GSC showing obscene movie?

First movie on the list...

Avatar

Another big project by James Cameron, way bigger than Titanic.

I've read mixed reviews on the internet about the movie. Some say the movie is superb, with breath-taking scenery that must be watched to believe. Others say that the story line is lame, using the same old Wealth-Is-Not-Important-But-Mother-Nature-Is formula. After watching for myself, I kind of agree with both.

First of all, the CGI is amazing, it just blows you away! I did not watch the 3D version because previous 3D movies didn't give me any good impressions, they were just so so. But for Avatar, the 2D version is already so beautiful, I wonder how will the 3D version look like. I'm thinking of watching it again in 3D after hearing people everywhere say that the movie looks so much better is 3D.

Secondly, there is a lot of creativity and imagination thrown into the movie, which is always a good thing. Movie goers are tired of seeing the same scenes and settings over and over again. Give them a never-before-seen scenery in a never-before-heard alien planet, they'll sure be too curious not to buy tickets. Throw in some 3D effect, and you'll have the ratings hitting the roof!

While everything was great, the story line was nothing new. Foreigners coming to a new land and try to dominate the primitives and control their resources, sounds familiar? (Think Pocahontas) Everything about the movie is quite memorable - the creatures, the Na'vi, the language, the robots and machinery, the scenery - Everything except the story line....

Highly recommended. If you enjoyed movies such as LOTR, you will not be disappointed. The CGI alone is enough for a reason to sit through 2 hours 40 minutes in the cinema, just don't expect to have an amazing storyline to go along with it.



Interesting fact: A new language was actually created for the Na'vi in the movie, by a professor from the University of Southern California!! (click here for the link)

The New Sherlock Holmes

They really changed the look of Sherlock Holmes.

The image I had of the man was totally different from the movie version:

He doesn't fight.
He carries around a magnifying glass.
He wears a weird hat and coat.
He is very tidy and highly organized.
He treats Dr Watson nicely.


But in the movie, he doesn't have a magnifying glass, his room is a mess, he annoys Dr Watson, and he fights like a seasoned pro.

Like I said in one of my previous post, I like a movie that makes you think, even after the show has ended. Sherlock Holmes fitted this criteria well.

Throughout the film, clues after clues were presented to the viewer, all of which seem to be connected, yet impossible to fit together. Every little detail the characters do is part of the puzzle. I felt an information overload, too many clues to process. But fret not because in the end, the clues are all brilliantly put together and explained. So sit back, enjoy the movie, and try not to think too hard to solve the mystery yourself.

Overall, this movie is quite entertaining, highly recommended.



I don't understand one thing though. The bad guy said he needed Holmes's help later to complete his evil plan. What exactly did he want Holmes to do? He said Holmes is essential in his master plan, but later tries to blow him to smithereens at the pier?

A big question mark.

District 9

"Inspired by a true story..."

Now, before you all criticise me, the movie REALLY is inspired by a true story. No, aliens have not landed in South Africa in real life. And no, we do not possess alien weaponry here on earth. The story was inspired by the forced removal of the inhabitants of the Sixth Municipal District of Cape Town during the apartheid regime in the 70's. The place is better known as District 6.

The project was originally a short film titled Alive in Joburg by the director, Neill Blomkamp. It was later developed into a full length movie and renamed District 9.

Alive in Joburg

Went to see the movie yesterday. The filming style is a bit different. You'll see the movie being presented in various types of cameras in the first half of the film. Handheld cameras (remember Cloverfield?), black & white security cameras, TV news crew on-the-scene reporting footages, DiscoveryChannel-style interview videos, etc etc. PB got dizzy from the all the shaky camera work, but i think it's a clever gimmick.

District 9 trailer

It doesn't have the usual plot you'll find in alien movies, invading earth to take over the planet, that sort of thing. The aliens in D9 are portrayed as survivors of a 'shipwreck', stuck on earth and unable to return home. They are treated as refugees and are placed in a slum called District 9. Nothing glamorous about the aliens here. They scavenge for food in dump sites. They are called 'prawns' by humans, signifying that they are treated as creatures from the bottom of the food chain.

