I finally managed to catch Brother Bear and Igby Goes Down today.
Brother Bear was, as with all Disney animated features, filled with children-friendly tunes and a rather simple message - that we're all friends in nature. And that's really about everything I have to say about the movie. It's been a long time since I last caught a non-PC-generated Disney movie in the cinema and it just struck me just how old I have grown, sitting among all the young kids and parents in the audience. That, and the fact that it's not a great movie. There were no moments that really grabbed me and nothing original. In fact, some parts of the dialogue reminded me of Shrek, and I just had to wonder whether Disney was copying Dreamworks.
Igby, on the other hand, was a much more complicated movie to grasp. It's a darkly funny show, and the acting displayed by Kieran Culkin (as the titular character) is amazing. Susan Sarandon as the overbearing, domineering, drug-addicted mother is magnificent and Claire Danes, as the love interest of both Igby and his brother, Ollie (played by a rather handsome Ryan Philippe), wasn't too bad herself. In the few scenes that Bill Pullman, as Igby's schizophrenic father, has in the show, he is also pretty darn good. Jeff Goldblum, as Igby's godfather D.H., puts in an above average performance as a patronising wealthy hypocrite who solves problems by throwing money at them. The movie is of course about Igby, his dysfunctional family, how he rebels against everything, how he hates his mother, keeps trying to run away from the plans his mother has for him and his presumed destiny (ending up in a nervous breakdown, just like his father), and in the end, how he comes of age.
SPOILERS! There were quite a few hilarious moments in the show, such as when Igby talks to Sookie (Danes), asking her if she's a vegetarian, given how she's rolling the marijuana joints so neatly, saying that she rolls "salad joints" not "big juicy cheeseburger" joints. Another scene between Igby and Sookie that made me laugh was when he, after she had said, "You're funny" so many times, asked, "Instead of saying that, why don't you just laugh?" and she gives this really fake laugh, and says, "Is that better?" "Much," he replies. There're other bits of witty and ironic dialogue that take place throughout this show, similar to J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. One not-to-be missed scene that is far too long to recap is the party in D.H.'s house in the Hamptons where among other things, D.H. flirts with his mistress right in front of his wife and Igby meets Sookie for the first time.
There're some powerful scenes as well, such as midway through the show, Bill Pullman is shown taking a shower in his pyjamas, then punching out the glass shower wall, telling Igby that he feels "a great pressure coming down on him", illustrating to us why it is that Igby behaves the way that he does - because he's afraid that he'll end up like his father, who he's named after, that after fulfilling all these great plans in life, he'll end up succumbing to schizophrenia in his 40s and have to be put in an institution (i.e. "goes down"). Another scene occurs when Igby, after watching his cancer-ridden mother die, hurls himself onto the bed, begins beating up his mother's corpse and then pleads with her to "wake up!". It's an immensely revealing moment, when after seeing Igby proclaim about how much he hates his mother, even to the point of almost refusing to return home to see his mother as she's dying, that we finally see how he feels for her. This is in sharp contrast to Ollie, the ambitious, efficient, picture-perfect son, who, even as he feeds his mother poisoned yoghurt (at her request) tells her that he has no wish to have to do this again, and just before he feeds her the first scoop, tells her "much love".
But the best scene has to be when Igby runs to Sookie's place, just as he begins to fear that he has started on the long slippery descent towards insanity, and asks, then begs her to come with him to California because he needs to escape from New York. She refuses to open the door, and we, the audience, can see that plainly, she must be in bed with someone, and we suspect that it's with Ollie. Igby pleads with her, telling her that in no way would Ollie ever marry her, that he's just using her, and that despite the fact that she's been cheating on him with his brother, they're still friends, and that he wants her to come with him. She starts to cry, telling her to get lost, and it's clear to us that his words do affect her greatly. The scene ends when we're on Igby's side of the door, the door opens and Ollie walks out, telling Igby that he's a "glutton for punishment". This is Igby at his darkest hour.
Thankfully, as with most humourous films, the film ends on a happy-ish note, with Igby making peace with the rest of his family, and leaving for California, with renewed hope on his face.
I really do have to stop watching all these movies that force me to think, but then, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Monday, December 29, 2003
For the first time in ages, I have started going into branded shops to check out their sales - and with the intent to buy something too, if it looked good. Yesterday, I popped into Guess? to check out their sale (as they always seem to be more affordable than most brands) and ended up buying a nice, evening-ish black sweater with a lace-up v-neckline and a hint of glitter on the sleeves and collars for just 40 bucks in local currency (equivalent to just under 14 pounds at the current exchange rate), down from its usual price of $170. And just like every other female, finding a beautiful bargain high-class top for such a great price was a peak experience for me.
I also fell in love with a current season item (GC Samba Mini Skirt) - a very not-good thing to have happened, given that my spending for the last few months since Manila has been a little out-of-control. I vowed to wait till the New Year to come before I made it my first fashion purchase of 2004, but after popping by the store again today and seeing that the mini-skirt was selling out and that the shop didn't allow clothes to be reserved, I whipped out my credit card and purchased it there and then. My friend told me that seeing as there was only one skirt left in both shops that was in my size, it was meant to be. I'm not arguing with you there, but at $150, the cost certainly did hurt.
I also fell in love with a current season item (GC Samba Mini Skirt) - a very not-good thing to have happened, given that my spending for the last few months since Manila has been a little out-of-control. I vowed to wait till the New Year to come before I made it my first fashion purchase of 2004, but after popping by the store again today and seeing that the mini-skirt was selling out and that the shop didn't allow clothes to be reserved, I whipped out my credit card and purchased it there and then. My friend told me that seeing as there was only one skirt left in both shops that was in my size, it was meant to be. I'm not arguing with you there, but at $150, the cost certainly did hurt.
Sunday, December 28, 2003
A comment about Love Me If You Dare:
This may be an irrelevant point, or at least, an issue that the director hadn't intended to touch upon during the film, but it felt to me that perhaps he was trying, in a small way, to compare the lives of Julien and Sophie with those around them - Julien's stern and rigid father who undoubtedly cares for his son, but doesn't seem to be able to show it in ways other than yelling at Julien, and Julien's wife, who calls Julien back three times on his way to work to get him to take out the garbage, the garbage can and then finally, to kiss her. While leading a completely hedonistic and reckless life isn't good, Yann Samuel was also trying to tell us that being able to disregard social norms and just be is one of the most joyous, liberating feelings in life. And that is what the reviewer meant by saying that watching the show made you want to "go out and play too."
And right now, three days after having watched the movie, I feel that way. I so feel that way. Misbehaving is one of the best feelings in the world; it gives me such a rush and I feel wild, untamed and free, unrestrained by anything. As the movie puts it, it's "better than the Kamasutra, George Lucas's trilogies, the end of Thelma and Louise and Brazil combined, Marilyn Monroe, Cindy Crawford's beauty mark, Bill Gates's fortune, Hendrix's solo, Woodstock, Sade, Rimbaud, freedom or life itself."
Too bad that we so frequently make resolutions that we'll strive to be better people, to be more well-behaved, to be less impulsive and rash.
This may be an irrelevant point, or at least, an issue that the director hadn't intended to touch upon during the film, but it felt to me that perhaps he was trying, in a small way, to compare the lives of Julien and Sophie with those around them - Julien's stern and rigid father who undoubtedly cares for his son, but doesn't seem to be able to show it in ways other than yelling at Julien, and Julien's wife, who calls Julien back three times on his way to work to get him to take out the garbage, the garbage can and then finally, to kiss her. While leading a completely hedonistic and reckless life isn't good, Yann Samuel was also trying to tell us that being able to disregard social norms and just be is one of the most joyous, liberating feelings in life. And that is what the reviewer meant by saying that watching the show made you want to "go out and play too."
And right now, three days after having watched the movie, I feel that way. I so feel that way. Misbehaving is one of the best feelings in the world; it gives me such a rush and I feel wild, untamed and free, unrestrained by anything. As the movie puts it, it's "better than the Kamasutra, George Lucas's trilogies, the end of Thelma and Louise and Brazil combined, Marilyn Monroe, Cindy Crawford's beauty mark, Bill Gates's fortune, Hendrix's solo, Woodstock, Sade, Rimbaud, freedom or life itself."
Too bad that we so frequently make resolutions that we'll strive to be better people, to be more well-behaved, to be less impulsive and rash.
I haven't written about Christmas Day lunch with the relatives yet, have I?
On Christmas Day, I was forced to go to lunch with my relatives. I had just met up with my grandmother the previous Monday, after not having seen her for close to a year. She's 81 years old and I do feel guilty about not seeing her, but at the same time, I'm not that close to many people outside my immediate family, so I don't like being alone with them for fear of running out of things to say. On top of that, I have to speak to my grandmother in Mandarin, which is a language I am not at all fluent in.
In any case, due to the length of time that had passed since our last meeting, she didn't recognise me. In fact the first words that came out of her mouth were, "Are you [my name]?" Hee hee! While she did have good reason to be confused - my hair colour had changed, I had lost a fair amount of weight and I was reading a book so my face wasn't clearly exposed, it was still amusing. Later on, she told me that I had become a lot prettier since she last saw me and that I resembled a Hong Kong actress, Shu Qi.
Now, Shu Qi is quite pretty, so I guess I should take it as a compliment, but the thing is, before Shu Qi became a mainstream star, she had been a porn actress. I didn't have the heart to tell my grandmother that, but it all came out during the Christmas Day lunch when one of my other cousins told her that. But hey, barring that little detail, I feel quite good. All of my relatives said that I had grown very pretty, which is nice, seeing as you'd think I had stopped changing once I hit 21.
Another interesting anecdote - that same cousin who told my grandma the truth, when he first came in, he couldn't recognise me and assumed that I was my other cousin's girlfriend. As this cousin that he thought I was the girlfriend of is half-Caucasian and not-too-bad looking, again, I'll take that as a compliment.
On Christmas Day, I was forced to go to lunch with my relatives. I had just met up with my grandmother the previous Monday, after not having seen her for close to a year. She's 81 years old and I do feel guilty about not seeing her, but at the same time, I'm not that close to many people outside my immediate family, so I don't like being alone with them for fear of running out of things to say. On top of that, I have to speak to my grandmother in Mandarin, which is a language I am not at all fluent in.
In any case, due to the length of time that had passed since our last meeting, she didn't recognise me. In fact the first words that came out of her mouth were, "Are you [my name]?" Hee hee! While she did have good reason to be confused - my hair colour had changed, I had lost a fair amount of weight and I was reading a book so my face wasn't clearly exposed, it was still amusing. Later on, she told me that I had become a lot prettier since she last saw me and that I resembled a Hong Kong actress, Shu Qi.
Now, Shu Qi is quite pretty, so I guess I should take it as a compliment, but the thing is, before Shu Qi became a mainstream star, she had been a porn actress. I didn't have the heart to tell my grandmother that, but it all came out during the Christmas Day lunch when one of my other cousins told her that. But hey, barring that little detail, I feel quite good. All of my relatives said that I had grown very pretty, which is nice, seeing as you'd think I had stopped changing once I hit 21.
Another interesting anecdote - that same cousin who told my grandma the truth, when he first came in, he couldn't recognise me and assumed that I was my other cousin's girlfriend. As this cousin that he thought I was the girlfriend of is half-Caucasian and not-too-bad looking, again, I'll take that as a compliment.
This weekend, I've run into a lot of old friends, made some new ones, and generally, had a really good time.
On Saturday night, I had another wedding dinner to attend - this time, it was the wedding dinner of a cousin who I hadn't seen since I was 12 or 13, partly because my father likes to isolate himself from the rest of his family, and also because my cousin is the daughter of an estranged aunt. While my mother didn't want me to attend the dinner, my grandmother prevailed upon me to go, and in this part of the world, familial pressure is a very effective, albeit very resented, tool to get anyone to do anything. So, in the end, I went, though I was determined to ensure that they didn't see the mousy old me, but the beautiful, glamourous lady that I am capable of being, so I dressed up in a really pretty, posh red gown, put on my flower-power silver hairclip, my current favourite eyeshadow (Bourjois - Suivez- Moi 08 Regard Le Trompe L'Oeil - an iridescent loose shimmer eyeshadow), put on my high heels and sashayed into the ballroom.
I was seated at the "cousins table" with my two half-British, half-Chinese cousins, who are handsome and attractive in different ways, and essentially, whenever I'm with them, I curse the fact that I'm related to them, and that despite that, I do love them (although I can't say the same thing about whether they love me!). They pointed out two other half-Caucasian, half-Chinese people seated at the table and said to me, "These are also your cousins." To which I replied, "No way! I would have heard about them by now if they were really my cousins!" When my aunt came over to clarify how they were related to me (something about them being the grandchildren of my grandmother's sister - a branch which until then, I had no knowledge of its existence), I grinned at them and said, "Sorry about that!" Heh.
Another amusing moment occurred when I found out that my cousin was going to marry a fighter pilot. I was on the verge of texting my friend, also a fighter pilot, to ask him if he knew who this guy was, when prior to the wedding couple making their entrance, the swordbearers (all pilots) came in to do the ceremonial entrance thingy that all pilots get to do at their wedding dinners. It turned out that my friend was one of the swordbearers, so I was, oh well, no need to ask anymore! I went over to say hi to him after I texted him, alerting him to my presence at the dinner as well, but hopefully, didn't make his girlfriend jealous or anything. His girlfriend's a little on the insecure, jealous side, but then some girls are like that.
In any case, throughout the rest of the night, I went around, either talking with new-found cousins, re-establishing relationships with long-unseen cousins, or introducing myself to relatively distant members of the family tree. Without my parents' presence or the sheltering presence of my brother, my relatives were quite surprised by how friendly, how smile-y I was being, and I guess I don't blame them. When members of my immediate family are around, I end up talking to them mostly, instead of mixing around. The same goes if my close friends are around as I do end up speaking to them most of the time, and not talking to other people. In fact, one of my cousins told me, "you've turned into a power socialiser!" When I protested (I hate the very thought of networking, so I didn't consider that comment a compliment), he said, "No, you've changed. It's good!" Thank you, D.
