loneliness pleaded with her - just let me go!
i guess i should juz do a brief siff rundown coz not much of a hit rate to speak of....
fav is indisputably kore-eda's still walking aka aruitemo aruitemo - a song prominently featured in the film. born out of the premise of understated ozu-ish family dramas but given a more macabre update via some really sharp-tongued characters which made it perhaps a bit more fun-filled than the usual ozus. still, when it comes to the moving moments it is just about as controlled by ozu's melodramas.
runner-up will probably be the story of anvil - a very candid documentation of the arduous journey of one metal band holding on to their dreams, possibly in hope of reliving their past glory. being reduced to commoners both in terms of reputation and finance, it was heartening to see them middle-aged men still having the guts and courage to give their passion one more shot, never mind the risk of it going all awry or being perceived by their loved ones as seriously losing touch with reality. with its uplifting conclusion which ironically took place on the other side of the world, it pretty much sets out to one of those really satisfying fest favourites.
close 2nd runner-up is wendy & lucy - one of those minimalist american indie production that is so simply yet so affecting. as helped by the generous amount of space she was given to build her character, michelle williams was a major reason why it worked, as her sober yet intricate portrayal of lucy gradually drew one in.
seeked recommendations from a thai friend this year and he went through the programme and singled out 3 really varied thai offerings and yielding unexpectedly decent hit rate. thai classic boathouse is vividly coloured musical attempting to cram all the cliches under the sky and that made it a really fun watch, very hilarious actually, for instance those really lame intentions to illustrate the character's near telekinetic chemistry when it comes to outsmarting each other. the convert is a documentary chronicling this thai girl converting to islam upon marrying her muslim spouse. a really poignant look at the complication involved but based upon his earnest love for her which she reciprocated after much hesitation - quite simply the only thing that kept them going and that is more than enough. moments in june was probably the weakest among them 3 as it's for most parts a WKW-is style over substance affair. with its gorgeous sets and photography, it's hard to believe that it's independently produced. it's a shame all the aesthetic magnificence is diminished substantially by the artshouse less than adequate projection facilities.
the others were really passable from the first malaysian musical comedy that has some really clever satirical jabs but loses steam too easily to former chinese enfant terrible zhangyuan's emotionally vacant dada's dance which seems to suggest zhang works best with political slants. korea's daytime drinking is a little more than serviceable indie comedy. Its understated sense of humour is effective for most parts, felt it overstayed its welcome by a wee bit tho. its counterpart breathless is one of those envelope-pushing brutal dramas that instead of trying to develop the characters properly, it seemed too eager to shock with their depiction of what they perceived as the seedier side of life. and watching a watermarked screener (print retained at custom) only made it less forgiveable.
overall not a terribly satisfying fest, too many duds which i shall left unmentioned and then qte sucky venues and irritating trailers which i had to endure 10 over times. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
[my siff rundown's not so brief afterall. heh.]
as for the artsfest.....this year was pretty much a creme de la creme selection as all the performance attended netted at least one of the unofficial artsfest awards given by straits times life.
invisible room was named best test of endurance.
cherry orchard start/stop sequence was named most puzzling moment.
liv was awarded the top prize as worst production
while visible cities nabbed both the worst production (tie with liv) and worst actress.
bravo!
need me say more?
finished how i met your mother season 4......as with most sitcom, the best season are probably the first and/or second, barney and/or robin does get a little grating at times. nonetheless, still very watchable esp if to fill the void left by friends. fav episode would probably be episode 23 perhaps the most sentimental one this season, don't quite speak to me or wat, just that it all ties nicely the whole idea of meeting the one and nope, as expected, still not yet.
havent been to the cinema in a while....but been doing some re-watchings lately.....
love me if you are......wasn't exactly intending to watch this but did so anyway, and nope, still don't get its very warped sense of romanticism. nonetheless, really pretty and fun visuals.
