Almost Buddhist - 戲‧論

★★☆☆☆ Since I’m kind of immune to horror films or stuff, films that I consider truly scary are very rare. I can’t even remember when was the last time I checked out a real good one! Plus, I always feel like men are a whole lot scarier than ghosts or spirits or any kind in terms of perverted behaviors and perceptions. And as a Buddhist, I don’t believe that ghosts some claim they see sometimes are those from the Hungry Ghost Realm in Buddhism. What they actually see is merely the reflections of their distorted views or thinking. So, what they should really be scared of, or beware of, are not ghosts they see out there, but their own mind inside! The film is highly praised by most critics saying it’s the scariest film of the year! Is it visually scary or gross like most of the horror films out there tend to be? No, I don’t think so! Atmospherically? A little bit! To be honest, I don’t quite get what’s really going on there, but I don’t really care either! It tries to sound scary ...

★★★☆☆ Deadpool tends to make a joke out of almost everything in any situation at any time probably because of his immortality, which could be a curse or a blessing. It all depends how you look at it. If he wasn’t immortal, he wouldn’t be that mad and bitchy I guess. But less bitchy, less fun! I mean, why so serious while everything you know is going to fall apart in the end, and nothing stays indeed! Yet I can’t help but feel a little bit sad considering that everything in this world, not just family that Wade emphasizes in the film, is basically a F-word! But I know it’s no need to be so cynical or melancholy here either, since life is not about what you get in the end. It’s what you give! ‘ Deadpool ’ is not my cup of tea! I don’t know. Maybe it came at a wrong time when I didn’t have the right mood to feel it right, and I have no interest at all to check it out again. This sequel is, I gotta say, much more entertaining and hilarious in light of better action choreography, s...

★★★★☆ If you’re curious, First Reformed is the name of a historical church where Ethan Hawke’s Toller is given a job as a pastor. He looks organized and restrained, but deep down he’s wrestling with his religious beliefs and some unbearable pain from the past. It’s like the film itself where things seem so clean and neat on the surface, but underneath it’s a rather disturbing and twisted story going on! I don’t feel like this is a film intending to provoke with religious and ethical debates though it may sound like it as there’re loads of conversations and narrations about that. It’s more like a story of a broken soul never being able to be unbroken no matter how. Well, I guess you should never have an intention of making the broken unbroken, because you can never undo what’s done no matter how willing you’re to try and sacrifice for it. Suffering happens when you’re not accepting who you are, better or worse, but attempting to be who you once were, and be so called normal aga...