body of lies

saw ‘body of lies’ yesterday and im seriously pissed off with rottentomatoes now cos i checked and it gave a shitty 5.5/10 rating for this movie .. what the hell?? .. i LOVE this movie and i think this is the most decent movie to come out after the dark knight .. i saw a few movies – of course one of em was ‘the day the earth stood still’ and i thot that movie was ok – very corny on most parts – but still watchable .. but thats until i saw ‘body of lies’ last night .. now its like ‘damn why cant keanu reeves choose a good movie to act in like leonardo does’ ..

ok i wont bother going into what its about – we have imdb for that – so leo .. i have to admit that i used to hate him a lot .. i dont even know why – i think i have this thing about pretty boys trying to tackle big roles .. they usually fail and thus waste my precious movie viewing time .. but leo has somehow made great choices in his roles and i could say now that i love most of the movies he stars in .. ive always liked ‘whats eating gilbert grape?’ – nothing to do with johnny depp .. heh not … but leo was ok in it .. then he did ‘the beach’ – i loved the movie but i wasnt convinced by him .. thot that would just be a one off .. then i think he did a few others like ‘the aviator’ – i didnt really like that one .. but i love ‘catch me if you can’, the departed and of course blood diamond .. and since blood diamond and deaprted im starting to think that hes not that bad after all heh .. kidding .. hes actually really good and quite engaging on screen .. hopes he wins an oscar one day .. and kudos to him for getting such meaty roles, playing against some of the best actors around .. so back to ‘body of lies’ – again leo did not disappoint .. he used to be a turn off for me – but now when his name is associated to a movie – im like ‘ok .. it could be cool’ ..  and it is – thank god for that .. i was really really getting bored with movies offered nowadays .. im kinda sick of hollywood type movies – u know like those blockbuster ones .. nothing interest me at all post dark knight .. i dont know why .. i think age is catching up on me cos i now prefer to watch something that is intelligent and thought provoking rather that something that is just action action and action .. so yea i guess that is why i really like this movie a lot .. love the plot twists .. great performances by leo – as i have mentioned before .. russel crowe was meh tho .. he just reminds me of my superior at work who just bloody knows how to give orders without seeing the whole scope of things – i mean im dodging bullets and shit man .. come on .. a surprise performance was by mark strong who played jordanian secret service leader ‘hani pasha’ .. hes good .. and that last part when he came on screen – i was so happy of the twist i clapped .. heh ..

ok comparison .. why do all those reviewers keep comparing this movie to bourne? .. sure its about spies – but thats it – thats as far as the similarities goes .. as much as i like bourne movies – i dont think any one of it is as smart as this movie .. and leos character is i think darker than bourne and i think the situation is much darker .. i know i couldnt take whatever i see here as how it is really in the middle east or wherever .. cos that would just be too scary cos ppl are getting killed like flies and the torture scenes – excruciating .. but then theres guantanamo bay .. so .. maybe it IS like that .. i dunno – but anyway – this movie is nothing like bourne ..

there were a few comparisons to ‘rendition’ too .. but i didnt watch ‘rendition’ so i just cant comment .. lucky for me tho cos none of the reviewers had anything good to say bout ‘rendition’

ok so then of course this being a middle east / terrorist movie – of course wed have ‘syriana’ comparison .. id have to say ‘syriana’ is an extremely smart film .. and there are a few similarities between the two – namely middle east / terrrorist and double agent stuff .. but thats it .. id have to say bboth movies are actually very different to each other .. is say that syriana is more like the bigger picture while ‘body of lies’ is more like dealing with one teerrorist at a time .. while this movie may not be as smart as syriana – it still has its good parts .. i especially like the part when the jordanian agents ‘hani sameel’ plans come together – slowly but surely .. it also shows how the americans are adressing or counter attacking the terrorists the wrong way .. i think that all the while – the main issue here is you must understand the enemy and how they work in order to defeat them .. it is not just – shoot shoot shoot kill kill kill .. like what the americans are doing – and we would also see that this is the way russell crowes character thinks – he wants fast action and he wants fast results and if bpossible with high casualty number .. which is not how the jordanian secret agent works – a point that leos character realise ages ago and was surprised that everyone in the CIA was so ignorant as to not realise that … the only way to destroy is to get in – and to get in youd have to understand them .. and thats the only way ull get results .. i think that russell crowes character is not in the frontline and therefore do not realise this – leos character however sees it everyday and sees that most of his plans go wrong when done the CIA’s way even only at the last few minutes .. that is why he opted to go against it .. with better results of course

all in all id give this movie an 8/10 .. solid performance by leo and mark strong .. and thank you ridley scott for making watching movies enjoyable again after ‘the dark knight’ .. seriously – the dark knight was soo good that i thot i would never be able to enjoy a movie ever again .. heh .. overly emotional i know .. anyway – im glad i saw this movie (almost didnt) and would definitely watch it again

why so serious? ……. why not?

why are they even considering? …

no wait .. do not even consider .. OSCAR FOR THIS MOVIE PLEASE NOW!

its really weird that i did not write a review for this movie cos i was really into this movie when it came out .. think i saw it like gajillions of times .. not really obsessed with it like a comic book fanboy crapping in pants would but still .. i was mini-obsessed about it .. and upon seeing this poster from themovieblog – it evoked such fond memories .. heh .. ok obsessed slobbering fanboy mode ON .. I FRIKKIN LOVE THIS PART – the INTRO is AMAZING .. i wouldve been satisfied had the intro been the total movie .. heh .. deprived but satisfied .. cos the intro was really great and didnt show the jokers face for the most part and … ok im hyperventilating now .. lets just put it as – the intro was extremely amazing .. havent seen any intro in a movie as amazing as that

so second poster ..

