Monday, September 29, 2008

Little Children (2006)

I started off watching this movie with semi-high expectations. I was a little bit disappointed but it is still worth the watch if you have the time. "Little Children" is a film that suggests adults behave like little children and it's just that we don't notice it. In a way, "Little Children" managed to do that, illustrating relative examples without being too exaggerative. I personally felt the movie could have been a little shorter, some scenes didn't seem to have any strong significance. You can understand why that scene was there if you think about it, but wnen it doesn't come across with much strength. Because of this, the movie felt a little drawn out and boring. Having said that, this movie still has many merits, such as being able to paint it's main message subtlely and intelligently. The best part of this movie is the climax. It ends with a strong moral and it was very well done.

"Little Children" focuses on a group of characters. A distressed husband and wife, both feeling detached from their real spouses. An affair between them occurs when they meet and the story pretty much unfolds from there. There are some pretty good side plots, intelligently intertwined with the main story. One good example that managed to portray our immmature behavior is the plot revolving the paedophile. Jackie exposed himself to a minor few years ago and now he's back on the streets. Jackie is actually a good man, he is just mentally ill. He realizes this and desperately wants help but everyone around him shuns because of his past. In a way, this example relates to children shunning another "nerd child" or another kid who is deemed weird by the others. I won't go into the exact details, but any viewer with a brain can easily see this relation in the movie.

"Little Children" has a decent cast, no big stars but good enough. The acting wasn't really commendable, there are a couple of distracting moments for me when I watching "Little Children" because of the acting. It's not really a big deal though, most of it still pulls through. Overall, I'd rate "Little Children" 7/10.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Heat (1995)

A masterpiece. A mindblowing film. A brilliant piece of art. No words or phrase can do this film justice. If I could give this film an 11 out of 10, I would, but that would make no sense and just simply violate the purpose of ratings. When I started watching "Heat", I wasn't even in the mood for a movie. I had nothing to do and I wanted to kill time. Everytime I decided to turn it off and go do something else, I found myself drawn into the character's plight and the coming sequence of events. By the time I was 10 minutes into the movie, I was completely soaked in "Heat". "Heat" is a movie that is hard to describe. It would be such an terrible understatement if I called it an action film because even though it touches only the surface of many different genres, it succeeds with incredible direction.

"Heat" is a robber and cop drama that tries on a very different approach. It brings in many support characters, all with good purpose and detail, to spin an epic yet personal tale of passion and principles. Although "Heat" does focus on the robber (Robert De Niro) and the cop (Al Pacino), it would not be fair to discredit the role of the support of the characters in this film as doing so will take away the epic magnitude of this film. Having said that, I am not going to talk much about the actual plot of this film as there would be too much to write without giving away the whole story.

The leads in this film carry it as their roles bring everyone together, they are like the medium that channels the strength of all the supporting characters into a huge cesspool of brilliance. Even though Robert De Niro plays a villian, you can't help but feel for him, wanting him to get away despite his deeds. In my opinion, he is what every man should be; decisive, smart, fearless and compassionate to those he know. Al Pacino plays a less likable character but equally understandable. Both of them have dedicated their lives to their own line of work and when they finally meet, they can't help but have admiration for each other. "Heat" isn't an idealistic drama about good vs bad. The cop isn't trying to catch the robber simply because the robber is doing bad things. The cop enjoys his work and is very good at it, it's his life's passion and he doesn't want to stop. When he meets someone who is equally good at robbing things, they form a unspoken bond of respect.

With a cast like Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, it's almost impossible to go wrong. Throw in an epic plot, great directing and powerful editing, you get a film that jumps into the league of movies like "The Dark Knight". "Heat" is easily one of the best films I have seen and anybody who isn't just there for the "guns and cars" will appreciate it very thoroughly. "Heat" is easily a 10/10 in my books.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Oldboy (2003)

To call "Oldboy" a revenge film would be appropriate, but to call it just that would be a massive understatement. "Oldboy" doesn't focus on the aspect of damage escalation that typical revenge films usually focus on. Rather, it focuses on the reasons for revenge.

"Be it a grain of sand or a rock, in water they sink the same"

This line sums up most of what "Oldboy" is about. However, don't discredit it just because it doesn't have a complex theme. Other good movies may explore multiple aspects effectively but "Oldboy" hits you with it's moral like a truck. It also puts you at the edge of your seat throughout the film. As it slowly peel away the skins of a well layered mystery, you finally realize the captivating yet brutal essence of the film.

"Oldboy" revolves around Oh Daesu. Our protagonist was kidnapped on his way back from work and locked up in a room. He wasn't told the reason why or how long he was going to be locked up. As a result, he lived day by day, bordering on the brink of insanity. Finally after 15 long years, he was released. The film starts from there, where Oh Daesu pursues the reason as to why he is locked up with frightening determination and perseverance and ultimately convicts the man responsible.

