This was such a bizarre film.

Not that I didn’t like it, it was just bizarre in my opinion.

The film’s narrative revolved around the convenience store employees’ experiences while on a shift. There were the gay couple, the lesbian couple, the woman from North Korea, the guy who was eager to learn English, the DJ guy, the minor boy, the theater actor, the man in his 40’s (I think), and of course the owner of the store branch.

Why is the title ’Futureless Things‘? As was mentioned in class, maybe the reason why this film about convenience store employees was made in the first place was because we never really pay attention to them. We don’t know them, we don’t know their stories, or their dreams and ambitions in life, but we do know that they’re supposed to do their job—scan items bought by the customers, update inventory, and arrange the shelves. And so with this, they are treated as mere things that we use as if they’re robots who do not have lives of their own outside of the job. As portrayed in the film, I guess you could assume that they are futureless in the sense that none of them really have concrete and assured futures. Such mundanity would then be interesting to make a film about. And it was! For the most part, the film really banked on its bizarreness and its very diverse and interesting choice of story arcs of both the employees and the customers. I particularly liked the theater actor’s because it made me realize that it really shouldn’t be the employee’s problem if no one is there to replace him. He had already finished his shift, therefore he was technically already free to go. Also, it’s not like he wanted to leave the store for no reason. It’s just that specific day when he had something important scheduled, something that could fulfill his dreams and potentially determine his future. The owner should have been considerate, understanding, and fair because it really was his problem already. Sadly, this isn’t just a Korean thing, though. Even in the Philippines, employers treat employees as if they’re robots who should obey everything they say and not complain. It’s just very unfair.

I have seen some reviews of this film online and I read that there were a lot of references to Korean culture and norms present in it. I honestly wish I understood all of them. Films with specific cultural references are always so intriguing to me because I find it really cool how different countries experience something that’s fairly universal—a convenience store. It’s also amazing how those story arcs kind of unfolded in only one location. It worked really well. There was a shift from a sunny, bright atmosphere in the beginning of the film to an eerie almost apocalyptic-like vibe to it at the end of the film. That one location giving us different atmospheres and different stories was really cool.

I wonder how would it be like if it was set in the Philippine context? That seems very interesting to me!

The Endless

The Endless was a very interesting film. I’m personally not a big fan of horror films. I scare easily, and more often than not, I tend to avoid any plans with friends or family which involve any movies about ghosts or possession and stuff like that. When I heard that we were going to watch a horror film for class, I wanted to get the hell out of CSR and risk spending a non-existent cut. I was ready with my bag of popcorn which would be serving as a snack and a blindfold for that class. I was glad to find out that it wasn’t the typical horror film that I’m usually faced with. The film made me more curious than afraid because it was giving out a kind of eerie vibe that I had not encountered before.

I really enjoyed the film. It had me at the edge of my seat even though it kept a very steady pace and long silences. I was really interested to know more about the so-called UFO cult that the film started off with. The characters and the concept of a cult or even a religious group really intrigued me.

First of all, I really felt for Aaron Smith, one of the main characters. Throughout the whole film I felt like he was very lost and very confused. It was obvious that he was in a constant search of something better, and that given the life they were living, he felt as if he had a better life when he was with the cult. In spite of not knowing or remembering much about it except for the emotional aspect, he still pushed for it. Although the connection isn’t very strong, I sort of associated it with soon entering into the world of uncertainty after leaving school. And that looking back at what felt nice and comfortable won’t always be the right thing to push for. And I felt sorry for him too because it seemed as if at one point he learned that his entire life had been a lie or had been hidden from him. Although him taking charge in the end sort of made up for all that.

I’m also confused about how it all started. I’m really eager to know how it all started like how the loop started because they were able to leave in the past even if supposedly once you’ve experienced the ascension, you’d be stuck in the loop forever. So did the so-called “god” appear to one of them, maybe the leader? And like a cult leader would or a preacher would, he sold the idea of the ascension to the people who stayed, and the two brothers were just able to dodge that? I hope they make a film that sheds more light on the origin of everything.

