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To start with, this film somehow manage to made you find your own stories amongst the jumping scenes, simple everyday dialogues and the different plots of this movie on soul searching and lost love. It's a typical romantic film about feelings, broken hearts and hopes (or hopelessness for that matter) with some insertion of betrayal, suicide and gambling.
Norah Jones as a starring role with Jude Law didn't particularly interest me until I saw who directed the movie. It's another one of Wong Kar Wai's film which I'm a big fan of after watching In The Mood For Love starring Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. The cinematography is the usual hip and artistic style of Wong Kar Wai's movie with blurred motions of lights, jumping scenes and focus shots of the artists or chosen objects that appeared repeatedly as a iconic part of the whole movie. Combined with a backdrop of soundtracks ranging from Norah Jones' own song to Otis Redding and a borrowed melody by Gustavo Santaolalla from The Motorcyle Diary, the director succeeded to maintain the artistic hip urban feelings throughout the different settings from the opening scenes of a New York So Ho cafe to a bar in Memphis, Tennessee and gambling place in Las Vegas.
This combination of cinematography and romantic screenplay by Lawrence Block produced a charming and simple philosophical story tied together mostly by Jude Law as the So Ho cafe owner and Norah Jones over discussions of a jar full of key chains left by broken hearted or betrayed couples while eating blueberry pie. "Sometimes, even if you have the keys those doors still can't be opened. Can they?" is one of the quotes in this movie that basically summed up the whole process of soul searching done by Norah Jones who took a bus from New York to Memphis and Las Vegas.
The supporting artists like Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman and David Strathairn provide the complete knots in the different plots with their strong acting that has made this movie worthwhile to see.
"It took me nearly a year to get here. It wasn't so hard to cross that street after all, it all depends on who's waiting for you on the other side." is an ending line that signifies the soul searching is over. Like I said, you could find your own stories in this movie. If you dare to look. I did, and it was enough to made me smile.
My Blueberry Nights is a 2007 film directed by Wong Kar Wai, starring Norah Jones and Jude Law. It also features Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman, David Strathairn and Cat Power. It is Wong's first feature film in English.
My Blueberry Nights was the opening film for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2007.
I looked at the different bottled preserved fruits line up in a three levels rack. The different flavors from strawberry, orange marmalade to mixed blueberry and lemon made up a display of colorful bottles of both local made and imported fruit jam. My eyes scanned the different brands and trying to remembered which one of these brand I bought the last time. I had my taxi waiting for me outside and told the driver to let the meter running as I only needed a moment to get a certain flavored jam which I have always bought for someone. My next destination was to dropped of this bottle of jam before hurried back to the office for an afternoon meeting.
Somehow, that day I couldn't seemed to get my mind made up of which brand to choose. It wasn't a hectic time of day for grocery shopping and the bottled and packaged confectioneries aisle and sweets where I was standing facing the colorful rack was empty. I decided to take my time and continued to concentrate on the imported brands and trying hard to remembered the brand I bought the last time.
Vaguely I could hear The Carpenter's "Yesterday Once More" played over the supermarket's PAs and standing there looking at the colorful bottled jars the empty and quiet aisle became my private space.
When I was young
I'd listen to the radio
Waitin' for my favorite songs
When they played I'd sing along
It made me smile..
The romantic melody by The Carpenters soon shifted to a more upbeat and intense punk version by Redd Kross singing that same song in my head in that quiet empty aisle. Slowly the colorful jars of preserved fruits turned to empty clear jar filled with water and bright color gold fish swimming inside.
