MOVIE: Sunshine Cleaning (2009)

Sunshine Cleaning
2009
direction: Jeffs, C.
screenplay: Holley, M.

quickie:
A former high school queen (and her sister) start a “biological cleaning” service in an attempt to make something of her life.

general impression:
Quite good. Not too bitter, not too  sweet.

lows:
A very specific Hinkle’s bathroom scene where Emily Blunt’s character Norah does a little monologue about how she does not need to be taken care of because she does this after she BURNS A HOUSE DOWN.

highs:
Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin. Strong cast. Efficient use of humor. Well-wrote.

notes:
This movie had a really, really good poster. It’s the reason why I watched it. The fact that it had Emily Blunt and Amy Adams was enough to make me watch it.

I really, really find Amy Adams quite endearing to watch. She’s sweet and she has this certain depth that so many actors wish they had. She’s very charming. And then there’s Emily Blunt who has this amazing offbeat vibe about her. In a movie which relies on making the audience really feel for the character, it’s just absolutely necessary to cast the right people.

The story is simple but rather odd because crime scene clean ups aren’t really discussed very often anywhere. On top of that, we have two rather pretty girls doing this grunge work and it’s just… funny.

The better part of the movie is that it does not fixate itself on the job the women perform. It quietly integrates everything that we all deal with everyday: trying to earn money, trying to impress other people, trying to make yourself feel good and, of course, being with your family.

The flow of the film feels almost natural until it reaches that “confrontation” (in quotations because it wasn’t much of a confrontation) scene between Norah and Rose. There was something off about that conflict the writer threw in.

Otherwise, the movie just carries itself well. I recommend this to everyone (but more specifically, to the people who loved Little Miss Sunshine) because it’s such a sweet, sweet movie. Very quiet. Very cool.

FINAL RATING:
[4] out of [5]

MUSIC: Riff Rain (2008)

Riff Rain
2008
School Food Punishment

If I hadn’t heard their song Futuristic Imagination for the anime Eden of the East, I would never have thought of checking out School Food Punishment. Because they’re called School Food Punishment. It makes me think of a scattered and noisy band.

I really, really wish they had picked a better name because it definitely does not suit their sound which is the beautiful mix of pop-rock and a dash of electronica resulting in post-rock.

Riff Rain is their third mini-album and all the tracks are neatly done and arranged. The piano and drum mix plus the “effects” is interesting and melodic. Coupled with Yumi Uchimura’s vocals, the songs become very easy to listen to.

The second track, Feedback, feels like an attempt at a very big arrangement but it falls short. This along with Killer are a bit on the heavy side which drifts towards pop-rock and this makes them feel a bit uninspired or uninspiring.

The more light or upbeat songs like Flow and Egoist bring out the better side of School Food Punishment. The music is better, complementing the vocals.

The song Futari Umi no Soko is a highly recommended track. It has a fairly simple arrangement, rather light, bordering on slow but is ultimately very catchy and the vocals just flows with the music very well.

FINAL RATING
[4] out of [5]

MOVIE: Welcome to the Quiet Room (2007)

Welcome to the Quiet Room
(クワイエットルームにようこそ)
2007
direction: Suzuki, M.
screenplay: Suzuki, M.

quickie:
An aspiring writer living with a TV comedian wakes up to the bright lights of a psychiatric ward which is more like a rehab for girls with eating disorders

general impression:
Funny, Quiet.

lows:
Scenes are a bit disjointed, characters could have used more depth, the fact that the psychiatric ward only has anorexic and bulimic patients, offers no peace for people who can relate to Yuki Uchida’s character

highs:
Ryo as Nurse Eguchi, funny moments, doesn’t say anything about sanity or insanity

notes:
I suppose some might be tempted to recall movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Girl, Interrupted. Movies have dealt with the whole concept of sane people having dysfunctions, subtly stating that we’re all crazy anyway.

Personally, I thought Asuka Sakura (Uchida) is one of those sane people with your average amount of dysfunction. She’s constantly trying to cope with some undefined obstacle by hiding in idiotic television shows, standing very close to the edge until she loses her balance and falls.

Although the movie still lacks that emphatic touch, it does evoke the sense of being lost. Where do these people go? They’re not crazy enough that they set their hair on fire but they’re not functioning well enough without alcohol, nicotine, sleeping pills or just a daily dose of stupid TV shows.

