Winter break movie marathon

Happy New Year 2012, people!

Hope you guys had a good 2011 and new hopes for this year. My goal for this year is to inch closer to obtaining a PhD. I vow to give it my best and to have as little distractions as I can. What did you guys do for the new year? We just stayed at home. It's very cold now in Ohio, sub zero temperature! This morning, it finally snowed after a few close calls. This is already very good considering it's January. Last year it snowed from November to March! A friend asked us to join her to watch football (I still don't understand the fascination with American football in Obama Land) but we had already made plans to join another friend for new year, but that friend canceled instead. I was a bit bummed out but as it were the weather was horrid so it was nice and warm to just stay in. We did though do a winter break movie marathon via Netflix and here are some of the movies that we saw and those that I thought are worth watching.

Ombak Rindu

I really wanted to watch this since I had read the original story in the novel. Emee of course wanted to watch it for Aaron Aziz. :-P Anyway, she excitedly texted me to let me know it was already uploaded. I got on quickly before it was pulled out. Verdict: It was OK-ish. The acting was definitely good. I had in my mind what Hariz was and is, so I thought Aaron did a great job portraying Hariz as described in the book (and this is not a biased opinion since I am not a fan. I don't really like muscly guys he he he). I remember thinking of the scene in the toilet when he pushed Izzah hard to the floor. That looked so real! I didn't see however the point of putting in so many sexual scenes. In the book it was not necessary. You can depict love through conversations and other mannerisms right? For a love story that is quite typical, and for a movie based on a  novel that had almost cult-ish following for Malaysians, I thought the director did a good job. I didn't like Lisa or Maya in their roles; not that they did a bad job but they were just not right for the characters in my humble opinion. Maya is too old; Izzah is supposed to be young, around 18 and of course in the book she does not have Pan Asian looks. Like many people, I thought Fazura/Tiz Zaqyah would have suited the role better. As for Lisa, sorry am not a fan! Sebelum korang bambu aku, dia memang cantik tak dapat dinafikan. But to me, her getting married and leaving the acting world is not such a big loss to our film industry. Ha ha ha.There were quite a lot of details missing from the film that was in the book but I supposed that was to be expected. And what's up with Datuk Sufiah and her pseudo Western (I couldn't identify what it was!) slang? Sungguh tak natural! :-P All in all, it was worth two hours of my time. OK lah. And no, tak nangis. Langsung tak. Ha ha ha ha. 

The Stoning of Soraya M

Cite ni dah lama... tak ingat tahun berapa and cannot be bothered to Google. But it's a true story of an Iranian lady who was stoned because she was suspected of adultery. Soraya is an unfortunate woman indeed. She is a devoted mother to four young children but she is married to one of the most evil man on earth. He wants to marry a young 14 year old girl (who is from a rich family) but does not want to divorce her because then he has to pay alimony and split his meager possessions. He is lazy, rude, inconsiderate, pompous, arrogant and condescending. One particular scene stood out to me early on; she and the kids were having dinner and he saunters in late and demands to be fed. He is angry because she only has rice without any meat and he says spitefully: that girl can give me meat that you cannot give me! And she replies bravely: well, you don't provide enough for me to have meat on the table. The nerve of that stupid man!!! Anyway, he plots with the village mullah to persuade Soraya to divorce him. The mullah has his own plans; he offers to set up Soraya as his mistress if she divorces her husband but she refuses. Angry and spurned, both of them plot to bring her down by creating gossip in the village about her committing adultery with a man who recently lost his wife. Without revealing too much, the weak and naive man agrees to lie to the governor and based on that, the village committee decides that Soraya is guilty and must be stoned to death. 

What angers me greatly of course is the casual disregard for women in the movie; women are chattels and like the horrible husband says emphatically to his sons, 'this is a man's world'. And more grievously worrying is that this is NOT what Islam teaches but this has become the perception of Westerners who have little knowledge about Islam. Another thing that I noted was the themes concerning the danger of 'gossip/fitnah' and the misuse of power by the religious officers. Not only did they not properly verify the accusation, they also did not punish the man who was the supposed adultery partner with Soraya. In Islam, aren't both individuals punishable for adultery, why is the woman the only one who is stoned? For those of you planning to watch the movie, please do not bring kids into it. The stoning scene at the end is horrible, compelling, graphic and emotionally draining. I must say the Iranian actresses playing the two lead roles (e.g. Soraya and her aunt) did a fantastic job with every gesture,  movement and facial expression. I definitely recommend this, and yes, I did feel teary at the end as they showed the only known picture of Soraya. Truly a movie worth watching and owning a DVD copy. I felt so disturbed with the movie that I couldn't sleep the next day (even though I had my eyes closed during the stoning scene). 

