Are You Here (2013) - Movie Reviews

This is one of those strange movies that I had difficulty grasping what it really was about, and yet I had to keep watching. It had a charm of its own. And the ending scene; what a way to signal that bigger troubles are about to come. It is like the characters went through rain, and yet they are just about to get poured. Although the movie's tone is light and humorous; I felt a shadow of darkness throughout the whole thing. Maybe it is because I don't think the audience really gets to know who the characters on the screen really are, and in a way I really appreciate that; it makes the audience fill in the blanks. I don't think there is a single line that explains why Owen Wilson's character is the way he is. Nor is his main romantic interest explained very well, it just happens. We do know he is not a bad guy, but he isn't necessarily a good guy either. He is even helping his friend in order to get some sort of compensation. Like with all the characters in the movie, you get to understand why they do the things we do, you even root for them, but you don't really know them, nor will you ever know what is going to happen to them. Watch this movie for a piece that provokes a conversation and imagination, or just watch it for the beautiful women in the movie.

As Good as It Gets (1997) - Movie Reviews

If anyone asked me to pick only one movie as my favorite movie; this is it. I can give you the many aspects that I like about the movie: like the scene where Melvin was about to be able to find out what love is, only to be interrupted, twice; or Greg Kinnear's interpretation of a gay artist - I didn't know he was really supposed to be gay for the longest time I thought that was something Melvin  was just teasing him about; or how the structure of the movie plays, it is about an artist that gets assaulted, and how his unapproachable writer and a waitress form an unlikely bond - a weird setting, and a charming story comes out of it. 

Melvin Udall became one of my role models in the type of person I want to be in the way the he says the things that are on his mind, and do that with very smart words - mean as hell, but witty. I have even posted many of this movie's quotes on my Facebook.

With that said, not all the elements of this movie are perfect. Especially when it comes to the main romance between Melvin and Carol the waitress. Now, I am not saying there was no chemistry between the actors because I believe that was the point of their romance; they are not really the conventional couple. What bothered me about these two was the last monologue by Melvin; who is supposed to be throwing her about the biggest compliment that he could ever concoct - a nod that I would give to an earlier scene where it ends on "you make me want to be a better man".

On that final monologue Melvin says: " I might be the only person on the face of the earth that knows you're the greatest woman on earth. I might be the only one who appreciates how amazing you are in every single thing that you do, and how you are with Spencer, "Spence," and in every single thought that you have, and how you say what you mean, and how you almost always mean something that's all about being straight and good. I think most people miss that about you, and I watch them, wondering how they can watch you bring their food, and clear their tables and never get that they just met the greatest woman alive. And the fact that I get it makes me feel good, about me."

Great lines, sure, but they come out of nowhere. I never got to see Carol to be the person that he is describing in these lines. It took me many viewings, but I think this monologue is more about Melvin than is about Carol. Think about it: Melvin is the one who says things about saying what means to say, and we find out he is about being straight and good - of course he comes out harsh, but that's who he is. Maybe it is just him seeing part of himself in Carol. 

This is one of those movies that I have even seen the director's commentary, and in it they say that the union between the main couple is something that the audience is not supposed to be sure is going to work out, but that they are letting their own good feelings about each other lead them.

Elizabethtown (2005) - Movie Review

During a road trip I took during my recent travels, a friend mentioned this movie to me, and he spoke of how it had impacted him. That he wanted to make a trip like the one Drew did close to the end of the movie; a road trip that would give him a better insight to his own life, and maybe even find his own place in this world. But what it really seemed to point at was that he wanted to meet a girl like Claire.

A girl like Claire... so what he wants is a girl that does everything for him. She is the one that approaches Drew, and even when he pretends not being intersted, she insists. She is the one that makes the relationship work. She holds on the phone - for what seemed an eternity - when he asked. She is the one that takes time off to see him. She is the one that has to cheer him on. She is the one that makes the incredibly generous gesture to customize an entire road trip with soundtrack and all; only to meet him in the end.

One thing that bothered me about the movie - the batteries in their cellphones seem to last an eternity.

Well, you can say my friend is a lazy ass, and I agree. But aside the scenario on which these two characters meet; what I can gather is that what he really wants is a woman that loves him - a woman that sees in him a lot more than what he sees in himself. 

Would I recommend this movie? Well, actually... it is a very slow chick flick. It does have some charming moments, but they all come from the supporting characters and from the environment. I couldn't buy into the romance of the main characters. I will give it this, the movie's structure felt quite unique. In romance movies, there is always that conflict between the romantic leads, ususally some sort of misunderstanding or disagreement, but we never see that because Claire always shuts that down.

Speaking of which, the audience never gets to know anything about Claire. She is always smiling. She constantly mentions how she is a replacement person; that her presence in people's lives is only temporary, but we actually never get to understand as to why she is the way she is. Whenever she gives an explanation as to why, Drew responds with something along the words "but you're beautiful", and she goes like "aw, ok".

Scent of a Woman (1992) - Movie Review

There isn't a lot you can say about a movie that is as legendary as Scent of a Woman. From Al Pacino's famous *whoah!*, to the incredible and short tango dance scene, the blind ferrari stroll; it is no wonder why this movie won so many awards. I remember these scenes, and it has been quite a long time since I have this movie. Granted, I didn't watch it last time it was showing on tv because the pacing of this movie is quite slow despite a lot of things happening in the movie.

This is one of those movies that have left a lasting impact in my life. Ever since I saw the way that the Liutenant Colonel speaks about the beauty of women, I made it one of the missions in my life to understand what makes up that mystical concoction that makes up a beautiful woman -- a road that has made me slip into very dark paths -- but that is not the topic of this review. The concept that I took to heart from this movie is: integrity.

The lesson from this movie is about keeping principles and one's integrity over anything. Whenever, wherever, full throttle no matter what. It is about not buckling down, about keeping one's spirit and not selling. And keeping integrity, as you grow older can prove a lot more difficult than the idea of it. The idea is; how far can you go in life and remain uncorruptible - how beautiful it would be if the leaders you voted for;  you knew that they were clean, that there was no damn secret agenda.