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EvanKwok
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Equilibrium (2002)
The speech I'd give at the opening of the liberated Libria.
It made me reflect on what it means to be human, to be alive. Incredible acting, aesthetics & engaging storytelling with great pacing & cinematography. Freedom & expression is an innate human need & this was a thought provoking, stylish & engaging movie. A classic.
This is the speech I would give at the opening ceremony of the liberated-Libria.
Sacred In Sense.
Don't forget to;
Slowly sniff the scarlet rose, eyes closed. Ahhhh.
Salivate as the salty, spicy, sour, bittersweet umami paints pictures on your palette. Mmmm.
Slowly stroke the sinuous silks & sandy silts, skin on skin, breathe within.
Stare at hues of violet blues & pomegranate rouge. Grassy knolls of orange blossom. Look up! The psychedelic swirl of cerulean blues & crimson cushions.
Sway to the songbirds hymn, that sweet soul whistle in the morning wind.
Stand in the stillness of the motion. Still, in the chaos of commotion.
Savour the moments that memories are made of, one wave at a time.
As past, present, future collide.
For now is the time.
What truly moves you?
What makes you feel alive?
What transcends you from time?
Sensoria!
The sacred synchronicity of the senses.
The sensory euphoria of the soul.
The communion with the divine.
The Ode to Omni.
Awareness of alive.
Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Unconventional, excessive & egotistical.
If you want to sit through 3 hours Ari's subconscious trauma played out on screen then go ahead. It's unconventional, excessive & egotistical. I didn't try to guess what was 'real' or 'in his head' as there's no point & I understand there's no real distinction in essence as his delusion forms his reality. I just thought it was produced by someone with serious mental issues which I don't need more of in my life. It's an interesting take on childhood trauma, mental issues, psychosis & the overbearing mother theme, filmed in a creative way but the gaudiness and one dimensional lead character detracted from its power. Sometimes more is more. Sometimes less is more. I feel like this was ambitious as a movie, cathartic for the director, fun for the actors involved but tedious & exhausting for the audience. Could have almost been great but the execution didn't feel harmonious.
The Fountain (2006)
Will you go towards life or against death?
A thought provoking philosophical film about life, deaf, love, fear, the self & transcendence. What really leads to immortality?
If you spend all your time fighting against death, hurting others, going against nature to try & prolong your life or find the fountain of youth are you truly living?
Is the quest to find the fountain of youth something that is materially found in time & space? Or is it a metaphysical, spiritual challenge in overcoming the limitations of the mind?
If you want to prolong life, what is it that can truly be eternal? Why do some fear death while others don't and are able to see it as an act of creation?
These are some of the questions that came to mind when watching The Fountain. A pensive, reflective, non linear film full of life & death. Not a film for pure consumption or mindless entertainment which is probably why it is so underappreciated by the masses. Visually poetic with interesting uses of fundamental shapes to connote different periods or phases of life. Brilliant.
Le bleu du caftan (2022)
A philosophical, tender meditation on love, life, death & expression.
A love story unlike any other. The love of craft & beauty, love of another person, the romantic love of two people at once, love of life itself & the love for the simplest things in life that give life meaning.
It is set in an independant caftan store in a small town in Morocco where the husband & wife owner craft hand stitched, quality caftans against the backdrop of a modernising trade that uses machinery. Customers are demanding, often impatient & the craft of hand made caftans is slowly losing to quickly made caftans via sewing machines.
You appreciate the value of craftsmanship, passion & the process involved through the intimate filming & sheer amount of time it takes to hand stitch a caftan.
The husband is secretly gay & starts to develop feelings for the new apprentice. His wife, who he dearly loves likely knows but loves him for who he is. This exploration of sexuality & free expression in the small town setting is heart wrenching as is the way the movie depicts the husbands love for his increasingly sick wife.
It makes you think about what love really is. With the sick wife facing her mortality, she still holds on to her sense of duty while making the most of the simplest things in life.
The apprentice adds an interesting dynamic & shows the loyalty of the husband when his wife truly needs him despite him also being sexually interested in men.
The music, setting, foods, drinks, hamams & clothing give an intimate insight in to small town Moroccan life. The creation & eventual destination of the Blue Caftan is a metaphor for how we might choose to make decisions in life based on love, rather than just money.
A powerful, philosophical, tender & heartwrenching movie that makes you feel. Well done!
Walad min al-Janna (2022)
Is religion the illegal arm of the government? A bold, daring, thought provoking philosophical film.
Incredible movie, even though it's set in Egypt in the context of the most esteemed Islamic university in the world, the themes are globally relevant.
It gives an experience of the potential corruption of religious groups by government & ulterior interests in order to influence the population. It gives an insight in to the motivations from multiple sides of the struggle for power & holds a mirror up to the human condiiton.
There's also themes of ethical choices, family, sacrifice, exploitation, hope & human nature. Great acting, suspenseful & visually intimate. Is religion the illegal arm of the government? Can you structure a centralised institution in a way that it won't be corrupted? What are the aims of the government, the religous organisation & the individual?
A bold, daring, thought provoking philosophical film.
