So's Reel Thoughts

with the help of a few of my friends, i have compiled the best romantic films of our generation just in the nick of valentine's day. some of these films are not all fairy tales but the subject of love is so prominent that it is forever embedded in our brains even after just one viewing.

because... beauty and the beast is a timeless classic and you honestly cant deny this oscar nominated love story that goes beyond the our first impressions.

because... like my friend linda says, the notebook is like crack. you honestly cant get enough of it. this is the quintessential chick flick of the once real-life couple goslin and mcadams that oozes with such passion that makes you want to cry mounds just thinking about how their love didnt endure.

because... breakfast in tiffany displays the girl we all want to be and the man who would not give up on her...

because... it makes you question if women and men can really be just friends. and all you really need is time for people to be brought farther and closer together from each other.

because... im a cynic at heart and itll take a bad boy to melt it to goo.

cause like harold and maude, love is ageless.

because... the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind shows that true love is prominently destined even with the jumbling of fate.

because... we all impatiently wait for our other half and also secretly stalk our crushes even if we will never admit it in a million years.

because sometimes not even love can keep two people together.

because... zooey deschanel and joesph gordon-levitt is so effing cute together. and because we all know that our first love never lasts.

because... it tests the boundaries of manhood and turbulences of friendships.

you were one fucking great fashion designer whose talents truly couldnt be paralleled. thank you for your inhibited and boundless imagination that help expand the fashion world by a milestone.

rip.

the prospect of musicians scoring films didnt sound promising to me. maybe its cause ive been inundating my ears in the orchestra ballads of a single man and 2046. but after reading an article that indie french band phoenix was scoring sophia coppola's next film, somewhere, i was actually ecstatic. not only are her films formulated with such perfection but her impeccable choice of music is even better. although, it is not completely surprising considering that she has a child and another one on the way with the front man, thomas mars. but nonetheless, im sure it'll be amazing and i cant wait!

somewhere is a dramedy directed sofia coppola (lost in translations, the virgin suicides) and starring stephen dorff and elle fanning. it is expected to come out this year. !!!!!!!

p.s. i hear that daft punk is scoring tron legacy!!!! itll be one ammmmmmmmazing ride!!!

i know this is old but i cant get over it, its so beautiful. with the sun piercing through the drowsy and constipated clouds, i feel like dancing in my underwear to this song knowingly that the rays have promptly laid his hand on my shoulder to tell me that its ok to smile today.

this is my friend michelle cho. this is her song, a story. its very quirky and has cute lyrics so give it a go!

this is a story
about a man
he bumped into a woman
the other day

he said i'm sorry
ma'am i'm in a hurry
I am terribly late to work

she said no worries
but I think you might
have me mistaken
I'm actually a man

entirely embarrassed
from head to toe
he said, I'm sorry I have to
I have to go home

and he never,
no he never
said sorry
ever again.

this is a story
about a man
he never bumped into
anybody ever again.

shes such an amazing artist in general. check out her wordpress.

the vanity fair, march 2010 issue is all about film! its so amazing. as usual, annie leibovitz photographs the oscar nominated films and the visionaries who had the balls to create them.

check out the rest here!!

when in rome was worse than expected. the same director that directed the beautifully heartfelt simon birch completely tears when in rome to shreds. yes yes its all about the money but come on, there shouldve been some effort put into this. and the producers shouldve known better to have done a chick flick written by two guys. even the 2002 mary-kate and ashley flick by the same name is better than this mess. im starting to think that they cant make a decent chick flick anymore. D

CLICK HERE FOR THE 82ND ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS...

the edge of darkness is an adaptation of the 1985 BBC television series of the same name. it stars Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone. it is directed by Martin Campbell who did 2006's casino royale and green latern out in 2011. ( i got confused with that and the green hornet which michel gondry is going to direct, weeiiiiird..)

the edge of darkness follows a detective (gibson) investigating the murder of his activist daughter, while uncovering political conspiracies and cover-ups along the way.

