Se7en (1995)

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker

Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Duration: 127 Minutes

Country: USA

Production Company: Cecchi Gori Pictures, New Line Cinema

Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YV2_TcCoE

If you enjoy psychological thriller that will mess with your mind and emotion, then you will definitely love Se7en. Why? Because it is one of the best crime movies ever!

Starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as two detectives whom assigned to solve a series of sick murders by a mysterious serial killer, Se7en start its story with a deep character conflict between a senior almost retire detective and his rookie partner in a dark creepy crime scene. Just in one scene, two incredible things are presented amazingly by Fincher.

A partnership in a movie more or less always use the same pattern, the same formula, placing two characters that have lots of differences in all aspects. It could be physical, race, age, intellectuality, personality, and many more. The more contrary the characters are, the more interesting the conflict will be. Using the same method, the partnership in Se7en feels more real and not enforced. A young detective that is new to the force with his unstable temper try to prove himself and a veteran detective that is working his last case before his retirement try to solve the case his way, using his calm, slow, and analytical method. This contradiction seems really natural and believable. They do not disagree because of some properties that is added by the movie maker, but because they are two human being from different era, that has different idealism, way of thinking, and all the essential things. We can see them as a human, not just some characters.

Now the case, it is lunatic, cuckoo, out of mind, crazy, mad, sick, you name it. The idea of killing people based on Seven Deadly Sins, the way the killer kills the victim, the condition of the victim when police finds them, they are all genius in a very sick way. Smart brainiac villain is way more scary than the strong and evil one. 

And the most incredible things of all is the ending. It is mindf*ck!! Pardon my language, but I think that is the closest word that can describe the ending. I think no normal human being can come with that kind of ending. Only the most genius and the sickest one can do. And I think it is a serious crime  if someone spoil the ending of Se7en to someone that haven't got the chance to watch it. Seriously, it will ruin the tense, the surprise, everything.

It is a must watch movie for everyone. Yes, everyone!

Rate: 9/10

Roman Holiday (1953)

Director: William Wyler

Writer: Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton

Cast: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Duration: 118 Minuters

Country: USA

Production Company: Paramount Pictures

Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIFo0txAvuE

There are two ways to make a Romance Comedy movie outstanding, remarkable, well-remembered, and legendary. First, come up with a really great screenplay, especially the dialogue or the narration. Second, choosing a perfect couple. And Roman Holiday is one of the greatest example of the second one.

Starring Audrey Hepburn as a princess that have a hidden desire to explore the world and sick of her royal duty is definitely a right choice. No one can play it better than her. She has this natural innocent sad mysterious face that is so right for the character.

And Gregory Peck, if you are a girl that lost in a city, at the 50s, there is no other man that you will rather be with than him. He is the man of the era. He has this charming gentleman posture, and a slight adventurous bad boy soul that drives women crazy. And that charm is timeless. We, the later generation, is still captivated by his existence.

Combining Peck and Hepburn together, a simple sweet funny story is definitely a perfect fit. It does not need our brain to think, but it let us to focus and enjoy the warm lively feeling that caused by the perfect couple.

The chemistry between Peck and Hepburn is built naturally. It is logic and not overdone. It is a can't-stop-smiling-guarantee chemistry from the very beginning to the very end.

Talking about the ending, I think the movie ends perfectly. It gives us a little bit "Owh, is it really over?" feeling because it does not give us the happily ever after  ending like a fairytale. But, I think a holiday fling logically end that way. Sweet and memorable, but not supposed to be too great and too committed.

I love it. And I think everyone that has the chance to watch it will definitely agree with me. I mean, what is not to love?

