Three Reasons: In The Mood For Love

Directed by Wong Kar-Wai

Food represents so much in the film. The pair pass by each other on the way to the noodle stand - they go there when their adulterous spouses are away, when they want a lonely meal for themselves. Sesame syrup becomes a representation of romantic generosity. A touch of mustard evokes husbandly tenderness and care. When the two are eating together, it is when they are the most intimate since they never physically or sexually act on their obvious attraction for one another. 

The characters are so well-dressed and put together. There's not a hair out of place - they look like they belong in an episode of Mad Men. But their perfect outward appearance seem to magnify their inward emptiness and make their tragic circumstance seem more melancholic. 

Usually in films exploring adultery, the focus is on the adulterers. Not in this film. The camera refuses to even capture their faces and in instances when they do enter the frame, it is very brief. Wong Kar-Wai makes it clear that this is not their story.

What are your reasons?

Three Reasons

Inspired by the Criterion Collection's ongoing video series called 'Three Reasons'. I'm going to post screenshots of my favourite films along with reasons explaining why they are so special to me. This will also be posted in simplified versions on my Tumblr.

Image Credit

Crossing over to the dark side

I created a Tumblr. It's the same name - FILM MUSIC ART - and it has a strange resemblance to this one, layout wise.

I'm not abandoning this one though, my tumblr only serves as an accompaniment to this blog. I consider the Tumblr to hold all my spur-on-the-moment, impulse blogging, while the posts here are given more thought and therefore slightly lengthier.

So, if you're a Tumblr user please follow me!

Image Credit: Tumblr Logo

Helvetica

I'm currently watching a movie from the 99 cents rentals on iTunes from my iPad. It's a documentary called Helvetica and it consists of interviews with typographers and designers responding to the immense impact this neutral font has had on the modern world. An hour into the film I decided to pause and have a look around and I thought: oh my. Helvetica is EVERYWHERE. 

Literally everywhere. 

Almost every brand uses this typeface - from American Apparel to Lufthansa. 

After being convinced of this font's superpowers I headed straight to this blog to give it a Helvetica Makeover. I settled with keeping Trebuchet for my body but I wanted to change the post title to Helvetica but unfortunately it wasn't an option, so I had to use Arial. It's the closest.

But. It's. Still. Not. Helvetica!

It's amazing how the smallest things, ones we take for granted can have such power and influence with the way we think, perceive and respond to things. 

In one of my elective courses in university, we touched on the topic of typography and I wish there was a whole course built around it. I love to write which means I love words. I love design too and if you combine the two, you get the art of typography - a possible career path!

But seriously though I'm starting to really appreciate and love typography. 

And I've decided Helvetica will now be my life partner.

P.S. One of the people interviewed in the film (a designer, forgot his name) said that a designer's job was to fight ugliness. I laughed out loud when he said that, what a funny way of putting it, but yet oh so true. He also talks something about 'visual diseases' that's sweeping the world - reminds me of one of Andre Leon Talley's remark about the 'famine of beauty'. 

P.P.S. I highly recommend the film and if you live in Australia, I think it's still available as a 99 cent rental in iTunes until next Tuesday, so take advantage of it!

Image Credits: Helvetica Poster, American Apparel, Lufthansa

Sydney Film Festival 2011 Sneak Peek

Temperatures are dropping and Sydneysiders are putting away their board shorts and flip-flops and taking out the coats and scarves. I'm seeing more Starbucks cups than Boost cups and...

Okay. You get the picture. It's winter in Sydney, which means there's plenty of art-related events happening in the coming months. Namely, Sydney Writers' Festival, Vivid and Australian Fashion Week. But most importantly, the annual Sydney Film Festival is coming back in June.

They have just released the first 23 titles included in the line-up and here is a small list of the ones I'm most excited for:

The Troll Hunter
Directed by André Øvredal

Captured in Blair Witch style shaky cam but instead of witches in the woods it's trolls in Norway. Which is way more awesome.

Mutant Girls Squad

Directed by Noboru Iguchi, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Tak Sakaguchi

Comic book meets Tarantino meets Freddy Krueger meets coming-of-age story? I don't know how to describe this film but it sure looks fun.

Attenburg

Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari

This looks like Dogtooth all over again. Yorgos Lanthimos, director of last year's most disturbing film (Haneke didn't release a film last year) is starring and producing yet another disturbing look into the human psyche. 

Even The Rain

Directed by Iciar Bollain

Gael Garcia Bernal. That's all I need to know. I'm there. Described as a film within a film, Bernal plays a director shooting a film in Bolivia, where conflicts arise over the water supply.

Image Credits: Trollhunter, Mutant Girls Squad, Attenburg, Even The Rain poster designed by Studio Number One