"Invictus"

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

I can imagine a lot of reviews, blogs, tweets and writings about this poem, about this movie.
I watched it with a colleague earlier this afternoon after learning that Invictus is about Nelson Mandella and South Africa. I also walked into the theatre asking myself how I'd be able to link this movie to the subject that I teach. I learned something today, and I'm glad I sat for the show. I think that the movie acts as a good starting place for those who don't really know about the political situation back in the 1990s in South Africa (i.e. myself). Not to mention it's also a good way to learn a bit about Rugby (I learned that you score 3 points kicking a ball between the posts - so that's what the posts are for!). I also think this movie would be a good one to show students to get them thinking about the racial tensions and why Mandella did certain things (to eas the tension, etc). This movie does cover quite a spectrum of topics that we cover in class, ranging from Politics to Prejudice.

Think I might just make a DVD recommendation to the school. We'll see.

Memiors of a Geisha

Suyuri.

Yet again, I chance upon another movie that I had wanted to watch for a very long time. This time, the movie sitting in my room for the last month, under the demise of another name unknown to me. I hadn't realized this DVD set was that of a Geisha's! It was a good watch. In between my trying to figure out where I recognize each actor from, it was a cute story. I wonder if the Geisha were really like that. If the customs were as they were portrayed in the movie. I suppose I'll have to watch the 2nd DVD, the one about their production (and behind the scenes). Since I bought the Japanese version, I can't read the titles of the different chapters, means I get to watch the whole thing!

So much i want to read, watch and indulge myself in!

Life really is a bit short to fit all these things in. My infamous question: why must I choose? Why can't I have both? (In this case, it's why can't I do it all?! The only answer i've received from that so far is: because cest la vie.)

Scissors

Edward Scissorhands. That was Johnny Depp, and that was Winona Ryder - this movie is an oldie. Indeed, a 1990 movie, a good nine years prior to Girl Interrupted (1999) where Winona starred along with Angelina Jolie and Brittany Murphy in another good movie.

Johnny Depp does not cease to amaze me with his talent. I knew it said Johnny Depp on the cover of the DVD, it just didn't seem like him. But then again, neither does it seem like him in Pirates, or the Secret Window, or anything he acts in really. He is one of the actors that I really admire for being able to portray the character so well that we forget the man behind the man we see is Johnny Depp. In Scissorhands, from his speech, to the way he walked, his emotions, and actions. I just couldn't find Johnny or any resemblance of him! Maybe it was the make up, or some sort of synthetic device to change the pitch of his voice, but whatever it was, it fooled me good.

I really need to get my hands on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I guess he doesn't leave Scissors, eh?

Avatar

I've been wanting to see this movie ever since I saw the trailer back in Hong Kong, and I managed to fulfill that want today.

The 3-D version was a bit hit, and of course with only 1 hour til the show, only the first three rows were available. To my surprise, there was also a 2D playing, and good seats available. Surprising only because I couldn't locate the 2D version of it online.

I also need to mention that this is my first time going to see a movie alone, and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. I laughed laughs and managed to well up a few tears. I really liked it! I think I like it so much that I wouldn't mind going with friends to see the 3D version, provided that we can get seats somewhere remotely within the vicinity of the back of the cinema hall.

I don't want to share too much, but I do recommend this one.

And, while I'm on the topic of movies, I also watched Saw V and Saw VI recently. (Been taking "movie-watching" breaks in between my study sessions). I don't particularly like Saw VI, but Saw V is interesting. None of them match up to any one of the first three, though. As expected. I think the plot gets a bit messy, but you sort of think of yourself as a "fan" because you've seen the first one or two, so you might as well just continue and see what it's all about.

By the way, thankfully, I didn't/ haven't had any nightmares yet. Knock on wood.


Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!

Enemy at the Gates and Truman Show

So yes, I have been watching movies with Chris.