After the dinner, I brought the non-local cousins out to Zouk since it was right next to the hotel where the dinner was at. I hadn't intended to go once Danny Tenaglia's gig was cancelled, but seeing as it was nearby, we went. It was a nice night, just bonding with my relatives, although my cousin, D, once again commented how I'd changed from this shy girl into a bit of a clubber and everything. I guess it's 'cos he got me just when I'd gotten my groove back. I'm feeling happy and raring to meet people again, and I'm glad that I met up with my relatives when I didn't have my family members around to hide behind.
I'm a little confused right now though as I don't think my parents are going to approve seeing as there's some tension between my parents and the rest of the family, but the thing is, I do like my cousins and I would like to keep in touch with them, if not only for my future children's sake. I kind of rued the fact that I never had that many cousins to call upon, and yesterday night, a whole new branch of the family was revealed to me, and I'd like to explore that side more.
As for what I did today - I ran into quite a few old friends and aquaintances, one of whom turned out to be working in the Indonesian side of my company and was a member of my society back in uni. I ran into another uni friend as well as a high school friend while shopping. It was nice to just talk, even if only for two minutes or so.
On Saturday night, I had another wedding dinner to attend - this time, it was the wedding dinner of a cousin who I hadn't seen since I was 12 or 13, partly because my father likes to isolate himself from the rest of his family, and also because my cousin is the daughter of an estranged aunt. While my mother didn't want me to attend the dinner, my grandmother prevailed upon me to go, and in this part of the world, familial pressure is a very effective, albeit very resented, tool to get anyone to do anything. So, in the end, I went, though I was determined to ensure that they didn't see the mousy old me, but the beautiful, glamourous lady that I am capable of being, so I dressed up in a really pretty, posh red gown, put on my flower-power silver hairclip, my current favourite eyeshadow (Bourjois - Suivez- Moi 08 Regard Le Trompe L'Oeil - an iridescent loose shimmer eyeshadow), put on my high heels and sashayed into the ballroom.
I was seated at the "cousins table" with my two half-British, half-Chinese cousins, who are handsome and attractive in different ways, and essentially, whenever I'm with them, I curse the fact that I'm related to them, and that despite that, I do love them (although I can't say the same thing about whether they love me!). They pointed out two other half-Caucasian, half-Chinese people seated at the table and said to me, "These are also your cousins." To which I replied, "No way! I would have heard about them by now if they were really my cousins!" When my aunt came over to clarify how they were related to me (something about them being the grandchildren of my grandmother's sister - a branch which until then, I had no knowledge of its existence), I grinned at them and said, "Sorry about that!" Heh.
Another amusing moment occurred when I found out that my cousin was going to marry a fighter pilot. I was on the verge of texting my friend, also a fighter pilot, to ask him if he knew who this guy was, when prior to the wedding couple making their entrance, the swordbearers (all pilots) came in to do the ceremonial entrance thingy that all pilots get to do at their wedding dinners. It turned out that my friend was one of the swordbearers, so I was, oh well, no need to ask anymore! I went over to say hi to him after I texted him, alerting him to my presence at the dinner as well, but hopefully, didn't make his girlfriend jealous or anything. His girlfriend's a little on the insecure, jealous side, but then some girls are like that.
In any case, throughout the rest of the night, I went around, either talking with new-found cousins, re-establishing relationships with long-unseen cousins, or introducing myself to relatively distant members of the family tree. Without my parents' presence or the sheltering presence of my brother, my relatives were quite surprised by how friendly, how smile-y I was being, and I guess I don't blame them. When members of my immediate family are around, I end up talking to them mostly, instead of mixing around. The same goes if my close friends are around as I do end up speaking to them most of the time, and not talking to other people. In fact, one of my cousins told me, "you've turned into a power socialiser!" When I protested (I hate the very thought of networking, so I didn't consider that comment a compliment), he said, "No, you've changed. It's good!" Thank you, D.
After the dinner, I brought the non-local cousins out to Zouk since it was right next to the hotel where the dinner was at. I hadn't intended to go once Danny Tenaglia's gig was cancelled, but seeing as it was nearby, we went. It was a nice night, just bonding with my relatives, although my cousin, D, once again commented how I'd changed from this shy girl into a bit of a clubber and everything. I guess it's 'cos he got me just when I'd gotten my groove back. I'm feeling happy and raring to meet people again, and I'm glad that I met up with my relatives when I didn't have my family members around to hide behind.
I'm a little confused right now though as I don't think my parents are going to approve seeing as there's some tension between my parents and the rest of the family, but the thing is, I do like my cousins and I would like to keep in touch with them, if not only for my future children's sake. I kind of rued the fact that I never had that many cousins to call upon, and yesterday night, a whole new branch of the family was revealed to me, and I'd like to explore that side more.
As for what I did today - I ran into quite a few old friends and aquaintances, one of whom turned out to be working in the Indonesian side of my company and was a member of my society back in uni. I ran into another uni friend as well as a high school friend while shopping. It was nice to just talk, even if only for two minutes or so.
Saturday, December 27, 2003
I was at a friend's wedding dinner last night. She's the first one of my secondary school batch to get married, and it felt so strange, and so distant, to recall that we first met ten years ago, and now, I was there watching her get married.
During that dinner, I met up with former classmates who I hadn't seen in either five or seven years. While we all must have changed, it felt as if none of us had. We still all spoke in the same way, made the same sort of comments, and were - thankfully - as cheerfully cynical as we were all those years ago back in school. In particular, the Catholic contingent was really cynical, not quite able to keep incredulous expressions off their faces (myself included) whenever our friend's mother spoke about how God must have brought the couple together, and that they're thankful God answered all their prayers for our friend's (future) husband.
God, I'm Catholic, and I believe in you, but at the same time, you do know how much I believe in free will, in myself and my own actions, and not necessarily destiny and fate. My friends and I weren't scoffing at you, but rather, we're not comfortable with the concept that there's Someone out there who already has plans for us.
I need to rush off now, so I'll end this later.
During that dinner, I met up with former classmates who I hadn't seen in either five or seven years. While we all must have changed, it felt as if none of us had. We still all spoke in the same way, made the same sort of comments, and were - thankfully - as cheerfully cynical as we were all those years ago back in school. In particular, the Catholic contingent was really cynical, not quite able to keep incredulous expressions off their faces (myself included) whenever our friend's mother spoke about how God must have brought the couple together, and that they're thankful God answered all their prayers for our friend's (future) husband.
God, I'm Catholic, and I believe in you, but at the same time, you do know how much I believe in free will, in myself and my own actions, and not necessarily destiny and fate. My friends and I weren't scoffing at you, but rather, we're not comfortable with the concept that there's Someone out there who already has plans for us.
I need to rush off now, so I'll end this later.
Thursday, December 25, 2003
Did I ever post about L'auberge espagnole? The title, translated literally, means "The Spanish Apartment" but is French slang for "Euro pudding". I watched it a couple of weeks ago and while it wasn't a fantastically great film, it wasn't bad at all.
The movie is a story about Xavier, a French graduate student who leaves Paris behind to go to Barcelona for a year to study Economics, and also because this will look good on his CV in his application to be an economist in the EU offices in France. He manages to find accommodation in Barcelona with a group of people from different parts of Europe - England, Denmark, Germany, Italy and of course, Spain itself. This premise means that there are many entertaining points in the show when all the flatmates congregate, speaking their own respective languages and somehow managing to communicate with one another.
I enjoyed this show quite a fair bit. C'est naturelle, parce que j'etais un etudiant sur la mer aussi. I've experienced what it feels like to be a stranger in another land, starting out incredibly shy, but then reaching out and getting to know other people with whom you form incredible bonds. It's a great show for anyone who's ever studied in Europe to watch. Not only is it funny (even though it does typecast the various nationalities, but hey, they are fairly accurate) but it'll bring back great memories.
There's a scene in which Xavier walks down the streets of Bacelona for the first time, and he remarks on the strangeness of the street names, and that after having walked these streets over a hundred times, they'll become a part of him, and seem incredibly natural and familiar. That really rang true with me, dude.
During his year abroad, Xavier's attitude changes. He starts out naive and gullible, as do we all, and along the way, he learns more about the complexities of life, and more importantly, about himself. Again, it's something we've all gone through.
It's not a movie I'd recommend to people who haven't been through the whole experience, but it's something that all overseas students should watch. It featured one of the places I so love in Barcelona - Parc Guell, and showcased the vibrancy of the city that never sleeps such that even though I'm a little sick of the place, having been there twice, it made me long to return, to be able to take off at a moment's notice to Europe, the continent so full of history, culture and life, the way I could when I was still in London.
The movie is a story about Xavier, a French graduate student who leaves Paris behind to go to Barcelona for a year to study Economics, and also because this will look good on his CV in his application to be an economist in the EU offices in France. He manages to find accommodation in Barcelona with a group of people from different parts of Europe - England, Denmark, Germany, Italy and of course, Spain itself. This premise means that there are many entertaining points in the show when all the flatmates congregate, speaking their own respective languages and somehow managing to communicate with one another.
I enjoyed this show quite a fair bit. C'est naturelle, parce que j'etais un etudiant sur la mer aussi. I've experienced what it feels like to be a stranger in another land, starting out incredibly shy, but then reaching out and getting to know other people with whom you form incredible bonds. It's a great show for anyone who's ever studied in Europe to watch. Not only is it funny (even though it does typecast the various nationalities, but hey, they are fairly accurate) but it'll bring back great memories.
There's a scene in which Xavier walks down the streets of Bacelona for the first time, and he remarks on the strangeness of the street names, and that after having walked these streets over a hundred times, they'll become a part of him, and seem incredibly natural and familiar. That really rang true with me, dude.
During his year abroad, Xavier's attitude changes. He starts out naive and gullible, as do we all, and along the way, he learns more about the complexities of life, and more importantly, about himself. Again, it's something we've all gone through.
It's not a movie I'd recommend to people who haven't been through the whole experience, but it's something that all overseas students should watch. It featured one of the places I so love in Barcelona - Parc Guell, and showcased the vibrancy of the city that never sleeps such that even though I'm a little sick of the place, having been there twice, it made me long to return, to be able to take off at a moment's notice to Europe, the continent so full of history, culture and life, the way I could when I was still in London.
I'd been wanting to see Jeux d'enfants ever since I caught its trailer. Quite frankly, with a title like Love Me If You Dare, I wasn't strong enough to resist the seductive appeal of such a challenge.
Jeux d'enfants is a story about the relationship between Julien and Sophie who have been best friends since childhood. The story begins when Julien, in a moment of pity and generosity, chooses to share his treasure, a tin box decorated with a picture of a carousel, with Sophie after she has been tormented by the rest of the schoolkids for being a "dirty Polack". Thus begins their game of "Cap? Pas Cap?" (pretty much meaning "are you game?"). Whoever has possession of the box has the power to dare the other to do virtually anything, and once the other has completed the dare, he/she will receive the box, and so on. This game continues even unto adulthood, with Julien and Sophie unable to resist the dizzying destrictuve lure of their childhood game as life progresses. Sophie, wild, rebellious and reckless, and Julien, a man struggling to be responsible, yet possesses a hidden cruel streak, hide behind the game and are unable to admit their true feelings: that they are crazily in love with each other.
Upon exiting the cinema, my first reaction was that this show - a dark, twisted comedy - wasn't as great as its review in the local paper (four stars out of five). I didn't understand the ending, and I, despite my tendency to look beyond the surface, felt that the two people were callous, selfish and that everything that happened was unrealistic. I understand now that this show was never meant to be realistic. Rather, it was meant to show the kind of love and passion that existed between the two, a kind of sadistic relationship that made the two want to hurt each other rather than admit that they truly cared, and that the game - an addiction, as Julien says - consumes the two to such an extent that no one else exists or is permitted to exist in their own world.
Spoiler alert! The director, Yann Samuel, does a pretty good job here. Some of the dares that Julien and Sophie play on each other are played upon yet another party - the audience. In the scene when Sophie goes to the library in order to tell Julien that she has taken him up on his dare - to forgive him - she sits down at a table across a male head and also across from the camera, and confesses her feelings for him, telling him that she cannot tell when he is being truthful and when he is playing the game, imploring him to tell her that he loves her because if she were to say it first, she wouldn't be able to tell whether he's being sincere, or if he's treating it like a game. He takes her hands, and the next thing we know, she stands up from the table, and the male turns out to be a complete stranger and she's just rehearsing her speech, or something similar. Another scene has Julien bringing Sophie out to dinner, four years after they last spoke, and he tells her that he's in love, has been for years and wants to get married and that he needs her so that he can get married, passing her the rings so that she can keep them until the ceremony. She looks at him with disbelief, longing, hope and then joy in her eyes, before nodding mutely, having lost the ability to speak. He stands up and proclaims to the restaurant, "She agrees! You'll be my witness." Confused, she looks at him, while he beckons a girl over and introduces her as his fiancee. Leaning over, he whispers, "You said I could never hurt you. I can." before removing a metal cover from the serving tray beside them to reveal the tin box. With tears and pain in her eyes, she just accepts it, before, of course, coming up with another audacious dare on the day of the wedding itself.
The fantasy sequences that Julien indulges in are reminiscent of Amelie, and indeed, this movie has been called a darker version of Amelie. The sequences are cute, funny and irreverent, and are definitely a highlight of this movie. Another high point are the four versions of La Vie En Rose that pop up during the four chapters of the movie. There's a sweet, childish one that comes up in the beginning, Louis Armstrong's classic rendition, one done by Trio Esperenza, and the one that comes on during the credits, and my favourite, the trip-hop version done by French singer, Zazie.
