"Why So Serious?"

..you might ask. Well, then, "let's put a smile on that face." :]

By now you should know which movie I've quoted from. But more on that later.

Seriously (pardon the pun), this weekend have been a treat for the senses, I must say. I've watched two solid movies (both blockbusters), and I must tell you, they both come with my seal of approval.
~

Friday met up with a long-time-no-see friend (we've not seen each other for, like, 2 years?). Intro-ed her to desserts @ MOF, which is now officially my favourite dessert place. And to prove to you that it's my favourite:



Yup, that's right, I've signed up for a MOF membership, which instantly gives me 10% off the bill and a further 20% off selected dessert items! Wow.


Anyway, we caught the movie:
赤壁 (上) aka Red Cliff (part 1)



I give the film:



This has got to be one of the most important movies of our time. For us Chinese, this is a chance to see the Biggest Battle of Ancient China being flashed out as a historical epic, under the guidance of mega-director John Woo, plus a powerful cast which includes Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

This majestic film is complete with pulse-racing action and sweeping cinematography which - I dare say - rival that of Lord of the Rings.

On a side-note, the media has been siting 林志玲 as a "花瓶" (decorative flower vase) in the movie. In her defense, she's a very beautiful 花瓶; and she is the exact embodiment of 小乔 - demure, soft-spoken and most importantly, very pretty. Heck, I think her casting is perfect.

FINAL SAY: With all the grandeur of the film and set, you might ask what is holding me back in giving it 5stars? Well, I'm reserving it for the final battle of red cliff itself (赤壁之战), which will be shown at the end of the year. All I can say is, it'll be good. I just know.
~

And now...

THE DARK KNIGHT


I give the film:



One word: "WHOA!"

This is officially the best movie in 2008 so far. The story, the mind-blowing sets (literally), the actors, the kan-cheong-ness, Heath Ledger's acting...... it's all just excellent, I tell you.

I can't even begin to say how amazing is (the late) Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker. Everytime he comes on screen you're drawn to him. You're scared of him. But you think he's funny. Then you think he's freaky. Then funny. Then scary. Yes, you're under the spell of a talented actor.. that's how schizophrenically-good he is.

Everything about this movie is big, BIG, BIG. A Singaporean guy plays a major villain in the movie. Edison Chen makes a blink-and-you'll-miss cameo as.. er, some extra assistant. And I must say, the director filmed the Hong Kong skyscrapers so majestically you won't believe it's hk =x

The story is as heart-wrenching as it is spectacular. And that is only the tip of the iceberg. I've said enough.

FINAL SAY: You'll be blown-off your seat. Believe the hype. Go watch it. Please.
~

Baoyuan, her gf (hannah) and yoketeng came over for mahjong on sunday. Weilong can't make it 'cos he overslept after duty. Nvm, dude, after I come back from Malaysia. Haha.

And, wth, hannah was sooo lucky!

Look at what she 自摸-ed:


SHI SAN YAO!!!!! (I don't know how to write in chinese!!)

Just looking at that gives me the chills...

Random photo of a random shirt and berms I bought over the weekend:

I hope you all don't find out where I bought this from 'cos I don't want to be caught wearing the same thing as you. Thanks.
~

Okay, notice:
I'm leaving for Redang (East Malaysia) from Saturday (26jul) to Tuesday (28jul) with Lamerz, Inc!

(Plus guard duty waiting for me on the 30th when I return. Argh!!!)

Take care, peeps!

Jam-Packed

It does seem to be a jam-packed week after CNY. Unit was busy preparing for COC, which left me chao-tah now. Watched two great, great movies (Sweeney Todd and Juno), which I'm gonna review later.

Our battery went to BSM's house on wednesday. He was banker when we played BlackJack. Damn sian, he won our money =X

But things relatively slowed down on Thursday. Valentine's Day. =T

Friday night chiong-ed down to Bishan in a cab to Kenneth's house. Only wenjie and I turned up for the GYPSies. Oh well. Learned how to play with "飞" as a joker in mahjong with Ken's aunties and his mum's colleagues. Quite fun.

Saturday: The $50 that kept my Saturday free was well-spent (shhh). Met Elicia, Eugene, Roxane, Mingming and Nori (hope I got this right) for a movie at PS (again!!).


Film: Juno
Rated: NC16
I give it WoooooW (4.5/5)

Gist:
Girl is knocked-up by teenage guy. Decides to put the baby up for adoption. She goes through a journey of love - lost, and found.
Plus:
Good, funny script. Wonderfully acted and the story is original and touching. Ellen Page deserves her Best Actress (Oscar) nomination as the titular Juno.
Flaws:
Nothing much, really. Accept that a few characters (i.e., Jennifer Garner as a woman who despearately yearns for a child) are quite sketchy and distant.
Last Say:
Sweet and hilarious at the same time. A true feel-good dramedy.


