G O B B L O G

I have mentioned it before, this is one of the movie I need to watch. And last Wednesday, my wish comes true.

With all the Oscar buzz, I have high hopes for it. After watching it, my thoughts on the movie. Hmmm….

Maybe I expected it too much to be great. I bet many of you who watch it will love it. It’s a feel good movie. “Rags to Raja” kinda movie. But the main theme of the movie, basically is LOVE… Love against all obstacle.

Taken on its own terms, this is an enjoyable and memorable movie, though for me it falls short of Oscar-worthy. The story is very contrived and manipulative, with many people saying and doing things for no other reason than to move the plot along or tug at your heartstrings. That isn’t all bad, though, because this artificiality is what makes it possible to look at it during what would otherwise have been some very tough scenes (Aargh, they don’t really DO that in Indian orphanages, do they?).

The actors all give solid, two-dimensional performances, and the love story was sweet and affecting, if a little, er, contrived. Recommended. For me, not really a excellent movie, but still.. Recommended. 7 out of 10

PS: I’m beginning to love M.I.A. song, Paper Planes. The one they used on the train scene. The track is really really really excellent. “I fly like paper, get high like plane. If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name. If you come around here, I make them all day. I get one done in a second if you wait”. Wow, that’s deep.

These films are the films that I really really really can’t wait to watch. They neither aren’t gonna be shown here on Malaysian cinema nor aren’t yet. Accept for one movie, Budak Kelantan. It was played on cinema last October but… when the time I went to cinema to catch it, they stop playing. Can’t you believe it? Only two weeks run on cinema. Hmm… Seriously Malaysian people, you guys need to support new director and stop watching stupid and lame Malaysian supposed-to-be-funny movie (but not really funny, duh??). So, here are my lists in no particular order:

1. Slumdog Millionaire
Out of nowhere, this film is this year’s top Oscar contender. Rags to riches kinda of movie. Inspirational.

2. The Wrestler
Watching the trailer itself, make me have goosebumps.

3. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
I always have a soft-spot for boy meet girl kinda movie. Especially one that involves a lot of music. Exemples: Once.

4. Budak Kelantan ** trailer **
Yasmin Ahmad recommend this film. Quote “bright sparks in Malaysian cinema”. MUST WATCH!!! Nak tengok!!!

5. Muallaf ** trailer **
Utusan’s reporters condemning the movie. As proven before, they are idiots wrongly judge a movie (by praising the movie I found waste of time). It tempted me more to watch this flick. 

6. Revolutionary Road
Kate and Leo. What more can you ask? (Call me lame but Leo is my all time fav actor. Hehhe)

7. Milk
Oscar contender movie and Sean Penn. Besides, it is biographical movie. Biopics always excite me. Remember Into The Wild and The Aviator?  

8. Kinta ** trailer **
Looking from the trailer, can’t believe its Malaysian made movie. Kinda promising. Cool kung-fu moves, by the way. (Just found out that this movie is currently being shown. What? No promo? Better hurry to cinema this weekend. You GUYS too!!!)

9. The Argentine
Have always been fascinated with the life of Che Guevara since watching The Motorcycle Diaries. Plus, it’s another biopics. I wonder why this movie is left out from this year Oscar prediction.

10. Histeria trailer
Really wanna watch another sincere performance from Liyana Jasmay. I think, acting-wise, she’s better than my other 2 fav Malaysian actress. Syarifah Amani and Fazura. And it’s James Lee first mainstream debut. Wonder, how’s the movie will turn out.

Aiyyoo… Just three more weeks. It feels like forever. After reading all the review for Batman new installment: Dark Knight, I really can’t wait. Many said that Heath performance is brilliant and deserve and Oscar. Oscar babe!! For a comic-base movie, that’s rare… So does other cast. Bale, Eckhart, Freeman, Caine and Gylenhall also deliversa marvellous performance. Seriously… Arrgghhhh… Reading all these reviewsd making my heart is aching and me sick. Cannot tahan anymore!!!!! Right now, I’m so envy those who had already watch the movie. Whatever it is, come July 17, Dark Knight, “HERE I COME!!”.

Anyway, read the reviews below:

Review 1

Review 2

Review 3

Review 4

Review 5

Trailer

By the way, this potrait of Joker is among my favourite pic of all time. Thanks to the photographer and the one who upload it. If only I knew who they were. For me it is artful and mysterious….. When I used it as avatar at forums, ppl thought it’s a picture of tranvestite. Hmm…. They are dumb.

After years and years (I’ve miscounted), Gavin is releasing a new album. I really thought this guy was a one-album-wonder (derived from the word one-hit-wonder. Duh!!!). Thank God I was wrong. Yeay!!!

His music is really my type of music. I don’t buy or listen to it yet. But I really hope there’s gonna be a song that as same level or better than my favourite song from Chariot-album, Just Friends. The lyrics for that song, not so marvellous. But the melody, damn marvellous. Besides, who cares about the lyrics. I’m not a lyrics guy. All I really care is a song that was fun to sing. For me, Gavin’s previous album, Chariot; is my top 10 album of all time. (Hmm… I think i should do a post on my top 10 album). It has been several years since the album released, but its song like Just Friends, the famous I Don’t Wanna Be and Follow Through is at top spot on my playlist. My playlist of song to sing during shower. :)

Hope his new album, simply title Gavin Degraw can capture the greatness of the previous album. I watched the video of his new single, In Love With A Girl yesterday on MTV. Although, I must say, the video is just ordinary, the song is quite catchy. I’m beginning to like it.

And one more thing. Am I the only one who’s missing a plane? Bo Bice got a new album!! Why did I not know this??? Hmm… Hope in the new album, Bo’s becoming more “Bo”, I mean, more real to himself. Not like his debut album, Real Thing which is not really a “real thing”. The last album sounded too Clive Davis. (Yup, I can recognise Clive’s touch).