i second that guy who proposed to change the ‘OSCARS’ to the ‘LEDGER’ cos this due just killed it .. ok maybe i should not use that word out of respect .. ok um so he nailed it .. forget sean penn in ‘i am sam’ or al pacinos ‘scarface’ or whatever – THIS is it right here .. toppest notch (heh) acting .. the face make-up really helps cos with that we do not see ledger AT ALL .. its like ‘who the hell is that and where the hell did that ’10 things I hate about you’ dude went?’ .. and this is one of those schweet surprises that i just LOVE .. u know like getting good stuff from someone u least expected – i mean whodve thot heath ledger would be such a good joker .. used to think he was bleh – and i didnt even watch ‘first knight’ couldnt bear it .. it was until i saw Lords of Dogtown that i knew this guy could be a bit wacky and whos not one of those actors who cared bout how good he looks – cos he looked pretty shitty in Lords .. heh thinning hair n stuff .. so when he was announced as joker i was like ok – i oculd see him be all goofy .. heh .. but of course he wasnt goofy .. he was freaky pscyho scary .. yes thats it .. and it was marvellous .. and i think apart from the kick ass movie ppl really came back for seconds (or thirds or fifths) to watch him .. i mean the rest of the cast wasnt shabby – gary oldman .. heh .. FINALLY – his character was somewhat subdued but it speaks volumes .. i dunno how .. i admit that i was a bit disappointed with batman begins cos he had such a minimal role and its such a waste of a splendid actor .. but of course all that whining stopped with the dark knight .. heh .. gary oldman was great in this .. my second favorite character in this movie .. third favorite – harvey 2 face of course .. heh .. where did that guy come from .. heh .. i always confuse him with greg kinnear and i always thot his acting level was like gregs acting level .. u know like funny and fun to watch .. and not like damn – he could stand his own with the joker .. i mean i dont think greg kinnear couldve done that .. heh

so .. why do these oscar ppl need a reminder for? .. i mean its not like hollywoods been churning out countless of good shit since dark knight .. i have to admit – after the dark knight – watching other movies were like a so so experience for me .. and i dont think ive watched a lot of movie after that cos i dunno .. heh .. everything else seems not up to par .. heh .. serious

and seriously – so far – no one else compares – so .. if the best actor or supporting oscar goes to someone else .. it will be equivalent as giving the oscar to that irritating zach efron

AND is the dark knight doesnt get best picture – ill take it as High School musical has won it ..

yes its that ridiculous

don’t you want me baby

once again im having this idiotic throbbing headache which kinda puts me in a bad mood .. of course it would all stem from work problems .. god i feel like im on a fast track to be like my mom and aunts who just basically love to yell at ppl .. i mean i didnt realise that my threshold of yelling has somehow moved up to another level until well a few projects ago when i started yelling like a madman to all my suppliers .. granted that they did something wrong – still i think at this rate ill reach my moms level of being hyper and yelling at ppl at the tender age of 35 .. heh .. wouldnt want that to happen .. im SO not on the track to be a more peaceful and better person .. heh .. in fact it looks like im going full speed in the opposite direction ..

maybe it would help if i dont get so much problems from other ppl .. but sometimes i think that if i didnt make such a hassle about things, i wouldnt get it as fast as i could .. and i wouldnt get the splendid service that theyd give me right after all that screaming .. blah i dunno .. hopefully my blood pressure is not high .. and this splitting headache is just a migraine – which is no better but dunno lesser evil thingy shit ..

i think i need to practice those tai-chi thingy … get my chi right .. i can feel my chi is all wrong and its not flowing smoothly .. i see bad things happened to me twice in a row in my projects .. like a damn deja-vooo .. so not on .. or maybe i shoud do some yoga – meditation to eleviate the mind or something to that effect .. OR maybe i could just stop yelling and take a chill pill .. which is the most unlikely thing to happen cos i dont really handle pressure well – thats where ill start yelling .. and i cant stand getting yelled at – which is also precisely where ill start yelling

prolly go shopping .. retail therapy – oh but wait that would make me depressed cos i cant buy most of the things .. poop

anyway – have to find a day where i could go and watch one of the films showing during the european film festival .. i wish theyd make a bigger deal about the film festivals .. i mean it would be fun .. and it would be more up-to-date – but whatever .. i live in malaysia – so no such thing would happen

saw ‘Boy A’ the movie – which i think is a canadien movie .. which i also think is very nice .. bloody sad ending tho .. totally didnt see it coming – well i think i did but was in a denial cos the boy was cute .. which brings me to the next point – was it on purpose that they picked a goodlooking boy to be the bad guy? .. so that u have this guilty feeling for feeling sorry for him? .. halfway in the movie i was totally rooting for the boy u know like ‘give him a chance’ bla bla bla .. but then again after i thot about it he DID kill a girl .. but he was soo young back then?!!? .. yea my mind was having an argument about the boys innocence .. which is pointless – i know .. anyway – eh 8.5/10 for that movie

ok this irritating malay drama is on tv and the mom is telling the daughter to not think about others and just do whatever she feels like .. quality shit – how can i miss this

anyway – last words – theres a cool new radio station which plays rock – 70s rock .. 80s rock .. pearl jam .. u name it .. and i LOVE it .. sucks that its business fm and id hafta hear depressing economic news and falling stock markets in between .. ah well – u cnat always get what you want

