WEB : Watchmen + Peanuts

Cute, isn't it?


It's here..
Seats booked..
Will be watching it tomorrow...

WEB : Watching and Liveblogging the Oscars..

Join me at the live blog discussion at mlive.com here.

I'll be live-updating the winners here in this blog. Keep refreshing the page :

• Best Supporting Actress : Penelope Cruz (yaay!)
• Best Original Screenplay : Milk
• Best Adapted Screenplay : Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Animated Feature Film : Wall - E
• Best Animated Short Film : La Maison En Petits Cubes
• Best Art Direction : The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Best Costume Design : The Duchess
• Best Makeup : The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Best Cinematography : Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Live Action Short Film : Toyland (Germany)
• Best Supporting Actor : Heath Ledger (well-deserved!)
• Best Documentary Feature : Man On Wire (yaay!)
• Best Documentary Short Subject : Smile Pinki
• Best Visual Effects : The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (what? beating TDK & Iron Man?)
• Best Sound Editing : The Dark Knight
• Best Sound Mixing : Slumdog Millionaire (wow! I thought TDK got this locked)
• Best Film Editing : Slumdog Millionaire
• Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award : Jerry Lewis
• Best Original Score : Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Original Song : Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire (..I still think Springsteen should nab this one)
• Best Foreign Language Film : Departures (Japan) (beating Waltz With Bashir! Yaay!)
• Best Directing : Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Actress : Kate Winslet - The Reader
• Best Actor : Sean Penn - Milk (I kinda' expect he would win.. but quite a suprise)
• Best Picture : Slumdog Millionaire (as expected!)

8 major awards for Slumdog Millionaire, Sean Penn beating Mickey Rourke, Penelope won, Heath Ledger emotional win, Winslet out-of breath speech and funny Japanese acceptance speeches ("Domo Arigato, Mr Roboto!"). All and all it was a good show.

It's a wrap.

WEB : Watchmen Mega Pics Spam & Viral Links

Just a few days away from the upcoming official release of Watchmen.
But for now, enjoy the pics & links below..



Cool portrait pictures from Empire magazine.



















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Newly released pictures.. Nite Owl's Antartica's Suit, The many faces of Rorschach, The Axis of Evil and International Alternate Posters..













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Watchmen viral marketing campaign is awesome.
Check out the 8-bit, 1980's arcade style online game below.


(click here to play)


A great introduction to The Minutemen in this video journal..



Watchmen co-creator Dave Gibbons speaks..



The New Frontiersman faux-PSA, The Keene Act & You..



Watchmen comic within the comic story, Tales of The Black Freighter (and Under the Hood) is getting a DVD release.. yaay! Here's the trailer..



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Other Links :

Official Watchmen Movie Web Site - official site
Watchmen Movie Production Blog - tons of behind the scenes videos
I Watch The Watchmen - recommended
Watchmen: The Official Movie Countdown Widget - you can put the widget in your blog
Watchmen: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - click if you want to hear MCR version of Bob Dylan's 'Desolation Row'
The New Frontiersman Viral Microsite - awesome viral stuff
Watchmencomicmovie.com - my personal fave
Watchmen Wiki - all things Watchmen

FILM : Official Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglorious Basterds' Trailer

.. or click here for the HD version.

Can't help but feel that this trailer is a little bit on the commercial side, probably made by The Weinstein Company.. because we all know, Quentin always has something hiding up his sleeves.

Looks cool.. what do u guys think?

FILM : Review - The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008)

Pure maniacal fun.

Those are probably the most accurate words to describe Kim Ji-Woon's The Good, The Bad, The Weird (TGTBTW), an obvious homage to Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad and The Ugly but smart enough to pay respects to its Italian spaghetti western predecessors while mixing it with its own unique Asian flavor to the genre. It's masterfully directed, damn funny and most importantly thoroughly enjoyable (at 129 minutes!).

