A family shifted to Stepford to get away from the stress of the big city. Nicole Kidman, while trying to recover from depression/nervous breakdown, slowly discovers the strange things about Stepford. For one, the wives are all perfect, sweet, sexy, blonde and capable. It seems more obvious when her friend in Stepford - Bette Midler was converted into the typical "Stepford's Wife". And so she went about and unravel the truth about the Stepford's wives and this village itself.
Suppose to be a thriller, but with dark comedy and witty lines. Nicole is great as usual. However, its not that great a movie, I feel. Maybe its the irony that I'm feeling..
I rate it 2.5/5
Monday, August 30, 2004
Friday, August 20, 2004
The Notebook
Extracted from http://www.gv.com.sg/Booking/movies/moviedetails_6673.htm
"... Allie, elderly and ravaged by Alzheimer's, lives alone in a nursing home, the memory of her passionate youth all but lost. Duke, a fellow patient, reads to Allie the story of her life from her own tattered notebook. She and Noah fell in love in the 1940's, but her parents tore them apart. Years later, when fate brought them back together, she had to make a choice between her first love and a man she was betrothed to marry. Who did she choose? As the story unfolds, it is clear that Duke is more than a patient, and in her rare moments of clarity, Allie can see...Noah. Spanning six decades, this visually and emotionally sweeping romantic saga is a testament to the enduring power of love."
A love story, expectable plot, nothing out of the ordinary. But its the thot of love so lasting and sacrificial. Such a touching story that a guy next to me was sniffing kinda hard. I walk out feeling sweet, and wondering if love can last so long, will I find one like that?
I give is.. *sniff* 4/5 for its simplicity.
"... Allie, elderly and ravaged by Alzheimer's, lives alone in a nursing home, the memory of her passionate youth all but lost. Duke, a fellow patient, reads to Allie the story of her life from her own tattered notebook. She and Noah fell in love in the 1940's, but her parents tore them apart. Years later, when fate brought them back together, she had to make a choice between her first love and a man she was betrothed to marry. Who did she choose? As the story unfolds, it is clear that Duke is more than a patient, and in her rare moments of clarity, Allie can see...Noah. Spanning six decades, this visually and emotionally sweeping romantic saga is a testament to the enduring power of love."
A love story, expectable plot, nothing out of the ordinary. But its the thot of love so lasting and sacrificial. Such a touching story that a guy next to me was sniffing kinda hard. I walk out feeling sweet, and wondering if love can last so long, will I find one like that?
I give is.. *sniff* 4/5 for its simplicity.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Collateral
Story here > http://www.gv.com.sg/Booking/movies/moviedetails_6650.htm
Gist of it: "boring" cab driver picked up a contract killer who sort of hijacked his cab. So you'll wonder what the cab driver will do to try to free himself. He did try to get away. He succeeded finally but there's more at the end as he tried to intervene with the killer's plan.
Tom is cool.. but the movie is still boring. There isn't sparks or climax, not for me at least. You could see the twist coming. Cinemagraphy or sound isn't fantastic. I think they used handheld cams a couple times to simulate the shakiness and rush. Wasn't impressive.
It's worth 2/5, I give Tom cruise face. :P
Gist of it: "boring" cab driver picked up a contract killer who sort of hijacked his cab. So you'll wonder what the cab driver will do to try to free himself. He did try to get away. He succeeded finally but there's more at the end as he tried to intervene with the killer's plan.
Tom is cool.. but the movie is still boring. There isn't sparks or climax, not for me at least. You could see the twist coming. Cinemagraphy or sound isn't fantastic. I think they used handheld cams a couple times to simulate the shakiness and rush. Wasn't impressive.
It's worth 2/5, I give Tom cruise face. :P
Saturday, August 14, 2004
The Village
Another M. Night Shyamalan's work and you can expect his style of interesting ending, full of twists. Can be rather slow but just flow with it and feel the emotions building and enjoy the twists. I find that the story is quite interesting and the way Shyamalan put it on screen is very engaging/entertaining in a way.
