Somehow

There seems to be no end to the strife in the Gaza strip. As for seven days straight Israel continues their bombing of targets in that region of the Middle East, to much disdain of the world and denouncement by several of the world's state and religious leaders.

And that pretty much is what the rest of the world can do at this point, show our disdain and anger at the deaths of innocents. Denounce their barbaric actions. Gather together in groups to write petitions against this assault on human lives or to parade in protest in front of the respective embassies. What does all that accomplish though, really?

The killing continues still, regardless of how it began or whomsoever began it.

We do so in the hope of pressuring the respective military powers of this world into action into stopping this mess that has dragged on for decades and seemingly without end. And yet all they could muster is a meeting to denounce and condemn these acts. Isn't that what we normal, average, every day people are doing already? Save for the phonecalls to the governments of both countries to end the bloodshed.

And when the one major military power that in itself would be able to end this states their claim of support for the onslaught, whatever the reason may be, things can and do look pretty grim. Makes the call for Obama to step in much earlier than the 20th of January all the more vociferous I guess.

It's sad but I guess it's true in such cases when all us normal people can do is hope for the right outcome to bear fruit, somehow. Taking up positions in groups and discussions or parade demonstrations against this debacle would definitely help alleviate and distract us from what is actually happening. And though it does not really make much significant impact, it does give us the feeling that we are making a difference, somehow, in some way. That our stand against this atrocity would somehow give those afflicted the same hope to perhaps to be able to end what has been thrust upon them.

Movie Review - Local Color

Language: English

Run Time: 107 mins

Distribution: Empire Film Group
Media 8 Entertainment

(Warning: Spoilers included)

It’s a coming of age story. It’s a love story. It’s a story about pursuing your passions in life. It’s a take on the beauty that is around us and the insanity that has fogged our view of that beauty. Most of all it was based on a true story.

Armin Mueller-Stahl gave one of his best performances to date as the aged and troubled painter Nicoli Seroff, whose words of wisdom were almost always ironically in conflict with his actions. And Trevor Morgan as John Talia Jnr. completes this somewhat mismatched duo of painters. One of accomplished background with a bleak perspective of his own future and another an eager talented young dabbler whose enthusiasm is yet to be dimmed by the world around him.

The movie begins with a monologue of supposedly John Talia Jnr.'s older self, though throughout the movie one never really gets to see this narrator in full view. The scene focuses on the younger John in a museum, sketching while others look on in either ridicule or envy all while the monologue attempts to introduce the scope and path of the story.

The setting shifts then to John's house where his father, John Talia Snr. (Ray Liotta) utters his disdain at his son's interest in paintings and sketches. The narrator every so often coming in with bits of information on his dad and his mom, giving a brief overview of what life in that household would have been like. Fast forward to a store where John Jnr. attempts to get one of his art pieces framed but is instead getting tips on how to capture the moment from the store's owner Yammi (Charles Durning). Noticing a painting of Nicoli Seroff, John Jnr inquires on how Yammi came about it and thus the path towards the young John meeting Nicoli was made.

Early meetings between the two were expectedly abrasive but the dogged determination of youth made Nicoli relent in time. Nicoli's refusal to impart the skills of his art were a constant feature and yet he also gave John insights into the perception of things. A push and tug routine that brought them closer as time trodded on.

The introduction of Carla (Samantha Mathis) then gave insight into how Nicoli's bitter self came to be. It was through Carla as well that John was finally able to make headway both for his own self and towards reaching the Nicoli that he come to admire so.

I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Nicoli was made to judge a local art festival in Pennsylvania. As well as scenes of where he helped mentally challenged children draw and paint and what became of those sketches afterwards. Most of all, I enjoyed the transformation of Nicoli from the beginning to the end, perhaps telling us that it is never to late to change. Never too late to be able to see beauty again in all the things of this world. And most importantly, never too late to see the beauty in oneself.

By far my most favourite of 2008. Of course if you're one of those action flick seeking fans, then avoid this at all cost. But for me, personally, my movie of the year.

Movie Review - The Day The Earth Stood Still

Language: English
Run Time: 103 mins
Distribution: 20th Century Fox

(Warning: Spoilers included)

The title sounded familiar when I first heard it. And rightly so as it's a remake of a 1951 film of the same name, one which I did not have the opportunity to catch.

The movie begins with an explorer (Keanu Reeves) on a mountain range somewhere in the 1950s who encounters a shimmering orb. Attempting to initiate contact with the object, the explorer is knocked off his feet and becomes unconscious. When he comes to, the explorer notices a mark on his hand.

Cut scene to the present day in a laboratory where Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) was discussing with a group of students on the conditions required for life to exist. Class ends and the scene shifts to Dr. Benson's home. Her son, Jacob Benson (Jaden Smith) plays with his game console before an exchange ensues that highlights the friction in the relationship between mother and son. A theme that would run throughout the whole movie. She then receives an ominous phonecall signalling the start of cascading events in the whole movie.