The aliens weaponry are cool, especially the alien mecha doing the Neo bullet-stopping stunt.


There are two things i find unconvincing.

Firstly, the aliens are clearly in shortage of the fluid needed to operate the ship, so how did they manage to keep the mothership hovering above Johannesburg for 20 years? Unless they are using solar power...

Secondly, aren't the fluid some sort of energy source for alien machinery? How can an energy source cause such a serious genetic mutation until a human is evolved into one of their kind in such a short period after exposure? Bizarre...


There are already talks that the director, Neill Blomkamp, is going to make a District 9 sequel. Do you think he should just leave the story as it is and not risk making a sequel that might ruin the amazingness of the first movie? (think The Matrix) Or should he develop the story further and give us something even more amazing?

District 10, anyone?

Office 2010 The Movie

One word review - "LOL"

WOMO Quickie

So lazy to write these few days, but still wanted to update my blog, so...

Introducing the World Of My Own Quickie!!

Successfully organized the Inti Paintball Club recruitment roadshow last week. I was only expecting to get 20+ students to sign up, but in the end we got an unexpected 80+ names on the list!! But hor, Inti Penang a lot of aeroplanes, only 38 turned up on Saturday for our recruitment game day. But still, this was our largest crowd yet. Here are some pics...

Look at his face, so excited...

Mrs i4

Who is this??

Mr i4

Went to watch Angels & Demons last weekend. Nice movie. Better than Da Vinci Code IMO. I like the LHC and the fact that the movie makes you think, instead of just letting you sit through 2 hours of mindless action.

Religions are so complicated, haiz...

X-men Origins: Wolverine

Comic book adaptations are becoming more and more common at the cinemas. Why? Because they have everything it takes to become a blockbuster - action, romance, character development, suspense, humour, etc. Even if the director screwed up and left out all the above mentioned elements, there will still be hardcore fanboys queuing up at the cinema to get tickets.

Went to watch X-men Origins: Wolverine two days ago and guess what, this movie will not only satisfy the comic book fans, but also the general public. Anyone who has zero knowledge on the X-men universe, no worries, you'll still be able to follow the story. Even if you do not understand English and cannot read the subtitles, you should still go watch the movie, the characters are so yeng, OMG!! Look out for Wade Wilson coming out of the elevator, blades spinning and blocking bullets. **opens mouth in awe**

The movie tells the story of Wolverine/Logan in his pre-X-men days, from a child to becoming the indestructible adamantium beast. Several characters from the comic who has a history with Wolverine are also featured. Among the more well-known are Victor Creed aka Sabretooth, Remy LeBeau aka Gambit, Scott Summers aka Cyclops, and Professor Charles Xavier. Most of the characters stayed true to the comics, while some of them were altered slighty for the movie. Do you know that Logan's girlfriend, Kayla Silverfox, has no mind control ability. Her original character in the comics only has self healing powers, able to regenerate body tissues faster than ordinary humans - much like Wolverine.

James Howlett aka Logan aka Wolverine

Victor Creed aka Sabretooth

Scott Summers aka Cyclops

Remy LeBeau aka Gambit

Wade Wilson aka Deadpool aka 'the yeng one'

David North aka Agent Zero aka 'the gong one'

I'm just curious about two things.

1. Before the adamantium bonding process, Wolverine's claws are like spikes, capable of impaling but not cutting. But after the process, his claws became blades, instead of just spikes made of adamantium. Why?
   
2. Why Wolverine was able to survive the bonding process but Victor will not if he too were to go through the same process? Don't they both share the same healing abilities?

Apparently Marvel is going to produce more Origins titles if Wolverine goes well - which, judging by numerous other reviews on the internet, it is going to be a success. There are already talks on doing X-men Origins: Magneto.

Watchmen

"Who will watch the Watchmen..."

...most probably anyone who likes the idea of a superhero-cum-thriller-cum-war-cum-scifi-cum-action-cum-history-cum-fantasy movie. I'm one of those people, lol...

