Real Steel is the Real Deal!

It's been way too long since I blogged. My last movie blog post was in February...OMG!

That just come to show how long it was since I last watch a good movie and had time to blog about a lousy one!

Must really get into the practice of movie blog writing more often. :)

Last month, October, introduced me to what I would term as 2011's best movie! 

Seriously unexpected, and totally enjoyed it! 

So, let me show you some 'Real Steel'!

Got a call from a friend and asked if I'd like a free movie.

Knowing me, I can never reject a FREE MOVIE! 

So off I went without any idea what I've signed up for but was a happy girl when I walked out of the cinema.

So many lessons and themes define "Real Steel" - that is why it is awesome for me.

Credits to the writer and producers for being able to incorporate fun, excitement and emotions into a 2-hour movie, while still being able to present all key messages effectively.

Entering the first 20 minutes of the movie, we were awed by the exciting Robot and Bull fight scene! I kinda felt that it was very violent but it was AWESOME on the huge screen!

As the film rolled, I got a better idea of what the story is about - but not in a way that is too predictable, and that is why I love it. I hate watching for the sake of proving my predictions are wrong. I am glad that with Real Steel, I do not feel the need to guess because I was busy enjoying every bit of it!

From the little boy's funny antics to the awesome Robo-fights, to every beat of the soundtrack, I feel myself laughing, cheering and dancing to almost every minute of the movie ; and that's what  I like - a connection with the movie.

Well let's discuss the important themes and messages in the movie shall we?

Atom vs Zeus

Atom represents something small...perhaps, not really powerful in fact if it stands alone.

Zeus on the other hand represents MIGHT and POWER. 

To be honest, to put something small against something that mighty is really a tad ridiculous. As cliche it may be, the movie highlights that size does not matter. And your chances of winning does not depend on size.

More importantly, no one stays in power for so long - no one can rest on their laurels, not even Zeus.

Know your strengths, overcome your weakness

The Kid started off testing the waters during his first fight; taking hits but at the same time observing the opponent's tactics and weaknesses and later, strategically planned his strengths to win over the other robot.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and I guess it is how we position our strength and weakness that makes us unique. Not easy to do in real life, but of course, good to have a reminder every other time in the form of a movie.

Atom's weakness is that he is small. 

But our little hero trained him to be a boxer, a fighter...and thus, different and unique! 

And Atom's biggest strength is also that he is made of steel and he can take hits!

Which lead me to the next message...

Take the hits!

I think in life, I always want to win and I always think that we need to stand up and fight for what I believe is right.

I guess, sometimes, we also need learn to take b***crap...., the hits.

Those are what make us stronger, and one of the key lessons learned from Atom. 

To be honest, I doubt if I can take that plenty hits but let me remind myself that I need to. I'm a LEO for God's sake - almost like a 'Zeus' in the world of starsign....sigh hahaha. 

Power and Unfairness

The World Robot Boxing League (WRB) is 'owned' by the rich Farra Lemcova because she has money (and I believe, Power too!) .

When Lemcova tries to buy over Atom, it indicated that she is not a fair player, she threatens her opponents, using money and power because she is afraid of losing. And perhaps the reason she always win is because she has the power and money to buy other's integrity or uses her power and money to influence the results of the competition. 

We can say that the ring is monopolized by the rich because she has the money and she sponsors Zeus - the best robot in the league. Naturally, WRB needs to protect their big sponsor. Zeus's victory, in my opinion at the end is a symbol of how those big boys ALWAYS win because they have the power and the money, and the small boys, well, just can't offend them although the honest fact is that we might have won.

There is no justice or fairness in the world because sadly, our world is 'owned' by those with power and by those who have the moos. That's the fact...

Which again lead me to the next message in the movie:

It is NOT ABOUT WINNING, but just making a statement!

We can't win, but we can always make a statement , which could lead to a difference.

It's like our Bersih rally: many say that us parading around town for a fair election will not help us get what we want. However, if nobody stands up for it, to make a statement, it will not change anything.

Yes, we might not win - the election will still be dominating by crappy idiots up there, but at least, the Rakyat (the people) made a statement and who knows, a difference had been made. 

Just like Atom - he did not win WRB, but he was crowned "The People's Champion" because even if he loses in terms of Judges points, he won in the hearts of many. 

Perhaps that's more important - to be able to make a difference and not just winning per se. Besides, there is so many ways of defining the term 'win'.

