BUSY TTM

It is times like these that I love school! Don't worry, you didn't travel back in time. It's not Chinese New Year. Just our Red-Themed Day =D

Gosh, have been so busy lately. I'm actually blogging on the day we're having our next themed day. Watch this space to find out what's next.

Deadlines. So many deadlines. Grrr. I don't even dare to write them down, for fear I might faint.

Highlight was probably filming at Chinatown with Huiying and Wilson (Wang) for COM206 project. It's not done yet, but would like to extend an advanced THANK YOU to my little cousins Anthea and Ryan, and Huiying's Uncle Jack and Aunty (not Rose, I think).

Okay, need to get back to work quick. Take a look at my Oscars post on SGClub (click on picture):


Help to rate and/or comment if you can! =D

Hmm, shall add one more thing. Was listening to John Mayer's songs last night. His latest album is awesome. One of my fave:

Friends, Lovers or Nothing



Many more movie reviews coming in. But not so soon.

Take care, people!

Ouch, Avatar, that Hurts

Been so busy the past week. 2 movie previews, one Oscar commentary, and one 202 test later, I'm finally blogging again. Once the March issue of SGClub.net is out, I shall post it here! You can still check out my Oscar commentary in pictures below ;)

But first, Kumar!

I've finally watched Singapore's most famous drag-queen and brilliant stand-up comedian, Kumar, 'live' in action. His Esplanade show was awesome!

Besides tackling issues like the gah-men, his little anecdotes about his life story are also hilariously and movingly realised. A particular solo number featured Kumar in a mermaid costume, with him twisting the lyrics of A Part of your World (Disney's Little Mermaid), depicting his inner desire to be accepted by everyone. It is moments like these - plus huge dollops of humour - that make the show an occasionally heartfelt one.

Choice Joke:
"The sign directions at Terminal 3 are in English, Chinese, Malay and... Japanese. Huh? You think Indians can read Japanese ah? Ah-neh and A-no-neh is different leh. Then they tell me, the Indians built Terminal 3, so they already know the way around, no need the signs. Hello? It's not the Indians that built Terminal 3, it's the Banglahs!"

His jokes about Indians being treated differently from the other races are so hilarious - is it because they carry a certain degree of truth?

Two times MOF in a week =)

Photos courtesy of Kenny!
~


Finally celebrated Jing Hang's birthday after sooo long. And also, Happy Belated Birthday to Vince and Viv. And Vince, must take note of camera angles!
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DENIM-themed Day is Cool! =D So loving the colours.
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And now...

In Comic: Oscars 2010

What were the highlights of the event? Here they are~


The Hurt Locker swept 6 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, while James Cameron's Avatar only took home 3 technical ones. It's no wonder there's that little animosity.


Ben Stiller presenting Best Makeup. One word: Apt.


Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin donning 3D glasses, pulling one of the countless Avatar jokes of the night.


After being America's sweetheart for many years, Sandra Bullock finally took home the Best Actress award as a first-time nominee for The Blind Side.


Widely-panned by observers as unnecessary, I actually did enjoy the dance interpretations / presentations of the nominees of Best Original Score. Disney/Pixar's Up was awarded the well-deserved prize.


Presenters of Best Original Screenplay, Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr, provided the funniest banter of the night. Downey said that actors and screenplay writers working together are like a "collaboration between handsome gifted people and sickly little mole people."


26-year-old Gabourey Sidibe gets the best endorsement ever when Oprah Winfrey read her testimonial on-stage while introducing the Best Actress nominees. The powerful talk-show host called Sidibe "a true American Cinderella on the threshold of a brilliant new career".


Carey Mulligan's (Best Actress nominee for An Education) understated charm is undeniable.


Charlize Theron is gorgeous. But the dress is, erm, too distracting.


Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron and Taylor Lautner, please go home.


16 Oscar nominations, 2 wins. She lost again this year. But don't worry folks, it's almost a guarantee she'll be back again next year.
~


Need to start focusing on school work again!!!!

Random musing: After all, after everything, I'm just happy for you =)

Take care, people!

Wonderland

Having fun: Jazz@Southbridge at 7atenine. Cool music. Where we lou-hei at the Esplanade rooftop after that~

And KTV at the uber-cheap Teo Heng. $4.20 for each of us and we sang from 1-7pm!!!! Coolness.