After the movie we went to play boardgames at Mind Cafe (Prinsep branch).


Elicia and Roxane concentrating hard on hooking the monkies =P

We played the monkeys game, Taboo (i didnt get zero this time!), some card game like Heart Attack which involves pieces of bones, shoot the duck, and another game that requires players to mimic hand actions on a card. Had a lot of fun =) Shall go back again some time, hehe.


Since one of my cousins watched it, and one of my friends watched it, I thought there would be no one ("no one, no one, no one....." sorry, random alicia keys song) to accompany me to watch, so I watched Sweeney Todd online the other day =X In the end zhiwen wanted to watch too. Oh well. Here's my review:


Film: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Rated: M18
I give it WooooW (4.0/5)

Final Say:
Tim Burton has created yet another macabre, gothic but oh-so-delicious film. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter's odd-ball musical numbers are a delight to watch. In my opinion, the ending was too predictable for my liking, though.


Upcoming movies that I'll be watching:

The Dark Knight

I hope they explore more on the beginnings of joker. But it looks cool enough!

Meet The Spartans

There are so many people who said this movie sucked (in the US). But the Britney "goo goo gah gah" part is freakin' hilarious. Let's see if this is as bad as Epic Movie (i suspect)


~
Ok, it's 0230 already. It's book-in day =X

Take care, peeps!

Air-Bourne and Sleepless

Whew, quite an eventful weekend.

On Friday morning, my unit went to East Coast Park for the Singapore Bay Run cum Army Half-Marathon (AHM) trial-run. Yup, I ran 15km. Longest I've ran in my life. It was okayy. Tiring? You bet it was. Fortunately Uncle David drove me there in his taxi ( The Platinum Ride ) so I don't have to wake up so early (We reported at 7am). Saw Kang Yu there, too. He was running with his unit.

This is the route of the AHM we are running this Sunday, 26 Aug. Yup, 21KM in total. Will run pass Chinatown and indoor stadium. But I'm only running 12km since I'm a first year soldier. This marathon is open to the public. But don't bother joining lah. There are better ways to lose weight, seriously.

Went to watch a movie with zhiwen at vivo again on friday night. The Bourne Ultimatum featuring Matt Damon. I was blown away. Here's my short review:

I give the movie W o o o o o W (4.5/5)

( I did this montage by myself! Pity it's a little small.

Synopsis: Jason Bourne (the perfectly cast Matt Damon, reprising his role) is on his final journey to regain his memory. Viewing him as a threat, the CIA is tracking him down, mainly because of the surfacing of a new black-ops evolvement called the Blackbriar. What follows is an exciting global chase that reunites him with Nicky Parsons (a sadly under-used Julia Stiles), pits him against power-hungry CIA officer Noah Vosen (David Strathairn, playing the typical villian man-on-top), and seeing him form an unusual but not unexpected alliance with Deputy Director Pamela Landy (a competent Joan Allen).

Plus Points: Ultimatum strikes you as a shockingly clever and excellent action thriller. I can't remember when was the last time I was feeling at the edge of my seat in the cinema. Paul Greengrass is officially my favourite director at the moment. His edgy camera work was the pulse that propelled the film forward. If you have the chance, go watch his previous offering, United 93. (Click HERE to find out more.) It's really the best film of 2006. I have the DVD.

Ok, I'm digressing, hee. Ultimatum provides its audience with fantastic brains and brawn, all thanks to Matt Damon, of course. The twists in the plot are thrilling and fun and the action sequences are mindblowing to say the least. A particular car chase will probably be the best one you'll witness this year, and the close-combat fights are so raw it made

me think: "Now that's what I call fighting."

Flaws: There really isn't much to complain. Just one thing, though. Julia Stiles was so under-used! She has style lor. I like her =P If her character had more depth (as of Joan Allen's character), I would no doubt have given the film a 5.0 rating.

Final Say: Ultimatum is ultimately one helluva fantastic and enjoyable movie. Trust me, there's no problem getting the plot even if you haven't watched the previous two. Just read my review and you're ready for the ride. Wahaha. -_- =P

I met Lamerz on Sunday to catch the FIREWORKS FESTIVAL (it was the last day) and celebrate Yeewen's birthday. Went for dinner at New York New York then we proceeded (in a hurry, again) to a site that we thought would be ideal for the fireworks viewing.

Citylink was thronged with gazillions of people (all catching the fireworks). When we reached the place, (beside Esplanade) there were already a lot of ppl there. Anyway, our view wasn't so good. And I'm sorry to say, I'll need to get the pictures from peijun before posting on my blog.

After that we took 171 back to my house and fungi, yw, zw and sk stayed over and we played mahjong and some very very very very very lame but very very very very very funny card games all through the night until 8am, then they left.

Booking in later at 11pm. Today is grandma's birthday. Happy birthday to you! =)

Till then, take care, peeps!