movie teaser-trailer: The Host (Gwoemul )

" Poster Note: Posters are googled, and are borrowed from both here, and the official site. "


The Host: I can't resist to post this as trailer/teaser. This upcoming Korean monster flick is certainly the BEST monster movie ever in Asia. The movie is due to release 30 November 2006 in Malaysia, but I don't think it is released yet here in Kuching.

Play the trailer and enjoy it...

In case the movie doesn't load, click here.

There's one good reason why it is worth checking out in the cinema - WETA Digital, who made the famed LOTR trilogy, was responsible for the digital effect, mainly bringing the creature to live on screen.

movie review: A Battle of Wits 《墨攻》

" Posters Note: Both posters were googled randomly, and borrowed for illustration purpose for this write-up. "


A Battle of Wits 《墨攻》: Two movies in two days. You may think that was quite a feat, but it is not. My personal record was having five movies in seven days, which includes three movies marathon in a day. That was during my days in Kuala Lumpur, where all the cinematic indulgence lies.

Let's not get carried away. Back to the movie, A Battle of Wits (BoW) casted stars from Hong Kong, Korea and China, with Andy Lau leading the casts. Here's a little synopsis of the movie, I hope I don't overdo it, and include all the spoilers.

BoW is an adaptation from Japanese comic by Kenichi Sakemi. Set in the Warring State Period (战国时代), when Kingdom of Zhao (赵) was marching towards Kingdom of Yan (燕), in quest to defeat one of the six other rival kingdom at that time. Unfortunately, little City of Liang (梁城) stood in the way of Zhao army. Zhao army intended to overwhelm City of Liang in their build up to the battle against Kingdom of Yan.

While City of Liang was to besieged by the large army from Zhao Kingdom, the King of Liang was intimidated by the large number of troops Zhao was sending. His army was clearly outnumbered, it was clearly a David versus Goliath battle. He intended to surrender, and to plea for mercy. In such desperation, his advisers sent for help form the MoZi (墨子), hoping for a savior to come in time before Zhao army commence the besiege.

In the long horizon, approached a figure. The face unseen, hidden under the hood. As he approached the city, he showed demeanor of hope. The only hope the men in the city can cling onto, the only hope, if they were to survive the attack from a mighty 100,000 well-trained men, with just 4,000 men to defend the city. Can he do it? Or the question is, how will he do it?

I am impressed by how the MoZi follower, GeLi (Andy Lau) used his wisdom to outwit the Zhao army. Although he stood on neutral ground, only protecting and defending the city he was assigned to, he was superior in plotting and planning the war strategy throughout the battle. Even so, as good as he was on the battlefield, what he had been doing, has been contrasting of what he believed in (the Mohism philosophy).

He was struggling within himself.

On better written comment, I recommend this from Dick Steel of Singapore.

This movie doesn't emphasis on art and beauty, as The Banquet (夜宴) had shown us. I find BoW had delivered strong movie plot, with strong characters brought up by equally every actors/actresses. I have never read the comic myself, but from the movie, it was all good.

I personally give credits to all the leading casts - Andy Lau, Fan Bingbing, Nicky Wu Qi-Long, Sung-kee Ahn, Siu-hou Chin, Si Won Choi, etc. Also, the whole production team, director. It's certainly a movie to watch.

The movie runtime is 133 minutes (2 hours 13 minutes) long. Check your local cinema listing and admit yourself to the movie before too late.


GSC's sub-site for BoW <here>.
Official site for BoW <here>.




" End Note: The movie passed Malaysian Censorship Board with flying colors. No uzi was fired. None at all. Upcoming movie rivaling BoW, Curse of the Golden Flower (满城尽带黄金甲). Let's see how different it is from . "

movie review: Happy Feet

" Poster Note: This movie poster is googled and borrowed from here, for better visual illustration in this write up. "


Happy Feet: Latest magic presented by Warner Brothers Production. Happy Feet was released on the 16 November 2006 here in Malaysia, and other regions/countries may have different release date. You can check it here, at the official website.

How could I resist watching this on big screen when Happy Feet has such a strong voice cast lined up for the production. Just take a look at the names they have: Elijah Wood (Frodo: LOTR Trilogy), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine: X-men Trilogy), Nicole Kidman, Brittany Murphy (Sin City), Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith: The Matrix Trilogy), Robin Williams and etc. Even without linking the names to the database, you would probably know who they are already.

