Shah's thoughts

wanted rawks!

before i start with my personal take on this mind-blowing movie, here's a plot summary:

"Wanted" tells the tale of one apathetic nobody's transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. In 2008, we're introduced to a hero for a new generation: 25 year old employed slacker, WESLEY GIBSON. Wes is the most disaffected, cube-dwelling, clock-punching drone this planet has ever known. His boss chews him out hourly, his girlfriend ignores him routinely, and his life plods on in interminable boredom and routine. Everyone knows this disengaged slacker will amount to absolutely nothing, and so does he, until he meets the sexy, foxy woman named FOX, and then everything changes. Wes' estranged father is murdered, and the deadly Fox recruits him into The Fraternity, a secret society that trains him to avenge his father's death, by unlocking his dormant powers. And oh boy does he have powers, as she teaches Wes how to develop his lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, he discovers that The Fraternity lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: to carry out the death orders given by emotionless Fate itself. Wes, with his wickedly brilliant and sexy tutor, plus the paternal guidance of The Fraternity's enigmatic leader, SLOAN, young Wes grows to enjoy all the strength and success he ever wanted. But, slowly, he realizes there's more to his dangerous associates than meets the casual eye. And, as he wavers between new found heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one can ever teach him; that he alone controls his destiny.

made of honour

read ahead for these 2 movies:

1. made of honor

2. the happening

i thought of jotting also on a movie that i watched on ASTRO but for a moment of lapse, i lost it there. so there shall be only 2 stories la. korang tak kisah kan?

made of honour didn't rub me in the rightest way. it's ok but the fizzy chemistry wasn't there. other than the companiability and token honesty that they shared, i honestly couldn't figure out what appeals most about the guy. as for hannah, i can see why. she gots quality there, and she's smart, sensitive and easy on the eyes. in this movie, i love the part where he takes care of her, buying coffee and knowing her favourites as she does him. also, the part where they spent the Sundays together, doing whimsical things that only they can do it comfortably together.

em, i edit later bleh. got to go for lunch!

ok, sambung balik. walaupun takde idea. pelan-pelan la ek. pasal lately rasa movies tu cam kurang kick. malas nak komen lebih-lebih..

here's a synopsis shared by wiki-wiki on this movie:

Tom(Patrick Dempsey) and Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) met in college when he accidentally slipped in her bed thinking she was her roommate. He was impressed how feisty and honest she was. He always had girls flinging themselves at him but Hannah was against all that.

10 years later on, Tom is successful in life. He's become wealthy from his invention of the "coffee collar", has plenty of guy friends to hang with, a new girl every week, and his one best friend. From the very start it's obvious this best friend is crazy about him and he takes her for granted. They go to antique stores together and guess each other desserts at a famous bakery.

One day, Hannah goes to Scotland on an acquisition trip for her museum (though still manages to spend 4 out of her 6 weeks there sight seeing) and Tom realises he feels empty without her. All the girls he goes out with while she is gone complain about the antiques store or can't even play the dessert guessing game. Tom decides to tell Hannah his feelings and ask her to be with him when she returns in six weeks.

As Tom gains his courage to ask her to be his partner, he finds out Hannah has become engaged to a wealthy man, Colin, in Scotland and plans to move there. Hannah asks Tom to be her "maid" of honor and he agrees so he can try to win Hannah back and stop the wedding. Tom decides to be the best maid of honor he possibly can be. He wants to show Hannah that she really doesn't know Colin all that well and that it was a mistake getting engaged so quickly. Hannah reveals that she is going to move to Scotland to be with Colin.

While in Scotland, Tom plans to tell Hannah he loves her. At a chance break during the hen party, they share a passionate kiss, then break away. Hannah then gets whisked off by her bridesmaids.

That night, Hannah goes up to Tom's room to talk to him. But before she arrives, Hannah's cousin, who Tom broke up with, comes into Tom's room and attempts to seduce him. Hannah walks in right as Hannah's cousin is on top of Tom. Tom and Hannah have an argument, and Tom leaves for home.

But on his way, he decides to stop the wedding. On horseback (borrowing a horse in exchange for part of his coffee collar royalties) he makes it to the chapel just in time, and kisses Hannah, who decides to cancel the marriage and marry Tom.

that simply simplifies it, kan? except that i was fighting myself to be awake all the while. tu la pasal bila filem tamat, saya pi beli tiket untuk tengok citer the happening walaupun waktu makin lewat..

what to watch?

as unspoken ritual, friday nite is usually spent at the movies or at the gym.

tonight, what to watch ya?

my 27th birthday, bridget jones style

how did i spend my 27th bday? well, it's rather lame, actually.. tetiba je macam takde mood untuk bercerita. mungkin pasal there's nothing much that i did yg totally warranted mention......

to be honest, my bday was celebrated much in Bridget Jones' style.. except of course, i don't have a besotted Mr Darcy in the offing. oh, well, does that really matter much? :)

i'm grateful that i'm still alive. even though i had the tendencies of living precariously these days, i was given the opportunity to live a little bit longer..

as i said, i'm reliving Miss Jones' condition these days. self-loathing, imperfect body stature and melancholic, stuck at a job that she doesn't really like. been pining for a while.. em, not going to dwell on that either.

instead, i'll reintroduce you to Bridget Jones Diary once again.. here's the wiki synopsis:

Bridget Jones is frustrated; she is thirty-something, still single, and worried about her weight. She works at a book publishing company in

London

where her main focus is fantasizing about her boss Daniel Cleaver. On New Year's Day, she finally decides to turn it all around and starts her own diary, which covers all her attempts to stop smoking, lose weight, and catch her Mr. Right. Lawyer Mark Darcy, Bridget's mother's favourite choice for a future husband, does not appeal to Bridget at all. After seeing him at a Christmas party at her parents' house, she finds Mark to be annoying and arrogant.


Bridget and Daniel begin to flirt heavily at work and eventually start dating, despite the fact that he is a notorious womanizer with a questionable personality. Bridget learns from Daniel that he and Mark have a history and as a result, hate each other dearly. Daniel informs Bridget of their fallout, telling her that Mark broke their friendship by sleeping with his fiancee.

After Daniel's dubious character becomes clearer and clearer to Bridget, she breaks off their relationship when she catches him with another woman, a colleague of his from work in

New York

. In the meantime, she gets to know Mark and finds him to be a sincere man whom she enjoys spending time with. Just as Bridget and Mark's mutual attraction for each other comes together at a birthday dinner party hosted by Bridget, Daniel comes back into the picture claiming Bridget's attention. Mark originally leaves the party, but comes back to face Daniel. Mark punches Daniel and the two fight, resulting in Daniel passing out. Bridget, still thinking that Daniel had been the wronged one, chastises Mark. Afterward, she tells Daniel that she doesn't want to be with him.

Bridget eventually learns the truth about Mark and Daniel's fallout, in which Daniel had seduced Mark's ex-wife when they were still married. At a dinner party the same day, Bridget confesses her feelings for Mark, only to find out that he is engaged to his colleague.


Bridget is further disheartened once Mark's parents announce at the party that Mark is going to New York. Just as Bridget starts to embark on a trip to

Paris

with her friends to mend her broken heart, Mark returns to stay with Bridget.

As they're about to sleep together, Bridget exits to her bedroom to change her undergarments. While Bridget is changing, Mark spies her diary, in which she has written many insults about him. Bridget returns to find that he has left. Realizing that he had read her diary and that she might potentially lose him again, Bridget runs outside after him in a thin coat and her undergarments. Unable to find him and disheartened she is about to return home when Mark appears holding a new diary.

