The Oscar season has been over for about a month but I'm still on the first three movies in my Oscar movies-to-watch list. It have only started three days ago and to initiate the kick-off, I started with American Hustle.
This film is a story about a man named Irving Rosenfeld who wanted more out of his mundane sub-urban life. He was a con artist who was madly in-love with another con-artist Sydney Prosser yet stuck in a loveless marriage to one unpredictable wife Rosalyn. To cut the story short, Irving and Sydney got caught in their money-lending scam, were hired by an FBI agent named Richie to smoke out the bigger players and got out of their backdoor deals clean and unscathed. Kind of romantic and perfect, isn't it?
True to the actors' delivery and performance, American Hustle was indeed a great film. There were several key scenes where each character was able to show their own reality into the story - not just the main characters. Cooper (who played Richie) was incredibly funny and at the same time surprisingly menacing during that phone call in Adams' (who played Sydney) apartment. He was just the right scary villainous creep that the character sort-of was. Adams was perfectly stunning when she delivered her lines during the living room scene when she had a confrontation with Bale (who played Irving) about his priorities in life. And Lawrence took the cake with her bathroom scene with Adam's when she appeared to be strong and vindictive one second and vulnerable and forlorn the next. The kiss on the lips, the smeared lipstick and the look on Adam's face was just perfect. The minor characters also did a great performance. Richie's immediate supervisor was delightful when he first told Richie about the fishing hole story. He was trying to be fatherly but ended up eating his own words when Cooper cut him by trying to end his story. The mayor's wife was also very noticeable even if she was only on screen for about a few minutes. She worked her way out by portraying this charming yet daring sophisticated woman who stood by her husband's side no matter what. And let's not forget DeNiro. Just the mere presence of him in the scene already sends a message of danger and apathy. No words needed. It was such a great ensemble that all I could say was kudos.
But to every pro, there is a con. What really distracted me during the entire film was how the film was chopped. There were some scenes that were sloppily made. The story is not unique but at least make it clean. There were some scenes that they prolonged too much that I did not get the point to prolonging them like the scene where Cooper was making fun of his immediate supervisor or where Renner (who played Carmine the Mayor) just kept on pacing in his house after hearing about Irving's treachery. There were these prolonged instances that worked in some scenes but in so many others, it just did not. There where also some angles that worked for certain scenarios like when a camera is trying to micro-focus on something, the camera should not be shaky. It does not add to the effect of the terror the character is feeling. It just damages the viewers' eyesight.
However, all in all, I genuinely enjoyed this movie. Most of the actors in this film are just a few of my favorites. The script was perfectly raw and well-written. I just hoped the directing and the editing was much better. I mean I am no expert but observations are observations and these are just a few of what I saw. I hope Russel makes more movies but I dare him not to select good actors. This way he'll be able to focus of the scene as a whole and pay attention on the way he directs. And who knows? He might just get better. I'm just saying...
Usually, I would go all out in explaining the entire story. But matters came to terms with me and I realized if I would be doing that, no one would be watching the movie and get their they fair share of opinions. Sorry for my insensitivity. So, here I go... on with the critiquing/blogging. :)
As a brief summary, The Conjuring is a story that revolves around two families: the Perron Family and the Warren Family, as the Warrens try to help out the Perrons whose normal lives are being attacked by demonic entities. The Warrens, Ed and Lorraine, are known demonologists who were contacted by Roger and Carolyn Perron who reported that their house was haunted. As the Warrens learn more about the demons in the Perron residence, they sink deeper into the seemingly unsolvable case where they find that not only their lives are endangered but their daughter's life as well.
First, I would like to commend the narration/the flow of the story. The scenes went fluidly from one to the other, using flashbacks, which made it more organic. It's as if someone is telling the story from a first person point of view which I looked up and I was right. The writers wanted it to be in the point of view of the Warrens and for that, well done.
Story-wise, it was new since it was on the demonologists point of view and not in the victim's POV. But I just wished there were more to it. There were certain scenes (Lorraine's flashbacks of an past exorcism, appearances/disappearance of the old fat lady killing her child Rory) that I wished had more to it. I guess some of the elements had to be lost since the POV is limited.
Being a fan of horror films, I noticed that there were new "gimmicks" in the exorcism parts (ie. the rising of the chair to the ceiling, the Vampire-like quality of the possessed). They were fresh ideas and kinda nice but I just wished they were executed more effectively. I mean, the scene where she was being dragged out of the house, I wish there was more resistance. Demon or not, it hurts to be burnt alive. The chair on the ceiling was cool though.
