Eat Pray Love – Ryan Murphy

What is the word to describe your life now?

Possible is my word. Anything could happen in anytime. And I’m waiting for more doors to be opened.

I would say, “Glowing” for Ryan Murphy. I was blown away by him, AGAIN! The incentive of watching this movie is to find a better psychological state, awaiting love to arrive. Never did pay attention to who is the director. But once I saw the credits and Ryan Murphy’s name appears on the big screen: “WOW” was my reaction. From “Nip/tuck” to “Glee” and now “Eat pray love”, how diverse the topics are, and he is getting better and better in making every moment looks its best.

I don’t think I have to summarize the movie, as the Name itself speaks for itself. It’s about Eat, Pray and Love. The three words to describe the year Liz (short for Elizabeth in the movie played by Julia Roberts) goes on a journey after a heartbreaking divorce. Eat in Italy, Pray in India, and Love in Bali. However, the three words only say what she has done in these three beautiful places but not what she inspired.

I don’t remember the exact wordings, but it goes like this: People are afraid of being destroyed. Something has been built in them, but they cannot let go. It might be painful at first. Being destroyed is only another new beginning, a new transformation. And transformation may lead to a new revolution. I couldn’t agree with this more. When people get content with their current life, they tend to just avoid all possible changes. Like, a relationship. After years the couple have already grown apart but due to the experiences they share and the fear of fighting loneliness, so they stay together, because they don’t want to start to know someone all over again. It could apply anywhere. The point is people try to remain as stable as possible. And it could be a bad thing for some of us.

Dolce Far Niente, Italian meaning the sweetness of doing nothing. Living in a cosmopolitan city like this, it’s really hard to enjoy doing nothing. When everyone around you is literally running and you just jog you’d immediately become an outcast. I wish I could just give myself f a break. A day just hanging around at home and doing nothing would be an energizing event. Liz finds her way in Italy, where will I find mine?

Dolce Far Niente, Italian meaning the sweetness of doing nothing. Living in a cosmopolitan city like this, it’s really hard to enjoy doing nothing. When everyone around you is literally running and you just jog you’d immediately become an outcast. I wish I could just give myself f a break. A day just hanging around at home and doing nothing would be an energizing event. Liz finds her way in Italy, where will I find mine?

This is a story of an adventure in finding oneself. Personally, the first part Rome is the most intriguing part. Comparatively, the other two are less interesting. But yet they are still a lot to take in. And they are all big common obstacles we encounter everyday. Like forgiving ourselves, and let the past be the past. We all know they are living among us but how many of us know how to face it.

There are a lot to take in, a lot to digest. “Eat Pray Love” is a really inspiring piece. It’s more than love. It’s more about how you define your life and what you want it to be.

If you are lost and insecure, this is a must for you.

Inception – Christopher Nolan

I wrote this because I had a dream. A dream that seems real.

The dream was just as vivid as it happened in reality. I couldn’t believe it was not true. People keep telling me dreams are coming from people’s sub-consciousness, they are always saying that I just want something too bad that I dreamt it up.

But after watching Inception recently, it has totally changed my perspective on dreams or it opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Let say the whole concept of taking and implanting ideas into someone’s thought are plausible. Then the problem is simple, most of us don’t know how to control the entrance: when, where, and who to meet in our dreams. If we could master the skills, we could control who to see and where to go in our dreams.

Is it really practical that people could meet in a different space of time? How accurate the information we see in the other world is authentic? If we could acquire information by this mean, then living in present time could be much easier, as we always complain the limited time we have per day, what if we could maximize the number of hours we could control? What if we could attain knowledge during our sleep? Is it possible? If inception is true then it could possibly happen.

If dreams are really built by people’s consciousness and sub-consciousness, what we see in dreams are others perception or their projection on certain scenario. As people could not control where they will be in dreams, sometimes they maybe end up in people’s bad memories and experiences, which we call nightmare. How about we see someone familiar? Same concept like the possibility we come across our friends in reality, that we mistakenly visit our friends’ dreams.

So can we say that there is “another world” ahead of us? There is a huge possibility if Inception is true. The problem of proving all this relevant is extremely difficult. One, dreams will fade away as soon as we wake up; two, most of the people never did take dreams seriously; and three, people will think you are crazy if you take like this. Alright, but is it really important to prove all this? To me? NO. knowing all this might be true give me an opportunity to believe the moments I have had are real.

This is my first time that I am so inspired by a movie. Christopher Nolan’s movies are always my favourite! From Memento to Prestige and now Inception, they could always set your mind to whole new direction.

Exam – Stuart Hazeldine

Looking at the poster itself will mislead you this is a horror flick. When I made up my mind picking up this movie gave me chills. After engaging 101 mins, I realized this is more than another thriller/drama. Simple settings, but yet thought-provoking.

At first I thought this was just another “Saw” like movies. Which people were confined in a room and were forced to make insane decision and save themselves by self-abuse. However, Exam is nothing like Saw. 8 candidates are trying their best to be chosen for the spot at this enormous medical company.

Unexpectedly, the only flashback the movie has, is the announcement by the invigilator. Apart from that, nothing else, not even the candidates backgrounds. Like we are one of the invigilators, sitting behind the glass and watching them perform. Unlike ordinary text, this does not require to write, although a pencil has been provided to each candidate. “If anyone spoil the paper intentionally or accidently you will be disqualified.” So how to pass the text with 7 other candidates and a blank question paper?

