Review Pendek : Arthur Christmas

Yang aku suka:

Part kelakar yang consistent, bukan hanya pada permulaan cerita je, tapi sampai habis ada je part yang buat orang gelak. 

Suka sebab dorang gabungkan both body gags & witty dialogues untuk buat lawak lebih terkesan.

Filem ni fokus kat 2 tema penting pada pandangan aku. 2 benda ni berjaya buatkan aku sebak jap (tapi tak nangis ye, control macho konon2nya).

1) Mencari identiti - kes tatau identiti diri ni bukan hanya berlaku dikalangan remaja yang nak beralih masuk dewasa aje, tapi berlaku kat orang-orang tua da pencen yang dah kehilangan matlamat hidup. Dalam AC Tok Santa abeskan masa mabuk2. Kalau kat Malaysia atuk2 abeskan masa minom2 kat kedai kopi. 

2) Belajar membezakan apa yang penting & apa yang patut let go - Pak Santa yang tugasnya jadi figurehead tu payah bebeno nak lepaskan "watak" dia sebab takut jadi macam Tok Santa, tak tahu apa yang dia boleh buat selain jadi Santa. Tok Santa pulak susah nak terima hakikat yang zaman dia dah berlalu (familiar tak? *hintpolitikkatmalaysia*). Abang Santa yang ala-ala General belakang tabir pulak tak sabar-sabar nak tunggu Pak Santa letak jawatan & lantik dia jadi Santa baru sebab dia rasa dia lagi layak. 

Yang aku tak suka: 

Part buat operasi hantar hadiah Christmas tu. Mak aih, sungguh pening kepala tengok scenes berkaitan. 

Eh, ni je yang aku tak suka eh? Hahaha.

Kesimpulan:

Inilah baru orang kata "filem sesuai untuk tontonan seisi keluarga".

Tiada unsur-unsur seksual dan keganasan.

Banyak buat orang berfikir pasal asam-garam kehidupan sambil bergelak-ketawa.

Kalau aku ada anak aku bawak dia tengok cerita ni, instead of that nonsense called Puss in Boots.

Don't even get me started on Ombak Rindu haha.

Bintang: 

****1/2

ada seorang manusia yang kalau wa jumpa dia dalam masa terdekat ni memang confirm wa buat-buat tak kenal.
si bongok!

null

otak kosong. mau buat sesuatu.
sepatutnya otak kosong ni sesuai untuk sambung stadi bahasa tapi takde mood.
lee dahae dah master mandarin lepas belajar sendiri 5 tahun.
ko ade?
apa pun tarak.
blaja malas, keje malas, nak mendonlot malas, nak membaca malas, nak tido pun malas.
bahaya oh bila start takde mood nak buat mende yang bese buat ni.
pernah belajar pasal tanda2 nak depress? itu la salah satunye.
tak bole jadi, esok kene kuar amek angin & buang duit *buat gaya gary stress*

Nya!

What I'm following / watching / in my back log (11/11/11):

JP - Kaseifu no Mita, Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de, Youkai Ningen Bem, 11nin mo Iru!, Sengyou Shufu Tantei ~ Watashi wa Shadow, Kaitou Royale, Bitter Sugar
KR - Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Man of Honor, Ojakgyo Family
TW - none
CN - none
HK - Beyond The Realm of Conscience
TH - none
US - Castle season 4, The Mentalist season 4, Once Upon a Time season 1, Grimm season 1, Bones season 7, The Secret Circle season 1, Ringer season 1, Raising Hope season 2, New Girl season 1


What I enjoy the most from the bunch:

11nin mo Iru
- All about a family consists of Daddy, Mommy, and their eight children plus a GHOST. Yes, that's the 11th "person".

Youkai Ningen Bem
- Kinda slow at times, but they have poignant stories to tell. It's about a trio of "monsters" who are looking for the ultimate way to become human beings despite people around them showing us how hideous human beings are as compared to these "monsters".

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop
- I confess, I wanted to watch this at first because of our Scheduler. Ended up loving the fast-paced story and delectable leads.

