Movies

Decided to take a short moment to jot down some thoughts on the movies I've watched over the past week.

House of Flying Daggers

Fantastic camera work. Fantastic scenery. Fantastic fight scenes. Fantastic costumes. Lousy plot and that pulls the whole movie down, unfortunately. What promises initially to be an epic clash between the clan of Flying Daggers and the government degenerates into a battle between rivalling lovers with a concluding battle that is such a let down in so many aspects - the sudden downpour of snow (Why? No reason, just because it will make the blood look more obvious), the sudden awakening of the supposedly dead Zhang Ziyi at the last and crucial moment and the lousy cop-out deaths of everyone in the end which we're supposed to see as "tragic".

Phantom of the Opera

I can't help but make comparisons since this is modelled so closely to the musical and so I would say that the musical is infinitely better. The musical was longer, but it didn't feel as long as this movie did. The movie and the music somehow just didn't quite fit together. Grand, booming music on the big screen tends to be accompanied by wide-angled camera shots of sprawling grasslands, mountainscapes or cityscapes, but this movie, being mainly contained within the confines of the theatre, did not seem to really 'fit' with the scale of the music. Though the big question still remains whether it's ever possible for something to be better than what it is modelled on - Can a movie based on a book be better than it? Or a book based on a movie etc?

That being said, this is still a movie worth watching and I particularly enjoyed the sequences for Prima Donna and the Masquerade song where we got to see some really nifty choreography and camera work. Voices were good mostly though the occasional silences and lack of high-pitched singing was good for my ears.

Extremely thankful for Adrian and Orange Wednesdays who/which have allowed me to watch the above two movies at just two pounds each. :) I believe that's cheaper than Singapore. :) I now return to my work and the blog will continue to be that blank slate until appropriate amounts of revision have been done (ie. after the exams).

The Apprentice 2.5 'Lights! Camera! Transaction!'

The girls really pulled it together this episode and delivered an excellent performance, far better than any of their tasks over the past 4 weeks. It was really unfortunate that they had to lose by such a small margin. They didn’t deserve to lose, and that’s saying a lot given that for the past 3 tasks (the ice-cream, the toothpaste and the restaurant task), it was very clear that they were going to lose, given the lack of organization in their team and the excessive in-fighting and conflict. Pamela deserves credit at least for bringing the team together. Let’s hope that the team can continue to stay strong and keep up their performance in the later tasks.

On to the firing. When I first read the spoiler that Pamela was fired as opposed to Stacy and Maria, I was extremely unhappy and shocked, of course. Pamela was one of the women I had hopes for, though I admit that she’s been relatively out of sight over the past few weeks in the guys’ team. Pamela does have that air of confidence and competence that many of the girls really lack. However, after watching the episode, I saw that firing Pamela was the wisest choice Trump could make.

When it comes down to this week’s task, the main problem was identified as pricing and Pamela took full responsibility for that during the task itself. I don’t necessarily agree that product pricing was the main factor for their loss because the task had so many components – product selection, product pricing and product advertisement. Every part of the process is as crucial as the next. We didn’t get to see much of the product selection process which I would have liked to see. Each episode of Apprentice should be two hours long! Heh. There’s really so much to see in this reality show, unlike Survivor where you can really see the producers desperately trying to fill up in-between task time with extended scenery shots or fishing shots or bitching sequences. Boardroom footage itself takes up at least one hour or more. My friend informed me that the whole firing of Pamela Boardroom session took up 3 hours. This week’s Boardroom felt especially hurried and choppy. I didn’t like it at all. The session before Pamela brought in her final two was so abrupt, and even the final showdown felt a bit lacking in punch. I did like how Pamela explained, very professionally, her reasons for taking Maria and Stacy in. For once, after so many weeks of Survivor-esque eliminations, we have a team leader who takes people in based on professional reasons. However, I think the fault in this episode lies greatly on Pamela and not on Maria or Stacy. Stacy, however irritating she actually is, didn’t contribute to this week’s loss. In fact, we saw her trying her best to handle legal issues. Maria performed badly in front of the camera, but I’m willing to let that go. Not all leaders have to be able to perform well in TV sales advertisements. Therefore, Pamela’s error of pricing, though not a huge error, was the largest when you compare it with the other two. Furthermore, this is the second time she has lost when leading a team. The way she handled her team at the start irked me a little too – the way she talked down to them was horrible. Lastly, she hasn’t really put herself out in the front in the guys’ team over the past few weeks. So though I think she has potential, she had to go this time.

