Departures

A lot of buzz about this movie as this movie just won one of the highest award for non-english movie, academy awards for best foreign language. I try to drag my friends to watch this movie, but none really want to give this try, because of the theme and japanese movie. I usually do not prefer Japanese movie either, even the high-rated "Death Note", I am not interested to watch at all. However, with all the so good review of this movie, I went alone (how sad..) to watch with quite high expectation that this movie will be able to squeeze my heart and tear. 

This movie is about Daigo Kobayashi, desperate to find a job after his orchestra group is dissolved, landed himself a job to take care of the "departed", which is mispelled as departures in the job ads. The story revolves how he learns to appreciate the job that most people look down, including his wife that leaves him after she found out the job. It shows in detail, how the corpse is taken care in such precision, graceful, and sense of art, to show last respect to the deceased. The acting is good, especially the main actor, Masahiro Motoki. In short, this movie is beautifully done and touching. Although I don't really found myself with tear, I can hear some people sobbing at the back. I don't think it's a very heart-wrenching movie, but meaningful. Given running time of more than 2 hours, it is not really a boring movie, although I think it can be shorter. 3.5 of 5.

Super Hero Movie

There are suddenly several super-hero theme movies in the cinema now, judging from the trailer, I think Watchmen, Push and Dragon Ball will be a good entertaining super hero movie, but, all has failed me.

Being one of the best rated super hero movie so far, Watchmen has received a lot of good reviews. So with such a high expectation, unfortunately, I found this movie is such a long boring movie and totally lost in the conversation, although the art and comic-style is nicely done. I keep looking at the watch, how long more I need to stare at blue big penis. Haha, I can feel a lot of people laugh and smile when Dr Manhattan thing is shown. Push is another disappointing movie this year, the story is really slow and keep dragging. I found this movie is like a spin-off from TV series "Heroes".

Being a big fan reader of Dragon Ball, I am a bit disappointed that the character of goku and setting will be in western country. Overall story is still pretty the same with the original comics, however it's been summarized and packed into about 1.5 hours movie, which I think it's too short, and makes the story too shallow.

If you think that advertisement sometimes can be annoying, I found this advertisement in AsiaOne is totally disturbing and inappropriate. Once the page is loaded, there'll be flying ugly handphone or car or whatever thing, covering the whole main section. Once you want to click the news behind, it will popup the advertiser website. Sigh.. hope there'll better control to put such advertisement in local news.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I have watched this movie about two weeks ago, but I really enjoy watching this movie and want to put this on my blog. Apart from all the award and praise for this movie, it does not mean that this movie is difficult to enjoy, like some boring artistic movie. It tells the story of a guy name Benjamin, which starts aging backward, and all the story around him from his birth until death. Although it's a quite long movie, but the story just flows through smoothly, and without realizing, it's already Brad Pitt without any make up. It's an interesting story to tell about people aging backward, but that's not the whole point of the movie. It's about his love story, just like normal people, how he fell in love with at least 2 women, found his true love, took some consequences and responsibility of his abnormal life, and how the true love found him back, and died.

This is one of the movie that I can feel very pleased to sit through almost entire 3 hours. One of the very nice last sentence by daisy at the end of the movie: "And in the spring, 2003, he looked at me. And I knew, that he knew, who I was. And then he closed his eyes, as if to go to sleep."

Last week was a totally hectic week for me, there are several proposal that have almost the same deadline. It costs my sleeping time for several night. So, after the bizarre week passed, I just want to enjoy my weekend with more catching-up sleep (needs more than 10 hours in 2 days to recover, haha) and cut down a bit accumulated weight in the gym. And, not as usual, I found a bit refreshing to go back to work this Monday. :)

Slumdog Millionaire

After all the good review and awards for this movie, I decided to ask some of my friends to watch this movie. Some of my friends felt hesitant to watch this movie, and they are the type that only want to watch action, drama comedy, and all the easy to understand movies, which I equally enjoy too.

With some level of expectation but doubt the story line about Indian teen that wins the Indian version of "Who wants to be a millionaire", but later is arrested under suspicion of cheating, which during investigation, the puzzle of his live is revealed piece by piece, I am overall satisfied with the whole movie. The direction and picture, about poor and booming indian,is superb, with some scenes that are felt very realistic, provocative, and surprising to people that live in advanced country, like the raid of Muslims population and the beggar "dirty business". The whole movie still follows Hollywood style movie, and half of the movie is delivered in English, although they try to follow indian accent, but it just felt not realistic. Although the romance involved seems like too imaginative, but it actually try to follow some bollywood way of movie, which does not omit the mass-dance-bollywood-style at the end of the movie.

Whether it will win or not in the academy award, I think this movie deserves all the praise and award. 4.5 of 5.

I never really celebrate Valentine Day, and this year is no exceptional. I always ask myself if I can find people that I can truly love and treasure the most. Haha, anyway, wish you all a lovely Valentine Day. :)

After CNY

I have spent a good time with my parents and brother's family to different places in Singapore during CNY, like Zoo, Botanical Garden, Sentosa, etc. I have avoided this places for quite some times because I find them quite boring to visit more than 2-3 times. It's quite refreshing to visit these places again after 1-3 years.

So, good thing never lasts forever and today is the first day to go back to work. And as the first working day, it's quiet a hectic day, reaching client place very early in the morning to fix some application bugs before users start to use it at 10AM. It's supposed to be an easy fix, but as the clock ticks to 930AM, I haven't found the root cause, panic. Luckily by 955AM, the problem is fixed and all can breathe normally again. After that I need to rush for buffet lunch with group of ex-colleagues, and not surprisingly, I am the last person to arrive there, and need to rush to finish the meal. After lunch, there are 2 more meetings to attend at two different client's office. As instructed by my senior in office day before to prepare the material, it turns out that it's he himself did not prepare with any material. Sigh.. The hectic day completes with nice stretch at Waihan's Body Balance, so relaxing until I almost fell asleep at the end of the class.

Happy Niu Year..

It's a happy chinese new year again. As the rat year closes its curtain with a lot of uncertainties and gloomy times ahead, I wish everyone a happy chinese new year, gong xi fa cai. Wish that the earth ox will bring us a brighter year ahead.

I will celebrate this new year mostly with my parents and brother's family. It's been a blessing to have family around during reunion dinner and chinese new year, but it also means that I have to reduce times spent in gym or friends for several weeks. For the past 5 years, I have mostly celebrated chinese new year with friends or alone in a city which not much celebration and festive mood for Chinese New Year.

TV Series

After 2 years since the end of season 6, "24" will be aired tonight (11/01) in US. This is still one of my favorite TV series, although no other season can be compared to the feeling of watching Season 1, yet. The adrenaline and anxiety to watch hour by hour non-stop action by Jack Bauer, although this show can become like impossible and too coincidental. Beware not to watch this show at the weekday's night as it might be difficult to stop. I look forward to Season 7. The trailers look promising so far.

Other than 24, I am also currently watching Heroes, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers and Sisters. Any other TV Series to recommend?