Fly Me to the Moon

Iya, gue tau ini postingan paling ngga kreatif karena bener-bener nyontek elo banget, dan bentar lagi elo juga nyindir, "I don't do plagiarism"! Hahahaha. I don't care. Gue sekarang di kantor, gue tau elo masih tidur kecapekan semalem, elo nyuruh gue cepetan tidur padahal elo sendiri yang bolak-bolak yaaawwwnnniingg! Dan elo baca ini di public cyber cafe sambil ... tuuhh kaann! Your cutesy smirk smile that makes me fall deeper to you, dropped down on my knees, tapi kenarsisan elo ngeliat muka sendiri pake webcam emang bisa bikin gue lari! Aaaahhh! :)
Try humming this song while you hug that poor bolster of yours that I'm sure has been poorly abused as your voodoo object. Atau mungkin elo humming this songs disela-sela meetings elo yang banyak banget itu, udah dibilangin jangan bereaksi kalo gue sms, eh elo malah nyengir lebar-lebar di depan orang-orang!
Akhirnya gue keabisan bahan tulisan juga, bayangin kantor gue open space dimana semua orang bisa ngeliat layar monitor ini, so might as well I declare them that I impulsively in love with you.

Fly me to the moon
(to your place will do)
And let me play among the stars
(ucek-ucekin kamar tamu itu)
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars

In other words hold my hand
(ngga sedemonstratif itu yah, hahaha!)
In other words darling kiss me

Fill my life with song
(WESTLIFE?!)
And let me sing forever more
(Corny and tacky and silly)
You are all I hope for
(to pay our phone bills)
All I worship and adore
(and this one, too! definitely!)

In other words please be true
(kapan mau nonton Woody Allen?)
In other words I love you
(oh, there are no other words)

There you go, you wake up, smell the coffee, and off! Oh, here's to love you :)

Narkolepsi. :)

semalam, seperti malam-malam yang lain
kita bertatap
selayaknya orang terpenuhi dahaga batin

semalam itu, seperti malam-malam yang lain
kamu bercerita
sepanjang aliran riak air dalam banjir

semalam kemarin, seperti malam-malam yang lain
aku terpana
seakan-akan mahadaya agung mengetuk hati

saat itulah semuanya terkuak
kala kamu panik
kala aku tercengang
kala kamu terkantuk
kala aku terbahak
kala kamu terdiam
kala aku tertidur

semalam yang lalu, tidak seperti malam-malam yang lain
kejujuran adalah suatu kecanduan

dan kita tertawa di dalamnya.

argh!

ketika membuka blogger.com dan masuk ke dashboardnya menjadi sesuatu yang sakral nan menakutkan
karena tidak tahu harus menulis apa

Afterwards ...

The delayed flight.
The start of bickerings.
The beginning of adventure.

Sukhumvit to Petchaburi.
Bloody far House RCA to 'selemparan batu' Grand EGV.
Has National History Museum ever existed?

Zefri.
Jack.
and T.

Now,
from the stern airport guards at Changi to impatient cab driver passing along PIE,

Saya kembali lagi!

Dan kemaren bukan yang terakhir ;)

This Thought.

sebelum logika mulai bertingkah,
sebelum hasrat mati,
sebelum kebodohan terlihat tolol,
sebelum perasaan harus mengalah,

biarkan kegilaan ini berjalan.
biarkan live for the moment.
biarkan senyum mengembang untuk entah berapa saat.
biarkan.

love sets one's mind free.

T.

Destination: Bangkok

"Tuh liat, sekarang yang nyala udah SEGERA."
"Ngngngngngng ... Ngga mauuu! Takuutt!"
"Nanti dipegangin tangannya."
"Eeenngggg ... Gelaapp .. Ngga mau! Nunggu dulu disini ajaaaa"
"Ya udah, nanti pas lampu FILM UTAMA nyala, masuk ya"
"He eh"

Itulah sepenggal dialog antara seorang anak kecil yang sering diajak bapak ibunya nonton pelem di bioskop, dan betapa anak itu takut banget ama suasana bioskop yang gelap gulita, tau-tau ada yang muncul di layar, orang-orangnya keliatan gede banget! Tapi semua pelemnya pasti lucu dan seru, paling ngga ada Warkop atau tembak-tembakan, dor dor dor!
Walaupun kasihan bapak ibunya si anak kecil itu, harus nuntun si anak dalam gelap supaya tau dimana tempat duduknya, sambil nunduk-nunduk permisi sana-sini, belum lagi buat diemin si anak supaya ga ribut, mereka harus nyediain kacang pedes ato camilan laen biar si anak ga nangis ketakutan karena gelap.

Meet the boy who grows up to become Nauval Yazid now.

Itulah saya dulu, temen-temen, selalu harus dibujuk sedemikian rupa buat nemenin bapak ibu nonton pelem di bioskop, biasanya setiap hari Minggu siang.
Teringat betapa kami selalu naik mobil Honda Corona merah itu melewati Pasar Besar setelah ibu berbelanja, pulang ke rumah, masak, makan, dan sore hari kami berangkat ke bioskop nonton pelem Indonesia. Atau sesekali mereka juga ngajak dua anaknya (waktu itu masih 2!) kalo ada premiere ato pemutaran pelem yang ada artisnya dateng, dengan alesan pengen ngeliat artisnya langsung! Hahahaha!

Ternyata bapak dan ibu saya ngga tahu kalo rutinitas ini malah jadi satu kebiasaan yang ngga bisa lepas, pikirnya anaknya ngga bakal jadi keobsesi sama pelem, lha koq ndilalah ...

Waktu kelas 4 SD, saya sudah mulai berani nonton pelem sendiri, gara-garanya saya ngotot pengen nonton pelem Kanan Kiri OK-nya Doyok, Kadir ama Ida Iasha, tapi bapak pengen tidur siang, akhirnya saya di drop depan gedung bioskopnya, terus cuman ditanya,

"Kamu bisa beli tiket sendiri?"

Saya cuman ngangguk, sambil mikir,

"Iya, udah ah! Udah telat nih Pa!"

Tapi yang keluar cuman,

"Bisa. Dah dulu yah Pa, nanti pulangnya naek angkot!"

Dan dari situlah dimulai kisah cinta seumur hidup saya sama satu work of arts yang bernama: film.

Dari Kanan Kiri OK itu, ada beberapa pelem yang masih membekas di ingatan saya karena pelem-pelem itu saya tonton sendirian saja dengan gagah berani jumawa padahal masih pake celana pendek warna merah! Ada pelem nya Jessica Lange yang judulnya Music Box yang berkesan banget sampe-sampe dulu pernah bercita-cita jadi pengacara, ada juga Dead Poets Society yang bikin saya pengen ngerasain sekolah yang jadi satu ama asramanya sekalian!

