Dental Terror

It was freaky. Upon entering the dentist's office, I saw in my mind fleeting images of pain and torment, with a few scenes from the Dentist horror movies thrown in. Nevertheless, I sat calmly as the dentist injected painkiller into my gum nerves. It didn't help when he said in an almost bored voice, "Now I have to tell you the risks involved..."

Supposedly there was a risk of getting a serious wound that would last for 6 months. Ouch.

The next few minutes were painless, but strange. I closed my eyes, and while the painkillers nullified the pain, I could still experience some pressure. So it really feels awkward as you can feel the scissors snipping away at your gum while death-drills grind your teeth down. I didn't even know it when the dentist began stitching my gums back.

Now, for the long week ahead where I'll be experiencing some pain and the inability to enjoy food (Darn it!). Friday's the day I get rid of the stitches, and it can't come sooner!

P.S. This was a wisdom tooth removal operation

This is called...farming!

I haven’t done this before, but I’ll advise you this time to please be wary of spoilers in this review. Plain put, every bit of this film oozes with charm and I’d hate to be the one to spoil the experience. You have been warned.


How does Pixar do these things? While film studios all around clank out cliché after cliché, Pixar seldom resorts to sequels, instead relying on simple novelty ideas which they turn into epic, entertaining movies. Who knew that toys, fish, cars, bugs and rats could make such wonderful characters? Still, their latest innovation might be their best yet, having resulted in a film that has cute robots, which, despite their lack of dialog, project a story with such endearing heart and soul. It’s a film dealing with dark, depressing and very real issues, but has enough optimism to make it fun.


And let there be no doubt, these robots are adorable. Wall-E, the main character, is the last remaining robot on Earth who goes through a daily schedule of compacting and cleaning up scrap and trash left over by humans. In fact, the Earth is so filthy that humans have evacuated on a giant spaceship leaving (literally) skyscrapers of garbage. Wall-e has been faithfully at his job for years, and the boredom and loneliness have helped him develop humanlike qualities and feelings. When another robot named Eve is deployed on Earth to search for signs of life, Wall-E falls in love and follows her across the galaxy on an adventure. The big bulk of the adventure takes place on the aforementioned giant spaceship, where Wall-E’s surprising humanity forever changes the lives of its inhabitants.


It’s already expected of a Pixar film to have cute antics, stunning visuals, great music (with nice nods to oldies music), and of course, strong characters, and Pixar hasn’t failed. However, what really makes this film remarkable and outstanding is the underlying message. It was simply stunning when the spaceship’s inhabitants were revealed to be obese humans who, due to the comforts of technology, now travel in hoverchairs and have no need for walking. As a matter of fact, they have lost the ability to walk and every aspect of their lives, including entertainment, hygiene, communication and food (burger-flavored liquids?) can be done from the comfort of their hoverchairs.


While funny, it is a frightening look at what humanity might evolve into. The movie jolted me awake to the importance of appreciating one’s life and abilities. A scene showing the ship’s captain delighting in learning about simple pleasures such as dancing and farming really shows how beautiful life really is if we remove all the technological fog engulfing us. I was never one for environmental awareness but even I could appreciate the strong ecological message. One need only marvel at the bold panoramas of skyscrapers made of cube-shaped trash collected by Wall-E over the years to understand that our Earth is in serious danger unless we do something about it.


Yet, many critics have accused Wall-E of being hypocritical. A massive corporation such as Disney, who promotes consumerism (Wall-E’s so cute, buy the toys!), is trying to push forward an ecological message. Who are they to tell us what to do? Well, I for one, don’t agree with them. Just because it is a bad teacher who teaches moral values doesn’t mean that the moral values taught are any less relevant. Love the product, not the maker. Likewise, I love Wall-E, for its strong message, great characters and wonderful visuals even though I see the validity of the criticism directed at the producer.

