the night is young
Dec. 17th, 2007 01:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
methrowrock"A group representing small island states strategically positioned itself outside the area where ministers met to "drown their sorrows while waiting to drown", as a handwritten sign declared." HAHAHA. That is not a scene from a skit on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart and the like, instead it happened at the United Nations climate conference in Bali, where the representatives from 190 nations converged to work a pact to battle global warming. Politics can be such fun sometimes. All the drama, tension, confrontations and strife followed by reconciliations and comprosmises the very next moment. Dude, the way these international powwows play out can rival the scripts of Days of Our Lives. It is fascinating to see how politics works. Especially how the delegates would haggle relentlessly with each other, trying to get the best bargain and most benefits for their own country, all the while being extremely polite and diplomatic about it. Okay, even when they clobber each other over the head with shoes, like in Taiwan's national assemblies, it still makes for good entertainment. I would love to study International Relations in future but ack, my parents want me to go into the science field. And I may, considering how much of a conformist I am- picked and got into NJ Science which seems to delight them much more than me-, which is a surprise really, especially since my personal motto is to live my own life, by my own rules. I have no confidence in my abilities though. Arghhh, I don't know. Think about it some other time.
Anyway, I watched The Warlords today. The movie was not bad, albeit a little too depressing and long. Some of the epic battle scenes were drawn out for too long, I felt. But the director did a great job in bringing out stark emotions to life. Despite the sets being all washed in drab gray tones, there were several scenes that made a deep and lasting impression on me. One scene had to be Wu Yang's emotionally-charged parading of the enemy's head. Tears were rolling down, he was grinning and frowning at the same time, full of riotous feelings in contrast to the expressionless head. Triumph, gratification, disgust, recognition? Maybe all of that. Another was the juxtaposition of the 3 brothers, General Pang bidding farewell to Er Hu by toasting an empty seat, Er Hu riding to his death with the intent of warning General Pang that he is to be assassinated without realizing it is a trap, Wu Yang discovering General Pang's plan and carrying out his attempt at solving the problem. The editing was good, and it helped parallel the deviation of paths for the 3 brothers which made it even more heartbreaking. They had been so close initially, undergoing a blood oath and joining the army with the common goal of helping the village. But as time passed, the differences in their respective mindsets grew clearer and clearer, fuelled by the insanity of war, leading to mistrust, suspicion and inevitably, betrayal. However, till the end, loyalty remained ingrained in them, as can be seen by Er Hu's immediate takeoff to warn Pang, Wu Yang's killing of Pang and Pang's relenting to let Wu Yang kill him, which makes their deaths all the more poignant because they could have avoided all of this if they remained unshakeable in their trust in each other and not be swayed by petty whispers, ambition and women. Can humans never get the better of power and lust? It is nearly always these two sins that degrade the beautiful spirit of brotherhood or friendship. It is sad, really..
Anyhoo, enough with the bleakness. Time for frivolity! Takeshi Kaneshiro has such pretty eyes that even blood and grime cannot take away their splendour haha. Andy Lau was great in this movie. Jet Li, hmm, he got to show off more acting chops than usual heh. Zzz, I'm getting sleepy. But first, off to watch 30 Rock on tudou now, terra.
Anyway, I watched The Warlords today. The movie was not bad, albeit a little too depressing and long. Some of the epic battle scenes were drawn out for too long, I felt. But the director did a great job in bringing out stark emotions to life. Despite the sets being all washed in drab gray tones, there were several scenes that made a deep and lasting impression on me. One scene had to be Wu Yang's emotionally-charged parading of the enemy's head. Tears were rolling down, he was grinning and frowning at the same time, full of riotous feelings in contrast to the expressionless head. Triumph, gratification, disgust, recognition? Maybe all of that. Another was the juxtaposition of the 3 brothers, General Pang bidding farewell to Er Hu by toasting an empty seat, Er Hu riding to his death with the intent of warning General Pang that he is to be assassinated without realizing it is a trap, Wu Yang discovering General Pang's plan and carrying out his attempt at solving the problem. The editing was good, and it helped parallel the deviation of paths for the 3 brothers which made it even more heartbreaking. They had been so close initially, undergoing a blood oath and joining the army with the common goal of helping the village. But as time passed, the differences in their respective mindsets grew clearer and clearer, fuelled by the insanity of war, leading to mistrust, suspicion and inevitably, betrayal. However, till the end, loyalty remained ingrained in them, as can be seen by Er Hu's immediate takeoff to warn Pang, Wu Yang's killing of Pang and Pang's relenting to let Wu Yang kill him, which makes their deaths all the more poignant because they could have avoided all of this if they remained unshakeable in their trust in each other and not be swayed by petty whispers, ambition and women. Can humans never get the better of power and lust? It is nearly always these two sins that degrade the beautiful spirit of brotherhood or friendship. It is sad, really..
Anyhoo, enough with the bleakness. Time for frivolity! Takeshi Kaneshiro has such pretty eyes that even blood and grime cannot take away their splendour haha. Andy Lau was great in this movie. Jet Li, hmm, he got to show off more acting chops than usual heh. Zzz, I'm getting sleepy. But first, off to watch 30 Rock on tudou now, terra.