All in all, I really enjoyed the film. The story was hard to follow, but I guess that’s what made it really nice because it made me wanna figure it all out on my own. Definitely a film I’d watch over and over again.

Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You (2018) is an absurdist film featuring social commentary on capitalism and racism. It calls for its audience to pay attention to its message of recognizing one’s power amidst discrimination and exploitation. It is one of the films that genuinely piqued my interest from the beginning to its very end.

The film’s title is one of the many interesting parts about it. “Sorry to bother you” serves  both as a common phrase used by telemarketers in their jobs and also as a reference to a phrase people usually say before adding information that the other person might not generally want to hear or find out. The use of this phrase both in the scenes and in the title sends a powerful message already.

The most interesting part for me is the characters’ use of a ‘white voice’ which is done by actual white actors. It slightly caught me off guard when it is first used by Langston, but it was funny. It then becomes a very powerful tool that helps Cassius move up to being an elite power caller and that is when you realize how not so funny it actually is.

The fact that they had to use a white voice just so anyone would listen to them shows how no matter how hardworking a person of color could be, they could never have it as easy as white people do. In order to get by and to succeed in life, these people of color had to change themselves into something that they weren’t. In this case, how they talked and acted. It is a sad reality that most people in real life have to experience because merely staying as you are will sometimes never be enough.

This movie also sheds a light on the topic of corporate slavery. Despite its very weird concept with people being transformed into half-man, half-horse creatures, I can’t help but think how vital it is to the story. The literal transformation that happens just adds to the point of seeing these workers not as human beings but as beasts of burden that should only do work. Even though these horse-man creatures looked very fake, I chose to focus on the essence of them being there instead.

With a cast full of recognizable actors, it’s difficult not to like the characters, even the bad guys. We see the raw desperation and vulnerability in Lakeith Stanfield’s character, Cassius Green, and I even greatly enjoyed Armie Hammer’s portrayal of Steve Lift who, despite being a hate-able character, brings a high-class, evil persona to the table.

This movie may be hard to watch for some people, but I believe that is part of its appeal. It is a film that is still applicable no matter what year you watch it because the issues it presents are not those which can be solved easily. Sorry to Bother You accomplished exactly what it had set out to do, bother you, and I assume it is very much not apologetic in the slightest.

This film was weird as hell. From the very opening scene, I did not expect for the policeman to get vaporized when he opened the car’s trunk. What caught me even more off guard was when the car started to glow green, zap people with lightning, set them on fire, and fly at the very end. It all seemed utterly ridiculous to me, not only the story or the CGI, but the characters as well.

Otto Maddox is a very unlikable character. Even though his name sounds like a pun for the type of work he begins to take in the film, his general demeanor screams trouble and probably even teen angst. At times, he could be stupidly naive, like he was still stuck in a phase in his adolescence. Meanwhile, the actor who plays Dr. J. Frank Parnell in the film succeeds in giving his character a creepy, mysterious old man vibe which adds to the generally weird energy the movie has.

I felt like most of the film was kind of dumb and more so the characters in it. Like in the scene when Otto first meets Leila after he picks her up in his newly repossessed Cadillac and she tells him about her search for aliens in a Chevy Malibu (like it was a totally normal thing to say to someone you’ve just met). I also found it incredibly stupid for Otto to leave the newly-acquired Malibu in the middle of the very open Helping Hand Acceptance Corporation parking space for all to see, without even trying to hide it. I’m not sure how well he thought out this plan, if he expected the highly sought-after vehicle to be safe just because the gate is locked. I rolled my eyes and was frustrated that he even had the audacity to look shocked once he found out someone stole it.

I did, however, find it interesting that the repo men each had a different perception on how to go about their line of work when they were talking to Otto. Bud perceives it as a somewhat honorable job with a code to live by and that it is something everyone believes, too. But then we see another repo man on the job and he instructs Otto to break into a car with a crowbar and fires blanks at the people attacking– a huge contradiction to what Bud had just said.

I also found it interesting to see a constant theme of mindless consumerism throughout the movie in the different stores they visit. These boxes and containers are brand-less and only state what they are in the most literal sense. I’m not sure how this plays into the overall story, but it was a cool thing to take note of and search for every so often.

