Only Lovers Left Alive

Another film post, as I have been graced with almost unlimited number of hours this summer for me to further enhance movie knowledge--which I deem to be a fundamental necessity. But this movie happened kind of some weeks ago when this movie was still screening over at Tinseltown.

Jim Jarmusch is and will always have a spot in my heart as he brought Coffee and Cigarettes into this world. Just like music, if I were given the choice, I prefer movies to move along with certain slow yet sentimental pace; an exceptional example of the slow style I mean would be Sofia Coppola's. Jim Jarmusch has his own version of this charm that is sensationally infused with careful music selection. The sounds are delivered as if to tell that they were never misplaced, and in some scenes, the songs are probing the viewer to find out the purpose of its disposition. The opening is grand in Only Lovers Let Alive. Slowly encircling from a dramatic bird's eye view (a viewpoint Jarmusch is quite fond of) and spinning to the music while zooming into the characters' faces, the viewer is then automatically falling into the movie's groove from the start. Sucked into the actors' performances, the environment, the atmosphere, and the detailed decor of each room Swinton and Hiddleston is residing in, there really isn't a better opening to a succulent yet twisted romantic film to this.

Official Trailer:

• Comical as if to let the viewers know that yes, vampires are a thing of our fantasies, the characters poke fun at their own, cursed existence. 
• Lovely to let the viewers know how awful modern romance is and how beautiful and idealized it can be even for vampires.
• Ingenious to add horror to the ongoing drama for a splash of satirical tone.

Hiddleston is a depressed musician (obviously alive for centuries yet still younger than Swinton) who lives in Detroit (befitting setting, no?). Swinton, the ever-so-classy woman plays the minimalistic and well-read vampire who goes from Tangier (I Wiki-ed this and found out that Tangier is a major city in Northern Morocco) to become reunited with her husband, Hiddleston (the third? fourth? mind you, she has been alive even before like everything). Mia Wasikowska adds in a flair of youth and horrific (yet comical) acts of vampirical violence as Swinton's younger sister. "You drank Ian!" says Adam (Hiddleston), upon finding Ian (his human "zombie" friend) dead, because of course, Wasikowska drank him, not killed, hahahahhahahahhahha.

What really baffles the viewer at the end is how deeply connected you can get with the three characters despite them being centuries-old vampires! The love drama that they have is still the same and the troubling teenage younger sister who tests their true love is super reasonable. #DailyLife!!!! The storyline is superbly intact with a beautiful balance of emotional screenplay, moody soundtracks, dimly lit cinematography, and the entertaining drama to lead the story to its end.

But you know, ultimately, my excessive gushing throughout the movie boils down to two incredibly beautiful actors showcasing their talents while being two extraterrestrial beings:

Catch it yourself and feel the slow rush of drinking shots of fine blood.

Also..............
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TV versus Movies

You know those people that just doesn't get ANY TV references? Hell, they probably don't even know the names of the characters from Seinfeld. They don't even know when "primetime" for TV is. And you are a natural TV whiz. You've grown up with it on 24/7 in your household and has sat through a whole variety of shows with your family, relatives, friends, and by yourself. TV noise, shows, characters, series development, producers... Well, they feel like they are your family.

Unfortunately, in 2014, I've been meeting more and more of the latter. Consequently, I'm the first kind. The biggest TV noob. I go dead silent when TVspeak starts, because I don't even want to try to follow! I can't! I've watched two seasons of Girls, two seasons of The O.C., and.......... I think that's it.  So this summer, I decided to watch the famous ones and get on with the mainstream program (i.e. Breaking Bad, Portlandia, Suits, Madmen, True Detective, Game of Thrones, and House of Cards, et cetera).

• I finished True Detective and felt like TV actually holds something for me! I felt very motivated. 
• I finished three seasons of Suits and felt like I was on top of the world. 
• I then crept along Breaking Bad... I'm somewhere in the middle of season three... 

