31 January 2006

Kuala Pilah : Trip Down Memory Lane

Semalam me and my girlfriend went to Kuala Pilah to attend our classmate's wedding. I was a bit excited because memang agak lama aku tak ke Kuala Pilah. Aku pernah buat matrikulasi di salah sebuah kolej berhampiran Bandar Baru Serting, di satu kawasan yang memang agak pendalaman. Kolej tersebut terletak di dalam sebuah pusat pertanian, jadi banyak masa lapang kami dihabiskan dengan 'mencuri' buah rambutan, durian, belimbing, limau dan macam2 lagi. Umpama belajar kat dalam dusun buah. Seronok sebenarnya tinggal kat situ. Cuma yg tak tahannya, kalau weekend memang bosan nak mampus. Pekan yg paling dekat ialah pekan Bahau. Nak ke Bahau kena naik bas yg 40 minit sekali dan perjalanan selama satu jam. Tempat lepak yg paling best kat Bahau ialah Pasaraya Upwell dan kedai laser disc. Kat laser disc tu la aku mendapat dos filem2 kegemaran aku. Biasanya kitaorang akan kongsi sorang 5 ringgit untuk sewa satu bilik besar. Lebih kurang macam karaoke la, tapi instead of menyanyi kitaorang layan movie. Hehe.. those were the days.

Kalau kitaorang bosan lepak Bahau, kitaorang akan naik satu lagi bas selama sejam ke Pilah. Dekat Pilah ni yang bestnya sebab ada studio jamming. Kat studio jamming dalam gambar atas ni la, aku dengan 3 orang lagi budak kolej aku rakam demo kita orang. Studio ni kepunyaan drummer kumpulan underground terkenal Pilah, The Bollocks. Kalau yang minat underground memang tahu la Pilah ni terkenal dengan muzik punk dan punk rock. CHAOS KP..!! hehe.. So kitaorang masa tu pun main muzik punk rock la. Sempat la main gig 2-3 kali. Demo pun boleh tahan jugak la jualnya. Tapi lepas belajar kat kolej, semua dah bawa haluan masing-masing. Ada yang dah kahwin pun. I really miss those days. Memang masa tu kitaorang main muzik just for the passion. Lagu-lagu yang kitaorang buat definitely comes from the heart. Sekarang aku macam dah lost sikit the songwriting touch. Well.. mungkin aku ni dah tua kot.

Gambar kat atas ni ialah gambar stesen bas Kuala Pilah. Dulu stesen bas ni memang usang tapi bila aku pergi semalam diaorang dah renovate baru. Kat sini dulu tempat kitaorang rendezvous sebelum pergi jamming. Yang bestnya kat stesen bas ni ada satu kedai cendol yang memang best gila. Satu-satunya kedai cendol yang sentiasa penuh dengan orang macam kedai jual nasi campur.

Ini dia the world famous kedai KP CENDOL Abu Backer Sitihiq! Alang-alang dah sampai Kuala Pilah, aku bawak girlfriend aku pekena cendol dulu sebelum balik KL. Memang sedap macam dulu, dan still ramai orang. Sampai ada orang tunggu untuk ambik tempat duduk. Macam kat restoran mewah pulak..hehe. Kedai dia dah buat baru. Dulu kedai dia cuma stall tepi jalan. Yang bestnya, dulu kalau kitaorang naik bas balik KL, bas dia akan berenti sebelah kedai cendol ni untuk amik penumpang. Dalam masa 5 minit dia berenti tu, kitaorang sempat hulur duit dari dalam bas untuk beli cendol bungkus. Pastu ramai-ramai pakat makan dalam bas. Memang seronok gila..! Hehe..

Aku ingatkan nak ke Bahau lepas kenduri tu, tapi memandangkan masa tak mengizinkan, aku batalkan aja niat aku tu. Maybe next time aku akan bawa girlfriend aku ke Bahau pulak. Just for old time sake. Kekadang tu kalau kita balik ke tempat-tempat yang kita pernah tinggal, secara tak langsung kita akan lebih menghargai our past. It is very important to remember our past because it's the past that build our present that will prepare us for our future...

28 January 2006

Historically Lucky

Last night was historical as far as I'm concerned. Seperti yg aku pernah tulis sebelum ni, seumur hidup aku, aku tak pernah menang anything from a lucky draw. Almost dalam semua lucky draw yg aku sertai, the situation is always the same: everybody sitting next to me will always win dan nombor yg menang hadiah biasanya lari satu nombor atau terbalik dari nombor yang aku pegang. It's always like that. But not last night...

