''Seeking a Friend for the End of the World'' A story about unlikely situation in which unlikely romance is possible.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)     8/10  

Lorene Scafaria's directorial debut. As a debut film very promising. A good storyteller. However, maybe better story teller(she is the writer as well) than director but this is not the film to determine that , yet.

It's not like there are lack of romantic comedies and dramas coming from Hollywood. However this one is different. When I heard about it the concept seemed interesting. The films ending is sorta new( lately though, it seems that we have realized that in case of apocalypse there wont be a bunch of heroes who will save the day...). There are more and more films that try to examine and speculate on the idea of how we humans will interact in case of inevitable doom. However this one is different because it is not dark, heavy or overly depressive but its not comedy as well its something in between all that.

Of course when I saw who is performing the main role: Steve Carell, I was sure this is not going to be a serious movie, although, somewhere deep down , I wondered , maybe this is his "lets try being serious" role. And well it was. It was serious. Steve's character was serious, calm and peaceful, one would say accepting. When in opposite Keira Knightley played a chaotic, emotional, free spirited character. I must admit, it seemed that Carell was better at his role than Knightley, but then again, Knightleys character was more complicated. I don't agree what a lot of people are saying about their collaboration and the films romance : that they could not believe the romance (due to characters and actors being too unlikely to actually fall in love) thus they could not properly enjoy the film and get emotionally involved. I ,however, think this film skillfully made you believe that it is possible, or maybe I believed them because I believe inexplicable love. The whole story is about unlikely romance in an unlikely situation. And in this unlikely but happening situation, this unlikely romance springs up.  It shows the end of the world sad, but romantically beautiful as well.

This film had a lot of moments and time for the viewer to think about his choices and life , and what would he do if he knew the end is inevitable. Would you be like Dodge( the main character) or Linda(his wife that run away) or Penny(other main character, the sad, guilt ridden but optimistic(yeah controversial)person) or Warren(all hopes lost so who gives a shit guy) or Diane( I can and will do anything I want) or the Trucker(the end is inevitable , but I will make my own choice when to die) or 

Chipper Host / Darcy( crazy , happy weed smoking ,orgy ,cafe shop waiter guy)  or Officer Wally Johnson( the guy who does not stop working and obey the law(is the law) even in the wake of an apocalypse)

 or Speck( the guy who is prepared to live through it ,  in an underground basement and ready to restart the world) or maybe you already are like  the Cell-mate and are calm , because you have always known that the end is near?
 Film most definitely showed all aspect of the end of the world situation( the most likely ones) however it did not linger on them too much ,as to not make the viewer feel somehow threatened or disturbed by all that horrible and wrong things, instead it  centered around the romance and beautiful things. Watch this film if you want to go out of the cinema with good, positive feelings , but chose Melancholia if you want to be depressively beaten and overthrown by negative feelings. These both films can be compared as they both have the same concept( inevitable end of the world) , but takes complete opposite approach and mood.
It makes you think and wonder, but not about the awful end of all things thing but about your loved ones and things that you care about, or should care about. 
Its very moving. 
8 for the high emotional quality of the film. Nothing to really say about cinematography or style. This film is purely story (romance) driven.

''Melancholia'' : a true melancholy

I don't really know how to evaluate this film. Really , it doesn't quite fit into any margin. But I will try , and the more I think about it the more I can separate things I can use to mark it.

Melancholia (2011)                        6/10

Yes harsh I know. but I will try to explain in the following flood of words.
What was the film about??Well,  I guess it was about the end of the world.
The film is split into two parts: Justine and Claire.
The names of the two sisters. Two females. Two planets colliding. Sometimes they hate each other.
Two worlds. Two ways of living. Two ways of acceptance. Two ways in which to meet your end.Two types of people. Hmm, actually there was the third as well , John , the husband of Claire , and he surely represented something as well. The ultimate belief in life and the impossibility of an apocalypse , and then when that's shattered and the realization that end is inevitable , he is morally destroyed, and thus his world is instantly shattered, and doesn't give any reason to linger alive.
Justine's story is about apathy,anhedonia and melancholia depression. As soon as she sees the star/planet, she knows it is the end of everything. And she accepts it immediately, and dies (stops living) right then and there. All that she does afterwards is reflex, last spasms of life still in her , some primitive habits. But actually all she is is a zombie. A dead living thing. She has given up all hope all sight of a possible future. She doesn't  really feel any guilt in ruining everything , because ,well it doesn't really matter , because she knows everybody will die anyway , so she doesn't bother. Complete apathy. The film however doesn't explain why Justine decides to still linger in this life and continue living on? Is she unable to take her own life? Is curiosity that drives her: how will the end happen( but then I assume it would be more intriguing to see what happens after I die, so taking my life wouldn't be an curiosity to see how issue). That stayed a mystery for me.
Claire's story is about despair. As soon as she finds out, she panics. Where does despair comes from? From the inner want and lust for life, but inability to control whats going on. The loss of control over your own life. She has the drive to live, and she can't accept the possibility of not living, however she doubts the chance of surviving( although it seems that she does that only because she wants to be encouraged and reassured by her husband).
It felt weird that after the big realization of the inevitable doom, she became calmer than when only speculating on the idea. Its a paradox, but which is fairly believable. As human beings often when left alone turn out to be more capable than when surrounded by others (In general ,when we have less time we often do more ,than if we had endless amount of time for it).

