Kapıcılar Kralı

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Kapıcılar Kralı rahmetli Kemal Sunal'ın başrolünü oynadığı bir dolun filmin arasında dönüp dönüp karşıma çıkıyordu. Bende bayram tatilinde izleyiverdim. Gayet güzel bir film olmuş. Kapitalist düzende sadece varolmak değil ancak insan gibi davranılmak için diğerlerini kendi silahları ile vuran uyanık bir kapıcı Seyid. Biraz yalancı, biraz dalkavuk, intikam olarak azıcık eli uzunluk yapan ancak sevdiği insanın önünde duran milyonlarına dokunmayan, çalışkan ve kendince adaletli, uçkuruna düşkün ama aklını kaybedecek kadar da değil. Çeşit çeşit insanların yaşadığı bir apartmanda kapıcılık yaparak geçiniyor. Ben eğlendim filmde ancak şimdi olsa başka tür bir aile daha görürdük apartmanda. 

Interstellar

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Interstellar is a film I had stayed away from in cinemas I don't know why. Maybe because I'm not really that fond of space films (excluding Star Wars) and it seemed a bit long. But I love Christopher Nolan ever since Memento and was eager to watch it on TV. And I loved it. No surprises there. Cast is all my favorite actors and I liked the father daughter relationship. The science of it all escaped me but NASA announced that they have found water in Mars and space colonisation doesn't sound far fetched anymore. Not that I'll be able to see it - heh. Anyway as all the other Nolan films, this one is highly recommended. 

The Son

The Son yeah I couldn't give up on Jo Nesbo and I'm happy that I didn't. Harry Hole was not in this tale of addiction, murder and revenge with romance and I didn't miss him at all. It was a great ride with the usual twists (I see them coming now and am rarely surprised with Nesbo) and I highly recommend this one. Especially to someone who has never read a Nesbo novel. 

Pacific Heights

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Pacific Heights is a film I had seen in theater and remember feeling that it was ok and not much more. This second viewing left the same impression mixed with a little nostalgia. 

The Town

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The Town is directed by Ben Affleck who also stars in it. I liked this film a lot the first time I have seen it and liked it even better this second time. Well, I really like Ben Affleck as an actor and he is a decent director too. Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall (this lady is a fine actor) and John Hamm all do a very good job and I love the clean cinematography where you see everything including action with car chases. I actually may get the dvd of this one. 

Dead Ringers

Dead Ringers is one I couldn't make myself to watch when younger. It was too scary for me then. Although now I enjoyed it as a pyschological suspense film. Jeremy Irons is a great actor and he performs here as identical twins and it is a great performance. 

The Bachelor List

The Bachelor List was a nice surprise. The heroine(s) all independent and hard working, the hero a bit obtuse in some things but kind hearted where it counts. I'll look forward from this author, despite the lack lustre intimate scenes. 

Everest

Everest is chosen by me because of Jake Gylenhaal. I do like climbing (and the crown jewel in my climbing history is Mount Fuji) but never with the same passion as people who climb all the time. By nature I'm a bit fickle and now totally content with just hiking.
Anyway the film is inspired by a true event where some people had died during descent from Everest. It was an egaging film though I didn't understan why it was in 3D. Jake was not there a lot and all in all it would have been just as good on a TV screen. 

Riddick

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Riddick is a film in which we watch how much of a tough guy Riddick is. That's it. If you like Vin Diesel (and I do) then I'll recommend, otherwise look elsewhere. 

Despicable Me 2

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Despicable Me 2 is a film I have only watched because I had time on my hands and wanted to lie down. I watched it till the end so I guess it was not as bad but it is just not my type of film (I don't like Steve Carell) 

Revival

Revival I was afraid that this will turn out similar to Tommyknockers etc. (not for me) but Uncle Steve didn't disappoint and I loved it. I love Stephen King and highly recommend even if you are not into the genre (it is not really that scary, more of a character study in vignettes) 

The Host

The Host is a monster film from one of my all time favorite directors. And this second viewing was very entertaining. Despite the fact that some things didn't make sense (how does the family survive the repeated agent yellow attacks?) all in all I'm very happy with this one.

Highly recommended. 

The Storied Life of A.J Fikry

The Storied Life of A.J Fikry was a bargain bin audio book purchase and it was a OK I suppose but it turned me off in the sense that the characters had very strong opinions about works of fiction and sometimes I didn't agree with them. There was some sort of awareness in the whole thing too. I felt (probably imagined really) a lack of sincerity and it made one of the few people who didn't cry while reading this novel. And I cry at everything. This is not a waste of time but I hesitate to recommend. 