When are we going to get out of this crappy Malay movie phenomenon

hari raya has come and gone .. well the first few days of it anyway .. all in all it was an ok raya – cept for the rushing part .. but even then it wasnt like reaally rushed – just that we couldnt take our own sweet time .. i dont think it will ever be as fun as when we were young i guess – i dunno what was it but it was hell lot more fun back then when u were a kid .. maybe the anticipation for the duit raya that we will be getting or maybe its the firecrackers that we’ll be playing .. new clothes new shoes bla bla bla .. its funny how im spending less when i earn the money .. at least i FEEL like im spending less – on the base of theres soo much shit that i couldnt buy and had to think twice or even thrice before buying .. those items are usually above 50 bux .. everytime i pick something up it will be like “yea but do i REAAALLY need it?” .. sucks that everytime the answer would be either ‘no’ or ‘not really’ .. so .. i feel like im more free with my money when i had that study loan – and it wasnt even THAT much .. and i had the time (or cheek – depends on how u look at it) to buy all kindsa crap .. and thinking back now i wouldnt buy half the things that i bought .. but i never regretted my lomo lca tho .. heh .. eventho i cant use it now .. still cant seem to find the batts for it – its taking me AGES cos im maybe looking at the wrong places .. maybe i should just trade it in for an lca+ .. something to think about .. so anyway – point is – i needs to get a job with a better pay

kinda been depressed at work ever since i came back from the US .. this usually happens after i go on a holiday trip – god going back to work is such a drag .. but usually it would last like 2 to 3  days – longest 1 week i swear .. but this time – its been months and i still get frigging moody like almost everyday .. thing is with my job – sometimes i dont even have a lunch hour – its like hectic hectic hectic the minute i clock in til the minute i clock out .. soo much shit to do (i think ive complained about this a few thousand times maybe) … and what makes it worse now is the new structure of the company – soo many top level ppl and not enough slaves like me to get the work done .. the way shit is right now is i take orders from my contract manager, project manager and also the site supervisor … and that is quite a lot  .. maybe i could tolerate it before but i really cant be fucked right now ..

sigh ..anyway ..

watched a few malay movies these past few days – its malay movies galore everytime its raya holidays .. so i figured why the hell not – if i can sit thru it – then ill sit thru it .. heh .. so i saw ‘jangan pandang belakang’, ’9 september’, ‘im not single’, ‘sumolah’ and half of ‘mukhsin’

9 september – i will die a slow and painful death if ALL malay romantic comedies are like this .. wait a minute – they ARE all like this .. shoot im screwed

‘im not single’ and ‘mukhsin’

ok so basically – the first 3 movies that i just mentioned were the standard crap malay movies .. when i say standard i mean ull get the usual craptastic movie quality that is soo dark u cant even tell between the hand and the legs .. oh and u gotta LOVE malay movie voice dubbings – holy shit – its the worst ever .. its like watching bloody doreamon cartoons .. even doraemon cartoons had a properly placed sighs, giggles, gasps and what not .. but not in malay movies – the voice dubbing itself can make you suicidal .. so jangan pandang belakang was a total meh .. which was what i expected .. so it did not disappoint – ghost wasnt scary .. what is up with those white eyeballs .. and iono ive heard some of the ghost stories before – and its bloody scary .. but when it got translated into the big screen – it just became hilarious .. so .. next up is ’9 september’ .. ok before i go on i hafta say this – where are all the other actors? .. why the fuck do i keep seeing this pierre andre dudes face and fasha sandhas face .. are these two the only actors and actresses in malaysia? … what happened to ida nerina? .. what happened to sidi oraza? .. what happened to ppl who actually had talent .. and not just bloody CRY and act all ‘gedik’ and childish in front of the camera .. my god ’9 september’ really made me wanna slap myself .. twice … ok everything about the movie basically sucked but lemme just point some of the things that really really put me off .. the shit storyline .. omigod why were the 2 idiots acting like theyre in pre-school? ok maybe its cos im not really a romantic kinda person and just cos i dont do it doesnt mean that everyone else doesnt .. ok since i know i have different views on this id just give them that but still it was really annoying to watch them both talk like 4 year olds to each other .. but i guess thats romance to some ppl – so ill leave that alone .. so next point – how come everytime someone has to die? .. why does it have to be so drama and sappy? .. ok i i dont mind a lil bit of drama but having someone terminally ill and dying everytime is just shit .. and theres not much to be said about the acting either .. both were mediocre … they werent funny – they were trying to be cute – and that just annoyed the hell out of me … and u know what – all those complaints ive just mentioned applies to ‘im not single’ too .. cos nothing happened in those movies .. both leads were shitty .. ok maybe in im not single the girl and guy were less annoying .. but still its far from quality tv ..

