*Update* 30 August 2005
Got news back from my friend. After trying to reach them twice by email over a week, "Ass Tee" finally responded. They said that as an act of goodwill, if the company would pay for the articles (coupla thousands), "Ass Tee" will waive the $640 investigative charges. Also, if the company pay for the articles, they will get to use it on their site for ... 1 WHOLE YEAR!! WOW! ... how generous *cough* cough* ... Ok, now to be fair to "Ass Tee", they do have a right to do what they are doing. But in my own humble opinion, they are just being an absolute Ass in the way they are handling it. It is prevalent (lemme re-emphasize that with a capital "Pee"), repeat PREVALENT, that companies, restaurant etc uses newspaper clipping, articles etc in their course of business. Examples like insurance agents showing you their portfolio of "newspaper industry reports", and restaurants like NYDC with clippings framed up in their restaurants for "publicity". If these actions are infringing in the copyright act, then by all means, for god sake, send out a freaking WARNING!! You get warnings on piracy everywhere, cos it is prevalent. If this act of clipping newspaper to put on a company website is illegal, freaking warn us about it!! Why am I so bothered by this again? I run a freaking restaurant, and after i heard about this incident, I removed all the "references" to articles which wrote about us for fear of offending the "Almighty Ass Tee" from my website! Please .. if "AssTee" is on a crackdown, they should let businesses know what is illegal before slapping a fine!!
For people who runs businesses and have a website and you quote from newspaper articles or place clippings of articles that talk about you or your company, you have been warned!!
For Original article, click here!
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Friday, August 26, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Next change!!! You decide :)
Yup .. this weekend .. the movie to catch should be "Perth" for me. Slew of Singaporean made movies recently - i shouldn't miss this one. Then maybe I will watch 2 movies .. what should be the other?
I recently just added a counter to my blog, and I am really surprised how so many people visit my blog (well ... not as much as those super popular one lah .. Still much more than i expected). I wonder who are these people who reads it, cos I always thought it is just my friends who reads this and I am using this as a way to keep in touch with them. And also, since I love writing movie reviews, I wonder how many actually come to my site to read movie reviews?
If there are many movie fans out there, lemme know in the comments. Cos I am considering organizing some movie gatherings/activities or let u guys vote on what next movie I should be reviewing. Or even, we should go for regular movie/video outings!
Well :P ... My inner movie geekiness is definitely showing :P ....
I recently just added a counter to my blog, and I am really surprised how so many people visit my blog (well ... not as much as those super popular one lah .. Still much more than i expected). I wonder who are these people who reads it, cos I always thought it is just my friends who reads this and I am using this as a way to keep in touch with them. And also, since I love writing movie reviews, I wonder how many actually come to my site to read movie reviews?
If there are many movie fans out there, lemme know in the comments. Cos I am considering organizing some movie gatherings/activities or let u guys vote on what next movie I should be reviewing. Or even, we should go for regular movie/video outings!
Well :P ... My inner movie geekiness is definitely showing :P ....
Monday, August 22, 2005
Stacey Kent
It was "so nice" ... Her voice was great. Clear, bright, strong, yet has a tinge of innocence and fragility. The day was almost a disaster (not the concert, but others things surrounding issues with myself and my "friends") but it was salvaged by this magical performance at night. One more thing I've learnt - never go to a concert on an empty stomach. :)
Many thanks to the only friend who accompanied me to the concert that night!
Sunday, August 21, 2005
The Maid - 68%
This is Singapore director Kelvin Tong's latest work. His last being "Eating Air" which impressed me very much so on the "technical" level (production values, art direction, camera works, editing etc), but not so much on the story aspect. As for the maid, I am glad to say that the idea for the story was sound, but the execution and writing was somewhat flawed. It was a pity really, because the idea had potential.
The story is about a Filipino maid who travelled to Singapore, and worked for a Teochew family that also runs the opera. Strange things started unfolding during the Chinese 7th month, and this poor maid was haunted left right center by beings everywhere. The story has a twist which was such a reminiscence of some really really good previous academy award winning/nominated horror films (think "6th sense" and "The Others") that it makes the unavoidable comparison. And this is part of where the problem lies - originality. I will not reveal too much of the plot so as to preserve the experience of any other movie goer.
I am a HUGE fan of the horror genre and I will watch any A, B or C grade horror movies that I can get my hands on. From primary 4, I've been watching horror movies almost weekly and I can safely say that I have watched almost anything that's out there since the 80s (. And the movie that got me started was none other than the "Evil Dead". So I can't tell u how much I am really looking forward to this local production. But still I want to be as objective as possible and try not to nitpick.
The flaws:
1) Too many "frequently used" scare tactics. The quick cut followed by a loud sharp noise/scream/sound. Creaky door(s). The impossible scary scenes that turn out to be nightmares. Well, Kelvin Tong seems to have brainstormed a series of what scares people and placed them into his story's context. Nothing really "surprising", but more "seen befores". Why not use this opportunity to showcase some local flavoured scares? He could have up-played more "local" elements like dwelling more into what is the gates of hell, the reason why these foods are being offered, why the 7th month, and remind us why we should go home with fear - not just what scares the girl. Because what happened to the maid, could not have just happened to just anyone. But if the elements of "this could happen to anyone" is more fleshed out, it could have been creepier.
2) Redundancies - I am one who believes that every scene in a movie must serve a purpose. If not, it is just plain a waste of time. There are quite a lot of redundancies in this film. For instance - the little boy with a ball (this is so cliche!!! how many times have people redid something like this since the Eye?!!!) , the unnecessary scares for scares sake, the checking out of the creaky doors, the death of the other maid etc. These are just some examples i can recall - I should have walked in with a notebook to track them.
3) Incredulous - Ok, this is a supernatural movie, so it must be "incredible" to a certain extent. So how can the movie maintain it's credibility? The answer lies in how the characters are portrayed and written. Here is where the movie fails to convince too. The characters behave in a way that is acceptable in writing, but not when put onto screen. You watch the characters behave in one manner this moment and then another next. *SPOLIER ALERT**One part which irks me a lot was after the couple brought the maid back after she fainted at the mailbox, why didn't they just tie her up and do what they wanted to do with her? So that the drama of her walking to the table, watching them eating dinner (why the hell are they pretending like the maid doesn't know anything?), briefly joining them, and then screaming "I know what you did!", then running off, and then letting them catch her again can unfold?? Silly silly silly! And why did the other maid jump off? What's the point of that? And why was she laughing? Or was it just bad acting? Then there's Chen Shuchen on fire holding his wife's hand talking - while he was burning??? Arghhhh! and more and more.
Good:
Ok, after all the flaws what's worth watching? The sets were well designed. The production value was high and it shows. The film is very well shot - technically. And the acting by the main actors, Chen Shuchen, Hong Huifang, Alessandra De Rossi, and Benny Soh, all put in admirable performances. It is just a pity the script let all the good down.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - 82%
This review comes 11 years too late :P. I had just received a 10 anniversary DVD of this movie from a friend of mine and must I say, this is quite a rocker. :)
This movie stars Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, and Guy Pearce as 3 transvestites who dresses up as women, dances and lip syncs to popular songs for a living. Man this movie is a blast. All three actors were phenomenal. Probably because they weren't as big as they are now in the hollywood sense, Hugo Weaving (Matrix) and Guy Pearce (LA Confidential) were willing to give it their most unreserved performance. Although Terence Stamp (Superman 2 - as General Zod!!) was quite a famous actor then, his performance was also amazing.
Story goes:
Mitzi's (Hugo) ex-wife needs a show. Mitzi gathers Bernadette (Terence) and Felicia (Guy) to help him out. They got a bus and travels to the outskirts of the city to do the show. Adventures on the road with 3 cross dressing dancers - a premise you can imagine to bring different scenarios to mind. It is perfectly setup to show people's reactions (and actions) upon these people. Intermingled there are also the subplots of Mitzi's worry about how his son will perceive him, as well as how Bernadette deals with life as an aged transvestite.
This movie is a joyride, and I encourage anyone who wishes to see something outrageous, yet populated with good performances from excellent actors to catch it. There is a soul in this one. Yes this review is 10 years too late ... but a good movie is timeless. :)
Thursday, August 18, 2005
MSN Messenger for Mac: WTF is MS doing?
The new Messenger for Mac software just came out. Key new features: corporate messaging support, new interface, and ID pictures.
Windows users have been enjoying video and voice for the longest time. And it took years for Microsoft to finally add "Pictures" to the new mac version. Even the 3rd part Mercury (http://www.mercury.to - an alternative Messenger for Mac) has had all these features including video for quite a while already.
