The Rooftop.

Jay definitely beats Jay. The former being Chou and the latter, Sun. I haven't really heard or seen raving reviews of the movie before catching it, if any, they were mostly negative ones. Hence I went for the movie with a slightly prejudiced impression. I am glad, though, that I went anyway. Sometimes I like to know that my prejudices are uncalled for, especially when it comes to films. The "not-so-good" are mainly: The female lead whose voice is so high-pitched you wonder why Jay picked her. There are some scenes, far too predictable you wished Jay had come up with a better plot, i.e. the rape scene, the final scene where the two cars speed towards each other and collide. Oh, why are we watching the ending of Initial-D all over again? If you try to figure out the period the characters are in, I think it is a little difficult. There isn't a big clue unless you consider the costumes of the people. 70s maybe? The sets are really beautiful but streets are way too clean and empty to be realistic. And something I tried to ignore, was how Jay puts so much limelight on himself. Okay, I give it him, since he's supposed to be the lead anyway. However, I was more surprised than disappointed. I liked how it starts and ends with the woman in the museum looking at the old photograph, then the zoom-in shot that establishes the character. The scene-to-scene transitions and handheld camera shots were very much a constant surprise for me during the whole movie. It may be one of the most typical commercial films or Cinderella story that tells how a couple gets together again after much struggle. BUT. It is finally not another movie on dreams, not one on a seemingly sophisticated life philosophy that is hardly depicted like in any other movies that claim so, it is a simple story of a simple man who, shares a tight bond with his buddies whom he goes all the way out to help, and loves the woman he loves. If you are a fan of the Taiwan culture, you will love how their rich culture is highlighted in the film. I like the strong feeling of nostalgia too. Photographs with sepia effects, the old television, and cute antique cars.

 

On a general note, if you are a fan of Jay, you are probably going to like all the music, songs and dances he integrates in the story. Every twist and turn in the story leaves a trace of the uniquely Jay style. If, like me, you are only a fan of his love ballads, not to worry, you will catch one or two somewhere when the heartwrenching part comes in.

 

Okay, enough said. Thankful I didn't waste money today! And, Michelle and I had our fill at the food court we frequent. I just never get sick of the bibimbap there.

 

I hope the coming week is going to be good.