Eat Pray Love

I am taking all the opportunity I have to watch as many movies in the theater as I can before I deliver. I am a diligent movie-goer but if you ask me to catch movies on the DVD, I'd most likely never end up watching it. I love going to the cinemas and watching movies with a group of people - it just makes the experience special. 

With 3 more weeks before my due date, Eat Pray Love is at the top of my must-watch movies. Alfred and I enjoyed the movie. It's full of meaning and forced us to reflect on our own journey in life. The message from the movie reminded us of some of the spiritual lessons learned over the past few months. - the liberating power of forgiveness, letting go and surrendering yourself. I love Ketut's (one of the characters in the movie) easy-going nature and his advice on meditation - 'meditate with a smile on your face and imagine your heart is smiling too'.

Being a typical book hoarder, I have yet to read the Eat Pray Love book that has been sitting on my bookshelf for almost a year now. I am definitely looking forward to reading the book after watching this movie. A beautiful movie with a beautiful message, I would give a rating of 5/5. 

Grown Ups

This is the funniest movie I've watched this year! We laughed uncontrollably throughout the movie - my pregnant belly almost couldn't take it! We got so addicted to its good humor, we watched it for the second time - and laughed just as loud as the first time. A great movie about friendship, family and the importance of having humor in our lives; I would rate this movie 5/5. I'd consider watching it for the third time.

Naan Mahaan Alla

I have been hanging out with Mages for the past week or so. It was a good change for me - rather than being cooped up in the house alone, it was fun venturing out to new vegetarian eating places with Mages. Mages introduced me to 2 organic vegetarian restaurants; one in Damansara Utama and the other one in Bangsar. Both have excellent and a tantalizing variety of vegetarian fare. I appreciated her company a lot especially since I spend most of the days alone at home while my husband is away at work. During times like these, when I am out with Mages trying out new vegetarian places to dine in, I value the amount of free time that we both have. And having a good company is certainly an icing on the cake. I have to thank Mages for being such a wonderful company and for feeding me delicious vegetarian dishes :)

One of the days after having a delectable vegetarian cuisine for lunch, we decided to catch a matinee show in PJ. We decided to watch the latest movie showing at that time which was Naan Mahaan Alla. Our mistake was that we didn't know the storyline nor did we read the review of the movie. The movie turned out to be very VIOLENT and I was traumatized by some of the scenes so much so that everytime I think about the movie, I'd rather not talk about it. My rating: 0/5!

The Last Airbender

I have been a huge  fan of M. Night Shyamalan ever since I watched his movie The Sixth Sense and I haven't missed any of his movies since then. But I presume that there is usually only one masterpiece created in most forms of art. This seemed to be true in M. Night Shyamalan's subsequent movies - his masterpiece being The Sixth Sense where he gained international recognition. Some of his other movies which I would give good ratings are: Lady in the Water and The Happening. 

His recent movie, The Last Airbender has received largely negative reviews; but that didn't stop us from watching it. Contrary to the newspaper reviews about the movie, I enjoyed the movie. I appreciated the moral message behind the story. The movie showcased the disastrous effects when the Fire Nation waged war against all the other nations to gain more power. I liked the message imparted in the movie regarding the importance of living in harmony with each other - the whole message seemed to point towards the reality of our current world. The little boy's acting was just awesome. I would give this movie a rating of 4/5.

Salt

Chin Lay and I hardly miss any of Angeline Jolie's movie. And this is one of it. Action-packed with superb acting by Angeline Jolie, this movie lived up to our expectation except for its ending. The ending of the movie was abrupt - leaving us wondering "Is that all?" That was the biggest letdown of this movie. I think that's why I could never convince Alfred to watch any of Angelina Jolie's movie; he said it is just too predictable with the same kind of plot. He is right to some extent. But I just love to watch her movie for her hot-action-star role :) Rating for this movie: 3/5.