The story of TGTBTW is actually very simple. The film is set in 1930's Manchuria and the title refers to three Manchurian gunslingers, all after the same mysterious treasure map (a Mcguffin - much like the briefcase in QT's Pulp Fiction).

In the first of many references to Sergio Leone's masterpiece, the film trio is introduced one at a time : The Weird (Song Kang-ho) is a klutzy thief and who accidentally comes across the map during the opening train robbery scene. The Bad is a ruthless bandit (Lee Byung-hun) and The Good is a bounty hunter and sharpshooter (Jung Woo-sung). Unsure of each other personal motivations, The Good and The Weird team up to secure the map and reach the treasure site before either The Bad or the imperialist Japanese beat them there. In other words, the whole movie is a damn big chase sequence, like a more violent and stylish version of Wacky Races.

In true Leone fashion, the movie boils down to a succession of set-pieces -wide-open plains and deserts, train robberies, gun battles, knife fights, opium dens, horse chases and tense Mexican stand-offs - but Ji-woon, a master at mood manipulation, (as witnessed on his previous films, A Bittersweet Life and A Tale Of Two Sisters) once again delivers a genre-busting film, with moments of extreme sadistic violence are mixed with comedy and action, and grand action set-pieces played with calmer character driven drama.

While the film may be lacking in plot (unnecessary subplot involving Russian mobsters) and story depth, it is indeed a very stylish eye-candy. The action is beautifully choreographed and incorporates everything from classic Mexican standoffs to fast paced swordplay and Kung-fu wire work. I guarantee you will enjoy the opening train robbery scene and the very elaborate and completely ridiculous jeep-horse chase sequence across the desert that's like a Guy Ritchie film meets The Road Warrior. It's exciting, funny and entertaining as hell!

Chemistry among the three lead actors are great. Lee Byung-hun, much like Lee Van Cleef's Angel Eyes is decent as an insecure bandit with the typical Korean sadistic gangster mentality that we all love from Korean gangster flicks. Least developed of the three, is Jung Woo-sung, gracefully playing a cool and calm bounty-hunter reminisce of Clint Eastwood's Blondie. But the heart and soul of the movie is Song Kang-ho, in a very commanding comedic performance evoking Eli Wallach's Tuco. It comes as no surprise that all three of the lead actors were nominated in the 3rd Asian Film Awards (full nominees list here).

Kudos also should be given to the musical score, riffing on Latin rhythms and brass orchestration, along with heavy Asian percussion. One scene in mind is during the thrilling climax, the wild percussion-heavy music starts to morph into Nina Simone's 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'. Pure brilliance.

TGTBTW is not the first 'oriental Western' (as it bills itself on closing credits). Last year, Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django is a perfect example of genre-busting J-Western, and Chinese director He Ping already had a crack at a C-Western with Sun Valley. But then again, the original spaghetti Westerns of the 1960s were partly inspired by Japanese samurai movies, anyway. Some people may suggest that this movie has bitten off more than it can chew for what is essentially an old-school chase movie. Some may call it a ridiculous, silly movie. Well, it is... but it's the most amazing, incredible silliness I've ever seen in a long time.

WEB : 81st Oscar Nominations & Talking Points

BEST PICTURE:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

DIRECTING:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher
Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard
Milk, Gus Van Sant
The Reader, Stephen Daldry
Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
Doubt, Written by John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Screenplay by Peter Morgan
The Reader, Screenplay by David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Frozen River, Written by Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Written by Mike Leigh
In Bruges, Written by Martin McDonagh
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black
WALL•E, Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

ORIGINAL SCORE:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL•E, Thomas Newman

ORIGINAL SONG:
"Down to Earth" from WALL•E, Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire, Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
"O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire, Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam

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Some talking points for this years list :

• No The Dark Knight best picture nomination? Man, if The Dark Knight couldn't get itself a nomination, then you can't imagine any comic book movie ever reaching that height. I thought it would happen this year, but then again..
  

• And no Chris Nolan too? Hmm..