The Kite Runner

Many of you are probably familiar with the book and the movie. I liked the movie very much even though I have not read the story. It was set during the Taliban reign in war torn Afghanistan and tells the story of two little kids, Amir and Hassan. Amir is rich and Hassan is a Hazra boy who works for Amir's family. As the Taliban take over Afghanistan, Amir is forced to leave Afghanistan for the US with his father. He earns a college degree, marries a beautiful lady and becomes an accomplished author. After his father dies, he learns that he might be forced to return to his home country to rescue Hassan's son. Hassan and his wife was killed while guarding Amir's house. Movie ni pun banyak sangat tender moments; I definitely felt like shedding a tear or two. It's a story about friendship, love, cultural conflicts and of loyalty. There's also another stoning scene but it wasn't as graphic or gripping as The Stoning of Soraya M. Again, the unknown actors were superb in their roles. The little kids were wonderful; they were actual Afghanis but the adults actors playing the main characters were not and they had to learn the Dari language, which must have been quite difficult. The scenes were set in the US, Afghanistan and parts of China. I felt that it was such a quietly understated  but beautifully crafted movie about about human courage and compassion and it was easily the best flick that I saw during my winter break. Also highly recommended.

Well, the winter break is over and now it's time so start working again! Sigh.

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All-American Muslims @ TLC

This is a new show on American Muslims that debuted in TLC a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't had a chance to watch it until this week. I was very excited to see a show about Muslims in American in the midst of all the anti-Muslim sentiment in the US. This show follows the lives of Arab Muslims in Dearborn. You can watch the trailer I posted above.

I have mixed feelings about it. It's exciting what they are trying to do... I hope that in the end, it educates and let people know that Islam is a peaceful religion. And just like they are many different kinds of Christian or Buddhists, they are also many different kinds of Muslims. Some Muslims are devout, some are less so. Some are even kind of liberal. I am just wondering though about the choice of location. Why Dearborn? And why Arab Muslims? What about African Americans who are Muslims? Indian/Pakistani Muslims? Surely, the Muslim community is more diverse than that. But perhaps, as somebody mentioned, they chose Arab Muslims for a specific reason.

I get asked this question a whole lot in class, too. How do you feel about being Muslim in a non-Muslim country? Honestly, it is a question that has not occurred to me much, meaning I do not lose a lot of sleep about it because I come from a Muslim country where the question of my religion is not made salient. Here, sure I stick out like a sore thumb because of my hijab. But to say that it's difficult to practice my faith would be a stretch. It's not hard at all. I do things like I would do back home. I pray. I cook halal meat. We go to the mosque for Eid prayers (kalau rajin he he he!) and Sad goes to the mosque every Friday for prayers. I am perhaps also rather lucky as I am located in a university campus where my identity, although not well understood is tolerated. Just last week a classmate of mine asked me very politely why I wear the hijab and other Muslims (that he has seen) do not, and I was happy to oblige. I dare say if I was in another part of the US, such tolerance may be limited, or might not even exist. So I am happy to be where I am.

And I find it easier to deal with non-Muslims who accept our faith tolerantly, and with an open mind compared to other pseudo Muslims who drink and dress scantily, and look down on other Muslims who do not! (and there are quite a few here, mind you! :-P). Practice your faith if you want, but do not look down, condescend, insult or argue with others who choose not to. That's my take on it. After all... la ikraha fiddin...

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S'thing borrowed to s'thing blue!

For more, go to this website

Lagi seminggu nak sekolah haruslah buat bende2 tak berfaedah kan? He he he. Starting with...

Something borrowed

Dah lama nak tengok movie dia. I've read the book and was curious to see what the movie would be like (watch the trailer above if you haven't seen it!). I know a lot of people don't favor movie based on books but I don't really mind. Besides, Emily Griffin is a fantastic writer who writes about romantic relationships, and that isn't too hard to replicate in my opinion. I loved most of the casting. I thought Kate Hudson was perfect as Darcy, and the male actor as Dex (I can't remember his name, but he has been described in the book as the guy who had 'perfect hair) but Ginnifer Goodwin is too pretty as Rachel. She's supposed to be really plain Jane but no way is she that! Sweet/pretty is more like it, I think. Anyway, this movie is light-hearted and fun. I loved the script, especially the banter between Ethan & Darcy. And lets face it, it's pretty realistic. How many of us has had a Darcy in our lives? You know, the friend who tries to show up everyone, the one who is ultra-competitive, yet is so sensitive (or rather oblivious) to any criticism. In my opinion, this movie depicts the complicated dynamics of female friendship much better than other chick flicks, such as Bride Wars (also coincidentally starring Kate Hudson!). I was just rather peeved with Rachel's reaction to Darcy's behavior, in the book as well as in the movie. She's at fault because: a) she has given in to Darcy all of her life and NEVER said a word about it even though she's obviously hurt and b) if she really loved Dex, she should have said something before it was too late, and she had many opportunities! And yes, snatching a BFF's fiance/bf is taboo in female friendships, and you can sort of understand Darcy's over the top reaction to it. All in all, even though there were one or two minor things (that I can observe) that strayed slightly from the book, I thought the movie was a good representation of the book.

Moving on to...

