What's Wrong with Terminator Salvation?

I went to see Terminator Salvation yesterday, and spent this day figuring out what's wrong with it. There are parts of it that I loved, but the film somehow lacks the drama and depth of its prequels. Here are my thoughts:



The film should be about John Connor. The only story of Terminator left to tell is the tale of how John Connor become the leader of human resistance, or the story of how he won (or lost) the war. Another possibility is doing the movie completely from other character’s perspective (possibly Kyle Reese’s), while John Connor figure is only heard through the radio as the voice of hope.

The only character that has a story is Marcus Wright, and Sam Worthington showed us that he may be one of the biggest stars of the future. He stole all the scenes, despite showing his Australian accent in one or two scenes.

Anton Yelchin did a great Kyle Reese. I am instantly reminded of Michael Biehn’s Kyle Reese in the first Terminator film. His name will be the one to watch in the future, just like Worthington.

The action scenes, especially at the beginning, were all superbly crafted. I thought it was nothing short of spectacular. A perfect feast for a summer blockbuster movie. Money well spent, I say.

The whole look of the environment and the bleak world in the future was spot on. I personally thought that McG nailed this Terminator, visually at least.

While I adore Bryce Dallas Howard very much she didn’t have any meaningful scenes. I don’t even believe if John and Kate were really in love. Common, who played as Connor's right hand man also didn't have anything to do, and the romance between Marcus and Blair is somewhat undercooked and forced.

The relationship between John Connor and Marcus Wright should have been introduced earlier and given more depth, which would gave them both more time to establish their man-machine relationship, just like the previous Terminator series. Marcus giving up his life for John Connor didn’t really hit any emotion vortex of me.

They repeatedly saying John Connor were a prophet, and people keep listening to his orders and voice even though he’s not the leader of the resistance, but I couldn’t see why people believed in him. What kind of prophet-like things did he do? It sure ain’t there on the screen.

At the end of the story, this movie achieves nothing. John Connor is still not the leader of resistance, Kyle Reese is still the same kid we’ve seen in the first couple of minutes of the movie, and the war hasn’t even won or lost, which brings us to square one.

Overall, a disappointing addition to the Terminator franchise. While it will satisfy the need for a great action movie, it missed many great parts of the previous installments. I'm hoping that they won't be saying "I'll be back" too soon. At least not until they find a decent story to tell.

What a Week Part III: Watching the Watchmen

I've been trying to write a proper review of Watchmen for quite some time now, but I can't seem to wrap around my feelings towards the film. I just can't. So, I'm gonna summarise the whole film in just a few sentences (and couple of images).

The good: The visual is just spot on. It's like putting the whole page into the film. The feeling when you read the book is there when you watch the film. The opening montage is superbly done. It effectively pave and visualize the world of Watchmen. It got even better with the decision to play Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changing (which coincidentally one of my favorite songs ever) in the background. Not only has it blended well with the montage, but the lyrics itself represented what happened in Watchmen’s world. Jackie Earle Haley's Rorschach is the best of the cast. He IS Rorschach. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Comedian and Crudup's Dr Manhattan are also great.

The Bad: The whole scenes on Mars is a waste. When you summarise an important part of the story which takes about a chapter in a book into a 4 minute scene, you just couldn't see its importance. The conclusion is also felt rushed. The whole conclusion is a 2 chapter long that explain Veidt's vision and attempts to get his plan in progress. Snyder spent too much time doing the first half of the book (which he copied directly panel to panel), and somehow neglects the important second half of the book. Malin Akerman's casting is disastrous. She's not capable of pulling off a troubled Laurie/Silk Spectre II.

The Ending: The ending is being altered from an alien invasion, into a godlike fury of Dr. Manhattan. Both has the same effect. However, i found it very hard to accept that people would just live in peace with each other without blaming the United States. It was the US that used Dr. Manhattan as a walking H-bomb, and importantly, it was also the US who angered Dr. Manhattan, which leads him to exile to Mars. So when Veidt orchestrated the plan to make Dr Manhattan as the scapegoat, aren't other countries going to blame the US for making Dr. Manhattan angry? That's the hole that is bothering me.

So given all those things, I still don't know what to think of the film. I thought the book is a freakin' masterpiece, hence the films should also be. The only explanation of why I couldn't love it as much as the book is that it couldn't be translated into a 3-hour film. It will only work if they make a 12 episodes miniseries, that explain each and every chapter of the book thoroughly. I'm gonna have to watch this over again. On blu-ray, preferably. I'll probably write a proper review about it then. That is, if I feel like it.

What a Week Part II: Living in Technicolor

So, Coldplay decided to go to Australia promoting their latest album, Viva la Vida or Death and all his friends. Wasn’t that excited at first. I thought their album was kinda okay, nothing special or anything. However, people are praising it everywhere. They got nominated, and subsequently won many Grammys, their album also made numerous critics’ top ten album of 2008. Many of them also dubbed it as their finest record to date. I tried to listen to the album again several times. My opinion improved, slightly at least. I thought it was a great record. Lots of great songs, but I felt the entire record was boring if you listen to it at once. Anyhow, they’re planning not to do one, but three shows here at Melbourne. When the ticket opened, the general admission tickets sold out in less than 3 hours. I was left unconvinced whether to give it all up or try to search for it on Ebay. I waited until a week before the concert on the 5th of March before I began searching for tickets via ebay. Luckily I found someone who sell it only $4 more than the actual ticket price, and at last I found myself going to my second concert of the week.

Let me explain my expectation towards the concert; it was low. I wasn’t all pumped up like when I was going to see Sigur Ros, or Death Cab for Cutie. The idea of a big band, with many followers kinda turned it off for me. They’re a great band, sure. But I think they sometime tried too hard to follow Radiohead’s footsteps.

Come the 5th of March, my friends were all excited towards it. We were planning to go early as possible to get a good view of the show. However, since we were going together in great numbers it was hard to be on time. We ended up going in when the opening band, Decoder Ring, already opened their show. We still managed to get a decent view though. The stage was obviously bigger than other concerts that I’ve been to. It was U-shaped, the back drop is covered in black layer, which kept us figuring out what it was. Three big screens on both sides of the stage and there’s this big balloon like decoration above our heads.

The first opening band, Decoder Ring, was actually good. I was pretty impressed, to say the least. They sounded like Explosions in the Sky, and Mogwai. They even got this video on the screen that they played during their performance. It was beautiful. The video fits well with their music and it kinda feel like we’re watching a beautiful silent film. Half an hour in, they played their last song before bidding good bye to the audience. That’s a great way to opened up the concert, I guess.

The lights were turned on again as the second opening band prepared to perform. I began to feel curious what the second band will sound like, given the first opening was a great one. Little did I know that the second band were awful, at least for my taste. I didn’t remember and didn’t bother to look for the name of the band, but neither their song nor their performance was worth mentioning. Their vocalist was like this middle aged guy who acted so peculiar on stage. I’m not talking about Thom Yorke peculiar here, I was gunning for shitty peculiar. He acted like a body builder, showing his muscles while singing his song. Wow, that was just…… wrong. His lead guitarist was more or less the same. He wore this red outfit, spikey hair, a scarf, and sunglasses (in a stadium? Come on!). My friends look disgusted, and so did other people on the venue. Their performance felt very, very, very long. I even shouted “You Suck” at some point during their performance. It was a joy watching them stepping off the stage. Seriously, they were that bad.

So we proceed to the main concert. The stage was cleared, the soundcheck was finished, and we’re in for the main show. The stage was now layered with a curtain, indicating that Coldplay was gonna play behind those. Not long after that, the sound of Life in Technicolor echoed through the stadium. Everybody roared, as one by one the members of Coldplay entered the stage. The curtain is then lifted and they played Violet Hill as the second track. During this performance, I was suddenly pumped up. I don’t know if it’s the crowd or it’s the energy of the song but I got really excited. The backdrop was revealed to be the gigantic picture of the cover album. Chris Martin, despite his third time playing at Melbourne, still showed his best. The crowd also helped him with screaming the lyrics out loud.



