Getting Home

Well, the truth is that I am pretty disappointed with the Hulu Selangor's by-election result. But life goes on, when something negative comes your way, instead of being affected by it, channel your energy toward something positive and life will be better again. That's why I like movie so much. And naive I may sound but I believe that the timing isn't right this time and the underhand tactics employed by BN, and the highly superficial 1Malaysia, really did fool some people this time.

Anyway, this is a good movie to watch folks. I didn't know this could be so good. An interesting storyline. It is just that I don't know why does it matter when you die, why should you be buried where you were born? The dead wouldn't, and couldn't, care. It is the living ones that care too much. I guess i just don't share this notion.

The middle-aged man begun a journey of transporting his buddy, who died of a drunkard, to the place where he was born. Things get pretty much interesting along the way home. The misfortune events, the interesting people that he crosses path with. Well, read the review here.

I like the movie right at the very minute I saw the cover.

City Of God

There is no God living in the City of God. City of God is no heaven to you and me and anything spiritual. Far from it, it is cold-blooded and too low a human life to be (At least that's what I think). It shows you life struggles in a condemned place, or aptly put, in a slum. To become a 'God' and success in the slum, one has to... well... kill, and be powerful and notorious as one can be through ill-gotten gains and means. Drug-related crimes and gang warfare are inseparable in slum. This place is cursed!

The youths of the slum read no books and the only education that they know is that kill to get ahead. Kill to seek revenge. Kill to get thrills. Kill so that the 'business' is yours to take over. Kill, or be killed. They minds are preocupied with ways of getting rich and becoming fearsome in the slum in order to be where they think they should be. If you can stomach the vision of yong persons flashing and using thier guns without thinking much, then I think you will accept this movie well.

A movie dealing with darker side of humanity but if you like story as real as it gets (like me), this movie you shouldn't missed and disappointed.

By the way, this movie is based on true story and events. BBC had a survey to see how long the youths in the slum live. You'll be 'impressed' with the findings.

By the way, this is one of the impressive movies that I have watched in recent years - Although it was produced way back in 2002.

Crappy Movies

I was a movie buff. I like movies a lot in my younger years to a point I though I was in serious addiction problem and I can’t wait to catch a movie / movies each and every week without fail. If I did not catch a movie, that particular week would be quite miserable for me – like something is missing. Whether going to a movie alone or with friends I just totally enjoy it. At one time, I even think that what would life be without movies and music.

What I used to like about movies is its core entertainment and senses-stimulation values: The graphic effects, the booming and crispy sound, the punch-to-punch-and-kick-to-kick, the chase (after bad guys or after girls), the laughs, the suspense, the big names, the big budget production, the screamers, the shockers, and basically, the Hollywood type of movie.

So over the years, I have watched a lot of movies that I like and movie that make me feel like bitch-slapping the producers. Today, I would like to talk about movies that are senseless and pointless to me, especially the one produced by Hollywood. Movie that you sit through and wish that you were never born to subject to this torture. Feel free to disagree with me, I find more and more bad movies nowadays compared to many many years before.

With the advancement and sophistication of technology, backed by a large pool of highly skilled professional movie workers, you would have though that Hollywood, being the best movie producer in the world, has what it takes to provide movie buff with reasonably good movies. That’s partly right. They fill us with rubbish movies as well.

There are bad movies everywhere but I could not remember their names but just talk about recent ones I can give you two: Don’t mess with Zohan (DMWZ), and Step Brothers (SB).

Well, what can I say about these two movies. You can sit me through the C-class horror movies or oldies or movies that just talking, talking, and talking and I will survive till the end of the movie. That’s show just how good my tolerance level. But my opinion of DMWZ is one word: Anger. I never felt as such about a movie. The movie was such a total insult to your intelligence and it is totally devoid of anything good. The fact that it was shown in Malaysia was such a mystery to me? Is the movie distributor out of their mind by bringing in such a low class movie which is full of… well… shit, shit, and more shit and very very low class jokes which are anything but funny. I was shocked to find that Adam Sandler actually produced the movie and needless to say, I have banned all Adam Sandler future movies from my to-watch list. The only movie makes me sick to stomach and really feel like throwing a chair to the screen – this is the one!