Something blue

It was on reduced discount on Amazon so I downloaded it in my Kindle. This book is a continuation of Something Borrowed. This time, it's based on Darcy's point of view. Now, if you've read/seen Something Borrowed, you would absolutely hate this character. Emily Griffin is such a good writer that you ended up rooting for her! It starts with the scene where Darcy finds out that her friend Rachel is having an affair with her fiance. Darcy being Darcy, she is absolutely gob-smacked that goodie goodie Rachel 'betrayed her' and that Dex would prefer a PLAIN JANE instead of HER. She also decides to absolutely milk the situation and exploit it to her advantage by announcing Rachel's betrayal to everyone in sight and neglects to mention that she had cheated on Dex on several occasions (although she justified it as 'not sex' but just heavy 'making out') and actually got pregnant by having sex with Dex's best friend, Marcus! However, things don't go her way as she has a major falling out with her parents, and people rapidly lose sympathy with her predicament, and when Marcus abandons her, it is the last straw as she is left without any support system. The only one she usually relies on in times of crisis, is Rachel, and she already told Rachel to drop dead! She decides that the only course of action she can take is to flee to England to live with Ethan (who took a job as a writer in London). I liked the description in the book about English culture and way of life, and I find the blow up between her and Ethan believable. Hence, my favorite thing in the book is her transformation from a selfish hoe to a mature adult. And yes, there is a happy ending so no worries. For a chick flick, this is one of the BEST of its genre. :-) But don't take my word for it: read it on a lazy Sunday when you want to waste a couple of hours, and want to finish a good book in one sitting.

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The kids are all right!

Wow... it's been quite some time since the last update. I've been busy tying things up for this semester, and I think I am doing OK for my classes except for Stats III. The instructor is mercurial, very prone to sudden outbursts and plays favorites in class. Therefore, things are definitely unpredictable. Last semester for Stats II, we could tell the lowest grade we were getting was a 'B' (and that is guaranteed even though you get all As for your assignments!) but this semester what worries me is that the lowest grade is a 'C'. A 'C' is bad because I have to repeat the subject, and I know this won't be offered again next semester because he is leaving and they haven't found a replacement for him yet. Oh well... as usual I try my very best and hope that everything is OK. People often ask me about my grades in grad school. Really, it doesn't really matter because at the end of the day, in the academic world people look at the quality of your thesis. All the 'As' in the class don't really matter if you can't apply it all to a good thesis! 

Add to that my classmates (who are mostly Americans) are really very laid back about grades and are not really competitive. And I love it this semester that there are about 5 of us in the same boat and we are working together (e.g sharing notes, doing homework together)... that definitely takes the stress out of things. However, things are not the same in all departments. I was shocked when somebody I knew (who was in a different course, and in an almost all international students kind of course) remarked that she didn't care about the 'learning' in class and was intent on collecting all As and getting a 4.0 every semester!!! This was rather strange coming from a grad student OK! And isn't that a lot of pressure on yourself? But who am I to say... he he he he he. Students in Malaysia are typically concerned about getting As all the time through regurgitating and taking as many extra classes as they can. An education system that is set up in rewarding academic achievement by how many As you get... can you really blame them?

Original poster. Source: Google images and this website

Anyway... I digress. I wanted to write about the movie I saw recently. I know, I know, it's a bit late to write about it since the Oscars already came and went but this movie is totally worth the watch. You should already know that I guess from the all star cast: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo... I now know why some people thought that Annette Bening should have won for her portrayal as half lesbian couple. It was interesting that they portrayed lesbian couples are very similar to the traditional hetero couples; one is earning and the other one keeps house. Annette is excellent as the 'man of the house': self-absorbed, tight assed, overworked and over-entitled! Their kids grows up wondering who their father is and they seek out their sperm donor, a rather disheveled looking Mark Ruffalo. Turns out he wants to play dad without having the burden of responsibility, and is rather a cad. He turns out sleeping with one of the lesbians (huh??) whilst having already an affair with another young lady working in his cafe (he has his own business). BTW, that young lady is played  by Yaya DeCosta who was formerly in America's Next Top Model. I must say she's a pretty decent actress! (better than expected!). Lest I spoil the plot for you (TMI?) all is well in the end. I really loved their realistic treatment of the modern blended American family and the sensitive portrayal of how lesbian couples face the same problems like all other couples: empty nest syndrome, defining success with academic achievement, not taking for granted your partner etc. I am not sure if this movie has been (or will be) shown in Malaysia due to the sensitive topic, but if you have a chance to watch this, please do! Watch the trailer, too if you're curious!

Have a great week, everybody!

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The Social Network

Jesse Eisenberg & the real Mark Zuckerberg. Credit: Google images

It's the award season right now and I managed to catch this movie after wanting to watch it for so long.

A movie about Facebook is an obvious focus of interest for contemporary film makers, and  of course us Internet users. Facebook has become so popular that verbs are built upon it (i.e. Facebook me) and if you don't have a Facebook profile you are pretty much out of the loop! I was eager to watch it because I wanted to see the historical beginnings of it and was expecting it to be a light, though informative movie. I wasn't expecting it to be this thrilling and thoughtful! 

The film summarized in detail the origin of Facebook in the humble college dorm and its ascend to the huge, corporate office in Palo Alto, California. Zuckenberg quit university to expand Facebook to California on the advice of Sean Parker (who started Napster, was influential in the expansion of Facebook and also starting Chatroullete). If you have no interest in technology and social networking websites, have no fear, this movie is about friendship too. How friendship can change because of money, and how greed can change who you are.  A lot of the storyline though is centered on the lawsuit brought upon Zuckerberg by his former best friend and other students claiming that he stole their idea on Facebook. If you Google, you would know that these lawsuits were settled, and that his former best friend had his name restored back onto the masthead of FB. Read more about the film and other stuff at the official website.

Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg was excellent in his portrayal; just the right mix of geek, ambition and a wannabe jerk. Even if he doesn't win an award for his role, there should be more interesting roles coming to him because of this performance. A question that lingered for me though was if Zuckerberg was really as ruthless, introverted and sarcastic as portrayed in the movie, and was he really just under the influence of Sean Parker and thus aspired big things for Facebook because he wanted to be like Parker? (If you Google, you would have found out that Zuckerberg insisted that he did not create the site to 'meet girls' but he wanted to 'build things'! Why would he admit that he created it to 'meet girls'? Ha ha ha ha ha. They did however, manage to make sure that ever single thing worn by Zuckerberg in that movie was something that he has worn before, that's really good attention to detail!).

And is Sean Parker really that horrible? (Justin Timberlake was really excellent, and it's a pity he wasn't nominated).  And if the portrayal of Zuckerberg is really true, isn't it kind of ironic that someone as awkward , socially inept, and as friendless as that (at one point in the movie the former best friend shouted at Zuckerberg: "I was your only friend!" only to be met by a blank and inscrutable stare) would be the genius who would create the most powerful social networking website known to man (as of now)?  Other critics claimed that it was an anti-geek or anti-technology movie, but to me it was just an interesting take on how important technology is to our generation, and it was worth the two hours spent watching it and fighting my sleepy eye.

Interesting fact: Look out for Disney Star Brenda Song as  Christy Lee, the former best friend's girlfriend. I seldom see her in a serious role, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Did you guys watch it? What are your thoughts on it?
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What to do when someone dies...

For more information go to their website

For those of you who are expecting more, sorry, this is only a book review! (or did the picture already give me away?)

If Ann Rule is my favorite true crime writer, the husband and wife team 'Nicci French' is my favorite crime fiction writers! I've read most of their books, and recently I had a chance to pick up this book through Amazon.What is most exciting about their book in my opinion is not only the psychologically thrilling plot, but the way  their main female character is portrayed: they often do make silly or wrong decisions (as we all do), or face incredible adversity, but they always manage to beat the odds in the end. I like how they are deceptively weak or fragile, but at the end of the book they always manage to get through their problems with quick wit, bravery and gumption. This book is no different.

Ellie, the main character suddenly lost her spouse through a mysterious accident. He was found with the body of a stranger (i.e. female) and almost everybody assumes they are having an affair. She finds it hard to believe as they had a loving relationship, albeit with silly fights every now and then (like all of us!) and is relatively happy with their life together. As the chapter progresses, she tries to uncover the mystery of the woman who died with her husband, and what really happened. What I really liked with this book is that it is more 'emotional' than other Nicci French's book. I thought they really painted grief very well, and realistically. Ellie vacillates between sadness and anger, at times as she struggles to accept the fact that her husband suddenly died in mysterious circumstances. I also liked the fact that social support was highlighted well in this book; she got through her grief with the help of very supportive friends and I think that's also part of what makes this book so 'real'. But what is also obvious is that (like we have discussed in class!), social support is a double edged sword. Sometimes, too much of it is cloying, and certainly at inappropriate times you feel like telling your friends to shove off because you need to be alone to sort out your own grief. However, with this book it is certainly easy to identify with the main character, and you find yourself rooting for her all the way to the end!

The only con is that the ending was rather abrupt. Without giving anything away, yes, I was surprised at who the real culprit was (although other reviewers found it obvious) but I felt cheated with the solution given. It was too short, and unsatisfactory, as if they were rushed to complete the ending. But overall, this is an OK book from them, although if you want to sample better writing from them I would recommend "Secret Smile" or "Beneath the Skin" which in my opinion were two books which stood out from them.

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Review: The Stranger Beside Me

 Image credit to this site

I've reviewed this book before, but in my previous blog. I can't be bothered to look it up again, and I didn't have any intention to review this book again but the moment I opened the book, I knew I was going to have a second go at it, as the book has been revised and Ann Rule has included an updated forward of the book in 2008. I would say of all the books that I've read so far, this is the one that is always on top of my can't put down list. No matter how many times I read it, I'm always entranced by it.

For the uninitiated, this book is about Ted Bundy, America's most famous serial killer in the 1980s. Yes, it's a bit morbid, but I can't help but be fascinated by this man. Ann knew him personally, so this book is not so much a chronicle of his murders, the brutality of his crimes, a retelling of his capture, escape and recapture, but rather an incredulous account of a criminal's life seen through the eyes of a friend. All throughout the book I find Ann's retelling compelling because of her personal ties to him. She knew him BEFORE his killing spree started and I felt that she was a tad defensive in explaining why she didn't see it coming, despite her training as a policewomen and crime reporter. But one can't help thinking that it was because he was so manipulative and charming that very few people suspected him a serial murderer and rapist.