From there, I felt ashamed that I only had low expectations towards the concert. It was superb. The sound was perfect, the stage was great, the lighting was marvelous, and their performance was a joy. The lights and effects really played a big part in the concert. It always sets up the song perfectly. Whether the yellowish flashing light with balloons when they performed Yellow, or the dim blueish ambient when they played Fix You, it was all perfect. The orbs above the stage also provided a unique tone to the show. It was used to project the video and images of the band. Also, when they performed Lovers in Japan, they showered the concert hall with paper butterflies of various colors. Very cool indeed




As for the performance, the evidence of fatigue is there. Chris Martin sometimes slipped when he began to sing, especially in Viva La Vida. However, this was not a big deal because the crowd helped him singing. The crowd was wild. They were enjoying it so much. Now the band also has a great control of the stage. Chris Martin ran around the stage. The band even played two songs on the left side of the U shaped stage. That’s not all, on the middle of the concert they went through the exit door and proceed to the upper stage opposite the stage and performed all the way up there. The people who sat back there was so excited. They performed Speed of sound and Beatles’ I’m a believer acoustically. Wow, this is the first time I saw a concert in which the band give a damn about the audience sitting far up from the stage.

I was happy with the setlist. It seems that they balanced the old and new songs really well. Most of the songs in Viva la Vida album were sung. The others are equally proportioned from their earlier album. After performing Death and All his Friends, they said their thank yous and goodbyes and left the stage. It was at this moment, my roommate initiated the howling of Viva la vida. Me and the others helped him did that and clapped our hands in the air. It was short after that the audience started to follow us and sang. We kept doing that for a couple of minutes, and then the awaited encore arrived. Chris Martin walked back on stage and reached for his piano. He sang The Scientist, one of my favorite songs. They proceed to played their last song of the night which was Life in Techicolor II. After that, they wrapped the concert for good. I didn’t know what else to think. Coldplay is a great band. They played one hell of a show and that night was the proof of it.




Concert highlights: there are two songs that I viewed outstanding that night. It was Fix You and Politik. Fix You was a showcase of the greatness of the band. Chris Martin played his piano and sang flawlessly the entire song. His bandmates also provide great backup to him. Politik, on the other hand show cased the awesomeness of the whole concert. In this song the sound, the stage, and the lights blends together. When the lyric goes “open up your eyes” we were jumping up and down with our hands thrown in the air. The other interesting fact is the 5th of March is actually Chris Martin’s birthday. So during the break from one song the crowd sang happy birthday to Chris. He was so touch and thanks us all.

Final Judgement:
Performance: 4/5
Stage/Décor/lights: 4/5
Crowd: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

What a Week Part I: Narrow Stairs

What a week. That’s all I could say to sum up this past week. I’m gonna break this topic into three parts. The first two will cover the two concerts I’ve attended this week, and the third one will cover the full review of one of the most anticipated movies of 2009, Watchmen.

Welcome to the first part.

Wednesday, February 24th 2009.

I’ve been waiting too long for this. Being a big fan since their Transatlanticism days, I’ve been waiting for Death Cab for Cutie’s concert for a long time. Ben Gibbard is my favorite singer of all time along with the late Elliott Smith. He’s got the kind of voice that blends perfectly with the sound of acoustic guitar. While many singers tried too hard to channel John Mayer’s raspy voice, Gibbard’s voice was the opposite of Mayer’s, but sounded equally great. That being said, I missed last year’s Death Cab for Cutie concert due to the lack of funds at that time (damn you, new apartment!). I didn’t expect them to go back this soon to Melbourne, but when the opportunity presents, I didn’t hesitate to buy the ticket. This time I was accompanied by my other 3 friends.

We tried going to the venue as soon as we can. That was about 3 hours before the initial concert. We got to the venue, Forum theatre, at approximately 2 hours before the door open. We searched for the gate and only found a couple of people lining up before the door. It’s a bit too early, and the weather was quite windy so we decided to look for a coffee shop nearby. About two blocks away we stopped at Starbucks. What a coincidence, drinking Seattle’s coffee before seeing an actual Seattle-based band, I thought. I took a seat with a friend while my other friend queued for coffee. Two minute later, someone walked in on the door behind me. My friend, who sat opposite me, looked up and wrinkled his chin as if someone familiar has walked in. He then called me and said, “hey, is that Ben Gibbard?”

I took a glance toward the man walking to the counter. His hair was at the length of his shoulder. It was a brown-ish colored checkered shirt. Beside him is a tall almost-bald fella. My heart started to pound. “No way, man.” I said dismissing his remarks, even though I know that this guy fits the description of Ben Gibbard, at least from behind. My friend insisted,”That’s him. That must be him. Look at his shirt. That’s Ben Gibbard’s kind of shirt! And that guy next to him must be the drummer. DCFC’s drummers is kinda bald”.

Being filled with excitement and curiousity, I decided to get up and take a closer look at these guys. I went to the counter pretending to go to my other friend who’s waiting for his order at the pick-up counter. I got a good look at them from there. Holy shit, It WAS Ben Gibbard! I was jumping up and down (on the inside, at least). There he was my favorite singer, only three feet away from me. Two of the members of my favorite band. Getting coffee in the same coffee shop as I was, at the same time too. What are the odds? I told my friend, Kevin, who’s at the counter and pointed at him that Ben Gibbard is there at the counter. He confirmed it. He was also 100% positive that it was indeed Ben Gibbard. I called up my friend who’s sitting at the table to join us at the counter. And then Kevin gather his courage and approached Ben.

The rest of us were waiting, with a camera ready at our hands.

“excuse me, are you Ben Gibbard?”

“Yes, I am.”

Kevin replied once again, “THE Ben Gibbard?”

“I think so, yeah”

“We’re a big fan. We actually are going to your concert tonight.”

“Oh. Cool.”

“Wow. (Long awkward pause) Mmmm… Do you mind taking picture with us?”

“Not at all. But can we do it outside?”

“Okay”

Kevin walked back toward us, looking as excited as ever. I knew that, like me, he LOVED Death Cab for Cutie. Like me, He loved Postal Service. And like me, He loved Ben Gibbard (as a singer, I mean). We patiently waited outside while peeking at Ben and the drummer, Jason McGerr. They came out and we were ready. We asked a random guy to take a photo of us with Ben and Jason. And snap! Just like that we got our very own photo with half of Death Cab for Cutie. We said thanks to them for the photo op, and wished them a good show tonight. They walked off right after that, presumably to the concert hall, and we were left standing there outside Starbucks, in disbelief of what just happened.



Now, we proceed to the venue, with big smile on our faces. I pitied those who waited with us at the door, because they didn’t know what we just experienced. The doors were opened on time. We managed to buy the merchandise before entering the hall. The four of us bought the same t-shirt, and wore it instantly. We were like one of those crazy fanboys. At 7.45 pm the lights were dimmed, and Youth Group opened up the concert. Didn’t really care that much about them because I saw them opening for Interpol last year. However, they were not bad. Some of the songs managed to make me feel dancy. They‘re on for about 30 minutes, and we’re on for the real show.
Death Cab took the stage. Under the cheering crowd, Ben Gibbard took the right side of the stage, Walla on the left, Nick Harmer on the center, and McGerr sat on his drum set right behind Harmer. Interesting facts, Gibbard and Harmer wore the exact same shirt when they met us earlier that day. That means they just ran for a quick coffee, by themselves, and went straight back to prep whatever it is they were preparing. The stage wasn’t all that big. No decoration or backdrops were visible. A bit disappointing.

The opening track was Marching Bands of Manhattan, a song which I always viewed as the perfect opening for their concert, along with Bixby Canyon Bridge. There were some sing along in the song, and Gibbard’s voice was just great. After they finished the song, Gibbard greeted the crowds with “We’re Death Cab for Cutie! Dig it!”. And just like that, the crowds roared. Cheerings are heard all over. It was going to be a great show. Of course it was.

