tale and time

I' ve recently spent some time watching movies in the cinema (i tak bayar, Abah. orang lain bayarkan) and feel the need to review them because some are clearly insignificantly more overrated than others and I just couldn't fathom why. Some movies I didn't even know was showing made a greater impression on me than the movie that was raved about and was overly publicised.

So, let us save the best for last and begin with the worst, shall we?

Confessions of a shopaholic:


What can i say besides that it was by far the biggest disappointment I've had to deal with when it comes to movies since "Twilight". I'm always a natural skeptic when it comes to book adaptations but hearing that it was made by the same people who produced "The Devil Wears Prada" which was a relatively good book adaptation, i guess i expected more "pizzazz" and glamour from this movie. How wrong i was to expect ANYTHING at all. Weak acting and unattractive dialogue wasn't even made up for with beautiful clothes. In fact, sorry to say, the clothes were shamefully TACKY and excessively gaudy. It was, truthfully, a waste of good money.


Taken:


I had no idea this movie was even showing. We picked it on a whim and because we had no better choice. Besides, I've always known Liam Neeson as a fantastic actor. Categorized as action, the movie revolves around a broken family where the parents of a girl named Kim are divorced. Living with her mother, Kim doesn't have much of a relationship with her father (Liam) because he used to work with the government as a "preventer" as he so lightly explained to Kim. So Liam has little involvement in her life until one day, she is "Taken". i don't wanna spoil it so go watch it yourself. Action-packed and thoroughly impressive, this movie not only provides a good catharsis when you leave the cinema hall, it also provides you with family values and "educates" you a little about human trafficking and how to deal with kidnap situations (of course, this only applies if you know a highly trained assassin). Loads of fun to watch.


Talentime: Yasmin Ahmad has done it yet again. It's safe to say that she is ONE OF the most impressive Malay and Malaysian movie maker. Always with her controversial ideas, Yasmin chose to touch the issue of race and ethnicity in this movie with subtlety (but it will really hit you in the face if you pay attention). Never running from the natural situations in life, the script as can only be expected from this movie-making-genius is layered with 5 different languages: Malay, English, Tamil, Cantonese and sign; and also with sentences that could come only in everyday life. I was honestly surprisingly pleased to find that Jac did not sing in the movie. Not that i don't love her voice, I just think it wonderful that she was JUST acting, if you know what I mean. This movie aloso makes space for several new actors and actresses instead of using the same old faces (for example: Yusry, Erra Fazirah, Awal, Fasha Sandha and Farid Kamil). Watching this movie, you will also find yourself happy with the songs that were written especially for the movie--I have to say, Pete Teoh captured the feel beautifully and Aizat and Atilia did a wondorous job singing those songs. Heart-wrenching, funny and smart (as always), you will find yourself leaving thye cinema with a thousand questions in mind, and as she always does, Yasmin leaves us to think for ourselves. Definitely worth every damn penny.