One of the perks of this created lifestyle is that I get to "earn my keep" in a lot less time than the usual workday/week, and do whatever else I choose for the remainder. Yesterday, after a short out-of-town meeting (and a very long wait in C-5 traffic), I motored home to do some serious movie marathoning.
My Dad had gotten me a new DVD player for Christmas last year, but it remained untouched until Wednesday afternoon when I ditched the old machine and set up the sleek, 1 1/2-inch, fresh-out-of-the-box one. I think the cinema craving was resurrected by an impulsive itch the other day to see Jet Li and Jacky Chan (two of my favorite actors) in The Forbidden Kingdom, an epic kung-fu movie (one of my favorite genres). Good thing Lex was up to an early afternoon viewing in SM North - perfect company, even if the popcorn/soda vendor slacked off and could not be found every time I slipped out to buy some munchies. Thank goodness for our Bread Talk baon.
Anyway, I began to go through my backlog of collected DVDs by putting on 638 Ways To Kill Castro. Love documentaries; this one was fascinating. You gotta root for the old socialist underdog!
That was followed by an old favorite - Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. I first saw it in 1990, with Ken and I think Emily, Doyet and Miles; and I remembered how much I loved it. Seeing it with new eyes 18 years later had me thinking that old Akira had a thing for aftermaths: environmental degradation, war, nuclear disaster... the film would have been, for the most part, better off titled "Nightmares."
I also saw another Kurosawa movie - Madadayo (1993). Loved that one too. It was also about aftermath, in a good way: the loving aftermath of a great teacher's career and the students who cared for him.
Next in line was the obligatory Hollywood movie - Little Miss Sunshine. I'd been meaning to see it for a while, but I always put it off...didn't regret seeing it. Had fun, it was cute. But I've not fancied American movies for a while, so it didn't quite rank up there.
I wanted to see A Day Without A Mexican again, but somehow the DVD didn't want to play, so I put on My Big Fat Independent Movie...and promptly fell asleep.
Today, I saw more Kurosawa - finally finished Ran (mad King Lear, shogun style), and am in the middle of Red Barber. I adore these flicks. Love Chinese kung-fu epics as much (got me a whole bunch of those tonight too). Catch y'all later.
2 comments:
Dear Honey,
I understand you don’t fancy Hollywood movies but these 2007 movies I think are worth seeing, if you haven’t seen them – “No Country for Old Men” so much violence and mayhem, but it will keep you thinking until the end and “Fracture” is about an attorney intends to climb the career ladder toward success; not nominated for Oscar but I highly recommend it. I hope you get a chance to see those movies and let me know if you find them “interesting”. Best regards.
Hi Carlo!
Yeah I heard "No Country..." was pretty good, if a bit scary. I enjoy the occasional American film - even the commercial ones where you suspend your disbelief (X-Men, Die Hard, etc). And of course Tarantino's movies. But I don't really watch Hollywood movies on a regular basis - and if I do, it's usually when I'm in the US, hehe. I like indie movies and documentaries though - I just started watching Di Caprio's The 11th Hour. Will check out Fracture and gather the courage for No Country. Thanks dude!
Post a Comment