• Many people are discussing online about the nod Brad Pitt got for Benjamin Button. Did you know that Brad Pitt does not appear onscreen for the first 52 minutes of his performance? Even after that, it is enhanced with extensive makeup and special effects. The question could be asked - is this the very first digital performance nominated for an Oscar? If he can get nominated, why not Andy Serkis startling work as Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings back in 2002?

• Meryl Streep received her 15th acting nomination. Fifteenth! That's a new record..
  

• I thought the Academy loves Clint Eastwood. Where's Gran Torino? Complete shut-out.
  

• No Kate Winslet in supporting actress category (and rightly so, because she was the lead in The Reader). Penelope Cruz and Marisa Tomei is smiling.. :)

• No Springsteen for Best Original Song? The Boss fans won't be happy.
  

• Although I haven't seen Happy-Go-Lucky, many angry people online are discussing about the snub for Sally Hawkins in Best Actress category. In fact she is the only actress not to be nominated for an Oscar after winning the 4 major non-Oscar awards (National Society of Film Critics, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association, The New York Film Critics Circle and the Golden Globes). Read more about it here.

• Stephen Daldry has made only three films and he's been nominated for Best Director every time with Billy Elliott, The Hours and The Reader. How the Academy voters loved him..

• Downey Jr nomination is a pleasant suprise. It's cool but I prefer Tom Cruise performance in Tropic Thunder.
  

So what do u guys think? Full list of nominees here.

WEB : VHS Tapes (1975-2008) R.I.P - Never Forget

Sad but true, readers. As of December 2008, VHS is no longer manufactured. Running from 1975-2008, VHS brought joy into our lives for 33 amazing years.

VHS is probably the perfect format for film fans of my generation. I can say that I have a quite large collection of VHS tapes. Many of my P. Ramlee films collection, award shows, obsolete TV shows, cartoons - most of them taped from TV; are in VHS format and still occupying the TV cabinet shelves and drawers in my home. Watching these VHS is like taking a trip back to my childhood; it brought back a lot of memories.

I assume many of you would probably remember those days of VHS rental. Even when laser discs was making quite a business, many of us would prefer renting VHS simply because they were more titles to choose and the size of VHS tape is much more compact.

I can still remember back in the days, video rental store catalogs were photo albums with photos of the VHS cover art. And in late 80's, early 90's when VHS were available for purchase, the pirate manufacturers were releasing VHS in fancy clamshells, complete with printed front and back sleeves.

In the early 90's, when grunge was at the highest level of popularity, my friends and I were avid collectors of concert + live performances, and those rare and hard to get VHSes. Every kid in my school probably owned a copy of VHS tape with concerts by Green Day, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and a must-have at that time, Nirvana's 'Live, Tonight, Sold Out'. I remember during school holidays, I would 'turun KL' to find all those rare concert tapes and bring it back to Alor Setar so that I could brag to my friends. And by the time the school starts, I was probably the most popular kid in class, because all of my friends wanted to borrow the tapes. Silly I know, but popularity comes with a price..

And speaking of school, I'm definitely sure most of you guys (and some girls) remember your first experience with pornography. If you're age is between 25 to 35 years old now, I can surely bet you saw it first on VHS tapes, probably with some friends at their house when their parents weren't home. And boy was it hard to swap tapes with your friends at school, at risk of being caught by your teacher.

After the sudden popularity of VCD and the digital format, VHS is no longer considered a viable medium for releasing new films (as well as old ones). DVD has taken over and rightly so, thanks to the higher definition picture and better quality sound, not to mention the extras. The Internet and it's download availability also contributed to the fall of VHS. And sadly, the digital age killed the video star...

So this is my tribute to VHS. Thanks for the great memories. You will never be forgotten. Rest in peace.. and in our shelves.

*Picture taken from Nakatomi Stuff with great articles on VHS. They're also selling cool t-shirts to commemorate the death of VHS.