this seemingly typical vengeance film turned out to be more than i bargained for. it was not only unexpectedly thoughtful and endearing but with that it took 30-plus minutes out of my life. great story, great resolution, not so great pacing. i felt the sigh release from the audiences' sour breath knowing that the film wasnt over just yet. they tried to make a dramatic unraveling with a not so dramatic twist. it had substance, it just needed to be presented to the audience quicker before they got lost in the mist of the one-liners and action scenes. B-

i thought this would be very apt considering sundance just ended and its almost valentines day to introduce blue valentine. los angeles times has named their top seven films from sundance which includes the love story between a married couple (gosling & williams) and chronicles the evolution of their love within multiple time periods.

los angeles times says:

"Blue Valentine" -- The only movie with any

stars on this list; in fact, it's the only scripted feature made for more than a tiny budget that's on this list. But it's here for good reason. There's an almost hypnotic quality to how Derek Cianfrance shot his marital drama, and how stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play the couple carrying out that drama. Even when they're fighting like De La Hoya and Pacquiao, you can't take your eyes off their interaction, so intense and believable it's almost chemical.

and by the photographs, i can see what he means. i hope this turns out to be what im expecting it to be. and what im expecting is a timeless love story about the first true love in our lives which like polaroids slowly develop to capture the only momentary innocence and happiness in our persistently evolving lives...

click to see the other top films in sundance.

gaaaad, i cant wait for the day when i can actually go to sundance for free! hahha a girl can dream right? well all i can hope is for my film to one day be premiered at sundance. oohhhhh the excitement! and until that day comes, ill keep on updating you on the latest films shown at the infamous park city festival.

Get Low (2009)

aaron schneider's cinematography work includes the films kiss the girls and simon birch. he has won an oscar for best short subject called two soldiers. and now, he is out for make his directorial debut with get low. get low stars robert duvall as felix, a man who threw his own funeral in the 1930s tennessee. it also stars sissy spacek, bill murray, lucas black and many others.

im assuming this will be hilarious just by the absolutely ridiculous premise. this is something i would say and want to do. i just never thought anyone wouldve suggested it and actually have accomplished. hehe.

Howl (2010)

howl is centered on the obscenity trial allen ginsberg faced after the publication of his poem, howl. the poem is considered one of the most important works of the beat generation along with jack kerouac's on the road and william burroughs' naked lunch. the poem was deemed as to be obscene and the poet/publisher was arrested and charged with its publication. on oct 3, 1957, the poem was ruled out as not obscene and howl went on to become one of the most popular poem of the beat generation.

when i was 15/16, i wanted to be part of the beat generation and was encouraged and inspired to read most of jack kerouac's books and others. they rejected the mainstream american values, experimented with drugs and forms of sexuality and had an interest in eastern spirituality. im not saying that i wanted to be drugged up and have sex with every person i met. but, the new wave of freedom and liberation in the us was first inspired and developed by them. if you havent read any of novels of the beat generation, i strongly suggest you do.

howl stars james franco as allen ginsberg and other actors like mary-louise parker, jeff daniels, jon hamm.

Hesher (2010)

i cant find a decent synopsis to this film but to sum it up, hesher is a story about a family struggling to deal with a loss and the anarchist head banger who helps them through it.

this odd and refreshing new mix of my favorite actors have already got my vote to see the film.

joesph gordon-levitt, natalie portman, rainn wilson. i dont think it gets better than that. itll be fun to see the vastly different characters interact with each other. i think the director can explain it to you better than i can..

my rubbery skin is starting to disintegrate before my eyes

i almost cant put the pieces together from the person you were

little time has gone by but all the memories have started to fade.

our hands were tied together but you kept chewing on the ropes.

we were bound by fate.

but you wanted freedom.

as the days went on, the chewing increased

on november 14, with one last bite, it unraveled all at once

the rubbing of the eyes has only made my skin into sand paper

but thats how the internal side of me feels

rough and rigid

the wigs to my life have been changing and morphing,

hoping that you wont recognize me underneath the bruises that have formed and stained.

the rubbing of the skin has only worsened it.

as i stand in front of myself, the only person i see is a shadow

but im not scared. i accept this.

itll be the closest thing to not being who i was.

