THE AVENGERS

Directed by: Joss Whedon
Run time: 142 min

Out of the ordinary I am reviewing a summer movie. Not that I rarely seen blockbuster movies but I think it is quite a strain to review it since I know, popcorn movies that can reduce your logical thinking 50% are usually not my cup of coffee. I did watch Transformers 3 which I think as a waste of time and money, Iron Man, Captain America and Incredible Hulk are fun but nothing more than that and Thor is enjoyable. So far, minus The Avengers, Thor is my favorite of the adaptation of Marvel superheroes on the screen.

So this is it, the wet dream of Marvel fan boy, where their superheroes assemble to fight the most bad ass and epic fighting that makes you think that the last 30 minutes of the film has only two page of words written but thousands of storyboard to depict the epic battle.

Make no mistake, the battle is breath taking and laden with enough explosions to make sugar rush Michael Bay excited and as Rebecca Black wisely said; fun fun fun fun and I get to chose which seat I should take! By this Whedon manages to give fan boy and non fan boy (which is me in this case) a sweet treat, or in my word a very nice escapist film.

There's no need for me to describe the story but I think it would be useful for viewers to at least watch Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America and Thor, to get the sense of the 'Marvel universe' before watching The Avengers. The jokes are fresh and well placed but the story is just so so. By assembling the superheroes, Whedon, instead of trying to make a story with an impact, tend to play safe.

Whedon could have let one superhero 'gone' and make the viewers wait for the sequel and the fate of the hero in agony. But he didn't do that, he just let the last 30 minutes felt like you just drink coffee with 10 spoon of sugar in it. There's nothing wrong in it, it is fun but after the credits rolled you feel as if it is just an escape with so so substance. The after credit scene is nice but for non Marvel fan boy (again I am pointing at myself) I have no idea who is being shown. I think google might help me.

It's not that I hope this one will have some moral message on humanity or so, but it is just slightly below my expectation. Especially since I cannot help myself putting any superhero movies with Nolan's Batman on the same table. As for me, special effects rarely daze me, but story does and I am always looking for a good story in any film of any genre.

Although it is predicted to gain some cash but the result is surprising, from the first weekend already smashes box office record by sucking US$200 million and it will increase in the coming week. The success stem from the build up to the hype of this film ever since Iron Man released and the lavish praise critics gave.

In short words; the number of epicness in this film is too damn high! And bitch please; Thor's hair (he's using Thor'eal hair products for Asgard's sake!) can beat Green Lantern's crappy ass.

THE RAID

Directed by: Gareth Huw Evans
Run time: 101 min

Most of the reviews for this film is positive, they use every superlatives found to describe how awesome this film is. Packed with punches and fighting choreography that can makes your jaws drop (but not mine), this one is a star vehicle for Indonesia's new action star; Iko Uwais and another film to prove that Gareth Evans, the director of Merantau, is a master in this genre. As for me, I will not resort to such superlatives and try to see it in my own way.

It is hard to make a comparison with other Indonesian movies since action genre is very rare nowadays in Indonesia. However one does not simply judge a film by one element only. Although it is good with actions; the story felt stale and very predictable. Story and acting is also important.

The acting skill from Iko Uwais needs more polish and some plot holes are just too big. I cannot ignore those holes, such as how come the SWAT team doesn't even have any sort of badge on their uniform? And I just cannot feel that this is Indonesian film, apart from the language they use.

This film is about violence and glorification of it. No space left for redemption, moral ambiguities or trying to criticize socio political condition in Indonesia, it is just some violent so-called SWAT team trying to take out a drug lord apartment block floor by floor while the main character, Rama (Iko Uwais) is the one being left and must face each thug bare handed.

It could have been more, since I remember Trope de Elite that has a scene where a Brazilian SWAT team invade a favela but the film manages to dive more into the problems of the society. Or perhaps I expect too much and this one is just a film about violence, that's it. I have nothing against violence in movies, as long as it is accompanied by good story. Check Oldboy for instance, there isn't much fighting scenes but one scene where the main character must face so many thug armed with only a hammer is much more satisfying as a brawl scene since the scene also shows desperation.

