One of my favourite films of 2008 is...

Yep who knew an idea about two men about to die can be so enjoyable and uplifting?The Bucket List worked on only one thing: The chemistry between Edward and Carter (of course played by Nicholson and Freeman).Both are as different as oil and water : Edward is well-off,flamboyant yet stubourn while Carter is more quiet,inteligent and philosophical.Yet they meet one day in the same hospital room,both suffering from a terminal disease with only little time left.So they end up hating each other,then taking a liking and a mutual understanding for each other.

Then came the Bucket List,something Carter made up,things they have always wanted to do and Edward with all his wealth left behind,convinces Carter (and his reluctant wife) to go and pursue those unfinshed dreams..And you name it,they do it : Skydiving,travelling around the world in a private jet,patching up thing with estranged loved ones. All that before they,well,kick the bucket.

So it might not be realistic at parts,like travelling lavishly,but this is such a feel good film,it dosent come off as corny or cheesy in parts and instead what it did to me was that I ended up smiling by the end of the movie,and that dosen't happen very often.Nicholson is hilarious with his one-liners and and his familiar stubouness that we've proceed to expericence over the years.We've seen him in similar roles before,yet he has the power to charm the audience every damn movie.Morgan Freeman,like Nicholson,we've seen him in simliar roles but the powerful persona he brings to the screen about a quiet,loving,intelligent man about to die is a treat.

So,its not a flawless film,nothing much of a script,yet its a great film,which fills you up with emotions during every scene and I'm very glad I saw it.And if you happen to be reading this,do see it too,you just might end up loving it just like I did...

So I saw this film called Virgin Territory..

So its main stars are Hayden Christensen and Mischa Barton.So I already expected it to be bad.I mean both of them are only famous for thier good looks and that's that.And they are good looking in this film.Actually this film boast of a lot of beautiful women flashing thier t*ts throughout the movie (as you can see the tagline says "sex lie and tradition) but if you're expecting Mischa to go all the way that my friend you'll be wasting your time (she's fully clothed). In short this film is about Hayden and Mischa meeting and falling in love.That's it. Its set in olden times by the way.This joke of a movie also has horny nuns,horny virgins,fake sword fights,you name it. It also that a special cow miliking scene.Yes,its that kind of a movie.

Banned!

Agence France-Presse - 4/5/2008 6:58 AM GMT
Singapore censors say four films banned from film festival
Four film documentaries, including one by a gay Muslim and another about terrorism, have been banned from being shown at Singapore's film festival, the censor board said Saturday.
It said the films "exceed the Film Classification Guidelines".
Board of Film Censors chairman Amy Chua said "Arabs and Terrorism" and another film, "David the Tolhildan", were "disallowed on account of their sympathetic portrayal of organisations deemed terrorist organisations by many countries."
Since independence in 1965, Singapore has grown from an underdeveloped country to an Asian economic powerhouse. But critics say this has come at a price, in the form of restrictions on freedom of speech and political activity.
According to the film festival programme, "Arabs and Terrorism" presents a dialogue between right-wing American policymakers and Middle Eastern political factions.
"David the Tolhildan" is about a Swiss man who joins the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the festival said. The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by much of the international community, has been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey.
Another rejected film, "A Jihad for Love" by gay Muslim film-maker Parvez Sharma, is about homosexual people living within Muslim communities, the festival said. In a statement, Chua said the film was disallowed because of "the sensitive nature of the subject".
Japanese documentary Bakushi, which is about bondage, also failed to get classification because it "normalises unnatural fetishes and behaviour", Chua said.
Festival officials could not be reached for comment but a notice on the its website said "A Jihad for Love" and "Arabs and Terrorism" had been "disallowed". It did not elaborate but said "Arabs and Terrorism" had been set for a sold-out screening on Saturday.
Singapore's government says the city-state has been liberalising but maintains a conservative core.
About 200 films have been classified for the festival which runs until April 14, Chua said.

What a lonely world..

Lonely Hearts is based upon a tue sotry -- Its about two serial killers, Raymon Martinez Fernandez and Martha Beck whose victims are mostly rich lonely older females.Martinez would place ads in the paper posing as a sexy latin lover and Beck would pose as his sister when meeting the victims homes.They would then swindle thier savings and following that kill them mercilessley.They also had a penchant for hot sex (not that I'm complaing). So while sexing and killing, to homocide detectives were hot on thier trail : Elmer Robinson and Charles Hilderbrandt. Eventulally they were caught,but not after murding 20 people (they confessed to 12 murders but apparently the actual is 20).

