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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
7 hours past freedom.
The 'O' Levels are over! :D
Um. I'm not gonna do the post today because i'm like, really tired. Gonna go catch up on all the TV shows i've been missing out on! :)
went into BANKAI MODE at : 10:15 PM
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Jennifer, Juno, Diablo.
"I AM A GOD." - Jennifer Check
How on Earth it's possible for me to land on a Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs link while Googling Jennifer's Body really baffles me.
Perhaps it's got to do with the fact that Megan Fox, even if she wasn't cast in the movie, would have gone to watch Jennifer's Body rather than said film.
This week, i went to catch Jennifer's Body with Mic and Charz. While the other two felt it was all-out stupid and really nothing special or impressive, i thought it was definitely one of the more recent films that deals with the essence of controversy.
Look at the film at a superficial level or at a deeper level. It's still hot.
Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried make a really good pair, unlikely as it may seem. In the movie, Jennifer and Needy have been best friends since they were kids and are BFFs even in high school. Jennifer is the popular girl that everyone wants to be friends with while Needy is the obedient friend who stays in Jennifer's shadow all the time. Well, to speed things up a bit, Jennifer basically gets sacrificed in a satanic ritual by a band in hopes of become successful. Problem? Jennifer's not a virgin and although the band does get shot to stardom, a succubus demon possesses Jennifer's body and she becomes a literal man-eater. Needy is then thrust into a situation where she has to battle Jennifer while still maintaining the public facade that everything is alright.
Diablo Cody is one of the few scriptwriters who can really relate to teenagers. The dialogue is stellar and it makes the film everything it should be. Smart, funny and relatable. The film's got a very cult type of edge to it mainly because of the fact that the ice queen bitch in your high school turns out to be the deadly boy-killing machine. Not exactly a fresh idea, but you can't deny that the plot is really quite ingenious.
We find ourselves feeling sorry for Needy and the guys that get killed by Jennifer. We realise that all the victims are essentially nice guys and our pity lies firmly with Chip, Needy's geeky boyfriend. The fact that Jennifer goes for the nice guys instead of the ones that implanted the demon inside her body makes it a lot more tragic.
Jennifer's Body is described as a horror comedy. It definitely is. But what a lot of people have been missing is the underlying vulnerability of Jennifer, possessed or not. The point being put across by Diablo is that the bitches of every high school are ultimately the most insecure. They are the ones who fuss about their weight and the way they look, they are the ones who seek male approval. And the whole man-eating thing? With a man, Jennifer is gorgeous. Her hair is awesome, she looks really good. When she's without a man, when she's hungry, she gets really hot-tempered, she looks horrible. What is so smart about this is that it reveals exactly the mindset of many females in our society. A lot of girls feel that they need a guy in order to feel complete and that's Jennifer's job.
So the main objective of this film is for Needy to expose Jennifer's insecurity to the public eye.
What the film could have improved on was focus on Jennifer's views on the band after she gets sacrificed. We don't understand how she feels or what she wants to do so it becomes sort of like a loose knot. 
How this film is so similar to Juno has definitely got to do with the little teenage tendencies. How teens believe things are true just because they're on Wikipedia, how they have to be with the in crowd, how many of them are afraid of being different. It's true that not many films these days tell stories from a teenager's point of view. A PROPER film, mind. None of that Harry Potter horseshit. And films that tell good stories from a teenage girl's point of view are far few.
So kudos to the makers of Juno, Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman, for managing to make Jennifer's Body deliver in such a way that many would not expect. And not forgetting the director, Karyn Kusama. She has come a LONG WAY from her Aeon Flux days. God, that film was tedious.
Many people hate it, for some really unknown reason. But Zhi Qing says watch it. Because you never know what to expect.
JENNIFER'S BODY IS OUT IN THEATRES NOW AND IS RATED NC16.
went into BANKAI MODE at : 2:51 PM
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Hiatus Status - Nearly Over.
6 more days!!! To working at Prima Deli! :D
Little update before i get back to mugging for the much dreaded, infamous Pure Literature paper.
