I'm talking 'bout some hot stuff

From previous comment,

Vlad: Poor thing get to see Sting's face instead of Keanu's in Hellblazer.
Kampung Gal: You know what? Sting is in my list of hot guys too actually. So I got it good either way.

It got me thinking. Who are the people on my hot guys list anyway? What better way to celebrate International Woman's Day than to list down my favorite guys.

I never think about boys until much later in my teenage years. I don't grow up reading Teeny-Bop, Teens or even URTV. So I don't care much about cute stars either. Most of the time I was just jumping on the bandwagon which I clearly remembered I did with New Kids on the Block.

I was in Form 3 and the kind of music I was listening to was the ones on my sisters' cassettes. It was Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler), Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel), Drive (Cars), Luka (Suzanne Vega), Elton John, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, you know, the basic 80s classics.

So when all the girls were going crazy over NKOTB, I hopped, skipped and jumped on the bandwagon too and bought their casettes. Well, at least they were not that bad, they dance, they have catchy songs and yeah they're cute too. While most of them like Jordan, I prefer Joe myself. But still he was not the all time 'hot guy' for me.

Thankfully I grew out of NKOTB. I got into a boarding school and met a whole bunch of new friends. We were always laughing and talking about everything.

Well one of the topics that we would talk and laugh about is the celebrity we like the most. I can't remember all the names that we mentioned but I do remember one of them just adored River Pheonix. And to keep the conversation going I mentioned Johnny Depp.

But in time, what started with Johnny Depp expanded to include other celebrities. Here are my all-time list of hot celebrity males.

1. Johhny Depp

He is the handsomest guy on my list (if there is such a word as handsomest). I started liking him since the beginning of his career in 21 Jump Street, one of my favorite shows (not just because he's in it). After he went into the movies, I will see all of his work just to see him. But now this admiration has turn into respect as well. He has this tendency to take on the strangest role. My opinion on him didn't change as early as Edward Scissorhands however, it was actually after I saw Ed Wood. I don't know, just seeing him playing the eccentric, weirdest, biggest movie fan in the world is so refreshing. He has this gift to make you forget the Johny Depp of 21 Jump Street, the Johnny Depp of Edward Scissorhands or Johnny Depp as Gilbert Grape everytime he takes up a new role. I put up this particular photo on purpose.

2. George Michael

It's after he went solo that I got the hots for this guy. It's probably because during the Wham years I didn't know enough to have any feelings for any guy. He's tall, dark, and handsome. With the leather jacket, black guitar, sleek dance moves, deep-set eyes, great hair, that one-day beard, great voice and great music, you just can't help but be swept by it all. He's so damn sexy! But alas he's gay. I do admire his struggle to break away from the sexy pop image that all the girls (and guys) are drooling over him for. I don't think he's as sexy now as those days but I still enjoy his music.



3. Viggo Mortensen

No, he didn't get in my list because of Aragorn. It was way before that. I absolutely remember the first time I saw him. He was the American Yakuza and it was love at first sight. I was impressed with the story first of all, and his portayal of a foreigner in his own land was different than other similar roles I've seen. And then I saw G.I. Jane another good one. I didn't recognize him at first since his hair was short and he has this funny moustache that reminds me of Hitler (see pic below). But the character of Comand Master Chief Urgayle was unforgetable. He's the best thing about the movie. When I heard that he's playing Aragorn the girly part of my brain was saying "I must see the movie!" (I haven't read the book yet at this time) And he was just right for the part. I'm so glad that Stuart Townsend quit/got fired, whatever the story was.


4. George Clooney

Another guy that started from television with the series ER. He was the playboy doctor breaking hearts left and right. Got a major wake-up call when one of his conquests tried to kill herself. The fact that he's also a pediatrician garnered a few points for Dr Ross. I followed his career after he shifted to movies. And his best character for me so far would be his Ulysess in O Brother, Where Art Thou? I keep seeing his puzzled look after he got punched by Vernon T. Waldrip. Like Depp he also likes to vary his roles. He worked the different characters every time with success and that makes him one of the talented good-looking guys in my list.

5. Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock

Let me get one thing straight. I absolutely hate wrestling and the ppl that take part in its making. And i don't like those big bulky muscular guys. So how come this guy got into my list? I have to blame my friend for this one. She loves The Rock. She kept talking and talking about how cute he is, what a great wrestler he is, he's so popular bla bla bla. Yeah yeah whatever, is what I would say. But I like movies and I saw The Mummy Returns. He has a small role but he was ok. He can at least act unlike some other wrestlers turn actors who may be great in the ring but terrible in films. I still didn't care much about him. But then I saw him in an interview with David Letterman I think. And I got to see Dwayne Johnson the man behind The Rock. He was cool, relaxed, he smiled a lot, he joked a bit, and he looked kinda sweet for a big guy. Not bad for a guy who grinds people's heads to the floor for a living. And after watching his other movies he's not such a bad actor either. So now I would feel a bit giddy everytime I see him smile. Just thinking about it now makes me smile.

6. Sting

The old rocker. He has a great voice and wrote some of the greatest song ever. Apart from his great talent, why I think he's so hot is also due to his upper body (I've never seen the rest). He has this tall, lean yet muscular look. Well at least when he was younger. To see him perform with nothing but pants and a guitar is a nice treat.


