Juno

I can’t believe I bailed out on a free pass to see the screening of this film and was willing to forget all about it. Little that I know … this film became my favorite of the month. It could even possibly be the greatest for the next months to come. Juno is a witty-teeny young girl who became the victim of her own burning desires; a time when we all begin to discover the attraction of the other sex.

Juno was clearly not ready to have this baby. She knew it the day she conceived it. So, she decided to give the baby for adoption.

One thing that I like to find in a film is the dialogs. There are only a few hand of films that I can say meet the standard of “unique,” not necessarily different but something that one can really relate to. That connection could be an exact imitation of some people around us or simply the fact that their conversation is unbearably true. To name a few, take for example Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill I & II and Coffee and Ciggarettes by Jim Jarmusch these films are known for how real the characters try to communicate (to you). Things are said in a subtle, direct, and possibly the way you would say things in your mundane life. In the film Juno, you do get the same feeling. Its truth and insincerity of her language is certainly one of a kind. Juno is that type of friend that everyone would fall for …

Go see it!

b Dj.

Sho Ma 1982-2007

“My idea is an idea that can never be an idea, a language that can never be understood by none, but can be understood by all” – Sho Ma

Here is the video that Jeremy Cohen put together for Sho’s memorial last year. Some people have requested me to post this video since it is not on any sites, except perhaps for metrospective.com. Its a lovely clip that shows all of his influences in art, skateboarding, and mostly what he has done for all of us. For Sho!

b Dj.

The Science of Sleep

“When people are very original, sometimes they are original as a way to resist the mainstream” 

- Michel. Gondry

 

 

After the success of The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry have once again stunned us with an unusual combination of life and the power of dreams. The film was created with a unique approach that incorporates claymation and green-screen effects. 

The films stars a well known talent, Gael Garcia Bernal, who played a unique individual with the ability to recreate his reality in dreams, which then led him to a sequential imaginations of love.

 

b Dj. 

300

“We Spartans have descended from Hercules himself. Taught never to retreat, never to surrender. Taught that death in the battlefield is the greatest glory he could achieve in his life”

 

 

 

Frank Millers’ new graphic novel tales one of the gory wars between Greece and the lords of Persia. The film highlights the audacity of 300 Greek soldiers, led by King Leonidas who defies the ruthless Persian empire from ruling Greece.

 

For some of you who admire the artwork in Sin City, where the cinematography is filled with high contrast colors, will really find this film quite similar. It makes it seems as if comic books are becoming real animated characters. 

You certainly learn something from this film since it shows a significant moment in ancient Greek history. The battle against the Persians was indeed lost, but the bravery of the 300 Spartan soldiers inspired the unity of the Greece from foreign exploitation.

I find this film quite idealistic poured with Western believes of freedom, equality, and “happiness”. Perhaps a cliché in most epic films. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, but I am concern with how the film portrays the Persian nation. Persia have vastly attributed to modern medicinal science, art, and a culture that subsequently influenced others. I am afraid that those who are not familiar with Persian history might take this film with the wrong conclusion.

I am not surprised with how Hollywood glorifies Western history. We have seen it in films like Troy and  Alexander. But with more epic films coming out of Hollywood, I long for a film that breaks away from this predictable pattern. A film intended to tell a story from the peripheral perspective. 

Only then … can history be told.  

b Dj.