Movie Review: Where Got Ghost?

First Impression: A slapstick comedy with a tinge of horror, set in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the month of the Hungry Ghost. Should be fun.

Why one would watch it: Because it is directed by Jack Neo, a Singaporean director/actor who is brilliant in capturing the lives of Singaporeans and sometimes Malaysians in his movies, typically known to be excellent in sometimes choking tears and laughter out of you in quick succession and sometimes leaving you feeling guilty at the end of the movie. Oh, and the movies he directs are damn funny.

What to keep an eye out for: In this movie, err… nothing. Just sit back and enjoy it. Oh yeah, there is one scene that can give you a jolt, kids may get nightmares, or they may laugh their butts off. Oh, and if you don’t speak Hokkien, most of the humour may be lost in translation.

Spoilers-filled Review: Do not read if you intend to watch the movie.

Where got ghost better translated as I don't see a ghost, do you?

The movie is actually made up of three stories that are not linked to each other except that all the stories are told in a Singaporean setting and some of the actors are recycled.

Anyways, the three stories told are Roadside got Ghost, Forest got Ghost and House got Ghost. The first story is about three swindlers who try to scam unknowing lottery buyers into parting with their winnings.

The idea is actually quite fascinating. And brilliant!

The swindlers randomly call up 9999 people and under the pretence that a diety gave them winning numbers to give to these people, the swindlers will give each of them one of the 9999 possible combinations of 4D numbers to buy. If that person wins, then they are donate 20% of the winnings to the diety aka swindlers.

It’s a win-win situation.

If one of the winners refuse to pay up, they, for example, drop potted plants on the lottery buyers to scare them into thinking that the diety is angry with them for backing out of their promise of parting with the 20% commission. It’s so devilish, it almost worked, until the head of the swindlers got a call from someone also playing the same game. You have to watch the movie to know how this ends.

I was a bit disappointed as some details of the story did not make sense but who am I to question the script writer eh?

The second story tells about two soldiers who were on national service training in the jungles of Singapore. I didn’t realize Singapore had jungles… never mind. Anyways, one skinny talkative soldier got paired up with another chubbier and not so bright soldier in their run through the forest. During the briefing they were told about a thousand times to not take shortcuts.

Take a guess at what they did.

They got hopelessly lost, bumped into ‘something’ while pooping in the jungle (clear view of their bottoms in that shot – they need to work out a little) and got directions from a plump and innocent-looking girl who lives nearby. Torrential rain forced them to seek shelter at the girl’s home where one of the soldiers tries to take a peek at the girl taking a shower, only to see something else through the key hole.

Halfway through the movie, you start asking yourself is the girl a ghost or not? See the climax of the movie for an answer to all the questions in this story. It’s a bit long if you ask me but Nan (skinny soldier) really gets people cracking with much of his BS.

And I’m not very impressed with the CG used but hey, who am I to criticize the level of technology used in SE Asian films these days?

The third story is an extension of the previous movie, Money Not Enough II. Yeah the one about the three brothers that only their mother can love. The movie picks up right after the mother’s death. The three brothers and their families got together for a reunion.

Before dinner, they burnt joss sticks for their deceased mother, each complaining to their mother that money (their income) is still not enough.

Later, each brother gets dreams where their dead mother comes back to either haunt or visit them eerily. I can’t tell the difference but I wouldn’t want to visit my kids the way the mother did, would scare them to death. Or is that the real reason behind it all?

Hmm… Anyways, the two younger brothers, scared silly with the frequent dreams (or nightmares, whichever way you see it) forces the eldest brother to put their mother’s tablet at a temple.

*A tablet is a physical prayer piece that belongs to a deceased, their names and date of death inscribed onto the surface. Descendents pray to the tablet as a sign of respect. The tablet can be placed at home or at a temple.

In the movie, strange things were happening to the eldest brother when he sent the tablet to the temple. He then calls up the two brothers who just told him he was dreaming and the three of them set off to meet with a KL businessman who can help them settle their financial problems.

On the way, they see their mother again. And we find out why the mother has been ‘visitng’ them all this while.

It’s a heartfelt one, this story. This one won’t leave you crying but it’s a heartwarming story nonetheless. Nan, the soldier makes his second appearance in this story.

