Pictures Don't Do It Justice

So yes, we've had a holiday. A couple of days in the Peak District followed by a couple of days in the Lake District. Gorgeous weather in the former, not so gorgeous in the latter, but stunning views both times. We really are fortunate to live in such a beautiful country.

KITES (2010)

MyRating: Y

Director: Anurag Basu
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Nicholas Brown, Kabir Bedi, Kangana Ranaut, Yuri Suri, Anand Tiwari, Steven Michael Guezada

This is the third Bollywood movie I watched this year, after My Name is Khan (2010) and 3 Idiots (2009). I was excited to see Kites because of many reasons. First, I loved the other two movies a lot, which have great stories and great casts (Shahrukh Khan in My Name is Khan and Aamir Khan in 3 Idiots), and both movies have given me a wonderful time in the cinema. Second, this movie (Kites) has a very strong name too, Hrithik Roshan, Bollywood most popular leading actor after Shahrukh Khan's generation. Third, Kites was the first Bollywood movie that reached the Top Ten of US Weekend Box Office (period May 21-23, 2010). And a high score in Rotten Tomatoes from the critics even convinced me more.

But somehow after watching it, I felt very disappointed with this movie. If you happened to like Kites, just consider my review as another opinion, because as I have said before, not all people have the same taste. One person's rotten egg maybe another person's star. That always happened when talking about like or dislike about a movie. And every person can be true with his opinion. But I will tell you why this movie didn't work for me.

The story is about a smart young man, J (Roshan) who thirst to become rich and dating a rich girl, Gina (Ranaut), whose father, Bob (Bedi), is one of the richest men in Las Vegas, who owns casino. But J is falling for his girlfriend's brother's fiancee, Natasha (Mori), a Mexican imigrant. Not only that is a cardinal sin, but also it is the most fatal sin, as his girlfriend's family's business is similar to that of a mob, that punishes the cheaters in their casino with death penalties. And when Gina's brother, Tony (Brown), finds out about J and Natasha's affair, he and his family's gang members hunt them all the way to the desert of Mexico.

You have heard this kind of story many times before? It's a cliche one. But that's not a problem for me, because I can love even the most cliche story, as long as the filmmaker can turn it into a beautiful and enjoyable movie. And this one was not. The story didn't work for me at all. I think both the script and the directing were unsuccessful. The story was slow in progress and somehow boring. The flashbacks (actually it was back and forth in the storytelling) was not worked and directed well, it was a bit confusing. The actions were silly and too forced. And the ending of the movie was just ridiculous.

For the actors, I don't think the chemistry between Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori, the American Latin leading actress, was working well. I actually didn't feel the chemistry. It's not because their actings were bad. Not at all. Hrithik Roshan surely has his charm and he did not play his role bad, and Barbara Mori is beautiful. I think maybe their characters, who don't know each other's language in this movie, was one of the cause. It somehow stole the romantic away.

Many people may think that the dance in the beginning of the movie by Hrithik Roshan was awesome and spectacular. I agree that the dance was good. But I just cannot feel it. Why? Because it was shown too early in the movie before we even got to know the character well. If you like Step Up and Step Up 2 (the guilty pleasure movies that many critics hated, but I liked the movies), you will understand how the climax dances really work in amazed you, because they were shown at the very end of the movies, after we knew what we have to know about the characters. But of course the Hrithik Roshan's dance could not be moved into the end of this movie, because this is just not a dance movie. But that's the only way I can explain why the dance didn't work for me. It was not excited me as the songs and the dances in 3 Idiots and My Name is Khan did.

While watching this movie, the stars in my head kept falling down as the story progressed, and the ending was the lowest point. Maybe people won't care for my stars (of review). But that was exactly how I felt when watching this movie.

Again, don't feel discourage by my review. If you are interested in seeing this movie, because you love Indian movies or you love Hrithik Roshan, just go for it! You maybe will have a different feeling and opinion from me. And if you happen to like it, then just consider my review as a silly one. But if you happen to hate it, then we are on the same boat. (MJ)

Normal Service Will Be Resumed Shortly

In the meantime, behaves yourselves... or I'll set the Hell-Sheep on you all.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (2010)

MyRating: YYYY1/2

Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Steve Toussaint, Toby Kebbell, Richard Coyle, Ronald Pickup, Gísli Örn Garðarsson
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action

Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer produced this great epic action adventure tale adapted from one of the most popular games in the history, Prince of Persia. The film is loosely based on the 2003 game version titled the same, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.

Prince Dastan (Gyllenhaal) was adopted by King Sharaman (Pickup) to become the family member of the Persian Empire, when the king found him in the marketplace as a street child. The king was impressed with the child's brave character in saving another kid being beaten, and his unbelievable surviving skills, by running and jumping the rooftops while being chased by the soldiers. In the palace, with the love from the king's family, Dastan grew up to become a mighty warrior.