Yesterday once more was now a flashback of a young teenager walking by himself on an autumn day. The colorful autumn leaves fallen from the trees covered the sidewalk like a mixed of reddish and yellowish carpet. He dragged his sneakers over the carpet of leaves and smiled on the music he made from the movement of dry leaves brushing themselves against one another. He had been walking a few blocks from his house and had no particular place to go. Earlier he was lying on his bed in the attic of his house after school and looking at the colorful trees outside his window pane he decided to take a walk on that autumn afternoon by himself. He loved the cool September wind especially like that day where it was cooler than usual. The slightly cold wind made his usually frizzy hair during the humid summer weather felt lighter and straight. He enjoyed the feeling of his hair flew freely over his forehead and fell nicely slightly covering his eyes. It made him feels invisible from the rest of the world and taking him to his own solitude corner where he sometime hide to find emotional ease and peace.
Up ahead he saw a busy intersection and a line up of small neighborhood stores. He decided to take a turn to avoid the crowded area and continued walking on a quiet street. His mind wandered aimlessly in his imaginary solitary corner. It was a corner that existed since he was younger although he couldn't exactly remembered when was that corner built. Being the eldest in his family he found out that many things he had to learned by himself. When he was younger learning everything for the first time often had the outcomes of mistakes and disapproval from his parents. At times like that he often went to his solitary corner searching for someone to hold his hands and guided him to undo his mistakes. Growing older he decided to keep this corner of his and still wished that somewhere there he would found an angel that would held his hands and guided him through the running race of life. This search of comfort had also made him intuitive to the needs of other, especially the happiness of his storybook angel, the fictitious friend he depended so much for his search of happiness. The late September wind got stronger towards the late afternoon and he felt more dry leaves fell from the oak trees lining up on that quiet street. He looked up as he walks and could caught a glimpse of squirrels jumping off amongst the tree branches. Continued walking and made another turn headed back to the directions of his house the playful squirrels reminded him of his unfed pet gold fish up in his attic bedroom which he bought recently out of melancholic nostalgic reason about a movie he saw when he was much younger.
Who is the girl with the crying face
Looking at millions of signs
She knows that life is a running race
Her face shouldn't show any sides
The visionary jar with water and swimming gold fish started to disappear and I quickly grabbed a bottle of imported orange marmalade. By the time I paid at the cashier and went outside to find my cab, I saw that it was raining. Running to the cab with my bottled preserved fruits inside a supermarket plastic bag I told the driver my next destinations which was only a few blocks away.
Who is the girl at the window pane
Watching the rain falling down
Melody, life isn't like the rain
It's just like a merry go round
The soundtrack of the boy nostalgic movie kept playing in my head. I got to my destination and dropped off the plastic bag to someone who answered the door. Just before, while still sitting in the back seat of the cab, I gave the plastic bag an imaginary sealed with a loving kiss gesture.
Inspired by a British movie (1971) Melody Fair a.k.a S.W.A.L.K (Sealed With A Loving Kiss). Strarring Jack Wild, Mark Lester and Tracy Hyde. Screenplay by the now famous director Alan Parker
The moment I wake up Before I put on my makeup I say a little prayer for you While combing my hair, now, And wondering what dress to wear, now, I say a little prayer for you
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart and I will love you Forever, forever, we never will part Oh, how I'll love you Together, together, that's how it must be To live without you Would only be heartbreak for me.
I run for the bus, dear, While riding I think of us, dear, I say a little prayer for you. At work I just take time And all through my coffee break-time, I say a little prayer for you.
Forever, forever, you'll stay in my heart and I will love you Forever, forever we never will part Oh, how I'll love you Together, together, that's how it must be To live without you Would only be heartbreak for me.
My darling believe me, For me there is no one But you.
The Movie: A soundtrack from "My Best Friend's Wedding". What's different about this movie from most romantic comedy is that the heroine and hero did not ended up together.
The Song: Sang by the lady of soul Aretha Franklin
The Real Life: A little prayer for a best friend.. ...to be brave ...to be tolerance ...to endure ...to have faith ...to be acceptance ...and to still have passion and believes in your dreams There are those who love you. Good luck.
A typical "re-finding the true meaning of life" kind of movie. A feel good romantic story with a backdrop of scenery setting of a vineyard in Provence, France.
