PASSWORD: the same as the one used for my laptop

Labels: emo

 

Dear readers, I must apologize for all the grammatical and spelling mistakes that I have made in this review as I have written it in a rushed state of mind. Please do feel free to correct me by adding comments (not putting on the tagboard please) by clicking on comments at the end of this article.

The Pirates of the Caribbean blockbuster epic trilogy comes to a close after pillaging over US$1 billion (S$1.6 bil) across global waters in the wake of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, but is the new instalment Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End a worthy one to the witty and clever humour that the first two instalments have provided?

I, Johnzzon, the avid movie reviewer, am finally back in action after a three years hiatus from reviewing to bring you his latest review on his latest favourite franchise. :)

Firstly, I must admit I'm a sucker at Hollywood Blockbusters, and you must bear in mind that this reviewer is also a fan of a lot of other "franchise movies" as well, such as Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, Star Wars and many more. Yet, I must say this doesn't necessary mean I like every movie in each franchise. And so, with this in mind, I hope you do see I'm already very impartial and hopefully fair in the comments I make.

Let's start off by taking a look at the original movie behind the Pirates trilogy, The Curse of the Black Pearl. What works for me in this particular movie was how the writers and the director make it a point to know that they were creating a pirates movie, and not a movie about pirates. And not only any pirates movie, but one inspired by the original Walt Disney ride.

Hence, we get all the stereotypes of a pirates movie: walking the plank, the pirates accent, cannons, rum, and many more. Yet, we have lots of twist in the stereotypes that we find the writers like to include as little parodies that viewers may or may not catch.

And that is one thing I like. They go all out to assume the viewers are clever enough to know the homages they were paying and the parodies they were playing with. They were not afraid to say that if one didn't strike with a viewer, there will be plenty more others for that viewer.

And besides, we have a damsel not really in distress played by an actress with very good comedic timing: Keira Knightley, a weird pirate with a broken wrist and a Scottish accent played by the eccentric Johnny Depp.

This franchise is one that will be action comedies, very well established in this very first film with witty lines and eccentric characters. Seldom do we see focus on so much characters in a Hollywood movie nowadays, yet this movie is so character driven that you soon start loving even the soldiers who may have less lines than say the Tyrannosaurus Rex in Jurassic Park. (No offence to Mr Spielberg, I still like your movie)

The second movie, Dead Man's Chest, continues in this tradition, not only continuing to pay homages to traditional pirates stereotypes, but also reference itself to the first movie as well. The writers clearly have fun poking at the exact thing they wrote for the first movie.

While the action sequences may have becoming prolonged and more dreading, and the plot becoming more confusing with each character getting his/her own subplot, the performances and the script allowed me (and my friends, but apparently not the American critics) to last through the movie, very much wanting to know how the third one will end off the gargantuan cliffhanger at the end of it.

FINALLY we reach the third. The prologue sequence was moving and the buildup to rescuing our favourite Captain Jack Sparrow is fun and imaginative. It felt like I was sitting through a Hayao Miyazaki film as the ship (carrying our lovely Elizabeth Swann, handsome Will Turner and back-from-the-dead Captain Barbossa) journeyed through different terrains to reach the World's End.

When they got back to the real world, that's when I felt the writers (Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio) were running out of ideas to clear all the mysteries they left hanging at the end of Dead Man's Chest. It all turned away from the original direction the series has been moving towards. It was no longer an action comedy, and it became a brainless, or rather very confusing, journey to kill off our irritatingly cunning Lord Beckett and the tentacles-filled-face Davy Jones.

The new characters developed never had a chance to develop their stories to play a crucial role in the ultimate battle, and the old characters were receiving too much screen time repeating brainlessly what they had been doing for the past two films. Somehow, when I saw a particular character grew big when a supposedly very magical sequence started, that's when I know the movie is beginning to flop.

The twist at the end (ie, whoever is stabbing Davy Jones' heart) is rather unexpected, but somehow, it didn't matter to me anymore. I just wanted it to end, and wished there will be a fourth movie made to remind me why I loved the original movie so much.

