I am a Pop Culture Whore

Pillow Talk

2004-05-24T11:06:00.000+02:00

Sabtu kemaren di BBC, seperti biasa, ada film" klasik diputer dan biasanya aku juga udah sering nungguin film apa yang mau diputer. Kalo menurut TV Gids-nya Veronica sih bakal ada 'Love is a Many Splendored Things'; eh ternyata kenyataannya malah diputer 'Pillow Talk', salah satu film hasil partnership Rock Hudson-Doris Day yang katanya menginspirasi terbuatnya 'Down With Love'.

Satu hal yang aku kagetin dari film ini; the overall setting dan attitude dari karakter"nya tuh modern banget lho. Dan dialog"nya juga cukup menyegarkan dan terdengar modern untuk film dari taun 1960-an. Aktingnya Doris Day juga bukan hanya akting melodramatis tipikal film" lama, tapi akting yang bisa dilihat di film" sekarang.

Kembali ke dialog, banyak sekali witty repartee yang sampai sekarang bisa dilihat lagi di film" romantik komedi. Plot ceritanya juga cukup kreatif dan advanced untuk masanya. Ceritanya berawal dari seorang Jan Morrow (Day), seorang wanita karir single (!) yang bekerja sebagai interior decorator. Bayangkan! Dan dia mengaku tidak keberatan hidup sebagai seorang single. Jadi inget sama salah satu quote dari Helen Gurley Brown, pendirinya Cosmopolitan Magazine, beliau pernah bilang, di masanya beliau muda, kalau ada perempuan yang mengaku kalau dia single, it would mean bad for her, dan ketika dia mengakui kalo dia single and having sex (and enjoying it) she just needs to stick her head into an oven.

Jadi jelas banget kalo tokoh Jan ini cukup modern, independent, self-confident, and so ahead of her time. Dia tipe perempuan yang enggak sekedar menerima marriage proposal yang datang ke pintunya, dia enggak mau settle for anything less. Jadi ketika Jonathan, salah satu suitornya menciumnya untuk mengetes chemistry dan there is obviously none, Jonathan menghiburnya dengan 'well, you couldn't shoot the moon with the first missile' sementara Jan tetep mau mencari that kiss yang send her straight to the moon.

Jan, karena masalah telpon, harus berbagi line telpon parallel dengan tetangganya Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) yang selalu sibuk nelponin banyak perempuan". Jan, yang sering kerja dari rumah, ngerasa kesel karena dia enggak pernah bisa make line teleponnya. Dari sinilah Jan dan Brad bisa dapet kesempatan untuk tuker"an komentar" witty yang cukup punya sexual innuendo (dibungkus dengan cukup elegan tapi masih terdengar lucu and still sexy). Dari situlah Brad ngerasa penasaran dan pengen ketemu si Jan ini. Kebetulan, Jonathan adalah teman sekaligus atasan si Brad; tapi Jonathan terlalu aware akan reputasi Brad sebagai womanizer untuk bercerita semua tentang Jan. Secara kebetulan lagi, Brad akhirnya bisa bertemu dengan his other side of party line di satu pesta. Dari situlah dia memutuskan untuk done his whole southern innocent act (seperti tokoh Catcher Block di 'Down with Love') untuk mengambil hati Jan.

Kostum"nya Doris Day disini classy" banget; lokasi settingnya juga, pokoknya there's not a dull moment atau dialogue di filmnya. Pilihan acara date mereka juga classy dan bakal masih relevan kalo dipake sampe sekarang. Bener" romantic ideal date, tapi enggak terlalu cheesy atau keseringan dipake sampe jadi klise yang irritating.

Ada satu adegan dimana aku bisa ngerasa the sexual tension yang dibangun; adegan dimana Doris Day lagi berendam di bath tub penuh busa, terus dengan trik pemisah screen, di sisi lainnya ada Rock Hudson yang juga lagi berendam di bathtub penuh busa dan mereka lagi saling menelpon. And then they slide one of their feet along the screen separator as if their sliding it without the separator there. Wow!

