2012 Review (Movie)

Time for the annual movie review cum countdown haha. This year I watched 16 movies in total (wow that's quite a lot for my standard actually), mostly during the second half of the year.

Without further ado let's begin the countdown!



16) Bachelorette

Rating: 4/10

A M18 drama with explicit sexual scenes and language. Ok this is not the point haha. The film is about a really fat girl who is getting married, and her 3 still-single female friends are jealous. On the very night before the wedding, they tried to fit 2 persons into the large wedding gown and ended up ripping it. This is where the plot starts to build up, as the trio panicked to get the dress fixed and during the process they each had sex with a man. LOL what a way to put it.

For a person who doesn’t watch American dramas and comedies, their jokes and humour don’t really make me laugh much. (*xref to Sex and the City*) And I don’t quite buy the idea of having sex with an acquaintance you just met for few hours. I seriously wonder if this is American’s way of life. Call me conservative if you want…



15) Gf-Bf

Rating: 5/10

The movie that left my mind filled with question marks even after the credits started to roll. Although the events are presented in chronological order, there were snippets here and there that doesn’t seem to fit the flow. Maybe I’m not sentimental enough, but I totally don’t understand the meaning of sending a blank letter to someone.

This is another typical love story that spans over several years. Of course with the predictability that when the year reaches 2012 it’s going to end soon. The film started off well and ‘followable’, until the relationship between the three leads gets more and more complicated as years passes. In the end, the plot wraps up with a 没结果, which appeals to critics because such people generally detest happy endings. This film got nominated for lots of awards but it's just not my cup of tea.



14) Pitch Perfect

Rating: 6/10

Yup a musical film that features teenage acapella groups from a university. But this movie is not as simple as I thought. Right from the movie beginning I was already irked out by the unexpected puking scene. This puking scene haunts me back again near the end of the movie, in which the director takes the ‘disgusting-ness’ further by showing how it is possible to create snow angels on a puddle of puke. The producers must have some fetish with puke…

Puke aside, the film was pretty entertaining as it depicts people of many kinds gathering together to make music with their crystal clear, angelic voices. Special mention goes to Fat Amy, which is probably the biggest joke of this movie. It’s quite amazing to witness how human voices alone can produce such a myraid of tones that combine to form nice melodies, without the need for any instrument. A must-watch for music/singing lovers.



13) Jack & Jill

Rating: 6/10

This movie would have scored lower if not for the underlying theme of the bonds between identical twins. It was pretty interesting to watch the real-life interviews where identical twins share their funny experiences and anecdotes, but those were just add-ons to the movie. Does ‘twin power’ really exist? Many real life incidents do prove so.

Anyway this film talks about an annoying twin sister who visits her twin brother’s family, and her low EQ and clumsiness seems to ruin everything. Both twins are played by the same actor, and yup, the twin sister is the boisterous, rough and noisy type that throws the womanly image out of the window. I remember the actor starring in the 2006 comedy ‘Click’ too. Generally I’m not a fan of American slapstick comedy. A person getting hit by a loud ‘BAM’ and collapsing in an exaggerated manner does not make me laugh. But I’m really amused by the kid who likes taping anything and everything lol.



12) Rurouni Kenshin

Rating: 6/10

This is a live-action version of an old manga/anime. I remember my bro loved to read/watch it when I was in primary school. Even bought VCDs and stuff. Too bad during that time I wasn’t into manga/anime yet; didn’t even watch a single episode/chapter, though I know how the main leads look like. And thus I watched this movie with zero expectations, with totally no idea how the story is going to progress. Well, good in a way.

However I felt the story was pretty predictable. Typical of a battle story where the good guy fights through the bad guys to save a damsel in distress. The difficulty of the bad guys increases along the way but the good guy nevertheless wins by showing his true power each time, while staying true to his principle. The fighting scenes were cool, but nothing really spectacular. What I probably lack is the fond childhood memories associated with this movie. I would probably enjoy it more if I had read the manga/watched the anime last time.



11) Ice Age 4: Continental Drift

Rating: 6.5/10

This is an ideal movie if you want to relax, forget all your stress by laughing your hearts out. Basically the plot is about a great landmass shift which forces the animals to migrate to another location. Some were separated from the main herd, drifted off to the open sea and met with pirates. The ape pirate captain, who takes charge of his simple-minded crew (sadly), was the main villain of this movie. Lots of moments when you feel like bursting into laughter.