I did feel that Trump was being very unreasonable in demanding that she was supposed to understand her team members well. He faulted her for error in judgement, which wasn't a good reason at all. She just met the team and she did her best to ensure that everyone was assigned to a job they could do best. I'm really conflicted about this dismissal. Yes, Pamela is very professional and able to rally the group together, yet the performance of the other team members on this task wasn't bad enough for them to be rightfully dismissed either. Sorry Pam, I think Trump made the right choice in firing you.

Survivor Vanuatu Episode 3

I’ve never followed a season of Survivor closely before so I decided to give it some time this season. It has already lasted nine seasons. There must be something good about a show for it to be able to go on for so long. Although I haven’t really followed it, I’ve been up to date on what’s going on in each season. I think the major reason why this show’s been able to keep its audience is because it keeps reinventing itself. Seasons 3 to 5 were a bit of a lull, I heard, and not many people were very interested in what was going on. It picked up in Season 6, which I didn’t really follow, though I know that Jenna won. In Season 7, the show reinvented itself a little by allowing people who were voted off to return again, resulting in Lill’s fantastic showing until close to the end. Season 8 was fascinating because of the all-stars and all the drama it brought back. The game was different too because there were three teams. And the show continues to challenge the rules this season in the latest episode.

The first two episodes were a little bit of a *yawn* because it was sort of predictable who would get voted off, and even now, it still remains predictable. It’s the same young vs. old thing which happened in Season 6 and if Burnett doesn’t do something soon to jar this dynamic, it’s going to get boring. The dynamic in Lopevi is boring because the young guys are obviously so outnumbered right now. Yasur is pretty interesting because we keep seeing one of the young girls turn her vote at the last minute but still, it’s to their own disadvantage, so they’re not really clever in doing so. They might have protected themselves for one more episode, but by reducing their own numbers, they have become more and more vulnerable. The double tribal council and John’s visit to the girls’ tribe made this episode much more entertaining. I liked it, and if Burnett continues to change the rules like that, this is going to be a good season. This is something I think Amazing Race needs to do. It’s currently still the best reality TV show out there, but I’m getting a little tired of its structure of one roadblock, one detour and race to the finish. They need to introduce perhaps some new challenges, or maybe episodes with two roadblocks and two detours. They’ve changed the rules a little this season with 4 teams entering the double finale and the unexpected elimination points, but that’s not enough. Can’t wait for the new season to start.

Oh, where was I? Right, Survivor. Yes, right now it’s not fantastic TV, but it’s still good. Probst is hilariously snarky. I didn’t keep count but he sure did make a lot of jibes at contestants today during the challenge and also the tribal council. I like him as a host. The problem I have with Survivor is that it tests a set of skills which are not necessarily important in the real world, which is why I feel The Apprentice is a much stronger show than Survivor. The person who wins Survivor is someone who can manipulate people well, who can always ensure that he/she has people on his/her side and the important thing lies in the vote. Ultimately, it’s a popularity contest. The person who wins doesn’t need to be competent, strong, capable or possess good leadership skills. In fact, all these might prove detrimental to your victory as illustrated by the past two guy eliminations. I find it hard then to really admire the person who wins Survivor. The winner of Survivor is ultimately only a winner in that game, and that devalues the show a little for me. Nonetheless, it makes for good entertainment and until it becomes boring, crass and utterly aggravating, I’ll be tuning in regularly for the weekly vote-off.

Gilmore Girls 5

Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller

If the rest of the season is as good as this episode, then this must be the first show I've ever followed to have 5 good seasons. Season 1 was fantastic. Season 2 and 3 were spotty but still didn't suck. Season 4 ruled, and well, let's just see how Season 5 goes. TV series tend to experience a peak period in about their second season to third and then go downhill from there, but Gilmore Girls is still going strong. Well done, Amy Sherman Palladino! Thanks for a fantastic season premiere.

I think I've said this before. As much as I like this show, it somehow doesn't drive itself on from episode to episode, in the sense that I never have that feeling that I need to know what happens next. This is not a flaw. Deep in my heart, somehow, I know that a good (not necessarily a happy one, but one that's satisfying) ending will come. The joy lies in watching it unfold under the brilliant hands of the Gilmore Girls script-writing team. And I guess I appreciate that fact, that this show, while being good, doesn't drive me to the manic state that The Amazing Race, Buffy or Angel ever did.

