you're not supposed to believe in everything you see on the talking box, but,
with Bourdain, i believe everything !

experiencing is, indeed, believing, baby... and Bourdain always makes me travel the world without moving an inch (well, sometimes i move a couple, towards the refrigerator or kitchen in hoping to find something similar that he eats and i always fail to do so... haha how can i find Mortadela sandwich??? or rotten shark meat?? in my house.)

he's so cynical i almost fall in love with him (regardless of his age or his grey-ing hair), he hates karaoke to the bone i almost feel ashamed that i enjoy it hahaha, he eats a lot of good food (and plenty of bad one too) i almost forget about my diet, he drinks too much like breathing i almost believe alcohol is necessary for your happiness (eh eh eeehhhh), and the most important part is he sees so many beautiful places, meets beautiful and friendly people, and still survives. (although he admitted that some places were just dull, the food were not so good, and the people who accompanied him were bunch of *&&^$$#@) :D

my fave episodes are when he's in China, Sao Paulo, Iceland (poor Tony, ha ha), Korea, Las Vegas!!, and of course (finally.. thanks so much, youtube!) the one where he's in Indonesia, the one international conflict ocurred HAHAHA, this episode is the Funniest of all.. and the most enchanting (not just because i'm Indonesian heh heh)


ps. ok, this program is not a movie, not a documentary either.. just, Get Lost...!!

"I don’t know you, but I want you
All the more for that
And words fall through me and always fool me
And I can’t react…"

It all started with ten cents…

On a cold night, a Dublin guy (Glen Hansard) who was playing guitar and singing for money on the Dublin streets had an encounter with Czech girl (Markéta Irglová) who was struck by the beauty of his songs. His own songs. He played the ones that he had written only during nighttime because he said on a daytime, people would only listen to the songs they recognized. The guy, he also worked at his dad’s repair shop by day, and, fortunately(?) the girl, who had odd various jobs, taking care of her little daughter and her “Speak English? No, thank you” mom, needed her f*cked vacuum cleaner repaired.

So, they met again second time, this time during the daytime, where she brought along the vacuum cleaner to him. I love the way she was dragging the cleaner through the crowded streets, it was a weird view but very sweet, like seeing a little girl parading her new puppy newly bought by her parents. They became ‘friends’ right away and they talked about a lot of things, well, mostly about their past relationships. Ahh, for two strangers, who just met, there was no topic more interesting than that kind of topic, no?

The two main characters (the Dublin guy and the Czech girl) were unnamed, I don’t know the real reason, but I took a guess by doing that, people who watch this movie could relate closely to them. Yeah, the encounter, the experience could happen to anybody. Maybe you could be the guy, and I could be the girl. Or otherwise. Who knows?

The guy had a plan to make a demo disc that he could bring to London, hoping that maybe he could get a record deal. The girl helped him, writing lyrics, filling the backing vocals part, played the piano. They finally put together the demo with the help from another street musicians and a guy who at first thought that they were just bunch of f*cking oddballs (yeah, that’s a lot of ‘F’ word there) although finally he fell in love with the songs.

The guy and the girl communicated through the songs they had written, to tell each other and the world their feelings, their love, their sorrows. I almost cried everytime they played or sing a song along the movie, the songs are just brilliantly beautiful, very romantic, and with a hint of unbearable sadness. I have to have the soundtrack!!

*spoiler alert*

The story ended with a happy ending, win-win for everyone, although I sensed maybe there was some regret, some unrequited feelings, some unfinished business deep inside, but they all seemed happy in their own way. The girl got a piano from the guy and she also had her husband back, when the guy got a ticket to London to pursue his dream and a possible chance of winning her ex-girlfriend back whom he wrote the songs for.

This movie seemed so simple and realistic it was very beautiful and umm, I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, umm, Raw. Yeah, rawmantic. Uh-uh. And to be honest, I have no idea what the title of the movie means, “Once”, but reading the tagline “How often do you find the right person?”, well, the title, could be the right answer. Just a thought heh heh.. (and no, this is Not a movie about DEWA 19’s lead singer).

