Room in Rome – Julio Medem

A night in an unfamiliar but exotic place, your anxiety gets the best of you and your life is not doing so good to you. You have every reason to go wild, to be the one you always wanted to be. And finally you got someone with you to your room which embarks a series of exploring and self denying and your darkest moment.

Alba (Elena Anaya) travelling to Rome for a business trip met Natasha (Natasha Yarovenko) who is enjoying her nuptial vocation from her identical twin sister. First from causal sex then unleash an unexpected bond. The more impossible their fast bonding is the more fragile and insecure they are, how desperate they needed to put down their burden.

Meeting someone new is always intriguing, it is only viable when there is an underlying potential in developing a relationship. The little mind games, the leads were playing were adorable - fake names, backgrounds, and identities. A night your words hold no responsibility, a night you could be who ever you like to be.

There is no denying that stranger is the most difficult/the easiest to share things with. It could be embarrassing telling a stranger super personal stuff, on the other hand, it has no string attached, especially with those one night stands, there is a limited chance in bumping into them in your life again, even if you do, he/she might not even remember they had met you before.

There is only one setting in the movie, the hotel room, which was decorated with ancient paintings. Credit has to be given to Medem, how he linked those decors to the two leads, the little details of the painting, the history background. And the most significant one is the cupid, it symbolised few things, one their past/present situations, two, the cupid arrow is pointing down at them from the ceiling which literally referring the two of them bonding, and last the inseparable feeling caused by the cupid.

The movie would not have worked if it had depicted a pair of gay homosexual or a pair of heterosexual. Whenever sexual content is featured and once men come to the picture, it could easily become “pornish”, or irrelevant or stolen the attention of the message. The way the direct portrait their sexual experience is beautifully orientalised. The slow motions make you admire the artistic side of the sexual content.

Despite 90% of the flick contains nudity, it did not take away the light from the movie. Lust is just one of the element of our life, and communications is another. How Medem stresses both of them is enlightening, and the vulnerability of human is well depicted. How we handle our life.

This is a sexy, lustful, mind provoking experience. The lesbian sensation is hot!

Last Night – Massy Tadjedin

Joanna (Keira Knightley) suspects her husband Michael (Sam Worthington) is into his colleague Laura (Eva Mendes) and while the two of them went to a business trip together, Alex (Guillaume Canet) Joanna’s ex was in town for work. A night unfolds temptation, curiosity and suspense. How certain are you, this is not going to be your last night of your former life?

“It’s natural people have curiosity.” Joanna said.

The struggles of the married couple are thrilling to watch. “Did we marry too early?” Jo asked after an argument about Michael never did mention his stunning colleague Laura to her. “No, it only gets better.” Michael replied. Who would dare to say yes.

“Remind me why it didn’t work?” Alex asked

The relationship between Joanna and Alex is much more complex than the other. Obviously they both love each other, the problem is Jo is married. They met when Jo and Michael were in between of their relationship. They both write, sharing the same passion made them bond faster and deeper.

“If he were here, I would still be attracted to you.” Laura said.

What Laura wants is obvious it just down to what Michael is willing to break. How Laura keeps inviting Michael to non-drinking, asking sensitive questions, we know Laura is disparate. It’s sarcastic that she keeps stressing she would be faithful to her late boyfriend but her actions are telling the opposite.

“Why didn’t you tell your husband about Alex?”

Do we need an answer here? There are certain past that we could never get over with, especially those who you are deeply in love and there is never a chance that you guys could be together, would you tell your love that you think of someone else when you doubt the relationship you are having now?

This happens around us all the time. Every step you take leads to a different end. But are you willing to take a risk?

The King’s Speech – Tom Hooper

People like to see how royals, celebrities, superheroes fall. That makes them relatable. This is how the Marvel once again thriving the comic industry. Because we learnt that heroes are just like one of us, they are also weak and vulnerable. This is what The King’s speech made us feel. Even the King was vulnerable too, trembling with his own feet.

The Price Albert/ Duke of York (later the King George VI played by Colin Firth) had always been struggling with stammer. After an embarrassing moment at a public speech, his wife, Queen Elizabeth (Helena Bonham) set out to find a cure for her future king and ended up to an unconventional therapist Lionel Longue (Geoffrey Rush).

He was the second son of King George V, he was never suppose to be the next heir. Due to his brother gave up his throne for marrying a divorced woman. He had to work much harder to cure his stammer. He quit for a few times but it was not his call anymore.

“Because I have a voice.” George VI Shouted at Lionel Longue when he was sitting in the Royal Chair and refused to get off. People tended to make fun him just because he always stumbled on his on words, even his father King George V. When we see his reddish face inhale and exhale heavily, we know he wanted to make a difference, wanted others to see him as the way he look at his father.