After the movie: It’s not really one of his great works but since it is Jack Neo’s first attempt at a horror comedy, I guess it’s a good try. Singaporeans are known to be great horror story-tellers; I deduced this from the millions of Singaporean horror tale books found in the shelves of Malaysian bookstores. I never read even one book from the whole franchise though.

Don’t think I would start any time soon.

Movie Review: 2012 (spoilers alert!)

Movie Review: 2012

First impression: A whole piece of land with cars, houses, buildings and highways was lifted and broken apart, slowly plunging into the ocean like a ship going under. This is a disaster movie with nothing good except CG.

Why one would watch it: Roland Emmerich, Jerry Bruckheimer, Danny Glover, John Cusack. Whichever floats your boat.

What to keep an eye out for:
A lot of deaths. A whole lot of it. From massive destructions of the most awesomest kind! Which makes it real fun to watch.

Spoiler alert (please do not read further if you intend to watch the movie):

Last warning!

Consider the movie spoiled:

Out of 6 billion people, I think less than 0.1% survived the world in Roland Emmerich's 2012. That's pretty much the highest movie casualty of all time. Apart from this I think the movie did justice to the whole end-of-the-world thing.

First things first, it is the end of the world. As in the whole world, not just the United States *grins*. God knows how many times Americans try to label their land as the world by itself in almost all the disaster movies ever done.

Hence, the need to get many other nations involved in the movie to make it believable. So we have the astrophysicist scientist from India who discovered the beginning of the end of the world, China which provided the space, manpower and materials to build the Arks that are needed to save the world, Russian and Arab customers that bought their places in the Arks at ($1 billion euro per head. Is that even a number?), the French that saved valuable art pieces from the time of the Renaissance, Tibetans who talked on the peaks of mountains, two African Americans who were heroes in their own right in the movie and the Cape of Good Hope in Africa as the starting point of the regeneration of the human species. In the movie, there were English dialogues, Chinese, French, Indian and even Tibetan.

I loved it.

The casting is also quite impressive.

Danny Glover (of Lethal weapon 1 to 4, Mel Gibson's partner in crime) as the U.S. President, Chiwetel Ejiofor (of American Gangsters) as a brilliant young scientist who highlighted the problem to the US govt, John Cusack (no intro needed), a writer of a book which served as a red herring, with Amanda Peet (who looks a lot like Linda Hamilton) as a divorced couple on the run with their two children, Oliver Platt (of Lake Placid) who did a great job at being the biggest jackass of all time, Thandie Newton (of Mission Impossible) as the President's daughter, Woody Harrelson who did a stunning job as Charlie Gone-Loco, the conspiracy-theory DJ, Patrick Bauchau (of The Pretender fame) as the director of the Louvre museum, Chin Han (of Dark Knight Hong Kong triad lord Lau) who is a chinese national and welder who worked on the Arks, and Jimi Mistry (of EastEnders fame) as the brilliant Indian scientist who started this all back in 2009... in the film.

Casting aside, the movie does great in the computer graphics department, having destroyed Yellowstone, San Francisco, Los Angeles, the White House, St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine chapel, Hawaii and not to mention having relocated the South Pole.

As for the annihilation sector, to sum it up, I think the director told the graphic artists to 'keep no prisoners'.

There were instances in the movie where you and your humanity are tested. Tears will fall, numerous times throughout the two and a half hours. There were a couple of areas where a quick run at humour is greatly appreciated by the audience. But ultimately, it is the clinging of Hope that the storyline presented to the audience that truly captivated me. Heroism is also well-portrayed throughout the movie, almost as much as selfishness is. And I should not forget, the lingering question in everyone's mind, "If this is truly the end of the world, what would you have done towards the end?"

After the movie:

At the end of it, the movie leaves one thinking, if 2012 is really the end of the world as we know it, will we have acted like the people in this stunning movie? Would we have acted worse, or would we have done one better than they? I sincerely hope that we will never find out.

But you have GOT to watch the movie. It's a blast!

THE MAGIC OF DISNEY

Living in the small town of Tawau there wasn’t much to do except go to school, go for tuition, swimming classes, art classes, music classes … you get the drift. It was all work no play for Eva’s mom. Our only form of entertainment was a video player and tons and tons of taped and retaped Disney cartoons.

