In-Sight My-Movie

Real Steel is the Real Deal!

2011-11-08T03:27:00.001+08:00

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

2011-02-20T16:46:00.001+08:00

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

2011-02-05T04:45:00.004+08:00

"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

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

2010-07-20T00:09:00.001+08:00

It's somewhat like Harry Potter and Lord of the Ring.

You are either a fan, or dread the time of the year when the "Twilight Saga" season comes around because basically every corner of every store is filled with promotional posters and merchandises with the face of 2 pale looking couple and one brownish (but hot) werewolf.

While "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Ring" carry mystical and magical themes, which bring audiences to out of the world fantasy-lands, "The Twilight Saga" indulges in a sad, pathetic love story between two souls who have nothing better to do in life.

I remember writing a review on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" for my job interview.

Oh well, I guess I didn't get the job because the editor loves Twilight hahaha....or perhaps, I'm just not objective enough. I was a bit too harsh in my comments and a bit too crazy about Lautner, highlighting a lot of him. Maybe the editor is a vampire....

But nothing is going to stop me from being real honest about "The Twilight Saga".

I admit that I once enjoyed it because I love the unity of the Cullen clan - I love the fight scenes and I love watching the Cullens as a family.

I hate watching Bella and Edward. I do not get why they look at each other awkwardly, although some might argue that they look at each other with love...Sadly, we clearly have a very different feeling about love.

Frankly speaking, Bella is one of the most painful character to watch and it makes me not really adore Kristen Stewart. Perhaps she is good because of her strong, accurate portrayal of an over-emo girl, who is different, truly different.

Many had said that the movie butchered the book, because the book is very much better than the movie. I believe that's true. I mean, Harry Potter movies did not live up to the books standards, so I think the same would apply to the Twilight Saga. I think to be fair to the author and the whole story, once has got to read the book and sadly, I have yet to do so. Thus, I can only comment on the story portrayed in the movie.

I know Twilight is mainly on the theme of forbidden love, but I find that part the killer of the movie. It is a bore to watch the love triangle between a vampire, a mortal and a werewolf. Thus, New Moon was a complete waste of time and money for me because it centered around just the three of them mainly.

I went into the cinema expecting the worst for Eclipse but it was surprisingly okay.

This has definitely got to do with the fact that half the movie is more about the Cullens and the werewolves working together to protect Bella and defeat the army of Vampire.

The CGIs were amazing, one of the least fake ones I've seen so far. Technology has definitely gone a long way since those good old days where those created monsters look ridiculously stupid because of the weakly embedded images using not so advanced blue/green screen techniques.

I particularly love the huge werewolves, they are lovely and beautiful.

They blend in in the movie as if they are real creatures. I also love the action scenes between the Cullens. The action scenes were enhanced by face-paced camera movements, which could be annoying but brilliant at the same time - really depends on how you look at it. The fast paced panning of the camera, shifting focus from the various characters during battle scenes do make audience kinda dizzy but at the same time, in my opinion, did manage to create hype and excitement.

The only reason Eclipse is to a certain extent entertaining is the fact the the other Cullens have more screen time and their history one how some of them became vampires were mentioned. That makes the whole movie more interesting, rather than just LOVE LOVE LOVE! By offering the background story of some of the other Cullens, we get to see some other character developments, rather than just Bella and Edward, whose character are as stagnant as the drain water behind any local hawker stalls. I mean, from the 1st movie until the 3rd, we are still looking at both of them look at each other...so tell me, besides the fact that they can't live without each other, what else is there?

Annoying to watch is how Bella can't seem to choose between Jacob and Edward.

Oh well, it's just me because I really dislike watching girls being fickle-minded when it comes to love. As if in life there is nothing else more important than to choose between two guys. Like I've stressed over and over, I am not a fan of the character Bella. I think it is mainly because we think very differently - she would give up everything for the love of her life, including her parents...I mean, I can't imagine not seeing my parents for the rest of my life. It's funny that she is only 17 and all she can think about is spending the rest of her life with a guy when other normal teens would be thinking about which education path to follow. Again, like she said, she is different.

Jacob is as hot as usual but I find his persistence in courting Bella a bit annoying. I am biased however since I am so madly into Taylor Lautner and therefore, I am less critical about his character. But if another dude was portraying Jacob's character, I'd really give him one tight slap in the face and say, "Aiyo, enough la! People got boyfriend already. You move on and find other hot girls lar!" But I believe some girls find Jacob's persistence and love for Bella admirable.

As for Edward, I just don't get skinny vampires. However, one of my friend adores the way he looks at Bella - she claims that he looks at her as if he would give her the world. All I can say is, I failed to notice the sincerity in his eyes but if someone else felt it, I believe Robert Pattinson did a great job in portraying his character and love for Bella.

One may argue that the most striking thing about the vampires in the movie are their eyes. You should notice that throughout the movie, their paleness highlights the intensity of their eyes and thus, I believe that if you play the role of a vampire in the movie, you must at least be good in conveying messages using your eyes. If you are a werewolf however, you'll have to make sure you have a tonned body, which hot abs and hot chocolate coloured skin. That's about it haha.

But it is cool that they managed to include some humour into the movie. There are funny moments that got me laughing at little - my favourite was when Taylor Lautner said, "Besides, I am hotter than you". Watch it in the context of the movie, and you'll get why it's funny haha.

So basically the third installment of the Twilight Saga presents 2 main story:

1. Vittoria trying to create an army of vampire to kill Bella and Bella sought protection from the 2 guys who love her like mad, and indirectly creating a pact between the disputing Vampire clan and the werewolf clan.

2. Bella trying to choose between the vampire or the werewolf, which metaphorically means choosing to be different or normal. While she do so, we see many moments where Jacob and Edward taunt each other and Bella standing in between...so...ya..

Basically that sums up what Eclipse is all about.

Whether you like it or not, it is still a phenomenon. But this 3rd movie is considered bearable (if you limit it to one-time watch only).

TC-My Ratings:

HUNTING FOR LOVE

2010-07-03T02:05:00.001+08:00

Sometimes I forgot what feel good rom-coms (romantic comedies) are for.

When you are stressed like hell and you just need to watch something without the need to get your brain neurons to work, you select a romantic comedy for the purpose of catharsis.

Watching "Bounty Hunter" was a pleasure for me although one any other sane day, I'd not enjoyed it as much. For your information, this is the movie that united Jennifer Aniston and Gerrard Butler, and their love blossomed from reel-life to real-life. (I'm not sure if their love has withered yet though because it's been quite some time since I follow celebrity gossips.)

I squeezed "Bounty Hunter" into my life last weekend. I sort of promised myself that I must watch at least one movie just to keep the drought away from my blog.

Reading the synopsis of the movie, you really wouldn't expect much.

To wrap up the whole movie in one sentence, let's just say it's about a guy who's named after one of my favourite drinks, Milo who is paid to bring his ex-wife, Nikki to jail.

The movie is made interesting because it incorporated an element of crime solving, in which we see Nikki trying to solve a murder case. Although the main focus wasn't the case, but it did make the movie a more interesting watch, besides the dry humour presently reasonably well by Jennifer Aniston and Gerrard Butler. Perhaps I'm biased because I love both of them. Truth be told, I'm more awed by the gorgeousness of Jennifer Aniston's body and tan and Gerrard Butler's hunky manly looks that I wasn't really paying attention much to their acting per se. Then again, both of them are established actor/actress, so why do even bring up their acting skills.

Another fun part of watching the movie is seeing their funny antiques in trying to outwit one another. Though it is generally predictable since we all know that they will end up rejoicing in a happy fairytale ending, there were also moments that came across as quite fresh. I mean a bounty hunter hunting down his ex-wife...hmmm not bad for an idea...

It's hard to be analytical with romantic comedies because generally, the follow the same story structure that has to involve a guy and a girl. I have yet to watch a rom-com with 2 guys ending up together, and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" doesn't count since Chuck & Larry didn't really end up together. No matter how their play around with the guy and girl in the movie, the lead characters will eventually end up together...romantic comedies and I'm not talking about love stories ya. Love stories could take a drastic turn and try to make things painful by sometimes killing off one of the characters or purposely separating the two leads for one reason or another.

But Gerrard Butler's manly character made this movie a tad less girly for a rom-com. Added some X-man factor in it which I love. Personally, it toughen the movie and made it strike out more compare to other romantic comedies.

At the end of the day, I still think it is a good watch although I wouldn't classify it as my all-time favourite. Although the scene in which Jen Aniston described the tattoo she planned to get is friggin' hilarious and left an impression, generally the movie is kinda forgettable. Gerrard Butler is charming but his spells didn't work in making the movie one that gets me wanting an encore. So ya, I'm really watching "Bounty Hunter" for a one-time laugh.

I'll leave this post short and sweet, because that is basically what romantic comedies are like.

So I'll leave you with a K.I.S.S!

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

THE NEW KARATE KID WHO LEARNED KUNG FU

2010-06-22T01:53:00.001+08:00

I had a bad feeling about "The Karate Kid" even before I watch it.

That is why I planned NOT to watch it but then was deceived and lured by 'kiasuness' (fear of losing out on something good and the mentality that you want everything, especially when it's free). Oh well, my bro said he will pay for the movie, just so I can watch it and then review it.

I told him that I can just watch it at home and review it anyway but then he reasoned me out.

So there I was, sitting just 5 rows away from the huge cinema screen, craning my neck due to the lousy seats we got (That is another story; let's just say that that particular cinema has a weird ticketing system which indicates the wrong seats), and watching a movie that got even its title wrong. Why is the movie "Karate Kid" when the kid is obviously learning Kung Fu? Enlighten me...

I predicted that this movie will be a blueprint of many other Kung Fu, boxing, street-fighting, you-name-it kinda movies. It takes on the "underdogs-will-prevail-in-the-end" format.

If you haven't already know, the movie would start with a boy/girl who at first is bullied or knocked down by the antagonist of the movie. Meanwhile, there'll be someone, who usually is an outcast of the society, bittered by something bad that has happened in his/her life and this person would be the one with experience in that particular field. And the underdog would then learn from this expert and continue on succeeding at the end. Hooray!! Happy ending.

No matter how we dislike such recycled storyline, we still can't help but want to watch them and witness again and again that moment of victory because, who are we kidding, seeing the underdog's victory does makes one feel better about life. It is therapeutic as it kinda helps us forget the reality that the chances of an average joe or juliet succeeding is sometimes impossible. Oh excuse me for being negative. In the movie's defense, I guess it is movies like these that lifts people's spirits up again and get people to start believing again.

"Karate Kid" sees the more grown up Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith) taking on the role of Dre, a Detroit kid who was forced to move to China. China sees him struggling with the new cultures and people. He got off the wrong foot with Cheng, a bully in school, resulting in him being constantly bullied until Mr. Han saved him from Cheng's gang. Mr. Han later trained Dre for the Kung Fu tournament in order to challenge Cheng and his merciless coach.

For such a simple movie, with such simple storyline, it's amazing that it can be dragged across 2 and a half hours of my life.

Half of the movie can be chopped off and the films can be saved for other more noble causes. The beginning of the movie whereby Dre was beaten up over and over again is redundant. We get it - he is going through living hell because he was being beaten up by a Chinese kid and his gang who knows Kung Fu. And we know you are going to learn Kung Fu later so please proceed to the part where you actually learn Kung Fu and start fighting already.

I'm not a fan of the character Mei Ling, although she seems to be a sweet girl. I would actually erase her character and develop Cheng's character further. I mean there is always an interesting story behind the antagonist and it would be even better to see the friendship develop between Cheng and Dre, rather than another cute puppy love story, which is quite plain. In my humblest opinion, a story about two rivals learning about each other's culture is definitely better than another love story between two souls of different culture. The latter has been shot over and over before, albeit different couples showcasing different cultural background.

Jackie Chan's character, Mr. Han, on the other hand, was not well developed. The few minutes in which he cried in the car, regretting the fact that his negligent driving led to the deaths of two people he loved just wasn't good enough to accentuate his character. It was just a few teary minutes, and though very touching and sad, didn't make him intriguing enough as a character, so it fell back to being predictable, if not boring.

And just so you know, there were no surprise during the tournament. Again it all turned out as expected. A little drama before the end, you know, how Dre got seriously injured but then managed to fight back, that sort of thing. Yep...all there.

However, I would credit how the punches and kicks, through sound effects and certain camera movements (slow motion techniques mainly) emphasizes pain and anguish, and effectively created something pretty surreal. The facial expression of Jaden Smith also deserved a point, as he made the scenes believable. I felt his pain just by watching and I find myself squirming with every hit targeted on the face and the stomach. The last part in which the boy crunched Dre's knee...I felt my own knee breaking man.

On top of that, there were certain moments in which I believed that they played with colours and music to create certain moods, which described the character of that particular group of society. For example, the first bunch of Kung Fu students were dressed in red, backed by strong music, symbolizing vigour, strength and power.

But they are so cute

Cheng's character was clad in black - representing evil, but during the tournament, he wore red to symbolize domination and power and a force to be reckoned with.

Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) however told Dre that Cheng is not practicing real Kung Fu as the real martial art is about generating peace and harmony, and not hurting others. Mr. Han brought Dre to this place high above the mountains and we spot people dressed in gentle colours of grey and whites - depicting harmony. The music used as background is peaceful in contrast to the earlier scenes of Kung Fu that was full of energy.

I guess it also helped that there were one or two quite funny moments in the movie that did get one or two of my funny nerves tickling me.

In a nutshell, 3 things that made this movie weak - the drrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaggggggyyyyyyyyyyy introduction which somehow killed the climax because the agonizing wait drained off whatever it has to offer, the weak characters whose characteristics were mostly predictable and lastly a storyline that doesn't make one go shouting "freaking awesome!!!!" in the end.

So perhaps one would only enjoy Jackie Chan's hilarious signature Kung Fu moves and also the little cute tyke Jaden Smith's funny facial expressions. Besides that.....I think it failed to live up to expectations...but wait, I wasn't really expecting anything anyway and yet, was let down.

All I can say is, this movie is overrated.

I've never seen Leisure Mall's cinema this pack and it was packed when Karate Kid is on. But then again, if a film is generating ka-chings, who am I to say that it is lousy.

But looking at the positive, it is a feel good movie which reminds us to stand up when things knock us down. Now that is good advice and that, we shall bring home.

This movie is like a family project. I say so because it is basically a film Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith funded to provide his son an avenue to act. So they flew everyone to China and got Jackie Chan, every child's super hero to star in the movie and then Jackie taught Jaden some Kung Fu, pads up a 12-year-old with muscles.... and "BAMMMM!!!!"...Karate Kid was produced....

I don't know why, although the name of this movie is Karate Kid, I do not feel it related to the previous Karate Kid. Now I have really vague memory of the previous Karate Kid movies but the feel those films gave me is definitely different from this one. This movie is like...oh well, a stand-alone Western mixed Chinese Kung Fu movie (or you might say comedy) that was wrongly categorized under the "Karate Kid" family.

