colourless opinions™

Looking for Rooms in KL?

2012-01-26T17:40:00.000+08:00

Well then look no further 'cause here's decent website for you browse for your ideal room for rent. Introducing iBilik (www.ibilik.my) - the online page where people can easily search for short and long term accommodations; be it a house, apartment or just a room. Bet you're wondering why it sounds so familiar. That's probably 'cause you've seen some of their advertisements around before (like the taxis below).

iBilik, formerly known as CariBilik, is basically like the simplified version of PropWall and iProperty but specialising only at properties to let. The layout is so plain and user-friendly, it's easily the most favourable website to use amongst the three if short or long term rentals. Users can browse for rooms, houses, apartments or even bungalows (banglo) in specific areas of any states in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Race, gender, couple and single preference can also be set at the convenience of users when browsing. Details and images (if posted by the owner) are of course available on the profiles of the properties available on search results. The price, email address and contact numbers are listed on the profiles as well for direct contact. Needless to register what-so-ever. The best example of a great profile would be ones with high definition pictures and detailed information about provided furnitures, utilities and facilities, what's surrounding the place like shops or public transport and directions to get to the property instead of just embedding Google Map. There are some who are too lazy to post sufficient information as well. Since they don't seem desperate enough, I'd suggest you not to give these bums any business or even trust.

Registered users can advertise their properties to be rented out, or to post up to ask if there's any place to rent at the specific price and area. Registration is completely free, no hidden fees at all. Registration process is simple as well. All you have to do is enter your preferred available username, email address, password and voila, you're registered.

iBilik is one website that I can't really criticise, really. There are already more than 42 thousand room profiles posted on the page. There are budget ones, overpriced ones, nice ones, ugly ones, affordable ones, decent ones, basically almost everything that someone who wants to rent a place would definitely want to browse through. How reliable are the source, you asked? Well then it's not up iBilik, it's up to the owners to post up on the website.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

2012-01-18T13:00:00.000+08:00

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action, adventure
Running Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
Director: Brad Peyton
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Josh Hutcherson, Luis Guzman, Vanessa Hudgens, Kristin Davis

Synopsis: "Young Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson, reprising his role from the first film) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist. It's a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean's new stepfather, Hank (Dwayne Johnson), joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever" (Warner Bros Pictures).

Verdict: Once again, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson landed himself onto a fatherly role of a kids' film, showing off his guitar and singing skills. I thought there would never be another instalment of this franchise after the horrible Journey to the Centre of the Earth in 2008. When you produce a film based on such great classic novels, you're challenging the imaginations of the readers. And I'm sure they would all be disappointed with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. It has better predictable humour than the first film but everything else is weak. The whole movie is such a rush and lacks of details, it feels like a preview of the novels that film's loosely based on. The lines are cheesier than cheese, and the CG effects aren't impressive. Simply put, there's nothing much to see on the island. It was nice staring at Vanessa Hudgen's cleavage throughout the movie though. Oh, probably that's why it's rated PG-13.

Cheesiest scene: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] The part where they've just discovered the island with Sean saying "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you..." and Hank continues, "... The Mysterious.... Island." [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Questions that kids may not I ask, but I will: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] Why does Sean, an American, have a grandfather with English accent? If smalls creatures are supposed to be big and vice versa, why are the bugs on the path to Captain Nemo's cave so small? How do they maneuver the bees they ride on? How do they swim 100 feet into the water so quickly? How come Hank's clothes dry up so quickly? How is it possible for any human being to throw a spear that far, strong and accurately underwater? [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

To watch in 3D? I won't pay to watch it at all if I were you. But if you're gonna watch it in 3-D, watch it at an IMAX cinema. Normal cinemas cannot cater to the effects of almost any 3D films.

Rating: 1 / 5

Second opinion: "The whole movie's damn lame" (Iris Loong).

Special thanks to Ivan Chan for the invitation to the preview screening.

Sparta Muay Thai & MMA @ Ara Damansara

2012-01-15T19:00:00.000+08:00

There were already a number of Muay Thai/ kickboxing fitness gyms in Malaysia before Sparta came along. Is this newly opened martial arts fitness gym any different from the others? What separates them from what the others have already been offering? I've been there a few times for lessons and here I share my experience and opinions with you.

Students performing the drills during Muay Thai Cardio class.

As some of you may already know, Tiger Muay Thai has the reputation of being the best of Muay Thai training camps in the whole world. The gym in Phuket has trained many great fighters, not just Muay Thai fighters, professional MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighters as well. The reason why I'm mentioning about this is because Sparta is affiliated with Tiger Muay Thai (hence Sparta's Facebook page name Tiger Muay Thai Malaysia), and the two Muay Thai trainers (otherwise known as "Krus") at Sparta are from Tiger Muay Thai. I believe this alone is enough to define the difference in quality between this gym and the others in terms of Muay Thai training. Kru Moo and Kru Tanwa are successful Muay Thai fighters from Thailand, and the members are trained by the both of them, concurrently, at all of the Muay Thai classes at Sparta.

Sparta Muay Thai & MMA is located at Oasis (of Sime Darby), A-10-09 Block A in Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya. That area is still new with many empty shop lots. Parking is a free (for now?) all around. It'll be very easy to find parking space right outside the building until all the other shops are opened. Block A is facing the highway and you'll spot a Sparta banner on the ground floor. Take the dodgy elevator to the 10th floor and you'll get to a clean, spacious, odorless gym with training equipments (training gloves, pads, punching/kicking bags, and weights), a Muay Thai ring, and high quality thick MMA mats. I was absolutely blown away by the fantastic environment. Probably 'cause it's new, I don't know, I haven't been to many gyms but I thought this has to be the best facilitated Muay Thai & MMA gym in Malaysia now. I haven't done any grappling there so I can't comment on how much friction it could cause to our skin. Plain water is also provided for free, isotonic drinks can be purchased there as well. Members are allowed to go there when there aren't any classes to use the equipments and train on their own. The only thing that the gym is lacking of, I feel, are mirrors. Students may need to see their own movements to improve their forms.

The Krus cooling down the children at the end of a Kids Muay Thai class.

The gym's level of hygiene is maximised. They mop the mats after every class and encourages students to bring their own gloves as sharing would mean sharing sweat and germs as well. They have gender-separated toilets with individual shower rooms, the only problem with them is that they have curtains instead of doors for the rooms inside. Quite worrying if you're homophobic. There was one time when I was doing my "big business", a kid came and slide the curtain open to have a laugh. They seriously need to install a lock-hook for the curtains at least.

Sparta offers classes such as Muay Thai for Beginner & Intermediate, Muay Thai for Fighters, Muay Thai for Kids, Muay Thai for Women Only, Muay Thai Cardio, Western Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and three different non-martial art fitness classes. As I said, I've been there a few times now for lessons.

The one hour and 30 minute Muay Thai Beginner & Intermediate class teaches and trains students the basics of the martial art. Tiger Muay Thai trainers Kru Tanwa and Kru Moo are very organised and standardised with the way they teach. First, they'll have the students jog, warm up, stretch and shadow-practice the basics (the stance, movement, punches, knees, kicks, blocks, elbow, dodge, etc). Then it's basics practice with a partner that they will choose for you. After that it's pad works and bag-hitting workout, 3 rounds each and 10 push-ups after every round. The class ends with 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups and cool-down stretches. The process of the class is quite strict with very little rest in between each exercise and the Krus won't let you get away without having you pushed to your limits. They will point out your flaws and teach you till you get it half right at least; at times it may feel like personal training. They will ensure that every student to get the techniques right before moving on to another drill. This is great, in my opinion, it shows that they are dedicated to teach and it's the only way students can truly improve.

Students learning the basic moves during Muay Thai class.

The Krus may seem all fierce and scary but they are actually quite friendly once they know you. Perhaps the only issue is the language barrier. They're Thai, they can't speak English well and therefore it's quite difficult to actually talk to them or even ask them a question. They pronounce "switch" as "sweep" and tell students to "go back" when they actually mean "go hit the bags". All of the students were so confused at first and I tried to explain to Kru Moo why but he had none of it and he didn't seem very happy about it. However, I'm sure all this can improve in time.

Students could only join in for the Muay Thai Fighters class upon the Krus recommendation. I've seen how the training goes - it's way more tough and intense than the beginner & intermediate class. Let me remind you that these Krus/trainers, they are or were actual fighters of the combat sport and Sparta students get to learn from them. There's no a point of learning the art from a certified instructor who has only learnt it before and not actually used it. Well not unless you only want to sweat a little. What Sparta and Tiger Muay Thai are offering here is well structured and pure authentic Muay Thai training. I have no doubt that when you attended classes there long enough, you will be good at it. Another cool thing about it is that students that are worthy will get a certificate of completion.

At Sparta, students can also learn Western Boxing class led by former Malaysian champion and national coach Sangra, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which will commence tentatively in the next couple of months. From my understanding, Sparta's approach is to offer specialised martial art trainers and classes instead of encouraging students jump straight into MMA before mastering the martial arts separately. This direction is great for those who wants to learn specific martial arts and mix 'em up themselves (Bruce Lee, anyone?). The downside, however, is that it seems that none of these classes teaches students how to defend themselves against more than one opponent.

For those who aren't interested in martial arts that much and would just wish to keep in shape, Sparta has three different fitness classes to offer as well. These classes are a mixture of cardio exercises, aerobics and a little weight-lifting. One of it is called RIP 60, a killer suspension based exercise. I haven't attended any of these classes but you can log on to their official website for more details. They recently had celebrity fitness coach Ocean Bloom coming over for a day of seminar, which was free for all members.

