"Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. ...

... But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading." Memories serve as the basis for Japanese-British writer Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, Never Let Me Go. The book is divided into three parts, representing distinct periods in the life of narrator Kathy H., who reflects on her recollections as she gets ready to transition to another part of her life.

Kathy attended a British boarding school called Hailsham, where she becomes closely acquainted with two students: headstrong Ruth and misfit Tommy D. There's an undercurrent of mystery: This is not an ordinary school, and the students who attend are quite special. I'm going to avoid getting into great detail about the plot because it's difficult to do so without revealing some potential spoilers. Just as the students of Hailsham are "told but not told" about what is really going on and the purpose of their lives, readers are similarly treated by the author. Things slowly unfold and are subtly revealed over time. Patience is definitely key when reading this book.


This novel has elements of science-fiction, but these aspects are not in-your-face. In fact, their world seems strangely familiar to our own. Instead, the story is a drama that poses philosophical questions, such as, "What does it mean to be human?" It can be heartbreaking -- by the last few paragraphs of the tome, I had tears in my eyes.

I first heard about this book when I visited Internet Movie Database, and one of the trailers that was featured on the homepage that day was for this story. It looked intriguing, and it got me interested in reading the book. Now that I have read the book, just judging from the trailer, it seems like a pretty accurate adaptation. However, I can appreciate film adaptations on their individual merits that capture the spirit of the book, instead of being a word-for-word representation, and I'm curious to see how the film turns out.

By the way, the poster for the film "Never Let Go" debuted earlier this week. The film itself is suppose to be released in the United States on September 15 (that's the day after my birthday):

 

(Photo from  Firstshowing.net)

"Never Let Me Go" trailer:

Trick or treat

Smile! :-D

This was my first ever attempt at carving a pumpkin, though really, it was a team effort between my boyfriend and I. I designed it to be like a pirate with an eye patch. When I was carving the smile, one of the corners came too close to the eye patch, so we used toothpicks for support. The toothpicks actually added a cool effect. If we could have found a flimsy, black piece of fabric to put over the patch, then I wonder what kind of effect it would give it.

On Halloween, I also got to go trick-or-treating, something that I hadn't done in years! I was part of a group who dressed up as characters from the "Star Wars" films. Ahead of time, we had gone to thrift stores to find clothing to put together costumes at an affordable price. The results were amazing:

I was Princess Leia, and I probably spent less than $25 to put together an outfit that consisted of a white robe, a white skirt, and her famous hair buns that covered each ear. I pinned dog mullet wigs (go figure) that were each in hairnets to the sides of my head.

Afterward, we watched "The Others," starring Nicole Kidman:

Kidman plays a 1940s mother to a girl and boy, who all live in a big house in England. The children are sensitive to sunlight, so (conveniently) the rooms are so dark and add to the mysterious atmosphere when the family thinks there are ghosts haunting the place. The movie is suspenseful and there are parts that can make you jump, but it's not a film filled with blood and guts, which is good, since I can't stomach (ha ha) violence and gore. I was also familiar with the big twist of the film without having seen it. While that might have "spoiled" it for me in that regard, at least I could watch the film without being too jumpy and running out of the room.

All in all, it was quite a nice way to spend a Halloween evening.

'That ain't no Etch-A-Sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, Homeskillet. '

I wanted to watch something from my big pile of library DVDs (I've already watched a few of them). I was in the mood for something relatively brief and decided to check out "Juno." I heard so many good things about it, such as an Oscar win for its screenplay.

The story of a teenage girl having an unplanned pregnancy isn't exactly an original concept. Juno the character and the words she and the other characters say are suppose to give this film something extra. There were times when I felt that the film overdid it with cultural references and attempts at "witty" remarks, like the title of this post, so that got a little annoying. Maybe I felt a slight letdown from high expectations.

Still, there were nice moments in the film that were funny, touching, or made you think. Not sure if this would be considered a SPOILER, but one of my favorite quotes from the film is advice that Juno's dad gives to her when she wonders if "it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever":

"Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with."

Direct and interesting word choice, but the sentiment is so true.

The music on the soundtrack was pretty cool. I recognize a Belle & Sebastian song because a special someone introduced me to that band a year ago. I also recognized Cat Power's version of "Sea of Love," which was a standout song to me when a friend wanted to check out her CD, The Cover Records, and let me borrow it from him.

OK, one DVD done, but so many more left!

'I love you too, but I'm gonna mace you in the face!'

Out of context, the above quote may seem funny. In context, it's just plain hilarious in the film "The Darjeeling Limited." This Wes Anderson film is about three brothers, played by Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman, who all have baggage (literally as you can see above, but also figuratively) and go on a "spiritual quest" together across India. Things don't go as planned, however.

This is the first Wes Anderson film that I've seen, though I've heard of his other ones, such as "The Royal Tenenbaums." I wouldn't necessarily recommend "The Darjeeling Limited" to everyone, because it is an acquired taste. I found it an interesting experience.

"The Darjeeling Limited" is one of a few DVDs that I recently watched. I don't go to movie theatres that often, but I do watch DVDs sometimes -- I have a pile of them from the library. Here are a couple other ones:

"Man on Wire" is a documentary about Philippe Petit, a French tightrope walker and street entertainer who performs his art illegally in 1974 between the recently constructed World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City. Through reenactments, old footage and photos, and interviews with those involved, the historic event and the planning and action that precedes it comes alive. Viewers also learn more about Petit and two previous daring, illegal performances he has done at famous locales.

There were a bunch of superlatives on the DVD case, and this documentary has won many awards, including the Oscar earlier this year. It certainly deserves the acclaim. Even though I know what happens (the DVD case basically spells it out), I still waited with anticipation for how it would transpire. Reenactments in documentaries can be cheesy and unnecessary, but they really did help tell the story in "Man on Wire." The camerawork was interesting, though there were a few times when the filmmakers made the introductions of certain people so overly dramatic that it was comical.


Finally, the other film I recently watched was "The Triplets of Belleville (Les triplettes de Belleville)," a French animated film about a grandma who goes searching for her missing bicyclist grandson and is aided by a musical trio. The images aren't cutesy and bright; they have character and use a lot of earth tones. One of the songs from the film was used in a cool dance a couple years ago on the television dance competition, "So You Think You Can Dance":

'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'

Earlier this evening, I watched "Forrest Gump" with at least 11 other people. While I've seen this film many times before, this opportunity was a chance to look at it from a different perspective.

It had been years since the last time I had seen it, so it was kind of comforting to watch something familiar. Also, some of the other people had never seen this film before, and many of them are international students, so it was cool to share that experience with them and sort of see it through their eyes, which is basically what this movie is all about: seeing life through the eyes of one unique man, one unique life. Though events have been re-imagined in this film, it's a good conversation starter for those who are unfamiliar with U.S. history.

One of my favorite moments in this movie takes place at the Washington Monument, which I got to see from afar when I spent this past summer on the East Coast. This photo came from a weekend trip to Washington D.C. with my younger sister when she flew from our home state of California to visit me.

One weekend was definitely not enough time to spend in D.C. For instance, we didn't have a chance to get up close to the Monument, nor did we see the Lincoln Memorial or any of the different war memorials. Plus, there's more to D.C. than museums, monuments, and memorials . This is all the more reason why I should return someday!