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Monday, January 23, 2006

'Should I eat this blondie...?' Kong ponders (spoilers are very much included) - Further Updated In Red Colour & Elsewhere


















2 years have passed since the final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson is now back with a remake of a classic monster movie. The King has returned to the big screen, this time not Aragorn, but the King goes by the name - KONG.

The original 1933 movie of the same name became one of the top moneymakers of the 1930's. It starred Fay Wray whose death in 2004 (age 96), the Empire State Building dimmed its lights in her memory.

For Mr. Jackson's movie, we see the ever-so-beautiful Naomi Watts playing Ann Darrow, Jack Black (Carl Denham), Adrien Brody (Jack Driscoll), Thomas Kretschmann (Captain Englehorn), Colin Hanks son of Tom Hanks (Preston), Andy Serkis (Kong/Lumpy), Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot (Jimmy), Evan Dexter Parke (Hayes) and Kyle Chandler of TV series Early Edition (Bruce Baxter).

The story is set during the depression era in New York. According the Mr. Jackson, if the story is set during modern days, Kong won't stand a chance against our fighter jets.

Ann Darrow, a stage actress who knows best how to make people laugh, is one of those New Yorkers with holes in their pockets, struggles to earn a living. She seeks desperately for a part to play in a Jack Driscoll's movie - a part that she knows backwards. Unfortunately, the part has been given to someone else.

But on the day she is refused the part, the day when she thinks all doors are closed and the day when (without knowing) she is about to be a part of a monstrous adventure, an acquaintance tells her, "You're not bad looking. A girl like you doesn't need to starve." The man gives her an address, where she can work temporarily, but warns "...and forget you was ever there."

So, she sets on to find the address, only to cross path with Carl Denham. Carl is a 'self-promoter' film director who has made many near-success movies, whose latest project is about to be scrapped off, partly due to not enough funding, and also because he wants to venture out finding an uncharted island and film his movie there.

Upon finding out the news about the fate of his film, he illegally takes his film equipment and crew on board a ship, whose Capt. Englehorn is the skipper. Among the film crew is Preston, his right-hand man; Jack Driscoll, a writer whose passion lies in the theater but Carl thinks movie business is where Jack belongs and Bruce Baxter, the film hero.

But one person is missing, i.e. the lead actress. Without her, his movie is nothing. The actress who was originally hired has pulled out after finding out that Carl is not filming in Singapore, but on an island, 'a place that was thought to exist, only a myth'.

Therefore, Carl has to find a replacement (who happens to be size 4) and he has to do this quick. He knows that 'somewhere out there is a woman born to play this role, a woman who will journey into the heart of the unknown, towards a fateful meaning, that changes everything'. And the minute he sees Ann, he knows that the part is meant for her (also, partly because he's desperate to find a leading lady hehe).

At first, Ann is reluctant to take the offer (because she makes people laugh, not weep). But the moment she hears Jack Driscoll's name, she immediately agrees (she's a big fan of Driscoll's work).

See how Ann makes a fool of herself when she mistakenly thinks a sound recordist as Jack. Also, the underlying feelings and the chemistry that is developing between Ann and Jack. Jack is also writing a play, a comedy for Ann, for the reason - "Isn't it obvious?"

On board the Ventura ship, the skipper has dozens of other crews. Among them are Lumpy the Cook played by Andy Serkis (who also plays Kong and Gollum in the LOTR, in case you don't know); Jimmy, a young drifter who never speaks of where he came from. Jimmy was found by Hayes (his god-brother, sort of) when he was hiding inside one of the cages in the ship. The thing is, skipper keeps cages and many bottles of chloroform in his ship. Skipper is really good at capturing animals and makes good money selling live animals to zoos and circus.

Upon receiving a Morse code that Carl is wanted by the police, Capt. Englehorn has been ordered to bring Carl to Rangoon. Although Carl begs him to let him finish his movie, Capt. refuses to accept, saying, "No Mr Denham, you risk everything I have."

Just as the ship makes its turn, it is engulfed by thick white fog. There are no stars that night and the compass is 'acting' funny. The Capt. navigates blindly for a while until Jimmy screams "Walll!!! There's a wall...straight ahead".

So many rocks hinder their navigation. One big wave causes the ship to be stranded against a big rock. Not far from them, they can see an island surrounded by walls a few feet high, "nobody knows who built it, still strong today as it was many years ago."

While the ship is being repaired, Jack and his crew foolishly go to the island. Upon reaching there, just outside the wall, they see skulls and human skeletal remains (it's like a burial ground). Some skeletons are also found in other areas, with cloths covering their eye sockets and in tied-up positions. I guess those are the people who have been punished via means of prosecutions.

Carl thinks nobody is there anymore because the place is a ruin. Until one native girl surprises them, followed by many more violent-looking native men. The sound recordist is the first character to die. An old native witch curses Ann with some spells (as Ann can still hear the 'mantra' later that night, echoes silently in her head). The scream from Ann during the attack is anwered by a roar, that echoes LOUDLY from the thick jungle, from the other side of the wall.

