Dominatio Per Malum

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Ghost Rider (2007) 4/10

Painfully mediocre and seriously cheesy at parts.

The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (2007) 5/10

The Postmodern Life of My Aunt boasts of strong performances by Siqin Gaowa in the title role, and Chow Yun Fat as a dubious Romeo. Equal parts comedy, drama and existentialist musing on life, Director Ann Hui’s latest work captures a slice of life of an aging woman in modern day Shanghai. Lovingly shot with beautiful mise en scenes, the film is unfortunately derailed by the lack of a coherent plot, and is instead threaded by a series of vignettes that may or may not mean anything. Parts of the story are virtually recycled cliches that one would expect from TV soap opera, and the entire Chow Yun Fat subplot is predictable from the beginning. While the cast is good and the director still shows her flair, the story itself is unremarkable, especially towards the end where the semi-comedic film takes a walk into depressing territory.

then you should check out these other TV series:

Are you totally annoyed by the ridiculous mid-season break?
Do you think that 1 Heroes episode per week is too little?
Are you suffering from Heroes withdrawal symptoms?
Wasn’t the Sylar-Peter Petrelli showdown totally awesome?
Do you think the space-time continuum will implode if Hiro meets Hiro?

If your answer is yes to any of the questions, congrats, you are a Heroes fan. But what can you do if you have finished every single episode of Heroes so far? Fret not, for i do recommend these sci-fi series that can take up you time in the intervening 1 week lull before new Heroes episodes air:

JOHN DOE: This little known series from 2002 stars Dominic Purcell (of Prison Break) as the genius-savant John Doe. Purcell wakes up in a deserted island with no memory of his past life, but amazingly knows every single fact that is knowable. The concept is golden, and the premise of the show is one of the most original i have ever seen. Unfortunately, the show met a lukewarm response and was canned after 1 season.

THE 4400: Since the 1930s, people have been mysteriously disappearing. Then one day, 4400 of these people suddenly reappear on Earth simultaneously, and it seems that they have returned with special abilities. The 4400 has one of my all time favorite opening sequences, second only to Dexter’s opening. Plus the theme song has only 4 lines but is beautifully hypnotic. Its not quite Heroes, but its an underrated gem that is oftentimes overshadowed by the more famous Heroes. It is already has 3 seasons, with a 4th on the way.

The Hills Have Eyes 2 (2007) 4/10

Re Hills Have Eyes (No. 2) [2007] 4 APR 27
House of Lords

Abstract:

A group of soldier deliver supplies to some scientists in a godforsaken and desolate camp in the middle of nowhere. And encounter psychotic and cannibalistic mutant humans. Soldiers do stupid stuff. Soldiers die. Rinse and repeat formula.

Held (TAN J dissenting): Not a good movie.

Per Curiam: Don’t watch this before a meal.

Per LIM J (KONG, LEONG and TAY LJJ concurring; TAN J dissenting):

From the very first frame, The Hills Have Eyes 2, hereinafter THHE2, sets out to shock. It is, to its credits, very gory with copious bloodletting and various dismembered body parts. By itself, gore and violence is not per se objectionable if it is a means to an end, a way to achieve a purpose. But when it becomes gore for the sake of gore, it quickly numbs the audience to the violence.

Like all slasher flicks, we start with a finite number of characters who will invariably be killed off. The first, and most glaring problem of THHE2 is that most of the characters are generic and boring. There is half-hearted attempt at character development, but for most parts, the audience doesn’t give a damn because none of the characters seem particularly interesting. This is unlike Re Aliens, a landmark sci-fi judgement, which most famously introduced Lt. Ripley into the cinematic world. So what is the difference between Ripley of Aliens and the entire cast of THHE2? Well, Ripley has brains. The entire cast of THEE2 act like idiots.

This is a fatal flaw in THEE2 submissions, which place it amongst more analogous films like Aliens v Predator. The film descends to merely an excuse for gore overload. The problem is that its not even scary. Nauseating yes, scary no. The director trots out the standard horror cliches without thought or subtlety. The best horror films are not the ones with the most copious gore. For example, Re Descent is a far superior film that uses tension, lighting claustrophobia instead of an overload of violence and Re Scream, the granddaddy of slasher flicks at least had characters that were smart enough not to be killed so easily.

THHE2 is so nihilistic and dumb that it is not enjoyable. It may appear to fans of gory films, much like Re Saw and its sequels. Unfortunately, those looking for a good film should steer clear of this generic slasher clone, where the high levels of gore is its one and only redeeming value.

Verdict: 4/10

One of my favorite shows

BBC NEWS | UK | Education | Mathematicians set Chinese test

I’m so glad i don’t take math. Speaking of which, the questions given to 1st yr students by the UK uni, i could do when i was in secondary school. The qn set by the Chinese Uni, though, leaves me with a big headache.

