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Shit We Like

Underrated Movies by Popular Directors

By Grace Chow January 24, 2019 No Comments
Underrated Movies by Popular Directors

Welcome to another edition of “Random Shits Grace Watches” that is thinly-veiled with faux-intellectual commentaries which I will just bullshit my way through.

TBH.

What marks a film as “underrated” by a popular director? For the purpose of this blog post, I’m selecting brilliant films that I felt got buried under more popular work by the said director. I’m gonna use the term “popular director” very loosely here. At the very least, these are the filmmakers with work(s) that garnered mainstream market accolade and presence.

Anywhoo, let’s cut to the chase and jump to the list!

1. Wes Anderson

Well-known films: The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Rushmore, yada yada

Underrated film: The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Love him or hate him, Wes Anderson has an array of acclaimed films under his belt. Now, can I get a show of virtual hands of those that have watched The Darjeeling Limited?

The Darjeeling Limited is a gem that’s worth a little dusting and revisiting. Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman play estranged brothers, set out on a “spiritual” journey in India to mend their bonds – which quickly derails into a madcap adventure. As usual, this is a visual affair with the on-brand Wes Anderson style of deadpan humour. But what sets this film apart is the heart-tugging melancholia, behind all the razzle-dazzle, and quirky characters.

Watch it, fall in love with India, and follow me as we ponder upon men’s greatest mystery: Whatever happened to Oscar winner, Adrien Brody’s career?

2. Taika Waititi

Well-known film: Thor:Ragnorak

Underrated film: What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

If you like the humour you’ve seen in Thor:Ragnorak, or are a fan of The Office (US)’s style of mockumentaries, then do check out What We Do in the Shadows. It’s a horror-comedy mockumentary that follows a group of vampires, living a rather anaemic lifestyle together in a shabby house that has seen better days.

Taiki Waititi is a fairly new name in the scene. Before breathing a new life to the Thor trilogy with Thor:Ragnorak in 2017, he was an indie darling hailing from the land from down under… that is not Australia. I mean, the other land from down under, New Zealand that is.

To have a further taste of the kiwi’s brand of “polite humour”, you can check out his other film Hunt for the Winderpeople as well!

3. Wong Kar Wai

Well-known films: In the Mood for Love, Happy Together, Chungking Express

Underrated film: Days of Being Wild (1990)

“16th… April the 16th. At one minute before 3pm on April the 16th, 1960, you’re together with me. Because of you, I’ll remember that one minute. From now on, we’re friends for one minute. This is a fact, you can’t deny. It’s done.”

Gone are the days when such a cheesy pick-up line can be recited as suave as Leslie Cheung did in this movie. Could it be the penetrating gaze? The dreamy, saturated colour? Or the slow camera pan and cut, trying to bring meaning to the inanimate objects around the room? Most probably it was the combination of them all.
Days of Being Wild is a Hong Kong cinematic classic that lacks the attention that most other Wong Kar Wai’s favourites had garnered. For such a gut-wrenching, beautiful, vulnerable portrayal of flawed human characters, the critic’s reception to this film is rather tepid. Perhaps that’s due to it being one of Wong Kar Wai’s earliest films (second full-length film, to be exact), and a commercial dud at its time. Also, do check out his other commercial dud, and one of the prettiest wuxia film ever made, Ashes of Time.
Fun fact: Barry Jenkins’, director of 2016’s Moonlight has cited Wong Kar Wai’s moody, atmospheric style to be an influence for his Oscar-winning film.

Now for some honourable underrated mentions:

full-metal-jacket

Full Metal Jacket (1987) by Stanley Kubrick

  • Similar to The Shining’s utilisation of quiet, stifling, claustrophobic atmosphere that set the precedence tone of horror, this movie is a masterpiece depiction of the uncomfortable, psychological horror of war.
  • Fun fact: Ever heard of the phrase “Me love you long time” and wondered where it came from? You’re looking at the origin right here!
cteq-koreeda-Still-Walking-750x400

Still Walking (1998) by Hirokazu Koreeda

  • A main-stay presence at Cannes Festival, Hirokazu Koreeda was just recently awarded the 2018’s Palme d’Or (fancy way of saying that’s the top dog movie of the year) for his film, Shoplifters.
  • Still Walking centres around the Yokoyama family that got together to commemorate the 15th death anniversary of a beloved son. Like a classic Asian family experience, the Yokoyamas hide their dysfunctionality and grief under layers of politeness and underhanded niceties. Wow! What a healthy combo.

And that’s my list of 3 underrated films to check out for now. Have you seen any of these films? And how do you feel about them? Do you feel that tingling, burning need to talk about them like me?

Say no more!

I’m amped up with tea, ready for some blazing chat. Drop me a comment on FB!

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors on this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of C27, our CEO, the management, the fish in our fish tank, and/or all the awesome people within the agency. The content and opinions shared are the personal views of the author so please don’t sue us.

…or the author.

Grace Chow

Grace’s happy thoughts usually include darkness, death, and destruction. And sometimes food.

