CIRCUMSTANCE – “Extremely sad and beautiful.” By Lyn Bungar

Photo courtesy of cinedelphia.com

I am fond of films that dare to illustrate the unknown or unfamiliar situation of one’s society. 

Circumstance, an award-winning film by Maryam Keshavarz, exposes the underground life of the youth in Tehran under a repressive regime. It explores themes such as drugs, sexuality, other activities prohibited and perceived by the government as immoral and how religious authority affects the lives and relationships of those under its governance. It showcases a patriarchal system in which the primary authority is ruled by men. It shows how the system plays a major role in the social, political and religious state of the country.

The story revolves around two teenage girls, Atafe and Shireen. Atafe comes from a wealthy family and hangs out a lot with her poor best friend Shireen.  Atafe gets to enjoy the privileges of being the daughter of her parents. On the other hand, Shireen, under her uncle’s supervision, lives in the shadows of her deceased parents who are implied to have done rebellious activities that led to their death. Atafe and Shireen have a very close relationship and both enjoy private parties away from the eyes of the authority. The movie emphasizes the desire of the young generation for freedom which was given justice by the two characters who behaved recklessly despite the consequences. 

The film dares to condemn the current political situation in Iran through Hossein’s character, an Iranian guy from America whom Atafeh and Shireen met in a party. He asks Atafeh, Shireen and another friend Salaam to help him dub and distribute the movie “Milk” on the streets. The movie stars Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the first gay person to be elected to public office in California. This is a brave yet predictable act from a guy who lives in America which is a liberal country and acknowledges the rights of the gay community.

Atafe and Shireen’s friendship eventually turns romantic. I witness a relationship that blossoms amidst the danger and pressure of the society’s religious culture. And for the same reason, how this relationship ends through Mehran, Atafe’s brother who just returned home from a drug rehab. He develops, what looks like an obsession with Shireen. His devotion to Muslim morality after he came out from the rehab brought an awkward tension in his family. As the story progresses, Mehran’s dark character unfolds resulting to chaos in his family.

There is also this scene that caught my attention. It is when Atafe’s family and Shireen went to the beach. Atafe’s father acknowledges her and told her that someday they could all go in the water. I am completely unaware that there is actually a place where women are not allowed to swim publicly. I have to check on that though. That scene implies Atafe’s father concern on her daughter’s thoughts but all he can do is wish that in the future women will be able to enjoy the privileges enjoyed by men. Going to the beach and not able to enjoy the water really sucks! Thank goodness to Atafe and Shireen’s rebellious character, they did swim but when no one is around.

Circumstance is truly heart-breaking and worth watching. There are some scenes though that are dragging, and those that I feel like there is no need to be included in the film as it has less to no effect on the story. The actors portrayed their characters really well. There is a lot of emotions going on even without any conversations or dialogue. And the music used to score the film is electrifying! I really appreciate it.

The movie speaks to me in ways that made me very grateful on what I have and where I am today. For that, I generously give 8 espresso shots for this film.

 

 

*I did some research on this film and found out that though the story is set in Tehran, the movie was shot in Lebanon. (source: Circumstance Movie Review by Rich Cline, http://www.contactmusic.com/movie-review/circumstance)

According to the dailybeast.com, the movie is banned in Iran.

OF BRIDGES AND LOVE. A closer look at The Bridges of Madison County (novel). By Love Esios

Before Nicholas Sparks made his way onto being a best-seller author of romantic novels, there was this classic book that I will never ever replace on top of my romance/fiction list. Published a few years after another classic Love In The Time of Cholera, Robert James Waller's narration of a true-to-life love story The Bridges of Madison County captured something in my heart. Set in the 1960's, it is a story about an affair between Robert Kincaid and Francesca Johnson that started on

Cover of the book pulled from wikipedia.org

e humid afternoon in the gravel roads of Madison County, Iowa.

Okay, I know that an affair is quite a sensitive topic for some of you, but the intention of Waller when he wrote this love story is clear: whatever the circumstances are, love has a way of finding you in the most unfamiliar places and with the most unlikely person. The two main characters in the novel truly found love not in a hopeless place, but in the most hopeless of all situations. Robert considers himself as a nomad, a born artist, a person with a unique perspective of the world. Francesca seems to be content on how steady her life is; a marriage to a man who was kind to her and who gave her two kids. But she didn't realize how much she was missing until she met him. I see these two characters as lost souls, wandering around, accepting what life offers them, not wanting for more... until they found each other, like they have found their safe haven.

Waller is truly a gifted storyteller. He has a way with words, carefully laying out every detail until all the pieces have fallen into its place. The way he narrated it was kind of intimate for me, like he's telling me the story in person. There were some parts in the story that had slow pacing, though. Other parts like the love scene were narrated in a not so intimate way, not really focusing on the details but rather capturing how the two characters felt while making love. Nevertheless, this is one classic story you wouldn't like to miss!