They didn't end up together eventually. So, what the guy and the girl had? Was it love? Yes, it was love. A different kind of love. But I know, it was, indeed, Love. Love and (good) Music. It’s more than enough, don’t you think? :)


"Are you really here?
Or am I dreaming?
I can’t tell dream from truth…"


*for more info : http://imdb.com/title/tt0907657/ or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_(film)

Agak basi juga yah sebenernya kalau saya review film ini sekarang.. Tapi, gimana donk? Saya baru sempat nonton sih.. (eh ya udah kali.. curhat mulu tiap mau review..). Waktu film ini keluar trailernya dimana-mana hatiku senang, saya bersumpah tidak mau menonton film ini karena yakin seyakin-yakinnya kalau akan banyak adegan 'menyeramkan' (alias sadis, alias nggak banget, Very No) yang muncul (ditambah karena waktu jaman"nya melihat trailer "Apocalypto", saya baru saja menonton "The Passion of the Christ", jadi masih kebawa-bawa tuh bayang" muncratan darahnya). Terbukti memang setelah saya menonton bahwa banyak adegan" 'syuur' di dalamnya ('syuur' itu bunyi darah keluar - he, gak denk canda..). Yang tidak terbukti adalah sumpah saya untuk tidak menonton film ini. Nah, pertanyaannya adalah "Kenapa saya akhirnya memutuskan untuk menonton?", ya, saya memaksakan diri menonton "Apocalypto" karena akhir" ini sedang tertarik dengan sejarah Aztec. Bite Me! Ternyata yang dibahas di film ini bukan Aztec, tapi Maya. Yah, tetap saya tonton juga sih..habis masih berhubungan sama sejarah Americas (atau Mexicas?), pra-Spanyol.

Sepertinya film-film yang disutradarai (dan sepertinya diproduksi pula) oleh Mel Gibson tidak jauh-jauh dari sejarah (masalah akurasinya saya tidak tahu menempe) dan tampak mengangkat kisah heroik dari satu tokohnya. Dalam "Apocalypto" ini, yang menjadi 'jagoan' tak kenal takut adalah Jaguar Paw, kedamaian perkampungannya berubah menjadi mimpi buruk setelah diserang oleh prajurit" dari suku Maya. Perkampungannya dibakar, perempuan-perempuan diperkosa, laki-laki dibunuh, anak-anak kehilangan orangtua. Jaguar Paw sempat menyembunyikan anak dan istrinya yang sedang hamil di 'bawah tanah'. Dia sendiri selamat, emm, lebih tepatnya dijadikan tawanan bersama dengan beberapa orang yang tersisa. Mereka dibawa ke pusat kota suku Maya, yang perempuan dijual menjadi budak, dan yang laki-laki? Takdir mereka ada di 'tangan' dewa. Kukulkan namanya. Selanjutnya, saya tidak mau cerita nanti jadi spoiler. Apa boleh nih? Kalau belum menonton dan tidak suka sama spoiler, jangan baca mulai dari sini ya.. ;)

Jaguar Paw akhirnya terbebas dari 'tangan' dan 'mulut' dewa Kukulkan yang (katanya) haus. Siang menjadi Malam. Terselamatkan oleh Gerhana (tanda-tanda alam sangat dipercaya oleh suku Maya). Karena membunuh anak dari pemimpin prajurit suku Maya, Jaguar Paw pun diburu. Dengan ancaman akan dikuliti hidup-hidup jika tertangkap. Sounds tempting, doesn't it?.. (uhuh yea, rite!). Adegan selama pengejaran Jaguar Paw di hutan, meskipun sukses membuat saya deg-degan dan menahan nafas, entah kenapa ya kok rasanya terlalu panjang, lama kelamaan saya sampai mengira ini adalah iklan" tv yang memakai tema petualangan (beberapa iklan rokok, minuman penguat stamina, dsb.). Jaguar Paw sendiri, menurut saya (silahkan dikoreksi jika saya salah) bukan 'siapa-siapa' yang berhubungan erat dengan peradaban Maya. Dia seperti orang yang numpang lewat di suatu tempat (kota,desa), lalu dari kisah hidupnya kita bisa mengetahui sekilas kisah hidup orang" lain (yang hidup di kota atau desa yang ia lewati). Akhirannya memang happy ending, to seek a new beginning ("come back to me", said Jaguar Paw's wife repeatedly. and yeah, he Came back to her.). Namun, melihat adegan di penghujung (khikhikhi) film, yaitu munculnya kapal-kapal besar Spanyol, datang dari lautan, dibawa oleh angin, tentu, akhir dari cerita ini justru merupakan sebuah awal yang tak pernah diduga sebelumnya oleh suku Maya. the end is the beginning is the end. yah begitulah....

