There just aren't enough dead people nowadays. Business is so bad for this "undertaker" that they'll have to err..unclog your pipes instead.
July 25, 2005
Business Must Be Bad
There just aren't enough dead people nowadays. Business is so bad for this "undertaker" that they'll have to err..unclog your pipes instead.
July 07, 2005
Movie Review 2
INDEPENDENCE DAY vs WAR OF THE WORLDS
The problem with War Of The Worlds (WOTW) and I suppose with Steven Spielberg was that Independence Day (ID4) preceeds it 9 years ago. I can understand the frustration (if any) for Mr.Spielberg. The storyline for both movie bears uncanny resemblance though it must be mentioned that WOTW is a remake and was written by a famous author. So ultimately the question would be; which of the two is better? I am sure Mr.Spielberg wanted to create WOTW with more or less the same effects as ID4 but couldn't because well...ID4 already exist and it would be foolish to follow the same route. ID4 had the mother of all err..mothership, the graphic and destructive invasion of earth, the aliens, dogfights, catfights AND most important of all, heroes. Spielberg can't re-create the same. He needed new directions. So he went for a more human touch and responses minus elaborate effects of destructions and battles. It's not that WOTW doesn't have its own heroes and special effects but the end of WOTW was very subdued. And very brief while we are at that! You wouldn't jump for joy when the invaders are finally defeated. ID4 had that. From the President's speech to the pilots before the ultimate showdown to the eventual destruction of the aliens, you could have joined in the celebration when you first watched ID4. OK, so the ending was a bit dodgy. Debated till this day was how the earth's computer OS (a Mac in this instance) is compatible with the aliens. Well, without spoiling it for those who haven't watched WOTW, the end of WOTW aren't that convincing either if I may say the least.
It must be said that at the present day, special effects doesn't surprise the viewers any longer. It won't have the same effect as when the first Star Wars came out nor when the liquid terminator made his appearance in Terminator 2 nor when the first dinosaur appeared in Jurassic Park and even to a certain extent, when the err..mother of all mothership appeared in ID4. Mr.Spielberg perhaps realized this and that was why the only alien craft you will see in WOTW is the err..tripods. So, is WOTW a complete failure and unwatchable? Not necessarily despite the absence of a plot. It has its own highlights (especially the basement scenes), irritating teenager and err..aliens who likes to snoop at people's stuffs. But this is definitely not a classic Spielberg film eventhough Tom Cruise gave one of his best performance. Dakota Fanning was excellent too.
Rating : ***
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
This is the fun movie of the summer! Staying with science fiction, this have all the makings of a perfect comedy. A homeless man, intelligent dolphins, a "kidnapped" president of the galaxy, damsel in distress, talking mice and perhaps the funniest of all characters, a suicidal depressive robot. Lots of British humour and since the demise of the Monty Python series, I guess this is the next best thing.
Another reason to watch this movie is Zooey Deschanel, a relatively unknown actress. OK, so John Malkovich is also in the film but Zooey, to me, is a breath of fresh air.
Rating : ****
The problem with War Of The Worlds (WOTW) and I suppose with Steven Spielberg was that Independence Day (ID4) preceeds it 9 years ago. I can understand the frustration (if any) for Mr.Spielberg. The storyline for both movie bears uncanny resemblance though it must be mentioned that WOTW is a remake and was written by a famous author. So ultimately the question would be; which of the two is better? I am sure Mr.Spielberg wanted to create WOTW with more or less the same effects as ID4 but couldn't because well...ID4 already exist and it would be foolish to follow the same route. ID4 had the mother of all err..mothership, the graphic and destructive invasion of earth, the aliens, dogfights, catfights AND most important of all, heroes. Spielberg can't re-create the same. He needed new directions. So he went for a more human touch and responses minus elaborate effects of destructions and battles. It's not that WOTW doesn't have its own heroes and special effects but the end of WOTW was very subdued. And very brief while we are at that! You wouldn't jump for joy when the invaders are finally defeated. ID4 had that. From the President's speech to the pilots before the ultimate showdown to the eventual destruction of the aliens, you could have joined in the celebration when you first watched ID4. OK, so the ending was a bit dodgy. Debated till this day was how the earth's computer OS (a Mac in this instance) is compatible with the aliens. Well, without spoiling it for those who haven't watched WOTW, the end of WOTW aren't that convincing either if I may say the least.It must be said that at the present day, special effects doesn't surprise the viewers any longer. It won't have the same effect as when the first Star Wars came out nor when the liquid terminator made his appearance in Terminator 2 nor when the first dinosaur appeared in Jurassic Park and even to a certain extent, when the err..mother of all mothership appeared in ID4. Mr.Spielberg perhaps realized this and that was why the only alien craft you will see in WOTW is the err..tripods. So, is WOTW a complete failure and unwatchable? Not necessarily despite the absence of a plot. It has its own highlights (especially the basement scenes), irritating teenager and err..aliens who likes to snoop at people's stuffs. But this is definitely not a classic Spielberg film eventhough Tom Cruise gave one of his best performance. Dakota Fanning was excellent too.