Lots of things happened this episode and ASP managed to maintain a good sense of rhythm and transition between the many plot-lines, throwing in simple scenes with minor characters so we get to see all the characters we've come to love. She not only developed the major storylines on their own, but she brought these plots together and showed us how each storyline works and interacts with the others. Rory & Lorelai's conflict and Emily & Richard's squabble brilliantly culminates in Rory going to Europe with Emily, a trip that could only spell disaster. Yes, Rory loves her grandmother, but not enough to spend a whole trip with her. Rory and Lorelai finally get to spend sometime together, after she's been away in school for a whole year and now they are separated again. That must hurt. Let's see where the story goes next. Bring on the angst!

Jack and Bobby

Episodes 1 & 2: Pilot & Better Days

I watched this show because TWoP gave it a good recap, at least for the premiere. I wasn’t too impressed with the Premiere, and I was downright disappointed with the second episode with the exception of Grace MacCallister’s ending speech, which is the only reason why I’m going to watch next week’s episode.

The show’s structure of switching between future voiceovers and present day happenings is irritating, because the future voiceovers have completely no relevance to the events shown prior to them. I inherently don’t like excessive commentary on what’s happening in the episodes because I feel like an idiot when there’s someone in the episode commenting (directly, indirectly or obliquely) on what’s happening in the episode. I think there would be a greater element of subtlety and unpredictability if we had none of those commentaries. The show seems to be too urgent to drop hints on what’s going to happen in the future, trying to keep the viewers watching by telling, instead of suggesting, that big unexpected plot ‘twists’ will happen. Yes, Bobby will end up with Courtney – Ooh, I wonder how that will happen. *yawn*

I don’t care at all about the Courtney plot-line, and I mean, not at all. Courtney bores me as a character. I don’t find her personality appealing at all, besides the fact that she is the non-family character right now who sort of cares that Bobby exists at all. She’s not even physically appealing. The main problem now with the show is that I can’t find any character to like. Every character has already managed to irritate me at one point or the other. I agree that the actress who plays Grace is pretty darned good but Grace is so irritating. We’re supposed to see her as energetic, dynamic, passionate, burning with political agenda, but I just don’t value these qualities.

We’re supposed to see Bobby as being full of potential, being better than Grace or Jack, as the very heartfelt scene in the car revealed (one of the better scenes too, by the way), but somehow I just don’t see it. I hope the show doesn’t fall too comfortably on the whole cliché that the ostracized kid eventually grows up to attain greatness. What I see now is a difficult, annoying, socially inept child who just can’t get anything right. I wouldn’t go to the extent to say he ruins everything he touches (which is a line I’ve heard from too many shows already. Buffy and Gilmore Girls come to mind immediately). The relationship between Jack and Bobby seemed to move to a new level by the end of the last episode where we saw Jack taking control of Bobby but this week, we’re back to where we were at the start of the Pilot with Jack resenting Bobby’s presence. And I seriously don’t blame him. Bobby was making a conscious effort to be an irritant at the bowling alley. Jack’s the only character I don’t dislike at the moment but I don’t particularly like him either.

And the most alienating factor about the show – its excessive political slant. The terms ‘Republican’ and ‘Democrat’ are bandied around (especially by the speakers from the Future) like nobody’s business. I shall admit my ignorance now and say that I don’t really know what these two parties represent. I know they exist but I don’t care for them, and maybe I should. I still managed to enjoy The West Wing though, so I’m giving this show a chance, given that it’s so much more easy-going as compared to WW.

Now, why am I even watching this show then? I admit it’s partly because TWOP recommended it and I have a soft-spot for their recommendations, given that they’ve generally given reliable ratings for good shows. And the show has potential. I liked the family dynamics in the first episode, particularly when Jack confronted Grace about her over-protection of Bobby and told her to let him take care of her. Plus, I have a hard time thinking of any show which features a brother-brother/ son-mother relationship at the centre of it. So, I’ll give it a few more episodes.

The Apprentice 2: Scoop Dreams

Wow, who would have thought this show could deliver such a shocker?

As I was watching the task, I never imagined it was Bradford who would get fired. That being said, as Trump repeatedly hammered in how stupid it was for him to give up his privilege, you could see that Bradford was already in trouble. Man, that was really stupid. I understand his rationale behind it, wanting to be with his team and all, and I even agree with it to a certain extent. And if it was me, I would seriously have fired Ivana. She sucked so much at the task and at the Boardroom. She'd be gone anyway. Most of the girls are rather unimpressive this season. I can't really see a girl who stands out at this moment even though they did actually win last week's task, which wasn't that great of a task if you ask me. All it involved really was settling on one idea and getting the Mattel people to approve it. There was no marketing involved, no advertising, no sales skills involved. Simply creativity, and of course, an understanding of the minds of 6-8 year old boys. This week's task was more demanding and more interesting to watch.