What the F@$# is Microsoft doing??? It might be cheaper to outsource their development to these guys!!
Windows users have been enjoying video and voice for the longest time. And it took years for Microsoft to finally add "Pictures" to the new mac version. Even the 3rd part Mercury (http://www.mercury.to - an alternative Messenger for Mac) has had all these features including video for quite a while already.
What the F@$# is Microsoft doing??? It might be cheaper to outsource their development to these guys!!
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
"Ass Tee" Crackdown Details
Well, seems like my friend responded in the comments section of the original post. I'll place it here as an update:
"Anonymous said...
Hmm.. well... lets just say no warning letter was given prior to that instead a registered letter titled Reproduction of Published Articles came in the mail.
In it, it printed out the entire company website + cited the articles were reproduced. It also included charges for purchasing the articles and cost of their field work investigation of S$640.
It also include the costing of their licencing programmes,etc...
I have since wrote and enquire if I still need to pay the $$ if i remove the articles immediately. WAiting for their reply....
On sidetrack, one of our local U kenna big time from similar incident. Not just the papers are doing it. Since last year, one of the maps company started issuing letters and a lot of schools and corporations kenna too."
I have now a few questions on my mind regarding this issue:
1) If we're not allowed to place articles (scanned, quoted, referenced) which reported about us, how about the countless businesses out there who does? To name some examples : restaurants like NYDC, who places copies of newspaper articles framed in their premises; cinema ads which quoted critics; insurance firms who uses articles from newspapers to reflect economic data etc ... Is "Ass Tee" planning to go after them too?
2) Why did a reporter (I shall not place names yet) from Today's newspaper (mediacorp), tell me that they do not pursue such incidents as long as they are properly referenced, but "Ass Tee" is doing such?
3) If "Ass-Tee" is on a crackdown hunt right now, why is it not announced or warned?
Original Post
"Anonymous said...
Hmm.. well... lets just say no warning letter was given prior to that instead a registered letter titled Reproduction of Published Articles came in the mail.
In it, it printed out the entire company website + cited the articles were reproduced. It also included charges for purchasing the articles and cost of their field work investigation of S$640.
It also include the costing of their licencing programmes,etc...
I have since wrote and enquire if I still need to pay the $$ if i remove the articles immediately. WAiting for their reply....
On sidetrack, one of our local U kenna big time from similar incident. Not just the papers are doing it. Since last year, one of the maps company started issuing letters and a lot of schools and corporations kenna too."
I have now a few questions on my mind regarding this issue:
1) If we're not allowed to place articles (scanned, quoted, referenced) which reported about us, how about the countless businesses out there who does? To name some examples : restaurants like NYDC, who places copies of newspaper articles framed in their premises; cinema ads which quoted critics; insurance firms who uses articles from newspapers to reflect economic data etc ... Is "Ass Tee" planning to go after them too?
2) Why did a reporter (I shall not place names yet) from Today's newspaper (mediacorp), tell me that they do not pursue such incidents as long as they are properly referenced, but "Ass Tee" is doing such?
3) If "Ass-Tee" is on a crackdown hunt right now, why is it not announced or warned?
Original Post
Akan Datang: Coming Soon: 即将献映
Man i miss the Cathay Cinema musical introduction for the previews with those words scrolling below. :P The GV stuff just doesn't feel classic.
Well, up next on my movie reviews:
The Maid.
Those of u guys who read my blog should know how much I love horror movies. I am so looking forward to this one, though I must admit, that the acting by the maid looked rather stiff from the trailers. And the voice introducing the film (esp the english one) sounded real crappy. Kelvin Tong is the director, who did "Eating Air". I personally didn't really like that one. Falls into the "got skills no story" category. I hope this 5-year absence will mark an improvement. :) ...
Well, up next on my movie reviews:
The Maid.
Those of u guys who read my blog should know how much I love horror movies. I am so looking forward to this one, though I must admit, that the acting by the maid looked rather stiff from the trailers. And the voice introducing the film (esp the english one) sounded real crappy. Kelvin Tong is the director, who did "Eating Air". I personally didn't really like that one. Falls into the "got skills no story" category. I hope this 5-year absence will mark an improvement. :) ...
Father of the child responded - case close?
Hmm ... one sided Tristefemme u think?
Seems like the father has emerged to offer the other side of the coin.
Go read it at yuhui's blog where he posted a comment
http://yuhuibc.blogspot.com/2005/08/about-pregnant-girl.html
Seems like Tristefemme's adventure was a hot hot topic recently. I still hope that these 2 will resolve it somehow amicably. Yeah i love to dream. :P
Now instead of talking about each of their story, let's talk about the bloggers' reaction for a change.
Just assuming if LX published his story before Tristefemme, how would the reaction from the blogging community be? Would Tristefemme and her mother seem like they are evil ones instead? Would LX be more sympathized? Really this is not a discussion on their credibility, but a question about the behaviors of the reporters and readers.
Vandice (a fellow blogger) did ask me to remove references to the stories, and I didn't. I can understand where Vandice is coming from, but I have set a rule of non-censorship and open discussion on my blog. But when we say that these talk about the father and the mother is not good for the baby, do we even have the right to decide? If reporting on a news event would hurt someone's feelings, does it mean it shouldn't be reported? Maybe tomorrow.sg should remove all instances of the reference too to protect the baby? I honestly don't think that would happen. But then again, who's to decide for the child? If the mother was vindictive, do you think we bloggers could have made things any worse by reporting what she did to destroy LX's reputation?
I personally think, it would be good if LX also sets up a blog to counter Tristefemme's accounts. And the only justice we would do for both of them (and the child) would be report (objectively) both sides of the stories as they appear - and not to censor anything. Of course if they both decide not to say anything anymore to the public (which I also agree would be best for the baby), we could then do good by not harping on it anymore. What is blogging about anyways? It is about personal opinions on personal-societal-other people's matters. And these are just my humble personal opinions on this one. :)
Seems like the father has emerged to offer the other side of the coin.
Go read it at yuhui's blog where he posted a comment
http://yuhuibc.blogspot.com/2005/08/about-pregnant-girl.html
Seems like Tristefemme's adventure was a hot hot topic recently. I still hope that these 2 will resolve it somehow amicably. Yeah i love to dream. :P
Now instead of talking about each of their story, let's talk about the bloggers' reaction for a change.
Just assuming if LX published his story before Tristefemme, how would the reaction from the blogging community be? Would Tristefemme and her mother seem like they are evil ones instead? Would LX be more sympathized? Really this is not a discussion on their credibility, but a question about the behaviors of the reporters and readers.
Vandice (a fellow blogger) did ask me to remove references to the stories, and I didn't. I can understand where Vandice is coming from, but I have set a rule of non-censorship and open discussion on my blog. But when we say that these talk about the father and the mother is not good for the baby, do we even have the right to decide? If reporting on a news event would hurt someone's feelings, does it mean it shouldn't be reported? Maybe tomorrow.sg should remove all instances of the reference too to protect the baby? I honestly don't think that would happen. But then again, who's to decide for the child? If the mother was vindictive, do you think we bloggers could have made things any worse by reporting what she did to destroy LX's reputation?
I personally think, it would be good if LX also sets up a blog to counter Tristefemme's accounts. And the only justice we would do for both of them (and the child) would be report (objectively) both sides of the stories as they appear - and not to censor anything. Of course if they both decide not to say anything anymore to the public (which I also agree would be best for the baby), we could then do good by not harping on it anymore. What is blogging about anyways? It is about personal opinions on personal-societal-other people's matters. And these are just my humble personal opinions on this one. :)
"Ass Tee" Crackdown update
Did some research into the Singapore's Copyright Act. We have a "Fair Dealing" clause that is fairly similar to the US's "Fair Use" Section.
From the Singapore Copyright Act http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/ (Search under Copyright Act "Fair Dealing")
Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review
36. A fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work, shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the work if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of that work or of another work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the work is made.
109. —(1) Subject to this section, a fair dealing with an audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item.
(2) The purposes for which a dealing with an audio-visual item may constitute a fair dealing under subsection (1) shall include research and study.
(3) For the purposes of this Act, the matters to which regard shall be had, in determining whether a dealing with an audio-visual item, being a dealing by way of copying the whole or a part of the audio-visual item, constitutes a fair dealing with the audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall include —
(a) the purpose and character of the dealing, including whether such dealing is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit educational purposes;
(b) the nature of the audio-visual item;
(c) the amount and substantiality of the part copied taken in relation to the whole audio-visual item;
(d) the effect of the dealing upon the potential market for, or value of, the audio-visual item; and
(e) the possibility of obtaining the audio-visual item within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price.
Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review
110. A fair dealing with an audio-visual item shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of the first-mentioned audio-visual item, another audio-visual item or a work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the first-mentioned audio-visual item is made.
Fair dealing for purpose of reporting news
111. A fair dealing with an audio-visual item shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item if —
(a) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news in a newspaper, magazine or similar periodical and a sufficient acknowledgment of the first-mentioned audio- visual item is made; or
(b) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news by means of broadcasting or a cable programme service, by any other means of communication to the public, or in a cinematograph film.
As you see, "fair dealing" only applies mainly to a "literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work" or "an audio-visual" item. It states nothing specific about a national newspaper's works or articles that are published. Can these works be constituted as "literary" works? If I suppose bloggers are writing a critic or review on Ass Tee's "literary" works, then we're free to quote them as long as we make sufficient acknowledgment. However, if a company's website quotes from Ass Tee, I'd say good luck. Better start working on cleansing your site or feel Ass Tee's Wrath!
Then another question arise. If a Blog is sponsored or money making, would it be considered a commercial site or a private site? And would it be targeted by Ass Tee's team of lawyers? Or as long as it is in a form of a review/critcism, it will be ok?
Then finally, if companies just change their articles to a "review"/"criticism" form that talks about the reviews/articles/writeups about them by Ass Tee, and would this avoid all the trouble and thus be free to quote all they want? A review or criticism piece about reviews/critcism/writeups by others. How messy ....
From the Singapore Copyright Act http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/ (Search under Copyright Act "Fair Dealing")
Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review
36. A fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work, shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the work if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of that work or of another work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the work is made.
109. —(1) Subject to this section, a fair dealing with an audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item.
(2) The purposes for which a dealing with an audio-visual item may constitute a fair dealing under subsection (1) shall include research and study.
(3) For the purposes of this Act, the matters to which regard shall be had, in determining whether a dealing with an audio-visual item, being a dealing by way of copying the whole or a part of the audio-visual item, constitutes a fair dealing with the audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall include —
(a) the purpose and character of the dealing, including whether such dealing is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit educational purposes;
(b) the nature of the audio-visual item;
(c) the amount and substantiality of the part copied taken in relation to the whole audio-visual item;
(d) the effect of the dealing upon the potential market for, or value of, the audio-visual item; and
(e) the possibility of obtaining the audio-visual item within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price.
Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review
110. A fair dealing with an audio-visual item shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of the first-mentioned audio-visual item, another audio-visual item or a work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the first-mentioned audio-visual item is made.
Fair dealing for purpose of reporting news
111. A fair dealing with an audio-visual item shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item if —
(a) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news in a newspaper, magazine or similar periodical and a sufficient acknowledgment of the first-mentioned audio- visual item is made; or
(b) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news by means of broadcasting or a cable programme service, by any other means of communication to the public, or in a cinematograph film.
As you see, "fair dealing" only applies mainly to a "literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work" or "an audio-visual" item. It states nothing specific about a national newspaper's works or articles that are published. Can these works be constituted as "literary" works? If I suppose bloggers are writing a critic or review on Ass Tee's "literary" works, then we're free to quote them as long as we make sufficient acknowledgment. However, if a company's website quotes from Ass Tee, I'd say good luck. Better start working on cleansing your site or feel Ass Tee's Wrath!
Then another question arise. If a Blog is sponsored or money making, would it be considered a commercial site or a private site? And would it be targeted by Ass Tee's team of lawyers? Or as long as it is in a form of a review/critcism, it will be ok?
Then finally, if companies just change their articles to a "review"/"criticism" form that talks about the reviews/articles/writeups about them by Ass Tee, and would this avoid all the trouble and thus be free to quote all they want? A review or criticism piece about reviews/critcism/writeups by others. How messy ....
Monday, August 15, 2005
"Ass Tee" crackdown!
I was just informed by a close friend of mine who works at an IT training firm as a IT/web kinda personnel, that their company has been sued by a Major English local newspaper with a name that sounds vaguely like "Ass Tee". Apparently they are slapped with coupla thousand dollars fine for references to the paper on their corporate website.
From what I know so far, these references include mere mention of the newspaper's name, as well as inclusion of quotes on articles that mention the word "Ass Tee", and even on articles that were commissioned and paid for by the IT company themselves. Some of these articles date way back to as far as 3 years ago. Even when references has been made (like "taken from Ass Tee, on XX Date Month Year"), those are counted as a copyright infringement as well. This local newspaper has further reiterated that any articles referenced must be no older than within 3 days of its publishing, if not it would be considered illegal.
Also included in the "fine", was the investigative charge that was chargeable to the firm that was sued, for the effort needed to scour through their site for such evidences. Narbey cheebye .... this is daylight robbery. It's as if calling the police via 999 (or 911 in US), and u have to pay toll fees after they have taken your report. Why don't they put up a form for people to submit information on who they can sue next, and then pay the informant for his/her "investigative work"?
I will be following up with this friend about this issue and report back. Apparently another of my friend also have received similar threats .. ahem .. warnings, about these crackdown from Ass Tee themselves.
I seriously wonder how this thing works? I never heard of other papers like CNN or NY times going after companies for quoting or even mentioning their names in their articles or papers. For instance, when News.com claim that Washington Times reported such and such, do they have to pay Washington Times for even mentioning that?? I seriously wonder how far "Ass Tee" is going to pursue this copyright infringement thingy and how it will affect the local blogging scene.
Update: Decided to keep updating this post as opposed to placing a new one on my site all the time. Makes easier reading/tracking by the readers. Here are the consolidated updates as per below.
"Ass Tee" Crackdown update
Did some research into the Singapore's Copyright Act. We have a "Fair Dealing" clause that is fairly similar to the US's "Fair Use" Section.
From the Singapore Copyright Act http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/ (Search under Copyright Act "Fair Dealing")
Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review
36. A fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work, shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the work if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of that work or of another work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the work is made.
109. —(1) Subject to this section, a fair dealing with an audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item.
(2) The purposes for which a dealing with an audio-visual item may constitute a fair dealing under subsection (1) shall include research and study.
(3) For the purposes of this Act, the matters to which regard shall be had, in determining whether a dealing with an audio-visual item, being a dealing by way of copying the whole or a part of the audio-visual item, constitutes a fair dealing with the audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall include —
(a) the purpose and character of the dealing, including whether such dealing is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit educational purposes;
(b) the nature of the audio-visual item;
(c) the amount and substantiality of the part copied taken in relation to the whole audio-visual item;
(d) the effect of the dealing upon the potential market for, or value of, the audio-visual item; and
(e) the possibility of obtaining the audio-visual item within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price.
Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review
110. A fair dealing with an audio-visual item shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of the first-mentioned audio-visual item, another audio-visual item or a work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the first-mentioned audio-visual item is made.
Fair dealing for purpose of reporting news
111. A fair dealing with an audio-visual item shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item if —
(a) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news in a newspaper, magazine or similar periodical and a sufficient acknowledgment of the first-mentioned audio- visual item is made; or
(b) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news by means of broadcasting or a cable programme service, by any other means of communication to the public, or in a cinematograph film.
As you see, "fair dealing" only applies mainly to a "literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work" or "an audio-visual" item. It states nothing specific about a national newspaper's works or articles that are published. Can these works be constituted as "literary" works? If I suppose bloggers are writing a critic or review on Ass Tee's "literary" works, then we're free to quote them as long as we make sufficient acknowledgment. However, if a company's website quotes from Ass Tee, I'd say good luck. Better start working on cleansing your site or feel Ass Tee's Wrath!
Then another question arise. If a Blog is sponsored or money making, would it be considered a commercial site or a private site? And would it be targeted by Ass Tee's team of lawyers? Or as long as it is in a form of a review/critcism, it will be ok?
Then finally, if companies just change their articles to a "review"/"criticism" form that talks about the reviews/articles/writeups about them by Ass Tee, and would this avoid all the trouble and thus be free to quote all they want? A review or criticism piece about reviews/critcism/writeups by others. How messy ....
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
"Ass Tee" Crackdown Details
Well, seems like my friend responded in the comments section of the original post. I'll place it here as an update:
"Anonymous said...
Hmm.. well... lets just say no warning letter was given prior to that instead a registered letter titled Reproduction of Published Articles came in the mail.
In it, it printed out the entire company website + cited the articles were reproduced. It also included charges for purchasing the articles and cost of their field work investigation of S$640.
It also include the costing of their licencing programmes,etc...
I have since wrote and enquire if I still need to pay the $$ if i remove the articles immediately. WAiting for their reply....