If my memory serves me right, the parents were furious and objected the screening of the movie because of the profanities and offensive contents which is unsuitable to our children. I totally understand why so.

As luck would have it, I was watching Step Brothers (SB) yesterday and as much as I think Will Ferrel is one of the funniest comedians in tinseltown and how he made me laugh with the movies like The Producers (What a brilliant movie!), but he failed miserably with SB and I could not fathom why was this movie produced at all and yes, he is one of the producers of the movie. Poor script, lame storyline, lousy and retard jokes and damn! It is just about two 40 something adults behaved like 5 years-old in the entire movies.

Okay, I feel more and more crappy now talking about crappy movies? What’s your crappy movie?

Slovak Sling

Well well well, like this short movie!

Malaysia Got Talented Movie Directors

A ha ha ha ha ha! Jangan salah potong! Don't cut the wrong thing!



If you want more, click here la - http://15malaysia.com/films/. Short movies made by talented Malaysians. Must sokong sokong (support) mah!

By the way, you can't see most of the movies yet as it will be released one by one.

Said Who Muscular Guy Can't Act

I did not know what went on my mind on that day. I usually don't think too highly about action-oriented movie. In fact, I will skip as many as possible in recent years. For me, the action movie is like no-brainer to me (Sorry if I have offended you, just my opinion). The kind of movie that I would avoid at best. The minute the movie is over, you forget about what you have just watched. It's like bang-shot-boom-punch-crash-run-hero-takes-all. Err, what was the movie about I just watched?

But when I caught a glimpse at the front cover with its reflective movie title: JCVD, I automatically picked it up and read the storyline. Surprisingly, I like it - the storyline - but then I was skeptical. Can this movie be as good as the storyline? I haven't researched on the review and this could be one of the many disappointments of the year. Wait, there isn't any review because this movie was not even showed in Malaysia. I did not put it down. My gut feeling tells me. This one could be different - it must be!

What the heck!If it is really bad, turn off the player and go to bed early. So I bought the DVD.

Jean-Claude Van Damme. My impression of him is that he did a lot of action movies which would make me feel (Sorry! Van Damme) like puking. Just like Stellone, Arnold, and the like. Their muscular images are too prominent or too strong. They are the hero who take on bad guys and the more human they attempted to be in the movies, the more heartless those movie critique are to their acting skills. You hardly think that anyone of them can be versatile in movie. Can you imagine Stellone acting in Shakespeare? As much as he wants too but he can't. They are born to do action movies. Taking a more serious acting job is suicidal to their career. Like throwing money to the sea lah!

After finished watching the movie, I was blown away. How come this movie not shown in Malaysia? My oh my Jean-Claude I was taken aback this time. You did very well this time around. I can't believe I say it but I can see you now in the new perspective: You can definitely handle more serious acting job that the other gang. More human, fragile, vulnerable, and regular-guy role.











So here you go, JCVD is, in the movie, himself with a dying / down-the-hill career. He is down-and-out in his life. Financially broke. Entangled in custody with his ex-wife over his daughter. His luck really bad even Steven Seagal pinched his role. Seeking inner peace in the time of chaos, he flies off to his home country - Brussel - but unfortunately he accidentally walks into a robbery in a post office. What makes it worse is that the police mistaken him tobe the one who robs the bank and holds hostage! Needless to say, the robbers try to make use of him to escape.

If you are expecting Van Damme flexing his muscle punching bad guys out of day light and that's what you really like, well, don't bother to watch this movie. But if you are in for a good movie - comedy drama with a little bit of acting from Van Damme. Don't miss this.

Overall, this movie is superb in many criteria. I would say it is the best Van Damme movie to-date! In many level, this movie is not to be missed. You see Van Damme in better light and of course, how can I forget the director - Mabrouk El Mechri. Look forward to his new movie.