Lastly, acting-wise, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson sure did a bang-up job. And so did the rest of the cast except for Ron Livingston. I wished that he had more emotion on his face. Just saying.
All in all, the movie is edible. However, I would not recommend it to those people who are looking for that scare of a lifetime - it's not there yet. But if you want to go and get a moderate jump-start to the heart, this movie will be perfect for you. Just make sure that your heart is not weak enough to be easily startled but a few creaking noise 'cause this movie got lots of that.
Until the next time!
PS: Since the Amityville Hoax, I am kind of a skeptic about the validity of this story. Sure, the Warren's have an online website and sure they have published a few books (and have their own Occult Museum which I'm honestly very curious about) but you still can't say until someone tries to debunk them and reveal the what might-have-beens. Again, just saying.
The movie opens on a city in the wee hours of the morning. An old woman is primping herself for the day. The hours fast forward and everyone in the household is awake. They start talking about the old woman's grand daughter who was in Korea for college. Suddenly, the phone rings and a man on the other line is looking for a Ms. Kim Suni. The old woman answers the call and becomes very quiet afterwards. Her family asks her what was wrong and she told them that she needed to go back to Korea.
Upon her arrival to the airport, Suni was met by her grand daughter and they both went to the old house where she grew up. When they arrived, her grand daughter tells her that maybe the house is now haunted because it looks very creepy. She reassured her grand daughter that the house has always looked that way - "fit for a monster to live in".
Flashback to 47 years ago, in the midst of a raging storm, a hooded man entered a wooden storage house. He descended into a narrow hallway crowded by caged vicious dogs. He staggered as he walked. Then he stopped in front of a heavily padlocked metal door. The door jerked violently upon his presence, the locks rattled and there was a low growl echoing from the inside. The hooded man tried to pacify what seemed to be a beast by banging the metal door with a metal pipe but upon doing so, his heart failed and he fell on the floor. And the light fade out and the door was left ajar.
A young and ill Suni coughs as she opens the door to the storage house. Outside, everyone, including their neighbors, are helping Suni's family move-in. Suni wasn't allowed to lift anything heavy as it may worsen her health. But she still tried to help out. After all their things have been moved-in, Suni and her family (her mom and younger sister) together with the neighbors had some dinner. Suni did not like their new neighbors because they were sloppy when they ate. When she got up to get more soup, the neighbors started talking about the previous owner of the house. They said that he had died of a heart attack and was found 2 days after. Also, that the previous owner kept dogs and coyotes in the storage house and did studies on them. The neighbors then started prying about where the girls are going for school. Suni excuses herself to go outside to get something. As soon as she got out, her mother explained that only Sunja, her little sister, was going to school because Suni can't go due to her weak lungs.
Suni then goes to bed. But before she goes to sleep, she writes in her journal. She was in the middle of her writing (and crying) when she heard something strange outside. She tried to wake Sun-ja up but Sunja dismissed her. Suni went to her mother's room and found her mother fast asleep. Suni was left with no choice. She took a shovel and went to the storage house herself. In the darkness, she saw something hairy and large that jumped her and then ran off. Her cry was heard all the way to the house and her mother and sister brought her back in.
The next morning Suni's mother told the neighbors about the incident. As soon as the neighbors left, Suni sees something rather odd by the storage house. Her mother tries to shoo it away thinking that it was a dog. When it approached, they realized it was a young man who was enticed by the potatoes that their neighbors have brought them.
Suni's mother brings the feral young man inside the house and calls the police to investigate. The police tells her to consult the local social services and they agreed to help her provided that she gave them a large amount of money.
When they got back home, Suni's mother gave the young man a bath (with his pants on) and prepared dinner. No one was able to enjoy dinner since the young man launched himself at the dinner table and started grabbing any food that he could find. Suni hated him immediately.
The next day two incidents occurred where Suni was saved by the feral young man: one was with her books which were trapped under heavy boxes and two when the arrogant young landlord was making a pass at her. From then on, Suni became warmer towards the feral young man that she even decided to train him (just like any other dog).
Events quickly unraveled as the young man now called Cheol-su, the name Suni's mother wanted if ever she had a boy, went on a trip to the market with Suni's family. It was there when Cheol-su was hit by a large metal plank that Suni realizes that he was not normal. There was a momentary time of peace when Suni resumes teaching Cheol-su. During this time, Suni's feelings deepen for Cheol-su. She even sings him a song which she originally wrote.
