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Reviews
Ilo Ilo (2013)
In love with Ilo Ilo
Sincere and heartfelt, this little gem will tug at your heartstrings.
This film is director Anthony Chen's debut , but it is executed with such finesse one cannot tell just by watching the film alone. A conscious lack of music allows the acting and characters to really shine--- the former never stilted or cheesy (a common problem in local Singaporean films) ; the latter very believable and connectable. From the retro kitchen tiles to the cassette tapes in Teck's old car, the movie paints a vivid picture of life in the 1990s, without explicitly stating it. The director gives the audience freedom to wander, infer and to truly feel, on their own--not just about time and setting, but also the relationships and nuanced emotions of the characters involved. The camera work also deserves praise as many shots are cleverly done and lighted.
The main story is simple, like a home cooked meal. But like a home cooked meal, it is precious and close to the heart.....I found myself laughing but also really close to tears at certain parts. Growing up in 1990s Singapore, many facets of the movie resonated very strongly with me. But at its core it is a universal human story of love and longing, of growing up and painful goodbyes. The movie will creep up on you, sweep you into it, and hit hard on the emotions.
Only God Forgives (2013)
Don't waste your time on this snooze fest
Trudgingly slow and pretentious, this film has good camera work but so painfully boring to watch due to the pacing. The dialogue is laughably bad and shallow at times. It felt like the scriptwriter is a 12 year old who just discovered cuss words and is jamming them into every sentence he could find-- it gets old quick. Its not shocking, its not edgy, its immature. As an Asian, I got really turned off with the policeman.....banishing his sword in slow mo, doing taichi motions. What is that?? some sort of faux , western imaginary kungfu to make the film more "asian" ? it made me cringe. I do like films that make me think-- but this is just subpar material pretending to be something it isn't.