derpinsel.com - pixels, stories and texts by angela solis

Get Smart

Get Smart (2008)
I really wanted to watch Kung Fu Panda but I ended up watching Get Smart with a couple of friends.

It was fun to watch. I like the stunts, I especially love Steve Carell in this movie. Anne Hathaway is really beautiful. I fangirled a bit when I saw Masi Oka in a small role, but whatever. I think I like this movie more because of the humor (which is its selling point) and the stunts.

What? Am I supposed to write something really thought-provoking about this film? I think this film is really funny, and that’s all that matters, I guess.

Sasayaki

Sasayaki / Moonlight Whisperers (ささやき ,1999)
Hindi ko ‘to na-gets. Ewan! Basta ang tingin ko sa movie na ‘to eh weird. Isa pang pumasok sa utak ko eh, “ano ba ang mga kabataan ngayon, kung ano-anong eksperimento ang ginagawa!?” kasi para sa akin, napaka-unlikely na gawin ng mga tipikal na teenagers yung ginawa nila dito sa movie. Pero naisip ko, well, eh movie ‘to eh. Walang basagan ng trip.

Pero siyempre kelangan ko guluhin yung trip ng direktor dito, kasi siyempre movie ‘to eh, kelangan may manood, ha ha!

Tungkol ito sa isang lalaking teenager na may crush sa kanyang kaibigang kasama sa kendo. Pero, hindi lang crush pala ang tingin niya sa babaeng ito. Uh… sabihin na nating may kakaiba siyang fetish, he he. So eventually naging sila nung girl at nadiskubre ng girl ang kakaibang fetish na ‘to, na eventually ay nag-ignite din sa fetish niya. Ahaha, sabi na ang labo eh.

Para sa akin, ang Sasayaki ay tungkol sa love and its forms, no matter how bizarre they are. Personally, I don’t even think na “love” yung na-feel nung dalawang bida dito. Para lang talaga silang nag-e-experiment, with disastrous results. For me it’s not about the lost of innocence, but how (young) people should weigh the consequences of their actions. Wala lang, para kasi silang may sariling mundo kaya nakakainis.

Ong-Bak

Ong-Bak (2003)
Nung binasa ko yung synopsis na nasa likod ng DVD case at tsaka yung mismong title, akala ko Ong-Bak yung name ni Tony Jaa, he he. Hindi dapat “Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior” ang North American title ng movie; dapat Ong-Bak lang. Bakit pa kasi nilagyan ng second title, mali naman.

Anyway, gusto ko ‘tong movie na ‘to kahit wala naman masyadong laman yung movie. Eto yung tipo ng palabas na papanoorin mo lang siya dahil maganda siya panoorin pero hindi naman magiging sabaw ang utak mo kapag pinanood mo siya. Basically, isa talaga siyang martial-arts film — wala ka nang aasahan kundi puro muay thai. Na hindi naman masama kasi hindi naman kine-claim ng movie na artsy-fartsy siya.

Pero maganda ang Ong-Bak visually. Maganda yung tones ng sepia at brown, at saka malinaw talaga yung kuha. Very crisp. As for Tony Jaa’s performance, ang galing niya, in fairness. Hindi pa siya pa-cute (eh hindi naman kelangan). Basta, hot siya dito, he he. Natuwa ako.

Charlie Wilson’s War

Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
Para sa akin, crash course sa Cold War ‘tong movie na ‘to. In between watching eh tinatanong ko ‘yung tatay ko (na nakumbinsi kong manood kasama ko instead na mag-chess lang siya sa Yahoo!) kung ano ba yung nangyari nung Cold War tsaka yung mga nangyari sa bansang involved dito. Siyempre kuwento naman ‘yung tatay ko.

Hindi ako fan ng mga war films. Eh hindi ko alam kung tungkol saan ‘tong movie na ‘to kaya hiniram ko, so ayun. Okay naman siya. Gusto ko yung cinematography kasi washout yung color ng film pero crisp pa rin yung texture. Galing pa umarte ng mga artista dito.

Iron Man

Iron Man (2008)
What I like in this film is Tony Spark (Robert Downey, Jr.), he he. Also the witty lines in the film, plus the SFX. But being annoying people (Lem and I), we just giggled and noticed a lot of things about the film while we watched it yesterday. I guess one of the most noticeable boo-boos in the film was when the arc exploded and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Palthrow) didn’t die in the explosion. I mean, as soon as she hit the red emergency button, she hid UNDER the arc, and the goddamn thing exploded! And Lem and I were wondering, “Did she die?” Our question was answered when we saw that Pepper Potts helped Tony Spark prepare for his press conference. :))

Although this film is not lame even though it’s a superhero film. Not one of the best though. I didn’t like the fighting sequence when the Iron Monger and Iron Man fought in the streets. Didn’t get the omph feeling, unlike when I watched Transformers.

