Movie Review: What A SECRET

Please turn on your speakers and read this entry with the music :)


Just drop all the presumptions you people have for Jay Chou and his newest (ok, the ONLY one) movie, seriously! I just caught Secret with the few peeps at JEC but I was rather shocked by the amount of people who were there to watch! Be it your biased mentality of him and hence his movie, we all ought to give people a CHANCE!

Jay Chou used a technique in his movie at certain times, just like what some dance choreographers, which makes the movie something we cannot just write it off. Even with only very ordinary backdrop, its the elements of humour sporadically inserted, Jay Chou's awkward boyishness given his age, the constant sub-conscious search for the 'secret' and the most ultimate of all, the moments of heartwarming scenes.

Really! In a 102 minutes movie, the director needs to get the acknowledgement of the viewers and the use of heartwarming scenes is just THE WAY TO GO! Notable parts on this is the playing of piano with 4 hands (the catepillar hands!) and Jay Chou risking himself to play the 'Secret'.

Of course, Jay Chou didn't really waste his chance to show his capability with the black and white keys. But kudos man, he was really ept at piano. It will make you want to learn it too!

I think the only thing that ordinary viewers like me can fault on is the rough transition in the storyline. I felt that it might be better and more comprehensible if everything, including Lu Xiao Yu, was just an illusion of Jay Chou, since he is a prodigy in piano and a prodigy often sees things differently from us humans right!?!

Something worth thinking about by me is that why Jay Chou's family consist of only guys and why Lu Xiao yu's family consist of only ladies. And what happens to Jay Chou's dad after that.

Like in real life, its always the misunderstandings that caused alot of things to happen too. All in all, the storyline is like the storyline of 法医X档案. Not to say that it is ordinary and cliche, I think it is just enough. It cannot be classified as Sci-fi too, unless you consider a piano something like a teleport. I think what Jay Chou is really trying to convey is the way one can risk himself for love.

Now, that sounds cliche. Shit.











Ratings: 3.5/5
For it being a directorial debut and the heartwarming scenes that Harry Potty didn't deliver.

I know the music is muffled. But thats really the best I can find.

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the WRONG Order of the Phoenix

I have just finished viewing the Order of the Phoenix like 2 hours ago and I cant wait to blog the things down!!! As the title said it all, the movie has some scenes that mixed up the order and even have alot of missing scenes!!! *SCREAMS*

WRONG Order / Scenes:
- I thought the attack by the dementors were in night time
- Vernon didn't left the house after Dudley was carried home due to Dudley not feeling comfortable. I thought it should be due to the Best Lawn Competition (Scam)
- The dudes from the Order of Phoenix flew very low while travelling to Grimmauld Place
- The dream Harry got at Grimmauld Place travelled too far into the Department of Mysteries
- Harry saw Lucius Malfoy BEFORE the hearing, should be AFTER
- Divulging the secret of DA is by Cho Chang's friend, not Cho Chang
- The number of Educational Decrees increased to 90++
- No interruption of OWLs due to Fred & George
- The other side of the Veil below the arch is supposed to be pitch black

MISSING Order / Scenes:
- Did not show how angry Harry was for losing touch with his friends while at the Dusleys
- Did not receive the 2nd letter from the Ministry of Magic and from Dumblydore
- Vernon didn't show how irritated he was with the owls
- Did not show how Tonks helped Harry to pack his luggage
- Did not show the luggage being attached to the broomstick while flying to Grimmauld Place
- No badge for visitors into the Ministry of Magic
- No staying in Mr. Weasley's office before realising the changed timing of the hearing
- No showing of Quidditch
- No showing of Umbridge confiscating Harry's Firebolt
- No showing of Hermione casting a charm on the namelist of DA members
- No showing of visiting of Mr. Weasley at St. Mungo and coincidental meeting of Longbottom
- No showing of the swarm caused by Fred & George
- No showing of Flitwick not helping Umbridge to clear the swarm
- No showing of Minerva McGonagall being attacked by the Inquisitorial Team outside Hagrid's
- No showing of the DA members trying out different doors before reaching the room with the prophecy
- No showing of the golden statues in the Ministry of Magic helping Dumbledore out

Of course there are still some more but my tired brains only allow me to rememeber until here.

Generally, I feel that it is a movie for people who have read the book because for those who didnt, it will be very difficult for them to know who is who and how all these happened. Changes in scenes may also be confusing for some. Many parts whereby David Yates can emphasise on even more and not employ a touch-and-go method. If you love Harry Potter that much that you must see the movie, like me, ask a Harry know-how to go together.

The thing about movies is that although most people has already expected in cuts in the storyline, at least make up for the lost with excellent graphics which I find room for improvement in this movie. Emotions provking parts such as Harry Cho Chang kissing scene, Occlumency lessons with Snape and the fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort *shudders* can be more well done, at least with more thrill and build up.

But people always says love is blind, thats why people will still go for the movie no matter how lousy the reviews are. I am not saying its not nice, but just lost focus during the movie. You know, that inelastic demand thing. HAHA!

