the readviewer

“I’m a Sherlock Holmes in the Making”

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:13:00 +0000

It's been more than a year since I updated my readviewer site.... kanasai.. =)

But today, things are different.. I am posting again!!!!!.... but before you go WWWWAAAAHHHH....... I got selfish intention also lar....

Was doing work as usual, when I suddenly saw this in twitter....

Apa lagi, straight away went to KYcakap punya website and looked for this:

Dengan happynyer, I'm going to send an email to nuffnang and hope that they'll give me some more freebies in addition to the free tickets....

Please yeah nuffnang!!!=)

Now let's hope that this will give me a kick in my lazy @$$ to start writing again.....

eagle eye, chicken feet?

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:32:00 +0000

Courtesy of Nuffnang, I had the privillege of being invited to a premier screening of the latest movie from Steven Spielberg last month...

The movie: Eagle Eye, starring Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan.

To be honest, the waves that was generated for this movie felt more like tame ripples, but it carried the heavyweight name of Spielberg, whose name is etched in our memories forever because of movies like E.T., Indiana Jones, Men In Black and the very graphic Saving Private Ryan. I need to digress a little, but did you know that Spielberg was also responsible for monster hits in my childhood like Pinky and the Brain, and ANIMANIACS!!

So, back to the movie premiere. After having dinner, decided to head over to the GSC Cinema in 1-Utama to collect the movie tickets. However, before reaching the movie premiere, I saw someone who looked like he could use some serious help... honestly, it's not easy doing this 24-7....

So, obviously being the good Malaysian, I tried to help him out....

The only problem was, I had to go soon for my movie screening... so, with great reluctance, I had to leave Mr. Celcom Monk there......

Went and collected the tickets.....

and of course headed straight into the cinema hall...

Eagle Eye wasn't a film that I had been really anticipating, so I went in with fairly not much expectation.

The movie plot revolves around the plot of two random strangers, Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Hollaman (Monaghan) who are pitted together by a mysterious woman. The only thing that they know about this woman, is that she can see everything that they do and and she knows EVERYTHING about them. She needs them to follow her instructions, failing which dire consequences await.

The acting skills of LeBeouf and Monaghan were pretty good, but for me, the show stoppers in the movie were actually two very talented actors who I didn't know were in the movie.

Presenting, Defense Secretary Callister:

... played by Michael Chiklis (of the series "The Shield")

and also presenting, Agent Thomas Morgan:

...played by the very versatile and extremely talented Billy Bob Thornton

For this readviewer, these two actors stole the show.

However, besides the acting, the plot wasn't exactly very groundbreaking. It was more just a slicker presentation of previous shows such as Enemy of the State and The Net. Even more heartbreaking was that the villian I suspected (and was desperately hoping wouldn't be the case) turned out to be true...

Someone once told me, sometimes, you just gotta give logic a rest and just enjoy the movie. Do that, and I'm sure you'll enjoy Eagle Eye.

Until the next post, this readviewer is signing off!

The legacy of communism in Malaysian democracy

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:36:00 +0000

That's a pretty provocative statement isn't it? Yes, I will not be surprised if some readers even leave insulting and nasty comments just because of the title itself. But I still stand by my conviction that communism has left its mark on this country's democracy until today without most of us knowing it. Read on....

The year was 1948. Malaya, under the rule of the British, was in a state of disarray, still trying to recover from World War II (WWII). To make things even worse, they were also battling communist insurgents who were organising guerrilla attacks. The British had declared a state of Emergency after 3 European plantation managers were murdered in Perak. They also passed the Emergency Regulations Ordinance 1948 which allowed the detention of person(s) suspected of being communist sympathizers or helping the communists for up to a period of 1 year WITHOUT trial. The British labelled this as "preventive detention", or today's corporate culture, it would be called being proactive.

In 1960, the state of Emergency was ended and by then, Malaya had already achieved its independance from her colonnial masters. However, the threat of these Communist guerrillas was far from distinguished and communist sympathizers were still many. The Malayan government decided that preventive detention was still needed and passed the Internal Security Act (ISA) under Article 149.

Today, 48 years later, the threat of communists planning guerrilla attacks and communist sympathizers have all but evaporated. The only communists left are those who relate to their ideology and yet still enjoy the perks of democracy. Heck, even China themselves cannot be called a true communist regime when they condone capitalism! But yet, the ISA still exists in the Malaysian Constitution.

