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The Batman Complex 0

by Sinoun • Uncategorized

I think my ultimate film experience would involve one starring Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio (two of the finest actors of our generation). It wouldn’t even matter what the story concept was, as long as they were both there, doing what they do best – making me swoon to the core, and I say this from a strictly talent standpoint. Yes, they look great, but it’s their acting skills that really get me.

Anyways, some clever lad with good taste created a mash-up of Batman and Inception, (praise you, fellow film-lover) and the result is one worth sharing.

Netflix Picks 0

by Sinoun • Uncategorized

If you subscribe to Netflix Canada, you’ve probably noticed how slim the selection of notable films is (slimmer than a Slim Jim!), where “new releases” include movies from decades ago and almost none of the best Hollywood hits. Nevertheless, if you dig deep enough (through various categories) you’ll find some worthwhile flicks. Here are a few suggestions for your next Netflix movie night.

1. Wake Up Sid

This comes courtesy of the foreign films department, a movie set in India, about a spoiled, egomaniacal college graduate who changes his slacker habits after meeting an older, attractive writer. Comical characters and dynamic interactions make for a fresh film that makes its shortcomings forgivable – with the exception of the “rain” scene. Rain scenes and romance is a film device as overused as cool guys walking away from explosions.

2. Saving Face

Only in the indie industry would there be a non-adult film about Asian lesbians, and that’s a shame because mainstream audiences could use a little more diversity in their movies. Saving Face deals with themes of love, cultural expectations and family honor, in a relatable (although at times, unrealistic) manner, but its light-hearted, comedic approach make for a well-told story.

3. Twenty Bucks

This is a film from the 90′s that follows the trajectory of a single twenty dollar bill as it changes hands, providing snapshots of the lives of each of its owners. Nothing heavy or hard-hitting here, just an entertaining tale featuring some notable stars, like Brendan Fraser when he was more likable.

TiMER 0

by Sinoun • Reviews, Uncategorized

When it comes to romantic comedies, Hollywood has a formula to rule them all: lovers meet, conflicts ensue, sad music intervenes, and a race against time that culminates in a frantic heartfelt confession. Jennifer Aniston is cast. A quirky, lesser known actress plays her best friend or sister. Josh Duhamel or Matthew McConnauhey are leading men. Cheesy top 40 songs are dispersed throughout. And, like shady massage parlors, happy endings are guaranteed.

What do you get when you take a film, stripped of typical Hollywood conventions, add a dose of originality and a dash of unpredictability? You get a quirky, delightful film like TiMER – a movie who’s premise rests on a simple question: What if a small device could determine the precise moment we meet our soul mate? After all, when it comes to love, timing is everything – is it not?

This story arc is what sets TiMER apart from the usual stack of craptacular rom-coms – the introduction of a sci-fi-esq twist, the idea that love can be preprogrammed, literally, not just by some inscrutable idea of destiny, but by actual mechanisms within our bodies. Sounds a tad over the top right? Well, of course it is. The loftiness is what makes it fun. In order to truly enjoy Timer, you have to suspend reasoning and rational logic. Accept the implausible premise and resist the urge of over-analyzing and looking too much into it. It’s not a “thinking” movie – it’s a romantic comedy, one augmented by a team of good writers and a set of likable actors.

Emma Caulfield plays Oona O’Leary, a leading lady of standard conventions – pretty, petite, single and successful. She’s also desperate to know the verdict of her blank timer, a sign that her true love is out there somewhere without a timer of their own. Admittedly, the anal nature of her character gets pretty annoying – sure, she just wants to know who her true love is, but sort of wish she would just ride some chill waves [via Hipsterrunoff] and learn to go with the flow. She reminds you of those unsettling micromanaging types who need to be in control of everything in their lives at all times. I can’t deal with those folks. But luckily for Oona, she meets Mikey, an attractive, younger check-out clerk, who, is perhaps the best thing about the movie. He introduces her to concepts like “living in the moment”, which, to someone like Oona, is pretty novel. As expected, fireworks [a la cheesy pop act Katy Perry] erupt. The catch? While her timer remains blank, his is set to go off in four months. What will happen? Like MTV Diaries – you think you know, but you have no idea. (Lame catch-phrase intentional!)

