[TV Series] Breaking Bad 2008-2013 #1

Well the actual series ended around September 2013 on AMC. At that time, I had no idea Breaking Bad even existed. Then when I moved to a new dorm back in Bintaro and I basically got nothing to do but sleep, eat, repeat.. I browsed some series on IMDb just to kill my time yet I found Breaking Bad sitting at the top of most rated tv series. I was very interested in watching it and I was this close buying their pirated all season DVDs on Blok-M. But I thought I just need to get home soon and turn on my wifi so I could download them all on piratebay... free of charge! ;)

Breaking Bad (2008-2013) 
IMDb Rating: 9.6/10 <---- I KNOW RIGHT!
Creator: Vince Gilligan
Writer: Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, RJ Mitte
Won 2 Golden Globe Awards including  
- Best Television Series - Drama and  
- Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama, Bryan Cranston

Walter White (Bryan Cranston) is a loving family man and a brilliant chemist who unfortunately lives in a not-so-equally-brilliant wealth. For a nobel prize honoured in crystallography chemistry, he only works as a high school chemistry teacher. Overqualified, indeed. But then bad luck doesn't stop right there, he was also diagnosed for stage 3 lung cancer. Having realised the fact that he's going to die soon and his salary as a chemistry teacher still can't manage to secure his family finance, he decides to cook crystal methamphetamine with his ex- student, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), whom he met at a drug raid. Walter uses his skill as a scientist making purest (yet highly demanded) methamphetamine to ever existed in the drug market. Producing this meth, though has been extraordinary profitable, doesn't come out easy for Walt as his DEA agent brother-in-law, Hank Schrader (Norris), often interferes his business. He has to face a greater challenge, not only to keep away his identity as the most wanted, Heisenberg, from his DEA brother-in-law and his family, but also to develop better strategies against the cartel.

Review
Once I watched the first season, I couldn't stop it really. I kept eating the whole season then moved to next.. unstoppably. I strongly recommend you guys to watch it bcs it's overly addicting. Technically just like snorting a dash of meth (ok sorry this is too much). It doesn't look like it's gonna bore you anyway since... I know, first time you read the short synopsis you'll be like, ain't nobody got time to watch a helluva heavy hourly based series. Well, it's not gonna happen bcs Breaking Bad is fairly light-medium one plus the plot makes you wanna go and go watch the next eps without even realizing it.

Walt and Jesse making crystal blue meths.

Now when you finished watching all seasons you'll feel like a part of you had gone away, and you're left clueless abt what to do the next day. Just prepare to feel like an absolute shit at that day. But at the same time feeling so... I don't know how to express this but you'll moan to yourself that this has been a great ride watching Breaking Bad. You'll feel sad that this is over but yet happy because IT HAPPENS. It's just.... so gooooood you got to watch it asap. (sorry for being overly persuasive, can't hold it :p)

Smashed up crystal meth candy.

A little trivia, you're gonna want to make that crystal meth legally once you watch Breaking Bad. I mean I'm talking... crystal meth candy. Here's a blog from sugarhero.com to show you how to do it. It looks so yum, isn't it?

Lastly, final verdict: (since nothing in this world is perfect, so...) 9.8/10

The Conjuring (2013)

Blame me in the name of the overly-hyped yet most-talked about film on twitter this week. I am actually a coward. It puts me a lot of courage watching ghost-themed film or anything that will potentially scare the shit out of me for days. I used to go nuts over a creaking door or the edge of the room or under the bed. I had constant hatred to the bolster too bcs it reminds me of.. you know that 'local ghost in plain white sheets'. I got terrified over the sound of sorrowly girl crying in the midst of the night though it's really just a sound of a bloody cat. Then all I could do is sleeping with the lights on or I might need a company throughout the night.

However, my curiosity conquers it all. I finally went to see The Conjuring this Thursday along with my two old friends. We felt pretty much excited because we had been tried hard to take more friends with us but.. nah they're too fainthearted.

The Conjuring (2013) 
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Director: James Wan
Writer: Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lily Taylor, Ron Livingston

Some time in the early 70s, a big family of seven, Perron family, moves to an old rickety farmhouse in the suburb. During the first day,  the whole family is in delight though the dog's unusually scared rejects to come into the house. The Perrons keep busy unpacking their furnitures while the kids are happily playing hide-and-clap. Then suddenly, one of the kid inadvertently finds an entrance to a hidden cellar. Now that initiates the whole series of paranormal things. The next day and after, the terror starts happening to one another member of the family and it gets worse each and everyday. Terrifies, Carolyn Perron (Lily Taylor) asks Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) to help them seek the problem in the house. The Warrens' investigation and research to the house's history leads to an awful discovery that afterall the house isn't really the core problem. It is the evil works that has done in the house years ago which makes it cursed. Now either The Perrons or The Warrens have to make a quick move or else someone is going to get killed.

The Review
Since I'm a diehard coward and got startled very easily, I always sheer-closed my eyes with my hands everytime the plot starts to get intense. I screamed almost the entire film too. When it's time to stepped out of the cinema, my body felt a light physical breakdown for no reason. My legs somehow a bit trembled it took awhile to self-adjust. It's weird how a film could make you 'disabled'.

The Conjuring is quite captivating--The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror combined.  I'm not gonna give comments about their acting since they did it just fine. But I was pretty astonished to see there were like tons of ghost sightings in the film and it creeped me out. There are several eerie scenes, the one that stuck in my mind is when Carolyn Perron got trapped in the cellar and heard the sound of strange claps. It's real horrifying and I can't imagine myself ever experienced the same thing. And of course, the exorcism scene in the cellar that dominates the whole film.

Exorcism scene in the cellar (Source)

And about the plot, I must say for a two-hour-ish film, it's a really good one. I got carried on with their investigation, the way they reveal one by one facts about the condemned house. Very exciting. But here's one lack of thing in the plot that I absolutely hate--the ending. It's too obviously explained and it buzzkilled the whole thing. Well, maybe it is what truly happened in Warren's case files but I see this very very very much displeased for a film, especially the horror-thriller one. An ideal horror film should ends up perplexing and make the viewers feels like shit after like, "Wtf? What the hell is happening? Why it ends up like that? Whaaat???" There, so the viewers takes their very own version of why that film ended up, it sucks but it's so much fun, isn't it ? :)

Hence, final verdict: 8.2/10

Argo (2012)

Sebenernya film terakhir yang saya tonton itu American Reunion (2012),  franchise main series keempatnya American Pie (1999), bukan spin-offnya lho ya, kaya band camp, naked mile dan beta house. It's a bit inappropriate kalo review pertama filmfavore b-movie yang begituan (yakali -_-), jadi judul film pertama yang kepikiran di benak saya adalah Argo (2012) which was an a-movie, award winning oscar film and duhhhh yes it was dang a joy to watch.

Argo's official poster.

Argo (2012)
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
Director: Ben Affleck
Screenplay: Chris Terrio
Based on the book: The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez; The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman
Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman  
Won 3 of 7 Oscar nominations including Best Picture

Jadi, sekedar tambahan info aja nih, latar belakang cerita ini dimulai tahun 1979 dimana terjadi revolusi Iran yang mengubah sistem pemerintahannya yang sebelumnya monarki menjadi republik Islam. Tokoh dibalik revolusi ini adalah Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, seorang pemimpin Islam yang berhasil menggulingkan rezim Mohammad Shah Reza Pahlavi, raja Iran terakhir. Shah Reza Pahlavi menjalankan pemerintahan yang brutal, korup, boros, dan menganut paham westernisasi, serta bekerja sama dengan Amerika Serikat yang bertentangan dengan identitas Muslim Syi'ah Iran. Ketika revolusi ini berlangsung, beliau dilindungi dan diasingkan oleh AS. Nah, dari sinilah asal muasal kemunculan rasa nasionalisme rakyat Iran yang anti banget sama Amerika Serikat, keliatan kan sampe sekarang. Apalagi dengan dipimpin oleh Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yang notabene tokoh konservatif, sangat loyal sama nilai-nilai revolusi Islam Iran ini.

