It’s been a while since I tackled about movies I've seen in a while so let me just narrow it down a bit in case you want to watch films worthy of your viewing time.
OKJA
2017 | Action\Adventure Film
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Main Casts:
• Tilda Swinton (Lucy Mirando)
• Mija (Ahn Seo-hyu)
Okja is one of those films I would highly recommend to everyone because aside from it's rated PG, it also imparts a very good message to its viewers. It’s been on my facebook and Instagram feeds for a quite sometime already yet I never got the chance to watch it until recently. I was under the impression it’s just another one of those CGI movies for kids, little did I know it will eventually add up to my list of highly recommended flicks and I regret not having watched it sooner. The film is all about the strife and utmost inhumanly cruel treatment some animals are subjected to just to meet the overwhelming demand for their meat.
Lucy Mirando, the new CEO of Mirando Corporation revamped her grandfather’s company and introduced the ‘Super Pig.’ I was curious what the hell ‘super pig’ is about until Lucy Mirando started talking about them. I learned 26 pigs will be exported across the world for local farmers to nurture and the best pig of them all will be crowned the winner. The thing is, they are being bred for one specific purpose, to produce the best tasting meat. One of these super pigs happened to be ‘Okja’, a pig assigned to Mija’s grandfather who lives in South Korea. One day, a TV host and his crew (sent by Mirando) went to South Korea to award Okja the ‘super pig’ crown. Mija, the young girl who takes care of Okja and loves him dearly wasn’t aware that Mirando’s crew will take Okja to New York for the awarding ceremony (although the main purpose is to bring Okja to the slaughter house afterwards). Mija was heartbroken and ran away, took the golden pig her grandfather gave her in lieu of Okja to follow the poor pig which was taken to the Mirando Headquarter in South Korea and all hell broke loose. Lucy, scared of the bad publicity asked her staff to fly Mija to N.Y to reunite with Okja (although it will not change anything, Okja will still be slaughtered though).
The ALF (Animal Liberation Front) did the best that they can to free Okja but failed. However, Mija was able to sneak at the Mirando slaughter house and negotiated with Lucy’s evil twin sister to free Okja. How? She gave Lucy’s twin the ‘golden pig’ (from her grandfather) in exchange for Okja’s freedom. Mija went back to Korea with Okja and a baby super pig in tow she and Okja discreetly rescued from the slaughter house. The End.
I really love this film because it is very satirical as it’s aim is to reach out and send a message to humankind how horrible animals go through just to gratify people’s craving for meat.
***
The Zookeeper’s Wife
2017 | War-Drama FIlm
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Main Casts:
• Jessica Chastain as Antonina Żabińska
• Johan Heldenbergh as Jan Żabiński - Antonina’s husband
• Daniel Brühl as Lutz Heck
Setting: Warsaw, Poland
The film is based on true events and derived from the diaries of Antonina Żabińska People and Animals, 1968. Husband and wife Jan and Antonina Żabińska owns the Warsaw zoo until German troops stormed Warsaw, Poland in 1939 which left many of their animals dead whilst the precious species shipped to Germany as per Lutz Heck’s recommendation. Lutz is also known as ‘Hitler’s zoologist.’ The latter is also fond of Antonina.
Antonina and his husband were separated by the war but I guess it was good karma that reunited them for helping more than hundreds of Jews in need because after the war, Jan was lucky to be alive after a gunshot wound in the neck which almost killed him. Aside from Jan and Antonina, their two kids along with few of their friends survived as well. The couple revived the Warsaw Zoo.
The Zookeeper’s Wife is actually tragic as it accounts the ordeal of Jews in Warsaw during the war and the zoo served as their refuge. Jan and Antonina risked their lives to help strangers and friends in grave danger to be persecuted by the German troops. I read they were able to help somewhere around 300 Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto (Jewish residential district) back then which was truly honorable and kindhearted of them. I think genocide is one of the worst imaginable crime or act of evil history has ever known. Watching films like this gives me ample reasons to be thankful for being alive today. I however lament over this part of our history and pray to never happen again in anyone’s lifetime. No human being or animal deserves such cruelty and I am saying this from a standpoint of a person who believes in act of kindness and cruelty free world for both humans and animals alike. I am no fan of zoos but what the Żabińska’s did was exceptionally noble.
