What If You Had a Second Chance With the One Who Got Away?

Just a short review of a couple of movies that have caught my attention over the last few years.

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Flashback 2004:

That was when my love for movie-watching really began. Was in my 2nd year of Uni, 1st year abroad. Stuck with nothing much to do apart from books and cooking lunch and/or dinner everyday. Hence, my flatmates and I (Yumi and Kathrin) started a movie-going-club. Our aim was simple - one movie per month. It was great fun.

So off we went, one cold wintry night in January for our routine movie outings. Yumi, Kathrin, Michelle and I decided to watch "Closer". It looked promising judging from its stellar cast; Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts. How bad could that movie be? And off we went to AMC Cinemas at Greater Northern for the movie.

"If you believe in love at first sight, you'll never stop looking."

(This probably explains the cause of infidelities! The constant yearning for more and for something better! Fallacies of the human mind yet again!)

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closer_%28film%29)

Guess you may now wonder.... What's this movie about? 3 words - Sex, deceit and lies! This sums up the entire movie. Which probably explains why it never made its way to our Malaysian shores.

Anyway, in we went for the movie. And out we came after the movie, with complaints! The movie was slow moving, and a bit too 'vague' for our liking. We had absolutely no idea on the main plot. It was basically all about sex and infidelity (without a proper script). *period*

The only good thing about the movie is the soundtrack. Don't you all agree that a good song that is able to potray the emotions in the movie rocks big time!? So to speak, I fell in love with Damien Rice's "Blower's Daughter". Though I didn't like the movie itself, I think the song is able to potray the right emotions of the actors and actresses in the movie. The simple melody.... Ah! Listening to the song right now invokes memories of images of Natalie Portman walking down the streets alone.... Loneliness.... Jude Law's infidelity.... It brings about realisation (within me) of the emptiness deep within the soul of these characters whose life is filled with so much uncertainty, devoid of love... and feelings of longing... and the urge to be wanted...

Which is probably why I like this song so much; it captures the essence of the movie. And it does make a good song for when I'm driving alone at night, on the highway.....

"....Can't take my eyes of you..... Can't take my mind of you...." or so the song goes...


Fast-forward 2008:

It's a wonder how much things have changed. Yumi's back in Japan, Kathrin's back in Germany (working in Vienna though), Michelle's back in Boston, NY and I'm back in Malaysia. So yeah, our movie watcher's group have disbanded.

Yes, I still like the song. But, given a chance to watch the movie again, I doubt that I'll have the same reviews; i.e. Boring, Lousy.... I find that I've developed a penchant for slow-moving romantic movies recently. Evidenced by "The Lighthouse" (Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock) - well, it's not really that slow-moving. But critics have dismissed it as a pile of crap. Yet, I like it. The interaction between the characters. And of late, my recent discovery of yet another slow moving and simple movie, revolving around only 2 characters. Richard Linklater's 2004 production of "Before Sunset" set in Paris and its 1995 predecessor "Before Sunrise" set in Vienna. (Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphy)

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Before_Sunset)

Now, this is proof that men look better with age. Scroll down to see Ethan Hawke *gasps* 9 years younger! Looks a bit like Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Carribean III though!

(Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Before_Sunrise)

Not much to shout about as the movie revolves around 2 people (yes! only 2), and shot in different locations throughout the city. It's plain boring, some may say. But, I just love how the relationship between the two main characters unfold. Very much like watching 2 random people falling in love.

It bears the tagline, "What if you had a second chance with the one who got away?"

-LV-

But, how many of us would be lucky enough to be given that second chance? Seize the moment!