Hence, I grew up watching Disney animated movies such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Dumbo (I cried my eyes out), Bambi (I cried my heart out), Pinocchio, Lady and the Tramp, Robin Hood, Oliver and Company, Alice in Wonderland, Jungle Book, Aristocats, 101 Dalmations, Sword in the Stone and the Rescuers.

Later on, I was stuck on Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, the Little Mermaid, the Lion King, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch (a favourite), and much later on, Pixar animated films like A bug’s life, Monster’s Inc., Toy Story 1 and 2, Finding Nemo (a favourite), Ratatouille, the Incredibles (my all-time favourite) and most recently Bolt and Up.

Disney is also responsible for movies like Enchanted, Hidalgo, the Princess Diaries, Pirates of the Carribbean 1,2 and 3, High School Musical 1, 2 and 3 (the only Disney movie listed here that I did not watch), National Treasure 1 and 2.

I’m looking forward to The Princess and the Frog and Rapunzel.

Wow, I’m such a Disney geek.

Okay, ramblings aside, Disney was synonymous with Happily-Ever-Afters, Prince Charmings and Princesses, villains in all forms (related or not) and good triumphing over evil or bad.

Everything was clear cut; everything was black and white; everything was simple.

From all those years of ‘research’, here are some of the typical themes in Disney movies.

Fairies use wands and have oddly-proportioned wings.
e.g. Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Pinocchio.

Stepmothers are evil.
e.g. Snow White, Cinderella (and because these two are the forefronts of the Disney heritage, it will forever be imprinted in our minds that stepmoms are evil)

Villains exist in family circles.
e.g. Snow White and her stepmom, Cinderella and her stepmom+stepsisters, Simba and his uncle, Scarface.

You can be the hero or heroine only if you have no parents or just one.
Snow White (orphan), Tarzan (orphan), Aladdin (orphan), Mowgli (orphan), Peter Pan (orphan), Wart aka Arthur (orphan), Simba (only mom), Dumbo (just Mom), Cinderella (where’s her father?), Ariel the mermaid (only Dad), Nemo (only Dad), Tarzan’s gf, Jane (only Dad), Princess Jasmine (only Dad), Pocahontas (only Dad), Bambi (just Dad), Belle (only Dad).
Exceptions: Hercules (doesn’t know who his parents are), Mulan (they only come in at the beginning and at the end), the Incredibles (it’s a family so this does not count.)

There’s always a tinge of royalty somewhere.
Aladdin’s gf is a princess.
Cinderella’s bf is a prince.
Ariel, Snow White, Aurora are princesses.
Belle’s beast is a prince in reality.
Tarzan, Simba, Bambi and Pocahontas are royalty in their own lands.
Hercules is major royalty – son of Zeus aka Greek God.
Princess in the movie Enchanted and the Princess Diaries are a little off the tradition but still, princesses.

Female villains have very weird hairdos or hairpieces.
e.g. Ursula in Little Mermaid, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, Cruella de Ville in 101 Dalmations, the stepmother and step sisters (Prunella and Godzilla –whatever their names are) in Cinderella,

Princes and princesses are incredibly good-looking, have flawless skin, are well built , are not stuck up and have good morals too. The kind of people you look for in dating services.
All Disney princes and princesses

Animals talk. Particularly if you are a dog or cat.
All Disney cartoons.

If you’re the hero or heroine, you can definitely sing in tune.
All Disney cartoons.

If you’re the villain, you can definitely sing in tune.
All Disney cartoons.

If you’re a talking animal, you can definitely sing in tune.
All Disney cartoons.

The good always wins in the end and happily ever after is a definite must.
All Disney cartoons.

The last one is probably one of the strongest reasons why we all love Disney. Deep down inside, everyone is looking for a happy ending and whilst our ending does not come after the credits, at least when we are in the cinemas or in front of the telly watching a Disney animated film, we forget all our worries, submit to the stereotypes and succumb to that nonsensical notion that good will forever be triumphant over evil.

15Malaysia Project: METER (feat Khairy Jamaluddin, Baki Zainal, Namewee, J Lo and Amber Chia)

Meter has got to be one of the best of the 15Malaysia projects in terms of the content, how the story is delivered (interesting and believable) and hitting the point home. 

