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Paddington (2014)
This warms my heart
It's cliched in a lot of parts, yet the movie is made with so much heart, passion and playfulness in its execution that it's hard not to fall in love with it, with the Brown's family and with Paddington's journey to find a home. A very chill and soothing movie to watch at night, cuddling with your family and loved ones. Also Nicole Kidman rocks the look.
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
In Love with nature
There's so many documentaries out there about nature where they show you how amazing nature and the wildlife are, always with this sense of awe and drama. This documentary makes itself unique by approaching nature with such intimacy that you can't help but just fall in love and become one with it. We get to know Craig Foster, a documentary filmmaker who has the dedication to go to the sea everyday in search of peace, and who shows us just that.
Yes, the shots are amazing, the sea creatures are ever exotic like getting lost in another planet. But more than that, there's just something about an octopus' life all in one year, told in 1 and a half hour, with all the thrills of it, the scares, the fleetingness but also the love, just truly makes us appreciate more the lives we all have. This we is not just the humans but the animals, we can all feel love, and all struggle in life together on this Earth.
Tôkyô monogatari (1953)
Zen
Ozu's masterpiece, regarded as one of the best films ever made, has been talked about and dissected a lot. Here I just want to relay my experience of this movie. The first 20-30 minutes for me is boring, my focus go in and out as I try to grapple with what's going on screen, who's whose child. But when things start clicking, when I finally start to understand what's being conveyed and contrast here, I'm just hooked in on the modernized and Westernized city, the kind and forgiving, as well as the selfish, and the distances between characters, between family generations. I start to see my family in it, and like Kyoko, vow to never be like that. The use of non-Hollywood style and techniques is worth highlighting too, representing what's called the transcendental style. The non-melodramatic - characters always smiling, major plot points happening behind the camera - truly makes the style unique, not forcing but sharing emotions with the audience. The slow pacing and gives time for me to contemplate, and ultimately brings a sense of zen to the film. All in all, a masterpiece.
Liteul poleseuteu (2018)
Food, Farms, and Life
Such a breath of fresh air.It's one of those movies that is perfect for lounging around, maybe a bit distracted, eating some cookies with a hot cup of cocoa.
The movie is simple enough, the main character, Hye-won, returns to her country home from the city, returning to the familiarities of the farms. There are her childhood friends there, Jae-ha and Eun-sook.
Food is at the center here, with extended sequences detailing the whole cooking process. Food connects the people; kindles the friendship, the love; supports the life; and become the rewards for working. And food connects her to the past, to her missing mother. Food and farms are the familiar, the home to seek refuge under.
Kim Tae-ri is probably my favorite Korean actress, here she plays the calm, indecisive Hye-won with enough simplicity. Such a cute, innocent, warm smile. Ryu Jun-yeol is, in turn, my favorite Korean actor, not a particularly handsome face but really still really charming.Jin Ki-joo is great as the talkative, straight-forward friend, a perfect counterpart to the main character.
Overall, not a film that will blow your mind but a film that will warm your heart.
The Social Dilemma (2020)
Good message but the fake scenario partly ruins it
A documentary with a good ( albeit a bit too common these days) about the negative consequences of social media. Knowing how these "traps" are program can help us avoid getting into the traps using social media. I'm actually scrolling a lot these days so it is kind of a wake up call. The interviewees profiles are big, so it adds a level of authority to the documentary. But the dramatization is really not necessary, it just cheapens the message, making the movie fake and much less persuasive. Really hate it, especially the three guys who are supposed to represent the algorithm fake talking and bantering. Those parts feel like an expensive vlog.
Peurodyusa (2015)
Start off good but dips in quality
The Producers' first two episodes feel fresh and exciting by using a mockumentary style reminiscent of The Office. It focuses a lot on satirizing the entertainment industry. Yet because of the low ratings among South Koreans, the show swaps out the director and it becomes more or less a typical romantic Kdrama, containing all the tropes you can name.
In that way, the characters that seem interesting at first got their development bogged down by the love triangle (or rectangle) that seems really out of place. The only character that is properly developed is Cindy, ironically the most unrelatable character at first. Her arc is the only reason I kept watching (also the fact that I'm a big IU fan).
Overall the show, though bogged down by the romance, has its wholesome and hilarious moments (the cameos are the best), acted by a good ensemble cast, and its 12 episodes length is just enough for a quick watch.
The Good Place (2016)
Humorous, thoughtful and original
A friend of mine recommended this to me, and after discovering that the creator is Micheal Schur and reading the synopsis, I made one of my best decisions of watching this show. The greatest aspect of this show is its originality. The unique premise gives the creators the power to convey the show's ethical, moral and philosophical questions - which is presented by one of the characters Chidi - through unique situations and easy-to-digest ways. In addition, the creators are also allowed to let their imagination run wild, so that we often encounter extreme definitions and backgrounds, like eternity or tortures, that are played down to create humor.
The cast is another aspect that provides a lot of energy and fun to the show, especially Kristen Bell's portrayal as a self-involved, witty character that has a lot of developments across the series. Ted Danson is also very good as Michael, and the rest of the cast are enjoyable, though at first I feel a bit annoyed at them, they start to grow on me (and it is explained later in the series).
Overall, this show is not like anything I've seen, with many surprising twists and turns. And though at times it fails to keep up the pace and becomes too slow, this show is definitely highly recommended by me to everyone.