LIMITLESS

”LIMITLESS"(2011/U.S.A)
Synopsis
A paranoia-fueled action thriller about an unsuccessful writer whose life is transformed by a top-secret "smart drug" that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. His enhanced abilities soon attract shadowy forces that threaten his new life in this suspenseful and provocative film.
Aspiring author Eddie Morra is suffering from chronic writer's block, but his life changes instantly when an old friend introduces him to NZT, a revolutionary new pharmaceutical. With every synapse crackling, Eddie can recall everything he has ever read, seen or heard, learn any language in a day, comprehend complex equations and beguile anyone he meets- as long as he keeps taking the untested drug.
Soon Eddie takes Wall Street by storm, parlaying a small stake into millions. His accomplishments catch the eye of mega-mogul Carl Van Loon, who invites him to help broker the largest merger in corporate history. But they also bring Eddie to the atterntion of people willing to do anything to get their hands on his atash of NZT. With his life in jeopardy and the drug's brutal side effects taking their toll. Eddie dodges mysterious stalkers, a vicious gangster and an intense police investigation as he attempts to hang on to his dwindling supply long enough to outwit his enemies.

According to the movie, a human brain is activated usually about 20% and the effect of NZT is 100% to activate it. Eddie became a successful person in life to take the smart drug, but drug is drug after all. He knew that a lof of people died or were suffering from the aftereffects because of the drug but he could not live without it.
If I were suffering from an incurable disease and there were a possibility that the drug could cure it, I would try it. However, I am healthy in reality and I don't want to try it just to satisfy my curiosity and greed.
A story of a miracle drug is common in a movie, but I was interested in the story line and the production of  "LIMITLESS".
Eddie overcame a number of crisis and he ran for the election of members of the Senate at the end of the story. He said his brain was trained and he no longer needed NZT. I thought he lied in order to deceive Carl Van Loon. If it is not, the movie will justify a smart drug.
However, the scene which I envy Eddie is that he could learn any language in a day!

HESHER

"HESHER"(2010/U.S.A)
Synopsis
Loud music. Pornography. Burning shit to the ground. These are a few of Hesher's favorite things. And they are what Hesher brings into the lives of TJ and his father, Paul when he takes up residence in their garage uninvited.

Grief-stricken by the loss of TJ's mother in a car accident, Paul can't muster the strength to evict the strange squatter, and soon the long-haired, tattooed Hesher becomes a fixture in the household. Like a force of nature, Hesher's anarchy shakes the family out of their grief and helps them embrace life once more.


I didn't know that Hesher was a nickname for people who like metal music.
In this movie, who on earth is Hesher? Nobody knew this answer, but a few people knew that he was not only a crazy man.
He could not control himself and he was always dangerous. But the truth was that he was a pure-hearted man.  
For some reason Hesher liked TJ, and he helped TJ from the bully. Hesher was also very kind to TJ's grandmother. Maybe he was what was called a champion of justice. He was just a little too much to punishing the wicked.
Until the middle of this movie I could not stop laughing because of Hesher's strange attitude and behavior.
But in the ending, I was touched by the scene when he walked by pressing the coffin with TJ and his father.
In the interview Joseph Gordon-Levitt acted as Hesher and said he admired Hesher. I think that most people especially men may be attracted by Hesher's anachistic and bohemian lifestyle. 
If there is a person like him in my real life, I will not be close to him. And I don't usually listen to metal music. But I like this movie because Joseph Gordon-Levitt is so cool !


My rating:★★★

I'M HERE

”I'M HERE"(2010/U.S.A)
you can watch this video in full-length movies.


Sheldon was an honest robot working in the library. He met Francesca and he fell in love with her at first sight. Since then, they always stayed together and Sheldon felt so happy like never before.
Since Francesca was a reckless woman, she lost her arm and leg somewhere. Sheldon gave up his arm and leg for her. It was lame losing them for him, but he seemed so happy because he was able to help for her. One day, she had a serious accident and she lost a large part of her body. This time Sheldon helped her by giving his body. So what happened to him?
Although he lost his body, he seemed happy.
When I watched this movie for the first time,  this story immediately reminded me of Shel Silverstein's picture book "The Giving Tree".
In this book, since the tree had loved the boy and gave him all even if the tree had a self-sacrifice. There are many interpretations of this picture book and I don't know what is right. Giving is loving, but too much giving spoils a person.
I thought Francesca didn't understand how big Sheldon's love for her at first. But after the operation in the hospital, she realized that.
I was touched with Sheldon's pure feelings but somehow I felt so sad.
In this movie, self-sacrifice was treated as a beautiful thing. Sheldon might be so happy, but he could never walk hand in hand with Francesca. It made me sad.
Spike Jonze, the director of this movie, is famous for directing of "Being John Malkovich" "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Weapon of Choice"(a music video). His movies are so funny and interesting! I am his big fan for many years!
"I'M HERE" was his first romance movie. 
I think this may be the ultimate movie of pure love. What do you think?


