Before Midnight (2013)

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Finally, the 3rd and last (?) part of "The Before Trilogy". It was... very much different, but at the same time, it had slightly the same feeling. I have very mixed feelings about this one. Another Oscar nominee for the Best Adaptive Screenplay (again.)



Plot: We are thrown back into the life of Jesse and Celine after another 9 years. We share another day with them, this time in Greece. 

Thoughts: In my previous posts, I wrote that the end of the seconds movie was very ambiguous, that the audience was left with the questions "did Jesse catches his plane?", "did they hook up again?". So, the two possible outcomes, right? And this movie, immediately states, that yes, Jesse did miss his plane, and yes, they did hook up. This time for real. So, they are together, with cute twin girls, having a long vacation in Greece. What was different -- well, they didn't had any catching up to do. They've been together for 9 years. This movie had a lot more characters. It had like five major scenes (airport, scene in the car, the dinner scene, the walk to the hotel, and the hotel room). All huge and masterfully done. With minimal or any cuts. Just masterfully done. The movie had a lot more fighting scenes, just very raw and real emotions and just  feeling or a true love. Not romantic or fairy-tale like, but after all these years together, they managed to tolerate and truly love one-another.  


What I liked: After all three movies, all together, I'm amazed that even though this movie lacks events, major breakpoints or even basic action whatsoever, it is really intriguing and captivating. You don't even feel the time, I mean one scene is 10 minutes, other 20 minutes, the last probably all 30 minutes. I don't know, it was that good. It gets more and more mature with every movie. And that is beautiful. So unique. After almost 20 years in these characters life, you never know what to expect from the, You don't know how their brain is working and what they gonna say, to trigger one-another. 
I was surprised to find out, that every dialogue scene was scripted and nothing was improvised. Heavily rehearsed even. I mean, it felt so real and raw, as I said. That is truly masterful work by everyone on the set. The script, the writing is just genius. Sharp, bitter, humorous and just so real. Ahh, script so good, they didn't even had to improvise. 

What I didn't like: The way they ended all the story. I don't know, felt kind of... disappointing. Like bad after-taste in your mouth. Something you want to shake off. I mean, they are fighting, they say stuff they probably don't mean to, and for the sake of being together, they make up, but that's what felt bad for me. But when you think of it, the ending, again, was a bit ambiguous, and who knows (but I do hope) for another movie, maybe, I don't know, 9 years later? 


8,0 from IMDB. I'm still in doubts, whether this was the best movie out of all three? It was more mature, that also means better acting, writing, well, better everything. I'm glad Richard Linklater did this, it is a huge part of our modern cinema and I highly recommend movies like these three.  

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Ant-Man (2015)

22:17 Unknown 0 Comments

Ok, I kinda cheated my "The Before Trilogy" marathon. I will come back to the last movie "Before Midnight", but I kind of interrupted it to see the newest adventure in Marvel cinematic universe.


Plot: Scott Lang, just got out of the prison, trying to turn a new page, get a job, be a clean man. After his infamous heist to some super secure program, he was observed by Dr. Hank Pym, the creator of the Pym particle that can basically shrink you to the smallest size. So Dr. Pym wants Scott to become new Ant-man, for one last heist, to steal a very familiar suits, that was created by Dr. Pym's student Daren Cross, who intent to sell his suit and technology to HYDRA. So, we all know that HYDRA is a bad guy, so naturally Ant-Man has to save the day! 

Thoughts: I love love love Marvel Cinematic Universe! Gosh, ever since Avengers I can't get enough. And I don't even read the comics.  Visuals are goods, plots are entertaining enough, acting is good, and the whole atmosphere just feels epic. What more do you need? 