The child actors, Thibault Verhaeghe (Julien) and Joséphine Lebas-Joly (Sophie) do a good job of portraying two kindred souls. Guillaume Canet does a pretty good job as the grown-up Julien as well, but Marion Cotillard, as rebellious, wild Sophie, is delightful, able to portray anger, craziness and vulnerability all at the same time. Her eyes are capable of conveying so many emotions.
As The Straits Times puts it: "Every moment is accentuated by her incredible eyes that play hide and seek with her emotions. She is the film's untamed heart. You sense her fleeting, longing feelings and this movie's mischievous, defiant instinct. It makes you want to go out and play too."
Definitely one of the more difficult to understand movies that I've watched this year. Do I feel like going out and playing? Only a little, I'm afraid.
Jeux d'enfants is a story about the relationship between Julien and Sophie who have been best friends since childhood. The story begins when Julien, in a moment of pity and generosity, chooses to share his treasure, a tin box decorated with a picture of a carousel, with Sophie after she has been tormented by the rest of the schoolkids for being a "dirty Polack". Thus begins their game of "Cap? Pas Cap?" (pretty much meaning "are you game?"). Whoever has possession of the box has the power to dare the other to do virtually anything, and once the other has completed the dare, he/she will receive the box, and so on. This game continues even unto adulthood, with Julien and Sophie unable to resist the dizzying destrictuve lure of their childhood game as life progresses. Sophie, wild, rebellious and reckless, and Julien, a man struggling to be responsible, yet possesses a hidden cruel streak, hide behind the game and are unable to admit their true feelings: that they are crazily in love with each other.
Upon exiting the cinema, my first reaction was that this show - a dark, twisted comedy - wasn't as great as its review in the local paper (four stars out of five). I didn't understand the ending, and I, despite my tendency to look beyond the surface, felt that the two people were callous, selfish and that everything that happened was unrealistic. I understand now that this show was never meant to be realistic. Rather, it was meant to show the kind of love and passion that existed between the two, a kind of sadistic relationship that made the two want to hurt each other rather than admit that they truly cared, and that the game - an addiction, as Julien says - consumes the two to such an extent that no one else exists or is permitted to exist in their own world.
Spoiler alert! The director, Yann Samuel, does a pretty good job here. Some of the dares that Julien and Sophie play on each other are played upon yet another party - the audience. In the scene when Sophie goes to the library in order to tell Julien that she has taken him up on his dare - to forgive him - she sits down at a table across a male head and also across from the camera, and confesses her feelings for him, telling him that she cannot tell when he is being truthful and when he is playing the game, imploring him to tell her that he loves her because if she were to say it first, she wouldn't be able to tell whether he's being sincere, or if he's treating it like a game. He takes her hands, and the next thing we know, she stands up from the table, and the male turns out to be a complete stranger and she's just rehearsing her speech, or something similar. Another scene has Julien bringing Sophie out to dinner, four years after they last spoke, and he tells her that he's in love, has been for years and wants to get married and that he needs her so that he can get married, passing her the rings so that she can keep them until the ceremony. She looks at him with disbelief, longing, hope and then joy in her eyes, before nodding mutely, having lost the ability to speak. He stands up and proclaims to the restaurant, "She agrees! You'll be my witness." Confused, she looks at him, while he beckons a girl over and introduces her as his fiancee. Leaning over, he whispers, "You said I could never hurt you. I can." before removing a metal cover from the serving tray beside them to reveal the tin box. With tears and pain in her eyes, she just accepts it, before, of course, coming up with another audacious dare on the day of the wedding itself.
The fantasy sequences that Julien indulges in are reminiscent of Amelie, and indeed, this movie has been called a darker version of Amelie. The sequences are cute, funny and irreverent, and are definitely a highlight of this movie. Another high point are the four versions of La Vie En Rose that pop up during the four chapters of the movie. There's a sweet, childish one that comes up in the beginning, Louis Armstrong's classic rendition, one done by Trio Esperenza, and the one that comes on during the credits, and my favourite, the trip-hop version done by French singer, Zazie.
The child actors, Thibault Verhaeghe (Julien) and Joséphine Lebas-Joly (Sophie) do a good job of portraying two kindred souls. Guillaume Canet does a pretty good job as the grown-up Julien as well, but Marion Cotillard, as rebellious, wild Sophie, is delightful, able to portray anger, craziness and vulnerability all at the same time. Her eyes are capable of conveying so many emotions.
As The Straits Times puts it: "Every moment is accentuated by her incredible eyes that play hide and seek with her emotions. She is the film's untamed heart. You sense her fleeting, longing feelings and this movie's mischievous, defiant instinct. It makes you want to go out and play too."
Definitely one of the more difficult to understand movies that I've watched this year. Do I feel like going out and playing? Only a little, I'm afraid.
I watched Good bye, Lenin! yesterday, a German comedy about family relationships and the political, sociological and economic changes that took place in East Berlin after the Wall fell down in November 1989. Christiane, a staunch worker for the socialist East German government, suffers a heart attack and goes into a coma shortly before the Wall falls. She wakes up eight months later, and her son, Alexander, is told that his mother is not to suffer any excitement, if not she will most likely suffer another heart attack and die. With this in mind, Alexander and his sister, Ariane, take great pains to redecorate their mother's room in their apartment so that it'll look exactly the way it did before all this happened. Alex goes to great lengths to prevent his mother from discovering the truth, from purchasing old East Berlin newspapers to pass off as being current news, to buying the new Western and imported food and transplanting them into old East Berlin food jars, to getting his wannabe film-director friend, Denis, to put together fake news programmes explaining away what Alex is unable to hide from her (for instance, the proliferation of Coca-Cola in East Berlin, the sudden increase on West Berliners in their apartment building). In the process, we see how Alex's tasks and measures soon become not just a way to protect his mother, but also a wistful longing of how life under the socialists should have been for.
Daniel Bruhl, as Alexander, is convincing in his portrayal of a devoted, determined son, always driven in his quest to ensure that his mother's last days are comfortable. Katharine Sass, as Christiane, puts in a good performance throughout the show as the good socialist worker. It's a good show which does make you think once you realise that Alex has started to become socialist in a way - but the idealistic socialist, much like how his mother was (and also the reason why she was never promoted in the socialist party). An interesting issue is uncovered, but never really delved into. The mother has the right to know the truth, to not be fooled. The son, however, has the right to protect his mother. At which point should the truth be revealed?
Daniel Bruhl, as Alexander, is convincing in his portrayal of a devoted, determined son, always driven in his quest to ensure that his mother's last days are comfortable. Katharine Sass, as Christiane, puts in a good performance throughout the show as the good socialist worker. It's a good show which does make you think once you realise that Alex has started to become socialist in a way - but the idealistic socialist, much like how his mother was (and also the reason why she was never promoted in the socialist party). An interesting issue is uncovered, but never really delved into. The mother has the right to know the truth, to not be fooled. The son, however, has the right to protect his mother. At which point should the truth be revealed?
Monday, December 22, 2003
Thanks to The Council of Elrond, a site full of information and pictures (JOY OH JOY!!) about (what else?) The Lord of the Rings, for all the links.
From an article on The Many Faces of Viggo Mortensen: "During a break in the filming of 'Rings,' Jackson says he met Mortensen at a restaurant and, as a lark, called him Aragorn in conversation for a half-hour. Mortensen, Jackson says, never noticed."
Heh.
And another article from MSN Entertainment on the King Hunk: "For anyone who's watched the extended DVD versions of 'The Lord of the Rings,' Viggo comes across like the real-life incarnation of his character Aragorn; showing off a strong natural ability at swordplay and horsemanship and earning the respect of his peers -- especially the stuntman who he wowed with his skills and, needless to say, the women."
I so have to get the DVDs now.
For the record, in case you're wondering why I seem to be obsessed with Aragorn, it's simple. He's incredibly attractive, he's ruggedly handsome, and when I see him on screen with those devastating blue eyes of his, something just goes through me. In his eyes lie the promise of a thousand unspeakable things that just make me want to say, "Just shag me rotten" or words to that effect.
Don't believe me? Just watch The Two Towers - the scene where he and Eowyn are engaging in a little swordplay. Watch the part where he walks off and turns his head to give her this incredibly seductive and flirtatious look. There's another scene in The Return of the King when she serves him drink - again, another of those looks. Badly needed a cold shower after seeing those scenes.
But on a less of female note, Aragorn was my favourite character back when I was reading the trilogy, even if I didn't particularly enjoy the books. (I think I was too young to enjoy the story, and the dislike has stuck with me ever since.) In any case, I grew up reading fantasy. My favourite race, as with most other fantasy readers, is the Elvish race, and my favourite classes of people to play in AD&D sessions were either rangers or mages. I tended to be of the Lawful Good alignment, due to the kind of person I was in real life then, but nowadays, if you ask me to choose, I'd probably opt for a Chaotic Good or a Chaotic Neutral - as close to Evil as any character is allowed to get.
On to non-Aragorn-related news articles - an interview by WPXI.com with Billy Boyd who plays Pippin in which he talks about the song he wrote for the movie: "Boyd got another chance to flex his musical muscles in a haunting scene in 'The Return of the King,' where he sings 'The Steward of Gondor' for the kingdom's troubled ruler Denethor (John Noble). The song becomes especially poignant as it's juxtaposed with a heart-wrenching scene where Denethor's son Faramir (David Wenham) and his fellow Gondorian soldiers face the raging advances of the enemy.
'The song wasn't in the script -- it happened very late in the process,' Boyd described. 'But rather just show the soldiers running into battle, Peter Jackson went for more of layered effect. Songs are a big part of Tolkien's books, and Pete said, 'Would you mind singing?' I said, 'Yeah, that's a great idea!''
As if Boyd wasn't jazzed enough about singing a song for the movie, his biggest thrill was still in store.
'Someone else was supposed to write the song, but the schedule changed and the scene was to be shot in five days, so Pete asked me to write it,' Boyd explained. 'After I wrote a few melodies, Pete (and co-writers) Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and I listened to them and all agreed on one of them -- and that the song in the film.'"
And at last! An article on how (brave and noble) book Frodo differs from (weak and whiny) movie Frodo. Gina R. Dalfonzo on Lord of the Rings on National Review Online: "Tolkien’s original Frodo, though he starts out a bit naïve, is a morally rich, exceptionally mature character. As he struggles against the ring’s control, he actually grows in wisdom and moral stature, reflecting what Tolkien called in a letter the theme of “the ennoblement (or sanctification) of the humble.� And though he is not always able to be as steadfast as Sam, the often overlooked truth is that Sam doesn’t have to fight the same battle Frodo does. Which is why I’ve always thought that honoring Sam over Frodo — honorable and faithful though Sam is — is a bit like honoring Simon of Cyrene over Christ.
The comparison isn’t such a wild exaggeration as it may appear. The truth is that Frodo has many of the characteristics of a Christ figure, chiefly a willingness to sacrifice himself, to forgive others, and to bear an awful burden for the sake of others. And that hardly means a lack of drama. When the ring takes control of Frodo one final, terrible time at the climax of the story, it is in such sharp contrast to what we’ve come to expect from him — especially without our having been subjected to the kind of foreshadowing so dear to Peter Jackson’s heart — that we fully grasp the horror of the situation. As Baylor University professor Ralph C. Wood puts it in his new book The Gospel According to Tolkien, 'Tolkien demonstrates that the mightiest evil can summon forth the very highest good in a character like Frodo, even as it defeats him.' Moreover, as the scene plays out, we grasp three truths that are fully in line with Tolkien’s deeply Christian imagination: that moral strength can carry us farther than we could have imagined possible; that even the greatest human moral strength cannot stand against the strongest evil (a Christ figure is not Christ, as Tolkien would have been well aware); and that there is a Power in the world greater than we can understand, great enough to save us when we can’t save ourselves."
From an article on The Many Faces of Viggo Mortensen: "During a break in the filming of 'Rings,' Jackson says he met Mortensen at a restaurant and, as a lark, called him Aragorn in conversation for a half-hour. Mortensen, Jackson says, never noticed."
Heh.
And another article from MSN Entertainment on the King Hunk: "For anyone who's watched the extended DVD versions of 'The Lord of the Rings,' Viggo comes across like the real-life incarnation of his character Aragorn; showing off a strong natural ability at swordplay and horsemanship and earning the respect of his peers -- especially the stuntman who he wowed with his skills and, needless to say, the women."
I so have to get the DVDs now.
For the record, in case you're wondering why I seem to be obsessed with Aragorn, it's simple. He's incredibly attractive, he's ruggedly handsome, and when I see him on screen with those devastating blue eyes of his, something just goes through me. In his eyes lie the promise of a thousand unspeakable things that just make me want to say, "Just shag me rotten" or words to that effect.
Don't believe me? Just watch The Two Towers - the scene where he and Eowyn are engaging in a little swordplay. Watch the part where he walks off and turns his head to give her this incredibly seductive and flirtatious look. There's another scene in The Return of the King when she serves him drink - again, another of those looks. Badly needed a cold shower after seeing those scenes.
But on a less of female note, Aragorn was my favourite character back when I was reading the trilogy, even if I didn't particularly enjoy the books. (I think I was too young to enjoy the story, and the dislike has stuck with me ever since.) In any case, I grew up reading fantasy. My favourite race, as with most other fantasy readers, is the Elvish race, and my favourite classes of people to play in AD&D sessions were either rangers or mages. I tended to be of the Lawful Good alignment, due to the kind of person I was in real life then, but nowadays, if you ask me to choose, I'd probably opt for a Chaotic Good or a Chaotic Neutral - as close to Evil as any character is allowed to get.
On to non-Aragorn-related news articles - an interview by WPXI.com with Billy Boyd who plays Pippin in which he talks about the song he wrote for the movie: "Boyd got another chance to flex his musical muscles in a haunting scene in 'The Return of the King,' where he sings 'The Steward of Gondor' for the kingdom's troubled ruler Denethor (John Noble). The song becomes especially poignant as it's juxtaposed with a heart-wrenching scene where Denethor's son Faramir (David Wenham) and his fellow Gondorian soldiers face the raging advances of the enemy.