7. Keanu Reeves

Hehehe who can forget Mr Reeves the wooden actor. I admit he's not such a great actor and I like him mainly because of his looks. I usually got turned off when cute guys got nothing much to show talent-wise. And I would still laugh everytime I see A Walk in the Clouds. He doesn't crave the limelight and keeps to himself most of the time. It's very hard to get a glimpse of his private life and I think that's what's appealing about him. This man is 40 and he looks like this! He is one of the guys that can just make me smile just thinking about him.


8. M. Nasir

The Sifu, the most talented musician in Malaysia and like Keanu Reeves very reserved and quiet about his private life. But when he opens his mouth he really do have something to say, a very admirable trait. I actually met a guy who looks exactly like him at my old workplace. Just imagine M. Nasir with a short haircut, trimmed beard, in shirt and tie and you get this guy. Man, I got a major crush on him but then he's married. So I just get to admire him from afar, like any other of my could-have-been relationships.

9. Daniel Wu

I see him in movies many times but amongst all the other good-looking Chinese actors like Tony Leung, Andy Lau and Leslie Cheung, I never really did notice him. I only did when I saw Princess D opposite cute actress Lee Sin-Je. I wonder why I'm taken into him all of a sudden? Well, for one thing he is cute, he's not handsome but he's cute (and I don't mean ugly but adorable). I think it's because there was this naughty sparkle in his eyes. He's the bad boy if you want to call it that.

10. Yutaka Takenouchi

I must say I was more attracted to the character of Hata-san from With Love rather than the actor at the beginning. Hata-san or Hasegawa Takeshi was once the frontman of a succesful band but ended up composing jingles as a living. Met someone when he accidently send a sample of his song to the wrong e-mail address. An online relationship blossoms not realizing that they actually knew each other outside cyberspace. They are totally of different character. He is the handsome, confident, rocker and songwriter and had his share of the ladies in his heyday, while she is the sweet, innocent quiet banker. He couldn't accept the fact that he could be in love with this type of girl but... well you know what happens. He's one of those that can be haggard and still looks. I started watching his other dramas and I enjoyed those also.

Since I have travelled across all continents to pick up these hot stuff I realized that I didn't picked any from India or Africa. I considered a few but they didn't make it on the list. They just lack the staying power that the ten guys I mentioned earlier have.

When everyone was going ga-ga over Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan I was going ga-ga over Salman Khan. Maybe it's the eyes. After some mediocre movies and very bad publicity I lost interest so he's out. And then there was Hrithik Roshan. But he's not consistent and I don't get to see him much so he's out too. As for Africa, I don't know any celebrity from there.

And then there's also these regular guys on any hot list: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, and Jude Law. I just knew some ppl will get offended with what I'm about to say. But how can you explain why you like certain things and not others? The least I can say is that Tom, Leo and Brad in my opinion are not so versatile in acting. It's like if you see them in one movie, you've seen them all. While Leo as himself is pretty interesting, I think Tom is shallow at times and the answers he gave in interviews are mostly what people would want to hear. I have this feeling that he's still acting even after they say 'cut'. While Brad, well what can I say, he's not that great an actor and he doesn't really appeal to me in terms of looks. Orlando and Jude? They're just too skinny for my taste.

So do these ten guys represent my ideal man? Well yes in a way. If I can get a man that's tall, lean, handsome, musically talented, quiet, naughty at times, smart, sweet, funny and not gay, I would fall on his feet anytime.

So, that's it then. I'm never getting married

Worlds beyond pages

There's one good thing in not having any internet connection at the workplace. I've managed to read so many books last month and I finally finish The Pickwick Papers. But not before I read John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

The Grapes of Wrath, a critical and controversial piece when it first came out is a bit depressing for me. You know how some stories will tell us about the hardships that ppl have to go through to achieve their dreams. The journey is long and filled with many obstacles but there's always light at the end of the dark tunnel. Well the light at the end of this tunnel is not that visible anywhere in the book.

The adventure of the Joads is quite common to Southern Americans in the 30's. Driven off from their own land by the big bad banks they are forced to find another stead to rebuild their home. They put all their hopes in a handbill offering work picking fruits and started their journey from Oklahoma to the golden state of California with an old beat-up truck and about a hundred dollars in their funds. As you may guess, it's not all that 'golden' in California.

But what makes the book so amazing is that it offers the cold hard truth on how big corporations in America can take advantage of their own men for the sake of profit. They don't care if the ppl are already poor enough as it is and that the children are dying. All they know is the fruits need to be picked and labor cost minimized as much as possible. The fact that they have to employ more guards and buy more guns to control the riots just slipped their minds. But I guess nothing change much with American corporations. They take care of their own now but manipulate ppl from other poor countries instead.

I read Charlotte's Web in one seating. If you're wondering how this is possible during office hours I will maybe consider blogging about what it's like working here. Maybe.

I only discovered that this is actually a children's classic literature after I worked at the bookstore. I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to children's lit. I grew up with Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, the common books that most federal schooled children know of. I remember my favourite series when I was in primary was the 'choose your own adventure' Malay books. Even though my parents encourage reading they don't buy that many books for us so I just settled with whatever I can find at the school library.

So I was amazed when I see a whole load of wonderful titles that I've never even heard before. It was like discovering a treasure trove. I unearthed Where the Wild Things Are, Elmer, Runaway Bunny, P.D. Eastman and Dr. Seuss. I found out that the creator of Babe, one of my favourite movie wrote a whole bunch of other stories as well. But now let's get back to Charlotte's Web.