Actors: Oh man, don't we all have a crush on Paul Rudd? He's just... I mean, the older he gets, the better. Am I right? Though I still remember how cute he was in Clueless. Oh my. I'm happy to see some new faces in Marvel universe. Evangeline Lilly is one nice addition to the bunch. Can't wait to see her becoming a Wasp. That's gonna be amazing! (Sorry if I'm spoiling anything, you have to wait for the post credit scene to see her reveal.) Also loved seing some old faces, like beloved Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell and also The Falcon, by Anthony Mackie. Oh, and I saw one youtube, Anna Alana. Lovely! 

What I liked: I loved cheesy jokes, I did. I loved references they did to the other Marvel movies, like they talked about what happened in Avengers: Age of Ultron, about other little details that are like one big inside joke. Love the careless character of Scott, he is gonna be one hell of an avenger in the future. Oh man, this just gets me so excited for the future. The ants were sweet, made them look like a nice pet to have. I loved one character, Scotts friend Luis' way of telling some little thing with huge amount of details You'll know that I mean, when you see the movie. Also, not movie itself related - I loved the cute posters they made for this movie. Like, Captain America's shield, really close up, with little ant-man on it, same with Thor's hammer, or Black Widow's gun etc. So cool! 



What I  didn't like: Again, I'm just so in love with everything Marvel is doing that it is hard to find weak points. But, I'd say, I feel like they can go deeper and develop some good and interesting villains. Marvel has only used like 5% of awesomeness that it is, and the villains we've seen so far are far beyond what we might get in the future.

IMDB rated this as 7.9, pretty much the same as other Marvel cinematic universe movies. I agree, this one wasn't as bad or as unambitious as others. If you haven't seen it - go to the cinema! 

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Before Sunset (2004)

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Ok, the first sequel post on this blog. The second part of "The Before Trilogy", also by the talented Richard Linklater. Nominated for the Oscar for the best adapted screenplay (though it is NOT any adaptation whatsoever, but it applies, since it's a sequel. Weird, right?), written by Richard and the main actors themselves.


Plot: Jesse, played by lovely Ethan Hawke, is on tour for his book, that he actually wrote about that night in Vienna, 9 years ago. At the last stop in Paris, he notice that Celine, lovely Julie Delpy, is actually in the audience, listening to him. He has a couple of hours to kill before his flight back to America, so they spend a day together in Paris. 

Actors: I wasn't that impressed with Ethan Hawke this time, sadly, but, Julie Delpy showed a lot more dept and emotion in her performance, which was lovely. Also, how great was to see their progress, their growth. As their grow older, they grow wiser and with more life on their faces. That is so beautiful. 

What I liked: That this movie really felt like sequel. You know? You left off these characters 9 years ago, and you haven't seen or heard from them, and now that they meet again, they ask "What you been doing? What are you doing now? Are you married?"all that. That felt SO REAL. I mean... we talk about about ourselves, when we meet someone that we haven't seen in years. We say how we do, what we accomplished and stuff. That is so real. I love that about this movie. It is super realistic. And I loved, that it felt like "real-time" experience, not, you know, the scene ends, cut and then other shot in completely other location mid sentence. Nothing like that here. They go from the bookstore, go to coffee shop, to some garden, to boat-tour, take a car ride to Celine's place. And we actually see the whole journey. That is so refreshing. I appreciate that. 



What I didn't like: That it was so short! It seemed rushed and kind of stood for "an update" on these characters. No real outcome thought, no process. Just some broken hearts. With ambiguous ending. Did they hooked up again? Did Jesse missed his place? What is happening?  

Relationships: I feel like if we revisit the same characters, we need to see what that does to their chemistry. It's still there, but feels kind of one-sided (Jesse is eating up every word said by Celine, he devours her with his eyes and even though he is married with children at the moment, something tells me that if Celine say a word, he would drop everything and run away to sunset with her). On the other hard, Celine, is more conservative. She purposely pretends to forget some details from that night (I mean how can you forget that you had sex with someone? Twice? ... ) It just feels like, she wanted to forget that relationship, to bury it deep in the ground and never dig it up again, because she was happy then and even thinking about it now, makes her sad and hurtful now. And it breaks my heart, you know, at the end of the first movie, they promised each other to meet again, six months later in the train station in Vienna. It is sad, that Jesse actually showed up, as promised and Celine didn't. She said that it was because her grandma died, but really? What are the chances? And this gif, I found, also so touching. She feels his pain, he's not happy, but she can't comfort him, cuz then she'll get involved and that would hurt her again. 