Nothing outstanding in the story plot. A Good Year is about an insensitive money oriented investment banker from London (Russell Crowe) who inherited a vineyard in Provence from a dead uncle who had raised him and where Crowe had spent his childhood.
Of course upon getting his inheritance the first thing that come to his mind is selling the place to the highest bidder. The plan on short visit 'get in and get out' trip to the vineyard to sort out legal paper works turned out to be extended due to what else, a beautiful Bistro owner played by Marion Cotillard who herself had previous misfortune experience with men.
The untrusted cut-throat London stock broker and the suspicious, guarded, stubborn bistro owner sparked a chemistry once they realized that what the heart felt is what really mattered at the end. Like one of the most memorable quotes from the movie "...everything mature, eventually".
Well they both did.
The romantic drama had an up beat cheerful feeling from a touch of comedy in the plot. It was fun to watch the like of Crowe played a character like we usually saw from Hugh Grant. I guess that added a bonus in watching him played his character.
Again, the moral of the story is a lesson we have heard a million times before. But I guess, I never got tired of it because it's so true. At the end of the day it's about appreciating the simple things in life and the spirit of love offered by those who cared about you is what really matters.
It's all come down to a reminder of what is sometimes forgotten during the pursue of our hectic hedonist life and another quote describe this very well "....sometimes it takes a change of scenery to have a change of heart".
What the beautiful Cotillard's said to Crowe during their first dinner together "There's something you should know about me, Max. I'm very, very choosy... I'm also very, very suspicious; very, very irrational, and I have a very, very short temper. I'm also extremely jealous and slow to forgive. Just so you know". That quote and the ending scene of the two of them having an outdoor lunch in the front yard overlooking the vineyard for me packaged the whole story with charm and romanticism.
Or it could only be because of the state of mind I was in at the time of watching this movie. All I know is I enjoyed it more than enough to led me to write about it now.
..."Yes, it's about time !" "Maksud loe?" tanya dia sambil menghembuskan lagi asap rokok ke udara. Mataku menonton gumpalan asap melayang - layang dan kemudian tersedot exhaust fan yang terpasang persis di atas meja kami. "Suck it hard, baby" khayalanku kembali bermain sendiri sambil melirik kearah bar dimana tadi aku bertemu Nadine. "Apaan yang about time bro, udah pantesnya gue suntuk maksud loe ?" katanya lagi sambil menutup laptop Sony Vaio 12 Inch nya dan membungkusnya dengan tas kecil yang terbuat dari semacam bahan untuk diving wetsuit berwarna hitam. "Kondom laptop nya keren juga" aku berkomentar dalam hati. "Bukan, lama banget untuk nyampe ke meja ini dari pintu. Rame banget sih malem ini ?" jawabku setengah bertanya. "Perseverance bro, perseverance....hidup ini butuh ketekunan dan kesabaran" jawabnya dengan gayanya yang khas seakan sedang membeberkan rahasia hidup yang luar biasa penting . "Buset