Malcolm Mejin

Forever Tintin

2011-11-14T08:36:00.000+08:00

I have to give a round of applause to Tintin the Movie: Secret of the Unicorn, It is absolutely fabulous; animation-wise and I just love the classic 50s feel to it. Tintin is an old comic, and believe me—I have almost the entire comic collection at home. So missing out on this movie is totally criminal, and of course, I can’t condone that. J

I didn’t do any research on Tintin before catching the movie. So I had no clue at all; how the animation was like. I only caught a glimpse of the poster, and from there, I couldn’t tell much about the animation style. I guess I love to be surprised.

And the animation just blew me away. I think Tintin is the first animation to adopt such a realistic-style approach, making the characters look life-like and human-like; the gestures, the expressions and everything else. There are live action movies out there which have employed motion capture; such as Beowulf. But Tintin is probably the first cartoon that uses motion capture. OK, suddenly I remember another animation that uses motion capture; Christmas Carol by Disney starring the likeness of Jim Carrey.

But animation style used in Tintin is so special that I think this will stay on in my memory as long as forever (I mean, I love those Tintin comics!).

I wouldn’t want to elucidate on the movie details because giving away the whole story may not be fun at all if you haven’t watched the movie.

I think that they did a great job with portraying Tintin in motion capture. And Thomson and Thomson. And even Captain Haddock! They really pulled it off. Props to those animation team. Seriously great. I had a great laugh or two at the classic humor of Tintin; laced with contemporary feel.

I’m rating this movie 10/10 because I absolutely adore this movie.

Go, Tintin. I can’t wait for the sequel!!!!!!!!!

Just a Taste of Heaven

2011-09-18T22:02:00.001+08:00

I got a little taste of a bit of heaven watching A Little Bit of Heaven. Basically, it’s about dying. Basically, it’s about life. So it's life+death=life-death. Apparently, you can’t die, even if you die. Because dying means you live. That’s basically (God, I need to stop ‘basicking’ here), the moral of the whole movie is that death means living. OK, I’m not trying to say that this movie is not depressing or sad. Basically (ouch) Kate Hudson is so vivacious in the whole movie that you’d think you were going to get depressed if she died (along with the vivacity). The fact is-she dies in the movie (which actually happens at the end of the movie). But the fact that she gets sick throughout the whole movie makes you think that she should just drop dead to spare us the misery. But at the same time, it’s depressing. So it’s a lose-lose situation.

Marley aka Kate Hudson is such a boisterous woman who thinks that life is just perfect. That is … until she discovers she has colon cancer, and it’s terminal. So basically (ouch, ouch, ouch), Marley becomes unhappy to find out that she has cancer, and that she doesn’t have long to live. So she starts splurging on things for her friends, and tries to live as though she were dying (which in fact, she is).

And of course, she falls in love with Julian, the so-called charming doctor who diagnosed her. Actually, it’s probably the other way around. Julian falls in love with her, and she falls in love with him. Or maybe they actually fall in love head over heels for each other simultaneously? But the fact remains that the two of them has feelings for each other. And Julian doesn’t mind if he’s falling in love with a terminal patient, because when you’re in love, I guess terminal is like a small wound or something.

So the two begin dating each other, and in the process, Marley teaches Julian how to just chill out and not be a boring old doctor. Basically (ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch), Marley teaches Julian how to live a life, and shows him that life is great when you know how to live it.

But Marley has her own inhibitions. She has her own demons that she has to battle. She doesn’t really have a close relationship with her father, and even though you see her as bright and chirpy throughout the whole movie, she does have her moments when she bursts. But dying has been a painful process for Marley, and eventually, her relationship with her father is patched up.

And the thing about this movie is, death is a celebration of live. Marley’s family and friends are really grieved about Marley’s impending death, and there is nothing they can do to help her. But Marley wants her funeral to be celebrated with jazzy music, as though she were alive. And she doesn’t want sad and somber faces in her funeral. She wants everybody to celebrate her life in the other world. That’s her request before she dies.

So in a way, I wasn’t really that moved to sadness watching this whole movie. Because Kate Hudson, who is dying, is not really dying. She’s living. That’s the whole important lesson here. Marley is going to be living when she dies. And at the end of the movie, everybody just dances at her funeral with upbeat music. Marley’s mother is sad, but she tries not to show it. This is the first time I actually see a funeral being held in such a manner that sorts of mocks all typical funerals. It’s just different, but nobody is feeling guilty about it, because Marley wants it that way.

The movie is just a lemon juice. It’s like drinking a fresh cup of lemon, and feeling refreshed after that. I rate this movie 6.7/10 (which is actually quite good already) because it’s not a bad movie, but it’s not totally a mind-blowing movie or life-changing movie that totally sticks to your senses permanently. But it’s good, and it’s worth a popcorn crunch with friends in the theater.

The few weeks have been a hell of bad movies. But I finally got a bit of taste of heaven with this one.

The Best And The Rest Is Best

2011-08-26T11:33:00.002+08:00

I believe that we have to work hard in life to achieve what we want in—guess what?—life. I know that it sounds corny, but that’s what I believe. We just can’t sit there and wait for money to drop from the sky (although it’s a good fantasy), and let the money slap us joyfully in our faces. I really believe that money is not earned by lounging on the sofa, but instead, by DOING something.

I’m driven to write this because there are people out there who believe that money can come easily to you through various ways; emotional and mental manipulation, fate, stroke of luck or just (unfortunately) through ruse. I believe that, yeah, money can be earned in devious ways. But I don’t intend to obtain money in such a way that it strips my values off me.

I believe that God gives each and us a talent, for us to utilize it in ways we may perhaps not understand all the time—but that talent is there, and God works wonderfully in time to see that that talent is put to either good use or ways we can’t even begin to comprehend.

And in order to achieve success, we have to work to the glory of God. God wants us to work. WORK. Like he said in the Bible, ‘a lazy man is a dead man’. I’ve been lazy on a few occasions, and really, I do feel dead. And I feel like my talent is ebbing away from me. Slowly shrinking.

That’s because I don’t try hard enough to work. I believe that we should work fervently, and also at the same time, enjoy the passion of the work. We should be passionate about our work, and praise the Lord that he gives us talent that will blossom in time, and shine like diamonds in the sky.

I wrote this because of my sudden aha moment. It’s like, a revelation that sorts of course through your mind when you least expect it. Yes, I want to work. I want to be the best, and leave the rest to the best of God. I think it’s wonderful that God does things that we can’t even imagine.

I want to feel the shower of his blessings in time to come, and then I can say, “Yes, Lord. I’ve done it. I’ve done it. What sweet reward reaped.’ It will be wonderful when that day comes.

And at the moment, I intend to do my best. Work my best. For the glory of God.

Whirlwind

2011-08-19T10:38:00.001+08:00

It’s a whirlwind of challenges for me this year. I’ve got lots of hurdles to jump over, and those hurdles just get higher and higher each time and it’s like God was never there—even though he is, or should be there. I’ve got big decisions to make, and I don’t know which decisions should be made. It’s weird, really. Considering that it used to be great and stuff, and now, it seems kind of dictatorial. And how do you work in an environment that makes you feel constricted? Isn’t that like a death sentence?

I believe that you have to enjoy your work in order to survive. Work is meant to be enjoyed, not labored or tortured over. Of course, you labor or torture yourself (at least) for something that you love to do, or something that actually means something to you. Where had all these fantasies of butterflies, rainbows and sunshine gone to? It now seems a little distressing and dark, and that’s not a good sign.

I don’t know where the path will lead, but I know it ain’t gettin’ straighter each passing day. Sometimes, the curve is just too curvy that you have to sort of curve yourself to be able to curve in. And sometimes, there are lots of potholes all over. And too many times too often, I just find myself falling into those crazy potholes.

Life’s a challenge, but sometimes, it’s doesn’t have to be. All of those challenges are brought upon by human beings. There’s always a way to overcome it, but those challenges are not necessary to bring forth in the first place. It’s just never that necessary.

I need a breather. I need a time-out. I need to float with the ever flowing clouds of joy, that seem to run away every time I try to go near.

Yes, I need a breather, and it should be now. When can I come up for air?

Well, I hope it’s now. Coz it’s the air that sustains me and keep me sane. Keep me to the point of being in harmony with the rest of my own being. That’s seriously important. And I really believe in that.

Gone With the Wind

2011-04-05T08:26:00.001+08:00

Good movies are lacking this month. I feel so thirsty for movies. Somehow, some of the movies I’ve watched are either so-so, or up to par, or just plain terrible. Yes, good movies are in deficiency on my monthly plate. Where have all the good movies gone?

I remember that back in the old heydays, movies like Gone With the Wind were critically acclaimed. But if modern youngsters were to watch this movie, they’d probably fall asleep. Because the duration of the movie is kinda long, and people there just talk Southern all the time. My guess is, most teens or young people these days don’t really embrace this kind of thing anymore. People these days are more into Transformers, Batman, Shopaholic and all those movies that the audience go gaga for.

But I’m a little different, I guess. I can absorb almost any movie that my eyes lay on. Be it Gone With The Wind or Transformers. And seriously, I enjoy a wide range of genres; old and new.

I didn’t fall asleep when I watched Gone With The Wind. I know some of my mates would like yawn before the first fifteen minutes of the movie. I guess I really can take in almost all kinds of movies, except those grade-Z movie.

Movies of the olden days are so, so much different that our contemporary counterparts. Modern ones focus on the use of CGI and computer technology for visual effects, which I think are stunningly cool. But somehow, over-employment of these techniques without so much of a focus on the storyline or plot makes the movie lose its substance.

And that’s what’s happening to most of the movies today. Directors are so keen on creating an influx of visual effects that they kind of sidetrack from the plot of the story, which is the heart of the whole movie.

So are all movies like that these days?

I should think it applies to most movies, but I’m glad that there are new movies that maintain the equilibrium of effects and the gist of the story. Somehow, more and more movies are mushrooming, and most times—they are the byproducts of eagerness to gain profit by alluring audience with the focus on stunning visual effects. But like I said, too many special effects on the sole pivot of the movie can actually sort of spoil the movie in one way or another.

And by the end of the day, they are just gone.

With the wind.

Sucker Punched

2011-04-04T08:59:00.005+08:00

Well, I admit it. I watched S.u.c.k.e.r P.u.n.c.h. Yes, Sucker Punch. Not that there is anything wrong watching it. Initially, I’ve never intended to watch it. But seeing that it was the only time slot suited for my hectic schecule, I just went for it.

So how’s the movie like and stuff? First of all, I love how they blend the concepts of mental-projected fantasy-action and real-time action. But the thing is—it gets too complicated. I mean, Sucker Punch is basically about this group of girls who try to escape the asylum by getting the things they need, like: map, lighter, knife, key, and the fifth is .. actually a mystery item that Babydoll (the mostly main character) has to figure out in the end. So in their attempt to escape, Babydoll would do her erotic dance to enthrall (or rather, distract) the clients while the other girls go and get the items they need undetected.

And when Babydoll dances, she’s mentally transported to a different world. She fantasizes that she’s involved in a battle with the so-called bad guys (who look like hideous villains in her fantasies) with her other girlfriends. She’s clad in a schoolgirl outfit with superhuman abilities (like immune to injuries even though she’s flipped many times here and there by the villains).

And the settings she’s in are reminiscent of the sci-fi fantasy world where medieval-like buildings and mythical creatures, such as dragons, exist. So in real-time, if her friends are working to retrieve a map, Babydoll (while in her dancing mode) would fantasize herself in a battle scene where she’s fighting to locate and obtain the map.

And so are the other items. Like if her friends conspire to retrieve the lighter, she would fantasize about fire-breathing dragons and retrieving a form of fire from her fantasies.

