khadafimusaad Reviews

Taxi Driver (1976)

Political Representation Affects Social Life

[10/10 · 24 September 2023]

Taxi Driver is the best film I have ever watched, many very meaningful scenes, political campaigns, public spaces, prostitution, and social life are perfectly represented by Martin Scorsese in "Taxi Driver".

I'm very impressed with the scene until now, and have never forgotten this realistic drama, such as the scene of Travis and Betsy dating, it's the funniest but meaningful thing I've ever seen, I don't need to explain, those who have watched must understand it.

Ending when Travis is wiser when he refuses Betsy's offer to date, this is the best ending beat I've ever watched, and it means that you have to choose a partner who from the beginning tries to understand you, not choose a partner who wants perfection from the beginning, in this case maybe Travis no longer wants to accept invitations from Betsy. Travis understands that, Betsy invites him because of Travis's popularity at that time as a hero who saves a prostitute, played by Jodie Foster. So that characters like Travis only want understanding, therefore he knows that, Betsy only understands the rest of her good when people talk about Travis's kindness.

When else to watch a masterpiece like this, I am very grateful to watch this film, I have watched it for a long time, and review this film on September 24, 2023, if I remember "Taxi Driver", there is a regret that "why did I watch it too early", that is the sentence that can be described by me about this film, because I can no longer watch like people who do not know the storyline and start watching this film, although occasionally watching it is still fun.

Nope (2022)

The Idea of A Story That is Ultimately Very Bad

[4/10 · 24 September 2023]

I don't really think this film is interesting in terms of ideas, but I still try to enjoy it, the situation in the film makes me continue to follow the story, and hope that there is a plot twist that can change my assessment of this film, but the accuracy of taking an object to be made into a scene is not well explained, to be honest I don't understand shooting from a well at the end of the film.

The film poster shows a representation of a successful characterization, between black actors and Asian actors, but the relationship between actors has no deep meaning, this is only a commercial-purpose blockbuster movie star, just like the nature of this case, I feel Steve Yuan only appears in the minimal duration of this film, even though he is on the poster not as a guest actor, I expect there will be a prominent role from Steve, such as an antagonist who complicates the protagonist's actions, but the character's death too soon, which makes expectations for his role not match the poster presented by this film.

From the idea of the story I don't like it, but the setting of the film is very appropriate for a film like this, which needs a large field to do a film action. Plus the touch of the city is not shown, adding to the intuition of horror awaited by the storyline, it's just that the climax presented does not peak for me. And seeing this film is good to enjoy at a certain time, not careless at the time that someone wants, because if you decide the wrong time to watch this film, I'm not sure you will be able to stand watching this film.

In all, there is no meaning that I can mean from the film, the idea of the film is not interesting to me, the scenes from several frames do not affect the marks I think, the conflict in the form of the triller genre used by this film is not so stressful, there is a lot of confusion between how to avoid aliens and even how to defeat the aliens, it is too shallow to put objects like aliens that are the core of the story, but the aliens are not too explained by the film, at the beginning or end. This alien just ran and flew to suck humans, until he died because he swallowed a gas balloon, that's what made my climax for this film, not achieving the expected plot twist.

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Nolan makes the audience think, like the ending of Inception.

[8/10 · 20 August 2023]

First of all, I lowered a little expectation for Christopher Nolan, who is known as a director with his trademark cinema whose originality gives birth "out of the box", and has a mind blowing storyline, because this film, 'Oppenheimer', is a Biopic-History genre with a scenario adapted according to a biographical book (J. Robert Oppenheimer), so the type of film plot is not like Nolan's works in general. However, the touch of science like Interstellar and Tenet's previous work, namely physics, will be narrative throughout the duration of this film, set in the true story of a physicist named J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, in developing the atomic bomb.

Regarding the history of the second world war, which certainly did not escape political conflicts, Nolan divided the scenario in flashback, with which it would connect the storyline that slowly exposed the cause and effect of the film conflict, like the film Doku-Drama. And like Nolan's films in general, visual effects are highlighted in cinema that must amaze the audience, and greatly, Nolan arranges cinema with visual effects that give clues to the audience, which scenario focuses on Robert Oppenheimer's story before the trial, by choosing colored visual effects. While the black and white visual effects, which depict the time of Gloom of Robert Oppenheimer, which focuses on each trial scene, on allegations against him for alleged joining the communists, and the involvement of recruiting Russian scientists in the Manhattan project, which indicated to be the spy of the Soviet Union.