Call me a hopeless romantic (I know I am) for falling in-love with this book or perhaps an immoral (I think I'm not) for encouraging such affair that might affect other people's perspective about the book. If you think like the latter after reading the book, it simply means you weren't able to grasp the real essence of this story.

So if you feel like you are lost in love, or think that you might not find love at all, then this book is for you. For this genre, I'd give this book 7 out of 10 cups of latte! :)

"Words have physical feeling, not just meaning, he remembered thinking when he was young."
- Bridges of Madison County

LES CHORISTES and the magic of their voices by: Uel Ceballos

Movie poster from Wikipedia

We have just celebrated the World’s Teachers’ Day last October 5. It reminded me of my teachers way back in grade school, high school, college and up to the times that I was already working where I continued meeting new mentors. They all imparted lessons that are too precious and valuable to lose, thus I’m keeping them in my heart, looking back to those words of wisdom whenever needed. 

Most especially, I remembered those teachers who have greatly inspired and influenced me to what I am now. 

It has brought me then to discuss to you this teacher-inspired film that is included in my list of best movies—the 2004 French Drama Film “Les Chorites”.

photo clip from the movie "Les Choristes"

I must admit, I cried at the end of this movie not because of the film’s sentimentality, but because of the connection built up between me and the characters. The director Christophe Barratier, with all the casts and workers of the movie, managed to break the fourth wall that divided Les Choristes from its audiences.  The film in fact, brought out the heartfelt feeling to its viewers without overdoing the drama of the story. The film is packed with natural humor and emotions that it just likes spicing up the entire movie with the exact ingredients under the sufficient stove heat.

photo clip from the movie "Les Choristes"

Les Choristes is the story of Pierre Morhange and the life he spent in a boarding institution way back in the year 1949. The school Fond de L'Étang was a correctional institution for “difficult” boys, that it would really takes a lot of patience and strong will for someone to manage the situations there and teach the students. But new teacher, Clément Mathieu has brought a new hope by using music to tame and change the kids in the institution. The process however, is really difficult but Mathieu’s good intentions was well paid off when soon enough he managed to form an all boys choir from those ill-mannered, unmanageable bunch of students. He strongly believed that the kids weren’t as hopeless as what their principal was thinking.

 Jean-Baptiste Maunier as Pierre Morhange
photo clip from the movie

One notable feature about this film was the casting of students who were not professional actors but did a really remarkable job in getting into the hearts of their viewers. The lead character Pierre Morhange was played by Jean-Baptiste Maunier who was a real singer from the French choir Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc. The rest of the kids were auditioned from primary and secondary schools near the location of the film. The kids were really passionate to learn about acting and music that it resulted to their very astonishing performance in Les Choristes. Surely, you will love the music, the sound of the children’s choir, the exceptional voice of Jean-Baptiste Maunier – all of these were so heavenly to the ear that I really got goose bumps when I heard their angelic voices.

The treatment used for the flow of story began from old Pierre reminiscing back to his childhood days by reading through the diary of his teacher, Clément Mathieu. Then the scene cut off to flashback, with the entire story already in the point of view of Mathieu. You would certainly lose yourself in this film’s simplicity and heartwarming nature. If you have been moved by the teacher-inspired film Mr. Holland’s Opus then you must see this one also! The casting, the setting, and the psychology of the characters were all carefully developed and the film itself was excellently made that it was nominated in 77th Academy Awards and in other award-giving bodies.

For this movie review, the film is worthy of 10 espresso shots rating! Better see it yourself to find out why! Enjoy watching!

https://www.facebook.com/Now-Brewing-539673826127554/?ref=hl

Dog Tooth and the Classical Hollywood Cinema by Benj Ramos

image from impawards.com

There have been changes on the ways the film makers tell their stories. For commercial purposes maybe or just merely the influence of time, but one thing is for sure, film makers express their masterpiece in a not-so-contemporary ways.

Dog Tooth (Kynodontas) has been one of the films that deconstructs the "normal way" of film narration. Through its out-of-the-box scenes, the director, Yorgos Lanthimos, challenges the current (and even the contemporary) form of storytelling.

The continuity editing that are present from the classical Hollywood cinema is also visible in Dog Tooth. However, it lacks casual explanations. There are no explanations as to why a certain scene is happening. On the other hand, classical Hollywood films vividly present the story's cause and effect. 

