Auteur's Theories

64th Cannes Film Festival

2011-04-14T20:25:00.004-04:00

The official selection of films to be screened at the 64th Cannes Film Festival was released today! The festival will take place from May 11 to 22. I'm super excited! Here are some of the films I'm looking forward to (slash these are pretty much all the trailers that I could find and I pretty much like all of them...):

Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris will be opening the festival and be Out of Competition.

This seems like a very fun, spontaneous film. I love the ensemble cast. In case you were wondering, yes! French First Lady, Carla Bruni, is in this film! I love how Woody Allen is making these beautiful cities the backdrop of his films; Barcelona in 2008 and now Paris.

Australian novelist Julia Leigh makes her debut as a director with Sleeping Beauty which will be In Competition.

With Jane Campion's name attached to it, this shall be amazing! I must know what happens in this film!

American director, Terrence Malice's The Tree of Life will be In Competition.

Absolutely stunning! Stupendously cerebral! Of all these trailers, this one is definitely my favorite. Just from the trailers, I will be placing my bets on Terrence Malice winning the Palme d'Or. I'm a bit surprised by Brad Pitt's involvement in this film. I always think of him as a box office superstar but never an award winning actor. But the choices he has made lately are phenomenal! Babel, Benjamin Button, and now this.

Habemus Papam (We Have a Pope) by Italian director Nanni Moretti will be In Competition.

Not quite certain what this film is about without a synopsis or subtitles. But I appreciate what seems to be a whimsical, lighthearted, and touching film on an institution that is all too serious.

The Yellow Sea by South Korean director Na Hong-jin will be competing in Un Certain Regard.

A dramatic, intense trailer that had me on the edge of my seat. Seems to be a heart gripping thriller. If you, like me, is still interested in the film after the trailer please read the synopsis here!

Jodie Foster's The Beaver will be screened Out of Competition.

I like Jodie Foster. I really do, mainly because of her role in The Silence of the Lambs. Let's just face it--she's probably never going to be as great as when she starred as Clarice, but I'm still rooting for her. This could be a comeback from both Jodie and Mel!

One last film that I am looking forward to is called We Need to Talk about Kevin directed by British film director Lynne Ramsay and starring Tilda Swinton. Although it has yet to release a trailer it sounds to be a promising film. The premise of the film, as taken from Wikipedia, is about "a mother recount[ing] the events leading up to and following her son's massacre of students and teachers at his high school." Intriguing, right? The film will be In Competition.

And so that is that! Looking forward to May 11!

It's been a while...

2011-02-08T18:53:00.002-05:00

Dear all,

As I write this post on this nearly forgotten blog, I am drinking chicken noodle soup. I have a very unfortunate cold. Since my last post, many things have changed. I am now in Boston in hopes of finding a job (that very very elusive job. My dear readers in Boston, if you know of any job opportunities please let me know). I am not longer subscribed to Netflix. And I am eating a lot more canned soup and frozen food that are on sale. To follow my journey through chronologically organized photos, please click here!

On the movie front, we all know that the Golden Globes and SAG Awards took place. Congrats to my favorites in winning: Laura Linney, Glee, Modern Family, Temple Grandin. And although I put my Netflix account on hold, I have seen a few movies since moving away from home.

The Savages

Such wonderful performances by both Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's a quietly emotional and subtly funny film. A more polished, well-scripted version of The Squid and the Whale.

The King's Speech

Fantastic performance by Colin Firth. Absolutely loved Helena Bohnam Carter. Her performance as the Queen Mother really puts into perspective what a wide range of roles she can play. I loved the lightheartedness that Geoffrey Rush brought to the film. But I can see how this film won't win the Best Picture at the Oscars this year.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

What an imaginative film! Totally not what I expected. Love the displacement of time and live-action animation. The closest film I can think of similar to Scott Pilgrim is (500) Days of Summer, but it really doesn't even come close.

Favorite Moments of 2010

2010-12-31T18:03:00.000-05:00

With the year ending, a lot of people and publications have been coming up with their Top 10 lists of 2010. Time Magazine named its Person of the Year as Mark Zuckerberg which I personally disagree with. I despise Facebook's ever changing layout and its lack of "Reply to Sender [Only]" feature in its message section.

The Onion published its list of The People who Mattered in 2010. My favorite person on the list is Glenn Beck and his blurb reads: "Glenn Beck - The Lone Voice Of Reason In An Age Of Hysteria. Every single day of 2010, Beck's quiet words of humility and reason have touched the hearts of all Americans, healing countless wounds and elevating the level of our national discourse."

So before 2010 ends in a few hours, let me squeeze in my list of my favorite moments of 2010. I can't remember much of the first half of the year, so my list only contains two items:

Sofia Vergara on Ellen

Everything Florence + the Machine related

2010-12-24T15:14:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

The Pillars of the Earth

2010-12-17T20:59:00.005-05:00

Update: I just finished watching the 8 part mini-series since starting it last night. What a great series! I absolutely love John Adams from 2 years ago and now The Pillars of the Earth. I have a new found appreciation for mini-series. Each episode of The Pillars of the Earth was so enthralling with each part being like a really good movie. And, unlike tv shows, it doesn't drag on. What makes it all even better is the rewarding ending of the series.

So, I definitely recommend it. It's on Netflix instant watch right now. Go watch!

I decided to find out what The Pillars of the Earth is all about after seeing it on the list of nominees for the Golden Globes.

It has quite a star ensemble that includes actors and actresses whose faces are familiar but whose names are difficult to recall. So, it features:

Hayley Atwell - Lady Julia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited
Eddie Redmayne - Antony Baekeland in Savage Grace
Matthew Macfadyen - Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice
Rufus Sewell - he's been in a score of films like A Knight's Tale, but I know him best from Paris, je t'aime's first short film.
Alison Pill - who looks so familiar, but I haven't seen any of her films
Donald Sutherland - who needs no introduction (Yes, Mr. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice).
Sorry, lists are so boring.

The set, cinematography, and special effects kind of remind me of the History Channel, which is not necessary the best thing. But I think the story line is quite engaging. At first, the story was a bit confusing. There are two seemingly disconnected story lines--one about the shifting power in the monarchy and one about a master builder who is trying to build a cathedral. Ultimately, these stories become intertwined and characters bond and fight. After watching the first episode, I really want to know what happens next.

Favorite time of the year!

2010-12-16T14:31:00.021-05:00

It's my favorite time of the year! No, it's not Christmas (although I do love Christmas). It's award season which kicked off on Tuesday by the Golden Globes! Yesterday, Screen Actors Guild came out with its nominations for the SAG Awards. So after a whole year of cinema-going, we finally get to see which films are considered the best by industry insiders. But, of course, since most nominated films are shown at the end of the year, close to the nomination consideration period, we I really haven't seen any of the films (I'll just speak for myself. I've only been to the movies a handful of times this year including the time to watch the god-awful Clash of the Titans--I predict it will earn several Razzies this year. And with Netflix, I just don't want to pay more to watch a film.)

So the top nominees this year for both the Golden Globes and SAG Awards are...The King's Speech (which I mentioned on this blog after it won the Toronto Film Festival's People's Choice Award) and The Fighter. Other notable nominees are The Social Network, Black Swan, andThe Kids Are All Right.

How's the view, Geoffrey Rush?

Déjà vu???

I am particularly happy for Natalie Portman for her Best Actress nomination in a Leading Role for Black Swan at both the Globes and SAG. She seems so genuine, smart, and amiable. And I think it's about time for her to be in the spotlight after her roles in Garden State, Closer, and V for Vendetta.

What the what? Who is who?

A real black swan that I shot at Leeds Castle.

Natalie, what are you doing? It's like what you did in Closer but classier.

On the television front, I am hoping to see The Big C take home some awards at the Globes especially for Laura Linney. Strangely, The Big C is not nominated at all that the SAG Awards. I would also love to see Modern Family, which is the top nominee at the SAG with 4 nominations, win some awards. Modern Family is a show that I've been trying to catch up with on Netflix, and it's been giving me some great laughs.

Gabourey, your career is lasting a lot longer than you expected, huh! Oprah's prediction came true!

What a lovely neighborhood you live in!

Oh, hi everyone.

Temple Grandin, a made-for-television movie, was a big winner at the Emmy's earlier this year and again a big nominee for the SAG and Globes. Having seen Temple Grandin in person, I can testify that Claire Danes' performance was a perfect portrayal of Grandin. Read my thoughts on Temple Grandin here.
I am little bit disappointed to see Dexter nominated for so many awards. I am a huge fan of Dexter in the past. I absolutely loved seasons one through four, but season five is just awful, so much so that I stopped watching half way through. Michael C Hall should have done what Katherine Heigl did and withdrew from award consideration.

Sadly, the on-screen siblings and real-life couple recently filed for divorce. Awkward~

Anyways, I wish I can go on and on but this post has already gone on too long! So last two things: I was particularly intrigued by Nicole Kidman's nomination for Best Actress for her role in Rabbit Hole. I definitely want to see what this film is all about.

Looks interesting right?

And when will Julianne Moore ever win her big prize???

Oh WhAt! Julianne, I didn't know you were the La Grande Odalisque in real life! You sure are popular around here! Can you hear a thing?

The Eden Project II

2010-12-11T23:53:00.001-05:00

Over a month passed since my first post on my vegetable garden. Here are some new photos!

The peas have gotten really tall. The trellis I set up isn't quite enough, so I found them all bend over one morning. The peas have been blocking the sun from reaching the sweet potatoes on the left. Those little guys aren't doing as well these days.

They're quite pretty, aren't they?

The first pea!

Tangled

I'm going to harvest the lettuce when I get the chance.

The beets are peeking through the soil.

I watched a Youtube video on Fibonacci numbers and how they apply to nature the other day. I can't help but think of how they're applied to these carrot leaves. On a different note, I think they are almost ready for harvest!

Tomato blossoms

Tomatoes--I'm quite surprised that they are growing! Oh California weather.

Guava

Some lemons are ripe. The lemon blossoms smell really good.

Castle Walls

2010-11-30T15:45:00.004-05:00

Christina Aguilera seems to had a pretty terrible year. Her album Bionics was a huge letdown and disregarded by the public. Her attempt to reinvent herself landed her criticism for trying to be like Lady Gaga. (Have you seen her video "Not Myself Tonight"? It was horrendous!!!) Then she went through a divorce. And last week her acting debut in Burlesque was released in theatres--it's not doing as well as expected either. BUT her latest song "Castle Walls", a collaboration with T.I., is pretty catchy!

T.I. feat. Christina Aguilera - Castle Walls

Although the two are wading in the wake left by Eminem and Rihanna in "Love the Way You Lie" (the songs are produced by the same producer), I can't stop listening to "Castle Walls"!

I love postcards

2010-11-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

They are pretty much the perfect gift/souvenir...at least for me. Here are two that I got recently. I wish I were there!