When the Persian attacts the peaceful city of Alamut, Dastan becomes the real hero with his solo opening attacts that help the Persians defeating Alamut. Then, together with his two brothers (the real sons of King Sharaman) Tus (Coyle) and Garsiv (Kebbell), and his uncle (brother of the king) Nizam (Kingsley), they enter the enemy castle and capture the beautiful princess of Alamut, Princess Tamina (Arterton). To unite the two nation and own her beauty, Tus is planning to marry the princess. And this news, together with their victory, soon become the great joys for the Persians.

However, someone in the kingdom want to get rid of Dastan. When he is falsely accused for a big crime that he did not do, Dastan has to run for his life and soon becomes the fugitive by his whole country. Together with Princess Tamina, who is also in the run with him, Dastan has to find a way to clear his name. He then learns that all the plot against him is somehow related to a dagger that he found in Alamut called the Dagger of Time. This beautiful knife, with an hour glass containing magic sands in its handle, can somehow reverse the time. And it is believed that more of the sands is buried below the city. If the sands is discovered and being used by the wrong person, it can cause the destroy of the earth.

But their journey is not easy, as Dastan and Tamina not only have to face the Persian soldiers, but they also have to encounter with Sheik Amar (Molina), a greedy sheikh who runs illegal ostrich races, and his men, including the knives thrower, Seso (Toussaint). They also have to face the most lethal enemy, the Hassansin, the Persian special force killers, led by a vicious leader (Garðarsson). They have to protect the dagger as well as to stay alive. And Dastan finds out that nobody he can really trust, including the persons he used to trust before.

Wow! This movie was one of the most exciting and entertaining action-adventure movies I have watched in years. Everything was just awesome. I will start by saying that the story was good enough to begin with, it has an intriguing storyline and interesting plots. And the casts were outstanding, they turned out to be perfect choices by the producer. The actions were fantastic and mind blowing. In fact, the whole film was full-packed with actions from the beginning till the end. And every action and fighting scene was well choregraphed. If the actions were over-the-top, then they were over-the-toply fun. The settings and the cinematography were also great and rich. The buildings, the streets and the town of Persia were beautifully built to give a total experience of being in Persia (now Iran).

This movie will also satisfy the game fans. I played the game myself in the past and loved it. The movie has almost everything the games have. Climbing walls, running the rooftops, jumping across buildings, acrobatic, somersault, slipping below the closing gates, swords fighting, etc. This is the best game movie ever. Period.

Now further about the casts. This film has wonderful casts for a new epic movie (I have this feeling NOT before I watched the film, BUT after watching it). Jake Gyllenhaal was just perfect as Dastan. He was cool. He was funny. He was very fit for all the actions and acrobatic stuffs (he did most of the dangerous stunts himself). And his acting was fun to watch. I might say that a new hero is born, Jake aka Dastan. This is the biggest role he ever got and I believe he will always be remembered as Dastan for years to come. And with this movie, Jake is now moving his career in a hot fast track train. As the love interest, Gemma Arterton was excellent as Princess Tamina (we last saw her in Clash of the Titans). Her acting was really-really good as the sassy, smart and one tough heroine. And she is such a beautiful and attractive actress! Her character even excited me the most, I really love her role in this movie. Her trick and being tricked games with Dastan was just fun to watch, and their love and hate relationship and dialogs will make you smile. They both have a great chemistry together. For Ben Kingsley, I don't have much to say, except that this senior actor was suited well as Nizam. And Alfred Molina contributed to the funny moments with his comedic performance as Sheik Amar.

Believe me, if you like action-adventure movies, then don't believe any bad critics that you read and heard about this movie. This is an awesome action-adventure movie at its best, and definitely not a movie to be missed. I enjoyed and cherished every moment of the film. Forget the flaws that this film has (every movie has its flaws) and just enjoy the fun! And I will be the first person who will be excited if they make a sequel. This is what I call a rock solid entertainment! (MJ)

VALENTINE'S DAY (2010)

MyRating: YYY

Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Hector Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Carter Jenkins, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Taylor Swift
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity
US Gross: US$ 110.5 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 213.0 Million

Following the spirit of Love Actually (2003) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009), Garry Marshall, the director who gave us Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride and The Princess Diaries, is back to direct a stellar cast movie about the love stories of a diverse group of people living in Los Angeles in one of the most celebrated days on earth, the Valentine's Day.

