Saturday, January 23

Tag: 2015

A Season with: Younger (2015 – 2019)
25Nov By Paskalis DamarNo Comments
TV Series

A Season with: Younger (2015 – 2019)

Coming from the vision of Sex and the City creator, creator, Younger almost breathes the same air as the cult series in celebrating the agelessness and complexity of adult life. Constructed as a single-camera sitcom, the series—which has ventured for six seasons (all are available at Mola TV) going to seven—peels off the meaning of growing up and restructures as a question. What if people can deceive adultness? By acting like a younger version of herself, the protagonist tries to deconstruct adulthood and exploits it for her own sake. (more…)
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A Season with: Humans (2015 – 2018) – Season 1, 2 & 3
5Nov By Paskalis DamarNo Comments
TV Series

A Season with: Humans (2015 – 2018) – Season 1, 2 & 3

Humans, created by Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley—based on a Swedish series, Real Humans—explores a futuristic world where humans employ androids to do menial works. The story focuses on poignant themes like discrimination, social inequality, and abuse with allusions to real-world stereotypes. In delivering the message, it poses a though-provoking question to ponder upon for the whole 3 seasons (now streaming on Mola TV). What makes us human? (more…)
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Almacenados (2015) – BALINALE Review
6Oct By Paskalis DamarNo Comments
Movie Review

Almacenados (2015) – BALINALE Review

Review: Jack Zagha Kababie’s Almacenados (a.k.a. Warehoused) houses an absurdly ridiculous two-man show about employment, specifically pre-retirement syndrome, in an empty warehouse, hence the title. Set in a warehouse located in a Mexican suburb, the drama-comedy revolves on the last five working days of Mr. Lino (José Carlos Ruiz), an old, diligent employee, and first five days of Nin (Hose Meléndez). Each day represents a chapter in this smartly outlandish observational tale, which mostly comes in tranquility but always has the ability to trigger bittersweet laughs. (more…)
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Sweet Bean (2015) – JAFF Jogja 2016 Review
6Dec By Paskalis Damar4 Comments
Focus: Asia, Movie Review

Sweet Bean (2015) – JAFF Jogja 2016 Review

Review: Sweet Bean observes a sweet, subtle chemistry between a desperate man with an elderly woman through the making of sweet bean paste for Japanese-classic pancake, dorayaki. Here, sweet bean paste becomes a symbolic connection of present and paste in a frame of troubled people, living in alienation and barely having life. (more…)
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La Tête Haute / Standing Tall (2015): Rantai hukum untuk si l’enfant terrible
30Sep By Paskalis Damar1 Comment
Movie Review, Review Bahasa Indonesia

La Tête Haute / Standing Tall (2015): Rantai hukum untuk si l’enfant terrible

Review: La Tête Haute a.k.a. Standing Tall – yang mendapat 8 nominasi César Awards dan memenangkan 2 di antaranya – adalah sebuah perjalanan panjang dan melelahkan di balik proses hukum untuk kasus juvenile delinquency atau kenakalan remaja. Perjalanan panjang tersebut direfleksikan dalam kehidupan sang l’enfant terrible sekaligus orang-orang terdekatnya di tengah proses hukum yang berliku. Proses demi proses digambarkan dengan candid sampai berujung di final scene-nya yang ambigu. ‘Vokal’ dan ‘merisaukan’ mungkin dua kata paling tepat untuk menggambarkan Standing Tall. Dari scene pertama saja, film ini sudah tampil vokal kala menampilkan karakter-karakter utamanya dalam sebuah adegan yang frustrating saat Séverine (Sara Forestier) meninggalkan putra tertuanya, Malony (nantinya diperan...
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Straight Outta Compton (2015) – Short Review
15Apr By Paskalis Damar5 Comments
Movie Review

Straight Outta Compton (2015) – Short Review

Review: Exactly mirroring violent, candid, and depressing lyrics of gangsta rap behemoth, N.W.A a.k.a Niggaz Wit Attitudes, Straight Outta Compton is an unapologetic biopic of 5 Compton buddies rising from crime-laden suburb into million-dollar worth popularity. F. Gary Gray's directorial attempt is explicitly brutal and confident. However, the script seems loose in containing 'what it meant to deliver' in one vault---resulting in unequal storytelling. The first half is the most upbeat and power-house journey to controversial stardom with pumped-up energy---where the violent and straightforward lays. Meanwhile, the second half is a little letdown with unbalance portion of narrating the group's downfall for several factors---Ice Cube's departure, Jerry Heller's fraud, and Eazy-E's tragic d...
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Best of 2015: Films
20Mar By Paskalis Damar10 Comments
Sinek-Talk

Best of 2015: Films

With all the glam and hype, 2015 is a very exquisite movie year. Unlike previous years, which saw the rise of young adult novel adaptations and superhero movies, 2015 saw a completely different constellation. From the rise of espionage movies (from highest score for MI5 to the lowest for Mortdecai), the return of dormant classic franchises (from a 30-year cryo-sleeping Mad Max to 3-year long 007), to blockbuster record breakers (from Jurassic World to The Force Awakens), 2015 deserves my personal 3.5 star as a mega-entertaining year.  (more…)
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Best of 2015: Performances
18Mar By Paskalis Damar9 Comments
Sinek-Talk