'The song wasn't in the script -- it happened very late in the process,' Boyd described. 'But rather just show the soldiers running into battle, Peter Jackson went for more of layered effect. Songs are a big part of Tolkien's books, and Pete said, 'Would you mind singing?' I said, 'Yeah, that's a great idea!''
As if Boyd wasn't jazzed enough about singing a song for the movie, his biggest thrill was still in store.
'Someone else was supposed to write the song, but the schedule changed and the scene was to be shot in five days, so Pete asked me to write it,' Boyd explained. 'After I wrote a few melodies, Pete (and co-writers) Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and I listened to them and all agreed on one of them -- and that the song in the film.'"
And at last! An article on how (brave and noble) book Frodo differs from (weak and whiny) movie Frodo. Gina R. Dalfonzo on Lord of the Rings on National Review Online: "Tolkien’s original Frodo, though he starts out a bit naïve, is a morally rich, exceptionally mature character. As he struggles against the ring’s control, he actually grows in wisdom and moral stature, reflecting what Tolkien called in a letter the theme of “the ennoblement (or sanctification) of the humble.� And though he is not always able to be as steadfast as Sam, the often overlooked truth is that Sam doesn’t have to fight the same battle Frodo does. Which is why I’ve always thought that honoring Sam over Frodo — honorable and faithful though Sam is — is a bit like honoring Simon of Cyrene over Christ.
The comparison isn’t such a wild exaggeration as it may appear. The truth is that Frodo has many of the characteristics of a Christ figure, chiefly a willingness to sacrifice himself, to forgive others, and to bear an awful burden for the sake of others. And that hardly means a lack of drama. When the ring takes control of Frodo one final, terrible time at the climax of the story, it is in such sharp contrast to what we’ve come to expect from him — especially without our having been subjected to the kind of foreshadowing so dear to Peter Jackson’s heart — that we fully grasp the horror of the situation. As Baylor University professor Ralph C. Wood puts it in his new book The Gospel According to Tolkien, 'Tolkien demonstrates that the mightiest evil can summon forth the very highest good in a character like Frodo, even as it defeats him.' Moreover, as the scene plays out, we grasp three truths that are fully in line with Tolkien’s deeply Christian imagination: that moral strength can carry us farther than we could have imagined possible; that even the greatest human moral strength cannot stand against the strongest evil (a Christ figure is not Christ, as Tolkien would have been well aware); and that there is a Power in the world greater than we can understand, great enough to save us when we can’t save ourselves."
I'm so bloody tired today. Guess all the dancing must have caught up with me. I decided to skip the two free dance classes I had today, and just get some much-needed rest... I also consumed one third of a large bag of corn chips, so I'll probably pay for that pretty soon.
I watched The Return of the King yesterday for the second time. I'm kind of in a strange stage right now, a little sick of all the hype, but unable to get enough of it. I'm feeling the same way towards trance music right now too, tired of having listened to it for the past year or so, but yet, it's the only music that's really able to have any effect on me.
On the topic of The Return of the King, I hadn't realised how much of the movie I had missed the first time I watched it (as I had arrived late). I missed at least twenty minutes of the show, including the flashback which shows how Smeagol eventually became Gollum. Some critics have said that the flashback was all-important in establishing pity for the character of Gollum (who always claims that "The Precious made [him] do it!" - seriously annoying after hearing "precious" being mentioned so many freakin' times!), but I'm afraid all I saw was a weak human being who at first sight, gave in to the evil influence of the band of gold. Yes, he once was a halfling like the hobbits, but he was weak and flawed to begin with, and his corruption was hastened, not initiated, by his acquisition of the Ring.
The other part I missed was the celebrations after the victory over the Orcs at Helm's Deep. Here, Eowyn tends to Aragorn, bringing him drink, and it's just so obvious that she likes him (heck, even Theoden sees it!). And whenever Aragorn looks at her, it's like he's... almost encouraging her, neither confirming whether he returns her feelings, nor denying her. Or perhaps, that's just the effect his eyes have on women. Heck, it's the effect he has on me whenever I see him on-screen. However, I maintain that he is, in a sense, leading her on. A simple word from him earlier on would have stopped her from getting hurt, but then again, having been guilty of the same mistake myself, I do know how difficult it is to reject someone when you like and respect the person, just not in the way he or she wants you to.
How much of an Aragorn groupie am I? 110%, dude. Not only did I purchase a popcorn, nacho and drink combo set just for the pack of RotK playing cards (with Aragorn as king!), I've even bought a postcard of him at Yahoo! Auctions. Sigh. He is one of the most intensely attractive onscreen characters I have come across, and I have sort of 'fallen' for quite a few - Michael Vartan's sensitive teacher in Never Been Kissed, Christian Slater as Will Scarlett in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Ethan Hawke in Reality Bites, Kiefer Sutherland's voice as the soldier in the animated version of The Nutcracker Prince... and embarrassingly enough, Cloud in Final Fantasy VII and Squall Lockhart in Final Fantasy VIII. Yes, they are virtual characters, but trust me, if you've played the games, and you have set your eyes upon these two striking anime computer game characters, you would have fallen too.
I watched The Return of the King yesterday for the second time. I'm kind of in a strange stage right now, a little sick of all the hype, but unable to get enough of it. I'm feeling the same way towards trance music right now too, tired of having listened to it for the past year or so, but yet, it's the only music that's really able to have any effect on me.
On the topic of The Return of the King, I hadn't realised how much of the movie I had missed the first time I watched it (as I had arrived late). I missed at least twenty minutes of the show, including the flashback which shows how Smeagol eventually became Gollum. Some critics have said that the flashback was all-important in establishing pity for the character of Gollum (who always claims that "The Precious made [him] do it!" - seriously annoying after hearing "precious" being mentioned so many freakin' times!), but I'm afraid all I saw was a weak human being who at first sight, gave in to the evil influence of the band of gold. Yes, he once was a halfling like the hobbits, but he was weak and flawed to begin with, and his corruption was hastened, not initiated, by his acquisition of the Ring.
The other part I missed was the celebrations after the victory over the Orcs at Helm's Deep. Here, Eowyn tends to Aragorn, bringing him drink, and it's just so obvious that she likes him (heck, even Theoden sees it!). And whenever Aragorn looks at her, it's like he's... almost encouraging her, neither confirming whether he returns her feelings, nor denying her. Or perhaps, that's just the effect his eyes have on women. Heck, it's the effect he has on me whenever I see him on-screen. However, I maintain that he is, in a sense, leading her on. A simple word from him earlier on would have stopped her from getting hurt, but then again, having been guilty of the same mistake myself, I do know how difficult it is to reject someone when you like and respect the person, just not in the way he or she wants you to.
How much of an Aragorn groupie am I? 110%, dude. Not only did I purchase a popcorn, nacho and drink combo set just for the pack of RotK playing cards (with Aragorn as king!), I've even bought a postcard of him at Yahoo! Auctions. Sigh. He is one of the most intensely attractive onscreen characters I have come across, and I have sort of 'fallen' for quite a few - Michael Vartan's sensitive teacher in Never Been Kissed, Christian Slater as Will Scarlett in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Ethan Hawke in Reality Bites, Kiefer Sutherland's voice as the soldier in the animated version of The Nutcracker Prince... and embarrassingly enough, Cloud in Final Fantasy VII and Squall Lockhart in Final Fantasy VIII. Yes, they are virtual characters, but trust me, if you've played the games, and you have set your eyes upon these two striking anime computer game characters, you would have fallen too.
Saturday, December 20, 2003
It's more than a month since John Digweed's set at Zouk happened, and I still hadn't been able to find the track that I so loved that night. This may surprise you, but the track that I've been hunting down and which I enjoyed terribly on both of his sets which I've heard this year, turned out to be Luke Chable & Danny Bonnici's Ride. It's a really cool tune, with a light, bouncy melody and an incredible tearing bassline. I can't believe I finally managed to find it after not having a clue of who it was by, especially since it doesn't have any words whatsoever!
This is the song sung by Pippin (Billy Boyd) for Denethor. It's found on the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King soundtrack, and is entitled The Steward of Gondor.
Home is behind
The world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and shadow
Cloud and shape
Hope shall fail
All shall fade
Home is behind
The world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and shadow
Cloud and shape
Hope shall fail
All shall fade
Friday, December 19, 2003
On a more light-hearted note, the scene where Legolas singlehandedly brings down the mumakil: pointless, needless, gratuitous - but entertaining to watch nonetheless. It reminded me of a scene in The Two Towers when Legolas, after shooting down several warwolves, mounts Gimli's horse with a great deal of style and flair, using his arm to grab the far side of the horse's neck and then swinging himself underneath its head, up into the air and then back onto the horse. I was mightily impressed when I saw that and although I don't think Legolas was set up as an action hero in the books, still, stunts like those, though unnecessary, are incredible to behold. In a word: whoa.
And Gimli's response to Legolas's impressive kill? "That still only counts as one!" Hilarious.
And Gimli's response to Legolas's impressive kill? "That still only counts as one!" Hilarious.
More thoughts on The Return of the King:
In a particularly poignant moment, Pippin, at Lord Denethor's command, sings a folksy ballad. As Pippin sings his plaintive, mournful song, Jackson intersperses scenes of Pippin singing and Faramir's battle scenes. Jackson, much to his credit, doesn't show us the gory end of the death of Faramir's army of twenty or so men facing off the Orcish army of thousands. Instead, just as the archers release their deadly hail of arrows, he cuts to the hall of Minas Tirith, to Denethor messily consuming his meal without even a smidgen of care or concern about the suicide mission he has sent his only surviving son on, so that we are left with the agony of knowing, without seeing, the pointless, senseless death of that band of good men, instead of having their demise shoved in our faces.
Ian McKellen is excellent in his portrayal of Gandalf as the general of Minas Tirith. He has convincing sceen presence and one can feel the determination to protect his charge - the race of man - emanating from him. He is commanding and awe-inspiring, both in the way he barks out orders to the soldiers, and in the way he wields his staff. With this kind of charisma, it's obvious to see why every other character in the movie looks to Gandalf whenever they're in trouble.
As mentioned in yesterday's post, the true mettle of Aragorn is clearly and nicely shown in this movie. While establishing the character of the man who should be king, the relationship between Aragorn and Eowyn is also rather neatly tied up, but more on that later. Elrond, the elven ruler, arrives at the encampment of the Riders of Rohan and informs him that Arwen lies dying - why and of what, I am not entirely certain (and as it turns out, not many other people know either) but I think it's related to the re-making of the sword of Isildur. Elrond advises him to "put aside the ranger from the north. Become who you were born to be." Bestowing upon him the sword that was broken by Sauron many many years ago, he declares (rather pompously, I feel, but elves will be elves), "I give hope to men." Aragorn accepts the sword - and in doing so, his birthright and destiny - and quietly replies, "I keep none for myself."
As Aragorn prepares to go off to seek the undead army, Eowyn tells him that he cannot abandon the people of Rohan, not now, not on the eve before they ride to the aid of Minas Tirith. "Why have you come?" he asks her. "Do you not know?" She responds, her heart in her eyes. "It is but a shadow and a thought that you love," says Aragorn. "I cannot give you what you seek." And with those words, Aragorn breaks her heart. But you led her on, Aragorn. It was all you! I felt like yelling. Still, much to her credit, Eowyn doesn't give in to heartbreak and despair as other women in her situation might have done. Instead, she goes off to battle, proving her nobility and worth, kicking major butt in the process.
The movie isn't just about the Ring and the quest to overcome evil, no matter how high the price; it's about relationships. For instance, we observe how the relationship between Frodo and Sam sustains the Ringbearer. We see how even friendships can develop between traditional foes - dwarves and elves, with the rivalry between the two and the admission at the final battle at Mordor when Gimli states, "I never thought I'd die fighting beside an elf," and Legolas smiles, "What about beside a friend?" "Aye," Gimli agrees, "That I could." A little clichéd but touching nonetheless.
We are hit by the realisation that no victory comes without a price, that nothing can be won without great sacrifices. It is through the willingness of people to sacrifice themselves for the greater good that men prevail. Without Aragorn's willingness to "die as one of [the Gondorians]" in the battle of Helm's Deep and his willingness to face death by seeking out the undead army of the mountain people, mankind would have been overrun even if Frodo had managed to succeed in his quest. And if Aragorn had not been willing to sacrifice himself and his small army against the forces of Mordor, there is no way Frodo and Sam would have managed to make it to Mount Doom without either the orcs or Sauron spotting them. If it had not been for Sam's willingness to follow Frodo to the very end - even with the knowledge that there was to be no return journey for either one of them, Frodo would not have succeeded in the quest entrusted to him. This theme follows even at the micro-levels. Had the men of Gondor or Rohan chosen to follow their natural human instincts - to want to live rather than ride to a certain death - Middle Earth would have been lost. Instead they rode forth to battle, with the knowledge that they would most likely not return, in order to hold off - not win - but hold off the forces for that precious bit of time just so that a hobbit, against insurmontable odds, might be able to accomplish the impossible. The final part of the ending is a little heartrending. Frodo, after having gone through so much torment by the burden he bore, is unable to return to life as he knew it before. The happy-go-lucky hobbit we saw in Fellowship of the Ring has changed into a melancholic character, unable to pick up the threads of his original life after having suffered so much. Time, it seems, cannot heal all wounds.
While I do understand that reality doesn't always work like that - good doesn't always overcome evil, nor does love conquer all, but still, movies like this do inspire. They do give hope, that even when you're in your darkest hour, that there is always the possibility that something could happen to turn everything around. After all, if someone could think of it, could write of it, could conceive of it, then perhaps, it is not a mere whisper of fantasy, but the hint of actual possibilities. And this does make life a little easier to bear.