Waktu terus berlanjut, kecanduan saya ama nonton pelem makin menjadi-jadi, sampe sering dilarang bapak ibu, entah itu karena alesannya saya makin males belajar lah, ato pelemnya 17 tahun keatas, ato karena cuaca di luar hujan deres sementara saya ngandelin angkot, kadang saya malah nekat! Lebih baek besoknya sakit daripada ngga nonton sama sekali! Hahahaha!

Karena itulah, sampai-sampai untuk ngerayain ulang taun pun, saya pastiin harus nonton satu pelem tertentu pas tanggal 11 April. Ngga banyak yang saya inget sebenernya, yang jelas waktu taun 1991, nontonnya Mobster, trus taun 1996, Dangerous Minds, dan taun 2000 kemaren yang bersejarah karena akhirnya saya nginjak umur 21 yang berarti boleh nonton pelem ber-rating R(A), saya bela-belain sampe bawa paspor nunjukin ke auntie yang jaga loket tiket, sampe dia bilang,

"Today is your birthday ah, boy!"
"Yes, Auntie, can watch R(A) already!"

Si auntie dah keburu males! Hahahahah!
Dan pelem bersejarah itu berjudul Sunshine, yang sempet masuk nominasi Golden Globe buat Best Film (Drama), yang maen Ralph Fiennes in three different roles.

Sekarang?

Sekarang saya pamit mau menghabiskan 4 hari ke depan di Bangkok, dengan tujuan buat nonton beberapa film di Bangkok International Film Festival.

Meskipun kadar kedatengan saya sebagai penonton doang, belum seberuntung Kenny ato Ve yang pernah melanglang buana jadi festival hopper yang aktif, ngga bisa dipungkiri kalo saya lega dan deg-degan. My first international film festival abroad!

Setelah puas empat kali Singapore International Film Festival, a glimpse of Jakarta International Film Festival and numerous country-themed film festival in Singapore (French, Australian, Japanese, German, etc.), finally I can do what I can't think of before: pergi for the sake of film festival! Hahahahah! Gila!

And this will not be the only one ;)

2004 (A Year in Films/The Good Ones!)

Let's get it straight and done!

The year 2004 was filled with film-watching experience like no other years have ever been.

The year marked my first entry to the real world of working life, of desk-bound stressful overworked and underpaid job, which most of the times left me feeling exhausted with a little energy inside to concentrate or even just a pay a little particular attention to the films I watched.

In brief, you can't be more right, my dear readers ... I often found myself sleeping and snoozing inside the cinemas! Especially during the first few minutes, especially when the films start at 7 pm which means that I need to rush down from my work that ends at 5.30 or 6 pm or even 6.30 pm at times, by the time I was rushed into the theatre, I've got to take a little time to catch my breath while staring at the big screen, starting to wonder if I have missed some crucial parts.

Familiar with the scene above? Welcome to the club then.

Alas, film-going experience has evolved to become an inseparable part of our enrichment in lives. Be it for social gatherings with friends, acquintances, lovers or haters in indulging over pop-corn flicks, or providing the food for thought in watching arts-y flicks during the festivals, previews, premieres, or special screenings, the feeling of being put inside a darkened room for two or three hours of your day and watching a presentation of certain human beings' lives as seen by a certain set of eyes has always been stamped in our habitual routine that not even temptation of pirated DVDs can ever replace.

As the years go by, so does the memory of certain films.

Certain unforgettable films.

Whereas for the list of films presented below in different categories, they have shown certain distinctiveness to be qualified as films worth revisiting, or simply remembering. These films stand out from the rest of mass products unavoidable in the treatment of films as industry, and these films prove that believing in what you create in filmmaking process shall prevail and be reflected on the big screen.

You may find disagreement here and there as I have anticipated, after all, one shall not be controlled by other people's opinion towards a certain work of arts. The beauty of film-going experience as a communal activity is that it detaches completely from forcing one degree of perception. In fact, when you sit comfortably in those plushy seats, begins your 2-3 hours adventure of your own, starring and directed by your own thoughts, the whirlwind may be loathed, or loved.

These are my journeys.

In alphabetical order,
PAR EXCELLENTE! category:

1. 2046 (HONG KONG)

The film that has tested the cinephiles and audiences' patience is surely worth a wait.

The latest Wong-Kar Wai's egoistical indulgence in film-making is presented in such a grandeur style where every single scene screams for 'arts' and having Christopher Doyle at the helm of cinematography has never been any better.
Captivating images that speak for themselves, combined with some soul-filling scores peppered throughout that strongly injects some indelible presence (now whenever I hear Connie Francis' "Sibonay", all I can think of is seeing Zhang Ziyi appearing for the for first time in the film) makes you hooked throughout despite its absurdity which only exist eternally in your mind.
Surely being a fan of his previous works himself, this is the time for WKW to head an ensemble of cast other director can only dream of.
Yet, I will single out Zhang Ziyi for surprisingly carries her role in such a slicky way that will simply makes you bewildered and longing for more of her. The confidence in her performance prevails above other actors, not even Tony Leung in his most brooding role ever, or Faye Wong in her understated presence, or Gong Li in her scene-stealing role.

The picture perfect of how stylish filmmaking needs not to be over-the-top, and manages to sexily subtle its morality.

2. ARISAN! (INDONESIA)

Oooohhh! If you follow this blog religiously, you may remember how I trashed this film in my posting about Festival Film Indonesia (FFI).

I did though, I admit that. Yet, since I only blasted the performances from some of the actors here, I can't help giving this film a high credit, for stating out loud the supposedly-taboo or potential controversies that can be smartly avoided by playfully toying along some light touches without necessarily degrading the initial intention to ... show-off!

In a sweet manner, indeed. The urban theme appearing on the screen is presented in such a way of terrifyingly real, yet, its gorgeouseye-candy appealing proves to be a treat for the eyes. Yet, the strongest point of the film lies on the chemistry of Nia DiNata and Joko Anwar. Unpretentious, dreamy, blatantly honest without necessarily degrading, Joko's script managed to balancewittiness and harsh reality some people see towards gay and hedonism issue, and he tackled this potentiallyflickering problem by taking observer's side who could give objective point of view and not being judgmental. With such a blessed script like that, it's up to Nia then to give a certain direction, and the path she chosecouldn't be more tuneful. After making me scratching my head and feeling puzzled upon watching Ca Bau Kan and its misled drive towards80s melodrama, we can sense Nia was indulging herself in her free-est way of freedom, exploring her sensitivityin seeing her society and translate her views to the camera as if she has been with us throughout all this time. An outsider with a high degree of curiosity who peeks into a circle that goes wider, she represents most membersof society in general.

