New York, I Love You

If I were to picture a great love story, it will be set up in New York City. The city itself is already a big studio of its own. When a film is based in New York, it always has a huge impact of the film is all about; it’s almost one of the characters. Movies always show that being in New York opens up numerous of opportunities for its’ characters. It’s where they find success, hardship, and love.

The film “New York, I Love You” is a compilation of eleven different short love stories. Every story is directed by different directors. As the movie is titled about New York, all these stories are based in New York City. The film shows a number of different characters with different perception towards life and love; this makes every story unique from each other. There is no particular flow in the movie as it is made up by different situations, as some of the parts were quite complicated to understand if you weren’t focused as you’re supposed to be. The movie has a number of big names in the movie industry including Bradley Cooper, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, Shia Labeouf and Christina Ricci. 

As there were different stories in the movie, I want to talk about my top three choices among all the given stories.

 This scene was about Dante and Teya. While Dante was walking with his daughter Teya, he was believed to be the nanny of his own daughter as he people were judging him for where he is from. He is considered a minority as he was not pale-skinned. Dante was being judged as a nanny and as an illegal immigrant just solely because he is an African American. However, I thought that the way he looked at his daughter show how much he loves her; how much he takes care of her. His love for his daughter could not even be explained by words. It was his     actions on this segment that was really heart felt and heart-warming to watch.

The next story that I chose was the part with Bradley Cooper and Drea de Matteo. I am probably being biased because I adore Bradley Cooper so much. He’s a great actor and you have to admit that he’s quite charming. A lot more people could relate to this segment because it shows two individuals who like each other, but is not sure where they stand for each other. They think about the other more than they normally should, however they are just both confused whether they’re actually a         real couple or just two people messing around. Until finally the right moment came when they met in a taxi, and everything was well… sorted out.

Last but not the least, probably my favorite segment throughout the whole film was the story of the old couple. This part was played by Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman. As for me, a true love story just doesn’t end after the wedding bells ring. What matters more is the one that comes after that. Real couples stand by each other through thick and thin; real couples stand by each other for a lifetime. That is the reason why I liked the factor that they included a story of an old couple that had been together for a very long time. It showed how they still are adventurous by going on trips together, secondly, how they still connect to each other by feeling youthful. There way of communication was so interesting that you could tell how much they know about the person. It’s somehow like a lifetime bond that nobody could ever replace. Even after being married to each other for a long time, they still have some arguments. Because without this, they won’t experience having to face problems together that will not test the relationships foundation. It’s always about fixing and not giving up on your partner and facing all the hardship together.

I enjoy movies such as “New York, I Love You” a lot because it is mostly based on different experiences of different characters that could be shown in just one movie. There are a lot of inspiration that could be seen in the short segments shown in the film. Even though, it was quite challenging to see the flow of the story, the main lessons of these stories were at least portrayed clearly. I will give it an 8/10, because somehow I really loved the story but it was just complicated to understand at times.

The Overture

Official Movie Poster

I've always believed that with patience and compassion will let you achieve whatever you want to achieve. The first Thai Movie I've watched, The Overture is another movie that reminded me the true meaning of passion. This movie depicts love, courage, determination, and patience towards obstacles. 

It was a story directed by Ittisontorn Vichajlak in 2004. It was set on the 19th Century, that follows the life of a Thai classical musician.The story begins with the elder Sorn, he was a classical musician that plays "ranad-ek", a Thai classical instrument. He was so gifted that many people were envious of his talent. A rivalry with other musicians caused his death. Sorn's father then didn't let the younger Sorn have anything to do with playing the ranad-ek any more. However, it has always been his passion to play the particular instrument since he was a child. He has been secretly playing the instrument and practicing at an abandoned temple. After a period of time, Sorn's father had a consultation with a monk and he adviced him that he should not keep his son from doing what he wants. 

After Sorn has gained more intelligence about his art, he became famous among other musicians and he has been a popular topic around many people. He has become arrogant and started missing practices. This led to his loss against a very skilled musician. However, Sorn worked hard after his defeat, started learning more, gaining new experience, asking for other musicians' guidance, and basically focused on what he really is ought to do. In the end of the movie, Sorn went against another anonymous musician. This time, he was ready and had learnt many things through the help of Master Tian. Everyone was incredibly impressed on how Sorn played the ranad-ek that he eventually won against his competitor. 

Anuchyd Sapanphong who played as the younger Sorn

Just like a lot of young people, Sorn's attitude towards his incredible talent was expected. He became arrogant and didn't think about others but himself. At a young age, when we thought that we are already the best in whatever we do, we start to ignore everyone around us and we start to ignore possibilities of getting better. However, his defeat and the result of his actions made him realize that he would not achieve his goals if he continues to act that way. He decided to change and to learn. He became more determined about his passion, and in the end he got the results he wanted. Sorn's portrayal in this movie could be better, but it was still believable so I would say that the actor Anuchyd Sapanphong had still done a good job.

Another factor that I liked about this movie is that the setting was during the olden age. It shows the real Thai tradition that I've never learnt before. What I truly like about watching foreign movies is truthfully to know more about a certain culture. As I mentioned that it was my first time watching a Thai movie, it's very enlightening for me to find out more about their ancient times and their pure culture. They had such a lifestyle that everything was controlled in the society, how women used to be in the olden society, the traditional clothes they wear were also very interesting.

Behind this movie had a good lesson to learn from. It shows how arrogance and too much confidence will somehow bring you down no matter how good you are in what you do. Looking down on others and looking up on yourself too much is not a good way to be thankful to God by giving you such a talent. Sorn's bad actions made him realize that change is the only way for him to succeed. At least he had learn something from the wrong he has done. However, he also showed the true meaning of hard work and patience. His determination led him to succeed in the end. I have to say that although I normally don't enjoy movies that are being spoken in a language I do not understand, I still liked it because it had a lot of culture in it and as well as lessons to keep in mind. I would give it a 8/10 if I was to rate it.