"A Great Civilization Is Not Conquered From Without Until It Has Destroyed Itself From Within" - W. Durant. Kutipan ini muncul di awal film. Seakan menunjukkan bahwa 'kehancuran dari dalam' inilah inti besar dari film "Apocalypto". Sayangnya, atau, sayanya (yang lemot), saya merasa film ini tidak terlalu menunjukkan 'kehancuran dari dalam' peradaban Maya. Memang ada saat-saat yang terasa intens (cieh intensss..) dalam penggambaran kehidupan di dalam pusat kota suku Maya di mana penonton dapat menilai sendiri apakah perilaku-perilaku orang-orang suku Maya tersebut sudah mulai menandakan 'kehancuran internal' suatu peradaban. Sedangkan, kehancuran dari luarnya sendiri, belum mulai terjadi (meski mungkin sudah diramalkan). Harus bikin film baru lagi Mel Gibson nih kalau ingin menunjukkan kehancuran dari luar (terima kasih kepada para conquistador Spanyol). Oh iya, saya salut dengan pemakaian bahasa "Maya" dalam film ini (seperti pemakaian bahasa latin, hebrew dan apalah itu di "The Passion of the Christ"), sedikit banyak membantu menciptakan suasana seakan-akan semua kejadian itu benar-benar pernah terjadi. (Akan lebih bagus lagi kalau dalam film ini juga dipakai bahasa "Ira" dan bahasa "Sopha".) Sebenarnya saya mau kasih 3.5 bintang, tapi tidak ada opsi 'setengah-setengah' di multiply jadi ya saya kasih 3 saja. (kalau ada bintang toedjoeh lebih bagus lg sih..)


*hanya mau berbagi, dari satu buku yang pernah saya baca (bersetting masa peradaban suku Aztec pra-Spanyol), pengorbanan manusia sebenarnya justru merupakan bentuk pengkhianatan kepada Dewa tertinggi mereka (Quezalcoatl, yah, sebelas duabelas sama Kukulkan-nya suku Maya), karena dewa tersebut tidak pernah meminta korban untuknya. raja/pemimpin Aztec lah yang mengeluarkan kewajiban seperti itu, tetapi, tidak tahu kalau suku Maya bagaimana sejarahnya...


[eghhh.. i really really should Get a job soon.. anyone? hehehe...]

the title 'inside i'm dancing' is pretty much a poetic way to say about what Rory O'Shea is feeling his whole life.. this is the story about disabled people (or people with special needs) who deserve a same kind of life like any physically normal functioned man who wants to live his life to the fullest.. his Own life.. but, as you know it, sometimes people have judged you before they understand you, and so have you!.. and it doesn't make the struggle to be on your own any easier..

great performances by James McAvoy, Steven Robertson, and Romola Garai (she's a bit different this time, compared to some of her previous films such as dirty dancing : havana nights or i capture a castle).. the interaction between Rory and Michael is what i call true friends for life..

all i can say for now is you won't waste your time watching this movie, this is a life-changing experience.. you'll be grateful that you can do every littlest things without frequent helps from others..

great soundtracks! but so hard to find..

i don't care what other people think about this movie, the thing is.. I LOVE IT, freakin' crazy LOVE it.. from the very start, i just knew that i'd fancy this movie so much..

