Movies I Would Sit In

Recently, it came to my attention that a friend, of similar age with me, had never seen Star Wars. It made me realized we each have different childhood experiences. In a way, I was fortunate that my parents brought us to the cinema on regular basis. I grew up with a large dose of Sinbad (because my elderly grandma loves Sinbad), James Bond and Indiana Jones. I presume, from this, you could easily guess my age.

Thanks to Steven Spielberg's JAWS, I am disinclined to swim in open sea. I can't see what's swimming under me! For me, a swimming pool is the best-est.

Star Wars was the coolest of its genre in the year it was released and it quickly became something like a cult. Recently, I saw a few scenes from that movie and I thought, 'Gosh. Those creatures looked so...ooo un-real'. Of course, by this time, I had been spoilt by Avatar. And, I guess, in the near future, I'll probably say the same of Avatar. Technology changes at a fast pace. Am positive we will soon see all movies in 3D and even holograms.

All this makes me wonder at movies that I would not mind viewing again and again even in years to come. This is my list in no particular order. However, to be fair, I will not say this is absolute. No doubt it will change from time to time - there will be additions and deletions.


My Fair Lady (1964, Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison)
Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981, Harrison Ford)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery)
Men in Black (1997, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith)
The Fugitive (1993, Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones)
U.S. Marshall (1998, Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes, Robert Downey Jr)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman)
The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King (2003, Elijah Wood)
Terminator 2 (1991, Arnold Swarzenegger)
Terminator Salvation (2009, Christian Bale, Sam Worthington)
The Mummy (1999, Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz)
Jurassic Park (1993, Sam Neil)
Jurassic Park II: The Lost World (1997, Jeff Goldlum)
Jurassic Park III (2001, Sam Neil)
Apollo 13 (1995, Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise)
Tangled (2010, Mandy Moore)
Monster, Inc. (2001, Billy Crystal)
Finding Nemo (2003, Ellen Degeneres)
The Incredibles (2004)

You'll notice my preference for action & adventure, and animation. Never was a fan of horror movies or drama movies.

Famous for wrong reasons

Nope, didn't win. None of the numbers came out. Sigh. Perhaps next time.

Saw in news that Amy Winehouse is dead. She was 27. How sad. It was obvious she was a troubled soul --- there had been news of her addiction, break-ups, etc ever since she became famous. Some are more fortunate. Look at Robert Downey Jr. He was famous for his addictions and he ended up in prison. Thankfully his stint in prison changed him for the better. Not everyone who came out from prison is a changed man. So, hurrah for RDJ. Another celebrity in the limelight for all the wrong reasons - Lindsay Lohan. Her court sessions and her addictions is making her more famous than she ever was for her movies. So young...hope she will be able to turn around.

The Biggest Losers

Watch The Biggest Losers. Seriously, aren't we worried about those guys and gals dropping weights by kilos each week? More than 10 kgs in a week? I admire their determination and hard work to shed those number of kgs in short time frame...is it safe and healthy for them?? Will it damage their bodies irrevocably? Of course, staying obese isn't healthy but surely losing weight should be done gradually, not drastically. Welcome to the world where weakness is exploited for drama and wealth.

Niamah!!

I received an interesting email from a fren in Penang. It linked me to an interesting blogspot.

http://niamah.blogspot.com/

This is Patrick Teoh's blog. Remember him? I used to listen to him on the radio. Ah...he always ended his air time with "wishing you blue skies and everything nice". Sometimes sarcastic, often opinionated, he was a memorable dj. I had a blast reading his blog. You don't want to miss his blogs in May09. Ha ha ...

His writing style is typical M'sian lor. No idea what niamah means though.

Terminator Salvation

Opened in June 2009 in Malaysia nationwide.

I had watched all past three Terminator series. My favourite was Terminator 2 where the T-1000 was simply fantastic and mind blowing. Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines was a disappointment because it's storyline was similar to Terminator 2 Judgement Day without much surprises although I enjoyed Arnold's one liners. I went in to Terminator Salvation without high expectation.

Woweee... did I enjoyed the experienced. I put it up there together with Terminator 2.

