In Love with You

Being a supporter of Sammi Cheng, I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm watching this after few years since it's release date for both the movie and the video compact disc. And guess what, I got this off the rack because it was on promotion. 1 for RM7.90, and 2 for RM12.90. Quite a good deal that made me buying 4 new VCDS to be added to my collection.

Anyway, back to the movie. It has the right casts, the right flow of idea, the right elements to make it a good movie, but overall, it turned out to be an average Chinese film that could be missed. The main idea was underlined clearly - true love = love + sex. I do agree on that. An interesting fact about the movie is that the prime name given did not make the cut to our local censorship board. From Good times, Bed Times, it was changed to In Love With You. As for the direct translation for the Mandarin movie titles, the initial name was actually 'in love with your bed'.

So what is this movie roughly about? First, A broke up with B. B met C. While A met D. Conflicts happened. Then, they are solved with judgmental approach. Soon, A decided to marry D. During their wedding, C proposed to B, who willingly agreed for marriage. Okay, finally, the impotency issue was solved... A few things happening at once, this movie is half boring, half interesting. ***

I hate rain.

My day was a blend of the good and the bad. At first I thought it started of entirely bad, but thinking back and judging from what had happened, I have to admit that sometimes things are meant to happen, and they do for a reason, known and unknown.

Anyway, was late for my lecture for Financial Management this morning which starts at 11 o'clock. I went in at 12 plus. Reason for being late, couldn't look for a parking. The catch is here, I was there at 10.45, 15 minutes before the class commences. Unfortunately, due to the congestion of cars today, I was fated not to get my car parked within the time given (15 minutes, of course!). On top of that, my car was scratched by a huge lorry. Okay, not that huge, but almost twice the size of Keahi. Well well, then things got better when I found a parking at 11.20a.m. I was quite satisfied since the parking lot was the nearest to my university that I've ever found this semester so far. Blessed ~

Then, right after my last class ended at 3 o'clock, heavy rain started to pour like buckets. Therefore, was stuck in the campus for a while. 15 minutes I think. Could have been longer if I hadn't decide to run under the rain to collect my car on an unsheltered area. Anyway, once I started running, the rain started to lighten up. Luckily the Dreamgirls weren't there to sing their song, Heavy. Once again, I'm blessed ~

On my way home, the rain got heavier at one moment, causing me to lose my clear vision of the highway ahead. With a big truck next to me, it caused a large amount of water to splash onto my car. Consequently, my windscreen was blurred in just a brief second. I lost balance. But knocked nothing. Finally, I reached home, safely. Oh, I'm blessed ~

Primeval

Gustave. The legendary killer that has been said to be responsible for 300 lives, and is 20 feet in length. So, how did it fair in this (yet another) monster killer film? Well, on top of Gustave alone, there's also another drama revolving Little Gustave in the film, Primeval. No, he's not the son, but a human who claims himself the King on the Land, while Gustave rules the waters. Interesting, ain't it?

This movie isn't anything special in particular, apart from the huge predator that claimed a few lives in the film. Oh, Little Gustave killed too, brutally, even more brutal than the Gustave is capable of. There was a couple of funny scenes and crude humors, but the message conveyed is straight forward and clear - the harmony and peace issue of the Africa. Oh, of course and the expedition to capture Gustave. Overall, quite an average movie.

Anyway, while I survived the movie, I was asked by the crew of CinemaOnline for comments and ratings [source]! The question was" If you had a chance to join the team, would you go? Why? And how would you rate it, our of 5 stars?" And here's my response to them...

Stomp the Yard

Went for the preview screening for Stomp the Yard, formerly also known as Steppin that features Columbus Short, Ne-Yo, Meagan Good, etc. You won't know most of the actors there, but, nevertheless, they pulled off a rather outstanding job. Anyway, the total running time for the movie is almost 2 hours, with a fairly simple plot that's predictable with a good ending that would satisfy almost everyone.

Nothing much I could possibly say about this movie. The stompin' definitely keeps the movie on fire, while the dramas are the side dishes to complete the whole heavy meal. From the very start until the finale, one could easily guess the storyline - who's going to win, who are the protagonist and the antagonist, what are the conflicts, etc. All in all, nothing outstanding, but still a movie worth watching if you have the time and extra cash in your wallet. **1/2 for the movie

Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls rocked my world, both the movie and it's soundtrack. Although it suffered a lag on its release date here in Malaysia, where it only hit the big screens at the end of February, the movie delivered excitement, entertainment and enormous performances endlessly from the very beginning until the closure after 2 hours. It was an easy fulfillment of orgasmic pleasure, satisfaction and happiness.

Jennifer Hudson did an extraordinary job, portraying the supporting character (which I think could have been the lead with all the focus and potential) Effie. Jamie Foxx (Curtis Taylor, Jr) and Beyonce (Deena Jones) did great too! Yes, Beyonce can act, and she has improved since we last seen her on The Fighting Temptations, or the worldwide blockbuster, Austin Powers in Goldmember. Eddie Murphy thrilled the stage with the character of James Thunder Early, while Anika Noni Rose (weird name?) did well too with the role of Lorrell Robinson! She can sing, can't she? Last but not least, did anyone even know who played the role of Michelle Morris, the girl who replaced Effie in the group of Dreamettes which turned into The Dreams later on? The name of the actress is Sharon Leal, yeap, credit her now, y'all!

