Last year, when I learned that a new Star Trek movie was due to be released in 2009, my heart was compounded with both eagerness...and doubt. Eager, because upon seeing the name J.J. Abrams at the helm, I knew he was going to make it great. But at the same time, I had doubt if I ever going to like the movie at all. I mean, look at Star Wars! Although I did watch the three Star Wars movies when I was a kid, I never did become an avid fan. Thanx to George Lucas for coming up with those crappy prequels (ok, so Sith was slightly better than the first two), now I kinda' hate Star Wars.
Likewise, I was never a Trekkie. Well, I may recognise some of the characters from the TV show and know what the story revolved around, but only vaguely. If The Simpsons hadn't used Leonard Nimoy as a guest voice in some of its episodes, I might not even know there was a character named Spock Prime. True, the Star Trek movies starring Patrick Stewart (who also played Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise) as Captain Jean-Luc Picard were quite recent, but they failed to attract me to become a fan.
But when I saw Trailer 2 of the new Star Trek movie some months back, I knew that Abrams will be taking us for a thrill ride. My doubt was immediately replaced with uncontrollable anticipation. (You can view the trailers here. I think trailers 2 and 3 were made brilliantly, without giving too much away, with nice music scores. I especially love Trailer 3 more - more touching).
Gladly, my anticipation was met with satisfaction. Heck, I dragged my wife along just to watch it again, and she too, had enjoyed it and both of us are non-Trek followers.
For most movies, they usually left me awed only when the end credits started rolling in or after I left the cinema. But for Star Trek, it made my jaw dropped even at the beginning of the movie, and my jaw continued to drop (literally) at most times throughout the movie. Yes, it is THAT good!!!
What made Star Trek such an unforgettable movie? Well, for a start - it is a fun movie and full of action right from the start - from the attack on USS Kelvin, to when younger Kirk destroys the classic car (for no apparent reason), and the fight scene between Kirk and Sulu with some bad Romulans on the drill machine, right up to the climax battle sequences. With the characters running (usually to save themselves or others) for most of the time, indicates that the pacing is not going to slow down and moviegoers should stay glued to the screen and in their seats - like when the 800 souls are 'flying away' for their lives, or when Kirk rushes (with McCoy and Uhura entails behind him) to prevent the USS Entreprise from falling into the trap, or when Spock and the Vulcan elders are running out of the cave, or when Kirk is trying to save himself from being eaten by the (cool) space monsters on Delta Vega, or how about when Earth's core is being drilled from space and the Earthlings are running towards it, wondering what it is (the drill machine is a reminiscence of the Alien space craft from the Independence Day movie - with hot, fiery beam fired from the centre of the craft and the beam is protected by circular side walls. In Star Trek, it is the side wall that Sulu uses to bounce himself back up to safety).
Despite its fast pace, all the main characters (the good guys and the 'bad' ones) are properly introduced and developed - we either love them or hate them. The movie also invokes our tear 'glands'. Both Kirk and Spock lose a parent in tragic turn of events! Our hero James T. Kirk is both beaten (his dad dies, and so, he settles for a less-than-ordinary life) and got beaten up rather badly, I mean...literally. First, the bar fight, then by Spock and towards the end of the movie, by some Romulans thugs. The Romulans are headed by Nero, played by Eric Bana (Bana is clean shaven and tattoed - making him almost unrecognisable). We also feel for Spock, with personality crisis (half human/half Vulcan) and trying hard not to be emotionally compromised after witnessing the tragedy that befalls his mother (an older and taller Winona Ryder) and home planet.
In one memorable scene, Abrams brilliantly puts all the (good) characters on the bridge. Totally priceless, especially for the fans!
The movie provides good comic relief when Kirk is trying hard to get Uhura's first name, or seeing Kirk's reaction to those numerous vaccine shots, or Chekov's first scene with his accent, or Scotty and his false calculation when transporting Kirk and Spock right in the middle of the enemies.
