At the End of the Day

This week is my last week in Indonesia for this spring break. And I really made use of the given time to watch more movies in cinemas: a privilege absent in Japan. So this week I checked out Andrew Niccol's The Host, Park Chan Wook's Stoker and Robert Redford's The Company You Keep. In other news, this week saw Roger Ebert left the world; a legendary critic, a role model, a teacher, a preacher. Ebert (@ebertchicago in Twitter) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic. His name is plastered everywhere in movie posters, usually giving his iconic 'Two Thumbs Up' or just a quote from his review. Ebert's reviews are the one I look to for references before going to the movies, not Peter Travis' not Christy Lemire's. I would only refer to the one review made and written with such passion by Roger Ebert. I would definitely miss his opinions and sometimes his fun anecdotes in his reviews also his wide-ranging quotations to support his opinions. Truly a loss in movie industry. I may not know him personally but surely it impacted people all around the world like me that one of the most movie-passionate people has gone.

The Host

I know you may be thinking: uh, another Stephenie Meyer adaptation. But this one's not about vampires and werewolves. This one is about parasitic aliens who actually make life better if they didn't take over the humans inside. Saoirse Ronan stars with the help of Diane Kruger and William Hurt in the supporting cast. The movie experience watching The Host is more or less the experience you'd get when you watch a Twilight marathon: sometimes it's silly, sometimes it's unintentionally funny, sometimes it's exciting and sometimes it's boring. The cast are quite okay but Saoirse Ronan is a bit underused. Andrew Niccol's influence is basically zero which is lame. But it's still enjoyable although suffering from some really boring parts. The Host: rated 2/4.

Stoker

Park Chan Wook's Hollywood debut with a script by Wentworth Miller. Yes, the Prison Break Wentworth Miller. It stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice from Alice in Wonderland), Matthew Goode (Ozymandias in Watchmen) and Nicole Kidman. The story revolves around India Stoker, an introvert daughter who just learned after his father's death that she had a mysterious uncle. The film is intense, scary and filled with unforgettable images. The cast is amazing particularly Matthew Goode with his commanding presence. Park Chan Wook's direction is obviously one of a kind and it made the movie better than it already supposed to be. Add that with Clint Mansell's crazy cool hypnotic score. And then add that with creepy yet beautiful cinematography. You get Stoker: rated four out of four.

The Company You Keep

Robert Redford directs the all-star thriller about a former activist who goes on the run to clear his name after being accidentally exposed by a local reporter. stars Shia LaBeouf, Julie Christie, Stanley Tucci, Brit Marling, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick and Susan Sarandon just to name a few. The trailer looks really promising but the film kinda falls flat. At some parts the film really works as a thriller but at the other parts it just becomes boring. The cast, led by Redford himself, did a great job though and for me it's great to see more Brit Marling after her supporting role in Arbitrage. I'll definitely get The Sound of My Voice or Another Earth after this. Bottom line, it's a half-baked thriller with so much unrealized potential, interesting plot and great ensemble cast. The Company You Keep: rated 2.5/4.

In the upcoming weeks I'll probably review Welcome to the Punch and Java Heat. But for the sure thing I'll be back at the end of April for Iron Man 3.