First of all, there's a graphic novel feel to it, the kind you get when you watch '300' or played Max Payne the videogame. The producer has convincingly bring alive an alternate 1980's where the US is in a cold war with the Russians, with both parties possessing nuclear prowess. As the possibility of an all-out nuclear war happening is edging closer and closer, everyone is frantically looking for salvation, including a band of government-banned former superheroes.


There's the crazy don't-give-a-damn Comedian, who does everything his own way; the gadget-loaded Night Owl, who relies on his Batman-style gizmos so much; the mysterious looking and sounding solo-man Rorschach; the not-so-super-looking Silk Specter, who does not have any apparent ability; the superhuman god-like Doctor Manhattan, who always glow in the dark butt naked; and finally the faster-than-a-speeding-bullet Ozymandias, who appears to be the smartest radical alive.


The story was actually an old one, first published as a limited series 12-issue comic book in 1986 by DC Comics. I've never read the original story, but i heard that the movie stays true to the graphic novel of the same name.

Enough of me talking about the movie, go watch it at a cinema near you. I went, i watched, and i like it. Clocking at 2 hours 40 minutes, the show might be a bit too long for some people, but if you enjoyed shows such as NBC's Heroes, Hellboy or Fantastic 4, i super recommend you to go watch it.

Mindless Movie

Went to watch Eden Lake, one word to describe it - 'mindless'.

For those of you who don't mind seeing people being tortured for fun, then by all means go ahead, you won't be disappointed. Personally, i think the name 'Eden Lake' doesn't have anything to do with the storyline at all other than being the name of the place where the 'mindlessness' started, and most of the settings that took place after the 'mindlessness' started wasn't even near the lake!! In fact, there wasn't even a real storyline, just a lame story made up as an excuse for all the gore - a bunch of kampung boys cutting up a man just because he accidentally caused the death of their dog... come on, such a childish thing to do, and it wasn't even that man's fault their dog was killed in the first place. Lame lame lame lame lame...

And you know what? According to IMDb.com, the film was nominated for 2 awards, with 1 win!! OMG!! Ok, i understand that the actress was not bad, really convincing, but an award for the writer!?!? That is just so wrong... I did a quick search on the internet and found that the Douglas Hickox Award is for first time directors only. Beh guai la, newbie lai...

I'd rather watch Benjamin Button for the second time than sit through this pointless gore fest. Luckily i didn't watch it alone, abo sien si...
Thanks for sitting through the movie with me :)

Paintballs on the silver screen

Hohoho, 2009 is going to be a good year for paintball, so many new stuff. First there are the new equipments for 2009 (especially the Dye Rotor), and then there's the USPL, now comes this - a paintball motion picture!! The are so many sports out there that are featured in movies - archery, football, bowling, karate, swimming, golf, boxing, etc. So why can't paintball?

I'm not talking about all those paintball montage videos by DerDer, i'm talking about a movie with an actual storyline and character development. The movie is scheduled for production in Spring 2009. Paintballers all over will surely get very excited...

Here's an extract taken from 68caliber.com -

Motion Picture Principals from America and China met on the studios of Paramount to work on the first joint USA/China production, A Journey of 10,000 Miles. Now they return for a new challenge, The Paintball Kid.

The Paintball Kid, is a coming of age action/adventure epic that will be filmed in exotic locations worldwide from the US and Canada to China. Oklahoma D-Day Adventure Park, world's largest paintball field, will be
the anchor battle ground for action/stunt filming and other paintball fields are in process to be selected as well. It marks the first joint American/Chinese effort employing paintball as the theme in a major motion picture. Shanghai Film Studios will serve as the principle studio overseas while studios in Hollywood, Houston and Dallas, Texas will be used for principal photography in the US and Canada.

The Paintball game industry, serves as background for the film's story. Arrangement is currently being made to film on location at major paintball events throughout the world. The film's story occurs within the context of actual scenario and tournament games that are on-going. The Paintball Kid, is expected to draw enormous attention to one of the world's fast growing sports.

Leading and major supporting actors are being cast out of Hollywood. However, one of the leading roles and several supporting roles will be selected from real paintball players. All paintball scenario and tournament players are eligible for casting and are encouraged to follow the event broadcasts, pending announcement of casting.