TOP 40 Movies of 2007

I'm a movie-buff, no denying. Only I will bother to come-up with this kind of lists =x

But films are such a big part of the entertainment business, and I'm sure in one way or another, you're affected by this multi-billion dollar industry. Movies move us in such a profound way it's so hard to explain.

"What is your favourite movie ever?" Such a question will instantly evoke so much memory flashes that it's bound to cause a headache.

People like to remember things that make them laugh, cry, think deeply, or simply go: "WOW!" (Or, on the other hand, "YUCK. WHY DID I WATCH THAT!?")

Which movies made it to the top10? Most importantly, who's #1?? There are guaranteed surprises along the way. So... here's presenting to you my personal list of the TOP40 MOVIES OF 2007!

Rating system:
WoooooW (5.0/5) = Go watch it. Now.
WooooW (4.0/5) = Solid. Recommended.
WoooW (3.0/5) = Good entertainment.
WooW (2.0/5) = Er..think twice.
WoW (1.0/5) = Danger! Run away!!

(beginning with the WORST to the BEST)


THE UGLY: [is it a coincidence they are all comedies? It's so hard to make intelligent ones nowadays.]

#40 Epic Movie > WooW (1.5/5) > so lame it's not funny. a very, very bad spoof movie. Totally NOT in the league of Scary Movie or Date Movie. Life is precious, don’t watch this!!

#39 Shrek 3 > WoooW (2.5/5) > disappointing and forgettable. No longer as fun as the brilliant first two.

#38 Balls of Fury > WoooW (2.5/5) > read review. On second thought, this movie didn’t deserve my original rating (3.0). It’s a very mediocre (and mindless) flick. Only Maggie Q was a breath of fresh air. Christopher Walken should sue the producers for casting him in this mess!


THE MEDIOCRE: [3 of them were multi-million dollar productions. One was even the most expensive Chinese film ever-made, with a price-tag of $45m. Though all three were a smash at the box-office (thank goodness), there's still no excuse to give audiences a bad storyline]


#37 High School Musical 2 >> WoooW (3.0/5) >> Not as infectious as the first; but the premise itself (a country club - not the high school, technically) proves interesting enough for the dynamics of this highly-bankable Disney channel musical. As usual, the show delivers the tunes (You Are the Music in Me, Fabulous, Bet on It, to name a few), but the real show-stopping numbers are I Don’t Dance, which features a nifty baseball-park dance, and the finale, All For One. Like the first movie, real-life couple Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens share electrifying chemistry on-screen.
P.S. On a side note, Hudgens will still reprise her role in High School Musical 3 despite her nude-photos scandal. Good for her.

#36 Curse of the Golden Flower (滿城盡帶黃金甲) >> WoooW (3.0/5) >> the story was unbefitting for the grandeur of the film. What a waste of talents for a movie, too. Chow Yun Fatt was disappointing; Gong Li let her boobs did the acting; and Jay Chou was perfectly … miscast. But the sets were really extraordinary ($45,000,000 leh!)


#35 Transformers >> WoooW (3.0/5) >> BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT of the year! But I’m in love with the robots, effects, cars and… that’s all. Jazz was killed. The script was crap. Doesn’t have that epic Jurassic Park feeling, you know?

#34 1408 >> WoooW (3.0/5) >> This is an old-school, spooky-flick based on a book by Stephen King. The haunted hotel room itself is effectively claustrophobic and the movie does deliver a couple of good scares. Primarily a film exploring the themes of faith and redemption, the mediocrity of the script is improved by a competent John Cusack. Ace production values. Good entertainment for a lazy, rainy afternoon.

#33 Mr Bean's Holiday >> WoooW (3.0/5) >> possibly his last foray - not as hilarious as Bean: The Ultimate Disaster, but still funny. This movie made me think twice before eating a fresh oyster =x

#32 Spiderman 3 >> WoooW (3.0/5) >> great, great effects but story falls flat. Soulless. There are just bloody too many villains! Venom deserves more than this, seriously.


#31 Secret (不能说的秘密) >> WoooW (3.0/5) >> read review. Interesting twist but bad ending. Quite amateur but good effort, still. Has effectively become a mini-phenomenon in the Mandarin pop market. Jay Chou is undeniably talented.


