At the Movies Blog Challenge: My Life at the Cinema (21st Century Edition)

For many of us who love films, going to the movie theater is a thing that we all do whether it’s every weekend or a few times a month. It’s the chance to see a new movie that is out that is a big event or to discover a gem that not many people are seeing. It’s also a chance to see an old film in the big screen if it’s given a special presentation while it is either seen with a large audience or a small audience. It allows people to watch something and share that experience whether it’s a good movie or a bad movie. However, in these uncertain times as the whole world is stricken with the COVID-19 pandemic and hundreds of thousands of people have either died or are dying from this virus. The whole world has definitely gone into shutdown mode and going to the cinema is something we can’t do anymore. After all, if someone decides to open a movie theater against the advice of scientists and doctors and someone with the virus show in a room full of people and infect everyone. Then the whole world is absolutely fucked.

Katy Rochelle of Oh So Geeky is hosting a blog challenge that is about going to the movie theaters as a way to bring many of us bloggers together to share that experience even though we can’t do it in person. The idea of the blog challenge is simple:

Create a list sharing your favorite memories of going to the movies. The post must feature a minimum of five items, but feel free to write more than five and choose any "theme" you want.

Having spent a lifetime going to the movies as I’ve written experiences about going to the movies through lists and essays that either explore my adoration for a film or a filmmaker. I want to do something different as it’s more about the different experiences I had of going to the movies in the past 20 years of my life even though it doesn’t feel like 20 years. In order to make this interesting, I will avoid discussions about talking about seeing my all-time favorite film in Lost in Translation as well as the experiences I had in watching the films of Quentin Tarantino. I’m also going to avoid discussing some of the more unpleasant experiences I’ve had in the bad movies I’ve seen. This list of 30 films is going to be about the movies that I saw and how it impacted my growth as a cinephile chronologically from 2002 to 2019.

Before I begin this list, let me preface some background of where I was coming from and why I chose the 30 films on this list. If I was to pin-point my life through watching films, I would say that it would be before seeing this film and after seeing this film. Before 2002, a lot of the films I had seen were mainly from major studios and mainstream fare in the 1980s, there were 3 movie theaters in Smyrna. One at the Galleria across the street from Cumberland Mall, the second a mile south was one at Akers Mill Square that is now a pet store and a Hobby Lobby, and another one just a mile north from the mall that is now a Best Buy and other stores. By 2000-2001, there was only one in the form of a multiplex that AMC Parkway Pointe 15 just half-a-mile south where the one at Akers Mill was. The only other time I went to a movie theater outside of Smyrna was somewhere south of Atlanta during Thanksgiving where my younger sister and I joined our cousins to see The Ringmaster. By the time I got my driver’s license and was able to see what else is out there, I knew it was time to see what else isn’t playing at the multiplexes.

1. 24 Hour Party People

Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 film about the rise and fall of Factory Records that would help launch the local music scene in Manchester from the late 1970s to the early 1990s remains one of my all-time favorite films. I saw the film either around late August or early September in 2002 at the Tara Theatre near the Cheshire area in Atlanta as this was the first time I went to an art house theater and this wouldn’t be the last time. The theater was nearby the home of an old family friend of my parents who had sadly passed away a decade ago as I would inherit three of his cats who sadly passed years later. Seeing a film in this small theater that only has four screens is an immense experience as there weren’t a lot of people there but I was enthralled by what I was seeing as it made me realize that there was so much out there and not every film will be at my local multiplex.

2. American Splendor

Nearly a year later at the same theatre, I went to a screening for this film and it was packed as it was hard for me to get a seat. Yet, it was a screening I wouldn’t forget as there were a lot of laughs and some cries and all sorts of things. It was the screening where I saw the trailer for what would become my all-time favorite film. The film was great but it was the experience seeing it with a large crowd for a film that wasn’t being played at a local multiplex as well as not being some blockbuster comedy nor anything that is mainstream. When the credits rolled, a loud applause occurred as that was something I never expected as it would be the first of several moments I would have at a screening.

3. Girl with a Pearl Earring

I saw this film on my 23rd birthday at the Atlanta Museum of Arts for a special screening as it was quite full while parking was expensive at the time at $10-$15. The ticket to see the film was $5 as it was weird going to the museum where they’re going to have the screening as there’s people older than me drinking champagne and eating fine cheeses as well as all sorts of posh food while I had pizza from Fellini’s for dinner earlier. The film was amazing yet it made me cry as everyone else was applauding for the film but I was a wreck as I sat down in tears. Having seen Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation twice already at that time and to see the film for a third time, I knew that was someone to watch as I’ve become a fan of hers since and have stayed on through good films and some shitty films.

4. The Dreamers

The first NC-17 film that I saw at the Landmark Theatre on the Midtown Arts Center just near Piedmont Park was definitely an event and certainly a theater I haven’t been to in nearly a decade mainly because it’s in the city and a little far for me at this point as I don’t like to leave my mother all alone for a long period of time. This theater is probably one of the best I’ve been to as it has walls of posters of film classics from different countries as it’s always something I’m in awe of. The screening for this film is unique mainly because of not just the film but the thrill of watching erotic sex on the big screen as I had seen nudity on film but not in this context as it was exciting. Yet, it was a big deal as it was a film that introduced me to the French New Wave and other films.

5. DiG!

Working as a volunteer at the Atlanta Film Festival in late spring/early summer 2004 at the Midtown Arts Center, I saw a slew of films there including Strayed with Emmanuelle Beart by Andre Techine, Easy starring Marguerite Moreau, The Mother by Roger Michel starring Anne Reid and Daniel Craig, and Some Kind of Monster as well as some short films. I saw I think 3-4 films on the same day as one of them was Ondi Timoner’s documentary about the friendship/rivalry between the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre as I chatted briefly with Timoner as we both discussed TVT Records founder Steve Gottlieb as we both agree that he’s an evil person. After all, anyone who follows Nine Inch Nails about Gottlieb and the man is a fucking douche. It was a great screening that was followed by Q&A as it was fun.