Go watch this one! So what if you don't understand those sci-fi technical stuffs like 'external inertial damper' or you worry if you can't fully appreciate the characters. The movie calls for repeat viewing, for fans (of the Star Trek franchise) and non-fans alike. After all, the Rolling Stone calls it as a 'Pure Filmmaking Exhilaration' and 'An Irresistable Invitation For Fun', and Access Hollywood"The First 'Star Trek' For Everyone" (true indeed), and Newsweek with its simple yet accurate two-word review to sum it up - "Way Cool".
The followings were the events that unfolded during week 23 August to 29 August 2008:
23 August
Itwas not an ordinary day but a much awaited Saturday. I was feeling all excited and pumped up to start the day. I would be attending a workshop. That day was planned many weeks ago and after telling my parents of my plan, they had agreed to come over to look after Ikhwan (since wife would be working that day). Ikhwan was rather feverish the night before but seemed ok that morning. I informed my parents of his fever should his fever came back.
In the workshop, I learn and re-learn a lot of things that day. Throughout the day, I kept my motivational level at optimum by being an active 'student'.
The course ended slightly later than anticipated. Upon reaching home, I was still in high spirit, wanting to share my excitement with my wife, and probably, parents too (why not right?).
I noticed she already reached home before me. As I stepped inside the house, I was greeted with some rather shocking news.Ikhwan's fever had gotten worse, to the extent that he threw a fit (my mum was holding him at that time). Apparently, my dad tried to contact me over the phone, to ask if I could come home impromptu, but I missed the call since the ringtone was off. My dad's fingers were hurt and bled a bit after he put them inside Ikhwan's mouth, fearing that the fit would cause Ikhwan to accidentally bite his tongue. The fit lasted for a few minutes, and just as it ended, wife came home.
My sweet little Ikhwan. Poor him, he had to go through it without his parents around. Luckily, my parents were more experienced when dealing with such incidents. Obviously, Allah had a different plan for all of us that day. Sure, with regard to attending the workshop, the day went as planned. But should I had cancelled it before, which lead to my parents cancelling their trip up to KL, I would have been with Ikhwan alone that day.I wouldn't know for sure, what to do when Ikhwan had a fit, or what if I was in a different room at that time, not realising what had happened to Ikhwan.
Since Ikhwan now had a history of fit, my folks advised us that in the future, we should never leave him alone for more than a few minutes whenever he has fever. We should also always check up on him, especially at night.
Actually, this was the 2nd time Ikhwan had a fit. Speaking of the first time, it was not so much because of fever. It was more due to a 'disturbance'.
Yes, I do believe those things exist. Things that cannot be seen through our naked eyes (unless they choose to manifest themselves in some forms), having the sole purpose of trying to deviate the sons of Adam from the path of truth.
I reached home quite late on the night it happened. One of those nasty and evil things must have had followed me home, then disturbing Ikhwan, to the extent that he had a fit. Even after the fit was over, Ikhwan was crying weirdly and kept wanting to look at one particular spot despite our attempt to prevent him from doing so (since he looked really scared everytime his eyes managed to gaze upon that spot). Me and wife got anxious and worried by the situation. We recited Al Qur'an verses and also called my dad to ask his help in getting rid of 'it'.
At one point, I was so scared, I switched on all the lights in the hall and dining area. But somehow I did not have the guts to step into the kitchen and did the same.The dark kitchen crept me up!
Back to the events that unfolded during THE week. I met, or rather, my car met with twoaccidents in a span of 5 days. The first accident was a clear-cut case that it was not my fault. I was minding my own business, driving in my lane, in a straight line, when all of a sudden, a driver reversed his car from the parking lot and hit the left side of my car. It happened rather unexpectedly, that I didn't even get the chance to honk him. Seconds before his car hit mine, I could see how he and his mate were talking to each other (instead of the driver looking through his mirrors). I guess, the road was clear at the time when they got into the car, and the driver must have not expected me to be behind him when he was reversing. Sigh...
I hate confrontation - and luckily that was avoided since the driver immediately admitted it was his fault, and agreed to pay for the damage (he already did).