You will be granted years of life after joining the companying. There is an unknown disease affecting the people in the movie. As some of them reveal the truth of applying the job, is the medication is not affordable. Even some of the candidates are infected. And this disease is vigorous as medication should be taken everything one hour. What does it imply?

This company wealth ranked top 10 in terms of nation wise. Which mean more and more people are turning to them for healthier life. With better means, man life could be prolonged. Or deadly disease is spreading uncontrollably. Or maybe both. There is no clear time setting, this leave us wondering what could the disease probably be? Is it then, now, or later?

Brilliant thought about the characters. They are perfectly divided into different ethic groups and backgrounds, white, yellow brown, black, professional gambler… which leads us to another open question. Are we equal? This is for you to think.

Well-written script. The movie runs precisely with the exam time. The minutes passed quickly. Few disturbing scenes but it won’t distract you from enjoying the movie.

All about love – Ann Hui

Ann Hui is testing the limits of the Kongers. Homosexual and bisexual are not often being discussed openly in Hong Kong. Comedian Sandra Ng and the come back act of Vivian Chow, together make an easier penetration to the audiences. Telling us the life of being an upper class/ mid-aged lesbian facing the changes in the lives.

Some woman loves babies, while others are in total opposite. Some will change their mind when they get older. People used to say, there is a biologically clock inside every woman, telling them or warning them about their last due date. Their motherhood suddenly appears, the urge of having their own baby rush into their minds consciously or subconsciously. In this case the two leads found pregnant after one of their casual hook ups.

In Chinese culture, we were used to man fooling around being polygamous. However, when it came to woman they seemed to be absolute fidelity. Death penalty would be sentenced if they were caught. Meanwhile being a single mother is always tough. As time change, girls nowadays can be equal as boys. It’s no longer a surprise when you find pregnant without a dad. Nevertheless, it can’t be apply to everywhere, there are still some old fashioned and religious people. I have heard stories of Christians being asked to leave church, as they are feared to set a bad example for the others.

This movie is trying to break so many rules, no matter man or woman. They are given certain roles or rules to follow. What they suppose to do, or not suppose to do. It is about stereotyping and labeling. Homosexual has become more common in today’s world, not to mention those bisexual. However, bisexuals are often being labeled as sluts, as they have a wider choice compare with the gays and straights. The movie mentions an interesting point, what is the difference between the homosexual and the heterosexual, when they are both not accepting or respecting other preferences. Homosexual always whines the misunderstandings of others but they are blind to realize they are no difference.

Most of the people afraid of changes, they feel comfortable in places they find familiar. Whenever there is a slight intrusion, they tend to panic and put up their guards. In order to stay in their comfort zone they banish novelties. They curse it and give them evil names. The leads may encounter similar things in the story. I’ll say why do we have to limit ourselves by living in tons of regulations. Labeling others or even ourselves does no good to us. Sometimes fortunes might be hidden behind our insecurity.

In spite of the fact that the movie warps up so many social issues, it still delivers it’s message lightly rather than too seriously. We are able to enjoy a few good laughs and give a thought of the message. Credit goes to the selection of the cast. A comedian and a come back actress are a surprise combination. Although the latter’s not-so-believable acting may distract you at times, with the aid of the two male leads William Chan and Cheung Siu-fai it fades into a minor issue.

If you think the messages are way too heavy, treat it as a comedy and just enjoy a good laugh.

Bandage – Takeshi Kobayashi

Bandage - a piece of cloth that covers and protects an injured part of the body. In this case music symbolizes it. Every character in a way or two are struggling within themselves. Uncertainty, insecurity, loneliness, desolation, impuissance are playing their tricks in their minds. And music is the only thing holding them together.

The movie set in the 1990s Japanese Indie Rock era. One day a high school girl Asako (Kie Kitano) accidently came across this indie band called LANDS, and was touched by their music instantly. Later, by chance she happened to be the co-manager of the band. Not long LANDS reached to their peak, however, it didn’t last.

Humans are vulnerable. Every character has their own struggle. It can relate to most of the adolescents nowadays. Lack of confidence, they may lift their heads up high but the inside they don’t believe in themselves. Emotional problems, this may caused by broken families and messed up relationships Third the ability to change, they often got stuck in a situation that they despise, due to financial issues and courage they mostly remain unchanged. Sometimes they bow down to faith and become a realist, they have totally forgotten the passion once hey had before so they are living in misery.

As a result, we are in recovery status, which means our wounds are healing. So as not to get infected we must protect our wounds with bandages. However, we must remember bandage is not the cure. We might still bleed so we need medications and sometimes therapies to heal them. We cannot solely rely on it but to take actions before matter worsen. In the movie, music is the bandage. It holds them together. When their wounds are covered, they neglect what’s hidden underneath. This also happens in our daily life.

Music can bring people together. Passion brings together a band. A band brings together a reunion. A reunion brings an opportunity to meet the band. Knowing the band brings forth a dream career. In the movie everyone is linked together. Which is true that not only music but also most of the things happened in life are somehow connected. Which one thing leads to another. Just like everything is according to a plan, they happen for a reason.

It can also be a tool to express ones feelings. Few key scenes were featured with songs instead of dialogues, as the story evolved and the aid of the scenario the lyrics became alive. Through the melody your mood followed instantly.

Watching the movie is very enjoyable as it was beautifully shot. It seems like a prolonged music video rather than a movie. At times, the director deliberately creates mysteries, which make you long for the answers. And when it reveals it surprises you. Not till end you will find the connections between all the characters. But you will be thrilled once you have noticed them.

