Activity Calendar (Jan 1, 2024 - Dec 31, 2024)
My bookshelf
Seek flowers within ruins
A Clockwork Orange
3★★★★★★8.631971 / UK USA / Drama Sci-Fi Crime / Stanley Kubrick / Malcolm McDowell Patrick Magee
Watched Aug 4, 2024|Average★★★★★Exquisite acting, wildly eccentric, filled with a unique aesthetic style. The film offers a glimpse into the affluence of America in the 1970s, as well as the realities of crime and social psychology in an era before advanced forensic technology. The antisocial young man, despite committing detestable and outrageous crimes, is portrayed with a unique charm and innocence. As a case study dissected and analyzed, it teaches us a lesson on what freedom and social responsibility mean. Upon revisiting, I find that the film leaves behind many classic scenes, especially the ending duel between Alex and the minister. I don't care at all about the dialogue between the two; it's Alex's brilliant performance that captures all my attention. The unreserved exhibition of sexual violence is indeed quite avant-garde and bold.
Watched Aug 4, 2024|Average★★★★★Exquisite acting, wildly eccentric, filled with a unique aesthetic style. The film offers a glimpse into the affluence of America in the 1970s, as well as the realities of crime and social psychology in an era before advanced forensic technology. The antisocial young man, despite committing detestable and outrageous crimes, is portrayed with a unique charm and innocence. As a case study dissected and analyzed, it teaches us a lesson on what freedom and social responsibility mean. Upon revisiting, I find that the film leaves behind many classic scenes, especially the ending duel between Alex and the minister. I don't care at all about the dialogue between the two; it's Alex's brilliant performance that captures all my attention. The unreserved exhibition of sexual violence is indeed quite avant-garde and bold.
The Wave
16★★★★★★8.7162008 / Germany / Drama Thriller / Dennis Gansel / Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau
Want to watch Aug 4, 2024via tw @morris German movie 'The Wave', tells the story of a high school teacher who demonstrates to his students how a dictatorship can be formed through a social experiment, involving uniform clothing and symbols, collective titles and greetings, emphasis on discipline and order, exclusion of others, secrecy and exclusivity, common activities and goals, and the use of media and propaganda. The experiment eventually spirals out of control, leading to severe consequences and revealing the dangers and destructive power of a dictatorial regime.
Want to watch Aug 4, 2024via tw @morris German movie 'The Wave', tells the story of a high school teacher who demonstrates to his students how a dictatorship can be formed through a social experiment, involving uniform clothing and symbols, collective titles and greetings, emphasis on discipline and order, exclusion of others, secrecy and exclusivity, common activities and goals, and the use of media and propaganda. The experiment eventually spirals out of control, leading to severe consequences and revealing the dangers and destructive power of a dictatorial regime.
The Little Shoes
0★★★★★★9.201997 / Iran / Drama Family Children / Majid Majidi / Mohammad Amir Naji, Farah Amir Hashemian
Watched Aug 3, 2024|Excellent★★★★★The narrative level is so strong, coupled with the very good performances of the children, filled with a sense of youth. It is a youth marked by poverty that is unique to the Middle Eastern Islamic culture, different from the West and the East. The film transcends religion and the secular, becoming a modern work that can be universally accepted by different cultures and backgrounds. Unlike the usual perceptions of Iran, the Middle East, and Islam, this film stands on an advanced cultural and cognitive level. The people on the screen are no different from ordinary people, with moral and intellectual frameworks based on a modern secular society with Middle Eastern characteristics. The details are rich and the techniques are clever, presenting without criticizing, a rarity.
His youth is about running, taking care of the family, protecting his sister, striving to become stronger, excelling in everything. Her youth is about running, taking care of the family, being considerate of her brother, and being a sensitive girl who is competitive and sensible.
Watched Aug 3, 2024|Excellent★★★★★The narrative level is so strong, coupled with the very good performances of the children, filled with a sense of youth. It is a youth marked by poverty that is unique to the Middle Eastern Islamic culture, different from the West and the East. The film transcends religion and the secular, becoming a modern work that can be universally accepted by different cultures and backgrounds. Unlike the usual perceptions of Iran, the Middle East, and Islam, this film stands on an advanced cultural and cognitive level. The people on the screen are no different from ordinary people, with moral and intellectual frameworks based on a modern secular society with Middle Eastern characteristics. The details are rich and the techniques are clever, presenting without criticizing, a rarity.
His youth is about running, taking care of the family, protecting his sister, striving to become stronger, excelling in everything. Her youth is about running, taking care of the family, being considerate of her brother, and being a sensitive girl who is competitive and sensible.