The stories are told in the intertwining way and through the interconnections that the characters have with each other. It's a complicated world of love. There is Ashton Kutcher, a florist who proposes his girlfriend, Jessica Alba, on Valentine's Day to marry him, but the girlfriend somehow doesn't ready for such a commitment. And Jennifer Garner, who falls in love with a married guy, Patrick Dempsey, but doesn't know that the guy is married. While Kutcher & Garner are best friends, but they do not realize the love they grow for each other since a long time. There is also Topher Grace, who falls in love with a sweet beautiful girl, Anne Hathaway, but doesn't know that she has a side job as a phone-sex entertainer. And there is Julia Roberts, an army captain, who gets a companionship with a charming guy, Bradley Cooper, on their plane back to Los Angeles. Then there is Jamie Foxx, a sports journalist who hates Valentine's Day, but gets a task to cover a story about that day. He shares the same feeling with Jessica Biel, who always feels lonely on Valentine's Day. She is a publicist of a famous football quarterback, Eric Dane, who is in the brink of his retirement age from football, but the man has to share a shocking announcement about his relationship to the world. There is also Hector Elizondo and Shirley MacLaine, an old happy couple who love each other, but one of them has a past secret that may ruin their relationship. And a young couple, Emma Roberts and Carter Jenkins, who are about to have their first sex experience in their 18's. And their best friends, Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner, who prefer to wait for their first sex. All these relationships coloring the same Valentine's Day. Some relationships will burst with romantic and happy feelings, but others will end with heartbreaks and sad endings.

I want to hate this movie like many other critics did, but I can't, because again I do not think that this movie is bad. In fact, I like it. Actually I have a feeling that I might like it, since I liked He's Just Not That Into You, a beautiful movie, even though I was not very crazy about Love Actually.

The story was good and interesting enough. It was nicely told even with so many characters and storylines, and it did not disturb the story, because every character just contributed something in the story, even the small one. I don't think any of the casts were wasted here. And I think Garry Marshall succeeded in directing this movie, even though with so many characters, he could keep the story moved smoothly and enjoyable to watch.

The character that I like the most was Ashton Kutcher. Never a fan of him, but his character is really sweet and sympathetic here. And the character I dislike the most was Jessica Alba, with her unsympathetic character, not a good acting too. Taylor Swift, the new country pop star sweetheart, gave an interesting debut in this movie as a somewhat dumb school girl (No, the character was purposely written to look dumb, not the actress, Taylor Swift is a very talented singer). She shows a rough acting though and a bit overacting at some points. But that's okay, every actor/actress has their rough times in their debuts.

I enjoyed this movie as the way it was. It was a nice movie. The bountiful cast even made it more fun to watch. If you are a fan of romantic movies, I don't think that this one will disappoint you. (MJ)

Thoughtballoons - Iron Man

Thoughtballoons is a new online collaborative comic-writing group that I'm proud to count myself a member of. Inspired by Comictwart, a site in which a group of artists choose a weekly character and offer up their own individual interpretations, head thoughtballooner Ryan K Lindsay came up with the idea of giving budding writers the same chance. Of course, there's a slight difference between asking readers to enjoy a daily visual image and asking them to read an entire comic script... so Ryan made it a little easier by restricting us to one page of script. That page can be a complete story, a powerful opening, a crucial scene, a dramatic climax - whatever we come up with. The aim is for us to have fun playing with a whole bunch of different characters we might otherwise never get the chance at, bringing our own individual writing styles to the heroes and villains we've always wanted to write (and, I'm sure, some we never wanted to write... I'm not really looking forward to Green Lantern!) An opportunity to push ourselves as comic writers and see what we can accomplish.

To start the ball rolling, Ryan chose the armoured Avenger Iron Man as our first project, so over the course of this week you'll be able to enjoy 9 very different 1 page Iron Man scripts. My own was posted earlier today, so if you're interested in such things, please pop over to thoughtballoons and give it a read. While you're there, don't forget to check out some of the other scripts, I'm sure there's a lot of fun to be had. (I haven't read them yet, but I'm looking forward to it.)

INVICTUS (2009)

MyRating: YYYY1/2

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Adjoa Andoh, Tony Kgoroge, Julian Lewis Jones, Patrick Mofokeng, Matt Stern, Marguerite Wheatley

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

US Gross: US$ 37.5 Million

Worldwide Gross: US$ 122.2 Million

Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon were magnificent in this inspiring and beautiful movie about the true story of Nelson Mandela in his early years as the President of South Africa and how he used rugby to unite his nation in the event of 1995 Rugby World Cup. The story was adapted from the book written by John Carlin titled Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation.

It always amazed me how this great and noble man, Nelson Mandela, who served 27 years in prison with a charge of treason by the Apartheid regime of South Africa in 1962, could have a heart full of gold and forgiveness when he became the President himself in 1994 at the age of 75, after winning the South Africa's first multi-racial elections as the country's first black President. Mandela, who is also known as Madiba in his country, ruled as the President from 1994 to 1999. He decided to retired in 1999 and not run for the second term. During his presidency, not only he forgave the regime who put him in a tiny jail for many golden years of his life, but also he united his nation by pioneering the reconciliation between the black and white South Africans, who have a long history of hostility towards each other. For his advocacy of national and international reconciliation, Mandela won the international respects. And over four decades, he has received more than 250 awards for his contribution to the world peace, freedom and humanitarian efforts. The most notably one was the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