So we have the movie version where the lonely hearts killers (as they were known as) are potryed by Jared Leto and Salma Hayek and thier preformances are nothing short of brilliant.Both of them showed no sympathy for most of thier victims,heartlessley killing and sexing.Hayek especially,who had to potray a heartless and driven woman,creeped me out.The make up effects for Leto are stunning. John Travolta and James Gandolfini potray the two homcide detectives.There's a side story as well about the death of Travolta's wife and his stained relationship with his son ( Dan Byrd) and his affair with colleague Rene (Laura Dern).Both of the detectives are okay,I felt that the main attractions were Leto and Hayek's characters.I really don't know what Laura Dern is doing here.There is not much scope for her to preform in this movie.I've definitely seen better work of hers e.g. We don't live here anymore.

So in a hindsight,this movie had a good script, good characters,great casting,great costumes,etc.So the result? A movie that's good but no classic.Mabye it was its length.I think the story should have shortened down on Travolta-Gandolfini moments and concentated more on Leto and Hayek's characters.Why? Well,watching cold,cruel and heartless people are always more intriguing to watch than the good guys.I mean I could see the effort put on by Leto and Hayek and thier story kept me on the edge.Forget the rest.Killers are in.

Be Kind Rewind is pure fun!

One thing I loved about this movie its that its not your typical slapstick comedy that we've been seeing recently."Be Kind Rewind" centres around two friends Jerry and Mike. When Mike gets to be in-charge temporarily of a video store,the bumbling Jerry accidently gets magnitised and somehow erases all the tapes in the store.So what do those two do? Create thier own versions of hit movies for the borrowers.Movies like Ghostbusters,Lion King,Robocop and Driving Miss Daily are all remade Mike and Jerry style with a little help from the locals.Yes the premise may not be realistic but its charm lies in its content.The remakes we see are hilariously filmed and creatively thought out (check out the ghostbusters sequence) .Mos Def and Jack Black have good chemistry together as Mike and Jerry.Danny Glover and Mia Farrow also lend thier talent to this comedy gem.This film pays a homage to VCRs,something that's long forgotten after technology came out with VCDs and DVDs and what have you.Director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of a spoltess mind) does a fantastic job of reminding us what value VCRs had for us before. This is a fun film,I remember laughing out loud during a few sequences and the ending was awsome as well.Worth watching!

P.s.The movie versions made by Jerr and Mike are called Swedes (they are allegedly from Sweden thus having higher waiting time and rental fees!) can be viewed at its official website at www.bekindmovie.com

Another poster for the Strangers

Another poster of The Strangers...Its the same as the one below except check out the background.

Theatrical trailer : The Strangers

Wow.I just saw a trailer for the horror/thriller movie called The Strangers and its looks AMAZING. It reminds me of the Kate Beckinsale-Luke Wilson flick "Vacancy" somehow.But actually this looks much scarier.The Strangers stars Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman and its directed by first time Bryan Bertino.Its apparently based on true events..

I don't know about you but I was freaked out by the trailer.Very excited for this movie..Finally a hollywood movie which is not a remake from some Asian hit horror movie!

Check the trailer out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCU0k_jbCUo

Prom Night-A teen slasher remake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYPBBDcT6k0

It's the trailer for the remake of the teen horror thriller "Prom Night". Note that the orginial movie starred Jamie Lee Curtis.I haven't seen the orgininal but this looks fun (yep,i love my trashy horror flicks!).Brittany Snow is the blonde damsel in distress female lead this time (rememeber her from JohnnTucker must die?).Let's just hope it dosen't end up being the most boring and predictable teen slasher of the year like 2006s When A Stranger Calls (another remake). Its mainly about this girl who gets terrorised by some psyco on her prom night.

P.S.The song at the begining is the new version "Time after Time" by Quiet Drive .Its a cool song,I'm actually digging this remake!!

Nuovo Cinema Paradiso- An ode to movies

So I usually don't bode well with romantic movies.But this I'll make one of my rare exceptions.Cinema Paradiso begins with a man (Toto) who recieves news that someone whom he knew very well (Alfredo) has passed away.He then goes back to his early years,from his meetings with Alfredo in Cinema Paradiso to his teenage years and his only love Elena to joining the army to his succesful film-making carrer.This movie is special because it tells us about films in the early days and people used to be marveled by the moving images.Cinema Paradiso combines the love of films with the love of Toto and Alfredo and Toto and Elena.It is beautifully told right from the beginning and from its end.Its one of those films where you'd feel a sense of nostalgia no matter where you are.And I have to give credit to score by Ennio Morricone-very very nicely done and helps the movie alot to achieve its classic feel. And the setting,in Bagheria is beautiful as well. From the start I was very surpised to be enjoying myself and then when the end came,I realised that I have watched a true classic..Yes,its truly an ode to movies...And about the montage in the end-a truly awsome scene,one of the best endings I've ever seen.

Ju-NO!

