20090920

Recap of the week...well, with last Sunday.

Went for a ride with MunHow and KokHeng last weekend, and drove through highway CA-23S (South bound), the part after crossed US-101S. Bloody challenging 山路 with tons of bends, real sharp bends. Reminded me of the course Takumi raced with MR2 that the cars 'jumped'. The kinda of > 180 degree bends that nearly stop the car to turn at the night with barely any car on the course lat night... vein-burning!!! But 辛苦了 KokHeng, who was at the back seat. I am sure it was not a nice experience.

...

Writer's block recently, other than I am in fact, not a writer but an illustrator, if i'm even considered one. Having roller coaster sleeping routine recently (this week) and whole routine's been affected too. Sleeping time for the week passed was 3 - 8 - 3 - 9 - 4 - 11. Cycle of staying up as long as I could, hope to be more productive > being dead the next day > sleep a lot to make up, without my command, my body just did so > recharged, and stay up later, cycles...

funny. I think I am trying not to think too much.

I have a thinking that hollywood's just a factory of run-test formula of movie/money making industry. Which sadly, followed and looked up by movie industries around the world. I am not saying I watch a lot of movies and good in reviewing, but I think it takes certain amount of experience of watching American and non-american movies to feel that. I try not to link Hollywood with American, but so far, I couldn't remember any good indi movies of America soil. So it's just 'American' to me. I think it has to do with the culture and history of the nation, just like Malays. They just dont have the fruit of history to somehow captivate 'soul' in their film. Difference between american and Malays is American are proud of themselves and the have the wit to package and sell their patriotism of themselves to the rest of the world. So we have the 'American dream'. Malay are not, those who live with them know the best why's that.
Package of muscular heroes one man show, hot babes, explosion x car chasing...etc. are obvious, wouldn't need much explanation to understand why they're attractive to more basic human's instinct need and desire. I am just tired of it. But even for soul-exploring emotion driven movies, there's similiarity in the movies produced these years. At first there's one or two really original pieces that touched audience' hearts. They sell, and movie-makers just clone that formula. 换汤不换药. Formulas: 1. emphasizing linkage between people regardless of skin colour, spoken language, background b'cuz of their similiarity like interest, experiences, deeper emotional need. 2. One(s) finding themselves through a certain thing and a chain of consequences of it, exploring themselves, look at their life from a different point of view (Sunshine Cleaning). These are the 2 formulas I can think about that been used pretty frequently in movies these days.
Of course there'r formulas in Japanese drama and movies, but the way presented can move me, still, most of the time. It's the both the script and the actor/actress, able to hit the resonance frequency of my heart. The culture's full or stories and traditions that well-refined, attracts my curiousity to explore and know more about it. So are Europeans, historic culture fermented unique talents in presenting the stories in life. Mostly French and Spanish, also Danish, Swedish. It's pure and sincere, from the heart of the director or whoever telling the story. You can feel it when you watch the movie.

Comments