Good Story, good music.

Flowers For Algernon – Elton Lau

Now, we’ve got a solution to those mentally disordered. They could undergo a brain surgery, which aim at removing their badly developed brain cells, and at the same time they will be applied medications to advance their brain activities in order to reach beyond normal intelligence. Charlie IQ 68 is chosen to participant in this experimental surgery. Unfortunately, everything has its downside.

Human life is fragile. Our thoughts are vulnerable. Inevitably, at times we are overwhelmed with some of the seven deadly sins – wrath, greed, and pride. We pray so hard to vend off those demons. Nevertheless, not all of us can survive.

Pride, dignity comes together with knowledge. Happiness comes from innocence. We always acknowledge the less we know the more carefree we are. At first, when Charlie doesn’t understand what is happening to him, he is such an adorable big boy. Once he learns what those words are truly meant, anxiety fills up his mind. I am not implying we should put the blame on him. Those mischievous bullies should be the alternatives. Expectation from his mother should also be counted as a one of the factors. Charlie could have been immune if the alteration had never been made.

Greed spells trouble. Desire sometimes finds it’s way to mishaps. When we are overpowered by this state of mind we might not be able think straight. We never know when is enough, when to stop or even when to let go. From the outside Charlie might simply wants to be more intelligent. However, his sub-consciousness wants his family back. And once he gets control of this massive intelligences family is not his only option. Still the eager of family drives him to this tragedy. Being left behind is the least Charlie wants, when his mother chooses his sister over him, there is never a way back. Never ever going to be the same again.

Wrath is the source of uneventful encounters. One of the reasons why his mother opted for this sister over him is because of his sister’s selfishness. She loathes her brother taking all the attention from her. Adding together with the teasing at school and the state of neglect by her parents then with a few tricks strengthen the determination of his mother to send her brother away.

Being a child is the most wonderful thing in the world. When we grow up we tend to be loaded with tons of responsibilities and lots to worry. So in some point I wish to be Charlie. Being innocent for most of his life. Today’s kids tend to lose this accent of being a child way too early. Again they should not be taken a full responsibility, the society is pushing our children to grow up faster by the overloaded information. Watching his drama makes me envy those kids who still have this in their hands.

Watching this drama is definitely a breathtaking and heartbreaking experience. A thumb up to the director, actors and the crew, especially the set designer this absolutely topped any settings I have ever seen in my life. Love the way they show the audience how the set is assembled. Bit by bit, start from stretch. At the same time it resembles the Charlie after the surgery, his intelligence is growing like the speed how the stage develops. The different layers of the set and how actors jump through them enrich the coherence of the story.

The cast is also impressive. First it’s Tony Wong, can’t believe how diverse and talented he is. He delivers precisely. His believable acting skills nearly drive me to shed my tears. Credit should also be given to the script, well written and brilliantly translated.

This is a thought-evoking piece. It is your lost missing it.

Letters to Juliet - Gary Winick

Love story? Lost appetite? Not too fast, this is not just your typical romance Hollywood flick. If you are on your down side recently, watching this movie will just simply do the work to cheer you up and putting your head back up high and ready for it again.

Verona is the city of love, people often visit the resident of Juliet and grieving girls and women then will write down their unfortunates addressing to Juliet hoping for an answer. And everyday a group of women claiming themselves as “the secretaries of Juliet” will reply those letters on behalf of Juliet. One day Sophia is travelling to the city with her fiancé Victor and finds out the work these women are doing, and later Sophia ends up helping the secretaries of Juliet and accidently finds a letter behind a loose brick addressing to Juliet 50 years ago, so she decides to reply this letter and this is where the story begins. Searching for the true love 50 years ago. “If it can last then, it will last 50 years later.”

“Speaking of love, it’s never too late.”

I have to admit it, after watching this movie, I feel like there is a big rock removed from my heart. Not only once there are fortunetellers telling me I won’t be able to find my true love in my 20s, that means I have to wait till I reach my 30s and there is still a really long way to go. I used to feel upset about it. But after tonight I’ve changed. If someone is confident enough to search for her 50 years ago teenage affection, comparing to me, mine seem nothing. Although it’s pretty predictable the message is utterly positive.

“You have to have the courage to seize it.”

During the search of Claire for her love Lorenzo, Sophia happens to get along with Claire’s grandson Charlie. Love is also about timing, Sophia has a fiancé, and Charlie has a complicated relationship back in the UK. Another message in the movie is to fight for your love, love won’t simply just fall out of nowhere, we have to take the chances and go for it, and how many loved one you can afford to lose? Why we always to have be the one who wait for someone to take the first step. Why can’t we initiate, and make it happen.

People come and go in our lives not that they don’t love you any more, it’s because people change. People come together because they have something in common something they share, it can be work, interests, hobbies and believes. When these stuff no longer on top of each other, we move on, again that doesn’t mean we lost a friend or someone we love, we should take it as a new phase of our life. Once friends always are friends.

If you play a little more attention you will aware that the atmosphere of movie is actually pink. From time to time you will see people in the movie walk in pairs, jog in pairs. Really like the little details which the director has put a lot of thoughts, it is not obvious but not yet subtle enough to make you realize them and help to intensify the mood of the whole story.

“I’m madly, deeply, truly in love with you.”

