Don't Kill...Learn !!!

I was utterly disappointed with Dreamworks last year, whereas their 2008 biggest hit, "Kungfu Panda", left a good notion that actually this studio could make good animation, until the terrible "Monster and Aliens" and "Madagascar 2" came out, and after I watched the dreadful "Shrek 4" trailer, I guess this studio produces shits. Imagine my growing skepticism when I heard they are planning to release "How to Train Your Dragon", which left me an impression...what a douche title!

But, this time, Dreamworks makes me swallowed my own words. It appears this flick is not just a very good movie indeed, but also has topped "Kungfu Panda" in every department. You have a good story line, suitable also for adults, good moral lessons for youngsters, a nice family relationships, and without giving any spoiler, a very rare and unique ending for an animation movie, which I haven't seen for quite a while, even Pixar haven't picked this up.

Loosey based on the 2003 book with same title, the story was dated back in the village of Berg during the Viking years, where they are in the middle of dragon wars led by the mighty Stoick (Gerard Butler). It appears that all the males in the region are mighty and bulky warriors, with one exception, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel). For starter, he doesn't even look like a Viking, sorta kind of a nerdy, no physical appearance at all, not to mention he's also a cowardice type. While he's trying to impress his father, he accidentally captured a very unique black dragon, which he intends to finish it off to show his worth to be a Viking. But, as cowardice is in his blood already, he just couldn't do it. On the contrary, he made a bond with the dragon in a way that they were becoming more than friends. Hiccup and Toothless (you'll know why he named him that way) became inseparable, even in the middle of his training as dragon slayer where he learnt all the tricks of taming a dragon from Toothless himself. But apparently, things were getting messier when Stoick found out that his son actually kept a dragon as a pet, which placed Hiccup in the position that he has to choose side.

On the skin, this resembles "Eragon" a bit, although "How to Train Your Dragon" is much well crafted. As I mentioned before, the richness in the story line does not only make the kids enjoy it, but also makes it a well made family movie. Even I think the action scenes and the dragon riding thrill is on par with Avatar, or maybe much more spectacular especially in final battle scenes. Another plus thing is the jokes and funny moments, which are fresh, not cheesy or cheap lines, especially on how Hiccup attempts to tame Toothless (the fish scene was just so hilarious!).

In term of graphic, Dreamworks really propelled their renderings into a better quality. The forest and mountain scenery are nicely done, gave a realistic impression. They also did a great job on various dragon types, along with each characteristics.

The voice over casts also do a splendid job bringing the main characters into life. I guess this is the first time Dreamworks doesn't use too many high profile voice overs, only Gerard Butler is the notable A-Star cast on the list, while the main character Baruchel as Hiccup is reasonably unknown, others are just good enough, such as Craig Ferguson as Gobber, Hiccup trainer, and America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) as the ambitious Astrid which thinks Hiccup is her main competitor to be the best dragon slayer. Jonah Hill and Kirsten Wiig although limited, have played their part adequately.

To conclude, "How To Train Your Dragon" is a swift adventure movie, with a suprising dramatic depth. Kids will love it, adults will enjoy it, perfect for the whole house. It has the best animated scenes, maybe on the same level with Pixar's "Up". Last but not least, I believe this is one of the those movies which is worth watching on 3-D, but again, it's the story and the characters which kept me on my seat and enjoy the movie, not the graphic enhancements.

My Rating : 9/10

My current playlist...

Last week, I went to the Kings of Convenience convert at the Esplanade, and I must say, it was a splendid performance from the Norwegian duo. Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe ( I still dunno how to spell their full name) entertained the audience for 90 minutes with their magnificent acoustic performance. Lucky enough, Suri and me managed to be part of the show, considering we almost run out of tickets. Well, apparently, an expensive ticket it's really worth it especially when you are already on your seat (we sat on K row, which like 8-10 m from the stage).

My point being is, there is so many non-mainstream artists out there who are so talented. The difference is that mostly they are under the radar. Kings of Convenience was my first so-called non-mainstream music (thanks to the a particular 'chick' which has poisoned me with this, I must say it worked well!). Afterwards, I've been trying to find other indie singers, especially folk kind of type. And, I dunno why, I felt like I'm more into female singers than males. I guess it's kinda cool when you are a hot chick, who can sing, play your instruments, and write your own songs. I used to love Lisa Loeb, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Garbage, and Jewel. Somehow, I can't find suitable substitutes for those females, and I can only think a few, e.g. Colbie Calliat (too mellow), Taylor Swift (one of my favs at the moment), and Katy Perry (hot and rock n roll).

So, what I did was that I just click into amazon.com or iTunes store, and search for other similar music with Kings of Convenience. Usually they will be listed under "Listeners also bought:". And after some time of collecting those artist (or in illegal term, 'downloading'), I enlisted some of the good ones, so you might want to listen just in case you're bored with Britney, Miley, or Gaga...