Even more disturbing, this law that was intended to be used against terrorists and threats against national security has been abused time and time again to serve the interests of those in power. In 1987, the biggest abuse of the ISA was done under Ops Lalang. 106 Malaysian citizens were arrested and detained without trial under the ISA.

More recently, a little over a week ago actually, the ISA keris was again unsheathed and 3 people were detained under ISA. The famous internet-journalist / blogger / expose king Raja Petra Kamaruddin, better known as RPK in the cyberspace was detained along with Teresa Kok (MP Seputeh) and Tan Hoon Cheng, the Sin Chew Daily News reporter.

RPK behind bars

Besides the 3 names stated, others who have suffered under this draconian act are figures like Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Karpal Singh, Chandra Muzaffar, Maximus Ongkili and Jeffrey Kittingan, just to drop a few names.

The longest imprisonment under ISA was Loo Ming Liong, detailed for 16 YEARS (1972 -1988) because he was SUSPECTED to be a communist.

As far I know, none of these people have been brought to court to be tried for the charges to which they imprisoned under ISA. Some of these figures have been brought to court and charged, but the charges were either not the same, or amended. How unfair is that?

ISA was an act that was initiated because of the unrest in Malaya at that time and because of the threat of communist agendas. These agendas are gone (the Bangkok treaty is proof of that), and even Malaya is now Malaysia. Why is ISA still here? Why do we still condone it?

And that is why, the legacy of communism still lives in Malaysian democracy through the use and abuse of the ISA.

Here's a question: Have ANY of the detainees under ISA since 1960 till present day ever been successfully charged and convicted with being communists?

NOTE: This very dissatisfied readviewer is totally against ISA, regardless of who uses it and who it is used on. Anyone who is deemed to be a threat should be given their day in court and a chance to defend themselves. Until the day ISA is abolished, this readviewer readily maintains that Malaysia does not practice democracy. Rather, is only practices an illusion of what democracy should be.

PS: For those of you who would like to know more about ISA and speak up against it, there will be a forum entitled Abolish ISA tomorrow. The details are given below:

Date: Tuesday, 23rd September 2008
Time: 8.00pm
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela, Kuala Lumpur
Admission: FREE (bring your friends)

Panel of speakers include:

Lim Guan Eng (Chief Minister of Penang, former ISA detainee)
Teresa Kok (MP - Seputeh, former ISA detainee)
Khalid Samad (MP - Shah Alam)
Nurul Izzah Bt Anwar (MP - Lembah Pantai)
Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan (Lawyer / Bar Council President)
Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (Chairman, Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA aka GMI)

The wives of the current ISA detainees (Raja Petra Kamaruddin aka RPK, M. Manoharan and V. Ganabathirao) wil be present and will be given the opportunity to speak

the best place to eat during Ramadhan...

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:49:00 +0000

What do most young working adults in Malaysia have in common? The fact that most don't cook at home. And it's no different with this readviewer, who only ever seems to cook when there is a party or pot-luck to attend. Otherwise, there just doesn't seem to be time. Don't you think so too?

So anyway, right now, my Muslim friends would be going through the month of Ramadhan, the fasting period for Muslims all around the world. We locals call it "bulan Puasa" (fasting month).

But you know what's the funny thing? Even my non-Muslim Chinese and Indian friends eagerly look forward to Ramadhan (yeah, me too, me too!). Why so, you may be asking? Because of the Ramadhan Bazaars (we locals call it Pasar Ramadhan) that blossom all over Malaysia during this time... they sell really wonderful Malay food and let me tell you, this is the BEST place to buy stuff and then stuff your face... so while our Muslim friends buy food to prepare to break their fast, we non-Muslims are basically just being ~~greedy~~ Malaysian.

And so, being seduced by the wonderful evening breeze, the bright evening sun and a greedy lust for food, this readviewer headed over to the Pasar Ramadhan to check out the fair that they had to offer...

It's really hard to miss a Pasar Ramadhan because ANY free place around it is always automatically turned into a parking lot. The wonderful thing that I noticed about this Pasar Ramadhan was the fact they actually got their motorcycles parked in order! WOW!

The other reason you can't miss the Pasar Ramadhan is because the smell of food basically invades your nostrils and you can't help but just walk towards it... in my case, it was the smell eminating from the satay stall....

And right at the next stall, I'm already fascinated... it wasn't so much the fact that it was nice juicy chicken wings for sale, but more the fact that the owner had additional items on sale....