The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski I remember liking this one the first time I saw it but I loved it this second time. This is a good comedy with interesting characters and definitely good for multiple viewings. 

The Ninety Days of Genevieve

The Ninety Days of Genevieve is a dry novel. There is not a decent romance nor decent erotica. I kept reading hoping that there will be a bang in the end but nope. This one is like a bad bad Mills and Boon (I love the good Mills and Boons)  

You Are Next

You Are Next turned out to be very entertaining. This one will be chock full of spoilers.

So we have a rich old couple who are going to celebrate their wedding anniversary with their 3 sons, 1 daughter and their boyfriend/girlfriend. They seem like good people but mother is taking medicine (presumably for depression or something) and daddy is retired from a weapon manufacturing/sales company. In the beginning of the film we see a couple (with a lot of age difference) have sex  and then get killed. It turns out that they are the neighbours (even if they are the neighbours, they live far enough that they don't see each other looking out the window).

Anyway we have the asshole son and his bitchy girlfriend (somehow after Hostel, the assholes turn out to be important and the good guys usually are the true assholes), the weird son and his weird girlfriend (who looks like goth lite) and the chubby son and his Australian girlfriend who is the final girl, the spoiled daughter and her artsy boyfriend.

Well they are attacked by unknown people wearing animal masks and surprise surprise the Aussie was raised by survivalist parents and she kills one of them right away! People are killed off in nice ways, one of them with a booby trap. I liked it a lot and was entertained to the end.


This is highly recommended.

Only Lovers Left Alive

Only Lovers Left Alive is the first Jim Jarmusch film I have seen and it was not as boring as I thought it would be. I chose this because I like Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston and they were really good. The film is visually oriented but with some, especially environmentally heave messages scattered throughout. I dosed off a bit towards the end but all in all it was alright. 

Child's Play

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Child's Play, a blast from the past and couldn't resist watching it when I saw it on TV. This is the first of a series of horror films in which the main character is a child's doll (a boy's doll called Good Guy) who actually is a vessel for a really nasty killer. The killer was into woodoo when he was alive and used it to pass on to one of the dolls when he was killed at a toy store by a detective. The toy store was burned due to the force of this transaction.

Anyhow a single mother with a pretty decent kid who loves the Good Guy franchise (toys, cartoons etc.) purchases a doll for him a third of the price from a bum on the back street of the department store she works at. Yadda yadda yadda and no one believes the little kid!

Not really scary anymore but I'll recommend this one since it is entertaining to the end.

The Brutal Art

The Brutal Art is a novel I picked up from a bargain bin somewhere and I don't even remember whether it was even  a cyber bin or not. I was not really hopeful for it either, but got started since I was in the mood for a mystery and this ended up being a pleasant surprise. OK this guy is Alex and Faye Kellerman's son and it turns out I don't have anything against celebrity sons. I like Joe Hill too but nowhere near as much as his father. Jesse Kellerman on the other hand, I liked more than his parents. First off I loved the setting, art scene in NYC and our hero a troubled rich kid who is working as an art dealer. I loved the cold cases, the back story (how a few Jewish immigrants became one of the richest families in USA) and the fact that there was romance but there were other issues more important that that. I liked so much that I will seek out more books form this guy. 

Blood Diamond

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Blood Diamond is a film I wouldn't have watched if not for Leonardo Di Caprio. It reminded me of Master of the Game by Sydney Sheldon (Kruger - Brent, Kruger - Brent) now that was a very good novel. I should read it again sometime. Anyway the film is really nothing like the Master of the Game. It is the story of an ex soldier of fortune in Africa who would like to leave the continent and have a peaceful life when the opportunity to do so arose. The other lead is a fisherman who would like a better future for his children but got caught up in a civil war and not only loses his family (literally he loses them and doesn't know where they are or whether they are alive or dead) but after finding a large diamond he is hunted by a commander in one of the parties of the civil war. There child soldiers, people killing eachother like it is nothing. An American journalist who is trying to write a story on blood diamonds (how diamond trade finances the civil war) and she and our protagonist have a frienship -they like eachother too and they have good chemistry-. Anyway I remember crying a lot while watching that one in theater and I once again cried while watching it on TV screen. I liked it and Leo is very good in it. 

