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Saturday, August 7, 2010
Just a thought...about the "Totem" Inception is a movie not to be taken literally....rather, it makes more sense to understand the significance of the theories, and how it can be meaningfully applied. Was just thinking about the totem. Wbpictures tweeted (Warner Brothers), "What is your totem?" which led me to have the revelation that the "totem" in our lives is something which will make us feel that THIS is life; like "I am alive and I am living in reality". What is the one thing that makes me feel alive? Work. Haha. My work really makes me feel alive....I find so much meaning and purpose in working. At this point in time la. But at another level, the movie's message seem to be pointing to "cherishing your loved ones & what life has given to you". Well, Leonardo Di Caprio in the movie is a tragic character because he lost his wife and destroyed his family due to his obsession with theory of inception. As for the whereabouts of his children, this is subject to interpretation; but I think his children are not around anymore. As in. Dead or just forever unable to reunite with them cos he went bonkers. I believe his real totem is his children and wife. These are the people to be cherished, who tells him that he is alive and living in reality. But the inception thing has made him so greedy that it destroyed his family, killed his wife. I choose to interpret this way. Cherish the simplicity of life, and what life has given to you. That is THE reality. The more we are in bliss but don't realize reality IS bliss and instead keep chasing after something that's off track, the more complex/worse things will turn out. The literal complexity of the theories presented to the audience of the show (it seems so hard to follow them as an audience for me!) is a representation of how warped people can be in search for the impossible and the complicated, which eventually lead to many tragedies. The hidden message of the movie maker seems to point to the importance of realizing what you have/what is given to you in this life, though not the most ideal, is the thing that one should cherish most because it is what makes you alive and real. It is THE totem. Yes, Leonardo Di Caprio's character may have succeeded in the Inception operation; but he lives on as a broken man, trying desperately to salvage and restore what & who he used to have, which he has failed to cherish. The spinning totem at the end could be perceived as a cliffhanger, as the sitting on the fence type of ending meant by the director. Or, it could be pointing to the main character's state of mind which I'm more inclined to believe. That even though he has returned to reality/real world, he will never be able to live a normal life ever again, aka always dreaming/living in his past memories instead of moving forward and doing life, because his true totem (his family) has been made dysfunctional by the pursuit for inception. Tragic..... The only friends he have are the people he cooperated with for the inception exercise...but yet they have to part ways at the airport without saying a word of goodbye, in order to pretend and make sure nobody are suspicious of their successful conspiracy. Kind of bittersweet...the main character is pretty much a loner in the real world he is living. Tragic #2. Labels: contemplative, daily rantings, movie review 1:14 AM
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Avatar  Avatar I don't know how some people can totally miss the big picture when they watch the movie. They are unable to see through the eyes of the director, James Cameron. I thought that is something very simple to do? Hmmm. Maybe I'm wrong. There is no doubt that Avatar have brought in many elements such as Spirituality, Nature vs. Machines, Capitalism, Greed, Love, Courage, Dreams vs. Reality, and many others which I may not have identified. But one that is overarching is always nature vs. machine. Right? And that is the one which we should focus on isn't it? It is how we should love our natural environment and not seek to destroy it for the sake of capitalist gain driven often by greed. I believe James Cameron featured Americans because Americans are the "Big Brother" and the leader of technological development in the 20th to 21st century. They are shown as a representation for every nation out there, and not to be taken literally that this show is ABOUT Americans, FOR the Americans. Nope, I disagree with what a Straits Times reporter wrote in one of the columns I read a week ago. Forest destruction and environmental doesn't just exist in America, but in many 1st world nations. Though of course America is the largest pollution emitting country for the past decades. Secondly, I don't think James Cameron is trying to say that we should go back to stone age and give up on technology and machines altogether in order to be able to coexist with Nature. Rather, he is painting a picture for us that it is possible for Nature and Machines to coexist, that everything must have a balance. Often, this balance is tipped due to greed and fear. Remember how the scientist were welcomed by the natives because they were not there to harm the natives, but to get to understand them better? Remember how Jake Sully was supported by machines in order to become an Avatar and befriend the natives? These cannot happen if not for technology. The only thing was the motive of using technology....technology has been abused for the Capitalist's hidden agenda. That was the reason the balance between Nature and Machine was upsetted. But the fact that in this movie, eventually machines lost to nature despite its technological intelligence and prowess, is (in my humble opinion) James Cameron's way of saying that this earth is stronger than anyone of us may think it to be. While we can harm and damage it all we want, the earth will stand. But that is NOT the reason for us to keep on exploiting Earth and use it as an excuse to damage it immaturely. Of course, James Cameron did so by entwining it with the spiritual element, i.e. the goddess helping the natives to protect the balance of nature. Honestly, without her divine help, the machines are going to be the winner in Avatar the movie. So PERHAPS, James Cameron believe in a god that has created this universe, whoever that god may be. Some Christians may disapprove this movie for promoting animism. But I beg to differ. I think James Cameron is just borrowing a tribal culture thingy that most of us are familiar with and using it in his film so that what is shown in his film can connect easily with his audience. Like tribe = natives = no clothes = wild = coconuts = coconut with a face = a god = tribal dance. So is James Cameron promoting animism through Avatar? Well, I believe that is not his overarching intention. It is just something that associates with tribes and natives kinda stuff. But I think the fact that he has chosen to show a spiritual side of things in this film shows he has a certain kind of supernatural outlook in life. That to me is enouraging enough. In fact, there are a few instances when the lines of the characters are actually taken from the Bible. Example #1 [something like this] Neytiri's Mother: They will not learn anything. Their cups are too full. Jake Sully: But my cup is empty. Example #2: The Hallelujah Mountains. [Duh? Haha.] Of course, this doesn't mean much in itself but for a Christian like me, I do get revelations from a secular movie like this. And such biblical associations do mean certain things for me. Thirdly, some people think that Avatar is showing an exaggerated destruction that will never take place on planet Earth. Well, I believe that through this show, James Cameron offers us space for a possibility of earthly destruction the way we have seen it in Avatar's Pandora which is NOT on earth, by the way. Just like how computer games simluate an alternate universe, James Cameron's attempt of doing so allows us to imagine and fantasize in it. And while doing this, messages that would NEVER have been delivered to his intended audience because of the way reality limits us, or how certain groups of people saying it is impossible that something like that would occur on earth, would be delivered. Of course, it is nevertheless up to the individual himself to accept James Cameron's course of argument. What we do know is that this movie has siginifcantly contributed to the library of social commentary. And I think James Cameron and his creation of Avatar deserve every applause, award, and dollar. This is why, I'm glad I watched Avatar not once but twice to capture its full meaning. And I'm glad this movie is doing very well in profits almost everywhere. =) Love Avatar, hope movies like that are produced more often! Labels: movie review 3:18 PM
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
He was cool (那小子真帅) I thoroughly enjoyed this Korean comedy movie. It really made me laugh throughout. And the male lead is soooooo handsome....ah. Ok. Control control. But I thought it was an irony....after reading comments on youtube I found out that the female lead has already died...she Jung Da Bin, who died in 2007. All the euphoria caught from the comedy movie just disappeared. Her death was a suspected suicide....I have no comments.... Labels: movie review 11:51 PM
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