So's Reel Thoughts

Crome Yellow and I went to Beyond Fest to watch Mike Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat (see review!). I had not seen it before and it was absolutely one of the best Halloween films I've ever seen! Beyond Fest transformed the American Cinematheque into a haunted playground and it was awesome! I also got a free poster so I want to do giveaway so the rules are:

1. Share this vid on Twitter and tag either me (@ssoyunum) or @CromeYellowWeb

2. Share this vid on facebook and tag either me or Crome Yellow

3. Share through Google+ and I'll be able to see who shared it!

I will be picking a winner on the 20th of November!

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Beyond Fest: @BeyondFest

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Whoever said animation was just for kids clearly hasn't been introduced to the grim work of South Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho. His sophomore feature, THE FAKE, showcases the kind of South Korean social ills seen in his debut film, THE KING OF PIGS. But this time, he dissects another subject – religious cults – through his realistic animation style.

The story centers on an unlikely anti-hero, a drunk abusive father named Min-chul who reappears into his family's life, only to feed his gambling habits with his daughter's college savings. Meanwhile, their small country town is on the brink of devastation as their land will soon be flooded by a dam construction project. Apprehensive of their future, the townspeople turn to the leaders of a church that promises them a haven-like housing development in another town. However, the church leader, Choi Kyung-suk, is a wanted man seizing the opportunity to lure the entire town to give their fortune to him. In his maddeningly drunken state, Min-chul smells something foul in the air and tries to expose Choi as a fake.

As with any cult, the only way to have subservient devotees is by stripping their soul bare, only to slowly give back what was already theirs. The whole town becomes susceptible to irrationality when they are starved by desperation and fed false hopes and illusions about the power of God. Ordinarily sober people become inebriated with the intoxicating sense of God's will, and it blinds them from taking responsibility for their own lives. The townspeople oscillate between good and evil – a distinction that becomes murky as good-intentioned people become monsters.

As human beings, we shake our heads and think that this could never happen to us, but director Yeon holds a mirror to the audience to suggest that at any moment, desperation can gnaw and puncture our toughest layers, turning even the utmost "nonbeliever" into a "believer." Like a powerful religious leader himself, director Yeon does not let us go so easily and instead creates a simmering tension for the entirety of the film that compels us to wonder if we are any better than the characters on screen.

It's no news that Yeon's films are not easy to swallow, but as with any arduous journey, there is a transcendence that allows us to look beyond ourselves and question our preconceptions of who we are. THE FAKE is a dark and provocative commentary on modern South Korea that never ceases to shock or challenge viewer's perception of religious cults and themselves.

(via AFIFEST.com)

Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive trailer is finally out! After posting numerous clips and stills from the film, the trailer gives us a glimpse at Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as century old vampires who are in love. Even with a plethora of Vampire films that have come out in the past years, the overdone theme seems to have a fresh and interesting look when spun in the hands of Jarmusch and his stellar cast also including Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, and John Hurt. There's a dark yet romanticism that dispels from the vivid images of the dark world they are engrossed in. The film premiere at New York Film Festival in October but there has not been a released date announced yet! I desperately want to see this film and just the closing image of Swinton and Hiddleston passionately lying naked together is enough to sell me on this film!

It's that time again! It's AFI FEST time and this upcoming week is going to be absolutely crazy! Definitely check out the line-up and let me know what you would like me to watch so I can review those films first for you guys! This year as always is another exciting year as I will be blogging and doing interviews for them! I am incredibly ecstatic about this and it's gonna be one hell of a week! Check out the films I am most anticipated about!

The Apartment (1960, Billy Wilder)

Fran Kubelik: When you're in love with a married man, you shouldn't wear mascara.

