Films weekly (week 8)

Before Sunrise (1995) dir. Richard Linklater

Conversations and intimacy were happily wed in this film, and nothing has beat it ever since. The natural freshness of the characters and their approach towards life in general is very bright yet off-putting at times--it was as if listening to two people who have lived enough to know and not know everything. You are suddenly so clueless about everything yet full of facts and feelings when you know you're on the verge of vowing your love for someone. That stage in a budding relationship was thoroughly discussed in this film, through poetry, casual communication, and physical contact. It was altogether an ergonomically directed film, for it has proven its position as a reference for some who are dying to know what being with someone is (at least for me). Capturing the unrelenting beauty of Vienna, all the fast get-acquainted scenes between Jesse and Celine are easily forgotten with the sharp use of words that smoothen the surface of the plot. Somehow the fast-paced chemistry between two people won't matter as soon as they start conversing.

Ocean's Eleven (2001) dir. Steven Soderbergh

The drab, carpeted humor in this film is equivalent to the enigmatic movement of story. The dialogue is not as economical as the flow, but it did embellish the boredom of the main character, Danny Ocean. The overt charisma of the actors is obviously an alas for the story, but it did not show much of its use as a card to provoke and fascinate the audience. Perhaps the cultivated identity—the celebrity aura—of the actors were treated as if it’s of great significance, which appeals to me as something off-putting. It’s as if its roster of people were the only factors that pronounced the film. The candy-glazed look of the scenes, however, blew a bit of life into the disturbingly senseless purpose of the plot. It was alive, playing with your eyes with what it wants and doesn’t want to see. Despite the detached morality and goals of the film in general, which left me confused the whole time, it did exhibit the smooth ways it passed through to reach the height of its ending.

Ocean's Twelve (2004) dir. Steven Soderbergh

Not as sugarcoated as the first installment, but still stands to be as lackadaisical. Still an artificial attempt to portray an old man's bore, it deems itself to be a failure in showing the illegal-yet-lawful caper that occurred. It turned out to be a talent showcase on how to get away with robbing millions, but it did not show much of the anticipated thrill you get when you're on the run on a gambol with men you barely even show enthusiasm to talk with. The unbridled humor and the smart movement of the actors with the story were in perfect harmony, but would eventually be interrupted by the deflection of any fun by the unabashed exhibition of cocky dialogue and pushy wordplay. Ocean's Twelve gives off the idea that's it's the most fluid genius of its era, but is really just another greased-up tool. 

Ocean's Thirteen (2007) dir. Steven Soderbergh 

As enchanted as it may look like at first glance, the director still forgets to flog his own flair for the dramatic. Though as similarly over-emphasized as the first two installments, the third could be identified for its excessive use of reds and sudden booms of blue to move along with the characters' moods. It was scene-wise, but still as ludicrous as Al Pacino's fake tan. The fabricated disaster (the fake earthquake) was the last straw for me; it wasn't realistic, and is very self-indulgent in all its forms, with its know-it-all and forced wisdom attitude. The hunger for power and greed were over-glorified, and creatively speaking, it wasn't very wise.

Up in the Air (2009) dir. Jason Reitman

Closed up on the affairs of your loved ones and greatly bashed by the popping of your ears once in a while could be the best and worst things one could imagine. In the era of a barely-breathing America with its economy digging up its own grave, one is expected to expect the unexpected. It's a hard place to live in, and this film perfectly proved that there are great things out there, only to be disappointed in the end by impassable heartaches. To have this rough job smoothly played out by Clooney is a pleasure; seeing him disconnected from his George Clooney identity and see Mr. Bingham could be a feast for one's eyes. The story was built up to have a bumpy ending (yet still acceptable). It was carefully thought of, with the heartbreaks at the right places. The traditional setting wherein a woman is merely just a prop was stashed away, with Anna Kendrick acting as Clooney's equal, not as his inferior.  The dialogue was simple yet affecting, a mouthful yet still economical, and permanent yet transcending. It used up all its strengths to show that the film isn't one simple plot that ends with a single conclusion. It also shows just how agonizing and relaxing it is,at the same time, to live and move.