SAN ANDREAS

I watched this movie on my birthday in Taiwan. It was my first choice because I would prefer to watch a chinese movie while I was there but this was the only feasible choice then given the time.

Starring Dwayne Johnson as the lead Ray, Carla Gugino as his ex-wife Emma, Alexandra Daddario as his daughter Blake, Ioan Gruffudd as the cowardice real estate developer Daniel, the asian actor Will Yun Lee as Dr Kim Chung, Colton Haynes as the helicopter rescuer Joby, this was a highly unrealistic movie where Ray, a helicopter rescue pilot, went about with his helicopter and a boat to save his ex-wife Emma and daughter Blake from the killer earthquake which measured 9.6 on the Richter scale, the tsunami, and all the effects of the catastrophe e.g. crumbling buildings.

Kylie Minogue had a cameo role as Emma's sister Susan and she died together with an entire building of people, except for Emma who managed to make it to the rooftop of the building and was rescued by Ray on his helicopter before going all out to locate Blake, who was saved by a stranger Ben Taylor, who later became her boyfriend, and his younger brother Ollie, before the father came to the final rescue.

Well, I looked past how unrealistic the plot was, and enjoyed the movie for what it was - an action-packed movie.

the collapsing Hoover dam 

seismologist Lawrence Hayes and the reporter Serena

San Franciso destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami

Ollie, Blake and Ben (L to R) watched on with horror as the tsunami hit their building

Ray and Emma

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

I am really loving this Marvel Comics remake of the Spiderman movies although I must admit I didn't quite like it in the first movie. The chemistry between the leads Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone as Peter Parker aka spidey and Gwen Stacy really came through so genuinely that it made the movie believable. Every scene they were in were lit up with sparks and together they were so likable.

So the ending was really sad when the movie makers decided to kill Gwen off, as in the comics, due to a whiplash effect. Emma came a long way and I am starting to really like her since the first time I saw her in "The House Bunny" in 2008. It is almost as if Peter Parker is nothing without Gwen. I imagine her coming back as Mary Jane Watson with a different hairdo in the next movie but subsequently I read that Shailene Woodley took on the role of Mary Jane, to my great disappointment. Shailene may be good in "Divergent" but no way close is she going to replace Gwen. I am just glad that the producers did the right thing by not introducing Mary Jane's character in this movie soon after Gwen's passing, otherwise audiences like me would hate her since Emma set the bar so high for anyone else to reach. Mary Jane's character is best left to part 3 after everyone has calmed down.

Sally Field's character Aunt May looked almost in tears in every scene and I started to see her as just a sad and pitiful widow with nothing that could cheer her up since Ben Parker's death. The new Harry Osborn aka Green Goblin in this movie in the form of Dane DeHaan also couldn't replace the James Franco's portrayal in the previous remake. Jamie Foxx's character as Max Dillon aka Electro was kind of silly and shallow. The other characters Rhino and Norman Osborn were just plain boring and seemed like insignificant fillers to make the movie so long.

Something that stuck with me was the poignant valedictorian speech made by Gwen at her graduation ceremony:

"Hmm, I know that we all think we're immortal. We're supposed to feel that way, we're graduating. The future is and should be bright, but, like our brief four years in high school, what makes life valuable is that it doesn't last forever, what makes it precious is that it ends. I know that now more than ever. And I say it today of all days to remind us that time is luck. So don't waste it living someone else's life, make yours count for something. Fight for what matters to you, no matter what. Because even if you fall short, what better way is there to live?"

Strangely, the easter egg that followed after the movie was on X-Men's Mystique in an army camp, supposedly as a lead-up to the upcoming "X-Men: Days of Future Past" movie.

the chemistry is undeniable

can the real Sally Field stand up?

Peter and Harry Osborn with a sleek but flat hairdo

a hideous Green Goblin

Max's deluded behaviour is unconvincing as an electrical engineer

Max transformed into Electro after an industrial accident

Gwen at her last moments before she fell to her death

this is the comics version

NOAH

Based loosely on the biblical "Noah's Ark", this movie starred Russell Crowe in the lead role of Noah, Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Anthony Hopkins as Noah's father, Ray Winstone as King Tubal-cain, Emma Watson as Ila and Logan Lerman as Ham. 