THE NOT-BADs: [these are movies that I actually enjoyed. Can tell that the producers or actors did put in some hard effort. FUNNIEST MOVIE and GROSSEST MOVIE are both in this category =x Don't worry, they're 2 different movies]

#30 Beowulf >> WoooW (3.0/5) >> read review. As I've said, after watching Enchanted and Stardust, I have to minus 0.5 from original rating (3.5). It belongs here only because of the grandeur of the ancient poem it was based on and the masterful technology which helped realise the text on-screen. However, it is precisely this CGI that failed the movie. Why not spend that money to make it a motion picture? I’m sure it would turn out as spectacular as the LOTR trilogy, which was all I was thinking of throughout the show.

#29 Resident Evil 3: Extinction >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> read review. A slick made-for-guys showcase of (scary) zombies, shoot-outs and babes. Sets are worthy, ‘cause they’ve got all the money from the first two movies.


#28 The Protégé (门徒) >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> gripping story throughout, with worthy performances by Andy Lau and Daniel Wu. Don’t do drugs, ok?

#27 Borat >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> ingenious and laugh-out-laugh first-half degenerates into a rude, disgusting second-half which leaves audiences in bad taste. GROSSEST MOVIE of the year!

#26 The Game Plan >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> read review. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson did a remarkable job as a serious jock turned caring father in this occasionally-funny Disney fare. Film was saved by a dramatic and touching second-half.

#25 Just Follow Law (我在政府部门的日子) >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> FUNNIEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR! I remember laughing so, so, so hard at this movie that I cried. This movie made me salute Fann Wong for her incredible acting. She grabbed her body at places that I’m sure she hasn’t before in her life. Storyline was not exactly original, but it succeeded as a sharp, satirical observation of the civil service. Hilarious, Singaporean stuff. Ignore the rubbish ending, though.

#24 Music and Lyrics >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> not exactly a musical but it’s a feel-good romantic comedy starring two of the most bankable stars in the genre - Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. The soundtrack is filled with delicious 80’s pop, and the theme song Way Back Into Love (duet by the two stars) is a lovely number you won’t soon forget.


#23 200 Pounds Beauty >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> only Korean show I watched this year, but it serves as a solid romantic comedy of slapstick-humour and moving moments. The lead actress is drop-dead gorgeous and the soundtrack (“Maria … Ave Maria!”) is infectiously memorable.

#22 Ocean's 13 >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> not as smart as the first two, sadly. But it’s a guilty pleasure to watch the cool dudes George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon do their ’thang again. That last Oprah Winfrey scene is classic.


#21 Babel >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> it’s like the international version of Crash (2006’s Oscar Best Picture) featuring 4 intertwining stories from Mexico, America, Middle-East and Japan. It’s both intriguing and unsettling at the same time (not a good thing). Solid performances throughout, though.

#20 Knocked-Up >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> read review. Funny! Mature content. Touching. Katherine Heigl is gorgeous.

#19 Dreamgirls >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> probably not as fantastic as I imagined but the songs and costumes are amazing. There’s a reason why American Idol alumni Jennifer Hudson won her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. And just f.y.i., THREE out of 5 songs in the Best Song (Oscar) category came from the soundtrack of Dreamgirls. Wow. And Beyonce is officially the chio-est star in Hollywood =)


#18 Friends with Money >> WooooW (3.5/5) >> Happy Life V.S. Money. Who wins? An ensemble-acting piece that delivers laughs and moving moments. And Jennifer Aniston is in the movie. Yay! (F.Y.I, this has NOTHING to do with the sitcom Friends)


THE WORTHY-ONES: [Solid entertainment pieces in their own rights. You are bound to find something you enjoy over here =D]


#17 Battle of Wits (墨攻) >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> Old-fashioned but very smart and an outright-good war movie. Andy Lau (刘德华) is firm and steady in his place. Forget about Curse of the Golden Flower. Watch this.

#16 Disturbia >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> The four stars I awarded are four solid stars. Although it started off slow, this Hitchcock-style thriller picks up along the way and delivers the excitement right till the end. It’s first-rate entertainment for today’s YouTube-loving youths. Shia LeBeouf and his competent co-stars are fun to watch.

#15 The Simpsons Movie >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> Didn’t disappoint. The dysfunctional family is in its element. Set to become a cult classic. Laugh-every-minute good stuff!