...just what on earth is TONGKEN and PEDAL, I have no idea... I didn't see anything much there to help solve the mystery either...and I was a bit shy to ask the pakcik what it was also... so just pretend bodoh sombong ler! =) Ok, but seriously, anyone can help me out here?

Moving along, I see a mountain of debris right next to this shop. This sugar cane seller is definitely getting very good sales.. I mean, look at the amount of sugar cane he's crushed!!!

And if you guys thought the names tongken and pedal are mind boggling, check out what this stall had to offer!

These guys really bring a new meaning to the term "succulent bone marrow"! I mean, they actually sell the bone marrow with a straw for you to suck it out from! I couldn't help myself this time...

The conversation was in Bahasa Malaysia but I've included an English translation with what was probably happening in our heads while talking)

ignorant fool AKA me: Bang, yang ni macam mana nak makan? Sedut je? (Hey man, how on earth do I eat this funky looking bone? Do I just suck it out like some drink?)

bewildered seller: Ah, ya lah. Sedut je! Nak beli? Cubalah! (Like duh! Just suck it you moron. That's what the straw is for! Say, wanna buy one to try? I mean, you've already wasted 2 minutes and 3 customers of my time)

ignorant fool AKA me: Berapa harga dia? (Well, not to be insulting or anything, how much do I gotta pay for this bone which I would usually get for free from the market?)

bewildered seller: Murah je, RM13.00... tapi kita bagi dengan daging dan soup sekali (because you wasted my time, it's RM13.00. But because you look like nice guy, I'll throw in some beef and soup as well...numbskull)

Well, that was as far as it got.. I wasn't gonna pay RM13.00 of my hard earned money to figure out how bone mush tastes like.

But just in case you foreigners wanna try this soup concoction next time, it's called:

After walking around, I couldn't take it.. I had to stop taking photos and start buying. It wasn't just the fact that I was getting real hungry, but it also had to do with the fact that I was getting a few curious looks about what this clown is doing taking photos in a Pasar Ramadhan when everyone else was more interested in buying the food....

I saw this stall selling corn, but it wasn't your normal corn that is steamed.. it was roasted corn... yummy! Bagi 1 jagung panggang kak!

My greedy tummy then led me to the stall that sold briyani rice. Yes, technically briyani is an Indian dish, but hey, if it's good, I'm not gonna complain. There were a few stalls selling briyani rice, but this shop had the rice that looks SO good.. look at all those cashew nuts just begging to be eaten!

After buying the nasi briyani with beef, it was time to get a drink. The sugar cane stall was kinda tempting, but air mata kucing won in the end....

Then it was time to get more food... I love kebabs.. so off we went to get kebabs... but opposite the kebab shop, I saw something else.. it was Roti John (literally translated: John's bread). And it wasn't just your run of mill Roti John... it was SPECIAL Roti John....

The photo is a little blur, but then again, I was running out of battery and didn't have a spare with me. So, my apologies for that.

So, what is John's Bread? John's Bread is basically a long piece of bread, almost half the length of your french loaf which is cut down the middle. A mumbo-jumbo mix of eggs, chicken, beef, and black pepper sauce is beaten together and then poured onto the middle of the bread which is then cooked on a hot surface (somebody help me with the proper term, I got a word-block right now) until nice and fragrant. Thankfully, I still managed this shot with my battery precariously low on batt....

Usually, this is where a normal post would end... but NO, on the readviewer, we go the extra mile to show you what it looks like just before all the food ends up my greedy little tummy... heheh.....

And of course, the last shot... the picture of the greedy readviewer before he chomps down everything like the glutton that he is....

Until the next post, this is the readviewer signing off.... to go get himself fatter than he already is! =)

B&N: Subang's best kept secret?

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:42:00 +0000

So, here's the scenario... it's night time and we're travelling along the main road when suddenly I'm told to turn left into this contruction looking area..... and stop there.

The only difference between a Hollywood movie and the scenario I was in was that nobody died or gets shot in the head. And the other difference, I'm supposed to be on the way to dinner!

Well anyway, after passing this under-construction building, yours truly suddenly sees some bright lights that dance on my car window, enthusiastically beckoning you....

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Subang's best kept secret: Ben & Nick's Diner, or more fondly known as B&N Diner

Looking at the fairy lights already makes me warm and fuzzy... eh, seriously lah... don't tell me even this photo doesn't make you feel all happy and feel like going... aaaaaahhhhhHHHH......puas.

