When the movie ‘Blair Witch Project’ hit the big screen almost 10 years back, it made headlines and created a lot of buzz, especially among the Netizens (those who frequent the World Wide Web). Long before the movie was released, the movie makers aroused people’s interests due to the whole movie was documentary-like, i.e. shots made by some ‘student filmmakers’ who were investigating the eponymous local legend, the Blair Witch. In other words, people got to view the horror that the characters experienced after getting lost deep in the woods, through the lenses of video cameras taken by them. Back then, some viewers were naïve enough (if not foolish) to think that it was a true story and those characters did actually get murdered.
It was said that the movie’s documentary –style was inspired by the opening scene of another hit horror movie, (the original version of) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (TCM). Another unique feature of the Blair Witch movie was that its cost of production was so low, the profit that the movie had reaped could be considered staggering.
If TCM inspired the makers of the Blair Witch movie, the latter had inspired the making of another movie, released this year. The year 2008 opened with a bang, not from the firecrackers that lit up the skies during New Year celebrations, but from the roar of a new monster movie - Cloverfield. Talk about a monster movie, surely one would suspect, it must be influenced by another monster movie. True enough. Well, let’s just say, combine Blair Witch and errrr, sadly to say, Godzilla, plus a little bit of Alien, a reminiscent of the 9/11 tragedy and the movie Escape from New York (which inspired the Liberty head scene), Cloverfield was born. Then, as Manal had commented (see the comment section), it was probably inspired by those live recordings (as recorded by human activists) on the horrors of the Israeli regimes tormenting the palestinian kids too (although I doubt this was the source of inspiration).
If you were not a fan of either the Blair Witch or Godzilla, don’t be put off to watch Cloverfield. This is one good example of how one can use ideas that have been used before, but still end up with something that is somewhat original, impressive and awesome.
(A word of caution: continue reading this at your own risk - spoilers ahead!) Through the lens of a video camera recorded by a character, Cloverfield shows you the mayhem that ensues when a monster attacks the city of New York. Hear the horrific sounds that the monster and its children make (yes, you read that right, this particular monster brings along it vicious little children to terrorise us humans). Despite no music score whatsoever, with the help of Dolby Surround sound, the shriek of the monster(s) is menacing enough, the blasts of the guns and bombs are shattering to the ears and the screams of the people feel very close to you.
In Cloverfield, unlike most other monster and disaster movies, you don’t get to see hi-tech gadgets and weaponry, nor any heroic characters trying to save the world. In Cloverfield, everyone is pretty much trying to save themselves. You won’t hear people throwing comments and theories over the origin of the monsters, or ways to kill them. In Cloverfield, you pretty much hear comments made by the person behind the camera most of the time, and comments made by those around him.
Putting the monsters aside, Cloverfield centers around five young people – two brothers, Robert and Jason Hawkins, Lily (Jason’s girlfriend), Hud (a close friend to the brothers), Beth (Robert’s close friend cum soul-mate?) and Marlena (Hud has a crush on her). The movie starred Mike Vogel as Jason (he is said to be Hollywood’s next action hero who appeared in the remakes of Poseidon and TCM before); Michael Stahl-David as Robert (best known for his role in TV series, The Donnellys), Jessica Lucas as Lily (starred in She’s The Man), Lizzy Caplan as Marlena (known for her role in Mean Girls) and the rest are relatively newcomers.
Back to the movie - Robert and Beth were long-time buddies. Jason got his job promotion and would be transferred to Japan. What a perfect timing for romance to spark between the two and for them to cross over from friendship to relationship. But when Robert’s brother and friends threw a surprised farewell party for him, Beth showed up with a date. They both ended up having a fight and Robert threw some sarcastic words just before Beth left the party.
During the party, Hud was appointed by Jason to record goodbye wishes from those who attended the party. Reluctant at first, Hud was tricked into doing the job after hearing Marlena would be there that night. From that point henceforth, Hud would be the man behind the camera, recording the events that followed.
The first tremor was felt while Robert was discussing his Beth issue with Jason and Hud. A few blocks went dark for a few minutes after electricity was cut off. A news broadcast suggested an earthquake, and reported an oil ship had toppled over near the Statue of Liberty. Since Robert’s apartment was close to the Statue, they thought of getting a better view from up the roof.