dah, dalem pak....beneran suntuk abis loe kayanya". Dia tidak menjawab dan kembali menghembuskan asap rokoknya ke udara. Mataku kembali menonton adegan ulangan felatio di udara. Bau cengkeh dari rokok kretek kegemarannya itu menghapus sisa-sisa akhir aroma jeruk nipis dan oyster yang masih bertengger di alam bawah sadar pikiranku. "This song can really bring the mood to the lowest level of any soul" katanya lagi sambil menghabiskan sisa bir di gelasnya. ..And so it is ..The shorter story ..No Love, no glory ..No hero in her sky
Duduk di hadapannya aku dapat menangkap sedikit cuplikan lirik dari lagu yang keluar dari speaker Bose yang terpasang di setiap sudut tempat ini. "Lagu nya sapa nih, bros ?" aku bertanya kepadanya. "Ngga tau" jawabnya singkat. Dia berdiri melepas jaket kulit model bikers nya dan kemudian mengangkat tangannya untuk memanggil waitress yang sedang lewat dekat meja kami. "Bir dua lagi ya May" katanya kepada si waitress yang memakai baju hem putih longgar dan apron hitam panjang. Aku diam saja membiarkan dia memesan bir untuk kita berdua. Sebuah ritual lama yang selalu dia lakukan apabila kita sedang berada di bar. "Pakabs Dante....lama ngga keliatan" sapa Mayar si waitress sambil mencatat pesanan kami berdua. "Baik, eh ini lagu siapa sih May?" tanyaku. "The Blower's Daughter ...lagunya Damien Rice dari film Closer. Sebentar ya aku ambilin bir nya" katanya sambil beranjak dari meja. "Blower's daughter.....apa tuh artinya?" kata Pally. "Ngga tau...but I used to know an ambassador's daughter once. Ga sama ya?" jawabku sambil terkekeh. "hehehe, that's old story men. Eh ngobrol ama sapa tadi loe di bar?" "Sama Nadine, belom nyapa dia kesini?" jawabku "Tuh lagi jalan kesini doi" "Hey gorgeous" suara halus dibelakangku terdengar menyapa temanku. "Nadine, what the fuck is a blower's daughter? blow job atau apa?" temanku membalas sapaan Nadine. "Hah, blow who's daughter? segitu kangennya loe ama gue, baby?" "Kangen kangen banget sih ga tapi kalo blom ada bini ama anak empat I wouldn't mind you drag me to the toilet now and discuss about who's blowing who" "Ah Dan, you're pally is still the outspoken muthafukka as always" Nadine tertawa sambil bersandar di bahuku. "Outspoken and honest as always, Nad" jawab temanku. "Ngga nyambung banget dialognya dua orang ini" aku bergumam dalam hati sambil kembali melirik exhaust fan di atasku lalu beralih ke Mayar yang datang membawa dua gelas bir.
"Empat ?, bukannya loe punya tiga brandals laki?" tanya Nadine. "Baru dapet cewe tiga bulan yang lalu" "Wow, selamat selamat. Seneng banget kalian pasti akhirnya dapet baby girl" Nadine beranjak dari bahuku dan mencium temanku. "Thank's Nad, she added colors to my life now. I see plenty of colours thru my children eyes, bapak nya sudah meluntur color nya" jawab temanku. "Ngga lah, you're still as savage as I first knew you baby. Not to mention the most honest guy I ever knew" kata Nadine sambil memeluk temanku. "Melankolis abis, plis de" aku nyeletuk sambil meneguk bir dinginku. "Savage quality is meluntur bro, the sign of old age and mind" temanku menjawab sambil nyengir. "Oke guys, got to get back to my circle now, salam buat Zeska and the kids ya, baby" kata Nadine. "Bye Nad" koor kita berdua membalas pamitan Nadine.