From what I saw, they performed better when they’re live. Chris Walla, the guitarist, may look like (and surely dressed like) a dork, but it was clear that he was the driving force behind the band. His guitar fills and riffs really gave the extra edge to each and every song they make. Hammer is a great performer. With his new beard, which gave him the Leonidas vibe, he rocked the hardest. Swinging his bass, pounding hard on those strings and even jumped once on stage just to show us how excited he was. McGerr, on the other hand, is very cool and precise. Never let emotion took over, and never made a mistake either. Ben Gibbard showed me why I loved his voice in the first place. Everything is just as I imagined. Gibbard and Walla traded some occasion to play the piano on some songs.



Concert highlights: After finishing Soul Meets Body, Walla and Harmer sat tightly on the stage as Gibbard played I Will Follow You into The Dark acoustically. It was greeted with mass sing along among the crowd. For the whole song Walla, Harmer, and McGerr kinda mesh with the crowd and enjoyed Gibbard’s performance, which was flawless in my opinion. Transatlanticism, the last song they played, was also a joy to watch. It builds up slowly before reaching its peak when the song reached the “I need you so much closer” part. It was the perfect song the end the concert.
The bad part of the whole concert was the crowd. I thought the crowd was neither eager nor excited to watch them performed. Most of them just stand there and stare without moving their bodies or sing along to the songs. That was a major disappointment. The stage and decoration was very minimal. No evidence of great lighting or exquisite set decoration.




The concert lasts for about two hours. The words “I need you so much closer” still echoed afterwards, even when I was back at home. I went to sleep with a complete playlist of my favorite Death Cab songs running on my computer. It was a great night.

Final judgement:
Perfomance: 4/5
Stage/décor/lights: 3/5
Crowd: 2.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Lyricus Hocus Pocus

"... we've got the means to make amends. I am lost, I'm no guide, but I'm by your side"
(Leash, Pearl Jam)

I've never been someone who pays much attention towards lyrics, but lately for no apparent reason I caught up with some interesting lines that lies in some songs. One of them is the lyrics of Pearl Jam's Leash that I've written above. Never been a big fan of the band, though I enjoyed Eddie Vedder's voice nonetheless,not a big fan of the song either. It sounded very early 90's/ Seattle sound-ish. However, there's something that hits me in the chorus. It's the lyrics. I don't know why but there's something that I can connect with in that line. Well, probably a lyric will hits you when you feel exactly like it. In my case, that was probably it.

There's another song that I really liked because of the lyrics. It's Bright Eyes's At the Bottom of Everything. The song itself is very simple, only three chords progression is used in the song. It started with Conor Oberst (the vocalist) narrating a story about a woman and a man in a plane and continued with the strum of folk guitar. His lyrics reminded me of how Bob Dylan wrote his songs. It was like a critical view on his surroundings, how he felt towards the world, and he put it in a very delicate way. Oberst is not your ordinary lyricist, he's more like a poet. A comparation with Bob Dylan is inevitable, as they have so many things alike, from their lyrics to their musical style. This is is the lyrics I'm talking about;

We must talk in every telephone, get eaten off the web
We must rip out all the epilogues from the books that we have read
Into the face of every criminal strapped firmly to a chair
We must stare, we must stare, we must stare

We must take all of the medicines too expensive now to sell
Set fire to the preacher who is promising us hell
Into the ear of every anarchist that sleeps but doesn't dream
We must sing, we must sing, we must sing

And it'll go like this, all right

While my mother waters plants, my father loads his gun
He says, "Death will give us back to God
Just like the setting sun
Is returned to the lonesome ocean"


Now, since I'm already on the music topic, I'm gonna have a say about some of the music that caught my ears lately. First off, did any of you saw the Grammys? More specifically, did you see Coldplay and Radiohead's performance? Holy cow they were great. Coldplay did an awesome job with Lost, in which they collaborated with Jay Z, and Radiohead blew my mind with their live version of 15 Step. Interestingly, rather than using drum machines like they did in the album, they invited the whole USC marching band to serve as their percussion. What a great touch! Thom Yorke is one crazy cool motherfucker. Look at how he moves on the stage with all that energy. That was one great live performance from my favorite band!



Secondly, I've browsed myspace for new music a couple of days ago and found this new under the radar band called The Winston Jazz Routine. They got me interested because I thought they sounded like a blend of Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, with the vocal that sounded like Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. In short, it was a blend of everything I'd like to hear from a band. I searched everywhere and downloaded their album called Sospiri. Calling the album decent would be an understatement. I thought it was a good album. Suited for those who like Indie or Post-Rock genre. Curious? This is their myspace page; http://www.myspace.com/thewinstonjazzroutine

Thirdly, I chatted with an old friend of mine, who's musical opinion I've always held high. He recommended this local indie band called The trees & the Wild. I was actually surprised when he gave me the link to their myspace page. While the local major scene has been dominated by crappy love songs with whiny lyrics, the local indie scene was also stuck with bands that sells generic rock n' roll sound. Now, the trees & the wild isn't like any other so-called indie bands. While their sound didn't actually original, they managed to offer genuine sound that echoes like Sigur Ros's songs with a John Mayer-ish vocal. They created this peaceful and relaxing melodies that no other local band have ever made before. Apparently, they haven't release an album yet, but some of their songs that they put on their myspace page are good enough for me to buy their album. Here, check out some of their songs at http://www.myspace.com/thetreesandthewild

Ha! Enough ranting for today, I've spent way too much time doing nothing and this is how I deal with boredom. I thrive on it by writing nonsensical bullshit. Well, hope you still enjoyed it though. Until next time, fellas!

What Happened to DC comics?

As a long fan and follower of the (American) comic book industry, I tried my best to digest as many comics as possible. But for the past 2-3 years, my comic preferences has shifted heavily towards marvel comics. I stopped giving DC any chance after the disappointing Final Crisis series, written by the great Grant Morrison. Now, let's try to analyze this by pieces.



DC is the home of some of the iconic names in superhero business. I'm talking about the DC Trinity that consists of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Those are the household name of superheroes. They got support from many other great characters in comics such as Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquaman which are also some of the most popular superheroes even for those who didn't read comics. Their stories has been told since the 30's and 40's.

The main history began in 1985. At this very year, DC tried to rid many inconsistencies in their story. For example: at the early comics Superman can only jump and leap over length and the over some time, he managed to fly. Then came the story of Superboy, who is claimed to be the adventure of young Clark Kent before he was Superman, and Superboy can fly while he was supposedly to fly when he's older. Almost all DC characters at this point have no back story. So DC came up with the idea that all of the characters in their comics, up to this point, are from different universe. They establish something called Multiverse. Superman, Batman for example, are from Earth One. The old Flash, Jay Garrick (the one with the plate over his head), and the entire Justice Society of America is from Earth-Two. Superboy is from another universe called Earth Prime.

After that been established, DC created a tie-in cross over for all of their title called Crisis on Infinite Earths. The aim for this is to erase all the Multiverse and created one single universe for their comics. In this comics we see Superman from Earth One team up with Superman of Earth-Two (older superman), and Superboy of Earth Prime to destroy the threat that exist because of the existence of the Multiverse. The conclusion, Earth-Two and other universes are destroyed, leaving only Earth One. With the series now finished, DC writers can now re-invent their characters from scratch. Almost all of the characters are given new back story and now a modern era of DC comics is created. That was in 1985.

In 2005, 20 years after the original Crisis, DC opened up again the idea of Multiverse through series called Infinite Crisis and 52. At the end of these two series, DC universe now has 52 universes. For me, this is where the confusion begins. Old characters are popping up, back stories are added to further complicate the story, those who are dead came back, and tons of other things that i couldn't mention one by one. The culmination of those are concluded in Final Crisis. This event actually has potential when Grant Morrison, who wrote great comics like All star Superman and New X-Men, was announced as the writer and JG Jones was the assigned artist. I thought this would be the turning point of DC. But apparently I was wrong. I tried so hard to keep with the pace of Final Crisis for a couple of issues until I decided to give up after issue #3. The plot is meandering, far too many characters, the action didn't kick in from the beginning, the art was inconsistent (mainly due to JG Jones withdrawal from the series), and delay on the production. By the end of the event, I can only say; what the fuck?