Some of Sparta's many provided equipments for members.

Sparta may not be the most affordable kickboxing/ MMA gym to join in the country, heck, they could well be the most expensive one too. If you're paying on a monthly basis, prepare to cough out RM200 at least. You'd only save significantly if you signed up for the 12-month package (comes with free t-shirt, handwrap and boxing glove), which would make you question yourself whether you're able to commit yourself that long for classes. But if you can afford it, if you can commit and if traveling to the gym is convenient for you, I think the quality environment and Muay Thai training are worth the money. Their schedule for classes is updated monthly on their website and if there are changes, they will notify everyone through Facebook and Twitter.

Contraband (2012)

2012-01-12T00:00:00.000+08:00

Rated: 18
Genre: Action thriller
Running Time: 109 mins
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones, Diego Luna and J.K. Simmons

Synopsis: "Mark Wahlberg leads the cast of Contraband, a fast-paced thriller about a man trying to stay out of a world he worked so hard to leave behind and the family he'll do anything to protect. Set in New Orleans, the film explores the cutthroat underground world of international smuggling-full of desperate criminals and corrupt officials, high-stakes and big payoffs-where loyalty rarely exists and death is one wrong turn away. Chris Farraday (Wahlberg) long ago abandoned his life of crime, but after his brother-in-law, Andy (Caleb Landry Jones), botches a drug deal for his ruthless boss, Tim Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi), Chris is forced back into doing what he does best-running contraband-to settle Andy's debt. Chris is a legendary smuggler and quickly assembles a crew with the help of his best friend, Sebastian (Ben Foster), to head to Panama and return with millions in counterfeit bills. Things quickly fall apart and with only hours to reach the cash, Chris must use his rusty skills to successfully navigate a treacherous criminal network of brutal drug lords, cops and hit men before his wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale), and sons become their target" (United International Pictures).

Verdict: All about an experienced but retired smuggler who is forced to get himself involved again - ah, we had quite a few films with the similar plot already, don't we? Some were at least enjoyable but Contraband isn't one of them. It's cliche-ridden, boring and draggy. The second half of the movie is a little more tensed but the lack of realism just spoils it all. Even the action scenes are boring. Perfect role for Mark Wahlberg, one that didn't require him to act much. Did Hollywood once again spoil a good film by remaking it, or is it actually this bad? We'd have to watch the original, Reykjavík-Rotterdam, to find out. The director of this remake, Baltasar Komakur, stars as the protagonist in that one.

Two of the most unrealistic scenes: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] First, it's the scene where they rob the armoured van in Parnama. How in the world is it possible for Chris (Mark Wahlberg) and Danny (Lukas Haas) to escape from so many police and SWAT, without even getting shot at all? And not to mention that they accomplice are wide open at the back of the truck when fleeing. Second, how can one be still alive after being bagged in plastic for an hour at least? Not to mention that she lost a lot of blood? Kate (Kate Beckinsale) is probably not a normal human being [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

The ending: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] Kate survives, Sebastian (Ben Foster) goes to prison, Chris and his team sell the goods to a buyer who then tells them about a robbed painting in Parnama that worth at least $2mil. Andy manages to purchase Gonzalo's (Diego Luna) black van back from an auction which somehow still has the painting on it [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

Malaysian censorship: Nothing to censor besides the F-word, which they didn't at all.

Rating: 1.5 / 5

Second opinion: "It's not boring but sort of draggy" (Iris Loong).

The invitation to the premier screening of the film was courtesy of ChurpChurp.

Interview - Allamurad "Pretty Boy" Karayev, pro MMA fighter

2012-01-08T04:00:00.000+08:00

Malaysia-based professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Allamurad "Pretty Boy" Karayev caught the attentions of many after dominating the local MMA events like Mayhem 2 and the Malaysian Fighting Championship (MFC) series but when people searched his name up on the internet, not much info could be found. Therefore I figured an interview with the undisputed Mayhem Pro-AM Featherweight champion would be great for his fans to read up online.

The promising, explosive and confident young prodigy from MuayFit has not lost a single fight thus far in his career (not to mention about winning most of them in first rounds by TKO or submissions) and is, without question, one of the most feared MMA fighters in Malaysia today. Outside of the cage, however, Allamurad Karayev is not quite the scary merciless tormentor that he seems to be when he's fighting. He's actually a very friendly, humble and approachable person. I believe I wouldn't have dared to ask him for an interview if he wasn't. The "Pretty Boy" also smiles a lot and has a fun personality that could fish chicks like a playboy.

All photos credit to MuayFit.

Tony: "Let's start with a little introduction. Tell us about who you are, where are you from, what do you do and so on."

Allamurad: "My name is Allamurad, 20 years old, from Turkmenistan, currently living in Malaysia. I'm an MMA fighter from Muay Fit and so far, I had 12 fights including one professional MMA fight, no losses."

Tony: "How did your nickname 'Pretty Boy' came about?"

Allamurad: "The nickname came from err... My name is quite long and not everybody remembered it so the people who did said things like, 'I'm going for training with Allamurad,' 'Who's Allamurad?' 'That guy there, the pretty-pretty boy there,' 'Oh yeah-yeah, that pretty boy!' That's where the nickname came from. (laughs) It's a random thing."

Tony: "You hold an impressive 12-0 record. How did you learn how to fight so well?"

Allamurad: "I started training Muay Thai back in my country Turkmenistan. I learnt from my brother, he's an MMA coach. I learnt from him when we came to Malaysia. Then I trained in many gyms before coming to Muay Fit. I've been training here at MuayFit for almost a year with the fighters here. Some times I'll follow other fighters and friends to their gyms but I train mainly at MuayFit."

Tony: "Why do you want to be a fighter? What inspires you?"

Allamurad: "Ah... okay. (paused with a smile) I started out just for fun. Training, training, training, then my coach told me that I have the talent to be a fighter. I started joining competitions and win, win, win. That motivated me to be a fighter. I'm trying to fight for a few years and see how it goes."

Tony: "What do you do besides martial arts?"

Allamurad: "I just finished my international business study so yeah, all I do now is train and help fighters, and concentrate on my own training as well."

Tony: "What are your long-term future plans?

Allamurad: "Ah, future plans? Not sure. Maybe do some business since I did my international business degree. Not only fighting. But let's see first. I can't predict. Most of the fighters have a good future in fighting so I don't really know. Let's see how it goes. Maybe do business, maybe something else. I plan to start my fighting career here."

Tony: "Who is your favourite martial artist?"

Allamurad: "My favourite martial artist is Fedor Emelianenko. He's a Russian MMA fighter. He was the best fighter of the planet. Many times, he won Combat Sambo World Championship and Pride Heavyweight Championship. He's my best fighter."

Tony: "The common boxing, Muay Thai and MMA fighting stance are the orthodox and southpaw stances. What are your opinions on Bruce Lee's fighting style with the stance of having the stronger hand and leg in front?"

Allamurad: "Umm... I respect all other martial arts but I believe for MMA, the best is the mixture of boxing and Muay Thai for striking, and the mixture of BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and wrestling for ground game. I'm not really familiar with traditional martial arts. All I know is boxing, Muay Thai, ground game, and all that stuff."

Tony: "Many pro MMA fighters say that MMA skills is not completely useful for self-defense on the streets. If 10 guys with knives surround you and a female friend, what would you do?"

Allamurad: "That is a really hard question. (laughs) 10 people with knives. Yeah, I would say to them, 'Guys, if you have balls, just put away your knives and just come to me. Or if you have real balls, just fight one on one. Come to the Malaysian Fighting Championship (MFC), we solve the problem inside of the cage."

Tony: "But what if they're not err... how to say this, what if they're not educated enough to understand that and just want to harass your friend and attack you? How would you react?"

Allamurad: "Ah... (paused with yet another smile) Of course the most important thing is to protect the female friend. I don't know. Maybe I'd try to fight and take away one knife to knock out one of them. Maybe they'd get scared. I really don't know what to say about this but of course if I could escape the fight and run away with no problem, don't fight outside. If there's any problem, solve it in the cage."

Tony: "What are your advice to beginners who wishes to fight in the cage? Are MuayFit classes enough to make someone a good fighter?

Allamurad: "My advice for them is, if they want to fight in MMA, learn Muay Thai or whatever they want from real fighters. Fighters that have experience. I believe if you want to learn combat sports, you can't learn from someone who has never fought before. So come to Muay Fit, learn from Arnaud "The Game" Lepont, and learn from Eric Kelly, learn from fighters, real fighters. That is my advice. Coming to MuayFit is enough because you'd learn a lot even from normal classes. Many fighters come here and teach. They are experienced, they know how to apply, what's right and what's wrong. Classes is good to share your experience. You can try to train with different guys, with a tall guy, a small guy. At other gyms, even in overseas, most of the fighters all train together. When we want to get ready for a fight, we'd do group training. Like for my last fight, I was training with Arnaud, Isamu "2.0" Himura, my good friend Samir who's teaching BJJ in Ampang."

Tony: "Tell us about your next fight."

Allamurad: "My next fight will be at MFC4 (Malaysian Fighting Championship 4).

Tony: "Which weight class will you be fighting in?

Allamurad: "I think I weigh 57kg."

Tony: "57?! That's way below bantamweight."

Allamurad: "Yeah and they haven't officially announced my opponent but I heard that he's 5kg heavier than me. I hope I can win."

Tony: "I'm sure you'll have no problem. All the best in your fight. That would be all from me today. Thank you very much for your time."

Allamurad: "Thank you. (smiled in relief)"

I would like thank Allamurad Karayev once again for the opportunity to interview him. "Pretty Boy" will be participating in the next Malaysian Fighting Championship (MFC4) on the 25th of February 2012 presumably in Puchong or Kuala Lumpur.

