Breaking Hate and Breaking Love

With these two last emotions, the Breaking Emotions Blogathon comes to an end - and sadly so. Mettel saved the best for the ending and we're going to go full on with the simple feels of Hate and Love. It would've been easy to just write a post on Love, but I decided to look for the devil in me and find those scenes that I despise as well. And then the very best also comes last for me with three scenes I love from three movies I love. Thank you for hosting this epic blogathon, Mettel!

Breaking Smiles and Breaking Thrills

We're mid-way through the Breaking Emotions Blogathon and I can already announce that this is my favorite blogathon of the year so far. Dropping out of the 5 Obstructions sort of disqualified that one from the first spot. This week, participants are asked to show off their dimples (I wish I had really cute ones, but sadly their rather unincisive) while sitting on the edges of their chairs/ sofas/ bathtubs/ beds/ wherever else you like to watch a movie. *

* As always, my choices are in no particular order. 

Smiles

American Psycho • Business Cards

Yes, everyone, I finally caught up with American Psycho just yesterday. And it is brilliant. It's a great slasher film, a great psychological drama and a great satire all at the same time. The awkwardness of it all kept me from laughing but I basically smiled my way through this movie. I knew about the business card scene before but had never seen it - it marked the peak of my smiling curve. Well, apart from the scene where a blood-smeared, naked Christian Bale runs around with a chainsaw.

Aiyyaa • Dreamum Wakeupum

This movie is so brave and colourful, I couldn't help but love it. The only thing I disliked were a certain female side character and, to some extend, the ending. Otherwise, the creativity that went into this is amazing. Showing a woman obsessing about someone in an Indian movie is quite unusual, showing attraction towards dark skin perhaps even more and having a character dream about these absolutely wonderful, cheesy phantasies was the cherry on top. 

Shopaholic • The Google Scene

By now, everyone who visits my blog from now and then probably knows about my undying love for this movie. Rebecca Bloomwood always manages to make me smile. And come on, we've all been in that situation, haven't we?

Thrills

The Deep (2012)

Not to be confused with a certain 70s flick, The Deep is an Icelandic movie from last year that is bound to keep you on the edge of your seat (with one exception - I'm looking at you, Nik). Even the trailer is full of suspense and had both me and my family go "We have to see this". It's the sort of film that'll make you shut up and not complain about a fly for at least a month. Since it's a rather unknown movie there are no specific scenes out there on the internet but that's fine since, actually, the whole movie is one big thrill.

The Hunger Games • Countdown

The Hunger Games has a rather sick premise for a movie (or a book for that matter); you're disgusted by the society it portrays and the way they watch people fight each other and die as entertainment. Like the Romans who watched Gladiators fight each other. However, you're watching these people fight each other and die, and you root for them, you're thrilled - you're entertained.

Talaash • Aamir and Kareena

There's so much to be thrilled about in this movie. Be it the style, the quality of the story, the fact that Aamir and Kareena have great chemistry - anything. What thrilled me most about it are two things: its intelligence and its self-awareness. The scene I chose is not necessarily the best but it's one I keep getting back to. I love the poetry in the dialogue and the unbelievable perfection of Kareena Kapoor portraying a prostitute. No offense; she's one of my favorite actresses. I'm just saying she's perfect in that role. (Sorry for the lack of subtitles).

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Fear and Awkward • Tears and Surprise

Breaking Tears and Breaking Surprise

The Breaking Emotions Blogathon continues with the sound of both tears and jaws dropping to the ground. This week, participants are requested to search out two (sadly) rather seldom cinematic feelings, the first being tears (as in super-sad-Leonardo-di-Caprio-how-am-I-supposed-to-live-tears-feeling*), the second being surprise (as in oh-my-gosh-who-thought-of-this-I-am-utterly-speechless-feeling*). **

* These are my own interpretations of the feelings and do not necessarily express the views of mettelray.

** My choices are in no particular order

In real life, a simple mistake or tiny argument with someone is (sometimes) enough for my eyes to turn damp - an irritating abnormality which makes life unnecessarily complicated. However, I rarely cry in a movie theater, and even more seldom in front of a tv/ laptop screen. Which is irritating too, because I'll sometimes seem like a coldhearted freak. Anyways, when I do start crying, it's not easy to stop.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower • the last 20 minutes

Literally, I started crying the moment Charlie tells Sam how they're both alike and how he thinks she's beautiful each of the two times I saw this movie. Even now, rewatching just that scene, I'm a nanometer away from tears. I also never really stop crying at the end of this one. Every time I think it's getting better, something very sad (Charlie's breakdown) or very philosophical (the ending) happens.

Broken Circle Breakdown • almost the entire movie

This movie is just one big, sad hole. I have never been as big a mess in public as when I watched this Belgian tragedy in theaters. I don't even remember when I started crying but again, after I had started, I never really stopped. This song is very much at the end of the movie and it's sort of a culmination of a lot of sad feelings. So if you need something that fits the weather before christmas movie season starts, do check out Broken Circle Breakdown. 'Cause it'll break you down, guaranteed.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • the ending

What really got under my skin when I watched this movie as a moody teenager that hadn't seen many great films yet and didn't like showing her feelings to other people, isn't in this video; it's the old Daisy holding the baby Benjamin. I don't know what exactly about this scene touched my so much but it only got worse when I saw what you can see in the above video. I didn't only leave my tears in the theatre, but I got something in exchange although until this day, nobody knows what it was. Something among the lines of joie de vivre but with a dash of melancholy. 

