The old Capitol cinema should be restored to its former glory

Since they published my letter in the forum. Here's sharing it with my readers here too.
Link
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To: ST Forum

Hello,

I am writing with regards to the Capitol Building/Cinema at the junction of Stamford Rd and North Bridge Road. The building from my understanding is a conservation unit, and it being preserved. However, I am very dismayed to see the current state that it is in and why nothing has been done in the past decade (decades?) to restore, maintain or preserve this piece of our history?

From what I have heard (I have no way of verifying, but maybe Straits Times is able to find this out), the building is now under the jurisdiction of Singapore Tourism Board. I would hope that this letter would find its way to the people in charge of this building and make them get off their laurels and do something about this historic piece.

I had fond memories of going to this cinema back in my secondary school days. I recall the theatre as one of the most beautiful I’ve seen. With 2 Pegasuses sculptures flanking each side of the huge screen, circle seats on a 2nd level and its classic architecture, this place is a work of art. There are also beautiful paintings of astrological signs at the dome ceiling at the top. Why are all these left to rot under the sun over the past 20 years? Why is it not even maintained at all? Considering the how strong the push for the arts are these days, why aren't Capitol building reopened to cater to the myriad of musicals, plays, concerts and theater productions out there?

I hope to hear something from the authorities regarding this issue and hope to see something done for Capitol Building. I believe myself, and many people out there would love to volunteer our efforts to clean up the place and restore Capitol to its former glory.

Thanks!

Mr Chai Yee-Wei

Singaporean Mentality in a Lift

I shall use the lift (or elevator if you’re not Singaporean) scenario to reflect some of our Singaporeans' mentality:
Sometimes you see people walking towards the lift, and those inside, pretend not to see. If there’s anyone who kept the lift doors open for people and they will come in without saying thanks. You see people coming into a crowded lift, and no one bothers to help asking “which floor?”. You see this guy trying to reach for the buttons while others try to make way for him/her, even though they are right next to the buttons panel. If someone did try to hit the button for him, no thanks are returned anyways. The person who hit the button, didn't appear to care if the person did not say “thanks”. Lastly, everyone is oblivious to all these hostility – or does not find anything wrong with it. Yes, it may seem like I am picking needles in a haysack, but this is a microview of what is happening in the larger context of the Singaporean society.

Issues
1) Singaporeans do not have a habit of being considerate or thoughtful for others.
2) Singaporeans are so “goal oriented” that they just want to get from point A to B without getting bothered with what’s happening around them but their own matters.
3) Singaporeans are not courteous
4) Singaporeans simply do not even bother (bochap)
5) Singaporeans are so conditioned to behave in the above manner that do not even see this as a problem
6) Since no one sees anything wrong with other people’s and their own behavior, the vicious cycle entails. Things remain the same. If there are kids in the lift, they see all these happening, and get conditioned to the system.

Karma Chameleon

Closeminded Singaporeans

I recently purchased a coupla jazz CDs ... Shanghai Jazz .. 3 Shanghainese ladies, singing classic Chinese tunes. All arranged in a fusion of western styled Jazz musical arrangements and singing style. Very cool. This caucasian conceptualized and produced the CD.

I decided to play the disk in the jazz cafe last night cos I was so sure customers would enjoy it. Less than 1 and a 1/2 songs later, a table of 3 young women asked my waitress over and requested the CD be changed. Hmmm .... they said - we're not in the mood for such old tunes and we don't like these kind of music, please change the CD.

I changed it to the Ella & Louis Cd which was recorded in the 1950s and they stopped complaining. Shit this recording is decades older than the one i just played and they didn't complain?? If it is not because of the age of the recording, or the style ... then the only thing different is .. the language ...

ARE SINGAPOREANS SO CLOSEMINDED THAT IF IT IS CHINESE CANNOT BE CONSTRUED AS "JAZZ"????

Sigh .... hopes for the next generation .... Dashed .....

Update: (29 Sep 2005)
Since people are asking. The CDs are "High Society: Shanghai Divas" and "High Society presents Shanghai Jazz". I purchased them from That CD Shop, located at Pacific Plaza (opp. Lido, Shaw Tower). They said they were the only ones who carry them. Not cheap at $29.90 each, but they are HDCD ... nice especially if u have a good sound system. :)

Be with Me - 88%

Be with Me is Mr Eric Khoo's latest work. His previous work 12 storeys, was not exactly my cup of tea. I thought it was aimless and too pretentious. This new work from him though was sincere and touching, and he has Theresa Chan to thank for this. Most of the attention and marketing coverage of this film was for the lesbian part of the story, which ironically, was not the bane of the movie and is also the lesser tale. Another story is of a fat fellow who is secretly in love with a beautiful woman. And there's another story that is weaved into the movie was of an old man who lost his wife.

