A FOR AWESOME TEAM

Why do people like Superhero movies?

Personally, I think it is because we love the feeling of Good overpowering Evil.

And we love to witness 'victory' against all odds.

But I derive a different pleasure watching The Avengers. To make it clear, it is NOT THE GOOD LOOKS of Captain America, although he is indeed smokin' hot!

I love the movie because it reminds me of the sweetness of team victory - the pleasure of working together as a team. To be honest, at times, I am not much of a team player because I do enjoy working alone. But I love working in a team when there is one with wonderful dynamics.

I can't help it but when I was in the cinema, I thought of my college team mates who have went through so much with me last time when we were working our butts off for our final year assignment - YY, Lydia, Kim Fatt, Nic and Eugene. Because our team really consists of different people with different strengths and personality that somehow gel together to pull through our project (despite our disagreements and arguments). At the end, it was so fun that I would do it all over again! :)

I am also thankful that the current team back in my office is also a super dynamic one, which therefore means, I am also having quite a blast working with all these unique individuals from different backgrounds.

Anyway, back to "The Avengers" - the most talked about movie of the week!

Seriously, almost everyone I know on Facebook is posting about The Avengers for the past few days! And most of them say that they are going to re-watch it. So I knew I had to watch it!

Managed to get tickets on a public holiday and my Labour Day has never been so well spent.

The theme of the movie is, yes "Teamwork".

I love how all the Superheroes are brought together as a team, and it is really awesome studying each and every single character and how each of them have their strengths that made them a formidable team.

I tried identifying a favourite character, but I really can't because I really love them all. My least favourite could be Thor, but then he is also quite interesting.

The movie in general:

In my opinion, the movie is successful not because of the promo and the fact that it rides on the fans of the various Superheroes featured in the movie.

As a movie goer, I admire the fact that it managed to squeeze in so many different characters so compactly. Not everyone can do it - tell a story with so many characters while maintaining the essence of each and every single one of them.

Credits must definitely go to the script writer for being able to come out with the storyline incorporating all characters and not to mention, the additional brilliant and witty lines that ensured that there was not a single dull moment in the movie.

I look past the CGI and special effects for I am not really into that, although I wouldn't say that I am not amazed by the awesomeness of the fighting scenes and the catastrophic blows virtualised by special effects. What I am saying is that, even if you minus those 'cosmetics', the movie would still be bearable. 

Like I haven't said it enough times already, what I enjoy most about the movie is how the characters come together. Hence, I shall delve into my thoughts on each character.

Captain America - The focused Leader

He is not my favourite character in the movie because of his looks.

He is my favourite character because he is different from me. Captain America has qualities that I admire - he is focused and is a leader. (Did I tell you have a thing for men who make strong leaders?) The way he commands and lead his team makes him so captivating! Ok, excuse me for bringing in 'girlishness' into this but seriously, I admire the way he leads his team and how he just knows what he is doing. When he talks, he sweeps you away, doesn't he? I think his presence seems to make everything ok.


Note: I really miss Hayley Atwell's character - Peggy, the lady who Capt. America is in love with but never get a chance to even go on a date with her. I love that character SO SO MUCH and if there's a female role model that I want to follow, I'd so wanna be her. 

My favourite line by Captain America:

When he told Ironman to "Speak English"

It reminded me of how I always tell my Irish colleague to speak English when she speaks TOO FAST! 

Ironman - The Cheeky Tech-guy

I enjoy his character because he reminds me a bit of myself.

Always the person who tries to be "smart" and crack lame jokes when things are supposed to be serious. But of course, I am no Tony Stark because I am not as smart.

Tony Stark has his own issues but he is the type who tries to take a lighter approach to things; that's why I like his character. I also digg his brilliance with technology! The last act of sacrifice he made was sort of predictable though, because at the beginning, Captain America claimed that the Ironman wouldn't sacrifice himself.

I did not watch any Ironman movie, but I am very interested to watch it now. From the movie, I understand why Ironman is so popular (probably the most popular); I believe Ironman must be a hilarious watch because Robert Downey Jr. had played it with much wit. 

My favourite line by Ironman:

"Please tell me nobody kissed me!"

