I am continuing my "recent production overviews" with "Love and Other Drugs". We decided to see the film after our hospital visit in order to get rid of the hospital mood on us. That is funny because the plot of the film is quite related to hospitals and diseases but i didn't know that. There was nothing so special about acting or the audio and also because of my own life experiences with neurological illnesses i was more drown to the plot. So I guess this time i will focus on that.
The film is a love story of a young women with a Parkinson s disease and this guy who works for Pfizer one of the biggest drug company which also produced viagra. I live with someone who has CDBG which is a neurological disease worse than Parkinson but also presents similar symptoms. I know very well how it is like to be next to that person under every circumstances. There is no vacation out of that. The simple things that a normal person wouldn't even notice are challenges for us and everyday is a big struggle, surviving through each day is a big accomplishment. I also know how it is like being abandoned by your friends and close relatives because you are sick or you are with a sick person. People think it is too hard to deal with you. They run away. And even tough you know that they will escape you still let people in hoping the opposite. Unfortunately you end up regretting that.
I think these issues were tried to be reflected through the Maggie character. She fears that someone you love would not be brave enough to stay with you in your hard times. She will see that people are selfish even if they 'love you'. I feel like the word love and friendship have been emptied out. Well... with these concerns in mind she prefers to keep love away. She knows that she will be hurt.
On the other hand, we are introduced to the guy who is a dickhead and incapable of really seeing her as a person. Instead, for him, Meggie is this cool hot chick whom he can have fun without any responsibility. His mind will change though.
The film also tries to be critical on drug production, consumption and health care system and so on. On one hand there are people who can not reach the help they need, who can not afford the essential medication. On the other hand tons of money is being spent on viagra research. I also know how it feels being out of medication and money to get the help or how hard to even reach the medication that you are looking for. The health care system in many countries does not provide you the real support you need and i live in one of those.
I can say that it is nice that the film is trying to deal with these issues and it is a very creative way of telling a love story but it must be added that it does this very on the surface. The viewer cannot experience the suffering of a Parkinson s patients or other people who cannot afford the medication. Due to these aspects I can say that it is very light and too Hollywood:). But on the other hand it can be a good introduction to some people who has never thought about these. You never know what is waiting for you in your life even today.
gotta go to the hospital now:)
love
Şeyda
Friday, February 4, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
searching for the perfect home: Away We Go
On a nice, snowy, and white afternoon, we watched Away We Go , a movie by Sam Mendes.
It was an OK movie, kind of ruined the chance to become way too better than it is.
It is about a young couple having a baby and searching for the perfect home for their family. They visit various friends and family in different cities to find out where to settle down. So in other words it is a road movie; throughout a journey they manage to solve their issues. I like this kind of approach. It brings a dynamism to the movie cause as the locations change everything changes. However, i think this movie was weak in reflecting the change in locations. Use of space and the different characteristics of the cities and their effect on people could be portrayed better i think. And the idea that they arrive to a new city could be visualized better. For instance i liked that in the movie Up in the Air, where each city is introduced with a view from the plane creating really nice patterns.
Instead of the environment, there was more focus on the variety of people they meet in each location. But as Şeyda said after the movie, they were too caricatured, too extreme. It was funny to some extent but i don't think it was that much necessary to make the point that it wasn't for them.
What i liked most about it was the music, mostly performed by Alexi Murdoch. It was so soft and sensational, upgrading the whole atmosphere of the movie.
It was an OK movie, kind of ruined the chance to become way too better than it is.
It is about a young couple having a baby and searching for the perfect home for their family. They visit various friends and family in different cities to find out where to settle down. So in other words it is a road movie; throughout a journey they manage to solve their issues. I like this kind of approach. It brings a dynamism to the movie cause as the locations change everything changes. However, i think this movie was weak in reflecting the change in locations. Use of space and the different characteristics of the cities and their effect on people could be portrayed better i think. And the idea that they arrive to a new city could be visualized better. For instance i liked that in the movie Up in the Air, where each city is introduced with a view from the plane creating really nice patterns.
Instead of the environment, there was more focus on the variety of people they meet in each location. But as Şeyda said after the movie, they were too caricatured, too extreme. It was funny to some extent but i don't think it was that much necessary to make the point that it wasn't for them.
What i liked most about it was the music, mostly performed by Alexi Murdoch. It was so soft and sensational, upgrading the whole atmosphere of the movie.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
it is nice to remember how great 'Amelie' is!
Yesterday night was impossible to sleep, thanks to mom's health condition. So i decided to watch a movie with her thinking that it may help her calm down and sleep. Well, it didn't work the way i imagined. On the other hand, it worked for me to remember the movie Amelie by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and get rid of all the annoying feelings i associated with it because i had to listen to its soundtrack million times at the design studio during university. I have totally forgotten how good that movie is.
Everything about it is so unique and shows signs of genius minds. I don't know where to begin and what to point out. I guess, better start with the topic.
I loved it cause how Amelie helps people is so poetic; very personal and well thought without showing off and waiting for an appreciation. She does that because she wants to. It was nice to see how she figures out and plans how to help each character. I don't think they were predictable so the movie was flowing as you watched. I also loved how Amelie turned out to be the way she is, a good person, despite all the negative things happened during her life, especially despite her lonely childhood and the dramatic death of her mother. It was inspiring to see that it also is in our hands to define our personality.