Meter features a cast of familiar faces like Khairy Jamaluddin (UMNO Youth Chief) as the babbling and hipocritical taxi driver, Jason Lo and Baki Zainal (of Mr Siao's Mandarin Class fame, he is still brilliant here) as unsuspecting passengers, and cameos by Malaysian Supermodel Amber Chia and Potong Saga's Namewee.

See the video below and rather than be pissed by the truths or half-truths found in the video, learn to laugh at ourselves for that's what makes us humans, and that's what makes us Malaysians.

Korean Drama: Six Children (second update)

Apparently there are plenty of people who really love the korean drama Six Children that I posted here awhile back. See the first update to find where you can order it, if that is your thing. In a response made by Angie to the conclusion of the drama, I'm sorry Angie, I can't find anyone who I know who has caught the finale but I will keep on searching.

In the meantime, I'd like to leave this link which leads to a translation of the Korean wiki entry for the movie. I was surprised to find that the original korean version was not entitled Six Children but "Always has sunny spring day [sic]" and alternatively as Six brothers and sisters. There are a few links at the bottom of the page which leads you to the official web page for the movie. They're all either in korean or chinese, and the translations are funnier than they are helpful. Still, maybe some of you will be able to decipher the conclusion for the rest of us.

Here is also a weak result of a short research: the Youtube video of the 1998 opening of the series. There you will find the korean title for the movie: 육남매 Yuknammae. 

Now to seek out that conclusion.

Movie Review: Up

Movie Review: Up

First impression: Ooo.. another Pixar blockbuster. And a talking dog. SQUIRREL!

Why one would watch it: It’s Pixar. Nuf' said.

What to keep an eye out for: Tears. *sob sob*

Up

Spoiler alert:

I know that this movie is a winner in the box office in the US. It is the second highest grossing film for Pixar in the US, after Finding Nemo. I loved, love and will forever love Finding Nemo. Anyways, regardless of what others say the movie is about, the movie is what you want it to be.

For me it is a story about stepping out of your comfort zone to fulfil a promise to a lost love. Even though it is a little too late. This is when the phrase "it's the thought that counts" really comes to mind.

We follow Carl Fredricksen in his admiration of Charles Muntz, an adventurer who went to Paradise Fall in search of never-before-seen monster birds. After bringing back a specimen of bones, he was declared a fraud by scientists (in an era where Science was not even Science yet). Humiliated and adamant to clear his name, he vowed to go back to Paradise Falls and return with a live monster bird.

At the end of the film Carl was watching, Muntz who was a lover of dogs (which would explain why his name sounds like a dog's) set off in a blimp (that's a hot air oval balloon the size of planes for you youngsters) to Paradise Falls. Piqued, and in total awe of his hero's bravery, Carl makes his way home in full adventurer form. He stumbles upon a dilapidated home, hearing the voice of another fellow adventurer having his own adventure inside the house.

Inside he finds a nutty-looking adventurer. A girl. A fellow admirer of his hero Charles Muntz. A friend who is as talkative as he is silent.

He found Ellie.

After a slight incident and a scene where they officially became friends where Ellie gives Carl her most secret, prized possession "My Adventure Book", we were treated with a beautiful and heart-warming music montage of Carl, a balloonman and Ellie, a zookeeper growing up, getting married, buying and then living in the house they had first met in, and growing old together.

Fast forward to the future. Carl is 78 and living alone in a house that developers are dying to tear down for construction of new skyscrapers. After an accident, he is sentenced by a court to go live in a home for the elderly. Not a man to take this while lying down, Carl came up with a plan to avoid leaving his house and finally fulfilling his wife's dream to go to Paradise Falls as how their favourite hero Muntz did.

He tied balloons to his house and the house flew up, up into the sky... with a scout in tow.

Cue Russell.

Russell: May I be of some assistance?

Carl and Russell gets to Paradise Falls with Russell's GPS, meets some strange new friends, encounter new adventures together and was treated with a horrific surprise throughout the whole film. Expect plenty of laughs and suspense, as you would have when you were a child.

After the movie:

This is a Pixar movie. Some people would just love it, just because it is a Pixar movie. Me, I'm a little let down by it. The pace of the movie was too slow, Russell was not hyperactive enough as a kid and thus not so believable. Sure he is lovable, chatty and really one you would love to spend a weekend (not two) with. But... but... there's just something about him that I can't put my finger on.

