the 2 minutes that ruined the movie you've been loving for 2 hours

I will blame Jemy, a friend of mine whose an ultimate movie goer that he made me do this. He tweeted me a link about "10 movies with terrible endings" and I was challenged to write of my own, So here I am, with my "the 2 minutes that ruined the movie you've been loving for 2 hours" list. Why it should have to be movie ending?, because I've got tons of HORRIBLE yet SHITTY movies on my list and it'll be a never ending story for me to write it down.

• The Mist

I was fuckin mad (pardon my french) to myself that I had to pay for its movie ticket. The ending was so unnecessary and horrible. Guess who's the director?, Frank Darabont!. The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Walking Dead director. Are you out of your mind? .DARN YOU!. Why on earth he killed his son and the rescue came just 2 minutes after he did it?. It was not surprising. It's disappointing, period. Oh God, I want my money and my two god damn hours back!

• Signs

In scale 1 to 10, how ridiculous for you knowing that aliens are allergic to WATER?. I was literally rolling on the floor laughing after I saw this movie. Shyamalan, let me tell you something, you even made God laughing for making such an ending for (okay I have to admit) an already sucks movie.

• The Happening

Zooey made this movie quite interesting, in my-I-know-not so-humble perspective. I was crying and cursing for an hour non stop when it comes to a bad ending and indeed, I did it after I watched this movie. Even heaven can not pay back my disappointment.

• Saving Private Ryan

This is a great movie. It is. But the ending was so cliche that I can't even just forgive and forget. The big gun battles, the allies came from nowhere and the main characters getting killed. One final question arises, will they receive an Oscar if Tom Hanks still alive in the end of the movie?. Drama enough to say. Raise the swirling trumpets and the American banner,soldiers. 

• Drag Me To Hell

I can see ghosts, yeah. But this friggin' horror movie was scare the hell outta me!. Why?, its movie scoring, for God's sake. It's not that scary after you watch it more than once. They built the horror atmosphere from music. And again, shitty ending. Evil spirits suck you up to hell,in railways, on a train station?. Dream on, baby. 

The Next 3 Months

             

           I did mistakes when I posted 2012 First Half. I tried my best but it wasn't good enough. Well, to be precise posters are not good or interesting enough for people who reads my blog. Sorry,heaps. I'm very open to the criticism that has a clear reason. Those criticisms made me learn to fix my mistakes. So from now on, I'll give a little teaser of the most anticipated movies in my blog post. Just a little because I despises someone who's acting like a moviegoer who can not stop chattering about the movie she/he just watched. However, let's start our 2012 second half!

July 

             Eight years after The Dark Knight and following the death of DA Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crime and to protect Dent's reputation. By the time he's back, the terrorist leader Bane also arrives in Gotham City. Pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes. 

               I thought this movie is going to be incredible. Not just because Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon Levitt reunited post Inception, which in my opinion was one of Nolan's masterpieces. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman is more than capable for the role. The last is my flawless-lady-forever-will-be, Marion Cotillard. Too bad she's not playing a dual role as Talia al Ghul. I can imagine how great she was side by side with Bale.

            The Amazing Spider-Man is an upcoming American superhero film based on the comic book of the same name that is currently in post production. It is the fourth Columbia Pictures film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man and the first film in a rebooted Spider-Man film franchise. The film is being directed by Marc Webb. The cast includes Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors. The film will portray Peter Parker as he is developing his super powers in high school (source : Wikipedia).

            To be honest, I am never a fan of Spider Man or Peter Parker. I could, maybe. If only I didn't watch Spider Man sequels. Because I remember the day I was crying after I saw Spider Man (2002) and Spider Man 2 (2004).  The worst special effects for a superhero movie. After all it's not too late to wish or to hope for that this movie could meet your expectation as a fan. No Sam Raimi, no Tobey Maguire, No Kirsten Dunst...it gives new color to the story of the movie itself.

August

               The story resumes after the conclusion of The Bourne Ultimatum, as a new cast of characters grapple with the consequences of Jason’s actions. Tony Gilroy still the director even after The Bourne Ultimatum and I love the fact Jeremy Renner finally had the chance for a movie like this. Army, checked. Superhero, checked. SWAT/jerk, checked. Secret agent, checked. He's been a dark horse quite some time. Oh wait..what kind of dark horse who's got nominations for Academy Award?. HA!. I really hope he nailed it this time. 

           Three sisters form a successful singing group and must deal with the fallout of fame and drugs. Musical prodigy Sparkle struggles to become a star while overcoming issues that are tearing her family apart. From an affluent Detroit area and daughter to a single mother, she tries to balance a new romance with music manager, while dealing with the unexpected challenges her new life will bring as she and her two sisters Sister and Dolores strive to become a dynamic singing group during the Motown-era.