***
This Beautiful Fantastic
2016 | British romantic drama
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Jessica Brown Findlay as Bella Brown - Alfie’s odd tenant
• Tom Wilkinson as Alfie Stephenson - Bella’s landlord
• Andrew Scott as Vernon - Alfie’s cook
• Jeremy Irvine as Billy - Bella’s love interest
I find this movie quite unique because the heroine of the story, Bella Brown has OCD (Obsessive Cumpulsive Disorder), she survived after bunch of broody ducks sat on her when she was still a baby abandoned somewhere then found by a lunatic. Bella grew up having a knack for organizing things as well. As a grown up she seek a job at the library while writing a children’s book and rented a room in an apartment owned by a grumpy old man named Alfie. Landlord Alfie is passionate about plants, sickly due to old age, has a daughter named Milly, also his personal doctor and a cook named Vernon. I think Bella grew a liking for Billy, an inventor who often go to the library to read books about architecture and stuff.
Alfie do not like Bella at first because she find her antics ridiculous possibly not aware of her OCD and did not appreciate when she accidentally ruined the garden thus sent out his own admin guy to give Bella a deadline to fix the garden. Bella and Alfie became friends when Alfie helped her in fixing the garden. Vernon, Alfie’s cook got fed up of his demeanor thus offered to work for Bella which she really didn’t have any choice anyways because he worked for her nevertheless. Billy asked Bella on a date but stood her up and eventually saw him out on the street with a girl which broke her heart. Alfie and Vernon worked together to help Bella mend her broken heart. It was revealed that Billy had an accident that’s why she stood Bella up and that the girl he’s with that day was actually his twin sister George. Alfie passed on so it wasn’t really a happy ending supposedly hadn’t Bella’s book got published and yeah Bella and Billy’s date finally pushed through. The End.
Some compared This Beautiful Fantastic with this french film Amelie (also one of my fave movies) because of Bella’s similarities with Amelie since they’re both quirky although I don’t think Amelie had OCD, she just find pleasure in odd stuff (stone skimming, burying her fingers in grains etc.) as oppose to Bella who find pleasure in organizing things. Nevertheless, I enjoyed watching neither films plus I always find eccentric heroine in every story really interesting.
***
Gifted
2017 | American comedy-drama
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Chris Evans as Frank Adler - Mary’s Uncle
• Mckenna Grace as Mary Adler - the gifted kid
• Lindsay Duncan as Evelyn Adler - Mary’s grandmother; Frank’s mother
• Jenny Slate as Bonnie Stevenson - Mary’s Teacher
• Octavia Spencer as Roberta Taylor - Mary’s adult friend; Frank’s neighbor
I so love this movie.
Frank chose to take care of Mary, his niece, after his sister (Mary’s mother) committed suicide. He decided to home school Mary eluding the possible consequences if the child will go to a regular school which puzzled me at first. Mary is friends with an adult neighbor named Roberta who also intervenes with Frank’s decisions involving the child since she knew what happened to Frank’s sister and was adamant when the latter decided to send Mary to a regular school. Little did I knew Mary’s an exceptional child, she’s gifted with uncanny ability to solve complex mathematical equations which she for sure acquired from her mother. Evelyn, Franks mother and Mary’s grandma, a British woman with a strong resolve to intervene with Frank’s way of raising Mary.
Evelyn showed a great interest on Mary like she did with Mary’s mother, Frank’s sister who eventually committed suicide leaving a complex mathematical equation unsolved. Evelyn and Frank even went to legal battles as to who would raise and care for the child since she found Frank financially incompetent. Frank on the other hand was persistent as well fighting for Mary’s custody because that’s what his sister, Mary’s mom would’ve wanted, for Mary to have a normal childhood and not experience the same pressure she felt from her control freak mother Evelyn. The legal battle for Mary’s custody was painstaking and had reach the point wherein Fred, Mary’s one eyed cat was almost euthanized hadn’t Bonnie, Mary’s teacher found an ad with Fred on it. Evelyn took Fred to a shelter to put him down because she’s allergic to cats (oh how I hate this woman!). Frank got to the shelter on time, took Fred back and in the long run got the custody for Mary which I don’t think happened legally after he gave Evelyn what she wanted, a proof that her daughter eventually solved the mathematical equation before she committed suicide to be published supposedly after Evelyn’s death which I think jolted her.
Frank and Mary’s separation was really heartbreaking because he never wanted anything but what’s best for the child. I hated Evelyn because she was a selfish woman and was just after her daughter’s name and photo to put on MIT’s hall of fame. What made it worst was she wanted Mary to finish what her mother started because she knew she can not taking into consideration she’s a child who derserves to have a normal life like regular kids do. I totally get her point, she wants what’s best for her daughter back then but her approach was more of selfish than selfless to me.
