✨ my rating: 3 of 5 stars ✨

Finally watched this after hearing much about it! I watched the “new” director’s cut version of it, unable to find the original shorter one. It was three hours, but wasn’t awfully draggy.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first part, which chronicled Toto’s childhood days. All the characters, whether major or minor ones, had subtle and endearing qualities – virtues and flaws alike. The purity and wholesomeness of Toto’s friendship with Alfredo, plus the lovely and sweet shots of Italian life really captivated me, and the plot buildup of the cinema and the joys it brought to the people was so lovely. My favourite part was when they managed to cast the movie onto a building so that the people in the outdoor courtyard could see it! It was so heartening :’) I also loved how the director used shadows and light to create striking shots (for instance, when lightning flashed on adult Toto’s face as he was thinking of the past).

However, the last hour of the film grew increasingly boring to me. Toto’s relationship with Elena took centre stage, and masked the more interesting dynamic of him and Alfredo. Adult Toto’s return to the town was dragged on far too long for my enjoyment. I thought that his reunion scene with Elena in the car, for instance, was unnecessary (and the whole part about him following Elena’s daughter around was just weird). And then the ending – some may love it, but it felt so unsatisfactory to me. In retrospect, I guess I can see how it was trying to be lightly touching, in conveying how the movies carried forth his romance in a way… but I just felt like it was off the mark, and once again, really protracted.

Ironically, I think splicing off bits of the movie, just like how they spliced off bits of film, and focusing on the first part would have made it better.

Cinema Paradiso; directed by Giuseppe Tornatore

🌹date watched: 15 jan 2019 🌹

✨ my rating: 3.5 of 5 stars ✨

As with every Wes Anderson film, I greatly admired the cinematography and the sheer uniqueness of the world he created. His creativity and talent is seen in how he spins a normal boy-meets-girl story into a whimsical tale involving tiny boy scouts, a very intense female lead, and a narrator who reminds me of a leprechaun.

The characters were each distinctive and well-rounded – the two young leads were remarkably endearing despite (or because of?) their curt and bland dialogue; the adults were irresponsible, flawed but most of all human in their shortcomings and desires; the other children were determined and wholesome. The sunny, cheery compositions of the shots were thoughtfully juxtaposed with the underlying darker themes of violence and sadness. I love how Anderson does that – builds a surreal world where strange things that are normalised (like a mother running around with a megaphone), making it seem far away and unreal; yet at the same time, brings out themes and emotions that compel one to see themselves in the different characters.

However, I was pretty bothered by the sexualisation of the children, particularly of Suzy. She was basically in her underwear for a large portion of the film (while Sam wasn’t), and there was that scene where they’re uh, dancing and talking about sex. They’re twelve, by the way. It honestly made me uncomfortable, and the wholesome relationship to me was tainted by the sexually suggestive scenes. Furthermore, there were some parts that just seemed – random and abrupt, like Sam getting blitzed by lightning but turning out a-okay and continuing to run around. I’d say overall the movie was good, but these parts definitely cast a shadow over my enjoyment of it.

Moonrise Kingdom; directed by Wes Anderson

🌹date watched: 13 jan 2019 🌹