I am also in love with the screenplay, and the accent, everyone seems to have their own accent, making the character so distinct and it is obvious the people who wrote it are giving assumptions to different nationalities. Like the Americans are always rush, the Italians are romantic etc. And when the time your hear Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” everything just seems so right. And I can say Love Story is the perfect song for this movie!

This is one the best romance movies I have ever watched!!!

Glee Season 1 – Ryan Murphy

This must be a coincident! This is the second Ryan Murphy show I have bought! First Nip/Tuck! And now Glee! They are totally different type of dramas I would have never expected from a producer like Ryan who was known for the show nip/tuck and surprisingly both Glee and nip/tuck are gratifying!!

I’m serious here, Glee is really the first show that got me from the deep down! This is the one show that really depicting what is really happening in the real world, sometimes it might be a little bit over the top but in a sarcastic way. Glee is about a bunch of unpopular kids struggling to find their feet in school. And this show choir Glee Club gives them the platform to express themselves. It is really relatable. One good thing about them is that they never did look down upon themselves although they are not like those popular ones, they are still capable in finding a way to glow. When you are being bullied it’s hard to ignore them and still do your thing flawlessly, something most of the people lack in this generation is - believing in themselves and trust that they are better than what they thought they were.

I actually feel like Rachel sometimes as I was just as righteous as she thought she was at school!! Of cause I was not that aggressive (may be I was)! I was mean and brutally honest all the time! And I knew people just didn't like me, or not comfortable being around me because of my personality! But this is the way I am and I like it! Accepting yourself is what glee is all about! You have to love yourself first before anyone else. Rachel is the perfect example of being over confident, nevertheless, her dream is clear, she is just fighting for her dream.

I envy Kurt, he has a really understandable father! Although his father doesn't really agree with life style, however, he just supports him no matter what! I’m not comparing this, as Kurt is gay, it’s just that western dads seem more expressive than Chinese dads. I do understand that not all western dads are like this but watching Kurt having a father like this makes me ache.

It’s reality! Those are the kids who are being left out and boycotted at school!! And they survive!! Only one percent of the population of the students is the popular ones! So that makes most of us are living in the shadow of the glee club members, it’s not a bad thing because now at least we have someone to look up to. Everyone is struggling on something on their own

Apart from the theme, the other selling point of Glee is the music! Somehow the show introduced me some oldies and kind of put it in a new edge, I believe music do speak for itself. Good music last forever! Second, the music are much more relatable abided by with the story line. Personal favorites Poker Face (Cherry Tree Gaga version), no air, vogue, take a bow… and more.

Giving you a little taste of high school but yet inspiring and hilarious.

Break Up Club – Barbara Wong

Break up is a big word for most of the people, I once heard the more you love the harder to say goodbye. I was caught up by the Chinese name of the movie, how could one possibly say I love you when they are breaking up. If you love me, then why do this me?

Do you want your girlfriend back? If so, are you willing to break up one of your friends so as to bring back your girl? So, who’s the lucky one? Break Up Club is “Mockumentary”, perfectly blended with today’s culture which people love to record their lives in many different sorts of ways. To me this is like Video journal, I’m peeking through the camera to take a glimpse of their romance. It’s relatable, even if you 15, 25, 35 or even 65, it will somehow touch the strings in your heart and make you ache.

We look for different things in different stages of our life sometime without even noticing it. When we were young, we were shortsighted, we don’t think about our future much. We are just like an artist following our dreams, our emotions, and our passions without thinking the consequences, making decisions purely by instincts. We dare to love, we dare to hate. “Even the sky is falling down, you’ll be my only, no need to worry” (Down by Jay Sean) Love is everything for most of the people. When Fiona is just a salesperson, she doesn’t mind being with Jaycee who never bothers to find a permanent job. The only thing matter is the chemistry between them, the “sparks” tickling their heart.

When we get a little older we are like a businessman, no flames, everything is practical. When we are bored with our life, when you want a change, want a stable life and WOW suddenly there is a prefect option, a big opportunity in front of you, there is no way turning it down. After the movie ends my friends said Fiona was the bad one, she had an affair and dumped Jaycee. Na, I don’t see eye to eye with him, why? There is no such thing as who’s right who’s wrong in love. Love is selfish. No matter how much you love someone, deep down you will just put yourself first. If Jaycee were a better guy, a guy you could see a future with, do you think Fiona’s would dump him?

Can you stop and wait when you’ve already walked a big step ahead of him/her to wait for them to grow up? Doesn’t mean you don’t love them but when your lives are no loner allies with each other, it’s time to move on. I know it’s heart breaking jus let it go.

Credits have to be given to the leads, Fiona and Jaycee. Without their performance, this movie will never be a success. They are a convincing couple. All those tears are real, it makes you cry with them. You can feel the pain in them. They absolutely delivered! Apart from them, Patrick has also done a great job putting a balance between their tensions.

All those spying like style add to the authenticity of the whole concept. Wong has played a big part. If it were not shot in this way, it may not be as touching as this is. It maximized the intensity by doing so. The story speaks for most the people, something we may not want to admit but it is the reality. I love this so much just because of its truthfulness. This is not some fairy tales which will never happen, however, we might have come across these kind of stories in a way to two, or some of us even realize this after watching the movie and start wondering your future with your loved one. Wong just approaches everyone, if it happened before you’ll find it relatable, if not, you’ll find it utterly disturbing as it shakes your belief in love. One day it will never be the same again.

I love this too much I watched it twice. Just don’t miss this, guys! It is a must watch in 2010!

