Geeks Guide December 2005
Outside, a particular jovial neigbor has decided to gift everyone in the village with his spectacular rendition of "Winter Wonderland" belted out in their karaoke with the volume on full blast. Even as he sings, "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening...", I'm not sure he's got the foggiest idea what a sleigh is as to understand what sleigh bells are.
Anyway, I'm whining about this not because I've Scrooged myself up. It's just that it made it much harder to hear the movie we were watching at home. For Christmas, I have billeted my family with three nice movies. What else is there to do, right? There's nothing happier than munching on popcorn while snuggled in a thick woolen bathrobe as your family watch movies together.
Mirror Mask
Oh yes. It's that Neil Gaiman Book. Watching the movie is like walking into a dream. I'm not talking about nice pansies and fluffy bunnies. I'm talking about mixed up, upside down stuff at the verge of the really scary. I have to give credit to the director Dave McKean withstanding the creative genius that is Gaiman. Good Lord, I would have cried myself to insanity if I were tasked to movie-fy this script. It's no small and menial task. Honestly, I found it too overproduced. It was also very tedious to endure. And in the end, it still leaves you with that complete feeling of having nothing. The movie, I endured mainly because I want to pay tribute to Gaiman, a personal hero. And maybe to that account, a part of me bertrays my senses when I say, the movie should have stayed a book.
Although they did do the right first step by getting the right actress to play the lead. Stephanie Leonidas was perfect as her character. Just the right age to portray a young woman at the cusp (hehe, this word freaks me out everytime for some reason) of womanhood trying to thresh out her feelings for her mother and for herself. As she works her way to understanding her innermost emotions and beliefs, she traverses the world where everything you can imagine exists. And it really is that, a world she has created in her head. This explains... well, nothing, really... save that the world we were regaled with is every width and breadth of Stephanie's self.
I wonder how my world would look like if we enter my dreams? I have a vague sense that my dreamscape has a lot of running away from things in it. And singing out of pure terror. And dark objects and creatures surfacing out of the subconsciousness. Then light appearing, terror ceasing. It always seems to be that way anyway.
Closer
Here's the debate I've been hankering on for years. Let's say, one day you fall in love with this amazing person. You become a couple, you marry (for some, maybe not), you foresee many bright futures ahead of you. But after the initial passion has run out, what is it within a woman's employ to make the man stay? I once had this conversation with a friend, and for him.. the world's a clear cut thing. You choose and you stay with it. I see him doing that, and I hope his own words doesn't turn sour on him. But I see other things from other people, other desires which are forever transitory.
I believe a lot of people saw this film thinking it was mainstream because Julia Roberts is in it. I would've wanted to see their faces the moment they realize it was something different after all. I guess the only reason for my interest in the movies is that it chronicles my fear of what lies in the future. This film tried to be as honest as a movie could get. But it ended up confused, and frankly, it wasn't clear wherethey wanted it to end in the first place. I hope that I will never inhabit the world they live in. But that's just really hoping.
And oh, I've confirmed it. Natalie Portman really couldn't act not even to save her mother's penny loafers.
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
My sister, who's getting to be geeks guider herself, commented at the onset of the movie, "This isn't a movie for kids, noh? The pacing's too slow."
Well, it did seem that way to me too. And talking animals, I'm sorry to say, aren't my kind of entertainment. Somehow, it goes beyond my capacity to imagine. Unfortunate for me, true. But my family seemed to have really enjoyed the movie. I did as well, after a while. Family movies tend to disappoint since at some point it will try to egg in a moral or a lesson and it'll be trying too hard. But this one didn't. It was, as I expected, a bloody good take on the books which in turn was a fantastic take on the Bible.
I could only say that I was just as wide-eyed as everyone else in the room when the White Witch was about to slay Aslan as a willing sacrifice. It was like watching the Passion of Christ, without the gore. Once it gets to the theater, watch it! It is ever so worthy of your time and patience.
