The Mirror and the Lamp

Movies

2005-01-25T23:34:00.000-08:00

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!'

2004-10-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

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

2004-10-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

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

2004-09-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

2004-09-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

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

2004-09-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

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

2004-09-22T23:50:00.000-07:00

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

2004-09-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

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!

Amazing Race Update

2004-09-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Yay! The twins are finally gone. I don't really hate them but their time was really up on this race - especially after they lied to the airport attendant. Good try twins. I guess desperation really does make you do stupid things. What happened to wanting to slow down and think through your decisions? They did win some points for me late in their episode for their sense of self-irony, 'Wouldn't it be hysterical if we got lost now?'. Heh. And I bet they did get lost, because the gap between Chip & Kim and their team was pretty big, given the night/day contrast.

The Mums continue to redeem themselves this week with a well-run leg all round. And I can't say it's due to luck this time. They navigated the roads well, went for the faster road-block and conquered their fears in a way, and they seemed like they had fun all round. Well done Moms! I would be a little less peeved now if you got into the final 3, but currently I still want you gone next episode.

Brandon and Nicole were really down on luck this episode. And they started begging before the leg of the race started. Is that allowed? If they do it before the leg starts, then it wouldn't put them at a time disadvantage later, so the penalty is pretty much useless. I still vote for removing this silly begging penalty. I admit that watching the twins beg last week was quite funny but still, I don't like it. A poster on the TWOP boards suggested giving the team an additional task to do, which I definitely agree with. I love to watch the tasks, anything for more tasks! That's why the lack of Fast Forward makes every episode less exciting for me, not just strategy wise, but also because of the lack of another 'task' which allows us to see more of the country.

The mud-searching part of the detour was clearly the more time-consuming one of the two. But, I think only one team could go at a time for the white-water rafting, so I think that the twins made the right (and smart) choice by going for the mud-searching, because if they were lucky, they could have found the clue faster and beat Chip and Kim. Nicole didn't really look like she was into the task. She put very little effort into searching and didn't dig very deep for the clue - obviously it would be hidden deep within the mud. She was barely scraping the surface. Two words - Killer fatigue! And that might be their downfall in Manila, which looks like the land of Killer Fatigue as well. I loved the little lovers' squabble Brandon and Nicole had at the Calcutta airport. So cute! I love them more and more each episode! I can't really decide whether I want them to win more or Chip & Kim...

Colin and Christie continue to rule the game. They are real good players. Christie doesn't do most of the roadblocks but she handles a lot of other things. I noticed that she handled most of the plane ticket transaction and she did a good job with the navigation, being firm with Colin when he needed it. If they do win the million dollars, I won't be surprised.

All in all, a good episode. I so want to ride in a Zorb now! Hee. :) Excellent show, and I'm so glad that the next season is beginning almost as this season ends.

Amazing Race @ Calcutta

2004-09-05T08:11:00.000-07:00

So we're back in India... once again. Somehow a very popular destination because it's where the race-drama is pushed to a new high - the quarrelling, the culture shock, the messy roads and transport systems and the people.

Linda and Karen win some points from me this week for doing very well at the Roadblock, beating Chip even though they came to the Roadblock later. This is, I believe, one of the few times that I've seen them actually working towards a lead rather than being saved by some flight delay or opening hours. Unfortunately their lead was eaten away due to some bad taxi luck and bad handling of money. Their screeching, however, HAS to stop. They weren't so whiny in the earlier episodes and I guess it's the killer fatigue getting to them and the fact that they are constantly at the back of the pack. They still need to be eliminated. I would be sorely disappointed if they ended up in the top 3. The twins are next on my list of teams to be eliminated. I still don't understand why these two teams are still in this race. Give me Charla and Mirna over these two teams anytime. They might be nasty people (Mirna, in particular, Charla I still like) but at least they were competitive and smart. And their pettiness and sillness just crack me up.

The leg as a whole was quite well-designed with a few flaws, in particular, the detour. They should have specificed that team-members had to push the cars themselves for the 'Heavy But Short' option. Allowing them to get help for locals literally eliminated the specific disadvantage of that option. Worse of all, Linda and Karen and Kami and Karli simply sat in the cars without a single team member helping out in the pushing! But I guess since all teams chose that option, no team was particularly disadvantaged by the help they got. It wasn't much of a task in the end. The Roadblock was good, requiring not just brute strength but skill as well. Please, more of these roadblocks, less of the eating roadblocks. I thought the Fast Forward was very lame though, asking a team to cut off all their hair? Jeez. And the Yield, even lamer. I vote for its removal and the reinstating of the Fast Forward on every leg, or at least on more legs than two per season. I'm guessing the Yield will be used soon, maybe in the next two episodes as teams fight to be on the last three. Perhaps they should just limit the Yield to the later legs.

