Tempus Machina

This is way too early for a closing post in the year 2012. But I'm going away for the end of the year so I'm not going to be in front of my laptop for New Year's Eve. 2012 is quite unforgettable for me. I learnt new things and for the first time in my life, I felt like I am actually growing up, becoming more mature (though people around me doesn't see it--may be I'm not maturing yet or maybe I'm just a damn good actor). I loved and laughed. I cried (quite a few times before I moved to Japan actually -- so much for maturing). And I graduataed from highschool finally. It was like dog years to be in high school but it really was dog years, I was so grateful that I was a dog. I have friends that trusted me. What more could you ask of them? It was the greatest thing in the world to have people trust you and in return, all I do was trust them back. I may disappoint some of them but do know, that you guys never disappoint me. Anyways, it was really an unforgettable and great year.

"you admit you're a dog. That's something."

I know this post isn't about movies anymore, I lied about the purpose of this blog but that's what blog is about right. I have the right to be vocal about my own thoughts. This is my blog, man. You are here to read only. I'd shove some sentences about movies right after this. It's a great year for movies too. A superhero film just ended but there's another one that just begun (and there's also a bad reboot who claimed itself successful). The movies this year was big. There were The Hunger Games, Looper, Prometheus, Skyfall, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises to name a few. There's still some of them coming up like Tarantino's Django Unchained and Les Miserables. If you're a filmgoer, you'd be so satisfied of 2012. And if the world really ends in two days, give me a heads up and I'll rob Zack Snyder's house for Man of Steel.

I lied again from my previous post that I would post my annual list. I guess that has to wait in January.

I still hope that I can post my next post (sneak peek, titled: Holiday Box) which I think will be my biggest post since Avenged (where I reviewed 4 films). I'm aiming to have also 4 films in my next post. Well, say good luck and see you laters.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Back to Middle-Earth

It's rare in Japan to have a big film playing at the same week as the rest of the world. As you may notice in my previous post, the newest Star Trek is not going to face the same fate as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey which was released at the same day in the US, December 14. My anticipation for The Hobbit was kinda so so but I didn't realize how much I wanted to see this film until Howard Shore's sweeping Lord of the Rings score started to play or until Elijah Wood and Ian Holm pops up (which the very first minute of the film). It was a return to Middle Earth. Despite the troubles in pre-production (MGM funding, uncertain release date, and Del Toro's resignation from director's chair to name a few), the film was finally made and not only one film but three films.

The story is about a dwarf named Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) who wants to reclaim his homeland, Erebor that was devastated by a dragon called Smaug. It has been 60 years and Thorin with his 12 dwarves companions and Gandalf (McKellen) were looking for a 14th companion. Enter young Bilbo Baggins, a less adventure-minded one (Martin Freeman). They started the journey to Erebor and facing obstacles and creatures such as orcs, trolls, stone giants. And for Bilbo himself, he encountered Gollum who has the Ring that could change the course of the life in Middle-Earth.

The film was about 170 minutes in length but when I watched it it feels like 90 minutes. I was expecting more so I guess the film's pace was not a problem for me. It is like when you watch the Star Wars prequels because everything ties to the superb following trilogy. I loved Martin Freeman he's just so good in his role. The newcomer, Aragorn-like Richard Armitage's Thorin Oakenshield was just super cool like Aragorn. The LOTR reunion scene in Rivendell was one of the most exciting moments of the film with the most exciting one was the one when Bilbo meets Gollum. Definitely the best scene in the whole film. The film is packed with adventure and maybe too much of them. The pattern becomes a repetition with almost three times there would be (small spoilers) a person in danger and suddenly the rest of the gang shows up (or vice versa) with Howard Shore's stellar orchestra version of the Misty Mountain song playing. And while this film is so good, it doesn't reach the high standards set by The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The stakes are higher in LOTR and the adventure was kinda more serious. Here there was too much of humor and unimportant story on the road which makes me think that this film is actually a road movie. The action scenes were superbly executed. The Wargs chase scenes were nice, and also the Goblin lair escape was cool. Peter Jackson proves that he is the king of Middle Earth. He may not only be the king but he is the god of Middle Earth. However the visual effects are not as sharp as in the LOTR trilogy and some of the scenes have that extreme lighting that kinda makes it strange. But I am still looking forward to next year's second film in the series! I recommend the people who haven't seen the trilogy should see the trilogy prior to seeing this film. But if you haven't, make sure you watch them after you watch this. This ain't Star Wars where you can watch The Phantom Menace without watching the original movies. For the story, The Hobbit is the prequel to LOTR, but for the universe, LOTR is the prequel to The Hobbit. Also I'm so proud that I could find two Indonesian names that worked on this film during the credits! Hats off to Rini Sugianto and Eddy Purnomo. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: rated 3.5/4


I may try to watch The Hobbit in IMAX HFR 3D, so wish me luck. It's kinda hard (and expensive) to watch that in Japan. And also I'm going to do my last post which is going to be the anticipated films in 2013 (this list was used to be posted on my facebook but maybe I'm still gonna posted on facebook too). For the sake of sneak peek, on the first post of 2013, I'm going to review Les Miserables or maybe with Twilight Breaking Dawn 2. Until then, see you later!