I can't help but compare this book with The Sheep-Pig, one of the reason being both of them has pigs as the main character. While The Sheep Pig is delightful and humorous, Charlotte's Web is a bit sombre in its tone. The ending was spoiled for me when I was reading a discussion on "books that make you cry" at Abebooks.com Community Forums. I already knew someone's going to die so maybe I'll be emotionally prepared and I was. But the way White described the conditions following the character's death just makes you feel so sad. So my eye did get a bit watery at that time.

I also read Seasons of Splendour in one seating. It's about Indian folklore written for young readers. But I'm not going to say anything more about this yet. I'm planning to compare this with Tales of a Chinese Grandmother, a book about Chinese legends also written for young readers.

I'm not one to go for movie novelization. I think they are redundant and doesn't complement the movie, the original medium the creator wanted it to be viewed. The only novelization I would definitely read are the ones for Star Wars. But after watching Constantine twice, I just can't get enough of it. For one, I heard that there's an additional scene after the credits which I didn't get to see. And then I saw a still in Galaxie showing Angela looking at Constantine's criminal record. I don't remember seeing that in the movie. There's also the question of what is a half-breed and who (or what) Papa Midnite really is. And a visit to Hellblazer site revealed a character whom we didn't get to see - Ellie, a succubus who Constantine has a brief affair with. I was just wondering if it was censored or the director decided not to put her in.

Reading the novel was not as good as watching the movie. And I don't mean it's because I can't see Keanu's face on each page. I have no problem conjuring up his face anytime I want . There are certain differences with the movie. Certain things were not in the movie like Ellie, and some were not in the book like Chaz sassing the bouncer. I don't wish to elaborate on this. Go see the movie first.

Once again I tried to dip into some fantasy when I picked up Terry Pratchet's Equal Rites. I got through to page 32 when I decided I just don't care anymore. I'm sure that he's a great author and Discworld is a wonderful place to visit but it's just not my cup of tea. Although reading has become a form of escapism for me, I just don't want to escape too far away from the real world. The only true fantasy that I've read are the Tolkien's books. What I mean with 'true fantasy' is the world that the stories are set in can stand on its own. It has its own map, its own set of different races, and even its own history like Middle Earth and Discworld.

While other favorites of mine like Michael Ende's The Neverending Story, Clive Barker's Imajica, Weaveworld and Abarat are considered as fantasy, they still have some connection with this world that we're familiar with. It's just that they insinuate there's another world out there co-existing with ours. The authors tell such wonderful stories that it can make you believe that there is a sickly princess waiting for us to name her, that a world exist in a single yarn of an old rug, or that there is an Abarat beyond our very own shores. Will I ever try fantasy again? Sure, why not. But as long as I feel this world is good enough to live in with all its manipulative corporations, selfless friends and reluctant heroes, I'll let fantasy rests for a while.

14 out of 24 ain't bad

So I got 14 correct predictions. Not bad.

I guess Eastwood's win was inevitable. I should've known better. Next time always go for the movie that makes you cry. Yeah... yeah... you caught me. I cry at movies okay.

I guess the Academy has also learned not to wait until someone dies to give recognition and so Morgan Freeman got his golden statue. I guessed wrong for best supporting actress but I did told Portman to watch out for Blanchett, didn't I?

All in all, I got the rest of the main categories right except for best song. That was a lucky guess anyway. I thought since Phantom is such a great musical then the song should get an Oscar as well. But after I get to hear all the nominated songs, it didn't have a chance really.

Anyway... the reason why it took me 3 days to talk about the Oscar is because TV3 did one hell of a f***ed up job airing the prime time telecast or 8TV did one hell of a f***ed up job recording it in the first place. There. I said it. It's sooooo good to get that off my chest.

I am so damn serious about the Oscar that I always took the day off to watch the live telecast (Yeah I'm a freak. I don't need anyone to tell me that). But since I changed jobs that's not possible anymore. So I eagerly waited for night to come, hoping that I won't 'accidently' hear the results on the radio. It was also the one time that I'm grateful that I cannot access the Internet at my office.

First of all, they didn't show the red carpet segment. Then, they screw up the audio for 30 freakin' minutes and only indicated they know about this after 15 minutes of distorted sound. And most annoying thing of all, they cut out parts of the show. What the hell? No wonder the show can end in 2 and a half hours. After they announced best actor I was like, "Wait a minute... they're not suppose to do this yet." For all you know they announced best picture and everyone was getting out of their seats. I felt cheated.

Who are they to decide which parts that we want to see anyway? Before I knew it I didn't get to hear Learn to be Lonely from Phantom of the Opera, and I didn't know why Chris Rock's accountants wanting to talk to Sean Penn should be funny.

I was puzzled as to why some parts were not shown. Did one of the presenters moon the audience?

Did a winner flipped the finger to show his appreciation?

What happened???

God! I think I wasted 3 hrs of my time which could have been invested to other more important activities... like blogging for instance

Don't they practice professionalism in broadcasting? What's wrong with putting up a notice before the show like, "This program has been edited to fit the time constraint". I would totally understand that.

Eventually I did get to see the missing parts when Star Movies showed it last night, though I have to switch channels a lot because CSI was on. But then it has to rain at that time and you know how Astro is. So I didn't get to see much of CSI either. Anyway, I get to hear Learn to be Lonely and I finally get the accountant joke.

I wonder who Beyonce has to sleep with to be featured in 3 out of 5 performances? Or should I be asking who Jay-Z has to sleep with? Is Hollywood running out of talents already? I would have loved to hear Minnie Driver sing. How come she didn't just go ahead and sing all the nominated song anyway? Maybe she knows her limits. Thank God. I mean can you imagine her singing Accidently in Love and does she even know Spanish?