What's special about this edition of the book is the end to the debate on whether Ted was insane or a sociopath. Here, she was very vehement about this. I am no psychologist, but I gathered that she believed he was not insane; he knew the difference between right or wrong, and his crimes were always (well, almost always) well thought out and methodical. He knew when to strike and which victim to choose. It was interesting that the victims he chose in Utah, Washington and Seattle were beautiful, slender, intelligent, well accomplished young women, and they were all troubled in their own way. They either were disoriented by alcohol, had a physical impairment (short sighted) or they had their own emotional problems (i.e. runaways, fight with boyfriends etc). And at the crux of it all, they reminded him of Stephanie, the only women to ever reject him, hence the physical similarities among his victims (usually dark straight hair, parted in the middle).

The best thing about Ann is that she doesn't delve into the legal technicalities too much. When I read crime books, I want to know the whys. Here, she does that excellently. Her account of Bundy's life and actions were so real. Perhaps it was also because she knew him in real life.

Another thing I found profoundly interesting in this book is Ann's attempt to humanize Ted Bundy. She tried to dispel the hero worship and myth surrounding Ted Bundy. Even after he was captured, he still received dozens of letters from women flirting with him and wanting to marry him. She tries to paint a more realistic picture of Bundy by describing in graphic detail the nature of his crimes, the fear and terror he instilled in his victims who barely escaped and what he was really, truly like. I still feel goosebumps when I reread some of the more gory passages, and today I actually had a nightmare! Sad says I'm reading it too intensely and should give it up for a day or two! Another detail that I really liked about this updated version was the FAQ section on Ted Bundy. Here, Ann answers some questions about Bundy (including the question whether she was ever in love with him!). She also included a section on his execution, which I found fascinating. It was an account of his last living moment by an officer who was present during his execution.

All in all, I feel that of all her books, this is her best masterpiece. It's honest, brutal , explosive and gripping. A definite must-read for all true crime aficionados.

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Julie & Julia

Anyone saw the Oscars the other day?

Last week I needed to take a break so Sad suggested that I choose a movie to watch. So we downloaded Julie & Julia. I didn't know what to expect initially so you could say I was without expectation. When I saw that the leading actresses were Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, I started to get excited. Meryl... well it's Meryl! As for Amy Adams, I fell in love with her after "Enchanted". Some people might find her annoying but I think she's just so cute. Don't ask me about the male leads; I didn't know them. But Sad said that the guy playing Meryl's hubby played a supporting role in Devil Wears Prada.

It began quite slowly. I am not a fan of stories where lives intertwined; like the Malay movie (lupa lah title) yang pasal cite five couples intertwined. There's just too much to focus on! Initially, I think it focused too much on the background of both women but later you'll see how it collides. Amy (Julie Powell) is the contemporary character while Meryl (Julia Child) is the one that goes back in time. Julie is the quintessential working gal; working in a dead end job, living on top of pizzeria and looking for 'a meaning in life'. So, she decides to start a project, and she swore she would finish it in time. She finds a recipe book by a renowned American chef specializing in French cuisine named Julia Child and targeted to complete all the recipes in the book in one year. What begins as a lark slowly gets out of control as Julie's blog becomes popular. She never got to meet Julia; all that she ever hears from a reporter is that Julia didn't like Julie's blog. She probably thought that Julie was exploiting her by using her name in the blog! But all in all there were some similarities between the two women; both loved to cook (this is the best part about the movie you get to see lots of glorious food being prepared and consumed!), and they were both searching for something fulfilling to do. And both later became famous authors by publishing a book about their passion about cooking.

In real life, the blog created quite a furor I believe. I Googled the Internet and found the original blog still intact. Some people didn't like Julie Powell because they thought she exploited the situation to become famous. Some people also found her a fraud; actually Julie never claimed that she was a good cook. She also claimed that she is not a saint; and if you look at the movie Amy portrayed her as someone who is although flighty, but sweet to which Julie said "I am NOT sweet in real life!". A lot of people got pissed off also because when she later published another book, she revealed a lot of intimate details about her married life; apparently she had an affair that nearly destroyed her marriage. I thought that was pretty much what the essence of her personal life that was portrayed in the movie; you get the sense that her adventures, although initially fun was going to cost a strain in her marriage. 

My final take on the movie? Go see it if you want to just absorb the genius that is Meryl. I thought she portrayed the character so well. Every gesture, every laugh, every little movement, she was breathing and walking Julia. Even though you've not read Julia's book or even heard of her, you felt as if that's how she was in real life. In fact, the movie probably wouldn't have worked if she wasn't in it. And I found that although the character Julie Powell was flighty and very self-absorbed (a.k.a. selfish) there was some grain of truth in it. After all, doesn't everyone look for that extra bit of something that makes them special, something you just want to claim your own? It doesn't matter whether it's blogging or cooking or eating, it's just something you enjoy doing and gives some meaning to your busy (or maybe dreary!) life! I think there is a little bit of Julie Powell in all of us. :-)

And that's why I was disappointed that the movie didn't win "Best Picture" at the Oscars...

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Talen-time

This movie has received mixed reviews. I was curious, so it became on top of my to-watch list. Last week I got the chance so here is my two cents on it.The story is about (as usual) inter-racial Malaysia. This time it focuses on a Eurasian family and an Indian family. The eldest girl (Melur, played by Pamela Chong) falls in love with a deaf classmate, who is Indian. Other characters include a Malay boy who is taking care of his ailing cancer stricken mother. Adibah Noor (who is in almost ALL of Yasmin Ahmad's movies) plays a teacher. As usual, the characters in YA films are not always directly connected to each other, but there is one element that holds them together. In this case, it's the 7th Talentime show organized by the school.