Ratings: 2.5 upon 5

Potter Never Says DIE!!!

POTTER NEVER SAYS DIE!!

*NOTE: This entry might be a SPOILER*

WOOHOO! J.K Rowling has just released news that the seventh book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows which is to be released on the 21st of July, might not be the end of the world's most powerful boy wizard!

Quoted:

She issued a statement through her publisher Bloomsbury, saying "never say never" in response to the "Save Harry" campaign after having made similar remarks during a BBC television interview on Friday.

"I think that Harry's story comes to quite a clear end, sadly," Rowling said.

"But I've always said that I wouldn't say never. I can't say I'll never write another book about that world just because I think, what do I know in 10 years' time...? But I think it's unlikely."

Rowling had previously disclosed that two characters will die, fuelling speculation that one of them will be Harry himself.

Anyway, I really love Maggie Smith, Professor Minerva McGonagall!! I cant see how the director is going to stuff 766 pages of excitement into only a mere 3 hour movie. I hope it will not be like Goblet of Fire.


AND as this is supposed to be a spoiler, I shall present to everyone the contentious character: Professor Dolores Umbridge!!!

I really didnt expect her to be so fat lah! ohohohoh! and i hope they show the examinations on Divination because got tea leaves reading!!!

AHHHHHH!
































I REALLY CANT WAIT FOR THE BOOK AND THE STORY!!! SAVE UP NOW!!!!

Movie Review: Center Stage

Got this movie from my sister long long time ago but always didn't have the time to write something about it! :(

So, the story begins with a girl, Jodie Sawyer, going for an audition for entry into American Ballet Company (ABC).

Of course, for the story to continue, she got into the compnay as Apprentice and still need to go through a round of selection where only 3 girls and guys will be chosen.

Then things starts to pick up with a scene where by ABC dancers were trying hard to season their pointe shoes! Quite surprised by the different methods to season the shoes! There is:

Knocking

Using the door

Stepping

'Hammering'

'Scratching'

And after so many 'seasoning', they go on their pointe!

Proper ballet started with the barre work by instructress Juliet, a supposedly very good dancer in her younger times.

If the girl on the left is attending Yongwei's lessons, she would have been murdered. LOL Juliet then realised that she got a unperfect student in her class because she got a turnout that is deemed as not enough in the show! :'(

So she pushed herself to greater turnout but has not been used to it!

Juliet then meets another trouble student Eva! A supposedly great dancer with a lousy attitude!

And she is so good that those girls who has already been training with American Ballet Academy (ABA) gets shocked and jealous, an very ugly scene and portrayal of dancers although it remains very much a fact!

Then after some fillers in the show to attract people in the feild to watch, the show went back to how Jodie was struggling in the lessons in ABT, being corrected by several instructors.

Eve then became very pissed because she feels that the teachers were over scrutinizing Jodie in whatever she did.

But she was very hardworking so she kept training herself to be able to make the mark in the company that she yearns to enter.

And she ends up suffering from physical pain!

Then she was called in by Juliet and the company director Jonathan Reeves as they wanted to explain that she still have a chance at normal academical life instead of joining the company because they felt that she dun have the natural qualities needed in a great ballet dancer!

Then they started preapring for their Graduation showcase items that will determine if they would enter the company. Eva got into the corps in Jonathan's ballet. And she was not happy. So her attitude towards Jonathan and Juliet was extremely bad. Thus Juliet wanted her to stay back after class and talk to her. This is also my favourite part in the show as it is very inspirational, at least to me.

'Headstrong, egotistcal, unforgiving, arrogant does not help. The thing is you would be hardpressed to find any choreographer or company director who isn't like that. The unwise dancers blame him. He[a choreographer Juliet has worked for] didnt like me. He was unfair. I should have had that role. The smart ones know where to look to when things get rough. It isn't there[looking at the practice space]. It's here[tapping at the barre]. No matter what happened in class, in performance, last week, 5 minutes ago, if you come back here[hands stil at the barre], you will be home.'

That scene really touched me alot. Because what was acted out had truly reflected many things. In dance, you do meet competitions or a lousy part in a choreography. But does grumbling and not cooperating helps? No. You will be even more condemned to that role. Action speaks louder than words, much. We have to go back to our basics, our practises to prove ourselves, not by just sprouting nonsense in class. And if you are willing to put down that ego and train up yourself from the basics, you will be a greater dancer or human as a whole. You will be home.

And I am really inspired by that scene alot. Although the show also bought out alot of ugly facts about dance/ballet, which includes the unacceptance of people with undesirable qualities such as being out of shape.

The show then went on about the graduation showcase which displayed the strong technicalities of ABT dancers. No pics will be posted lo. But I think would recommend dancers to go and watch the show because many scenes are so familiar and yet lets you see things in another perspective.

Many turns in plot of the story. Keeps one's attention on the show rather well.

Enjoy!