To me, Atom was the winner that night because he managed to make his statement - fair competition for all! :)

Lastly, lesson learned : DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD DRINK TOO MUCH SODA hahaha...they'll outwit you!  oh well, another way of putting it is to LISTEN and NEVER UNDERESTIMATE those younger than you! 

Dakota Goyo's performance in the movie impresses me a lot. He played his character with the right amount of wit, making his character a very very likable one. To be honest, wasn't sure why they cast a blond boy as Hugh Jackman's son - no similarities but I guess they managed to pull it off.

The movie is very entertaining because the script was written very well. The whole storyline flows very well - not easy to cramp SO MANY messages and still make the movie work. So like I said, kudos to the team!

My favourite part of the movie is towards the end, when Hugh Jackman's character, Charlie Kenton found his boxing moves again...that moment was so beautiful that it moved me to tears. What's special is that when you found that feeling, that great thing in life that you live for, once again - it is that magical moment that moved me so deeply.

To be honest, I'd die  to be able to find that moment where I'm doing the thing that I love and want to so badly - to be able to passionately love something and be able to do it meaningfully.

For me, I guess I didn't work too hard for something so far, because at the back of my mind, things will always work out.

Perhaps it is time to rethink my life and follow my heart and passion.

My blog post tonight is an act of igniting the fire and my passion for movies.

It has been too long and like Hugh Jackman, I need to 'relight my fire'. More movies to be reviewed and I soon seriously consider active movie blogging again.

Well unless my passion is for my current job, which takes up most of my time...hahaha...

I do love my job, but I think I need to find room for other loves too.

Till the next time...

Steels are steels and rocks are rocks.

But Real Steel really rocks! 

TC-My Ratings: 

(Most Probably Movie of the year - but then again, didn't watch much movies this year haha...time to catch up)

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

A "BURLESQUE"-TIC EXPERIENCE

People say that "Burlesque" is not a great watch.

So yes, I went in with no expectations.

I wasn't impressed too actually; to be honest, I came out feeling unsure about what I feel about the movie.

I mean, if I were to comment on the storyline, it would be quite stupid because it is pretty obvious that one doesn't buy tickets to watch Burlesque for the story. But yes, you can expect that the storyline is not something you haven't seen before - a small town girl chasing her dreams to be a star (erm, Save the Last Dance? and some other movies revolving sports), girl meets guy, guy loves girl but can't, then he gets jealous when the girl starts seeing someone else (well, in some Korean drama somewhere on Earth),  and the main characters almost lost the Burlesque Bar to the bank if they don't pay their debt on time...if it doesn't sound familiar, it is still predictable as to how it will end right?

If the movie is based solely on the storyline, I'd cast the film into the incinerator to be converted into ashes, carried far away by the wind to outer space and if aliens can actually piece ashes together, well, I just hope they find this piece of humankind 'art' worth watching. 

But if you enter the cinema expecting to be blown away by grade one vocals, top-notch performances by the casts and not to mention an array of butts and boobs, I think you will actually like Burlesque.

I think the reason they selected Christina and Cher for this movie is because it needs some star power to set it apart from the rest of the similar cabaret films. I have not many comments about the casts; Christina Aguilera has the talent to play the lead. However, if I were to really share my two-cents, I think Cher and Christina did not own the characters.  This is because, I can see someone else playing their characters. Example, Madonna as Tess. Britney as Ali. In fact, if Dianna Argon shares the pipes of Christina Aguilera, she might be perfect for the role. 

Still, I think a good actor/actress would have given a performance that is so strong that it's almost difficult to be replaceable because of the way the character is played. A simple example - Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean. Can you think of anyone else who can play Mr. Bean? Okay, if that's not a fair comparison, since it's a comedy series, I'll go with Johnny Depp in Pirates of Caribbean. The first time after you saw Johnny Depp, do you think the is character Captain Jack is replaceable with another actor? I don't think so because he owns it. Like how Reese Witherspoon owns her character Elle in "Legally Blonde"....I mean, if I put Nicole Kidman, Dianna Argon, Blake Lively in the role (well, they are all blonde, aren't they?), do you think it would be the same? 

However, I have to give credit to the performances and songs written for the movie because the only thing that captured my attention throughout the film were some of the performances and the songs. But the problem is, if you watch a movie just because of the performances, one might feel that movie is too draggy and you wish you could just fast forward all the unnecessary scenes revolving human interactions. I think I'll be better off watching a concert with Burlesque performances rather than sit through the whole movie.

In mind, I have 3 favourite performances, although generally, all were really good songs.

Below are the 3 performances that awed me.