Exams so far are quite manageable, i think i've been coping okay. Hopefully. Don't wanna get my hopes up because i said my PSLE was easy and look where that got me. So... Like Teyona said in Cycle 12 : "Fingers crossed. Toes crossed. Butt-cheeks crossed." Yup.
Got a new phone :D The hot, sexy, INQ Mini 3G with built-in FaceBook and Twitter. Upload pictures with just a simple click. Will talk about this after my MCQ paper on Wednesday.
Completed Cycle 7 and 8 with Caridee and Jaslene. Loved the winners, absolutely adored the runner-ups. Will bitch MUCH about this on Wednesday.
Had a dream about Adam Lambert saving the environment with me, Mic, Az, Charz and Naz. And i believe that dream is a freaking sign. Will swoon over this on Wednesday.
Lady Gaga and Katy Perry are my favourite single female artistes ever. So controversial. So outrageous. Seemingly hoochie, but really not. Will elaborate on Wednesday.
Current favourite Cycle is... Cycle 9! Why? Chantal should've won! Chantal and Jenah should've been in the final 2! Why Saleisha?! Why, Tyra, WHY?!?! Will bitch BIG TIME on Wednesday.
In the meantime... This is Allison NOW. Pretty? Yes. Love her.
Can you believe this was Allison THEN?! Pretty? Yes. Love her.
 This is Cycle 9 runner-up, Chantal. Pretty? Yes. Love her. Adore her.
went into BANKAI MODE at : 3:50 PM
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Over and done with.
Technically, i'm no longer in Secondary 4 and DAMN, i feel so good about that! I'm KIND OF happy with my aggregate although it's not JC material yet... Still, i'm gonna do my best :) I know it sounds pretty weird, but i actually can't wait to graduate from Secondary School. It's really an amazing feeling :)
After i graduate, i'm sure going to miss those few people from that crappy little school with a corny name :)
No these aren't my friends... I wish they were though! xD Yay Cycle 12!  Left to right : Teyona (ugh), Tahlia (*barf*), Celia (immaman!), Allison (omfgyay!), Paulina (legendary supermodel), Clay (gay), London (street preacher), Natalie (snob), Fo (SHO), Aminat (eww).
went into BANKAI MODE at : 2:26 PM
Saturday, October 3, 2009
New from Easy, Breezy, Beautiful. Covergirl.
"It's not just lipstick. It's lip magic."
 A very big thank you to Nazry, i'm now completely addicted to America's Next Top Model with Tyra Banks. My very first complete cycle is Cycle 12 and because of that, i'm sure it's going to be my major favourite Cycle. Cycle 12 is still showing every Thursday night on channel 5 :) Now, this is going to be more of a rambling than a proper post because my first favourite model (the FIRST who ever wow-ed me) has become the runner-up for this season even though she totally deserved to win. So enjoy the bitching if you're really bored.  Allison Harvard is like the major dark horse in this Cycle (man, i love that term). She's quiet, shy, cute, funny, sweet, adorable and has crazy eyes. And yet she's getting bitched at by some of the really loud bitchy models. Tahlia told everyone she didn't want to be in the competition because of all her bad photoshoots. When it's bad, it's like "I want to go home." When it's good, "I think i belong here!"What the hell. If your attitude's gonna be like that, just LEAVE! But nooo, she stayed and Kortnie was gonna be eliminated. So when Celia tells Tyra that Tahlia wanted to leave, Tyra got mad and scolded Celia. And then it was bitching time at their apartment when Teyona, Aminat and Tahlia were up against Allison, Celia and Natalie. And Allison didn't even freaking say anything. She was just worried about what was going to happen and she didn't get involved. She was being smart. But what happened? Bitchy Teyona decided to provoke her by saying that she was prying. And when Allison tried to defend herself, what does Teyona say? "Don't look at me with those fake, innocent, sorry eyes!" Err... bitchy much?! I think YES. And then Sandra, who didn't say anything, THEN said that no one should have said anything because it was Tahlia's business. But then she said if anyone should have said anything, it should have been Kortnie. Now, that doesn't make sense for 2 reasons. First, why the hell would Kortnie want to say anything when she's the one getting eliminated? Second, didn't Sandra just say that no one should have said anything?! Epic contradiction! And when Allison was nice enough to point out that contradiction, what the hell did Sandra do? Get up in her tall, threatening pose and shouts : "Don't you go there with me!" What the hell?! And Allison was like : "Where AM i going with this?" Seriously, where DID Sandra think Allison was going with this?! Dumb bitch. Okay i admit. Allison was the first to find out that Tahlia wanted to go home. And sure, she DID kinda make a mistake by telling stupid-ass Celia about that. But! Allison was concerned! And what did Celia do? She told the whole world about it and got Allison in trouble! Bitch! She's the cause of all this trouble.  Okay, i'm done. It's a pretty exciting Cycle, by the way. So be sure to catch it :) And always keep in your mind that Allison was the natural winner!