But eh, makan also not yet... sorry... got carried away....ok ok, back to B&N...
Once I got over the very pretty lights, I go in and I'm greeted by none other than famous Jim:

The first thing that I notice is the very homely feeling that you get. The furnishing and decoration is simple, but nice. It's not wannabe, but it's not tacky either....

After that, very quickly, the next thing that hits me is... "WAH, a bit small right the place?"

Seriously, B&N has a very small seating area inside......but after you sit down and look at the table, you feel as if the decoration on the table is there specifically to answer what every other Tom, Dick and Harry is wondering about the space.....

They provide us with menus and straight away I knew that I already liked this place. Anyone with menus like this definitely gets into this readviewer's good books.... funny lines and quirky quotes definitely I like! =)

And just because it's not the most famous eatery right now, it does not mean that it hasn't caught the attention of those whose reviews warrant attention...

So, we order our food... and the first dish that comes along is the garlic bread (RM3.90).

Now, the thing that is good about the garlic bread is the fact that they toast it well. And because it is fresh, it is crispy instead of the "masuk angin" feeling. Plus the taste is yummy with enough ingredients. Presentation wise, not so nice, but hey, if the food tastes good, the presentation can close one eye lah!

Next up was the mushroom soup (RM6.90), which was really creamy and yummy. It goes really well with the garlic bread as well! They give a slice of garlic bread with the soup, but for those who really enjoy soup and bread, you might as well order a garlic basket....

The Caesar Salad (RM18.90) that we ordered was a little special because we requested for chicken meat to be used instead of beef. The vegetables are tasty, and the meat is heavily marinated with oregano herbs which gives the meat a very nice taste... for RM18.90, it's pretty pricey for a salad, but the portion is worth the money and there is enough to go round, even for our party of 6.. of course, don't bring all the food killer friends lah... then that one definitely not enough...

The first main dish to arrive was the Cajun Pasta (RM17.80) and it looked good. It also tasted as well as it looked... the chicken meat was tender without that chicken-y taste, the sauce had a unique flavour, unlike your typical pastas, the cheese plentiful, so yeah.. it was good... now look and drool...

My Combo blanket (RM18.90) was the next main dish to arrive and I was smacking my lips in anticipation when it arrived. Beef and chicken meat are grilled well wrapped in a tortilla served with a generous portion of salad... again, the generous use of oregano herbs makes this something to savour and enjoy...

Next up was the Cajun Chicken (RM13.90).... Served with mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a small bowl of sauce, it's really worth the price. I must also add that the coleslaw wasn't murdered with too much mayonnaise which was a plus..

Then the Chicken Chop (RM13.90) arrived... it looked pretty much the same as the Cajun Chicken, except that the sauce is different (mushroom sauce) with peas and the taste of the chicken isn't as nice as Cajun Chicken.

We all ate to our hearts' content and our plates were pretty clean by the time we were through.. here's proof:

After we finished eating, Sonny (the owner of the shop) comes over to find out whose birthday we were celebrating... and guess what? The birthday boy got free apple crumble AND homemade bread and butter pudding, both of which came with a scoop of ice-cream! Wah, we were SO impressed! And I must say, even though we were quite full, greediness took over. And boy was it worth being greedy that night!

bread and butter pudding

apple crumble

We couldn't possibly move at that moment, so we took some time to talk to the owner. Sonny is actually a retiree who decided to start of shop with his 2 sons Ben and Nick. In June 2007, B&N Diner was born... no prizes for gussing what B&N stands for. Ben is actually the chef in the kitchen, while Nick drops by every now and then to help out.

Sonny and his son / chef Ben

It would be worth noting that B&N does cater for specific occasions and the restaurant can be booked for functions...

Due to that and the fact that B&N isn't exactly the biggest place in the world, it would be best if you made reservations before going there to avoid having to stand around with a rumbling tummy...

B&N's opening hours:

I don't have a map and I'm too lazy to draw one, so here the address:

ben & nick's diner (next to Carrefour Subang)
lot g10, e-tiara service apartment,
persiaran kemajuan,
47500 subang jaya.

tel: 016-2010189

Anyone of you been there? Share your experience with us!

till the next readview, this is the readviewer signing off...

PS: Sonny, if you're reading this, my apologies that this readview came out later than expected =)

Are you NANG enough to be INNIT?