I Am Sam
0★★★★★★9.002001 / USA / Drama Family / Jessie Nelson / Sean Penn Dakota Fanning
Watched Aug 2, 2024|Good★★★★★American 'positive energy'—believe in light, love, kindness, effort, and perseverance, and ultimately, there will be a harvest. Fortunately, it's somewhat restrained, but still a bit tiring to watch.
A very wealthy female lawyer with an extremely fragile heart and strong empathy as a crucial plot pillar seems too ethereal and unconvincing? Working as an hourly wage server at Starbucks and Pizza Hut, living alone in a big house?
The performances in this film are quite good, whether it's Sam or little Lucy. However, using Lucy's unparalleled beauty seems inappropriate; she's too cute and too clever. On one hand, no one would want to send away a child who looks like this, making the story pointless. On the other hand, it also creates psychological pressure on the audience, questioning their own sources of empathy.
In summary, with the particularly hard-working acting, the story feels too cinematic, keeping the consciousness awake, realizing that this is a carefully crafted warm story displayed on the screen, and one cannot immerse themselves into it. Additionally, I'm not sure if it's due to the source of the film or the color grading itself, but the style is very outdated, making the colors somewhat uncomfortable to watch.
Watched Aug 2, 2024|Good★★★★★American 'positive energy'—believe in light, love, kindness, effort, and perseverance, and ultimately, there will be a harvest. Fortunately, it's somewhat restrained, but still a bit tiring to watch.
A very wealthy female lawyer with an extremely fragile heart and strong empathy as a crucial plot pillar seems too ethereal and unconvincing? Working as an hourly wage server at Starbucks and Pizza Hut, living alone in a big house?
The performances in this film are quite good, whether it's Sam or little Lucy. However, using Lucy's unparalleled beauty seems inappropriate; she's too cute and too clever. On one hand, no one would want to send away a child who looks like this, making the story pointless. On the other hand, it also creates psychological pressure on the audience, questioning their own sources of empathy.
In summary, with the particularly hard-working acting, the story feels too cinematic, keeping the consciousness awake, realizing that this is a carefully crafted warm story displayed on the screen, and one cannot immerse themselves into it. Additionally, I'm not sure if it's due to the source of the film or the color grading itself, but the style is very outdated, making the colors somewhat uncomfortable to watch.
Blue Gate Crossing
27★★★★★8.4272002 / Taiwan, France / Drama Romance LGBTQ / Yee Chih-Yen / Chen Bolin, Gwei Lun-mei
Want to watch Aug 2, 2024via tw @停云 Every August, I always remember the lines from "Blue Gate Crossing": "I'm so unwilling, summer is almost over, and it seems like nothing has been done." "But something will always be left behind, whatever we leave behind this summer, that's what we will become as adults."
Want to watch Aug 2, 2024via tw @停云 Every August, I always remember the lines from "Blue Gate Crossing": "I'm so unwilling, summer is almost over, and it seems like nothing has been done." "But something will always be left behind, whatever we leave behind this summer, that's what we will become as adults."
Forest of Fireflies' Light
0★★★★★★8.802011 / Japan / Drama Romance Animation Fantasy / Takahiro Omori / Ayane Sakura, Koki Uchiyama
Watched Aug 1, 2024|Excellent★★★★★Such a short film managed to steal all my tears, so annoying. This movie is brief yet powerful, capturing the essence. What is love? Random encounters, moments of waiting, missing, and reluctant partings. The days spent together are silly, simple, and joyful. Over time, when realization dawns, you find yourself unwilling and unable to separate. The 'untouchable' setting captured my heart. Those few seconds when you can finally embrace tightly, what an incomparable feeling that must be? I really want to experience it myself. I want to meet Gin... / I want to touch Gin...
Watched Aug 1, 2024|Excellent★★★★★Such a short film managed to steal all my tears, so annoying. This movie is brief yet powerful, capturing the essence. What is love? Random encounters, moments of waiting, missing, and reluctant partings. The days spent together are silly, simple, and joyful. Over time, when realization dawns, you find yourself unwilling and unable to separate. The 'untouchable' setting captured my heart. Those few seconds when you can finally embrace tightly, what an incomparable feeling that must be? I really want to experience it myself. I want to meet Gin... / I want to touch Gin...