It becomes apparent that the new diary was to be a gift from Mark to replace Bridget's current diary which she has filled up. They kiss in the snow-covered streets and the movie concludes.

in some ways or the other, i couldn't help noticing the similarities. the attitude of being able to laugh at oneself, of being nonsensical and absent minded..

the fact that renee managed to slim down to get her helluva silhoutte after finishing filming this movie is also meant to be as an inspiration. if only i have a more tenacious motivation, kan?

i mean, if my bf ask me to tone my body down, i'd simply felt that he cares more about my appearance rather than myself, or that he wouldn't care much once i got old and wrinkly. on the other thought, if he doesn't care whether i put on piles of disgusting lard, i'd simply felt that he put such a low standard of myself or that he just doesn't care. in either way, he will lose.

i've done my share of people watching and i observed that there are so many lucky girls out there who simply can tuck in anything and still manage to have a slim prim rack of bones. and as i turned the other way, i saw many girls that are happy and unself-conscious of their monstrous body size and sightly bulges. no. i don't mean any disrespect to any of them. i mean, they have the courage to embrace their body image and live life as it is.

as for me.. well, i know that i'm not over to the obese line yet. but i'm no slimmer, either. all my beautiful lingerie and work clothes dah tak sopan untuk dipakai.. even my favourite chocolate-y skirt pun dah tak dapat cover the flaw <- to me la.

susah kan? i set too high the target for myself. cuma bila datang rasa malas, ada timbul satu suara jahat yang berbisik, i'm still a size smaller compared to others who are not so fortunate. pelik kan? keinginan dan expectation diri terlalu tinggi tapi bila melaksanakan, tak istiqamah dan mudah mengaku kalah.

tu yang jadi frust kan?

anyway, i'll narrate to you of my activities yesterday..

i woke up quite early in the morning. prepared a mixed up English breakfast. didn't have the appetite and trash half of it instead.

next, i watch a few movies on ASTRO. some of it good but i can't recall much of what i've watched. and yes, jerry McGuire was included in the list. somehow i can't escape the "you complete me" - "you had me at hello" part. mushy me, heh!

then i played pc games all afternoon whilst drinking a jugful of cool ribena. by 5 something, primmed myself up to an acceptable appearance and went out.

mulanya ingat nk tgk movie, but the papers were out of stock, i really didn't even have the faintest idea on what and where to watch. so, just brave on to the kl-putrajaya highway. as i drove along, thinking of stopping at klcc, terus terbabas ke klia route. tergelak sendiri jadinya, but thinking that the day was my birthday, i could treat myself to a change of routine, layyannn je la..

proceeded to USJ exit and then to Sunway Pyramid. sampai di sana, terasa rindu sama Abang, and terfikir-fikir that of all people, he's the only one person i wanted to spend my birthday with. sent him a short sms, but with brimful of wistful hope. only to find out that he's tired, and couldn't make it. tetiba je rasa hampa. kosong.

cuba pujuk diri sendiri, that it's ok and that it didn't matter much- cuma rasa sayu tu jadi bertambah.. takpelah.. singgah wendy's for the first time, nothing special there except that they have the baked potato delicacies. ok la rasa dia, rasa full sampai ke malam.

afterwards, singgah bersimpuh di popular book stores. terjumpa a couple of gems from Karen Kendall that is worth less than RM20 for 2. happy!

then, menyinggah di kedai kasut. and i bought 2 delightful ballet shoes, one black and the other playful gold. rasa macam princess plak bila pakai kasut gold tu ke opis pagi ni :)

as i promised myself of domino pizza on my bday since the last 2 months, i went and bought 2 large pizzas for home.

sampai home no.7, it's almost 10.15.. refreshened up, settled down for the comfy cushions with the whimsical book, i sms-ed Abang, summarising the day in a simple theme - it's a bridget jones-y birthday- in truth, i was disappointed that we couldn't share my birthday together, i can't deny that. but i think there's always a greater good lurking somewhere for me at the end of the day.

so there. i'm not totally unhappy. besides, i don't shed even a tear this year.. cuma terfikir tentang umur yang dah suntuk.

thanks to ayin, mjah's family (i think it was Ley-ah who sms-ed me), minkus and mah. not forgotten, Abang, echah, kak k'lyn and the rest who cares enough to sms me..

life's like a box of chocolate, i'll be relishing every flavour that i shall get.

thanks to Allah, the ever Merciful~

of kungfu-ey Panda and stretchy pants

kung fu Panda came to me as a result of last minute decision. and it came with a BANG!

saya suka citer ni, dia klaka la itu panda. watak2 lain kecuali shifu dan tai lung macam tak berkembang sangat. kept minimal and simple. the most lovable Furious Five to me was the Mantis, comel! especially part dia kena pegang tali jambatan gantung tu sementara the other 4 FF fought Tai Lung. lagipun antara FF tu, Mantis and Snake la yg baik sikit pada Po.

here's the wiki sinopsis by the way:

Po (Jack Black) is a panda who works in the noodle shop owned by his goose father Mr. Ping (James Hong). He is also a kung fu fanatic with secret dreams of becoming a great master in the discipline, but Po's defining characteristic appears to be that he is the laziest of all the animals in ancient China. Mr. Ping hopes that Po will one day take over the shop.

The tortoise Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) has a premonition that the evil snow leopard warrior Tai Lung (Ian McShane), the former student of his own protege Shifu (Dustin Hoffman), will escape from prison and return to menace the Valley of Peace. While Shifu sends Zeng (Dan Fogler), a messenger goose, to Chorh-Gom Prison to have the security increased, Oogway orders a formal ceremony to choose the mighty Dragon Warrior who can defeat Tai Lung. Everyone assumes that one of the Furious Five (Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Seth Rogen as Mantis, Lucy Liu as Viper and David Cross as Crane), a quintet of supremely skilled martial artists trained by Shifu, will be chosen for this honor.

While the Five demonstrate their skills at the ceremony, Po finds himself locked outside the walled palace square. He attempts desperately to gain entry through a series of increasingly foolhardy methods. He finally does get over the wall, landing in the middle of the grounds just as Oogway makes his selection. Inspired by this sudden appearance, the old master designates Po the Dragon Warrior to everyone's shock. Despite Po's protests and Shifu's pleas to reconsider, Oogway stands by his decision.

Alarmed at having this slovenly and obese noodle vendor with no martial arts training whatsoever under his tutelage, Shifu attempts to discourage Po by berating and humiliating him into leaving, including threatening to use the apparently deadly "Wuxi Finger Hold" on him. The Five, profoundly disappointed at being upstaged by the panda, similarly dismiss Po as a worthless interloper. Although he becomes aware of Shifu's true intentions, Po endures all the abuse willingly for the growing dream to become something better than the failure he thinks he is, while Master Oogway encourages the panda to believe in himself. Eventually, the affable Po endears himself to the Five (except for Tigress) with his tireless tenacity, good cooking, and sense of humor.

Meanwhile, Zeng's errand backfires disastrously when a tour of the prison given to him by the overly confident head of security, Commander Vachir (Michael Clarke Duncan), inadvertently enables Tai Lung to escape — overwhelming numerous rhinoceros prison guards. In the Valley of Peace, Oogway passes away (which can be interpreted as ascending to Nirvana), his final wish that Shifu train Po. However, upon learning of Tai Lung's return, the death of the Turtle who is the only one to have defeated him and realizing to his horror that he has to face such a villain without any skill in fighting, Po attempts to flee, only to be stopped by Shifu who realizes that the panda must be trained. Unfortunately, when Po confesses in that confrontation his deep self-loathing and the fact that he will never be a match for Tai Lung, Shifu is at a loss for a solution. In the meantime, the Five take it upon themselves to intercept Tai Lung. After a long night of pondering, Shifu discovers the following morning that Po is capable of impressive physical feats when motivated by food. Realizing that he has found the right focus for the panda, Shifu leads Po to the countryside for a intensive training regime in which Po is offered food as a reward for learning his lessons properly. Thus motivated, Po learns swiftly and finally becomes a talented martial artist in his own right.

The Five battle Tai Lung but are eventually beaten and paralyzed with a specialized nerve-striking technique. When they return defeated, Shifu finally decides Po is ready to take the villain on and gives him the sacred Dragon Scroll, which promises great power to the possessor. When Po opens it, he finds nothing but a blank reflective surface. Stricken with despair at the scroll's apparent worthlessness, Shifu orders his students to evacuate the village while he stays to delay Tai Lung from pursuing them for as long as he can.