While up on the roof, they heard a few sirens had went off. Tensions flare. At that point of time, Hud brought up the same thing I had in mind. What a spot on! He said something like this to Robert, “You wished you had left sooner, didn't you, Robert?”
What was great about the movie is that as Hud’s camera moves about, we feel the movie is taking us along for the ride. We feel like the attack is real enough and the monsters (especially the ‘mother’) are actually right in front of us. We feel the adrenalin rushes through our veins, as the characters run for their lives; how loud and scary it would be to be caught in the middle of combat as the armies try to shoot down the monster; and how shocking it must be to witness the Liberty head being thrown off or the bridge ripped apart or the slanting apartment building, lying precipitously against another building or the giant monster, crawling its way through the city.
Some memorable scenes would be the first giant explosion with debris hitting the nearby buildings, the Liberty head rolling along the street, the attack at the Brooklyn bridge, the first close up view of the giant monster caught by Hud’s camera and the final REALLY close up view of the giant monster caught by Hud’s camera.
The movie brilliantly shows the first glimpses of the monster (and its children) via news broadcast over the TV, as air and ground news cameramen caught shots of them. I too found myself peeking, hoping the TV news would do justice in showing how the monster looked like.
The movie had a few scenes that evoked emotion of sadness. Like the scenes when the monster attacked right above Jason’s head, when Robert relayed the news about his brother’s death to his mother and the final death scenes.
As I mentioned earlier, due to the ‘nature’ of the movie, the movie feels real. As a result, the conversation among the characters doesn’t sound scripted and the acting looks natural. If this were real life and you were one of them (character-wise), who would you be? I think I’m more like the Hud character – speaking my mind that irritates people (like the scene in the tunnel when Hud remembers the story about the homeless being torched to death – not the kind of story you wanna hear while walking through a dark tunnel, would you?), easily manipulated and used by other people (Hud was tricked into recording the party, remember?) and still wanting to record despite people telling me not to.
With regard to the latter, a friend commented the movie is illogical since Hud still wants to continue recording despite the life and death situations. But then, as Hud had put it, “People are gonna wanna know you know, how it all went down.” After all, if we don’t put logic outside the door, many movies (if not all) would not have been created in the first place.
But I do want to comment on one particular scene though, i.e. after Jason was killed. It would have been perfect if Hud doesn’t focus right on the faces of his friends, especially Robert’s. I mean, Hud is not some heartless news cameraman whose only interest is to capture people’s expression during times of sorrow and broadcast that for the whole world to see. Hud too is a close friend to all of them, especially Jason and Robert.It would have been perfect if Hud just drops the camera and tries to comfort his friends but at the same time, despite lying on the pathway, somehow, the video camera still manages to record them (since this is quite an important scene and I think Stahl-David’s credibility as an actor is tested here). Also, the part where the soldiers agree to allow Robert to rescue Beth is very Hollywood-like.
Despite its flaws here and there, Cloverfield is still a splendid monster movie to start off the year and is one of the best. Buy a ticket or two, join the ride – you won’t regret it!
P/S: Just a reminder to my fellow Muslims, if you do want to watch this movie or any movie for that matter, let’s not forget our duty for Allah, shall we (you know what I mean)...
No resolution?.......... Of children and freedom and safety....
On average, I update this blog once a week, with occasionally two updates within a week and sometimes it takes more than a week for me to update on something. For this week, it just feels so wrong (and selfish) if I still want to write about other things (especially personal stuffs) instead of this particular tragedy that have befallen another family and this..........'disease' that is plaguing the country now. Not that I'm forcing myself to write about this matter just so that I look good in front of everybody or anything. Hopefully, by the time you're done reading, you'd feel that what I wrote came from my heart.
The nation was still in grief and schocked (well, to some of us at least) over the kidnap-cum-murder of Allahyarhamah Nurin, when an eerily similar kidnapping incident happened to another little girl less than 5 months after Nurin was laid to rest.
The kidnapper/murderer of Nurin is still at large. He has been linked to 'abang kucing' (catman) who had kidnapped 5 other young girls and molested 3 of them, the same way what was done to Nurin (any inaccuracy to this piece of information is deeply regretted). He is nicknamed that way because he tricked these girls into going with him, to search for his missing cat, or to feed his cat (although in at least one occasion, he did forcefully grab a girl without her will).