Ooo.. what was really exciting was that, Russell was the first Asian lead character in a Pixar film. He is voiced by Jordan Nagai, a Japanese American who was cast in the role although his brother was the one who auditioned for it.

I loved the portrayal of Carl and Ellie's relationship and wished that there was more of Ellie to see.The kind of love Carl had for Ellie was the undying sort, meant to continue even when one half of the equation is already gone.

At the end of the movie, there was a dedication of the movie to the real Carl and Ellie Fredricksen. Until now, I have yet to find out who these two endearing people are. Perhaps it will pop out one day, when another Pixar film hits the screen.

Movie Review: District 9

Movie Review: District 9

First impression: It’s a movie produced by Peter Jackson of the LOTR trilogy fame. It was extended from a short film, with regards to aliens living together with humans.

Why one would watch it: It’s a movie by Peter Jackson. And aliens. And gore.

What to keep an eye out for: Strong violent images, strong language, blood, dismemberment (minor)

District 9

Spoiler alert:
What one should watch it for: On the surface, it sells as a sci-fi movie but halfway through the movie you will discover that it goes deeper than that. Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, this movie by Neil Blomkamp, searches the depths of humanity, of what it is like to be similar on the inside but so wanting to be different on the outside.

The protagonist, a Wikus van der Merwes (played by the very talented Sharlto Copley) is a field operative of MNU (Multinational United), a corporation that seems to deal with the aliens well being. The aliens, being stuck on Earth without any way to return to their home by reasons unknown, are to be relocated from District 9 to District 10; the relocation considered a form of eviction which requires signatory consent by the aliens.

Wikus was sent to lead the teams that will serve the eviction notices, forcing the individual aliens to submit and sign the eviction notices using fire power, intimidation, blackmail (you want me to call child services?) and not hesitating to gun down Prawns (the slang for the aliens) in the process.

However, when Wikus meets with a freak accident related to a form of liquid fuel that has been collected by one of the Prawns, he undergoes an even freakier transition from human to alien. He grows an alien limb which allows him to utilize alien weaponry.

The military government sees this as an opportunity to harness Wikus’ ability to use the alien weapons due to his transition to alien form, and scientists attempt to take Wikus apart (and killing him in the process) to study his transforming body parts.

His escape prompts a rigorous military search for him, whilst news reports of his obsession with the Prawns render him homeless and alienated (how ironic). He finds himself back in the slums of the Prawns with no one to help him… at least no one human.

The second half of the movie shows an alien-human relationship of sorts whereby the Prawn (Christopher Johnson) who was responsible for the alien liquid fuel is stuck with Wikus as they storm the MNU building to bring back the liquid fuel. The fuel is to be used to power up the alien spacecraft, but it is also the only way Wikus can be transformed back to his human self.

Conflict arises when Christopher Johnson finds corpses of fellow prawns in the MNU building, apparently subjected to experiments and left for dead by curious human scientists. He (I assume) is then determined to use the liquid fuel to return to its home planet to gather resources in order to help bring the rest of his species home, away from the clutches of the evil ‘humans’. Wikus would have to wait for his return: a three-Earth-year-trip, before he can return to his wife's arms again. But can he? And does he?

By the end of the movie, you will find this out-of-the-ordinary partnership endearing and provocative enough to make you ask "what is it that makes one human?".

After the movie:
I found it disturbing that the moment Wikus starts transforming into an alien, he is ostracized by his fellow men; whereas, an alien that has been oppressed and tormented by humans (and him) can readily accept, trust and help him when he is still more human than he is alien. Sharlto Copley was that convincing in his role in this film. The level of loneliness and desperation that his character portrayed was to say the least, scary. I also discovered the importance of having really good technology in our grasps. The moment Christopher Johnson got hold of his space vehicle and when Wikus was able to save himself from the clutches of a maniacal army man using alien weaponry, I understood how ‘great’ a race can be when they have the right guns.

Overall, it is a movie worth watching and one that would stick in my mind… at least until the sequel hits the cinemas.