Despite all the struggles, the movie could still be able to portrait with wit. When the king trembled with his words how he added muted “Sh*T, Fu*k” in between his speech, was delighting to watch. He is trying hard. No one would deny that.

What so captivating about this movie? Colin Firth as King George VI is mesmerising. The historical story itself was just only a typical story line for cinema. However, the performance of Firth brought the movie to a whole different level. Last year when I saw the Single Man, I was already aware of Firth’s acting could elevate the story. And The King’s Speech just proved me right.

This is the third biopic nomination of this year Oscars, and the winner of Best Picture, best Director, Best actor and best original screenplay.

The Fighter – David O. Russell

An authentic fraternal boxers story which is more than just about fighting. Family, brotherhood, self-reassurance, drags, glory and that are life, and life is full of pretty much everything. I believe there is not a single movie which merely focusing on one theme, but how to make it coherent, relevant and heartfelt is hard. And The Fighter just nails it.

The story is a biopic based on the 90s former WBU Light Welterweight Campion.

Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) was living in the shadow of his half brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) who was a former Welterweight Champion. The story is expectable, they rise they fall and they get back up. But what make it different from the others in the same genre? This family must come together, dominant Mother, understanding father, cracked Dicky, confused Micky, and 7 crazy sisters. The genuine dynamics of the family light up the story. The way their family struggles to stay united, moves the audience from the heartbeat.

Family can be the poison and the remedy at the same time. Micky would have a total different career if he had gone away to get trained in Vegas. His mother/his manager always putting pressure on him, telling him that he should not trust anyone beyond his family, which resulted Dicky was Micky’s trainer who often showed up late wasted. Micky got hold back by his family. Dicky got back on his feet when he noticed he was dragging his brother down, it motivated him to get clean and be the brother/trainer he had to be.

How to stand up from the mistake you have made? From the start of the movie we all acknowledge Dicky was a junkie, by his hollow eyes and his skinny figure. The irony was Dicky kept boasting that HBO was making a film on him, the truth was they were making a documentary on the downside of drags “High on Crack Street: Lost Lives In Lowell”. He was too wasted to notice anything wrong, not until he was soba watching it together with all the inmates. And there was the magic moment, he suddenly woke up from the dark. People are horrified to notice or face their own flaws, once they fall hard, real hard, then they will understand. There is no talking sense into them, we only have to wait and give them our hands when they are willingly to take them.

Bale, he once again dropped tremendous weight for playing a role, yet this time he was not as skeletal as his role in the “Machinist”. The determination and compelling performance just take your breath away. And it earns him the award for the best supporting male actor in the Oscar and the Globe. Melissa Leo also won best supporting female actress in the Oscar, which make this is the first movie to win both supporting actor and actress since 1986.

The effort of the casts is noticeable, Bale, Leo, Adam and even Wahlbery had been preparing to get into the shape of the real Micky for four years having his PT along with him on set in everything single movie he had made in the past four years.

This is inspiring, not only because the authenticity of the story itself but also the determination of the whole crew.

Blue Valentine – Derek Cianfrance

“You’ve promised me.” Dean (Ryan Gosling) said in despair. Cindy (Michelle Williams) shifted her body towards the cupboard. Inhaled deeply covering her tearful eyes. In a split second we were taken back to the day, which they got married. Tears were also running down their faces. The instant comparison reveals the reality of life – blue is the new word for love.

Blue Valentine depicts the fading sparks of a couple. 6 years of marriage could be a blink, or a lifetime. Dean was brought up in a broken family, his only wish was to love and provide his family unconditionally. On the other hand, Cindy was living with grumpy parents. She never wanted her family to be anything like her parents’. She kept putting effort in her marriage. Nevertheless, it soon became a burden.

“Think of Frankie (their daughter).” Dean urged. “I did!” Cindy relied. “No. You didn’t” Dean lowered his head covering it with his arms. Brought up in single-parent family is not uncommon in today’s society. And it has become less and less important in holding a family together. Living in the shadow of a broken family, Dean eagerly wanted to fix everything. It was not only his call, though. Dean married Cindy because of Frankie, who was not genuinely his. His love for her is greater than who the kid is related to. He dared to take the responsibility, which was not even his. And it’s only because of one word – Love.

“Do you wanna have a baby with me?” Dean asked Cindy when they were in a motel. In which he just wanted to have a good with his wife. Some people may be content with their life devoted to their family, some may want something bigger a career, a passion, or anything that can make them feel good. One point to another, people grow, they won’t stay in one place forever, and it’s a matter of time who’s going walk faster than the other. In this case Cindy did. She wanted to be doctor, she ended up being a nurse because of Frankie. She just has a bigger, greater vision than Dean. She’s got no one to blame but herself.

What I like about the movie is the bona-fide of relationships. Couples fight because their dream is different from the other. They fight because they are not confident enough to walk through live together. They fight because their sparks has gone. They fight because they have grown apart. However, none of these could cost a relationship. What really costs them their marriage is one of them has given up.