This 2009 Greek film has shown the intersectionality between the contemporary form and the surreal/modern form. When it comes to cinematic space and time, we know that it runs chronologically. Although at times we feel that there are missing scenes, and it jumps from one situation to another without visual justification, the film still let us identify time through day and night and with no flashbacks and other conventions of time story telling.

In the classical Hollywood cinema POV, eyeline matches and shot-reverse shots act as a help to give the audience the story telling we expect. However, gives us headless shots, awkward head rooms, and weird mis-en-sine.

On the other hand, the films conformity to classical Hollywood cinema is present on characters. The family has been consistently abnormal from the beginning to end. We know that the parents are aware of their actions, and they were introduced to the film as who they are. Just like the classics, it is loyal to introducing the characters to satisfy the audiences' need of trait and character references.

Despite all, this Cannes winner revolves around the story of children who were raised differently by their parents. They remained ignorant and looks at the world in a way you can't imagine. They were saturated in false beliefs, deception and urban legends. This Oscar nominee for best foreign language deserves my 8 espresso shots for a peculiar film wizardry!

FANTASY LOVER - “It was exciting on some part. Not the kind of book that I will bury myself and finish in one sitting.” By Lyn Bungar

Photo courtesy of www.audioeditions.com

The title pretty much says what the book is all about – FANTASY LOVER. I classified it as a romantic/erotic novel. It is about an ex Spartan general and a half man half god, Julian of Macedonia who was cursed to live inside a book for eternity until a summoner called for him to be their boy-toy for thirty days. It was Priapus (brother of Julian) who put him in such damnation after he found out that he had slept with his woman.

Julian was every woman's dream. His physical attributes were indescribable. I was convinced that no such man exists in real life. He had been inside the book for over two thousand years until Grace, a sex therapist, summoned him with the help of her friend Selena, a tarot card reader/psychic. Selena was so desperate for her friend to sleep with a man, reason why she came up with the idea of Grace summoning Julian from the book. Grace has not been with a man for quite some time because of her experienced with her ex lover Paul. She finally gave in to Selena’s persuasion knowing that it was all a joke and that it wouldn't do her any harm.

There are parts on the book that caught my attention but some were not enough on getting me excited to go through the pages.  I liked Selena’s eagerness on finding her friend a mate, and the idea of Greek gods and goddesses interacting with mortals in the twenty first century were very interesting. There were lots of sexual tension between Julian and Grace. It was simply and beautifully written by the author. It was so vivid, like I was watching the action on-screen. But as I went through the book, it became predictable. The feeling of excitement occurred, vanished and appeared again. My emotions got to lose somewhere. I thought that the feeling will be redeemed by the most anticipated love scene that will free Julian, but I was a bit disappointed. I compared it to a friend of mine who told me stories with no climax. I was not so happy with Priapus and Aphrodite’s (mother of Julian) envy and selfishness that made Julian suffered a lot. It did not make sense to me at all. Thanks to the very unrealistic character of Grace, who happened to be a sex therapist yet unable to fathom her feelings toward men, Julian was freed from malediction. The story of Rodney, a madman and Grace’s stalker confused me. It didn’t blend well with the whole story, at least for me. The author should have concentrated with the Greek gods and goddesses turmoils. The ending was a disaster! Their love story was immature.

I would give 2-3 cups of latte for this book as I was entertained on some parts and the story started really well. But hey! The book was not bad at all. You might want to give it a try :)

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, both romantic and pleasantly nostalgic. by: Uel Ceballos

Photo clips taken from the movie "Midnight in Paris"

I've never been to Paris but I’ve been long dying hard to get there someday. Until I watched Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, and it all seemed like I was already transported there mentally if not physically. This romantic comedy fantasy film was entirely shot in Paris and I just couldn’t help myself admiring the opening montage of the film, wherein breathtaking shots of Paris were being shown while sweet Jazz music was played on the background – very romantic indeed.

Rachel McAdams as Inez, Owen Wilson as Gil Pender
Photo clip taken from "Midnight in Paris" movie

Midnight in Paris in the direction and screenplay of Woody Allen was first released in 2011 but I only got to watch it this year 2013. I assumed from the title itself that it would be all about love and romance since Paris was what most of us referred to as “The City of Love”. I was not that excited at first-- maybe because I was not really a fan of Owen Wilson (I never like his Wedding Crasher though he gave me a good laugh in his old movie Bottle Rocket).

Photo clips taken from the movie "Midnight in Paris"

I never thought that there would be a fantasy play on Midnight wherein Gil Pender traveled back time to the era of 1920. But what really added more sparks to my interest were the presentations of real personalities from the past, incorporating them to the film, and getting them to meet Gil Pender, the guy who came from the modern year! I just couldn’t contain my full appreciation of Woody Allen’s creativity as he put on his movie the presence of celebrated writers and public figures like Ernest Hemingway, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker, Cole Porter, Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso!