It's wonderful that Jorge Drexler's sang a portion of his song as his acceptance speech. I don't think he speak English anyway. But then, why not? Who cares what they can and cannot understand. We took the effort to learn their language didn't we? Man, if I were to receive an Oscar I would deliver my speech in Malay. Let them be the ignorant s.o.bs for once.
Additional thought (4 Mar 2005): Better yet I will hire some aspiring actors and place them among the audience. On my cue they will laugh very loud at my Malay jokes and then the rest can truly feel like the ignorant s.o.bs.

And I missed the first episode of The Amazing Race! Can you believe it? How can I forget? I need to start noting 'important' stuff like this in my diary.

In an unrelated event, this is officially Kampung Gal in the City's 100th post. Hey! If TV shows can celebrate their 100th episode then I can celebrate my 100th post. So take out the sparkling water and drink up!

Happy 100th Post!

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Current update - 28/2/05

Why do I do this?

Read: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, Charlotte's Web by E.B White, Constantine by John Shirley & Seasons of Splendour by Madhur Jaffey
Decided to drop: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (It's confirmed. I'm not a fantasy fan)
Reading: Blood Canticle by Anne Rice & Tales of a Chinese Grandmother by Frances Carpenter
CD: none
Favorite song: Everybody's Changing by Keane
Playing: Emperor
Watching: The Apprentice 2, That 70's Show, Grounded for Life, Frasier, CSI, American Idol

*No. of times asked if I have a boyfriend: 2
*No. of times asked when I will get married: 8
*No. of times asked when I will have kids: 1
Note: * Since I started this blog of course. I've been getting these questions lots of times before but you can't honestly believe I would count them, right? I just thought of this lately. It's interesting to know the average number of times a single girl at a marriageable age get that million dollar question. I hope other single bloggers would do the same. Maybe we can write a thesis on it! I also change "ppl" to "times" since one person can ask all three questions.

Other news:
Sister came back from Haj so everything's back as it was.

Ahhhhhh......

It rained! It rained!


After weeks and weeks of smoltering heat and days of obstructed view it rained the whole night last night.

I've had the best sleep in weeks. And I woke up feeling refreshed with this awesome crick in my neck.

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Of all the photos

This is the best one

None were spared. The living nor dead.

happy 2 months anniversary

Going on a book hunt

So I went to the MPH warehouse sale. I just have to go today because it's the first day. I was hoping I will get the first dip on some good selections they might offer.

Since the first time I went to MPH warehouse sale it has always suck. Why they even bother to call it a 'warehouse' sale is beyond my understanding. Only half of the space were taken up by books while the rest were pens, calculators, cds and toys. The books mostly go for 30% discount only, while the more obscure titles were given a mere 40%. I thought the idea of a 'warehouse' sale is to clear their warehouse i.e. storage space. But all I see were the regular paperbacks that are currently sold at any bookstores in the world.

The appeal of a warehouse sale is usually the 'value buy' bins where they put all those single copies/old/damaged books that cannot be sold at their retail stores anymore. There were not that many bins and the selections were lousy. I just briefly browsed through them but mostly I saw obsolete editions of a programming language or a guide to a certain software, books on chemistry, business and craft. But a last minute look discovered an interesting book, Atlas of the New Age: The origins and development of the world's spiritual and mystical traditions. What the hell, it's a HC with very nice pictures and illustrations. I've always been interested in shamans, mythologies, divination etc. It was just RM15 anyway.

Apart from this book I also bought:

• The Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
• The Bleak House - Charles Dickens
• Classic Victorian & Edwardian Ghost Stories
• The Bonesetter's Daughter - Amy Tan
• The Good Earth - Pearl S Buck
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

All at 30% discount. Not that great but I still bought them because I knew I will never get a better offer for these titles at other bookstores.

MPH warehouse sale is one that I'm not so excited about. The first one I've been too was lousy, It was in a smaller building with similar offers than this year's sale. I walked out with nothing but a useless MPH membership. The second one was not bad. I got my hands on McPherson's Close to Home for RM5, Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox for RM10 and Ryhme Stew for RM5; and Dick King Smith's The Sheep Pig for RM5.

Times warehouse sale was much better. More books at warehouse price rather than putting the current paperbacks and just give discounts. They do put some recent bestsellers but they were priced at RM20. That would be about RM12 to RM14 off the retail price. Still not bad.

But the best warehouse sale would still be the Penguin sale. I got my hands on so many classics like

• Diary of Anne Frank
• Poe's Comedies and Satires
• M.R. James' The Haunted Dolls' House and Other Stories
• Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde
• Dante's Purgatorio and Paradiso

at RM10 per book. And they were those nice editions with notes and bibliographies that usually go up to RM40 at normal price. In addition I got a free Times membership and RM5 voucher for buying more than RM100.

But the best book sale of all time that I've been to is the one held by L------- Public Library back in '97 when I was in US. They were clearing out old books. And there were a lot of bestselling authors and classics. The paperbacks were going at US0.50 and HC US1. I completed my Jane Austen collection here. I also got hold of The Complete Sherlock Holmes in HC with all the original illustrations at about US2, if I'm not mistaken. But I remembered it was damn cheap and it was in very good condition. Come to think of it I don't know where they get the books. I don't think it was from the library because they were no envelopes where they put the date cards or any chop anywhere on any of the books. Most probably the books were donated to raise funds for the library.

The town I was in also has a lot of bookstores selling used books. I will never fail to walk in if I happen to come across one of these stores. You'll just never know what treasures you will find on the rows and rows of shelves even if the store was small.