Also, girl teeners will get a load of the kid who plays Peter. While the rest of the adult world, will surely take a shine to the girl who plays Lucy.
Anyway, I'm whining about this not because I've Scrooged myself up. It's just that it made it much harder to hear the movie we were watching at home. For Christmas, I have billeted my family with three nice movies. What else is there to do, right? There's nothing happier than munching on popcorn while snuggled in a thick woolen bathrobe as your family watch movies together.
Mirror Mask
Oh yes. It's that Neil Gaiman Book. Watching the movie is like walking into a dream. I'm not talking about nice pansies and fluffy bunnies. I'm talking about mixed up, upside down stuff at the verge of the really scary. I have to give credit to the director Dave McKean withstanding the creative genius that is Gaiman. Good Lord, I would have cried myself to insanity if I were tasked to movie-fy this script. It's no small and menial task. Honestly, I found it too overproduced. It was also very tedious to endure. And in the end, it still leaves you with that complete feeling of having nothing. The movie, I endured mainly because I want to pay tribute to Gaiman, a personal hero. And maybe to that account, a part of me bertrays my senses when I say, the movie should have stayed a book.
Although they did do the right first step by getting the right actress to play the lead. Stephanie Leonidas was perfect as her character. Just the right age to portray a young woman at the cusp (hehe, this word freaks me out everytime for some reason) of womanhood trying to thresh out her feelings for her mother and for herself. As she works her way to understanding her innermost emotions and beliefs, she traverses the world where everything you can imagine exists. And it really is that, a world she has created in her head. This explains... well, nothing, really... save that the world we were regaled with is every width and breadth of Stephanie's self.
I wonder how my world would look like if we enter my dreams? I have a vague sense that my dreamscape has a lot of running away from things in it. And singing out of pure terror. And dark objects and creatures surfacing out of the subconsciousness. Then light appearing, terror ceasing. It always seems to be that way anyway.
Closer
Here's the debate I've been hankering on for years. Let's say, one day you fall in love with this amazing person. You become a couple, you marry (for some, maybe not), you foresee many bright futures ahead of you. But after the initial passion has run out, what is it within a woman's employ to make the man stay? I once had this conversation with a friend, and for him.. the world's a clear cut thing. You choose and you stay with it. I see him doing that, and I hope his own words doesn't turn sour on him. But I see other things from other people, other desires which are forever transitory.
I believe a lot of people saw this film thinking it was mainstream because Julia Roberts is in it. I would've wanted to see their faces the moment they realize it was something different after all. I guess the only reason for my interest in the movies is that it chronicles my fear of what lies in the future. This film tried to be as honest as a movie could get. But it ended up confused, and frankly, it wasn't clear wherethey wanted it to end in the first place. I hope that I will never inhabit the world they live in. But that's just really hoping.
And oh, I've confirmed it. Natalie Portman really couldn't act not even to save her mother's penny loafers.
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
My sister, who's getting to be geeks guider herself, commented at the onset of the movie, "This isn't a movie for kids, noh? The pacing's too slow."
Well, it did seem that way to me too. And talking animals, I'm sorry to say, aren't my kind of entertainment. Somehow, it goes beyond my capacity to imagine. Unfortunate for me, true. But my family seemed to have really enjoyed the movie. I did as well, after a while. Family movies tend to disappoint since at some point it will try to egg in a moral or a lesson and it'll be trying too hard. But this one didn't. It was, as I expected, a bloody good take on the books which in turn was a fantastic take on the Bible.
I could only say that I was just as wide-eyed as everyone else in the room when the White Witch was about to slay Aslan as a willing sacrifice. It was like watching the Passion of Christ, without the gore. Once it gets to the theater, watch it! It is ever so worthy of your time and patience.
Also, girl teeners will get a load of the kid who plays Peter. While the rest of the adult world, will surely take a shine to the girl who plays Lucy.
Comments
Post a Comment