I received this email on prevention of H1N1, so I am sharing it here.
How to prevent H1N1 – An eMail forward is reproduced below:
Friends,
Thanks to media hype about H1N1, several people who trust me have either approached or called me to advice. The hype in media about the utility of face masks and N95 respirators as a tool for general protection against H1N1 can't be deplored enough.
Yesterday, a friend who listened wanted me to write down briefly what I advised so that he could tell others in similar words. Hence this short email to friends whom I have advised recently (and others whom I haven't yet).
Please realize that this is not an official advice, especially the one about face masks or N95. Most N95 respirators are designed to filter 95% particulates of 0.3µ, while the size of H1N1 virus is about 0.1µ. Hence, dependence on N95 to protect against H1N1 is like protecting against rain with an umbrella made of mosquito net.
Tamiflu does not kill but prevents H1N1 from further proliferation till the virus limits itself in about 1-2 weeks (its natural cycle). H1N1, like other Influenza A viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract and proliferates (only) there. The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/ throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions.
Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps - not fully highlighted in most official communications - can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe).
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
Amla is the small yellow preserved fruit we use to get from those tit bits stalls. Alternatively get them from the Himalaya's pure herbs, Amalaki.
6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.
7. All these are simple ways to prevent, within means of most households, and certainly much less painful than to wait in long queues outside public hospitals.
Happy breathing!
Best regards,
Dr.Ashutosh Mundkur
Monday, August 24, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
EARTH HOUR
Last Saturday, 28 March 2009 was Earth Hour. Is your house light off?
I didn't expect my father to understand. After all, I explained to him why I chose to wash my car with 2 buckets of water instead of using the hose. I speak about how we need to conserve energy and water for the future generation or how we should reduce the use of plastic bags. He never gets it. I was contented that during Earth Hour, I can turned off all power except for the living room, where he will sits in. So it was to my surprise that at about 8.00pm on Earth Hour day, he asked if we can at least leave the fan on. I pondered and told him the switching off the light exercise of Earth Hour is not mandatory and to my delight, he said he knows but he wanted to play a part. What a surprise indeed.It also happened that I needed to visit a client's house to pick up a cheque. I arrived just as the clock struck 8.30pm and his place is lit with but 2 candles. Mind you, his wife just gave birth 3 months ago but they are still doing their parts.
I read of 2 Earth Hour events taking place in Malaysia that night. Host for one the event Stephanie Chai said it best when she reminded us that Earth Hour is not about saving that one hour worth of energy all around the world, even if that amount is quite significant. Rather, it's about creating awareness and getting more people to participate in all effort to preserve earth. Another host, Lina Teoh mentioned she would prefer to drive an ecologically friendly car but she could not afford one (hey, is she fishing for sponsorship?). But lets share some facts. The most environmentally friendly car available in Malaysia is probably the Honda Civic Hybrid, initially introduced with a price tag of about RM180,000 (about USD49,300). If I have any reader from outside Malaysia, they probably wonder why the Civic costs so much here in Malaysia but that would be story for another day. Back to Lina Teoh, probably one of the most recognised face in the country and she said she can't afford a Honda. That is so sad to hear since it really leave us wondering about the rest of us ordinary people. Sigh.
Speaking of Honda, there was also an Earth Hour special pullout in a local newspaper and Honda was one of its sponsors. One of only two sponsors that took part in fact, which I guess strongly imply environmental awareness in Malaysia is still very low and any dedication to save the earth may in fact be a weak selling point for any company seeking to compete in the local market. Double sigh. The other sponsor was Bonuslink, with its GM speaking passionately about the importance of doing everything we can to preserve the earth and that even as individual, each of our affort can make a difference. He also expressed how much he hated seeing people using more toilet paper that is necessary. seriuosly, that really do make a difference. I saw once a young man pulled out 3 pieces of tissue paper from the tissue box of a foodstall, crumbled them all and wipe his mouth in one quick swipe before discarding them. Was that necessary? I usually used only half. But such is the mentality of Asian in general. If it's free, use as much as you like, even more than you need. They thought it's only right, since they already paid for the food, they are entitled to use as much as they like. I just think that was a lack of class.
Back to Earth Hour. The day has passed but if you love Earth, everyday can be Earth Hour. For those of us who can yet afford a Honda Civic Hybrid, there is so much more we can still do:
Don't leave the tap running as we brush our teeth.
Use products - personal or household that create none or minimal damage to the environment.
Reduce use of plastic bag whenever possible.
Reduce usage of any paper - tissue paper, cups, etc.
Basically reduce or stop using anything disposable.
Well, you don't expect me to list down everything right? Go on. Show you care.
I didn't expect my father to understand. After all, I explained to him why I chose to wash my car with 2 buckets of water instead of using the hose. I speak about how we need to conserve energy and water for the future generation or how we should reduce the use of plastic bags. He never gets it. I was contented that during Earth Hour, I can turned off all power except for the living room, where he will sits in. So it was to my surprise that at about 8.00pm on Earth Hour day, he asked if we can at least leave the fan on. I pondered and told him the switching off the light exercise of Earth Hour is not mandatory and to my delight, he said he knows but he wanted to play a part. What a surprise indeed.It also happened that I needed to visit a client's house to pick up a cheque. I arrived just as the clock struck 8.30pm and his place is lit with but 2 candles. Mind you, his wife just gave birth 3 months ago but they are still doing their parts.
I read of 2 Earth Hour events taking place in Malaysia that night. Host for one the event Stephanie Chai said it best when she reminded us that Earth Hour is not about saving that one hour worth of energy all around the world, even if that amount is quite significant. Rather, it's about creating awareness and getting more people to participate in all effort to preserve earth. Another host, Lina Teoh mentioned she would prefer to drive an ecologically friendly car but she could not afford one (hey, is she fishing for sponsorship?). But lets share some facts. The most environmentally friendly car available in Malaysia is probably the Honda Civic Hybrid, initially introduced with a price tag of about RM180,000 (about USD49,300). If I have any reader from outside Malaysia, they probably wonder why the Civic costs so much here in Malaysia but that would be story for another day. Back to Lina Teoh, probably one of the most recognised face in the country and she said she can't afford a Honda. That is so sad to hear since it really leave us wondering about the rest of us ordinary people. Sigh.
Speaking of Honda, there was also an Earth Hour special pullout in a local newspaper and Honda was one of its sponsors. One of only two sponsors that took part in fact, which I guess strongly imply environmental awareness in Malaysia is still very low and any dedication to save the earth may in fact be a weak selling point for any company seeking to compete in the local market. Double sigh. The other sponsor was Bonuslink, with its GM speaking passionately about the importance of doing everything we can to preserve the earth and that even as individual, each of our affort can make a difference. He also expressed how much he hated seeing people using more toilet paper that is necessary. seriuosly, that really do make a difference. I saw once a young man pulled out 3 pieces of tissue paper from the tissue box of a foodstall, crumbled them all and wipe his mouth in one quick swipe before discarding them. Was that necessary? I usually used only half. But such is the mentality of Asian in general. If it's free, use as much as you like, even more than you need. They thought it's only right, since they already paid for the food, they are entitled to use as much as they like. I just think that was a lack of class.
Back to Earth Hour. The day has passed but if you love Earth, everyday can be Earth Hour. For those of us who can yet afford a Honda Civic Hybrid, there is so much more we can still do:
Don't leave the tap running as we brush our teeth.
Use products - personal or household that create none or minimal damage to the environment.
Reduce use of plastic bag whenever possible.
Reduce usage of any paper - tissue paper, cups, etc.
Basically reduce or stop using anything disposable.
Well, you don't expect me to list down everything right? Go on. Show you care.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
To Read or Not To Read.
A net friend of mine from Thailand will be spending 3 months of her university break in a worthwhile project. The aim of the project is to encourage young people, especially those in the age range of 13 to 15, to read more literary books. That in my opinion is an extremely noble project to pursue but June and her friends face a Herculean task.
The problem most likely begins in childhood, with most parents letting their children watch TV instead of encouraging them to read. Why? Because when children watch the idiot box, they leave their parents alone? Maybe. But without the love of reading instilled in these younger years, it becomes even more difficult as the children enter their teenage years. How do you get them to start reading when these are the years when they begin to become interested in the opposite sex and hence, are more focused in making themselves appeared attractive? After all, reading hasn’t been viewed as cool for a long time. Even Peter Parker was only seen with books when he was just a geeky teenager but as Spiderman, he appeared to have no more need for them. So again the question asks, can these young people be ‘lured’ into giving reading a try?
I have a multiple phases idea I am not sure will work. The internet is a major distraction from reading but used right, it may also become a tool to champion it.
1) Pick about 5 good books
2) Present the story in gist and simplified version via a short animation.
3) Withhold the conclusion, then reveal the book in which people can read the full story.
Of course, packaging is almost everything in today’s world so a plan is not a plan unless the plan has a plan on how to package the plan. Hey, I kinda like how that sounds – can I trademark it? But seriously folks, I do have a plan on how to package this.
1) Actual animation would complicate things and also make file slow to load, not to mention long to produce. Presentation is probably best presented in a series of drawing / pictures
2) The style of the drawing must not be too real or complicated. It should be simple, clean and almost cute, with appeal enough to young people that they will want to forward them to friends.
3) While it may be presented as powerpoint, a video or flv file is preferred. Other than the email route, it may also be uploaded into video community site such as youtube.
But can such a plan work? The creation of these animation file has the following objective.
1) While many people are not interested to read books, most do read their email and forward what they like. The file will hopefully found a percentage of people who might be intrigued enough to check out the book the next time they pass by a bookstore.
2) Discovering the story on one‘s own freewill will hopefully cultivate a genuine love for reading. This way, a person will continue to read for life instead of doing so under a campaign which runs for limited time.