UFO Desserts & Drinks @ SS2, PJ

2012-01-05T11:45:00.000+08:00

The Beeping UFO at UFO Desserts & Drinks SS2

Type: Taiwanese desserts, snacks and beverages
Location: No.86, Jalan SS2/60, SS2, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Price range: RM3.00 - RM6.50
Loyalty card: Yes
Contact: ufodesserts@gmail.com
Open hours: 10am - 11pm (presumably)
Car park: Outside, roadside, all around SS2
WIFI: n/a
Website: Facebook

Clockwise from top left - Ocha-Ocha (RM6.00); Soya Ice Series with Ai-yu Jelly (RM4.50); QQ Balls Series with Pearls, Glutinous Balls & Ai-yu Jelly (RM6.00); small cup of milk (free); Soya Ice Series with Pearls, Ai-yu Jelly & QQ Balls (RM6.00). Centre - UFO Milk Tea (RM3.50)

UFO Milk Tea (RM3.50) and Winter Melon Tea with Grass Jelly (RM4.00)

Clockwise from top left - Cheese Hot Dog (RM5.00); Chicken Fillet (RM6.00); QQ Balls Series with Red Beans, Crystal Pearl & Ocha Balls (RM6.00); Soya Ice Series with Ocha Balls & double QQ Balls (RM6.00).

The UFO Desserts & Drinks outlet in SS2 PJ

Verdict: Unoriginal and untasty. Customers can choose specifically from a variety of toppings for the dessert series they want but most of the stuffs taste cheap. The pearls are poor, the balls are plain (laughs), and if you picked a bad combination of toppings for the series you chose, brace yourself for a weird serving. The snacks are done with heavy seasoning and don't let me start on their beverages. UFO Desserts & Drinks SS2 is the worst Taiwanese desserts & drinks copycat outlet I've been to thus far. There's a reason why Snowflake only offer desserts while Chatime only serve beverages you know? Specialisation.

Favourite: Chicken Fillet (RM6.00) - Not that great but it's the best thing I tasted there. Wait a second, this ain't even a Taiwanese dessert or beverage!

Least favourite: All the Taiwanese desserts they serve, particularly their Soya Ice Series. The toppings taste below average standard and drastic improvements are required on the series. Start by working on the signature item first. RM4.50 - RM6.00 ain't cheap for poor desserts ya know?

Most unusual: Nothing is original. The coolest thing they have is probably their Beeping UFO, which is not edible. Oh wait, that's not an original concept either.

Rating: 0.5 / 5

Onde Onde Restaurant @ Desa Parkcity, KL

2012-01-03T23:28:00.000+08:00

From left - Nyonya kuih - Ma Lai Ko (RM3.50), Purple Angku (RM2.50), Onde Onde (RM3.50), Pulut Tai-tao (RM3.50); Combo A: Asam Laksa & Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken (RM15.90)

Otherwise known as: Restoran Onde Onde Local & Nyonya Delights
Type: Malaysian
Location: GF-03A Ground Floor, Waterfront @ ParkCity 5 Persiaran Residen, Desa Park City, 52200 Kuala Lumpur
Price range: RM2.50 - RM15.90
Loyalty card: n/a
Contact no: 03-6280 7419
Open hours: 10am - 10pm (presumably)
Car park: Desa Parkcity open air carpark
WIFI: Available
Website: n/a

Clockwise from top left - Combo B: Nyonya Curry Laksa & Fried Chicken (RM15.90); Prawn Mee (RM9.90); Penang Chee Cheong Fun (RM6.90); Asam Laksa (RM9.90)

Clockwise from top left - Japanese Cucumber Juice (RM5.90) & Kopi (RM2.80); Daily Herbal Tea: Sea Coconut (RM4.90) & Daily Tong Sui: Green Bean with Sago (RM4.90); Roti Bakar Kaya (RM2.80); Sago Gula Melaka (RM4.90)

Onde Onde Restaurant outlet at Waterfront Desa Parkcity KL.

Verdict: Onde Onde serves almost all of Malaysian traditional and cultural foods, beverages and desserts in history and is seemingly the most affordable restaurant available at Desa Parkcity to date. Most of the main stuffs are spicy but some of them aren't that spicy and are actually sweet, perfect for non-spicy person like myself. The issue is this - there's no reason for one to travel all the way there just to eat there when one could purchase these stuffs almost anywhere in Malaysia at a lower price. And personally, I don't feel that their foods are significantly better the other similar kinds of restaurant. However their good quality Nyonya Kuih are recommendable. The environment is decent but do need more work on it to truly provide the old-skool feel.

Favourite: Combo A: Asam Laksa & Nasi Lemak Fried Chicken (RM15.90) - The set comes with two side dishes and a Nyonya kuih, quite a good deal if you asked me. The fried chicken was personally nostalgic and priceless to me because it tasted like the ones I used to have back in secondary school.

Least favourite: Japanese Cucumber Juice (RM5.90) - Just like any other cucumber juice, it's refreshing; but unlike any other, it tastes weird. I've tried a better Japanese cucumber beverage before.

Most unusual: Nothing is particularly special here, all the stuffs are pretty much the usual Malaysian foods. The Signature onde onde Durian Dessert was perhaps the only original item on the menu but unfortunately, they were out of the ingredients that day.

Rating: 3 / 5

Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century Tour 2011 Concert - Malaysia

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000+08:00

Perhaps the best indoor concert held in Malaysia in terms of stage set up, lighting and background visuals. "The God of Songs" Jacky Cheung had four shows here as part of his Half Century Tour 2011, and fortunately enough, I was able to catch it on the 11th earlier this month, which was the fourth and final night of it.

There was only slight delay and of course, no guest performer. After all, it was a 4-night concert. The show kicked off with Cheung's rather amateur tap dancing skills. The stage looked absolutely elegant, accompanied by really cool lighting, powerful relevant visuals and experienced band and dancers throughout. Right from beginning, I could sense that this was not going to be the usual live music concert. The first quarter of the show was like a musical, only that there wasn't any dialogue or interaction with the audience at all. The story is basically about how two adults meet, fall in love, marry, break up, reconcile and grow old together. With movie clips starring Shu Qi shown on the main screen, dramatic acting on stage while singing, songs with suitable feel and lyrics, and fantastic dancers and choreography, the whole quarter was brilliant and classy. The only problems of this part were Cheung's vocals that were not up to his usual standards, and the poor sound management. When the performer is dancing while singing with the head microphone on, the volume of the vocals should be higher than when he's singing to a normal mic.

The show went on more like a normal concert after the first quarter, but better, mainly due to the visuals and lightings specially made for the tour. Cheung only talked to the crowd after the whole musical part was done. He said that he was afraid that we wouldn't understand the musical, hence epilogues were added onto the visuals just in case. He took the time to clarify that most of the songs in the first half would be unfamiliar and promised the audience his classic hits would be sung later on.

The next quarter of the show was the up-tempo part where he sang and danced to a number of rocked up songs, some old and some I hadn't really heard before. My favourite number of the night was definitely "Wen Bie" (Kiss Goodbye). This time it's performed hard rock style, at a faster tempo. Massive lasers and colourful lighting effects were utilised during the song. It was probably the best live rendition of the title I've ever seen. It got me pumped up like the rest of audience. Cheung also briefly shown his life and career story through an adorable set of comic strips shown on the big screen while performing a song.

Cheung ended second quarter of the show with "Yue Ba Nu Qie", a tribute to the late big time senior in the Hong Kong entertainment and godmother, Lydia Shum. It was a lively and light-hearted performance with dancers wearing Shum masks and a gigantic Shum statue on stage. He did a split at the final beat of the song. After that, he advised the crowd not try doing the split if they're around his age because it'd be really difficult to get back up without help. It was impressive how considerably flexible he was for his age. Heck, even I can't do the splits at literally half his age. And not to mention, he actually did improve on his dancing, something so obvious that even he was proud to mention about it. This indicates just how much effort he was still putting in to entertain his fans.

Then came the third quarter, the jazz part, where he performed some of his personal favourites from his most recent studio album, Private Corner, on a smaller stage in front of the main one. He took the time to mention that the song "Sap Yi Gor Yum" (Twelve Tones) was originally composed by local Malaysian jazz musician Roger Wang. The original version, entitled "Love Scale", is in English, sung by Mia Palencia. He admitted he knows that it's difficult to accept his new jazz music, even he couldn't accept it initially. Besides the stuffs from the album, he also jazzed up some of his own old songs and others' classics like "Qing Ren De Yen Lei" (Lover's Tears, originally performed by the late legend Zhang Xiao Ying); perfect song to jazz up but unfortunately, he screwed up the whistle solo part otherwise a brilliant performance. His vocals and the band kind of struggled a little throughout this quarter of the concert.

His old classic hits, the killer romantic ballads, were performed in the final quarter of the show, but not all of course. Only as many as time allowed him to fit in. I was personally surprised and delighted that he did the song "Ming Yatt Sai Gai Jung Geh Sii Hao", never thought I'd ever get to see him sing this one live. The final song of the concert was predictably "Zhu Fu", but disappointingly, the jazz rendition. In my opinion, I think it's probably the worst Cheung song to jazz up.

There wasn't an encore wait and Cheung specifically told the audience that but of course, there were many who stayed and screamed for more after the last number. During the final quarter, he actually admitted all his vocal screw-ups on the night and apologised for the imperfect performance. He said the first show was like a rehearsal, fell sick on the second, almost couldn't perform on the third and hadn't fully recovered tonight. This explained why his vocals struggled like never before, resorted to screaming high falsettos many times to impress (which were really impressive, to be fair). The funny thing was that he was also sick when he came in 2007.

