This movie came out on 2006 but I only watched it on Friday night.I've heard about this movie years back but didn't know where to get a copy of it.Luckily,the boyfriend told me about it 2 days before & that it was a very good movie & better than New York,I Love You & he downloaded it via torrent so we can watch it together.
The movie consists of 18 short films for 18 different arrondissements(Paris consists of 20 Arrondissements).2 other short films--XVe arrondissement, directed by Christoffer Boe, and XIe arrondissement, by Raphaël Nadjari,were not included in the movie due to time constraint,I guess.haha.
I have to say that I prefer the France(the actual original version) over the NY version.I recognize the names of some of the producers--Gerard Depardieu,Wes Craven,Alexander Payne,Alfonso Cuaron and Gurindher Chadha.There were also some familiar faces in the movie like Elijah Wood,Maggie Gylenhaal,Natalie Portman,Catalina Sandina Moreno,Steve Buscemi,and Juliette Binoche.
Out of the 18 short films,all of which was good(except for the bizzare hairstylist in Chinatown directed by Christopher Doyle),my fave was Tour Eiffel (VIIe arrondissement) written & directed by French animator Sylvain Chomet and Faubourg Saint-Denis (Xe arrondissement) — by German writer-director Tom Tykwer.
Tour Eiffel was just so cute!It is about this little boy who was telling the story about how his parents met and fall in love--which was in prison!Both of his parents are mime.You should really watch it as it is so cute.
Fauborg Saint-Denis was about a young couple-a struggling actress and her blind boyfriend.He taught they were broken up via a phone call so he told the story about how they drifted apart.
The other 16 short films are(taken from Wiki because I've no time to write all.haha)
1)Montmartre (XVIIIe arrondissement)by French writer-director Bruno Podalydès. A man (played by Podalydès himself) parks his car on a Montmartre street and muses about how the women passing by his car all seem to be "taken". Then a woman passerby (Florence Muller) faints near his car, and he comes to her aid. --I love the monologue by Podalydès at the start of the film.So funny!
2)Quais de Seine (Ve arrondissement) made by the husband-and-wife team of Japanese-American screenwriter Paul Mayeda Berges and Gurinder Chadha. A young man (Cyril Descours), hanging out with two friends who taunt all women who walk by, strikes up a friendship with a young Muslim woman (Leïla Bekhti). --A great one that featured a Muslim woman.
3)Le Marais (IVe arrondissement)by Gus Van Sant. A young male customer (Gaspard Ulliel) finds himself attracted to a young printshop worker (Elias McConnell) and tries to explain that he believes the man to be his soulmate...-you should watch the bittersweet twist at the end!
4)Tuileries (Ier arrondissement) by Joel and Ethan Coen. A comic film in which an American tourist (Steve Buscemi) waiting at the Tuileries station becomes involved in the conflict between a young couple (Axel Kiener and Julie Bataille) after he breaks the cardinal rule of avoiding eye contact with people on the Paris Metro. -The couple was just crazy!
5)Loin du 16e (XVIe arrondissement; literally: "far from the 16th") by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas. A young immigrant woman (Catalina Sandino Moreno) sings a Spanish lullaby ("Qué Linda Manita") to her baby before leaving it in a daycare. -Cute babies alert!!
6)Porte de Choisy (XIIIe arrondissement) directed by Christopher Doyle.A comic film in which a beauty products salesman (Barbet Schroeder) makes a call on a Chinatown salon run by a woman (Li Xin) who proves to be a tough customer. --weird!
7)Bastille (XIIe arrondissement) by Isabel Coixet. Prepared to leave his marriage for a much younger lover, Marie Christine (Leonor Watling), a man named Sergio (Sergio Castellitto) instead decides to stay with his wife (Miranda Richardson) after she reveals a terminal illness - and he rediscovers the love he once felt for her. --a great story about how you can fall in love with someone again.