An Indonesian film that will surely leave its mark in the history.

Oh, one more thing.

Arisan stands out as one of the most surprising film-going experiences I've ever had. And to that, I salute Cut Mini Teo.

Never be a household name in the recent hype of celebrity-obsessed entertainment world nor in sinetron, she delivered a superb performance to the extent that by the first time she appears wearing a loose red T-shirt, trying to seduce her husband, we know well that she has stepped into the skin of her character, Mei Mei, comfortably, that we couldn't even think of any other actress perfectly fit into the role other than her. On why she was missed out in FFI nomination is definitely beyond my comprehension, as to my humble opinion that Tora Sudiro and Surya Sahputra should not be cast on the first place.

3. BEFORE SUNSET

Two long-lost lovebirds found each other again after their one-nite encounter over a night-ride on a train.

They talk.

And that's what this film is all about.

The talk of two connected souls that have been cruelly separated by the arrogance of the world and its never-ending demands to bend down to manifactured rules, conceptions, or anything that fits the narrow-mindedness of "this-is-how-you-should-live-your-life" frame. Yet, there will always be a moment of bliss in such a hectic life, in one romantic afternoon among the streets of Paris, where they stand as the silent witness of how two emotionally-attached lovers need not be politically correct in speaking out their minds, where the sky is the only limit of all conversation topics in the world one can think of, where finally, confronting the truth resulted from the longingness of quenching heart's contented thirst is the greatest adventure one human being has to endure and to be tested.

(aduh maap, gue jadi terharu pas nulis semua itu)

Once again, Richard Linklater has done and shown how psychological, philosopical screenplay needs not be rising our eyebrows to indulge on it, in fact, isn't love in life itself is full of lyrical words?
With such powerful script crammed with emotional lines, it is only up to the actors to carry them, and Julie Delpy, my personal preference for the upcoming Best Actress nomination race in Academy Awards, magnifies the screen with her fragile presence which simply make us longing for her words, and never once to get bored with them.
Ethan Hawke, in a supporting performance seemingly intended to boost up Delpy's, may not be giving a heartfelt performance he once did in Training Day, yet his relaxed, easy manner reflecting him playing as himself here does add essential relief to already-refreshing atmosphere.

A film to remember, indeed.

4. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

Have you ever been in love?
Then you know what it's like to be in this movie. Literally.

Ask ourselves, how glad it is to be in love, at the initial stage. As the love itself progresses, you lure yourself to the web of entangled senses and illogical thoughts. Yet, at the end of it, you can only bear the pain so hurtful that you may decide to end your logic's life.

Yes, we are all way too familiar with the story. But you may not be prepared to see this film, no matter how often you fall in and out of love.

For the first time, Charlie Kaufman's mindful script gets a jaw-dropping visual shock that Spike Jonze himself never attempts to breach in Being John Malkovich or Adaptation.. Michael Godry, in his feature-film directorial debut, shockingly chose to go deeper by exploring what goes inside that tiny brain of Jim Carrey's character when he goes through a painful breakup from his girlfriend, Clementine, played wonderfully by Kate Winslet who donned many inspirations of hair colors.
What we see mirrors what we actually think when we leave the door of a certain relationship, numerous memories filled the particles of brain, sometimes they are interconnected to one another, marking a difficult and unidentifiable pattern to trace. Thus, you can imagine how more complex it can be when you need to erase the memory of your past relationshipt that goes awry, and here's what Godry excels at. The picturization of the brain itself is shown to see a collection of memories, they can be painful to remember or simply great to indulge in. The more you walk through the path of your brain, the more you realize that at the end of the day, the good memory prevails. The loving memory of how we begin the relationship, when the world is all ours in the hands of giggling lovers full of promises they speak to themselves.

The film is about revelation, that despite hatred, a relationship is built on love itself.

I shamelessly proclaim that I shed many tears upon walking out of the cinema after the film ends.

5. FACING WINDOWS (ITALY)

The first film in 2004 that I took a chance to do repeated viewings, all with paid tickets.

Imagine a world stands before you, a world of routine and normality where you are a mere humble, passive player getting stuck on them.
You'll never know what a stranger may bring upon you.
An encounter on the busy streets of Rome in a daylight may cause your life a lifetime change at its own stake.
That's what happens as we go along the life of Giovanna, a woman who has to sacrifice her 20s to be a breadwinner of the family, thanks to the love she bears with her down-with-luck husband, no matter that he has tremendous amount of unconditional love to her. When they stumbled upon an amnesiac, lonely old man who can't seem to recall his whereabout, they discover that throughout the entire process of helping him finding out his existence, they do in fact helping their own existences that seem to crumble. Especially Giovanna's.
From the hidden desire she has carefully kept from her dashing, charming neighbor to the revelation of past forbidden love, every characters in this film are connected by one boundary: unrequited love ahead of its time.
The tangibility of two-dimensional presences may be gone long enough, yet the memories of them all will forever linger on the minds and thoughts.
That is why, you will be forever put under the spell of the very last scene in this film where Giovanna's set of sightings haunt and long for that memory.


6. IN AMERICA

At times lyrical, at times sentimental, most times autobiographical, and this time, Jim Sheridan has proved that his sensitivity is the greatest force of all.

Based on his own life experience of coming to America for the first time to try his luck, the film revolves around a family consists of a struggling actor (Paddy Considine who at both times shed and enhanced his unusual charisma), a faithful wife who goes the distance to save the mental of the family (always-underappreciated Samantha Morton in her less showy role), and their guardian angels (impossibly cute Sarah & Emma Bolger), all are bound in the longingness of stability, security and a little glimpse of hope from the toughness of New York.
Downluck after downluck, they stumbled upon one of their neighbours who happen to suffer from AIDS (played convincingly by Djimon Hounsou), and chose to live reclusively in his apartment, making him feared by his surroundings, except for that two angels who brought a bright shining light of life, and eventually brought the family itself up, although it does not necessarily mean complete ...

In the tradition of recently released Nobody Knows, or Sheridan's own My Left Foot, an inspirational drama needs not be cheesy, weepy, or worse, melodramatic.
When it comes to autobiographical picture, despite the subjective point of view the director wishes to hold, it is still considered the best to let the the occurences flow naturally,expressions caught on camera may be the sincerest acting showcases that suit well to a film of this nature.

Moving, inspiring and exhilarating as well, In America enhances my thirst for matured family drama like this.

Which turns out to be surpassed by a surprising entry from one bizarre family called ...

7. THE INCREDIBLES

By any means, I challenge Pixar will be able to come up with something better and more magnificent than this.

This is it, the ultimate, the grandest, the one that defies all the common (mis)conception rules of how a good animation film should be.
C'mon, the first to get PG-13 rating, and ain't that something?

