a bummed life!

To start with, i had very little hope in this movie. A movie with only Brad Pitt as the only recognizable face (oh, and that guy from Lost) amongst thousands of computer generated zombies didn’t really sound appealing at all. Plus, it’s another zombie movie. Really, if it isn’t about zombies, it’s about vampires! If Kate Beckinsale is not in that movie, it’s not worth watching. Still, i went on ahead and saw it since some of my friends actually said it was good. And indeed, it was.

Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013) Wow! This movie just packs a whopping wow! (of course, being a Star Trek fan i would still have said wow even without seeing it first). I just think this movie is awesome and really worth the watch (and re-watch), but i won’t make a review just to avoid writing a post that would probably sound like a screeching fan girl. Instead, let me just answer a very simple question which i proposed at the very title: Should i watch Star Trek (2013) in 3D or not? I will let the the font size compensate the lack of details to justify my answer: 3D or not? NO. but, you should watch it in iMAX! iMAX or iMAX 3D is fine, so long as it is iMAX. Yes, you heard (or read) it right. You should catch this movie in iMAX but not for the 3D effect. Watch it there because of it’s sheer grandiose. The movie just boasts a ton of epic scenes that a regular cinema simply won’t be able to justify. The 3D is really nice, especially at the first few minutes in the movie but y...

Tags: Movie Review, Battle Los Angeles, L.A., alien invasion, marines What is a year in the movies without aliens invading, trying to wipe out the human race? It’s a staple in Hollywood nowadays. Battle Los Angeles revolves around a Marine Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz being called into duty right after his resignation letter got signed. His mission was to assist a young 2nd Lt. William Martinez with the evacuation of civilians in L.A. that is currently under siege from an unknown force. And that unknown force is, well you guessed it.. a bunch of super powered aliens that came from nowhere to take over the planet. In just after a few hours, the whole world succumbs into this incursion. The movie follows along the recent line of Hollywood flicks that probably took it’s strongest root from the 1996 film Independence Day (which i loved). With that, Battle LA doesn’t present anything new from the premise of the story to the style that it was delivered.

Tags: Movie Review, Immortals, 3D, Greek Mythology Here is another one of those 300-style movies that are stunningly beautiful, full of gore and based on Mediterranean literature (be it history or mythology).  I’ll make this a quick one. Immortals is the story of Theseus and is loosely based on the Greek mythology about the greatest hero of Athens (and btw, he is related to Hercules). Like ‘Clash of the Titans” before it, it isn’t the exact story as it was told in the mythologies. However, unlike “Clash” this one (for me) is actually worth watching beyond the visual effects. Of course, the visuals are a vital part (if not the most vital) of the movie.

tags: The Big Bang Theory, Show, Sheldon, Penny, Jim Parsons, Emmy, Review One of the more recent shows (in the US) that really got me hooked is “The Big Bang Theory”. When i say ‘hooked’ i meant: can’t live my life without at least watching 2 episodes before going to bed every night. And some of you might already be down the same road but for those who aren’t, here’s an intro: The Big Bang Theory is about a bunch of 4 geeky guys (who all work in a University as physicists/professors, etc) and how their ‘world’ is rocked when they met this new blonde girl next door. Being the only ‘normal’ person in the bunch Penny finds that living next door with guys of IQ she never thought possible (nor socially healthy) is quite an interesting ride. Well, the guys find it equally challenging as Leonard, Sheldon, Howard and Rajesh welcomes the bombshell from Omaha into their quite exclusive circle. If you haven’t realized it yet, this series is geeky, nerdy and uses a lot of techno-jargon in the ...

Tags: Movie Review, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, James Franco, Apes, Simians Finally, I got to see it, one of the movies that people have been talking about this past few days. I’ve heard that it’s been receiving good reviews, so I went out on a lazy Saturday afternoon and watched it at Lido Cinema (one of the bigger ones in Singapore – for me, the best I’ve been in so far here). The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is actually the 7th ‘Planet of the Apes’ movie – the last one having Mark Wahlberg as the ‘lost’ astronaut. This time though,  there are no astronauts or spaceships (in the main storyline, that is) as this movie is the prequel to the time when Apes rule the Earth.

Review of the movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” Salute to the Captain! I'm not really a fan of Capt. America, i think he is too virtuous and patriotic (plus the story about a super-soldier experiment is a bit cliché by now). However, this movie was so much fun to watch! Read on for my reasons along with a healthy dose of spoilers <don't worry, they are minor and wouldn't ruin your movie experience. hehe> The movie starts off with the discovery of a World War II aircraft, where a particular shield (one that is familiar to all) was found. And, where this red-blue and white shield is, a certain Captain is probably nearby. Flashback some years back, in the 1940's during the rise of Germany under Hitler's leadership, the movie tells the story of a decrepit lad from Brooklyn and how he came to be, the star-spangled Capt. America.

review of the movie “Transformers : Dark of the Moon”. this time, no spoilers, just my full on review/comments. I really had to see this movie on it's premier night - regardless if the only available schedule was at midnight. Transformers 3 is one of the most anticipated movies this year and for most - it was worth the wait. Sure, we will always have the haters and the bashers but it's a movie i would recommend to go watch and see for yourself. The movie is almost 2 1/2 hours (longer than the first 2). However, that time is well spent on the screen as it is a visual feast of robots transforming and bashing each other. It's full of cars (vintage, current and alien), aircrafts, space crafts and mammoth machines that fill the screen in 3D glory.