The intelligence of the Malaysian police is being tested and they are under close scrutiny of the public eye as no one has been convicted for these heinous crimes yet. A few arrests were made, but all of them was released wihtout bail as they were found to be not involved to (at least) Nurin's case.
The 5-year old goes by the name of Sharlinie Mohd Nashar (above) who disappeared while playing about 200m from her house. To this day, she is still missing. No news of her whatsoever, and possibly no leads either?
Police are not ruling out the possibility that the 'catman' molester is behind these kidnappings. Only two days before Sharlinie went missing, a six-year-old girl was abducted by a man on a motorcycle when she was playing alone near her flats, about 2km from where Sharlinie was last seen. The girl was found three hours later some kilometres away. All these crimes had raised us some questions; of whether these crimes were committed by one man only; does he have an accomplice?; police have released a few photofits - are they of the same person or different people?; could it be the culprits are foreigners or immigrants, which is why no close families or friends of the culprit(s) come forward?
This is indeed a tragedy... Not just to the victims and the families involved, but also to the Malaysian community and to the country. With us just welcoming the year 2008 and 1429 (new year for the Muslims), people always talk about new year's resolution and Hijrah (for the Muslims). But to some of us, come new year or not, a psycho is still a psycho. A sex addict would only have one thing in mind.........., and I dare not finish this sentence. My heart goes to Sharlinie, may she is spared from being harmed in any way.
What 'disease' has plagued this country, Ya Allah? Is this the result of us adults, having too much freedom, where boundaries are easily crossed and limits are easily discarded away? Now, our children have to suffer. They shouldn't need to worry about their safety, (and neither should their parents), I mean as long as they play safe and they are in a safe environment. I mean, these are children, for God's sake. What kind of an animal (or a devil disguising as a human?) would want to harm them? They just want a little freedom, for them to be themselves - for them to be children.
Ya Allah, the rewards for reading/listening to this Al Qur'an recitation, I pass on to little Sharlinie.... Aaaminnn.....
Back when I was a kid, there was a TV commercial on a cough syrup called Ubat Batuk Cap Ibu Dan Anak. The TV ad used images of the wayang kulit to relay a song that told a story about a child who was melancholy due to the mother having coughs and therefore, the child went on to find some medicine for the mother. I remember the lyrics (in Malay language) was like this:
"Kisah seorang anak yang duka nestapa kerana ibunya batuk... uhuk uhuk uhuk.. uhuk uhuk uhuk.. kasihan sungguh dia pun pergi mendapatkan ubat..."
Now, after so many years, the manufacturer of the cough medicine wanted a come back. A new ad was launched. With a new background story, a human baby as the ad model but with no theme song whatsoever. Contrary to the 'old' ad, the baby in the new ad is not saddened by his father's 'cough' at all, but instead he can't help smiling and laughing upon hearing each coughs. Guess, if there were still a theme song, the lyrics would go like this (in Malay and with English translation):
"Kisah seorang anak yang riang gembira kerana ayahnya 'batuk'... uhuk uhuk uhuk.. uhuk uhuk uhuk.. tak tahan sungguh dia pun ketawa berdekah-dekah..." (English translation): "There was a child who was so happy because his father had 'coughs'... uhuk uhuk uhuk.. uhuk uhuk uhuk.. he really could not help himself but to laugh out loud..."
Meantime, to all fellow Muslim readers, I just want to wish Happy New Year Ma'al Hijrah 1429, which fell on Thursday, 10 January 2008. May this year mark another year where we 'hijrah' ourselves.....
When Mel Ija tagged me to do this, I commented to her that the tag contains so many questions (which I found to be rather annoying). But, to show my appreciation for inviting me, I shall do it then. Well, it's a Sunday early morning at exactly 1 am, and I hope I can complete this tag today, which I began answering some questions last Thursday.