My rating: ★★★★

GATTACA

"GATTACA"(1997/U.S.A)
Synopsis
In the not-too-distant future, a less-than-perfect man wants to travel to the stars. Society has categorized Vincent Freeman as less than suitable given his genetic make-up and he has become one of the underclass of humans that are only useful for menial jobs. To move ahead, he assumes the identity of Jerome Morrow, a perfect genetic specimen who is a paraplegic as a result of a car accident. With professional advice, Vincent learns to deceive DNA and urine sample testing. Just when he is finally scheduled for a space mission, his program director is killed and the police begin an investigation, jeopardizing his secret.


This is a movie released 14 years ago, but there are still a lot of fans of this movie.
Why are there many fans of this movie?　
I think that because the hero has a very positive hope in his future although his life has already been decided by fate. 
He wanted to be an astronaut, but his heart was already weak at birth. He could not give up his dream and although his way was illegal, he got a chance to be an astronaut. He made a lot of effort to impersonate Jerome. He was involved in an incident which was likely to revealed his identity, but he managed to solve it. Deployment of this incident was very exciting and there was a thrill.
At the beginning of last year, NASA selected films that are possible and impossible to happen in real life based on a scientific standpoint. The top of the possible film was this movie GATTACA. 
In the near future, birth will be taken over by genetic engineering. But I want to believe that humans will be changed by effort even if we have the fate of the natural. That was the theme of this movie.
I was sure that Vincent eventually became a man worthy of an astronaut.
"IN TIME" will be released soon in Japan and this movie was made by the same director of "GATTACA". So I'm looking forward to watching it !


My rating:★★★

THE LOST THING

"THE LOST THING"(2010/Australia)
you can watch this video in full-length movies.


This animation is a film adaptation of Shaun Tan's picture book. In his books, his world is very fantastic and it looks like a Sci-fi story. Because I can see unique and interesting creatures. Also there is a deep and meaningful message in all of his stories.
In this movie, I, the main charecter, met a strange creature and he realized  it was lost. Everyone around the creature didin't bother to take care of it. They were all busy. The creature was actually very friendly to him and they played together most of the afternoon. Since then, he could not leave the creature behind. He began looking for a place where the creature could stay and live. Eventually, the creature found a comfortable place to live in and in the end, "I" lost the creature.
After sometimes, "I" noticed that its now very seldom for him to see things or creatures similar to his friend. He just thought that maybe he had been very busy for the past days or maybe he just stopped noticing what happening around him.
So what was the creature? I think it is an expression that is coming from his heart. He could not see the thing when he became busy doing other stuff.
Although sometimes we are busy, we also need to relax or rest our minds for a while. If we  will not do this, we will lost a lot of important things and we also miss to think about the people who needs help.
There are many people who need help, but sometimes we become apathy when we are busy. 
I think apathy is the worst things that can happen to our life. This story made ​​me realize that there's a lot of things around me.
This movie was awarded the short film category at last year's Oscar. The story, of course, is very nice. The hand writing style CG animation has been made ​​very carefully and creatively.
I love this movie very much.


My rating:★★★★

KICK-ASS

"KICK-ASS"(2010/U.S.A/U.K)
synopsis
When Dave Lizewski- ordinary New York teenager and rabid comic-book geek dons a green-and yellow internet-bought wetsuit to become the no-nonsense vigilante,Kick-Ass, he soon finds an answer to his own question; because it hurts. But, overcoming all the odds, the eager yet inexperienced Dave quickly becomes a phenomenon, capturing the imagination of the public. However, he's not the only superhero out there- the fearless and highly-trained father-daughter crime-fighting duo, Big Daddy and Hit Girl have been slowly but surely taking down the criminal empire of local Mafioso, Frank D'Amico. And, as Kick-Ass gets drawn into their no-holds-barred world of bullets and bloodletting with Frank's son, Chris, now reborn as Kick-Ass's arch-nemesis, Red Mist- the stage is set for a final showdown between the forces of good and evil- in which the DIY hero will have to live up to his name. Or die trying...