The car was not yet fixed when again, a different car bang it. On one of those very rare nights where I stayed back at work, on my way home, the second accident happened. This time around was not so much of a clear cut case...and did involve some confrontations in settling the matter. Just like in any other similar case or scenario, logically, neither one would admit their fault right?In the end, we paid for our own damages. Actually, even when I explained the chronology of the accident to some of the people I know, they too had mixed opinions on who was at fault.
29 August 2008 The 2nd accident occurred on the night of 29 August 2008. I was really surprised by it, considering the short period for both accidents to happen. On top of that, till that day, Ikhwan had still not yet recovered from his sickness.
I was too shock I guess, that I kinda' lost my confidence to continue driving home. Praise to Allah, I managed to. Upon reaching home, my wife and mother-in-law (who was around to look after Ikhwan) tried to comfort me and said I should be thankful that both accidents only affected cars.
When everybody else had already gone to bed, I was still in front of the t.v. Not really paying attention to what was shown on the screen, I contemplated on the intensity of that week. What started off as something I really looked forward to (the Saturday workshop), escalated to unwanted things (Ikhwan's fit and the accidents). Quite a week....
Then a movie was about to begin. It was Bridge to Terabithia. I had always wanted to catch this movie, and so, since the night was still quite early, I decided to stay up.
The movie is based on a book published in 1977 which garnered an award (Newbery Medal) the following year. The book is studied in English studies classes in many countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States.
The story revolves around a fifth grader Jesse Aarons, a middle child and the only boy in a family of five children. He befriends his new neighbor, a single child Leslie Burke, when he loses a footrace to her at school. Jesse, who is artistic but also fearful, angry, and depressed thinks highly of Leslie, a girl who is smart, talented and outgoing.
The two soon become close friends. Together, they imagine a kingdom in the woods near their homes, accessible only by a rope swing over a creek. The kingdom is filled with giants, trolls and other magical beings and they name it Terabithia.
Jesse has a crush on his music teacher, Miss Edmunds. When one day, Miss Edmunds invites Jesse to accompany her to the Art Gallery, initially Jesse wants to ask Leslie along but changes his mind since he'd rather spend time alone with his teacher. Without Jesse around, Leslie goes to Terabithia by herself. While swinging over the rain-swollen creek, the rope breaks. Leslie falls into the creek and drowns.
Jesse is overwhelmed by grief and guilt. He misses Leslie and is becoming so depressed, he decides to be an outcast and still goes to Terabithia alone. He even ignores and scolds May Belle, the second youngest sister who adores and admires Jesse.
Leslie's grief-stricken parents decide to move. Jesse asks them if he can take some of their wooden planks by their shed. Jesse attempts to deal with his grief by making amends with those around him, especially with May Belle. Using the wooden planks, he goes down to Terabithia to build a bridge. A bridge he builds especially for May Belle, so as she crosses it, he is to make her the Princess of Terabithia.
It was a splendid movie, and I'm sure the book is even more amazing. I agree with the critics - praise to the young actors for such credible performances.
A few scenes made me feel sad and a bit teary. I could relate to them somehow... But when it cameto one scene, a teardrop finally ran down on my cheek. Then........ another. I don't know whether it was the events over the week that overwhelmed me or the movie had hit and touched me in so many ways, I didn't expect them coming.
I doubt it was the former...
Although a pure coincidence, the number 2, popped up again that week... and no, I didn't make it up when I said about a couple of teardrops.
If I were to rank my favourite Indie movies, I'd definitely say The Temple of Doom first, followed by Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not really a fan of The Last Crusade - rather boring. I went to catch The Temple of Doom at the cinema - it was my first time (at the cinema). I was still a small kid. Back in the days, there were still no cineplexes around yet. You pretty much watched this one giant screen with so many other people. That day, my family and I were in the first class seats - meaning we were on the first floor and the seats were far back from the screen.