The story is about this village, that looks almost perfect except something is lurking in the forest beyong the village borders. No one dares to venture out into the forest, until one man voiced out his intention to cross the forest. This eventually will lead to the truth about The Village.
Starring, Joaquin Phoenix, Sigourney Weaver (as his mum) and Adrien Brody.
It worth 4/5 of my stars.
The story is about this village, that looks almost perfect except something is lurking in the forest beyong the village borders. No one dares to venture out into the forest, until one man voiced out his intention to cross the forest. This eventually will lead to the truth about The Village.
Starring, Joaquin Phoenix, Sigourney Weaver (as his mum) and Adrien Brody.
It worth 4/5 of my stars.
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Singapore Idol
Anyone watched Singapore Idol? I thought Singaporeans would be too shy to make a fool of themselves... I thought wrong...
Cringe cringe
Cringe cringe
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
I Robot
I caught it weeks ago and forgot to blog on it.
It is a futurist story when robots are everywhere on the streets doing what some bangladesh indians, philippinos, indonesians, china chinese, thais are doing in S'pore. A new breed was developed to replace the older version. And then it happened. These new breeds started to rebel and started to take over the world, almost.
Fantastic graphics! The martial arts moves are so fluid and pretty natural on the robots. Very nice moves too. Interesting although somewhat predictable story, but has a great twist that keep you guessing. It's entertaining!
It's worth 4/5.
It is a futurist story when robots are everywhere on the streets doing what some bangladesh indians, philippinos, indonesians, china chinese, thais are doing in S'pore. A new breed was developed to replace the older version. And then it happened. These new breeds started to rebel and started to take over the world, almost.
Fantastic graphics! The martial arts moves are so fluid and pretty natural on the robots. Very nice moves too. Interesting although somewhat predictable story, but has a great twist that keep you guessing. It's entertaining!
It's worth 4/5.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Michael Chiang´s Private Part
Caught the highly acclaimed (or publicised) play at the Esplanade. Verdict: Over rated.
It addresses the issue of transsexuals in Singapore. A story of 2 men becoming women, a woman to a man and a man who injuired his manhood and having it fixed. They met at a sex change medical center somewhere in Indonesia (bintan?) and became friends. One man->woman even started developing feelings for the man-with-fixed-dick. However, it did manage to put in the issues that transsexuals face in a society in S'pore. It may open up some eyes/opinions of some, but not much since homosexuality are more open now.
So that's the simple story. The Straits Times did a very good review about it. The story seems flaccid. Too long/many pauses between scenes. Lousy actors except for the men-turn-women. I liked the stage artwork but I also agreed with the critic that it doesn't quite show the distinction of different scenes.
What I liked about the play is the opening and closing dance/sing performance by 3 macho transverstites. They are really good, even on those 4-inches heels.
It addresses the issue of transsexuals in Singapore. A story of 2 men becoming women, a woman to a man and a man who injuired his manhood and having it fixed. They met at a sex change medical center somewhere in Indonesia (bintan?) and became friends. One man->woman even started developing feelings for the man-with-fixed-dick. However, it did manage to put in the issues that transsexuals face in a society in S'pore. It may open up some eyes/opinions of some, but not much since homosexuality are more open now.
So that's the simple story. The Straits Times did a very good review about it. The story seems flaccid. Too long/many pauses between scenes. Lousy actors except for the men-turn-women. I liked the stage artwork but I also agreed with the critic that it doesn't quite show the distinction of different scenes.
What I liked about the play is the opening and closing dance/sing performance by 3 macho transverstites. They are really good, even on those 4-inches heels.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Mean Girls
Hot college girls!! Another funny show. Usually I'm not into college-sweetie-britneyspears-bubblegum movies.. but this one is rather fun to watch. Its not those emotional-lovey-dovey-high-sex-hormone show. I would think it's more realistic-bitchy-sexy-unscrupulous-scandalous show. Well, that's what it's about anyway. Girls bitching about each other, using underhand methods to sabotage, trying to be in the "in" group, etc. Hmm. that's what most college students are facing.