As Po participates in the evacuation, he comes across his father, who tries to cheer him up by telling him the secret ingredient of the family's popular noodle soup: nothing except what the cook puts into it. Things become special, he explains, because people believe them to be special. Realizing that this truth is the very point of the Dragon Scroll, that the power promised is already inside him, Po rushes off to help Shifu. At this time, Tai Lung confronts Shifu and savagely beats him for his perceived betrayal of not arguing with Master Oogway's rejection of Tai Lung as Dragon Warrior. Tai Lung also wants the Dragon Scroll for himself. For his part, Shifu is crippled by his profound feelings of guilt and responsibility for his former protege, whom he loved like a son, turning to evil.

Before Tai Lung can kill his mentor, Po arrives to challenge him. Although the snow leopard scoffs at the fat panda being the Dragon Warrior, the ensuing fight proves Po to be an extremely formidable opponent. Despite Po's skill, Tai Lung temporarily stuns him and gains the Dragon Scroll, but is aghast when he examines it, unable to understand its symbolism. As he recovers, Po strikes a critical blow on Tai Lung's spirit when he reveals his comprehension of the deeper wisdom of the scroll, a comprehension that the villain cannot match. Frustrated with an apparently useless prize and facing a spiritually superior enemy, Tai Lung tries to kill Po with his nerve strikes. However, the attack proves useless on the panda, as his body fat protects his nerves. Emboldened, Po effectively counter-attacks with a unique improvised combat style that takes advantage of his girth to absorb and deflect the force from Tai Lung's attacks back at him. In the end, Po uses the Wuxi Finger Hold on Tai Lung (which he claims to have learned on his own), destroying him with a devastating explosion that ripples through the valley.

The Furious Five return to the valley to investigate and find a slightly dazed but triumphant Po. Deeply impressed at Po's victory, Tigress leads the Five to acknowledge the panda as a Kung Fu master. The villagers, including Po's father, follow suit and hail Po as a hero. Po remembers his teacher is wounded, and rushes back to Shifu, who appears to be dying, but is only resting after such a terrible battle. Po meditates with him for a few seconds, then finally asks if he would like to go and get something to eat; Shifu takes him up on the offer.

At the end of the credit scroll, Po and Shifu are seen eating together by a peach tree. A seed planted by Shifu earlier has begun to sprout.

the animation was gorgeous and stylishly slick. the theme was heart warming as well. the simple "there's no secret ingredient". believe in yourselves and trust the wisdom of Master Oogway. -> err, part ni politically dubious sikit :)

cuma, the thing is that, i love the part where Po kept on egging until he knows what his destiny lies for him. being the odd guy out bothers him, just like me, thus, his tendency to pig it out tripled by manifolds.

however, in his peculiar single-mindedness in getting his food once he set his goal, shifu found that he has some medium to emulate Po's abilities.

then, there was the escape of Tai Lung. gawd, the beauty of his movement, the prancing of unleashed power <- i nearly went bust there, hihi.. ida suka the fact that in the desperate attempt to save his life and escape, Tai Lung had used every single arrow shot at him to get back at the 1,000 prison guards. for a moment, i sort of rooted for him there ;"> i mean, even though the odds are high, he didn't give up and instead, used the obstacles and setbacks to climb higher and get back at his opponents, so to speak.

no wonder Master Shifu was proud of him.. even though it was found that the pride led to his fall.

kan? kena rendah diri, shahidah.. no use feeling so better than the rest.. kiasu!

then, as the movie was short, less than one and half hour, i got to see the incredible hulk afterwards. waaah! saya sangat-sangat suka citer ni compare dengan cite hulk dulu. this one is more up close and personal, and mr hulk is more humane without losing the macho brutish ways of his. what i remember of the former hulk is that he was weepy and plasticky. eric bana was somewhat emotional and acceptable. but not mr hulk. dia nampak macam plastesin ijo.

saya tau, actually edward norton portrayal as the ever resourceful Bruce Banner pun memang believable. manly, quiet and wise. pendek kata memang saya drooling la! chemistry dengan betty ross pun okey. especially scene potong rambut bruce :)

here's the brief for the delightful movie:

A series of flashback shots show the gamma radiation accident that transformed scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) into the Hulk, and hospitalized of lover, Dr. Elizabeth "Betty" Ross (Liv Tyler). Now a fugitive from the United States Army, and Ross' father, General "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hurt), Banner works in a soft drink bottling factory in Brazil while attempting to find a cure for his condition with the help of an Internet friend. He also studies martial arts and meditative breathing techniques with a judo expert to help control his emotions, and has not suffered a transformation for five months.

After Banner suffers a cut, and his blood finds its way into a soda bottle eventually drank by an ill-fated consumer (Hulk co-creator Stan Lee), Ross discovers Banner's location, and sends a team to capture him, led by the Russian-born Emil Blonsky. Banner escapes Blonsky, and ends up in Guatemala, from which he travels to the United States, where he sees that a now-recovered Betty is working at Culver University, and dating psychologist Doctor Leonard Samson (Ty Burrell). He also sees his old friend Sam, a pizzeria owner, who gives him a job as a delivery boy. Banner uses this job to sneak past a Culver University security guard (played by TV's Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno) to continue his research. One night Betty visits the pizzeria, and sees Bruce, later reuniting with him.

Blonsky reports to Ross that Bruce evaded them in Brazil because of the appearance of a large green monster. Ross explains that the monster is Banner, and that he was created accidentally during an experiment into military bio-force enchancement, or "Super Soldiers", as Blonsky understands. Blonsky, seeking both revenge and power, volunteers as a test subject in order to capture Banner, and receives a small dose of the same treatment that Banner. He leads an assault on Banner at Culver University, during which Betty is knocked unconscious. Despite Blonsky's increased strength, speed and agility, the Hulk crushes most of the bones in Blonsky's body before absconding with Betty to Smokey Mountain National Forrest. Banner and Betty then travel to Manhattan, where they meet Banner’s Internet friend, Dr. Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson, who reveals that he has synthesized Banner's blood into a large supply. Banner, who wants merely to be cured and to destroy any trace of the substance in his body that created the Hulk, is appalled, but Sterns believes that this can be a cure for diseases. In an experiment, Banner is restrained, and shocked with electricity into transforming, before having the transformation reversed with an antidote that Sterns has created. Sterns fears, however, that while the antidote works to reverse transformations after their occur, they do not prevent future ones.

General Ross tracks Banner to Manhattan, and captures Banner. After leaving, Blonsky, whose super-soldier treatment has healed all his injuries, confronts Sterns, and forces him to subject him to a higher dose of the gamma radiation treatment, turning him into a monstrous Abomination. In the process, Sterns himself is irradiated, and his cranium begins to mutate. This Abomination goes on a rampage in the city, hoping to draw out Banner.^[2] Banner, realizing that he is the only one who can stop the Abomination, convinces General Ross to release him. Banner jumps out of Ross' helicopter as it hovers of the city, hoping the fall will stimulate his adrenal glands into triggering a transformation (similar to the scene near the end of the comic book miniseries The Ultimates in 2003). Banner's plans succeeds, and after a violent, pitched battle, the Hulk escapes.

Three days later, Banner is in Bella Coola, British Columbia, again meditating, but instead of trying to suppress his transformations, he is attempting to initiate them in a controlled manner, and now, as his eyes turn green, instead of appearing horrified, a grin appears on his face.

In a bar, Ross is approached by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), about participating in a "team" that Stark is putting together. In response, Ross asks what the team is called.

and know what, every now and then, i was hoping for a glimpse of the famous Mr Tony Stark! only to be offered a brief cameo of him, hinting the outing of the next Marvel movie, perhaps, the Justice League, kot?

all in all, the incredible hulk was awesome, full with the non-stopping actions and heart-pumping escapades. scene di padang universiti tu, bila si blonsky mengejek hulk, uish.. i was so fascinated. padan muka di blonsky tu kena penyepak, hehehe..

ada scene di mana hulk telah mempenyekkan the abomination ke dalam tanah with his furious pummelling fist, i was like, yeay!! the feeling sangat best, rasa nk ajak hulk tu dating plak, hahaha! rasakan kau, abomination!

then, there was the issue of encik banner becoming a hulk. couldn't get too excited or he'll end up all twisty and green. oh ya, nasib baik ada stretchy pant, kan? hahaha.. i couldn't help my perv nature to peek. i mean, the subject of hulk's stretchy pant was handled so delicately that i couldn't help smiling to myself.

then, there was a thought of the Abomination, kesian pasal he definitely lost all his manliness when he became the beast. tapi satu perkara bagus pasal mr. Abomination, dia tak payah susah2 cari stretchy pants :)

perhaps because bwg dropped by yesterday, i couldn't help myself from thinking that norton's banner is somewhat like bwg, cap and all. dah le selalu ke mana2 with flannel short and stretchy jeans (hahah!) and his laptop backpack, sebijik plak. and somehow, i think bwg does has his mr hulk somewhere in his silent self.

okeyh! got to rush somewhere else.. will update something special later, k?

once - an Irish gem

An unnamed, thirty-something Dublin busker (listed in the credits as "Guy," played by Glen Hansard) sings and plays guitar on Grafton Street, a Dublin shopping district, struggling with the trials of performing on the street, including chasing after a heroin addict (Darren Healy) who attempts to steal his earnings.

