Movie Reviews: Infernal Affairs Trilogy

I'm always a big fan of Oscar winning hits. So far, no American film which bagged Best Picture disappointed me except for Slumdog Millionaire. The Departed was an enjoyable crime movie, obviously because of Martin Scorsese whom gave us all time classics (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas) with Godfather alumni and multiple Oscar winner Robert DeNiro.

But The Departed is a remake. So it was necessary for me to watch the original art.


Much like The Departed, Infernal Affairs is a fast paced crime thriller. A cat and mouse game played by the cops and criminals. Much in the vein of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino's Heat. But there's a shred of difference that makes it very intriguing. An undercover cop infiltrating the Mafia... I mean Triads as well as a Triad member infiltrating the Police Force.

The plot is essentially identical to The Departed but directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak created a universe more intense and psychological compared to it's Hollywood counterpart. The Departed follows a typical tone of a Martin Scorsese film... A violent, dirty and cynical half of the American society. Infernal Affairs digs deep into the minds of Chan Wing Yan(Tony Leung) and Lau Kin Ming(Andy Lau).

Not to be missed are the performances of comedian Eric Tsang from the Super Trio Show as Triad Boss Hon Sam and Anthony Wong as Superintendent Wong Chi-Shing. I'd mark Anthony Wong as the one who gives the best acting among the main cast. Too bad he was given the backseat was killed early in the film. Don't worry, we'll see much of him in the prequel Infernal Affairs II.

However, this film is a little bit boring compared to it's successor. Maybe it's because I've watched The Departed long enough to anticipate the next move. But it's like reading Mario Puzo's The Godfather, you need to respect the original.

The pairing of Tony Leung and Andy Lau is also quite effectve. A reminiscent of the teaming of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in Heat.

8.0/10... Actually 6.5 but additional marks are given for inspiring an Oscar winner.




I'd like to identify Infernal Affairs II as a superior prequel to it's predecessor. The directing team of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak
takes the prequel in a more intense and productive story with a darker and more cynical tone. In the way that The Godfather Part II delved back into Brando's Don's formative years, Infernal Affairs II fleshes out beginning of Yan(Shawn Yue) and Ming(Edison Chen) as undercover components in opposing sides. It also explores the early friendship of Superintendent Wong and Hon Sam during their early days during the early to mid 1990's.

However, I find certain plot points simillar to The Godfather series, particularly The Godfather Part II. That's why I like it...LOL.

The subplot involving veteran Mob boss Ngai Kwun's death in the hands of Ming(prior to his days as Hon Sam's mole in the police force) and the rise and takeover of his son Ngai Wing-Hau(Francis Ng) parallels the end of The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.

Ngai Kwun was the boss of bosses/Capo di tutti capi of the Triad five families. Much like Vito Corleone,all bosses need to have his permission in business dealings. Hon Sam's scheming wife Mary(Carina Lau) ordered Ming to push the button so her husband could take over. The other "big four" bosses conspire to topple Wing Hau to consolidate their power. Much like the scenario in The Godfather Part II where Hyman Roth, Fredo Corleone and Frank Pentangelli rubbed out Michael Corleone.

At the same time, Superintendent Wong is relying on Hon Sam for information and sends out Yan as a mole in Wing Hau's mob. It is revealed that Yan came from a mobster background. Things got ugly as Ngai Wing Hau found out Mary Hon conspired with Superintendent Wong to kill Ngai Kwun. Superintendent Wong is demoted and is pending trial for conspiracy murder. However, he is receiving support from police force who will stop at nothing to bring down Ngai Wing Hau. Superintendent Wong gets his nerve after Wing Hau bombs his friend's car.

Wing Hau also rubs out the big four and Hon Sam in retaliation for their refusal to co-operate. However, Mary Hon worked alone and Hon Sam is very loyal to Wing Hau. The killings of Wing Hau's enemies occurred at the same time. Flashes of each assassination come spontaneously much like all 3 Godfather movies. Wing Hau also sends his family to Hawaii in the ensuing war.

Mary Hon goes into hiding after Ming saves her. Ming begins to flirt with Mary who angrily berates him and attempts to meet her husband in Thailand but is violently mowed down by a car driven by Wing Hau's henchmen.

