Inception: The Movie Review

What caught my eye to catch this movie yesterday (the first day of public screening in Singapore) was ST Life's 5-star review.

Is it that good?

Well, let's just say that I was mentally prepared that this movie would be extremely mind-boggling, so I really concentrated on catching every word and sentence in the dialogue to grasp the concept of stealing information from dreams. At the end of the movie, I felt like as if I had completed reading an academic school book.

Indeed, the movie is visually intriguing, the idea is original, the soundtrack (by Hans Zimmer) draws you into the emotions.

But to me, it lacks the entertainment factor. It felt kindda like an art film with a big budget for visual effects.

You know there are some movies that you would like to watch over and over again to enjoy some great moments? For instance, I love to watch The Matrix Trilogy, those bullet-time scenes are so out-of-the-world, the fight sequences with hundreds of Smith is entertaining.

Compare to Inception. I can recall only a few scenes that are visually mind-blowing. But you won't see those scenes playing as demo tracks in electronic stores. Personally, I felt that the pace is too slow, although that is precisely the intention of Chris Nolan. Some of the scenes were shown in slow-mo, understandably intended to let the audience to "enjoy the visual-effects moment". Unfortunately, it becomes rather repetitive, as if he wants to keep reminding the audience that time and gravity behaves differently in dreams. The early part of the movie already prepares you by explaining the "rules" of how things happen, so when you watch the dreams unfold in strange ways, you don't get the kick at all.

I'm glad to have watched Inception and appreciates the effort Chris Nolan goes to conjure this strangeness in the world of dreams. But I don't think it deserves a 5-star rating. Some movies are driven by the great acting, while others are driven by loud effects. To me, Inception is dominated by "the idea", so much so that I don't really appreciate the acting that much and I don't quite get wowed by the effects.

Seriously, I don't know why I felt so negative about the movie. Maybe because I'm trying to justify why it's not worth the 5-star rating. Well, if the ST Life reviewer had given a 2-star, maybe I would be writing more positive stuff, talking about how original and mind-bending the movie is.

I guess that makes my review a little different. Is there anyone out there who felt similarly that the movie is overrated?

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: A Post Before I Catch the Movie

The first thing that came to my mind when I hear "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is the old cartoon where Mickey was the apprentice.

Next thing is I wondered if Disney Pictures is going to remake that cartoon scene-by-scene into an action movie.

I guess they are just using back the title and made it into a completely unrelated story.

And that is why I am blogging about it right now - so that I can win free tickets from Nuffnang to catch this movie and find out what it's all about!!

Everyone loves to create magic, to conjure something special, making impossible dreams become reality. That is what magic is all about, isn't it? If it was something that can be easily achieved, it wouldn't be magical.

So, if I were a sorcerer’s apprentice, I would use my powers to

1. Create content - music, novels, photos, paintings, web sites, whatever - just by thinking, and then the stuff would magically appear in front of me. Saves me time and effort to materialise the ideas in my head.

2. Make my loved ones and myself healthy and free from any physical deficiencies (especially someone I know who can't fulfill her dream because of that)

3. Travel from point A to B without the use of vehicles - save time, save money, save environment.

OK, I'm keeping to 3 items. That's how the laws of magic goes, ya. Everything is in threes.





Catch The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Movie starting from 22nd July 2010 and join the Walt Disney Studios Singapore official Facebook and Twitter page!

Iron Man Mark 3 Battle Damage 12-inch collector's figure

I recently added another item to my collection of toys and figures. When I buy a toy, an important criterion is that it must fully resemble the character on-screen. Most of the small Iron Man figures have terrible paint jobs and awful details that make the character look, well, disgusting. That explains the awe when I came across this Iron Man 12-inch figure at a hobby shop. I didn't know Iron Man figures of such details exist!!!

Iron Man Mark III is the "first" armour that Tony Stark wore for his battle against the villains (Mark 1 was the primitive bulky suit that led to Tony's escape from the terrorist. Mark 2 was the silver unpainted armour that Tony wore for his first test flight).