Story: A newbie to the school, who eventually joined the most popular girls of the school but for ulterior motive. That is, to get the boy she admires in class. So she went about to sabotage on the "Queen" of that group. Before she knows it, she has become one of them, and landed herself in more problems. But of cos, such movie always ends happily with a prom. ;) No need to guess, everyone bcomes good friends again. (Duh!) Hhaha
Well, I think this is about 2.5/5. Funny, but it's a teen movie! and teen movies cannot go beyond 2.5.
Story: A newbie to the school, who eventually joined the most popular girls of the school but for ulterior motive. That is, to get the boy she admires in class. So she went about to sabotage on the "Queen" of that group. Before she knows it, she has become one of them, and landed herself in more problems. But of cos, such movie always ends happily with a prom. ;) No need to guess, everyone bcomes good friends again. (Duh!) Hhaha
Well, I think this is about 2.5/5. Funny, but it's a teen movie! and teen movies cannot go beyond 2.5.
Connie & Carla
Two girls striving hard to be cabaret (sort of) singers. They eventually got famous after witnessing a murder, and was on the run to LA. The twist is they got famous not as girls but as Drag Queens.
Funny and entertaining. No chio bus or handsome boys (well, lotsa well build gays) but the actors were great. Really simple plot but I enjoyed how they try to hide the fact they are girls.
It's worth 2.5-3/5 for the laughter.
Funny and entertaining. No chio bus or handsome boys (well, lotsa well build gays) but the actors were great. Really simple plot but I enjoyed how they try to hide the fact they are girls.
It's worth 2.5-3/5 for the laughter.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Super Size Me
It is a documentary film that sort of shock the world at the Sundance Film Festival. It is about obesity problems in America and an experiment on the narator/creator was done to show how bad fast food are.
The experiment is carried out over 30 days, where the guy had to eat Mac meals.. 3 times a day. At the end of it, he got serious problems such as liver failure, depression, and bad sex life. (haha)
Very interesting, although some parts I almost wanted to sleep when the experts are talking away. But it shows you the seriousness of the problem and how big the fast food meals are at the States. At the end of the film, I don't feel like having fast food or coke at all. Hahah..
The idea is.. moderation...
The experiment is carried out over 30 days, where the guy had to eat Mac meals.. 3 times a day. At the end of it, he got serious problems such as liver failure, depression, and bad sex life. (haha)
Very interesting, although some parts I almost wanted to sleep when the experts are talking away. But it shows you the seriousness of the problem and how big the fast food meals are at the States. At the end of the film, I don't feel like having fast food or coke at all. Hahah..
The idea is.. moderation...
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Around the World in 80 Days
That movie with Jackie Chan? Wasn't keen on watching but Sis bought DVD frm JB. Surprised that it could keep me seated thru'out the show. It's a simple, known plot. Not much excitment since u already know the story. So the good thing about the show is its humour. The lead actor and actress were pretty great. Act well and were funny. And I also impress with how they merge/morph 'cartoon drawings' to real life scenes. I guess since the show has really lean plot, they had to get in famous people.. such as Samo Hong, Olwen Willson and his brother (who's so cuttteee!), Kathy Bates (as Queen Elizabeth), even Richard Brendson(boss of Virgin Co.) had a split second act in it.
I rate this 2.5/5 bcos of Jackie.. don't like him. 8-|
I rate this 2.5/5 bcos of Jackie.. don't like him. 8-|
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Spiderman 2
Oh it was great!!! Some people thinks its better then the first, some thinks its not. I think they are both great! :) I totally dig spidey's great body.. awwww.. =P~
The plot for Spidey 2 is better, graphics is also more natural, and the special effects are awesome. (I hope I didn't over rate it.) The only thing is, there are so many screaming females! I can picture the comic book with a square of cartoon dedicated to a screaming lady on the street. There are like almost 4 or 5 of them in this movie. A few corny scenes but I just brush it off with "comics" effect. There's a particular scene when Mary Jane was being lowered down to safety and her dress with a super high slit was taped down so that the wind won't blow off her skirt to reveal too much. Pity. Hahha..
