end of 2007

time flies.
I actually think it did fly this year, passing really quickly.

watched the Golden Compass the other day. Brilliant movie, awesome cast, great cgi. this time I won't give a full review, it's too tiring to do so today.
going to watch Atonement, it's coming out tomorrow. Everything gets slower in Hong Kong.

I kind of want to watch St. Trinians', but it's something like the Mean Girls uk version, anyway blockbuster movies will be coming up soon, i.e. Sweeney Todd: the demon barber of fleet street, The Other Boleyn Girl, Charlie Wilson's War (not that I'm going to watch it...) and Bond 22 (coming out on nov 08)

actually Daniel Craig defines Bond of the 21st century. it's debatable whether he's really the best bond in the film franchise (Sean Connery seems to be the best in my opinion), but Craig is, well, certainly changing the image of men and what masculinity should be in the 21st century. Look at Pierce Brosnan, he looks like a sissy when compared to Craig's Bond. Sean Connery is this eternal symbol, but Craig is the new man, the 007 that people would want to watch nowadays - agressive, flawed, human, combative, stylish. looking forward to his upcoming films as well.

The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

another talented piece from director Anthony Minghella. The Talented Mr. Ripley tells the story of sociopath Tom Ripley who gets obsessed with rich boy Dickie Greenleaf's hedonistic life in Italy. He then goes to extreme to snatch Dickie's identity, all the while destroying everyone who gets in his way.

The film is painfully tragic, and made beautiful by the sun drenched Italy. There's an undertone of how fate rules our life in this film. Mr. Ripley is somewhat an opportunist as well as a strategist. He manipulates people likes chess pieces, however, unfortunate things may happen and threatens his dual identity.

The ending is quite unpredictable. Ripley even murders Peter Kingsley despite having inherited the fortune from Mr. Greenleaf and assuming his original identity as Tom Ripley. It is really sad to see such a person ruined by his obsession to possess people, an identity and a life that he has never known.

"Good things about Mr. Ripley? Could take some time. Tom is talented. Tom is tender... Tom is beautiful... Tom is a mystery. Tom is not a nobody. Tom has secrets he doesn't want to tell me, and I wish he would. Tom has nightmares. That's not a good thing. Tom has someone to love him. That is a good thing. Tom is crushing me. Tom is crushing me... Tom, you're crushing me!"

Psychologically thrilling yet an inner reflection of an everyman who has desires for fortune and vanity.

Sylvia (2003)

haven't been here for a long time. will be having a heavier and depressing start this time.

Sylvia is a reflection of Sylvia Plath's melancholic and tragic life. Despite being a renowned female poet and half of the greatest literary couple with Ted Hughes, she was constantly under pressure to break awat from the patriarchal society in the 50s. Although I am not too familiar with her life, the atmosphere of the film just exerts that air of the hauntingly beautiful quality of Plath's work. Strong theme of feminism as well as liberation in depicted in the film.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig are awesome and actually I think Paltrow looks a bit like Plath. : )

have to start my portfolio on the English Patient and the Painted Veil, but I'm still blocked. so maybe I'll go and have some sleep and start doing it tmr. : )

bonne nuit

Hairspray (2007)

my life is on the verge of falling apart. It's just exams exams exams. There's no other word in my dictionary right now. That's why I have posted so little these days. Here's something to make you cheer up.

Hairspray is the ultimate romantic comedy musical! It just suits any age. The whole cast is lively with Amanda Bynes, the Queen of comedians and there's the talented Elijah Kelley as Seaweed, with the charming Zac Efron as the most popular kid in school. Brittany Snow is the snobbish daughter of the ever beautiful villainess, Michelle Pheiffer. Besides, Queen Latifah, James Marsden, Christopher Walken and of course John Travolta play a great part in the film. Nikki Blonsky is really awesome too depite this being her first time to be acting alongside these legendary actors on the big screen.

The underlying issue of this film is really moving too. At first I thought it was just a funny musical about a bunch of kids partying in the 60's, but it's a film about social problems, and the segregation between the blacks and whites in the 60's. I really like Penny and Seaweed. They just tell you that it's possible for people of different nationalities to fall in love. Although Tracy's case is a bit surreal since no guys would really fall for girls like that (it's the truth!!!) but on the whole, the movie is really heart warming and entertaining. An all time favourite of my lists that will cheer me up for a blue day.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

I so missed the party nights, that's why I'm posting these movies for these few days. and with the blog name set at chic et beau, everything has to be chic & beau & lumineux, right?

This is the classic Audrey Hepburn film, the one character that is always enjoyable, lovely to see on the silver screen. Holly Gollightly, the top banana of the shock department, epitomizes the party goers in New York in Capote's time. It's one of the chicest films to watch.

"You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, "Okay, life's a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness." You call yourself a free spirit, a "wild thing," and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself. "

Apart from the clothes and parties, there's a more underlying topic, which talks about commitment phobia. I think Holly Gollightly simply symbolises the phobia. It's kind of a sad movie for some parts, but on the whole it makes you laugh and reflect. She's having quite a pathetic life until she meets Paul Varjack and their resemblance creates a parallel in the film.