And I just couldn't continue on. I moved on to documentaries and blockbusters (Lone Survivor!!) In the end, I'm a movies person. The time spent finding the TV shows, loading up Netflix, and watching season after season doesn't justify the satisfaction. It is not like the TV shows are not as good as the movies; it is more about the story development pace and the time that is to be invested for a full package of good time. Below are my highlights of what I felt during my brief trip into the TV-world:

1. The intro to True Detective is one of the prettiest reels I've encountered. Perfectly capturing the series' feel, atmosphere, and detail into the aesthetics, it is better than Dexter's captivating opening. While the song selections ooze throughout the entire series, there is a forced juxtaposition in combining the heavily modern & edited opening with the raw footage of the series. The opening reel video on YouTue has disabled embedding.. so please click the link below!
>> http://youtu.be/FxXRkqXfhYM

2. Forget the men in Suits. The women in Suits are even better. When Rachel, the most common name, gets to be hottified once again and all of a sudden I have a surge of happiness being one of the world's 50 million Rachel's--ficitonal or not.




But if the screen time has taught me anything, it's the sports channel. Oh man. I watch everything now except baseball and golf. To have FIFA around ain't helping with the getting-outside-home-and-learn-skateboarding program.


"I am super cute but I'm actually a giant." 

"I look like I'm 14 so I'm super cute but I'm actually older." 

SWOOOOOOOOOOON.

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Viewer discretion is advised.

Frances Ha

I watched this in the beginning of my vacation... So about the end of April. Frances Ha is a film that is recognized, but most likely not enough.

Directed by Noah Baumbach (known for work with The Squid and the Whale, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou), and also written by him and the leading actress, Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha follows Frances, a woman in her late 20's trying to make her career work out in NYC while juggling self-loss, self-finding, friends, and acquaintances. The outwardly pressure of the society combined with raw explication of internal struggles that are not faltered by aesthetics makes Frances Ha one of the most captivating films I've watched recently.

Yes, it is a comedy, but maybe because I am also a somewhat-lost-trying-to-do-the-right-stuff-girl-in-her-twenties, this drama hits the emotional home run. I see my vices and habits of non-productivity and envy within Frances, plus I also see other positive attributes I know I encompass and the guaranteed reward that ultimately comes about for all of us that strive.

Trailer:

As you can see, the entire movie is in black and white. However, it is a little bit more modern... Consider the movie to be in a permanent Instagram-like, beautifully filtered black and white. Not only does this characteristically sets the film apart from the others, but the lack of colour aids the viewer to carefully follow the screenplay and the unconcealed expressions of the actors' faces to further delve into the emotions they are to convey. The screenplay is another story. It is just so delightful. I do not remember the soundtrack, but the quotes!

"Sometimes it's good to do what you're supposed to do when you're supposed to do it."
- Frances

"Don't treat me like a three-hour brunch friend!"
- Frances

"I'm poor."
"That's actually offensive to poor people."
- Frances & Benji

"It's just this apartment is very... aware of itself."
- Sophie

..........And the recurring "undateable" chats between Benji and Frances!!!

"Are you still undateable?"

"Oh yes, very undateable."

To top it all off, Adam Driver is in this movie. And we all know that this guy has an irresistible charm even though he is SO unattractive. I can't get enough of him! His face! His voice! His next upcoming movie to hit the theatres is Tracks with Mia Wasikowska. That flick looks pretty amazing, too. Anyways, I didn't quote any of his lines, but they are great! In spite of his character being the most stereotypical and flat in the entire story, he nonchalantly delivers witty lines that generate laughs when they are needed to get away from Frances's anxiety and stress. 

Frances Ha is most conveniently available on Netflix, so if you've got 90 minutes to spare... Prioritize this. 

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The Grand Budapest Hotel

So I'm not going to talk about the movie.
What I felt, what I loved, what I hated, the storytelling, the greatness of Wes Anderson..
None of that.
Not going to review it.
Not going to critique it.
Except for reminding you that if you like entertainment, and still have not yet watched The Grand Budapest Hotel...
Well what's wrong with you?
I'm offended!

Hah.

Today, I'm just going to talk to you about this story of me and my movie friend, Jono.