Quotes: Again, as the first one, this movie is sooo full with beautiful thoughts, coming from withing so deep in your soul. Gosh. So perfect.  Like -- 
You can never replace anyone because everyone is made up of such beautiful specific details.
Even being alone it's better than sitting next to your lover and feeling lonely. 
Memories are wonderful things, if you don't have to deal with the past. 

So this one was rated a little lower on IMDB, only 8.1, compared to the first one, but I still think it's one hell of an accomplishment for a movie "where they only talk". Solid 8 from me. I'm surprised about the Oscar nomination though, but a prequel was strong, really strong, so I guess it was sort of sentimental thing. Also, congrats on another IMDB TOP 250 position. It landed on #242. I still have part 3 of this. Yay!


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Before Sunrise (1995)

23:15 Unknown 0 Comments

As I said in a previous post about "Reality Bites", I was impressed with the performance of Ethan Hawke, aaaaand I was thinking of watching this movie for a long time anyway, so it finally felt like time. In case you don't know this one, it is the first movie of The Before Trilogy by Richard Linklater (the author of "Boyhood") -- "Before Sunrise", "Before Sunset"and "Before Midnight". So, the first one:


Plot: A young american tourist meet a young french woman on a train to Vienna. He's actually going to Vienna to catch a plane to go home and she is just passing by, going home to Paris. They start talking and as it is time for him to departure, he suggest that she would go with. "Go crazy once in your life, spend a day with total stranger, to see what they might have missed or regretted". They end up spending day in Vienna, the first and the last one together.

Thoughts: Oh man, this is one beautiful, beautiful movie.  Not that much is happening, but it wins you over with the chemistry between actors, with its humble nature, deep thoughts, beautiful ideas, and the best part is - that the movie is so relatable. No wonder it falls into "The Top 250"movies on IMDB. Yes, the words and the chemistry are the biggest strength of this one. 


Actors: Ok, I'm, still amazed by Ethan Hawke. Not that I have a crush on him or even find him attractive, but he has something believable about him. He does! And Julie Delpy... I didn't even know she was actually french! She reminded me of a friend and she just felt so real. You know? Two perfect actors in probably greatest roles of their lives. 

Scenes: I feel I have to mention some essential scenes in a movie. First, the infamous train scene. They meet, they sit across one another, the guy tells a touching story about seeing his grandma's ghost. really opens up. Then there's a scene, that was probably my favourite. So they are in this record shop, they see some random record and like "You wanna see if this listening booth still work?". I'm just gotta share it. It's so simple, yet so capturing. No cuts, no angles, no nothing basically, just some tension, some glimpses... just a finest piece of cinema. 


And the last scene I wanna talk about is the scene you all have probably seen somewhere before. Yes,  the famous dinner scene. They pretend to call each others friends back home to tell them about this crazy adventure in Vienna. It's priceless to see one another talk about the same experience from their perspective, their thought on one another and how they feel. Another example of great piece of cinema. So good! 


Quotes: As I said before, this movie had some deep thoughts, ideas and such, I just feel like sharing the best ones -- 
If there's any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something. I know, it's almost impossible to succeed but who cares really? The answer must be in the attempt.
OK, well this was my thought: 50,000 years ago, there are not even a million people on the planet. 10,000 years ago, there's, like, two million people on the planet. Now there's between five and six billion people on the planet, right? Now, if we all have our own, like, individual, unique soul, right, where do they all come from? You know, are modern souls only a fraction of the original souls? 'Cause if they are, that represents a 5,000 to 1 split of each soul in the last 50,000 years, which is, like, a blip in the Earth's time. You know, so at best we're like these tiny fractions of people, you know, walking... I mean, is that why we're so scattered? 
I used to think that if none of your family or friends knew you were dead, it was like not really being dead. People can invent the best and the worst for you 
IMDB gives this 8.1 and it is Top 250 #203.  I honestly think this one of the examples of how a good, deep, thoughtful movie should look like. I can't wait to see the following two movies!

