Kerenblog

You may have known this: David Fincher's "The Social Network" is my favorite movie. I don't know how many times I have re-watched it (more than ten times?). I even remember some of its dialogue. "The Social Network" is, without many argues, one of the most highly acclaimed movies of 2010 , but some said that this is not the one most people would regard as their most favorite movie. But, you know what? I don't care. LOL. I come across with an idea of writing more about this movie in my blog, so I will feature it in this month's "Lessons from Movies" monthly post. read more �

I was so amazed by "The Tree of Life" , the only movie by Terrence Malick I have ever seen, that I put it in my favorite movies list. I had a very pretentious and awe-inspiring introduction to his work and I learn that although it is not so friendly, "The Tree of Life" give me a heart-pleasing thought and experience in appreciating movies. Now that I have been waiting (and excited) to "To The Wonder" , in most parts it is disappointing. "To The Wonder" is tiring. It visualizes so much but it is shallow when it comes to the story, emotions, and characterization. read more �

Honestly, I'm not a sci-fi movie lovers. I have less experience about this genre. Some reviews said that the less you see any other sci-fi movies previously, the better "Oblivion" will be. It means that I, who don't watch sci-fi movies a lot, should have been thrilled and amused by "Oblivion". Technically, I appreciate this movie, but by story and characters, I'd rather say that this is just an okay film. But, before I continue writing, I wanna ask this thing straight: have you seen Duncan Jones' "Moon" ? In fact, I have. read more �

"The Berlin File" is, again, my random choice. It's currently the number one box office in South Korea . "Akbar, wait, it's a Korean movie?" Yes, it absolutely is. I am not a fan of Korean movie, but I think, it's kind of rare seeing such an espionage thriller from that country. "The Berlin File" may sound a little bit ambitious for Korean movie industry, because this is the genre where Hollywood has a great expertise. It takes place mostly in Latvia and Germany, has dialogues written in three languages (Korean, English, and Germany), includes foreign actors as well as Korean actors, and scopes multinational conflicts as a main plot�not to mention, a conflict to the neighboring country, North Korea. read more �

This is my second watch. In my first chance of watching "The Silence of The Lambs" , I know there is something need to be fixed from it. Now, I understand that that opinion is reasonable. "The Silence of The Lambs" maybe is just a similarly-styled horror-thriller, except that it has Clarice Starling and�especially�the legendary Hannibal Lecter in it. How it tries to relate to human psychopathic illness and abnormal sexual behavior is also another difference. It barely needs gory and bloody scenes, it doesn't even have a mind-blowing twist. That's why I come up with an opinion that without these characters and premises, "The Silence of The Lambs" is gonna be a thriller that is almost similar to other thrillers. read more �

This is my first meet to Kim Ki-Duk . He is the auteur-director who brought last year's Golden Lion winner, "Pieta" , and more than that, I with my least experience of movie came with "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring" just by chance. And this movie is beyond any of my movie-watching experience, because in a way, it is a light and simple movie with a highly valuable and rich content. This is the movie that humbly teaches you about life. read more �

Asghar Farhadi surprises the world with his 2011 award-winning drama, �A Separation� . It wins many accolades, not to mention the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film from Iran . Many are now curious about his past works before �A Separation�, and thanks to Vampibots , I got the chance of knowing this movie: �About Elly� . Still talks about drama about family, �About Elly� is as emotionally gripping as �A Separation�, although there�s still some minor difference between them. The thing is, if you love �A Separation�, you will love �About Elly�. read more �

I actually don�t plan to watch �Madre� because, well, recently this Dewi �Dee� Lestari novel-to-movie adaptation is just way too much. We have seen �Perahu Kertas� part 1 and part 2 , �Rectoverso� , and now comes �Madre�. Actually �Madre� is based on a novelet, not a novel. I haven�t read it (actually I barely have read all her works), but I always come up to this conclusion that it takes an extra effort to adapt her works into movies. Because, well, it is not an easy job to describe her ability of word-playing into a visual entertainment. �Perahu Kertas� part 1 is good, �Perahu Kertas� part 2 is okay, �Rectoverso� is below average, and �Madre�... well just read more to know my opinion about it. read more �

�Cloud Atlas� is a work of ambition. Written and directed by three directors� Tom Tykwer , Andy Wachowski , and Lana Wachowski , �Cloud Atlas� is better enjoyed if you see it more from its substance rather than its form. And it is quite complicated too, so it is not a good choice for you who look for an easy entertainment. Perhaps half of its viewers will feel that �Cloud Atlas� is just a boring movie that goes too talky and too long, but another half�that understand it more to the deeper layer�may be astonished by it. I have a chance to watch it just now because it has just released in local cinemas some days ago, and surely feel lucky to choose such a smart, deeply valued movie like this. read more �

There are certain movies that interest you not just because of the story, but more because of the roles and the acting of the actors. �The Devil Wears Prada� is one of them. I won�t say that the story is not interesting at all, but I appreciate it more because of the performance of the leading and supporting actors. Especially, the living legend Meryl Streep in this movie! I don�t know, but she truly is the one that attracted me most and, although on the other hand she is one factor that gives power to the movie, somehow she makes the story unbalanced because the rest of the cast should work on her �level�. But, of course, this is not her fault. read more �