the best offer (2013)

i wish that someone had recommended me this movie so i could now go back to them and make them compensate me for the two hours i just wasted on this movie. this review will contain spoilers, because i want to spare you from suffering through this film. 

'the best offer' is an ambitious movie that attempts to cover all the bases: romance, drama, thriller and crime. geoffrey rush plays virgil oldman, a distinguished auction-house proprietor who lives a luxurious but lonely life. one day, he meets claire, an eccentric shut-in heiress and they fall in love. although the first thirty minutes or so shows some promise, the forced love story and the rest of the scenes following are about as engaging as watching a tape rewind. the relationship between mr. oldman and claire was forced to say the least, as they mostly were shouting at each other from one side of a wall and mr. oldman invading her personal boundaries. 

mediocre plot and acting aside, the characters were so terribly written that even an experienced actor like geoffrey rush couldn't salvage it. it's never made clear why claire and crew decided to go through with scamming mr. oldman, or why mr. oldman was made the target of their scam. it's not a huge leap to assume that it was money they were after, but after spending so much time on the con the audience deserves some kind of explanation. the ending is rather abrupt and offers nothing for the viewer except frustration.

i'm going to have a hard time trusting IMDB after watching this movie since a bunch of reviewers left 7.6/10 stars on this movie. were we even watching the same thing?? 

★☆☆☆☆

stoker (2013)

i finally had the chance to watch 'stoker', a movie i had been looking forward to for a good part of the year now. when i heard that park chan wook was going to be working with mia wasikowska, one of my favorite actresses, i could hardly wait for its release. i couldn't tell you the last time i had waited this long for a movie to be honest. i missed it in theaters since it was only screening for a week when i had exams and papers due. i had to stop myself from reading too many reviews about it and watching the trailer too many times and getting my expectations too high.

park chan wook, best known for his fantastically brutal films 'oldboy' and 'thirst', makes his american directorial debut with 'stoker'. i don't know what i like about this movie more: the direct, mia wasikowska, the cinematography or the soundtrack. if you've watched either 'oldboy' or 'thirst', you know that 'stoker' takes a very different, much more subtle approach to some of park's favorite themes.

i won't go too much into the plot of the movie, only to say that it follows the events which unfold after india stoker's father dies in a car accident. if you do plan on watching the movie, i recommend avoiding looking up any more reviews or trailers. as any movie, it's best when watched without having too many expectations.

i've read some reviews complaining that the story was too predictable or dull. while the plot wasn't entirely groundbreaking, it was a delight watching the events slowly unfold. the ending didn't offer as many answers to exactly who or what india stoker exactly was, and some elements of the story felt as if they weren't explored to their full potential.

however, these are small shortcomings, more than made up for by the superb acting and cinematography. delightfully unsettling and suspenseful, 'stoker' is one movie i am likely not to forget about any time soon.

★★★★☆

castaway on the moon (2009)

i've been feeling homesick lately, aching to hear and smell and taste summertime in seoul again. in the past few weeks i've been watching a lot more korean movies to try to dull the ache a little, but i don't know if it's helping or making it worse.

last night, i watched 'castaway on the moon', which follows a run of the mill salary man who decides to commit suicide after hitting rock bottom. his failed attempt leaves him washed up on the dirty shores of a tiny island in the middle of the han river. unable to swim back to shore, he is left to survive on garbage and pigeons.

charming and at moments, poignant, it really gets to rooting for the oddball characters. both the acting and cinematography are a delight to watch, and the story is refreshingly out of the the ordinary despite exploring the popular theme of loneliness and isolation in a time when people are supposed to be more connected than ever.

it's on netflix instant queue and i would definitely recommend it to anyone who's looking to take their minds of something for a little while.

★★★★☆