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Reality Bites (1994)

23:05 Unknown 0 Comments

Another entry from 90st, that is basically known for its excellent soundtrack (even Tarantino had to fight for a song that eventually ended up on this movie, that says a lot). Even if you read this movies trivia on IMDB, every other entry talks about the songs features in this movie. That is always a plus.


Plot: Lelaina, after her graduation, pursues her hobby of film-making, job-search and complicated relationships with people close to her. 

Thoughts: That description of a plot sounds so plain and boring, I know. It's not much to explore here, really. The beauty of this kind of movie is, I'd say, the self exploration. It's full of ideas, witty dialogue. Though I expected more, you know, "what to do with my life" kind of exploration, the meaning of live, the joy of living in a moment and such. You know that void in your whole existence after you finish something in your life-- school, collage,, or when you get a job, start a family... and then there's the question - "ok, I've done that. NOW WHAT?". You know, I expected that hard crap of what reality is and what it means, psychologically looking. But I get just complicated rom-com.



Actors: Ok, I adore Winona Ryder. She was the edgy cutie of 90st. So beautiful.  It's so funny to see young Ben Stiller (btw, he directed this movie), And I was amazed by the performance of Ethan Hawke. So amazed I'm even looking for more of his movies to watch., so look out. 

What I liked: I love quotable movies. This one is packedwith quotes . Here's one -- (I actually had more, that struck while watching the movie, but I can't find them now)
There's no point to any of this. It's all just a... a random lottery of meaningless tragedy and a series of near escapes. So I take pleasure in the details. You know... a Quarter-Pounder with cheese, those are good, the sky about ten minutes before it starts to rain, the moment where your laughter become a cackle... 
I loved characters. I think I might explore them a bit more:

Lelaina: Played by lovely Winona. Stubborn, naive and self absolve. I loved how her character was described in a movie by other character. It was "Your bradavos is embarrassing". Like, she tries to be rebel so bad, it seems like she's doing it for the sake of doing, can't step out of her comfort zone and just let it go. Or she lets it go too much. Either way, she smokes too much and she relies on others too much. 


Troy: Played by the amazing Ethan Hawke. Now that's what I call free spirit. He's a self proclaimed philosopher, with lots to say. He is  best friend on Lelaina and you can clearly see that he's head first deep in love with her. His exterior is though, cuz he's "so cool", but once in while, he shows his sensitive and vulnerable side, which is beautiful. I mean, my best friends have always been boys, I don't think I ever had  best friend of my own gender, and yeah, there are some point the the friendship when you think "what if?". Again, as it was said in movie "Sex is a fastest way to ruin a friendship".  

What I didn't like: I missed the lack of process. Lack of development of the story. I didn't necessarily had to have some action, just some outcome would be nice. Also, as I said before, the title was misleading and I kind of wanted some internal existence drama. 

IMDB gave this 6,6, but honestly, in my book it's a solid 7,5. Simply told complicated story of relationships, relatable situations, loats of sweet and touching moments, as well as rough and devastating. Good movie overall. 


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Suicide Kings (1997)

17:58 Unknown 0 Comments

Ok, kicking off next with a little older entry, stopping by to the late 90st, when this kind of movie was nothing unusual. I mean, there was a trend in 90st - big ransom, kidnapping movie, with bunch of suspects and unusual twists. Speaking of it, this is that kind of movie.


