a good Malaysian movie indeed...

been waiting for this movie for some time...finally watched it today

we were seated on the second row...hesitated at the ticket counter...but it got early bird discount...and we really want to watch this...today!

from the official website

front seats are always intimidating...very tiring to watch...the screen appeared so vast you don't know where to focus your attention...but not this one...

i totally forgot i was in the second row after 5 minutes into the movie...
in fact the perspective was so pleasing...this is the first movie i actually enjoyed watching so close to the screen...

there are a few reasons i wanted to watch this movie so much...

1) it tells a heart-warming puppy love story featuring a lot of beautiful local scenes...

2) it features a lot of local singers
you want to see Gary and Victor and Fish and Yi Jie Qi on screen...don't you?

2) it's leading actress is Lee Sin Jie!!!
i can assure you the movie could have failed without her...oh how i love to see her on screen...

3) it's directed by Ah Niu...the famous songwriter-singer
one may ask...what's so special about a movie directed by a songwriter-singer?...
most likely he's just trying his luck in directing...
most likely it's not even a sincere try...
most likely it will not turn out good because he's a music-man...not a movie-man...
it is for this very reason i've been anticipating this movie...

if you're familiar with Ah Niu's song...you'll realise his songs are very easy but sincere...straight to the point...very descriptive at times...
it's like he's trying to bring the listener into this visionary world with his songs...
and now he's trying to do it with a movie...and i expected it to be good...

and i think it turned out to be quite good...real good
well i guess we can say the cast are quite famous international artist...but they are no actor/actress...most of them are singers...
only Lee Sin Jie...oh how i love to see her on screen...there were a few scenes where she really made my heart skipped a few beats...seriously...

it doesn't has expensive reconstructed backdrop...only real untouched buildings and real streets...and they were presented in a very beautiful way...
it doesn't has very beautiful actor/actress (ok...Lee Sin Jie is beautiful in her own way) with very beautiful wardrobe and heavy make-ups...in fact most of the time they were wearing t-shirts and slippers...

if (a very big IF) i were to make a movie...this is what i always have in mind...a simple story told in a very simple but beautiful way...
at the same time, with my own creative way, showcasing the beautiful and forgotten places in the country...bringing them to screens for people to know and appreciate...

if you love a simple heart-warming love story...you should check this out...in the CINEMA!!!
please support local production so that we can have more of these beautiful movies on screen...thx

p/s: u may want to bring some tissues or handkerchief with you...

2 chinese movies back to back...which is the better one?

the answer will come later...

on Sunday...watched Being Human...a Singaporean movie by Jack Neo...

first a little bit about the director...
if you don't know him yet (despite his famous scandal)...he's famous for making funny, down to earth (the local earth) movies...with plots and jokes we, the average working class, even us living across the strait, can identify with...and often with a few touching scenes...also we can easily identify with...
my better half is a fan of his movies...so I'd watched almost all his movies since Money No Enough...
and my favourite of it all is Follow The Law...for it's pleasant story...and great acting by the actor/actress...especially Fann Wong...my idol on screen...ahhh (wiping my salivas)

back to this movie...despite the touching and inspiring story...i always find his movies...somewhat incomplete...not perfect...
the same goes with this one...it has a simple story we can connect with...a few touching scenes (thumbs up to the actor!...and the irresisstable Yeo!)...very good cast...especially the funny guy NoNo...
but i just don't like the way the story was told...the flow...maybe it's just me...


and then on Monday...we went to watch Beauty On Duty...

again...a little bit about the director...Wong Jing
if you don't know him yet...he's famous for making Hong Kong comedies...if you look at his filmography...you'll find most of the great HK comedies we, followers of HK movies, love so much in the 90's...

this movie reminds me of the chaotic Love Undercover (新紮師妹) starring Miriam Yeung...even their cast are almost similar (just almost)...and i can say both are almost equally as entertaining...
that's right...when it comes to Wong's movie...the keyword is not "good"...but "entertaining"...
and that's what this movie is...i almost forgot the last movie that made me laugh so much in the cinema...definitely not the disappointing Just Another Pandora Box...i did not laugh one bit...can i ask for a refund?

i think a comedy can hardly goes wrong with Sandra Ng (of course i did not watch All's Well, Ends Well 2010...which my sis said wasn't so good) and Jim Chim...another genius comedian...

and as Ah Sa's (Charlene Choi) acting is improving with every movie she made (you can forget Storm Rider 2 for a moment...which wasn't really her fault but the stupid script)...she's also slowly turning into a pretty young lady on screen...very pleasing to watch...very

In a nutshell...
Jack's was quite predictable...has both funny and touching moments...but i was quite annoyed by the flow...

Wong's was super predictable...yet i find it much funnier and more entertaining...

