Eighteen

Richard Bell, has created a somewhat coming of age story of a young man with flashes of a grandfather he has never known who endured similar feats decades previously. Bell uses a dynamic plot sequence to carry the viewer through a present day story of Pip (Paul Anthony (VI)), a young male who has experienced a traumatic event. Although Pip is from a financially comfortable family, he is living on the street during the beginning of the story. As storyline unfolds, pieces of why Pip has decided to ostracize himself is slowly revealed. During this time, we learn that Pip has recently turned eighteen and his grandfather, who he has never met, left him a cassette tape and tape player to be given to him on his eighteenth birthday. During the course of the film, as Pip’s story unfolds, the audience and Pip are introduced to his grandfather, through flashbacks and tape recorded voice of Ian McKellen Through Pip’s journey of coming to terms with has happened, he crosses paths with a ferecurringng characters, including: a similar aged male working the streets (Clarence Sponagle), a compassionate pastor ( Alan Cumming), and a open social worker (Carly Pope). Through the film, each of these characters influence Pip and overcome their own triumphs.

Stay

Being unfamiliar with this movie before going to see it, my expectations were undefined. I had performed a bit of research, looking into the characters, however the storyline and plot were left unknown. Ryan Gosling is a tormented young adult confiding in his therapist, Ewan McGregor. Ryan Gosling caught my eye because I had seen him in 'The United States of Leland,' which I enjoyed and was interested to see him in something new. He also acted in 'The Notebook,' however I have not seen it. Additionally, Ewan McGregor, who I first saw and enjoyed in 'Moulin Rouge' and his later performances, including the young Ed Blum in 'Big Fish'.

The storyline of the film is interesting and the director's cinematic techniques complement the feel of what the characters are going through. The basic plot summary is a young adult, Henry Letham, played by Ryan Gosling, is partially discussing with his therapist, Sam Foster, played by Ewan McGregor, of his plan to kill himself on his 21st birthday. Sam just recently became Henry's therapist because Beth, played by Janeane Garofalo, who has been Henry's therapist, has taken a leave of absence due to 'exhaustion.'

As the movie progresses Sam is struggling to help Henry, while at the same time being sidetracked by his girlfriend, Lila Culpepper, played by Naomi Watts, who has recovered from attempting suicide, but has stopped taking her medication. While trying to find trust in her and not doubt his capabilities as a therapist, Sam attempts to reach Henry.

This film addresses the question of what is reality. Is it what we believe we perceive, are we not capable of perceiving the enormity of it all, or is it a dream? Director, Marc Forster, who also directed the movies Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, as well as others, captivatingly conveys the complexity and rational of reality.

Junebug

This is a story of family, relationships, and communication. The prodigal son, George, from a small town middle-class family, returns home with his new wife, Madeline, a successful modern woman who owns an art gallery. George and Madeline have journey from Chicago to George's hometown area in North Carolina to look up a new undiscovered artist, Madeline is pursuing to contract for her gallery. Only having been married for 6 months and knowing eachother 1 week before getting married, Madeline learns more of her new perfect husband during this visit. George's young pregnant sister-in-law, Ashley, takes to Madeline immediately, while others keep their distance. George falls back into his ways at home of being alone, leaving Madeline to rely on Ashley's direction. Madeline's different ways shake the set southern ways of the family revealing animosity and As Ashley's pregnancy comes due, the difference in priorities between George and Madeline are revealed. As Phil Morrison, the director, states "the ultimate verity that Junebug clings to is that darkness and light are inseparable. We go to great lengths to deny it in order to feel safe, and are shaken when this denial falls apart. Certainly there's nothing new in this, but I guess that's the point." There are many themes throughout this film, more so than discussed here. I found it to be thought provoking, leaving the theatre with much to ponder.

Off the Map

This is the story of people who live by a means of self sufficiency. That which is very different form societal norms of the day. A family living in the New Mexico desert consisting of a father, suffering from depression named Charley, Arlene, his wife, Bo, their strong-willed eleven year-old daughter, a long time family friend, George, and a newcomer, William Gibbs. The family lives in the desert receiving a meager amount of money from Charley serving in the Vietnam War and barter for anything else they cannot make or mend themselves, using the junk yard as a resource.