In a particularly poignant moment, Pippin, at Lord Denethor's command, sings a folksy ballad. As Pippin sings his plaintive, mournful song, Jackson intersperses scenes of Pippin singing and Faramir's battle scenes. Jackson, much to his credit, doesn't show us the gory end of the death of Faramir's army of twenty or so men facing off the Orcish army of thousands. Instead, just as the archers release their deadly hail of arrows, he cuts to the hall of Minas Tirith, to Denethor messily consuming his meal without even a smidgen of care or concern about the suicide mission he has sent his only surviving son on, so that we are left with the agony of knowing, without seeing, the pointless, senseless death of that band of good men, instead of having their demise shoved in our faces.
Ian McKellen is excellent in his portrayal of Gandalf as the general of Minas Tirith. He has convincing sceen presence and one can feel the determination to protect his charge - the race of man - emanating from him. He is commanding and awe-inspiring, both in the way he barks out orders to the soldiers, and in the way he wields his staff. With this kind of charisma, it's obvious to see why every other character in the movie looks to Gandalf whenever they're in trouble.
As mentioned in yesterday's post, the true mettle of Aragorn is clearly and nicely shown in this movie. While establishing the character of the man who should be king, the relationship between Aragorn and Eowyn is also rather neatly tied up, but more on that later. Elrond, the elven ruler, arrives at the encampment of the Riders of Rohan and informs him that Arwen lies dying - why and of what, I am not entirely certain (and as it turns out, not many other people know either) but I think it's related to the re-making of the sword of Isildur. Elrond advises him to "put aside the ranger from the north. Become who you were born to be." Bestowing upon him the sword that was broken by Sauron many many years ago, he declares (rather pompously, I feel, but elves will be elves), "I give hope to men." Aragorn accepts the sword - and in doing so, his birthright and destiny - and quietly replies, "I keep none for myself."
As Aragorn prepares to go off to seek the undead army, Eowyn tells him that he cannot abandon the people of Rohan, not now, not on the eve before they ride to the aid of Minas Tirith. "Why have you come?" he asks her. "Do you not know?" She responds, her heart in her eyes. "It is but a shadow and a thought that you love," says Aragorn. "I cannot give you what you seek." And with those words, Aragorn breaks her heart. But you led her on, Aragorn. It was all you! I felt like yelling. Still, much to her credit, Eowyn doesn't give in to heartbreak and despair as other women in her situation might have done. Instead, she goes off to battle, proving her nobility and worth, kicking major butt in the process.
The movie isn't just about the Ring and the quest to overcome evil, no matter how high the price; it's about relationships. For instance, we observe how the relationship between Frodo and Sam sustains the Ringbearer. We see how even friendships can develop between traditional foes - dwarves and elves, with the rivalry between the two and the admission at the final battle at Mordor when Gimli states, "I never thought I'd die fighting beside an elf," and Legolas smiles, "What about beside a friend?" "Aye," Gimli agrees, "That I could." A little clichéd but touching nonetheless.
We are hit by the realisation that no victory comes without a price, that nothing can be won without great sacrifices. It is through the willingness of people to sacrifice themselves for the greater good that men prevail. Without Aragorn's willingness to "die as one of [the Gondorians]" in the battle of Helm's Deep and his willingness to face death by seeking out the undead army of the mountain people, mankind would have been overrun even if Frodo had managed to succeed in his quest. And if Aragorn had not been willing to sacrifice himself and his small army against the forces of Mordor, there is no way Frodo and Sam would have managed to make it to Mount Doom without either the orcs or Sauron spotting them. If it had not been for Sam's willingness to follow Frodo to the very end - even with the knowledge that there was to be no return journey for either one of them, Frodo would not have succeeded in the quest entrusted to him. This theme follows even at the micro-levels. Had the men of Gondor or Rohan chosen to follow their natural human instincts - to want to live rather than ride to a certain death - Middle Earth would have been lost. Instead they rode forth to battle, with the knowledge that they would most likely not return, in order to hold off - not win - but hold off the forces for that precious bit of time just so that a hobbit, against insurmontable odds, might be able to accomplish the impossible. The final part of the ending is a little heartrending. Frodo, after having gone through so much torment by the burden he bore, is unable to return to life as he knew it before. The happy-go-lucky hobbit we saw in Fellowship of the Ring has changed into a melancholic character, unable to pick up the threads of his original life after having suffered so much. Time, it seems, cannot heal all wounds.
While I do understand that reality doesn't always work like that - good doesn't always overcome evil, nor does love conquer all, but still, movies like this do inspire. They do give hope, that even when you're in your darkest hour, that there is always the possibility that something could happen to turn everything around. After all, if someone could think of it, could write of it, could conceive of it, then perhaps, it is not a mere whisper of fantasy, but the hint of actual possibilities. And this does make life a little easier to bear.
Thursday, December 18, 2003
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King opened today, and I managed to get tickets for an afternoon showing. I'm not usually that anxious to catch a movie on opening day itself, but if you've caught LotR I and II, then you'll understand why I just had to see LotR III as soon as I possibly could. I had already planned on re-watching it prior to reading any of the reviews, but now that I've been exposed and influenced by them, I think I might need to watch it way more than just twice. After all, it's not everyday that a movie released in December manages to bag the Best Film of 2003 award.
Warning: Spoilers dot the following paragraphs. If you've read the books however, you should already know everything that I'm about to state.
Anyway, my verdict: brilliant. It more than lives up to all the hype surrounding it. For the breathtaking scenery and cinematography alone, the movie deserves five stars out of five. New Zealand must be a beautiful place, from everything that I've seen in the trilogy so far, and the sets - wonderful. I have no idea how much time they took to build up the city of Minas Tirith, but it was most entirely worth it. The city - carved into part of a mountain - is awesome, and the scene when they show all the beacons lighting up from Minas Tirith all the way to Rohan. The scene jumps from city to snow-capped peak, from snow-capped peak to another mountain. The enormity of the distance between the two areas is highlighted by the darkening of the sky as the scene jumps along. Such a simple effect, but utilised brilliantly. In another example of good cinematography, the part where Frodo is terrified in the cave of the Spider Queen, Shelob, as he runs into the webs and trips over skeletons, the camera spins around and around, making the audience as dizzy and disoriented as Frodo must surely be when he attempts to flee, unable to see anything in the darkness.
Acting-wise, Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee was incredible as usual. Throughout the scenes, we see his dedication to Frodo shine through. He is extremely convincing as the concerned friend who's hurt and bewildered, yet understanding, of Frodo's obsession with the ring and the effects the obsession is having on his behaviour. Some of the best parts of the movie occur when Sam comes to Frodo's rescue, such as when he battles the Spider Queen and when he urges Frodo on towards the peak of Mt. Doom. "I may not be able to carry your load," he says, "but I can carry you!" It's such a sweet and powerful declaration of friendship and loyalty that one cannot help but cheer. With such people by your side, how can you possibly fail?
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, the brooding, mysterious, charismatic ranger who has long renounced his royal birthright, is good as well. Although his facial expressions are rather limited, his eyes somehow manage to convey so very much. We see Aragorn's nobility and dedication towards a people he never knew and yet was destined to lead shine through. Moments of brilliance included the scene when he confronted the undead ruler with the re-made sword of Isildur, as well as when he was giving the speech to the forces of Rohan and Gondor just before they charged towards the black gates of Mordur, in his bid to clear the paths for Frodo to make his way to Mt. Doom by sacrificing himself and his army. The part I loved the most was when he said to the hobbits, who had bowed to him in homage after his coronation as king of Gondor, "My friends, you bow to no one," and proceeded to kneel to them, the little halflings who ended up being the saviours of man. One scene in which we see how amazingly soulful his eyes are is when he sees Arwen. His eyes widen in surprise and joy as she slowly approaches him, then narrow just a tiny bit in unrestrained passion as he lunges forward and captures her in a passionate kiss.
On a side note, Viggo's speaking voice and accent are very nice indeed. The way he pronounces "Sauron", "Legolas" and speaks Elvish is really... nice. Slightly raspy and definitely sexy. Of course it does help that Elvish is part Finnish, part something else, seeing as he's Scandanavian. There's just something about the Scandics that makes them sound so nice. There are times when he doesn't sound that great though - the parts when he's shouting to be heard.
Eowyn (Miranda Otto) was fantastic. Singlehandedly bringing down an oliphant and facing down - and destroying - a Nasgul, she kicked butt, baby. Otto was believable as the lady of her people who yearned to be able to "fight for those [she] loves" and yet, by virtue of being born into the wrong gender, was denied that right. Though I thought she was a little selfish to be abandoning her people in a sense as she was supposed to be ruling the people of Rohan in Theoden's absence but instead she disguised herself as a man to join those who rode worth to fight the dark forces, she showed that she was, without a doubt, one of the better fighters on the field.
I liked Faramir (David Wenham) too, as the devoted son and brother who strives to win his father's love even though the father, Denethor, steward of Gondor, constantly belittles him, even going as far to admit that he wishes that Faramir had died and Boromir lived. I swear, at that moment, I thought "Bastard!" and was going to throw rocks at the screen. Anyway, in spite of knowing that he, if he does his mad father's will, will surely die, as will the rest of his men, he agrees, telling his father, "If I return, think better of me." His father's callous reply, "That will depend on the manner of your return."
The special effects, as usual, are spectacular. The battle scene between the orcs and the men of Gondor is superb, and although the leader of the orcs is undoubtedly the ugliest orc ever seen on film, nothing is too outlandish as to be unbelievable. The vast hordes of the dark forces are amazingly rendered. Each and every time we pan up and see just how large Sauron's forces are, my heart cringes in pain and despair at the odds that the men face.
There were points in the film when I was close to crying or did cry. For instance, when the riders of Rohan are shown on the hill at sunrise just when the orcs overrun the city of Minas Tirith, it's so... intense that I did almost cry. When we see the tiny army of Rohan and Gondor about to take on the tens of thousands of orcs as they're surrounded on all sides, I was in tears. One great highlight was the part when Theoden declares that they will ride to the aid of Gondor after having stated in an earlier scene that he had no wish to ride to their aid since Gondor did not come to their aid during the battle at Helm's Deep. Aragorn, after seeing the beacon lighted up, runs into the hall of Theoden, saying, "The beacons of Minas Tirith are lit! Gondor calls for aid!" There is a pause as everyone looks at Theoden and you can see the momentary conflict in his eyes before he staunchly declares, "And Rohan will answer!" I held my breath waiting for the answer, and I almost jumped out of my seat cheering once he said that.
Others included the scene when Sam carried Frodo, when Frodo was reunited with all of his friends, when Aragorn paid tribute to the hobbits and Frodo's final farewell to the rest. It's my belief that any good movie will make me want to cry at any one point in time. (It doesn't necessarily follow that I only cry at good movies though!)
The movie does feel like it has close to half-a-dozen endings, but to Peter Jackson's credit, he does manage to tie up possibly every loose end. We see Sam's domestic bliss, what happens to Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, Aragorn and Arwen's reunion, and so on.
Ultimately, LotR is a trilogy about friendship, loyalty, honour and courage, about how people who have these will ultimately conquer evil. Without the honour of Aragorn, the men of Rohan and Gondor would not have survived the battles. Without the friendship and loyalty of Sam, Frodo would died, and darkness would have conquered Middle Earth. Without courage, lesser men would have fled and given up hope long before they even entered into battle. Yet enter into battle they did, and against unbelievable odds, they triumphed. This could be seen in Eowyn's battle with the Nasgul, managing to best he-who-could-not-be-killed-by-any-man (with the help of Merry), and delivering the most girl-power-ish, yet most fitting of lines, "I am not a man," before killing him. This might be a fantasy movie set in a fantasy world, but still, the underlying messages are simple and inspirational.
However, the homosexual overtones of the previous two movies remain. To quote from The Philadelphia Inquirer's movie review: "Perhaps it's the Jungian cornucopia of homoerotic symbolism (the swords! the staffs! the towers!) and the endless moony, moist gazes between members of the all-male Fellowship as they gird their loins for battle. There are times in Return of the King, as halfling faces halfling or king faces elf, when you want to stand up and shout, 'Kiss him already!'" Elijah Wood is incapable of imbuing his gazes with anything resembling heterosexuality, and even during the final farewell, when he kisses Sam's forehead, and then moves off, I could have sworn instead of moving away, he took a small step forward towards Sam. During that moment, I thought he was going in for the kill, and heading straight for the lips. Seriously. There are some seriously gay moments in the movie, this time even between Merry and Pippin. (After the battle with the oliphants, Pippin is searching for Merry and finds him under the body of soldier, barely conscious and blood on his face. Pippin: Merry! Merry: I knew you'd find me. Are you going to leave me? Pippin: No, I'm going to take care of you.)
Not that I'm a homophobe, just that it kind of distracts one from the story at hand.
There are some parts with which I have a quibble. Legolas's constant pronouncements (which I classify as being of the "Master of the Blindingly Obvious" category do kind of grate on me. They're supposed to sound mystical since he's an elf, but still - "The horses are restless and the men are quiet." (when they're encamped the night before the riders of Rohan ride to the aid of Gondor) strike me as being a little... shall we say, duh? Granted, he goes on to make a valid point - that they're behaving this way because they're in the shadow of the cursed mountain, but still, there's just something about the way he says it.
And Aragorn's speech to the men before the forces of Mordor attack from the black gate: "I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fail . . . when we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. This day, we fight!" To which I thought so you mean it's all right if I betray you tomorrow then?
But these are very minor details indeed. The movie is awesome. In fact, towards the end of the movie, I found myself thinking, don't end! Please don't end! It is a marvellous movie and has everything you could possibly ask for: beautiful scenery, great special effects, good acting. Go watch it. Go watch it NOW.
Warning: Spoilers dot the following paragraphs. If you've read the books however, you should already know everything that I'm about to state.
