Movies at the Emporium and on the couch

In Bangkok I watched 2012 with P. I enjoyed it, and I think what a lot of the commenters who panned it missed about it actually is that the times we’re in (2000 and after) have shown us that anything is possible. I mean, there can be global meltdowns and civilizational breakdowns. So the movie does not seem as unreal and as escapist (in a negative way) as it might have in the 1990’s when the world seemed stable. This is how I saw it, at least.
I have actually seen this movie. And this one is a favorite of mine.

Lars (von) Trier

I have to see more of his films. When I was living in the US I had no desire to see Dogville – I was already living the story. And Breaking the Waves was painful to watch; so, it seems, would be Dancer in the Dark. But he, Wong Kar Wai and Tarantino are the only auteurs I can think of. I mean, who is Michael Mann and how is he any different from… uhh… Jerry Bruckheimer? I’m sure there are mainstream Hollywood pundits out there who can explain the subtle differences between the two (in fact, I’m having a hard time coming up with the names of more than 3-4 Hollywood directors), but I’m really not very interested as their movies are (to me) either forgettable or really boring.

3/3

Wow! Shu Qi’s 3rd and contemporary instance is thoroughly modern. BTW I did not choose to live in modern times.

Third time with...

And with...

Three times

A Taiwanese movie featuring Shu Qi – very Wong Kar Wai-esque so far. Here is SQ in one of her three instances:

Shu Qi (“May”) – the demure

Here is another, from her second instance – the mute film style was a nice touch.

The 'hostess', 1911-style

Goya’s Ghosts

Just watched “Goya’s Ghosts” by Milos Forman, with Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgård (where was Dennis Quaid?). A very good movie indeed. JB is awesome as the sly priest who becomes a revolutionary. There are no winners in this story, and every bad guy has his reasons which we may sympathize with. Um, ouch, hard to watch, really, but so moving. Yeah Benedict, thanks for your jolly office and its history. And you had to go and shit on Romero, your saving grace.

Love in the time of the cholera

…the movie. A period Latin American piece spoken in English, with a Spanish accent. For ..err authenticity I suppose? This is like, totally postmodern lah. Either make it authentic Spanish; yeah, the extranjeros will have to read subtitles; or, taking the realist route and assuming that to have any chance at the box office in the English-speaking world, the movie cannot be subtitled, make it plain international English.