A little note on Happy Feet: Late Steve Irwin featured in this film as Kev. The producers dedicated this film to Steve Irwin.

As usual, I will skip the synopsis. You can read it better ones on the official review sites.

The tagline for Happy Feet is "Warning: May Cause Toe Tapping." Well, it is well said. In fact, I think it is more than that line has to offer.

Happy Feet is a movie which really touches the audience. It touches you not only from the storyline aspect, it touches you visually too. Credit to the visual effects team, they managed to create every texture possible in the film, and made them so real. I mean EVERY one of them. The fur, feather, the snow, the ice, the steel, the pebbles, the fish, the sea lion's skin, the sky... and the list grows on and on and on.. You will just have to see it to believe it.

Mumble (voice by Elijah Wood) is the tap-dancing penguin, and boy the young Mumble looks really cute. In fact, all other young Emperor Penguins. I bet, if you are watching it on IMAX, you must be tempted to reach out to lil' Mumble and try to get hold of him. He's just so adorable.

On top of visual satisfaction, you will be indulged with wide range of music track throughout the movie. In Happy Feet, each Emperor Penguin use their heart songs to win their partner's heart. So, if they want to mate, they just sing their heart out, and win a chick penguin's heart. Another impressive note, Robin Williams voice was featured for multiple characters in the movie. His voice was cast as Ramón/Lovelace/Cletus.

Note: Happy Feet was also made 3D presentation for IMAX: think BIG.

Enough said, if you have not catch this movie, go to your local cinema now before it's too late. Now, let the icy lands melt your heart.


p/s: I love this quote from the movie, one of the many memorable quotes: "hear somebody wanting something... ME!" - Ramon.



" End Note: This movie also blended real life actors and animated characters. Honestly, it's pretty tough to tell which is real, which is CG. Also, the movie is rated as U: suitable for everyone. Hence, no uzi was used by the country's censorship board. "

silver line in gray cloud

It's been cloudy for me since the day I touched down in Kuching last month. A friend then had told me that there is a silver line in every gray cloud. Indeed, there seemed to be.

On my job hunting, there is nothing confirmed at the moment. I shall post a small update here once things are finalized.

On other note, my true identity seemed to have blown away after my visit to Jambu. I was attending a birthday... gathering, or party? Whichever it is, it was my friend's birthday, and she gathered few of her former classmates to celebrate for her. I was one of the only two seniors around. Boy, I was old.

Couldn't post anything on the restaurant here, as I gave my camera an off day, and I am using a classic-no-camera-color-screen-and-waiting-to-be-replaced-phone. If you wanna kill your curiosity, have a sneak peek on Pink Cotton's. Might do a proper review later if chances arise later.


Photo of the Day:

" Photo Note: Sunset in Kuching. This sunset photo is one of few random shots I have made almost every evening. "

congratulations!

My cousin had just bid goodbye to bachelorhood on the 23 November 2006. Registration was completed at Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (National Registration Department) at Satok. Pictures, names would not be released until the wedding ceremony is near.

Cheers and Congratulations!

unbelievable? believe it!

This sounds like Dean Cain's famous line in Ripley's Believe it or not!. Read the rest of the entry, and you will know why.



In basketball, it is rare for little guy to block a shot from big guy. I know it well, as I always end up having my shots swatted away by the bigger guys in the game. (I do swat balls away from players of my size or smaller, when I was younger.)

All I am saying is, it's really hard to have a clean block at a guy who's taller than you. Unless, you have great leaping ability, and good anticipation timing. To be able to block those shots, one would have been really thrilled, really.

In NBA, it's no different too. It's rare for point guards, to block centers, or power-forwards. That's because those guys are almost 7 feet tall, where typical point guards are at 6 feet.

For old record, here's a clip I managed to dig from YouTube.com. It's a clip of point guard Earl Watson blocking a shot from Shawn Bradley. Earl Watson stands at 6ft 1in, and Shawn Bradley is 7ft 6in. (Note: Shawn Bradley wasn't the tallest player in NBA history, there were Gheorghe Mureşan, who stands at 7ft 7in, and Manute Bol, who was also listed same height as Muresan.)