I've always watched Yasmin Ahmad's films. I find her a fantastic story teller, and I think she is genius in discovering raw talent and relatively unknown actors, and making them instant stars by by picking them to star in her movies. In "Talen-time" she did it again. The acting was marvelous; two actors comes to mind. The young Indian fellow (I think his name is Mahesh) and the actor who starred in her previous movie, Mukhsin. I can't remember his name exactly, but as my friend said, he will always be named as "Mukhsin". Pamela, though I thought did a horrible job. She was very plastic in certain scenes, and her delivery seems very forced and unnatural. Maybe because this is her first movie? I found her more engaging in her Amazing Race "Asia Edition"! Of course, the veteran actors did their part marvelously (i.e. Harith, Adibah, Ida in her small bit part-overacting as usual, but in a good way!-, Azean Irdawaty and Jit Murad) but definitely their younger cast mates stole the show with completely convincing portrayals. The deaf boy had to convey emotions non-verbally, and as his face is etched so clearly in sorrow or happiness, you just knew what he was thinking! That's not easy to do. And the scenes by "Mukhsin" and his mum was simply very sad. I felt teary eyed at the end when she died.

Other pluses: I loved the songs in the movies. It turns out that the songs by the main characters were by Aizat and Atilia. They had wonderful voices! I would have loved to see Jac and Adibah Noor do more singing but it simply wasn't in their parts.

Here comes the negatives: I must say that YA's portrayal of a 'racially diverse Malaysia' as extremely idealistic and unrealistic. Yes, some families like that exist but how many fathers carry their daughters on their backs in public to show their affections, and how many Muslim families allow their daughters to fall asleep in their houses next to a male companion (with the only 'rebuke' if you can call it that is 'ooh isn't that so cute'?!!)?? I get what she's trying to do. In recent trying times, she wants to uphold positive values of an ethnically united Malaysia but coudn't she try to be as accurate as possible? But maybe that is what is HER own experience, and what she envisions Malaysia in her mind. Another thing is the repetitive elements I keep seeing in her movies, maybe it's just getting a tad old for me.

Watch this one with a lot of caution, and revise your high expectations in order not to be disappointed.

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The Spirit

The original "The Spirit" comic, taken from this website

What a great stress reliever! I really needed a good break after my grueling GRE and the start of the new semester (eek! I have about 200++ students altogether!) so I decided to take a break and watch a movie since it's been quite some time since I saw one.

We thought this was a horror movie (look at the title!!) so we were really expecting some goosebumps and hair raising scenes where nubile young things screamed at every interval, with plenty of blood and gore thrown in between. But as soon as the credit rolled, we realized that it was going to be hair raising, but in a different way than expected. :-p

Within ten minutes, I had a good feeling: this was going to be a good movie! I didn't recognize the leading man in the role of "the spirit" (some dude called Gabriel Macht), but the rest was quite a star studded cast that included Samuel L Jackson, Scar-Jo and Eva Mendes. Plenty of eye candy for the boys.

This is a story of a dead police who came back from death, to be reborn again as a hero. The main character, "The Spirit" is apparently based on a comic created by a Will Eisner, in the 1940s. He seems to have some special power; you can't kill him no matter what. His nemesis is a drug lord called Octopus (a campy and annoying Samuel L Jackson; a villain you'd love to hate!) and his assistant (Scar-Jo). How she manages to still look voluptuous and delectable in hideous looking, black frame glasses and demure clothing is beyond me! She's his assistant. As the hero, "The Spirit" is helping the police to track the bad guys and trying to make his city more livable (why do they always make heroes so idealistic?!).

And all superheroes always have a soft spot for the ladies. Enter Eva Mendes. She's actually his childhood sweetheart. As a teenager, her dad was killed by a police, so she hates their guts and vows never to return. They break up and she runs off to Europe only to return again as a beautiful villain cum thief, bent on collecting 'shiny' things; and will stop at nothing to get what she want. The reason why she's back? She wants a box that Octopus has, those two boxes got accidentally switched when she runs into him and his stupid henchmen.

What I liked about the movie? Hmm... at first it was difficult to understand but as the story progressed, it was much easier to digest. I like the exaggerated feel of the whole movie; the cheeky and over the top script, the colorful characters, the 'black feel' permeating almost the entire movie, the beautiful clothes that Eva wears... Everything was so blown out of proportion but I think it was kind of the whole point. Of course the talented and star studded cast was simply wonderful to watch! The villains for instance; watch out for the three rather stupid looking henchmen of the Octopus, in black t-shirt and almost monosyllabic dialogs, their antics were simply hilarious!

Anyway, for someone who had intentions to watch a horror movie, and was gobsmacked when "The Spirit" turned out to be an action/thriller, this movie certainly surpassed my expectations. What a pleasant way to spend my afternoon! :-)

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Finally....

...I bought a new phone. :-P. I've been wanting to buy a new phone for quite some time but did not have the time to buy it. So I waited until classes finished so I did not feel too guilty about slinking off to go hunting during office hours. He he he he.