The Capt. and his man come to the rescue. The ship is finally repaired. Anything not bolted to the ship (except for potatoes) is thrown to the sea, to make the ship weigh lighter. Everyone is so busy wanting to leave the island quickly, they have not realised that Ann has been taken. Loud drums and huge fire displays from the island indicate that Ann is needed for some rituals or something. The captain has no choice but to turn back.

Ann is being offered to a beast. Scream Ann, scream for your life! As Kong sees her, he plays around with her hair a little bit. Kong must be thinking, 'Hmm.. white skin, blonde hair, nice smell... totally different from the usual girls I had before.'

The ship crew arrives, now armed with loads of guns. Kong feels threatened and immediately grabs Ann away. Upon reaching his feeding ground, Kong shakes Ann up and down like a Barbie doll, probably contemplating, 'Should I eat this blondie? I haven't had meat for a long time. All I get to eat is some bamboo sticks.'

Trailing close behind is Carl, Jack and other men. Kong flees away. As he runs, see how he loosens his grip, as though trying to make Ann feels comfortable. I guess this is the time when Kong decides, 'I shall keep this blondie alive for companionship. After all, I'm the final species left on this island, and perhaps the world. I'm lonely and haven't had a friend for a long time. All I have at my lair is some bones of my dead relatives and those fierce looking bats, accompanying me at nights.'

Ann learns that she's not going to be Kong's next meal when during their first 'fight' together, Kong hits everything else around them, except her - the ground, trees, rocks. But during their brief separation, Ann chooses to escape, not knowing what other nasty things await her on that island.

If the island has giant walls and a giant ape (luckily not giant tribe people), 'logically' surely other animals are also bigger in sizes. But these are no ordinary animals, because dinosaurs are still very much alive on the island, thriving and roaming free.

There are some of us, who thinks that Kong movie is a Jurassic Park rip-off. For those who have watched or at least know the history behind the 1930's Kong, they would know that there were dinosaurs in the original King Kong. As a matter of fact, Jurassic Park was actually inspired by the original King Kong. Spielberg has even said this a number of times.

Therefore, Peter Jackson is just repeating the history here, with modifications of course, making the dinosaurs and Kong more realistic. Thanks to the advancement in special effects technology, Jackson and his team not only able to create dinosaurs and Kong, but also humongous creepy crawlies and creatures of the swamp/pit/lair.

Only a few among those who join Jack in the quest for finding Miss Darrow survives. They not only need to avoid from being crushed to death during the BRONTOSAURS stampede, but also from being eaten by meat eater CARNOTAURS. Apart from that, the deadly encounter with Kong, and the fall into the deep pit where all sorts of insects, swamp creatures, crabs are attacking them from all corners. Pay special attention to wetas, the insects that attack Jack. It was based on this insect, that Peter Jackson came up with the name Weta Workshop (the company that does CGI work for Kong and LOTR).

The ordeal that Ann has to face is also big in magnitude. Forget about the mostly-fake-and-staged fights you see in wrestling. In Kong, there is a 'real' and 'true' fight that we should be cheering for - the fights between Kong and three V-Rexes. It's totally jaw-dropping (in terms of superbly real special effects), jaw clenching (hear the realistic 'tok' sound everytime V-Rexes try to snap Ann away from Kong's hands using their jaws) and jaw breaking (literally, one V-Rex has its jaw ripped apart at the hinge by Kong. Sadist, brutal, it will make you cringe and at the same time you will think to yourself - cool...).

Hurt, bleeding and tired, Kong tries to ignore Ann, showing his remorse that Ann tries to run away. There are plenty of funny and moving scenes between Ann and Kong, and considering there is hardly a 2-way conversation involved, I must say 'brilliantly directed!'

Back at Kong's lair. It's almost sunset. Thinking that maybe Kong still ignores her, she tries to make amends by juggling stones. But it turns out, Kong is actually admiring the view and the sun setting in. She says, "Beautiful.." (referring to the view). Then she places her hand to her chest and repeats, "Beautiful..". Naomi Watts does this so splendidly. It is apparent to her face, that Ann is finally figuring out the reason Kong didn't consume her earlier. Kong must have seen her as a beautiful lady. Well, luckily she IS pretty, otherwise I would say, 'Don't flatter yourself, girl!' Hehe...

Jack goes a separate way from his group. The others wait for him and Ann at the gate (while some guard the ship). When Jack reaches Kong's lair that night, Ann is fast asleep in the palm of Kong's hand. She then awakens, and frowns a bit. There is complexity and confusion that shines from Ann's expression. She is not as delighted as she should be when she sees Jack in front of her. Perhaps she no longer wants to be found and rescued.

I somewhat enjoy this particular scene. Ann looks very white and bright. She's in Kong's palm, her left hand reaching out to Jack while we can see Kong's face in the background. The whole atmosphere colour is rather black and white. The scene really looks like it is an oldie movie - very CLASSIC!

