Family Movie Affair

Just back from catching "Secret" starring Jay Chou with baby and Yan between his lessons. Well the movie isn't exactly my type being in mandarin so I was reading the English subtitles throughout while Rachel slept on my lap. Another thing was the irritating Taiwanese type of casual conversation that sounded very "duh" and gave me more goosebumps than the ghostly twist in the plot.

Kudos to Jay playing the the piano in the duel scene, as many classical tunes are now recognisable only don't ask me for the titles as yet. Unfortunately the main character was no where near good-looking or handsome and everybody looked 10-15 years too old to be in school uniform. But for a rookie film director, I must say this movie is worth watching again for the many salient details. I will get the video when it is available.

Talking about piano movies, our first was Il Mare. The spa like music actually moves me and I was watching the movie in this same Lido cinema with yan who at that time was becoming more than a close buddy. Il Mare featured an architect character with a beautiful seaside apartment and Yan studied the same subject and was soon to be working in that field upon graduation.

Unlike the many girls both in university and in church who were head over heels for him mainly because he played the piano well, I was only coincidentally an older sister in christ in the same worship ministry. We had a common friend, young Daniel who was 18 at that time and who was very briefly my pop music teacher. Well I had no budget for "real" lessons and he needed more pocket money. Hahaha. The 3 of us, Yan, Dan and me, we even recorded a song or two and submitted to the worship director. Hahaha. It was the good old days, me an older sister to the two young boys age 24 the other 18.

Both yan and I we loved foreign movies and we watched a few piano movies as well. The previous "The heart that skipped a beat" French movie was particularly inspiring as the lead actor struggles with learning classical piano when he is also a gangster. What a huge contrast when he was playing the beautiful Bach Toccata and when he was threatening overstayers in his dad's apartment with huge rats. The actor who had no music background learned to "master" the piano and I think he played so well. I am totally captivated during the movie with my itchy fingers wanting to play the same piece.........One Day!

The other more serious piano show was "The Pianist" by Adrien Brody. I loved Chopin, yes beautiful romantic chopin music like the Fantasie Impromptu and the Nocturnes, I can listen to them over and over again and again. Yes, I will play chopin one day too. However this horrible war movie was quite scary to me. Those scenes where the pianist was sick and starving and Oh boy, I was munching the yummy nachos. For a moment i lost my appetite and my ex friend ate all that remained nonchalantly. She was the type that never say NO to food, any food. Hahaha

Please someone..please make a good movie or write a good book on David Garrett. My official violin idol. A childhood tantrum got him a violin at the age of 4. Soon he was performing for presidents and governments. The German government even gave him a San Lorenzo Stradivarus dated from 1718 currently worth US$4.5 mil when he was only 12. After he graduated from the prestigious Julliard School in New York, having the privilege of being one of Itzhak Perlman's pupil, he is now performing all over the world, both classical favourites like Paganini 24 Caprices and self composed crossover pieces. And WOW, this David is a handsome, tall 1.88 ex Elite model for Armani and is only 25. I will gladly pay to see him perform in the Esplanade soon. Hopefully by then Rachel is at least 6 and can get to see him play again "live" (David is currently fully booked throughout 2008...GOSH)