Frank Martin's Back

Transporter 3



There seems to be a curse of the third installment. While occasionally there are gems, many great franchises seemed to have been marred by their third chapter, either by losing the good elements of the original, or cramming too much into one movie. This brings us to Transporter 3, in which Jason Statham reprises his role as ultra-cool tough driver Frank Martin.

The Transporter series have always been about all-out action, with little real plot and lots of popcorn value. This time around, our hero has to take on the job of transporting a young woman named Valentina (Natalya Rudakova) from France to Ukraine, a job from his new ‘employer’, just known as Johnson (Robert Knepper). The catch? Both he and the girl have a high-tech device attached to their wrists which will blow them into oblivion if they stray 75 feet from the vehicle. And what a vehicle it is. Martin continues to drive a sleek black Audi S8 W12, which is a star in its own right, stealing every scene it is in.

The plot may be rather thin, but what really matters here are the action scenes, and this is where Statham shines. Stripping topless at least three times throughout the entire movie (and showing off his excellent build) to use his clothes as weapons, he just oozes coolness. Taking out baddie after baddie with relative ease using slick martial arts moves, it was a joy watching the fight sequences, which by the way were performed by Statham himself. The chase scenes also do not disappoint, with a slick battle of manoeuver between the S8 and an E-Class Benz. Wait till you catch the part in which Martin uses a BMX to chase his S8, which was arguably the most intense scene.

The main drawback to the movie is perhaps the romance that develops between Martin and Valentina, which was quite awkward to say the least. This slowed the movie’s pace tremendously. Valentina was annoying for most parts and Statham just isn’t cut for romance. The plot was also somewhat weak, despite using current issues like politics, toxic dumping and environmental damage. But forget all that and throw logic out the window. If fun action is what you’re looking for, Statham delivers and the stunts are as outrageous as they get for the Transporter series.

4 out of 5 Stars

Oh My God!

Well... what can I say, I haven't been blogging of late. There has just been too much to write, I wonder if I'll ever recap it all. Too much to say, too much in my mind, too much thinking. Well maybe later. Today I did the unthinkable. I told her how I felt. Yeah, it was awkward but I feel a lot of relief once I did. Spent a wonderful half-day with her... it was nice, she's a wonderful person, and a nice friend. I hope she understood what I expressed to her. We both knew what was coming, but she's very sweet and said that things will be the same and that she wishes to continue the friendship for now, but I hope somehow at least a small part of her feels the same way I do. While there are lots of complications to this matter that I do not wish to express (sigh, blogs aren't personal anymore... bring back them good ol' diaries!), what I can say is that perhaps what I feel is still not yet whole and I hope we can continue to learn more bout each other, perhaps once we understand more bout one-another, can we decide what's best for us. For now I'm just going to stay positive bout the future and hope something good will happen... May God watch over me and decide what's best for me~

PEACE and God Bless, 

Aris Tee

Lies and Deceit

Body of Lies

Ever since the events of September 11, stories involving Middle Eastern terrorists have become hot subjects for movies. Body of Lies, the latest film by Ridley Scott is one of them. Based on the best-selling book by David Ignatius, the story focuses on young U.S. Intelligence agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is sent to hunt down notorious jihad terrorist Al-Saleem. Lots of lies and deceit are involved in the race to capture him. Watching over Ferris (using various spy equipment) and giving him instructions is middle-aged CIA veteran Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) who also works from the comfort of his home, doing household chores and managing his children.

Ferris speaks Arabic and is well accustomed to the cultures of the Middle Eastern folk. He knows that here your life is only worth the information you hold. The man he is after, Al-Saleem is an obvious reference to Osama bin Laden. Ferris figures that Al-Saleem’s ego would not tolerate a new player in the field, so by utilising technology he fabricates a rival terrorist out of an innocent architect, hoping to lure him out into the open. He also seeks the help of Jordanian security head Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), a brilliant man who takes loyalty very seriously.

Something that might bother many is how capable Ferris is. It’s quite difficult to imagine how a lone person would be able to perform the tasks he does, creating a fictitious terrorist organisation, surviving gunfights, bombings, rabid dogs and even torture in three different countries. But then again, this is Hollywood after all. Ridley Scott doesn’t disappoint when it comes to action. Explosions, gunfights and chases should keep action buffs interested while a short romance between Ferris and Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani), a Middle Eastern nurse prove interesting but lack depth. A nice touch is the awkwardness involved when they are together, perhaps because a relationship between a local and a Westerner is considered a no-no.

Body of Lies may serve as an entertaining spy-thriller flick, but it lacks a certain something to make it a really good movie. This could be because the movie tries to cram too much into what is essentially a political spy-thriller, plus a hero performing superhuman feats.