Enggak tau kenapa, tapi adegan itu bener" give me the butterflies.

Ada adegan satu lagi yang lucu walopun tidak dimaksudin untuk jadi lucu, karena aku mbayangin dimasa itu kan Rock Hudson belum come out of the closet, tapi di film itu ada satu adegan dimana tokoh Brad Allen mengingatkan Doris Day tentang kemungkinan Rex Stetson itu gay, walopun enggak jelas" dibilang gitu. Ceritanya Rex, the innocent southern alter ego, selalu berperilaku kayak perfect gentleman dan enggak pernah taking advantage. Terus Brad mengingatkan ttg keberadaan those guys yang tipe" mama's boys, kerjaannya gossiping dan exchange recipes. Hmm… jadi mbayangin, apa Rock Hudson enggak ngerasa geli pas tau itulah gambaran orang" taun 1960-an tentang orang gay.

But overall, aku ngerasa kalo film ini pantas dianggap seimbang dan seklasik Breakfast at Tiffany's. Classy, smart, funny (walopun Pillow Talk lebih cocok sebagai film lucu dan Breakfast lebih mengarah ke drama), so advanced of their time, reeks of classy style…Aku bisa mbayangin kok kalo 'Sex and the City' itu enggak bakal ada tanpa 2 foundation stone ini. Tapi sekarang, aku masih ter-amazed" ama naskah witty dan the modern character, attitude, cerita, dan the sublime yet classy sexual tone. Pillow Talk, my favorite romantic comedy.

Last Minute Blogging: Visiting In Style

2004-05-19T18:54:00.000+02:00

Look Who's Been Dating..., What is it with Ms.Sofia Coppola and directors? Does she has a thing for them? Is she suffering from a father-complex? Her parents only allow her to date other directors?

Meanwhile, I'm glad she got rid of that creepy guy, looks like she is back with one really cute yet classy outfit.

And, I think I'm beginning to fall in love with the looks of Marc Jacobs (worn here by 2 of my favorite people).

Kenapa Semua Orang di Amsterdam Udah Ketemu Cast-nya 'Ocean's Twelve', But Not Me?

2004-05-14T16:53:00.000+02:00

...FuNzoiD... says: duh...
...FuNzoiD... says: sebel
...FuNzoiD... says: barusan temenku di haarlem telpon
...FuNzoiD... says: dia td pagi dpt shift kerja pagi
...FuNzoiD... says: di hotel...
...FuNzoiD... says: trus mesti anterin room service...
...FuNzoiD... says: guess who tipped him????
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: brad pitt?
...FuNzoiD... says: fuckin' brad pitt....
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

...FuNzoiD... says: he eh
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: bitch
...FuNzoiD... says: trus sempet ketemu sama george clooney, dll
...FuNzoiD... says: hmm actually he's a guy
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: ya tetep aja
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: bitch
...FuNzoiD... says: sempet ngomong2 bentar sama brad pitt segala
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: si bebi juga udah ketemu brad pitt
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: !!!!
...FuNzoiD... says: iya wis...
...FuNzoiD... says: BITCH
...FuNzoiD... says: heh
...FuNzoiD... says: ketemu di mana?
...FuNzoiD... says: atho cuman liat doank?
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: sempet liat brad pitt, lagi naik kapal sepanjang kanal
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: jadi bebi sampe jalan ngikutin itu kapal sampe jauh
...FuNzoiD... says: hahahahhahahahha
...FuNzoiD... says: sambil teriak2 gitu?
...FuNzoiD... says: BRAD PITT BRAD PITT!!!

nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: ngomong apa aja sama brad pitt temenmu itu?
...FuNzoiD... says: hey i saw your movie "troy"
...FuNzoiD... says: (padal dia download.... bitch!!!)
...FuNzoiD... says: trus bradnya bales
...FuNzoiD... says: how do you like it?
...FuNzoiD... says: dia bales, great...
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: berani gk dia ngomong ama brad pitt klo dia cuman nge-d/l itu film?
...FuNzoiD... says: engga
...FuNzoiD... says: hahahhahahaha
...FuNzoiD... says: ya khan dia ketemunya kemaren, khan troy dah premiere
...FuNzoiD... says: bajingan!!!!
...FuNzoiD... says: i could have been him... soalnya kapan hari ditawarin kerja di sana jg....