6. Primer

Later that night as I had finished my volunteer work, I decided to buy a ticket for a screening of Shane Carruth’s debut film which was the only other film I could see that night as Baadasssss! was also having a big screening that was sold out. I chose Carruth’s film instead as it was another interesting experience at the festival as it ended with applause as it was followed by a Q&A. It was an excellent film though I would appreciate it more as I got older while I also chatted with Carruth for a while as we talked about the film and such as he was a cool guy.

7. The Brown Bunny

Nearby midtown Atlanta and one of the older theatres that is the Plaza Theatre as it is legendary as it showed all sorts of films and some art movies. It is also known for having midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show for many years and it’s still going. I’ve seen two films in that theater as one of them is John Sayles’ Casa de los Babys and in the summer of 2004, Vincent Gallo’s sophomore feature. There weren’t a lot of people at the screening as I think it was only 3 or 4 including myself. It wasn’t one of the best screenings that I saw yet I think the only reason those who attended the film was there was to see the infamous blow-job scene. We saw it in all of its glory though I learned years later that Gallo was actually wearing a prosthetic that he borrowed from a film he did for Claire Denis years before and that killed whatever joy I had for the film.

8. La Dolce Vita

Returning once again to the Midtown Arts Center on September 21, 2004 which is the one-year anniversary of the time I saw my all-time favorite film and what better way to celebrate it than watch a restored edition of a film that my favorite movie showed for a bit. I had never seen a Federico Fellini film before and what a way to start all of that. I don’t remember if I had seen a black-and-white film before this yet it was immense as it was a rapturous experience. Even though the screening only featured half the audience, it was still just this indescribable experience though it wasn’t the longest film I had seen in that time. I was so entranced by what I was seeing as I wasn’t sure when the movie was over as I went in there absolutely blind as it remains my favorite Fellini film so far.

9. The Motorcycle Diaries

One of a bunch of films that I saw as part of a free screening in 2004 that also included a remake of Nine Queens in Criminal with John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is one that I saw through a magazine ad as myself and many others got a free pass the week before its screening. Shown at the Midtown Arts Center, it was a packed screening as well as hard to get a seat as it was another immense experience. Especially for a film about a controversial figure in Che Guevara in his early years where he travels through South America as he would discover things that would impact him in many ways. There was a loud applause at the end as it was another great experience for me.

10. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Attending a preview screening for this film at the Midtown Arts Center just before Christmas was a film that I was definitely anticipating for as I had started to discover the films of Wes Anderson as I really wanted to see this. The screening was packed as there were a lot of people wanting to see this as there was trivia before the screening as I answered a question and won a winter beanie hat that I lost a few years ago. It was like the beanie the characters in the film wore as losing it sucked. I had fun watching the film but there wasn’t much of a reaction during the film as it ended with some including myself applaud with others just not really enjoying it. It is Anderson’s most polarizing film to date but it was still fun to watch.

11. Happy Endings

In July of 2005, I went to a screening for Don Roos’ film as I saw it largely because I’m a big fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal as I decided to go to this special screening that would be followed by a Q&A with one of its stars in Jesse Bradford. There weren’t a lot of people at the screening yet it was still an incredible screening as I think it’s an underrated film with a phenomenal ensemble cast that include Lisa Kudrow, Steve Coogan, Tom Arnold, Jason Ritter, Laura Dern, and Bobby Cannavale. It was funny and full of compelling characters with Gyllenhaal in a tremendous performance as a singer for a band who seduces one of her bandmates and her father while Bradford plays a wannabe filmmaker trying to find Kudrow’s long-lost son. Bradford at the Q&A was a really cool guy as I asked him about his look and praised his role in Hackers (which is still a good film). I chatted with him a bit as myself and another guy learned that was going to be in Clint Eastwood’s film Flags of Our Fathers but wanted to keep it a secret which I did until it was officially announced.

12. The New World

Much of my time from 2003 to 2006 was an educational period of discovering about cinema as I realized there was a whole world out there and learning about filmmakers and the films they made. One of them was Terrence Malick as I spent the fall of 2005 watching his films and re-watching The Thin Red Line as I never understood it as a teenager. Yet, I was aware that not all films are meant for the small screen as there was something indescribable about his work as I was anxious to see this though I became aware that his films are often delayed due to last-minute touches. I finally saw the film at my local multiplex and there weren’t a lot of people there yet it was a mesmerizing experience in seeing Chivo’s photography shown like that and with this immense soundtrack as I learned that if Malick was to make another film (and he would) that I have to patient as I understood about the idea of films as an event.

13. I'm Not There

Seeing this at the Midtown Arts Center on my 27th birthday as my birthday movie which is often an annual thing (depending on what’s playing and where). I had been a casual fan of Bob Dylan around that time and Todd Haynes was a filmmaker I enjoyed watching based on the few films that he did. I don’t remember whether the screening I went to was about half or less than half but it was still an incredible moment. Notably as it was just this film that didn’t play the rules as it made me into a super-convert of the gospel according to Dylan. Even as the casting for the actors playing different versions of Dylan made it different as it made me realize that not all film bio-pics had to follow a certain formula or narrative which was becoming the case with every bio-pic that was coming out in those times.

14. There Will Be Blood

I saw this film in early January of 2008 at the Tara Theatre as it was sold out as I was lucky to get a ticket for a showing though finding a seat was fucking hard. I sat second row just really close to the screen. Honestly, it’s not the best way to watch a film as you had to look up to get a proper look as my seat didn’t have cushions at the time. Another reason why I don’t recommend sitting close to the screen and always buy tickets in advance is what I’m about to describe. During the film, there was an oil well explosion and the explosion was loud. Yet, it was the loudest thing I heard as all of a sudden. My ears hurt and I temporarily went deaf during the screening. It took minutes for me to get some of my hearing back but goddamn. That was fucking loud.