Another incident with the young landlord occured later that night when the young landlord came to the house and started harrassing Suni. Seeing Suni's struggle made Cheol-su changed into a werewolf and attack the young landlord and his croonies. He was about to kill the landlord when Suni made him stop.
The police came to the house right after and the landlord was demanding to have Cheol-su taken away but Suni would not let them. Suni protected Cheol-su by going after the landlord saying that the landlord stole money from the company that her Father built and that the money that he was spending on Suni's family and the house was actually Suni's money. The landlord was furious that he broke Suni's guitar but did not press anymore charges. Instead, he wanted Cheol-su out of the house and so, Cheol-su was detained (the same as a house arrest) to the storage house, to the room with the metal door.
One day, Suni was bored and asked Cheol-su to come out to play. They went out and ran around the field. Everything was fine at first when suddenly Suni felt a pain in her chest. Cheol-su, not knowing what to do, decided to bring her to the forest. It was already night time when the police found them there. Suni was in bad condition. They took Suni back to the house and chained Cheol-su in his room.
The next day Suni had to go to the hospital to get herself checked but before she went she came to visit Cheol-su in his room. She came in with his food and left Cheol-su coldly that Cheol-su jumped out of bed and tried to get out of the room but was stopped by his guards. Suni ordered Cheol-su to wait and that she would be back and Cheol-su decided to ease in back to his room and the guards shut his door. The head of the police threatened Suni that if Cheol-su tries to escape again that he will shoot him. But Suni snaps back, "Shoot him? Don't you touch a hair on his head!"
Cheol-su was under surveillance until Suni's return. He was devastated the entire time since he was not able to play outside and most importantly, Suni was not there. When Suni got back, she immediately visited Cheol-su and gave him a warm hug. The police saw this and they ruled out that Cheol-su may be part animal but he was capable of learning and that he has the will to learn. And since he did not have any display of violent tendencies the entire time that Suni was gone that the police are willing to set him free from detention. The landlord did not want to accept this and plotted a scheme. He told the police that Cheol-su have been hunting goats at night and brought in a false witness to support him when the truth was, the landlord was drunk driving that night and he hit the goat cage. It just so happened that Cheol-su was passing by and took the poor goat in his arms and gave it to the owner.
That night, after causing power outtage, the landlord set Cheol-su free for a hunt of the missing guitar. He told Cheol-su that a neighbor took it and that was the reason why Suni was sad and sick. When the power was back on, the police realized that Cheol-su has gone and went on a rampage looking for the guitar. The police finally found him and was a bout to shoot him when Suni steps forward and tells Cheol-su to stop it and that the guitar was not there. Cheol-su finally calms down but then the landlord interrupts. He then points a gun at Suni and tells her to get out of the way. Suni tries to pacify him but ends up getting beat up. Cheol-su suddenly changes, kills the landlord and takes Suni away back to the forest.
The next morning Suni decides that the only way to keep Cheol-su safe was to send him away. This task proved hard for her as Cheol-su did not want to live her side thus ensued a heart-wrenching separation. Suni then left a note at Cheol-su's room saying her last goodbye.
Back in the present, Grandma Suni decides to sleep one more night in the old house before she gives it up. She could barely sleep that night. When she has given up her plans on sleeping, she found something underneath the chair she was sitting on. Then she suddenly heard a distant noise. This led her to the storage house, to Cheol-su's room. To her surprise, she found Cheol-su who hasn't aged a day sitting there. Cheol-su showed her her old guitar which he pieced back together. She even discovers that Cheol-su could already speak. Suni felt so happy and overwhelmed that Cheol-su waited for her. She spent the night there with Cheol-su reading her her favorite book and then she finally fell asleep.
The next day she woke up to find Cheol-su gone. She then decides not to sell the house.
Critique:
I have to say the story was quite impressive. It shied away from the traditional notion of werewolves -gruff, rugged and most definitely hot. Unlike most girls who flock over the standard imaged of a werewolf, I find a sincerity in Cheol-su's character. He appeared more human, more relatable compared to the werewolves we famously know (ie. Jacob from Twilight, Teen Wolf, Lycans from the Underworld and every other vampire movie). Cheol-su had a charisma that he did not take from having hardcore six pack abs or striking good looks although the actor who played Cheol-su, Song Joong-Ki, is definitely easy on the eyes. He gained it with the innocence and chivalry which let's face it people is not as palpable as back in the 18th century. I have never seen such mixed of attributes in a character expecially on a werewolve which are often icons of machismo.