8)Place des Victoires (IIe arrondissement) by Nobuhiro Suwa. A mother (Juliette Binoche), grieving over the death of her little boy (Martin Combes), is comforted by a magical cowboy (Willem Dafoe). --this was a sad but hopeful short film.
9)Parc Monceau (XVIIe arrondissement) by Alfonso Cuarón. An older man (Nick Nolte) and younger woman (Ludivine Sagnier) meet for an arrangement that a third person ('Gaspard'), who is close to the woman, may not approve of. --this film will fool you because if you listen to what they're talking about,you might make an assumption regarding their relationship!
10)Quartier des Enfants Rouges (IIIe arrondissement) by Olivier Assayas. An American actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal) procures some exceptionally strong hashish from a dealer (Lionel Dray) whom she gets a crush on. --Don't do drugs Maggie!haha
11)Place des fêtes (XIXe arrondissement) by Oliver Schmitz. A Nigerian man (Seydou Boro), dying from a stab wound in the Place des fêtes asks a woman paramedic (Aïssa Maïga) for a cup of coffee. --this was very sad.Especially the last part whereby they zoom on the woman's shaking hands.
12)Pigalle (IXe arrondissement) by Richard LaGravenese. An aging couple (Bob Hoskins and Fanny Ardant) act out a fantasy argument for a prostitute in order to keep the spark in their relationship. ---the end of this film was sweet
13)Quartier de la Madeleine (VIIIe arrondissement) by Vincenzo Natali. A young backpacker tourist (Elijah Wood) falls in love with a vampiress (Olga Kurylenko).--this was very creepy because of the female vampire!!
14)Père-Lachaise (XXe arrondissement) by Wes Craven. While visiting Père Lachaise Cemetery, a young woman (Emily Mortimer) breaks up with her fiancé (Rufus Sewell). --I didn't really understood their conversation at first.The 'ghost' part was cool!haha
15)Quartier Latin (VIe arrondissement)directed by French actor Gérard Depardieu and French director Frédéric Auburtin.A separated couple (Ben Gazzara and Rowlands) meet at a bar (run by Gerard Depardieu) for one last drink before the two officially divorce. --this was a bit confusing as well.But you should listen closely to their conversation.
16)14e arrondissement (XIVe arrondissement)written and directed by Alexander Payne. Carol (Margo Martindale), a letter carrier from Denver, Colorado on her first European holiday, recites in rough French what she loves about Paris. --The woman French accent was just so funny!I love how this film was from the point view of a tourist.
*I change my blog header with another round of random pics I like.But the boyfriend said it was too crowded and that I should choose just one picture.Heck,I like em' all & it was hard to choose!:P..UPDATE:I change it again cos I saw a pic of this super pretty purple flower!*squeals*..haha
There has been lots of things in the news that I just thought I wanted to share with you guys:
1)Have your heard about the 19 year old boy studying at UiTM Perak who burned his girlfriend to death?From the article that I read in The Star,
HERE apparently it was motivated out of jealousy..what gives??A crazy world we're living in now!
2)Oh did you guys see the footage on the news about this dude who drove his van on our highway but in the opposite direction and on the right lane at that?CRAZYYYYY!He drove that way for 20 mins or more..my mum thought he was trying to kill himself or something.
3)For someone who did her practicum at her former highschool(SMSK9) for 3 months and actually was also in charge of supervising the sports team that arwah Aminulrasyid was in,it was bittersweet to hear the news that the cop who shoot him will be sentence for 5 years in jail.Read the news
HERE.
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| A great reminder..:) |
Sometimes me & my other half have very random conversation.Case in point,a colleague of mine at work who's getting married soon asked me about where she can find a cupcake wedding cake and we googled a few websites online.And it made me realize that it would be great for my own wedding,not that I'm getting married anytime soon,mine you.It would be nice though to have a cake such as the one below.
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| Look at the butterflies! |
BUT the boyfriend was all no no no,a wedding is about 2 people so he gets to choose the cake as well and he wanted a PIZZA!-_-To which I pointed out why don't he be like one of his friends whom during our conversation with him last week,didn't even know what's going on with his wedding as everything is taken care by his relatives & fiancee.