On the contrary, Marvel Comics garnered success with their major crossover event of this year, Secret Invasion. It got more compact and less complicated story, great art, brilliant conclusion, and most importantly, it delivers its premise.

The other thing I've noticed is almost all of the great writers in comic industry are in Marvel. Brian Bendis, Mark Millar, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Joss Whedon,Brian K. Vaughan, etc. The only writers in DC that hold the same standard as those writers are only Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, and Greg Rucka. Johns is great with his job at Green Lantern, which is the only DC title that worth picking up regularly. I have mixed feelings about Morrison after his disappointing Final Crisis, and Greg Rucka was great if he's writing detective story, just like he and Brubaker did on Gotham Central 5 years ago, other than that he was pretty mediocre.



In terms of characters, Marvel have always been more relatable than DC. People are finding that it's easier to relate themselves to Spiderman/Peter Parker, a nerd outcast with superpowers, rather than to Superman/Clark Kent, who's an alien with perfect personality and seemingly able to do anything. This has always been DC's problem for a long time. Stan Lee, Marvel creator, said himself that he meant to create superheroes that are more relatable to the public than DC's superheroes. This can be seen and reflected by the characters job, and issues that's brought up by each story. My point is that the relatability of the character to the reader is one of the most important reasons for people to buy comics. And in this case, Marvel has got the upper hand.

Of course, DC still could regain their glory days if they invented stories with less complications and less pointless crossover. I still remember how much fun it was reading JLA back when I was still in Junior High. They were a lot fun. I really. really wanted to read a good DC title. For all I care, I only pick up DC if it were written by Geoff Johns. They need more people like Johns because he understand the characters so well and he can wrote a perfectly fun comics. Look at what he did with Green Lantern and Action Comics. Those two are the only title that works. I'm still crossing my finger hoping that DC can regain its glory. Until that time comes, I'm gonna stick with the currently more superior Marvel comics.

Year End Review: Part 2

I've spent this last week catching up on the remaining movies of 2008 that I haven't watched yet. And after some serious consideration, I've managed to compile al ist of my favorite films of 2008. This list isn't in any order or whatsoever;


In Bruges

This is the film that seemed under the radar for some time this year. However, this film appeared on many critics top 10 films of 2008, and I can see why. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell played 2 Dublin hit men that are sent by their boss, played by Ralph Fiennes, to Bruges after a job gone awry. In that very city both of them are given hard options as the consequences of their previous job. What made this movie great is it offers dark humor without losing depths of its story and characters. And it certainly shows that hit men have their own conscience and ethics, which led one of the characters made a bold choice at the end. The cast didn’t disappoint, and the overall movie is a great blend of comedy and thriller.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button



“My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances. While, everyone else was agin', I was gettin' younger... all alone”. This was the opening narration on Benjamin Button’s life that sets up the whole film. The film isn’t just about how a man that aged backwards live his life, but it’s about how he embrace his unfortunate condition and changed that into a life worth living.

Benjamin Button is an achievement of superb storytelling. If you think a story of a man aging backward is interesting enough, you should see the whole movie. The story will move you emotionally. It gave us a deep look at the turning points of a man’s life, in this case Benjamin’s life. It filled with exquisite moments that will leave you touched and amazed. Director David Fincher certainly knows how to work his magic. Along with scriptwriter Eric Roth, he managed to shot scene by scene with such beauty without giving up its heart and cleverly added a sense of surrealism that helps develop the film. Watching Benjamin Button made me believe that everything is possible, even for someone as unfortunate as Benjamin Button. By far this has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had after watching a film.


The Dark Knight

I’ve written my full review of this a couple of months ago on this blog, so I guess it needs no more preambles. The main thing about the Dark Knight is that it wasn’t treated as just another superhero films. It treated as if the director wanted to make a great film that will make other films wanted to be it. This is the excerpts of what I’ve already written before;

First, and foremost, The Dark Knight is a crime drama. The kind of crime drama that has the same tone as The Departed, or Heat. Secondly, it's not solely focusing on the hero, but rather to the whole cast. This is the main strength of the movie. The cast that consists of Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine have done a superb job in their role.
Christopher Nolan has never failed to deliver a great story to audience with with the perfect execution. He dare to question the morality of the actions that is taken by Batman, Dent, and Gordon, something that is often left out by other superhero movie. This question haunts the movie until the very end. An end that ultimately answer the question, as Batman did the most heroic act no other superhero has ever done.

All that being said, The Dark Knight will not only be the best superhero movie ever, but also possibly one of the best film of the decade. Iron Man, and Spiderman 2 may be the definitive superhero film, but The Dark Knight is not just another superhero film, it's a superhero epic. It's the first Oscar worthy superhero film, it's the Godfather of superhero films, it's the Empire Strikes Back of all Batman films.


Iron Man

As the opening of summer movie, this film has got it all. You can find my full review a couple of months ago here on this blog, so feel free to scroll down and search. Or if you don’t have the will or thinking it’s too much effort to scroll down, I’ll jot down the conclusion for you.
Iron Man is the perfect example of a superhero movie which respect its original material, and turned it into something way much cooler. Anyone who doubt Jon Favreau capability to direct this movie can just get their ass kicked (yes, i got my ass kicked). He made all the right decisions in making the movie. He cast the dead perfect Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Stark is one of the biggest brain in the planet, an alcoholic, and a womanizer at the same time. Downey have had some of those problems in the real life before. That's what made him perfect for the role. He also made Tony Stark character funnier, with his perfect timing of comedic punch lines. Iron Man will satisfy those people who demanded pure summer blockbuster movie, and also the-hard-to-be-pleased fanboys.


Tropic Thunder

These past two or three years finest comedies have been brought by the Apatow gang, however this year’s funniest came from the hands of Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux. This is a bit surprising for me because I don’t think Stiller is capable to star in a film, even directed it, as funny as this. His previous works has been mediocre at best, but he hits a home run with this one. Simply put, Tropic Thunder will make you laugh hard. I mean REAL hard. The cast is just perfect. Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise put in memorable performances. Downey as the Australian actor playing a black dude, and Cruise as the menacing producer. I’d say those two performances deserved a recognition. The fake trailers in the first scenes are a brilliant way to introduce the characters. It started the movie with a bang, and what followed is another set of hilarious scenes in the jungle. However it still has some weaknesses. For instance, Stiller’s performance as an actor is still mediocre, and Jack Black’s character is very hard to be liked. But those weaknesses can be quickly forgotten with the performance of the supporting actors and cameos that gave their best. It’s good to see that a great R rated comedy can come from other source than the usual Apatow gang.


The Wrestler

If last year we have Daniel Day-Lewis getting out the best of him in a blistering and mind blowing performance in There Will be Blood, this year we have Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Rourke stars as Randy “The Ram”, a wrestler that reached his peak of fame in 80’s. He was the people’s champ, he’s the god among wrestlers, simply put, he was the best. Now almost 20 years after that, he still wrestles, although in a far smaller stage that before, and he’s dealing with his failure outside his wrestling career. He has an estranged daughter that didn’t want to see him, his body is failing him because of his age, and his career isn’t exactly as successful as before.



Darren Aronofsky shows the loneliness of The Ram’s life by making us felt like Ram. The camera often follows Ram from behind and with each silent moment he walked, we can feel Ram’s sense of self failure. His hope of fixing his messed up life lies on the shoulders of his estranged daughter, Stephanie, and a stripper with a heart of gold named Cassidy. As he tried to establish a relationship with these 2 persons, I grew fond of Ram and, later, even empathize him. The final scene where Ram made a speech on the ring before making his comeback is the most powerful scene. He declared his love of wrestling no matter what his situation is at the time. That, my friend, is your Oscar winning scene right there.