The song is "I'm A Good Girl". Excellent camera panning at the beginning! Awesome!

Love how they play with the lights and Christina Aguilera's expressions here are good.

The part where she climbs the stairs, the music reminds me a lot of Chicago...the "Nowadays" performance. I also love how she went behind the mirrored doors and came out from the other doors. That was brilliant.

The next performance is "Haven't Seen The Last of Me" by Cher.

I can't find a nice clip of this performance. 

But below is a preview.

Beautifully shot in a very simple manner. I think the dark scene, with a very dim spotlight is metaphorical to the situation that Tess is in - hopeless, as if there is no way out. And she sat down at the beginning, indicating that she is weaken in spirit, almost giving up hope. And then she stood up when it came to the climatic part of the song. I wish at that moment the lights would lit up to indicate the hope and to maximize the impact, but well, it didn't happen. But this song is really great, heartfelt and moved me in the cinema. And great to know that the song won a few awards for 'The Best Original Song'. I truly believe this song should win because it is really really good and really nicely shot in the movie. I mean, I feel it. 

Last but not least, another one performance that had me gaping in awe is "Express" by Christina Aguilera. Now this one is a true performance as it is fun to watch and I believe this is one performance that can be done live on stage for audience.  

Unlike "I'm A Good Girl" that is really interesting because of how the camera played with the panning, I think "Express" is one that can be very very nice to watch even without camera tricks. The dances are hot, the music is fun. Awesome!

"Bound to You", sang by Christina during the scene which shows she's madly in love is also a great song. 

However it is sad that the final song for the movie, which should be the highlight of the show, like Randy Jackson would say "The Bomb", failed in comparison to other more powerful tracks. 

I think if "Express" were to end the show, it would be nice but then I guess "Show Me How To Burlesque" has room for the whole cast to perform together, and thus, "Express" doesn't work as the final curtain song. 

My conclusion is, Burlesque is a musical film, and it is good from the musical point of view. However, the storyline could be better, somewhat like "Hairspray" and "Moulin Roulin", it would have been a better watch and more impressive. 

TC-My Rating:

(3 stars for performances)

STUNG BY THE HORNET

"The Green Hornet" is definitely not what I thought I would be watching. Come on, Jay Chou???? And to be honest, I wasn't impressed with Seth Rogen in "Knocked Up" either (I didn't even bother finishing the movie halfway through).

But I came out of the cinema quite pleased. It's either because I'm too bored, or the movie did has qualities that made the watch enjoyable. I think it's 50-50 situation...I'm kinda bored and so, I find the movie quite an interesting watch.

What I was surprised to find out was that Seth Rogen actually produced the movie and even co-wrote the script. And after some reading about the movie, I found out that Stephen Chow was initially the director (and Kato), but he left, succeeded by the current director, Michel Gondry. Kind of sad that Stephen Chow did not make his American debut but, I really can't picture Stephen Chow in the shoes of Kato, especially now that I have seen Jay Chou playing....hmmm...what do you think? But one person I thought would be cool to play Kato is Jason Scott Lee...wonder why he wasn't casted. 

I'm no "Green Hornet" fan,  I don't watch the TV series, read the comics or listened to the radio shows; but from what I 'researched', there have been some twists in the characters.

For one thing, Kato is not from "SHANGHAI".

Erm hello? Which part of the name Kato sounds like Chinese? It's clearly Japanese, and I believe the original Kato is Japanese, until later the character has developed into Filipino-Jap and even Korean. It has something to do with the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbour and how it was sensitive to portray a Japanese as a side-kick to an American during/after 1945 (Interesting read from Wikipedia, the world's best encyclopedia). So now, Kato has evolved into a Chinese? It amazes me but well, that's beside the point.

Okay, as much as I love a good laugh watching Jay Chou act (because seriously, EVERYONE knows he can't act, even his fans have to admit that), I actually like him in the movie. Okay, let me put it this way; I like the character Kato and it wasn't a pain to watch because Jay Chou didn't really butcher the character, but seriously... he is still unable to provide the necessary expressions (or what we call 'act') in the movie. 

I can't help but picture the many N.G. shots during production hahahahahhaha...it would definitely be a good laugh!!! I remembered last time when I was part of a production crew, and one of the actors was new in acting in movies, and he had so many N.G. shots that the other casts and crew members feared the nights where he was involved in the shooting (because it meant that we can't finish work early). Ya, I imagine that would be what it's like with Jay Chou in the shoot...and I pictured that they'll be having a hard time choosing the best footages as well. Hmmm....oh alright, maybe it's not that bad. The fighting scenes were pretty awesome. And another positive way to see it is that perhaps Jay Chou's consistent stiffness made Kato's character stiff and expressionless. 