Back in Malaysia, I was excited to find PayLess books. This is the place where I got the illustrated HC edition of The Emerald City of Oz, The Lost Princess of Oz, The Wind in the Willows, and Little Women. Now, if only I can get the rest of the Oz series in HC....

Since I have the means of buying things with my own money, my book collection has been growing. That's one weird thing about me. I would think twice in buying a RM40 blouse, but I could spend RM60 for books in the blink of an eye.

The sad story is all my books are stuck in boxes because there's just no space for them in my parent's house. So now I can't even make any analysis or recall anything particular about a certain book since I can't remember them all. If they were all arranged according to genre and author, all lined up nice and neat on a proper bookshelf, I could have instantly drawn on a certain event or a certain character of a certain book just by looking at the spine. So now if someone asked "What is your favourite book cover" or "What is your favorite literary couple" (like what Eyeris did), I couldn't say anything because I can't recall everything that I've read.

It's so frustrating not to join in any book discussions because the books are not on-hand. I couldn't even give a proper link to any of the books that I've mentioned here. Even ISBN nos. would be good enough so that ppl could know which edition I'm ranting about. But alas, they're all nicely tucked away in boxes. I don't know which box they're in and it's too late to go for a book hunt in my own room. So hopefully, one fine day, when I do manage to fit a bookshelf in my room I will come back and update this post. Hopefully.

Madame Kampung Gal predicts

None of this year's contenders are such clear winners thus making the 77th Oscar much thrilling to watch. The two favourites of this year are Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby and Scorcese's The Aviator. Everyone's been saying that Million Dollar Baby is Eastwood at his best but Scorcese is long overdue for his own Oscar.

I don't know about MDB since I'm not really a fan of Eastwood (the actor and director) and I never really cared about boxing movies. But the movie got to me during the second half when I realized that this is not another Rocky. Swank deserved an Oscar for this one. Who cares if it's too early for her to get a second nod. Take away the political bullshit and just give credit where its due. But I cannot say the same about the rest of the cast. I feel that Freeman was doing another Shawshank Redemption while Eastwood was not that convincing as the hard-hearted guilt-ridden trainer. I don't know why he got the nomination.

The topic of how a virtual unknown rises above anyone's expectations and the relationships that were formed and broken along the way has been explored many times in films in various forms. But Eastwood didn't offer anything new. Supposed to be an emotional movie, it didn't really tug on my emotion until much later. In short this movie was not consistent in terms of acting and story.

The Aviator was not that impressive to me at first since I don't know who the hell Howard Hughes was before this movie came out. But the glamorous look of the period was perfectly captured by Scorcese. The star-studded supporting actors like Jude Law, Alan Alda, John C Reilly, Ian Holm, Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale and many more, make this movie a very nice treat.

A check at IMDB revealed that Scorcese shot the film in a way that it will look like how a color film would look from that period of time.

Achieved mainly through digitally enhanced postproduction, Scorsese recreated the look of Cinecolor and two-strip Technicolor. Watch in particular for the scene where Hughes meets Errol Flynn in the club. Hughes is served precisely placed peas on a plate, and they appear blue or turquoise - just as they'd have looked in the primitive two-strip Technicolor process. As Hughes ages throughout the film, the color gets more sophisticated and full-bodied.

Now if this is not considered as filming genius I don't know what is. In addition to another great performance by DiCaprio, I think this movie would rise as the big winner of this year. However like past years, this will not guarantee that Scorcese will take home the Best Director award. I'm not a fan of Scorcese either (in fact I don't think I have any favourite director, ok maybe Tim Burton). I watched The Godfather trilogy with the response of "Eh? So what?". Gangs of New York didn't impress me either. I think it got something to do with the actors. I was busy trying to convince myself that DiCaprio was a thug and Diaz was a girl who had a hard life. It didn't really sink in. But I feel that The Aviator is great. At least it's better than MDB. It will get Best Film but I'm not sure about Best Director.

I was also torn between Foxx and DiCaprio for Best Actor (lets face the facts here, the rest didn't have a chance, not even good ol' Johnny Depp). I was sure that Foxx would be a sure winner but after watching Ray, I just don't feel that his performance was that great. For me a great performance must be tied with consistency. You must be able to grip my attention from the very first word that you uttered. And Foxx doesn't look that comfortable in Ray's seat at the beginning of the film. He was still not Ray Charles in the first few minutes of the film. But he did made it up with a very emotional performance in the second half.

DiCaprio was consistent probably due to the fact that he's used to dramatic roles, unlike Foxx. But I think his face got in the way. Everytime I see him, I would be reminded of the image of him floating with a plank of wood, getting pale and dying. He just couldn't cover up his pretty heart-throb face no matter how great his performance was, not that I blame him. It's just the way I perceive him. To me he will always be the pretty boy who can act. On the other hand, I was able to forget Foxx the comedian and Foxx the Ugly Girl (his regular character in In Living Color) while watching his performance in Ray.

The Oscars have a history of awarding performances that are totally unlike the actor in real life like Halle Berry the depressed mom, Charlize Theron the serial killer, Mira Sorvino the prostitute, Hillary Swank the tomboy, Robin Williams the reserved quiet psychiatrist, Zellweger the country girl... well you get the picture. So if they were to follow this tradition than by all means give it to Clive Owen and Natalie Portman. The reserved Owen played a passionate, opinionated doctor who never fails to voice out his thoughts while the sweet little Miss Portman played (gasp!) a stripper. Well I watched Closer and I do feel they deserve to win. It's a sure win for Owen, but Portman has to watch out for Blanchett.