There’s no doubt in my mind, Wall-E is the best animated film I’ve seen this year. In fact, it’s one of the best animated movies I’ve ever seen from Pixar and that’s saying a lot considering the studio produced marvels such as Ratatouille, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Monsters Inc. I heartily recommend this movie.



Images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios

"The wait is over"

Fantastic. Never a big fan of Star Trek, this has nevertheless gotten my attention. Will be looking to catch previous movies just to get a feel for this new, epic movie.

Hopefully, it'll be good because we (or rather I) need another space epic after Star Wars.

For quality junkies like me, go to Apple's Official Website to download high-resolution Quicktime versions of the trailer. I highly recommend doing so to enjoy the awesome detail.

"Do not want!"

So the backstroke begins?

Being Malaysian, we all have come across pirated DVD movies with weirdly translated subtitles. Here's an example of how pirates can unintentionally be so ridiculously funny with movies, such as the following Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. These photos were stolen taken from the blog, winterson.com.

"Master, may the Force be with you". The Force is now the "wish power"

Yes! Very big! Eww...

Wha-? The "Presbyterian Church" is supposed to be the Jedi Council...don't ask me!

A big what? I wonder...


Okay, Kenobi, you've confessed it.



It is as I predicted!


@@"

"NOOOOO!" is funny enough, now we get "Do not want!"

Really fantastic, the beauty of it all. For the rest of the screenshots, go to winterson.com to see the rest. Beware of the occasional expletive, but considering we all have bought encountered pirated DVDs, these words should come as nothing shocking.

New facelift!

Ok I couldn't find a movie quote this time. However I am proud to have finally redesigned some aspects of my blog. Fine, it was just a banner upgrade, but I'm still happy with it nevertheless.

This banner design parodies American comics of the 60s to the 70s. Pick up any copy of Amazing Spider-man or Batman and you'll see some similarities. And yes, my face strikes out like a grinning fool it is. Don't ask me why, it was just a spur of the moment thing.

Also, what exactly is the Comics Code Authority? The Comic Codes Authority was a regulatory (read: viciously dictatorial) body that censored comics back then. They were the ones that caused Batman to become the questionably flamboyant character he was in the sixties. (You know, BAM! POW! BIFF! Holy gee willickers, Batman!) Thank goodness Chris Nolan brought him back with the new Batman movies.

Anyway, I would like to take this opportunity say thank you to loyal readers, if there are any, for visiting my blog. Hope to see you again!

"There are no accidents."

They call me a “banana”. A banana is one whose skin is supposedly yellow on the outside but is white on the inside, much like a real banana. This derogatory term means that while I am Chinese (yellow), I often exhibit characteristics of a Caucasian (white). Case in point: I don’t speak Chinese, I prefer Western comics and entertainment and until recently, I didn’t even know how to write my Chinese name.

Despite being a so-called banana, I am still proud of my Chinese heritage and enjoy entertainment based on Chinese culture, despite my inability to understand the dialog or speech in those entertainments. Therefore, I love watching kung-fu and while I try my best not to come across as a stereotypical kung-fu fan wannabe (seen in movies such as Karate Kid and the Forbidden Kingdom), I have to admit that martial arts gets me extremely excited. So what could be more exciting than an animated feature featuring kung-fu characters?

Kung Fu Panda tells of a lovable, fat panda named Po (Jack Black), who was, due to a series of unpredictable events, chosen as the legendary Dragon Warrior. But unlike the fabulous Furious Five, whose martial arts skills are renown throughout China, Po is just a normal, physically unfit (he can’t even climb stairs) noodle seller. The situation is all the more exasperating for Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) who has to train him because the powerful Tai Lung (Ian McShane), a villainous leopard, has escaped from prison. Tai Lung seeks the Dragon Scroll, a scroll that grants its reader limitless power, which was denied him. Po and Master Shifu will thus have to overcome impossible odds to face this threat.