Whatever I say doesn't matter because you already know if you are going to watch it.

But perhaps with World Cup fever, many of you will be too ill to pay attention to a 12-year-old practicing Kung Fu on the Great Wall of China. I mean, obviously 20 men chasing 1 ball is much more entertaining...;P

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Love

TammyC

SHUDDER ISLAND

2010-06-16T00:35:00.000+08:00

It has taken me forever to write this but I'll start this piece by complimenting Leo DiCaprio again for his versatility in portraying the various characters he sets out to carry.

His playing Jack in Titanic wasn't what got me gaga over him. I mean, I wasn't crazy over his then Nick Carter boyish hairstyle and the cheeky charms and I certainly wasn't thrilled about him spitting in the sea, although in the movie, it seemed oh-so-romantic (to a certain level) for some. Although an adventurous artist who draws nude pictures of women around the world certainly sounds attractive, but no, I wasn't in Leo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson.

The once-upon-a-time boyish charms that failed to infatuate me...

Or perhaps I just grew out of the Jack-Rose thing...

Leo DiCaprio secured himself as one of my favourite actors ever since his portrayal as a mercenary in "Blood Diamond". He then made me realize how excellent he is again by blowing me away when he played Roger Ferris in "Body of Lies", with his super awesome Middle East accent. By the way, I also really love the film because it keeps the romance element sweet and innocent.

The two acclaimed movies responsible for making me crazy over Leo DiCaprio's acting...

Naturally, I'm now crazy over any films of substance that star Leo DiCaprio.

When Shutter Island's trailer flashed by in front of me in the cinema, I knew that movie has gained top spot on my must-watch list of movies.

I could be wrong, but in my own humble opinion, Shutter Island takes on the style of Secret Window, which stars Johnny Depp.

There were mixed reviews on this movie.

Some said it is good but there were some who deemed it lousy. I however, have to agree with the former.

I think Leo DiCaprio did great as usual, captivating audiences with his glaring stares, portraying the sense of anxiety and mystery which encapsulates the movie's mood. But I'll have to admit that this is not one of his best films.

Shutter Island gives audiences a weird sense of fear. It is a thriller that really gives one the creeps. I do not know why films always have to present mental institutions as a freaky and scary place, but ya, they always do. But Shutter Island gives mental institutions a double dose of creepiness. The mood is set that way although towards the end, you'd realize that it is not really that scary.

The mood is also cleverly created through the music, flashbacks and weird characters.

There is a quite creative twist to the film, in which different people had interpreted differently. Some argue that he is sane while some thinks that he is still cuckoo in the head. I'm going with the former.

The film is basically about a bunch of shrinks who played along with the fantasy of Teddy in hopes of curing his insanity. Teddy was stricken with insanity as he tries to escape the harsh reality of himself killing his wife after she murdered their 3 children due to her mental illness.

I do not want to give away too much but I personally think that the film is very creative. The twist in the story is quite unique, though arguably, it can be deemed as forced and ridiculous.

But true, this wasn't Leo DiCaprio's best like I said. You see, there just wasn't a 'moment' for him in this movie, unlike 'Blood Diamond' (the ending when he died and called the girl) and 'Body of Lies' (the part where is hand was almost chopped off). But with "Shutter Island", I can't really name an exceptional moment for him.

The movie is filled with puzzling maze of queries and thus, some claims that the film is a bore since it drags people through 2 hour headache figuring out what's going on and why. But personally, I think it is not as bad as Benjamin Button. For Benjamin Button, it's like, you know what's going but you're just begging for it to end. Brad Pitt's good-looks also failed to make the movie bearable. No offense, I know many appreciates the meaning of Benjamin Button. Sorry that I only judge it on the surface.

But as the story unravel and you know the explanation to certain flashbacks and scenes, you will find the walls of the maze slowly shattering, revealing a clear path, although some find the end of that path most ridiculous. Some people just doesn't like the fact that the 120-minute worth of footages they have been watching are a whole load of psychotic fantasy. I mean, I agree, which mental institution would act to play along with a patient's illusions? But arguably, it's quite a creative twist.

Generally, not a bad movie. However, the fact that I'm finding it hard to write about it is an indication that I'm not exactly feeling the movie much.

I anticipated it and I wouldn't say I was let down but I don't love it to bits either. However, I'd actually recommend it to everyone actually because it is a very interesting movie. It's a kinda movie that freaks you out and sends chill to your spine although it is has no mutated ghostly figures. And I think if you are studying film, you would appreciate the fact that you could use this movie to study its mood, the costumes, setting and characters. Oh and if Mr. Alan is here, he would be able to tell you also the hidden meaning behind each scenes - the positioning of the characters, the lighting etc. I mean, this is a Martin Scorsese film, it has got to contain some crafty cinematography. And if you are multimedia/graphic student, you'd also witness some awesome graphical elements in the movie.

TC-Rating:

With Lotsa Love

TammyC

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

2010-05-22T18:15:00.000+08:00

What makes a good parent?

Seriously, I bet there is no one single definition for a good parent.

But I think most importantly, the only parent that is right for the child are the ones who are able to give them the love they need.

Those who are completely clueless would wish that their parents give them monetary gifts and all (oh well, to a certain extend, who doesn't want money, right?) but I think the greatest thing a parent can give is love.

"I Am Sam" highlights the theme of parenting.

First of all, this is my first Sean Penn movie...can you even believe it? I haven't watch "Milk" yet but I'm thinking it'll be good.

Anyway, Sean Penn was brilliant as Sam, duh! HE DID WON AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR HIS ROLE!

This is one movie that didn't let me down after all the greatness I've heard about it. Okay...I know I know...after SO MANY YEARS, I have finally watched "I Am Sam" in year 2010.

I've heard that many people cried while watching this movie. Oh well, I had my moments but it really wasn't really like all tissues and crappy mucus for me haha. Thank God!

There are 2 things I really like about the movie.

First of all, of course, it is its meaningful storyline.

The movie brings to attention few things:

1. Being a good parent doesn't mean that you need to be more intelligent than your child.

So what if Sam is lower in terms of IQ and intelligence due to underdevelopment of his brains. I think most people cast mentally retarded people as generally abnormal, and thus not fit mentally to raise a kid. I mean, I wouldn't disregard the fact that in certain cases, yes, it could be dangerous to have an underdeveloped person raising a kid if he/she is really not demonstrating good parenting skills. However, perhaps there are also many cases in which mentally underdeveloped people, with the necessary training, are also able to be caring and good parents, but they are just not given the opportunities to learn to be parents.

There was a part in the movie in which the 'shrink' quoted that Sam is unfit to be a good parent because he feels that he did a lot of mistakes and that he feel lost and clueless. I love how Michelle Pfeiffer's countered that statement.

She brought in the fact that even as normal parents, they feel at certain points in life that mistakes were made with regards to the children's welfare and well-being. If a "normal" human feel that pressure, why ain't it normal for someone with lower mental capabilities to also feel the same.

2. All you need in order to be a good parent is the ability to teach your child good values and of course, provide the love and care a child needs.

3. Normal or if you are slower in terms of mental development, we all have our problems and challenges in life - so we are in many ways no different than one another.

Everyone has problems no matter how perfect or flawless they seem. That much is true I guess. I mean, there's this Chinese saying that has a similar meaning to "the grass is always greener on the other side"...and if the Chinese proverb is directly translated to English, it'll be "You see me good, I see you good". Lolx...

I believe that is very true and I guess in many ways we should never try to condescend other people's problem by thinking that their problem is not as big as ours or etc. Oh well, it's not that I can do so myself, there were many times I really can't understand other people who seem to make a huge deal out of the smallest problems. Oh well, I really try my best to think from their perspective (TRY MY BEST) but sometimes we will never know what others feel unless we are in their shoes.

In "I Am Sam", Sam feels that his lawyer, Rita (portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer) is perfect but the truth is she is suffering from the pain of a broken family. She loves her son but she doesn't know how to show it.

So what is seemingly a successful career woman on the outside, who portrays so much confidence is actually so lonely and sad on the inside, with her own sets of problems as well as weaknesses.

Sam, who feels useless and has lower self-esteem is actually admired by Rita for his ability to be so closed to his daughter and the fact that he is his daughter's best friend.

The next best thing about this movie is the use of the Beatles songs as soundtrack and how all the lyrics from the songs are incorporated into the story. Very nice.

So needless to say, "I Am Sam" is a must-watched, heart-warming film suitable for all ages.

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

WATCHING THE TITANS CLASH

2010-04-20T23:57:00.002+08:00

If you really don't have a good enough reason to watch "Clash of the Titans", oh well, let me tell you this to persuade you - the hot Sam Worthington in skirts. Excited yet?

Okay that has nothing to do with the movie.

Haha.

Now I'm sure most of you have heard about this movie and might have plans to watch it. I mean, it did claim a spot at the top of the box office before being knocked off the throne by "Date Night" starring Steve Carrell and Tina Fey (have yet to watch this one though).

So how was "The Clash of the Titans" for me?

Oh so that's the Medusa's head he's got there..

I didn't know that.

To be honest, it wasn't bad but it wasn't phenomenal. One would expect such an epic to be huge and big, making you gag with awe but I don't find "Clash of the Titans" as big as it was set out to be.

I love ancient Greek mythology and has always been fascinated by the tales and legends of the Greek Gods and Goddesses. So the main reason I was so excited about this movie is the fact that it involves the Olympians.

Well, the movie was definitely not enough to quench my thirst for knowledge on Greek Mythology but I admit that it did try its best to stick to parts of the myths. And I expected it to be more about gregarious fight scenes and all (something like 300) but surprisingly, it wasn't. Well at least in my opinion, the fight scenes weren't "power" enough haha.

I'm pretty surprised that more emphasis were on the Grecian myth itself, so it was actually much to my pleasure. I thought the Grecian element is a sub-theme incorporated to a war movie but it is in some ways the other way round.

The movie discusses God-human relationship in a subtle way, presenting the idea where human had had enough of the unfairness and injustice of the Gods and so, fought against the Gods.

We've been fed the belief that God is almighty and that their presence are intangible and so it is practically IMPOSSIBLE to actually go to war against the Gods.

But in Greek mythology, Gods sometimes visit Earth as humans, (which is a super cool idea by the way) and so they can actually conduct sexual relationships with normal humans and thus, the existence of Demi-Gods. Again super cool right? That's why I love Grecian legends and stories...they are just super mystical and just brilliant, just knowledge sake.

Okay what I'm saying is, in some ways, Greek Gods are more 'humanized' and so we can actually fight them to a certain extent. I actually love the idea that Gods are in some ways flawless, just like us. I think in some ways it is good because then, we will be able to relate to them better.

I don't see the movie as preaching Christianity, but perhaps indirectly it does. In Christianity, there is only one God but in this movie, we see polytheism. I think what the movie challenge is the idea that God is fair and poses the questions - To what extend should we have faith in our Gods? To what extend do we say "it's enough"...I keep praying for things but only S%^# befalls. (But then again, praying is not about getting things...forgive me for being shallow, but I don't really understand the true definition of praying or prayers, but I treat it as a way of talking to God and just thanking God for the blessings).

One theme that keep circling the movie is "faith towards Gods". God created us (in the movie, Zeus = God) and so we need to be thankful though we are going through practically hell on Earth? We suffer and God still expects us to love Him, so to many, it ain't fair.

But like Zeus summarized in the end, the fear and hatred feeds Hades and make him powerful, making us human suffer more. To a certain extent, it is kinda true. I mean if you don't want to relate it to Gods, it's more like attracting the positive and when we are negative, more bad things seems to happen to us. Though at times, it's not easy at all to think positive.

After discussing the more subtle themes, I guess it's also good to look at the surface.

There are many versions of Perseus and honestly, who knows which one is the right one. It is then again, a legend and a myth that could holds no truth...could be just stories told by ancient folks.

Perceus is famous for killing Medusa and rescuing Princess Andromeda (who later became his wife) from a sea monster.

"The Clash of Titan" also see Perceus killing Medusa and rescuing Princess Andromeda.

In the movie, Perseus is the offspring of Zeus and a human lady, Danae - so that portrayal is also according to common legend. However Danae according to Wikipedia is the daughter of King Acrisius, while in the movie, she is the wife of King Acrisius who was murdered by the King just so he can get rid of the Baby Perseus, who was of Zeus's blood.

What else contradicts legend?

The character, Io, who in the end, if I'm not mistaken, ended up with Perseus.

I mean, don't get me wrong, she is so darn mesmerizing in the movie but what the hell is her character doing in the movie? I have no idea. If I were the writer, I might just write off her character. If she is meant to be the storyteller, I'd rather use a boom-mega voice over - you know that sort of voice from heaven mighty male voice sorta V.O., ya, that. I thought using that would be cooler and make the whole movie more mystical like. Plus I'm sorry but I just don't feel the chemistry between Perseus and Io. Are they in-love are they not? Sorry not feeling it.

I mean, thank God though that the director didn't make it too lovey-dovey. It would be a pain to watch. I mean, I think the character of Princess Andromeda should be enhanced and developed further. If I were to write the story, I'd maintain most parts but I'll combine Andromeda and Io's character into one.

By the way, speaking about Io...she is supposed to be immortal, right? So how the hell did she die in the end? Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you are suffering for over a thousand years (or more) seeing your loved ones die, I'm sure you'd have tried various ways to kill yourself and failed. But then suddenly, it's just so easy to die? Seriously...not making any sense. Oh alright, you can argue that the Gods have finally want to take her away. But still her character is pretty stupid right?

There were many scenes that don't make any sense. I think the better way to put it is that the continuity of the movie is quite bad. There were many times in the movie in which certain characters just disappeared out of thin-air - meaning, they just ain't in the next scene and you don't know where they went. For example, (my friend JT also mentioned this in his blog) the spiders and those weird looking blue-eyed robot-like wig-sorcerers were suddenly all gone after one particular scene (I forgot which one), without any explanation.

I mean I get it when some of the soldiers died off after getting killed or literally stoned by Medusa, but the spiders and the Blue-eyed robots?...am I missing some action here and there because I dozed off? Perhaps not. I remember being wide awake admiring Sam Worthington's hotness.

Perhaps they actually shot what happened to these characters but since it's too friggin' long, the editor just had to chop off the parts, leaving us dazed in confusion.

For such a huge production (I'm assuming it is, which all the major props and CGI), they really should take into account all these details to make it like almost flawless. I mean, at least be criticized for something with more substance and subjective like camera technique used or lighting etc., but the discontinuity aspect is really amateurish for such a huge box-office movie.

And talking about camera movements, one thing about Hollywood movies like these is their fight scenes. I don't know if you notice this but most of their fight scenes uses Close-up shots, or Medium shots and fast cuts to enhanced action but I find it super annoying because you don't get to see the fight scene as a whole, using full shots of the actors' whole body movement.