...FuNzoiD... says: trus katanya matt damon cuman sepundaknya.... artinya maseh tinggian
aku
...FuNzoiD... says: soalnya temenku itu ya sak-aku gitu
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: heh? gak mungkiiinnnnnn
...FuNzoiD... says: hahahahhahahah lebih tinggi dr seleb!!!!!
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: dia ngiri2in kita aja tuuhhhh
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: gk mungkin mosok matt damon pendeek??
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: (icon patah hati)

...FuNzoiD... says: tenang george clooney tinggi
...FuNzoiD... says: lho aku sadar soalnya dulu khan pas menang oscar sama ben affleck
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: oh oke oke
...FuNzoiD... says: pas jejer keliatan beda
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: oh ya ya?
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: serius?
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: tapi mosok matt damon pendek seehhhh
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: -cari2 info di imdb-
...FuNzoiD... says: trus pas di ocean's 11 khan perannya yg sneaky2 kecil

nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: eh mereka itu pada di haarlem?
...FuNzoiD... says: ya mungkin pas itu dia lg 1/2 jongkok jd keliatan pendek
...FuNzoiD... says: yep...
...FuNzoiD... says: syuting di haarlem ns tepatnya di spoor 3
...FuNzoiD... says: trus hotelnya temenku itu jd kayak markasnya
...FuNzoiD... says: lantai 2 semua diambil
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: tingginya 177 kok
...FuNzoiD... says: buat kamar make up, kamar baju, peralatan, dll
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: iya klo spoor 3-nya tadi si debby, temenku cerita
...FuNzoiD... says: ya 177.... ga 185 ke atas tho
...FuNzoiD... says: hehehehehhehe
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: heuhehhee oke oke deh

...FuNzoiD... says: bayangin anak2 indo yg kerja di hotel itu khan rasane lumayan banyak
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: kmu ke cs-nya haarlem tadi?
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: wuiiiiiiiiiiiiii
...FuNzoiD... says: trus khan service mrk pas breakfast
...FuNzoiD... says: ya setauku dulu ada 2
...FuNzoiD... says: trus khan biasa pasti nambah...
...FuNzoiD... says: kayak dulu subway
...FuNzoiD... says: aku ga ke cs haarlem kok
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: tapi
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: bitch ketemu brad ama matt
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: why does it always happen to people who doesn't care?
...FuNzoiD... says: iya...
...FuNzoiD... says: bener...
...FuNzoiD... says: those haarlem bitches...
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: eugh
...FuNzoiD... says: mrk khan jelas2 lebih 'ngampung' dibandingin kita....
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: sebel
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: huahahhahha bener :p
...FuNzoiD... says: amsterdammer
...FuNzoiD... says: hahahahahahha

nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: tapi ngiri juga nih ama bebi, dia bisa tanpa effort apa2 ketemu brad pitt
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: well ngeliat close up sih...
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: tapi sama aja, tetep ketemu
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: ugh
...FuNzoiD... says: iya...
...FuNzoiD... says: lebih ngiri sama rudi...
...FuNzoiD... says: tipped by brad pitt
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: bener
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: bener
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: duit dari tangannya brad pitt
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: tipnya gede gk?
...FuNzoiD... says: hahahahhahaha
...FuNzoiD... says: kayaknya gede
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: siapa tau nanti ada cerita si brad pitt klo ngetip sedikit
...FuNzoiD... says: soalnya dia bilang mesti dibagi