3) A well made animation could continue to circulate as email attachment for years. While the initial result may be small, it will hopefully over a period of time, accumulate to a significant figure.
The whole notion seems so... idealistic. The initial stage may take a lot of work but if it breeds success, everything will be well worth it. The message will continue to go round and round in the cyberspace because someone is bound to forward it. It created first the interest, and if anyone is even intrigued enough to check out the book, it could turns into a lifelong love affair with the beauty of the written words. In the future, writer may even use the same method to promote their new books.
Which give the plan a commercial angle. Couldn’t draw well enough to present the plan? Friends talented in art too busy to help? But could not afford a professional graphic designer to do it? Approach a leading bookstore chain, preferable an international brand. Present this idea to them and I am sure they could see the benefit in store for them. The publicity they will enjoy aside, the file may also place link to the bookstore’s corporate website. Need I mention the increase of interest in reading means the increase of sales for them too?
Can this really work? Someone gimme some comments here. Anyone got any other bright ideas too? C’mon… share your view.
The problem most likely begins in childhood, with most parents letting their children watch TV instead of encouraging them to read. Why? Because when children watch the idiot box, they leave their parents alone? Maybe. But without the love of reading instilled in these younger years, it becomes even more difficult as the children enter their teenage years. How do you get them to start reading when these are the years when they begin to become interested in the opposite sex and hence, are more focused in making themselves appeared attractive? After all, reading hasn’t been viewed as cool for a long time. Even Peter Parker was only seen with books when he was just a geeky teenager but as Spiderman, he appeared to have no more need for them. So again the question asks, can these young people be ‘lured’ into giving reading a try?
I have a multiple phases idea I am not sure will work. The internet is a major distraction from reading but used right, it may also become a tool to champion it.
1) Pick about 5 good books
2) Present the story in gist and simplified version via a short animation.
3) Withhold the conclusion, then reveal the book in which people can read the full story.
Of course, packaging is almost everything in today’s world so a plan is not a plan unless the plan has a plan on how to package the plan. Hey, I kinda like how that sounds – can I trademark it? But seriously folks, I do have a plan on how to package this.
1) Actual animation would complicate things and also make file slow to load, not to mention long to produce. Presentation is probably best presented in a series of drawing / pictures
2) The style of the drawing must not be too real or complicated. It should be simple, clean and almost cute, with appeal enough to young people that they will want to forward them to friends.
3) While it may be presented as powerpoint, a video or flv file is preferred. Other than the email route, it may also be uploaded into video community site such as youtube.
But can such a plan work? The creation of these animation file has the following objective.
1) While many people are not interested to read books, most do read their email and forward what they like. The file will hopefully found a percentage of people who might be intrigued enough to check out the book the next time they pass by a bookstore.
2) Discovering the story on one‘s own freewill will hopefully cultivate a genuine love for reading. This way, a person will continue to read for life instead of doing so under a campaign which runs for limited time.
3) A well made animation could continue to circulate as email attachment for years. While the initial result may be small, it will hopefully over a period of time, accumulate to a significant figure.
The whole notion seems so... idealistic. The initial stage may take a lot of work but if it breeds success, everything will be well worth it. The message will continue to go round and round in the cyberspace because someone is bound to forward it. It created first the interest, and if anyone is even intrigued enough to check out the book, it could turns into a lifelong love affair with the beauty of the written words. In the future, writer may even use the same method to promote their new books.
Which give the plan a commercial angle. Couldn’t draw well enough to present the plan? Friends talented in art too busy to help? But could not afford a professional graphic designer to do it? Approach a leading bookstore chain, preferable an international brand. Present this idea to them and I am sure they could see the benefit in store for them. The publicity they will enjoy aside, the file may also place link to the bookstore’s corporate website. Need I mention the increase of interest in reading means the increase of sales for them too?
Can this really work? Someone gimme some comments here. Anyone got any other bright ideas too? C’mon… share your view.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
No to Plastic Bag
I was buying some er... drugs from a pharmacy in Nilai and instead of a plastic bag, they gave me my purchase in this:
One might thought the pharmacy was too cheap to even pays for plastic bags but I am inclined to believe that the owner actually cared for the environment. Afterall, she has a WWF certificate in her name being displayed in the shop. According to her staff, the customers in the area tend to share the same sentiment too.
Plastic bags usage indeed has a role in the rapidly declining state of our environment but in a recent article in the Star, local plastic bags manufacturers defended themselves, reminding us that the environmental problem brought by plastic bags usage should not lies solely on them but also on the consumers, who usually discarded the bag after use without a second thought. The waste management in the country also created a problem as wastes cannot decompose without water and light. In fact, it was reported that 40 plus years old newspaper has been found intact beneath mountain of waste.
I don't know how rampant the problem is in other country but in mine, this lack of civic mindedness is indeed a cause for concern. I regularly see on the road litter being thrown out from a moving car - cigarette butt, tissue paper, empty drink package, plastic bag. and don't even get me started on the drain here. Why would someone throw anything into the drain is beneath me. Don't they know this will taint water that will eventually find their ways back to our pipeline? Or that they may clog our already compromised drainage system, making floods all the easier to occur?
Too often, people just said that one people cannot make a difference but really, they just couldn't care less. If only one person of 30 million Malaysian stop using plastic bag, that is 365 plastic bags saved and not discarded in a year. If every Malaysian adopt the same mindset, that is 300,000 plastic bags a day. This message comes from someone in the local group One Buck Short through Hitz FM. Sorry, I can't remember who but I don't know local group well. Will support them though, that's my New Year resolution 2010 :-)
But seriously folks, I already started by not littering around and declining a plastic bag for anything I bought that I can carry with my bare hands. I still forget to bring my own shopping bag but hey, at least I already have one. What are you doing to help preserve the environment?
ps: Don't worry about the street sweeper. They will be able to keep their job sweeping leaves that falls from trees naturally.
One might thought the pharmacy was too cheap to even pays for plastic bags but I am inclined to believe that the owner actually cared for the environment. Afterall, she has a WWF certificate in her name being displayed in the shop. According to her staff, the customers in the area tend to share the same sentiment too.
Plastic bags usage indeed has a role in the rapidly declining state of our environment but in a recent article in the Star, local plastic bags manufacturers defended themselves, reminding us that the environmental problem brought by plastic bags usage should not lies solely on them but also on the consumers, who usually discarded the bag after use without a second thought. The waste management in the country also created a problem as wastes cannot decompose without water and light. In fact, it was reported that 40 plus years old newspaper has been found intact beneath mountain of waste.
I don't know how rampant the problem is in other country but in mine, this lack of civic mindedness is indeed a cause for concern. I regularly see on the road litter being thrown out from a moving car - cigarette butt, tissue paper, empty drink package, plastic bag. and don't even get me started on the drain here. Why would someone throw anything into the drain is beneath me. Don't they know this will taint water that will eventually find their ways back to our pipeline? Or that they may clog our already compromised drainage system, making floods all the easier to occur?
Too often, people just said that one people cannot make a difference but really, they just couldn't care less. If only one person of 30 million Malaysian stop using plastic bag, that is 365 plastic bags saved and not discarded in a year. If every Malaysian adopt the same mindset, that is 300,000 plastic bags a day. This message comes from someone in the local group One Buck Short through Hitz FM. Sorry, I can't remember who but I don't know local group well. Will support them though, that's my New Year resolution 2010 :-)
But seriously folks, I already started by not littering around and declining a plastic bag for anything I bought that I can carry with my bare hands. I still forget to bring my own shopping bag but hey, at least I already have one. What are you doing to help preserve the environment?
ps: Don't worry about the street sweeper. They will be able to keep their job sweeping leaves that falls from trees naturally.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Life Is Either A Daring Adventure Or Nothing.
Wow.. I haven’t updated in a while. I haven’t dated in a while too but that’s another story for another day.
I didn’t even write about my first time playing paintball or the movie review for Mamma Mia and many more that I have watched. That’s everyone’s main gripe isn’t it? Silas especially, been telling me I wrote too many movie reviews. Due to time constraint, I haven’t been watching many movies but I have been reading more. Does that mean I will be writing books reviews instead? Maybe, or maybe not. I don’t know but I thought I just come back to blogging with a positive note. I came across the following phrases recently. Enjoy.
Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Satchel Paige
If you think education is expensive- try ignorance.
Derek Bok
God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things done.
Harry Emerson Fosdick
It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
J.K. Rowling
There are things I can't force. I must adjust. There are times when the greatest change needed is a change of my viewpoint.
Denis Diderot
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.Don't complain.
Maya Angelou
If you are not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.
Woody Allen
Think you can, think you can't. Either way, you are right. Henry Ford
The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.
Do the thing you fear most and the Death of fear is certain.
I didn’t even write about my first time playing paintball or the movie review for Mamma Mia and many more that I have watched. That’s everyone’s main gripe isn’t it? Silas especially, been telling me I wrote too many movie reviews. Due to time constraint, I haven’t been watching many movies but I have been reading more. Does that mean I will be writing books reviews instead? Maybe, or maybe not. I don’t know but I thought I just come back to blogging with a positive note. I came across the following phrases recently. Enjoy.
Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Satchel Paige
If you think education is expensive- try ignorance.
Derek Bok
God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things done.
Harry Emerson Fosdick
It is our choices... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
J.K. Rowling
There are things I can't force. I must adjust. There are times when the greatest change needed is a change of my viewpoint.
Denis Diderot
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.Don't complain.
Maya Angelou
If you are not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.
Woody Allen
Think you can, think you can't. Either way, you are right. Henry Ford
The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.
Do the thing you fear most and the Death of fear is certain.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Chinese New Year!!!
Ride the Bull and arrive in the Valley of Happiness sandwiched by the Mountains of Prosperity. Wishing you a Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year. Kong He Fatt Choy!!!
ok- I nicked that from a SMS greeeting I received :-)
ok- I nicked that from a SMS greeeting I received :-)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Struck by Lightning.