1. She and Him
http://www.sheandhim.com/#
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She_&_Him



2. Ingrid Michaelson
http://www.ingridmichaelson.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Michaelson



3. Mat Kearney
http://www.matkearney.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mat_Kearney

4. Olivia Broadfield

http://www.myspace.com/oliviabroadfield

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Broadfield

5. Temper Trap

http://www.thetempertrap.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Temper_Trap

6. Port Blue (from Owl City)

http://www.myspace.com/portblue

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Port_Blue&redirect=no

7. The Bird and the Bee

http://www.thebirdandthebee.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bird_and_the_Bee

8. A Fine Frenzy

http://www.afinefrenzy.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine_frenzy

9. Kate Voegele

http://www.katevoegele.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Voegele

10. Kristina train

http://www.kristinatrain.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristina_Train

Okay, I guess those 10 are on my current playlist. How to get them? Legally, buy them at the CD store, although no guarantee they are available. Support the artist by buying the original CDs...In my case, I get them through torrents...

Hope you like 'em...enjoy your weekend !!!

Off With Her Head !!!

Alice is back to Wonderland, erhm...Underland (the term they used in the movie). So, just to inform you, this is not a remake. Alice who fell to he rabbit hole when she was just little, now is 19, and just about to be proposed by a local Lord. Somehow, she didn't remember anything about the Wonderland, but she always has this recurring nightmare over and over again. For her, all those dreams are not making any sense, until she met a rabbit holding a clock in her proposal day, which led her to the familiar hole. Once again, she fell into the rabbit hole, and back to the Underland, erhm...Wonderland.

Alice enters the Matrix

The first time I saw the trailer, all I can imagine it will be dark, less disney, and more Burton, with pale colors all over the place. Turns out Alice is full of wonderful and delightful colors, with every different spot of Wonderland presents different Aura, from the tea party garden, Red Queen's castle, or even the final battleground, where all these CG scenes represents imaginatively, the world of Wonderland. It's much more adventerous than 'Big Fish', not as dark as 'Sweeney Todd', but in the end, it's still the same freak show ala Burton (that's what my friend thinks about his works).

From the row of big star cast plus newbie (Mia Wasikowska as Alice), Helena Bonham Carter stole the show as spoiled and big headed Req Queen. As freak as Burton, her current husband (in case u don't know), she is the scene stealer where she perfectly charaterized the madness and Red Queen's huge ego. Depp, as always mesmerizing, although his acting is kinda Jack Sparrow repeater, sluggish and over-flamboyant body language. But his Mad Hatter character is a unique one, since his make up always changes accordingly to his current emotional state. The twins Tweedledee/Tweedledum (Matt Lucas) are also nice to watch, especially with their dialogues where they seem to complete each other sentences. Alan Rickman, as the heavily smoking caterpillar, played short, but a memorable one. Anne Hathaway, as the White Queen, kinda stupid but in a good way, still adorable though (that dark lipstick and white make up, so freakish). It's nice also to see Crispin Glover as Stayne the Knight, he's good when it comes to bad guys. Talking about the bad guys, there's Christopher Lee on the menu, as the intimidating but easily defeated Jabberwocky.

I need a pig here!

Any other noteable cast? Hmmm....oh yeah, Alice herself. Frankly, I thought the cartoon version was cuter and much more likeable then the grown up version, but maybe it's because she's 19, I suppose. In some scenes, I found it quite suprising to see her acting so calm with all her bizzare environment. I dunno whether it's lack of emotion or Alice was just plain cold, but she smirked a lot more than put a smile. Although in the latter part of the movie, she gave a tantalizing act by wearing armor and wielding sword. Wow, Alice the White Knight, never see that coming. But from my opinion, the problem is not Alice, but the Burton's story telling.

Mad Hatter handling sword..only in Burton's movie

Until half of the movie, there some parts which made me kinda bored (I even noticed some people went to sleep), because the early plot was kinda plain, no ups and downs. The pace it's not that slow, it's just all the introductory things Burton brought to us were somehow made me feel "oh let's just cut the the crap". In other words, lack of tension and suspense (hell yeah, I would expect that from a Burton's movie). Watching Burton's Alice is like you're having a grand dinner, but you're not full in the end. After watching the movie, I felt a bit empty and the whole Alice story telling is like losing her soul. The cartoon version was also strange and a bit quirky, but it sold well in term of story telling.

But I have to give thumbs up for Burton imaginative displaying of Wonderland, with all the aesthetics detail and vivid colors (especially in 3D). He also did a great job to bring the characters into modern life and for young (or I can even say, fresh) viewers who might haven't watched the Disney's classic. But in terms of delivering us the classic Alice into life, we might say he tends to confuse the young ones, and bores the adults. Great canvas, but not a great picture. (But somehow, it still manages to bank $116M in the first week)...

My Ratings: 7.5/10