The first Disney film that highly regards the presence of a mother as a strong-billed, decisive woman instead of a mere home-maker that will only get killed haplessly (yes folks, I'm talking about that Bambi!). Instead, Brad Bird places the role of Helen in such a vital position that it's hard to detach her from the whole structure of the film.
Equipped with a strong sense of womanhood heard from the voice of Holly Hunter, Helen Parr, the Elastigirl would be forever noted down to history of Disney as the singular rarity of mother-character in Disney flicks, which not just tend but ALWAYS overlook this fact.

The fact that would impossibly be substituted even with the presence of such a sidekick character, a la ... Edna Mode!

I wholeheartedly applaud the extra-ordinary ability of Brad Bird in coming up with a scene stealer who provide continuous hilarious laughter, and speaking of that accent, what is that? One linguist may scratch his bald head to come up with a scientific answer for this, as well as the original thought of superhero-costume-design!

No childish soundtrack, instead Brad opts for classy, jazzy swing.
No creepy talking inanimate object, instead human beings are presented at their most humane.
No sequel? We'll see. ;)

8. KILL BILL VOL. 2

I happen to be surrounded by people who prefer the first installment. I understand why.

The first episode glares our eyes with shocking visual treatment which at times, resemble most to Japanese manga and anime, which surely will keep us captivated by those strong images. Whereas for the second installment, Quentin Tarantino departed greatly to what has been his cup of tea: punchlines, dead-panned dialogue, and this time, he enhanced them with a slick tribute to Italian western, and, old Chop-suay kungfu genre! No other director has been bold enough in making an attempt to this.

The result?
A defining contribution to the culture of pop cinema, again. Picking up what's left on Kill Bill Vol. 1, Uma Thurman in her signature role as The Bride has finally completed her revenge. But as the saying goes, "It's not the destination, but it's the journey", so does the film that revel in the process and the journey the character has to undergo before she reaches her ultimate destiny: to kill Bill, as simple as that.

Well, simple may be too simple to mention, for the entire film is wholly dedicated on bizarre elements of filmmaking peppered with surprising punchlines and banterings that at times look or sound silly and fake, as it is intended to be by Tarantino himself. The maniacal hysteria of Daryl Hannah or the brooding boredom of Michael Madsen, and the suavetowering figure of David Carradine whose character hints at fragility of a human being getting brokenhearted, they all help defining the characterization of the Bride as one helluva woman with a soft touch of delicateness, and who could be more perfect in portraying the character than Uma Thurman? The way she carries the sword, the way she stares at you, driving breezily in an open air, or the way she carresses her daughter, we see Uma not merely playing the Bride, she embodies the Bride.

In the response to the lack of strong woman character who can carry the film by herself, with a magic touch of lower-grade pop culture that has an art of its own, Kill Bill vol. 2 is one single contribution that deserves ahigh regard.

9. THE RETURN (RUSSIA)

How many times have we heard 'growing up is hard to go through'?
How about 'growing up is mentally challenging'?
Because it is the entry to one's manhood?

One may call this film the most psychologically brutal film on puberty and on reaching the rite passage of adulthoodin a certain young boy's life.
I am not sure whether I would be completely in agreement with that statement, for what follows may be strongly resembling that fact, yet what goes deeper between the characters, among the still images and wordless scenes, are more thought-provoking to explore. The smirks, the smiles, the coldness of Russian people as has been stereotyped for decades, have enhanced the calm, haunting look of the film.

The story itself revolves around a widow and her two sons at their teen years, suddenly have to face their father, the man they only know from a single photograph and he has been away from the family for 12 years. On that summer, the holiday trip proves to be one unforgettable journey that will change the course of their lives, forever.

Andrei Zvyagintsev cleverly shot the film in a bleak atmosphere without even a single glimpse of bright colors that would evoke a sense of joy, as he prefers to dwell on psychological inter-relationship among the three main characters, Andrey,Ivan, and their father.
As the film progresses, we will see that each other has kept their own hidden thoughts from each other, about each other, all these years as they are hopelessly trapped in their unfulfilled longingness of tender and care. Matched with a gorgeous landscape any budding filmmaker can only be jealous of, Andrei tactfully brings out the utmost inner acting from the two young actors who are relatively newcomers, and we can see that he gave a considerate amount of freedom for them to interpret the characters they play on their own, resulting on unbelievably natural performances that slip along the whole film perfectly.

Such a terrific swansong for Vladimir Garin, the young actor who played as Andrey, as this would be his one and only film he ever made.

10. THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER

My top-10 list ends with ... an ex-minister?

Not just another ex-minister to my opinion since, well, he is the one who caused the change of many major turmoils, strategically and sporadically spread through certain keypoints that have shaken the whole world.

Within 80-minute duration of the film, the shortest among listed here, we are presented with horrifying footages that provoke many eyebrows-raising questions on the foreign political policy of United States.
After all, this is the story about Henry Kissinger, you may love or loathe him or both at the same time, but he has stood on his own, delivering many regulations, orders or acts that were condemned and praised altogether. One of the most dismissed-by-large recipients of Nobel that I can think of in recent history.

Welcome to the world of documentary, at the time when truth seems to be blurred with fiction.

You may claim that fact has become stranger than imagination, the harsh reality can be transformed into a pop-corn flick.
The reason of choosing The Trials of Henry Kissinger over Fahrenheit 9/11 or Super Size Me or Capturing the Friedmans, a few documentaries I felt lucky to see last year, could be addressed to his stature of being a larger-than-life real-life man who has gone to extremes by himself in handling political situation in such a way they had affected and altered (literally) the lives of millions. The presentation of the film itself may not be bold or innovative a la those films mentioned, yet Eugene Jarecki, the director, let his findings speak for themselves.

Like a conductor who only conducts beautifully composed piece of Strauss and still resulting in something pleasant for the ears to hear, so does Eugene here. The truth of Henry Kissinger may be objectionable, yet, history has noted.


Are we done? Not yet!

These films below are following closely behind. Ladies and gentlemen, you have no idea how much you are gonna miss if you chose to skip these films.

In no particular order,
HIGHLY COMMENDATION! category:

DOGVILLE (Denmark) resonances American way of life in a chilling manner that only Lars Von Trier would be able to direct convincingly, with the best role Nicole Kidman has ever played on screen so far.

LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE (Thailand) with its dreamy-like whimsical quality proves that you can get your own film eventhough Christopher Doyle's doing the cinematography.

LOST IN TRANSLATION states loudly in its silence that each and every one of us needs some recognition and acknowledgement of our existence, not necessarily having romance attached.

EVIL (Sweden) portrays the youth anger and rebellious manner the way James Dean would be proud of.