This film is among my favorites. It is the best foreign film I have ever seen and one of the best in its genres, up there with the likes of "The Prestige". While I cannot recommend this film to everyone since it is rather disturbing, I can safely say that people who have no problem with dark films will definitely enjoy this. In my opinion, Oldboy is a 10/10.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Babies

Babies are often used as symbology for innocence, as they lack guilt of any kind. I personally think an innocent life is the highest form of life, even if a life of great social status is in the equation, such as a comparison between a President of a country and a newborn baby. My belief would lie in the ideology that the baby's life is the embodiment of innocence; sinless, pure and new. A baby's life vs the life of an old man is like a new empty book vs a nearly complete book. This is the crux of my belief, I feel that everyone deserves a chance at life; that everyone should have at least a page written in their journal of life. Of course there is the arguement of a man who has continually made decisions that improved mankind vs a completely new human being with an equal chance of performing both bad and good. The arguement would be that the man has already proven himself to make good decisions and there's a higher probability that his survival would contribute more than the baby's survival. In terms of probability and practicality, it would be seen by most that the man's life is more valuable.

However, my belief lies beyond practicality, it is something most would consider irrational, it lies in our humane feelings and conscience. It lies in what is considered to be our race's uniqueness. Even though we know how unpractical it is, most of the time we are governed by our feelings. If everyone applied practicality above all else, where would our individualism go? Although it is often true that the most practical solution is the best solution in terms of materialistic ideals. Our humanity is what preserves our individuality and race. Without it, we would be like ants with brains, we would share a common goal but each with no form of individuality. Eating a burger from Mac Donald's is unpractical because it is unhealthy. Religions are usually unpractical because they have universal laws and universal laws are unpractical. I personally believe all situations need to be assessed before making the best decision. Such as the act of killing 1 man to save 10 men's lives. A universal law like "thou shall not kill" doesn't work in terms of practicality since the best decision is obviously to kill this one man. With absolute practicality, our race might progress incredibly fast as a whole but we would lose what makes us human.

Afterall, it is a fact that we still do not understand many things in this world, such as the existence of god, so I think that sometimes it is ok to hold faith in our feelings. That sometimes we should let our collective feelings as a majority rule us, instead of determining what is the right decision through absolute practical rationalization. Having said that and since most people think that the ultimate value is a person's life, I think that a baby's life, a new life holding a clean record, should be given a chance above all other lives, because I personally FEEL that it wouldn't be fair to take a life that has barely started away simply because he or she has not contributed.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

One of the most brilliant dramas I have ever seen is actually this dark and quirky little comedy, "Little Miss Sunshine". It deals with human realism in a way never done before, so real are these characters that when you see each of them, you'd immediately associate them with a person you know in real life. The emotions, characteristics and personalities are incredibly humane in this film. With this factor as it's standing strong point, it delivers a fantastic cinematic experience.

"Little Miss Sunshine" follows the Hoovers, a dysfunctional family with extremely unique characters. You have the chain-smoking mom, a gay uncle, a vulgar grand dad, a ironic motivational speaker that can't practice what he preaches as a father, a angsty and rebellious teen who doesn't speak and finally, the member who binds all of these characters together, an innocent and cute six year old girl. Olive Hoover, the girl, has one dream: to win the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant contest. She finally gets the opportunity to realize her dream when she is invited to participate in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant far off in California. Unable to bear the guilt of destroying the little girl's dream, the entire family sets on a journey to bring her to California despite their own troubles.

I cannot stress how well these characters were portrayed as even though their real life counterparts probably annoys you, it is so easy to feel for them as they each are very likable in their own way. It's almost frightening how you can relate so well to these characters. "Little Miss Sunshine" has many funny moments and they were very well done in taste so if you are looking for slapstick humor, skip this film. This film takes the "never give up" spirit, which has been done so many times, as it's theme but delivers it in a unique way which makes it very memorable to watch.

I personally rate this movie a 8/10 for it's realism, originality and tasteful humor.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

When I first heard about this movie, I was extremely excited because two of my most favorite actors are in this movie. These actors, in my opinion, carry movies, they can transform a bad movie into a good one just through their powerful acting. Of course, the script and plot matters as well. "3:10 to Yuma" is actually a western "cowboy" movie, something that I don't really fancy. I only saw it because of the actors, which needless to say, didn't disappoint. In the end, I was totally blown away by this movie.

"3:10 to Yuma" has two main leads, a notorious outlaw (Russell Crowe) and a down-on-luck rancher (Christian Bale). Their paths crossed when Ben Wade, the outlaw, was arrested in one of the towns while Dan Evans, the rancher, was in it. Dan, having lost his land because of major financial troubles, decides to escort Ben Wade to the 3:10 to Yuma train for $200 (considered to be a large sum of money in the past). As the journey becomes increasingly difficult, Dan learns that he is not only doing it for the money, but also to redeem himself in front of his family. During the arduous journey, Ben's character developes more and we learn that he is not all that he seems to be.

