COUNTDOWN 100 GREATEST FILMS OF ALL TIME (From 96 to 58) - The Bridge On The River Kwai

96. Network, 95. Out of the Past, 94. Barry Lyndon, 93. The Philadelphia Story, 92. The Manchurian Candidate, 91. Stagecoach, 90. His Girl Friday, 89. A Streetcar Named Desire, 88. Wild Strawberries, 87. Metropolis, 86. Man With a Movie Camera, 85. Fanny and Alexandra, 84. All Quiet on the Western Front, 83. Bride of Frankenstein, 82. High Noon, 81. Kind Hearts And Coronets, 80. The Lady Eye, 79. The Best Years Of Our Lives, 78. Blue Velvet, 77. Persona, 76. Nosferatu, 75. Fargo, 74. Blow-up, 73. It Happened One Night, 72. The Grapes Of Wrath, 71. Notorious, 70. Touch Of Evil, 69. L’Avventura, 68. The Night Of The Hunter, 67. The African Queen, 66. The Deer Hunter, 65. The 400 Blows, 64. M, 63. The Treasure of The Seirra Madre, 62. Nashville, 61. Ugetsu, 60. La Dolce Vita, 59. Once Upon A Time In The West,


58. The Bridge On The River Kwai
Watched this when I was studying Media Studies in India and I was doing research for my project on Film Appreciation (the happiest days of my life, study-wise). This film exudes coolness.
When a battalion of British troops end up as prisoners of war somewhere in the Indo-Chine jungles, they are taken to this PoW camp run by the Japanese. Like the rest of the P’soW they have to work on this bridge over the river Kwai.
Like good natured British men, they take on the task (though after quite a bit of hassle and display of dignity and power between them and the Japs). 
And then they meet some American troops too, who were also PoW’s in the camp. They succeed in escaping, but find out they have to go back into the jungles to blow up that very bridge that the British are working on! 
This is a story of men of dignity facing up to bare brutality and choice. Great great entertainment and work of cinema. One of my favourites.

COUNTDOWN 100 GREATEST FILMS OF ALL TIME

#100 Raise The Red Lantern

#99 Andrei Rublev

#98 Wings Of Desire

#97 La Strada by Federico Fellini - Hired this film out from the library. The most remarkable thing about this was that the story is very simple, but it still makes it to the top hundred list. The lead actress was played by Fellini’s wife. 

The story goes something like this: a travelling performer gets into this situation where he is obligated to take along with him a country girl who knows nothing about the lifelihood and work that this man does. This man is the ultimate macho sort of guy. The girl is the good-for-nothing sort, who cries at every raised voice. She becomes more trouble than help, and this man somehow shakes her off in one of his journey. But then as good stories do, they make up again and fall in love and become inseparable. 

The story sounds very crafted and done before, but it is the story of how two opposite types of people ultimately find that they can actually not live without each other. The tone of the film is calm and very composed. Great watch if you are looking for something quiet and slow but not a no-brainer. 

Japanese art

I discovered some Japanese music and art on the Internet, and because I literally love everything that the Japanese do, it made my night.

Website is pinktentacle.com

From there I discovered POLICEMAN, a hiphop group from Japan. Heard a few of their tracks on Soundcloud. Instantly fell for it.

Also, M.I.A. is another favourite, though on a non-related note from this blog's title (Japanese art). But there is a similarity between that and music produced by M.I.A. She is the coolest woman that I can think of, who is famous.

POLICEMAN is hardly hiphop. They are electronic, funky, rap, pop, videogame music sort.

POLICEMAN

When you got to go

When you got to go
You can leave the front door ajar
There's the mower running
And I am not sure I can hear
What the heck you're saying

But if you haven't got to go
You're most welcome
To stay the night
There's films to be watched
And biscuits to be had

And maybe when it gets darker
And the night older
We can hunt that strange closet
And fish out who or what
Is making that noise

It can't be a demon
It could only be a rat
It could also be a lose splinter
Rattling in the draft
I mean I don't know

I mean when you got to go
Just let me know
I've got no problem, no
Sure you got better place to go
Sure you got to go where you got to go

... But well, you know... even you've got to have
These eventless insignificant nights
When little noises in the closet
Seem extremely annoying
And you would spend all night
      hunting it down

As though it were the most
Important errand on earth
............ What?
Shut the lawn mower, will you?
What? You didn't hear
A single word I said?
Oh darn it.

Earl Grey

Earl Grey in the morning. With plums. Yum.

Today will be a good day. Much to get done.
• Finalising on new Majestic website, hopefully get it published by today.
• Getting started on magazine, in some way or the other.
Working at Craig's.

You see, after the major earthquake, my work place has been displaced and we have no more access to it. So we have been moving around, especially me the designer and Kim, the Events Manager. Yesterday it was Mark Marchand's. Today it is Craig's. That's the joy of living in the Internet age, isn't it?

I love being busy again.

Today I will be salvaging a house deemed 'little unsafe' to try and recover some stuff. I feel like Sylvester Stallone in Daylight, the worst disaster movie ever made. Haha
-
Maybe after a month when I feel more like it, I will write up on the events surrounding the quake at Christchurch; all the struggles, fear, hope, friendship, help and worry that came with it.