In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.



Been ages since I blogged. How's everyone?

Saw several movies in the theatres: Ocean's Twelve, Phantom of the Opera, The Aviator, Constantine, and a couple others I can't bother naming. Didn't catch Million-Dollar Baby.

Ocean's Twelve is pretty cool. But I keep having that feeling is just an excuse for glamour. Seems like the script is not as tight as Ocean's Eleven. And the twist at the end is lousy. Didn't feel like it had built enough precendence.

Phantom of the Opera wasn't too bad. Nominated for Best Cinematography at the Oscar's? Not good enough. In fact, I thought that was the downside of the film. Bad cast too. Imagine: the Phantom was better-looking than Raoul. But what kept the crowd, including myself, going, was the music. No doubt a large part of the audience are quite familiar with the score. I found myself singing through the film.

The Aviator. It's the first time I've ever had anything good to say about Leonardo diCaprio's acting. The story was really good. Well written and well carried through. Of course, anything under Martin Scorsese tends to be quite well done. The hallmark of the film for me is the ending. So Scorsese.

Constantine. If you haven't seen it, don't. Rubbish. Ridiculous when filmmakers don't pay attention to details like excorcism rites and lore. Annoyingly flashy shots. All in all, just another Matrix mimic to wow the crowd. it didn't wow me.

Saw some movies on cable: Gum Gai(Golden Chicken), Empire of the Sun, and others that are not worth the mentioning.

Gum Gai is pretty darn good. To me, one of the hallmarks of Hong Kong satire. Very awesome characterization, or maybe just a film with a very strong redemption theme. There is still talent other than Wong Kar-Wai in Asia, after all. I wish I could make a Cantonese film.

Empire of the Sun. Admittedly, I've seen this before a long time ago. It's another Steven Spielberg film that almost made me cry. The only other films ever to make me cry were Forrest Gump and Schindler's List.

VCD and DVDs: The Indiana Jones Trilogy, House of Flying Daggers and Love, Actually.

The Indiana Jones Trilogy was so good that it caused me and my family to miss the New Year Countdown. Enough said.

House of the Flying Daggers was actually not bad. I think, in this case, I was won over with the cinematography more than anything else. But I thought the cast was somewhat strange. Could've chosen better, Mr. Zhang. The characters don't seem to be very well thought out, but at least they are consistent.

Love, Actually is a hilarious romantic comedy. But the plot devices used here are cliched, to say the least. And the cast is too glamourous. But it will still pass. If you think about it, though, there isn't much unusual about this film. The script is quite standard.

Now, anime. Watched too many series to name, most of them not new. But the good ones I shall mention: Otogi Zoushi, Last Exile, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig, and Monster. Of these, only Last Exile has a more or less average anime plot. Otogi Zoushi is interesting but nothing to get bowled over. GITS: SAC 2nd Gig is still in the process of release, so is Monster. But these two have outstanding plots. Monster has especially fantastic characterization and a very tight storyline. Oh yeah, forgot to specially mention Windy Tales. Somewhat nostalgic. Interesting style of artwork.

Also watched these other feature films: National Treasure, Tasogare Seibei (Twilight Samurai), Mibu Gishi Den (When the Last Sword is Drawn), Appleseed, Sound of the Ocean, and Innocence.

Read: Haruki Murakami's Kafka On The Shore, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha (re-reading it), Luo Guanzong's Three Kingdoms, and La Bible de Jerusalem (hur, hur).

What's up?

I will most probably be going to Los Angeles for my next and final leg of education. I say 'most probably' because I haven't registered yet. I'm also currently working on designing catalogues and a website for a company to earn some money.

If there is anyone out there who wants to do photography portraits, I'd be happy to do them for free. Let me know so we can arrange a date. I'll be leaving the country in May and I won't know exactly when I shall return thereafter.

Like the new design of this website? Admittedly, the picture on the front cover is from Getty Images. I'll replace it as soon as I take a suitable photo. And yes, sorry, but no more tagboard. Don't want anymore pop-ups. Leave me a message below, if you like. Groove it.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.