The one that I bought is called "Battle Damage", which reflects the state at the end of the movie while fighting Iron Monger. As such, this figure, unlike the other Iron Man variants (also produced by Hot Toys), has the following additional accessories:

- interchangeable chest armour
- interchangeable heads: one allowing the eyes to light up, the other allowing the front mask to be removed, revealing Tony's face
- an additional naked hand (Tony removed his armour glove during the movie when he thought he had defeated Iron Monger)
- a display stand modeled after the rooftop of the Arc Reactor building in the final battle scene, including cracked glasses
- details of scratches all around the armour figure (good thing, so I don't have to take extreme good care of the paint work)

(in some exclusive editions, the package even cos with a crushed helmet. Iron Monger crushed it at the final scene, leaving Tony's head exposed. I didn't get that because it was about $150 more expensive than this edition, not worth it)

What's amazing about this collector's figure is that it comes with numerous articulations and features in the armour that are faithful to the movie.

- light-up eyes, chest and palms
- removing the chest armour reveals internal details
- the face armour reveals internal details
- expendable wrist gauntlet as shield, as portrayed in the final battle scene
- micro munitions pod on both shoulders. He used it during his first battle scene when the terrorists held civilians hostage, the ammo locks only at the terrorists and fires with accuracy.
- countermeasure dispenser at the hips. He deployed it when fired upon by the 2 US planes chasing after him, and also at the final battle scene to temporarily blind Iron Monger.
- air flaps at the back of armour, as detailed as the movie.
- airbrake deployment system at the legs

The figure is built with plastic, metal and rubber, to allow flexibility of posing and still maintain faithfulness to the joint details.

I was actually contemplating between this figure and the Mark 4 version, worn by Tony in Iron Man 2. I like the movie look and toy design of Mark 4, which comes improved with torso articulation and movable fingers. But I like the playability of Mark 3 Battle Damage with more interchangeable accessories. Besides, Mark 4 is still in pre-order phase while Mark 3 Battle Damage is only made publicly available recently. If I were to wait a few more months, this version might be either out of stock or the value might have increased.

We can't blame the makers, Hot Toys, for the delay. It takes months to properly sculpt and develop such detailed figures, and more months to create the mould to mass produce. As of current, the Mark 5 (briefcase version) and Mark 6 (with the new triangular arc reactor chest) is still under development, and probably will reach mass production in 1-2 years. Hot Toys is also the licensee of several other movie collectible figures like Prince of Persia, Terminator, so they have a plate full of projects (and fans) to satisfy.

With much thought and procrastination, I decided to get this Mark 3 Battle Damage before it becomes unavailable.

Generally, I like the quality of the product. My few nitpicks:
- the chest armour colour is slightly darker than the rest of the body.
- the arm articulation is rather restrictive, so there are many poses that I cannot achieve.
- I cannot deploy the shoulder munitions pod unless I remove the armour.
- limited articulation at the hips.
- limited articulation at the neck. I would like the head to be able to tilt even higher so that I can do a pose of Iron Man flying.
- Tony looks "dead" with his eye levels permanently raised.
- naked hand is longer than the armour hand.
- I would love to have the feet soles to be lit up too.

My favourite parts of the figure would have to be the legs and the back. Apart from the details of the airbrake systems, the legs are designed such that the joints are movable and yet there are armour details to cover the ball joints. The back of the armour unfolds to reveal all the intricate mechanical details of the air flaps.

Analysing the design of this figure arouses my curiosity about how a real Iron Man suit could have allowed the wearer to move flexibly. Hot Toys have really made an effort to include all the armour details and yet giving room to allow articulation. And I am proud to own a piece of comic and movie history.

Movie Insight: A Single Man

On Wednesday night, I watched "A Single Man", starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Not many cinemas are screening the movie, and it's rated R21 for homosexuality content. Tom Ford produces and directs this artistic film that was nominated for several film awards and won some.

After the movie, my wife asked me my thoughts about watching a film showing homosexual activities between men. I told her that I felt "uncomfortable" seeing 2 men locking lips and caressing intimately with each other, more so when the scenes are filmed in such romantic fashion.

Wifey commented that watching a film on gay men brings the film to a greater artistic emotional level, as compared to lesbian women. I added that lesbianism is portrayed generally under the context of sex, or that the film producer often chooses to use lesbianism in an erotic way, and ended up attracting viewership for the wrong reasons.

