The Inspirational Journey

I have just recently watched Into The Wild, a film by Sean Penn, which told the real life journey of 23 year old Christopher McCandless, who left his home to travel across the country and live in the wild. Without giving you much of the film, i just want to say that this movie is really, really inspirational. I don't know what is it about me that always somewhat amazed by the idea of going on a journey or a road trip alone, and for some time just disconnected to the world you live in, and the society you're in now.

I can't help but noticing that McCandless is just one of the product of modern society, he did what his parents told him to, he went to college, graduate, and possibly looking for a job afterwards. This is exactly what we are told to do, i mean "we" in the context of young people who are finishing their latter stage of education. I can see myself doing that in the next 2 years. Probably i'll be doing some boring job behind the desk in a couple of years from now, and rot slowly behind that desk for the next 3 or 4 decades. This is what McCandless see, but the difference is, he did something about it. He didn't want to spend his life worrying about making money, or do as he told, he simply want to explore the world and blend with nature. He didn't really like being at home, his parents are not the best parents in the world, so he wanted to get out of his life and do something new in his life.

What i envy about McCandless is that he was brave enough to leave everything he had behind, and just living his dreams. Doing what he wanted to do. I wish i have the courage to do that. I really wanted to do something like that. Just cut yourself from the world you know for some time, and live your dreams. McCandless has opened my eyes, and maybe a lot of people's eyes, that there is so much more in this world that you can see and do. I read in a couple of forums around the internet that mentioned McCandless was a fool to try live by himself in Alaskan forest, and that he died because of his own idiotic behaviour. I guess a lot of people kinda missed the point here. McCandless was living the life he wanted, He knew what the consequences are, but he is also a human being who made mistakes. It is our responsibility to learn from his experience and make the best of it.

I've been wanting to do some kind of soul searching road trip for quite a while now, and after seeing what McCandless did, I've become more motivated to do that. Someday, i promise myself.


"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greather joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." -- Chris McCandless

Rest in peace, Christopher J. McCandless

Weekly Recap

Entering the first week of March, let me tell you what's happening in my world. No, i'm not gonna whine about how my life's going right now. You've gone to the wrong blog if you think i'm gonna write some diary stuff here.

MUSIC
I've been listening to some new albums these couple of weeks. I'm quite surprise of how good they turned out to be. Not all of them are new releases, some of them were out last year. So, here they are :

The New Pornographers - Challengers (Key tracks: My rights versus yours, challengers)
Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight (key tracks: Silver lining, Moneymaker)
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (Key tracks: Four winds)

New Pornographers are surprisingly great. I like their sound and their lyrics. The album are possibly one of the best of 2007. Rilo Kiley's newest album is more dance-y and has more beat than their previous record. They really explore new areas of music that they haven't touched before, and it turns out to be a good thing. As for Bright Eyes, i still prefer their I'm wide awake it's morning album, but this album was not bad. For you who like indie/pop/folk combination like me, this is the album for you. I am also anxious to hear the new Death Cab For Cutie album, titled Narrow Stairs, that will come out sometime this year. I'm sure that will be a great album, or at least a good album.

MOVIE
I didn't watch many new movies this week. Only a couple of old dvds that i rented a couple of days ago. Those movie were Spartan, Jerry Maguire, and Before Sunset. I must say, i am really impressed with Before Sunset. This movie picks up the spirit, warmth, and smartness of its prequel, Before Sunrise. I found myself smiling all over the film. I just feel that this is how a romantic comedies should be made. It's the sparks between the actors, the chemistry, and the great dialogue that made the movie so sweet. I truly believe that Before Sunset is one of my favorite romantic comedies ever.

