Again, more movies from my dusty DVDs collection. The first one is Cache (Hidden), a 2005 France movie. A very creepy movie. The lead character here is Georges who receives packages containing videos of himself with his family shot secretly from the street and alarming crayon drawing whose meaning is obscure. He has no idea who maybe sending him.
Gradually, the tapes are getting more personal, suggesting that the sender has known Georges for sometime. Just like France movies, the movie moves a bit slow but it is still enjoyable since it makes us too curious to find out the ending of the movie.
The second movie is Elegy. A 2008 movie. Talking about love and special relationship. A 70-yr-old lecturer (Ben Kingsley) falls in love with his 24-yr-old student (Penelope Cruz). Their love stories are not a happy one. They face the ups-and-downs of love life. Problems here and there. Not only due to their more than 30 years difference of age but also many other things, i.e. their way of thinking, their beliefs, etc. A magnificent love story. Deeply touching.
(More) Movies Review
Tempurung
Oka Rusmini, the author of Tempurung, mostly writes about Balinese women, the culture, the religions, and all related problems. I have read some of her works, Tarian Bumi (2000), Sagra (2001), Kenanga (2003). From her stories I learned a lot about Balinese culture and found out that when the culture, the ethnicity and religion collide, they could lead to a very complicated condition. Particulary for Balinese people who are really strict following their culture and religion.
Tempurung is a novel about women, their lives and how they react when they encounter their own bodies, religion, culture and society. It tells about women who are trapped in an 'absurd' marriages life. Deep down inside their hearts, they don't want these marriages, but on the other side, they need children, affection, love, and attention for themselves.
These women do not know what they really want. They are even afraid to dream. This is a story about a tragic life of women who do not know either it is a blessing or a curse to be a woman.
Osama
I always love foreign language movies. They always tell unusual stories. Very touching with unpredictable ending. Not like Hollywood movies that easily predicted. Like this Osama the movie, the winner of Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2003. I found this dusty DVD in my bookshelf, sure it's been there for ages. I forgot that I bought this DVD once, just like tons of books that also waiting their turn to be read. Yes, sometimes my buying-now-read-them-later spirit is just too high *quite often*.
The movie takes place in Afghanistan during Taliban regime. It's inspired by a true story. A very touching story. It tells about a 12-yr-old girl and her mom who find themselves without anything left. No money, no food, no job and nothing at all.
Since Taliban bans women from working and forbids them to leave their home without a male companion. Therefore women without any husbands, fathers or brothers are desperate in surviving their lives. Just like the mother in this movie, since she's no longer allowed to work in the hospital, finally she asks her little girl to wear and act as a boy in order to get a job and earn money to live.
The girl's, now called Osama, endure a terrifying and confusing journey as she tries hard to keep the Taliban from discovering her true identity. It's absolutely not an easy thing to do. However, finally she gets caught and experiences a sorrowful ending. Whoa...I drown in tears. Feel so sorry for her life.
The Lost Symbol
To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books (The Secret Teaching of All Ages)
I always feel excited every time I read Dan Brown's works. This time Brown takes us around Washington DC. As usual, there's always a lot of things to learn there. Instead of enjoying Robert Langdon's engaging experience, I also get deep knowledge about the rituals, science, artwork, monuments and many more.
I praise Brown's research. Not many authors are willing to do so. I faithfully will wait for his next work. It must be a great one. As always.
One Year Off
A cyber friend, Kiky lent me this book. Well...actually we exchanged our favorite stuffs, I lent her Muallaf DVD and got this book in return. it turned out that this book is so engaging. Once I read it, I just couldn't put it down.
Imagine, a family of 3 children (8,7, and 2 yrs old) made a very big decision. They left their usual life behind and planned to travel around the globe within unlimited time, what do you think, is it a brilliant idea or the stupidest that you've ever heard?
This experience exactly what happened to David Elliot Cohen. After celebrating his 40th birthday, he suddenly felt uncomfortable with his life. He thought he needed to purify his life by leaving it all behind (selling his house, his cars and most of his possession, closing his business and pulling their children out of school) and began the journey with the whole family with just a suitcase, a backpack and a passport each.
In my opinion, it is a very brave decision. I can't imagine having a long traveling with 3 small kiddos. So many things to consider. But The Cohen family did it. They made it within 13 months and 16 countries. Started from California and ended in Luang Prabang, Laos.
Reading their heartfelt experience is really enjoyable. A lot of exciting yet touching moments there. David told their stories in e-mails form to their family and best friends in his humorous and simple way. It made me laughed a lot and too curious to know the ending. From their experiences, I just learn that traveling with kiddos is different, tourist spots that in our point of view is a must-see-item, not for them, for kids, it's just ordinary thing. Just like Cohen kiddos, after spending some time in France and exploring all the museums and churches there, they obviously didn't want to visit any other churches in Rome. According to them museums and churches are similar, where ever they are. For them, the best place to visit was Africa, where they could observe wild animals almost everywhere and enjoyed the Safari tour. Ah...kiddos, they're cute with their own simple thoughts.
A very recommended book. Thank you Kiky for your great book :)
Diary of A Taxi Driver
True, life is hard, especially after a transition from a lifelong scientist to a rookie taxi driver. But life is like this highway: sometimes smooth, sometimes rough; sometimes you go slow, sometimes you go fast; sometimes it frustrates you, sometimes it pleases you. As long as you know where you are going and never quit halfway, you will get there sooner or later.
This diary is special since it's written down by the most educated cabdriver in Singapore, Cai Mingjie, PhD, he is a scientist, university professor, having published numerous papers and a Stanford PhD.
Due to global financial crisis, on May 2008, his job at a leading institute in Singapore was terminated. He felt shocked at first but life had to go on. He sent application letters to various organizations, including universities, government agencies and private companies and heard nothing from them.
Finally on November 2008, he decided to become a taxi driver, the Singaporean job of last resort. By the end of February 2009, he received his taxi driver's license and began his new career. This book originated from his blog he created to record the stories he experienced during his 6 months contract period with a taxi operating company as a hirer. Since his blog is getting more and more popular, he finally received several job opportunities from his blog readers. That's end of his career as a taxi driver.
But, he said that his taxi driving experience has certainly change his perspectives on life. He learned many things on the road as a taxi driver that he never learned before as a scientist. Couldn't agree more. Learning can be done from anyone, anywhere.
The Burning Plain
The movie's directed and written by Guilermo Arriaga. He is the screenwriter of Amores Perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003) and Babel (2006). I love most of his works.
Typical of Arriaga's work, this movie is told in a non-linear narrative, where events are revealed out of sequence. Jump from the past to the present and vice versa and its effect to several people separated by time and space. There are 5 characters in the movie, Mariana, a 16-yr-old-girl trying to put together the shattered life of her parents, Sylvia, a woman in Portland who is still haunted by her horrible past experience, Gina & Nick, a couple who must deal with an intense affair, and Maria, a young girl who helps her parents find redemption, forgiveness and love.
A truly breathtaking movie.