Plot: Five friends kidnaps a major mafia figure, so that he could help them. See someone kidnaps a sister of one of those guys and they just need little guidance what to do, how to outsmart other kidnappers. But what if someone from the mighty five is a rat? 

Thoughts: This is sort of bottle-episode thingie they do on tv so often now. You let all these suspects in one room and by playing your cards right, you might find out who the rat is. See there's a brother, a boyfriend, a soon-to-be-doctor, who might help with Charlie's (the kidnapped mafia boss) health, a guy who owns the house where they hold the kidnapee, and a guy who's just very passionate about all this mafia stuff. They all more or less had a motive to kidnap a girl, so here comes  great character development action. The brother, Avery, who seems so anxious and devastated by the condition of his kidnapped sister and the whole situation, the boyfriend, Max,who seems way too distant and uninterested by what is happening, the soon-to-be doctor, T.K, who sometimes seem like just a observer, the guy who owns the house, Ira, is way too panicking, by everything, especially by the house (I mean there's some mud on the rug, some blood here and there, who's gonna clean afterwards and so on) and finally, Brett, just a control freak, wanting to chop off someone's finger just for the sake of it. 
All in all, that was one big of a mess movie. Full with great performances, witty dialogue and suspension that would keep you till the very end. 



Actors: a big name like is Christopher Walken is enough to get your attention. He gives a phenomenal performance, even thought, the whole time he is tided up to a chair. I really like Johnny Galecki, also known for his of Leonard in "The Big Bang Theory". Oh and I feel like mentioning Sean Patrick Flanery, who plays Max, just because he looked like young Peter Sarsgaard. Oh my god do I have a thing for Peter. Goooosh. Just watch "An Education" and if you don't fall in love with Peter Sarsgaard, what is wrong with you?? (My god, this made my want to watch Än Education"again ;S) 

What I liked: I loved how 90st this movie felt. I mean I love everything about 90st, the music, literature, movies. Not fashion tho, it was awful back then. Anyway, I also loved the bottle-episode style they used. I loved the charismatic characters, with "layers and colours", with their own thoughts and developments, inner dialogues and distinctive features. There are quite a bunch of characters and none are plain or boring. It is so rare in movies these days, I really miss that. Like, you are writing your characters, right, so sit down, think about his past, about what your character likes and dislikes, what are his dreams and aspirations. You know, things like that. 
I loved the use of foreshadowing, if you are quick enough to catch a phase here, a look over there, a gesture here and there, you are good to go. 


What I didn't like: I'll repeat it again, it was a mess. I mean, I like it when movie gets complicated and twisted and all, but this is just a mess. They kidnapped this guys, because somebody kidnapped a girl, so the kidnapee send some to kidnap the kidnappers and at the end - nobody gets hurt. Oh and the fact that none of the five guys had any idea what they were doing, it was chaotic. 

The tittle: Ok, you might have guessed it - cards. I'm not a big card player myself, but I do know how to play poker. The Suicide King is quite simple. You shuffle the cards, pass some to other players and leave the rest of the cards on the table. Everyone has to draw a card from the deck and whoever gets the King of Hearts aka Suicide King, well you guessed it - looses. Much like the game, the characters of this movie, one by one, cracks and we're left with the last player, who eventually did the kidnapping. Easy. Oh, I have to give it to the movie director, it is one classy tittle for a movie. 

IMDB gave this 7.0, I don't know, once the events sink in, you think that it was pretty damn good movie. Though it felt like an early 90st rather that late 90st. I loved the character, plot a little less, but overall, I'd say it was worth 7.2 at least.  
  

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Ruby Sparks (2012)

23:00 Unknown 2 Comments

I don't know if you ever heard of this movie, I mean I just spotted it on tumblr, just a simple production still of a guy leaning over his typewriter with caption "OH MY GOD THIS IS MY FAVOURITE MOVIE EVER". You know, I raised my eyebrow, like "hmm, I've never even heard of it and it is someone's favourite movie". I should at least check it out.