sumolah was entertaining .. afdlin shauki is always funny .. but at 2 hours and 45 mins – it was waaaaaaaaaaay too long .. good thing they didnt rope hans isaac in – cos i couldnt fucking stand him .. i still believe that he cant act – and i cant believe that he actually has a career in acting .. good god … even awie was much better .. but i do have a complaint – too may product placements .. heh and too friggin obvious .. but i guess someone has to pay for the japanese trip .. kudos to afdlin for not casting erra fazira or nasha aziz – two very beautiful actresses no doubt but have as much acting talent as hans isaac has .. which is none .. anyway i liked it .. i thot its fun and i think afdlin should make more movies

mukhsin – *siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh* very disappointing for someone who tries to be different or who is supposedly malaysias top indie filmaker .. i dunno – first up the quality – its still the same as the other malay movies – very dark and i cant tell shit .. and second – yasmin ahmad, why do you have to have one of your main characters speak the queens english .. i mean come on! .. why do they have to speak english even? .. its probably fine if ure staying in kl or something – not im sg siput perak or wherever the hell that kampung is .. GOD .. i KNOW ure trying to be different and ure all about open mindedness and everything .. but that is just wrong .. it just looks weird .. next the sharifah sisters – ok first 2 movies were fine – but after seeing the same actresses in the tenth movie .. its just annoying … anyway as i have mentioned before i saw this movie half way cos the dad decided to leave their cute cat in some alley somewhere – that was totally unacceptable for me .. cant bear to watch after that .. why should i support idiots who threw their cats away .. poor kitty .. i love my cats and on behalf of them i will not tolerate such cruelty ..

ok so anyway – i know these ppl prolly put a lot of effort in making these movies but im sorry – its just not good enough for me .. and its not like NO ONe has done it before – afdlin has .. and for some reason he didnt use the same shit film that everyone else was using cos his movie was crystal clear .. so if afdlin can do it – why cant u? .. and please dont say that i do not know malay films cos i never watch them .. i use to watch them – but one can only take so much of shittiness .. i do have favorite malay movies and actors and actresses tho … my favorite up till today is ‘fenomena’ and ‘layar lara’ .. its nice to watch m.nasir in fenomena and i could watch the movie over and over again .. i mean that is how it should be – the whole movie was perfect .. mnasir wasnt giggli-ish and talking like a four year old child asking for candy .. and ramona rahman wasnt annoying at all either .. both of them behaved like how adults should – who just happen to fall in love with each other .. no shit baby talk or anything (so pierre andre and fasha sandha take note .. cutesy pointless baby talk does not translate to good quality storytelling) .. and they had the best soundtrack too .. so thats the best malay movie that ive seen so far .. layar lara is a close second tho .. cos i love ida nerina and sidi oraza in it .. god .. i really do think sidi oraza shoulda went to hollywood so that he could get an oscar or something .. cos out of all the malay actors that ive seen (eventho ive only seen a selected few) i think he has the most talent .. where did he go tho? .. is he still acting? … i mean i know he could be a lil old now but still id much rather watch him taking old peoples role rather than that jalaluddin hassan dude .. cos that guy has no talent at all .. heh .. and ida nerina was fabulous in layar lara – heh sure she was annoying in it – but it was funny and u knew that she had to act like a first class beyotch .. and in the movie she transformed into another a nicer person .. so that was good .. and i could watch that movie over and over again too .. im fine with the flow maybe a lil complaint about the quality but thats it .. the rest was fine …

ida nerina in her element

so anyway – thats my take on malay movies for now .. will probably go watch ‘pungguk rindukan bulan’ soon but i dont know when .. another malay movie is showing at the movies – ‘kami’ .. heh .. read some stuff about it in the papers today – funny shit – apparently its about youngsters nowadays .. and apparently (according to one of the main actress) youngsters nowadays are attention craving drugpushers .. yes ALL of them .. so she knows EVERYONE can relate .. heh .. im like ‘oh hell no’ .. heh .. ok maybe i lead a sheltered life  but evryone was a drug pusher when they were young?!?!? … im sorry – WHAT??!?! . ..heh okaaaaaay .. that obviously didnt happen to me – so i guess i cant relate – so it means no i wont watch that movie .. plus im not the targetted audience anyway .. im guessing the cinema will be filled with teens and early twenties ‘hujan’ fans rather than early thirties ‘the police’ and ‘U2′ fans … heh .. ok and another thing – about the tagline for the movie .. which is “hidup ini macam palat .. tapi esok masih ada” .. hahhaha .. what!?!??! .. first – thats not a good tagline at all, its not catchy nor is it interesting … second – kalau hidup ni macam palat in general .. why the hell would u want to wait for tomorrow? .. i mean tomorrow would also be palat right? .. wtf????????!!

since i cant find any images of fenomena movie – im just gonna link you to a post by another fenomena fan .. he actually described the movie very well .. complete with the beautiful terengganu scenery and everything .. which reminds me how much i still love the movie and how beautiful terengganu is .. good to know that there are ppl who appreciate good malay movies .. but he said ‘gol and gincu’ is his second favorite movie tho – pay no attention to that

so read it here .. and holy crap someone actually posted one whole movie on youtube – im watching it tonight! ..