Nelson Mandela (Freeman) knew that his country, which has just passed a political and economic turmoil, needs something to be proud of, that can lift up his people's pride as a nation as well as unite them together. And he sees a chance to do it through rugby, a sport that he and his countrymen love, since South Africa is hosting the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Mandela gives his big support behind the national rugby team, the Springboks, a team which was considered as the team of white South Africans and did not get the supports from the majority black South Africans. Not only that, the Springboks is also considered as an underdog as the team has not performed well for years and did not made any significant world-rank. But Mandela believes in his dream. He approaches and inspires the captain of the team, Francois Pienaar (Damon), to make his team achieve a goal that seems unrealistic, which is to win the World Cup for his country. And they both know, only through hardwork, self believe and determination, that big dream could be reach.

Clint Eastwood has proved himself once again that he is brilliant in directing a high quality drama, but at the same time a movie that is enjoyable to watch. The story flowed smoothly as we enjoy every part of it. The characters were interesting, as well as the dialogs. And the rugby games were very well-crafted, as if we were watching the real World Cup and the actors were the real professional players.

Morgan Freeman gave an excellent performance as Mandela. Not only he succeeded in personified his character, but also he lived the character. Watching his very nature acting, we will nod our heads with admiration for this great senior actor. And by seeing him as Mandela, how he trully cared for other people and always leading by example, you will definitely fall in love with Nelson Mandela, even if you don't know who Nelson Mandela is. Matt Damon also showed a very solid acting as the rugby team captain, that could match the wonderful acting of Morgan Freeman. And every scene they both appeared together was just exciting to watch, with their interesting dialogs. It was very well worthed as they got the nominations for the Oscar's Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

This is a great movie with a touching and heartfelt story, and the knock-out performances by the actors. It's a pity to be missed. (MJ)

THE WOLFMAN (2010)

MyRating: YYY1/2

Director: Joe Johnston
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving
MPAA: Rated R for bloody horror violence and gore
US Gross: US$ 62.0 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 139.2 Million

I watched this movie with a very low expectation and an assumption in my head that it will be bad. I almost never read any reviews before I watch a movie, because I just don't like any (even small) spoilers to ruin my movie experience. And since I started to write reviews, I even try not to read any other reviews before I write my own, so that it will not affect my judgement when reviewing the movie. I am a horror fan and I usually don't easily like or dislike a horror movie, because I have my own (unwritten) criteria whether a certain horror movie is good or bad. But it still influenced me when I knew that many critics were disliking this movie, and it created a pre-judgement in my mind that this will be another boring and bad horror movie. However, when I finally watched it myself recently, I realized that my assumption was totally wrong. This movie was not bad at all, and it ain't boring. In fact, I have to say that it was a pretty good one.

The most popular and widely known earlier wolfman/werewolf movie was The Wolf Man in 1941, with Lon Chaney Jr. as the wolf man. Even though there were other werewolf movies made before that, but this one is considered as the most classic one. The other popular latest werewolf movies are An American Werewolf in London (1981) and The Howling (1981), which brought the werewolf fever in the 1980's, and Wolf (1994) with Jack Nicholson as the werewolf. Inspired by the classic The Wolf Man, Joe Johnston (also the director of Jurassic Park III) tried to bring back the legend of the werewolf (who seems to be less popular if compare with his colleagues, the vampires and the zombies).

Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) returns to his hometown after his brother mysterious went missing. It has been years after he left his home in order to forget his mother's tragic death, but he has no choice than to join the search for his brother, after his brother's fiancee, Gwen Conliffe (Blunt) tracks him down and asks for his help. At home, he reunites with his father, Sir John Talbot (Hopkins), an estranged and eccentric father figure who keeps a lot of past secrets of his family. In his search, Lawrence learns that his hometown is terrorized by a vicious beast, which hunted and brutally killed his town people. And his search is turned into a horrifying one when he encounters with the beast, and being attacked and seriously bitten by it.

Survived from the death, Lawrence quickly heals and realizes that he is not the same as he used to be. So as his fate. As when the full moon comes, he turns into one of the beast himself. The situation becomes more complicated when a Scotland Yard inspector, Abberline (Weaving) comes to his town to investigate the case and puts a prime suspicion towards him. Now, not only Lawrence has to find the real beast who slaughtered the people and to clear his name from the police, but he also has to detain the beast within him and protect his brother's fiancee, the woman he has slowly grown to love.

This is a good werewolf movie. The story was interesting and the pace was well maintained, with quite a lot of actions. The setting and the cinematography were magnificent in bringing back the aura of the Victorian era. It's dark and gloomy, but it's beautiful and well suited for the movie. The transformation from a man to become a werewolf was also well made and shown in quite details.