           No one here never heard Whitney Houston,rite?. Sparkle was her last movie. Too sad, I know. But since Sparkle is also about Motown, where the magic in music happens I don't have any choice other than put it into my list. Still, not a huge fan of Jordin Sparks but I enjoyed her performance sometimes. Let's see if it's entertaining.

September

             Alice is captured by Umbrella once again, and awakens in the heart of their operation facility; as she moves further in the complex, more of her past is unveiled and she continues to hunt for those responsible for the outbreak. Her quest takes her and her newfound allies from Tokyo to New York, Washington D.C. and Moscow. After a "mind-blowing" revelation, she is forced to rethink everything, finally finding out the truth about herself, and the Umbrella Corporation. I feel like I'm already yawning when I wrote the synopsis. Just when you start to think why I put RE as one of the most anticipated movies, I'll say it's because this is the fifth installment and there is no movie that can last as long as RE,IMHO.

       We all know the film has many returning actors and characters, along with new characters from the video game not featured in the previous films. Written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, it's the third to be directed by him,actually.  In Resident Evil : Retribution we'll see old faces like Jill Valentine, Rain Ocampo and of course, Carlos Oliveira.  Don't you think they should change the movie title into 'Reunion' instead of 'Retribution' ?. Kidding!.

          Rory Jansen, a struggling writer, aspires to be the next great literary voice. When he discovers a lost manuscript in a weathered attaché case, he realizes he possesses something extraordinary that he desperately wishes he had created. Rory decides to pass the work off as his own and finally receives the recognition he desperately craves. However, he soon learns that living with his choice will not be as easy as he thought as he faces a moral dilemma that will make him take a hard look at the man he has become.

           In their directorial debut, Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal have crafted a subtle tale that examines how overwhelming desire can lead to unforeseen and unwanted consequences. Bolstered by a strong cast, led by Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons, The Words adeptly assembles multiple narratives that reveal how one man’s lost legacy holds the life of another man captive

         The very first time I saw the trailer, I can't pretend not to be excited. I read the sypnosis twice and I already knew this movie won't dissapoint me. Amen for that!. One last thing that I love from The Words is the words from the trailer, "some dreams test us. some stories connect us. some moments change us. some choices stay with us. FOREVER."

The Avengers

 

            "You think you're the only hero in the world?." Whoa, Nick..did you realize you give us a superhero team? and yes it's The Avengers!. Josh Whedon exceeded all the expectations in this movie, so much for me to remember he gives the real results in Buffy and Angel (yeah,it's TV series, but it succeed!). I knew it's in a safe hands when they finally choosed Whedon as the director, he'd been considered to direct X-Men!. I was worried, because I thought the movie would be dissapointing, based on its plot. I have to tell you guys just don't have a high expectation on this. I mean you can't hope much for awesomeness of the story when there are too many topnotch heroes in A SINGLE MOVIE. Stan Lee nailed it with the comic but it'll be a different story when you tried to bring it in visual. However, though both of their special and visual effects was so-so (I really am sorry to say that) but once again, Whedon has succeeded with his great, funny and witty screenplay. At least, you can expect to laugh.

            My dissapointment was coming from their enemies. Alien-rubber creatures-race called Chitauri. It looks totally fake and cheap despite this is an amateur opinion but you'll see how it'll dissapoint you so that you can't forgive their existence as enemies here. Another thing..if you do have good instincts and sharp-eyed, you'll notice that they stole a scene from The Matrix Revolutions. If you get it, please let me know. Well enough with the bad things, I'm not an expert..D'oh

         Overall, The Avengers was more than compensates for the story's averageness with consistently witty dialogue and a stream of terrific moments. So the combo of its action scenes and funny dialogue would heal your dissapointment. I also appreciate their art department works for this movie, for every details and pieces of it. BINGO! Last night I found out that my kryptonite is biceps. Please do streak Chris Hemsworth's biceps from the list and say hello to Jeremy Renner. Geez God..I was in love with Legolas back then. But now..who the hell is Legolas when there's Hawkeye, in 3D?.  The last unforgettable things on my list are Iron Man Mark VII armor. Die-hard fans just don't wanna miss it. One word, marvelous. Last thing, Loki's face after Hulk smashed him like a little toy  :))))  I can't help myself not to laugh out loud!

           I'm surely not regret my decision to put The Avengers in my 2012 First Half movie, because somehow it's worth the wait. A little bit worth the wait,actually.  :)

2012 First Half

 

 

January 

February

 

March

April

May

June

Paris, Magical and Nostalgia

        I just finished watching Midnight in Paris, directed by Woody Allen. Hell yeah, he's one of my favorite directors. This movie is just way better than his last romantic comedy movie in 2010, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Strangers. Aside from I'm crazy about 20s stuffs, I also fell in love with the storyline, the quotes, the scoring and basically all of them. I never thought Owen Wilson able to role as the protagonist, a screenwriter named Gil Pender who's got his magical experiences each night at midnight in Paris and I'm so sorry that I love Marion Cotillard so much and really have to say that she was doing a good job as Pender's other love interest, a charismatic lady Adriana. 