Ann must be silently thinking, 'Oh, why do you come Jack? I don't need your rescue anymore. I'm much safer with Kong, who battles carnivours with his bare hands, compared to you, who is rather scrawny by comparison. After all, I have nothing to go back to. New York is still in depression era, Carl's movie must have gone bust by now, I have no family, no friends, no career, no money... Do you want me to carry on bickering, Jack?'

Jack manages to 'rescue' Ann with the help of some bats. Kong is hot on his heels. Without him knowing, Carl, the Captain and others are preparing to capture Kong alive at the gate. A few more lost their lives, before Kong falls unconscious (due to sniffing too much chloroform). Carl's plan - to bring Kong back to New York, and cash in on the tagline "Kong - the 8th wonder of the world." After all, his movie is finished. So, he'd better come out with a contingency plan.

Ok, let's not go into logic. Because otherwise, you must be thinking, 'How can they carry Kong on board the rather small ship, with Kong's sheer size and many of the crew are dead (thus, less man power to do the lifting). Also, how much chloroform do they need to use to keep Kong asleep considering the distance they need to travel. Further, surely they don't have the right ropes or chains of the right sizes to tie up Kong, since obviously those need to be custom-made.' That's the thing about movies, they sometimes defy logic, and yet, still manage to entertain us all... Because movies let us escape from the harsh reality of the world.

Back in NY, Carl proudly displays Kong "for the price of an admission ticket." As he opens the ceremony, he says, "17 men suffered horrific deaths, in pursuit of a savage beast. But the beast is tamed by a girl, a girl from New York," followed by a round of applause from the audience. Then, Carl quoted an old Arabian Proverb, "And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And it stayed its hands from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead."

As suspected, Kong wreaks havoc in NY, looking for his girl (Ann refuses to be a part of the freak show). Upon finding her, so much destruction has been caused by Kong and more deaths. For that, the military is hunting him down (not that difficult to do so) to kill him.

THIS IS TYPICAL AMONG US HUMANS. WHENEVER SOMEONE IS (SLIGHTLY) DIFFERENT FROM NORM, OTHER PEOPLE START TO PASS ALL SORTS OF JUDGEMENTS ABOUT HIM (AND AGAINST HIM), LIKE WHAT HE'S CAPABLE OR NOT CAPABLE OF DOING, WHAT HE'S LIKE, WHY HE SHOULD BE AVOIDED AND RIDICULED AT, BLAH BLAHH BLAHHH..., AS THOUGH THEY KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT HIM, MAKING HIM FEEL BAD ABOUT HIMSELF. WHAT MAKES THEY THINK THEY KNOW SO MUCH?? DO THEY THINK THAT THEY ARE SUCH A PERFECT CREATURE, THEY HAVE TO JUDGE OTHERS?? WHATEVER THEY BAD-MOUTH ABOUT THE OTHER PERSON, IT WILL DEFINITELY COME BACK TO THEM (IF NOT THEIR OWN LOVED ONES), IN TEN FOLDS MUCH WORSE. I'M SURE KONG WOULD GLADLY SHOVE SOME BAMBOO STICKS WITH SHARP ENDS INTO THEIR @#$*ES, IF HE HAD THE CHANCE....

As for Kong, just because he's very big and hairy, roars louder than the biggest lion and has killed many people (unfortunately), it doesn't mean that he should be eliminated. It's just that he's been misunderstood. Underneath that intimidating exterior, Kong is actually a gentle giant, who longs for a place in the world, with the person (Ann) he truly cares about.

At the top of the Empire State Building, Kong battles a few fighter airplanes and succeeds in bringing three down (Not Bad!). But he is so badly wounded after being shot a number of times. In one scene, Kong sees Ann climbs up to the roof of the building and looks away. Not hating her, but somehow Kong must be thinking, 'I'm spent. This girl has caused me so much pain. Humans from her place are mean to me. I should have eaten her when I had the chance. And wait…, yep, still haven't got a decent meat for a long time…' Hehe…

KONG’S DEATH SCENE IS VERY HEART-BREAKING; IT CAN PROBABLY BRING TEARS TO YOUR EYES. Ann touches his face for the last time, crying in front of him. Then a few more fatal shots hit Kong’s back and the back of his head. Ann cries harder. She sees no more life coming from Kong’s big black eyes now. Kong falls down to the streets below.

Absolutely devastated, Ann looks down. Then she hears a familiar voice calling for her "Ann...Ann...." It’s Jack. She runs towards him and hugs him in tears…


People start to crowd around Kong’s lifeless body. As a reporter says, “What does it matter, the airplanes got him.” Then Carl appears and says, “No, it was beauty that killed the beast.”