But the strength of the movie lies in Theresa Chan's tale, the woman who is both blind and deaf. The other 3 stories were there to offer different perspectives on the topic of love, but none were as compelling as Theresa's tale. I guess in that aspect, you could see the difference between a story inspired by a true story, and the stories that were made up. Theresa's life was inspiring, and the fact that she was basically communicating with touch and her senses from the nose, makes it even more incredible. This is a woman, who has accomplished much more than many abled people, but does not feel in anyway disadvantaged. There's a scene which described her visiting India, and being told that there are many people out there living on the streets with no foods. Then she mentioned how fortunate she is to have experienced so much more than most. We have much to learn from this woman.

Production value was good. It didn't drag and though it is an "art" movie, it managed pretty well without being too wannabe. This is a movie that found a nice balance between being artistic and also being commercial at the same time. The movie stands on its on and the topic is fresh and original. Kudos to Eric Khoo who really outdone himself. This has become one of my favorite Singaporean made movie, and considering that I am not a fan of his previous works, this says alot.

The movie ends its run this week. Don't miss it!

The Myth - 69%

Mr Jackie Chan is my hero. I watched almost every one of his movies, and the thing that shone in his every movie - his personality and his enthusiasm. Can I say that, almost every film that he shoots, and starred in, he's playing himself? He does not become Wong Fei Hong in Drunken Master, he does not become Jack in the Myth either. The characters become Jackie Chan. And in his latest work, Jackie Chan plays Jack, an archeologist who stumbles upon his past life in the form of a General, who falls in love with the emperor's concubine.

Things that didn't work are listed as follows:
- Jackie forcing a scene where he goes to show his capability (or incapability) at English. It always feels like he's reading lines. Super unnatural
- The Indian woman? What the hell was her for? She was attractive yes, but she was awkward. And the dance sequences?? Her dresses?? What were they thinking?
- The stones. They shouldn't have tried to even explain it or brought it back to the lab. It should have remained a mystery.
- The cheesiness feel throughout the film ... Argh ...

The story stumbles and the only saving grace was Jackie's actions scenes. Of special mention was the scene with the rat glue belt system, the sequence was ingenious.

But Jackie's charm and the action scenes ultimately could not outweigh the bad points throughout the show. What a pity. I really wish Jackie would make a good action flick, before he retires - and from the looks of the lines on his face, time is running out.

Suing Online or Offline

Last week, there was a headline article on the front page of Straits Times that addresses the recent debacle about 2 bloggers who were sued for sedition. Government's stand: Online or Offline, if you fan unrest and discord among the communities, you will be punished. People from left and ring wing all have their views.

Question is, were there evidence that discord and unrest were caused by those remarks of the bloggers? Their "remarks" probably were only brought to light because of the trial. The fact is, there were no fighting or unrest in the community (or at least on the large scale) caused by whatever racists remarks they made. So technically, they did not actually break the law - they were sued in expectations that their remarks will cause unrest. Isn't this prejudice in itself? (Brings to mind "Precrime"? Minority Report?) The fact that this lawsuit has brought incredible reactions from the community and certainly much more response (and dare I say "unrest" among the blogging community?) than the accused's remarks makes me wonder - who's causing more unrest and disturbances among the community? The government or the sued bloggers?

The Brothers Grimm -70%

Ok .. this movie has garnered pretty bad reviews everywhere. I being a fan of Terry Gillian's previous works (Brazil, 12 Monkeys), was really looking forward to this, and thus was pretty surprised at all these negative reviews. So with an open heart, here I go for the show.

Story is about, how 2 brothers Jacob (Jack?) Grimm and Whilhem Grimm, (played by Heath Ledger and Matt Damon respectively) go around towns and villages, and pretending to exorcize the evils there ... for a fee. Well, we really only see them do 1 village, and then they were caught by the French occupiers who doesn't believe in such mambo jumbo. The fact is, the brothers themselves don't either, until they come face to face with the real thing.

What works in this film are the magnificent sets and the relatively good performances by the actors (except for a little quip I have with Matt Damon).