Well.. not me.
There was a heavy thunderstorm 2 Saturdays ago in my neighbourhood and one particular strike of lightning was followed by an almost deafening roar of thunder. I was taking a nap and the first thing that crossed my mind is thanks God I turned off the computer and its power disconnected. So I continued my sleep.
I only found out later in the evening that a house in the neighbourhood was struck and its roofs damaged. I would have take a photo but it was already dark. The next morning was greeted by another discovery as I tried unsuccessfully to go online. There was no light on my modem. A quick check revealed that the DSL filter was exposed and when I found the cover, it was immediately obvious why.
Apparently, the phone line was struck too and the overload of power is so great that the line burst and blew open the cover. The line connected to the modem is also burnt off so my modem is damaged now. I must have replaced the modem less than a year ago, the last which was also damaged by lightning. I never learnt my lesson.
Better get the modem replaced ASAP, with a lightning protector of course, or my only way to go online would be the cybercafe.
There was a heavy thunderstorm 2 Saturdays ago in my neighbourhood and one particular strike of lightning was followed by an almost deafening roar of thunder. I was taking a nap and the first thing that crossed my mind is thanks God I turned off the computer and its power disconnected. So I continued my sleep.
I only found out later in the evening that a house in the neighbourhood was struck and its roofs damaged. I would have take a photo but it was already dark. The next morning was greeted by another discovery as I tried unsuccessfully to go online. There was no light on my modem. A quick check revealed that the DSL filter was exposed and when I found the cover, it was immediately obvious why.
Apparently, the phone line was struck too and the overload of power is so great that the line burst and blew open the cover. The line connected to the modem is also burnt off so my modem is damaged now. I must have replaced the modem less than a year ago, the last which was also damaged by lightning. I never learnt my lesson.
Better get the modem replaced ASAP, with a lightning protector of course, or my only way to go online would be the cybercafe.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Deep Blue Sea
I was in Port Dickson today. Unfortunately, it was for work and not play.
I am not sure what was the reason but the tide seems higher than usual and the sea blue-er. Even on non-resort beach, where the water tend to be a little brownish to the eyes, the water is blue today. I am talking about the blue we normally only see on postcard, the shade of the deep blue sea.
Too bad, I didn't have my camera with me..
I am not sure what was the reason but the tide seems higher than usual and the sea blue-er. Even on non-resort beach, where the water tend to be a little brownish to the eyes, the water is blue today. I am talking about the blue we normally only see on postcard, the shade of the deep blue sea.
Too bad, I didn't have my camera with me..
Friday, October 3, 2008
Accuracy of Death
I stepped into the cinema hall knowing nothing more than Takeshi Kaneshiro played the role of Death in this movie.
The movie opened with Kaneshiro attending a church funeral. He sat himself next to a cute little girl who immediately recognised that he is a shinigami, often refered to as the God of Death or in this case, the Grimm Reaper. When asked about a shinigami's role, Kaneshiro gently explained that a shinigami appears to people about to face an unexpected death. After determining if that person has fulfilled his purpose on earth, the shinigami will choose to either proceed with his death or suspend it. However, a shinigami will only attend a child's funeral as a courtesy since most children are usually not aware of what is really happening. Thus revealed, not really unexpectedly, that the little girl speaking to Kaneshiro is the deceased everyone in the church is mourning.
And with that introduction, the movie begins the first of three stories that make up the film. Kaneshiro's character uses the name "Chiba" when he is on the field. He would usually makes contact and interview "prospects" on their opinion on death and determine himself if the person has yet a purpose to be served by continuing living. Even though his dog companion revealed that Chiba usually choose to proceed, he tends to hold his decision till the last day, which was fortunate for one prospect, whose new purpose in lives was revealed only on the day she was meant to die.
Unsurprisingly, all three stories are connected to each other but it was done in quite an unspectacular way. With a title like "Accuracy of Death", I was actually expecting a slow but highly thought provoking notion on why death is necessary and important to the point that it can affect the course of history. The movie was slow but it was hardly thought provoking. In fact, the charm of the movie lies in its humour. The bulk of the humour however, lies in Chiba's taking in the literal meaning of the words people said, being totally clueless about the slang we used. This incited plenty of laughter but it didn't make sense since he is in constant communication with humans. Beside, one other shinigami who spoke with him didn't seems to have that problem. There is also an inconsistency in the second story when he is more suave and street smart and he even smoked. Maybe he picked it up over the years but in the last story, he is back to his old 'dumb' self.
The movie lack the sophistication I was expecting and the humour was nothing brilliant. Its comic timing however was good enough to draw plenty of laughs. The contents may failed to meet my expectation but I can't say I didn't enjoy the movie. After all, why so serious?
The movie opened with Kaneshiro attending a church funeral. He sat himself next to a cute little girl who immediately recognised that he is a shinigami, often refered to as the God of Death or in this case, the Grimm Reaper. When asked about a shinigami's role, Kaneshiro gently explained that a shinigami appears to people about to face an unexpected death. After determining if that person has fulfilled his purpose on earth, the shinigami will choose to either proceed with his death or suspend it. However, a shinigami will only attend a child's funeral as a courtesy since most children are usually not aware of what is really happening. Thus revealed, not really unexpectedly, that the little girl speaking to Kaneshiro is the deceased everyone in the church is mourning.And with that introduction, the movie begins the first of three stories that make up the film. Kaneshiro's character uses the name "Chiba" when he is on the field. He would usually makes contact and interview "prospects" on their opinion on death and determine himself if the person has yet a purpose to be served by continuing living. Even though his dog companion revealed that Chiba usually choose to proceed, he tends to hold his decision till the last day, which was fortunate for one prospect, whose new purpose in lives was revealed only on the day she was meant to die.
Unsurprisingly, all three stories are connected to each other but it was done in quite an unspectacular way. With a title like "Accuracy of Death", I was actually expecting a slow but highly thought provoking notion on why death is necessary and important to the point that it can affect the course of history. The movie was slow but it was hardly thought provoking. In fact, the charm of the movie lies in its humour. The bulk of the humour however, lies in Chiba's taking in the literal meaning of the words people said, being totally clueless about the slang we used. This incited plenty of laughter but it didn't make sense since he is in constant communication with humans. Beside, one other shinigami who spoke with him didn't seems to have that problem. There is also an inconsistency in the second story when he is more suave and street smart and he even smoked. Maybe he picked it up over the years but in the last story, he is back to his old 'dumb' self.
The movie lack the sophistication I was expecting and the humour was nothing brilliant. Its comic timing however was good enough to draw plenty of laughs. The contents may failed to meet my expectation but I can't say I didn't enjoy the movie. After all, why so serious?
Thursday, October 2, 2008
21
I am no genius but I kinda liked Mathematics. So when a movie comes out that centres on using Mathematics skills to win in Black Jack, I don't even bother who will be in it. I am just going to watch it.
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a Maths genius hoping to secure a scholarship to Harward Medical School as his USD8 perhour part time job simply isn't enough to pay for that education. That amount however, is still higher than what an average Malaysian is making on a full-time basis but enough about our country's economy.
As with all the geniuses depicted in any movie, Campbell doesn't has many friends, often only hanging out with two other people who though are pretty smart, are only half his genius and 1/3 his good look. These two friends and Campbell's mother are the only people present to celebrate his very tame 21st birthday. The birthday scene was a crucial one as they used the Fibonacci code to depicted the number 21 on the cake so audiences can see what geeky maths geniuses they are. That was when I realised this is going to be a mediocre movie.
Campbell's lives started to changed when he impressed his non-linear equation professor by explaining how eliminating a wrong option from a choice of three actually increased the probability of one of the remaining two to 66.66% being the correct option instead of just 50%. That is called variable changes.
I didn't get that either.
As it turned out, Professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) is looking exactly for someone of his genius as he is leading a team of clever students to win big money in Las Vegas via card counting. He was looking for a replacement for a key member who left the team for a job in Google, which is really funny if you received an email showing the office in Google. Everyone wants to work for them now.
Back to the story, honest Campbell does not wish to get involved but when his mother gave her hard-earned life saving to help pay for his Harvard education, he decided that Vegas is the only way to go. Campbell joined the team, which coincidently included Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), the prettiest girl in campus whom he happened to has the hots for.
Campbell was determined to do this only until he raised enough money for Harvard but the question is, after he get a taste of the high life of easy wealth, can he really go back? Can a brilliant student making money from simple Maths skill still thinks about using his genius for the betterment of mankind? Would a CEO enjoying privileges paid for by the company opts to gives up that luxury to reduces expenditures? Will a politician with power to reform policy to suits his own personal interest chose to repents and steps down?
The answer is a dissolute no, unless someone makes them.
That someone comes in the form of security honcho, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) who quickly caught on to what Campbell can do. But he isn't as interested in Campbell as he is in Rosa, with whom he has an old grundge.
The movie has a decent story and characters, which is played well enough by its casts but everything about it is pretty run of the mill. It is a pretty standard fare of a hero using his gift for personal gains only to learn the wrongness of his action and turned over a new leaf. And audiences are taught a little lesson not to belittle those smarts geeks around us as we never know just what they may be capable of.
It is also interesting that the movie actually revealed how card counting works although I don't quite understand it. Maybe the instruction isn't complete but more probably is that I am just not smart enough to get it. There is also the phrase "Winner winner, Chicken dinner", uttered everytime a player got a Black Jack which meaning and significance escaped me but which I find catchy.
Here's a Mathematics question. Is it worth paying to watch this movie? I paid RM6 to watch this on Wednesday and I pretty much get my worth but RM10 for any other day just may noy be worth its fare. Now how is that for non linear equation?