Watch how Peter Jackson intelligently captures scenes from other movies and assimilate them into King Kong (not sure whether it was intentional or just plain coincidences). Here are examples:

1) Titanic
- there are dolphins which accompany the ship’s voyage
- scenes showing how the mechanisms of the ship work
- Jack and Ann look on as the ship almost hits a big rock (Rose and Jack witness the iceberg that the liner has hit)
- Ann cries as Kong falls to the ground (Rose cries as Jack sinks further into the sea)

2) Godzilla
Kong is trailing closely behind as Jack drives through the streets of NY (Godzilla chases the taxi as characters flee for their lives)


Basically, what Screen Review says about King Kong is absolutely correct: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, Jaws, E.T., and Raiders of the Lost Ark all rolled into one mammoth, three hour roller coaster ride.

Other reviews on King Kong;

The jaw-dropping, eye-popping, heart-stopping movie epic we’ve been waiting for all year – Peter Travers, Rolling Stones.

King Kong vs. T-Rex battle – one for the ages. Enormously impressive visual effects. Brontosaurus stampede, giant centipedes, three T-Rexes, giant insects and arachnids – guaranteed to thrill. – Variety. (I believe it's V-Rex, not T-Rex though...)

The music score for the movie is so tempting and melodramatic, especially the parts when (i) Kong and Ann see the sunset from Kong's lair, (ii) when Ann cries as Kong falls to his knees after Carl knocks Kong unconscious with a bottle of chloroform, (iii) when Ann locks eye with Jack during one of her (crying) shooting takes, (vi) the moment when Ann sees Jack as she awakens from her sleep and still in the comfort of Kong's palm, (v) when Kong 'skates' with Ann at Central Park and (vi) Kong's death scene.

Meantime, for those fans who wish to do some further reading on all things King Kong, here are some books:

1. King Kong: The Island of Skull - prequel to the movie, features some back stories and stories on several characters.
2. King Kong: The Official Novelisation - One of the better movie novelisations in the market.
3. The World of Kong - A Natural Histrory of Skull Island (hardcover) - A superb collection of natural history of the island, and what inhibits the place. The drawings are very detailed and nicely drawn, right down to the dinosaurs' and Kong's skeletal structure. A collector's item, if only the price in Malaysia is not that steep.

In case you are wondering how come I manage to take you (almost) scene by scene in King Kong, let's just say I've watched the movie enough times, to know it backwards hehe. But NO pirated DVD is involved, ok?

By the way, for those fellow Malaysians who for some reason haven't watched the movie (or want to see it again), go catch it at IMAX, the biggest screen in South East Asia. Totally breath taking experience and the sound effects can be enjoyed to the fullest.

© Copyright Abdun N.A. - Malaysia 2006; No part of this article (especially the idea of the review, the creative and the juicy part) can be reproduced in whatever form.

P/S: Information is correct (or at least that's what I believe so) at the time of writing this entry. Any incorrect spelling of any names (in particular the dinasours) or inaccurate facts of any kind comes solely from my own mistake as a human being, and therefore, I apologise. But you can always correct me, of course :))


Read on: My feelings as the wedding date comes closer; how I was willing to let everything go and everyone behind just so that I could share the pains of other people; more movie reviews; my 'rejected' article on Top 10 movie taglines; my views on us humans and why Without A Trace is such a TV hit (and my favourite).

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Saturday, January 21, 2006

The Video & how it almost changed me... (Updated)

In the horror sequel Jeepers Creepers 2, there is a scene where a character says, "When someone is really scared, it's just like when they are drunk; their true nature comes out." I don't know about being drunk (not a drop a liquor has ever landed on my tounge, alhamdulillah, but does drunk of love count? hehe) but when I get really scared, I think I might tremble like a vibrator, have goose bumps or perhaps to my own surprise, I might actually become super-brave?

Ok, let's put that aside for now and talk about something serious. I remember a conversation I had with another Malaysian friend who lived at the university hostel throughout our study years in the UK. He said, "I notice that behaviours of some students, really change whenever they are drunk. They turn out to be, not that nice, contrary to how they would behave when they are sober."

You might wonder why I talk about humans' true nature during 'drunk time', right? Well, I will get back to that in a moment.

A few years back, when I was very much younger and much naive (still naive to this day), I received from someone, an email containing a real-life video footage. It showed a horrendous act committed by a soldier towards an unarmed civilian-clad person. However, I won't mention what soldier, who the victim was and where it was allegedly committed.

The civilian was lying on the ground. One side of his face was against the gravel, while the other was under the soldier's right booted leg. The soldier pressed his left hand against the man's shoulder. Then using his right hand, he repeatedly stabbed the man's neck using a knife. At the final stab, with the knife's blade still in the man's neck, without mercy, the soldier pulled the knife outward, slitting the throat. With the trachea obviously broken and the skin wide open, veins spilled blood profusely onto the gravel.

The soldier laughed together with a compatriot, seeing how the man, still under his */#%ing right leg, wriggled to his death; after which, the soldier beheaded him.

