Sunny's Diary

Hyde Park on Hudson (2012) - Based on a private journals and diaries of Margaret Suckley - the sixth cousin of President Franklin D. Roosevelt who later became his mistress, this comedy biography film tells a story of the President during his frequent stay in his mother’s country estate in Hyde Park, New York which happened to be the place where the British Royal Family (King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) stayed during their first visit to America. The film is told in the point of view of Margaret Suckley (as known as Daisy in the film) as it evolves around her relationship with the President. However, the British Royal Family visit seems to be forced into the film out of context to make the movie interesting and funny by the awkward situations in preparation and having the Royal Family as guests in the house. The film thus loses direction and has no focus. The only notable performance comes from Bill Murray who masterfully portrays himself as President Roosevelt. All in all, it is too exhaustive to watch this film.

Promised Land (2012) - Directed by Gus Van Sant, this drama film tells a story of a representative from natural gas company who goes to the rural town in the U.S. in order to buy the rights to drill the natural gas in the process called “fracking”. The film stars Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, Hal Holbrook, and John Krasinski. Interestingly, the screenplay of the film is also written by the main actor Matt Damon and his co-star John Krasinski who portray as rival in the film - one from the big corporation and the other from environmental organization. The film is beautifully shot and has a great direction. The message in the film is clear that it is against the fracking activity thus juxtaposing the main character, i.e. Matt Damon, as he keeps telling the viewers he is not a “bad guy”. There is a small twist in the plot that should not be a surprise. However, in the end, the main character is too unreasonable and unrealistic in the way that jeopardizing the integrity of the film itself. I understand the message that the film wants to convey but I don’t like the way it spoon-feed the information to me - it is too forceful.

The Impossible (2012) - Based on true story, this drama film tells a true story of a Spanish family who survived the 1994 Tsunami disaster in Thailand. It stars Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor as the mother and the father of the family. Even though the plot is predictable and too dramatic, sometimes too ridiculous, the film helps you reflecting on the value of life and family. It portrays very well the survival spirit of a human and the everlasting love of the family. The film has a good direction with a well-paced storyline. The acting is convincingly superb, especially Naomi Watts in the role of the mother. All in all, the film is enjoyable and sentimental to watch.

Django Unchained (2012) - Written and directed by the critically acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, this American western film tells a story of a freed slave named Django who tries to reunion with his wife (who was sold to an evil plantation owner) with the help of a bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz. The film stars Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. Even though the film is full of violence of slavery and bounty-hunting with lot of gun-fights and bloods, the film is brilliantly acted and skillfully directed. There is also a great message of anti-racism speaking through the film. All in all, it is an enjoyable action film with great story and wonderful performance by the cast.

Les Misérables (2012) - Originally based on the 1862 French historical novel by Victor Hugo with the same name, this musical drama film tells the story through the songs as performed in the original stage musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. The star-studded cast include Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, Eddie Redmayne as Marius Pontmercy, Sacha Baron Cohen as Thénardier, Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier, and the new-comer Samantha Barks as Éponine. It is notable that the director Tom Hooper chose an innovative way to have the actors performed the songs live during filming instead of lip-syncing with the per-recording songs in order to let the actors act as natural as possible. The method proves to be successful as the cast delivered a great and powerful performance through the familiar musical numbers. One of the most memorable scenes is Anne Hathaway in the role of Fantine performing “I Dreamed A Dream” in the saddest and the most heart-wrenching moments of the film. The cinematography masterfully captured the grand scale of the sets as well as the emotionally close-up of the characters. The story is fast-paced and balanced with dramatic moments and comic reliefs. All in all, it is an epic film with enjoyable music and powerful performance by the cast.

Hitchcock (2012) - Based on Stephen Rebello’s non-fiction book “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho”, biographical drama film tells a story of one of the great directors of all time, Alfred Hitchcock and his struggling relationship with his wife Alma Reville during the making of Psycho, a controversial horror film that defines the genre in years to come. The star-studded cast includes Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, Helen Mirren as Alma Reville and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, the star of Psycho. The film is suspenseful with well-paced comic moments. The cast delivers a great and believable performance. All in all, it is an enjoyable film to watch.