What I cannot fathom is how 2 men can love each other. To me, it's easier to "appreciate" lesbianism because women are objects of beauty, and beauty transcends gender. So I can accept women liking each other. But men liking men? OK, even if some men do like men, it still boils down to "beauty", that hint of femininity. I have to admit that the male cast of "A Single Man" is very attractively "beautiful" and do not exhibit the aggressive, bestial look.

Anyway, it's a beautiful movie with depth, certainly inspires me in many ways and offers me new insights to life. Love some of the screen lines, check them out here. I'm glad I caught it on cinemas because this is one of those films that you might find it hard to get hold of in local DVD stores due to its controversial topic.

Tweets: 2010 Oscar Nominees

Oscar Nominees announced. http://bit.ly/bvggeq 17 minutes ago from yoono

Avatar got 9 nominations! District 9 got 4! Inglorious Basterds got 8. The Hurt Locker got 8 too, never caught that movie yet. 11 minutes ago from yoono

Sherlock Holmes nominated for Art Direction and Music. I knew that movie's soundtrack is cool! LOVE THAT LEITMOTIF!! 10 minutes ago from yoono

Transformers ROTF only got 1 nomination for Sound Mixing. None for visual effects? Guess the action's too fast to catch the details. 9 minutes ago from yoono

Kudos to District 9 for being recognised with groundbreaking film-making. Nom. for film edit, visual, adapted screenplay, and BEST PICTURE! 7 minutes ago from yoono

Certainly hope Meryl Streep wins the Best Actress for "Julie & Julia". 5 minutes ago from yoono

Apologies for over-tweeting, but it feels good to know that the films I thoroughly enjoyed are nominated for Oscars. http://bit.ly/9mjatE 3 minutes ago from yoono

Mile High Movie Club

Watched 2 movies on the plane, to Hong Kong and from Hong Kong.

The first movie was "The Time Traveler's Wife". Although it's a rather far-fetched tale, it brings a fresh perspective about love and relationships that literally transcend time. What I find so surreal is that when Henry died, Claire his wife will have opportunity to meet him again in the future because of his time travel. It's such a beautiful thought: that even when your loved ones actually passed on, you will still get to meet them someday in future, randomly. No matter how short the duration is, that moment will be treasured for in eternity.

The second movie was on the way back from Hong Kong, "Julie & Julia". The storyline caught me by surprise because first of all, I didn't know Julia Child was so famous and lived in the post-WWII era, while Julie Powell, well, she' kindda famous too, with her blog. So it's pretty interesting how the screen writer intertwines the 2 tales together yet drawing to the same idea. And the best part is how the movie shows us that blogging can get you noticed and make you famous, if you blog about the right things.

I think watching such slow movies on the plane is a great way to relax yourself. Besides, the small TV screen on the plane is never conducive for fast-action movies, especially when the video quality and the sound is rather poor.

Blood Ties - The Movie 還魂

I would like to recommend a film here. It's called 還魂, written and directed by Chai Yee Wei, his debut full-length feature film. This is the first film that is funded by Singapore Film Commission's Feature Film Fund, co-produced by Oak3.

It is not a horror movie, although it has something to do with the supernatural. There is more blood than scare, and there is more love than blood. So I'd classify this film as supernatural romantic drama. Rated M18 for excessive blood.

The film opens in GV theatres on 10 Sep, but they are already showing previews over the weekend. I watched it today with my wife and she enjoyed the movie.

The movie is multi-language with Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Teochew, and some English. With stellar cast from Hong Kong, Kenneth Tsang and Cheng Pei Pei. Acting is good and realistic, cinematography is impressive, the production quality surpasses many Hong Kong and Taiwan commercial films. The only thing that I'd nitpick is the scene sequencing. I can understand the intention of using flashbacks to slowly uncover the truth, but I do get a little confused because the idea of the movie taking place in a single night did not get into me. However, once you have that mindset, then you'd be able to follow the movie better.

The storyline is good and it surprises me with several (not just one) twists. So while you were watching and when you thought, aha, I'm so smart I knew it all along, the story unfolds and catches you off-guard.

