Movie: Lust, Caution (2007) (Chinese)
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Tang Wei, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai
What is it about Ang Lee making his movies exceedingly long? And exceedingly beautiful as well. This one is set on the backdrop of tormented China under the Japanese occupation of Nanking and Shanghai. With such a patriotic backdrop, the movie confines itself to explore the emotions of the protagonist only, making it all the more beautiful.
The story follows a young woman, voluntarily part of "the resistance" against the Japanese, recruited to seduce a traitor and thus, help accomplish his assassination. With the failed trials, the assassination plot stretches for 4years. It keeps us guessing to which side does her moral compass actually point. Although extremely professional, she does have her emotional outbursts and flaws.
Beauty: You will empathize and speculate at the same time. Absolutely unpredictable. The story greatly relies on the unpredictability of the characters than the plot itself, which is always more intriguing and effective.
Movie: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) (Romanian)
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Starring: Anamaria Marinca
Abortion has always been a controversial theme, both in reality and movies. Is an unwanted child better than a murdered foetus?
The movie is a masterpiece. It cleverly portrays the inner conflicts and insecurities of not-so-ready to-be-mothers - how important it is for women to be independent before they start a family, how casually judgmental men are towards accidental pregnancies even after being half responsible for such situations.
The story is about two friends, one pregnant and one helping, how both of them are victimized by the man who carries out the abortion procedure. More than the man taking advantage of their helplessness, the women taking each other for granted makes it all the more gruesome and intriguing at the same time.
Beauty:The conditional relentlessness of the protagonist in helping out her friend.
Food for Thought: Who decides what is best in case of accidental pregnancies?
Movie: Can't Buy Me Love (1987)
Director: Steve Rash
Starring: Patrick Dempsey and Amanda Peterson
Most people just love Patrick Dempsey. I, for one, don't. From Grey's Anatomy to Valentine's Day, the characters he has played have always angered me. Never found a hint of sympathy to forgive the characters' betrayals and utter confidence. This brings me to the very important question: whether or not the forgiveness of a character's foul plays depends on how cute the actor who plays it is. So if the protagonist is likely to mess up a lot before he makes up for it should be twice as cute as the one who messes up only a little. I don't think Patrick Dempsey is that cute and looking back, he is the only actor who has played protagonists (not antagonists) with such twisted characters, almost always forgiven by the heroine and presumably the audience. Is he really that irresistibly cute?
Now, this movie belongs to a not-so-known early phase of Dempsey's career. A nerd pays 1000$ to the most popular girl in school (played by Amanda Peterson) so she would go out with him for a month and make him popular. The deal starts off as an embarrassment for Peterson, but the two begin to bond as the month comes to an end. However, Ronald Miller (Dempsey) honors the agreement and insists on staging a public, respectable break-up. He soon becomes the most popular guy in school and loses everything that was honorable in himself and his life. And soon after his secret behind his foray into popularity was revealed and he was abandoned by everyone in school, until he stands up for another nerd one day, which earns him Cindy Mancini's (Peterson) forgiveness.
Pointlessness:Who forgives a jerk over a melodramatic, extravagant speech?
Food for Thought: Who else has played a jerk protagonist earning easy forgiveness?