Gara-gara revolusi ini, militan pengikut Khomeini yang anti banget sama AS, berbondong-bondong menyerbu kedutaan besar AS di Teheran. Mereka niatnya mau menyandera diplomat-diplomat AS, atau warga negara AS yang kepergok lagi di dubes apapun profesinya karena mereka dicurigai sebagai agen mata-mata AS. Sialnya, beberapa dari mereka bukannya disandera tapi malah kena public execution. Sadis, ngeri, kalo liat mayat mereka yang dieksekusi dan digantung pake crane kaya gini.

Creepy public execution.

Dari penyerbuan militan Iran di dubes AS, 6 diplomat AS berhasil melarikan diri dan sembunyi di dubes Kanada di Iran. Mereka jadi buronan paling dicari oleh militan Iran. Dengan keadaan kaya gini, Departemen Luar Negeri AS berusaha menemukan cara gimana keenam diplomat ini bisa keluar dari Iran dengan selamat. Nah, dikirimlah si Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) seorang agen CIA untuk membantu mereka. Kemudian Mendez mendapatkan ide setelah nonton film science fiction sama anaknya. Ia berencana mengembangkan skenario dimana ia sebagai produser film asal Kanada hendak membuat film science fiction palsu berjudul Argo dengan 6 diplomat AS tadi sebagai kru film yang lagi survey lapangan di Iran. Setibanya di Iran, Mendez mulai melatih 6 diplomat tadi untuk menyamar jadi kru produksi. Semua informasi diberikan mulai dari paspor, nama, dob, jabatan, sampe latar belakang palsu mereka, semata-mata untuk meyakinkan revolutionary guards yang jaga-jaga di bandara Iran kalo mereka bukan buronan yang dicari. Salah satu diplomat sempet ragu dan menolak skenario gila Mendez, tapi setelah diyakinkan oleh Mendez, ia bersedia menjalankan skenario ini.

Mendez's best line.

Sialnya nih di hari H keberangkatan, eh Mendez malah disuruh ngebatalin rencananya karena Presiden AS waktu itu, Jimmy Carter memerintahkan diadakannya operasi militer Amerika untuk menyelamatkan para sandera AS di Iran (padahal gagal lho operasinya). Mendez seketika panik, tapi beliau mencoba kalem dan keukeuh untuk menjalankan misinya ini. Apakah Mendez berhasil ato malah gagal, ketauan kedoknya dan malah kena public execution? Makanya pada nonton yak.

Le Review 
 Dari segi aktingnya Ben Affleck, kalo menurut saya sih biasa aja dan agak kaku. Mungkin karena faktor jambangnya ato emang sengaja dibikin gitu kali ya. Entah kenapa malah lebih oke aktingnya Scott McNairy as Joe Stafford--salah satu diplomat--mimik nervous sekaligus berusaha convincing juga dapet ketika ia berusaha meyakinkan tentara revolusioner dengan menceritakan cerita Argo lewat storyboards-nya.

Dari segi plot, pada awalnya agak ngebosenin, jujur saya sampe 2 atau 3 kali ngulang awal film karena kurang paham ceritanya ( dan sempet googling juga soal Ayatollah Khomeini :p). Di tengah film mulai kerasa tense-nya ketika mereka mengunjungi central market di Iran. Lama kelamaan makin tense dan mencapai klimaks ketika Mendez dan 6 diplomat ini diinterogasi oleh tentara revolusioner yang mencegah mereka boarding.

Overall, this is literally a great movie, totally worth-watching, not in an inspiring way, but in a quite thrilling way plus it has based-on-true-story, historical-ish yang ngebuka wawasan saya soal revolusi Islam Iran. Ben Affleck juga pinter merancang plotnya sedemikian rupa sampe bikin gregetan di scene terakhirnya. It doesn't take a lot of famous actors like Les Mis to make this film look great, it only takes a great plot and an interesting background story. 


Final verdict for Argo: 8/10.