The thing about this whole movie is that I’d prefer it if focuses specifically on a genre, or filming mode. I mean, this movie would have been perfect if the whole movie is live-action fantasy, the plot focused on purely the battles and the fighting—and not switching from one element to another constantly. It kind of spoils the whole thing a little.

Yes, I think Sucker Punch would make a great movie if the directors or writers would just create a whole, unadulterated live-action fantasy. It would be like Lord of the Rings, and without the constant perspective switch of Frido Baggins’ fantasy. It’s all pure fantasy.

With Sucker Punch, it’s a little different. The combined elements of fantasy and thriller-like drama of escape just sorts of jumble the whole thing together.

I think that the movie should just focus on only one element—it’s either fantasy or just thriller drama. Choose one. I think that works much better.

Because when the fantasy part rolled in, I wished that the movie would perpetuate with the elements of fantasy until the end of the movie. I did feel a little cut off or disappointed when the fantasy mode is switched abruptly back to the present normal drama mode.

Yes, it would probably be a better movie in that sense. If the movie had a one-theme focus only.

Babydoll seems like the main character of the movie, but somehow, she claims that she’s not the main character, and she’s not supposed to finish the story. It’s supposed to be Sweet Pea’s story, who will escape of the asylum alive to live to tell her side of the tale. The rest of the girls ended up dead in their botched attempts to escape.

Babydoll makes the last sacrifice so Sweet Pea can taste her sweet freedom. She runs into the mob of bad men, so they would get distracted. That way, Sweet Pea can escape the asylum safe and sound.

And the ending of the movie shows Sweet Pea boarding a bus to her freedom.

And how did Babydoll end up in the asylum in the first place? Well, she’s been mistaken for causing the death of her younger sister, and people thought she was insane—so they put her in the asylum (and also due to her evil stepfather’s doing).

She really wasn’t insane in the first place to begin with.

But of course, after what she’d had through, she probably would have gone insane, and wanted to be insane in the end to put a cease to her suffering.

Overall, this movie wasn’t really that bad. Like I said, I’d have appreciated it more if it ran on a whole fantasy theme only.

It kind of sucker punched me.

Mars Needs Us

2011-03-30T08:29:00.000+08:00

I’d have never thought that Disney would ever come out with a computer-animated film like Mars Needs Moms. It’s really weird seeing Disney doing this kind of movie. Maybe it’s the storyline of the story that makes it seems a little out-of-place than the rest of the more standard Disneyish films. But that’s OK. Disney can do anything it wants.

So how’s the whole movie like? For starters, I kind of dig the animation. The characters look life-like, close to actual human beings—you know, something you see on modern computer games with all those killer graphics.

And the movie is kind of adventurous. The main character, Milo, is catapulted to Mars by accident—where he goes to various places of the mega-structural building in the land of Mars.

The movie is kind of abrupt in the beginning, because the earth scene is kinda short for me. Milo hates it when his mom asks him to do house chores or instructs him to do what she thinks is best for him. He really hates it.

And the pivotal moment comes when he kind of declares that he wishes that he doesn’t have a mom or something. Of course, that makes his mom sad.

And not long after that, his mom gets abducted by aliens from Mars.

Kind of abrupt, huh? See what I mean?

When Milo discovers that his mom is being kidnapped, he barrels to the space shuttle where the aliens have taken his mom to—but he gets stuck in one of the compartments of the shuttle. And the shuttle shoots off to space, all the way to Mars.

And when he arrives there, he goes into hiding from the crazy aliens who speak their alien language. No aliens there speak English, except an alien named Ki, who’s fascinated with colors (inspired by the human world or due to the whole Flower Power thing). His mom is sent to the peak of a tower for confinement, and her brain would be extracted in seven hours’ time when the sun rises.

Yes, the reason the aliens NEED moms is because moms virtually have the mom-caring attitude they need to help nurture their alien children. So they extract those part of the momness from the human moms to be embedded in the robots, who in turn will have those characters needed to nurture the robot martians.

Creepy, huh?

And Milo’s doing whatever it takes to stop the freaking aliens from doing that to his mom!

So he meets, Gribble, a human castaway who’s stranded in his hideout for decades. He’s built devices and stuff all over the years and done what he could to survive. Gribble’s a funny and quirky man, who’s kind of bloated. I wonder what he eats up there in Mars to be obese to this point. Are there a lot of food in Mars?

So Milo enlists Gribble’s help to save his mom. So in the end, with the help of Ki and Gribble, Milo goes to save his mom at the site where her brain would be extracted when the sun rises.

Milo goes to the site with his air-breathing helmet on, hopping in the low-gravity environment. Ki prepares to standby in the shuttle that would take Milo and his mom home back to earth.

Milo uses the laser he has to break away the chains holding his mom. Just in the nick of time, Milo manages to save his mom from being hit by the extraction ray. So together in their air-breathing helmets, they hop as fast as they can to the awaiting shuttle.

But unfortunately, Milo’s helmet breaks, and he’s suddenly cast in a deadly situation. He’s slowly dying, without the lack of oxygen. This is where the emo part starts. Don’t worry. I didn’t cry.

Milo’s mom sacrifices her life by giving her son her own helmet, and cutting off the chain loose so Milo can’t take it off to give back to her own mom.

Luckily, Gribble remembers that there is another spare helmet nearby. He goes to retrieve it, and puts it on Milo’s mom.

And did anyone die in the end?

This is a Disney movie. Of course NO! We all love happy endings, right?

So all is well.

Gribble falls in love with Ki and Ki falls in love with him. Gribble always goes red when he’s so shy around Ki, and loving colors like crazy, Ki doesn’t mind the colour of red. Ha ha.

So Milo and his mom returns to earth. Gribble decides to head back to Mars and help Ki restores the place.

Milo’s dad returns home from work, and the family is seen together for the first time.

Milo learns not to take his mom for granted, and helps take the trash out. And of course, he does it in style. He ‘lasers’ it to ashes.

And that’s the end of the whole movie.

Hmm … so what do I think of this movie?

Is it worth your money? Is it that great?

I wouldn’t say that it’s bad, but I wouldn’t say that it’s good either. I rate this movie 7/10.

It definitely didn’t make me fall asleep, or make me want to run out of the cinema.

It’s tolerable, and it’s fun to watch if you just want to have some good Disney fun.

Because after all, we all need a little Disney here and there in our life.

And Disney NEEDs us.

Hell or Not

2011-03-28T10:33:00.003+08:00

Is there such thing as hell? Well, since young, we’re been exposed to horrific images of hell—scary-looking devils with pitchforks and burning fires. And the torment that goes along with the whole package.

What brought me to write about this? I read this Yahoo! News article on a book which stirs debate about the afterlife. According to the book, hell is something that we go through in life, something to mould us and teach us in our journey to be with God.

It seems like an interesting concept—but is it true? From biblical and other religious materials, hell is described as a place where sinners go in their afterlives. It is a place of torment, and nothing like the paradise where the people of God would go to.

Yes, this is really an interesting topic of conversation. I mean, I’ve never really given it such a comprehensive, thorough thought on this: Is there hell?

Well, in retrospect, I do believe that there is hell. Because the Bible says so. But … what is really hell? Is it something, abstract, or is it something physical?

I so want to delve into Rob Bell’s thoughts by probably getting his book, “Love Wins”. I mean, what he writes may not be 100% real, but it’s always good to have your thoughts out to be analyzed, and discussed upon further, and compared with previous writings on such beliefs.

But seriously, there is hell enough on earth as it is: war, natural disasters, famine, nuclear radiation, poverty, diseases, etc. So are all these occurring to somehow teach us a lesson for the betterment of our lives with God? Believe me. It’s hell enough on earth.

What Bell mentions in his book may be true to some degree.

It does help with betterment of lives, and shaping of character. For eg., in the recent Japan tsunami aftermath, people are learning something very valuable: that is the tenacity to cope with hardship, and the teamwork with one another that brings unity. That along brings compassion, and love, and generosity.

If you see it that way, the hell of the tsunami does indeed bring something positive out of all of this.

So if we’ve suffered enough hell on earth, will there be another hell in the afterlife?

Good question.

I’m so gonna get Love Wins, to know from the perspective of Bell about the afterlife.

Because seriously, hell in the afterlife does seem like a scary place. It does. It is eternal suffering, and God knows what.

Nobody wants that.

And from the Bible, we know that God is a loving God filled with compassion. Would he want his children to endure that in the afterlife?

Is there something more than it than it seems?

It’s definitely something to debate about. Hell or not.

Here’s the article I read from Yahoo! News!

http://yhoo.it/glGFpF

Just Dance

2011-03-24T09:19:00.001+08:00

It’s extremely weird seeing Paula Abdul in Live to Dance—after she’s been in AI for such a long, long time that I can’t even remember.

So how is she on LtD? Well, for starters, she’s the same old Paula Abdul. With the same charms, same sweetness, same everything, as if all imported from her AI days.

When two of the judges would give red stars for performances that they think are bad, Paula’d go out on a limb and give gold star. It’s all very Paula-ish.

I really enjoy watching all the dance performance son LtD. I especially love to watch this tap dancing by these two guys. It’s really cool. I mean, if tap dancing can be popularized one day to a contemporary level, it’d set out all feet ablaze with tap dancing.

And AI seems a little different with the two new judges: Steven Tyler and J.Lo. Both Steven and J.Lo seems to be more receptive to most of the performances, as they believe in the singers’ potential and capability to grow. If it were Simon Cowell. it would be all negativity.

I feel that these two new judges bring hope to aspiring singers. Instead of shooting each and every singer who are relatively close to bad, they sort of turn everything to constructive criticism. You don’t feel the offence there.

So I guess these two new judges do bring a certain new flavor to AI.

Randy Jackson’s the same old him, although he seems slightly more receptive than previous seasons. Maybe Steven and J. Lo have somehow rubbed off on him?

So now Paula’s shifted from the singing world to the dancing world. I guess maybe she needs a change. I mean, hearing both bad and good singing must have been pretty crazy for more than seven years or so.

It’s time to dance away.

Great Whiteness

2011-03-22T08:20:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I finally watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother.

Yeah, I know. I know. It’s been running for a long time, and now … ONLY I WATCH???

Well, that’s because I haven’t gotten around to watching that comedy yet. There are so many dramas out there, and I can’t possibly expend my time on each and everyone.

But I finally watched an episode. That’s an achievement.

I can’t really say if it’s the best comedy around, because I only watched ONE episode. I did laugh at some of the scenes, but like I said, I can’t make a verdict based on ONE episode alone.

See how I keep saying ONE in this blog? Maybe it’s because I’m proud to have at least watched ONE episode. You know, all the effort and stuff.

I also tuned in to Shark Men on National Geographic, and I must say, I’m kind of impressed at how those shark men handling those dangerous Great Whites. I mean, have you even watched Jaws?

After watching it, I had nightmares for a very long time.

But really, when you look at them close-up, these creatures don’t seem that ferocious. I mean, not like the ones in the Jaws franchise. Like deliberately attacking your ship, trying to sink it. And biting the board off ceaselessly in an attempt to chow down the humans.

In real life, Great Whites are not like that at all. They are still the predators of the sea, but they’re not that melodramatic.

And I saw the men pulling one female Great White to the surface so she would be immobilized. They fed her water through a tube so she could continue breathing and stuff. And they tagged her so she could be tracked when she roams the sea.

One of the men also took a blood sample from her for some testing and stuff.

It was really cool to watch all these men getting SO close to the notorious Great White.

When she was released into the water, she was held in an upside-down position. She couldn’t move, because she was in a state of tonic immobility, so the diver had to help turn her around.