To conclude, below are my predictions for the main awards: -
Best Film: The Aviator
Best Director: Clint Eastwood (but I do want Scorcese to win)
Best Actor: Jamie Foxx
Best Actress: Hillary Swank
Best Supporting actor: Clive owen
Best Supporting Actress: Natalie Portman
Best Song: Phantom of the Opera
Best original screenplay: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Best adapted screenplay: Sideways
Best animated film: The Incredibles (sure winner)
Best foreign language film: The Sea Inside

And just for the heck of it, these are my predictions for the rest of the categories. Most of them are lucky guesses anyway.


My oscar predictions

Anything funny strikes your eye?

Check out the 'Quotes' section

I wonder how many "Japanese seeing-eye-dog" movies are out there...

Hell's Cinema

Considering that now the Oscar fever is building up and my past few posts were movie related, I think I would like to continue the trend and talk about the joys and qualms of going to the movies. Because there's always that person who never bothered to switch off the phone, those that talk incessantly, those that can't keep still or those that find great joys in kicking the seat in front of them. But have you ever experienced all these at one seating? I have.

I was watching Harry Potter 3 (for the second time) and we got the best seat possible, right smack in the center of the cinema. We went in, in a timely manner and we were gracious, switched off the phone just as we sat down.

First came the 'blockhead', right in front of us sitting tall as if he was at his graduation ceremony.

Second came the 'late-comer'. Not only was she late she was also yakking all the way to her seat. She took her seat at the left of me, still yakking while playing with her handphone. The lights were already dimmed so you can imagine what a beacon her phone was from my seat.

Third came the 'rustler'. Probably not able to find any benches inside the mall, they purchased 2 cinema tickets so they can have a place to sit and inspect the result of their day's worth of shopping, while rummaging through their many plastic bags looking for things to chew on.

However, it was not over yet. The 'late-comer' aka 'the yakker' still haven't stop yakking even after the movie started. Because then she began to narrate the movie to her partner. Not only were she narrating, she was also lip-synching, saying the line out loud like she was the official script girl for TGV. "Yes Harry" "No Harry" "Ronald!" on and on and on. She was such a show-off, most probably hoping that the rest of us would be impressed that she's such a big fan of Harry Potter to know every line from the movie. NOT! And she wasn't even a good lip-syncher. She only knew the two-word lines. I'm not impressed pal!
And then came the big hall scene. And she started singing. Yes! She was singing!
Double double toil and trouble,
Lalalalallalala
mumble mumble mumble
Laalalalllallaa
Mumblemumblemumble
Something wicked this way come!

Agghhhhhh!!!!!!!!! I can't stand it anymore. I gave her a look. A loooooonnnnggggg look. I make sure that it was long enough for her to notice that I'm looking right at her. She tried to ignore me but I knew that she noticed me and she kept quiet... for a while. Then she started lip-synching again. Now, I'm not a short-tempered person and it's very difficult to get me angry but I was really pissed-off at that time. I turned to my friend, "The person beside me can't stop talking!"
"The person beside me can't stop eating!" she replied. I guess she got problems of her own in addition to the blockhead in front of her.

"Could you please be quiet?". R gave my elbow a nudge. "She's annoying!" I told R. I was really hoping that the person in front of her would at least turn around and gave her that look too. Maybe then she will know how annoying she was. It was not just my imagination that she was talking way above the appropriate volume for cinema and most annoying of all, she never stopped! There was always something to say, always something to lip-sync to. God! She did stop after I said that, to only start again a few minutes later.


I wish I could just scream that to her but instead I said, "Excuse me. Can you stop talking? I'm trying to watch the movie! It's very annoying!" And she kept quiet after that. But not absolute quiet. Nothing would stop her from narrating and commenting the movie to her friend, though she did it less and with a lower volume.

After we got out, we were not talking about the movie, we were talking about the bunch of losers that were our neighbors. R shared my frustration because she can also hear the yakker from her side. And I shared her frustration because I can hear the ppl beside her rustling through their plastic bags all the way from my side.

All in all, that was by far the WORST cinema experience I ever had. I will never forget it as long as I live, or until I found an even worst experience than this, which I doubt. But I do need to be grateful that the one behind us were not a 'kicker'. Oh wait, I did get a kicker when I saw this movie the first time. Oh hell!

I can't remember the last time I had a perfect cinema experience. I almost got it when I watched Cold Mountain but suddenly a phone rang at the most romantic moment of the whole goddamn movie.
"I'd marry you, I'd ma.... kring kring.... halo! watching a movie. Nanti I call balik. Apa? Tak boleh. Jangan buat camtu... giggle... ha... ok... ok..." She was so damn loud!
SSSHHHHH!!!!!!!! sad the person behind her. The whole cinema were already looking at her. At least we got her boyfriend uncomfortable. Hehe padan muka.

Will I ever get the most perfect, the most enjoyable movie experience? I don't know. But that remains as one of my most cherished wish.

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The perils of a small businessman

God I hate my boss. Why does he like to wait for the very last minute to settle such important things as the bill.

I go to work this morning to a shop that has been locked up by the court. Yes! By the Mahkamah Majistret. It seems that we have a little amount of rental due to the management. So the mgmt asked their lawyer to call up the court to lock up the shop that my boss built. There we were on the first day of work after one week of holiday, not able to work. I don't know if I should be concerned or happy.

