Emma (1996)

"I rode through the rain! I'd - I'd ride through worse than that if I could just hear your voice telling me that I might, at least, have some chance to win you."
- Mr. Knightley

out of all the Jane Austen movies, Emma is perhaps my favourite, or it is a close second to Joe Wright's P&P (I chose it soley due to the fact that Joe Wright is directing it and Keira Knightley is in it) Emma as a much better plot and a heroine that I like and that I can sometimes identify with, and Mr. Knightley, shall I say he's one of the most charming men in Austen's novels, after Colonel Brandon and Edward Rochester (but he's a Bronte's character) nevermind that.

going to a theme party on this coming friday and everyone has to dress up as movie characters. I'm still thinking which one I should be (considering the troubling fact that I haven't got a costume and it's hard to find a nice one in HK) usually you hv to hv them custome made and I don't have much time. argh. I've been thinking of a few possibilities.
1. Alice in Alice in Wonderland
2. Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz (just because I have a pair of red shoes)
3. Wednesday Addams (the plaits are easy to do compared to the blonde wig I need to get for Alice's character)
4. Helen of Troy in Troy
5. Olympia (Angelina Jolie's character in Alexander)
you see I'm going for the toga ones cuz I really want to have a toga party
6. Holly Golightly
7. Celia in Atonement
or just any flappers in the 20s

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.