baby mothra

“the spirit which inhabits these places is bad, inhuman, hostile; it belongs to an exhausting, cruel and constantly accelerating machine. Deep down, everyone… desires its destruction" Michel Houellebecq, Approaches to Distress

Changing the everyday scenery

I was reading an interview of Hirokazu Koreeda on his movie "Nobody Knows".
It's a movie in 2004, about four children, each a child by a different father and abandoned by their mother. They are then forced to survive on their own.

He talked about one letter he received from someone who watched the film.
The letter said,
"After leaving the cinema, I took a train home. When I arrived at a station near my house, I saw children playing in the park even though it was late at night. It wouldn't have caught my eyes before but I kept thinking about why they are playing at such late time, who is waiting for them at home. So I couldn't help but looked for those children next day."
Upon reading the letter, Koreeda thought he wasn't wrong in making this film.
It is because he believes it is important to create a movie that changes / challenges how people look at everyday life or scenery that they are used to, rather than creating a film that has a strong message itself.

This gave a little sparkle in my head. I hope I could do that in my own work too.
It's not about how loud a work can speak, maybe it's something more quiet. Maybe it's an absence that gives absolute presence.
And I hope my English interpretation is ok to read above...

Steam coming out of my head

Asian film week

I watched a Korean film called Old Boy last night. From the beginning to the end, I was sucked up in a screen.

Quite strange, surreal, violent, a bit of gore, grits and huge shock but I think every single detail was necessary, no deliberate mere shock value. All served purposes. It was such a mad film, so mad that I'm not sure if I could have watched it in a big screen. The film ends quite ambiguously which I really love. It really got my head thinking and imagining what actually happened. If you haven't watched it, DON'T read Wikipedia or film review online, it will ruin the experience!!

Plus I loved the degree or a style of surrealism in the film. I like surrealism in general but not a huge fun of works by Salvador Dali. I consider Dali one of the most successful artists but his works depict aspects that I really don't feel comfortable looking...I'm not quite sure why that is. I like artist like Renee Magritte. Or even Shaun Tan's illustration. I'm not sure how to put it, I guess it's almost like everyday-surrealism... Although the film is nothing like those artists' work, I loved the subtle surrealism, mystery or narrative that pop up in your head in daily life. I really want my works to have that kind of quality.

The other film I watched was a Japanese film by Takeshi Kitano, called Takeshis'.

Really crazy stuff, got me to another planet. In the interview, he said he called this film UFO film. Ha! That's quite true. Hard to categorise this. It's kind of like an autobiography, mocking celebrity culture, being consumed by own success/art and time/space in life... Well, it could be about so many different things but that's how I saw it. Humorous but not quite laughable, violent gang film but not quite right. I think if I watched it again, it will be different.. and if I watch it again, it will be, again, different. He is famous as a director but in my memory, he's a comedian and even though I know how multi-talented he is, he's always a comedian!

Well, I didn't know Eric Bana was a comedian until my Eric told me so he will always be a serious actor to me...

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

I just can't wait to to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland!!!

It sounds too good to be true but it's becoming true in March 2010, and even in 3D!

This will be so truly inspiring!!!

I don't think Lewis Carroll had a slightest clue we are still loving his stories in a big screen now, 145 years after the original publication in 2010. It's a dream!