This happened so many times already. First the phone, then the electricity and now the shop itself. Then he wonders why this branch is not doing so well.


Afterwards, his wife (whose business shares the same premise) came to the rescue and settled whatever it is that need to be settled. Around 1:30 we were able to go to work at last, but not without some repercussions. It threw her whole feng shui plan for the shop.

One of her staff was suppose to be the first to walk into the shop. She's supposed to ring the golden bell all around the shop and then burn the incense and spread the smoke all over the shop too. But that was not meant to be because
1. Someone came into the shop yesterday and yesterday was an unlucky day for us;
2. She still wasn't the first to come in because the guy who open the shop walked into it right after;
3. She was supposed to do it all within 9 to 11am because that was our ong (lucky) time. Heh! No luck there.
But she did all that needs to be done anyway. It doesn't hurt right? Maybe it will balance out the unluckiness we've been getting. Hopefully we will get back the 'slightly unlucky' status that we had before all this happened.


I need a new job. Know any vacancies??? Any book related company would be fine. But must be executive position. I didn't come this far to become a retail assistant okay. Please post a comment or e-mail me if you know anything. I will be much obliged.

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Oscar break

I think I need to take a break from blogging. Hehe you know why? Because I just got my hands on Sideways, Closer, Ray, Million Dollar Baby, Vera Drake, and Kinsey. With the addition of Finding Neverland, The Aviator, the Incredibles, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter 3, The Village, The Passion of the Christ, Shrek 2, Troy, House of Flying Daggers, Shark Tale, The Polar Express, I Robot, and Spider-man 2 that I have seen; I will finally get to make my own judgment and not just make lucky guesses. Wish me luck trying to watch all these movies by March 2Feb 28.

Disinformation dissemination

Do you know that you have to change your IC after you turned 18?
Well I don't. So now I have to pay RM70 for fines.
The officer also told me that we are suppose to change them AGAIN when we turn 25! What the hell was that about??? So now do we have to change our IC every three freakin' years?!?
I didn't know, I told her. Well we annouced it in the papers, she said.
But my parents didn't tell me about his, none of my family members told me about this, none of my friends told me about this, none of my colleaques told me about this, even the government officers who were organizing my transfer to US never told me about THIS! Apparently I'm not the only one. The guy next to me also has to pay the fines. So you tell me, who's fault is it that we didn't know about this??? God! It's like they always find new ways to squeeze more money from you.
I'm pissed. I tried to look good for my picture but I just can't. You want to know which one is me? I'm the one with the pissed-off look on my IC.

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Of good and evil

Heaven and Hell, Angels and Demons, and God and the Devil.

Any movie about these things would go into my must-see movie list including Constantine. And it also helps that Mr Reeves is in it.

Constantine I can simply say is different and that is what makes it a great watch. I didn't have any expectations apart from seeing his cute face on the big screen. But after I got the 5 second dosage of seeing his face I just have to shift my attention to the story. Like I said earlier anything about good and evil, Heaven and Hell, Angels and Demons, God and Devil and everything in between (mainly humans) has always intrigued me. I love the Hellraiser series, Warlock and even Hideaway. I love movies where men try to play God with little success like Island of Dr Moreau. And how men can still find faith in God like Dead Man Walking; and even something other than God like Contact.

Movies like these are not always about the whole package. It's not about how good or bad the acting was, or how juvenile the script is, or how laughable the special effects were. What I would usually loook for is the message that it's trying to convey and how they do it.

Like recently, I watched The Gathering on Astro. Christina Ricci was terrible. I believe her talent has run out after she did The Addams Family. But the story of how a group "who came to watch not for salvation but for lust" is pretty interesting. The thing that they were watching was Jesus' crucifixion. As punishment they are destined to watch men experience their greatest tragedies: the world war, nuclear bomb, public massacres, assasinations. I have to close one eye on Ricci's acting to enjoy the movie. But all in all the message I truly took to heart. When you see something wrong don't just stand there and watch, at least try to do something to change it. With the Hellraiser it is in simple terms, ultimate pleasure does not come without pain. How you interpret that is up to you.

Hehe you must have thought that I'm going to write a review on Constantine, not this time. I think one of the reason why I enjoyed this movie was because I didn't read any reviews, or see any making-ofs. All I got was the trailer, the vision of black wings and Keanu Reeves. I cannot write a review without drawing on some scenes and I'm afraid that would just spoil the experience for you. You should try it some time. Go see a movie without reading any reviews, hear any comments from your friends or see any making-ofs or interviews. I did that once for House of Flying Daggers. I was halfway through the movie and I was going, "Wait a minute, where's the House of Flying Daggers???" But the movie was still good to watch. It's just that if I knew the movie is a love story I wouldn't even consider watching it.

But what I can give you is the rundown of the main cast so you don't have to do your own research on them.
Constantine - Keanu Reeves (of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Dracula, Speed, A Walk in the Clouds, and what else... oh yeah! The Matrix trilogy of course how could I forget that)
Angela/Isabel Dodson - Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, Enemy at the Gates)
Chas Kramer - Shia LeBeouf (Holes, Charlie's Angels 2)
Midnite - Djimon Hounsou (Gladiator, Lara Croft 2)
The ones to watch out for,
Gabriel - Tilda Swinton (Orlando, The Beach)
Lucifer - Peter Stormare (Armageddon, 8MM, Fargo)
and last but not least
Balthazar - Gavin Rosdale (Bush's frontman, Mr Stefani)
If you're interested with Hellblazer, the comic that Constantine was based on, you can click here. It is a very comprehensive site with a lengthy description of who John Constantine, the comic book character is down to his family tree. It even has the full summary of all the comics.

