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Rain Man (1988)

This was a film that I didn't have any feeling for when I saw the first five minutes of it, I begun to like it more with each oassing minute. Raymond is a very interesting character and the way the film explores his autism is executed very well. He knows all of the songs from his local jukebox, along with the code of each one, and has a passion for the TV show People's Court. I also love the interactions between him and his brother Charlie, who doesn't understand him at first but becomes more accepting of him as the film goes on. And keep in mind this came out in 1988, a time when people either didn't know a lot of things about autism or looked down upon it, so I applaud this Barry Levinson movie for making this revolutionary move. Hans Zimmer's score is also very good when it pops up on the scenes that rely more on music than dialogue, which come complete with brilliant cinematography. This was before he started composing for dark, edgy superhero films such as Man Of Steel and The Dark Knight. I also felt quite sad when Raymond and Charlie were separated at the end with Raymond taking a train to his institution since I felt their bond was special.

Overall, I give this film an OUTSTANDING [96]

Oh, and at the beginning I was singing along to Iko Iko by The Belle Stars when it played, as I had fond memories of hearing a cover version on Just Dance 2 back in early 2011.





T2: Trainspotting (2017)

Usually, a long-awaited sequel of the modern times like Dumb And Dumber 2 and Zoolander No. 2 doesn't become well-recieved by critics (mainly because some of them think they don't hold up well compared to the original), but then there are others like Men In Black 3, Blade Runner: 2048 and Mad Max: Fury Road that become very acclaimed for staying true to the source material of its predecessor(s), and for me, T2 fits in to the latter.

I appreciate how the film looks into the characters twenty years after Mark 'Rent Boy' Renton steals 16 grand worth of drug money from his three friends Daniel 'Spud' Murphy, Simon 'Sick Boy' Williamson and Francis 'Franco' Begbie (plus it was nice to see the actors from the first film reprise their roles as their respective characters). Rent Boy lives a way more successful life in Amsterdam, while Spud beccomes depressed and attempting to recover from addiction, Sick Boy runs an illegal blackmail business and Franco ends up as a criminal. We might think that Rent Boy is smug and happy about his successful life, but he too is suffering misfortune. His marriage is failing, he is about to lose his job and endures a near-death experience involving his heart in a gym. Renton reunites with his friends (with the exception of Franco, who has sworn revenge on Renton for the theft and is out to kill him) and they rob, pay their tributes to their late friend Tommy, go out clubbing, etc.

Even though there are some funny moments, like Rent Boy singing a song about a Catholics vs. Protestants battle while he and Sick Boy rob a Protestant community of their cards (it was especially fun to hear some call and response between Renton and the community members during the song), it also delves into depression and loneliness very well, such as Spud's depression and how he has lost the good things in his life, including his job and the custody of his son.

Like with the first film, there is an amazing soundtrack. With variations of the riff from Born Slippy and a part from Dark And Long (both songs by Underworld) in some dark scenes and the use of Silk by Wolf Alice at the end. Also, kudos to the Irvine Welsh cameo halfway through the film (like with the first film)


Overall, I consider T2: Trainspotting an OUTSTANDING sequel that stays very true to its predecessor. [99]