Russian Ark

2010-11-20T13:33:00.000-05:00

Russian Ark is probably the strangest film I have seen. Dogville is a close contender but I couldn't watch pass the first ten minutes of it. So Russian Ark is the most unusual film I have seen from start to end. It is one of those films that is better talked about than watched. And indeed, the "Making of the Film" feature in the DVD is more interesting than the film itself.
I read about the film on a blog and the blogger listed Russian Ark as his top 10 films EVER. In addition, Roger Ebert wrote that this film is "one of the most astonishing films ever made." It was also one of the films in competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. What more? The film is done in one single take--basically a 96 minute long take. Sounds pretty amazing to me!
The Russian Ark as referred to in the title is the Hermitage Museum housed in the Winter Palace. It contains Russia's history, culture, and art. It was a place of opulence during the time of the monarchy, struggle during the time of war, and pride as it is today for the Russian people. The film's goal is to show us all of this.
The plot of the film (or rather the lack of plot) is what really makes it strange, and it is also my chief complaint. There really is no plot. And what there is is a cursory journey through Russian history with little explanation. We are simply dumped into Russian Ark with a pretty bad guide/protagonist. This guide--the most unattractive guide with the worst wig and breathing noise--who takes us through the palace then museum by a kind of seamless time travel that spans over 300 years. What we see are incidents that happened in the past (many historical events which I have no knowledge of or people who I did not recognize making the experience meaningless to me), the beauty of the architecture, the art that is housed there, and the people who lived there.

While it is a pretty bewildering journey, what is astonishing is the technical, filming aspect of the movie. Done in one 96 minute single take, it is an incredible technical achievement. It is seamless, beautiful, and dramatic. The camera movement is fluid and enchanting. It is a feast for the eyes. Ultimately, it is an experimental film that is an art piece. And with art pieces, they can be hard to understand.

My favorite sequence of the film.

I Cried for You

2010-11-18T19:55:00.003-05:00

Katie Melua - I Cried for You

A mesmerizing video.

The Big C

2010-11-16T17:53:00.010-05:00

In addition to all the movies that I watch, I try to keep up with a few TV shows. This fall I started watching The Big C which stars one of my favorite actress, Laura Linney, in the role of Cathy Jamison. The Big C has become my favorite show thanks to Dexter being a little bit slow messy this season, Cristina Yang being frustrating and annoying on Grey's Anatomy, CSI being a hit or miss each episode (although the ongoing storyline is fantastic!), Glee being never really that great except for its singing, and White Collar being just kind of boring.

Laura Linney as Cathy Jamison

The "C" in The Big C stands for a couple of things I suppose. First and foremost, it stands for Cathy who is a suburban but separated wife, a mother, a teacher, and, as she realizes in the start of the season, a terminal cancer patient. Before being diagnosed with cancer, Cathy was reserved and pretty much a prude. But when she finds out she only has a year to live, she lets go of her inhibitions and tries to live out her life to the fullest with all the time (and money) she has left. Not wanting to burden her family and friends with the news, she does this without telling those closest to her: her son, husband, brother, best friend from college.

Gabriel Basso as Adam Jamison

She does some pretty crazy things--withdrawing her 401(k), paying someone double the price to build a pool in her backyard, burning her old couch, forcing her son to spend time with her. But she also does some great things for her student played by Gabourey Sidibe and old grumpy neighbor (who is such an important and wonderful character).

John Benjamin Hickey as Sean Tolkey

The show was originally billed as a comedy, but I think it strikes a great balance between a well-written comedy and a touching drama especially as the show goes on. The show is much more than what meets the eye. It's not just about a woman with cancer but about the struggle, turmoil, and surprise that we face as people and the way we react or retract from them. I think each and one of us can find a little bit of us within the show.

Cynthia Nixon as Rebecca

All in all, at just 30 minutes an episode, I can never get enough of it. It always leaves me feeling good. The season finale aired this Monday, and I have to say it was one of the best episode I have seen of all the shows I keep up with this TV season. The ending is bittersweet and rewarding for the audience to watch. It really builds up to a second season that I am look forward to watching.

Oliver Platt as Paul Jamison

I never thought this day would come!!!

2010-11-13T13:56:00.004-05:00

Click for the article!

What a glorious day! I hope she stays out of house arrest this time to make some real changes to her nation.

Do we need a Hollywood remake of everything?

2010-11-10T21:36:00.004-05:00

The answer is no.

This lovely article was featured on the front page of the Guardian yesterday. It's an interesting read, not only about the unfortunate inevitability of remakes, but also about how foreign films are perceived in the US market.

The Eden Project

2010-11-07T17:08:00.003-05:00

So I finally took some better photos of my garden project that started this summer. There was a patch of land in my backyard with some poorly grown sweet potato, a dead persimmon tree, and a small section that was unused. So I plowed the land and reworked the clay-heavy soil by adding some mulch, manure, and compost in hopes of making the soil better. And now I have some carrots, onions, beets, lettuce, peas, and sweet potatoes growing. Along the way, some random plants popped up too!

One thing I learned about beets is to not transfer them; they usually die after transferring. One beet seed usually gives multiple seedlings so just pluck out the extra ones.

4 rows of carrots, 2 rows of onions, 3 rows of beets, 2 of lettuce, 1 of peas, and 4 sweet potato plants

My camera's humble attempt at capturing a butterfly flying.

Tomato plant that grew by itself.

Squash/melon plant that grew naturally. Not sure what kind it is yet.

This was literally in my face when I saw it while plucking weeds. It may take a few seconds to see it...

Follow me.

2010-11-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Move over smart

This

the

brand

new

Aston Martin Cygnet

Follow me.

2010-11-03T08:00:00.003-04:00

Helsinki, December 2009

Follow me.

2010-11-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Ai Weiwei

Sunflower Seeds

Unilever Series

Turbine Hall

Tate Modern

Utterly incredible. Follow me.

Too bad it can't be walked on anymore.

Follow me.

2010-11-01T22:07:00.000-04:00

Cosmic Love

2010-10-31T08:00:00.003-04:00

I will be at her concerts in spirit.

The Millennium Trilogy

2010-10-29T18:37:00.000-04:00

The Millennium Trilogy kind of goes along with the Halloween theme, right? Maybe just a little. It's really dark, suspenseful, and intense! You ask what is The Millennium Trilogy? It's the ever so popular books turned films by Swedish author Stieg Larsson. The Trilogy includes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl who Played with Fire, and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

So far, only the first two parts of the trilogy have been released in the U.S. with the final installment reportedly coming to theatres today (29th of October).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This is a very refreshing film. It combines the darkness of Let the Right One in and suspense of The Bourne Trilogy. In short, the film is about an investigative journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, who is hired to solve a missing person's case. The story line is complex and truly interesting and the action is exciting. There a lot of character development and layers upon layers of background stories and plot lines. But, ultimately, what makes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo so great is the character Lisbeth Salander.

Lisbeth is the girl with the dragon tattoo who is also a brilliant hacker. She uses her skills towards private investigations. But she is a social outcast and very damaged from events that happened during her childhood. She is not pleasant or likable; but throughout the entire movie, I was rooting for her. She is a character rarely seen in film.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a must see. It's a film that is really exciting, packs many good punches, and a bit lengthy but, in the end, not long enough.

The Girl who Played with Fire

Unlike the first film which was shot through the perspective of Mikael Blomkvist, The Girl who Played with Fire is seen through the perspective of Lisbeth. This installment of the Trilogy is more focused on Lisbeth--her life, her family, and the events in her life that made her who she is. There is an interesting case that Mikael and Lisbeth are involved in, but, about half way through, the film becomes centered on Lisbeth.

I must say that The Girl who Play with Fire is not as great as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and is at times too complex and confusing. The first film was really exciting because there was kind of a time bomb that kept you on the edge of your seat; the second film kind of does the same thing but is a bit toned down. And the nature of the suspense and chase is different. But I think if you liked the first film, you must see the second one to understand more about the first one and the last one. The stories of the first and second installment are tightly linked and really present themselves as a body of work. (And it would be good to watch it to understand The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.)

(Trailers can be kind of annoying huh? Imagine listening to someone talk like that all day.)

Waah this is exciting! I'd love to see the cast on the red carpet at next year's Academy Awards.

Monte Carlo

2010-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Celebrity Look Alike

2010-10-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

I saw this funny photo last night...

It's quite appropriate and timely having just watched Zombieland. There really is an uncanny resemblance between Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera (Juno, Arrested Development).

(Don't stare at the photos for too long...they stop looking alike after a while.)

The other group of celebrities who look like one another that I've always been fascinated by is the Zooey Deschanel-Emily Blunt-Katy Perry-Anna Friel group.

(Warning: Don't stare at the photos for too long.)

Here is the Michael Cera interview:

Halloween

2010-10-25T21:49:00.004-04:00

With Halloween approaching, I've been watching some scary films to get the spook on. I will admit that since I watch most of my movies alone with earphones and at night, I am somewhat scared of the horror category. So I've been watching movies of moderate scariness. :D

Das Experiment

First up, Das Experiment a 2001 German film. Despite this film being made in 2001, it looks a lot older than it is. It has the aesthetics and pace of an Eastern European film. Anyways, the story is based on the Stanford prison experiment of 1971--a psychology experiment that selected 10 men to be prison guards and 10 to be prisoners. The experiment gets out of hand quickly and we are left to see how the guards act and how the prisoners react. Das Experiment has a moderate amount of violence and is a thriller. The director tries to give the film some depth by teasing us with hints of the protagonist's past and emotional struggle, but those moments were really brief and not enough. I like Das Experiment for its storyline--it's interesting to see what happens and how the guards act with the authority that they are given. I also like how it is suspenseful and violent but not grotesque.

Zombieland

I watched Zombieland just before bed last night. It's a really great film to watch on Halloween if you are looking for something gross and funny. It is like the American equivalent to Shaun of the Dead. Jesse Eisenberg plays the leading role (I am sad to say I still haven't seen The Social Network) as a geek who is one of the few people still alive in Zombieland. He meets some interesting characters played by Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin. There are some really great and funny moments in the film, and the directorial style adds to it all.

Shutter

Lastly, I started watching Shutter on FX half way through the film today. Like many recent American films, Shutter is a remake of an Asian film--this time a Thai horror film. I thought the film was alright, nothing really special about it, but it does have a good twist and ending. I am sorry to say that these American remakes of Asian horror films get lost in translation. America does not have the strong cultural superstition to make films like this work. I am particularly bothered that the film had to incorporate a Japanese element into it to heighten its fear factor. American horror films have a long history in being violent and gory. But Asian horror films are more psychological and build on cultural superstitions. Hence, Asian horror films don't translate well by Hollywood.

Kastelskirken, Copenhagen

2010-10-21T08:00:00.001-04:00

Cities of Love/Anthologies

2010-10-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

Paris, Je T'aime

Paris, Je T'aime seems to have started the run of anthology films about cities back in 2006. 18 short stories make up Paris, Je T'aime--each about a different arrondissement in Paris. (Wouldn't it be perfect if there were only 18 arrondissements so each district get their own story? Sadly 2 arrondissements got left out.) I really liked the film. The music used is brilliant, goes really well with the mood of each story. And the way the shorts are stringed together in the end is touching, somewhat dainty.

Having watched it over 2 years ago, I still remember liking, in particular, the Quais de Seine, Tour Eiffel (story about mimes that inspired my Halloween costume sophomore year), Parc Monceau (clever, single continuous shot story directed by Alfonso Cuaron), Pere-Lachaise, Faubourg Saint-Denis (Natalie Portman!), and 14e arrondissement shorts. The film not only features an ensemble cast but some of the most relevant directors today: Gus Van Sant, the Coen brothers, Christopher Doyle (Wong Kar-wai's long time cinematographer...although I really didn't like his feature), Olivier Assayas, Wes Craven, and Alexander Payne.

