Amour (2012)

There’s a lot of love for “Amour” in the Oscar last February, although in the end it only won one out of several nominations it gained. Like what I wrote in this post, I guess the warmth of love of this French-language Austrian film didn’t last long. I, honestly, don’t really like this film—although it is undoubtedly a qualified representation of modern cinema. This is the first chance for me to watch any of Michael Haneke’s works and, well, I can say that I need more time to adapt with his style before starting to know him via “Amour”.

Stoker (2013)

This is Park Chan-wook’s debut film in Hollywood. The most popular film from this South Korean director, “Oldboy”, is one of my favorites. However, I can say that compared to “Oldboy” or any other Park’s films, “Stoker” is much tamer. No blood, not even thrills. Supported by great performances from actors like Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, and Nicole Kidman, is it fair to conclude that “Stoker” is not as interesting as “Oldboy”?

Man of Steel (2013)

Woohoo! I watched “Man of Steel” this afternoon and the excitement I had is kept afresh in my mind so I’m trying to write this review as soon as possible (at least I don’t wanna have the same fridge logic I had when I watched “Now You See Me”). “Man of Steel” has become one of the movies listed in my 2013 watchlist. The more it released its trailer, the more excited I became. I’m a big fan of Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy and here he becomes the producer. Now you get the idea why this film becomes my most anticipated film in 2013.

After Earth (2013)

There's a little bit intention in my mind, before I watched M. Night Shyamalan's "After Earth", that all I was about to do in the theater is sitting down and proving if this movie is as terrible as what the critiques said. Actually, most sci-fi movies never excite me (except in some cases), and just by the trailer, I knew that "After Earth" is not gonna be my choice. But then, as I eventually had a chance to watch it in the cinema (together with my students :D), I tried to clear my mind up from any negative reviews it received before entering the theater.

A Serious Man (2009)

You know, there are certain movies that are actually just so-so, but because they matched your mood when you're watching it, they turned to be so enthralling. "A Serious Man" is probably like that. One of a few indie movies by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "A Serious Man" needs you to be open-minded before starting watching it. There are plenty of references about Jew in this movie, but with the help of tidy screenplay, nice directing, and good performances by the cast, everyone could easily capture the big idea of this movie—which is so heart-pleasing.