Gattaca

In fall 2020, I watched the movie Gattaca on DVD. The Sci-Fi movie was released in 1997. The lead is Ethan Hawke. 

The story follows Vincent, who was born without gene manipulation and struggles to make his dream come true of becoming an astronaut as an "Invalid" in a future where people born with gene manipulation are called "Valids" and are supposed to become elites in the society. 

Ethan Hawke played Vincent with enthusiasm, who has complicated feelings as an "Invalid" about his little brother, Anton, who is a "Valid." Jude Law also gave a sensitive and cool performance as the disable "Invalid" Jerome who at first reluctantly but gradually readily assists Vincent's dream come true. Vincent is less restless than Jerome. It might be because he is an "Invalid." Uma Thurman acted as the mysterious stunner Irene, who is an "Invalid" and lends her decorative figure to the drama of the three men. 

The Sci-Fi movie is also a human drama because it focuses on the human events among the four main characters. The above-mentioned two men and woman's performances are especially worth watching. 

Each person's life is predetermined by their own genes to some extent, however, geniuses tend to be conceited. People are impressed by ordinary persons who believe in their own potential and increase their efforts. Then such passionate ordinary ones occasionally come to surpass lazy geniuses. Anyone must not be vain.

ガタカ

2020年秋、『ガタカ』をDVDにて観賞。1997年公開のSF映画。イーサン・ホーク主演。

遺伝子操作によって生まれた「適正者」が社会のエリートとなる世の中で、自然妊娠で生まれた「不適正者」のヴィンセントが、宇宙飛行士になるという自分の夢実現のために奮闘する物語。

「適正者」である弟に複雑な気持ちを抱いている、「不適正者」の兄ヴィンセントをイーサン・ホークが熱演。そして、そんな彼の夢実現に手を貸す、身体障碍者で「適正者」のジェロームを演じるのがジュード・ロウ。最初は投げやりだったが徐々にヴィンセントへの協力を惜しまなくなるジェロームの心の動きを、クールに演じ切っている。ジェロームに比べると、ヴィンセントは少し落ち着きが無い。それは、彼が「不適正者」故だったのかもしれない。そんな２人の男のドラマに、ユマ・サーマン演じる、ミステリアスな「適正者」の美女アイリーンが花を添えている。

SF映画ではあるが、主眼が置かれているのは、主要人物たちが織り成す人間模様であるため、ドラマ映画とも言える。特に前述の３人の掛け合いは見応えがある。

人の人生は、ある程度は遺伝子で決まってしまう。だが、天才という人種はとかく天狗になりがちだ。そして、可能性を信じて努力を重ねる凡才の姿こそが人を感動させるし、そんな情熱を持った凡才たちが怠惰な天才たちを時に凌駕する。何人たりとも驕るべきではない。

Booksmart

In September 2020, I watched Booksmart at Movix Kameari. The movie was released in 2019 in the United States. Olivia Wild, an also female actor, made her directorial debut with it.

The story follows two girls who have been serious high school students and go crazy one night before their graduation ceremony. The duo consists of Molly and Amy performed by Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever respectively.

This is my most favorite youth comedy film that I have ever watched. Usually, the kind of movie stars a quite beautiful actress like Elle Funning, however, although it has a beautiful chick, Bilie Lourd, who is late Carrie Fisher’s daughter, yet she is just an underpart. As for two main characters, both of them are not stunners, they are very attractive though. I could concentrate on the story itself because no extraordinary actors appear, moreover, it elaborately describes each supporting character, so I could enjoy myself at the movie all along the line.

Then I got a fresh impression from the depiction of lesbianism. I watched lesbian romance for the first time and I recognized anew that homosexuality is not only between gays, so couples of women holding hands in town have made me smile and comfortable after the night.

The uniqueness and amusement of the two main characters attracted me the most in the film after all. Both of them appear at the beginning performing comical dances, and then they keep on amusing until the end. The charming duo exhilarated and pleased me quite much. 

ブックスマート

2020年９月、『ブックスマート 卒業前夜のパーティーデビュー』をMovix亀有にて観覧。2019年公開作。女優でもあるオリヴィア・ワイルドの初監督作品。

真面目に高校生活を送っていた二人の女の子、ビーニー・フェルドスタインとケイリトン・デヴァーがそれぞれ演じるモリーとエイミーが、卒業式前にハメを外すお話。

これまでに観た青春コメディの中で一番好きな作品。この手の映画は、通常、エル・ファニングのような典型的な美女を主演に据えるもの。しかし、本作にはキャリー・フィッシャーの娘でもある、ビリー・ロードという美人女優が出てはいるものの、彼女は脇役だし、主役の二人はと言えば、それぞれ魅力的だが、目を奪われるような美貌の持ち主ではない。そして、突出した存在の登場人物がいない分、物語そのものに集中でき、おまけに、脇役である他のクラスメートたちの事もそれぞれ丁寧に描かれているので、隅から隅まで楽しめる素晴らしい作品だ。