The chemistry between these 2 focused actors is very captiviating. Their clash of ideals ultimately leads them to a ironic conclusion that both of them aren't that much different. It's really interesting to see how they communicate, how both of them eventually gain respect for each other. "3:10 to Yuma" is definitely a thought provoking action movie. It explores each character in a very realistic manner and leaves a lot to open interpretation. I personally rate it 8/10. There were some characters that I felt were too irritating, I am pretty sure anyone who have seen the film would know who I am relating to.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Taste on movies

I realize that if anyone reads this blog, they might question why I have given every movie such a high rating. This is actually because I haven't bother to write about movies that I disliked since they don't stay in my head. I might write one if I get the chance to see a bad movie soon, which nowadays, has a very high likelihood anyway.

I have attempted to compile a list of movies in their assorted genres that I think are worth viewing. It's easy to tell that my favorite genre of films is actually thrillers.

Thriller Films (Not for idiots)
Prestige (Highly recommended!)
Oldboy (Highly recommended foreign film)
Felon
Unbreakable
Se7en
Fight Club
Dark City
The Departed
Michael Clayton (Only if you enjoy political thrillers)
Gone Baby Gone
Saw (Be warned that it involves a lot of gore)
Saw 2 (I didn't like 3 and 4)
Trade
The Usual Suspects (Cult classic)
Collateral

Action Films (Some can be thought provoking)
300 (Highly recommended!)
Equilibrium
3:10 to Yuma (Highly recommended!)
Warlords
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight (Highly recommended!)
Bourne Identity
Bourne Supremacy
Bourne Ultimatum (Highly recommended!)
Ong Bak
Enemy at the Gates
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Rambo 4

Comedy
In Bruges (Highly recommended!)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Highly recommended!)
The Lonely Guy
The Jerk
The Man with Two Brains
Zoolander
Stranger than Fiction
Ocean Eleven
Get Smart

Drama
American Beauty (Highly recommended!)
Gattaca (Highly recommended!)
Cinderella Man
A Beautiful Mind
Little Miss Sunshine (Highly recommended!)
American Gangster
Crash
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
K-Pax
Rounders
Heat (Highly recommended!)

Fantasy
Lord of the Rings (Highly recommended!)

There are way too many movies that I enjoy, I can't think of all of them now but I will to update this list as best I can.

Felon (2008)

"Felon" is a dark gritty prison drama that implies it's own moral values. It stands to question the morals that most people stand by and what ultimately matters in our lives. "Felon" actually requires a certain stomach for the values it conveys. Even though I disagree with some of what the movie implies, I cannot deny the fact that it is a compelling film that delivers it's message effectively. The movie also borrows credence from the fact that it is based on a true story.

"Felon" follows Wade Porter (Stephen Dorf) who is somewhat wrongly accused of a murder and ends up in jail. Through a string of unfortunate events, he ends up in the SHU (Security Housing Unit). I don't want to go into the terminology of a prison but basically it's one of the worst places you can be in a prison. The idea is that a lot of the worst criminals get locked up in that place. Porter learns that in order to survive in the SHU, he has to play by the prisoners' and the cops' rules, which would be considered violent and immoral to most people. Fortunately for Porter, not all is lost as he meets a prison veteran (Val Kilmer) who teaches him prison politics. The story is about how Porter copes with life in the violent system of prison.

"Felon" also deals with the unpredictability of unseen forces that could force you to do things against your will, or place you in unwanted circumstances. I enjoyed "Felon" mainly because of the powerful editing. The scenes were all so effectively captured to make you feel a sense of fear for the protangonist, who portrays a very likable character. The acting really surprised me on this film as I never thought much of Stephen Dorf. I have seen him before in a couple of mediocre films but he usually acts as a supporting role. He was, however, really good in this movie, being able to effectively convey emotions that we could easily relate to. Val Kilmer was also equally good at making us feel for his character.

I personally recommend this film to intelligent and open-minded viewers. I can safely say that only people with liberal minds will enjoy this film. "Felon" is actually one of my personal favorites as I am a huge sucker for dark and thought provoking films like these. I give "Felon" a 10/10.

Gattaca (1997)

"I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature. I think Mother wants us to." - Willard Gaylin

This is one of the two starting statements that the movie opens with. "Gattaca" draws the audience in by relating to us. It is a movie about the strength of our human spirit. "Gattaca" is a science-fiction film that takes place in the not-so-distant future, where DNA is almost the only factor that matters to society. In "Gattaca", science has made it possible to determine the probability rate of almost everything just by analyzing our DNA. It can even show if the person has a high likelihood of a violent temperament. As such, no one ever conceives naturally. Instead, they scientifically and manually fertilize female eggs with male sperms of a couple. Using this method, they are almost able to create any kind of person they want, gender, skin color, hair color, etc. They are also able to remove any birth defects or DNA that provokes a violent behavior and whatnot. Basically, this method is a better method of conceiving any child.