Special mention goes to an interesting character who has no relation to the main plot – a squirrel which is heavily obsessed with acorns. One day he managed to find a treasure map within a empy acorn shell (yea…the ‘treasure’ is not gold, but acorns). After much obstacles, at the end of the film, he managed to find the ‘treasure’, which is an acorn paradise. However his obsession eventually results in what we know the Earth as today…



10) We Not Naughty

Rating: 6.5/10

Many see this as an indirect sequel to I Not Stupid. More often than not, sequels are not as good as the very first instalment. Same goes for this series too. I guess it’s due to the ‘novelty’ factor. When we watch more movies of the same kind, we start to get tired of the similar plots, style and jokes. And it’s not easy to produce something new each time.

Undoubtedly, the two main leads have good chemistry with each other. The innocent little boy is cute too. Personally I think the funniest person in the story is 巫启贤, though he just played a guest cameo. That annoying mum-cum-businesswoman-cum-motivator taught me the biggest lesson I learnt from this movie: Be Postive! (To all those emo people)



9) From Ah Boys to Men (Part 1)

Rating: 7/10

The most realistic NS film I’ve watched so far. A notch above the 1996 movie ‘Army Daze’, which also features a siao-on geeky-looking boy who aspire to enter OCS. Guys who experienced BMT would be able to feel ‘nostalgia’ in this movie, which essentially captures every key aspects of BMT life, such as hair-cutting, morning roll call, night admin time, book-out day, rifle presentation ceremony, etc. It also covers fine details and funny BMT moments such as the terrifying Jacob’s ladder of SOC, weird leg movements when doing pull-up, sergeant stealing rifle muzzle, sergeant doing whatever means to find dust to prove that the bunk can never be 100% clean during stand-by-bed, etc. Most importantly, it teaches us how to chao keng! Haha. Part 2 will probably feature, outfield, route march, range-shooting, grenade -throwing etc until POP.

Special mention goes to the extremely fierce sergeant in the flashback, who seemed to be scolding the recruits like there is no tomorrow, and ordered them to shift the entire cupboard and bed to the parade square during the dreadful stand-by-bed lol. The popular army song of the past was pretty amusing too. Well, the downfall of this movie is, as usual, the blatant product advertisements, the CG effects, and, regretfully, the war scene that consumed most of the budget. To the girls: Yup, this is really how BMT is like haha.



8) The Dark Knight Rises

Rating: 7/10

After much positive reviews from the previous instalment, Batman returns for the final movie of the trilogy. Yea, many ‘complained’ that the main lead Christian Bale is getting old haha. Unlike the other superhero movies, this one is presented in a more ‘psychological manner’ rather than the typical save-the-city brute battles. I think it’s the director haha. His movie never fails to make people crack their brains and listen attentively to the dialogues to understand what is going on, like Inception. In the previous instalment, I had some trouble trying to catch the rationale behind the plot, but this time it’s easier =p, but still…lol.

The most interesting character probably goes to Catwoman, with all her deceptive antics. That cool motorbike, which can swtich direction in an instant and shoot explosives, is probably what many wished to have. The big twist in the plot must have made many audience surprised. Watched this film in IMAX for the first time and the visual/sound effects in this movie really complemented well with the top-notch technology used in IMAX, especially during the first airplane scene. Although the ticket price was a little steep, the 2h 45m long movie made it more worth for money haha.



7) Ted

Rating: 7.5/10

This movie made me reminisce a lot on my childhood playthings indeed. Despite its cute appearance, the lead teddy bear’s personality is totally not cute at all. Imagine a ji ko pek in teddy bear costume – swears dirty words, smokes marijuana, invites prostitutes to home, have sex with co-worker during work, etc. Not intended for children to watch haha. A total image spoiler for such a cute-looking teddy.

After watching this movie, I wouldn’t want my teddies to come to life anymore. They will inherit all our vices and pull us away from a rational mind. One more thing is, Ted is too intelligent and mature for my liking. Prefer simpleminded and clumsy bears like Winnie the Pooh haha. And what’s with the disgusting scene about the piece of shit on the floor…looks like the scriptwriter/director has a fetish with faeces…



6) Love

Rating: 7.5/10

A cliché name for a simple theme, not to be confused with the popular Taiwanese drama. This film tells about the individual love stories of a few couples, who are interconnected with each other. I like movies whose plot can be split into a few independent stories, because they often cover different aspects of a theme, which makes the idea broader. The storytelling style alternates between the couples, so the audience won’t get tired of a particular one easily haha.

冤家变情人, 未婚先育, 青少年恋爱, 日久生情, 金钱恋爱…you have it, coupled with humorous and touching moments. There are many witty dialogues and noteworthy lines too. The 双赵 part is just…funny haha, but 舒琪’s story has more depth I feel. And I wonder if the very first scene of the story is really taken in one long shot…



5) We Bought A Zoo

Rating: 7.5/10

When I first saw the trailer of this movie, I was appealed by the theme of living in a zoo. It was a pretty heartwarming film, in terms of both human-human interaction and human-animal interaction. A family bought a zoo as their home with zero experience in running it, and eventually went to a deficit.