Insurgent

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Insurgent is the second film of another YA trilogy. I have read Divergent (and saw the film) but was not impressed to seek out the other two novels. It is now formulaic YA dystopia where the world is divided in factions and ruled by an -older- leader who claims to know the best for the community. It is up to our heroine to implement justice and get everyone out of this unfair system. The Hunger Games did it best so far.

Anyway I didn't expect anything from this one and I was pleasantly surprised. I was entertained and liked the actors. But that's about it I suppose. 

The History Boys

The History Boys was yet another bargain bin purchase and it was OK but barely. The story is told in an episodic manner with lots of characters with self congratory screenplay. It was too aware of itself and not sincere enough as far as I'm concerned. We just didn't connect with the film. 

Psikiyatrist

Psikiyatrist bildiğim kadarıyla İngilizce'ye çevrilmemiş daha. Wulf Dorn isimli bir Alman yazarın romanı. Gerilim ve korku öğeleri içeriyor ve sürprizli bir kapanış yapıyor. Ben sevdim. Daha başka romanlarının peşinde koşmam belki ama önüme gelirse de reddetmem doğrusu 

Hello My Lady

Hello My Lady is one of those Korean dramas no one talked about. I only got it because it was very cheap and I like to hear Korean. This is not a good drama but I was entertained and even shed a few tears towards the end. 

I'm Pilgrim

I'm Pilgrim is a spy novel similar to Dan Brown novels. Fast paced with a likeable protagonist and an evil villain who is somehow humanised the only thing lacking was a beautiful female sidekick.
I really liked it since I could turn everything off and the reader, Christopher Ragland did very good job with (my minor complaint would be that he can't do a Middle Eastern accent, all the arabs sounded like Eastern Europeans or Russians). Terry Hayes is also a screen writer wikipedia tells me and I'm thinking Matt Damon in the title role (or maybe that is being too type cast and he is a bit old now) so maybe Jake Gyllennhaal.

Highly recommended if you are after escapist fare.

Dear John

Dear John I only purchased this one because it was so cheap and that I like both the leads. I was expecting floods of tears but this was not that sort of film. The girl and boy meets. Boy goes overseas (he is a soldier) and she waits for him for two years. Then he comes back and they are happy but 9/11 happens and he goes back and she dumps him via letter and marries their neighbour who has cancer+an autistic kid. Boy's father has asperger's I guess. Anyway he comes back, his father dies, he sells dad's coin collection and donates it to the cancer guy so he can have more time with his loved ones. Then years later the girl (who is now a widow) and the boy meet again. That's it. It just was not my kind of story. 

Casino Royale

Casino Royale is the first Bond book I have read and it is still my all time fave. And this Casino Royale adaptation is also my all time fave Bond film. It is a decent adaptation too in the sense that they have altered many things but left the feelings intact.

SPOILERS

Bond is a cold, efficient agent who doesn't really care for women apart from having sex with them. Vesper is a finance controller working for the government. They meet for an undercover mission and fall in love. The things is that Vesper is a double agent. And Bond only realises this towards the end. In the book Bond is really tough and they made him a bit softer in the film.

Eva Green is among my favorite actresses. She is very beautiful to my eyes (with that certain hooded eye thing going on, she reminds me Charlotte Rampling) and she is talented. I was really against Daniel Craig as Bond, first and foremost, he is a blond and he didn't look like a gentlemen (Bond in the book has that perfect mix of looking like a gentleman but being really rough and ruthless inside, it is hard to make it work apparently in real life because Bond actors are either gentlemen or rough) Mr. Craig is on the rough side of the spectrum but they managed to work it well and the action is entertaining, the villain is horrible (reliable Mads Mikkelsen) and Bond has to through a lot. Highly recommend even if you are not into Bond. I just didn't like the song in this one but this is the best thing for me not to like :) 

Tokyo Fiancée

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Tokyo Fiancé tells the story of a Belgian woman who loves Japanese culture and decides to live in Japan teaching French. She inevitable meets with a Japanese man and they fall in love. However things are not as rosy as I one would want them to be.

I know the psychology of loving another culture. I have been there more than once. The story is adapted from a novel by Amelié Nothomb, who actually wrote about her experiences (and exposes the many negative sides of Japanese culture, I have read one of her novels - Fear and Trembling- in which she was subject to the many hardships of Japanese corporate culture. I didn't think she was exagerating.

All in all it is a cute film but one that wouldn't make any difference in anyone's life. 