Wow.

It was really exciting to watch a massive Great White that CLOSE!

It is dangerous, really, but these men knew what they were doing.

I’d love to do shark diving one day. It’d fun to watch all these sharks close-up (behind the cage, of course!).

But for the moment, I’ll just experience Great Whiteness … through my handy-dandy TV screen.

A Trip Down Chernobyl Lane

2011-03-21T09:37:00.003+08:00

I saw the tsunami aftermath in a Youtube video clip, and really, it was SHOCKING. I’ve never seen anything like this before. It was like watching 2012 all over again.

And what’s scary is—nuclear radiation! Yes, the danger of nuclear radiation that may spread to other parts of the world.

Yesterday, I was watching this National Geographic documentary about Chernobyl’s nuclear crisis. Well, I wasn’t really paying full attention, because I was constantly flipping channels between AI Season 10 and also this program.

And wow. It was kind of scary. I mean, I watched clips of the victims of radiation poisoning, and it simply just looked HORRIBLE!

Well, the Chernobyl nuclear accident happened in 1986 (a year after I was born). What actually triggered the accident, really? Well, from the documentary, I learned that during some testing that was being carried out, there was a power output overload or something, and it caused one of the systems to break. Thus, the explosions just erupted! And chaos was caused.

So lots of radioactive smokes were realeased into the air, causing a massive evacuation.

What was sad was that some of the firefighters had no idea that there was radiation involved, so they just went out to put out the fire. As a result, they died of the radiation poisoning.

Some to help extinguish the fires safely, helicopters were used to put out the fire with sand and stuff.

And to prevent the radiation from spreading, drastic measures had to be taken. The reactor was sealed with concrete (also known as the sarcophagus) to seal off the radiation.

Wow, the sarcophagus looked kind of huge! If I were to visit Ukraine, I’d probably pay a visit to the site to look at the landmark (sort of) that held a deep and dark history.

It gave me a little shiver just watching the whole thing.

Luckily (I hope), the radiation level in Japan now isn’t as worse as the one in Chernobyl. I hope the find efficient ways to seal off the radiation, or do whatever it takes to prevent the radiation from permeating further.

From this, we learn that all these accidents happen because of humans. Yeah, it’s true. But of course, there are some accidents we can’t avoid. I mean, if there were better safety regulations at that time or preventive measures, the accident could have probably been avoided, or reduced to a minimal scale.

But things like tsunamis can’t be prevented. I mean, it’s nature.

Nature can be deadly.

And when it’s deadly, we’d better be on our toes and pray for the better.

A Movie Worth Fighting For

2011-03-18T09:04:00.000+08:00

It’s a fight worth … fighting for if you’re planning to catch The Fighter. At first, the movie seems a little boring, but as you go along, you sort of go, “Hey, it isn’t so bad”. Maybe it’s because I was dead hungry during the beginning of the show. Should have bought that bucket of popcorn when I’d the chance.

Yeah. I slowly warmed up to the movie. And what I like about this movie is that it’s based on a true story. I always love movies that are inspired by real-life happenings. The recent movie I’ve watched was 127 Hours, which in fact, was also a true story-based flick. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that all such movies are nice to watch. But so far, most of them have not disappointed me, and that’s a good thing.

So Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg) is a boxer, who’s fighting for his dreams of becoming a boxing champion of the ring. It wasn’t easy in the beginning for him at first. He’d to go through obstacles and stuff. And his family, especially his mother, didn’t particularly approve of his girlfriend, Charlene (played by Amy Adams).

Wow. Amy is so different in this movie. I used to catch the movie Enchanted, in which Amy Adams play this naïve-like damsel-in-distress ready to be rescued by her Prince Charming.

And in this movie, Amy seems a little dark—a huge contrast from her role in Enchanted.

And Christian Bale plays Dicky, Micky’s half-brother.

This movie shows Micky going through problems such as losing in a boxing match in the beginning, and having a girlfriend whom his family didn’t really like.

And to makes things worse, Dicky went to jail for a felony, So as you see, there were so much problems in Micky’s life. He’d just had to learn to fight his way through all these obstacles.

And during a boxing match, Micky was horribly clobbered by his opponent. It looked as though he was going to lose in this match. His opponent kept fisting him throughout the match, leaving Micky subdued and helpless.

He’d trained so hard, but he still couldn’t seem to defeat his opponent. Then, he remembered about the punching strategy his brother Dicky used to teach him.

Without much choice, he executed that move, and surprisingly, managed to bring down his opponent. He’d a lot to thank for to his brother for that. If it wasn’t for that, he’d probably never have won that match.

And towards the end of the movie, after Dicky was released form prison, he went to meet his brother. It turned hostile as Dicky found out that Micky had a new team, and he was not allowed to spar with him.

But in the end, the ice among all of them melted.

Micky went to London for the title fight, in which he WON the match, creating a champion title for himself!

In the end of the movie, there’s a summary indicating that Mickey soon retired, and is now running a gym in Lowell, his hometown.

And he also got married to Charlene.

So it’s like, a happy ending.

Well, every happy ending deserves a good fight.

And Micky did just that. Oh, yeah.

A Little Adjustment Here and There

2011-03-14T08:46:00.001+08:00

I had to adjust my brains watching The Adjustment Bureau. That was because the plot got a little complex for my brains to comprehend. I mean, I understood what the whole movie was about, really. But it was just … kind of silly. The story, I mean. That was why I needed to align my brain to silliness mode.

But that doesn’t mean that should deter you from watching it. That’s because if your brains are programmed a certain way, you’re likely to be receptive of whatever shit the movie tosses into your brains. My brains are kind of sacred, so I’m very careful of what goes into my brains, and out of in. Sort of like GIGO.

Matt Damon played a convincing man running for Senate. I mean, for a second, I thought Matt was really David Norris. Then, I realized that David is just a character. That’s just how convincing Matt is.

Believe me, the men of the Adjustment Bureau will do something to your brains. They’ll confuse you, bedazzle you and do everything to your brains until you feel like, you need major adjustment to your whole system.

Actually, in the movie, the ‘crazy’ people of the Adjustment Bureau lived in a sort-of parallel world, where they could travel to places instantly door-to-top by wearing a hat (which enabled them to do so). These people had one mission: drive humans with emotions crazy! OK, actually, they worked to ensure that things go according to their PLAN. Yes, they mapped out the plan that they thought was apt for the person. And the plan had been mapped out for David’s life. They wanted to ensure that he ran for President by making all the choices for him subtly.

Sneaky, huh?

Of course, David didn’t like this at all! He didn’t know that the Adjustment Nosy People were in charge of his destiny and stuff. And that was a major problem for him: because David had emotions! Yes, he was ruled by his feelings, his emotions. Get that? He fell in love with a woman (whom he met at Waldorf men’s toilet by weird coincidence) named Elise, and he just .. went head over heels for her! Of course, Elise loved him as well (and therefore broke up with her boyfriend Adrian because of this!).

And that proved to be a problem for David. Actually, it wasn’t his problem in the first place.

I see it that the Adjustment Bureau was the one causing all the problems for him! Really, no kidding.

When he sort of messed up his chances of running for Senate due to a bar brawl, the Nosy People (you know whom I’m referring to) actually sent Elise briefly into his life to set his life straight and to give him some sort of ‘inspiration’. That was why he gave an amazing get-back-up-on-track speech.

See? It was the Nosy People who put Elise in the picture for the first place.

And when David did finally meet Elise, he fell in love with her.

And that wasn’t part of the plan of the Nosy People. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with her at all.

David was confronted by the Nosy People, who warned him to stay away from Elise. Of course, David refused to listen. But you can’t fight the Nosy People.

Or they’ll get nosier and nosier each time.

And the Nosy People gave the ultimatum that they’d erase David’s precious memory if he were to reveal their existence. So David had no choice by to keep silent about all this.

The Nosy People even confiscated Elise’s contact from David. So David would not be able to track down Elise.

He was really upset. OK, that was an understatement. He was like, depressed! Frustrated! Boiling.

How could the Nosy People do this to him? It was his life. He was supposed to run his own life; not controlled by these crap of people.

So for three years, David could not find the woman of his dreams. Where was she? He commuted to work using the same public transport in which he used to first meet Elise, hoping that she’d be in there. But she wasn’t.

Then, by chance, he saw her walking past him. So he alighted from the bus he was in, pursuing her. When he finally caught up with Elise, she was mad. She thought that he’d forgotten her, as if he didn’t contact her for the past three years.

David tried to explain that he really lost the contact because he was mugged or something. The ice inside Elise eventually melted and Elise gave David another chance.

Of course, the Nosy People weren’t happy about this. They tried to stop this relationship between David and Elise. They weren’t supposed to fall in love. Weren’t supposed to be together.

So the Nosy People tried to do whatever it took to stop David from seeing Elise. But David wasn’t going to give up without a fight. He beat the odds and finally found Elise in her ballet rehearsal.

That was when she sprained her ankle (also caused by the Nosy People) and had to be admitted to the hospital. Of course, David accompanied her there.

And guess who else was there?

Yes, one of the Nosiness of Nosiest People. He told David to stay away from Elise, saying that if he were together with Elise, his career would be ruined. And not only that, Elise’s career as a successful dancer would be ruined.

He predicted that Elise would be very successful if David stopped seeing her. But if David decided to go against the course, Elise would be teaching dance to a bunch of kids instead. And David’s career wouldn’t be as successful as it was supposed to be. All ruined by their love for each other.

David didn’t want to believe any of this, but he gave in. So he left the hospital, much to Elise’s disappointment.

And months and months later, it was all TRUE. Elise was successful. David was gaining the momentum in his Senate election and stuff. Everything was going well for the both of them.

When David found out through the newspaper that Elise was going to marry Adrian, he felt something tug inside of him.

He still loved her.

This time, he wasn’t going to let a bunch of Nosy People run the course of his life. So he went to look for Elise at the church hall (where she was going to get married). Of course, with the help of one of the much more emotionally-inclined Nosy People, David was able to meet Elise.

David finally revealed the secret about the Adjustment Bureau, which practically ruined his life.

When the Nosy People realized that David had divulged that secret, they immediately sent their people to track him down to erase his memory!

So David and Elise were on the run from these people! They escaped by going from door-to-door (with the ‘magic’ hat that was bestowed upon him by one of the so-called good Nosies).

David had an epiphany. He thought that maybe the plan for his life could be changed, if he could find the people who actually wrote down the plan. So he ended up at the Nosy People’s secret hideout. But he was being chased, so he had to flee (together with Elise, who believed in him).

They finally ended up on the rooftop.

And there was nowhere else to run! The Nosy People had zeroed in on them.

Both David and Elise knew that their memories would be purged, and they finally kissed each other passionately, knowing that this will be their final memory.

Suddenly, they realized that the Nosy People were nowhere to be seen! Where were they?

One of the Nosies finally manifested, and revealed that it was their determination and love that sort of changed the whole plan mapped out for them in the first place.

And since David didn’t give up on love, the plan … well … got changed.

So that was the happy ending. Yes, David’s plan had been legally changed because of his perseverance, and that kind of impressed the chairman of the Nosy People.

And the moral of the story?

Always persevere and believe in your … um … emotions.

To be honest, the movie wasn’t really that impressive. I’d give it 6/10.

The whole plot is a plethora of crap thrown in together. It didn’t feel convincing at times. Sometimes, it just felt a little silly. Sometimes, I felt duped.

But still, it wasn’t all that bad. I mean, it’s still watchable.

So if you want to catch this movie, make sure you’re ready for full adjustment to your sanity.

