Oldboy - A South Korean Classic

Thanks to one of my friends at IIMS, I watched this classic and believe me when I say that it was a pure artistic delight to watch this movie. Filled with vivid colours, drenched with powerful background score and equipped with exceptional cinematography, direction and acting, Oldboy is a must watch for any movie buff. Specially, if you are someone who loves to immerse yourself in different kind of cinema, this movie will surely leave you spell bounded. The screenplay is compelling and it has the power to draw the viewer as the movie progresses. There are sequences that will make any Hollywood flick feel proud in terms of their depth of emotion and thrill. For instance, there is a fight sequence that is one of the longest ones I have seen without any cuts. It’s a direct shot that has both stillness and madness at the same time. There is one more where shattering of a glass pane is extremely symbolic in nature and has been captured with amazing finesse.

Oldboy belongs to the club of those movies that are built gradually and in the end; they either positively surprise you or upset you. In any case, they leave an impression worth having. I said that because we humans are generally moved by extremities rather than average situations because averages are generally filtered out. Nevertheless, coming back to the movie, Oldboy is also blessed with very apt and powerful dialogues and the delivery is nothing less than exceptional. Everything looks just seamless to the viewer. In a nutshell, Oldboy is a movie that demands admiration and has the ability to snap it away from you even if you initially decided against it. If one can keep an open mind and have some patience, one is bound to enjoy this movie in the end. When I started writing about this movie, I did not intend to write this much but somehow I could not help it. Anyways, I will move on to the section that is the core theme of this blog i.e. quotes. Here go some of my favourites from this movie:

(Just to give you a brief context: Movie has two main protagonists. One of those is Dae-su Oh who was imprisoned for 15 years by Woo-jin Lee, the second character. As the movie unfolds, one discovers the why part of it !!)

Woo-jin Lee: “Seeking revenge is the best cure for someone who got hurt. But what happens after you've revenged yourself?

………….

I bet that hidden pain will probably come back again.”

Woo-jin Lee: “Do you want revenge, or do you want the truth?”

Dae-su Oh: “Seeking revenge has become a part of me.”

Revenge has been the core theme of a number of movies in almost every cinema industry. While Oldboy might be classified as belonging to the same genre, it is different not just in execution but also in depth of the story.

Woo-jin Lee: “Dae-su Oh talks too much.” (extremely contextual)

Dae-su Oh: “I thought I had lived an average life but I've sinned too much.”

Dae-su Oh: “Even though I'm no worse than a beast don't I have the right to live?”

Woo-jin Lee: “Your gravest mistake wasn't failing to find the answer. You can't find the right answer if you ask the wrong questions.”

Mr. Park: “You see, they say that people shrivel up because they have an imagination. So, don't imagine anything, you'll become brave as hell.”

This is one of the top notch contextually funny quotes from the movie. One has to see the movie to admire it. Well, now goes the best two quotes from the movie:

Woo-jin Lee: “Like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter... Like a bird from the snare of the fowler... Free Yourself.”

Woo-jin Lee: “Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.” (I just love this one).

Well, this is it. I will come up with another movie or book when I get some more time to write. Till then, sayonara!!

PS: You can try the background score of the movie, it's worth the effort.. Cheers !!

The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank redemption is the movie adaptation of Stephen King's novel - Rita Hayworth and Shawshank redemption. Directed by Frank Darabont, it is one of his most successful movies. The movie stars Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding. It came out in 1994 along with pulp fiction and Forrest gump. Though, it was not a box office hit but gradually it was accepted as one of the greatest movie ever made.

Undoubtedly, it is a great classic. When I first saw it, i just could not get enough of it. The dialogues, for me, were the soul of the movie. Without much delay, I will share a few of those memorable quotes from this special movie.

Red: "Prison life consists of routine, and then more routine."

Red: "In prison, a man will do anything to keep his mind occupied."

Red: "These walls are funny. First you hate them and then, you get used to them. Enough time passes, you get depended on them. That's institutionalized."

Red: "Get Busy Living, or Get Busy dying. That’s goddamn right."

It’s all about prison life. Isn’t it?

Let’s just give it a thought. You hate something. You want to change it badly. But in the end, it might happen that the same thing might end up changing you. We all get used to the things. We all adapt. We all get institutionalised. Of course, there are some rebels, some exceptions. But a large chunk of us, just get busy with the routine. It might sound pessimistic but practicalities and truth are not that easy to accept. What can we do about it?? For the time being, just read on…

(In the middle of the movie)

Andy: "There are places in this world that aren't made out of stone, and that there's something inside that they can't get to and that they can't touch. It's yours. ....... Hope."

Red: Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.

(Nearing the end of the movie)

Andy: "Remember Red, Hope is a good thing, may be the best and no good thing ever dies. I'll be hoping that this letter finds you and finds you well."

Red: "I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope to cross the border. I hope to see my friend. I hope the pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I HOPE"

These four quotes more or less summarize the core of the movie for me. These are enough to depict a transition that was very subtle, smooth but telling in the end.

Andy: "Salvation lies within"

Red: "Some birds are not meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you which knows, it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. Yet the place you live is much more drab and empty after they are gone."

Red: "Some things are best left unsaid."

Yes, some things are best left unsaid. With that note, this blogger will take your leave, until next time.

Welcome !!

The idea of collating some of the most memorable quotes from movies, books, newspapers, magazines etc has stayed in my mind for too long to be avoided any further. Consequently, I am here, on a new blog dedicated to all kind of quotes. Some of these will be thought provoking, while others might be just simple fun or contextual in nature. Even then, I hope the reader will be able to relate to those quotes.

As far as the process of updating this blog is concerned, I am not sure as to how I will go about it. I might work with some of the recent movies that I have seen and then move on to older movies or books. Or I might just move on with some of my absolute favorites. There can be an order or a chaos. But in the end, does that really matter?? According to me, what matters is the connection and intimacy that one can feel with those words. Words, like music, are way too powerful to be ignored or taken lightly. Anyways, without much ado, I will start with "Quote UnQuote" !!!