| Sunday, November 20, 2005 |
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Ever since I started my foreign movies marathon a few months back, I wish I could share with the whole world about all these awesome movies that I have watched. It is not easy , to choose the movies, I've seen many bad ones but also many excellent ones. Take this movie I am just done watching for example.
A Bittersweet Life. A movie about a gangster seen as exemplar by his boss but one tiny attempt to save a girl's life is assumed as an act of betrayal by his boss and thus he sent his pack to kill this man. This lead to revenge, which turns into a bloody mass of murder by the end of this movie. Sounds like a normal action-packed movie? Perhaps, but the art of the film makes it raise above the par. If this is an American movie, it could've been another cat-and-mouse-shoot-bomb-movie ends kinda film. Take 'Hero' as another example. It could've been just another boring wuxia film, but it is done in such details and art the movie become so extraordinary and beautiful. This is what I seek in a movie. And many foreign movies give me just that. No wonder so many American directors now often made a remake of a foreign movies. Even Brit production movies seem to be better nowadays.
My search of good movies ain't just gonna stop here. I have already line up a long queue on my Netflix. Hopefully I'll come across some more excellent productions. For next week, it'll be Men Suddenly in Black, Saw(yeah, baru nak tengok) and Fever Pitch(throw this in so that my mind can relax after watching so many people-killing-people movie). Yosh, I love art-gangster films! |
| posted by efarina @ 10:46 PM |
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| Saturday, November 19, 2005 |
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I have uploaded some photos from the recent Hari Raya celebration and my open house. To view, visit my fotopages(link on the right column). There really aren't that many pictures since I didn't have much chance/time to take photos. I'll probably grab some more later from my friends' collection.
I just had my second Stats midterm yesterday and this time it was a bit easier than the first midterm. Unfortunately, the amount of questions are still a lot for a 50 mins exam. I believe the designated questions are for a 1hr 15 mins exam and hence I didn't have the time to answer the last two questions worth of 20 points. Haih..sangat geram. But I managed to score a 92.5% for my Business Stats 3rd midterm, so I am pretty happy about that. As for now, I just wish I score above average and get at least a B for that Stats exam. Also, I have to start working on my Stats project proposal and design. My proposal will be to produce the best al-dente Spaghetti(or pasta) using 4 factors, each with 2 levels. So 16 runs altogether. Just imagine how many spaghetti am I going to cook! Might as well do it on next week Thanksgiving weekend and throw a spaghetti party after that..haha. Perhaps, eh, if I am rajin enough.
OK,OK. Gotta stop here. It's my Hana Yori Dango time. Peace and out |
| posted by efarina @ 2:45 PM |
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| Sunday, November 13, 2005 |
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Guns & Talks. When I picked up the DVD for rent, I have a pretty low expectation on the movie (just like the way I do whenever I choose a Korean movie). But what the hell, Video Heaven is having rent-1-free-one-DVD week in conjunction for its anniversary so I figure I won't waste my money anyway by renting it.
However, Guns & Talks surprises me. It exceeds my expectations way way beyond lightning years. The way the director manipulates the story so that a crime thriller movie is more humorous than a comedy movie is really capturing. I love almost every scene in this movie. This movie is about a quartet of hired-killers who are becomingly more and more prominent in the world of assasination. The rule is to kill victims the way the clients want them to be killed. With an investigator tailing after them, a new mission that they've just accepted seems a little bit more than impossible. Outside their assassin's life, these men are quite adorable and normal. Each member has their own characteristics and problems and director Jang Jin successfully tellls these spinoffs in the most funniest and wittiest way he can. Try imagine Ocean's Eleven. It's something like that with less members and a different mission. For this one scene, I laughed non-stop for almost 3 minutes. And I mean, really really laugh. If somebody were to walk into the living room at that time, he/she must think that I am out of my mind.
Truly, if you love crime-comedy movies, try this one. The ending is a bit weak, but the movie as a whole, is thoroughly entertaining. And I quote from KFCC: "Get your friends together and enjoy this 'gotta catch the bad guys, but who's the bad guys anyway?' movie. It's a comedy with some action thrown in for good measure. Guns and Talks is an enthralling new movie that puts some recent American action/comedy flicks to shame". With exception of Ocean's Eleven and Twelve. That is.
By the way, how did Gael Garcia Bernal looks oh so handsome and grown-up and matured in Motorcycle Diaries but then looks like a young oh so cute high school kid in his later movie Bad Education? Oh, only watch Bad Education if you're in the mood for gay/transvestite story. Pedro Almodovar is one the weirdest director ever. But Gael is as interesting and as perfect as ever. Can't wait to get my hands on his next movie, The King. |
| posted by efarina @ 9:48 PM |
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| Thursday, November 10, 2005 |
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Call me a silly girl. Call me childish. I don't care. Today has got to be the happiest day in my life this semester. I have been having this hopeless crush on a guy who sits in front of me in Business Stats class ever since the beginning of the semester. But up until today, being the gutless girl I am when it comes to a guy that I like, the only thing I can do is watch his back whenever the lecture gets boring(or when it is interesting :p). I don't even know his name. Well, not until today when I finally managed to peeked at his namecard. And today, we finally communicated. Even though it was just asking questions about our in-class assignment, something is still better than nothing. And the fact that he keeps turning back to ask questions. Haven't felt this excited for years....hahaha.
 OK, on movie review. Watched Hana & Alice last weekend. I love it. It was beautifully made and directed. Gotta love the sakura trees and the ballet. The base story is simple: Hana lies to a boy she likes about having amnesia so she can fool him as her boyfriend, and Alice being her closest friend, tries her best to keep the secret and acts as the ex-girlfriend. But the message of the story is beyond that. The two main leads are so great that I actually feel pity with Hana by the end of the movie when she confesses the truth to the boy. And I also feel sorry for Alice for having to live separately with the father she loves. Japanese directors are really great when it comes to a movie on relationship of two girlfriends. Can't wait to get my hand on Nana. And oh people, watch Southpark. It helps reduce headache. |
| posted by efarina @ 4:23 PM |
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| Tuesday, November 01, 2005 |
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I think I am putting on weight again. Eventho' it is 'bulan puasa' now, I always get hungry at night after breaking fast. And you know what the experts say about eating later during the night. Darn I will look ugly in my new baju raya. Haih..in another 2 years time I'll be as big and as obese as the oba-sans in Madison. If 3 years ago, sitting beside them on the bus seems like a scary idea to me because I always imagine they can always fell down anytime on me and break my bones, but I guess I'll be joining their group soon, huh?
Hari Raya is nearing but somehow the atmosphere is not present here in Madison. Everyone's just to busy minding their own business(that includes me) and perhaps due to the recent Halloween celebration, the hype is more on Halloween than on Eid. I miss the good-old times I spent with Acab at nights singing and rapping Raya songs few weeks before Raya celebration. With her out of the picture, I find no one to sing with. Ahh...older 'same kepala' people is so much fun.
But no use whining. So let me stop here and wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya. Have a nice one kay? And those in Madison, don't forget to come to my first time ever open house! |
| posted by efarina @ 10:03 PM |
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