        This is also the second time Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams costarred after Wedding Crashers. I do love them, but not in this movie. Last but not least, since I am pretty sure that Allen took the entire shooting location in Paris, you will see both the nostalgia and modernism of Paris.

"Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful present"

rockin' the cinema

courtesy : movie-moron.com

J. Edgar 
This is another biographical drama film directed by Clint Eastwood after Invictus (2009). The film will take focus on the career of the first FBI director John Edgar Hoover, including an examination of his private life as an alleged closted homosexual. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Damon Herriman, Jeffrey Donovan last but not least Judi Dench.

courtesy : http://mubi.com

Carnage
The first black comedy movie from Polanski I knew. Well  I watched his movies since post 2000 and this movie is pretty much different from his previous movies (I talked about the genre). You'll see Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster play the role as two set of parents who decide to have a cordial meeting after their children are involved in a schoolyard brawl.

courtesy : http://mubi.com

Nader and Simin, A Separation
One of the best 2011 indie movies. No wonder they received both Golden Bear for best film and Silver Bear for best actor and best actress at the 61st Berlin Film Festival. The film is highly recommended for script writers. There is no single character is brave or admirable but they are very humane. Quite long for the plot but the characters managed to make this film with memorable story.

Circumstance
A film which tells about the growing sexual rebellion of adolescents in the modern Iran. Directed by Maryam Keshavarz the film is also focusing and  exploring the topic of homosexuality. I love the official trailer that I saw in Youtube, with the end line, " freedom is a human right." Thumb up.

top 5- i can't wait to see- movies

? (Tanda Tanya)

 April 10th. 09.23pm

Toleransi itu mahal harganya. Saya akhirnya bisa juga nulis review film “?” (tanda tanya) ini dan itu tadi adalah pesan moral yang dapat saya tarik. Saya salut kepada Hanung Bramantyo yang dapat menggambarkan secara jujur realita keadaan yang terjadi di negara ini. Film ini bisa dibilang cina banget, katolik banget, islam banget, atau apapun unsur SARA yang ada di dalamnya. Tapi itu semua kembali ke penafsiran para penonton. Karena dari sini juga muncul pro dan kontra yang saling mendukung, mempertanyakan bahkan menyudutkan.

Scene pertama dan kedua membuka mata saya, bagaimana keberagaman yang ada di antara kita selama ini seharusnya membuat kita bangga dan berbesar hati menerima perbedaan yang ada. Tapi semua itu luntur dan lenyap ketika berganti ke scene-scene berikutnya ditampilkan. 

Para pemain yang terlibat dalam film ini, Revalina S Temat (Menuk),  Reza Rahadian (Soleh), Rio Dewanto (Hendra alias Ping Hen), Agus Kuncoro (Surya), Endhita (Rika), dan Hengky Sulaeman (Tan Kat Sun) membawakan perannya masing-masing dengan sangat baik. Iya, sangat baik. Karena saya bisa merasakan bagaimana mereka memposisikan diri ke dalam perannya. Minus Endhita sebagai Rika, masih terasa kaku dalam mengekspresikan keputusannya berpindah agama dan menanggapi pandangan masyarakat kepada dirinya. Tapi itu semua sangat tertolong dengan adanya skenario yang brilian oleh Titien Wattimena (congrats,mbak Tien!. You made it again).

Film “?” (tanda tanya) ini mengambil setting waktu mulai awal hingga akhir tahun 2010 di kota Semarang, Jawa Tengah. Dimulai dari tahun baru 2010 berjalan ke perayaan Paskah, bulan puasa / Ramadhan, hingga perayaan Natal dan ditutup saat malam Tahun Baru 2011.

Inti dari ceritanya sendiri adalah konflik sosial yang terjadi di masyarakat sekitar. Pandangan maupun gesekan antara kaum pribumi dengan para etnis Tionghoa, pandangan atau pemahaman seseorang dari suatu agama ke agama yang lainnya yang dapat menimbulkan aksi anarkis yang membabi buta semata-mata hanya karena emosi dsb.

Menuk seorang wanita sholehah yang memilih menikah dengan Soleh yang merupakan seorang pengangguran tapi taat beragama. Menuk sendiri bekerja di restoran Cina milik Tan Kat Sun. Meskipun restoran Tan Kat Sun menjual masakan yang mengandung babi, tapi beliau merupakan orang yang sangat tolerir dengan umat lain. Hal ini yang tidak dapat ditemukan di dalam diri Hendra, anaknya yang diharapkan menjadi penerus bisnis restoran tersebut.