kissing charlie bartlett

god it was around this time last year that i had to go thru 1 month of well .. very very difficult or as my boss would call it “challenging” time .. could still remember it clearly and everytime i do id get chills .. definitely would not want to go thru anything like that ever again .. could still remember going up and down the uncompleted pavilion and going back and forth doing shit for my project .. what a nitemare .. i had to stay day in day out at site – sometimes not even knowing whether its day or nite .. having to break fast alone AND very very late cos i was too busy .. GOD .. when i think bout it now – i didnt know how i got thru all that .. cos it was so damn depressing .. but from then on tho – and also for the few months after that – i came to realise that i dont think its all worth it … so from now on – yes i know how to be more efficient with my time .. but i also realise that my work will ALWAYS be endless no matter how much shit i finish today or how much shit i finished yesterday or how much shit i plan to finish tomorrow … i will always get new things piling up .. so now ive learned that theres no point stressing – im not gonna stress .. if it aint gonna finish on time – then it just AINT gonna finish on time .. not to say that i wont do my job – i will – but i wont stay back til very late at nite .. i wont stress too much on stuff .. just basically i wont do whatever it is that i did a year back .. that was like my life and death was for my job .. even til the very last day of ramadan – i had to stay til late at nite .. and i had to come back on the 2nd day of raya .. well that AINT gonna happen anymore this year .. if there is one thing i learn – its NOT worth it .. yes maybe some ppl have that kind of drive or is a workaholic like that .. but to me – yes i dont mind working hard and spending long hours – just not doing this job

think its time for a job change .. heh ..

anyway .. im soo into design blogs rite now that im forgetting my second most favorite thing .. movies! .. this week was robert downey jr week cos i saw ‘kiss kiss bang bang’ few days ago and ‘charlie bartlett’ just now

so ‘kiss kiss bang bang’ … makes me love mr downey so much more .. hes just soo fun to watch on screen .. and i like it when he plays this poor helpless guy – a bit of an idiot – but whatever .. it was fun to watch .. storywise it was ok – interesting enough .. but of course half the time ure just glued to downey so i dont think anything else matters .. seriously tho – i really do think that i could watch a movie with just him in it – yup the only actor – thats it .. yes hes THAT engaging .. like in that elton john video .. its just him him him and him ..

and charlie bartlett .. who is that kid? .. hes ok – not that convincing tho .. but the movie was ok .. downey jr had a minimal part in it .. so .. and he plays a dad and a principal .. so .. i hate it when he plays a responsible adult .. heh .. cept for ironman of course .. and zodiac – he was somehow funny in zodiac - i think he just needs to play kooky characters …

so – kiss kiss bang bang – 7/10 and charlie bartlett – 6/10

on a sidenote .. what the hell happened to dvd sellers at the summit? .. where the hell are they? .. have they stopped selling for a month? .. what? 

also – i think im addicted to project runway now – i need the box set of series 1 to whatever!

the one with jake in a stupid human suit and a guy in a giant bunny rabbit suit

saw this movie for the second time and FINALLY fully understood it after ready all the bloody imdb notes .. never have i seen a movie where they left so many things unexplained and so many important things out .. i mean goddamn .. at least leave a clue or two for us to TRY and decipher shit .. shit .. well i think the director DID leave a few clues here and there – its just that i wasnt fully concentrating i guess and my mind decided to take a vacation and therefore i didnt get what was happening .. plus – its donnie darko – my first instinct was – how bloody complex can this be

so since this movie was released in 2001, its safe to say that we can discuss it without worrying bout all that spoiler shit yes? .. anyway for any of u whos too lazy to go browse in imdb .. donnie is actually stuck in a time loop where he has to save the world he has a few times (which we didnt see in the movie – but it is where he wakes up laughing – or my guess – whenever he goes sleepwalking) failed to do .. so in the end he managed to save the world .. theres the whole time travel and parallel universe shit that u would prolly need to know and you can read in imdb .. but it really doesnt matter .. well it actually does but basically he time travelled to bring that jet engine back and to close the time loop .. if u pay attention there were parts in the movie where he would have a sense of deja vu n stuff like that .. and most obvious one would be when bunny rabbit guy said to him ‘u should know’, when donnie asked ‘when will all this end?’ .. so it goes like that

frankly i dont think im making any sense in explaining this movie – so fuck it – go read all the explanation in imdb…

anyway i like this movie .. one of the more memorable ones .. i started to notice jake gyllenhaal from there and then he had to make stupid movies like bubbleboy and the day after tomorrow .. so i figured he wasnt worth it after that .. but after that he did jarhead and zodiac – so i guess he has thus far redeemed himself .. he IS a good actor .. one of the few i would look out for .. which would then be funny when i say that i havent seen brokeback mountain .. heh .. somehow never got around to it .. something about cowboys being all gay n shit .. just doesnt interest me that much

so anyway (again) .. the songs in this movie are bloody catchy .. and NO its NOT because i bloody grew up in the 80s (well maybe partly it is) .. the songs in here are just catchy and very suitable with whatever thats going on in the movie .. from bands like tears for fears to echo and the bunnymen .. its all cool

good acting all around .. esp jake .. im sorry but i just saw the dark knight – and u all wouldve heard that heath ledger totally nailed the joker character .. so bloody hell .. i am now forced to use his potrayal of the joker as a point of reference when i comment on ppls acting chops .. so SHIT – ive seen lots of movies and everyone else pales in comparison .. so what the hell am i sposed to say now? .. heh .. i dont know whether im able to say ‘great acting’ anymore ever – except for the dark knight film .. and that sucks .. well unless of course chris nolan makes another epic movie .. still – thatll be in another 3 years?

guess it can wait

anyway i am now entering into the dark knight zone in what is sposed to be the donnie darko zone ..

and thats bad

anyway – this is a cool movie .. one of its kind .. 8.5/10 .. good story, good cast, good soundtrack .. hopefully theres a sequel .. with jake in it .. and with chris nolan directing it .. hahaha hehe he ho ha he

creepy song this

The Day the Earth Stood Still trailer

last post i was saying that the poster for this upcoming keanu reeves movie is beyond boring ..