Lured by his music, an unnamed young Czech immigrant flower seller (listed in the credits as "Girl," played by Markéta Irglová) approaches him impertinently during one of his late night street performances and, despite his annoyance, persists in questioning him about his songs. Upon learning that he also repairs vacuum cleaners in his father's shop, she insists that he fix her broken vacuum.

The next day she brings her Hoover by and parlays it into lunch together, where upon she piques his interest by telling him that she is a musician, too. He asks to hear her play, so they visit a music store where she regularly plays piano. After teaching her one of his songs ("Falling Slowly"), which she quickly learns to play, they sing and play the song together, kindling a musical and potentially romantic connection.

He invites her and her ailing vacuum back to his father's shop, and on the bus home musically answers her question as to what his songs are about: a long-time girlfriend who cheated on him, then left ("Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy").

At the shop, he repairs her vacuum and she meets his father (Bill Hodnett), who seems indifferent to his son's musical talent. The Guy takes the Girl up to his room, but when he asks her to stay the night, she is insulted and leaves.

The next day, he apologizes and they quickly patch things up, as over the course of a week they excitedly write, rehearse and record songs, and get to know each other.

Songs continue to be performed in a real-world, diegetic fashion, often in their entirety, as when the Girl rehearses her lyrics for one of the Guy's songs (which she entitles "If You Want Me"), singing to herself while walking down the street, or when at a party, people perform impromptu (including "Gold," performed by a trio featuring guitarist Hansard singing harmony).

Their flirtation continues, but at the same time, he is thinking about and writing about ("Lies") his ex-girlfriend (Marcella Plunkett), who moved to London. The Girl encourages him to move there, win his girlfriend back and pursue his musical career.

Invited home to dinner by the Girl, the Guy discovers that she has a toddler (Kate Haugh) and lives with her mother (Danuse Ktrestova). He soon decides that it is time to move to London, but he wants to make a high-quality demo of his songs to take with him and asks the Girl to record it with him.

She takes the lead as they secure a bank loan—from a bank where the loan officer (Sean Miller) is a musical hobbyist—and reserve time at a professional studio.

On a romantic motorbike jaunt, she reveals, much to his consternation, that she is married, though her estranged husband is back in the Czech Republic. When Guy asks if she still loves her husband, she answers in Czech, "Miluju tebe"^[7], but coyly declines to translate what she said.

After recruiting a trio of musicians (Gerard Hendrick, Alaistair Foley, Hugh Walsh), they rehearse, then go into the studio to record.

Their lack of experience shows, but they quickly impress the jaded studio engineer Eamon (Geoff Minogue) once they begin recording their first song ("When Your Mind's Made Up").

On a break in the wee hours of the morning, the Girl finds a piano in an empty studio and finally plays the Guy one of her own compositions ("The Hill"), though she breaks down before finishing the song, which tells of romantic frustration. He responds by asking her to come with him to London, but is not prepared for the reality of her mother coming along to help with the baby.

Still, he is smitten. After the all-night session wraps up successfully, they walk home. Before they part ways, the Girl reveals that she spoke to her husband and he is coming to live with her in Dublin.

The Guy asks her to spend his last night in Dublin with him; she says that it would only result in "hanky-panky," which is a "bad idea", but after the Guy's pestering she ultimately agrees to come over.

In the end, she stands him up and he cannot find her to say goodbye before his flight. He plays the demo for his father, who, moved and impressed, gives him money to help him get settled in London.

Before leaving for the airport, the Guy buys the Girl a piano and makes arrangements for its delivery, then calls his ex-girlfriend, who is happy about his imminent arrival. The Girl's husband (Senan Haugh) moves to Dublin and they reunite.

But the final shots convey how the Girl and the Guy were deeply affected by their short time together.

During the shoot, Carney (the director) had predicted a romance, calling Hansard and Irglová his Bogart and Bacall. Hansard and Irglová did become a couple in real life, getting together while on a promotional tour across North America, and they now live together in Dublin, in Hansard's flat.

Entertainment Weekly reported,

“

The chemistry between (the) two leads ... was easy to produce during the January 2006 shoot in Dublin. "I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid," says Hansard, 37, who has known his 19-year-old co-star for the past six years. (The two are now dating.) "There was definitely the feeling we were documenting something precious and private."

”

Yet Hansard and Irglová were quite happy with the unrequited ending for their onscreen characters.

In an interview, Hansard states that "Had Fox Searchlight Pictures changed it, had they changed the end and made us kiss, I wouldn't be interested in coming and promoting it, at all."

Hansard says that ad-libbing produced the moment where Irglova's character tells the Guy in unsubtitled Czech, "I love you," but when it was shot, he didn't know what she'd said, just like his character.

-> after a restless early evening at home, i decided to drove all the way to midV and have Once for the night. one of my favourite columnist once spoke so highly of the movie that my interest was piqued.

at start, rasa frust pasal takde subtitle langsung. i had to dig into my reserves of Irish slang in order to understand what the actors are saying. their English, is like Indonesian to us Malaysians, they might be incomprehensible, yet when they sing, it was crystal clear and beautiful too!

i watched 3 people leaving the almost empty cinema hall. only old people left, including me. what the heck? i just wanted to know what the hype was all about.

and i am glad that i stayed. Once is like a movie you loathe to watch, but at the same time, your heart kept returning to watch, to listen all over again.

macam cinta. betapa kita rasa kita mampu untuk bergerak setapak meninggalkan harapan yang tak berbalas, kita entah bagaimana, kembali ke tempat yang sama, kembali mendakap bayang2 tipu tanpa kisah walau apa pun berlaku.

the songs are beautiful. the chemistry between the Guy and the Girl, are deep. the song "if you want me", when she sang it as she thought of him, moves me.. say you found me, she said. and i couldn't help it but felt my tears trickle down my cheeks.

then, the song she sang at the studio, "the hill", when she stumbled and cried in the middle of the song, i cried even more.

terasa lagu2 ni menyentuh rasa. memahami apa rasa jiwa yang sebenarnya tak mampu nak diluahkan sejujurnya.

rasa nak tengok lagi. malam ni citer ni masih ditayangkan di midV....

and there was its soundtrack out too.. the songs are as follows:

All songs written by Glen Hansard, except where noted.

1. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová: "Falling Slowly" (Hansard/Irglová) – 4:04
2. Irglová and Hansard: "If You Want Me" (Irglová) – 3:48
3. Hansard: "Broken Hearted Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy" – 0:53
4. Hansard and Irglová: "When Your Mind's Made Up" – 3:41
5. Hansard and Irglová: "Lies" – (Hansard/Irglová) – 3:59
6. Interference: "Gold" (Fergus O'Farrell) – 3:59
7. Irglová: "The Hill" (Irglová) – 4:35
8. Hansard: "Fallen from the Sky" – 3:25
9. Hansard: "Leave" – 2:46
10. Hansard: "Trying to Pull Myself Away" – 3:36
11. Hansard: "All the Way Down" – 2:39
12. Hansard and Irglová: "Once" – 3:39
13. Hansard: "Say It to Me Now" – 2:35

sigh..

i was wondering. memang citer ni bersama lagu-lagunya menyentuh hati.. and i thought, very wistfully, that someone who loves me will find me this film copy and soundtrack..

i know it was wistful thinking. that i should know better than wish for such a romantic notion. but i love this movie. it will forever remind me that i once watched this and felt all alone, cold and unloved.

and that someone, who loves me, in more ways than he could ever say, understood the feelings of loneliness too.

and the songs will always remind me to love and appreciate him more for trying his best to vanquish the loneliness i felt away.

for once, i understood love.

the wanting of company.

of knowing that you have found someone.

a soul mate that touches deep into your raw emotion.

that you felt your feelings are naked in his eyes.

yet your inner secrets are safe with him.

as his are with you.

lovers need not be together

when their hearts have found each other-

once.

movies i watched last week

last week has a fine share of good movies on Astro.

the first one i'd like to share would be 16 blocks, a movie that pairs mos def and bruce willis. an honest action-thriller film to me. honest in a way that the ever buff bruce willis was playing a part of aging cop that has seen his better days aeons ago and now are living his life day by day with aching knee and penchance for alcohols. best read the review below before we share my thoughts on this surprisingly a gem of a laidback movie.

New York police detective Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis) is on his way home when his lieutenant assigns him a simple task of escorting a petty criminal, Eddie Bunker (Mos Def), from lockup to the courthouse which is only 16 blocks away.

Jack has been a police officer for over 20-years, and now he is over the hill with a bad leg and a drinking problem. All Jack wants is to get a bottle and go home.

What Jack doesn't know is that Eddie made a deal with the District Attorney to testify against a fellow police officer at his station before a grand jury.

A van with two hit men are following Jack as he leaves the station, and their job is to kill Eddie before he can testify. Jack prevents the assassination, and they escape the scene and run into a bar.

Jack calls for backup, and his ex-partner Frank Nugent (David Morse) and his team are the first to arrive at the bar.

Unfortunately for Eddie, one member of the team is the cop Eddie is about to testify against.

Jack must choose between his fellow cops or protecting the life of a criminal.

it was a simple movie, with loads of gun-popping, bloods spilled and people with diverse background and approach to life. and i love to observe the tactical moves that Jack has taken to escape the murderous hunting folks.

and it also amazes me to concur that at a moment of dire straits, odd people and perhaps most unlikely boon shall happen to be of our heaven-sent help. good things happen to good people. that even though he may be a criminal, perhaps it was the situation of his birth and his unfortunate upbringing that led him to make stupid mistakes..

the underlying theme might be of the possiblity of people to change their lives by finding the goodness in themselves. that there exist such a hope of living a much better life than the crap that we're living in right now, should we have the braveness and determination to do so-

mos def was believable and he delivered the movie with great chemistry, pairing with the ever gritty witty bruce willis. scene masa dalam bas tu rasa sebak sikit (heh!) bila eddie braved the mass shoutout in order to save jack yg sorang2..

bila ingat balik, manyak jugak good tactical moves yg ditonjolkan dalam movie ni. antaranya:

1. beri info yg salah kepada accomplice polis jahat utk lead the hunting pack away from their hide-out apartment
2. change the wardrobe - ni biasa la
3. beri jumlah tebusan yg lebih ramai dari yang sebenar untuk confuse-kan polis bila jack lepaskan semua tebusan keluar (polis ingat masih ada ramai kat dalam bas). tapi part ni jadi sakit hati kat penumpang2 yg banyak mulut memecahkan lubang. diam-diam sudahlah!
4. keep voice recorder ready utk tape confession polis jahat - ni pun dah biasa tapi ramai yg lupa nak buat.
5. buat decoy escape plan. in this part, kena second guess the minds of the polis jahat. what do they expect us to do next and thus we keep upping the stakes, bukan selangkah di hadapan, tapi setahun cahaya di hadapan, ok.

the next movie would be 200 pounds beauty.

Kang Han-na (Kim Ah-jung) is an overweight phone sex employee and a secret vocalist for Ammy, a famous Korean pop singer who actually lip syncs as she cannot sing.

Instead of being famous for her own amazing vocal talent, Han-na hides behind Ammy's performance stage and sings during Ammy's concerts, and records all of Ammy's songs.

One day, Ammy ungratefully humiliates her in front of the music company's director Sang-jun (Ju Jin-mo) during his birthday party, knowing full well that Han-na has a crush on him. While crying in the bathroom, Han-na overhears Sang-jun telling Ammy that even though they are just using Han-na for her voice, they must be kind to her so she will not walk out on them.

Heartbroken, Han-na attempts suicide but is interrupted by a phone call from one of her phone sex regulars who happens to be a top cosmetic surgeon. She decides to get a head-to-toe makeover instead. The surgeon at first refuses to operate on Han-na, but Han-na blackmails that she will tell the surgeon's wife about his calls. Then, Han-na makes a moving speech that she does not want to undergo surgery merely to be beautiful, but for the sake of love and as a boost in confidence, and the surgeon is deeply moved. Han-na puts herself in seclusion for a year as she recovers from the changes.

When she comes back from the hospital, Han-na is incredibly beautiful and slender. No one, not even her best friend, Chung-min, recognizes her. With Chung-min's help, she creates a new identity for herself; she is now a Korean-American from California named Jenny.

After auditioning to be Ammy's secret vocalist again, she earns her own recording contract instead from Sang-jun, claiming that she is "all-natural".

In the meantime, Ammy, oblivious just like everyone else of Han-na's new identity, desperately tries to find Han-na so that she can record her own postponed album (since she cannot sing the songs herself) by spending time with Hanna's father who is in a hospital with some mental problems, possibly Alzheimer's. Through spending time with Han-na's father, she eventually realizes that this new Jenny is actually Han-na in disguise.

Meanwhile, romance begins to blossom between "Jenny" and Sang-Jun. During a date one night, as sparks fly, Jenny supposedly stripped for Sang-Jun in the character of a nurse [not shown on camera, of course]

After Jenny has fallen asleep, he realizes that the tattoo Jenny had on her hip was a sign he had seen before. He remembers that when Han-na still existed and he had not met "Jenny" yet, Han-na had drawn the exact same signs on a sheet of music. Then he adds all of the signs up and realizes as well that "Jenny" is actually Kang Han-na but he keeps this information to himself.

"Jenny's" debut single 'Maria' becomes a hit and the recording company holds a party to celebrate its release. On the day of a party however, Ammy brings "Jenny's" father, in an attempt to blow Han-na's cover. Han-na's father tries to return Han-na's Barbie doll to her, which has always been Han-na's favourite childhood gift from him.

Startled by the sudden appearance of her father and not knowing how to react in front of all the people, including Sang-jun, Han-na denies knowing her father and calls him a fan instead when Sang-jun asks her if the old man is her guest. As her father keeps on insisting on giving the doll to Han-na, Sang-jun drags him away from Jenny and accidentally knocks him down onto the floor. Desperate to keep her true identity a secret, Han-na made no move to help her father. It was Chung-min who finally helps him up and leads him away from the party.

After the party, Sang-jun and 'Jenny' were the only ones left in the room. Sang-jun reveals to 'Jenny' that he knows her true identity but is now cold and distant. He seems to be unable to forgive her for lying to him but says that he will still work to promote 'Jenny' and carry on with her concert scheduled the next day.

Han-na breaks down at this point, heartbroken and unable to pretend to be someone else anymore. Han-na tells him that it is incredibly frustrating and painful not being able to be just be herself but have to live a lie, especially in front of him. The surgery that took a whole year to recover from was not nearly as painful as realizing that she still could not be close to Sang-jun.

The day of "Jenny's" first concert, Jenny breaks down from the pressure of losing her friend and father and reveals to the public that Jenny is a "fake," and that she is not "all-natural", as she had claimed, but is "plastic".

However, nobody seems to believe her. She proceeds tearfully to tell the large crowd her story: how she has abandoned everything that is dear to her - her best friend and father - to get to where she is. She also tells the crowd about how along the way to fame and fortune she has also lost her own identity and that she now no longer knows who she is.

Just then, the screens behind her on the stage started to show a clip of the old, obese Han-na, singing angelically. Han-na turns around and sees her old image and tells the crowd that the image is the real her. The crowd, moved by her sincere confession, responds by chanting "It's okay," and Han-na rekindles her relationships with her father and best friend.