I'm not a big fan of comics, but I enjoyed watching this movie !
Dave was a stupid hero, but Hit Girl was a really cool superhero! All of her action in this movie was so amazing although several scenes were too cruel to watch. My favorite scene was when Hit Girl reloaded her guns in the air during the gunfight.
Nicolas Cage is known as a crazy fan of comics, so he seemed to enjoy acting Big Daddy. He suggested to the director to change the costume of Big Daddy and he wore a Batman costume of the 1960's as he desired. He also said lines to mimic the Adam West（acting Batman of the 60's TV series.) and Chloë Grace Moretz-Hit Girl said in her interview that it was hard to suppress a laugh. If you know these episodes, this movie becomes more and more fun to watch. 
The major film production company refused to produce this movie and the director; Matthew Vaughn made ​​this at his own expense. As a result, since this movie was a big hit , the sequel is likely comming. I'm excited to watch it and to see Hit Girl again!

My rating:★★★

DISTRICT 9

"DISTRICT9"(2009/U.S.A/South Africa/Canada/New zealand)
Synopsis
In 1982, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns," appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new 'Prawn' friends.


Under the broken spaceship, aliens were forced to live in refugee camps and they had to move to new camps. Aliens and humans didn't get along well each ohter and Wikus also didn't like Aliens. But he was in need a help from an alien called Christopher Johnson because he was exposed to a mysterious liquid in the tube Christopher made. He gradually began to turn into an alien. He could only protect himself in District 9 from being chased by human. I think he could understand for the first time how difficult it is to live in the refugee camp. The highlight of this movie is his change of thinking for the aliens. According to the information in the movie, his lines of the movie were all ad lib! I was surprised to know that.
The theme of this story forced migration policy from the sixth district in Cape Town since Apartheid policy had been made. We must help each other regardless of race. But If the aliens would come in your country like in this movie, would you help them?  Mankind would treat them as invaders even if they could be friends. So this movie also included the sad history of humans.
Although I hate to see and eat prawn, I like this movie !


My rating:★★★★

CALENDAR GIRLS

"CALENDAR GIRLS"(2003/U.K.)
Synopsis
Based on a true story, eleven middle-aged Englishwomen pose nude for their annual Women's Institute calendar as a fund-raiser for the local hospital. Chris (Helen Mirren) gets the idea to raise money for the hospital after Annie's (Julie Walters) husband dies of leukemia. The calendar is a little different in that each woman is posing behind a different task that the Women's Institute teaches their members, such as making bread rolls, knitting, planting flowers, and playing the piano. Before they know it, the calendar is a big hit in England with tremendous sales. Eventually, they are flown to American to be interviewed by Jay Leno. The calendar has made almost a million dollars for the local hospital.


Chris was a very active and modern woman. She was tired to attend a meeting of a conservative women's institute every thursday. Her idea of making a nude calendar was an unacceptable for the institute.
The purpose of making this calendar was to earn money for a donation to the hospital, but women who appeared in the calendar shoot seemed to enjoy it. Although the women were above the age of 50, they were all very beautiful. I was impressed with one line which the woman said " I am 55 years old. If I'm not gonna get them out now, when am I?" She was  still a cute woman! I think women can try to be beautiful at any age. This movie was showing it for us. 
In this movie Chris emphasized that we were not naked, but nude. What is the difference between naked and nude? Chris said nudity was an art! She was really a modern woman.
This movie is very fun and heartwarming. I highly recommend this movie!

My rating:★★★

MOON

"MOON"(2009/U.K.)
Synopsis
Sam Bell has a three year contract to work for Lunar Industries. For the contract's entire duration, he is the sole employee based at their lunar station. His primary job responsibility is to harvest and periodically rocket back to Earth supplies of helium-3, the current clean and abundant fuel used on Earth. There is no direct communication link available between the lunar station and Earth, so his only direct real-time interaction is with GERTY, the intelligent computer whose function is to attend to his day to day needs. With such little human contact and all of it indirect, he feels that three years is far too long to be so isolated; he knows he is beginning to hallucinate as the end of his three years approaches. All he wants is to return to Earth to be with his wife Tess and their infant daughter Eve, who was born just prior to his leaving for this job. With two weeks to go, he gets into an accident at one of the mechanical harvesters and is rendered unconscious.

