電影 /電視劇 欣賞

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The Fall of the House of Usher - it's a horror drama.  A brother and sister made a deal with the devil to be rich and powerful throughout their life, the catch was that their bloodlines would end before they died.  So there was at least 1 death in each episode, and they were bloody and violent. This is not my cup of tea and I almost gave it up.  But there were a lot of interesting monologues throughout each episode, with hidden or explicit messages, they kept me watching it.  Here are 2 examples-

ep 3 - (a bit long, but very good)
Roderick: "First, you roll out a multi-media campaign to convince people lemons are incredibly scarce, which only works if you stockpile lemons, control the supply, then a… A media blitz. Lemon is the only way to say "I love you," the must-have accessory for engagements or anniversaries. Roses are out, lemons are in. Billboards that say she won't have sex with you unless you got lemons. You cut De Beers in on it. Limited edition lemon bracelets, yellow diamonds called lemon drops. You get Apple to call their new operating system OS-Lemón. A little accent over the "o". You charge 40% more for organic lemons and 50% more for conflict-free lemons. You pack the Capitol with lemon lobbyists; you get a Kardashian to suck a lemon wedge in a leaked sex tape. Timothée Chalamet wears lemon shoes at Cannes. Get a hashtag campaign. Something isn't "cool," "tight," or "awesome". No, it's "lemon". "Did you see that movie?" "Did you go to that concert? It was effing lemon." Billie Eilish, "OMG, hashtag… lemon." You get Dr. Oz to recommend four lemons a day and a lemon suppository supplement to get rid of toxins 'cause there's nothing scarier than toxins. Then, you patent the seeds. You write a line of genetic code that makes lemons look just a little more like tits… and you get a gene patent for the tit-lemon DNA sequence, and you get a gene patent for the tit-lemon DNA sequence, you get those seeds circulating in the wild, and then you sue the farmers for copyright infringement when that genetic code shows up on their land. Sit back, rake in the millions, and then, when you're done, and you've sold your lem-pire for a few billion dollars, then, and only then, you make some fucking lemonade."

ep8 -
Madeline: "We will get around to funding AIDS research, and diabetes, and heart disease, just as soon as we figure out how to keep our geriatric dicks harder for a few more minutes. What's the market share on wimpy dicks, Roderick?"
Roderick: "60-70% of the healthcare industry."
Madeline: "The Pentagon spent $83 million on Viagra last year. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, the fucking Supreme Court does its part, tears the autonomy, rips the liberty away from women, shreds not just their choice but their future, their potential. We turn men into cum fountains and women into factories, cranking out, what, an impoverished workforce, there for the labor and to spend what little they make consuming. And what do we teach them to want? Houses they can't afford. Cars that poison the air. Single-serve plastics, clothes made by starving children in third world countries, and they want it so bad that they're begging for it, they're screaming for it, they're insisting upon it. And we're the problem? These fucking monsters, these fucking consumers, these fucking mouths. They point at you and me like we're the problem. They fucking invented us. They begged for us, they're begging for us still."

Score: 7 / 10

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Love and other Drugs - the girlfriend has Parkinson's disease.  The advice from another man with a wife having the disease advised him to leave her and find a healthy woman - "I love my wife.  I do.  But I wouldn't do it over again.  The thing nobody tells you, this disease will steal everything you love in her.  Her body, her smile, her mind.  Sooner or later, she'll lose motor control. Eventually, she won't even be able to dress herself. Then, the fun really begins. Cleaning up her shit. Frozen face. Dementia."

He certainly didn't leave her (otherwise, no one would watch this movie ).  Near the end, he said: "You meet thousands of people, and none of them really touch you.  And then you meet one person, and your life is changed forever."  The writer must have that experience, else he couldn't write it - not everyone gets to meet a person that can touch his heart in the real world.  Without her in his life, it would be meaningless, and his heart would be like split and bleeding forever.  He told her: "I need you"  and that he would love her as she was now, even if there is a parallel universe with him and her in perfect health condition, he would like her as-is.

I think the script is beautiful.



Score : 7 / 10

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Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One - the plot is ridiculous, 2 physical keys are critical to disable an AI which has already got into all systems!  The fighting and car chasings are boring, needed to fast forward from time to time.

I only like the following script at the beginning of the movie - "Our lives are the sum of our choices. And we cannot escape the past."  What has been already done can't be undone easily nor timely.



Score : 6 / 10

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Sleepers - 4 boys were beaten up, tortured and sexually abused in a boy's home / detention centre by 4 guards.  When they grew up, 2 of them met one of the guards and killed him.  They got arrested.  The other 2 helped them walked free during the prosecution process and carried out revenge on the other 3 guards.  

The story was based on a book which author claimed it's a true story.  The 1st part of the movie when the boys are tortured in the detention centre is very heavy, if not dark - made me feel bad.  

There are a lot of great actors, e.g. Kevin Bacon (saw him not long ago in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special acting himself), Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt and Minnie Driver (Skylar in Good Will Hunting, just watched yesterday), etc.

I used to watch tv and movies for killing time only.  Recently I've suddenly found out that my life is a joke because it's not complete without a very important part.  I am hoping that I can get some insight on how to deal with it from somewhere, including reading and watching good tv series and movies.  I used to prefer watching sci fi and action mostly, but now I am watching all kinds.

thenext

Good Will Hunting - the acting was great, every time I watched it when William Robins told Matt Damon (Jason Bourne) - "it is not your fault" again and again, my tears dropped with theirs. The scripts and writing / story are great too.  I was surprised when I noted that the story was co-written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (Batman) who are also the leading actors here.