Terminator Salvation brought us to the year 2028 where John Connor is an adult in the Resistance a movement with the sole aim to fight the machines. Connor, however, is not the leader of the Resistance though he occasionally does broadcast his message of hope. There are 2 leading males in Terminator Salvation. One is John Connor on whose shoulder lies the burden of human salvation and the hopes of his mother, Sarah Connor. Another is Marcus Wright who first appeared at the beginning of the movie as a prisoner on the death row in the year 2003. From the ensuing conversations, we know that Marcus believes he was the cause of the death of his brother and some cops. Within minutes of the opening, we see Marcus donating his body for research and given lethal injections. Next, we see him in 2028 escaping from a Skynet facility with his last memory as being on the death row.

Whilst we had been exposed only to the T-800, T-850, T-1000 and T-X in the past three series, expect to see much more variety in Terminator Salvation.

Caution:

Spoiler ahead. Do not continue reading if you do not wish to know the full story.

Whilst attempting to retrieve data from a Skynet facility, Connor encounters information that led him to believe Skynet was developing a new and better machine. He gate crashed the Resistance headquarter to inform the leaders of this news. While there, the leaders informed him that they had information about a list of people whom Skynet wished to kill. In the list were leaders of the Resistance. Connor is number two on the list. Number one is a person by the name of Kyle Reese (If you had watched The Terminator, you'd know that Kyle Reese is Connor's father).

In this movie, Kyle Reese is a young adult. His companion is a mute girl who goes by the name Star. Together, they are the only Resistance in LA. That is until Reese saved Marcus who had hailed a Terminator not knowing what it was. It was from Reese that Marcus learned the year is now 2028. Judgement Day had come and gone. Machines now roam the planet, terminating or capturing human. Marcus showed great skill with weapons and survival tactics which Reese watched with growing admiration.

To cut if short, Reese and Star was captured by the Harvester. Marcus then team up with another Resistance fighter, Blair Williams, to find Reese and Star. Blair offered to bring Marcus to the Resistance facility to meet Connor whom she believes will know where to find Reese and Star. Along their journey, Marcus saved Blair from a trio of despicable human. We also see a touching scene where Marcus asked Blair is she believes people deserves a second chance. While on way to the facility, Marcus ended up hurt when a bomb meant for machines stucked to his leg. While trying to save Marcus, the Resistance made a surprising discovery. Marcus too was shocked and horrified when he discovered he is now part human part machine. Marcus has heart and brain of human but the rest is machine. Through Connor's interrogation, we could see that Marcus believes he is human without any ulterior motives except to save Reese and Star. However, the Resistance believes that Marcus had been sent to infiltrate the Resistance and was hence sentenced to be dismantled. Marcus successfully escaped the facility with assistance from Blair. While hunting Marcus, Connor's helicopter crashed into a river and he was attacked by hydrominators. Marcus saved Connor by tearing apart a hydrominator. Connor then made a pact with Marcus. Connor lets Marcus go so that Marcus locate and enter Skynet facility to find the person responsible for his current condition. In return, Marcus will help Connor into the Skynet facility to save Reese.

Marcus had no problem entering the Skynet facility. We could see the visible disappointment on Marcus face when the machine guarding the entrance allowed him entry without even a challenge. After locating Reese from the Skynet control room, Marcus sent the data to Connor and shutdown security at one of the entrance to allow Connor in. Marcus then continued to search data that would explain his current condition. He then learnt that after many failed attempts to kill Connor, Marcus was created specifically (the only prototype) to infiltrate the Resistance and lure both Reese and Connor to Skynet so that both may be terminated. Marcus learnt that his skull contained a chip that allows Skynet to access all that he sees and hears. Marcus was so horrified and angry that he wrenched out the chip.

Meanwhile Connor had entered the Skynet facility and was looking for Reese. While trying to help Reese escape, they both encountered Skynet's latest terminator - the T-800. Connor told Reese to run while he fights the T-800. While fighting, Marcus turned up to help. The T-800 scanned Marcus and determined his weak point is his heart so the T-800 gave Marcus a mighty blow in the vicinity of his heart. I thought that was the end for Marcus but Connor revived him with electrical shock. While treating Marcus, the T-800 stabbed Connor with a steel bar through the chest. Marcus, revived, broke the steel bar from Connor's chest and stuck the bar into the base of T-800's skull and decapitated the T-800. Back at the Resistance camp, it was learnt that Connor's heart could no longer sustain him and he did not have much time. Marcus then volunteered his heart. Marcus explained to Blair that this was his second chance.