[ I did this poster myself! The 'dead-man's chest' key is a keychain I bought from Hong Kong Disneyland (incidentally a very disappointing Disneyland). But it's cool, right? =P ]

#14 Pirates of the Carribbean: At World's End >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> this is the best ‘trilogy movie’ this year. Shrek 3 certainly can’t compare to this excellent series. The first pirates got us all excited and the second got us all ROFL. The third combined the excitement of the first and the humour of the second and gave us a finale that was BIG ON EFFECTS, genuinely-inspired moments and a stirring soundtrack. Who can forget Chow Yun-Fat’s “Welcome to Singapore.”?

#13 Zodiac >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> (Not to be confused with the gawd-awful Singaporean-animation of the same name) This Hollywood-film is a taut and suspenseful thriller about a psychopath serial-killer that terrorised the US back in the 70’s. What’s most scary about the film is that it is based on true events - and the case remained unsolved to this day. Clever, spine-chilling stuff.



#12 The Devil Wears Prada >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> a chick flick that’s surprisingly endearing and very enjoyable. Anne Hathaway was gorgeous in the film’s Oscar-nominated wardrobe and the ever-reliable Meryl Streep delivered the acting chops once again as the aforementioned ‘Devil’. And who could’ve forgotten the comic revelation that was Emily Blunt? Gets better on repeated viewings.

#11 The Queen >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> okay, I bought the VCD for this. But still, Helen Mirren’s Oscar-winning role as Queen Elizabeth was a spectacle I couldn’t miss. I wasn’t disappointed. This movie tells the true-story of the widespread criticism and hatred that was cast upon the British Royal Family in the wake of Princess Diana’s death. Insightful, engaging, warm and funny.


.....


Are you ready for TEN of the BEST movies this year? (In my opinion lah)
In the list, there are TWO animations, ONE musical, ONE sci-fi movie, TWO based on a book (1 fantasy and the other rated R21), THREE action movies, and ONE based on a true-story. Yup, that's TEN in total. Which is number ONE?

Here we go.. the TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2007!


#10 Sunshine >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> An exceptionally-filmed and scary sci-fi flick that deserves a cult status. The Sun has died and a mission of scientists sent to re-ignite it goes awfully wrong after they discover a distress signal sent out by a space shuttle that went missing years ago. Nail-biting stuff. Ambitious and excellent on effects. Besides Hollywood stars like Chris Evans, it stars a couple of respectable Asian actors including Michelle Yeoh.


#9 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> read review. Well-made. Delicious acting (from the young and old actors alike). The mature edge is what the next (final) two movies should take. Great showdown that effectively captures the magic of the book.


#8 Lust, Caution >> WooooW (4.0/5) >> read review. A lushly-filmed erotic espionage that haunts its audience long after the final scene fades out. Tang Wei is the magnificent newcomer whose vulnerability and sensuality propelled this film to a certified cult status. Lee Ang and Tony Leung are unstoppable as usual.


THE FANTASTICs: [near-classics that are admirable and utterly-memorable]


#7 Meet the Robinsons >> WoooooW (4.5/5) >> This movie was grossly-underrated! An orphan-boy travels into the future and meets this quirky family who changes his life forever. It’s imaginative, funny and very touching. This is how an animation should be made. Cherish your family! Almost on-par with Ratatouille. It’s still seriously recommended if you enjoy animation.


#6 300 >> WoooooW (4.5/5) >> Breakthrough movie of the year. Violent, brutal and very, very cool! A technical feat also. "This - is - SPARTA!!" Sorry, a little carried away =x


#5 The Bourne Ultimatum >> WoooooW (4.5/5) >> read review. Shockingly clever and exciting thriller. Jason Bourne is finally on his ending-quest to find out his true identity and his lost-memories. Matt Damon excels. Julia Stiles is under-used (damn it). The director (Paul Greengrass) rocks. It's a fantastic and raw action movie.


THE CLASSICs: [these are the perfectly-justified reasons why we pay to go to the movies.]


#4 Ratatouille >> WoooooW (5.0/5) >> read review. Brilliantly funny and beautiful at the same time. Disney + Pixar = instant classic. You just have to love it =)


#3 Hot Fuzz >> WoooooW (5.0/5) >> who knew I could enjoy this movie SO MUCH? It’s a guy’s ultimate guilty pleasure, I tell you. It is a great spoof on cop-buddy movies and guess what, it is extremely funny. There’s a silly twist to boot, and the finale firearms shoot-out is unexplainably cool.


#2 Hairspray >> WoooooW (5.0/5) >> read review. Seriously, you can’t stop the beat! An instant classic. An energetic and extremely entertaining achievement. The song-and-dance numbers are show-stopping to say the least. The final dance number is worth your ticket price, trust me. John Travolta is a hoot in a classic cross-dressing role. The ENTIRE cast is great!