"I randomly ate an apple during my concert some years ago and discovered it was really good for my throat. Since I'm unwell, maybe having an apple now may help. I hope you all won't misunderstand me for disrespecting you by eating during the show."

"The band and myself weren't in our 100 perfect condition but we really gave our best. Tonight's the final show here in Malaysia and I really wanted to give a 100 percent performance but unfortunately I couldn't, please forgive me for that."

Indeed it wasn't the 50 year old's best vocal performance, probably the worst I've heard from him, and the songs picked weren't as spot on as the previous tour. However, a bad performance from THE Jacky Cheung is still, without a doubt, way better than any of the artistes of the newer generations. It was truly an awesome, colourful 3-hour plus concert. Cheung was incredibly professional and emotional; I swear I saw him tearing while singing some of his sad songs. How one can perform songs so seemingly sincere and truthful just amazes me. Jacky Cheung Half Century Tour 2011 is one of the best examples of what makes a great live music concert. Yes, he's reached the half century mark of his age, but I sure hope he'll still go on performing at least until a worthy God of Songs successor arises in Hong Kong.

The Darkest Hour (2011)

2011-12-28T11:22:00.000+08:00

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action, sci-fi horror, science fiction
Running Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Director: Chris Gorak
Cast: Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby and Max Minghella

Synopsis: "The DARKEST HOUR is the story of five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. The 3D thriller highlights the classic beauty of Moscow alongside mind-blowing special effects" (20th Century Fox).

Verdict: From the moment the trailer was released, it was quite certain that the film would turn out shitty. The lack of effort on the screenplay was underestimated - the writer was more than just lazy. But it's not only the script that's uninspiring, almost everything about it is. The Darkest Hour is predictable, uninteresting, cheesy, boring, has no sex appeal, full of cliches, even the music scores aren't fresh. It's so unintriguing till no one would give a damn about the things that are left unexplained. The depth of the characters are shallow as well. The special effects, too, are nothing to shout about. The Darkest Hour is a very lame version of Steven Spielberg's The War of the Worlds (2005). But hey, at least this one isn't set in Manhattan or anywhere in America.

Most hilarious quote: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] When no one can be seen - "They killed everyone." "It's a massacre." [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

Most ridiculous scene/ the ending: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] Just as the bunch of survivors found the submarine that they seek, they scattered into the sea due to an explosion caused by the aliens. To prolong the movie for a climax, Natalie (Olivia Thirlby) ends up magically on land at some distance away from the sea. She said she doesn't give up but for unknown reasons, she decides to just hide there knowing that the submarine is the only ride out of there. The bunch then go to her rescue. The incompetent aliens, after appearing to have arrived in millions in the beginning, finally decided to gang up to attack the survivors instead of coming one by one. Sean (Emile Hirsch), who looks like Leonardo DiCaprio here, manages to get to Natalie before getting into a struggle on a brake-less bus. "You came back for me!" Awww. After killing the alien in the most illogic fashion, the bus stops perfectly right in front of the others without crashing. They got into the submarine and finds out that other countries are fighting back. The film ends with yet another cheesy line - "It starts from here!" [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

To watch in 3D? Absolutely pointless to do so.

Rating: 0.5 / 5

Second opinion: "Speechless, it's so stupid, many scenes don't make sense" (Iris Loong).

The invites to the special screening of the film was courtesy of Ivan Chan.

We 'R' Malaysia - The Musical

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000+08:00

Held recently on the 5th this month at Dewan Lee San Choon (Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur), "We 'R' Malaysia - There is Hope" The Musical was organised by Persatuan Perintis Bina Negara Melaka (PPBN) as part of their original We R Malaysia campaign. It showcased the great theatrical talents of the cast but the real purpose the story and its invalid points were bound to draw disagreements and arguments. Hence instead of inspiring or educating, the politically-influenced screenplay of the production angered some of audience, like myself. There were even a number of people who called it "an attempted brainwash session". We should had expected this 'cause afterall, it was held at Wisma MCA.

Huge stage with the traditional red curtain, a lot space for audience, huge screens for visuals and crystal clear sound quality - without question, the place was ideal to have a show like this. There were clips, text and lyrics shown on the screen throughout the musical, which really helped a lot. The environment set-up looked a little too simple with the plain white background but thanks to the props and sound effects, it was sufficient. All the music were live played by a band hidden behind the curtains. The compositions, however, were not all original. Some were just classics replaced with lyrics written for this musical. There were also a Gu Zhang and flute performance during the interval.

Despite only having 2 months to rehearse, almost every cast member portrayed their roles and sang convincingly. Most of them seemed very experienced and professional, even the kid (Khang Kok Ming) and the extras/ background characters. Only the singing of some of the actors were poor or unclear. The only obvious hiccup was when the scroll reader/ narrator forgot his lines and stammered without covering up well enough. The make-up and costume-choices may require the most improvement as there was a character (played by Ho Soon Yoon) that lived for decades in the story but never appeared nor sounded older until the end.

So the acting and singing performance were good in overall, everything was going well... until the indirect intention of the musical became obvious - to convince and reassure the audience that the government is competent and that the economy is not so bad. It certainly didn't feel like it's to inspire the Malaysian Chinese with hope and as a Malaysian Chinese, I will be fooled by neither this musical nor the government.

The show started out quite well, deeply emphasising a point that all the Chinese in Malaysia are indeed Malaysians. But then it got really lame when the characters began advising one another to not protest, obey the rules and just work hard to "earn meat" (whatever that means). As the story went on, the characters started to encourage Chinese potentials to stay and work within the country instead of complaining about the poor economy. The most ridiculous scene was perhaps the part where a foreign food vendor sang happily about how much better it is to make a living here than in his own land.

According to the dialogues, Malaysians who go overseas have to work like dogs to earn and make a good living there, as though we don't have to work like slaves here as well, and not to mention, for lower wages, all thanks to the economy that our government fails to improve. They also left out about how Malays get special privileges and better treatment compared to the rest. I do, however, agree with the musical that we Chinese here are all Malaysians, this is our home, we are the hope and future of the nation, and we all need the love and support of family.

The musical was approximately an hour and a half. To read the official synopsis and another review on We 'R' Malaysia, please go here.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

2011-12-20T12:31:00.001+08:00

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Adventure, action, mystery, detective
Running Time: 2 Hours 9 Minutes
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams

Synopsis: "Sherlock and Watson face arch-nemesis Professor Moriaty, who is conspiring to make a fortune at the expense of the rest of the world. As Sherlock and Watson unravel the dastardly plot as they travel across Europe, they unlock Moriaty's secret- the manufacturing of next-generation weapons. Sherlock and Watson must stop this great threat before Moriarty succeeds in provoking a World War" (Warner Bros. Pictures).

Verdict: Never liked Guy Ritchie's vision of Sherlock Holmes but at least the original instalment is more than sufficiently enjoyable. Although decent to watch, A Game of Shadows lacks of suspense, overuses the same tricks from the first film and is a little draggy and predictable at some parts. It fails to engage viewers into putting on their thinking caps. With that being said, Hans Zimmer's great music compositions for the movie weren't put to good use. Excellent acting chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. (as Holmes) and Jude Law (as John Watson) but weak performance by Jared Harris as the villain James Moriarty.

Least favourite scene: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] The one where Holmes, Watson, Sim and the gypsies are being pursued by Moran and his army in the forest. I find the whole slow motion cinematic pointless for the scene. Does it make it more entertaining and impressive? No. Did it make me dizzy? Yes [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

Sequel? The ending does suggest so and despite the disappointment from this instalment, I'd still look forward to it. Better writers may be enough for significant improvements.

The meaning of the title: Holmes is up against someone as good as he is, like his own shadows, and hence A Game of Shadows.

Holmes vs. House: After watching this instalment, I think Hugh Laurie's performance as his titular character is more consistently convincing than Robert Downey Jr.'s as his. The protagonist of the popular TV series House MD, Gregory House, is partly based Sherlock. The English actor manages to his foreign accent episodes after episodes and act magnificently to become one of the world's favourite TV character.

Malaysian censorship: Only a split second of Mycroft Holmes' (Stephen Fry) bare naked butt was cut, I believe.

Rating: 2.5 / 5

Second opinion: "Quite boring at the beginning but it gets interesting later in the movie" (Iris Loong).

Cup-Bon & bubble tea in Malaysia

2011-12-17T12:39:00.000+08:00

Cup-bon's Mango Snow Ice with Jelly (RM4)

Another Cup-bon outlet is opened and this time it's at Low Yat Plaza in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. A new outlet was not the only good news for bubble tea lovers, Cup Bon is now introducing their all new series as well. At the trial and training day at the new outlet, co-owner and CEO of the franchise Vincent Chin was around to have a little chat with us about Cup-bon Rolling Ice and the bubble tea business in Malaysia.

Chin said that the life cycle of the bubble tea trend is around 5 years, meaning it'll eventually die off and then return in trend again. Cup Bon has been around here for more 10 years with over 30 outlets now and is considered as a veteran of the bubble tea business in Malaysia. Therefore, there's no question on Chin's experience and expertise in the industry.

Business was great back then when the franchise just started out, according to Chin, starting off from the first ever Cup-bon outlet at Sungei Wang Plaza KL to branching out to Jusco hypermarkets all over the country. Reaching deals to open outlets in Jusco wasn't easy, said Chin. He had to prove to them that they could gain enough customers in order to get the contracts. And every time, he managed to thrive through with profit. But that was then, the trend is back from out of nowhere and is more competitive than ever before with the likes of the new Taiwanese bubble tea and dessert franchises that rose like a phoenix this year, notably Chatime and Snowflake. However, Chin had predicted that bubble tea would be in trend again and therefore he had been working on to improve and improvise Cup Bon since 2007. "It's a slow and patient process to improvements," he added.