I was impressed by how respectful this movie was to Chinese culture. Instead of simply parodying it, it is clear that the creators showed great care in researching various aspects of Chinese culture, from the costumes to the architecture to the varying kung-fu styles. This resulted in another beautiful movie, with charming scenery, colorful characters and intense battles.

Speaking of the battles, I thought it was a fantastic decision to use animal characters as the kung-fu masters. While it seemed like a gimmick in most animated movies, this movie utilized them in a way that showed us something we’ve never seen before. Sure, we may have seen Jackie Chan (who has a voice role, as Master Monkey) perform monkey kung-fu, but have you actually seen an actual monkey performing it? Which movie features a snake taking on a leopard in a heated battle? What about a tiny red panda taking on the same leopard? The closest parallel I’ve seen in any movie was in Star Wars where the diminutive Master Yoda took on much bigger foes and that was awesome, much like this movie was.

Also, the animation was breathtaking; the characters spar and attack each other with quick and graceful moves. Thanks to the beautiful choreography, the battles had great momentum and style. One could almost feel the rush of the wind as Tai Lung dashes up a vertical slope while battling hundreds of soldiers. Two scenes in particular, blew my mind. The first was when Tai Lung escaped from prison, leaping and dashing across wide chasms and knocking aside soldiers as if they were mere dolls. His punches and kicks could be felt when they landed on the poor soldiers’ cheeks with loud, convincing cracks. The second scene was when the Furious Five, consisting of varied animals such as a mantis and a crane, attacked Tai Lung at a wide suspension bridge that was literally high above the clouds.


From what I have said, you can clearly see that I do like Tai Lung, and Ian McShane did a good job portraying a heartless, ruthless and occasionally sarcastic villain. I guess that's because he's British, and the British make such wonderful villains. Actor Jack Black also did a great job as Po the Panda and so did Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu. Yet, I do wonder whether the star-studded cast was really necessary. Rival animator Pixar’s movies mostly used unknown actors and yet every single one of their performances was noteworthy. But here, I couldn’t really see the significant difference in hiring Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie or Lucy Liu over other professional voice actors. For example, I didn’t even realize that Jolie was playing the Tigress until the credits rolled out on the screen.

Nevertheless, Kung Fu Panda is by no means a bad movie. It’s fantastic and surprising because I never expected such quality from Dreamworks. This has been a great year with at least two English kung-fu movies (The other being the Forbidden Kingdom). Kung Fu Panda definitely has my nomination for best animated movie of the year, and until I watch Wall-E, it certainly gets my vote.


Images are copyrighted by Dreamworks Animation

"One of the surest signs of true maturity...is reaching the state where you no longer care whether or not what you're doing in private is mature."

Click here.

This blog post is profoundly beautiful, and I very much agree with it. I myself have a few confessions to make: I enjoy kid games, I love fantasy, I can't stand horror, I practically adore Star Wars and I collect action figures. Some jocks out there are already probably wincing in pain.

And like GabuEx, I ask myself, why not? Why should "the fact that the person has existed on Earth for an arbitrary number of years" account for what his hobbies should or should not be? As people mature, they try to conform to societal standards, because that is precisely what is expected of them. Yet, are these standards really logical in the first place?

Think about it, why does growing up mean you have to watch something more violent, read something more trashy, play something more "intellectually mature"? In my opinion, it's not as if this world and the news we get from television isn't enough to shake us up to the depressing reality of life. To be blunt, this world sucks, life is harsh and cruel, and people die everyday. We see this everyday, so why should we confront it in our entertainment?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

Let me tell you why fantasy and Star Wars appeals to me. When I want to entertain myself, I want to escape from this world, or I'd have a sensory overload. I want to experience something totally distinct from our world, to play a knight or an adventurer seeking glory and excitement. These are things not found or obtainable in my real life, and I believe the best way to live it out is through fantasy.

Of course, don't assume that I cannot appreciate the "darker" things in entertainment. I still enjoy movies such as Pan's Labyrinth, Walk the Line and other serious shows. I'm just saying that there's nothing wrong in indulging in "childish" fantasy. In fact, the only thing childish in life is picking up certain hobbies to prove to others that you are above Pokemon and fairy tales.