#1 The Pursuit of Happyness >> WoooooW (5.0/5) >> Favourite movie ever. It’s the same reason why Tuesdays with Morrie (by Mitch Albom) is my favourite book ever. The movie is funny and very touching (sob sob) mainly because of Will Smith and his talented, cute son Christopher Smith. Uplifting and feel-good as it was inspired by a true story. Highly, highly recommended. Hard-work pays off. (I’ve got the DVD.) =P

.....

THE ALTERNATE CATEGORies

Movies I Watched After This List was Made: Stardust (3.5/5 - read review), Enchanted (3.5/5 - read review)

Pity I Didn't Watch! : Letters from Iwo Jima, 881, Alone

Lucky I Didn't Watch: License to Wed, Bridge to Taribithia, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Coming Soon (that I'm excited about): I Am Legend (Will Smith stars in this ultra-slick vampire flick), The Golden Compass (Nicole Kidman and 007's Daniel Craig team up in this fantasy epic), 30 Days of Night (Graphic zombie film from the people who brought us Sin City), Ah Long Ltd (Local comedy brings Jack Neo and Fann Wong together again), The Dark Knight (Christian Bale reprises his critical-acclaimed role as Batman in this much-anticipated prequel)

.....
So there you go. The TOP40 of 2007. You don't have to agree with everything. But I hope you'll go check-out some of the recommended and worthy ones; and run away from those Ugly ones (you've been warned!).

Rest assured I'll still be reviewing movies along the way. Until next year, when I have a new list for 2008. See you then!

Take care, peeps!

Really a Lazy Bum

Let's face it, I'm a lazy-a**. I took off again tomorrow! Oh man.

But it's better to clear now than never. December after I return from Koh Samui (Thailand) I don't think I can take le.

Saturday was quite a bore. Finally took the time to go swimming, though. Keeping fit the best I can, since I'm on status (Excuse RMJ 5wks le) <-only the guys will know ;) Anyway, update: my bro's first choice is Yishun Town Sec. It's band one for Normal (Acad) schools. Though he can make it to Express for some schools, it's better to go NA then transfer to Express. Don't want to stress him out. Watched Enchanted today. It's not as good as Stardust but they're almost the same league. You know what, after watching these two movies, I think Beowulf deserves only 3stars.

Lazy to give full review =P

I give the movie WooooW (3.5/5)


Plus Points: Funny and original. Amy Adams as the 'fairytale-princess-in-New-York' is a hoot.

Flaws: Promising start degenerates into conventional rom-com/fairytale ending.

Last-Say: A refreshing take on a Disney movie and romantic comedy. Recommended =)

Took some random photos today at Clarke Quay.



Oh what the shit, this picture reminded me.

One of the 5 S'poreans who drowned in the Cambodia Dragonboat incident was a PE teacher from my school, NJC. Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/313650/1/.html

May he rest in peace.

On a lighter note, my next post will be the TOP40 Movies of 2007.

Take care, peeps.

A Whiff of Stardust

Took wednesday half-day off and thursday full-day because my cousins wanted to play overnight mahjong. Eugene and elicia finished their A's; Roxane finished her O's. We ended up playing till 12+ am and watched a movie, and everyone was asleep by 2am. Haha.

Well, talking about exams, my bro got his PSLE results. 198. English A; Maths C; Science B and, get ready for this, Chinese B. Wow well done. Really didn't expect can. He should be getting into Normal/Express stream in Anderson Sec. Study hard, fred!!

My cousins and I watched Stardust on wednesday. Heard some good reviews about it. Here's mine.

I give the movie WooooW (3.5/5)

This movie didn't make it into my TOP40 list (which will come out VERY soon) because I've already compiled the list. But nevertheless, the movie is not much of a big deal as I thought it would be.

Stardust boasts some A-List stars like Claire Danes (as a fallen star from the sky), Michelle Pfeifer (as a villainous witch who wants the star's heart to gain eternal youth) and Robert De Niro (as a tough-looking but closet-gay pirate in the sky). Baffled? Because it's a fantasy movie!

