The film F for Fake isn’t just a typical film but rather it is a documentary film. I wouldn’t say that I particularly enjoyed watching it but I can’t deny that it was interesting. F for Fake explored the art forgers or “fakers” in the art world which is something that is not typically shown in cinema because the topic may be seen as controversial. I liked how the film gave a look into the stories of Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving, two of the most infamous fakers during their time. 

The film highlights the art of trickery and deception. In fact, the first scene showed how Welles tricked not only the little boy in the train station but also the audience. Personally, I was waiting for Welles to reveal the secret behind his magic trick however he mentions that the key does not symbolize anything. Welles then sets the tone of the film by saying that it is “a film about trickery, fraud, and lies.” I enjoyed the first part of the film more than the second half since it had more substance and it was actually based on real time events. I enjoyed how the stories of Elmyr and Clifford were told — through interviews which are more personal. I felt that it was the best way to know them rather than by means of a regular film which can give more room for biases. The stories of all the characters — Clifford Irving, Oja Kodar, Elmyr de Hory, Howard Hughes, and Orson Welles himself were somewhat fascinating. Their stories intersect and are all connected to each other to make up this complex cinematic piece on the nature of art, the links between illusion, life, forgery and artifice.

The power of editing is evident in the film as it made it seem as if Clifford Irving and Elymr were conversing to each other and this helped make the documentary film more real. It showed impressive technical cutting, swiping, panning, scanning and freeze-framing which is actually what the director, Orson Welles purposely tried to do so as to explore a new directorial style. I think the editing of the film was what drew me into the film the most, more than the actual content itself. The frequent cuts in the film as well as the other techniques helped in engaging the audience since it would be hard to draw out all the details and references with how jarring the film is. It is easy to get caught up in the film but it is also pretty easy to get lost. I however, watched the whole film through — quite confused but intrigued at the same time. I felt that the scene where Oja Kodar was being ogled by all those men in the street was too long and frankly unnecessary to the whole story of the film. It was also weird for me to grasp the concept of Picasso’s supposed infatuation with Oja which resulted to a the lengthy affair between both of them. Towards the end, it all made sense when Welles said that he had been lying for the last 17 minutes of the film. It showed how not everything being shown or portrayed to us is the truth and that so-called “experts” are not exactly as perfect as we may think. 

It was my first time to watch this film and I knew just from the first scene that it would not disappoint. I was immediately captured into the world of Shinkai Makoto’s beautifully crafted animations which showcased detailed images from many angles and perspectives and colourful aesthetics as well. Since the film was partly set in Tokyo, I couldn’t help but reminisce the last time I went to Tokyo and walked the same streets Mitsuha and Taki walked on. Aside from the scenery, the way the characters were designed shows how they weren’t overly detailed but yet, each character was distinctive. Overall, the animation largely contributed to bringing light to the story of the film. 

The film did an excellent job in evoking the emotions of its audience through the characters of Taki and Mitsuha. Their relationship could somehow be compared to that of a long distance one but more unconventional with the body switching kind of plot. As the film progresses, the audience gets to see the development of the characters especially, Mitsuha and Taki and how they forge that intangible connection after getting used to being in each others bodies. They both fall in love without realizing it — their innocence making the film all the more heartwarming. Through the notes they made for one another, it just shows how they were trying to make the other appreciate life more and try to help improve the others’ life in some way. One of my favorite scenes was when Taki, upon visiting Itomori, discovered that the Mitsuho he swapped bodies with was from three years in the past. It is from this scene onwards that everything begins to unfold. Earlier on in the film, Mitsuha’s grandmother talks about the concept of musubi and how everything they do is musubi — from tying thread to connecting people. It is a connection moving between people and objects in the world. But the film explored the concept of musubi in a deeper level, far more complex than concrete connections like the tying of Mistuha’s red string. Her red string symbolizes her relationship with Taki that despite the fact that they live in different time periods have different circumstances, they are still binded by that long red string — the red string of fate. 

To describe the film as a masterpiece still wouldn’t do it justice. It takes the audience on an emotionally engaging journey that is Mitsuho and Taki’s life and shows how two lovers can transcend time and space just to be with each other. The line “I feel like I’m always searching for something, someone.” which starts off the film tugs at our emotions since there are times when we too feel a sense of displacement in our lives that leaves us searching for something or someone. Aside from this, Makoto’s use of trains as a metaphor gives the idea of a hopeless and distant love. Just as how trains arrive and leave the station, Mitsuha and Taki’s love was fleeting too. The film ends with the two characters uttering the words “Your name is…” which gives the audience that assurance that everything worked out in the end while leaving it to their interpretation on what could happen next in Mitsuha and Taki’s future. 

