A Penny For *My* Thoughts

Thoughts on movies, music, books

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

In September, it will mark 10 years since the Colombian peace process between the Government and the biggest guerrilla group in Latin America, FARC. It would also be 10 years since the Colombian people voted No to implement the peace agreement pacted between both sides, and the start of an endless discussion around the concept of impunity and the importance of the truth.

One of the main points in the agreement was the creation of a Truth Commission in charge of finding the perpetrators and reasons behind the crimes committed by the guerrilla group in an attempt to bring closure to the victims. It was part of the Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-Repetition cycle, defined to put an end to years of armed conflict that left thousands of victims in the country.

This was all I could think of when watching It Was Just an Accident. If there could be a theatrical representation of the inner conflicts of a victim when confronted with past traumas, and the reveling importance of understanding the whys behind terrible actions, it will be this movie. At least I know it would be eye-opening for all people opposing the Peace Process in our country.

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

I always believed that competing for parents' love and attention was the only possible dynamic between siblings, at least based on my own experience and conversations with friends, which is probably why I cried so much after seeing the genuine love and care between Nora and Agnes.

I can't recall sisterhood being portrayed in such a beautiful, unproblematic, yet realistic way in a film or series, and I can't recall the last time I left a movie theater feeling both broken and soul-warmed at the same time.

Movies like these don't need a big buzz or famous awards to change people's lives. May directors like Joachim Trier keep telling real-life stories, may we keep discovering underrated talents like Inga Ibsdotter, and may movies continue bringing joy and breaking our hearts at the same time.

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

Biggest Fan is IRENE's first full album after 2024's mini-album Like a Flower. I read somewhere that the last song selected for the album was I Don't Wanna Get Up because she liked it "even though it could be a bit boring," and that tells you everything you need to know about what works, and doesn't, on this album.

Irene's tone is warm and delicate, sometimes even a bit breathy, which works perfectly for R&B, as evidenced by the sub-unit with SEULGI's latest release TILT (Heaven hello??), or disco/synth pop. However, her catalog as a soloist goes in a different direction with most songs in the spectrum between happy pop (Ka-Chin, Biggest Fan, Best Believe), slow dance pop (Like A Flower, Wasteland, MTV), and empowering rock/pop ballads (Start Line, Winter Wish, I Feel Pretty, Love Can Make A Way). This is neither good nor bad; there is a genre for everyone, but after hearing the potential in TILT's R&B songs and the clearly not-boring-at-all I Don't Wanna Get Up, you can help but feel a bit disappointed with the final tracklist and album's direction. She tries a darker style in Black Halo, Spit It Out, and Face to Face, falling a bit short in conveying the songs' power and emotion. But, it's in A Million Miles Away (her first choice to be the single), and I Don't Wanna Get Up, where she truly excels and showcases her vocal strengths, and it's a shame the album didn't include more gems like these.

Biggest Fan is not a bad album whatsoever. It's proof of the existing talent in SM and the efforts behind maintaining Red Velvet and its members' high-quality discography, but it does feel a bit underwhelming and like a missed opportunity for Irene to exploit her best features.

[apennyformythoughts91]

"Find out too much about a person and you lose interest"

[apennyformythoughts91]

So this is what growin up means? Rushed meetings, and half-hearted conversations?Ignoring what others are saying because it's your time to complain about life's hardaships and how they are worst that anyone else's? Reaching a level of moral superiority that allows you to make fun of everyone that goes againts the statuos quo of adulthood?

[apennyformythoughts91]

[apennyformythoughts91]

Dreams (Sex Love) - Dag Johan Haugerud

[its-where-the-wild-things-are]

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

I've always found Murakami's characters to be so fascinating and after reading this book, I finally realized why: they turn the most awkward and bizarre conversations into casual interactions between ordinary people.

Norwegian Wood might be Haruki Murakami's most grounded story, but its protagonists are as eccentric as ever, and that's the secret to not falling victim to the plot's heaviness. The nostalgia transforms into a warm feeling in the heart and what seems like an overly depressing story turns into refreshing conversations and the promise of a better future for those still alive.

