On Tuesday I had my last midterm which was Microbiology, and it went so badly that I decided to skip all my classes that day and go to the movie theater. The movie I watched was Project Hail Mary (2026) (spoilers below)
My mom had been asking me to watch this movie and my roommate went to go see it last weekend and also told me to see it, so I did! My consensus ...... It was really good lmao
I'm not usually into space themed movies because I find cosmic horror to be a bit too much for me, but I really liked this one because there was a wonder of space kept in there. This has also been a very space themed week for me lol.
One thing I'll say is that the cinematography is really gorgeous, there were multiple parts in this movie where I was just in awe of how pretty it looked. There was also this nostalgic feel to it too, I'm not sure what about it felt that way but it reminded a lot of 2001 A Space Odyssey.
I thought the plot itself was great, and the characters were super well written. Ryan Gosling as Grace was an amazing choice, he did an outstanding job. Truly the highlight of the movie, I loved Grace's character and especially his relationship with Rocky. I'm glad that there were barely any "human" like traits with Rocky too, his entire ship and all the Eridian stuff definitely felt alien (although I think it would've been cool to see him try to learn human language because he seemed to understand everything really quickly, although who knows maybe he's really just that smart lol).
I know that one criticism I've been seeing was that the movie has a lot of "endings" or at least places that it feels like it should end but then all of a sudden the plot kicks back up, which can be jarring. I kind of agree with that, it could've been a smoother landing, but I liked the characters so much that it wasn't really an issue for me.
I thought the reveal that Grace was actually on the ship against his will to be a good twist. He spent most of the time thinking that maybe there was some sort of heroic motive but when there wasn't he still chose to be a hero anyway.
A bit of a short review since I watched it in theaters a few days ago, but overall it was a great movie!! I'd rate it a 9/10, definitely go watch it!
This is my late entry for last week that I had to put off because I was studying for midterms lol
Anyway I watched "In the Mood for Love (2000)"
This marks my 4th Wong Kar Wai film and probably my favorite one so far. Every single shot was a treat for my eyes
Like most of his movies, the scenes and cinematography do all the talking here.
The colors were so vivid and gorgeous, I loved every single frame of this movie. It was like they coated every shot in a shiny varnish. Everything felt so intentional and and like an art piece. One thing I loved was the attention to detail of practically everything, even the mundane. You can really romanticize anything like this, even just buying noodles turns into this intimate ritual in this movie.
The plot of the movie itself is quite subtle and quiet (? best way I can express this). I'll be honest, I wasn't super invested in the main couple or anything but they do have great chemistry I'll give them that. Some parts were hard to follow but considering the kind of movie this is, it's not something I'm gonna critique harshly or anything.
I definitely think that more than anything, the city of Hong Kong itself was a character. Wong Kar Wai really has a way of making you feel nostalgic for a place and time you didn't even exist in. I think it all comes from the attention to detail placed here, the way it's done is almost like a Ghibli movie in that sense. Small things reminded me of my grandparent's place, so it was a nice feeling but very wistful.
I've never lived in 1960s Hong Kong but it just looks so beautiful that it makes me wish I did lol despite everything.
One thing I wanted to bring attention to was all the prints on Mrs. Chan's qipaos. The costumes in general were very well done in this movie and the film really accentuated the patterns in a way that made the colors pop.
Another thing I noticed was that all the promo material had the main leads in very intimate positions, however in the movie they barely made contact on camera and left all their yearning in their eyes.
Overall, very gorgeous film. Out of all the War Kong Wai movies I've seen, this one is probably my favorite! In terms of ratings I'd give it an 8.5/10. I wasn't too invested in the story but who knows, I might rewatch it and have another opinion.
Last week was my spring break! I went to New York it was sm fun, unfortunately this meant I missed my weekly movie night with myself, but I went home and recently saw Hoppers with my younger sister, so I'll make that my movie of the week for last week instead. still gonna watch another one this week though so stay tuned or whatever (This series is really for me because I have a shit memory and like to read over whatever past me says) Anyway, the movie I watched last week was Hoppers! (spoilers below)
OK, to start off I loved this movie!! Genuinely one of the craziest animated "kids" movies I've seen in a long time. I went into the theatre with literally zero expectations besides one trailer clip I saw 2 months ago, and walked out pleasantly surprised. There were multiple parts in this movie where me and my sister turned towards each other in pure disbelief lmao.
For starters, I liked that the protagonist was a college student, I don't think it's something you see often in animated movies, especially Disney/Pixar ones. It was kinda crazy having a protagonist that's your age, and I really liked her! Her energy was really infectious, and I liked how committed she was to saving the glade.
I really liked Mabel's relationship with the Mayor guy, it was so funny. I love how she just terrorizes him daily lmaoo
I saw a lot of people bemoan the fact that she turns into a beaver because her human character design is so good and I kinda see it, as I found the middle section where she's a beaver to be the most boringish part, but honestly I didn't really care that much because of how insane the third act is. The beginning of the movie was pretty solid, but also nothing I haven't really seen before, but towards the end it just kept on getting more and more insane and it really elevated the whole experience. One thing I liked was that I actually found it hilarious, the jokes were so natural and nothing felt forced, I literally laughed out loud in some parts.