Before I chiow, today is a history in the making. Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah. Malaysia’s film for the first time, been reviewed by The New York Times and New York Post. While it got bad reviews here by some retarded film folk, the mat salleh there, praised the movie highly!! Go Yasmin!!!! I’m really pround of Mukhsin’s team. Just ignore the mrs. talk-big-but-haram-apa-pun-takder, the police-wannabe, the inverted-comma-professor and the one-who’s-become-famous-by-destroying-malay-grammar (suddenly Voldermont came up to my mind). By the way, to Yasmin, when on earth Muallaf gonna be screen on cinema? Dah lama dah ni tunggu!!! 

PS: For those who has been asking for my Idol finale review, there’s gonna be none. I don’t care for both David.

To tell you the truth, I watched the movie on 2nd of January. Well now, it’s been like 2 or 3 weeks since then. Maybe it’s too late to write the review. But anyway, what the hell! It’s better late than never. Suddenly, I feel like doing it after reading all the Oscar buzz surrounding this movie and it did get the nomination for Best Film category. Here are my thoughts.

I never heard or understand the meaning of such big word like ATONEMENT. What the hell is it?? Being me who spoke pigeon English, and sometime stutter when try to speak proper English during interview, I went to this movie without knowing what the premise of the movie is all about. For me, “atonement” sounds like musical drama nyanyi-nyanyi cause there’s a word TONE in it. Hehheh

Anyway, the first part of the movie remind me of Cerekarama (Malay soap) with all that drama-mama thing happening. It also has that typical British period movie going on. You know where there is a scene they having conversation at piano with the accent and lepak-lepak picnic at padang scene. You know right?? But don’t get me wrong, the first part of the movie is OK, compared to the 2nd part of the movie.

We’ll learn that Cecilia (Kiera Knightly) had a love affair with Robbie, the family’s handyman. Robbie (James McAvoy) who’s grown up together with Cecilia’s family, even been sponsored by Cecilia’s father for college. The movie actually start to be interesting when Cecilia’s little sister, Briony, witnessed something peculiar through a window. She saw Cecilia stripped to her undergarment in front of Robbie at a fountain (which you can see most part of Kiera’s body and LPF cuts it). Actually, Cecilia try to get a porcelain that is dropped by Robbie in the fountain. Briony, being innocent, think otherwise. The suspicion on Robbie as a pervert adds up when Robbie try to send Cecilia apology letter but instead, he mistakenly send a letter containing filthy nasty word. Briony being a nosy letter-delivery girl read the letter and shocked. By the way, the word is actually c**t (referring to female genitalia) and LPF blurred some alphabets on the “nasty” word as if we are stupid cinema-goers cannot understand it. DUH!!!!

Later, Briony caught Cecilia making out with Robbie and thought Cecilia is being molested. When there is a rape incident involving Lola, a family’s friend, Robbie is accused of doing it by Briony. When actually the truth is, Robbie is innocent.  Briony actually saw with her own eye who’s the real perpetrator but framed Robbie. Bitch!!! As a punishment, Robbie is being send to WW2 as an army and the lovebird (Robbie and Cecilia) being separated. And the 2nd boring part of the movie starts…

Even though I said the 2nd part of the movie is somehow boring, I must admit it is heart breaking. I think the director do it purposely (to be boring) so that we feel the sadness and pity the two lovebird. The flow of the 2nd part was too damn slow. My friend sitting beside me manage to sleep a few minutes until I woke him up due to excessive snoring. But there’s one scene, which is amazing. The uncut scene for about 5 minutes, showing Robbie at the beach on war time. The beach is a place for British soldier waiting to be deported back to England. That scene is magnificent and I must say, stunning. I think, that scene alone is the key factor that attract the Oscar voters. Maybe…

And the ending, is just very very sad. It’s the type of ending that make you think, “Why!! Why!! Tidakkk… Why!!!”. At least for a romance movie fan. When walking out from cinema, I heard a girl saying “I can’t sleep tonight thinking of Robbie and Cecilia”. And my thought for that girl, “Get a life!!”. A bit of clue, the ending has some shock element to it. I can’t give you all, can’t I?

That girl who plays young Briony, is a natural talent. She’s able to make you feel upset at her. As far as the acting was concerned, she was the star. James McAvoy also give an excellent performance. Considering this is an Oscar-running movie, that girl and James McAvoy deserved an Oscar nomination for acting compared to Kiera Knightly. Kiera is underact in this movie. She’s better in Pride and Prejudice. I think in this movie, she is a poster-child for aneroxic. And that hideous bathing suit makes me really wanna laugh histerically in the cinema. Whats wrong with the costume designer?? Are they out of their mind to design such awful looking bathing suit. It’s like an action hero suit. It also remind me of somebody who work in the circus. Hehehe. Anyway, that young girl who play Briony, actually did get nominated for Oscar this year.

Another thing I like about the movie beside the acting, is the movie score. There this typewriter’s sound going on. Nice… And a great work on the cinematography. Especially the 5 minutes uncut scene mention above. Really, that scene alone is majestic and I cannot stop thinking about it. Overall I kinda like the movie and it’s not so bad.

But I can’t understand, why the critics praised the movie really high. Yeah, it’s a good movie, but it’s not that great and excellent. I’m sure, I’ll not watching it for the second time. The acting was definitely good. The visuals is good. But as someone who expect it to be a grandeur love story, I didn’t find it compelling at all. Maybe a little. Or maybe it is just me who cannot find the greatness of this movie. I give it 7 out of 10.

PS: James McAvoy, isn’t he the guy who played that deer-man on Narnia?? I later found out from the translation that Atonement is Penebusan. Whatever…