PS: There is so much swearing in this movie that the censorship board just gave up and let it be. LOL! And wait till you see that cringe-worthy torture scene towards the end...

2.5 out of 5 Stars

The Promises We Made

10 Promises to My Dog


A heartwarming tale of bonds and family with so much innocence In a season where films of action, violence and horror dominate the box-office, it’s quite refreshing to see a movie go right back to basics. ’10 Promises to My Dog’ (Inu to Watashi no Jyu no Yakusoku) focuses on something so simple, and perhaps taken for granted, which is the relationship we have with our pets. Despite covering something featured all-too-often, this film isn’t a run-of-the-mill ‘man and his dog’ movie.

The tale begins with 14-year-old Saito Akari (Fukuda Mayuko) longing for a dog for companionship, partially because her doctor father is not able to spend enough time with her. One day she finds a cute little puppy in the family lawn (later revealed to have been planned by her mum). She names her ‘Socks’ after the white markings on her paws, and they both develop a strong bond together. Akari is later taught of the ’10 Promises of Dog Ownership’ by her dying mother. These are actually more like promises between her and Socks. These can easily be related to, as they serve as a reminder that keeping a pet comes with certain responsibilities. The story then revolves around the 10 years Akari spends with Socks.

As Akari grows up, her social life changes around her, and she slowly forgets the promises she made. The older Akari (Tanaka Rena) is preoccupied with work, she gets interested in men and spends more time with friends. Things can get really sad at various moments of the movie, and many pet owners can relate to events that unfold. Even if you aren’t a pet owner and just love animals, you can’t help but relate with all the hardship and things that threaten to break the family apart. The star of the show, Socks is herself a beautiful animal. Starting off as a ridiculously cute puppy, she grows up into a gorgeous golden retriever that is loved by everyone who knows her. She’s also a surprisingly good actress, giving expressions and body language that will touch your heart.

Tanaka Rena and Fukuda Mayuko deserve special mention for their roles of Akari’s different stages in life. Other than the fact that they manage to look very sweet and similar to one another, they also portray great acting and match Socks so well through their character. It’s not hard to imagine yourself in Akari’s shoes. The character of Saito (Toyokawa Etsushi), Akari’s dad is also a lovable character that sees interesting development. He starts out as a workaholic father that has no time for the family and fears dogs, and later quits his job after his wife passes away. Trading his surgical knives for kitchen ones, he works hard from home, keeping the family together through tough times and also develops a bond with the very dog he feared before.

10 Promises to My Dog is a moving tale and is a pleasant surprise for those seeking something different that doesn’t involve bloodshed. There’s no Hollywood storyline involving a dog saving the world, and it’s not even really an adventure. Instead, there is emphasis on events in life that bond companions and sacrifices made in the name of family. It might not be a groundbreaking tale, but it is definitely a touching one that transcends ages, and it shows that one can still make a movie with so much innocence.

5 Stars (Out of 5)

New and New

New Intern ColleaguesWe received 2 new intern students recently, they're real nice people. One of them, Jason, knows my mum's friend and it's such a small world to be working together. The other, Jessie (hehe now there are 2 Jessies) is all cute and sweet and she can get really hyper (like yours truly) so it's really fun having her around. The thing about interns is that they only work for 2 months and before you know it you'll be sad that they're leaving. Oh well, I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts...

New Rubber
Finally got the 155's tyres changed~ A belated birthday present from my mum, the new rubbers finally replace the ones which were purchased with my 1st pay! Although after being a long-time Falken loyalist, I switched to the Yokohama A-Drive due to the high price of the current Falken Azenis ST115 replacement, the FK-452. Well, since Yokohamas are competitors with Yokohama, I guess it shouldn't be too bad. Although it isn't as pretty as the Azenis, the A-Drive supposedly gives better comfort and ride. And true enough, upon driving on the new rubber, the 1st thing noticeable was the smoother ride. It was so cool... all this time the car shuddered under rough roads, but now it feels a lil better. Perhaps it's because the Azenis was a sports tyre, but could also be caused by them being old.

A Falken Azenis ST115 when it was new in 2005:



A worn-out Falken Azenis ST115 in 2008:



A new Yokohama A-Drive:



Also got the 155 its 1st polish since getting its new coat of paint. Persuaded the car wash dude to extend the Raya promotional price of RM60 (compared to the usual RM80). The results were really good, with it looking ridiculously shiny at noon. Even Joseph said the police would saman, saying it "menghalang penglihatan".

Some pics of the polished ride, with new A-Drives...







That's all for now,

PEACE and God Bless,
Aris Tee