Confused and mind-boggled were the predominant emotions I felt while watching the film Lost Highway. It was the kind of movie that made question whether I even understood what I just watched and yet, I thoroughly liked the movie, especially the cinematography. There was a suspenseful effect to the whole film in terms of how the camera angles were shot as well as how the events transpired. All the scenes set in the house of Fred and Renee showed how their house not only looked cold and threatening but also very empty literally because of their minimalist furniture and figuratively, because of their disposition towards each other. I sensed that something bad was about to happen to Fred or Renee since both of their characters seemed very distant and secretive to each other. To add to this feeling of foreboding, the videotapes that both of them received showed that someone was clearly watching them. The presence of the “Mystery Man” also contributed to the overall mood of the film — with his vampire-like characteristics and his way of getting into Fred’s mind. 

The film was effective in the sense that it made me wonder how two people could be at two places at once. Given that Fred was imprisoned due to the charge against him for murdering his wife, it seemed strange how he was somehow replaced by a teenager, Pete — who I later learned was his fantasy self. To be able to learn about Fred’s innermost desires was interesting to me seeing as his current reality was not in any way exciting. It was evident that Pete is living the life that Fred wishes he had. Compared to Fred’s mundane life, Pete is young, has a job he enjoys, a group of friends, a girlfriend and to top it all off, is having an affair with the mob boss’ girlfriend, Alice. Pete is also a romantic which is someone Fred is not. 

As the story progresses, we can see how the two different plots “converge” and how the transition between the two plots is convoluted. While typically films follow a linear pattern to mirror reality and for viewers to immerse themselves into the reality of the film, Lost Highway does the complete opposite. It does not follow the regular structure of films of the thriller/horror genre but despite this, it was so visually captivating. The film plays with the human psyche clearly showing us that it is so easy to get lost in our own fantasies and that memory has the power to manipulate our realities. I stopped forming theories on how to explain everything that happened in the film as I began to realize that maybe the whole point of the film was to play games with the viewers minds and I went along for the ride. Just as Pete’s parents denied him the opportunity to know what really happened to him, we the audience too, need to accept the fact that we too were not given a literal explanation of the events of the film. 

The film The Endless shows just how to create a film on a limited budget without compromising its overall quality. It perfectly shows how sometimes, minimalism can be more. It is the kind of film that does not need to rely on special effects and visuals since the characters themselves can effectively tell the narrative. The use of an unsettling picture of Southern California’s landscape also helped set the tone of the entire film.

It starts out as very ordinary as the two brothers Aaron and Justin decide to revisit their old camp, Camp Arcadia after watching a video tape from a previous fellow camp member and maybe escape their mundane, routinary lifestyles of cleaning houses for a living and subsisting on ramen noodles.The brothers exhibit a kind of contrast in personality as Justin, the older brother, appears to be more hesitant towards the practices of the cult such as trying to have a tug-of-war with an object that is suspended from the sky. The younger brother, Aaron on the other hand, willingly accepted the cult and even considered it a place he would want to permanently live in since the air is clean, the food is healthy and living is relatively easier than their life in the city. Throughout the film, I kept wondering how Aaron was so gullible that he would just blindly accept and follow whatever the other members were doing. 

The scenes following their arrival perfectly build-up what they would eventually discover in their cult. There were multiple moons in the sky, cult members seemed to not have aged a day, flocks of birds were circling around a certain area, the daylight flickers to full-on night are just a few of the weird elements that gave an atmosphere of mystery and illusiveness in Camp Arcadia. Justin mentioned to Aaron that male cult members undergo a mandatory castration, however, what they were about to find out is much worse — that everyone in the camp committed suicide 10 years ago and is trapped in an infinite time loop of varying lengths. The film was dark to say the least with the concept of a UFO cult. The fact that the monster was not seen throughout the entire film shows how scary it is. The ambiguity of it all leaves so much room for questions like is it possible to escape from the time loop and how can it be done? 

Despite the filmmakers intentions to make the viewers engrossed and mind-boggled by the occurrences in the camp, it also tackles the issues of cults and sibling rivalry since both Aaron and Justin initially had opposing views on their cult. Through working together to discover the truth and explanation behind the weird things they saw or experienced like the man in the tent stuck in a five second loop who kept trying to kill himself, they realized at that certain point, they only have each other. The film also talks about free will and how it can easily be taken from us.