Anyway, as I said this before in this blog, now that my life revolves mainly around my wife and Ikhwan, it's difficult not to include them in any of my entries, and for that, I've deleted some questions, while the remaining ones will be answered by me (text in blue colour) and my sweet baby Ikhwan (text in green colour). Yes! I can read his thoughts, and yes! he is THAT intelligent in communicating things with me ;-). Here goes folks…
1. Name of a person who made you laugh last night Ikhwan Rasydan of course, not just last night but every night and every day. His attempts of saying things to us or trying to follow what we say; his face expressions; his laughters; his giggles.... tickle us, every time... Ayah and Ibu of course... Ayah's antics just excite me, and the sight of Ibu is enough to make me smile :-))
2. What were you doing at 0800? Rushing off to work. Now that the school has started its new year term, the traffic is back to its usual jam. Today, at 0800, I found myself lagging behind and still at route that I would have already passed if it were still school holidays. Hmmm.... I was already at Auntie Anna's house. Usually, Ayah sends me here every morning around 7.30am. This morning, I woke up at 3.30 before going back to sleep about 2 hours later. So, when Ayah woke me up before we left the house, I was still so sleepy, I could hardly open my eyes.
3. What happened to you in 2006? I lost my ........ heh heh... My mother got pregnant... okay, I know it happened to Ibu, but it sort of happened to me too, right? :-0
4. What was the last thing you said out loud? Can't really recall... I usually say things quietly in my head with occasional mumble and murmurs that may or may not be heard by those who are near me at that time. Oh! yes, I remember now. I have this new neighbour - some bachelors living together. One of them (at least) always bang the doors (the grilled and the wooden ones) everytime he enters or exits the house, even at odd hours like at midnight or whenever he comes home very late like 3 or 4am. Sometimes, all those banging startle me and wife of course, but what really infuriates me is that, if memory serves me right, he had at least 3 times awoken my baby and made him cry. Understandably, any father would be cursing loud enough for him to hear right? But unfortunately, it was likely that my baby heard those curses too. Dang that neighbour... Does squeak out loud count? ...Hahahahaa...
6. How many beverages did you have today? If I answer this, will I get a prize? Years of free supplies of baby milk is great enough. Well, I can't really measure now, can I? All I know is that if the milk is enough, I will either resume playing or will go straight to sleep. But if it's still not enough, people will surely hear me squeak...
7. What was the last thing you paid for? A laptop. Me, paying? Can I have a credit card please...
8. Where were you last night? At home of course.... waiting patiently and eagerly for my wife to reach home. At home of course.... waiting patiently and eagerly with Ayah for Ibu to reach home.
9. What excites you? Well, the three photos above should give you a hint - beautiful sceneries never fail to amaze me (Subhanallah...). They just really excite me! If certain scenes of a movie can have that jaw-dropping effect on some people, well, breath-taking sceneries can do the same to me. Whether the multi-colours of plants and flowers you get to see during spring seasons, or the cool breeze of wind as you spend your day on the highlands, such relaxing moments can make you wanna sing your heart out. The third photo was taken from the inside of a moving car when I was in Scotland, almost a decade ago. Luckily, the photo came out fine, just as perfect if it were seen live. It really looks like a dummy model of a mountain and a house with trees and sheeps, doesn't it? You can read more about my traveling experiences here. The sight of Ayah, Ibu, foods and milk... Hope I'll get the chance to experience like what Ayah had one day... and more!
10. Do you want to cut your hair?
I just cut it on the New Year's day - army cut style, very short. Been getting mixed reactions to my decision, but one thing I know, my wife prefers me having a little bit more hair (on my head).
Never had my hair cut before.. but been getting compliments from Ayah and Ibu over how soft, smooth and manageable my hair is.
11. Do you talk a lot?
Wife is surprised over how quite talkative and friendly I am even towards women - contrary to what her first impression was..
Haha..talking a lot? You bet, and learning to improve every time..
12. Do you watch the O.C? The first time I watched that show was only for a few minutes, and immediately, I hated it. Stories about some spoilt rich brat who have no other problems to worry about other than their own, is not really my cup of tea. Borrrringgggg.... thankfully, the show is no more on Earth.
Is it the same as oh, I see....?
13. Do you make up your own words?
Errrmmmm... I'm not sure. But I use a lot of colloquials that had baffled people before, including my wife whose hometown is the same as mine.
Making up words? Most of the time, people don't really have a clue over what I'm saying, though in some occasions, they do manage to make some lucky guesses.