最も新鮮だったのは、レズについての描写。今回、初めてレズビアンの恋愛を観た。同性愛はゲイだけではない事を改めて認識でき、また、観覧後は街中で手を繋いで歩く女性たちが微笑ましく思えるようにもなった。

だが、この作品の最大の魅力は、何と言っても主役の２人のユニークさと面白さだろう。冒頭から変なダンスで登場した彼女たち。そんなノリが最後の最後まで続き、可愛らしくも、愉快で痛快なコンビだ。

The Conjuring

On a hot night in August 2020, I watched The Conjuring for the first time on TV. The film was released in 2013.

I hardly watch holler movies because I am not interested in them so much. In 2019, I watched It Chapter Two and Doctor Sleep at theaters because both of them were much-discussed, however, they were less horrible than Greta, which was a thriller released in the same year. I have been the most terrified of the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which is based on a true story. I came to want to watch The Conjuring because it is also based on a true story.

The story follows a married couple and their five daughters who move into a large house in a country and have horrible experiences.

Although I was scared of it until halfway, yet I gradually doubted whether it is based on a true story and I came to lose fear.

The acting of the mother and wife was worthy of attention. She was wonderful. After watching it, I checked the beautiful actress on the internet and remembered that she had had a unique face and played in Say Anything and High Fidelity, both of which star John Cusack. What a change she had made! Her name is Lili Taylor. Women are great, who will become increasingly charming as they get old, such as Kathy Bates and Carrie Fisher.

死霊館

2020年８月の暑い夜、『死霊館』をTVにて初観賞。2013年公開作品。

ホラー映画は興味が無いのであまり観ない。2019年に、話題になっていたので、『イット THE END』と『ドクター・スリープ』を劇場観覧したが、２作とも同年に観たスリラー映画『グレタ』よりも怖くはなかった。過去に観たホラー映画で一番怖かったのは実話を基にしていた『エミリー・ローズ』。本作も実話とのことで視聴する気になった。

田舎の一軒家に引っ越してきた夫婦とその５人の娘からなるある一家が、恐ろしい体験をするお話。

途中まで怖かったが、徐々に、これは本当に実話なのか、という疑念が大きくなり、恐怖心が無くなった。

特筆すべきは、一家の母役の女優の演技。素晴らしかった。調べてみると、ジョン・キューザック主演の『セイ・エニシング』と『ハイフィデリティ』に出ていた個性的な顔立ちの若い女優が、年齢を重ねて割と綺麗な婦人へと変貌を遂げた姿だった。リリー・テイラー。キャシー・ベイツやキャリー・フィッシャーもそうだが、月日とともに魅力が増す女性は素敵だ。

Jaws

The movie Jaws was directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1975. I watched it for the first time on the television set when I was little. I firstly knew that Americans as well as Japanese dislike the sound made by a person scratching the surface of a chalkboard when I saw the scene in which the shark hunter Quint makes the sound having the people in the room frown at him. I had remembered it and how horrible the enormous man-eating shark was before I watched the film again at Cineca Omori, a movie theater in Tokyo, in August 2019. The movie was boring until the middle but it was fun after that. Then in August 2020, I watched it for the third time on TV.

The story follows a man-eating shark and the people living in a tourist island where the man-eating shark emerges.

The battle scenes between the enormous shark and three men on Quint's boat were especially wonderful toward the ending. The movie deserves to be called as a masterpiece.

Of the three men, Brody was the police chief and had seasickness. Unexpectedly, he was kind of pathetic and tended to bitch about trifles, which was funny. I think that kind of snobbish middle-aged men like him will tend to behave that way in extreme situations. The other two men were Quint, a  shark hunter, and Hooper, a young consulting oceanographer. I felt comfortable watching the young Hooper who adored but sometimes opposed to the fisherman with a lot of experiences. Then the bold Quint looked exactly to be a man among men. The trio was amusing.

Honestly, I was bored until the middle, however, the early part of the flick before the battle scenes against the shark properly describes how stupid and ugly the people desperately living in the local society about half a century ago were. I got profoundly depressed seeing it and remembering people in the world these days, for I felt that human beings would not mentally evolve easily. 