Hon Sam also stays in Thailand and attempts to conspire with a Thai drug dealer to overthrow their respective bosses. Superintendent Wong enlists Hon Sam's help to testify against Wing Hau but runs away at the last minute. In turns out Hon Sam's That buddies have held Wing Hau's family hostage. Wing Hau holds Hon Sam at gunpoint with Superintendent Wong and his men asking him to stand down. Before Wing Hau could pull the trigger, Superintendent Wong shoots him in the head. A devastated Yan cradles his dying half brother in front of his own comrades.

This film distinguishes itself from the original to explore a more gangster orientated storyline and a violent mob war. The film is quite complicated but isn't confusing. Finally, Anthony Wong's character is shown full circle as Edison Chen and Shawn Yue are given the backseat. Eric Tsang plays a jollier version of Hon Sam before his downfall.

However, Francis Ng plays his character of Ngai Wing Hau identical to Al Pacino's Michael Corleone from The Godfather Part II.As happened with Pacino's Michael Corleone, Ngai the family's rank outsider suddenly develops into its main man, and he sets out to avenge his dead father, as well as take on the other Triad clan. Wing Hau also points out his father's ways and quotes and is a strong family man also like Michael Corleone.

Whereas Francis Ford Coppola weaved The Godfather into his narrative, here it remains very much on the margins. Thankfully, at its core, it's a skillful, absorbing crime thriller.

8.7/10... The best Hong Kong film not to be participated by Stephen Chow I've ever seen.



Unlike it's predecessor, Infernal Affairs III doesn't measure up to the previous 2 movies and it's only motivation is to end the story and make Lau Kin Ming "pay for his sins" like Coppola's The Godfather Part III. This sequel explores Yan's final months investigating Hon Sam's dealings with a mainland triad boss Shen(Chen Daoming). Also in the picture is another of Hon Sam's police moles Inspector Yeung.

In the process, Yan gets into trouble and is introduced to psychiatric treatment with Dr Lee(Kelly Chen), his love interest in the first film.

It also flashes back and forth into the days after Yan's death. Inspector Yeung is working to reveal Hon Sam's still thriving mole. Andy Lau returns as Ming, now paranoid of his previous actions is hitting on Inspector Yeung hard to prove him as the mole, giving him some breathing space.

Over time, Ming becomes paranoid and is hallucinating himself as Yan trying to find the mole. In the end, he found the edvidence he needed and proceeds to arrest Yeung. Before he could play the tapes, Shen appears and plays the tape provided by Yan, proving that Ming is the mole. Ming begs for forgiveness and in a moment of madness shoots down Yeung fatally. He attempts suicide but only manages to cause brain damage and lives the rest of his life haunted and mad.

This film is a poor effort to cash in the series and is hastily assembled. Only the ending portraying Ming's downfall is worth watching. the plot involving Yan and Hon Sam's dealing with Shen doesn't come to terms with the original film. The romantic sub-plot involving Yan and Dr Lee is kinda boring.

It's like The Godfather Part III of the series. The plot being too outlandish and convoluted, as well as the storyline being too based on continuity, rather than just a "stand alone" story. It's impossible to understand this film without watching the first film. It is also confusing with footage of Yan alive and dead showing up without any indicating of time frame. This flashback sequence is a pun of The Godfather Part II with footage of the rise of both Michael Corleone and Vito Corleone. However, the timeframe shifting in The Godfather Part II occurs only 4 times and plays for at least 20 minutes for Vito's story. Infernal Affairs III does this more than a dozen times.

To me, it's just "another Hong Kong movie"... 4.5/10

Movie Reviews: Die Hard Quadrilogy

Screw Rambo... John McClane is the Hollywood's coolest human action hero(the coolest ever action hero is Terminator). Having watched Die Hard 4.0 a handful of times and Die Hard 2: Die Harder on TV, I finished the puzzle by buying a Die Hard 4 in 1 DVD.




Die Hard begins when NYPD cop John McClane visits his wife at the Nakatomi plaza, a corporate skyscraper on Christmas Eve. A group of terrorists led by the icy Hans Gruber(Alan Rickman who played Snape in Harry Potter) takes control of the city. Fortunately for them, the security guards are killed off easily BUT unfortunately, there's McClane.