Can't wait for next week's episode. Finally, somone's getting eliminated. :)

Amazing Race 5, Episodes 7 & 8

2004-08-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

With regards to last week's episode, I just have one thing to say - enough with the eating challenges already. There's a reason I'm watching this show and not Fear Factor. Plus these eating challenges are simply volume eating challenges. There's nothing interesting in watching people gobble down tonnes of caviar or eggs, as compared to last season where Chip and Reichen's battle with moving tentacles in Korea was highly entertaining to watch.

On to this week's episode...

Eh, where was the Roadblock? Grrr, the episode just doesn't feel complete without both a Detour and a Roadblock. The CBS website seems to provide photographs of team members holding a red clue sheet, ie. Roadblock clue, but it wasn't shown in the episode, probably due to time constraints as almost the whole first half of the episode was taken up by Colin's debacle at the police station (More about that later). There wasn't really much racing until two thirds of the way through the episode and boy was I disappointed that they didn't have to do any dare-devil task thing involving the helipad. I was hoping so much that they would have to do a bungee jump orr maybe a rapel down. But on hindsight, the architecture of the hotel didn't really make it seem like it would be feasible for either tasks to be accomplished there.

I liked the Detour though. Well-planned detour with interesting drawbacks to each task. It wasn't as straightforward as the usual Reckless/Chicken task so that was nice.

Seems like a few teams are moving towards the state of Killer Fatigue. Linda and Karen didn't look happy at all throughout the leg and seemed to be constantly whining about their back position. Nicole was particularly edgy and Colin's seriously losing it. In my opinion, the editing team shouldn't have spent so much time showing us the whole Colin-at-the-police station incident because it just got more and more uncomfortable to watch and the whole scene simply illustrated one point - Colin is a jerk to everyone, even and especially to Christie. I don't necessarily see their relationship as dysfunctional because I kind of emphatize with Colin in that situation. I would have liked my girlfriend to support me in such a situation. I'm not saying that Christie should have supported him, but it isn't totally unreasonable of him to be pissed off with his girlfriend for being on the other side of an already very very tense situation.

I like it that money is becoming more of an issue this season, but I don't like the whole removal of money thing for the non-elimination legs because it's boring. And it didn't really seem to set Linda and Karen back by very much in the Cairo leg, or perhaps they just got lucky. I see that they've taken care not to place non-elim legs in the poorer countries and in the more 'touristy' ones so that the racers don't end up ripping money off from the locals. So that's good.

What I like about the money issue is that we're seeing more need for teams to budget better. Chip and Kim and Brandon and Nicole seem to be running out of money quite soon, and perhaps in later episodes we'll see teams which can't afford to take a cab. Hopefully that option presents itself because it represents a more accurate picture of travelling. The teams will then have to work on how to move from one place to another by themselves instead of simply relying on the cab-driver. That's another thing we're not having enough of this season - team's navigating themselves. There has been less driving and map-reading so far and I'm guessing there'll be none of that in next week's Calcutta episode as well. Hopefully that returns in the later legs to challenge the more capable teams.

Really looking forward to next week's episode... India legs are always good. Let's hope next week's one doesn't disappoint.

Collateral

2004-08-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

I was initially put off from watching this show because of the boring title. Note to self, don't judge a movie by its title.

The movie industry is indeed very much about advertising and packaging. The trailer made it seem like this movie was your typical run-on-the-mill action thriller complete with car chases, gun fights, blood and violence of all sorts. Well, it is in many ways an action thriller, and a supremely competent one at that. Directing is very important especially for action thrillers and I believe Michael Mann did a fantastic job. All the action sequences are taut and suspenseful. I was very very impressed by the scene at the Jazz bar, by how the mood of the scene gradually modulated from nostalgia, introspection and admiration to suspense and tension and finally, the inevitable shock. I have a slight problem with the scene at Fever (murder of the fourth person) which was overly schizoprehenic and hence difficult to follow. The sequence at Anne's office had a major logic flaw - if Vincent cut off the electric supply, shouldn't the whole building go dark theoretically? Why was the ground floor and the stairwell still brightly lit, and more importantly - how come the lift could still work? But, these are ultimately just nitpicks.

