I just want to run at the nearby book shops with someone; reading Kerouac and his bohemian heroes or probably talking how I desperately I want to kiss John Keats.
I just want to drink at fancy coffee shops with someone; listening to Norwegian Wood or probably talking how I fancy living in Haruki Murakami’s world.
I just want to visit movie houses with someone; watching The Road or probably babbling about Kubrick and Bertolluci.
Oh, let me just escape this tiresome every day routine for I seriously yearn to bring back my carefree days.
I was browsing the internet yesterday, when I came across the phrase, “age of Aquarius”. The first time I read it was probably seven years ago, while reading The Da Vinci Code. I remember being startled, discovering the paradigm shift of age and its implications on humanity. But that was was the gullible young version of me, not being skeptical and just being plainly stupid. Lol.
But whatever, I still want to believe on what the radicals and the hipsters of the mid-twentieth century dreamed, that this age signify rebellion and the destruction of age-old ideas and concepts. And I am still eager to start ruining the entrenched norms of materialism, bigotry, distortion of beauty and filthy political agendas and begin perpetuating the importance of liberty, wisdom and truth. God, I cannot wait witnessing the downfall of the dumb politicians who cannot even pass a substantial bill to save their lives, the religious billionaires who keep lying to us so they could acquire more assets, and the wannabe celebrities with their fake boobs and Hermes bags.
Well, this age (To hell I care if this is just a utopian slogan!) makes me happy. You know how much a non-conformist I am, not because I felt cool while fucking the norms, but because I hate following what most people usually do. And it gives me this speck of hope, that perhaps in the future, the emergence of something new would be possible.
The most difficult part of my job is probably not when my bossing is throwing my piles of work loads, but it is when I see the hopeful eyes of the applicants before I inform the them that they did not qualify for the position. Like for some reasons, I wrecked their goals on finding a career even if I have the slightest intentions on doing that.
I despise seeing people with their sad faces and shattered hopes. I hate turning people down. It pains me catching the glimpse of their disappointed eyes or hearing their voices struggling to say, “It is okay!”. If only I can embrace them just to tell them better things will come on their way.
Anyway, I really wonder how in the world I am catapulted in this job. Well, at least I am learning more about the things outside my comfort zone and this is such a good training for my future job hunting.
I hate it when people create boundaries between the learned and the illiterate. I hate it when people mock others due to lack of intellect. I hate it when bigots act as if they are fucking great.
I cringe whenever pseudo intellectuals attempt to elevate their status by criticizing the ignorance of others. The privileged ones should never separate themselves among the unfortunate ones, but rather educate. Knowledge and wisdom are wondrous boons needed to be shared. And as cliche as this may sound, our world would be a fucking better place if we annihilate the threshold of indifference and vanity.
God, I really abhor douche bags.
binksbbz said:
I remember the first time I saw this film, I was running sa treadmill. Nacaught up yung attention ko nung nakita ko si Andew Garfield! Haha! I watched it again though, di ko kasi nastart. Di FC, okay lang magask! :)
-The concept of this film is spectacular and the story line is actually inventive and too unpredictable. It is an ingenious combination of post modernism and magic realism genres. However, I feel like the entire film is not executed successfully. There is too much plots being interwoven which I think does not work much. Very Baron Munchausen. It loses its focus as various subplots unraveled.
-Regarding the visuals, Gilliam is a great artist—Astounding set, wonderful designs and flamboyant costumes.
-For the characters, there are a lot of strong performances by the cast, especially by Heath Ledger.
All in all, I enjoyed watching it and I think the ending is good. It may not finalizes everything that happened, but it provides a necessary closing to the entire movie.
Welcome to mainstream culture.
The problem with this article is that it fails to include the entirety of Filipino films. It only discusses those mainstream movies which sell most in the market. And what do you honestly expect with those kind of films? They are like New York’s Best Seller Books, not the greatest books ever made but they can easily be understood by all kinds of people and they are properly marketed. Hollywood has these crappy films too, but that is why they are labeled as part of popular culture.
People continue watching these mainstream movies solely for entertainment purposes which is why show business keep producing them. It is a cycle and a business plan, quite irritating but that is the real situation we have. You know, it is like more Filipinos keep purchasing Bob Ong’s works than Edith Tiempo’s published books. Lol.
On another note, there are a lot of good quality Filipino films but they are mostly independent ones. Some of them were not even recognized by our fellow countrymen, but successfully won various international awards.
Lastly, if you hunger for intellectual films, why even bother to watch these MMFF entries in the first place?