Jono and Rachel had planned to go watch The Grand Budapest Hotel on its opening night.
The arrangement of the night was made a few weeks prior, and of course, went without any hiccups -- as their relationship was fundamentally built on watching films.
As Rachel sat in a ghetto hair salon chair texting Jono and arranging times, she thought about how this movie was blessing her 23rd birthday; she will be lucky for the whole entire year.
Perhaps, there will even be a chance to meet Wes Anderson this coming year (note that Rachel likes to fantasize and is a detrimental habit of escapism that goes absolutely nowhere in her daily life).
Both Jono and Rachel were slightly appalled at the fact that this movie was opening at the largest cinema in Downtown.
Say what?
With the hype of the movie, maybe so.
So Rachel arrived at the theater with butterflies in her stomach to find that the show was sold out for the night.
Say what?
Might I add that she was 20 minutes early. She looked down at her drop crotch pants she was in and the hole she had just made down there by fussing about getting out of the car.
Now what? 
Jono and Rachel met up at another smaller (more befitting) theater. There, they grabbed their tickets and proceeded to line up. Line up. 
They reminisced of the time when they went to go watch Moonrise Kingdom and the theater's emptiness and where it opened. Definitely not citywide (one theater, Tinseltown).
What had happened, they do not really know. Why there were blogs showcasing Wes Anderson's font types over the years. Why there were blogs capturing colours that were used in Wes Anderson's films over the years. Why there were fan-made videos capturing the center-focus of Wes Anderson's films.
They had no answers.
Rachel was happy -- though a little startled -- that people were all out and about, and that she had a ticket stub in her hand. She was still nervous about entering this world of The Grand Budapest Hotel.

But we all understand what had happened.
The Grand Budapest Hotel signifies a certain burst of growth Wes Anderson had had. The complexity of his character development, the number of characters, the layers of storytelling... It is not about his distinctive style of filming nor the colours no more. Those are just natural elements that he lives in and comes to him. And all of these components of the film touched the hearts of so many more people around the world--outside the world of the Andersonians.

I added the two clips above to showcase the technicalities involved with enchanting filmmaking that we have today.

Wes Anderson bio (so you can watch all of his films)

Wes Anderson palettes (so you can gawk at his fandom)

Wes Anderson Prada commercial (so you can laugh at Jason Schwartzman--how can you not?)

The tumblr gets a lot of love, so follow! 

>> iampurpose tumblr << 

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

There's something about Woody Allen and women of all ages.

Regarding Cristina:
She had reluctantly accepted suffering as a inevitable component to deep passion
and was resigned to putting her feelings at risk
If you asked her what she has been gambling her emotions on to win,
she would not have been able to say
she knew what she didn't want however,
and that is what Vicky valued above all else.

Antonio says:
why not?
life is short
life is dull
life is full of pain
there is a chance for something special

Penelope teaches me Spanish: 
"pocritai" -- hypocrite in Spanish

Official trailer:

Penelope working her magic here:

Watch this movie as if it's a prelude to Midnight in Paris. It works out. Hand in hand. Pocket Planes time.

Whaz on ma desktopz

1)  Dress in black. ALWAYS. Why do I even bother not dressing in black... MK in layers of black looking like a damn fine vampire. I need a bag by The Row. The second pic is from YSL's SS 13 show... your eyes hold no importance. Must cover them with a wide rimmed black hat. YESYES.

2) "Shave your eyebrows and creative colour the f*** out of your hair," says fashionistas from Japan!! Do NOT watch the bagel head/saline injection video... you'll puke yer guts out. :'( 

3) The world must not end in 2012, since his next movie is supposedly coming out in 2014: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. #MegaSwoonForever

4) .........       ^__^* 

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Patiently waiting for someone...

...to take me out to a screening of SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD. I'm getting sick of just watching this trailer. Please. I'll pay for my own ticket if needed.

The Upcoming & Truly Gifted Women

---- COPY + PASTED FROM THEIR WEBSITE ----

Gifted and passionate about their craft, with strong individual voices, AnOther Magazine's ten year anniversary cover stars constitute a bright new generation of international acting talent. The UK’s critically acclaimed Andrea Riseborough breaks through this year with a breathtaking lead role in the new adaptation of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock and is currently the "shooting star" of Berlin International Film Festival. Louisville-raised Jennifer Lawrence, indie darling of the Sundance-approved Winter’s Bone, has been nominated for a Golden Globe and was recently directed by Jodie Foster. French up-and-comer Léa Seydoux has won roles in films by Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen and Catherine Breillat. And finally, Australian-born Mia Wasikowska, Tim Burton’s magical Alice, is the star of Gus Van Sant's unorthodox new tale of young love, Restless. We filmed each answering our specially-crafted questionnaire to reveal their colourful and distinctive dreams, passions and hopes for the future.