She drops the stage name "Jenny" and re-releases a CD with her own name, Hanna, and becomes a highly successful music artist, gaining many anti-fans as well as loyal fans along the way. Sang-jun realizes the very thing about Han-na that had always drawn her to him - Han-na's innocence.

citer ni sangat sedih sikit. lebih2 lagi part si Hanna tu mengaku, rasa sakit bila hati dia menyayangi sang jun tapi diperlakukan sesuka oren lebih pedih dari rasa sakit tubuh dia dipotong dan dihiris untuk menjadi secantik jenny.. masa tu air mata rasa menitik sikit (heh lagi!).

the things we do for love, kan? untuk diri disayangi dan diterima orang lain.. sukarkah menerima dan menilai seseorang berdasarkan sahsiah dan dirinya as it is tanpa mengharapkan mereka berubah jadi lebih cantik, lebih kaya dan lebih kacak?

kekadang tertanya, if u want me to be much prettier in terms of physical sense, that is, of no difference from other leggy slim beauties, will your love for me change should i age and put on weight once we are together?

kata hati, bila dah sayang, kita akan terima seadanya. baik buruk seorang anak, di mata ibu ayah, anaknya jua yang tercomel, teristimewa..

kan?

my Prince of Caspian!

last night, in a surprising turn of events, i got the reprieve from doing the minute (my bosses baca my blog ke?), i managed a trip back to Putra Perdana and later on, a movie at alamanda the hub.

here's the background of the delectable film :)

"The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian" was the second book published of the seven books in the series. It is numbered Book 4 in recent editions because it is the fourth chronologically. It takes place about 1,300 years after the events of "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe", which was the first published book (second in order chronologically--only "The Magician's Nephew" takes place earlier.)

In London, only one year passes between the events of "The Lion" and "Prince Caspian," so the timing of the film had to be brought forward so the actors were not too old. Here is a summary of the story by C.S. Lewis. Following that is a description of the differences in the 2008 motion picture, based on available information.

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are transposed from a country railway station to an island in Narnia when young Prince Caspian X - who is heir to the throne at Cair Paravel, and is in danger in a battle against the Telmarine seige of Narnia - has blown Queen Susan's magic horn. Lord Miraz (Caspian's uncle), a tyrant who murdered Caspian's father (Caspian IX), has claimed the throne. After Miraz's wife Queen Prunaprismia gave birth to a son, Miraz planned to kill off Caspian X.

However, young Prince Caspian managed to escape into Old Narnia and unite with "the creatures that lived in hiding." With the help of Glenstorm the Centaur, Trufflehunter (a loyal badger), Trumpkin (a skeptical but dedicated dwarf), Reepicheep (a valiant mouse) and scores of other species of friendly Narnian animals, Caspian forms an army to meet Miraz's countless, mighty human warriors.

In an early battle, the Narnians make strategic mistakes, many animals die, and they are forced to retreat. Trumpkin intercepts the Pevensies shortly after their arrival at the ruins of Cair Paravel (once a peninsula - now the island they were summoned to when Caspian sounded Queen Susan's horn).

As they travel toward Aslan's How (the location of the destroyed Stone Table - now an underground fortress, and the loyal Narnians' defense), the war between good and evil escalates. A rebel Narnian dwarf harbors enemies, Aslan appears to Lucy whilst not to the others, and the Pevensies finally unite with Caspian.

in the lands of the How, High King Peter drafts a challenge, which King Edmund presents to the Lords Glozelle and Sopespian. Angered by his counsel's subtle (but intentional) doubt of his bravery, King Miraz insists on accepting the challenge. With both armies surrounding them on the Beruna landscape, Miraz and Peter draw swords and duel fiercely.

In a moment of the fight, Miraz is knocked to the ground. Astoundingly, his own lords stab him in the back and then shout out that Peter has killed him egregiously. All at once an immense battle amasses - the Second Battle of Beruna - as the Telmarines and the Narnians fight for autonomy of the land...

In the culmination of the battle, Aslan renews the land. He calls forth the dryads (tree spirits) to dance again; he awakens the river god, who then destroys a massive man-made wooden bridge over the Fjords of Beruna; and he beckons Bacchus and Silenus, and their merry maidens, who run throughout the landscape as far as the town of Beaversdam celebrating.

In Prince Caspian, humans had come to constitute a large portion of the population in Narnia. But in the Golden Age of Narnia, when the Pevensies fulfilled a prophecy by taking throne, they were the only humans in Narnia.

Aslan tells Caspian how his ancestors came into Narnia. He reveals that they actually originated from the same Earth as the Pevensies. Years ago, pirates in the "South Sea" (of our world) came upon an island, and, after entering a cave, fell (through a chasm) into Telmar. Telmar is the country to the West of Narnia. After many years in Narnian time, the Telmarines, who suffered famine and internal conflict, invaded and seiged Narnia. During this time, the animals of Narnia fled into hiding, as the human Telmarines came to dominate the land. Prince Caspian was the tenth in a line of kings by that name.

There appear to be some considerable differences in the motion picture in order to complement the story on-screen.

The opening scenes portray the birth of Prince Caspian's cousin followed by a narrow escape in a spectacular chase scene. It is while running away, as opposed to within Aslan's How, that Caspian sounds Queen Susan's horn. The Pevensies are summoned not from a country station, but an underground London railway station.

Lewis placed Caspian's character as an adolescent, whereas the actor portraying him, Ben Barnes, is in his mid-twenties.

There is a scene in the book in which a hag suggests calling upon the spirit of the White Witch to assist Prince Caspian in a time of desperation. Although this "ritual" is never performed in the book, it is begun in the movie and visually manifested until interrupted by one of Caspian's allies.

A night raid on Miraz's castle has been added to the plot as a surprise attack. There are a few additional characters such as Lord Scythley and Lord Donnovan, who, while not a part of the original story, will probably have roles similar to those of the General Glozelle and Lord Sopespian.

here's the more accurate version by wiki-wiki:

In Narnia, Caspian, a Telmarine Prince, is wakened by his mentor, Doctor Cornelius. Doctor Cornelius explains to Caspian that his aunt has just given birth to a son. Caspian is the rightful heir to the Narnian throne, but his father died when he was young. His uncle, Miraz, maintained rule over Narnia until Caspian was old enough, only because Miraz had no children of his own. Now that he did have a child, if he killed Caspian, he would be the sole heir to the throne and have a son to be his successor. Caspian realizes that his life is in danger, and escapes through a secret passage in a wardrobe just before some Telmarine soldiers charge into the room and fire arrows right at his bed, where he was moments before. Dr. Cornelius gets Caspian's horse, Destrier, and gives Caspian a small package, saying not to use it except in great need. Caspian gallops away from the castle, but not before some Telmarine soldiers notice and chase after him. Caspian enters the woods to lose his chasers, since the Telmarines are afraid of the woods.

In the woods, after losing his chasers, Caspian encounters two Narnian dwarves and a talking badger. Terrified, he opens Dr. Cornelius's package and blows a small ivory horn he found inside. The noise makes the Telmarine soldiers aware of Caspian's whereabouts. One of the Narnian dwarves, Trumpkin, goes off to stop the soldiers and gets captured, while the other dwarf, Nikabrik, and the badger, Trufflehunter, carry Caspian inside.

Back in England, the four Pevensie children are heading into a subway station to depart for school, one year having passed in their world since they had their first adventure. Just as the subway train pulls into the station, the walls start sucking in, and the whole station tears apart to leave the Pevensies in a dark tunnel. They look and see at the end of the tunnel a beach. They run off to play in the waves, realizing they are back in Narnia. But then they discover Cair Paravel has turned to ruins.

Meanwhile, Caspian wakes up to see Nikabrik and Trufflehunter. Nikabrik is all for killing Caspian, since he's a Telmarine, but Trumpkin reminds him of an old Narnian prophecy, which states that whoever blows the horn of Queen Susan (which happened to be the horn Caspian had) shall lead the Narnians to freedom. Trufflehunter leads Caspian to the dancing lawn, where all the Narnians have assembled. On the way, they meet a swashbuckling mouse, Reepicheep. However, the Narnians at the Dancing Lawn are disgruntled at the Telmarines and don't want one of them to be their leader. Caspian, however, convinces them that if they help him reclaim his throne, he can bring peace between them.