On sidetrack, one of our local U kenna big time from similar incident. Not just the papers are doing it. Since last year, one of the maps company started issuing letters and a lot of schools and corporations kenna too."
I have now a few questions on my mind regarding this issue:
1) If we're not allowed to place articles (scanned, quoted, referenced) which reported about us, how about the countless businesses out there who does? To name some examples : restaurants like NYDC, who places copies of newspaper articles framed in their premises; cinema ads which quoted critics; insurance firms who uses articles from newspapers to reflect economic data etc ... Is "Ass Tee" planning to go after them too?
2) Why did a reporter (I shall not place names yet) from Today's newspaper (mediacorp), tell me that they do not pursue such incidents as long as they are properly referenced, but "Ass Tee" is doing such?
3) If "Ass-Tee" is on a crackdown hunt right now, why is it not announced or warned?
*Update* 30 August 2005
Got news back from my friend. After trying to reach them twice by email over a week, "Ass Tee" finally responded. They said that as an act of goodwill, if they would pay for the articles, "Ass Tee" will waive the $640 investigative charges. Also, if they pay for the articles, they will get to use it on their site for ... 1 WHOLE YEAR!! WOW! ... how generous *cough* cough* ... Ok, now to be fair to "Ass Tee", they do have a right to do what they are doing. But in my own humble opinion, they are just being an absolute Ass in the way they are handling it. Firstly, it is prevalent (lemme re-emphasize that with a capital "Pee"), repeat PREVALENT, that companies, restaurant etc uses newspaper clipping, articles etc in their course of business. Examples like insurance agents showing you their portfolio of "newspaper industry reports", and restaurants like NYDC with clippings framed up in their restaurants for "publicity". If these actions are infringing in the copyright act, then by all means, for god sake, send out a freaking WARNING!! You get warning on piracy everywhere, cos it is prevalent. If this act of clipping newspaper to put on a company website is illegal, freaking warn us about it!! Why am I so bothered by this again? I run a freaking restaurant, and after i heard about this incident, I removed all the "references" to articles which wrote about us for fear of offending the "Almighty Ass Tee" from my website! Please .. if "AssTee" are on a crackdown, they should let businesses know what is illegal before slapping a fine!!
For people who runs businesses and have a website and you quote from newspaper articles or place clippings of articles that talk about you or your company, you have been warned!!
From what I know so far, these references include mere mention of the newspaper's name, as well as inclusion of quotes on articles that mention the word "Ass Tee", and even on articles that were commissioned and paid for by the IT company themselves. Some of these articles date way back to as far as 3 years ago. Even when references has been made (like "taken from Ass Tee, on XX Date Month Year"), those are counted as a copyright infringement as well. This local newspaper has further reiterated that any articles referenced must be no older than within 3 days of its publishing, if not it would be considered illegal.
Also included in the "fine", was the investigative charge that was chargeable to the firm that was sued, for the effort needed to scour through their site for such evidences. Narbey cheebye .... this is daylight robbery. It's as if calling the police via 999 (or 911 in US), and u have to pay toll fees after they have taken your report. Why don't they put up a form for people to submit information on who they can sue next, and then pay the informant for his/her "investigative work"?
I will be following up with this friend about this issue and report back. Apparently another of my friend also have received similar threats .. ahem .. warnings, about these crackdown from Ass Tee themselves.
I seriously wonder how this thing works? I never heard of other papers like CNN or NY times going after companies for quoting or even mentioning their names in their articles or papers. For instance, when News.com claim that Washington Times reported such and such, do they have to pay Washington Times for even mentioning that?? I seriously wonder how far "Ass Tee" is going to pursue this copyright infringement thingy and how it will affect the local blogging scene.
Update: Decided to keep updating this post as opposed to placing a new one on my site all the time. Makes easier reading/tracking by the readers. Here are the consolidated updates as per below.
"Ass Tee" Crackdown update
Did some research into the Singapore's Copyright Act. We have a "Fair Dealing" clause that is fairly similar to the US's "Fair Use" Section.
From the Singapore Copyright Act http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/ (Search under Copyright Act "Fair Dealing")
Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review
36. A fair dealing with a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work, shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the work if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of that work or of another work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the work is made.
109. —(1) Subject to this section, a fair dealing with an audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item.
(2) The purposes for which a dealing with an audio-visual item may constitute a fair dealing under subsection (1) shall include research and study.
(3) For the purposes of this Act, the matters to which regard shall be had, in determining whether a dealing with an audio-visual item, being a dealing by way of copying the whole or a part of the audio-visual item, constitutes a fair dealing with the audio-visual item for any purpose other than a purpose referred to in section 110 or 111 shall include —
(a) the purpose and character of the dealing, including whether such dealing is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit educational purposes;
(b) the nature of the audio-visual item;
(c) the amount and substantiality of the part copied taken in relation to the whole audio-visual item;
(d) the effect of the dealing upon the potential market for, or value of, the audio-visual item; and
(e) the possibility of obtaining the audio-visual item within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price.
Fair dealing for purpose of criticism or review
110. A fair dealing with an audio-visual item shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item if it is for the purpose of criticism or review, whether of the first-mentioned audio-visual item, another audio-visual item or a work, and a sufficient acknowledgment of the first-mentioned audio-visual item is made.
Fair dealing for purpose of reporting news
111. A fair dealing with an audio-visual item shall not constitute an infringement of the copyright in the item or in any work or other audio-visual item included in the item if —
(a) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news in a newspaper, magazine or similar periodical and a sufficient acknowledgment of the first-mentioned audio- visual item is made; or
(b) it is for the purpose of, or is associated with, the reporting of news by means of broadcasting or a cable programme service, by any other means of communication to the public, or in a cinematograph film.
As you see, "fair dealing" only applies mainly to a "literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, or with an adaptation of a literary, dramatic or musical work" or "an audio-visual" item. It states nothing specific about a national newspaper's works or articles that are published. Can these works be constituted as "literary" works? If I suppose bloggers are writing a critic or review on Ass Tee's "literary" works, then we're free to quote them as long as we make sufficient acknowledgment. However, if a company's website quotes from Ass Tee, I'd say good luck. Better start working on cleansing your site or feel Ass Tee's Wrath!
Then another question arise. If a Blog is sponsored or money making, would it be considered a commercial site or a private site? And would it be targeted by Ass Tee's team of lawyers? Or as long as it is in a form of a review/critcism, it will be ok?
Then finally, if companies just change their articles to a "review"/"criticism" form that talks about the reviews/articles/writeups about them by Ass Tee, and would this avoid all the trouble and thus be free to quote all they want? A review or criticism piece about reviews/critcism/writeups by others. How messy ....
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
"Ass Tee" Crackdown Details
Well, seems like my friend responded in the comments section of the original post. I'll place it here as an update:
"Anonymous said...
Hmm.. well... lets just say no warning letter was given prior to that instead a registered letter titled Reproduction of Published Articles came in the mail.
In it, it printed out the entire company website + cited the articles were reproduced. It also included charges for purchasing the articles and cost of their field work investigation of S$640.
It also include the costing of their licencing programmes,etc...
I have since wrote and enquire if I still need to pay the $$ if i remove the articles immediately. WAiting for their reply....
On sidetrack, one of our local U kenna big time from similar incident. Not just the papers are doing it. Since last year, one of the maps company started issuing letters and a lot of schools and corporations kenna too."
I have now a few questions on my mind regarding this issue:
1) If we're not allowed to place articles (scanned, quoted, referenced) which reported about us, how about the countless businesses out there who does? To name some examples : restaurants like NYDC, who places copies of newspaper articles framed in their premises; cinema ads which quoted critics; insurance firms who uses articles from newspapers to reflect economic data etc ... Is "Ass Tee" planning to go after them too?
2) Why did a reporter (I shall not place names yet) from Today's newspaper (mediacorp), tell me that they do not pursue such incidents as long as they are properly referenced, but "Ass Tee" is doing such?
3) If "Ass-Tee" is on a crackdown hunt right now, why is it not announced or warned?
*Update* 30 August 2005
Got news back from my friend. After trying to reach them twice by email over a week, "Ass Tee" finally responded. They said that as an act of goodwill, if they would pay for the articles, "Ass Tee" will waive the $640 investigative charges. Also, if they pay for the articles, they will get to use it on their site for ... 1 WHOLE YEAR!! WOW! ... how generous *cough* cough* ... Ok, now to be fair to "Ass Tee", they do have a right to do what they are doing. But in my own humble opinion, they are just being an absolute Ass in the way they are handling it. Firstly, it is prevalent (lemme re-emphasize that with a capital "Pee"), repeat PREVALENT, that companies, restaurant etc uses newspaper clipping, articles etc in their course of business. Examples like insurance agents showing you their portfolio of "newspaper industry reports", and restaurants like NYDC with clippings framed up in their restaurants for "publicity". If these actions are infringing in the copyright act, then by all means, for god sake, send out a freaking WARNING!! You get warning on piracy everywhere, cos it is prevalent. If this act of clipping newspaper to put on a company website is illegal, freaking warn us about it!! Why am I so bothered by this again? I run a freaking restaurant, and after i heard about this incident, I removed all the "references" to articles which wrote about us for fear of offending the "Almighty Ass Tee" from my website! Please .. if "AssTee" are on a crackdown, they should let businesses know what is illegal before slapping a fine!!