Fight Club

Somehow, I managed to maintain a life completely unaware of Fight Club. Even as a blogger, it took a long time until it was in my movie title vocabulary, meaning that I had heard about it and knew who was starring in it. Otherwise, I didn't have a clue. And honestly, I'm very proud and very happy about the fact that I experienced Fight Club without knowing a thing about it's plot and twist. And neither should YOU, person who hasn't seen this, so don't you dare watching that clip.

Atonement

This one would fit just as well into the tears category but to me, it's the surprising factor that makes it all the more worthwhile and is part of what makes it stand out from other dramatic love stories. That whole backstory, the development of the various storylines and then that tragic ending make Atonement one of my favorite films of all time. And don't tell me you saw that revelation coming when you first saw this one.

Magnolia

This is probably the most WTF kind of surprise of the three movies I've chosen. People had told me that something weird was going to happen but this? I didn't expect this by any means. 

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Fear and Awkward

Breaking Emotions Blogathon: Fear and Awkward

Finally, the first post the Breaking Emotions blogathon has arrived! Well, the emotions arrived on Monday, but you know, time zones and stuff. So let's dive right into this - if you want to read more about the fabulous blogathon, click here. 

* My choices are in no particular order.

28 Days Later • Empty London

I'm generally not scared of anything that has to do with makeup or other practical effects, although I find it very interesting to see how they do things like that. What scares me in movies is always an emotion or an idea, something that happens in my head when I see what happens on the screen. At the beginning of 28 Days Later, Cilian Murphy's character wakes up in a hospital in London to find that there's not a soul there. He walks outside and even there, the city is empty. I've often walked around town on Sundays, when there wasn't a soul outside and imagined being the only person left on earth, which is a thoroughly scary thought. I mean, just being there and seeing the remains of people and signs of what has happened must be horrible.

The Conjuring • Trying to Sleep

This is the only "genuine" horror film per se in this little list, and one of the best I've ever seen. Haters, go away, The Conjuring is scary in a super effective, subtle, old-school way. Now the scene I think I found scariest is when one of the sisters wakes up by her blanket being drawn away, which at the beginning, she ignores - assuming that it's her sister doing this. First of all, the little girl reminded me a lot of my own sister when she was younger, and second of all, the scene reminded me a lot of the horror scenarios that would sometimes mix my head up when I was a child. Again; just that idea of someone playing with your fears, only showing itself to you and no one else, scares me a lot. Plus, the little girl was so convincingly horrified that her terror emerged through the screen.

2001: A Space Odyssey • The Pod Doors

2001 is a very scary film, and without it, I don't think we'd ever have seen an Alien or a Gravity, which were very evidently inspired by this sci-fi classic. HAL, the artificially intelligent computer on the spacecraft, is one of my favorite villains of all time - few real-life performances manage to send a shiver down my spine like Douglas Rain's voice does. Although we suspect HAL of becoming the source of future problems, it is in the famous pod door scene that we realize how big of a threat he actually is. His cold, emotionless way of speaking to the main character Dave, is enough to scare the sh** out of me. Add to that the thought that someone way smarter and way more capable than you, nearly immortal as well, is in control of your life and you've got one of the most frightening scenes in cinematic history.

Spider Man 3 • Peter Parker Goes Emo

It's not like I was ever a big fan of the Spider Man series and would like to pretend that Spider Man 3 doesn't exist. Part one and two both had their problems, and they just got a little bigger and more evident in the third part of the installment. However, the makers managed to put things in there that were completely unnecessary, had nothing to do with the style of the first two movies, and were so bad that the franchise was killed off. One of these things, one might say the thing, is Peter Parker going emo. As in full-on emo. As in embarrassing and awkward in every thinkable way. 

Borat • The Dinner Scene

Nope, I didn't go the easy route and just selected the whole (glorious) movie, I actually did dig for a particular scene that I think made me feel the most awkward (apart from the obvious naked wrestling one). Borat learns about the etiquettes of dinner parties and goes on to use his new knowledge in real life. Mayhem ensues and that's all I have to say.

About a Boy • Killing Me Softly

This is probably my favorite choice in this list, as it proves the point of an 'awkward scene' (or my definition of the same) very well. It's a cute scene in a way; Marcus, the little boy, sings Killing Me Softly in front of the whole school, however, he's not much of a musical talent. He is then 'saved' by Will, who joins in and acts like a cool rockstar, which convinces the audience. So Marcus sort of learns the lesson that in life, attitude is one of the most important things, and Will learns that sometimes, you need to stand by someone, no matter how 'weird' they are. But despite the cuteness and our determination to not laugh or find Marcus awkward - we still do. He is awkward. And so is Will's joining in, until he manages to somehow turn things around through his cool attitude. 

I hope you had as much fun with this blogathon as I've had so far. 
To be continued next week!