went into BANKAI MODE at : 5:46 PM
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Double Feature.
Two movies in one week! During the examination period, no less!
The first movie i caught is Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS.
"*gestures to Nazi badge* You get that for killing Jews?" "Bravery." *smashes head in with a baseball bat*
Caught in the cinema :P Inglourious Basterds is definitely a step-up for QT, especially since his Grindhouse feature with Robert Rodriguez, Death Proof.
 To say that Basterds is an action war flick would be a gross misinterpretation. Is it war? Yes. Is it action? Maybe. Depends on what you focus on. What QT is famous for is his wit and sarcasm. Where does he provide a grand display of his prowess? In the dialogue of his characters. Best actor of this year's Cannes Film Festival, Christoph Waltz plays SS Colonel Landa. And he is the best depiction of said display of wit. He makes very casual conversation with people, making them feel at ease, appear as a friend. Then when you least expect it, he leaps onto you with a sharp question at an attempt at picking out evidence.  Is an action flick? Probably. The action lies in the film's dialogue. The quick-witted replies, the not-so-courteous questions.
If you're looking for physical action. Yes there's some of that too. I find the action to be rather exciting and not unlike jumpshocks from horror movies. There's a very intense scene in a little bar where these men (and a woman) are sitting at a table. Two men have their pistols pointed at each other's testicles. Another man points his pistol at one of the men's testicles.  Now, knowing QT and all his previous films, he does not jump into action just like that *snaps fingers*. No, he plays it quiet but intense. But Basterds? No. Something different. "Now, to solve this pickle we have here, there's only one thing we can do." "And what's that?" "Blowing off your Nazi balls." With barely enough time to register that last sentence, guns and bullets start flying everywhere. And within 8 seconds, the fight is over. Impressive stuff? I think yes. Sure, the film's historically inaccurate. Sure, Hitler's portrayed as a stupid bitch. Sure, Joseph Goebbels seems somewhat gay. But overall, this is a QT Must-Watch. And that's sexy. The second movie i caught was Fame. "If you can't accept this, you can't accept me." Fame. Fame deserves all the hype that High School Musical's getting. And it isn't even really a musical. What i mean is, the characters don't just break out into song suddenly with background music playing out of nowhere. No, this is something more. This is darker, more grown-up.  What people don't understand is that fame is expensive. It costs you everything. Your family, your friends, your life. It requires your utmost dedication. It requires you to be the best. The phrase '15 Minutes Of Fame' could not be more relevant today. Fame is dangerous, a risk, and everyone wants it. Fame tells the story of a group of students who get enrolled into a performing arts academy in New York. Your grades fall below C, you're kicked out of the school. It's that harsh. One of the more outstanding characters in this movie is Kherington Payne, who plays Alice. Now Alice is a dancer. She is the most talented kid in the school, without question. She seems to have it all figured out.  The other kids aren't as fortunate. They all face some sort of conflict. Either they're not too good, or their parents are in the way, or people aren't opening their arms out to them. It's a tough world and they're doing all they can. This isn't a happy-go-lucky film. Some of them get kicked out, some of them get a slap in the face when they're told that they're not going to make it. And the crushing disappointment and sadness that these kids face is so evident. So well-expressed in their faces and their actions. Their determination is unbelievable. They want to perform so much. My two favourite characters have to be Denise and Malik, played by Naturi Naughton and Collins Pennie. They are, without a doubt, the most conflicted characters in the film. They're good-natured but they are being stunted by their families and peer pressure. It's very interesting to watch as these two characters try to overcome their problems. However (yes there IS a flipside to this film), i feel that the bonding between characters was underdeveloped. We don't get to see how the relations between the charcters evolve as we jump from year to year in the academy. And i feel that the movie would have been much better than it already is if that development was made.  