This movie was very much loved when it had a limtied realease last year.I'm not kidding,I mean most in the US who saw it were constantly raving about this.So I decided to check out the synopsis and found out that Juno(Ellen Page) is a sixteen year old girl who get preggers and wants to give her baby away to suitable parents,and she finds the "perfect" couple (played by Bateman and Garner).And the guy who knocked her up (Michael Cera) happens to be her best friend who is also secretly in love with her...

Okay,the "getting pregnent at sixteen" storyline has been done before,many times.So I was expecting this to be something special since so many people loved it.And finally it released here in Singapore,so I went to catch it.So from the beginning Juno is filled with witty and funny lines that,I'll admit got me amused and chuckling for most part.In fact,you could say its a very funny movie.But emotionally,it wasn't there.I was expecting more on that department.I mean yeah,very funny movie,but so what? Is that all? And this is one of the best films of the year why??? Mabye I expected this movie to be more serious with its subject.I mean yes,it can have its comedic moments,but if the team gave the pregnancy subject a little more attention,mabye i'd like this move even more.

Alright enough about the movie,now for the preformances.Has anyone known Ellen Page to have done bad acting.I'd think not.Here's no different either.She dones an admirable job potraying the sassy Juno with such ease,its amazing.But I felt the true stealers of the show are the parents played by Jason Bateman and Jenifer Garner.I mean they were incredible and especially thier final scenes showed what good prefomers they are.Michael Cera was wasted,I felt.He's done better.J.K Simmons and Allison Janney were gone but thier characters should have been more developed.

The director,Jason Reitman also helmed "Thank you for smoking" which was also a very funny movie.But i think he handled the treatment of "TYFS" better than this,which brings me back to my earlier point: funny is good but make sure the subject gets its attention as well.

I'd recommend watching Quinceanera,another movie about teen pregancy.Not a perfect movie,but one of the best movies to deal about this subject.

The Kite Runner

Stories like the kite runner are hard to find. A gripping yet emotionally powerful saga about the torrid relationship between Amir and Hassan.Set in Afghanistan before,during and after the invasion of the Soviet invasion,authour Khaled Hosseini brillaintly narrates a story so personal and powerful that from page 1, line 1 itself you are pulled into that story as well.I've read many novels in 07,yet its this book that remains fully etched in my head today.

Ok I could go on and on about how great that novel is...but I'll skip to the day where the movie was released in Singapore,I immediately booked tickets for the midnight show (the only timeslot there was,it was just a preview session,you see).So I waited in bated breath as the cimmercials and trailers were showing.Yeah,i also got a little impatient as well.Couldn't it just start already? And eventually,the lights started to dim.It was finally here.One of my favourite stories to grace the big screen...The opening credits were beautifully done,the opening music,the animated sequences were all well done.Then we came to the live action.


Yep,I had LOADS of expectations for this movie..So in every moment of watching the movie I compared every scene with the book.I wanted the movie to justify the book so much.And while some scenes were well-done,i thought some could have been so much better.The main problem with the movie was that while the book was narrated by the perspective of Amir,the movie was not,it was just told as a story by itself.Thus,the book felt much more personal while the movie felt...how do i put this "unreal" at times.Some parts in the book were done brilliantly,yet while translated to the big screen,didn't fell as impactful.The ONLY scene which I felt that the movie had potrayed it better than the book was the scene in the second-half of the film where Amir was reading Hassan's letter.That I felt was done fantastic,yep,even beat the book.

So yeah I've complained alot.But I think credit deserved where its due.Kudos to the director Marc Forster for a beautiful potrayal of pre-war Afghanistan.The kite competion scenes were awsome as well.THe child actors,those who potrayed Amir,Hassan and Aseef (first-time actors I might add),have done a fine job,esp the Ahmad Khan who potrayed young Hassan.The music by Alberto Iglesias,job well-done to him for including the old Afghani classics yet mixed with modern instrumentals.

So by the time the movie ended,I was in a mix of emotions.I saw kite runner for the second time a few weeks later again.Then i purchsed the sountrack coz its so damn good.The poster is incredible is well (you might have noticed it on my profile). Now I know how harry potter fans feel when thier favourite tween hero is brought to screen and major chuncks are left out from the book.I guess its not so easy adapting a popular book for the big screen after all.


Anyways,most people who reviewed this movie (at IMDB.com) and critics,i noticed have NOT read the book.Yep,most gave it favourable reviews,but most would probably still ignore the book even after watching.Too bad they missed on the REAL thing.

Hello people!

Firstly,thanks for visting my blog.I'll be reviewing whatever I've movies I've watched so far (yeah you guessed it : I'm a movie maniac) and other stuff such as the books,music,etc.So hope you enjoy whatever I've had to say and do you leave your comments. Take care and god bless!