Under the Skin (2013)

Hello. What the fuck did I just watch? That is quite the first thought that occurred whilst watching... But there's more to that.  


Plot: Umm this one is quite simple, we see a mysterious woman who seduces lonely men. 

Cast: Not much really.. Scarlett Johansson. Rest of the cast are actual people shot by hidden cameras, or just insignificant supporting people. 

Thoughts: Well, this movie doesn't seem much, but it actually is a very deep and complex piece. If you ever seen "2001: The Space Odyssey" or even "The Enemy" you'll know. These are the films I'd likely compare this one to ( I know it is very ambitious to compare anything to Space Odyssey, but some visions and plot developments reminded me of that movie). I'll get into more details below. Spoilers!



Character development: Ok, firstly - Scarlett's character (presumably) is an alien, send to earth on a mission. At the begging of the movie, we see her sort of changing places with another woman. That means, the lady before her have failed, so Scarlett (she didn't have a name, so I'm calling her that) steps in. Her mission is, well, to seduce and kill men. She has this sort of supervisor, the man on the motorcycle, that somehow knows what she's doing, he takes care of her. Scarlett has no emotions, she just makes small talk with her preys and quietly observes humankind. She sees that people are attracted to pretty things. She wears nice clothes, makeup, while talking to men she always asks "Do you think I'm pretty?". She suddenly feels sorry for one of her victim, lets him go, and that sort of changes her. Now here is when we see a development of her character. She runs away from her supervisor, she tries human food, she feels compassion, even tries sex, but it all kind of feels wrong, she is confused. She must of thought, that these sudden feelings for humans killed the lady before her. She runs away again, until her beauty gets her into trouble. At the end of the movie, she almost gets raped, until the raper accidentally scratches her skin and reveals her true self. Then naturally he is disgusted and scared of her, so he sets her on fire. Sorry, spoilers, told ya. That only proves, that people are shallow and only care of exterior beauty.



What I liked: I loved this movie. It is for those who appreciate true cinema, wants to dig deeper. That kind of movie keeps you at night, makes you think of theories, what it all might have meant. Also, I loved the surrealistic approach, the way of showing how men are being killed. Very aesthetic and artistic. Hidden message about the inside beauty was a nice touch. This kind of movie needs to be analysed as close as it is possible.

What I didn't like: It was slow. And very confusing. You need to see it twice to truly appreciate it. I bet half the people who watched thought that the movie was the biggest waste of time - it made no sense.  No surprise the ratting on IMDB is so low, only 6.3 for this hidden masterpiece.




K-PAX (2001)

You know me, I love myself some good science fiction, I love it even more when it has something to do with aliens. Add mystery and some mental disorder - I'm all yours. That was the case with this movie.

Plot: PROT is a patient in a mental hospital and he claims that he came from a planet called K-PAX. His psychiatrist tries to help with all means possible (yes, even hypnosis) but soon even he starts to doubt his own knowledge and maybe PROT is telling the truth???

Cast: Great Oscar-winning bunch -- Kevin Spacey, brilliant as always. Never lets your down with his performance. Eating a whole banana with its peels 27 times -- now that is a dedication. Jeff Bridges is brilliant as well, tho it was a bit weird for me to see him all so clean, hehe, I mean, not his usual "dude" Belowski self. Shout out to David Patrick Kelly, you sneaky thing, I recognize you from Twin Peaks. 


What I liked: This was a very good example of a very complex and multi-layered movie. First, it made you think it was a science-fiction, then it turned into drama and eventually it was a murder mystery. Kudos for keeping an audience interested throughout. Performances were brilliant, A plus cast, what else to expect. 
I liked the various supporting characters, with unique and interesting stories as well. 

What I didn't like: It made me mad, because, you can try to guess what is happening, like literally explain what is happening, but then movie takes a turn and messes everything up. And then you stand corrected until some new facts are presented and you start to make new conclusions just to be proven wrong again. 
I didn't like that a lot of questions were left unanswered or left for interpretation. Like the fact that PROT was able to see ultraviolet (how?) or what happened to poor Bess at the end of the movie?


Thoughts: And eventually, both me and Jeff Bridges' character were left to wonder weather PROT was real or just a friction of imagination. Like multiple personality disorder or some other explainable outcome. Maybe it was actually another person maybe it actually was PROT, just borrowing the body, to be able to do his mission on earth. Again, a lot of "maybies". 

Well, I really really enjoyed this piece. Great cast, great story, brilliant performances and plot that just keeps you guessing. 8,5 from me, IMDB it is a little underrated in my opinion - 7,4. 


Gattaca (1997)

I'm on a holiday, yay - that means I have plenty of time to watch as much movies as I want! It's only appropriate for the weather we're having - rainy and very much windy. Tho, I've seen a lot during this past week, not much really stood out (tho "Mad Max: Fury Road" was amazing, I feel as I don't really have much to say about it, other then it was a bloody amazing) until I saw this gem.


