…insecure.

Actually, that’s not true, since I got hit by a random bout of angst (i.e. having no choice but to sit down – I was walking down a staircase at the time – and just brood) just last Saturday. But that was for a totally seperate reason (I hope).

This afternoon, I was greeted with a mail from my FE1006 (Mathematics 1) tutor informing me (along with several others) that he was preparing a make-up quiz for all those who haven’t taken their quiz yet. I was on the list because I haven’t attended a single FE1006 tutorial since the beginning of the semester – because it is the third time I’ve applied for the module. The one module that everyone seems to be passing – I fail. Last semester, I took it for granted that I would pass it second-time around… and this semester, I had other things to worry about – the four other modules I didn’t pass.

There. Story of my life, essentially.

Anyway, back to today. I found myself in a fix. Normally, the exam being only four days away, this would be great news – a chance not only to earn the 30% CA grade, but also to test how well prepared I was for the exams next week. However, I hadn’t touched FE1006 at ALL before today. It wasn’t part of my revision schedule (which, as you can imagine, is in shambles). So I hurried to refresh my year-old memory about the (rather simple) topics on vectors and integration. I scanned through as much lecture notes as possible and thought myself adequately prepared as I left for the quiz.

Yeah, should have recognised the same feeling I had entering the examination hall around this time last year. I got an E for that paper, by the way. And an F for the retest. Anyway, back to the quiz. Three questions. Simple concepts tested. I looked at them and my mind went blank.

Actually, that’s not quite accurate. I knew exactly how to solve them. I had the steps right in my head. I knew I had to get the cross product of the vectors and simply equate the answer to the co-ordinates of the given point. I just didn’t know how to find the cross product of two vectors.

It’ll be a miracle if I do better this time around compared to the last time.

Don’t get me wrong. I know the adage – “People who keep saying they will fail, will fail.” I know all about self-fulfilling prophecies. I know that despite my lack of desire to do well while in NTU, I should still try my best to pass. I know, I know, I know. It’s just that right now… I’m just…. stuck.

Try this out.

And this.

In fact, the whole site is pretty cool.

Well, despite (or perhaps because of) Saturday night’s fiasco, I was determined to catch Wong Kar Wai’s 2046. So on Sunday I asked a close friend from CSA out to catch it. I kinda wished I watched it alone, though, because I think she wasn’t prepared for the kind of movie 2046 is. But, in my defence, I had no idea what to expect either. So there, everyone’s happy. On to the review.

(note: I wrote this post-movie last night, but having gone to the official site just prior to writing this, I might have new insights and whatnot.)

2046 is the kind of story you wish you thought of yourself. It’s the kind of tale that conciously (or perhaps without intending to) drives a myriad of messages to its audience in the hope that at least one or two survive long enough to be planted in heart and mind. It’s the kind of parable that is deceptively complex and surreal at first glance, yet focuses attention on the perennial themes of love and loss.

On the surface, 2046 is a science fiction story about a Japanese man (Takuya Kimura) who is making a trip back from a perceived utopia, the first to ever consider such an action. The journey back seems to take much longer than he remembers, and it takes all of his mental tenacity as well as the company of the female android attendants to stay sane (giving new meaning to the term ‘cabin fever). But the real drama lies in the story of the writer of 2046. A freelance journalist in his early thirties, Chow Mo-Wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) is a man of the world. He indulges himself in the proverbial wine, women and song as he lives day to day as a swinging bachelor.

That is, until he meets Lulu (Carina Lau), a woman from his past. She doesn’t seem to recognise him, but he recalls their conversations, seemingly insensitively reminding her of a man whom she loved, but lost to death. Lulu is obviously distraught by the memory, and drinks heavily before passing out. Chow is forced to bring her to her hotel, where she stays in room 2046. He puts her in bed and puts the blanket over her still body, before leaving the room, not realising that it will be the last time he sees her. She is murdered that very night.

Somehow sensing a connection to the room 2046, he later attempts to rent it for himself. Not succeeding, he settles for room 2047 instead, where he lives for the next several years, writing trashy erotic novels to pay his way. He also begins to write a novel entitled “2046″, the science fiction story mentioned above. As the years pass, however, “2046″ and a later work, “2047″, become allegories of his life, as he begins to infuse elements of his reality into his work.

In the movie, which references a couple of director Wong’s previous works (the character of Chow is from In the Mood for Love, also played by Tony Leung), Chow plays a dreary vision of the Everyman – one who lives for himself, his job serving only as his means of livelihood. A man who, despite having tasted the pleasures of the world, gains no long term pleasure or fulfilment from it, preferring to live for the moment instead. A man who, despite subconciously looking for a love he lost, chooses to reject someone who loves him and consequently becomes rejected by someone new whom he falls for. Thus is one of the themes played out – that love is intrinsically, a matter of timing.