This movie taught me that running a zoo is of no easy task. Taking care of animals is tough and expensive. Their feed and medical bills cost a bomb, and it can be a pain to keep them under control. Not to mention the strict regulations and standards that a zoo has to meet before it is approved to open to public.

Anyway, I didn’t know snakes can be kicked like soccer balls…



4) The Avengers

Rating: 7.5/10

This film gathers a group of familiar superheroes we have previously known. I haven’t seen the movies featuring the individual superhero so it was pretty refreshing to witness their special powers each. Recently I have taken a liking to superhero movies because the plots are usually less complicated and easy to follow, though the ending is more or less predictable. And more importantly it’s quite interesting to see the superheroes exhibiting their strengths or getting whacked by their weaknesses. This probably stems from my childhood habit of playing RPGs games haha.

The Avengers pounded me with lots of question marks at the start, as I was trying to figure out the roles and identity of each character introduced. Slowly it became clear who they are, as well as their special characteristics. For example, Captain America was often teased of his ‘long sleep’ and cheesy costume. The funniest character in the movie should go to Hulk – a true barbarian that only goes by brute force, and doesn’t seem to give a heck about any reasoning.



Down to Top 3 Movies of the Year!







3) The Amazing Spiderman

Rating: 8/10

I only watched the 2nd and 3rd instalments of the Tobey Maguire’s trilogy, so I don’t have a basis for comparison. It’s quite interesting to find out the origins of Spiderman – how Peter Parker obtained superpowers, became Spiderman and so on. Didn’t know Spiderman is such a mischievous person, especially in how he fools around with the criminals. I always thought he is a 乖乖牌 haha.

I like how the story is simple, straigtforward and explantory, which is ideal for relaxation after a tired day of work. The most touching moment is when Peter Parker brought home eggs for his aunt a tough night dealing with the lizard villian. There is also some sort of high-school romance element in the plot – the shy boy chasing the intelligent girl. However I prefer this to ‘Twilight’ lah.



2) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Rating: 9/10

Kinda regretted not watching Lord of the Rings on the big screens about a decade ago, though I eventually watched it in my small little computer screen. The fantasy and medival elements of this film is simply wonderful. The depth of the plot is there and the backdrop of Middle Earth is already well developed by the previous series. Although the high-definition images made me a little dizzy, I was amazed by the visual beauty and details, especially the Rivendell scene. It also made me reminisce my childhood days when I loved playing RPGs.

The movie is almost 3 hours, just like the previous LOTR series. But I like how the film tries to immerse the audience into the fantasy world. The part about riddle-guessing is a little unexpected. I didn’t expect it to take up so much screen time, but I was amused in a way. Some action scenes also blew me off, like the part where the rock golems are combating during the thunderstorm. Thought it was pretty cool. Not to mention the escapade from the goblin’s cave. You don’t have to kill the goblins, you just have to push them off the flimsy bridges and wooden platforms. How can such clumsy creatures live in such a precarious dwelling? Lol.



And my Top Movie of the Year goes to....
















1) Life of Pi

Rating: 10/10

Watched this movie after hearing some extremely good reviews. Indeed, I would have regretted if I didn’t watch it. This is the second movie I watched in 3D, since Up (2009). Some scenes had a very Avatar feel. Surreal, I would say. After some time the 3D seemed to lose its effect as the plot started to overwhelm me.

Even for a non-religious person like me who don’t believe in God, I was struck by some quotes in this movie. It triggered my philosophical mind and made me think more about life, or rather, how people cope with their lives. There is a lot of irony in this drama – like the vegetarian who was forced by circumstances to eat meat. Although the ending is well closed (unlike a ‘certain’ movie where the ending shows a coin spinning and *poof* - the credits), it leaves us much room to interpret and ponder. Personally I feel it was a sad ending. =(

There were quite a few emotional scenes in this movie which made me tear. It’s a long time since I felt that way when watching movies. Anyway I really wonder how they managed to create such real-like animals. Their movements and cinematography is so real that you can feel that these animals really existed.

人生中有许多事付出未必能得到回报，最重要的是能拿得起放得下。



That brings the end to my movie countdown. Seems like all the good movies get released near the end of the year eh? Was worried that my top movie is going to score only 8/10 haha.

Anyway Happy New Year to all my readers! Going to enter a freezer soon...brrr...

