You want my property - you can't have it!

Spiderman 2, X-Men 2, and The Dark Knight...those are superhero movie sequels which are considered as 'better than the first one', both quality and dollars. Unfortunately, I must say upfront, Iron Man 2 does not belong to that same category. Nevertheless, it still entertains, especially in the early part and the last action scene, which I believe are the huge boost points for the sequel. For those who wants to see boom boom bang bang actions scenes, prepare to be disappointed, since there was only 2 big action scenes which involves Iron Man, and to tell you the truth, this movie lacks of Tony Stark appearing in his Iron Man suit.

On the bright side, the opening 40 minutes was a great story telling, gives you a 'family' and 'humanist' theme. The movies started in Russia, with how Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) succumbed to his sadness after his dad had died, and planned to take his revenge on Stark by making a similar Iron Man suit. While back in the US, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.)is everywhere, he has become the most known public figure, superhero, celebrity, well, you name it. He hasn't changed at all, the super ego, complete with over the top narcissistic figure and never take anything seriously. He still has Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) to clean up his mess, new assistant, the blossom brunette Natalie (Scarlett Johansson), and his buddy Rhodey (Don Cheadle) who constantly reminds Stark that he should be careful with both his mouth and actions.

Without giving out any spoiler, I can tell you that in spite he enjoys the spotlight, he has to deal with his very own 'problem' which can compromise both his future and Iron Man. To add things up, the US Government, led by Senator Stern (Garry Shandling) felt that they require Stark to give out his suit to the country. At this very moment, Stark is being bombarded everywhere, not to mention the sudden appearance of Whiplash a.k.a Ivan to make things even messier. Another additional character is Tony Stark wannabe, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a military contractor who is obsessed to create the Iron Man suite kind-of for US military soldiers. After he witnesses what Ivan Venko in action, he seizes this opportunity to benefit him.

I can say Iron Man is the antithesis compare with previous superhero movies. For a start, it is less darker than its predecessors. The sequel offers something refreshing than the 1st installment, it gives Stark a more human character who deals with death or alive issue. The built up story is well told and composed, which almost makes it one of the best. Sadly, it falters in the middle part, where some of the story sequences become too fast, and all things happened at once.

The plus thing about Iron Man 2 is the cast, where the all the main characters do not disappoint at all. Each of the main star has his/her own moment, means the scenes distribution is quite equal, except for Stark character. Robert Downey Jr., once again deliver his stellar performance as Stark, where he is able to capture all the Stark's essential character (that's why Downie Jr. is the most suitable guy for Stark). The Iron Man main core lies within Downey Jr., every scene felt more fresh with him in it. Gwyneth Paltrow has more screen time, and perhaps larger role, less childish, cute as ever. The baddies also don't disappoint as well, Mickey Rourke has one of the hell introduction in the Monaco circuit, while the greedy Hammer played magnificently by Sam Rockwell, he is annoying and one damn bad ass. He's very good in mixing evil and comedy at the same time, sinister asshole, I must say. Although my complaint is that Ivan Venko is lack of lines, damn he only does 1 or 2 liners at most, but lucky his appearance is more than enough to intimidate. ScarJo, until her brief action scenes near the end of the movie, was mostly used as screen refresher (for guys I mean), although she does not show much cleavage as she used to be. She's sexy, but that's about it, period.

Now the major talking point, Don Cheadle as Rhodey a.k.a War Machine, replacing Terrence Howard from the previous installment...does he do any good? Well, yes and no. In term of physical appearance, Terrence wins the competition by a mile, since he has much better charisma as Rhodey, and I believe the girls also agree with me. But in term of delivering convincing lines and emotional state, Cheadle may be better. the surprising thing is how the director himself, John Favreau as Hogan, Stark's bodyguard, eventually has more scenes and even his own action moments (I think he shows up more than ScarJo).

Iron Man 2 has all the potentials to become a very good superhero movie flick, especially with all the hypes and big expectations, but unfortunately, this flick has its own letdown moments. The underused of Whiplash is the biggest disappointment, even the biggest and coolest action scene does not involve Ivan, and the I felt final battle was really short and easily concluded. And another issue is the amount of comedy injected to the lines. Is it too much? I felt like watching an action-comedy flick. I mean, compared with all previous superhero movie, perhaps this one is the 'lightest'. There are some emotional moments, but with the tone has already set into 'fun' mode, I never buy 'em.

The action scenes are good, and I'm glad Favreau does not follow Michael Bay's dumb and brainless path. People who waits for big explosions and Iron Man performs cool moves, will be satisfied in the final moments. Although, I didn't feel the element of surprise anymore. I mean, c'mon, I remember how my jaw dropped the first time I saw Stark put that Iron Man suit, and start flying. Now watching him fall down from airplane into the stage of Stark Expo, hmmmm...nothing new there.