Plot: Not so distant future - everything is gene driven. Genetically "wrong" Vincent always had a dream to go to space. So he pretends to be Jerome, a genetically perfect person to pursue his dream.

Actors:  I already expressed my admiration to Ethan Hawke, so I'm just gonna repeat myself - he's one bloody good actor. Uma Thurman is gorgeous (no wonder these two became a couple after this movie). Jude Law and Loren Dean gets an honorable mentions. 


What I liked: Ok, maybe you've heard this one before, but it is believed to be the most accurate Sci-fi movie ever made. The GMO and other gene mutations - movie suggest that you can create a perfect human being, parents just have to chose best genes for their child. 
Oh, and look at those stairs - even they are DNA-shaped. Neet.
Movie had some really really good scenes - like the one, where Vincent blows cigarette smokes into the glass, in order to answer a question "What Titan's like?" (Titan's a satellite of Saturn, the place where Vincent is going for a year). Brilliant and beautiful! 
I loved the references throughout the whole movie. The hair-pulling and  the recurring water themes.

What I didn't like: No, movie was brilliant, I have no comments. 


Thoughts: The reason, why I selected to talk about this movie amongs the others I saw this week, was because it made me think about the future. And no, I don't see a problem with gene selection, That might be a good thing (let me know that you think.. maybe?). 
The people, shown in the movie were very picky about the genes. Obsessed even. It's like the new kind of discrimination. The right ones, the wrongs ones... It seemed, if you were naturally born (your parents didn't choose any genes for you. You were just received the good old fashioned way) the only purpose in life for you was to be a janitor. That's a bit wrong don't you think? 
And what shocked me the most was that no one, I mean literally no one, cared what you looked like. Vincent (Ethan Hawke) had Jerome's (Jude Law) face show up in every ID picture. And no one seemed to notice that it's a totally different person. They don't even look alike. Same with others. Vincent didn't even recognize his own brother and father, when they always been around. It seems that the only way to know someone is to pull one's hair and take it to the lab to analyze. The movie suggest that this kind of hair-pulling is going to be the new dating thing in the future. That is just... wrong. 


I want to give this movie 8. Maybe 8 and a half, cuz it really touched me, made me think. Those are good kind of movies. IMDB ratting 7.8. And one Oscar nomination. And also NASA approve. And Hawke-Thurman marriage. So..  yeah :) 

Nine 1/2 weeks (1986)

I don't know about you, but this movie was BIG in Lithuania. I remember whenever it was on tv, they would make a big deal out of it. Yeah, you know why. I was never into movies like this, but it's a full moon right now and we all feels a bit weird when it's a full moon ( I do not make sense).


Plot: Basically this woman Elizabeth gets involved sexually with a man she just met. Yeah...

Thoughts: So this was based on a book... so basically this was a premise for 50 shades, cuz this was practically the same things. Never read a book, not I intent to, cuz it's just plain dull. Poor woman just gets sucked into this relationship (can I even call it like that??), it's totally female-shaming. Do this do that, put on a blindfold, take of your clothes, crawl. I mean... that is just disgusting. Also, fun fact - there is a sequel, called "Another nine 1/2 weeks" and this time Rourke's character has a last name - John Gray. Rings a bell??  



Actors: Hmmm... Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. She was just as black as Dakota Johnson in 50 Shades Of Grey. Honestly. Mickey had this creepy smile on his face like the whole movie! They had zero chemistry together. And he looked like young Bruce Willis, 

What I liked: Umm.. I liked Kim hairstyle here. Really looked nice... 

What I didn't like: Um. Like that fact that he used her like a toy. Like a pet. Bought her stuff. Like super expensive scarf. And call me suspicious, but I know for a fact that you can never give watches as gift for someone. Never. It means, that "I am counting our time together". And eventually the time will run  out. Needless to say they broke up. 

IMDB rating - 5.9, but man... This is probably the first movie on this blog that I hated so much. Don't watch it. 

The Spectacular Now (2013)

Been a while, as I said before - tv series time right now, tho I feel guilty, that I can't seem to find time for a movie once in a while.


Plot: Sutter Keely lives for a moment. He does not think of future, college or family or whatever. He's vitty, charming, well-meaning guy. He meet Aimee after one black out drunk episode, quickly befriends her, eventually she becomes something more. 

Thoughts: Ok, at first I thoughts it's going to be another heartwarming love story, but it was actually very real and down to earth story about, you know, everyday flawed people. Too depressing at time, if you ask me, but very... human. It deals heavily with Sutter's character being an alcoholic, constantly drinking, slowly turning Aimee to an alcoholic as well. I felt really bad for her, for being so naive and trustfull, like, girl, he's sooo wrong for you. 