Several personalities are emerging. I liked Kelly this week. He really did have some quality leadership skills in him. I liked Raj as well. He might be a bit of an odd-ball but he does know how to do his sales well, and there's just something about the way he speaks that reveals a quality of thinking absent from most of the other men. Jon (I can't remember if it's Jon - the one who refused to let Raj eat) is just stupid. I am seriously unhappy when people make noise about others needing/wanting to eat because that's just torture. And it's not like Raj wanted to eat at a restaurant and spend a long time with his meal. He just wanted a bagel, if I remember correctly. Anyway I'm sensing that the group isn't very close to Raj. He does seem to stick out a little in the group. Not more than Pamela definitely, but I just don't sense the same camaraderie between him and the rest of the guys. I don't like Andy too much and the guy who made the phone calls back at S5. I don't understand why Andy was called into this Apprentice given that he has virtually no working experience at all. I don't discount the fact that academics do matter, but for someone to run a company by Trump, experience does have to come in largely too. I just don't see Trump hiring him at all.

None of the women really stand out, except for Stacy at the moment, the one who got called to the boardroom. I can't stand the way the rest of the team isolated her and treated her so rudely before the Boardroom. And she was faulted simply for giving a wrong direction, which George pointed out, was actually a minor error given that the streets were half a block from each other. That's just so petty, so so petty. The idea she gave in the boardroom of hiring extras wasn't even a bad idea at all and the rest of the team just stared at her like she was insane. That girl has some substance, but she'll unfortunately be taken out soon because the team hates her. Which is a pity. Tony told me that she's not so much a 'restauanter' as a manager of a branch of subway. Geez, Burnett really does know how to hyperbolize.

The next episode begins with the Boardroom. I really really hope Bradford isn't hired again because that would totally ruin last week's Boardroom for me. I wonder what that Trump is up to, but I must say he does make for good television. What I really like about the Apprentice, and what makes it quality TV for me, is the Boardroom session of each episode. I love Trump's bluntness, the way he just tears egos to shreds in minutes, the rapid-fire way in which he questions the team. I love Carolyn as well. She has become edgier this season and more pointed in her questioning. She seemed to be seething with contempt at the girls' team in the second episode. George does well in balancing out the other two as part of the jury. He's more calm and more collected in his question. And I just get a kick when Trump dramatically and unapologetically announces, 'You're fired!'. Short and sweet, and especially satisfying when he delivers that line to someone you hate. I love this show!

The Amazing Finale

Yay! Chip and Kim won!

They are undoubtedly one of the nicest teams ever to run this race. I've never seen a group of racers more willing to help other teams than them. They helped Brandon and Nicole and the twins in Cairo. They didn't yield the twins. Chip went to Nicole's help when he thought she was in trouble. They have been very appreciative of the opportunity they've had to see the world and experience other cultures, as seen in the Russia, Egypt and Africa episodes.

From tracking the Roadblock trends, it would seem like Chip did all the work and Kim was simply an 'amazing accessory' (as I quote the TWOP forums). I would have liked it if Kim did more roadblocks but I can't say that she didn't contribute to the team's success at all. Just compare her to Flo. The very fact that she worked well with Chip and complemented his character is in fact a 'contribution'. They handled situations with potential for conflict very well. There was no blaming of each other for any thing. Kim didn't say anything to Chip with regards to his decision not to yield the twins and she only mildly 'teased' him for sitting in the car while she pushed in the Calcutta detour. And all in all, they are just a reallly sweet couple. I can't remember any couple in the history of this show who have expressed their love for each other so much before.

Seems like all couples this season ended off on a good note, all realising that they are the ones for each other, and I totally agree. Colin and Christie, though not very nice people, certainly match each other in terms of intensity. Christie was very intense in the first half of tonight's episode. She wasn't talking much but you could see it in her eyes, and the way she cried when she saw Colin beat Karen shows how much she really didn't want to be eliminated. Brandon and Nicole complement each other less strongly than the other couples. Brandon is very caring and willing to shelter Nicole a lot and Nicole is the type of girl who seems to be quite dependent on her boyfriend. She doesn't seem to be as competitive as she says she is. Well, Brandon is definitely the man for her, but I'm not sure if she's the one for him.