Killer Joe (2012) - Based on the play of the same name by Tracy Letts, this dark comedy stars Matthew McConaughey as a killer who found himself in a middle of a dysfunctional Texan family. The script is well written to emphasize the stereotypes of redneck trailer park family who lives in Texas with all those sarcastically funny lines and situations. The cast delivers an impressive acting that deserves a standing ovation. However, the film is so vulgar and brutal in all levels. It is a twisted and enjoyable film that might not be suitable to everyone.

Celeste and Jesse Forever (2012) - This is a romantic comedy that tells a story of Celeste and Jesse (hint: the title) - a couple on the verge of the divorce, but since they know each other since they were young, they think they can still be good friends (or might even be back together) but their friends do not think so… The film stars Rashida Jones (she is also a co-screenwriter of the film) in her first leading role in the feature film as Celeste and Andy Samberg as Jesse. The script is funny and smart even though there are a number of uneasy and awkward moments. The film chooses to end in a reasonable and realistic way which might be hard to find in most romantic comedy films. The acting is believable and relatable. All in all, it is an enjoyable film to watch.

Coriolanus (2011) - This film is an adaptation of the tragedy play with the same name written by the famous William Shakespeare. Ralph Fiennes produced, directed and starred in the film as the lead character “Coriolanus” - a Roman soldier who is banished from the city and decided to join the enemy to destroy the city he used to fight for. The film uses modern day setting and warfare but still keeps most of Shakespeare’s dialogues. It seems to be innovative at first but the situation turned out to be awkward and absurd when the characters decided to ditch the gun and used knives in a close combat - just to be faithful to Shakespeare’s original play. Well, if that’s the case, I think it’s better to use the original setting instead of the modern day interpretation. All characters seem to deliver over-the-top performance that looks ridiculous rather than serious as they should be.

The Lady (2011) - This is an biography film about “Aung San Suu Kyi” - the Noble Peace Prize winner and the lady who fights for democracy in Burma (known as Myanmar today) for more than 20 years, directed by Luc Besson and starring Michelle Yeoh as Aung San Suu Kyi and David Thewlis as her late husband. The plot equally focuses on the political career of Suu Kyi as well as her love towards her family and the struggle to balance family and politics under the backdrop of Burmese military regime. Even though it has a good intention, the story fell flat. The only good thing in the film is the acting of Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis - all other supporting characters are either too rigid or seem to be miscast.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) - Adapted from the novel with the same name, this drama film tells a story of a mother who has a difficult relationship with with her son and has to come to terms with the mass-murders he’s committed. Tilda Swinton stars as the mother of “Kevin” and literally carries the whole movie. Her performance is brilliant and convincing. However, I don’t like the editing of the film at all. It might be the intention of the director to show how erratic the state of mind Kevin (and his mother) has but the shaking and cutting of the camera does not work for me as it comes out as annoying.

Undefeated (2011) - This documentary film about a high-school American football team won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film follows the team from the first day of practice to the end of the season and shows the bits and pieces of information about the volunteer father-figured coach and some of the senior team members. The documentary is not boring as there are some dramatic moments captured by the camera.

Carnage (2011) - Based on the play “God of Carnage” by French playwright Yasmina Reza, this black comedy film is directed by Roman Polanski. Polanski also co-wrote the screenplay of the film with Reza and set almost the entire movie in an apartment in modern day New York City. Two parents meet to discuss the matter of one 11-years-old boy hitting his friend with a stick in a playground. Things seem to be fine at first when all parties put their “nice” masks on and presenting themselves nicely…but it all goes downhill when an argument and abusive verbal warfare against each others break out. It’s hilarious and true to see human-nature of individualism and parenting comes to play. The cast of four including Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz are doing terrific jobs in both their own roles and as an ensemble.

In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) - Written, directed and produced by Angelina Jolie, this drama war film tells a love story between a Serbian soldier and a Muslim girl in the Bosnian War in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1990s. Even though the love story is in the play, the film seems to focus more on war crimes against humanity ranging from mass killing, kidnapping and raping. The violence on the screen is almost unbearable. In the end, people of the world should learn and understand that there is no justification for the war.

Albert Nobbs (2011) - An Irish drama film starring Glenn Close as a woman who dressed and worked as a man in 19th century Ireland, the film is based on a short story “The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs”. Glenn Close delivers a fine performance and it seems to be the only positive aspect of this film. The pace of the story is slow and boring while the script is flat.