THE YEAR OF WATCHING CALMLY AND SITTING NICELY, NOT IN 24 FRAMES PER SECONDS

Just like every year, I feel compelled to write my favorite movies of [insert year here] and although it is already February but  think it is necessary for me to put this here. I haven't seen War Horse or Extremely Loud but Incredibly Close [both are Best Picture nominated in this year's Oscar], but I think I don't have to watch it right now besides the trailers are not interesting in my opinion. However if you wanted to know what I like in 2010, just click here.

I watch many movies but only several reviews I wrote. Finding the mood is quite difficult but heck, I manage this far. Those who didn't make the cut but I think is very good is Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which in my opinion a good film.

However what is 'the best/favorite' list without me mentioning the crappiest film I have ever seen? That honor fall upon Jack and Jill, the worst movie from Adam Sandler that makes you want to punch his face. Low brow at it's best.

So, honoring my own tradition, I shall put the links on my own reviews here and here are my favorite movies of 2011, not in chronological order.

You might wonder why am I not writing the movie title as it is, but using 'the one'. Well, I wanted people to click on the link [a safe one, leads into the reviews not some suspicious links] and before that, guess the title. I hope it is fun, because I think it is boring since 'the one' is something I borrow from Friends TV series.

The one with Michael Shannon

The one with Turkish version of Zodiac

That baseball movie with Brad Pitt

The one with naughty kid

The one with Fincher fingerprint

The one that doesn't speak much

The one with chocolate pie

The one with serious spies

The cheerful cancer comedy

The one that can be titled; Virus, Actually

The one with a sick twist

The one with the kid with a bike

That Iranian Drama

The one with the grass is greener on the other side

That home kid movie with high production value

That melancholic tone

The one with brothers on the ring

The one with Ryan Gosling in it

The one with deep thinking

TAKE SHELTER

Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Run Time: 121 minutes

It has been a while since the last time I got scared by movies. In recent years most horrors failed to frighten me, Paranormal Activity is sucks and the rest is passable. The last time I went scared is when I watch The Others from Nicole Kidman at TV. Well, it is more than just a while I guess.

Now comes a scary thriller that doesn't rely on ghosts or scary score but on the dread and confusion of the main character. Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) has apocalyptic dreams, like seeing storms and rain of yellow liquid, but he keeps them from his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and their hearing impaired daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart).

La Forche is a construction worker and his dreams are disturbing him. Not only that, his daughter  need an operation. However La Forche 'believe' his dreams and try to built a storm shelter, by borrowing the money from the bank. He also borrow tools from his work that makes him got fired. Angry and facing the problems that the health benefit for his family will run out before his daughter got operated, La Forche is torn apart. He knows that his mother has once diagnosed with schizophrenia and perhaps he has one too. But is it mental illness or there is really an apocalypse looming in the horizon? La Forche is confused, the wife is scared and the whole community think that he just lost his mind. His behavior is distancing himself from his family and sometimes, himself. But what makes the story interesting is that  La Forche himself somehow admit the possibility of him having mental illness.

The idea that keeps the viewers doubting whether it is real premonition or just some mental illness has been played good here, especially by the amazing performance by Michael Shannon. This thriller unfolds slowly but sure and some scenes are just plain frightening. Jessica Chastain also shines here, and I think 2011 is Chastain's year (with The Help, The Debt and The Tree of Life, showcasing her acting ability), and also Ryan Gosling's year.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA

Original Title: Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da

Directed by: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Running time: 157 minutes

There is something hidden underneath the beautiful Anatolian steppe, a dead body being searched by a prosecutor, cops, the doctor and the accused. Together they roam the steppe and as they found the body they sent it to nearby town to be autopsied.

But it is more than CSI; Turkish style or the panoramic Anatolian steppe or hidden body, it is about hidden feelings, repressed emotion, guilt, justice, fear, existentialism, small town mindset and limits of knowledge. Those themes doesn't need sophisticated dialogue since everything in this film is understandable. But the viewers must be patient in absorbing this film since the pacing is quite slow at the first half, but it gets better by the end. The characters developed as the film goes by and we can be aware of their layers of emotion but not fully understood what lies beneath it, just like real life itself since sometimes we just don't understand people around us.

What comes as points to ponder for me as when the prosecutor dictating crime scene report at the crime scene and they laughed a bit at the joke that the prosecutor looks like Clark Gable or how the other doctor by the small town complaining about the lack of high tech autopsy tools as if he has no feeling or sympathy at all to the victim. Well, he is not wrong by bringing that up since it is important to have the right tool for his work but it just feel unsympathetic at all.

In other field, the cinematography is great without forcing itself to be too glossy. The cars moving ahead in pitch black darkness accompanied with the silence of the night is beautiful to watch. This is my first Nuri Bilge Ceylan movie I watched and I am looking forward for his other works like Uzak and Three Monkeys. I have to say, this film really does deserve to share the same prize with The Kid with a Bike at last year's Cannes.

SUPER SHOW 3 - 3D

Directed by: Kim Min-Soo, Kim Hyeok-Il
Running Time: 80 min

I never watched any concert movie at all, not even a 3D one. At first I am skeptical since I have already seen Super Show 3 on video and what could 3D offer in a concert movie? Well, apart from the wallet choking admission price, after seeing this one I can say that 3D enhance your movie concert experience. Besides I have to taste what a 3D concert movie is all about. Not only that, this one is a limited release in Indonesia, for five days only and only at Blitzmegaplex.

It makes you feel as if you are sitting in a tribune, seeing the stage in front of you and all the concert gimmicks like laser beams, fireworks and lighting are as maximal as possible. Not only that the atmosphere inside the cinema is also like in the concert with some of the viewers bringing light stick and sing along.

For those who didn't know what Super Junior is, you can Google it. All I can say that they are Korean boy band. Their songs are mostly pop (and sometimes synthpop), R n B and with a little bit of rap with mathematically precise dance that makes you feel as if you are looking at better version of Step Up 3D.

Opened with Sorry Sorry from their third album (and quoting from wikipedia: ...was a critically and commercially successful hit in Asia, becoming 2009's best-selling Korean-language album in South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, China, and the Philippines), the 3D makes the stage seems alive. The rest of the songs need no explanation, they are just songs and performances with zero behind the scene scenes. That's too bad since if there is some behind the scene scenes then it can be an advantage.

But the editing between the songs are too tight and doesn't seem to flow smoothly. Not only that, it feels too short and it ended too soon. However the presence of Indonesian subtitle really helps not to mention the song lyrics that can make the viewers sing along, if they wanted to. Overall it is not a disappointment since the 3D illusion is awesome, it is just too short.