Clockwise from top left; Oreo Mocha (RM7.50), Chocolate Waffles (RM3.50/2 pieces), Earl Tea (RM4), Pearl Green Tea with Jelly (RM2)

Cup-Bon now not only offers beverages, but light snacks as well (such as the Chocolate Waffles as seen above). I had purchased and drank some of Cup-bon's products before in the past and quite frankly, I wasn't a big fan. The original menu does not have the kind of tea that I would be more pleased to buy. The only thing I was impressed with was the rather unique "Magic Balls". But now, I can say I'm quite fan after tasting the new flavours they were introducing - Pure Green Tea & Black Tea, Rolling Ice Series, Milk Tea Series, Snow Ice Series, Yobon Series, and Coffee Series. The pricing is significantly lower than their competitors going from RM1.50 - RM7.50 only and some come with free pearls/ bubbles or jelly.

Chin said that producing these beverages requires some "kung fu", and therefore they would always train their staffs until they meet the standards of Cup Bon. He also added that most of their products are healthy and halal, and that his next challenge is to focus on changing the bubble tea target market to Malay as well instead of just Chinese.

Cup-bon brand new outlet at Low Yat Plaza KL.

Some of the Cup-bon outlets that are not in Jusco premises are being renovated to be one just like the new outlet at Low Yat Plaza KL.It comes with more space of its own, providing chairs and tables for customers to sit in. Chin said that the quality of their services and bubble tea is their priority. He understands some Cup Bon outlets, particularly the one in Wangsa Maju, may be providing really poor services or sometimes even worse, with staffs no where to be seen during working hours. The franchisees of these outlets may had ignored the warnings from Chin and have been following their own management instead, resulting to never ending complaints from customers. Chin said that this is out of his control and all he could do is advice them and send them warning letters if applicable.

Chin also stated that franchisees' investments may include everything, from setting up the outlet to training and hiring staffs. Interested investors can contact Cup-bon at 603-9200 5888 or email them at cupbon@hotmail.com. Their official website is www.cupbon.com.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

2011-12-15T10:49:00.001+08:00

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Spy, action, adventure, thriller
Running Time: 2 Hours 13 Minutes
Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor, Léa Seydoux

Synopsis: "This holiday season, two-time Academy Award®-winner Brad Bird directs, with producers Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams, the action-packed spy adventure MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL. Blamed for the terrorist bombing of the Kremlin, IMF operative Ethan Hunt is disavowed along with the rest of the agency when the President initiates "Ghost Protocol". Left without any resources or backup, Ethan must find a way to clear his agency's name and prevent another attack. To complicate matters further, Ethan is forced to embark on this mission with a team of fellow IMF fugitives whose personal motives he does not fully know. Tom Cruise returns in the starring role as Ethan Hunt and is joined by an international cast that includes Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor and Lea Seydoux" (United International Pictures).

Verdict: When a good animation specialist (Brad Bird) directs an live action film, the outcome would most likely be positive. From a prison break to Moscow Kremlin, then from the Burj Khalifa and car chase in a Dubai sand storm to India. Hats off and congratulations because Mission Impossible 4 Ghost Protocol is not only the best instalment of the film franchise, but also perhaps the best American spy action movie in the past few years and Tom Cruise's best action flick ever. Despite the genre cliches and unnecessary corniness, I was thoroughly entertained and impressed, even as a huge fan of the original TV series, particularly on the action scenes and the music scores. MI4 is not only thrillingly action packed, it also has a fair amount comic relief as well thanks to the hilarious Simon Pegg. It's also quite fast paced for an over 2 hour film as well. I regret for not watching this at an IMAX cinema.

Favourite scene: Definitely the Burj Khalifa scene. Top notch cinematography and thrilling action.

Notably unusual but cool: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] No trademark mask offs and a little message self-destruct malfunction, both for the first time on any Mission: Impossible, I believe. [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Tom Cruise's running posture... is a little funny here. He sprints with his upper body straight as though he's marching in fast forward motion.

iPad and BMW: One is used along with spy gadgets while the other promotes its safety features in exaggeration. What was the cost to appear on the film this significantly? I'd really like to know.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Second opinion: "It's awesome and Tom Cruise is super hot here" (Iris Loong).

Arthur Christmas

2011-12-08T10:18:00.001+08:00

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Animation, fantasy, comedy, X'mas
Running Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Director: Sarah Smith, Barry Cook
Cast: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen

Synopsis: "This Christmas movie answers every child‟s question how can Santa get around the whole world in just one night? The answer is a gloriously technically advanced North Pole operation, featuring an army of one million field elves, a vast supersonic 'sleigh' and a huge control center under the ice of the North Pole. But even the most high-tech operation has a margin of error... When the gift delivery to just one child in six hundred million is missed, Santa and his super-capable son Steve deem it an "acceptable margin of error". But Arthur Christmas, the misfit youngest son can't bear it. In a crazy rookie mission he sets out to get the last present half way around the globe in the two hours before Christmas dawns. His comical adventure reunites the dysfunctional Santa family and saves the future of Christmas itself" (Sony Pictures).

Verdict: Easily the most creatively entertaining animation this year, and perhaps one of the best X'mas animated films ever. Arthur Christmas has a very fresh approach, portraying Santa and the elves with advanced technology. It is hilarious, purposeful and meaningful without having anything to do with Jesus Christ or the religion at all. Good voice acting performance by the cast as well. The only things that it suffers from are the predictable ending, decent-only CG visuals and insignificant music scores. It would also be great if they clarify Santa Claus' existence.

Favourite scene: The beginning where Santa and his elves are on an intense mission to deliver presents on X'Mas Eve without being noticed. The whole scene is so quick paced and detailed, it'd be fun if there's a video game on it.

Favourite quote: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] "They used to say that it's impossible to teach women how to read." [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Indirect moral values: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] 1 - business corporations should not neglect the real meaning and purpose of the service they provide to focus on their own benefits by taking their employees and customers for fools. 2 - the old stuffs and traditional ways of certain things may hold deeper meanings and are priceless but the older generation must admit that the modern technology can be very helpful in their lives [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

Is there a Bieber music video right before the film? No, thank goodness, not in Malaysia at least.

To watch in 3D? I didn't watch it in 3-D but I believe it'd add value to your viewing.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Second opinion: "Not an ordinary animation, it's very good" (Iris Loong).

The Muppets (2011)

2011-12-05T17:27:00.001+08:00

Rated: U
Genre: Musical comedy, family
Running Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Director: James Bobin
Cast: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Jack Black
Synopsis: "When Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater, they help Kermit reunite the Muppets to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater" (Walt Disney Motion Pictures).

Verdict: No one would've thought that a puppet show could still be as enjoyable as this. The Muppets is a feel good film that can rectify poor moods, bringing nostalgia to the older generation, and educating the younger ones how brilliant family entertainment was. The plot is very simple and common but its suitable-for-all-ages humour manages to bring loads of laughters. Great performance by the puppeteers as always, good music, and very smart cinematography. Jason Segel is perfect for his role as Gary as well. The only thing that's disapproval is the poor performance of Amy Adams as Mary. The Muppets may not be timeless and we may go back to how it was, which makes this tribute-like movie so special, and the concept unique again.

Favourite joke: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] Travel by map - if it's too far or practical impossible to get to the desired destination, just travel as the lining on a shown map [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

Moral value: We're all grown ups and moved on with our lives, but it doesn't mean we can't relive the awesomeness we had in the past.

Spot the cameo guest stars! Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/ Nirvana), Bill Cobbs, Alan Arkin, Emily Blunt, James Carville, Feist, Zach Galifianakis, Donald Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Selena Gomez, Jude Hirsch, Ken Jeong, John Krasinski, Jim Parsons, Rico Rodriguez, Mickey Rooney, Kristen Schaal, Sarah Silverman.

Pre-movie short: There is a short Toy Story animation entitled "Small Fry" shown with the film. Ah, nostalgia before another.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Second opinion: "I wouldn't mind paying to watch it again" (Iris Loong).

The special screening of the film was courtesy of ChurpChurp.

大英雄•小男人 "Petaling Street Warriors" (MY/SG)

2011-12-05T15:45:00.001+08:00

Rated: PG-13
Language: Chinese, Manglish, English, Malay, Japanese
Genre: Comedy, action
Running Time: 1 Hour 46 Minutes
Director: James Lee
Cast: Mark Lee, Yeo Yann Yann, Namewee, Chris Tong, Frederick Lee, Henry Thia
Synopsis: "Set in Petaling Street in 1908, it tells of a hokkien mee seller (Mark Lee) who finds himself entangled in deadly battles with skilled fighters. Little did he know that he is in possession of a lost treasure map linked to the Qing Dynasty and must refrain himself from consummating his marriage to master the "Virgin Kung Fu" skills to overcome his opponents" (GSC Movies).

Verdict: If you thought Nasi Lemak 2.0 was lame, you'd definitely won't enjoy this one. A very Malaysian-Singaporean comedy, Petaling Street Warriors is. Plenty of dirty humour and inside jokes which perhaps only locals would understand. The plot is extremely familiar and lack of purpose, and it's lame and boring at most parts of the movie. However, the the acting, action and visual effects are almost at Hong Kong's standard, which is quite impressive. Also, the production should be applauded for the whole old-time Chinese environment setting.