Yup, for the first time in my life, I broke the deadlock. I won the freaking lucky draw!! Hooray for me..! Semalam office aku menganjurkan annual dinner (which is long overdue) and one of the interesting highlight is of course the lucky draw event. The prizes consist of TVs, DVD players, digital cameras, video cameras, laptops, home theater systems, washing machines, refrigerators and so on. Phew..!! Memang interesting. Nak tahu apa yg aku menang..? Here comes the sad part..

A freaking table lamp..!?! Yup, hadiah yang paling murah sekali dalam 200(!) hadiah yg dioffer pada malam tu. Talk about being 'lucky' for the first time huh..? But nevertheless, I'm ecstatic not only because ini kali pertama aku menang lucky draw. Tapi disebabkan the situation has been reversed. Last night, the people sitting next to me didn't win and that's the reason why I'm bragging here.. haha! Sorry losers.. at least I had a table lamp that I could use... haha.

25 January 2006

Waiting in anticipation...


This is it.. I hereby declare THE most anticipated movie of 2006 in my movie calendar --> Southland Tales. Directed by Richard Kelly, the director of the mind-bending, psychological science fiction cult masterpiece and one of my all time favourite flick, Donnie Darko.

Why? For starter, look at the cast. The Rock, Stifler and Buffy in a political arthouse movie? Never crossed my mind. There's also the comedic pros Garofalo, Larroquette and Lovitz. Kevin Smith is in the movie. Mandy Moore (..yess!) is in the movie. Heck, even Justin freakin' Timberlake is in the movie. What more could u ask for..?

But most importantly I want to see this movie simply because it's Richard Kelly's. Everyone who loves Donnie Darko will definitely wants to see the follow-up to THE cult movie of our generation. This time he's going at it big time. It seems that the film storyline is so epic that he is also planning to release not one but THREE graphic novels that tells the first three parts of the story and the film will tell the final three parts. Not just that, but the website itself has a story to tell complete with puzzles and amazing interactive sequences. Phew..!! This is going to be huge.


Waiting with bated breath...





Meanwhile check out these great link :-

Southland Tales website (not yet completed but it has some pics)
Richard Kelly Fan Site (the above picture is from this site)
Donnie Darko website (THE best movie website ever created.. u even need a manual to navigate the whole website. Mindfuck.)
Cellar Door (the manual to navigate Donnie Darko's website is here)

24 January 2006

Album Review 002

DEWA 19 - REPUBLIK CINTA


Para Baladewa mungkin teringat kata-kata Dhani semasa album Laskar Cinta dikeluarkan pada awal tahun lepas yang berbunyi, "...untuk pengetahuan kalian semua, album ini adalah album terakhir Dewa".


What??

No more Dewa??

This can't be true??

Jawapannya ..Ya.

Ini adalah kerana Dewa telah kembali menjadi Dewa 19 (..bukan Dewa19 - notice the gap between the word Dewa and 19).

Republik Cinta lahir sebagai nafas yang baru dalam perjalanan seni Ahmad Dhani, Once, Tyo, Yuke dan Andra. Sebuah album yang padat dengan lagu-lagu yang bertemakan cinta yang luas pengertian dan pemahamannya. Trademark Dhani masih lagi ada dalam album ini, tapi ternyata dia lebih inovatif dalam memperkemaskan penulisan lagu dan liriknya. Single pertama dari album ini Laskar Cinta mempunyai mesej yang sangat tajam dan sangat straightforward. Mungkin juga Dhani menulis lagu ini sebagai jawapan terhadap tuduhan yang dilemparkan kepadanya berkenan isu kulit album Laskar Cinta. Ini jelas sekali pada bahagian korus tatkala Once menyeru, "...Laskar cinta, Sebarkanlah benih-benih cinta. Musnahkanlah virus-virus benci. Virus yang bisa rosakkan jiwa dan busukkan hati..". Kedengaran seperti Dhani dan Once memberi nasihat dan amaran kepada manusia yang penuh dengan sifat kebencian. Tema nasihat tersebut diperkuatkan lagi dengan rentak lagu Laskar Cinta yang bercirikan irama padang pasir, ataupun mengikut kata Dhani sendiri, World Music.

Aku juga sangat tertarik dengan lagu Emotional Love Song ketika suara Once meruntun "...Jangan sakitiku lagi!" yang membangkitkan feel yang hampir sama seperti lagu Pupus tetapi dalam beat yg sedikit up tempo. Lagu Sedang Ingin Bercinta pula menunjukkan kreativiti dan kematangan Dewa 19 kerana berjaya menggabungkan muzik pop, rock, R&B dan juga dangdut(!). Lagu ini bermula seperti lagu R&B dengan bunyi drum machinenya kemudian bertukar menjadi lagu rock pada bahagian korus sejurus dengan bunyi gitar Andra. Yang paling menarik ialah pada versi ketiga lagu ini, kedengaran suara Mulan dari kumpulan Ratu menyanyikan lagu tersebut dengan gaya dangdut yg kedengaran sangat sesuai dengan feel yang cuba dibawa oleh lagu tersebut. Pure genius.