Dr. Banner/The Hulk - The No-confrontation Guy

Closest to the Top for me actually is Dr. Banner because he is such a sweet guy (and yes, I do really like Mark Ruffalo). I love that he doesn't want power, although he literally has it. What strikes me as interesting for his character his how he can be completely opposite of who he really is when he turns 'green'. He is actually a really kind guy who tries to avoid confrontation and tries to be the peacemaker, but when he is The Hulk, he becomes someone who just destroys. Although I did not watch any of The Hulk films, I learned from the movie that he is angry because he can't control his own powers and he is afraid of who he is, and what he is capable of doing. Will definitely try to watch The Hulk if Mark Ruffalo is playing The Hulk in future because compared to Bana and Norton, I feel only he has the quality to play this compassionate and kind role of Dr. Banner. Of all the Hulks in the silver screen, I really think that Ruffalo is the best....I am not going to comment on the original TV Hulk though. 

My favourite part featuring Dr. Banner:

When he rides in with a scooter/motorcycle to battle

Black Widow - The Sexy Spy and Hawkeye - The Precise Arrow Dude

The only girl in the team. Not really a fan of Scarlett Johansson because I never liked the role she chose to play. But I must say, she was pretty good in this movie, but I feel that to prove that she owns the character, we will need to watch more. 

There is much more to learn about the Black Widow because there is no movie about this Superhero yet. I do not blame the movie for not writing or revealing much about her, because I know it is a strategy to attract audience for a film on Black Widow specifically. If I am not wrong, there will DEFINITELY be a movie on the Black Widow soon. The Avengers have cleverly planted teaser lines in the movie to get people wondering about the character Black Widow.

Hawkeye is also super interesting because he and Black Widow seems to have a connection. For one thing also, both of them are characters without their own movies, so it will be very interesting to see how their movie turned out. I also like how cool he is...a man of few words but an awesome shooter. 

My favourite line by Black Widow:

Love is for children. 

Thor - The Mighty DemiGod

My least favourite not because of anything, but because he is just not as 'humanly' portrayed. He is more like a God, rather than superhero, but still rocking it in his own ways. I mean, for a Superhero movie, I don't think Thor was much of a right fit, you know, he is for one thing, Half-God...but well, The Avengers did make it work somehow. I can't relate to his story yet because I did not watch Thor, but am looking forward to watching it.

One character that I also enjoyed watching, though he didn't last in the movie was the dude who died (Dr. Coulston or something) and was a huge fan of Captain America. Although his life ended in the middle of the movie, he left quite an impression and he is the core reason for the 'teaming' up. So kudo's to his character too...

If I have anything negative to say about the movie, it would be how predictable it is. Because like any other Superhero movies, we know how the plot and climax is...

We know who will triumph in the end. We can't let the villain win.

But in this ugly world, maybe that is what we need to boost our spirits - the belief that at the end of the day, GOOD will still defeat EVIL! 

Besides, some situations are too grey to tell the difference anyway.

However, being able to turn such boring and predictable plot into an interesting watch deserves some credits. 

So, the conclusion? It is worth the watch because you get a taste of so many superheroes in a single dose of cinematic delight.

TC-My Rating:

I LOVE THEM ALL! 

Real Steel is the Real Deal!

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

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

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

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

Seriously unexpected, and totally enjoyed it! 

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

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

Knowing me, I can never reject a FREE MOVIE! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Atom vs Zeus

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

Zeus on the other hand represents MIGHT and POWER. 

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

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

Know your strengths, overcome your weakness

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

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

Atom's weakness is that he is small. 

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

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

Which lead me to the next message...

Take the hits!

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

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

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

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

Power and Unfairness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Till the next time...

Steels are steels and rocks are rocks.

But Real Steel really rocks! 

TC-My Ratings: 

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

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

A "BURLESQUE"-TIC EXPERIENCE

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

So yes, I went in with no expectations.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Below are the 3 performances that awed me.

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

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

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

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

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

But below is a preview.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TC-My Rating:

(3 stars for performances)

STUNG BY THE HORNET

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My favourite scenes:

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

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

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

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

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

TC-My Rating:

With Love

TC

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

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: