This is it

Yes I think “This is it” is very apt a title for this “movie”. I thought it more like a documentary or a music video compilation actually. But This Is It is a very nicely produced documentary on MJ’s last moments.

Before I went watched this show, I was damn prepared for it to suck. I really thought it would be a production with the sole purpose to milk money out of the dead superstar’s name. But Darren and I was still keen to watch it nonetheless, because of the dead superstar. So whichever way you look at, the producer couldn’t have made a loss. Whether the show sucked or not, people will still flock to watch it becuase of MJ.

So today Darren and I went to watch this video documentary. We were amazed.

We were amazed by how MJ has aged. There was little sign of him being frail and nervous and almost dying. But he was there full of vigour, singing as well as he has always been, and his creativity was probably at its peak. There was no moonwalking and that 45degree leaning forward dance, but he danced really well for a 50 yr old nonetheless. And Darren and I felt that he is fitter that anyone of us has ever been.

This video worked for me. It reminded me of the inspiration MJ represents. He loved to a fault. Love for his family, his fans, his music, his planet. Too much of it… but not much for himself. Probably thats what killed him? But well, too much debate on what killed him. Not keen to discuss.

But since the man is no longer living, i think This Is It is a wonderful tribute which allows his fans to remember him as he probably wanted them to. if he was ever frail, nervous, weak and dying, I don’t think he would ever want his fans to see them. Therefore, by showcasing his creativity, his music, I think its a great way to remember the man.

As for those who says “This is Not It”, I’d say “Get a Life”. I want to remember MJ as an inspiration to the world, and I am glad that “This is it” has captured the great performer he has always been.

 

My Sister’s Keeper and My Husband’s Wife

My Sister’s Keeper

I caught My Sister’s Keeper on Saturday. I have not read the book but I must say the story is so compelling and touching. There’s not just one protagonist in this story (like most other), but i thought every characters’ perspective was very well depicted. This story is very thought provoking, much like writing a GP essay on Euthanasia. LOL! The right vs wrong kinda stuff.

The cast is fairly unknown (to me) – except for Cameron Diaz. I thought Abigail Breslin was very pretty and precocious, and her brother Evan Ellingson was pretty good looking too! OMG OMG… and that Taylor dude is so smoking! *drool* (he looks better bald i think) Looks aside, I am not quite sure how to comment on acting skills etc.

My verdict if you are interested to know is: MUST WATCH! – ok fine, maybe I should give some credit to the author for writing such a nice book.

It was truly thought provoking for me. and I think the whole movie must have been well around 1.5hrs? But I am such a joker to have cried for like an hour during the movie. I am such a loser I know to be crying over a movie (in public). -sigh- But it is an extraordinary story – to me that is. See Cameron Diaz try all her life to keep her daughter alive. See despite how Kate is gonna die, she still encourages her siblings. See how the father loves his children in his understanding ways. See how despite all pain, Anna still loves her sister so much. See how Taylor died quietly… Awww… life’s fragility is such poetry.

The aftermath: my eyes were so swollen the next day…  My eye lids had some tinge of blue (probably slightly bruised due to the constant wiping of tears in public).. and my mum thought something terrible happened. haha! She concluded I was crazy after hearing that I cried in the movie. I am so gonna read the book!

My Husband’s Wife

Briefly, my husband went for his reservist this week. Yes, the time of the year to be operationally ready (even if you are not). I am grateful for this NS / Reservist stuff actually. Its a little time consuming, and it makes no sense from the business point of view. But someone’s gotta defend the country nonetheless. So if Singaporeans aren’t gonna do the job, who else? So I am quite proud of my husband when he goes for his reservist.

And guess what, its my first time folding that (retarded) sleeves of the Army No 4. How retarded can it be? Well, try it to know. haha! And i polished my first pair of shoes!

So proud of myself.

The sacrifice – Two finger’s nail. The wax got into my nails, and darn I gotta clip them off… And now my index and middle finger on my right hand has got ugly nails….

Gran Torino

Gran Torino

Darren and I caught Gran Torino today.

A very simple show. Featuring a 1972 gorgeous vintage car. About estranged family ties, building relations with people within the community, learning to deal with cultural differences, life and death, cause and effect and a case of sacrifice for greater good. This was what I observed anyway.

I suspect this show is really great because of Clint Eastwood. He is such a irritable guy who really has a nice heart. He has learnt much bout death in his long life, but not much about life yet. So while his relationship with his sons are estranged, he learnt to be nice and to care and protect his neighbours. I guess for me, it was extremely touching when he somewhat decide to choose the way he die. I mean with some kind illness which causes him to cough blood, he probbaly is gonna die anyway. But he decided to go for a confession which is what his late wife had wanted, he made a fitted suit for himself (for his funeral) and chose the way to die (so that he could protect his neighbours).

My review ain’t doing this movie much justice, but I give it thumbs up!

It was so embarassing because at the end of the show, his confrontation with the gangsters led to his death. They shot him many many times. And my tears were like an open tap! So embarassing because I left the cinema with my eyes all red and swollen… OMG.. Its been a great movie (to me) nonetheless!

Slumdog Milionaire

This is an multi-award winning show. Lots of reviews avail on the net and I should think they are pretty accurate, becuase I totally loved this show!

It is not some glamourous good looking movie, but it does illustrate the many facets of life – death, war, poverty, authority, despair, brotherhood, love, religion etc etc. It might not be a pretty looking movie, but it joins all these little dots very nicely through a gameshow.

I entered the cinema not knowing what this show is about really. But I did hear of the numerous Oscar nominations and what nots. I did think it is a over-rated show initially, but then after watching it.. i think it is marvellous. I especially loved the last part where they had the bollywood style dance at the Train station. It somewhat completes the show! LOL!

Go watch go watch!!

Slumdog Millionaire

Curious Case of Whats Ahead

I caught the movie “A Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. It was a really nice sad movie, lots of feel good moments, words of wisdom, touching moments and tear jerking moments. Brad Pitt was very good-looking, and I so loved Cate Blanchett. She is an unconventional kind of beauty. I love the way she carries herself (probably attributed to her dance background) and her accent of English. She is just fabulous! Her acting from young to old has been effortless and very convincing. There’s also a hint of Audrey Hepburn in her. The elegance and grace. Oh… I love her!

I suspect I won’t mind watching the 166 min Benjamin Button again. Just to see Brad grow young and Cate grow old again. The perspective this movie presents is different and it just got me thinking. The sacrifices in life. The meaning of life. The art of forgiveness.Ok.. maybe i am thinking too much. But this has been a great show for a long time. Bitter. Sweet. Bittersweet.

The only part me and Darren thought to be quite a let down was when Brad Pitt became a baby all over again – at the end of the movie. We thought that didn’t quite flow / fit into the whole story…

***

Had 2 interviews so far. Been very quiet these days. People around me are starting to panic… and I dont think I like that very much. I can’t deny there’s a certain amount of pressure building up. But I will manage. I am sure.

***

Quotes I liked from Benjamin Button:

Your life is defined by its opportunities… even the ones you miss.

It’s a funny thing about comin’ home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You’ll realize what’s changed is you.

You can be as mad as a mad dog at the way things went. You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.

For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

Curious Case of Benjamin Button

A Class of Gold

I had a great weekend which kicked off with selecting my wedding gown. Lovely gowns I saw, saw one that I liked while Darren liked another. Took us sometime before I decide on the number I fell in love with. So our wedding costumes are done. The next time we go down to the boutique is to take measurements. From now till then, I need to work out intensively. Get rid of my permanent “float” and try to shrink my legs. -Sigh- Its time to take out my running shoes out of the closet.

***

Then on Sunday, Darren and I had our first experience in the Gold Class – it was a free ticket. It was pretty cool, but we deduce that unless you really belong to the high society or need to impress someone from the high society, its really quite silly to spend such exorbitant amount on Gold Class.

Each ticket cost $25. For this amount, you do not get any free popcorns or drinks. You get a reclining velvet arm chair and a fleece blanket. I really welcome the idea of the blanket, becuase it tend to get pretty cold after some time. While some might ask if the blanket is clean, I thought it smells ok and looks ok and, dammit, I was cold so I can’t bother more.

Errmmm.. Let me share something a little embarassing. Being the first time in the Gold Class, we bought our popcorns and cock as usual before showing our tickets and getting seated. And guess what, we were presented with two menus – one for food, the other for wine. Apparently people don’t buy coke and popcorns into Gold Class! Omg… on average titbits cost like $4, small bites at around $8 and they serve main courses too. A little pricey. And when we looked around, we see people around us drinking from glasses and cups (thats what you get when u order from the Gold Class menu!).A little embarassing, but heck la! I am not going to pay $4 for a bottle of coke and they don’t serve popcorns!!

At the end of the day, I deduce Gold Class might not necessarily be a bad thing when you are feeling rich. It attempts to give a more ‘cultured’ experience. Much like you were going to watch a play at the esplanade kind of feel. There’s a gold class lounge outside. So if I ever have a free ticket again, I will try to immerse myself in the exclusive lounge. Probably i would plan to have my dinner or lunch in the cinema too. But this is only if I am loaded and feels like splurging on – a movie.

OK.. so much for the Goldieclass experience, Red Cliff has been a great movie. Great as in the storyline, the cinematography, the script and Takeshi Kaneshiro was super drool worthy!!! I heard many who condemns the show for being an inaccurate account of history, but I see this film as a film. Adapted from history, displaying the wisdom of ZhuGe Liang and Zhou Yu. No one knows for sure what the history was like because The Romance of the Three Kingdoms was a novel and not written by some historian. I am not a good movie critic, but this movie gets a thumbs up from me!

Gold Class

Harold and Kumar 2: Escape from Guantanamo Bay

This is one show you guys should really go watch! I am not sure if you guys would share the same lameshit sense of humour as me, but this movie was really entertaining for me.

The story revolves around two buddies, one Korean and one Indian. Some freak incident on the plan and stupid government officials sent them to Guantanamo Bay. Basically a prison. And the story revolves around how they escape from there and find their lives and true loves back.

A little note though, this show has some brief nudity and loads of vulgarities. It is peppered with the F word. haha! So just in case, you guys have low tolerance for such stuff.

But anyway, Harold (played by John Cho) is so charming!! He is a typical single eye lid Korean guy, but bred in US and he really rock in this show! He is the more sensible, intelligent, cleaner and less horny of the duo, thats why he is so lovable.

Kumar was not bad too! He is basically the troublemaker but he ended the show very beautifully with the most romantic unromantic poem, which was originally written by Dave Feinberg.

I’m sure that I will always be
A lonely number like root three
The three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine

For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic
I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality

When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three
As quietly come waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer

We break free from our mortal bonds
And with the wave of magic wands
Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed

The whole cinema was rocking with laughter through the show but everyone was going all ‘awwww…’ during this scene! And I melted in my seats when Kumar recited this. awwww….