Who is the Poorest?

 
  Les Miserables is one of the most popular novels, and anyone must have heard this title at least one time. I have been a huge fan of this novel when I was a very little girl. I remember that I felt so pathetic with Jean Valjean who is a main character and I used to cry when reading it. When the film of Les Miserables was released last year, I ran to see this movie. Even if the movie version couldn't capture every single moments of the book, the movie was still so great in every ways-casting, a version of musical, and etc.
 

  Today I'm not going to summarize this, but I want to take a look at just one character Javert, who is a police inspector. He dedicates his whole life to catch Jean Valjean, but in the end, he realizes that he was wrong and kills himself because of his ego. Jean Valjean seems to be the poorest person for most people, but I think Javert is actually the most pathetic character in this novel.
  In case of  Jean Valjean, after moved by the Bishop's mercy and grace, Jean Valjean throws his dark past away and decides to live an honest and giving life. He has an obvious purpose and actually fulfills it. Though he was hunted by Javert in his whole life, he was a hero for his daughter and many other people. He knows his role/purpose-dedicating his life to other people-so well and he is happy.
On the other hand, Javert is always uncomfortable and miserable. He is so obsessed with chasing  Jean Valjean; in addition, at some points, he tries to capture Jean Valjean not because of the law, but because of his mad obsession. He only has an obsession with Jean Valjean, so when he loses his sole purpose of his life, he loses the string of his life, too. He can't agree that Jean Valjean is not just a convict, but he is a person who can live a meaningful life. Javert is so filled with his selfish thoughts/ego that he cannot see or admit the real important things, so he cannot help but choosing death. Unlike Jean Valjean, Javert doesn't have his own living purpose and his life is so in vain.

 The title Les Miserables means 'miserable people.' The most miserable character of Javert makes me think that I definitely should have my own reason why I live. I'm trying to set my purpose how/why to live now, and this will last for a long time.

(rewriting) The Great Gatsby

  Have you ever read this novel 'The Great Gatsby'?  This is one of the most important and famous American novel and is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although I major in English literature and I am very interested in reading novel, I haven't read The Great Gatsby; because I had bought this book in English, and it is hard for me to read easily. I've always had a thought that I had to read this book.

  Nick Carroway has moved next to Gatsby's fancy house by accident, and across from East Egg, his cousin Daisy and her husband/his alumnus Tom lives in. Nick, at first, doesn't like the mood of the city of New York because of its vanity and pursuing pleasure; however, he gets used to this city and enjoys it. His neighbor, Gatsby, sometimes throws fancy parties and many celebrities comes his party; later, it turns out that the reason he hosts a party is for his true love, Daisy. Gatsby and Daisy once were a couple and they love each other with all their hearts, but he had to enter a war and they temporarily broke up. Gatsby wanted to make her happy, so he amssed a vast fortune, keeping broken up with her. Daisy tired for waiting him, so got married to Tom Buchanan. Gatsby's love is so great that he doesn't give her up and makes a plan to take her back. Nick is a constant supporter of Gatsby and he kind of admires his love. Sadly, however, after a car accident and a death of a lady named Myrtle Wilson(actually it was all daisy's fault), Tom put the blame on Gatsby and Myrtle's husband kills Gatsby who is still waiting for Daisy's answer to run away with him. No one shows up to his funeral except Nick. Daisy betrays Gatsby's love and Tom and Daisy go away to Chicago. After a few years later, Nick suffers a mental illness because of all this Gatsby's things, and he writes this whole story and comes to take off his load. He puts a title on his writing, The Great Gatsby.

  This film makes me think about two things; one is a vanity of wealth and honor which is so eagered to by people(who were especially from New York at that time), and the other one is the meaning of love. Gatsby's party is a whole scene. It is so fancy, promiscuous, and mad, but there is nothing inside. Gatsby's funeral shows us this vanity so well. Pursuing a great wealth and honor is so in vain, and the author wants us to think real hard. The other thing is Gatsby's love. His love is actually great-generous, kind, and self-giving, but his love was already destined to the tragedy because it was a thing of the past. He is living in the past alone, and other people keeps moving on the future. Nontheless, his love shines even more brightly in circumstaces with vanity and a lie.