Lagu Perasaanku Tentang Perasaanku Padamu pula membuat kita terbuai dengan irama ala Motown, lengkap dengan suara latar '..oooh la la' pada korus. Tak tahu kenapa, intro lagu ini mengingatkan aku pada lagu Unchained Melody. Suara Once sekali lagi kendengaran sangat melankolik dalam lagu Lover's Rhapsody terutama sekali pada bahagian korus yang mempunyai susunan strings yang hebat, sehebat permainan dram Tyo. Dewa juga buat pertama kali merakamkan sebuah lagu cover Queen, I Want To Break Free. Dhani pernah menyebut, Queen dan opera rocknya merupakan salah satu dari pengaruh besar terhadap muzik Dewa 19 dan jelas ini adalah satu penghormatan Dhani kepada idolanya. Versi Dewa 19 kedengaran lebih rock dan edgy dari versi asal dan menampilkan penggunaan efek gitar yang menarik daripada Andra.

Lagu yang paling aku gemari (..setakat ini) ialah trek yang paling akhir dalam album Republik Cinta, lagu berjudul Selimut Hati. Sebuah lagu simple dengan puisi cinta yang sangat indah. Lagu ini bermula dengan petikan gitar akustik yang menetapkan mood dan feel syahdu pada lagu tersebut yang mengingatkan aku pada feel lagu Kosong dari album Cintailah Cinta. Dan ketika suara Once mengalunkan bait-bait lirik dalam melodi yang sangat indah, aku pasti siapa sahaja yang mendengar akan turut dibuai oleh kesyahduan irama lagu ini. Dan ketika mendengarkan lagu ini, aku yakin tiada lagi band lain yang dapat menulis lagu cinta seindah dan sehebat Dewa 19.

Mungkin ada dari para penggemar Dewa 19 merasakan band ini sudah hilang bisanya selepas pemergian Ari Lasso. Mungkin ada juga yang terlalu berharap supaya Dewa 19 sekali lagi dapat menghasilkan karya agung seperti Cintailah Cinta. Walau apa pun tanggapan pendengar, satu hakikat yang dipersetujui oleh penggemar muzik mereka adalah, pada apa nama sekalipun, Dewa atau Dewa 19 tetap unggul sebagai sebuah band yang paling inovatif dan kreatif dengan lagu-lagu indah bertemakan satu perkara yang ada pada setiap manusia yang mempunyai perasaan di dunia ini : Cinta.


Ayuh terokai Republik Cinta...

Track Listing :

  1. Laskar Cinta (Chapter I)
  2. Laskar Cinta (Chapter II)
  3. Emotional Love Song
  4. Larut
  5. Sedang Ingin Bercinta (feat. Mulan from Ratu)
  6. Perasaanku Tentang Perasaanku Padamu
  7. Lelaki Pencemburu
  8. Lover's Rhapsody
  9. I Want To Break Free (Queen cover)
  10. Flower In The Desert
  11. Live On
  12. Selimut Hati

19 January 2006

Album Review 001



PAUL ANKA - ROCK SWINGS

What does Paul Anka, Soundgarden and Nirvana have in common? This freakin' album! Yes, you heard me right. Paul Anka, legendary songwriter and crooner, master pioneer in big band music is taking classic rock music and turning it into great swing singalong extravaganza. You would probably be saying '..wait, Pat Boone already did this rock to swing covers many moons ago.' But Pat Boone did a crappy job while Paul Anka shine on this album. Just listen to Anka's compassionate and heartfelt cover of Eric Clapton's Tears In Heaven, or the bouncy Bon Jovi's It's My Life, or the haunting Everybody Hurts made popular by REM. His voice never sounded better, giving life to his version of every song. My favourite is definitely Blackhole Sun. The piano work on that track is very beautiful. The song just lingers on your ears and had me singing along in a second. Another one is Smell Like Teen Spirit (!) that had me understanding the song differently than I had ever known. This album is probably going to be the only swing/big band album that every rocker will own. And let me tell u.. it's worth it. Get ready to sing along with Mr Anka.