Rate: 8.5/10

An Education (2009)

Director: Lone Scherfig

Writer: Lynn Barber, Nick Hornby

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard

Genre: Drama

Duration: 100 Menit

Country: UK

Production Company: BBC Films

Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUeYKwxTCGQ

"Studying is hard and boring. Teaching is hard and boring. So, what you're telling me is to be bored, and then bored, and finally bored again, but this time for the rest of my life? This whole stupid country is bored! There's no life in it, or color, or fun! It's probably just as well the Russians are going to drop a nuclear bomb on us any day now. So my choice is to do something hard and boring, or to marry my... Jew, and go to Paris and Rome and listen to jazz, and read, and eat good food in nice restaurants, and have fun! It's not enough to educate us anymore Ms. Walters. You've got to tell us why you're doing it."

An interesting argument comes from Jenny Mellor, a teenage student in England 1960s. Although the time has pass and it is 50 years later now, but the concept of education is still questionable. Do we need education or degree? What is the important of education for us? Can we survive in this life only with education, but without a degree? Well, those and lots of other questions.

The movie is about Jenny Mellor. A bright beautiful teenage girl that has all the future ahead of her. She's one of the smartest students in her class, she wants to go to Oxford, studying English Literature, and then becoming a teacher. All planned, all agreed.

The she met David Goldman. A charming gentleman that has the ability to make everyone loves him and fall at his feet. He introduces Jenny to a spectacular life that Jenny has ever wanted. Watching a jazz concert, living in a fancy apartment full of books and artworks, romantic weekend to Paris, and many more. Feels like having everything she wants when she was with David, she start questioning the importance of an education. She needs education to get a job so that she can have everything that she wants. Now, if she has already had everything, why she still needs an education?

She asked this question to her teacher and principal, but they have no satisfying answer.

I think the way this movie questioning the importance of an education is so brilliant. It has been built slowly and carefully from the very beginning until asked literally in the middle of the movie. I love it.

The ending? Well, for me it is a little bit too preachy. I don't fancy it, but I think it is the best way to deliver the right answer of the question.

It is a great movie. And I can finally see what is so appealing about Carey Mulligan that I fail to see before.

Rate: 7.5/10

American Psycho (2000)

Director: Mary Harron
Writer: Bret Easton Ellis, Mary Harron
Cast: Christian Bale, William Dafoe, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon
Genre: Crime, Drama
Duration: 102 Minutes
Country: USA
Production Company: Am Psycho Productions, Lions Gate Films
Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jVNmgHKweU

It started out brilliant, with Bale's perfect acting and hot body, then it got crazy, with all bloody murder and creepy sex stuff, end it ended out very confusing, at least for me.

Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a Wall Street guy, who is basically have everything by doing almost nothing. He is rich, he lives in a sophisticated apartment that he thinks has the best view of the best city in the world, he has the perfect skin and perfect body, he engages with a rich beautiful woman, well he's got it all. Not just that, he has the most amazing job in the world. He works at a big company, receive a big fat check, by just sitting in his big room and doing nothing but hanging out in a fancy restaurant with all his almost look alike friends. It is possibly all men's dream, right?

But having it all does not mean feeling enough. He wants more. He still feels that he does not fit in. He still think that he is not good enough, he is not the best. If someone, anyone comes to him with something better than what he owns, he feels disturb. He feels defeated. He feels insecure. And he hates it. And he suddenly have this need to kill someone. Jealousy and greed kill.

Not just that, bored with his day to day life and his too good to be true job, he starts his weird sex things. He paid bunch of money to do weird creepy stuff both with street whore and expensive high class prostitute. Still not enough, he also has the needs to sadistically slash those women. Boredom and lust kill.

Creepy.

Kill, kill, and kill, he cannot control his need to kill anymore. He become careless, paranoid, scare, and  terrified. Cannot stand the burden in his mind anymore, he finally confess all his sins to his lawyer.

And after that, I was confused.

Are all those murder really happened or just some kind of weird imagination that happened on his sick mind? The creator wants to leave it to the audience. Letting our perception decide the ending of the movie. Umm, I usually like this kind of ending. It makes my brain works (as if usually it doesn't), but for this movie, I totally hate it. I mean, there's no question at all. It just a movie with no explanation at the end. I cannot find any clue to decide is it real or is it just in his head. It's all seems like it is real, then in the last scene, everything just became confusing. And they close the curtain, leaving us with no explanation. It is just mean and irresponsible. 