Another interesting aspect is the hints and clues about Avengers project. Yes, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has longer scenes regarding this issue, and there are some very very clear of the next Avenger movie clues, one is clearly visible in the middle of the movie, and the other one...you have to wait until the credit titles roll ends...so sit tight guys.

To conclude, Iron Man starts great, and ended with epic battle scenes, perhaps one of the best, involving all characters at once. It has funny jokes, supported with stellar cast performance. Unfortunately, the tone is dropped in the middle, but despite some imperfections, this film accelerates well into a spectacular final act. I don't doubt it will be a big hit, but it could be so much better.

My Rating : 8/10

My Pre-Wedding pics

First of all, thanks a lot for Sigit and Tito from THE UPPERMOST who has done a terrific job of taking the prewed pics...they look splendid! Guys, you've put lots of character and emotion onto the pics. Not to mention how you frame all those scenes, you guys really have the sixth sense on these things....

We had 2 days of photo shooting in Singapore, with all the places have been chosen nicely by both Suri and the photographers. I guess all those research works prove really fruitful in the end. There are 7 places in total, with 1 particular spot which is quite far to reach (and only few people acknowledge the place whereabout). Truthfully, it was very tiring, especially with both hot and rainy at the same day. Lucky for us, the weather had been very nice to us, especially on the first day when he had the shoot at Marina Barrage. It was cloudy until afternoon, whew...can't imagine if the sky was clear.

For me, the favorite spot is the Upper Seletar Reservoir during the sunset and the high tide. The whole scene was just fascinating, and I love it even more in the photos. The city view from the Pinnacle @ Duxton was also breath taking, since we're at the 50th storey with the whole Singapore city view in close range.

Special thanks also for Norma, the make-up artist, who has transformed my pretty girl into a beautiful princess. I like her a lot when she wears the pink polka dot dress and the veil, reminds me of Audrey Hepburn (too bad we didn't bring the sun glasses).

So, with the courtesy of THE UPPERMOST, here are some of the prewed pics. You can check them out from their website http://theuppermost.com/ or their facebook page (just search theuppermost). They are highly recommended, and these guys are really damn funny also, so you get the whole package of photography and entertainment. I've lost words on praising you guys...Nice working with you!

Someone has to say ENOUGH...

Okay, in this context...ENOUGH of stupid, useless, and brainless remakes. Clash of The Titans somehow fits into that category, although the movie is still enjoyable to watch. But if we're talking whether this remake is necessary...well, I certainly don't think so. Clash of the Titans is a remake of 1981 version, which has been considered as cult movie, along with the special effects used to create the various creatures in (done brilliantly by Ray Harryhausen who employed stop motion animation). I managed to take a look to this 1981 version, just to prepare myself for the 2010 one. Although it's a 2-decade ago movie, I believe in term of cinematic experience, it's entertaining, apart from cheesy dialog, but hey, it's a movie about the Greek Gods anyway. I must say, I was curious to see how this old version will be remaked. Will they keep the old plot or the characters, or will they even show the robotic owl Bubo? Judging by the trailer, it seems good, but after a horrendous 120 minutes of 3D, the movie seems so flat.

Okay, the big picture, it's a story of Perseus, who didn't realize he's Zeus' son, until Hades made a mess of him and his family. Perseus started a journey to settle unfinished business with Hades. Along the way, he is accompanied with a band soldiers, black Pegasus, wood-cursed guy, and a hot chick as a Bubo replacement. Then, just like video games storyline, they have to encounter new 'bosses' on each story segment (somehow, this reminds me how similar this is with Percy Jackson), until they Perseus have to do one on one with the mighty Kraken.

The main problem for when I was watching this, was the 3D effect was so annoying, I was surprised when I opened up my glasses, the image was clear and bright enough, with a bit of blurry effect, but it is still watchable. Then, I decided to watch halfway through without the glasses. I guess CLASH OF THE TITANS made a perfect example how eventually, 3D makes a movie looks so bad.

The Medusa scene is a major improvement, she made a good cameo, actually.

Apart from the horrendous 3D visualization, the story line appears to be quite flat, lack of emotion, and the I felt they rushed a lot of things. No matter how lame the 1981 version was, at least it still had a concurrent plot, at least the reasoning for Perseus journey is based of a logical cause (he was deeply in love with Andromeda). I felt by tweaking the story here and there, and adding Hades to the story line somehow changed the story main plot. In the old version, the gods have the sufficient portion of screening time, where Zeus was the bad guy, because he has lost his minds, not to mention, his ego as made other gods turn their backs on him. While on the 2010 version, the movie focuses too much on the human side, leaving a very little plot for Zeus and the gang.

On the bright side, the CGI team made a good job on bringing the mythological creatures into life. Some shots of the scenery was remarkable, and the fighting scenes are nicely choreographed, although I don't buy the fight scenes with Calibos when Perseus started to do some back flip and kung-fu style...damn it, they should see how 300 do their battle fights.

Kraken 2010 --> it's dull, underused, and lame.