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (Argentina/Brazil) charms even those anti-revolutionary style of Che Guevara with an honesty and innocence of road-trip adventure

21 GRAMS is a puzzle of human minds and their fate that will leave you thinking over about death and redemption. Naomi Watts at her darkest and most intense role ever.

BIG FISH leaves your eyes wide open in amazement that Tim Burton should have directed Forrest Gump!

THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND may not be everyone's cup of tea, but as harsh as a political movement should be, so is the film.

SPIDER-MAN 2 belongs to those rarity of better sequels, and this time, it defies the common concept of how a superhero should be portrayed and thereby, I accept that Sam Raimi is one visionary director.

MARIA FULL OF GRACE (Colombia) and its bleak portrayal of drug smuggling makes a way of a newly born star named Catalina Sandino Moreno.

SUPER SIZE ME shows that a nail-biting documentary can be freakingly hilarious!

HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN is the darkest, yet the most accurate adaptation of the beloved whiz-kid story so far.

MEAN GIRLS is my pleasant surprise of last year, thanks to Tina Fey and her unbelievably tickling script that evokes genuine laughter throughout!

JAPANESE STORY (Australia) may resemble Lost In Translation a lot, yet Toni Collette carries the vehicle on her own very well, so much so that you could not help feeling symphatized.

MYSTIC RIVER has an exceptional ensemble of cast, and with the superb line-up consists of Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laura Linney and Marcia Gay Harden under the titular direction of Clint Eastwood, expect a strong dose of good dramatic acting.

THE SEA INSIDE (Spain) leaves you smiling widely over its lift-up mood and this time, Alejandro Almenabar roams his imagination freely.

ZATOICHI (Japan) stomps its feet hard, loud and cheerful, like you've never seen any Japanese martial arts films before!

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (Canada) strikes off preachy, tear-jerker element and substitutes it with an insightful look of capitalism in telling the story of a family starts crumbling down.

LOOK AT ME (France) is painfully real and refreshing at the same time in presenting manipulative people only to stumble upon honesty and innocence that prevail at the end of the day.

SPELLBOUND sweeps off my feet over its cutesy portrayal of obsession and American dream, through a spelling contest that, believe it or not, has become a cult!

At the Blink of an Eye.

T,

let me ask you something.

How does one survive in an initial stage of being closer to each other?

I can't think of any appropriate answers, T.

Me neither. But I know one thing. We did it.

And now T,

How does one survive being corny and tacky and silly and crazy and just being ourselves?

And you and your cutesy smirky little face, with Cameron Diaz hairstyle using a certain kind of unintended-gel matched with those gorgeous pair of eyes will say: We do!

And now T,

How can one survive being away for the next four nights without rushing to the buzz?
How can one survive being taken afar from the world of interconnected words?
How can one survive being placed in two different lands?

It was one of a kind last night, when the last thing I want to do is to sign off.

Can we breathe the same deep sigh now, T?

The answer is: We will.

Because we simply believe in trusting each other.

-- Aku ingin mencintaimu dengan sederhana dengan kata yang tak sempat:
diucapkan kayu kepada api yg menjadikannya abu
Aku ingin mencintaimu dengan sederhana dengan isyarat yang tak sempat:
disampaikan awan kepada hujan yang menjadikannya tiada
(Sapardi Djoko Damono: Aku Ingin) --

(w/o)

Saya (sedikit/hanya/SANGAT) iri
Sama orang-orang yang bisa mengikuti kata hati

Saya (jarang/kadang/SELALU) cemburu
Sama mereka yang terus melaju

Karena saya malu.

*menunduk*

Stringing Strings.

When Joshua Bell has placed his skilled fingers on to the violins and playing along the strings masterfully,
The notes of rhythms and melodious harmony sprays into the atmosphere of dimmed lights
Bright dots, wired lines, condensed feather, covered with quilt and sarong,
And one heart

That speaks at its loudest in silence.

When Joshua Bell has placed his skilled fingers on to the violins and playing along the strings masterfully,
I know your hands do the same to the set of alphabets in a piece of make-believe dreamy-like trash,
"Don't be so harsh",
You often told me, but then you let me do the bash.

Because tonight you have been greatly missed.

By one who jumps deep to the core.

When Joshua Bell has placed his skilled fingers on to the violins and playing along the strings masterfully,
One party lies awake while the other wanders along the imaginary land, freely
Though they are intertwined
They never interfere
But distraction will always be welcome to remind me,

How great you always have been.

How terribly eventful the time that has taken its toll to prolong.

Tonight, T, we listen to the same air that we breathe.

When Joshua Bell has finished playing,
Let me know
So that I can get up and be myself
To be yours.

Nitey nite, T.

So Far Away

Just bear with another song-posting.
After all, each one of us have soundtracks for every single little thing that strike the chords of our nerves.

Mine happens to be the song that you can see below.
Upon reading the lyrics, you can see to whom the song will likely appeal to, although songs are not meant to be bound by some frames of preferences, yet some people can't help feeling certain kind of attachment whenever they come across a song like this.

Without further due, I present to you, Carole King in her frank utterances of So Far Away.


So far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know
You're just

Time away
Long ago I reached for you
And there you stood
Holding you again could do me good
How I wish I could
But you're so far away

One more song about moving along the highway
Can't say much of anything that's new
If I could only work this life out my way
I'd rather spend it
Being close to you

But you're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Doesn't help to know
You're so far away

Travelling around sure gets me down and lonely
Nothing else to do but close my mind
I sure hope the road don't come to own me
But there's so many dreams I've yet to find.


To those who have experienced being one trapped in moments of unreachable destination.
To those who have been going through along endless roads of waits and impatience.
To those who have endured the meaning of moments in abstinence.
To those who have embarked on certainties of longingness.

I salute you all, I present the song above.

Especially to you, T.

Existence of Abstinence.

Have you ever felt the buzz surrounding you is just too deafening to walk through?

Blissful.

Tuhan,
Kenapa harus hadir seseorang seperti dia?

Yang tersenyum penuh
Yang terbuka lebar
Yang terang-terangan melacur
Yang terasa idealis
Yang terbang tinggi
Yang terlihat indah

Yang membuat saya kembali
Merasa bukan apa dan siapa.

-- this time the dream's on me --

"Some Sixth Sense ability, they call it ESPN"

Yang pada nonton pelem Mean Girls pasti tau gimana ketololan cewek-cewek pinkie Regina and the gang yang tergabung di klab The Plastics ini, walaupun gue agak-agak lupa kata-kata persisnya gimana, yang jelas gue super ngakak waktu line yang jadi judul tulisan gue diatas ini diomongin! And telling the weather forecast by touching boobs is an another issue ... Hihihihi!