This week i also found myself idolizing a certain director. I realized that i wanted to be like him. His films are all great, and always left me somewhat amazed by its beauty. I proudly present my favorite director, Paul Thomas Anderson.


for you who did not know who he is, he's the director of Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-drunk Love, and There Will be Blood. It's a bit sad that he didn't won the best director award at the Oscar a couple of days ago. I think he deserved it. But hell, Scorsese didn't win it until last year. So why bother? He is a true great director. He'll get it someday.

And another great news is my favorite actress, Zooey Deschanel, is going to star in a comedy movie with Paul Dano (There Will be Blood, Little Miss Sunshine) called Gigantic. I am very excited by the prospect of the two working together. Dano showed great potential to be a big star, and Deschanel will always be my favorite actress. Oh, and this month will also marks her debut in music, with the long awaited release of her album with M.Ward, by the name of She & Him. I'm looking forward for that album. M. Ward is a well known indie musician/producer, and Zooey Deschanel is an awesome singer. They are on the cover of Under the Radar magazine for the winter edition;



Wow, it looks like she's going to compete with Jenny Lewis for the new indie queen darling. If Jenny Lewis and Zooey Deschanel are going to be on the same stage together, i think my indie geek dream will finally come true.

The Birth of a Classic

As i mentioned on the year end review, just two posts below this, i haven't get the chance to see There Will be Blood, not until 2 days ago. And as of 2 days ago, P.T Anderson has officially became my hero. His vision was always great, but in this film, it was just simply astonishing. There is no flaw in his directing, and there are many moments of pure greatness in the picture. This is the film of our time, the Citizen Kane of our generation. Without any doubt, There Will be Blood deserved to stand as one of the best film of all time, along with Schindler's List, Citizen Kane, and Treasure of Sierra Madre.

The movie started with a strange noise which escalated with every second it passes. It drags the audience into the dark and gloomy desert of western America. The noise is followed by almost 15 minutes of wordless shot of Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) working his way to make a fortune by digging for silver ore in a deep well, full of rock. From there, we were brought to his discovery of oil, and how he make his way to be a successful oil man. This transition from an ordinary man to a successful oil man is where the drama starts. We see how an ambition can turns a man against his own nature, and transform himself into someone who defies anything that comes between him and his ambition. An ambition that tested him through his relationship with his son, religion, and the social scene around him.

Daniel Day-Lewis' portrayal of Daniel Plainview maybe the best performance of the year, or even of the decade. He gives a haunting, dramatic and a great depth of emotion into the character. Plainview is a pure old fashioned American, who struggled with his life on the late 19th century. When he discovered about oil, and made success of it, Plainview is not the same man as before. There is greed in his eyes, he sees the world different, and Daniel Day-Lewis showed it with his action, mannerism, and voice. Paul Dano, who played the preacher Eli Sunday also gave a great performance. He managed to match Day-Lewis' greedy portrayal of Daniel Plainview.

Paul Thomas Anderson uses all his creativities in the film. There are many memorable scenes, and some trademark P.T Anderson shot. The one long shot when Plainview is reunited with his son, the shot when we see Plainview is sitting on the centre of the screen looking at the-about-to-explode tower, and the first shot of Plainview in the well are all superb. I guess he brings out all of his creativity in this film. The music, which i mentioned as noises in the beginning, are all thanks to Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. Anderson ask Greenwood personally to fill in the score for this movie, and it worked really great for the movie.

If you are sick and tired of all the blockbuster hits, Michael Bay stuff, typical romantic comedies, and you want to experience the greatness of film, go watch this film. Paul Thomas Anderson is on the road to join world's greatest directors such as, Scorsese, Spielberg, and Coppola. As for Daniel Day-Lewis, he's now officially put himself in the same spot as Brando, Bogart, and De Niro.

Artists of 2007

This is a follow-up to my year end cinema review. The last post is about movies, this time it's about the men and women in and behind the movies. So, here's my list, enjoy:

Casey Affleck


He proved us that he is a better actor than his more famous brother, Ben, by starring in 2 of the best films in 2007, The Assassination of Jesse James, and Gone Baby Gone. And he also starred alongside big names such as, Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Garcia, in Ocean's Thirteen. He rounded up 2007 with an Oscar nomination for his role in The Assassination of Jesse James. For this he deserves to be one of the artists of 2007.