Shanghai

Set in a gloomy setting, this is definitely not a must-watch movie in our list. We've been maximizing our movie-going time before the baby arrives. We randomly went for this movie since it seemed like the only one worth watching at that time. Alfred enjoyed the movie; but I had mixed reviews about it. I felt that the movie was a little too draggy and I came out of the cinema theatre not feeling so good - must be due to the gloomy setting of the movie.

The plot: An American man (John Cusack) returns to a corrupt, Japanese-occupied Shanghai four months before Pearl Harbor and discovers his friend (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) has been killed. While he unravels the mysteries of the death, he falls in love with a Chinese woman (Gong Li) and discovers a much larger secret that his own government is hiding. There is a twist at the end of the movie - that made up for its other weaknesses. With prominent actors on the line-up - John Cusack, Ken Watanabe, Chow Yun-Fat, and Gong Li, I would rate this movie 3/5. 

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

The plot - nothing to shout about. A purely entertainment-type-with-no-thinking-required type of movie. I enjoyed Jay Baruchel's (the apprentice) acting - he was more like a comedian in the movie rather than an apprentice - hilarious fellow! Rather than being impressed with the whole magic thingy, we sat there laughing at Jay Baruchel's antics. Nicholas Cage's acting was dull and expressionless. Overall rating: 3/5.

Inception

 

 

After hearing mostly good reviews about this movie, we decided to go and watch it. I realized that suddenly everyone was talking about Inception - sort of a hype. Usually, from my experience, when something is really hyped up, the expectation tends to be very high and most of the time I'll end up disappointed with the outcome. But, I must say that this movie lived up to my expectation. 

 

The plot is very intelligent; it leaves you thinking deeply. It took me two-days to recover from the movie, LOL. Many people said they watched it twice to understand and conclude the ending - the ending in the movie is the icing on the cake - it leaves you wondering about what is reality and what is not. We didn't watch it twice - the effect of watching the movie for the first time itself  had a lingering effect in me - I was in a dream-like state for a few days. Very intelligent plot - kudos to the director; and good casting;- however, there's nothing to shout about Leonardo's acting (I preferred his acting in Shutter Island - that was superb!). I would rate this movie 5/5. This type of intelligent-think-outside-the-box-type-of-movie is difficult to come by nowadays. Definitely worth the watch!

The Karate Kid

Of course this wasn't as good as the original Karate Kid. However, Jaden Smith's acting was outstanding and the scenes from the Chinese temple situated on top of the hill was breathtaking. My rating for this movie: 4/5.

Letters to Juliet

It has been a long time since I last watched a good romantic movie. We enjoyed the storyline of Letters to Juliet - a beautiful love story about an elderly English woman finding her long lost flame in Rome with the  help of a young woman who replied her letter to Juliet written 20 years ago- much to the dismay to the elderly lady's cold and serius-looking grandson. Eventually, romance blossoms between the young lady and the elderly lady's grandson. The sceneries around Rome shot throughout the movie is so breathtaking. The only letdown to this movie is the performance by the grandson and the heroine - the chemistry between them is totally lacking compared to the spark displayed by the reunited-after-so-long elderly couple. Overall, I would rate this movie 4/5. It's worth watching for the undying love professed between the two elderly couple. It's never too late to find your true love!

Ironman 2

I didn't expect to enjoy watching Iron Man 2 because it's not my type of genre. My preference has always been thrillers, horror and adventure-related movies. Lately, I've stopped watching horror movies - all the fake-horror-flicks have failed to retain my interest. 

But, Alfred loves to watch sci-fi and superhero films; so, this time I relented to watching Iron Man 2 with him. Contrary to what I had expected, I enjoyed Iron Man 2 to its last bit. It's engaging, entertaining for all its high-technology flicks and has bits of drama and humor included. I would rate this movie 4/5.

Shutter Island

We didn't have any clue about the movie that we were about to watch. It so happens Shutter Island was screening at the hour when we decided to catch a movie. The movie's poster potrayed a grim and thrilling image of the scenes that were about to unfold. So, I told Alfred, if it is a chronically chronic movie, I am walking out of the cinema theatre. Gone were the days when I used to love watching horror and manic-chronic movies. 