Unfortunately for our protangonist, Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), he was naturally conceived and was born with a poor heart and other "DNA defects". His parents decided to create their next child through the scientific method, which, needless to say, yielded a child with incredible results. The story follows Vincent, a man with great aspirations but held back because of his genes. You see, Vincent wants to be a space navigator but to be one, you need to have incredible physique and intellect. Unfortunately for Vincent, the upper class society does not tolerate people with poor DNA. Although it is considered illegal to discriminate against people with poor DNA, no one really takes the law seriously. No matter how hard Vincent trained or studied, he was never even considered for the role of the navigator. Vincent decides to take on the identity of someone with perfect genes so he can attain his dreams. The story unfolds in a very interesting fashion.

What makes this film so good is that it not only focuses on Vincent, a man born with defects. It also talks about Morrow Jerome (Jude Law), the identity Vincent is trying to assume. Jerome is the opposite of Vincent, instead of being born with defects, he was born perfect. Jerome has to deal with the burden of perfection, which is to be the best in everything he does. "Gattaca" uses this contrast to bring out it's point further, that the human spirit is the ultimate factor that matters and nothing else.

Granted that there are already many movies about determination and the human spirit, but none has succeeded as much as Gattaca in my opinion. Through an incredible score, comparable if not better than "The Truman Show", good acting and perfect directing, this movie really captures the essence of the human spirit. Ethan Hawke and Jude Law delivers stellar performances, the supporting cast were almost equally great, especially Vincent's brother (Loren Dean).

Gattaca has always been one of my favorite movies of all time, I rate it 9/10.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Favorite Actors/Actresses

This list compiles my personal favorite actors and actresses and my favorite movies with them in it.

My favorite actors from top to bottom:

1. Edward Norton - Fight Club
2. Christian Bale - The Dark Knight
3. Jack Nicholson - The Departed
4. Kevin Spacey (Although he's been off with good films recently) - American Beauty
5. Denzel Washington - American Gangster

The list could go really long so I am going to stop at 5.

My favorite actresses from top to bottom:

1. Liv Tyler - Lord of the Rings (Beautiful, talented and so much chemistry with my favorite actor!)
2. Laura Linney - Truman Show
3. Jodie Foster - Contact
4. Nicole Kidman - The Others
5. Jennifer Connelly - Requiem for a Dream

The reality of freedom

Would you choose to live in an ideal world? Or would you choose to live in a uncontrollable world with true freedom?

We strife so ignorantly towards a perfect world where everyone is equal, not knowing that when we reach this ideal, we could very well give up what makes us unique. In order to attain a perfect world, everyone has to come to a consensus on an ideal. Whether it is helping people whenever you can or killing people whenever you can, it does not really matter. As long as everyone is in agreement, there will be no right and wrongs. If everyone agreed that killing is right, you could walk right up and stab someone and it wouldn't matter to anyone else at all because we are all in agreement that killing is ok. As long as we maintain differences, there will be no ideal world. Conflicts will arise, even if the only difference among us is interest. Take for example, if everyone was in agreement about everything except golf and soccer. There would still be conflicts regarding media relating to golf and soccer. Of course this example is loaded with contradictions, such as the idea of agreeing that there should be no conflicts. The truth about our world is that there is no true equality, we can only try to achieve it and we should only stay trying. Because if we did actually achieve it, we would all lose our individualism, which in turn relates to a totalitarian society that we all so ironically fear.

The price of freedom comes at a high cost. Since true equality is impossible without losing our individuality, conflicts will always be present. The consequences of these conflicts will always increase in a cumulative fashion, resulting in something nobody wants. Even if we all come in agreement to just one thing. Take for example, Everyone agrees that violence should never occur. Party A wants to drink beer. However, the government and majority of the people are in agreement that beer causes more harm than good to the society. As more Party As gather, the idea becomes stronger and they start to create a riot which acts on civil disobedience. Since the government cannot disperse the riot through violence, should the government compromise and allow beer or should they reject which in turn results in Party A causing harm to society by blocking traffic etc. The end result is traffic accidents which causes harm to the victim's family. From there onwards, it is collateral and cumulative damage. All party A wanted was to drink beer and all they did was block traffic.

The irony in our own ideals is that the ideals we so eagerly yield usually comes hand-in-hand with the dire conflicts we so eagerly try to shed. The reality of freedom is indeed a difficult truth.

The Truman Show (1998)

"The Truman Show" is, quite literally, a show about Truman. Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is a man living in a gigantic studio set. Of course, he doesn't know it. He doesn't know that his entire life is actually a TV show. He also doesn't know that everyone he meets and talks to are actually actors.

As Truman Burbank goes about his daily life unawaringly, billions of people in the real world watch him for inspiration. One day, Truman stumbles across a string of events, including coming across a backstage set, which immediately makes him suspicious. Determined to find out the truth about his life, he sets out on a journey to discover what reality is all about. On the other hand, the producers of the show are equally determined to keep him from the truth.

"The Truman Show" is quite a remarkable show. It shows how it would feel like if a God really existed and we were all mere creations of his. It also explores the concept of a so-called perfect world. A world devoid of crime but also true freedom, yet not so blatantly that no choices are available. The actors in this show were decent, except for Laura Linney. This movie really earned her a lot of respect from me. She was a actor in the TV show and she managed to subtlely display all the trivial details that she was acting in the show. This film also has a very mesmerizing score which, even though tailored to suit the mood of the movie, is very good on it's own.