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is a Maths genius hoping to secure a scholarship to Harward Medical School as his USD8 perhour part time job simply isn't enough to pay for that education. That amount however, is still higher than what an average Malaysian is making on a full-time basis but enough about our country's economy.
As with all the geniuses depicted in any movie, Campbell doesn't has many friends, often only hanging out with two other people who though are pretty smart, are only half his genius and 1/3 his good look. These two friends and Campbell's mother are the only people present to celebrate his very tame 21st birthday. The birthday scene was a crucial one as they used the Fibonacci code to depicted the number 21 on the cake so audiences can see what geeky maths geniuses they are. That was when I realised this is going to be a mediocre movie.
Campbell's lives started to changed when he impressed his non-linear equation professor by explaining how eliminating a wrong option from a choice of three actually increased the probability of one of the remaining two to 66.66% being the correct option instead of just 50%. That is called variable changes.
I didn't get that either.
As it turned out, Professor Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) is looking exactly for someone of his genius as he is leading a team of clever students to win big money in Las Vegas via card counting. He was looking for a replacement for a key member who left the team for a job in Google, which is really funny if you received an email showing the office in Google. Everyone wants to work for them now.
Back to the story, honest Campbell does not wish to get involved but when his mother gave her hard-earned life saving to help pay for his Harvard education, he decided that Vegas is the only way to go. Campbell joined the team, which coincidently included Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), the prettiest girl in campus whom he happened to has the hots for.
Campbell was determined to do this only until he raised enough money for Harvard but the question is, after he get a taste of the high life of easy wealth, can he really go back? Can a brilliant student making money from simple Maths skill still thinks about using his genius for the betterment of mankind? Would a CEO enjoying privileges paid for by the company opts to gives up that luxury to reduces expenditures? Will a politician with power to reform policy to suits his own personal interest chose to repents and steps down?
The answer is a dissolute no, unless someone makes them.
That someone comes in the form of security honcho, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne) who quickly caught on to what Campbell can do. But he isn't as interested in Campbell as he is in Rosa, with whom he has an old grundge.
The movie has a decent story and characters, which is played well enough by its casts but everything about it is pretty run of the mill. It is a pretty standard fare of a hero using his gift for personal gains only to learn the wrongness of his action and turned over a new leaf. And audiences are taught a little lesson not to belittle those smarts geeks around us as we never know just what they may be capable of.
It is also interesting that the movie actually revealed how card counting works although I don't quite understand it. Maybe the instruction isn't complete but more probably is that I am just not smart enough to get it. There is also the phrase "Winner winner, Chicken dinner", uttered everytime a player got a Black Jack which meaning and significance escaped me but which I find catchy.
Here's a Mathematics question. Is it worth paying to watch this movie? I paid RM6 to watch this on Wednesday and I pretty much get my worth but RM10 for any other day just may noy be worth its fare. Now how is that for non linear equation?
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Babylon AD
Well, I watched Babylon AD too. Given the critical review it received, I wouldnn't exactly say it sucks.
Vin Diesel is Toorop, a mercenary tasked with bringing a special and mysterious girl from a convent to the US of A. Come to think of it, I have no idea where on earth he was at the beginning of the movie.
The girl in question is Aurora (Melanie Thierry) and her constant companion Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh). Aurora appeared to be very knowledgeable on many subject common and uncommon. She even knows how to operate a 30 years old submarine but she is also irritatingly emphathetic to the suffering of others. Other than that, put her in a singlet and a pair of shorts, let loose her hair and she is still pretty hot.
It became clear very soon that more than one faction wanted and needed her so Toorop's job isn't somuch of getting her to US safely than ensuring that she doesn't falls into the hand of the other faction. The question is who Aurora really is and why is she so important to so many people?
Compared to Death Race which I watched a week earlier, Babylon AD is more properly produced and tastefully directed but it still suffered from the things that don't make sense plaguing the movie.
The movie started right with the introduction of Toorop, his character and what he stands for. We were treated to a mildly exciting journey they made as Toorop tried to smuggle Aurora and Rebeka to the US. Along the way, the movie created the mystery of Aurora real identity.
But after creating the stage for what could be of biblical proportion, audiences were left with the tacky revelation of science experiment gone wrong (gone right?). And if Aurora is so important to everyone alive, then what exactly is Toorop fighting for?
As an action movie, it isn't so bad but ultimately has nothing fresh to offer. As a science fiction, its element is too weak and too brief. As a biblical fantasy, the mystery it successfully created in the beginning was ravaged by its sudden transition into science fiction toward the end of the movie. In the end, the villain was not properly dealt with and we could not see the relevance of certain incidents that took place. Maybe there is some kind of significance to the ending. Aurora did gave virgin birth to a pair of twin girls who were one black and one white but I certainly couldn't see the meaning.
I was prepared to defend the movie but such anti-climatic ending changed my mind. Too bad.
Vin Diesel is Toorop, a mercenary tasked with bringing a special and mysterious girl from a convent to the US of A. Come to think of it, I have no idea where on earth he was at the beginning of the movie.
The girl in question is Aurora (Melanie Thierry) and her constant companion Sister Rebeka (Michelle Yeoh). Aurora appeared to be very knowledgeable on many subject common and uncommon. She even knows how to operate a 30 years old submarine but she is also irritatingly emphathetic to the suffering of others. Other than that, put her in a singlet and a pair of shorts, let loose her hair and she is still pretty hot.
It became clear very soon that more than one faction wanted and needed her so Toorop's job isn't somuch of getting her to US safely than ensuring that she doesn't falls into the hand of the other faction. The question is who Aurora really is and why is she so important to so many people?
Compared to Death Race which I watched a week earlier, Babylon AD is more properly produced and tastefully directed but it still suffered from the things that don't make sense plaguing the movie.
The movie started right with the introduction of Toorop, his character and what he stands for. We were treated to a mildly exciting journey they made as Toorop tried to smuggle Aurora and Rebeka to the US. Along the way, the movie created the mystery of Aurora real identity.
But after creating the stage for what could be of biblical proportion, audiences were left with the tacky revelation of science experiment gone wrong (gone right?). And if Aurora is so important to everyone alive, then what exactly is Toorop fighting for?
As an action movie, it isn't so bad but ultimately has nothing fresh to offer. As a science fiction, its element is too weak and too brief. As a biblical fantasy, the mystery it successfully created in the beginning was ravaged by its sudden transition into science fiction toward the end of the movie. In the end, the villain was not properly dealt with and we could not see the relevance of certain incidents that took place. Maybe there is some kind of significance to the ending. Aurora did gave virgin birth to a pair of twin girls who were one black and one white but I certainly couldn't see the meaning.
I was prepared to defend the movie but such anti-climatic ending changed my mind. Too bad.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Death Race
I was planning to watch Babylon AD when Duncan told me Babylon sucked, watch Death Race instead.
OK...
I know Jason Statham was in it and though I thought he looked the part of a tough guy, I was never really a fan. Beside, the title and poster looked really cheesy and I expected the movie to be the same. But I watched it anyway.
Death Race is a very old school type of movie with an unlikely concept, a simple story and a small little twist to the plot. Done right, it can still be entertaining, provided one is willing to overlook all the holes that filled the entire movie. Holes that simply doesn't make sense.
It doesn't make sense that corporation can and would take over operation of correctional facility (they don't call it prison anymore).
It doesn't make sense that said corporation has authority to grant release order to its prisoners.
And it sure as hell doesn't make sense that in times of economic turmoil, so many people can actually afford paying to watch Death Race.
Still, I can see why such movie appealed to my buddy. Death Race is a sport broadcasted by aforementioned corporation from one of the prison it controls. Participated by its prisoners, the race promised anyone who wins the race 5 times release and freedom. But this isn't just a simple race to the finish line. Each car is heavily fortified and even more heavily armed. Driving over a lighted icon of sword or shield placed along the track will activate either the offensive or defensive system of the car. And it's not exactly a good idea to take the lead right from the start as that would means others can fire at you while you cannot fire at them. You don't just lost a race, you can literally die in one.
Wow! The whole idea is just like one big video game.
In the middle of round 2, the warden even introduced a new secret weapon called the Dreadnaught, presumably meaning "Dreadful Juggernaut". As the name might suggests, it is a super heavy vehicle that is both destructive and near indestructible.
Question. If the Death Race show is as popular as implied in the movie, why would they released something so powerful it can potentially kill every racers in Death Race and in effect, killing off the show along with them? And how does every vehicle, regardless of size and shape able to maintain similar speed to each other?
Ahh... more holes that just don't make sense.
Obviously I have many problem with its realism, or lack of it. But if I were to judge this movie solely on its entertaining value, then it's not so bad. Fast cars that are armoured and fire machine guns and missiles. Race sport that plays like a video game. Hot babes in tight clothing who know about cars. Yeah.. a guy could like a movie like this. Just don't worry about the things that doesn't make sense.
OK...
I know Jason Statham was in it and though I thought he looked the part of a tough guy, I was never really a fan. Beside, the title and poster looked really cheesy and I expected the movie to be the same. But I watched it anyway.
Death Race is a very old school type of movie with an unlikely concept, a simple story and a small little twist to the plot. Done right, it can still be entertaining, provided one is willing to overlook all the holes that filled the entire movie. Holes that simply doesn't make sense.
It doesn't make sense that corporation can and would take over operation of correctional facility (they don't call it prison anymore).
It doesn't make sense that said corporation has authority to grant release order to its prisoners.
And it sure as hell doesn't make sense that in times of economic turmoil, so many people can actually afford paying to watch Death Race.