Other than the musical scores, you should certainly watch out for the drama and the depiction of both sides of the music entertainment show business in the movie, which most probably will blow your mind away in seconds. Love it, love it, love it! Truly a magnificent adaptation of broadway. Truly deserves a full rating, 5/5. Watch this if you have loved Chicago and Walk the Line!

Some professional reviews:

"The movie belongs to Hudson as the proud, self-destructive Effie. When she's center stage, Dreamgirls transports you to movie musical heaven." Newsweek~

"Finally. After "The Phantom of the Opera," "Rent" and "The Producers" botched the transfer from stage to screen, Dreamgirls gets it right. Bill Condon's adaptation of the 1981 show about a Motown trio's climb to crossover stardom pulls off the fundamental double-act those three musical pics all missed: It stays true to the source material while standing on its own as a fully reimagined movie." Variety~

"Murphy is a revelation as James, and what American Idol castoff Hudson lacks in technical acting craft she makes up for in raw energy and a voice that could melt the rhinestones off a beauty queen. To complain that Beyonce pales by comparison is to fault her for nailing the essence of the infinitely malleable Deena." TV Guide~

Soundtrack wise, I was very fortunate to hold a copy of the Deluxe Edition days before the ordinary one was released to stores nationally. All thanks to Adrien, who gave me this wonderful gift for Christmas! I love the soundtrack really much, and it's a joy to listen to each song that has soul, R&B, life and fun. A few tracks that really got me spinning endlessly are Love You I Do, Listen, Move, And I'm Telling You, just to name a few outstanding ones. Here's the full track listing for the Deluxe Edition CD:

Disc one

1. "I'm Lookin' For Something"
2. "Goin' Downtown"
3. "Takin' The Long Way Home"
4. "Move"
5. "Fake Your Way To The Top"
6. "Big" (instrumental)
7. "Cadillac Car"
8. "Steppin' To The Bad Side"
9. "Love You I Do" (Henry Krieger, Siedah Garrett)
10. "I Want You Baby"
11. "Family"
12. "Dreamgirls"
13. "Heavy"
14. "It's All Over"
15. "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" ¹

Disc two

1. "I'm Somebody" ²
2. "When I First Saw You"
3. "Patience" (Krieger, Willie Reale)
4. "I Am Changing"
5. "Perfect World" (Krieger, Garrett)
6. "I Meant You No Harm"/"Jimmy's Rap"
7. "Lorrell Loves Jimmy"/"Family (Reprise)"
8. "Step On Over"
9. "I Miss You Old Friend"
10. "Effie, Sing My Song" [Bonus Track] ³
11. "One Night Only"
12. "One Night Only (Disco)"
13. "Listen" (Krieger, Anne Preven, Scott Cutler, Beyoncé Knowles)
14. "Hard To Say Goodbye"
15. "Dreamgirls (Finale)"
16. "Curtain Call" (Instrumental) (Krieger, Eyen, Garrett)
17. "Family" [End Title Version]
18. "When I First Saw You" [End Title Duet Version]
19. "One Night Only [Dance Mix]"
20. "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going [Dance Version]"
21. "Patience [Composer's Demo]" (Krieger, Willie Reale)

Scans from the soundtrack!

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia! Was In Mid Valley for the premiere screening for it. From the same director for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the movie was nicely shot from the very beginning till the end. However, the trailer for the movie had absolutely fooled me into watching this, thinking that it contains the very same elements of Narnia. You know, magical world, extraordinary powers, war between the good and evil, etc. Yet, the movie turned out completely different from what I expected it to be.

As a kid movie, which is based on the best selling novel as well, it is, perhaps surprisingly, truly entertaining, though Jess would totally disagree with my saying. Anyway, it's questionable about the existence of Terabithia, whether it's just another plain imagination dimension or a realm that only the chosen ones with a free, wide mind can only see with their eyes.

Wouldn't say much about the movie. The actors can act, which makes the movie almostjyful. Some humors can also be found once in a while in few segments of the movie. "Free to pee... arghh!!!" is one of it. Other than that, the ironic ending to the movie is excruciating to watch. All had been said, a movie that deserves a ***1/2 from me.

Th Big 2!

Gosh! Big shoutout to all y'all out there! I'm back on the track! Yes, I'm Back! Monkey's back! But not sexy back... Anyway, just some updates on my life. Have turned 20 some time ago now. Birthday was on the 27th, that makes me 20 years and 9 days old now. Pretty old, ain't I? I hate aging, and everyone knows that. Alright, other than that, university life has resumed, commencing officially on the 26th with just lectures on the first week. So far so good I should say, with boredom and jokes on its way as usual. Okay, just a short one this time! Ja~ :)