For people who runs businesses and have a website and you quote from newspaper articles or place clippings of articles that talk about you or your company, you have been warned!!
Land of the Dead - 78%
Yup Mr Romero is back to taunt us with more of his pals from the grave. And this time, they have a leader! :P Somehow, this film reminds me of one of the episode of the "Planet of the Apes" series, where Ceasar, was leading the rest of the "slaves" apes to rebel against the humans. Here, we have another case of a smarter of a breed leading the rest of the not-so-smarties.
It is not so brooding actually and it felt more like an action-drama than a horror flick. But as usual Romero-faire, he does have some social commentary. The rich is controlling the society and the poor will always be the 2nd class unless the upper class allows them in. This is sad but true. Money rules. It even keeps our high paying politicians in Singapore from corruption! :P
So what's good about this movie? It is not like the commonly used survival setup. This one is much more a human+zombie struggle against the rich and powerful than the usual humans against the zombies gorefest. Rather refreshing setup compared to what I am used to seeing in most horror movies. Interestingly, in most aspects, this movie is not scary at all. It's good to see Romero having the guts to change the rules around the genre he popularized. And I am glad to report that it works.
And Dennis Hopper is the MVP in this movie. :P He's pretty funny actually. :P
It is not so brooding actually and it felt more like an action-drama than a horror flick. But as usual Romero-faire, he does have some social commentary. The rich is controlling the society and the poor will always be the 2nd class unless the upper class allows them in. This is sad but true. Money rules. It even keeps our high paying politicians in Singapore from corruption! :P
So what's good about this movie? It is not like the commonly used survival setup. This one is much more a human+zombie struggle against the rich and powerful than the usual humans against the zombies gorefest. Rather refreshing setup compared to what I am used to seeing in most horror movies. Interestingly, in most aspects, this movie is not scary at all. It's good to see Romero having the guts to change the rules around the genre he popularized. And I am glad to report that it works.
And Dennis Hopper is the MVP in this movie. :P He's pretty funny actually. :P
Bewitched - 58%
Now this score is hard to give ... I LOVE Elizabeth Montgomery. I LOVE the original "Bewitched" TV series. I LOVE SAMANTHA! And I was so looking forward to this at the cinemas. I followed it all the way from when the rumors surfaced almost 2 years ago till the time the trailer started appearing last year - I was a fan. But if there's any movie I would call it 1)a rental, or 2) purely for the fans only - this would be it. I think so many people believed in the idea that Bewitched will be a hit, including those that were involved in the production, that they totally overlooked the fact that this script was a little too underwhelming. In a way, it tries too hard.
The movie went to great lengths to appeal to the nostalgic, but there's nothing to appeal to the non-fans. I think the movie was done in a way that it couldn't have pleased very many "non-fans". It tries so hard to appeal to the fans, it fails to realize, that the older fans will watch it either way. And the newer folks does not have anything to go for. One of the main character Jack is played by Will Farrell. It was an arrogant and rather obnoxious character - but hilarious as hell. Nicole Kidman plays a pampered witch who is playing the new actress who is playing Samantha. Now this is a movie within a movie. Isit complicated? I suspect this new "setup" was to have a refreshing take on the original, but I somehow feels that it may actually alienate some fans in the process. But like i said before, if they are fans, they'll gonna snap it up anyways. Problem is, this new setup doesn't work that "magically" and the movie basically failed to charm like the original.
There were many references to the original series, which was a feeble attempt to stir up some nostalgia, cos it didn't work that well on the fans (or at least to me), and it wouldn't work that well on the newbies either. I guess the movie would have fared better if they didn't try so hard. Argh!!! .... Still ... i love Will Farrell's performances .. that guy is the only reason to watch the show. Ironically.
The movie went to great lengths to appeal to the nostalgic, but there's nothing to appeal to the non-fans. I think the movie was done in a way that it couldn't have pleased very many "non-fans". It tries so hard to appeal to the fans, it fails to realize, that the older fans will watch it either way. And the newer folks does not have anything to go for. One of the main character Jack is played by Will Farrell. It was an arrogant and rather obnoxious character - but hilarious as hell. Nicole Kidman plays a pampered witch who is playing the new actress who is playing Samantha. Now this is a movie within a movie. Isit complicated? I suspect this new "setup" was to have a refreshing take on the original, but I somehow feels that it may actually alienate some fans in the process. But like i said before, if they are fans, they'll gonna snap it up anyways. Problem is, this new setup doesn't work that "magically" and the movie basically failed to charm like the original.
There were many references to the original series, which was a feeble attempt to stir up some nostalgia, cos it didn't work that well on the fans (or at least to me), and it wouldn't work that well on the newbies either. I guess the movie would have fared better if they didn't try so hard. Argh!!! .... Still ... i love Will Farrell's performances .. that guy is the only reason to watch the show. Ironically.
Friday, August 12, 2005
May be too cold ...
Recent spat of this unwanted pregnancy stint with this girl at http://tristefemme.blogspot.com (it has since been taken down - dunno why), spurs plenty of responses and replies from all sectors. Many other blogs started spreading and commenting about it. Just like a rollercoaster. What I really enjoyed reading more actually, was the responses from different people.
There are the skeptics (Yuhui), supporters, and also those who think that the girl is trying to create trouble. I took and step back and look at the entire scene of Singapore blogging on the whole. You noticed that it is those who are not afraid to be who they are, and speak freely, and not being politically correct and all, that are the most popular. It shows that blogging is an avenue that allows many Singaporean to be who they want to be, who they truly are, and truly feel free in the sense of the word. It has become the virtual Hyde park that the government cannot control and impose "registration rules" to. These people who blogs share one common trait in what they do : Passion in life. With passion, you take sides, and let your emotion rule over your brain - a little ... With blogs, it allows people to speak their view and take their stand. What i find, is that those who don't, and try to be as politically correct as possible, may come across as cold and unfeeling.
When it comes to the recent "unwanted pregnancy" thingy, the girl in case has obviously chosen a side, and open up her side of the story. Those who chooses to be a skeptic, and wants to be a devils advocate, will certainly come across as cold and unfeeling. I guess it is not their fault, but given the sensitivity of the issue, by appearing not to sympathize, automatically places you in the "cold as a snake" category.
This is a problem i see pervasive in Singapore's society. In Singapore's society, those with the best example of being the most "fair" are the government ministers and politicians. How did they get such rep? Through all the court cases they have won and their ability to argue their way to winning - which is the fairest way of winning one might say. But the issue some of our "neighbours" have with our leaders are the fact that we are always "by the book" and never known to show anything called human emotional traits. Everything is about being "fair game" and "numbers driven". Our nation's leaders act this way, and this filters down to many of our scholars and intellectuals (future leaders I might say) who also behave the same way. Our present leaders obviously would choose people to run the country who share similar traits as themselves, and thus the cycle goes on and on. Actually as politician, it is good to be fair. I applaud a fair government. But taking it to the extreme may result in being construed as "inflexible, unfeeling ... cold". I worry that if too many Singaporeans behave, think and live this way, will grow and result in an unfeeling, cold and selfish nation.
I am a huge proponent for the arts and innovation. And living in a country with too many of these "politically correct" people will seriously stifle the creative minds. I hope more of these "passion driven" people will come to change the mindset of the policy makers, and help them be more flexible, less unfeeling, and less cold. Maybe then, our arts scene will truly flourish, (as opposed to only importing foreign artistes), and innovation in other aspects of the economy will also grow.
There are the skeptics (Yuhui), supporters, and also those who think that the girl is trying to create trouble. I took and step back and look at the entire scene of Singapore blogging on the whole. You noticed that it is those who are not afraid to be who they are, and speak freely, and not being politically correct and all, that are the most popular. It shows that blogging is an avenue that allows many Singaporean to be who they want to be, who they truly are, and truly feel free in the sense of the word. It has become the virtual Hyde park that the government cannot control and impose "registration rules" to. These people who blogs share one common trait in what they do : Passion in life. With passion, you take sides, and let your emotion rule over your brain - a little ... With blogs, it allows people to speak their view and take their stand. What i find, is that those who don't, and try to be as politically correct as possible, may come across as cold and unfeeling.