I can still recall the face of the unfortunate man. I remember that, even before the knife reached his neck, he already seemed like out of breath; you know how a fish would behave when it's out of the water. I guess the man already saw the Angel of Death approaching him, the moment he was pinned to the ground.

After watching the footage, I was crying my eyes out, thinking the horror and torture that the man had to endure. I even put myself in the man's position - how horrifying it must be, knowing the inevitable was about to happen! I just hoped that Death had taken his soul away from his body, gently and with mercy, contrary to what the other being had done to him. How could a human resort to something like this and become worse than animals?

Watching the footage really fuelled me with so much outrage. The only thing that came to me at that time was, how could I help my fellow brothers and sisters who were oppressed out there (most of them are still being oppressed as we speak). I then voiced out to a lady friend that I would like to go to Palestine, and helped those people who have been fighting for justice and freedom for many many years. I wanted to go there as an aid worker. But if conditions required so, I wouldn't mind lifting a weapon and fight with them.

But I told her, I would't resort to being a suicide bomber. The one and only reason: I DON'T CONDONE TERRORISM AND ANY SIMILAR HEINOUS ACTS! I find suicide bombing is rather foolish and useless. No good can come out it other than further tarnishes the image of their religion.

But let's be rational and ponder our thoughts for a while. Whenever a war breaks out between two nations and it involves civilian casualties, especially women, children and old folks; we can expect people to retaliate. In the past, people retaliate by joining the army. Well, this is not me talking, histories have shown us that over and over again....

Imagine I, who live a thousand miles away from the place of conflict, could get so angry and was willing to lift a gun and fight in Palestine. Let alone those who are directly affected, and witness those brutalities in front of their very eyes; especially if their loved ones are among those killed and mistreated. It is very possible that some of them are willing to strap themselves with explosives. After all, they pretty much have nothing to lose. Also, bear in mind that they don't have other means to fight: they own no fighter jets, no submarines, no tanks.......

As Ogilvy had said in the War of the Worlds movie, "This is not a fair war. This is a war between man and maggots, and (those) people are being exterminated."

For a while after watching the footage, I started to hastily generalise some people as 'a breed of animals'. I was thinking, perhaps a percentage of them, does (secretly) judge those of a certain religion, with hatred and prejudiced eyes (and for no good reasons whatsoever). After all, a 'friendly' neighbour in Bosnia wouldn't change to become a devilish monster in a blink, if not all the while, they were just pretending...

But the lady friend managed to bring me back to my senses. She reminded me that my fight was here, in Malaysia and I could still help out from my own country (she was very right), how could I leave my family behind (she was right again; I could never do that, especially since it was possible that I might not return). She also said that NOT ALL of them are like that! Although we didn't have the same friends, but we both had friends of different religions and different origin countries (yes! they are all very nice and I know THAT is their true nature).

In my 31-October-2005 entry (Greatest ‘war’ of all……well, I stick!), I shared - the greatest war that humans need to face is a war against themselves. Apparently, some people who falsely claim they are 'leaders', have failed in their own war. They have failed to control their own anger, misjudgements, vengeance, greed and irrational fears. As a result, wrong decisions have been made and other people are made to suffer.

We should create a special arena for them - to fight with each other and if necessary to their own deaths (although I think that's even better); without dragging us, innocent people into their conflicts. Once they are 'done', they can be replaced with REAL LEADERS, WHO KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THEIR OWN CONFLICTS FIRST, BEFORE HANDLING WITH MUCH BIGGER ISSUES (AS THEY ARISE).

Recently, a similar video was in my Inbox. This time, a group of unarmed men were shot to death in the heads and for some reason one of them was executed differently. Although the method was different, but the 'goal' was the same - to slit the man's throat, followed by beheading...

This time, I tried so hard to rationalise myself - it's possible that those people were probably under the influence of alcohol when they committed those acts. But then, sober or not (I DON'T REALLY CARE), they have put themselves on the same level as the devils. They WILL join the devils, as coals that are used to light up HELL FIRE !!!!

And don't they dare think, that their sins can be easily wiped out by just one simple confession. They have millions of people to apologise from, starting with the victims' immediate families (i.e. if they are still around and they can forgive those *%$&ers).

Read on: Reviews on "Narnia, The Fog, The Gardener and The Were-Rabbit".

Coming Soon: Read about my detailed review on King Kong (a different entry), as I take you through the journey at Skull Island, where the beauty meets the 'gentle' giant.

Tick..tock..lup...dup...It's not easy to be me

Tick..tock...tick...tock.... is that the wedding bell? But wait, there's no wedding bell in our wedding ceremony! I guess it's just the clock ticking and 'tocking', counting down the time till the day when I say my wedding vow.

Lup..dup..lup..dup..... my heart beat is sure beating fast... But then, I guess it's good for the blood circulation :)

Ok... just breathe in, breathe out, inhale, exhale and stay calm. And be myself, everything will be just fine....

Just be myself, huh? Everything will be fine? But, usually no good can come out of that (being myself).... sigh!