...FuNzoiD... says: ntar minggu ini aku ke haarlem kok
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: eh, dia disuruh njual cerita ke prive, atau national enquirer versi belanda gitu
...FuNzoiD... says: hahahahhah
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: sempet foto2 gk si rudi?
...FuNzoiD... says: an indonesian hotel employee was sexually molested by a cast of ocean's 12
...FuNzoiD... says: hahahahahha
...FuNzoiD... says: engga
...FuNzoiD... says: padal dia ketemu jelas sama clooney, damon, pitt
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: clooney-nya itu lhoooooo
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: huks huks huks pengeeeennnn
...FuNzoiD... says: soalnya mrk harus pake pintu belakang, jd khan ya mondar mandir
...FuNzoiD... says: ke resto d'antica aja...
...FuNzoiD... says: dengernya mrk sering ke sana
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: iyaaa waktu itu mbaca si clooney nge-date disana
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: sama club jimmy woo katanya
...FuNzoiD... says: club jimmy woo?
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: eh bener tah si CZJ lagi disini?
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: di leidsestraat
...FuNzoiD... says: iya
...FuNzoiD... says: katanya kapan hari nyampe di amstel hotel
...FuNzoiD... says: trus nyapa org2 di situ...

...FuNzoiD... says: kayaknya biggest chance to meet them itu di sana deh
...FuNzoiD... says: sampe ada baricade segala
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: iya...
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: katanya disuruh sekitar jam 8-an gitu klo nunggu
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: either mereka keluar buat syuting malem atau abis syuting
...FuNzoiD... says: hmm okok
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: tapi eughhhh
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: iri abiiiiiissssss
...FuNzoiD... says: iyaaaaa
...FuNzoiD... says: fuck fuck fuck
...FuNzoiD... says: coba klo maseh ada subway
...FuNzoiD... says: mungkin mrk ke sana... soalnya khan genuine american fast food
...FuNzoiD... says: hehehehhe
...FuNzoiD... says: ga kayak mcdonalds
...FuNzoiD... says: eh btw, dpt lampu apa?
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: kuning
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: most of craig's dapet kuning kok
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: murid2nya willy dan mark juga
...FuNzoiD... says: hmm ok
...FuNzoiD... says: sama...
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says:
kayaknya cuman guru2 baru, aka antoine atau margitta yg lebih fleksibel deh...
nari -taking chances...and paying the price - says: lho.. tak pikir kmu dapet ijooo

-terputus krn harus pindah ruangan-

Lost in Translation (2003)

2004-05-13T12:14:00.000+02:00

Another review that I wrote my own, first published on Friendster's Bulletin Board (I know, I know, pathetic) and then again on my first blog:

I was so amazed back then when I saw Sofia Coppola's first feature film, "The Virgin Suicides". Styled as period piece fake-umentary about the live (and death) of 5 beautiful blonde Lisbon girls; it manages to create the right tragic atmosphere, yet it maintains a certain tone of beauty with its sun-dippled shots. Perhaps the beautiful cinematography was meant to remind us of the Lisbon girls.

The movie itself was based from a book by Jeffrey Eugenides (Sofia's favorite writer) with the same title. Needless to say; Sofia 'introduced' me to the amazing writing of Jeffrey Eugenides. His latest book, Middlesex, won last year (or was it 2002?) Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Impeccable taste, Ms Coppola! (or should I say Mrs Jonze?)

Which is why I was THRILLED when 'Lost in Translation', her sophomoric effort, came out. Featuring the new It Girl; Scarlett Johansson and the comedy veteran Bill Murray, it tells a story of two people being lost and found themselves (and each other) halfway across the world.

Johansson plays Charlotte, the 20-something just married, just graduated from Yale with a Philosophy degree, who is stranded and alone in Tokyo. Her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi) is away most of the time for work. During these times, she met Bob Harris (Murray), the has-been-famous actor going to Tokyo to endorse a whisky advertisement. They met and both felt lost; they have fun together and the inevitable happens, they fell in love.

(Oh come on guys, don't says 'eugh' or 'how cliché' just yet)

The plot above is just a summary of what's mainly going on, the real work and not so cliché factor is on Coppola's subtlety in developing Charlotte and Bob Harris' relationship and feelings toward each other. They never exchanged words about it, but you just know strongly that it's there.