CLICK THE LINK AT THE BOTTOM TO GO TO ANOTHER MAG'S PAGE AND TO WATCH THEIR FILM INTERVIEWS. BEAUTIFULLY SIMPLISTIC. THE GIRLS WILL WOW YOU WITH THEIR CANDID ANSWERS AND HOW NORMAL THEY ARE... OFF SCREEN. I MEAN, THESE GIRLS HAVE TAKEN INTENSE ROLES IN FILMS..!!!!!

Go to: 

ANOTHER MAG'S LOOKING TO THE FUTURE;
TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

It's awkward when I'm editing pictures of myself

AT SCHOOL. IN A LIBRARY. WITH PEOPLE LOOKING OVER EVERY SINGLE LAPTOP THEY PASS. Other than that, you know. It's all the same old.

I still live in Vancouver and what not.

And my novel is going nowhere when it is about going somewhere.

More than that, this blog was on the longest hiatus ever.... my apologies. What can I say ? Except to be sheepish and look down at my toes while whimpering, "Sorry. Been busy......" Don't meet my eyes don't meet my eyes don't meet my eyes don't meet my eyes.

POSTERS FOR YOUR ROOM

Welllllll they're actually for the workplace. Idk. They brought me a huge smile when I saw them, so thought to share. LIVE BY THESE WORDS, kekeke.

Source: Division of Labour

THE GAMBLER BY FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY

Just finished two days ago, it still rings through. It's such a sweet, short read that I just want to force it upon everyone I meet. Russian literature has a peculiar effect; the emotions are so raw and real yet there are so many embellishments that it's almost a fantastical journey. Hmmm. Other than that, this book made me want to go to the roulette table and bet my ass off with whatever money I have.. like $100 and then strike rich and make it $50942958730984713. WOW. But that's not how it is, gambling ruins you it says... well to the outside world. But the thing is with all addictions, it can ruin you in terms of societal values but on personal values, that specific addiction is life and you need it and you crave it and once you have it, it's the best thing ever and you feel invincible !!!!!!!!!! Good read anyways. Lots of random French here and there and perfectly crisp racist remarks all the way through. Way to go Dostoyevsky !

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES -- the film

Sofia Coppola is a weird obsession, almost as much as Wes Anderson but maybe even MORE. Because she speaks SO MUCH through her slowness. It's almost watching super old flicks that are bordering on boring you til death but you never get bored enough to fast forward because maybe the soundtrack is too good and you feel bad to fast forward. But wait, I said ALMOST because that is never the case with Sofia Coppola. She has SUCH an aesthetic appeal in every scene she does and it should come hard and she should be putting in too much effort for it, but she carries it EFFORTLESSLY. As if like it's the most normal thing to be ethereal. She's a true girl. True morbid girl. I like that. She likes flowers as much as death and she likes sexualizing (is that even a word !?) young girls as much as showcasing their complex nature to the world. From her debut flick here, The Virgin Suicides (actually first a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides), to Oscar winning Marie Antoinette, to her recent film, Somewhere. AHHHHH I LOVE THEM ALLLLLLL. AHHHHH.

Trailer Trailer Trailer Trailer Trailer

This one, unlike the other ones, had killer plot. Probs because it was adapted from a book. The mystery of the Lisbon sisters and the fact that nothing was solved in the end really epitomizes adolescence. Can you even imagine having four sisters going through high school together ? I think that itself is a huge burden that noone else would understand. No matter how well you'd be getting along with your sisters, the complexity of relationships and thinking through people would be exponentially enhanced !!! AHHHH. Anyhow, go watch it if you haven't. Kirsten Dunst is at her finest, and OMG Josh Hartnett... I had no idea he was such a HEARTTHROB A;OIHG;ELAMKFD;HF !!!!!!!

Playground Love by Air

Final party scene (SO SOFIA COPPOLA. SHE'S GOT STYLE... I wanted to say SWAG but that sounded so lame and out of place.......... LOL)

I think I wrote too much. Went too overboard. Catch you later with my belated "new" haircut post. Muahahaha. Take care !!!