Into the UNKNOWN

2011-03-11T08:42:00.003+08:00

I was cast into the Unknown as I watched Dr. Martin Harris having an identity crisis in the … yes … you’ve guessed it—Unknown. He didn’t know who he really was. It was like watching a poor boy getting lost in a supermarket, and then crying because he couldn’t find Momma. But of course, Martin didn’t cry. He just … sort of cried, inside.

This movie gave me a tinge of thrills. I mean, I was curious as to find out why Martin (aka Liam Neeson) was disowned by his own wife! Even his wife claimed that she didn’t know who he was. And then, Martin Harris encountered another … yes … Martin Harris. So he had a twin. Sort of. And yet, the other Martin claimed that he was the real Martin Harris. But Martin Harris claimed that he was the real one. Confusing, isn’t it?

The Liam Neeson Martin Harris knew that his other half was an impostor! But why? Yes, why? What was really going on? Did Martin Harris suffer some kind of a delusional problem? Or did he have amnesia?

All these questions kept whirling in my head.

That was why I was so glued to my seat, intent of finding out what the heck was really going on with this weird guy.

It all started when Dr. Martin Harris and his wife checked into Hotel Adlon (yes, I still remember the name of the hotel. Probably gonna haunt me for the rest of my life). And when Martin found out that he’d left his luggage back at the airport, he hailed a taxi..

Unfortunately for him, the taxi went plunging into the canal or something.

Fortunately for him, the taxi driver (aka Nina aka Diane Kruger) saved his life.

So there was someone out to kill Martin Harris!

And he was admitted to the hospital … where he got more … confused. He didn’t have any identification at all. No passport. No nothing. So how could he prove that he was the real Martin Harris?

So after he remembered a portion of what was going on, he signed himself out of the hospital, trying to locate his wife at Hotel Adlon. He knew that he was supposed to be there in the first place to attend a summit, where he’d be meeting Prof. Bressler, a botanologist.

When he found his wife, she (Liz aka January Jones) disowned him as if he were never born at all! She was like, “Who are you? I don’t know you.” You know, stuff like that.

And Liz escorted the ‘new’ Martin Harris, whom she claimed was her real husband. This made Martin Harris more confused than ever! What was really happening?

Martin was intent on finding out the truth. Who he really was. And why all this was happening to him when he least expected it.

So he eventually sought help from a PI named Ernst. Ernst agreed to help him, and so he did.

And Martin went to look for Nina (the taxi driver who saved his life) to piece the puzzles bit by bit. Did she know about anything that was happening to him?

It appeared that Nina was an illegal immigrant. Her family in Bosnia had been killed in Bosnia. And now, she was like the sole survivor of her family.

Nina finally agreed to help Martin, and gave him a place to stay. Unfortunately, the bad guys tracked Martin down, and were near to finishing him off.

Martin and Nina barely escaped by the thread, but they made their escape anyway. They tried to help each other out in any way possible.

Martin, knowing that his wife Liz was probably under an ultimatum, went to look for her at an exhibit. When Liz was secretly at a safe distance from watchful eyes, Martin confronted her, and wanted to know the truth. Liz told him that she and him would die if they were together, and she had to play along with all this charade.

Liz also told him that she’d meet him at the airport.

So Martin went there, and finally retrieved his luggage, where all his identification was.

Unfortunately, the bad guys caught up to him at the airport. Liz had betrayed him!

The bad guys (one of them being Cole, Martin’s so-called close friend) tasered him and brought him to a secluded location to finish him off.

Martin finally realized who he was … an assassin! He was an assassin all along! And he was the one who planted the bomb at the summit, where it would explode and kill Prince Shada. Martin remembered everything! He suffered injuries to his head during the car crash, and that was why he'd forgotten who he really was. Instead, he thought he REALLY was Dr. Martin Harris. 'Martin Harris' was actually a cover name for the assassination. So Martin Harris … was actually not Martin Harris at all!

Before Martin could be killed, Nina drove her car to his rescue and sort of smashed the car into the killers. Martin was safe, and the two headed to Hotel Adlon to warn the security about the bomb.

Martin also realized something very important. Prince Shada wasn’t the target of assassination! It was Dr. Bressler! He had all the crucial information on his biotechnological research, which the assassins wanted. If he was killed, the information could be used for profit in the black market.

Unfortunately, the bomb couldn’t be stopped. It exploded, killing Liz, who was an assassin who assumed the identity of Dr. Martin Harris’ wife.

Martin Harris managed to stop the assassination of Dr. Bressler by engaging into a physical battle with the other Martin Harris. And he eventually let out his inner assassin and killed the guy who had taken his role.

Nina was fearful of Martin at first, but then realized that Martin wasn’t the ‘assassin’ he used to be. She saw the good in him.

And like all movies, this has a happy ending. Nina got a new identity, thanks to the help of Martin. So she wasn’t an ‘illegal’ immigrant anymore. And Martin himself, of course, got himself a new identity as well.

All that is well ends well.

That is so very true for Unknown.

This movie has kept me on the edge of my seat because I was so curious to know who Martin Harris was.

I guess this movie gets some points for the ability to make me almost fall off my seat. Yes, I love the suspense of it all, and the mystery. I just like it.

The movie is really interesting to watch, but still, it really isn’t the best thriller movie I’ve ever seen.

But it will do. It just will do.

You just have to let yourself escape into the Unknown.

127 Hours

2011-03-09T08:31:00.006+08:00

127 hours. That was how long it took to torture me to watch a one-hour plus movie. Basically, the torture process started mentally for me, as I had to endure watching Aron Ralston suffering in the canyon, his hand clamped by a stupid rock. And also, if it wasn’t enough, I had to torture the brain cells inside my skull by watching Aron self-mutilating himself in ways you can’t imagine. And if it wasn’t enough again, I had to watch Aron drink his own pee and stuff. And, if it wasn’t enough again for the ever enough, I had to watch Aaron amputate his arm!

Seriously, that was how torturing it was for me emotionally and physically.

But I like it.

Yes, I said. I like the whole movie. And for the record, it’s not because I’m sadistically inclined into watching Aaron torture himself.

It’s all about the substance of the movie, the way it moved me. The unique way it was filmed, and how the story of the trapped hiker was told in a very first-person-like perspective.

It was amazingly done, and I have to say, it did impress me. Although it wasn’t totally the best movie of the century, I’d still say that it comes highly recommended.

James Franco plays Aron, the hiker, pretty well. I mean, I did feel for that character as he endured the pain, and possibly, the grueling death sentence of the rock that chained him to the spot. Yes, it was kind of upsetting (and nauseous, when it comes to the blood and stuff) to see such a vivacious and energetic hiker suddenly getting trapped, and with no one nearby to help him. It really pulled me in. And tugged at your heart at certain ways.

I was like, “Oh, no. Is he going to get out alive? Do I have to endure 127 hours watching this malady? Do I? Do I?”

He was so full of spirit in the beginning, as the movie showed me. You can tell that this guy was certainly adventurous.

And the big problem was—he didn’t tell anybody where he was going!

That’s really dangerous. That was his first BIG mistake. Not telling anybody about his whereabouts. And that was why he was trapped for like five days without any help, because NOBODY knew where he was!

Most of the filming was focused on Aron and his ordeal inside the canyon’s crevasse. And it focuses on various, difficult ways Aaron tried to release his clamped hand. But of course, the rock was stubborn. So he was stuck. Really stuck.

He had to conserve water. He had to drink his own pee. He had to do everything it took to survive. He had to endure the rain. He had to submit his body to the frosty coldness.

It was hard, I tell you. Really hard.

And while he was confined in his ordeal, images of his past flashed across his mind. Things he pondered about. Things that he regretted doing, and wished at that moment he could have changed some of it.

He became so deprived of food and water that at certain points, he hallucinated. He became crazy at times.

He even tried to cling to good memories to try to keep himself sane, because that was the only comfort they provide.

He thought about the two hikers he met. He thought about his parents. He thought about his ex.

He just thought about everything, including his childhood, and how he got estranged from his parents.

And what I could see throughout most of the movie was that Aaron recorded his ordeal through his Canon camera. He said everything he had to say as though someone would say if they were going to die.

It was kind of tragic, and really sad.

He was stuck in this massive canyon, where the possibility of hikers passing his way was zilch.

Even all the screaming wouldn’t have drawn the attention.

It was horrible, watching this hiker die a slow death.

It made me think that this movie was really based on a true story or something. It was so … narrative-like.

But did Aron die in the end? That was the burning question.

Actually, it seemed likely that he would die.

But he didn’t.

Why?

Because he amputated his arm with a knife. Which I tell you, was PAINFUL to watch.

By doing so, he freed his hand, and he was able to walk free. And when he spotted water (even though it was dirty), it showered him with a sense of relief. He was just so thirsty that he just collapsed onto the water.

And he kept walking, fuelled by his burning desire to survive, and to live.

And in the end, he spotted other hikers, and he screamed for help. That really drew their attention, and those hikers gave him their water to drink, just as he desperately needed.

More hikers came to his aid, shocked to find his state of condition.

And pretty soon, the chopper arrived, ready to send him to the hospital.

And did he die?

Of course not! He was able to live to tell the tale. But sadly, he lost his arm.

But after his recovery, he was still adventurous. His past horrific ordeal didn’t stop him from exploring the canyon, or climbing mountains.

Yes, he just oozed that massive amount of spirit. And starting from then onwards, he’d never left to any place of exploration without telling anybody.

I guess that was a GREAT big lesson that he learned. Because if he’d done that for his canyon trip, help would probably be underway and he wouldn’t have to endure such a painful plight.

And that was a perfect ending to a 127-hour-like painful fest of watching Aron Ralston stuck in the canyon.

Who doesn’t like a happy ending?

It’s definitely a movie worth watching. And to top that, James Franco’s performance is really something to look forward to.

127 hours.

That’s how long it takes. You won’t regret watching it.

iPad Frenzy

2011-03-08T09:45:00.004+08:00

Those pads just keep coming out. First, iPad. Then, iPad 2. It’s like, never-ending. I actually own an iPad, so when they say that they are coming out with iPad 2, I was like, for real?

To be honest, I really love my iPad. Seriously love it. Very underrated here. But at times, I do find some problems with it. You can’t Skype with it, or make any video calls, because there is no built-in camera at all! And I don’t think that you can actually connect the iPad to a standalone camera or something. So all-in-all, it’s kind of useless when you want to make video calls.

And I was wishing deep inside that I was able to do that.

And then comes iPad 2, answering my prayers. Yes, iPad 2 comes with a built-in camera, and is much more lighter than its predecessor. And thus, looks more sleek and slimmer!

Oh, Lord! That means that I have to go get an iPad 2! What will I do with my original iPad? Keep it the museum? Donate it to charity?

If there’s one thing I learn about Apple … is that they always come out with new gadgets almost every year, making it impossible to own the same gadget for at least 2 or 3 years!

But I think iPad is like, one of the greatest invention in history. I’m not kidding.

I do most of my reading on iPad. No more paperbacks. It’s so easy, and you can adjust the font or font size to your liking. I have a collection of iBooks, and it just gets better every time. And don’t get me started on magazines. Because they’re awesome on iPad! Full HD resolution, just like the actual thing! I’m just at a loss for words when it comes to iPad!

And for gaming, iPad’s really hot. You know, I’m one of those lazy people who hates turning on my laptop and then waiting for some PC game to load.

With iPad, it’s just so convenient. All you have to do is flick it on, and abracadabra! It’s switched on instantly! And you can just put it comfortably on your lap, or use its casing to make it stand or tilt at a certain angle. I bought two customized casings for iPad, and I’m loving them!

Yes, with iPad, playing games just feels like a whole new different experience! All the games, without a doubt, use touchscreen technology. Means that every thing that you do requires your finger, or either your hands shaking the device. It’s just so fun and easy and convenient that it makes you feel like it’s the new gaming device God or something.