When it comes to the recent "unwanted pregnancy" thingy, the girl in case has obviously chosen a side, and open up her side of the story. Those who chooses to be a skeptic, and wants to be a devils advocate, will certainly come across as cold and unfeeling. I guess it is not their fault, but given the sensitivity of the issue, by appearing not to sympathize, automatically places you in the "cold as a snake" category.
This is a problem i see pervasive in Singapore's society. In Singapore's society, those with the best example of being the most "fair" are the government ministers and politicians. How did they get such rep? Through all the court cases they have won and their ability to argue their way to winning - which is the fairest way of winning one might say. But the issue some of our "neighbours" have with our leaders are the fact that we are always "by the book" and never known to show anything called human emotional traits. Everything is about being "fair game" and "numbers driven". Our nation's leaders act this way, and this filters down to many of our scholars and intellectuals (future leaders I might say) who also behave the same way. Our present leaders obviously would choose people to run the country who share similar traits as themselves, and thus the cycle goes on and on. Actually as politician, it is good to be fair. I applaud a fair government. But taking it to the extreme may result in being construed as "inflexible, unfeeling ... cold". I worry that if too many Singaporeans behave, think and live this way, will grow and result in an unfeeling, cold and selfish nation.
I am a huge proponent for the arts and innovation. And living in a country with too many of these "politically correct" people will seriously stifle the creative minds. I hope more of these "passion driven" people will come to change the mindset of the policy makers, and help them be more flexible, less unfeeling, and less cold. Maybe then, our arts scene will truly flourish, (as opposed to only importing foreign artistes), and innovation in other aspects of the economy will also grow.
Unwanted pregancy
Just read about a friend who is undergoing some shitty situation now.
Please visit this site and offer some support if u could. For those from University of Michigan, you might have a clue who that asshole is.
http://tristefemme.blogspot.com/
Please visit this site and offer some support if u could. For those from University of Michigan, you might have a clue who that asshole is.
http://tristefemme.blogspot.com/
Thursday, August 11, 2005
欠扁问答题
These are in Simplified Chinese. Please click comments to see the answers :P
1）小白兔加小白兔等于？
2）大白的弟弟小白 。。。
1）小白兔加小白兔等于？
2）大白的弟弟小白 。。。
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Goofin .... somemore
Peter and I .. we go back way long time .... and Chun Kiat ... another cool dude whom i haven't had time to hang out with enough :) ....My bad my bad :P
Where have all the flowers gone ...
Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the flowers gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls picked them, ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the young girls gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the young girls gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone to young men ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the young men gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the young men gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone to soldiers ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards, ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the graveyards gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the graveyards gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
(Pete Seeger/Joe Hickerson)
Where have all the flowers gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the flowers gone?
Young girls picked them, ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the young girls gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the young girls gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the young girls gone?
Gone to young men ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the young men gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the young men gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone to soldiers ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the soldiers gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the soldiers gone?
Gone to graveyards, ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
Where have all the graveyards gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the graveyards gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers, ev'ry one.
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?
(Pete Seeger/Joe Hickerson)
Seven Swords - 69%
This is a movie which I hate to score lowly, but I'd explain why. It disappointed me in too many areas which I do not expect Tsui Hark to. What I was happy to see, is that Tsui Hark has a relatively better story than his previous works (the horrible Vampire crap). However, this is story does have some reminisces of "The Seven Samurai", and it does bother me somewhat. That aside, the story seems to be its only redeeming factor - which isn't saying a lot since it didn't feel all too original for me.
The Bads: Terrible editing. Granted, some are the censors' work (f@$# the censorship board), but many others are obviously not. It brings back memories of Chinese Martial arts movie made in the early 90s, like "Wong fei hong", which means technically, it feels like something shot in the past. Or shot by someone living in the past.
Bad framing, bad shots. I can't believe Tsui Hark uses so many "close shots" of fighting that does not appropriately showcase the action sequences. Why why why?? There was only 1 memorable fight scene that was shot in a tight corridor where both fighters bounce between the tight walls, but the crappy editing and shots diluted it. The rest of the fighting scenes were nothing compared to, let's say those in "Flying Daggers" (a movie i loved for its technicality but hated the story). Considering that Zhang Yimou never started off as a fighting director, he outleaped Tsui Hark by leaps and bounds in just a few attempts (Hero, Daggers).
The fancy costumes in this film, also does not serve to improve the movie's look and feel. There was a female/lesbian killer with a funky hairstyle, who seemed to be given quite a bit of screentime/attention throughout the movie, but who eventually didn't serve any purpose to deepen the story. Her character was totally redundant. Nothing to say where she is from, no development on her character, and then suddenly killed.
Is this one of the better Tsui Hark movies? Yes actually it is. But compared to his peers, he's still living in the past. He needs better collaborators to bring a more modern look to his flicks. This is so frustrating, because Tsui Hark has his share of fans, worldwide (including myself), who would love to see him break out with a great masterpiece again. But his recent works just seems like he couldn't break out of his own mould. Very Frustrating ....
The Bads: Terrible editing. Granted, some are the censors' work (f@$# the censorship board), but many others are obviously not. It brings back memories of Chinese Martial arts movie made in the early 90s, like "Wong fei hong", which means technically, it feels like something shot in the past. Or shot by someone living in the past.
Bad framing, bad shots. I can't believe Tsui Hark uses so many "close shots" of fighting that does not appropriately showcase the action sequences. Why why why?? There was only 1 memorable fight scene that was shot in a tight corridor where both fighters bounce between the tight walls, but the crappy editing and shots diluted it. The rest of the fighting scenes were nothing compared to, let's say those in "Flying Daggers" (a movie i loved for its technicality but hated the story). Considering that Zhang Yimou never started off as a fighting director, he outleaped Tsui Hark by leaps and bounds in just a few attempts (Hero, Daggers).
The fancy costumes in this film, also does not serve to improve the movie's look and feel. There was a female/lesbian killer with a funky hairstyle, who seemed to be given quite a bit of screentime/attention throughout the movie, but who eventually didn't serve any purpose to deepen the story. Her character was totally redundant. Nothing to say where she is from, no development on her character, and then suddenly killed.
Is this one of the better Tsui Hark movies? Yes actually it is. But compared to his peers, he's still living in the past. He needs better collaborators to bring a more modern look to his flicks. This is so frustrating, because Tsui Hark has his share of fans, worldwide (including myself), who would love to see him break out with a great masterpiece again. But his recent works just seems like he couldn't break out of his own mould. Very Frustrating ....
Chocolate Factory Tour - 85%
Watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory over the last weekend, and yeah it was a Blast! Tim Burton style definitely, and his love for the "fantastical" and "magical" shines very brightly for this movie. Kids will enjoy it as a colourful and wild ride through an incredible world of Willie Wonka. And just like the rest of the characters in the movie, the audience becomes one of the "privileged few" to visit the Factory. The setup of the film gets everyone psyched about the product, and its creator. Everyone wants a piece of the Willie. And it is here that you see a slight reference to Michael Jackson, where his personality becomes sort of an enigma, and everyone wants a piece of him. Just look at the crazy media coverage his recent child molestation case received - it is mind boggling.
So, this movie is like taking a journey through the eyes of a child, and for the entire show, you stand fascinated with all the sights and wonders, and the adults in the audience gets transformed into a little child too. I was eagerly anticipating the end of the show so I could go grab a Wonka bar, but alas! This is nothing but a fairytale. And like any good fairytale, this is one great masterpiece that is brought to life by Tim Burton that will be watched by generations to come. Bravo! What a Wonka-ful movie!
PS. Johnny Depp is one of the best actor of our generation, and I hope he gets an Oscar someday. He is not just a pretty boy for looks for pretty roles - he's able to transform himself into the character he plays. And it is a great joy to see him play Willie Wonka - a whacky, but memorable performance.
So, this movie is like taking a journey through the eyes of a child, and for the entire show, you stand fascinated with all the sights and wonders, and the adults in the audience gets transformed into a little child too. I was eagerly anticipating the end of the show so I could go grab a Wonka bar, but alas! This is nothing but a fairytale. And like any good fairytale, this is one great masterpiece that is brought to life by Tim Burton that will be watched by generations to come. Bravo! What a Wonka-ful movie!