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By Grace Chow
Shit We Like

To All The “Ds” I’ve Loved Before

By Grace Chow October 26, 2018 No Comments
To All The “Ds” I’ve Loved Before

What makes a good D? Length matters not. I should probably clarify that this is an ode “To All The Documentaries I’ve Loved Before”. Get your minds out of the gutter, people!

Ahem!

So what do I love in a good documentary? Basically, anything that’s mind-blowing and impactful – whether stylistically or thematically. If it makes me roll around in the middle of the night questioning life, then it’s doing its job right. Now, before we begin, I thought I’d start off with a list of documentaries I tend to stray away from:

  1. True crime documentaries – a can of worms for another time
  2. Documentaries that came out before the 90’s
  3. Serials (Too much commitment. Ain’t nobody got time for that.)
  4. Anything depressing. Just go watch The Notebook or read the newspaper.

Alright, now that that’s sorted, let’s get going!

1. Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999)

Dir. Errol Morris

“…And that was an act of criminal simplicity. He had no idea of what he was blundering into. He wasn’t putting his name on the line because he had no name. He came from nowhere, and he went back to nowhere. “

Do you have that ONE person in your life that’s ruined everything for everyone? Well, this film’s subject is about such a person.

Fred A. Leuchter is a quiet, meek execution technician who somehow manages to become a celebrity in a Holocaust denier’s circle. How? You’ll need to watch to find out. Without getting into too much detail, this documentary basically needs to be certified with a facepalm emoji. The director, Errol Morris, has a knack for allowing his subjects to come out of their shells from an unbiased standpoint. So it’s an experience for the audience – a fun, infuriating experience wrapped in a friendly yet evil face, that is.

What else to watch if you like this: Errol Morris’ entire filmography, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple

2. Man On Wire (2008)

Dir. James Marsh

Crafted like a good noir heist movie of the yester-years, this film recounts Philippe Petit’s illegal high-wire walk between the World Trade Centre’s Twin Towers in 1974. A bunch of rag-tag criminals armed with an abundance of gleeful charm and free-spirit will steal our hearts and make us root for their attempts at evading the law, leaving us gasping at their near-captures.

P/S: This documentary received a Hollywood makeover in the 2015 film The Walk, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Do. Not. Watch. That.

What else to watch if you like this: The Imposter, Grizzly Man

3. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness | 夢と狂気の王国 (2013)

Dir. Mami Sunada

Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the legendary Studio Ghibli? Beyond the sugar, spice, and everything nice vibe that the film brings, it’s a stress grind of men vs deadline. A daily poetic horror we all relate to.

This film follows the people behind Studio Ghibli over the course of one year, as they work on releasing two films simultaneously: Hayao Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises and Isao Takahata’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Look out for cameos of long-time Studio Ghibli collaborators such as composer Joe Hisaishi and Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s director, Hideaki Kanno, and a glimpse of the hermit filmmaker, Isao Takahata himself.

Here, have a taste of my favourite parts of the documentary:

What else to watch if you like this: Studio Ghibli films, making-of videos on YouTube, this video of Hayao Miyazaki cooking ramen for his staff, Urasawa Naoki no Manben | 浦沢直樹の漫勉

4. The Search for General Tso (2014)

Dir. Ian Cheney

I LOVE food documentaries. Love. Adore. It breaks my heart to make ONE choice for this category, cause it’s akin to choosing my favourite child. So in the end, I chose The Search for General Tso because of this glorious spiel:

“I think in America, there is a downward appreciation of Chinese food. If you want French food, you have a lot of labour, and you can charge for it. Chinese food is a lot of labour, but they can’t get away with charging a lot of money. So that is a question of attitude… Cultural attitude, the perception of China as a place… their currency worth nothing… their labour worth nothing…”

This film explores the cultural connotation and decades of racial discrimination wrapped in a bastardised Asian-American dish. But.. is General Tso truly an Asian-American dish? Watch to find out!

What else to watch if you like this: Kings of Pastry, Ugly Delicious , Jiro Dreams of Sushi, A Bite of China | 舌尖上的中国, Chef’s Table

5. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

Dir. Morgan Neville

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.””

A biographical documentary often runs the risk of not being relatable to the global audience, especially when the subject is a niche American icon that means nothing to Malaysians. However, that’s not a problem for this film that delves into the life and guiding philosophy of Fred Rogers, the host and creator of a kid’s programme, Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. A show that remarkably never shies away from tough subjects such as war and racism, despite it running during the 70’s, with kids being its target audience.

This film will warm the cockles of your soul, like a hot cup of Milo on a gloomy morning. So watch it if you want to believe in humanity and everything good and wholesome in life.

What else to watch if you like this: Searching for Sugar Man, What Happened, Miss Simone?

And that’s all! Give these documentaries a watch, or not. Your call. Until then, sayonara bitches! *mic drop*

____________

Disclaimer: The views expressed by the authors on this blog do not necessarily reflect the views of C27, our CEO, the management, the fish in our fish tank, and/or all the awesome people within the agency. The content and opinions shared are the personal views of the author so please don’t sue us.

…or the author.

Grace Chow

Grace’s happy thoughts usually include darkness, death, and destruction. And sometimes food.

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By Grace Chow

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