Masitneun sex geurigo sarang

Masitneun sex geurigo sarang (맛있는 섹스 그리고 사랑 | The Sweet Sex and Love, 2003)
Director: Man-dae Bong

I actually do not know what’s the whole point of this film. I am guessing that this portrays a relationship that started in a very hasty fashion in which its sole foundation is sexual attraction. And what happens when you enter a relationship that is just about sex and not about anything else? A bit of a disaster, if I may say.

There’s just too many sex here and the plot’s really thin, so one might make a mistake that this is a pr0n film. Despite that, the sex scenes where done in a very sensual and discreet way, which I find really amazing, considering that the scenes weren’t made of too much cuts (or if there are a bunch of cuts there, it was done is a very clean and smooth way). Other than that, I actually don’t know what to say much about this film.

Onmyouji, Onmyouji II

Onmyouji (陰陽師, 2001)
Director: Takita Yojiro
A fun film to watch mainly because its approach is very straightforward. The movie is a fictional account of Abe no Seimei’s life, and by the way the movie was presented, you’ll get the idea that it’s not pretending to be “real” or something like that.

Abe no Seimei’s life is surrounded by myths already, so making a movie like this is not surprising.

It was just a bit “odd” because the characters spoke in standard Japanese. I was expecting that they will speak an older Japanese (more “lyrical”) but then again, who will even dare watch that? He he. I like Nomura Mansai’s acting; he seemed very “natural.” For a Heian-period movie it was entertaining and the plot was easy to understand.

Onmyouji II (陰陽師 II, 2001)
Director: Takita Yojiro
Ah, sequels. Surprisingly there wasn’t really a direct connection between the first movie and this one, as previous events weren’t even mentioned. However this movie dealt more with Shintoism, as it includes the story of the sun goddess Amaterasu and her bother Susa-no-O, the god of sea. The movie retained its cast, so there’s nothing to worry about acting and portrayal and such.

My only quirk in this movie is the introduction of the antagonists since they just appeared out of nowhere. The way they were introduced didn’t really make sense at first until the history behind Himiko was presented. I think that was the time when the movie’s story flowed smoothly.

Eli Eli Lema Sabachtani?

Eli Eli Lema Sabachtani? (My Lord, My Lord, Why Have You Forsaken Me?, 2005)
Director: Aoyama Shinji
As far as I can remember I’ve never seen any of Aoyama Shinji’s films, so I decided to check out Eli Eli Lema Sabachtani?. After all, with Miyazaki Aoi and Asano Tadanobu in the cast, I shouldn’t be worried about the film at all.

However, I think Eli Eli is not a movie for everyone. There’s a contrast between the deafening silence (due to limited dialogues) and deafening noise (due to Asano’s and Masaya’s music) that abound the film, and before you even reach the first half of the story, you might start to wonder a.) what the movie is about and b.) is it really worth watching.

The movie’s relatively short. The only thing is that there’s a lot of mundane activities going on in the film that makes it feel really slow and dragging. I guess the director purposely did that, but I have no idea why. What I really enjoyed in this film is the cinematography. The wash-out colors suit the atmosphere of the movie.

To-watch list

TokyoxErotica, Green Minds Metal Bats, Stereo Future, Daiten…, Moonlight Whisperers, All About my Dog, Gomen, Hana-bi, Saiyuki, Calling You, Hotel Hibiscus, Onmyouji, Sway, Tampopo, Maboroshi, The Pornographers, Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me and Sometimes Dad, Shindo, Tony Takitani, Dreams, April Story

Man Cheng Jin Dai Huang Jin Jia, The Prestige

Man Cheng Jin Dai Huang Jin Jia (2006)
Na-miss ko kasi itong movie na ‘to nung Asian Movie Festival kasi may trabaho ako, kaya naman nung nakita ko yung DVD for rent eh hiniram ko kaagad. My first impression was that this film was very lavish. Sobrang detailed ng scenes. The colors were really bright, solid and bold. I think that the colors contrast the dark secrets that the royal family in this film hide.

I liked Gong Li in this movie. It seemed that she looks so young to be a mother here, but I guess that it’s explainable (kings get younger wives?).

The movie’s plot is very compelling (deception’s a lovely element) but it did not really tie the loose ends in the story. We are left wondering, or assuming that Gong Li’s character eventually died, of course, unless the dynasty was defeated by the next dynasty, he he.

The Prestige (2006)
Kabaliw ‘tong film na ‘to. Sa sobrang deceiving niya hindi ko na alam kung ano ang nangyayari. Ang pangit pa ni Christian Bale dito, pero ang hot ni Hugh Jackman, ha ha. Masyadong prevalent yung mind games dito sa movie na ‘to na hindi lang yung protagonists at mga kasama nila yung naglolokohan, kasama na rin pati audience. Kung wala kang pasensiya baka itapon mo yung DVD sa frustration. Para kasing walang pupuntahan ‘yung film.

The thing is, being confusing was the reason bakit astig ang film na ‘to. It’s giving you one hell of a mindshit but it’s still damn good.