Chile 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 22 February 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes 7.7/10

My ratings 7.5/10

An ad executive comes up with a campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in Chile's 1988 referendum.

My impressions:

The war to win the hearts and minds of a country requires all resources available to the contenders. In this instance, using the media to persuade the masses gives hope to the oppressed. The opposition must also take advantage every time a repressive regime opens a window of opportunity. In this case, the regime allowed the opposition to have a given slot of precious time to air their views in the national media.

The story revolves around the young idealistic man who feels he can make a difference. It is not a smooth journey especially when the danger hits home. Then we have to decide whether to continue or give in to the pressures.

An engaging effort and a lesson to others who want to make a change. But be forewarned, it is not a bed of roses.

A Royal Affair

Denmark 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 4 February 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes 7.2/10

My ratings 7.5/10

A young queen, who is married to an insane king, falls secretly in love with her physician - and together they start a revolution that changes a nation forever.

My impressions:

Women have been pawns in the corridors of power for a long time and the situation continues till today. Imagine all those years ago when a young girl is married off to a stranger. No one asks for her consent. It is just a given that she will follow and obey.

Others do not realise that beneath the innocent demeanor is an intelligent person with a mind of her own. Those around her are not keen with changes brought into the system as they have their own agenda. The love affair with a kindred spirit puts the heroine in jeopardy and we see the consequences.

Sad and uplifting in some parts.

Transfer

Germany 2010

Details imdb

Seen 23 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB  6.6/10

My ratings 7.0/10

Being old and realising that your time is nearing its end makes those who can afford it find alternatives. In this story we are given a choice to prolong our life but in a different body. A body borrowed but it is not smooth sailing all the way.

My favourite quotes from the film:

My paradise is here...together with you

My impressions:

An alternative

Being young and healthy again

Capturing that vigor

That energy

Long gone

Not old and sickly

Is that the life for everyone

There is a price to pay of course

Nothing comes free

A high price indeed

For both the buyer and the goods

Even if the transaction seems

Above board

It is a business after all

That is the bottom line

That obscure object of desire

Spain 1977

Details imdb

Seen 22 January 2013

Ratings from other sources

IMDB  7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes Average Rating  9./10

My ratings 8.0/10

A man thinks that a girl he met is the right one for him. That beginning sees a tumultuous relationship, to say the least. Throughout their relationship, the girl always avoids giving her all to the man. Why?

My impressions:

Is it really love

Or just the physical attraction

That keeps someone going

In pursuit

Through so many disappointments

Against the advice

Of others who can see from afar

That the chase

Never ends

Is it worth the trouble

The heartaches

The uncertainties

When push comes to shove

Humiliated, dejected

The heart still pines for

The object of desire

Amour

France 2012

Details IMDB

Seen 14 December 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 8.1/10

Rotten Tomatoes 8.5/10

My ratings 8.0/10

A retired couple face new challenges in their love and devotion towards each other when one of them falls sick. The dialogue and silent moments when words is inadequate highlight the film. An experience that might strike a similar chord in real life.

My favourite quotes from the film:

But imagination and reality have little in common

My impressions:

Love

The eternal conundrum

How strong is it

Can it stand the test of time

Through health and sickness

Till death do us part

Or will there be a breaking point

When love becomes so fragile, brittle

Waiting for the straw that breaks the camel's back

Giving up under tremendous pressure

Which others might condemn

While others might understand

Or will it just be another manifestation

Another form of love

In a different guise

Pieta

South Korea 2012

Details hancinema

Seen 12 December 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 7.1/10

Venice Film Festival 4/5 stars

My ratings 7.0/10

A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother. Powerful performances from the leads.

My favourite quotes from the film:

What is money? The beginning and the end of all things

My impressions:

Two souls

A man devoid of feelings

Until she came into his life

Is she the missing link?

The link that he needs

The link that he has always craved for

Deep inside

To be human again

Is she really the catalyst

The one that will bring the change

A hoped for change

Leading to a new beginning

But nothing is what it seems

Canoa

Mexico 1976

Details imdb

Seen 15 July 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience  68% want to see it














My ratings 6.0/10
A group of employees from a university are mistaken for enemies of the people and get beaten up by the townspeople. This film is based on a real life event and looks at what influenced the people's behaviour.


My impressions:

It seems incomprehensible
That religion and base instincts
Becomes such a potent force

The priest, the administration
The culture
All in cahoots

The people
Innocent or cowed
Lambs to the slaughter

Those willing to go against the norm
Face the majority
Not given the benefit of the day
Virtually no chance of success

The perpetrators would
Never admit to their deeds
As it was a mob that took to the streets
They had the advantage in numbers
The power that wielded and
Struck the final blow

Guardami

Italy 1999

Details imdb

Seen 6 July 2012

Ratings from other sources

IMDB 5.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes Audience  63% want to see it

My ratings 6.0/10

A porn actress faces the reality of being sick. Her own reaction to the fact and how others perceive her is the main theme of the film. Lots of graphic love-making scenes since the film is centred on someone from the sex entertainment industry.