I just love it.

And for writing my journals, I do it all on my iPad. At first, it’s kind of awkward using the touchscreen keyboard, but in time, I just get used to it. Of course, I think that typing on an actual standalone keyboard is much more easier, but I hope with practice, I’ll be able to type smoothly on my iPad.

And there’s so many apps you can use on iPad. You can calculate your BMI, or do financial planning, or calculate almost anything. And yes, you also have document apps such as word processors and presentation makers. But really, nothing beats the Microsoft ones. Maybe that’s because I’ve been using them for like more than a decade.

It’s just feels so weird stepping out of this comfort zone to the unknown world of Apple iPad. But I’m trying to embrace it. I don’t mind trying, or getting used to it. I’m gaga over iPad, so it’s worth it.

And the photo albums are superific! I’ve transferred some of my photos there, and they’re so awesome to view! With its pinching zoom-in-zoom-out and finger-slide viewing. It’s fast, easy, and the photos look HD real! I just love it! Totally!

And the Internet surfing is awesome! I mean, I practically do my Internet surfing on iPad almost all the time. My poor laptop. I feel bad for not using it. I mean, my laptop has been with me for so many years. Maybe it gets slightly jealous that I’m favoring iPad? Haha.

And you can also listen to music, just like on iPod touch! It’s just so amazing!

I use my iPad mostly to play games, surf the net, write my journals and do almost everything possibly insane on it! I mean, iPad has driven me insane. In a good kind of way. And yeah, I do most of my reading on iPad as well! It just feels so fun and different. And I admit it. I like it.

So iPad 2 will be out in the market next month.

I’m so tempted to get it. Can I part ways with my iPad? Can I? Can I?

I’m not sure, but I feel as though iPad 2 is calling out my name. Calling me so ever desperately to get it.

I mean, I really want iPad 2. Looks like I probably will kind of get it. I mean, it does have the camera function that I want. And it’s in HD! What more could I ask for?

The people at Apple have answered my prayers. Maybe this is the reason I should get it. It’s like fate, or destiny, or whatever you call it.

I’ll be an iPad fan for a long, long time.

Whether it’s 1, 2 or 3, or even more.

I am Number What?

2011-03-07T08:37:00.002+08:00

I am Number Crap—I mean—Four, is actually quite … crap. I wasted my Gold Rolex and almost two hours of my life span watching this … crap. Now, before you take my review seriously and decide not to put I am Number Four on your Top 200 Things to Do Before You Kick the Bucket, actually, I want you to consider … watching it. Seriously. I’m not kidding.

It was crap. But it was a kind of crap that made me kind of tolerate the stale popcorn I was eating. And the guy who is Number Four was actually quite crap in most of the scenes that it beat the whole crap out of me.

Number Four aka John Smith (I always knew that Pocahontas’ sort-of bf had a name that haunted generations of people who didn’t know what better names to name themselves) looks pretty human to me, even though he’s supposed to be this sort of alien from a planet called Lorien. I mean, John could have assimilated well with mankind if he wanted to. He really looks human! That’s the problem. You can’t look human if you’re from another planet. Unless you’re from planet Earth. Not Lorien. I was hoping that the Smith boy at least had antennas or something. I mean, he’s supposed to be alien.

And apparently. being Number Four gives him the luck he needs. No. 1,2 and 3 all died. 4 survived. In Chinese cultures, 4 is … you know … bad luck or something. But our dear John Smith beats the odds. I guess it’s all about possessing bluish-ray kind of powers and the ability to hover in the sky like Jackie Chan.

And in this movie, it doesn’t matter if you’re an alien or a human. As long as you have a you-know-what in your pants, you’re always drawn to a girl. And it doesn’t matter if that girl is alien or human. But she’s human, for the record. And her name is Sarah.

John Smith (alien or not) is attracted to Sarah. In every movie, it’s always about the guys being attracted to the girls or something (Brokeback Mountain being the exception). So like I said, as long as John Smith has that thing hanging around, he’s bound to be attracted to the girl.

And the whole thing about this movie is that John is on the run from the Mogadorians, a group of creepy fellows with eyes that looked … creepy. And that’s the whole point of the movie. Running away was the main thing. Hiding yourself. And Henri, John’s Guardian, is responsible for taking care of him.

But somehow, Henri dies in the end. The Guardian always dies. Yes, he/she always seems to have the bad luck in almost every movie I’ve seen. Why couldn’t they just let Henri live? I mean, he’s not Number Four, four being the operative word. I guess John Smith’s gonna make the number four a hot number in next year’s lucky bet.

The Mogadorians finally trace John, because he actually releases a scent that their dog-like nose could detect.

And why does the climax or the ending always have to take place in a high school? Typical. Just so typical.

I mean, there are so many places to find shelter from the creepy Mogadorians. Like maybe the morgue, or the bank (wouldn’t be so bad spending time with green notes). But why high school??? Yes, I know it’s getting cheesy.

But I think the school’s the only place where John and Sarah can make out in the end (that is, if the Mogadorians don’t splatter their blood everywhere on the gym walls). Yes, happy endings with lots of kissings always happens in the school. I guess Sarah knows it when she decides that they run there for safety.

So all the battle scenes happen in the school. The Mogadorians exhibited their kung-fu skills with their machine guns, trying to take down John and a girl known as Number Six. Six obviously had lots of training prior to this. I mean, she was like kung-fu all over the place.

And John, who had little training or zilch, practically decimates the Mogadorians like as if he’s been training in the basement since day one.

Sarah, powerless, keeps running away, screaming here and there. Only the addition of four and six equals ten can save her. So Sarah, is like, Number Ten.

John’s dog, Chimera, gave John a heart attack when he found out that his dog can transform into this monstrous creature with eerie eyes and sharp teeth. He’d never known about this. I mean, why didn’t anybody ever let him know??? I mean, he should know. It’s his dog. So John has been harboring a dangerous dog all these years without knowing it. But John doesn’t have to worry, really. It’s not like Chimera will bite his head off.

So Chimera actually does a little battle with evil.

And in the end, the good guys won. As always.

And I think that Number Six was slightly a bit jealous that John and Sarah are together. But there will be sequels. There will be sequels. Who knows? Six may slowly seduce John away from Sarah’s loving arms. In the next sequel.

The movie gave me the impression that there is going to be another sequel, whether you like it or not. When they said that they needed to find Mark (John’s sort-of buddy)’s father, whom they thought had been kidnapped by aliens … I knew there will be a SEQUEL.

The sequel will probably cover the search for Mark’s father, and maybe, just maybe … the love triangle between John, Six, and Sarah. Just probably. I’m just sayin’.

So did this movie satisfy me? Did it make me go bounce off into the roof with joy?

You’ll have to see this for yourself. Because like I said, it’s crap.

It’s crap that’s worth watching. If you’re into a freak with powers. Or some kind of teenage movie that sorts of bring you back to your teenage memory lane. Minus creepy aliens, lots of cheesy air kung-fu and people with numbers as their names.

If you’re all for that, then you can sail through this movie as though you’ve just crossed the parted Red Sea.

Yes, you may enjoy this movie.

If you’re lucky enough.

THE UNIVERSAL STUDIOS EXPERIENCE

2010-11-08T11:34:00.004+08:00

It was Universal Studios Singapore and Resorts World Sentosa for ME during the long weekend. I had so much fun screaming during the thrill rides that I almost lost my voice to SCREAMINGYTIS. Yes, I went wild and crazy, snapping away with my camera like it was my weapon of destruction. Flash! Flash! Flash! everywhere! It was flashyawesome.

I stayed at Resorts World, so it was obviously very easy to go to Universal Studios as you would going to the adjoining bathroom or something. I mean, it was so NEAR! Even the casino was near! I haven’t even begun to tell you about my traumatizing experience during my second trip to the casino there. But I’ll get to that later. I always save the worst for last.

Now let’s get to the good part—which was obviously USS. Not the ship USS! Yes, you know what I mean. Universal Studios! This was definitely the ‘main course’ of the trip, with the shopping emporium the ‘side dish’ and the casino the ‘appetizer’ (demoted to this ranking due to my TRAUMATIZING experience).

The weather was good, its ray shining on me like heaven lights as I entered the theme park. The Hollywood-styled street greeted me upon entry, and my breath of awe was immediately sucked out of my throat.

It looked exactly the same like the one in the California, which I went to many years ago. The only difference between the US’ and this is that the one in the US is twenty times larger than the one in Singapore. Yes, it was that BIG. It took me only half a day to finish the whole tour of the one in Singapore, so it was relatively small.

But I had fun. That is important, of course.

And there were dozens of character appearances, such as Woodypecker, Shrek, Frankenstein, and those from Madagascar! Of course, in order to take a snapshot with those characters, you need to LINE UP! Which was ridiculous for me, considering that lining up is for rides and for transactions at banks and stuff. But not for posing with adorable characters! That was simply ridiculous! The next thing you know, they may be charging money for posing with characters? How absurd is that?

Well, I was a little desperate to pose with one of the characters that I trailed behind him like a paparazzi, wanting to be the first. It was crazy, I tell you.

People from all walks of life wormed up for their snapshots. And the crazy thing is, you only get a shot per camera. Of course, I wasn’t satisfied, so they gave way to two shots! Seriously, this whole snapping pictures with characters is proving to be a red-tape dilemma.

The sight of the surroundings just knocked my off my feet. It felt like I was in a different world, Hollywood world. Rows of buildings on either side of the streets loomed before me with its 50s/60s’ Hollywood-inspired architectural constructs and designs, with big (and some neon) signs hanging on them from different angles. Some had signs that cried, “Welcome to Hollywood!” and “30 miles/hour limit” and stuff like that.

There was a street corner designed after the famous Batman’s Gotham City, with man-made crates and fire escapes running all over the place to add Batman-authenticity and feel to the whole place. The funny thing is—I couldn’t see Batman anywhere. Maybe he’s gone to sleep during the day?

And don’t even get me started on the other sections in the park, because the whole descriptive mania would be endless. But I would go on and on anyway, because I had a HOLLYGREAT time!

As I advanced down the whimsical streets, a huge White-House-like edifice rose up before me, with lion statues flanking it. It was grandeur, if you ask me. It was like the World State Library or something, and I couldn’t resist to snap, snap, and snap away!

It really felt all-Hollywood. And all the shops had their own unique architectural design, tailored to specific characters, such as Betty Boop or Shrek. They’re so special and unique in their own way that passing each shop felt like passing a new continent or country with its own different sets of culture.

And the popcorn cart looked amusing. I could just gobble up the artificial popcorn bucket jutting out of its roof!

And I also journeyed into the world of Madagascar, which oozed Madagascarian animals here and there and everywhere. OK, actually. I think these animals went into hibernation mode, because they only come out during certain periods, doing the funny Madagascar dance, which comprised the penguins and all sorts of hilarious creatures! After the whacky dance ended, it was time for line-up (in my words, FAOA [Further Aggravation or Annoyance]) if you want to take pictures with these characters. Why do we have to line up every single second just to pose with our loveable characters? It’s crazy! I managed to pose with one of the characters, which was like winning hard-to-get jackpot.

And as I waltzed down the Madagascar world, I could see trees rising up around me, with stands designed to mirror the Madagascar feel in every style and build. Giant, colorful umbrella popped out from roofs, and the benches were sheltered with fake leaves to emanate jungle feel. It was an out-the-world experience for me!

And oh boy. Don’t get me started on Shrek, because I may go wonderfully insane!

IT WAS INSANELY AWEEEEEEEESOME!