Whisked away to a military facility along with a few other sceintists and professionals, they were briefed on the impending collision of an asteroid body with Earth and had selected them as men and women who would assist in the rebuilding of civilisation post impact. Though there was no impact as expected, rather the asteroid body, in the form of the orb seen at the start of the movie descends slowly upon Central Park. An alien being about the size of a human appears to exit the orb accompanied by a large automaton but was shot by one of the nervous soldiers that had gathered in the area, prompting the automaton to activate in an aggressive manner. The alien, suffering from a gunshot wound however prevented the automaton from doing any real damage.

I especially liked the special effects done during this scene. Especially the animation of both of the automaton and the shimmering sphere. One particular act of note that was especially emphasized was the shooting of the yet unnamed alien at this point. Perhaps stressing humans' natural fear of the unknown and our all too often aggressive reactions towards things we do not understand.

The alien was taken back to a military installing where scientists were attempting to heal it. As surgeons removed the bullet, more and more of the alien's outer exterior drops off until in the end it revealed a seemingly human infant. The infant then began to grow at a rapid rate to the point where it reached adulthood in the form of the mountain explorer we saw in the opening scene. Identifying itself as Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) to its captors, it explained itself as having come with a message to the leaders of the world. There was one particular exchange of words between Klaatu and Regina Jackson (Kathy Bates), the US Sec. Defense acting in the President's stead that brought about a subtle sense of realization.

Regina: Why have you come to our world?
Klaatu: What makes you think this is your world?

Klaatu then, with the help of Dr. Benson, escapes through the use of his alien abilities which seems to be tied into modern day technologies. A chase scene ensues with now fugitives Dr. Benson driving Klaatu and her son around as Klaatu searches for agents already implanted on Earth a long time ago. And as the movie progresses, Klaatu's intention became clearer. In that he was here to save the Earth though not necessarily humanity. A rendezvous with Klaatu's kin, another agent on Earth explains to him of the nature of humans. Of our destructive and aggressive nature and yet there is a side to us that he cannot explains. Klaatu's meeting with Prof. Barnhardt (John Cleese) a Nobel-Prize winning physicist was one of the highlights of the alien's trek across American. The argument of how a particular formula was supposed to equate done through writing reminded me a lot of the kids that I handled in my workplace. And the philosophical discussion on the nature of humans was something that for some reason ignited my perspectives of things at that point in time.

As all this was happening the military had already gotten control of the automaton, now dubbed GORT (Genetically Organized Robotic Technology) by it's captors. As experiments were being conducted on GORT, the automaton was transforming itself into tiny insect-like nanites and pretty soon into a swarm that began to disintegrate everything it touches. This was another excellent piece of CGI work, especially with the nanites.

Attempting to outrun GORT, Dr. Benson and company head towards Central Park in order to reach Klaatu's spaceship. When Jacob gets infected with the nanites, Dr. Benson pleads for Klaatu's help to cure her son before she herself got infected as well. Complying he cures them both before making his way through the GORT swarm, losing parts of himself as he does so before managing to release an pulse similar to that of an EMP blast sending the GORT swarm hurtling down to the ground. The blast also halted all forms of technology on Earth leaving everything in a standstill. A fitting end.

There is in my opinion nobody else who would play the role of Klaatu any better than Keanu Reeves. I mean, come on, slow speaking man with powerful abilities in a black suit? Who else? John Cleese's cameo performance was also a delight. Apart from those most of the acting was relatively normal with the special effects, cinematography and storyline playing a much larger role and effective role.

Special effects even though good were not anything that was extremely breathtaking.

The message was clear. Change the way we live or perish, which is pretty much what's going to happen to us regardless of whether an alien's coming to tell us so or otherwise. And it's a timely message what with all that is going on in the world at this time.

All in all a movie worth the full price whether you're a sci-fi fan like me or not.

Of Lights, Sounds, Smokes & Mirrors

A belated Christmas wish to everyone and to hoping that everyone did have a merry enough Christmas. All helped by the provision of much needed electricity by the one and only power supply company in Singapore. Reminds me of a particular board game. Anway, if it weren't for them being able to provide ample power then the festive periods would quickly look like one of those scenes from a a post-technology apocalyptic movie.

And their service has been excellent if recent record is any indication. There was only one massive blackout of note in the past decade. And any smaller interruptions have been extremely rare. I guess this is the only feasible means in which we would be able to measure the quality of their service. It's not like there are varying grades of electricity that they could supply us with. And customer service, well, that's debatable and entirely subjective because as far as I am concerned, it mostly the customer in customer service that hinders the actual service.