Uniquely, the use of visual effects of Nolan cinema this time, indicates semiotics in the dialogue scene between J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einsten on the lake, where the scene is divided into POV (Point of View) scenarios, which initially points to Lewis Strauss' frame, when watching Einstein and Oppenheimer from a distance, so the conversation between the two physicists makes the audience's nucleus black and white, along with visual effects displayed in black and The conversation unfolds at the end of the film, as the frame leads to Robert Oppenhaimer's point of view, who comes to Einstein by the lake, with colored visual effects shown in this scene. But if you pay attention again, the scene from that part, can be said that Nolan uses Cliffhanger to create the same type of plot in the ending of Inception, as well as this film, the dialogue between Einsten and Oppenheimer can be said to be an ambiguous narrative, thus making various perceptions by each audience, as is the case with the totem tool that rotates at the end of the film Inception.

Overall, Christopher Nolan adapted the book 'American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer', by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Nolan's interpretation leads viewers to look at history because the atomic bomb was made, which is fatal to world security. This can be seen from Robert's desire to make an atomic bomb, which was caused by the world political conflict that occurred at that time. He saw the Nazi regime that continued to oppress the Jews, of which Robert Oppenheimer was a Jew, indirectly he felt an identity awareness as a Jewish race, although ethically a physicist was unethical to use his expertise in political interests, nor his nation. But on the other hand, this film reveals the narrative that Germany and the Soviet Union, are trying to create a nuclear that can control the world, this reason is the most striking outlined by this film, so the Manhattan project was created which is the setting for the Oppenheimer film production, with very epic atomic bomb test scenes. Overall rating: 8,1/100.

Barbie (I) (2023)

Between matriarchy and patriarchy.

[7/10 · 12 August 2023]

I like F-Rating movies, to know and understand women, especially the hidden value of feminism around the story scenario, and of course there is no doubt what makes it Grate Gerwig. Although this time, there is no Saoire Ronan in my opinion is the best chemistry between directors and actresses for female films. This work Barbie, comes set in Barbieland's fantasy that depicts the irrational of a woman. The moving plot of the Barbie fantasy world, conflict increases when entering the world of reality, and the ending is resolved according to the maturity of the story, which is a red herring type of plot; what is meant is that the author diverts the audience's minds, as in this film Barbie has to correct flat soles, but it is not the essence of the Basically the director wants to convey the feminine phase, with an amazing fantasy idea, between the difference between the world of reality and the world called Barbieland.

I went straight to the point, which was the first time that Barbie, like women in general, felt insecure, she realized that her feet were flat when she stepped on the sand on the beach. This is my favorite scene, because it reminds me of my childhood, when I saw my sister crying because her Barbie doll didn't stand up straight. I got the meaning from that scene, that in real events women often do not suspect their shortcomings in public places, in this film Barbie is a woman's childhood imagination playing with Barbie dolls, thus avoiding damage or defects in a doll. This adds up to Barbie's wish to go to the real world, to repair the soles of her feet, and the plot twist is that there is a childhood human, who has a barbie doll toy in the form of the main character Barbie, played by Margot Robbie. This is as if a woman will try her best to find the best treatment, in order to eliminate physical deficiencies, regardless of the morals contained in her, even though she is Margot Robbie too.

The scene between the world of reality and the world of Barbie, in this case my analogy, the world of reality is represented against liberalism, and the world of Barbie is imagined conservatively, this imagination creates matriarchy in the fantasy world of Barbie by feminism, while the opposite of reality, there is control of the world of Barbie by companies acting in a patriarchal manner. Then the scene of an elderly grandmother, namely Ruth, whom Barbie first met, accidentally sat next to Ruth. My intuition at this moment, seeing the happiness of an old woman, whose beauty is faded but full of precious experiences, thinking that beauty can disappear, and that's what Barbie feels when she looks back at Ruth, and also makes Barbie aware of her question about 'death' in the musical scene at the beginning of the film . This is where Barbie's maturity signifies when she returns to Barbieland.

So that at the ending point, the message of this film that describes the growth period of a woman, and the slogan "She's everything. He's just Ken", I interpret women as creatures that are unpredictable, experience social phenomena that occur, want to try new things until they get their point of freedom, the purpose of life is understanding everything, pride in being a complete woman who is, in expressing herself in a complex environment , especially women who live in a patriarchal environment. Finally, Barbie realized the meaning of girl, mother, grandmother, and chose to act as an independent woman without admiring men, in this case, Ken.