So which is the better one?
who am i to give such verdict...see for yourself lar...hahaha

both are very contrasting movies...if you want to watch either one of the two...it shouldn't be very difficult decision to make...

p/s: looks like they are not showing "Echoes of The Rainbow" in Ipoh...*!&*@&*#$%^&*+&W^$&

So did the titans clashed?

"In Greek religion, the Titan were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age. Their role as Elder Gods was overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, etc.), in the 'Battle with the Titans' (Titanomachy)...from Wikipedia"

I'm always fascinated by stories from the Greek mythologies...simply because of the coolness of their names...they just sound so...cool...
and how elaborate their stories can be...

and recently i seem to be reading and watching and playing a lot of them...
when you start searching one name...more will prop up and you can't help but just click and click and click...

it started with Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief...though it's based very loosely and childishly on the mythologies...the movie did gave a good introduction to those who are not familiar with these stories of ancient gods...

and then i spent a weekend playing God of War on my cousin's psp...again there were names everywhere...names and stories that excite me...haha

and now...lastly...i watched Clash of The Titans last Sunday (sypnosis here)...

this is actually a famous depiction of Perseus

it's more like Clash of The Olympians and Man...and nope...the titans did not clash in the movie...in fact they have no screen time at all...

i find this movie quite entertaining...with a few fast paced breath taking action sequences, and adventure...mission, solve riddle, acquire item, fight boss...boys just like adventures, don't we?

the story based loosely on Greek mythology is interesting too...but a little bit too predictable...after all it's an action movie...can't expect too much i guess...

if you'd watched Percy Jackson...and enjoyed its story and adventure...but thought it was too childish and innocent, and you'd like it to be more bloody and violent and sexy (oh smooth and fair skin)...you may want to check out this movie...

How do you know if an action movie is good?
to me...it has to be able to make me "wow" in the cinema...
i have to admit it managed to get a few "wow" out of me...perhaps one or two scenes...

but at the end of the movie...only 2 "things" remained in my mind...Io and Andromeda (oh smooth and fair skin)...
and this movie reassured me...again...that...i don't really like Sam Worthington...

I take on democracy...

"The term is derived from the Greek: δημοκρατία - (dēmokratía) 'rule of the people', which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) 'people' and κράτος (krátos) 'power', in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens. Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of 'democracy', there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes: equality and freedom. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power, and the freedom of its citizens is secured by legitimized rights and liberties which are generally protected by a constitution...from Wikipedia"

on this foolish day...i would like to share a silly idea of mine...
on this foolish day...i foolishly take on a heavy topic...Democracy...
actually this topic is quite boring to most...likewise it could be interesting to some...



(Disclaimer: I'm no expert in law and constitution and definitely not politic...what I'm writing is based on my reading and interpretation as an ignorant citizen...and my ideas are silly...and NO I'm not running in the next election)

people always say the middle class can determine the political landscape of a country...hey that includes me...
now that I'm officially a striving middle class Malaysian...I'm a little bit more interested with politic...

back to this entry...what triggered this silly thought was an entry i read at our dear Tun M's blog...titled Democracy
in the mentioned article...he expressed his view on democracy and how it should work...ideally

in a nutshell...from what i understood (again...i'm merely an ignorant citizen), he emphasized on how the minority, who lose to the majority in the election, should work together with the majority and "both the majority and the minority would contribute to the proper workings of a democratic Government"...i hope i did not misquote him...

when i first read it...i thought...em...his message is so obvious...and so purposeful (if you know what i mean)...yet something is not right with our democracy...not just the way the government and the opposition interact...but something else...

until i came across another article in Newsweek, (which is ALWAYS talking about democracy) talking about how democracies are dying around the world in the last decade...a few examples mentioned in the article...the more familiar ones...Thailand, the Philippines, Iraq, Iran...and the less familiar ones...Venezuela, Mexico, some countries in Latin America, some countries in Africa...i also cannot remember lar...

well...they have a few things, if not all, in common...

• corrupt leaders (and government)
  
• cronyism
• questionable judiciary institution
• unfair election
  
• suppressing opposition...and in some countries to the extend of kidnapping and killing
• biased and restricted media (broadcast, publishing, internet, etc.)
  
• inefficient public service

some of them sounds familiar to you?

one may ask...how could that happen? there are check and balance in democracy, aren't there?

this is what happens when a government (or its leaders) become too powerful...and too arrogant...
ideally...we give them power to rule...and they use the power to rule for the good of all citizens...
but when they abuse the power for their own good...how is democracy any better than autocracy?

so what can we do? each of us only has one vote...so use it wisely...
vote for representatives, regardless of political party, who are sincere, intelligent and with integrity...(i know what some of my friends will say...like that no need to vote lor...haha)

the least we can do is do not reward corrupted leaders with the power to corrupt...