What Paris does really well is show the beauty and romance of Paris whether it's through a bittersweet breakup, a mother losing her child, love stories, or the city's racial diversity.

New York, I Love You

I anticipated the premiere of New York, I Love You for quite a long time. I did a Looking Forward post about it back in 8/12/09 and I finally watched it last month. I think it went through some sort of distribution problem, and the release date kept getting pushed back. Anyways, this anthology was a huge letdown.

The way the short films is tied together is an embarrassing cliche. The music is not memorable unlike Paris, Je T'aime's soundtrack. And the stories themselves are not as interesting nor do they feature the boroughs of New York City in a way that lets the characteristics of each borough shine.

Of the 10 shorts, there is only one that I truly liked. It's the 7th section directed by Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth & Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and written by Anthony Minghella (who unfortunately passed away 2 years ago). This short features Shia Labeouf, Julie Christie, and John Hurt. It's really beautiful, ambiguous, and a must-see. Rent the dvd or find it online but just skip to this short feature!

Tokyo!

Tokyo! doesn't really belong to the Cities of Love franchise that includes Paris, New York, and will include Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Jerusalem, Venice, and Timbuktu. (I really don't know how they are going to do all this. The two produced so far have been financial flops.) But Tokyo! follows the trend of these anthology films. This one is slightly different with just three segments; and while they are about love, the way each feature treats Tokyo is strangely unappealing and negative.

Honestly, I don't think I like any of the three features. Bong Joon-ho, who directed two of my favorite films, The Host and Mother, directed the feature Shaking Tokyo. The story is about hikikomori, "the phenomenon of reclusive people who have chosen to withdraw from social life, often seeking extreme degrees of isolation and confinement." (Wikipedia) It's somewhat interesting and the best of the three films in terms of the style, story development, and characters. But I don't know if I would want to watch it again.

Bummer...these anthology films just keep getting worse and worse huh?

Prague Castle

2010-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Airports

2010-10-07T08:00:00.003-04:00

Venice Marco Polo Airport, VCE

While doing my Travel Thursday posts, I couldn't help but look at the places, namely airports, that get us to these destinations! Airports are such weird places. I personally like them, most of the time, because I know I will be going somewhere fun and foreign when I am at an airport. I like to look at the architecture and the offering of shops and restaurants, especially the duty free shops. Also, the shops in airports are the last places where I can buy a souvenir that is overpriced but quality-insured (at least that's what I like to think).

Los Angeles International Airport, LAX

But for some people, and myself at times, airports are stressful, nerve-wrecking, and depressing places. Having to take out your liquids and laptop, take off your shoes and belt, empty your pocket of coins and cellphone, place your carry-on luggage and your personal item through the xray, and to hold on to your ID and boarding pass to show to security (without losing either of them) all at once in like three short minute is A LOT to do. Then to find out that the body scanner still went off when you walked through barefoot without a belt AND with all your precious belongings already passed the xray and are now far down that rolly counter where anyone can just grab your items make me extremely anxious and nervous. Good thing that has not happened to me, and I will continue to make sure that that body scan doesn't beep when I pass because that is one of my worst nightmares. (Oh and let's not even mention having to do ALL that while running late.)

Samui Airport, USM

Anyways, all of this leads me to ask the question why are no two airports alike? Wouldn't our familiarity with the layout of an airport, expectation of the number of passengers, and very important knowledge of how far one terminal is from another calm our nerves? So why are no two airports alike? As a very loyal Target customer, I know where all the different sections are no matter which Target I go to--same as the Ikeas. If the sections have changed, at least there's a very clear path to take.

John F. Kennedy International Airport, JFK

But isn't there a perfect airport design that every other airport should base itself on to optimize efficiency, ease of use, comfort, and your overall experience? Is Dallas-Fort Worth's Skylink more efficient than O'Hare's what-seems-like-a-mile-long moving walkway with neon lights? (I must say the skeleton replica of the Brachiosaurus is a pretty cool reward at the end of the tunnel.) What about Dulles' strange and futuristic Mobile Lounges? Is that more efficient than the good old buses used at PHL? And what about the Disneyland-like trams used at Samui Airport in Thailand? Or maybe we like to walk everywhere like at Newark.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, HEL

Now, what about the design? Can a famous architect make an airport "better"? Kansai International which serves Osaka is designed by Renzo Piano. London Heathrow Terminal 5 by Richard Rogers. The defunct TWA Flight Center by Eero Saarinen, who also designed Dulles, and the vacated Terminal 6 by I.M. Pei--both at JFK. Denver International with its highly praised canvas, snow-capped shaped roof is by Curtis Fentress is also the mastermind behind, what is consistently rated as one of the world's best airports, Incheon International. Note--these airports are all international.

London Heathrow Airport, LHR

Maybe domestic terminals and some international airports don't need the big names yet can still be nice and function just as well. Taiwan Taoyuan International's Terminal 1, which is reminiscent of Dulles, is traditional and beautiful. George Bush Intercontinental, Philly, and Gatwick (except for the monumental bridge) are nondescript but functional. Tompkins County Airport might one of the most stripped down airports I know, but, hey, you can go to the front of the security line if you are running late. Forget the architecture at McCarran International, which serves Las Vegas, as you are greeted with slot machines upon arrival. But then there are domestic terminals like the ones at LAX, Pittsburgh International, Phoenix Sky Harbor, and LaGuardia that are dark and extremely sad.

Denver International Airport, DEN

One thing I can make my mind up about is that airports are, although maybe not 100% of the time, representations of the city that it is in or even its country. Honolulu International with its open air design and densely-planted grounds welcomes you to paradise. Copenhagen Airport with its laminated hardwood floor, minimalist design, and cleanliness represents a country that is proud of its culture and heritage yet values the latest in technology, functionality, and its vulnerable but still pristine environment. The Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX has some had-been modern features left from the 80's and 90's but are lackluster today--much like downtown LA which suffers from complacency and a lack of development and advancement. (Sorry, I'm a very harsh critic of Southern California. I am excited, however, for the modernization of LAX which has Curtis Fentress on board.) Lastly, to the airport that serves one of my favorite cities, Heathrow Terminal 5 with Richard Rogers' signature Bowellism style is a monument that celebrates London's modernity despite its 2000 years of history and, obviously, a display of the ingenuity of one of Britain's greatest modern architects.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport, ORD

Thoughts? What's your favorite airport? Which one do you dislike the most?

Arc de Triomphe

2010-09-30T08:00:00.001-04:00

Julia

2010-09-28T18:13:00.003-04:00

The plot of Julia sounds insane and implausible on paper: a mentally ill mother, Elena, enlists the help of her neighbor, Julia (Tilda Swinton), to permanently kidnap her son, Tom, who is "imprisoned" by his wealthy and "evil" grandfather. If Julia helps in the kidnapping, Elena would give Julia a large reward. Julia, who is a completely dysfunctional alcoholic, agrees to help but, on her own, plans to double cross Elena by kidnapping Tom and asking for an even larger ransom. But, as the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, when Julia actually kidnaps Tom, Tom is then kidnapped by Mexican kidnappers when she accidentally drives across the border while escape authority.

Sounds impossible right? I would think so. But somehow Erick Zonca, a French director, made it all work with incredible realism. Julia is one of best thrillers I have seen this year. I literally held my breath for the last 5 minutes. I wish I had seen it earlier. It was on my Netflix queue for quite a long time. However, since I never read any articles or heard any publicity about the film, I never got the motivation to watch it. But last time, I was craving for a thriller and felt I was finally time to give it a try.

It sure did not disappoint. Tilda Swinton's performance is mesmerizing. There's nothing glamorous about her character though; in fact, she was uglified for the role kind of like Penelope Cruz in Don't Move. She is a complete drunk, cannot get her act together, does not even think of herself as an alcoholic, and creates a huge web of lies where she herself gets entangled. She parties all night, sleeps with random men, and looks like a total mess the morning after. Swinton as Julia is raw, surreal, and utterly incredible. I am so surprised that this film and her performance for this character did not garner more attention and accolades in the United States. If she was good in Michael Clayton as Karen Crowder, Tilda as Julia is 50x better than the Karen during the bathroom scene.

In addition to Tilda's performance, Aidan Gould who plays the boy Tom adds a great touch to the film. He is a likable and quirky character with extremely extremely bad luck and just gets caught in the middle of all this mess! He was playing in the river wearing a speedo when Julia kidnaps him. Then he gets taken to Mexico during his sleep while Julia drives like a mad woman. Then he gets kidnapped a second time! And throughout the movie, someone is always pointing a gun at him, and he has the least clue of what is going on. Aidan really needs to be in the next Wes Anderson film. He would be a perfect fit.

At 2 hours and 30 minutes long, Julia can be a bit tiring at points especially in the desert scenes (think--the scene in Babel where the nanny tries to find the children in the desert). But even at 2 hours and 30 minutes, Julia is a truly exciting drama-thriller where the plot and characters are out of this world, and it has its touching and amusing moments of poignancy, sheer panic, and heavy absurdity.

Jeff Koons for Kiehl's

2010-09-27T14:42:00.014-04:00

I rather like Jeff Koons. Some may (actually many do) consider his works kitsch, but I think his use of stainless steel in his Celebration series to sculpt balloon animals, egg shells, and ribbons is the most interesting use of material I have seen. There are many more things to say about Koons' art like how strange it is look at his innocent balloon animals after having seen his Made in Heaven series.

But, in more recent event, Koons has partnered with Kiehl's to create limited edition of Kiehl's Creme de Corps line of products.

These limited edition items feature, on the label, a reproduction of Koon's Tulips from his Celebration series which is an oil painting made to look like his stainless steel Tulips.

The good of all this? Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Jeff Koons Family Institute, a non-profit organization. Here's an excerpt with more information from the website:

"We are proud to partner with famed modern artist Jeff Koons in recreating our classic Creme de Corps labels in support of The Jeff Koons Family Institute, a non-profit organization that seeks to reunite children and families across the world and combat child exploitation in all its forms.

100% of Kiehl’s net profits from the sale of Limited Edition Creme de Corps will support The Jeff Koons Family Institute. Kiehl’s donation will encourage countries to join and adhere to international conventions protecting children and help put in place national-level programs for missing and exploited children across the globe."

I actually use something from the Creme de Corps collection. It's pretty good. So if you are running low and want to try a new lotion, consider Kiehl's! You will be helping some children out!

Looking forward to

2010-09-26T01:01:00.004-04:00

The King's Speech directed by Tom Hooper, starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, and Geoffrey Rush won the People's Choice Award at this year's Toronto Film Festival.

This seems like one of those semi-epic, kind of serious but with a dry wit, slightly romantic, a bit inspirational, Best Picture-nominated but don't win, and, ultimately, highly polished and well-directed films. Think The Young Victoria, Atonement, An Education, The Reader, The Queen, Finding Neverland, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Funny that they are all British films.

Buckingham Palace

2010-09-23T14:31:00.002-04:00

Latest obsession: Florence + the Machine

2010-09-18T02:17:00.012-04:00

Florence + the Machine - Blinding

Stolen

2010-09-14T19:41:00.000-04:00

In some ways, documentary is emerging as one of my favorite genres of film. Before, I kind of had the preconceived notion that documentaries lack style, artistry, direction, narration among many other things. Documentary film, to me, was a way to collect facts, interviews, video footages and present all these elements together as a body of work. Documentaries were passive, apolitical, and historical; they did not do more than to just present an event, a person, or place.