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Tumble for eye nyamnyam's

Where's the bridge ?

LESSONS OF THE DAY:

1) Don't push your luck.

2) I get by because of my friends.

3) Procrastination goes nowhere... but I like fashion.

4) Emotional stability is key, because it is hard to achieve.

5) In desperate need of change of place + pace-

6) Only about a month or so left til Whistler.

Gotta keep energy flowing, exchange warmth, and look up.
Before I get lost, before I get lost, before I lose.
$$$$$$ Tweet @rachelchungg $$$$$$

M O O O viez

Breathless, "I don't know if I'm unhappy cuz I'm not free or because I'm not free, I'm unhappy." This flick's so sexy, so scrumptious + so sad that I cry cry cry. French is a film language and Godard is a masterpiece himself. "Two things are important in life: for men, women; for women, money."


Walkabout, I watched this movie basically twice back to back. I just HAD to watch it again with commentary on. It was such a special film with grand ideas poised in smaller things. Definitely recommended to only those who can sit through lots of silent, background music filled scenes with not too much action or dialogue. It teaches us, as participants of the modern society, what true pureness and innocence that can only be found outside our everyday lives are.
Beautiful cinematography + original sound track. Casting's spectacular.


Transformers 3, I'm such a sucker for blockbuster's. I just can't wait til I watch Cowboys + Aliens. Hehehehehehehe. Cried a lot during this third installment of the series... Rosie Huntington-Whitely over Megan Fox ANY DAY. Shia will always have my respect. He's carrying Hollywood on his perfect shoulders. I wonder what kinds of films he's going to do in the near future...


Horrible Bosses, talk about a good comedy gone bad when it lasted for TWO hours. Horrible aftertaste. It still had its funny moments and I would say that this is Jennifer Aniston's ONLY decent movie that she has ever made. She was in a total of 20 minutes... Maybe that's an exaggeration and she was in about 28 minutes of the movie...... Yup, not a fan.


Midnight in Paris, Classic Woody Allen with wonderful acting. This one is on my BUY ON DVD/BLURAY list. FOR SURE. I would watch it over and over again since a) deals with my favourite time in history, the 20s b) has Fitzgerald as like one of the main 20s characters, c) Adrien frickin' Brody, yo !!!!! Okay, yeah. This movie's near perfect.


The Trip, I really need to watch this movie ASAP. Excited to see Steve Coogan act again !! :D



*************************************************************************************************

Korean TV survival show- That phrase sounds lame. But this show is not lame. Like all Korean things, it is obviously OVER-DRAMATIC and its purpose is to MAKE EVERYONE CRY and leave the audience an unforgettable IMPRESSION. So at first, I was just like MEH. And then it started getting reaaaaaally good and I started getting as obsessed with it every Sunday afternoon, just like my father.

It's called 나는 가수다 (I Am a Singer). The 7 singers that are battling each other are all legendary in Korea; they are the top of the top in all different genres. At the end of three weeks that include two live performances, the singer with the lowest amount of votes is sadly eliminated. That may sound somewhat rude to have a reality show with these top singers, but in fact, this show makes them even better. They feed off each other, the energy, and the chances given to them to break through walls they didn't even know that existed. For me, this is truly inspiring, but just really entertaining. HAHA. It kind of makes me feel pathetic though.. it's like WTF am I doing....... ? Heh. Heh heh.

YouTube is no good... Listen on 4shared..... ?
1) 김조한 Kim Johan http://www.4shared.com/audio/El6942HJ/_-_____.htm
2) 자우림 Jaurim http://www.4shared.com/audio/Jvahwie7/_-_____.htm
3) 조관우 Jo Gwanwoo http://www.4shared.com/audio/W5A2NxuV/_-______.htm

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Coffee and Cigarettes

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) directed by Jim Jarmusch

Eleven beautiful vignettes assembled to deliver a theme regarding life and characters around coffee and cigarettes. If you know me, then you should know how much I would enjoy this film, and I sure did. IT WAS PERFECT. I would watch it over and over again. In fact, I'm seriously considering going out and getting a copy of it.
It's all shot in black and white though the movie's not actually that old.. 2003 release ! In the special features section, there is a music video-ish clip of only the tabletop shots in the movie.. SO ENJOYABLE !!!!! DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT-

But ultimately, this movie is about short scenes where all sorts of artists come together to ACT. To really, truly act. It's like watching a theater play through film. It's not really like a "movie." Amazing. Brought me back to the nostalgic days of when I used to do some pinner high school drama things.. Hehe. They all use their own names in the movie and by the end, I believe that you can really develop more of a love towards everyone who had participated in this lovely project. Oh, you may also get to love Tesla, the inventor. ;) Inside joke to people who have watched the flick, hehe.

