PS. IF YOU ARE INDONESIAN & YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT JIFFEST IS, WELL... I GUESS THE BULE ("GILA" or NOT) WOULD PROB SAY, "KESIAN DEH LUU"...
Seriously, peps, you should had already knew about Jiffest by now. It has been held 8 times since... I don't know exactly since when :p But I myself had watched it twice. And this week I feel a bit disappointed coz people (well, not people, but friends I know of) do not really know what Jiffest is. Hiks. But, well, I guess I'm being too harsh... not everybody values such arts anyway...
I even thought that I am sooo weird to wanting to go to the festival so much.
...........................
I watched Jiffest yesterday. I wanted to watch it on Sat, but I had to supervised some BTL event on that day... so I decided to watch 2 movies on that 3rd day. I chose "Motorcycle Diaries" (Personal Note: Yang jadi Ernesto ganteng sekaliiiy... hihihi... ) which based on Ernesto "Che Guevara" story, and "As It Is In Heaven" -a choir story that was different enough and kinda funny-. I think the commitee had worked very hard to make this festival going well. The ticket sales, the info box, the call center, the official website, the seminar and competitions, the exhibition, the cafe, the free shuttle bus... They try hard :pwhen all surround you are normal, you are consider weird. But is it not those people who are weird, and I am normal? I don't know... I guess the laws of majority is still very much applied.
Government and many sponsors also gave many contributions for this... which is a good thing (coz you just can't count on one organization -if you know what i mean-). Hmm, I bought the silver membership, which mean I can watch 5 movies and paid only Rupiah 65,000. Pretty cheap, right? But... my only suggestion is this, you better watch the World Cinema titles in real theatre, I mean TIM 21 or Djakarta 21. Coz they have proper comfy seats... I've been in Graha Bakti Budaya, and my neck hurted coz I couldn't laid back on the (foldable!) seat... geeshhh... -___-
I've also tried choosing 2 movies in two different spots. Just so I can rode on the free shuttle bus -lol- so, it was nice... not a bus at all. It was a Big Bird car, with around 11 seats. No worries:Full AC. The driver drove fast enough that I didn't miss my second show. Well, good... good... *smiling* I saw many foreigners watched Jiffest, too. I hope they'd enjoy it. I enjoyed it, although felt a bit dissapointed when "Motorcycle..." was errorly played *sigh*
I guess perfection is still beyond imagination. Hehe.
So, here is the review of some movies I recommended to see from 9-18 December. Enjoy! You can meet me at Djakarta 21, on Thursday, 4pm & 9pm... or on Sat, 7pm. I will be watching "Oldboy", "Sophie Scholl", and "5 x 2" ^__^
Movie reviews:
1. "As It Is In Heaven" (Kay Polak)
Drama- 132 min- Swedish/ English/ Italian with English subtitles
After suffering a heart attack, a successful music conductor interrupts his bright career and returns alone to his childhood village in the far North of Sweden. It doesn't take long before he's asked to come, listen and dish out some advice to the local church choir. the choir develops rapidly as he takes over as leader, but his involvement also upsets the insular town's social balance. The film features truly moving scenes and has delighted audiences with its heavenly voal performances.
2. "The Motorcycle Diaries" (Walter Salles)
Drama/Biography/Adventure- 128 minutes- Spanish with English subtitles
In this based-on-a-true-story film, two young Argentines - Alberto Granado and Ernesto “Che” Guevara - set off in 1952 to explore their continent, Latin America. They begin their two-year expedition on a vintage 1939 Norton 500 motorbike. What starts out as an adventure gradually takes a different turn. As the two friends come face to face with the social and political realities of the countries they travel through, their perception of the world changes. The experience fills them with the urge to fight for social justice.
3. "The Downfall" (Oliver Hirschbiegel) --> SOLD OUT, WORTH 2 TICKETS!
Drama- 156 minutes- German/Russian with English subtitles
You can almost smell sweat and fear in the bunker complex where Adolf Hitler (played brilliantly by Bruno Ganz) and his remaining military and secretarial staff take shelter as Russian troops encircle Berlin. Criticized for ‘humanizing’ Hitler, this dramatic film shows the chaos of Germany coming apart in 1945. As the soldiers in the bunker drink hard and exchange ideas on the best ways to commit suicide, Hitler, alone in his room, staring at a portrait of his hero, Frederick II, makes plans for the final steps of the imminent downfall.