The family is dealing with Charley's depression, which takes hold for almost a year during a very impressionable time in Bo's young life. Aiding in this venture is William Gibbs, a newcomer who is sent to audit the family because they have neglected to pay taxes for the past 12 years. After facing a near death experience from an allergic reaction to bee stings, William Gibbs awakes to a new life; a life he has not seen before. He finds himself in love with Arlene, who is appreciative, but does not reciprocate William's feelings. William directs his emotions from Arlene to the new world he has found himself in. Reluctant to return to his job with the IRS, William stays on with the family and pouring his energies in to painting.

As a therapeutic release, the family friend George bought water color paints for Charley; however, it is William who finds comfort in painting. William paints for less than eight years, before his untimely death, in the place he has come to be enraptured in, leaving behind a means for the family to pay off the accrued IRS penalty fees from not paying taxes.

The story is somewhat simple, but beautifully portrayed. An additional character not directly mentioned throughout the film is the environment. The landscape grew to be more than a pretty backdrop, but a mystical character in itself.

This film depicts a way of life often dreamt of but thought to be impossible by today's standards. It is a beautiful representation of the power of love and growth that is possible over time.

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind

I was able to manage paying more attention while watching this movie for the second time. Charlie Kaufman has done a great job with his expertise in storytelling. In a way, it reminded me somewhat of "Total recall" when the company ad showed up about giving the people an opportunity of deleting their memories of someone special. I need to note here that watching the craze of people wanting to get rid of hurtful memories during Valentine's day was a very pleasant sarcasm.

We all had our moments wishing to take a break from dealing with not having that someone you'd once spent all your time with. A break is alright; but what about a permanent brain damage? It'd be "nice" if the break is long enough to get over the emotional trauma, but what do we lose if it lasts for a life time?
I'd be not me if I miss the moments of my memories; it doesn't really matter if they are pleasant or hurtful.

The visual representation of how the memories being erased and how he was trying to resist is done great. A quote from the movie reads "I can't remember anything without you"... In a way, it is as good as the definition of love gets...

Another nice thing is the way that Clementine is represented in Joel's head. I think this has to be credited in terms acting and story telling. She was different in reality and she was just his imagination in the way he wants her to be. I guess we all wish we did imagining that special someone saying "Why don't you stay this time?"

Clementine: This is it Joel. It's going to be gone soon.
Joel: I know.
Clementine: What do we do?
Joel: Enjoy it

It's a great movie to watch; but needs some attention, especially the timeline. The clues are shown many times; i.e. the name Patrick echoes at least eight or nine times until the audience gets that there is something about that name; in case you miss when she calls her new boyfriend Patrick. So try to be sober when you rent this movie. And if you don't trust me, read some more on IMDB :)

I heart Huckabies

How am I not myself?

Fundamental questions related to your existence would be answered by the existential detectives who are determined to do anything to find out.

Albert, an environmentalist fighting against the corporate-world, decides to use their service to resolve the meaning of the coincidences occurred in his life. Another client, Tommy the firefighter, was introduced while being dumped by his wife bacause she was sick of "nothingness or something-ness". They become friends to understand the meaning of life together.

The style of the movie fed by absurdity. In contrast to Rushmore or Tennenbaums, it starts with scene one (so no warming up for audience) as Albert reads a poem about how he envies the still nature of the rock that he sits on.

Movie covers a good amount of philosophical material -if you listen to it; -otherwise: it doesn’t really matter as it didn’t most of characters in the movie.

I really enjoyed this movie and if you like absurd comedies, I’d highly recommend it.

Wings of Desire

"When the child was a child It walked with its arms swinging, wanted the brook to be a river, the river to be a torrent, and this puddle to be the sea."

I almost want to say this is a movie to be watched on a peaceful Sunday with a cup of strong black coffee in your hand for no easily explainable reason. If you're not in the right mood, it might sound like German to a foreign ear. If you're in the right mood, whatever that is, you were about to open a poetry book even if you didn't realize it, but instead you sat down to watching this fairy tale about angels telling you the tragic story of the human being who's, in an ancient definition, a fallen angel remembering the memories of the child who walks out into the world to discover and to lose its innocence.

There are a lot of familiar faces and sounds, Nick Cave, Lt. Columbo playing himself as Peter Falk (When Wim Wenders offers the role to Peter Falk, he says "I need a former angel". Columbo's reply is "How did you know?"), the song Karli Kayin Ormani'nda you hear in the Turkish neighborhood of Berlin sung by Livaneli. Another familiar friend is Peter Handke whose voice you can hear here and there in the script.