SO YEAH CHECK IT OUTTTTT !!!!!!!!!!!! HERE'S THE TRAILER:

The infamous cast list. Bolded are the vignettes that I enjoyed:
Roberto Benigni & Steven Wright
Joie Lee & Cinqué Lee & Steve Buscemi
Iggy Pop & Tom Waits
Joseph Rigano & Vinny Vella & Vinny Vella Jr.
Renee French & E.J. Rodriguez
Alex Descas & Isaach De Bankolé
Cate Blanchett
Jack White & Meg White
Alfred Molina & Steve Coogan
GZA & RZA & Bill Murray
William Rice & Taylor Mead

Mind you, all the vignettes were STELLAR, just that I had felt something more with the bolded ones !! Plus ! Plus ! According to IMDb, most of the vignettes were completed in two or three takes with the actors improvising most of the time. SWEET DEAAAALS.

The best part of the movie is that if you drink coffee to the moment you fall asleep, you dream faster. YES. YES. YES. I'M GOING TO TEST IT OUT THIS MOMENT. IT'S 11:20PM RIGHT NOW. LET'S SEE IF I DO DREAM FASTER.

Here, you can actually watch most of the movie on YouTube. For some reason, it only starts from part three.. but the uploader's got the rest of the movie uploaded:

Je parle francais. QUOI !??!

Thanks to procrastination and the looming deadline of my European history paper, I watched a beautiful beautiful French film last night:

Pierrot le Fou, a film by Jean-Luc Godard

Now, I've been waiting and waiting and missing and missing and paying and paying the fines for the missed holdings from the Vancouver Public Library for - no jokes - A YEAR AND HALF !!!!!! GUGHGHGUGHGHUGHGHG. So you don't understand my ecstatic joy when I finally picked it up and held the DVD case in my fingers yesterday. I plucked it in my DVD player right after my dinner... What history paper !??!?!?!!

Starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina, it's obviously a must-watch. It's also one because it's one of the last movies that actually - somewhat - made sense in reality that Godard made before moving on to more radical film projects.

The whole movie is surreal and heavy; actually, it is enjoyable because of such a contradiction. Imagine learning about midlife crisis and the difficulties of marriage that happened because of money, not love, while it being super realistic. EW. It'll just be the bitterness that Blue Valentine gives you at the end, when all the optimistic thoughts you caged inside yourself crumbles in an instant. Only emptiness. But Pierrot le Fou is different !!!!!!!!



Ferdinand (referred as Pierrot by Marianne throughout the whole movie for some reason) ESCAPES !! His boring married life + posh Parisian society to Southern France.. the Mediterranean !!!!!!!!!! They are on the run, chased by stupid French police and lead a criminal lives. They are also chased by hitmen from somewhere else. Accompanied by comic strips and pop art cuts and many political satirical scenes, this movie is PERFECT. I LOVE IT FROM THE PERIPHERALS TO THE INNER CORE !!!!!

It makes one laugh, giggle, hum, quietly smile, scoff, and sit there thinking WHAT THE FUCK. Lots of beautiful clothes, nature, people, and the language is just beautiful. I was meant to be alive in the 60s-

PS. You can actually catch the whole movie on YouTube..
PS. You can actually catch the whole movie on YouTube..
PS. You can actually catch the whole movie on YouTube.. IKR !? CRAZY !!!!! HERE'S PART ONE and follow the related videos to the end ~

recent viewings

Yesterday morning, I felt like a short movie. So I searched up an old Japanese cult movie based on novel and manga, Battle Royale !! Basically another sick (not like GREAT SICK, but like GROTESQUE SICK) Japanese movie about middle schoolers killing off each other on a deserted island. I feel like I shouldn't've started my day with such a movie.........


