REVIEWS

JANUARY RECAP

WATCHED: 30
FIRST WATCHES: 26
REWATCHES: 4

FAV (4-5 stars):
Sentimental Value | The Martian | The League of Gentlemen | Incendies | Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade | Django Unchained | Predator: Badlands | La La Land | Infernal Affairs

WORST (less than 3 stars):
Murder By Death | Now You See Me: Now You Don't | The Bronze

OLDEST: Black Narcissus [1947]
NEWEST: The Rip [2026]


[ CONTAINS SPOILERS ]


INFERNAL AFFAIRS [2002]

★★★★


DIRECTOR:
ALAN MAK SIU-FAI
ANDREW LAU WAI-KEUNG

RUNTIME: 1H41MIN

CAST:
ANDY LAU [LAU KIN MING]
TONY LEUNG CHIU-WAI [CHAN WING YAN]

A good solid watch. I hate the ending for Yan.... I am a firm believer that if someone from a low status being thrown into and grew up in the environment that give him an honourable reputation, they would want to leave their dirty past behind and clean their hands from that so I kinda called that part from the start. Love the tension in this. Bonus, Tony Leung looks so good in this movie.


LA LA LAND [2016]

★★★★★


DIRECTOR: DAMIEN CHAZELLE

RUNTIME: 2H9MIN

CAST:
RYAN GOSLING [SEBASTIAN]
EMMA STONE [MIA]

This movie will make you think of your biggest heartbreak that you've ever experienced.
I love the use of colours in this, makes me think of what it symbolises. Heartbreaking, beautiful and realistic all in one. We all need someone that believes in us to reach our dreams. Last scene makes me cry. I like that they include the 'What If' scene but for the reason that, that is their 'La La Land'. Everything led them to where they are because it happened. It won't guarantee them success if they have different decision to prioritise their relationship. It's really bittersweet. The main score that represents their relationship is so beautiful, I had to add it to my playlist right away.


PREDATOR: BADLANDS [2025]

★★★★½


DIRECTOR: DAN TRACHTENBERG

RUNTIME: 1H47MIN

CAST:
ELLE FANNING [THIA/TESSA]
DIMITRIUS SCHUSTER-KOLOAMATANGI [DEK/FATHER]
NAVI NARAYAN [BUD]

I love this!!! I went into this with not much expectations because I've never seen any other Predator movies except for the first one. I did not expect the humour and totally not the cute lil creature. I've said this before...cute creatures will always have my heart. I'm smiling ear to ear watching Thia and Dek, even teared up because of Bud before the final scene. I just can't keep my eyes off the screen. I'm probably giving this 4.5 because it's a found family trope that I like that I didn't expect in a Predator movie.

The 'Before" Trilogy'

BEFORE SUNRISE [1995], BEFORE SUNSET [2004], BEFORE MIDNIGHT [2013]

[ CONTAINS SPOILERS ]

Last month, I finally mustered myself to watch the Before trilogy. I wasn’t expecting an extraordinary movie that’s going to change my life because I’ve read the description for the first movie. It wasn’t my type of romance that I seek out to watch. It’s like strangers to lovers with a sprinkle of love at first sight? I’m an ‘enemies to lovers’ trope eater thru and thru. I love to see yearning that hurts so bad and it’s worth it when the main characters finally got together. I gotta say this trilogy was underwhelming and I feel like I’m in the minority for this. I know that movies are not catered to your moral beliefs and values. It’s telling different perspectives of life and some are meant to go against the audiences’ values. However, I’m only human and sometimes I can’t separate my values from the movies.

In Before Sunrise, the two strangers had a meet cute on a train. They instantly clicked and the conversations were flowing smoothly. Some of the things I love about the movies was the conversations that they had and the idea of fleeting connection you have with someone you’ve just met. I could listen to them speak all day. It makes me yearn to have that kind of connection with someone at least once. I don’t think I’ve ever met and dated a man with that kind of depth and eloquence, it’s such a shame. I don’t think I’ve been truly honest with anyone ever in my life and just be vulnerable to talk about feelings that way. My favourite scene of them was the fake telephone call to their friends. The chemistry between them was undeniably amazing I love Céline and the way she thinks. I relate to her. However, the more I watch, the lesser I like Jesse which is what I’m conflicted about. Like Céline said about wanting to sleep with him when she got off the train with him but not anymore after hearing him talk. That’s how I feel about Jesse. Because at the end of the day, it’s just a fleeting experience with rose tinted glasses on which is what I’m taking from this because I’m kinda cynical about love at first sight romance.

Before Sunset makes me realised that I may not be a romantic like I thought and more of a cynical. I don’t know whether it’s the movies or it’s me, now 26, feels cynical about love itself. Jesse gave me icks a couple times more in this one. I just don’t think I like his character to be honest. But that’s also the point of the movie as well that it is not as rose tinted as Before Sunrise. It’s where you can feel the ugliness and reality seeps in a little. The dialogues feel more natural in this movie. I like this one slightly less than the first. What I’m not a fan of in romance stories is cheating. The both of them are technically emotionally cheating in this one and I hate it.

Before Midnight is the weakest one in the trilogy in my opinion. This movie explains why I feel conflicted with the previous two movies. It is seen as the reality of their relationship and showing that every relationship goes through this stage (which I don’t believe in). This movie is what I envisioned their relationship would be like and it’s bad. I could see why both of them turned out to be like that at this stage of their relationship. I could see the red flags from Jesse from the previous two movies so I’m not affected by that but it makes me feel speechless to see Céline lost her wisdom in this one. I get that grew to be angrier and just letting it all out on Jesse but I thought her character would be much more mature with time. She became irrational and I really did not want to side with Jesse on this. It’s just sad to see her change to this extent. They did not resolve anything at the end. They chose to show Jesse and Céline’s reality and they did. Am I surprised with how they turned out? No, because I knew I did not like that they got together when they were both in relationships in the first place. Before Midnight shows how miserable their love is and may this love not find me.