Ellen Page


Page's career has rocketed so high last year, thanks to Jason Reitman's Juno. The movie did not only put Page's name on the list of rising stars, but also put her name into one to watch in the future. Her smart and witty portrayal of Juno is just perfect example on why she is named as one of the best this year.

Josh Brolin


Starred not in 1, but 3 great movies of the year, Josh Brolin has kicked started his career. American Gangster, Grindhouse, and No Country for Old Men are the evidence. Those 3 movies marks the comeback of a real American bad ass.

Judd Apatow


Apatow is comedy's next best thing. After the funny 40 year old Virgin last year, he followed up the movie with a pregnancy comedy, Knocked Up. He also produced another kick ass comedies such as Superbad, and Walk Hard. It's hard to see another man behind great comedies other than him. And next year he's going to prove that he is still the best in business.

Michael Cera


After the cancelled tv show, Arrested Development, Cera's career has unexpectedly rises. Superbad, in which he successfully made us laugh with his performance along with Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, is his ticket to stardom. He also shows some range by playing Ellen Page's love interest in Juno. Cera is officially the next hero of geek community.

Javier Bardem


His role as the mentally deluded/cold blooded killer, Anton Chigurh is so haunting that i have to add him to the list. Chigurh is every person's nightmare. He's the one that haunts you in your dreams. And of course, for that role, he received numerous award nomination, including an Oscar nomination.

Movies of 2007

I know it's February already, i know it's a bit late to post this but what the hell, won't do any harm, right? One of the reason i haven't published this post is because i have yet to see There Will Be Blood. I wanted to put it on my list, since P.T Anderson is one of my favorite, but i can't put it on my list before i watched it, right? Objectivity is important, people.
Alright, without further ado, this is my list of the movies of 2007.

Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne trilogy has never failed to impressed, especially after Paul Greengrass took over the director's chair from Doug Liman. On this third installment of the series, Bourne got more serious. It's an adrenaline ride from the first minute til the end. It leaves the audience no room to cool down, and that's the beauty of it. Greengrass' signature handheld camera managed to capture all the coolness of the action. And this movie made John McClane, Jack Ryan, even James Bond looks like a rookie. For that, i give credit to our coolest, most bad ass, and newest action hero Matt Damon.

Superbad
Don't let the title fooled you, Superbad isn't bad at all, it's actually supergood, and superfunny. Judd Apatow produced this movie from a script that is written by his close friends and most frequent collaborator, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The comedic performance from both of the main roles are brilliant. Jonah Hill, and Michael Cera may be the comedy's next best thing, and of course, you should include the debutant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who played the superfunny McLovin. I say, step aside Stiller, and you too, Sandler!! 'Cause these kids can kick your asses. Real bad.

Gone Baby Gone
To tell you the truth, i never really like Ben Affleck as an actor. He never quite reach the point where everybody acknowledge his performance. Just see the terrible Gigli, his movie with his then fiancee, Jennifer Lopez. However, i must say i am really impressed with his directorial debut here. Instead of playing the main role, he gives the role to his brother, Casey Affleck. I think Casey Affleck is twice the actor than his brother.
The movie itself told a story about how a private investigator, Patrick Kenzie and his associate/girlfriend Angie Gennaro, solve a case of missing child. The film has a great twist, and most importantly, questions our moral sense in a most dire situation. Gone Baby Gone may be one of best american crime drama in the past couple of years. And for that i thank the Affleck Brothers.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
This is a movie that you how it's gonna end. It's just a matter of how good the director gonna deliver it. And in this case, Andrew Dominik has done a great job. It wasn't easy to watch the movie. The runtime is almost three hours long, and the movie doesn't have many action sequence either, but the brilliant performance by its cast, especially Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt, and the beautiful cinematography by Roger Deakins made it all worthwhile. The films also has a lot of layers that challenged the audience to interpret their own version on the assassination. Did Jesse let Ford killed him? or was it just a lack of carefulness that led Jesse James to his death? You decide what you want to believe. For me, that's the beauty of the film.