Track Listing :

1. It's My Life (O.A. : Bon Jovi)
2. True (O.A. : Spandau Ballet)
3. Eye Of The Tiger (O.A. : Survivor)
4. Everybody Hurts (O.A. : REM)
5. Wonderwall (O.A. : Oasis)
6. Blackhole Sun (O.A. : Soundgarden)
7. It's A Sin (O.A. : Depeche Mode)
8. Jump (O.A. : Van Halen)
9. Smells Like Teen Spirit (O.A. : Nirvana)
10. Hello (O.A. : Lionel Richie)
11. Eyes Without A Face (O.A. : Billy Idol)
12. The Lovecats (O.A. : The Cure)
13. The Way You Make Me Feel (O.A. : Michael Jackson)
14. Tears In Heaven (O.A. : Eric Clapton)


Also Listen To :
..anything by Richard Cheese. Richard Cheese is the MASTER of turning rap, rock, heavy metal, punk songs into lounge version and he does it very well. He did a cover on almost everyone ranging from Nirvana, System Of A Down, Linkin' Park, White Stripes.. to Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, Fatboy Slim and even Britney Spears. Go find his album.

18 January 2006

Golden Globes is here..

Cowboys & Crooners Grab Top Globes
January 16, 2006

Country cowboys and Nashville crooners were the big winners at Monday night's 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards as 'Brokeback Mountain' and 'Walk the Line' strode away with the evening's top honors.

Broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, the Golden Globes are voted on by members of the Hollywood Foreign Press and have traditionally been a strong precursor to who may win at the Oscars.

Nominated for a total of seven awards, 'Brokeback' rode away with four statuettes, topped with the Best Motion Picture - Drama trophy. The gay-themed cowboy drama, starring HEATH LEDGER and JAKE GYLLENHAAL, also won Best Screenplay, Best Original Song and Best Director, ANG LEE, who said, "Getting this award for this movie from 'The Man' [presenter CLINT EASTWOOD] is too much ... I think this is an amazing year for American cinema."

The JOHNNY CASH biopic, 'Walk the Line,' was named Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, and three-time nominee REESE WITHERSPOON won her first-ever Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy statuette for her role as JUNE CARTER in 'Walk the Line.' She beat out such stars as SARAH JESSICA PARKER, LAURA LINNEY and KEIRA KNIGHTLEY. The blonde actress had family first and foremost on her mind, thanking hubby RYAN PHILLIPPE for flying in from a movie set in Canada to be with her, saying, "Nothing is worth having in life if I don't have you to share it with."

Apparently losing a bet to Phillippe, JOAQUIN PHOENIX won the Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy statuette for his spot-on portrayal of Cash, beating such heady competition as JOHNNY DEPP, NATHAN LANE and PIERCE BROSNAN. "Who would ever have thought that I'd win in the Comedy and Musical category," he smiled, dedicating his win "to John and June for sharing their life with all of us."

An emotional "Desperate Housewives" star FELICITY HUFFMAN earned the Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama award for her courageous turn as a transsexual in 'Transamerica.' The actress saluted the transgender men and women "who brave ostracism ... and live on the margins," and announced, "The second time I didn't work for a year, I gave up any dream that looked like this."

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN was singled out by the Foreign Press for his delicate-but-commanding turn as In Cold Blood author TRUMAN CAPOTE in 'Capote,' saying, "I just was given the best part of my life, and I know that. Thank you so much." A pregnant RACHEL WEISZ picked up the Best Supporting Actress statuette for her performance in 'The Constant Gardener,' and a somewhat surprised GEORGE CLOONEY picked up the Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture statuette for his role as a veteran CIA agent in 'Syriana,' a part for which he gained 30 pounds. "I thought PAUL GIAMATTI was going to win," said the slimmed-down star, who credited writer/director STEPHEN GAGHAN for "a screenplay that asks a lot of tough questions." - et.tv.yahoo.com

Brokeback Mountain won! Finally Ang Lee gets the recognition he deserves. And all the buzz about Walk The Line is also true. Everyone that saw Transamerica said that Felicity Huffman will win a lot of awards this year ....and they are right. And Rachel Weisz..! Yes, a very well-deserved statuette for her.

Now that awards season is starting.. the anticipation and the excitement is starting to build up. Every year we the Malaysian viewers are stuck with watching award shows BEFORE we have the privillege to watch the nominated films. So it kinda' builds up our anticipation and sets our hope really high. It's great if the movie was awesome, but if it was the other way around, we'll get more frustrated. So, go figure..
All I know is my expectation is definitely high now for 'Walk The Line'...

.....and don't u just love Geena Davis 'little girl' speech in last night Golden Globe? ..haha.