WEB : Golden Globe 2009 Winners List

Golden Globe 2009 Winners : -

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE
‘Bruce Springstreen, ‘The Wrestler,’ The Wrestler

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Anna Paquin, “True Blood”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
WALL-E

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Waltz With Bashir

BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
“30 Rock”

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Colin Farrell, In Bruges

BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
“Mad Men”

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Slumdog Millionaire

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• Hooray for Slumdog Millionaire! Personally, I've been rooting for it.. and boy did they win! A clean sweep, winning every award it was nominated for.
• Kate Winslet winning in both best actress categories, for The Reader and Revolutionary Road. Haven't watch both of it, but she's definitely a force to be reckon with.
  
• Mickey Rourke baby! At last..
• Heath Ledger! So glad he won..
  
• As expected Mad Men & 30 Rock won, and surprisingly the gap-toothed cutie, Anna Paquin from True Blood. Well-deserved.
• Colin Farrell for In Bruges is another delight. In Bruges should have won for Best Motion Picture-Musical Comedy too.
  

Overall, some good results. What do u think?

WEB : Japanese Watchmen Trailer

"Oh no, not another Watchmen trailer, Edd!"

Er.. yes, it's another Watchmen trailer.
In Japanese.. this time with Castro, Nixon and JFK.




How come the Japanese get the coolest Watchmen trailer?

FILM : The 2008 List

In tradition to this list and this list, I think a 2008 fave list would be a great start to a new year. Bear in mind, I haven't watch Milk, The Wrestler, Benjamin Button, etc - those critically acclaimed movies that was released in 2008. This list is purely based on the films that I watched last year (..and it ain't much).

I'll try to keep it short and sweet. Here's my top 11 favourite films of 2008.


11. Dunia Baru The Movie (Hitler Zami)
The only local film on the list. I enjoyed the series, and the film version is not bad either (read my review here). For local film appreciations go to Ajami's blog, who is busy giving out those AFA's chicken trophy..haha.

10. Tropic Thunder / Zack & Miri Make A Porno / Pineapple Express (Ben Affleck/ Kevin Smith/ David Gordon Green)
Three equally funny films, full of laugh-out-loud moments with great storytelling and wonderful acting. If you're not a fan of Tom Cruise (..like me), go watch Tropic Thunder and be surprised. Definitely the best comedic performance of 2008.

9. In Bruges (Martin McDonagh)
This black comedy is about hit men on vacation, featuring a career-best turn from Colin Farrell. The script was cleverly written and had a lot of heart.

8. Quantum of Solace (Marc Forster)
I know my review wasn't too positive, but I have a soft spot for Bond. Clearly the best action film of 2008.

7. Lust, Caution (Ang Lee)
The most underrated film of 07/08 is also the most erotic. I always admire the ability of Ang Lee superbly tackling every genre of films and this time he successfully recreated the setting of Japanese-overrun wartime Shanghai. I can sit and stare at Tang Wei for days.. she hits me deep, right in the heart.

6. Speed Racer (The Wachowski Brothers)
Critics hated it, but this digitally-assembled explosion of movement and light is probably the most avant-garde film in 2008. Read my review here.

5. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson)
Swedish vampire movie anyone? It probably sounded like I was describing a B-grade gore, slasher flick. But you'll be surprised of this gorgeous coming-of-age tale of young love between a shy Swedish boy and the little girl vampire who moves in next door and agrees to be his girlfriend without either of them realizing the implications. Beautiful.

4. The Chaser (Na Hong-jin)
This little gem from South Korea won multiple awards at the 45th Daejong Film Festival (Korea’s equivalent to the Oscars). It's not your average serial-killer + antihero film. A bit horrifying, a bit provocative, a bit sad and surprisingly a bit funny but overall a wonderful, engaging film.

3. Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle)
I managed to see this one on the last week of 2008. It's really such a beautiful film, just something very different from Boyle's previous work, mainly because of its Mumbai setting, its rags-to-riches underdog storyline and just a lot of really delightful and exciting sequences. The cast of young newcomers and some Bollywood veterans (Anil Kapoor as Jalaluddin Hassan anyone?) was simply delightful. My pick for this year Best Director.

