Movie Review : The Informant! 2009

"Matt Damon is The Informant!"

7 out of 10

Matt Damon in The Informant! plays as Mark Whitacre, a seemingly normal family guy. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, with a few well-known actors, is a movie about Mark Whitacre helping the FBI to uncover the price fixing scandal in a big company that processes corns, ADM. It is loosely based on a real story (and novel) in the 1990s, when I was about as old as the Rugrats.

I spent the last 5 minutes of credits scratching my head. I didn't really get it at first, so I googled some of the stuff mentioned in the movie. I've never read the book - I didn't even know it existed -, I didn't know the scandal because I was still literally sucking my thumbs in those years, and I had no desire to search for some information on IMDB before I watched it either. So yes, I saw this movie with no expectations. And I got lost. Particularly because the movie sets in the main character's point of view. No, it's not that I'm dumb, I just don't want to spoil the fun here. You're listening to the voice-overs and seeing things from his point of view. He is not an average family guy. Let's just say that there is something wrong with him.

One thing I like from this movie is the cinematography. It is so 1990s, I love it. And the pink subtitles as well, it really took you back in to the '90s! I also love the voice-overs. It's like we're hearing what's in his head, you know. Even though he is facing a bad situation, his mind is somewhere else. Just like us. There is no voice-overs that explain what is happening with him, there is only his random thoughts. Like this for example : "When polar bears hunt, they crouch down by a hole in the ice and wait for a seal to pop up. They keep one paw over their nose so that they blend in, because they've got those black noses. They'd blend in perfectly if not for the nose. So the question is, how do they know their noses are black? From looking at other polar bears? Do they see their reflections in the water and think, "I'd be invisible if not for that." That seems like a lot of thinking for a bear." And this is happening when he is in a meeting with CEO of other companies, in other country! See how random that is? Praise for the writer. And praise for Matt Damon as well, for delivering a believable performance. I have never liked him, I never intended on watching his movies before, but I changed my mind after I saw this. Very subtle performance. I give it a 7 out of 10, because it has some plot holes. Yea well I'm not going to spill it here though, I have no intention of giving some spoilers here.

I recommend this movie to anyone that's not searching for a laugh-out-loud type of movies. Although it is listed as a comedy, it doesn't give you a Hangover-esque gags. The humors are all dry and dark - which I like. Well, that's it from me. Ciao!

Movie Review : MILK 2008

"Hello, I'm Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruit you!"

8 out of 10


First of all, I just wanna say that I'm not familiar of the work Gus Van Sant. I know his works are usually not mainstream, but I have never seen his works before.
Before I watched this movie, the only thing I know about Harvey Milk is that he was a gay-activist living in the era of 70's, and that was about it. So I pretty much had no idea who this man was.

MILK, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn, is a movie about a gay-activist fighting for gay rights. His name was Harvey Milk. The movie takes place between the late 60's to 1978. He once said to Dan White - the man that shot him - "that it's not about jobs or rights, that it's their lives that they were and still are fighting for." Up to this day, he was considered to be a hero for many gay people and the gay community. His story inspired many people throughout the years. His story, touched me.
I'm gonna lay it out for you. Before I made this review, I googled Harvey Milk, and watched his interviews on youtube just to see how he was really like. I paid attention on little details, like his mannerisms, the way he talks, the way he sits, the way he laughs.
And then off to Sean Penn's performance as Harvey Milk. Throughout the movie, I wasn't even thinking that I was watching Sean Penn, it was like I was watching somebody else. After I saw the real Harvey Milk, then I knew that I was watching Milk himself, not Penn. It was such a great performance by Penn, he really disappeared in his character so well. He really captured the essence of Milk, and what made Milk, you know, Milk. And he didn't make Milk as that perfect hero, he made him as realistic of human being Milk was. Brilliant performance.

But I think I must give the biggest compliment to Josh Brolin as Senator Dan White. He gave a fascinating performance. Brolin doesn't make Dan White the evil villain, he gives us different aspects of White. I was rather sympathetic of his character, actually. Not that I'm justifying what he did, it's just that I think Josh Brolin gives us the non-stereotypical bad guy in this movie.

Emile Hirsch, as Cleve Jones, gosh this guy has talent! He completely went through it. I mean, I almost believed that he was gay!
James Franco deserves the credit too, as Milk's lover.

Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco - with a group of actors like that, you can never go wrong. A beautiful film, though not a masterpiece, but it is almost getting there. I was hoping I got more insights on Diego Luna's character though. I wasn't sympathetic enough with him. But still, a great movie. Worth the watch, unless you're not homophobic and ultra-conservative.

P.S. : Castro is the place where Milk started his campaign, and the place where all the gay people gathered to give support for him. In this movie, Castro is a major plot of the movie. Without Castro, this story couldn't be told. When I was about 9 or 10 years old, I always passed Castro, you know, just walking along the pavements, or going somewhere with my family. I always passed Castro. Too bad I didn't notice that it was an historical place :(

Movie Review : Into The Wild 2007

*UPDATED*

"I now walk into the wild"

10 out of 10

Into The Wild is a movie about Christopher McCandless, who is running away to Alaska to seek adventure and hides away from the crazy society. "Your great adventure on Alaska," he exclaimed. Based on a true story, it covers his adventure in Alaska, and encounters several people that shaped his life.
After graduating from Emory University, he donated $24,000 from his savings to charity, and running of to the wilderness without his family knowing. No money, no ID, just him and the wild.

Sean Penn, the director of this movie, took almost ten years to get the McCandless permission to film this movie. Well, it was worth it. Emile Hirsch as Christopher McCandless is just flawless. With such little dialog, we could understand what he feels, just from Hirsch's facial expression. Superb acting. And William Hurt as Walt McCandless, oh what a talent. He only appeared once in a while, but we can instantly hate him and feel sorry for him at the same time. There is also the beautiful Catherine Keener as Jan, the hippie. You can't be any more believable than that! Hal Holbrook deserved his Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. He didn't overact, just the perfect amount of sadness in his eyes. His portrayal of a lonely character is outstanding. Perfect. Oh and did I mention that Kristen Stewart is also in this movie as well? Yes, that Twilight girl. Boy, she can act. Her face when Hirsch's character refuses to sleep with her was beautifully deep. We can feel her heart breaks. And Vince Vaughn! He knew that he could act? He should do more of this kind of movie instead of those romantic comedies that doesn't even put great use of his talent.

The scenery in this movie, and the cinematography is just beautiful to watch. Gorgeous. The hot desert, the lonely Alaska, the warm South Dakota, the sound of the current - just marvelous. Sean Penn did a great job directing this movie. He captured every moment beautifully without making it such a big cliche.

Sean Penn proved us that he is a versatile actor. He directs as beautifully as he acts. This movie, is a masterpiece. Regardless of what people say how stupid and selfish Chris McCandless is, it is still worth the watch. But warning, this movie leaves you thinking about your life! And when you get there, just be sure you have as big as the courage of Chris McCandless to follow your dream. Ciao!