Child 44 (the film)

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Child 44 ends up not a good adaptation. As usual the book is better. Oddly enough I saw it at some list or other on internet saying that the best selling novel is going to be film starring Tom Hardy. I like the guy. He is hot and a good actor too. His co star is Noomi Rapace and I also like her a lot. Furthermore they were both very good in The Drop (good film).

Well the novel, I liked a lot and actually put the novelists other book on to purchase list. But it has its failings the main being a serial killer story in a period foreign setting. Stalin Russia. Anyway the film didn't do much with that. Everyone is speaking English with a Russian accent (now this is a pet peeve of mine, if you are going to make them speak English, do so, why the accent? If you are after authenticity then make them speak Russian) The cast is all well and good but of course they made some changes and the cinematography was so dark that I wouldn't be able to tell who is who if I hadn't read the novel .

All in all, I'm glad I didn't pay for this one. 

Miss Congeniality

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Miss Congeniality is an entertaining Hollywood film that is good mostly due to its likable star, cast with talent and its feminist view. I really liked it the first time, this third time. There isn't much of a romance but you barely feel it. 

The Miniaturist

The Miniaturist was an impulse purchase (with free bonus points) and I liked it well enough despite it being not that special. It is one of those moody, politically correct novels only this time it is all in 17th century Amsterdam. What inspired the novel is a doll house with miniatures in Rijksmuseum (I have been that but that doll house didn't grab my attention).

Anyway I was not bored but neither was particularly captivated. There are many period details from clothes, to food, to cleaning supplies etc. I will recommend this in the end but not with much enthusiasm. 

Reign of Assassins

Reign of Assassins is a film I remember liking the first time I saw it but I loved it this second time. First off the cast is really good and they are actors I like. The story is interesting, revenge and love and desire to obtain. It has that clean, uncluttered cinematography I really like with lots of close up shots and action is dynamic, clear and entertaining. 

I also liked the fact that the female lead Michelle Yeoh is clearly older than the male lead Jung Wu Sung. It always seems to be the reverse in global film industry and I applaud the filmmakers' decision. And there is Barbie Hsu, I love her ever since Meteor Garden and she is really great looking with a nice sense of acting (I'm not going to go as far as saying that she is a good actress but she is decent and has a good on screen presence). I like Jung Wuu Song and he did a great job. 

I didn't remember much from this film so it felt like the first time and I was in tears by the end. Recommended. 

Foxcatcher

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Foxcatcher is a very good film. Inspired by a true story, which is interesting and tragic but the thing that made an impact on me is how the three characters and their arcs are presented. The actors were great especially Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo (both actors I like) and Steve Carell did a good job I suppose (I don't like him but there isn't a reason for it). The film is very loosely based to the real life story but the facts are there.

The three main characters are Marc who is a wrestler with an Olympic Gold Medal, his brother David who is the better wrestler. Marc is a loner who lives poorly in the economic sense. He gives it all to the sport though and despite having to survive on ramen and fast food burgers, he is dedicated.
One day he is approached by a very rich man who would like to sponsor a wrestling team to the world championship and olympics. He makes an offer to Marc, board at a very nice house in the estate and a great gym to work in, and a good salary. He takes it but his brother Dave didn't want to come (he has the better career and he is not only a good wrestler but also a good coach) since he has been offered alternatives.

Marc gets close to the rich guy who has mommy issues, and the rich guy manipulates him (easily since he focuses on the complicated relationship he has with his brother without whose support Marc wouldn't be as successful. He plays on his loneliness, feeds his jealousy towards his brother (who actually raised him when their father left them) and becomes a father figure and a friend to him. However Marc stops training, doesn't speak to his brother and there is some homoerotic tension between him and the rich guy. Due to this lack of training, continuous drinking and the rich lifestyle causes him to relax the wrestling and lose games. The rich guy makes David an offer he can't refuse and since his wife is on board he joins the team. Marc acts all pouty and sullen and doesn't even train with the rest of the team. He gives the rich guy the attitude too. But his brother is a decent man and he doesn't want him to waste his potential so he helps him out during a crisis and specifically keeps the rich guy away from his brother. He wins the match as a result.

Unfortunately one of the conditions of the rich guy to financially help out the team and the olympic committee (and David insists on financial security for this brother even if he loses) is that he is going to be present and acts as coach at Marc's matches. They agree but this had a bad affect on Marc and he loses. Marc gets kicked out from the estate.