On the story, I say the story is typical. Girl meets guy, they fall inlove, something hinders them, the other becomes distant to protect the other one, same old story to name a few Restless, Daisy, Spellbound, Crazy First Love and all the Korean drama movies. I wished they had formulated a new drama for this. Cheol-su is a very unique character although I cannot say the same for Suni as I have already seen a string of pale-yet-still-beautiful sick female protagonists from every Korean movie I have watched. Not the less, the story clicked. I think I have to hand it to the writers for this. Good script! Really got me going on with the crying at the end when Suni was leaving Cheol-su for good. Tears won't stop.
I just have to say that this movie really reminded me of Hachiko. That too was a tear jerker. And like Hachiko, Cheol-su stayed until his master came back. Fortunately for him, Suni came back and there was a sort of closer between them while as for Hachiko, he died in the blistering cold, all alone and only thinking about his master. I'm getting depressed again.
Moving on acting-wise, I say kudos to the actors Park Bo-young and Song Joong-ki. They're delivery was believable to the point that if ever I see Mr. Song, I might pat him on the head and say, "Good job Cheol-su!"
The movie all in all was good. It is not great but it is so much better that Twilight. I mean, it seriously kicked Twilight's butt. I would recommend it to the people who likes werewolf movies but are so tired of the stereotype. And if you're about to watch it, just a friendly and very important tip, pack tissues, rolls of them and buy some Eye-mo when you're at it.
The story opens with a group of women consulting a doctor regarding their issues with "something" that has been bothering them - giving them much depression, anger and what have you. During this age, this "something" that drove women mad and inadequate was known to be called Hysteria - a well-known serious disease in the 1800's which was cured by vulval massage . Dr. Mortimer Granville (played by Hugh Dancy) was an eager young doctor who believed that the cause of most ailments are from germs which at that time wasn't believed to exist since no one can see it. Modern medicine was considered as "calm reassurance and regular bleeding" at time time. After having a heated conversation with his superior Dr. Richardson, Dr. Grandville was dismissed and from then started his journey down the road of unemployment with a dash of failed job interviews. But even after being offered by his patron Edmund St. John-Smythe (played by Rupert Everett) a great sum, Mortimer doesn't give up and eventually finds a small yet lucrative practice of one Dr. Robert Dalrymple (played by Jonathan Pryce) where he also meets his feisty and passionate daughter Charlotte Darlrymple (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal)and her complete opposite younger sister Emily Dalrymple (played by Felicity Jones). This is where he learns of Hysteria which Dr. Dalrymple refers to as "a plague of our time... that half the women in London are infected." He explains further what it is and his need for an assistant. Granville accepts and starts the very next day.
The first patient he observed was an anxious Mrs. Parsons who had been having "those distracting thoughts all week". Dr. Dalrymple explained that hysteria patients have been offered a variety of treatments such as warm baths, ice baths, water jets, mezmerization, horse-back riding even. But as remarked by Dr. Dalrymple, "I favor a more direct approach... The most direct, most effective treatment we can offer." As they observe an orgasmic Mrs. Parsons, Dr. Granville learns the basics of treating Hysteria. During dinner, Mortimer realizes that Emily was more than a dainty home-maker and also finds that they have the same interests which makes him more drawn to her. On the other side, he finds Charlotte challenging, boisterous and hysterical, even non-sensical to a certain point. After bidding him goodnight, Mortimer asks Emily why she was somewhat the ideal and her sister was so volatile. Emily confesses that she was hardly ideal and that Charlotte only feels so strong about the things she cares about. She adds the Charlotte is terribly clever and wonderfully charitable to which Mortimer replied, "If she's earned such admiration to one so kind and gentle as yourself, I shall never speak poorly of her". Mortimer carries on with his treatments and he even acquires new customers. He was even offered partner by Dr. Dalrymple with the consent to being affianced with Emily. One unceremonious evening, Charlotte shows up with a friend whose ankle was injured. As Mortimer was treating the broken ankle, he finds out that Charlotte thinks her father's practice as trivial work and invites Mortimer to come and visit the settlement where the people in real need are. Dr. Dalrymple discovers this and warns Mortimer never to aid any of Charlotte's future whims. Meanwhile, Charlotte is in the brink of losing the settlement and offers to loan her mother's earrings to a rich couple who are also a family friend. Mortimer then visits the settlements where he finds Charlotte who not only agrees with his germ theory but also with many of his principles but he fears that he might lose his practice if he indulges her causes any longer and so he leaves Charlotte dejected and frustrated.