Of all the women that Chow meets in and around 2046, the fiesty Bai Ling (Zhang Ziyi) is truly the most memorable. Initially wary of Chow’s playboy charms, and seemingly immune to his flirting technique, Bai soon discovers that she is falling in love with him. I personally thought that it was just the sex she enjoyed, but I guess no one can truly determine when love occurs. In one of her best performances to date, Zhang brings everything to the table, as her character devolves from a hot-headed, flirtatious woman into the insecure, emotionally-dependent girl she is inside. One truly sympathises with Bai Ling, a woman who allowed a simple affair to develop into a full blown crush and then be devastated upon the realisation that her feelings were never reciprocated in the first place. It is also interesting to note that Bai Ling does not have a direct counterpart in Chow’s novel, although it may be speculated that the generic android cc1966 (Chang Chen) is an amalgamation of Bai Ling and several of the other women he dated around that time.

In contrast, Wang Jing Wen (Faye Wong) is the woman whom Chow finds himself falling for, when she reveals her passion and ability for writing. Unfortunately for him, she is already in love with a Japanese businessman, despite the language barrier and her father’s initial condemnation. Chow finds himself unable to charm her, a little because she doesn’t seem to respond the way most women do, but also due to the fact that he can’t bring himself to treat her like he does other women. Instead, he projects her into his novel, as the android wjw1967, the one with “delayed reaction”.

More to come after my lecture…

EDIT: Actually, I lost my train of thought. So I’ll just conclude.

2046 makes a strong impact on any man who has ever fallen in love. It is a story that resonates among us because we always (often subconciously) harken back to our true love – whatever or whoever it may be. Perhaps that is why it is suggested that men are able to emotionally detach themselves when necessary. Perhaps it is because we were never fully attached to anything but that one true love. In the story, Chow cannot quite get over Su Lizhen (Maggie Cheung’s character from In the Mood for Love, reprised as an android in the story) who did not quite reciprocate. When he finally thinks he can, it’s because he ends up attaching himself to Wang Jing Wen (Faye Wong) who cannot reciprocate his love.

Wong Kar Wai’s theme that “true love is a matter of timing” reminds us of the unpredictability and unhappiness that life is often about.

Was having supper at Jago Close with several friends from church when the topic turned to movies that we’ve watched recently. Naturally, felt very intimidated trying to push Sky Captain over the movie a couple of women were championing, 2046. Kinda made me NOT want to catch 2046, actually, despite looking forward to it ever since it spawned that little Cannes fiasco where director Wong Kar Wai only managed to bring a copy of the film late to the cinema.

Ah well.

Decided on the way back home to re-write my review of Sky Captain, in a way to bolster my flagging self-esteem after tonight’s little debate. So here goes.

The first thing that strikes you about the movie is just how stunningly beautiful it is. The atmosphere is simple and clean, which of course harkens to a distant future (it is said that most imaginable futures are either squeaky clean or immensely dirty), yet somehow the film manages to retain a certain air of decades past – a feeling derived from the fashion trend, the technology used and the general bleakness of the scene.

Yet, there remains a serene awe of each visual as the movie flows from one scene to another, a contemplative wonder of a time frame that all but the oldest members of our world can still remember seeing so vividly. There is no shock value throughout the whole movie. Each jaw-dropping location is simply presented to you, whether you notice it or not.

Such is the wonder that is Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

Initially named The World of Tomorrow, the name itself is a misnomer because what you are seeing is really the world of the past, or the world that always is. The show begins in a idealistic version of 1930s USA, where the Hindenberg accident that prevented hydogen-filled zeppelins from becoming a transportation panacea never occured. Instead, zeppelins now are the preferred mode of cross-Atlantic transport, and one – the rather unoriginally named Hindenberg III – just arrives in New York City carrying a passenger with a cryptic mission.

He is Dr. Jorge Vargas, a member of an elite group of scientists and one of only two still at large. The others have disappeared in mysterious circumstances and Vargas is trying to look for his one remaining compatriot before all their research is lost. However, Vargas is barely able to pass on two unlabelled vials before he too is kidnapped.

As yet another scientist goes missing, the case is picked up by intrepid reporter Polly Perkins (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) who, despite her editor (Michael Gambon, aka Professor Dumbledore) Paley’s empathic requests that she drop the story, decides to track down the remaining doctor. Before she can fully understand what’s going on, New York City is invaded by an army of giant robots who seem to destroy everything in their path.