2012 Review (Music)

It's time for the annual charts and countdown! It's supposed to be after the New Year but I decided to put it earlier because...

My best albums and Top 20 songs of 2012:







Looks like my Top 20 songs this year are pretty mainstream, especially the No.1 song. No awkward surprises this year haha. The top song of the year is also quite impressive lah. When I first heard it last December I grew to like it, and during this period of one year, no other songs are able to overtake its top position.

My chart has quite a few songs from Malaysian singers. Last year it was PRC singers haha. Though I try to diversify my chart, got feel means got feel, no feel means no feel. I pick my songs mostly based on the song itself, rather than whether I like the singer or not. So if a singer appears on my chart, it doesn't mean I'm a fan of that singer lol.

However slow ballads still dominate over fast-paced upbeat songs. Though it's still highly unlikely that the chart will be dominated by a few favourite singers. I've seen personal charts entirely made up of Jay Chou's, Lee Hom's and David Tao's songs. -__-

Talking about that, it can't be helped that 3 songs from the same singer appeared in my chart for the first time lol. Judging that I get my dose of songs from radio, which tries to diversify its playlist, such occurrence is not normal =p. The fact that all the newbies failed to make the mark this year is also not normal lol.

Anyway there is a singer whose songs appeared in my chart yearly since 5 years ago. But this year he didn't, even though he has released an album this year. No feel means no feel haiz. I won't give chance one lol.

Merry Doomsday

To all my blog readers: Congrats for surviving the doomsday!

I suppose quite a few of us have been waiting for this 'special date' to come, ever since we heard about this 2-3 years ago (?). There was a lot of hooha about this date as well, with couple of theories which seem to agree that doomsday will occur on this very date.

There is even a blockbuster disaster movie about 2012 as well. Can you still remember? Lol.

This must be the biggest doomsday prediction ever made in mankind. There are lots of people worldwide, from Asian to Western countries, who are going crazy over this date. You won't probably find someone on the street who doesn't know about this day.

But alas, as the clock struck 12 midnight and the date changes, everything is just...normal? Lol. What a disappointment. Not a public holiday somemore =( , though I'm sure there might be some groups somewhere in the world that will gather together and countdown for this date.

The day will probably come and go peacefully without a hitch. It's just another working day for me. It would probably be another rainy day for SG.

Maybe it's too early to say now since it's only 1am in SG. There is also the problem of time difference across the world, with all the GMT, UST, or Mayan time, Mexico time etc whatever. When exactly will doomsday happen?

After this very 'fateful' date, I guess no one would ever believe in doomsday anymore. I mean, few years ago when this rumour spread, it seemed pretty real and believable isn't it? (Recall that documentary in youtube) After today, the hardcore doomsday believers would probably get a big...HUH?

Non believers can probably immerse themselves in Xmas or 冬至 mood lol.

But anyway I admit I was eagerly looking forward to this date to some extent. Not to witness doomsday, but to see what silly hardcore people will do on this day. Sell all their assets, rampage the streets etc.

Let's look forward to the news tomorrows. =p 



  

It's Snowing! (IX)

Long-time readers of my blog will probably know the significance of this entry. Every year, I never fail to remember to write this entry, because of the rainy weather that keeps prompting me haha.

My body also prompts me as well. Down with flu and constant block nose from the start of the week. =(  The office aircon is terribly cold this week...

Anyway one year ago in this snowy entry I posted this song (if anyone remembers...).





This song is sooo appropriate for this kind of seasons. So does the old McDonald advert song (where it rained when the children visited the zoo). Unfortunately we will never get to see such commercials now. Especially since the government banned commercials which promote junk food to children...


Another song by a local singer, suitable for rainy days:






I remember the time when this song was just released and the radio kept airing it several times a day. Its release also happened to coincide with the end-of-year rainy season haha. Same goes for Tanya's song above too lol.


All these years I always equate rain to snow. Hey, rain is not equal to snow okay... You won't get wet and sticky by walking under the snow haha.


Let's listen to a song by yet another local singer, which sticks more to the title of this entry haha.






Talking about snow, I have to really get my body used to subzero temperatures. Otherwise, even if I survive the coming doomsday, I won't live to see year 2013.

With snowstorms getting worse and worse worldwide, I think I'll just freeze up like this local singer here.





Fortunately Singapore doesn't snow. Yea let's 感动每一刻.

The Land Before Time: Papyrus Zilch - Qatar

Without further ado, let's start on a new trip! Hah...this one is gonna be interesting =)

Yeah...I'm going to a region in the world where Singaporeans hardly visit. By Free & Easy somemore! Up till now I still feel that I was very bold to go there without a tour group.