Seven
13★★★★★★8.8131995 / USA / Drama Mystery Thriller Crime / David Fincher / Morgan Freeman Brad Pitt
Watched Jul 31, 2024|Excellent★★★★★A powerful movie that left my heart turbulent and oppressed by dark clouds long after watching. The film has a tight structure, vivid characters, and a wonderfully suspenseful plot. However, the blend of human nature, religion, and philosophy behind it, expressed through meticulously designed cinematography, weighs so heavily that it leaves me breathless. This heaviness makes me feel as if I'm falling, as if the atoms in my body are losing gravity and about to disperse. Humans can be as great and beautiful as they can be evil and ugly. Human virtues and sins coexist and contrast each other; innocence cannot slip by unnoticed. Perhaps I'm getting old, as watching this movie left me panicked and confused, making me wish for a moment that I hadn't seen it. I wasn't always like this; I used to actively explore the darkness of human nature and be left in awe. Now, I no longer want to stand in the shadows, but only wish to face the sun, using my brief life to bask in incense and enjoy the warm sunlight. / Additional notes: 1. Reading the comments, I realized this feeling is called despair; 2. So the often-quoted "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part" originates from here? 3. I love the old detective's attitude towards life.
Watched Jul 31, 2024|Excellent★★★★★A powerful movie that left my heart turbulent and oppressed by dark clouds long after watching. The film has a tight structure, vivid characters, and a wonderfully suspenseful plot. However, the blend of human nature, religion, and philosophy behind it, expressed through meticulously designed cinematography, weighs so heavily that it leaves me breathless. This heaviness makes me feel as if I'm falling, as if the atoms in my body are losing gravity and about to disperse. Humans can be as great and beautiful as they can be evil and ugly. Human virtues and sins coexist and contrast each other; innocence cannot slip by unnoticed. Perhaps I'm getting old, as watching this movie left me panicked and confused, making me wish for a moment that I hadn't seen it. I wasn't always like this; I used to actively explore the darkness of human nature and be left in awe. Now, I no longer want to stand in the shadows, but only wish to face the sun, using my brief life to bask in incense and enjoy the warm sunlight. / Additional notes: 1. Reading the comments, I realized this feeling is called despair; 2. So the often-quoted "The world is a fine place and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part" originates from here? 3. I love the old detective's attitude towards life.
The Martian
0★★★★★★8.502015 / UK USA Hungary Jordan / Drama Sci-Fi Adventure / Ridley Scott / Matt Damon Jessica Chastain
Watched Jul 30, 2024|Excellent★★★★★The pacing of this film is really great, with scenes and camera language contracting freely, gently advancing, accumulating emotions, and then exploding intensely at just the right moment. The skillful and mature techniques are truly astonishing. It's been a long time since I've seen a film so exhilarating, so realistic, and so human-friendly with intelligence on point. The primal desire and instinct for human survival and mutual aid couldn't be more direct and touching. The consistently full-on American humor throughout doesn't feel contrived at all; instead, it highlights seriousness and tenacity, respect and understanding of others, and irreplaceably lubricates teamwork, making any dry and serious matter light and interesting. How could such values not attract people from all walks of life?
Watched Jul 30, 2024|Excellent★★★★★The pacing of this film is really great, with scenes and camera language contracting freely, gently advancing, accumulating emotions, and then exploding intensely at just the right moment. The skillful and mature techniques are truly astonishing. It's been a long time since I've seen a film so exhilarating, so realistic, and so human-friendly with intelligence on point. The primal desire and instinct for human survival and mutual aid couldn't be more direct and touching. The consistently full-on American humor throughout doesn't feel contrived at all; instead, it highlights seriousness and tenacity, respect and understanding of others, and irreplaceably lubricates teamwork, making any dry and serious matter light and interesting. How could such values not attract people from all walks of life?
The Expanse Season 1
0★★★★★★8.602015 / USA / Sci-Fi Mystery / Robert Lieberman, Terry McDonough, Jeff Woolnough, Bill Johnson / Thomas Jane, Steven Strait
Want to watch Jul 29, 2024Via tw @eddiedotdev if you don’t mind shows the expanse is fantastic
Want to watch Jul 29, 2024Via tw @eddiedotdev if you don’t mind shows the expanse is fantastic
The Heart of the Swimmer
3★★★★★★9.132024 / USA / Drama Biography Sports / Joachim Rønning / Daisy Ridley Tilda Graham-Harvey
Want to watch Jul 26, 2024Via tw @oran_ge Woman and the Sea A movie that gives great strength. Based on a true story, but very well filmed. A must-see film of the year. Great Movie!
Want to watch Jul 26, 2024Via tw @oran_ge Woman and the Sea A movie that gives great strength. Based on a true story, but very well filmed. A must-see film of the year. Great Movie!