15. The Dark Knight

Seeing this in the summer of 2008 as it was the event blockbuster of the season and at my local multiplex. It was nearly full at the screening that I went to as it was like watching something bigger than a blockbuster. Notably as it played more like an action-epic than a typical superhero film where it was the scale of the presentation of it that stood out to me. The visuals along with the soundtrack as well as being something more nihilistic in its themes. Up until the films of the MCU in its third phase, I always felt that this film set not just new standards of what superhero films should be but also blockbusters.

16. Che

Attending a one-week only screening at the Midtown Arts Center during what was a traumatic period for myself and my entire family as it relates to the passing of my youngest sister. I needed to go somewhere and watch something to get away from my lecherous relatives. I had money to watch this special screening as it was double the ticket-price since I’m watching a two-part film as it was the first roadshow film presentation that I ever went to and it’s something that I think audiences need to experience once in their life. Fortunately, it’s twice for me so far as the other was The Hateful Eight. With this film, I’m given a book that features all of the credits as both films don’t feature credits as it opens instead a country and after the first film ends. There’s a 30 minute break and then you get back on board. A lot of people weren’t at this screening but it was at least something immense.

17. Antichrist

Months later in the fall of that year during a time where grief definitely channeled my worth as a writer where I was kind of writing non-stop at the now-defunct Epinions.com as I had become a top writer of sorts. Yet, it was becoming unsatisfying as I felt unchallenged and constrained by what I couldn’t write as well as being frustrated over the lack of value I brought to the site which would close 5 years later. This was a film that didn’t just express a lot of the anxieties and emotions I was going through at the time but it would also foreshadow events of what I would go through in the next year. There weren’t a lot of people at the screening as I was anxious to see this and it delivered but it was also confrontational in its depiction of depression as it was indeed a film that is not meant for the multiplexes.

18. Avatar

To end the 2000s and on New Year’s Eve, I chose the biggest film of that year and it would be my only experience to watch a film in 3D. While I thought it was an excellent film despite the lack of originality in the narrative and some of overwrought ideas of environmentalism. I was underwhelmed by the 3D presentation of it as it really didn’t do anything and I didn’t think the plastic 3D glasses helped at all. I think the film was better upon re-watches and didn’t need the 3D. I still liked the film but it is highly doubtful I will ever watch a film in 3D ever again.

19. Somewhere

Being a major fan of Sofia Coppola, I was anxious to see this but I wanted to see it properly and upon realizing that it wasn’t going to be in multiplexes or at an art house theater nearby. I went to the Midtown Arts Center to see this during one of the coldest winters in Atlanta at that time. There weren’t a lot of people at the screening and it was quite cold but watching this film that is set in sunny Los Angeles made me feel warm. Having watched Coppola’s last film Marie Antoinette with an air of anxiety due to the polarizing reception it had received at Cannes four years earlier. I came into watching this film with no expectations and just the beauty of it as well as the minimalist approach Coppola went with her story just the experience a joy to watch though it’s kind of bittersweet as that was the last movie I had seen at the Midtown Arts Center as I haven’t been there in 9 years.

20. The Tree of Life

Seeing this in June 2011 at the Tara Theatre, I knew I was coming into something that wasn’t going to be something typical of the films I had seen in multiplexes as well as a few art-house movies that I had seen in my lifetime. It was kind of half full yet the screening has specific instructions of how to present the film based on notes that Malick wanted for projectionists. It is an indescribable experience in watching this film as I felt like I was watching a piece of art that not everyone will like (which is often the case with anything by Malick) yet I was entranced by its visuals and the story as it is kind of a spiritual film that made me question the ideas of existence.

21. The Avengers

Every generation of moviegoers will often ask that question of what was it like to see certain films. There’s probably those who will describe what it was like to see Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, The Sound of Music, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jaws, Star Wars, and Titanic. Films that were big upon its release and were like events. I think the same will be asked for those when it comes to this film as I can remember what it was like. It was hard to find a seat at my local multiplex as I saw on an upper deck corner seat yet the atmosphere of it was immense. The cheers were loud and the laughs were also just as loud including the moment where Hulk beat the shit out of Loki like a rag doll as that got some of the biggest laughs I had ever heard. I knew then and there that the MCU is going to be a whole lot of fun these films would deliver and more.

22. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

There’s only been a few times I went to a restoration or revival screening as in 2010, I went to a revival screening of Casablanca at the theatre in Marietta Square and Back to the Future in a 25th anniversary screening at my local multiplex as I don’t really remember much about them. With this film which I saw at the Lefont Sandy Springs which is now a regular movie theater that would show a few Bollywood films. I saw a restoration for Jacques Demy’s film as I remember that even though there weren’t a lot of people at this restoration. It was still this gorgeous experience in watching this musical and all of the lush colors captured as I had no idea what to expect as it was a great way to see a film like this for the first time as it made me fell in love with the film as well as talking to people including a few who had seen but not on the big screen as they say seeing it like that makes the film even better.

23. Blue is the Warmest Color

Two months later at the same theatre, I decided to see this knowing it wasn’t going to play at my local multiplex since they never play any films relating to gay/lesbian relationships or anything with a NC-17 rating. This was the third NC-17 movie that I saw as the second was Lust, Caution yet this was a more immersive film as I saw it with a half-packed audience as some of them were from the gay/lesbian community as I think was the only straight guy there. It was an enthralling film to watch in terms of its sexual content but it was also emotional given the trials and tribulations of the relationship as there was a reason why it deserved the Palme d’Or despite the controversy that Abdellatif Kechiche has created during the production and what he would become with his subsequent films.