Rating : ***
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
This is the fun movie of the summer! Staying with science fiction, this have all the makings of a perfect comedy. A homeless man, intelligent dolphins, a "kidnapped" president of the galaxy, damsel in distress, talking mice and perhaps the funniest of all characters, a suicidal depressive robot. Lots of British humour and since the demise of the Monty Python series, I guess this is the next best thing. 
Another reason to watch this movie is Zooey Deschanel, a relatively unknown actress. OK, so John Malkovich is also in the film but Zooey, to me, is a breath of fresh air. Rating : ****
July 02, 2005
Malaysia 101
Excerpt from The Star 2nd July 2005
Eye-opening trip to US
BY SALMY HASHIM
WASHINGTON: Three Malaysian teenagers, who spent six months in small American towns, now have a kinder perception of the United States but blame the media for their negative portrayal of Muslim countries and America.
The three are among 30 Malaysian students who were selected to live and study in the US from January to June.
Guruparan Dharmalingam from Kuala Lumpur said media from both sides were to blame for the negative coverage, which had created hatred and fear.
Guruparan said he was shocked at the ignorance of Americans he met in Hueytown, Alabama.
“They don't know where Malaysia is, they have not heard about Islam, and they thought that I was an Iraqi.”
His classmates were impressed when he showed them pictures of Malaysia as “they thought we live in mud huts or on trees!”
For the benefit of any international viewers of this blog (especially Americans), here's a quick concise guide to what is MALAYSIA.
Location of Malaysia. Note that Malaysia is NOWHERE near Africa. Not to be confused with the country Mauritius or Malawi either.
View of Kuala Lumpur's (Malaysia's capital city) skyline at night.
OK..so the thing about us Malaysian living in mud huts and tress aren't entirely untrue. There are people here who lives at such places namely the Orang Asli (aboriginal people). Just as the Red Indians of North America, some Orang Asli retains the lifestyle of their forefathers. Put it this way, if us Malaysians are ignorant enough, we would have believed that Red Indians lives in some oversized ice cream cones. The Orang Asli here in Malaysia are colourful and unique, making them and the places where they stay a major tourist attraction.
It's understandable that not all Americans are ignorant of the facts of other countries around the world. After all, no one expects someone from Hueytown, Alabama to know such facts when there is no need to. Just as one wouldn't expect someone from say Grik (a town in Malaysia) to know about Burkina Faso (an actual country in Africa). The USA is a major power in the world; Malaysia is but a small player in the international scene and it's alright if someone from Alabama doesn't know about our existence. We shouldn't make a fuss about this apparent innocent ignorance but at the same time, both side would benefit from closer co-operation and more education. Here's my small part in helping to foster that.
Further Reads
1. Visit Malaysia
2. World Map & Facts
3. Malaysian Almanac
Eye-opening trip to US
BY SALMY HASHIM
WASHINGTON: Three Malaysian teenagers, who spent six months in small American towns, now have a kinder perception of the United States but blame the media for their negative portrayal of Muslim countries and America.
The three are among 30 Malaysian students who were selected to live and study in the US from January to June.
Guruparan Dharmalingam from Kuala Lumpur said media from both sides were to blame for the negative coverage, which had created hatred and fear.
Guruparan said he was shocked at the ignorance of Americans he met in Hueytown, Alabama.
“They don't know where Malaysia is, they have not heard about Islam, and they thought that I was an Iraqi.”
His classmates were impressed when he showed them pictures of Malaysia as “they thought we live in mud huts or on trees!”
For the benefit of any international viewers of this blog (especially Americans), here's a quick concise guide to what is MALAYSIA.
Location of Malaysia. Note that Malaysia is NOWHERE near Africa. Not to be confused with the country Mauritius or Malawi either.
View of Kuala Lumpur's (Malaysia's capital city) skyline at night.
OK..so the thing about us Malaysian living in mud huts and tress aren't entirely untrue. There are people here who lives at such places namely the Orang Asli (aboriginal people). Just as the Red Indians of North America, some Orang Asli retains the lifestyle of their forefathers. Put it this way, if us Malaysians are ignorant enough, we would have believed that Red Indians lives in some oversized ice cream cones. The Orang Asli here in Malaysia are colourful and unique, making them and the places where they stay a major tourist attraction.It's understandable that not all Americans are ignorant of the facts of other countries around the world. After all, no one expects someone from Hueytown, Alabama to know such facts when there is no need to. Just as one wouldn't expect someone from say Grik (a town in Malaysia) to know about Burkina Faso (an actual country in Africa). The USA is a major power in the world; Malaysia is but a small player in the international scene and it's alright if someone from Alabama doesn't know about our existence. We shouldn't make a fuss about this apparent innocent ignorance but at the same time, both side would benefit from closer co-operation and more education. Here's my small part in helping to foster that.
Further Reads
1. Visit Malaysia
2. World Map & Facts
3. Malaysian Almanac
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)