Sam had been alone on the moon for a mission with three-year contract. He was looking forward to go back to earth to see his wife and children again. Two weeks before returning to earth, he had an accident. The company thought he died so they prepared the next "Sam" to continue the mission. There were many clones of "Sam" in the moon station and they were waiting to wake up for a three-year mission. Sam survived the accident and he knew the truth but it was too late. He would live for a few days because his body was exposed to radiation by working for three years on the moon.  It meant that Sam will never able to return to earth. 
Sam was really shocked that he was a clone. The story didn't explain the real Sam was at home with his family, but maybe he was. I could feel the feeling of loneliness and disappointment of  Sam's clone. I was confused several times in different scenes of two clones when they are talking to each other, but this movie's story line was easy to understand and I enjoyed very much.
This is Duncan Jones's first feature movie and he is the son of David Bowie. He also directed "Source Code"  that I wrote in the previous review. I became a fan of him and looking forward to see his next movie.


My rating；★★★

LUISA

"LUISA"(2009/Argentina/Spain)
Synopsis
Luisa is a solitary woman who has undergone a traumatic event in her past. When her pet and only companion Tino the cat dies it becomes the catalyst for a turning point in her destiny, helping Luisa to realize that despite her suffering and fears, she is still alive.


Luisa was strictly on time, working in two places everyday and her habits were not disrupted for more than thirty years. She lived away from the people she is related because of a tragedy for her family. She lost her family- the daughter and her husband and never open herself for other people.
One day her cat which was her only friend, died and then she was told she was fired from her two jobs. She lost everything at the same day. I think normally in such cases, the person tend to lose his mind and this happened to her. But when she went to a subway station for the first time and looked at the performers and homeless earn coins there, she decided to do so in the same way.  She bought lucky Chinese cards to use what little money she had and she tried to sell the card to passengers. After failing to sell them, she bought a pair of crutches and she started pretending to be injured to get money.
Her aggressive power behind her crazy actions just focused on earning her dead cat's burial expenses. Yes, her actions were really crazy but she felt so lively that people living in a subway station than in her practically dead life. Somehow I understood her feeling.
There were two men trying to understand her bad situation and when she felt the sincerity of these two men, she began to talk her past and opened her heart for the first time. I thought she did not despair of life and she would live happier than before.
I enjoyed this movie very much and the sound of the guitar which was used in this movie was very effective and it expressed Luisa's feelings of sadness and happiness.


My rating: ★★★

Los ojos de Julia(Julia's Eyes)

"Los ojos de Julia(Julia's Eyes)"(2010/Spain)

Synopsis

After the death of the blind Sara, who hung herself in the basement of her house, her twin sister Julia suspects that she was actually murdered. Julia has a degenerative problem in her eyes and is losing her sight and she temporarily moves with her husband Isaac to Sara's house to arrange her funeral. Julia goes to the Centro Baumann for blinds where Sara frequented and she learns from the others blind users that Sara had a boyfriend. Julia is chased by a mysterious man but the police inspector Dimas does not believe on her. Julia follows the last steps of Sara trying to find the identity of her secret lover. Julia is surrounded by deaths and weird events while she loses her sight.

Julia was convinced that someone had killed Sara. Although she was worried that she might be blind, she tried to find Sara's killer.

This movie had a quick and lively tempo until half of the story and I was interested to speculate who the killer was. But the other half, the story was just like any other mystery movie with the presence of a madman. 

While Julia had a surgery and a bandage on her eyes, the screen didn't show Julia was talking with. The audience felt uneasy as if they feel almost like the blind character. The camera work of the scene was the best in this movie!

In Sara's house the killer was exploring opportunities to kill Julia and when he cornered her in the living room, she switched off the breaker to hide from him. He used the flash of camera to find her. This scene reminded me of the ending of the movie"The Silence of the Lambs".

The killer died the same as other crime movies and Julia realized how her dead husband loved her so much. Although  the surgery failed , she seemed happy because she could live with the eyes that her husband had given her.

My rating:★★