If you had watched The Terminator and Terminator 2, you'd know that Arnie was the T-800. So it was a pleasant surprise that it was Arnie all over again in Terminator Salvation : ) I didn't even know Arnie was in this movie. It was either a very good special effect or he had a lot of botox because his face was wrinkle free.

In Terminator Salvation, we're introduced to a lot more of the machines. T-600, Harvester, Mototerminators, Hydominators, etc. This movie was not all action. There was heart too in the form of Marcus who showed us the desire for a second chance. Doesn't all of us? In fact, I think a big portion of the movie was focused on Marcus rather than Connor.

I've got to say one of the best scene has got to be when the Mototerminators came out from the Harvester and hunt Marcus, Reese and Star. It was so cool.

Casts:

Marcus Wright - Sam Worthington, an Aussie

John Connor - Christian Bale

Kate Connor - Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard (Archie in Happy Days)

Director: McG

American Idol - Final (update)

Omigosh!
Americans had chosen to be contrary, indeed.

It's official. Kris Allen, the nice next-door-guy won. From now onwards Kris Allen will be known as the Americon Idol winner. Ho ho ... after all that predictions and standing ovations from the judges for Adam Lambert, this has got to be a slap to the faces of those judges. Simon Cowell must be astounded. Paula Abdul would, of course, continue smiling.

I had been secretly hopeful that Kris would win because I normally cast my vote based on third performances. And Kris was better although it had its rough patches. However, yesterday I had predicted Adam Lambert would win because he had been performing well in preceding weeks, he has a wider range of vocal (although still needs work on the controls) and the judges DID gushed over him week after week. He also has a stronger stage presence than Kris. Kris has his strengths, too but his vocal range is limited.

Anyway, here's to Kris! America had chosen.

American Idol - final

Adam Lambert vs Kris Allen

The final showdown. The flamboyant vs guy-next-door. One is comfortable with eye-liner, ear rings, nail polish and tights. The other could not look any less than an average guy. Their style could not be more different.

Surprisingly in this final, Adam sang a song he had sung before. I expected him to surprise us. Then Kris came on stage and also sang a song he had sung weeks before. Tsk tsk. That's right about the time I started missing David Cook. Simon said round one to Kris.

Oh wow, I did not like Adam's second song. Nope. I profess I do not like people screeching. I agree with Simon's comment regarding Kris's second performance. The Marvin Gaye song was like three people strumming guitar in a bedroom on a summer afternoon.

Ok, third song (No Boundary) and I was still unimpressed with Adam's performance tonight. Kris started his performance very pitchy. It was like he was suddenly extremely nervous. Despite his start, I prefer Kris' version of the song. But unfortunately, there were times in the song when Kris seemed to be trying to reach the high notes but failed. Ai. For third song, I agree with Randy's opinions.

Overall, I still think Adam will win. However, I will say that Kris should be proud of himself, too. Oh, but I do not like the judges Simon, Paula & Kara who had already predicted Adam will win. One part of me hope Americans will vote otherwise just to be contrary. But that would be unfair to Adam.

Side issue:

I'm so totally hoping Paula will not be in next season. Both the female judges are too ???. Whereas Paula spoke in long sentences in the hope of making herself understood (and failing miserably), Kara simply loves to hear her own voice. To be fair, Paula has too big a heart to be an effective judge. Her comments at most times are absolutely rubbish and too over the top at times simply because she does not wish to hurt the idol's feelings. Don't let me start on Randy. His comments are as useful as Paula. Only Simon deserves the honor of being called a judge. His comments are to the point, sharp and useful. And not that I am blowing my own trumpet, but frequently Simon Cowell expressed my thoughts albeit not in the exact words. Although there are times we differ in opinion as with Adam's second performance.

p/s- I blame Paula as one the reason that Danny Gokey is not in the final. Paula could have chosen a better song for Danny.