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| So pretty! |
Or like what Monica told Chandler in Friends,all he had to do was show up.ahaha.Really,I think a cupcake wedding cake is better because I want lotsa yummy cupcakes so my guests can get one each.So just one tiny cake for the bride & groom & lots of cupcakes will surround the cake.And they have to have buttercream frosting and no fondant because I want it to be tasty not just pretty..:)
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| Gorgeous color! |
I love green tea and have been drinking the drink,the real bitter loose leaf version without sugar and not the watered down + sweet version many drink company in Malaysia tries to market,ever since I can remember.I think it started when I was 14 or 15 years old.None of my family member share this love with me.
*All of the pictures here was taken using Razin's ipod touch because I accidentally left my hp the whole day at home cos' was rushing out of the house when he came to pick me up!-__-
Last Saturday,after attending a lunch/beraya session at the boyfriend's friend's house,we went to Wondermilk at Citta Mall Ara Damansara because I've never been there and although I've eaten a cuppacake(the name of Wondermilk's cupcakes,not a typo!) years back,I've never actually sat down at any of their outlets(one in Uptown Damansara & the other a new one in Ara Damansara).
A lot of speculation was made on Twitter a few months back on where will the new Wondermilk outlet be.A lot of people was hoping that it'd be in Shah Alam since there's 3 university in it so it's a no brainer.But surprisingly they choose Ara Damansara & I've to say that Citta Mall looks DEAD.It was the weekend but the place looks EMPTY.Nobody goes there!WRONG LOCATION people!
Nonetheless,I was there for the cupcakes.So I bought 8 of them.2 which I ate with the boyfriend there with a cup of Creme Brulatte for me and cold Butterscotch Milk for him.I choose the cupcakes & went outside to sit while he was waiting for our drinks inside(the place is self service).
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| My creme brulatte..I prefer Starbucks's version! |
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| The first 6 cupcakes--Clockwise frm top left:Lemon something(forget the name!),Chocolove Orange(my fave!),Caramel Kiss,Peanut Butter Jelly wonder,Royal Vanilla &Oh My Choc. |
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| Boyf's butterscotch milk--super yummy!Should've ordered this! |
Now,before we arrived there,I told the boyf about a piece of news that was shared on twitter & blog over the very bad service of Wondermilk at Citta Mall which you can read
HERE.I was a bit prepared for it but then the boyfriend was like,'why are we coming here then if the service is bad?Let's go home!'.But I was adamant to give them the benefit of the doubt & to try the food there for myself.Maybe they've improved right??.......
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| The boyf eating only the choc cupcake. |
Imagine my surprise when my man came out from the store & brought our drinks,he told me that the service was bad because the servers at the counter was very BLUR & LEMBAB.I was wondering why our drinks took such a long time.Suffice to say he was very annoyed with their service.
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| The handsome dude who was treated poorly..:( |
So after we ate a cupcake each,I wanted to buy 2 more of the chocolove orange cupcake because it was excellent.I went inside and when I went to the cupcake display to choose the cupcakes,all of the servers at the counter(who are all males),was in a corner near the kitchen & they did not pay attention if there was anybody at the counter!I had to practically shout like 'Excuse me!' to them to get their attention.Sigh.
No wonder the boyfriend said that there was a family who was queuing up before us & the father said..'The service is so lembab isn't it?'..Haiyooo.Wondermilk has got to buckle up because this is SEPTEMBER already & bad reviews about the service at the new outlet has been heard since JULY!
When I brought home the cuppacakes to my family,my dad & my boyfriend(he send me home & he beraya-ed with my family for dinner as well) agreed,along with my mum that the price was way overprice for a tiny cupcake--rm4.50 each.But I would buy it again because although it was tiny,it was very delicious.
My verdict?Great cupcakes/cuppcakes:YES.Bad service:YES.I probably will go there again to buy the cupcakes & go home.haha.