What I do find missing is what I loved in previous Terry Gillian's works - imagination and a sense of awe. The whole experience was rather grim, and not very inspiring. The moments that were inserted as references to the fairy tales were not very witty, and seems to have been placed there for the sake of being. I felt like I was watching a darker, live action version of "Shrek". The humor in the film, never amounted to more than a cackle. And the bone I had with Matt Damon was his rather lousy attempt at a British accent. I watched this film with a British friend, and she said his accent was not consistent, switching from a Northern to Southern accent, which goes to show that he was not a "local". The story was rather inconsistent as well, and certain parts were not properly explained (whatever happened to the beans? or didn't? How about why the father jumped off the tower window with that mirror?? And the link with the Ginger bread man there??)

Hmm ... actually before writing this review, I wanted to say this movie was reasonable, and rather entertaining. But halfway through writing this critic, I realised there seemed more flaws than good. Well, I guess this movie was more of a mixed bag - you will find both what you like, and what you don't in this film.

Wet Dream ...

Got the weirdest dream i had in a long time .... or any dream for that matter. I hadn't had dreams for a long while ... but this one's bizarre ...

In the dream, it was mostly night ... We're in a neighbourhood .. sorta like those US houses that clobber together in a given plot of land ... think E.T. .... anyways .. then there's also a school .. which obviously was empty at night ... but there's like a group of 3 or 4 of us out there ... trying to track down a creature ... sorta like those u see in the resident evil movies .... We're like in those futuristic military uniforms with heavy weapons .... but other than the monster i was worrying about, there was another concern ... I needed to pee ... and throughout the dream, i was trying to look for a place/ a corner ... or wherever .. so that i could pee .. without the monster having a chance to pounce on me ...

so i was going to the toilet (in the dream), and looking for a cubicle ... where it might make it more difficult for the monster to attack me due to the space, and I would have ample time to switch from peeing mode to shooting mode ... but then i figured the space might constrain my movements too .. so I was thinking of looking for a alleyway .. where i could back against the wall .. and pee straight onto the streets .. so i could see all the things in front of me and still have time for me to jump back into action mode.... But then the monster could still attack from the top ... and then i keep thinking .. while the pee was just getting too hard to hold ...

Well, of course .. the natural way was to .. end the dream and just head to the toilet ... but it was like .. i wanted to stay in the dream cos it was so cool to be where I was ... just like in a movie and I like'd to see how it'd turn out ... But it does makes u wonder ... don't those guys ever pee in the Resident evil movies .. or Alien ... or Terminator .... or ...

Service Level in Singapore??

PM Lee recently talked about the poor service level in Singapore, and I couldn't agree more. So just as usual, when the PM says IT, IT becomes the truth in Singapore, and all the media and people start discussing it like it is a newly discovered gospel. Man ... people (like me!!) have been lamenting about it for ages (Just ask those "quitters" who have left Singapore!! Well maybe not the main reason they left, but I am sure it certainly contributed ;P hehehhe) ....

So the recent talks on the media (specifically, a certain newspaper that sounds like "Ass Tee") was where do we learn from? Japan was cited, Hong Kong was cited, Korea, Thailand etc. They went into analysis of how different the level of services were offered, and even characterizes them. Like Thailand's service is like these, and Japanese are like that etc. Then they asked "What should Singapore's own style of service be?? If the attitude is how to create a service level that is unique to Singapore, I say we are just screwing ourselves once again. What is this problem with our people??? Trying to reinvent the wheel again??? Even with service level??? We are behind every cited country above in service level and we wanna talk about reinventing the wheel?? WTF!!? Maybe we should start by acknowledging our weakness, and learn from the leaders in these aspects! Then other than the good countries, we also put in the bad examples?? Why?? To make ourselves feel better?? Geeze!!!

And the article written, not just praises but also finds the flaws in the each of the country's own brand of service. So let's look at the criticism on Hong Kong's customer service - "Overservice", "Those smiles and all that attention - sometimes it feels a bit too fake, like they do not really mean it". What the hell?? Am I hearing it wrong?? Are Singaporeans so used to bad service, that when they do get it, they think it is overdone??? Would you rather have "Eh, Allo, What you want?" over "Hello, Good afternoon, How may I help you?". If the attitude of humility is not adopted among Singaporeans, always finding excuses for themselves, we will never ever improve!!!