good thing that i found the trailer today – and its cool .. wanna know what else is nice bout this movie? .. jennifer conelly .. 

im sorry but u know i have to say this .. keanu reeves looks soo good as an alien .. i hope this has a dark feel to it like constantine ..

but what is will smiths son doing there? .. i HATE things that remind me of will smith .. especially after i wasted my money watching hancock .. good lord hancock was shit – lemme just bloody rate it right now – 0/10 .. well maybe 1/10 – and thats because of jason bateman and cos i love arrested development .. the rest can fuck off .. what the fuck is that storyline? .. and (SPOILER) charlize theron is a bloody superhero too??? .. fuck off .. mental note : no more will smith movie for the rest of my life unless if hes making fresh prince of bel-air into a movie and bringing jazzy jeff back ..

heh .. the real trailer 

wanted

i wrote some long ass piece on wanted – but then i figured not to publish it cos somehow i wanst satisfied with it .. thot it just sounded crappy

so read the review on pajiba – its pretty much what i wanted to say – with not that many expletives tho .. well this is about the only review that felt the same way as i did after watching this movie .. esp the morgan freeman part .. he DOES get all the cool lines in the movie .. also my review would prolly have a lot of mention on james mcavoy – terrific actor he is .. so if any of u is interested – id give wanted an 8/10 for finding a cool way to use post-it notes – to mark an ‘x’ for your killing target ..

heh if my bank account balance is 3 million dollars – id be staring the screen all day too … maybe even for 3 days .. and smiling

not much of a review this .. heh

 

 

i loved it but there are parts that i hate in this movie that i can’t control

i have to say it did NOT disappoint .. did not AT ALL … and i would like to say well done to marvel for bringing ironman and this new hulk they way they did to the big screen … gone are the days where looks would take over talent (and by saying this im NOT saying that robert downey jr is not good looking – calm the hell down) .. by this i mean – gone are the days where producers and directors would search high and low for an actor who would resemble the comic book hero physically .. example : tobey for emo driven spidey and brandon routh/christopher reeve for superman … cos seriously – with batman, ironman, new hulk and even the old hulk – id say let the actors mould the superhero .. and not the other way around .. and yes i did say the OLD HULK – eric bana is one talented actor and he did good in the old hulk – but we shall get into that old hulk, new hulk argument later …

so lets get on with it then …

the not so good stuff first

• how many times have i complained that the girl / love interest in these comic book hero type movies are always irritating, hopeless, helpless and just a downright nuisance on the screen? .. answer : every fucking time .. so initially .. read : INITIALLY .. i was so damn dissappointed with liv tyler being casted as betty ross … i mean shes an ok actor – one of those who are so nice to look at that you would somehow overlook lack of talent .. yes thishappens a lot to me too with good looking actors like keanu reeves (i have so far fought the fight of his awkwardness on screen is actually what makes his character comes alive on screen .. yes such denial) .. so anyway .. back to betty .. so when i saw the trailer for hulk and she was crying … i was like ‘i am SO going to hate this and this would SO suck cos im SO looking forward to watching edward norton’ … ok so good thing here – she only appears like halfway thru the movie … second good thing – shes not as helpless as i expected her to be .. she even elbowed one of the soldiers (to my surprise) … and on the whole her character wasnt as irritating as what kirsten dunst was to spidey … BUT - while i do like liv tyler, i think shes just too sweet to be betty … and it didnt help that jennifer conelly played betty in the old hulk and she did a better job at that and her chemistry with eric bana was great .. which brings me to why this is a not so good point in the movie … the chemistry to me was non-existant … somehow liv and edward norton just didnt click .. in fact – he had more chemistry with that hot brazilian girl in the factory … so
• ok this is not a spoiler .. everyone knows theres a ‘HULK SMASH!’ somewhere in the movie which was missing in the old one - which everyone made such a big deal about .. so i might be the only one here – but i just fucking hated when he said ‘HULK SMASH’ in the movie .. i was like ‘oh god no .. no no no nononononon NOT HULK SMASH!’ .. and then rolled my eyes … i mean this movie was going so good – bruce was so smart .. hes a freaking scientist for gods sake and bloody created the hulk himself and dont forget when he was running away from those army people he looked like this intelligent super spy .. SO to end it all with words that would most likely to come out of a 2-year old – “HULK…… SMASH!” .. is just bloody insane … see THIS is exactly why i loved the first hulk – they wanted to make hulk realistic, so they bloody ditched the whole ‘hulk smash’ thing … so ang lee – 1,  new hulk director – 0
• new york city … ok this is just a minor point .. but ive seen enough ways to destroy new york to last me 10 lifetimes … so please just move it somewhere else next time .. i was super stoked when they showed the slums of brazil .. i mean its a bad situation over there but weirdly enough its a refreshing change for me … adds to the whole mysteriousness n everything .. so next time – move it to jersey city or something
• idiot college kids with video cam .. i know this is also minor .. but was that sposed to be funny or something? .. yea i dont get it ..

as i said i LOVED the movie so those were the only things i didnt agree with ..

now the good stuff ..