And I don't understand why the gal sitting next to me keep giggling at everything! When they kiss, when the mean guy said something, when spidey puts on the mask, this and that. Siao ah! It's not a comedy show you know, even thou it's a adaptation of a comic.. 8-| Gals..
The plot for Spidey 2 is better, graphics is also more natural, and the special effects are awesome. (I hope I didn't over rate it.) The only thing is, there are so many screaming females! I can picture the comic book with a square of cartoon dedicated to a screaming lady on the street. There are like almost 4 or 5 of them in this movie. A few corny scenes but I just brush it off with "comics" effect. There's a particular scene when Mary Jane was being lowered down to safety and her dress with a super high slit was taped down so that the wind won't blow off her skirt to reveal too much. Pity. Hahha..
And I don't understand why the gal sitting next to me keep giggling at everything! When they kiss, when the mean guy said something, when spidey puts on the mask, this and that. Siao ah! It's not a comedy show you know, even thou it's a adaptation of a comic.. 8-| Gals..
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
The Other Side of The Bed
Caught a spanish movie ("El Otra Lado De La Cama") at Lido yesterday. Pretty well acclaimed in Spain or the Latin industry. The story is about 2 couples, ending up having affairs with each other's partner. Basically it's about relationships, trust and sex.
It's a rather fun and entertaining movie. Great acting, singing and dancing. Almost like a musical on screen. Wonder if they had refer to one of the Bollywood movies. Hhaa. Great scripts and editing too! Truely enjoyable. Oh, and great bodies. ;)
I was more preoccupied with the language. Half the time I'm recalling and remembering the spanish vocab then digesting the plot. Haha. So, I failed to gather any conclusion at the end of the show. Haha.
Anyhow, it's spidey 2 today!!
It's a rather fun and entertaining movie. Great acting, singing and dancing. Almost like a musical on screen. Wonder if they had refer to one of the Bollywood movies. Hhaa. Great scripts and editing too! Truely enjoyable. Oh, and great bodies. ;)
I was more preoccupied with the language. Half the time I'm recalling and remembering the spanish vocab then digesting the plot. Haha. So, I failed to gather any conclusion at the end of the show. Haha.
Anyhow, it's spidey 2 today!!
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Movies under the Stars
Stella Artois has organised Starlight Movies 2004 at the Fort Canning from 17 Jun to 17 Jul. Spent $16 to lie under the stars and watch Finding Nemo and Whale Rider on Saturday.
We arrived at 7pm and got a reasonably good spot to spread out our mat. Crowd was alright, not as many irritating SPGs or college students like 2 yrs ago when I was there. I was expecting more people but it's better to have more space around the mat then have someone's feet next to your face. It was a breezy night and that's the best weather to have! Most of the families left after Finding Nemo. And we got to enjoy the next movie "WhaleRider" after the chatterboxes shuddup. (They had to be shh-ed to realise. *REB*)
Whale Rider is a highly acclaimed New Zealander production about the Maori tradition. The movie started off with muffled sound system (and chatterboxes), so I couldn't figure out what they are talking about. As the movie progresses, the plot thicken and the climax build up (and the audiences were really quiet!). It is about a young maori girl trying to prove to her chief-grandad that she's the next successor. As it is never the tradition to pass on the title to a girl, the grandad got mad at her for trying to break the tradition and being disrespectful to the tradition. There's a very touching scene where I belive most of the female at the Fort were trying to fight back their tears - me too. (*sob sob*) I must say, the actors were really good! Esp the little girl. No wonder she won the best actress award.
It is a very enjoyable and good movie, with subtitles. NZ accent is a little over-whelming. It's worth 5/5!
If you are interested in going for the Starlight Movies, and it's your first time, here are something you should take note.
1. Fill in the qtnaire and grab the goody bag. There's a copy of "Stuff". In it (other then 'nice pix') there's a coupon that admits 2 to Starlight movies on wkdays (Tues-Thurs and Sun, Mon close).