Plot: This young writer struggles with what appears to be writers-block. While sleeping, he dreams of this girl, he's talking to her, she's sweet and interesting. Basically just Zooey Deschanel of everything. Inspired by her, he wakes up and stars writing. Imagine his surprise, when one morning he finds her in his kitchen making breakfast. 

 Actors: I'm just gonna say that Paul Dano and Chris Messina are nooo waaaay loking like brothers. I mean no way. Bad, bad choice to make them brothers. Zoe Kazan is cute, I remember her from "What If" with Daniel Radcliffe, which reminded me of type casting, cuz she was playing exactly the same type of girl. I was surprised to see Antionio Banderas in a movie like this. Fun fact: Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan are dating in real life. Aww, that is so cute. Though, at one point I thought "what a weird casting thing, to pair these two, hmm", but hey, this is even better.


Writing & directing: After watching this movie, I was curious who made it (I should always check that). Honestly, what didn't surprise me was that it was directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, since they did "Little Miss Sunshine", one of my favourite movies ever. It features the same actor (Paul Dano) and it kind of has this distinctive feeling about it. Not the story telling, but just feeling. And the poster, in "Little Miss Sunshine"they were running, and they are sure running it this one as well. Maybe just a coincidence, I don't know. Oh, and the writing. What surprised me was that it was written by the main actress Zoe Kazan. I don't know, it was kind of Zach Braff type of moment for me, where he would literally write and direct his own movies. But who knows, maybe she's a very good writer and she's just starting to show what she can do.

What I liked: Oh, I loooved how quickly this movie turned from sweet and cute, to creepy and very dark. I would not have guessed it. So cool, I love how diverse this movie was.
I drooled over the typewriter, I always wanted one, even though I don't know what I would write. Anything, grocery lists or something. I loved music. "Ca plane pour moi"by Plastic Bertrand was playing and I love that song so much. Like, it always makes me happy. It is impossible to listen to that song and feel down.



What I didn't like: I honestly don't know. It wasn't a perfect movie or anything, but I feel like I pretty much enjoyed the movie a lot. I mean, the main character was very selfish and disturbed in a way, but I'm glad of his development through-out.  Oh oh, I know what I didn't like -- the name "Ruby Sparks". That's one fake-ass name. What kind of real person, on their right mind would be named Ruby Sparks??? (*ignores the fact that Fox Mulder does not exist as well*). And doesn't Paul Dano looks like Shane Dawson? A LOT.

Colours: I feel like I have to talk about the colours in this movie a bit, because it makes such  lovely contrast. Calvin, the main character, is plain, he lives in a white house, all his clothes are tone-down soft colours. While Ruby is bright, she has red hair, she wears coloured pantyhose, always with cute colourful dresses or skirts. We never see her home, but she lights-up, when Calvin takes her to see his parents and they live in very lively and colourful home.

MDB gave this 7.2, but I highly believe it would past as a solid 8. Not your typical love story, someone who loves fiction and fantasy might like it as well.









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Minions (2015)

22:09 Unknown 0 Comments

Ok, don't point fingers, I went to the movie with my friends, just to hang out. But we also went to the first two movies, so to this one was kind of a way to end the holy trilogy. Also it was fun and I had a great time, ok?


Plot: the little yellow creatures that calls themselves Minions are one a quest to serve the most evil villain of them all. They found one, and by being too loyal they always end up losing "the boss", so they spend their existence by always looking, 

Actors: Well, since I was watching it in the cinema, it was voices in Lithuanian (pity :( ) but I would love hearing all the voise over work done by lovely Sandra Bullock, John Hamm and my lovely Steve Carell. 



What I liked: Honestly, the first two movies were so good and so funny. I'd say the first 20 minutes were the best. Loats of backstory, cute locations, bunch of historical references. Probably the references were the best thing about this movie. The audience was made of 50% kids and 50% of aduls, so I bet the half didn't get the 60th references, like The Beatles "Abbey road" cover shoot, King Kong, young Queen Elisabeth II or even the "making of the Moon landing". Oh and "Villain-con" Brilliant! Oh and little Gru, oh how adorable!