Gosselin 10

I managed to catch reruns of the first and second seasons of Jon and Kate plus 8. It's a reality show which follows parents Jon and Kate Gosselin coping with a set of twins, Maddy and Cara, and a set of sextuple. There's three boys and three girls. The boys are Aaden, Joel and Collin. The girls are Alexis, Hannah and Leah. It was inspiring to watch these two young people coping with 8 kids.

Jon and Kate plus 8 is now into season 4. The twins (now eight years old) and the sextuplet (now five years old) have grown more beautiful. Recently there are news reporting marriage troubles between Kate and Jon. Jon is reportedly going out with another woman whereas reports had surfaced that claimed Kate had an affair with a bodyguard. It's always sad to hear of marriage woes but it's especially sad to hear one of a marriage with 8 children. The happiness of 8 innocent souls depends on whether Kate and Jon could resolve their issues.

Any child rearing task is difficult. Coping with six children of the same age is six times more difficult. The addition of a TV crew following you around could not had made thing easier, too. All these must had taken a toll on Kate's and Jon's relationship. However, I must stress that in no way are the children the cause of any breakup, if any. Children could be the source of situations which tests relationships but ultimately, the parents are responsible for their own words, actions and decisions. It is just unfortunate that the consequences of their parents' words, actions and decisions will ultimately affect the children.

I wish Kate and Jon would discontinue the reality show and instead focus on themselves and their children. I'm hoping that without the show, the paparazzis will leave them alone. Managing marital difficulties can't possibly be easy in front of the TV and papparazzis. However, I also wonder at their financial status without the show. Rearing eight is not cheap. But I read somewhere that Jon had quit his job (since season 1, Kate had left her job as a nurse and concentrate on being a housewife). So, they must, at some level, be financially stable to be without work and yet able to support a family of ten.

I really hope the Gosselin family makes it through this rough patch and whatever patches they may encounter in the future. God bless.

American Idol - and now there's two

Omigosh (Kara mouthed the same thing).

The top two are so unexpected.

Danny Gokey is not in the final two!! Aw... I'm crushed.

So, next week will be Adam vs Chris.

American Idol - 3 (update)

And now there's 3.

Missed the first half. Saw Adam's performance of Bono's One. Awesome. Simon Cowell trully knows how to pick the right song. However, Adam's second performance left much too be desired.

Missed Danny's first song but he sounded good on his second performance.

Missed Chris' first performance and I cringed, I really did!, when I heard he was going to sing Kanye West's. And I was right to cringe.

So, needless to say, I vote Adam and Danny into the final.

And after today's performance, I think Adam has higher probability of winning. He has good vocal, presence and he's a performer. Danny has good vocal too but he may lack the A-star attractions.

Lets see what America says next week.

Amazing Race

This is one of my favourite reality show. It started with Amazing Race Asia season 1 and I have faithfully followed it to season 3.

This is the first time I am faithfully following Amazing Race which is currently in season 14. The winners are Tammy and Victor Jih, both are practicing lawyers.

In the final leg of the race, the three teams each had to carry pig to a luau. When I saw the way that Tammy and Victor was carrying theirs, I was shouting at them. Come on. There is a reason a pole is being used to cart that pig. Put the pole on your shoulders like Margie and Luke! There's a reason we carry our heavy school bags strapped on our shoulder. But in the end, they still won and I am glad for them.

From the start, I was rooting for Tammy and Victor because they are chinese. That's the great thing about Amazing Race. You can enter and be a winner irregardless of your ethnic. There's never been a chinese winner before in this race. Although I was rooting for them, I was also admiring Margie's and Luke's determination. Everything seems to conspire to bring them to the final leg. But what quickly became obvious is that Margie is more focus and has more determination than Luke. Luke seems to get flustured and frustrated more easily than Margie. But to be fair, I think he has pressure; he's a deaf trying to prove to the world that he is able despite his disability and he is, I think, trying very hard not to disappoint his mother. I admire Margie the most out of all the contestants. Imagine, being 50, and able to accomplish all that. For that, she earned my respects.

