Sunny's Diary

Mongol (2007) - This is a fictional historical film about the rise to the power of the great Genghis Khan of Mongolia. The film was co-produced, co-written and directed by Russian-American film maker, Sergei Bodrov. Although the story-telling is not well transitioned between each important historical events that the film wants to portray, the film as a whole is enjoyable to watch. The cinematography is wonderful with a number of breathtakingly beautiful scenes as the backdrop of the story of fighting and survival of the young Temüjin, who later came to be known as Genghis Khan. The fighting sequence is gruesomely real. On a side note, the film was nominated for the Oscars in 2007 for Best Foreign Language Film as a submission from Kazakhstan.

Happy Together (1997) - This critically acclaimed Chinese film is directed by the famous Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai. The film stars Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as a Hong Kong gay couple with on-again off-again relationship who stuck in Argentina after their plan to visit Iguazu waterfalls fell apart. The film won the best director at Cannes Film Festival in 1977 for Wong Kar-wai. The film can easily be categorized as art-house movie as the story and its narrative is vague and unclear with swift editing. The cinematography of the film seems to fit perfectly with the mood of the characters and the story - it is not pleasantly beautiful but it is charmingly suitable with the film. The choice of musical soundtrack is perfect and I really enjoyed the covered version of the song “Happy Together” (which is taken to be the official English title of the film) toward the end of the movie.

Me and you and you and me
No matter how they tossed the dice, it had to be
The only one for me is you and you for me
So happy together

North by Northwest (1959) - This classic thriller film is directed by the renowned director Alfred Hitchcock. It is a story of a man who is pursued from New York to Chicago to Mount Rushmore by secret agents of unknown organization because of a mistaken identity. The plot is still fresh and the movie is still exciting after more than 50 years of its original release date. The credit should go to the screen writer Ernest Lehman and the director Alfred Hitchcock who crafted and portrayed such an intelligent script and lead character that we all can root for.

P.S. The chasing scene on top of Mount Rushmore toward the end of the film was remarkably well-done and it makes me wanted to visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial myself.

Antichrist (2009) - Written and directed by Lars von Trier and starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg, this award-winning horror film has caught audience’s attention since its premier at Cannes Film Festival in 2009 because of its controversial issues and a number of unbearable (violent) sex scenes. Charlotte Gainsbourg received her well-deserved best actress award at Cannes Film Festival. The film is beautifully shot especially in the prologue and the dream sequences. The choice of music for the prologue and epilogue of the film even makes it more powerful. However, if you can’t stand hard-core violent (and even sadistic) sex scenes, this film will make you uncomfortable. I can’t believe I sat through the climax (Oh! that scissor scene! Yike!). It’s truly a difficult movie to watch and it is the film you can say either you hate to love or you love to hate!

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) - Adapted from the stage play with the same name, this classic black&white American film won 6 Oscars including Best Actress in the Leading Role by Elizabeth Taylor. Set in a course of one night, it’s a story of a bitter aging couple, a submissive college professor husband and an abusive wife, who use a young couple, whom the wife invited to an after-party at their house, to fuel anguish and emotional pain towards each other. The cast consists of four main characters who delivered a powerful performance with a great dynamic. The script and the dialogue is sharp and witty. It’s is a classic film that shows how dysfunctional a marriage could be and it still holds true to the present.

The Red Shoes (1948) - Based on the fairy tale “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Andersen, this 1948 British film about a ballet dancer featured one of the best ballet performances accompanied with powerful orchestral score that won an Oscar for “Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture” in 1948. The dance was mavellously choreographed and the performance was impressive. Moira Shearer shined as a lead actress and dancer in her debut role. It was a plasure to have a chance to watch this resotred version of the film that has been claimed by Martin Scorsese as one of the two most beautiful colour films along with ”The River” by Jean Renoir.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)- A British comedy about an apocalyptic uprising of zombies; it’s loaded with witty and hilarious dialogues. Simon Pegg who co-wrote the script delivered a great performance on screen; he basically carried the whole movie with him from the beginning until the end. The film was grossly enjoyable to watch.

Full Metal Jacket (1987) - a critically acclaimed war film by Stanley Kubrick with a great ensemble of cast. It’s a adaptation of a novel about Vietnam war following a group of recruits from the training to the participation in the war. The film totally re-defined the genre with a sharp dialog and an impressive production that makes the war looked and felt real.

Up the Yangtze (2007) - With subtle story-telling and visually gripping cinematography, this documentary film about the changing way of life of Chinese people affected by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze river delivered a powerful message. Even though the film was slow-pace, it perfectly demonstrated the unsettle feeling of frustration, the contrast of new and old generation and the juxtaposition of modernization in socialistic Chinese society. A good documentary will keep you thinking long and hard after watching it; and this film is definitely one of them.

The Crying Game (1992) - I just had a chance to watch this classic psychological thriller-drama on the big screen at PSU Fifth Avenue Cinema and finally understood the impact of that critically acclaimed “plot-twist” scene. If you have watched the movie, you know what I mean. It’s no wonder why the film got six academy awards nomination and won one for original screenplay. The screenplay was, indeed, original and well-written. It played with a multitude of human nature with elements of war, race and gender. The main cast also delivered a solid performance.