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

Seulgi is a self-proclaimed pink-blooded (in allusion to her company's logo color) who has finally decided to impose her artistisity and Accidentally on Purpose perfectly displays the confrontation of both sides: old-fashioned mentality vs a sensitive artist trying to break free from stereotypes and her comfort zone. The result? an album lacking cohesiveness and the quality of her first mini-album, but a necessary first step towards the real version Seulgi envisions for her idol persona.

Seulgi's a hard-worker who likes to trust the process, and on Accidentally on Purpose she exudes confidence only achieved by experience and patience. Her delivery in the lead single, Baby Not Baby, is her best one yet. The lyrics, the choreography's difficulty, and her overall performance are what all-time fans have been asking for her. The song might not be an instant hit for casual listeners, but judging the entire project on the likebility of the single misses the point completely.

Aside from Whatever and Rollin (With My Hommies), there is a palpable growth and depth in the album, and a honest desire to show a more vulnerable and rebellious side, the way only a true artist knows how to.

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

Like most Eastern Asian thrillers I've watched, there's a dose of ambiguity that's both confusing and exciting. Sometimes I attribute this ambiguity to cultural differences with Western countries, which make it difficult to distinguish between normal behavior and bad acting or poor storytelling, and other times I blame the subtitles for what I perceive as an unnatural translation that fails to properly adapt cultural nuances. Nevertheless, all these movies have managed to awaken my inner detective/film critic, and I find myself overanalyzing every little aspect of the story as well as trying to find connections with everyday society.

Burning is a slow-paced movie, sometimes too slow for my liking, that shows the reality of social inequities and what happens when the lower class grows tired of the arrogance and fakeness of its counterpart. As with Parasite, the main characters' charisma is key to favoring the bad guys over the victims, and Yoo Ah-in's performance hits the nail on the head.

[fatimazainab]

Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

The movie tells the story of an incredibly shy and introverted girl whose parents have no patience for her condition, so they send her to some distant relatives for the summer. Here, the little girl will see the power of actions speaking louder than words and the beauty of the unspoken ways to show how much you love: someone: a warm breakfast, a hug, or a goodbye kiss before going to bed.

She'll learn not only that words are powerful, so we must choose them carefully, but also that there's nothing wrong with being quiet. After all, "Many people missed the opportunity to not say anything and lost much by it."

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

Kar-Wai is an expert at saying a lot with few words. The music, the scenery, and the unspoken truths between the protagonists transform In The Mood For Love into a true representation of fake it until you make it. What starts as two spouses trying to find comfort in each other after discovering their respective partners are having an affair develops into one of the most tragic love stories in cinema.

[apennyformythoughts91]

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

Sarcasm, irony, and dry humor dominate this otherwise simple history. It's the kind of history where you have no choice but to laugh instead of cry, but as it moves forward, it leaves a warm feeling in your heart.

Also, shout-out to my fellow moviegoers for making the movie an even more enjoyable experience. Their laughs, sighs, ohs, and aws, were the perfect soundtrack for a film that sometimes can turn a bit slow.

[apennyformythoughts91]

[Review]

If someone ever asks you what patriarchy is, you can show them this movie.

The Seed of a Sacred Fig tells the all-too-familiar story to women around the world about man's systematic power and the perpetuation of traditions, no matter how dated or out of touch they may be.

Women can't go against traditions, question a man's authority, or think for themselves because that's not how the rules were written. Friendship and family ties mean nothing when patriarchy is a danger, even if it means killing the ones you're supposed to cherish.

Perhaps I got distracted, but the mood changed drastically during the last scenes. The mom and her daughters were caught in a Tom-and-Jerry-silly-dynamic with her husband, and considering the rest of the movie wasn't quite theatrical, it left me a bit confused. Nevertheless, it's a great depiction of the current confrontation between systematic and old-fashioned traditions and women's emancipation.