The Amazing Race put contestants through many challenges. With only 12 hours compulsory rest stop before the start of the next leg, it's not easy to continue running and maintaining the same momentum. It's especially frustrating when cabs get stucked in traffic or what I deem the most frustrating of all - cab drivers who do not know the way to the destination. Contestants quickly needs to learn not to lose cool over things they can't control. Winning is great but the journey alone is enriching too.

Jazzy

I have just discovered Nina Simone and am totally in love with some of her songs.

My current favs are Feeling Good and Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood.

Whenever I hear Feeling Good, my body just want to sway and move. My search ended with some songs from Ella Fitzgerald, Melody Gardot and Madeleine Payroux.

Been blasting jazz songs on my baby this weekend : )

Listen to Nina: http://www.last.fm/music/Nina+Simone

American Idol - Rock n Roll (update)

Aha aha (doing my victory dance) .... I was RIGHT!

I predicted Alison or Adam will be eliminated. And Washington Post reported the last female idol was eliminated.

American Idol - Rock n Roll

Aw...I thought this week's performance would be something interesting but I found it uninteresting. The judges were all for Adam's performance but it left no impact/impression on me. I thought Chris' performance wasn't that bad even though it's obviously this genre is just not him. I expected Dann to do better than Chris but no. I think all that screaming and shouting in the idols' performances just left me tuned out.

My guess: the americans will continue to vote for their chosen idols. Based on that, I'd say it's either Adam or Alison.

And I still don't know the results because I missed the results and have yet to check on net.

Beautiful Women

People magazine has recently declared Christina Applegate most beautiful woman. If you don't know her, she is an actress who had double mastectomy last year and is now proudly showing off her new assets which, according to her, will not droop to her waist when she is old. She had been saying that she'll still have great breasts when she's in her 70s.


My list of Top Ten Beautiful Women:-

1. Charlize Theron (perfect symmetrical face)


2. Halle Berry (may tie with Charlize)


3. Angelina Jolie (not a real beauty but her current make-up style really enhanced her features ala mysterious Cleopatra style)


4. Kate Beckinsale


5. Ashley Judd


6. Eva Longoria


7. Jennifer Lopez


8. Beyonce


9. Kate Winslet (wholesome goodness way)


10. Gee...having difficulties coming up with number 10...
    

Of course, my list is limited to those I know. And beauty here refers to aesthetic features only enhanced with make-up on. I hardly see pics of them without make-up. Anyway, feel free to add into this list.

American Idol - brat pack week

Matt had been successfully eliminated this week. Finally. I think he had done well initially but had decline in recent weeks. Surprisingly, Adam was in the bottom three with Chris and Matt. Alison was in the top with Danny.

I think those that rooted for Anoop will now swing to either Danny or Chris. Alison has the cute factor on top of being the only female in the Top Five. Adam...well, those who had voted for Adam will continue to vote for him till the end.

Next week is Rock n roll. Alison and Adam should be able to pull those off as they are comfortable in that genre. Thus far, Danny has been flexible. I hope his song arrangement will be as good. I think Chris will have problem next week. His voice and style will not be suitable Rock n roll. Lets see if my predictions come true next week : )

Just to add on about this week:

Ah, the brat pack. Old blue eyes (that's Frank Sinatra if you don't know), Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and .... I seem to recall there four in that pack. Can't recall the other one. Hmm.... Anyway, these were the days they crooned. You'd never hear them screaming like banshees as some 'artists' do nowadays. And you won't hear them drawing breaths as they sang.

True Blood

This is a series showing on cinemax. The humans are now living openly with vampires. The Japan had developed sythentic blood for the vampire communities. Some humans are still living in fear of the vampires.

Interesting beginning but after the sixth episode I am wary. For one, I am unimpressed with the main female actress. For another, there's so much bed hopping till I'm wondering if this is a soap opera with a new twist. And to top it off our censor board has again done a great job at chopping each episodes with delish again. And for some reason the director had opted to have the vampire with a fang only two teeth apart from the other. Fangs are normally four teeth apart.