2. They have food stalls.. limited unless nachos, cheezy dogs, ice creams, evian and stella artois are good enough for you.
3. Bring cushions or pillows if you can afford it. It'll relieve your hands to support your head when you lie down to watch the movie.
4. Great event to bring pets and kids.
We arrived at 7pm and got a reasonably good spot to spread out our mat. Crowd was alright, not as many irritating SPGs or college students like 2 yrs ago when I was there. I was expecting more people but it's better to have more space around the mat then have someone's feet next to your face. It was a breezy night and that's the best weather to have! Most of the families left after Finding Nemo. And we got to enjoy the next movie "WhaleRider" after the chatterboxes shuddup. (They had to be shh-ed to realise. *REB*)
Whale Rider is a highly acclaimed New Zealander production about the Maori tradition. The movie started off with muffled sound system (and chatterboxes), so I couldn't figure out what they are talking about. As the movie progresses, the plot thicken and the climax build up (and the audiences were really quiet!). It is about a young maori girl trying to prove to her chief-grandad that she's the next successor. As it is never the tradition to pass on the title to a girl, the grandad got mad at her for trying to break the tradition and being disrespectful to the tradition. There's a very touching scene where I belive most of the female at the Fort were trying to fight back their tears - me too. (*sob sob*) I must say, the actors were really good! Esp the little girl. No wonder she won the best actress award.
It is a very enjoyable and good movie, with subtitles. NZ accent is a little over-whelming. It's worth 5/5!
If you are interested in going for the Starlight Movies, and it's your first time, here are something you should take note.
1. Fill in the qtnaire and grab the goody bag. There's a copy of "Stuff". In it (other then 'nice pix') there's a coupon that admits 2 to Starlight movies on wkdays (Tues-Thurs and Sun, Mon close).
2. They have food stalls.. limited unless nachos, cheezy dogs, ice creams, evian and stella artois are good enough for you.
3. Bring cushions or pillows if you can afford it. It'll relieve your hands to support your head when you lie down to watch the movie.
4. Great event to bring pets and kids.
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Where is everyone?
Just realised that postings are dwindling here besides Rachel's weekly movie reviews (thanks for that by the way).
So is everyone busy somewhere else? Anyone spoken to Uncle Leong lately?
Well, on my part I've been settling into the new job and now trying to plan my exit strategy. Seems a bit fast but somehow just can't seem to get used to this environment.
Oh yah.. got a new gmail account as well... 2 weeks ago I was busy clearing up my yahoo email and suddenly I get 100mb free from them and annuder 1gb from gmail. Anyway if anyone wants one I still have a few invitations left. Just let me know.
So is everyone busy somewhere else? Anyone spoken to Uncle Leong lately?
Well, on my part I've been settling into the new job and now trying to plan my exit strategy. Seems a bit fast but somehow just can't seem to get used to this environment.
Oh yah.. got a new gmail account as well... 2 weeks ago I was busy clearing up my yahoo email and suddenly I get 100mb free from them and annuder 1gb from gmail. Anyway if anyone wants one I still have a few invitations left. Just let me know.
Monday, June 21, 2004
Announcement
Announcing the arrival of Lutfil Hadi Bin Mohd. Remy on 19 June 2004. Congratulation to Remy and Yati! Great job Yati!! Baby boy looks big and healthy! When will the circumsion ceremony be?? *u^
Monday, June 14, 2004
Harry Porter 3: The Prisoner of Azkaban
Oh how much they have grown! It's about time to replace them. Hahaha. The kids look more like 15, 16 then 13 years old.
At some point of the movie, it was really fast pace, at some other points, the conversations are too draggy. If you haven't read the book, you might not beable to follow. Even if you had, you might need to refer to them again. If you are not a fan of fantasy or Harry Porter stories, you might not enjoy this movie.
I enjoyed the movie, it was fun and thrilling. However, it was more fun reading the book then watching it. Guess the script writers didn't do such a good job. In comparison, the first instalment is better. Especially the Quidditch match!
How many stars is it worth? 3/5 because I'm bias, I'm a fan of Harry Porter!!