However, in Miraz's castle, Miraz holds a meeting with all his highest lords, thrusting Trumpkin, boud and gagged, onto the floor. "Our beloved Caspian was abducted by NARNIANS!!!" he bellows, spit flying from his mouth. He declares war on the Narnians, and Trumpkin is taken off to be executed.

The Pevensies see Trumpkin tied up and dropped into deep waters by the Telmarines. Susan shoots arrows at the Telmarines while Peter dives in and saves Trumpkin. Together, they set off to find the others. They have some trouble along the way, but eventually find Prince Caspian, and journey to Aslan's How, where they set up a war council.

Caspian thinks they should stay and defend Aslan's How, but Peter has different ideas. He suggests that since Miraz is sending an army here, that the same army won't be guarding the castle. Others argue, but Peter decides they've waited long enough for Aslan.

The Narnians attempt to capture Miraz at the castle, and are doing fine battling the Telmarine guards, until hundreds of archers line the walls of the courtyard and open fire. Seeing that if they keep fighting they will all be killed by the force of archers, Peter calls for a retreat. However, Miraz's Castle is in the middle of a huge gorge, accessible only by a narrow drawbridge and a long stone archway. Asterius sacrifices himself to save the others and stops the gate from coming down, at least temporarily. Barely half the Narnians are able to escape, and the rest are brutally slaughtered.

When they get back, Nikabrik calls Caspian aside to show him his own plan for defeating Miraz. He shows Caspian two of his friends, a hag and a werewolf, who call up the White Witch using black sorcery. The White Witch supposedly has power beyond all imagination, but is even more evil than Miraz. Fortunately, the plan is thwarted when Peter and Edmund show up, and Edmund saves the day by shattering the ice where the Witch is forming before she can completely materialize.

Peter then suggests he and Miraz duel one on one for all the marbles to prevent any further losses of life. Miraz is forced to accept, as it would look cowardly to refuse to fight a boy half his age. Peter and Miraz battle it out, while Lucy goes off to find Aslan. Peter's arm gets injured, but he eventually is able to beat the exhausted Miraz. Peter hands Miraz's sword to Caspian, giving him the honor of killing Miraz. Caspian lets Miraz keep his life, but says he will give Narnia back to the fairy-tale creatures.

Suddenly, Miraz's lords kill Miraz and blame the Narnian archers. Calling treachery, they call the Telmarine army to advance (which outnumbers the Narnians 10 to 1) so that they can obliterate the Narnians and rule Narnia themselves. The Telmarines unfurl nasty trebuchets which fire a continuous stream of boulders at the Narnian army. In an effort to fight back, the Narnians try several tactics, including destroying underground tunnels underneath the army, and sending gryphons over the army whith archers in their claws, and eventually just charge, but they are hopelessly outnumbered.

Lucy, meanwhile, has found Aslan, who awakens the trees that have been in a deep sleep. The whole forest begins to ripple with movement, and this energy travels back toward the battlefield. With the whole forest suddenly against them, the Telmarines don't stand a chance. Terrified, they run back toward Miraz's castle. On the way to Miraz' castle, by the

bridge

of

Beruna

, Lucy and Aslan are waiting. Aslan summons the river god, who picks up the bridge, still jammed with Telmarine soldiers, and destroys it. Then he dissapears back into the river with a giant wave defeats the Telmarines once and for all.

what i think? well, i simply love this movie! and sorely wish Qayyim was here to share this magnificient morsel together. em, cakap pasal qayyim rasa sedih2 plak... hilang mood :(

rindu kot? with minkus gone, i just have to work up the strength to be alone again. tgk muvi sorang2, makan sorang2, shopping sorang2.. even though after 2 months she'l be back here again, dia ada hidup sendiri. and i have my life.

apapun, back to the story, saya sangat suka chemistry antara character2 ni. they are SO delicious to all my senses :)

i still remembered a bit about the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. that i couldn't make up my mind on whether i like Peter of Edmund most. but now, i hereby proclaimed, even though Peter is the High King, Edmund is definitely the King!

sigh-

rasa nak tengok lagi tapi penat.. mesti best kalu dapat tengok kat umah vis Astro ke apa ke. tapi mesti ingat, ini pesanan penaja, jangan beli cd citer ni yang bootleg punya selagi DVD version tak released lagi. banyak scene dia berlaku tengah malam, takut nanti tak nampak apa2..

prince Caspian and Peter are not so much of a bad looker. if i was still a teenager, i would wax lyrical lines to gush about them. however, as i'm just a teenager at heart, i beg to gush inwardly je la, for fear i might sound like a, um- veritable aunt doting upon anak ikan.

huhu.

i do like the chemistry between Caspian the 10th and Susan. the impish smiles, the furtive glances, such a romantic setting. cuma cinta tak kesampaian, Susan and Peter won't return in the next installment :( i couldn't quite understand why but the truth is, i'm going to miss the two.

i wonder, kenapa actors citer narnia ni tak glamer? media coverage and personal publicity cam takde jer? adakah filem yang menarik ni tak laku?

which quite amazed me because the cinematography, the actors, the characters, the script, the locations! memang superb la.

then, the thrills, the suspense and the gasps throughout the movie, especially time the White Witch made a cameo, requesting just one drop from Caspian and then Peter to resurrect her back into the Narnian World. terasa tiada udara sekejap until the dashing wisened Edmund (he was once captivated under the cold, calculating Witch once before) cracked the ice and thus, putting the stop to the spell. talk about a hero!

one of the things that i realised was the subtle political moves and maneuvers that lies within the story. could almost see how the Lords and of course, King Edmund staged a marvelously delicious play of political chess to get Lord Miraz to duel the High King Peter :)

saya sangat suka!

oh, ya. ada satu citer romantis, made of honour lakonan michelle monaghan dan patrick Dempsey yang akan masuk panggung sikit masa lagi. ala-ala my best friend's wedding tapi version lelaki punya la. one thing i realised is that Dr McDreamy sangat immersed into his character. ada scene tu di mana dia cuba sorok rasa kecewa dia dan cuba buat biasa2 je bila si michelle bersama tunangannya bercerita tentang plan kawin diorang. i mean, memang nampak real la. and i think that michelle's character deserved a kick in the shins for not being able to pick up the signals, that McDreamy is actually pining for her.

em, teringat pulak pesan Mr Rupert Everett to Julia Roberts:

do what you came here to do. u came to say goodbye.

sigh... cinta tak seharusnya bersatu kan?

of reading lips and paper censorship

 

ReaD mY LipS

original title : sur mes levres

here's a review:

 

 

 

Frazzled and undermined by the disregard and outright sabotage of her co-workers, Carla (Emmanuelle Devos) is about to fall apart completely when her boss suggests she go to the government employment agency and hire an assistant.

"A man would be best," she tells the employment official.

"We can't do that," the woman informs her. "The Employment Bureau can't specify gender. Discrimination is against the law."

"I see."

"What age?"

"25 to 30. Make that 25."

"What else?"

"He should be friendly. Not too tall. Nice hands."

Again sensing the drift into dating-service territory, the official suggests, "Well-groomed?"

"Yes, well-groomed."

It's a workplace drama with a lot of idiosyncrasies, even before the plot starts twisting. When Paul (Vincent Cassel) is sent over by the employment bureau, obviously lying about all his qualifications ("Spreadsheets? Um, yeah, piles of spreadsheets."), and then finally confesses that he's just come from prison ... why, he's everything Carla's been looking for. As it turns out, the office ugly duckling with the hearing aid and the oily-looking ex-con with the leather jacket are a perfect match for each other — in ways neither one dreamed.

Carla — who, thanks to her lip-reading ability, knows more of her abusive office colleagues' secrets than they imagine — discovers that it's sometimes good to have a thug on your side. Paul — who still has some valuable contacts in the underworld — has an idea for a big score, but he'll need the talents of someone just like her. As the film becomes less about office intrigue and more about a scam spinning wildly out of control, it begins to present a rather conflicting moral dilemma as to how the audience perceive the influence both characters have on each other.