Tapi disini yang mo gue omongin adalah betapa kadang-kadang kita suka 'maksain' yang namanya ramalan, intuisi, perasaan, atau simpel aja, sesuatu yang ga bisa dijelaskan dengan kata-kata dan tulisan, sesuatu yang lebih dari itu.

Please deh ah!

Jadi inget juga waktu majalah kampus gue dulu, The Ridge, buka lowongan internship, kalimat pembuka job advertisement nya adalah: "If a picture can paint a thousand word ... So what? We've got that and more!" Hahahaha! After all, seribu kata memang ga banyak terutama buat orang-orang yang, meminjam istilah mas Wisa, kebetulan ditakdirkan punya kelebihan bacot wijaya! Lah kasian bener colleague gue yang nama belakangnya Wijaya juga, padahal dia pendiem ...

Kembali ke masalah "perasaan" dan "intuisi" itu, berdasarkan artikel-artikel atau cerita-cerita yang pernah dibaca, memang semua orang punya kemampuan extra-sensory ability yang munculnya suka ngagetin alias ga diduga-duga. Misalnya nih, dalam keadaan kepepet kejebak di jurang, tau-tau aja kita bisa ngangkat batu gede, padahal sehari-hari buka saos botol baru aja musti pake acara jeduk-jeduk kepala di dapur! Atau misalnya yang lain lagi, waktu kita lagi konsentrasi ngerjain itung-itungan matematika logaritma (nah lho! Traumatic experience kalo dah yang satu ini), beberapa dari kita bisa tiba-tiba nemu rumusnya dan bisa ngerjain dengan lancar, others lazy-bums like me tinggal nyontek doang!

Akhirnya keluar juga kan kata itu? Konsentrasi. Fokus.

Kalo kita bener-bener musatin perhatian kita ke sesuatu yang jadi fokus utama otak, setelah ngerasa jenuh jutek butek itu bakal keluar something fresh from that continuous concentrating process, yang sekarang ini banyak disebut 'pencerahan'. Efeknya? Jadi lega karena dalam hitungan beberapa saat, kita berasa jadi detektif partikelir gaya rentenir model-model Sherlock Holmes gitu lah!

Tapi apa ya musti selalu bener dugaan kita itu, murni dugaan ato asumsi doang yang sering di-cover up pake kata hipotesis?

Jawabannya, apa musti selalu bener? Kalaupun ngga bener, kita punya hak veto lho buat bilang, "Interpretasi gue seperti itu", dan berdasar asas ngebaikin orang lain without hurting his/her feeling, ya udahlah diterima aja, ngikiknya dalam hati! Kikikikikikik!

Sebelum gue ngelantur lebih lanjut, dan sebelum elo semua mulai siap-siap bawa palu buat ngegetokin pala gue gara-gara postingan absurd ini, gue cuman mo bilang bahwa yang namanya belajar trying to read between the lines itu penting banget, karena itu bisa nambah kepedean dan kepekaan kita untuk menangkap maksud tersembunyi yang orang lain berusaha sampein ke kita. Sekali lagi, apakah semuanya nanti bener ato ngga, udah bukan jadi masalah lagi, yang penting we blurt out our opinion, that does matter most lho!

Dan ternyata, sixth sense ini memang eksis dalam diri kita semua, sodara sodari. Yang penting belajar dulu ngenalin diri kita, percaya ama kemampuan hati buat jujur ama perasaan diri sendiri, buang jauh-jauh segala rasa khawatir dan ketakutan yang ngga penting lainnya, sampai pada akhirnya keluarlah kata-kata yang bisa merubah hidup:

"The answer is YES to that un-popped-up question"

Let's take a chance and ride!

-- i was a humdrum person/leading a life apart/when love flew in through my window wide/and quickened my humdrum heart (Cole Porter, What is This Thing Called Love?) --

Skylark

Thank you, Ve!

For finally I can't help but being succumbed to one of your indulgences in writing one whole songlyric as a main posting.
But then, every song has its own emotional correspondence to whomever give their utmost in absorbing the core of the song's soul.
To me, the song presented below strikes my nerves greatly as it gave a much-needed companion the air of my ... ecstasy.
Of course, Johnny Mercer and his words contribute fine examples in defining the arts of frankness and blatant melancholy composed in melodious harmony.
(And how songs these days fail in meeting up the standard! Eko my walking music-encyclopedia,I'm sure that you jump out in joy when you read this!)

To you my dear readers, this song may be a mere nothing like a particle of dust in the air.
To me my dear readers, this song may be a mere song, had it not been listened last night, when the wind cried its humdrum voice over the breeze.

Ladies and Gentlemen, from the motion picture soundtrack of Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil, here's k.d. lang belting out her rendition of Skylark.

Skylark, have you anything to say to me?
Won't you tell me where my love can be?
Is there a meadow in the mist
Where someone's waiting to be kissed?

Skylark, have you seen a valley green with spring
Where my heart can go a journeying
Over the shadows and the rain
To a blossom covered lane?

And in your lonely flight
Haven't you heard the music in the night,
Wonderful music,
Faint as a will o' the wisp, crazy as a loon,
Sad as a gypsy serenading the moon.

Oh, skylark, I don't know if you can find these things
But my heart is riding on your wings
So if you see them anywhere
Won't you lead me there?

Oh, skylark, I don't know if you can find these things
But my heart is riding on your wings
So if you see them anywhere
Won't you lead me there?

(antara tangga-tangga depan rumah auntie kaypoh,
antara 10 dan 11,
antara tengah malam dan jelang pagi,
antara chicken rice dan Woody Allen,
antara nama kantor berita Indonesia bukan sih?)

-- to you, T. --

The One.

Yay!

I can't help naming the title of my posting here with such a majestic, grandeur, honorable, magnificent degree, for suddenly all I could think of was ... Jet Li!

"The One", one of all those mishaps B-grade action flicks Jet Li made in Hollywood, made to Numero Uno in the box-office chart when it was released on its first week, and like any other films aiming at milking money, it fell horribly down by the following weeks. Hollywood. And its arrogance in shamelessly exploiting Asian thespians without knowing how to properly generate their truest talent.

This was not supposed to be a posting about films though, but then again my dear readers, kindly bear with my ultimate indulgence here, because later on you'll find out the correlation of my liking and the title I put here. (Where's Rio whenever I need his guidance on writing a story properly?)

Yeap, I need a guidance here.

For once, words have begun to diminish whenever they are needed to pay back someone's gratious effort, because they may have been overused.

For once, an air of disbelief relief has filled my lung over the weekend.

For once, finally, I can say :

I HAVE SOMEONE TO CELEBRATE MY BIRTHDAY WITH!

Muahahahahahahaha!