2. Man on Wire (James Marsh)
This gorgeous documentary tells the unbelievable tale of the French tight-rope walker Philippe Petit who planned the elaborate wire walk between the Twin Towers in 1974, over 100 stories above imminent death. Watching it feels like watching an exciting bank-heist film, with a seamless melding of interviews, stills, re-enactments and archival footage. A celebration of athleticism, architecture, beauty and crazy ambition, this film definitely inspires me to go out and chase my dreams, because nothing is impossible.

1. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
Is there any doubt about my no 1 pick? A masterpiece. Read my review here.


Biggest dissapointments : Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights and Fernando Meirelles's Blindness. 2 amazing directors with serious duds. I'm sure these 2 great artist will come back strong on their next film.


Where's your list?

WEB : Not So Great News About Watchmen

New York Times reports that Warner Bros. have lost the case for WATCHMEN. According to the New York Times, a judge has claimed he intends to rule that 20th Century Fox do own a copyright interest in the Alan Moore graphic novel which dates back to the late 1980's. What this means for WATCHMEN is unclear at this point but Fox have previously made it known they seek to permanently block the movie from being released which now must be seen as a distinct possibility.

*gasp*

One of the likely scenario's from all this is 20th Century Fox winning a free massive summer campaign which they can release under their banner, despite all the hard work Warner Bros. have gone through, and reaping the majority if not all the rewards in the process.

Another interesting thing to consider is whether 20th Century Fox will have the final edit on Zack Snyder’s film and whether they will tweak and cut it however they like. How would Fox butcher a near 3 hour deconstruction of the superhero genre? That is scary.

I really, really hope they will find some sort of agreement and settle this matter out of court. Big money will be involved of course, but we can only hope that the movie will be released with Snyder's final cut. *fingers-crossed*

WEB : Review of The First 22 Minutes of Watchmen

Devin Faraci at CHUD.com got a chance to watch the first 22 minutes of Warner Bros. Pictures' Watchmen this weekend at Butt-Numb-A-Thon in Austin and has described what he saw in full. And I quote..:

"..It will look and feel like a real movie. That's a weird thing to say, but there are lots of people out there who, having only seen the trailers released to the public, are jumping to the conclusion that Zack Snyder has made a Watchmen filled with speed ramping and flashy money shots. From what I've seen this isn't even remotely true at all. The footage is stylish - well shot, with rich visuals and dynamic compositions - but it looked more like a modern take on a noir film than anything else. What I saw was moody, sometimes muted. Snyder allows his takes to be long, eschewing a quick cut style that many seem to think would rule the day in this film. The 22 minutes I saw didn't feel like an action film at all."

Very promising indeed. You can check out his full article here.

WEB : First Pic Of Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter

Not sure if it's real.. but johnny-depp.org posted this pic of Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice and Wonderland [3D] remake for Disney.

Kinda' excited about this one because AiW is one of my favourite novel to read when I was a kid. I always thought that Burton is the perfect man to direct an AiW movie, because of his strong visual style.

..but Depp sure looks a 'lil bit like Carrot Top, yes/no?

WEB : Watchmen Theatrical Trailer [HD]

... with dialogue.
... and background music by Muse - 'Take A Bow'.

WEB : The Seven Ladies of Nine

The cast of Rob Marshall's upcoming musical, Nine.

from left : Dame Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Fergie, Nicole Kidman, and Kate Hudson.

Plus Daniel Day Lewis.

Ok, I'm sold.

WEB : Watchmen New Character Posters

Warner Bros. have released six new character posters for WATCHMEN.
Check them out.

FILM - Quantum Of Solace - The Bond Supremacy

Synopsis

Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M interrogate Mr White who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined. Forensic intelligence links Dominic Greene, a ruthless business man, to the mysterious organization. On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano. In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists and even M, to unravel Greene’s sinister plan and stop his organization.