If there is a compelling reason why you should watch Blood Ties in cinemas, here's one: it's possible for you to catch any Hollywood blockbusters on DVD in future, but if you don't support local films like Blood Ties, then you might never be able to watch it ever again.

To share with you some facts about Singapore films and their box office receipts, here's stats from the Singapore Film Commission website:
http://www.sfc.org.sg/docs/1991to2008.pdf
http://www.sfc.org.sg/docs/1991to2006.pdf

As you can see, other than the usual popular highly-publicised movies, most of the films aren't making money in box offices. I can understand that some of the local films can be rather artistic, but Blood Ties is truly a "commercial-friendly" film. It's visually and emotionally stimulating.

Join the Facebook Page for exclusive production photos and trailers. May I remind you again, this is NOT a horror movie. Go enjoy the movie and be impressed at our local film production quality.

District 9

If you have watched the District 9 trailer thinking that you know what the movie is about, you are wrong. The trailer doesn't reveal anything about the plot, except the fact that the guy who got exposed to the "alien matter" seems to hint something. Did you guess that he got mutated? Correct. Did you guess that this is a typical alien-horror plot where aliens go around killing humans? Wrong. Is it one of the "save-the-planet" plot? Far from that.

It's entirely documentary, it's a bit of horror, it's a lot of blood and gore, it's a lot of sci-fi, but it's mainly drama. It's one of the rare cross-genre movies, and it does it well.

The movie practically leaves you no time to relax. You are brought up to speed with the documentary-style editing. Every piece of information, every scene and frame, is bite-sized details and critical to the story. And before you knew it, you are being led into the plot and then the story quickly unfolds halfway through the movie. Just when you thought you kindda knew what the movie is finally about, it goes into full-action mode, bringing you into another experience. Chasing sequences, intense battle scenes, questions that are gradually understood. And then comes the final third of the movie where it dwells into emotions and morals. It's clever how the scriptwriter uses the protagonist to take a more convincing role of empathising the aliens as he gradually mutates into one of them.

While this movie is a commercial success in USA, it's practically off the box-office radar in Singapore. Another example of how lack of marketing promotion led movie-goers to miss some gems. I only got to know about this movie from some website banners, and got intrigued that it's a Peter Jackson production. Then as I searched the local cinema screenings, I couldn't find this movie listed as "Coming Soon" or "Preview". Thinking that it will only be shown after the worldwide launch, I left it there until I was told it did screen, but only in Cathay cinemas.

Every veteran movie-goer should watch District 9. It has a bit of everything, and it delivers a new experience. It's not another Hollywood-formula film that many movies are guilty of.

TAKEN The Movie

I was deciding what movie to watch over the weekend. Wolverine is not out until Wednesday, and there wasn't any must-see movies in my list. Initially I decided to catch The International because I thought it must be a nice movie, not from the story point-of-view, but maybe cinematography or action. Then there was the Fast and Furious 4, but when I watched the trailer, I wasn't too excited.

Then there is this movie called TAKEN. The title reminded me of the HBO series by Steven Spielberg, and so I didn't think highly of this movie. But after I watched the trailer and read the synopsis, I think this story has more depth than the other films. There is the human emotional drama (like "Changeling") with action (like "Bourne Identity").

I didn't realise the film is co-written by Luc Besson, and that it premiered in France more than a year ago. I was a fan of his movie ever since The Fifth Element. He's got an interesting way of writing his story. He has no qualms about gun violence, and breaks many rules about dramatic gun scenes in favour of surprises. For instance, in the final gun scene, the Sheikh held the protaganist's daughter hostage. The moment the Sheikh utters a word of negotiation, Niam Leeson's character put a bullet in his head without hestitation. Woah! I would expect some kind of dilly-dally drama like many other movies.