But today, documentaries have very strong messages and are on a mission to deliver the "truth" according to their directors, however how impartial the truth is. They certainly have style and some of the most unique narration. They can be touching, infuriating, and life changing. For me, my respect for documentary started with An Inconvenient Truth. Then it reached a new height with Sicko, my favorite documentary of all time along with Chernobyl Heart, a short feature. And now Stolen.

As I wrote earlier, documentary has in some ways emerged as one of my favorite genres of film. It is one of my favorites because, more than often, it hits a subject matter that I am passionate about. (If most documentaries have a conservative, right-leaning voice, I probably wouldn't be watching any of it. But let's just face it, documentaries are mostly liberal, leftist, environmentally friendly, peace-loving. The entertainment industry is one that is not conservative except for maybe the AMPAS.) A subject that I am more interested in than anything else is art, especially Johannes Vermeer.

Stolen is a documentary on the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist--the biggest in America. An estimated $200 to $300 million worth of art was stolen including Rembrandt's only seascape, several Degas, a Manet, and one of only 36 Vermeers in the world. Because of the rarity of Vermeers and the quality and significance of the Vermeer, the documentary focused largely on the this one painting.

What I liked about Stolen is the frame story, detective approach that it took to try to solve the crime and get the painting back. It interviewed art historians who put an amazing perspective on the atrocity of this crime. But mostly, it followed a detective, who specialized in art theft, on his attempt to recover the painting. The film dove so deep into the crime that the film maker and detective were literally one person away from getting the paintings back. The film also revealed the darkness of this art heist--how the mafia in Boston and in Ireland are involved, how politicians could bring the paintings back, how the FBI is more interested in catching the thieves than recovering the paintings, and even how religion can a part of the recovery process.

Needless to say, Stolen is one documentary that is extremely interesting. But of course, it has its downsides. Stolen reaffirms my stereotype that documentaries can have no style, artistry, direction, or narration. This film is carefully organized so that everything made sense, but it lacked creativity. Aesthetically, it might be no better than a home movie. It is, however, just that--a very low budget documentary that was made for television. Still, if you are interested in Vermeer, art thefts, Isabella Stewart Gardner, or her museum, Stolen offers more insights into these topics than one could ask for.

Winners everywhere!

2010-09-13T17:41:00.003-04:00

What a great week for some of my favorite artists. My last post was dedicated to Sofia Coppola, the winner of this year's Venice Film Festival's top prize--the Golden Lion--for her newest film Somewhere.

Last night, Lady Gaga won multiple MTV's Video Music Awards(almost every category she was nominated for) for her videos Bad Romance and Telephone. Yay for Eminem's wins as well. Before his latest album, Recovery, I did not like him for the most part. But I feel like he has emerged this year with more maturity and humanity (at least with the two singles released so far).

And lastly, The xx won UK's Mercury Prize beating 11 other nominees.

P.S. Lady Gaga's meaty dress has been done before. In 2002, contemporary Chinese artist, Zhang Huan, wore a meat suit in his performance art piece My New York. The idea was quite similar--post 9/11, Huan walked through the streets of NYC in a muscle/meat suit to symbolize the strength of New Yorkers.

Congratulations Sofia!

2010-09-11T20:24:00.005-04:00

The Cove

2010-09-10T10:55:00.000-04:00

After I watch a movie, I always read as much as possible online about the movie, the subject matter, the stars, production notes, and the like. Especially for a film in the historical/period and documentary genres, I want to know how accurate and impartial a film is. Documentaries are nearly always unapologetically one-sided and so it's interesting to seek out what the other side has to say.

Most of the time, I wholeheartedly agree or sympathize with the message or goal of the documentary for example Sicko, Food Inc., and An Inconvenient Truth. But I felt a little bit uneasy about The Cove, a bit reluctant to embrace the message of it all.

The Cove won the Best Documentary Feature at this year's Academy Awards. To me, it mainly documented the journey of a group of American activists who go to Taiji, Japan, where an annual hunting/slaughtering of dolphins take place. And along the way, Ric O'Barry, the man who is at the center of the mission to stop this dolphin killing tradition, explains why he became involved. My favorite part of The Cove is how the crew tried to document this event. The fishermen in Taiji who partake in the killing obviously do not want outsiders to see what really happens in the cove. Thus the area is heavily fenced and guarded by local police. To get footage of the killing, the camera crew had to sneak around at night with night and thermal vision cameras. This part of the film is a very exciting and a bit Mission Impossible like.

What we ultimately see is the undeniable truth. Pathetic method of driving the dolphins into the dove. Cruel slaughtering of dolphins. Heartbreaking footages. And blood. Lots and lots and lots of blood. At the end, it is impossible to feel sorry for the helpless and hopeless dolphins who are obviously suffering a lot of pain. And I cannot help to feel disdain for the people who are a part of this killing. The hunt is disgusting, hateful, and barbaric. (Those are probably the harshest words I've ever used in this blog.)

But going back to what I said earlier, I try to read upon the film and its subject matter after the viewing. What I found is a bit too much discrepancies between the accounts of how the footages were shot. I really do not like how the Japanese fishermen said that originally Ric O'Barry went to Taiji for a different purpose. Yet the film portrays the film crew as being there for the purpose of documenting the dolphin hunt from the start. Furthermore, I dislike how there is the "white man's burden," "the West telling the East how to live" sort of point of view. So in the end, I am not entirely sure if the people involved in this film are as noble as they appear to be.

Bright Star

2010-09-08T10:50:00.000-04:00

I am still not over how aesthetically marvelous Bright Star is.

The Duchess

2010-09-06T11:48:00.000-04:00

Netflix recently added a lot of films that I've been waiting to watch to its Watch Instantly section. (Let me take a moment to say how great Netflix is. If you are bored, on an "extended summer break"/taking forever to find a job, I highly recommend you subscribe to Netflix. At around $9 a month for unlimited Watching Instantly online, it's pretty worth it. And their Watching Instantly section is growing and getting much much better. If you are skeptical, you can always do the free month trial.) The last film I reviewed, Mother, is a newly added one. The Cove, the awarding documentary, was also added so I shall be watching that soon. I decided to watch The Duchess as I felt I needed to watch a period film, and I always love films about aristocrats, kings and queens.

(I really don't like the Princess Diana reference in the beginning of the trailer. But the rest of it is better than others.)

I wouldn't say this is a period film about nobilities that is particularly groundbreaking or memorable. Honestly, I didn't even like Keira Knightley in her role as Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. I thought she lacked the gravitas, weight to play such a role. There are a few moments, however, where she is pretty good. I also find the casting of Dominic Cooper questionable. On the other hand, I thoroughly liked Ralph Fiennes, as the Duke, and Hayley Atwell, as his mistress Lady Bess Foster. (Hayley Atwell is Lady Julia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited, another great role that I really enjoyed watching.)

But The Duchess is a pretty interesting film while it lasted. The plot and the relationships between the characters have some very good complexity. There are many moments in the film where I felt sympathetic towards a character while disliking others. And there are moments of redemption where I started to like the characters who I previously hated. Moreover, there is one slightly scandalous scene where Georgiana and Lady Bess' relationship is darkly explored.

To sum it up, The Duchess is slightly better than The Other Boleyn Girl, not as good as The Young Victoria, and a watered down, less creative Marie Antoinette. But I still love Keira Knightley and I am looking forward to her next film Never Let Me Go. Can you believe she's only 25?

Lastly, she's so well spoken in this interview!

Mother

2010-09-04T23:13:00.004-04:00

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho did it again with his latest film Mother, which I have been highly anticipating since hearing about it at last year's London Film Festival.

If you haven't heard of Bong Joon-ho, I wonder if you live under a rock. His most famous film, The Host, premiered at the Cannes in 2006, landed on several 2007 top ten lists, AND is the highest grossing South Korean film ever! So before you watch Mother, you should watch The Host or after...up to you.

To me, Bong Joon-ho is emerging as one of the most refreshing auteur. His films have such a great balance of drama and dark comedy. While watching his films, I often found it absurd that I am laughing at some of the scenes because they are so dark and serious yet awkward. I don't think I have experienced the same feeling while watching films by any other filmmaker. In addition, Bong's films are never dull; the pace is so well balanced, and the music always so perfectly paired with every scene.

Anyways, Mother is about a mother who tries relentlessly to save his slightly slow adult son from imprisonment. Her son, who is known as a gentle, harmless person in town, is accused of murdering a girl. Running around town, collecting evidence, sneaking around at night, the elderly mother (the mother is actually never given a name) discovers scandals, secrets, and crosses path with some interesting characters. The ending of the film is one that is highly rewarding and twisted; it adds a powerful punch to the film. Also, did I mention the acting by Kim Hye-ja, the mother, is brilliant?

Bright Star

2010-08-26T23:47:00.004-04:00

Cataracts

2010-08-22T23:30:00.010-04:00

Andrew Bird - Cataracts

Screenshot - Bright Star

Jane Campion

2010-08-20T18:48:00.003-04:00

Jane Campion is an extraordinary auteur who has only made a handful of films (nine to be exact since 1984). But each film she makes is exceptional. Campion deserving owns the distinctions as one of only four female directors nominated for the Academy Awards and the only female director to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes.

Of Campion's nine films, I have seen two: The Piano and Bright Star, her latest work.

The Piano is Campion's masterpiece for which she was nominated for the Academy Awards and won the Palme d'Or. It is a must-see film setting in New Zealand, during the period when the country became a part of the British Empire. This is an interesting setting rarely seen on film. But what is most enjoyable about this dark, haunting film is the acting by Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin and their journey and adaptation to a foreign country. Their fear of the unknown, unwillingness to adapt, and the love story are so powerful on screen.

What I really want to write about with this post is Bright Star, however. I finally viewed it last week after having heard so much buzz about it last October while I was in London. It premiered in the UK at the London Film Festival.

As opposed to The Piano, Bright Star is airy, light, and dreamy. The cinematography is so beautiful to look at. I really really recommend it for its visual aesthetics. I had to keep taking screenshots of the film. While Bright Star is not as powerful or unique as The Piano, it is such an exquisite and delicate film about the universe of love, from its sprouting to its growth, to its pain, and its, unfortunate, end.

Give me a sec. Let me write down what you just said.

2010-08-13T22:20:00.001-04:00

The Art of the Steal

2010-08-12T21:07:00.005-04:00

The Art of the Steal, a documentary on the government and private interest groups' hostile efforts to make a private art collection into a public collection, has been making me think about the issues presented.

The documentary follows the fate of the art collection of Albert Barnes who made a mass fortune inventing the antiseptic drug Argyrol. Appropriately, Barnes' art collection was put in the trust of the Barnes Foundation located outside of Philadelphia. The Foundation is not only a house of art but also an educational institution. Barnes' collection includes 181 Renoirs, 69 Cezannes, 60 Matisses, 44 Picassos, and 14 Modiglianis. He has Matisse's The Joy of Life, a masterpiece that was extensively discussed in my art history course, Van Gogh's Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin, and Seurat's Models. All in all, Barnes collected around 9,000 pieces of art valued at over $25 billion today. His Impressionism-focused collection, according to the documentary, is larger than that of the Met or the MoMA.