Overall, the scenarios that are played are quite fast and do not create unnecessary scenes, the accompaniment of music to pause the audience brings the neatness of cinema that is of theatrical art value, plus sarcasm scripts that contain, in terms of the capture of the ratio of connoisseurs and comedy humor. Regarding production design, without a doubt, maybe I championed this award was obtained by Barbie at the 2024 Oscars, because from that side it really broke marketing, the pink color is like a mandatory costume for anyone who watches. I give Barbie: 7.5/100.

A Man Called Otto (2022)

95% touching, 5% humor, for drama-comedy films.

[6/10 · 29 July 2023]

Adapting based on the novel "En man som heter ove" by Hannes Holm, there are already several films that use the story of the novel. One of them is a remake entitled: A Man Called Otto. I can't analyze more deeply about the original novel, because I haven't read it yet. So that I judge this film according to what I look at, from the plot and mandate of the film A Man Called Otto.

Looking at the main character played by my favorite actor Tom Hanks, the elderly Otto, with a temperament triggered by the past. But Marisol new neighbor who lives in a housing complex with husband and children, faces him like a friendly Latin character, as a Mexican immigrant wife who brings a positive atmosphere and a husband, Otto considers stupid. I was very impressed with Mariana Trevino's role as Marisol.

This film builds characterizations that must be recognized well from the actors. Here I don't pay attention to Tom Hanks' acting, because there's no need to doubt a Hollywood legend. But I see the reality described by the film, that a man will be destroyed and unkempt if he loses a woman, this is an example of a man's emptiness.

Even though I think there is a scenario that is not satisfactory enough, where Rueben and Otto's problems are too absurd, from the backward plot scene. It also triggers conflict builders who are also not too dramatic, and comedy offerings are not demonstrated in dialogue, which makes the script not very interesting to me humorously, but the scene that I call "Pending life-delieving experiments" is the most unique.

And the intuition of the audience throughout the film, makes this film too convoluted, so it's easy for me to find what will happen on the Bus that Otto is riding with pregnant wife, when the past scene of their accident. Therefore, between the scenario and intuition the audience must be different, so that the film can create a plot twist that surprises both thoughts and feelings. A Man Called Otto: I call it pretty good for free time, so 6.7/10.

Coherence (2013)

Minimized locations in the Sci-fi genre.

[7/10 · 28 July 2023]

Films with Sci-fi themes, it can be said, require media and production sites that are like the technology of the future world. The director and writer of the film Coherence, namely James Ward Byrkit, who maybe some don't know him in the film world, I mean, thus presupposes it as Nolan's debut in the film Following. In my opinion, there are similarities in terms of the commercial output of these two films, which are in line with the plot.

In contrast to Coherence which relies on dialogue in the dining room set . The meeting of couples who know each other, with characterization names composed of one to two syllables, in order to make it easier for the audience who will be confused to follow the story, the scenes of which are packaged de javu for the night of their meeting. Gossip comet approaching the earth, is the audience's reasoning during the duration of Coherence 1 hour 29 minutes.

With the phenomenal ignorance of science to come their way, the easygoing manner and pleasantries of the cast wash away the focus on the dramatic , even though the full conflict will begin with this phenomenal. But the actor named Hobs, who in the dialogue said has a relative who works on comet research, does not have perfect clarity to describe a tension that is still visible from the indifference of each character. With that, the acting weakness of the actors who psychologically have to succeed, becomes one of the weaknesses in this film. But the flow of the scene presented, managed to be understood by the audience with maximum focus.

The audience is challenged in digesting scenes that deliver the same characters and set locations in one problem, which is like a multiverse dimension that is analogous to the distance between stairs on the earth's surface, which is caused by an approaching comet. Here we can guess which house is really the residence of Beth and Hugh. The closeness that does not want to be separated by a relationship that is considered the dimension of reality, makes each character want to maintain their dimensional form. So that the randomness of life is imagined in the story idea Out of The Box by James Ward.

Imagine our lives being messed up by the same form but a different world. This is where the actors are less successful in their agility in starting conflicts. Or the director's instructions that are anticlimactic cause this to happen in the ending that is felt. It's just that the message conveyed, in my opinion, is very relevant to life, where some people want to repeat and even replace the people they care about. Maybe that's what I caught in the film Coherence. But behind it all, there is a meaning that can be considered, that is, don't trust the people closest to you, even householders who have lived together for years, we cannot fully trust them.