Showing posts with label Psychological. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psychological. Show all posts

Secret (2007 Film)

Thursday, March 22, 2012 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

After hyped recommendations urging me to see Secret, I expected it to fall flat on its face. But it didn’t…


“A subtle thriller infused with romance and psychological drama.”

The Rundown
Behind the name: Full Chinese translation—The Secret That Cannot Be Told
Country: Taiwan, 2007
 Genre: Romance
Distributed by: EDKO Film
Director: Jay Chou
Cast: Jay Chou (as Ye Xianglun), Kwai Lun-mei (as Lu Xiaoyu ), Anthony Wong, (as Xianglun's father), Alice Tzeng (Qing Yi)
Compare to: Twilight?
Hate it or Love it? Love it

Synopsis in a Sentence: A musically talented high school student meets the girl of his dreams on the first day of school, but he cannot seem to get a hold of her, and neither can anyone else.
           

On Writing: The Plot
Simple, intriguing, and striking are three words that come to mind after seeing Secret, and the plot mirrors the feeling. It is indeed a simple story, laden with intrigue and the subtle elements of thriller. It heavily implies the employments of Shakespearian antics, coupled with the teenage angst of Twilight, yet Secret merges both plots in original fashion, but these are simply interesting comparisons that fail to underscore the plot of Secret.
The plot itself has more of a story than that portrayed in Twilight (the film) and less family feuds than that of Romeo and Juliet. It has a plot of its own—one worth seeing for yourself.
 (4/5)

On Acting: The Cast
It’s all subtle, implied, and clever, and so is its cast.
 Jay Chou (the Chinese from Green Hornet), played the lead role, and also directed and wrote the film. He should be praised for his superstar powers in producing it. 
His co-star,Kwai Lun-mei relays a performance to par. Supporting actors did well. All together good.
 (4/5)

On Production: The Creativity
As with the plot and the performance, it was clear that care was taken to relay the feeling we experience through out the film. Again, hats off to Jay Chou on this directorial debut. It is one that may be envied by experienced directors and actors alike.
 (4/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
Wow. It ends with a bang! ...Well, a blast more like. You may have to watch the end twice to grasp its substance.
 (4/5)

The Verdict: Subtle sparks and then a full blown fire — a light thriller infused with romance and drama. Well done.

Overall Score = 16/20 


 






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Karthik Calling Karthik (2010 Film)

Monday, March 14, 2011 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

It’s the first Hindi psychological thriller I’ve seen! And an excellent one at that.

 “Can your mind play tricks on you?”

The Rundown
Behind the name: Watch, and you’ll understand
Country: India, 2010
 Genre: Psychological Thriller
Distributed by: Excel Entertainment, Magic Beans
Director: Vijay Lalwani
                  Cast: Farhan Akhtar (as Karthik Narayan) Deepika Padukone (as Shonali Mukherjee) Ram Kapoor (as Mr. Kamath) Shefali Chhaya (as Mrs. Kapadia) Vivaan Bhathena, Vipin Sharma, Yatin Karyekar
                  Compare to: Itself
Hate it or Love it?  Love it.

Synopsis in a Sentence: Karthik keeps getting calls from a person who knows everything about him—what he does, what he’s going to do, and how he’ll do it— who is this that knows so much about him, and who keeps calling?
           

On Writing: The Plot
A fresh, unique plot. Bollywood really has developed range with this story. It’s a new angle, a new idea, and a new delivery. The story flows well, and develops well. There are a few, slight bumps, but you might not notice them at all. You’ll be entrenched in the thrill that this story will have on your psychology.
(4/5)

On Acting: The Cast
Great casting. Thy all play their parts quite well:
 Farhan Akhtar plays Karthik’s development from timid to confident easily. He’s the hero of the story and acts the part.
Deepika Padukone plays Shonali, the heroine, otherwise known as ‘hot girl’. She definitely plays more than just hot though, and save for a slight bump in the details of her character, she sails very easily through her part.
 (3.5/5)

On Production: The Creativity
Very well produced. Nice symbolism, good shots, a great production overall. No complaints here.
(4/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
It ends well. The end makes the film, and is well worth it. Very nicely resolved. You’ll have to trace your steps back to the start, but that’s the thriller in it. A good one.
(4/5)

The Verdict: A thrill, not only for your mind.