This is as 'fantasy' as a 'fantasy story' gets, with flying pirates, evil witches, scheming princes, cross-dressing pirates and .. er .. a fallen star thrown in for good measure. =P

Plus Points: There's this very meaningful monologue by the fallen star (the very pretty Claire Danes) in one scene. You know, she's a star, so she've witnessed practically the whole history of man. She said that it was a torture to watch Man experience wars, hatred, deceit and injustice; but the only thing that made the watching tolerable was love. Altogether now, awwww. I agree. Love is a magical and beautiful thing; and it triumphs. Yay.

Flaws: The movie is just really fluffy fantasy stuff. You want mature, you want macho, LOTR is always available on DVD.

Last Say: It's watchable and enjoyable. But I'm more looking forward to The Golden Compass.

Yay. Bought shirt and cardigen today.

Booking in soon. If only I got more offs! Lol. Took too much le =x

Take care, peeps!

Loong Weekend

I'm going to try to keep this short, 'cause I've just completed an exhaustive list of the TOP40 movies of 2007. I'm quite excited about it. It's literally ten-times longer than my RANDOM Awards list, but ten-times better. I'll post it next week if I can. Need some touching up.

Hmm. Had a long weekend 'cos I took off on thursday (just for the heck of it) and a half-day off on friday (just so I can sleep one more night at home).

When I woke up on fri morning discovered I got sore-eyes. Yay. Which means one day MC.

Yea. Friday night went to watch Beowulf with zhiwen. Wanted to catch Stardust but it was all sold-out! See, I knew it'd be good. Bumped into soonbeng and farhan @ cine. Soonbeng said stardust is good. Dammit.

Anw, I give Beowulf WooooW (3.5/5)

This is going to appear in my TOP40 list also. Check it out to see where it's ranked =)

Anw, this movie is entertaining but frustrating. It's good because of the grandeur of the poem it is based-upon, and the masterful technology used to realise the text on-screen. But it's precisely this CGI that fails the film.

PLUS POINTS: Although the starting scene was as stilted as Shrek's animation, there are some really eye-popping visuals along the way. The producers / animators succeeded at the sweeping landscapes of mountains and seas; and the dragon (which only shows up at the end) is a terrifying feast for the eyes. I can say it's the best-drawn dragon ever to appear on screen. The characters' bodies and faces are also sickly-realistic. On a side note, I have to say they handled the sexy-mama-angelina-jolie-meets-beowulf scene very well. That's the reason why it's NC16 =x

FLAWS: Why can't they invest the money into a live-motion picture? I'm sure it'd be extremely impressive, and I dare-say, on par with LOTR trilogy. The animation makes the characters un-feeling and emotionless, despite them looking scarily-real.

LAST-SAY: Exciting at parts, albeit being a little lengthy on the storyline (but it's based on an ancient poem, so, oh well). Can marvel at the visuals, but don't bother feeling for the characters. You'll blame yourself in the end.

~
Played mahjong with zhiwei serkun and fungi (again) on saturday. won a bit. We're thinking of something more outdoor-sy the next time round. Don't want to always be cooped up in that air-con room playing mahjong, listening to the same chinese songs =p and ordering mac =x =p

Booking in tonight.

Take care, peeps!

10 Reasons Why I'm an Ah-Pek

You know what... I think I'm an ah-pek trapped in a young man's body. Was just thinking through the things that I enjoy doing in life... and I realised that I do have some "mature" tastes =x

Is it normal? You be the judge ba..

10 REASONS WHY I'M AN AH-PEK

1) I enjoy playing mahjong. Sitting around with friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon, playing a few rounds, talk about our life so far ... I also think it's very normal when I play with my grandmother, aunties and uncles.

2) I enjoy listening to oldies. My favourite songs are all on Class 95 and 883. Beatles, Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Elton John, 张学友, Beyond. Some notable ones include Love, me by Colin Raye, Hotel California by Eagles, Your Song by Elton John, 真的爱你 by Beyond.



3) I own a copy of The Phantom of the Opera (Original 1987 Broadway Version). And I enjoy it. There's something classic, beautiful and peaceful about listening to All I Ask of You at night with a good stereo system ...



4) I enjoy sipping teh and eating toasted bread and egg. Best accompanied with the morning papers.

5) I have no qualms sitting with one leg on the chair. I do that very often while playing mahjong. And sipping teh and eating toasted bread and egg.

6) I like plain-coloured things. I have a plain, brown leather wallet. I like wearing white or brown shirts. My entire room is colour-coded blue.



7) My dream car is an Audi. Shouldn't I day-dream about Lamborghini or some pimped-up sports car? Yes, they look cool. But I still like the shape and sleekness of a good, plain Audi ...


