Dominatio Per Malum

Due to Life, i won’t have the time nor energy to watch movies, much less review them. So, this blog won’t be updated very much. From time to time, if i am very free and it strikes my fancy, i might write something down. Otherwise, this blog is for all intents and purposes semi-dead.

Still, here are some of the films which i recently watched. I may not even bother to write anything about it so just look at the numerical rating.

Australia (2008) 6/10

Way too long and overindulgent. But entertaining nonetheless.

The Girlfriend Experience (2009) 6/10

Stephen Soderberg follows up his epic, 2 part film Che with a small, arthouse flick that uses Sasha Grey as stunt casting. But Ms Grey is surprisingly good in the lead role and the film’s disjointed time-line whilst mildly annoying at first actually enhances the film. While the film looks great, and Sasha Grey provides the requisite eye candy, the film feels distant and the main character remains a cipher, whose motivations and personality never rise to the surface.

Speedy Scandal (2008) 8/10

Despite a totally hackneyed and predictable plot, the film was one of the top grossing Korean films of 2008. And understandably so because it is a great crowd-pleaser and is highly entertaining. Cha Tae-hyun may be repeating the same performance he did in My Sassy Girl but he is so pitch perfect as the comical battered male that you just don’t care that he is recycling his persona. It may not be art, but it sure is entertaining.

Push (2009) 5/10

It has a nice soundtrack. That’s the most positive thing i can say about this film.

Coraline (2009) 8/10

Easily one of the best films of the year and definitely in the running for best animated film (currently only Pixar’s Up seems to be its only challenger) Coraline is a dark, intelligently crafted tale that will win the hearts of adults. Its not really kid friendly and i can best describe it as Pan’s Labyrinth turned into an animated film. Visually, top marks. Its a smart and beautifully rendered film that deserves to be seen.

Yes Man(2008) 3/10

Just Say No to this.

Stage Beauty (2004) 7/10

Claire Danes is good but it is Billy Crudup who gives a phenomenal performance.

JCVD (2008) 8/10

Jean Claude Van Damme in his best film ever. Surprisingly, JCVD is an affectionate, entertaining movie that actually gives Van Damme the opportunity to show off his acting chops. Just as the Wrestler gave Mickey Rourke a new start, JCVD equally gives Van Damme the best film he has ever made. Unfortunately, noone seems to have noticed, but JCVD is well worth taking a look, if only for an amazing extended soliloquy given by Van Damme which is as honest as it is heartbreaking.

Franklyn (2008) 4/10

Bold concept, interesting visuals. But I can’t fucking understand the damn film!

Romeo + Juliet (1996) 3/10

Never ever ever ever let your cast speak in iambic pentameters. The characters speak in Shakespearean dialogue, which unless you are studying R&J as part of Lit class means that the average viewer can’t catch the dialogue. Not even a winsome pairing of Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio could save this overwrought mess.

Suspect X (2008) 5/10

Retarded plot.

Still Walking (2008) 6/10

Very Arthouse and incredibly slow but if you have the patience, Hirokazu Kore-eda weaves an intriguing tale that explores family dynamics. I was a tad disappointed with this because his earlier film Nobody Knows was one of my all time favourite films.

Last Chance Harvey (2008) 6/10

Annie Hall (1977) 6/10

Overrated.

Two Lovers (2008) 5/10

It’s a good thing that Joaquin Phoenix wants to quit acting, because he is not a particularly good actor.

Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

A New View of the Early Earth, Thanks to Australian Rocks - NYTimes.com
The first 700 million years of Earth’s 4.5-billion-year existence are known as the Hadean period, after Hades, or, to shed the ancient Greek name, Hell. …
Geologists now almost universally agree that by 4.2 billion years ago, the Earth was a pretty placid place, with both land and oceans. Instead of hellishly hot, it may have frozen over. Because the young Sun put out 30 percent less energy than it does today, temperatures on Earth might have been cold enough for parts of the surface to have been covered by expanses of ice.

Ideas and Trends - The Chief Justice, Dylan and the Disappearing Double Negative - NYTimes.com

Four pages into his dissent on Monday in an achingly boring dispute between pay phone companies and long distance carriers, John G. Roberts Jr., the chief justice of the United States, put a song lyric where the citation to precedent usually goes.

“The absence of any right to the substantive recovery means that respondents cannot benefit from the judgment they seek and thus lack Article III standing,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote. “ ‘When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose.’ Bob Dylan, Like a Rolling Stone, on Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia Records 1965).”

Maybe one day there will be citations to film in legal opinions.

On the first day of work, my computer hanged and i saw the blue screen of death for the first time in many years. It was such a nostalgic sight. I was almost happy to see the blue screen. Wierd.