Almost halfway through the movie, I was almost tempted to leave the cinema - there were some disturbing scenes that I wouldn't want to be watching at this point in time. However, something inside told me to stay - as I was partially curious about the movie's ending. After the movie ended, we took sometime to digest the ending and the whole plot - the movie left us thinking and reviewing all the scenes. 

I would say this is the BEST movie I've watched this year in terms of its story and plot. Extremely thrilling and filled with suspense till the end. Even the ending has a twist to it - the plot is genius. Leonardo di Caprio and Ben Kingsley gave a superb performance in this movie. This movie gives us a glimpse of what goes on in the mind of the criminally insane. Although there are some disturbing scenes, the plot of this movie makes it worthwhile to watch.

I was glad that we didn't read the movie's review - it would have spoilt the suspense. Go with an open mind  and keep guessing until the end. Pay attention to the last line by the lead cast at the end of the movie - that's the punchline - but then, it's open for discussion as different people may interpret it in different ways. How you interpret the ending determines the movie's success in delivering its message. I would rate Shutter Island 5/5.

Movie Reviews

Alice in the Wonderland:

Since I have watched this story ever since I was a child (both animation and movie), there was nothing new that the movie could offer. However, the effects are great and the two fat boys are so lovable. Overall rating is 3/5.

How to Train a Dragon:

I never thought I would absolutely love this computer-animated fantasy film! It has a great storyline - combining love, passion and adventure- and great effects. And it is such a heart-warming story. The story revolves around a young Viking teenager named "Hiccup" who was under the pressure to follow his tribe's tradition of becoming a dragon slayer. He was often ridiculed of being too timid to become a real Viking like his ancestors. 

He goes around looking for a dragon and found one that is unable to fly. He had all the opportunity to kill the dragon but has no heart to do it. He eventually befriends the dragon and 'fixes' the dragon's tail so that it can fly. The moral of the story is that he proved to his father and his tribe that dragons are only dangerous if we treat them as an enemy. When they are treated like a friend, the soft side of them surfaces. I think this can be applied as a life lesson - often, when we perceive someone as an enemy, we fail to appreciate their true good nature. I would rate this film 5/5. I am looking forward to watching this movie again in 3D format - it'd be totally mind-blowing.

Sherlock Holmes

I thought the movie was a little bit draggy - filled with the gloomy aura captured by the cinematography - it wasn't the type of aura I wanted to be in.  That said, I must say Robert Downey Jr. carried his role very well - with the air of arrogance around him. I loved his wits, humor and his sharpness at solving crimes. His remarks, eccentricity and experimental nature was comical. His observation of all the little details and his ability to connect the details to the bigger picture was awesome. The mystery kept me watching the movie till the end.

AVATAR

Alfred received an invitation from GE Energy for the premier screening of the movie, Avatar at TGV, Suria KLCC. On Thursday night, Alfred, John, and myself went for the screening. Although the movie was a tad draggy (2 hours 43 minutes - almost the same running time as Tamil movies), it highlights the epidemic that is ruling mankind - Greed - the greed for more land, more money, more power, and so on. And in the quest for more of everything, the weak are oppressed - animals, the poor, and the less powerful.

This movie highlights the plight of the indigeneous population (known as the Na'vi) inhabiting a planet called Pandora when humans begin to attack their peaceful sanctuary in order to acquire the precious stones located around the area where this population live. When the indigeneous population refused to move from their sacred sanctuary, the humans waged a war against them to force them out of their own land - a classic tale of greed. In between of all these, love blossoms between the lead cast (Jack Sully who was chosen to inhabit the body of a genetically-engineered Na'vi hybrid known as an Avatar to gain the trust of the indigeneous population and convince them to move) and the indigeneous girl; and along the story important lessons are imparted - how every living being is connected to the same source - the oneness of energy that binds every soul and the purity of that energy. It has a deep meaning if you choose to look beyond.

I would rate this movie 5/5 for it's visual effects and the depth in the story.

