Astro First

Weee~ Now we can watch latest local movies at home!
15 ringgit per movie, not per person okeh. Boleh tgk ramai dengan datuk nenek pakcik makcik kawan kawan. Merapatkan Silaturrahim. =)
12 different viewing time! Boleh tgk puas puas, ulang ulang.
Non stop for 2 days! Saturday & Sunday? Monday and Tuesday? It's your call.
Langganlah Astro First Channel 480.

Ter-promote pulak. Hehe.

Watched Ngankung, Damping Malam and Aku Masih Dara with families yesterday. Best best. =D
It's a good feeling having to spend time with mom dad and siblings macam ni. Ketawa2 because we are so jakun dgn Astro First! Cam kampong ar kami. Rumah pun memang dah cam kampong. Haha.

Ngangkung was hilarious! Love the doctor's approach in giving advices. Lesson learnt: Sayangilah keluarga dan jauhilah nombor ekor!

Damping Malam was a bit slow at first but it's getting interesting towards the end. It's a family movie. A good reminder not to venture into the dark world...

Aku Masih Dara was awesome! Yes sexy clothes, daring acts... but whateva. It's the message that counts. I love the scripts and scenarios... it's happening in our society now....so close and so true... hmmph.

Erm...so what's up with the colorful bottle huh? Hehe. Because i wanna say to you...Have a Rainbowy Sunday with family and friends! Go go get the Astro First Now!! Da~

Closer

Movie Title : CLOSER

“And you left him, just like that?”
“It’s the only way to leave. ‘I don’t love you anymore. Goodbye.’”
“Supposing you do still love them?”
“You don’t leave.”
“You’ve never left someone you still love?”
“Nope.”

My words:
- It's amazing how one can make the complicated simple.
- I havent't watch this movie yet. Hmmph.
- Have you watched it?

Even Yasmin Ahmad...

After preparing things for tomorrow (first day at work), I opened Google Reader and saw an update from Yasmin Ahmad. I clicked her link and I saw this:

"Seraphine". Shepherdess, housekeeper, self-taught artist, genius. Watch her story at GSC One Utama.

And this thought came to mind.... "Even Yasmin Ahmad likes the movie!! "

Hahaha =D

Séraphine Louis

From left: Movie poster, Yolande Moreau as Seraphine, Seraphine paints.
Below: The real Seraphine Louis (1864-1948).

“Seraphine”. Filem Antarabangsa dari Perancis.

Tentang seorang pelukis. Namanya Séraphine Louis.
Tentang seorang pengumpul seni. Namanya Wilhelm Uhde.
Oh bukan. Ini bukan kisah cinta. =P

Séraphine yatim piatu. Dia seorang pembantu rumah pada waktu siang bertukar menjadi seorang pelukis pada waktu malam. Tidak banyak bercakap tapi suka menyanyi. Sangat cinta pada alam dan tumbuh-tumbuhan. Tidak pernah masuk kelas melukis. Pandai melukis dengan sendirinya, dari hati. Séraphine melukis dengan campuran buah-buahan, bunga-bunga, lumpur, arak hinggakan darah. Apa-apa sahaja yang dia jumpa dan lihat yang dirasakan boleh guna untuk melukis.

Wilhelm, seorang pencinta dan pengkritik seni yang homoseksual @ gay. Selalu bersama adik perempuannya. Wilhelm lah orang pertama yang membeli lukisan Seraphine, malah lukisan Picasso juga.

Things I learnt from the movie:

• Kalau manusia dah memang minat sangat akan sesuatu, Perang Dunia Pertama pun tak dapat menghalang dari melakukan apa yang kita mahu.
• Kurangnya duit bukan penghalang untuk seseorang menjadi apa yang dia mahu jadi. Contohnya pelukis. Takde duit, guna lah benda free!! hehehhehe.
• Menyentuh atau bercakap dengan tumbuh-tumbuhan, pokok, sungai, alam semula jadi dan binatang adalah sesuatu yang menenangkan hati.
• Dapat wang yang banyak serta merta boleh menjadikan seseorang boros. Huhu (Kena batang hidung sendiri)
• Semua manusia ada “dark side” masing-masing.
• Mengharapkan sesuatu sangat sangat dan kemudian tidak dapat, boleh menjadikan seseorang itu gila. Lebih lebih lagi kalau tiada kawan di sisi.
• Sedalam mana pun minat kita terhadap sesuatu, jangan biarkan diri tidak terurus.
• Tidak ada manusia yang mahu hidup dalam kekotoran, tetapi kemiskinan menyebabkan mereka terpaksa hidup BERSAMA kekotoran. Kalau diberi peluang, semua manusia mahukan sesuatu yang bersih dan cantik.
• Terimalah ahli keluarga seadanya. Walaupun gay. Sebab dia darah daging kita.
• Jangan pandang rendah atau memijak orang bawahan. Mereka pasti mempunyai bakat atau kepandaian yang tersembunyi.