I don't see any miscast for the actors in this movie. Benicio Del Toro was fine as the man who turns into the werewolf. I think he did his job good enough. Anthony Hopkins also played his part well (even though with his acting approach that we seems to see so many times). If you dislike his character, I believe that was part of his job to make you feel like that. Emily Blunt was gorgeous and fine in her role, and I like her. She is certainly one of the good young actress nowadays. And Hugo Weaving also added the value to the cast with his quite important role. I think the wonderful casts was somehow part of the power of this movie.

This movie gave enough haunts and howls as a werewolf movie, more than I expected. Yes, it has its flaws and not perfect, but in overall, it was an entertaining and enjoyable movie. (MJ)

Volcano Songs

A few weeks back, when the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull started spewing ash clouds over Europe and disrupting everybody's flights in the process, Reluctant Blogger suggested I put together a Top Ten Volcano songs in tribute. I toyed with the idea, but feared I'd missed the boat. Good old Eyjafjallajökull though, I knew it wouldn't let me down. Topical blogging ahoy! (Well, as topical as Sunset Over Slawit ever gets.)

Apparently there's a Damien Rice song called Volcano, but as I've never heard it and can probably die happy without ever doing so, it doesn't feature in the list below. Just in case you were wondering.



10. Beck - Volcano

And I heard
Of that Japanese girl
Who jumped
Into The Volcano
Was she trying
To make it back
Back into the womb
Of the world?

Who says you don't learn anything from listening to Beck records? Right here I learned about Japanese student Kiyoko Matsumoto who committed suicide in 1933 by throwing herself into the Mount Mihari volcano, starting a trend which resulted in 944 people doing exactly the same thing over the next year. Those crazy Japanese, eh?

9. Embrace - Ashes

Embrace hail from Brighouse, which is halfway between where I live (t'other side of Huddersfield) and where I work (Bradford). There aren't a lot of volcanoes in Brighouse, but there is a huge crater in Bradford where six years ago they knocked a huge chunk of the city down in preparation for building a new shopping centre... and then left it to rot.

Embrace are currently recording their sixth album... hurry up, lads, it's been ages!

8. Grandaddy - Lava Kiss

Volcanologists say
That we're unlike the rest
That we're the best
Fearlessness
Deadliness
Lava Kiss
Togetherness

I keep biting my lip at the moment. It's very annoying and painful. But not as painful as a lava kiss, I'd imagine.

7. Islands - Volcanoes

Canadian band Islands find that when you anger the gods, "a hard rain falls, made of magma" and "melts Alaska".

6. Van Halen - Eruption

1 minute and 42 seconds of epic guitar wanking from Eddie. Because he can.

5. Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is considered by many the best album the Teardrop Explodes ever recorded. It's also one of those albums where the original running order didn't include the title track. That popped up on an EP released later, and on subsequent re-issues. Julian Cope originally planned to call this album Everybody Wants To Shag The Teardrop Explodes, which would have been a must better title, but wouldn't have got a mention in this list. (EWTShagTTE was eventually used as the name of a compilation, long after the band had split.)

Not to be confused with Pete Doherty's Babyshambles who famously killed a man for his giro.

4. Bennet - Mum Has Gone To Iceland

Not actually a volcano song, nor a song about the country of Iceland, this is actually about the chain of frozen food shops. I don't care - it's bloody marvellous!

3. Ash - Burn Baby Burn

One of their best. Featuring both Ash and burning... and cheerleaders, in the video, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

2. David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes

Every now and then, I think, "actually, David Bowie's not all that mad really"... then I see a video like this one and I remember... no, he's barking.

The shrieking of nothing is killing me.
Just pictures of Jap girls in synthesis
And I ain't got no money and I ain't got no hair

1. Silver Sun - Lava

Perfect power pop with peerless Beach Boys harmonies and an opening line to die for.

"I fucking give up!"

(Though sung so high and harmonised, nobody could actually tell those were the lyrics... certainly we didn't know that, when we used to play this on the late 90s indie radio show I helped produce.)



So. Those were mine. If you've got a favourite volcano song... you know what to do with it. Equally, if you'd like to suggest another Top Ten subject, be my guest. I can only ignore you if I don't like it.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER (2010)

MyRating: YYY1/2

Director: Mike Mitchell

Voice: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Walt Dohrn, Julie Andrews, John Cleese

MPAA: Rated PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language

Why Hollywood (DreamWorks as the studio) kept making Shrek movies? The answer is simple. Because the first three movies have made a lot of money, with a total worldwide gross of US$ 2,203 Million (Shrek, Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third made US$ 484 Million, US$ 920 Million and US$ 799 Million, respectively). The green ogree and his friends also have a huge fan base, so, many peoples still want to see Shrek. However, there are also peoples who don't seem to care for the new Shrek. And the answer may be also simple, because these people are not the fan base of Shrek at the first place. Many peoples maybe disappointed with Shrek the Third (like I did, I think the third movie failed to give a satisfying story), but the fact is, if you are a fan, you will still come to see the fourth one, no matter what.