Anyway, my verdict: brilliant. It more than lives up to all the hype surrounding it. For the breathtaking scenery and cinematography alone, the movie deserves five stars out of five. New Zealand must be a beautiful place, from everything that I've seen in the trilogy so far, and the sets - wonderful. I have no idea how much time they took to build up the city of Minas Tirith, but it was most entirely worth it. The city - carved into part of a mountain - is awesome, and the scene when they show all the beacons lighting up from Minas Tirith all the way to Rohan. The scene jumps from city to snow-capped peak, from snow-capped peak to another mountain. The enormity of the distance between the two areas is highlighted by the darkening of the sky as the scene jumps along. Such a simple effect, but utilised brilliantly. In another example of good cinematography, the part where Frodo is terrified in the cave of the Spider Queen, Shelob, as he runs into the webs and trips over skeletons, the camera spins around and around, making the audience as dizzy and disoriented as Frodo must surely be when he attempts to flee, unable to see anything in the darkness.
Acting-wise, Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee was incredible as usual. Throughout the scenes, we see his dedication to Frodo shine through. He is extremely convincing as the concerned friend who's hurt and bewildered, yet understanding, of Frodo's obsession with the ring and the effects the obsession is having on his behaviour. Some of the best parts of the movie occur when Sam comes to Frodo's rescue, such as when he battles the Spider Queen and when he urges Frodo on towards the peak of Mt. Doom. "I may not be able to carry your load," he says, "but I can carry you!" It's such a sweet and powerful declaration of friendship and loyalty that one cannot help but cheer. With such people by your side, how can you possibly fail?
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, the brooding, mysterious, charismatic ranger who has long renounced his royal birthright, is good as well. Although his facial expressions are rather limited, his eyes somehow manage to convey so very much. We see Aragorn's nobility and dedication towards a people he never knew and yet was destined to lead shine through. Moments of brilliance included the scene when he confronted the undead ruler with the re-made sword of Isildur, as well as when he was giving the speech to the forces of Rohan and Gondor just before they charged towards the black gates of Mordur, in his bid to clear the paths for Frodo to make his way to Mt. Doom by sacrificing himself and his army. The part I loved the most was when he said to the hobbits, who had bowed to him in homage after his coronation as king of Gondor, "My friends, you bow to no one," and proceeded to kneel to them, the little halflings who ended up being the saviours of man. One scene in which we see how amazingly soulful his eyes are is when he sees Arwen. His eyes widen in surprise and joy as she slowly approaches him, then narrow just a tiny bit in unrestrained passion as he lunges forward and captures her in a passionate kiss.
On a side note, Viggo's speaking voice and accent are very nice indeed. The way he pronounces "Sauron", "Legolas" and speaks Elvish is really... nice. Slightly raspy and definitely sexy. Of course it does help that Elvish is part Finnish, part something else, seeing as he's Scandanavian. There's just something about the Scandics that makes them sound so nice. There are times when he doesn't sound that great though - the parts when he's shouting to be heard.
Eowyn (Miranda Otto) was fantastic. Singlehandedly bringing down an oliphant and facing down - and destroying - a Nasgul, she kicked butt, baby. Otto was believable as the lady of her people who yearned to be able to "fight for those [she] loves" and yet, by virtue of being born into the wrong gender, was denied that right. Though I thought she was a little selfish to be abandoning her people in a sense as she was supposed to be ruling the people of Rohan in Theoden's absence but instead she disguised herself as a man to join those who rode worth to fight the dark forces, she showed that she was, without a doubt, one of the better fighters on the field.
I liked Faramir (David Wenham) too, as the devoted son and brother who strives to win his father's love even though the father, Denethor, steward of Gondor, constantly belittles him, even going as far to admit that he wishes that Faramir had died and Boromir lived. I swear, at that moment, I thought "Bastard!" and was going to throw rocks at the screen. Anyway, in spite of knowing that he, if he does his mad father's will, will surely die, as will the rest of his men, he agrees, telling his father, "If I return, think better of me." His father's callous reply, "That will depend on the manner of your return."
The special effects, as usual, are spectacular. The battle scene between the orcs and the men of Gondor is superb, and although the leader of the orcs is undoubtedly the ugliest orc ever seen on film, nothing is too outlandish as to be unbelievable. The vast hordes of the dark forces are amazingly rendered. Each and every time we pan up and see just how large Sauron's forces are, my heart cringes in pain and despair at the odds that the men face.
There were points in the film when I was close to crying or did cry. For instance, when the riders of Rohan are shown on the hill at sunrise just when the orcs overrun the city of Minas Tirith, it's so... intense that I did almost cry. When we see the tiny army of Rohan and Gondor about to take on the tens of thousands of orcs as they're surrounded on all sides, I was in tears. One great highlight was the part when Theoden declares that they will ride to the aid of Gondor after having stated in an earlier scene that he had no wish to ride to their aid since Gondor did not come to their aid during the battle at Helm's Deep. Aragorn, after seeing the beacon lighted up, runs into the hall of Theoden, saying, "The beacons of Minas Tirith are lit! Gondor calls for aid!" There is a pause as everyone looks at Theoden and you can see the momentary conflict in his eyes before he staunchly declares, "And Rohan will answer!" I held my breath waiting for the answer, and I almost jumped out of my seat cheering once he said that.
Others included the scene when Sam carried Frodo, when Frodo was reunited with all of his friends, when Aragorn paid tribute to the hobbits and Frodo's final farewell to the rest. It's my belief that any good movie will make me want to cry at any one point in time. (It doesn't necessarily follow that I only cry at good movies though!)
The movie does feel like it has close to half-a-dozen endings, but to Peter Jackson's credit, he does manage to tie up possibly every loose end. We see Sam's domestic bliss, what happens to Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, Aragorn and Arwen's reunion, and so on.
Ultimately, LotR is a trilogy about friendship, loyalty, honour and courage, about how people who have these will ultimately conquer evil. Without the honour of Aragorn, the men of Rohan and Gondor would not have survived the battles. Without the friendship and loyalty of Sam, Frodo would died, and darkness would have conquered Middle Earth. Without courage, lesser men would have fled and given up hope long before they even entered into battle. Yet enter into battle they did, and against unbelievable odds, they triumphed. This could be seen in Eowyn's battle with the Nasgul, managing to best he-who-could-not-be-killed-by-any-man (with the help of Merry), and delivering the most girl-power-ish, yet most fitting of lines, "I am not a man," before killing him. This might be a fantasy movie set in a fantasy world, but still, the underlying messages are simple and inspirational.
However, the homosexual overtones of the previous two movies remain. To quote from The Philadelphia Inquirer's movie review: "Perhaps it's the Jungian cornucopia of homoerotic symbolism (the swords! the staffs! the towers!) and the endless moony, moist gazes between members of the all-male Fellowship as they gird their loins for battle. There are times in Return of the King, as halfling faces halfling or king faces elf, when you want to stand up and shout, 'Kiss him already!'" Elijah Wood is incapable of imbuing his gazes with anything resembling heterosexuality, and even during the final farewell, when he kisses Sam's forehead, and then moves off, I could have sworn instead of moving away, he took a small step forward towards Sam. During that moment, I thought he was going in for the kill, and heading straight for the lips. Seriously. There are some seriously gay moments in the movie, this time even between Merry and Pippin. (After the battle with the oliphants, Pippin is searching for Merry and finds him under the body of soldier, barely conscious and blood on his face. Pippin: Merry! Merry: I knew you'd find me. Are you going to leave me? Pippin: No, I'm going to take care of you.)
Not that I'm a homophobe, just that it kind of distracts one from the story at hand.
There are some parts with which I have a quibble. Legolas's constant pronouncements (which I classify as being of the "Master of the Blindingly Obvious" category do kind of grate on me. They're supposed to sound mystical since he's an elf, but still - "The horses are restless and the men are quiet." (when they're encamped the night before the riders of Rohan ride to the aid of Gondor) strike me as being a little... shall we say, duh? Granted, he goes on to make a valid point - that they're behaving this way because they're in the shadow of the cursed mountain, but still, there's just something about the way he says it.
And Aragorn's speech to the men before the forces of Mordor attack from the black gate: "I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fail . . . when we forsake our friends, and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. This day, we fight!" To which I thought so you mean it's all right if I betray you tomorrow then?
But these are very minor details indeed. The movie is awesome. In fact, towards the end of the movie, I found myself thinking, don't end! Please don't end! It is a marvellous movie and has everything you could possibly ask for: beautiful scenery, great special effects, good acting. Go watch it. Go watch it NOW.
Monday, December 15, 2003
Wow! Congrats, Zizou!
Not exactly sure why you won the award, given that Real Madrid didn't win any European honours this year, if I'm not mistaken, but you are indeed a great player.
Not exactly sure why you won the award, given that Real Madrid didn't win any European honours this year, if I'm not mistaken, but you are indeed a great player.
Take the Hobbit Personality Test adapted from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and based on The Lord of the Rings books (not the movies).
Apparently, the character I am most like is Eowyn, Lady of Rohan.
Eowyn can read other people well and seeks for romance and adventure.
You trust intuition, and prize recognition. You are a natural host, making sure everyone is comfortable. Social interaction energizes you. The more people the merrier. You have a tendency to introspection. While providing compassion and being considerate, you may have the tendency of being soft-hearted or even 'too emotional.' You try to schedule your life as much as possible. You tend to finish your work before resting.
The Orcs display the evil side of this personality with their lengthy torture methods.
Traits: Empathic, benevolent, looking to the future. On the dark side, you could be sadistic.
Apparently, the character I am most like is Eowyn, Lady of Rohan.
Eowyn can read other people well and seeks for romance and adventure.
You trust intuition, and prize recognition. You are a natural host, making sure everyone is comfortable. Social interaction energizes you. The more people the merrier. You have a tendency to introspection. While providing compassion and being considerate, you may have the tendency of being soft-hearted or even 'too emotional.' You try to schedule your life as much as possible. You tend to finish your work before resting.
The Orcs display the evil side of this personality with their lengthy torture methods.
Traits: Empathic, benevolent, looking to the future. On the dark side, you could be sadistic.
Sunday, December 14, 2003
I watched Love Actually today. It was a wonderful movie, typically British. When British movies are good, they can be pretty damn good.
When the show ended, I felt good and crappy at the same time. The show begins - and ends - at the Arrivals Hall in Heathrow Airport, the one place where, as Hugh Grant narrates, "love actually is all around." Despite the fact that I haven't been met at Heathrow that many times, those scenes still affected me greatly. Whenever I fly to London, I am consumed with joy just as the plane begins its descent into London. I may have hated the place during my first two years there, but right now, I do love it dearly. And I've walked those halls at the airport many times... So many times such that I ended up crying just watching all the scenes of joyous arrivals at Heathrow.
The wonderful scenes of London at Christmas-time didn't help either. My parents have just left for London yesterday to visit my brother, and this is the first time in twenty-two years that I'm going to be all alone for Christmas. The previous Christmas was the first time in six years that I wasn't going to be in London for Christmas. Sigh.
But don't get me wrong. I loved the show. The soundtrack complements the movie well, with Dido's Here With Me going oh-so-well with the scene when Mark flees his home after Juliet discovers his true feelings, Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now playing when Emma Thompson discovers her husband could, quite possibly, be cheating on her, and the Beach Boys' wonderfully romantic God Only Knows coming on at the end of the movie at Heathrow airport, showcasing all the marvelous and joyous reunions taking place.
This really is a feel-good show. If you suspend your disbelief and your cynicism for the two hours that this show lasts, you'll find youself incredibly rewarded, filled with joy and happiness.
Moments to love (SPOILERS):
- When the band pops out of various parts of the church at various points in the rendition of All You Need Is Love after Peter and Juliet (Keira Knightley) get married. Incidentally, the song itself is not all that good on the song track. It's overdone, and just too polished.
- Every moment after the Prime Minister, David (Hugh Grant) interacts with Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), the tea lady. The way he reacts is classic - and so representative of each and every moment after I have just finished speaking to a guy I really like.
- Every single scene which aging rock star, Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) is in.
- The parts when Jaime (Colin Firth) and Aurelia are speaking to each other in English and Portuguese respectively, not knowing what the other is saying but unconsciously echoing each other.
- When Juliet goes to see Mark to see the footage he took of her wedding. She watches the footage, sees that Mark has only captured her on film and realises that he has feelings for her. It's evident from the way the footage has been filmed that the cameraperson really cared about the subject... and we see the trepidation, adoration, embarrassment and resignation on Mark's face as the video continues to play. (We've all been there - when our feelings have been revealed and there's nothing more we want to do than run like hell.)
- When Mark (Andrew Lincoln) tells Juliet how he feels about her, how he's telling her "without hope and agenda" that she's perfect to him. (Awwwwww. Sniff.)
- When Joanna sings All I Want For Christmas Is You - a song I really do love.
Guys to love:
Almost everyone! Rodrigues Santoro, definitely. When he wore a suit and spectacles, he looked so cute and shy that I would have jumped him in a second. Hugh Grant, just because he's Hugh. Colin Firth, for being so British and clumsy in languages other than English. And Andrew Lincoln - for being so incredibly sweet.
Quotes to love:
Daniel (Liam Neeson), worried about how his stepson, Sam (played wonderfully by Thomas Sangster), is handling his mother's death, speaks to him to find out why he's been so quiet and withdrawn and finds out that Sam... is in love!
Daniel: Oh, OK, right. Well, I can't deny it. I'm a little relieved.
Sam: Why?
Daniel: Well, you know - I thought it might be something worse.
Sam: (Incredulous) Worse then the total agony of being in love?
Daniel: (thinks- long pause- realizes) Oh. Yeah, you're right. Total agony.
Billy Mack: Kids, this is a message from your Uncle Billy. Don't buy drugs. (beat) Wait until you're a rock star, and they give them to you for free!
Mark: (On sheets of cardboard) With any luck by next year
I'll be going out with one of these girls (pictures of beautiful supermodels)
But for now, let me say
Without hope or agenda
Just because it's Christmas
(And at Christmas you tell the truth)
To me, you are perfect
And my wasted heart will love you
Until you look like this (picture of mummy)
Merry Christmas
Sam: Let us go get the shit kicked out of us by love.
