"I will regret this forever"

TV2 aired Notting Hill on Sunday, the 5th of July 2009. That marvellous movie starring both Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant was somewhat of a fantasy, and still very charming despite the years having gone by. It was a classic of a romance-comedy. While watching it, I was struck by a part of the dialogue, which occurs right after actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) discovers that the press are right outside the door, and what was a safe haven for her had turned into a huge embarassment. The lines are here:

ANNA
And remember -- Spike owes you an
expensive dinner. Or holiday --
depending if he's got the brains to get
the going rate on betrayal.

WILLIAM
That's not true. And wait a minute...
this is crazy behavior. Can't we just
laugh about this? Seriously -- in the
huge sweep of things, this stuff
doesn't matter.

SPIKE
What he's going to say next is -- there
are people starving in the Sudan.

WILLIAM
Well, there are. And we don't need to
go anywhere near that far. My best
friend slipped -- she slipped down-
stairs, cracked her back and she's in a
wheelchair for the rest of her life.
All I'm asking for is a normal amount
of perspective.

ANNA
You're right: of course, you're right.
It's just that I've dealt with this
garbage for ten years now -- you've had
it for ten minutes. Our perspectives
are different.

WILLIAM
I mean -- today's newspapers will be
lining tomorrow's waste paper bins.

ANNA
Excuse me?

WILLIAM
Well, you know -- it's just one day.
Today's papers will all have been
thrown away tomorrow.

ANNA
You really don't get it. This story
gets filed. Every time anyone writes
anything about me -- they'll dig up
these photos. Newspapers last forever.
I'll regret this forever.

The script for the movie can be viewed at awesomefilm.com.

******************

But the movie doesn't end on that sour, dour note. There are twists and turns. Julia Robert's character finally forgives Hugh Grant's character enough to want to commence a relationship with him. He, being a bit of a coward, backs out of it. Later, Hugh Grant's character realises what a bum he has been and makes an all-out effort to get to her before she flies back to the US of A. He manages to get to her press conference, late. This was definitely the best part of the movie. The script extract:

QUESTIONER 3
Last time you were here, there were some
fairly graphic photographs of you and a
young English guy -- so what happened
there?

ANNA
He was just a friend -- I think we're
still friends.

JEREMY
Yes, the gentleman in the pink shirt.

He is pointing straight at William, who has his hand up.

WILLIAM
Yes -- Miss Scott -- are there any
circumstances in which you two might be
more than just friends?

Anna sees who it is asking.

ANNA
I hoped there might be -- but no, I'm
assured there aren't.

WILLIAM
And what would you say...

JEREMY
No, it's just one question per person.

ANNA
No, let him... ask away. You were
saying?

WILLIAM
Yes, I just wondered whether if it
turned out that this... person...

OTHER JOURNALIST
(to William)
His name is Thacker.

WILLIAM
Thanks. I just wondered if Mr. Thacker
realized he'd been a daft prick and got
down on his knees and begged you to
reconsider, whether you would...
reconsider.

We cut to Max, Bella, Bernie and Honey, all watching. Then back
to Anna.

ANNA
Yes, I'm pretty sure I would.

WILLIAM
That's very good news. The readers of
'Horse and Hound' will be absolutely
delighted.

Anna whispers something to Jeremy.

JEREMY
Dominic -- if you'd like to ask your
question again?

QUESTIONER 1
Yes -- Anna -- how long are you
intending to stay here in Britain?

Pause. Anna looks up at William. He nods.

ANNA
Indefinitely.

Hancock - Good Movie

Today, I watched "Hancock", the movie. When I heard Will Smith was playing the hero, I thought that the movie would be about Herbie Hancock, a well respected jazz musician. After all, Will Smith had previously played inspiring characters such as Cassius Clay a.k.a. Muhammad Ali (a well-known boxer), Robert Neville (based on a science fiction story) and Capt. Steven Hiller (in Independence Day).

Yes We Can, feat. Herbie Hancock
(You have to watch this if you support Barack Obama.)


Canteloup Island, feat. Herbie Hancock


The movie stars Will Smith as the title protagonist, John Hancock, who is a habitual drunk and causes damage and wreckage wherever he goes. Thus, despite his heroic acts of saving members of the public, he is must disliked by society. They often bemoan the high cost of repairs and his uncouth manners, often overlooking the fact that he has done heroic deeds in saving members of the public.

