Dominatio Per Malum

Half Nelson (2006) 7/10

Ryan Gosling brings a powerful, sublime intensity to his character in Half Nelson. It is a more subtle kind of performance, lacking in theatrics and the kind of Oscar-bait moments. Despite being nominated for a best actor Oscar, Gosling will not win, not because he is not good enough but because Whitaker is simply better. From his intense performance in The Believer to the subtle nuanced role in Half Nelson, Ryan Gosling shaping up to be one of the best actors of his generation.

Beyond Gosling’s superb performance, Half Nelson is a solidly written film with good supporting roles by Shareeka Epps who displays impressive maturity for her age. However, this is a slow and sometimes meandering film but one definately worth recommending for its stellar performance.

Best picture : Babel Alternate: The Departed (I’m rooting for Babel)

Best director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best actor : Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best actress : Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best supporting actress : Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Best supporting actor : Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Best foreign language film : El Laberinto del Fauno (aka Pan’s Labyrinth), Mexico

Best adapted screenplay : The Departed

Best original screenplay : Babel

Best music (score) : Pan’s Labyrinth

Best documentary feature : An Inconvenient Truth

Best visual effects : Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Best cinematography : Pan’s Labyrinth

Best art direction : Pan’s Labyrinth

Best costume design : Marie Antoinette

Best make-up : Pan’s Labyrinth

Best film editing : Babel

The Fountain opens 22 Feb in cinemas. Anyone wanna watch?

Happy CNY to all.

Apple still quiet on game strategy | CNET News.com

It’s been a little more than a year since Apple switched to Intel chips, a move that some hoped would let Mac users quickly get their hands on the best games. But they’re are still forced to wait for the best titles.

The Last King of Scotland (2006) 8/10

Forest Whitaker WILL win Best Actor. And he totally deserves the statuette. As Ugandan dictator Adi Amin, Whitaker walks the fine line between flamboyance and malevolence. As Amin himself, Whitaker is larger than life, his breezy charisma and occasionally goofball antics hiding a murderous personality.

Seen through the eyes of James McAvoy’s Dr Garrigan, Amin is at once a lovable bear and a cruel despot. A savvy charmer and an erratic administrator. This was the man who called himself ‘The Last King of Scotland’ and “President for Life, and Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea” (I am NOT kidding, he really declared himself that!). This was the man, whose bizarre policies included exiling all the Asians in Uganda. While James McAvoy’s character provides a good foil to Amin, his character is also the weakest part of the Last King of Scotland. No doubt, McAvoy puts on a solid performance, but in light of Whitaker’s overwhelming presence, i feel that McAvoy is often dwarfed. And given the subject matter of the film, i felt that Amin’s genocidal policies were given insufficient time.

Granted, this are minor quibbles because the real reason to watch the Last King is Whitaker’s masterful performance. It is his finest role to date, an engrossing enigma who is as cruel as he is charismatic. When the ending credits roll and we see footages of the real Idi Amin, we also realize how uncannily Whitaker has absorbed this role.

“His sleepy eyes hinting at buried malevolence, his significant girth simultaneously a symbol of indolence and raw power, Whitaker’s Amin will make you flinch in your seat each time he appears.”- Larson

“In a bravura performance, Whitaker brings out the charm of the tyrant, based on his own insecurities and fears, as well as the terror.”- Emanuel Levy

“Starting as a lively adventure, this film slowly twists into a haunting and unforgettable thriller, using real life events to tell a devastatingly powerful story.”- Rich Cline

Battlestar Galactica is confirmed for a 4th season!

Desperate Housewives, after one good episode in Season 3,has returned to the monotony of mediocre episodes.

Bullets Over Summer (1999) 7/10

Bullets Over Summer is an excellent example of a film where Francis Ng shines. Effortlessly blending cop drama, comedy and action, this 1999 film by Wilson Yip may go over-the-top at times but is nevertheless a classic example of HK films done right.

One Last Dance(2006) 4/10

The best praise i can give it is that it has a good, almost addictive soundtrack and that it looks good visually. You have got to give it some credit for making Singapore look totally unlike Singapore. But beyond visuals and music, the rest of the film is a mess. Its like an amateur trying to imitate Tarantino and failing miserably. Francis Ng tries to save the film, and to his credit he does put in an effort but this is clearly not among his best works and there is only so much he can do to salvage his one-diemensional character. Vivian Hsu is the classical flower vase, while Ti Lung doesn’t do much actually and Harvey Keitel’s role is so minuscule you suspect that he was roped in just to add some dash of Hollywood into this film.

The script is ultimately its downfall, being needlessly confusing. The film does not necessarily progress in chronological order, and the director tries to create a surprising denouement in the third act, but instead of getting The Usual Suspects, we get a muddled screenplay. Its partly financed by Raintree Pictures and instead of hiring a good director, you know someone like Christopher Nolan or David Fincher, it seems the budget only allows for a third-tier director like Max Makowski and a lousy script.

is very good!

Although it didn’t start off on a good footing. I felt that the first episode was abit confusing, and the show doesn’t really establish the background and immediately plunges into the storyline. It may take you a few episodes to understand what everything is, like what is the difference between an Entourage and an AutoReiv. It can also get cerebral at times, with some of the episodes towards the end getting somewhat philosophical.

But still, great graphic+ engaging characters + script that stays ahead of you= an anime that is good enough to make it into my viewing list. The series is slow at the beginning, but quickly picks up pace after eps 5 or 6, and by the middle mark, i was hooked.