Shia LeBeouf has been laying low these days to star in art films like Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac and now, Fredrik Bond's Charlie Countryman. At first glance, Charlie Countryman seems like a generic love story about an American who falls in love with a foreigner but within minutes of the trailer, the story spirals deeper and deeper into a darker place than I had ever anticipated. With a stacked indie cast of LeBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Rupert Grint, Melissa Leo, this film is surely to have memorable performances! I can't wait to see the film especially after seeing that still of the almost naked LeBeouf crouching on the floor, baring himself all for the sake of love (or, im assuming!) I'm a huge fan of LeBeouf so obviously, I can't wait to see these considering the amount of violence, chaos, sex, and love thats drenched in every frame of the trailer. It will be released in limited theaters November 15!

It’s a real shame that when prolific screenwriter Michael Dougherty (X2, Superman Returns) released his debut film, Trick r’ Treat back in 2007, it went straight to DVD even with Bryan Singer’s stamp of approval and producer cred. But of course, in the tradition of Halloween, we must respect the “dead” and even possibly resurrect them. And thanks to Beyond Fest, that’s what they did by bringing the film to the big screen with a Q&A with the cast, moderated by the wacky Seth Green. Even as a novice Horror fan, I can say that Trick ‘r Treat should easily be considered a Halloween staple film along side John Carpenter’s Halloween and even my childhood favorite like Hocus Pocus! Four different and terrifying stories are strung together by the presence of Sam, a diminutive child whose head is covered in a potato sack and although, that doesn’t sound very daunting, the imagery will surely cause you to wet your pants. Trick ‘r Trick can come off as another daffy halloween film but its knit tight screenplay that intertwines these different stories tells one of the most exhilarating, unconventional, and compelling halloween stories to date. Any fan of the holiday can appreciate the film’s hardcore allegiance and respect to the ideology of Halloween. B+

It's been a couple of days since I watched The Counselor and I can't help but be baffled by the spectacle of Ridley Scott's latest piece. Maybe it's worth viewing due to its oddly messy yet intensely sexualized/bloodstained vignettes. I don't know, I just had such high hopes for this film and sadly, I was sorely disappointed! I honestly would've rather watched Bad Grandpa! The primary reason why the film did so poorly was due to Cormac McCarthy's inept first screenplay. Although, it was unbearably bad, Cameron Diaz made this film totally worth it with her sultry, sexiness, and bad-assness that was permeating all throughout the film. The Counselor definitely should've been retitled, Cameron Diaz being a badass bitch.

Scream (1996, Wes Craven)

Sidney Prescott: Why? Why did you kill my mother?

Billy: Why? WHY! You hear that Stu? I think she wants a motive

[Stu Chortles]

Billy: Well I don't really believe in motives Sid, I mean did Norman Bates have a motive?

Stu: No.

Billy: Did we ever find out why Hannibal Lecter like to eat people? DON'T THINK SO! See it's a lot more scarier when there's no motive, Sid. We did your Mom a savor, Sid. That woman was a slut-bag whore who flashed her shit all over town like she was Sharon Stone or somethin'.

Stu: Yeah, we put her out of her misery, 'cause let's face it Sidney, your mother was no Sharon Stone, hmm?

Billy: Is that motive good enough for you? How about this? Your slut mother was fucking my father and she's the reason my mom moved out and abandoned me.

[Sid looks astonished]

Billy: How's that for a motive? Maternal abandonment causes serious deviant behavior. It certainly fucked you up. It made you have sex with a psychopath.

Crome Yellow and I went to Beyond Fest to watch A Field in England. I can only describe this film as something I have not seen before. It has such a hypnotizing and alluring effect on you. Definitely go see this if you like experimental films with a bomb-ass soundtrack.