Rika adalah pelanggan restoran Tan Kat Sun dan teman dari Menuk. Seorang muslim yang memutuskan berpindah agama, kemudian memeluk agama Katholik karena dihadapkan pada pilihan bercerai atau di madu (baca : poligami). Disini diceritakan bagaimana dia bertahan terhadap pandangan masyarakat umum terhadap dirinya yang mencibir dirinya sebagai murtadin.

Surya seorang pengangguran yang berusaha menjajal dunia akting tapi selama ini terus menjadi pemain figuran saja hingga akhirnya mendapat peran utama sebagai Yesus di pementasan drama Paskah di sebuah gereja. Surya mengalami konflik batin yang kuat hingga membawa dirinya berkonsultasi kepada seorang Ustadz.

Untuk mengetahui ringkasan cerita lebih detilnya, bisa langsung mampir ke situs resmi film ini : http://filmtandatanya.com/

KONTROVERSI

Film ini juga belum sepi dari kontroversi. Pertama kali datang dari Banser NU yang diundang oleh Hanung Bramantyo pada saat premierenya. Sedikit mengutip dari artikel kompas.com: Dalam film tersebut, Banser versi Hanung digambarkan sebagai sosok yang mudah cemburu dan dangkal pengetahuannya. Kembali pada penafsiran masing-masing, apabila memang ada gambaran karakter Banser NU yang berlaku tidak wajar, itu merupakan gambaran watak perseorangan, bukan mewakili 1 organisasi. 

          Kedua, protes datang dari MUI (ehem.kalo MUI belum protes, emang belum ada gregetnya mungkin ya?). Protes ini berlanjut sampai adanya rencana megeluarkan fatwa haram dan menarik film ini dari peredaran. Menurut salah satu sumber yang saya baca, fatwa ini dikeluarkan karena film ini bertentangan dengan akidah agama Islam. Well, sebenernya juga seperti yang sudah saya bilang di atas, film ini Islam banget, Cina banget, Katolik banget, which is kalau dipersingkat ya yang ada hanya keberagaman. Saya ga bisa komentar banyak deh soal ini.

          "Manusia tidak hidup sendirian di dunia ini, tapi di jalan setapaknya masing-masing.Semua jalan setapak itu berbeda-beda, namun menuju ke arah yang sama. Mencari satu hal yang sama, dengan satu tujuan yang sama… yaitu TUHAN."

          After all, sekali lagi film ini bagus. Karena mungkin hanya 1 dari sekian banyak film yang berani mengangkat tentang kondisi sosial di Indonesia. Dengan judul yang unik dan memang mengundang pertanyaan, film ini saya sarankan ditonton dengan jiwa lahir batin yang bersih, agar maksud film ini yang ingin menyampaikan arti keberagaman di antara dapat diterima dengan pikiran yang terbuka.

        

          SOUNDTRACK

Sheila On 7 menyumbangkan 2 lagu dari album terbarunya, “Berlayar” yaitu “Kamus Hidupku” dan “Pasti Ku Bisa.” Tidak hanya itu, 2 lagu lamanya “Kita” dan “Yang Terlewatkan” juga terasa sangat manis di adegan yang memang pas momennya. Lama tidak mendengarkan lagu-lagu mereka ternyata bikin kangen juga. Selain itu seniman Sudjiwo Tedjo juga berpartisipasi di dalam film ini dengan lagu “Titi Kala Mangsa.” Hanya satu kata, BRILIAN!.

?

? part 2

               Well, what can I say?. Hanung Bramantyo emang ga kenal takut. Mengangkat tema yang sangat sensitif untuk sebuah film, ketika mungkin luka tentang apa yang belakangan terjadi menyangkut SARA (terutama agama) belum kering bagi sebagian orang.Tapi film ini memang tidak bermaksud jahat atau menyindir, malah film ini sangat sarat toleransi. Semoga ini dapat menyentuh hati kaum ekstrimis yang tindakannya kadang di luar akal sehat manusia dan melanggar perikemanusiaan, Tuhan.

               Saya sejak pertama kali baca sinopsisnya dan pada akhirnya nonton trailernya sudah yakin film ini sangat layak untuk ditonton. Hal yang paling menggelikan adalah banyaknya yang tidak sadar, betapa bangsa kita ini krisis toleransi. Ngomong-ngomong, ini akan berhubungan dengan post saya selanjutnya, sodara-sodara.

             Okay, I admit I really can't wait until April 7th. Saya bukan penggemar berat film2 mas Hanung juga sih. Tapi ketika kita dihimpit masalah akan terbatasnya film Hollywood yang (konon) tidak bisa lagi masuk ke Indonesia, saya merekomendasikan film ini sebagai film lokal yang (mudah-mudahan) berkualitas. Saya akan review film ini setelah saya nonton premiere-nya.