Here, I would like to give a snippet of Superman, a song by the group Five For Fighting.

I can't stand to fly; I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find; the better part of me.
I'm more than a bird; I'm more than a plane
Looking for special things inside of me
.....................IT'S NOT EASY.........TO BE ME.....................

sigh! sigh!

Coming Soon:
1. Possibly, more trivia about King Kong that I can find out for your reading pleasure
2. What India has to offer and why you should NOT accept all the offers :)
3. The detailed journey of my wedding. Well, not THAT detail ;) Plus loads of wedding photos (available here and my website). Also, read about our honeymoon trip together ....

Narnia, The Fog, The Gardener and The Were-Rabbit (spoilers ahead....) - updated

The Constant Gardener - a movie that is both moving and inspiring. A movie that has put the lovely dovey Rachel Weisz (above) into the limelight as the Golden Globes' Supporting Actress winner plus many other award nominations (including Best Picture). The movie also garnered the most nominations in the BAFTA awards (UK equivalent for Oscar).

The story unfolds with the discovery of a body of a British diplomat's wife, Tessa Quayle, in a remote area of Northern Kenya. She was raped and brutally murdered, with slashes of wounds on her face and body. Tessa's traveling companion, a local doctor, is missing, and reports indicate, it is a crime of passion, that she was having an affair with the doctor.

Justin Quayle, the husband, who spends a lot of time in his garden (thus the name of the movie), is very much devastated by her death. Through his eyes, we see flashbacks of Tessa, and why 'she is his home'.

He digs up the ground, this time not to garden (or to uncover his wife's corpse), but to find out the real stories behind Tessa's death. He refuses to believe the alleged affair between his wife and the doctor, although many people do so.

WELL, THAT'S COMMON TO HUMANS NOWADAYS. PEOPLE IS MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN LIES THAN KNOWING THE TRUTH. GOSSIPS AND MALICIOUS REMARKS HAVE MORE BELIEVERS, COMPARED TO WORDS OF WISDOM AND POSITIVE WORDS (i.e. THOSE WORDS UTTERED BY GOD AND/OR GURUS).

MOST OF THE TIME, WE ARE SO STUPID, BLIND AND DEAF TO CHOOSE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG; EVEN THOUGH THE OPTION IS VERY CLEAR AND RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. BUT, NO MATTER HOW DEEP YOU TRY TO BURY THE TRUTH, IT WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO UNEARTH AND SHOW ITSELF FOR THE WORLD TO SEE AND FOR US TO BELIEVE IN ....

The same goes with Tessa's case. The doctor's body is found hanging from a tree at a nearby desert a few days later. He is believed to have been tortured to death. Along with it, comes a conspiracy that Justin, is very close to uncover. This is the same conspiracy that Tessa and the doctor try to expose, but at the cost of their lives. The conspiracy involves high ranking officers in both the UK and Kenyan governments.

At the end of the movie, the conspiracy is finally revealed for the whole world to see, at the cost of another human being. Justin gets to go home; Justin gets to go to Tessa, his home. A sad AND happy ending, I must say.... A MUST SEE !




The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (LW2); the movie that was slated to be The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) of 2005. After all, the movie was adapted from the book of the same name, written by Clive Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis), a good friend to J. R. R. Tolkien (author of LOTR).

Combining Lewis' sheer talent in writing and his fascination with fairy tales, myths and ancient legends, C.S. Lewis created Narnia over 50 years ago; a land of wonder and enchantment beyond the back of the wardrobe. There are 7 books under the Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the 'Dawn Treader'; The Silver Chair and The Last Battle (awarded the Carnegie Medal, one of the highest marks of excellence in children's literature).

Narnia is a land populated with a rich diversity of beings, mostly derived from his knowledge on myth and fairy tale, and some, from his own pure imagination.

The story is set during World War II. The opening scene sees England being bombarded by bombs. We are then introduced to the Pevensie siblings - Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter who try to hide under a bomb shelter. In order to rescue her children, the mother has to send them away; away from the madness of the war and away from death!

In the rural country home of an elderly professor, while playing a game of 'hide and seek', Lucy accidentally enters the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe. Well, a wardrobe that size and covered with a long piece of cloth, even I, might be attracted to open it up hehe.

Although initally provoked and ridiculed by her sister and brothers when she tries to convince them about the place, when they finally get there, the children discover a charming, peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs, and giants. Charm enough, if not for the eternal winter cursed by the evil White Witch, Jadis.

There is only one way in which The Witch's evil magic can be overthrown. It has been foretold that her reign will end when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit on the four thrones at the castle of Cair Paravel. Therefore, the Witch has made sure that anyone who sees a human in Narnia will tell her straight away - or be turned into icy-cold stone.

The four children soon discover that only the lion Aslan can protect them from the terrifying danger. For that, they have to learn how to fight using swords (those swords look pretty heavy for their ages, especially the younger brother), shoot using a bow (Susan hardly utilises the skill, as it turns out...) and remain cute and cuddly in the midst of danger (I'm talking about Lucy).