11 January 2006

Baik Punya Cilok - Komedi Yang Boleh Dibanggakan

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The first movie that I saw in 2006, and it's a Malay movie! Baik Punya Cilok adalah filem kedua arahan Afdlin Shauki dan setakat ni dah berjaya kumpul 2 juta ringgit. Second only to King Kong in the box office list. That is quite an impressive achievement. Sebenarnya aku tengok citer ni sebelum hari raya korban ari tu. Tapi disebabkan aku busy baru hari ni dapat review cerita ni.

Aku sebenarnya memang teringin sangat nak tengok cerita ni semenjak aku terlihat promo picture dalam paper dulu. Nampak macam interesting. Ditambah pula dengan 'amuk' penonton wayang di Malaysia yang membuatkan aku takut. Baik Punya Cilok sentiasa full-house! Budak umah aku sampai sekarang tak dapat tengok BPC lagi disebabkan tiap2 kali dia pergi sure tinggal seat yang depan sekali. Itu pun lepas tu penuh. Best sangat ke citer ni sampai ada yang tengok 2-3 kali? Secara tak langsung ini menambahkan semangat aku untuk tengok filem ni. Aku pegi MBO Galaxy Ampang pukul 7.00 malam untuk beli tiket 2 tiket show pukul 11.45 malam (..masa tu cuma tinggal 20 tiket lagi. Shit!). 4th row from the back, center. Not bad. Very lucky indeed..

So was it good? Yes. Did I have a good time? Yes. Feel that it should have been better? Yes. BPC is a very enjoyable film. Ketawa yang terkeluar dari mulut aku dan girlfriend aku adalah jujur. Tiada ketawa yang dipaksa. Tiada ketawa yang terkeluar disebabkan terlalu 'caught up in the moment'. Dan yang paling penting, aku tak rasa macam diperbodohkan untuk ketawa. Dalam erti kata mudah, filem BPC berjaya menguasai perkara yang paling penting dalam bidang perfileman : menghiburkan hati penonton.

Namun begitu masih terdapat beberapa part dalam BPC yang aku rasa should have been better. Yang aku rasa macam.. erm.. tak cukup. Yang paling obvious adalah ending cerita ni and the big scene that builds up to the ending. Aku dapat rasa yang part ni a bit dragging. Obviously the idea was there, tapi mungkin juga cara scene ini difilemkan membuatkan suspense dan thrill terhadapnya hilang. Mungkin juga the big finale build-up yang dibuat oleh Afdlin terlalu lama membuatkan ia nampak meleret. Mungkin juga aku silap. Editing cerita ni pun boleh diperbaiki lagi. Ada beberapa scene yang tak ada continuity (..mungkin disengajakan) dan sometimes nampak sedikit patchy. Tapi tidaklah terlalu obvious hingga menjejaskan jalan cerita. And seperkara lagi, what's up with the over acting of the female actresses in this movie? Mungkin lakonan mereka bagus tapi seems very out of place bila berkongsi adegan dengan lakonan selamba the 4 male lead. I don't know.. it's probably me.

Now let's get to the better things about the movie. Sesuatu yang jarang ada pada filem melayu ada pada filem ni : Character. Setiap watak ada karakter masing-masing. Dan 4 orang pelakon utama BPC mempunyai character build-up yang agak baik bagi sebuah filem komedi. Penonton dapat relate to every character in this movie. Let me give you an example. Bila kita tengok scene Aben (Afdlin) kena soal siasat dengan polis, kita dapat agak yang bila dia kena sergah dengan polis lakonan Ida Nerina dia pasti akan pitam. Kenapa? Sebab characternya telah dibina dan dibiasakan kepada penonton. Itu merupakan satu perkara yang penting untuk menarik perhatian penonton. Dan dalam filem ini, setiap watak ada character masing-masing. Dari segi lakonan pula memang tidak menghampakan langsung. AC Mizal dan Awie unexpectedly for me, telah memberikan lakonan yang baik dan berkesan. Bakat mereka nyata terserlah dalam filem BPC ni dan berjaya lari dari kepompong filem polis Yusuf Haslam. Supporting cast filem ni juga excellent. Scene stealers Na'a Murad, with his now famous Kelantan-English, Harun Salim Bachik, the old comedic pro, Patrick Teoh and Riezman Khuzaimi telah memberikan lakonan yang convincing dan above all very funny. The production quality is actually very good. Kualiti gambar yang cantik ditambah pula dengan sound yang jelas (Dolby Digital tu..) membuatkan menonton filem ini menyenangkan. Sinematografi Indra Che Muda juga tidak menghampakan. Terdapat beberapa shot yang menarik terutama sekali underwater shot yang jelas. Sesuatu yang jarang sekali dilakukan dalam filem tempatan.

