August 22, 2016

Living Dead

Living Dead


She's almost in her quarter-life year, and she still hasn't figured out what she wants to do with her life. She has dreams and goals, but she never acts on them. She's like a cliché story of a human afraid to fall. Always choosing the zone of comfort. She's such a perfectionist she refuses to even jump. She tells herself she is fine. She settles. She stays put. She continues to hope, though. Only hope. Never moves. But she almost always cannot stand it. She always finds herself wanting more, like the ambitious person she always thought she was. So she moves on, instead of actually making a move. She chooses from other thousand things she has in mind she wants to do too. Switching from one plan to another. Time and time again, she convinces herself that she's okay being just this. After all those years, she still thinks it's a phase that is going to pass. But more days come, even more people go, and nothing's changing. The only sure things gone are her youth, her drive, her motivation. She further builds the wall she created a long time ago. She's still frightened of the world.

Every night, she lies down for hours. She closes her eyes but she does not fall asleep. Her mind, always wandering around the corners of her thoughts in the dawn of night. She says, "human existence is short, and fragile. Full of hopes and regrets." She argues that she is among the 'everyone' who does not become what they dream. Then the wall that always stands quietly, never talking back, speaks, "Or perhaps, not everyone dreams hard enough to turn it into reality."

She's in her quarter life. She doesn't know how to do so many things, still. She stays away from people, still. But every morning, she still wakes up. She still drinks coffee while extremely thinking about life. It's a sad world. Very few are living. Millions are only existing. "How do you not get suck in a limbo big enough for the whole population of planet earth?" She's running out of time. But she gets by another day.

(c)

August 19, 2016

IN PHOTOS: Renewal Day

IN PHOTOS: Renewal Day





(c)

August 4, 2016

Coming Into Light

Coming Into Light
Great narrative with good music. John Carney (Once, Begin Again) continues to prove he's the king when it comes to the musical film territory.

Sing Street (2016)
A film by John Carney

Conor, a fifteen year old boy—struggling at home and adjusting to a new school—forms a band  to win the heart of a young aspiring model.



I cannot help but smile and dance to the tunes while I watch this brilliant coming-of-age film. The simple narrative just gives me a hopeful heart.

Sing Street is an honest, heartwarming story about adolescent yearning. The need to escape, the harsh reality of life, the nostalgia of young love, the music that saves, the dreams of a blissful future. It successfully encapsulates it all with the perfect balance of humor and poignant moments. It teaches the viewers to take risks, no matter how small. It always starts with the little things, anyway. Talk to that girl you have a crush on. Form a band even if you don't know how to play any instruments. Stand up to that bully. Wear make-up if you feel like it. But Carney also delivers some adult-life realness. Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) struggles at home because of his parents' everyday bickering. Add up some big adjustments in his new school with new bullies. His brother, Brendan (Jack Reynor), drops out of college not knowing how to maneuver his life and seeks solace in his grand music collection. Raphina (Lucy Boynton) is orphaned and longs to leave Dublin and go to London. Troubles that may seem trivial, but impact the characters' ways of dealing with life. While reminding the audience of these predicaments, it still maintains its heart of feeding the mind wishful thoughts; the heart, a brave feeling; and the soul, more hopeful aspirations. Its wonderful music further makes every scene reach out to the audience. The throwback hits from the eighties and the original songs with the same vibe create sudden nostalgia. Likewise, the closing song 'Go Now' sang by Adam Levine effortlessly appears like a classic piece. But that's not all, the lovable characters also win favors. Walsh-Peelo is such a revelation. I would love to see more of him in the future.

Your problem is that you're not happy being sad. But that's what love is, Cosmo. Happy sad.

Carney really knows what music to play and what buttons to push to get a hold of the viewers' hearts. Because Sing Street is a gem.