A first glimpse “Westworld “ #2

Beeing Done with one of the six exams I have to do this semester so I decided to give myself a little treat and tick off a tv series from my watchlist.

Westworld Pilot

This is truly a little gem . And you can guess it from the opening , where you’re beamed in a strange dimension in the making of an android.
This pilot starts in media-res as a narrating voice interviews or brainwashes a “girl” , apparently a common girl living in the Far West. So what is the bond between the Far East and androids ?
That her life ,her family , her beliefs are fictional , that she is  programmed to entertain visitors who want to have a virtual experience in the Far East.
Theoretically androids shouldn’t have any remembrance of their past lives because they have to deliver their lines without any improvising and this is the aim of the “upper” levels. An huge system which constantly controls that androids are doing their tasks , that stranger have a good experience .

But what happens if you believe that controlling technology is given for granted ? What is the consequence of a little crack in the hardware ? What if the  androids are not merely mechanically creatures but are capable of understanding how they ‘re beeing exploited ?  So these are the questions arised in my mind after watching this pilot .

As you watch Dolores day rewinds as one of  those older tapes you get the feeling that she is slowly realizing what she can do ,that she’s living in a bubble .
Anyway the contrast between Western location and the ultra-modern labs is great , it kinda reflect that androids are supposed to be manipulated by the smarter ones: the human race but actually is not like that. As the creators find out that something is not working in the theme park they start resetting the androids programme especially Dolores’s one …

In this pilote I appreciated the subtle symbolism : on Dolores and Teddy’s face we often see a mosquito , howeverthey don’t seem to care about it , in the final sequence  as Dolores wakes up she smiles innocently and then kills a mosquito on her face showing that she actually could harm someone .Definitely can’t wait to see what comes next!
What appealed to me other than the soundtrack (loved the distorted version of “Black Hole Sun”) was the terrific acting ! Couldn’t have asked more than finding actors from my favourite movies (“Ed Harris” from “The Hours” and “Truman Show” ; a villain from Walking Dead whom name I don’t remember ) , but the most remarkable performances goes to Rachel Wood end the actor who plays her father : I mean they do look like androids with those mind-absent expressions .

vote 5/5

 

Movies based on true stories #1 “Lion”

So I don’t know why it took me so long to watch it but I finally managed to watch “Lion”  and it definitely goes to “my favourite movie list”. I’m planning to watch all the movies in which the soundtrack is composed by Dustin O’Halloran because his melodies are soft but effective at the same way ,in this movie he kinda remembered me Arcade Fire’s soundtrack for the movie “Her” …and it’s ..perfect! In second place the cast is brilliant , I mean you got Nicole Kidman , Rooney Mara (loved her since “Her” : I think she’s the kind of elegant and pure beauty) and Dev Patel : so I first saw him in the british serie Skins and then in “The Millionaire” (another good movie) , it’s simply incredible how he’s acting skills . improved so much , I mean from portraying the Indian silly teenager in Skins to being nominated for an Academy Award ! Also the young actors who portrayed Guddu and Saroo are incredibly talented (no spoilers but the last scene just bursted me in tears)

But focusing on the movies it’s just wonderful! Since I love India the music ,the mesmerizing scenery and the endless uplands made their job but anyway the movie also takes place in Australia , in marvelous location such as Tasmania !
The strenghts of “Lion” are many : surely I enjoy how every character is developed , Saroo a smart boy in his twenties who was adopted by an Australian couple when he was a child apparently as everything in his life , but as in James Joyce’s novels a flavour of an Indian typical dish awakes his deepest and most hidden memory : his roots , his family and from that moment on he tries to cling to his most remote memory and find out about his mother and siblings . I loved how he wandered in his dreams and fantasies trying to catch even the smallest detail that could help him in his search  how the burden of this loss prevent him to keep living his life.  Definitely a worth watching movie .

Here’s a little playlist

1) Salma Agha – Come Closer (a catchy song where traditional indian music is combined with 80’s dance melodies, it was played in Noora’s house when Saroo starts questioning her “good intentions”

2) A Winged Victory For The Sullen  – Atomos VII (used as background music during Saroo’s wanderings in his lost childhood)

3)Enigma – The Rivers Of Belief

4) Hercules and Love Affair – Blind (played during a party , loved it)

November movie “An American Affair”

University is taking most of my spare time , but fortunately I still manage to get some time to watch some movies and tv series!
As I was studying I opened Spotify and put some random stuff by an American composer called Dustin O’Halloran . He’s GREAT for studying , sleeping or just relaxing ; and he has that mysterious vibe that I really love! So I stumbled on a track called “Open letters” and I immediately fell in love with it ! So I searched it and found out that was part of a 2008 independent movie called “An American Affair” and I watched it thinking that it wouldn’t be bad if it has a wonderful soundtrack so…

REVIEW

In the middle of the Cold War the young and naif Adam Stafford is charmed by her mysterious neighbour , a beautiful woman who apparently as an affair with JFK. But is it only an affair or does it hide something else?
Anyway I’m not good in writing reviews but what I really love are the setting : those elegant residential houses and the fall weather ; also I find some kind of reminiscence of the Hollywood classic “Reer Window” as Adam voraciously spies through his windows .
The soundtrack is an important part of the movie as it accompanies through what the ending will be.