Those cynical, smirking smiles of you all my dearie friends, this hopeless romantic has finally found his ultimate wishlist.

"Gile, pacaran juga elo akhirnya!"
-- Heh? Pacaran? Masih jaman yah, pacaran? Yang ini lebih dari itu!

"Are you sure, kalo dia bakal stay on?"
-- Pentingkah? Guaranteed kalo selalu ada dia koq di tiap ulang taun gue!

"Ntar putus, elo mellow lagi"
-- Eh! Ini ga pacaran, ga putus, ga bakal mellow!

"Kecepetan! Ulang taun masih 90 hari lagi!"
-- Biyayin! Justru gue mo pengumuman sekarang biar semuanya pada nurutin

BIRTHDAY WISHLIST!

Hohohohoho! Finally! Wenny, Copper, you are not the only ones yang secara najesh bin naujubilah ngirimin birthday BBQ party pake wishlist, nih liat, 3 bulan in advance gue dah pasang, gara-gara bosen juga tiap bulan terima kartu yang:

"Nauval, sorry ngga bisa menuhin ultimate wishlist elo yang pengen dapet pacar pas ulang taun, moga-moga gantungan kunci ini bisa menghibur"

ato

"Dear, jangan sedih ya, here's a book on How To Surviving a Break-Up sebagai pengganti ga ada pacar pas ulang taun"

So, let's start the ball rolling!

Mini iPod? Creative Zen? iBook?

:P

One. Once.

It begins with words,
Of how they are meant to be
Commented.
Be it rave, harsh, or simply nodding of agreement.

Not one,

but series of rattlings and hummings

directed towards evoking

two brainy thoughts.

This time,

Unlike others,

Has no resemblance

or slight compromise

of degradation.

For the arguments thrown in the air,

they force imaginary drifting among the dust of cosmic atmosphere

among intellectuals.

For the punchlines verbally uttered,

they widen two lines of smiles,

or giggles and laughters,

over silliness or relief.

For bearing the senses to converse and to listen,

they have acutely become receptive and sensitive,

to liven up the boredom of routine.

For once,

Striking parallel of umbirical cord

Seems to be the most natural thing Mother Earth has ever given to human beings regardless their immersion and indulgence

For once,

Existence of one soul

Brings out the adjectives of feelings no other contributors will understand their absurdity and amazement

For once,

A journey of a lifetime

Continues in a different way

For once,

brotherhood shall endure

the lowdowns and highbrows that will be embarked later.

For once,

brotherhood shall prevail

above those hapless circumstances of overtly-used melodramatic.

For once,

I've found one.

(my newly-found long-lost Twinnie, had I known it took me all these time to finally get to you, I wouldn't change a thing, for we have another lifetime to catch up)

Plung!

Jangan tanggung-tanggung
Kalo ingin melacur!

Paling enak langsung
Terjun
Nyebur
Ancuuurrr!

Basah?
Biarin ajah!
Kalo masih bisa dikeringin, alhamdulillah!
Kalo kepalang?
Ya sudah!

Biar ga bahagia,
Yang penting hidup enak!
Udah ngga usah sok muna'!
Mau juga kan? ;)

(kesalahan terbesar dalam hidup adalah pelacuran tanggung)

2004 - A Year in Films (The Bad/The Ugly)

What is the Mecca for film?

Hollywood?

Unfortunately so.

Being the center of the film universe, Hollywood has been arrogantly dictating the world on how to showcase films, be it foreign-language films, which can be pretty exhilarating at times, or simply their fake, artless, commercialized, mass-produced products to the extent that it does not take any beggars to smell them as stinkers.

These films shamelessly prove my point above.

(note that the list of film below reflect what appeared on cinemas in Singapore for commercial releases, festivals, or other special screenings from the period of 1 January to 25 December 2004, by using the order of the month when I watched them)

(secondly, I do not write about these films' synopses!)

DISHONOR! category

1. THE SINGING DETECTIVE

Whatever happened to the supposedly suave, charming, witty Dan Dark in the film portrayed as a brooding, neurotic, confused, amnesiac, and hopeless singer played by Robert Downey Jr. as if he needed to be injected with a bloody loads amount of heroine? One can't stop wondering how possibly bad it can be if the screenplay writer himself did, in fact, write the original television scripts in which the films is based upon! After numerous bad adaptations from stage to screen, or from words to screen, now comes the masses of the batch from googlebox to big screen ... The Mod Squad, anyone?

By the way, I still lure myself to the jazzy soundtrack sung with a debonair style of Downey himself. At least! Something worth noting can be derived from this messy film!

2. GOTHIKA

Halle Berry does indeed shamefully capitalize her recent status as The Star in forking out gigantic sum of money by appearing in whatever being offered to her. All these one-word-title films seem to assemble themselves marching to the garbage can, noting that you do not miss much, in fact, you do not need to be bothered watching them.

The mischievous poster and trailer did offer a good promise of a thriller film wrapped in a chilling, bluish look, only to suggest that throughout the painful 100-or-so minute of watching this film left me giggling and laughing. Oh dear!

3. STUCK ON YOU

Many puzzling queries rolling over my head:
- Do you really need having two directors in making a grossed-out flick?
- Whatever happen to the insertion of pure naturalism in previous Farrelly Brothers' flicks?

Look, you may accuse me of being too serious in appreciating arty-farty flicks, yet I applaud There's Something about Mary which I think is superbly done and Cameron Diaz has never been at ease with her perfectly placed comic timing, and Shallow Hal gives Gwyneth Paltrow a rare opportunity to showcase her range of acting skills. Sadly, similar notions could not be applied to this film which somehow lost its intention halfway throughout the film, while indeed it tries to capitalize the life of a Siamese twin, we were not given a slight chance of their insights which may boost the plotline.

What were Meryl Streep and Cher thinking when they agreed to sign in as cameos?

And speaking of Eva Mendes ...

4. OUT OF TIME

She stole the show from the obviously-tired presence of Denzel Washington! In a wrong movie, though ...

While the film clearly paid its tribute to the slick, stylish, slightly-noirish good cop vs. bad cop genre from previous decades, enriched with Miami background giving a relaxed atmosphere to the story, the film couldn't help from falling flat in entertaining, or simply providing some sparks of interest in following the plot twists which were just predictable even if you fall asleep halfway through.

5. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

What if?

That's what the tagline of this film says.

What if ... the movie is not made?

Better. I won't get Punk'd!

There's a great difference of a smart film and a film trying hard enough to be smart, clearly the abovementioned film belongs to the second one by dangerously venturing into a theme which has a great risk to be brough up: time-travelling. Moreover, without any logical explanation accompanying the dizzying, puzzling scenes scattered throughout the duration of the film very much done in an MTV-influenced style, what appears on the screen would only evoke a sense of visual amazement without prompting the mind to question the viability of the plotline. The compromised ending was simply something forced to fill in the necessity to end the prolong story.

