Calmi Cuori Appassionati
wednesday afternoon, stuck at jfk british airways lounge waiting for delayed flight to hong kong. cell phone just died. tummy is growling. eyes sore from watching/reading/seeing plenty in the past 2 days. but as long as i have my LJ access i shall be fine.
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冷靜與情熱之間 ~ Secretary
Secretary (2002) is an indie which mainstreams BDSM, as embodied in the mesmerizing performance of Maggie Gyllenhaal's secretary (she's the M), and James Spader's Grey (he's the S). gyllenhaal plays Lee, a girl who escapes domestic affairs by applying housewares on her body (cut & burn). after one "accident" of cutting too deeply, she is sent to a mental institute. upon her release she obtains a typing certificate and interviews with spader's clean&anal, nicely suited (mmmm~) lawyer Grey, who is in dire need for a secretary. in fact, Grey has a permanently beaming sign outside his office, in Psycho's Bate's Motel style. despite her lack of qualifications, Lee gets hired, and an unconventional relationship develops between these 2 characters...filing and typing followed by spanking and voyeurism in Grey's elaborately decorated office (don't forget the shackles for B).
i can't share the grand finale with you, but you'll be surprised by how strangely suited these two deviants are to each other (i appreciate the film, but i'm still amazed by how fucked up these 2 ppl can get). only Lee can take the objectifying and servitude Grey dapples on her. emotions are restrained by D, and Lee apparently assumes a dominant hold on her submissive M role. this is serious kink that does not ask to explain itself, which makes this film a rare jewel compared to "coming-out" films in the genre - no PC, no apologies. Lee does not want to rid herself of her issues and we see her discovery and eventual acceptance of what she wants in love and in life.
as a side note, James Spader was AMAZING in his disturbing act. *muah* what a great actor.
watchability: 4.3/5.0
ew* factor: 4.6/5.0
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情熱塞維利亞 ~ Carmen
compared to the chilling performance in Secretary, the French opera Carmen i saw last week at the Met was more confrontational with its emotions, albeit no less passionate. the story is well known, so i won't go into the details. released by Bizet in 1875 at the Opera Comique, Carmen is a representation of the romanticized exotic Spanish gypsy. she is like a fiery gust of wind which takes your breath away - unpredictable, uncontrollable, and free. as she says so herself in her famous tantalizing song, L'amour est un oiseau rebelle, better known as Habañera - "Love is the child of the Bohemian, It has never, never known any law; If you don't love me, I love you; If I love you, keep guard of yourself!"
this cigarette girl of lowly birth is strangely enticing to any man she meets. she uses her charms well and eventually lures Don José away from his sweet girl Micaëlan to escape from prison. we can't hate Carmen for what she has done (biatch!), because throughout the opera she lives to love, and upholds that love unto death. Bizet's Carmen is beyond conventions, and has very little moral scruples, which drives the destitute Don José to murder her in an ultimate mad rage of love.
the mezzo-soprano's voice was wonderful as husky Carmen, but it was Don José's tenor that really drew my attention. his voice fully expressed (to me, at least), the passions he had for Carmen and the disdain he held for himself, at how low he has sunk. one thing i didn't like though, was the assumption of a tawdry manner & style in those cigarette girls. Carmen seemed no more than a lowlife Spanish prostitute with her licentious cackle, rather than the impersonation of liberal passions. i think they can do better than that, but then what do i know. ;p
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in other news, shirpi went for a last tour of the Frick Collection yesterday in midtown. will update once i'm settled down w/ cable in Taipei (i dun think i should do it at work, just yet).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
冷靜與情熱之間 ~ Secretary
Secretary (2002) is an indie which mainstreams BDSM, as embodied in the mesmerizing performance of Maggie Gyllenhaal's secretary (she's the M), and James Spader's Grey (he's the S). gyllenhaal plays Lee, a girl who escapes domestic affairs by applying housewares on her body (cut & burn). after one "accident" of cutting too deeply, she is sent to a mental institute. upon her release she obtains a typing certificate and interviews with spader's clean&anal, nicely suited (mmmm~) lawyer Grey, who is in dire need for a secretary. in fact, Grey has a permanently beaming sign outside his office, in Psycho's Bate's Motel style. despite her lack of qualifications, Lee gets hired, and an unconventional relationship develops between these 2 characters...filing and typing followed by spanking and voyeurism in Grey's elaborately decorated office (don't forget the shackles for B).
i can't share the grand finale with you, but you'll be surprised by how strangely suited these two deviants are to each other (i appreciate the film, but i'm still amazed by how fucked up these 2 ppl can get). only Lee can take the objectifying and servitude Grey dapples on her. emotions are restrained by D, and Lee apparently assumes a dominant hold on her submissive M role. this is serious kink that does not ask to explain itself, which makes this film a rare jewel compared to "coming-out" films in the genre - no PC, no apologies. Lee does not want to rid herself of her issues and we see her discovery and eventual acceptance of what she wants in love and in life.
as a side note, James Spader was AMAZING in his disturbing act. *muah* what a great actor.
watchability: 4.3/5.0
ew* factor: 4.6/5.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
情熱塞維利亞 ~ Carmen
compared to the chilling performance in Secretary, the French opera Carmen i saw last week at the Met was more confrontational with its emotions, albeit no less passionate. the story is well known, so i won't go into the details. released by Bizet in 1875 at the Opera Comique, Carmen is a representation of the romanticized exotic Spanish gypsy. she is like a fiery gust of wind which takes your breath away - unpredictable, uncontrollable, and free. as she says so herself in her famous tantalizing song, L'amour est un oiseau rebelle, better known as Habañera - "Love is the child of the Bohemian, It has never, never known any law; If you don't love me, I love you; If I love you, keep guard of yourself!"
this cigarette girl of lowly birth is strangely enticing to any man she meets. she uses her charms well and eventually lures Don José away from his sweet girl Micaëlan to escape from prison. we can't hate Carmen for what she has done (biatch!), because throughout the opera she lives to love, and upholds that love unto death. Bizet's Carmen is beyond conventions, and has very little moral scruples, which drives the destitute Don José to murder her in an ultimate mad rage of love.
the mezzo-soprano's voice was wonderful as husky Carmen, but it was Don José's tenor that really drew my attention. his voice fully expressed (to me, at least), the passions he had for Carmen and the disdain he held for himself, at how low he has sunk. one thing i didn't like though, was the assumption of a tawdry manner & style in those cigarette girls. Carmen seemed no more than a lowlife Spanish prostitute with her licentious cackle, rather than the impersonation of liberal passions. i think they can do better than that, but then what do i know. ;p
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in other news, shirpi went for a last tour of the Frick Collection yesterday in midtown. will update once i'm settled down w/ cable in Taipei (i dun think i should do it at work, just yet).