The True Meaning of Family

I chose this film Koryunghwa Family which means ‘getting old’ family. This movie is so brand new that was released last Thursday, and I watched it on an opening day with my boyfriend.

This film is about one family which consists of 5 family members-an old mother, the eldest brother Han-mo, the second brother In-mo, the youngest sister Mi-yeon, and a daughter of Mi-yeon Min-kyung. This family is so called a broken[disrupted] family. Everybody think this family is a total mess; because Han-mo is an ex-convict, In-mo is a failed movie director, and Mi-yeon divorced twice. One impressive thing is that their mother always prepares delicious meals with meat dishes for her kids, and this makes us feel mother’s love. Anyway, members of this family have their own problems. In-mo seems that he has no meaning of his life, so he tries to kill himself. After he failed to commit suicide, he lives in his mother’s home where Han-mo also lives together. Han-mo seems good for nothing because he is an ex-con. He used to a gangster, but he is actually a kind and generous person and wants to live a new life. Mi-yeon, after her second divorce, she comes in her mother’s house with her daughter, Min-kyung. This brother and sister threesome seems to treat so badly each other, but actually they love each other. In addition, the most important character is their mother. She is so caring, generous, and loving her children. Even if the whole situation is disastrous and desperate, she is always optimistic and thinks that everything is going to be all right. Maybe with her positive attitude, all things are going well eventually.

This movie made me think the meaning of family. Even though there are some problems or conflicts in the family, all things are going to be all right, because it is a family. Family is love itself and we all have to cherish it.

To Rome with Love

 Italy is one of the countries which I really want to visit, because my father always tells me how beautiful Italy is. My dad believes that Italy is the most wonderful and beautiful country and cuisines are the best. So when this film To Rome with Love was released recently, I was really excited; furthermore, this is written and directed by Woody Allen. I saw the film Midnight in Paris and it was so much fun because of its french scenes, interesting story, and a wonderful music.
The story is told in four each vignettes; an ordinary office worker who wakes up to find himself a celebrity, a young couple who come from the country on their honeymoon, a man who has a talent for singing, and an architect who takes a trip back to the street he lived on. To be honest, I don't like this movie because I don't know what this movie wants to tell us. Even if the sceneries of the film is so great, the story lines are not attractive to me.

 In Rome, the America tourist Hayley meets the local lawyer Michelangelo on the street and soon they fall in love with each other. Hayley's parents, the psychiatrist Phyllis and the retired music producer Jerry(Woody Allen), travel to Rome to meet Michelangelo and his parents. When Jerry listens to Michelangelo's father Giancarlo singing opera in the shower, he is convinced that he is a talented opera singer. But there is a problem: Giancarlo can only sing in the shower. The couple Antonio and Milly travel to Rome to meet Antonio's relatives that belong to the high society. Milly goes to the hairdresser while Antonio waits for her in the room. Milly gets lost in Rome and the prostitute Anna mistakenly goes to Antonio's room.  To make matters worse, his relatives arrive in the room and they believe Anna is Antonio's wife. Meanwhile the shy Milly meets her favorite actor Luca Salta and goes to his hotel room "to discuss about movies". One day, the middle-class clerk Leopoldo becomes a celebrity and is hunted by the paparazzo. A couple of days later, he is forgotten by the media. The American architect John travels to Rome with his wife and feels nostalgic since he lived in the city thirty years ago when he was a student. He meets the student of architecture Jack, who lives on the same street that John had lived, and he invited to drink a coffee at his house. Jack lives with his girlfriend Sally (Greta Gerwig) that invites her best friend Monica to stay with them in their house. But soon Jack has a crush on Monica and they promise that they travel together and love forever.

 Of course, performances of actors and actresses are great; especially Woody Allen is the most impressive character. However, what bothers me is their ways of thinking; having an affair and incomprehensible storylining. It is a quite daring film but not good for me. Friends of mine who watched this film also said to me that it was weird- not bad, but not good either.
I am really interested in language so I listened Italian carefully, but it's not my taste. The accent is so strong, so it sounds like arguing. I think French is much more elegant.
To sum up, This movie is rather disappointing. The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment. However, this is just my opinion, so if you want something exotic and fresh, try it!