I give this film a 8/10, there are some aspects where I think they could improve on, such as the cast. I personally dislike Jim Carrey but he was OK in this film. If I had to choose, this role would have definitely belonged to Matt Damon.

Equilibrium (2002)

Equilibrium is a word that refers to balance, as derived from the word "Equal" or "Equality". The film, "Equilibrium" refers to it in an extended manner.

"Equilibrium" takes place in the future, where society is controlled by suppressing emotions through injectory fluid disseminated by buildings named "Equilibrium". The idea is that without feelings, no negative feelings such as rage, jealousy or envy will be channeled to create any destructive ideals, thus acquiring a serene state of balance. The plot revolves around the best Grammaton Cleric, John Preston (Christian Bale). These Clerics mete out justice by eliminating "sense offenders", the term used to describe people who didn't inject the fluids into themselves. Initially, John followed the law stringently but that changed when he accidentally breaks his dosage of the fluid. As John realizes what it is like to be able to have feelings, he begins to have his doubts about the Government, which he eventually attempts to overthrow.

"Equilibrium" is a roller-coaster ride with a few political concepts thrown in about society. It talks about a totalitarian society controlled by the Government and the sacrifices taken to implement it. Even if you don't appreciate political babble, "Equilibrium" is still an equally enjoyable movie at face value. The action scenes were very well done in style and in a reasonably realistic state. Although the concept behind the action, which is called "Gunkata", is a little absurd and paradoxical, I am willing to suspend a fair amount of disbelief and appreciate it. Apparently, John can "dodge" bullets by predicting where the enemy is going to shoot. The idea behind "Gunkata" is that it equips the practitioner with knowledge of statistically-traditional trajectories.

Christian Bale, as usual, does not disappoint and portrays complex emotions with subtlety. The fact that the scriptwriter implemented a fighting concept to allow cool fighting styles to seem possible already proves a decent effort since there are a lot of movies where the protagonist can run through 200 people firing machine guns without getting hit while he returns fire with a pistol and hitting everyone of them. I personally think it's a commendable effort and since the director was able to deliver the story and action well enough without making it look ridiculous, I'd rate this movie a 8/10.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Willpower

"Training means nothing; Will is everything!" - Liam Neeson in Batman Begins

An indominable will is the key to success; Everyone knows this but fails to act on it. The number of success stories of people with incredible willpower measures in great numbers. Our will controls our mind and our mind controls our body. This means that our will is the key to our mental and physical limitations. If you sincerely believe yourself to be dead but your body is still alive, your body will stop functioning and you will die. Many people who has had a strong desire to live have overcomed fatal diseases. There is no athlete that achieved great success in their field without a very strong will. Our will drives us to do what is necessary to achieve what we want. How do you think athletes are able to keep training even when they are tired or feel pain? It's willpower. Mind over body. A man can beat you up physically but he cannot conquer your mind. Will overcomes fear, sadness, desperation, hopelessness and makes you feel inspired. Such is the power of will. The ability to convince yourself to do what is necessary is the only ability you need to succeed in anything you do. This ability, as I would believe, is called willpower.

Cinderella Man (2005)

An inspirational film by the same director, Ron Howard, who brought us A Beautiful Mind. Cinderella Man is an incredible tale based on a true story about a champion boxer who stood strong against many trials and tribulations. James Braddock is our hero, a up-and-coming boxer who, because of a streak of bad luck, lost the ability to participate in boxing matches.

The determination displayed by James Braddock, the protagonist, is nothing short of legendary. Even at the face of pure desperation, he never stooped to stealing or robbing. Both James Braddock and his wife were truly made for each other, both were very understanding on their situation and they never fought with each other despite the obvious frustrations that each party had. Instead, they each gave their counterparts the support they needed. After James had lost his license to boxing due to a broken wrist, he did manual labor to sustain his family despite his injury. When James was given a second chance to participate in a boxing match, he made full use of it and managed to crawl from the hole of poverty. During his following boxing matches, he displayed a fearless and unwavering will that struck fear in his opponents and inspired the country's people. When everyone was giving in to the Great Depression, this man never gave up and fought with all he got even after being beaten down again and again. James eventually became the shining hope for the country's poor people in the darkness of the Great Depression and soon everyone was rooting for him. This film is a very inspiring film that shows one man's impeccable will to survive and sustain his family.

The only problems I had with this film was that Ron Howard changed a few facts that discriminated a particular boxer, which I felt was not very fair and left no room for ambiguity. It was obvious Howard wanted us to feel sorry for James but I believe he should not have changed a few facts that could be interpreted as a morale boost for James.

The actors, Russell Crowe as James Braddock and Paul Giamatti as James Braddock's manager, Joe Gould, delivered stellar performances. I have always been a fan of Russell Crowe and he didn't let me down on this one either. The soundtrack, camera work and choreographed fights were equally beautiful.