Video 1

(In case the video doesn't load, click here for the link.)

Back to today's focus, which is a block made possible by greater height difference from the first video. Nate Robinson, 5ft 9in, blocked Yao Ming's, 7ft 5in, layup attempt. Height difference between Yao Ming and Nate Robinson is 51cm, or about 1ft 8in; while Earl Watson and Shawn Bradley were separated by about 43cm (1ft 5in).

Enough said, the picture will tell you everything. Just look at the size between them, will ya?


" Not the defensive matchup you'd expect: Nate Robinson on Yao. Robinson managed to block a Yao layup attempt at the end of the third quarter.
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images "


Video 2

(In case the video doesn't load, click here for the link.)

Houston Rockets defeated New York Knicks 97-90 in that game. Yao Ming finished with 26 points and 9 rebounds, while Nate Robinson had 4 assists and a block he would remember for the rest of his life. Nate was held scoreless though.




" FYI Corner: All the big guys I mentioned just now are all of different nationalities: Shawn Bradley (Germany/America), Gheorghe Mureşan (Romania), Manute Bol (Sudan), and Yao Ming (China). Both the little guys are Americans. "

" Photo Note: The photo is copyright of NBA.com, and the caption is also quoted from NBA.com; while Dean Cain's Ripley photo is of a result of google search. "

bollywood fashion @ wow

" Shot Note: Kenny of KennySia.com was spotted walking towards Tun Jugah yesterday afternoon. It was my first time seeing Kenny in person. He looks adorable in person. "





WOW capped its final night with a Bollywood, literally Indian, themed fashion show.



Initially, I thought they would use the same bunch of models who had paraded the bridal gowns and the fashion in my last post.




I was served with surprised upon arrival. They went for truly and wholly Bollywood team.




The show didn't last long. I arrived around 8pm, and it was all over around 8:15pm. Pretty quick huh?



So, that's all for WOW coverage.

.The End.

Star Wars Jokes Blog

If you're a geek like me - you can never get enough of Star Wars. This Star Wars Jokes site has it all - from 'Top 10 Fun Things To Do In The Hoth System' to listing 'Darth Vader's Top 10 Pet Peeves'.

Maniac World also has a Star Wars Animation section to keep you entertained for a long while.

Leave your comments or Star Wars Jokes here:

movie review: Casino Royale

" Picture note: This Casino Royale picture is googled, and was borrowed for illustration purpose in this entry. "



Casino Royale: the latest installment of Ian Fleming's creation - James Bond 007, is out on cinema worldwide now. I got a chance to catch the movie in the local cinema.

Prior to the screening, the movie created much hype and buzz throughout the world. Criticisms were raised more than praises. The selection for the new Bond probably topped the talking point itself. The selection of Daniel Craig raised eyebrows from the critics, when was controversially selected before the favorite Jason Statham, simply because he is blond. For that, he is the first blond Bond.

Let's not get too far off from the movie review here, I won't be doing much of the movie synopsis here. But if you prefer, click here to read it, it's written by people in the industry.

Casino Royale brings us back to the root of the British sexiest and most lethal secret agent - James Bond. It seems like movie makers are keen on such trend, bringing the story back to where it all began. Previously, we have seen Batman Begins, and... (Gee, I can't recall of the other movies now. Pardon me!).

Anyway, the movie is about Bond being just assigned to a double '0' status. He was just promoted. This is rather a different Bond we had seen on screen for years. This Bond, wasn't just charming, he also had big ego with him. For that many people hated him, in a way.

Then, we all remember 007's other identity other than a lethal assassin, he's also a one night lover. He never established a mushy long relationship with any girl. But in this movie, you will see a different Bond, and what made him staying away from a relationship.

In short, this movie shows us what made the Bond we all know today. I like the fact that the show ended by Bond saying THE famous line. "The name is Bond, James Bond.." That line simply sums everything.