But, these movies I watched about 2 weeks ago. didn't get around to writing about them!

Both of them were terrific!!!!

Enemy at the gates is about war between Russia and Germany. It's a great movie about power, friendship, loyalty, and skill.

The Truman show. It exactly as it's pronounced. Not to worry if you don't know what I'm talking about. Once you see the movie, you'll get the pun. :P Great acting and very.. interesting yet disturbing concept. really neat idea.

Night at the Museum

I just finished watching Night at the Museum. Yes, I'm watching it 2 years after it came out... It gives me such a nostalgia for Jumanji, which Robin William also starred in.
I didn't know that Robin Williams was in Night at the Museum!!! I might have watched it before. See, I found this much more entertaining than Tropic Thunder (a Ben Stiller movie). Though, speaking of Ben Stiller, I still think the Parent series (Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers) is hilarious.

Anyways, my movie review: i loved the ending.
This movie served it's purpose - it made me laugh, and made me feel 'lighter', in the emotional sense.

Now, it's bedtime!

Leon The Professional - 1994

I watched a movie with Chris, and oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm missing out on so much!!

Highly recommended.

Natalie Portman's in this movie. You know the girl from V for Vendetta? Speaking of that movie, I want to watch V again.

Really, watch Leon. It's worth your time.

Okay, a little bit about the movie:

An assassinator.

Starship Trooper Trilogy

Well, I just finished watching the 2nd of the Tril.
It's nasty. Like, bloody, arms, legs, head, fingers sort of nasty.

Really very STRANGE 2nd movie. Though, I'd say I enjoyed it a bit more than the first.

However, I was really confused - there isn't any continuity of characters from the first to the second.

I'll keep you posted about the third.

posted: 8/28/08 12: 27 AM


I finished watching the third one with my brother tonight. interesting indeed.
Very odd. very, very odd.
Recommended movies, though I think that the Aliens Quadrilogy is much more exciting and scary.

The Alien's Quadrilogy

I finished off the quadrilogy this past weekend. It was GOOD.
strange and weird, but good. This was a good 8 hours invested.

Highly recommended. And, trust me, it's different from Star Wars. Although it does sort of take place in space, believe me, these movies will keep you on the tip of your ass. Literally.

Good thing Chris was there for all of it. He was my human teddy bear. Except for parts of them. It was so intense, I had to leave his warmth and curl in my blankets and crawl closer to the computer monitor.

It was amazing.
And, if you're looking for character development - we got a jackpot here. The four movies were filmed over a 20 year period. not only do you have character development, you have actor literal development too. And, it was GOOD.

now, go watch it!!!!!

ALEINSSSSS

Over the weekend, I watched Alien 1 and 2 with Chris. Well, their names are: Alien and Aliens.

They were GOOD. Aliens, I must say is much better than Alien. But that makes sense. They have a much better budget and etc. etc. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I watched Alien. But, I think that is because here we are in the 21st Century, it is nearing 2010. This movie was made around 30 years ago. Even before I was born! Alien was released in 1979. Now, for a 1979 film, it is impressive. Aliens was released in 1986. It overlaps the time that Star Wars was produced.

I would definitely recommend this movie, well movies. Aliens kept me on my toes! Figuratively. In the literal sense, imagine a girl sitting on a bed, leaning against the wall watching a movie from a laptop. Now, imagine the girl grasping onto the blankets, curled up close to the screen, watching the monitor intently. That's how good it was.

I'd give it a REALLY good rating (the second movie: Aliens). The first movie, isn't as good... but, the second movie wouldn't be nearly as good if you don't watch the first one.
Excellent movie. Very well done!

Why So Serious?

image credits: image and rights belong to IGN. Copied from IGN: The Dark Knight Publicity Stills Full Size 1997561

The night is dark is just before the dawn.

