The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Dir. John Ford, 1962)

(Reviewed 4.5/5 on letterboxd in July 2016)

"Cold blooded murder, but I can live with it" - Tom Doniphon
This is perhaps Ford's most nuanced western chronicling the history of America. According to Ford, civilization was not only won by principled educated non violent men. There were also the gun totting ranchers and cowhands, some of whom willingly or unwillingly went into oblivion but not without playing important if controversial roles of defeating the Liberty Valance's of the land. As usual, Ford shines the brightest in the most unassuming scenes; whether it is the drunk newspaperman breaking into a monologue in his office or the village belle picking up books from the floor and contemplating after an interrupted school session. Ford just keeps getting better on every re-watch.

La Commune (Dir. Peter Watkins, 2000)

(Reviewed 5/5 on letterboxd in July 2016)

Too many great and relevant points made in this movie, not only in its subject matter but also in the revolutionary style of filmmaking -whether it be women's rights or exposing the lie that is the media or an unexpectedly great Gandhi quote on "not building walls" (I am speaking to you Mr. Trump) or the fact that every actor had an opinion and was allowed to express it.

What was most heartening and perhaps the most important takeaway from the film is the search for the real meaning of democracy. Democracy is not only about voting for a representative but it is also about taking individual responsibility for everything that happens under it whether good or bad. A dialogue towards the end of the movie between the aggressor military man and a Commune woman summarizes this beautifully:

 - "What is your name?"

 - "LA COMMUNE"

 - "What did you do in the Commune?"

 - "EVERYTHING!"

On the Occassion of Remembering the Turning Gate (Dir. Hong Sang Soo, 2002)

(Reviewed 4.5/5 on letterboxd in July 2016)

On the face of it, this film has several of the standard Hong tropes. Some guy from the art film fraternity, hanging around in a strange town, developing messy romantic relationships with strangers, bonding over drinking and smoking etc. At the same time, this is perhaps one of the saddest of Hong's films. The act of turning away from your loved one may seem to appear as an act of cowardice or unromantic to say the least, but that practical act can sometimes save a lot of heartburn. The legend of the turning gate and the reenactment of it in this film somehow hits me at an emotional level that few films have done before.