When the show ended, I felt good and crappy at the same time. The show begins - and ends - at the Arrivals Hall in Heathrow Airport, the one place where, as Hugh Grant narrates, "love actually is all around." Despite the fact that I haven't been met at Heathrow that many times, those scenes still affected me greatly. Whenever I fly to London, I am consumed with joy just as the plane begins its descent into London. I may have hated the place during my first two years there, but right now, I do love it dearly. And I've walked those halls at the airport many times... So many times such that I ended up crying just watching all the scenes of joyous arrivals at Heathrow.
The wonderful scenes of London at Christmas-time didn't help either. My parents have just left for London yesterday to visit my brother, and this is the first time in twenty-two years that I'm going to be all alone for Christmas. The previous Christmas was the first time in six years that I wasn't going to be in London for Christmas. Sigh.
But don't get me wrong. I loved the show. The soundtrack complements the movie well, with Dido's Here With Me going oh-so-well with the scene when Mark flees his home after Juliet discovers his true feelings, Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now playing when Emma Thompson discovers her husband could, quite possibly, be cheating on her, and the Beach Boys' wonderfully romantic God Only Knows coming on at the end of the movie at Heathrow airport, showcasing all the marvelous and joyous reunions taking place.
This really is a feel-good show. If you suspend your disbelief and your cynicism for the two hours that this show lasts, you'll find youself incredibly rewarded, filled with joy and happiness.
Moments to love (SPOILERS):
- When the band pops out of various parts of the church at various points in the rendition of All You Need Is Love after Peter and Juliet (Keira Knightley) get married. Incidentally, the song itself is not all that good on the song track. It's overdone, and just too polished.
- Every moment after the Prime Minister, David (Hugh Grant) interacts with Natalie (Martine McCutcheon), the tea lady. The way he reacts is classic - and so representative of each and every moment after I have just finished speaking to a guy I really like.
- Every single scene which aging rock star, Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) is in.
- The parts when Jaime (Colin Firth) and Aurelia are speaking to each other in English and Portuguese respectively, not knowing what the other is saying but unconsciously echoing each other.
- When Juliet goes to see Mark to see the footage he took of her wedding. She watches the footage, sees that Mark has only captured her on film and realises that he has feelings for her. It's evident from the way the footage has been filmed that the cameraperson really cared about the subject... and we see the trepidation, adoration, embarrassment and resignation on Mark's face as the video continues to play. (We've all been there - when our feelings have been revealed and there's nothing more we want to do than run like hell.)
- When Mark (Andrew Lincoln) tells Juliet how he feels about her, how he's telling her "without hope and agenda" that she's perfect to him. (Awwwwww. Sniff.)
- When Joanna sings All I Want For Christmas Is You - a song I really do love.
Guys to love:
Almost everyone! Rodrigues Santoro, definitely. When he wore a suit and spectacles, he looked so cute and shy that I would have jumped him in a second. Hugh Grant, just because he's Hugh. Colin Firth, for being so British and clumsy in languages other than English. And Andrew Lincoln - for being so incredibly sweet.
Quotes to love:
Daniel (Liam Neeson), worried about how his stepson, Sam (played wonderfully by Thomas Sangster), is handling his mother's death, speaks to him to find out why he's been so quiet and withdrawn and finds out that Sam... is in love!
Daniel: Oh, OK, right. Well, I can't deny it. I'm a little relieved.
Sam: Why?
Daniel: Well, you know - I thought it might be something worse.
Sam: (Incredulous) Worse then the total agony of being in love?
Daniel: (thinks- long pause- realizes) Oh. Yeah, you're right. Total agony.
Billy Mack: Kids, this is a message from your Uncle Billy. Don't buy drugs. (beat) Wait until you're a rock star, and they give them to you for free!
Mark: (On sheets of cardboard) With any luck by next year
I'll be going out with one of these girls (pictures of beautiful supermodels)
But for now, let me say
Without hope or agenda
Just because it's Christmas
(And at Christmas you tell the truth)
To me, you are perfect
And my wasted heart will love you
Until you look like this (picture of mummy)
Merry Christmas
Sam: Let us go get the shit kicked out of us by love.
Watched the extended version of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers yesterday, which clocked in a an incredibly long 222 minutes. Still, it didn't feel as it was was over three-and-a-half hours long. Unlike the first time I watched the show, there were times I felt a little bored, but then, there was a reason why the 42 minutes were edited out in the initial screening in the first place.
The extended version contained more scenes showing the interaction of Gollum/Smeagol, Sam and Frodo, which was kind of boring. All it did was show that a) Frodo pities Gollum and as a result, is kind to him and b) Sam doesn't trust Gollum and dislikes him. There were also more scenes showing the interaction between Merry, Pippin and Treebeard, which was pretty good, since most of the scenes were pretty light-hearted and took the edge off the severity of the situations the various members of the Fellowship were in. I especially enjoyed the discussion between the hobbits and Treebeard about why there were no Entlings around.
Also included were scenes of Theodric, son of Theoden, King of Rohan. Given that we really only saw Theodric being retrieved from the battlefield with a belly wound, all the actor playing Theodric had to do was lie still and play dead. I really pity him. How on earth are you going to put that on your acting resume? In addition, we were treated to more details regarding the development of the relationship between Eowyn and Aragorn, in which we saw ?owyn's feelings towards Aragorn clearly increase with every interaction between them. - An interesting flashback sequence showing the relationship between Boromir, Faramir and their father, the king of Gondor (which I think will be pretty useful for those planning to watch The Return of the King)
Did I enjoy the second viewing? You betcha! Aragorn is still as hot as I thought all those months ago, and I spent the entire 222 minutes falling in love with him once again. In the words of the people from Television Without Pity - Aragorn is so my boyfriend. Legolas is not bad either. I'd do them both... but not the actors who play them.
Quotes I loved:
Aragorn: You have some skill with a blade.
Eowyn: Women of this country learned long ago that those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain.
Aragorn: What do you fear, milady?
Eowyn: A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.
Aragorn: You're the daughter of kings. A shield maiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate.
(When Aragorn has just returned to Helm's Deep, after everyone thought he had died in the battle with the war wolves)
Legolas: Le ab-dollen. (Elvish: You're late.)
Legolas pauses and looks at Aragorn's wounds.
Legolas: You look terrible.
Eowyn: My Lord Aragorn, they would have me lead the women and children into the caves. Let me fight at your side.
Aragorn: This is not something that is up to me to command.
Eowyn: You do not command those to stay with you. They fight with you because they would not be parted from you! Because they love you! I am sorry.
(At the end of the battle, when Legolas and Gimli are discussing their final battle kill count)
Legolas: 42.
Gimli: Not a bad figure at all. I, however, am standing tall at 43.
Legolas nocks an arrow to his bow, and shoots the Uruk-Hai corpse that Gimli is sitting on.
Legolas: 43.
Gimli: He was already dead!
Legolas: He was twitching.
Gimli: He was twitching because my axe is buried in his head! (Yanking on the axe and making the body twitch even more.)
The extended version contained more scenes showing the interaction of Gollum/Smeagol, Sam and Frodo, which was kind of boring. All it did was show that a) Frodo pities Gollum and as a result, is kind to him and b) Sam doesn't trust Gollum and dislikes him. There were also more scenes showing the interaction between Merry, Pippin and Treebeard, which was pretty good, since most of the scenes were pretty light-hearted and took the edge off the severity of the situations the various members of the Fellowship were in. I especially enjoyed the discussion between the hobbits and Treebeard about why there were no Entlings around.
Also included were scenes of Theodric, son of Theoden, King of Rohan. Given that we really only saw Theodric being retrieved from the battlefield with a belly wound, all the actor playing Theodric had to do was lie still and play dead. I really pity him. How on earth are you going to put that on your acting resume? In addition, we were treated to more details regarding the development of the relationship between Eowyn and Aragorn, in which we saw ?owyn's feelings towards Aragorn clearly increase with every interaction between them. - An interesting flashback sequence showing the relationship between Boromir, Faramir and their father, the king of Gondor (which I think will be pretty useful for those planning to watch The Return of the King)
Did I enjoy the second viewing? You betcha! Aragorn is still as hot as I thought all those months ago, and I spent the entire 222 minutes falling in love with him once again. In the words of the people from Television Without Pity - Aragorn is so my boyfriend. Legolas is not bad either. I'd do them both... but not the actors who play them.
Quotes I loved:
Aragorn: You have some skill with a blade.
Eowyn: Women of this country learned long ago that those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain.
Aragorn: What do you fear, milady?
Eowyn: A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.
Aragorn: You're the daughter of kings. A shield maiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate.
(When Aragorn has just returned to Helm's Deep, after everyone thought he had died in the battle with the war wolves)
Legolas: Le ab-dollen. (Elvish: You're late.)
Legolas pauses and looks at Aragorn's wounds.
Legolas: You look terrible.
Eowyn: My Lord Aragorn, they would have me lead the women and children into the caves. Let me fight at your side.
Aragorn: This is not something that is up to me to command.
Eowyn: You do not command those to stay with you. They fight with you because they would not be parted from you! Because they love you! I am sorry.
(At the end of the battle, when Legolas and Gimli are discussing their final battle kill count)
Legolas: 42.
Gimli: Not a bad figure at all. I, however, am standing tall at 43.
Legolas nocks an arrow to his bow, and shoots the Uruk-Hai corpse that Gimli is sitting on.
Legolas: 43.
Gimli: He was already dead!
Legolas: He was twitching.
Gimli: He was twitching because my axe is buried in his head! (Yanking on the axe and making the body twitch even more.)
Friday, December 12, 2003
My colleague accused me of having a Swedish fetish today, simply because he learnt that I had had a Swedish boyfriend before, and that I quite liked Stockholm.
Well, you're wrong. I like all kinds of men. So there.
But re: Sweden... what's not to like about a city that has the perfect Christmas tree? I would love to re-visit Sweden one day. Preferably in the summer so that I can get a good look around with many more hours of sunlight than during that one time I was there two winters ago.
Well, you're wrong. I like all kinds of men. So there.
But re: Sweden... what's not to like about a city that has the perfect Christmas tree? I would love to re-visit Sweden one day. Preferably in the summer so that I can get a good look around with many more hours of sunlight than during that one time I was there two winters ago.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
My ex SMS'd me yesterday morning. My girlfriend's getting jealous of you, he said, because I keep telling her about how intelligent and brilliant you are.
Awww.
But seriously, why would you be telling her about me or about my intellectual abilities in the first place?
It would seem that I've forgiven you - or at the very least, forgotten about your transgressions. There's just something about you that renders me incapable of being angry at you for long.
Awww.
But seriously, why would you be telling her about me or about my intellectual abilities in the first place?
It would seem that I've forgiven you - or at the very least, forgotten about your transgressions. There's just something about you that renders me incapable of being angry at you for long.
Today, I decided to print out some of the photos that I had taken over my birthday weekend. My colleague decided to ask me the name of my dancefloor fling, as I've termed him, as he saw that I had had a photo taken with him. Fortunately for me, I was also doing something else so I had the choice of not turning around while telling him his name... for I had slowly started turning rather red when he asked that question!
I'm too old to have crushes and infatuations. Why do I still find myself unable to control my emotions?
And for another thing - if I'm supposedly pretty, nice, gregarious and friendly, why then do I keep on attracting psychos and jerks? My colleague, a different one this time, says it's because I've haven't yet discovered love actually... Or rather, he says it's because I haven't watched Love Actually and after I've watched it, will I truly find out what love actually is.
There're just so many puns one can make with that title. I'm going to be watching it with six of my friends this Sunday and I'm really looking forward to it. A good British comedy is always something to be treasured.
I'm too old to have crushes and infatuations. Why do I still find myself unable to control my emotions?
And for another thing - if I'm supposedly pretty, nice, gregarious and friendly, why then do I keep on attracting psychos and jerks? My colleague, a different one this time, says it's because I've haven't yet discovered love actually... Or rather, he says it's because I haven't watched Love Actually and after I've watched it, will I truly find out what love actually is.
There're just so many puns one can make with that title. I'm going to be watching it with six of my friends this Sunday and I'm really looking forward to it. A good British comedy is always something to be treasured.
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
My friend and I were talking about infatuations today. Or rather, let me recap our amusing discussion.
He (recently single): I was lying in my bed when...
Me (interrupting): With my head on the phone, thinking of you till it huuuuuurts...
Anyway, that's how it began. Apparently, he was lying in his bed the night he broke up when he had a revelation: The next relationship he had would have to be with a girl he was infatuated with since day one. He hadn't been infatuated with his previous two girlfriends, but rather, grew into the relationships. In other words, he wanted someone better than his previous girlfriends, someone who attracted and fascinated him from the very beginning, rather than someone who made a good friend.
I thought he made a good point. It's only natural to want all your successive relationships to be better than the previous ones. Who wants to get worse over time, after all?
And it was at this point when I brought up this vignette of truth as first stated in The Teenage Textbook (by Adrian Tan, now out of print, I believe). Love is FRAIL - that is, part Friendship, part Romance, part Admiration, part Infatuation and part Lust.
At the time I read the book, I was very young... only 11 years old, I believe. Not even a teenager. I considered that statement trite and corny, but now that I'm older, it seems more and more true everyday.
Currently, I'm in the midst of an infatuation. Unlike my recently single friend, I am not going to do a thing about it. I'm not going to make a move, I'm not going to call him, or try going out of my way to bump into him, or any such thing. He is, quite possibly, out of my league. Cute, talented, smart and rich, my infatuation is very eligible. And in case you're wondering, it's the very last quality that makes me consider myself too "low-class" to ever catch his attention. I know there are schools of thought which epouse the philosophy that you're never going to know for certain unless you try and that the worst thing in life is to have regrets. All valid, all revelant, and all going to be completely ignored by moi. The problem is that I do not like rejection. I do not handle rejection well. Furthermore, in this tiny country of mine, everyone knows everyone else. And I, being a typical Asian, am concerned about my own reputation, about what others think of me. I do not want to have to deal with the possible fall-out from any admission on my part that yes, I do fancy him, although I have denied that I do on at least one occasion, ridiculing him for being a playboy (yet another reason why I shouldn't act on this feeling of mine).