Another one of the good acting and script was when William Robins told Matt Damon about love / his wife - "I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet (a style of poem). But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything .........".  Previously when I watched it, it just felt great.  Now that after I got the experience meeting my girl, having felt "totally vulnerable", and completely losing my senses when she's "level(ing) me with her eyes", I am sharing that feeling as well.

I also like the part when William Robins expressed that there's no regret meeting his wife.   Though her death had caused him a lot of pain, they had been together -  "Why? Because of the pain I feel now? I have regrets Will, but I don't regret a single day I spent with her."

There are a lot of other examples of good acting and scripts - I love this movie!


Score : 9 / 10

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Dollhouse - a sci fi series from 2009 about the technology of copying brain image and pasting / printing it on another body for skills or memory transfer or taking over / living in a new body.  The idea of the technology is not new, Matrix movies are based on that too, and they were originated from Ghost in the Shell, a Japanese classic anime.

I think the plot of Dollhouse is great, but the execution is just fair.  I really like the final part showing the technology bringing apocalypse to the world.  If this tv series can be re-made, it would be great!


Score: 7 / 10

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Crazy, Stupid, Love - the plot is too crazy and a bit stupid, not really good.  But I do like the part when one of the lead characters teaching the other one on starting a conversation with a stranger by listening to him / her or to talk about himself / herself.   This is stipulated in the 1st chapter of one of the most popular books from the last century - How to win friends and influence other people.


Score : 6 / 10

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The fault in our stars - it is a beautiful story about 2 young lovers, both have cancers, going through their last days.   They met, had each other and were together - I think this is important.  Though these days were numbered, but these days are also, in their word, "forever" between them.  I was really touched.


Score: 8 / 10

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The Martian - Matt Daemon was left behind on his own on Mars.  To survive, he didn't give up , try everything including growing potatoes there.  Even after his potatoes were destroyed after an accident, he still hold on and finally was rescued.

So, prepare for the worst, hope for the best and never give up!



Score: 7.5 / 10

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The Matrix (1999) - I like the "choosing the blue or red pill" part, i.e. between living the original 渾渾噩噩 life or living the real life with the one who knows, understands and loves you.  

Some people like Cypher (the traitor) might think "ignorance is bliss" and choose the original life so they can enjoy 80 or even 100 / 100 of that life and feel fulfilled.  

Some others like me would definitely choose the real life where we could meet, know, feel and love our soulmate.  And even though that's just for a short period, I would feel my life 120 / 100 fulfilled and there would be no regret for the rest of my life.  But if we can be together, my life (and probably hers) would be 200 / 100 fulfilled.

I like this movie very much!

Score: 9/ 10

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Foundation (Season 2) - writer of this tv series took the outline of the book, together with the names of planets and important characters, then wrote a new story.  Gladly the writer is good and hence the new story.

Foundation is a classic science fiction by Issac Asimov, and I've read it several times, including initially the translated version, and later the original version.  The 3 laws of robot written in Asimov's earlier works were also mentioned in this book and the tv series.  Those laws are actually quoted by many other sci-fi works including books, tv and movies after Asimov wrote them. I would say Asimov was the most influential sci-fi writer ever.

Score: 7.5 / 10

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About Time - though there are time travels, this is not about time travel but how to live your life fully and enjoyably.  I especially like the chemistry (and their dialogues) of the 2 main characters.  I feel touched.  Although I can't relive my past life, I still can make my future more complete and enjoyable .

And I will watch this again.



Score : 8 / 10

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Barbie - it surprised me.  First I thought it is about feminist.  Then when Barbie walked with Ruth at the end, their conversation felt like robots seeking the creator to look for their purposes in Blade Runner (a classic sci-fi movie).  But from Mattel's perspective, it is a smart move to re-position their most profitable product line.  I like this film very much.



Score : 8/ 10

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Moving 異能 - a Korean tv series about humans with a variety of super powers.  Recent Korean tv series, like Mr Sunshine, 黑暗榮耀, Alice in Borderland and Squid Game, etc have all put a lot of effort on developing and elaborating the background of the characters, and they are all very good.

Season 1 of Moving is setting scene with the background of the main characters.  I especially like the last few episodes on the relationships /love between the 2 pairs of main characters. Hopefully the following seasons will be even more exciting.


Score : 7.5 / 10

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Mr Sunshine - one of the best tv series I watched in recent years.  It is very romantic, set in early last century when Japan took control and occupied Korea.  It's filmed with particular attention on the beauty of the scenes and I enjoyed watching it very much.  I meant to watch it with my girl and I hope I will have the chance to watch this together with her in the future.


Score : 8.5 / 10

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - it is entertaining but there is nothing more.  If they are playing with time-travelling, I would expect a lot more.  e.g. A plane crashed on ancient Rome and only a watch from a corpse was taken!  


Score : 6/ 10

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Further comment (7 Sept 2023) - the guy thought the girl got married and wouldn't answer her calls.  In a relationship, I think communication is very important, but then the guy might think it's not appropriate for them to have a relationship .


The Mountain between US - it's about the 2 survivors from a plane crash in the snow mountain.  Before watching I thought it is a survival drama but it turned out to be a romance movie.  Overall I enjoyed watching it.



Score: 7 / 10

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Molly's Game - it is a real story based on a book, about a high achiever who ran poker games and got prosecuted in the USA.  This is more entertaining than other movies adapted from real stories.



Score: 6.5 / 10

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Bounce - it is very romantic and I like it very much.  Also it is starred by Batman and Ironman's girlfriend


Score: 7.5 / 10

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Focus - this is a con movie, but the plot, including all the "con" are not very good. It's a pity because it can be so much better if the writer can think the story through.


Score: 6 / 10