Once Upon a Time
- Welcome to Storybrooke, the town where all characters in fairy tales resided with no memory of their original lives. Time stands still until the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming appeared to return back her biological son to his mother, the Mayor/Evil Queen. I love how they twist and interweave stories from the fairy tales with stories that occur at the town in present time.

The Secret Circle
- They have witches. Who are still teenagers. Demons and witch hunters are after these kids. For the time being, they haven't realize the existence of another duo who make scarier enemies. And please, either kill Jake or let him pay for his betrayal.

New Girl
- Quirky, but melikes. Who's that girl? Who's that girl? It's Jess!

New My Fair Princess (新还珠格格) Episode 01 - 02

 

Episode 01 - 02 deal with the introduction of Xiao Yanzi, the Liu siblings,  Ziwei, Jinsuo, the Fu brothers, new character Benjamin, and the royal family members. Basically, it tells the story of Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei's fateful meeting and their journey (hijinks?) together as good sisters. Episode 02 ended with XYZ volunteering to find the emperor on behalf of the physically weak Ziwei only to get struck with Yongqi's arrow.  

Fans of the original version would feel familiar since the beginning of this remake is pretty much the same as the previous version. I myself skipped few scenes since I already know the story. 

Maybe it's just me, but in terms of acting I think this new bunch of cast is better than their predecessor.

I like how they not only incorporated this new English guy Benjamin into the story, they even change Xiao Yanzi's street performance from kungfu to magic shows. It was so fun seeing simple magic routines being done with the Qianlong reign's city as its background.

 

In term of chemistry, I'm sorry but I'm not feeling the jiemei (sisterly?) bond between Ziwei and Xiao Yanzi yet.

Oh and to be honest, episode 01 seems rather dull despite the colourful costumes and pretteh scenery. 

 

Melikes episode 02 more for one obvious reason, my Qiu Xinzhi ge's Emperor Qianlong finally grace my humble screen with his presence. *starry eyes*

 

 Those interested to watch, do head over to Tudou or Youtube. 

This is my world.

What I'm following / watching / in my back log:

JP - Soredemo Ikiteyuku, Meitantei Conan Live Action, Marumo no Okite, Deka Wanko, Mother, Q10, Gou

KR - Baby-Faced Beauty, Can You Hear My Heart, Spy Myung Wol, Manny, Royal Family, Joseon X-Files, Romance Town

TW - Drunken To Love You, Hayate The Combat Butler, Fairy Tale Under The Starlight

CN - New My Fair Princess, Clothing The World

HK - The Rippling Blossom

TH - Khuu Khane Saen Ruk

US - Switched at Birth, Covert Affairs 2, Melissa and Joey, State of Georgia

What I've finished recently:

JP - JIN 2, BOSS 2, Asuko March

KR - 49 Days

TW - Me, My Brother

CN - Jade Palace Lock Heart

HK - Ghetto Justice

TH - Wayupak Montra

US - Bones 6, The Mentalist 3, Castle 3

See how diverse I am? The only ones I'm not willing to watch are our own local Malay dramas and Indonesian sinetrons. Phillipine's novelas I still can accept, but they take too long to finish lor.

No, not Nur Kasih. Not Nora Elena either. I watched both but they aren't my cup of tea.

Hmmm, the upcoming The Princess' Man looks really pretteh, so might give it a try. It's been a while since my last sageuk watching experience - Dong Yi.

Ouran Koukou Host Club Live Action is a must see, no matter how much it's going to suck. I just love the Ouran world too much to care for anything else. Am considering Arakawa Under The Bridge Live Action too hoho. Meanwhile, watching Ikemen desu ne's teaser alone left quite a sour taste in my mouth. I probably won't be following that one, unless the kids' acting proven to be on par with their Korean counterparts.

Malas dah nak maintain appearance yang konon-konon diri agak intelligent.
Hell, I'm really not anyway.

