tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-169688922023-12-12T07:15:30.167+08:00DREAMCATCHERDreamcatcher's reviewsDreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-56363216845132985452023-12-01T00:50:00.002+08:002023-12-11T19:48:56.209+08:00The Young Pope - Season 1 Episode 3I've said several times that this show is quite bizarre at time - the kangaroo, etc. The whole Greenland interlude was another bizarre part. What was the point. Especially the song. Don't see what it added to the story. There are so many times, the camera zooms into Jude Law's face and he has to act just with that. The intensity he portrays is quite astonishing. I love it. He is a much better actor than I thought.Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-10053721126561361102023-12-01T00:49:00.007+08:002023-12-11T19:48:56.196+08:00The Young Pope - Season 1 Episode 4I'm watching it, I like everything - the acting, the dialogue, the visuals, and yet, I just don't see the point. I can't really get excited because I don't buy the premise. It all seems empty. No substance. Still after 4 episodes don't see why this was created.<br />
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Jude Law is great.<br />
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Flashback (memories?) of his parents. At heart, this is the insecurity of an adopted child.Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-64268415223779244322023-12-01T00:43:00.004+08:002023-12-11T19:48:56.217+08:00The Young Pope - Season 1 Episode 7"Think about all the things you like - That is God."<br />
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What a beautiful thought. Into episode 7, and I just about start to feel something for this show. This young pope, for the first time evokes some... thing, not empathy exactly, just not indifference. This orphan, who has lived his whole life with a sense of rejection, who feels like a victim, even now, having achieved the highest possible stature in his profession. I want him to feel better.<br />
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African visit.<br />
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Musical thoughts - Loved the way Beyonce's Halo is interspersed with the Pope's speech.Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-10656815872477100062023-12-01T00:42:00.001+08:002023-12-11T19:48:56.203+08:00The Young Pope - Season 1 Episode 9And so ends the first season. I'm still not sure what to make of it. For sure, there are great parts. But as a whole, I don't buy it. I don't buy it because this Pope (should this be capitalized?) is not credible. For all the corruption and decadence that this series tries to portray in the Vatican, I choose to believe that this is vastly exaggerated. And because this Pope is not credible, by extension this series is not credible for me.<br />
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Anyway, on to the good points.<br />
<br />
"<i><b>What is God?" "God is a line that opens."</b></i><br />
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I am a sucker for deep one-liners, and this is one if there ever was one. You could think on it till kingdom come.<br />
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The monologue was very long, and towards the end got really annoying. Come to the point! And the punchline left a lot to be desired. "<b><i>God smiles!"</i></b> Ah, I don't know. After such a long set up to expect something worthwhile at the end, some big epiphany. This just wasn't satisfactory enough.Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-71486044492226978342023-12-01T00:41:00.000+08:002023-12-11T19:48:56.222+08:00The New Pope : Season 1 Episode 1Extremely provocative and decidedly unnecessary. I'd just watched the first 5 minutes of Episode 1 and was already shocked and nauseated. I have nothing against provocative subjects if they serve a purpose. But outrageousness for the sake of it and offensiveness just for the sake of provocation is not good.<br />
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I feel that while there was a undertone of disrespect in the Young Pope, this new season goes full-blown offensive and seems to not care that this is a delicate subject that needs to be treated with respect. You're playing with the faith of billions and whether you agree or not, you need to respect it. I don't think Paolo Sorrentino appreciates this.Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-91485459131111815632023-12-01T00:40:00.000+08:002023-12-11T19:48:56.232+08:00Homeland - Season 8 Episode 2The Afghan vice-president. He's got great presence. A heavy voice, full of gravitas. When he looks Carrie in the eye and says ""Go on, Convince me." You know he's not someone who will be trifled with.<br />