Probably the one thing that I really like about this movie is Johansson's character, Charlotte, which Coppola made from scratch (hats off to that). She is so real, believable, and (I believe) that she is the embodiment of what many young women went through in life, especially in their 20s. So many of us went through this horrible phase of insecurity about what we should do with our lives, and so we went through this soul searching journey of finding something that is actually not lost in the first place. Our soul is always there, but what we find is actually the assurance that yes, we will be okay later on in our lives; yes, we will land that job; yes, our lives will not be a huge mess; and yes, we will find happiness and peace.

I laugh when Charlotte said that she writes, but she doesn’t like what she writes; she takes pictures and that all girls went through the photography phase, but her pictures are mediocre. I am myself currently still in my writing phase and have just start my photography phase. See what I mean with Charlotte being real and believable? What Bob Harris said next was: “Oh, you’ll be fine. Just keep on writing. You’ll end up fine.”

At that time, I feel that I have the assurance that I was looking for (well, maybe a bit, after all this is a movie); that maybe few years from now, life is not as grim as we look at it right now; maybe what we thought as serious matters and caused us to be insecure is actually not that serious; and again, maybe that we are already okay to begin with so there is no need for that insecurities.

I feel that Sofia Coppola has not only created Charlotte’s character, but also contributed some of herself in it. I remember reading an article about how she was panned by harsh critics over her acting in The Godfather III; that she was the anchor weighing her dad’s reputation and the cause of the movie failure. And I remember reading another article about Nicolas Cage, when being asked about what Sofia is up to, he said that we should wait, she will be back, she has great potential, and (at that time) she will be a great designer. So there, she also has that time when she doesn’t know who or what she wants to be, but in the end she found her true talent and makes beautiful films, which script she wrote herself -- from scratch. If this is her sophomoric effort, I certainly would like to see more of her films. So as Bob Harris said, maybe we should just keep doing what we like to do.

The trailer of the movie said that sometimes you need to go halfway around the world to come full circle. By the end of the movie, I feel that I have closed several small circles of insecurities.

P.S: Check out the ending scene; so sweet and my eyes did a get misty from it. But I think it’s a “love it or hate it” type of thing.

PP.S: Thanks for Prasma for downloading and having me in your room! :D

Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World (2003)

2004-05-13T12:12:00.000+02:00

A review that I wrote myself, first published on Friendster's Bulletin Board and my first blog:

It may seem inappropriate to write a review in here; it's hardly the location, I guess. But then, this is a bulletin board, and you can just ignore them if you don't want to read the posting. Plus, at least this is a variation from all of those lists that you need to answer. I've made the title very clear, as to make it easier if you opt not to read. Besides, hey.. we add each other as friends, and as my friend: you are obliged to hear my ranting on and on and on
about movies, hehehehe....

I went to see this movie since I haven't watched a movie in Pathé for quite a long time and I really miss going there. The last movie that I've watched in theatre is 'Dogville', a pretty good one actually since this is the movie where
I convert to like Nicole Kidman. I even watch that movie in a small, inexpensive cinema, WITH break in between, grrrrr...

I watch my movie now based on expiry date and I went to see this one since I feel that its expiry date is getting closer. Plus, the always reliable The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk) gives this movie a 4-star and a good friend recommends
it greatly. So, off I went, although with a bit of unsure feeling; I watch the trailer and it doesn't say anything about the quality that I can expect. Plus, my last movie that includes battleship at sea proves to be a bit... well, fatal.

The movie starts at 18.50 and I was 10 minutes late, and when I walk in the actors are doing the usual activity that people do when they sail the ship offshore. Sorry... but I'm not that familiar at all with nautical adventures here,
but with open mind (I guess), I try to enjoy the film.

Not even 5 minutes later, suddenly the ship under Russel Crowe's command, HMS Surprise, was being heavily attacked by, what later known as, the French fleet: Acheron. That attack left Surprise beyond repair, but Captain Jack Aubrey
(Crowe) managed to convince the crew member to chase and attack back the much bigger, much faster, and better gunned Acheron.