This latest installment of Shrek somehow brings back the fun and entertainment of the original movie. Shrek (Myers) feels bored with his life. Even though he already has a complete family, a wife with three little children, and friends who adore him, he feels that something is missing in his life as an ogre. He misses the days when peoples feared him as a real ogre, not his current being, where peoples tend to make fun of him. Overwhelmed with his identity crisis, Shrek makes a fatal deal with Rumpelstiltskin (Dohrn), a slick priest, who promised him that he could get one full day to experience his life as a frightful ogre again, but as a trade, Shrek has to give one day of his past life to the priest.

What Shrek doesn't realize is, once he signs the contract, everything in his life changes. He comes back to a totally different "Far-Far Away" world of his. He never rescued Fiona (Diaz) from the castle, never married her, and they never have kids. Even Donkey (Murphy) and the warrior cat, Puss in Boots (Banderas) never knew him as a friend. And soon Shrek realizes that he has made a fatal mistake, as he has to run with time to change everything back to normal, because as soon as his 24 hours is gone, so will he.

This fourth movie is much-much better than the third one. It did bring some of its magic back. The story was quite good and enjoyable. It has enough funny moments as a Shrek movie (even though I have to say that it was not as funny as the first one), Donkey and Puss in Boots were the real laugh makers in this movie. The popular songs parody, as the Shrek trademark, were still fun to watch. And the action sequences were also satisfying. I think totally it worked well as a Shrek movie, and I don't think this one will disappoint its fan base.

But I did asked myself when watching this movie, why I did not laugh as much as when I watched the first movie? Is it because Shrek has become less and less funnier than it should be? And I have a logic explanation for this. It's because we have seen this series so many times (the fourth time now) with the same magic formula and approach of humors. For the first time viewers, maybe they will find the popular songs parody in this movie as something hilarious, but for us the old viewers, we will say that "It's funny, but I have seen this thing before", that's why we will not be as surprised as the first time we saw it. It's the law of nature, which cannot be avoided. So, when reviewing this movie, I have to put that fact in my mind, and that should not cloud my total judgement towards this movie.

If people ask me whether Shrek has lost its magic, then my honest answer will be "Yes". It has lost some of its magic sparks and charms due to the reasons I have explained above. But should the Shrek franchise ends here? I think if this movie makes a lot of money in the box office, the producer can always come back with a reason to make the fifth one (even though they have said that this one will be the last). It's the law of business. Peoples will still come to see the movie because it is "Shrek". And I don't think that Shrek will ever die in our hearts because it has given us so much joys. But, if the filmmakers expect the peoples to embrace the movie with the same love like they did for the first one, then, except the filmmakers could find a really-really brilliant writer to write something really new and fresh, I think it's the time for the studio to create a new franchise, with a totally new story, new characters and new magic formula. It's the law of freshness. Then peoples will experience the first time love and magic again.

To sum up my review, is this fourth Shrek movie worth to be watched? And my answer is "Yes", except if you are a Shrek hater. (MJ)

The Imaginary Gig

Thursday night, I went to an imaginary gig. Justin Currie is an artist I've been looking forward to seeing live (and solo) for a good few years now. I'd see him with his former band (the criminally underrated) Del Amitri back in the days of wonder, but missed the tour for his first excellent solo album, so was eager to catch him touring its sequel. We got the tickets well in advance and I was all set to go.

But I didn't. I couldn't. Because of my worsening back. I can't stand still for more than a few minutes at a time without absolute agony. I can sit down fine, I can walk about OK... but standing still is impossible. Unfortunately, at venues like Manchester Academy, standing still is your only option. So I had to tell Dave to find someone else to go with him... I just couldn't stand it.

Instead, I went to an imaginary gig. I built a stage in the living room and imagined a misanthropic, curmudgeonly, archly-cynical songwriter was up there singing his bitter heart out (to help me visualise this, I put a mirror at the back of the stage). Then I got Louise to push past me on her way to the toilets or the bar every two minutes, to have loud conversation with her friends just behind the sofa, to film the whole gig on her phone, and to whistle shriekily after every song.

Then I sat back and listened to the new Justin Currie album, The Great War. It was almost like being there. And as close as I'm going to get to gigging until my back is mended...

Never mind, there's always album #3.

From Rags To Rockstars

From Rags To Rockstars features the continued adventures of roadie Jim Soundman who we first met in the comic Road Crew. But where that book was a series of light-hearted gags and misadventures, this time writer/artist Tommie Kelly is broadening his range, getting personal, going metaphysical, and delivering some damned fine character work - as well as the laughs.

It begins with an opening sequence that recalls Buddy Baker's final showdown with Grant Morrison in Animal Man #26... if Buddy had been a boozed up loser rather than a family man superhero. Then the story starts for real as Jim uncovers some shocking secrets about his parents and has his life turned upside down... for the better, or perhaps not? Considering that intro sequence, we're left wondering just how good things will really get for our hero, even after he's been granted all his wishes. The idea that Kelly has written this book as some kind of magick wish-fulfillment opus (in a similar way to what Morrison tried in Invisibles) makes the whole comic a much more personal endeavour. I'm really looking forward to the next issue. Plus it's filled with sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll... what else do you need?

