iron man...

After a pretty long time I finally managed to catch a movie in the theaters. It was a day off one Monday as our clients were on bank holiday and I didn't want to just bum at home. Got up around 11ish and headed straight to Cineleisure Damansara.

Can you guess what did I end up watchin'? Yup, it was Iron Man! After all the hype and rave reviews (93% in Rotten Tomatoes & 8.2/10 from IMDB), I couldn't miss it.

I was fortunate enuff to get a THX theater and enjoy all the sound effects in full glory. This has to be the best comic book adaptation after X-Men.

Robert Downey Jr. was the perfect choice for Tony Stark. I heard Tom Cruise was suppose to play the lead role but thankfully it was all rumours. He would have killed the character and the movie. Robert Downey had the role down pat. Guess being a rich alcholic flamboyant playboy suits him. Hehe. To be honest he is a versatile actor. One of the main reasons why I wanted to watch this movie.

Gwyneth Paltrow also played her role as Pepper Potts well. Wouldn't we all love to have a PA like Gwyneth. ;) The villain Obadiah Stane was played by Jeff Bridges, who for the first time went bald. Which I just found out from E! was his own idea. He carried the role well too. Actually the whole freaking cast was spot on.

If you haven't watched it yet, you better head down to the cinemas and catch it. Don't think watching it at home will do the movie justice. Kudos to Jon Favreau for doing a great job of putting it all together. Can't wait for the sequel. :D

review: the simpsons movie...

I was reading all sorts of reviews on The Simpsons Movie and was thinking it might be worth catching it in the theaters. Especially since I am a fan of the cartoon series. Sadly I have to say I should have just waited for the DVD or download. Just like what Homer said at the beginning, why pay for something you get free on TV! Sigh. Am not saying it sucked as it was funny but I do not think its a blockbuster. These sorta shows you can wait for the DVD to be released or better still just wait for Astro to show it.

On top of that the asshole sitting behind me who laughed at every single minute of the show didn't help either. I think some of the crowd were just laughing cos it was 'suppose' to be funny. I doubt they even understood what was happening. Arrgghh. Guess I chose the wrong day.

Storyline wise it was alright. Enough humor packed within the 90 minutes or so to keep you smiling. Especially Spider Pig. Hehe. Typical Simpsons material with all the characters making an appearance. I just didn't leave the cinema feeling satisfied. Felt cheated actually. At least South Park: Bigger, Longer and Un-cut was worth the movie ticket.

Think I'll stop bitching for now. Am sure most of you loved the movie from all the rave reviews but sadly it was a green tomato for me. Would give it 2.5 stars out of 5.

review: transformers...

Finally after almost 2 years of waiting its out. Its been released for just barely a week now and everyone is talking about it. From the Ramli Burger guy down the street to my managers in 3rd floor to lil' kids in primary school who hasn't even seen the original cartoon in the 80s. I know some who have seen it multiple times and are still planning to go see it summore. Tickets have been booked for weeks in advance. Think most shows except for the early ones are packed.

Most people my generation will definately feel at home with this movie. We practically grew up with it. When I heard Speilberg and Michael Bay are teaming up to make a live action version of Transformers, I was ecstatic. I remember checking their website every now and then for updates and keep seeing the release date being pushed back. Thought it would never come true. Boy am I glad I was wrong!

Ok enuff of rambling, lets get to the movie. This movie is simply the BOMB! It definately lives up to all the hype it has raised. Amazing effects, great acting, stellar sound and well put storyline. Yes people were bitching that the human side of things were too long but I guess a 100% robot movie wouldn't really work. I would love to see it but when it comes to selling to the masses it would fizzle out plus cost a pretty penny. Am amazed at how they managed to replicate the robots transforming, the sound effects, the fight scenes and the mingling with humankind. Just the transforming and sound itself is worth going for another watch. The only thing that disappointed me was their decision to make Bumblebee into a stupid Camaro. Guess they did that to appeal to the damn yanks. From the looks of it theres a hint of a sequel at the end of the movie. Am sure most would agree that a sequel is a big welcome.

All and all I would definately recommend this movie to everyone. It is by far the best movie I've seen all year. Am not saying its Oscar worthy (except maybe for the sound and visual side of things), but as an all rounder its TOPS! If you haven't seen it you better hit the cinemas before its too late. This is definately one movie you wouldn't want to stinge on a pirated DVD. Cinemas were made for these, especially THX certified ones! Hmmm think I'll head down myself for another viewing.

Autobots, transform and roll out!

upcoming flicks...

This year seems to be an interesting one for movies. There are a handful of titles to be released which I'm really looking forward to. Some are old skool favourites while the others are sequels. Out of the few mentioned below, am looking forward to Transformers the most. Practically grew up with this cartoon and their toys. Autobots transform! Hehe.

Here goes. Title, link and expected release date.