6. LITTLE MEN (Kazakhstan)

My Singapore International Film Festival (SIFFest) journey this year had to begin with such a shaky start, due to the wrong choice of film which certainly arose my curiosity on how the film got selected in the first place.
Perhaps the festival committee really wished to explore to as varied countries as possible, which I find it pushy to some extent, that's beyond my comprehension.
However, to sleep during the screening done in one sunny afternoon where no trace of sleepiness was found would only strengthen my point on how the film failed to make itself as something worth-watching, as simple as that.
Audience may quick to point out on the slow pace of the film, although that might be redeemed by giggling in a silly way on some funny scenes, which are not meant to be funny on the first place for sure. The bleak presentation of otherwise a lift-up mood on the struggle of two salesmen facing the toughness of the world they live in only left me with an impression that living on Kazakhstan does indeed ask you a great deal to survive there ...

7. TROY

Yay! Finally, I've come to my so-called favorite entry, simply because this film has a great dis-honor to be THE WORST FILM OF THE YEAR!

I found myself on a great shock of horror upon going out from the cinema while all I could grumble was, "What was that? What was I watching just now?", which of course, all boiled down to one single question:
"How could one make such a horribly terrible film?"

I may not particularly blame Wolfgang Petersen though, or in fact indeed I do, for he did not inject his sense of artistry and sensibility as what he did superbly in his previous works a la Das Boot, or even U-571 if you ask me.
Topping the senseless direction is the horrendous butchering touch, removing the human-ly elements in the initial poem written by the great Homer, which turned out suggesting that the film is somehow based on blurping lines uttered by Homer Simpson instead.

What a waste of big budget, big biceps (of Brad Pitt), big stars, big, in the sense of grand, presence of Julie Christie and Peter O'Toole, big, nuanced performance from Eric Bana, and it's a big bomb dropped on the knees of Hollywood to start realizing their biggest failure of the year.

8. THE STEPFORD WIVES

Lesson learnt: Never launch an attempt to modify something highly regarded as a cult!

When the original film was released on 1975, the timing couldn't be more perfect as the world had just been awakened by the rising movement of female liberalism, thus both the novel and the film, in a lighter sense, proved to help providing some thought-provoking reactions.

If only this new remake would dare enough to do the same, not stripping those elements and replace them with unnecessary glossy images and dry, unfunny jokes that not even the A-list actors seemed to bother to immerse themselves on the lines.

Seeing the lineup of talented actors here who have often crossed one genre to another easily, we can't help asking one thing: What were Nicole Kidman, Glenn Close, Matthew Broderick, and Bette Midler thinking when they read the script?

And enough of the suddenly-too-familiar cameo appearance from Larry King in many films, including this one!

9. THE WHOLE TEN YARDS

One can only wonder, how could that possibly be, the predecessor was a good example of how a mob comedy flick can be full of punchlines and smart jokes, while the sequel, being the sequel itself, has to try desperately hard for merely trying to be funny?
One can only wonder why there wasn't any chance of putting the right comic timings from Matthew Perry in his usual slick style, Bruce Willis in sometimes-merciless expression, or even Amanda Peet with her manipulative girlish smile would actually work well for this kind of film.

10. THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW

I know that I should not expect much from Roland Emmerich film, although his involvement in The Patriot somehow did lift up my slight believability that this man can still deliver a decent film after some "little-known" horrible pieces of junk called Independence Day or Godzilla.
Or not being a fan of action-adventure genre myself, I still find Twister entertaining, but the same reeling definitely not going to others, which include the latest offering this time, playing fool around on what's supposedly a potential, strong theme of global warming which has been a major issue for the past few years.
Again, for the sake of milking cash by covering itself under the clout of 'entertainment', we were presented with mindless visual effects and thin storyline that put the charms of Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum and Dennis Quaid aside.


DISAPPOINTMENT category,


because THEY ARE JUST SIMPLY BAD!

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason suffers from both being sequels and adapted from a sequel novel as well, and both the novel and the film receive exactly the same lukewarm reviews, yet Renee Zellwegger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth certainly enjoy their holidays here.

Bride and Prejudice shows that Gurinder Chadha needs to learn a lot about masterful skills to make a Bollywood musical and not to compromise the essential elements of singing and dancings that are supposed to make audiences tapping on their feet; however, seeing Aishwarya Rai at her utmost ease is worth the admission ticket itself.

I, Robot is an example of making a blockbuster film, put an A-list star, the box-office guarantee that overshadows everything else in the film, not to mention the ripping off the understated theme of power and oppression that could make the film a major thought-provoking work of arts, yet it chose to fall flat.


because THEY CAN BE MUCH BETTER!

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is applaudable for its daring use of technology that matches really well to the storyline, yet one can't help seeing that Gwyneth Paltrow seeems to be out of place since her character is unforgivably reduced to be a mere background. If only the scriptwriter adds in a lot of punchlines here and there, making her character a la damsels in 1940s films, the film would be just perfectly complete.

5x2 (France) tells its story in a way that made Memento and Irreversible memorable, yet this latest outing from Francois Ozon fails to match the hilarious, shocking elements usually found on his previous works.

Beautiful Boxer (Thailand) has all the potentials to be one admirable and adorable film that has a universal appeal due to its unusual choice of theme. However, Ekachai Uekrongtham, the director himself, is trapped into the cliche of compromising in making a feel-good flick, not to mention carrying the burden of telling a real-life story.

Final Note:

I remember this particular quote found in SIFFest's forum board a few years back, in which the quote itself ws apparently coming out from some renowned director, he said that if you are watching a horrible film, you'd only lose your $8 and 2-3 hours of your day, whereas for the filmmakers, they lose millions of dollars.

How do you want me to react to that statement?

Flow.

Jika dirimu adalah angin yang bertiup
Yang hadir begitu saja
Mendirikan bulu tengkuk ku

Maka aku ingin
Menutup angin itu
Dan menyimpannya rapat

Tapi apakah kau tetap berdesir nanti?

(di tengah keremangan rutinitas 9.5 jam, mengagungkan kejailan Tuhandalam mengatur hari dan hati)

No.

You just do not have to have any reasons to be
Happy.

A wide smile you put on your face
Has done more than enough
To put your mind in a bewilderment

Or simply to lay down your head
On a perfectly whitened brick walls
While closing your eyelids
And roam freely among the endless space
Aimee Mann has never been any better than this

Even if it means to
Shift your dreams away
Let others indulge on it

I am still feeling contented.

Yeah.

This is good.

-- from the ranks / of the freaks / who suspect / they could never love anyone --