"So, apalagi yg baru lately in your life Pally ?" tanya temanku. "Ga banyak, still obsess about myself.The same emotional turmoil and confusion. same old thing" "Tell me something I dont know..." "I dont think I can, Pally" jawabku "Thats my Pal O Mino, the same emotional turmoil and confusion forever" "Siyap!. story of my life. The only different is now I have a caring and loving wife who put up with all my shits and I'm grateful for that" jawabku. "Bener boss, honesty, perseverance dan gratefullness. At the end of the day life is all about them" kata si Pally sambil matanya mencari Mayar lagi. Setelah sukses memanggil Mayar untuk dua gelas bir lagi si Pally kembali bertanya. "Speaking about ambassador's daughter, do you know why she broke up with me that time?" "Ga tau, kenapa emang" "I DONT FUCKING KNOW THATS WHY I'M ASKING YOU BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING I DONT..HA.. HA.. HA" si Pally berteriak sambil tertawa. "Lucu abiz nih..sumpe" jawabku sambil tertawa keras juga. "Gue ketemu si Hari di airport KL minggu lalu, terus dia nanya kenapa gue ga jadi sama si putri dubes itu" lanjut si Pally. "Tuh orang ga punya hal yang lebih penting lagi di kepalanya sampe nanya soal kaya gitu?" kataku sambil menghabiskan sisa-sisa tertawaku. "secara stuck in the past, gitu lho" lanjutku lagi. "The only good thing about the past is only one thing and one thing only, it's ours" jawab si Pally. "Jadi loe juga sampe sekarang ga tau alasen sebenernya kenapa waktu itu putus?" tanyaku. "Nope" jawabnya singkat. "I guess being honest to our true feelings is not so easy" aku bergumam sendiri. "Maksudnya?" tanya si Pally "Ya kalo sampe ga tau alesannya kenapa then someone is not being honest about something, gitu lho" "Maybe not" kata si Pally "...and the shitty shit that shit the shit is that this damn song for sure does not help my state of mood....Mayar !" lanjutnya sambil memanggil Mayar.
Aku kembali melirik exhaust fan diatas. Honesty, Perseverance, and Gratefulness. Being honest to ourselves and our feelings needs perseverance and it could lead to being grateful of what we have now. Without the last two I probably already kill myself....mataku kembali menonton adegan favoritku antara si asap dan si kipas exhaust sambil merenungkan apa yang baru saja terjadi. "Mayar.....bisa pasangin Brother to Brother nya Gino Vanelli ngga?" tanyaku sambil mengambil gelas bir ketiga dari tangannya.
..Brother to brother ..Now don't let the devil get you down ..Oh 'cause it's bread and it's butter ..That makes this whole damn world ..Round and round
"Cakep mister lagunya.....ngomong-ngomong gimana ceritanya nih soal We're Brothers Movement dengan de gandaz?" si Pally berkata sambil menyentuhkah gelas birnya ke gelasku.
...Batu ungu Aquatis dan aroma jeruk nipis dari tiram itu membuatku menatap mahluk mentah yang licin dan basah dalam tiram itu seakan berharap menemukan sebutir mutiara hitam yang sedang bersembunyi. "ngga deh" aku menjawab sambil melihat wajah si pemilik tangan halus. "it's an aphrodisiac, you know" jawabnya sambil tetap menjulurkan mahluk mentah itu di hadapanku. Mendengar kata aphrodisiac secara otomatis oyster licin dan basah itu berubah menjadi sekilas ilustrasi erotis dari sebuah titik sensual wanita. Aku tersenyum sendiri dengan kilasan nakal tersebut dan sekaligus menjadikan itu sebagai senyuman menolak halus tawaran aphrodisiac yang aku rasa bermakna ganda dari Nadine, si pemilik batu Aquatis dan seorang invesment banker handal dari sebuah rumah trading yang berbasis di Hong Kong. "Kapan dateng Nad?" tanyaku sambil memegang tangan kiri nya yang memegang segelas white wine dan mengecup pipi nya. "Udah dari dua hari yang lalu" jawabnya sambil tetap memutar-mutar oyster itu di depanku hidungku. "Stop that, you corporate raider" kataku sambil mengelak tiram yang melayang-layang di udara. "Perusahaan sapa yang jadi korban kali ini ?" tanyaku lagi. "Adalah, BUMN cupu....tadi pagi due dilligence nya" katanya sambil menenggak white wine nya. "Here, swallow it's good for you" katanya lagi menyodorkan oyster itu lagi. "I don't swallow but you do, don't you?" aku berbisik di telinganya sambil mengecup pipinya dan berjalan sambil melambaikan tanganku. "Fuck you, baby" katanya sambil meniupkan ciuman dari jauh.
