Okay's Thoughts on Okay Films

Where to even start with this one? Very few movies mange to evoke such a strong physical reaction out of me, and even fewer movies manage to do so within the first 20 minutes of their runtime. The whole segment in the Rectum club, is now among my favourite scenes of all time. While watching it, I was very conscious of all sorts of emotions that were running around inside of me, and this awareness was the cause for such a strangely phenomenal out of body experience. The unique camera work and music throughout the entirety of the film, were pretty much the basis of my fondness for the movie, as they contributed tremendously into putting the viewer through the intended harsh feelings.

I highly recommend any fan of cinema to hunt down "Irréversible". Even though it is an immensely divisive film, the experience it offers can be found nowhere, and that is such a rarity. I don't really want to talk about anything in depth, and not because I'm still currently processing the movie, but because it was such a weirdly personal and inner experience, that I can't describe in words even if I wanted to.

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"Peeping Tom" is a great product of its time, and it still manages to hold up to this day. The reason for that is Michael Powell's well thought through and brilliant direction. The film is shot beautifully, while possessing multiple layers of depth, and also being an edge-of-the seat thriller, which elevates it from the norm. There's not much wrong about the movie per se, and I'm clearly not disappointed by it in the slightest, but I still don't see myself ever watching it again, as I don't need to.

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"Brigsby Bear" is a movie intended to leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling afterwards, and sure, it does indeed accomplish what it sets out to do, but that doesn't make me consider it that good of a film overall. It was very weird to come out of watching it with positive feelings, but still be aware of its actual quality. It's true that it is a kind-hearted, feel-good movie, but that's where it stops for me.

To say that the concept of the film is far fetched, would be a complete understatement. But that doesn't really matter as much as it usually would, since it's only a stepping stone for the movie to voice whatever it has to say. What isn't forgiveable though, is the mediocre acting, the underdeveloped characters, and the predictable jokes. On the other hand, there were some pretty neat shots here and there that were pleasing in the looks department, but in the end were limited and short-lived.

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"My Dinner With Andre" lets us viewers join into the table the characters are dinning on, and be just as much of a factor in their conversation as they are. Having the whole film centred around a simple dinner, is very dangerous despite it seeming like a simple task. But the direction of Louis Malle, along with the chemistry between Andre and Wallace, makes this an entertaining and thought provoking experience.

Andre Gregory is phenomenal to listen to. He does most of the talking throughout the movie, yet I never got tired of hearing his crazy stories. At times, his blabbering can come across as snobbish or pretentious, but regardless, it was still entertaining to listen to. What's also great about the film, is how it is able to make oneself reflect on their own life and environment. The conversation about humans living in a dream world, by putting up a false persona for others to see, definitely resonated with me, as it made me very self concious of who I objectively am. I also liked the commentary on people's weird approaches to expressing themselves, just as much as I liked the discussion about technology and the electric blanket. Overall, this is a timeless picture, that I imagine myself revisiting as I grow older and older...

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In front of us is an original and unique coming of age film, about a bourgeois kid growing up in France, who might like his mother a little bit more than he probably should. The best part about this tale is its humour, especially during its first half. I was guffawing every time the occurring politics of that time period were poked fun at. Not to mention, the hilarious game of spinach tennis being an absolute joy to watch. I'm not saying all of the attempts at comedy were totally successful, but the movie did indeed exceed my expectations of its delivery in that specific department.

Furthermore, I was strangely attached and in love, with the brothers brotherly relationship throughout the film. Their gleaming bond seemed so genuine, which kinda triggered a sense of jealousy inside of me. This is probably because it's something I lacked growing up, and always wanted.

As for the negatives, the mediocre acting is the main issue I had. The child performer was good for his age, but still pretty meh as an overall actor. Also, the fact that not one person in the cast was able to generate an authentic laugh, was utterly mind boggling. People do not laugh like that! Please stop.

Once the main boy and his mother travelled wherever they went during that second half, the movie started to slowly run off of its steam. Fortunately, none of that was enough for me to get completely disengaged with the story, since the unique style that Louis Malle brought with him to the table, was always strong and present, which supplied my enjoyment and appreciation of the film.

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Fear of death, and the harsh reality that time is slipping through our fingers, are a few subjects that "It's Such a Beautiful Day" seems to tackle, and are the main ones that resonated with me personally. Every time our main character Bill, sees something that indicates the passage of time (such as him continuously seeing a shoe filled with leaves), he grows sadder and sadder. His "condition" is unexplainable says the doctor, and that's because as long as he lives, his fright of his end remains alive.

The film isn't all distressing, there are hilarious moments scattered around as well, such as the flashbacks to the life of Bill's grandma. The simplistic animation aided the comedy and the drama pretty neutrally. This refreshing style can also become just as detailed as the narration. Furthermore, I interpret the ending as a showcase of death's positive qualities, and how a continuous life is what's ultimately depressing.

I don't have anything bad to say about the movie, other than the fact that I didn't like it as much as everybody else did. I became disinterested a few times, and I guess I didn't feel everything the film tried to provoke out of me. Honestly, I don't know what the film could've done to get a better reaction out of me.

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