Jason Bateman stars as Ray Embrey, a well-meaning publicist who dedicates his life and time to helping Hancock, after Hancock rescues him from being hit by a train. He truly believes that Hancock can be liked by society, and should be liked -- even respected -- by society. Throughout the movie, he does not forget that Hancock had saved his life, and stands beside Hancock -- even when their friendship is severely tested.

Charlize Theron stars as Mary Embrey, Ray's loving wife who keeps her husband's interests close at heart. From the first moment she lays eyes on Hancock, she exhibits a dislike for him. Yet, there is a certain electricity between the two whenever they meet. It is later revealed that the main protagonist and her have had a long history spanning several thousand years. Despite this, she portrays an angel who is fiercely loyal to her mortal husband -- even to the point of pushing away Hancock, who is actual fact was created as her partner.

The movie plays with certain ironies that makes it worth watching a second time, even if merely to savour the moments and catch the vague passing references. For example, Ray calls his wife an "angel" several times during the movie, oblivious to the fact that she is indeed an actual angel -- as is the main protagonist, Hancock. Ray does not realise that his lovely wife was, in fact, Hancock's wife. Ray's wife, Mary, portrays herself as a meek and weak woman, when in fact she has strengths that can match that of Hancock. This last statement can be seen from the dialogue and the fight scene between Mary and Hancock.

Ray Embrey is an innocent man, who tries his best to help others. From the start, Ray's character is linked with charity and goodness. He is first presented to the audience as a genuine do-gooder, trying to sell the concept of "All Heart", a foundation that allows corporations to display its logo on its products -- provided, first of all, that they give away their products to the genuinely needy who cannot afford the products, but need them. He is first shown in a board room, filled with people wearing stuffy coats, ties and nicely ironed shirts. He presents the ideas, tells them that the logo is a privilege, extended only to select corporations -- and gets asked by the head honcho if he is mad. Obviously, they do not buy his ideas.

In the movie, Ray asks Hancock to serve prison time, on the reasoning that the citizens of the city cannot appreciate Hancock's heroic deeds. It is his absence which will cause them to realise the need for his presence. And thus, Hancock surrenders himself to a court, after 600 plus summonses have been issued to his name. The scenes in the prison are not exactly inspiring, but the plot does manage to paint Hancock as a person that we can emphatize with. His soft side is shown when he attends the various anger management classes with his fellow inmates.

A trailer about the movie on YouTube


The most heartbreaking thing about this movie was the fact that Hancock and Mary were made to be together, yet every time they got together, they would become mortal -- and so, exposed to danger of being killed by mobs. The fact that he is black and she is white, is of no help. Throughout the ages, mankind has exhibited bigotry and racism. Under the hypothetical situation created by the storyline, their relationship would surely have been put to the test by white society, which would have been intolerant of blacks dating their women. One is reminded of Shakespeare's play, Othello, which, in the past, has sparked controversy amongst white society in the USA. In fact, inter-racial relationships have become acceptable in America, as shown from the celebrity couplings of Seal (a singer) and Heidi Klum (a supermodel) and Tiger Woods (a golfer) and Elin Nordegren (a Swedish supermodel)

The movie ends, however, on a pleasant note. Ray and his wife live happily ever after, and Hancock does a great job of being a superhero that the city loves.

Who Is Geert Wilders?

An interesting person to know about. A Dutch politician, he has caused a furore in the Muslim world with many people demanding for his death and denouncing him for a recent film called "Fitna". The film is interesting and it worth watching, but bear in mind that it is purely for personal knowledge and is bound to stir up controversy if you raise it as a topic of discussion.

Found via the (A)berração blog.

According to many texts that I have read, Islam is a religion of peace. Most Muslims agree that Islam is a beautiful religion and it is the few bad apples that tarnish the name of Islam. Terrorism is a long-standing issue that gives a bad image to a peaceful religion, and this needs to be resolved.

In the meantime, while surfing about on the Net, I found the trailer for a nice Portuguese language movie. It's called "Os Desafinados". I don't suppose it will come to Malaysia anytime soon, but it's worth a watch... I know many Malaysians would rather avoid "thorny" topics, as I have many friends who would rather talk about trivial topics... like movies. "Os Desafinados" seems to be "quite a good movie", so it's quite a pity that I don't speak Portuguese.



Found via Jacare Banguela's blog.