Sepanjang menonton filem ini, in the back of my mind aku tidak boleh lari untuk membandingkan filem ini dengan Guy Ritchie's Lock Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels dan Snatch. Terdapat beberapa persamaan yang mengingatkan aku kepada filem tersebut. Contohnya watak Harun Salim Bachik yang berjari 4 ( Frankie Four-Fingers dlm Snatch), watak Riezman Khuzaimi seorang tukang masak, watak Hans Isaac yg suka berjudi dan penggunaan 4 pelakon utama (kesemuanya seperti dalam Lock, Stock) dan cara cerita BPC ini diolah dengan menggunakan flashback yang tidak diceritakan tapi diolah dengan montage yang statik diiringi suara narator (seperti dalam Snatch dan Lock, Stock). Pada perkara beginilah dapat kita lihat kreativiti Afdlin Shauki terserlah untuk memberikan local flavour kepada adegan-adegan dan watak-watak tersebut untuk membuatnya kelihatan lebih menarik. Sebagai contoh, penggunaan tok dalang dan muzik wayang kulit yg menjadi narrator kepada scene flashback, sesuatu yg berjaya mencuri hati penonton dan sangat bijak. Walaupun terdapat beberapa persamaan dengan filem Guy Ritchie (..mungkin tak sengaja) tapi ianya secara dasar sahaja dan tidak terlalu obvious.

Dan perkara yang paling, paling aku suka pada filem BPC ini ialah Afdlin telah menyelitkan sarcasm yang menyindir tipikal industri perfileman kita. Perhatikan lakonan Harith Iskandar dan Ida Nerina (Gerak Khas?) The sexual tension between them and the way they talk (Ida Nerina over-acting on purpose). Perhatikan juga watak Na'a Murad sebagai seorang gangster filem Melayu yang tipikal. Dan yang paling obvious, watak Awie sebagai seorang kaki pukul yang baca novel cinta. Watak tersebut bagi aku almost screams out 'F*ck U!' kepada watak-watak hero macho-lembik filem-filem Yusof Haslam. Aku paling suka gaya sommersault Awie masa fight scene pada penghujung cerita BPC. Ramai yg tak perasan scene tu sebenarnya adalah sindiran Afdlin Shauki pada scene lawan dalam filem Melayu. That exact sommersault move was potrayed in Iskandar starring, who else, but Awie. Kudos for Awie kerana telah berjaya lari daripada watak tipikal yang diberikan kepadanya selama ini dan tahniah juga kerana have a sense of humour untuk downplay watak yang memang menjadi 'makanan'nya satu ketika dahulu. Brilliant.

Some people tend to forget that this is Afdlin Shauki's 2nd movie. His sophomore effort. And he's not doing very bad. Tanpa kita sedari, negara kita telah melahirkan seorang pengarah yang berbakat. Seseorang yang dapat mengubah perjalanan industri perfileman negara. Somebody that is important enough that his movie is being reviewed by some unknown online writer like me. I'm pretty sure that his third movie 'Buli Balik' is going to entertain us again. In fact Afdlin said it's his best work to date. And his fourth movie project, Sumo-Lah, looks very interesting indeed. This man is definitely is on his way up. So pada yang belum menonton Baik Punya Cilok, tunggu apa lagi? Tapi jangan lupa beli tiket awal... hehe.

09 January 2006

The 2005 List (Movies & TV)

I know, I know.. It's already 2006. This list is probably so last year. But, who cares... These are some of the best movies/tv shows that I saw in 2005, well, at least in my opinion. But bear in my mind that this list excludes some of the most talked about movies of 2005 such as Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana, Match Point and Capote among others. With that note I present you my....



15 FAVOURITE FILMS OF 2005

15. Janji Joni
Entertaining. Nicholas Saputra gave his best performance yet (..even better than Gie) in this film about film. The soundtrack was awesome and the scene about 7 bad habit of cinemagoers is excellent and right-on. Can't wait for the next Joko Anwar movie.

14. Hustle And Flow
One of the performance of the year by Terrence Howard. I like this movie because it is about hope and the hustle for a better life. Not as compelling as 8 Mile but definitely stands on its own.

13. The Devil Rejects
Rob Zombie's brilliantly executed follow-up to House Of 1000 Corpses reminded me of what a good horror movie is all about : never gave an assurance to the audience that everything is going to be all right. Unsettling at times, this is the horror movie of the year.

12. Virgin
A movie that I wish us Malaysian could make. Amazing story telling about a taboo subject and it's consequences. Hanny Saputra directs 3 amazing actress in this gritty tale about the darker side of teenage and adolescence life. One of Indonesia's best film of 2005.