I watched the Dark Knight last night. And WOW, was the movie LONG. Dang. I kinda wished we didn't watch it last night, and had I known that it were that long, I probably would have declined the watch. The movie was good. Just, a bit too long in my opinion.
[movie show time was 11:10pm, got home at 2.15am]

Heath Ledger, who played "the Joker", was really, very good. It's a shame that we can no longer see his extravagance in future movies on the big screens. I was always a Batman fan when I was a little kid. But, I don't ever recall 'Bruce Wayne' as the snobby kind. Or the 'grand entrance' sort of person. I'm talking about when he got off the helicopter and holding one woman in one arm. Uh, that picture is UGLY. That was not my childhood perception or version of Bruce Wayne.

But hey, this movie is a classic. How can you miss it?! Besides, those scenic views are filmed from my hometown. That's right. The H.K.

Strange...

is the movie that I watched today.

Yes, I know what you're thinking - God, does this person have a life? They keeping blogging about movies, giving short reviews and sporadic critics and praises for them. There is no consistent format or consistent way of critiquing (if any at all) the movies.

Well, I suppose that my current 'living' allows me to view movies, ranging from the boring, slow-paced and 'no-plot' movie like "The Omen" to the funny, fast-paced "Kung Fu Panda", to the mind-boggling "Cube" and gruesome yet edging and disgustingly intriguing SAW series.

Anyways, the movie that I watched today White Noise 2: The Light, was indeed a strange movie. Speaking to the dead, to seeing electric static transmissions, and then incorporating Satan and aspects of the Christian Religion into the same movie... is just weirddd. It wasn't creepy weird, nor was it that scary - it was just strange. It was the: "huh?!" phenomenon more than anything. Flat out: I didn't like it, nor the way things went down. At points, the movie was so slow going. Seriously, when your family members get murdered, wouldn't you go crazy trying to find out who the hell the man who wanted them dead is?! The pacing and the events just didn't go well for me. The way the movie ended ... ekkk. Didn't work for me either.

So, there you have it in a nut shell: the movie White Noise 2: The Light is a movie about white lights bundled with dead people and the devil. Weirdness. But, not the recommended sort of weirdness.

Talk about Family Drama

While waiting for my hair to dry late last night, I decided to watch a movie that's been in my "movies" folder but had yet to be viewed: The Curse of the Golden Flower.

The costumes were so beautiful, the entire place made it seem so majestic! The scenes were a beauty to watch. I loved the synchrony of the movements. That wow-ed me. And, the way the Empress looked, was just absolutely stunning. Her head decorations were so intricate and beautiful, her make-up was very nice. I suppose that Chinese Traditional Wear and the complexities of it attracts me - not that I would like to spend hours and hours dressing myself up. It is such a beauty to behold.

Now that I've finished gushing about how beautiful everything looked, the "drama" factor. I thought this was extremely odd/weird/strange all together. So many things were going on at the same time. A complete Royal disaster. I guess I really don't appreciate how the family members were portrayed. I don't think it's that realistic that a very young son (perhaps 10-12 years of age) would kill his own elder brother in front of both his royal parents. That's just calling for a suicide. What's even more strange and I thought was out of wack was that the murderous young son does die - and by his father's own hands. And if that's not enough, we see the father flogging his own son's dead body. And, that, my friend, is completely uncalled for. And, this is just one of the crazy things that happen in this Royal family. These things just makes the entire Chinese Royalty seem insane, as if the Empress being made to lose her mentality is not enough.


One wacked movie. I don't really like the plot. There's no twist, and if there is, I'm not seeing it. I thought the Empress would do something real smooth by having a second surprise attack ... but, there wasn't one. I was a bit disappointed by the way things end. This movie is quite morbid - most of the characters die, and thousands of expendable bodies are killed i.e. soldiers.

