Pixar's latest, Inside Out, is marvelous if only for the fact that it doesn't coddle its audience- both kids and adults alike.
Superficially it reminded me of the old 90's series Herman's Head, where several characters, personifications of a certain emotion or character trait, exist inside the titular character's consciousness, directing and/or messing up his daily life.
Inside Out is far more complex, framing the story as a coming-of-age tale. The lead character, Riley, is a kid on the cusp of adolescence, and our story begins as many big changes in her life occur, most notably, her family has uprooted and has moved to a new city. With the move, Riley has to adjust to a new and alien life.
Her struggles, childhood problems that we no doubt can relate to in one way or another, feel tangible. And within our head we see her transition from a child with simple emotions to a more emotionally complex adult. Its treatment of the subject matter brims with imagination as we travel through Riley's abstractions, her endlessly fluctuating store of memories, and her dreams. Joy and Sadness' journey through Riley's emotional landscapes are full of novel animation techniques and representations. At the same time, the concepts are simple enough to be understood by both children and adults alike.
The film imparts a lot of messages that I think are very important. On one side, it shows us that all our emotions are essential for our overall well being. Even emotions like sadness, fear and disgust are means for us to protect ourselves and to heal from many emotional wounds. More importantly, it's a jab at our contemporary culture where everyone's a winner, where constant happiness seems to be promoted. Inside Out tells us there's absolutely nothing wrong with feeling fear or sadness; they are part of what makes us what we are.
Writer Alex Garland's directorial debut, the science fiction thriller Ex Machina, is a solid exploration of the quickly blurring line between man and artificial intelligence.
Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson), a coder working for a near future version of Google, is given the task of participating in a Turing Test for a secretly manufactured AI named Ava (Swedish actress Alicia Vikander.) Ava's creator, Nathan (Oscar Isaac) seems friendly at first, but we soon find out that everyone seems to have an ulterior motive.
Ex Machina sports a tight script and accomplishes a lot with a minimalist approach and a small budget. It asks questions about what really constitutes a sentient being. Much like the Jackson Pollack painting featured prominently in the complex, the answer seems to be instinct; senses borne from chaos and hammered into ordered thought.
Lies layered on top of each other obscure the truth; Caleb soon engages in a cat and mouse game as he tries to figure out the truth. At the same time, he begins to doubt his own humanity as it becomes less clear who exactly it is being tested.
Ex Machina shines thanks to an ambitious yet simple premise that doesn't resort to high budget theatrics to get its point across. It shows us that the best science fiction concentrates on great ideas, leaving the presentation to grow organically out of it.
And finally, time for something completely different. From the very start of Star Cinema teenybopper wet dream Just the Way You Are, when the two faux cops crash a party only to say "You're under arrest! By our charm... and sexiness," you know EXACTLY what you're getting into.
Based on another Wattpad story that, to its credit, surprisingly doesn't have too many over the top moments, Just The Way You Are is as generic and derivative as any movie of its type can be. There's the popular guy, the unpopular girl, the premise that was ripped off She's All That, and your garden variety personal issue (TM) that both characters suffer from.
The movie is also shameless in inserting blatant product placements wherever it can. To be fair the scenes are almost always in context, so at least they weren't shoehorned in... that much.
So, what makes this movie even remotely watchable? Well, the love team of course. Enrique Gil and Liza Soberano are a great love team, and both have great chemistry together, borne from their hit TV series Forevermore. Enrique Gil acts a bit better than his two other contemporaries, and Liza Soberano is a good actress, not to mention that Liza Soberano is one really gorgeous young lady. No amount of bushy eyebrows, gangly braces or leprosy like lesions will make her ugly. (I have no way of saying that without sounding creepy.) Fans of the show and the love team were no doubt entertained, and based on reports of the film earning a gazillion pesos at the box office, I'm not really surprised. A really good turn from veteran "Dramatically Misunderstood Dad" actor Ricky Davao really helps as well. Seriously, please stop making us cry with your amazing acting, dude. You already clogged our sinuses in Mariquina, not here too. Ricky Davao is the best eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I fervently wish for the day when a love team this talented gets a decent vehicle without pandering too much to the lowest common denominator. It feels like such a waste sometimes.
No comments:
Post a Comment