Wall-E

Watching Wall-E is like watching a beautiful silent film. Its power is not in its dialogue, cause there’s a few of them, but it’s in the actions and gestures of the little robot. The animation is, dare I say, the best that Pixar has ever done. With little dialogue it’s hard to achieve the level of emotion that this film has. The most important thing about this film is its morality. It gave a brief prediction of what’s gonna happen if the Earth neglects its environment, and at the same time, it provides hope that even a single insignificant robot can make a huge different to the world. The love story between Wall-E and EVE is also very sweet and romantic. This is the film that children and adults will love. There’s no age barrier to watch this movie. Wall-e is really something extraordinar-e.


Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle is the only director that I believe can direct anything given to him. He’s done junky film in Trainspotting, horror film in 28 Weeks Later, Sci-fi/horror in Sunshine, and even a kid film in Millions. So when I came to know that he’s directing a film with all Indian cast, set in India, I have absolutely no doubt that he’s gonna nail it. And he did it big time. Slumdog Millionaire is a story of a teenager named Jamal who reached the final round of Who wants to be a Millionaire? and is accused of cheating.

The investigation on how he knew all the answer led us to swim through the flash back on his very colorful, if not, unfortunate life. Then we learned that Jamal has gone long way to the show because of his love with Pitka, whom he met when he was young. Within these moments lies great obstacle that Jamal must face with his brother, be it running from Muslim haters, being told to work under abusive employer, or posing as a fake tour guide in Taj Mahal, he survived those with a big heart. And this is what I’ve come to admire in the movie. It’s the sense of pity and joy to know the eventful life of Jamal. The star of this movie is no other than Danny Boyle. He managed to show the beauty of India’s slums. He showed the hard life of Indian people. And he sure showed us one hell of a movie.


Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In)

I’ve always been a fan of anything vampire-y. It’s no secret that I loved Buffy and Angel, but Let the Right One In isn’t your ordinary vampire flick. It’s a blend of an unadulterated love story, horror, and drama, and it sure as hell ain’t Twilight. This is a tale of a 12 year old boy who fell in love with a girl vampire that moved next door. The premise may seem overly plain and straight, but I assure you this movie will engage you in an emotional roller coaster which will also test your heart and brain at the same time. The backdrop of snowy Sweden serves as a perfect set up for the grim atmosphere of the film. The thrill and horror is building up from the beginning, with some of the most effective horror scene I’ve ever seen, and reached its climax at the final scene that took place in the swimming pool.



However, what I really loved from this film is there are so many scenes that are open for our own interpretation. I browsed the web for forums and opinions from fellow viewers that made me watched the movie all over again. I haven’t had this much fun interpreting a film since Donnie Darko. Things like Oskar relationship with his father, Hakkan relationship with Eli, Eli’s gender issue, are some of the things that we could draw up our own interpretation. The main strength of the movie is how the director managed to direct scene by with such intensity and getting out the best of the two kids who are the main characters of this movie. Every scene is poetic in its own way. This is a masterpiece of anything that related to vampirism. This is the movie that will get overlooked just because a more hip and cheesy film like Twilight has more budget and more access to audience around the world.

If I had to pick a favorite, I guess I'm gonna have to go with The Wrestler, or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as the best of this year. Mickey Rourke, in my book, is undoubtedly the best actor of the year. Academy awards, or Golden Globes will probably go for Slumdog Millionaire or Benjamin Button as the best picture, while The Dark Knight will probably not getting any love because of its status of superhero film. Sean Penn will be most likely get the best actor award for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, rather than Rourke. As for the director I'd love to see Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, and Danny Boyle to compete for the best director award. One other nominee will probably go to Gus Van Sant (Milk), or Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon).

That's it, I'm done for the night. Hope this little post will interest you to pick up some of the movies I mentioned above. Let's see if you have the same thought as me regarding those movies.

until then,

be kind rewind

Year End Review: Part 1

We've reached the end of the year, once again, and it's time to look back at what had happened this past 12 months. This first part will look at the honorable mention in the world of (my) music. While the list is dominated by some new names, the old time favorites like Sigur Ros and Death Cab for Cutie has also released some of the finest records of the year. So, here it goes:

Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Key tracks: Grapevine Fires, Bixby Canyon Bridge, Cath

Sigur Ros -Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust


Key Tracks: Gobbledigook, Inní mér syngur vitleysingur

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes


Key Tracks: White Winter Hymnal, Ragged Wood, Sun it Rises

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Key Tracks: For Emma, Skinny Love, Re: Stacks

She & Him - Volume 1

Key Tracks: Why do you let me stay here, Black hole

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Key Tracks: Oxford Comma, A-Punk

MGMT - Oracular Spectacular


Key Tracks: Electric feel, Time to pretend


I'm not much of a music reviewer, so just listen to the key tracks given above to see my point. Please be patient cause I'm still compiling my favorite films of 2008, which will probably be done as soon as I watch some of the remaining films released late this year.

Bonding with Bond

I have to say sorry in advance because I borrowed the title of this post from a segment on rottentomatoes.com. I usually come up with some worthy title, not good but adequate, but I guess the excessive heat in Jakarta kinda messed up my creativity.



James Bond is a character that people identified as the perfect secret agent. He’s handsome, slick, suave, and gets a lot of action. However, for some reason I never liked that character. Pierce Brosnan is the James Bond I grew up watching. His Bond was, in my opinion, too handsome and too clean to be viewed as the tough secret agent. Suffice to say, I never liked the character when he’s playing it, despite all the fuzz that said he’s the best Bond since Connery. GoldenEye was good, but god knows how much I hate World is not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies, and especially, Die Another Day. All of them were ridiculously campy, over the top and had ludicrous plots. Furthermore, during my early teens there were a lot of Roger Moore’s Bond reruns on my local TV. Roger Moore’s Bond was even worse than Brosnan’s. I don’t know if that’s because of his acting, or just because he was just doing the film in the wrong decade. Sean Connery was probably the best of the lot.

And then came Casino Royale. This is the movie that caught me off guard. I didn’t expect the so-called reboot was going to be that good. Daniel Craig is, hands-down, the kind of Bond that really reflect a tough secret agent. He ain’t pretty, but he knows what he’s doing and he gets the job done with only few things that he’s got (no invisible car, or the ridiculous jetpack). This is the James Bond that Ian Fleming wrote in his stories. Casino Royale serves as a good background story of the first years of Bond’s career as a 00 agent. I liked how they changed the far-fetched toys with gritty realism.

Quantum of Solace is a direct sequel of Casino Royale. It picks up right where Royale ends. While Casino Royale gave a lot of insight of Bond’s character, Quantum of Solace is more of a straight forward action movie. The first action scene with the car in Italy is great. Marc Forster handled this scene surprisingly well. However the rest of the action scenes were caught up in what I called “Bourne style”. Forster uses too much shaky cam and edited it with quick cuts that aren’t friendly for the eyes. The plot continued with Bond following the lead that Vesper left in the last movie. His investigations led to an organization called Quantum. This is an organization that controls many countries with its vast resources. In this movie, one of Quantum’s members named Dominic Greene planned to support the new coup d’etat of Bolivian government to seize control of the country’s water supply. Seem overly simple for a Bond movie? Probably yes. But this makes sense because Quantum is seeking to control territory over countries all over the world, so what’s better than to control one of the most important assets of the country? This way the government will have to bow down to the organization. Great way to bring the world down on your knees, I say.



This movie would be a waste without Daniel Craig. Not only he managed to put on a great performance in this movie, he carries the movie. While the previous Bonds seemed to overcome their mission rather easily, Craig’s Bond was just barely in the game at all. He’s got to get his hands dirty, he bleeds, and he doesn’t mind getting scars here and there in the process. If in the first movie we saw him dealing with his ego, in this movie we see he developed his attitude to be a great 00 agent and moved on from the death of his lover. This is the biggest difference from Craig’s Bond from the other Bond. We can see that there’s a character development in each movie. The Bond at the early of Casino Royale is different from the Bond in at the end of Quantum of Solace, and I mean it in a good way. The last moment of the movie when he drops Vesper’s necklace is the defining moment, signing that he has moved on from the loss his lover.

