adding to my list of favourite composers: shigeru umebayashi


LISTEN TO IT. amazing stuff srsly. he also did the score for curse of the golden flower and hero. apparently the music for hero is really like EPIC but i haven't watched it yet! gonna watch soon.

so today what i watched was:

1. le fabuleux destin d'Amélie poulain
2. curse of the golden flower
3. les choristes

ALL WERE AWESOME. like my mind has been officially blown. and it was such a great mix of movies to watch as well. amélie was quirky and a little odd, but still charming and very French! the music at times was so simple, just a piano playing. but most of it, especially the very eccentric parts, you'll hear the distinctive sound of an accordion... i'm falling more in love with the sound of it. audrey tautou is a tour de force all on her own! she embodied who amélie was supposed to be so well. although to be honest, this was my least favourite out of all three. i think it's a little too quirky for me to appreciate on a greater scale.

curse of the golden flower was pretty good too! zhang yimou never really disappoints... so far, anyway. the score, as i mentioned, was by shigeru umebayashi and was pretty awesome too. chow yun fatt and gong li make quite a good pairing. i don't hesitate to say that jay chou was undoubtedly the worst actor in the film! but i really enjoyed the use of colour, especially the fight scene amidst the field of chrysanthemums, as well as the opposing armour of the emperor's army vs the rebels. i think gong li was easily the strongest performer. and of course as in all chinese films, there has to be that moment of overwhelming sadness... for COTGF i think it doesn't really hit you at once, but it really drags out over the whole film, culminating in the ending where ju hua tai is played. I LOVE THAT SONG. otherwise, there is an extremely chilling scene that i liked a lot, where once the rebels are beaten, thousands of servants pour in from every corner to remove bodies, wash the grounds (and the blood pouring down the street...) replace the chrysanthemums. i mean how much power the monarchy used to hold in ancient china is honestly horrifying. all the rituals, the millions of servants... and the costumes! omg i really loved the costumes. all the gold! it's very visually capturing, as expected of zhang yimou i think. either way, i enjoyed taking a break from zhang ziyi's face

last of all was les choristes! I ALMOST didn't rent this film, but i'm so glad i did. if there's any one thing that stands out from this film it's without a doubt the music. the best songs are pure acapella pieces featuring really young but talented voices! but it's also a touching story. god i don't know why french kids are so damn good at acting? honestly it's weird, but they really are very good! very natural. there is not much i can say about the plot. it will touch you in the way you expect it to (haha) but it will still be genuine and heartwarming. i felt it actually wasn't a lot about the power of music in whatever, but revolved more around the passion and commitment of the protagonist. but the music!!! UGH so beautiful. please listen,



seriously... my heart is aching with disbelief at how much it moves me. if that made any sense. anyway, definitely a good show to watch! plus i enjoy trying to pick up words and phrases that i can understand. i'm still too much of a noob to watch without subtitles, but i'm on the way! love french <3

AS YOU CAN SEE i feel overwhelmed by all the movies i've watched the past few days. i've watched a total of 7 movies in 2 weeks, all of which i still think about randomly from time to time. of these my favourites have been House of Flying Daggers and Les Choristes, definitely. feel like my sight and my hearing has been dominated by awesome stuff for so long, feel like i have to watch some really shitty crap to take a break, like jersey shore or something. i've felt a wide range of emotions the past few days, from sorrow, to anger, to happiness, to indifference, to almost-depression... how do i explain this? i have never really thought about the role of movies in my life. i'm not the biggest fan of visiting the cinema. i don't like when Gus suggests we watch a movie. but recently i've just completely opened up to film and it's been so wonderful! it's been wonderful to get away from American or British films for awhile, watch Chinese and French films. i'm always surprised with how much bang foreign films can bring to the table.

up next:

hero
chungking express
2046
le petit nicolas
departures
seven samurai

however, if i keep on these movie marathons i'm going to fail exams without question. so it must cease in the meantime. tomorrow i must study french for our quiz and oral on monday and tuesday! after which i have my last essay to submit for this term, and then exams. at least now i have new music to listen to :)