I fell in love with coming of age stories like NVM Gonzales’ The Bread of Salt, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, James Joyce’s Araby, F Sionil Jose’s Tree etc. I am thrilled of seeing how young protagonists face the hostility of life and have their epiphanies at the end. The finales of these stories are mostly embittered… and probably as much as the reader would wish happy endings, but that will not make the stories right.
And yes, fuck 2011, because I have experience epiphanies and no matter how much I cried, I just cannot change things. Before this year, I thought I was capable of doing everything I want and wished to be because not so long ago, I used to achieve the things I aim for. I thought I can maneuver my own life and placed it in the direction where I think it should supposed to be. Nevertheless, life has to fucked me up so I can grow. Lol.
So here are the most significant realities I learned last year:
1. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know (There might be very little exceptions though.) You maybe intelligent or skilled, but at the end of the day, it is all about connections. And your access to connections most likely depends on your social status. Scumbag society.
2. Life will not always give you the things you want no matter how much you strive gaining it. Just when you think you are almost there, life would yell at you, “No you are not.” and all your aspirations would suddenly collapsed just like that. Scumbag life.
3. When things go wrong, just shout FUCK! Never forget to say it with class though. Lol. I learned to cuss a lot this year. Believe me goody goodies, cursing helps you feel more at ease. Lol, at least for me.
Nonetheless, epiphanies exist for people to grow and mature. I may not be able to change the past but all I can do now is to accept, move forward and build myself again. So perhaps, I should thank 2011 for giving me these adversities so I shall be ready to surpass more difficulties on 2012.
Goodbye 2011, Cheers 2012!
First of all, I am really disappointed on this Cannes Film Festival 2011 nominee. The concept is intriguing albeit it is not original as it seems.
It revolves around the peculiar working student, played by the stunning Emily Browning, who easily gives in to her emotional and sexual drives and someone who literally and metaphorically fucks the norms. Those angles of her character makes her complex, yet hollow for she lacks objective. Or probably her character just lies in the dark abyss— vague and obscure, just like the story. Well, the narrative clearly lacks focus. It raises premises without concluding any of it. Therefore, the story failed to develop.
Overall, Julia Leigh’s Sleeping Beauty is technically stylistic yet boring and mundane. The absurd sexual acts and cliched images of pornography can be quite dull to watch. Its serious tone could have been mistaken as profundity, in my honest opinion. Its script is a pretentious psycho-analytic narrative which can even be mistakenly claimed as a rip-off of Yasunari Kawabata’s House of the Sleeping Beauties. It is easily forgivable though, well, it is a debut film by Leigh.
Next review: The Tree of Life by Malick
The only problem with the screenplay is that the supposed twist at the end is already foreshadowed and too obvious. Or perhaps, the plot is meant to be that way? Lol. Nonetheless, I love it, most especially the theme and the story. You are such a brilliant bastard Nolan!
I do not think it is necrophilia, but I fall in love with dead artists or poets after knowing them or seeing their works. The first time this happened was with Sylvia Plath. I started researching about her after I found out her infamous suicide. Although before that, I am actually in to her poetic style.
And I, love, am a pathological liar, And my child look at her, face down on the floor, Little unstrung puppet, kicking to disappear Why she is schizophrenic, Her face is red and white, a panic, You have stuck her kittens outside your window
- Lesbos, Sylvia Plath
Then, after watching Total Eclipse, I became obsessed with Arthur Rimbaud for a very long time. I read his biographies and even shed some tears knowing how much he suffered in life. I would every now and then read his prose poems and daydream about him too! If only I have lived in the 19th century, I would even tried to seduce him and murder Verlaine. Lol.
And did you know Bob Dylan was in love with his poetry too! Bob fucking Dylan loves Arthur fucking Rimbaud’s poetry! Lol.
And few weeks ago, I started falling madly in love with Salvador Dali. I am a fan of surrealism and his works after I saw his painting The Persistence of Time when I was in high school. After watching Midnight in Paris, I became curious of the life he lead. I started reading his biography and knowing more about him. Oh God, I finally had a contemplation why he is my favorite artist and not Miro or Picasso or Warhol or whoever. Lol. Now I am terribly wishing, I should have been Gala in my past life too! Not that I do not mind him practicing Candaulism. Lol.
By the way, I am amused of the fact that he designed the logo of Chupa Chups. Haha! I love Chupa Chups and every time I would suck a Chupa Chups lollipop, I would remember him. Lol. That sounds so wrong~
I saw this fuss on the web recently. *face palm* I am not commenting on the exact post, I am reacting based on some douche bags’ comments. (I am totally aware of the context of the site, but try reading the others’ comments.)