Yes, I was in Far, Far Away Land. A magnificent Shrekian Castle loomed before me, pulling my feet as fast as they could towards the gate bridge that would lead me to the world of Shrek.

Character statues from Shrek were scattered here and there, smiling their warm welcome at me. Whimsically-constructed food stands lined the path, drawing hungry and half-hungry and non-hungry visitors with their magical Shrekky allure. I love one of the stands, which had the Gingerbread stamp all over it! Cleverly designed to reflect the world of Shrek we’ve seen in the movies.

A gold-plated sphere in the nearby fountain salivated crystal-clear water, adding to the magical spark the kingdom of Shrek was already shooting out like rain. Even the bathroom had a special Shrek feel to it, integrating every aspect of Shrekness to it.

Oooh! I caught the Shrek 4D! Yes, it was a completely magical experience, far, far away and near. When I edged down the pathway toward the Shrek 4D theater, Shrekness was spelt everywhere around me, in the designs of the walls and decors on them. I was ushered into a dim chamber, where a crazy guy rambled on about rules and regulations, and that if you didn’t abide by them, you would be flogged, or cast into the Iron Maiden and stuff.

And then, I was whisked into a theater-4D experience, with my lime-green Ogre glasses on! Wow! I can’t begin to tell how much excitement my heart throbbed with, as I anticipated the Shrek 4Dness ready to greet me. The characters came to live (literally) on screen, as if they were within your grasp. Yes, they just floated around you, as if they were really like three inches away from you. And my seat jerked around during the fast-paced journey scenes, splattering water droplets on me when a funny spitting scene was involved and some other water-related scenes. And if you have arachnophobia, you can forget about trying this attraction. Because spiders just crawled over me, and I could literally feel their spidery legs and fur on you! Yes, what amazing effects they have! It was so enjoyable that I kept laughing and just having a good time during the 4D journey!

Love it!

Oooh! Not to forget the Mummy Returns attraction! Yes, the world of mummies enveloped me as I set foot into a land of pyramids and ginormous Egyptian statues, towering over me like crazy! Artifical desert flora and fauna added an Egyptian ambience to the place, with fake digging sites scattered around.

And I had a mummified experience! I took the Mummy Returns rollercoaster ride! It was an out-of-the-universe experience! It was fast, fast, exhilaratingly fast and so exciting that I just wanted to go spin round and round forever. To get to the rollercoaster, I had to tread path down the long dim-litted Egyptian maze, filled with critters and stuff. And I took the front-row seat of the rollercoaster! I wanted the first view of everything, because I would hate myself if I didn’t experience everything firsthand from the front row.

And suddenly, the whole place was cast into ghostly darkness. And the rollercoaster started to advance, slowly at first, and then just went wild and berserk, jolting suddenlt to the left and right without warning, and dropping steeply down rapidly like crazy, and suddenly going into a speedy backward motion, drawing screams from out throats! Scary-looking mummies waited eerily on either side, doing creepy stuff. The rollercoaster zoomed all around inside the dark tunnel, with occasional lights exploding here and there, and critters popping out.

IT WAS FUN!!!!!

I so wanted to go for the Mummy ride again, but I needed to save my screaming for the upcoming thrill ride.

And then, there was the Sci-Fi world! Futuristic architecture was etched in the designs of the park’s buildings, and a giant rollercoaster stood up imposingly. Robotic structures added a futuristic flavor to the park, with robots standing in corners or behind windows here and there.

And then, there was the Dinosaur world, which cried “COME IN, COME IN” glaringly with its monstrous green dinosaur structures. I went for the Jurassic Park ride, buying myself a $2 disposable raincoat because the girl said that we’d get all soaked.

So I stepped into the circular boat, clad in my raincoat, as I clutched the railing. Then, the boat started to glide down the fast-moving rapids, bumping the walls here and there, as prehistoric dinosaurs fell upon my sight. Fake, pre-recorded roars sounded out, with occasional squeaks from wild insects.

And then, there was the sudden plunge, as the boat rolled steeply down and water splashed all over me. Well, I was a bit damp, but not COMPLETELY SOAKED! Even if I didn’t buy the raincoat, I wouldn’t be soaked all over. That crazy girl said in a you need-to-buy-or-else-get-doomed kind of way that we would be soaked all over like flood, but really, it wasn’t that ‘apocalypse’. She probably said that to get people to buy the raincoats, adding $$$ to their revenue (and her wage, of course). Crazy girl. Wasted my $$$ on something I don’t seriously need. Even for a $2.

And then, I rose to greatness with the Dino Soarin’ ride, which was a roller-coaster kind of ride in which your legs get suspended in the air, as you glide in the air with a bird’s-eye-view of the theme park. It was a great feeling, being up in the air while the ride zipped up and down and made certain turns.

Like I said, Universal Studios Singapore is very small, when you compare it to the ones in Japan or the US. I mean, I could even finish touring the theme park in less than a day. So there weren’t much ‘worlds’ to explore, and thus, the wonderful journey had to end quicker than you soon had to expect.

Oooh! And I was certainly famished, of course. The thrill-laden journey had my stomach growling for foooood! So I stopped by Mel’s Drive-In for my burgersssssssss!!!! Yummy, yummy, yummy and double yumminess down across my tongue down to my esophagus and down to satisfaction!

I can’t begin to describe (again) how much fun I had. There were other many rides I went on that are not listed here, but hey, it’s visual enough for me. It’s the memories that I will treasure the most, and the experience etched in my soul forever and eva.

I’ll never forget my experience there at Universal Studios.

Oh, yeah, about the casino. I almost forgot! Now why was it TRAUMATIZING for me? OK, on my first trip there, I actually won on my first few bets. Later, I got greedy, and in the end, I ended with the same amount of money I came in with.

On my second trip, I gambled again, gaining profit again. Because of my greed, I risked my earnings with a high bet, and in the end, LOST quite an amount!

And that was why it was TRAUMATIZING! The lesson here is—when you win, don’t let GREED take you over. Just walk away with your earnings, and walk away FAST!

The hotel I stayed was so perfectly charming, and elegant! The ceiling had a beautifully-designed panel, and its blend of styles and designs just took my breath away.

I never cooped myself up in the hotel for long, because the world out there was waiting for me to conquer it (in particular—UNIVERSAL STUDIOS … and also [weakly] the casino). Maybe I’ll have better luck next time in the casino. Maybe I should bring a rabbit’s foot. (Note to self: Rabbit’s foot to casino for future trips.)

I will always dream that I’m in Hollywood.

It’s just a mile away.

There’s no place like Universal Studios.

All I have to do is click my shoes together.

And I’m there.

A World Without FB

2010-11-03T12:19:00.000+08:00

I’ve finally deactivated my FB account. Which is actually a good thing, considering that reading FB on a daily basis is sucking my time away from reading normal things, like things made out of paper (which in return are made out of trees) and all that normal stuff. I want to see how it’s like living a month (or maybe 2, or heck, make it a year!) without FB!

I know that some people can’t live without FB for days, or maybe minutes. Or maybe seconds. These are called FB-dicts. They’re so obsessed with FB that FB is practically taking a toll on their lives.

I need an out from FB. At least for the moment. I want to savor the pre-FB days, before FB took over our lives. I miss those old days when we’d sit under the apple tree, curled up with a good book (instead of FB-ing away on my Ipad and stuff).

FB is history now. I just want to go back to the basics, that’s all. NO more FB for me. I’ve kind of boycotted FB, until I gain my priorities and set things straight.

I’ve forgotten how it feels to live like there was never any FB. Yes, FB is prevalent, so omnipotent in our lives, in our universe.

It’s just that potent that it just sucks that inherent part of you.

I think FB is a cool thing, and all this tech stuff is great, but I need to go back to the time that was pre-FB era.

Before FB, I spent most of my time reading books and stuff, and I enjoyed the world of fantasy and fiction. Just smelling that whiff of paperback. Feeling the crisp paper as I flip from page to page.

But with the advent of FB, these experiences started to diminish, albeit not so significantly. But still, it does take a toll on me in some ways.

OK. So no FB. Deactivated. I’ll just go back to the basics.

Live simply. Life’s just simple.

Dreams

2010-09-27T11:20:00.002+08:00

It all begins with a dream—a big dream. It all begins with a seed of dreams, that hold the biggest dreams of dreams. It starts with a fantasy, that starts with a simple dream. Dreams are made to be embraced, loved. Dreams are clouds you walk on, fluffy, unreal, but all there nevertheless. Dreams can sing out a melody, of hopes and wishes.

The beautiful song they play carries you to a world where no dreams have ever traveled before. Dreams are special, and they’re made to be special. They can be broken, but dreams are fragments of desire that can reconnect soon enough, if you wish hard enough. That’s what dreams are—you don’t have to force them to be a reality, they’re reality in the dreams of themselves.

They can be real if you believe, because dreams, are made to be achieved.

Total ECLIPSE of Bella’s Heart

2010-09-24T08:58:00.001+08:00

Bella Swan apparently loves to torture the encephala of a vampire and a werewolf. So will she choose six-packs over fangs? We all know how a girl likes it when two guys (or supernatural creatures) fawn over her silly. Bella obviously loves all the attention and stuff, but (pretends) to be this emotionally-tortured damsel in distress, trying to figure out who she really wants: Edward or Jacob. But at the meantime, she’s enjoying it, even though she’s not saying it out LOUD.

So when Edward fights Jacob over her, she secretly likes it, but (pretends) to detest this whole confrontation. But really, like I said, who doesn’t love all the center of attention? She has to put a stop to it one way or the other. This is just one thing about Bella Swan that you have to know about.

So did she choose Edward or Jacob?

If you’re Team Jacob, you’re probably hanging posters of Jacob on your wall with his abs staring at you every morning you wake up.

If you’re Team Edward, you probably have secret fantasies that your blood get sucked dry in the middle of the night by the alluring imaginary vampire you’ve always conjured up in your times of loneliness.

So whose side are you on?

I mean, Edward doesn’t have the six-packs like Jacob has, so Jacob one-ups him in that department.

And really, do werewolves walk around the forest half-nekkid all the time without their shirt on? (This statement may solicit howls of pleasure from women who have fascination with werewolves and their pecs and stuff).

Yes, most of the time when I watched Eclipse, I keep seeing Jacob walking here and there without anything on (but thank God he had his pants on!).

Bella apparently likes this, but pretends to be this emotionally-tortured damsel in distress, split between the decision of having to choose either Edward or Jacob. Obviously, she can’t have both, because if she did, Edward would bite Jacob’s head off, and Jacob would tear Edward apart.

Bella secretly likes this, but of course, she WANTS her boyfriend to be in one-piece after this is all over.

Girls everywhere must be envying Bella now.

And why doesn’t Bella want to get turned into a vampire, even though Edward wants to sink his fangs into her?

Like I said, Bella wants to be sure of her feelings; either they’re for Edward or for Jacob.

But seriously, like I said, it has to do with playing with the hearts of the boys. What girl doesn’t like all the attention?

Seeing the dilemma that Bella is going through, Bella should just let Edward bite her. Change her into a vampire so that Jacob doesn’t have a chance with her.

But this is not to say that I’m Team Edward. Basically, I’m Team NONE.

In my honest opinion, Bella should pack her bags and start dating normal human beings. OK. Or maybe Carlisle.

Yes, Carlisle looks much smarter and wiser than both Edward and Jacob combined. Those guys are fighting themselves silly over Bella that they just can’t tell how silly they are.

Bella, go get someone as wise as Carlisle. Or anyone else, for that matter.

But I can’t blame Bella. I mean, almost every supernatural creature wants her. If rocks could talk and walk, I think even the rocks also want her.

So who will Bella choose?

If you watch Eclipse, you’d know.