Aku menoleh kebelakang dan melihat dia membalas lambaian tanganku dan menghilang kembali kedalam lingkaran teman-temannya. Aku tersenyum dan ingatanku melayang ke hari-hari dimana kita berdua sedang mengambil program S2 dibidang International Business. Otaknya yang cemerlang banyak membantuku menyelesaikan beberapa kasus studi. Hubungan pertemanan kita cukup dekat walaupun tidak pernah sampai ada ikatan emosional yang mendalam selain beberapa kali dia menghabiskan malam di tempatku sambil bercerita mengenai pembuktian diri di dunia kerja yang didominasi oleh laki-laki. "Men are dogs" katanya. Snoop doggy dog, tell me something I don't know, darling aku sering bilang ke dia.
Kembali aku melanjutkan perjalanan menuju meja pojok dimana temanku sudah menunggu. Kepadatan di sekitar ujung meja bar agak menipis dan memungkinkan aku untuk mempercepat langkahku. Perjalananku dari pintu masuk tadi ternyata memerlukan ketekunan yang luar biasa untuk mencapai ke meja pojok itu. Pada akhirnya sampai juga aku di meja pojok itu dan melihat sedikit kepala teman ku menyembul dari balik laptop yang terbuka. "Wassup Pally" sapa ku. "Pally" panggilan yang sudah belasan tahun kita berdua pakai untuk menyapa satu sama lain. "Wassupppppp.....suntuk abis jreng" jawabnya sambil meniup asap Jie Sam Soe nya ke monitor laptop.....(bersambung)
Aku mengintip kedalam lewat kaca pintu kayu itu dari luar, setengah basah karena gerimis hujan yang tiba-tiba saja turun beberapa saat yang lalu. Dari antara tempelan berbagai macam kartu kredit dan tanda "OPEN" yang tergantung di pintu kaca itu aku melihat dia sudah duduk di meja pojok dengan laptop terbuka dan gelas bir yang masih setengah penuh.
"Tumben udah dateng duluan" ujarku dalam hati dan kubuka pintu kayu tua itu dengan menarik setengah paksa serta masuk kedalam membawa udara dingin bulan November dari luar bersama ku. Aku berjalan melewati meja-meja yang sudah penuh terisi oleh pelanggan resto & bar ini yang sebagian besar adalah orang-orang yang itu-itu juga sambil menyapa beberapa dari mereka. Sapaan ku lebih merupakan ekspresi sopan santun karena sebetulnya aku lebih kenal wajah mereka daripada nama. Mereka membalas menyapa tanpa menyebut namaku . Aku yakin merekapun hanya mengenal sosok ku yang sering terlihat duduk di meja pojok itu atau di meja bar yang terbuat dari kayu eboni yang permukaannya sudah sangat mengkilap dari gosokan lap bartender selama bertahun-tahun.
Barangkali hanya orang-orang tertentu saja yang kebanyakan dikenal dengan nama oleh para pengunjung tempat ini yaitu para pelayan dan bartender yang sebagian besar menjadi pekerja paruh waktu dan terdiri dari pelajar sebuah universitas yang terletak tidak jauh dari tempat ini. Diluar mereka aku rasa mayoritas pelanggan tempat ini terdiri dari wajah-wajah "familiar" tanpa nama. Sambil terus bergerak menuju meja pojok untuk menemui temanku itu aku berpikir mungkin itu sebabnya aku menyukai tempat ini karena merasa dapat menjadi "invisible" namun pada saat yang sama masih merasa "dirumah" dengan teguran ramah dari para pekerja paruh waktu itu. "Kamu sangat tidak menarik kalo sedang seperti itu" pernah seorang teman bilang itu kepadaku mengenai ketrampilan sekaligus hobi ku untuk menjadi "invisible". Tapi tempat ini serasa menawarkan secara alami suasana untuk bisa menjaga jarak atau menghilangtanpa merasa seperti terpaksa harus melangkah keluar dari lingkaran realita sekitar untuk mengamati kehidupan nyata dari luar kedalam.