A Moment of Silence

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS IS GOING TO BE RELEASED IN JAPAN ON SEPTEMBER 2013, INSTEAD OF MAY 2013 LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. THAT IS THE EXAMPLE OF THE EXPRESSION 'MESSED UP'. 

PLEASE PARAMOUNT PICTURES & J.J. ABRAMS, WE NEED THAT MOVIE ON MAY 2013 TOO. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

a legit evidence:

Dear J.J. Abrams,

I am in enormous fury right now, so excuse my caps-locked post above. I hope they sort this out. I don't want any spoilers for Cumberbatch's character. Please please J.J. Abrams, Japanese people need your film too. We want to experience the movie at the same time with the world. We want to be at the IMAX 3D theater at the same time as people all over the world, watching Captain Kirk fight that-still-mysterious-villain. Do not isolate us please. Force those Japanese distributors to release this film on May 2013. Please please, I'm literally begging you. You don't want your film to be vigorously pirated and illegally downloaded right? And we don't want spoilers all over the internet that are going to be caused by crazy media exposure. I want to be in the theater, be shocked by who Cumberbatch's character really is. Not by accidentally reading it in random comments on YouTube or maybe reading it in 9GAG or maybe some reviewer's reviews that is too spoiling. So, the only solution is to release it on May, as it should be. You can see that The Avengers underperformed this year in Japan because we had it last, also The Hunger Games. Both are worldwide phenomenon of 2012, except in Japan, where we got it last. Please, you came to Tokyo a couple of days back and you showed us the first 9 minutes before anyone else but we get to see the film last? Also you gave extended footage for the Japanese trailer and in the end we got to see those last? That is not fair at all. Please, we need Star Trek Into Darkness on May 2013. I want to meet Captain Kirk, Spock and Benedict Cumberbatch on May, not on September.

Sincerely,
A young Trekkie who loves films greatly.




I really do hope someone from Paramount or J.J. Abrams himself read this. Spread the word!

Hold Your Breath and Count to Ten

"Skyfall."
"Done."

That's exactly what I want to say right after I walked out of the cinemas. After a full month of waiting, I finally got to see the latest Bond film in the cinemas, which required me to skip church on Sunday (sorry, God). I know I may be the last blogger that claims himself a movie blogger that blogged about the latest Bond film, but then to be the last isn't always a bad thing. I have an alibi for this, so to speak. I am now in Japan and watching Skyfall on December 2nd isn't considered a month late here; it's only a day late. The 23rd Bond film has already had my curiosity since it was announced, but now it has my full attention (credits to Quentin Tarantino for the pinked sentence). The story is not a continuation of the events in Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace, but the things referenced in this film requires a knowledge in the Bond universe as this film partly served as a homage to the 50-year-old spy.

The story started from the stolen harddrive containing the names of MI6 undercover agents. James Bond (Daniel Craig) was supposed to retrieve it but then due to a mission mishap, Bond was 'killed'. But then actually, the hard drive was only a small detail in the big picture. Enter Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) a cyber terrorist who's kinda peculiar in every way. Silva is presumably a homosexual yet also sort of a psychopath. Bond's bond (Bond pun!) with M is tested as more secrets and Silva's plan were unraveled.

So far, Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond. I was born in the Brosnan era, so there was a time that recognize Pierce Brosnan in some magazine or his non-Bond films and called him James Bond. But as I get older and I have more knowledge about this matter, Daniel Craig steps in as 007 and I have to say he's my Bond. I loved Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace is like wine, it gets better with time (and multiple viewings). As I have mentioned, Skyfall is partly a homage to the franchise and it was shown all over the film: the vintage Goldfinger Aston Martin, Walther PPK, an eccentric villain, the big and brassy theme song, the new Q, the new Moneypenny (perhaps that's a spoiler but then again, the film is already a month old) even James Bond himself said, "the old ways are the best". Also the setting is mainly in London, again, serving as a homage to country and franchise. The action sets are amazing, I couldn't complain about anything. The score by Thomas Newman, a newcomer to the franchise but a pro in the business, is above satisfactory; it's a different color to the usual David Arnold score and it's a great thing. The theme song opening scene is amazing, courtesy of Daniel Kleinman. It's kinda incomparable with the one in Casino or Quantum as the three of them are equally awesome. Daniel Craig is getting better with Bond and he could put his happy face more here than in QoS. Judi Dench's M played a bigger role here and Judi Dench is so good in her role. Javier Bardem is crazily amazing as always. Although Silva here isn't as menacing as Anton Chigurh, Bardem's Silva has mostly great moments in the film. The third act of the film doesn't really feel Bond-y but we get something in return: Bond's backstory, which was already briefly mentioned by Vesper Lynd in their first meeting in the train. Sam Mendes handles the film skillfully without forgetting the story in favor of the actions scenes and the action scenes did not disappoint too. However, I feel that Casino Royale is more superior in its action scenes. One of the few things that bugged me was the love scene with Severine that is quite morally inappropriate and Silva's death scene that seems too...easy. But then again, no masterpiece is without flaws. Skyfall is a satisfactory film in all levels and I look forward to the next Bond films which will going to feature a lot of great actors that are already hinted to return. Skyfall: rated 4/4.