Meanwhile, I'm lucky to have bought the double disc DVD special edition to Dead Man's Chest. Even the making of is more exciting than the second half of this third instalment.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Labels: movies

 

It's 8:22am... and wow, i lasted the whole of last night and i still couldn't sleep. Or rather i'm pushing myself not to sleep, cos i know i had to wake up. So, what happened?

It's another first for me! I held a movie marathon of a trilogy, with two movies at my house and one that is currently showing in the theatres! er... yes, we ARE going to the theatres to watch, i did NOT download to watch.

And so, which trilogy is it?

Ta-dah!:



Am quite excited, cos I'm really a fan of this franchise after knowing all the little little trivia behind this movie.

I don't care about how accurate the movie is or anything, and i blardy HATE ppl who point out so BLATANTLY obvious that the singapore portrayed is not singapore historically. OH bugger... which pirate in the whole history of mankind behaves like Jack Sparrow? And pirates being walking skeletons or rotting sea creatures? *roll eyes* it's a fantasy film for god sake.

What i'm really hooked on is the writing and the lines, and how the scriptwriters (ted elliot and terry rossio, for those of you so ILL-informed) brilliantly wrote little little lines in that play tribute to the original theme park ride AND their own original movie for pirates: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

One simple line like "Why is the rum ALWAYS gone?" is so funny in the second movie, that i get disturbed when people are SO obviously not laughing.

Another simple line like "oh" when jack sparrow falls into the stupid pit in the 2nd movie? it's written. and it already tells a lot. it's so un-hollywood, yet the casting and the directing is so hollywood. it's like a blend, a mixture, and somehow it works for me. So! "At World's End", I'm having DAMN high hopes for you.

BUT meanwhile... It's 8:29... peeps are waking up 15 min later... maybe shd catch some eyeclose... mmm~ the rest of them?



*feeling-DAMN-high-now*,
Ah Yong

Labels: movies

 

Wow... I remembered entering my Post #200 happily... and i didnt think it wud be so fast until my #300, but i got a shock when i saw i had 299 posts in my account. this is fast.

It's 14th May, midway thru the first month of my holidays. having said that, i feel like i've pretty much wasted a lot of time away, doing nothin', mostly spent in coffee joints leeching power and looking up some stuff for my upcoming trip.

Am going back to Taiwan in 1.5 months' time. back? haha... i don't know if i should say "taiwan feels like home", but my feelings are around there. somehow, letting taiwan be my escaping destination is kind of generating these feelings.

~//~
I don't want to plan stuff ahead.

I hate sms-es and emails that say "are you free this coming XXXXday? i was hoping to meet u somewhere to settle something" what if i like it being free? what if i need the "free"ness to do something else?

somehow, i see the cons of having a freelancing career, 'cause everyone else will just happily assume you're free almost everyday.

what are holidays anyway?

~//~
I'm so not growing up.

I felt grown up when I was in my secondary sch and jc days. I am not feeling that now.

Things were simpler then. "don't friend then don't friend lor" is such a childish statement, yet there were no really hard strings attached to it. now, so much things are put into "friendship" that i wish i can tell a person "don't friend then don't friend lor".

Don't tell me not to think so much. Don't tell me this is the fact of life. Don't tell me to grow up.

'Cause i've said the same things to others as well.

~//~
別人從屁股放屁，我卻每天每天說要革命
就算是整個世界，把我拋棄
而至少快乐伤心我自己决定
所以我说就让他去
我知道潮落之后一定有潮起


*bah*,
Ah Yong

Labels: emo

 

Okay, this is gonna be a first for me. I'm going to compile a list of songlists that i find good or helpful, thanks to my iPod shuffle. haha~ because it was on shuffle mode, sometimes songs just seem to go so well after each other, that sometimes i really want to write it down somewhere... And now I shall! So BEHOLD, MY FIRST SONGLIST!

