title: Literature: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time  It's strange, how a narration by someone who doesn't understand human emotion, can have such a great effect. Christopher John Francis Boone is autistic. He is immensely clever and logical, yet everyday interactions often leave him puzzled and scared. Thus he feels safe, living in a carefully constructed world where he is familiar with everything. One night, his neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed. He cannot imagine a killer at large, hence, he sets out of his familiarity to solve the murder in the style of his favorite detective, Sherlock Holmes. And in doing so, he uncovers more that he sought for. The mind of an autistic child is a curious mystery. Yet at the bottom-line, it is so simple and logical. Where everything is taken at face level. Where there is no room for hidden intentions and double meanings. For some reason, I envy Christopher. I think I'd prefer living in his universe. Ratings: 8.5/10 Labels: literature, review |
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title: CatFatBatRatHat. |
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title: Film: Monga  This film is a must-watch for me. Not because it starred Ethan Ruan and Mark Chao, but because director Doze Niu had invited stunt coordinator Yang Gil-Yeoung, from one of my favorite films ever - Old Boy.Indeed the influence of Old Boy is evident, not just in the fighting style but also in the cinematography. Long shots that panned through the fighting scenes, enhanced with slow-motion, were some of the most classic shots of both Old Boy and Monga. And just when I thought Monga excluded the gore of Old Boy, the ear-slicing and blood-spilling occurs. But even so, the gore in Monga is still very, very mild, compared to that of its predecessor. Another similarity is the level of emotional intensiveness. Monga emphasized on the brotherhood and loyalty among gangsters, which was very well established and heightened to a climax at the end. This sort of camaraderie among gangsters reminded me of 15 by Royston Tan. Characterization was done very well too, except for Geta's son - Zhi Long - whose acting, I felt, was lacking. The story plot was nicely built up, with substantial complexity weaved into it for a satisfying study. All in all, I think Monga was well executed, in terms of the acting, directing and cinematography. Though the influence of Old Boy may be a tad too strong, I think it's a good start for Taiwanese films. Hope to see more such films in the future. :) Rating: 8.5/10. |
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title: Film: Ip Man   Watched these two films one after another during the week. The common thread running through this series is the unification of Chinese against foreigners invading China. First the Japanese during WWII, next the British in Hong Kong. In both films, foreigners are portrayed as cruel and arrogant people, inciting a strong sense of indignation among the Chinese audience. And eventually, of course, Ip Man will win the ultimate battle, proving that the Chinese are no weaklings or pushovers. Being more sensitive towards such emotional incitings, I would tend to distant myself more whenever I notice such plots. Plus I tend to be cynical towards stories in which the baddies are portrayed as incorrigibly bad, with nothing else in them but evil schemes. Seems to be, firstly, unrealistic and, secondly, to serve the sole purpose of illuminating the goodness of the protagonist. So as you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of the plots in Ip Man 1 & 2. There's nothing wrong with simple plots, really. It's just that Ip Man lacks the surprise element. Everything is too predictable. Neither am I a fan of Donny Yen's acting. As in Bodyguards and Assassins, Donny Yen's acting is rather subdued, leaving me confused about the character occasionally. BUT. Huge but here. The fighting scenes are absolutely commendable. Strong, swift attacks with no unnecessary moves. Intense, well-paced fighting. Enough to make your money worth. Just hope that he'll work on his acting, a common weak point among martial artists. Rating: 7.5/10. |
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title: Literature: PG Wodehouse Since I've started work, reading has been reduced to a hasty traveling companion, and hypnotic bedtime stories. And once in a while, it'd be refreshing to read some witty, lighthearted and non-consequential literature.
Then I stumbled upon PG Wodehouse, an English writer of the early 20th century. Among the collection of penguin books and illustrated reprints I chose "Young Men in Spats."  A series of short stories about rich, young Englishmen who worry not about money nor anything practical really, revolving around their futile love lives, irritating relatives and tinged with the Socialist movement, which was just beginning to take shape then.The sort of pleasure derived from this book, is similar to that of watching desperate housewives. Where unexpected twists of fate mingle with instinctive reactions, which are more often than not less than intelligent. Somehow, at the end, everything seems to fall right back into place, and life goes on. It's the sort of books I'd enjoy on a lazy afternoon, sipping tea and pretending to be in good old Britain, 1920s. Ratings: 7/10. Labels: literature, review |
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title: Film: The Bucket List  Have heard about this film for the longest time. Finally watched it last weekend.The bucket list is a to-do list one makes before, well, kicking the bucket. In this film, two dying men meet in the hospital and decided, before their lives are over, to attempt all wildest things they've never done. And eventually the course impacted them far deeper than what they've set it out to. This film is a timeless classic, which would prove relevant whatever the era. Needless to say, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman's acting is impeccable, besides the point that Freemen's voice sounded like God sometimes. Ratings: 8/10. I've often thought about death; its imminence and our fragility. It's usually at such times when I get all emotional about the things I want to accomplish, or at least attempt, once in my lifetime. And then I'll forget all about it, and the cycle repeats itself a few months later. So, I'm going to do a bucket list of my own, and try to stop living as though I'm immortal. |
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title: And the battle rages on!  After coming head-on with Android, Steve Jobs have decided to face-off with Adobe.His article on Apple.com tried to give reasons why Apple doesn't want to incorporate Flash into the iPod, iPhone and iPad. However, there were several loopholes just waiting to be exposed, like playing spot-the-difference games. And while you're at it, you might spot some grammar errors too. Jobs claims that Adobe is 100% proprietary and Apple is more pro-open. This cannot be further from the truth. Click here for Adobe open source flash builders. And is Flash the main culprit for crashing Macs? Adobe quickly retaliates, just 2 hours later, with a live interview with Wall Street Journal. Quoting Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, "If Adobe does crash a Mac, it's probably got something "to do with the Apple operating system." (Take that, Apple!) Moreover, it might be enlightening to know that Flash's capability to play videos is only a tiny fraction of what Flash really does. Flash is used, mainly, to create interactive websites, animation and interactive games. I'm not a programmer and may not fully understand the complications within this entire issue. But I'm glad Android has chosen to give users the freedom of choice. Meanwhile, on a lighter note, Jon Stewart delivered a humorous yet direct criticism of Apple and Steve Jobs over the handling of the Gizmodo incident. Notably, he referenced Apple's 1984 ad, and how Apple is becoming more and more like the then-despicable Microsoft. "Apple - you guys were the rebels, man, the underdogs. People believed in you. But now, are you becoming the man? Remember back in 1984, you had those awesome ads about overthrowing Big Brother? Look in the mirror, man! …It wasn't supposed to be this way - Microsoft was supposed to be the evil one! But you guys are busting down doors in Palo Alto while Commandant Gates is ridding the world of mosquitoes! What the fuck is going on?!" Well, perhaps Jobs forgot all about that ad, because shortly after, in 1985, he got kicked out of Apple. Who knows, maybe the board of directors then hated his guts too. |
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