Apart from that, I think it's a great story, kindda like community message for the world about Europe human trafficking activities. Haha why should Singaporeans feel silly about Jack Neo's agenda-filled movies when other countries are also doing the same, albeit with more budget? As a father to a 2-year-old daughter, the film really connects to me. My wife commented that maybe Harrison Ford would have been more convincing, but I reckon he could only portray more as a desperate dad than a level-headed one. It's also unfair to say that Niam Leeson isn't suited for action films. I thought he is fine because he's already a father of a 17-year-old girl and has retired from CIA, so it shows on his face. But if the critics meant that he doesn't look suave and stylo to be a action star, well ya I guess so. This role needs more of a father-looking character than an action-looking figure, and Niam Leeson has that fatherly look, having acted as Obi Wan Kenobe's mentor, including some light-sabre-wielding sequences.

The only scene I thought was overly-glamourised is the long movie-tagline monologue where the character talks to the kidnapper, "... and I will find you, and I will kill you." The voice track was perfectly recorded, and as a voice talent, Niam Leeson really sounds great narrating the lines. But it just lacks emotional context for that scene.

I like the movie. I probably won't watch it again, but the story will live in my mind for years to come. It's a stark reminder of the dangers of the world out there, and young people needs to be wary of strangers and never to be too wild and playful to attract unwanted attention. The worst is that young people think they are smart enough to know the dangers, but I think these organised criminals are far more intelligent to fathom what tricks they could come up with.

Recently, a friend shared with me about someone who is not being honest in a business transaction. I found out that this someone has a history of being dishonest to people he engages for jobs. My argument to my friend is that: if this person with a poor history can still survive in this trade for years, then it really says something about his street-wisdom.

Movie Marathon Month

I've watched more movies this month than the entire 2008 year (I think). My way of celebrating the holidays.

Twilight. It's more of a teenage fan movie. Nothing fantastic and bombastic, just a glamorous vampire love fantasy tale. Personally I felt that the screen adaptation doesn't do justice to the novel, and as a result, I don't see the hype. But I could imagine how the writer Stephenie Meyer's would have written in such beauty and awe. People who love this movie are probably fans of the leading cast or the novelist. I rate it 3 of 5.

Yes Man. Me and my wife love Jim Carey movies. We love him for being him, just like most people love Stephen Chow for his comedic style. So we caught this movie. It's really a feel-good movie, and tells us how we should change our perspective, and with that, good things will follow. My rate: 4 of 5.

Australia. This movie should be called "Northern Territory", because everything happened only in that area. To say that the movie showcases all the beauty of the country is an overstatement. There are so many land in the country that the movie did not cover. While the aboriginal element is probably universal across the land, the portrayal is very limited - one to be exact.

Still, it's a visually attractive movie, especially with the 2 beautiful leading "-man", Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. The supporting child actor, Brandon Walters, is most captivating, loved his eyes and his hair. He should win some award. In the show, the bad guy didn't get a chance to be too evil. He's sort-of a bad-luck bad guy, who tries to be bad on the good guys but couldn't manage to do it

The movie has many touching moments, and the movie uses some familiar tunes like "Over The Rainbow", and "Nimrod" by Edward Elgar's "Enigma" Variations to bring out the intense emotions.

My rating: 4.5 of 5.

Ip Man. When I first saw the movie poster, it spelled "IP MAN", and for a moment I thought it's a sci-fi movie about the Internet Protocol superhero. Then I realised it's about Bruce Lee's master. I knew it would be another stylised kungfu movie, but I know I won't be disappointed if I wanted a kick out of the movie. Often, watching a movie is an escapade from your daily life. Being in a cinema with large screen allows you to submerge into the movie setting, the cast, the place, the sound. All the effort the producers put in to the movie in every detail - clothes, props, locations, music - fully rendered in the huge screen. Plus, getting some unexpected responses from the audience, laughing at the wrong parts (the Japanese General and Ip Man talking to each other in their native language), screaming at some scenes (like the cracking of bones during fighting), just adds to the entertainment experience of movie-going.

My wife commented however that Donnie Yen's face looks flawless for his age. Donnie has been acting for decades in many kungfu movies as supporting actor but only in recent years did he get more leading screen time. Good break from the usual Jet Lee and Jackie Chan.

My rating: 3.5 of 5.

4 days to end of 2008. Will I be watching another movie? Hmmm...

The Dark Knight - finally

After almost 2 weeks of the islandwide theatrical release, I finally watched the Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, today.