I'm one of those avid followers of drama series.
The phrase "she'll die if she has nothing to watch" is invented solely to describe me.
My life is surrounded with drama series and movies.
I practically grew up with them.
At this point I don't think I'll be able to leave behind drama watching.
It's a part of me, and I'm done denying the importance of it to my sanity.
You can call me anything, I won't care anymore.

LONG LIVE ASIAN DRAMA SERIES!

49 Days finale

Spent a good 10 minutes crying over Jihyun's demise. 

To be honest, I've been reading the recaps over Dramabeans when the drama's still running. 

I knew Jihyun's going to die, yet I can't stop the tears once she cheerfully told her parents "I'm happy to be born as your daughter" moments before her sudden death.

*cries*

I love how 49 Days focused on cherishing one's life and put the romance as number 2 (or 3, depending on your view).

For me, this is like I'm Sorry, I Love You : Lite version - without the extreme angst, which is nice.

Saya suka sebab watak utama - seorang perempuan yang agak slow, tapi cheerful, baik hati & ikhlas. 

In fact, sebab dia terlampau baik & ikhlas dalam kata-kata & perbuatan dia tu lah ramai kawan-kawan Jihyun persoalkan kejujuran dia dalam bersahabat; they won't believe that such person exist - she must be faking her kindness T__T

Walaupun tunang & sahabat baik sendiri tikam dia dari belakang, ditambah dengan syarikat ayah yang dilanda krisis & ayahnya sendiri ada tumor, semangat Jihyun untuk meneruskan hidup sangat mengkagumkan saya.

Kerana Jihyun lah Yikyung & Kang seperti "tersedar dari lena" dan menjalani hidup seolah-olah mereka hanya ada 49 hari.

Kerana Jihyun juga Seowoo, Injung, Minho menjadi insan-insan yang lebih baik.

Lantas saya terkenang kembali kata-kata seorang profesor dalam sebuah variety show korea - apa yang penting dalam hidup adalah untuk kamu tahu apa tujuan kamu hidup, apa yang menggembirakan kamu, dan menerima segala masalah yang dihadapi sebagai sesuatu yang normal dalam hidup.

Towards the end however, saya persoalkan kenapa hidup ni begitu tak adil kepada seorang Jihyun yang tiada buat salah apa-apa & bekerja kuat untuk mengembalikan rohnya ke badan dalam masa 49 hari - only to find that she only has 6 days to live.

Saya rasa nak lempang diri sendiri bila scene Jihyun cakap, "These 49 days is a blessing".

Ya, saya nak tampar diri sendiri tu sebab sebagai orang Islam, saya lupa pada qada' & qadar.

Everything happens for a reason.

And aren't you glad when you get to watch something that is mind-stimulating & cause you to reassess your state of life instead of some pure mindless entertainment junk? :)

P.S. Rindu pulak pada Scheduler aka Yisoo. Grim reaper rock gitu!

Thoughts on Castle 3x24

I thought the good Captain's going to smoothly retire. 

Too bad I didn't pick up the hint behind his decision to head for early retirement :(

So, the mystery behind Beckett's mother's death still isn't solved. 

Who's this powerful figure playing puppet master behind the scene?

I wish Montgomery told Beckett about the whole deal before he went on his kamikaze mission.

I wonder what is the significance of the documents that Montgomery sent before his death.

And that was one shocking ending scene!

Beckett got shot, Castle finally confessed his undying love for her, and walla, THE END.

3 months are too long a wait XD

Overall, I feel satisfied with almost all episodes of this season. 

Castle is getting better with time.

Though I kind of hope they put a closure to Beckett's mom's case and move on to new arc soon ^^

Dear Season 4,
More witty dialogues, please!

Your Faithful Fan.

At long last

Tiba-tiba rindu nak update blog, boleh?

Haven't wrote a single entry since I started my internship.

Oh, well. Life's quite all right I guess. 

Finally accepted the fact that I could've been through a much worse situation despite the fact that the tasks I'm doing nowadays bear little connection to my course.

Hey, at least I'll received RM200 per month!