Noah's family belonged to a bloodline descended from Adam and Eve, who had 3 sons Cain, Abel and Seth after eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Cain was said to have killed his brother Abel and gave rise to savage and ruthless descendants, who were protected by fallen angels who turned into stone giants known as the Watchers, who continued their rampage to kill anyone and anything who were in their paths. Seth, on the other hand, was the good one who escaped and continued his lineage by living as nomads to protect earth and its inhabitants.

Noah received a message from the Creator through a dream which warned him of an impending great flood that would kill all men and signaled to him to build an ark to save what's left of earth's creatures. With the help of the Creator and the Watchers, Noah painstakingly built the ark but offended the king Tubal-cain, who was Cain's descendant, by refusing to accept him and his people on the ark when they came seeking for refuge. Tubal-cain vowed to seek vengeance on Noah and this very much summed up what the rest of the movie was about.

Noah was portrayed as a staunch believer of the Creator and he was fixated with building the ark and doing what he felt was necessary, including sacrificing the innocent and killing, to carry out the Creator's orders at all costs. But his conviction was tested and he wavered when he was forced to decide whether to take the lives of the newborn twins, from his eldest son Shem and daughter-in-law Ila.

This movie was banned in some countries because of its religious content, which was fictitiously controversial to some religions. I, for one, just enjoyed this movie as what it is - a movie.

Noah, his wife, Ham and Leo

Migration of the snakes to the Ark

Animals migration to the Ark before the pivotal flash floods

Ray Winstone as the evil King Tubal-cain

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

You know how long I have neglected this blog when the last post is about 3 weeks ago. I watched this movie a couple of weeks ago but had no time to post about it.

Following the success of and end to the Twilight franchise, Hollywood produced an entirely new movie series with the hope to replicate the success story  of the former. This time round, the movie is not about vampires but focuses on witches instead.

Starring Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert as the newly paired lovers, Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson and Viola Davis as the supporting cast, this movie tells the tale of how a newcomer Lena in town was shunned by all others but found love in her classmate Ethan. Touted as the most powerful witch in her family, her true nature will be revealed on her 16th birthday where she will either join the light or dark forces. Before that happens, opposing members of her family were trying their best to convince her to be on their sides.

Judging from the crowd, or rather lack of, at the cinema, I don't think the movie is doing too well. Alden first came across as being whinny when he opened his mouth but eventually was kind of charming. Alice wasn't charismatic and I failed to understand the deep attraction that Ethan had for Lena. Their pairing was rather weird and unconvincing to me, unlike the made-in-heaven Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart pairing. And I felt Emma Thompson's portrayal of the possessed Sarafine seemed too much over the top to me.

I can't wait to see how the subsequent installments will do at the box office.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

I too watched this coming-of-age movie about 2 weeks back but I was too lazy to post about it.

The 3 main leads are Logan Lerman, whom I remember from "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief", the household known Emma Watson, from the Harry Potter movies, and Erza Miller, who is an unknown to me.

This is a movie where Emma Watson tried very hard to get out of the shadow of Hermione to play a different role Sam to remind the audience that she is not only capable of being in the Harry Potter movies but can be a character actress to take on larger and more serious roles.

Logan, on the other hand, played the main character Charlie effortlessly and brilliantly to portray a nervous and self-conscious teenager with a mysterious past. There was no semblance of the confident and sociable half-god half-human Percy Jackson at all.

The movie explored the relationships between the three characters and their close-knit friends and how they dealt with the angst and tribulations of growing up, amidst grappling with teenage love, homosexuality, child molestation, suicidal issues. However, despite all the hardships and suffering they went through, the message was clear that they still had youth on their side. Such is the consolation of being a youth in these days.