Still, I can see why such movie appealed to my buddy. Death Race is a sport broadcasted by aforementioned corporation from one of the prison it controls. Participated by its prisoners, the race promised anyone who wins the race 5 times release and freedom. But this isn't just a simple race to the finish line. Each car is heavily fortified and even more heavily armed. Driving over a lighted icon of sword or shield placed along the track will activate either the offensive or defensive system of the car. And it's not exactly a good idea to take the lead right from the start as that would means others can fire at you while you cannot fire at them. You don't just lost a race, you can literally die in one.
Wow! The whole idea is just like one big video game.
In the middle of round 2, the warden even introduced a new secret weapon called the Dreadnaught, presumably meaning "Dreadful Juggernaut". As the name might suggests, it is a super heavy vehicle that is both destructive and near indestructible.
Question. If the Death Race show is as popular as implied in the movie, why would they released something so powerful it can potentially kill every racers in Death Race and in effect, killing off the show along with them? And how does every vehicle, regardless of size and shape able to maintain similar speed to each other?
Ahh... more holes that just don't make sense.
Obviously I have many problem with its realism, or lack of it. But if I were to judge this movie solely on its entertaining value, then it's not so bad. Fast cars that are armoured and fire machine guns and missiles. Race sport that plays like a video game. Hot babes in tight clothing who know about cars. Yeah.. a guy could like a movie like this. Just don't worry about the things that doesn't make sense.
Robbed!
"Be careful what you wish for
Cos you just might get it all...
And then some you don't want..."
Sung the bridge of Chris Daughtry's Home.
Not for the first timeduring my blogging existence that I thought I got to write something other than movie review. And so something did happened on the first Wednesday of September. Something for me to write about.
I was robbed.
OK, technically, I was mugged but it lacks the dramatic effect of robbed. A bike pulled up right in front of me just as I was approaching the junction to the outdoor parking lot, its rider asking for my IC. Not looking the slightest like a police officer, I demanded for his identification. That was when he unzipped his jacket to revealed a machete hidden within and I know I was being mugged.
I remembered being very angry. This is my hard earned money and now I have to give it away to someone who did nothing more than hides a weapon in his jacket?
My immediate thought was to fight and take him down but a quick scan of the area suggested that there will be noone around to help me if I am unable to overpower him. So I co-operated and handed him my wallet. Even as he was taking the cash, I was grumbling aloud about how unfair this is. When he asked for my phone, I handed it to him too and demanded he return the SIM card but he wasn't interested in my old model. Suddenly, I was glad I never got around to replacing it. He asked for my other phone too, the bulge being rather obvious in my pocket but I just told him off, saying that was a company phone that I cannot give away. He didn't insist but instead, turned around to made his escape.
Huh? What a wimp! I could have take this guy!!
Part of me regretted that I was in no shape to fight back but another assured me that I did the smart thing. That's it until I realised that I was so absorbed in the thought of beating him up that I forgotten the time tested and proven art of self defense.
Run!
The street wasn't that busy. All I needed to do was run across quickly and I would reached the commercial building I came out from. And I wouldn't lost that RM300 - 400 I was carrying in my wallet.
I am feeling really stooopid right now.
Cos you just might get it all...
And then some you don't want..."
Sung the bridge of Chris Daughtry's Home.
Not for the first timeduring my blogging existence that I thought I got to write something other than movie review. And so something did happened on the first Wednesday of September. Something for me to write about.
I was robbed.
OK, technically, I was mugged but it lacks the dramatic effect of robbed. A bike pulled up right in front of me just as I was approaching the junction to the outdoor parking lot, its rider asking for my IC. Not looking the slightest like a police officer, I demanded for his identification. That was when he unzipped his jacket to revealed a machete hidden within and I know I was being mugged.
I remembered being very angry. This is my hard earned money and now I have to give it away to someone who did nothing more than hides a weapon in his jacket?
My immediate thought was to fight and take him down but a quick scan of the area suggested that there will be noone around to help me if I am unable to overpower him. So I co-operated and handed him my wallet. Even as he was taking the cash, I was grumbling aloud about how unfair this is. When he asked for my phone, I handed it to him too and demanded he return the SIM card but he wasn't interested in my old model. Suddenly, I was glad I never got around to replacing it. He asked for my other phone too, the bulge being rather obvious in my pocket but I just told him off, saying that was a company phone that I cannot give away. He didn't insist but instead, turned around to made his escape.
Huh? What a wimp! I could have take this guy!!
Part of me regretted that I was in no shape to fight back but another assured me that I did the smart thing. That's it until I realised that I was so absorbed in the thought of beating him up that I forgotten the time tested and proven art of self defense.
Run!
The street wasn't that busy. All I needed to do was run across quickly and I would reached the commercial building I came out from. And I wouldn't lost that RM300 - 400 I was carrying in my wallet.
I am feeling really stooopid right now.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The "Cloned" Wars
Am I a big fan of Star Wars? Not exactly.
Do I like Star Wars? I guess I do to a certain extend. Having said that, I sure wouldn't mind getting Stormtrooper action figures for my birthday in October. Ahem. I always liked the Troopers figure because they looked like they are right out of the movie. Unlike the human figure, which likeliness is more difficult to capture.
Anyway, I just saw Star Wars- The Clone War, which was supposedly a missing episode between Part II Attack of the Clones (goodness, what a very lame name) and Part III Revenge of the Sith. Actually, I understand the transition just fine without having to watch this latest installment but I guess I just want to.
In a nutshell, the Galactic Republic with the help of the Jedi are in a war with the Separatist led by Count Dooku. The Separatists fought with their AI driven droids while the Republic have in their disposal the clone soldier, which, having a brain is is a more inteligent fighter. In the word from the movie, the war has kept the Jedi busy fighting the war with noone keeping the peace. But when crime lord Jabba the Hutt's son was kidnapped (since when he has one?), the Republic tried to win his favour by rescueing him. An endeavor that the Count would stop at nothing to sabotage.
The story was predictable and boring. The AI of the droids have to be seen to be believed. So they are not as intelligent as a live soldier but do they have to be portrayed as downright stupid? That was what they were in the movie. Very very stupid goons which are more funny than deadly. Basically there wasn't much of any developement going on here, characters or plot wise, just a bunch of things happening. The film is ultimately an action film but even that wasn't very exciting. The light sabre duel, all of them, are hardly inspired. The duels in the original trilogy were very suspenseful while the later prequel presented a very martial art oriented chereography. In The Clone Wars, it's just a bunch of people swinging their lightsabre and pushing things away with the force every once in a while. Very unimaginative. And I don't see why Lord Dooku has to let Anakin go near the end of the movie.
So the story sucks, how about the presentation? This film is actually in digital animation. I recognised the style from the Clone Wars animated series although they went one atep further and made this in 3-D. The style worked well enough as I am just glad they did not try to go the realistic approach. But while we were on the subject of animation, I must say I get more kick out of watching a single episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than this movie. Really.. this probably goes straight to DVD in the States (I dunno, I didn't check).
So should anyone watch this movie? Actually the Troopers are cool. As are most of their cannons and tanks and ship fighters and stuffs.
Only the fans.
Do I like Star Wars? I guess I do to a certain extend. Having said that, I sure wouldn't mind getting Stormtrooper action figures for my birthday in October. Ahem. I always liked the Troopers figure because they looked like they are right out of the movie. Unlike the human figure, which likeliness is more difficult to capture.
Anyway, I just saw Star Wars- The Clone War, which was supposedly a missing episode between Part II Attack of the Clones (goodness, what a very lame name) and Part III Revenge of the Sith. Actually, I understand the transition just fine without having to watch this latest installment but I guess I just want to.
In a nutshell, the Galactic Republic with the help of the Jedi are in a war with the Separatist led by Count Dooku. The Separatists fought with their AI driven droids while the Republic have in their disposal the clone soldier, which, having a brain is is a more inteligent fighter. In the word from the movie, the war has kept the Jedi busy fighting the war with noone keeping the peace. But when crime lord Jabba the Hutt's son was kidnapped (since when he has one?), the Republic tried to win his favour by rescueing him. An endeavor that the Count would stop at nothing to sabotage.
The story was predictable and boring. The AI of the droids have to be seen to be believed. So they are not as intelligent as a live soldier but do they have to be portrayed as downright stupid? That was what they were in the movie. Very very stupid goons which are more funny than deadly. Basically there wasn't much of any developement going on here, characters or plot wise, just a bunch of things happening. The film is ultimately an action film but even that wasn't very exciting. The light sabre duel, all of them, are hardly inspired. The duels in the original trilogy were very suspenseful while the later prequel presented a very martial art oriented chereography. In The Clone Wars, it's just a bunch of people swinging their lightsabre and pushing things away with the force every once in a while. Very unimaginative. And I don't see why Lord Dooku has to let Anakin go near the end of the movie.
So the story sucks, how about the presentation? This film is actually in digital animation. I recognised the style from the Clone Wars animated series although they went one atep further and made this in 3-D. The style worked well enough as I am just glad they did not try to go the realistic approach. But while we were on the subject of animation, I must say I get more kick out of watching a single episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles than this movie. Really.. this probably goes straight to DVD in the States (I dunno, I didn't check).
So should anyone watch this movie? Actually the Troopers are cool. As are most of their cannons and tanks and ship fighters and stuffs.
Only the fans.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
All I want is to hold her hand..
In a documentary I saw a long time ago, a simple experiment was carried out where scientists observed the growth of bacteria in a petri dish. Yet, despite the condusive environment created for them, their growth stopped even before the air and nutrients and whatever provided to them is used up. This is because they already created much wastes in the environment that it has became inhabitable.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what will happen to earth in the future when humans have created so much wastes on the planet that it can no longer support lives. And that is the world Wall-E lived in. The humans has moved out of earth into space, leaving only a troop of automated robots to clean up the mess for their eventual return.
In the biginning of the movie, all these Wall-E has already broken down, leaving only a single unit to complete the task.There was already towers and towers of compacted trash but little Wall-E still has a long way to go.