I personally give this film a 8/10.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Wall-E (2008)

I have always wanted to watch this Pixar animation film because of the high reviews and ratings that commended it. I am usually very cautious when it comes to animation as they are usually aimed towards the younger generation. This being said, I had high expections of Wall-E. I was able to watch Wall-E a few days ago and it would be an understatement to say that it met my expections because it certainly exceeded what I had in mind.

The movie follows Wall-E, a robot who was left on Earth to organize our garbage. The human race has shifted to live in space on a spaceship, named "Axiom", because we have polluted Earth to the point where the land can no longer support life. The species of Wall-E robots were created as an effort to organize and clear the rubbish so we can repopulate Earth again when the time is right. Wall-E is a 700 year old robot which has outlasted everything, including his own race of robots, and has developed a unique personality. Not forgetting the purpose he was created for, he ventures out everyday in solitude to organize and clear the rubbish. However, that all changes when another robot is sent from Axiom to check Earth for signs of life. Wall-E immediately takes a liking to this robot, named "Eve", and follows it everywhere, even through space.

This film easily captured my heart using a very effective portrayal of innocent romance and friendship. The development between Eve and Wall-E was endearing from start to end. Both robots, created to serve their own purpose, were shown to explore many aspects of new emotions that surfaced to them since they met. Pixar was able to effectively express their robotic feelings without being too unrealistic. Wall-E also throws in concepts about the future of the human race and our over-reliance on technology. It shows how our increased reliance and convenience can make us overlook the simpler things in life which we repeatedly fail to appreciate.

Wall-E is the best animated film I have seen so far. I personally rate it a 10/10 simply because I liked it so much and cannot see how it could have been better.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Girls, Boys; and Maturity

"Maturity is a psychological term used to indicate that a person responds to the circumstances or environment in an appropriate manner. This response is generally learned rather than instinctual. Maturity also encompasses being aware of the correct time and place to behave and knowing when to act in serious or non-serious ways." -Taken from Wikipedia

It is under common belief that girls mature faster than boys during the rebellious teenage phase (13-16). I personally think that it's true and it applies to MOST people. While boys ran around chasing skirts in lewd fashion and tossing piss bags at each other, most girls were able to ascert the importance of education and definition of grace. Of course, at that age, I didn't realize it. I always believed that the girls were equally immature and dumb but now I look back and see the obvious and yet subtle difference in behavior. Sure, we have the moronic emo wrist-slashing teenage girls in that age group but there's only a handful of them.

Perhaps the reason why boys were more immature than girls was because boys were allowed to do the things that promoted immaturity and stupidity. The phrase, "Boys are boys" provide support for this claim. Many teachers and parents use this phrase as their mentality which relates to an excuse to forgive teenage boys for their crimes, while girls receive harsher treatment due the mindset that girls are more obedient in nature.

While girls are more mature at the age of 13 to 16, I wonder if girls reach a stalemate at the age of 16 because a lot of 20 to 25 year old women behave like they are 16. Crying and getting very upset over trivial things are extremely common characteristics in these women. I remember an incident where a girl got very upset at her boyfriend because he didn't pull her into shelter just before it was about to rain. Fancy that? These women also like to gossip a lot about the smallest and most insignificant things, not to pass time but as a hobby. A guy could have a small piece of food in between his teeth and these women would call all their friends on the spot and talk about it like it's armageddon.

Let's look back at what it means to be mature, "To respond to a circumstance or environment in an appropriate manner." Well obviously crying and getting upset over TRIVIAL things would, to me at least, be considered to be an inappropriate response. Gossiping over the tiniest things and talking about it like it's the greatest discovery ever? I think that falls under the "not knowing when to act in serious ways".

While I am aware that I am targetting a very huge group of people and that I may receive very harsh criticism for this post (if anyone even reads the blog), I would also like to say that this is my personal opinion based on my own personal experience. It does not necessarily entail any truth but unless proven otherwise, my mind will stay unchanged. I am also fully aware that there are very mature and wise girls out there at this age, for I personally know one, so please do not be offended if you are a woman in her twenties.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Breach (2007)

I was just able to watch the film, Breach and I must say it was a pretty decent spy movie. It is nowhere near the calibre of the Bourne series but then again, they are of a different genre and Breach was based off a true story. Breach is, as it name suggests, about a severe compromise in the US National Security. The story is about the man who was posted to work under the antagonist and the events that follow.

The film starts off with it's conclusion. The man who caused what is considered the biggest breach in the US National Security has been arrested. This film is a pretty straight film that does not explore any values or philosopical ideas. At least that's how I saw it, I was no doubt, entertained by the film but it's not going to stay in my head for a very long time because there's nothing to think about. It's like a story where you just want to hear the ending because it's interesting but it won't stay in your head since there's no morals or values to harp on.