• u KNOW im gonna say this .. EDWARD friggin NORTON .. i missed him … i missed his primal fear, american history X and fight club days … i miss watching his movie and saying ‘DAMN this guy is good’ in the end ..  i mean all the other movies were good i even love ‘kingdom of heaven’ because of his lepper king and italian job was a great movie but he was a baddie and just didnt have that punch that i was waiting for .. and the illusionist – a very enjoyable movie but still .. nothing .. red dragon – interesting and good movie – he was great in it .. but still no punch .. so NOW .. FINALLY .. also SURPRISINGLY its back in the hulk .. i wouldve never expected this .. but seriously he played this normal good guy whos so fragile sometimes that u just wanna give him a blanket and a hot chocolate .. heh .. so anyway .. edward norton always have that unassuming guy look and demeanor about him that i just loved for him to be hulk …  so this will surely be one of my favorite edward norton movie ..
• ever since hulk(old), batman begins and ironman came out – i found out that i LOVE to see more of the man behind the suit and not when the man is wearing the suit .. so in this movie – the airtime for bruce is more than the hulk .. so im happy .. and definitely a plus point for me
• i kinda like the bad guy here played wonderfully evil by tim roth .. so also yes – finally a worthy opponent for both him and the hulk ..
• i love how they didnt show how it all happened (well they did but it was super fast forwarded) so thats good cos we all know how it happened .. so now theres more time for what happens after that … so its cool – it gives them more time to show the cat and mouse game in brazil .. and i love it
• william hurt was good in this .. i like him and he doesnt look as evil as what general ross looked like in the comic book .. and thats what i liked about him
• the whole movie was evenly paced and didnt seem draggy at all .. i didnt feel like it ended too soon tho, it was just nice
• nicely written – i like the whole bourne / super spy theme that it had first half of the film
• heh this is a bit funny but i love how they addressed the ripped clothes issue .. heh .. turns out bruce would be walking with stretchy pants and oversized shirt ALL the time .. and i LOVED it .. heh .. i dunno but that would just so fit what edward norton would do .. heh .. i cant explain it but its just things like that that makes me love this guy …
• the cameos .. of course im sure evryone knows that stan lee will be in there somewhere and also the old hulk .. but the most surprising (and my most favorite by FAR) cameo was the PURPLE PANTS .. hahah .. and the look on ed’s face when he was suggested to wear it .. heh .. priceless … that whole scene itself could define why he would mostly fit to play someone who would turn into the hulk and also make it look realistic…
• did i cover everything? .. i think i did

and now .. the comparison

• old hulk vs new hulk - old hulk didnt say much and to me of course physically they were not that much different .. but of course the new one had to say shit like ‘hulk smash’ .. i mean its either u completely destroy the braincells or u just mutate it too .. dont just bloody leave the hulk with a brain of a 4-year old .. ok .. cos it sucks .. cos edward norton worked hard to give his character so much depth, intelligence and fragility to end it all with a ‘hulk smash’ .. yes im still not over it .. so anyway .. what i didnt like about the old hulk is the fighting scene at the end – as much as i love the old hulk, i thot the ending was very very disappointing .. so the ending for the new hulk is much better minus the ‘hulk smash’ .. so thats my only main grouse bout both hulks
• eric bana vs edward norton – i love them both .. both are very very very talented actors .. i didnt expect both to be ‘hulk’ but they did a very good job of it … eric bana is definitely one of the main reason why i loved the old hulk .. he made the character realistic and believable in his own way … and edward norton also made THIS hulk believable .. i love watching them both in it and i really cant decide who is a better hulk .. i think they both did the hulk justice no matter what everybody else said
• jennifer conelly vs. liv tyler – do we even need to get into this? .. do i even have to explain anything? .. why are we even arguing about this? … ok for the idiots who still dont get it .. lemme just put it this way .. this is how i remember jennifer conelly - a beautiful mind, blood diamond, requiem for a dream … aaand THIS is how i remembere liv tyler – empire bloody records (something i watched due to the bloody hype it got – it was the ‘in’ movie back then – and after watching it i went ‘whatever…’) … sure she made other movies like LOTR but she wasnt memorable in it .. and to me comparing these two is like comparing heavy duty metal steel with lightweight aluminium sheet … yea no contest ..
• old movie vs. new movie – old movie was more of a drama .. ive said it before and ill say it again – that is why i loved it .. and they paired 2 amazing actors in it, eric bana and jeniffer conelly – the chemistry was great, the story was great but the thing lacked action .. which was totally FINE by me .. i enjoyed watching both actors and i kinda not mind seeing Hulk appears only one or twice in the movie … and i still do feel like old hulk is one of my fav superhero movies .. THIS was THE movie for me that makes a superhero seemed more realistic, believable and gave a more serious tone to it - and not batman begins … i love batman begins but this was the first movie to take 2 serious actors and tell a serious story about a comic book hero .. so i love … so the NEW ONE … is more of a thriller, still has that serious tone to it, still has a serious actor in it, fighting scenes were great, the bad guy was great, very nicely written, i am very satisfied with the ending – so yes .. i do love the NEW one too … so in this case both wins
• ang lee vs. louis leterrier – i like ang lee .. but his movies could span like 3 hours and sometimes more .. could be a good thing but could also be quite boring .. and what i like about him is he doesnt just do minimal storytelling and cupious amount of action .. what he does is good storyline and layers it with a good amount of action .. he had that in the hulk – he took serious actors, told a serious story BUT he reduced the action … this was fine by me but i guess the targetted audience are mostly kids so it didnt sit too well with them having to sit in a cinema for 3 hours and listening to ppl talking .. but to me – if u want to tell a story bout the incredible hulk realistically – THIS would be it … sooooo this louis guy – saw his creds in imdb and the only thing that i saw from him previously was the transporter .. altho i kinda enjoyed the movie .. but of course its one of those movies with pure action and no depth .. i wasnt expecting one either so … but i think he did good here – first thing he got right was to skip the whole ‘how hulk became hulk’ thing .. next thing he did right was to put bruce in rio de jeneiro .. third thing – action sequence was a lot but didnt take away anything from the main character and the whole story .. fourth thing that he did (which i didnt think he could do due to the transporter) – the movie had depth .. and i am fully satisfied with the ending .. so i guess what im saying is – both directors did very well and im glad that they did the movie..
• eric bana & jennifer conelly vs edward norton & liv tyler – seriously chemistry to me is EVERYTHING .. well not really everything but when theres something wrong between the main cast and the love interest – it can be very distracting for me .. so i dont HATE liv tyler – but i think i wouldve wanted a more serious actress – i seriously LOVED jennifer conelly in the hulk and i think out of ALL the comic superherp movies .. and i mean ALL from superman (new, old, whatever) to the latest ironman (and yes it also includes batman begins cos we all know how weak katie holmes was) – i think jennifer conelly was the most perfectly casted superhero love interest … she was sweet, not irritating at all, not helpless, smart and pretty … and best of all shes a very good actor .. and she suited eric bana well cos eric bana is such an intense actor so it would just look funny to put someone silly beside him … so this was the problem for me in the new movie – edward norton – an intensely good actor with liv tyler – not really well known for being a good serious actress … plus there was no chemistry between them .. so