Now, to the bad part. I’ve mentioned the action parts earlier. I was slightly disappointed by it, but the most disappointing thing is the duration of the movie which is too short. The previous movie has the duration of 2 hour something. That would give sufficient time to dig in deep into the characters. This movie just gave a little over 90 minutes of duration. Not enough time to give development of character. Furthermore most of the duration is filled with non-stop action. As a result the storyline felt a bit rushed to fit in the duration. The presence of Eva Green as Vesper Lynd is sorely missed here. I feel that Vesper’s role in Casino Royale is very important. Not only she’s beautiful, but she’s got the personality that can match that of Bond’s. The main Bond girl (which Bond didn’t sleep or even make out with) is uninteresting. I’m talking not about her looks, but more about her character. This Bond girl is too dark to be a Bond girl, or at least in my opinion. She lacks the personality and chemistry that Vesper Lynd gave in Casino Royale, and ultimately, she's too concern about her own personal vendetta and only provides few charms for the audience.

Given its weaknesses, Quantum of Solace is still a worthy addition to the Bond franchise. I managed to forgive the past Bonds for their portrayal because all of them would be squished by Daniel Craig’s Bond. I really hoped that they would keep this Bond for a long time, because this is the exact James Bond we need for the 21st century.

Astonished

I've been meaning to write this a couple of months ago but for no apparent reason, I happen to abandoned this post. Now, with a new spirit I am resurrecting my earlier post. The proposed post is as follows;


As a comic book geek, last week has left me with quite a mixed feeling. On one hand i am very pleased with the finale of Astonishing X-Men, i thought it was superbly done, as always, and on the other hand i was sad that the creative team of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday has left the title. The title started back in 2004, with a projected monthly issue for the next two years. And here we end up with an extra issue and an extra two years. The series undergone some major delays, which caused them to took the extra two years. However, in my opinion, the delays were always worth it.

Those of you who don't know who Joss Whedon is, he is a producer, writer, director, and show runner, most popularly known as the creator of tv shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin off, Angel. When Whedon was confirmed as the writer of the first issue, i got all excited. EVERYONE was excited by the prospect of having an experienced, and reliable writer. Although, the reliability is to the extent of some time constraints. Whedon's power has always been creating a major long plot that is built up through the subplots that exist within the stories he create. In addition, he is a well known wordsmith. I kinda made that one up, since i have no other words better to explain that kind of skill. I guess what i'm trying to say is that he always managed to construct a witty and smart dialogues. And most importantly, Whedon loves and understands the characters. That's the key ingredient.

His wordsmith and stories are backed up by the ever fantastic artist, John Cassaday. He is known for his work with Warren Ellis on the critically acclaimed Planetary. His ability to convert the story he's been given into a vast imagination of a stunningly beautiful sketch is the foundation of the Astonishing X-Men universe. I believe he is the one man that is perfect for the job.

Moving on to the stories, it consists of 4 story arc that interconnects with each other. What i love about this series, other than that ridiculously beautiful art by Cassaday, is that Whedon really know how to build up the momentum of each issues. Every issue is treated like an episode of a tv show. It usually started with some plot development, adding some action scenes in the middle, and ends up with a cracking cliffhanger. However, there are some problems toward the end of the series, which i think has taken too long to conclude. Still, i was patient enough to wait for each issue.

In terms of the characters, it's pleasing to see how deep Whedon has developed them. Cyclops, and Kitty Pride, in particular, are given so much things to do. While Kitty Pride has been a long-time fan favorite, Cyclops has suffered as one of the unlikable characters, despite his status as the team leader. But after this series, i couldn't see any reason why people should hate him anymore. He's tough, smart, and the team wouldn't function without him. Wolverine, who's often put as the main character in the X-books, is placed as the comic relief of this series. It's a joy reading his rants and his witty one liner.

Astonishing X-men is easily one of the best X-books ever. Along with Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips' Criminal, this was probably the best book on the shelf. People who don't usually read this kind of comic should start with this title. This title is comic book at its best. I salute the men behind the title, they have done a truly astonishing job.

Palinesque

Notice that lately the news reports has been focusing on the upcoming US presidential election? You should also notice that the focus is shifting away from Barack Obama, or John McCain. Here I give you the woman who stole the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.



I was pretty surprised by McCain's decision to pick her. I thought he would've played it safe and gone with Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, or even Arnie. But instead he opted for a woman who is practically an outsider. Apparently she's the governor of Alaska. So I thought, okay, this woman probably has the niche, or the glorifying spirit of Hillary Clinton. And she could possibly get the attention of those who are disheartened by Clinton's defeat, and wanted to give another woman a shot.

Boy, oh boy, could I be any more wrong.


Oh don't get me wrong, I love her. I really do. All of the laugh that came out of my mouth in the past 2 weeks mostly came from her prolific speeches and her sarcastic-but-not-so-bright remarks. Moreover, she encouraged the creativity of Saturday Night Live comedians to make one hell of a spoof of her (most notably Tina Fey's skit). I'll stop right here and let her quotes do the job.


"They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska." --Sarah Palin, on her foreign policy insights into Russia, ABC News interview, Sept. 11, 2008

"Nucular." --Sarah Palin, mispronouncing the word "nuclear" twice, ABC News interview, Sept. 11, 2008

"Perhaps so." --Sarah Palin, when asked if we may need to go to war with Russia because of the Georgia crisis, ABC News interview, Sept. 11, 2008

"A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made." --Sarah Palin, dismissing global warming as influenced by human activity, Newsmax interview, Aug. 2008

"I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." --Sarah Palin, interview with Alaska Business Monthly, March 2007

"I'll try to find you some and I'll bring them to you." --Sarah Palin, asked by Katie Couric to cite specific examples of how John McCain has pushed for more regulation in his 26 years in the Senate, CBS interview, Sept. 24, 2008

"I'm the mayor, I can do whatever I want until the courts tell me I can't.'" --Sarah Palin, as quoted by former City Council Member Nick Carney, after he raised objections about the $50,000 she spent renovating the mayor's office without approval of the city council




Still not enough? Oh don't worry, i'm saving the best for last:

"As for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me what is it exactly that the VP does every day?" --Sarah Palin, interview with CNBC's "Kudlow & Co", July 2008

Out of the Past

The late 1940’s saw an era that redefines the world of cinema, especially in the US. It’s the golden years of film noir. Granted, that the first film noir wasn’t produced in the US, but when European directors like Fritz Lang, or Michael Curtiz came to the US with their visions and distinct style, it gave birth to numbers of film noirs in the US. Fritz Lang’s M, John Huston’s Maltese Falcon and Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity may be the ones that people always talk about when it comes to film noir, but for me, Out of the Past stands alone as the best of all time.



Robert Mitchum stars as the reluctant hero, Jeff Bailey. A man who are running away from his past and live a quiet small town while hoping to make a better future with his new girlfriend, Ann. His hopeful future is ruined when a man of his past came seeing him, asking him to see his old boss, Whit Sterling. Bailey had done business as private investigator for Sterling before. But when the job involves him with Sterling’s girlfriend, Kathie Moffat, it all went straight to hell. As Bailey told Ann about what happened then with him and Kathie, the truth of his past began to unfold. A couple of years ago Bailey fell in love with Kathie when he was working with Sterling, and they decided to run away together. But their happiness was only temporary when they were discovered by Bailey’s partner, and Kathie had to kill him. They never saw each other again after that.