Mendekati daerah bar ruang gerak ku semakin sempit dan dengan sedikit susah payah aku ber navigasi sambil menenteng tas ransel laptop ku melewati orang-orang yang berdiri di sepanjang bar eboni itu sambil memegang gelas minuman yang kebanyakan bir hitam sesuai dengan karateristik tempat ini sebagai sebuah Irish Bar. Mendekati ujung meja bar aku tiba-tiba berhadapan dengan sebuah tangan halus yang menyodorkan kerang oyster tepat didepan hidungku. "Hey stranger...mau ngga?" menyusul suara halus si pemilik tangan yang wajahnya belum terlihat saat itu. Hidungku mencium aroma jeruk nipis yang telah disemprot kedalam rumah oyster itu dan tatapan mataku berpindah-pindah secara bergantian dari rumah kerang ke cincin batu alam Aquatis besar berwarna ungu yang melingkar di jari tengahnya dan terakit dalam cincin dengan ukiran perak Bali yang indah.....(bersambung).
Chinese noodle place in a narrow alley walkway. Rainy days. It's Hong Kong in the 60's filled with retro feeling represented by big Siemens wall clock, Japanese rice cooker, vaselined slick hair and a body hugging sensual Cheongsam/Qipao dress. To borrow a phrase from one of the film reviews this movie is a "Literary Vision" which to my interpretation is like a composition of beautiful sentences and old photographs combined together forming that distinctive Won Kar-Wai's hip and artistic style of movie making. His composition of the retro icons mixed with Nat King Cole's Spanish songs and even "Bengawan Solo" song as the backdrop has succesfully transfered us back to the dream and nostalgic time.
The story is about a married man Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) and a married woman Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) who moved to an apartments next to each other on the same day. This mellow -drama between the two developed when they both discovered that their respective spouses (which were hinted mostly off-screen as these characters were never really shown in the film) were involved in a torrid affair with each other. Leung and Cheung then fell in love to each other and formed a relationship of restrained love bounded by ethics and moral principles. Their uncertain affair has an air of sadness and consolation over the betrayal they felt from their spouses mixed with a lot of ambiguities about the extend of their plutonic relationship whether it was about the sharing of feelings, love, and sexual desires. Did they eventually slept together?. These are the abstractions of the plot which Wong Kar-Wai has build with a romantic athmosphere and characterization illustrated through a mind -massage narrative, settings, wardrobe and color.
It is a movie of "dream time" and melodrama of mood. The acting of Tony Leung and the sensual Maggie Cheung in her Cheongsam provide a portrayal of restraint love from the fight between emotional desires and moral principles and society's norms. These mood of loves between them were shown like a painted canvas of wet alley street, steak dinner, a seedy hotel room, duck noodles vendor in Singapore, and an anti-climax ending in Angkor Wat ruin in Cambodia.
Filmography: In The Mood of Love (Hua Yang Nian Hua). Written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Starring Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. Block 2 Pictures, Inc (2000). Cannes 2000 Award.