I mean, the choreography of the fight movements in itself is an art but what happens is that our famous Hollywood directors love to play with camera movements to sort of create the emotions, but by doing so, sacrificed the artistic strokes that fight scenes bring to the screen. I believe that martial art scenes can be made as interesting using full-shots, especially if the actors are good with their fighting scenes and movements. I mean if the actors are not good then perhaps camera tricks are necessary, but if the actors are trained prior to the shoot, why not feature those swift fight scenes as a whole instead of just their upper torso and face?

I noticed the same camera movements in "The Clash of Titans" and so the actions were again, some what similar to what normal huge action flicks like these offer.

The resolution in which Perseus kills the huge monster is also a tad too, oh well, un-climatic. In some ways, it failed to create that climax for me. I just don't know if it's only me but I guess that sorta hero saving heroine scene from huge monsters is a bit too cliche and predictable for me.

As for the acting, most people think Ralph Fiennes did fabulous. Liam Neeson was also credited. If you ask me though, there were nothing really striking about the actings per se. I mean they were generally good, some really only so-so. Io for example, was a bit too wooden for me...hmm...I mean, I'm awed by her beauty but untouched by her acting. Princess Andromeda is a tad better but I could judge better if she had more scenes.

Generally, the movie is okay.

Nothing fantastic about but it wasn't a bore. Thanks to the mythical storyline that kinda draws me to it.

Watch it so that you are part of the pack but if you really dislike weak action movies then perhaps you can pass this one.

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

MY VISIT TO WONDERLAND

2010-04-11T01:48:00.000+08:00

Alice in Wonderland rocks it no matter what some of you might say.

There were definitely some really high expectations for this movie. And after the movie's release, there were mixed reviews regarding the film. Some had said that the movie has been a disappointment, but there were also some who loved it.

Bagging these comments, I went in the cinema with low expectations and I actually think that it is not bad at all.

I watched "Alice in Wonderland" almost 2 weeks back. I just didn't manage to find any time to blog about it and right now, I'm just hoping that my memory will serve me for this post.

The most amazing thing about the film is really not the storyline because the main structure of the Alice in Wonderland story has been used before. But one can't deny the fact that we are also anticipating the scene where Alice shrink and then enlarged again.

I've never read or watched "Alice in Wonderland" before but I generally know its story and I believe that Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" is actually something super creative that rides on the original version of "Alice In Wonderland". He brings to life a more grown up Alice - he presents us a story whereby imagination comes to life. I thought the movie is brilliant because it is colourful and very imaginative. It brings you outta this world - another true Tim Burton masterpiece - fun & quirky with a mysterious touch.

One of my favourite Tim Burton movies is "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory". I love how Tim Burton paints with so many colours and creates lively atmospheres with sounds and music, making the book by Roald Dahl even livelier and, I must say, better. I love that Tim Burton had added some moral values towards the end of the movie, something the book doesn't carry.

Tim Burton did the same for "Alice in Wonderland", creating vibrant and interesting characters that can alone keep you entertained. I found myself constantly wondering what will happen next in the movie; I guess you can say that it is ironic that such a predictable storyline ended up being so unpredictable, but Burton did so!

If you ask me what makes the film brilliant, it is the characters and the creativity of the concept and production design of the underworld. The whole setting of the movie is colourful and vibrant, and it attracts us to it. The story, though simple, has some sort of magical element that gets one glued and anticipating the adventures that awaits. Colours always help!

Every element in the movie comes as a surprise, but still in many ways faithful to the classic storyline. But I love how Burton had enhanced the story with more than just senseless jabberwocky (nonsense, meaningless and of no value), although, 'Jabberwocky' is part of the theme. Burton incorporated a few good values/messages in the film.

"Believe in the impossible"

Alice never thought that it's possible to kill the Jabberwocky monster but then she remembers what her father told her that he thinks of 6 impossible things before breakfast. Sometimes, nothing is impossible.

"Do not let others decide who you are & just be yourself"

Alice is different from other girls because she has bigger dreams. Later we see her stepping up and taking over her father's business and continue on to believe in achieving what is claimed impossible.

After watching Alice In Wonderland, I am even more amazed with Tim Burton's creativity - how he brought in the Jabberwocky element into the story is brilliant!

On top of that, I think credits have definitely got to be given to Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway for brilliantly portraying in their own ways those magnificent characters in the film.

Johnny Depp is made for the role Mad Hatter, or rather, he made Mad Hatter his. Johnny Depp playing Mad Hatter is just another testament of his ability to take on different roles in films. He was amazing as this weird, almost lunatic character - somewhat like Willy Wonka but a tad more colourful, literally. He also perfectly delivered his last scene, persuading Alice to stay because that scene melted my heart. If I were Alice, I could have stayed because of that.

Helena Bonham Carter was also excellent as the Red Queen. The Red Queen is evil but she has her own insecurities, because of her big head. And in Alice in Wonderland, even the evil characters have to be to a certain extent endearing because it is a feel good story. I think Helena Bonham Carter managed to make the character lovable, despite evil.

And Anne Hathaway was fantastic as the White Queen. I didn't know she was in the movie so it was a surprise seeing her. But I really love her portrayal as the White Queen - she's bouncy and elegant at the same time. She is cheeky in some ways - though a protagonist, she managed to slit in a bit of mischievous characteristic in her character. For example, she has that childishness in her where she still laughs about her sisters big head - so I find her super cute. I mean, one would imagine Queen as someone who is super serious and powerful but Anne made White Queen one that has a child-like character, but yet, has that quality of an elegant queen.

The new girl who plays Alice was a disappointment for me because I find her actually quite wooden in her acting. Hmmm...but I got some feedback saying that it is her character to be looking disturbed and weird like that, because she is Alice, a little girl who is different from the rest. Oh well, I can't really judge her from her first performance but I still find her acting not up to par. Perhaps she'll be able to convince me the next time in her next film, if she actually stars in any more films.

If you are a person into graphics and colours and art, you'll be amazed by the wonders of Alice in Wonderland. You'll be mesmerized by Red Queen's castle and all the heart shaped decorations that fill the place; you'll be awed by the glitters of the White Queen's residence; you'll be tickled by the cute rabbits and other worldly animals that are creatively engineered to look magically.

But if you dislike colours and happy magical tales that takes you outta this world, you might then really hate Alice in Wonderland. You cannot judge "Alice in Wonderland" in terms of storyline because it is a story that most of us are familiar with. When watching this movie, I think it's best to judge how creative Burton can be by bringing these characters into life and how he colours them with his own touch.

Children will definitely enjoy this one because it is very magical and imaginative. If your life is all serious, I think you really should watch this one to release tension and you know, colour your life with imaginations. Because at the end of the day, the core message of the movie is to "belief in the impossible".

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

A LOVELY TALE ABOUT THE LOVELY BONES

2010-03-30T00:17:00.001+08:00

There is something about "The Lovely Bones" that touches me deeply. I was crying in most parts of the movie and I just don't really get why. I guess it just unfolds and seeps in me a different kind of sadness, one that is beyond me.

A few things about "The Lovely Bones" mesmerize me.

First of all, Saoirse (Seer-suh) Ronan. She is amazingly, breathtakingly beautiful. Her big blue eyes sort of captures your attention throughout the movie. It's like, you just can't take your eyes off her, and this is coming from a girl who is known to love checking out hot dudes.

There is no doubt that Saoirse can act. She has been complimented for many of her roles previously and "The Lovely Bones" is just another testament of her talents. I believe in many ways, it is the connection with her purity, naivety and adolescence that makes me feel sad. Saoirse did a brilliant job with delivering her character, and making us feel the pain Susie Salmon is going through.

Stunning Saiorse. I hope she stays natural.

I didn't like Saoirse Ronan's character in "Atonement" but after "The Lovely Bones", I fell in love with the actress...

In my opinion, Saoirse Ronan's performance in Atonement wasn't as mesmerizing if compared to "The Lovely Bones"; so for me, "The Lovely Bones" has catapulted this young starlet into the galaxy of star and she is shining brightly as we speak. Personally, I really hope to see more of her and not Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus, thank you very much.

Secondly, "The Lovely Bones" is presented in a very unique way. I love the way Susie Salmon narrates her life after her death. I think Saiorse did great with the voice over. It's not easy to convey emotions just through speech, but Saiorse did impress me there because I feel every word when she narrates. I feel her pain, her sorrow, her hatred...because if I were her, I'd be angry and sad too.

The storyline is really good. The story is about how 14-year-old Susie Salmon deals with the pain of realizing that she had been murdered and also, how she watched from above how her family dealt with the loss of her in the family.

She was stuck in the 'in-between', a place where one is between heaven and Earth because one doesn't want to move on. She is held back by hatred, by her love for her family and her crush.

She was angry with her murderer, who took everything away from her, and most of all, he took her life. She wanted revenge so badly, and she felt that he took away what she was before...in the 'in-between', she is so submerged in anger and hatred that she doesn't know who she is anymore.

But she was also really sadden seeing her family crush after losing her in their life. She struggled as she slowly watch her family recover from the pain of losing her. She soon realizes that the most important thing for her is not vengeance, but rather, seeing her family, the people she loves heal from a tragedy. That too her, in the end is the ultimate happiness that she seeks and that is what helped her move on to heaven.

I was exceptionally touched by Susie and her dad's relationship; I love the fact that he spent the time building those bottled ships (what do you call that??) with Suzie and the scene in which he smashes all those bottles after Suzie's death was THE MOST HEARTBREAKING scene for me. I also love how the director then brings in the scene in which we see large CGI ships crashing the stones by the shores - to fully give the impact of how the great the impact of losing a child is, or how painful it could be.

"There was one thing my murderer didn't understand; he didn't understand how much a father could love his child."

Mark Wahlberg did impressively as Susie's father. I never noticed Mark Wahlberg, though he is supposed to be famous in many ways. I wasn't at all captured by his acting until "The Lovely Bones". You know, he caught my full attention here. I think he portrayed a distraught dad very well but he also delivered as a loving husband and father at the beginning of the movie.

Rachel Weisz was a disappointment for me though. I think she could have been more striking but her portrayal as a mother was just so-so. Most of the time, I don't feel her presence in the movie - it doesn't create an impact, unlike Mark Wahlberg. But I believe it is so because the the story is more focused on a father-daughter perspective rather than a maternal one. So, it is understandable that Rachel Weisz doesn't get the moment the character needed.

The are many graphical elements in the movie that are very kind to the eyes. I believe that behind those graphics are metaphors waiting to be deciphered, but then I just couldn't get most of it. I was kinda lost at points in the movie but towards the end, I began to get what the whole message in the movie is.

Two obvious main themes behind the film are "hatred versus love" and "seeking vengeance versus accepting the truth and moving on."

Throughout the movie, I hated the murderer for what he did. I despise him and I so wish that Suzie could do something to get back at him, destroy him or something. I put myself in Suzie's shoes; I feel her sorrow because I know, if I were her, I would not be able to bear the hurt of watching my family members crumble while the murderer lives his life. Plus, my life has just began. I'm only 14 but he took my years away from me.

In the end, Susie had to choose between exposing her murderer's crime or getting her crush to kiss her. She chose her first kiss - love because at the end of the day, perhaps love is stronger that hate. Love prevails in the movie. If I were Suzie, I really don't know what I'd choose but most probably, I'll expose my murderer. Yes, I'm a b**** who's full of vengeance I guess. But the film enlightens me about the power of love. Though at first I chose to expose the murderer, I guess Suzie is right to choose her first kiss. It was the better decision...

Another special feeling the movie gave me was the thought that perhaps my grandpa was all the time watching us from above, just like Susie did, with her family. I try my best to hold back tears everytime I think of grandpa and the thought that he was watching over us is bittersweet. I wish he was here but then, maybe he has never left. I wish though that he is at a better place, just like Susie. The whole time I was watching the movie, I can't help but think of my grandfather.

"The Lovely Bones" also opened up another dimension of my perspective.

I'm used to watching "Criminal Minds", which focuses on the criminals and how they are punished at the end of the show by law. What "Criminal Minds" doesn't highlight is the decease's point of view and "The Lovely Bones" presents just that. When "Criminal Minds" try to debate whether justice prevails, "The Lovely Bones" put forward the idea that perhaps at the end, love does prevail sometimes.

The movie also suggests that sometimes, the best way to heal is to just move on.

For a film with such a deep meaning as foundation, the director or rather, the scriptwriter still manages to insert a few lines of humour. I guess the introduction of Susan Sarandon's grandmother character is to lighten up the tense situations a bit too. Generally, "The Lovely Bones" was indeed a lovely watch.

I just love closing line by Susie Salmon.

"These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections — sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent — that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events my death brought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous lifeless body had been my life."

This paragraph has brilliantly captured and summarized the essence of the whole story...and enough to tear me up because it made me wonder that perhaps, people never really do leave.

So I think Peter Jackson did a fantastic job bringing the book into life...

I recommend this movie to everyone who just love one good inspiring movie. I can't wait to get my hands on the book!

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Love,
TammyC
I love the lovely bones around me...

BABEL-ING

2010-03-28T23:38:00.000+08:00

Babel is an award winning film; It garnered multiple awards (including an Oscar) a couple years back. I've heard that it was a great movie but I just didn't have the time to really watch it. So yesterday, I've finally took some time to sit down and watch the 150-minute long film.

There are 3 different stories told in one. These 3 stories are in ways related, though the linds of linkages wasn't illustrated at the beginning.

The stories are set in 3 different places, namely Morocco, Japan and Mexico (with a bit of U.S.).

It opens with the Moroccan background, in which a trading of a sniper was done. Two boys were super excited about the new 'toy' their dad bought, intended for scaring away birds.

The next part of the story shows a Mexican lady taking care of two American children and the next we were transported to the lights and sounds of the Japan, where we see a teenage girl playing volleyball. Then we head back to Morocco where we see Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett almost arguing.

The thing about this film is that the its sequence is not in place. The time frame of the story is basically all over the place, so you kinda have to put the puzzle together yourself.

Most of the time, I feel like I'm watching 3 different movies. So it's not boring in that way.

The three stories encircles various themes - mainly discrimination, but it also touches on brotherhood, insecurities and of course love.

I'd argue that racism and discrimination is quite an obvious theme in the movie. We see how the Mexican lady was accused of kidnapping the American children, whom she has brought up. She was like a mother to those kids but just because she is Mexican, she is suspected of the act. It is fair to argue that it's good to take precautions and all but she was treated somewhat unfairly in my opinion.

Another clear indication of discrimination is the way Americans link Middle Eastern incidents to terrorism, without solid facts or proofs. When Cate Blanchett got shot in Morocco, speculations where made without facts. It was merely the act two naughty boys who went a bit too far with their dad's sniper.