McClane makes a few kills and gains an MP5 SMG's plus some magazines, some C4 and detonators, European cigarettes and lighter from his kills. He tries to steal a shoe as he was barefoot in his wife's room when the chaos ensued. He throws it off saying "Nine million terrorists in the world and I get to kill one with feet smaller than my sister." This proved to be McClane's undoing because the men shot the glasses and forced McClane to flee with a bleeding foot.

McClane makes a few attempts to call for back-up. He gets back-up in the form of Sgt Al Powell(Reginald VelJohnson)a cop who sits behind the desk who gets his first taste of action when McClane called.

The terrorists mysteriously lacked motives and demands unlike others. In the end, it appears that Hans and his goons wanted the trade bonds secured in the Nakatomi building worth 800 million dollars.

However all ends well when McClane kills em all.

Not surprisingly, this film set a new standard for action films and launched Bruce Willis into Hollywood. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first choice for John McClane but director John McTiernan turned him down. Obviously Arnie didn't have the cowboy persona that John McClane has. Arine also lacks the humor and fast talking persona of John McClane. Kudos to Bruce Willis. I couldn't imagine someone other than Bruce Willis playing John McClane... Van Damme? Stallone? Steven Seagal? BOOOO...

Alan Rickman also did a good job playing Hans Gruber, the villain. He's sort of a more quiet and sinister version of an Al Pacino character. A charming sociopath + gentleman.

Die Hard is an awesome action film. Quite logic, packed with gunfights and explosion that put Rambo to shame. McClane is also part of the treat. A tough but funny guy who often jokes and laughs in the face of death. Hard to imagine Arnie doing the same.

This movie has a solid 8.5/10....

Also, my dad took my mom to see this show on a date before I was born... Jeez, good movie but not for lovebirds...LOL




Bruce Willis returns as John McClane in the sequel. McClane recently moved to the LAPD to spend more time with his wife and kids. This time, his wife's life is again jeopardised when American rebel mercenaries thwart the airport's communication and landing systems, forcing the planes to circle the area with the risks of running out of fuel. Guess what, it's Christmas again and John McClane is going the distance to avoid his wife's plane to crash.

The mercenaries led by Colonel Stuart(William Salder) are aiming to collect their ally, General Ramon Esperanza(Franco Nero), a drug lord and dictator of Val Verde(fictional country).

Now, this sequel takes John McClane outdoors. From the baggage area to the runway to the underground tunnels. This film has bigger explosions(planes exploding) and more gunfights that the first film. The climax is when John McClane brawls with Colonel Stuart and his conspirator Major Grant on the wing of Esperanza's plane... Cool stuff eh?

Despite being an efficient and terrific action entertainment, this film lacked one vital part. A good villain. General Ramon Esperanza, Colonel Stuart and Major Grant just doesn't measure up to the standard set by Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber in Die Hard. However, we get to see Robert Patrick(the T-1000 liquid villain in Terminator 2: Judgment Day) as O'Reilly, one of Major Stuart's soldiers in his film's debut. Although he almost kicks Arnold's ass, he is easily shot down by John McClane... SWT...

John McTiernan refused to return to the director's chair. He chose to make the popular The Hunt For Red October instead. He is replaced by Renny Harlin who later directed other action machines such as Stallone's Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea and recently 12 Rounds with John Cena...

Of course you'll enjoy and laugh off this movie... A respectable 7/10....




Die Hard: With A Vengeance marks the return of John McTiernan to the director's chair. Also, John McClane is now divorced and has since returned to the NYPD.

This time, a mysterious terrorist by the name of Simon plays a game with the NYPD particularly with McClane. The game called "Simon Says" tasks McClane to push his limits by doing near impossible tasks with the threat of blowing up a public place should McClane fails.

This time, McClane has a partner. Zeus Carver(the one and only SAMUEL L JACKSON), an Afro-American extremist who hates white men including McClane. However, he is pulled into Simon's scheme when he saves McClane's life, interfering with Simon's original game plan.

