monoceros blogsShrek 2 was heaps of fun. More spoofs, more cool music, and more flatulence. By now, anyone who reads some form of entertainment news will know that the movie has reaped lots of cash. Shrek and Fiona are traveling to meet Fiona's parents in the kingdom of Far Far Away with Donkey in tow. Throw in a few new characters - Fairy Godmother (who packages and markets spells), Prince Charming, the Ugly Step-sister among others - a chance to see Shrek as a handsome, strapping human (and Donkey as his white steed), some lovely interaction with the in-laws, and you're set for a sequel that actually works.
My favorite character from the last movie was the Gingerbread Man, but in this one, I've shifted my loyalties to Puss-In-Boots, who has captured the hearts of everyone. He's part suave and swashbuckling gentleman and part adorable furry cat (read: huge limpid eyes). And he cleverly plays each part at the right moments.
Ever the fan and observer of music in movies, I noted that the selection for this one was spot-on. I particularly enjoyed a quirky rendition of the classic 80s song, Holding Out For A Hero, by Frou Frou which played during the credits.
The Day After Tomorrow was marketed on a huge scale, almost as large as the wintry hurricanes that bury New York city and traps our teenage heroes in the New York Public Library (which reminds me that I really should put up pictures and write a little on my recent stay at NYC. I spent a day at the library after getting myself an access card, so the scenes in the library struck a chord). Lin Kiat and I wanted to see it for the effects, which delivered the expected thrills and oohs and aahs. I admire the three climatologists who are so trained they can make camp anywhere and sleep while the storms rage outside. The effects of global warming are perhaps exaggerated in the film, but that's how movies go, I suppose.
Harry Potter is getting remarkably handsome. But that isn't the real draw of the third film. I love the brisk pace set by new director Alfonso Cuaron. You really fly with the scene changes, not so much like the speeding bus that takes Harry away from the wretched Dursleys as the soaring hippogriff that sends Harry across a lake and into a horizon of trees, mountains, and wide English (or Scottish; I believe they shot the film in Scotland) sky. This time, we do get to see more of the land around Hogwarts - just lovely. Wide shots of an ornate bridge, hill slopes, a large body of water (okay, a lake)... . There's more to say, but I'm getting tired after this slew of movies. I'll take a break from the cinema this week. Next up will be The Chronicles of Riddick, which opens here a week after the US opening.
In the meantime, I'm prowling the trailer pages again. The new trailer for Garden State is a favorite and I've just caught the first trailer for Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unforunate Events - Emily Browning, who plays Violet Baudelaire, is a dead ringer for a young Angelina Jolie...those lips! I've been reading the first three books and they are excellent. Get three for the price of two at Borders! I'll have to pick up the rest of the titles soon. The eleventh book comes out this September.
Jim Carrey as Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
It's actually a secondary-school reunion. June 4th, Saturday. Should I go? Dimsumdolly and I met up two days ago and contemplated going, and then changed our minds. Our other friend Dame D said in December that she wasn't compelled to attend. Another friend Van Tan might be going, I believe. She, at least, knows more people who are likely to attend.
"Check your high school egos at the door," the organizer quips. If there's anything to check at the door, it would have to be embarrassment at not becoming the high flyer that everyone else is, it appears!
Yesterday, I was at Shenton Way and decided to pop into a Starbucks to try the new frappaccino that my brother has been raving about. Caramel coffee jelly or something like that. I wound my way past some lounging suits who sipped their coffees and smoked contentedly (way beyond lunch hour, if you ask me), and made for the counter. I was fiddling with my wallet when someone called my name. Further down the line was a girl with long blonde hair. She turned out to be Cecilia, an old fellow prefect whom I knew to have only short hair back in the day. Boy, am I glad I remembered her name! We chatted a bit and then moved to the reunion topic. She badgered me to go. I said I'd think about it.
I'd told DSD that perhaps meeting other girls would jog my imagination and I could come up with new characters for stories. Or perhaps I could wind up spouting nonsense to the girls who make me nearly as nervous as they used to once upon a time. (I used to be a real doormat.)
I'm back home at last! And the weather has really sapped the life out of me. I've spent most of the last few days languishing on my bed, trying to catch some shut-eye, and get back in the loop of things here.