So did I enjoy the movie? Well, it wasn't the kind that would seriously appeal to me though and that's my answer.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

Today's weather - sunny

After much anticipation, I watched this new Marvel Comics superhero movie starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field and so on. I enjoyed the earlier spider-man movies that were first made a decade ago in 2002 with Tobey Maguire as the lead and had my reservations with this new version with a new lead whom I have never come across before.


In comparison, Andrew seemed like an unlikely hero with his scrawny body. But I guess one shouldn't be too judgmental and stereotype anything or anyone. This movie proved to me that I still have lots to learn everyday. I admit that Andrew Garfield is brilliant in this role and I can't think of anyone more suitable to play this well-known character.


This new take explored a deeper side into Peter Parker's life and personality and showed how this angsty and cynical youngster overcame his personal demons, insecurities and inadequacies to eventually become a vigilante who protected the innocent lives out there. The awakening journey he took wasn't an easy one with the loss of both his parents when he was just a child and the loss of his uncle Ben, which he was partially responsible for. I love the transformation he went through from a geeky boy-next-door who was constantly bullied at school to a geeky boy-turned-superhero who tested his new-found powers to a new superhero who learnt to take on this calling and responsibility to protect the innocent.


Oh, and did I mention I love the new spider logo with the long legs? Well, I certainly do. And Emma Stone as Peter's new girlfriend Gwen Stacy was definitely much more appealing than Kirsten Dunst's character Mary-Jane Watson.

VESAK DAY

It was Vesak Day two days ago and I was caught in a slight traffic jam in the night on my way to Bishan. There were so many people on the bus to the famous Buddhist temple at Sin Ming Ave. It is a day celebrated by all Buddhists and marks the day when Buddha (Siddharta Gautama) was born, attained enlightenment and entered into Nirvana, a state where one is freed from suffering and rebirth, I think.

It must be such a coincidence for the key events of the Buddha to happen on the same day and I wonder if it is made up for convenience. If not, is there a greater power at play here?

Anyway, the above is not the purpose of this post.

It is just that half my lifetime ago, I was young, unhappy and suffering from my own personal demons. But at least in terms of physical health, I was in good form because I didn't suffer from any bodily discomfort. Youth is not overrated. One does indeed feel rather invincible and indestructible when young. But fast forward two decades, I am now past the 40th mark. All other things are superb but the physical state is worrying. After a slipped disc later, I suffer from occasional bouts of knee pain, I feel tired easily, and of late, the developing presbyopia has affected my vision somewhat. I really need to rely on glasses for far vision. Two nights ago, I had some chest pains again, presumably due to the constriction of chest muscles, I hope. I feel almost as if I have half or two-thirds of my legs in the grave.

After living for so many years, we start to see young stars or people we knew during our time  to start ageing or even dying. Even when I see students wearing the t-shirt from my junior college, I would be so proud yet find it hard to believe that I left the jc many, many years ago. I start to question our mortality. I worry about my parents because if I feel shitty at this age, I wonder how bad they would be feeling at their age.

After reading about countless deaths, the most recent one being that of our local artiste Emma Yong who passed away recently as a result of end stage cancer, I wonder how long more my loved and close ones and I can live. It is a very scary and fearful thought that you see them alive now but they could be gone next. And when one of us is gone, we are gone forever. The idea that we will never, ever see each other again, unless one believes in reincarnation and past lives really freaks me out. I don't know if I can ever get over the feeling of such life and death separation. But I know I am not alone since everyone has to go through such a stage and has to cope with it no matter what.

So, to a certain extent, I am beginning to comprehend the underlying fear that Siddharta Gautama felt when he realized that when there is life, there is death and when there is happiness, there is also suffering. He preached that nothing is permanent in this world and it is so true. And it is precisely because of these emotions and truth that drove him to search for the answer of one's life and existence. He was able to free himself from the cycle of life and death, in his words, and freed himself from suffering.

Sadly, I don't think I will ever be able to attain enlightenment in this lifetime because of my fear of losing my loved ones or of being separated from them by death. The only things that I can and am trying hard to do is really to live my life the way I deemed best for myself, be happy as much as I can and try to let go and ignore the negative things people say or do to me.