But don’t get yourself frustrated over Bella’s romantic choice. It’ll just make you go crazy.

Apparently, all that hard work in the gym constructing all that six-packs didn’t make Bella choose Jacob.

Jacob should just buy a six-pack of beer and drown his sorrows.

Bella, oh, Bella.

Edward. Jacob. Edward. Jacob. Edward.

The world goes crazy over your love life.

Apprenticed to Sorceror's Apprentice

2010-08-26T10:12:00.001+08:00

When I watched The Sorceror’s Apprentice, I thought that the dead Mickey Mouse was going to float down from heaven and start rolling from there (instead of the grave). I mean, Mickey was the first per—I mean—mouse, to become the sorceror’s apprentice. Remember Fantasia? Mickey helped popularize it! He made Sorceror’s Apprentice rock! (sort of)

But after watching the whole movie, Mickey Mouse can finally float back up to heaven and start doing the flamenco dance. Yes.

It was that awesommmmmmmmmmmmmmmme!!!

I mean, I’d have never thought that Disney could pull this off! Science and magic. Magic and science. I mean, you don’t have to be a science nerd to like this. It’s just pure genius in its own Disneyish way, I guess.

Nicholas Cage was so fantastic in this! He stars as Balthazor, one of the apprentices. He’s so convincing that I nearly wanted to run from my seat and jump into the movie screen and start doing crazy stuff.

Jay Baruchel plays Dave, a nerdy science boy, who’s actually the Prime Merlinean! But Dave’s so nerdy that he doesn’t even believe that he’s Merlin’s Chosen One. He rather experiments with Tesla wires and stuff instead of flying on metal Gargoyles in the city.

Jay’s acting skills are kind of … nerdy. But he’s supposed to be nerdy! Nerdy + Nerdy = Cool Nerdiness of all Nerdinesses.

I so like the whole plot. I could have never imagined that Fantasia could be transformed into something with much more substance than its original one.

In the movie in which it takes us back to centuries past, Nicholas (aka Balthazor) battles Morgana (an evil sorceress) with Veronica (another apprentice). As Morgana’s about to finish off Nicholas, Veronica comes to his rescue.

She absorbs Morgana’s soul into her body, trapping her inside. But Morgana tries to kill her from within, and in order to prevent that, Nicholas traps them in a nesting doll (aka the Grimhold).

And the only person who can defeat Morgana is the Prime Merlinean (aka Jay Baruchel in the present time).

Now, Morgana’s not just an evil sorceress. She’s an evil sorceress with a mission; to perform the Rising spell, which will awaken all the dead Morganians who attempt to take over the world.

So in the present, Nicholas eventually finds Jay (aka Dave aka Prime Merlinean aka please-don’t-confuse-me-with-so-many-akas-whatsoever). Nicholas doesn’t age over the centuries because of Merlins’s magic.

At first, Jay doesn’t want to become the Prime Merlinean. He thinks that it’s stupid, and that he’s not really the one. How can he be the Prime Merlinean when his life is in horrible shape? And for one thing, he’s such a nerd. He can’t even get the girl he likes to like him back. Stuff like that.

But after several strings of incident (especially the incident at Chinatown where Jay defeats a dragon), Jay finally decides to take this whole Prime Merlinean business for real, and wants to have more magical practice and training.

So Nicholas trains him day by day, helping to teach him how to capture fire and create plasma and stuff.

And when Jay finally gets the hang of it (sort of), he becomes more confident. And in one scene, he conjures up the magic spell (a la Fantasia) which makes all brooms and mops come to animated life, and they all help him clean.

But the problem is … they help him OVERclean!!! Buckets of water spill everywhere, and you can like see flood in the basement.

Jay doesn’t even know how to stop the spell. Nicholas finally comes to his aid, and the magic stops!

I never thought that I would see this kind of stuff in a live action movie. I mean, I saw Fantasia and the old Mickey Mouse clip of The Sorceror’s Apprentice, and they’re all animated!

So to see something like this is SO cool!

And Jay meets a girl (aka Becky) whom he likes, and I don’t need to give you a complete visual of what happens … I mean, you imagine.

But Nicholas, of course, disapproves of this. But how can he stop love? Even MAGIC can’t stop love from loving itself. OK, you get the picture.

In the end, Jay goes off to fight Morgana, and he does it with style: magic and science. Apparently, a lot of magic that happened derive from the application of science. I almost got Physics-related headache watching this.

Actually, Morgana’d been trapped in the Grimhold, but a stupid man named Horvath released her so she could perform The Rising!

I love it that Jay clobbered Morgana with SCIENCE! I love science, but too much of it can make me go crazy as well. Oh, and a bit of magic. OK, maybe a lot of magic.

In the end, there’s lot of kissing between Jay and Becky to conclude the whole movie. OK, maybe I dreamed that part up. Maybe just a bit of kissing. Or maybe a lot. I can’t remember.

Why are kissing scenes always prevalent in the end of a movie? I blame that for making my brain delusional.

Anyway, this movie is fun to watch, in a Disneyish sort of way.

I don’t think it’s like the BEST movie of the century, but it is best enough for me to watch over lousy popcorn (which actually tasted salt-less, even though they should taste salty!)

Mickey Mouse is probably Fantasia-ing in his coffin now.

DREAMS DO COME TRUE (so says INCEPTION)

2010-07-28T09:45:00.002+08:00

INCEPTION is brilliantly … brilliant. Now, I’m not saying this because I’m in the third layer of a dream or something, but I’m writing this in my state of reality. To prove it, I’ve just used my liquid paper bottle as a totem. I spun it, and it fell. There. Satisfied?

Inception seems like a smart movie, and it is. But it’s also a little dumb, scientifically speaking. I mean, the van door wasn’t supposed to open when it’s submerged inside water, right? You know, pressure and physics and stuff. So enlighten me on that. Obviously, scientific correctness isn’t important as long as you’re dreaming.

And everyone needs to stop guessing how the ending is like, because Christopher Nolan obviously knows how to torture a brain. Believe me, this kind of ending is called a “suspense” ending. It’s not supposed to tell you what will happen. But to let you decide based on what you’ve seen in the chain of events of the movie.

And it’s meant to help generate our interest in the movie, you know, making us crack our brains silly over the ending. Because that’s just human nature. We want answers, so we start speculating the ending.

So I rest my case there. I’m not going to lose sleep and plunge into layers and layers of dream because I’m obsessing over the ending.

Because it’s a suspense ending. That’s the way it works.

If you wanna believe that the top stops spinning and that it’s a reality, then believe it. Because you’re more inclined toward happy endings. You know, you want to see Cobb return to his kids, and then he finally gets the chance to see their faces after a successful dream mission.

If you wanna believe that the top continues spinning and that it’s all a dream, then believe it. Because you’re more inclined toward “unresolved” endings, which spur and play on our human emotions. Unresolved endings are normally endings that deviate from the norm, and are meant to inject curiosity, which furthers grip our interest.

So Christopher Nolan has succeeded well in doing the two of the above. Because we, as audience, can fall into any of the above category.

And the ending is brilliantly crafted like that to open up to future possibilities of a sequel!

See what I mean? Commercial and curiosity? They work!

So please don’t lose sleep over trying to crack your heads silly.

It’s meant to make you go cuckoo a little. Take it as you think it is.

Don’t go kill yourself in the second layer of your dream just thinking about this.

Because you may go into limbo and go crazy for the rest of your life!

So what’s this movie all about?

OK. Basically, it’s about dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream. It may sound confusing at first, but really, it’s simple.

You dream of yourself in a dream. And ‘that’ yourself dreams of yourself again. And the cycle goes on.

Now, I know that dreams are always a good thing. But too much dreaming can be bad.

No wonder kids love to daydream a lot in school these days, losing focus on their studies!!! The teachers don’t know that they have gone limbo!!!

The only solution is to stop dreaming too much. Because too much dreaming can cause nightmares!

In the movie, Leornardo Dicaprio (aka Cobb) is actually a dream stealer. He enters into somebody’s dream and steals any secrets they have hidden in them. And Leornado works with a team of extractors, who help him steal those secrets.

And you have a dream architect who designs the layout of the dream and stuff.

Leonardo is assigned by Saito to implant a thought into a powerful mogul’s son, Robert Fischer, who’s a threat to Saito’s business monopoly. Saito wants Leornado to perform inception in Fischer’s mind that will make him turn against his own business empire.

So in order to do this, they need to go into three layers of dream! Now, isn’t that insane????

I mean, one dream for me can already drive me insane! What more to say three layers of dream???

I hope Leornado doesn’t end up in an asylum by now because of dream-post-traumatic-stress.

So they get this girl called Ariadne, who learns to design (or architect) dreams. And they have Eames (who shapeshifts and stuff) and Arthur and also Yusuf (who’s like this chemist they need to help sedate all of them into three layers of dream!).

So when Fischer is on the plane, Leornado secretly sedates him. And then, the extractors all fall into sleep, entering into Yusuf’s dream (which doesn’t seem all nice, because it’s POURING RAIN!)

Can’t Yusuf have better dreams? Really.

The team successfully kidnaps Fischer, trying to “extract” information. Eames even shapeshifts into Fischer’s godfather to help perform this task.

But they still need to go to the second layer of dream. And this happens in the van that Yusuf is driving. Everybody goes into sleep again (except Yusuf, that is. He needs to drive the van, remember?).

This time, the dream shows a hotel scene. The team further tries to extract more information.

And they need to get to the third layer for what they hope to be the successful extraction! And this time, the next dream involves a snowy mountain. The “information” they need is hidden inside base.

Now, I forget to tell you that Leornado’s wife, Marion Cottilard (or Mal in the movie), keeps haunting Leo in every step of his mission. Actually, Marion’s dead long ago, because of this whole inception thing.

Leo blames himself for her death, because he introduces her to inception. And because of that, they fall deeper and deeper into layers and layers of dream until Marion loses her grasp of reality. Marion commits suicide in the end, thinking that it’s still a dream she’s in, incriminating Leo.

To prevent prosecution, Leo fled away from the States. Saito promised to clear him of the charges if he performs this inception in Fischer for him, so Leo can return to his normal life again.

And in this snowy mountain scene inside the base, Mal pops out and shoots Fischer, this spoiling the whole mission!

But Ariadne has an idea, which has never been executed before. They’d have to go into the fourth layer of dream to follow Cobb in limbo.

They managed to get into the last layer, in which Fischer was successfully returned to the third layer of dream, in which he eventually reveals the secret of what his father left him in the will: a toy windmill.

A toy windmill? You may wonder what it is all about? If you’ve noticed, there’s a picture frame of young Fischer and his father together, in which Fischer is playing with his toy windmill. This picture exemplifies Fischer’s innocence of youth, sending the core message that Fischer become a person he chose to be, not what his father chose.

So the mission is complete!

The team has to return back to reality layer by layer. And when that happens, Leo is finally vindicated (by the grace of Saito) and he returns back to the States.

He’d able to see the faces of his two kids for the very first time after his wife’s death.

When he reaches home, he spins the top again, hoping that this is not all a dream.

But we’ll never get to see whether the top stops spinning or continue spinning.

We can all still “dream on” on this. That is, if you promise not to drive yourself insane with the probability of being forced to run away from your own country.

But like I said, this is an unresolved ending.

It’s like vanilla or chocolate.

Some of us like vanilla. Some of us chocolate.

If you like vanilla, then go for it. If you like chocolate, then be my guest.

But since I like vanilla, I’d go with the happy ending.

Yes, Nolan. Did you hear?

I rate this movie 8.6/10.

I still think that The Last Song wins over Inception hands-down.

The Last Song trumps Inception.

But I’m not saying Inception is not an amazing movie. Because it is.