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:16:00 +0000

So far, this readviewer has reviewed movies and also some wonderful local news that brings a new meaning to the word "gatal" (that's itchy in English). In the pipeline is also a review of a website, hopefully.... but that's another topic for another day...

But today, I'd like to review the world of Nuffnang. In particular, the readview will focus on this phenomenon of NANG-ing in Nuffnang.

So, let's begin by introducing Nuffnang. I'm not talking about the slang term nuffnang. Rather, I'm referring to the online blog advertising company that was started in Malaysia called "Nuffnang" (although the name of the company did come from the slang term). Nuffnang now have their own offices in Singapore and the Philippines as well. Not bad for a company that only started in February 2007 eh? (Hey Timothy, free publicity for Nuffnang leh! heheh).

(just kidding about the photo Timothy.. really..truly, madly, deeply... please forgive me? heheh)

In 2008, Nuffnang added a new feature to its website called INNIT, a place where nuffnang affiliated bloggers and webmasters could post their latest entries for their contemporaries to view and give their feedback via NANGs or DANGs. A NANG was equivalent to a thumbs-up while a DANG was basically a "YOU SUCK" or thumbs-down. Just to add spice to this, they also have a top INNIT post section where the top 10 posts with the most number of NANGs would get their day in the limelight.

After monitoring the top 10 innit posts for a while, I noticed very often, it seemed to be the familiar faces who were in the "hall of fame". So I decided to get bold and ask that question in the Nuffnang Innit Chatbox...

Now, being of the lesser known Nuffies, I thought I was gonna get pulau-ed (ignored) in the Chatbox. Surprisingly, I got some very funny views...here's what D_s_X had to say:

However, the most important criteria:

D_s_X then went on to explain what makes people want to NANG a post (with a little help from ruionkoh)...

D_s_X came to the conclusion:

Well, at least now I know why my posts are hardly popular in Nuffnang at all.... =)

So, I thought that was a pretty informative conversation. However, later in the day, I was surprised to notice that the conversation was somehow still going on. This time, we get a discussion between Hiakz, NathlovesAlvin and benjicajess:

which then prompted a brainwave from Hiakz....

What I thought was the funniest was after explaining his master plan, Hiakz realises that there is one small problem.....

This is one of the reasons why INNIT is so popular amongst the Nuffies.. not only do they get to post up their writings and musings, they also get to chat...

WARNING: INNIT can be addictive!!... heheh...

So, do you agree about what it takes to become NANG enough to be INNIT? Or do you have your own views? Share it with the readviewer and the rest of the world!.... ok, maybe just Malaysia for now...

Till then, this readviewer is signing off...

PS: Personally, I don't believe that you MUST have racy, sexy titles in order to get to the top.
But maybe that's why I'm still pretty mediocre till now =)

PPS: A big thanks to Hiakz, NathlovesAlvin, benjicajess, D_s_X and ruionkoh.Hopefully, they're not too mad that I posted the conversation in here.. =)

of toilet cameras and gatal police...

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:32:00 +0000

Is it just this readviewer, or does there seem to be a heck lot more perverts who enjoy peeping at others via hidden cameras? Check out a report I read in today's newspapers:

It's bad enough that these pervs seem to take a liking to watching men taking a pee-pee, it's even worse to find out that the police personnel in Menggatal refused to take the report of the people lodging the report. I mean, why NOT?? This is very mind-boggling... if I wrote the report, I'd probably make some slight, subtle changes....

After reading this report.. something really kept bugging me... where on earth is Menggatal?? I mean, with a name like that, you can blame me for thinking that the people there are all constantly itchy or pervs? For those unbelievers, it's a REAL place....

But I couldn't find anything much about this really special Menggatal Police Station... so I decided to let my imagination do the thinking for me... and I think it'd probably look something like this:

Then comes the next question... why didn't these Menggatal police officers want to allow the report to be lodged? Well, I'm guessing they want us Malaysians to start thinking ahead and think more civic consciously...

I mean, it's ok if you want put camera in the toilet, just let them know-lah! Who knows, there could be some very willing volunteers....

But yeah, maybe some of you feel very strongly that this is downright wrong and that the police can't just say no and you want to do something about it. Guess what? You can! You can do your bit to ensure that people know what is happening in this driving school in Menggatal....