before sunset.....wasn't intending to redo this either but did so juz to prove to me friend that there is nothing wrong with the subtitles. still very very lovely, how could a film of essentially just 2 somewhat romantic souls rambling and at times making a very valid point be so engaging? i know of people not liking it as much, me thai friend for one thought ppl being so philosophical is unrealistic - a point that i probably won't want to refute. but hey, it more than works for me, and that's all that matters.
before sunset.......had wanted to watch it back to back because me friend really liked sunrise but was with me sis who apparently didn't get it at all. so wtched it a week later instead and with sunrise still qte fresh in memory, the slightly aged appearance of both characters became more apparent giving this watch a bit more dimension of some sort. and nope it doesn't quite surpass its predecessor but it did helluva job to make that circle whole with perhaps a bit more sensibility than sense and remained satisfying at the same time. in short, a sequel that could go so horribly wrong but turned out absolutely right.
dragged me fren to have ice-cream despite him feeling somewhat heaty.....so nothing chocolatey and of coz, maoshanwang is definite no-no. tried out the lighter flavors and despite being an earl grey non-fan, i went for it anyway. i cannot say why but somehow i qte like it in its glacial form and to make it more puzzling, the earl grey aroma is probably more pungent than the tea itself. when we have the yuan we must have the yang.....so nxt stop is kopi-c which is about as strong as earl grey but with just the right amount of milk to leave a somewhat dry after taste instead of a creamy one. should be qte perfect if putting those 2 together but then somehow we paired kopi-c with mango, which is really odd on paper. but in terms of taste, there is a bit of a common ground which i can't really describe unlike the earl grey-strawberry combo which sort of neutralize each other, mango and kopi seems to blend into certain portions of the palate strangely. as for the mango, it's qte nice really perhaps not as smooth as wei's sorbet but it has got more of texture as the fruit bits are just a bit more prominent which is a nice touch i tink. then one of the most amazing thing happen, i was still burping earl grey hours after the ice-cream session - something i thought i would loath but i totally don't mind it at all!
fav is indisputably kore-eda's still walking aka aruitemo aruitemo - a song prominently featured in the film. born out of the premise of understated ozu-ish family dramas but given a more macabre update via some really sharp-tongued characters which made it perhaps a bit more fun-filled than the usual ozus. still, when it comes to the moving moments it is just about as controlled by ozu's melodramas.
runner-up will probably be the story of anvil - a very candid documentation of the arduous journey of one metal band holding on to their dreams, possibly in hope of reliving their past glory. being reduced to commoners both in terms of reputation and finance, it was heartening to see them middle-aged men still having the guts and courage to give their passion one more shot, never mind the risk of it going all awry or being perceived by their loved ones as seriously losing touch with reality. with its uplifting conclusion which ironically took place on the other side of the world, it pretty much sets out to one of those really satisfying fest favourites.
close 2nd runner-up is wendy & lucy - one of those minimalist american indie production that is so simply yet so affecting. as helped by the generous amount of space she was given to build her character, michelle williams was a major reason why it worked, as her sober yet intricate portrayal of lucy gradually drew one in.
seeked recommendations from a thai friend this year and he went through the programme and singled out 3 really varied thai offerings and yielding unexpectedly decent hit rate. thai classic boathouse is vividly coloured musical attempting to cram all the cliches under the sky and that made it a really fun watch, very hilarious actually, for instance those really lame intentions to illustrate the character's near telekinetic chemistry when it comes to outsmarting each other. the convert is a documentary chronicling this thai girl converting to islam upon marrying her muslim spouse. a really poignant look at the complication involved but based upon his earnest love for her which she reciprocated after much hesitation - quite simply the only thing that kept them going and that is more than enough. moments in june was probably the weakest among them 3 as it's for most parts a WKW-is style over substance affair. with its gorgeous sets and photography, it's hard to believe that it's independently produced. it's a shame all the aesthetic magnificence is diminished substantially by the artshouse less than adequate projection facilities.