Filem ini lambat. Tidak sesuai untuk orang-orang yang suka pada romantika dan kepantasan.

Sekian.

p/s: Japanese Film Festival 2009 is just around the corner. Arghh!!!! Why oh why semua mesti ada di Kuala Lumpur?!!

3 movies reviews

This for all movie goers. Me and Summer watched three movies in the past week and I was supposed to write a review for all three so here it is. We watched Street Kings, Nim's Island and L change the world. Three totally different movies with different effects and we loved all three of it. So let us see how it compares.
Street Kings
Street kings featured Keanu Reeves who I haven't seen for a while. He went missing after The Matrix trilogy but then again when you earn more than 22 million per movie I guess I would have done the same too. Anyway this movie is so good in so many ways, confusing in more ways than one and violent in the most realistic manner possible. The story revolved around a hard-ass cop who has this sense of justice that is equaled only to heroes from the past. He doesn't go by the book which gets him in trouble but he gets the job done and somehow he always gets away with it. The best thing I think about this movie is that they were very realistic. They used words like "heat" for gun and "bust" for an operation which was similar to everyday police terms. I loved the fact that they didn't clean up the language and the fact that the movie revolved around the idea of good cop and bad cop. The Gory details of the shooting were amazing. You could see bullets coming through the back of someone's head and going through their nostrils. So much so Summer was scared at the idea. She's seen movies with shootings too but this were scary for her. Keanu Reeves was good and this time he wasn't asked to go flying around the world saving the world from computers so his acting was tested this time. If you watch this movie, there is this one scene where Keanu Reeves takes off his belt and wraps it around his knuckle, now everyone who has ever been in a fight before knows that if you don't have a weapon that is the best thing to use and I liked that they incorporated that idea instead of Keanu always having a gun around. I rate this movie 3 ½ stars out of 5. Its good but its not epic, a must see for movies enthusiasts.

Nim's Island.

This is a pretty good family movie that will be enjoyed by kids and grown ups alike. It's a story about a little girl and her father that lives on an island just the two of them (tell me that idea doesn't sound good, the whole island for yourself) and how they live everyday on the island. One day the father gets trapped in a storm and she was left alone to fend off people from further inhabiting the island, while a woman half way across the world is having problems with her inner self who actually is the main character of the book she's writing. A writer who writes about danger and adventure but refuses to leave her home (tell me about irony huh??) so the combination of these three different situation added with the funny cute and adorable animals and witty script writing makes it a pretty good movie. There however a few elements that looks rather over-exaggerated and this doesn't help the movie in the right direction, but then again it allows for the most minimal of imagination and the most of happy families. This movie would be good for people who love happy endings without really caring how the story got there. People who don't look into details would love this movie and the little girl was an okay actress for her debut movie. I rate this movie 3 out of 5 stars. Good, funny, comical, a little unrealistic but acceptable. Enjoyable.

L changes the world

This is the third sequel for the Death Note movie. Although I think it is also a separate movie altogether. This is a story of how another Wammy School legend was found (if you read the comic you'd know). I personally loved the comic version of death note so the fact that it wasn't according to the book was a little bit of a turn off. But the movie did have its qualities. The movie picked up where it left of within the 23 day period that L had to live. He was given a case about a virus that had killed an entire village except one boy who was then taken by F (another Wammy student) and given to L. A little girl who was also smart also played an important part in the movie. L was trying to solve every case he got within his waiting period and it was a spectacle for some. The movie was more of a telling story where L was given a more human look then just a genius who had the heart of ice. He was given emotions and his reaction in unforeseen situations was worth a laugh. Although the movie was rather tainted by a few commentators sitting behind us, we got the movie clearly, I personally would have liked if his genius-ness was highlighted by focusing more on the cases he solved but the movie was in the end not about his head but rather his heart. The ending was a little sad and I won't spoil it for you. But I could have been a lot better than it wasJ. I rate this movie 3 out of 5 stars. A good movie for Death Note enthusiast and not alike. Enjoy people!

p/s – We rate movie like LOTR trilogy, Braveheart, 300 at 5 stars hehehe

Ah Long Pte. Ltd

Ah Long Pte. Ltd is funny! Not as funny as CJ7 though but still it’s witty and hilarious. It is a movie from Singapore.