A driving school that puts cameras in a MEN'S toilet, a police station that doesn't wanna take the report regarding the camera... makes me really wonder whether the people in Menggatal are really that gatal or not... =)

Till the next readview, this is the readviewer signing off...

No Children, No Future, No Hope

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:19:00 +0000

The year is 2027. The governments of the world have crumbled, including governments of the mighty United States, France, Italy and even Malaysia. The only functioning government that still stands is the government of England. The English government refuses to allow refugees and immigrants from other countries to enter England...

The only thing that makes this predicament even more depressing is the fact that the humans have not seen the birth of a child in the last 18 years.

That is the premise of the movie that I had a chance to watch last weekend entitled: Children of men, which stars Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine and Claire-Hope Ashitey as the characters that are central to the premise of the movie.

The movie itself isn't exactly oven hot stuff, having been released in 2006, but I never had the chance to watch until just a few days ago.

Loosely based on the 1992 novel "The Children Of Men" by P.D. James, the story revolves around disillusioned activist Theo Faron (Owen), who has since become a withdrawn white collared worker trying to forget his past.

His low profile existence is shattered when his ex-wife Julian Taylor (Moore), now the leader of a rebel group known as Fishes, requests his help to safely deliver Kee (Ashitey) to an illusive group of scientists known as the Human Project, who seek to end humans' inability to conceive and give birth.....

The only problem with this proposition is that Kee is an illegal immigrant who is also the first human to be pregnant in the past 18 years. Will Theo embrace his past and put his entire future and existence in danger to help this girl who may hold the key to man's continued existence?

This movie is not for the casual watcher who likes love stories or blow-em-up movies that require little thinking and are nothing more than eye-candy.

There are no exquisite battle scenes, and no captivating one-liners that will stick in your head. Instead, the depressive depiction of humanity and the very graphic death scenes linger long after the movie ends. However, the hope and sacrifice that drives this movie is also the theme that stays with you after watching this movie.

These are movies that I personally enjoy, because they have that element of making you really wonder whether this could be a scenario that humankind will have to deal with in the not-too-distant future.

The storyline isn't the most complex, but the way the movie is shot really strikes a chord with even the most hardened of viewers and tugs at your heartstrings.

Acting wise, the star of the show for me was Michael Caine's portrayal as the cannabis smoking Jasper Palmer. He totally transformed himself for his role and I still catch myself sneaking a grin thinking about his two most famous quotes in the movies: "Hi Amigo" and "Pull my finger"... you'll need to watch the movie to know what I'm talking about.

All in all, the theme and setting of the movie is somewhat dark and sordid, but the crux of the movie hails the triumph of the human spirit and the determination to fight for what's right. It's definitely not something you would recommend to kids and those with a weak heart.

PS: Here's an interesting fact... watch the beginning of the movie and you'll catch Kuala Lumpur in the movie's news.... unfortunately, it's just a brief glimpse and it's not very flattering... those of you who've watched the movie, did you catch it?

readviewer signing off.... don't worry, I promise, the next article will NOT be regarding a movie...

you do not mess with the HUMMUS!!

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:26:00 +0000

So, it's like this.. it's an Adam Sandler movie, so you know it's gonna be comedy. But it's an Adam Sandler movie, so you know it's gonna be physical comedy. Slapstick, physical comedy. But that's ok, cause those kind of movies catch my fancy too! Anyone remember "Waterboy" and "The Longest Yard"? I figured you would...

But anyway, I watched "You Don't Mess With The Zohan" (from hereon known as YDMWTZ... ok, maybe Zohan will be a lot easier) yesterday night.

One of the things that really took me aback about this movie is how good Adam Sandler actually looks! I mean, you've always seen him in this perpetual I-can't-come-my-hair hairstyle in most of movies and even out of it...

but his hair actually looks good in this movie!

Not only that, Sandler had to buff up in order to play the role of Zohan and after watching the movie, I'd say he did a pretty good job....(ignore the bulge.. if you can that is)

In this movie, Sandler takes a break from playing losers who get lucky, but instead plays the plot as an elite Israeli counter-terrorist army man who wows the clothes off (literally) almost everyone he comes across.... Sandler's Zohan has it totally made in Israel... except that he's sick of capturing and killing Palestinian baddies and harbours a dream to go to America and make it big as a hairstylist.....and that's basically the plot. Everything else in the sub-plot is basically the comedy.