I've read so many blogs about how good Heath Ledger is. I felt that his performance is overrated, partly because he didn't hog the screen time a lot. No doubt he portrayed The Joker excellently, but that is what good actors do. In comparison, I would very much prefer this year's Oscar winner for supporting actor, Javier Bardem, in his villain role for "No Country For Old Men", and felt his acting is more impactful, partly because of his extensive screen time.

The plot of The Dark Knight feels a lot like the Die Hard series, where the good guy has to crack riddles or solve dilemmas plotted by the villain in such an inconceivably flawless way.

But I took home another more important lesson that is the soul of the Batman comic's essence. And that is how a futile vigilante struggles in a city of ultimate corrupt to fight crime. Rather than creating a superhero that seems to always save the day at every appearance, Batman deals with real issues about how having a masked vigilante could make things worse, by luring villains like The Joker to unleash their talent to scheme just for pleasure.

The scriptwriter truly captures the essence of the relationship between Batman and Joker, and that they need each other to make their existence meaningful. I felt depressed that there is such a 'hopeless' societal city where being corrupt is the way of life. If I do ever live in this kind of city, I would have moved out long ago. But this is just fiction, a way of storytelling in order to deliver entertainment value, and at the same time teaches us some human values.

I'm not sure how the next Batman can continue to develop this human element. Or it could simply be a "Batman Saves The Day" flick, like what Tim Burton's previous Batman franchise did. Seriously, Tim Burton's version is family-friendly and has its values. Nowadays, it's harder to be good filmmakers because the audience expectations go up exponentially. With all the CGI-effects bombarding the cinematic world, how can you expect producers to make films that thrills audience and yet contains character depth?

Surprisingly, The Dark Knight does that. And it deserves to be on the fastest-grossing film of all time.

Neil Humphreys - The angmoh who was here

Father's Day was just another day, which is perfectly fine. We had lunch with my family with guest appearance by Angie's mum at Peach Garden at OCBC Centre. After a usually-delicious meal with a mouth-opening view, Angie and I went to catch the movie, Kungfu Panda. It is totally entertaining, more so because of the China Kungfu theme. Dreamworks has captured the essence of the Chinese culture with this animation, and infused child-like humour that is their trademark.



We had some time to spare before the movie screened, so we hanged in Popular bookstore. I walked past the local books section and a book caught my eye. "Final Notes from a Great Island" by Neil Humphreys. A quick read of the prologue got me hooked. I proceed to finish about 3 chapters before it's time to enter the cinema.

Neil's sense of humour is the selling point for the book. The way he describes the things around Singapore enlightens even us locals to see things in a different way. It's been years since I touched a novel and Neil caught my attention. I'll be looking around for the omnibus edition and maybe read it during my next vacation.

Indiana Jones

Today I caught Indiana Jones And the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in the cinemas. I can't even remember the last time I watched the franchise movies, but with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford, you just have to watch it, no matter how crappy it is.

Fact is, we are swarmed by adventure movies in the past 2 decades since the last Indy movie. Therefore, IJ4 turns out not as exciting as some other Hollywood movies like National Treasure. In fact, George Lucas the story writer threw in some scenes and plots just to make the movie more entertaining. I shan't reveal the scenes lest I spoil your movie-going experience. All I can say is that the effects are more realistic with today's technology.

But you just have to watch it, because it is Indiana Jones, although it probably doesn't mean anything to teens. There are some character developments and closure to the quadrilogy. There is actually just one or two scenes where Harrison Ford is in hey-day action. The rest of the scenes are just like any action movies he's done in recent years. So to say that he's too old for this role is over-exaggerated.

So, watch it if you are in your thirties and want to reminisce the good old times. If you teens are expecting some kick-ass heart-pumping action, then National Treasure is probably a better movie.

What is our National Treasure?

When Nuffnang asked me "what is our national treasure", the first thing that comes to my mind is: Love.


As corny as it sounds, love makes everything and anything possible. With the power of love, we achieve.

Nuff said.

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets the movie will be screening in Singapore from 20 Dec 2007. Can't wait to watch what kind of conspiracy theory the script writers can come up with.