Yes, INCEPTION is a movie in a league of its own in this year’s line-up of movies.

It’s one of the best of the best.

And all it took … was a dream.

EverLASTingly Beautiful … THE LAST SONG

2010-07-27T09:54:00.002+08:00

The Last Song will always be like a song, playing in my heart like it’s the ‘last song’ (ok, I’m not trying to sound terminal here). It’s seriously the best movie ever for 2010, beating out all the other so-called superficial movies I’ve seen earlier this year. There’s nothing quite like it, and I’ve been gaga over the movie like ever since.

I so need to thank Nicholas Sparks for such a brilliant story adapted for the movie!!! He knows how to tap into emotions and really tug at heartstrings. I practically like every second of the movie, clinging onto it like it was my LAST breath on earth! That is how this powerful this movie is!

OK, what’s so special about this movie? It really explores various themes related to the human heart, issues that grapple with family intimacy, relationships and love. I love how they portray core thoughts and ideas in scenes that are acted out with beauty and subtlety.

I love how the title of the movie, The Last Song, plays deep into the core of the movie, which actually uses the theme of music to weave all the intricacies into a beautiful story with a heartwarming plot.

I love how Ronnie plays the piano during the very few last waking moments of her father.

I love the turtle scene at the beach, where the turtles head freely back to the sea into the beautiful sunset.

I love the part where Ronnie plays piano for the first time.

And I REALLY love this part when Ronnie’s father says this to her: “You’re going to play again. And it’s not to make me happy. And it’s not going to make your mother happy. It’s going to make you happy … because MUSIC and LOVE will bring you joy.”

WOW!!!

That is SO true!!!!!

Do you have moments in life when you really lost interest in something you’re passionate about, like let’s say, playing music? This message is really powerful, because we’re always trying to do things to make others happy.

But the most important thing is to make yourself happy first, and then your inner beauty will shine and that makes others happy!!!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!

This movie is just so awesome, I just can’t stop!

I really, really love the title of the movie. I really do. It reflects the movie like a kaleidoscope of colors!

To understand why I really, REALLY love this movie, I’ll go to the very beginning.

Ronnie Miller is a psychologically rebellious teen who hates her father for leaving her when she was a little girl.

And the worst thing for Ronnie is to be shipped to her father’s house for the summer with her little brother, Jonah.

Ronnie hates her father a lot! That’s the reason that she’s stopped playing the piano, because anger and hatred consumes her to the point that she’s lost interest in doing things that makes her happy.

In case you didn’t know, Ronnie was a child prodigy. She was so good at playing the piano that she had the chance to play at Carnegie Hall!

But the messed-up grown-up Ronnie is the complete opposite of what she was when she was a little girl.

Her parents’ divorce had left her emotionally bitter, and you can see Ronnie’s cold treatment toward her father.

Ronnie meets Will, a cute guy who seems interested in her, and wants to know her better. Ronnie pushes his away, trying not to get involved with him.

But as time goes on with Will’s persistence, Ronnie slowly finds herself liking him.

And the bond between Will and Ronnie became pivotal during the night when they spent a night together by the beach, taking care of the turtle eggs!

They go out on dates together, and become closer.

But later, Ronnie finds out that Will has gone out with other girls before her, and that infuriates her! Because she doesn’t want to be just “another” girl for Will’s enjoyment.

But Will denies that he’s dating her because he’s just one of those girls … BUT because he actually likes her!

Ronnie refuses to believe, but when Will kisses her, Ronnie suddenly feels a great sensation that numbs her senses!!!

Her first kiss!!!!

She’s so on cloud nine that even when she goes back home, joy follows her. Her father teases her that’s she been kissed, because he has never seen her this happy since she arrived at his house.

Ronnie wants to get mad at her dad, but she can’t, because she’s so consumed with her overpowering emotions, and she slowly warms up to her dad.

Love is slowly taking over her life! And that’s when the ice starts melting.

Ronnie and Will become much closer and closer each day, and Ronnie finally gets to meet his parents.

But oh-oh. When Ronnie finds out that Will’s ex-girlfriend is invited to his sister’s wedding, she falls back into her gloomy vortex, because Will had never said anything about this!

But Will explained about his brother’s death and the difficulties he has to endure to find emotional closure, and Ronnie’s heart softens for him.

Ronnie’s defenses and hostility slowly crumbles, and she slowly lets her true self be freed for the very first time.

And this is what she said to Will, “There’s something you don’t know about me.”

And she brings Will to a secluded barn-like house, where the piano.

And she starts playing. For the very first time after what seemed like eternity.

And that was really a defining moment. Because, it really was!

To have your interest so bottled up for years and years, and to release it is such a warm feeling that touches your core.

Ronnie goes home, and tell his father, “You know what? I played today … like I’d never stopped.”

Wow. That was completely ethereal.

Ronnie gets invited to the Will’s sister’s wedding, and she imparts the good news to his father at the burned church.

Now, actually, many people in the town believe that Ron’s father was responsible for burning the church. And that has left a black mark on him.

But the truth is, the person responsible is Will’s friend. But I’ll come to that part later.

Ronnie goes to the wedding, looking all glorious in her dress.

And when she returns back home with Will (after an unexpected scuffle at the wedding), Jonah exuberantly invites them to the beach to watch the turtle eggs hatch.

I love this scene a lot!

The baby turtles scuttle slowly to the sea as they watch. It is such a beautiful moment.

But suddenly, Ron’s father collapses, and the scene shifts to the part where they are at the hospital.

Ron tragically finds out that her father is dying of brain cancer that has spread to his lungs, and he cannot be saved.

And when the nurse tells Ron that her father has actually cut back on his medication so he could spend time with his kids, that sets an emotional turmoil inside Ron.

She confronts her father, and is angry with him for not telling them about this in the first place. Just as she was about to have a beautiful relationship with her father and getting to know him better … this HAPPENS!

Ron is overcome with grief, but she knows that she’s loved her dad, and always will.

I feel for Jonah. Like what Ronnie says, “He (Dad)’s never going to get a chance to see him grow up.”

Jonah is so emotionally agitated that he becomes violently persistently in trying to complete the stained glass structure that he and his dad has started earlier.

Actually, this stained-glass structure is to replace the burned one in the church.

So Will helps Jonah in finishing the structure.

And when Ron’s father is discharged, they bring him to the church, where the new stained glass window has been set up.

It is such a beautiful, inexplicable moment, as you see the angel on the stained glass practically smiling with a peaceful glow.

Overcome with guilt, Will pleads for his friend to confess to the accidental burning of the church to clear Ron’s father’s name.

So they go and meet Ron’s father to confess the truth.

But Ron’s father doesn’t want them to incriminate themselves. He doesn’t care what the town people think of him anymore. That really doesn’t matter.

They thank him for his compassion.

But when Ron overhears the conversation, her anger explodes.

She hates Will for the fact that her dying father’s name has been marred because the truth hasn’t gotten out sooner, and asks him to leave.

Ron spends time with her dad to the very last moments.

One night, Ron sees her father sitting by the piano, not playing like he always does.

She asks him, “Have you finished composing the song?”

His father replies, “No. I can’t.”

Ron knows that her father’s illness has gotten worse, and now his hands become affected.

Ron’s father goes to rest on his chair, and Ron looks at the piano sheet on the piano. The song is written for her, with the title “FOR RONNIE”.

But the piece is not complete.

Ron sits down, and slowly plays the beginning of the music piece. She lets all her emotions run through her as she plays.

All the anger. Resentment. Love. Trust. Faith. Hope. Sadness. Course through her.

She becomes true to herself at that very moment.

During the Last Song.

Yes, she is the other integral part of that song.

Her father has half-finished the first part of the song, but he can’t complete it because of his illness.

Now, Ron has to complete the other half of that song.

The Last Song.

For her dad. For their last moment together.

It is their song.

And the Last Song is all it takes.

Beautiful. But yet, sad.

Ron completes playing the song, glad.

As she gets up from the piano, she sees something that make her cry.

Her father is gone. Her father, lying on his chair, has finally succumbed to his illness.

But Ron knows this true to her heart. Her father has listened to that last song.

Their song.

The Last Song.

The scene subsequently shifts to the wake of her father at the church. As Ron is about to play the piece (also known as The Last Song), Will walks into the church.

Now, we don’t know if Ron is still angry at Will, but she probably harbors some resentment.

But as Ron turns to look at the stained glass window, and the sun slowly filters through it, shining with a smiling glow.

She knows that her father is there, and says, “Hi, Dad”. And she knows that her dad would want her to forgive all the people she love.

And she starts playing.

Beautiful.

So beautiful.

After the wake, Will walks up to Ron and says, “What you played was beautiful. I know your dad would have liked it.”

Time passes, and the scene shows Ron packing her things at her father’s house. She keeps all the “junks” of memories she and her father had shared.

As she is packing, she sees a familiar figure down at the beach.

It is Will!

She runs to him, happiness all over her.

Will apologizes to her, and Ron does the same, by saying, “We all make mistakes, even the people we love.”

Ron will be going to Juilliard to pursue her studies, and Will has been accepted to Columbia (where he’ll be closer to Ron, geographically speaking, and where Ron will have the chance to watch him ‘make a few more mistakes’. Ha ha).

The last scene show Ron in a jeep, ready to drive back home to her mom and Jonah.

And on the back of the Jeep, lay her father’s piano and his favorite chair.

Yes, her father still lives.

Through The Last Song.

Through music.

Because music and love has brought her joy.

Beautiful.

I rate this movie 9.6/10.

It is simply remarkably done. The plot and the intricacies of it all.

I’ll never forget.

This movie that plays like a song in my heart.

That plays music and love.

Because it is everLASTing.

If Paris Can, Lindsay Can (as well)

2010-07-21T08:48:00.000+08:00

First, Paris. Then, Lindsay. Next, Brit—OK. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. What’s it with all these celebrities? Is going to jail a new trend I’ve never heard about? Lindsay is going to JAIL! OK, not really “going to jail”. It’s more like going to “summer camp where you get to spend like 50 days or something while roughing it a little”.

So Lindsay, don’t be sad. You’re really going to “summer camp”. They’re just using the word “jail” to frighten the poor little you!

Because of this, I think that the future generation of our young teens and tweens are slowly going to make their way to the cell. Because they’re impressionable! Kids these days emulate what celebrities do.

Like when Brrrritnnnney Spears had her belly button pierced, all the kids went to do it.

And now that Lindsay is going to jail, MARK MY WORDS, kids are slowly going to head over to summer camp. God help them.

I don’t really exactly know why Lindsay is going to jail, but I heard that she got to jail because she violated some terms while on probation for DUI and stuff, I think.

And now she’s going to jail, it’s MAKING SPLASHING NEWS all over the world. I mean, Lindsay got more coverage than the Obama election itself!

And every day (almost, I think), I keep seeing “Lindsay” appearing in Top Yahoo Seaches. I don’t know if people are searching for her because they’re curious or what.

Or they wanted to know how Lindsay ended up in jail so they could do the same thing and end up like her.

Just maybe.

But at least Paris has done her time before. Lindsay needn’t worry too much. Whenever she feels sad or depressed, she just needs to think of the “Mahatma Gandhi” Paris Hilton to inspire and bring her through her trials.

And summer camp wouldn’t be that bad, I guess. I think that the toilet paper roll is probably 3-ply thick and the bed is probably a Hilton Hotel make.

And Lindsay’s only going to spend like, two months in jail? Or less? Depending on how good she behaves.

But I think she’ll behave really, really well. Without access to alcohol and a car to go DUI with, Lindsay will be safe.

She’ll be out soon. Paris has forded over the river. So can Lindsay.

If Paris can, Lindsay can.

We all can.