Said who muscular guy can't act! Don't expect oscar standard kind of performance. You'll be pleasantly surprised of Jean-Claude in this movie. I know I did.

Statistics

We are or will be part of the statistics.

Like it or not, the ultimate statistics that you, me, and all the human in this world would be in one day is death statistics or some may term it more graciously: The Passing.

No worry, this is not a post that intends to be thought-provoking or insightful on heavy subject such as death. I just want to share with you about this movie that I watched over a recent weekend and it is called 'Statistics' and this is one that worth recommendation.

Despite the recommendation, let me tell you in advance that this is not a movie review. I merely present to you what my thoughts are about this movie and if you do have an opportunity, don't miss this movie. This is not your typical or average Hollywood movie that promised A-class actor / actress or backed by multi-million production budget. This is not a typical movie that sends you screaming with the ghostly images, or the romantic story that leaves you mushy and sloppy over love, or none-stop actions that stimulate (or confuse, sometimes) your senses. This movie tells you coldly about life and how it is being disregarded by everyone of us every passing minute. It tells you life as it is: Unfair, obnoxious, pity, down-and-out and all the negetivity about life but we are to remember that this is a life worth fighting and living for.

So imagine that you are having a really bad day: A heated argument with your boss, or an ugly divorce, or a druggy son or anything that makes you feel absolutely miserable with your life and you would rather sleep your days over then to be up and aware. Well, there is always something that is worth living for or wake up to but you refuse to see it.

I won't be revealing much about the storyline. It is not a complicated story and this much I can tell you:

Life was totally unfair to him and pushed him to the point of explosion and that's what happened to an enraged Deejay who was called in by his boss despite the fact that he was sleep deprived due to a a fire broke out a night before destroyed everything he owns except for his car, wife, and two kids. He tried to get a day off from his boss to sort things out but his request was coldly rejected by his boss. So with his dejected mood, he dragged himself to the studio, went on air and he started to count statistics (rapes, murders, suicides, etc) to his audience in a very direct and unstoppable way: He questioned God / faith, he questioned human ignorance, he questioned inhuman actions, he questioned everything as if nothing is good in this world just like what we would do (normally) when bad things befall us: We think this world is just hopeless.

As portraits through out the movie, the life of us and others around us are fragile and deserve more appreciations. Death comes in many forms and can be just wildly unexpected. Imagine one of your good friends are being killed one day by just walking to his car and some teenager punks think it is cool to whack him from behind with a baseball bat in a moving car just to earn the respect from his peer 'Look, dudes! I can totally do that too and don't you ever mess with me!" One life perished because of one's vanity. How sad but very true. It is happening every day and somewhere in the world every passing minute.

The deaths in this movie are not the kind of death that comes with old age, graceful and painless passing. Their lives were snatched away disrespectfully, against their wish / will, and they all died of unworthy cause. One question that popped in my mind was: These individuals deserves some respect.

While watching the movie, I had flashbacks of road accident that I had encountered in my life thus fur and I have always been consistent in my reactions: I will drive past the scene without slowing down (If I know assistance is there) and I will never peek at the victim. Why such reactions from me? Because out of respect. If you are the victim or when you are at your dying breath, do you want strangers who have absolutely no help to your situation whatsoever to look at you? They are not mourning your death but they are merely onlooker. Of course, I did not mean to say that all those slow down to watch are doing it out of disrespect of the victim. That's just the way I give my respect to the victim.

Reading back what I have written so far made me realized that it is not so upbeat. The movie suggests to us one way to go through the saddest / darkest times are to look at what we have and find / remember that there are always good and wonderful things about life too.

Death is always a tragic thing to us and it is our wisdom that carries us through the saddest point in our life and there is no life unworthy of living. We are the lucky bunch for no being the statistics of 911, Tsunami, suicide bombers and etc. Be grateful everyday.