The genocidal caterpillar was probably the best character for me, I liked how he was just fucking crazy the entire time 😭😭😭. And the whole robot thing was genuinely creepy as hell, there was a kid sitting next to me who got very freaked out when his face came off, peak cinema is back lol.
My main critiques were that I found the overall environmentalist message to be a bit lacking. It started out pretty strong, but as the third act completely derailed itself, I felt like it wasn't as prevalent anymore. I looked it up online and apparently they were forced to tone it down so that might explain it, man they can never make me like you Disney. I think though with the state of our current environmental efforts, the message of "I'm so fucking tired of trying to make people care about this really important thing" does resonate a lot. Overall a very great film!! Definitely check it out in theatres if it's still there, it's a fun watch.
Uhh as far as ratings go I'll give it a solid 7/10
Kinda late for this week cause I was visiting my aunt last weekend. Anyway yesterday I watching Go (2001) and it was really great, I liked it a lotttt
Anyway spoilers as usual below
I'd known about this movie for a while since it stars Yosuke Kubozuka (I'm a huge IWGP fan lol)
It's not often you see Japanese movies that tackle with racism and xenophobia, but despite the heavy themes and content throughout the movie it had a pretty optimistic message.
While watching, you kinda get the feeling that Sugihara is trying really hard to live out a normal high school romcom plotline but because he's Japanese born Korean, xenophobia keeps getting in his way. There'll be scenes where it's your standard wacky delinquent shenanigans and then a sudden reminder that yeah Japan hates Korean people
Most stories about immigration that I've seen tend to center immigration in the US, a pretty important pillar in Asian American culture. Sugihara's feelings of not fitting into either the North Korean or the Japanese school were pretty relatable. He kinda ends up adopting this nihilistic attitude towards his nationality, since he can just beat the shit out of anyone trying to discriminate against him.
Despite how awful his life is though with the xenophobia and his abusive dad, the tone of the movie is actually pretty lighthearted
This changes though when he meets Sakurai
You can kinda see his repressed feelings from the discrimination he's faced show through, before he didn't really care what anyone thought about him being North Korean, but now he's scared about what Sakurai might think if she found out.
A lot of the movie is spent with him trying to pass off the racism he faces, but you can really see it add up and start to take a toll on him. Especially after Jong Il dies (I was in such a shock omg). He ends up reaching the climactic moment when his worst fear does come true after he tells Sakurai that he's Korean.
This scene really hurt bc I really liked her a lot too 😭😭 I know that her dad said these things but genuinely insane thing to say to your boyfriend. Also interesting symbolism from her real name being really Japanese sounding and Sugihara's real name being, well, pretty Korean.
This moment is kind of a breaking point for Sugihara, which leads to us getting the scene where he finally grapples with the toll that all the racism has had on him. It's interrupted though by the other plot going on in this movie about his relationship with his father.
Because of his physically abusive nature, Sugihara basically denounces the idea of calling his father his father. But despite the child abuse, they have a lot of heart to heart moments because of their shared statuses as being treated as foreigners. After learning that his brother passed, his father ends up going in this long monologue about his past and how it was living as a North Korean, by now a very melodramatic atmosphere has formed. However Sugihara gets annoyed by this, and is basically like "this is bullshit why do I have to go through this shit because your generation didn't do anything"
Which brings me to my personal favorite scene in the movie, the one where he decides to fight his dad in the park with the taxi driver as the referee
It's a sudden jump back into the silly/funny tone that the movie had in the beginning, even though Sugihara gets the shit beat out of him by his dad it feels like he's taking back control of what type of story he wants this to be. Like he said, this is supposed to be a love story.
It also recontextualize a lot of his father's past behavior, like how he didn't exchange his North Korean citizenship just because he wanted to go to Hawaii, he did it so that his son could have an easier life. It definitely doesn't excuse or justify the abuse but Sugihara at least understands his father a little better.
Finally, we get one last confrontation with Sakurai again where Sugihara vents all his frustrations of being a Japanese born Korean at her.
This scene was great, although it still didn't fully resolve my feelings towards Sakurai's behavior after the confession scene. She's alright I guess, idk as long as ur happy Sugihara. I think the movie would've benefited from at least showing us how she got over her xenophobia, other than leaving the viewer to assume that's what happened after Sugihara ran out. I know the movie is in Sugihara's POV but I think it definitely would've helped her character more, it kinda just felt like she flipped a switch and was suddenly ok. She also didn't really fully apologize for her behavior, it felt more like she just accepted the fact that he was Korean and that was enough. Anyway that's my small gripe, otherwise
Critiques aside, this was a really great film overall. The characters were all really interesting and it was definitely my kind of movie. This kinda ended up veering more towards a plot summary rather than a review lol but it's probably because there's just so much to talk about with this movie. I liked the chemistry between Sakurai and Sugihara a lot, and in general I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It's definitely very well made and shot.
Well well well, it's that time again where I talk to myself. I have a lot of fun writing these, mostly because it forces me to think critically about the stuff I watch.