After I watched this film, I went to the imdb forums like I always do. A topic titled "Don't you feel a little sorry for him?" caught my interest. The poster of this topic started off about how he/she knew that the film was meant to portray some sympathy for the antagonist and then went on about knowing the facts that he was a bastard who sold national secrets for money etc. Now, here's where the topic will start to take a turn for the retard express. This is exactly what was written, "However when I read that he spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, I was horrified. Here is a man who knows that he will have only 1 hour a day of human contact for the rest of his life. All for what? For violation of the Espionage Act which he pled guilty to." Jesus Christ! Are you retarded? This guy sold NATIONAL secrets to another country and you think that 23 hours a day of solitary confinement is too much? He endangered the lives of the entire NATION (which has more than 300 million people). He sold secrets like where the entire congress would be hidden during a state of national emergency. Please think of the disastrous possibilities and results if the Russians decided to attack America! You are weighing the possible damage of hundreds of millions of lives vs ONE man's social needs. Not to mention the man was responsible for the potential risk.

Stuff like this really lead me to think that some people are really total dumbasses. Their rationalization skills fall below zero and their scale of priorities is like a car opposite a baby.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

First of all, if you enjoy meaningful gritty dramas, stop reading now and go watch this film. Rent it, download it, buy it, whatever it is, do yourself a favor and watch this incredible film.

The premise is about a woman who is wrongfully evicted from her house and ends up having conflicts with the new house owner who profits by buying up siezed property. The film starts off slow but keeps you hooked by absorbing you into the many problems that the characters face. These characters resemble normal daily people with some of them bearing very likable qualities and and each of their situations are equally sympathetic as none of these characters are truly at fault.

This film explores many values and points such as the extent of actions that one will do for their loved ones. The film also manages to show how one minor mistake could lead to another mistake which eventually snowballs to a tradegy. There is a huge list of things that I can go on about here but doing so would inevitably reveal the plot. I don't wish to ruin the movie for people who has not seen it so please, and once again, do yourself a favor and watch this remarkable film.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Our personal character

Most people believe they know a lot about their own character and when asked a question like "Do you believe in achieving the impossible?", their response would be in relation with the kind of person they are, or so they believe. I, however, believe that majority of the people have no idea what kind of person they are. Even if they believe themselves to be of certain character, this characteristic often contradicts another characteristic of theirs or sometimes, the very same characteristic they believe they have. I know at this point, you are probably thinking, "What rubbish are you spewing out now?!". Don't worry, I will elaborate or try to anyway.

Back on to the question on "Do you believe in achieving the impossible?". If yes, let's assume you have achieved the impossible by constructing a unbreakable wall but since you believe in the impossible, you also believe that this wall can be broken down which in turn relates to the wall not being unbreakable afterall. This in itself is already a contradiction as the unbreakable wall theory cannot be solved without breaking apart the question. Now, what happens if you say no? You will have to ask yourself what you believe is impossible. Is it truly impossible or it just hasn't been done before which leads you to think it is impossible? Right now, flight without any aerial gadgets seems impossible to most of us but who knows? Maybe tomorrow one man will have discovered a way to start flying around like Superman.

Someone once told me that he believed that nothing is impossible and then he also told me that he does not believe in absolution. Do you see this contradiction?

It is when we face these questions about ourselves that are difficult to answer that we grow stronger. If there's a contradiction, we must stand on one side. It does not matter which side you stand on, but it matters that you take a stand. As such, we will be able to affirm ourselves in a more solid state of characteristics that allow us to make decisions that don't go against our own principles.

On National Service

National Service, a full-time commitment required of the male citizens in Singapore. The Singapore Armed Force (SAF) are split into two categories of people, the regulars and the NSFs. Most of the NSFs are simply put, the involuntary slaves of the nation while the regulars are people who signed on to be full-time members of the SAF. What boggles my mind is how could they possible hope to achieve anything when majority of their force are governed by fat (unfit) and downright stupid people? I would even go as far as to call them borderline retards. While I admit I could be biased towards NS for robbing 2 years of my precious youth away from me, the undeniable fact that the lower to middle workforce spectrum of the SAF are completely filled with idiots is appalling.

Most of the SAF regulars sloth around and talk like they know what they are doing but if you asked them to describe their job in detail, they would most likely end up mumbling and stuttering, hoping that somehow they can convince you they have a important and respected job. The sad thing is that these regulars hold a certain amount of authority and they tend to use it to exert their own workload on the NSFs or vent their pathetic and pitiful frustrations. The worst part is that most of them believe themselves to be very capable and experienced. I ask, experienced in what? In making pointless and irrelevant speeches in broken english? Or coming up with unentertaining fart jokes? I honestly can't wait to complete my service and be done with these bumbling fools. Just imagine having to work for superiors who can't even count past 10. If you can't imagine yourself in such an abominable situation, a direct equivalent of which is smashing your head as hard as you can against a rock solid wall.