The Princess and the Frog

We watched this movie with my sisters and cousin, Natasha in Melaka. Maybe since we were freezing in the cinema theatre, we didn't really enjoy the movie. Or maybe, I am comparing it with the movie UP - which is of course unbeatable.

However, there are some important lessons to be learned from this movie. The essence of the story highlights the importance of having dreams and believe with all your heart that the dream that you are so passionate about will come true, one day. Accompanied with a great degree of faith and perseverance - dreams do come true. 

2012

My review of the 2012 movie which we watched last night:

• Lots of effects which was cool coz' it looks so real;
• Lots of drama; some of which I think is overdone and unneccesary;
• No matter how much science and technology we have mastered, mother nature is more powerful than us. An important lesson to learn is that our superior force is none other than our mother earth - which is the highest form of intelligence - every element in it is so carefully planned to sustain all the living beings. So cherish and respect the earth we are staying in.
• According to the movie, Africa will be the only continent remaining after all the catastrophe. So, there will be no longer any divisions of countries - the 1 continent standing symbolizes unity among humanity which is so lacking now. 
• The lack of the spirit of brotherhood among humanity at the present era is also highlighted in this movie. Even in the midst of chaos during the end-of-the-world, human being is seen to be using money as a ticket to enter the ship. In the name of preserving the species of mankind, at the end of the day, only the chosen ones are allowed to board ships that ferry them to safety - and only the rich can afford them. Government, corruption and the value of human life are highlighted in this movie.
• After watching this movie, I reflected on what would we do if we really are facing the end days. The moral of the story is to savor every precious moments we have. More often than not we are so caught up in the rat-race that we forget to pause to admire the clouds on the sky,  or to feel the gentle breeze; and to admire the nature surrounding us.

This is IT

His life journey ended sooner than anyone thought - GONE TOO SOON. Like most people, I am an ardent fan of Michael Jackson - I can safely say that he is the best-ever artist. We even played his songs for our grand entrance during our wedding dinner on 18th July 2009 :)

During Oprah's live interview with him in 1993, he mentioned that "he is nature's instrument to deliver the art of music to everyone" - how aptly said. He is definitely one of a kind.  During this interview, it striked me how eccentric he appears to be - and yet, how soft-spoken and gentle he is. When he was asked to perform the moon-walk, as soon as the music was turned on, he was instantly ALIVE and all the dance moves came naturally to him - an effortless feat for him. 

The movie "This is It" showcases his rehearsal of his much-awaited come-back concert this year - how he gave his heart and soul during the rehearsal. Watching this compiled behind-the-scenes movie is akin to watching his concert. Thank God, they had the recordings. Otherwise, all his effort will not have been showcased to his die-hard fans. Whatever said, he will remain a legend forever. He carried important messages with him - to protect mother earth and to keep on loving - and his legacy will live on...

Law Abiding Citizen

I love courtroom dramas - love the suspense and the debate that goes on. That was what I thought this movie is all about. But it is so not! It is full of suspense and totally catches you off-guard. The movie's message is about the corrupt judicial system and a single man's attempt to bring it down and teach an important lesson. Will he succeed? I shall not reveal more as it might spoil the suspense. I would rate this movie 5/5 - with its superb plot and and a great performance by Gerald Butler - this movie fares way better than Surrogates.

Surrogates

A thought-provoking movie - about the role of technology as a double-edge 'sword' - and about the obsession of human beings for perfection and beauty. In this movie, high-tech surrogates were invented to substitute the human form - where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots. The high-tech surrogates allows people to purchase unflawed robotic versions of themselves - fit, good looking remotely controlled machines that ultimately assume their life roles - enabling people to experience life from the comfort and safety of their own homes - and rendering them invincible.

Since the face and the physique of the robot is chosen by the human counterpart to represent him/her, the identity of anyone becomes ambiguous - a fat man can choose a hot-sexy-chick-human-robot to live in the outside world, while he sits in his comfort of his own home controlling the movement of his surrogate. Quite freakish to think about this type of technology - causing the absence of real human interactions and the lost of real identity of yourself.