usually, i don't enjoy movie with homosexuality stuffs but here, it amazed me.. maybe because it's not vulgar, it's rather really really sensual..wow.. and this movie didn't try too hard so it'd exploit the relationship between two young women, it's not merely sexual, it's emotional, it's liberating..

and, God, who wouldn't fall for Mylene Jampanoi's icy grey eyes? she's so beautiful and sensual but in this movie, she needs more of another expressions haha..

xiao ran li is pretty cute too, her fearful expression is convincing as a true typical chinese girl born in patriarch family.

i love the setting, i don't know if it's set in china or other place but it's quite ok.. the ending is unpredictable to me.. i wanted to give this movie full five stars but i didn't because it could be longer and deeper in terms of characters development.. 4 stars is showing something, rite.. well.. i'm a sucka for love..

another rare movie that successfully makes me sit still and just glad of the thing called 'silence'.. this is a silent movie, but it doesn't mean it can't speak.. it speaks anything words cannot explain, it speaks through the muteness of the characters, it speaks through every single mundane movements, it speaks through eyes, through weeping, smile, touch, everything besides words.. i'm glad i watched this movie because i considered myself as a non-stop talking person and although i knew that i get tired of it, i just couldn't stop..well, this movie is a warm reminder that silence is too, important..humans mostly pay attention to what's been said but not what's been done, this movie make me realize, there are many other ways to communicate our intention to other people, is it Love? is it anger? jealousy? perkiness? mocking? it's romantic you know when action speaks louder than words, yeah, esp when it's for showing love.. this movie's an original piece, like no other..

the story's unique, a bit unrealistic i must say but strangely, i didn't give a damn, i enjoyed all the impossibilities this movie offers me.. basically it's a love story that involves loneliness, misunderstanding, acceptance, sacrifice, longing, and all.. but there's too, values of fairness, of humanity, of injustice, all the general ideas.. all had been told with lots of metaphorical portraits in life.. the characters are well developed, you could feel what they've been through.. (although some of or MOST of the actions are hmm.. including breaking the laws)

the arabic song (Gafsa by natacha atlas) is played over and over again in this movie, it's odd, right, to have arabian music in a korean movie? but it doesn't matter where does the song from? it's the feeling, the soul of the song that speaks.. and it did, beautifully, ya habibi.. my love.. it gives a mystical feel, a magical scent.. from a land far far away... far from reality, from everyday lives.. and to accompany a strong silence this movie creates (just like in arabian desert night, imho), it is such a divine combination.

you could watch this movie for more than once to understand more what it's really supposed to say to the watchers.. there are a lot of scenes that i like in particular but i don't want to tell you, because i want you to see with your own eyes and maybe you can see what i haven't noticed before.. and, just like it's said at the end, it's hard to tell whether your life is a reality or a dream.. and for me, this movie is like a dream, a sweet dream...

VERY BEAUTIFUL MOVIE.

i'm really touched by this movie.. it has any drama-romantic movie is supposed to have.. the romance, the first kiss, the shyness, the tears, the Rain!! .. but beside those romantic side dish, it also has motherly love, the struggle of a father raising his only son, and the Miracle.. that comes with the Rain..

this is unrealistic but i don't really care, it's just beautiful, because it kind of did make you to believe in things such true love, hopes, and above all, miracle which maybe nowadays people started to forget..

i don't wanna tell the story to you because i don't wanna ruin the feelings you'll experience.. okay, just for a little bit, it's about a mother who died because of illness, she promised that she'd be back in the next rainy season to see her husband and son (and she fulfilled her promise).. at first, i thought, this is creepy.. but then, it just turned out to be something beautiful that i haven't seen in any other movie.. you'll love the little boy who played as 'Yuji', the son. cute! and he can act!

one thing, for me, i feel that japanese drama movie feels sooooo long, it moves too slow, i got a bit bored in the middle, but that's the style.. and the more you get used to it, the more you'd comprehend the movie..

it's been raining in my city, i hope it'll bring miracle to me too..


((Hollywood will make the re-make under title 'Be With You' with Jennifer Garner in it, out in 2009 i suppose.. OH PLEASE!! enough!))