Have you ever been so lonely that you desire even a stranger's touch or so very scared, all you wanted to do was run as far away as you can or remember being a child and doing the silliest thing without realising the serious consequences of it?

Babel

Babel tells a story of these three real situations with the realism only a movie can achieve. From the director of 21 Grams, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu again weaves emotive visuals and rhythm with the concept of that we're all connected.  Kinda my idea of karma, no one actually ever thinks what we throw out will actually come back in ways we never even begin to phantom.

It's a movie with so many layers that touches (or not) every individual differently.  For me, he seemed to say never believe what you hear or read in the media, especially the news.  Objective journalism?  A little of an oxymoron from where I'm standing. 

Since starting my career in media, I've definitely learnt that the truth is only what you want to see.

So tell me what you saw in Babel 🙂 i.e. watch it … after all, it could be this year's Oscar winning best picture.

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My Mummy's back in Perth and enjoying the warm of summer while it's still a little cloudy here in Singapore.  Yep, she's pretty much the Queen in the Tan household except she's the type that cleans and cooks kinda Queen :)  Hear hear for Mummy!!!

Before Mummy packed her bags and got on a jet plane, we went to watch The Queen.  For me it was more about a young prime minister and his queen in an age old institution that may have no place in the 21st century, rather than the the queen and her relationship with Princess Diana (which was how they pretty much marketed it).  It must be tough having to put your people before your own self, but can you do that if you don't know your people?  Is there room in our modern world for monarchy? 

Well, peasant folk are strange that way, where there is an absent of a monarchy, they make up one where the rules are more fluid and princesses and queens could be here today and gone tomorrow ala Hollywood.  So maybe having the Queen around ain't that bad and thank goodness, her grandsons are turning out to be hotties :)  That's beside the point, my final say is to watch the movie if you have nothing else to watch … you can wait for it on DVD to catch the amazing Helen Mirren coz her performance is golden despite the medium.

Had it not been for Lady Mirren (if she's not one yet, I bet the Queen will make her one after this), this would have just been another Hallmark made-for-television movie.  I read somewhere that all she wanted was to portray the Queen as the woman she is and don't take my word for it; but you'll leave the the cinema thinking that royalty are grandmas too even if it is just a movie.  I'm not the only one who thinks so … afterall, Helen Mirren won the Golden Globe so she's likely to take the Oscar … I'm rooting for Meryl Streep though … sigh … what are the chances that the Oscars would consider a chick flick comedy?  One can hope, right?

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It's been a while since I went to the movies, so after much discussion, the movie gang got together and caught Blood Diamond.

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sigh … what can I say?  Ok … actually I have a lot to say … give the man an Oscar already.  I swear if he misses out on a nomination come Jan 23, I'll be a horrid person to be around :P  He was amazing already in This Boy's Life and What's Eating Gilbert Grape and who could ever forget Romeo+Juliet or Catch Me If You Can.  As you can tell, I'm still a sore that they didn't give him a Golden Globe. 

I thought he was great in The Departed but he was truly brillant in this movie.  I bet if Winnie watched it, she'll be a Leo convert too but alas she didn't watch it with us.

Since the movie will probably end its run soon, everyone who hasn't seen it should go watch it.  Sure, it's a Hollywood studio movie and a part of me is very thankful for that.  I pay good money for movies and the last thing I need is a news documentary that makes me feel sick in the stomach at the end of it.  That said though, there was still a lot of violence … too much for me yet enough story to be poignant and worth the watch. What impressed me was that the fairy tale bits didn't distract from the core and it was subtle enough not to preach.

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In my opinion, it could have been about anything timber, cotton, sweatshops, tea … everyday somewhere in the world, innocents are being exploited for no better reason, other than the fact that the powerful can do that to them.  Sadly sometimes the powerful are people they consider family and friends.  Other times, its the developed worlds that turn a blind eye to the exploitation so that their own lives get better than they already are. 

As consumers, do we really have a choice? 

In reality though, how can you explain to people who's biggest worry is to get their kid into an elite school and the kids' biggest worry is which generation computer console should they buy; third world exploitation are just content for overzealous journalists or a Hollywood movie that'll take up 143minutes of your life.

Choices are a luxury few can claim to enjoy.  I'll try to remember that everytime I start to gripe.  Who needs diamonds anyway 😉

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