Fortunately, his solitude hasn't yet bore him to death (or total breakdown) yet as he has a good and loyal friend in the form of a cockroach. Beside that, Wall-E also developed a hobby of collecting special items from the mountains of trash that surrounded him. It is also from here that he keeps himself going as he salvaged parts from broken down units of Wall-E. Come to think of it, that is probably how his hobby got started and how his personality grows. Anyhow, anyone noticed the resemblance to Stephen Chow's recent"CJ7"? Wasn't there also a cute little hero there who can fix stuffs and a man who collected "treasures" from the junkyard? Or am I thinking too much?
Anyway, if anyone noticed I was refering Wall-E in a masculine term, that is because this is a love story. After 700 years of doing what he was built for, a space ship from Axiom, a huge mothership city where the humans now lives, arrived on earth to dispatched a probe to determine earth ability to support lives. This probe, named Eve was obviously a female, although I don't understand the reason of assigning gender to robots, and she was sleek, aerodynamic and squeky clean, in stark contrast to the worn out and blocky Wall-E. They were two world apart, like a princess and a pauper. Like Charlize Theron and Danny Devito. Or Michelle Reis and Eric Tsang. Well, You get the picture.
Wall-E has a little idea of what romance is from old movies that he watched in his spare time but he just let his heart guide him along. Awww...
How good can a romance between two robots be, you asked? Well, have you ever meet a person who totally change your perception in lives and gave you new purpose? Ever just want to hold the hand of that special someone? If you ever have that feeling before, you will be able to relate to Wall-E because mechanical he may be but I can so feel his longing to just hold Eve's hand.
So Wall-E fell in love with Eve and tried but failed miserably to impress Eve until he saves her from a storm and took her to his home. She was actually quite impressed with erm.. what he does with his home. They became friends and much later in the movie, she fell for him too. Awww...
This little love story was just lovable but there was also a side story. What happened to the humans who abandoned earth 700 years ago. What has happened to them since and what have they become? Predictably, they returned to earth eventually and it was interesting how the story of how they continue their lives from then on was told during the closing credit through a series of art beginning with cave painting, followed by what appeared to be Egytian hieroglyph. It was the beginning of life anew on earth after all. They even followed that up with painting style of the Renaissane era, pointilism and the style employed by Van Gogh himself. Brilliant closure but that was another story. In the end, it is the romance between Wall-E and Eve that makes this movie.
A delightful movie and one I would categorize as a good date movie, especially at the beginning of a relationship. Wall-E is absolutely adorable. Beside his personality, the design team deserved credit for designing a look that appeared both cute and functional. If ever a robot was built to do what Wall-E does, I can definitely imagine it would looked like that.
Ha ha.. Wall-E looked like a little boy with his schoolbag in this picture.
Oh.. as with all recent Pixar production, there was also a short story before the actual movie begins. Called Presto, it is a story of a magician and his magic hat and how his pet rabbit refused to cooperate with him on his tricks until he is fed. Very very funny. Some people are not aware of Pixar's choice to include a short animation as an openning and the worried lady next to me actually asked if she is in the screening of Wall-E. I don't blame her, I had the same reaction when I saw Rattatouile.
So go watch this film but if you saw the story of a magician instaed, don't worry. You are in the right theater.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what will happen to earth in the future when humans have created so much wastes on the planet that it can no longer support lives. And that is the world Wall-E lived in. The humans has moved out of earth into space, leaving only a troop of automated robots to clean up the mess for their eventual return.
In the biginning of the movie, all these Wall-E has already broken down, leaving only a single unit to complete the task.There was already towers and towers of compacted trash but little Wall-E still has a long way to go.Fortunately, his solitude hasn't yet bore him to death (or total breakdown) yet as he has a good and loyal friend in the form of a cockroach. Beside that, Wall-E also developed a hobby of collecting special items from the mountains of trash that surrounded him. It is also from here that he keeps himself going as he salvaged parts from broken down units of Wall-E. Come to think of it, that is probably how his hobby got started and how his personality grows. Anyhow, anyone noticed the resemblance to Stephen Chow's recent"CJ7"? Wasn't there also a cute little hero there who can fix stuffs and a man who collected "treasures" from the junkyard? Or am I thinking too much?
Anyway, if anyone noticed I was refering Wall-E in a masculine term, that is because this is a love story. After 700 years of doing what he was built for, a space ship from Axiom, a huge mothership city where the humans now lives, arrived on earth to dispatched a probe to determine earth ability to support lives. This probe, named Eve was obviously a female, although I don't understand the reason of assigning gender to robots, and she was sleek, aerodynamic and squeky clean, in stark contrast to the worn out and blocky Wall-E. They were two world apart, like a princess and a pauper. Like Charlize Theron and Danny Devito. Or Michelle Reis and Eric Tsang. Well, You get the picture.
Wall-E has a little idea of what romance is from old movies that he watched in his spare time but he just let his heart guide him along. Awww...
How good can a romance between two robots be, you asked? Well, have you ever meet a person who totally change your perception in lives and gave you new purpose? Ever just want to hold the hand of that special someone? If you ever have that feeling before, you will be able to relate to Wall-E because mechanical he may be but I can so feel his longing to just hold Eve's hand.
So Wall-E fell in love with Eve and tried but failed miserably to impress Eve until he saves her from a storm and took her to his home. She was actually quite impressed with erm.. what he does with his home. They became friends and much later in the movie, she fell for him too. Awww...
This little love story was just lovable but there was also a side story. What happened to the humans who abandoned earth 700 years ago. What has happened to them since and what have they become? Predictably, they returned to earth eventually and it was interesting how the story of how they continue their lives from then on was told during the closing credit through a series of art beginning with cave painting, followed by what appeared to be Egytian hieroglyph. It was the beginning of life anew on earth after all. They even followed that up with painting style of the Renaissane era, pointilism and the style employed by Van Gogh himself. Brilliant closure but that was another story. In the end, it is the romance between Wall-E and Eve that makes this movie.
A delightful movie and one I would categorize as a good date movie, especially at the beginning of a relationship. Wall-E is absolutely adorable. Beside his personality, the design team deserved credit for designing a look that appeared both cute and functional. If ever a robot was built to do what Wall-E does, I can definitely imagine it would looked like that.
Ha ha.. Wall-E looked like a little boy with his schoolbag in this picture. Oh.. as with all recent Pixar production, there was also a short story before the actual movie begins. Called Presto, it is a story of a magician and his magic hat and how his pet rabbit refused to cooperate with him on his tricks until he is fed. Very very funny. Some people are not aware of Pixar's choice to include a short animation as an openning and the worried lady next to me actually asked if she is in the screening of Wall-E. I don't blame her, I had the same reaction when I saw Rattatouile.
So go watch this film but if you saw the story of a magician instaed, don't worry. You are in the right theater.
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Fraternity
Did you know that the Fraternity almost prevented WW2 but their assasin failed to kill Hitler? Their following assignment was then the assasination of those people who would prevented the creation of the atom bomb which eventually led to the end of WW2.
But alas, that very creation led to many new modern problem..
Nah.. that was just my imagination talking.
But alas, that very creation led to many new modern problem..
Nah.. that was just my imagination talking.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Feeling Good
Last Tuesday my car broke down in, of all place, the stretch of road between Kuala Pilah and Batu Kikir? Where, you asked?
Exactly. That was an outskirt area so I don't blame you if you don't know. Fortunately for me, the OTC rep of my company was just coming back from Bahau (where? - exactly) and she spotted me. After getting a towtruck to get my car to the nearest workshop, Vikki gave me a lift home. Thanks Vikki.
Today, as I was preparing to go home, after seeing my last client for the day at, oh, about 7.00pm then (in case management is reading this), I discovered I have a flat. I used my last spare and have not replace it yet. There is a tyre shop just a block away so I slowly made my way there just to discovered it's closed. I talked to two malay chaps there if they know any tyre workshop nearby. One called his friend whom he claim is a mechanic, who agreed to come over. I thought immediately, this is gonna cost me. They are bound to take advantage in that kind of situation.
That young man arrived, took a look, confirmed I do not have a good spare and..
.. offered his spare to me at no cost. He said I can get mine tyre replaced tomorrow and look him up to return it. No cost. Then, he proceeded to helped me changed that tyre.
OK.. that was not what I was expecting. Awfully generous of this guy, especially since I don't even know him. Guess I should at least buy him lunch but the question is this:
Am I unlucky to have meet with these two unfortunate events barely within a week or am I exceedingly lucky that in both situation, I found someone to lent me a helping hand?
Have I done anything to deserved that? Um.. I do take time to help people sometimes. including strangers as long as it didn't cost me too much time or money or as long as I don't suspect they are taking me for a ride. I have not, however, went to the extend of offering my spare tyre to a total stranger. So was it the collective good deeds I did that I am receiving them now? It is nice to know there is still goods in the world and that one good deed will get you another.
I want to believe that because it just feels good to.
Exactly. That was an outskirt area so I don't blame you if you don't know. Fortunately for me, the OTC rep of my company was just coming back from Bahau (where? - exactly) and she spotted me. After getting a towtruck to get my car to the nearest workshop, Vikki gave me a lift home. Thanks Vikki.
Today, as I was preparing to go home, after seeing my last client for the day at, oh, about 7.00pm then (in case management is reading this), I discovered I have a flat. I used my last spare and have not replace it yet. There is a tyre shop just a block away so I slowly made my way there just to discovered it's closed. I talked to two malay chaps there if they know any tyre workshop nearby. One called his friend whom he claim is a mechanic, who agreed to come over. I thought immediately, this is gonna cost me. They are bound to take advantage in that kind of situation.
That young man arrived, took a look, confirmed I do not have a good spare and..
.. offered his spare to me at no cost. He said I can get mine tyre replaced tomorrow and look him up to return it. No cost. Then, he proceeded to helped me changed that tyre.
