Movies and muffins

There's been plenty of good movies lately. Not that I'm complaining.

I've watched three movies in two weeks, two of which were watched on consequent days at one shot. I caught the Swedish film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was awesome kickass. I heard Hollywood's gonna remake the show? I don't think I'll watch the remake. Like the original is always so much better. Like I mean, look at Hollywood's remake of other foreign films such as the Japanese "The Ring" or the Korean "Il Mare" *coughs*). And also, the American actress they've chosen to play the lead character, Lisbeth, just looks so tame in comparison to the Swedish actress, Noomi Rapace, who was totally totally right for the character. She got herself immersed in the role completely. From a non-smoker, she started smoking ciggies like nobody's business, and those piercings? Real. She is like super unrecognisable from her pre-movie photos. Like I said, kickass. The movie is based on a set of trilogy books, so I can't wait to watch the other two movies when they show. Hmmm. Still thinking if I should read the books...

Superb performance by lead actress, Noomi Rapace

Mao's Last Dancer

I had been waiting for this movie to come out in the Singapore theatres for ages. Jamie dear had already caught it long long long ago I think, last year even, and I was so jealous. When I finally saw that it was screening in cinemas, it was like "YAY!". I don't really watch movies nowadays, and sometimes, I end up missing a couple of movies I've wanted to watch, but just didn't have the time or company to go. So it was a real pleasure that I actually got my girlfriend to accompany me to watch the film over the weekend. The film was great. Seriously.

A depressing weekend

There are many movies nowadays that are adapted from popular novels. And although I can see why the movie companies do it (why, for the money of course!), sometimes I think they should just leave the books alone. Stories read in black ink on white paper, just seems so much more arresting than the feelings actors can evoke. Words just seems to capture the moment, the emotions, the characters ever more clearly than how some actors and directors think.

Having just watched the movie The Time Traveler's Wife (without having first read the book), I think it was a nice movie yes. But often, when the movie plot is derived from a book, and one that I've actually read, the movie just loses its overall appeal. Sure, I head to the cinemas just like anyone else to catch such films when they are released. But, deep down, I secretly think that always, no matter how good the movie was, the book automatically wins, hands down. I feel that now that I've watched the film, when I read the book, I'll probably change my opinion of the movie and think that the show wasn't that good afterall.

And speaking of movies/books, I've just finished reading My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, another big screen adaptation. I must say, the whole book made me think a lot. About siblings, about life, about health, about the law, about choices and most of all, about fate. I cried while flipping through the last few pages of the novel. The ending was just so...I can't think of how to describe, but it was just so sad...

Then on the same day I finished the book, I was watching telly (how rare! I'm always watching vids on my computer. snigger) at night. In the drama, someone's grandma dies in a fire and the granddaughter was held back by others cos she wanted to dash in to save her granny. Seriously, enough is enough.

What an emotionally depressing weekend.