Summer Screenshot 4: Triangle

Locally released as Ghost Ship. I don't know if the change of title is due to an advertising stint or just plain mockery to local audience's intellect. But remembering the movie, I'm pretty much sure it's the former. 


The plot was laboriously written but there were a lot of loopholes. Still, it's some entertaining waste of 2 hours of your summer. 


P.S. It's not a new movie. It was actually first screened in 2009.


P.P.S. It's not the movie Ghost Ship (2002) in this link. 

342:1 ratio -
Cadaver-to-seagull in the movie. Or loopholes-to-movie. Whatever

Summer Screenshot 2: Catfish

Personally, this is the documentary that had the most impact. I used to have an online relationship myself, and I'm glad it only brings me good memories. If you haven't watched this, please do.

Summer Screenshot 1: American History X

I loved this film the first time I watched it years ago. I managed to get a copy again and I remember why. 

Nothing spells Sunday to me better than waking up late and doing nothing. Earlier today, I woke up at 1 carrying with me 18 hours of sleep, officially baling me out of the state of sleeplessness I was in last week. And this Sunday, that nothing came in a form of a movie called Choke.

Choke (2008) is a film adaptation of director Clark Gregg from the book by Chuck Palahniuk bearing the same title. It’s about Victor, his loser life, and his genius plan of faking to choke in restaurants so wealthy people can go and save him. His so called “victims” then will feel that they have saved a person and in return continue to help him by sending him financial aid—money that he uses for his insane foster mother’s medical bills. The way he sees it, he sells senses of fulfillment to those who need it in a cheaper price. It’s like adopting a foreign baby he said, only that it is he that these people have adopted. 

Not a bad idea, selling feelings. Especially a worthy feeling at that.

The story is twisted, as other Palahniuk produced plots. His will depict introductory bombardment with realistically horrid details and individually build them up only to concoct them in a giant bomb that will timely explode just before the ending. His will give you confusion coated with contentment, and as much as this movie tuned down the plot’s mindfuckedness, I still was satisfied.

Fanboy-ing aside, let me give you my take of the film.

For the most part, the movie showed multiple clips of Victor’s modus operandi. That together with his narration of how badass he is because aside from a liar, he is also a Med school dropout turned medieval tour guide, a sexaholic who can’t feel for another person,and a total jerk resulting from an upbringing by his unconventional mother (Not to mention at one point he was convinced that he was a half-clone of Jesus.) Little did he know that the state which he is often in—choking—is a metaphor from the labels the world gives him. 

As  he was relieved from choking after he gave it a final attempt while in the interrogation room with 2 policemen, he drew a conclusion and let go of all labels attached to him.

“We’re not evil sinners or perfect knockoffs of God. We let the world tell us whether we’re saints or sex addicts, sane or insane, heroes or victims...we can decide for ourselves.”

 Epiphany.

Dimension frustration

3D has been the biggest revelation to the movie industry so far. More than well-built plot, interesting characters, and skillful cinematography, moviegoers also take account of the experience they have when watching movies. It's like dining in a fancy restaurant. Aside from exquisite meals and variety of drinks they have to offer, they also sell the ambiance that comes with the package every time diners go to them to eat. It's the same bananas with watching movies: 3D facilitates the creation of your unique experience contributing to the overall feel of the film.

More than facilitation though, some movies are just pleasing to the eyes.

A friend and I watched Resident Evil:Afterlife in 3D at Midtown last night. Judging the previous installments' content and the game-turned-movie nature of the film, we were more excited on the experience rather than substance. 

Meh.

 We actually drank coffee first before entering the movie house for better effect (my idea, of course).But the outcome was far too mediocre to talk about. It's not purely the fault of the film itself though. Somehow Midtown cinema (which I love) contributed to the bad effect of the film. The projection was relatively dim, 3D glasses are quite loose and rather uncomfortable wearing, floor lights are incredibly bright, and buckets of free popcorn were too small.

Well, the latter is not really a part of my ranting. They're so tiny it's actually kinda cute somehow.

We're so tiny we're gonna die

Still, it's a good way of spending an early evening. Making fun of a crappy film is always entertaining.