The Japanese story involves this young teenage girl who felt insecure of herself. She desperately wants attention and she feels not good enough. Thus, she is constantly trying to gain men's attention by offering to disclose some parts, oh well, every part of her body. I'm not sure why but I'm really disgusted with the Japanese story. I don't know why but sometimes, the 'openness' of the Japanese culture freaks me out. I mean, Japan used to have a historical culture, and when I think Japan, I think cherry blossom trees and beautiful pink sakura flowers. Now however, when I think Japan, I think of girls trying to be cute, wearing mini short skirts with no underwears, teens living a lose wild & high life...yeah and seriously, these movies don't help by portraying that part of Japan.

I am very touched by the Moroccan brother's story. Though they seemed to be at each other all the time, it was touching to see the sacrifice a brother would make for his other brother.

I guess some people might deem the way the director interrelate three stories of three different cultures together as impressive. However, I feel that the links are pretty weak though it is not a weakness in the movie as the movie is not about how these different characters' relationships. I guess it's just about the way the world connects as one. But I was pretty disappointed because I never knew why Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were in Morocco in the first place. I also do not really get the resolution of the Japanese story - I believe it's because of my lack of artistic understanding of a film.

Babel is obviously inclined towards the artistic genre...though it is not as boring as most artistic films because it does have interesting moments. I do think it is culturally significant because the film highlights the different lifestyle and cultures of different people from different cities.

Overall, not a bad watch.

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Love,
TammyC
Ps: This review took me weeks to complete...I don't know why but I kinda lost the inspiration to pen this one.

I WISH I COULD LIVE UP IN THE AIR, LITERALLY THOUGH

2010-03-15T23:42:00.000+08:00

Imagine home being up in the air, having no major responsibility on land.

That's basically the core idea of the latest George Clooney movie, Up in the Air.

This piece took me 3 days to complete. I've been sitting down, trying to gather some writing mojo because seriously, I don't know how to put my thoughts about this movie into words. Perhaps there were too many to write or perhaps there really was nothing significant.

It wasn't really a bad movie but it is really not one that leaves a deep impression. Perhaps that's the problem about piecing this together.

This movie is about a traveling man, who knows everything about traveling on air. He knows the short cuts, the system and he practically glides through all the processes of checking-in and out.

George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham who hates 'baggages' - literally and metaphorically. That I guess explains why he travels light. He has a philosophy to live life without any 'luggage'; that is, a life without any commitments. That is basically why he loves his job which allows him to travel. His job, by the way, involves firing people. Yes, just firing people from their job. So he travels around the globe, to different companies, in which the bosses have no guts to fire his employees.

One day however, young and beautiful Natalie enters the company, introducing a new method of firing people, done through teleconferencing system (very much to Ryan's dismay). The new method is seen as more efficient as it cuts company's costs of having to send people around the globe to do the firing. The introduction of this system means that Ryan won't be able to travel anymore, disrupting his life routine that he enjoys. So, Ryan went all the way in explaining to his boss that the nature of his job needs him to be there for those people who are fired. He explained that Natalie is not experienced enough to know what the job requires. She don't know anything hands-on about firing people because she is new and thus, her system is only theoretically workable.

Ryan's boss then asked him to train Natalie since he said that she's inexperience. Plus who better to train the girl than Ryan since he has all the experience and is one of the best at the job.

Meanwhile, Ryan also met a lady, Alex, who travels a lot just like him. She seems like a decent lady, who enjoys his kinda lifestyle. She seems to love him a lot and doesn't mind not being his 'permanent' girl.

Natalie however feels that Ryan's being single and no commitment philosophy is total crap because she's a person who believes in finding a soul-mate and commitment. She also feels that Ryan is very unfair to Alex who seems to love him so much and he is not giving her any sense of commitment.

Soon, after Natalie & Ryan's 'firing' adventures, their boss decided that it was time to implement the virtual firing system. Ryan was then place permanently in the office and that's when he suddenly realizes the truth in Natalie's words because he felt that he actually really love Alex and he does want to settle down and live his life with her, perhaps think of things like buying a house, or staying commitment and starting a family.

So was it a happy ending for Ryan and Alex? What about Natalie?

I guess I'll leave it hanging there for you guys lar haha. I mean, if I let the cat out, there's really nothing left to watch.

This is my first George Clooney movie (can you believe it??) ...hmm...oh well, if you disregard Batman and Robin. I actually understand why people say that he's the sexiest man on Earth because he really is attractive in a way. Okay, he's not like super duper handsome but there is something about him that gets you hooked. In some ways, he is pretty good in the movie. He plays his character with the right amount of sensuality with a mix of sweet gentlemanliness. Okay...total bull-crap! Haha but he is not bad here really.

The movie also stars Vera Farmiga (remember her? She was in the thriller "Orphan") as Alex. And there is also Anna Kendrick who stars as Natalie. If you watch "Twilight" and "New Moon", she is Jessica, Bella's blonde friend who has big boobs. She's kinda the bimbo in the movie but in this movie, she is smart, intelligent and very organized. I kinda really like her after watching this movie. I guess most of the funny parts can be credited to her. Though her character in this movie is the kinda person I know I would die living with (too organized and meticulous for my liking but I wouldn't mind getting her as a PA haha), I really think Anna did a great job playing the character.

I guess the movie highlights the theme of commitment vs. complete freedom. There's no right or wrong when it comes to what you want to do with your life - whether you're the kind who plans to have a family or a person who just want no commitments and enjoy life traveling and just living life.

So I wish all of you the best when it comes to your life decisions.

Cheers

TC-My Ratings:

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

ps: Shutter Island's release has been postponed to April =(

Excuse me if this review is super bad. I really have no mo-jo for this lolx =P

TAMMY & OSCAR

2010-03-09T20:38:00.001+08:00

Gottakeep this quiet but I was in the office yesterday morning while the Oscars were on. Ican’t help but secretly check online the big winners of this year’s huge awardshow. Besides, once done with the important tasks that I was supposed to do, Ireally have some extra time to spare.

Igot live feeds from Twitter; basically every Tom, Dick and Harry I follow onTwitter are twitting about the Oscars. Some about the fashions, while others onthe winners etc. It’s really hard to keep this huge news a surprise. I mean,try this…try to not find out about anything Oscar-winners until its repeat showat 9.30PM this Wednesday. It’s definitely going to be a challenge because ofthis thing called the MEDIA. Oscar news will be out tonight, if not right nowand before you know it, you don’t even have to watch it Wednesday. That’s thepower of media.

Ireally didn’t know which blog to post this entry to (the movie one or therattling one), but I guess in the end I settled here because, oh well, theOscars is indeed about celebrating films and actors/actresses.

Soanyway, I understand that “The Hurt Locker” was the biggest winner of the night.To be fair, I haven’t watched “The Hurt Locker” yet so I really can’t compareit to the major blockbuster “Avatar”. But looking at it in general, I think I’denjoy “Avatar” more, though that doesn’t mean that the Oscar should go to“Avatar”. I really have to watch “The Hurt Locker” first, to see if Iunderstand why the movie is given the honour of Best Picture, among the otherawards that they got. Further elaborations on “The Hurt Locker” would have towait til after I watch it but it’ll be on my movie blog.

Hereis a list of the Top Winners:

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

(Everyone is speculating that this is abattle between the Navis and the soldiers of Earth – Avatar and Hurt Locker.And towards the end, are you surprised that The Hurt Locker won? I guessjudging from the fact that it is a low-budget film with such excellentpresentation, perhaps it is the rightful winner.)

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

(I tried to watch “The Blind Side” but thefirst 5-minutes of the movie that goes on about football failed to captureme…but…but…but…I’ll be giving it another chance because I know it is a goodmovie. Plus Sandra Bullock is in it! Though she also received a Razzie awardfor being the worst actress (I don’t know how she ended there), I think that Sandy is far from worstman! I still don’t get how Sandy can end up in the same category as ParisHilton in terms of acting (Paris Hilton won the Razzie award for herperformance in “House of Wax” last time), but I’m telling you this, SandraBullock is definitely one of the best Hollywood actresses around.)

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

(This really come in as no surprise becauseeveryone sorta knows Christoph is the clear winner. His awesome acting inInglourious Basterds definitely deserves credits and what better complimentscan one get than an Oscar award, right?)

Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, Precious: Based On The Novel‘Push’ By Sapphire

Best Animated Feature: Up (Yes!!! It’s my favourite too!!)

Best Art Direction: Avatar

(There’s no doubt what-so-ever that whenit comes to art direction – the visual effects, colours and artistic stylesthat conveys the mood, Avatar should win hands down! I mean, if you actuallydid watch this movie, I’m sure you were awe-struck by the beauty of Pandora.)

Best film editing: The Hurt Locker

Best costume design: The Young Victoria

Best sound editing: The Hurt Locker

Best sound mixing: The Hurt Locker

Best cinematography: Avatar

(No doubt because the landscape ofPandora is too mesmerizing.)

To wrap it up, this year most predictions were spot on. Many were rooting for Sandra Bullock and also Christoph Waltz and both of them went home with something golden. Not bad at all. Now I hope I have the patience to watch the repeat of the Oscar this week =P

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

ps: Can't believe it has been one year since Slumdog Millionaire...

NOT QUITE ONE SUMMER OF LOVE

2010-03-08T00:43:00.000+08:00

I remember about 3 months back, my ex-colleague and I were talking about this movie and how we anticipated it. I don't know why but "500 Days of Summer" seems like one good movie though the title in itself basically tells you that it is a love story. Again, I kinda dread love stories but this one seemed decent. Besides, it stars Zooey Deschanel and co-stars my favourite Matthew Gray Gubler. And the lead actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is not bad looking either.

But it was not until now that I really have the mood to sit through this 90-minute love fest. Haha. To be honest, the movie has its plus points though the whole movie, in my own personal opinion, is really not one that is especially engaging and nice though the general reviews for this movie were good.

Okay, the posters are kinda cool!

I'll tell you what I love, like REALLY LOVE about this movie. It is the way it makes some of its scene transitions. You see very different techniques incorporated into the movie too. There is one particular scene in which we see the lead, Tom actually running down the staircase, and then into the roads when he realized that Summer has been engaged to another man. The roads and building then all fades into this drawing (kinda like Tom's art because he loves to draw) and the drawing gives a sad, lonely impression, kinda indicative of how Tom is feeling at that time.

Another cool video technique used in the movie is when they used split screens to present the reality and expectations, instead of the traditional blur screen to show imaginations, this is like a new technique to present the idea of the character imagining things.

The storyline is, well, you can't say that it's a typical love story but then again, it's really just another story. It's about how this guy, who has always believed in destiny and fate thought he has found the one in Summer (Zooey Deschanel). However, Summer isn't the kinda girl who really believe in love; she was one girl who has been scarred by her parents' divorce and so she never really wanted a serious relationship.

However, they began dating some time soon. While Tom continues to fall madly in love with Summer, Summer on the other hand did not. When she call off the relationship, Tom was of course devastated and had to learn how to get his life back together again. At the end of the movie, both characters learned a lesson from each other. The boy who once believed in love and destiny just doesn't believe in miracles anymore whereas the girl who doesn't believe in love realized that everything is destined and fated. The end sees how two people's perspectives change due to different things that happened in their lives. In the end, Summer married another guy, whom she felt she was fated to meet and she found love in that relationship although previously, she never believed in it. Tom on the other hand opened his mind above love; that sometimes, there are people out there who are meant for him that he simply didn't see because he was too obsessed with that single person that he refuses to see other things that is going on in life for him.

I'm also not sure if I like the technique used to carry out the timeline. The movie scenes are basically scattered all over the place, within the 500 days. It is creative but I can't help but feel that it was messily carried out. But there were one or two really sweet scenes in the movie, like how they played couple when they were at IKEA. I thought that was super cool and sweet haha.

Overall, the movie is about love though the narrator had said that it is not a love story. Oh well, it is not a love story between the two leads, but it is definitely a movie on love. Though Matthew Gray Gubler's character Paul doesn't get much screen time, he had presented one of the best quotes in the movie.

Paul was describing the girl of his dreams and then he said this"

"Robin is better than the girl of my dreams. She's real."

That's so sweet. I guess it's true that we all have in mind what we want our ideal partner to be but in the end, the person that we truly love is someone that is there for us, that special someone that makes use feel happy, someone real.

This movie has won a string of awards although I'm not exactly a fan of it. I'm sure some of you seek a different standpoint and disagree with me. It's actually under the comedy category; I wouldn't say that it doesn't contain any funny elements but then again, it really wasn't that funny to be honest. Perhaps I've lost my sense of humour? No?...

Well watch it just to see if you actually like it okay?

TC-My Rating:

Cheers~

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

REASONS BEHIND THE FEAR OF ADOPTING ORPHANS

2010-03-03T00:34:00.000+08:00

MOVIES!! MOVIES!! Time for a dose of MOVIES!!

I know I know...I probably haven't written much these days. Oh well, I kinda am preparing for a big life adventure (starting a new job only actually) and so I haven't been watching much movies. Plus, I have to readjust my life cycle lol. You know the sleep late lifestyle has to now be replaced with a whole new more normal life ;P.

So what I mean is, I have not much time to watch movies lar. Lol. Erm, I should be crying so *sob* sob* Anywayz....before I drift on again...

Now this is probably the most thrilling thriller movie I've ever watched and I watched this one weeks ago but kinda forgot to write about it. So now that I'm outta materials, I'm refreshing my memory and trying to write about a rather outdated movie. But trust me, this movie is full of flavour!!

One of my friend had told me the story before I watch the movie but due to my forgetfulness (bless me), I sorta forgot the important details of the resolution. Oh well, it was a blessing in disguise because my ignorance to the ending kept me gripping chairs and my baby bolster throughout the movie. Even my sister sitting next to me (who is supposed to be doing her assignments) had had her eyes glued to my laptop screen rather than her own's when the movie was on.

"The Orphan" looks like one of those ghost movies that would scare the crap out of me but it is actually just a thriller with some gory scenes but not too scary. It's more a graphically disturbing for some though violence and gory scenes now don't have much effects on me :P (I'm not sure if it's a good thing).

The movie is about how a mum, Kate, who lost her 3rd baby girl. After going through a stage of depression, which involves a lot of alcohol, she, together with her husband decides to adopt another child so that they can give the love they have for the baby to another child. They went to an orphanage and there, a 10-year-old child named Esther caught their attention with her artistic talents and her elegance. She also somehow always seemed sweet and nice and she knows all the right things to say. Plus, Esther got along very well with their 2nd daughter, Max, who is hearing-impaired. (NOTE: The little girl who played Max, Aryana Engineer is super beautiful, like SUPER SUPER BEAUTIFUL and adorable too. I can't stop looking at her and she is really deaf in real life.)

I'm in love...with a cute lil' girl

Don't worry...I'm still straight and definitely no paedophile...

But soon, things start to get weird. Kate feels that there is something wrong with Esther's behaviour and attitude. Whenever Esther is around, there seemed to be trouble - deaths, accidents etc. There are also many ambiguities when it comes to Esther's background like there were no records of her orphanage in Russia and any of her background documents were very dubious.