Let the Right One In – John Ajvife Lindqvist

I have to say the book is ten times more intense than the movie, and it does match up the description of the book – disturbing! There were times I just stop breathing, as it was way too vivid, like I was a witness in those bloody vicious killing scenes. If I have to choose which is better, I will say the book, as the book gives a clearer picture of its name.

Everyone in the book seems more complex than the movie. Everyone is telling their own story but at the same time contributing to the whole frame of the story. The novel takes you in much deeper into the lives of the characters. This is why I love it more than the movie.

Oscar - a brave a little boy at least much braver than the movie only with a little help of Eli, he is fighting back like a real warrior. Oscar represents a number of the teenagers in the world right now, single parent, being bullied at school, low self-esteem. Reading Oscar story is encouraging in some point, as through the story we can see Oscar grows, he is fighting back the villains standing up for himself. Most of the kids in this age (12) are somehow still seeking the attention of their parents. What will happen when they have no one to turn to no one to talk to, especially when they are being bullied at school? Before meeting Eli, the only thing that Oscar can do is stabbing trees imagining he is stabbing his bullies. Saving up money to buy a knife to protect himself. Most of the time he is heading back to an emptied house. The loneliness is killing him inside, no one wants to be friends with him as they are always afraid of being the next victim. Finally, Eli appears in his life.

The lack of parenting increases the eagerness of finding a friend. Having a drunk father, Oscar loses all the hope for his father, having limited choices, in the end he picks Eli, even when he knows Eli is not human but a monster, he is terrified, however, she is the only “person” he could turn to.

Luckily, on the other hand Eli is as lonely as Oscar although there isn’t much description on Eli, not much from her perspective, but we have known enough. The word “vampire” rarely pops up in the book. It was treated as something sacred, something cannot be told. Without much talking about Eli’s previous life, left me wonder how she could manage to survive all these years. The relationship between Eli and Oscar is complicated, there is one moment Eli is leaning towards Oscar’s throat, and she immediately retrieves her head once Oscar touches her face. Maybe this is a long gone touch by someone who is really concerned that stops her. Solitary is the word for Eli, two thousand years, people just come and go by her life, there must be some reasons she settles down with Håkan.

Håkan is another interesting character which the movie did not put too much emphasis on. Owing to the limitation of the movie, it did not clearly portrait the true identity of him. I guess most the people who have watched the movie guessed Håkan is more than a guardian. By looking through Håkan’s life, you will have a much solid understanding of this character and you will be unsettled by his actions.

Everyone in the story has their own problem, nevertheless, they are all linked to one thing – Solitariness. In a way or two they are trying to overcome their difficulties and seeking for someone’s comforts. No one can really survive alone, sometime people are just like parasite, and we need to hang around someone in order to survive. It is just a matter of letting people in and going into theirs.

This is not another typical vampire horror story, it’s way more than “JUST” sheer horror, however, it offers a lot to think about, John Ajvife Lindqvist includes a lot of social issue in this book. Bullying, homosexual, alcoholics, single parenting, paedophile. People may not take this book seriously as there are too of its genre flocking in the market now but I dare say this is the best of its kind.

Reading the book I strongly acknowledged the message of story. John Ajvife Lindqvist just used another approach to bring this whole theme together. No matter the storyline and the way he tells the story I have never found it elsewhere. Although some moments you may just want to put down and book and take a deep breath. You simple just can’t stop yourself from turning the pages. . If you like the movie you will love this book. If you haven’t watched the movie, you will find yourself at a lost for words when you finish it.

Ex – Heiward Mak

Have you got over your exes?

What will happen if your lives come across again? Especially when you are not totally over him/her? What if you two were seeing someone but still have feelings for each other? Wrong Timing? The movie depicts the dilemma in such situation Where Gillian Chung, William Chan and Michelle Wai are stuck in this scenario. What will happen in 2 days?

Can you still be friends with your exes?

Personally, I don’t mind being friends with my exes. However most of the people don’t really like this idea? I sort of know the answers now. Maybe people are still not yet over their exes as they don’t want to lose them or the present one doesn’t like the idea of reconnecting your former encounter, jealousy. Scared something might happen or sometimes making comparisons. We never have the intention to compare the present one to the old ones, but deep down in certain ways the memories start floating back from the deep ocean. Somehow you will think of them in a way or two intentionally or accidentally. There must be something you can’t let go.

“The one who you truly love is always not around.”

I have figured this out when I was about 12, is not about how they look like, how gentle, sweet and understanding they were, is more about the moment we shared. Something will never be the same again. However in a certain extant the memories will come and haunt you, you don’t have to look for them, they will FIND you. No matter how hard you deny there is always something down there looking for you. “I don’t want to settle for wrong one.” Said Gillian in the movie. But sometimes you don’t have the luxury to choose, the one you really want maybe is the one most unreachable.

This is the first time I saw William on the big screen which is pretty impressive, not too much nor less. One word - believable. Secondly the director, the whole movie is just depicting about two days, but it is more than enough to tell the complexity of their relationship. Mak uses the lingo precisely capturing the accent of today’s generation. The only drawback is the cast, most of my friends were disgusted by the cast and on the other hand I was attracted by the poster. I regard myself lucky, as it is actually an inspiring piece.

I was surprised! Never have expected the movie is something like this, sweet but sour. It does live up to its names, the theme, is about exes. Something genuine, sometime we may not openly discuss it with our friend. Life is full of mysteries, dilemmas. Either one is enough to make you suffer.