Overall Score = 15.5/20 



Watch Karthik Calling Karthik 

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La Fleur Du Mal (2003 Film)

Monday, July 19, 2010 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

Think of this as a dark comedic-drama.
It’s a complex build-up of familial issues. Ponder on good and evil, morality, incest, murder, circumstantial ties, ambition, hatred, and love—both erotic and phileo.



“The stark realism and dry humour employed in La Fleur du Mal reminds us why dysfunctional families are not much fun.”


The Rundown
Behind the name: Translation—The Flower of Evil
Country: France, 2003
 Genre: Psychological Drama
Distributed by: Lionsgate & Palm Pictures
Directors: Claude Charbol
                   Cast: Benoît Magimel (as François Vasseur), Nathalie Baye (as Anne Charpin-Vasseur), Mélanie Doutey (as Michèle Charpin-Vasseur), Suzanne Flon (as Tante Line), Bernard Le Coq (as Gérard Vasseur), Thomas Chabrol (as Matthieu Lartigue), Henri Attal (as le beau-père de Fanny), Françoise Bertin (as Thérèse), Caroline Baehr (as Fanny), Didier Bénureau (as Brissot)
                   Compare to: American Dream
Hate it or Love it?  Ponder on the subject a bit

Synopsis in a Sentence: A young French man comes back from America to re-encounter the familial disarray he ran away from, and just as things take shape, deep, dark secrets are uncovered.

In these days that television glorifies dysfunctional families and broken relationships, La Fleur du Mal brings the sorrow and emptiness of the situation into light, and we realise, there’s nothing really entertaining about dysfunctional relationships.


On Writing: The Plot

It’s a story on bleak relationships, mistrust, honesty and love. It’s quite a mix of emotions carried by a motley selection of characters. Some you can trust, some you cannot. The writing makes no excuses for the actions of the characters. Neither does it hide their true nature. The plot tells the story of a complex family brought together by circumstance, wealth, and fate—If you will call it that. The younger characters are caught in the lives of the older ones while re-living the mistakes of their parents (and their parent’s parents), while the parents, trapped in these mistakes, pre-occupy themselves with anything but the truth of the matter. Put together, the family becomes a network of detestation, despondency and discontentment forced to associate in the name of blood. What makes the story complex is the fair bit of “love” spread across a few of the characters, and in the end we learn that although love bears all things, it should not bear all.

 (3.5/5)


On Acting: The Cast

The actors were good. Suzanne Flon’s portrayal of the sinful saint brings you to reason with her character’s flaw. We may call her the heroine of the cast. Nathalie Baye portrays the ambitious woman/the trying wife, and does so true to form. Bernard de Coq typifies the detestable male worth detesting, and Mélanie Doutey is all sugar and spice.
Their acting is stark, simple, and straightforward, which gives the film a realistic feel. A vital skill employed in psychological dramas such as these.

(3.5/5)


On Production:
Like the acting, stark, straightforward, clean, and to-the-point, with a few tweaks to highlight the mood of the scenes. But it’s no wrong done for this genre of film.

(3.5/5)                                             


On Resolution: The Conclusion

If you’ve ever seen a Claude Chabrol film, you may be accustomed to the same topics. True to form, the theme, which highlights the “bad bourgeoisie” is employed here again. Chabrol employs minimal political satire to assail the middle-class again. But he’s mastered his subject, and the resolution to La Fleur du Mal does not disappoint. He even manages to inject a dose of humour to the dark, dark climax. Not many films end in this manner and once again, it’s worth experiencing the stab of the final rolls of film, or DVD laser readings, in this case.

 (4/5)


The Verdict: If you’re in the mood for realism, morbid humour and pleasant villains, see this one.

Overall Score = 14.5/20

Get La Fleur du Mal here: 















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