+ So what's new ? - My crush....on and off, on and off, on and off + So is it on or off now? - It's off right now.....damn that guy + Brutal..... - Apanya ? +The jungle of the single world - Hahahahaha + Ngga se simple film Tarzan jaman dulu - Gimana tuh? + Me Tarzan, you Jane....let's do bang-bang in my tree house - Hahahahahahaha...... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + Liat deh, you'll like it - Terlalu drama gitu lho + Ngga lah, aku kan tau selera kamu - Ok, I'll take a look at it + Meskipun plot nya romantisme biasa tapi setting nya keren abaz - Like what ? + Hong Kong in the 60's and lots of rainy days - Rain ?.....hmnnnnn. Menarik juga + Cerita nya keluar lebih dari setting dan angle-angle shot daripada dari dialog...really cool - Metaphors ? + Ya gitu deh. There's this one scene where the guy is talking to a tree - As long as there is rain it's ok by me. Wet street too ? + Yup. You know I love it too - What ? . I love rain - Rain, where are you?. He loves you..... + Biarin aja, ga usah dipanggil. Kalo lagi di kangenin emang suka jaga jarak
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + Dasar kambing... - Hehehe kambing....dulu katanya bebek-bebek primadona ? + Udah pada ngerasa paling pinter gitu lho... - "Out of the box thinking", they think. + Kampret lah, cuman bisa ngekor doang...apanya yang out of the box? - Para katak dalam tempurung + Hehe...katak tak berotak - Yoehh jeki, gimana mikir di luar kotak kalo otak aja ngga ada ? + Fuck them lah. It's all about "No box" thinking anyway now - Siap !. Be fearless and just throw the damn fucking box away
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + Want me to lend it to you or you want to buy it yourself? - I'll borrow it from you + No problem....but when are we going to meet again? - Anytime. I'm not busy and as long as you don't have to go off to remote places again for that damn shooting. + It's really good you know - Yeah I know, I read the review before + I mean you can feel the vibes of the city even if you've never been there - You know why I never really bother to see it before? + Why ? - Too close for comfort. The damn story is too much like my life - Hahahahaha... + But I guess it's time to face reality isn't it? - What, you're facing your reality by deciding to watch this movie ? + Yeah...no that sounds stupid isn't ? - People usually watch movies to momentarily escape from their dreaded reality + Yes, and I watch it to face my reality ? How do you figure that ? - Well, to quote what the girl say in "Bewitched"... ".....there is no solution, we're in Coffee Bean" ....hahahaha. + That's funny. I haven't seen that one either. By the way, why aren't we in Coffee Bean now? - You're the one who wanted to meet here + That damn place is too mainstream anyway. It's kindda nice here though.......you could watch the rain outside - Yeah, but the shades in the windows makes me a bit claustrophobic though + Just focus on me, gurl.... - Hahahahaha.....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inspired from the movie Coffee and Cigarettes. A film by Jim Jarmusch starring Roberto Benigni, Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, Cate Blanchet, Bill Murray, Steve Wright, Steve Coogan and many others.
Yes, it is a romantic comedy and probably a "chick flick" as some might call it. Nevertheless, it was a fun movie to watch and there were some great musical numbers on that movie like Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra and also one performed by Astrud Gilberto. Anyway, this Down with Love song reminded me of another romantic musical I saw a long time ago by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. These two big screen giants of the old days worked together in a movie called Easter Parade. With Garland and Astaire it was of course a movie with a lot of singing and dancing. If someone ask me what kind of skill I wish for I would say I wish I could dance like Fred. Hell, I wish I could walk like Fred. Being a romantic musical it was all about she is falling in love with him while his best friend is falling in love with her. In the mean time this other girl is falling in love with him.
I only remember vaguely about the movie so I did a little Googleing and found that link about the movie. I can now remember about some of the great lines from that movie as it was highlighted in the site. The one I like best is what Judy Garland said to Fred Astaire "You could have had the very best..." and he replied "I don't want the very best, I want you.". Yes, it's a bit corny but it was a great scene. Another thing that stuck with me from that movie is one of the song called "Stepping Out With My Baby"....love that song. I have one sang by Tony Bennett and every time I hear him sing that song I always feel so resurrected. So in the spirit of the Lord resurrection let's hear some of that beat by the greatest song-and-dance man, Fred Astaire.....
Stepping out with my baby.. Can't go wrong cause I'm in right.. It's for sure and not for maybe.. And I'm all dressed up tonight..
Stepping out with my baby.. Can't be bad to feel so good.. Never felt quite so sunny That I keep on knocking wood..
There be smooth sailing.. Cause I'm trimming myself.. With my top hat and my white tie.. And my tails..