And if you are aware about the scenarios of Malaysian politics, you will notice that the movie resembles some of our country’s political scenes. That’s why it’s funny!

Plus, in the cinema, you will be taught indirectly, to view the world from Ah Long’s perspective. Hehe.

Anyway, Ah Long gang got their own theme song you know… hahaha.

Have you ever seen a pretty girl as Ah Long’s gang LEADER? Ha…..

Go and watch it! Tidak rugi wang kamu, percayalah!

Take the Lead

I’ve always loved movies with dancing element in it. Step Up 1, Step Up 2, to name a few. Not mentioning that I've always wished I was a dancer. Well I was (right, Shaleen? Hehe) and now I still am… a dancer of life. =P

Well anyway, last week I watched this TAKE THE LEAD movie and yes, it’s about dance. What makes this movie different is it’s about ballroom dancing, not hip-hop style like in Step Up’s. Also, the words that came out from Dulaine’s character are so beautiful making the movie inspirational.

Now I'd like to share some of the nice phrases with you together with my own comments in blue. (I paused the movie from time to time just to jot down the words. Haha. Well, wuteva.)

Here we go..........

Dance is like a life. You need to dance for yourself, not for anyone else. (Same goes to everything we do. We do it for ourselves, because we want to. Not because other people tell us to.)
In ancient times, there was a belief that any man who could kill with speed and accuracy should be able to dance with grace as well. Ballroom dancing is for kings and empresses. It is the dance of strength, of romance and love. (Oh, now I know. Nowadays, everyone can dance it and I think every dance is dance of strength. Not just ballroom. )

Teacher:You can get whatever you want.
Student:No, only some people get the shit they want.
Teacher:That’s true. And those are the people who show up to get it.
(Haha. True, if we want something so much, we have to work hard to get it, right? Be it shit or gold. Herh. Funny.)
Whatever problems you have with each other, you can work out as partners. (Right! - Me being enthusiastic.)

Sometimes, the best way to conquer an enemy is to get right up in his face. (Hmm, right up in face? Face to face maybe? See, I knew it! Now, you have problems with me girl? Come, face to face la. =P hihi.)
Common emotions can be very powerful. (True, funny how simple feelings can lead us to unexpected opportunities or events. “I love writing” – which can make u a popular column writer. Who knows?)

Teacher: The man leads. It is the woman’s job to follow.
Student: Oh so, if he gets to lead, then he’s gonna think he’s boss?
Teacher: No, but he’s not. You see, the man proposes the step, it’s the woman’s choice to accept by following. Now, to follow takes as much strength as to lead. (See? It’s ok if we are a follower. The message is there. Direct.)

If she’s allows me to lead, she’s trusting me. But more than that, she’s trusting herself. (Hmm...ok...)

Having the courage to follow your heart is what makes a man, a real man. (U read that guys?)
Trust must be earned. (True, we cannot buy one’s trust. But can we regain the trust back once it is lost?)
You have the opportunity to use every bit of skill you possess, not to dominate her but to take her on a journey. It is a lot to ask. If and how you take the journey - that’s entirely up to you. (So guys, don’t be too dominant.)
What have I taught you has value. (If we think hard, everything that we have learnt in life, does has value. We just have to open our heart and see it.)

If you are not sure, just sit down, stay home. But if somewhere you see a dot, a glimmer of believes in yourself, then you might have what it takes to win. (Be Confident. Be brave. Hope. Believe.)
To do something, anything is hard. It’s much easier to blame your father, your mother, the environment, the government, the lack of money but even if you find a place to assign the blame, it doesn’t make the problems go away. (Yes, we shouldn’t focus on who’s to blame. Instead, how to solve the problem)
I teach dance, and with it a set of rules that will teach your kids about respect, teamwork and dignity. And that will help to give them a vision of the future they could have. (Yes, rules can teach us something. Think about it.)