This trip is practically a 探险之旅, not '探求危险' lah lol. It opened my eyes to a lot of things we hardly see, made me feel things we hardly experience. I'll try to share them along the way.

Qatar Airways - One of the top airlines ranked by Skytrax. The service was good and the stewardess were patient. I was more mesmerized by the carrier interior which had a nice lighting colour scheme. Furthermore the colours alternate every now and then like a disco lol.

Reaching transit destination - Doha Airport

Doha airport sells a lot of genuine plushies! You can tell by their handicraft. Soooo cute!! 回味童年啊。。。

Didn't know Scrabble can be played with non-English alphabet languages. One major difference is that Arabic is read from right to left haha.

Cigarettes come in huge boxes. So does the font size of the health warnings lol.

OMG...the largest Toblerone I've ever seen. 4.5kg...look at the price!!

I'm buying this for Xmas party this year...ya right.

Wah piangz...who will ever eat so much Nutella?!! Why is everything in this airport so gigantic?!

水火不相融, but Best Friends Forever!

An 8-hour transit over such wee hours can be quite unbearable. There is a corner where we can lie down and sleep for free. Watched the sky turned from pitch dark to dawn. Totally couldn't sleep haiz.

By 5am or so, the sun has already risen that high. But the weird thing is that it was comfortable to stare with naked eye, and its silhouette was pretty distinct. Seems that in overseas the sun really looks and feels different.

Qatar is a good airline to consider when flying to Europe region. BUT BUT...the downside is the transit at Doha Airport. Firstly there is nothing much to do at the airport other than rot. Secondly there is no skybridges at all so passengers have to take a shuttle bus to and fro the waiting area and the aircraft.

And you know what...when they checked our tickets at the waiting area, we were told that we will be upgraded to First Class! Woohoo!! Reason unknown lol.

Then we were guided into this special bus catered for First Class passengers only.

You know what this reminds me of? US Army soldiers being dispatched to Middle East military base. I think I watch too much news le lol.

First time in First Class!! Damn excited. The seats are wide, and pillows are huge, comes with a huge bag of toiletries and essentials, which I 'koped' as souvenir lol.

There is also more than enough legroom - look at the distance between my knee and the front seat. The service provided was also First Class. Even before the plane started to take off, the stewardess were already serving us juice, tea, etc.

There is sooo much things you can adjust on the seat!

Taxiing - The skyline of Doha can be seen at a distance. Full of skyscrapers, like Dubai haha.

Taking off - The whole country literally lies on the desert. No greenery at all =(

Heh heh...First Class menu leh! Too bad I don't drink alcohol haha.

Totoro joins in the fun of sitting First Class too!

Now comes the meal! This is just the appetizers okay. And the bread is soooo delicious!!

For the main course - omelette and some egg-based dish (can't remember). I ate a total of 3 main course lol. The 3rd course - Arabian Breakfast - is not shown here because I finished it up before I could remember to take a picture. The stewardess serving us can really read my mind - she knows I wanted to try all the main courses in the menu lol.

In this part of the world, the view outside the plane is nothing but desert. Hmm...that looks like some isolated chemical plant in the middle of the desert...

What is this artificial canal for? Either for transporting goods or channeling fresh water. *recalls Geography lessons*

After looking at this sandy wilderness, I suddenly had the thought "Oh no, where have I landed myself into?"

Actually my worries are not unfounded. Among all my travels so far this is the one which I experienced the greatest culture shock. But it made me learn a lot, and probably made me more determined to travel to less-travelled destinations even more.

There are frustrating moments but upon calming down and thinking about it, things aren't that bad after all. =)

TLBT Tip No. 1: Don't risk your life (or sanity) just to take photos lol. There are other more precious stuff to safeguard.

This is the stewardess that made my first ever First Class experience so memorable - Shin from Korea. I spoke some half-past-six Korean to her and she praised that I speak better than some native Koreans LOL. When I asked her to take a photo together (in Korean, for practice mah), she replied "Jinjja!?" LOL...

Loading...Please Wait More Patiently

Finally I'm done with my Japan trip! Phew... Let me rest a while more before I proceed to my next 'book' haha.

Travelling is one of the most fun things to do in life. It makes you excited for a long period of time, not only during the trip itself, but also during the planning phase months before the trip.

By sharing my photos here, I can also reminisce my trip at the same time. It is only during this time when I really browse through my photos carefully, appreciating the memories I recorded.

Let me show you a preview of what's coming up soon =)

Why is overseas sunset so beautiful? I think it's because there are too much clouds in Singapore that obscure the sun. Singapore's urban landscape also doesn't complement well with the sunset.