Film
A Taxi Driver (2017).
A Taxi Driver is a 2017 Korean film starring Kang-ho song that explores the real-life story of Kim Sa-bok, a widowed father and taxi driver who drives a German reporter from Seoul to cover the 1980 revolt, but soon regrets his decision after becoming caught in the chaos and mishaps (IMDB, 2017). This film was chosen because it deviated from my expectations and made me to reflect on it.
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro wrote and directed this 2006 Spanish-Mexican dark fantasy film Pan’s Labyrinth. The story is set in 1944 in Spain, when a troop of soldiers is dispatched to a remote forest to flush out the insurgents. They are led by Capital Vidal, a sadist, and his daughter Ofelia travels with him. Ofelia witnesses her stepfather’s brutal behavior and is drawn into Pan’s Labyrinth, a magical world of mythical beings (IMDB, 2006). I chose this movie because it is one that I remember watching in high school and being in awe of what I had seen.
Film Review.
A love letter to the 70s and adolescence.
Written & Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Maya Rudolph, Benny Safdie, John Michael Higgins
Rating: ★★★★/5
Licorice Pizza is a 2021 film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The film stars newcomers Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in the lead roles, as well as cameos from familiar faces like Sean Pen and Bradley Cooper (IMDB, 2021). Licorice pizza is a pure and coincidental story that reminds us of childhood, nostalgia, a time full of possibilities, and a touch of melancholy. The story is set in the early 1970s and revolves around the two main characters, Alana (25) and Gary (15), as they grow up and go through different stages in their personal and professional lives, as well as figuring out their unsettled relationship among all the mishaps. Both of the new faces Alana and Cooper have done an outstanding job of convincing us to believe in the characters. No one can create a world like Paul Thomas Anderson, and while this film is not for everyone, it will appeal more to those who see cinema as an art. It’s almost like a nostalgic reflection of the director’s past, and it reminds me a lot of his earlier work, such as Boogie Nights, which also takes place in a similar time with similar zeitgeist. The film was also shot in the California neighbourhood where Paul Thomas Anderson grew up, so there is undoubtedly some personal significance to it (Shoard, 2018). This film’s cinematography is a subtle display of mastery in all aspects. You can see this in a scene where Alana and Gary hug for the first time and a moving light behind them fills the entire background with white, giving it a magical feel of transporting us into another world, or when Sean pens character introduces his friend who walks into the room in a dark silhouette with only the smoke coming out of his mouth visible. The editing pattern of the movie is a bit episodic and jumping from one to another, more like how human brain recollects memory. The mood of the 1970s is spot on with the production design, costume design team and cinematography team working hand in hand creating a seamless output. Overall, licorice pizza is a love letter to the 1970s and adolescence, and it’s the type of film that occurs later in a director’s career when he reflects on his past with nostalgia and keeps his artistic essence alive through his filmmaking.
Reference:
IMDB. (2017). A Taxi Driver. IMDB. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6878038/
IMDB. (2021). Licorice Pizza. IMDB. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11271038/
IMDB. (2006). Pan’s Labyrinth. IMDB. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/
Shoard, C. (2018). Paul Thomas Anderson: ’You can tell a lot about a person by what they order for breakfast’. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/01/paul-thomas-anderson-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-person-by-what-they-order-for-breakfast#:~:text=Anderson%20was%20born%20surrounded%20by,has%20never%20made%20a%20dud.
Figure List:
Image 1: IMDB. A Taxi Driver (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6878038/
Image 2: Amazon. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Movie Poster. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.ca/Labyrinth-Movie-Poster-24x36-inches/dp/B01N8OY2GN
Image 3: IMDB. Licorice Pizza. Retrieved from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11271038/
