Lost Finale: Netflix Brought it Up

Thoughts about Jennifer Aniston's Cake

"Way to go Nina!" The first scene of Cake is hilarious and really hints at the tone that the entire story is going to have. If you are not hooked after the first scene, no need to go further, but I bet you will be.
You meet Claire Simmons in a Chronic Pain support group and even though the mood is morose and they are talking about one of their member committing suicide, it is a very funny scene. We all know about Jennifer Aniston's perfect comedic timing so it is no surprise to see her do so well here. However, this is definitely not the type of humor you are expecting from her. It's dark, it's sarcastic and it's, again, dark. But ever so funny. The first half of Cake is very intriguing as you are left completely in the dark and are just witnessing the pain and the struggle of Claire in the present. You don't know what happened to her and you don't know why she became the way she is: a bitch.

I loved Jennifer's character. It was so layered and complex but at the same time so raw and direct. Claire is mean but that makes for the best dialogue and come backs ever. Because the character is so interesting, you would like to delve more into her past but you are stuck with her in a present she hates. She is not looking back, as you would hope, to reflect on the events that led her here, but she is not looking forward either and you are wondering when she, and you the viewer, will leave this limbo. Obviously the movie is paced the way it is so that you can relate to the character, and you do. It is, after all, a drama. To address her Oscar snub, I would just say that she did an amazing job in this movie and she should have been recognized for that. Perhaps the Academy needs a bit more time to get used to this level of acting from Jennifer Aniston. Who knows.

I didn't know that they gathered such a great cast for this movie and I was so happy to see Anna Kendrick as well as Sam Worthington. They are both great in Cake, especially Anna, who departs from her usual roles and plays a very convincing creepy and vicious role in Claire's life. Before going into this movie, I didn't know there was such a thing as chronic pain either and I didn't know why someone would commit suicide over this. I get the disease and I get why Claire is thinking about it when she - SPOILER ALTER - lost a child, but I still don't understand why Nina did it. I wish I had a bit more insight into her character as she was such a big part of the movie. You only learn about Claire's past towards the end and it all comes in little pieces, very well embedded into clever dialogue. In one of the last scene, I enjoyed Adriana Barraza's monologue in Spanish - she plays Claire's help/maid - where she basically has had enough with her boss' behavior and outlook. "You have so much beauty in your life. You want to kill yourself? Then kill yourself" is basically what she is saying. This was exactly at about that moment in the movie where I wanted to tell Claire the exact same thing. I have no compassion whatsoever for people who give up and people who take the easy way out. Life is so precious and is such a beautiful thing, it makes me extremely angry when people throw it away.

Throughout the movie, I wanted to understand her struggle and I wanted to know why she felt the way she did. And that's what the movie is ultimately about. Stepping into the shoes of someone who suffered so much they cannot move in any direction except down. It wasn't about understanding why Nina killed herself when she had the most amazing husband, a beautiful son and a great life. These are sometimes not enough. And sometimes someone who has none of those things, like Claire, can still see the hope and the value of life. I have had to deal with a similar situation when my sister attempted suicide several times and hurt herself. She had everything. She was beautiful, she was destined for a great career, she didn't have to endure any type of loss. And still, she wanted to remain in that downward spiral and ultimately die. That very much reminded me of Nina. And I am glad to see in Cake that someone who has much more to struggle with ends up choosing to fight for what should come naturally to all of us: living.

The Imitation Game - I am so angry!

My cheeks are still wet of all the tears I shed at the end of this movie. I was sad, obviously, but man was I angry. I can't believe that my History professors spent three years talking about World War II without mentioning Turing. I can't believe that Hollywood waited so long to tell that incredible story. I can't believe I haven't heard about what actually happened to this brilliant man until today. What the hell?

This story is so inspiring on so many level but mostly it made me angry at how stupid and short sighted people were back in the days. I mean, I knew that homosexuality was a crime but I surely didn't know it still was in 1952. I seriously do not get what the hell was wrong with people. Why would they care about who someone who saved 14 million people fucks in his spare time. Who the fuck cares? Nowadays, young people picture homosexuality and bullies through fucking Glee. Watch The Imitation Game.