We are then introduced to our hero, the swashbuckling, death-defying, Joe “Sky Captain” Sullivan (Jude Law), who in a moment rivalling Legolas in Return of the King, takes out one robot and prevents the whole mechanical troop from further destruction.

And thus begins an adventure like no other. In the seemingly short span of 107 minutes, we are introduced to the hidden base of Sky Captain, the ships of Royal Navy (which, as it turns out, has their R&D people working overtime), the secret location of Shambala (in the neighbourhood of Mount Everest) and uncover a dastardly plot to destroy the world.

In his directorial debut, Kerry Conron creates a world that almost every comic enthusiast, film noir fan and adventure game player will immediately recognise. The dashing hero, the ditsy love interest, the grand scheme of unadulterated evil and of course, the sexy, sensuous, in-your-face Angelina Jolie.

Okay, maybe the last one didn’t quite fit, but damn, did she make the film all the more enjoyable to watch.

Jude Law owns the film. As Sky Captain Joe Sullivan, he is the ultimate superhero: fearless, gets all the good lines, saves the day (and the girl) and still looks drop dead smashing in his flight gear. Jude Law is truly in his element, as years and years of stage experience come to the forefront as he turns a dangerously cheesy script into a true fantasy for all ages. Thanks to him, Joe Sullivan becomes more than your run-of-the-mill superman, but instead becomes a real character for all in the audience. Love or hate the Sky Captain, you can’t deny your admiration for him.

Gwyneth Paltrow makes the most of a rather simple role, that of the damsel in distress. She just exudes the chauvinist stereotype of the typical femme – blonde and beautiful, but air-headed and much too self-absorbed. Playing a role made famous by Bonita Granville (aka Nancy Drew) and duplicated dozens of times: Kim Basinger (Batman’s Vicky Vale) and Judith Hoag (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ April O’Neill). Paltrow seems rather uncomfortable playing Polly Perkins, probably because she tries too hard to add a dimension of realism to her character. One would think a slightly less-serious actress such as Basinger or Jenny McCarthy could do more justice to the role. Nonetheless, it seems Paltrow was willing to sign on to the project at a wage much lower than she commands, so kudos to her for that.

Perhaps the real saving grace of the movie is Angelina Jolie, who steals much of the show in the short time she is on the screen (apparently she filmed all her scenes in 3 days). As Captain Frankie Cook of the British Navy, her character is undoubtedly the only modern touch to the film. Even the rather macho Sky Captain treats her like an equal, talking to her in a way that is very different from his attitude towards Polly. Perhaps much of the success of Jolie’s character is ironically, the fact that she is still very much Angelina Jolie – the same kick-ass actress that can be seen in Gone in Sixty Seconds, the Tomb Raider movies, heck, even way back in Hackers. After almost half an hour of the annoying Polly Perkins, Jolie is a breath of fresh air. Too bad her role was so limited though.

But, as I mentioned at the beginning, the real draw of the movie is undoubtedly the visuals achieved by the 95% use of CGI in the whole movie. It is the scores of visual effects people who should truly be applauded for their excellent work on the film.

I give it a 9 out of 10 (7 for the CGI, 1 for Jude Law and 1 for Angelina Jolie).

Friendster now allows you to post your RSS feed to your profile, allowing everyone in your “Friends List” to read your blog via your profile page! So do visit this blog via my profile one of these days.

In other news…

I miss dys. Just saying “in other news” makes me realise acutely that her last post on her blog was in August. I wonder how she is?

But anyway.

I caught Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow last night with my usual movie watching group. I loved the movie. It was one of those movies that just made you snuggle back in your chair and enjoy the ride. Suspension of belief and all that jazz. Also realised how Angelina Jolie can make just about any movie she’s in worth watching.

I just hope I can say the same about Will Smith when I probably catch Shark Tale next Friday.

This morning Professor Douglas Osheroff, Nobel laureate for Physics and a lecturer at Stanford gave a public lecture on the effects of ultra-low temperatures on Helium-3.

Needless to say, I was pretty much lost from the get-go.

However, before the end of the lecture, a question prompted Prof. Osheroff to say this:

“Don’t be discouraged by failure. Failure is sometimes Nature’s way of telling you to do something else.”

And then, I knew that it was meant for me.

Eternal Father, I offer you, the body and blood, soul and divinity of your dearly begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

Funny how I should think of this devotion at 3p.m., just while my parents are watching Mel Gibson’ Passion of the Christ in the living room. Then again, maybe it isn’t so funny after all.