My favourite quote from the film:

Will crying all day change anything?

My impressions:

She seems strong

In control

Until she discovers that she is not well

Acceptance or denial

Two responses

Normal

There are others

Facing the same situation

They know how it feels

Empathy

Not sympathy

Reality bites

Hard

Cold, bitter

Not knowing

What will happen

When will it be normal again

If that life is considered normal

When indeed

A Man and a Woman (Un homme et une femme)

France 1966

Details imdb

Seen 4 July 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 86% liked it











My ratings 8.0/10
A gentle love story like no other. Simple premise, lots of emphasis on the dialogue between the two main characters, talking about their past, present and but too saccharine sweet. I of course have fallen head over the heels with the lead actress, Anouk Aimee, her mere presence lights up the screen. The look. The haunting soundtrack by Francis Lai completes the experience.

My favourite quote from the film:
It's crazy to refuse happiness


My impressions:

Both have a past
Happy lives
Contented, with a bright future

Nothing seems daunting
All look rosy
But events take hold
Events change their course

Then they meet

A man and a woman

Not exactly empty
But open to possibilities
Waiting for the right person
Or the right moment
To fill in the void

To make life complete again

Boring Love (Seng Ped)

Thailand 2009

Details imdb

Seen 1 July 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 3.6/10



















My ratings 6.0/10
A romantic comedy based on a series of posts published in a popular Thai website.

My favourite quote from the film:
If you want to go, just go on your own, why should you take my heart with you



My impressions:

An unwelcome attention
After a breakup
Does not seem to be a good start
To a relationship
Or even a friendship

The honesty was too much, too abrupt
Frank, direct, blunt
How do you take it all in
The situation becomes complicated
With the past making its presence

But can we hide
True feelings

Only when the other is not there
Only then do we miss his presence
Only then do we recall

That we must be honest
That we do feel for each other

Pixote (Pixote: A Lei do Mais Fraco)

Brazil 1981

Details imdb

Seen 1 July 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 90% liked it
















My ratings 7.0/10
The street children in Sao Paulo is the focus of this story and hopefully their lives have become better since the release of the film. Reality can be very grim.

My favourite quotes from the film:
Some business requires a little cheating


My impressions:

Can change ever be expected
When born into such conditions
Poor, unwanted, discriminated
Always the suspect

Even if given a chance
To improve
What are the odds of success

Circumstances dictate
The survival of the fittest
Or the most wily, cunning

Some follow
Some become leaders

To each a journey
To what end
No one knows

Young and Healthy As a Rose (Mlad i zdrav kao ruza)

Yugoslavia 1971

Details imdb

Seen 30 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 7.0/10











My ratings 7.0/10
The punk era in Yugoslavia with anarchy and youth on a rampage. Well, it did not really happen but the film is in a way a precursor of the future of the country.


My impressions:

Youth, young and full of energy
Rebellious, pushing the limits
Not cowed by authority

The past is history
The present is theirs
The future is far away

The clash between youths and
The establishment
Coming to blows
Not seeing eye to eye
In the usual script
The bad guys will get his dues
In the end

But in reality
The victors might be
Someone else

Suddenly, Last Summer

USA 1959

Details imdb

Seen 29 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 82% liked it
















My ratings 8.0/10
I have a biased opinion on this film since I like the three main actors in the film, Elizabeth Taylor, Katherine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift who play the main characters in the film. It is based on a Tennessee Williams play with the screenplay by Gore Vidal. The director is Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Those names on their own is a draw and having them together is indeed a bonus. Some might find the film unpalatable as the film depends a lot on the dialogue but the script is brilliant. The music score that rises to a crescendo or is just a whisper at certain points adds to the overall feel of the film.

My favourite quotes from the film:
A poet's life is his work, and his work is his life
Truth is at the bottom of a bottomless world


My impressions:

A tragedy will definitely have repercussions
Reverberating unbidden

Caught in the tragedy
Those close might not be able to see
Or want to accept
The flaws that belong to everyone

Some might consider it a flaw
Some willingly accept that side of a person
Some deny the existence of such

Denial might be best
A made up utopia
Until one day
The truth has to be accepted
Even if it is painful

Peppermint Candy (Bakha satang)

South Korea 1999

Details imdb

Seen 28 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 82% liked it


















My ratings 8.0/10
The life of a man told in reverse. Throughout the 20 years period that the film covers, we see how his character changes and is affected by the decisions he had made.