Images are copyrighted by Lucasfilm Animation.

Even if we're miles and miles and miles apaaarrt!

Exams are over! I know I am mercilessly unimaginative sometimes, so I have live up to my boring standards with another movie review! I watched this movie at GSC Times Square.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR

Call me skeptical, but again I wasn’t entirely sure how good this movie would turn out to be. Although I thought the first two made-for-television movies to be quite entertaining, the standards of cinema are indeed much higher than TV, as proven by Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which excelled better on TV than on the coveted silver screen. Besides that, there’s always the tricky question (at least for any Malaysian) as to whether it was worth watching something usually shown on TV in the cinema. (Homer Simpson: “I can’t believe we’re paying to see something we get on TV for free!”)

Well, rest your fears, for High School Musical 3 is certainly leaps and bounds ahead of the first two movies. In this movie, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens) and friends of East High School face the prospect of separation as college draws near. Troy’s father and friends have high expectations on him to join the University of Albuquerque where he can excel in his supposed talent, basketball. But besides being away from the love of his life, Gabriella, Troy also has to deal with whether to go for basketball, or to take up his passion, theater. All this happens as the students of East High School decide to have a final musical performance to honor their last year in school.

There’s no doubt that far more work was put into writing this movie as the plot feels many
layers thicker than that of its predecessors. It’s no Oscar winning script, but it’s great to see effort put into making this movie deeper and more engaging. I felt deeply touched by the relationship of Troy and Gabriella, and the decisions they were forced to make as the end of school drew near. Maybe I’m just overly sentimental, but nothing gets to my heart like a clean, romantic movie. With all the dark, gritty movies of today, it’s nice to see some simple Disney magic working its way into our lives once in a while.

It also helps that the actors have improved their craft, rising above average. While they are all decent, I found Zac Efron to be particularly good as Troy Bolton. When Ms. Darbus, Troy’s teacher, remarks how comfortable he looks on stage, I couldn’t help but agree more. Where he was slightly stiff and awkward in the first movie, he now flows like liquid, delivering his lines with utmost sincerity. His seemingly genuine passion (Zac and Vanessa are a real item) makes his love story with Vanessa’s Gabriella believable and true.

Besides that, this review isn’t complete with some praise for the fantastic sets and choreography prevalent in the movie. The sets are simply spellbinding; large and colorful, they looked like they just leapt out from New York’s Times Square or Broadway. In fact, the first thing that caught my eye about this movie was just how vivid and colorful it was, and it was really a treat for the eyes. The music remains fantastic, if not better than before. I in particular, fell in love with the song “Can I Have this Dance?” which I now hum to myself almost every waking moment. Great stuff; believe me, I bought the soundtrack!

How do I summarize the experience? High School Musical is bigger, better and brighter than the first two movies in the series and is worth watching for the simple fun you’d get out of it. Great movie, and when they finished the whole thing with a tear-inducing curtain call, I almost gave it a standing ovation.

Images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures

And with every step together,

Take my hand, take a breath
Pull me close and take one step
Keep your eyes locked on mine,
And let the music be your guide.

Won't you promise me (now won't you promise me, that you'll never forget)
We'll keep dancing (to keep dancing) wherever we go next

It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance...

Take my hand, I'll take the lead
And every turn will be safe with me
Don't be afraid, afraid to fall
You know I'll catch you through it all

And you can't keep us apart (even a thousand miles, can't keep us apart)
'Cause my heart is (cause my heart is) wherever you are

It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance...

Oh no mountains too high enough, oceans too wide
'Cause together or not, our dance won't stop
Let it rain, let it pour
What we have is worth fighting for
You know I believe, that we were meant to be...

It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you (like you)
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do (way we do)
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance

Can I have this dance
Can I have this dance...


"Can I have this Dance", by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, High School Musical 3