Still related to Skyfall, I recommend you to watch Graham Norton's show on Bond special with guest stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Javier Bardem. It's available on YouTube and it's interesting (for me, when I'm still in Bond fever mode)

This bonus material is included since I haven't posted a lot in November:
1. the newest Man of Steel poster is superb. see it here!
2. Star Trek Into Darkness poster is also superb. Cumberbitches! see this one here!
3. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has become The Social Network of superhero films. With Dane Dehaan joining as Harry Osborn, it has the best young cast you could assemble. But then, the new Spidey sucks.
4. And when you checked out the new trailer for Django Unchained, this is the best comment you can see on YouTube.

See you for in the next two weeks for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey!
(An unimportant trivia: Line sticker for The Hobbit is out for free!)
I'll let you guys know that I made a promise to myself to watch The Hobbit in HFR3D, so wish me luck or I'm going to do something equally exciting as watching in HFR3D.
And if any of you wonder why I am not reviewing Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, it's not that I hated the film because how can I hate the film when it's not even released yet in Japan :| It's going to be open on December 28.

See you on December 16 for another post!

Late Summer

Quick reviews on three films from the summer, Ted, Savages and The Campaign. Like really brief and quick review. Bonus, two films from September.

Ted
The highest grossing R-rated comedy to date certainly has a unique premise, also a cute, irresistible teddy bear named Ted who happens to be alive because of John Bennett's wish. The movie is a nice one, although not that funny. I'd prefer The Hangover over Ted. However Ted's visual effects is quite good; better than Twilight or G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra. Seth McFarlane is truly a genius and Mila Kunis is difficult to resist. When you finished the movie, you might wonder, which one is cuter, Mila Kunis or Ted? The film has some good moments and funny moments, including an extended cameo by Flash Gordon himself. The ending is also touching. Ted: rated 2.5/4


Savages

Oliver Stone's new film marked his departure from the 'more serious' genre of movies, y'know, the political ones like his latest W. This is one is adapted from a book and has an ensemble cast which are led by John Carter, Kick-Ass and Serena Van Der Woodsen. The story is about a large cartel who wants to deal with independent weed growers but apparently failed in the negotiation. Therefore they kidnapped the growers' shared girlfriend and those growers tried to do anything to get her back. The one performance that was disturbingly good was Benicio Del Toro's. However, the rest of the cast did a great job too. The twist in the end was annoying because it doesn't improve the story at all (I can't talk much here to avoid spoilers). There's another thing that I was annoyed by which was the way Indonesia was associated with the words 'jungle' and 'savages'. You guys may be sadistic savages, but us in Indonesia, we are not savages who live in the jungle and doesn't have a Chanel shop. Thank you. Savages is worth a watch for the raw feel and the uniquely normal-but-strange story and its twist though. Savages: rated 2.5/4


The Campaign
For me this film is funnier than Ted because the jokes are more unpredictable and kinda random. While on Ted, you can expect dirty jokes from a teddy bear. The film's story is about two candidates Cam Brady and Marty Huggins who fights for the title congressman of North Carolina. While Cam Brady is always elected as congressman, Marty Huggins came out of nowhere because he's funded by businessmen who have a secret plan. Will Ferrell is playing in good comedy films, like Talladega Nights or Anchorman, and this one is another his of good ones too. Zach G is playing a different character albeit similar traits (dumb and stuff), he's already a typecast. One thing that the film lacks is bigger role on Jason Sudeikis bcos like in Horrible Bosses, he could be extremely funny too. While the jokes sometimes aren't that funny because it's already everywhere in the trailer, the film is smart in criticizing some of the politics routine and it makes the film interestingly funny. The Campaign: rated 3/4


End of Watch
A Chronicle-style buddy cop drama? With Jake Gyllenhaal? Count me in. The story is about two police officers who got tangled in cartel business while doing their daily job. The film makes use of the 'self-taping' thing and sometimes from the police cam while also infusing traditional cameraworks but mostly handheld. This method proves to be effective, not only because we get the gritty feel but also the dangerous and raw atmosphere of the film. Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena here is so good, their relationship is like very real. I enjoyed this film very very much. Although the one setback is that the opening is too slow to make way for the real conflict. Great film nonetheless. End of Watch: rated 3.5/4



Looper
My God I finally watched Looper. This film and Dredd are my most anticipated film of September. The story is about an assassin called Looper who have to kill his future version of himself. (please bear with me cos I'm about to have an outburst) JGL IS AMAZING. He doesn't look like JGL at all. I watched 50/50 trailer after I watched this and it's like I'm looking at a different person. Bruce Willis is also good here, which I didn't expect. The film is sooooo cooool, sooooo tense. I lost adjective to describe how cool this film is. The effects are just amazingly badass. Definitely the coolest film of the year. I also liked Paul Dano's brief appearance. But this film is Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's show. I can not complain about anything. Looper: rated 4/4.

See you December 2nd (or 3rd) for Skyfall.