The plot covers the basic storyline of film noir. It involves the protagonists who fell in love with the wrong woman, and tangled in the labyrinth of deceit and problems. While the plot is seemingly similar to other film noir, Out of the Past came out better because of superior cast, amazing direction, and the sense of moral ambiguity towards the end. Jacques Tourneur’s direction, combined with the superb cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca, created a beautiful pictures that uses extensive shadows and dark cinematography which never loses the grip of the story throughout the film. There was never a dull moment in this one, unlike other film noir (I found Maltese Falcon dull and meandering in some parts). The use of voice over narration also helps to develop the character, without losing its subtlety.

The stellar cast is led by the amazing Robert Mitchum. His deep voice, mannerism, and gleamy eyes were the highlight of the film. It makes you empathize, and feel sorry for him. To me, he is probably the best film noir actor ever, even better that Humphrey Bogart. Kirk Douglas played a great mobster/bad guy, Whit Sterling. But the real talent is on Jane Greer. Portraying the deceitful Kathie Moffat, Greer managed to put a superb performance with layers of personality for her character. I agreed with people who said that she is the ultimate femme fatale. A femme fatale is a woman you loved for all the wrong reasons. She may struck you as this beautiful, loving, and seductive at first, but she never showed her true color. That’s what Greer is portraying. You’ll love Kathie Moffat instantly when you seen her on the screen, just like Bailey did. But everything isn’t what it seems. Her motivation was never truly explained, she just acts on her best interest, and it’s hard to separate the lies from the fact. It’s hard to picture a modern day actress that can portray Moffat better than Jane Greer. Another thing that really grabs me is that all of the character was never presented in black and white. You can’t just point a finger to one man and say, “that’s the bad guy”. All of the characters are in the grey area, and they have their own sets of principles that differs them from each other. That’s why I liked film noir in the first place.

Lastly, there’s the ambiguous ending. It’s the moment when Ann ask Bailey’s deaf best friend. The answer, I’m not gonna spoil it for you, is the truest essence of a masterful story telling. What the answer means is the viewer’s choice to make. I felt this long pause after the end credit is rolled before I could come up with a possible answer and realize what a powerful scene that the ending was. After all, the movie is about a man who wants to escape his past, and a woman who wants to escape her future.

My spider sense is tingling

It's almost 2 am and my spider sense is off the hook. And it has something to do with comic book.

Okay, The Dark Knight turned out to be a HUGE success. It surpasses the expectations, even created a bigger fan base for the character. Now the studio executive geniuses (pardon my sarcasm) at Warner Bros. are attempting to use the same formula from The Dark Knight, and try to apply it to revive the Superman franchise. They said that the “dark, and brooding nature” of The Dark Knight are the key ingredients to successfully resurrect Superman franchise.


Now that’s what I called stupid.


The very nature of Batman IS dark and brooding. Superman? Not so much. The guy is the biggest Boy Scout on the planet. He endorsed justice, the American way. He is the very role model of the perfect human, though he isn’t one technically. Come on, we’ve already seen emo Spidey, and melodramatic Superman in the past 2 years, have people learned nothing from that experience? The problem with Superman is not on its presentation of the character, but on the inability to provide Superman with worthy villains. Lex Luthor is treated like a real estate mogul, rather than an evil genius that wanted the world. Luthor should be the evil version of Tony Stark with the wit and manipulative skill of Ben Linus of Lost, at the very least, and it would be good to throw in Brainiac or General Zod into the mix just so Superman can have real ass to kick.

Here’s a more preferable solution. First they need to reboot the Superman series. Forget the continuity of the whole series until Superman Returns, and start fresh. Try to explore more on Clark Kent’s motivation to become Superman, develop Lex Luthor into a worthy villain, add one extra supervillain, and do a recast the entire characters, although I wouldn’t mind to see Brandon Routh back as Superman. I think he’s the best thing on Superman Returns. The rest of the cast, however, needs to be recast, especially the disaster that is called Kate Bosworth. A capable director is also needed,someone who’s in the same league as Chris Nolan, or Jon Favreau.

Now if those solutions above are somehow read and understood by one of the studio executives, though it would be very much improbable, I may regain my faith in humanity. Or at least what’s left of it.

Politic Has Never Been This Great

I don't usually make a political comment, not that i don't have any opinion or anything, but I just don't think what i say will make any difference. And of course, politic isn't really my cup of tea. However, the recent US democratic national convention has made politic a bit more interesting subject. Obama's speech on the convention is pretty much encouraging, and sounded very convincing. I'm not gonna discuss his agenda, but a couple of things that he said actually hits me. If I were an American, I'd be very proud of him.This is what he said:

“It is that promise that has always set this country apart – that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.

“It is why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women – students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.

“We meet at one of those defining moments – a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more."

“America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.”

“This moment – this election – is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”

Pretty neat, isn't it? Another thought that i had is that younger people will tend to put their vote on Democrats. The thing about Democrats is they usually oppose war, violence, promising peace, and support diplomacy rather than go strength to strength with their enemies. These are the kind of things that great presidents of the states like Roosevelt or Kennedy often stressed on their speech. I agree on most of that but sometimes I think Republicans are more willing to go the distance to deal with certain situations. Their actions, in my point of view, are more extreme in some ways, but all of it came from their love of their own country. They'd done stuff that Democrats don't have the guts to do. However, their actions are often unjustifiable, and deeply hurting a lot of people for their own good. I've been having this thought for a while now, that kinda left me pondering. And today, Obama kinda answer my doubt;

“We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. Don’t tell me that Democrats won’t keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans – have built, and we are to restore that legacy.


“As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.

“I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing so that America is once more the last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.”

My doubts and questions has been answered. Is he really gonna do what he said he's gonna do? Only time will tell. May them (Americans) chose what best for them, and they should also keep in mind that their choice will influence the shape of this world.

Now, the fun part. I just found out that the Democratic Convention is also supported by the performance of a couple of artist, and musician that i really, really like. They are Ben Gibbard, of Death Cab for Cutie, Zooey Deschanel, of She & Him, and Jenny Lewis, of Rilo Kiley. It's not all, Jonathan Rice, Nada Surf, and Cold War Kids also highlighted the convention. Holy shit, this is bigger than Big Day Out! I've been dreaming to watch them perform live, and now they're actually performing TOGETHER on the SAME STAGE? Be still my heart. All it takes is one hell of a presidential candidate with inspiring words. Who thought politics can be this fun?

Weekly Recap #2

Okay, i haven't done this in quite a while, but i think it's worth writing. It's the weekly recap thingy that i did back a couple of months ago. I just assumed that somebody really did read what i wrote in this blog. Anyhow, this is the latest scoop on my week:

Movies
I saw just one film on the cinema this week, which is Wanted. I have to say that it's pretty disappointing. They changed the story too much from the comic book. I'm not saying it's a bad adaptation, but it lacks the thrills and excitement of the comic book. I think the story is there, but the execution isn't right. The bullet bending, the train action scene, are wasted. It's full of slow motion, exaggerated action scenes that are out of place. I guess it's better if Bekmambetov uses the conventional hard boiled action like in the first Die Hard movie. That said, i still recommend you to watch this film, solely because of Angelina Jolie's perfect ass.

On the DVD, i'm still going with the Woody Allen marathon that i started a couple of weeks ago. The last of his film that i saw was Play it Again, Sam. I am really surprised with this movie. I thought his best work was in Annie Hall, or Manhattan, but Play it again, Sam actually has more laughs than the movie i mentioned before. I mean, that movie is basically Allen's homage to Casablanca and Humphrey Bogart, but he wrote it perfectly that it fits his comedic style and richly filled one liner that will make you laugh so hard, it hurts. Of course, you have to watch Casablanca first to get the majority of the jokes. Now, Woody Allen has emerged as one of my favorite director, despite some of his weak films during the 90's.

Music
I haven't heard anything new, just some old stuff from Wilco that was released last year, titled Sky Blue Sky. It's a pretty solid album. Highly recommended for those who like easy listening, yet deep and soulful music, with the touch of folksy tune. Meanwhile, i am still in awe after watching Sigur Ros performed live at the Festival Hall last week. It was just beautiful. There's just no right word to describe their music, let alone their live performance. It's safe to say that their live performance is one of the better of all the bands that i've seen performed live.