air doll is a 2009 japanese drama directed by hirokazu koreeda. it is based on a manga by yoshiie goda. middle aged hideo lives alone with his inflatable doll he calls nozomi. the doll is his closest companion as he dresses her, talks to her over dinner and even has sexual intercourse with her.

this story seems strangely familar to the 2007 film, lars and the real girls. but unlike lars, nozumi was actually made with a heart. after hideo leave for work everyday, she roams and explores the world outside of her lonely apartment only to discover that people in the city are as hollow and empty as she is. as she glides among the city with the same soulless passengers, she discovers the true meaning of happiness but is ultimately interrupted by a dramatic turn of events.

bae doona is nozumi in air doll. but outside of her flatable world, she is one of korea's finest actresses. she is best known for her role as the protagonist's political activist girlfriend in park chan wook's sympathy for mr. vengeance (2002) and as park nam-ju in the host (2006), which is currently the biggest grossing film in south korean box office history. not only was she able to conquer korean cinema but her transition to japanese films is seamless as clearly shown in the air doll trailer. this south korean model, actress, and photography has managed to keep her feet balanced in both the art cinema and blockbuster world. i cant wait to see what she'll do next!

check out the trailer..!! i hope this comes to america soon..

ive seen a lot of films lately but i cannot express in detail what was so good or bad about each film. i think i can begin to explain but i certainly dont think i can finish. after an exhausting week of production and work, i cant do anything but stare at the emptiness of the cold air. i cant find the right words to say. but hopefully the stills of each film can tell you more than my short tongue can.

the young victoria (2009)

The Young Victoria is based around the rise to the throne and early reign of queen victoria of the united kingdom and her marriage to prince albert. this martin scorsese produced film radiantly glows with eye popping shots and lighting that will make any cinematographer wooing and oooing with every shot.

i first saw emily blunt in the devil wears prada back as the fiesty and appropriately named, emily. three years later, she takes her jimmy choos off and steps into the couture of the victorian era. she has made the most exquisite leap from the indie drama, sunshine cleaning to the blockbuster, wolfman. with her endless range of acting credentials and vareity, it is no wonder why emily blunt has been nominated for best female actress in the golden globes. even though she did not win, just the fact of being nominated should prove the talent that she possesses. B+

the book of eli (2010)

the book of eli is a hyper stylized post-apocalyptic movie that will certainly quench the thirst of action lovers. the hughes brothers who have done menace II society and from hell is back for more suspense and thrill with the book of eli.

although the film has the always phenomenal denzel washington, gary oldman, and still amateur mila kunis, the film lacks. no doubt are we highly entertained by the badass sword fights and interaction from the two thespian veterans, but the climax or "twist" is not much of a twist. it seems like the hughes bros were torn trying to please both the critics and audience with their swift actions scenes and religious messages. C+

the lovely bones (2009)

alice sebold's 2002 critically acclaimed novel, the lovely bones is about a teenage girl who after she is murdered, looks down upon her family and friends as they go on with their lives. peter jackson who is best known for directing the lord of the rings trilogy set out to capture susie salmon's life and what came after it.

peter jackson's adaptation of the lord of the ring received many praises and awards and it would seem that adapting any novel would be a piece of cake to him by now. we were surely wrong but we were close. a peek into salmon's world between earth and heaven is a magical paradise as we run with her through seas of flowers and rainbow dipped waterfalls. but the audience is easily distracted by her fantasy world whenever the real world's problems start to intervene.

instead of a story of acceptance, the film turns the plot into a revenge story that keeps circling around and around till the audience is dizzy as well as the characters. marky mark commonly known as mark walhberg bring forth his hidden obsessive side to uncover the truth about his daughter's murder. the suspense can be well compared to alfred hitchcock's level of intensity.

and with that level of intensity, some scenes will surely be a hair grabber. dont be surprised to find that you've lost some of your hair after watching the unbearably intense, even penetrating climax scene. the extent of jackson's direction is uncanny but salmon continuously becomes torn in a tug of war game between her past life and future life. B-

this weekend my production crew and i finished filming my short film, appetite! after almost 48 hours of strenuous work, it is finally completed! we will start editing soon and entering it into film festivals. ill keep you updated. but until then, enjoy!