Been looking at things positively of late. Well, numerous things haven't been goin well during the last couple of months, there were a few setbacks but I'm not about to let them bring me down. I'm gonna be upbeat bout everything now, I'm gonna work even harder for my goals and I'm hoping for the best. Things seem to appear better, you get joy from the simplest of things and, the bad don't affect you as much as they used to and even people feel happier. Let's just hope I can keep this up~
PEACE and God Bless,
Aris Tee
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Raging Bond
007’s back, and this time he wants revenge…
How far would you go to avenge the death of the one you love? That is possibly the question hovering James Bond’s mind as he seeks retribution in Quantum of Solace, the 22nd instalment of the highly successful franchise. Broken and betrayed by lover Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, Bond will stop at nothing to seek answers.
Once again played by Daniel Craig and taking place roughly an hour after the previous adventure, the movie opens up on a high note, with a breathtaking, fast-paced car chase down the Alps between Bond’s Aston Martin DBS and two Alfa Romeo 159s. This was however followed by an opening theme song that was rather forgettable by Bond standards, lacking that certain catchiness that made them iconic.
This time Agent 007 is out to get corrupt businessman and rogue environmentalist Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) who attempts to control the entire water supply of Bolivia for his own gain. Looking all goggle-eyed, Greene does seem rather funny at times.
Teaming up with Bond is the beautiful Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who’s out to get a corrupt Bolivian dictator who raped and burned her family. Bond doesn’t go to bed with her, instead it’s the similarity between the two that connects them together and differentiates Camille from the typical Bond girl.
Making her little mark in the movie as well is Agent Fields (Gemma Arterton), an MI6 consulate in Bolivia. Do keep an eye as there is a scene which mimics the one in Goldfinger. Judi Dench returns with a wonderful performance as M, who seems to be watching over 007 almost maternally, and Bond even confirms it in a line during the movie.
Like most Bond flicks, the adventure takes us to more exotic locations, and a nice touch was the way each location were spelled out with fancy typefaces that match the features of the country. The movie is action-packed from start to end, with Bond chasing baddies on rooftops, through sea, air, and pretty much every angle you could think of. It is almost as if the movie makers had a serious case of envy over the Bourne trilogy and tried to make Bond a furious killing machine.
Gone is the suaveness of 007, replaced by a man with inconsolable rage which sees him kill almost every lead to the case, leaving most clues at a dead end, something a good detective should never do (and makes M furious of course!).
He is also after the notorious Mr.White, who is responsible for Vesper’s death. The mess of emotions running in his mind is perhaps the reason why Bond is so vicious this time around and not a man of many words. It’s almost as if the essence of Bond is lacking, along with his humour.
Craig is excellent as Bond, but the amount of action leaves him lesser room to showcase his acting skills. Agent 007 didn’t even get to introduce himself as “Bond, James Bond” this time around.
Quantum of Solace is by no means a disappointment. It only appears so because Casino Royale was perhaps one of the best-made Bond movies of late. Action dominates over storyline this time around, and with a shorter running time of below two hours, it’s more like a sequel that seeks answers rather than a whole new Bond adventure. The number of thrills in this movie is something not to be missed by action-lovers. Just make sure you catch Casino Royale first in order to enjoy it fully.
3 out of 5 Stars
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Don’t Mess with Payne
Don’t Mess with Payne
Max Payne is a man with nothing to lose. Based on the highly-popular computer game of the same name, Max Payne is a dark action thriller that shows what happens when a man is pushed to the limit. Having lost his wife, his baby girl, and even his work partner, Payne has lost everything. Mark Wahlberg stars as titular maverick cop who journeys into the dark underworld to avenge the brutal murder of his family. And just like the game, he is assisted by Mona Sax (Mila Kunis), who is also out to avenge the killing of her sister Natasha.
Instantly noticeable is the movie’s noir feel, reminiscent of graphic novels and keeping in line with the feel of the computer game. Scenes are rendered beautifully, with snowflakes and rain appearing almost fantasy-like. The gloomy feel of the movie connects us to Payne’s world, which is filled with regret, sadness and pain. Even the opening is dramatic, with Payne sinking into a dark, icy lake, narrating, “There's an army of bodies under this river, people who ran out of time, out of friends. I could feel the dead down there, reaching up to welcome me as one of their own. It was an easy mistake to make.” He is filled with revenge, and throughout the movie he is obsessed with hunting down those responsible.
A large portion of the movie revolves around the drug Valkyr, widely used in the underworld, which is said to increase one’s strength and also eliminate fear. An unfortunate side effect of the drug is hallucinations, with most users seeing ghastly things flying above them. The movie has a semi-detective-style approach to it, and slowly the connection between Valkyr and the killing of Payne’s family is revealed.
The film features a wide cast of talents like Chris O’Donnell, and Amaury Nolasco, the latter shines especially as the terrifying Jack Lupino, a former soldier obsessed with the power of Valkyr. Others include Donal Logue as Payne’s partner Alex Balder and the beautiful Olga Kurylenko as Natasha. Interesting additions are the talents of Ludacris and Nelly Furtado, who usually have more to do with singing than acting. They blend well with their roles and add a bit of flavour to the movie. There are many suspicious characters, and you might not guess who the actual culprit behind the conspiracy is.