The subtleness of the movie makes you ponder your own life. What are you running after? What is enough? Gosling nailed his part flawlessly, while Williams had to keep up her pace to Gosling’s. To be honest it could spend more coverage on their daily life than sex. What really triggers Cindy to make the decision. Overall, it is a good experience watching it.

The Kids are All Right – Lisa Cholodenko

18 years, you have been living in a lesbian family, always known you and your brother came from the same sperm donor but a different mother. There must be a certain kind of curiosity about what the donor would be like. Unlike "Queer as fork" the mothers knew the donor; apart from that they are pretty much alike - a lesbian family bearing kid(s) having family of their own.

There are movies about gay couples starting their own family, how they struggle this and that, but not problems when the kids are grown. Recently, I have been reading and watching a lot of family dramas and movies, there is one, which makes me stop and ponder the possibility of having a family on my own - Ricky Martin's memoir “ME”. I have always acknowledged about the concept of surrogacy but it never sounded real to me until Ricky Martin announced his adorable twin.

I reckon this could be easier for lesbian family as they don't have to go through the whole surrogacy process, however, choosing the right donor and bearing the baby could be more plaintive than picking a surrogate and the donor. I'm not sure whether this is an advantage or not (for homosexuals), when have you decided to have kids, you could also decide the color of their skin, eyes, hair... Etc. Of course the cost would be a lot more extravagant. Morally, people are still questioning the vices and virtues of this issue. But this seems to be the only option for the gay family to have their own family (blood related family).

Who is my father? Or mother? Would be frequently asked in many LGBT families, if they are even adopting a kid. I was bought up in a single parent family with an absent father. Would see my birth mother once in a while. There is never a minute in my life I questioned the involvement of my parents. However, deep down I wished I had family like other normal kids. There must be similarity in those homosexual families, not that having two dads or mums are not enough, it is just sheer curiosity that everyone is having both mum and dad in lieu of the alternative. In this case they are looking for their dad. What would he be like? Bonds forged not only between the kids and the donor, but also one of the mothers in the movie.

The movie could have taken the other direction, resentful and all. The humor used in the movie made it more approachable, I could still hear people in the cinema giving awful comments or long exhalation when the leads are kissing. No matter how fast changing our world is now, there are still plenty of people out there don't approve nor understand us. I may even say some of us don't have any clue of having a gay family, how it is like. Watching this kind of movies is somehow assuring. Telling us it is just the same as the others. We argue, we fight, we make mistakes, we forgive, we love, and most importantly we care. We have to have the courage not only embracing ourselves but also embracing our loved ones false.

As well as enjoying the dynamics of the family there are still loads to ponder afterwards. When is my time to start mine?

The film won the Golden Glove Award for Best Motion Picture and Best Actress - Annette Benning.

My Favourite Albums – 2010

My Favourite Albums – 2010

The only criterion of being on this list is, album that I have been looping through out the year. (Randomly Ordered)

1. The XX – XX

A London Based band, members consist of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith). “XX” was their debut album released in late 2009. “XX” reached highest peak at #3 in the UK. Ever since I bought their album, I can’t stop myself from listening to their songs.

2. Scissor Sisters – Night Work

American band formed in 2001, “Night Work” is their third studio album. I thought their second album was the greatest thing on earth, but “Night Work” just kicked it out of its throne.

3. Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream
Australian electronic band, they sound similar to MGMT. But yet excites me with every single track. “Empire of the Sun” is their debut album released in 2008.

4. Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster
Not much introduction needed, one thing you may not know is Telephone was first written for Brittney Spears, later Spears was asked to feature the song rather than having the song. Due to unacceptable terms from Spears, Gaga found herself a replacement - Beyonce.

5. Franz Ferdinand – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
A rock band from Scotland, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is their third studio album released in 2009. The band announced in Feb 2010 that they are working on their forth album.

6. The Kooks – Konk
English indie band, my all time favourite, have been listening to them since the album was released in 2008. Can’t wait to hear their third album which announced in the marking in 2009.

7. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
An indie rock band based in Silver Lake LA, have their debut album released in the UK in late 2009. Which is the one I keep listening this year.

8. The Gossip – Music for Man
American indie rock band, Beth Ditto is such a diva, listening to her voice could make you melt! Most of the people like me knew them this year. But they are super active in the indie world, “Music for Man” was already their forth studio album which lead them to wider audience.

9. Hurts – Happiness
An English synthpop duo, started being active in 2009 and “Happiness” is their debut, which brought them a huge success in the European market. Even Kylie Minogue featured a song in their album.

10. Vampire Weekend – Contra
American indie rock band, this is their second studio album. The band faced lawsuit due to using an old picture of Ann Kirsten Kennis who was a former top model, claimed the band used the photo without her consent. Despite all that the album is incredible.