Review on: 千と千尋の神隠し (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) or “Spirited Away” movie (animation/anime). (spoiler alerts, as always. just some, i won’t give everything away). Such a beautiful movie. That’s a meager attempt at describing the movie with what it evokes and entails.  This isn’t a new movie though. It was released in 2001/2002, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki (also known for Princess Mononoke). I just had a chance to read a recommendation about it and i’m really glad i saw it. The movie tells the story of a girl named ‘Chiharu’ and her undertakings on a strange world that she and her parents stumbled upon by accident. On their way to their new house, they found a tunnel that leads to a deserted ‘theme park’. Her parents was intrigued at the place and decided to look around until they found a restaurant full of palatable delights but with no people around. With the exception of a really annoyed and scared Chiharu, they begun to gulp down and eat some food, thinking t...

Review of the movie The Green Lantern. Spoiler warnings and all..  Let’s get straight to the point and answer the question: how was the movie? Umm.. not sure. Lol. When i finished watching this movie, i didn’t quite know how i felt about it. I wasn’t disappointed nor was i impressed. It just felt, so so. With that, i guess it’s already saying a lot since i’m a big fan of superhero movies and sci-fi. Although, i don’t really know much about Green Lantern (or most of the DC characters, as i was born in the Marvel universe) – I wanted to see his live action film. However, basing on the trailer itself, i wasn’t really expecting much – still i went out on it’s opening night and bought a ticket to one of Singapore’s best cinemas (the Grand Cathay) despite the objections of my wallet. Anyhow, i promised spoilers so here they are:

The first time i heard the song “Better Together” by Jack Johnson, i felt like going to the beach, sit under a tree and spend a quite afternoon with a drink in hand (non-alcoholic if you may ask), all the while playing the song in the background. The song just makes me feel relaxed and carefree. (okay, it’s also a romantic song). Yeah, so i discovered the song a bit late, about 2 years ago (it got released much earlier). And, i actually heard it as a background song on a TV show. Immediately, i decided i gotta have it. It’s perfect for beach bummers, especially for couples. The video above is of Jack Johnson  performing the song live, with a really nice harmonica played on the side. The song just makes me want to bum around some more. Happy listening!

Review of the movie X-Men : First Class Awesome. Awesome. Apart from the spoiler alert , another warning: this review would be completely biased as I have always loved the dynamics between Charles & Erik (Prof. X and Magneto) from the comics, to the animations, to the big screen. X-Men first class is the ‘origins’ prequel for the X-Men itself: before the team/school was established, before they were Professor X and Magneto. The movie tells the story of where Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr came from and how differently they grew up. The two coming from completely opposite experiences: one from a princely life, the other, wholly devoid of luxury – and how they came together and became the dichotomous match that we are familiar with. The movie explains the why and how the X-Men was formed and the histories of some of its members but it is mainly in relation to the lives of Charles and Erik.

I just heard this song over at Monster Rx yesterday. It’s really a song that’s perfect for bummers. Although, it’s a bit ‘ green ’, more than i want it to be – it’s still a good listen. The above is the music video that’s really simple yet uber funny. If you’ve got nothing else do but bum around, check out this vid. *i’m really loving Bruno Mars’ songs and what can i say about that hair. haha :D I’m thinking of making a list of songs/vids that are perfect for a bummed life. Happy listening!

Review of the movie Priest. As usual, spoilers spoilers spoilers! I’ve been wanting (and drooling) about this movie ever since i saw its trailer a few months ago. That’s especially when i saw the posters where Paul Bettany (the lead role) posed like the main character in the Assassin’s Creed game. What can i say, i’m a sucker for this kind of sci-fi movies. Finally, i got to see it today!

Review of the the Anime Movie, with spoilers (so be warned). A lot of Naruto fans probably got too excited when they found out that the movie would feature the 4th Hokage and a young Kakashi, as seen on the trailer. I’m sure I was. Was all the excitement justified? Read on. <again, spoiler alert> The movie starts off with Team 7 (Naruto, Sakura, Sai led by Yamato) on a mission (as per alliance with the hidden village of the Sand) to thwart the plans of a rogue puppeteer ninja. The rogue ninja was after a natural and powerful chakra source that was sealed by the 4th Hokage. During the fight, the puppeteer successfully removed (absorbed) the seal unleashing the chakra source but not without taking with him Naruto and Yamato into the engulfing chakra flow.

Review of the movie Thor. One of the Avengers’ prequel movie. Marvel is really building up the character lineup for this much awaited team-based movie. This isn’t as (unexpectedly) grand or as a blockbuster hit as Ironman but it is surprisingly enjoyable as well.

(review of the movie Source Code) I’m so thankful that there’s something interesting (for me, at least) to watch at the cinemas today! These week have been a series of low days for movies. There weren’t anything else to see but 3D animated ones mainly intended for kids and those who really love cutesy, cheesy characters – movies of interest seem to have gone to an early summer vacation. Enter the “Source Code”. While it’s not quite the “Inception”, it’s still a welcome presentation from the currently depressed cinematic experience. It’s got enough action, story, funny bone and hints of a love story to keep you from completely setting up a boycott the theaters ‘til the next big movie arrives.

One of the most important responsibility of an official bum is to have a regular Video or DVD MARATHON! It's probably in the top 5 things to do when your just bumming around (someday, i would have to rank them into a post). note: this is also a brief review of True Blood and Battlestar Galactica There are a ton of videos to spend countless hours of doing nothing in front of a screen (be it a portable device, a flatscreen TV or your PC). The choices of things to watch mostly fall in the following list (in order of importance):