How uncomfortable the chairs were at that time, to me at least. Being small and rather lightweight, I remember that everytime I tried to lean back, the seat tilted and because of that, I sat close to the edge of the seat most of the time, fearing that I would be squeezed between the seat and the back rest should the seat closed with me still inside the seat. Funny huh? Despite feeling afraid, I did manage to enjoy the movie. Heck, who could forget such scenes like the heart-pulling sacrficial ceremony or the scene with all the bugs or when they had monkeys' brains for dinner or the final scene with the hanging bridge, and by hanging, I mean literally.
Indie is like a Bond, but without fancy gadgets. Give him the whip and the hat plus some map for directions and perhaps a compass, then he's in business. So, when they announced the release of the latest Indie, surely those who grew up watching Indiana Jones, would have had high expectations, especially since we can see the same actor at the helm.
But be warned, for this one may (slightly) disappoint you. If you are in it for the ride, then chances are you'll be entertained. But if you catch this because you miss the good 'old' adventures of Indiana Jones, then you may find yourself hating him instead for... yes, Indie IS old. Yes, there are adventures and greedy baddies and some secret passages waiting to be explored, but I can safely say, a certain young actor steals most of the (action) scenes.... and for a reason. Yep, despite the crappy ending, the movie also concludes with a hint - that an Indiana Jones Jr. will follow suit... Let's just hope his rides are much better than his father's.
I was so relieved when I learned that The Incredible Hulk was not directed by Ang Lee 'coz that would have been disaster, multiplied by two. In fact, I don't think the latest Hulk is a continuation of the other one. Watch this - you'll probably enjoy this giant greenie. I definitely did enjoy myself. The ending scene also comes with a hint - it seems that they may combine Hulk and Iron Man to join forces in preventing mayhem from threatening mankind (if not creating one). Let's just wait if they make a movie out of that premise one day.
My oh my, they (the critics) sure are giving this movie a hard time. With the exception of the few (of the critics), others have nothing else to say but to condemn - not just the movie, but also the actors and the director. Some even predicted M Night's career is about to end based on their judgement of this movie.
OK, so this may not be a masterpiece equivalent to The Sixth Sense and this movie, just like Lady In The Water, doesn't have the director's signature twist in the end, but it does make us think about our survival, should the Mother Nature tries to get rid of us.
Sure, other summer movies have plenty of action and kicking/explosion stuffs to keep moviegoers entertained but once in a while, why not let our brain do some thinking and our heart do some feeling by watching this movie. After all, the movie does explore the possibility despite the unlikeliness. But if you still after some action stuffs, there are some rather gory scenes in the movie on how people kill themselves, which may satisfy your appetite. I mean, if that's the kind of thing you like to see - workers dropping themselves off a building or a man inviting himself to be the lunch to a bunch of hungry tigers.
Finally, if you are a fan of The X-Files, here's a movie poster for you. The movie is due to be released soon. I shall reserve my thoughts on how the movie would fair and be accepted. But all I can say right now is that I've had enough of aliens already.
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)...
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.
Review rating system: ***** - 'super good' movie; don't miss it. **** - good movie; try to find the time to watch it. *** - average movie; you may or may not like it. ** - crap movie; watch only if you have nothing else to do. * - 'super crap' movie; don't watch it at all!
Note to fellow Muslims: If you do want to watch the movie(s), please still do obey your prayers and whenever possible, still strive to do so in jemaah. Wallahua'lam. Thank you.
I remember back in the younger years (NOT implying I’ve grown so much older ok, hehe) when Toy Story came out. If I'm not mistaken, it was the first for such a feature length 3-D animation to ever hit the screen.The storyline was creative and unique, the characters were adorable and funny (including the villain kid), while the surreal animation - it left me speechless!
Initially, I believed that a movie like that didn't come so often, and therefore I shall NOT miss whenever the one like it comes next. However, after a few years, we saw not one or two, but a bunch of film creators tinkering with their computers in creating a movie like Toy Story. It was as though they were all competing in creating the best animation movie(s). Heck, no wonder they've created an oscar award that is up for grab every year too!
