CRITICAL Acclaim

I just saw the premiere of Sweeny Todd, the Demon Barber from Fleet Street. It was a film that left me speechless because I didn't know what to make of it. I knew it won the Golden Globes, I knew it was a Tim Burton movie but it still turned out to be stranger, bloodier and more disturbing than anything i'd expected and up to now, i'm not sure if i liked it.

A few people clapped after the movie, a few walked hurriedly to the exits while many others (my friends and I included) were a bit burdened and confused that we needed a minute to gain composure. OK this may be a bit exaggerated but our anxiety was real and the applause or apathy of others didnt help allay our lingering unease.

I think the extremely mixed reactions for the movie had a lot to do with the reviews it got. Oftentimes, a good review is much deserved and everyone's happy. Other times it brings in the crowds but raises people's expectations too much that it ends up disappointing. And then there are other times, though few and far between, that a film is a collaboration of the best in the industry and rakes in the awards and the praises that personal opinion is superceded by the film's stature. This is when there are only 2 groups of audience--those who got it and loved it and those who just didn't get it but have a forgiving 'it's not you, it's me' attitude about it. I think Sweeny Todd will be one such movie and i'm part of the latter. :P

One Good Day Coming Up

I woke up early for work today primarily because i woke up a little too late for my nth attempt at a morning gym workout. Though early is relative (i really woke up at 8am), for a night person like me, it was a welcome experience nontheless. For once i was not praying for time to slow down as i was brushing my teeth. I even had a leisurely breakfast (i made mozzarella & herbs toasts!), lied down a bit longer and even did some morning exercises to compensate for my absence at the gym.

Just as the success of a hit song lies on its first few chords, the overall feel and experience of a whole day seems to be largely dictated by the first few waking moments. Now if only that was a good enough reason to convince myself to wake up early, or at least make this a more frequent anomaly. Ü

High school never ends.

The new year is a perfect backdrop for the traditional class reunion. I didn't realize that we were 10 years out of high school and from how everyone acted that day, it really didn't seem like a decade has past. Sure most have added meat (or is it fat?) on their bones, a few more laugh lines, slightly higher hairlines but you could put us in a classroom and be transported to the mid-90s sans Doc Martens and Girbauds.

I'm sure many of us have hopefully grown up since then but i guess its difficult to act like a hotshot lawyer, a 'showbiz' personality, a manager with an MBA or to be pretentious around people who've seen 4 year's worth of your boogers and bloopers. The dynamics are no different either. The clowns were still funny, the leaders were still leading, the 'outcasts' still ostracized (although a bit toned down this time) and everyone still had the same brand of kenkoy humor that we've grown to miss.

I don't think this will change. Ever. A school of thought in market research says its better to segment your consumer by their personalities because unlike economic class and age groups, these hardly ever change and people carry these throughout their life. I guess there's some truth to that. Mother nature may bestow on us with flabbier bellies and grayer hair but we're still basically the same old immature kids. High school reunions are just perfect excuses to regress to our real selves, minus the disillusions and regrets, to return to hopefully happier times when your biggest problem was how to pass an exam.