Potong Saga: A Malaysian Short Film (15M)

This project showcases 15 local film makers, the list of which includes Yasmin Ahmad, and a movie by Ho Yuhang featuring the controversial Namewee of the national anthem scandal fame. If that got your interest piqued, guess what, here's the video. Do not attempt if you don't want to laugh today.



Also available is Chocolate by Yasmin Ahmad, one of her last works before her passing. Rummage around in Youtube, you will find it, quite easily.

Note: The name Potong Saga is a play at the first national car Proton Saga and the word 'Potong' which means cut. Muslims are required by religion to circumcise themselves. In cases where boys turning of age are to be circumcised, the exercise is done with a small ceremony. I'm guessing that the Saga in its English meaning is also at play here, referring to the whole ordeal to be a saga of sorts.

Korean Drama: Six Children (update)

Well, waddaya know. Look what I found in Ebay: Six Children the DVD. Best thing of all, there is a synopsis there. Yay!

But it's in Mandarin. Sigh.

For what it's worth, here is the DVD cover.

Korean Drama: Six Children

Ya I know, the mom is a babe. But she doesn't look like that throughout the whole show. She looks haggardly and as if she has a tortured soul but her actions speak the through language of motherly love. Oh come on, you gotta watch it now. Channel 301 on Astro.

Hmm... I wonder if 8TV will take it up after it finishes its run on Astro. *keeping fingers crossed*.

Watch Mr Siao's Mandarin Class online!

I wrote about a local sitcom entitled Mr Siao's Mandarin Class and then wrote about an update later on. To watch the show itself and determine for yourself if it is a good show, watch it online here.
Enjoy!

Korean Drama: Six Children

On Astro AEC Channel 301, there is this one particular drama that is of interest to everyone in this house. It's a Korean drama entitled Six Children. I am finding it hard to find any media linked to this particular drama perhaps due to the inept translation of the korean title to English (many of the translated subtitles are bugging me already).

It is a Korean drama set in a small village, where an everyone is living in poverty and the most luxurious item a family can have is a black and white television set. The story circles around a family of 6 children and their tireless widowed mother who tries in solitude to provide for all 6 of her children.

The two eldest children are already working, and the youngest can barely walk on his own yet. Out of the six, two are girls, the rest boys, but all of them are very good-natured kids, which makes the series very heart-warming at times. Also very interesting is how the mom manages to cope with each kids' wants while trying to clear her debts, the rent, trying to find more ways to earn more income to provide for the family, etc, etc... a mother's work is never done.

A side story regards the sister in law of the mother, aunt to the children. A married man who is interested in making her his second wife but who still has family on the other side of Korea (there's like North and South, divided by the war or ideologies... long story) is reluctant to write a letter which declares his responsibility solely to her (sort of like divorce papers but which includes the kids as well) and no more to the previous family.

The story expands to the lives of all the children, how they pass their time, what they learn through everyday experiences and, although I've yet to see the effects, the impact everyone in the village experiences during war time.

What is interesting about the show is that everything is raw and looked so unscripted. When they slap someone they were really slapping that person, rather than moving their hands really quick across the other person's face then adding sound effects into the scene later on. Another thing that is raw are the tears involved in teary scenes. Brings you to tears as well. You don't really see that in modern day families no more. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

Edit: Thanks to Lil Tiger who left a link in the Comments of this post, you get to see the movie on Youtube. Would help if you can understand Chinese. I'm just saying..

Tan Sri P. Ramlee

As I remembered, my dad is a fan of P. Ramlee movies, particularly the ones with Salmah aka Saloma in them. They are still shown in black and white on national TV. Titles like Bujang Lapok, Anakku Sazali and Ibu Mertuaku are automatically labelled P. Ramlee's movies and as it is shown here, were award winning movies in the international arena. This could explain why most people prefer these black-and-white movies compared to their contemporary counterparts.

Malay movies by Yasmin Ahmad, however, now that is a different story. If you do not know who Yasmin Ahmad is, she is the director of very interesting movies like Mukhsin, Sepet and Gubra, and also the director of the commercial entitled "Tan Hong Ming in Love". See the video posted on Youtube here and you will understand why it is such a "commercial" success amongst Malaysians.