I think the characters were so original and also realistic. And how each character was introduced to the audience was one of the elements i loved most: This is X, she likes this and that, and dislikes this and that. The images explaining these statements were so striking as well. This kind of introduction was so direct and effective for the audience to comprehend the essence of each character.
Speaking of images, the atmosphere created and the photographs were so captivating. I loved the use of various flowing images in illustrating a mind thinking on something. I also loved the transitions in the movie: between reality and fantasy, and between slow and fast shoots.
When it comes to the audio, I have always loved hearing a narrator in French in movies. Every language has a melody i believe, and i especially love French and Spanish, though i don't understand them. It is a perfect element for me to feel a connection to the movie i am watching. Thank god that it was so dominant in Amelie cause as i mentioned i am really fed up with the soundtrack :)
I guess i covered the major elements i loved. i seriously recommend all to watch at least once in a year :)
Everything about it is so unique and shows signs of genius minds. I don't know where to begin and what to point out. I guess, better start with the topic.
I loved it cause how Amelie helps people is so poetic; very personal and well thought without showing off and waiting for an appreciation. She does that because she wants to. It was nice to see how she figures out and plans how to help each character. I don't think they were predictable so the movie was flowing as you watched. I also loved how Amelie turned out to be the way she is, a good person, despite all the negative things happened during her life, especially despite her lonely childhood and the dramatic death of her mother. It was inspiring to see that it also is in our hands to define our personality.
I think the characters were so original and also realistic. And how each character was introduced to the audience was one of the elements i loved most: This is X, she likes this and that, and dislikes this and that. The images explaining these statements were so striking as well. This kind of introduction was so direct and effective for the audience to comprehend the essence of each character.
Speaking of images, the atmosphere created and the photographs were so captivating. I loved the use of various flowing images in illustrating a mind thinking on something. I also loved the transitions in the movie: between reality and fantasy, and between slow and fast shoots.
When it comes to the audio, I have always loved hearing a narrator in French in movies. Every language has a melody i believe, and i especially love French and Spanish, though i don't understand them. It is a perfect element for me to feel a connection to the movie i am watching. Thank god that it was so dominant in Amelie cause as i mentioned i am really fed up with the soundtrack :)
I guess i covered the major elements i loved. i seriously recommend all to watch at least once in a year :)
Friday, January 7, 2011
'The Social Network'
Finally i will write on a very recent production:)When i was doing my Bachelor i was so good at following what s going on in the present. I followed what was being screened in the movie theaters around the world as well as in Turkey very closely. I was a dedicated viewer of film festivals in Ankara. However i changed in the last couple of years and stopped being interested in the present. I moved to Sweden in 2008 and i guess that had an effect on this. It is a big deal to go to the movies or a concert in Sweden if you are a student living on a limited budget. It is four times more experience than it is in Turkey. Both this and also the film courses i was studying made me be more interested in the old films. Well... But now i am back in Turkey and kind of miss my old habits. I was curious about this 2010 film "The Social Network" (directed by David Fincher) telling the creation story of Facebook.
It won many awards already for the best leading actor, supporting actor, director, screenplay, best use of music and so on. Also it has Golden Globe nominations which i don't care.
I liked the film in general but i find it ordinary. There is nothing special about it. The acting is good especially the two main characters performed by Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. I also liked the screenplay. It flows and the characters talk fast which i like. It is more musical. But I am not impressed by the use of music. I can say the same thing for the photography as well. In addition i especially did not like the row race scene at all. It has nothing to do with the rest of the film stylistically. It didn't make any sense to me.
Well... to sum up i can say that it was fun to watch and i recommend but i didn't find it impressive.
love,
Şeyda
It won many awards already for the best leading actor, supporting actor, director, screenplay, best use of music and so on. Also it has Golden Globe nominations which i don't care.
I liked the film in general but i find it ordinary. There is nothing special about it. The acting is good especially the two main characters performed by Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield. I also liked the screenplay. It flows and the characters talk fast which i like. It is more musical. But I am not impressed by the use of music. I can say the same thing for the photography as well. In addition i especially did not like the row race scene at all. It has nothing to do with the rest of the film stylistically. It didn't make any sense to me.
Well... to sum up i can say that it was fun to watch and i recommend but i didn't find it impressive.
love,
Şeyda
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Extract: so many weirdos around
We finally managed to organize a cosy movie night here. Just us (Seda, Şeyda, Hamide) and Feride and a projector :) So we turned one of the walls in the living room into the screen and had our little cinema. It will be wiser if we push the couch a bit backwards to avoid the neck pain next time!
Anyway, we were in the mood for having a nice time and laugh since it was also a New Year celebration. I chose the movie Extract, by Mike Judge. When i see Jason Bateman is in a movie, i am %99 sure that it is gonna be a good choice. Probably mainly because of the TV series Arrested Development :) And i wasnt wrong. It was really funny. It was about a man having problems at work and at home. What made it funny was the weird characters, their approach to these issues were absolutely so stupid :) So i recommend it. Here is the trailer:
Anyway, we were in the mood for having a nice time and laugh since it was also a New Year celebration. I chose the movie Extract, by Mike Judge. When i see Jason Bateman is in a movie, i am %99 sure that it is gonna be a good choice. Probably mainly because of the TV series Arrested Development :) And i wasnt wrong. It was really funny. It was about a man having problems at work and at home. What made it funny was the weird characters, their approach to these issues were absolutely so stupid :) So i recommend it. Here is the trailer:
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