OK.. that was not what I was expecting. Awfully generous of this guy, especially since I don't even know him. Guess I should at least buy him lunch but the question is this:
Am I unlucky to have meet with these two unfortunate events barely within a week or am I exceedingly lucky that in both situation, I found someone to lent me a helping hand?
Have I done anything to deserved that? Um.. I do take time to help people sometimes. including strangers as long as it didn't cost me too much time or money or as long as I don't suspect they are taking me for a ride. I have not, however, went to the extend of offering my spare tyre to a total stranger. So was it the collective good deeds I did that I am receiving them now? It is nice to know there is still goods in the world and that one good deed will get you another.
I want to believe that because it just feels good to.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Wanted
It seems not many people were aware that the movie Wanted was actually based on a comic book. The concept for the book was that there were really super powered beings n the world and what they chose to do with these power was to use these powers for their own benefits. In short, absolute power corrupts absolute.
Wesley Gibson was a loser in every sense, until he met a woman named Fox who told him his father was in fact a super assasin with the Fraternity who was just killed not too long ago. Wesley was promptly invited to take over his place. He learnt then that superheroes did exist but were wiped out when every super villains in the world decided to team up. Following that, one of them with reality altering power proceeded to also wiped out from every living memories these heroes. I would have prefer a more grounded story of these supervillains corrupted lifestyle but I thought the addition of the hitory and other alternate universe where those heroes still exist to be far-fetched. What most readers enjoyed most from the book is the extreme attitude. Wesley went from being a loser to smug confidence. He is not afraid to do anything because the Fraternity has his ass covered. Consequences are a thing of the past.
Was the movie true to the book?
Well, they have Wesley (James McAvoy) the loser and Fox (Angelina Jolie) the hottie. They have the Ikea table and Wesley's girlfriend having an affair on it. They have the shoot the wings off the flying flies test and they have the beat the face up training session. Beyond that everything else is different.
The comic is about owning superhuman ability and abusing the power to do anything and own everything desired without care of consequences. In the end, though Wesley was the lesser of the evil compared to his enemy, he was still a criminal. And he wins and own everything in the end. The moral of the story was crimes pays. Obviously Hollywood cannot make a movie with that kind of message so they made a few changes.
Wesley's father was a super assasin. Yes, and he has in his blood to become one himself. But these assasins were not just out to make a profit from their ability. They belong to a secret society with a noble goal of kill one to save a thousand.
Centuries ago, a group of weavers found a secret language in the cloth they weaved. Calling it the Looms of Fate, they came to understand the code was intruction from Destiny for a specific person to be assasinated to prevented certain tragedy. These assasins eventually evolved to what they are in the present days, able to use adrenaline to increase their speed, strength, awareness, and other skills. They were also able to shoot with uncanny sharpness and even bent the bullets from their guns. The man introduced in the beginning of the film as Wesley's father was shot by a fellow Fraternity's assasin with a sniper rifle from two whole city blocks away! Imagine that.
Basically the movie merely took the basic characters and setting from the comics and changed everything else. What the heck? Why did they do that? I wasn't disappointed but I thought the concept of the Fraternity presented was awesome and deserving of its own mythology. Why do they need to use the comic reference? They should just released that as its own movie. After which they can tells story of the Fraternity in the medieval age and other eras in history. Heck, they can claimed the Fraternity assasinate JFK. The concept was awesome and the potential limitless. It would be bigger than Star Wars.
Was it obvious that I enjoyed the movie? You bet I did. The directing was very stylish, from the art direction to the action. I must admit though that the more creative actions all appeared in the beginning while those toward the end were less spetacular, although still awesome all the same. And the movie shows what they means when Sloan, played by Morgan Freeman, said creating the orchestra symphony with guns. Watch that out in the start of Wesley vs everybody in the Fraternity at the end of the movie. There was something else they adapted from the comic book as Wesley found out later the story of his father's death was not entirely true. Neat twist, even better than the one in the comic.
Wesley Gibson was a loser in every sense, until he met a woman named Fox who told him his father was in fact a super assasin with the Fraternity who was just killed not too long ago. Wesley was promptly invited to take over his place. He learnt then that superheroes did exist but were wiped out when every super villains in the world decided to team up. Following that, one of them with reality altering power proceeded to also wiped out from every living memories these heroes. I would have prefer a more grounded story of these supervillains corrupted lifestyle but I thought the addition of the hitory and other alternate universe where those heroes still exist to be far-fetched. What most readers enjoyed most from the book is the extreme attitude. Wesley went from being a loser to smug confidence. He is not afraid to do anything because the Fraternity has his ass covered. Consequences are a thing of the past.
Was the movie true to the book?
Well, they have Wesley (James McAvoy) the loser and Fox (Angelina Jolie) the hottie. They have the Ikea table and Wesley's girlfriend having an affair on it. They have the shoot the wings off the flying flies test and they have the beat the face up training session. Beyond that everything else is different.
The comic is about owning superhuman ability and abusing the power to do anything and own everything desired without care of consequences. In the end, though Wesley was the lesser of the evil compared to his enemy, he was still a criminal. And he wins and own everything in the end. The moral of the story was crimes pays. Obviously Hollywood cannot make a movie with that kind of message so they made a few changes.
Wesley's father was a super assasin. Yes, and he has in his blood to become one himself. But these assasins were not just out to make a profit from their ability. They belong to a secret society with a noble goal of kill one to save a thousand.
Centuries ago, a group of weavers found a secret language in the cloth they weaved. Calling it the Looms of Fate, they came to understand the code was intruction from Destiny for a specific person to be assasinated to prevented certain tragedy. These assasins eventually evolved to what they are in the present days, able to use adrenaline to increase their speed, strength, awareness, and other skills. They were also able to shoot with uncanny sharpness and even bent the bullets from their guns. The man introduced in the beginning of the film as Wesley's father was shot by a fellow Fraternity's assasin with a sniper rifle from two whole city blocks away! Imagine that.
Basically the movie merely took the basic characters and setting from the comics and changed everything else. What the heck? Why did they do that? I wasn't disappointed but I thought the concept of the Fraternity presented was awesome and deserving of its own mythology. Why do they need to use the comic reference? They should just released that as its own movie. After which they can tells story of the Fraternity in the medieval age and other eras in history. Heck, they can claimed the Fraternity assasinate JFK. The concept was awesome and the potential limitless. It would be bigger than Star Wars.
Was it obvious that I enjoyed the movie? You bet I did. The directing was very stylish, from the art direction to the action. I must admit though that the more creative actions all appeared in the beginning while those toward the end were less spetacular, although still awesome all the same. And the movie shows what they means when Sloan, played by Morgan Freeman, said creating the orchestra symphony with guns. Watch that out in the start of Wesley vs everybody in the Fraternity at the end of the movie. There was something else they adapted from the comic book as Wesley found out later the story of his father's death was not entirely true. Neat twist, even better than the one in the comic.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The Darkest Knight
If not for the tragedy that befell the actor, I would have yelled,"Heath Ledger lives!"
His portrayal as the Batman's lunatic archnemesis was absolutely captiviting.
The director who also brought us the brilliant "The Prestige" returned with his second installment of Batman. Christopher Nolan has chose to named the sequel The Dark Knight, after one of Batman's more famous moniker.
I had always assumed that the Dark Knight was simply a fancy name, since the Batman is a hero who wages war against crime and he usually operates in the dark of the night. The movie revealed a greater significance behind that name.
Post the first film, Batman Begins, our hero continued his war on crime. Two new and important characters entered Gotham City. First is a lunatic criminal in clown make up with a dangerous trait. The Joker has absolutely no fear of consequences.
The second is Gotham new hero, a righteous and charming man who is also the District Attorney. Harvey Dent is determined to bring the city criminals to justice legally and was later refered to at the end of the movie as The White Knight.
Ah... see the contrasting connection now to the Batman's Dark Knight?
Ledger's Joker may not dominate the film but he certainly steals the limelight. This Joker is not like the Joker in the comic book, whose fall into some chemical substance distorted his face into a permanent smiling facade. This Joker is just a man, though a mad one at that, who painted his face white, with a permanent smile painted on his face in red. This Joker is more gritty, and almost real.
This Joker, in my opinion is the star of the show. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe he has even more screen time than Batman himself, didn't he? The strength was in his personality and Ledger performance is Oscar worthy. While Bale is great as Batman, he is more often than not behind a mask and I don't quite fancy the growling voice he used as Batman. Only time I saw a stellar performance behind a mask is Edward Norton's portrayal of King Baldwin in Kingdom of Heaven. The contrasting personality of these two characters taking their battle from mere physical to a mental level with Batman, though more highly skilled in combat, finding that he is unable to intimidates the Joker as he did the other common criminal while the Joker takes full advantage Batman's refusal to bulged from his morality aganst him.
Comparison to Jack Nicholson's Joker in the Tim Burton helmed Batman is inevitable but I felt such comparison is unfair. Burton has created a world very much similar to the version presented in the comic book and he was lauded for doing that successfully. His Joker is maniacal to the point of being comical with a penchant for the grandeur and Nicholson played that lunacy to perfection. What Nolan required from Ledger was very much different as the Joker here is much darker with a twisted plan for Gotham City which he executed with deadly precision.
Nolan has brought to the movie an unprecedented level of realism never seen before in a superhero movie. The characters were rich and the motives each have for doing what they do is believable. The script, even Joker's line is unpretentious and at times, provoking. And though the idea behind the surveillance technology employed by the Batman is mind-boogling, it was not inplausible. I can imagine the US military already working on that technology, assuming they haven't already own it.
In one hand, it is hardly common for a billionaire to dons tights to battle crime. On another hand, it was not too fantastic that the logic behind it can be immediately dismissed. This is Nolan at his best, capturing many small moments of brilliance and packaging them into one breathtaking piece of orchestra.