Once
I've never been a big fan of musical film. I don't like Moulin Rouge, Chicago, and not even remotely interested in seeing Hairspray, no matter how good they were reviewed. Once is the film that changed my perception of a musical.
Once is a small film with big heart. It is first and foremost, a love story. But if you think this is just another "Music & Lyrics", you are dead wrong. This movie has three things that other so-called romantic comedies don't have; Heart, subtleties, and chemistry.
The 2 protagonists, played by newcomer Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, shines with their acting, their great voices, and their perfect chemistry. The music on this movie are composed by Glen Hansard himself. He practically gives life to this movie. With a beautiful backdrop on the streets of Dublin, this movie is a perfect blend for you who likes indie music and film.

Juno
If last year we got the sleeper hit, Little Miss Sunshine, this year we have Juno. First timer screenwriter, Diablo Cody, delivers one of the best script of the year with its smart and witty dialogue. Juno is a story about a 16 year old girl facing her pregnancy. The title character is played by the young and talented Canadian, Ellen Page. Page portrayals of Juno is somewhat fascinating. She delivers the character with the perfect amount of wittiness and emotional depth of a troubled 16 year old. The supporting cast, which comprises of J.K Simmons, Allison Janney, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Olivia Thirlby, and Michael Cera, did a great job to accompany Page on the main role. Juno is not only funny, but it also has a lot of message. And for that, Juno is one of the movies of 2007.

Planet Terror
Planet terror is actually one of the part of Grinhouse, a back to back movie directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. There is a reason why i put Planet Terror instead of Grindhouse as the movie of the year. It's plainly because i didn't enjoy the second part of Grindhouse, which is directed by Tarantino, Deathproof. While Planet Terror is a very fun and enjoyable ride, Deathproof is just plain boring. Planet Terror told the story of a town hit by strange sickness, which made the people who are infected turned to a zombie-like creature. There are explosions, cranky jokes, ridiculous make ups, and hot chicks, which make it more enjoyable. This movie is a homage to 70's exploitation movie, and b-movie. And who thought that this kind of movie can be such fun. All thanks to the good hands of Robert Rodriguez.

I'm Not There
A groundbreaking achievement for director Todd Haynes, who took a different approach to make a biography movie about Bob Dylan. Instead of making the movie in regular way such as, Ray, and Walk The Line, which uses a single actor as the main character, Haynes uses 6 different actors to portray 6 different stage of Dylan's life. Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Marcus Carl Franklin, Bob Whishaw, and Cate Blanchett are all Dylan. Yes, you heard me right, THAT Cate Blanchett. With a non linear story, this movie captured the emotion of the man behind American music with such depth and beauty.

3:10 to Yuma
I think it's fair that 2007 marks the comeback of western movie. After Dominik's Assassination of Jesse James, James Mangold took a slightly different part for his western flick. If Jesse James relies heavily on its drama, 3:10 to Yuma is more of an action western. With two great leads played by Russel Crowe, and Christian Bale, which played superbly on their role, this movie flies high among other action movies on 2007. It's been a while since we were provided a good western action movie, and 3:10 to Yuma may mark the comeback of one of the most classic genre in American cinema.