SONGLIST #1
給: 那些早上(或下午)醒來，心情很遭糕，卻又因約了朋友所以得出門的你們。

#01 蘇打綠﹣是我的海
傷感的編曲和坦白的詞句，仿佛真的坐在海邊，讓腦裡一直浮現無法回答的問題，才發覺不是自己看海，而是讓海看自己。既然心情不好，就不要勉強自己去聽去接受快歌。先讓自己沉浸在這種歌吧。

#02 蘇打綠﹣相對論 IV
《是我的海》完後，鋼琴的旋律仍吊在空中。《相》的開頭恰好配合了《是》的結尾，卻又暗示了新的開始，感覺上在說：在《是》裡吶喊夠了吧，現在應該開是放開心情了。因為有同樣蘇打綠的青峰主唱，所以更加強了這個感覺。

#03 孫燕姿﹣咕嘰咕嘰
誒，《相》的超快吉他編曲，成功地把心情HIGH了一下，繼續來一首快歌。“谁比谁好/能差到多少/迟早都要/向上帝报到”，讓人聽了不由得想叛逆一下下。

#04 動靜樂團﹣命運
想叛逆是嗎？把貝多芬的名曲拿來玩，又ROCK又RAP，夠叛逆了吧？哈哈~

#05 S.H.E.-怎么办
完夠了那種叛逆自我的，來一下一首甜得無厘頭的歌。其實聽S.H.E.她們唱VERSE的歌詞，的確蠻讓人HIGH的。:)

#06 陳綺貞﹣旅行的意義
該慢下來一下了。讓陳綺貞的聲音，把人帶入一個“狂我”又“大膽”的世界，卻又不會失去自我。聽她的歌，真的很舒服。

#07 黃舒駿﹣男女之間
不知道為什麼this song can work，可能因為陳綺貞和黃舒駿都是很有個性創作派歌手吧。


Sorry that this song list ended a bit improperly. Hopefully it works for you. :) do feel free to insert songs after the last song. haha~ any suggestion for #08, #09 and #10? ;)


Ah Yong

Labels: songlist

 

 

這個學期，我多了兩個外號：1)"神" 和 2)"爸爸"
I have gotten two more nicknames at the end of this semester: 1) "God" and 2) "Daddy"

I'm not very sure if I should be feeling very happy or sad. I'm not "god", and I don't really know how this nickname came about. Okay, maybe I do, just that I don't really want to admit it. Perhaps somehow it's just how computers are afraid of me and they seem to respond well to me and so I manage to fix a lot of technical problems my fellow coursemates are facing. Then again, there are some "fixing" that is mainly due to me just figuring out how to use the softwares and being able to hit the right buttons.

I'm not god. I don't want to be. 'cause it makes me... look like I'm capable of a lot of things, but I know there are areas I can't handle. I really want to regurgitate that I'm not a leader, at least in the field of management and business.

I don't want to be a daddy too. I don't know why. "Daddy" makes me feel old, emotionally and psychologically. It makes me think that people do know I care a lot about everyone, but no one really returns that caring somehow.

But an occasional chocolate bar does make my day (or rather "night" most of the time).

~//~

This semester passed by relatively uneventfully, not learning much, and not achieving much. The courses I take are like just pushing myself to do things I normally don't do frequently.

Like play-writing, like web-designing, like newspaper-article writing.

I don't learn much, at least I know these won't apply in the field of work I'm going to be involved in, perhaps with a slight exception of "play-writing", but hey, "screenplay writing" is really different from "play-writing" anyway.

~//~

But friendships do strengthened this semester.

I really got to know more in depth about more people. New real friends were found, like wanjing, jessie, jj, weiyang; old bonds were really strengthened, like with sk, xiuwen, rongshan, darren, guangzheng...

Somehow it's ironic, cause there are so much lesser people in sch this semester with ppl left for exchange and internship.

~//~

EBM. My destination for the next semester.

FYP group. Formed.

FYP project, now thinking about what we're going to do.

Two years seem to have been planned out.

Or is it not?

~//~

I want to treasure the friendship. I don't know how things will turn out. I hope nothing bad happens, I hope I don't do the wrong thing.

Three years in army taught me honesty and frankness doesn't pay, especially in pseudo friendships. That means I should have more faith right?

~//~

See? I'm not god. Ok, fine, I'm the technical god, I can patch wires, I can design well with adobe softwares, I can create soundtracks. But I still think I'm just a jack of all trades, but GOD of none. I still need Uncle Tan and Uncle Vincent. No la, I'm not whining. I just wish I was really god, 'cause then I can take things into control, but I'm still just human with emotions.