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Followers of this blog, probably know I'm quite a fan of the Bond franchise. After the success of what probably is the most (commercially & critically) successful Bond movie, Casino Royale (CR), this one is a must-see for all Bond fanatics.

Quantum of Solace (QOS) picks up moments after the credits rolled at the end of CR so this is the first actual Bond sequel. So it was almost inevitable for this movie to be viewed with high hopes and expectations. But I'm trying very hard to watch QOS with a fresh look, taking into account that this movie has a different director with Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland). But after the end credits rolled, I couldn't help but thinking that QOS is actually a footnote to CR and that there is more to the adventure of the so-called 'new' Bond.

The Action
I have to start off this review with the action sequences because, well.. QOS started with one. Almost a minute into the film, action fans will be treated to a high octane car chase through the streets of Siena in Tuscany, Italy. And that scene really sets the tone of the film, sort of a welcome note by Forster that says 'You want action, I'll give you action!'. Kudos for Forster and his action direction team for staging wonderful action sequences in this movie that involves cars, foot, bike, cars, boats and planes - you name it they got it.

Watching all those wonderful action sequences, I did get the deja-vu feeling of "..have I seen this before?''. It turns out that the editing and the second unit team of the 'Bourne' movies are also involved in QOS as well. So expect that kind of gritty, fast cut editing action in this one too. High marks for action and suspense.

Story/Script
While the action in QOS does up the ante from CR, here lies the problem for QOS storytelling. Sometimes I do get the feeling that the writers (Haggis and team) are set out this time to make an action-packed revenge movie and neglecting any plot points and character development. Viewers will be transported from one exotic locations to another (complete with Heroes-like titles), and jumped to another action sequences as the story goes, at times seems a little too fast-paced and forced. The film jumps around constantly, leaving you wondering what is happening. What's the deal with this SPECTRE-like secret organization called Quantum? What do they really want? Oil? Water control? World-domination, of course.

The originality and the smooth dialogue of CR are not present in QOS. Sometimes Bond looks like a mute vengeful assasin rather than a cunning British spy. I do understand that he's pissed and out for revenge, but.. this is James Bond. Without the humour, flirtation and sexiness, he's no different from any other character from any spy thriller (Bourne again?). This is not a movie about a sexy British spy but about an embittered killing machine who has lost the woman he loved and still doesn't know whether she actually betrayed him. It’s tough stuff — but a Bond in permanent emotional travail is a Bond oddly diminished. In my opinion, the film's grim and downbeat nature precludes either the sexiness or the humour that are part and parcel of Bond’s appeal.

Bond & Co
Daniel Craig performance is solid as a lean, mean killing machine. He's looking set to continue to redefine 007 for the modern era. It doesn't help that the script requires him to tone down his charm and be pissed al the time, but I can see him outshining some previous Bonds when the time comes. His performance in QOS reminded me of Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights - cold and heartless. But Dalton doesn't fit the Bond persona he's creating with the cheesy plot of Living Daylights. Eon productions got wrong back then and have got so very right this time around: if you're going to reinvent Bond, reinvent everything. Don't just fit a serious actor into a traditionally campy plot - make sure the entire world that Bond inhabits fits a more realistic take on the character.

Mathieu Almaric is decent as the enigmatic environmentalist Mr. Greene (enviromentalist, Greene - Geddit?) although I wished he had more banter with Bond especially during the final scene. He kinda looked like a bad-teethed version of Roman Polanski though.

Returning from CR, Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis is very good, providing a little bit human character in his brief scenes with Bond. Jeffrey Wright also return as CIA agent Felix Leiter; the coolest cat of them all, although he could use a little more screen time in the future.

Bond Girls
I'm not sure if Camille (Olga Kurylenko) is fitting to be called a Bond-girl simply because she doesn't connect at all with Bond. It seems that her own agenda back story (which is obvious right from the beginning) potrayed her as a supporting cast rather than a classic Bond girl. Gemma Arterton fits the bills more rightly, as Agent Fields (wait for the end credits to catch her real name), a throwback to the classic Bond girl right down to the manner of her demise on screen. (black-Goldfinger?). I felt there's more connection and chemistry between Bond and Fields although very brief.