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12 Years a Slave is based on the autobiography of the same name by Solomon Northup who was a free black man but was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The film reiterates the same themes that previous films about slavery has tackled but McQueen’s approach to it intensifies the reality of the situation by holding a mirror to the public to present that Solomon’s situation could happen to anyone. With an A-list assemble; every actor firmly challenges their roles with such complexity and dimension that gives the “old” story of slavery a more in-depth and intricate look than the usual black and white take (pun intended). 12 Years a slave is a suffocating and harrowing representation of the humanistic pilgrimage of survival that will leave you huffing and puffing with melancholy long after the ending credits. A

Martyrs (2008, Pascal Laugier)

Mademoiselle: Martyrs are exceptional people. They survive pain, they survive total deprivation. They bear all the sins of the earth. They give themselves up. They transcend themselves... they are transfigured.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

(1988, Pedro Almodovar)

Grade: A-

Kimberly Pierce's adaptation of Stephen King's novel sounded a lot better in theory than its actual execution, which tried to tell the same story but through a modernized lens of cyber-bullying and hollywoodization. In concept, Julianne Moore and Chloe Moretz portraying the highly dysfunctional relationship of mother and daughter sounds like a dream come true. But somehow with Pierce's touch, everything from the cinematography, acting, to the soundtrack sulks in shallow waters and fails to go any deeper than the transparent surface. These two actresses have excelled in everything they do but they represent the Hollywoodness of the film that is ultimately the reason why the film will fall under. While in the 1976 version of Carrie, Sissy Spacek was able to churn the tormented high school girl character to agonizing lengths, Moretz' undeniably pretty face simply cannot convey the deep seated turmoil that burned in Spacek's eyes. These days, the Horror genre is getting beaten to a pulp with its recycled themes, gimmicks, gore, just to amp up some shock factor. And sadly, Carrie is no different. With reimaginings, it is always hard to fully capture the essence of what the original film or book embodied. But instead of fleshing out the themes of girlhood, bullying, and religion, Carrie decides to tread in skin-deep waters just to shell out a buck or two. In the end, It doesn't matter how good the marketing was, it is the film that'll ultimately determine how loud the horror is. C+

Any time Wes Anderson announces his next film, waves of hipsters like myself gawk at the possibility of getting a peep at the next incredible ensemble and quirky stories that we're irresistibly addicted to. And of course, The Grand Budapest Hotel is no different. But what is different is that I'm actually excited for this one than anything else due to its incredible ensemble that entails Anderson's usual collaborators in addition to new faces like Tilda Swinton, Saoirse Ronan, Lea Seydoux, and so much more! This has everything I want from an Anderson kind of film especially a hunky William Dafoe and a Egon Schiele painting! I love it!! It comes out March 7, 2014! SOOO FAR AWAY!

Year: 2013

Director: Sion Sono

Writer: Sion Sono

Cinematographer: Hideo Yamamoto

Cast: Jun Kunimura, Fumi Nikaidó, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Hiroki Hasegawa

Country of Origin: Japan

Rating: N/A

Time: 129 min.

Crome Yellow and I went to the very first Beyond Fest this year in Hollywood. Beyond Fest caters to all nerdism from the comic book culture to ultra horror fans to all things COOL aka why this is the perfect festival for Crome Yellow (& I'm just tagging along!). David Choe, the graffiti artist and his DVDASA podcast friends came to host and a do live show of their podcast where award winning porn star, Asa Akira made out with an audience member. It was utterly fantastic! Then of course, we saw the outrageously, ridiculous, bat-shit crazy, film by Sion Sono, Why Don't You Play in Hell which is hands down, one of the best films to watch this year!

Why Don't You Play in Hell is the one film that every cinephile needs to watch before they die! This seems like an exaggeration but the film is a nonstop, bloody, thrill ride that'll massage the crap out of all your senses till it overloads! I have always loved Sono's films and this one is no different! I am so honored to have been one of the few people in AMERICA to have watched this beautiful piece of cinema for the first time! Cross your fingers that this film gets distribution or a VOD deal!