We now have a truck load of such movies. So far, we have animations about talking toys (Toy Story 1 and 2), talking insects (A Bug's Life), talking ants (Antz), talking cars (Cars), talking animals (Madagascar), talking birds (Valiant), talking ogres and monsters (Shrek) and not to forget - talking humans (The Incredibles)... with stories set during ice age time (The Ice Age), inside kids' closets (Monsters Inc.), a haunted house (Monster House) etc. etc. Whatever will they come out next huh?
Contrary to my intial belief, I now find 3-D animation movies can no longer fall under, what I used to call 'special' category. Let me explain further...As you know, different movies fall under a different MAIN category. They can be horror, comedy, drama, thriller and fantasy catering for people of different age groups (thus the existence of movie rating system). Since there are so many movies out there, some can be brilliant, while others are not....
Unfortunately, 3-D animations have fallen into the same trap (of being too many) with some of them being excellent, while others are just average or plain dull. I guess it's true that 'too much of a good thing is not a good thing'. There are some 3-D movies which are a disappointment, with crappy plots and sometimes even the graphics and animations, which are the gist that make these movies 'special', fail to awe you. Examples are like Chicken Little, Valiant and Madagascar.
Nowadays, I treat 3-D movies just like other movies. I proceed with caution - they may not be as great as they seem to be. If I think I should pass, I'll pass... and if I regret myself watching it, then I shall have to live with it, or perhaps warn others.
In this review, I shall take you to visit the cartoon world of Ice Age 2: The Meltdown, Cars, Over The Hedge and The Wild and fortunately, these are all a bunch of good ones.
When I saw the trailer for CARS, I thought this was just another movie about some 'rookie' trying to excel in some sports competition (who usually wins in the end)and that the plot was a plain and straight one. Some obvious examples are the Karate Kid series, The Sea Biscuit and Racing Stripes.
Luckily, I was wrong. I mean, what was I thinking? Surely the team that brought us Toy Story, Monsters Inc. etc.. could figure something different about the story of a hotshot rookie race car. The storyline, just like real life and how the roads are out there, is NOT a straight one. Instead, it's a winding (in a good way) and a rather unpredictable one!
The movie delivers some good values that we all can learn from - value your friends and friendships; appreciate your strengths and weaknesses; discover yourself as you discover new places; don't be too self-centered or look down on others just because you think they are 'low class'; don't leave behind the 'past routes' just because you find new alternative routes (you'll never know when you might use the old routes again); fame and glory are temporary, it's how you want to be remembered that matters etc etc.
There are colourful characters that come in sleek (and not so sleek) designs - Lightning McQueen the rookie, Doc Hudson the legendary, Sally Carrera the eye candy and Mater the funny....
Apart from that - some hilarious punch lines/scenes including the wake-the-tractor antics and jaw-dropping graphics. Totally not to be missed! (Rating: *****)
The title Ice Age 2: The Meltdown should be able to hint what the movie sequel basically covers. In the fist movie, an enemy (Diego) hides his true self by proclaiming that he wants to help his herd (which consists of Manny the woolly mammoth and Sid the sloth) return a human baby to safety. Their adventure is fun, with many obstacles and a plot twist towards the end - the enemy becomes a friend and a part of the herd.
However, there is/are no real villains in Ice Age 2, or at least the villains don't really talk and plot some devious plans against humanity, or in this case...'animality'? The movie delivers a strong family theme to the audience. It's also a straightforward journey, with no twists and turns and stuffs, other than Manny meeting up his own kind after thinking he's the last of his species. And the slight twist is that, his own kind (Ellie) somehow thinks she's a possum, thanks to her two wild and naughty 'siblings', Crash and Eddie. Their journey to the big 'boat' to escape the soon-to-happen big flood as the ice is melting (does this somehow remind you of Noah's Ark story?) is filled with laughter as Manny tries to convince Ellie that she is a mammoth, Sid tries to prove himself worthy and Diego overcomes his fear of water and his anger towards Crash and Eddie. Oh yes, Scrat has plenty of screen presence to entertain you in this one. Since my wife likes it so much, so I'm going to give the overal rating as ****. I know it's biased, but who hasn't done it anyway, right....? :)
Two distributors (DreamWorks and Walt Disney) disappoint us with their lousy Madagascar and Chicken Little. Therefore, some may be a bit relunctant over how their latest Over The Hedge and The Wild (respectively) would fair at the box office.However, we can toss away our doubts over the hedge and into the wild as these two movies deserve two thumbs up!