And here is a very nice song sung by one of the actresses in the movie, Adibah Noor - she may not look it but she has an angelic voice - as two main characters of the movie danced in the rain. Around the 1.38 minute, you will hear a lady looking at them and speaking in Malay; this is the translation:

Wife (seeing the girls dancing themselves wet in the rain):
What has gotten into them? They really know no shame.
Sigh... these Malays don't even act like Malays anymore.

Husband:
And what are you, such a busybody, getting your nose into other people's business?

Anyways, back to the original reason behind this posting, P. Ramlee is not only known for his acting prowess, he is also a very very very good singer. He isn't Frank Sinatra or Elvis but try listening to his songs and tell me that he is not a good singer. My daughter can sleep to this particularly lovely melody, Getaran Jiwa, loosely translated as Vibrations of the Soul.

Hit it, P.

They didn't have the Malaysia Boleh chant back then. Apparently, they prefer to just prove it, rather than chant it.

Mr Siao's Mandarin Class #2

I've watched the fourth episode of the 13-episode Malaysian sitcom, Mr Siao's Mandarin Class. And the show just keeps getting better and better. I've also found this write-up on The Star about the show. If you are too lazy to read it, here are some facts I found interesting:

• The Boss of the MLM company looked very familiar but I can't quite place his face, until I found out that he is Kee Thuan Chye, the editor of the Mind Our English Campaign for The Star newspaper; poet, journalist and actor. He is also the writer of the book March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up.
  

• Amir, the Malay guy in the show played by Baki Zainal is actually fluent in Mandarin. Which would explain how he could have said all those lines in the show. I think of all the 'students' in there, his and Shahrukhkhan's Mandarin are the most fluent in the lot. You'd think that it is easy to mess up lines but you have to be actually fluent in the language in order to deliver the 'error' in your pronunciation.
  
• There are a couple of beauty pageant contestants (winner, runner up) in the crew.
• There are spoilers in the write-up regarding the cleaning lady, additional actors that have not been introduced and the real identity behind certain characters. I gave you warning ah.
  
• There is a brief biography about Mr Siao, the teacher, as well as all the students in the class. So hope over to the link if you haven't seen it.
  

Biggest Loser (in the nicest sense possible)

My husband got me Astro so that I won't be so bored during my confinement, and so I can keep track of how uncle is doing with this singing competition. One of my favouritest channel has to be AXN because of CSI, Vegas, NY and Miami. Hallmark also got my attention through Without a Trace and also a reality show called The Biggest Loser.

Now, I am not one who follows reality shows. I don't even watch American Idol no more. There's only so much of the same thing that you can take, if you know what I mean.

But The Biggest Loser, it's probably the only reality TV show that I cry to. Okay, maybe hormones had a bit of an influence here but the show is seriously inspirational. The one I watched today was Season 3.

Contestants from 50 states all over the United States were brought together, had some of them eliminated, the remaining ones stay together in a ranch to lose weight in a 3-month plus competition. So the more you lose (in pounds) the bigger the loser you are and the richer you will be; $250k richer to be exact.

What is amazing about this show is the reality of it. You can see the change in the people who are in the competition and you see how well they have adapted themselves with their new body, their new thinking, how they are bettering themselves as a new person. Most importantly, you can see the reason behind them wanting to shed off those pounds from their bodies.

And I don't mean 10-20 pounds kind of shedding. The winner for the season I watched today, Erik Chopin, started out at 407 lbs, looking like this:

Before: 407 lbs

At the end of the show, he looked like ... this:

After: 193 lbs

Now tell me that that is not amazing!

He is a father of two and it was on his doctor's advice that he started losing weight because he was having health problems. His motivation to win this was so he could [live long enough to] "walk his girls down the aisle". You can't help but to feel proud of him for this achievement. I'm not sure if I myself could do what he had done, and that makes him the biggest loser (in the nicest sense possible).

Movies: Pitch Black

Watching Vin Diesel in FF4 reminds me of the first movie that had introduced him to this movie lover: Pitch Black.

Poster from Wikipedia

Some of you may or may not know this to be the prequel to the movie The Chronicles of Riddick which isn't really fair since you can tell that more money was pumped into the second movie than in Pitch Black although the plot to the first movie holds more water and was far less confusing than The Chronicles of Riddick.

Ladies, meet Riddick (Vin Diesel ala year 2000).