It turns out Simon is actually Simon Gruber, the big brother of Hans Gruber from the first film. In his games, he attempts to humiliate and mock McClane in public in retaliation of McClane's killing of his little brother. Simon is as cunning as his brother and is certainly more aggressive and ruthless. Hans is primarily a schemer but Simon is both a schemer and a front line soldier.

Behind his revenge is to steal the gold bullion from Wall Street. Like his brother, Simon is both a terrorist and big time thief.

The third film is my least favorite of the four Die Hard films. Although it marks the return of a cheesier and icier villain, Simon Gruber(Jeremy Irons. He played the equally icy Scar in Lion King) but it lacks gunfight and brawls. McClane also sheds most of his humor and jokes less on-screen. However, the notion of Bruce Willis teaming up with Samuel L Jackson gives the film it's redeeming quality. It is also the darkest film in the series, with McClane being an angry guy after being humiliated by Simon's games.

This film is good, but not as good as it's predecessors or successor. It is interesting yet not so exciting. A favorable 6.5/10 for this one...




Die Hard 4.0 brings John McClane into the 21st century. A group of hackers plan to decimate the United States government by taking out all transportation, stock markets, utilities, electricity etc. Despite the age of technology, John McClane is still there to save the day.

This is the biggest film of the Die Hard series. It has a cool villain(the hacker) and an interesting plot. More gunfights, explosions, McClane taking on a F-22 Raptor jet. Also there is a scene where John McClane and a hot kungfu chick kicking each other's asses. Although McClane retains his trademark humor, it is considerably less compared to the first two films. Maybe McClane is now a wiser man.

Die Hard 4.0 is only surpassed by the first film. 8.0/10

New Movie Reviews

I'll start off with critically acclaimed Oscar winning films...



Silver screen legend Jack Nicholson bagged his first Oscar for Best Actor in this film beating Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon and I can't disagree. It'll be a kick to watch Jack Nicholson's trademark over-the-top laugh.

The story goes with Nicholson's character Randall Patrick McMurphy, a social misfit and a rebel of the outside world(much like me). He fakes insanity and enters a mental hospital and befriends the wackos there. The film consists of an ensemble cast excluding Nicholson with all inspiring acting. Brad Dourif(famous for supplying the voice of Chucky in Child's Play) plays the vulnerable and shy yet friendly Billy Bibbit, Dourif got an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Danny DeVito(Twins, Batman Returns, Junior) plays the always-smiling midget Mr Martini, and Red Indian actor Will Sampson as the mute and delusional Chief, Sydney Lasick as Charlie Cheswick. My best pick is Max Taber played by Christopher Lloyd(who played Doc in Back to the Future).

McMurphy tries to boost the patients morale and oppose the icy and tyrannical Nurse Ratched(the actress won Best Actress). He teaches Chief to play basketball, plays poker with Max Taber, Billy Bibbit, Martini and others. He also serves as a big brother figure to Billy Bibbit. McMurphy and his gang go on all wacky and comedic adventures such as stealing a bus to go deep sea fishing.

However, the comedic atmosphere turns gloomy when Cheswick challenges Nurse Ratched and demands his cigarettes. McMurphy tries to defend him but ends up beaten, luckily big 7 foot tall Chief saves the day. However, all three are taken to undergo electroshock therapy. Before the therapy, McMurphy gets chief to converse with him. Tired of Nurse Ratched's outrages activities, McMurphy stages an escape with his girlfriends and Chief on Christmas night. McMurphy holds an illegal farewell party with his friends. However, Billy Bibbit has a crush on one of McMurphy's girls. McMurphy asks Billy to go to bed with her and waits with the hospital windows opened.

Unfortunately, McMurphy fell asleep, so does everyone including Bibbit and the girl. Nurse Ratched berates Billy and the others for the mess. A scream distracts the personnel, giving McMurphy and Chief a chance to run. Instead, McMurphy fears for Billy and follows the others.Poor Billy commited suicide out of shame. Nurse Ratched asks everyone to go on with the schedule and blames McMurphy for the incident. An enraged McMurphy attempts to strangle the nurse but is knocked down by the guards. Not even Big Chief could help him.

