The Sun Behind the Clouds - Ritu sarin and Tenzing Sonang

When my friend first asked me to go see this film, to be honest, I was like ahh I will probably fall asleep and waste my money. But after seeing this film, $12 was nothing. This film changed me and to think about this issue in Tibet. I knew the whole situation about Tibet and China but I never really gave any attention to it. It's funny because when I talk about what Japan did to Korea, I get so excited and want other people to know this history. But I do not pay any attention to other countries that's having same trouble as what Korea had. After this film, I realized how shallow I am and made me to think about this issue.
The film looks at the protest China by Tibetans by their march to Tibet. First, the documentary start as showing the protest about Tibet but later show Dalai Lama's opinion and his middle way. How he doesn't want independence of Tibet but he wants the preservation of Tibet's culture and their religion. When I first heard his opinion, I could not understand him. I thought he was being a coward but after finishing this film and listen to directors' point from Q&A session, I realized it must be very hard for Dalai Lama to see the protest. How his people are getting hurt by Chinese army and killed. The director said Dalai Lama will change his opinion about midway if his people ask him strongly but I truly understand his thoughts. However, I think not having your own country is going to take your culture away. It will be preserved for a while but culture without its nation is not going to exist for a long time.

I know that go see documentary in movie theater is not that easy. I can't lie I do prefer to spend my money to go see feature film than documentary. However, after seeing this film, I thought that the money I spent on this documentary is worth more than what I paid. After watching feature film, it never make me really think about something. It's like going to a theme park. I know it's hard but how about this time go see a documentary? It will be great to see this film but why not others? I bet you won't regret your choice. won't

P.S I just joined the students for a free Tibet, if you are interested check this out. http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/

New York, I Love You

When I heard that the production group of "Paris Je'taime" is making film about New York, I had to see it. When I heard that the film is going to be opening film for chungmuro international film festival 2009, I spent whole day just to try to get the ticket but I failed. So finally when I heard that it's going to release, I was so happy. On wednesday, with my dear friend Sharna, we saw "New York, I love you." Funny thing was we both skipped our night classes and went to see the film like my old time in high school.
"New York, I Love You" was very New Yorker. Cynical romantic new york love story that might could happen by someone's friend of friend. I loved the scene when old couple were having a date in coney island for their anniversary, it was so romantic for less than 1 minute and of course, some teenagers on skateboard interrupted them. I had to laugh that moment because that was New York. It can be romantic but it can easily get interrupted. The film was very witty, sometimes romantic and very American. "Paris, Je'taime" had this definition of Parisian romance, sometimes not about love but their romance in Paris or their love about Paris.
I actually had high expectation for this film. The story was very interesting and funny in American way. But all of the stories were very interesting but there was no ending. A lot of people in the theater were saying how they expected more and longer. It would've been better if Ethan Hawk and Maggie Q or Emilie Ohana (video artist) had some love story. It was interesting how a lot of characters met each other in cab or on the street where people in New York actually interact with their acknowledge. But I feel like there were some stories that would develop more. I wanted know more about Maggie Q's love story, Ethan Hawk's love story. I don't think it was necessary for Qi Shu (chinese girl in china town) to come back again and Emilie Ohana to film her. I think they could delete that story and show story of Maggie Q. Because I thought her character is very interesting. I 'm hoping for DVD to come out soon so I can see deleted scenes. I feel like there were a lot fo stories that has been deleted. "New York, I Love You" was very lovely funny and very new yorker but it was a film with no ending.

Walking in Blur

After I saw "New York, I love you" in Sunshine Cinema on houston st. I decided to walk a little and my little walk became quite long like from soho to chelsea but I started to respect new york more. I took my glasses off and I have to say I'm a blind without my glasses and started to walk. And I know what people say about walking in new york around 11pm. But It was quite lovely. I couldn't really see anything just colors words became layers of images, and people became just a lot of colors. I started to walk and realized that I never really saw real new york. The feeling, I was always in rush to go to classes, calling someone or just looking at the phone. Walking and seeing things in not by images but color, I realize I love new york.