But over all, it is a great movie. Patrick Bateman is one hell of a character. And (of course) Bale play the role brilliantly. I love the way Bateman give a speech about history of music before slaughtering his victim. It is sooooo sick in a remarkable way. Love it.

I also love the 'frienemies' relationship between those Wall Street guys. They look like they are friends at the outside, they even try their best to look as similar as possible, but in the inside, they hate each other and try their best to hurt each other. I think Harron describes the relationship perfectly. 

Great story, excellent character, brilliant cast, but irresponsible and annoying ending. 

Rate: 8/10

A Few Best Men (2011)

Director: Stephan Elliott
Writer: Dean Craig
Cast: Laura Brent, Xavier Samuel, Kris Marshall
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 97 Minutes
Country: Australia, UK
Production Company: Screen Australia
Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSzCVYD7C4w

People say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If those wise words are correct, then the creator of A Few Best Men must love the movie Hangover so much. This movie is like the the British/Australian version of Hangover. It has the same formula as Hangover. It has drugs, drug-dealer, someone's pet, and lots of other similarities.

Although I am a fan of British Humor, but this time I wasn't laughing. I think they are trying too hard.

It is not so original, not that funny, well I cannot find a single reason to like it. Sorry.

Rate: 3/10

30 Minutes or Less (2011)

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writer: Michael Diliberti
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Dani McBride, Aziz Ansari
Genre: Action, Crime, Comedy
Duration: 83 Minutes
Country: USA
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn9DoxS_nck

Oh my god! I love this movie. I am laughing from the very beginning to the very end. I mean coming from the director of Zombieland, one of the best zombie survival movies ever and played by the most promising nerdy-look rising star, Jesse Eisenberg, I couldn’t ask for more.

It is hilarious and full of stupid (pardon my language) things that you can freely mock all the way. I really love it.

I mean what do you expect by hiring someone with no criminal experiences, nerdy-look, the least athletic physical appearance, and obviously no brain at all into robbing a bank? It was crazy. But the unplanned, no thinking through, and lame decision along the way are what so remarkable and genius about this movie. I love it. I really love it.

The only thing that I find a little bit disturbing about this movie is the “bro” thing. I don’t think their friendship is strong enough to be the reason to risk everything in order save each other’s life. They do not look like they care about each other. I mean, the background story is pretty logic and not that bad, but the chemistry between the actors is not that good. But consider it is forgiven.

If you love mocking people so much, then it will be a perfect movie for you.

Rate: 8/10

Letters to Juliet (2010)

Director: Gary Winick

Writer: Jose Rivera, Tim Sullivan

Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Gael Garcia Bernal, Christopher Egan

Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy

Duration: 105 minutes

Country: USA

Production Company: Summit Entertainment, Applehead Pictures

Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz43rtBUVA0

Romance comedy genre has one thing that I find disturbing. It always show us that stranger that you know nothing about is worth more than someone that you had already know for a long time. I mean, it sure gives us an unhealthy illusion.

New strange things do not always mean better right? For me, happily ever after is just the matter of where we put the ending. But we cannot treat real life like the movie, right? We cannot put an ending as we pleased. The new and strange will someday be old and well-known. Well, maybe that illusion is the purpose of the filmmaker. But I still find it annoying.

But, other than that thing, I actually like the movie, especially the idea of Secretary of Juliet. It was sweet and remarkable. I mean, it is a fact that women just want to be listened. And who will listen better than Juliet, the girl who experience the greatest, but also the most tragic love story ever. I really want to write a letter to Juliet someday, assuming that I will have a love story that worth to be shared with.

And If someone ask me to choose between Bernal and that British guy, I will definitely choose Bernal without any doubt. I mean how can you not choose Gael Garcia Bernal?

The last but not least, I think Verona is waaaaay more romantic than Paris.

Rate: 7/10