After initial surfing in the Sony Erricsson website, I was attracted to the C902 model (refer to my previous blog post, here). But after thinking for a bit, since in my opinion, it was a bit too pricey I revised my target and decide to go for the "W" series. Well, one man's meat is another one's poison right? He he he. For me, I like storing lots of music in my phone (sound system has to be good) rather than picture quality (plus, I already have a digital camera so why bother??). Plus, I like phones that have huge keys (to SMS!!), light-weight, simple design and is not too complicated to use. I prefer the candy bar, rather than flip or slide, and that's another reason to go for SE. No matter how clumsy you are, SE phones are damn durable! I know I've dropped mine more than ten times, and it still works fine! Ha ha ha.

The minute we got to Low Yatt, it was raining like hell. So I was in no mood to stay there long. After looking at a few models, I decided to get the W660i. Within the price range offered, and its features, it fits the bill perfectly of what I would want in a phone. They have this model in two colors, one in black with gold edges, the other one is red with pink edges (too girly, eew! :-P) so of course i got the black one. To the person who accompanied me, thanks so much. But please stop nagging me like I'm a little kid! :-P I probably won't be going again to Low Yatt for quite some time. He he he he.

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It's number 13... and he's back!!!

Yeah, that's the way to go! - Roger falls down and screams in jubilation

If you've been following my previous blogs, you would have noticed I wrote a lot about tennis. Once upon a time, I even had play by play (well, at least some matches of interest!) review of Grand Slam tournaments. Now, I simply don't have the time, and I've run out of things to say because Roger was going through a slump this year.

Now that he has recently won his 13th Grand Slam tournament, I can safely say: the Fed-Ex is back!!! He now only has to win one more tournament to match Pete Sampras's record of most grand slam tournament won. In this final, he beat Andy Murray. He should have thanked Andy though, coz he got rid of one Rafael Nadal in the semis.

So far this year, he has been in three Grand Slam finals (lost two of 'em to Nadal) and managed to reach the semis of another. Pretty good record for any tennis player, but bad for him because he set such high standards and because he is so used to winning everything. At 27, when he was going through this slump (starting from the Aussie Open this year) everyone thought he was going downhill and would not live to win another Slam. Well, they all thought wrong. This is exactly the boost that he needs. Congrats, Roger and keep up the good work! :-)

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Should I... or should I not?

Yes, folks. It's that time of the year again... He he he he. Or rather, it's time that I... buy a new phone. I've been sticking with my current model for two years already. It's still doing OK, and functioning pretty well so that's why I am hesitant about changing for a new one.

Yesterday, me and my other half took a stroll to KLCC just to survey the phones there. When we got to Sony Style, three models stood out to me, but the one that captured my attention most is the C902 model. It's very simple and very me. I just like phones that have clean lines, very light-weight, easy to use and as long as I can surf Internet, store lots of songs and pictures, plus take reasonably good pictures I am already very satisfied. Plus, the keys are big enough, I don't like small keys. It makes it difficult for me to type SMS and a girl can't live without texting you know! He he he.

My other half was eyeing for another model, a flip model which was actually very sleek and stylish. But, after my last love-hate relationship with a previous flip phone, I am a bit apprehensive about their longevity! The model I am eyeing is about RM1600++ which is a wee bit pricey. So should I or shouldn't I?

I should sleep on this one for a bit before I make a final decision!

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Susuk

Su.suk

1. form, shape, frame
2. The forbidden practice of inserting and embedding foreign objects such as gold, silver and diamonds under a person's skin to increase the person's allure

We watched this movie out of curiosity. Naturally, the lure of mystical black magic that allows one to stay young forever was an interesting topic to me. Plus, this movie was directed by Amir Muhammad who normally directs independent films that almost always gets banned by our overzealous Censorship Board. Oh, occasionally he guest stars in teen soap operas. :-P Anyway, Amir Muhammad is one talented dude. If I'm not mistaken he co-directed this movie with another director.

The story started alright. It had all the right ingredients. Mystery, a lot of blood and flying chickens, hot semi nude ladies in bath tubs swamped by flowers, lifestyle of the rich and famous and a cast of talented actors who you know in the past, have given very good performance. It tells the story of two ladies, a wannabe Malaysian Idol nurse (played by Diana Rafar) and a diva-ish singer (played by Ida Nerina). This young nurse wants to be a singer, and after she meets up with two famous singers (played by Aleeza Kassim and Sofea Jane) she becomes even more convinced to drop her profession in order to embrace the glamorous lifestyle of a super-star. Of course she had an inkling what one has to do in order to succeed.

Enter the susuk practice. To stay on top of your game, you have to do all that it takes. Including wear susuk, which is obviously forbidden in Islam. Ida meanwhile is already a successful singer in her own right, who is knee deep in the susuk business. Almost always by her side is her PA (?) cum dukun who has the ability to appear and disappear at will! (I can't remember his title and I am too lazy to Google it). He is the one who is the ultimate susuk pasang-er (played fabulously by Adlin Aman Ramlee). Somehow, she goes against the restrictions of the susuk (which was not to cross any body of water, i.e. rivers or seas) and she has to kill again in order for the susuk to reverse itself and for her to retain eternal youthfulness.