Sometimes, it does feel like Wonderland, doesn't it? =D

Talking about that.. was a tad disappointed with the eagerly-anticipated movie, Alice in Wonderland. It was my desktop wallpaper since last year when I was studying for my Sem1 final exams! My devotion and anticipation can't be more obvious. But anyways, it's definitely still a watchable film =)

I give the movie:





Since 2009 when the first wacky images of the cast members were released, everyone knew Tim Burton's take on this beloved classic would be different. It was to be another anticipated team-up with his favourite muse, Johnny Depp, who were the same team who reinvented Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, brought us the macabre delight Sweeney Todd, and Burton himself a master of the stop-motion classic A Nightmare Before Christmas.

It does seem like the perfect team to bring us through the rabbit hole once again, and rest assured that everything we love about the crazy pair is still intact (mad creativity; quirky humour), but the thing that was lacking was a key ingredient to make Alice a wild success - and that is the sense of wonder.


SYNOPSIS
Burton's adaptation is more of a coming-of-age retelling. The little Alice we knew has grown-up, and she is about to get married into an uptight middle-class family. In the midst of her marriage proposal, she gets distracted by a rabbit with a ticking watch, and before she knew it, it was down the hole and into Wonderland once more, except now she can't really recall her supposed last visit.

According to a prophecy, the dubious Alice was to slay a terrifying monster in order to end the terrible reign of the Red Queen. Along with the help of old friends the Mad Hatter, the White Queen and a whole range of other new friends, Alice embarks on a journey where she learn lessons of bravery as well as the importance of friendship.


PRAISES
The most striking part of the film has got to be the sumptuous visuals. The 3D technology involved complements Burton's wild creativity and the product - most notably Alice's thrilling fall through the rabbit hole - is a treat for the eyes.

Burton's erstwhile cast also fair splendidly with the colourful palette. Depp's zaniness is a perfect match with the Mad Hatter, while Anne Hatthaway's White Queen is delightfully airy. But the stand-out here has got to be Burton's own wife - the scene-stealing Helena Bonham Carter as the silly, temper-filled Red Queen. Her performance alone makes Wonderland very watchable.


FLAWS
But with such a beautiful package, one cannot help but nit-pick at the glaring lack of a fresh plot to make Wonderland wonderful. What is distracting is the fact that the storyline closely resembles that of Narnia's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and the battle sequences were just as half-baked.

The cacophony of insane characters (including two CGI rabbits and one rather lame CGI mouse) contribute little to the predictable plot, which really is a pity, since Burton is known to paint the most memorable of characters.


FINAL SAY
Nevertheless, while the visual-flair of the film is definitely on-par with his stop-motion classics (which includes Corpse Bride), one cannot say the same for the emotional depth. Like its gorgeous promotional posters, appreciate the colours and the actors, but don't expect anything more than that.
~


Besides Alice in Wonderland, I did manage to catch another movie that has a similar period setting, but it is definitely not a fantasy film, and that is, the brilliant Bright Star.
I give the movie:





Bright Star tells the true tale of 19th Century poet, John Keats, and his heartbreaking love story with his teenage sweetheart, Fanny Brawne. Keats was a struggling poet in his short lifespan of 25 years old, but after his untimely death, he was considered one of the most inspiring romantic poets of his time.

Take a look at the trailer.



Jane Campion wrote and directed this beautiful film about first love - it's giddy infatuation, it's stubbornness, and it's undying devotion. Every frame is realised in poetic detail, and the scenes seem to be as lyrical as the verses from Keats' poems, which we get glimpses of narration throughout the film.

While Ben Whishaw is competent in his tortured portrayal as the young poet, it is Abbie Cornish as his passionate love interest that is both his real-life 'bright star', as well as the film's. Her heart-wrenching performance is inspiring to watch, including the talented supporting cast who make the whole love story a wonder to watch.

FINAL SAY
Destined to be largely ignored by the mainstream audience because of its source material, I still urge lovers of literature - or believers of love, for that matter - to take a look at this beautiful film.
~


Okay, Fifi I hope my Alice review is justified! :X

Going for Kumar's stand-up comedy with Kenny and Wang today. First stand-up comedy I'm going to. Hope it's good!