But, I did really enjoy the visual delicates and details of this movie. I suppose it would have been better if the second line of subtitles had not been cut off (the movie is in Mandarin, and I can only catch several phrases here and there). As for recommendations - comparing this to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, CTHD wins by having a lot of martial arts moves, character development and having such a tragic plot ending. Although I would still watch the Curse of the Golden Flower, there doesn't seem to be much of a planned out plot to me.

21// Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

These are just some of the movies that I have been watching as I slowly pass the days, and actually, my days seem to pass by so quickly. Time seems so plenty, yet when lived, so little.

21

This movie is your typical casino robbing movie. Nothing spectactular, I must say. Entertaining to see Kevin Spacey though. But, I do think that this movie is very, and i mean very much like the other casino movie - i can't remember the name, and I can't find them on IMDB. BUT, there are 3 characters, who are also students. I remember the CHinese guy really well - I'll know his face when I see it. Anyways, I watched it about 3 - 4 years ago. Movies on the Movie channel were about 1-2 years old. So, I'm thinking it came out either 1999 - 2001 (or earlier). I thought that movie was good!

Anyways, this movie. Really nothing special here.

As for Harold and Kumar - well, it's Harold and Kumar. What do you expect? It's about the same quality as the first one. It's the stupid kind of movie. I personally don't find much humor in movies like these. Don't ask me why I watched it. All I can say is, I feel a little jippedof the 1.5 hours I spent awake when I could have been sleeping.

Judge Dredd

Finished watching another movie tonight. I like it when I watch movies with Chris like this. It was in the car, nice and cosy, but then battery died! So, we moved to my basement. I think it's really nice to just sit and relax with him. Even if it's in a small basement, even if it's just on the floor, sitting on cushions. 

We watched Judge Dredd, and it has been forever since I've last watched Sylvester Stallone! And, mmmhmm, he was such a hunk! Not too good an actor, and reminds me a bit too much of Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminiator 2. 

It also reminded me of the time we watched "The Fifth Element" in my basement. And, I enjoyed both the movie and the company. 

Alright, now about the movie - it's interesting. The story is quite interesting. Nice to see that in a movie with such an actor (it's almost like how you don't expect to see a good plot in Jet Li movies, because normally, people go for the action). Well, this plot is definitely not a WOW plot, but it's not bad. Interesting plot, settings, and the way the city functions. 

Though, I liked The Fifth Element more. There are some 'cheesy' parts in the Fifth Element, but I like the plot and story, and character development more in The Fifth Element. Bruce Willis Movies have currently not let me down! And, that lady actor is awfully good! Comparing the two movies, I'd watch The Fifth Element. But, I suppose you can't expect that much character development in actors who don't really carry/convey that wide a variety of facial expressions. Sorry actors, I don't meant to offend - just expressing my opinion towards this form of art.

Cube

I watched Cube on watch-movies.net. It's a old 1997 movie. A classmate from last year, one of my zoology classes, mentioned it when I talked about SAW (I, II, III & IV). He said that Cube was a psych-thriller that I should watch if I liked things like my description of Saw. You see, he had never seen SAW or any of the series himself and was suggesting this movie based on some of the traps I talked about from the SAW movies.

And, my review about it is: definitely NOT up to par with SAW, or ANY of the ones released so far!! But, I will reserve some comments for this movie. It wasn't bad. Actually, I was expecting much more gory than was displayed. It wasn't as scary actually. The Hills Have Eyes, and even Untraceable gave you more tension and chills than this movie. This movie, I thought played more on the mind, not so much gut reaction. It would have been brilliant if a viewer actually figured out the puzzle. I mean, if that were me, I'd feel so proud of myself, and I would love the movie. But, I didn't. SO, i don't love the movie, i like it. Maybe even enough to watch it again with someone - definitely not by myself. SAW, on the other hand, I would watch again by myself. Actually, I just copied a copy of it from Chris' hard-drive to my Macbook.