My favourite quote from the film:
The rain I'm looking is the same rain she's looking at


My impressions:

A man goes through many changes
Some are definitely of his own vocation
Some are forced unto him
Some are given and taken by him

Opportunities or circumstances
The difference might not be discernible

One act leads to another
Consequences known only in future
Who can predict or know
What will be then
We live for the day
We do not know the past
Will catch up with us one day

Then we decide
Which path to take next

The Other Conquest (La otra conquista)

Mexico 1998

Details imdb

Seen 27 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 54% liked it
















My ratings 6.0/10
The story revolves around the conversion to Christianity of the native population in Mexico. The conquerors, the Spaniards leave no stone unturned in their efforts to make Mexico the new Spain.

My favourite dialogue from the film:
Why have you come to take away what is ours?


My impressions:

The clash of civilisation
Centuries ago
The conquerors
The conquered
Between them
Blood flows easily

In one, the blood of sacrifice
In the other, the blood of salvation

One has noble aims
Supposedly
Besides the riches and glory

One is determined
To stay true
To oneself
The set of beliefs
Since ancient times

Who will triumph
Are there any winners?

Nina's Tragedies (Ha-Asonot Shel Nina)

Israel 2004

Details imdb

Seen 26 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 75% liked it
















My ratings 7.0/10
A sweet drama on a nephew's obsessions with his aunt. He is in that awkward age group trying to come to terms with his raging hormones and pours all the feelings in a diary. The film relies on the diary to show the boy's emotions towards those close to him and how he copes with the situations.

My favourite dialogue from the film:
We were silent and happy.


My impressions:

Growing up not without love
But maybe a different kind of love
Not the conventional kind

Feelings grow towards
Those close to you
The lines blurry between
Reality and fantasy
Facts and fiction
Nightmares and dreams
Loves and losses

Those in your life
Have an impact
On what you perceive

Do the cries mean anything
Or do words carry more weight
Or just a convenience
A temporary measure
Until we get what we want

Crossing Borders (Un franco, 14 pesetas)

Spain 2006

Details imdb

Seen 25 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 6.9/10


















My ratings 7.0/10
The life of a Spanish migrant worker in Switzerland in the 1960s. A gentle drama of his life in a foreign country, first just with his friend and the difficulties faced adapting to a new way of life. It seems too good to be true, all the good things in a foreign land compared to your own. Maybe time has made memories more opaque.


My impressions:

When a decision had to be made
There were doubts
Questions, dilemmas

Family and everything familiar left behind
Encountering a totally different environment
Language, culture and norms

Still they embarked
On the journey
They adapt as they must
To forge ahead
As the ultimate aim was to gain wealth
Savings, scrimping
In order to get back home

The grass might be greener on the other side
Meadows, rivers and trees
But in the end
Home is still home
Despite its flaws

Treeless Mountain (Hangul: 나무없는 산; RR: Namueopneun San)

South Korea 2008

Details imdb

Seen 24 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience  72% liked it


















My ratings 7.0/10
Two sisters cope with their new situation when the mother leaves them with others.


My impressions:

At such an age
When others are just playing
Enjoying the times
Being children
They have to face reality

Not exactly abandoned
But circumstances
Separates them from their loved ones

They are too young
Innocent
But still the longing
The hurt, that empty space
Lingers

Time will heal
While hope is still there
One day
The family will be
Reunited

A Step Into Darkness (Büyük oyun)

Turkey 2009

Details imdb

Seen 23 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 4.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 60% liked it


















My ratings 6.0/10
A journey to find a brother brings the main character into contact with others who are pursuing their own causes.

My favourite dialogue from the film:
But sitting and crying does not change a thing. It's time to do something.


My impressions:

All seemed ideal
Peaceful, tranquil
Until one night
Everything changed
And a journey begins

Those tentative steps
To an unknown world
Without any definite answers
Without any definite direction
But just following
The instinct
The feelings
The longings

Missing those moments
From the past
Can it be relived
Can it ever be the same again

Kill Them All (Matar a Todos)

Uruguay 2007

Details rottentomatoes

Seen 22 June 2012

Ratings from other sources
IMDB 5.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Audience 63% liked it
















My ratings 7.0/10
A political thriller played against the backdrop of the newly emerging democracies in South America. The past does not seem willing to let go while the present tries to make its mark.

My favourite dialogue from the film:
The truth is always for the best. It hurts but it heals.


My impressions:

It began with a call
Disappearance

Intrigued
When another comes with further information

There is a gut feeling
That you are on the right track
Even if others are disbelieving
Even if they try to thwart the effort
In finding the truth

The truth does hurt
In this case it involves
Those close to you
And how would you resolve the dilemma

As the past collides with the present
Will there be closure