However, 'Collateral' impressed me most in how it managed to transcend its genre. It's not simply an action thriller. It's a biting satire on human apathy and on the faceless and inhumane character of L.A. It is also an interestingly character-centred film with very very skillfully written dialogue that wastes no words and balances a good amount of philosophically musings and witty humour. Tom Cruise mumbled his lines a little at important points and that resulted in me not really understanding what his task was all about, but he was generally good in his role. Given that Jamie Foxx regularly plays comic roles, he handled this serious role brilliantly. His character was put in many situations that demanded different aspects of Max to be shown and Jamie did it well. Jada Pinkett Smith was gorgeous, as always. She looks so fantastic in her power-suit, and her first scene with Foxx in the taxi is one of the best, if not the best, scenes in the movie.

Fantastic movie! I strongly recommended it.

My rating: A

I liked also Ebert's Review of Collateral.

The Amazing Race 5, Episode 6 Cairo to Luxor

2004-08-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

Can I just say how much I LOVE this show? It is definitely THE best Reality Television show ever, and oen of the best TV shows right now!

This season has been on a sort of lull lately. The episodes have been good, but not great. But today's episode was great, really really great.

The detour was fantastic. It wasn't a clear choice between tasks and both detour options incorporated elements of Egyptian culture well. Plus, it was extremely funny to watch Colin plonk (I recognise that's not a word) on the donkey and Brandon have difficulty on the donkey. His 'I want to have kids!' must be one of the best lines this episode! The goats option was even more hilarious with Charla screaming like a nutcase trying to keep the goats in. LOL. And the scenery shots were amazing as the boat (can't rem. the Egyptian name) crossed the Nile.

Roadblock was good as well. For once Kim got to do a roadblock and do her part for the team. Well done Kim! Chip and Kim are currently my favourite team. I liked that the editors gave Kim more talk-time this week. It was pretty exciting with all the teams running in as Brandon desperately tried to find the scarab. I really like the editing on this show!

All in all, a great episode! I hope the episodes that follow will be just as good.

Michael Chiang's 'Private Parts'

2004-08-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

I read the review for this play on Life! the day before watching so I went in with certain expectations. That's why I don't really like reading reviews before watching anything. No matter how you try to maintain a biased point of view, there's nothing that beats not knowing anything about a performance before you view it.

I expected the sparse setting of the stage and the sub-par performances, and these criticisms of the play were largely accurate. Most of the time the stage was largely bare with the exception of a few coloured banners dropped down from the ceiling. There was nothing about the sets of this production that suggested they needed a venue like the Esplanade Theatre. I am not aware of what facilities the Esplanade Theatre provides as compared to other theatre venues but I am quite sure it wasn't fully utilized. Yet, on the other hand, there's nothing about the play that suggests it needs large, elaborate sets and in fact, I think the bare stage kind of suits the play - a play that was written 12 years ago, but performed several times since then, continuing to remain relevant each time it's performed. The sparse stage emphasizing the timelessness of it all, a contrsat to elaborate sets which are often used to establish location emphatically.

In terms of performances, there weren't many memorable ones. Timothy Nga's performance as Warren was rather bland. Nothing really sparkled in his performance and he was particularly unconvincing in the second half of the play as a successful talk-show host. His scenes with Mirabella (played by Christian Lee) sparkled though, but largely because of Christian Lee's great acting. Kevin Murphy as Lavinia was wonderful as well. Mirabella and Lavinia's scenes really crackled with comic energy or intense emotion when required. The effect of many of the sexual innuendos made in the early part of the play was enhanced by their gesturing and naughty looks - which is another reason why I believe such a big theatre like the Esplanade Theatre isn't that suitable for such a play, or maybe plays in general, which sometimes thrive on subtle display of emotions on actors'/actresses' faces. Jamie Yeo's character felt strangely out of place in the play, like she hardly belonged at all in the play even though I believe her character did have an important role in terms of portraying the negative feelings (fear, hatred, disgust etc.) women feel towards transsexuals. She played her character largely as a bimbo, which I'm not sure was the best way to interpret her character. Edward's (the female turned male, played by Yeo Yann Yann) acting was awkward - I can't find a word more accurate to describe it but it felt strange amidst all the other 'transsexual' characters. To a certain extent, it felt as if certain stereotypes were being strengthened by the play - male transvestites (males acting as females) as horny and sexually playful and female transvestites as more serious.

The script was largely good but could have been better.

I missed the first quarter of the play, but at the end of the play, I didn't feel like I had any pressing need to watch what I had missed. I felt that what I had watched had given me enough to formulate a full understanding of the drama, which means that the first quarter was largely excessive, like some of the scenes later in particular those with Warren's boss.