Sorry to Bother You (2018), is a film that I would most likely recommend to everyone I know. It provided a comedic touch to so many controversial yet relevant issues like corporate hostility, capitalism, white privilege, and identity politics that people need to be talking about more. It is the kind of movie that makes you pay attention to the screen because of how all the elements were integrated into a cinematic masterpiece. 

The film is so message heavy yet it does not appear that way because of its unique rhythm of effects and storytelling techniques. It is able to say so much but conveying just enough to keep viewers engaged. There were also many minor aspects of the film that the director clearly wanted to point out like Detroit’s earrings which matched with her personality — someone who is always trying to make a statement. One of my favourite pair of hers was the gold-plated set of earrings that featured a guy strapped to an electric chair. After showing a close up of her earrings, the camera then diverts the viewers attention and focuses on a  WorryFree billboard of a guy sitting on a couch with a remote in hand and the words “Show the World That You Are a Responsible Baby Daddy.” With this, Detroit’s earrings could mean that WorryFree is robbing the free will and in a sense, taking away the lives of these workers by making them machines in a world fuelled by capitalism. 

While the film presents this kind of dystopian reality that consists of dark humour, bizarre occurrences, and magic realism, it doesn’t make viewers get lost in the absurdity of it all. Instead, it both entertains and challenges the viewers to think. One of my favourite scenes would have to be when Cassius Green became an internet sensation for being the guy who got hit by a soda can by a woman who shouted, “Have a cola and smile, bitch,” I found it funny yet completely unsettling that people focused on that rather than what was of importance — the actual protest. It served as a commentary on how people are so caught up in entertainment that they can easily see past what is of relevance. The show “I Got the Sh*t Kicked Out of Me” also shows what is wrong in the entertainment industry. When Cassius finally got on the show, he was so eager to play the video that revealed the dark truth about Steve Lift and WorryFree. However, the show’s host kept delaying the process by asking Cassius to do various inhumane tasks that honestly put me off. Again, it goes to show how people can turn entertainment into a negative thing. 

I couldn’t count the amount of times I said “I love this film” in my head throughout the entire duration of the film. It perfectly explains how messed up our system is and how the reality portrayed in the film may not be as far-fetched as we think it is to the reality we have today. 

After hearing that we would be watching another punk rock film, I was slightly excited to explore this genre further. I think knowing what a repo man is helped in my understanding of the storyline of the film. The first scene was very odd for me since I was a bit confused as to why the cop got disintegrated when he popped open the trunk of the scientist. At the same time, I was interested to know how the movie would go about. I can admit that I was disappointed to find out that another genre of the film is sci-fi since it would probably be my least favourite to watch. The concept of an alien invasion didn’t exactly seem exciting to me in any way and it felt too much of a fantasy for my liking. 

What I appreciated the most from the film was its themes. One of which is the theme of reckless consumerism as seen through the liquor store and the grocery store scene. In these scenes, it showed how consumer items were labeled using generic packaging. It then made me realise that packaging gives such a huge impact on regular items we see on a daily basis. Our decisions on what item to choose over the other is impacted by the packaging as we typically pick the item we are most familiar with or the one that has the best reputation. Sometimes, we even go for the consumer item that we find appealing to the eye. Another aspect of the film that I liked was the differed concepts of self-identity as seen through the characters or the repo men of the film. All of them gave their definitions of what it means to be tough or manly, which is what repo men are. Bud for one, gave his advice on dressing like a detective and the Repo Code. Lite, acted like a bulletproof hero when he brought out his gun and engaged in a gunfire battle. Every one of the repo man had advice for Otto and he tried to learn as much as he can from them. The irony, though, is that their reality is not what they claim. These self-proclaimed repo men just go around stealing other people’s cars then brag about what they’ve done as if it’s some huge achievement, just to make themselves feel better about their current state of livelihood. 

The film was set in Los Angeles during the 1980s and it really showed how the rural area of LA looks like — a dangerous wasteland for violence. In comparison to the sunny LA people are used to, the film focuses on the unseen parts of the city where life is nowhere close to bright and sunny. The only thing that was bright in the entire film was the Chevy Malibu filled with aliens as it was literally as bright as a yellow highlighter. Overall, the film was able to mix punk rock, sci fi and comedy all in one. Although it isn’t one of my favourite films, I would recommend it to someone who likes cars. 

