Wednesday, March 23, 2011

good night, and good luck (2005). directed by george clooney.

i have to share this quote from this movie. so that we would always remember why it is important to speak out against injustices.
We must not confuse dissent from disloyalty. We must remember always, that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another, we will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason. If we dig deep into our history and our doctrine, we will remember we are not descended from fearful men. Not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

braveheart (1995). directed by mel gibson.

 quotes for today.

William Wallace: There's a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it.

--

Murron: You're going to teach me to read, then?
William Wallace: Aye, if you'd like.
Murron: Aye!
William Wallace: In what language?
Murron: Ah, you're showing off now.
William Wallace: That's right. Are you impressed yet?
Murron: No. Why? Should I be?
William Wallace: Oui. Parce que chaque jour j'ai pensé à toi.
[Yes. Because every single day I've thought about you]
Murron: [hesitates, impressed despite herself, then smiles] Do that standing on your head and I'll be impressed.
William Wallace: Well, my kilt will fly up, but I'll try.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

baik punya cilok (2005). diarah oleh afdlin shauki.

pos bahasa melayu kerana aku gelak seorang diri macam orang gila hari ini. berharian aku memikirkan buku yang dibaca karakter awie, mencungkil kotak ingatan apakah tajuk buku itu. ia datang dalam fikiran dalam pukul 11 pagi tadi. tajuk buku itu adalah diari rogayah.

the wedding planner (2001). directed by adam shankman.

another lame ass movie starring matthew mcconaughey. and i do not trust a pediatrician who looks like him.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

flawless (2007). directed by micheal radford.

i often use micheal caine as an indicator whether a movie is any good to watch. and he's quite a reliable good-movie-indicator. not a big fan of demi moore, but she shines in this movie as the workoholic diamond company executive who gives up having a normal woman's life (relationship, family etc.) only to hit the ultimate barrier prevalent in the 1950's - the much debated glass ceiling. she got passed over many times due to one simple reason - that she is a woman. micheal caine is the amicable janitor who is privy of moore's frustrations, who proposed a scheme that would shock and entice her. he has a lot more up his sleeve than just being the sympathetic old man.

after watching this movie, you'll never look at cleaners and janitors the same way again.

how to lose a guy in 10 days (2003). directed by donald petrie

those women always seemed to work at women's magazines, don't they?

Monday, March 7, 2011

the marriage of figaro, k492 (1786). written by wolfgang amadeus mozart.

IL CONTE:                        
[s'inginocchia ai piedi             
della Contessa]                                       
Contessa, perdono!

LA CONTESSA:                        
Più docile io sono,                 
e dico di sì.

translation in english:

ALMAVIVA:
[kneeling at the Countess's feet]
Countess, pardon me!

ROSINA:
I am gentler,
and I grant it you.

if i have a picture that could go with this divine music - i must be in heaven, by then.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

mulholland drive (2001). directed by david lynch.

whenever i listened to the red hot chilli peppers' ninth studio album stadium arcadium (2006) - one of the songs that would stand out is the one entitled "tell me baby". it goes something like this:


they come from every state to find
some dreams were meant to be declined
tell the man what did you have in mind
what have you come to do



this town was made of many things
just look at what the current brings
so high it's only promising
this place was made on you


and this song would remind me of this film - mulholland drive. at that time naomi watts was still relatively unknown, though she had been acting for years but yet was still not recognized as a major acting talent. and that's what the story is about - like the song - it is about broken dreams. david lynch takes us into the complicated labyrinth of dreams that acts as a metaphor of how hard it is to be successful in the hollywood entertainment factory. he literally takes us into the dreams - as in dreams occured during one's sleep - of a young woman called diane selwyn who dreams of making it big in hollywood. the story is an intricate web of multiple personalities, projected desires, unfulfilled wishes, reality and fantasy, and ultimately - the horror of broken dreams. this is not an easy movie to watch - but i love its clever execution. i love it that the dreams we have in our sleep are the misplaced visions we have in our waking hours is finely interwoven in this movie. it is not mechanically executed like in inception (2010), rather lynch sought to imitate the mechanism of dreaming.

do we ever think, how we dream?

this movie came to my mind when i was reading about the lesbian sex scene in the black swan (2010). the author of the site (i can't remember who) contends that the hype surrounding the scene is generating negative limelight towards the movie because it is obviously more than just lesbian sex. i often hold the same opinion about sex scenes in general - i find it distracting. sure i get the point that they are having sex and indicate sexuality - but that's as much information as i can gather. in most cases such scene doesn't drive the movie forward. thus scenes that extend more than 1 minute is really not necessary no matter how tastefully it is done. mulholland drive has one of such scene involving naomi watts and the beautiful laura harring - i am not singling this out - but their relationship is a prime mover of this story.

give it a view, which i think will be a roller coaster ride for you. you will come out with more questions than answers. perhaps later on, when you feel like contemplating about this movie - the following links can help you out with the clues.


Friday, March 4, 2011

de battre mon coeur s'est arrêté (original title) (2005) (english: the beat that my heart skipped). directed by jacques audiard.

i used to have a blog with the same title. some time ago it was. i deleted it, to delete memories and experiences. physically, that is much harder to do. this story is one of the major hollywood movies that was remade in french. it was based on an earlier movie, fingers (1978) directed by james toback with the lead played by harvey keitel.

i usually watch movies several times - but the rule doesn't apply with this one. not that it is not good - on the contrary - it is very good. but french movies - being french - suck you right into their misery, or whatever it is on screen. this movie is no exception.

it is about a man torn between two worlds - his day job as a criminal, beating up people for money - but his dream job, his passion - is to be a concert pianist. he hires a chinese piano teacher who doesn't speak any french, thus their only mode of communication is via music - it is painful to watch this man fighting so hard for something that seemingly isn't natural for him, and yet so dear to him. i haven't seen romain duris a lot - and in this movie, he gave one powerful performance.

i watched this film several years ago, and haven't watched it again since. my memory failed me on the details - but i remember how painful it was to watch him struggle. he didn't get to be a pianist right till the end, but he went on to achieve something bigger. he left his thuggish profession behind. his struggle to be something that at his age is impossible to do is but a facade of the hunger of how much he wants to leave his old life for good.

i apologize, i do not do justice of a review to this film. it is beautiful beyond words. i think i will give it a second viewing, when i get back in april.