I felt that the whole crux of the play came in the second 'Singapore Today' portion where the three transsexuals talked about their inner feelings, which was a less impactful method of portraying their dilemmas than actually dramatizing their difficulties. It would have been more powerful if we saw each transsexual interacting with their other-halves. The story between Mirabella and Warren was very effective, not just in highlighting the issues faced by transsexuals, but drawing the audience, or maybe just me, emotionally into their plight. The play chose not to show us Rosalind's (Jamie Yeo's character) departure of Warren, which I thought was an important scene and also the chance for a lot of issues and character-points to be raised and strengthened. I thought the comic moments in the play worked much better than the more serious moments which undercut the power of the play because I'm sure Michael Chiang didn't want his audience to leave it simply thinking of it as an effective comedy. This is however a complaint more about the acting than the actual script itself.

I would just like to point out a particular point of the play which I thought was extremely effective - the part where Edward brings out his enlistment letter during the 'Singapore Today' portion. Initially the audience, including me, chuckled, but gradually as Edward reveals the double standards in terms of marriage and national service, I felt ashamed that I laughed at the start. The line, 'You think it's something to laugh about?', really struck. It is a moment where the writer and director accurately pinpointed the audience's reaction and eventual emotional reaction and played on it. That was a moment when I truly felt drawn in. Initially I mentioned Edward's largely unspectacular performance - that was her sole shining moment. :)

Despite the production's flaws, I still think it's worth watching. Maybe not so much the 'must-see play for all Singaporeans' that it is touted as, and maybe not worth the high ticket prices (thank God I got it at 50% student discount), but nonetheless worth watching. To my surprise though, I saw a few kids there at the performance, some of them younger than 12 (I think). It's not that I'm against these kids watching it but I wonder what they would take home from such a performance and why some parents decided to bring their kids to watch such a play. I can imagine they would be largely bewildered by the innuendos, if not, their parents would have great cause for concern. :P

Ratings

2004-05-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

I find it extremely hard to assign a particular rating on everything I watch. So for now, my rating system will not be a consistently applied one. I will give a rating only for things which I feel that I can confidently rate, for the rest, I'll just comment.

Russian Ark

2004-05-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Have been meaning to watch this for a long time ever since I read about it on Elaine's blog. A whole movie done within a single take which lasts for 96 minutes! Aleksandr Sokurov has really set a guiness world record here.

The show takes us literally through the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, going back through almost 300 years of Russian history and art. Our 'guide' is someone from the present day who moves along the corridor much like a ghost. He's the one behind the camera, the camera supposedly being his view-point. We hear his voice and see his hands once. He is accompanied by a character from the 19th century French aristocrat who is very much surprised to find himself here, speaking Russian.

I can't say that I really got the whole show but I vaguely got the impression that it was dealing with how Russian art (in its various forms- art, music, drama) is perceived in the European world and how it takes from European culture. It also seems to be how we communicate with art, our relationship with art. I remember particularly a scene with a woman talking and gesturing to an art-piece, telling the French aristocrat that she shares a secret with that picture.

I admired the technical aspects of it - the fluidity of the camera, the choreography of the dancing, the costumes, the sound and all the digital effects which were added on seamlessly (only realised it after watching the documentary on it). The camera didn't always focus on what was important in the scene, so in certain scenes, you had to look out for the details or listen to the little whispers of gossip by the side. The DVD is quite badly subtitled though, perhaps due to the sheer difficulty of the task because there are often many people talking at the same time. But at certain points, we have characters talking with no subtitles. The only consistently subtitled character is our 'narrator', the one behind the camera.

But the show failed to truly captivate me or draw me in. It was bewildering at times, visually stunning at times, energetic at times but I was never really taken into the world of the film, but perhaps that was the point of it all. The idea of engagement and how we engage with history and art. It's particularly difficult to rate a movie like this then because I appreciate what it's doing, but I don't particularly enjoy it either. As of now I will judge it based on whether I am willing to watch it again, and the answer to that is, yes.

Troy

2004-05-21T17:34:00.000-07:00

Is it terribly disturbing that I found Brad Pitt very very attractive and yummy in this movie? He has definitely beefed up tonnes since the last time I saw him and he definitely looks better. Looks like the six months he took to build himself up for this movie really did wonders. And the many many gratituous shots of the rear view of his naked body or the frontal partial naked body helped to emphasize his new build. Right, enough about Brad Pitt.

'Troy' was certainly entertaining. The love scenes were particularly awkward though. The dialogue between Helen and Paris could certainly be better if perhaps cut down altogether, and oh my, poor Orlando looks so belittled amongst all the hunky men in the show. In a show which is high on testosterone level, Orlando doesn't really have much chance to shine because his charm is certainly of a different sort. The weirdest, almost comical love scene was the attempted-murder turned sex-scene between Achilles and that priestess whose name I can't remember. I can see why Achilles would kiss her but it makes totally no sense that the priestess would return it and even sleep with him. But asking for 'sense' in a movie that deals with myth really is asking for too much isn't it.