Actors: I've read somewhere, that actors like Shailene Woodley just sort of comes out of nowhere and we are sort of pushed to like them?? I do't know.. I don't find her or even Miles Teller that special. She's cute and sweet and all, but I think it is a very odd choice to make Miles a love interest. I was happy to see the beautiful Mary Elizabeth Winstead. 

What I liked: The unexpected tone, that the story was told, like they totally fooled me, by presenting this story as happy and care free. I mean loo at that poster! Doesn't it look nice? 
I loved the ambiguous ending, it really could end in every possible way, so that's nice. It can end happily, if you want to.
I loved that the movie proposed some great philosophical thoughts about "living now". Is it really a good thing? Really great coming of age movie. Really captures the teenagers nowadays. 


What I didn't like: At parts this movie was really sad and dark, and I don't think I can justify or even explain the actions that some characters did. Some plot points were kind of shaky (that car accident really took me unguarded). So yeah, not that much bad things, huh? 

IMDB was very generous this time - 7.2! I'd say I agree, it's like a 7 for me as well. 


Crimson Peak (2015)

So, saw this interesting piece last night. Beautiful sets, beautiful actors, breathtaking movie.


Plot: Young aspiring author Edith Cushing meet an exciting charming young gentleman Thomas Sharpe. He initially come to America to find an investor, pursuing Edith's father to be specific, to fund his clay mining machine.  He, and his sister Lucille, lives in an old family house back in England, that is build on a huge hill, that is nothing but red clay. As family gone broke, they seek for a funding, so they can keep the house. Edith eventually marries Thomas, and goes to England, to start a new life on a Crimson Peak. 

Actors: TOM HIDDLESTON. Oh, boy do I love him. He's so charming, oh my. And I read, that the part was initially offered to Benedict Cumberbatch. Weh, And Mia Wasikowska is just in her field. Also, thank God, the part didn't go to Emma Stone. That would be weird. Jessica Chastain is just gorgeous. I was surprised to see Jim Beaver, he played Bobby in Supernatural. 



What I liked: I loooved the sets. So beautiful. The house, the Crimson Peak is just hauntingly beautiful. I loved little repetitive details - the use of colour red, the butterflies. One of my favourite scenes in the whole movie - the dancing with the candle scene. Guillermo del Toro delivers his signature monsters - beautifully done ghosts. And I feel I must warn you - this is not a ghost story, this is rather story with ghosts in it. 
Some parts really made me laugh, to be honest. And I thought this intended to be a horror story. But it is one beautifully done movie. Aesthetically pleasing (and we get so see Hidles' ass. Which is not a bad thing). 


What I didn't like: I hated that the main story was so... natural. So explainable and so human. I wanted something out of this word. Even motives were very human. Money, it's  all about money. Sad. Also, I wanted more ghosts :( 

IMDB ratted this 7.1. I can see why that kind of rating, cuz after walking out of the cinema, I felt a bit cheated and mislead by trailers and all. Didn't really get what I expected. But on the otherhand, it was beautiful and trilling movie. 7.5. 




Spy (2015)

Sorry for absence, been busy with.. everything really. Anyway, kind of stopped watching movies for a while (it's a tv series season). Watched a while ago, but feel like I should at least give it a mention.


Plot: A desk-bound spy Susan, whose job is to sit next to computer, watch other agents on a missions and help them. One day, her partner in the field Brandley gets killed, so she volunteers to go undercover on a field mission. Something she never really done before.

Cast: Some very knows faces in this one, I mean Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law and Jason Statham, to name few. Supporting cast was very strong as well - Rose Byrn and Miranda Hart were great. What I was surprised to see, was Verka Serduchka as herself (east europeans know him/her quite well). 


Directing: Paul Feig. A man behind "Bridesmaids" and "Heat". Both with Mellisa. All these movies had similar vibe. All really smart and funny, so I wasn't really surprised. 

What I liked: It was a really witty comedy, but packed with spy-movies cliches. Some jokes were better than others. I liked the cast. Oh I looooved Jason Statham. His character was a breath of fresh air. Brilliant. Oh and they briefly played Mika's "Boum boum boum". I love hearing my boy in movies. 


What I didn't like: I'm not really a fan of Melissa, she kind of annoys me. Also, there were a scene, where viewers are exposed to a series of photos of fully erect penis, and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the movie. I know it was a sort of parody for Bond movie, but nothing can top "Kingsman: the secret service". That movie was the BOMB. This one was a sometimes-on-point second cousin of it. 


IMDB is very generous for this movie - 7,2. It's just a bit above 6 for me. I just praise Statham's crazy performace, as it was the best thing about this movie.

Going to see "Crimson Peak" in cinemas today, hopefully I'm gonna love it!