The rich guy tries to see himself as a mentor and coach to the athletes and all that jazz but he is not stupid or illusioned enough to believe that. He gets jealous of David (not just his performance but his personality and coaching skills) and one day he goes to his house at the estate and shots him dead. Yeah he did that in real life but I don't know what his reasons were. 

Untold Scandal

Untold Scandal is one of my all time favorite S. Korean films. One I have watched many times and liked each time. It is, by far the best adaptation of the great Dangerous Liasions (written by Choderlos De Laclos, excellent novel) I have seen (I think I have seen them all except the Chinese one and the b&w french one). Wonderful performances by three great actors and stars of S. Korean film. It has fantastic sets and costumes, great soundtrack. Highly recommended 

Still The Water

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Still The Water is directed by Naomi Kawase whose The Mourning Forest I saw and liked (at Antalya Film Festival) actually there was a Q&A after the film and it was a good discussion - to her surprise all the viewers wanted to talk about literature and it kind of pissed her off a little bit-. Anyway I liked the film and I liked this one too. Make no mistake, this is a festival film with long silences and tells its story visually without much dialogue (although not as sparse as a Kim Ki Duk film).

It is a contradiction that I love this type of film being a chatterbox. Also this film's locale -an island in Japan- felt a lot like Hawaii. I enjoyed it a lot and will recommend if you are into artsy films. 

Top Five

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Top Five is a film written, directed and starred by Chris Rock. I like the guy (he is one of the people I like without really knowing why) and I like Rosario Dawson who is the female lead. The story tells us the day of a comedian who has made a "serious" film. He is a recoving alchoholic who is about the marry a big reality star and meets a journalist who will spend the day with him and write about it. This is one among the many promotions of his serious film (which is not doing very well on its first day).

All in all it was an effective little film that went through very easily and I have even found myself caring about these two a little towards the end. It is entertaining, give it a try if you like Mr. Rock. 

The Judge

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The Judge even though I have heard of it and I love Robert Downey Junior (even when everyone else was hating him) this film didn't seem like my kind of thing. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. I loved it and cried rivers through it. Yes, it is first world problems but there was a certain sincerity, without hammering the issues, regarding the family dynamics. Also RDJ was great and despite his character not being a perfect good guy, I wanted him to find happiness. 

More Than A Mistress

More Than A Mistress well I like Mary Balogh's "Slightly" series (I have read three of them) and even though this book is not as good, at least it was entertaining despite the lack of intimate scenes, I mean they are there but described in such a manner that it is impossible for them to get erotic. All in all  it was not a waste but not as good as Slightly Married. 

Locke

Locke is an English film which was a bit experimental in the sense that it is filmed entirely in a car with one actor talking with various people. I really liked it. Tom Hardy was excellent and I was wholly invested his business, relationship and fatherhood problems. Recommended. 

Young and Beautiful

Young and Beautiful (Jeune at Jolie) is a film directed by François Ozon, a director whose films I like. The story here is not really interesting but I love the close up shots, sets and costumes. There is this high school girl who doesn't really have any problems. A loving mother and a caring stepfather who is not a pervert. A brother who cares for her and a comfortable life style. She is smart, beautiful and priviledged. She has admirers at school and a nice best friend. However she decides to be an independent call girl. The film explores her experiences and how people around her react when they found out (one of her clients dies from a heart attack, possibly induced by performance enhancing drugs). It was interesting to watch but not as good as, say "In The House".

Django Unchained

Django Unchained is one I liked a lot the firs time I viewed it in theatre. I love Quentin Tarantino and this film is no exception. I also love Leonardo Di Caprio and he was excellent as one of the villains. Since the hero is a slave there a lot of villains. It is entertaining with a resolution that felt satisfying it all its bangs and gore. Recommended if you are not squeamish. 

Saturn In Opposition (Saturno Contro)

Saturno Contro The viewing of this one started with a little trepidation (I was still shocked due to my not liking La Finestra Di Fronte) but all my doubts flew away as soon as the film started. It was just the way I liked this director's films. There was a lot of emotion, interesting characters acted by familiar actors. I was happy and content and predictably in tears by the time the film ended. 

Decoded

Decoded is among the novels I have purchased with my free points. It sounded interesting (the story of a genius cryptographer in Chinese secret service) and I tend to like Chinese novelists (apart from Jin Yong whom I LOVE). However this book ended up being not for me. It is very good prose and story telling but it was so matter of fact that I tend to stay cold towards it. It isn't a bad book, it just was not for me.