I am so angry and sad for Alan Turing, I wish he would have been there to help the computing science research, he might have accelerated the creation of computers and more. He might have had the chance to stare at a computer screen at some point. I really wish he could have seen it. I wish he could have found happiness again after losing his first love. One of the most intelligent and gifted and brilliant man on the planet didn't even experience joy and happiness as he deserved. I feel sorry for the human race when I see a movie like this. But I feel great too. It made me smile to see Turing and his team get what they needed to do for Christopher to crack Enigma. I was so happy when I also understood it because I do know how computers work, funnily enough. I also saw Benedict Cumberbatch giving it his all as Alan Turing and I feel like nobody else could have this intensely portrayed him.

But mostly, what I saw is the most important rendition of the human evolution castrated by stupidity and fear. Can you imagine if that man had been able to adopt a child or keep teaching at university, can you imagine what he could have transmitted down the generations? Can you imagine everything we missed from his incredible mind because we put social expectations and rules first? This is ludicrous. Same thing for poor old Joan. Because she was a woman, she wouldn't even be awarded a degree. How many women throughout the years could have been great scientists or engineers and could have advanced the human race, help progress. We will never know. Just because we decided that women should stay at home with a bunch of kids. URGH. I am glad that it is obviously not the case anymore but I am very angry that it did exist and that in some countries around the world, it still does. Anyway, this is not news but movies like these tend to remind me of the obvious.

As Turing mentioned, people enjoy violence and there will always be fools, bullying either homosexuals or awkward kids who are just smarter and different than them. These kids should be protected no matter what. The bullies aren't the future of our nations, the awkward kids are. It's nice and sweet to think that we can teach people how to be tolerant and understanding - and it might happen with time - but as it doesn't happen in a flash, I urge anyone who sees someone being bullied to stand up and punch the bastard in the teeth. Thank you.

As a final thought, is it me or do the worst thing always befall the most productive members of society? Like Stephen Hawking, seriously, is it a bad joke? Who cares about an animal shooting hilly billy in North Texas, give HIM ALS. Not Hawking. Arrest a beer drinking Manchester hooligan instead of bloody Turing! This world's not fair. Not fair at all.

American Sniper - Bradley Cooper at his best?

I first should say that I am not American and as such, I wasn't aware of the Chris Kyle story. I didn't hear it in the news, I didn't know there was a book and I didn't know what happened to him. Coming into that movie, I didn't even know that American Sniper was based on a true story. I don't believe this hindered my appreciation and enjoyment of the movie but I might have reacted differently to some of the scenes should I have known this fellow actually lived through them.

To be perfectly honest, I am not a war movie type of a gal. I suppose it's obvious that my main interest is fantasy and sci-fi. However, I thoroughly enjoy Bradley Cooper performances in the past, and I thought I should watch it after seeing the enticing trailer, and I am very glad I did.

Again, this movie won't change my opinion about war movies and drama in general but this particular one was very well made and Bradley Cooper completely sold it for me. As a bulky 30 year old Navy Seal, Cooper progressively but always subtly shows you what war does to even the most hardened people. Chris Kyle doesn't appear very complicated. He's extremely straight forward, patriotic, principled and he always has a plan. Enrolling seems like the natural thing to do for a man like that. I like that the movie is divided by tour and shows each deployment with each return home. It shows you how his life and his story was very much regulated by the rhythm of war and that everything in between or even prior was just a short distraction, an interruption even.

Obviously, there are extremely difficult parts to watch
and Bradley Cooper plays through those like a chief, showing Chris Kyle's hard rock values and black and white world slowly decaying. I like to think of myself as a though person, I don't necessarily feel sorry for people in pain or in difficult situations. I feel like Chris Kyle saw the mission first and the people second too. I feel like he thought of himself as a strong person who knows exactly what is to be done and doesn't falter. But war seems to chip at his confidence and his strength, little by little. A person you thought was made to serve his country might not even be strong enough for war. Then who is? Maybe it is not the strong, the principled and the passionate who are made for war. Maybe only the senseless and the mad are.

I feel like a lot of people will complain that this movie glorifies war but it definitely didn't appear that way to me. It seems like an accurate account of a war I don't know much about and an accurate depiction of one soldier's experience. Bradley Cooper was excellent and I am pleased he got nominated for an Academy Award. As a nominated film as well, I think it's worth a look for any movie buff or fans of good drama.