Everything goes very well until Mortimer's right hand fails (because of fatigue) and wasn't able to treat Mrs. Castellari. He was dismissed by Dr. Dalrymple which sent him back to his patron's house. He was lying on the couch one night, playing with Edmund's feather duster machine when a brilliant idea occured to him - a massaging machine that did the same but more effective job than his right hand. They first tested it to the Dalrymples' house help Molly (played by Sheridan Smith), an former prostitute. After resulting to a success, Mortimer and Edmund offered the machine to Dr. Dalrymple and asked Mrs. Castellari if she would be willing to try since it was with her that Mortimer failed. She agreed and it was with her and her being able to sing again that proved that the machine was successful.
Soon it was Mortimer and Emily's engagement night, Charlotte came to attend the engagement and there Mortimer learns that Charlotte loaned her mother's earrings for the settlement. Later, Charlotte's friend came to the party telling her what happened in the settlement. Charlotte's loan did not pull through because her father intervened and warned the couple who she loaned the earrings to to decline her request. Charlotte made a scene and was taken away by the authorities for disruptive behavior caused by hysteria. The next day Dr. Dalrymple asks Mortimer to testify to the court that Charlotte has hysteria. However, when Mortimer was finally placed on the spot, he confesses that hysteria was just a fiction - nothing but catual diagnosis for women forced to spend their lives tending to domestic chores and selfish, prudish husbands who are unwilling or unable to make love to them properly or often enough. However, even with such testimonial, Charlotte was still convicted for 30 days in the prison after which she was greeted by Mortimer with a proposal for marriage.
The movie was very empowering for women. It was wrapped around the idea of women finally having a mind of their own in a time when they were suppressed because of the societial norm that women are only very good at house chores and raising children. It also awakened the idea of real duty, that the duty of a daughter to her family is not only for them to be happy with the decision they make as a family but also that she is also happy with the decision. With the timeline, I am not very sure if the details were historically correct but I find the little informations such as the mentioning of Lister's name (inventor of Listerine) very interesting. I also enjoyed the way they enacted certain conversations that were once regarded as stupid and unrealistic at their time like the telephone and germs. It was enlightening to know and see that there was an age where no one believe a particular thought and here we all are accepting it as fact. Makes me think what more is there we can discover. All in all, the movie was a engaging and enjoyable. Although, I have to say that I have already known from the very beginning that Mortimer will end up with Charlotte instead of Emily - there was a moment, I think that scene where Mortimer and Charlotte was discussing about germs and education for women and children. It was quite obvious but nonetheless, still edible. I will recommend this to all those who like humorous romantic films but also enjoys the informative tidbits and the lavish Victorian setting. Have a happy viewing!
Wow! It has been a long time since I have blogged here. I update my other blogs more often than this one (I have two others in Wordpress). Anyways, now that I have three blogs to maintain and the two others I have already solidified their purpose, I think I need to choose a purpose for this one. This being my first blog site I will bestow my critical side. From here on out for this blog, I will post critiques of any kind - may it be for a movie, a political opinion, a book etc. And since I have ranted once or twice in this blog, (I am not proud of it but I needed it), I think I will also post a few of my reflections here. Beats a diary that's for sure. With that said, on to the work! I will be posting a blog shortly about the movie Hysteria. :) Wait for it... By the way, if you are curious to what is going on with my two other blogs, check the links: http://hangingbalaklaot.wordpress.com/ - this one is about the random interesting places that I go to. http://chedscolourography.wordpress.com/ - this one is about the stuff that I create using pencils, ink and photoshop. I hope you enjoy them as I have enjoyed making them. Have a great day ahead!
Lately, I could not get over the fact that my room has the nicest view (for me). I mean, everyday I try to get home at exactly 5 pm just to take pictures of the city horizon. I know it sounds crazy but I won't be able to do it once I start working again. And I guess I'm obsessing this much because I know I won't be staying in my apartment for very long. What I mean is, I rent and once I find a cheap, nearer-to-work apartment then I'm going to have to leave and miss the magnificence of all this. So I guess I'm taking what I can and relishing every moment of it while I still can.
But with all this sun business, I'm kind of missing the moon, not that anybody should care, but I am a moon person. Problem is I can't catch the moon 'cause my roommates would be home and they'll think I'm being weird again ('cause I tend to space out when I look at the sky, I don't know why.) Maybe I'll get the moon sometimes and it too will be great.
And having said that, I wish that you all will love the little things that goes your way like the sudden halting of the rain, the cab that you did not hail but you needed instantly came by, getting bumped early in a line... the little things...like the shining of the sun in the clear blue sky and the lighting of the dark road by the luminous moon.
.jpg)
