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This was heavy. There's a philosophical weight to it.  A line in the movie goes: "War doesn't ennoble men, it eats away at the soul."   One soldier in shock; chills, almost like in a freezing state. A couple others lose it.  A few scenes after we see the same states; only this time in the opposing soldiers.  War does eat away at the soul.  Why engage in the first place? Hence the philosophical part. People can and have debated it for years and years. One story line flashbacks at different times to one soldier's memories with his wife. A lovely couple. Beautiful woman. After battle, the soldier receives a letter from her. She writes she's fallen in love with a different man. The soldier's heart breaks. Deeper than any bullet he could have been hit. The film portrays the dark sides of war, and of human capacities. Even a tiny part of the experience of being in that actual battle, it is a heavy view of the sacrifices people make and the damage that gets...

I came to this film thru a Christoper Nolan mention in one YouTube clip, that it is one of his favorite films. I was expecting this to be some kind of documentary about the environment after early searches. However it doesn't quite fit the documentaries of National Geographic or Discovery. It's also not a straightforward movie. There isn't any dialogue. Or any direct linear story. It leans more into being an art film or an experimental movie.  The landscapes are beautiful. Coupled with an epic film score, one can see and hear the influence this has had on Nolan. It reminds me of Interstellar. The sound also brings me back memories of when Muse released their album, Black Holes and Revelations. There is something incredibly recognizable in the patterns of the silent repetitions, crawling arpeggios, and massive soundscapes.  Though the film seems simple, it is hard to distill. Reading reviews after watching it, there doesn't seem to be one general consensus. Aside fro...

Shaun of the Dead The First, and the Zombie Rom Com in the trilogy.  I'm pretty sure there are a lot of nods to horror/zombie films in the genre. Though I could only spot Night of the Living Dead, due to my limited exposure to the genre.  At its heart is an actual romantic comedy. What gives it character is that the romantic part is believable. Shaun has to navigate this while surviving an increasingly noticeable zombie apocalypse, and similar story arcs about family and friendship.  Hot Fuzz The 2nd one and the Action Comedy in the bunch. This one's probably the best of the three. Again, a lot of homage to action/cop movies; even to old tales of detection. The twist is the bad guys are the old people. It's definitely different seeing a shoot-around at what seems like a quiet park against old people. The premise seemed absurd. Sergeant Angel is sent to the country because he is too good of a cop in the metro. Then when he arrives there ...

It’s an odd read. A mere 70 pages. The way I understand is, there is this man around Victorian-era London. Dr. Jekyll, who invents a potion, which gives him vitality. Even though it makes him look repulsive, in the character of Mr. Hyde. He tries to hide it from his friends. Then when Mr. Hyde’s character start murdering people, Dr. Jekyll’s side is distraught. He also realizes Mr. Hyde has become the default. He no longer has to take the medicine for Mr. Hyde to appear. He becomes it involuntarily. And he has to pay for Mr. Hyde’s crimes as well.

I was expecting that this was going to be a different kind of read.  I was wrong.  This was something else entirely. It was terrifying and suspenseful. The horror the reader is taken to be engulfed in makes the heart race. No wonder it has created and influenced many other forms of art to this day; from other literature, to movies, games (Castlevania?) and so on. The way it unfolds is by a series of daily journals by the characters, some newspaper clippings, and memos again assumed written by the characters. The first part tells of Jonathan Harker's stay/ordeal at Transylvania. Then at what first seemed like a series of fillers, but was actually a set-up for the next set of scenes; The introduction of Mina Harker and Lucy Westenra and her suitors, then her eventual demise. At one point, Professor Van Helsing is called upon to help Lucy. Then more and more of the character's coincide with each other, as they soon find out that the Count is in the city. They hun...

Next year it will be 200 years since the story of Frankenstein was first published. Not sure how was the horror fiction landscape back then, but it must have been a scare-inducing read. I can’t shake the thought on how fast the monster was able to learn. How come he wasn’t like a baby if he had just came to being. And then that would have taken years and years to develop language, emotions and a conscience. Anyway, it serves its purpose as a thriller. I’m not quite sure how to feel pity for the monster. Because he went around murdering people out of revenge. The book is basically written in the form of a narration by Victor Frankenstein to a group of explorers. He tells of his childhood, growing up, his family. Then goes to a different place to study Natural Philosophy. There he meets other scientists. He creates a “monster” born from different parts. It is not mentioned how the creature came to have life. Distraught at what he had done, he becomes ill then recovers. The creature ...

It flew by. The last part was bland. It’s hardly inspiring. Or maybe that’s the point. There were some funny bits. These four people inexplicably meet on top of a building on New Year’s Eve with the idea of jumping off it in mind. All for different reasons. They don’t jump. They go down. They mess with newspapers for a bit. They go on holiday. They try to fix each other’s issues. They talk to people that are important to them. Really it ended up on just waiting it out and realizing that their lives aren’t so bad. Doesn’t beat High Fidelity though.