I don't want to say too much about the movie, since I don't want to give anything away - because I'd want you to watch it!! It's quite a fun movie!
No ratings this time - I can't think of one at the moment. It wouldn't be a low rating, that's for sure. And, alright. I can tell you that it's about people, and a cube. You try to figure out what happens, or, watch it to see it in front of you!
And, i think it is good because, the quality that I watched was terrible - the audio and video were out of sync about 75% of the time, but I still watch the whole 1.5hours of it! That should tell you something! And, remember, it is categorized as: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller - well at least on IMDB!

Strawberry Salad & The Hills Have Eyes II

I fixed myself a very nice and large salad this afternoon. And,the craving for salad was completely ignited by Hei and her posts about strawberry chicken salad. So, i made myself a salad!
I had Orgranics Mixed Spring Greens, with 2 slices of hand-shredded ham, sliced and diced marble cheese, freshly cut strawberries, and home-made honey dijon salad dressing, topped with 1/2 of a just cooked boiled egg, walnuts, pecans, and pumkin seeds. It was so good. I So wish I had a camera to take a picture of it. Now, thinking about it - why did i NOT think about my camera, or my iPhone?! But, I wish Hei could have tased it. it was that good. Or, it's just been so long since I had a decent salad, or any salad at all that it's flavour stand out so much. OR, perhaps it's because i made it, and i'm just so conceited. But, regardless of the reason why, it just WAS.

And, after a large bowl of salad, I wanted to watch a movie. The Hills Have Eyes II was the scary movie that I chose for today's bright and sunny afternoon. And, let me tel you - it was scary! What a freak show! Those things were so ugly! ANd, the opening.. was just so disturbing. It's so sick-minded. Surprisingly, there's not too but action, considering the movie being based on military personnel. I'd think there'd be more. And, i find some of the action to be a bit illogical. For example, after shooting a rifle, you would thin kthe rifle remains in one's hands - but, how did she get attacked and strangled without using her rifle again? Did she just thrown her rifle down after shooting him with it? If you watch the movie, you'll understand what i mean, but you'll also have to wait til the end to see it.

Well, the movie defitinaly did it's job for me! I'd give it a 6.5 - 7/10 for a movie. Military-based, ugly creatures, Scary.

Movies, Movies, Movies

Being unemployed, I've had plenty of time to endulge myself in movies (and, as you can see, late nights as well - terrible for me body).

And, to try to help with that.. I'll list the movies and write you a review for them later.

[edit: WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!!!]

The Bank Job

A movie similar to Ocean's 11, but not as exciting or thrilling. It's about a small group of villans who rob a bank - duhhh - they rob the deposit boxes. smart move, since there's no record of what's in the deposit boxes. and, thus, 'deposit safety boxes', so the people who store their things there don't need to leave any recod of what's in there. The whole sotry is of course, about how they get the things they do. It's not a bad movie. Though not a bad movie, i'm not sure i would pay to watch this movie. I didn't, so, i'm alright with that.

My suggestion: watch it when you have lots of time on your hands to kill.

My rating: 6.5/10

Untracable

This movie is very disturbing. Better than "The Kingdom" for me. It's about Federal Agents in the Internet Crimes Dept. and they have new case. Well, it turns into a new case. A site called: www.killwithme.com Live Streaming of torture of animals and humans are displayed online. The intensity of the killings increase, as with the speed that the victims die. The site works in such a way hat, the more people who visit the site, the more torture is incurred, or inflicted: the fast the victim dies. And, the big spoiler: the FBI agent herself gets caught in the middle and is found to be on the site - Streaming on camera: live.

I don't really lik the ending though. But, freaky and spooky. Of course, definately doesn't beat SAW. But, for a movie like this, it's not bad!

My suggestion: watch it if you feel like watching something disturbing, and freaky. And, don't go to the site. It's stupid. seriously.
My rating: 7/10

The Kingdom

My reaction: BOOOOOO!!!!! WHAT?!??!?!!? the sotry goes like that???!!!!???!!!??!! BOOO.