PS. Johnny Depp is one of the best actor of our generation, and I hope he gets an Oscar someday. He is not just a pretty boy for looks for pretty roles - he's able to transform himself into the character he plays. And it is a great joy to see him play Willie Wonka - a whacky, but memorable performance.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Sin City - 91%
Short stories intermingling with one another, a format that is much used recently as seen in Crash, Magnolia ... heck even Ju-on uses a similar format. I just hope it doesn't get misused or overused, gets too boring. Sin City, thankfully, does not hinge its success on this format, though it uses it. The strengths are in its scripts, set designs, artistic direction, the performances of the actors and the characters.
Set Design and Artistic Direction
This is a gorgeous movie. And to think that everyone was acting against a blue screen, it makes the performances of the actors even more applaudable. Sky Captain used the same style of filmmaking, but this one takes the method and flies with it. The way the shots are framed follows the comic style very closely. You can imagine the director probably took the graphic novel used as it as a guide for his storyboard.
Script
Marvelous writing from Frank Miller on the novel. The script was supposed to be taken wholesale from that graphic novel. Wise decision
Characters
The characters in the movie are very nicely written. They are so colourful (forgive my pun) and creative. Or at least to movie goers not familiar with characters from these dark brooding comic books. It is refreshing to see how they so nicely preserve the comic books' feel into the movie. If there's any great comic to movie adaptation to mention, I will vote this to be the best I've ever seen.
Final Verdict: 91% Please please do not miss this piece of artistic achievement. If you hate gore though, stay away. This one comes in pails and pails of it.
Set Design and Artistic Direction
This is a gorgeous movie. And to think that everyone was acting against a blue screen, it makes the performances of the actors even more applaudable. Sky Captain used the same style of filmmaking, but this one takes the method and flies with it. The way the shots are framed follows the comic style very closely. You can imagine the director probably took the graphic novel used as it as a guide for his storyboard.
Script
Marvelous writing from Frank Miller on the novel. The script was supposed to be taken wholesale from that graphic novel. Wise decision
Characters
The characters in the movie are very nicely written. They are so colourful (forgive my pun) and creative. Or at least to movie goers not familiar with characters from these dark brooding comic books. It is refreshing to see how they so nicely preserve the comic books' feel into the movie. If there's any great comic to movie adaptation to mention, I will vote this to be the best I've ever seen.
Final Verdict: 91% Please please do not miss this piece of artistic achievement. If you hate gore though, stay away. This one comes in pails and pails of it.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
My Past Life?
| In a Past Life... |
 You Were: An Arrogant Monk. Where You Lived: China. How You Died: Natural causes. |
Now I know why I am so horny in this life .....
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Goofing around
Woo ... I didn't know i could add pics to my blog ... here's testing it ... hope it works
What does my birthday tell me?
| Your Birthdate: June 21 |
| Being born on the 21st day of the month (3 energy) is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life. The energy of 3 allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental. There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, "couldn't care less" attitude. You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression. Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing. You are energetic and always a good conversationalist. You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters. Your mind is practical and rational despite this tendency to jump about. You are affectionate and loving, but very sensitive. You are subject to rapid ups and downs. |
REVIEWSSSSSSS
Ok guys and girls .. time to update my blog .. and why was there a drought?? .. well ... there was supposed to be one 2 weeks ago .. but i forgot to save .. and lost like one of the longest movie review i had written ... ARGH ....
Well .. finally gotten over it so here i am gonna start again .... but i have watched so many movies since ... so i am gonna just do a quick 1 paragraph intro of each ... plus a percentage rating ....
1) Brazil (Director's Cut) 90%
Wildly imaginative. Though it will seem dated for today's audience, it's twist on the take of an alternate 1984 was brilliant and overflowing with creativity at every moment. The screenplay brims with an operatic feel, and its mix of joy and grim seem all so ironic and yet familiar at the same time. An Instant Classic.
2) Dark Water 75%
For what it does, it does so well. The movie is made all the more believeable with the main character's believable troubles. She's trying to win the custody of her daughter from a broken marriage, she's trying to find a job to boost her credibility, trying to find a nice apt, she's trying to make sure that she picks up her daughter from school everyday ... while trying to not have a nervous breakdown. So while having to deal with all these earthly troubles, she's being disturbed by some unearthly beings. Not a good situation to be in. Worthy of mention is the little girl's performance. She's good. The problem with many horror movies (esp Asian ones) is that they sometimes linger at the edge of reason and may even seem ridiculous at times. There were some moments like that in this movie too, but the credibility of the movie was enhanced by the realism of the characters - and thus made the whole story a bit more believable.
3) Ju-on 2 55%
Ok. This movie is ludicrous. The first movie could have worked because it was only 1 movie. After more than 10 deaths obviously related to the house (from part 1 -2), I find it strangely curious that the government, secret police, FBI, and paranormal experts are not swarming to the house to do their investigations ... or tear the damn thing down.
4) The Manchurian Candidate 75%
A good psychological thriller. This is a remake of an old flick of the same name, but updated for today's audience. The movie would have been just mediocre if not for Denzel Washington's performance. That said, I also felt the material was not very compelling, but the performances by the actors were commendable. The obvious references the screenplay tried to make to the current state of affairs in US are there, but I am not sure many people would be swayed by it's message - they've already been brainwashed.
5) Bourne Identity 82%
Ok, I obviously have some catching up to do with my movies. I didn't read the novel, and I always believe that movies should be judged upon independently from the books that they are based on. A book can convey so much more than a series of pictures can, for instance, many a times, you read about what a character is thinking about, but with movies, you'll need to find other ways of expressing it. Furthermore, to shrink 1000s of pages of information into a 2hr movie is not an easy task - there will be many things to re-write or edit and if a bookfan is not too understanding, he'll never be satisfied. Well, nuff of my talk about how movies and books shld each serve their own medium. This movie is entertaining, and convincing (I delayed watching this movie because I can't picture how Matt Damon could be an action hero) enough to win my vote. I don't know why but it conjured up the feeling I got when I was watching the TV old series of The Incredible Hulk, where the hero just keeps moving from one place to another, to avoid being caught, and never knowing when or how it will end. The pacing was great and the character's journey was exciting enough that you'll want to know what comes next. At least it's a somewhat happy ending.
6) Bourne Supremacy 80%
To resurrect a movie with a happy ending, you need to destroy the original happy ending. Though the beginning of the film felt somewhat forced, the rest of the journey more than made up for it. As we discover the complexity of the character's dark past, the movie grew more interesting as a result. The movie was well made and I am not gonna miss out on the 3rd episode should there ever be another.
7) Crash 86%
This is a movie I truly loved, yet i am reluctant to give it anymore than what I would give the movie that i was reminded of so much - Magnolia. For the record, I would rate Magnolia a 90%. For those who haven't watched this, please import it from Amazon. I have yet to see any Singaporean DVD shops carry it. Ok, back to Crash. It is a movie about a bunch of different people, somewhat connected, yet unrelated, having their lives affected by a series of miscommunication, misunderstanding, uncontrolled fits of anger and inconsiderate actions all resulting from stereotyping and racism. The dialogue written are brilliant and are so real you'll find them so eerily familiar. That's because we all suffer from the same flaws of the characters that is being represented on screen. We see them happen, sometimes we are the ones who make them happen, and the movie shows how simple it is to decide how you want to behave, yet the consequences often do not reflect directly. In a way, this a movie about retribution, though you may not see it directly from the result of your actions. But it is also about redemption and hope, but I guess they might not know that they are redeeming themselves even when their actions are.
8) Born on the Fourth of July 82%
Oliver Stone delivers, and Tom Cruise shine. This movie rocks. It is unflinchingly sarcastic to the powers who control the nation, and though this movie was made to reflect the Vietnam War, it sets people thinking about the arrogance of the current US administration with respect to the Iraq War. It was the war against communism then, and it is the war against terrorism now. But they both used "freedom" as an excuse to further their military purposes. Americans should be wary of extremists not just outside their country, but how their own government is using it to further their own goals. By the way, the character played by Tom Cruise is a real person.
9) Thirteen Days 80%
Another military movie. This is about the Cuban missile crisis. Another movie using history to send a message to the current Bush administration, on being prudent when it comes to military actions. Apparently, people in the white house do not watch too many movies.
10) The Island 70%
Ok ... reviews all over the place are blasting this movie to bits. I didn't feel it was too bad, and did find it rather entertaining. There were some typical Michael Bay moments which I hate (characters joking and talking cool when the situation was obviously not suitable for that, totally destroys credibility), but thankfully not as plentiful as his previous works (Pearl harbor and Armageddon). This time, most of the humor and its story does apply rather suitably so I will not harp too much on it. The setup was great. I sorta wish the trailer wouldn't give away everything, and I might have liked the movie even more if I didn't know that the "Island" was fake.