Later, Kate felt that Esther has been threatening her children and she would do whatever to protect her two kids. Max and her brother, Daniel, had to lie to protect the dirty things Esther because they were threatened. Kate had pointed out to her husband, who couldn't believe her because of her history with depression. He felt that Kate is not being a good mother to Esther, and he fell for Esther's brilliant acting. Soon, Kate realized that she has to fight this fight alone in order to protect her children. I'll leave the ending a mystery, so that you don't know how it ends.

There is a brilliant twist to this story. SPOILER ALERT:

Esther is actually not a 10-year-old. She is a 33-year-old Russian woman named Leena with serious mental illness and a disorder that prevents her from growing physically. (Touchwood but I might be suffering from the same thing...what the hell! If not, how can one explain my current 145cm height).

Anyway, Esther therefore uses her stunted stature to pass off as a kid to seduce the fathers of the family who adopted her. When she fails to seduce the father, she would then kill the whole family and then she will be sent to another orphanage, waiting for the next victim.

The Orphan is seriously a great movie because it has all the right elements - terror, action, twists, great plot and great acting. It really keeps one guessing what will happen next and you are practically glued to your seats because it is just so gripping. And the twist in the story is one unexpected one if watched from a fresh point of view. For me, I already know earlier so not so syok already lar. I'd have to give extra credit to Aryana Engineer because I think the little girl is a natural. If you watch it, you'll know what I mean. Esther is portrayed by Isabelle Fuhrman, whom I think even though great in the movie, is not as brilliant as Jodelle Ferland in Case 39. However, Case 39's plot and story is not even close to The Orphan.

Aryana Engineer is exceptional as little Max in the movie. She's really a natural. I really hope to see more of her acting even though she might be slightly disadvantaged.

Not my favourite character but Isabelle Fuhrman did quite well in her role-play as the eccentric but apparently crazy 33-year-old, Esther

If you love adrenaline rushes and thrilling movies that gets you biting all 5 fingers (or fingernails), this is one movie you should opt for. It is seriously good if not great. The plot development is also good and so, you won't end up feeling duped, like how you sometimes feel after watching some crappy ghost movies. Overall, 2 thumbs up for this movie.

TC-My Rating:

Hope I can get me friends to hang out this Saturday for a dose of Shutter Island. I read the synopsis and it seems fab. Plus, it has Leo DiCaprio in it man!! ARGH!!

HE'S NOT "A-LIE", HE'S "E-LIE"

2010-02-25T04:19:00.002+08:00

This is super fresh, like fresh from the oven fresh.

I've just came home from watching "The Book of Eli" and now here I am penning about it.

First of all, thanks Jessie Ong for informing me about the free tickets giveaway!!! Super cool!

Had loads of fun hanging out.

Okay so back to the movie.

"The Book of Eli" stars Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.

First of all, let me just say this. I just COULD NOT RECOGNIZE GARY OLDMAN! It was not until the credit did I remember that he is actually in the movie. For those of you clueless about who Gary Oldman is, let me shine some light. All Harry Potter fans, he is Sirius Black. Yes, the kind god-father of the Potter boy. With beard and all...Gary Oldman is Sirius Black. If you are a Batman fan, well, you might know Gary Oldman as the righteous, non-corrupted Sgt. Gordon, who signals for Batman's help. If you still have no idea who he is, just Wikipedia him and see if you happen to watch any of his movies haha.

The multi-faceted Gary Oldman

When he was Black, like "Sirius"-ly Black in Harry Potter

Then he became Sergeant in Batman

And look at him here...

I just can't see it's him, without the beard and all.

Anyway, excellent performance by Denzel Washington and extra credit to Oldman for being indistinguishable. I mean, for an actor to be so camouflaged proves his diversity in playing different characters - another brilliant example of such actor --> Johnny Depp.

The movie started off slow paced. Something like "I Am Legend". In fact, very much alike "I Am Legend". Because of such a deliberate beginning, one might find the beginning draggy. But then again, bear in mind that this is one type of directing style. Very much like "I Am Legend", "The Book of Eli" sets the mood through a mixture of dark gloomy-greyish-brownish colour tone which indicates the barren, parched and arid atmosphere when the world is somewhat destroyed by an apocalyptic event.

Denzel Washington plays Eli in the movie - a man who is determined to send a book to the West. This book is not just any other book, it is the Holy Bible. Due to the destruction of Earth 30 years ago, all copies of the Bible were destroyed, all except for one and it's in the hands of Eli. Eli had walked since he found the only copy 30 years ago, heading West, with the voice of God as guidance. On his way he met different people of course, especially hijackers who bully innocent people on the road.

Our 2-hour motion picture brings us to the part where he bumps into Carnegie, who has been searching high and low for the Bible, in which he plans to use it as a weapon to control the human race. No doubt, religion is powerful. As much as Eli tries to stay away from trouble and focus on his mission, sometimes, he just can't. We witnessed then Eli's adventures in protecting the book "The Book of Eli" which literally means the book of God and how our director depicts a world that has been destroyed by disastrous cosmic event. Great to see people practising the barter system. Interesting to find that people there don't read and treat people who read books as practically of higher rank.

In the movie, Eli talked about how we once had more than we needed, and that after such a disaster, people would kill for the simplest things. The messages are clear. We need to treasure the things we have. Additionally, the movie is illustrating the lives of people who are in the midst of war, or struck by any natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes. They fight for survival, just like the characters in the film. Food and water are necessities that they would die for and give their most prized possessions for, and we take water for granted. It is a reminder of how lucky we are compared to those suffering from such adversities.

Though the presentation of the storyline is relatively slow, I love how the director brings in the fast motions in action scenes. Super cool, especially during the scenes in which Denzel Washington a.k.a. Eli kills with his sword. Okay it is super violent to say this, but the swift movements of his sword gliding through heads, beheading his enemies is so nice to watch from an artistic standpoint. I'm not condoning violence but hell, those were awesome moves. I'm turning into a devil because I actually laugh at such violence because I'm amazed at those scenes. WTH...

Another part of the movie that is brilliant is the firing scene involving a house, Eli, Solara, an old man and an old lady. I love how the camera uses a point of view shot of the missile or bullet (whatever that is) manoeuvring its way towards the house. The panning of the camera in that scene is just brilliant; it's like you are there...and seriously, you don't need 3D to feel that in that particular scene. (A bit exaggerated?? I don't know but the scene is cool.)

Also, do expect a brilliant twist in this film. I read that the movie is creative and after watching it, I second that opinion. I mean, it does have an interesting twist that leaves one going, OMG! So, the twist made the movie a memorable one. I'm going to leave out the twist, in case you want to watch it, I want to keep it a surprise haha. It's pretty cool really.

I also love what Eli says, "I've been holding on to it for so long, trying to protect it, that I forgot to live by what the book preaches" (Something like that, forgive me if I can't quote exactly okay because I don't have a didactic memory ;P...). Eli has been so focused on delivering the book to the West that he stayed out of trouble, and that means, not helping people when he knows he should just so he won't get involved in any chaotic fights (though he can't help it sometimes). I guess it happens to us sometimes; we held on to something for so long that we kinda forgot what we were fighting for anymore. Oh well...that's just life. And there are times, God sends someone to help us remember our purpose in life and sets us on the right path again I guess.

Then there are the negatives. It is pretty obvious that this movie has religious influences in it...hitting you right in the face, it is about Christianity and the theme of faith that comes with every religion. I'm not a very religious person to be honest, though I am proud to say that I respect the most of the teachings of Buddha. I do believe in God(s), and so I'm not Christian or Muslim because I don't believe in one God (but who knows in future?). But right now, since I've been reading too much of Dan Brown's books, I'm really swayed into agreeing with a lot of his rationale when it comes to his debates on religion and faith. Coincidentally or I guess intentionally, there was a scene showing the book "The Da Vinci Code" in the movie, as if mischievously presenting an irony to what the film is about.

The best is of course to have a balance of spiritual and rational beliefs I guess and that's why I love Dan Brown. He writes from both side of the story - the religious perspective and the rational & scientific perspective, offering readers something to ponder and weigh when it comes to beliefs and faith. But please, I'm not saying that having faith and believing in religion is a bad thing...no I do not mean that because if there's one thing I believe in, it is faith. Faith is very important. But we just need to be wise about it.

Anyway, I'm not alone when I say this, many just don't like the cliche 'have-faith-in-God-because-in-the-end-God-will-save-the-world' movies you know...I was in this movie forum and many questioned the irony of the Bible saving the world because if God is powerful, why destroy what he created in the first place. Forgive me, but I'm one of those ignorant ones who do not get the "Last Judgement" or "Day of Judgement". If anyone care to explain, I'd definitely like to know and of course, I'm Wikipedia-ing it too haha. Arguably, God is testing us with trials and tribulations, thus, all those disasters and hardships could be just road bumps that make us stronger. At the end of the day, He is always there to show us the way and we just need to have faith. But the ultimate question is, where do we draw the line between faith and complete stupidity (excuse my rather direct language)? I mean, you don't get seriously sick and just have faith that God will heal you without taking any actions, right? You do need to seek medical help too. That's when wisdom comes in, and that is the main thing that Buddha preach and have been constantly planted into my mind by my wise dad. So like I pointed out before, as important as faith is, wisdom is above it all.

So, "The Book of Eli" could be utter rubbish to some who are anti-religion (maybe too harshly put) or those who are not that religious. But for someone who is on-the-fence when it comes to religion, like me and my friends, I guess it wasn't that bad a movie. Though one of me pal pointed out that this movie will be loved by those super religious folks because of the reference to the bible, I believe that for a normal movie-goer like us, we tend to disregard the religious message but focus on the action. But then again, one cannot deny the obvious religious elements in the movie. Duh...the movie title is "the book of God". I believe that if you are a Christian, devoted to reading the Bible, you'll be able to provide an even deeper and more interesting in-sight to the movie. Sadly, I can't because I don't read the Bible. But feel free to enlighten me =).

My conclusion is, watch this movie in the cinema. You need to be patient to enjoy the movie. There are some pretty awesome fight scenes though generally, the movie travels a slow pace. Nonetheless, not a bad effort because it has cool combats and a creative end to an otherwise trite movie. But one thing though, perhaps not Denzel Washington's best movie, though his acting is unquestionably up to standards.

TC-My Rating:

Up next, Shutter Island starring my man, Leo DiCaprio, another brilliant actor!! Can't wait to see his awesomeness!~

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC
Ps: I started of pronouncing Eli as "A-Lie" until I found out that the right pronunciation is "E-lie". '=.= Guess it makes sense that one can't read the Hebrew word for God as "A-lie"...

PERCY JACKSON OVER VALENTINE'S DAY

2010-02-24T00:45:00.000+08:00

With the Chinese New Year celebration mellowing down a little, I've finally found the time to actually update my blogs *smiling big*.

Last week, the cuzzie gang went out for a movie marathon. It was tiring but I managed to watch 2 back to back movies that are currently topping the U.S. box office.

So in this instalment, prepare for a double dose of movie crap.

First up, the romantic comedy, Valentine's Day.

Opps! Wrong poster...

Looking at the movie poster alone leaves one starstruck. I mean, look at the array of stars adorning this movie. The stars in this movie can literally shine brighter than the sun. From A-list actresses like Julia Roberts and Jennifer Garner to brooding new generation of young actors/actresses like Emma Roberts and Taylor Lautner, this movie seemed promising to almost everyone who enjoys a typical feel good movie.

Contrary to popular beliefs, I'm not exactly a girl who finds romantic comedy exceptionally entertaining haha. I mean, I have a tad of a hopelessly romantic genes in me but when it comes to movies, I usually prefer those that can surprise me with twists or some that are socially debatable.

Naturally, I knew "Valentine's Day" would go along the lines of cliche romantic movies like "He's Just Not That Into You" which also starred a glittering array of huge stars. By the way, I didn't even bother writing about "He's Just Not That Into You" because nothing about the movie really stuck in my mind, except how I not enjoy it. I mean, erm...I really liked Justin Long in it, but I guess that's about it haha.

Anyway, I kinda thought I'd give "Valentine's Day" a chance and the benefit of a doubt and I really wasn't expecting it to be super fabulous. Plus, it was really a guilty pleasure; I really wanna check out Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner together, and I've always loved Jen Garner.

To be fair, there are a few characters in the movie that wasn't that bad. I kinda like Ashton Kutcher and Jen Garner's best-friend love relationship because it's sweet...I love Julia Roberts and her son's mother-son relationship because it is touching...and I also love Eric Dane gay's relationship because it provided an unexpected twist in the movie. But generally, it wasn't great.

Sweet but that's about it...

A tad touching and funny...took only one day to shoot & that's about it

Bad characters, sadly, include Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Emma Roberts, and the guy paired with Emma whom I don't know the name. I really do not understand why is Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner given such huge publicity for starring in this movie because honestly, they were really not inspiring in the movie. I hate Taylor Swift's character because I don't get her. Is she a bimbo? If she is, she doesn't like look 100% the part...is she a nerd? If she is, she doesn't look the part either. If it were any other actress playing that role, I'd freaking have hated her but it's Taylor Swift so I'm being super lenient. I think she should stick to song writing and singing for now, unless if there are better roles to play. Lautner is super hot but he didn't really get to shine in the movie, which is sad. I guess most focus is on Taylor Swift's character, which bums me because like I said, her character is super annoying. Emma Roberts plays a teenager who is trying to explore love and sex in the movie. I don't know why but it was a bore watching her story. For such a promising young actress, the story made her a dull watch.

It's really a joker's crown that they are wearing

Jessica Alba, Patrick Dempsey, and Queen Latifah's characters are just there as publicity stunts because their screen time is even lesser than an average lazy student's study time (okay a bit exaggerated but you get the picture). Anne Hathaway and Topher Grace are kinda forgettable but I admit that Anne Hathaway is brilliant in doing accents.

Snippets from the movie

I believe that the reason everyone is dying to watch Valentine's Day is because of the huge casts. It's like, you just have to watch it because everyone is talking about it. I watch it also because I wanna watch my hottie Taylor Lautner and just to hang out with my cousins because most of us dig Taylor Lautner haha. The storyline is very simple, basically, your typical romantic movies all combined into 1, and so I believe some of you would actually like it. But my advice if you really plan to watch this one is to rent a DVD instead for a girls' night at home, just to chill. No point spending $$ to watch this in the cinemas.

TC-My Rating:

Ps: After looking at the poster, I completely forgot about Jessica Biel & Jamie Foxx!! Okay both of them were pretty entertaining also but see, so forgettable!~

After Valentine's Day, the whole Motley Crew went for a second helping of box-office treat.

"Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief" to me is way cooler and more entertaining than Valentine's Day. I guess it has got to do with the fact that I'm always fascinated with the myths and legends of Greek Gods and Goddesses and Percy Jackson has nicely incorporated these mythical characters into an adventure story.

