Quentin rocked the 'barong'

Golden Globe Nominations were announced early this morning and two things got me excited. Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" was nominated as Best Foreign Language Film and Quentin Tarantino wearing a barong while making the announcements.

At first, I thought my eyes were playing with me, after all it was so early in the morning but what confirmed to me that it was indeed a barong was the very prominent "bib" like embroidery and the buttons are midway. As usual or maybe because it wasn't a formal event, he left the top two buttons undone. That was so cool of him though to wear a barong in such a Hollywood event. I mean, how often do you see a non-Filipino, an award-winning and talented Hollywood writer/director at that wearing the barong to an event like this. Heck, I don't think even Filipinos wear the barong to formal events, preferring to wear a tuxedo or a coat and tie. So, yay for Quentin Tarantino.

I am so glad that "Lust, Caution" was nominated since there were reports a few months back that it didn't qualify as a Foreign Language entry from Taiwan for the Oscars because it didn't have enough Taiwanese in its cast or crew. Go figure! "Lust, Caution" is one of the compelling films that I have seen of late. It was sensual, thrilling, intelligent, appealing not only to the eyes but also to the mind. I saw this at Arclight with Chrissie since it was only on limited release. It was in Mandarin with English subtitles which was fine with me because I think my eyes are trained now to watch the movie and read subtitles at the same time. Watching tons of Asian series and movies do that to you. This movie was controversial because of the love scenes reported to be graphic hence earning an NC-17 rating in the US that is without cuts. It was graphic alright, very graphic but it was also integral to the story. After some time, one realizes that this movie is much more than those scenes that people have been talking about. It was suspenseful, an unpredictable tale of love, espionage, youth empowerment even rebellion. If given the chance to watch this film, I urge people to watch it.

I haven't watched a lot of movies this year. I haven't had much opportunity so I haven't watched most if not all of the nominated films. But, I really would want to watch "Atonement" and "Juno". I have seen the trailer of "Atonement" and it has caught my interest. It has gotten good reviews as well so I will most definitely check this out once I get the chance. I first got intrigued with "Juno" because not only does it share half the title of a Korean film "Jenny Juno" but it both have parallel plots. In fact, the director of "Juno" was asked if his movie was an adaptation. He said no since other than the title and the similar premise, the similarities end there. Both dealt with teen pregnancies but with different approach and different choices. One tackled keeping the baby and the other dealt with adoption. The actress in "Juno", Ellen Page also earned a Golden Globe nod. I have watched the Korean film, though a bit fluffy, at least it didn't romanticize teenage pregnancy. It actually showed the hardships and challenges. I will watch "Juno" with an open mind though and put "Jenny Juno" at the deepest ends of my brain.

On the tv side, I am glad that Grey's Anatomy was nominated and Sally Fields was nominated too for "Brothers and Sisters". These are just two of the few shows I have been watching this season, which is now no more due to the WGA strike.

I forgot when the ceremony would be. Most likely if not end of January, it will be early February. I will look forward to it. Hopefully, I have watched the two films by then.