TV
One show that caught my eye this week is Pushing Daisies. I rarely see a love story on tv medium that i liked. But this one is an exception. This cute little show has its own unique presentation by blending comedy and drama. It mostly attracts me because of the quirky characters, great lines, and adorable chemistry of its cast. The other thing that i liked is Anna Friel. She really got Zooey Deschanel vibe in this show. I found her character to be bearing a resemblance with Audrey Tautou's Amelie. This is definitely a worth watching tv show. At least, this can keep me accompanied while i wait for the fifth season of Lost.

Highlight of the Week
The one thing that would be the highlight of this week is the trailer of Watchmen. Being skeptical at first, the footage and trailers has proven me wrong. The set, costume, even the environment that is captured in the film is like a panel of the comic book. I wonder if the final film will be as good as it looks in the trailer.

It's no secret many people do not believe that Watchmen is filmable, like i said in previous post, including me. This is probably the most complex graphic novel ever written. It deals with complex issues, layers and layers of story, loads of philosophy, and to think that all of it can be packed into two hour long feature is just seem very improbable. This is the book that changed the face of comic industry forever. This is where comic book was acknowledged not only as kid's read, but also as a work of classic literature.

Back to the trailer, i think it really capture the dark world of Watchmen. The characters look very much alive, as well as the set design and the overall feel of the world within the film. And the most interesting part is the soundtrack for the trailer. It's the other version of Smashing Pumpkins' The End is the Beginning is the End, which coincidentally was the soundtrack of the worst superhero movie of all time, Batman and Robin. It's very gloomy, and somewhat managed to set the tone for the trailer. So, here ya go, here's the link to that trailer; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3orQKBxiEg

I'm gonna leave you with a word of advice, READ.THE.GODDAMN.BOOK. It's worth it, believe me. I, myself, had just finished reading it for the sixth or seventh time. And i still got something new every time i read it.

Office Poem

I love the Office very much. I started out watching the US version, and i just recently watched the UK version. Both are brilliant, with their own unique style. And this is the one of the funniest moment of The Office UK, where David Brent, the socially inept office manager, read his own poem to his secretary, Dawn;

'EXCALIBUR' by David Brent I froze your tears and made a dagger, and stabbed it in my cock forever. It stays there like Excalibur, Are you my Arthur? Say you are. Take this cool dark steeled blade, Steal it, sheath it, in your lake. I’d drown with you to be together. Must you breathe? Cos I need Heaven I literally rolling on the floor laughing after he read his poem with such seriousness and intensity. Only one thing that comes to my mind after that, Ricky Gervais is a genius. Bloody genius.

The Dark Knight Returns

I must warn you before continue reading, you may find the following review to be exaggerated, or hyperbolic, but believe it or not, it's the only way possible to describe how great this movie really is. The film itself carries a heavy burden due to the magnificent viral marketing throughout the year, and the success of other superhero movies like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and Hellboy II. So, does it live up to the expectations? Hell yeah. I must warn you, though, this isn't your ordinary comic book movie. It sure doesn't feel like it. The Dark Knight is the anti-thesis of Iron Man, or Spiderman.

First, and foremost, The Dark Knight is a crime drama. The kind of crime drama that has the same tone as The Departed, or Heat. Secondly, it's not solely focusing on the hero, but rather to the whole cast. This is the main strength of the movie. The cast, that consists of Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine, have done a superb job in their role. Bale is undeniably the best Batman of all. He manage to capture the billionaire playboy in Bruce Wayne and added some scary intimidation vibe for his alter ego, Batman. The always reliable Gary Oldman shows his versatility as he resumes his role as Lt. James Gordon. Gordon has been a big part in Batman's tale of saving his city, a fact that has been ignored on the early 4 Batman films. It's really enjoyable to see Gordon got the proper amount of screen time to make us care about his character. Aaron Eckhart is on top of his game with his scarily moving character, Harvey Dent/Two face. He owns the character. I think his brilliant performance is only overshadowed by the terrific Heath Ledger. And i am so relieved to get Maggie Gyllenhaal instead of Katie Holmes-Cruise (is that what they really call her these days?). Gyllenhaal is easily twice the actress Katie Holmes will ever be.

Of course, the most talked subject in the movie is Heath Ledger's Joker. You may see Jack Nicholson's Joker back in the first movie and thought that he was the perfect Joker. To me, Nicholson's Joker isn't the real Joker that has been written for so many years in the comic book. His Joker is more of a failed comedian rather than a mentally crippled mass murderer with no code or whatsoever. Ledger cleverly modeled his Joker as the combination of Alex from A Clockwork Orange, and John Doe from Se7en. That is the first time i'm seeing the character alive. He manipulates, plans, and never once hesitate to kill everyone in front of him. This is the definitive Joker, and Ledger delivered the character perfectly. His presence will be sorely missed. If Nicholson managed to get an Oscar nomination when he played Joker in the first film, Ledger should win it.

Christopher Nolan has never failed to deliver a great story to audience with with the perfect execution. He dare to question the morality of the actions that is taken by Batman, Dent, and Gordon, something that is often left out by other superhero movie. This question haunts the movie until the very end. An end that ultimately answer the question, as Batman did the most heroic act no other superhero has ever done. In terms of action scenes, it's a relieve that the action scenes uses as little CGI as possible. I'm getting tired of action films that relied heavily on CGI (I'm talking to you, Michael Bay!). As a result, the action scenes looks very realistic, believable and superbly crafted.

All that being said, The Dark Knight will not only be the best superhero movie ever, but also possibly one of the best film of the decade. Iron Man, and Spiderman 2 may be the definitive superhero film, but The Dark Knight is not just another superhero film, it's a superhero epic. It's the first Oscar worthy superhero film, it's the Godfather of superhero films, it's the Empire Strikes Back of all Batman films. And, in my own case, this is easily the best movie of 2008 so far.


*this is attempt number 42 in reviewing this film. I had a hard time putting the words altogether. But hey, like the Joker said, "Why so serious?" right?

Random mumbo-jumbo

Semester break is coming to an end and, once again, i found myself pondering on what i achieved during the so-called-relaxing-break. My pre-break plan was to finish Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay, fix my TV's antenna, fix ,or try to call someone to fix my leaking washing machine, and ultimately, finish this story pitch that i've had for years. I thought three weeks are enough to complete those tasks. Oh, how very naive of me.

Three weeks later, and I've done none of those tasks. I abandon Kavalier and Clay, only to pick up Jack Kerouac's On The Road (which i still read to this very second). My laptop failed me, which also means the story that i've written vanishes magically, and i've forgotten all about the household repairing that i was supposed to do. The inability to perform the simplest of task has been a problem of mine for quite some time. Although i always refused to admit it. I'd like to think the universe has a unique way to conspire against anything that i want to do. In other word, i blame the universe.

However, the three week hibernation has also filled me with some thoughts, and ideas. Well, just for fun, i'm gonna say it all out loud;

i have a twisted state of mind, which is mainly caused by the constant day dreaming, the over exposure of various comic books, films, and numerous tv series.
Arrested Development is so darn funny, it actually surpasses The Office at some point.
The world would be a better place if there's Amelie Poulain on the corner of every street.
I wanna grow old like Woody Allen
I think time travel is possible, whether it's via wormhole, cosmic strings, or a simple faster than light travel.
I think vampires are cool.
I believe we do not live alone in the universe.
but then again,
I am neither fair, nor balanced.
believe what you want to believe.

Enough mumbling for today. Please do not take everything that i said seriously. I'm gonna leave you the funniest quote i've heard for quite sometime, courtesy of Dr. Tobias Funke.

"You're forgetting, Lindsay, that as a psychiatrist, I was a professional twice over - an analyst and a therapist. The world's first 'Analrapist'"