Overall, CLASH OF THE TITANS is somehow entertaining in some parts, but mostly flat, forgettable once you leave the cinema, a so-so remake, and a very underwhelming 3D. My suggestion? Please go HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON for a 2nd viewing...it's much worth it...

My Ratings : 6.5/10

Easter and Baptism

First of all, Happy Easter for all my Christian friends....This is the first time I celebrate Easter in Singapore, and I must say, this must one of the most memorable mass I've attended so far, and also the longest...I picked up St. Mary of The Angels church, since I really like the ambiance and also, the design itself (damn architect)...another reason is that I was eager to see two of my besties to be baptized. So, Linda and Koeslid....happy for you both!!

Yeah, I just realized I've never been to the baptism event where the catechumens are drown in the pool. And the good thing about this church, is that the pool is right there in the middle...(Man, those people from WOHA really know every single important element of church design).

The mass started at 9PM, but for getting seats sake, we arrived 1 1/2 hour earlier, but still, most of the seats had been booked (not surprising though), haissss...I really hate the S'poreans way of booking tables and seats. Good thing the Priest gave announcement that first come first served...eat that !!! Eventually, I got a seat, along with Kary and Ferdinand, which was very cool...since I dun have to endure the whole mass alone.

For the mass itself, it took 3 1/2 hour, the longest in my experience, but perhaps the least boring I've ever attended, since they managed to keep the mood alive, and Fr. John and Derrick sometimes uttered few nice jokes. But perhaps, the additional factor which kept me on my seat maybe the aircon. Don't get me wrong, but I guess the cool air managed to keep most of the felt people comfortable.

But, the high moment of that evening was the baptism ritual, where each of catechumens are drowned in the pool, as the symbol of 'being born again'. Some funny moments were occurred though, where some of the them gave funny reactions during or after being drowned...

So, for Linda and Koeslid, I know it's been a tough 1 1/2 half year of RCIA period, but I believe it's also been a precious period to prepare yourself of becoming Catholics...and I'm sure this will be fruitful in the end. So, welcome to the club. For Linda, I guess now you can change ur schedule to Sunday Mass :)...actually I was planning to grab a pic of you both yesterday, but I guess all of us had been very tired, whew....(remembering that total 5 hours spent at the church).

In the end, I felt joyful and highly spirited, thanks for a wonderful evening.

Luke 24:6-7

"He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again."

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

Percy Who?

Since the massive success of Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and the hype of Harry Potter series, Hollywood since then has been trying to come up with their replacements, which has resulted with lots of misses than hits. A lot of fantasy movies has come up, with the tag line of trilogy, epic, chronicles, and many others, and most of them are shits (I can only think Narnia which came close to be noticed). The bad thing for Hollywood post LOTR and Harry Potter, is that every fantasy movie which comes out will eventually be called, LOTR or Harry Potter ‘wannabe’. Don’t get me wrong, I can assume most of these failed movies followed the same blueprint: book adaptation, bad scriptwriting, so-so CGI, and last but not least, failed to have someone like Peter Jackson in the driving seat.

So, what Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief has to offer? Well, for a starter, the idea is actually not bad, about the Greek Gods who apparently live in the modern era, and surprisingly, have kids, which Zeus (Sean Bean) himself forbid the Gods to see them. Percy Jackson (played well by newbie Logan Lerman) was a normal human being who can’t read properly, until he found out that he is the son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd). He ends up in a journey to clear up his name from being accused as the Lightning Thief (Zeus’ weapon). Together with his companions Grover (annoyingly played by Brandon T.Jackson) and Annabeth, Athena’s daughter (Alexandra Daddario), they have to find a way to stop the clash of the titans (borrowed from the other movie title).

Surely, as far as I can see, there’s nothing new to offer, but still enjoyable, just don’t expect too much. For entertainment wise, it works well in some parts, although I kinda feel it’s like watching a video game, where Percy has to visit different places, where each of it he has to encounter different bosses, from Medusa (Uma Thurman), Hydra, and Hades (Steve Coogan), which I think it’s the best portrayal of modern God (rock n roll!!!).

Several low points, the casino scene is a just plain dumb and taking too long, and simply just to show off the Lady Gaga hit. The training camp is not convincing enough, lack of details, it’s like picking a site at some hills and mountain scene. To make things even worse, Grover is just too noisy and annoying in every scene, even the jokes are ineffective most of the time. It may seem unfair to compare this flick directly to LOTR, but hey, that’s the consequences if you have watched the best fantasy movie of all time, you’re looking for a better one, aren’t you?

In short, Percy Jackson is another passable kids/fantasy movie, which you won’t remember anymore once you watch…perhaps Clash of the Titans (which I think has a better premise). Nevertheless, it’s a good watch for children and young adults, with adequate action scenes and up to standard CGI. Just likerottentomatoes.com said, though it may seem like just another Harry Potterknockoff, Percy Jackson benefits from a strong supporting cast, a speedy plot, and plenty of fun with Greek mythology.

My Rating : 6/10