The general reviews for this movie were great, but I had one or two people telling me that it is a crappy movie. To some it could be a commercialized movie with no substance what-so-ever but one may argue that incorporating the concepts of God/Goddesses, superheroes and a treasure hunt adventure movie all in one cannot be disregarded as shoddy. As much as some would say that Grecian myths are bull-crap, it had been nicely roped into the movie and it is made me submerged into a mystical world of Gods and Goddesses that I wish I could really live in. Other cool Greek characters that are featured include Medusa and the Hydra monster to name a few.

Medusa is supposed to be ugly, but this is??

Hades, God of the Underworld, which looked like Mick Jagger in the movie

Poseidon, God of the Sea, Earthquakes & Horses

Time to ask him about what happened in Haiti...

Athena...

If you haven't know already, this movie is based on a series of "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" books. There was an article in the Star Newspapers today on the concept of the books and the movie and it is wonderful to know that the books (and now movie) serve as such an inspiration and motivation for people struggling with dyslexia and ADHD. That's the beauty of stories like these, you don't know who it could reach out to.

The creator was inspired by his son who is also dyslexic and a ADHD. Because his son had hated reading and school, Rick Riordan would tells stories of Greek Gods and myth which fascinated his son and when he ran out of stories he had asked his son to come up with some and *ta da* Percy Jackson was created.

The movie tells of Percy Jackson, just an ordinary boy who sees himself as a loser due to his dyslexia and ADHD. What he didn't know is that his incapabilities were due to fact that he is demi-God, meaning being the offspring of God and human or what you call, half human half God. He is the son of Poseidon, one of the 3 main Gods (Zeus and Hades are the other 2) and because of the status of his father, he is constantly in danger and need protection. Without him knowing it though, there were people around him that are literally heaven sent to protect him, including his crippled best friend, Grover, who is a Satyr and his disabled teacher Mr. Brunner, who is a Centaur. Even at home, his mum has taken various precautions to protect his identity without him knowing it.

Pierce Brosnan as Mr. Brunner/Chiron, the wise Centaur

When Zeus's lightning bolt went missing, many accused Percy of stealing it. This had led to many different creatures going after him for the bolt, because the bolt was very powerful. Although Poseidon had argued that his son Percy does not have the bolt, the bolt's disappearance had angered Zeus who threatened to start a war if Percy do not return the bolt. Hades also made an agreement with Percy that if he hands in the bolt, Hades will release Percy's mother from the grasp of hell. Percy, in order to save his mother, went on a quest with 2 friends, Grover & Annabeth (daughter of Athena) to find Hades and persuade him to release his mother even though he doesn't have the bolt. In order to find Hades, they need to go to the underworld and to get out from the Underworld, they need to find pearls.

Annabeth, the daughter of the Goddess of Civilization, Wisdom, Strength, Strategy and Justice...*phew* long list

Grover, the Satyr

The whole movie is basically like a treasure hunt, with the three of them following a map which takes them from one adventurous place to another in order to find the pearls. I really kinda enjoyed the whole adventure story but I believe I had the advantage of having not read the book first and so I won't do a comparison. Usually when books get translated into the silver screen, they change a lot of things, much to fans' despair and so, not reading the book first could actually be the reason I like the movie. Nevertheless I've read somewhere that the movie did do the book justice though there were changes here and there.

I do encourage you to give this movie a go if you are the type who enjoys adventurous sci-fi movies with a touch of myths and legends in it. Another good reason to watch it is because it is directed by acclaimed director, Chris Columbus, who director the first two Harry Potter movie. If there's one thing I like about Columbus, it is how he manage to stick as closely as possible to the original book, without changing too much of it until it feels like it doesn't belong anymore.

But if you are not the kind who digs unrealistic myths, then perhaps Percy Jackson is not your thing. For me however, I do think that Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a great watch. Although it is almost 2 hours long, I don't feel it and I want more. Can't wait for the next instalment! I really should get hold of the books because if the movie is actually this good, I bet the books would be even better! The author did say that he is influenced by J.K. Rowling and that is definitely not a bad thing.

TC-My Rating:

Tomorrow I'm off to watch another great movie! Can't wait!!

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

THE IMPORTANCE OF LYING

2010-02-21T23:01:00.002+08:00

Ricky Gervais often brings British humour into any movie. I first saw him on "Night at the Museum" where he plays an ironic character that sees him being someone with no-sense-of-humour but in being so, he is hilariously sarcastic. Then he was on this BBC comedy, Extras, in which in one episode featured Ben Stiller starring as a mean director who always bullied his actors, especially the extras! The comedy won Gervais a few awards, hmmm let's see ...there's an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy series, a BAFTA for his excellent performance in a comedy and multiple other British comedy awards. Brilliant credentials for a British comedian, eh? While I usually don't really get British humour, because British are more witty, intelligent and classy, there are some who just are sophisticated enough for these type of humour. However for others, British comedy is a total bore.

While I tried to enjoy "Extras", I gave up after two episodes. I guess mainly for 2 reasons. Firstly, I don't enjoy watching TV as much as I used to anymore since the Internet means that I can access practically any shows I wanna watch. Secondly, the pilot episode of "Extras" wasn't too engaging, and so I kinda lost interest...opps! Perhaps I should give it another shot?

But anyway, where am I going? I'll now focus.

I was crediting Ricky Gervais because I'd like to introduce this movie Ricky Gervais directed. Not that he actually needs any EXTRA publicity, he is great already but I thought I'd boost his sales a little by giving a little free publicity haha.

"The Invention of Lying" is a great comedy movie. It's not exactly a rom-com (romantic comedy) though it does have a touch of romance in it, but then it's not the focus of the whole story. The movie stars exceptionally brilliant Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe and of course Ricky Gervais. It also featured Tina Fey.

The movie takes us to a world where nobody lies, perhaps not because they don't want to, but rather, they don't know how to or has no abilities to...until one day, a man invented lying because he can do so. It is really interesting to see that they would actually believe what a human say rather than the accuracy of a computer system.

What this movie present is the idea that even though lying (according to our Moral studies at the age of 7 to 12) is downright wrong, the honest fact is, we don't have to, but NEED to lie. It is a necessity sometimes. I mean, if you see someone not thin, you wouldn't just go straight and tell them that they are fat straight in the face because those are hurtful words and most of us try to avoid being such a jerk. I mean, it's good to be honest at times, but honesty has to come with wisdom. In the movie, people are just downright honest and things just doesn't seem too good for some because they are judged based on looks alone. Imagine how demotivated one would be to be constantly reminded of how ugly they are or how they suck. Plus when you are in the corporate world or in business, you need to tell certain amount of reasonable lies in order to sell. That's just what business people has to do.

So anyway when Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) discovered his ability to lie, he realized that he could use this to his advantage, and also to help people feel better in life. When his mum was dying, he lied and told his mum about this beautiful place people go to after they die, just so his mother feels better and happier in her deathbed. He was basically describing the place we know as 'heaven'. What he doesn't know is that because of this, the whole world became interested to know about what happens after death and they were all wanting from this man who knows stuff that they didn't know about what is beyond living. That's when Mark created the concept of God and his own 10 commandments.

It is interesting to see how Ricky Gervais brought in the concept of God into a movie, referring to God as "The Man" in the movie and somehow, the storyline in the movie is a witty way of representing God and the whole concept of religion. This is a personal opinion, but I guess "The Invention of Lying" is toying around the idea that religion itself could be something (a lie perhaps?) created by a man to make the world a better place. No one can guarantee that what Jesus say is the truth but it is faith that makes people believe and when they do believe, they have the confidence to do things, despite the obvious disadvantage they have. There is a scene in the movie in which Mark grew a moustache and hair just like Jesus, and it's hard to shove off the idea that the movie is metaphorically referring to Mark as Jesus. No one can guarantee that we all go to heaven after we die if we do good things but then the faith and believe that we will go there has prevented us from doing evil.

Further on in the movie, Mark realized that his lies, even though has brought hope and cheers to some people, like his hopeless neighbour, friends, everyone around him and not to mention, himself, there is also a downside. People started to depend on him for answers; people go to him to tell them what are the right decisions, instead of just making their own choices and decisions. Some believe that they are going to heaven anyway, so they might as well not do anything in life except wait. I guess it applies to life too. There are some people who just pray but does nothing what-so-ever in making changes in their own life. I mean, praying is just one part of it, work and action is what really get you there. I'm not against praying because I pray a lot but then again I believe that if there's one thing that we really need to remember is that having the faith only helps us complete half the journey, the other half is running the race itself.

Basically there are 2 very obvious lessons I learn from the movie, and that is sometimes, truth just can't be told because sometimes "lies" help us believe in things that might seem impossible and by believing that it is possible, we then make it possible. Lies are also what keep the world in some ways a better place to live in because sometimes, truth could hurt so much that it could be unbearable. So I guess, lie when necessary, with wisdom as guide.

Secondly, whatever that's good, there's always a bad to it. So it is us who shall wisely take in the good and cast away the bad in whatever actions we do. Whether or not a decision is the right decision is always debatable and it is again really up to us to weigh the good and the bad before proceeding to a wise resolution.

So it is pretty clear that I enjoyed the movie. It is cleverly induced with witty humour (which I actually get hahaha) and augmented with strong messages. Plus, it stars one of my favourite actresses, Ms. Jennifer Garner a.k.a. Mrs. Ben Affleck. Overall, I'd say it is a must-watch although Rotten Tomatoes might have only credited it with a 5.8 over 10.

Excellent performances by all the cast members, witty & fun dialogues...what more can one ask for. I seriously didn't regret spending the 2 hours watching this one.

What say you?

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Lurve,

TammyC

PS: Please don't misunderstand me, I AM NOT CONDONING LYING in this post. Just like the movie proposed, I'm just saying that we should always be able to see a few sides of things and lying could have its positive =)

ME ON THE FROG

2010-02-12T04:05:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I watched a real, like real cartoons that are literally drawn in 2D.

Seriously, gone were the days of Pocahontas, The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast.

Taking over these classics are 3D animations like "Bolt", "Monsters Inc." and "Ratatouille".

While these Pixar-Disney productions do have its entertainment values, they are still very different compared to classic cartoons. In some ways, I still feel that they are incomparable. I don't know why. I guess, it's just like Michael Jackson or Celine Dion - irreplaceable. That's why when Disney's new cartoon "Princess and the Frog" was released, many were excited about the reintroduction of classic 2D cartoons in cinemas.

I think the second poster wins hands down.

What do you think?

I admit, I will not really pay to watch cute cartoons in cinema - because I don't feel that it's worth the money paid to watch something that is equally enjoyable watching in the warmth of my own home. I mean, if you are watching action-packed or horror movie, you pay for the sound effects but cartoons....seriously? But of course lar, if I'm babysitting kids, it only make sense if I bring them to watch cartoons...I'll not risk being sue for polluting minds of the next generation.

Anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( I find myself drifting always).

SO ANYWAY...........

I finally managed to watch the latest 2D cartoon "Princess and the Frog" which many of us anticipated.

I wasn't disappointed with the cartoon. It was a pretty decent watch, though not as memorable as previous Disney cartoons. The songs in the movie were too jazzy for me, well, since the Prince in the cartoon likes Jazz and I guess the songs are also very rhythm and blues, in order to bring out that era in time - 1960s? 70s? Not sure.

Every Disney cartoon delivers a message (and some argue contains subliminal sexual references too haha) and I love the message carried by the cartoon. I guess in many ways, it reminded me of something that I think I've come to forget easily and that is to WORK HARD!! I tend to be very very lazy and procrastinate a lot.

In the cartoon, Tiana believed in wishing upon a bright shining star, wishing her dreams would come true. And her father told her something that rings in my head til now. The wishing on the star (or God) can only bring us that far, the other half of the journey is through hard work. I'm guilty of wishing upon stars and wishing things would happen for me. Well, it's a reminder that I need to start putting in extra effort.

But on top of just working hard, Tiana's dad also reminded her the importance of love. You know how some people just work and work and neglect family? Well, I guess it's beautiful that the cartoon tries to highlight the importance of both - love and also hard work. So basically, it's reminding us about the importance of balance in life. Very very good advice.

I also think that the villain in this cartoon is a very creatively designed character. I mean, we've seen witches and manipulative men trying to take over thrones or win the lady character but we've yet to see a voodoo man in cartoons. With voodoo, all the weird stuff that happens make sense. It's somewhat like magic, but then again, it's not exactly magic; so it doesn't falls into the cliche of evil witches often incorporated in fairytales.

The story draws on the classic Frog Prince story but with a twist because the girl, Tiana, isn't a princess. She's just a not-so-wealthy girl who work for the mayor and his daughter. Her philosophy in life, as nurtured by her father, is to work hard in life in order to own a dream restaurant. But she tend to worked so hard that she lost focused on another most important thing in life - love. She met the Frog Prince, who was turned into the frog by a Voodoo man and she thought that by kissing the frog, he would turn back into a Prince and then can help her financially. What she didn't know was that the Prince was so lazy that his parents cut off his allowance so that he'll learn the meaning of work. So basically, Tiana taught the Prince that we have to work for something because not everything is gain that easily. The Prince balanced out Tiana's life for he taught her what it means to enjoy life and have fun.

As a conclusion, I'd say that the recipe to living a good life is to work hard and have faith.

But like I mentioned earlier, the songs weren't really working for me and also, unfortunately, I really have a thing for frogs. No offence, but...I wished they were cursed into other animals rather than frogs. I mean, when I watch Lion King, I was like so into the lions - they are like amazing to look at...even Pumba and Timon look cute, but frogs....*making the so-so hand*. I don't know...not feeling it.

Generally though, it wasn't a bad cartoon. The colours and 2D effects are definitely better (I bet due to advancement of technology, even 2D looks super good). However, this is not one cartoon that is super glued into my memory though. It's really still nothing compared to my favourite Disney masterpieces such as The Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. I didn't really get the mystical, fairytale feeling I used to get after watching Disney. It's either I've grew out of it or it's just not one of the best cartoons. I'm thinking more of the latter haha because I WILL NEVER GROW OUT OF CARTOONS! I'm YOUNG! ahem...

So should you watch it?

Yeah!! Go for it! It's a cartoon! What makes you feel better if not cartoons. It's simple, it's colourful, vibrant...it just helps cheer people up. That's basically what Disney does I guess haha. I might not rewatch it, but who knows right?

TC-My Ratings:

With Lotsa Lurve,

TammyC

ps: I just re-watched The Lion King and it was hilarious! Brought back so many childhood memories and now that I finally truly understand the dialogues, the lines are super witty. Sadly, the same witty dialogues aren't found in The Princess and the Frog. But I love the characters' accents though.

HANGING OUT WITH THE ARMY OF GOD

2010-02-08T21:36:00.002+08:00

I owe this to writing to myself. I've watched this movie 2 weeks back and I'm still feeling so lazy to blog about it. Okay...don't care. Gonna have to wade against those waves of laziness and get this piece done!

