Gravity

The story is about how an astronaut coped after losing contact with the rest of her colleagues in space.

Liked the excellent special effects! Sandra Bullock looked pretty fit in this film!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Homesman

The story is about how two people embarked on a journey to escort three mentally ill women from Nebraska to Iowa.

Not really a fan of Westerns but decided to watch this as it was the only English film showing at the Avignon Utopia cinema. Was amazed at the resourcefulness of Tommy Lee Jones!

Internet Movie Database Link

Her

The story is about how a single man developed a relationship with his newly purchased operating system.

Liked how the man systematically taught the operating system about his world and the voice of Scarlett Johansson!

Internet Movie Database Link

Like Father Like Son

The story examines what it means to be a father when two couples discovered that their sons had been switched several years ago and attempt to switch back.

Liked how the director showed that there was no fixed formula for family life as both families have different philosophies in coping with issues!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Wind Rises

This is a biography of a famous Japanese plane designer who helped to advance Japan's air defence industry during the second World War.

An inspiring story about an engineer who was passionate about his work! Wished there could be more of such films!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Lego Movie

The story is about how an ordinary person helped to stop an evil tyrant from destroying their world.

Liked the amazing set that was constructed completely from lego bricks and the nice soundtrack!

Internet Movie Database Link

Scenes from a Marriage

The story is about the marriage life of a Swedish couple who had been married for ten years with two daughters at the start of the film.

Liked the intense psychological study of the characters! Great acting by the both of them!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Soong Sisters

The story is about the life of the Soong family where each of the three daughters married someone famous.

Learnt quite a bit of Chinese history from this film! Maggie Cheung looked pretty young in this film!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Inheritance

This is the last film of the "Masaki Kobayashi Against the System series". Skipped the third film, "Black River", as I saw it before already. The story is about how a rich dying man tasked his subordinates to find his three illegitimate children in order to split his inheritance.

Sort of knew how things would turn out in the end as the movie was narrated as a flashback but I was still pretty impressed by the ingenuity of the person who managed to outwit and outsmart everyone else in the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

Marriage Blue

The story is about four pairs of couples in Korea. Some are newly married while others have known each other for a long time but they each encounter a road block in their way that they have to overcome.

Liked the pretty actresses in the film! Nice scenery at Jeju Island too!

Internet Movie Database Link

I Will Buy You

This is the second film of the "Masaki Kobayashi Against the System series". The story is about how several businesses competed to get a young rising baseball star to sign a contract with them.

Not much baseball action and don't really understand the logic of the politics behind the competition as I thought a closed bid system would solve everything at once.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Flower Girl

The story is about how a young girl had to sell flowers to support her family as North Korea was not liberated by the communists yet.

Liked the nice songs and the great acting by the actress!

Internet Movie Database Link

Ilo Ilo

The story is about how a family went through the Asian Financial crisis in the late 1990s together with their maid.

Liked how the family remained united despite going through all sorts of difficulties! Great acting by the actors!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Thick-Walled Room

This is the first film of the "Masaki Kobayashi Against the System series". The story is about life in a prison camp for Japanese war criminals shortly after the second world war.

Liked the interesting stories of each of the prisoners! The former interpreter, Yokota, reminds me a little of the protagonist in the director's "Human Condition" trilogy.

Internet Movie Database Link

Summer with Monika

The story is about how a young couple resigned from their low paying jobs and escaped to an island for a while before returning back to face reality.

Great acting by the actress who played Monika! I also liked the nice black and white cinematography!

Internet Movie Database Link

Pieta

The story is about how a mother sought revenge in her own unique way from a loan shark!

Liked how everything tied together nicely in the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

Mandala

The story is about how two monks searched for the meaning of life in the countryside and in the city.

Nice cinematography! The film reminds me of the director's 1993 film Sopyonje.

Internet Movie Database Link

Preparation for the Festival

The story is about life in a rural countryside with many eccentric characters, focusing on a young man who intends to leave his hometown and go to Tokyo.

Liked the interesting plot and the pretty actresses in the film: the demure choir girl, the submissive gangster's wife and the nymphet who has lost her memory!

Internet Movie Database Link

Sisters of Nishijin

The story is about the decline of the kimono making industry in Japan during the early 1950s.

Liked how the family tried hard to keep their dreams alive despite the obstacles in their way!

Internet Movie Database Link

Disguise

The story is about Japan's geisha industry in the early 1950s.

Liked the detailed portrayal of the lives of geishas! Reminded me of "Streets of Shame" by Mizoguchi Kenji and "The Geisha House" by Fukasaku Kinji.

Internet Movie Database Link