The real Bond girl this time, is probably M, played ever so convincingly by Judi Dench. M have more screen time than ever in QOS, finally showing what might in fact be a kind of mother figure, never quite giving up on her favourite son’s persistent capacity to do the wrong thing by killing those he should be bringing in for questioning. Dench is magnetic, projecting the kind of charisma that only she and Helen Mirren could (both of them, GILF in my book, there I said it!)

Bond Theme Song
It's a Bond film - you have to talk about the theme song. As much as I loved Jack White and Alicia Keys, the theme song is rather forgettable. There's no chemistry at all in what supposed to be a rock-soul duet (first time duet in any Bond film). 'Another Way To Die' simply just - died. To think that Amy Winehouse nearly got the nod for doing the theme song, imagine what could have been..

Verdict
Quantum of Solace isn't as good as Casino Royale: the smart elegance of Craig's Bond debut has been toned down in favour of action and grit. But Daniel Craig powers this movie; he carries the film. As a big budget action thriller, QOS pass with flying colours. I had a very enjoyable time watching it, explosions and all. But this time around the biggest hurdle is the script, which is working against Bond every step of the way, making victims of character and plot.

But I do have a feeling that QOS is actually a promise of more things to come. In the next Bond picture this 21st-century spy will gain greater access to his own character strengths. And we will eventually see Bond enjoying himself more. But right now, let Bond settle his score - he's in anger management.

WEB : Watchmen New Trailer & Poster

The anticipation keeps building up..

Last night on Spike TV Awards 2008, Zack Snyder, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Malin Ackerman & the super-duper stunning Carla Gugino premiered the official new trailer to worldwide audience featuring tons of new footage not featured on the last trailer that I posted here.

Say what you want about Snyder (slo-mo cuts, dizzying 360 panning, wide-angle CGI shots, etc..), but that guy sure knows how to cut a freakin' awesome trailer.

Watch the clip below, and for you MCR fans out there, u might notice the guy at the beginning of the clip. BTW, MCR is also confirmed to close the movie with a Bob Dylan's cover (*yaay for Zacko & Sha*).



And the fun doesn't stop there.. Yahoo Movies introduced a fantastic new teaser poster which re-creates a famous moment from the opening scene of the film and is briefly shown in the final shot of the trailer above.

If you notice, the poster reveals the movie will be R-Rated for "graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language". Glad to know that Snyder doesn't resort to cutting this movie into a G or PG in order to make more money. Hoping that the nudity refers to Gugino.. :).

Awesome stuff.

WEB : Watchmen Posters

(click image for larger view)

Very cool Watchmen character posters. I love the details and the comic style design. I thought the quotes were a great touch too although I'm curious about the Dr. Manhattan posters because I think the comment was made by Prof. Milton Glass, not Prof. Wally Weaver. I also noticed the date on the Nite Owl quote is dated 1986, which is interesting considering that the comic storyline happens entirely in 1985. Hmm..

Also noticed the clock in the top left corner of the poster shows various time. Plus the first appearance of Ozymandias pet, Bubastis (..yaay!) is just wonderful. And check out Sally Jupiter.. Carla Gugino was made to wear that costume!

FILM : The Dark Knight - Caped Crusading To The Top

As the end credits for The Dark Knight (TDK) rolls, for a few seconds, my wife and I just sat there, on our seats. Static, not being able to move, no words uttered. In fact, for nearly 2 1/2 hours, we hardly took our eyes off the screen. After those few seconds, we turned towards each other, and grinned. Although no words are spoken, both of us knew exactly what's in each other minds. We share the same feeling. It's been awhile since a film took our breath away. In a way it was a weird kind of mixed feeling of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Satisfied for witnessing a masterpiece; dissatisfied because we couldn't get enough of it. Simply put – this movie is really, really good.