I believe that "Legion" would be a much more interesting watch if you have knowledge about the origins of angels and a bit on Christianity. I mean, it'll make the movie one that has substance, instead of one that is just another zombie movie.

The storyline is simple yet it manages to lure me into wanting to watch it bad, until I saw on Twitter DJ Ben from FlyFM give it a 6.4 out 10. But then, I've already bought tickets and so I entered the theatre with much reduced expectations. Plus, thank God that we get better seats this time that doesn't fail on me when I sit on them.

The movie sees God loses faith on mankind and had therefore gave up on us. He then sends a legion of freaky looking army of angels to destroy humankind (by possessing them?). He also ordered the leader of his army, Archangel Michael (Saint Michael) to kill a baby who will redeem mankind. However, Archangel Michael (Saint Michael) defies His orders for he loved humans so much. He descended to Earth against orders and went to Paradise Bay, the place in which the baby would be born. Archangel Michael then lead a team of locals into fighting the angel attacks. Gabriel was then summoned to take over Michael's job to kill the baby. In the end we see that Gabriel with only slight hesitation had killed Michael. Gabriel, by doing so, has go against what God has been preaching; Michael on the other hand, resurrected because he understood the true meaning of love and would sacrifice for humans (just like God has sacrificed his own son, Jesus to purge the sins of humankind - I hope I get the facts right).

I guess the main theme in the story is the importance of faith and the sacrifice for love.

Michael has faith in humanity because of Jeep (portrayed by the hot Lucas Black). God then regains faith in humanity through Michael. I guess Michael reminded God the meaning of believing again...reminded Him of how much he loved humans.

Through Michael's faith, God sees that HOPE still exists. One may argue that the movie tries to help us see how having no faith destroys a lot of things. When we lose faith in God, just like how He loses his faith on us in the move, it's like all hope are gone.

The movie also examines the dynamics of good and evil, angels and devils. Angels can also be devils/satans. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, satan is a fallen angel, an angel who refuses to bow down before humans. So in other words, the legion of army sent to hurt humans are therefore also known as satans, right? Only Michael deserves his title.

"Legion" is supported by a large cast including some big names (well to me they are quite big lar) Dennis Quaid, Paul Bettany, Lucas Black and also Kate Walsh who plays a very annoying mum.

Hot Lucas Black from "Tokyo Drift" stars as Jeep

One of my favourite actor, Dennis Quaid as Jeep's dad

Adrianne Palicki as Charlie, the mother of the baby who would redeem humankind

She apparently plays the ill-fated girlfriend of Sam Winchester, Jessica, in 'Supernatural'

Okay, this is just one cool pic of Paul Bethany, famous for his role as Silas in The Da Vinci Code

Gabriel played by Kevin Durand

Love their costumes...

I didn't expect "Legion" to be such a zombie movie but it really does go along the lines of "Underworld", "Resident Evil" and "30 Days of Night". I thought of it more like "National Treasure" but well, zombie movies are okay. One thing I don't get is how all zombies and whatever man-eating creatures look almost completely the same in all the different versions of movies.

There were moments of boredom in the cinema (I felt my friend next to me yawning a lot and I felt awkward because I recommended the movie haha), where things got a little bit too slow and quiet but there were also some great kick-a** moments that gets your adrenaline pumping. I think one of the best part features the old lady who was possessed by the Angels and ended up attacking the people in the restaurant. Now that part was fun. There's also one part in which they make a cute little boy turn into a man-eater. Such cute little boy but kills horridly. Well, it was also fun to watch. It really made me laugh, I don't know why.

Shutz...I find myself more and more immune to violence. In fact, I feel amused sometimes. Oh crap...would I turn into a killer? Well, okay, I do scream and shout a bit but generally, I've watched so many violent series like Criminal Minds and Supernatural that I'm not as scared and disgusted as I once was.

Kids will be afraid of their generous looking grandma after watching "Legion"

Let's hope I don't get nightmare later but I just have to share this pic haha

Was "Legion" a good watch?

I'd say yes though I expected it to be better.

However, for some of you, it could be too scary...though I don't find these type of movies that scary anymore. It's also great that there were some witty and dry humour incorporated in the movie, making it kinda nice to watch.

What director and writer Scott Steward brings to the movie is a mythical and divine storyline that backs up a movie that could easily end up as just another lame zombie movie with a lame storyline. That little extra "God" and religion theme puts it a tad higher above the rest. Also, I'm glad that though the CGI aren't that fake.

My advice though, watch it in the cinemas for pleasures of effects and surround sound...unless of course if you have your own home theatre lar...If not, you might doze off. *shrugs*

TC-My Ratings:

With Lotsa Lurve,

TammyC trying hard to be down-to-Earth

VIVA ROCK FLINTSTONES!!

2010-01-24T01:20:00.001+08:00

This movie brings back loads of childhood memories...
I remember watching it over and over again last time on my CD player.

I almost forget this song which I totally enjoy listening to...

"This isn't love, this is destiny...
Somewhere above this was planned for me..."

I'm not sure if any of you is familiar with Flintstones, the cartoon but I am because that is supposedly my dad's favourite cartoon. I don't know how true is that but he used to have a Flinstone cup back in those days so I assume it is his favourite cartoon haha.

Anyway, there are various Flintstones movies out there and this one I happened to watch because it happens to be in our CD collection. My mum used to love buying any movies (some unheard of) that she thinks we like. Usually, we just don't get her choice of movies but this one, I must admit is pretty good. I got attracted to this movie because of its colourful front cover and I guess sometimes, we can judge a movie by its cover. ;P

Flintstones @ Viva Rock Vegas!

It's not like one of the most popular movies ever made but it is really quite entertaining. It actually stars some of the big comedy stars like Mark Eddy, Stephen Baldwin, Kristen Johnston, Jane Krakowski and one of Criminal Minds main actor - Thomas Gibson (he look super young here man!). It also stars Alan Cumming, who's one hell of a British comedian hehe.

This movie is about how Fred Flintstone (Mark Eddy) and Barney Rubble (Stephen Baldwin) met their two ladies Wilma and Betty. It touches on the idealistic theme of how true love can't be measured with $$. In this movie, we see how Fred met Wilma, not realizing that she is rich. But all Wilma wants is a simple guy, who do not care so much about money. Fred however feels the need to impress her with diamond rings and riches.

Fred also felt intimidated by Chip Rockafella (Thomas Gibson) who is also pursuing Wilma. Though Chip seemed rich and owns a casino in Las Vegas (thus favoured by Wilma's mum), he is actually in loads of debts and is counting on marrying Wilma in order to pay them. Under Chip's plot to win over Wilma, he arranged for Fred, Barney, Wilma and Betty to spend a weekend at his Las Vegas casino.

Generally it is really good and they somehow also managed to include an alien (Alan Cumming) as an extra character just to add in a bit more humour. I mean of course it doesn't make any sense to have an alien during the prehistoric era, in fact a lot of other things in the movie just don't make sense, but this is one of those movies that you watch for entertainment and you just don't care about how logical it is.

Stephen Baldwin did a great job playing Barney Rubble here. Love his laugh.
My other favourite character is the Alien actually. Alan Cumming is just super funny.
Then it's also great to watch Thomas Gibson play a more relax role as Chip here. In Criminal Minds, he's so serious that you don't really see him smile much. But here, he's the villain and well, he smiles more and he looks very good-looking.

One more great part is when Fred sings a song to Wilma at the end. I love that song. Check it out.

Ps: Fred's speech at the end is beautiful...like super beautiful.

This movie is almost 10 years old and to me, it's really a great watch. I've enjoyed it so much since young and therefore, I just feel like sharing it. You can watch it on YouTube if you are interested. ;P

Flintstones Viva Rock Vegas is definitely a movie for all.

TC My-Rating:

With Lotsa Love,
TammyC off for more Thomas Gibson and 'Criminal Minds'

CASE OPENED

2010-01-22T03:28:00.003+08:00

Freaky and scary as the trailer may be...it really isn't that bad. Seriously...compared to those Thai, Japanese and Korean ghost flicks, Case 39 is nothing.

I admit I am a super timid girl who tries to avoid as much as I can all these horror movies...They just gives me the creeps and seriously man, I find myself afraid of driving (you know the classic seeing a 'pontianak' on your rear-view mirror scenes)or go into lifts, or in fact going anywhere alone after watching ghost movies because I keep picturing them behind me...IT'S FREAKY!!

But I'm surprised that 'Case 39' didn't scare me that bad. In fact, it is almost like watching 'Supernatural' without my hot Jensen Ackles.

'Case 39' takes us through Emily Jenkins portrayed by Renee Zellweger's adventure with a 10-year-old. Emily is a social worker who is adamant to save a 10-year-old girl, Lillith, from her abusive parents. Lillith was almost killed by her parents when Emily had rushed to her rescue just in time.

Emily was somehow persuaded by Lillith to take her as a foster child and that was when Emily's life takes a 180 degree turn. The people around Emily starts dying and soon, Emily senses that something is definitely wrong with Lillith. Emily then seeks the truth by seeing Emily's parents to find out about Lillith. Well, basically nothing special, it's just that Lillith is satanic from birth. She manipulates people's fear, which leads them to somehow kill themselves.

By the way, this is the movie in which I had a seat accident haha. Well nothing freaky but it was while I was in the cinema wanting to watch this movie in which I landed my butt on the floor because the seat was spoiled and I did not know before seating down.

It is called Case 39 because it is the 39th case that landed on Emily's desk.

I bet this movie freaks out many social workers but that's just another story. 'Case 39' isn't that bad but it wasn't good. I'm also sad that the hot Bradley Cooper had only limited screen time. His death scene in the movie is a tragedy...like really sad.

I guess I expected nothing from the movie and thus, I felt that it was okay. The reason I don't expect much is because I've always been disappointed by horror movies. I go in, anticipating to be awed but I come out feeling unsatisfied. I mean, these movies are always just design to scare the crap out of its viewers and that's it. The content and storylines are basically blueprints of one another, all formatted to follow a rigid and predictable plot. The goal of a horror movie is not to impress people with a unique story but rather to win the title of "scary movie that make most people pee in their pants".

Some of these movies leave their end open-ended, so that there could be a sequel. What the...
Some are worst...There is no explanation what-so-ever about the whole thing. Plain freak show. The only explanation is that it's a supernatural phenomena...for example "Grace" (which I wrote about a few weeks back). I don't even know why the baby in the movie live on blood.

I know not everything has an explanation and perhaps that is what some people enjoy about these movies - the unresolved mystery that leaves us guessing. Not me though...I hate to have questions unanswered. I mean I understand that in life, there is no explanation to everything and that's why I don't want to have things unexplained when I'm in the movies too (unless it is a movie about life lar).

Okay sorry I drifted. Back to "Case 39". I didn't like Renee Zellweger here. I could have thought of many other actresses who would fit better in this role. Sorry but I just don't understand why Renee is cast. I mean, Naomi Watts did fantastic in 'The Ring'. In fact it's the movie in which she caught my attention. She was good and her acting in that movie leaves an impression. (But Naomi did really bad in 'The International'. Sigh) That's the feel I'm talking about you see. The same can't be said about Renee in 'Case 39' though. I don't feel Renee nailing her scenes in this movie, I just don't feel captivated by her here. I think if I were to select an actress, I'd try Nicole Kidman. It would be interesting to watch.

Fortunately, Renee's performance in the movie is not as awful as this outfit...

I don't know what she's thinking when she chose this 'baju'.

However, impressive can be used to describe Jodelle Ferland, the young girl who played Lillith. She is B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T!! My God...seeing her smug face in the movie makes me feel like slapping her man...and that is good because she is just so in the character. You hate her so much that when you think about it, you feel that it's because she is so exceptional in playing her role as a demonic child.

How can someone so angelic be demonic?

But well, Jodelle made it possible

Jodelle is also magnificently beautiful and I find myself staring at her though I really hate her threatening looks in the movie. I am especially impressed with the scene in which she threatens Bradley Cooper's character. She is good. I must say, with such talent in acting, she's really going a bright future in Hollywood, well, at least I think so. Honestly, her performance is so good I'm actually looking forward to more of her movies. (She's going to be in the next installment of the Twilight Saga: Eclipse ;P) I'm sorry but I kinda dig her more than Nakota Fanning. No offense. Anyway, all the promotions for this movie is so focused on Renee when in fact, I feel that Jodelle is the star actually.

I would not watch "Case 39" again but if you ask me if it is worth a watch...Well, if you are really willing to spend on just another horror flick because you love them so much then by all means watch it. If you want to chill and hang out with your friends and you there are no other movie choice, well go ahead. But if you expect something brilliant, well, perhaps you should go watch "Sherlock Holmes" or "Avatar" instead. There are some pretty slow scenes that were boring but generally, it was okay.

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Lurve,
TammyC still awake at 3.30am =)

DEFINING HOLMES

2010-01-20T02:08:00.003+08:00

Sherlock Holmes is probably the next big thing this year after Avatar and yes girls, New Moon.

If you know me well enough, you might know I love crime or mystery-solving shows or movies or books. So naturally, I anticipated the movie though I never really follow any Sherlock Holmes books.

Nevertheless, after watching the trailer though, I don't feel the excitement anymore since I felt that it was too commercialized - too much action like fighting scenes instead of the intellectual crime solving part. I kinda wish that it is some kinda more realistic movie, instead of, you know, all the accentuated graphics that somehow makes a movie surreal. But I understand though that most viewers would prefer good a** kicking action scenes with beautiful computer graphics rather than just plain boring crime solving.

But I watch it anyway because you have to watch blockbusters like these. LOL. It's an in thing and going to the cinemas is a kick-a** way to spend time with buddies. (too many kick a** used in this posting, excuse me please). Plus, to comment on a movie, you have to watch it.

I can't really give comments on the interpretation of the character Sherlock Holmes because I've never really read any of those books and therefore, I don't even have an idea on how Sherlock Holme's character is. Did Robert Downey Jr. did good playing Sherlock? No idea but now I can't think off anyone else playing Holmes. It's just set in my mind that Robert Downey Jr. is Holmes.

However, if you ask me, Jr. had not portrayed the Sherlock I had in mind. I didn't picture Holmes to have such mischievous characteristics. Wikipedia describe Sherlock as eccentric and somewhat a loner and I agree. I'd pictured Sherlock as more quiet and a deep thinker rather than how he was depicted in the 2009 blockbuster.

The depiction of Holmes and his iconic pipe.

I somehow still feel he is eccentric, like super mysterious kinda eccentric.

The movie isn't bad. I guess my sudden reduced expectation for the movie helped.

Let's start with the well, positive. We like positive things right?

The iconic character brought to life.

The movie basically delves into one of Sherlock's adventures in mystery-cum-crime solving and this first one (there is definitely gonna be a sequel, duh) sees him investigating a case involving dark magic.

I love how the movie is fast paced, though some might contest that this makes the whole movie hard to grasp and somewhat confusing. But I like the fast editing of the movie, it makes it interesting.