What is Singaporean's main obstacles?? Our Ego! We are so bloody used to the Government pouring praises of our "great" our nation are, we refuse to admit our mistakes. And even when it comes down to talking about flaws, we must draw in some bad examples along so as to "pat ourselves on the back" and feel that "we're not that bad lah". Hey Wake up Singaporeans, we are pretty damn bad, and we should start with that angle so we can be more critical of ourselves, and thus change for the better. Drop the ego, admit the wrongs, and change for the better. And that goes with not just the people providing the service, but the people who are receiving it too. We are a rude nation, and we are ugly. We should stop finding excuses, and stop using "buts". If we don't look at our own behavior and improve, we should not expect courtesy from either side of the fences -customers and the service provider. The mentality has to change, and it everyone's job for the the better of our country.

Ipod Nano .... the size of my brain

I have given in to temptation ....
Forgive me for I have once again hit the "Buy now!" button.
Thank you apple for answering my prayers for a color screen, jog-able, slim ipod

Sim Wong Hoo must be shaking in fear now ....

And yes .. there is a black one too ...


http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/

Internet Banking In Singapore SUCKS

I have put up with Singapore's lousy internet banking services for way too long.
It is FUCKED UP FUCKED UP FUCKED UP!

Why does it have to fucking generate a fucking TAC # to your bloody cellphone in order to add a fucking Payee to your account!!??

Why internet banking has to be activated via a fucking ATM when it is Internet banking??!?! Or through a fucking form that you MUST MAIL, and not fax, not email .. and u can't even apply for it fucking online!! .. Then why call it Online banking!?!?!? WTF FUCK!?!??

Why do u have to fill up a fucking form to authorize a change of limit in your transferring of funds to and from your accounts??? Why go thru that when I can fucking log into my internet account securely!??! What is the fucking security for the internet banking login then???? And the form, HAVE TO BE MAILED??!!? NO FAX, NO email, NO other faster means?!?!? .. What's the fucking point of having internet banking??

Why do i fucking have to reset my password by heading to a ATM by mail, and not via the fucking internet?!?! Heard of email? Can't they fucking generate a random password to my personal email!!? Why do i have to fill up another FUCKING FORM??

What the FUCK are the banks obsession with forms when they want to move things online?!??! Fucking use their brain!?!? Learn from how the US banks (try out citibank man!) do it man and don't try to fucking reinvent the wheel and make a bloody mess out of it!! ...WORK SMART!!!! ... FUCKIN SHIT

Save New Orleans

Dear All Readers,

I am sure you have all heard about the disaster that has befallen New Orleans. I am very sad to see it happen as I've been there once in year 2000 and I love that city. It was my most memorable city visit in US while I was there for 6 years. I still find it hard to believe that the entire French Quarter is now destroyed. Death toll are up to at least 10,000 now.

Please do your part to help. Pray ... whatever ....

or you could donate to Red Cross as I did. Thanks!

http://www.redcross.org

Elite? Essence? 精英？精华？

I am writing in response to the recent Saturday Straits Times Insight article “Who’s afraid of Chinese Poetry?” It was an article that reached into me on multiple levels, as I love the Chinese Language deeply. One part of the article talked about the differences between “jing hua” and “jing ying”, and it got me thinking a lot about my own experience in both languages and my observations with the Chinese standards of Singapore. PM Lee mentioned that “the best is yet to come” and cited Mr Lim, a 31 year old businessman as an example of the "new generation" of Singaporeans who will excel in both languages. But Mr Lim do not represent what Mr Jack Neo said was a disappearing group of Chinese who are not just proficient in Business Chinese only, but proficient in Chinese Language on the whole. I disagree with PM Lee that the best is yet to come. I personally feel that the “best” will never hit the critical mass as what we saw in the previous generations. Here are my thoughts, in Mandarin:

这海峡时报所写的文章，给于我的感觉， 好似在为那些中文水平较低的“精英分子”，讨一个借口来反映新加坡的中文程度有“进步”的趋向。其实实际情况并非这报道以及李总理所说的乐观。梁智强说“精英”只适属所受英文教育者，而“精华”才适于其中文教育者用。李总理说他不同意这样的说法，还说“好戏还在后头”。总理也指出了31岁的林先生为这新一代的新加坡生意人，不仅能听，说，读，还能写商业华文。但总理不了解，林先生的出发点是从商，而不是因为他热爱中文。梁智强所称的“精华”为那些热爱中文以及中华文化者。中文及中华文化是息息相关的，一个人不能说只要已英语来学中华历史，就能完全掌握那中华历史的精粹。相同的，一个人单单为了从商的角度而学习中文，是无法体会到那中华文学的奥秒。在我所看得到的新加坡中文程度来说，只有每况愈下的趋势，而不是“好戏还在后头”。一下是些例子：
1）933 是新加坡人最多人收听的电台，虽然这是个中文电台，但那些DJ们所运用的中文都穿插了许多“不合格”的新加坡“中文”（Sing-darin?)。有一个八卦新闻的单元，就是已这“新加坡式”（变质）的中文，通过一个叫“不小心小姐”的人物来报道。这种节目在不受观众反对的情况下出现，只显示了这社会对中文程度大跌的容忍程度，已到达了一个令人失望的阶段。
2）新加坡社会仍把英文放在较为重要的地位。虽然这是作为一个多种族社会所必要的，但也很显然的，我们10年来推广“讲华语”运动的进度，未及一个“讲“好”英语” 运动的来的强。也许我国的政府觉得只要能讲华语，能做生意，不管是标准或不标准都不重要？
3）如果“好戏还在后头”，那学校的中文课本，怎么变得越来越简单？而我们的中文教学，更是走向以“读，讲”为重点，而把“写”给忽略了呢？如果一个新加坡人华人只会听，读和讲中文，但不懂得写，那也只能算是个“精”，而不能称“华”。所以梁智强大哥说那四十多岁一背的“精华”就快消失了，其实也不是没有道理的。
4）李总理所用来显示中文在新加坡的“地位”有擢升的例子，还算是海底捞针，不是比比皆是。
5）新加坡电视台中有好中文的艺人，多数都是上一辈（陈树辰，黄文永，向云 等），或是外国“进口”的（权怡凤,郭亮），新一代本地艺人有中文好的（锺琴，欧菁仙），却是寥寥无几。


其实那些梁大哥所说的新加坡最后的“精华分子”，他们的存在是因为过去有华校及英校之分。那也算是我们新加坡华文的“黄金年代”。而今日已没有所谓的华校所以现今的“精华”也不可能会到达当年的数目。因此我觉得李总理所说的“好戏还在后头”，还欠缺说服力。

Red Eye - 84%

So here's Wes Craven, departing from his usual horror fair, treating us to a nice little thriller called "Red Eye". I love the simple set up of the film, having most of the action in the confines of an airplane. And it never seemed boring. The intensity (and the chemistry) between Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy was great. Rachel McAdams shone through her performances in this one, and if this is any indication of things to come, we have one fine actress here in the making. Cillian Murphy played "scarecrow" in "Batman Begins" and now, another "scary" character in this one. He's good, but I hope they do not typecast him into all these creepy roles as he is one fine actor too.

Story goes like this: Lisa (McAdams) meets a man at the airport, had a drink with him at a bar, and ended up seating next to him on the same flight. What a nice coincidence? But things are never as simple as it seems. The pace picks up quickly and the movie bumrush from start till finish, keeping the audience at the edge of the seat throughout the entire film. The ending seemed a little too contrived, but it was still done respectfully. And again, it was the acting of the two actors that made it work. Wes Craven made sure the movie was kept serious and made no jokes about it, and it was also what made the movie seemed believable.

Only one complaint. The original teaser/trailer for the film was great! It made it seemed like it was a love story, and then bam! It hits you with a surprise that tells you, things are not as it seems. But the great marketing seems to have lost its impact when it was given away in the description, synopsis, and all the critics who basically gave away the premise that "this is not a horror movie". And they even went as far as explaining what the evil character was up to. Totally knocked the interest level down a notch. Not that it made the movie worse, but it certainly killed the element of surprise.

I recalled going to watch "Independence Day" without knowing who's starring in it, nor knowing what it was about. Imagine my surprise when the Aliens "attacked" instead of "we-are-here- as-frens" ala "encounters of the 3rd kind". The movie was still implausible, but the experience kicked ass.

Wes Craven made his name known as a horror movie director, and even the initial trailer/teaser made it seemed like a "supernatural" or horror movie. But I think I would have given it a higher score had I been a bit more surprised.

Next Up: Red Eye

I just watched this movie. It was good. Will post a review soon.

Hee hee ... well boys and girls ..go catch it ... it is pretty decent. Quite surprised to see this work coming from Wes Craven.

ttyl :)

Perth - 65%

Now now .. if Singapore film makers are all still gonna repeat what people like Eric Khoo and the other film makers are doing, then they will be better off not doing anything. Gloom and doom Singaporean movies are in abundance. But are these people in the majority? Nope. This is a movie about a Singaporean Taxi Driver who dreams of going to Perth, but didn't end up anywhere in the end.