Paul Greengrass’s true-life adaptation of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates is truly riveting and comes alive in Captain Phillips. Captain Phillips played by Tom Hanks presents some of his best acting I’ve seen in recent years. Through it’s consistently teeth-clenching intensity, amped up by the excellent music score by Henry Jackman and screenplay by Billy Ray, Captain Phillips creates satisfying drama as well as justly showcasing the true events that took place. The film is two hours and fifteen minutes, which seems overly drawn out but it creates enough dread that by the end of the film, Tom Hank’s natural and decent performance quickly escalates to one painfully disturbing portrait of the aftermath of a tragic event when anyone is pitted against America. It may not be an Oscar winner, but it is Tom Hanks’ magnificent portrayal of a real-life heroic figure will surely have The Academy dabbing their eyes by the end of the film. B+

Why are you so attractive Shia Labeouf?! Apparently so attractive and distinguished that he was the only one not giving his best 'O'rgasm face for the official posters of Lars Von Trier's Nymphomaniac. I honestly can't wait for Trier's new film especially seeing this outstanding cast come together.

NYMPHOMANIAC is the wild and poetic story of a woman's journey from birth to the age of 50 as told by the main character, the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac, Joe (Gainsbourg). On a cold winter's evening the old, charming bachelor, Seligman (Skarsgård), finds Joe beaten up in an alley. He brings her home to his flat where he cares for her wounds while asking her about her life. He listens intently as Joe over the next 8 chapters recounts the lushy branched-out and multifaceted story of her life, rich in associations and interjecting incidents.

(see more posters via twichfilm.com)

There is not one word that can wholly describe the EXPERIENCE that is Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity. He has masterly succeeded in creating a film that is technically astute as it is emotionally resonating to tell a gripping story of the power of human resilience. Gravity is thrilling enough to satisfy blockbuster lovers as well as impress cinephiles with the pristinely grandiose spectacle of space unseen in any science fiction film in recent years. Sandra Bullock becomes the modern day representation of female heroism as she presents a deeply embedded emotional complexity to her character as Ryan Stone, a fragile astronaut who recently lost a daughter. Not only does she fights the most arduous emotional battle but is also faced with the reality of undertaking one of the most horrifying physical and mental journey to survive space when death seems like an easier answer. Gravity does powerfully tell the story about the perseverance of the human spirit but it is more about the transcendental experience of the film that’ll be remembered for years to come. A

The Craft (1996, Andrew Fleming)

Driver: Watch out for the weirdos, girls.

Nancy: We are the weirdos, mister.

Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity is one of my favorite films of 2013, hands down! And it's an understatement when I say I am completely obsessed with this film that boggled my mind in every aspect. I swear the film itself made me feel like I went on a daycation, IN SPACE! With a record-breaking $55 million at the US box office, it is no wonder why critics and audiences alike love the film. Check out these alternative Gravity posters that have blown my mind. Definitely would have preferred these posters rather than the usual generic bland posters seen on every other bus stop.

(via.shortlist.com)

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Featured Post

IVE MOVED TO A NEW LOCATION!

Beyond Fest '13: Trick 'r Treat (2007) & Poster Giveaway!

AFI FEST: Yeon Sang-ho's The Fake

Jim Jarmusch's 'Only Lovers Left Alive' Trailer

Film Vlog: AFI FEST '13 Schedule

Movie Quote of the Week: The Apartment (1960)

Fredrik Bond's 'Charlie Countryman' Trailer

First Reaction: Trick 'r Treat (2007)

First Reaction: The Counselor (2013)

Movie Quote of the Week: Scream (1996)

Beyond Fest '13: A Field in England (2013)

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Movie Quote of the Week: Martyrs (2008)

'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' (1988) Stills

First Reaction: Carrie (2013)

Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' Poster and Trailer

Beyond Fest '13: Why Don't You Play in Hell (2013)

First Reaction: Captain Phillips (2013)

Lars Von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac' Posters

Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity (2013)

Movie Quote of the Week: The Craft (1996)

Alternative 'Gravity' Posters

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