The Runaways – Floria Sigismondi

“Hello Daddy, Hello Mum, I’m your Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch Cherry BOMB!”

I instantly love this song, “Cherry Bomb”, I have just listened to it during the movie and I already could remember the lyrics when I walked out of the cinema! I could imagine Lady Gaga singing this song doing the “ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch Cherry bomb” thing. And it definitely would become of the greatest hits of the time. You know all those po-po-po-poker face thing! Lol.

Biopic is always my favourite. Although I don’t know whether I should call them a success or not, as the Runaways dissolved in 1979, but I still see them as a success! In the 70s most of the bands are formed by boys, we seldom see girls doing rock back then. I especially admire Joan Jett I know it’s a bit unfair as she is one of the producers of the movie all those scenes must have been hand picked by her, the side she wants us to see, to know. I admire her passion in music she didn’t stop after the Runaways was dissolved. She kept going and now she is still active in the entertainment business she is going to be on tour with the current rock band Green Day in this summer in Europe. It is the perfect attitude we should have!

Despite the fact that Joan Jett produces the movie, it is based on Cherry Currie’s biography, Cherry is key of the band she is the focus of the band, centre of attention. The movie mostly depicts Cherry’s psychological changes, about how she sees her family. Living in a single-parent family, a drunk father, mum ready to move to Indonesia with her new husband. At that point she sees herself as an orphan. “Runaway” with Joan Jett and started the band. However later she realizes she needs sometime with her family as her father is sick, and due to the stress she have being a star she turn to drugs and becomes an addict.

One thing I don’t like about the story is the problem of drugs, does every pop star and rock band somehow a drug addict. Most of the time Joan Jett and Cherry Currie is high. On show or not they are drinking or taking drugs.

I like it when Joan Jett is lying in the bathtub and rewriting the song “One of Them“ to “Love is Pain”, I love the lyrics: “I am not ashamed to say love is pain, but I’ll do it again.” Sometime personal, the relation between Joan and Cherry is a bit confuse, their friendship seems a bit more then just team mates, they kiss, they sleep together, they are close. The time Joan re-writes the song is after the band has dissolved. I am not trying to imply anything, but there is definitely something going on.

The two Twilight co-stars impressed me. Little Ashes and The Runaway are both interesting biopic staring these both young actors. And both of them are somehow kissing their friends and we left wondering the relationships between them and theirs friends. Kristen Stewert actually requested to sing in the movie, and it turned out not so bad! They are promising superstar in the future.

As a biopic, I won’t consider the Runaways boring. There are a lot of ups and downs among the characters, nice music and interesting story. If you are a rock fan you will definitely love it, if not you will still find it interesting.

The Lovely Bones – Peter Jackson

What would happen after death? Would there be an afterlife? A Heaven?

Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) was killed by her neighbor, when one day she was going home from school walking across the cornfield. Since then she has been watching her family and friends from the place where she called heaven or somewhere in between. She could not let go of her family so she stayed.

I was mesmerized by the scene when Susie goes into a blench white room where in the middle stands a pale white bathtub, a man whose face is covered by a towel is lying inside and resting his both arms on the two sides. There is blood scattered across the room, dirty and muddy clothes are among the scattered bloodstains. Not far from the bathtub located a filthy washbasin coloured with more blood and the faucet hangs a bracelet. At the moment Susie finally realized that she is dead. I love the contrast of the white and the deep red, step by step Susie walks into realization of her death, the fear in her eyes speak a thousand words. The scene is beautiful but yet brutally depicted.

The story is told from the perspective of Susie. In the beginning when she describes the murderer her voice is so soft and neutral, there is not a hint of anger or hatred. You may wonder how could she channel her anger. Later the truth will be revealed. Sometimes we may easily let anger rule over us, distracted our mindset, shadowing our decisions. However, to let all those down is really a complicated task, not that I am asking you to embrace your murderer but to let the anger down so as not to put burden on your loved ones shoulders. Leading your family and friends living in miseries does no good to any one. Considering the circumstances it doesn’t worth putting them in hell for your lost. The world doesn’t only revolve around you.

The story is all about letting go. You cannot live in the past forever, there is no such thing as “It ‘s not the time yet.” Or “It should have happened the other way.” Nothing is certain, you can’t stop anything from happening, and most importantly it’s not about then, is about now. Lingering in memories may only help you to survive a while but not forever. Learn how to embrace and accept the truth and carry on living a better life is what we should focus on not the former.

Watching this movie is like experiencing something impossible, most of the religions tell us there is an afterlife. Nevertheless, the truth has never been verified. Seeing Susie watching her family and friends makes me wonder the existence of my life after dead, will I be watching someone I can’t let go? Or it’s simply just the end?

Few confusions but it is still an inspiring journey.

Singlology – Tony Wong

I went to see this drama totally because of its name! I have been finding my special one for a while now, eagerly wants my name erase from that lonely list! Sometimes I may wonder what does single mean to me. I have lost count of how long I have been single, 3 or 4 years? I’m not so good at remembering unpleasant events. Coming across this drama is like putting a definition in this point of my life. I’m single but I’m happy.

In one of the scenes Tony mentions about “consciousness” and “sub-consciousness”, no matter how many times we are telling ourselves to find the right one, deep down the sub-consciousness is doing its little tricks sending these little messages hinting that we don’t need anyone to make us happy. Everyone of us wants to be loved but still wants to have some of our secret private moments. When we were exhausted after a long day of hard work the only thing we want was to lie down and relax, unfortunately, the one sleeping next to you would just start touching you kissing you, doing all those foreplays, and next thing you do was faking your orgasm. No matter how madly in love you are, from time to time you just need some spare time of your own.