And I have a kind-hearted officers who won't leave me alone without tasks to be done LOL (seriously, I might've ended up slitting my wrist out of boredom if not because of them giving me works).

I know some people will think lowly of those who choose to do their internships in government sector, but I pretty much feel like I'm working in a private one due to the nature of my department. 

Even my fellow coursemate who's doing her internship at the same place is afraid to ask me to go to her department because she claims "your department has a weird culture!".

Indeed!

Secret Garden 17

Okay.

I admit it.

I cried.

It's sad.

But someone please enlighten me.

How long will this soul-swapping thing last?

I thought they have established the main reason to cause the soul-swap (other than the medicinal wine, of course) is the RAIN?

So.

RI will only have to be under the rain again and walla, back to their own respective bodies.

So what's the point of making the "event" so DRAMATIC? (I'm so tempted to use GRAND)

Hmmph, have to wait for episode 18.

Another thing.

I thought she's in coma?

Wouldn't it be consider as endangering her life when JW just swooshes in and swoops her up, out of the hospital door?

I guess I'm too much of a realist to watch this fantasy rom-com.

Of the so called idols

Saw Happy Together 3 with 2AM & KARA as guests. 

Seriously 2AM guys? 

Didn't you guys learn anything else during your training days other than dancing, singing, and speaking Chinese, English, & Japanese? 

(Hey, I can do those. Except for the dancing part and the fact that I sound like a frog when I sing. Duh.)

I was surprised when they started to talk about their experience in Malaysia, of how shocked they were when they saw women wearing hijab approaching them and know how to speak simple Korean greetings. 

Those BOYS actually thought that women wearing hijab (read: Muslim ladies) supposedly only talk to their family members (read: their muhrims). 

You see, in my book, that means they believed that women wearing hijab (more accurately - women covering their aurat) are a group of people whose lives are oppressed and don't have freedom to do as they want. 

What a bunch of narrow minded guys, I tell ya. (or more likely a bunch of guys who didn't really care about the world outside except for their targeted "market".)

I might get bashed by 2AM fans haha XD

I think their fanclub is called IAM or something.

I don't know. Neither a fan nor a hater here.

I do occasionally listen to their songs though.

Hmm, I would like to think that they've since learned more about other religions, cultures, and countries.

Let's move on to something else then. 

A very interesting topic that revolves around the Korean idol world these days is the Twitter "war" (more like Twitter's calling names match) caused by some people who fans known as Top Idols.

Specifically, Junsu (of JYJ/DBSK) vs. SME artistes.

Really. This reminds me of the Indonesian vs. Malaysian Twitter war during the 1st leg of AFF Suzuki Cup final.

I don't know why I even address this when I'm not a fan of any.

And no, I'm not a fan of any Japanese "idols" either.

You see, I'm the half-empty cup type of person.

It's hard for me to believe a person, especially celebrities.

Even a normal person always projected different kind of personality in order to survive. *shrugs*

I do adore the powerful vocals of some singers though :)


On another entirely different note, did anyone watch Keizoku 2 SPEC?
Did you see the [SPOILER] Ninomae's house bombing attempt [/SPOILER] scene?

Why did they put the word As-Salam on the bomb? o_O
Are they trying to make fun of one of 99 Allah names?
Or.
Are they trying to be sarcastic by putting the word "peace" on the fatal bomb?
Or.
Are they trying to be funny since bombing incidents are usually associated with Islamic extremists?
Or.
Am I going crazy? XD

Maa na, I guess I'll stop here for now.

Guilty Final Episode

Dear Show,
Really? You ended just like that? With that pathetic excuse for melo-cide-kiss (I don't know what to call it XD) as the final scene?
She should've spent her lifetime behind the bars to atone for her sins damn it!
And sorry Show, I can't accept the leads so called romance plot.
Not convincing enough.
Tamaki & Kanno don't have chemistry you know.
They don't even look like they can become good friends for God sake!
On the other hand, I would love to get a vial of that poison she took.
Looks really potent and not that painful, isn't it?