There is a lot of tribute to the game. ‘Bullet-time’, made popular by The Matrix and highly used in the game, is done wonderfully in Max Payne. From firing a shotgun in super slow-mo to gunning down an entire squad of baddies, it is used to good effect in action scenes. Even certain key scenes are faithfully reproduced, like the revolving scene in which Payne returns home and discovers his wife and baby daughter killed. And just like the game, he gets an exciting array of awesome weapons with seemingly never-ending ammo.
A blend of spectacular visuals, suspense and thrilling action, Max Payne should appeal to action fans looking for something a little out of the ordinary, and for fans of the game, this is definitely not a movie to miss. Mark Wahlberg may not look a lot like Max Payne, but in this movie he certainly fills that role well.
3.5 Stars (Out of 5)
Max Payne is a man with nothing to lose. Based on the highly-popular computer game of the same name, Max Payne is a dark action thriller that shows what happens when a man is pushed to the limit. Having lost his wife, his baby girl, and even his work partner, Payne has lost everything. Mark Wahlberg stars as titular maverick cop who journeys into the dark underworld to avenge the brutal murder of his family. And just like the game, he is assisted by Mona Sax (Mila Kunis), who is also out to avenge the killing of her sister Natasha.
Instantly noticeable is the movie’s noir feel, reminiscent of graphic novels and keeping in line with the feel of the computer game. Scenes are rendered beautifully, with snowflakes and rain appearing almost fantasy-like. The gloomy feel of the movie connects us to Payne’s world, which is filled with regret, sadness and pain. Even the opening is dramatic, with Payne sinking into a dark, icy lake, narrating, “There's an army of bodies under this river, people who ran out of time, out of friends. I could feel the dead down there, reaching up to welcome me as one of their own. It was an easy mistake to make.” He is filled with revenge, and throughout the movie he is obsessed with hunting down those responsible.
A large portion of the movie revolves around the drug Valkyr, widely used in the underworld, which is said to increase one’s strength and also eliminate fear. An unfortunate side effect of the drug is hallucinations, with most users seeing ghastly things flying above them. The movie has a semi-detective-style approach to it, and slowly the connection between Valkyr and the killing of Payne’s family is revealed.
The film features a wide cast of talents like Chris O’Donnell, and Amaury Nolasco, the latter shines especially as the terrifying Jack Lupino, a former soldier obsessed with the power of Valkyr. Others include Donal Logue as Payne’s partner Alex Balder and the beautiful Olga Kurylenko as Natasha. Interesting additions are the talents of Ludacris and Nelly Furtado, who usually have more to do with singing than acting. They blend well with their roles and add a bit of flavour to the movie. There are many suspicious characters, and you might not guess who the actual culprit behind the conspiracy is.
There is a lot of tribute to the game. ‘Bullet-time’, made popular by The Matrix and highly used in the game, is done wonderfully in Max Payne. From firing a shotgun in super slow-mo to gunning down an entire squad of baddies, it is used to good effect in action scenes. Even certain key scenes are faithfully reproduced, like the revolving scene in which Payne returns home and discovers his wife and baby daughter killed. And just like the game, he gets an exciting array of awesome weapons with seemingly never-ending ammo.
A blend of spectacular visuals, suspense and thrilling action, Max Payne should appeal to action fans looking for something a little out of the ordinary, and for fans of the game, this is definitely not a movie to miss. Mark Wahlberg may not look a lot like Max Payne, but in this movie he certainly fills that role well.
3.5 Stars (Out of 5)
Friday, October 10, 2008
10-10-10
10-10-10
What is it with the number 10 today? Well it's the 10th of October, which happens to be the 10th month. That makes 10-10. Then when I went for the press screening of Max Payne, the hall number is 10. Now it's 10-10-10. Must be a lucky number for today. Somehow things that happened today are all so nice. The people I meet, the stuff I purchased, stuff I replaced (Well, my 2GB memory stick broke. Bummer...), the tako balls I had for lunch, the kimchi noodles after that and nice movie btw, review coming up soon. And well, some other stuff happened today making it a feel-good day for me. Just hope this stays through the whole weekend. Now if only this cold would go away...
PEACE and God Bless,
Aris Tee
What is it with the number 10 today? Well it's the 10th of October, which happens to be the 10th month. That makes 10-10. Then when I went for the press screening of Max Payne, the hall number is 10. Now it's 10-10-10. Must be a lucky number for today. Somehow things that happened today are all so nice. The people I meet, the stuff I purchased, stuff I replaced (Well, my 2GB memory stick broke. Bummer...), the tako balls I had for lunch, the kimchi noodles after that and nice movie btw, review coming up soon. And well, some other stuff happened today making it a feel-good day for me. Just hope this stays through the whole weekend. Now if only this cold would go away...
PEACE and God Bless,
Aris Tee
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Sigh...
Sigh...
"If this is not the end of oblivion, then I shall live everyday as if my life were to end on this very day."
PEACE and God Bless,
Aris Tee
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