What I didn't like: ummm... well, after the first 20 minutes it kind of went down. Minions turn to be annoying and opposite of helpful. Jokes went flat and only the cuteness and awkwardness of  Minions were kind of helping this. 

IMDB gave this 6.9. Other movies in this franchise, are above 7, and yeah, it's a prehistory, but it was a bit weaker than others. The villain was weak, she didn't even do nothing evil, she just asked Minions to do all her work. I missed Gru :( 



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We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011)

21:37 Unknown 0 Comments

Another movie from 2011 that I missed at that time, but was always kind of curious about. Tilda Swanson is just God-like, Ezra Miller is, you know, hot, and this movie seemed like an extraordinary experience.


Ok, first of all, all the posters I've seen for this movie, made it look like a horror flick. A mystery at least. This one above makes me think of "The Grudge", the movie I was very disappointed with. Maybe that's why it took me so long to watch this one. Spoilers ahead. 

The plot: Mother-and-son relationship: he's very weird and she struggles to love him (I mean he's her kid and parents must love their offsprings, right?), to understand him and to justify his actions. No mystery or horror here, Sorry. 

Actors: As I said before, Tilda Swanson is just Goddess and Ezra Miller is hot. John C. Reilley is always "alright" for me. I was really impressed with actor who played young Kevin -Jasper Newell -- he looked like young Miller indeed, so kudos for the casting department. 



What I liked: I liked that the story was told backwards. Beginning from "that events" and going on-wards, revisiting important episodes during flashbacks. It's like, the main character, Eva, was searching her memory for that one thing, that triggered her son to do one thing or another. Also, an archery is not your usual child-hobby, so that was refreshing. Fun fact: red, blue, yellow and white, the colours of the target, were visible in every shot of the movie. It's kind of hard to notice, I mean it would be a lot easier if it was only one colour. But I'm glad the whole movie was not, say, yellow. 
I liked the happy scenes from Spain. My personal preferables and memories from when I was living there. 

What I didn't like: Oh my... ok. I didn't like the soundtrack. It was far too happy and uplifting for this kind of movie. It might be done to create the right mood or insist how the audience should feel, but it bothered me the whole time. When the soundtrack is good, you either don't hear it, cuz it blends in perfectly, or it gives you chills, creeps and etc, or in other words, it makes you feel something. In this case I felt annoyed. 
Again, children who are far too smart for their age, just gets under my skin. Just no. I didn't get what was Kevin's problem? You hate your mom? Why? Ok, maybe the kid was an accident, not planned, but still, Eva didn't gave up on him. She raised him, gave everything he needed, tried to make peace with him. And Kevin. Well, lets just say that he wore diapers till like age 9??? That's just to piss his mother off. But really, wtf? 
The kid obviously has issues, and it bothers me, that they only scratched the surface of it. Did he had a condition? Was his behavior it intentional? Someone please explain it from Kevin's point of view. We've had enough of victims testimony. I need to get into the head of the killer. YES.
Oh, and I really really wanted to see that mass-shouting scene. :( 



The tittle: This one's pretty obvious. The problem child, mother needs help. Rosemary's baby, anyone? No, he's not obsessed, just troubled. Deep, deep issues that kid had.  

IMDB gave it 7,5 rating and I think it's fair enough. I kinda expected more of it, I was left disappointed a bit. So, don't get your hopes up for a twist at the end or for  your questions to be answered. It's just a story being told. No further explanation. Even at the end of the movie, Eva asks Kevin "Why?", and he just goes "idk"... Could've given me a chichie quote of some Renascence author that totally makes no sense to what had happened, and I'd still be happier with that. 