As a matter of fact, martial art genre is one of my favorite genre. But this one lacks depth or even if it doesn't have depth, a good story to tell and I find myself not really awed by the action itself. Sure it is cool but not jaw dropping in my opinion.

For Indonesian film this is a milestone since we rarely see a film with good production value. But let's not just be satisfied easily since it still take a very long mile for an Indonesian film to be recognized, more than just a fact that this film is being released limited in the US.

I do really hope that for the sequel Gareth could pay more attention on characterization and story to make the film more interesting. So far he has done a good job entertaining us, I am sure he can do more than that.

NEGERI 5 MENARA

Directed by: Affandi Abdul Rachman
Run Time: 120 min

I have to say that the book, literary-wise, is quite boring. There's nothing much going on except for the daily activities inside the pesantren (Islamic boarding school), no shocking conflicts and doesn't leave much for imagination since it is a straightforward story telling, which is kinda 'normal' from a journalist who tries to write a fiction.

With that I embrace myself going to the cinema to watch the film, since I like Indonesian films and to support it, one does simply watch it at the nearest cinema [insert Sean Bean meme here].

After seeing the film I can say that this is a rare case where the film is better than the book where some improvisation really adds to the ups and downs of a story and it is not as boring as the novel. It is nice to see a film which is not too preachy and not overly melodramatic.

The production value is something of a kind where we can see that the filmmaker is really serious to make things convincing, especially all the tidbits about the 80s era, from money that only available at that time into papers for writing mail that reminds me of my own paper mail at home.

However if you pay attention closely, especially for those native from Bandung (just like me) and familiar with the places in the scenes featuring Bandung you can tell that some locations aren't actually as what it seems in the 80s, for example the Asian African Conference museum has pavement tiles that only has been installed in 2005 not in 1989 and Salman mosque in the 80s aren't as colorful as of today. But the filmmaker has tried their best to make it as if it happened in 1989. For non Bandung native it doesn't even matter at all. It is just some small things that I notice.

The chemistry between  Alif (Gaza Zubizareta), Baso (Billy Sandy), Atang (Rizki Ramdani), Said (Ernest Samudra), Raja (Jiofani Lubis), and Dulmajid (Aris Putra) is a nice thing to watch. As newcomers they really show their strength in action. To make it better, they are of age of portraying teenagers and this is a good choice since if the director chose some well known face and older that the character, it might ruin the mood.

These six teenagers are students at Pondok Madani, a modern Islamic boarding school (the setting is the real Gontor boarding school in Ponorogo, East Java) and the film follows their struggle to study and adapt to the discipline of the boarding school, also with their personal problems. 

The gang of six then gathers regularly under the mosque tower, thus the name Sahibul Menara (friends of the tower) surfaced, they promised to each other that one day they will be successful and have each picture of them with different famous towers in the world.

The ending is a bit choppy and people can be confused, why all the sudden the adult version of Alif is in Trafalgar square, London? Well that's the way it is in the book.

As of this review being published, this film has been watched by half a million viewers, something of a kind for an Indonesian film. I know it sounds weird, but I do like the establishing shot in this film, except for that aerial view of Trafalgar Square which I think it's a bit too much.

Having inserted Sean Bean into this review, I also wanted to say this, 9gag wise; I don't always watch Indonesian movies at the cinemas, but when I do I make sure it is good.

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.

THE DESCENDANTS

Directed by: Alexander Payne
Run Time: 115 min


It's all about family in this drama from Alexander Payne. Accompanied by a nice soundtrack that shows the viewers the variety of Hawaiian music this is where George Clooney shows his talent and proves that he is a versatile actor. Matt King (George Clooney) is a successful lawyer. His wife is suffering from a coma and he comes to terms to something very difficult to stomach; that his wife is actually cheating on him.