24. The Wolf of Wall Street

I saw this on Christmas Day 2013 as it is kind of tradition for me to watch a film during the Christmas holidays as I wanted to see this mainly because I’m a fan of Martin Scorsese and I heard this film was fucking insane. Well… I think insane just understates exactly what I saw as I was in for a 3-hour ride that I wished never stopped. There wasn’t a lot of people at the screening but I’m sure we were the loudest when I saw at my local multiplex. Most notably the Quaaludes sequence in which Leonardo DiCaprio’s character gets paralyzed by its effects and started to crawl and such. It was in that moment where I started to laugh my fucking ass off and everyone else watching that sequence just laughed their asses off. It wasn’t just how loud the laughter was but how hard and how long it was as it went on for minutes during that entire sequence. It was hard to get our composure after that scene though I’m sure someone at the screening did accidentally wet him/herself. I was like “fuck it” as I came out of that screening with a smile in my face but also in a strut. Not just any strut. A kiss-stealin’, wheelin-dealin’, rolex-wearin’, limousine-ridin’, jet-flyin’, son-of-a-gun, and I’m having a hard time holding on to these alligators on my feet kind of strut. Nature Boy… Ric Flair… WOO!!!!!!

25. The Raid 2: Berandal

The multiplex at the Phipps Plaza near Lenox Mall at Buckhead is a more lenient multiplex for the fact that it showed more independent and arty films as well as films relating to gay/lesbian relationships unlike my local multiplex though it’s been six years since I’ve been there and this was the last film I saw at the Phipps Plaza. Yet, it was a preview of what was to come at my own multiplex in terms of the seating as it was the first showing where I sat on a very comfortable chair with a recliner and such as it made the screening for this film not just enjoyable but also exciting. It was this action film that had a lot to offer and more as there wasn’t a large audience there yet it was still energetic and full of joy.

26. Mad Max: Fury Road

What do you do after you had just seen one of the worst movies ever made and two hours of your life that you will never recover from? Well, during my brief time with Cinema Axis as I was asked to review the horror that was Aloha. I was at the bar at my local multiplex just writing my review of that film and getting ready to watch the next film in about an hour. Man, it was what I needed as it was the exact opposite of Aloha as this was a film that was enthralling and it had everything you wanted in an action-epic film and it was full of joy while the screening was packed (in comparison to the 5-6 people at the screening for Aloha).

27. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

I had seen 2 films of the franchise in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith as the experiences I had with them were… eh… I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get back on board yet the trailers made me realize that things were going into the right direction. Well, for a while. I attended the screening on opening weekend as it was packed as it was the first show where I used Fandango to get a ticket and that actually helped where I was able to get a seat for the show on Sunday at my local multiplex. It was packed and full of energy as it had an audience of all ages as it was loud and full of joy. Even in some of the dark moments as it made me a fan of the franchise all over again despite the emergence of fanboys who bitch over everything as they have sand in their vaginas.

28. Dunkirk

Though I saw the film as part of a double-feature with Spider-Man: Homecoming as it was two different films that both had something to offer. It was Christopher Nolan’s World War II film that was the better of the two films in not just quality but also in experience. There was a fair amount of people at the screening at my local multiplex for this film but it was in the presentation of it as it felt more than just an ordinary blockbuster or a typical war film. The soundtrack and the scope of what Nolan was telling for a simple story made the film a joy to watch.

29. Avengers: Infinity War

Having followed through many of the films of the MCU, I knew that this film was going to be big and I saw it with a packed audience at my local multiplex. The atmosphere made the screening enjoyable as we booed towards whatever lame trailer that was coming before as we all just wanted to see the film. There were cheers and when Spider-Man appeared, lot of fanboys and fangirls screamed as well as cheers for the heroes they love. Massive pops for Black Panther and big screams for Thor’s arrival in Wakanda as it just made the screening a whole lot of fun until… what Thanos did and the gasps and sense of shock just sucked the life of everyone. There were cries and all sorts of emotions right until the last post-credit scene where there were some cheers for what is to come.

30. Avengers: Endgame

Nearly a year later at the same multiplex and with such anticipation, I knew this was going to be intense. What I didn’t expect was how emotional the screening it was going to be for the people around me in my seat. After the first fifteen minutes of the film and it went black, there was murmurs of confusion as someone said “that’s it?” Then came “five years later” as I knew we were in for something different. There were a lot of funny moments but also sad moments as I cried during one key scene involving the death of a major character. Then came moments that elicited a lot of cheers that lead to the climatic portals sequence as that sequence is why cinema is made. Fanboys and fangirls screamed for Spider-Man which was louder than any ovation I heard and this wave of emotional excitement rushed in as I was part of it as well. When the women Avengers assembled, there were little girls and women that cheered their asses off as it was a fucking incredible experience that will be unmatched and why being at the cinema is something we all cherish.

© thevoid99 2020

Thursday Movie Picks: Period Dramas

In the 25th week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We venture into period dramas as it’s film set during a moment in the past as it allow actors to go back in time and capture a certain period in time. Here are my three picks all directed by women from the early 2010s as well as being a reflection of sorts to these dark times we’re in:

1. Wuthering Heights

Andrea Arnold’s adaptation of the Emily Bronte novel is definitely a far more radical take in comparison to other versions of the film. Most notably in casting an African-Briton for the role of Heathcliff as it revolves a young man who has been adopted into a rich family as he falls for his adopted sister until they’re separated by forces beyond their control until they meet again as adults hoping to restart their relationship. Shot in a full-frame aspect ratio of 1:33:1 and on location in the north of Britain, it’s a film that refuses to play by the rules as it’s more about atmosphere and how the locations play up to the separation that both Catherine and Heathcliff endure throughout the film.

2. Lore

Cate Shortland’s adaptation of Rachel Seiffert’s novel The Dark Room is a 2012 World War II drama is an unconventional film that is set during its final years in Germany where a young woman takes her four younger siblings through Germany after their parents had been captured by the Allies for the work with the Nazis. It’s a film that showcases how the horrors of war can lead to some harsh reality for a young group of siblings as they’re also forced to realize that everything their parents and grandparents had taught them was wrong. Featuring a breakthrough performance from Saskia Rosenthal as the titular character, it is a coming-of-age film of sorts that doesn’t play by convention in favor of studying how those who had been taught all of these ideas only to realize that it’s a lie and how it lead to loss.