Last night, I watched a recent (2009) Hong Kong movie. I'm super into Asian movies lately. Just trying to try out all different kinds of movies, ya know. I've kind of no stress on my shoulders because I've got reading break next week. YAAAYYYY !!
Anyways, this one's called OVERHEARD and it's sort of like the old HK cop movies because it moves quite slow. But it is distinctively new since it deals with all this new, high-technology gear !!! WOAAAHHHHH. The morale: Just don't commit crimes or do things against your moral & ethics. FOR REALLZZZZZ.


You can watch it on YouTube on low quality... And without the English subtitles.. HAHA.


Then there's King's Speech. Where everyone was brilliant and I cried so so so so so much in the theatre. I can't believe myself. And on a Colin Firth roll, I watched both the Bridget Jones's Diaries.. YAY !!!!!! I really do wish that the movie will win LOTS of awards at the Oscar's the end of this month. Hehe.

Oh and movies that I've to watch:
True Grit - Cohen bros.
Blue Valentine - MMMmmmm Gosling, SWOON.
Barney's Version - this one will be my mother-and-daughter bonding time :P

MORE LOVE

Just wanting to share more. No harm. Inspirations from the past two weeks or so. Getting back to the blogging habit.

BEAUTIFUL. Found it on Style Bubble. A blog you should all have stumbled upon on the world wide web. Feather accessories for both sexes. I was more attracted to these for males. It was the feather's vulnerability that killed it. Instead of STRONG shoulder pads, here we have soft feathers.


Recent posts by Style Bubble that made my brain go bonkers:
Waving On and Tin Toy Antics

Rochas SS 2011


Only in Nippon.
Last week, I was out Downtown, roaming the vintage stores with Tiff, a great girl, when I was approached my two Japanese guys asking me if I was Japanese in Japanese. Again, out of JAPN 150 habit, I replied "No, I'm Korean" in Japanese. We laughed. As if I can speak any more Japanese than that. I want to live there. I need to go there.
Buy me a kotatsu ?




Never Let Me Go written by Kazuo Ishiguro

I give 100 billion thanks to my friend for lending me this book ! Today, I finally finished it and am delighted how different yet similar the book and the movie were.

The movie was definitely more haunting with its visuals and sounds (including the many silent scenes of landscapes). However the characters could be perceived totally differently with the book. Whereas in the movie, I thought that Kathy H. was always in the right and Ruth in the wrong, it was totally the opposite in the novel. I now have this connection and pity with Ruth while I seem to detest Kathy's deliberate actions. Oh, she's the worst. She seems to be the weak, kind-hearted girl, but OH DON'T BE FOOLED. She's so sneaky and deliberate in the most "peaceful" ways.

Well that's enough ranting from me. Read it yourself and watch the movie, too !!!!! Here's the trailer starring Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan.


Erin Wasson, looking lost as ever. RRRUVS.


Kate Moss TRAAASHED. RRRUVS.



Oh, and a little bit of interesting news regarding the US. There's the huge site that's been launched for the gay military workers: OUT MILITARY. Well, now that Obama has worked out the Don't Ask; Don't Tell, I guess they are going full out and open. Still, it's still a shocker how fast the world moves these days. (Obviously I found this out through Twitter; sadly, I don't read the paper and Twitter is the perfect alternative. Hehe !)

OKAY !! BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW !!
LET'S DO THIS, 2011.


stylebubble, dropsnap, littleplastichorses, fashiongonerogue

the mammoth

THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST OF PICTURES AND OUTFITS AND ALL THE GORE.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST OF PICTURES AND OUTFITS AND ALL THE GORE--
THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST OF PICTURES AND OUTFITS AND ALL THE GORE++++

Check it: F21 lace top, Nine West hat



Outside Granville 7 Theaters after the matinee screening of Man From Nowhere (아저씨) starring Won Bin with lovely Marie.
Go around: Vintage top, Zara scarf, 501 harem sweatpants, Lululemon backpack



Hey heeyyyyy. Say hellos to my little sis. Styled her for her birthday, the top is one of the pieces I got for her !! I sort of borrow it all the time....... Anyhows.. SHE TURNED 14 !! YAAAAYYYYYY !! SHE'S FINALLY AGING !! I seriously can't wait until she gets older so that we can talk about real shiznits and be REAL friends.
She's wearing: H&M lace top, AA bando, Versace leather pants, and my ALDO heels