Their relationship is the film's focus. Carla, mousy and harried and unappreciated at the office, has rage seething beneath her surface. With Paul, the rage is out in the open, but he has goodness within him. They are able to draw on each other's strengths and vices to strengthen their own positions, all while resisting the impulses that would seem to draw them together romantically. Watch Carla wear one of Paul's blood-stained shirts in the privacy of her bedroom and see how deep the emotions run.

In its last third, "Read My Lips" ultimately becomes a masterpiece of suspense, with a plot that turns somersaults, surprising discoveries, loyalties that are always in question, and a high-tension climax. But it also works so well because the characters are exceptionally real — imperfect, ignoble, introverted, each with something to learn from the other — and this story captures a moment when their lives turn inside-out. Devos and Cassel are outstanding, and the direction by Jacques Audiard is exceptionally intimate — keeping our main characters close up and even taking us into the head of Clara as she turns her hearing aid up and down, depending on her attitude toward the world.

and another:

Carla Bhem (Emmanuelle Devos), the heroine of Jacques Audiard's ''Read My Lips,'' is, at least by French movie-star standards, plain and almost hyperbolically nondescript. Her stooped shoulders draped in a drab brown cardigan, she bustles mousily around the offices of a big construction firm, where she works as a receptionist. Her desk, shoved into a corner near the copy machine and the restrooms, is a convenient place for her co-workers to leave their half-empty coffee cups. Carla, who is partially deaf, is a person who exists to be taken advantage of and ignored. Even her best friend is mostly interested in exploiting Carla for free babysitting and the use of her apartment for adulterous liaisons.

Mr. Audiard, who wrote the script with Tonino Benacquista, establishes the grind and slog of Carla's existence in a few swift, dexterous scenes. The sense of frustration we feel on her behalf prepares us to accept the crucial fact about her character that those around her miss altogether. Beneath her meek, humble facade is a quiet, volcanic fury, the flowering of which is among the film's many surprising satisfactions.

Worrying that she might be overworked, Carla's boss allows her to take on a helper -- a ''secretarial assistant'' in the words of an employment-agency bureaucrat -- to handle some of the endless drudgery. She hires Paul Angeli (Vincent Cassel), a mopey ex-convict with no qualifications, who is unlikely to threaten her position, such as it is.

The two are soon embroiled in a pyschological power struggle that threatens, oddly but convincingly, to turn into an office romance. Carla has at last found a Carla of her own, someone to pity and boss around. The various kindnesses she performs for Paul -- she finds him a place to stay and covers for him when he misses an appointment with his parole officer -- are also calculated ways of putting him in her debt.

For his part, Paul assumes that her interest must be sexual, and he is not entirely wrong, even though she fights off his rough, clumsy advances. ''You think you owe me,'' she says afterward, '' and you pay me with what you have. But it's true. You do owe me.'' She is clearly intoxicated by his coarse masculinity. At one point, after Paul has been beaten by thugs from his past, she bundles herself, alone in her room, in his filthy, bloodstained shirt. But she also fantasizes about being the unattainable object of his desire, acting out imaginary conversations in which she sweetly plays hard to get. Her glee at discovering, at long last, a measure of power is accompanied by an increased vulnerability.

Their differences of skill and temperament turn out to be complementary. Paul's knack for robbery helps Carla take revenge on an especially piggish co-worker, and her lip-reading ability, along with her organizational talents, make her a valuable partner in crime. Each is using the other, which turns out to be a better basis for intimacy and solidarity than the harsh politesse of the office.

In its second half, ''Read My Lips,'' mutates almost casually from a workplace comedy into a violent, clammy caper film. Paul, like most movie criminals, has trouble leaving the thug life behind and finds himself indentured to a brutish nightclub owner named Marchand (Olivier Gourmet). There is a big bag of money to be heisted, as well as some nasty characters to contend with, and the psychological nuance gives way to the more conventional machinery of suspense.

Throughout, Mr. Audiard's direction is fluid and quick. He uses sound editing and fast changes of perspective to mirror the effects of Carla's disability. Some noises are all but inaudible, while others are jarringly amplified (especially when she turns up her hearing aids), and the camera movements suggest that Carla has compensated for her hearing loss by developing a keen visual sense. She can read not only lips, but also the information embedded in posture, eye movements and body language.

Like so many European pictures these days, ''Read My Lips'' seems destined to be remade in Hollywood, and it is unlikely to be improved by the addition of vainer actors, a simpler screenplay and flashier direction. Its ingenuity will not be hard to replicate, but its gritty immersion in the petty indignities of working life -- something of a French specialty in recent years -- is unlikely to survive. It is this quality that gets under your skin and turns its two beleaguered losers into genuine outlaw heroes.

after a very weary weekend, added up with spontaneous proposition (let's call it that, shall we?) by one of my new office mates, well, i was on a nervous breakdown trip.

the news of minkus taking up her LI at KB, thus leaving me wayward for 2 full months, starting tonight, well, it made me more frustrated beyond reasoning.

thus, i lingered at my fave haunt, leafing through a tasteless paperback only to return it promptly back. which is a pity because that is the only one time when i found myself unable to warm up to JQ's characters, Dancing in the Moonlight is surely a bore, starkly different from her other delightful stories. oh, well.

anyhow, rushed to Hentian Putra to find minkus a ticket home before fetching her for our last movie together. i was in a sour mood, undecided on which movie to watch, or where to watch.

minkus haven't seen the delectable iron man yet whereas i have. i thought of speedracers though minkus was rather sceptical of the wachowski brothers' film. she felt that with our current mood, we were much suited for a movie that's in the vein of orang tersayang diculiki @ gone baby gone, a thriller somewhat. something to stimulate our ethical awareness and exercise our mind.

thus, we stopped at gsc's one utama. in a way, should there be none that appeases our mood, we could always opt for any frenchies available.

that detailed why we ended with this gem of a dark romantic thriller. perhaps to put a genre would be an injustice. i would call it, a rather personal movie that taps into the soul of any lonely, career-successful single woman.

like me.

in truth, i found myself more in connection with Carla. though i think thankfully that i wasn't so much on the receiving end of unjust, snide comments, and that i have my moments of attractiveness, her soul was a bit of mine. timid in the surface but a lot wildly simmering underneath.

when she raged at the back office upon Keller's backstabbing, i understood. i found me. i thought i was looking at me.

and it was disturbing.

the discovery of her sexual curiosity, whether Paul could find her attractive, desirable, a woman.

being unable to dance in public, too self-conscious for that- thus resorting to dancing wildly on the freezing rooftop during her snooping activities. i found me.

and Paul, well, i could understand why Carla would ever feel attracted to him. bonded. even though minkus failed to warm up to him, i did. i think he was a good man despite his erroneous way. when Carla found his solitary exit airplane ticket, minkus ribbed me, indignantly mouthing "see!"

yet, i understood him. that he and Carla, though they were together night and days in cahoots, he's still not emotionally tangled with Carla as she was already with him from day one. on the other hand, her attachment was extremely evident when she couldn't help staring at his office room after he quit to work at Marchand's bar to pay off his debts. that even though her works had trippled, she couldn't find herself to find a replacement. when she gave the condition that he came back to work in exchange of her lip reading service, together with the compromise of how they are going to pull it off, i understood.

at the club, Paul looks um, well, palatable with his figure hugging shirt (yup, i can't help but drool :p). the intelligent Carla seemed to seep the energy, the vibe needed to evolve into someone who is confident of her womanly allure (yup, double bras for push up effect :"> and silky stockings). only to end up nearly raped at the back alley, if not for observant Paul looking out for her in an act of possessive jealousy.

it made me smiled (albeit inwardly uncomfortably cringing) when i remembered how Carla, when alone, made silly one-person conversation with Paul on spending a night together.

but soon after, things happened and they became both equally dependent on each other (ya, minkus, EQUALLY dependent).

the story was full with surprise that i for one, can't guess what will happen, exactly. i thought of Carla crossing Paul once she knew about the plane ticket but then she sticked with him to the very end even though she had ample opportunity to just pick up the money and leave him