Ken Miller’s talk on Intelligent Design at Case Western University. Ken Miller basically rips Intelligent Design apart in a 2 hour long exposé of the claims of intelligent design and the tactics that creationists employ to get it shoehorned into the American school system.

It feels almost surreal that in a world where 32 lives are senselessly taken in a murderous frenzy, my thoughts are preoccupied with thoughts on trusts, fiduciaries and other examinable stuff. One gets the great desire to just say “frak exams, there are things in life more deserving of our attention.”

By chance, i was just rereading my thoughts on the film Elephant just days before the Virginia Tech shootings.

Moreso than ever i am convinced that Gus Van Sant’s 2003 film on the Columbine High School Shootings, which won the Palm d’Or, is one of the most thought-provoking and powerful films of the past decade. I urge you, if you have a chance to watch this remarkable film.

“This is one of the most haunting, compelling films of the year.”-Eric Snider

“The low-budget “Elephant'’ is bound to become the most debated movie of the fall. Evasive and maddening? You bet. Brilliant, enlightening? That, too. From where I sit, it’s the most important American movie of the year. “- Glenn Lovell

and my favourite quote of all:

“Poised as a question without easy answer, it offers radical proof that movies exist not just to entertain, but to provoke riots in our hearts and minds.”- Manohla Dargis

Today, we are all Hokies.

Martyn See’s film “Zahari’s 17 Years” prohibited by government

SINGAPORE : The film “Zahari’s 17 Years” - directed, shot and edited by Martyn See - will be prohibited from April 12.

The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts said “the film is against public interest.”

It said “the film gives a distorted and misleading portrayal of Said Zahari’s arrest and detention under the Internal Security Act in 1963 and is an attempt to exculpate himself from his past involvement in communist united front activities against the interests of Singapore.”

It added that the Government “will not allow people who had posed a security threat to the country in the past, to exploit the use of films to purvey a false and distorted portrayal of their past actions and detention by the Government.”

The Ministry said this could undermine public confidence in the Government.

The prohibition comes under the Films Act, which means possession and distribution of the film is an offence.

The Ministry said the film was submitted by Martyn See to the Board of Film Censors for classification.

Martyn See’s earlier work “Singapore Rebel” - about Singapore Democratic Party leader Chee Soon Juan - was prohibited as a political film under a different section of the Films Act.

I have only one thing to say : Google Video

S35(2) of the FILMS ACT only prohibits possession and distribution. Perfectly legal to watch it.

The Workers’ Party of Singapore

Sylvia Lim raises a good point:

If we are seriously unable to interest good people into public office, we must ask why other countries can do it and we cannot. Is it just money, or the fact that we have not invested in creating a culture of high public-spiritedness?

In some countries, there are young people aspire to hold public office. SM Goh had previously said that we could not expect to behave like people in other countries because we are a young nation and people still see things in material terms. How sad. After 41 years of nationhood, national service and national day parades, what do we teach our children? Do we judge a person’s worth by his salary? If so, we have wasted millions of tax dollars on these nation-building efforts, which have truly been in vain!

You spin me right round, baby…right round..like a record…round round round round… « MENinWHITE

Economic Times : Singapore economy SLOWED.

Bloomberg : Singapore economy SLOWED.

Wall Street Journal : Singapore economy SLOWED.

The Straits Times : Singapore economy ROBUST!

Ae Fond Kiss/Just a Kiss (2004) 7/10

The tale of starcrossed lovers is not new, and this modern version of Romeo and Juliet doesn’t break any new ground. But with a deft handling of race, religion and integration, Ken Loach’s Just a Kiss is a sensitive and well acted take on a familiar tale.

Bridge to Terabithia (2007) 7/10

I remember reading Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson as a kid. Paterson won the 1978 Newbery Medal for this book and it is probably one of the books that all kids should read. It is a smart, heartfelt and intelligent tale which has been lovingly adapted to screen in this 2007 version. I did not know it when i read it as a kid, but because of the novel’s content it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 at number nine. But it stands in good company. Other so-called ‘objectionable’ books include Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Harry Potter.

But back to the film itself, which is a solid adaptation. Not quite Pan’s Labyrinth, but much better than Narnia. Special mention goes to the cast, especially the 2 main leads Josh Hutcherson & AnnaSophia Robb who reminded me of younger versions of Jake Gyllenhaal & Kiera Knightly, who put in excellent performances. Proving that you don’t need the budget of Harry Potter or Narnia to create a good film. It is an intelligent film that doesn’t dumb down the material to appeal to kids nor does it necessarily feel bound to give a perfunctory happy ending , and as such will find fans even amongst adults.

“Sensitivity is the hallmark of “Terabithia,” which bravely and straightforwardly addresses subjects routinely bypassed by filmmakers, including young people’s interpretations of Christianity.”- Sanford

“It’s both earthy and magical, one for children and adults to enjoy together.”- Michael Wilmington

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