The film Velvet Goldmine (1998) was unlike any other film I’ve ever seen before. I found myself transported back to London in the 1970s where glam rock was immensely popular and was considered a cultural evolution. From the striking color patterns of outfits to the heavy makeup to the loud (??)  sound of music, it was truly captivating to watch the film. I never expected to enjoy it mainly because it is not a genre I would typically watch and the music genre is not something that I would normally listen to as well. However, the film surprised me and made me feel like I was watching an extended concert with some behind the scenes footage of the artists going about their regular lives. 

Aside from the trip down to glam rock lane, what really contributed to the overall success of the film in my opinion was the characters and their music. The characters, who were referenced to famous names in the glam rock music industry such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Louie Reed, put up a show performance that captured what it was like to be a glam rock artist in the 70s. It was such a thrilling experience to watch the performances of Brian Slade and Curt Wild since they fully immersed themselves in their respective characters. Between the two characters, I would say that I liked the music of Slade more since it felt like his songs embodied who he is as a person and what his feelings were at the time. The scene where Brian Slade performed live in the rock festival and the same scene where Curt Wild was introduced, showed how Slade started out — as a humble and authentic artist trying to find his place with the emergence of the glam rock scene in London.  It is in this scene where Brian was completely vulnerable. This scene painted a picture of how it all started for Slade and how his career would soon peak and maybe even lead to his downfall. Through the course of his career, it seemed like Brian Slade was just trying to find a way to escape himself and he did this through art — particularly through glam rock. 

On the other end, the film was not centered on the glamorous and extravagant lifestyles of the characters but it delved deeper on the impact of glam rock to people or fans. For them, glam rock became a cultural symbol and granted them the ability to express themselves freely. Arthur Stuart, for one, was deeply moved by the lives of the glam rock artists and in a sense he felt less of an alien in his own skin because of them. Overall, the film could be described as hollow yet full of meaning as it showed how Arthur came into terms with his sexuality. However, he was not able to fully express it. Throughout the film, it is clear to see that Arthur was detached from the world and even himself. For him, art became an avenue to be who he wants to be and to escape the reality he is in. 

The film My Own Private Idaho tells the story of life and unrequited love between two street hustlers in Portland, Oregon. It is the type of movie that a person would reflect on after viewing it because of its realistic portrayal of life in that kind of environment and how love given to another person may not always be reciprocated. The very first scene of the film showed Mike Waters on the side of a road at loose ends that he claims he’s been to before. I found that this scene really helped set the tone and chart the course of the film.

The medical condition of narcolepsy was seen in the film through the character of Mike Waters and it showed the difficulties of living in a state of uncertainty since he would just fall into a deep sleep whenever he gets anxious or stressed. Despite this, I felt that the film romanticized narcolepsy and that it didn’t delve deeper into the condition. Throughout the entire duration of the film, I couldn’t help but feel pity for Mike as he had no choice but to turn to the job of trading sex with men in order to get by. Mike’s narcoleptic episodes would constantly show a picture of his mom and him during his younger years which may be the reason why he found so much comfort in Scott since he took care of him. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Scott Favors had to drag Mike away since he was unconscious. Instead of just leaving him on the side of the road, he laid him down on the grass telling him that he’ll be just fine. It felt like a foreshadowing of the events to come particularly the adventures Mike and Scott would have together. That scene marked the beginning of a beautiful yet tragic friendship between the two and I was curious as to know how their journey would end. I found it odd that there were so many setting changes in the film — from Oregon to Idaho to Italy. I found myself asking questions like “How did they get there so fast?” and “How did they get money to travel to these places?” It was also very sudden to me how Scott just casually eloped with Carmella, a woman from Italy who he had just met and hooked up with a couple of times. The scene wherein Scott told Mike that he was leaving him found me feeling heavy hearted since it was the last time that they would speak to each other again. 

It seemed to me that Scott was so detached from everything around him before he got his inheritance. Scott left Bob Pigeon — the man who accepted him and served as his father figure when his own father couldn’t. It was also so easy for him to abandon Mike, knowing that Mike truly loves him and that he had no one else but him. The only thing constant in Mike’s life was Scott but in a sense, he found his path while Scott remained stuck at the crossroads which was the very place he was at the start of the film. 