The news was broke by her 17-year old daughter; Alexandre (Shailene Woodley) who at first is nothing more than a rebellious teen but later transformed into a mature sister for Scottie (Amara Miller) and a good daughter for King. King himself is an emotionally distant father and this tragedy put him back together with his family not to mention that his cousins is nagging him on a piece of paradise their big family had, to be sold to any developer, thus makes them filthy rich. King, unable to side the news that his wife is cheating on him then go into a journey trying to find the man his wife is falling.

But this one is not just about family coming to terms with reality and unsaid feelings but about protecting family tradition and heritage, something we sometimes forgot in the modern age of materialistic pursuits. Here we see more than just template family drama, the main character transforms from ignorant to care and it is done smoothly without overly melodramatic.

There is no twist whatsoever since Payne is making the viewers enjoying the ride (literally and metaphorically) while treating us with amazing Hawaiian scenery that makes you want to go there.

MONEYBALL

Directed by: Bennett Miller
Run Time: 133 min
 

I don't understand baseball and how people play it. I have seen it on TV and I think it is boring. However it does not turn me down as I know the fact that this one is about baseball since this one is an Oscar nominated film with Brad Pitt on it. But this one is a tough sell for international audience, unless if it is about football.

Unlike many sports drama that relies heavily on dramatic cliche and last minute scoring (well it does happen here but very subtle) this one relies on meetings, dialogues and phone calls. What makes it interesting is how 'flat' but deep this film is. Flat in a sense that there's nothing much going on that can be called as dramatic, not even a romance just like in Jerry Maguire but 'deep' in a sense that Brad Pitt acted his character, Billy Beane, in a good way we can see his layers as a GM and as a father.

Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), former would-be superstar of baseball, he is now the general manager of Oakland Athletic team.  As a GM he faces a huge problem; replacing three of their star players with shoe string budget. Billy then hires Yale-educated economist behind the desk guy, Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) who 'created' a certain mathematical formula in how to assemble a 'cheap' but skillful team. To take matter simply, what Beane tries to do is to built a team as strong as FC Barcelona with the budget of Aston Villa by exploiting undervalued athletes instead of trying to buy a star one.

Billy believed in this so called new approach and try to implement it, to the disdain of many who thinks that baseball cannot be determined by numbers, especially coach Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman). He put everything at stake, even his job as a GM. Will he pull it? Especially it is him against the world.

It is the mixture of instinct, personal approach and statistic, Beane proved that by swimming against the current, sometimes it is worth the fight. Sometimes.

PEARL JAM TWENTY

Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Run Time: 109 min
 

I am a fan of Pearl Jam since I was a teenager. Eddie Vedder's voice is amazing and I have listen to almost all of their songs. However I will not let my love for Pearl Jam to tarnish my review since this is a documentary about Pearl Jam not about the music, which I really like.

I have to admit, if I listen to music and I like it I just listen to it and doesn't even bother to know where the band comes from or even what the vocalist or the singer looks like. Heck, I just knew Drake's face few months ago yet I have listen to his songs for such a long time.

For me this one is enlightening, since I get to know Eddie Vedder's face for the first time [insert your sigh here]. Didn't mean to be rude but I listen to Pearl Jam not watch their faces one by one and try to memorize it in case I stumble into one of them in the mall. Besides there is near zero chance I will stumble upon them here in Indonesia. This means I am just an average fan, not some hardcore fan. However their songs are amazing to me.

So it begins in linear, the beginning of grunge rock movement in Seattle in the early 90s. A lot of stock footage was shown and very nice, it has the look of 90's MTV. As we all know, the 90s were ruled by Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

I do listen to Nirvana and know the face of Kurt Cobain though, in case you wonder. It is interesting to watch the ups and downs the inner work of Pearl Jam as they grow from zero to hero. Through various interviews (so that's their faces, I mumble to myself) the viewers will get to know tidbits, conflicts, dreams and opinions of people and themselves about their career.

I kinda wished that there will be several full footage of their performance and a little bit disappointed that most of it were just cuts and shorts. I am looking forward for the concert video though. This documentary reveals nothing new at all, it feels like any MTV documentary made in the 90s, and that's another disappointment from me.