~//~

I don't know what I wanna say with this post actually. I know I'm just whining.

But I haven't been able to sleep with a few nights spent alone at home. I don't like this feeling. I always thought I'm a loner, being able to walk down orchard road or bugis street shopping alone. I can't anymore.

Is it good? I think it's good actually.

But somehow, I felt I've become dependent on friends. Am I too dependent on them?

~//~

I can't have a partner, not yet. I know I can't. With the kind of workload, with the kind of working lifestyle, how to have? It'll be like so unfair.

And I don't know if I can acknowledge my liking.

~//~

我，張正勇，乃凡人。

With the FYP screening over, more people have come to acknowledge me with my skills. I don't know if it's good or bad, 'cause it'll make me more busy.

I hope I have time for myself, for my friends, for new skills, for old hobbies and for a new relationship.

~//~

Yesterday, suddenly felt like seeing who blogged about my hall production (which I wrote and directed). Did a search of "ntu" "store of memorabilia" on google and found:

POST #1
Last night i went to watch the NTU HALL 2 Drama production "The store of Memorabilia" at the Jubille Hall. Although it was a simple drama production, i really enjoyed it.

It keeps me thinking, every one of us has memories, either good or bad. But how many of us cherish our memories? Is "forget and move on" always better for us? Or should we "hold on dearly to these memories".

Parents are always so concern about their children, but is it good to make decision for them, and tell them as-a-matter-of -fact "Mom knows what is the best for you!"

I am not criticizing anything here, but sometimes, i do believe, issue of the heart cannot be explained by logic. I always think that, it is better to blame ourself for doing the wrong things than to blame our parents in the future.

"Is it the end of the story? Or is it the beginning of a new story? Or maybe it is just merely a hit on the pause button."

POST #2
yep, went for NTU hall 2's production, The Store of Memorabilia, at Jubilee Hall today. why was i there? to support the soundman KQ and the stage manager ZM, who are both from hall 2.

Cutting it short, its a story abt a mother, daughter and son. daughter is attached to sissy-gay guy for 4 yrs but doesnt wanna get married (and of coz mom keeps pushing her), son is unattached and doesnt really wanna cos mom wants him to concentrate on studies, until he meets his crush (whom he broke up 4 yrs ago).
on the whole, it was rather entertaining la. at the start it was still quite drab until the sissy-gay boyfriend comes in and dialogues with the daughter. kao. freakingly gay haha...and the girl acting the mother also pretty good, very auntie like hahahah, makes me think of 2 girls. make a guess??

"Matters of the heart cannot be reasoned by logic"
"The simpler the thinking, the more complicated the execution"

haha weird sense eh. like my fren always say: "aiyah you always so rational. sometimes you must go and take a risk la, go with your feelings" but i guess its hard lah. raised on rationality. oops its become a habit, which is bad?

the 2nd line sounds more like whats happening to all my tutorial questions and exam questions. ever found questions which are based on really simple concepts (at least concepts u've learnt before) but then always twisted beyond recognition? yeah thats the 2nd line at work. maybe simple thinking isnt really that simple after all. lol.

I'm kinda happy with entries like these, that means like besides ppl enjoying the play, it sets them thinking about things I wrote. I'm happy, 'cause that is what doing theatre is all about. :)

~//~

Shall end this entry with the epilogue scene I wrote for "The Store of Memorabilia":

At the end of a journey,
at the end of a relationship,
when you find yourself wanting to say goodbye,
what do you really want to say?

What do you do with all the letters?
What do you do with all the love given?
Do you throw them away or hold on to them?
Or are you feeling lost with so much you’ve taken?

Is it really the end of a story,
or is it the beginning of another one?
Is it merely just hitting the pause button
to settle problems and get things done?

I guess it’s normal to be sad,
it’s always okay to cry,
but just let yourself be drowned in tears
just for that one night.

It may take a lot of courage;
it may just be a lot of pride.
But what is it you’re thinking
when it’s time to say goodbye?


*awake-at-7am-with-tan-sk-and-loy-mj-most-prob-now-on-their-way-to-work*,
Ah Yong