Daniel Brühl – WilfridWong.com

Rush – What An Experience Back To 1976 Formula One

Rush, a F1 movie

As a Formula One enthusiast, this movie Rush is a real treat. Unlike Senna (2010) – also another great film on F1 but in a documentary style – Rush is a movie based on a true story between the two rivalry drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda. All the elements of the sport are there. Classic tracks, ear-bleeding engine noise, the flamboyancy of a F1 driver, how the technical knowledge a driver can bring an advantage to the team, the politics within the sport, the need to fight for a seat, the danger involved, and the sacrifices that the drivers and their families have made for that podium, and to be crowned the world champion. Most of us would only see the sport as fast cars going round and round in circle. Rush is a rare glimpse into what this sport is truly about. While Formula One of today is a lot safer than in the earlier days, much of what is seen in this movie is still relevant.

The drama of the 1976 season is intense and part of it can be so gruesome that my wife has to turn away from the screen in the midst of the show. The determination of winning a season above all sacrifices and this constant satisfaction of cheating death – something it is hard to relate but to a F1 driver of that era, that was all that mattered. This movie is moving for me seeing how the two drivers fought against each other against all odds. In the end, one may wonder what all of this are for. To go down in history as one of the legendary drivers I suppose. Some do live and die for the sport.

Both actors – Chris Hemsworth (of Thor!) and Daniel Brühl – act equally well. Even to those who are not familiar with the sport (like my wife and my buddy), Rush is entertaining to watch. If you wish to read more about Niki Lauda (ranked 9th as F1’s greatest driver by BBC), check out the link here.

Inglourious Basterds – Can A Film End The War?

Inglourious Bastards

The script of “Inglourious Basterds” took Quentin Tarantino more than a decade to complete. It shows. Of his films I have watched, I am much intrigued by the quality of the story development of “Inglourious Besterds”. It watched like reading a masterpiece story. Divided into 5 chapters, the Nazi hunts the Jews, the American ‘commandos’ infiltrate the Nazi occupied Parisian territory, and the Jews’ uprising against the Nazi – a spaghetti like storyline told in a humorous, dramatic, and at times gruesome manner. So, will the Jew or the American or even the German end the World War II? The ending could be more than what you would expect.

Quentin Tarantino’s signature is all over “Inglourious Basterds”. The music, the treatment to the scene down to the frame by frame level, and the orchestration of a team of talented European actors and actresses whom some of them are in their own rights a director and a producer. Some metaphors are cleverly repeated cross the chapters. Such as the interrogation and negotiation. Some metaphors are linked to well known stories of the past. I can understand how some may cringed at the scene of the gruesome execution. However, I think “Inglourious Basterds” is a lot milder compares to some of Quentin Tarantino’s previous works. In fact, it is so refined that some scenes are just beautiful to watch, however tragic they may be.

I read that Quentin Tarantino took some time to find the ending to this ‘best writing he has ever done’. I am unsure if it is the perfect ending to the script, or I in fact like the ending. Perhaps, I just didn’t want the film to end. Quentin Tarantino is so talented. He is a legend no less.