Despite having such a great collection, Barnes did not welcome the public to see it for one important reason. In 1923, Barnes put on an exhibition of his collection but was completely dismissed by the critics. At the time, his Pre-/Post-/Impressionist and Fauvist collection was considered too avant-garde, unrefined, primitive by the elite and art critics of Philadelphia. After this incident, Barnes grew extremely antagonistic towards those who did not appreciate his art collection-namely, the elite and art critics. Barnes then closed the door to his collection to those people but welcomed students, art educators, and the working people. Along the way, Barnes made many enemies.

To prepare for, what he foresaw as, the fate of his art collection, Barnes wrote in his will that the collection will never leave the Barnes Foundation, be lent, toured and basically fall in the hands of those who had despised. Additionally, the collection would only be opened to the public two days a week according to his will. Sadly, Barnes' will was not honored. A few decades after Barnes' death, the physical building of the Barnes Foundation fell into disrepair, funding ran low, and control of the collection entered the hands of people who had other plans for the famous/infamous art collection.

The collection was sent on an extremely successful world tour. The Foundation opened up to the public completely. And without a champion for Barnes's vision and will, long-time enemies of Barnes crept up to some control of the Foundation. Today, a new building is being constructed just adjacent to the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts to house the new Barnes Foundation--the ultimate insult to Barnes who hated the Philadelphia MFA for every thing it stood for.

So the issues at hand: Should the Barnes Foundation be opened to the public? Should the paintings be toured? lent? Should Barnes' will be honored despite the caliber of the collection?

I am having a hard time answering most of these questions. Originally, I thought it is important to honor Barnes' will and that the collection should not leave the original setting of where the collection is intended to be housed and viewed . Barnes arranged his collection in a way that is different from museums. Paintings are not grouped by artistic styles, periods, or by artists; instead, Barnes' paintings are group among furnitures and decorative art to create aesthetic synergy. In some ways, it's like the Frick Collection where you are experiencing someone's house--the way where each artwork is hung and where each furniture is placed give insight into Frick's life and taste. On the other hand, this argument is also an unanswered questions by the age old dilemma of the Parthenon Marbles. Does the original setting of the artworks illuminate the works, provide greater meaning, and provoke greater appreciation?

But if Barnes' will is followed through, this also means the masterpieces within the collection will not be opened to the public as much as I think it should be. I can probably go on and on about the topic and never really reach a conclusion. After all, 200 years later, the debate on the Parthenon Marbles still continues.

Thoughts?

Notes to self

2010-08-06T23:30:00.003-04:00

Say what?

Eternity and a Day

2010-08-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Old Masters and Modern Science

2010-08-05T08:00:00.001-04:00

Art authentication is possibly one of the most interesting topic to me. One of the only few books I have finished from start to end is The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazi, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century by Edward Dolnick. The book is about an art forger using chemistry, psychology, and historical circumstances to fool all of Europe. The most thought provoking notion that the book raises is that the best forgeries are those that are still hanging in museums disguised as old masters.

Here is the article from the NY Times about art authentication that prompted me to write this post:

Eternity and a Day

2010-08-03T12:57:00.000-04:00

Eternity and a Day is a beautiful Greek movie about a dying man making peace with his life. Along the way, he gets involved in the life of a child caught up in human trafficking and memories of his late wife is evoked.

Eternity of a Day reminds me of Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry but with a more bittersweet, affectionate tone. The film is beautiful to watch and I could not help myself from taking screen shots throughout the screening. The cinematography is diverse ranging from dreamy, airy sequences to dark, hopeless scenes. Above up, the brilliance of the film is shown through its display of human emotions: fear, hope, and love.

Oh Liz Lemon

2010-07-22T12:00:00.002-04:00

"Where are you? I hear sunshine."

Oh Liz Lemon

2010-07-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Volver

2010-07-19T23:03:00.000-04:00

The got the dvd of Volver from Blockbuster's sale back in Ithaca almost 2 years ago and I finally watched it last week. Volver's screenplays is phenomenal. I thoroughly loved it from start to finish. The story flows so well and it kept me interested the entire way. There are stories within stories and many many characters, each with their own histories; but the film never fell into disarray. The stories and histories build on top of each other to create a fruitful film.

As always, Penelope Cruz is amazing. I absolutely loved the scene where she sings/lip sync and the way she deals with the situations thrown at her. Along the way, we learn the reason why she is the way she is and the struggles she has been through. But Penelope Cruz is only one of many female characters. The others too have their stories to tell and it's so wonderful that Pedro Almodovar includes everyone into the film. There are the "dead" mother, the unaccomplished sister, the daughter who is becoming an adult, the neighbor who is struggling with cancer, and the friendly prostitute.

Lastly, in addition to the screenplay and actresses, the cinematography and artistic direction are eye catching. The colors explode onto the screen making a film about death and struggle ultimately beautiful and cheery. Volver is such a great film that gets everything right.

Such is life

2010-07-19T18:44:00.003-04:00

The Class

2010-07-09T20:50:00.003-04:00

So I am on a Palme d'Or run.

The Class is an unpretentious, documentary-like, and focused film that touches on so many important issues--race, socioeconomics, sexual orientation, the education system, parenting, and immigration. Like other Palme d'Or films, The Class is just as thought-provoking.

The film is actually quite uneasy to watch for me. Growing up, I went to public schools. From elementary school all the way till high school, most students (probably 95%) behaved very well. We got our work done, respected our instructors, and respected other students. The students in The Class is nothing like that. In the film "insolent" is used to describe the students a lot. But at the same time, you can tell some of these students are brilliant in the conventional way and perhaps in unconventional ways as well. The problem is that not everyone is going to grow up to be philosophers, professors, lawyers, or doctors. Some are to become musicians, police men and women, athletes, or farmers who still use their brains for their trade. Each student in the film has something special to offer and be discovered.

The camera takes on a very tightly focused mise en scene. Most frames are filled with only the characters' faces. We don't get to see a full picture of the classrooms until the end and the camera never leaves the school. The way the film is shot really focuses your attention on issues at hand and the characters. The Class is an unconventional and universal film that brings our attention to problems in our society.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

2010-07-09T02:26:00.003-04:00

(Meh, the trailer is a bit too Hollywood. Yuck.)

Raw. Powerful. Enlightening. The Wind that Shakes the Barley is one of the best Palme d’Or winners that I have seen, and it is so deserving of the Palme d’Or for its thought-provocation. It is so well written, edited, and delivered. It is also one of more uncomfortable films I have seen given its graphic scenes and ending. In one of the earlier scenes, I was sweating; I thought I was going to faint.

The character, Damien, played by Cillian Murphy is well developed. His beliefs, actions, emotions, and devotion to the war make the film what it is. This character gives the film substance, power, and structure. And there's such a unjust irony that happens to the character.

The Wind that Shakes the Barley is truly a gripping film that shares with the audience a story not often told. While I was studying in London, I heard of the Irish Republican Army (which is the army that the main characters of the film are in). All I know is that there are very few trash cans on the streets of London because during the 70s and 80s the IRA placed bombs in trash cans. And of course after learning about this, my impression of the IRA is that they are, in a way, terrorists. But after watching this film, I learned that everything happens for a reason. Not that placing bombs in trash cans is right, but obviously the IRA is getting the English back for something that happened many many years ago. Thus, this film is very enlightening, and I even learned that Irish is a language.

Oh Liz Lemon

2010-07-08T00:22:00.003-04:00

"She's very well read. She's very stylish, don't you think? And the most important thing is that she makes Jack happy. She's like a white geisha." - Liz on Phoebe, Jack's fiancée

ITMFL

2010-07-05T21:45:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts...I'm lazy.

The Virgin Spring

2010-06-27T21:27:00.004-04:00

I am happy to announce that I finished watching The Virgin Spring. It was not an easy task. I don't really know what to say about the film. So many good things have been said about the film from professional critics, and it even won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 1961 Academy Awards. But to me, the acting is overly dramatic, unbelievable, and the visual is not impressive or exceptionally artistic.

Maybe I just don't know how to view this film, where to place The Virgin Spring in the history and context of cinema. Perhaps, in 1960 when the film was released, it was quite something; but as cinema evolves, our expectation of films changes in a way that a film like The Virgin Spring is not understood for its aesthetics and becomes more difficult to appreciate.

There are, however, some great topics/themes that the film explores: religion, vengeance, sexual innocence, and justice. Fifty years later, these topics are still quite relevant.

I could not find a trailer for this film so below is the first ten minutes of the film. Enjoy!

The Auteur Series: Ingmar Bergman

2010-06-19T15:03:00.003-04:00

I have a love for all things auteur. My favorite auteurs to date are Wong Kar-Wai and Wes Anderson. Sadly, they're a bit vanilla and have become household names. (Okay, maybe not.) So I am hoping to expand my list of favorites.

For the next few weeks or even months, I will be watching films by Ingmar Bergman, an influential Swedish director who is very much approved by the Criterion Selection. As some of you might know, I have a love for all things Criterion Selection too. Furthermore, I also have a love for all things Scandinavian. So, needless to say, I think Bergman is a pretty good choice for me to embark on this Auteur Series.

Just to add a little more understanding of Bergman, Bergman is the idol of some of the most relevant directors today whom we always see at movie award shows. Todd Field, director of In the Bedroom and Little Children, Ang Lee, Woody Allen, and even Park Chan-wook, director of Oldboy have cited Bergman as their influence.

Woody Allen praised Bergman as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera." So I am looking forward to what Bergman has to offer. The first film I will be watching is The Virgin Spring. My one and only concern...Bergman's films are black and white films--something I have difficulty viewing if they are not for a class.

Séraphine

2010-06-13T15:02:00.003-04:00

I've been trying to remember where I saw the poster or ad for Séraphine because that quick glimpse of an ad led me to a great movie. Séraphine, who I have never heard of before this film, is a French artist who lived from 1864-1942 painting in primitivism. Her style similar to that of Van Gogh's and her color is vibrant and lively. Séraphine was self-taught, poor, and eccentric but produced paintings that her patron, Wilhelm Uhde, thought were brilliant.

In the film, Séraphine is played by Yolande Moreau. You will instantly recognize her as the Madeleine Wells from Amélie, the landlady whose husband left her for someone else in South America. At first, I could not take Moreau's acting seriously because of the contrast in tones of the two films. But slowly, I began to realize that Séraphine was probably in fact just as outlandish as the way Moreau was portraying her.

Two things I really enjoyed about the film is its narrative of the topics of religion and the way Séraphine worked as an artist. Séraphine was highly religious. She went to church, worshiped Virgin Mary, and had small shrines in her tiny apartment. She said her inspirations when painting comes up above. During certain parts of the film, however, as the film suggests, her talent morphed into madness--a madness that stemmed from religious beliefs. Moreover, her downfall was caused by an event mixed with her psychological problems and her delusional belief that God will save her.

The other thing that makes this film so wonderful is how the film shows Séraphine working relentlessly despite her living conditions, WWI, and the overall hardship of her life. As a household maid, Séraphine made a meager living. On the side, she washes linen and works at a butcher. She did not have the money to buy paint and canvas. Despite this hardship, she still painted by finding natural ingredient to mix her own paint. She collects mud by the river, wax from votive candles at church, blood from the butcher to mix her own paint. The results are vivid and rich colors that supposedly have stood the test of time as they are still as beautiful as they were when painted.

