13.Apr.2009 Sunday Salon and Mailbox Monday
Two posts in one! Am I efficient or what? :P
I spent this Sunday savoring A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I finished it early this morning. So the review will come soon.
This week, I spot Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See at Basement Books for $3.95 so I just had to grab it!
Meanwhile, I’ve watched several foreign movies for the OT Film Challenge.
1) Pom Poko (Japan) is one CUTE anime! As you probably know, Japanese people often believe that foxes and raccoons are shape-shifters. In this movie, we get to know a community of raccoons who have to fight human development that keep pushing away and destroying their home forest. They do everything they can, including shape-shifting to fool the humans. It gets sadder and more serious towards the end, but it’s inevitable as the reality hits.
2) Only Yesterday (Japan) is also by Studio Ghibli, and the same director as Pom Poko. They’re very different though. Only Yesterday is a story about the 27 year old unmarried Taeko, who decides to visit countryside where her distant family is. During the trip Taeko’s reminiscences brought her back to 5th grade. It’s simple story about childhood, innocence, growing up, and keeping up with adulthood. The art style is realistic and very pretty at that.
3) Secret Sunshine (Korea) tells the journey of a woman who has lost her husband, and later on her son. How she struggles with life, faith and God. It won the Best Actress at Festival de Cannes (which the thing that attracted me when I saw the cover). It is a sad and sometimes slow going movie with open-ending, but it’s believable and the main actress is great.
4) The Color Purple is a movie adaptation of the book which I read not long ago. Directed by Steven Spielberg, it also stars Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. It’s nominated for 11 Academy Awards in 1985 (thought didn’t win any). As usual, it cuts off some details that exist in the book. Most prominently, Nettie’s journey isn’t given much screen time in the movie. But great great casts! I love Shug in the movie! She’s exactly like what I imagined her to be. Sofia (Oprah) and Celie (Whoopi) are impressive too. What bothered me was, they changed actresses for young Celie to older Celie, but not Nettie. Nettie is the same little girl, while Celie grew old. What’s up with that?! Be consistent, can’t you?!
Go here for cover details and more movies.
Have you heard about Dewey’s 24 hour Read-a-thon? It’s happening on this Saturday 18 April 2009. Looking at the start times it’s gonna start at 10pm in Sydney. So I might sleep for some time in the good first 12 hours or so, just like the first read-a-thon I joined. It’s still fun, because then you have bigger chance of winning the mini-challenges that occur in the last hours, when everybody has started to sleep lol. Come join us! :)
mee 
