Ryan’s Visit

I have come to a point that I have to cut down my film screenings—I simply do not have enough time to commit to everything. I have not written any blog entry for more than a week. It’s a sign that I have been swamped with activities other than sitting in front of a computer. I think it’s a good thing. Last week, Ryan came to the City for a quikie—a very short visit lasting only three days, including one day in bed, sleeping. I had such a great time hanging out with him. We giggled and laughed so much that I could not keep silent for more than a few minutes. He dared me one time not to say a word for five minutes and I failed miserably. We burst into louder laughter because of it. We took a long walk on the beach on a very windy and foggy day. Yet, the fun was not any less than if it were a sunny day. We took off our shoes and got our feet wet, even though the water was cold, as always. Now, Ryan has left. The apartment becomes quiet and I am writing on a computer again. I miss him. I wish his visit were longer so I could add couple more winkles on my face from all the giggling—I am alright with them because winkles are also an indication of happiness. http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf It’s hard to adjust the void in the apartment after Ryan left. So yesterday, Alex and Sean came over and we cooked many 韭菜盒子, which I have no idea how to call it in English. No restaurant in the United States serves it, as far as I know. I always regret that I didn’t learn how to make them from mom. However, I think I have figured it all out and I have mastered the skill of making it. Sean even joked that he would divorce Alex and marry me because of these 韭菜盒子. Someday, one lucky guy will have that honor, because as Sean puts it, one needs to put in love into those 韭菜盒子 to make them so good. I agree completely. Even though I wanted to cut down the film screenings, I still have five films scheduled next week, including the highly anticipated "Mamma Mia!" Before I get into "Mamma Mia!," here is a French film that opened on Friday. Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne) Based on a best selling thriller novel, French director Guillaume Canet recreates a murder mystery in "Tell No One" ("Ne le dis à personne," France 2006, 125 min.). Suspenseful? Definitely. Thrilling? Not really. Set in Paris, pediatrician Alex Beck (François Cluzet) still moans his wife after she was murdered eight years ago. After Alex receives a strange email that directs him to a video footage on the internet, he finds himself becoming a target of the police investigation while he tries to find out the truth about the crime eight year ago. The film never stop adding more jigsaw puzzle pieces into the picture before one can make any sense from few clues that are already given. After a good half of the film, it does not slow down its pace, and continues to provoke more questions than provide any answers. That comes with a heavy price—its characters. Because the film is deliberately focused on manipulative plots to make it as complex and suspenseful as possible, it has little time left to explore its characters in depth. It takes me a while to figure out their identities and their relationships with Alex. Somehow, I do not think I am entirely responsible to feel these women all look alike in the film, except the woman who tortures using pressure point technique (点穴) —originally this is an Asian male in the novel. Amazingly looked like Dustin Hoffman, François Cluzet terrifically plays Alex Beck, even though he is limited by his character. He can run faster than his internet connection that uploads his Yahoo Email; he is lucky that when he clicks on a strange Web address from a stranger, he does not get any computer virus. I keep asking myself, what if he does not run? To me, he does many more things that he should not do. It would have been alright if the plot comes together at the end after the endless buildups. However, the film surprisingly provides a tell-you-everything-about-what-happened ending, like detective Poirot would do, but without the dramatic and convincing effect that Poriot orchestrates. What a tease. "Tell No One" opens on Friday, July 11 in Bay Area theaters.