RIP: Heath Ledger

I started this morning by saying "Holy shiiiiiiiiit!!!!". I couldn't believe my eyes when i saw the news on the net about Heath Ledger's death. He was found dead at his apartment this morning, with sleeping pills found around his body. Ledger was only 28.
After he started from teen movie like 10 things i hate about you, he took more serious roles in The Patriot, The Brothers Grimm and I'm, Not There. He's proven himself as one of the best by his performance as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain, which garnered him an Oscar nomination. It's just a couple of days ago i watched I'm Not There, and he was the better actor on the movie. I'm also looking forward for his portrayal of Joker in next summer's, The Dark Knight. Even before the film is released, there are many people who praised his performance on that movie. Director Chris Nolan, and even Michael Caine said that he was terrified just by looking at Ledger when he shoots the film.
Today the film industry lost one of its most precious assets. Today we mourn for the lost of one of our best on screen actor. Rest in peace, Heath Ledger.

Life Behind the Scene

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is the newest show from acclaimed writer Aaron Sorkin, who also created Sports Night, and The West Wing. To tell you the truth, Sorkin may be the best writer in the industry. The format of the show is very similar to West Wing, where the drama and story line are brought up through constant dialogue between the characters. Story takes places behind the scene of a sketch show called Studio 60 on the sunset strip, kinda like Saturday Night Live. Story revolves around how writer Matt Albie and his best friend/director Danny Tripp are dealing with their new position as the executive producers of the show, after resigning from the show 6 years ago. I'm not going to say much about the story, so let's just say it's pretty much West Wing on Hollywood.



Sorkin still works with his buddy director, Thomas Schlamme, in most of the episodes. Actually the relationship between the character Matt Albie, who's a writer, and Danny Tripp, Matt's best friend and director, are based on Sorkin's friendship with Schlamme. Studio 60 may as well be Sorkin's most personal work. Many of the elements of the show are loosely based on Sorkin's experience in real life. Matt Albie's relationship with the star of the show, Harriet Hayes, are reported to be a reflection of Sorkin's love life with Kristin Chenoweth, a star of West Wing.

The bad news though, the show is being cancelled only after its first season. The ratings were low and continued to decrease throughout the season. I, myself, honestly enjoyed the show. But apparently not the other people. They say the show is far too complicated and overly smart for a writer of a sketch show. I personally think it was not a problem whether they think the show is too smart or not, it's a matter of taste. People didn't enjoy the show because it isn't made as a comedy, but rather a drama. And Sorkin also add some controversial stuff in the show. He made a perspective on how he views christians, network executives, and war of terror. These are sensitive subject for most Americans. As a result, many will think the show is unpatriotic. Sorkin, for better or worse, is a concerned American. He writes from his heart. I acknowledge his effort on this show. The show is an honest take on how someone would voiced his opinions and concern on real world situation, whether it's just on working environment, or even a personal principle. Look at the scenes between Matt and Harriet when they were discussing about Christianity. And look at the scenes between Matt and Danny when they confront the network executive on how they wrote a sketch about the war. They were all pure thoughts, pro and contra of people opinions.

For me, the show has many great moments and a great cast to support the story. Matthew Perry, Chandler Bing on Friends, played really well as Matt Albie. Danny Tripp is played by Sorkin's regular, Bradley Whitford. But i should say i am impressed with Sarah Paulson who played devoted Christian and the star of the sketch show, Harriet Hayes. There is so many layers to this character, and Paulson succesfully gets into the character. The rest of the character include Amanda Peet, as Danny Tripp love interest, and Timothy Busfield, as the crew of Studio 60.

Despite the good writing and good cast, the show has its flaws. Entering the midseason, the episode began to get slow. There are some episodes that are just plain boring. And the on-off relationship between Matt and Harriet are getting nowhere. Luckily, Sorkin
quickly lead the show to get back on track. The last story arc, episode 19-22, are just great. There are many funny moments, and smart dialogue.

Like it or not, Studio 60 has provide a good look at Hollywood production of a sketch show, and even more importantly, it shows how people (of Hollywood) are viewing the situations of the world. For me, i choose to like the show, no matter how bad the ratings were, no matter how bad people are talking the show. Studio 60 is one of a few good shows on TV.