8) I still think the fastest way to treat a stomachache is to drink Ya Hom Powder (5 Pagodas Brand). It's this BITTER brown-powdery mixed with warm water. It's a formula passed down from my grandma. Gives you a good feeling in your stomach.

9) I prefer old Channel 8 dramas than the new ones. Remember 出路，福满人间，和平的代价，豆腐街 and 阳光列车? I don't mind spending one stay-home afternoon watching them. The actors and stories are much more engaging than today's superficial 'modern-ised' dramas.

10) My last meal would be a warm home-cooked meal of Teochew porridge with salted vegetables and "white-stomach" steamed fish with red chilli. There's something comforting and fulfilling about them that's hard to explain. I just know that if I'm dying in one hour, I wouldn't want to poison myself with McDonald's or KFC.

~
So... am I an old-fart? I do like 'young' stuff that ah-peks won't do, too. Like rollercoasters @ theme parks (it's exhilarting), Jay Chou's music... And I'd choose Desperate Housewives over Discovery Channel, the Wii over a chess-set and Slurpee over Chinese Tea.

Ok, maybe I'm just being paranoid. It's alright to have acquired tastes, right? But ... I'm not even twenty yet...

Oh what the heck. I give up.

Booking in soon. I don't care. Like means I like. You don't have be balding and a beer-belly to enjoy mahjong. =x =P

(To think that I specially took a day's off next week just to play overnight mahjong with my cousins who just finished A Levels / O Levels. Guess it runs in the family?)

Take care, peeps!

9-Hour Kbox-ing!?

Firstly, thanks yr, sk and viv for liking my previous post. Spent quite long putting it together. Am proud of it =P

Peijun, thanks for laughing at my video.. AT WORK. Lol. But glad you enjoyed it. =D (Malu!!)

And vivien, guess what? I did something very stupid. I burned EPISODE 2 instead of 1. Like !!??!! right? Ahhh, one CD-R wasted like that =x but don't worry, that just means it's possible to burn. So, yup. I'll pass you some day (can exchange for that chicken essence you kop-ed for me, hee). Oh no, I've a feeling you'll spam my tagboard again.

Anw, back to the topic. Do you know the meaning of crazy? Crazy = singing THREE sessions of Kbox for TWO-days straight!!!

The First
It all started on friday night. Lamerz (minus fungi and geraldine) met up @ Clementi for a kbox session. 'Cos zhiwei's friend working @ that branch.. so we thought we could get an offer (in the end not much of an offer, but still got free food, so thanks, Yuren!). Ya, so that was the FIRST session.

The Second
Promised wenjie quite long ago that I'll 'K' with him soon on saturday morning. So there we are. Straight from the previous night (save for my 7hours sleep), I'm back at Kbox again. This time - AMK branch.

The Third
During my SECOND session, my dad sms-ed me and said my mom wants to K. He said she was feeling moody, so I guess, a 3-hour kbox session will make her more alive. So... there I was again, BACK AT AMK BRANCH WITH 1HR BREAK IN BETWEEN. The lady at the counter recognised me. We sang till 7pm.

So there yer go, it feels like I've just been put through a 2-day singing crash course. But it's fun =) =P AND CRAZY.

Anw, before I end my year-end-list of movies, I've got two more to add on. Happy to say, they were above average.

The first one is RATATOUILLE. I bought the vcd to put into my mp4 to watch during my BDS (or commonly known as COS) duty on deepavali. I just returned to my unit from signals course so I sorta expected them to give me public-holiday/weekend duties. BLEAH. But Thank goodness I had this film to accompany me. Being stuck in an office alone for 24hrs is no joke.

I give the movie W o o o o o W (5.0/5)

It's about a rat who loves to cook. He meets a loser-ish human in a famous restaurant in Paris restaurant who doesn't know how to cook, and they are a match-made in Heaven. Or so we thought.

Ratatouille is common Disney/Pixar fare - which means to say, it's an instant classic. You will not watch a better animation this year (have you heard the less-than-encouraging reviews of Bee Movie?).

Brad Bird (director of Ratatouille and The Incredibles) just gets better. And he was already so good! This film is a result of passion and love for your art.