What I would like to see, is more movies like "Forever Fever" as opposed to movies that tries too hard to deep and end up being crappy instead. I may be the only critic in Singapore to give this movie a bad review, but as much as I would like to support the Singapore film industry, if this is any indication of what things are to come, I think Singapore's film industry will remain like this for a fair bit longer than they would like it to be. Now I know many people would think me crazy to rate "The Maid" slightly higher than this, but at least "The Maid" was a tad more entertaining in a silly way. This movie is dogged with bad writing from start to the end. Straits Times last weekend devoted an entire page to review this movie and said this is probably the most coherent and authentic Singaporean film to date? The writing was atrocious and it was hardly coherent!

You could tell the writer tried to put in so many "references" and "criticism" of the political (Harry Lee?? We take care of our kind?) and societal (the "angmohs" in Singapore, the "eat kangtang" generation, the scholar officer etc) scenes of Singapore but they all seem to be merely cheap shots within the context of badly written dialogues.

The main character Harry is not credible at all. Here's a guy who speaks only English (obviously Eng-ed), couldn't understand Hokkien (with the exception of vulgarities) and Mandarin, and he prays to Guan gong? I'd believe it more if he doesn't pray to anything or goes to the church instead. There was a scene of him masturbating? Was it even necessary?? And if I am not wrong, it appears he was in pain when masturbating. Or was I just reading his facial expression and his screams in a wrong way? His wife speaks only Hokkien and Mandarin. You see another disconnect here? The overacting in the film could be attributed to Lim Kay Tong's background in theater, or simply, it was hard to see how he could act out those terrible lines that were written.

I was not disturbed by the film's gory bits, I watched tons of horror flicks in the past 20 years that were much gruesome that those in this film. And really it wasn't as bad as what people had warned me about. I really was looking forward to this film, but it is just another act of rebel without a cause - and in this age of reason, we really shouldn't put up with that.

And at the end of the show, I felt, the best element of the show, was the Cambodian Girl Mai, which isn't saying much really. She said "I don't know why Harry came to rescue me ... but now I am free". Similarly, I don't understand why the film is made, and what message is it trying to say, but at least it has ended.

Who's referencing and quoting who?

Now this is hilarious. Just when I was discussing about how "Ass Tee" is clamping down to hitting those who "quotes" and "reference" their articles without permission, here they come quoting from MY BLOG, without my permission nor prior notification. Bravo bravo! Only "Ass Tee" can do something like that. Here's a scan of the article ... And some of my questions (assuming fair dealing is not taken into account):

1) They ripped from my BLOG, without prior notice nor permission, is that legal?
2) Now that I referenced this article from the paper, obviously without permission, is that legal?
3) But this referenced article is from my BLOG, is it still illegal?
4) If whatever they published in "Ass Tee" are their property, then does it mean that my quote is now "their property"?
5) If so, am I infringing on "Ass Tee"'s property, by leaving my original post still on my Blog without their permission?
6) Is it illegal to quote my quote from another article that quoted me?? ...

I am going dizzy .... Oooo ....... This is messy

"Ass Tee" crackdown update!

*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!

我内心的呐喊

终日奔波，无可歇坐
疲惫不堪，无法集中
此时困处，无得解脱
烦恼杂声，无人听懂
命中希望，无从落实
若无希望，生不如死

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 ....

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!

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.

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. :)

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!!

"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

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. :) ...

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. :)

"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 ....

"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!!

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

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.

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.

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/

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 。。。

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)

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 ....

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.

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.

My Past Life?

In a Past Life...

You Were: An Arrogant Monk. Where You Lived: China. How You Died: Natural causes.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

Now I know why I am so horny in this life .....

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.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

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

Initial D - not too bad ... if not a bit flat .. 71%

Watched Initial D over the weekend. I went in with zero expectations. I have never read the comics. I am not a car fanatic. I didn't really plan for the movie until a few friends wanted to watch and asked me along.

Well, simple story. This kid is the son of a car racer legend. He turns out to be better than his father. And the along the way he fell into love, and out of love. But 2 characters who stole the show, are the father "Bunta", and his best friend, Itsuki" who brags too much. The kicker of the movie are the racing scenes. They are very compelling, and really cool to watch. But somehow, the focus on "drifting" seems to have been over emphasized, that makes it seems like who ever can drift better will win the race. The races are well choreographed and considering that the story is running around 1 single track, and the fact that they can make it interesting enough for more than 1 hour is quite an achievement already.