3. Belle

Amma Asante’s fictionalized film about Dido Elizabeth Belle and the 1779 painting that is set during a landmark moment in British rule as it relates to the slave trade. Featuring Gugu Mbatha-Raw in the titular role, it is a compelling drama that follows a young woman with a white father and black mother as she would be raised by her father’s relatives who give her love and a home as she also becomes close to her cousin Elizabeth. It’s a film that offers so much but it is also exploration of identity and what it means to be that identity without having to compromise and gain the approval of those who love and care for that person.

© thevoid99 2020

The Housemaid (1960 film)

Written and directed by Kim Ki-young, Hanyeo (The Housemaid) is the story of a troubled housemaid whose presence would cause chaos within a family in South Korea. The film is the study of class differences and the roles of family and the people who work for them as a new housemaid would seduce the family’s patriarch and create terror within the home. Starring Kim Jin-kyu, Ju Jeung-nyeo, and Lee Eun-shim. Hanyeo is a chilling yet intoxicating film from Kim Ki-young.

The film revolves around a music teacher who moves into a new home with his family as one of his students suggest in getting him a new housemaid who has some harboring resentment towards the teacher over a supposed affair as she would create chaos within the family. It’s a film that play into a man who is given the position to teach a group of women factory workers the chance to learn piano yet he also attracts a crush among one of the students. Yet, a letter to the teacher is discovered as a worker gets fired while the woman who actually wrote the letter feels guilty as she helps her teacher in getting a new housemaid unaware that the woman is troubled.

Kim Ki-young’s screenplay explore the family dynamic as Dong-sik Kim (Kim Jin-kyu) has moved his family to a city in the hopes to have a new home as his wife (Ju Jeung-nyeo) is pregnant with their third child while he’s teaching at this factory as he’s gained the crush of his student Kyung-hee Cho (Um Aing-ran). After her friend Seon-young Kwak (Ko Seon-ae) got fired for writing Cho’s letter, Cho tries to help Mr. Kim by hiring her roommate Myung-sook (Lee Eun-shim) unaware that she is a friend of Kwak and is unstable due to her offbeat behavior. The script play into Myung-sook’s behavior and how she would seduce Mr. Kim as it creates turmoil as well as this air of uncertainty into the family dynamic.

Ki-young’s direction is simple as it largely play into some of the claustrophobia within the apartment home the Kims live in. While there aren’t a lot of wide shots in the film other than to establish some bits of the location, much of Ki-young’s direction does emphasize on close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimacy of the apartment as well as the class room where Mr. Kim teaches. Ki-young also maintains this air of intrigue where the film begins with Mr. Kim in the living room with his wife and two kids as he reads about this story of a housemaid believing that it’s nonsense. Yet, it leads to this narrative of Mr. Kim being an object of affection for these women including Cho as she gets her roommate Myung-sook the job to be the housemaid with Cho hoping to win over Mr. Kim but things eventually become complicated.

Ki-young’s approach to the drama and suspense allows him to study the behavior of his characters as he also play into elements of surrealism and terror as it relates to Myung-sook’s behavior. Most notably in how she looks at things such as a tiny bottle of rat poison which is on a kitchen cabinet due to the rats at the Kims’ home. Even the way she looks at the children with an air of disdain as the drama intensifies in the third act. Notably due to Mr. Kim’s actions and how his wife has seen her whole family life coming apart with her children feeling uncomfortable including her newborn baby. It also play into this air of class as Mr. Kim who needs work to fund his lifestyle as his wife suffers from exhaustion from sewing as Myung-sook’s presence only worsens things to the point that the guilt within Mr. Kim finally reaches a breaking point. Overall, Ki-young crafts a haunting yet rapturous film about a family who hires a maid into their home unaware of the chaos she would bring into their lives.

Cinematographer Kim Deok-jin does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it adds a chilling atmosphere to the film with some intricate lighting by Ko Hae-jin who helps set a mood for the way the rooms are lit as well as the stairs. Editor Oh Young-geun does excellent work with the editing in its methodical approach to the suspense as it allows shot to linger for a bit to help maintain the air of dramatic tension throughout the film. Art director Park Seok-in does amazing work with the look of the house that the Kims live in from their work-in-progress state to their finished look as well as the room where Mr. Kim teaches music to his students.

The film’s special effects by Lee Sang-man does nice work with some of the film’s special effects as it relates to some of the surreal moments in the film that include a key scene on a staircase that play into the air of terror. The film’s music by Han Sang-gi is incredible for its eerie orchestral score filled with strings and piano to play up the dramatic tension and suspense as it is a highlight of the film.

The film’s wonderful cast feature some notable small roles from Ko Seon-ae as a factory worker named Seon-young Kwak who gets fired for supposedly writing a love letter to Mr. Kim, Ahn Sung-ki as Kim’s son Chang-soon, Lee Yoo-ri as Kim’s somewhat-crippled daughter Ae-soon, and Um Aing-ran as Kim’s student Kyung-hee Cho who has a crush on Mr. Kim and would be the one to get Myung-sook the job as their housemaid. Lee Eun-shim is excellent as Myung-sook as this young woman who is hired to be a maid yet she is an eccentric figure with a dark demeanor as she falls for Mr. Kim and seduces him to the point that she would create chaos in the family. Ju Jeung-nyeo is brilliant as Mrs. Kim as a pregnant housewife who is dealing with exhaustion from working on her sewing machine and aftershock after seeing rats in her home as she copes with Myung-sook’s presence and later her husband’s actions. Finally, there’s Kim Jin-kyu in an amazing performance as Mr. Kim as a music/piano teacher hired by a factory to teach young women music as he copes with his work and later presence of Myung-sook as he would be consumed with guilt and disappointment at himself as it is an eerie performance from Jin-kyu.