so there u go .. my two cents worth on the two movies .. so final verdict – maybe not the best film this year but it is still great … and it is one of my favorite edward norton films .. would definitely watch it for a second time and im giving it a 7.5 out of 10

have to mention this tho .. when ironman came out in the movie for his cameo, everyone was cheering and some even clapped .. he was like a breath of fresh air .. robert downey jr really did an awesome job with ironman .. i think he really MADE ironman .. cos now, hard to believe, but i think ironman is the newly crowned ‘everyones most favorite superhero’ .. and to think that ironman was the least famous comic book hero out of all em before the movie and everyone thot robert downey jr was too OLD to play him .. heh .. who wouldve thot .. 

THE ATONEMENT

saw it last night .. and it was GOOD .. seriously from the trailers – i wouldnt have expected it to be this good … and im glad i watched it cos the reviews for it was good .. plus soo many oscar nominations – and thats does mean something .. so all you trailer makers next time – PLEASE PLEASE do not fail to try to make a film interesting in that 10 secs that ure given to sum up a movie … otherwise a lot of ppl would be missing a good thing due to you!

basically its about a girl – briony tallis who saw a few things between her cousin, her brother, her brothers friend, her sister – cecilia and her garden help – robbie and jumped to her own conclusion about things … and did something that would have a grave impact on these people for the rest of their lives .. and she didnt and wouldnt know the extent of her actions at that time until much years later …

ok thats all im giving out .. to get a better synopsis – google for it .. better yet – JUST go watch it .. its worth it … heh .. just for james mcavoys eyes alone

but thats just me

i love it when a movie is 2 hours but doesnt feel like .. and no matter what ppl say – i LOVE the ending .. heh … and i love james mcavoy – hes one of my must watch actors now … hes good in this – they all (keira, the small girl – saoirse, and james) have the same amount of screentime but everytime he comes out – he has all these emotions in his eyes that is not quite anger and resentment but just sadness .. and u cant help but feel really really sorry for this guy and for what he had to go thru … plus he really looked like he loved cecilia .. top acting .. heh .. i love him … and i love the little girl – shes so smug sometimes that you just wanna slap her … but shes good in other scenes too … the scenes between her and james mcavoy sometimes screams to tell something else other than what is shown … like the letter scene – when robbie gave briony an apology (not quite) letter to pass to cee … and also that other scene when briony purposely jumped into a river after asking robbie is he would save her if she jumped (and he did) – i think that scene was sposed to mean something more than just that – i cant really tell what it is and even if i did itll all be assumptions so … maybe i should read the book yea? … then i could tell how briony really feels and what was she thinking when she ratted robbie out … and why she did taht … is it cos shes jealous? … i think the drowning part just goes to show that she has a crush on robbie (which she later admits to) and she really feels strongly for him …

ah well … i SHOULD read the book yea? … but when do i ever read a book … hahah … i think its been like 5 years since i read anything … thats really bad … hahah … i cant believe this movie managed to actually get me interested in the book .. all thanks to james mcavoy … hahah .. naah … it was a great movie – its told in a way thats keeps you engaged and the director really knows how to make it interesting intertwining scene after scene … everyone was perfectly casted – romola garai .. shes good .. she managed to pick up where saoirse left off .. i was really really interested to see how remorseful briony looked as she grew older and finally realised the pain she has caused everyone – and romola managed to capture that … and so did venessa redgrave … and keira was good too … and especially james mcavoy … heh .. i think ive gushed enough about him earlier on ..

anyway .. just go watch this movie – its good … its by the smae guy who did ‘pride and prejudice’ .. didnt watch that but whatever – this movie is great ..

uhm …. 8.5/10 is what id give for it

look at those eyes .. how can anyone say no to that