But how about the flaws? I am not sure about how the actual character is supposed to be, but watching Jay Chou's interpretation, it seems like Takumi's a rather boring dude, who really doesn't have much way of expressing his own feelings. Like I said, I didn't read the comics, but while there are overacting seen in actors, he's a case of underacting. I didn't understand how the girl could get so excited over him for? And it wasn't explained what she sees in him. Also, she mentioned that she has known him for years and they always talked, until recently. Why? Did the main character go through something that turned his personality into the passive, quiet type?

The father "Bunta" played by Anthony Wong is the character to watch. He's dynamic and it seems like he's having fun playing the role. Same for Kenny Bee, but he's not having the most screen time. "Itsuki", played by Chapman was the usual, having all the loud talking always seem by him in other movies, maybe he's chosen because he is ultimately just natural at being a loud mouth brat.

What I learnt, Initial D was a Japanese Comic that got translated into Chinese and then made into the movie. What I would truly like to see, is whether the script was written originally in Japanese, then translated and localized, or was it the other way around. I would wanna watch the Japanese dubbed version to see how it works out. It would be kinda weird to see a bunch of Chinese acting as Japanese - if I were a Japanese. And the fact that those "gang" members who are so blatantly "lineless" just made the movie kinda flat to a certain extent. The inability of the main chinese characters to interact with the rest of the obviously Japanese team members (for instance, the relationship between "Ryousuke" and his gang") is strikingly obvious.

the Box that will be ....

EDWARD (To BRUCE WAYNE)
Why be brutalized by an uncaring
world? My RES Box will give Joe Q
Public a realm where he is king.
(sultry)
Not that someone like you would need
it. Someone so intelligent. Witty.
Charming. But for the lonely, the...

STICKLEY
Paranoid? The psychotic?

EDWARD
(didn't miss it)
...The Box can change their lives.
(looking around)
Our stock coupons will spike.

Edward turns, actually CLAPS Stickley on the back.

EDWARD
Hell. Might even bring old Stickley
here a few extra bucks. Huh, Fred?

STICKLEY
Fred?

Bruce takes off his glasses, rubs his eyes in vague
disbelief, cleans the lenses.

EDWARD
Wayne Enterprises will spearhead an
entertainment revolution.

Later in the movie

RIDDLER (EDWARD)
"How fitting that numbers lead you to me. For numbers will crown me king. My Box will sit on countless TV's around the globe, mapping brains, giving me credit card numbers. Bank codes. Safe combinations. Numbers of infidelities. Of crimes. Of lies told. No secret is safe from my watchful electronic eye. I will rule the planet. For if knowledge is power then tremble world, Edward Nygma has become a God."

TAKEN FROM "Batman forever" (1994)

1994, Riddler (Edward) aimed to take over the world with his little green TV boxes.

2001. Gates did the same with his hugeass Xboxes.

Long Live Blogs

"A strong and confident government may not like its critics, but it should be able to withstand a robust public debate. The right to be who you are and express what you feel is one of the most fundamental of human existence, and governments who lock up dissenters are showing contempt for all their citizens.

Freedom of belief and freedom of expression are far from universal. But in the words of the Declaration of Human Rights, they are the 'highest aspiration of the common people.'"

Long Live Blogs :)

Bush's stance on Global Warming

Finally ... after rejecting that Man has any role to play in warming up the planet ... he has finally given in ... a little bit ... this time .. the answer is "to a certain extent"...

"I am sorry ... US economy is more important ... the rest of the world will just have to burn in hell with the warming issue, we can't fix the CO2 issue if we can't make mo' money"

So .... let the selfish leaders of the world decide what's more important. Money or the Health of the planet. Yes, money can help to heal the planet to a certain extent ... but there's one thing it can't buy .. Time ....

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-warming5jul05,0,7451975.story?coll=la-home-headlines

MJ

Man i love Michael Jackson. Recently I have been going through some sort of a MJ renaissance, going around looking for his CDs and snapping up the old discs that I missed. Listening to his music again suddenly brought back memories of my teenage years when I was so crazy crazy over him. Yes, yes ... I admit i did practice the moonwalk behind my closed doors. :P I bought every single, and taped all the TV shows with his appearances .. and of course, I went to his concerts. :)

Now, again looking through the collection of all the MJ stuff I have, I am suddenly amazed again at how wonderfully talented this singer is. He's lived his entire life providing entertainment to people, and if you think about it, it is a very scary thought. I mean, I hardly remember anything from 5, 6 years old, but that is when he started. For 4 decades. 4 freaking decades. His life is like a movie played out 40 years for people to watch. The recent trial was probably one of the biggest thing in his "History" when one looks back from the future. I just hope that his musical/entertainment journey doesn't just end here.