ジョーズ

スティーヴン・スピルバーグ監督作の『ジョーズ』。1975年公開。初観賞は子どもの頃にTVにて。鮫狩りのクイントが黒板に爪を立てて不快な音を立てた時に周りの人間が不快な顔をするのを観て日本人同様アメリカ人にとってもそれが不快な音であるのを知った事と、人食いザメが恐ろしかった事しか記憶に無いまま、2019年８月、キネカ大森にて再観賞。中盤まで若干退屈だったが、終盤はかなり楽しめた。そして、2020年８月、TVにて３度目の観賞。

人喰いザメが出没する観光地の島で、人間たちがそのサメと対決するお話。

特に、終盤の、船に乗った３人の男たちと巨大鮫との壮絶な戦いのシーンが素晴らしい。まさに名作という名にふさわしい作品だ。

その３人の中で、警察署長のブロディが、船酔いで意外とヘタレだったり、つまらない事で八つ当たりするのが可笑しかった。普段から体裁ばかり気にするオッサンは、皆、イザという時は大体あんな感じだと思う。そして、他の二人のうちの一人、鮫に詳しい若い学者フーパーが、漁の経験が豊富なもう一人の乗組員の漁師クイントに憧れつつ反発する姿も若者らしくて微笑ましい。また、その漁師の豪快さも男の中の男という表現がぴったりくる。愉快な３人組だ。

正直、前半は退屈だ。だが、そこでは人間社会で必死に生きている当時の人たちの愚かさや醜さがしっかりと描かれている。そして、その様は、現在の人たちとあまり変わらない。観賞後、人間は精神的には簡単に進化しないんだろうな、と改めて暗澹たる気持ちになった。

Kick-Ass

In August 2020, I watched Kick-Ass for the first time on DVD. The hero movie was released in 2010.

A geek high school student, who adores heroes and tries to be a hero wearing hero costumes, meets a father and a daughter, who are both heroes called Big Daddy and Hit Girl respectively. The story follows the three heroes who fight their enemies.

The movie made the young Chloe Grace Moretz famous, so I had planned to watch it for a long time because I had felt that I must watch it so that I could say that I am a big fan of Moretz with confidence. She was 13 years old at the release and she was unexpectedly charming when I watched it. I first watched her in Hugo. I kind of obligatorily watched the Martin Scorsese film because it was an assignment from the translation school which I attended. That is why I regarded her just cute at that time. I have become a big fan of her since I watched the thriller movie Greta. I did it twice at theaters. The mature Moretz was really fascinating, however, the cute Moretz as Hit Girl was also really charming. Moreover, Hit Girl was prettier and cooler than Harley Quinn who I watched in March 2020. I was really fascinated by the younger heroin's dignified bearing and quick attacks without hesitating. Besides, her expressions with full emotion was amazingly charming. Her bleeding face made me feel terrible after the villain hit her hard, but all the same she continued to have a brave look with fortitude. Anyway, Hit Girl was glamorous. In addition, I was allured by Moretz as Mindy who is a girl before transforming into Hit Girl.  

With apologies to his fans, the young lead left me a poor impression. Then I was less impressed by the movie star Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy, Hit Girl's father, than Moretz who gave a wonderful performance as Hit Girl and Mindy. Of course, those views are based on my personal preference. Anyhow, I really love Chloe Grace Moretz.

キック・アス

2020年８月、『キック・アス』をDVDにて初観賞。2010年公開のヒーロー映画。

ヒーローに憧れてその活動を始めたオタクの高校生と本物のヒーロー父娘、ビック・ダディとヒット・ガールが悪を退治する物語。

クロエ・グレース・モレッツの出世作として有名なので、彼女のファンである事を公言するなら観るべきだと思い、視聴。彼女は公開時13歳。想像以上に魅力的な女の子だった。彼女を初めて観たのは『ヒューゴの不思議な発明』。以前通っていた翻訳学校の課題作品だったので義務的に観たせいか、可愛い女の子がいるなという程度の印象だった。彼女のファンになったきっかけは、スリラー映画『グレタ』。２度劇場観覧した。大人になった彼女はとても魅惑的だった。だが、本作で女の子ヒーローのヒット・ガールを演じていた彼女もまた魅力的で、今年３月に観たハーレイ・クインよりも可愛くてカッコ良かった。彼女の凛とした立ち居振る舞い、ためらいの無い鋭い動きと攻撃、そして、その感情が溢れ出す可愛らしい表情に魅せられた。悪党に殴られて血みどろになるシーンは観ていて辛かったが、最後まで諦めない強い意志を感じる眼差しは凛々しくもあった。勿論、ヒット・ガールに変身する前の女の子ミンディも可愛かった。

ファンの方には申し訳ないが、主演の若い俳優の印象は薄い。ヒット・ガールの父親役の大物俳優、ニコラス・ケイジもクロエ・グレース・モレッツの熱演の前では、存在感があまり無かった。無論、これは、クロエ・グレース・モレッツが好き過ぎる私の独断と偏見である。