Breakfast at Tiffany's sheds light on the tragic human life in the mid 20th century when individual drifted alone in the great big city, trying to find meaning in their lives. On the whole, this film may not be one of the best Audrey Hepburn had done, but it certainly creates an immortal character that reminds us to love, laugh and live.

Bright Young Things (2003)

hmmm... how should I put it...
Wonderful directing, stellar cast, satirical dialogues, smashing costumes and backgrounds. They are the Bright Young Things of the society, but there's quite some irony in the title. They are not actually bright (but they're young), the first part of the movies show the vulgar lifestyles of this set of young upper class people in the 30s London, fooling around, going to parties at 3am, doing things impulsively. Totally ruthless but quite an honest and bittersweet reflection of people in those days.

People say that era was like no other. I admit it's quite true, that's why its brilliance and essence is always being captured in films and novels. On the other hand, I think actually the spirit still exists. I mean who are not like these people when they're young and always eager to go on new adventures. We party, we get wasted, we spend time fooling around, we gossip with our friends, have fun, and we're more or less just like them. That's why it's quite brilliant of Stephen Fry to attract the audience by merging the glamour of that era and the lifestyle that still exists, making us want to be a part of the bright young things.

The cast is amazing. Peter O'Toole's appearance as Nina's father, really hilarious, forgot Adam the moment he saw him. lol and Simon Callow, Jim Broadbent, Dan Aykroyd and many more. The Bright Young Things are of course amazing!!! James McAvoy's Lord Balcairn is kind of sly and witty, Stephen Campbell Moore is really charming as Adam Symes, the author who's desperately in love with Emily Mortimer's fun-loving but sometimes cold Nina Blount. Moore really delivers his character well, leading the whole movie, and this is only his debut!!! Hopefully, we can get to see him more in the coming future. Michael Sheen is so amazingly hilarious.

They were living in a decadent era, possibly after the war and everything chaotic so they kind of went wild with their lives, perhaps with the idea of "live fast, die young". Anyway, the bright young things give you a pathetic feeling, but the best thing about the movie is that Fry makes us have sympathy for them and make them real humans who move the audience.

"This so-called 20th century of angst, neurosis and panic. Reader be glad that you have nothing to do with this world. Its glamour is a delusion, its speed a snare, its music a scream of fear. Faster and faster they swirl, sickening themselves with every turn. The faster the ride, the greater the nausea, the terror, and the shame."

Another time another era. But some things never change - spirit, scandal and youth.

The History Boys (2006)

finally got to see the movie in HK. It always takes us so long to get some inspiring and witty British films, and they usually don't show them in the cinemas.


it's witty, showing the difference between the old methods of teaching and the new ones. As we all know, we're living in a time of competition. People just study for the sake of study. (like what Irwin taught the boys... all they got to do was to aim at the interview questions to get into oxbridge) That's quite right. I mean we can't even afford the time to be carefree and talk about the "meaningless" stuff. The "meaningless" things like poetry taught by Hector is actually deeper and more insightful. But in these days, who cares about that? This is kind of the tragedy we're living in reflected from this film, showing the declining education system, yet the new methods aren't bad. They teach us to have more "flair" according to the film.

Another thing that really amazed me is the topic about homosexuality. The whole plot revolves around this. Alan Bennett is explosive, putting everything into this film and yet adds a tinge of wit to it. The 1980s I assume (I wasn't even born yet) was a time of experiencing new things, just like what the people from the 30s did. New things and senses struck us, and the film is not afraid to talk about this in a positive way. However, I'm still quite confused about Dakin... He's like bisexual or something, or is he just trying to break away from the conventions in life after he got into oxford? something as a release.

On the whole, this movie deserves all its awards and apparently Alan Bennett's script adds some really striking and charming dialogues to the film.
"But this is History. Distance yourselves. Our perspective on the past alters. Looking back, immediately in front of us is dead ground. We don't see it, and because we don't see it this means that there is no period so remote as the recent past. And one of the historian's jobs is to anticipate what our perspective of that period will be... even on the Holocaust. "
I find this quite true as a History student. History actually needs us to be the spectator and views things from an objective way, and be fair about the events and people. Our perspective changes as time changes.

Stephen Campbell Moore is talented as Irwin, and of course Richard Griffiths and the guy playing Dakin and Posner. I heard there was the play in HK before, but I didn't get to watch it... anyway, I've watched A Good Woman, and Moore is just awesome, although he doesn't have a really big role in the film. I've just ordered Bright Young Things, his debut movie in Stephen Fry's debut directorial film. Hopefully, it will be more sparkling and witty than those period dramas.

films and fashion

first post.

this is a blog dedicated to films and fashion alike.
i'm just getting start in here, so hopefully things will get busier and more interesting.
So here it is ... I'll post film reviews and some fashion fads or maybe some books that I find inspiring. hope you'll like it.
That's all for today.

Ciao.