Somehow I feel Narnia lacks 'ummpphh', even during the climactic battle. They spend so much money and time in creating so many creatures. However, only very few characters are developed. Therefore, I don't really care less about their survival during the battle.

For those who expect gore and violence, they will be disappointed. After all, Narnia (movie AND the book) caters mainly for children. But, Georgie Henley's performance (who plays Lucy) should be applauded.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (W&G) won the 11th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards for the Best Animated Feature. With Chicken Little and Madagascar (to name a few) as other contenders, well, we don't really have much choice to pick a winner anyway. Not that I'm saying W&G is not very good. Actually, it is surprisingly good and very funny.

We have Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Sallis and Ralph Fiennes to provide the voices of the main characters. Wallace & Gromit's neighborhood is holding the annual Giant Vegetable Competition. The two entrepreneurs are cashing in with their pest-control outfit, "Anti-Pesto," which humanely dispatches the rabbits that try to invade the town's sacred gardens.

Mind you, we have contestants growing their vegetables inside green houses with maximum security; alarm systems, pin codes and locks. But no security can prevent a huge, mysterious, veg-ravaging "beast" from attacking their gardens at nights, especially during full moon.

Then we have the competition hostess, Lady Tottington, who commissions Anti-Pesto to catch it and save the day. Close in pursuit, is Victor Quartermaine who is not just pursuing Lady Tottington, but also the title 'local hero' and to do that, he is willing to eliminate all competition; men or beasts.

The 'animation' is rather British, from the choice of actors (or voice-overs, as we call it), right down to the set and accent of the character (obviously). But don't let that draw you back from watching it. It's a real fun movie for all; you WILL have a good laugh and a splendid time !

In The Fog (another remake that should have not been remade), we see two up-coming TV stars, Tom Welling (Smallville) and Maggie Grace (Lost) hit the big screen. The story tells (or is being retold) about a small town called Antonio Bay. A thick and deadly fog creeps from the open sea, toward the island. But "there is something in the fog!", as told by the lovely Selma Blair. Some kind of entities are hidden behind the fog - to settle some century-old revenge.

Hmmm...crap, crap, crap ! Acting, script, storyline (how unfair it is, we are being punished for our ancestors' sins), sound effect, directing... Oppss, I guess I really condemn the movie huh?

Friday, January 20, 2006

Top 10 movie taglines - updated

A few months back, I sent an article to a magazine for publishing. I got tired of waiting for the green light. I think they prefer NOT to publish it, due to not wanting to have me paid as a result.

So, I might as well just 'publish' it here, other than letting it go to waste and not having anyone else read it. Here is the article on "Top 10 movie taglines":

In Titanic (1998), the love between Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) was much stronger and much grandeur than the luxury liner itself. Their love survived the sticky spot, the disapproving mother, the handcuff, the speeding bullets and even the sinking ship. Although nothing on earth could come between them, eventually, the sea water did, at least physically. Jack froze to death due to the icy cold water before sinking into the deep ocean, leaving Rose helpless and strong at the same time. Strong enough for her to hold on and live out her dreams, until she could meet Jack in the same North Atlantic ocean, some decades later.

Have you committed a particular sin? And are you willing to die for it? In the movie Se7en, starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey, the movie makers want you to remember this tagline: seven deadly sins, seven ways to die. The tagline is gripping. It describes the movie as a dark crime thriller not for those with the faint of heart. But at the same time, it entices you to catch the movie (as long as you are 18 and above) and learns what the sins are; gluttony, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and wrath, and how the sinners are ‘punished’. Long after watching the movie, you do not want to fall into the traps of these sins.

Have you ever heard or known someone who never seemed to find the right person to be their special partner? They said they believed in love at first sight, and they would know when that happened. Sounded like a romantic story waiting to unfold eh? But in Closer (2004), the movie reveals how such a belief can lead to disastrous consequences because if you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking, and someone is bound to get hurt. Watch how the lives of Dan (Jude Law), Alice (Natalie Portman), Anna (Julie Roberts) and Larry (Clive Owen) collide when Dan, who despite having a perfectly good relationship with Alice, chases after Anna after meeting Anna only for the first time.

Phone Booth (2003) sees Stu (Colin Farrell), a happily married publicist who treats everyone like dirt. One day, after making a flirtatious call to a woman from a phone booth, the phone rings and he picks it up. The next thing he knows, he is trapped in the booth at gun point by a sniper killer, who demands that he sets all of his problems straight. Things get nasty when while in the booth, he is attacked by hookers and their pimp, cops and newsmen start to surround him and a few people get hurt. Should you ever be in this kind of situation, you’d better pray it won’t be the last time you ever use a phone; because your life relies on the outcome of the phone conversation. Because your life is on the line.