Buy From Rags To Rockstars and read online extracts here. While you're there, check out Tommie's daily webcomic Something Wonderful... but not if you're easily offended.

KICK-ASS (2010)

MyRating: YYY

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Grace Moretz, Mark Strong, Nicolas Cage

MPAA: Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use - some involving children

Dave Lizewski (Johnson) is a typical geek at school, who is unpopular, especially among girls. He has only two best friends, who share the love for comic books, but they always become the target of the bullies. He also witnesses many crimes happened in his environment almost everyday, but nobody seems to dare and care to help the victims. One day, fed up with all the unjust happened in his society, Dave decides that he has to stand up as a superhero to fix his world. He orders a green superhero costume, equipped himself with two long sticks and named himself Kick-Ass.

Dave soon gets his chance when he has to save a man being beaten unfairly by a bunch of guys. And while he is fighting them all he can like crazy, even though he is the one who gets the most beaten and ass-kicked, his action is being recorded by the people in the scene, and then being broadcasted in the internet. The video becomes a very big hit, as millions of access hit the web to see his video. And Kick-Ass suddenly becomes very famous.

But Kick-Ass is not the only superhero in town, as there are real superheroes, the father and the daughter, Big Daddy (Cage) and Hit-Girl (Moretz), who terror and kill the criminal gang members of Frank D’Amico (Strong), a drug dealer's mob boss. And it is just time before they reach the boss himself. Feeling threatened, D'Amico makes his son (Mintz-Plasse) a superhero in disguise, named Red Mist. The purpose is to befriend with Kick-Ass, who will become the key to know the real identities of Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. And Kick-Ass never realizes that it is a trap until he is trapped.

This is a fun superhero movie with an unpopular superhero figure (except if you know and read its comic book, which was firstly published in 2008 by Marvel Comics under the company's Icon Comics imprint). At a glance, this movie looks like a spoof of superhero movies. But, the actions are no spoof. It is exciting with full brutal violence, where you can see bodies being stabbed, shot and chopped, and bloods splashing everywhere. This is also no kind-hearted Disney's movies, where the villains usually end up crying being catched by the cops. This is a movie, where if you are the bad guy, then you will end up 99.99% dead. No! You will be stabbed, shot, chopped, and then dead!

Chloe Grace Moretz, a thirteen year-old young actress, gave a very good performance and stole the whole show as Hit-Girl. She was adorably fierce, since she killed the most people as compare to any other characters in this movie. Without this character (or maybe without Chloe playing this character), we might possibly have a totally different feeling about the movie. Nicolas Cage played his usual Nicolas Cage thing (the way he talked seems to be almost the same in every movie). While Mark Strong was good as the villain. He is the trademark of villain characters now, as he has played as so many villains in the recent years (including in Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood).

Parents! Don't get too excited when seeing the awesome poster with cute superheroes in colorful costumes in front, because due to its very brutal violence, sexual related contents and bad languages, this is definitely a no movie for children. (MJ)

30 Songs - Day 6

Day 06 - A Song That Reminds You Of Somewhere



The first time I flew the nest I was in my early 20s. I'd just come out of an ill-advised and emotionally scarring relationship and I thought what I needed most to sort my life out was a place of my own. Unfortunately, the only place I could afford was a shitty one-down two-up hovel perched precariously over the motorway with pleasant factory views, neighbours who liked to party (and park right outside my front door) and a cold, sterile bathroom. It was the worst six months of my life. While I was there (over Christmas too), my dad was rushed into hospital, my dog died, and a girl I really, really liked made it clear it wasn't ever going to be mutual.

I drank a lot while I was there. I developed a taste for red wine and vodka and cultivated my interest in whiskey and Jack. A trip to the supermarket wasn't complete without spending at least £15 on spirits. I stayed up late watching DVDs on a tiny TV (that I'd forgot to buy a TV license for), drinking till I was sleepy enough to make it through the night. The staircase was really steep; more than once I remember climbing up to the bedroom on my hands a knees.

I'm sure I listened to a lot of music while I lived in that house. I was working in the record library at the time so getting loads of freebie CDs and gig tickets. It was probably around the time Britpop started imploding, so my album of choice was more than likely This Is Hardcore, the perfect soundtrack to my life right at that moment (and, ironically, my favourite record of the 90s).

But it's not Pulp that reminds me of that house, and that dark, dark time. It's not Radiohead either, though they would be similarly appropriate. Actually, it's Sonny & Cher, I Got You Babe. My overriding memory is of watching Groundhog Day on DVD, struggling to laugh, hearing that song come round again and again and again...