This movie is a must watch to parents with over achiever kids. That, some parents need to give their kids a break and let them ‘be kids.’ Yes, kids require all the guidance they need because they still cannot decide for themselves, but, adults should know better.
***
The Kids Are All Right
2010 | American comedy-drama film
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Casts:
• Julianne Moore as Jules Allgood - Joni & Laser’s biological mother; Dr. Nic’s wife.
• Annette Bening as Dr. Nicole 'Nic' Allgood - the control freak mother of Joni & Laser, an OB/GYN.
• Mia Wasikowska as Joni Allgood - 18 year old daughter of Jules & Nic; set to leave for college
• Josh Hutcherson as Laser Allgood - 15 year old son of Jules & Nic
• Mark Ruffalo as Paul Hatfield - donorJules & Nic’s anonymous sperm ; biological father of Joni & Laser.
Jules and Nic is a lesbian couple with two adopted kids, Joni & Laser and have been together for less than 20 years. Jules is a free spirited woman who gave up her music degree at the Juilliard Music School when she met Nic, a doctor as far as I remember. Joni and Laser on the other hand became curious one day to meet their biological father and contacted the sperm back to ask for Paul’s contact number (before Joni leave for college in few months) without their parents knowing about it.
Joni and Laser successfully obtained Paul’s number and went for a visit. They both learned that Paul owns an organic food restaurant and Toni finds him cool while the meet up was somewhat awkward for Laser. Jules and Nic eventually found out that the two already met Paul and thought at first Laser is gay and have been keeping secrets from them. They invited Paul over to clear the air and things went complicated afterwards. Jules and Paul started having sexual relations after Jules was employed by Paul to decorate his garden since Jules runs a landscape design business. Jules and Nic’s relationship went rocky after the latter learned what happened between Jules and Paul during a family dinner visit to Paul’s place. Things went back to the way it was after the chaos, the couple though did not communicate with Paul anymore I think because he was already out of the picture until Jules and Nic sent Joni off to college. The End.
I like this movie because it was unconventional which is what’s really happening in real life. Gone are the days when closet kings and queens are scared to be what they’re really are, afraid to be ostracized by the society. I’m always a firm believer of equal rights for everyone. Amen.
***
The Circle
2017 | American techno-thriller film
my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Emma Watson as Mae Holland - newest employee of the Circle
• Tom Hanks as Eamon Bailey - head and co-founder of The Circle
• John Boyega as Ty Lafitte/Kalden - Mae's co-worker; creator of True You, a very popular Circle product.
• Karen Gillan as Annie Allerton - Mae's best friend and helped to be employed at the Circle; a high-ranking member of the company.
• Ellar Coltrane as Mercer - Mae's childhood friend; furniture maker
Mae, stuck in her regular job which involves pacifying irate customers was recommended by her best friend Annie to get a job at the Circle, an elite company with good salary and benefits. Little did Mae know The Circle is a no holds barred workplace, they do not value privacy and believes that a nation would be more progressive if the leaders are transparent to public. Mae was overwhelmed by what The Circle stands for and was even placed on spot to look for her friend Mercer who went into hiding after he was bashed for creating chandelier made from of deer antlers (which he made for Mae’s parents). Mercer unfortunately died after his car fell off the road because he was being chased by people from The Circle. Mae was traumatized for what happened thus decided to get back at The Circle’s founder Eamon and his other colleague, she dared them to be transparent as well if they’re not hiding anything from the public themselves. Before I forget, Mae got acquainted with Ty, True You’s found (I think it’s their version of YouTube) unaware he was the infamous Ty Lafitte. She found out that The Circle has abused the use of True You as they began using it to invade individual’s privacy which was not the real essence for its existence or something like that. In the end, I think The Circle became even more popular which aimed to further uphold transparency.
The Circle is very timely actually because everyone nowadays seemed to broadcast every tad bit of their waking hours in YouTube, Instagram, Facebook etc. The aim of transparency is good because this would avoid closed door agendas, conspiracies and what not especially in the government, but, as a regular citizen I think this would be a breach of ones privacy which I myself wouldn’t be happy about. Too much of something is always bad enough.
My insight, hmmm…I think this movie isn’t very easy to grasp especially to those who aren’t very internet buff/savvy. I think most people would still prefer the conventional/old school ways because exposing your life to the public isn’t always good as too much information often lead to perilous situations. Anyways, as an end note, be responsible enough when it comes to the amount of information you divulge. Being flashy over the world wide web mostly do not work to ones advantage.
So, that’s it for now. 😘
***
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - highly recommended
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - somewhat highly recommended
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - it was alright.
⭐️⭐️ - nah.
⭐️ - waste of time.
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