Somehow, along the way, we got very confused. Why are all susuk users killed in this story? Is she supposed to kill young starlets cum singers in order to reverse the susuk back to its usefulness? And why would a couple of diva singers be interested in a young, naive and very ordinary looking nurse (OK so she is kinda sweet looking!)? Owh, you mean Aleeza is supposed to be lesbian? Owh wow! That wasn't apparent until she took of her bikini top in front of our young nurse here! Plus, you had a scene involving nurse's evil brother in law who was ceremoniously killed by our powerful dukun. It was just a bit much! The acting was alright, though. I loved Adlin in his role, and I thought it was lovely seeing Sofea Jane in what must be one of her recent film performance after quite a long hiatus. But oh! You should watch out for Jalaluddin Hassan in one of the most ridiculous, over-acting, smarmy, gatal old men role! And at one point he actually asked (in a pseudo game show host voice): ADAKAH ANDA PASTI? Ha ha ha ha ha ha. I nearly fell of my seat, then! :-P

Later on only did you realize that these two characters were one and the same person, the nurse has morphed into the diva-ish singer as a result of the susuk that she wore. This accounts for her greeting her best friend warmly even though she was already in the shape and form of someone else. Of course, the best friend did not recognize her at all.

All in all, it was just OK to me. As a scary movie, it was gory and titillating enough. I guess I was expecting a bit more from the great Amir Muhammad (I do love his writings in his former NST heydays). I did read another review today that said it was supposed to be a satire on the excessiveness of the life of Malaysian actors and actresses, sort of a poke of fun at their greediness and lust in doing anything they can in order to become rich and famous. Owh well... Encik Amir, you could have made the plot of the movie a wee bit clearer for us dense movie goers lah... :-P

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Radiostar

Radio Star is a group that was formed in 2005 but launched 31st March 2006 amongst friends at Tanchap Radiostar/Radiostar Undefined on the top of an old building in Bangsar Utama. The main vocalist of the group is Pot Amir, or some of you might remember him as the smooth voiced, long haired, reed thin lead singer of Innuendo, a local vocal group who ruled the Malaysian music scene in the mid 90's.

Pot himself told me about his new group (yes, he is on Facebook and he actually answers e-mails. How cool is that?!! He he he he) and so, I took a listen to his new music. They're actually quite cool, it's got a jazzy, old-school feel to it and I love it! Check out the YouTube video I've uploaded here.

For more information, you can also take a listen to more excellent singles by Radiostar at this website. Hey, there's actually hope for Malaysian music after all! :-)

Batman, The Dark Knight - "Why so serious?"

Heath Ledger as 'the Joker'

Jack Nicholson as 'the Joker'

I wasn't supposed to watch this.

But like any good soldier, I need entertainment. Work hard, play hard, that's my motto! :-P So I dragged my ex students, Ina and Acu to watch this movie this week. Plus, I was looking forward to watching it because like any other morbid, entertainment-starved member of the public, I needed my curiosity satiated on what was going through Heath Ledger's mind when he played 'The Joker'.

The movie did not dissapoint me at all. I thought the casting of Christian Bale as the angsty, arrogant, pompous Batman was spot on. (Plus, he has the signature mouth designed for anyone who has to wear that horrible Bat costume!). But by far and away, the late Heath Ledger stole the show. He was perfect as Joker. The horribly psychotic villain everyone loves to hate. The brilliant criminal who is much more dangerous than the average punk. He steals not for money (witness the scene where he burns a pile of Mafia money into flames much to the consternation of the Mafias watching). No, sir... he commits crime just because he can. And also he has the sadistic pleasure of turning bad men into evil incarnates. He gets his kick by prodding the most heroic of them all to switch sides: Harvey Dent, the overzealous, enthusiastic DA. The man whom everyone expects to sweep aside into the gutter Gotham's baddest and meanest. Harvey is the man whom everyone expects to turn Gotham into a safe city. Of course, with the help of the soon-to-be Commissioner of Police, his hesitant bride-to-be, Rachel and the silent knight, Batman.

I found the final scenes very poignant, it certainly pulled the heart strings as you watched the two-faced-Harvey Dent turned bad and when Batman was forced to admit that his presence, in rattling a few cages, has brought more bad than good. The death of Rachel brought out the bitterness in Dent, and hence proved the words of Joker to have some form of truth. "Some men die as heroes while others live long enough to become bad". How true!

Oh yeah, back to the Joker. He was so sinister looking with that maniacal laugh perfected to a tee, the exaggerated swagger, charcoal smudged eyes, pasty white make up and the badly drawn ruby red mouth. I heard he got his inspiration from Jack Nicholson who previously played Joker, but in my humble opinion, Heath's Joker was much more menacing and disturbing. You won't definitely play your cards against a man whose motives banks not on superficial values, but is instead spurred on by much darker means. He wants to commit crime and loves watching destruction. How sick is that?! Perhaps his personal torments made him such a good actor; you have to have some idea of what misery and darkness is if you want to play it.

Anyway, go watch this one. You definitely don't want to miss one of the best block busters of this year, and yes, an Oscar-worthy performance from the late Heath Ledger. My only complaint is: couldn't they get a better looking actress than Maggie Gyllenhall? :-P