Many people believe that Chip and Kim's win was largely due to luck. They got lucky as they took a long time with the detour, arrived to the airport late and therefore found out about the delay. Well, that's true. But the fact that it was due to luck hardly discredits their win. Much of The Amazing Race is due to luck. Arguably Flo and Zach won due to their luck in getting good cabs. Chip and Reichen also won due to their luck in getting a better cab. As Colin said, when you reach the final leg, it all boils down to how good a cab driver you get, and in this case, how good a flight. However, Chip and Kim also executed the maze task quite decently, decent enough to maintain their lead and they deserve credit for that. Colin and Christie were rather impressive with the maze task, but unfortunately they didn't manage to catch up. Kudos to them though for a race well-run. They might not have been the nicest team, but they have been a smart and very strong team. If it's any consolation, they now have six holidays to go on together.

Apparently there was a teepee task that teams were supposed to do in Canada which was edited out due to time constraints. I hope they will release an Amazing Race DVD soon with all this edited out footage, including the Roadblock we never saw in Dubai and the alleged Roadblock in Singapore's Fountain of Wealth (admittedly a lame one).

Now, how does this season compare to other seasons?

I've been quite disappointed with the tasks this season, which was what drew me to the game in the first place. The detours and roadblocks (in particular) have been inferior to previous seasons. First, we have the excessive eating roadblocks which really aren't interesting at all. One eating roadblock is enough, but three? Ughz. Then we have detours where one choice turns out to be much easier than the other one, like the Busy/Buzzing, Heavy but short/Light but long. These two detours would have been good choices if team members were not allowed to illicit the help of locals, which should have been a pre-requisite anyway. It wasn't so much a problem for Busy/Buzzing as with Heavy but short, where the twins and moms virtually didn't have to do anything. And somehow I feel that the tasks have not incorporated enough of the local culture into them. I still think the Season 4 legs have some of the best tasks on this race yet. The fish/lobster, nutbunches, clothes washing, poo/cheese detours are some of the most memorable yet. As well as the fish carrying roadblock which I somehow really really liked.

I also felt that the lack of a Fast Forward made this season slightly less interesting and strategic than other seasons. I read that the Fast Forward was removed because it was too difficult and costly to set up and it might be wasted cost because no teams might actually go for it. Which is why I guess they introduced the Yield since it's basically low-cost to set up. My vote, remove the yield and the bankrupcy penalty, and bring back the Fast Forward. A tip on how to reduce costs - reduce the amount of flights needed. There has been a lot of country-hopping this season, one episode in one country/continent. I believe that teams could have spent two episodes in Russia and perhaps one more within Africa. Air-travel has been happening almost every episode this season and I believe that's what makes it so costly. Hopefully the show gets more funding now that it's won Best Reality Television programme again and we can bring back the Fast Forward. :)

All that said, TAR is still one of the most entertaining shows on TV to date! And I can't wait for TAR6 to start. :)

Amazing Race Update: Auckland to Manila

Damn the producers! I can't believe they actually pulled this trick out of their bags. I was telling my sister before the episode that this was definitely an elimination leg because there have always been three teams running the final two legs and the last non-elim leg was often the one between the two final legs. And the producers had the cheek to make this a non-elim!

I'm shocked, but at the same time I'm glad too, because I want Colin and Christie in the game. They ended up last this episode not entirely because they were yielded, but because they handled the detour badly. Chip & Kim managed to move up all the way from 3rd to finish the detour to first at the pit-stop. I believe that if C&C controlled their ox better, they might have had a chance to catch up. I'll have to wait until next week to see how close they were to Brandon and Nicky.

I enjoyed the use of the yield in this episode. I stand by my belief that the yield is pointless in early legs of the race. I wouldn't mind if the yield was scrapped entirely but it did add quite a lot of tension to this week's episode.

This is definitely the best episode of the season! The editing for the race to the pit-stop was fantastic! It was virtually impossible to tell which team would arrive after which. I liked it that teams had to do more than just hustle from roadblock to detour or vice versa and that they actually had tasks other than roadblocks and detours to handle, tasks where we could see them work as a team. The Colin and the ox scene has to be one of the most memorable amazing race scenes! I can just watch that scene again and again... Heh.

A true gem of an episode.. A+ quality! Bring on the finale!