"When the child was a child, It was the time for these questions: Why am I me, and why not you? Why am I here, and why not there? When did time begin, and where does space end? Is life under the sun not just a dream? Is what I see and hear and smell not just an illusion of a world before the world? Given the facts of evil and people, does evil really exist? How can it be that I, who I am, didn’t exist before I came to be, and that, someday, I, who I am, will no longer be who I am? continued

In the end, it's such a relief to switch to color from black&white, to fall from the sky and experience being a human being, with the pain, pleasure, longing, smelling, touching, swearing, smiling and deciding, deciding to live your destiny, which is eternity in the brief history of each life.

If you enjoy this movie, also watch Faraway, So Close!

Crash

Waiting for so long for such a movie like "Crash", I left the movie theater fully satisfied. The story gives a perspective on how we percieve others as it develops around the decisions that we make under the influence of the issues of prejudice mainly around multicultural tension at a subconcious level. It invites you to an experience with a rich variety of emotions. The movie points out the questions and the problems, while it leaves the answers to the audience.

Author: Brambo from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

In a drama strikingly reminiscent in style and tone of P.T. Anderson's film Magnolia (1999), the narrative in Crash shifts between 5 or 6 different groups of seemingly unconnected characters, whose relationships to each other are only revealed in the end.

Not to be confused with the David Cronenberg feature of the same name, this Crash is the feature-length, studio-released directorial debut of veteran Canadian TV writer/producer/director and two-time Emmy-winner Paul Haggis. An in-depth exploration on the themes of racism and prejudice, cause and effect, chance and coincidence, and tragedy, "crash" is a metaphor for the collisions between strangers in the course of day-to-day existence. Set over a 24-hour period in contemporary L.A., it is a social commentary on the interconnectedness of life in the big city.

Crash features a top-notch ensemble cast which includes: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillipe and Larenz Tate. All put in superb performances in a tight script which is at once gritty, heartwarming, shocking, tragic and witty, and which will ring true with viewers of all demographics.

Centering around two disturbing car accidents, a carjacking, vicious workplace vandalism, and the suspicious shooting death of one police officer by another, the drama is set against the backdrop of a racist LAPD and Los Angeles justice system. Action shifts between the various characters, whose lives collide with each other in unpredictable ways as each faces their own moral dilemma, and tries to cope with the consequences of their resulting decision made or action taken. Each of the dozen or so main characters undergoes some type of a personal metamorphosis as the various story lines head toward a striking, common conclusion, which succeeds at being both cathartic and unsettling.

Crash is backed by a solid and varied, original soundtrack and excellent cinematography. Sweeping, wider shots alternate with disjointed camera angles which convey the chaos and confusion of the characters and the unpredictability of life. Occasional lingering close-ups -- on occasion without sound -- capture the actors' facial expressions, which suitably detail key moments of the characters' aching pain, fear, anger, bitter anguish, remorse or grief, far better than any dialogue could.

This breathtaking film is destined to be a critical smash and box-office hit.

Hearts in Atlantis

This movie tells the childhood story of an eleven year-old boy, named Bobby, during a summer in the 50's or 60's. As the movie unfolds, we learn Bobby has endured the loss of his father leaving his mother in unhappy and financially struggling, or so she says. When a boarder comes to stay in the upstairs apartment, he and Bobby quickly become friends. Loss and love are the main themes throughout the movie and I found the film very touching and enjoyable. The story is eloquently told and heart-felt, in other words... it got to me. This movie is based on a Stephen King book, but from what I was told is not very representative of the novel. However, it does not seem possible to encapsulate a Stephen King novel in one film, people have been barely able to do so with his short stories. In conclusion, I would recommend this movie, but if you have read the book, you may be disappointed. If you would like to learn more about the film, click here.

Bekleme Odası

English Title: Waiting Room (2004)

Here is the synopsis taken from 18th Singapore Film Festival:

Film director Ahmet is trying to adapt Dostoyevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment’ to the screen and struggles through a daily ritual of smoking, television-gazing and alienated musing to produce something of substance for the project. He perceives himself to be faithless and arrogant, whereas people around him see him as an idealist and a man of principles. His girlfriend Serap is suspicious of his reticence and he indulges her fears about another woman, prompting her to leave him. Meanwhile, he begins to go in pursuit of a thief who he catches trying to rob his house, in the hope that he can convince the man to play the role of Roskolnikof in the film. Yet another triumphant solo project, Waiting Room was directed, written, edited and photographed by Demirkubuz who also starred in it.

It's worth of watching!..