Study Says Eldest Children Have Higher I.Q.s - New York Times

The eldest children in families tend to develop slightly higher I.Q.s than their younger siblings, researchers are reporting, based on a large study that could effectively settle more than a half-century of scientific debate about the relationship between I.Q. and birth order

Cars (2006) 7/10

Despite the predictability of the plot, Cars is an enjoyable jaunt into Pixar’s world that comes with its good graphics and an enjoyable albeit cliche storyline

Ginger Snaps (2001) 5/10

Better off as an angsty coming of age tale than a wannabe werewolf flick. The lack of budget clearly shows in the werewolf that is more laughable than scary, which takes away any possible dramatic tension. The last part of the film feels like a tired SCREAM retread, and the film ultimately ranks as mediocre B-horror offering.

Eragon (2006) 5/10

Eragon is a tale about a farmboy, Luke Skywalker Eragon who must battle the evil Darth Vadar King Galbatorix. Galbatorix was once a jedi knight dragonrider who fell into the dark side and killed his fellow jedis dragonriders. Guided by Qui Gon Jin obligatory mentor figure who happens to be an ex-jedi Dragonrider. He must save the beautiful Princess Leia Sienna Guillory even though Yoda Jeremy Irons asks hims not to.

The film basically plagiarizes Stars Wars and imitates Lord of The Rings with even a dash of Harry Potter. The result is a clunky, sometimes ridiculous but definitely inferior version of the abovementioned films. Edward Speelers as Eragon is painfully wooden as the lead character and exudes zero charisma. John Malkovich painfully overacts while the rest of the cast sleepwalks through the film. The poorly written script is exacerbated by the frequent use of deus ex machinas to further the plot, like how Eragon will magically discover new skills to get out of dangerous situations, or the dragon magically grows to adulthood in the manner of minutes. The landscape and battle scenes ape LOTR, but one cannot shake off the feel that it is a lousy imitation of the real deal. The only praise i can give is that the dragon is well rendered. Beyond that Eragon is a poor imitation of far better films, and a poorly executed imitation at that.

Shortbus (2006) 6/10

Largely a mixed bag, the film sometimes works as a mediation of love and sexuality in the modern age. The controversial explicitness is there; the film falters not because of that, but because the multiple plotlines are not sufficiently interesting enough to sustain audience attention. Overall, occasionally interesting, but lacks focus.

Paris Je’taime (2006) 6/10

Like all collections of short films, there are good and bad parts. I liked the Coen Bros piece featuring Steve Buscemi as well as the Sin City meets Underwold piece with Elijah Wood. Others range from occasionally amusing to boring. Good for an occasional distraction, this omnibus of short films by different directors gives Paris the perfect showcase of its status as the city of love, but the uneven quality of the shots prevent me from recommending it heartily.

Via XKCD

You Should Get a JD (Juris Doctor)

You’re logical, driven, and ruthless. You’d make a mighty fine lawyer.

is Darren Aronofsky’s long delayed film The Fountain.

Starring Rachael Weisz, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Burstyn and Sean Gullette.

Expected Date of Completion: 2005/2006

After being held in abeyance because Brad Pitt left in 2002, Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain looks set to be out late this year or by 2006 latest, judging from what Aronofsky said at Comic Con. And why is The Fountain so hugely anticipated? Its not because it stars Weisz and Jackman, but because it is directed by argurably the most talented director alive, Darren Aronofsky, who is my favourite director of all time. That alone ensures that i’ll want to watch it. Seriously, Aronofsky IS that good.

how jedi are you? :: by lawrie malen

I received my Freshman Guide in the post yesterday night. The choice of using the imagery of running seem rather unfortunate, as if implying that life in NUS is gonna be some kind of a rat race, a competitive ethos that is at odds with my laid-back, slacker creed.

Anyways, range wasn’t as bad as i expected it to be even if rifle cleaning is still a bitch. I had a decent pass, and i’m still suffering the effects of sleep deprivation to write more.

Nursing a sore throat today. Probably because i didn’t drink enough water at range. Since my P2P connection is screwed, and my comp can’t play the really good games i want to play, i’m back to replaying old favourites Heroes of Might and Magic 3, and having a great time trashing my brother in hotseat play.

If there’s anything you learn from this post, its that Necropolis in Heroes 3 is teh l33t. 100+ Vampire Lords will take down any non-undead adversary with nary a scratch. Especially when backed up with Expert Implosion.

At the core of Marx’s revolutionary perspective was his profoundly anti-authoritarian stance towards all that went before him. *No one* was spared critique, even those he in many ways identified with and learned from philosophically and politically. Thus, his favorite motto: ‘De omnibus dubitandum’ (’doubt everything’). This was Marx’s standpoint — without which a thorough-going critique of political economy would not have been possible…”

Taken from here.

A worthy motto. Be critical of what you learnt, and never take something at face value. Sadly its easier said than done. But something worth aspiring to nonetheless.