See me in Wikipedia

He was already well built then but it was his charisma as the anti-hero character that really kept me glued to the screen. That and the idea that the character was a wanted criminal being transported by a spaceship to receive his punishment only to have the spaceship crash land on a planet with vicious monsters that attack anything in their path when it is pitch black. He is armed with night vision. No, not with equipment.. his eyes were capable of that. Which makes it cool. And he doesn't really have the heart of gold, nor is he a hero of any sort. Which makes the plot cooler.

The movie was pure suspense and very entertaining; in a league of its own. More importantly, it is a movie that you should add to your List of movies to watch before you die.

Happy watching! Oh ya, he had already started his trademark mumbling back then.

Pleasant surprise

The thing about the Internet that still dazzles me is the speed at which information travels. As long as you are there to navigate through the crevices, you're bound to bump into something awesome.

Yesterday I posted about this interesting Malaysian TV show called Mr Siao's Mandarin Class. If you haven't been paying attention, check out the comments.

And this is for Amir (refer Malay guy: his mother is his neibe!) aka Baki Zainal. He looks a lot better in person. But he is sure as hell darn funny in the show.

Mr Siao's Mandarin Class

For once, I can truly say this Malaysian movie totally rocks. So proud to be Malaysian! I will live through this moment of euphoria until I realize that the script writer or producer is Singaporean or Hong Kong-ese or something. I dread to find out.

Mr Siao's Mandarin Class is ala-ala a movie I watched while I was growing up (so you know it is quite old lar) called Mind Your Language where we are treated with the funny antics of an English teacher, or more accurately, his class full of people from different backgrounds and cultures who are trying to learn English and driving their teacher, Mr Brown mad.

A thousand apologies!

I learned that phrase from that movie. It still cracks me up.

With the Malaysian version, we have two group of salespersons who are competing (or trying to lose) the opportunity to bring their direct sales business to China, the great mainland. Why are they trying to lose? Well, they can the not speak the China... (ahem, they can't speak Chinese). The idea itself is so fascinating and very close to reality. Not to mention so Malaysian.

Meet the melting pot of Malaysian students of Mr Siao Lang's class. Yes, his name is Lang, his surname is Siao, hence, Siao Lang. Are you laughing yet? And yes, the students are all Malaysians who speak one particular dialect or language. And know next to nothing about mandarin.

We have representatives who speak:

• Hokkien (he's hot: Hear no road - 'tia bo loh' )
• the Queen's English (Alvin Wong - very versatile actor that I enjoy seeing on screen)
• Cantonese (he's so good, you hate him the first time you lay eyes on him)
• Hakka (she's the obnoxious overweight lady who is trying so hard to be part of the in crowd and to please the boss. She's also known as the Great White shark. I think we will find out why soon.)
• a Malay guy (the only normal one in the class: his mother is his neibe!)
• an extremely upbeat and funny Indian guy who calls himself Shah Rukh Khan (wo di ben you zai na li)
• last but quite the least because they haven't really made an impact: the Great White Shark's rival (I'm not sure what language she speaks) and the sister (wasn't paying attention either).

Mr Siao himself is ala-ala Aaron Kwok. I am so sorry for not knowing his name but my brother in law says that he has that problem. He ' beh ang' that means 'cannot get famous'. Perhaps this show will help catapult him into stardom.

Oh, where are my manners.

Catch them on ntv7, every Wednesday (pronounced Wens-day) night at 9.00 pm after PCK Sdn Bhd - eh hee hee hee hee... dun pray pray ah!

The Fast and the Freaking Furious

Although I am 37 weeks pregnant, that does not stop me from going to the cinema, or from watching dashing men, pretty women and extremely good-looking cars (that's three positives) conveniently packed into a two-hour film known as The Fast and the Furious 4.

All three rolled in one!

Confession: I didn't watch the first one.
But I know someone pretended to be someone else to capture someone else but ended up being that someone else's best buddy ... or something in that line. Well, he did let him go in the end, didn't he? But that was 8 years ago.

Come 2009 you will be watching stolen oil tanks, lax FBI regulations, crazy racing through Saturday night traffic, cross-desert racing and ...

the tunnel sequence. TWICE!

If you don't know what I am talking about, you have to watch the film. If you know what I am talking about, I bet you are gonna watch the film again. *cue evil laugh*.

I'm getting the DVD.