Bitch please, you have to be aware that everyone is entitled to have liberty. It is selfish for some to think if they do harm to people and be punished after would mean they are not free of the things you do because they are suffering from its negative outcomes. Practicing your own free will should not mean limiting others to practice their own. If you just want to do all the things you want or follow your drives without thinking of its consequences to other people, you are probably kissing chaos on its ass.
I am not trying to be pious or what. I am only rationalizing it with the concept of governance. Religion and society- their systems have similarities. You may have benefits as a follower or a citizen, but you have to abide by the rules to perpetuate order. And I believe in this system. (To hell I care with anarchy. Lol)
God set his commandments and regulations. Other scriptures in the bible might be quite questionable for some though. But generally speaking, his ten most significant commandments are for the good of humans and to establish harmony. Nonetheless, if you find the existence of God irrational for your extremely intellectual minds, you have the liberty not to believe. But please, stop acting like it is so hardcore to be an atheist. You are just following a certain belief system and that will not make you superior to others.
P.S. And if you are just following a belief only to look cool, why atheism in the first place? It is not that extreme! Be a nihilist instead! Lol.
I cringe when there are people around me who treat me like a little girl. I do not need over protection. I need liberty and time to grow.
I hate losing opportunities because “it is too dangerous for a girl”. I even feel insulted when other people think I am “fragile”. It makes me want to shoot them with an M16 rifle.
Though I am a subversive feminist, there are certain moments I wish I am a guy. All my dreams would be possible if only I belong in the male specie and I am just being a realist by saying this. Hello patriarchal and sexual predator society. Lol. There goes my lost backpacking (around the Philippines or Asia) and joining-the-military dreams. *sighs
(If you abhor spoilers, do not read this.)
One thing for sure, you have to embrace romanticism to enjoy this film. :D
It is probably not the best of Woody Allen’s movies, but it is an entertaining and artistic film that takes you time traveling and capturing the essence of Paris in a magic realist mode.
The acting is remarkably effervescent, especially Adrien Brody portraying Salvador Dali. I literally guffawed inside my room as he delivers his last line, “I see… Rhinoceros.” The cinematography, particularly the panoramic view of Paris is simply unforgettable. It encompasses breathtaking shots of Paris’ skyline and streets and its jazzy soundtrack strengthens the Parisian vibe. The casting is perfect and the costumes are fabulous. I also have to express how I adore Marion Cotillard playing Adriana, Picasso’s lover. She is incredibly stunning in the film and I love how her character embodies the flapper fashion of the 1920s.
Everything is delightful and Gil Pender(Owen Wilson)’s the journey is enthralling. However, it lacks depth and subtlety. I do not think a character should announce when he finally gets his epiphany. Lol. Whereas, the narrative is quite thin and these stream of minor characters are comedic albeit shallow. F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Man Ray, Luis Buñuel, William Faulkner and Pablo Picasso pop out of different scenes, but not really making a relative connection to the main plot. And let me share my sentiment on T.S. Eliot’s character, who unpredictably fetched Gil Pender and there goes his one minute or so scene. What is that for? Lol. Regarding the main characters, I personally do not like Ynez’s character played by Rachel McAdams. Her character is boring and flat, or probably she is just a normal woman withdrawn to her chic and elitist view of life. While Gil Pender, played by Owen Wilson, is, I feel like, the inferior version of Woody Allen himself and a total opposite of his fiancee.
Nonetheless, I think, the pivotal and charming aspect of this film for aspiring writers/artists/filmmakers or literature/art/cinema enthusiasts is that this certain concept that Woody Allen embedded on it: the nostalgia for the Golden Age. This particular longing to bring back the Jazz age or any era you consider as the glorious period. (I, myself, would prefer not being born in the 1990s. Lol.) And this idea makes people imagine… What does it feel like walking along the streets of the city of lights during midnight? What does it feel like meeting F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway while you are in a party hosted by Jean Cocteau? What does it feel like entering a room and hearing Gertrude Stein criticizing Pablo Picasso’s painting for being universal but lacking of objectivity and full of sexual innuendos? What does it feel like being approached by Salvador Dali? Those are such wonderful scenarios I would daydream every now and then.
All in all, this is such a magical and comedy film screaming, “Aesthetics” and “Paris”.
freelance writer and make up artist
Hola! I am in love with cinema, literature, aesthetics and liberty.
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