The Whale (2022)
Tedious, cliche, overacted & one dimensional, a bloated, overdramatised attempt to pull at your heart
I found it tedious, cliche, overacted and one dimensional. Completely overrated. It was trying too hard to be moving but in the most obvious way. The theme had promise but the way it was executed felt a bit empty. The angsty teenage daughter, the alcoholic mum, the overprotective no-nonsense but good hearted friend, the innocent but troubled preacher kid. I've seen it all before.
I think it over emphasised his physical weight in order to try to depict disgust to the point of him feeling like a caricature. His acting was decent but lacked subtlety. It didn't properly touch on why he has given up on himself when he seemingly is intelligent, somewhat positive and wants to get to know his daughter more. There could have been flashbacks to some more foundational moments of his life to really humanise how he has become the way he is. Worst movie I've seen this year although this year I saw Banshees, Tar, The Menu, Cloud Atlas, Enter the Void and Everything Everywhere all of which I think were more interesting.
Enter the Void (2009)
Tedious, egotistical, traumatic, somewhat philosophical & epileptic.
Tedious, egotistical, traumatic, somewhat philosophical and epileptic.
It's a shame because the themes of life, death, childhood innocence, psychedelics, parenthood, sex, money and life are interesting. Yet there's no clear direction as it's pervaded by excessive camera tricks, flashing lights, sex scenes, psychedelic visuals and people doing drugs. It feels like it is trying too hard to be edgy, impressive, shocking but it takes away from the story telling. The lighting, visual effects and mood are commendable but obnoxiously used which takes away from their power. Psychedelics and plant medicines if used correctly can be highly consciousness expanding, transcendental, spiritual experiences. This paints them in a very one dimensional way and it tried too hard to reference too many types of drugs when the focus was supposed to be on DMT. It was confused. Is it trying to be mainly a story about dealing with death, DMT, childhood trauma, the living dead lifestyle of modern people, the sad lifestyle of drug abusers and sex workers, the loss of childhood innocence or a showcase of a style of film making? By trying to be too many things at once it fails to do anything outstanding. It's flashing, cutting, panning, zooming and attention seeking far too often to allow any of the philosophical themes to resonate properly. Many scenes are quite traumatic such as the children in the car crash. It felt like a movie made to help the directors process their own unresolved traumas and psychedelic trips. It felt heavy and wounded. I found myself wanting it to end. DMT should be used in a sacred manner, not as some tool for a junkie to try when he has exhausted everything else. One should not be walking around in a big city trying to deliver drugs while on DMT. It's much more than some trippy visuals. It's a complete philosophical and existential rollercoaster which this film failed to convey. Had potential but not impressed.
Cloud Atlas (2012)
A true masterpiece philosophically, artistically & experientially.
It's a universal battle between the head and the heart which plays out across time and space. Sometimes you need to experience what you are not to know what you are. Sometimes you need to look beyond the surface to get to the core of the story. Essentially, it's expressions of the same story told concurrently across the ages.
What's the strongest force in the universe? What's the highest governing principle on all planes of existence? Is it survival of the fittest no matter the consequences or is there a hunger of the heart that no matter can satisfy? The life force of the heart that hungers for love. The love of freedom, the love of expression, love of life, love of connection & the love of virtue.
A true masterpiece philosophically, artistically & experientially. The pace, the transitions, the dialogue, the character development, the 6 concurrent story lines somehow flowed effortlessly due to the interconnected theme.
It's a movie about the fundamental drives of existence. I'd say the human condition, but Sonmi-451 a clone known as a "fabricant" alludes to the sort of universal force needed in order to override your programming. The sort of drive needed to override the will to live.
One of the greatest love stories ever expressed, in the way it depicted the power of the spectrum of love in such seemingly different settings forcing you to look beyond the material.
If you view this from the surface, have a short attention span or come in with too many expectations as to how a movie should be, you won't be able to appreciate the genius & heart of this movie. It's more than a movie. It's a timeless piece of art. A philosophical expression. A feat in film making. A metaphor for the interconnection of all life.
Especially given that Natalie Portman gave a copy of the original novel to Lana Wachowski, who became deeply interested in it. A year later, both Wachowskis wrote the first draft of the screenplay. The book's style was inspired by Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveller, which contains several incomplete, interrupted narratives. Mitchell said that the book's title was inspired by the music of the same name by Japanese composer Toshi Ichiyanagi: "I bought the CD just because of that track's beautiful title."His previous novel, number9dream, was inspired by music by John Lennon. Both Ichiyanagi and Lennon were husbands of Yoko Ono.
There is a method to this tale of the madness of all life. One of the most daring, interesting & original movies I've ever seen.
Kajillionaire (2020)
Powerful & thought provoking
This movie is powerful and explores many universal themes that will leave you thinking. From family dynamics, to finding yourself, connection, confronting mortality, learning to live, to what people are willing to do to make a living. Most people are a product of their environment but we still have choice if we choose to see. Sometimes someone sees something in us that allows us to rediscover who we are. The characters draw you in, the take on a dysfunctional family is interesting and I think everyone will take away many personal insights if they give this their undivided attention. It's not a comedy per say although I did laugh at moments. Just come in without expectations and enjoy the moment. It's a rollercoaster of emotions. From pain to joy to sadness to hurt and to beauty. A bit of a metaphor for life really. A beautiful movie.