Best of 2015: Performances

Similar to the same list in 2014, I do not fancy classification in acting department. No leading and supporting, although – without question – they’re essential; no male and female, the way Chris Rock put amen to it during his Oscar opening monologue. Among hundreds of splendid, vigorous performances in 2015, I narrowed it down to 15 actors and actresses for their body of works.  (more…)
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Best of 2015: Scenes & Posters
16Mar By Paskalis Damar6 Comments
Sinek-Talk

Best of 2015: Scenes & Posters

Needless to say, 2015 is full of cinematic beauty radiated in thousand minutes we saw. This list is dedicated to the most radiant of them all – to some minutes which might not be able to Best Picture a movie, but might steal some best celebrated moments in cinema. Since it’s a list of specific scenes, spoiler might be your worst enemy. Please read, on your own risk, Sinekdoks’ Best Scenes of 2015 with bonus best posters.  (more…)
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Spotlight (2015) – Review
19Feb By Paskalis Damar7 Comments
Movie Review

Spotlight (2015) – Review

Review: Tom McCarthy’s Oscar contender follows a special investigation team under ‘The Boston Globe’ in unraveling a circle of child abuse in the Catholic Church. Based on a very harrowing, bitter fact, Spotlight honestly delivers it in a Best Original Screenplay spirit that re-transcends journalism movie into radar. Spotlight highlights the early coverage of Boston Globes to one of the biggest scandal involving Catholic Church – in which series of child abuses have been going around unnoticed by law. Members of Spotlight – the special team consisting of Mike Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdam), and Matt Carroll (Bryan D’Arcy James) under Walter Robinson (Michael Keaton) – started noticing some abnormal law-enforcing patterns involving priests.  It needs new editor, Ma...
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Siti (2015) – Review
4Feb By Paskalis Damar6 Comments
Focus: Indonesia, Movie Review

Siti (2015) – Review

Review: Siti might flaunt an award-bait starter pack---black-and-white cinematography; pretentious 4:3 aspect ratio; beautifully choreographed long, tracking shots---on the surface, but all of those are no further than a meaningful cover to an intense character study which lies within. Before the soaring waves of Parangtritis---one of the most famous beaches in Yogyakarta, Indonesia---Siti clamors a rambunctious protest. Not like a highfalutin satire to political issues or modern day slavery, it's a more traditional and ingrained issue---so ingrained that it is considered a living norm. What Siti attempts to unravel is a tragedy as a result of that issue, wrapped in a modest but essential nod towards role of woman in a patriarch culture. It's a story of a woman, the titular character (Se...
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Room (2015) – Review
31Jan By Paskalis Damar4 Comments
Movie Review

Room (2015) – Review

Review: Impossible not to love Room for what it delivers: a profoundly heart-wrenching mother-and-son drama and a showcase of heart-throbbing performances by Oscar nominee, Brie Larson, and Jacob Tremblay. Room, at its core, is a partial survival story; with the other part---which dominates most---is a borderless motherly love story. The story revolves around the life of Joy (Brie Larson), who has been living in a confined 'room' for seven years after being abducted when she's 17. For the last five years, she's been raising her son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay), while being held captive within four walls of the 'room.' (more…)
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Macbeth (2015) – Review
27Jan By Paskalis Damar4 Comments
Movie Review

Macbeth (2015) – Review

Review: Macbeth, or better call it The Scottish play, isn't only Shakespeare's most straight-forward troupe, but also the direst and most superstitious---with plenty of harrowing imagery and the real-life curse. Australian director, Justin Kurzel, is seemingly persistent to be faithful to the source when adapting Macbeth in his 110-minute long adaptation of Shakespeare's short tragedy. Act-per-act and specific scenes are staged loyally to give cinematic visual treatment to the play. Even, poetic, enigmatic, but resourceful dialogues are directly transliterated---to resonate the originality of the play---in juxtaposition with idyllic visuals which talks like poetry. Macbeth is a story of the degradation and corruption of a good man's heart in the hand of ambition. (more…)
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The Diary of A Teenage Girl (2015) – Review
25Jan By Paskalis Damar4 Comments
Movie Review

The Diary of A Teenage Girl (2015) – Review

Short Review: "I had sex today," Minnie Goetze opens The Diary of a Teenage Girl in a rollicking, proud gesture. That uncensored, honest confession leads to a quirky coming-of-age humor, this adaptation of Phoebe Gloeckner's self-inspired graphic novel might be: A very heart-pounding sexual odyssey, which doesn't judge. (more…)
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The Hateful Eight (2015) – Review
22Jan By Paskalis Damar3 Comments
Movie Review

The Hateful Eight (2015) – Review

Review: Here comes Quentin Tarantino’s eighth film – a quintessence of his spaghetti western tendency and, mostly, a collection of all his cinematic wonders which serves as a kind of ‘greatest hits compilation’ in The Hateful Eight. By far, this second Western to QT’s universe is the most fun, enjoyable and digestible. Also, this one is possibly the film QT enjoyed most during the ‘troublesome’ making. Entirely shot with 70 MM Ultra Panavision – which I wasn’t fortunate enough to enjoy (lucky those who watched it as it should have been projected; or at least got the correct aspect ratio on cinema), The Hateful Eight is set during a post-Civil War blizzard at Minnie’s Haberdashery, where the titular hateful eight people – plus one least hateful one (who doesn’t get counted) and one surpris...
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