Hanyeo is a tremendous film from Kim Ki-young. Featuring a great ensemble cast, its haunting premise, discomforting setting, ominous music score, and gorgeous yet chilling visuals that play into the dramatic tension and suspense. It’s a film that is definitely ahead of its time in its exploration of adultery as well as in its setting as it is a film that does have its sense of importance in the history of Korean cinema. In the end, Hanyeo is a spectacular film from Kim Ki-young.

© thevoid99 2020

Upgrade

Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, Upgrade is the story of a technophobe who barely survives a mugging as he’s implanted a chip into his body in an act of revenge and terror. The film is a revenge film of sorts of a man whose aversion to technology forces him to use it to get what he wants as well as make things right in the modern world. Starring Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, and Harrison Gilbertson. Upgrade is a riveting and exhilarating film from Leigh Whannell.

Set in a futuristic world where technology does a lot for civilization, the film revolves around a technophobic man who survived a car accident and a mugging that left his wife dead as he is given a new chip into his body where the chip gives the ability move again but also to kill those who killed his wife. It’s a film with a simple premise yet it plays into a man who has no interest in technology in favor of doing things by hand as he finds himself conversing with the microchip inside his body as it repaired his paralysis yet it would also help him deal with the people who killed his wife. Leigh Whannell’s screenplay follows the trials and tribulations that Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) endures as he is someone not in tune with modern technology and the modern world as he would finish building a car for a young yet reclusive tech genius in Eron Keen (Harold Gilbertson) who has created a microchip that is used for multiple purposes as Trace and his wife Asha (Melanie Vallejo) witness.

Yet, due to their car malfunctioning that lead to them being mugged and Asha killed. Keen offers Trace the chance to walk and have movement in his body in total secrecy from the police and many others. Trace is excited about having to move his body again but hearing the voice of the chip known as STEM (voice of Simon Maiden) who would help Trace find out what is going on but also give him the ability to find out what happened on that night.

Whannell’s direction is stylish as it is shot on location in Melbourne, Australia as this futuristic city of sorts to play into a world where technology runs the world as people have the cars do the driving for them as well as do all sorts of things though there’s some that prefer to do everything themselves. Whannell showcases a world where it does feel futuristic but not everyone wants to change with the times as Trace is someone that isn’t fond of technology despite being surrounded by it in his home as much of the presentation of the dramatic and character-building moments are shown in a simple manner of medium shots and close-ups. There are wide shots to help establish the locations as well as to showcase the world that Trace encounters including Keen’s secretive home and Trace’s own home. Whannell’s approach to the action and suspense does have elements of style that has Trace move as if he is a robot whenever he’s being threatened. The way the camera moves add to the robotic tone of the film while it also doesn’t shy into the extremity of the violence.

Whannell also create some unique tracking shots with the Steadicam for a chase scene involving Trace and a man who was involved in the mugging. Whannell’s direction does go into great care of the suspense while it also dwells into the realm of body horror as its third act is about Trace and STEM as well as some eerie discoveries over the latter’s creation just as some of their actions get the attention of Detective Cortez (Betty Gabriel) who is concerned about Trace as well as what is actually happening. Whannell would create a twist in the story that plays more into what Keen has created and the dangers that he brought to Trace as it all relates to Trace’s disdain for technology. Overall, Whannell crafts a thrilling and gripping film about a technophobe who is given a computer chip that allows his paralyzed body to seek revenge on the men who killed his wife.

Cinematographer Stefan Duscio does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on stylish low-key lighting for many of the interior/exterior scenes set at night with not a lot of bright lights for the scenes set in the day. Editor Andy Canny does terrific work with the editing as it has some stylish cuts to play into the action while not deviating into the style of chaotic-speed cutting in order to make sense of what is happening. Production designer Felicity Abbott, along with set decorator Katie Sharrock and art director Mandi Bialek-Wester, does brilliant work with the look of the homes of the characters as well as the design of some of the futuristic gadgets that people use. Costume designer Maria Pattison does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward with the exception of Keen who wears more fashionably posh clothing.

Hair/makeup designer Chiara Tripodi does fantastic work with the look of a few characters as it play into an array of different hairstyles and tattoos some of the characters that Trace meets wears. Special effects supervisor Angelo Sahin and visual effects supervisor Jonathan Dearing do incredible work with the visual effects from the design of the police drones as well as some of the tech that is used at home. Sound designer P.K. Hooker does superb work with the sound effects in the way some of the technology sounds as well as the sound of weapons some of the bad guys have in them. The film’s music by Jed Palmer is amazing for its brooding and pulsating electronic-based score as it help play into the suspense as well as the action sequences in the film while music supervisor Jemma Burns creates a soundtrack that consists of a couple of electronic cuts by Kollaps and a blues song by Howlin’ Wolf in the film’s opening scene.

The casting by Nikki Barrett and Terri Taylor is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Richard Crawthorne as a criminal in Serk Brantner, Kai Bradley as a hacker named Jamie, Christopher Kirby and Clayton Jacobson as a couple of thugs in Tolan and Manny respectively, Linda Cropper as Trace’s mother, and Melanie Vallejo in a terrific performance as Trace’s wife Asha who becomes the motive for Trace’s vengeance. Benedict Hardie is fantastic as Serk’s brother Fisk as a mysterious criminal who carries secret weapons in his body as it play into intrigue over why Asha was killed. Harrison Gilbertson is excellent as the young yet reclusive tech genius Eron Keen as a man who has created a chip that he believes will change everything while offering to help Trace in repairing his paralyzed body unaware of the chip’s unlimited potential.