This week I watched Battle Royal (2000)
I probably should've watched this movie last week and picked Jab We Met for this week instead since I watched Battle Royale on Valentine's Day, but I don't have a schedule for what movies I chose lol. I usually end up watching whatever piques my interest.
I saw a clip online (if you've seen it then you probably know which part), and it looked cool so I decided to watch it. My final opinion? It was really really good o(TヘTo)
I've heard that it was a originator of the whole "battle royale" death game genre, so I was curious as to what the original was like. Unlike its successors, the competition is a complete tragedy. There was nothing "fun" about any part of the game, just a bunch of kids killing each other. Being the first of its kind, I think that simplicity is the best way to convey its message.
Modern battle royals will usually add more of a twist or complexities to the death game to make it more interesting for the viewer. Even though your favorite characters are dying, there's at least a spectacle and a slight thrill from the game itself. I did kind of feel that watching Battle Royale, but it mostly felt like I was watching a horror movie instead.
Every part of this movie was steeped in tragedy, which was highlighted further by the amazing soundtrack. Holy shit the soundtrack is so good. The classical pieces they chose were great and the overall orchestral music was so good, I could literally feel my heart swell when those strings started. It really helped set the atmosphere, just listening to the background instrumentals playing when someone died made it hurt so much more.
Another thing I wanted to point out that I didn't expect was how gorgeous this film was.
Like just looking at these shots, the composition and lighting look amazing. Even though this is such a dark movie, I love how bright the colors are. The contrast between the way indoor scenes are shot versus outdoor scenes and how they convey scale is so good. I don't know much about cinematography, but as someone who enjoys drawing I can tell that a lot of thought was put into the composition.
Another thing I liked about this movie was how even though there was such a large cast, the characters all felt realistic enough that they could each stand out. It's hard to write stories like these without solely focusing on the main characters and the rest of the roster getting reduced to background fodder, so I appreciate that everyone was given a unique and memorable death scene. The parts where they'd cut in flashbacks to their normal high school lives felt like a gut punch, and really showed just how horrible this situation is. How no matter how badly they might've acted out or misbehaved, they're just kids who don't deserve to be killed like this. You truly felt it when someone died.
I think my only criticism is that I wish they at least told you more about the lore of this world other then the small description at the beginning. I do know that it's based off of a book (that my bsf told me to read lol), so I looked it up and apparently it's some kinda alternate history where Japan won WW2?? There isn't a lot of context as to why the game exists aside from "juvenile delinquency increased," which I think is a bit of a vague reason that doesn't really say why they decided to go the "let's just let them kill each other" route. I guess it'd be a viable method to control the youth, but it doesn't really make sense?
I also wish we learned more about this guy
The other transfer student got a lot of background, but all this guy did was show up and then started hunting everyone like he was Von incarnate. It's cool to have a wildcard typa guy, but I guess his lack of dialogue made him feel pretty lacking. I just feel like there was a lot more they could've done with him at least.
Anyway, I loved the ending and the final standoff with Kitano. I think the message is really good and pulls at your heartstrings. I'm ngl, while watching it reminded me a lot of the older persona games but that's probably because of the 90s japanese highschool culture that they both take place in. Overall this was a great movie! 9/10 for me, it's been a while since I've seen a movie that's legit made this emotional.
Anyway, this week's movie was Jab We Met! I'm slowly expanding my catalog of Hindi Films. None of this is an actual critique or legit analysis, just me rambling for the most part.
I think under normal conditions I would've found this movie to be alright, but I was ifeeling really shitty this weekend so the message kinda ended up resonating with me. The whole message about screwing up but still going forward and living your life kinda helped me feel better.
I actually wasn't super fond of Geet at first, and did find her to be a little too much at times, but she really grew on me as the movie went on. I will say she does kinda give off the manic pixie dream girl vibes, but I think the story twists the narrative where they both end up enhancing each other's lives. Aditya and Geet do both compliment each other very well, and had great chemistry! I thought their relationship was really cute.
I'm a big fan of stories where the character's personalities end up switching places but they still manage to help each other through their difficulties. My main criticisms are that I felt like there wasn't a lot of gradual change with the characters, and their growth felt a little like someone had flipped the switch. This is mainly directed towards Geet's family, she talked a lot about how strict they were but ended up being pretty accepting. Granted this was probably because she left without contact for 9 months, but it would've been nice to have a scene with the aftermath at least (I'm feel like I'm kind of nitpicking here though).
As far as songs go, I'd say this movie offered a pretty decent selection. None of the musical scenes really stood out to me but I like the songs by themselves. My favorite would probably be Ye Ishq Hai. I will say, I loved the outfits in this movie. Both Geet and Aditiya had a fantastic wardrobe, definitely gonna steal it for inspo.
If I had to give an actual rating, it'd probably be a solid 7/10. A fun watch, not something I was too invested in, but I can definitely see why people like it.
Amazing what a proper meal can do for your mental health, after spiraling for a good 3 hours I finally decided to eat my first substantial meal and I can literally feel myself heart rate calming down
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