Because of this beautiful film, I will be looking for Séraphine's paintings the next time I visit museums in NYC.

Trailer:

A clip showing works by Séraphine:

Sony's Nex Camera

2010-06-11T01:47:00.002-04:00

I've always loved Sony. Their designs, whether it's in their cameras, televisions, or laptops, have always been, in my eyes, the best. They are sleek, luxurious, and futuristic. And functionally, the specs suggest their technologies are cutting edge. The results are products that are beautiful, functional, and, of course, expensive.

Recently, I do not really know what they have been doing though. PS3 lost to Wii. Their amazing small P series laptop, which was supposed to redefine laptops, seemed like a dud and caused some public relation confusion. I no longer know anyone who owns a VAIO desktiop. And their MP3 and digital books are irrelevant. BUT I do love the following video from NY Times. It gives me hope that one day Sony will reach the height of its glory once again. (Think Walkman.)

Who Draws the Borders of Culture?

2010-06-08T21:48:00.004-04:00

A compelling and fascinating article on NY Times on the ownership of antiquities specifically on the ownership of the Parthenon marbles. I've heard this topic discussed a couple times during my art history courses. Michael Kimmelman, the author, does a great job discussing the evolution of how antiquities become prized: if Lord Elgin did not take the Parthenon marbles, the Greeks would not have valued it so much.

Click here for the article

The Stoning of Soraya M.

2010-06-07T21:00:00.004-04:00

Unlike Departures, I probably can't say enough about The Stoning of Soraya M. This is one of those films where the message matters more than the acting, the cinematography, or even the script. This film is about women's rights, cruel and unusual punishment, and religion. Think of this film as a combination of The Last King of Scotland, for its storyline, and Deepa Mehta's Water, for its social commentary.

As the title suggests, the film is about the stoning of Soraya M. who is played by Mozhan Marno and not Shohreh Aghdashloo as the trailer might misleading. (Aghdashloo starred in one of my favorite films--House of Sand and Fog.) The leading actress in the film is indeed Aghdashloo who holds the film together beautifully with her powerful and dramatic acting. Many critics complained about the film's glorification of the stoning scene, prolonging the scene while adding no real and meaningful substance to the film. I too agree. But at the end of the day, a film is out to make money. Hollywood is not art for art's sake.

While watching the film, there were so many moments when I thought to myself "this is not right!" "something needs to be done." It disgusted me that the mayor and mullah, the religious cleric, allowed the stoning to take place yet are afraid of the news of this event leaving the town. Moreover, the stoning was treated as a ceremony and a sport where the crowd anticipated the event and cheered when Soraya M. was struck.

This film further strengths my thoughts on religion. If you know me, you probably know I am quite the atheist. I hope that this film and the book of the same title that the film is based on are generating discussions on the issues mentioned. And I do hope in the near future that problems with women's rights, cruel and unusual punishments, and religion in Iran and other Middle Eastern nations will be alleviated.

Departures

2010-06-06T20:24:00.003-04:00

There is little that I should write about Departures. This is the best film I have seen since watching The Hurt Locker. Departures is poignant. It is beautiful to watch. It is thoughtful. And it is a well-rounded film. It has, as the subject matter suggests, melancholy but is also nicely balanced with humor and some heartwarming sentiment. Departures beautifies and sheds light on a profession not often talked about.

As you will see in the film, the "encoffinment" ceremonies performed by Daigo, the protagonists, have a magical quality that can calm the families of the dead. But this incredible effect extended beyond the screen; as I watched the film, I became profoundly affected as well. I think at the end of the film, the audience (at least speaking for myself) became more knowledgeable and respectful of this profession that, like in the film, was looked down upon. The viewer's prejudice transformed from one of disgust to thankfulness.

Departures is a film that should be watched sooner or later for its cinematic beauty and achievements but also for its insight into a clouded profession that, ironically, the departed does not have to think much about.

Oldboy

2010-06-05T19:24:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone. I'm back from a hiatus. I graduated, and I am now back home. Hopefully by the end of the summer, I will be employed; but in the meantime I will be restarting my Netflix subscription.

I have been meaning to watch Oldboy since January when I went back to school. At brunch, my friend Sandra recommended this movie. She raved about the psychological aspect of the film and how incredibly the storyline comes together at the end.

And after watching the film, Oldboy sure is twisted. The film is about a person's revenge by imprisoning and torturing the protagonist then unleashing him to search for the reason why he was imprisoned for 15 years. I was not particularly interested in the middle of the film as Oh Dae-su, the protagonist, tries to find the reason behind his kidnapping. I think my screening of the film was hindered by the fact that the film was dubbed in English on Netflix. Because of this, I was not as focused on watching the film as I should have been.

On the other hand, the beginning and end are definitely worth watching. The penultimate scene where Oh Dae-su begs for forgiveness is fantastic--it is sick and twisted but it does a powerful job showing the boundary humans might go to achieve something. The end left me uneasy feeling that I am now burdened with a secret that Oh Dae-su tried to forget. In addition, I loved the soundtrack of the film and the dark, strange humor that is sprinkled throughout the movie. Look out for one of the early fight scenes--it is unusually amusing.

Stop Motion

2010-05-11T17:24:00.000-04:00

Rem Koolhaas

2010-04-13T23:01:00.004-04:00

Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas came to speak on campus today. He designed Milstein Hall, a new building for the College of Architecture, Art and Planning. His works include the Seattle Central Library, CCTV Headquarter in Beijing, and the interior of Prada store in SoHo.

The image on the screen shows his plan to fill the Charles River next to Harvard and build a canal to create more land for the Harvard campus. The plan was shot down.

Dirrrty New York Part II

2010-04-10T13:19:00.000-04:00

Sunday brunch at Max Brenner.

Alice Cup!

Hug mug!

The Young Victoria

2010-04-07T11:44:00.003-04:00

The Young Victoria won the Best Costume and Make Up awards at the Academy Awards 2010 so you can expect some very beautiful visuals during the movie. The costumes and palaces are equally stunning throughout the film. Emily Blunt plays the young Victoria who would become the Queen of England, and Rupert Friend is Prince Albert in the film.

The film depicts Princess Victoria before she became Queen, her struggle to rebel against her mother, and her love story with Prince Albert of Belgium. There are some great scenes that rise out of her rebellion against the control of her mother and her mother's lover who both try to manipulate Victoria into giving up her right to the reign.

I loved the camera work of the movie; it conveyed the authority and status of Queen Victoria. This camera work is used in two scenes that I really like: when Queen Victoria first meets with her Privy Chamber and when is she crowned Queen at Westminster Abbey. So watch out for these two scenes.

Pieces of NYC

2010-04-06T21:39:00.006-04:00

Spring Break 2010

The Park

Comme des Garcons

Hearst Tower

Central Park

Tulips

Cafe Sabarsky at the Neue Gallerie

Basta Pasta

An Education

2010-03-06T19:12:00.003-05:00

For some reason, An Education did not intrigue me. I first heard of it back in London. It was one of the movies shown at the British Film Institute's London Film Festival. The title, for starters, is kind of mundane, and I did not know much about the storyline. Nonetheless, I watched it in preparation for Oscar weekend.

It turned out to be quite a nice movie. In many ways, An Education is like a toned down version of Atonement. It's a British coming-of-an film about Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a high school student on the track to go Oxford. Jenny is intelligent, diligent, and independent but her desire to be adventurous and to be herself is often stifled by her strict father. After meeting David (Peter Sarsgaad), a random stranger who offered to take Jenny home on a rainy day, Jenny plunges head first into adult life.

Throughout the movie, I kept guessing what is coming for Jenny who is bewitched by David, a much older man, and all the material goods that come with money. I wanted Jenny to realize her mistake early on or fall really hard at the end. Regardless what I was hoping to see, the best part of the movie was when she discovers her mistake and the problem of her relationship with David.

As British as it gets, the emotions of the movie are restrained. Sadness is expressed through quite weeping; happiness expressed through a smile. The set and the quality of the film are surprisingly beautiful with a low budget of $7.5 million. When I finished watching the film, I thought it was nice . It was not specular. It is not a film that lingers with me. But it was a nice film to watch with some good lessons to take away.

Between the Bars

2010-03-04T22:32:00.003-05:00

The best cover. So heartbreaking.

The Hurt Locker

2010-03-03T21:40:00.006-05:00

The Hurt Locker is an attention gripping film from start to finish. Though at times predictable, the film keeps you attached to the screen and the story. Not a second of the film is wasted--the fast scenes give you an adrenalin rush and the slow scenes tell you a story beyond each character's facade. Jeremy Renner plays the daring and risk-seeking Sergeant William James who is a specialist at disposing explosives. James is a great character in that he is mysterious and slightly unlikeable but he is so good at what he does that he wins everyone over with his skills.

The cinematography is raw and journalistic which adds to reality to the film. At the end, I began to appreciate the work that real soldiers are doing for the safety of our country.

P.S. I was quite surprised by the fact that the film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, a female director (who is the ex-wife of James Cameron). Throughout the movie, I did not get the sense that the film was directed by a female. In my film studies class, we had talk about the gaze of the camera which is usually presented in the male point of view aka the Male Gaze. I would expect the film to have a different feel if it had a female director. I thought this was just a topic worth mentioning and exploring.

Temple Grandin

2010-03-01T22:14:00.003-05:00

Temple Grandin is an autistic woman who revolutionized the cattle industry by introducing humane slaughtering procedures and technology. Despite her autism, she graduated from college, received a Ph.D., and is currently an animal science professor and advocate of humane treatments of livestock. The HBO film of her name by Mick Jackson, who directed Volcano that starred Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche, honors her achievements and life thus far.

I never heard of the film and did not know who Temple Grandin is. I was informed by my friend of the screening at our on campus cinema while walking back home. The producer and Temple Grandin herself were going to be at the screening so I took a detour to get the tickets.

In the film, Claire Danes plays Temple. (I have always liked Danes because of her performance in Brokedown Palace alongside Kate Beckinsale. Brokedown Palace is a poignant film of two young Americans' vacation to Thailand that ended up in torturing legal troubles. I feel sad that Danes never got a breakout role and the recognition that she deserves.) At the screening, Temple said that she was so amazed by Claire Danes' performance and Danes' resemblance to herself. When she saw the film, she thought she was going through some surreal time machine back into the 70s because Danes acted just like she did. And Temple was right. Having seen and heard Temple in person, Danes got the accent, facial expressions, and physical movements perfectly. Danes was also able to capture the unusual humor that Temple has which lightened the film a bit.

It is definitely worth the time to watch the life of Temple. Her struggles, her characters, her achievements are inspiring. She was made fun of, bullied, rejected, and discriminated against throughout her life, yet she never gave up trying to innovate, advocate, and educate for a better tomorrow.

Xu Bing

2010-02-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

Xu Bing (徐冰) is one contemporary Chinese artist that I am writing my paper on for my Contemporary Chinese Art course. Born in 1955, he lived through the Cultural Revolution. He created A Book from the Sky to express his mistrust and skepticism of language and words that developed during the Cultural Revolution. During the Cultural Revolution and under Totalitarianism, governments often manipulate and distort words and language to express their ideas and get people to believe in their ideology. Conceived over a number of years, Xu Bing fabricated words that resembles Chinese characters but have no meaning. He carved every single character by hand and printed this installation artwork. The result is a hauntingly beautiful, traditional yet avant-garde work of art.