11) Fantastic Four 68%
This is an entertaining movie, if your sense of logic is thrown out the window. If there weren't the likes of X-men, Batman Begins and the excellent Spiderman movies, this movie wouldn't have been so badly rated. I guess the issue I have with this movie is, it felt like it came up short in so many areas that it ends up not "satisfying enough". Well, it performed admirably at the box office and so I think a sequel would probably be on its way. I just hope they give the characters a little bit more depth the next time round.
12) Home Run 78%
This movie I have resisted to watch as well because I loved the original Iranian movie that it was based on. Homerun was based on Children of Heaven, and the setup was also similar - a boy lost his sister's shoes, and then he goes for a marathon so that he can win a pair shoes for his sister. Homerun succeeds in areas where it nicely adapts the setup into a Singaporean context, and does it rather well. It uses conflicts between some of the kids to reflect the recent water squabbles between Singapore and Malaysia. Jack Neo's weaknesses however, were his tendency for sappiness and his inability to use subtleties to reflect his messages. His endings are usually too "unnatural" as well. This results in some rough edges in his film. This is his fifth (??) attempt at movie making and I sincerely wish that he improves in these areas of his writings for his future works for these are the same problems I see in his previous works too.
13) White Noise 50%
Ok ... too much holes ... too much time wasted. I feel sorry for the character's son, as well as the little boy who acted as the son. What's your purpose? When Keaton read the script, did he not wonder how people would be interested to see a man watch white noise on TV screens, scenes after scenes. If you did catch the film, please explain to me how he could get worked up watching those blank screens when there's nothing there? If you haven't caught it, please don't
Well .. finally gotten over it so here i am gonna start again .... but i have watched so many movies since ... so i am gonna just do a quick 1 paragraph intro of each ... plus a percentage rating ....
1) Brazil (Director's Cut) 90%
Wildly imaginative. Though it will seem dated for today's audience, it's twist on the take of an alternate 1984 was brilliant and overflowing with creativity at every moment. The screenplay brims with an operatic feel, and its mix of joy and grim seem all so ironic and yet familiar at the same time. An Instant Classic.
2) Dark Water 75%
For what it does, it does so well. The movie is made all the more believeable with the main character's believable troubles. She's trying to win the custody of her daughter from a broken marriage, she's trying to find a job to boost her credibility, trying to find a nice apt, she's trying to make sure that she picks up her daughter from school everyday ... while trying to not have a nervous breakdown. So while having to deal with all these earthly troubles, she's being disturbed by some unearthly beings. Not a good situation to be in. Worthy of mention is the little girl's performance. She's good. The problem with many horror movies (esp Asian ones) is that they sometimes linger at the edge of reason and may even seem ridiculous at times. There were some moments like that in this movie too, but the credibility of the movie was enhanced by the realism of the characters - and thus made the whole story a bit more believable.
3) Ju-on 2 55%
Ok. This movie is ludicrous. The first movie could have worked because it was only 1 movie. After more than 10 deaths obviously related to the house (from part 1 -2), I find it strangely curious that the government, secret police, FBI, and paranormal experts are not swarming to the house to do their investigations ... or tear the damn thing down.
4) The Manchurian Candidate 75%
A good psychological thriller. This is a remake of an old flick of the same name, but updated for today's audience. The movie would have been just mediocre if not for Denzel Washington's performance. That said, I also felt the material was not very compelling, but the performances by the actors were commendable. The obvious references the screenplay tried to make to the current state of affairs in US are there, but I am not sure many people would be swayed by it's message - they've already been brainwashed.
5) Bourne Identity 82%
Ok, I obviously have some catching up to do with my movies. I didn't read the novel, and I always believe that movies should be judged upon independently from the books that they are based on. A book can convey so much more than a series of pictures can, for instance, many a times, you read about what a character is thinking about, but with movies, you'll need to find other ways of expressing it. Furthermore, to shrink 1000s of pages of information into a 2hr movie is not an easy task - there will be many things to re-write or edit and if a bookfan is not too understanding, he'll never be satisfied. Well, nuff of my talk about how movies and books shld each serve their own medium. This movie is entertaining, and convincing (I delayed watching this movie because I can't picture how Matt Damon could be an action hero) enough to win my vote. I don't know why but it conjured up the feeling I got when I was watching the TV old series of The Incredible Hulk, where the hero just keeps moving from one place to another, to avoid being caught, and never knowing when or how it will end. The pacing was great and the character's journey was exciting enough that you'll want to know what comes next. At least it's a somewhat happy ending.
6) Bourne Supremacy 80%
To resurrect a movie with a happy ending, you need to destroy the original happy ending. Though the beginning of the film felt somewhat forced, the rest of the journey more than made up for it. As we discover the complexity of the character's dark past, the movie grew more interesting as a result. The movie was well made and I am not gonna miss out on the 3rd episode should there ever be another.
7) Crash 86%
This is a movie I truly loved, yet i am reluctant to give it anymore than what I would give the movie that i was reminded of so much - Magnolia. For the record, I would rate Magnolia a 90%. For those who haven't watched this, please import it from Amazon. I have yet to see any Singaporean DVD shops carry it. Ok, back to Crash. It is a movie about a bunch of different people, somewhat connected, yet unrelated, having their lives affected by a series of miscommunication, misunderstanding, uncontrolled fits of anger and inconsiderate actions all resulting from stereotyping and racism. The dialogue written are brilliant and are so real you'll find them so eerily familiar. That's because we all suffer from the same flaws of the characters that is being represented on screen. We see them happen, sometimes we are the ones who make them happen, and the movie shows how simple it is to decide how you want to behave, yet the consequences often do not reflect directly. In a way, this a movie about retribution, though you may not see it directly from the result of your actions. But it is also about redemption and hope, but I guess they might not know that they are redeeming themselves even when their actions are.
8) Born on the Fourth of July 82%
Oliver Stone delivers, and Tom Cruise shine. This movie rocks. It is unflinchingly sarcastic to the powers who control the nation, and though this movie was made to reflect the Vietnam War, it sets people thinking about the arrogance of the current US administration with respect to the Iraq War. It was the war against communism then, and it is the war against terrorism now. But they both used "freedom" as an excuse to further their military purposes. Americans should be wary of extremists not just outside their country, but how their own government is using it to further their own goals. By the way, the character played by Tom Cruise is a real person.
9) Thirteen Days 80%
Another military movie. This is about the Cuban missile crisis. Another movie using history to send a message to the current Bush administration, on being prudent when it comes to military actions. Apparently, people in the white house do not watch too many movies.
10) The Island 70%
Ok ... reviews all over the place are blasting this movie to bits. I didn't feel it was too bad, and did find it rather entertaining. There were some typical Michael Bay moments which I hate (characters joking and talking cool when the situation was obviously not suitable for that, totally destroys credibility), but thankfully not as plentiful as his previous works (Pearl harbor and Armageddon). This time, most of the humor and its story does apply rather suitably so I will not harp too much on it. The setup was great. I sorta wish the trailer wouldn't give away everything, and I might have liked the movie even more if I didn't know that the "Island" was fake.
11) Fantastic Four 68%
This is an entertaining movie, if your sense of logic is thrown out the window. If there weren't the likes of X-men, Batman Begins and the excellent Spiderman movies, this movie wouldn't have been so badly rated. I guess the issue I have with this movie is, it felt like it came up short in so many areas that it ends up not "satisfying enough". Well, it performed admirably at the box office and so I think a sequel would probably be on its way. I just hope they give the characters a little bit more depth the next time round.
12) Home Run 78%
This movie I have resisted to watch as well because I loved the original Iranian movie that it was based on. Homerun was based on Children of Heaven, and the setup was also similar - a boy lost his sister's shoes, and then he goes for a marathon so that he can win a pair shoes for his sister. Homerun succeeds in areas where it nicely adapts the setup into a Singaporean context, and does it rather well. It uses conflicts between some of the kids to reflect the recent water squabbles between Singapore and Malaysia. Jack Neo's weaknesses however, were his tendency for sappiness and his inability to use subtleties to reflect his messages. His endings are usually too "unnatural" as well. This results in some rough edges in his film. This is his fifth (??) attempt at movie making and I sincerely wish that he improves in these areas of his writings for his future works for these are the same problems I see in his previous works too.
13) White Noise 50%
Ok ... too much holes ... too much time wasted. I feel sorry for the character's son, as well as the little boy who acted as the son. What's your purpose? When Keaton read the script, did he not wonder how people would be interested to see a man watch white noise on TV screens, scenes after scenes. If you did catch the film, please explain to me how he could get worked up watching those blank screens when there's nothing there? If you haven't caught it, please don't
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