Favourite quote: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE; in English translation] "You see? I told you not to mess with the government. Now the police wants to catch you already," Du Yao (Mark Lee) tells Liu Kun (Namewee). [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Screenplay flaw? [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] After Du Yao and Liu Kun had escaped from prison, the police gets screwed by Captain McBribe (Nick Dorian) for not being able to find them anywhere. But the next scene shows that Du Yao has been at his own restaurant/home all the while. [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Namewee's performance... is pretty decent, I'd have to say, especially when it's only his second big screen experience and not to mention that it's definitely not easy playing the role of a short-tongue character (Liu Kun). It's kinda weird seeing him in heavy make-ups and with not much to say though.

NG's shown during closing credit: Mark Lee's #LikeABoss attitude and better acting experience can be noticed.

Malaysian censorship: One or two obscene scenes are cut.

Rating: 2 / 5

Second opinion: "Quite boring la.. and the story is messy" (Iris Loong).

The GSC ticket vouchers for the film was courtesy of SAYS.my.

Aladdin the Musical @ Sunway Lagoon

2011-12-03T13:14:00.001+08:00

It's slightly better than the Peter Pan Musical they had around the same period last year but still RUBBISH. With the same concept they went with as before, once again I found myself sitting through over an hour-long Sunway Lagoon live commercial. Almost everything about this apparent West End Production seemed mediocre and cheapskate.

Here, Disney's version of Aladdin is taken up, shortened and improvised into an utter garbage, a Sunway Lagoon musical. I have no idea who wrote the play for this musical but that fellow needs to be stoned to death. He or she obviously didn't take the job seriously. The whole show is such a rush, it's like they just want to do the important parts of the classic magical tale and hope that the Malaysian audience would be fooled by their cheap sense of humour. The progress of the story is undetailed, impatient and absolutely heartless. Wait, what the fuck am I talking about here? There IS no progress, there isn't any intention of giving the crowd a ride of emotions with the great tale itself. The dialogues are pretty short and simple as well.

As though that's not bad enough, irrelevant names, culture and elements are incorporated as well.

"How can I trust someone who looks like Simon Cowell?"

"Okay lah?"

Those are some of the lines used on the play and that is just the first sign of the horror. The genie is a hip-hopper, the Slave of the Ring looks like Lady Gaga with a voice that sounds like a slutty talking-cat, KLCC makes a background appearance, Sunway Lagoon can be heard and seen a couple times as well, and... Star Wars. Only one Disney Aladdin song ("A Whole New World") is performed whereas the others are the mainstream crap like Bruno Mars' stuffs and so on. I totally understand their intentions of being more modern and creative, but this is just insulting to me.

The singing is not entirely live, I believe, because they sounded pre-recorded at times. It's definitely not fully lip-synced either because the vocal volume consistency and the timing of their singing were not perfect. The music, like before, is not played live. The midi-sh quality of the beats made me feel like I was at a RTM (Radio Televisyen Malaysia) concert. And being seated at the side or the back of the amphitheater gave me an idea on how poor the sound system is there. At times, I just couldn't hear the dialogues clearly.

The dancers look quite hot, and from afar, they look hotter than the chubby Princess Jasmine. The dance and action choreography is nothing amazing, in fact the sword fight scenes were like kids playing in slow motion, and yet a few of the dancers seemed very unconfident throughout the evening.

There was a 15-minute half-time interval break for the crew to change the environment of the stage (and for some F&B and merchandise sales). During the interval, there was an uncle telling the audience to interact with the actors to have "more fun". There were interaction attempts by the actors from the start to the end of the play and instead of just staying put on the stage, they'd bring the action to the audience's seats, giving the people a real 3-D experience. Now now, at a genuine musical or theatre play, there are no interaction and the audience have to be strictly silent throughout the show (but are allowed to laugh and cry at the right moments of course). But in this case, as long as the crowd is responsive, it's most probably positive.

There are a few things that are commendable to me. In spite of being in costumes that seem like they're from a cheap rental shop, some of the actors' performance were quite enthusiastic and lively, especially the one who plays the genie. The poorly written stage play doesn't stop them from playing their roles well. However, there were times that their singing were inconsistent and seemed that they were unsure of the lyrics. The stage environment set-up is pretty decent (although the magic carpet looks more like a hanging bed), considering amphitheater is obviously not an ideal place for a musical. Good lighting effects as well. They also used some real animals for the show, I thought that's cool (but Disney Aladdin's monkey, Abu, is completely cut from the story here). There was also one part of show I actually really liked - the one right after the interval with the circus thing going on.

This Aladdin the Musical will be performed at the Sunway Lagoon Amphitheatre until the 2nd of January next year. Tickets price range is RM50 to RM300. Seriously, why would anyone pay that much to watch a profit-driven and effortless ingenuine live musical? Decent if it's free of charge for it may be amusing for kids. To me, personally, it was a complete waste of time because I'm the type who'd only appreciate an authentic theatre musical. If I were to choose, I'd rather pay to watch the same Disney animation again at a cinema.

"Why don't we go and have fun at Sunway Lagoon?!"

"During Christmas period, it will be snowing at Sunway Lagoon!"

Oh, shut the fuck up.

Muay Fit

2011-12-02T00:42:00.000+08:00

MuayFit MMA Studio is one of the few one-stop martial arts fitness centre in Malaysia, located at 3 Two Square in Petaling Jaya, Selangor (less than 10 minutes walk from Digital Mall Section 14). I gotten a free one-month membership at the Mayhem 2: Hell in the Cage event and gave a try. After just a three weeks, I lost a couple of pounds. But I wasn't that concerned about losing weight. It's the martial art techniques I wanted gain. Satisfied with what I had experienced there in that month, I'm now signed up as a long-term member.

Muay Fit offers a variety martial art and other kinds of fitness classes - Muay Thai (kids, beginner and advanced), Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Capoeira, Krav Maga, Systema, Urban Warrior, Step Aerobics, Yoga, and Dragon Chi Kung. They had Wing Chun too but apparently the trainer left. Members can attend every session available on schedule, without limit. Unfortunately, I'm only free to attend the Muay Thai, MMA, and Capoeira classes every week. Students will have to keep updated with the schedule because Facebook is the only way they inform the members about the changes. Heck, they haven't even updated the schedule on their official website. But one thing for sure, they are closed on public holidays so heads up.

The gym, for now, is not a huge place. There are times when it's really crowded causing a massive lack of space to do trainings properly. But it ain't that bad and hopefully it won't get any worse. They also provide lockers to be borrowed for free but they are really limited. It's not really needed anyway unless you have very valuable things to keep. There's also a water cooler too but may need to queue up to take drink at drink times. No gender-separated toilets and no bathroom, in case you're wondering. Would be great if they have that as well. They also do not have weight-training facilities but apparently they will have it soon when they expand the place. I would certainly be very pleased if it's open to all members without extra charge. The floor tiles are horrible. A little while of constant friction would definitely hurt your skin. They acknowledge this and recently had the floor covered some jigsaw mats. But it's not really that great either when there's friction against the skin.

Muay Thai

The Thai martial art has, perhaps, the highest demand at MuayFit. It is the only one with classes everyday. There are separated sessions for kids, beginners and advanced. The one hour sessions are quite an intensive, even for the beginner class. The workouts never fails to burn me out at the end of the class. The only thing I dislike about it is that its classes on weekdays are at 7pm because it's quite a rush for working adults like myself to make it in time.

Muay Thai may not be very technical but it's very powerful and practical striking martial art. It's advisable to wear gloves or hand wraps during the sessions otherwise you may injure your knuckles and wrists from punching the pads. I bought a pair of hand wraps (Twins brand) for RM50 from Muay Fit after getting a cut on my knuckle during my first class. There are definitely abs exercises on every session to strengthen the stomach area for it is one of the most exposed body parts in the Muay Thai fighting stance.

There are a few different trainers for the Muay Thai at MuayFit. I've only been attending David and Adan's beginner classes. Sometimes I'll get confused with the techniques 'cause they both have their own techniques for certain moves. In my opinion, David is very good at teaching the basics to pure beginners whereas Adan has a more extreme style of training, focusing on getting students to get down with intensive cardio, abs, and striking exercises. I've never failed to get abdominal and shoulder sores on the following day and that's a sign of a good workout, I believe.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

The instructor for the MMA sessions of Muay Fit is none other than the former UKMMA Welterweight Champion, Pete "The Pistol" Davies. He is also known to me as the lead actor of the local film Sell Out! I only found out about his background when I saw him judging at Mayhem 2. I'm still wondering why MuayFit didn't market themselves by highlighting his face and name. He is one handsome and friendly man. I'm sure if the girls know about him, they'd attend the MMA classes just to drool at him. He'd usually extend his 2 hour classes a little to let students gain experiencing by having them to spar in his watch. That just shows how genuinely passionate he is.

These classes allow me to train with some actual MMA fighters - pretty cool, I know. However, the exercises and warm-up stretches are quite heavy. My muscles, especially my thighs', ached for a few days before getting adapted to the drills. Peter Davies prefers to teach students more take down and grappling submission techniques than striking. This is very good for those who want to incorporate their stand-up fighting skills to ground fighting techniques. Don't attend this class if you have a problem with getting into awkward positions with another person.

Capoeira

I had always wanted to learn this Brazilian martial art ever since I seen the movie "Only the Strong" when I was a kid. I attended the class hoping to learn how to do somersaults and back flips but what Hafiz, the trainer, teaches are the more basic moves. The cool thing here is that instead of just learning how to "ginga", dodge and kick, students will also get to learn the music and how to play the Capoeira game in the "roda" as well. I think I am getting pretty good at it already plus, I got a chance to play the drums recently during one of the sessions.