For a full review on why I like this movie I would have to wait until about 50% of the general population have seen it. So maybe I'll wait until the movie has run its course in the cinemas. Then I'll be comfortable enough to talk about it in great lengths. Anyway, I just have to watch it again. The cinema I was in was not a conducive atmosphere to fully understand this type of movie. Now, what's with all the half-breeds? Why her? There was a couple sitting beside us and he was wooing her while watching the movie. What kind of people who goes to a movie to talk? I don't understand. Go lepak at a mamak stall la. You can talk all you want and no one is gonna shush you. Or you can come to this place where no one will care if you want to scream at the top of your lungs, and where you can talk on your phone as long as you want, provided that the phone can stand the heat.

Comical reaction

One thing I've recently learned about comic to film adaptations is that there is so many ways to judge them. It's quite similar to book adaptations. They either maintain the main storyline (like The Joy Luck Club, LOTR, Pride & Prejudice), the characters, the characters' origins and motivations, or try to recreate the emotional aspect of the respective book (like Cold Mountain and Beloved).

And just like book adaptations, comic adaptations has its hits and misses.
Hits: Spider-man, Batman,
Misses: Catwoman, Elektra, Daredevil

But what I want to discuss now is a recent adaptation of a comic character, Elektra. There were many various reasons given as to why it was a miss, but these are my reasons. The action scenes were not as thrilling as I expected it to be. Various interviews of the cast and crew were talking about how the fighting scenes are done by them and not stunt doubles. But I'm sorry to say I couldn't see it. If I didn't see those interviews I would still think they are done by stunt doubles. The villains are interesting just like what Garner said, but then I only see them in about 10 minutes of screen time altogether. And the final showdown got me saying "So what?" And do I need to mention the cliches? I thought that Hollywood by this time has learned something like "not all succesful action films need to have a kissing scene." But they do it anyway with no apparent motivation in both characters. Just because they were alone on the balcony and she was feeling vulnerable and he was there, they just have to kiss. I was expecting the orchestra to strike up at any moment.

But after I read an article by The Star's Kaleon Rahan I realized something. If Elektra the movie was to stay true to Elektra the comic, then wouldn't that make the movie a success? Kaleon said that the assasination scene, how she interact with the Millers and the Chaste, and her flawed/emotionally-disturbed character is similar to its original counterpart. On the other hand another reviewer from the same paper said that her obsessive compulsive behavior in the movie is absurd. I think that's not fair. She should at least make a comparison to the Elektra that her creator wanted her to be and not just what the movie portrays.

The movie makers must have a certain purpose in bringing Elektra to the silver screen. I believe that this time they were just trying to bank in on Garner's appeal. Daredevil was too small for her so she has to have her own movie. Elektra was not one of my must-see movie but after seeing the making-of and interviews, they got me interested. Not to see Elektra, but the fight scenes and the villains that they were talking so greatly about. Since those two didn't rise to the occasion I find the movie a miss.
But if I were an Elektra comics fan I might find the movie acceptable, provided that the original Elektra do go around kissing guys on balconies.

What's the way to end a race?

Is to start another one.

Yes! Amazing Race 7 will start in March and the things that I'm looking forward to are more bickering, more stupid mistakes and the team of engaged Survivors, Rob and Amber. I can't wait.

Tonight was the finale of Amazing Race 6 and if you haven't seen it stop reading now.

Freddy and Kendra won by a train.

My favorite team, Kris and Jon, was so close. They have the most perfect leg. Kris was able to get the lock on the first round of tries . But they were unlucky enough to get a later flight to Chicago. It was because that ticketing officer who told them they have the fastest flight when they don't. That liar! There was a difference of 30 minutes between F&K's and K&J's flight. But K&J actually arrived 15 minutes earlier while F&K's flight got in 10 minutes late . They both ended up on the same train to Chicago Water Tower.

F&K finished their pizza first but found trouble in getting a taxi. Right about then K&J walked into the pizza place. When F&K did manage to get a taxi the driver didn't know how to go to Ping Tom Memorial! In the meantime, K&J finished their pizza and went straight to a door of a taxi. "Do you know how to go to Ping Tom Memorial?" Jon asked the driver. "Yes." . F&K were lost at this time.

I think Adam said it best right after Kris got the lock opened, "They must have a guardian angel on their shoulder."

Both teams got to the Memorial at about the same time. I thought it's going to be down to a footrace. But a damn train showed up right on K&J's path, and they couldn't get through . So they were the second team to arrive.

I am so broken-hearted. It would be perfect if Kris & Jon were to win. They were the sweetest couple in the whole history of the Amazing Race, they hardly fought, they worked together so well and they were never rude to anyone anywhere, to the locals nor the other team members. Even at the most stressful moment Jon would still say "please" and Kris will always have a "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Just can't help but admire them.

I think Adam (of Adam and Rebecca) is a great observer of this team. Jon & Kris was unlucky enough to get a bad taxi driver who took them on a longer route when they were in Shanghai. Getting down from the taxi, Jon yelled, "That was the worst ride ever!" A&R were yielded at the time so they were not going anywhere. Seeing Jon like that Adam said, "That is the first time I've ever seen them get upset." There was a hint of admiration in his voice.

Well, their luck must have run out after they got that great taxi driver to the Memorial. But I still love you Kris & Jon. If it so happens that your guardian angel got lost along the way, I'm sending this to you.