A couple of mates rescued me a few months later, offering me a room in a shared house in a much more pleasant area, and happier times (while they lasted). I'll always be grateful to Matt and Greg (and Dave, who was moving out) for getting me out of that pit.

Important Artifacts And Personal Property From The Collection Of Lenore Doolan And Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion And Jewellery

Leanne Shapton's book, the full title of which I've written once and will not do so again, has a wonderful concept. It's a catalogue of lots for an auction held on Saturday the 14th of February, 2009 (there's a clue) at a New York auction house. Each of the items on sale, few of which would have any real value at auction, represents a different stage in the relationship between two people, 26 year-old cookery columnist Lenore Doolan and 39 year-old travelling photographer Harold Morris.

It begins with photographs and a party invitation and ends with collections of dried flowers. Make of that symbolism what you will. In between you'll find everything from mixtapes to diary pages, braziers to pyjamas, china dogs to salt shakers, books, ties, umbrellas, cocktail mixers, cake stands, menus, travel clocks and post-it notes... all meticulously documented with lot numbers, images, dimensions and reserve prices. It's the ephemera on which we build our lives, yet it tells an all too recognisable story of the rise and fall of a love affair, finding heartbreaking detail in the minutiae. There are times when that level of detail bogs us down - maybe not every one of these lots is entirely necessary - but after finishing this book I felt I knew these characters inside and out... though some details of their relationship are left to the reader's imagination / speculation.

TV Meme

Stolen from Samurai Frog as usual...

Pick five of your favourite shows, in no particular order, before you read the questions below, then answer them!

1. Moonlighting
2. NYPD Blue
3. Lost
4. The X-Files
5. The West Wing

(And yes, I chose at least two of these shows just to piss off Kelvin. Well no, I didn't really, but I'm sure it will anyway.)


01. Who's your favorite character in 2?

Andy Sipowicz, obviously.

02. Who's your least favorite character in 1?

Herbert Viola. (Sorry, Dave.)

03. What's your favorite episode of 4?

Tough... the one that sticks in my head is Tooms. It sets the template for the Monster Of The Week episodes. Mythology-wise, I'd probably say Duane Barry.



04. What's your favorite season of 5?

Much as I enjoyed the show post-Sorkin, particularly the battle between Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda, it was never quite the same when the creator left. And considering the almighty 'get out of that!' crescendo of his final season, I'd have to pick that - season four.

05. Who is your favorite ship in 3?

I've had to google this. Apparently, in young person meme speak, ship (or 'ship) is short for relationship.

I'd probably say Sawyer and Hurley, except they don't seem to have had much time together lately. It's all Sawyer and Miles nowadays, isn't it? Sawyer and somebody, though preferably not Kate.



06. Who is your anti-ship in 2?

Anti-ship? Now you're really starting to confuse / bug me with your hep yoof lingo. But I've lucked out here, since just about every relationship Andy has is an anti-ship. Andy & Lt. Fancy would be the obvious choice.

07. How long have you watched 1?

I watched it from the very first episode, right through to the end. And I still miss it, even though the last couple of seasons were well past their best.

08. How did you become interested in 3?

Again, I watched it from the debut, and was hooked from the off.

09. Who's your favorite actor/actress in 4?

Duchovny. With Anderson a close second.

10. Which do you prefer: Show 1, 2 or 5?

If I had to pick, 2.



11. Which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3?

Lost has now had twice as many episodes, so its the winner by default.

12. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

Mulder, naturally. Though I'd more likely be Skinner.

13. How would you kill off your favorite character in 1?

Why would I want to kill off David Addison? He's my hero!



14. Give a random quote from 1.

The bad guy catches David spying on him from a window ledge...

"What the hell are you doing out there?"

"Me? I'm committing suicide."

"From the second floor?"

"I took poison."

15. Which character from 5 would be a good guest star on 2?

Well, Bradley Whitford had a recurring role as an annoying reporter in NYPD Blue's early days, and Richard Schiff popped up on the show twice... and it'd be interesting to see Bobby Simone taker on Matthew Santos... but I'd love to see Andy Sipowicz go head to head with Jed Bartlett (you just know Andy wouldn't appreciate Bartlett's liberal policies).

16. Would a 3/4 crossover work?

Obviously. Mulder would solve the mystery of the island in one episode. Only nobody would believe him.

17. Pair 2 characters in 1 that would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple.

David Addison and Maddie Hayes.

18. Has 5 inspired you in any way?

Sorkin's writing has been an inspiration. As to the show itself, it'd be nice to think that an administration as benevolent as Bartlett's might one day find its way to power... but really, that's more of a fantasy than anything we ever saw in The X-Files.



19. Overall, which show has the better cast, 2 or 4?

I'd edge towards 2 on the basis that at its best, Denis Franz leads a powerful ensemble. But then I'd be reminded of David Caruso's ego and little Ricky Schroeder...

20. Which has better theme music, 3 or 5?

The West Wing. Lost is just a swirl.