In Alien (1979), a ship is sent to investigate an SOS distress call on an unknown planet. The crew lands to investigate, but they wander too far off into an alien vessel. Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) doubt when she says, “It sounds more like a warning than SOS,” proves to be correct when they encounter an alien that begins to kill the crew members one by one. The alien breeds by hugging your face real tight, laying an egg in you, before it dies off. Then, an offspring bursts through your chest, escapes, grows bigger at an enormous rate, has two sets of jaws, has acid as blood and will kill everybody else in no time. No matter how petrified you are, in space, no-one can hear you scream.

In the movie Cocktail (1988), Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) is young, ambitious and wants to live the American dream by making lots of money. However, due to his inadequate education background, he fails to secure a place in the lines of sales, marketing and stock exchange. So, he becomes a bartender so that his days are free for the real gig. But when he moves to Jamaica (also to work as a bartender) and meets Jordan (Elisabeth Shue), their romance sheds a new perspective to his self-centered life. In the end, he marries the girl, opens up his own bar and has plans to franchise his business. So, to describe the movie in a tagline as when he pours, he reigns, pun is very much intended.

Reporters, especially those of newspapers often use repetition or words that rhyme in news headlines. But when one reads a movie title Bride of Chucky (1998), followed by its tagline, Chucky gets lucky, one does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that in the movie, a character named Chucky finds his bride. But for those who are familiar with the whole movie premise, they know that Chucky is a doll possessed by an evil spirit. Can this mean that Chucky’s bride is also in the form of a doll? Will both of them cause twice the mayhem and double the murders?

Speaking of playing with words, anaphora builds on a particular emotion by repeating the same word(s) at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses or sentences. If (most) movies reach the climax towards the end, so do sentences, especially when they are arranged in ascending order of importance or emphasis. So, when the tagline to the movie Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991) reads as No rules. No curfews. No nagging. No pulse., we can safely assume that the reason the babysitter is imposing no rules, no curfews and does not nag is because, the babysitter is probably dead.

Some people tend to get scared when watching horror/scary movies especially during those shocking scenes. But others don’t really get scared that easy, possibly due to the movies’ predictability. Usually, right from the beginning of horror movies, we can predict who gets whacked and who survives. But when you read the tagline to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) that says Who will survive and what will be left of them?, your minds start to wonder. Perhaps no hero or heroine who survives in this one? Or even if someone does survive, parts of their body are missing? Quite an intriguing tagline as it triggers different imaginations to us. After all, chainsaw can cause quite a mess if you use it to kill someone.

Before Survivor, there was Candid Camera. Before reality series, there were hidden camera shows. Possibly based on these premises, movies like Ed TV and The Truman Show came out. But The Truman Show (1999) brings a whole new meaning when it comes to capturing someone’s emotions and expressions and broadcasting it for the whole world to see. Because in the movie, Truman (Jim Carey) is on the air, unaware, from the moment he was born, 24 hours a day. But just like any hidden camera programmes, the truth is finally revealed. Truman leaves the giant studio set, goes after the love of his life and lives the real life that he deserves.

So, here are the Top 10 movie taglines, ranked in the order of their catchiness and how they connect to the movies and to us, the movie goers or readers (whichever category is suitable for you).

1. Titanic – Nothing on earth could come between them
2. Alien – In space, no-one can hear you scream
3. Closer – If you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking
4. The Truman Show – On the air, unaware
5. Se7en – Seven deadly sins, seven ways to die
6. Cocktail – When he pours, he reigns
7. Phone Booth – Your life is on the line
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – Who will survive and what will be left of them?
9. Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead – No rules. No curfews. No nagging. No pulse.
10. Bride of Chucky – Chucky gets lucky

Friday, January 06, 2006

Humanoid

A colleague gives her thought the other day about what she sees in me. She says, I try so hard to please everyone. First, starting with my family and friends, then office mates, then people whom I hardly know of (examples are those I meet and talk with, like a couple of times only).... and now I worry so much about meeting my future wife's and family in laws' expectations (which I don't fully know actually).

She says I should think about myself first, then other people. It's ok to be selfish sometimes, as long as it doesn't hurt anybody else. But then, if we try not to hurt anybody, it's not really considered selfish huh?

She thinks maybe by putting other people's interests before me as the first priority, has made me rather undecisive and fickle-minded when it comes to making decisions. Now that's something new! It's rather surprising to hear such a comment as nobody ever told me that before (although I don't deny there is some truth to what she says).

Further, don't you agree that if we openly object or voice our thoughts whenever we are not satisfied about something, we are labelled as someone who likes to complaint or not grateful. But then, when we just keep quiet, after some time and at some point, people would be telling, 'Why didn't you bring this up before?' or You shouldn't have kept this to yourself', or Don't you think, it's already too late to mention about this matter now?' Bla blah blahhh...

A good example is, when an employee who is very good at his/her job, suddenly decides to resign because apparently (without telling the employer beforehand), there are so many things that he/she is not satisfied with, over how the management handles things.

sigh! I guess being a human is just as difficult as being a King King (joke).