There were also murmurings that nearly crescendo-ed to cries of profiteering when this sole power provider decided on increasing tariffs to cover the then rising cost of fossil fuels. But these same rumblings of concern turned mute when this power provider decided instead to reduce tariffs in response to a decline in oil prices. I didn't expect loud boisterous cheering but I didn't expect complete silence either. Guess people get confused when this concept of the whole world out to get them being false rises up as a sudden realization.

But I digress...... Not quite what I wanted to talk about here.

My uncle, the one who has diabetes and had a leg amputated has moved out of my home here and is staying solo in Selegie. And if you don't already know, Selegie is one of those old housing estates that have just gone ancient. Sure there was a facilities upgrade not so many years ago but we all know it's not the outside that counts. Just like a human being, it's what you put in and remains that makes up what you are. And for an old estate that houses a majority of seniors, my uncle included, I guess the label of ancient isn't too far off.

The issue here isn't my uncle as he is quite capable of being independent, should he choose to be apart from a deficit in his vision that prohibits his near sightedness but otherwise he's fine. The slight issue here is that he was asked to submit the utilities meter readings online beginning from this coming January. I guess they assumed that everyone has internet connection these days. Not a problem, other than a) His eyesight prevents him from reading the meter and b) there's no computer there, let alone internet access. Which would mean that someone from my family would have to go there each month on the 11th to read the meter and then submit it online back home. Problem solved, great right? Not really.

What happened to all the meter readers that go from house to house, read your meters for a few months then tabulate an estimate for you to pay each month? What happened to the integrated electronic tracking systems that is able to ascertain exactly how much you use each month, though albeit slightly backdated in its information delivery?

I know that times are bad and companies are trying to cut cost but still, this is a bit much getting the customers to do the work for the service provider especially when they have ways and means of tracking who uses how much. And a bit much when the customer has vision impairment and is computer illiterate. A good thing my uncle has my family who is able to help out. What of those that do not? And whom all hail from similarly primordial estates and are just trying to make their way in life as independently as possible given the physical and mental inhibitors these people would most probably have.

Maybe that's something they could hopefully, look into and work at. Either way, seems like I'll be making more frequent visits to my uncle from next month on.

Movie Review: Quarantine

Language: English
Run Time: 89 mins
Distribution: Screen Gems Films

(Warning: Spoilers included)

My first impression from the trailers was that it was your standard zombie movie. Dawn of The Dead, Night of The Living Dead, George A. Romero inspired sort of of stuff except in a confined area and viewed through a single videocam shot ala-The Blair Witch Project and other similar movies. Apparently I found out later on that this was also a remake of a Spanish zombie movie called REC released around a year ago. Have not seen the original Spanish movie, so I can't and won't compare.

The movie started much slower than I expected. And though the tour of the firehouse and the camaraderie between the firemen gives a nice wholesome and normal view of how things were, it also did feel a bit stretched at times, leaving me to think "Geez man, get to the biting and tearing flesh to bits part already."

The flow got better once the scene migrated to the apartment building that was to be quarantined later. Though it was only (and I'm sure it's normal for any zombie movie) after the first encounter that things really started to get interesting for me. It wasn't really the blood spilling from Mrs. Espinoza or her trying to grab a bite out of one of the firemen and the tangling that ensued. These are all pretty standard for zombie movies and I've seen to much of them to date already. It was more of the who, what, where and how questions that got me hooked then. Since I personally have not seen a zombie being able to speak or froth at the mouth prior to going berserk in any of the movies before. The dog leaving the room as the firemen broke through was a nice hint to it all.

Broken bones, spilling blood, panic and your standard 'Guy who's just in it for himself and gets killed pretty soon after' pretty much makes up what happened next.

There were some attempts at unveiling what was happening in between from a vet that was tasked to treat the wounded and also from a member of the CDC though nothing more than the theory of a super-evolved strain of rabies. More running and biting ensued.

There were a number of commendable attempts at surprising and shocking the viewers but honestly nothing to really make me jump out of my seat. In fact the only time I reacted verbally was when Scott (the cameraman) grabbed Angela on her shoulder as they went up to survey the room where Mrs. Espinosa was which was more reflective of the cheekiness of the moment than anything else.

Only one scene in particular that stood out for me in the movie. That was when Scott used his videocam to smash the living daylights out of a zombie. The effects of the camera movement and sounds of impact as well as the reactions of the zombie getting her brain knocked out of her was more real than anything else that I saw in the film.

Even the final scene in the penthhouse where the 'revelation' of how all this began was not quite as intriguing for me. And that included the introduction of patient zero and the end that was already much publicized in their trailers.

All in all, it was an ok movie. Worth the full price if you're really bored or a hardcore zombie movie fan. But otherwise get the DVD or wait for it to air on your local TV networks. Trust me, you're not missing anything special.