As the movie points out, we’re only sane if someone says so. In Asuka’s case, her claim to sanity is a pothead who shows his butt on television for a living. Does that make sense?

Miki’s (Yuu) logic presents the fact that you have to be crazy to be able to live with everyone else. She develops an eating disorder after she realizes the truth: someone else who deserves the food she eats is starving. And she is unable to deal with that.

What is sane? To know this truth and escape from it?

The movie is easy on the eyes but it lacks a “feel” which make it seem average at best. However, the actors are delightful and the writing is a step above your typical Thursday movie.

Watch this movie, if only for Nurse Eguchi played by Ryou. Hilarious.

FINAL RATING:
[3.5] out of [5]

MUSIC: Say I Am You (2005)

Say I Am You
2005
The Weepies

Like folk? You’ll like The Weepies. Say I Am You is their second album, following their first independent release Happiness (which contains the very beautiful Somebody Loved) and it is a pretty darn good collection of songs.

The album opens with three strong tracks. Very folk, very catchy. Gotta Have You is a particularly wonderful bittersweet folkish-popish song. I have to say that I’m fonder of Deb Talan’s tracks than Steve Tannen’s (like Riga Girl or Suicide Blonde).

Tracks like Painting by Chagall and Not Your Year have a tune that’s easier to appreciate. The melodies are charming to sway or sing to and Deb Talan’s voice is interesting.

I think The Weepies is a pretty strong folk band and they do manage to produce five or six songs that are likeable which safely keep them out of the self-indulgent music category. I like them.

FINAL RATING:
[3.5] out of [5]

MUSIC: This is the One (2009)

2009
UTADA

I can immediately say one thing: this might be the one.

The undeniably famous Utada Hikaru boldly ventures once more as Utada and it seems like she means it this time. This is the One sounds completely different from Exodus and for that matter, it almost sounds nothing like the JPop artist Hikki.

Of course, the album does feel familiar. The first track, On and On, sets the mood of the album the way We Fight the Blues eases you into the Heart Station. The difference, however, can be seen in the entire production. Utada is very American RnB with lyrics to match.

While Hikki sings about staying gold and celebrating, Utada is kind of flirty and bold. Perhaps Utada Hikaru realized that there is little connection with the audience if she keeps singing songs like Kremlin Dusk.

Tracks like Devil Inside have been replaced with the likes of Apple and Cinnamon. The beats are simpler (but not dumb and repetitive) and the lyrics are definitely catchier.

Automatic Part II immediately caught my attention mostly because I wanted to see how different it was from the unofficial part I. Utada clearly wants to set herself apart. She even immediately follows it with Dirty Desire and Poppin‘ to drill the idea into your head.

There is a lot of effort in this album and while Exodus has been criticized as self-indulgent, I feel the urge to call this album almost superficial. But it is an album that is aiming for the mainstream. It is pop and it is superficial. If I were to judge it as that, it succeeds. It is a good record. Fun to listen to.

With proper promotion, this album will go places Exodus couldn’t.

FINAL RATING:
[4] out of [5]

MOVIE: Good Dick (2008)

Good Dick
2008
direction: Palka, M.
screenplay: Palka, M.

quickie:
It’s a love story

general impression:
Truly beautiful

lows:
Will not generate a lot of excitement

highs:
Smart. Funny. Coherent. Pragmatic.

notes:
I took my time deciding whether or not I would go and watch this movie. Quiet and uneventful movies might seem monotonous to some but like all genres, it has a good and bad dichotomy.

Good Dick is good. It not only features a good cast playing really good characters, it is also shot nicely and pieced together quite well. It is quiet but not heavy. Marianna Palka (writer and director) didn’t set out to confuse the audience or scream an idea or theme. Instead she opts to make the movie the way movies are supposed to be made: she tells a story.

Maybe it takes a certain type of person but there’s a lot to be felt from this movie. I haven’t decided about what my stand on relationship or romance is but this movie creates a pretty little picture of it. Hope is a good drug.