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 23 March 2007
2. Spider Man 3 4th May 2007
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 25th May 2007
4. Ocean's Thirteen 8th June 2007
5. Transformers 4th July 2007
6. The Simpsons Movie 25th July 2007

Check em' out of ya interested. Cheers.

review: brokeback mountain...

I just got back from my Singapore trip and before I left I managed to catch Brokeback Mountain. I doubt it will ever be released in Malaysia legally due to 2 major reasons. Firstly its a gay love story which is a big no no in Malaysia. The 2nd reason is our great censors would have so much to chop up that we will only end up with 30 minutes or so and which cinema is going to show that?! Anyways if ever it did make it to Malaysia, I think the title's translation in BM would be either 'Gunung Belakang Sudah Pecah' or 'Gunung Belakang Pokai'. Hehe.

Now back to the review. After watching this movie, I felt rather disturbed. Actually I felt it right around 20 minutes into the show. Now don't get me wrong as I'm not a homophobe but somehow I just couldn't accept the idea. I know its common nowadays and there are more and more open gays out there, but I guess seeing it all the action in the open is too freaky for me. I do have to admit that as a movie, Brokeback Mountain is a gem. From the acting right down to the directing. I hope Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams and Ang Lee win their upcoming Oscar nominations. For Heath and Jake to potray something so difficult and to pull it off so effortlessly is a great achievement. Storywise its not as great as the hype but considering its the first (correct me if I'm wrong) blockbuster gay movie out there, its bound to be sensational. Its surprising that of all directors around, Ang Lee would be the one to pull this off. My hats off to him.

The storyline is about the troubles, confusion and heartache a gay couple faces during the 60s. From hiding the truth from the rest of their world to secretly meeting up just to be together. The story follows their life for 20 years whereby they get married, they get children, one of their spouse catches them smooching, their multiple secret rendezvous on a mountain in Wyoming (although movie shot in Canada) and towards the end where one of them gets beaten to death. Apart from the freaky love affair they share its sad to see the shit they go through especially how it all ends.

I would advise for serious movie buffs to catch this movie. Some of you might not be able to stomach it but its something worth experiencing. To those that have seen it, please hit me back with your comments. I'm interested to see how you perceive this movie. Cheers.

the movies...

Ahh after a handful of months I got to go for my movie binge again. Took Friday off to burn my annual leaves before the year end and booked 2 movies in GSC 1 Utama. First being King Kong at 1130am followed by Narnia at 330pm. King Kong is worth watching at the cinema (make sure its a THX Certified theater as well) but I'll advise to give Narnia a pass. Not worth the effort to get hold of a ticket as well as the packed theater with noisy kiddies. A DVD9 would do just fine. Anyways something striked me at the theater yesterday, its starting to smell like a freaking food joint. Damn GSC is now selling Fish N Chips, Fish Balls and god only knows what else as snacks. Jeeez. Last time it was only the smell of butter from the popcorn or boiled corn as well as an occasional McD burger/fries sneaked in. Now the cinema itself is providing all the stinky food. What a turnoff. All throughout the movie I could smell fries, tomato ketchup and god only knows what else. Sigh. Not to mention the occasional burps from satisfied tummies. Starting to really ruin the cinema experience. Wonder what they will introduce next. Nasi Lemak and Curry Mee maybe. Yuck. At least at GSC the seats are nicely spaced and spacious. So its comfortable throughout the movie.

Sitting through King Kong was one hellave experience. My bladder almost exploded. I'm one of those that can't miss a scene so going to toilet breaks is a big no no. Considering King Kong was 3 freaking hours long, you can imagine the torture. The last time I went through the same problem was when Titanic was released. Phew. I can still feel the pain. Ouch. To make things worse, GSC 1 Utama makes you take a big round before you can get back into the mall. So you can imagine the agony trying to locate a damn toilet! Next time I ain't drinking or getting a drink for any long movies. Its just not worth it.

*Yaawn* Think I better hit the sack now. Been up all day. G'night.

revenge of the sith...

Aahhhh finally I got to watch Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith last night. Been waiting for a long time for the episode that ties everything together. I must say it was a pretty decent effort this time around, compared to Episode 1 and Episode 2. It was sad to see all the Jedis being killed especially by one of their own. George Lucas is an amzing director. To weave such a story with tonnes of characters and action. Throughout the series my favourite is of course Master Yoda but there was another character that I thought was cool in Episode 3 and that is none other than General Grievous. I love how they managed to make him move, cough and fight. The fluidity (if its even a word) of the movements were simply amazing.

Went to Amcorp Mall today and saw some of the toys, figurines and gadgets they had for sale. from Star Wars. They had the lightsaber (which cost RM600 plus!), figurines from the movies and even Darth Vader's mask with a built in voice changer. The mask cost RM180 and 2 of my mates are gonna get it. Can't wait cos I'm curious of how it will sound and if anyone can even put it on. If only I could afford the figurines because the detail on each of them are astounding and they have all the characters. You could replay the whole movie in your bedroom if needed.

Attached below are the top 3 characters of Episode 3. Interesting images I found online via google.