Cooking Dreams

"Tonight, I'll show you how dreams are prepared. People think it's a very simple and easy process but it's a bit more complicated than that. As you can see, a very delicate combination of complex ingredients is the key. First, we put in some random thoughts. And then, we add a little bit of reminiscences of the day, mixed with some memories from the past. That's for two people. Love, friendships, relationships and all those 'ships', together with songs you heard during the day, things you saw, and also, uh... personal... Okay, I think it's one"

"The goodbye scene of the would-be lovers is over-the-top romantic. Nevertheless, or maybe because of that, it, too works. In the slightest of slow-motion, Mo-wan lets go of Li-zhen's hand (her wedding ring, ironically, in full view), and the camera stays on her face in extreme close-up as he remains far away in the background, out of focus. Then we discover, once again, that they are only rehearsing a separation that has not yet taken place and that, in fact, we never see. They playact through their emotional crisis, as if trying to manage it theatrically, and thus never reach their innermost selves, if such a place can be said to exist. They live within quotation markers and pre-written lines of dialogue. They put on an act because reality itself is too hard to bear. She sobs, and the strings reach a crescendo."

- Peter Brunette on "In The Mood For Love", Wong Kar-Wai

A quote on Wong Kar-Wai's "In The Mood For Love"

"Coming to its emotional climax at the Angkor War temple in Cambodia in 1966, the film plays out through a series of missed opportunities and bad decisions, as one of the most powerful renditions of mutually unrequited love in cinema history."

- Peter Brunette, Wong Kar-Wai

The Power of the Visual

"The simplest way to communicate a story is just visually."

- Sofia Coppola on her style in recent Golden Lion winner SOMEWHERE

Iguazu Waterfall from 'Happy Together'

The Iguazu Waterfall scene from Wong Kar-Wai's Happy Together.

This waterfall, so precisely placed in the film as what I feel is a symbol of the two leading characters' relationship - mesmerising, of great depths, to lose one's self. This shot follows a moment in the film where the two characters, Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai take a road trip in search for the Iguazu waterfall. Their trip comes to a halt, and we see one of them walk away from the car. "Where are you going?" says Ho, as he remains with the car, a map spread out before him. The characters stand next to a busy highway, abandoning their car and map. Cars and trucks go by in haste as their relationship grows further and further apart.

What a great, great film.

Sofia Coppola's SOMEWHERE Trailer

This is the latest and first trailer for Sofia Coppola's latest film titled Somewhere. It's about an A-list Hollywood actor who begins to re-examine his life when his 11-year-old daughter visits him.

As I have been sitting infront of my computer all day, TweetDeck was going off the hooks in regards to the new trailer. People were claiming that it was very reminiscent of Lost In Translation and that the film was 'nothing new' for Coppola, who previously directed Marie Antoinette as well as Lost In Translation. That argument is invalid to me. To me, a filmmaker makes films that reflect who they are, and their experiences, emotions and stories. I saw this trailer and thought this looked great - sure it is reminiscent of Lost In Translation, but hey - who didn't love Lost In Translation?

I think what makes a filmmaker great is when they write from the heart, and from their own stories and experiences. It's true, and honest, and I feel that's what makes a great film. Her new film Somewhere looks great, and promising. Subject matter aside, I love her work and if it is as close to Lost In Translation, I will probably love it just as much.

So stop hatin'.

(I know I promised an entry about the thesis film production, but I've been sitting infront of this computer for the last 6 hours syncing the sound to picture of the edit, so I must go before my corneas burn into themselves. Later)