My favourite thing about Fame is that it doesn't have closure. Not even for Alice. Not for anyone. There are no little flashforward cliches into '5 months later' taglines, showing us what happened to the characters. I like the fact that the futures of these characters are shrouded in mystery because that's exactly how it's like in the real world. Anything can happen. Fame is not something that can be guaranteed. It's not even a happy ending. It's ambiguous and that is a rare thing with many movies that involve teenagers getting their shot to stardom. This remake is truly unique, not unlike the Alan Parker version back in the 80s. It is definitely a worthy remake. Random sidenote. I know about all these movies at least half a year before its release. Why is it that when i talk about it, no one gives a shit? It's only when the trailer and posters start appearing, THEN people start caring. Oh well, at least i'm always ahead of the curve.
went into BANKAI MODE at : 8:43 PM
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Her Fame.
A RISING STAR. ALWAYS AND NEVER. It takes a real fan to admit the flaws of their Idol. For me, i agree with the judges that Syltra really could have done so much better. Her previous performance with KT Tunstall's 'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree' really, completely blew me away. I've never been a Singapore Idol follower but after watching Syltra's performance, WHOA. All of sudden, i became a total Idol geek.  In my opinion, i believe that Syltra should have continued promoting her rebel image, her street punk, I-Rock-Your-World attitude as the Girl with the Guitar. I think that may have earned her more votes. It also takes a real fan to remain loyal and to be able to see all the good points their Idol has even when it seems as though they have fallen. Image aside, Syltra did a fantastic job, singing Kelly Clarkson's 'Breakaway'. One of my all-time Clarkson favourites, Syltra made me love the song even more. I stand by what i said in my previous entry. Syltra's got a real unique voice. She keeps it real for all the Idol fans out there. She keeps it real for me, as a new Idol-watcher. She is truly the Dark Horse in this competition. Maybe she wasn't meant to win, but she was meant to push the other contestants, to make them strive to be better. She helps them to be better performers. I trust that her elimination would only grow to be a liability in this competition. Syltra may not have won this competition, in technical terms. But she's definitely raised the bar for all the singers out there in Singapore. She's left her mark, an impact and i can tell you right now, she is only going to become better. Her musical journey is not over. Not by a long shot, you can bet. Being a Singapore Idol means being a role model, someone you can look up to. Not just for their talent or the way they look, but for who they are. I chose Syltra to be my Singapore Idol because she knows who she is as a musician and what she wants as a musician. So even though she's not in the competition anymore, i do hope that her fans would continue to support her and her band, Aurigami. Lastly, i'd like to dedicate a song to the Idol of tonight. It's called 'Fame' by Naturi Naughton, from... um, the new movie Fame, in cinemas this Friday. The song can be found on my playlist at the sidebar. It's the final track. I chose this song because i think the lyrics of the chorus is very apt for Syltra's shot to stardom. To anyone who has chanced upon this site, i'd like to give one final presentation of my Singapore Idol. SYLTRA LEE.  "Remember my name! I'm gonna live forever. I'm gonna learn how to fly. I feel it coming together. People see me and cry. I'm gonna make it to heaven. Light up the sky like a flame. I'm gonna live forever. Baby, remember my name."
went into BANKAI MODE at : 10:51 PM
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