SNOWMAGEDDON!

2010-02-26T12:00:00.005-05:00

Alex Lai reporting live from Narnia. After 36 hours, the snow is still coming down furiously. The snow has turned from small pellets that hit you face like pricks of needles to large, soft snowflakes. The snow fall is so heavy that it was enough to cancel classes this morning. Sadly, this only benefited the 5-10 people who have classes at 8:40 am. Anyways, I am hoping that the snow will last till next week so maybe I can enjoy a snow day. Hit us, snowmageddon!

View from the safety of my basement home. The white bump in the middle ground is a car covered completely in snow.

Icicles! Weapon of choice in Narnia.

I am quite thankful that the sidewalk was cleared for the most part. Thank you to those who probably cleared the road at like 6 am and then again at 10 am.

Not many people are going to class.

Hopefully, my friends and I will go sledding down the Libe Slope later today. More updates to come!

Winter Madness!

2010-02-25T16:03:00.007-05:00

All this snow came down in Ithaca pretty much overnight! I was really hoping for a snow day but it would never happen with like 6 inches of snow. It would take like 4 feet of snow for that to happen. While the snow makes walking, traveling inconvenient, it makes your clothes wet, I still love the snow. It's cold and dirty, but it's also magical and different from just having the sun all day.

In the middle ground is one of the two infamous gorges on Cornell campus. Sorry, you can't really see it from this picture.

Eddy Gate, the original gate going into Cornell campus.

This is the parking lot behind my house. I made it back without slipping. I was so deadly afraid of walking down the hill to my house. I took tiny baby steps to ensure that it would not happen. I slipped last Friday, and I was really scared of slipping again. Slipping on the hill is my worst fear of living at the house that I live at.

Pretty crazy eh?

Dirrrty New York Part I

2010-02-24T22:43:00.005-05:00

I took the weekend to visit NYC because I did not have anything due for class the following week. This is what happened on the first day.

My friend's apartment. I felt like I was visiting an elder in Shanghai. The apartment is in Chinatown, and it smells and looks like old Shanghai.

Breakfast. I've been craving smoked salmon egg benedict at Clinton Street Baking Co &

Restaurant. It was good but the biscuit instead of English muffin was not quite what I was looking for. Sarabeth's smoked salmon egg benedict, on the other hand, is pretty good.
Hello Kitty from Opening Ceremony for Jenni.
Soho. I liked the doodling on the wall. It looked like it was painted from a giant crayon. Walking through Soho, we saw this building with all its windows shattered. We thought it was a gas explosion. The next day all the windows were covered with plywood.
Zucchini and potato focaccia from Balthazar's bakery. It was bad.
A building in Chelsea. I liked the little alien on that grey thing.

Baohaus. It was interesting.
We tried to go to a bar but it didn't work out. So we ended up back at the apartment and drank Veuve Clicquot. It gave me major stomach ache. I can't drink anything expensive.

For Sheryl

2010-02-23T00:34:00.003-05:00

Alexander McQueen boutique, NYC, 2/19/10

Crazy, Messy Wednesday

2010-02-18T01:38:00.007-05:00

In the morning, I had a presentation where I proposed a change to a policy. It went surprisingly well, but I was really tired from not getting enough sleep. Wednesday, however, is the day I look forward to the most during the week in addition to Tuesday. On Tuesdays, I have my Contemporary Chinese Art course in the morning. Wednesday afternoon, I have Introduction to Wines. So here I am in class.
We had French wines today. The red one was pretty bad. I got major, unbearable munchies after class so I got some food. After that, I went back to my room. And this is what I came back to--a crazy, out of control mess.
So I cleaned it up. One of the things that I love to do is the use the lint roller to clean my carpet. Since I don't have a good working vacuum cleaner, a lint roller is a pretty good alternative. It's kind of fun (and gross) to see what you can pick up with it.

It'll probably get really messy again in two days.

Fine Dining Friday

2010-02-06T23:33:00.005-05:00

In light of our last semester at Cornell, my friends and I have begun what we call Fine Dining Friday. Until the end of the semester, we will be trying a different restaurant each Friday that we have yet to go. (Hopefully, we will have the time and money to do this till the end.)

This Friday we went to Zaza's Cucina, an Italian restaurant. I had heard many great things about Zaza's and was excited to finally try it out.

Between the five of us, we ordered a bottle of German Riesling and three appetizers to share. The appetizers we ordered were a crunchy walnut-crusted scallops with a light endive salad, savory wild mushrooms with polenta, and a large portion of mussels steamed in a white wine, herbs, and garlic. They were equally flavorful and good. The broth from the mussels was so good that I had to ask it to be boxed up. I made a good a pasta sauce the next day with it.

For the entree, I ordered raviolis stuffed with pumpkin puree in sage butter. Although the dish was a bit too sweet, it was still very good and a nice contrast to all the savory dishes we had earlier. My friend ordered a lobster and shrimp risotto that I would definitely recommend. Zaza's was a great start to our Fine Dining Friday. The food was delicious and the ambiance was nice. The evening turned out to be a great success and I can't wait till next week!

The xx

2010-01-31T22:00:00.000-05:00

The xx has so many good songs that I had trouble deciding which song to post. But after knowing that Stars hasn't been released as a single (Crystalised, Basic Space, Islands, VCR have been released as singles), I think it's quite worth the recommendation.

Stars is slightly slower in beat than all the other singles and is perhaps the moodiest of all the songs in the album.

Love-Hate Relationship with my Lomo

2010-01-30T23:15:00.000-05:00

I love my Lomo camera for its dramatic colors, lighting, and its old feel. The photos that come out seem to have been taken during another era or developed ages ago.

I hate my Lomo camera for its cost and surprises. It costs around $3 for each roll of film and another $4 to develop the film onto a CD. A couple times the films came out blank probably because I did not set up the film correctly. While in Europe, I had the wrong ISO setting on for a couple of my ISO 100 films. Sometime during my use, the ISO setting was turned to ISO 800 for my ISO 100 films. As a result, too little light went into the camera. A lot of times I would forget to set up the manual focus resulting in many wasted frames.

But sometimes the Lomo produces phenomenal photos that are incomparable to unedited digital photos or even heavily edited digital photos. There is just something pure and real about film photography.

London Eye, London

Louvre, Paris

Helsinki Central Railway Station, Helsinki

Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen

Bascilia of St. Mary of Health, Venice

Auteur Theory

2010-01-26T19:43:00.000-05:00

A few people have asked me what does the name of my blog mean. Auteur's Theories is a play on the film term auteur theory (auteur means author in French). Auteur theory came about in the 1960s when American film critic Andrew Sarris translated the following idea into English:

"The German term Autorenfilm is, however, also associated with a more polemical issue regarding questions of authorship. In this respect, some writers for the screen started campaigning for their rights to these so-called Autorenfilm. That is, they staked their claim not just to the script but to the film itself. In other words, the film was to be judged as the work of the author rather than the person responsible for directing it. In France the concept of auteur (in the 1920s) comes from the other direction, namely that the filmmaker is the auteur--irrespective of the origin of the script." -- Susan Hayward, Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts

I initially started this blog as a way for me to review, recommend, and document the films I watch. Thus, I wanted the name to be related to cinema. Having heard and learned a little bit of the term--auteur theory--I tried to make it my own. I made auteur possessive and theory plural. To me, the title of my blog means that the things I write are my theories whether it is about films or not. And as the author of this blog, I am also the auteur. I think the title fits comfortably today at the top of my blog as my blog has evolved to encompass much more than just about film. My theories now touches upon art, traveling, and life.

Helsinki, December 2009

Cai Guo-Qiang

2010-01-03T00:16:00.001-05:00

If we have ever talked about the type of art I like, I have probably said Asian art is inferior to Western art. Asian art, to me, is inferior because Asian artists lack individuality. Chinese paintings (you know those ink, scroll paintings) all look the same; they all seem to be painted by the same person or produced from a factory. In a way, Chinese paintings are like the manuscripts of the Middle Ages. The only Asian artist that I can name off the top of my head is probably Hiroshige who I know from studying Western art.

Last week, however, I was pleasantly surprised when I visited the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. They are currently exhibiting the work of Cai Guo-Qiang who I had never heard, but should have, before last week. Cai Guo-Qiang has exhibited at the Solomon Guggenheim, Tate Modern, Sackler Gallery, the Met, and won at the Venice Biennale. His large-scale installation works are unusual, provocative, and expressively beautiful. I got the same feeling at Cai's exhibition as when I visited the Saatchi Gallery.

Inopportune: Stage One

Hello & Happy New Year from Taiwan

2009-12-31T14:05:00.000-05:00

I hope you like these photos I took of Taipei 101's New Year's fireworks. It was really amazing but way too short. I waited one hour for three minutes of fireworks. And then it took two hours to get home.

Precious

2009-12-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

I watched Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire on Christmas Day. It is not exactly a Christmas movie, but Precious was a great choice. The story is quite simple: a coming of age story of a young, obese, and illiterate African-American girl growing up in Harlem with an oppressive, sinister, and demanding mother. Precious, played by Gabourey Sidibe, is only 16 but is pregnant and forced to run her family; Precious has to cook, do the dishes, and get welfare checks while her mother, Mary, played by Mo'Nique, orders Precious around while watching television and chain smoking.

The film gets incredibly violent and heartwrenching as Mary verbally and physically abuses Precious. Despite her family conditions, Precious perseveres in becoming a more educated individual with the help of Miss Rain, played by Paula Patton, a kind and selfless special education teacher. Mariah Carey also has an interesting role in the film as a social worker who tries to help Precious.

What I liked about the film is the acting by Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique. Even though I have not yet seen other Golden Globe nominated films, I will be disappointed to see Sidibe or Mo'Nique walk away from the evening without a win. The two actresses make believable characters. By the end of the film, I was sincerely rooting for Precious and waiting for Mary's downfall.

This film brings the audience into a world that you might read in newspaper and see on the news about sexual and child abuse but never witness in real life. The acting in conjunction with the occasional documentary filming style make the film utterly authentic. It brings to light the grim reality that some children face in their homes and in life: illiteracy, poverty, and physical, sexual, & mental abuses.

a remote cabin in Northwestern Wisconsin

2009-12-23T00:45:00.000-05:00

Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago isn't the latest hit album nor recently release. But, I just can't get over it. Released in 2008, the two best tracks in the album, For Emma, Forever Ago and Skinny Love, are just so perfect for play in a remote cabin in Northwestern Wisconsin during the winter with lots of snow and a crackling fireplace (and hot chocolate and s'more and a warm blanket). Wouldn't you agree? =D

The cinematography as created by Vincent Moon for Le Blogotheque makes the whole thing even that much better.

London

2009-12-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

View from St. Paul's Cathedral

Bronzino

2009-12-19T03:00:00.000-05:00

Beautifully bizarre. Note the hollow figure on the upper left hand corner and the serpent bodied girl.

Bronzino, An Allegory with Venus and Cupid, 1545, Oil on canvas, National Gallery, London

Helsinki

2009-12-18T13:30:00.004-05:00

My camera failed me in Helsinki. It took acceptable night shots in Paris. But, in Helsinki, the shots came out blurry even during the day.

