Paris, Je t'aime

Fine.22C

I haven't been to a movie for a while. I think I should go to one this weekend, despite all the chaos!

While I was passing through the MTR tunnel this week, I kept seeing this bluish, yet very romantic poster. And I thought, um... it's such a winter-looking movie. (Particularly good for the Christmas/NY/V-Day holiday season.) So, no matter what, I decided, I'm going to see it!

So, I was trying to see if I could get tickets for the Sunday morning Paris, Je t'aime showing at IFC just now, I saw this:

Wow, it's only Friday night 11.15pm! People are sure now better at forward planning.

And, out of curiosity, I checked the next show (12.xx pm, Sunday):

Well, with the difference of $30, I suppose this is not so surprising after all.

***

Do I love Paris? I'm by no means a big fans of Paris. But I have to admit that I have not seen enough to comment. I've seen dog poos all over the streets, even on Rue St. Honore. I've seen big beautiful houses/apartments, with huge windows on the front. I've met old French man who walked straight past us when we tried to ask for direction in English. I've seen the biggest crowd ever in a museum, queueing up to see a painting which is shielded behind a glass case. I've seen the biggest herd of Japanese tourists, scurrying over here and there, with a tour book in one hand and numerous Chanel, Gucci, LV, Celine... paper bags in the other. I've seen the clouds as Johan-Barthold Jongkind has painted in his The Seine and Notre-Dame of Paris. I've been to the Chinatown where it has the best Wen Zhou fish and shrimp balls soup and Vietnamese (!) beef noodles I've ever had (well, actually there's another one in D.C., but I have no idea where the shop is)......

But, I haven't seen the artistic Paris where the artists have gathered around to show off their talents. I haven't lined up to go to the top of Notre Dame. I haven't spent enough time, sitting in any of the gardens, to imagine what it would be like to be a Parisian, now and in the past.....

Is it a city of love? Did I feel love is all around? Not really, seriously. If you move to the more realistic part of the city, you'll see that romance might have been a collective imaginationary product. But then, when everyone was standing on Champs-Elysees, counting down to the first second of new year, kisses, hugs, and (maybe?) love are definitely all around. (Well, I was just a little skeptical... how many of the crowd was a local Parisian??)

Nonetheless, it's an enchanting city. It'll make you think of it once in a while, and even to the extent that you want to fly back right away.

I miss Paris. So, Paris, Je t'aime, I'm definitely going to see it.