A suitcase still lies unpacked on the floor of the living room, I haven't tasted all my favorite foods yet - tao huay, yu pian mi fen, beef noodles, Indian food, Pasta Brava, Inaghiku - I haven't bought new, cheap jeans (I've put on quite a bit of weight and can't fit in my old ones!) or gone to the beach.
Well, I'll get back in business soon once I adjust my body clock to Singapore time. More posts, more work done, more hours awake.
Nine years ago, I heard of a little movie about two people meeting on a train and spending one night in Vienna. Before Sunrise was the movie on everyone's mind that year. It was particularly poignant since that was the year I would make my first trip to Europe.
I can't remember why I didn't see it, but some of my friends spoke of it, excited because they were going to Europe too. The school choir made up of seventeen and eighteen year-olds was going to Istanbul, Rome, Florence, Venice, Salzburg, and Vienna. Back then, a girlfriend and I were heavily caught up with the idea of soulmates and that strange chemistry between two people who are perfectly in sync, liking the same things, speaking the same language, just knowing what the other felt. She had seen it and the movie struck a chord in her. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy played their parts wonderfully and although the movie could be criticized as one long conversation, the conversation let you see the two characters through and through, and the terrific bond they shared for some fourteen hours.
Nine years after that meeting, the two meet in Paris, where Jesse, Hawke's character, is on a book tour. Celine, played by Delpy, frequents the store where he's reading and knows about his book, which has quite a bit to do with that one night they spent in Vienna. How will they part this time? With a promise they won't keep again?
I finally watched the first part tonight and must say that their talk reminds me so much of how I was nine years ago. Young, hopeful, idealistic. Reviews of the sequel say the two characters have matured, their faces show the years that have passed. I can't wait to see it later this summer.
What I liked about Before Surise is how realistic Jesse and Celine are. Listen to how Jesse speaks and you know you've met an American like that before. And Celine's craziness isn't too far-fetched. The realism makes you feel for the characters. They're familiar in a good way; you can see them aging along with you.
I wish I could write more about the bittersweetness of chance meetings and not meeting the other person again. I used to daydream about such tragic situations. Now, I worry mostly about whether my luggage is too heavy and whether I've replied to enough emails for the day. Gosh, I've degenerated, haven't I? I've moved on and left the romantic behind. Maybe I should make a trip to Europe again. Renew a part of myself. Maybe next year, Lin Kiat and I will go.
Go see the trailer here.
I shall put off writing a post on what I've been up to lately by obsessing about a new trailer. Garden State is the directorial and writing debut of Zach Braff, the endearing lead fellow in NBC's Scrubs. He's a graduate from Northwestern University's film program, and wrote this screenplay while he was a student there. He managed to sell his film at a recent Sundance Festival.
This trailer has no dialogue, no human voices; just a great song called "Let Go" by Frou Frou (and I recommend the album, Details, heartily) and images that flow perfectly in time with the song. Oh, and it also features a leading lady called Natalie Portman.
Some of my favorite details - a guy shooting a flaming arrow from a crossbow (while smoking), a knight in armor holding a gallon of milk, Braff's character in a shirt that blends in perfectly with the wallpaper, Portman's character doing a silly dance, Natalie dancing in front of a fireplace in a huge hall, Natalie looking away and smiling, Braff getting cornered by two big dogs while Portman hangs up her sweater, Braff and Portman looking right at each other...hmm, lots of Natalie in my observations. She is a lovely, lovely girl after all, and recently armed with a degree from Harvard.
Oh, yes, and the movie...Braff's character returns to the Garden State (that's New Jersey) some ten years after leaving it. He's there to attend his mother's funeral and arrives with more baggage than he's pulling off the luggage belt. It opens in the US July 30, so I should be able to catch it when I return August 10.
Go here to see the trailer.
I've been neglecting my weblog. I come back and it's chock full of spam comments. As if I don't get enough junk through email.
Reasons for my absence:
1. Editing job in late April
2. Ten-day vacation in New York City
3. Slow Internet connection at Christine's apartment in NYC
It's Friday night, I'm sleepy, I need to wash my bathroom, I need to unpack, I need to update my weblog before I forget all the great adventures I've had.
And before I forget, I have to congratulate my friend DimSumDolly for her first byline! And also, it's birthday month for dear Tiggie and Van Tan.