LAST SAY: Brilliantly funny and beautiful at the same time. You just have to love it =)


The second movie I watched this week was The Game Plan. Watched it with szern. Ya, I got two free tix. Were both looking for something nice to watch. There didn't seem to be anything interesting in the cinemas. Game Plan was the best-bet. I'm jus glad it paid-off =P

I give the movie W o o o o W (3.5/5)

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Never thought he was a credible actor. Just know that he was a bankable star for companies who want to milk ca$h out of him in forgettable action movies (do you remember The Scorpion King, Doom, The Rundown? If you do, good for you and him).

But this movie changed my perception. He proved he could handle comedy and drama at the same time, and that is what this movie is about. Besides, a recent 8days interview also showed that he is quite a witty 'rock' too =P

The first-half was funny. With the usual Disney family-friendly gags, which are still reliable for laughs. The second-half was surprisingly touching.

LAST SAY: Unexpected dramatic second-half saved the movie from being just another mindless Disney fluff. The Game Plan is both funny and touching. Although it's commercial and conventional, but it's worth-it.


Alright, I've to book-in le. I got guard duty tomorrow!! On a sunday!! -.-

Like I told you, I expected it le.

Oh well, take care, peeps!

RANDOM Awards 2007

As promised, here it is! This is one of the most comprehensive compilations I've ever done man. Presenting to you guys the First Annual ... (drumroll)

... where I bring you through the ups-and-downs, boos-and-bravos of random stuff that happened in the year 2007.

(My Annual Movie-List will be compiled by December, so stay logged-on for that.)

Meanwhile, are you ready to take a short trip down memory lane? 2007 has been an interesting year for many celebrities, namely our dear, dear Britney Spears, who made so many headlines (for ALL the wrong reasons).

But that aside, there are many random funny stuff worth highlighting as well. They might've slipped your mind before, but looking back now, I'm sure you were amused =D

So... Here we go!

Guilty Pleasure of the Year: Andrea Fonseka >> aka Suitcase No.10 from Deal or No Deal or FHM’s Hot 100 #1! She’s the most gorgeous star to grace Singapore’s humble TV screen in a loooong time. =)

Scariest Food of the Year: Lays (Salt + Vinegar flavour) >> Yes, you read that right. VINEGAR. Like, yucks, right? It really is salty and yucky. I have yet to meet someone who enjoys it. You can find it in Cold Storage or NTUC.

Breakthrough Star of the Year: Shia LaBeouf >> Transformers, Disturbia, Surf’s Up … remember these? Then you’ll most likely remember this dude who seems to be everywhere. His past film credits includes Constantine, I, Robot, and Bobby. And he is going to be acting opposite Harrison Ford in the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Since the great Steven Spielberg already praised him as an ‘everybody’s-man’, you just gotta pay attention.

Most Unpronounceable Name of the Year: Shia LaBeouf >> For the record, it’s SHY-uh luh-BUFF. I know it’s weird. But he’s famous. So start learning now.

Skinniest Person to be called Fat this Year: Britney Spears >> She’s a mother of two, for crying out loud! But she should’ve known that the two-piece suit is a no-no. Which leads to …

The “What were YOU thinking!?” Award: Britney Spears >> At least bother to memorise your lyrics before your Come-Back Performance, where many were already rooting for you to fail. And you did just that - fail - spectacularly, some more. It doesn’t help that you lost custody of both your children. But I’m still a supporter - well, sort of. Gimme More is seriously a solid single. But please, we don’t want more of your antics. Jia you.

The “What were THEY thinking!?” Award: The Spice Girls Reunion >> Most of them are already mothers. I know, they were super-hot last time, but do you seriously want to see a bunch of aunties sing “So tell me what you want, what you really, really want. I wanna… I wanna… I wanna… I wanna… I really really really wanna zig-a-zag-ahh!!” on stage? I really don’t. I really, really don’t.


Most Aptly-Named Show of the Year: Lost >> Three seasons and they’re still lost. And worse, admit it, we’re permanently lost too =P



Craze(s) of the Year: Donut Factory >> Facebook >> Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows >> Okay, Donut was just the craze at home. But Facebook and Hallows were (are) phenomenal worldwide. I still haven’t tried Facebook, though =P


Top 10 Songs of the Year (Mandarin): (in random order)
>> 代言人 by 萧亚轩
>> 我怀念的 by 孙燕姿
>> 天使 by 五月天
>> 小情歌 by 苏打绿
>> 西界 by 林俊杰
>> 小手拉大手 by 梁静茹
>> 幸福的距离 by 刘耕宏
>> 不能说的秘密 by 周杰伦
>> 记得爱 by 阿沁 & 李玖哲
>> 背叛 by 曹格