Woody Allen is a writer and artist himself, so small wonder that meeting these famous celebrities is what he also wishes for himself even just through the making of such a well-written film like Midnight in Paris. The effect on me was quite strong that I even fantasized myself traveling back like Gil and meeting the like of Fitzgerald and Hemingway –Oh! I must have then the book of “The Great Gatsby” and “The Old Man and The Sea” for their autograph!

It was also an amusing scene to watch the character portrayals of famous writers and artists, looking more onto their being humans rather than on their being as renowned celebrities from the past. Though the things you would see on them in the movie were nothing different to the autobiographical details written about them, still the effect it had was really fantastic.

I got to like Owen Wilson here, his being naturally charming and funny fit perfectly for the character of Gil Pender. And the cinematography – I really loved it! Woody Allen has given the film a balmy texture, wherein the ambiance was sustained in a warm tone all throughout the movie and the effect it had was so perfectly pleasant and beautiful.

I will now leave the rest of the details for those who haven’t seen the movie yet. For this excellent movie made with nostalgia-modernism combination, let’s cheer for it with 8 SHOTS OF ESPRESSO! 

WHEN DYSTOPIAN NOVELS BECOME ADDICTING... ~ by Love Esios

One of the book covers of The Hunger Games. Photo taken from Google Images.

I'm not really a fan of dystopian novels. Since I have started reading novels in high school, I have never thought I would actually get engrossed in a story that's kind of dark and gruesome and gory. It turns out The Hunger Games changed that part of me. It took one boring weekday afternoon to try and read the first few pages of the book and after that, I never stopped reading until the last book!

The Hunger Games is the first of the three books in The Hunger Games series (the others being Catching Fire and Mockingjay). The story focuses on a very unlikely competition that is meant to punish and remind the citizens in poverty-stricken Panem that rebellion against the government would have very complicated consequences. The Games was created for the kids to fight among themselves, with only one emerging as a victor. In this first book, you would be introduced to the three main characters of the series: Katniss, Peeta and Gale. You might think that this is going to be a love story set in the dark ages of mankind but no... it's more than that. It might sound like a typical story for some people who have already read young adult fiction with dsytopia in the background. But I guess, there's something on how Suzanne Collins presented the story that made me turn on every page of the book, perhaps thinking that in a few decades, our society will be as vicious and selfish as The Capitol... that the government will resort into punishing kids and teenagers for a crime that the adults have done. How surreal the situation could be? The bloodbath, the injustice...they were all captured by Collins. I found her storytelling very easy to understand, yet she used the simplicity of her narration to give the readers a strong and vivid imagery. And as a reader myself, as long as I can see the scene clearly in my head, hear the characters talking, feel the emotions in their words, then I know I am reading a good book. Truth be told, while I was reading the book, it felt like I was already there, I was also part of that dark society, and I can still see every scene in my head until now! (Okay, now that's scary... hahaha!)

The Hunger Games is a riveting story of injustice and passion set in a violent, dark and gory society that might be our own someday. And I'm telling you, once you start, you won't stop. For that, I'd give a rating of 7 cups of latte out of 10. ^_____^

Enjoy!

A MUST-READ FOR CHRISTMAS SEASON! by Uel Ceballos

Photo from Wikipedia

Since we’re just months away now from Christmas time, I suddenly feel like reading something that is Christmas-inspired, and that brings me to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. While I skim through the first pages of the book it gives me the impression that the story seems unfit for the children; because C.D has a note there calling it a Ghostly Little Book. Well, you don't think the children are fond of  ghosts until I remember Casper and how I  love him when I'm a little girl.

A Christmas Carol starts with a dimmed and gloomy atmosphere, narrating about Marley being dead. So how do I take that? A Christmas story beginning with someone’s death -- well, it almost provokes me to drop the idea of reading the rest of the book. But then out of curiosity and C.D’s popularity I just decide to proceed with my reading. At the end of the story, I’m just so grateful that I finish it. The story and its lessons are priceless; and its significance to the world is definitely timeless.

The story is perfectly fit for people of all ages, from the young ones to the old ones. A Christmas Carol is the story of bitter and fed-up Scrooge, whose encounter with the Ghosts of the Christmas from the past, present and future transform him into a much better person.

Whenever the spirit of Christmas is coming into the danger of dying away from your heart,  this book will ignite the sparks that will blaze your heart into life again! A must-read for everyone especially for those who are eventually drowning deep down the life’s depression, sadness and despair, A Christmas Carol will restore you back to that hopeful and buoyant person you're once before.

Hope you guys find time to read this classic literature and as C.D says it, may the ghosts of Christmas haunt you pleasantly!