Uspenski Cathedral

Copenhagen is enchanted.

2009-12-16T16:00:00.001-05:00

My friend and I arrived at the train station in Copenhagen at around 12 pm. It was quite an easy journey from the Copenhagen airport to the city. The train only took around 10 minutes.

This is the view from our hotel room. It's the Marriott Copenhagen by the water. It's not in the center of the city but it was only 10 minutes away by foot. It had a fantastic view of the water and the island across from mainland . After staying at Happy and Young hostel in Paris, I will never stay in a hostel ever again. I showered in a stall that flooded with other people's hair and had my luggage opened. So I had to pick a nicer hotel this time around.

View from the hotel's 9th floor. The spire is from the Church of Our Saviour (Vor Frelsers Kirke). Not only is it unique and decorative, but the spire also serves as a staircase for visitor to climb and see the city. In the distance, which you can barely make out, is the Middelgrunden which is a wind farm in the sea. There are 20 giant turbines and they power over 3% of Copenhagen.

Another view of from the hotel. This picture shows one of the thing I love about Copenhagen--the city is so beautifully unified by the towers and green patina roofs. Each and everyone of the towers is unique but still they bring together a sense of uniformity for the skyline.

A closer look at the tallest tower from the picture above. It is the City Hall.

Don't really know what that building is, but that Christmas tree is powered by these bicycles that you can ride at the base of it. I got quite a work out from trying to light up the tree myself. It shows how Denmark is addressing the problems with energy and the environment. It's such an innovative solution to lighting up the tree. Throughout the city are also bicycle lanes. It's amazing how many people ride bikes here!

On the Strøget, the longest pedestrian-only shopping street in Europe, with another beautiful tower. But I don't know what it is.

The Magasin du Nord, the biggest department store in Copenhagen. Quite fancy with expensive Scandinavian fashion that I, sadly, could not afford.

The Royal Danish Theatre--reminds me of a smaller, less ornate Opera Garnier.

It's hard to believe that the building in the centre with the tower is home to the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. The CSE is the oldest stock exchange in Europe. And that wicked tower is made up of the tails of four dragons twisted into a spire. It's unlike anything else huh.

The Rosenborg Castle--a former royal castle.
It houses the royal jewels but we didn't know that nor did we go in. Since we only had one and a half day in the city, we pretty much just wandered around the city. We thought going into museums and castles would have killed too much of our time. We wanted to see as much of Copenhagen as we could in the short amount of time we had. Thankfully Copenhagen is not a big city so we got to see just the right amount of sights during the time we were there. While I didn't know what was what, I still got to learn and appreciate the city just from the architecture.

The gardens of the castle.
Sadly, most of the leaves were gone.

Child strangling a goose with a lot, a lot, and a lot of leaves all raked into the fountain.

Row houses in a nice colour palette.

A windmill!

This was the sight as we walked to see the ever so famous Little Mermaid sculpture. The body of water that is closer to you is a moat surrounding a fortress.

The Little Mermaid!
...who looks quite sad and Survival of the Fittest featuring the Fat Lady, Justitia, sitting on top of a poor, starving African Man. It was put up for the UN Climate Change Conference. The sculpture is meant to symbolise the rich countries making "the best" decisions for poor countries.

The Copenhagen Opera House.
It's quite monumental and nicely designed. Don't you think so?

The Amalienborg.
This royal palace was kind of disappointing. No crowd was gathered there to take pictures like how people gather at Buckingham Palace. And it doesn't seem to have heightened security that shouts "if you trespass, we will shoot you." Queen Margrethe II, the reigning queen, is said to be quite beloved by the people. She's a major chain smoker and is friendly to her people.

The Marble Church!
I was completely surprised when we stumbled upon this. We were walking in, what we thought was, a residential area. The buildings were all kind of the same then we came around a corner to see this beautiful domed church. It was also free to go in. The inside wasn't as fantastic as the outside but we got to heat up a little bit inside.

The Nyhavn.
It's a canal lined with some very colourful buildings and restaurants. We ate there on our last night. I had a piece of deer, a chocolate cake, and the best mulled wine I have had. The mulled wine had some sort of nuts in it with raisins.

A closer look at the Church of Our Saviour.
It was closed that day but I got a peek of the inside which had an incredible altar piece.

Dinner on the first night.
We tried for like an hour looking for a place to eat that night. It was completely dark by 4 and a lot of restaurants were closed or asked for reservations. We finally found this place after walking around in the rain. That beer was also the beer I've ever had. It was a Christmas beer that is only made during the holiday season. I think it had cranberry juice in it.

The Tivoli!!!

Sadly, we didn't go in but it looked like tons of fun. They charge an admission fee and also a fee for each ride. Walt Disney is said to have been inspired by the Tivoli.

Tivoli at night.
All in all, I completely loved Copenhagen from start to end. I talked so much about it that my friends got tired of me. It was the perfect city for the amount of time we had. We did not need to take the bus or metro during our time there. It only took us 45 minutes to walk from one end to the other. Although the locals didn't seem particularly friendly at first, they were nice and helpful after you approach them. Best of all, they all speak perfect English. That made traveling, asking for information, and ordering food a lot easier.

The city was also a pleasant break away from all the other cities I have seen, especially Italy. I absolutely loved the green patina roofs that are scattered throughout the city, the unique towers, and the brick buildings that were everywhere. Like the title of the post suggests, Copenhagen is enchanted. ;)

Paris

2009-12-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

I do not know where to start describing the beauty of this city. It's just so...fantastic!

I am the Sun King. Welcome to my gardens!

2009-11-27T12:20:00.008-05:00

My gardens are grand and beautiful so there's no need to show you my chateau.

Beyond 24k gold.

Apollo driving his chariot.

He is breaking out of the rocks.

She is playing with roses.

My mighty fountain.

Okay, the truth is I did not have time to go into the Palace of Versailles and the gardens are free to enter. They are quite magnificent. Wouldn't you agree?

I Saw Queen Elizabeth II Twice

2009-11-24T16:27:00.007-05:00

Last Wednesday, 18 November, was the State Opening of the British Parliament. It takes place once a year and there's a royal procession where the Queen travels from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster to deliver a speech written by the government. The speech, called the Speech from the Throne, outlines the agenda of the Parliament for the upcoming session.

There are tons of pomp and circumstance and ceremonial traditions involved in this event. Before the Queen arrives at the Palace of Westminster, the Yeomen of the Guard search the grounds of the Palace for any bomb. This tradition originated all the way back to 1605 when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the Palace in the Gunpowder Plot (...Remember, Remember, the 5th of November.). To futhur ensure the Queen's safety, a member of the House of Commons is held hostage at Buckingham Palace.

Before the Queen's carriage, the Imperial State Crown travels to Westminster in its own carriage. As the Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, they play God Save the Queen. When the Queen arrives at Westminster, (and she arrives at her own entrance, the Sovereign's Entrance) she changes into the a special ceremonial robe to address the House of Lords and Commons.

The ceremony only takes around 30-45 minutes. So I waited for the Queen at Buckingham Palace when she left, then I walked to the Palace of Westminster to see her again as she left to go home. So I got to see her twice! Unknown to myself, I also got to see the Imperial State Crown and Princess Anne.

The Imperial State Crown traveling to Palace of Westminster.

Dozens of guards on horse arriving at Buckingham Palace to protect the Queen during her procession to Westminster.

The Queen's carriage arrives to pick her up.

Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen...!!!

It's the Queen again!!! I promise she's in there although Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is on the side closer to me.

Florence

2009-11-23T06:52:00.002-05:00

After two and a half day in Venice, our next stop was Florence. As a major city in Italy, I expected Florence to be a big city. Instead, it is a small, very walkable city of uniform beauty. From one end of Florence to the other, it only takes 45 minutes on foot. You don't even need to take buses to get around. Throughout this walk, nearly all of the buildings have the same red roof. I have never been to a city quite like it. London, on the other hand, is a city of jumbled architectural styles.

The highlight of Florence was the Uffizi. A few month ago, I had featured Madonna with the Long Neck by Parmigianino. The painting is a bit smaller than I expected but it is just as exquisite as I imagined it. While I stood in front of for like three minutes viewing at various angles, it was sadly ignored by most museum goers. The most incredible two paintings, however, are Botticelli's Primavera and The Birth of Venus. There was an amazing sense of lightness to the paintings and the wind that is depicted is surreal.

From Venice to Florence

The Ponte Vecchio or the Old Bridge--it's a lot like the old London Bridge that no longer exists. Today, the Bridge is occupied by jewelers which makes it overwhelmingly touristy. The view from the Bridge, nonetheless, is still photo perfect.

The Rape of the Sabine Women

The Palazzo Vecchio or the Old Palace is the town hall of Florence. At the entrance of it, you can make out a replica of Michelanglo's David. The real David is house at the Academia which I also visited. Without a doubt, David is overwhelmingly majestic. When you enter the Accademia, you will see David at the end of a long, dimmed hall with a soft spotlight lit on David. All attention is focused on this 17 feet sculpture.

Duomo of Florence

Gates of Paradise

Mike Zhang, this one is for you.

Porcellino--this is Florence's version of "if you touch this, you will return." Sadly, I didn't touch it but hopefully I will return one day. =)

The food in Florence was absolutely delightful! I had some rabbit and boar meat. (The boar was fantastic!) The best dish though was a pasta dish with walnut sauce. No pasta will ever beat it!

The last thing I must comment negatively on is the condition of the museums and palaces in Italy. The Uffizi was intolerably warm and humid like many other Italian museums and palaces. It was strange to me that a country with such priceless artworks allows its works of art to be kept in such adverse conditions that can cause irreversably damages.

Greetings

2009-11-15T09:59:00.002-05:00

Filmed at the Tate Modern's video postcard desk.

Santa Maria della Salute

2009-11-01T20:32:00.006-05:00

The sky and atmosphere make Venice the most romantic of any city that I have been to. I cannot emphasize enough the beauty of the sky. The sky has a special glow to it which is probably due to the haze.

Along with the sky, one of the most beautiful spot in Venice is, in my opinion, Santa Maria della Salute. It's said to be the most photographed church in Italy. Although my friends and I were unable to go in to it, because we were not there at the right time, the exterior alone was enough to amaze me. The exterior is heavily discolored by pollution, but I thought it adds so much more character and drama to the building and its sculptures.

I took a few photos of the church from various points of view and time (The last photo is a view taken . I hope these photos can translate my feelings about Venice and the church into something you can understand and inspire you as well.

Piazza San Marco

2009-10-23T18:43:00.006-04:00

As all tourists know, Piazza San Marco is the heart of Venice. That's where Saint Mark's Basilica, the Campanile, the Clocktower, the Doge's Palace, and the Procuratie are. They are why the area feels so touristy. But, this is also one of the most beautiful spot in Venice. I went to Piazza San Marco twice during my two and a half day stay in Venice. Each time I went, the feel to it was perfect. The sunlight was soft, the atmosphere was a bit hazy, and the air was romantic. This is where you would imagine those European couples, like in jewelry commercials, chasing after pigeons and spinning in circles.

Surprise discovery! This is the Four Tetrarchs. Everyone who has taken a survey of art history probably have learned about this. The sculpture is of the four emperors who co-ruled the Roman Empire during the 1st and 2nd centuries. I can't really remember the significance of it but it was such a surprise running into this sculpture as we were just walking in the square.