FINAL RATING:
[5] out of [5]

MOVIE: The Squid and the Whale

The Squid and the Whale
2005
direction: Baumbach, N.
screenplay: Baumbach, N.

quickie:
Just a family on the verge of a breakdown. Nothing to see here.

general impression:
Quiet and peaceful with enough neurosis to complement the uneventful.

lows:
Kinda… sad.

highs:
Good acting, good story, good dialogues, good shots

notes:
There is something about size that truly iffs me. Something about being reminded of how tiny, tiny, tiny you are stirs these feelings of insignificance and melancholy that becomes very hard to shake. Thankfully, people overcome these moments and live on to face the next one.

The Squid and the Whale revolves around these feelings. In movies, it’s always these writers who suffer some form of megalomania or at the very least, denial. The family involved in the film is at the boundaries of their talent, their belief, their love and whatever other factor that pulls them away from the edge.

There is something highly emotional about the film. Or maybe, as I have always said, dysfunction just attracts me. Not because of anything else but just the belief that life and people are simply complicated. These contradictions that the characters live through make them feel like people.

FINAL RATING:
[4] out of [5]

MOVIE: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
2008
direction: Mungiu, C.
screenplay: Mungiu, C.

quickie:
College roommates dealing with pregnancy

general impression:
Absolutely beautiful.

lows:
Scary if it reminds you of your own life. But then again, that might not be necessarily a bad thing.

highs:
Simple story delivered with focused vision. Outstanding acting.

notes:
This is the first Romanian film that I’ve watched and it all of them are as gorgeous as this one is, I might move there. OK, maybe not. But 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a really, really, really smart film.

Anamaria Marinca plays Otilia, a rather regular college student who is helping with her friend’s pregnancy problems. She arranges everything about termination / abortion and the camera brilliantly captures every emotion that the event draws out of the characters.

Some people might find the scenes long and boring but the long takes carry meaning. This is particularly evident in the dinner scene where you can not only observe the character but feel with them.

Of course, long takes are not the only way to produce empathy but this style just works so well for the movie. It is truly moving. The movie also makes efficient use of silence and the evening.

Perhaps it’s what makes this movie so beautiful. It knows how to use what when. It tells the story the way it needs to be told and gives the characters (cliché as it is) life and heart.

If you love your movies, this one will blow you away.

FINAL RATING:
[5] out of [5]

MOVIE: Penelope (2008)

Penelope
2008
direction: Palansky, M.
screenplay: Caveny, L.

quickie:
Fairly standard fairytale – curses, true love and inner beauty.

general impression:
entertaining.

lows:
generic.

highs:
it’s not horrible. James McAvoy.

notes:
I actually like this movie. It’s very standard and it’s very entertaining.

Of course, if you start thinking of the huge amount of chick flicks that has been produced over the years – this little movie doesn’t really stand out. It’s nothing special but at least, it’s not boring. It’s pretty funny, actually. The archetypes are played well. The twists are well planned and executed beautifully.

Penelope is mediocre fun and if you’re looking for something to pass the time, you’ll find this OK. If you’re looking for something more substantial, this one can be skipped.

FINAL RATING:
[3] out of [5]

MOVIE: The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

The Day the Earth Stood Still
1951
direction: Wise, R.
screenplay: North, E.

quickie:
Aliens have arrived! And we shot them for no good reason! Good thing they’re pacifists!

general impression:
Surprisingly smart.

lows:
It’s… science fiction.

highs:
Really, really smart. The misanthropes will be pleased.

notes:
After watching this movie, I wanted to just promote to everyone I know. Which I didn’t do because I don’t know a lot of people who enjoy movies.

That aside, The Day the Earth Stood Still is a great, great film. It is not cinematic genius and not particularly engaging but it illustrates what is wrong with us as a society.

The alien eloquently puts it this way “you’re letting fear get in the way of logic”

I originally was not at all interested in seeing this film because I hate science fiction and aliens aren’t really my thing. But this is not about aliens at all. It’s about us.

The alien. Klaatu, is a brilliant character. He is the kind of hero that would inspire you. He works with the problems he encounters along the way. The fun bit is that he does not contradict the things that his society or whatever stands for. It’s just brilliant how his character was written and fleshed out.

The movie is concise and moves at a great pace which makes it easy to watch despite the fact that it is decades old and is in monochrome. I highly suggest seeing this movie.

FINAL RATING:
[5] out of [5]