The movie reminded me of the The Room wherein it’s so bad, it’s actually kind of good. Unlike The Room however, this film is something I wouldn’t necessarily recommend to people or consider of high praise. I understood the story to some extent, but I wouldn’t say I had a full grasp of it. In the end, it was a movie I appreciated, but not really enjoyed.

Todd Hayne’s Velvet Goldmine (1998) reminds me of a Bohemian Rhapsody gone wild. The types of songs used in the movie were not exactly what I normally listen to, but I still greatly enjoyed every musical number. The film really gives you a glimpse into what it’s like to live and love the glam rock era in the ’70s.

Back when outrageous fashion, music, and behavior was a main staple in the public sphere, Brian Slade’s character was a groundbreaking sensation. His alter ego, Maxwell Demon, took the glam rock world by storm. As someone who loves musical theater, I greatly enjoyed Maxwell Demon’s extravagant nature and theatricality in his music and costumes.

Many of the characters in this movie were inspired by real-life icons. Brian Slade and his alter ego, Maxwell Demon, had been heavily influenced by the life and work of David Bowie and his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. Other influences included Jobriath and Marc Bolan. On the other hand, Curt Wild, portrayed by Ewan McGregor, was based on Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Even Slade’s ex-wife was based on David Bowie’s ex-wife, Angie.

The scenes involving dialogue mostly bored me. There had been points when I almost fell asleep while watching, but as soon as I heard the first note being played, I instantaneously perked up. I felt the duality of Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ character onstage and offstage, especially when it came to his interactions with other characters like Curt Wild and his ex-wife, Mandy.

This movie felt, to me, like a cry for help. There were scenes wherein you’d see Brian Slade struggling to separate his personal persona from his professional one, as both seem to clash multiple times, especially with the arrival of Curt Wild in his life. This is most apparent in the scene when Brian fakes his own death onstage as a means to escape.

I like how we see the narrative of Brian Slade through the lens of Christian Bale’s character, Arthur Stuart, who is a reporter writing about Slade’s life and through the people who knew him throughout his career. We don’t really realize the significance of Bale’s character until the middle of the movie when we find out he was actually more than just a huge fan but witnessed the shooting for himself. He also gets sexually involved with Wild one time in the past and unexpectedly encounters him again years later.

I enjoyed the film’s exploration of queer characters in the music industry. We see these characters explore their sexualities in a period where there was no stigma against it. Despite society being free from prejudice at this time, Brian Slade’s character still seems imprisoned in his persona by many factors, not just his sexuality.

I don’t, however, see the value in the exposition of Tommy Stone as Brian Slade. It seemed like a fresh start for Brian, and by revealing that this new person was actually the same man who faked his death, he might very well just be shunned by his fans again.

This movie was full of experiences that were foreign to me but not necessarily unheard of. From the music to the queer characters, Velvet Goldmine is essentially an introduction to many new experiences that many might find enjoyable or uninteresting.

Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho (1991) follows the story of Mike Waters, a narcoleptic street hustler, who is accompanied by his best friend Scott Favor on his search for his estranged mother. What interested me in the film is the main character’s condition of narcolepsy as this is something that is not commonly portrayed in films or on television.

I remember watching an old video on Facebook about a person suffering from the same disorder which featured how she would get through the day. Luckily for her, her significant other was always there to take care of her whenever she fell asleep. For Mike, this person would be Scott at the start of the film. Towards the end, however, even he abandons Mike and his loyalty to his friends in the world of street hustling for the good life.

It seemed like Mike just couldn’t get a break. He is a handsome young man. I couldn’t get over the fact that he looked like an old school Harry Styles. A man with a lot of potential but unfortunately has to go great lengths just to get by in the world, unlike his best friend who has everything he wants in life and could just get up and leave this world behind at any time. Mike doesn’t have the same liberty and left even more vulnerable because of his disorder.

He already lives an unfortunate life, having to survive by living as a street hustler who has sex with anyone who could pay. All he ever wanted was to find his mother who gives him a sense of peace whenever he goes into a narcotic episode. Not only is he suffering from narcolepsy, but whenever he gets close to finding his mother, it is revealed that she had left and is back to square one. In the end, he never finds her and even his best friend left, leaving him with no one that genuinely cares about him anymore.