My favourite scene in the movie is somewhere in the beginning, where Sherlock was in this fighting ring. First, they slow-mo the fighting action and we hear Sherlock's voice-over describing each move he made on his opponent and the inflicted consequence. Then the movements were played in normal speed and we see how the whole move is really like. Super awesome editing there! I thought it added flavour to the movie though again, all those close-up and editing techniques makes the fighting sequel super over-dramatic.

On top of that, you'll be happy to know that the movie is also somewhat entertaining, and it isn't a pain or a drag to watch (I think it's really because of the fast-paced actions). Plus, there were a few funny scenes, not excruciatingly hilarious but enough to tickle one or two of your funny bones lar. It is also interesting how they bring a somewhat modern feel towards a classic. And I'm grateful that the unraveling of the mystery is a logical one and not predictable crap.

Those are some of the positive stuff you can expect from the movie - oh! I forgot Jude Law's beautiful accent that enhances the UK feel of the movie. =D Well, the character itself is from the UK so of course we need to have something "United Kingdom-ish" about it and thus --> Jude Law.

What I don't like about the movie though is that the explanation to the mystery resolves so much around science that for a person who scores straight C's in all science subjects like me, it is pretty hard to understand certain rationalization made by Holmes. Even if I do understand, I do not have the scientific knowledge to believe it.

But I prefer studying how people solve cases through observations - like the part in the movie where Holmes deduce his own whereabouts after being "kidnapped" by defining the clues that helped him reach his conclusion.

That's probably why I like Criminal Minds (it's a a tv series on the B.A.U. by the way) because it is mainly on intelligent predictions on why people behave or act a certain way. Their method of crime-solving taps into the psychology of human behaviour and then speculate the murderer's (or unsub's) next course of action through the understanding of that behaviour. It's more than just providing a scientific explanation to solving the crime; they give you a psychological analysis as well and that is always interesting for debates.

I believe Science is always relevant in order to prove a crime because Science is objective facts but observations and subjective guesswork help lead to the solving of a crime.

So anyway, the reason I do not like Sherlock Holmes has nothing to do with the movie, but rather just my personal preferences. I'm a Social Science student, see.

I am also personally disappointed with Rachel McAdams in this movie. She's like one of my favourite actresses but in this movie, I don't feel her character. If she loves Holmes, it somehow isn't clearly represented. It's not that her acting is bad or anything, but in this movie I guess her character lacks the personality of a leading lady. To be fair, I guess one can't blame her since I personally feel that her character, Adler, in this installment is just to create suspense leading towards the sequel, and thus, it's like there are still a lot of things we don't know about her yet. Maybe the sequel will justify her existence and relevance to the movie further. One thing is for sure, McAdams is smoking hot!!

Overall, should you watch Sherlock Holmes?

Yes because it is not bad at all though it is not a movie I'll rewatch. It is entertaining too and though it is not like my favourite movie of all time, I'd say it's worth the time and worth a watch.

TC-My Rating:

Lotsa Lurve,
TammyC

WHEN LAW IS JUST CAN'T BE ABIDED

2010-01-18T01:29:00.001+08:00

"I do not negotiate with murderers"

Gerard Butler plays Clyde Shelton, a family man who was one day attacked in his house by 2 men. Clyde was beaten and tied up, and was forced to see his wife and daughter brutally murdered. Clyde somehow survive the ordeal, and the two murderers were arrested.

But Assistant District Attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) was ordered to make a deal with one of the killers totestify against his partner for a 10 year plea bargain prison sentence. This would be unfair as one of the killers will face a lesser punishment. Clyde doesn't want to make the deal because that would mean letting the more cruel one go, while the other one got the death penalty.

However, Nick says it was too lateand the deal is done.

10 years later, Clyde returns to seek revenge against those who allowed mercy to supercede justice. He wants pay back for the murder of his family and he wants to teach those in the justice system, especially Nick Rice, a lesson.

I personally like this movie. It's gripping and engaging as the storyline is very nicely plotted. It surrounds the theme "What would you do when laws just can't be just?" or perhaps also, "To what extend is justice considered just?".

I love Gerard Butler personally and in this movie, he made his character a heart-felt one. I pity Clyde so bad that I irrationally root for his victory in the movie though I know that his actions are wrong and somewhat cruel. But seriously, he's a happy family man who lost his wife and daughter and lived to watch one of murderers roam free just after 10 years. So, who can blame him for being angry?

I love the way he challenged the judge, the attorneys who made the release of the murderer possible. He despised the flaws of the justice system and the fact that these people had taken justice lightly and he wants to teach them a lesson. I think he basically feels that even death penalty is not a severe punishment enough to make up for what they had done to his family and him.

Clyde is not an ordinary person. In fact later, Nick found out that Clyde is part of the think-tanks. Think tanks are a group people who are highly intelligent, and usually engaged or funded by governments to think about solutions to very intricate problems, sometimes, including how to murder without leaving any trail (I believe Malaysia also have think tanks but not as effective because they left trails and created a mess; if you are Malaysian, you might know which case I'm talking about). I mean, clearly, sometimes governments or very famous corporations need to get rid of stuff in order to protect reputation, and they somehow choose a back-path.

But anyway, Clyde is a think-tank, meaning that he is super intelligent and of course his revenge is a series of games with the authorities as they try to outsmart him. The movie is like watching Criminal Minds, except that this case doesn't involve the B.A.U. Clyde is not psychotic or sadistic...he is just a smart guy seeking revenge.

I like the way Clyde challenged the judge and attorneys who somehow take the justice system so lightly. I love the scene where Clyde made a statement, embarrassing the judge in-charged of the case.

Personally, I don't get why they cast Jamie Foxx as Nick. Sorry but I am just not a fan of Jamie Foxx. It makes me really dislike the character Nick. If I were to choose someone to play Nick, my first will be Denzel Washington. Denzel just has it you know...I love watching Denzel because his movies usually has depth and he just makes the movie brilliant with his acting. I don't know why but I just like him. Okay if not Denzel Washington, then maybe Terrence Howard but definitely not Jamie Foxx.

I find it hard to take Jamie Foxx seriously. I also don't like Jamie's interpretation of the character Nick. Nick is sure that he made the right decision with the deal he made with the murderer 10 years ago. Okay maybe Nick's character is supposed to be that way, but because it is played by Foxx, I just don't like the character due to bias.

Nevertheless, I somehow agreed with Nick when he said that what Clyde is now (revengeful and murderous) is definitely what his daughter expect him to be. It leaves you thinking again, what is right, what is wrong? It also highlights to us that laws are only there as guides but at the end of the day, nothing is fair in life, sometimes, not even the law. To what extendwill you go to fight for justice? Then again, what is justice? Does Clyde's torturous extermination of those murderers who took his family define justice? Or is all justice and fairness defined rigidly by a country's legal system?

Nick believes that 10 years of jail and another executed is sufficient and that justice has been served. For Clyde, those light punishments meant justice has not been served. So? What's your take?

I argue in the end that NOTHING IS FAIR, NOT EVEN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. In fact, all the laws are bull crap that can be manipulated - sadly that is why some lawyers garner despicable reputations. Then again, what is considered fair to a person varies depending on how the situation affects us personally. So, in the end, justice and fairness is always a debatable issue and thus, the need for lawyers haha.

I guess overall, the movie is good. Okay I'm telling you...after so many episodes of Criminal Minds, the plot is not exceptionally unique BUT it sure is gripping. Thank God it still managed to keep me guessing and kept me engaged. It is somewhat predictable but it managed to excite.
Not bad if you like action and crime movies.

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Lurve,
TammyC on a Sunday nite...

THE NOT SO AMAZING 'GRACE'

2010-01-12T23:52:00.001+08:00

This is probably the worst movie I've watched so far, paving its way into the list of one of the worst movie this year, well, at least on my list. I don't know about yours.

I wasn't sure what the movie is about and so I read the synopsis and deduce that it's a horror-thriller flick. Well, it does seem like an interesting movie although I'm always skeptical and scared when watching horror movies.

In short, "Grace" is basically about a baby who feeds on blood.

The only one thing I like about the movie

Yes - the poster

Madeline was 9 months pregnant when she and her husband met with an accident. The tragic accident took her husband's life and basically killed the baby she had inside her. However, she is not willing to give up the baby and insist to carry the baby till it's due. Miraculously the baby came back to live after her birth but soon Madeline discover that Grace's (the baby) main food is blood. Madeline obsession in caring for the baby's needs drove her pretty much into insanity, which could cause her to lose custody of her baby girl. How did she fight back?

Did you know it has actually won the dramatic Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the Sundance film festival 2009.

Why do I not like 'Grace'?
Well, as interesting as the synopsis may be, it is really not. Basically I think it's because the director had employ some artistic techniques in the movie, making it a artsy-fartsy cinematic film, rather than one that entertains. Usually artistic scene focus and stay on one single shot for as long as few minutes, for instance, a scene of Madeline draining blood from the cattle she bought took about 5 minutes of the screen time. This technique usually make the movie a bore and creating a super slow pace for the movie, which explains why I kept fast-forwarding most scenes, dying for some drama. Dialogues are minimal, consisting of short, uninteresting sentences...

If you expect super gory, bloody, terrifying scenes, well, I'm sorry but you won't get that with "Grace". Yes there are blood here and there but it's not like filmed in a way to create fear or horror. If it is meant to inject that thrill feeling, then I think it had kinda failed. It's really pretty boring.

"He (the director) relies upon a precise and slow-building technical elegance,supplemented by fearless performances and the ever-elusive gift of agenuinely frightening story, to violate the sanctity of a mother’s loveand create true horror. Seething with a kind of sophisticated terroruncommon for its genre, Grace effortlessly uncoils an atmosphere ofimmense discomfort and subtle intensity, while quietly creeping intothe spine and slicing into our most primal fears."

- Sundance Festival Review

Sadly I beg to disagree. "Slow building technical elegance"...well if that means the movie is super draggy and it makes you feel like it's never ending, then yes.

"Sophisticated terror and slicing into our most primal fears" is really over dramatically phrased although the sentence is beautifully penned by the reviewer. I mean I didn't feel more than an ounce of fear when watching the movie so I just don't get how is it true horror. The murder scenes are predictable and extra thoughts weren't even dedicated to make the murder a more creative and intelligent one. The only thing that work perhaps is the sound effects but then again they are nothing compared to those hard-core horror flicks. Even the crappy "Midnight Meat Train" contains scarier elements than this one.

"uncoils an atmosphere ofimmense discomfort" - Perhaps the MOST discomfort I feel was when watching an old couple making love. Sorry but who would want to watch that? But artistic films (remember "What Time is it There?") tend to feature some of the most awkward love scenes like older people making love to each other or masturbating. No offense, they have the right to enjoy their sexual life but maybe it's best they kept it off-screen.

I agree though that the film has incorporated themes of love within a thriller-horror storyline but generally, what is so great about that when there are other horror films, with greater effects and impacts carrying the same theme of love...

But then again what do I know right? To be fair, I am not really the right person to give comments on the technical cinematic aspects of a film, especially an artistic one but usually, for me, it is very hard to enjoy an artistic movie because I don't usually know what the director is trying to imply using those techniques. For me though, I always enjoy movies with great themes to discuss and explore and brilliant scripts that cleverly play with the dialogues. Sadly, "Grace" is just one of those films. Acting wise - not outstanding in a way that make me go like "Wao! impressive acting". In fact, I actually like none of them in the movie.

Perhaps each scene in "Grace" could have brilliantly capture various other meaning if you delve deeper into it, but on the surface, it really is not a great watch. So rent "Ju-On" or "The Ring" instead if you are planning to get goosebumps. But if you want to see it for yourself, you know, to see if it's really that bad, then by all means go for it. Besides, it's an award winning film.

TC-My Rating:

Lotsa Lurve
TammyC signing off from home

MAN, IS IT THAT HARD TO SAY I LOVE YOU?

2010-01-06T02:02:00.000+08:00

Guys, I bet you're jealous of those dudes who just have the ability to charm the ladies. Those are what we call the ladies man ya. But maybe what you don't know is that some ladies man just wanna be a regular dude.

Well, "I Love You, Man" is a story about this 'ladies man' who is so much a ladies man that he doesn't have any guy friends. He has no problem hanging out with the girls. He's a great guy, a great boyfriend who just doesn't seem able to get along with dudes. He's kinda like a geek when it comes to hanging out with the males.

So what is more pathetic? A guy with no girl friends or a guy with no guy friends? I don't know but it is true. If a guy doesn't have any guy friends, he might be the clingy kinda dude or worst, the kinda dude that sleeps around with other women.

But anyway...so "I Love You, Man" sees our 'hero' Peter Klaven in search for a best friend to be his best man at his wedding. This includes a multiple of man-dates and some male-male kissing. In the end, when Peter almost gave up, he met Sydney Fife and soon they became close friends - jamming along the music of Rush, walking dogs, talking about women and sex etc etc.

They bonded but Sydney's wild and free lifestyle soon affected Peter's career and his relationship with his fiancee, Zooey. In the end...maybe you should just watch to find out how Sydney made up to Peter.

It's not easy hanging with the dudes. Alcohol, poker, porn? - Not easy

This movie kinda reminds me of "Me, You and Dupree" except the fact that Sydney in this movie is not as annoying as Dupree. I actually really digg Sydney's character. It'll be cool to have a friend like Sydney.

"I Love You, Man" tries to highlight that guys can also love each other and not be gay. Correct me if I'm wrong but most alpha males have problem admitting that they love their guy buddies, or maybe some of them don't really feel the need to be closely affiliated to their male friends, well in case they were mocked at. It's like weird for a guy to say "I love you" to another guy friend but this movie kinda opens our minds up on this.

Girls can proudly say I love you to their girlfriends, usually after we bid our goodbyes (Ning always says she love me lol) but when was the last time you hear your guy friends say "I Love You, Man" to each other? Erm...I actually can't remember lol.

"I Love You, Man" isn't like the best comedy ever. It has it's moments but overall, not one that I'll give 5 stars for because it is just another comedy. The acting were normal, and the script is not exceptionally catchy; so nothing outstanding in my opinion...but I do enjoy watching Jason Segel, since I love him in "How I Met Your Mother" (so I could be biased).

This is the kinda movie you watch just to past time. You know, when you don't want anything serious and too deep for consumption. I find myself flipping through a lot of these comedies recently because I just need something to pull me out of the blues. "I Love You, Man" was good but not exactly the best. But I'm glad that it doesn't go along the lines of "Chuck and Larry", with over-exaggerated themes of explicit gay-sexual conduct. That kept the movie manly, with a bit of gayish elements. Kudos to that!

Band slam?

Guys, maybe you should make this a guy-movie night out thing you know...lol. Then you guys might end up saying "I Love You" to each other, maybe shed a tear or two, hug each other and be all mushy ahem. Make sure you invite me too ;P cuz I'll love to see that.

TC-My Rating:

With LotSa Lurve,

TammyC signing off from home