So that's how it was built , I think. But , honestly I think , it should have been 2 separate films then. Why put those two in one, if they are two? Lars von Trier does not succede in showing, completeing these two. Well, maybe he wanted to show how they do combine in one? As the two planets smash inside each other , the two females finally get through  to each other? Does the boy, the child, plays the part of the third combined element?( but that would work if there was a mother and a father, as then the child plays vital part in both their lives.( The prologue would imply on that though, the shot of the tree people in the garden with the 3 sky objects above them- Moon, Sun, and Melancholia.) ) Maybe the child was the only one that they both cared about at the end, and even the ''apathy'' realized that its sad that this innocent boy has to die?

So there is definitely  something to the film. It raises a lot of questions.  And a feeling. So yes technically its good. But did I like it? No. It didn't speak to me. Maybe its because it has the two parts, but it never got to connect with me , not only me I think in general , it doesn't have the It ,that allows you to connect. OR maybe I don't have the It that would allow me to connect, as I know there are people that really seem to connect with the film,  I guess those people who have been in a similar state( deep melancholy and depression). However a fact that can't be skipped: in places it was slow- too slow. Also just like Justine , before the 2nd part starts, you are in a state of apathy , you just don't care what happens, because, well, you know, this lady doesn't care, and all she does is look sad, and numb. The 2nd part tries to turn that over, and introduces this person full with life and hopes, and all, but as Justine lingers on- your apathy lingers on. 
Neither the apathy and neither the despair seems to reach any climax, it just lingers there till the end. It never plays out to the end. I mean , if you make a film like that , you push it to the end, if you try to reach the limits, then you should reach them AND push over , not just merely touch the line. Its for example , what Tree of Life did , it did go all the way , but ok , that's a different story.
It just happened. It ended. Ye well, maybe that's not mainstream and all, maybe some people will like the film just because it just showed how the end happens, maybe maybe, but as I mentioned , I expected something more. Something bigger , and I am not talking about the sizes of the colliding planets, I am talking about the emotions ,they were there, but they weren't played on enough. Make-up , lights, close-ups, performance , all that could have been intensified.

The camera work is quit art-house-y. But in this film seems rather pointless and disturbing. The story asked for something smooth(in camera movements), not shaking and pan and zooming all around.

Plot wise , just too many : Why? moments . Why does she have to go and piss in the garden? Why does the horse cant walk over the bridge, why does she have to lie naked on the river bank, why was the spoon joke necessary, why are the "sister" nothing alike(purely physically) (that's just plain annoying , but I guess that is to intensify how different they are in personality) , why did she ruined the wedding , why did she fuck the boy , why ( I don't want to continue as to not give to many spoilers( not that they change the outcome) ...

As I read somewhere its a film for those who knows what apathy and melancholia deppresion is like(have experienced them). Well yes, but then why would anyone who has experienced it would like to watch and revisit those I imagine unpleasant feelings, if this film doesn't give any ANY solace, but only serves more depression on your plate!

Hmm now I feel like put even a lover mark , its confusing.. I will leave it a 6 , just because of this ability to confuse , and no doubt it has the perspective of having something really deep , you just have to dig really hard. And for the ability to make a discussion.

''12 Angry Man'': Lecture in democracy and honesty.

12 Angry Men  (1957)  :               9/10


The whole concept of one man standing on what he believes to be right and fair is one that seems to be lacking nowadays(not in media or culture , but in life). Nowadays if you were 1 against 11 you would back out immediately and follow the crowd, I am not saying that people would change their mind and go with the crowd , but they would agree and then silently  go home with their heads down and feel guilty for the rest of their days, weeks( later maybe forget and drop the guilt , but some part of us will always remember how we didn't stand on our opinion.
This is not a story of the boy ( the convicted man) being absolved ( there are almost no personal emotions involved in the story (regarding the  defendant) , but its a story about standing for what is right and just and good. Its about democracy!!
This should be a must see in law and humanity courses alike! I have no idea how the jury's in US work now , but I really hope they are just. This would be silly , but they should show this film before the real life jury starts their work.
Actually this should be a crash course into professional journalism and politics as well :D , I mean the way that "he" makes them change their mind or  digs out new information , is quite brilliant. Just the way in which he makes them realize their own falseness is so clever and fair. He doesn't convince them that they are wrong , but he makes them see where are they wrong, makes them realize that they might be wrong in what they believed to be self-evident. I have always believed that the only way of making somebody change their mind is by making them change their own minds , and in this movie it is one of the central ideas.
Not to even mention the incredible performances , every single actor is perfect in his role! The script , the dialogues,the close ups. Perfect! Just something we are really lacking in modern cinemas-good dialogues ( not saying that nothing like that is produced , but nothing like that gets to the big screen).

why only 9 at the end, well its not only 9 , it IS great , however for higher mark it  lacked a little bit of emotion ,drama . Then however , I don't think that this particular story could have been made any better ( well I haven't watched the remakes , maybe I will), but huge part of the idea was for somebody to be truly fair , they have to get rid of attachments and personal feelings. So the film itself also makes you look at it without any personal involvement.