the others were really passable from the first malaysian musical comedy that has some really clever satirical jabs but loses steam too easily to former chinese enfant terrible zhangyuan's emotionally vacant dada's dance which seems to suggest zhang works best with political slants. korea's daytime drinking is a little more than serviceable indie comedy. Its understated sense of humour is effective for most parts, felt it overstayed its welcome by a wee bit tho. its counterpart breathless is one of those envelope-pushing brutal dramas that instead of trying to develop the characters properly, it seemed too eager to shock with their depiction of what they perceived as the seedier side of life. and watching a watermarked screener (print retained at custom) only made it less forgiveable.
overall not a terribly satisfying fest, too many duds which i shall left unmentioned and then qte sucky venues and irritating trailers which i had to endure 10 over times. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
[my siff rundown's not so brief afterall. heh.]
as for the artsfest.....this year was pretty much a creme de la creme selection as all the performance attended netted at least one of the unofficial artsfest awards given by straits times life.
invisible room was named best test of endurance.
cherry orchard start/stop sequence was named most puzzling moment.
liv was awarded the top prize as worst production
while visible cities nabbed both the worst production (tie with liv) and worst actress.
bravo!
need me say more?
finished how i met your mother season 4......as with most sitcom, the best season are probably the first and/or second, barney and/or robin does get a little grating at times. nonetheless, still very watchable esp if to fill the void left by friends. fav episode would probably be episode 23 perhaps the most sentimental one this season, don't quite speak to me or wat, just that it all ties nicely the whole idea of meeting the one and nope, as expected, still not yet.
havent been to the cinema in a while....but been doing some re-watchings lately.....
love me if you are......wasn't exactly intending to watch this but did so anyway, and nope, still don't get its very warped sense of romanticism. nonetheless, really pretty and fun visuals.
before sunset.....wasn't intending to redo this either but did so juz to prove to me friend that there is nothing wrong with the subtitles. still very very lovely, how could a film of essentially just 2 somewhat romantic souls rambling and at times making a very valid point be so engaging? i know of people not liking it as much, me thai friend for one thought ppl being so philosophical is unrealistic - a point that i probably won't want to refute. but hey, it more than works for me, and that's all that matters.
before sunset.......had wanted to watch it back to back because me friend really liked sunrise but was with me sis who apparently didn't get it at all. so wtched it a week later instead and with sunrise still qte fresh in memory, the slightly aged appearance of both characters became more apparent giving this watch a bit more dimension of some sort. and nope it doesn't quite surpass its predecessor but it did helluva job to make that circle whole with perhaps a bit more sensibility than sense and remained satisfying at the same time. in short, a sequel that could go so horribly wrong but turned out absolutely right.
dragged me fren to have ice-cream despite him feeling somewhat heaty.....so nothing chocolatey and of coz, maoshanwang is definite no-no. tried out the lighter flavors and despite being an earl grey non-fan, i went for it anyway. i cannot say why but somehow i qte like it in its glacial form and to make it more puzzling, the earl grey aroma is probably more pungent than the tea itself. when we have the yuan we must have the yang.....so nxt stop is kopi-c which is about as strong as earl grey but with just the right amount of milk to leave a somewhat dry after taste instead of a creamy one. should be qte perfect if putting those 2 together but then somehow we paired kopi-c with mango, which is really odd on paper. but in terms of taste, there is a bit of a common ground which i can't really describe unlike the earl grey-strawberry combo which sort of neutralize each other, mango and kopi seems to blend into certain portions of the palate strangely. as for the mango, it's qte nice really perhaps not as smooth as wei's sorbet but it has got more of texture as the fruit bits are just a bit more prominent which is a nice touch i tink. then one of the most amazing thing happen, i was still burping earl grey hours after the ice-cream session - something i thought i would loath but i totally don't mind it at all!