" End Note: Casino Royale was criticized for being too violent, and indeed it was a little bit off scale, comparing to the previous installments. If you want a smooth flow throughout the whole 144 minutes (2 hours and 24 minutes) of show, get yourself a DVD instead. Malaysian censorship board fires an uzi to the obscene scenes. "


P/S: I am thinking of watching cute penguins in Happy Feet. Any willing movie date?

world of women @ civic centre: the set up

" Photo Note: This photo merge, or panoramic shot, was taken hand held. Therefore, do pardon me for the distortion there. I didn't bring my tripod along that time. "







Earlier this month, World of Women (WOW) Expo was in town. The event was held in Civic Centre, Kuching. WOW, not to be mistaken with World of Warcraft, is an exhibition themed for women.



I had no single clue of what the exhibition was about until I was there myself.



The hall was half-filled with bridal booths, it seemed as though a season for wedding. The event was a three-days-running one, with different theme of fashion show capping the night off.




I only managed to cover two of the three shows in total, with one already posted prior this entry. I'll post the other one soon. The one I missed out was the bridal show. Click here, here, here and here, and here too, if you want a glimpse of the show. They're from Irene and Jimmy.




The participating companies include France & Taipei, My Wedding Collection, White House and etc. Simon's Way was there to introduce new way of looking good and feeling good. There was also new concept all the way from Kuala Lumpur (as they claimed so) - graphic-craving on chocolate, ideal items for wedding party/gifts. I didn't get all the companies which were there.



As for the whole event. I thought the flow, and the way they set up the booths aren't quite optimal. They could have done better. It's all one way flow from the entrance to the stage for fashion show. Just piece of my two cents.



Nevertheless, it's always good to have such exhibitions and show running in Kuching. It's great for the community.

fashion show @ WOW, civic centre

" Warning: Serious bandwidth sucker! Large images ahead. Please proceed with caution. "



This is a long overdue post. Continuing from the preview the other day, here are some of the selected shots I had that night.






The show displayed an array of fashion galore, showcasing from sexy wear, casual wear to elegant gowns.




For more photos, click here or here. (I am in midst of uploading all the selected photos, it'll take some time for all of them to be ready for viewing.)


The finale - Models of the night with Phillip, owner of My Wedding Collection bridal store, on stage.

when you are jobless...

When you are jobless pennyless here in East Malaysia, you can't even afford reading newspaper daily.



It costs a bloody RM 1.80 per copy here!

Now, let's do the Maths to see how much it costs for a month's subscription:
RM 1.80 x 30 = RM 54.00

Comparing to the RM 1.20 per copy, it costs 50% more to read the paper here in the East!

Can someone come out with a better solution to overcome this situation? Maybe we can have a printing plant here?



Generally, it costs more to read here. Books, magazines and novels cost more here. I believe it is due to the transportation involved. Sadly, we do not even have a decent bookstore established here in the East. We have no MPH and we have no Kinokuniya. We only have a small Times outlet, and two Popular bookstores. The rest of the bookstores in Kuching are half-filled with academic references for primary and secondary schools.

Someone, do something?

seven

Here's something for all of you to ponder.

In Malaysia, we have several TV stations established. We have government's broadcasting stations TV1 and TV2. We have privatized media group, Media Prima, who owns TV3, 8TV, ntv7 and tv9. And of course we have subscription-based media - Astro and MiTV.

Now, our focus here is on ntv7. Take a good look at ntv7's logo below:



When I first came across the World Section in TheStar news paper, something caught my eye...



It was this logo, in front of some American senate giving speeches. I thought I saw ntv7 logo there. But when I looked closer, I was lost. I didn't keep that piece of article. But this was definitely what I saw.

Both logos are referred from here and here respectively. (Source: Wikipedia.org)

How creative can the logo designer be? Or, he's just being smart?

How about infringement? Or borrowing idea? Or all news networks share the 'idea' when it comes to logo design?

What's your say?

non-commercial break - bridal fair

A short break.

Bridal Fair at Merdeka Palace Hotel, 10-12 November 2006.




After World of Women (WOW) Expo last week, we have a Bridal Fair held in Merdeka Palace's hotel lobby. There was a fashion/bridal catwalk follow suit the opening. I was told the show was to start at 5pm.



Arriving about about 8-10 minutes past 5pm, and all I got was to know the show had ended. I couldn't get any shot at all. How disappointing.



I found out that the models for the evening was the same batch of models they had in WOW expo.

I have uploaded all I have with me. More pictures click here to Irene's, and also Jimmy's.





Wedding bell's ringing. So, anyone in mood for wedding?