanted. I wanted others to feel the same pain as I have. Patrick Bateman is what I will become if I surround myself in a hyper consumerist and hyper competitive culture where everybody is a tryhard trying to surpass each other.
Life isn’t about being No.1. I don’t want my life to be like that. I want my life to be fun where I am constantly exploring new things while feeling free and my authentic myself with others. I don’t want to be a Patrick Bateman where he is constantly putting on a mask in front of others to the point where the real Patrick Bateman doesn’t exist anymore.