I have realized that don’t really know since when, I start keeping myself intensely busy, don’t even have time to breath! When you are trying too hard to develop a relation with someone, sooner or later you will just grow tried of it, and you will automatically occupied yourself with numerous events, trying to avoid the scene of failing. When you are not over thinking, opportunities just fly in your way, all of a sudden those adorable cupids are surrounding you colouring your atmosphere PINK! Just take it easy and you time will come.

Once just like Tony, there were 2 “fortunetellers” telling me I won’t be able to find true love until I reach my 30s. WTF! Was my first reaction, even now I still couldn’t believe it!! There is still a long way to go! What should I do? Standing where I am and wait for them to come? Really? That doesn’t mean I will simply kill all my potential lovers. There is a friend told me that I should take this chance and time to upgrade myself. Which once you are in love time just becomes a luxurious item. Better get prepared rather than just a pair of emptied hands.

If you are confused being single! Watching this drama may help you clear things out a little bit. Apart from the theme, the show is absolutely enjoyable to watch. Movements/dancing (I don’t really know what people call them), dialogues are hilarious and yet inspiring. As it is preformed in a small theater and a solo play, the actor often interacts with the audiences. We were just like on same stage together, so intimate, and so close, like talking with your BFF. Don’t miss it if it re-runs later!!

I love you Phillip Morris – Glenn Ficarra & John Requa

“I don’t want to live in a lie any more.” Said Steven Russell “but living a life I want is expensive.”

From a car accident Russell realized that life is short so he abandons his wife and daughter and starts living the way that he really wants – a glamorous homosexual life. In order to live a luxurious life he becomes conman. Not long he is caught and go to jail and meet the love of his life – Phillip Morris.

There is a 360 change in Russell’s life, buying nice cars, pedicure, on vacation, rich… somehow the movie does emphasis all those things Russell is living are a fraud, he has to lie to get into his way. Lies build one after another, one bigger than the other, even when he meets the love of his life. It makes you wonder is it really possible to do this? It is just too easy. However, the movie claimed it was based on a true story. If those events really happened in real life, I just couldn’t believe how stupid and careless people were.

There are a lot stereo-typing going on, people always misunderstand the life of a homosexual, which in this case Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) imitates most of them. I remember there is a scene where Russell’s wife asks the doctor whether stealing is part of being gay is a sort of a disorder. What? This totally proved how ignorant and homophobic the Americans are. One more thing homosexuals are not ALL living in a luxurious life like Russell does in the movie, not everyone can afford a life like that I have to say.

Love can always be the motivation of life. Like Russell, once he has met Phillip, he has tried everything to be with him. After his imprisonment, he quickly plays his tricks, poses as a lawyer and gets him out of prison. In order to have a life with Phillip, he has to find a job to support him and his love. But yet again, he managed to fake voices, forge documents to get a lucrative financial job and live in a privileged life-style. And later prison breaking to get to Phillip’s side again. Nevertheless he has just used the wrong way to approach the whole situation.

Living as a fraudster is like a ticking time bomb, the time in heaven won’t last forever. One day when you can’t cover your lies anymore and the truth reveals. You will find yourself left alone, not being trusted. If you can even fake your identity, people will judge how much they really know you. When you try to use lies to keep your loved ones close, the result will be pushing them much farther away. When you see Phillip slaps Russell you just don’t really know what to think. One hand, you will admire how Russell does all those tricks to get near Phillip but on the other side, those are yet again, LIES. He definitely loves him but could you stand sleeping next to a guy when you don’t know when he is telling the truth?

Despite all those unconvincing arts, “I love you Phillip Morris” is a relaxing movie to watch. Enjoying how ridiculously Jim Carrey plays his part, and how Ewan McGregor reacts to Carrey’s actions. This is a comedy not a romance story but still sweet.

Let the Right One In – Tomas Alfredson

How many of us can actually bear the loneness of being isolated most of the time, without anyone to talk to, no one to play with, being in a broken family, being bullied, being ignored or just simply being ALONE?

“Let the right one in” is talking about a vampire moving in to a town living next to a 12-year-old boy who is always being bullied at school and how they develop a relation between a vampire and a human. However, this is not a typical romance story, it’s more about life and how people deal with their difficulties.

There are a lot of mysteries in “Let the right one in”, like Eli’s guardian, some critics said he was her father, I’m not sure whether I missed that or not, I’ve just never come across it mentioning anything about his true identity. Second, Eli’s sex, from the appearance she obviously looks like a girl. However, when Oscar asks her to be his girlfriend, she just keep saying she is not a girl, but never did mention once what is she. Eli once asked Oscar “Will you still love me if I’m not a girl?” The direct deliberately cast a feminine girl instead of an androgynous boy (as in the original), as he doesn’t want it instantly fall into the homosexual genre, as it will distract the understanding of the message behind. Third is how she turned into a vampire in such a young age. How long has she been 12? What is hidden behind?

We are only looking at a specific part of her life, which intersected with Oscar’s in this story. Oscar’s life is equally full of mysteries and intriguing, too. Somehow you will sympathize with the whole situation. What he has been through. When you are the victim at school, no one would want to be friends with you, as they don’t want to be the target as well. When you are living in a single-parent family. There is no one to talk to at home, as your mum is always out working to support the family. What you really need is a FRIEND, no matter she is human or not.