It was really sad to see Mike heartbroken over Scott after he was rejected by him and even abandoned in an unfamiliar country for a woman they had just met. He is back in the middle of the road like he had been at the beginning of the movie with no clue where to go. He is even stripped of his belongings by thieves when he fell into another narcoleptic episode.

It was just as sad when Scott rejects his “family,” especially Bob Pigeon, in front of everyone at the restaurant. Then, after being denied and lied to by Scott, Bob dies of a heart attack. The only part that gave me satisfaction was when they held a rowdy funeral for Bob at the cemetery which contrasted well with the bland funeral Scott attended for his deceased father.

This movie was just a big ball of sadness for me. In the end, with no luck finding his mother and having been forgotten by his best friend, I’m not so sure if he was ever even able to find his own private Idaho.

Looks can be deceiving, and Futureless Things (2014) is the epitome of this phrase. You would think from the start of this film that it would be similar to a sweet, romantic K-Drama, what with its bright coloring and happy characters. But as you get deeper into watching the movie, weirder events (that definitely wouldn’t happen in a Korean convenience store) start to take place that just confused the living heck out of me.

It may sound crazy to hear, but, to me, this movie felt even weirder than Steven Soderbergh’s Schizopolis (1996). Now don’t get me wrong, Schizopolis was a whole other oddity of its own, but the point of the movie is to be weird. Futureless Things is a film that one might think was normal at first, but will soon realize that it actually gets pretty messed up.

I couldn’t really follow the story when I first watched it. Everytime I thought I finally understood the plot of the film, another scene would come along and throw me off, back into a state of confusion. At first, I even figured the whole film was meant to be in a single day, but I found it weird that there’d be a lot of employees working within store hours, or that so much peculiar stuff could happen in a day.

The story is set in a convenience store, a place that would normally be viewed as static despite the variety of people who could come in at any time. Each scene featured a different clerk working behind the counter as they go about their shift. The constant change in character for every shift and the store’s visitors really showed diversity in the Korean culture as well as presented many issues these people face in their everyday lives. We see themes of racism and discrimination against North Koreans, the stigma of plastic surgery, the discrimination through language and illiteracy, and much more being tackled throughout the film. 

While watching the movie, I had actually forgotten the title so when ‘Futureless Things’ flashed across the screen at the very end, everything made sense. We see these clerks who are stuck in a rut, trying to find meaning and move forward in their lives such as when one of them was learning English through an audio tutorial or when the other was rehearsing for an audition. One of the clerks even drives a teenager away from applying for a job in the convenience store because he was pushing for him to continue his education instead. In this sense, we can really see the state of being ‘futureless.’

Then there’s the objectification of these employees done by both visitors and sometimes their boss. It is unfortunate to see these people being mistreated and it saddened me knowing that this is not just fiction for most people but a reality.

The film ends darker than anyone could have imagined walking into the cinema with the death of the store owner. It even features the teenager that was mentioned earlier as the next clerk working and (for some unknown reason) a dance number. I don’t think I was able to get the lesson of this film (if there was any at all), but it is definitely interesting and worth a second watch.

If I were to be completely honest, I don’t even know how I’m going to start off with this review. How do you even introduce something as absurd as Sorry to Bother You? It should be considered a crime as to how this film flew under the radar during its release back in 2018 when it is clearly so much better than half of what came out during those times and a million times more relevant and worth watching than some of the Oscar nominees (and winners). Let me tell you exactly why this movie is worth bothering you for.

Right from the get-go we see the main principles of the story showcased through a visual medium with little to no dialogue. The lines said by the characters are merely for their own introduction and it doesn’t serve as an expository set up to the world the film inhabits. Instead, we see the characters go through the rules of the society they live in through the classic use of “show don’t tell.”

We meet the protagonist, Cassius Green, played effortlessly by Lakeith Stanfield go through the process of getting a job in a telemarketing company. The scenes that follow include his landlord/ uncle played by the always amazing Terry Crews and Cash’s girlfriend, Detroit, played by the all so talented Tessa Thompson. Through these first few scenes, we now get a setup of who Cash is as a character and what does this mean to the society he lives in.