The weird thing about the class is that Hafiz starts the drills before doing some serious stretching (which was probably the reason why my calf cramped in the first two times I attended the class). Due to consistent friction, doing the ginga may cause one's feet' skin to peel, especially it's done throughout the session on the actual floor of Muay Fit instead of the jigsaw mats. It's quite painful, no joke. My lower spine hurts at times too during class as doing the ginga requires one to bend the upper body down a little. Compared to Muay Thai and MMA, however, Capoeira is a more relaxed and less intense.

After hearing that they will be offering wrestling, Brazillian Jiu-jitsu and MMA Conditioning classes soon, I was glad that I signed up while the membership fee is still low. To date, the price for one session is RM30 whereas the price for 2 years membership is only RM62/month (with 2% interest free for credit card instalment). You cannot pay for one specific class monthly but they do offer private personal training at a different price. Personally, I felt that 2 years is too risky to commit so I took the 8 months deal instead, which only cost RM700. But there's certainly no other martial arts gym that come as affordable as MuayFit.

After learning for a certain period of time, you might feel that you could discontinue and just practice at home 'cause it's not like there are new things to learn in every class. However, it's fun training with a group of people and meeting strangers. Most of the members are very friendly, patient and encouraging (but of course, there are some who are... err.. let's just say they're insecure). Besides, it's not like you could practice Capoeira and MMA by yourself at home. And members get rare opportunities to train with real professional fighters like the URCC featherweight champion, Eric Kelly, who came to Muay Fit take Peter Davies' place for a weekend to share his knowledge, techniques and experience. Even UFC legend Frank Shamrock will be coming next year to give a few pointers so it's really better to be a member if you love MMA.

Muay Fit, to me, is a more fun, interesting, and enjoyable way to keep fit compared to jogging or exercising at a common fitness gym. Every since I joined, I look forward to attending classes almost everyday to offload some stress from work. I have become from not knowing anything at all about MMA to knowing how to defend myself a little now.

50/50 (2011)

2011-11-26T09:01:00.001+08:00

Rated: 18
Genre: Comedy, drama
Running Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Director: Jonathan Levine
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick, Seth Rogen, Anjelica Huston, Bryce Dallas Howard
Synopsis: "Adam is a 27 year old writer of radio programs and is diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer. With the help of his best friend, his mother, and a young therapist at the cancer center, Adam learns what and who the most important things in his life are" (GSC Movies).

Verdict: This is definitely one of the very few films of 2011 that has a brilliantly written screenplay. Unlike any dramatic and emotional cancer movies, 50/50 takes a very different approach by being absolutely hilarious with an attempt of inspiring cancer victims to stay positive. The film's portrayal of the psychological stages of Adam, from knowing to realisation with the volcano theory as the metaphor, is convincingly honest and not cheesy at all. The acting performance of the cast is also quite impressive. And it'd always be a plus-point to hear a couple of my personal favourite songs in a movie.

Favourite quote: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] "No shit she doesn't. Who likes putting dicks into their mouth? That's why they call it blow job. It's a job." [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Ending: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) recovers from his cancer and has his therapist Katherine over to his place for a date. "Now what?" asks Katherine (Anna Kendrick) while they look at each other as though they're gonna have sex immediately. Adam smiles, extremely delighted to hear that line, knowing that he's still gonna live on and will be wondering "Now what?" for the rest of his life. [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Moral values: See a doctor as soon as you feel abnormal pain so that if you did find out that you have something, at least there was still time. If there are things you wanna do but haven't, go do it before chance runs out. And appreciate your parents. They may be the most irritating people in your life but they are the ones who care for you the most.

Inspired by a true story: Screenplay is written by Will Reiser, who had cancer six years ago, and his good friend, Seth Rogen, who plays Adam's best friend Kyle in the movie, was apparently with him throughout the entire ordeal.

If... Adam doesn't drive because road accidents are the 5th highest cause of death, how come he still travel by bus and cars throughout the film?

Malaysian censorship: Profanity is completely uncensored. Actually, I don't think there's any important scene cut at all. How often do we get this here?! Highly recommended to be watched at the cinema.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Second opinion: "Liked it" (Iris Loong).

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

2011-11-23T18:50:00.001+08:00

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Teen fantasy, romance, bollocks, rubbish, crap
Running Time: 1 Hour 49 Minutes
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner
Synopsis: "The Quileute and the Volturi close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven" (Nusantara Edaran Films).

Verdict: The much anticipated so-called "wedding of the year" is not as dreamy as the teenage girls could imagine from reading. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 is not only the worst of the film franchise, but its fan-servicing fails miserably as well. It starts off extremely boring before becoming a joke. I believe even the fans of the franchise wouldn't be pleased too. They should've retained the director of the first installment, Catherine Hardwicke. At least with her, it could be maintained as bad instead of worsening. Ah, doesn't matter 'cause the girls are gonna love the movie anyway as long as the actors still look good to them.

Funniest scene: The whole cinema laughed at this one. [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] Bella (Kristen Steward) drinks a cup of donated human blood from a straw [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

Corniest scene: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] The whole meeting between the werewolves until Jacob (Taylor Lautner) goes back to have a mutual agreement with Edward (Robert Pattinson). "I am the grandson of Ephraim Black. I don't take orders from no one!" "They're not gonna touch her." "Agreed." Let's join forces! *Nods at each other* We're Power Rangers! [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Post-credit scene: Something to do with the Volturi. Nothing funny so ain't worth waiting for.

To team emo powder face/ necrophilia: Humans protect animal rights while the Cullens protect human rights. What a way to go. Vegetarians are so cute. Anyway, congrats, Edward Cullen finally lost his virginity after living over a hundred years. Too bad he had to lose it to his food and not to mention marrying it before getting it conceived. Is it just me or does his face look very off in the movie?

To team six-pack shorty/ bestiality: Finally Jacob Black's paedophile-ness is revealed! "It's like gravity..." Boy, that scene made the whole cinema burst out laughing. Who's your daddy(-in-law) now, huh?

Still team Alice? No more. Ashley Green doesn't seem as hot as in the previous installments here. Probably 'cause she lost value after the leak of her nude photo.

Why did I watch it? 'Cause I knew it'd be a laughing-stock and new jokes can be made out of it. And besides, it was free of charge.

Malaysian censorship: As far as the fans are concerned, the two of the key scenes are completely cut. *Cough*sex*and*cough*delivery*scene*cough.

Rating: n/a

Second opinion: "This one is boring compared to the first one" (Iris Loong).

>>> Read review on Twilight Saga: Eclipse>>>

Invitations to the special screening of the film was courtesy of Isaac Tan and Mikhaela.

Can't quite tell who's lucky here.

Puss in Boots 3D (2011)

2011-11-22T10:32:00.001+08:00

Rated: U
Genre: Animation, adventure, Western
Running Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Director: Chris Miller
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton
Synopsis: "Puss from the Shrek Movies returns to star as the hero in his own movie" (United International Pictures).

Verdict: Well done again combining some of the classic nursery rhymes and folktales before creatively imagining and animating them into one movie. The biggest problem with it is that more than half of the funniest scenes are already shown on its film teasers and trailers. Puss in Boots is a decent spin off and Antonio Banderas did a solid job voicing the titular character, but no spin off would ever be as great and satisfying as a Shrek installment with its full cast.

Favourite scene: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] When Humpty Alexander Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) reveals that he was there all the time to ensure that his plot goes as planned, even to spread bird food on the unconscious Puss to lure crows to wake him up [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Some scenes ain't make no sense (ooooooooh): [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] The scene after Puss is left in the dessert, where the heck did he find the horse to ride to San Ricardo? They struggle to carry the golden eggs in the castle on the clouds but how come when they're back on the ground, where there's heavier gravity, the eggs become so much lighter for them to carry? [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Predictable... [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] that Humpty Alexander Dumpty is up to no good from the beginning [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

To watch in 3D? Although I didn't get to catch it in 3D, I could see that it's beautifully animated for it. I would personally recommend potential viewers to watch it in 3D.

Rating: 3 / 5

Second opinion: "So cute! The ooooooh cat is my 2nd fave character in the movie" (Iris Loong).

The 1969 Japanese version of Puss in Boots

Happy Feet 2 (in 3D)

2011-11-15T10:57:00.001+08:00

Rated: PG-13
Genre: Family, musical, comedy, 3D animation
Running Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
Director: George Miller
Cast: Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink/Alecia Moore, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, Hugo Weaving

Synopsis: "The sequel to Happy Feet, the Academy Award®-winning animated smash hit, Happy Feet Two returns audiences to the magnificent landscape of Antarctica in superb 3D. Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreo-phobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven-a penguin who can fly! Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model. But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces. Erik learns of his father's "guts and grit" as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures-from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals-to put things right. "Happy Feet Two" is directed by George Miller, who won an Oscar® as the creator of the original "Happy Feet." The film features the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Alecia Moore (P!nk), Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, Common, Hugo Weaving, Magda Szubanski, Anthony LaPaglia, Richard Carter and Benjamin "Lil P-Nut" Flores, Jr. George Miller co-wrote the screenplay with Gary Eck, Warren Coleman and Paul Livingston. Miller is also producing the film, along with Doug Mitchell and Bill Miller. Chris deFaria, Graham Burke and Bruce Berman serve as executive producers. Tap phenom Savion Glover rejoins the production to create the dances that will be performed onscreen by the penguin characters. The director of photography is David Peers and the animation director is Rob Coleman. The film features vocals by P!nk, with music by John Powell" (Warner Bros Pictures).

