We like to move it, move it

It's been a while since I've talked about movies or anything about the theatre...so here we go!

Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa is pretty original for a sequel... with exception for the overuse of the theme song "I Like To Move It". You would love this one especially if you liked the first movie. Another thing to note: you may not understand certain subtle references to incidents that happened in the first movie if you did not watch the earlier movie... i.e. Alex (a.k.a Alakay) the lion checking out Marty the Zebra's rear-end for the bite mark to confirm if he is talking to the correct Zebra.

The other thing that made the movie fun was the addition of some pretty interesting lines in the script. The most priceless one was with regard to the union of chimps negotiating for maternity leave when they are all male chimps (see more quotes from the movie here).

Quantum of Solace is probably the worst 007 movie I've watched. I could at least fathom the storyline in Casino Royale but the latest installment is riddled with enough black holes that it makes the story rather senseless. The character build up was well thought but the execution of the storyline was quite flawed for a Bond movie. The addition of Strawberry Fields seemed like an unnecessary diversion in the story. Besides, for a seemingly smart woman, it seems that this character was rather... under-utilized in the story.

Furthermore, although the motive of Dominic Greene (a philanthropic environmentalist with a dark side) was disclosed towards the later part of the movie, it was poorly explained... and if you happen to have dozed through the 5 seconds of the view of the underground water source and did not read any synopsis or spoilers for the movie... you will be hell bent trying to figure out what was the actual evil angle of the movie.

Among other things, I can't really fathom why the movie was named Quantum of Solace. Like seriously, are we talking about the consolation required by Bond, Bond girl Camille, and MI6 for the betrayal that each of them have suffered?

Lastly, if anyone paid attention to the ending of the movie... did you notice that Dominic Greene was found with oil in his stomach and 2 bullets shot through the back of his head? How did he get shot from the back when he was left all alone in the desert without a gun and no civilization in sight? Again... it all boils down to a badly written script.

Wanted is one of those movies that you would probably want to watch for the special effects and if you are an Angelina Jolie fan... you watch it because Jolie is in it. It's been a while since I've watched this movie so I took a look at the IMDB writeup first. I didn't know this was based on a comic book. That would explain how the more wacky concepts of manipulation of a bullet's path came about.

The other thing that I am sure most of us can identify with from this movie is the feeling of being in an office with a bully of a boss/supervisor. It kind of reminds one of statistics with regard to the top reason(s) of why people would leave their well-paying jobs.

Mamma Mia is based on the theatrical portrayal of the same name. Having watched this performed way back in 2004 by the Australasian theatre tour group during my trip to Singapore, the movie does appear to come a poor second. Maybe this is because I normally find that theatrical productions are more expressive and comical compared to the movie portrayals.

However, to be fair, I think Meryl Streep was superb in her role as Donna the mum with an interesting past; Julie Walters was amazingly hilarious in her supporting role as the tomboyish Rosie and one of Donna's best friends; the 3 actors playing the 3 guys from Donna's past were quite interesting to watch... especially during the flashback scene when they were in the hippy/disco-age of the 60s/70s. Oh... and I didn't think that Pierce Brosnan was that much of a singer. The other actors were way better in the voice department.

p/s: I would recommend watching the theatrical portrayal... so if you have a chance to catch the performance at the end of this month in Istana Budaya... go for it! It will be worth it if theatrical performances are your cup of tea.

Another rare update and more random thoughts

In just a blink of an eye, it is almost time to greet yet another new year. However, much has happened in this short time. We've all seen the effects of the worldwide economic downturn. We have also not seen the end of violence and unrest in the world we know today.

Just a quick update on all sorts of stuff that I have in my head that I would like to share with all my buddies who do take a peek here once in a while...

1. For those who know where I work:
As far as the rumors that you have heard, there is some kind of reorganization. Due to this reason, many of us have been redeployed to other departments. Most of us have been given the option to take on a role that we would like to move into. While others were comfortable to continue seeking for a front line role, I managed to find myself in a back-end support type of role within the company. I am thankful that I have found my way into something closer to my interest and what I do best.

2. Regarding the recent disruptions of peace in Thailand:
In some way, I must say that I am glad that although we see a lot of argument about positions of power amongst our politicians (they could invest more time in spending more brain power on plans to help promote the healthy growth for the nation in all necessary areas... but oh well...) it has not come to a point that the public will hold innocent people hostage by forcing the shutdown of an International Airport. It really makes a person think twice if one should ever fly into Bangkok in the immediate future for any reason.

3. Regarding the recent terrorist act of violence in India:
In short, terrorism is not dead. It still haunts us all. After the Bali episodes, people grew a sense of paranoia about traveling there. With the recent incident in India where the similarity is the intention to strike where most tourists are (main targets being the Jewish), it makes one feel all the more cautious about traveling out of one's own country. Irregardless of who is the main target, the terrorists out there just doesn't care at all if non-targets are affected at all... it's sick... and really wrong... but what can average Joes and Janes like us do? All we can do is sit around and watch... and if we happen to know someone is in the affected area... we worry too. It's sad the way things are in the world.