The voice of Simon Maiden as STEM is brilliant as he displays some life into this computer chip that is allowed to do many things including getting Trace to walk and move again while offering advice of what to do and such as it’s a complex voice performance from Maiden who manages to bring a lot of depth into a tiny chip. Betty Gabriel is amazing as Detective Cortez as a homicide detective investigating what happened to Trace and his wife as she also suspects about something off as it relates to some recent criminal activities as she’s kind of the film’s conscience. Finally, there’s Logan Marshall-Green in an incredible performance as Grey Trace as a mechanic who isn’t fond of modern technology as he becomes paralyzed following a mugging and the murder of his wife as he is given a chip that allows his body to move again where Marshall-Green displays the air of loss and confusion that he endures as a chip controls his movements as he also copes with some of the things he does as it a career-defining performance for Marshall-Green.

Upgrade is a remarkable film from Leigh Whannell that features a great leading performance from Logan Marshall-Green. Along with its stylish visuals, futuristic setting, themes on the dangers of technology and artificial intelligence, and a chilling electronic music score. The film is a crafty genre-bender that offers a lot of action, terror, and suspense while exploring a man trying to get revenge for what happened to him and his wife. In the end, Upgrade is a marvelous film from Leigh Whannell.

Leigh Whannell Films: (Insidious: Chapter 3) – The Invisible Man (2020 film)

© thevoid99 2020

Thursday Movie Picks: Prequels

In the 24th week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We venture into the subject of prequels. Films that are based on other films as it play more as an origin story of the characters of that story and such. Sometimes, they work but there’s been others that haven’t worked at all. Here are my three picks of prequels that… absolutely fucking sucked:

1. The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas

Did anyone really wanted to see a movie of how Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble met Wilma and Betty? Who the fuck thought anyone wanted to see it after the 1994 film came out and everyone (including me) thought it was shit. They replaced the entire cast by having Mark Addy as Fred, Stephen Baldwin as Barney, Kristen Johnson as Wilma, and Jane Krakowski as Betty plus Joan Collins as Wilma’s mother, Harvey Korman (in his final film performance) as Wilma’s dad, and Alan Cumming in a dual role as the Great Gazoo and a Mick Jagger-like singer who is more concerned about his butt. It was worse and the visual effects are dated as it is a film that not many saw as this was sad for a comedy great like Korman who just plays an absent-minded guy whom Collins married for his wealth.

2. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

How much money did they lure to get Patrick Swayze to appear in this awful film? Set in Cuba before the Cuban Revolution, it revolves around an American girl meeting a Cuban boy and they dance and fall in love. It’s the same storyline from the original film but without any heart. Granted that both Romola Garai and Diego Luna are incredible actors who would both do better things but it’s not just the material that fails them but they really don’t have any chemistry as well looked extremely uncomfortable dancing either by themselves or together.

3. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

The 2014 sequel to the 1994 film is an awful film but it’s not as awful as this prequel which didn’t involve the Farrelly Brothers nor Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as it is just unwatchable from start to finish. Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen in their respective roles as Harry and Lloyd don’t exactly do any performances but rather poor imitations of what Carrey and Daniels did while their attempts at humor is more mean-spirited and idiotic. The plot that involves a principal and a teacher trying to scheme their way for money is a distraction as it leads to a mess that tries too hard to be engaging as it’s just fucking awful.

© thevoid99 2020

Capernaum

Directed by Nadine Labaki and screenplay by Labaki, Jihad Hojaily, and Michelle Keserwany from a story by Labaki, Hojaily, Keserwany, Georges Khabbaz, and Khaled Mouzanar, Capernaum is the story of a 12-year old boy living in the slums of Beirut as his encounter with an Ethiopian immigrant and her infant where he forces to think about his troubled life leading to him suing his parents over neglect and abuse. The film is a look into the life of a boy that is told primarily through flashbacks as he copes with his dreary existence and everything that is happening around him. Starring Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad, Fadi Kamel Youssef, Nour el Husseini, Alaa Chouchnieh, Cedra Izam, Joseph Jimbazian, and Farah Hasno. Capernaum is a visceral yet evocative film from Nadine Labaki.

After stabbing a man over an incident relating to his family, a 12-year old boy living in the slums of Beirut decides to sue his parents over years of abuse and neglect as his case is brought to court where his story is told. It’s a film with a premise that is told in a reflective back-and-forth narrative as it’s told largely in court yet it explores the life of a boy as he endures hardships and struggles to survive for himself and his young siblings only to be kicked out of his home by his parents where he befriends an Ethiopian immigrant and help care for her infant son. The film’s screenplay uses this back-and-forth narrative as it reflects the plight that Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) endures as the first act explore his life in the slums as he is one of several children living under the roof of his parents Souad (Kawthar Al Haddad) and Selim (Fadi Kamel Youssef). Zain’s younger sister Sahar (Cedra Izam) is start to come of age as Souad and Selim decide to have her be married to their landlord Assad (Nour el Husseini) whom they owe.

That’s all in the first act as the second act has Zain run away to the more upscale Ras Beirut where he meets the Ethiopian Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw) who has an undocumented infant son in Yonas (Boluwatife Bankole) as she lets Zain live with her as he would help babysit her son. Rahil would work but her forged work visa is to expire as she has little money to get new documents as she tries to deal with the forger Aspro (Alaa Chouchnieh) who wants to help but also in wanting to have Rahil give Yonas up for adoption so that he can have a better life. Yet, Zain would continue to help Rahil as well as treat Yonas as a younger brother but things become complicated leading to an intense third act.

Nadine Labaki’s direction definitely has an air of realism as it is shot largely on hand-held cameras to give the film a documentary feel though not in its look. Shot on various locations in and around Beirut and other parts in Lebanon, much of Labaki’s direction emphasizes on realism as much of the cast in the film are non-actors as well as the settings to showcase this air of reality in these slums. While there are some wide shots of the locations as well as a look of the slums from above and Beirut itself, much of Labaki’s direction aims for intimacy in the usage of close-ups and medium shots as it play into Zain’s own plight and the journey he would take. Even as Labaki showcases the mundane activities he had to do to help his family including sell drug-laced clothes to prisoners and other things as he is aware that what he’s doing is wrong yet has to survive. During the film’s second act where he’s in the city and goes to a theme park where he meets Rahil, he learns about what she does as she also lives in a slum-like area where the home is small and cramped.

Labaki also play into the plight of refugees as it relates to Rahil and her son as they’re both undocumented with Zain also undocumented due to the neglect from his parents. Even as Rahil goes missing for a period of time during its second act with Zain having to care for Yonas by himself as well as hoping to find some sanctuary after meeting a young Syrian refugee. The third act is about Zain making a decision for himself and to find hope but also in discovering a tragedy that would sever whatever ties he had left with his family leading up to this trial. Labaki’s direction in the trial scenes are simple but also intense due to the tension that is prevalent throughout between Zain and his parents as well as the subject of abuse and neglect as Zain’s parents do get their say though there is a lot that does play into Zain’s hopelessness and his reasons to find hope not just for himself but also for those who are dealing with the situation he’s in. Overall, Labaki crafts an intoxicating yet unsettling film about a boy in Beirut who sues his parents over their abuse and neglect towards him.

Cinematographer Christopher Anou does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it play into the realism of the photography with its emphasis on natural lighting with available light used for the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editors Konstantin Bock and Laure Gardette do excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with some rhythmic cuts to play into the drama. Art director Hussein Baydoun does fantastic work with some of the look of the homes that Zain would live in as well as a mirror that he would use to watch cartoons with Yonas from another person’s home. Costume designer Zeina Saab de Melero does terrific work with the costumes from the traditional Ethiopian clothing that Rahil wears to the more street-like look that many of the other characters wear.

Hair stylist/make-up artist Michelle Sleiman does nice work with some of the film’s minimal effects including some makeup that Rahil wears when she has to go out and get some money as well as the look of Souad. Sound designer Chadi Roukoz does superb work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations as well as in some of the collage of sound that play into the world that Zain is in as it’s a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Khaled Mouzanar is wonderful for its low-key string orchestral score that play into the drama and sense of despair that occurs throughout the film.

The casting by Jennifer Haddad is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Farah Hasno as the young Syrian refugee Maysoun that Zain befriends in the second act, Joseph Jimbazian as an amusement park worker who is dressed up like a character similar to Spider-Man, director Nadine Labaki as Zain’s attorney in the trial scenes, Nour el Husseini as the landlord of Zain’s parents in Assad who runs a local market and would take Sahar as his wife as payment for rent from Zain’s parents, Alaa Chouchnieh as Rahil’s forger Aspro who offers to help Zain and Rahil out despite his dark plans as he presents himself as a kind-hearted figure, Cedra Izam as Zain’s younger sister Sahar who is worried about being sent off to be married when she’s really too young, and Boluwatife Bankole as Rahil’s infant son Yonas whom Zain would help take care of.

Kawthar Al Haddad and Fadi Kamel Youssef are brilliant in their respective roles as Zain’s parents in Souad and Selim as two people who have a lot of children as well as do whatever to make money but would neglect their own children with Haddad as the mother who is often cruel and forces Zain to do things with Youssef as the lazy father who feels like he is the one being abused by Zain. Yordanos Shiferaw is incredible as Rahil as an Ethiopian immigrant Zain meets at a theme park as he offers to help her out in taking care of her infant son Yonas as she struggles to keep working in Beirut while her forged visa had expired in the hope she can give herself and her son a good life. Finally, there’s Zain Al Rafeea in a phenomenal performance as Zain as a 12-year old boy struggling to deal with a life of despair and uncertainty as he also copes with the abuse and neglect he suffers as it is this hardened yet heartfelt performance from a young man who is trying to find an idea of hope in a hopeless world.

Capernaum is a tremendous film from Nadine Labaki that features great performances from Zain Al Rafeea and Yordanos Shiferaw. Along with its naturalistic visuals, emphasis on realism, and its exploration of abuse and neglect from the perspective of a young boy in Beirut. It’s a film that showcases the life of a boy as he struggles to find his place in the world as well as ponder why he is in a hopeless situation in a world where there is so much chaos. In the end, Capernaum is a spectacular film from Nadine Labaki.

Nadine Labaki Films: (Caramel) - (Where Do We Go Now?) – Rio, Eu Te Amo-O Milagre

© thevoid99 2020

Thursday Movie Picks (Seven Deadly Sins Edition): Sloth

In the 23rd week of 2020 for Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We return to the world of the 7 deadly sins with the subject of sloth which is the most difficult sin to define as it refers to a lot of ideas but it’s also defined as laziness. Here are my three picks:

1. The Big Lebowski

The film features 2 characters named Jeff Lebowski as one of them is a billionaire while the other is a slacker who likes to bowl, smoke pot, and drink White Russians who is known mainly as the Dude. Yet, a couple of thugs break into the Dude’s home and pee on his rug which tied the room together. The subject of sloth is in the form of Mr. Lebowski who tries to get the Dude to do something for him and for awful reasons because he’s a lazy paraplegic who wants others to do his dirty work for him.

2. Idle Hand

A film that is about sloth in a comedic tone as it relates to a lazy stoner whose right hand starts to take control and kill people but he is reluctant to deal with it. Even as it gives him the chance to make out and have sex with Jessica Alba. Yet, it forces him to deal with the friends he killed as they return as zombies of sorts while they continue to get stoned and not do anything unless they’re motivated to do something with the help of marijuana.

3. Spirited Away

A different take on the subject though it relates to a monster that the protagonist Chichiro encounters. One of which would help her get to her destination to return home with the help of another creature looking to be free. It’s an unusual take on the subject but it is a film with some unique images as well as it plays into this journey a young girl has to do upon encountering this strange world that is full of magic and wonders as it is one of Hayao Miyazaki’s finest films.

© thevoid99 2020