14. Are you a jealous person?
According to a survey, three ways to know if a person is a jealous person - if that person has eyebrows so thick, they meet; he/she is easily tickled and sweats easily. Well, I possess all those characteristics, except that my eyebrows don't meet (though they are thick). But then, the survey is just as a guideline right, because I don't think I'm a jealous person. But I do know that I'm a vengeful person. Remember the neighbour I told you earlier. Well, I've had my fair share of revenge, intentionally slamming my doors (especially the grilled one) and sometimes, like 3, 4 times in a row (bammm, bammm, bammm), in my attempt to disturb their sleep or simply, to startle them.
Time will tell...
15. What's the best movie you've seen in the past 2 weeks? Can it be movies instead of one particular movie. Well, it's been a while since I last wrote a movie review anyway... now that I have other more important priorities. My summary to the movies I recently saw would be:
The Golden Compass - would please children and adults alike. The running time is a bit too short though, making us craving for more. Definitely a different role for Ms Kidman here. Daniel Craig acted with Kidman and Eva Green in 2 different movies before (The Invasion and James Bond respectively), but in this one, he doesn't have a single scene where he interacts with either of the actresses.
I Am Legend - a must watch! Wife almost shed her tears three times while watching the movie. It's a horror cum action all rolled into one! Some say it's a zombie-like movie. Although I have to admit that it's based on the zombie premise, but it has a different story altogether, taken from a different angle and ends with a bang!
AVP 2 - if the aliens and the predators had known in advance how bad the acting of the humans would be, they would have skipped from being cast in the movie in the first place. Putting that aside, I can still say it's a good movie and (unfortunately) fun to watch. Hardcore fans might be disappointed because these 2 monsters are supposed to instill fears into our veins, NOT fun. In my opinion, nothing beats the scariness of the first, second and fourth Alien movies and the first Predator movie.
Ratatouille - I wouldn't be surprised if this movie wins best animated feature in the coming Oscar. Well, it's from Pixar, what do you expect other than to be amazed by its unique and original plots, memorable characters, unforgettable scenes and vivid graphic effects that remain transfixed in your minds for a long time to come.
The Oxford Dictionary says "boulevard" means wide city street, often with trees on each side. As for me, "boulevard" is the path that I thread my way through in life. At times, the trees give me protection from the hot sun above. While at other times, no amount of trees can comfort me when it pours. Come rain or shine, the road continues to provide me with the journey of life until it reaches its destination.
People say I'm sweet, kind, a gentleman, caring, romantic and observant (let's just concentrate on the good attributes). I love those who matter to me, and care about things that count. I'm a Malay Muslim and proud to be one. I DON'T think Islam should be judged by those nasty followers. Islam should be judged by the religion itself; its teachings and the purpose behind them. I mean, humans will still behave like humans right? Usually, regardless of religions that they embrace. It is also in my nature to please, since I believe that TO PLEASE EVERYONE IS AN IMPOSSIBLE FEAT, BUT NOT TRYING TO PLEASE ANYONE OTHER THAN ONESELF IS A POSSIBLE DEFEAT (own quote). Apart from sharing the things I read, watch and listen to, I'd also share my thoughts and feelings, and express my views on certain issues. Last by no means least, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE OF YOU OUT THERE ABOUT ANYTHING! If we knew each other 'in the previous life' and had lost contact, or we hardly contact each other nowadays, do email me or comment on my entries. Feel free to explore my blog & website (http://members.fortunecity.com/abdunmy/). Cheerio & Wassalam.
Sometimes, to boldly go (where no one has gone before) at warp speed may cause you unnecessary troubles.
Own quote, based on Star Trek
Lesson from the quote: Rushing to reach your destinations or goals may get you there fast, but may not always be the smartest thing to do!
"Note The Quote (Malay translation)"
Kadang kala, perjalanan (ke tempat yang tidak pernah ditujui) pada kelajuan maksimum boleh menyebabkan kesusahan pada diri sendiri.
Rekaan sendiri, berdasarkan dari Star Trek
Pengajaran: Terburu-buru untuk sampai ke destinasi atau matlamat hidup mungkin boleh membawa kita ke sana dengan cepat, tetapi langkah itu tidak semestinya yang terbaik!
You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle.
George Lucas (Film Director and Producer)
"Favourite Note The Quote 2"
A sign in a mosque on the need to switch off handphones:
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Penguin Rush