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Carrie as ever great acting. Conveys so much without speaking, just with her face and eyes - surprise, astonishment, fear, uncertainty, anger... just wow!Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-85191419680607531592020-02-18T06:45:00.001+08:002023-12-11T19:48:56.227+08:00The Young Pope - Season 1 Episode 1<b><i>"It's death to settle for things in life" - Pope Pius XIII</i></b><br />
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A baby crawling on a pile of babies. Jude Law emerging from under this pile of babies. So begins the young pope. And just like that, you know this show will be provocative.<br />
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We find out the young pope got elected through the machinations of the Cardinal Secretary of State, a politician among priests. The hope was that, being young & inexperienced, he would be malleable and easily influenced. Unfortunately for the Secretary of State, the Pope is turning out to be anything but malleable.<br />
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The Pope! You imagine a pope to be noble, gentlemanly, a model human being. But not this one. He smokes, has blasphemous dreams, is short-tempered, disrespectful and vindictive. He was abandoned by his parents and raised by nuns, with sorrow, suffering and bad memories in his past. A person who claims he has no sins to confess. He confesses, even, to not believing in God. He forces the Vatican's confessor to reveal secrets of the confessional in exchange for promises of Cardinalship. There are several episodes that depict him to be vindictive and touchy, to the point of being almost childish. So, all in all, a pretty flawed person.<br />
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The episode ends with his first address to the faithful. It's very confrontational, hostile even. It centers around a letter the Pope received from a boy who asked for help to believe in God. It's bizarre to center the first address on such a topic, but this is the essence of this Pope. Touchy, aggressive but deep down hesitant and unsure. Might he even secretly think he's not up to the task?<br />
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We'll find out.<br />
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<i><u><b>Random observations:</b></u></i><br />
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- The Pope is determined not be seen in public or be photographed. His way of becoming important by creating mystery. Let's see how this works out.<br />
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- The Secretary of State is a hardcore football fan of the club Napoli. He also spends time with a disabled boy. A politician with a heart?<br />
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<b><i><u>Musical thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
<br />
- The opening credits are actually really good. I absolutely loved the music. It's slow, haunting, inviting you to soak in the images... Stunning really!Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-66537739193214485902011-11-11T18:34:00.001+08:002023-12-11T19:50:34.143+08:00Her Eyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtSvtoLKMzAnmieSTotqpylIxksTMlQS1HciZykyDOf8UBNsURW3xZryYV3u1ySgX-iJPUelNdjurF-tjun8RMwf8yCwqtNdOq2LLQWIidyptjwOCZRV1KHYwIKj1-dXj1vCs8A/s1600/eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQtSvtoLKMzAnmieSTotqpylIxksTMlQS1HciZykyDOf8UBNsURW3xZryYV3u1ySgX-iJPUelNdjurF-tjun8RMwf8yCwqtNdOq2LLQWIidyptjwOCZRV1KHYwIKj1-dXj1vCs8A/s320/eyes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><center><span style="color: red;"><b><i>Eyes, those enchanting eyes,<br />
Highs, infinite depths and vertiginous highs!<br />
Drown, so many colors in which to drown;<br />
Drown, in the black & white & grey & brown.<br />
Green, Why don't I see the green?<br />
Seen, every other color I've seen!<br />
Gazelle, sweet eyes of a gazelle;<br />
Spell, put me under a haunting spell.<br />
Peek, when in this mystique I peek,<br />
Weak, makes me oh-fucking-weak.<br />
Frost, hot as embers, cold as frost,<br />
Lost, in them I'm hopelessly lost.<br />
Gaze, I gaze, and gaze, and gaze;<br />
Amazed, amazed, amazed, amazed !!!<br />
<br />
--- dreamcatcher</i></b></span></center>Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-23088620025460317182011-01-31T15:57:00.004+08:002023-12-11T19:51:45.400+08:00My Haiku<span style="color: red; font-style: italic;">La solitudine tormenta.</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-style: italic;">La folla infastidisce!</span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-style: italic;">Pensieri tuoi...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-style: italic;">--- dreamcatcher</span>Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-3463842092687301202009-02-01T21:20:00.008+08:002023-12-11T19:51:07.205+08:00Coming of a legend (and fading of another?)<span style="font-weight: bold;">Australian Open Final 2009</span><b><br />
Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer - 7-5 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-2</b><br />
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It could be billed as a bout between extremes - young vs old, style vs substance, brains vs brawn. As it turned out, it was a great advertisement for substance; as brawn prevailed over brains(not implying that Nadal's game doesn't have its own subtlety). Nadal's winning his first grand slam on hard court, on the heels of his first-ever grass court grand slam win at Wimbledon last year, added to his implausibly brilliant record on clay has the feeling of a defining moment in tennis history. This is the point from where he can go from being the best player of his time, to becoming the best player of all time. I know, its too soon. But he is just 22. He has a lot of time to improve his already awesome game. And playing against (not to mention beating regularly) a legend like Federer can only help his cause. This was a good match. Not quite an epic, but surely one to be remembered as the one that sent Nadal on the way to legendhood. Fittingly, he had to beat an existing legend to do that.<br />
<br />
1st set - It started off all wrong. Nadal, the one who had just come off a 5-setter was the one who started more emphatically and Federer, the one with the longer rest, looked unsure, hesitant and dare I say it, scared? No surprise then that Nadal won the first set.<br />
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2nd set - Federer gained in assurance, reflected in an increasing number of winners and aces. Not to mention fewer unforced errors. Second easily to Federer.<br />
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3rd set - Nadal comes roaring back after losing the 2nd set cheaply. An increase in the number of unforced errors belies his fatigue, although there are no visible signs of exhaustion. This is where he starts an awesome run of winners. He doesn't just win points, he CONJURES them out of hopeless situations. 4/4 in 3rd set, and down 0-40, Nadal holds to make it 5-4. Is this the defining moment of the match? (He goes on to save 13 of 19 break points!) Nadal wins the set in tiebreak.<br />
<br />
4th set - Federer starts strongly. 2-0. Its as if he has decided to play only the even sets well; not a good idea! Nadal comes back 2-2. Federer makes it 3-2. A certain inevitability when Federer takes the 4th set. After all, this is a grand-slam final between the world's best 2 players. It has to be a 5 setter.<br />
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5th set - An anticlimax. So many unforced errors from Federer. He seemed in a hurry for the match to end. This is one aspect of his game I'd like to see a change in. When it comes to the crunch, he just seems to lack the defiance and fight that Nadal epitomises. I hope this is just my mistaken assumption and that the next time we see these two go at it, we'll see a much closer match all the way to the final point.<br />
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For now, I hope this is not the end of Federer. I would like to see him set a new grand slam record before he fades away. Meanwhile, Rafa enjoys all the accolades. Hopefully we'll witness his indefatigable spirit and almost superhuman will to win in many more grand slam finals.Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16968892.post-1127314487557993432005-09-21T22:22:00.002+08:002023-12-11T19:48:39.743+08:00A Perfect beginning! That is the lofty target I set for myself when I decided to start a blog of my own. Weeks have gone by, and the target has remained just that. I havent come close to a good start, let alone a perfect one. The quest for the perfect start has gone on...<br />
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It has gone on so long that now I'm forced to consider if Perfection is not just elusive, but rather impossible. After all, the formula for success is to be perpetually unsatisfied with your work, and to always try to better your efforts. This suggets that achievements can be good or excellent but never perfect, since they can always be improved upon. Perfection is like a mirage in a desert, always seemingly visible, but never actually attainable. It is, in fact, a ceaseless pursuit of excellence.<br />
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Maybe I should take a leaf out of Michael J. Fox's book, when he says, "Excellence I can strive for, Perfection is God's business"<br />
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Ergo, I'll stop looking for a Perfect start, and settle for a decent enough one. And I think this will do just fine.Dreamcatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12234943630337782717noreply@blogger.com0