At some point of the movie, it was really fast pace, at some other points, the conversations are too draggy. If you haven't read the book, you might not beable to follow. Even if you had, you might need to refer to them again. If you are not a fan of fantasy or Harry Porter stories, you might not enjoy this movie.
I enjoyed the movie, it was fun and thrilling. However, it was more fun reading the book then watching it. Guess the script writers didn't do such a good job. In comparison, the first instalment is better. Especially the Quidditch match!
How many stars is it worth? 3/5 because I'm bias, I'm a fan of Harry Porter!!
Friday, June 11, 2004
The day after tomorrow, where will you be?
I read a critic about the movie "The Day after Tomorrow" that the scientific facts or hypothesis presented in the movie were incorrect or absurb. So I was a little influenced by that comment when I watched the movie yesterday night at GV Plaza.
Well, it is interesting to use the weather as the basic of the story. However, among the disaster movies such as Deep Impact, Armaggadon, The Core, this one has become so expected. There's always a dog involved, a divorced family (to protray the American culture?), a president, a bad guy who learned his mistakes, foolish people who dont heed advices, a young hero who save his love and they kiss and make out, an older expert sacrificing.. and so on. Plot is too predictable. Special effects are not bad, but not good enough. I'd wish they will focus more on the greatness of the disaster, and protray the fear and how scary they are. I didn't feel anything. There some climaxes but it didn't get me too excited. Really, if its a story about the weather, show more of the hurricanes, storms and tsunamis, how they form, why and how scary they can be. Instead, they could only manage computer simulation used by the meteorologist.
Either acting isn't too convincing or the director fail to deliver the emotions. This deserves 2/5 stars.
Well, it is interesting to use the weather as the basic of the story. However, among the disaster movies such as Deep Impact, Armaggadon, The Core, this one has become so expected. There's always a dog involved, a divorced family (to protray the American culture?), a president, a bad guy who learned his mistakes, foolish people who dont heed advices, a young hero who save his love and they kiss and make out, an older expert sacrificing.. and so on. Plot is too predictable. Special effects are not bad, but not good enough. I'd wish they will focus more on the greatness of the disaster, and protray the fear and how scary they are. I didn't feel anything. There some climaxes but it didn't get me too excited. Really, if its a story about the weather, show more of the hurricanes, storms and tsunamis, how they form, why and how scary they can be. Instead, they could only manage computer simulation used by the meteorologist.
Either acting isn't too convincing or the director fail to deliver the emotions. This deserves 2/5 stars.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Have you heard?
Who are the judges for the Singapore Idol (SI)? I heard there's 4 of them. (y do we need 4?? can't decide who to invite?) Dick Lee (guessed it!), Douglas Olivero (cool! think he need stock up on his foundation liao.), Florence Lian (she's still around?! :O) and some Hype Record director-talent scout who discovered Jeanette Aw, Phyillis Quek and Michelle Saram. (does he know music? director so free one ah?)
Of the lot, Florence Lian looked questionable. Can a former DJ know much about being a singer? I wonder how will SI turn out. The host already turns me off but I'll be curious to find out who are the people competing and are they any good.
One thing for sure, I won't have the courage to audition when I know my own standard. Hahaha. :P
Of the lot, Florence Lian looked questionable. Can a former DJ know much about being a singer? I wonder how will SI turn out. The host already turns me off but I'll be curious to find out who are the people competing and are they any good.
One thing for sure, I won't have the courage to audition when I know my own standard. Hahaha. :P
Monday, May 31, 2004
Wah happen?
Hmm, just realised that the layout changed and all the comments are lost. Wah hapened?
Shrek 2. Just checking whats the ending after the credits part? Was there more then 1? Cos after the first credits there was another round of credits.. am I making sense here?
Oh.. just realised someone's upgraded to a D70. Having fun?
Shrek 2. Just checking whats the ending after the credits part? Was there more then 1? Cos after the first credits there was another round of credits.. am I making sense here?
Oh.. just realised someone's upgraded to a D70. Having fun?
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