Other than that, I have nothing much to gripe about the show. The show dishes out eye candy like nobody's business (although I think there's more in it for a female audience than a male one), special effects were not too over the top, the one-on-one fights were well choreographed especially the battle between Hector and Achilles, the battle scenes were nicely atmospheric and easy to follow, the sets were amazing and best of all, the show wasn't boring. It spanned almost three hours and not for a moment was I bored. Can you really ask for more out of a typical Hollywood epic movie?

My Rating: B

Gilmore Girls Finale: Raincoats and Recipes

2004-05-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

This was a good finale, not as good as TelevisionWithoutPity makes it out to be, but good nonetheless. Nice cliff-hanger-y sort of ending (although I never believe Gilmore Girls can ever really end with that 'oh no, what's going to happen next' sort of feeling), great character moments, well-written comedy and just great plotting within the episode itself.

Gilmore Girls has never really been about long term plotting but seems like the whole Jason Stiles thing has been for nothing. Lorelai has moved on way too quickly to Luke. Are the writers trying to say that Jason never really meant much to her? Because it seemed like quite the opposite though, the first long term relationship she's had since this show started and she takes one episode to get over it by making jokes about it. Although I have to admit somehow the way the Lorelai-Luke thing was handled is impressively effectively given the way it's almost a predicted route the show will take sometime or other. I think the actors deserve as much credit as the writers. Lauren Graham and Scott Patterson are great actors in their own right, and I like the slightly awkward way Luke kissed Lorelai as opposed to the way Lorelai seemed to do it perfectly.

The Rory plotline wasn't so satisfactory though. Having Dean linger around and seem pathetic for the whole of season 4 and then suddenly end with Rory losing her cherry to him just seems wrong. Though yes, that's finally another thing that was eventually going to happen and this is one of the few shows that actually makes losing virginity seem like a big thing, so I'm glad. I like Lorelai's reaction to it. She understands her daughter and she's supportive of her when necessary but she's firm when she has to be and especially firm in the area of losing her virginity. I like it that Rory's first time is not a happy lovey-dovey sort of moment. BUT I'm not looking forward to the complications that have to be resolved next season. Frankly Dean is so passe. His marriage with Lindsey was the biggest mistake on this show ever and now it just seems like he got married in season 3 so that this complication could come about, a complication which is boring to watch. Though I have faith that the writers will be able to handle it in a different, or at least, interesting to watch way.

Gilmore Girls is still the most consistently good TV show I must say. Angel produces the occasionaly gem of an episode but it has been up and very very down this season. The other shows have been quite *meh* and disappointing really, especially Alias. I've been told there're lots of good new shows though, like The OC and Joan of Arcadia, which I will attempt to catch up on when I go back to Singapore. Right now, I'm waiting for the Angel Series Finale! Can't wait... It's been ages since I've been so psyched about an Angel episode.

Ally Mcbeal: Cro-Magnon

2004-05-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

As promised, my first entry's on Ally Mcbeal. Watched it during dinner today.
Rewatching Ally Mcbeal now makes me wonder why I was so impressed with it in the first place. Maybe it was something to do with my Sec 2 conception of literature or my early ideas of literature as something which had to tell lessons relating to life, having some sort of universal message (a view which has radically changed now - I still remember Professor Martin Butler telling me distinctly his great problem with terms like 'universal themes' and 'human feelings' etc).

But now when I look at Ally, it all seems very fluffy to me. Seems interesting to me to think of a show based in law as fluff. That doesn't deny the fact that it's immensely entertaining and what more can one ask for from a show. Shows like The West Wing are brilliantly written and remarkably intelligent but I have to admit that half the time I don't really feel 'entertained' and sometimes I just watch it to attempt to understand why this show is so good.

This episode was the one with the nude model and where I believe, the dancing baby first makes his appearance. It's silly and neurotic but it is still pretty damn fun to watch. It's funny, titillating, the character dynamics are interesting and I admit it does put an interesting spin on portrayal of sex and relationships. I think perhaps what's compelling about the show now is its relationships, although as the show progresses through the other seasons, these relationships go horribly wrong and get remarkably painful, esp the Ally-Billy angle. Never really noticed this before when I watched it but the show has a remarkable way of building up the energy in scenes by gradually involving more characters in a particular conversation as the scene goes on. I shall continue to enjoy this show in its early glory-days and try to erase the trashiness that it was in the later parts of Season 4 and 5 (I didn't even like the show when Robert Downey Jr. was in it, and that was when I watched it on a less regular basis).