Verdict: Those who hasn't seen the original will most likely enjoy this sequel. Happy Feet Two is not as purposeful, emotionally engaging, musically well done, and creatively written as its predecessor but thanks to its faithful racist, sexual and intelligent humour, it is still very watchable. Robin Williams' performance as Ramon and Lovelace is once again the culprit of the liveliness of the animated film. P!nk/Alecia Moore (as Gloria), too, manages to show that she is better than the rubbish she's been performing in her music career; even the late Brittany Murphy (the original voice of Gloria) would've been proud. The quality of CG graphics, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any significant improvement since the original (released 5 years ago). I also disliked how Mumble's (Elijah Wood) major contribution to the penguins seems to be completely forgotten in the storyline.

Favourite quote(s): [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] "You, me, egg, now!" says Ramon to the female Adele Penguin. "Fat chance," replies the female, which leads Ramon to tell everyone, "I have a chance! And it's fat!" [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Moral values: Kids, listen to your god-damned parents. Parents, beat your fuckin' child if they don't stop being so fuckin' annoying.

To watch in 3D? Unnecessary. It wouldn't make you enjoy it more than watching it in normal screening.

Looney Tunes: A 3D Tweety and Sylvester musical short shown with the film. It's still as violent as I remember it to be.

Rating: 3 / 5

Second opinions: "Sooooo cute but the singing parts are boring to me" (Iris Loong). "The krill characters (voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) are like the pointless side story characters in Ice Age" (Ryan Mo).

Invites to the premiere screening of the film was courtesy of MSN Malaysia.

那些年，我們一起追的女孩 "You Are the Apple of My Eye" (TW)

2011-11-12T03:23:00.003+08:00

Rated: 18
Genre: Romance, comedy
Language: Chinese Mandarin
Running Time: 1 Hour 49 Minutes
Director: Giddens Ko
Cast: Ko Chen Tung, Michelle Chen Yen Hsi, Chia-Wei Hu, Ao-Chuan, Chang-Hsien Tsai, Shao-Wen Hao, Sheng-Yu Yen

Synopsis: "Adolescence is like a heavy rain. Even though you catch a cold from it, you still look forward to experiencing it once again. Ko-Teng has several close friends who had a crush on Shen Chia-Yi. Those friends of Ko's thus moved in unison from Ching Cheng's junior high school straight into the senior high school division in pursuit of her. Naughty in nature, Ko was ordered by their homeroom teacher to sit in front of honor student Shen for her to keep close tabs on him. The two hadn't hit it off at first but Ko gradually fell for Shen, who was always pressuring him to study hard. On the other hand, Shen became impressed by the contrasting values Ko represented. Ko started pursuing Shen but Shen remained hesitant. After graduation from senior high, Ko and Shen almost became a couple but the deal was spoilt by a duke out (fistfight) competition organized by Ko. Growing up together to witness their beloved Shen walking down the aisle to become someone else's wife, these boys have learned their coming-of-age lessons and continue to pursue each's happiness" (20th Century Fox).

Verdict: Shamelessly truthful are the best words to describe You Are the Apple of My Eye. Despite the typical Taiwanese idol drama standard of acting performance, and the simple and linear storyline, the film is one of a kind. Unlike most Asian high school dramas (with the girl characters going after the boys), its depiction on the behaviours and culture of the Chinese teenagers in that era is almost flawless and it would likely cause nostalgia to the Chinese viewers (yes, high relatable even to Malaysians like myself) and the need of wanting to go back and it all over again from secondary/ high school. Besides that, the movie is also quite hilarious and sentimental. The major downside of the movie is failing to emphasize much on the friendship between the main male characters. This is a fantastic directorial debut for the famous Taiwanese author Giddens Ko and would probably his best, unfortunately, 'cause it is unlikely for him to do better with a fictional story, or a story of others.

Favourite quote: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE, in Mandarin] "The most magical period in a love relationship is before a couple gets together officially." [SPOILER ENDS HERE]

Post-credit scene: Not exactly a scene but it is worth waiting for. Not gonna spoil it for ya.

Overly truthful? The movie is based on the true story of the director Giddens Ko and although the high level of honesty is very much appreciated, the use of the real names had caused quite some trouble to the real Shen Chia-Yi. Many are curious about how the girl looks like and apparently due to the unwanted attention, she and her family have moved to Mainland China.

Malaysian censorship: All scenes with naked butts are cut, including the only genuine kiss on the film. Vulgarity, however, is not.

Rating: 4 / 5

Second opinion: Benjamin Foo's review.

Immortals

2011-11-10T01:16:00.002+08:00

Rated: 18
Genre: Fantasy, action adventure
Running Time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
Director: Tarsem Singh
Cast: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Luke Evans, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto
Synopsis: "A purported bastard who retains an allegiance to his mother despite the fact that he longs to join the quest of a king who is battling demons in ancient Greece later embarks on a grail of discovery that has him finding he is the king's son and also fated to become his country's greatest hero as he leads the successful war against longimprisoned Titans who are hoping to use the demons to restore their power" (Nusantara Edaran Films).

Verdict: If you liked 300, watch it again instead going for this utter rubbish. No, wait. You know what, even if you hated 300, watch it again instead of this also. Immortals is horribly written with a stupid plot, accompanied by plenty of unnecessary gore, weak leading performance by Henry Cavill, and ugly costume designs. The only thing I'm pleased from watching this crap is seeing the great veteran actor John Hurt still healthy and well. He plays the human disguise of Zeus (Luke Evans). If Zack Snyder was the director, I believe the film would not have turned out as badly. Tarsem Singh tried his best to imitate his techniques but it's only as great as any copycat could had done it.

Explanation please? I don't know nuts about Greek mythology and I bet I'm not the only one. The fuckin' movie leaves many things unexplained. Either that or they are mere plotholes. Why are the Epirus Bow and the Titans left in the human realm? Not to mention, ALIVE. What were the gods thinking? Leave them there so that if they escaped, humans would be in danger instead of heaven? Nonsense.

Useless dumb horny oracle, [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] First of all, why the fuck does she, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), still pray when it should be quite clear to her that gods do not respond to them? If the damned slut didn't advice Theseus (Henry Cavill) to go bury her dead mum, nobody would had found the damn bow. Then the smart bitch go and loses her precious virginity and her gift before the whole god damn thing ends. I said GOD damn. Ha-ha-ha. Sorry [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

Least favourite scene/ the ending: [SPOILER BEGINS HERE] I shall not start on how villains let the protagonists recover instead of killing them right away when the chance presents itself. I shall not complain how villains, when they have a godly weapon in their hands, they don't blast it at the good guys until they are all dead. I shall not say that the fight between the five gods and the Titans is like Power Rangers versus the Ooze-lings. I shall not wonder how the fuck Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) knows where to find the Titans but not the Epirus Bow. I shall not question the gods for not taking back the bow back home when the villain is looking for it. I shall insult the Titans for not knowing how to jump out of the freakin' cave after being able to KILL GODS [SPOILER ENDS HERE].

Malaysian censorship & subtitles: DO NOT WATCH IT AT LOCAL CINEMAS. It is heavily censored and there are subtitle mistranslations. On second thought, just don't watch it at all.

Rating: 0.5 / 5

Second opinion: "So violent! I closed my eyes at some of the scenes!" (Iris Loong).

Courtesy of Nuffnang, I've seen the film before 11.11.11, its official release date.

Justberrys Dessert House @ Sunway Pyramid

2011-11-07T19:24:00.000+08:00

Justberry's Mango Loh dessert (RM6.50)

Otherwise known as: Pinkberrys Dessert House (name of the first outlet at Dataran Pahlawan, Malacca)

Type: Dessert

Location: Asian Avenue, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, Selangor, Malaysia

Price range: RM4.50 - RM13.50

Loyalty card: n/a

Contact no: (+6)012.635 1331 or (+6)012.6318668 - Jacky Ong

Open hours: 10am - 10pm (presumably)

Car park: Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall parking lot

WIFI: n/a
Website: justberrys.com.my


Clockwise from top left; Snowy Goldenmango* (RM7.00), Mango Sunnymangmelon (RM6.50), Cocomango (RM 5.50), Sweetie Strawberrys (RM7.00)*

Clockwise from top left; Milky Durian Frezze (RM10.50) and Longan Sea Coconut (RM7.00), Justberrys Durian Cendol (RM6.50), Justberry Dessert House Sunway Pyramid outlet, Justberrys Pandan Cendol (RM4.50)

Verdict: Justberrys Dessert House do not offer as many dessert and smoothie choices as places like My Honeymoon Dessert but they do have one or two stuffs that I really liked. The lead ingredients aren't necessarily berries but still fruits - mainly mangos, D24 durians and Cameron Highland strawberries. Apart from the beans and the strawberries, everything else are imported from Malacca so the consistency of the taste would definitely be there. The pricing, I feel, is perhaps the biggest barrier. I believe most people could pay a much lower price for a bigger portion of stuffs like cendol. The other issue, as already mentioned, is the lack of choices. If the consumers have different fruit preferences then there goes a part of the market to their competitors.

Favourite and most unusual: Milky Durian Frezze (RM10.50) - the combination of butter cake, durian and vanilla ice-cream is quite exceptional to me. Absolutely delicious and may be addictive due to its small portion and high price.

Least favourite: Justberrys Durian Cendol (RM6.50) - it's RM2 more expensive than the Pandan Cendol just because of the little pile of D24 durian on top. Horrible combination as the fruit overpowers the taste of the cendol.

Try not to laugh at... the names. But yes, Justberrys, Pinkberrys and whatever "berrys" do indeed sound plurally and metaphorically wrong.

Rating: 3 / 5