We know that Cassius is a struggling man who’s just barely trying to get ends meet, lives in his uncle’s garage, can barely pay rent, and has a partner who is an artist. All this engulfed in a society that is racist and a tad bit discriminatory. It’s easy for the film to show a bunch of white people look down on Cassius but instead it gives more visual metaphors than literal avenues for this. One example is a simple visual cut at the start when Cash goes to his new job for the first time. He sees a grand elevator that is gold colored with two well-dressed individuals waiting in front of it as he heads into a bland hole in the wall leading to stairs to get to his office floor. The divide within the social classes and community is easily presented with no words being said and no explanation in sight.

There is cleverness to almost every story element being presented. The characters of the story work in a telemarketing company that always emphasizes its people to “Stick To The Script” just as how companies nowadays try to control their workers as much as possible giving little to no importance to their own values and principles. Corporations treat its labor force like machines and animals for their own gain which will become very important in the third act of the story.

The whole concept of using a “white voice” to become successful telemarketers is as subtle as the film can get with the message it’s trying to say. The company Cassius works in holds people called “power callers” up on a pedestal. Apparently, they’re the ones who use the fancy elevator shown at the start of the film and these are the telemarketers that “make the real money”. Later on in the film, we see them as a predominantly white group of people with pristine offices in contrast to the cramped and generic blue floor of the normal telemarketers.

Given that this is Boots Riley’s first feature film to be shown and that it is as good as it is already only making the project as impressive as it is. The overall aesthetic utilizes different shades of blue and warm colors to fill up the frame and it makes the whole thing visually appealing even though most of the settings takes place in dark lit rooms and offices. Praise should also be given to the tight-knit direction Riley gave to the project. His past real-life experience of being a telemarketer only makes the scenes containing the element all the more engaging and realistic. There is not better person to guide something than one who experienced it first-hand.

There is a certain genius to the title “Sorry to Bother You”. The first and obvious reference would be the constant phrase the telemarketers would use every time they talk to a customer through the phone. But it can also be a subtle message the director himself is trying to impart to us. Let’s face it, the movie deals with a lot of heavy and mature themes and concepts. The film wants to have a voice that should be heard by a lot of people whether they want to or not. Unfortunately, reality is that people nowadays don’t want to be called out. They don’t want to find out that what they are doing isn’t necessarily right and that it should be changed or corrected. This film will bother people with what they are showing in such a dark comedic way but even more, it’ll disturb the ones who know that it’s trying to jab at certain practices in society today.

Sorry to Bother You is a type of film in which you can view as something that isn’t “that deep” and in turn, you will have highly enjoyable experience with it. But, take a step back and appreciate its countless symbolisms and parallels that it oh so cleverly sprinkles throughout the engaging runtime and it’ll reward you with one of the most eye-opening movies about our current times that doesn’t fall into the easy trap of utilizing a dark tone to catch people’s attention.

Same praise can be said for the actors who all gave an entertaining performance for their respective characters. Although, it’s unavoidable that some stand out while others fall flat such as Steven Yeun’s Squeeze which is disappointing considering how talented the Asian actor is as he has proven multiple times with his earlier projects. But then again, his character was never a completely useless addition. Which says a lot in a sense that one of the least engaging parts of the film isn’t exactly all that bad to begin with so it’s only right to think that every element jells well together to form one cohesive machine.

If it wasn’t obvious enough already, Sorry to Bother You was a highly enjoyable experience that genuinely caught my attention and eyes glued to the screen till the very end of the credits. It’s a type of film that I would say I can respect with how bold it stood its ground within the current socio-political issues it finds itself fully embracing for the service of the absurd plot. Does it need a sequel? No but the ending leaves it open enough that I can see the possibilities this insane world can take its characters to but at the same time, it also can stand alone enough to leave a satisfying open conclusion to Cash and the gang. One thing’s for sure, this movie bothered me, and the only thing it should be sorry for is that it didn’t do it sooner.