10/10 movie marathon

POTENTIAL MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

Project 365 #31: Monday, 16th March 2009

Quite possibly the best and most underrated film of 2008. Look at the lines – but then again just one single hilarious line from the movie doesn’t really mean anything.

I continued watching In Bruges (from where I stopped previously, or some scenes near it anyway) at past midnight since I realised I really couldn’t get anyone to watch a brilliant flick with me. And “past midnight” would’ve made my written date above to be incorrect technically, but would’ve made things difficult. I’m a midnight movie man, especially when I’m watching one on my own – I gleam pleasure from doing so, it’s probably the stillness of the entire house knowing that no one would bother me while I’m intensely focused on events unfolding before my laptop monitor, or because at that time my air-conditioner would be turned on, leaving me sufficiently comfortable and prepped up for my lazy leisure time.

But I digress.

In Bruges is a dark comedy, and that’s lightly putting it because it smoothly turns from comedy to somewhat of a tragedy. I can safely say that this movie’s a keeper and something I wouldn’t mind re-watching over and over again if time permits. I was also pleased to actually ‘have’ (note the single-quotation marks) the DVD, meaning I get to watch the extras – the deleted scenes, interviews with the director and casts, a short brief tour of Bruges by boat, gag reels, etc – and that keeps me happy and entertained.

This movie easily earned a 10/10 from me. My 10s are not easily earned.

Project 365 #32: Tuesday, 17th March 2009

My afternoons are usually a bore during a mid-sem break, because they usually mean I have menial things to do like studying. And studying. And this afternoon is no different, because I spent it doing my French homework, accidentally taking a 2-3 hour nap (I’m not pleased at the amount of time wasted, because my nap limit usually hovers around 30 minutes), then waking up to study Macroeconomics 2 for a bit.

I decided to watch Memento, a 2000 film directed by Christopher Nolan. Got this movie – among others – off Kai Tzin when he came over to my house (incidentally, when we were watching 20th Century Boys and In Bruges), or rather, he was the one who transferred the flicks over to me. During an MSN conversation with Suet yesterday (after I finished watching In Bruges), I asked for movie recommendations since – I thought – our tastes are similar, and Memento came up. A quick check on imdb showed a staggering high average user rating of 8.7/10, so this HAS to be good.

And it is. The reverse chronological bit was ingenious, that plot twist, and how Nolan managed to lead us to believe things on screen and proceeded to show that things aren’t what they seem to be.. is just.. clever, for the lack of a better word. I guess it shows from his track record from his future movies (after Memento) such as The Prestige (again which I absolutely loved) and The Dark Knight.

Briefly, the plot is this (taken from imdb): A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife. And I thought that the snapshot I took of the movie above fits this plot summary perfectly.

I never realised how in-depth imdb could get – found out that they actually have an FAQ section for movies (for Memento, it’s particularly long as this movie makes you think and raise questions, and I like movies that would actually make you think for a bit after the credit starts to roll), and a parental guide section.

Another 10/10 gem. I’m on a roll for refreshing, original movies, and let’s just hope that my next choice – Mystic River – on Suet’s recommendation, would keep the ball of personally rated 10 movies going.