Film Blog: A Prelude
This film blog is meant to promote indie and foreign films which otherwise would go unnoticed in Western markets due to lack of marketing resources. This film blog is also meant to act as a personal recommendation on behalf of myself to readers wishing for an alternative movie fare other than what is offered by mainstream cinemas. I believe that the movies I have previewed rival those of Hollywood box office hits in terms of depth, substance, and overall narrative quality. I will be providing a brief commentary and synopsis of each movie without divulging too much, in other words, not "spoiling" the movie for anyone, so relax and enjoy!
Before Sunrise (1995)
Before Sunrise is an intelligent romantic tale that will captivate, challenge, and enlighten audiences. The movie is about a chance meeting between two perfect strangers on a train while they both travel across Europe. This chance meeting leads to a conversation between the two characters which last for the whole duration of the movie. Audiences witness one conversation taking place which then leads to another conversation and so forth. Simply put, Before Sunrise can be described as one long series of conversations. A movie simply predicated upon two people conversing with one another is the first I've ever seen in my 20 plus years of watching movies which is why I would describe the movie as unique.
Before Sunrise stars Ethan Hawke who plays Jesse and Julie Delpy who plays Celine. Jesse and Celine are both young, intelligent, rebellious, inquisitive, and cosmopolitan in nature. The dialogue between Jesse and Celine follows suit with their personality as it can be described as thought-provoking, witty, playful, and challenging. As Jesse and Celine's conversation progresses, audiences witness the growth of their relationship as each person realizes how much they have in common with the other. Audiences will also witness the development of Jesse and Celine's character as they each debate about the intricacies of life while they pick each others' brains. As audiences are captivated by Jesse and Celine's conversation, they too will begin to ponder the meaning of life and wonder whether relationships can be simply thought of as one long series of conversations we have with one another.
Before Sunrise is part one of a trilogy (Before Sunset, Before Midnight) with the subsequent titles leaving exactly where the first left off. Fans can be assured that the sequels do not detract in quality and only add meaningful value to Jesse and Celine's story.
Run Time: 1hr 45 min
Rated: R (language)
Language: English
You can watch this movie on iTunes or Netflix
Metro Manila (2013)
Metro Manila is a gripping crime thriller with some added moral depth. Metro Manila is a British-Filipino independently produced film directed by acclaimed British film director Sean Ellis. The film has picked up three trophies at the 2013 British Independent Film Awards including the top prize Best British Independent Film award.
The movie is a critique of modernity portraying the mass migration of rural farmers from the countryside to the urban centers of the world. Metro Manila depicts a rural family who decides to move to the big city in the hopes of escaping their impoverished lives and making a better living for themselves. What they don't expect is to be thrown in the midst of a cold, exploitative, and manipulative environment. Although the movie takes on a familiar underdog story, it nonetheless captures audiences with its gripping dark tones and realistic raw portrayal of the life of an impoverished family trying to simply survive. Metro Manila will leave audiences gauging the disposition of every man for himself.
Run Time: 1hr 54 min
Rated: R (sexual content, violence, language)
Language: Tagalog with English subtitles
You can watch this movie on iTunes or Netflix
Snowpiercer (2013)
Snowpiercer is an allegorical sci-fi fantasy thriller about the contemporary and future issues humanity is plagued with. Snowpiercer is an art-house film that will very much appeal to political and sci-fi aficionados, although, that isn't to say that the film won't appeal to casual viewers as well. Snowpiercer stars well known Hollywood actor Chris Evans. Not much contextual background knowledge about politics or film art is needed to fully appreciate the movie. Snowpiercer depicts what life would be like in a post-apocalyptic world where a second ice age has come forth. This ice age has rendered earth uninhabitable as the planet's temperature has plummeted to freezing levels. The last remnants of humanity have managed to survive Earth's brutal conditions by taking refuge in a self-sufficient train which traverses around the world. This self-sufficient train contains all of life's necessities such as food and water which are housed, produced, and maintained on certain sections of the train. The train can be regarded as an allegory of Noah's Ark. The passengers who dwell in the sections of the train which house the necessities of life are consequently allotted power over the other passengers. Essentially, first-class passengers are given privilege over economy class passengers. Snowpiercer will have audiences tackling the issues of climate change, aristocracy, the allotment of resources, economic class, and the underlying politics behind them all.
Run time: 2hr 06 min
Rated: R (violence, drug content, language)
Language: English
You can watch this movie on iTunes or Netflix
A Dangerous Method (2011)
A Dangerous Method is an enlightening must-watch piece for any psychology enthusiast. Although, I must note that this movie is more geared towards psychology aficionados and might not appeal as much to the casual viewer. A Dangerous method is a bio-drama piece depicting the lives of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung as they work together to help build and establish psychology as legitimate science. What strikes me as captivating about the movie is that Freud and Jung, both widely regarded as demi-god like figures in the psychological science community, are depicted to be just like everyone else. Freud and Jung's human qualities such as insecurity, selfishness, and jealousy are put on full display as the film reduces the two to being mere mortals with their own set of deep-seated faults and impulses. Kiera Knightley's performance as the hysterical patient and love interest of Carl Jung can be simply described as masterful. Knightley is so convincing at portraying a mad woman that she can perhaps convince audiences of her real-life insanity as well.
Run Time: 1hr 39 min
Rated: R (sexual content, language)
Language: English
You can watch this movie on iTunes or Netflix
Nightcrawler (2014)
Nightcrawler is a noir crime thriller with very dark and disturbing suspense. Nightcrawler stars Jake Gyllenhaal who plays Louis Bloom, a cash-ridden thief turned freelance journalistic cinematographer. Louis Bloom takes on the task of shooting video footage of crime scenes and accidents in and around the Los Angeles area which he then sells to local news broadcasters.
What is dark and suspenseful about Nightcrawler is that Bloom's Machiavellian disposition is the main feature of the story. Bloom is a cold and calculated individual who will use any devious tactic he can conjure up to get a lead on a story and get the best video footage possible for his gain. Nightcrawler will leave audiences questioning the morality and ethics behind the journalistic ethos of "if it bleeds, it leads."
Run time: 1hr 57 min
Rated: R (violence, graphic images, language)
Language: English
You can watch this movie on iTunes or Netflix