TDK is probably the first movie I can think of in a long time that successfully creates a feeling of chaos from (almost) start to finish. And - thankfully enough – Christopher Nolan establishes this mood not by shaking his camera all over the place (read : Michael Bay) but instead keeping it under tight control even as Gotham is just melting down all around him. Starting from the marvelous opening bank heist scene, the ingenious introduction to The Joker involving a pencil, the slow burn transformation of Harvey Dent to Two-Face and the final heartbreaking showdown, the film is a controlled maniacal chaos.

Christopher Nolan has done what seemingly before this was almost impossible - given us a sequel that builds upon the first film and the characters, and (gasp!) gave Gotham City a touch of reality by linking it to Hong Kong. Gotham City is no longer fictional, but seems much closer to home, which in my opinion, is probably why TDK feels extra disturbing. Die-hard comic fans may prefer Burton’s Batman rather than Nolan’s but in my opinion Burton played up the absurdity of Batman and his villains without making them believable.

In Burton's Gotham City, the place is purely fantastical, therefore rendering the whole affair a whimsical spectacle. We as the audience are merely spectators and felt a little detached. Nolan's sequel stuck in our hearts simply because being rooted now in the real world, the issues it addresses become far more immediate than we could imagine from something of a comic book origin. Nolan clearly respects not only the possibilities in the source material but also the very real pain that would drive a man like Bruce Wayne to the edge. In other word, we want to believe Batman actually exist.

I reckoned you probably have read everything, good or bad, regarding the monumental performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker. Some say it's Oscar-worthy, the all-time best performance by an actor, and what-not. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure about that but one thing for sure – he owns this character. After TDK, any villainous character, coincidental or not, will always be compared to Ledger's performance. He's very good.

But in my opinion, the Joker phenomenon has somewhat overshadowed the amazing performances of Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman. Their film-carrying performance is brilliant. Eckhart play his role to perfection. He grounded the movie. I really think if you remove Harvey Dent character, TDK would basically devolve back to a simple comic book movie. It would have just been good vs bad. For me, the difference between Joker and Two-Face, is that Joker is all about anarchy and chaos. He has no reason for being a maniac. Two-Face is killing for a reason. And that reason is love. Will you flip-out like Harvey if your love is taken away from you unjustly? Do you realize how easily other actors could have made the character slip into some sleazy stereotype political dude? So for that, Eckhart is perfect.

And Gary Oldman.. man, what can I say. It’s Gary freakin' Oldman! Even if you give him the most absurd, out of this world, pathetic character (remember Lost In Space? Fifth Element?), he probably can outshine everybody else. His Lt. Gordon, marvelously restrained, provides the moral center of the film. He expands Gordon's righteous anger with loyalty that makes the final showdown heartrendingly unbearable. I always have, and always will say this : Gary Oldman is one of, if not the greatest living actor of our time.

So where's Batman in all this, you ask? Bale did a decent job, complete with growling voice and all. But honestly, do you really think Batman – the character, will be so enormously popular if not because all the supporting characters that surrounded him? I think Bale and Nolan did realize this from the start and did the very wise thing of not overplaying him. Batman - in all his movies - is the driving force, but not the main attraction.

The action sequences are great, and Nolan has improved on the last film even in this aspect, giving us sequences that are better shot and more controlled (love the tunnel chase). Special mentions also have to go to the musical score of TDK by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard that add emotions to every scene. Definitely a sure bet come Oscar time. And plus points to the casting director for adding Eric Roberts, Michael Jai White, William Fitchner AND Anthony Michael Hall (it's Gary from Weird Science!) to the almost perfect ensemble of actors.

The one thing I discover is that - as a director, Nolan takes his story very seriously. That's what makes his films great. TDK is a frightening, uncompromising, flat-out wonderful film, hitting the perfect mix of characterization and humor, bouncing between phenomenal action set pieces and the brutally human moments that place the film in a recognizable world even as it soars from a comic book fantasy. I believe in Harvey Dent? I believe in Christopher Nolan.