Futureless Things was anything but an ordinary Korean movie. It seemed like a strange yet well-thought tactic to use a convenience store as the only setting for the film which is also the only consistent part of the entire film. Usually, films with only one setting could either be very boring or interesting to watch. Futureless Things is the latter. I like how the characters were in some way all connected through their work in the convenience store, despite being totally different individuals. 

The film’s characters played the biggest role in making the storyline come together. There were many shifts in protagonists and they each had their own story to tell which I personally found enjoyable to watch. Although I think that film viewers such as I would have been more attached to the characters if they would have been given more screen time. It felt like typical customer interactions between cashiers and customers — limited and fleeting. The film missed the opportunity to delve more into the lives of the protagonists instead of showing just brief scenes of their life in the convenience store. Moreover, the characters had to deal with so much prejudice and drama from the customers which gave the film its comedic aspect. A particular scene which showed this was when one of the women from Malaysia got a nose job to look more like a Korean woman. It touched on the prejudice that women who are dressed in all black are from the Middle East while also tapping on the common nature of Koreans to undergo plastic surgery. 

Despite what many people say about the film, I did not find it weird or confusing in a way. I enjoyed how simple the movie is and at the same time also complex. The simplicity of it comes from the setting which is a convenience store — a go-to place for many to get what they need. On the other hand, the complex part comes from the various plot lines of the characters in the film. Yet, the simplicity and complexity of Futureless Things intersect since the convenience store then transforms from being a basic space into in a sense, a deeper space because of the events that took place there. A scene that was both comedic and dark was the Marlboro scene wherein the customer had a very lengthy monologue about existence and reason only to buy a red Marlboro cigarette pack. I would say that this was my favourite scene to watch since it was so funny and made me think about my Philosophy class. On the contrary, a scene that I found quite strange and irrelevant to the story was the one involving the box lady and the frustrated DJ. I found that it did not fit in the film and made no sense in telling the story of the protagonist for this scene, the DJ. 

In the end, I realized why the title of the movie is Futureless Things. The characters were like objects or tools being used to run the convenience store and they all had no future — from the guy who missed his audition to the woman who is broke and just got fired up until the guy who tries so hard to learn English but ultimately can’t. There is an unexpected dark feel to the movie that leaves an impact to viewers and showing them how monotonous life can be at times. 

The film, Trainspotting 1996, could be explained by likening the feeling of watching the film to a rollercoaster ride. It was solely focused on heroin addicts and their life journey which I found interesting since it showed drug addiction in its rawness. The film went down and dirty with the portrayal of drug addicts and even showed how unappealing heroin looks. However, the film did not focus on only one perspective — either condemning or praising these addicts. Instead, during the opening monologue of Mark Renton, it talked about how you either choose life or choose heroin. 

There were certain literal and figurative “high” points and some “low” points as well. One low point which I found very strange and disruptive of the whole realistic aspect of the film was when Mark Renton dove into the dirty toilet bowl. I couldn’t bear watching this scene as it was disgusting and in my opinion, made no sense at all. Another low point was when the baby was left alone in the room while the main characters were getting high on heroin. It was a very uncomfortable sight to see and left me thinking how could a mother be so selfish to expose her son to a very toxic environment. I found myself thinking that the baby would grow up to be a drug addict as well. Unfortunately, the baby boy suffered an even more tragic fate than that and died an undeserved death after having been surrounded by so much drugs. 

A “high” point in the film which I particularly enjoyed was the moment when Mark found out that Diane, the woman he hooked up with the previous night, was actually a high-school student. This appeared to be one of the film’s plot twists and showed how deceiving looks can be — that we may think we know a person by looks alone. Apart from this, I found it entertaining to watch Mark Renton’s withdrawal or detox phase in his old bedroom. From the baby crawling from the ceiling to Diane in her school uniform, it was both creepy and surreal how much impact drugs can have on both our minds and our bodies. 

I found the scene where Sick Boy was being philosophical and talking about his “unifying theory of life” to be relatable in a sense since it is true that we acquire something then  eventually lose it. It surprised me how the film took a serious turn after showing scenes that were mostly about Renton and his heroin journey. Not only did the film give a glimpse of what it feels like to be high on heroin, but it showed how it feels to be high on this so-called “life”. The drug served as life for the main characters and it was what drove them to continue on with living. The film left me on the edge of my seat, waiting to know what Mark Renton would do. The ending showed that Mark chose life and it made me wonder if it was just false hope again or will he follow through this time.