Britt Reid's character has also been altered...he is more of a 'jerk' now. 

I  went to check out the TV series on Youtube, actually, to see how good Bruce Lee's English is hehehe....and also to see how the characters are previously. The Green Hornet is more matured, less goofy and can actually fight quite decently without the need to use his 'gas' gun. Perhaps if there's a Green Hornet 2 (which I can foresee coming), Britt Reid will be a more 'serious' character but if it's Seth Rogen, I do not see how that works yet. 

So the new Britt Reid is very irresponsible, a jerk who loves to take ALL the credit, I'd say a lousy partner, selfish friend...what did I miss?...Ya basically I just hated him all the way through the movie until the last 15 minutes when he finally showed some integrity. I give credits to Seth Rogen for being able to portray such an (pardon me) a**. He did a good job playing the character because I hated him in the show...hahaha....

I also like the fact that this movie had promoted Kato's status as The Green Hornet's partner, instead of being referred to as the driver/chauffeur who drives "The Black Beauty", like in the character description in the comics and the earlier series. I mean, there's no doubt that Kato's character has been also very prominent previously, but then again, being referred to as the 'driver' seems a bit degrading for the character because Kato is part of all the battles, and in my humble opinion, maybe contributes even more than the Green Hornet in the movie and even in the TV series (else Bruce Lee wouldn't be that famous, would he?).

When Christoph Waltz appeared in the opening scene, I thought, this face is familiar...

Oh yes!!!!!!!!! The dude who won an award playing the villain in The Inglorious Basterds!

And yes, he is casted for the role as yet another villain in this movie. Personally, not as excellent as his portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa but still great. He still maintains a bit of wit in his deviousness, but not as clever and sly as the cruel Colonel though, in my opinion. But honestly, I preferred James Franco at the beginning...His lines were in a weird way, delightful to the ears hahaha! 

Cameron Diaz was also not really a pain to watch in this movie...although I would have casted another actress instead, someone with a stronger presence, like Jennifer Garner,  Hilary Swank or even Sandra Bullock. I see Lenore like Lois Lane, but not as dependent, and perhaps that's why I don't see Cameron Diaz filling the shoes of the role but she did play it well. But then again, I personally feel that Jennifer Garner would be better able to pull out a more assertive and outstanding Lenore, while remaining comedic to fit the mood of the movie. 

In terms of storyline, you know I have to say this; yes, it is pretty predictable.

From the moment Britt Reid was highlighted as the selfish fool who mistreats his friend/partner, I knew that Kato would be unhappy with the partnership and later run off as most shows involving partnership take the same storyline passage.

I also half predicted that Kato, after reading the email will go to save his friend...although I did thought at first that he would actually want to kill Britt. The rest of the storyline of the show is like I said, predictable, went as per the picture in my head (yep, I knew both of them are going to fall for Lenore and I knew Lenore would prefer Kato more) ...

But this is a superhero movie, what can we expect right?

"Good guy vs bad guy"...that's the ingredient, but oh well, at least the Green Hornet tries to give it a twist "good guy that pretends to be bad guys vs bad guys".

And the car racing scenes, the fighting scenes...well those are pretty fun to watch...

My favourite scenes:

- James Franco was awesome at the beginning - his 'speech', where he made fun of Chudnofsky was HILARIOUS!

- During the 1st police chase scene, and the police said "Show me your hands!" and Seth Rogen exhibited his middle finger 

- When Chudnofsky asked his men to spread the words to kill the Green Hornet, which led to a multiple split screen scene of the people spreading the word...NOW THAT IS AN AWESOME TECHNIQUE! Gives you the feel that words spread across to many people, in the multiple splits of the screen....awesome! 

I can see kids enjoying this movie - fast cars, punching action scenes, good comedic acts, a 'twist' in the storyline that can awe any kid...(Woah, Kato is going to kill Britt....Woah!!! Oh No...Kato holds Britt at gunpoint...wow.....phew apparently Kato has forgive Britt, what a twist!!!!!) To a kid, ACTION is the essence to a great superhero movie....seriously, I've been there. I can't remember half the storyline of the movies I watched when I was little.  

What I can summarize about the movie is that it contains all the right ingredients to make the movie an enjoyable Superhero movie for the kids, and for some adults who just want a dose of superhero fantasy. 

TC-My Rating:

With Love

TC