Onto the whole reason I decided to write this review – I needed a conduit for indulging in the high crush-factor of Mikey’s character (played by John Patrick Amedori). That a young twenty-something can display so much tenderness and vulnerability while maintaining his juvenile, fratboy qualities is quite endearing to someone like myself. That, and his longer, mid-90′s rocker hairstyle that is so uncommon these days, reminding me of my first elementary school crush (oh the memories of young love). His charm and youthful charisma carry the film like a wayward ship, weathering the overly-emotional scenes and sappy sentimentality that nearly derail the movie. Safe to say that without him, I would have enjoyed the movie much less. Dudes like him did not seem to exist during my dating days; harmless rocker with a heart, the kind of guy many young females would lust for, except he leaves Oona conflicted – after all, she and he are not meant to be, agreed?

Without giving away spoilers, I’ll say that many commenters on the web weren’t happy with the ending, claiming it “ruined the movie” and that everything was going well, up until that point. I thought the sequence of events and the ending they led up to were congruent enough – in fact, it was exactly what I wanted to happen. Whether one would agree or not, the message here is that one must always trust their hearts and these characters are designed such that their actions are natural and rational.

As stated earlier however, this isn’t really a thinking piece – It’s a playful film in the realm of an over-saturated and over-played genre known to have perpetuated false notions of love and relationships. While this movie does eventually succumb to the conventional Hollywood chokehold, it is still smart enough that it offers its own clever perspective on the science (fiction) of love.

Back Again 4

by Sinoun • Uncategorized

Finally got the resolve to start writing about movies again. Was beginning to think my interest in films had all but disappeared until I found myself watching the Oscars and discovered that I do indeed still have opinions on the film industry.

That, and the heartfelt emails I’ve been receiving lately from dedicated readers I never even knew I had! So, in homage to all the movies that get made and the people who enjoy reading my thoughts on them, I will hereby devote some portion of my time (for real this time!) to updating this site on a regular basis.

And if that doesn’t happen then you can send me some hate mail in my physical mail box. Email me for my home address.

Thanks again for reading! You could’ve been anywhere in the world, but you chose to be here with me and I appreciate that. (Jay-Z)

Wolverine 2 Will Be Better 0

by Sinoun • Uncategorized

It’s a funny story. Actually, there is no story. But remember when “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” came out and I criticized it for lacking depth, darkness and meaningful quotes? Well, according to this article, Wolverine 2 will be more “thoughtful” and “meaty” (and perhaps actually good?) I have a feeling Hugh Jackman read my first Wolverine review and is now trying to gain my approval for the second installment. Well, I’m flattered Hugh, I really am – if you deliver on your promises, I’ll go easier on you next time. I’m actually quite excited for this movie now. I saw Batman Begins the other day for the 85th time and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if they could make Wolverine as cool and complex as Batman?” Well, with Darren Aronofksy as director, it might just happen friends! It might just happen.

Theme Change 0

by Sinoun • Uncategorized

Every now and then I think about abandoning this site completely and moving on since my interest level in it fluctuates so much. Sometimes I love it and can’t think of parting with it, and other times I have no interest in it whatsoever. It’s kind of like one of those bad relationships where you just can’t let go, no matter how much you’ve outgrown it.

Well, I started to feel nostalgic so I came back to it and realized that I’ve put too much of myself into it to not give it another chance. I want to bring some new life into it, even though “movies” has dropped a few spots in my list of interests. I decided that changing the theme might re-dignify this neglected little site of mine.

I can’t make any promises about constant updates or anything, but we’ll see how this goes. Hope you like the new theme. I quite love it a lot!

Of course, I still have to reformat the images and stuff, so if you’re reading this right now, don’t be alarmed with the disarray, I’ll be fixing it up shortly.

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