Daughters of Darkness-Harry Kümel

I found this film from Pucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2009 brochure. I wanted to see it so bad but I had to work in film set so I couldn't go. So when I got this dvd from my friend, I was so happy. Who will not like a Belgium film about lesbian vampires?
When Countess Bathory went in to the hotel, the manager in hotel was surprised. "You stayed here 40 years ago? I was a bell boy at that time but you don't seem like you've been changed at all." Maybe this is not a correct phrase but this is first phrase that introduce this beautiful mysterious blond lady who's dressed up in dress in 30's with her secretary. In that hotel, young married couple are staying too. This couple is weird too, they look like they rushed in to their marriage like by saying "I don't love you and you don't love me. We are meant to be with each other." After their arrival, many young women were cut to death in the area near the hotel. A husband of young married couple, Stefan becomes to have a strong erotic eager and heat Valerie with the belt and becomes violent. Countess Bathory orders her secretary to seduce Stefan and she catches Valerie(a wife of Stefan) who tries to run away from Stefan and his violence.
This film was a big shock in 70s, It showed lesbian love. But by being in 2009, this movie does not really surprise me but rather lame. This movie isn't really scary but it emphasize the drama between eccentric characters in the film. This film is mixed with all of the styles from 30s to 60s. And by showing Stefan's mother as a drag queen, it looks like it's losing the horror but more of the drama. By mixing all of these elements and a little bit of kitsch style, the film becomes confusion but rather erotic and charming. It's not a sudden horror but it's very mysterious and stimulating. Especially when two women screams "Blood! It's blood!" and sucks blood from him surprise me that this film has been made 30 years before Thirst by Parkchanwook.

In addition, I think dress that Ilona, a secretary of Countess Bathory look like it's just stepped out of Chanel collections.

Chelsea on the Rocks-Abel Ferrara

I actually live in Chelsea and I'm always passing by Chelsea hotel. But until I saw the trailer of this film, I didn't have any idea about this incredible hotel. I've been always interested in 50s and 60s like Edie Sedgwick, Jane Birkin and Andy Warhole. I think it was very stupid of me not to realize the hotel that I always pass by was mega epic place in 50s and 60s. The film starts from introducing residents in chelsea hotel. The residents in Chelsea hotel are mostly artists. Chelsea hotel was a place for artists to explore their art freely, sometimes they didn't even pay rents for 6 months to 1 year. Sometimes they pay by their arts. Chelsea hotel was a place for artists and artists loved to stay there until old manager Stanley Bard forced out in an ugly corporate dispute.
I have to say film wasn't one of the best organized clean cut documentary but it had its own eccentric feeling (It had some bad acting and some weirdly long interview with a man talking about his experience in Vietnam War). The documentary itself was Chelsea Hotel. Mix with everything, mix with people, atmosphere, people that you will never really thought i would've be mixed. Even though it was very confusing in some moments, it had romantic aura and sadness in the end. By saying good bye to Chelsea hotel for artists.

September Issue-R.J.Cutler

So I saw September issue like almost a month ago and I wrote things about September issue on my notebook. But I was being very lazy and didn't put this note on the blog.
So here it is,

Film has been very close to fashion. Directors used fashion to give another aspects on their film. For example fashion that Alfred Hitchcock used in film even influenced the fashion world and named as "Alfred Hitchcock Style." So it's not really surprising that film world tried to sneak in to the fashion kingdom, Vogue. Where there is a King named Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief and a queen named Grace Coddington , creative director. I can't lie that I've been always interested in Fashion. I memorized designers and brands names, even though I had to memorize vocabularies for my test. I spent all of my money on buying magazines, fashion was everything for me before I met film. I even applied to Parsons for fashion design. I still have my love for fashion and fashion will be always my love. I wanted to be an editor in Vogue, it was my life long dream so I do have many things to say bout September Issue.

Even though, I love fashion and vogue, I didn't know that September Issue is most biggest and most important issue for whole year. Even my friend who I went with who's major is in Design and Management (equal to fashion major almost) didn't even know about this too. So there is a point, new information. Fashion has been revealed almost everything but people never really knew about how things work in fashion magazine. Well, there was a movie about it like "Devil wears Prada," even though it does have some truth still it's fiction. So director, R.J.Cutler follows mainly everything in Vogue. Follows photo shooting, fitting, decision making to war between king and queen. I think what mostly made people drawn to this film was fashion and the fight. Because we never really knew who can be against Anna Wintour. I think the tension between Grace and Anna made this film very interesting, without that tension, this film is another film that shows fashion world. It showed us not only fashion figure of Anna Wintour but her real life, and her real thoughts about it. It didn't try to cover bad thins about fashion that they've been trying to hide, it showed everything which made this film real. A lot of times, I don't really like documentary even it's about fashion but this was one of the interesting documentary that I saw. It's funny, witty and fashionable.

The Royal Tenenbaum

Okay,

Even though, I love film, I couldn't answer when someone asked me what's my favorite film in the world. But now, I can say my favorite film is The Royal Tenenbaum. 

My first Wes Anderson's film was The Darjeeling Limited. It portrayed the three different brothers trip in India so crazy and so beautifully. But then I didn't realize that Wes Anderson made The Royal Tenenbaum until I checked on google. After seeing The Royal Tenenbaum, I had to know about the director who made this incredibly funny, crazy but beautifully portrayed film. Right now I am going to see more of Wes Anderson's film. Probably, rushmore. After this film, I am going to settle my excitement and write about what I felt.