And then it was her second last shift at Brier's on 4th Avenue !! YAAAYYYY !! Clocking out and doing all that jazz before going to Kibune for some traditional and yummy sushi dinner !! Miss Jackie Chick and her disposable camera FTW !!
Take it off: Gymboree Kids headband, AA jacket, Guess Jeans shirt, Cheap Mondays jeans



OH, ACTUALLY IT WASN'T THAT BAD AT ALL. IT WASN'T A MAMMOTH. ISH.
OH, ACTUALLY IT WASN'T THAT BAD AT ALL. IT WASN'T A MAMMOTH. ISH.
OH, ACTUALLY IT WASN'T THAT BAD AT ALL. IT WASN'T A MAMMOTH. ISH.

MARKETING BLOG POST

This past summer has been a handful of blockbusters as usual. But the following two extremely successful movies had truly different marketing approaches. Despicable Me and Inception both swept the box office during their opening week, respectfully, $56 million USD and $63 million USD. The two opened within a week of each other, Inception opening a week later on around 300 more screens. However the hype each had before the opening was TOTALLY DIFFERENT !!

Despicable Me had launched SIX TRAILERS !! And had started with shorter trailers even more than a year before the opening week !!!!! The kids were reciting the key dialogues from the trailers WAYYYY before the movie had even opened !! On the other hand, Inception had only launched ONE trailer very near the opening date. There was no interactive movie website nor a lot of posters.. In fact, it was a pure genius work of WORD OF MOUTH marketing !!!! With its full cast including the Leo Di Caprio and a whopping trailer showcasing the hotness, ahem, of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the serious money involved with director, Christopher Nolan.

Well that's it for the marketing spiel. I'll embed all the trailers for kicks. Watch them when you are bored from studying damned managerial accounting.

recent viewings

Last weekend, on a spontaneous call from my friends, I went out and caught The Town. The super acclaimed movie directed and starring Ben Affleck (and Blake Lively and John Hamm).

It was definitely one of the WORST MOVIES I'VE EVER WATCHED.. That I can remember. I came out utterly disappointed and in loss for words. HOW DID THIS MOVIE EVER GET SUCH GREAT REVIEWS !? Was it me !???! Did I miss something ?????
There were scenes that were unforgettable and will stick with me rest of my life. Some cuts where the colors were vivid and bright. Some scenes and dialogues that shocked me to put me to the edge of my seat. But all in all, the movie failed to impress. It was just so... BLAND.

The movie's plot was basically a sad story after another and the film's perk was its ridiculous amount of heavy Boston accent pounding into my head. Gone Baby Gone was a good flick. Stick to that, and stay clear from this one.



I forgot to post a review on a movie I watched way back when in the summer, The Kids are All Right with Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, and that Mia girl from Alice in Wonderland.

This movie, unlike the previous one mentioned, was BRILLIANT !! IT WAS STUNNING. It was so much fun and had loads of genuine love incorporated into it that I never wanted it to end... (well that's a lie, because I had to go pee REALLY REALLY REALLY BADLY in the theatres). I loved the vividly yellowy colors, the casting, the rawness, and the complexity in the movie. This flick may be labelled "INDIE" or "NEW-AGE" or... idk, etc etc... BUT IN THE END.. It's movies like this one that changes the film industry and the viewer's viewpoints and lives !! GO WATCH IT KIDS. GO GO GO. Be prepared to shed some extra tears !!!



AND THIS IS THE NEXT ONE I WANT TO WATCH !! IT COMES OUT THIS WEEKEND TO FIFTH AVENUE CINEMAS !! NEVER LET ME GO STARRING THE ONE AND ONLY KEIRA KNIGHTLEY !!

rinko

Rinko Kikuchi in a beauty editorial. She's a sweet actress. Fell in love with her in Brothers Bloom (my eternal love, Adrien Brody, also starrs alongside). She appeared in Babel before Brothers Bloom; Babel being her first international flick where she gained attention. Below is another page in a Japanese hair magazine. I LOVE the top right bob. WISH I CAN CHOP MY HAIR LIKE THAT !! But I'm currently enjoying my long hair teehehe.





vvshu