21.12.05
will the real japanese geisha please take a bow
I'd forgotten what Li Gong looked like, I haven't seen her for so long since possibly
Farewell My Concubine, as I clearly failed to recognize her in this film and
2046. Part of the problem with
Memoirs of a Geisha was that it was cast with Chinese women playing Japanese geisha, save one. Although I enjoyed Li Gong the most for being a convincing Japanese geisha that you love to hate, the confusing accents with hard to understand lines was a bit bothersome as being unfamiliar with the geisha tradition, I'm hanging on every word that's being said to piece together the entire culture, history, and story, because, no, I did not read the book.
I rather like Ziyi, and she seems to have taken Li's place in the Chinese film world and she was intresting in
2046, but she just shuffled around looking like an alien for the most part with the blue contact lenses in her eyes, which were not as blue as the poster would have us believe and were very distracting from her acting which was probably good but not as outstanding as Li. I like the story, the bittersweetness that is life, but it did not feel, dare i say, "Asian", or rather, it did not feel like a Japanese story. I can't put a finger on it. Perhaps I'm not used to Japanese/Chinese accented English dailogue that doesn't flow smoothly as the native toungue in subtitles? The landscapes weren't as focused and sweeping and looked set designed? Most of the women were Chinese? The story was written and directed both by Americans? Did I mention that I do like the story though?
One thing for sure, if Sayuri and Hatsumomo were to go head to head, Hatsumomo would win in my book! Oh, and thanks to
Marie and her Mom for the tickets so that I could talk trash about the film!
13.12.05
digging up the past #203
It's a little unsettling finding pictures of yourself that you haven't seen from the past that someone else that you haven't seen for close to 20 years, has. Well, a lot of pictures are presently being dug up from the days that I and many friends wandered on the eastern African continent together. We've started a blog to reconnect and also to make the 1980's forever unforgettable!
11.12.05
when you've been craving something but end up dissatisfied after finally having it
I read the first book of the Narnia chronicles when I was in 6th grade, although I had read
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe some time before then. It opened a new world, and like embarking on a new adventure of a place I'd just discovered, I was reeled in and couldn't wait to read all the books up to
The Last Battle. I went to the bookstore every week until I'd found all the books illustrated by Pauline Baynes and read and read and read. I loved the chronicles so much, I'd even named a pet dalmation Narnia.
The Silver Chair ended up being my favorite, but then I went on to other things and forgot about the books until last year when I re-read them all again and found it to be still good, but rather disappointing. It was as if I remembered a dish that I relished in my youth and craved to have it again, and upon doing so, it left me full but completely dissatisfied; a hollow void in the pit of my stomach that had moved to the region of my tast buds harboring phantom flavors that only seem to exist in memory and can no longer be called into reality.
With a bit more enthusiasm, because Weta was involved, I went to see the film, and sadly, the void remains. It didn't help that I'd memorized the dailogue from constant reading and viewing of the animated version of the story and I knew exactly what would be said and happen next. And like clockwork, the film unfolded just as I'd expected and envisioned, which isn't really a bad thing, but rather,
Eh. Yes, weaponry and creatures were fantastic, as were the sets and locations. Tilda Swinton was a spot-on choice for the White Witch, although the Peter-Prince-William-look-alike was rather disturbing. I felt like they did too many shots that would get young girls to squeal at his royal good looks (now smolder, now gaze pensively, now look handsome...) rather than deal with the scene at hand. The editing was a bit discordant in places, leaving the feeling of no continuity, and in all, the pacing was rather slow in comparison to reading the thing, which is a breeze. I'm wondering if it would have been better to not know the story so well before watching, or if it's simply a matter of having outgrown something from childhood.
6.12.05
weird creatures
Dylan gives the thumbs up for the colorful
Poison Arrow Frogs, whose poison is used for blow darts and arrow tips, and a host of other Weird Creatures on display at the temporary exhibit of the
Liberty Science Center.
I'd forgotten what Li Gong looked like, I haven't seen her for so long since possibly Farewell My Concubine, as I clearly failed to recognize her in this film and 2046. Part of the problem with Memoirs of a Geisha was that it was cast with Chinese women playing Japanese geisha, save one. Although I enjoyed Li Gong the most for being a convincing Japanese geisha that you love to hate, the confusing accents with hard to understand lines was a bit bothersome as being unfamiliar with the geisha tradition, I'm hanging on every word that's being said to piece together the entire culture, history, and story, because, no, I did not read the book. 
