PC Translations

When I began this blog, I was working on a translation project.  I translated a children's story from Chinese to English, posting short snippets here until it was done.  Or, until a first draft was done.

Don't miss the interview there.  It's a great read.

This is one of the things that Ang Lee does so well in all of his films.  He manipulates visual images so masterfully.  I loved the way this film was shot.  There were several moments like this one, where a momentary shot seemed to say so much.  The actors did an excellent job to pull it off, but I do think that most of the credit has to go to Ang Lee.  The man has a very good eye for images that have this sort of effect.

I enjoyed getting to hear a bit of Shanghainese dialect, and also a lot of Shanghai-accented Mandarin.  That was fun.  But of course, that was only a small part of the enjoyment.

The story was very well-told, and the acting was excellent.  I thought Tony Leung was in top form, and newcomer Tang Wei was magnificent.  All of the actors did a fantastic job bringing the film to life.  

 Lust, Caution has definitely been worth the wait!

** I watched the film in Singapore, so it was the censored version.  I can't comment on how graphic some of the scenes are in the uncensored version, though that has gotten a lot of comment in reviews. **

This got posted in the wrong spot.  If you'd like to read more about getting your poetry published, check at my poetically challenged blog, where this was supposed to appear.  (It's been moved to the correct place now.)

Overall, I liked the film. I did feel, however, that the "message" was a little too bald, without much subtlety to it.  It didn't necessarily detract from the story for me, and I think the issue raised (AIDS) is one well-worth thinking about.  I even felt like it was a good thing to show a lot of the misconceptions and the disregard for life that often can go along with the whole issue.  I just felt that perhaps a little more subtle treatment is more what I expect from an arts film.

That said, it is a movie that has stuck with me for these few days, giving me something to think about and ponder over.  To me, that is a mark of a movie that is not all bad, to say the least.  I do think it is a movie well worth the time it takes to watch.

If you are offended by nudity or coarse langauge, though, this is not the film for you.

I've recently come across a blogger who has some really funny cartoons about Malaysia life on his blog.  I found one that I think is really hilarious.  In the cartoon, Kher pokes fun at cultural differences between Malay and Chinese customs in Singapore and Malaysia.  I thought this was a really clever cartoon, and couldn't help but share it here.

The Legendary Courtesan is presently showing in conjunction with the local arts festival.  I went to see it over the weekend, and really enjoyed the film.  I thought the actors portraying Jing Yi, Nom Yi, and the magistrate all played their parts well, and made for good tension between the three of them.  The story is a fictional retelling of the life of a real courtesan.  I am not sure how accurate the details of the story are, but I did find it to be an interesting tale all the same.  And, since I'm a firm believer that an authentic feel to the story is more important that accuracy in every little detail of historical fiction, it worked well for me.

The film was, as many reviewers have stated, a little slow moving.  For me, that was ok.  I suppose if I were a younger viewer, it might have bothered me (I fell asleep during Out of Africa when I was small, but love it now).  I don't suspect it is a film that is for everyone, but if you like a thoughtful, well-told tale, then this is a good one to watch.