But still. Infatuation is good, and nice. It's the tingly feeling you get everyday, hoping that he'll call, wondering if every missed call you have could have been from him. It makes you feel alive and more than just a little crazy, making you act in ways you don't usually act.
It's the way my ex made me feel - every single day. I wasn't infatuated with him from day one... more like day two, really, and in so many ways, it seems like destiny, like something was conspiring for us to get together because the moment we were together, it felt like we were meant to be, even though we knew we weren't going to be a "forever" couple. I was attracted to him physically and intrigued by him intellectually. And yes, I felt all five emotions when I was speaking with him during the beginning of our relationship.
It was a great feeling - and although he was a great guy to be with, I know my next one will be better. Because he has to be.
He (recently single): I was lying in my bed when...
Me (interrupting): With my head on the phone, thinking of you till it huuuuuurts...
Anyway, that's how it began. Apparently, he was lying in his bed the night he broke up when he had a revelation: The next relationship he had would have to be with a girl he was infatuated with since day one. He hadn't been infatuated with his previous two girlfriends, but rather, grew into the relationships. In other words, he wanted someone better than his previous girlfriends, someone who attracted and fascinated him from the very beginning, rather than someone who made a good friend.
I thought he made a good point. It's only natural to want all your successive relationships to be better than the previous ones. Who wants to get worse over time, after all?
And it was at this point when I brought up this vignette of truth as first stated in The Teenage Textbook (by Adrian Tan, now out of print, I believe). Love is FRAIL - that is, part Friendship, part Romance, part Admiration, part Infatuation and part Lust.
At the time I read the book, I was very young... only 11 years old, I believe. Not even a teenager. I considered that statement trite and corny, but now that I'm older, it seems more and more true everyday.
Currently, I'm in the midst of an infatuation. Unlike my recently single friend, I am not going to do a thing about it. I'm not going to make a move, I'm not going to call him, or try going out of my way to bump into him, or any such thing. He is, quite possibly, out of my league. Cute, talented, smart and rich, my infatuation is very eligible. And in case you're wondering, it's the very last quality that makes me consider myself too "low-class" to ever catch his attention. I know there are schools of thought which epouse the philosophy that you're never going to know for certain unless you try and that the worst thing in life is to have regrets. All valid, all revelant, and all going to be completely ignored by moi. The problem is that I do not like rejection. I do not handle rejection well. Furthermore, in this tiny country of mine, everyone knows everyone else. And I, being a typical Asian, am concerned about my own reputation, about what others think of me. I do not want to have to deal with the possible fall-out from any admission on my part that yes, I do fancy him, although I have denied that I do on at least one occasion, ridiculing him for being a playboy (yet another reason why I shouldn't act on this feeling of mine).
But still. Infatuation is good, and nice. It's the tingly feeling you get everyday, hoping that he'll call, wondering if every missed call you have could have been from him. It makes you feel alive and more than just a little crazy, making you act in ways you don't usually act.
It's the way my ex made me feel - every single day. I wasn't infatuated with him from day one... more like day two, really, and in so many ways, it seems like destiny, like something was conspiring for us to get together because the moment we were together, it felt like we were meant to be, even though we knew we weren't going to be a "forever" couple. I was attracted to him physically and intrigued by him intellectually. And yes, I felt all five emotions when I was speaking with him during the beginning of our relationship.
It was a great feeling - and although he was a great guy to be with, I know my next one will be better. Because he has to be.
Saturday, December 06, 2003
I was surfing through the cable channels when I chanced upon the last half-hour of Race the Sun. It's definitely not a great movie but I was surprised by the number of stars I recognised in it: James Belushi, Halle Berry and one familiar looking teen star who turned out to be Elisa Dushku.
The one thing that stood out was the very cute guy who played Daniel Webster. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was Casey Affleck! He was so much better-looking when he was 21 than he is now. What a pity.
The one thing that stood out was the very cute guy who played Daniel Webster. Imagine my surprise when I found out it was Casey Affleck! He was so much better-looking when he was 21 than he is now. What a pity.
After having gone through two days of training in which I found myself questioning the value of my position in my organisation, I had to go somewhere and get some release. Luckily for me, Armin van Buuren happened to be in town, courtesy of Godskitchen and Zouk.
A former colleague of mine had also come down from up north to visit us - but it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that we wouldn't get very much talking done. Who talks in a club anyway?
Armin's set was, on the whole, quite good. Mind you, it didn't start out that way. From all accounts, he started out playing rather experimental style. A little more house-y, a little more progressive than usual. I didn't particularly enjoy the first hour, but sometimes, I acknowledge, it's my mood that lets me down more than the DJ's set.
Aside: With regards to the last statement, there was a point in time when I seriously just prayed to God and told him, for the next few hours, please take all my troubles and my fears away. I leave them in your hands. Nothing I do now or over the rest of the night is going to affect them in anyway. And what do you know? It worked!
In the second hour, he began to play more trance tunes and it was really starting to get rather packed on the dance floor, though less packed than at Tiesto's set which was very good. I was really starting to enjoy myself; he played Sarah McLachlan's Fallen (Gabriel and Dresden's Anti-Gravity Mix) which I love and a truly awesome mix of Motorcycle's As The Rush Comes (his own remix, as it turns out). He even dropped Binary Finary's 1998 (Ronski Speed Remix). These tracks are really great for their build-up, and the energy level as incredibly high by the time he dropped the last track,
Sadly, Maniam, the tabla player, came on. It's just lucky he started playing just as AVB dropped Katana's Tribal Shock, which, admittedly, did kind of go with the indian drums. But still, I must object to the club trotting out Maniam as and when they feel like. No matter what they think, indian drums don't always go with the kind of music that's being played, and sometimes, the presence of the drum player forces the DJ to change his style in order to accommodate the instrument, and guess what? Trance doesn't go with drums, man. Period. AVB did a rather good job of switching to tribal house for a while, and then ended off the half-hour or so of drums with a teaser of Underworld's Born Slippy, which I took as a signal for better tunes to come. And man, did they come.
Around this part, I discovered that I was dancing all by myself. My clubbing mates had moved off as Maniam had come on and I was all alone. It was a little disconcerting; I don't mind dancing by myself, but still, it's nice to have people who you know around you so that you can share a smile or two or just have people to go berserk with as and when the mood comes upon you. So I texted a friend and got him to come back to the dance floor, and just as he did, BAM! Sasha's Xpander remixed with something else was played. It was incredible. I've been waiting for that tune to be played for so long that I really don't expect any DJ to play it anymore, if you get what I mean.
Anyway, great trance tune after great trance tune kept on coming. I don't mind that he just kept on dropping big tunes - that's too easy - but his mixing was great. Seamless and spot on. His selection consisted of stuff which I recognised too, which is always nice in a set. I liked that he played Solar Stone's Seven Cities five minutes after my friend yelled for him to play it (My friend was definitely too far away for AVB to have heard, by the way).
After getting a drink, I found that there was a lot of space by the side of the dance floor. A lot of people started leaving around 3 am as they, like I, thought the set was ending at that time, but unfortunately for the early leavers, AVB's set just kept on going until 4 am. I was really tired by the time 3 am came along, so the additional hour was really exhausting, especially since I just cut loose and started making use of all the space to just really rave, you know? And it was different this time, since I was dancing next to a guy who I knew who was raving too. It's great fun flailing your arms around skilfully.
AVB ended off the night with Burned with Desire, off his latest album, 76. It's not something I expected to hear in a club since it's rather slow but he played a thumping remix of it (Rising Star remix) and ended up a great set with a fantastic song.
Awesome stuff. Glad I went, and glad I stayed.
A former colleague of mine had also come down from up north to visit us - but it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that we wouldn't get very much talking done. Who talks in a club anyway?
Armin's set was, on the whole, quite good. Mind you, it didn't start out that way. From all accounts, he started out playing rather experimental style. A little more house-y, a little more progressive than usual. I didn't particularly enjoy the first hour, but sometimes, I acknowledge, it's my mood that lets me down more than the DJ's set.
Aside: With regards to the last statement, there was a point in time when I seriously just prayed to God and told him, for the next few hours, please take all my troubles and my fears away. I leave them in your hands. Nothing I do now or over the rest of the night is going to affect them in anyway. And what do you know? It worked!
In the second hour, he began to play more trance tunes and it was really starting to get rather packed on the dance floor, though less packed than at Tiesto's set which was very good. I was really starting to enjoy myself; he played Sarah McLachlan's Fallen (Gabriel and Dresden's Anti-Gravity Mix) which I love and a truly awesome mix of Motorcycle's As The Rush Comes (his own remix, as it turns out). He even dropped Binary Finary's 1998 (Ronski Speed Remix). These tracks are really great for their build-up, and the energy level as incredibly high by the time he dropped the last track,
Sadly, Maniam, the tabla player, came on. It's just lucky he started playing just as AVB dropped Katana's Tribal Shock, which, admittedly, did kind of go with the indian drums. But still, I must object to the club trotting out Maniam as and when they feel like. No matter what they think, indian drums don't always go with the kind of music that's being played, and sometimes, the presence of the drum player forces the DJ to change his style in order to accommodate the instrument, and guess what? Trance doesn't go with drums, man. Period. AVB did a rather good job of switching to tribal house for a while, and then ended off the half-hour or so of drums with a teaser of Underworld's Born Slippy, which I took as a signal for better tunes to come. And man, did they come.
Around this part, I discovered that I was dancing all by myself. My clubbing mates had moved off as Maniam had come on and I was all alone. It was a little disconcerting; I don't mind dancing by myself, but still, it's nice to have people who you know around you so that you can share a smile or two or just have people to go berserk with as and when the mood comes upon you. So I texted a friend and got him to come back to the dance floor, and just as he did, BAM! Sasha's Xpander remixed with something else was played. It was incredible. I've been waiting for that tune to be played for so long that I really don't expect any DJ to play it anymore, if you get what I mean.
Anyway, great trance tune after great trance tune kept on coming. I don't mind that he just kept on dropping big tunes - that's too easy - but his mixing was great. Seamless and spot on. His selection consisted of stuff which I recognised too, which is always nice in a set. I liked that he played Solar Stone's Seven Cities five minutes after my friend yelled for him to play it (My friend was definitely too far away for AVB to have heard, by the way).
After getting a drink, I found that there was a lot of space by the side of the dance floor. A lot of people started leaving around 3 am as they, like I, thought the set was ending at that time, but unfortunately for the early leavers, AVB's set just kept on going until 4 am. I was really tired by the time 3 am came along, so the additional hour was really exhausting, especially since I just cut loose and started making use of all the space to just really rave, you know? And it was different this time, since I was dancing next to a guy who I knew who was raving too. It's great fun flailing your arms around skilfully.
AVB ended off the night with Burned with Desire, off his latest album, 76. It's not something I expected to hear in a club since it's rather slow but he played a thumping remix of it (Rising Star remix) and ended up a great set with a fantastic song.
Awesome stuff. Glad I went, and glad I stayed.
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
Monday, December 01, 2003
According to a test I took on Personality Online, this is my Self-Personality Test profile:
And my dominant trait says this about me:
Sensitive
(Emotions, Relationships)
Familiarity breeds comfort, contentment, & inspiration, avoid wide social networks, avoid celebrity, like emotionally secure environment.
Familiarity: Individuals with the Sensitive personality style prefer the known to the unknown. They are comfortable with, even inspired by, habit, repetition,and routine.
Family: They stick close to the family and/or a few close friends. They do not require a wide network of friends and acquaintances, and they appreciate the comforts of home.
Concern: Sensitive individuals care deeply about what other people thinks of them.
Circumspection: They behave with deliberate discretion in their dealings with others. They do not make hasty judgements or jump in before they know what is appropriate.
Polite reserve: Socially they take care to maintain a courteous, self-restrained demeanor.
As far as I can recall, my Vigilant score has - surprisingly - remained high, given that I'm such an open person when I speak with others. Granted, I do guard my privacy zealously. I snap at what people may consider to be acceptable questions given the level of openness I'm displaying. My Devoted and Self-Sacrificing scores have gone down greatly though. I guess this really is the definitive proof that I've become less concerned about others than I used to be.
| Type | Percent |
| Vigilant | 57% |
| Solitary | 14% |
| Idiosyncratic | 22% |
| Adventurous | 36% |
| Mercurial | 31% |
| Dramatic | 69% |
| Self - Confident | 56% |
| Sensitive | 71% |
| Devoted | 33% |
| Concientious | 44% |
| Leisurely | 50% |
| Aggressive | 50% |
| Self - Sacrificing | 44% |
And my dominant trait says this about me:
Sensitive
(Emotions, Relationships)
Familiarity breeds comfort, contentment, & inspiration, avoid wide social networks, avoid celebrity, like emotionally secure environment.
Familiarity: Individuals with the Sensitive personality style prefer the known to the unknown. They are comfortable with, even inspired by, habit, repetition,and routine.
Family: They stick close to the family and/or a few close friends. They do not require a wide network of friends and acquaintances, and they appreciate the comforts of home.
Concern: Sensitive individuals care deeply about what other people thinks of them.
Circumspection: They behave with deliberate discretion in their dealings with others. They do not make hasty judgements or jump in before they know what is appropriate.
Polite reserve: Socially they take care to maintain a courteous, self-restrained demeanor.
As far as I can recall, my Vigilant score has - surprisingly - remained high, given that I'm such an open person when I speak with others. Granted, I do guard my privacy zealously. I snap at what people may consider to be acceptable questions given the level of openness I'm displaying. My Devoted and Self-Sacrificing scores have gone down greatly though. I guess this really is the definitive proof that I've become less concerned about others than I used to be.
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