Despite my laments above, I must confess that I still continue to watch the episodes if I have nothing better to do. It must be the interesting tids and bits they shared about the vampires and other beings like shapeshifter. Wonder if werewolves will appear, too.

American Idol

The remaining five in brat pack week.
My personal viewpoint for whatever it's worth:-

Chris
Twice during his performance his vocal did not reach the high note required. I agree with his own comment, his vocal is not the strongest in this competition. Think he would be a better songwriter.

Alison
Somewhat unique vocal but at times I can't understand her words. Sweet girl but don't think she'll win this season.

Matt
I cringed when first heard he will sing My Funny Valentine. The singing was not as bad as I'd imagined. I'd place him somewhere below Chris' performance. Disagreed with Simon alikening Matt to Nat King Cole. Omigosh. No way. Thus far, am not awed by the first three. Expected more.

Danny
Huh he got me with the first line. The voice was engaging. The performance was engaging. I wasn't even watching the first three; just listened. So happy that Simon said "outstanding".

Adam
The incredibly talented odd ball (my opinion). His voice has range but I don't like it when I hear him gasping for breath when he sings. Well, he certainly showcased his talent with his performance this time. I agree with Kara, Adam does does things over the top.


Based on this week's performance, am predicting Danny and Adam in the finals. Who wins will depend on the type of song given to them (the song for Bo in the final week was more suited to Carrie's vocal range). Predicting either Matt or Alison will be eliminated. I hope it's Matt because I am not as impressed by his performances as by the judges.

The Biggest Loser

Presently following this reality show on Hallmark channel.

Each season showcases a group of obese Americans of both genders trying to lose weight via intensive workouts and dieting assisted by professional trainers. To make it more interesting, the bunch of participants are divided into groups (blue team, red team and ..black team). Each week (their workout week) will end with a weigh-in competition whereby the team with the most weight loss in term of percentage will be declared the winner. The losing team has to vote out a team member.

I've watched season 3 whereby the winner Eric lost an amazing 52.68% (or thereabout) of his starting weight. Could not even recognise him in the final weigh in. Recently I googled about this reality show and one interesting news I found was that Eric was in Oprah recently. And he had, I think, gained half of the weight he lost in 2006. He confessed to feeling guilt & embarrassment over his weight gain as he had looked at himself as a role model for others. If I could contact Eric, I would tell him not to be embarrassed nor feel guilty at all. He had achieved an amazing weight loss during the competition and of course it is not realistic to hope he would be able to maintain that weight over the years. We could only hope he could find a balance whereby he would keep on loving his life and yet maintain a healthy weight. He should not feel guilty that he had let other Americans down. He is not accountable to other people except to himself and his family. I wish Eric the best. He had been an inspiration and I do not blame him if he gained some weight. Eric needs to remember that "He is worth it".

This reality show does open my eyes to the reality that we do sometimes abuse our body. Whenever we do that we're unconsciously telling ourselves that "we are not worth it". Most look to food as a way to handle emotional unworthiness. I wonder at the fact that I could not stick to an exercise regime although I know its benefits is because I am subconsciously telling myself that I am "not worth it". Fortunately, my BMI is good but exercise is not only to maintain weight, it is also to keep us fit and prevents illness/diseases associated with old age. It's good but why am I not going out there and exercise and sweat? Possibly the 'unworthiness' isssue is applicable. I do tend to be pessismistic over things. Am trying to change that.

American Idol

It's 23 April 2009. Ignore any other date, my PC has problem keeping track of the correct time and date.

Even though it's evening and I am tired, I just have to write this. I can't believe that Anoop is in the bottom 3 but not Matt for the disco week. For me, Matt did terribly worst - the arrangement was terrible. I could barely hear him singing because of the arrangement and mostof the time back-up singers were doing the work for him. Anoop did better as he showcased his great vocal control and the song was really nice. I really don't understand how Alison could be in bottom 3 instead of Matt. I think the fact that Simon voted to save Matt last week swayed Americans to vote for Matt. Ai....Matt has pitching problem ok.

Of course, as I had predicted since last week, Lil will be out and she is out. I'll be steaming long time if Anoop has to go earlier than Matt.