Top 10 Songs of the Year (English): (in random order)
>> Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie
>> Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5
>> Listen by Beyonce
>> Way Back Into Love by Hugh Grant & Drew Barrymore
>> All Because of You by Ne-Yo
>> The Way I Are by Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson & DOE
>> How to Save a Life by The Fray
>> Innoncence by Avril Lavigne
>> Hurt by Christina Aguilera
>> Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance


Stuck-in-your-Head Songs of the Year:
>> Umbrella by Rihanna & Jay Z ("ella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh.. like what the hell!?")
>> Beautiful Girls by Sean Kingston (Groovy and can't get it out of your head)
>> Sexyback by Justin Timberlake ("Go ahead be gone with it")

Senseless Music Video of the Year: Umbrella >> Rihanna trying to make an umbrella look sexy and looking desperately stupid in the end. Not complaining ‘bout the sexy legs, though =P



Biggest Excuse for a Hot Music Video: Beautiful Liar MV >> by Beyonce ft. Shakira. The song is nonsensical, but yet again, two hawt-like-fire ladies dancing to sexy Eastern beats … nice =P


Coolest Toy of the Year: Nike Transformers (Limited Edition) >> Put two of today’s hottest brands together and you’ll get an irresistible toy that’s just uber-cool. It was a birthday present. Wonder how much it’s worth now… hmm… think I’m selling it? NOT (yet).



Advertisement(s) of the Year:
>> StarHub’s. The one where this guy accidentally bids for a brown ancient ugly-thingy during an auction; and accidentally (or is it?) hugs a sexy woman whom he mistook for his wife. Most-played at the cinemas, this humorous and inspired ad (with a catchy jingle: “dad-da-di-da dad-da-di-da”) is always a breath of fresh air as compared to those boring shampoo and watch commercials.

>> M1’s. “…Singapore? Is that a suburb? … Another country!? Eh, Mumbai dah, India!” LOL. Enough said.

>> Mocca’s. Ingenious advertisements about a website for advertisements. The most memorable one, I’m sure, is Mr Muscular, asking you all to check out his matching ‘pipes’. Now, who says Singaporeans aren’t creative?

Best Supporting Role for a Movie: Gong Li’s boobs in Curse of the Golden Flower >> Admit it, she was upstaged by her boobs - in every single scene. It’s distracting - but not that it’s a very good movie anyway =x

Scariest News of the Year (1): Mass Shooting at Virginia Tech >> This is something serious. Seriously scary. It shocked the world, as much it did shake our small island. I remembered following the news page-by-page in The Straits Times and being sickened by the reality of it, as much as I feel sorry for the innocent victims. The Americans vs. Guns war will continue. Is this the horror that you want your kids to still be living with in the future? It's sick.

Scariest News of the Year (2): GST Hike to 7% >> In the macro-economic stand, it makes sense. In the household stand, it doesn’t make sense, it makes cents (for the government).

~
So there ya go... the list of RANDOM stuff that happened in 2007 which I thought you might just wanna remember. Of course, you don't have to agree with everything I say. But I hope you enjoyed yourself =) =P

My Best and Worst Movies of 2007 will come in december.

Take care, peeps!

Prepare for BEST and WORST of 2007

Yup, get ready.. for the end of 2007! On 11th November 2007, I have officially one more year before I ORD on 11th November 2008!!

To commemorate that 'special event' I'm going to come up with a year-end list of the best and the worst of 2007. Of course, all entries will be based on my own opinion only lah.

The list(s) would include:

>> The Best and Worst MOVIES of 2007

Which is the Best Film of 2007? There are a handful of worthy ones this year but only ONE will come up tops.
Most importantly, which is the Worst Film of 2007? The Biggest Disappointment? The Funniest? The most depressing? The most disgusting? Yelk.
I will rate about 40 of the movies I've watched this year and give you a low-down, just in case you're thinking of getting that DVD / VCD.

>> RANDOM Awards 2007

Here, I list a couple of random stuff that just might raise a few eyebrows.
Who is the Guilty Pleasure of the Year? Which is the Most Senseless Video of the Year? (Don't worry, it wasn't the video of my appearance on channel 8 =x =p) What about Senseless Song of the Year? Or... Scariest Food of the Year? =S
You just might find something inside you absolutely love or hate this year.

Take care, peeps!