A like-minded individual

How difficult is it truly to find someone who share an incredible amount of similar perspectives with you? I would say it is extremely difficult since until today, I have never, and I mean it when I say never, met anyone who shared my perspectives and interest in movies. That is, like I said, not until today. I met someone who was able to share some of the same views that I had, and the most important thing was that the person could actually understand everything I was saying without me having to explain it. I doubt that person felt as much of a connection as I did because I was truly never able to communicate so well with another individual before.

However, I still wonder if this is truly the case or I am just trying to believe that I have connected with someone because my solitary habits has finally caught up with me.

Initially I spoke to this person because I wanted to find out whether he thought everyone around him was a dumbass. I guess I didn't really get an answer in the end but still it allowed me to know more about this person. We ended up talking more about various different things, mostly regarding the definition of intelligence.

I think that personally all of us has a sense of superiority that we project towards others when we believe we are superior in that field. This usually takes place subconsciously. I don't think that it is arrogance, but rather, a fundamental to the essence of teaching. Before someone is willing to listen to you, he/she must have a certain amount of respect for you to to give some thought to whatever you say. The more respect he/she has for you, the more she/he will think you are right. This methodology applies in most schools, from elementary school to high school, we are perceived to think that our teachers are unparalled in their field. This is our form of respect, no matter how much we detest them, we believe that a chemistry teacher knows a lot about chemistry, a physics teacher knows a lot about physics and so on and thus we build a subconscious sense of inferiority towards the teacher. If the teacher does not have a sense of superiority, regarding his field, over his students, he would not have the confidence to teach the students and if the student does not have a sense of inferiority towards the teacher, the student will not bother to listen at all because he will assume that his answer holds more weight than his teacher. Hence, without this balance, the whole concept of teaching will fail.

So what does all this nonsense mean? It means that it is not arrogant to think that you are better than someone in a certain aspect, especially when you think you are good at it while that person has no knowledge of it. I personally think arrogance only applies if you perceive yourself to be superior regardless of facts.

Monday, September 8, 2008

The Singapore Culture

I simply cannot wait to move on with my life. I want to start studying, participate in university clubs, earn money, whatever that I feel is meaningful, I want to do it. Right now I am stuck because of the huge immovable SAF rock blocking my path. I am tired of having to think of the trivial problems that the SAF present to me. These insignificant thoughts clog up my brain space and waste my brain cells. I have already lost a lot of my motivation and drive because of National Service. Fortunately, it's coming to an end. I will most likely end up back in Australia after my National Service since I would prefer not to stay in Singapore.

A lot of people ask me what is so bad about Singapore and I usually tell them that it's the people. I wonder if I actually fall in the category that I stereotyped. This category that I call the typical narrow-minded Singaporean is the group of people that will never greet you on the street or think you are mildly insane if you actually greet them. The easiest example to describe them is the way a group of girls react when a male stranger approaches them. In singapore, the girls would immediately be "on guard" as this male stranger who has just approached them is "without a doubt" interested in one of them, the girls would quickly assess this man in their own manner and determine whether or not he is a likable candidate. This poor male, who most likely would have noticed the awkward reactions, would be placed in such a awkward phase that any confidence that he had before would be now lost. The end result is usually ugly.

In another country, maybe america, the girls are more open-minded and they would first accept the male as a person and greet him. Unless this man is speaks in a very provocative manner, the girls would treat him as just a normal person striking up a conversation.

It's fairly obvious that the Singapore culture is very close minded in constrast with the western culture as we don't even believe in speaking to a complete stranger. Maybe this is what I really dislike, our inability to converse as a community but rather in our own little groups. I guess it could be that I just don't like the psychological feel of constraints that I feel our Singapore culture is governed by. Simply put, you can't truly be open in Singapore.

Perhaps I have been so busy scrutinizing these narrow-minded Singaporeans that I forget to analyze myself and distinguish any similarities with the group that I so openly dislike. It's natural to form stereotypes, I believe that we humans do it as a survival instinct. We create social groups with behaviorial characteristics in our mind so we can attempt to fit in if the need ever rises. Most people tend to believe that their individualism draws them from any stereotype but the truth is that they only see what is unique about themselves and not bother about the stinging similarities they have with any stereotype. This irony in itself is probably a never-ending cycle that we humans will never transcend.

The beginning

I created this blog mainly so I could write down my thoughts so that perhaps one day I will look back into this blog for inspiration when I am in low spirits.

The beginning... What is there to write about? Not much comes to mind right now. And I thought this would be a cinch considering the amount of thoughts that flood to my mind every ticking second. I always believed that thinking sustains and developes the mind. A friend of mine once told me that I think too much. How can there be such a thing as excessive thinking? Long collective trains of thoughts are the foundation of society. Any true sophistication comes from a huge combination of logic and ideas. Do you honestly think that John Nash created his Nobel Winning maths theory during a commercial while watching TV? Do problems truly go away if you sit down and help yourself to a bottle of booze? Or do you solve them through long and drawn out thought processes? I think the answer is fairly obvious.

Of course, there's always the possibility of being entirely wrong. Maybe one day life will teach me a cruel lesson and make me drown in my own cesspool of thoughts.