11. My Summer Of Love
The movie reminded me of Heavenly Creatures. Pawel Pawlikowski has created the most provocative love story, about two people who will never forget each other, but not for anything like the reasons they initially imagine. Powerhouse performances by the two lead actresses. Adolescent love story at it's best.

10. Night Watch (Nochnoy Dozor)
Rare Russian masterpiece that is visually entertaining and never lets you down with it's fast-paced editing and storytelling. Can't wait for it's sequels, Day Watch and Dusk Watch. It has the promise of a great trilogy in the veins of The Matrix and Lord of The Rings.

9. The Constant Gardener
The last movie that I watched in 2005. Fernando Meirelles is fast becoming one of my favourite directors. I can't remember any other film that is able to be a thriller, a political statement and a haunting romance all at once. Ralph Fiennes delivers another great performance that echoed his heart-wrenching performance in The English Patient. Brilliant.

8. 40 Year Old Virgin
Frat pack movies are so freaking enjoyable. This is the best of them all yet. Steve Carell is so believable as the anti-hero (virgin) of the story that you couldn't help but sympathize with his pain. Great story, great characters and great humour. Check out the deleted scenes on the DVD. Those scenes alone are miles better than any 10 Prof Razak 'comedies'. There, I said it.

7. The Squid & The Whale
If Jeff Daniels doesn't earn an Oscar nomination for his performance in this movie than I'm pretty sure that the voters are Dumb and Dumber (..excuse the pun). Amazing performances by Daniels and Laura Linney makes this story about a dsyfunctional family seems very real and very..erm.. right. This movie gets under your skin. Poignant and observant, hilarious and achingly sad, often at the same time.

6. History Of Violence
It's David Cronenberg, man. I read somewhere that he is 'the only director that can tie up your stomach in knot with his movies'. And they were not joking. The movie is full of secrets, surprises and twists that makes it so thrilling to watch. I recommend you watch this movie without reading any synopsis, reviews or articles about this movie because the whole thrill comes from not knowing what to expect. Trust me, you'll enjoy it better.

5. Sin City
The visions of Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and Frank Miller are so incredible, you can't help but marvel at this cinematic glory. A movie of such high style, done in such a spirit of electrifying fun and creativity, that you just don't care about the violence anymore. The best and the most faithful comic book adaptation ever. Violence has never been so elegant.

4. King Kong
The action thrills. The landscapes soars. Peter Jackson's hairy spectacle is a marvel of technology and emotional depth, and his Kong takes his final leap with our hearts in his paw. It's cinema entertainment of the highest order.

3. Batman Begins
This is how I always imagine a Batman movie should be - dark, mysterious and gloomy. This is the only Batman film that comes closer than ever to Bob Kane's dark, original 1930's comic strip. Christopher Nolan did a wonderful job with this one. Movie cast ensemble of the year - Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer, Michael Caine and of course, the always faboulous Gary F*ckin' Oldman.

2. Mysterious Skin
Those of you who know Greg Araki's previous films will either love or hate his work because of the surrealism and erotica (not sexual) in his movies. And this is by far, his most complete work to date. Much of the film was shot out of focus in garishly saturated colors, which add to the surreal effect of it's story. Joseph Gordon-Levitt delivers a brave performance that will definitely makes people forget about his Third Rock From The Sun character. Disturbing and insinuating powerful movie.

1. Kung Fu Hustle
The first movie that I saw in 2005. In fact it was exactly at 12.01 am on the 1st of January 2005. It was myself, my girlfriend and my 3 close buddies. Fourth row from the front. GSC IOI Mall Puchong. We decided to celebrate new year by doing something that we enjoy doing since we were in secondary school, something that binds us together, something that we used to regularly do together, something that always comes up everytime we're having teh tarik and nasi kandar, something that we miss doing.... watch a Stephen Chow movie! And it was worth it. So freakin' worth it.

Needless to say, we are Chow Sing Chi's fanatics. So, enjoying this movie is not a very hard thing to do. Even if you're not familiar with Chow's work, you would probably enjoy this movie as much as we did. The trademark 'mo lei tau' style of comedy of him is still evident in Kung Fu Hustle. But in this movie, it's not all about the screwball comedy. It's the homage to those 70's Shaw Brothers movie. It's the magnificent (and violent) kungfu fight sequences. It's the jaw-dropping CGI. It's the Looney Tunes cartoon influence. It's the 70's spaghetti western influence. It's the comic book type storyline. It's... everything. And nobody is more capable of combining all of these things except for Mr Stephen Chow Sing Chi. And he does his job well.