Sandler's most famous ally definitely has a role to play in this movie as Salim, a cabdriver in America who wants to kill the Zohan....

none other than Rob Schneider, who ironically actually steals a bit of Sandler's thunder in this movie....

But that's not the only superstar in the cast. The other superstar in this movie, which is probably even more famous than Sandler, is HUMMUS. Zohan is absolutely addicted to HUMMUS, which is a spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini,olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. If you think it sounds nasty, it looks way nastier....(thankfully the bottled version looks much more presentable)

although I must admit that it looks like the chutney that we locals eat together with our thosai (which I actually think is yummy!)

But anyways, enough about hummus and icky looking goo.... what about the plot?

There are times where Sandler really manages to blow the house down with his antics and jokes, and certain parts are just totally over the top. However, the inane obsession with sex and sexual innuendos just wears thin pretty fast and definitely did not strike a chord with me.

Rottentomatoes.com said it best when one of their reviewers said:

"Sandler prefers to fall back on cartoonish stunt action, sleazy innuendo and bodily fluid gags. These things may satisfy his core fan-base, but everyone else will leave the cinema feeling a bit cheated."

Now, after reading all that, here ere are some REALLY weird things about the movie here in Malaysia...

1. Our country refuses to acknowledge any relations with Israel (including denying them an embassy here), but yet allows Zohan to reach our shores where the main storyline is about an Israeli counter-terrorist specialist.

2. But that's not the most ironic part.. .given the amount of sexual innuendo in the movie, our censorship boards decide to give it a rating of "U"!!!!

Yeah, go figure!

Until the next readview, this is readviewer signing off!

Mamma Mia! The Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:37:00 +0000

I was born in an era way past ABBA and their staple europop-musik, but I fell in love with their music as a little kid when my parents used to play casette recordings (yes, it was THAT long ago) of their songs at home. And besides their music, I think I know why they got famous as well:

I mean, with album covers like these in the 70s.... who wouldn't buy their albums man??

But anyway, one of ABBA's most famous songs was the song MAMMA niaMA... urm.. MAMMA MIA I mean.... and of course, all good things get turned into movies. In this case, MAMMA MIA was made into a musical first... and since its first show in 1999, MAMMA MIA the musical has been seen by an estimated 30 million people! Even more amazing, MAMMA MIA the musical has grossed USD$2 BILLION in earnings since 1999!!!!!!

It was only a matter of time before Hollywood would take notice and so they have.... MAMMA MIA! (the movie) is a full fledged movie production which includes a VERY star-studded cast like Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan just to name a few. The Universal produced movie premiered in July 2008 in America and will be heading to our local shores soon...

After scouring reviews about the movie online, I think it's safe to say that those going to the movie hoping to catch a solid foolproof storyline will be sorely disappointed while those who are going just to relive the nostalgia of 70s music with a more contemporary storyline will find it enjoyable.

Personally, I will be hoping to catch this movie to see if the storyline is really as bad as critics say it is. Besides that, I can't imagine Pierce Brosnan, the former 007 action hero who used to pose like this:

to doing something that would look like this!...

Ok, granted, this is a movie adaptation and the clothing probably won't be as gawdy and terribly loud, but hey, being able to see Meryl Streep act silly like this isn't that bad either is it?

Just before I sign off this readview, it may be informative for parents to know that this show is actually rated PG-13 (parents strongly recommended) in the States due to sexual references and sexy behaviour.... then again, after seeing ABBA's album cover, I guess I should've known what to expect eh?

I hope that I will be able to get free tickets to catch this movie so that I will be able to post another readview about my post-movie thoughts.... *fingers crossed*

welcome readviewers!

noreply@blogger.com (aspirin) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:50:00 +0000

So, probably you guys will be thinking, what's the difference between a REview and a READview? Why the need to reinvent the wheel?

With readviewer, we're hoping that we'll be able to create a space where you don't just take in everything that we say... we want you to READ the words, VIEW the images, and then give us feedback, regardless of whether it is criticism, comments or compliments.

Of course, if the feedback coming in is flame-bait or pure rubbish, there will be no hesitation to delete it. We want this place of the internet to be constructive in nature, be it complimentary or otherwise.

So, what now brown cow? Well, for a start, if you want us to review anything, just drop us a comment or email us here: readviewer[at]gmail[dot]com . We do not have issues with reviewing food places or parties even with certain conditions... if you want to know more, why not just email us?

We look forward to hearing from you!