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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

23:29 Unknown 0 Comments

Ok, so.. first of all, this is not a fresh new film. I've been hearing about it for quite a while. It didn't had any big fuss about it, but I knew it had something to do with 9/11 which kind of drove me off.

Anyway, 4 years later, well, recently actually, I came across the title again. Watched trailer. Turned to be, well, nothing that I hoped it to be. I was expecting some action packed thriller about 9/11, but it was actually sort of chichie "I lost someone very important in my life, but now it's very uplifting and life goes on and everything's beautiful" (does that even make sense?) kind of thing.



Ok, so, plot: this little boy, after his father dies in a 9/11, accidentally founds a mysterious key in the dad's closet. Now he's determined to find out what lock does it fits and maybe to get closer to his father.

 Actors: Oh, Tom Hanks. I love Tom Hanks. I won't say how good of an actor he is. It's just, he can be anybody, no type-casting for him. Then Sandra Bullock. Errr, not a fan, but I must admit, the older she gets, the prettier she becomes. Then there's the main actor Thomas Horn. Pretty little boy. Sweet face, lovely voice, but I'll get to him later.

What I liked: First of all, I loved little games dad and son played, detailed scrap-books (I wish I had that much patience to do scrap-book of my own, but when I think that I might mess it up, by trying to draw a little something in the corner of a page, it just freaks me out ;S), maps, hiding places, solid order of things. I liked pretty people and photos the main kid took of the people he met.
I liked colours. Cinematography is like a drug to me, so I was very happy that this kind of emotional and touching film kept its colours bright and happy. Colours does a lot for a movie's mood, so kudos for cheering me the whole movie long.
I liked the feeling of family, of closeness between people, no matter if they were random strangers, the feeling of belonging. I even shed a tear here and there.
I liked how Oskar and his grandma, that lived across the street, were communicating with walkie-talkies and in morse code. Super cool.
I liked how the main character, Oskar, was self-aware, he was talking to the audience (not directly), at one point he started counting the lies he says, but he quickly dropped that idea.

What I didn't like: The flashbacks. I know they were essential for the whole story telling, but they weren't distinctive enough (the flashbacks were of events that happened one year ago, so no difference between characters appearance, clothing or anything, so kind of messy).
I do not like the child characters that do not act like children. They are way too smart for their age, they don't know how to have fun, they always think of something or have a project of some sorts. I don't like that. Those kind of characters lacks emotions, No major character development. The main character reminder me of Haley Joel Osment from "The Sixth Sense" or in "A.I".
Also it was really annoying that the 9-year-old Oskar, that is afraid of everything, like literally everything, goes and talks to strangers like it's nothing, but can't cross the bridge cuz "It's not safe". Uugh.




The title: so, my guess, "extremely loud" might stand for the Renter character in the movie. He is guessed to be Oskars' grandfather and he doesn't speak. He always carry a notebook with him, but honestly, I don't think he says/writes anything that significant. Or the fact, that when scared, Oskar always covers his ears, as he's trying to save himself from loud noises.
"Incredibly close" might be the fact, that in order to find the lock that will fit the key, boy goes on a little local trip to find someone who might have known his father and can help with his search. Or the fact, that the key owner was actually the first person he visited, but didn't know it until the very end.

Character development: I was in the middle of the movie, when I thought "oh god, you're all so plain and gosh...". But. At the end, what surprised me the most, was Sandra Bullcok's character. At the begging she was flat and totally chichie. Oh you're husband dies, so you gonna lock yourself in with a robe around you and you gonna cry for the rest of your life. But at the end, she revealed her own little search, that the viewers were not aware of. A nice surprise, as I said.



Sooo... IMDB rating is 6,9, I'd give it a little more than 7, I guess. It was based on the book, and those always make the best screen-plays. Story was a bit week, no major plot twist, foreshadowing was very mild, but kind of predictable at times. The ending, even in a way uplifting and happy, made me feel disappointed, as it was never explained what the key actually unlocks.

anyway, here's a quote I felt like was appropriated from the movie.





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