Solitary is always what most of the people are avoiding, we are always trying to fit in, belong to somewhere. No matter how much you say you don’t want any friend, deep down you are as eager as anybody else. At least most of us are trying to find someone or just even one person in the world to understand what we are going through, what we really need. Like Eli and Oscar they both seem to understand each other perfectly, of cause we could not expect someone to trust you right away, we have to give time to do the magic for us, most of the time we just can’t rush, sometime a few straggling or uncertainties are inevitable. Is a matter of how you handle it.

I have to say the two young actors in this movie perform magnificently, I have leant that the casting for this movie was a year long, open call in many places and finally ended up with Kåre Hedebran as Oscar and Lina Leandersson as Eli. I just love how pale Hedebran was in the movie, even paler then Leandersson. They both make the story much more believable by their gesture and the little squint of their eyes. Sometimes working with young actors is a bit of a challenge, as they tend to overact most of their parts as they are trying to impress. Nevertheless in this case both of them just delivered without trying too hard.

This is more than just a common Vampire-Human romance story. Giving it this caption might kill your appetite for watching this movie. But I can assure you this is beyond the ones currently being shown.

An American version is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2010. Few alterations were made to be more palatable for worldwide audiences. Taking the place of Eli is Chloe Moretz (Hit girl in Kick Ass). Being recently involved in a violence superhero flick there is no doubt she would not deliver as a cold-blooded vampire. Somehow I just can’t picture her a softer side of Eli, as the Swedish version Eli looks more like a vampire, Motetz to me is more of a typical American girl. Don’t really know what to expect but we’ll see.

Bought the book! Will work on it soon!

The Crazies – Breck Einer

Danger is always around us, who would have thought drinking contaminated tap water would bring us harm more than just a diarrhea. In this case it is a disease, which is caused by an accidental leak of toxin from biological weapon. People who got infected will go mad and start killing others.

The story falls into two sub-plots, one the manic killing “zombies” and the army trying to put the crazies. There is one thing the movie didn’t clearly stated, how can the virus spread? We are only certain it is waterborne, it did mention airborne, if it is true then everyone can get infected. Somehow I think the crew did this on purpose as it will raise the anxiety of the audiences and try to fall into the scenario.

This movie is a remake of 1970s horrid king George A. Romero’s who was famous for his zombie flick. Although I did not see the movie, I definitely think it was a brilliant idea back then, no one would really give a thought of how zombie was made and he just gave it an explanation. Einer just make it contemporary and convincing. They are not really zombies, they function like everyone else, they look like us, and the only difference is they just look a little crazy that’s all. It is disturbingly terrifying. I don’t know who are the crazies how could I avoid them when they are everywhere.

The theme of The Crazies inherent most its genre “who can be trusted?” Friends, family. colleagues, the government, the army? Who? What would you do if your closest friend got infected and started to go crazy and lost his mind? How about if that was your pregnant wife?

The version showing in Hong Kong is edited from cat.3 to 2. So I assumed I didn’t see the full version as everyone did around the world. And the things I missed out are those more violent/bloody killing scenes, which is the whole selling point of the movie they should never be cut from the first place. The survived scenes are not totally terrifying but most of the time they are just scares. There always someone suddenly come out from nowhere and there is no way you could get prepare! Which I think is a good thing because most of the horror movies attempt to do these kinds of scares but most of them fail, as they are too predictable.

There is the other side of the story – the cause of this contagious disease, clearly the blame should put on the Government. The movie reveals how much the government involved and tried to blind-side the public. Somehow I do believe there is a lot more then the government is telling us, secretly they are working on some deadly weapons getting ready for war.

Overall it is the standout piece in its genre.

Fighting – Dito Montiel

If you are a college graduate will pick up fighting as a way to make money? NO way!! Sheer killing time piece.

Shawn McArthur (Channing Tatum) is struggling to make ends meet by selling things on the streets. He runs into a fight and Harvey Boarden (Terrence Howard) sees something in him, and recruits him into the underground streetfighting “club” to make big money.

The fighting scenes are terrific! Every punch and kick is perfectly choreographed which make you sometimes feel the plain of that fist landing on your stomach. Ouch! Credits have to be given to the director Dito Montiel. He knows how to work with the light, there are moments when the sun shine through the window and hit the actors’ faces, and they are beautiful! However, this kind of good shots only appear in the quiet shots, when it down to the fighting scenes it gone all shaky and wild, I know he is going for a chaotic feeling but they are disturbing. Luckily the fights save the disturbance.

Somehow the plot of the movie is not really convincing, there is not enough to support the way Shawn McArthur acts why he picks selling counterfeit products on the street but not finding a real job? Why he picks up Zulay (Zulay Henao) so fast and starts to offer her help. I know he has a notorious background in the wrestling team back then, I just didn’t buy it. And why would a mum buy a Harry Potter book for her 3-4 year-old daughter for $20 anyway.

Channing Tatum is not delivering in this movie, though this is an interesting character, all those struggles in his life and all he has been through I just don’t get much from Tatum, I can picture any built actor in his place and do it better, I know people would see this movie because of him, like me but I feel like I was tricked into this. He has better moments. Not all the actors are bad, Terrence Howard nailed his part with not so much to work on.

I only would recommend this movie if you were bored to death and had nothing to do. It is a good one with some fist fighting thrills.