Comparing the two, Over The Hedge (OTH) is wilder and the animals are more chaotic/comical than The Wild. In OTH, we have RJ the Ring Leader, whose enthusiasm to cross over the hedge comes with a secret agenda. His plan to get stocks of foods from humans (who live to eat, rather than eat to live) are well received by the animals who'd just recently awaken from a long hibernation, only to greet with a large, green hedge, cropped up right through the middle of their once-natural habitat. They are Verne the over-cautious turtle, Hammy the nut squirrel, Stella the skunk, Heather the 'Avril Lavigne' etc etc. They also get help from the unlikely ally, Tiger the cat, after the cat falls helplessly and odourlessly with Stella.
Meantime, I especially enjoy and agree with RJ's lengthy definition of foods through the eyes of humans. (Rating: ****)
Though watchable, in my opinion The Wild's plot lacks the punch that makes people want to say 'wow' 'ooohhh' and 'aaaahh'. Maybe Disney should beef up their storyline department (if such a dept. exists) or something...
Anyway, the story revolves around this group of animals and their journey from the zoo into the wild concrete jungle of New York, then stranded on an island that is about to blow up because of its active volcanic mountains. Meet Samson the Lion, Ryan the Lion Cub, Nigel the Koala, Benny the Squirrel, Bridget the Giraffe and Larry the Anaconda.
The Wild is constantly being compared with Madagascar, but I shall give credit to where it's due: the movie DOES stand on its own. At times, the movie is also a reminiscence of Disney's The Lion King (like relationship between Samson and Ryan and also the scene on Samson about to fall off from a cliff).
I also especially enjoy when Nigel is praised as a God by some of the animals on the island (and the reason behind such worship) and how the wildebeasts over there, manage to climb up to the top of the food chain. Totally didn't see it coming... (Rating: ***)
Coming Soon:
1. To rude or not to rude? - KL folks (especially) are rude? In fact, KL city comes third as the most rude city folks? Well, I do agree based on MY standards... However if it's based on the magazine's standard of what it considers as rude and not rude, then I'll have to disagree with the magazine's ranking.
2. The 'CHARM'ing idiot box - The hit TV series has wrapped up its magic after 8 years. Read on as I take you through its magical years.
3. New French Kiss - so there's a new definition of French kiss... you just hit your (probably hard-headed) head towards your lover's/opponent's chest. Read all about it and the verdict that follows...
4. More movie reviews:
a) The Last X-Men Standing - a review on X-Men 3:The Last Stand. b) Superman Returns - Is it a bird, is it a plane? No, it's the overweight Abdunman (whose most pants are now out of size.... hehee). c) Fantasy adventure or fantasy love? - Forget about Lord of the Rings or even Harry Potter for a while. Here comes Capt. Jack Sparrow in his 'pirated' fantasy adventure. Also, meet up with Kate Forster and Alex Wyler as they both fall in love in front of a magical mail box that separates them two years apart.
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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If you have a specific field/term to search on Islam, you can also enter your search item(s) at Islamic Web Directory, available at the bottom of an entry entitled Proofs. For your convenience in accessing the Directory, Proofs is available in "Other own (cool) stuffs" column. Thank you.
Penguin Rush
Last year, when I learned that a new Star Trek movie was due to be released in 2009, my heart was compounded with both eagerness...and doubt. Eager, because upon seeing the name J.J. Abrams at the helm, I knew he was going to make it great. But at the same time, I had doubt if I ever going to like the movie at all. I mean, look at Star Wars! Although I did watch the three Star Wars movies when I was a kid, I never did become an avid fan. Thanx to George Lucas for coming up with those crappy prequels (ok, so Sith was slightly better than the first two), now I kinda' hate Star Wars.