Days later, Harding is playing poker with Max Taber, Cheswick and Martini and discusses of McMurphy's whereabouts. That night McMurphy is escorted back into the ward. Big Chief rushes to welcome his friend. It turned out Nurse Ratched drilled a hole in McMurphy's temple, rendering him mentally disabled for good. Chief tearfully begs for his friend to come back but to no avail. Unable to let McMurphy live a meaningless life, Big Chief suffocates his friend.

Big Chief, now more determined than ever, hatches an escape plan introduced by McMurphy involving breaking the windows with a heavy sink. McMurphy failed his attempt but Big Chief's 7 feet tall body breaks the sink loose and destroys the windows. Max Taber wakes up and cheers for Big Chief, waking everyone up. However, it is uncertain if all of the patients escape.

This film has a few sexually suggestive themes as well as some profanity. Other than that, a classic Oscar champion.

I give this film a 8.5/10.




Another Best Picture winner, The Deer Hunter is the most emotionally shattering film I've ever seen. Second only to Passion Of The Christ. Directed by "big budget flop king" Michael Cimino, Deer Hunter is one of two Cimino helmed films that made a profit. Cimino is known for his boundary breaking, risky and dangerous writing and directing. However The Deer Hunter made it to the top without toppling down.

Starring The Godfather alumni Robert DeNiro(Don Vito Corleone in Godfather Part II) and John Cazale(Fredo Corleone in Godfather I and II) as well as a then unknown Christopher Walken. DeNiro was nominated for Best Actor while Walken won the Best Supporting actor. Cimino bagged BestScreenplay, Best Director and Best Picture.

The film follows a group of friends. Steel factory workers and deer hunting enthusiasts. The main guys are Mikey(DeNiro), Steven, Nick(Walken) and Stanley Stosh(Cazale). The friends attend Steven's wedding less than a week before drafted into Vietnam. Later after the wedding, a drunk Mike goes nuts but Nick stops him. Nick begs Mike not to leave him alone if anything happens in Vietnam. Mike agrees.

The group goes deer hunting one last time and Nick says goodbye to his girlfriend Linda(Meryl Streep).

The film cuts to Vietnam. Mike, Nick and Steven are forced to play Russian roulette. A suicidal game where one bullet is inserted into a revolver and the cylinder is spun. The participants are forced to pull the trigger once each. Steven cheats by raising the gun above his temple so the Viet Cong dudes leave him to drown. Mike puts in three bullets for extra gains. Mike bravely pulls the trigger three times without a live round. Mike and Nick shoots the Viets down and rescue Steve.

The two drift down a river where they are spotted by a helicopter. Nick makes it but Steven falls and breaks his legs. Mike goes down after him. Nick, alone and paranoid is showing signs of insanity and heads out for Saigon's red light district. Nick enters a Russian Roulette parlor not noticing Mike is also watching the game. A Frenchman who operates the parlor encourages Nick to play. Due to his experiences, Nick is determined that he will survive every Russian Roulette game and grabs the revolver and pulls the trigger on himself and his competitor and storms off into the Frenchman's car. Mike runs after him but falls behind.

Mike returns to America alone. Steve and Nick all mysteriously have disappeared. He is reunited with Stosh and the others. They all go deer hunting again but this time Mike couldn't bring himself to fire a gun at anything, fearful of Vietnam. He also starts an affair with Linda, Nick's girlfriend. With the help of Steven's wife, Mike finds out Steven is still alive and is recovering in a Vietnam hospital.

Mike returns to Vietnam and finds out Steve has lost both his legs after the incident. Steve has also received loads of cash from "someone in Saigon". Mike determines this to be Nick and sends Steve home. Mike buys his way into the parlor with the Frenchman's help and finally sees Nick, prepping for another game. Mike tries to make Nick comes to his senses but Nick spits on him and pushes him back(the most intense scene of the whole film). Mike reluctantly agrees to play against Nick as a last resort attempt.

Mike and Nick survived their first round. Before Nick can pull the trigger again, Mike reminds him of their hunting trips. Nick finally comes to his senses but is already too emotionally drained and dazed to stop playing. He smiles to Mike and says "One shot" but Mike still tries to stop him. Nick's final shot proved to be loaded and blows his head off. Mike tries to revive him. But hey, no one can survive a headshot.