Memories of Matsuko(2006) 7/10

If Dreamgirls was the best musical of 2006, then Memories of Matsuko comes a close second. A frenetic riot of colours and some beautiful mise en scenes, Matsuko presents a contrasting approach to how the Japanese approach the muscial. Miki Nakatani delivers a remarkable performance as the title lead, and the film delivers equal parts energy and pathos. However, i felt the attempt to blend muscial with greek tragedy a tad jarring, and the sometimes whimsical musical sequences did not always work. But still the visual creativity of the film and verve makes Memories of Matsuko a solid film.

Dreamgirls (2006) 8/10

Eddie Murphy acts! And Jennifer Hudson impresses. Quite possibly the best musical since Chicago, director Bill Condon crafts an energetic and enjoyable film that is more fun than Ray and actually banks on its strong cast rather than snazzy musical numbers to to work.

Compared to the more likes of Moulin Rouge and Chicago, Dreamgirls is considerably more subdued in its musical numbers. But it features a strong cast who can actually sing. More importantly it features Eddie Murphy in a decent albeit over the top performance. This has got to be the first time in many years that Murphy is actually acting as opposed to fooling around. And likewise Jennifer Hudson has garnered critical praise for her role, and looks set to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Plotwise, its a fairly generic tale about the rise of a girl band. Nothing particularly impressive. There are many songs featured, but the film lacks that killer song that can really sweep the audience off their feet. In terms of awards, it seems that Murphy and Hudson, after winning the Golden Globes for Best Supporting actor and actress, are the likely favourites for the Oscar. Dreamgirls failed to secure a Best Picture Oscar nomination though, and i agree. While Dreamgirls is one of the best musicals in years, its still a long way from Best Picture status, especially considering the competition this year.

As for the acting awards, although i think Murphy and Hudson will likely win the Oscars, i feel that this year’s Best Supporting Actress should go to Rinko Kikuchi for Babel and Best Supporting Actor to Jack Nicholson for The Departed (Nicholson was not even nominated!). Still Dreamgirls ranks as one of the best films of the year.

“Dreamgirls is a wonderful entertainment: a musical that, while not skimping on the music, delivers a multi-layered storyline featuring complex characters” - Berardinelli

“The reason why so many people love the Broadway show is the same reason everyone should love the movie, as the show’s catchy tunes are given new life in the capable hands of Bill Condon and his impressive cast, particularly newcomers like Jennifer Hudson and Keith Robinson. “- Edward Douglas

Courts Turn to Wikipedia, but Selectively - New York Times

A simple search of published court decisions shows that Wikipedia is frequently cited by judges around the country, involving serious issues and the bizarre — such as a 2005 tax case before the Tennessee Court of Appeals concerning the definition of “beverage” that involved hundreds of thousands of dollars, and, just this week, a case in Federal District Court in Florida that involved the term “booty music” as played during a wet T-shirt contest.

More than 100 judicial rulings have relied on Wikipedia, beginning in 2004, including 13 from circuit courts of appeal, one step below the Supreme Court. (The Supreme Court thus far has never cited Wikipedia.)

“Wikipedia is a terrific resource,” said Judge Richard A. Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, in Chicago. “Partly because it so convenient, it often has been updated recently and is very accurate.” But, he added: “It wouldn’t be right to use it in a critical issue. If the safety of a product is at issue, you wouldn’t look it up in Wikipedia.”

Still waiting for local courts to cite wikipedia… Or maybe if HL cites wikipedia, then all law students will be given legitimacy to do so. I suspect if Denning were alive, he wouldn’t mind citing wikipedia.

S’pore’s PAP rebuts online critics anonymously–daily

Other than sounding like a really pathetic PR attempt, the article is also contains choice quotes:
‘The Straits Times quoted Baey as saying that the messages were only effective if they were not “too obvious” lest they resemble “propaganda”.’

Um, maybe he doesn’t understand the meaning of propaganda. Oxford Concise dictionary defines it as:

propaganda

• noun: information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.

Aiyo, liddat also can be MP arh?

The Painted Veil(2006) 8/10

Simply Exquisite. Despite its slow, languid pacing and fairly predictable plot, The Painted Veil is melodrama at its finest. John Curran has made an excellent adaptation of the novel, and he combines lush cinematography with an excellent cast for one of the best romantic films of 2006.

The strength of the film lies in the leading performance by Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. Not only are they singularly good, they also boast of excellent chemistry. Alot of the film deals in subtleties, and what is unspoken is as important as what is said. Every little detail, every sideways glance can mean so much. In short, a brilliant film with memorable performances by Norton and Watts.

“Curran has crafted a film that accomplishes so much. It not only draws us into this personal drama between his two principal actors, but also sets it all against a vibrant background of an ancient civilization struggling to become modern.” Chicago Sun Times

‘”The Painted Veil” may begin too slowly, but it also ends too soon.’ - New York Daily News

Find Me Guilty (2006) 5/10

Only occasionally interesting, although Vin Diesel isn’t too bad in a dramatic role. The problem is that there are long stretches of boringness.

DOA(2006) 3/10

Not even the eye candy can save the wretched plot, stilted dialogue and lousy acting.

Big Movie(2006) 1/10

This HK version of film parody does the equivalent of throwing everything including the kitchen sink into a film and hoping that something works. Painfully unfunny, the film not only plagiarizes extensively, it manages to make it remarkably boring. Spoof has never been this bad.

Knight’s Tale(2001) 5/10

Mediocre plot and casting makes this a painfully average film. Paul Bettany impresses in a supporting role as a jester but the rest of the film is very derivative.

Baise Moi(2001) 2/10

Shocking for the sake of shocking, but eventually the law of diminishing returns comes in. The lack of any coherent plot and the general aimlessness of this film makes it just plain bad. A clumsy, and poorly filmed imitation of better films like Sympathy For Lady Vengeance or La Femme Nikita.

Severance(2007) 5/10

The film tries to juggle humor with horror and succeeds in doing neither. Its not funny. Its not scary either. Its just plain mediocre.