I don't like the plot at ALL. An FBI agent is killed durin a bombing, and the other FBI agents go and get the bastard that killed their buddy. riiiiiight. boooooooo. Seriously, 24 is SO much better than this. This movie sucked for me. The action, was not great. There was a lot of gun shooting military rifles and 2-3 bakooka scenes that I thought were really cool. But, other than that: WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?

My suggestion: don't watch it. watch 24 instead :P it's 12times longer, but worth it.

My rating: 5.5/10

By the way for the Anglie Jolie movie: Wanted, the action wasnt bad - pretty good bloody graphics. :P But, I still think that Mr. and Mrs. Smith tops it.

Wanted

Just got back from watching The Wanted with Chris, my brother and Ken.

It was a very spontaneous activity. We met up separately at First Markham Place and got ourselves some tickets from the Express Ticket Booths - where your ticket tellers are computers ;p

Anyhow, for tonight's show, i think we got lucky. After purchasing our tickets, we head in only to find one huge line up and the beginning of a second one. But, no later than 5 mins that we arrive to the theatre doors, people are already ushered to take a seat. This is 45mins before the previews begin. I walk in, and wasn't expecting to be able to find nice seats since about 30 people were let in before me. And, Vola, I walk in to find the entire back row empty - PLOP. I'm in and so the other 3 bodies.

Now for the SPOILER ALERT:

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTENT MAY CONTAIN SPOLIERS FOR 'THE WANTED'.

First off, the plot doesn't really make sense - but, despite that, i liked the little twist they gave. For which, I'm really glad is there other wise, i'd really be just watching a movie for the sake of seeing Angelina Jolie.

There's a lot of action, and I'd say I really like the facial expression of the main character "Wesley" - terribly sorry that I don't know the actor's name and I'm too lazy to look it up now.

Be prepared for a lot of bullet action and a lot of blood. Also, a lot of usage of the big fat F-word. It's interesting to see and hear Jolie swear. I've never seen that before. And, also most of the other actors. Oh yes, and did I mention that there was NO NUDE other than some ass? Well, I don't know whether this news will be a sigh or a groan, but I was quite relieved. I guess that's because it was my first time 'supervising' in an 18A movie.

My rating: 7.5-8/10

To read more about my views and movie rating(s) and recomendations for this movie, please visit: www.flyonward.blogspot.com/2008/06/mini-review-wanted.html

my ratings are listed in the first comment of the blog post.

Kung Fu Panda + Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

[edit: i found out something new about blogger today, and that is that you can customize the dates and times that your posts go up!! I didn't know that!!!! the time that I wrote the below post is July 8, 12;42AM. And I have movied it to it's current time and date]

Kung Fu Panda

As I check my iPhone Notes to retrieve the list of books I've read, I also see that I've tapped a list of movies that I watched before June 20, 2008. THis should be around the time that I watched The Omen. I watched this at the theatre with Chris, Yogesh, and my brother.

The movie was ENTERTAINING!!!! Yay Jack Black!! We love you! This movie was GOOD! I would put them in the "As good as The Incredibles or even better" category. It was funny, but not only funny, but I like the action, the emotions, the laughter, the fear, the sadness. ALL of it! A wonderful family movie, a wonderful couples movie, a wonderful anything movie! I would watch it again!!

You should watch it too!! Actually, I think it's like Madagascar, but better!

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
No WONDER this movie won so many awards!!! The action/sword-fighting scenes are truly fantastic!!!! I loved this movie so much! It has such a sad, sad ending. I wish it didn't have to end that way. Why, oh why can directors not be nice to the audience (me) and make them live happily ever after? Wow, i am such a sap-ball! Yes, I know why they didn't do that, if they did, the movie would be so cheesy and sappy, yada, yada. But, anyways, I'm glad the characters finally managed to admit their professed love for each other. Finally. ;)
This is definitly a classic that you must see!