You know, sometimes we forget the main and ultimate reason why we watch movies. Movies, films, motion pictures… they're entertainment. We go to cinema because we wanted to be entertained. And that is what Kung Fu Hustle is all about : riotously entertaining.


FAVOURITE TV SHOW OF 2005

CSI : Crime Scene Investigation
Miami was good. New York was crap. But no spin-off can beat the original Las Vegas crew. The season finale directed by Tarantino was one of the best thing on television last year. I have all 5 seasons on DVD. . and I'm waiting for season 6 to come out.

24
The most intelligently scripted series on television right now. The guys who wrote this story is pure genius. Season 4 has so many twist, turns and climax that keeps you at the edge of your seat. Gripping stuff. Plus, there's Elisha Cuthbert. :)

Rockstar INXS
Admittedly, I was not thrilled at first. I thought that INXS had sold-out by agreeing to do this reality series. But after hearing some good live music on the show, and seeing some great talents, I never missed an episode. I was actually rooting for Jordis Unga because I think she rocks, plus she's a babe too.

Desperate Housewives

Oh, this show is very addictive! So addictive that I had to download the whole season over the internet just because I couldn't wait to see what happens next. And needless to say, it was rewarding indeed.

The L Word
If you're unfamiliar with this show, it's because it was never shown on our TV. Maybe because of that L word. But I prefer to think that L stands for Love. Great stories and characters.

One Tree Hill
My guilty pleasure. I was hooked to the show after watching the first few episodes. Plus all three lead actresses are super-cute. Hehe.

Las Vegas
At first, I thought that this show was crap and has no story at all. But after few episodes and few interesting cameos, I kinda like it. Great TV.

Arrested Development
Intelligently funny. Brilliantly scripted. Plus it's that guy from 'Teen Wolf Too', man..!

Whose Line Is It Anyway?
The only show that can make me laugh like a hyena even when I watched it at 4:30 am in the morning. Those guys are comic geniuses.

04 January 2006

epi niu year... epi ke?

Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baru 2006 kepada semua yang terbaca benda ni.

Kat mana ko sambut tahun baru?
..tengok Man Utd belasah Bolton 4-1. It was worth it.

Cuti tahun baru ko gi mana?
...tak cuti. Kerja. Sampai malam.

Takde planning gi mana-mana ke new year ni?
.. takde. Ada Final Exam. Ada job interview untuk dapat jawatan tetap.


Yeah, Happy new freakin' year to you too.


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Somebody requested me to put up the lyrics to Faith by SCTS. So here's some lyrics courtesy of SCTS themselves. Buy the CD! There's lyrics there.. Worth all your money, man.

Renaldo Moon

Stand tall, leave the waste you're on
There's hope in every war
It's time to keep your strength for more
From what you never knew was yours
Inside your wings, I'm asleep

Stay smooth, I don't need no proof
The silence speaks for both of us from now on
I have a dream to follow
Hanging by your will, I'm keeping

Hand in hand
Take us to our paths
Or funerals
(Mistakes are what we're made of)

I have shown love, I have been true
I'll keep devoting my world for you

Stand tall, leave the waste you're on
There's hope in every war
It's time to keep you strength for more
From what you never knew was yours
Inside your wings, I've been dreaming in colour

Hanging by your will


Summary

Choose the life you want
Choose a sense of humour
Like a star, like new love
Like the sound that never shuts
Everyone is searching for it

Here's the light you broke
It's so ordinary
Like a job, like a poster boy
Like a laughing chyna doll, that
Everyone is killing for

Have you ever seen the brave
Come out loud and say "I'm sorry mom"

Come around, it's time
If you must then I'll be trading lust
I'm wasted

Shut up now...


War Is Over

The fire's burning low
I know I might be wrong
To find it hard to embrace you
When you ask
I know my silence is responsible for us drifting
Can't fight for everyone
Be rest assured for I'm a man of faith
It feels so good to be off this weight
Of having to deal with it
We're losing the war
So let's stop fighting
And come out to wash your senses

I don't wanna lose anyone at all
If I ever lose my defences
Release the war signs
Come back screaming

The war is over
Let's start moving ahead


Faith

Take a walk I'll hold your hands for now
It's happening, makes it hard to lose another night
I'll pretend that I'm a man for now
It's difficult, to soothe a wounded heart
I'll drink water because my blood has dried
It's different than anything you've seen or heard before
Take a picture, hold that smile forever
I'll drink it everyday till it becomes another skin

Before you go, give me all of your love
Before you go I'll give you all of mine
If it makes it easier to breathe
Wish it could be easier
I can't breathe

Fading away
Faith is a friend
You make it or break it