Here's hoping to many more years of Jacko's Wackiness, and great music. :)

Are Singaporean pampered?

My observation, would be "yes", and I didn't realize that about myself too until I have spent a few years overseas. It is funny how we cannot see our own faults until we step into other people's shoes. It is always tough to take criticisms, but it is like bad tasting medicine - they are essential to making us better.

But another problem with Singaporeans (generally speaking, again), is that, they want to rebuke, explain, and use excuses to justify their actions, without first considering why the criticism are raised. They are too eager to offer a response, that they refuse to look at things from the critics' perspective.

Back to the pampered issue. Why do I say so about Singaporeans? Well, we're too sheltered, having the system spoon feed us in every way, always having rules to control our behavior in the society, etc ... these in one way or another, resulted in a parental disciplinary kinda of attitude the government has towards us, the children. And as a result, this kind of attitude gets filtered down to the kind of upbringing we're subjected to - the parents who never allows the kid to do anything unless permission is given, in a way to protect the kid - thus the kids will grow up teaching their kids the same thing. A vicious cycle. They see that the kind of "sheltered upbringing" is keeping them safe, and prosperity. They see that by believing what the government tells them to do, our economy will prosper, our children would be safe, and everything would be great.

The system works, so everyone in their own comfort zone, learn to obey the rules and see everything else (outside Singapore) as not as good as what you got at home. "We are Singapore. We are Singapore. We're a nation strong and free forevermore" sings the children. "We have the best airport, busiest port .." as we are taught. The system has instilled in all of us a sense of elitism that we close our minds to the fact that "we're not No.1 in everything".

But reality now comes back to bite us. We are not as dynamic as we should be in a slump of the economy. The people are inflexible. Now the pampered Singaporeans who follows the rules are realising that following the old rules doesn't seem to pull our economy back on its feet ... and the now a few crazy ones wants to revolutionize and make things better. But the "crazy ones" are the, minority. But they are ones who wants to create, and inject changes - something the pampered system would resist.

However, the system understands that it needs the crazy ones to work with and improve the system, and not to shut them out entirely. The system understands that it is the crazy ones who will create new markets and new opportunities.

But the crazy one says ... "I am a quitter. I can't fight the system alone. I will leave and find my opportunities elsewhere". So the system will have to find a way to work with, and not fight the crazy ones. Or the system might one day drown in its own delusional elitism.

War of the Worlds (2005) - 75%

Yes, finally caught it. Like many of Spielberg's movie, there were so many of his signature shots in there. He loves to do long continuous shots of conversations and do the panning around the characters maneuver. You see quite a number of these in War of the Worlds 2005. Actually I only noticed this style of his from his last film "Minority Report" and I realise that he has repeatedly used this again and again here.

One scene one might not notice, is the shot of Cruise and kids in the car for the first time, and u see how the camera is flying around them while the entire conversation is taking place. Awesome awesome awesome ..... For those who didn't notice, watch the show again and discover this. It is totally impressive.

Ok, enough of the technical stuff. How about the story? It is basically the same as what novel and the previous movie were about. Aliens arrive, aliens attack, people run, people die, people go crazy, then aliens die. Nothing unexpected, but the effects are very very impressive. There's a very simple setup, and within 15min, the action started to roll. And it is a rollercoaster ride all the way from start to finish. It is intense, and unforgiving. No holds barred aliens bent on human extermination. This is not a kiddy movie, and it does not serve to explain why things happen the way they do. It is like a documentary of what happened in the history of mankind in a few crazy days. As a result, you leave the theater with lotsa of unanswered questions. But the movie reminded the audience, that in the heat of emergencies and destruction, it is the people around you that matters. Basically, you do not stop to think, for you may die if you do, you'd just run and survive first.

The references to war are also there. Or at least if you bothered to make the references. To me, it didn't matter if it was the aliens who attacked or not - survival was all that mattered. "I don't care if you hate me .... think of your sister ... I love you", said Ray, the character played by Tom Cruise, to his son in a pivotal moment in the movie. It is the sacrifices you're willing to make to protect the ones you love, and what truly mattered or not in war. Or should I say, what didn't matter, when all you got to lose, are all the loved ones around you.

So does the ending suck this time? Hmm ... it is basically still the same as before, but I thought in light of how the movie is setup (no explanation how/why things started), it is alright that they ended with no full explanation. Maybe there will be a documentary in that world that would show on their History channel few years after the events that happened in the movie, that would explain what they found out. But we will have to satisfy with at least the scenes of how the events unfolded - and leave the rest to our imagination.