Mike keeps his promise of not abandoning Nick and brings his body home. Mike, Linda, Stosh, Steve and the others toast in their friend's honor.

This film is full of profanity. Typical 70's Oscar classics. Also abit of sexual themes. But a strong message of friendship and the side-effects of war make up for all the dirty stuff. DeNiro and Walken's acting are enjoyable.

This film would have me a 9/10. However, it's not like Star Wars or The Godfather type of film that you'll get hooked onto. The second time you watch it, you'll loose the interest.




Critically acclaimed two time winner for Best Director(Born On The Fourth Of July, Platoon) and the screenwriter of Scarface directs this intense political thriller about the mysterious assassination of John F Kennedy.

The film starts with the news headlines of JFK's murder. We are also introduced to Lee Harvey Oswald, played by Gary Oldman, JFK's "murderer". District Attorney Jim Garrison(Kevin Costner) attempts to uncover the mystery behind the inconsistencies of President Lyndon Johnson's official autopsy.

Garrison goes as far as denying President Johnson's Warren Commission and intensifies his battle against politicians and his suspect, a businessman named Clay Shaw/Clay Bertrand(Tommy Lee Jones). He also runs into trouble along the way as well as being deserted by his wife and family due to his obsession towards his case. Garrison also traced edvidence to President Johnson, the Mafia and CIA.

The story is pretty much this. But with several flashback scenarios that gives different theories of what could have happened. It also serves as a documentary that tells of the USA Government's flawed and inconsistent report. I've always believed JFK's headshot came from the front, not from Lee Harvey Oswald who's nest is behind the motorcade. But this movie solidifies my belief that Lee Harvey Oswald didn't work alone.

However, you might have a hard time understanding this movie. Being a complex movie, it has many twist and turns but keeps you glued to your seat wanting to know more. this film is also a good History lesson, better than any of the lame and slow-paced shit you find in Sejarah textbooks.

7.5/10.




As far as District 9 goes, it is essentially Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution. We take Fidel and his comrades out of the picture and replace them with aliens. INTERESTING!

It is said that a UFO docked near Johannesburg, South Africa and the aliens(nicknamed prawns) are moved to District 9, s slum area to seperate humans from prawns. The aliens are squeezed off their weaponry and technology and bullied by soldiers. To make things safe, the aliens are to be moved to District 10, and area
far from the city.

Leading the operation is Wikus, a prawn hater. He gets squirted with alien goo while investigating an alien settlement and his DNA begins to change into alien like features. He is now the only man who can operate alien weaponry because these laser guns bal bla bla only respond to alien DNA.

Wikus is now a fugitive and teams up with Christopher, a prawn who wants to go home. Wikus makes a deal so he can return to human form and Christopher can go home. Damn I'm lazy to type the whole thing.

This film is full of profanity and violence. But the scene involving the alien robot-endoskeleton is as cool as Transformers. the special effects are believable too. However, I didn't enjoy the plot's inconsistencies and twists.

6/10....

How it all happened....

All work and no play makes Doink a dull boy. Or an emo boy whatever... We made him play...




>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Breaks my heart....

ELS Annual Dinner

OK... Finally something for me to say in this meaningless and meaningful life...

The day started in the morning, I went to Ibai to help prepare stuff... I was the first to arrive with a guitar+case, an amplifier, my bag and a piano...HAIZ... Then Amanda and Chee June arrived and the list goes on. We set up the PA, tested the guitar and piano and the rehearsal went on... Actually not really, only a handful really rehearsed, the others couldn't be bothered...

When it was all done, I had to go home to stack up my guitar. Then Willert, Choon Khai and Michelle hitched a ride to church. Despite the fact that me and Willert were supposed to be practicing for our band performance later at night, we couldn;t run away from being part of the church's worship team. I was on the bass and Willert was on guitar. I also bought a new guitar cable since the old one snapped and I need to play on Annual Dinner...

Julia Ma came back from Australia which added to the necessity of going to church. Unfortunately my old friend Caleb Ma couldn't come. So Julia shared about her new life. Australia is definitely more interesting than the quiet town of KT.

So I left early. Went home for a bath, brush and hairdo. For the first time I wore a tie because I was the MC for the night. I double checked my guitar and left.

I reached there, tuned the guitar and set up my stuff. No time for final practice. The dinner started. I was so damn giddy being an MC but I did what I had to do. Joke around. Bla Bla Bla. Then my mom called saying she wants to see the band performance, lagi tension...

When it was our time we did what we did. Me, Arul, Willert, Nagend and Gan. Our first slot was Fall For You and Pork and Beans. I disliked Fall For You the most because I thought the song was quite boring. I even wrote my own guitar solo to heat things up. But I messed a few notes of my guitar solo. Pork and Beans was a fun song so it was OK.

The night took of as usual. Dinner, thinking of what to say and running back and forth for the sideshows. Surprisingly, all of the performances were good especially Choon Khai's Japanese song and the dance by Amanda and Vivian. In the LCDS days, band performance was the top dog for the night. I guess the streak was broken.

When Choon Khai sang, I gave him a thumbs up for encouragement. Then I got a cramp at my leg. So damn embarrassing. Luckily I got up for the lucky draw. Then Arul came to me saying we're gonna do the third song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" which was the original plan. We had our time cut short but the AJK's arranged a slot. We just did what we could and left.

Then the Form 5's sang graduation song BLA BLA BLA and we packed up. But there was a lot of last minute photos to be taken. The teachers shoo-ed us off LOL. I went home have a bath and watched the band performance videos.

Honestly, I hate watching myself playing guitar. I will fall asleep. I think it was embarrassing in a way I don't know how.

So, Annual Dinner 09 was a huge success. It was the best I've attended in my four year time at the club. But good luck was not without hardships becuase due to stress, there was a tangle between the AJK. Luckily it wasn't intense. It was all for the club's best interest.

Photos....

Kuantan Trip

I had to leave the church early on that day as I have to go to Kuantan. My uncle and aunt from Japan are coming for a short visit... And Jim is dropping by too.

Jim got stuck in a horrible jam. The dark side of Hari Raya. So we had a chat. I also learnt the darker side of Japan. People get depressed easily. That fact hit me hard. I thought Japan was a happy and all-smiles country given to the existence of Danny Choo dancing in a stormtrooper outfit in the streets of Tokyo. The rate of suicide is 300 a day which adds up to 100,000 a day plus the additional fatalities. By additional fatalities I mean the emo dicks will pull someone into the train tracks or drive his truck into several people. Damn, so anyone wanna go Japan, stay behind until the train comes or you won't eat char koay teow ever again.

Of course whenever my family goes holiday there'll be tons of food. We also purchased some new DVD's, this time we brought in some HD DVD's but they were all movies at least 20 years old. JFK, Flew Over a Cuckoo's Nest, The Deer Hunter and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, all theold Oscar winning classics. I also brought Watchmen, District 9 and Die Hard 4 in 1 collection. Then we went for some movies. Although don't watch non-english speaking movies, this time I made an exception.



The last time I watched a non-english speaking movie in cinema was CJ7. This one fared better. The show was relatively funny as of all of Jack Neo helmed movies. But this film throws in a few thrills too. The first story "Streets Got Ghost" which revolves around people eating the oranges meant for the ghosts is the least funny and least scary of the lot. The second one "Forest Got Ghost" is the funniest of the three which concentrates on two inexperienced and un-trained soldiers taking a shortcut. While it's not the scariest, it did gave the scariest jump the movie offered.

The third story "House Got Ghost" is also very funny but is the scariest of the three. Basically a continuation of Money Not Enough 2, the story has the ghost of the deceased mother haunting her three sons. The catchiest and cheesiest of the scenes is where the mother calling out "Lu ciak pa a be?" and ominously appears full screen, giving us a jump and appears on tv, imitating The Ring. The music, atmosphere and make-up made the gentle and kind old lady we see in Money Not Enough 2 as scary as Ju-On.

As an extra note, the soundtrack is composed by our very own NameWee best known for the critically acclaimed but controversial Negarakuku.

The film was good. Worth 6.5/10.