4. "5X2" (François Ozon)
Drama- 90 minutes- French with English subtitles
5x2 is a very well made film, rich in visual ideas and directed with sensitivity and resonance. François Ozon deconstructs the union of two individuals whose plans for a lifetime of shared happiness end in a divorce court. Ozon focuses on five key chapters in these two people’s lives –including the first blush of sexual attraction, the wedding night, and the birth of their first child– that reveal the inextricable emotional ties between them. At the same time they expose the inevitable seeds of discord.
5. "Beautiful Boxer" (Ekachai Uekrongtham)
Drama/Action- 118 minutes- Thai/English with English subtitles
Nong Toom believes he's a girl trapped in a boy's body since childhood. He sets out to master the most masculine and lethal sports – Thai boxing – so he can earn a living and achieve his ultimate goal, which is to become a woman. Touching, funny and packed with breathtaking Thai kickboxing sequences, Beautiful Boxer traces Nong Toom's childhood, his teenage life as a traveling monk and his grueling days in boxing camps. Based on the true story of Thailand's famed transgender kickboxer, Parinya Charoenphol.
6. "Oldboy" (Park Chan-wook)
Action/Mystery/Thriller- 120 minutes- Korean with English subtitles
An ordinary man named Oh Dae-su, who lives with his wife and daughter, is kidnapped and later wakes up in a private prison. He makes attempts to escape and to commit suicide, but they end up in failure. All the while Dae-su asks himself what made a man hate him so much enough to imprison him without any reason. Dae-su becomes shocked when he watches the news and hears that his beloved wife was brutally murdered. At this very moment, Dae-su swears to take revenge on the man who destroyed his happy life.
7. "Millions" (Danny Boyle) --> I've watched it, GREAT animation effect!
Comedy/Family- 97 minutes- English
In 7 days' time, Britain converts to the Euro. Billions of sterling head for the incinerator. An enormous bag of money falls from the sky into the hands of Damian and Anthony. There's only one thing to do – spend it like there's no tomorrow. Anthony's black market operations bring hyper-inflation to the school playground and Damian wants to help the poor. Will the school authorities discover what's going on? Or will the robbers get there first? A reinvention of the cinematic experience with a heartwarming story and wonderful visual style.
8. "Sophie Scholl" (Marc Rothemund)
Drama- 117 minutes- German with English subtitles
A powerful, true story. Sophie and Hans are members of a resistance group against the Nazi regime. When the siblings hand flyers out on campus, they are arrested by the Gestapo. Sophie manages to bluff the interrogating officer, Robert Mohr, but Hans finally confesses everything. Moved by Sophie's uncommon bravery, Mohr offers her a way out – but at the price of betraying her ideals. She refuses the offer, sealing her fate. The Scholls are then accused of high treason.
9. "Thumbsucker" (Mike Millis) --> SOLD OUT for Sat show
Drama- 95 minutes- English
Justin Cobb, a bright high-school teen, wants to quit sucking his thumb, but nothing works. He tries everything, from putting ink on his thumb, to hypnosis from his New Age orthodontist, Perry Lyman (Keanu Reeves). He gets so desperate that when a school psychologist suggests using medication to help him focus, Justin leaps at the chance. Thumbsucker is an honest and funny look at the struggles of people who feel deeply flawed in youth and middle age.
10. "Turtles Can Fly" (Bahman Ghobadi)
Drama/War- 98 minutes- Kurdish with English subtitles
Bush and Saddam play supporting parts while street children assume the leading roles in this stunning film. Soran, 13, is known for having installed a satellite dish that helps local people who are seeking news of Saddam. He also leads a gang of children who clear minefields. Soran falls for a girl traveling with her handicapped brother, an apparent clairvoyant. The haunting mountains play backdrop to violence and tragedy, but at the heart and humor of the children shine through.
Short movie:
I Promise (Kan Lume, Singapore, 23 minutes)
What begins as an innocent interview between a young beautiful writer and a sports celebrity soon turns into a dinner date and a whirlwind romance that screeches to a sudden end.
Happy watching, friends!
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