Likewise, the Joker appeared to have his small moments of victory but just when it seems Batman had him beaten, he bounced right back to take over the city. Only then did everyone sees the true extend of the plan he has for Batman and the city. The final hour of the movie is most suspenseful and unpredictable and though the Batman out maneuvre him in the end, he never really did outwitted the Joker. The Batman may won the war but the costs from the earlier battles lost are too great while the Joker never really lose anything. It's true that although Batman has foes with more powerful ability than the Joker, none was as dangerous as a man who is simply, mad.
Nolan's realistic approach was a fresh change to the superheroes franchises but seeing that the movies were planned as a trilogy, who will trade punches with Batman next? Considering the style employed here, we can safely rule out any characters with superpower although who to say that Nolan can't come up with a realistic version of such foes? It woould certainly be interesting to see his version of the Penguin. I am almost certain we will see Catwoman in an ambiguous role, as she already did in the existing Batman mythology. But who will be the main villain? And after Ledger's excellent portrayal as the Joker, who else is deserving enough to challenge the Batman in the final installment?
His portrayal as the Batman's lunatic archnemesis was absolutely captiviting.
The director who also brought us the brilliant "The Prestige" returned with his second installment of Batman. Christopher Nolan has chose to named the sequel The Dark Knight, after one of Batman's more famous moniker.
I had always assumed that the Dark Knight was simply a fancy name, since the Batman is a hero who wages war against crime and he usually operates in the dark of the night. The movie revealed a greater significance behind that name.
Post the first film, Batman Begins, our hero continued his war on crime. Two new and important characters entered Gotham City. First is a lunatic criminal in clown make up with a dangerous trait. The Joker has absolutely no fear of consequences.
The second is Gotham new hero, a righteous and charming man who is also the District Attorney. Harvey Dent is determined to bring the city criminals to justice legally and was later refered to at the end of the movie as The White Knight.
Ah... see the contrasting connection now to the Batman's Dark Knight?
Ledger's Joker may not dominate the film but he certainly steals the limelight. This Joker is not like the Joker in the comic book, whose fall into some chemical substance distorted his face into a permanent smiling facade. This Joker is just a man, though a mad one at that, who painted his face white, with a permanent smile painted on his face in red. This Joker is more gritty, and almost real.
This Joker, in my opinion is the star of the show. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe he has even more screen time than Batman himself, didn't he? The strength was in his personality and Ledger performance is Oscar worthy. While Bale is great as Batman, he is more often than not behind a mask and I don't quite fancy the growling voice he used as Batman. Only time I saw a stellar performance behind a mask is Edward Norton's portrayal of King Baldwin in Kingdom of Heaven. The contrasting personality of these two characters taking their battle from mere physical to a mental level with Batman, though more highly skilled in combat, finding that he is unable to intimidates the Joker as he did the other common criminal while the Joker takes full advantage Batman's refusal to bulged from his morality aganst him.
Comparison to Jack Nicholson's Joker in the Tim Burton helmed Batman is inevitable but I felt such comparison is unfair. Burton has created a world very much similar to the version presented in the comic book and he was lauded for doing that successfully. His Joker is maniacal to the point of being comical with a penchant for the grandeur and Nicholson played that lunacy to perfection. What Nolan required from Ledger was very much different as the Joker here is much darker with a twisted plan for Gotham City which he executed with deadly precision.
Nolan has brought to the movie an unprecedented level of realism never seen before in a superhero movie. The characters were rich and the motives each have for doing what they do is believable. The script, even Joker's line is unpretentious and at times, provoking. And though the idea behind the surveillance technology employed by the Batman is mind-boogling, it was not inplausible. I can imagine the US military already working on that technology, assuming they haven't already own it.
In one hand, it is hardly common for a billionaire to dons tights to battle crime. On another hand, it was not too fantastic that the logic behind it can be immediately dismissed. This is Nolan at his best, capturing many small moments of brilliance and packaging them into one breathtaking piece of orchestra.
Likewise, the Joker appeared to have his small moments of victory but just when it seems Batman had him beaten, he bounced right back to take over the city. Only then did everyone sees the true extend of the plan he has for Batman and the city. The final hour of the movie is most suspenseful and unpredictable and though the Batman out maneuvre him in the end, he never really did outwitted the Joker. The Batman may won the war but the costs from the earlier battles lost are too great while the Joker never really lose anything. It's true that although Batman has foes with more powerful ability than the Joker, none was as dangerous as a man who is simply, mad.
Nolan's realistic approach was a fresh change to the superheroes franchises but seeing that the movies were planned as a trilogy, who will trade punches with Batman next? Considering the style employed here, we can safely rule out any characters with superpower although who to say that Nolan can't come up with a realistic version of such foes? It woould certainly be interesting to see his version of the Penguin. I am almost certain we will see Catwoman in an ambiguous role, as she already did in the existing Batman mythology. But who will be the main villain? And after Ledger's excellent portrayal as the Joker, who else is deserving enough to challenge the Batman in the final installment?
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Today..
TODAY I visited NZX Commercial Centre for the first time. It was nice but not yet very exciting. When the Street in The Curve just started, the place was still quite empty but I could see that it will grow very quickly and I was right. Too bad I can't say the same for NZX. It has potential but I think it will take a bit longer than The Curve before it really prosper.
TODAY for dinner, I had Big Apple Donuts.
Shared the doughnuts with my sister with each of us having half a piece, starting with,
Mango Tango, which is sweet but really, I can't taste the mango at all. The doughnut itself was pretty normal, unlike the first time I sinked my teeth into Dunkin Donut which was really fresh and soft yet bouncy. That was then, now there is nothing special about Dunkin either.
Iceberg, which has very nice white sugary powder on top, which I think is glucose powder. The filling is supposed to be vanilla and again, I could not taste that.
Almond, which nickname I forgot but it has almond taste since it contain real pieces of almonds.
Pink Panther which is sweet and actually has a very strong strawberry flavour but unfortunately it also tasted very artificial.
Alien, which is basically chocolate topped and chocolate filled. Quite Ok but it would be cool if the doughnut has some small cavites on top for the filling to oozes out as we bite on it. Hey, they called it Alien after all.
Chocoholic, which is also chocolate topped and chocolate filled.
What I enjoyed the most was actually those white sugar ontop the Iceberg. Everything is so sweet they can't be healthy for you. And to think I declared to Sylviena that the next time she sees me, I would have lost my tummy. Tough.
TODAY I attempted unsuccessfully to finish a comprehensive full review of The Dark Knight which I hoped to watch again this Wednesday but even though I logged in at only 2 minutes past midnight, the tickets are all already fully booked.
TODAY, NTV7 screwed up its schedule AGAIN and I never found out if they screened The Celebrity Apprentice earlier than planned, later or not at all. This station got their schedule so messed up so often it almost seems deliberate. Sure, it was an outdated series and I already know Piers Morgan will win but what was the saying again?
"It was not the destination but the Journey."
It reminded me of how they used to screwed up the airing of Survivors back then. They have the show only a few days later than the airing in US but the show was always aired 10 minutes late. And since it is unacceptable for the midnight news to be late, the show will break for the news before resuming the final 10 minutes of the episode. Survivors didn't lost its fanbase in Malaysia because the show was getting boring (well alittle of that too) but because of the anticlimatic ways that NTV7 handled the show. I was just glad they didn't messed up last week when the annoying Omarosa was fired. If they did, I would stop watching NTV7. I probably should anyway. Well, at least after they air my episode in Deal or No Deal anyway.
TODAY for dinner, I had Big Apple Donuts.
Shared the doughnuts with my sister with each of us having half a piece, starting with,Mango Tango, which is sweet but really, I can't taste the mango at all. The doughnut itself was pretty normal, unlike the first time I sinked my teeth into Dunkin Donut which was really fresh and soft yet bouncy. That was then, now there is nothing special about Dunkin either.
Iceberg, which has very nice white sugary powder on top, which I think is glucose powder. The filling is supposed to be vanilla and again, I could not taste that.
Almond, which nickname I forgot but it has almond taste since it contain real pieces of almonds.
Pink Panther which is sweet and actually has a very strong strawberry flavour but unfortunately it also tasted very artificial.
Alien, which is basically chocolate topped and chocolate filled. Quite Ok but it would be cool if the doughnut has some small cavites on top for the filling to oozes out as we bite on it. Hey, they called it Alien after all.
Chocoholic, which is also chocolate topped and chocolate filled.
What I enjoyed the most was actually those white sugar ontop the Iceberg. Everything is so sweet they can't be healthy for you. And to think I declared to Sylviena that the next time she sees me, I would have lost my tummy. Tough.
TODAY I attempted unsuccessfully to finish a comprehensive full review of The Dark Knight which I hoped to watch again this Wednesday but even though I logged in at only 2 minutes past midnight, the tickets are all already fully booked.
TODAY, NTV7 screwed up its schedule AGAIN and I never found out if they screened The Celebrity Apprentice earlier than planned, later or not at all. This station got their schedule so messed up so often it almost seems deliberate. Sure, it was an outdated series and I already know Piers Morgan will win but what was the saying again?
"It was not the destination but the Journey."
It reminded me of how they used to screwed up the airing of Survivors back then. They have the show only a few days later than the airing in US but the show was always aired 10 minutes late. And since it is unacceptable for the midnight news to be late, the show will break for the news before resuming the final 10 minutes of the episode. Survivors didn't lost its fanbase in Malaysia because the show was getting boring (well alittle of that too) but because of the anticlimatic ways that NTV7 handled the show. I was just glad they didn't messed up last week when the annoying Omarosa was fired. If they did, I would stop watching NTV7. I probably should anyway. Well, at least after they air my episode in Deal or No Deal anyway.
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