This movie is set during the Napoleonic Wars, justifying the reason of the chase -- thus, their reason to chase Acheron is not one of those cheesy “let’s-get-our-dignity-back” motives, but to go into battle as it has been commanded and requested from your country. See, I am not a big fan of war; but this movie is not a story of people going to war, but to fight courageously in a genuine battle. ‘Battle’ and not ‘war’.

Another thing that I like about the movie is that they don’t have one of those cheesy, sentimental moments of inspirational talk about fighting and doing your best a la Braveheart (I bet it’s the most overrated movie of all time).
This is one movie that shows us that inspiration, encouragement, or values of heroism are shown through well-thought action; that it’s what you do that counts. There are some touching moments, but none of them are fabricated, we are
just simply shown to the harsh reality of our choices’ consequences and how little boys grow up to be men through life’s experiences.

I enjoyed every scene of this movie immensely; one that sticks out in particular was when Surprise was being chased by Acheron for the second time and Aubrey need to come up with a plan to fool them, while buying Surprise some
time. They made a sort of miniature ship; and float it. But, the miniature ship has to have its lantern lit and the sail opened to make it look like the real ship. So Aubrey asks one of his Midshipmen (see… I’m learning) to ‘command’
the miniature ship and have the lantern lit on time and then to float it, while Acheron is still shooting cannonballs to their direction. Once the lantern lit, the miniature ship drifting away, and the boy being pulled back to the ship; Aubrey told him, “Now tell me if that wasn’t fun?” And the boy just grins proudly, still in awe.

Now, I’m in the wrong gender, the wrong age, the wrong time, God knows the wrong dimension, and certainly on the wrong location to relate myself to him; but I have that same exact grin as the boy has stuck on my face! I enjoyed the movie THAT much.

To list yet another thing that I just love about this movie, there are no women character in sight, (well maybe there is if you count the Brazilian ah-hum.. whores that showed up for only around 2 minutes of the total 138 minutes and don’t say a word); in this politically correct world, this is one movie that makes me want to belong to the boys club. The movie is quite fast-paced, the soundtrack is great – you even get to see Russel Crowe played the violin in a very authentic way—, the battle scene is just grand.

All in all, this is one movie that I don’t have to think about to say that it’s simply just fab.

Dreamcatcher (2003)

2004-05-12T19:45:00.000+02:00

Another review that I wrote on June 30, 2003 for Choking on Popcorn:

I always thought that movies with alien theme are so '1996'. But, having seen Signs last year and Dreamcatcher this year, I hoped my prediction was wrong about this genre being on its way to full glory again. I, honestly, wouldn’t want to be a part of it. Then again, on second thoughts, I wouldn't mind seeing this genre in its full glory again IF at least one fresh idea was offered.

The thing about Dreamcatcher is that it has an extreme lack of originality. Numerous scenes and ideas have been stolen from other movies. Add to that the many plot holes plus some of the cheesiest lines I have ever heard in a movie. That makes it hard to take the movie seriously - the silliness of the lines is unbearable. At a certain point, I caught myself wondering if I was watching a Lawrence Kasdan movie or Scary Movie?

Basically, Dreamcatcher is based on a book written by Stephen King with the same title. It tells the story of four friends, close friends since childhood, reuniting in a cabin for their annual hunting trip. During this trip, they meet a mortally-wounded stranger and help him. Unluckily, it appears that this stranger has more problems than mere farting and frostbite. Soon, the four friends find themselves facing a dangerous creature and simultaneously attempt to save a village population from slaughter too. Each of the four friends has a special gift that may help them with the situation and bond them rather creepily with another childhood friend named Duddits. So what's Duddits got to do with all of this?

Although Morgan Freeman is in this movie, he is unfortunately not enough to save it. His character (Col. Abraham Curtis) is the antagonist version of General Billy Ford in Outbreak but with less intensity and more silliness to it. The other actors portraying the four friends deliver worse to bearable performances. Thomas Jane and Timothy Olyphant (as Henry and Pete) simply can't act. Damian Lewis and Jason Lee (as Jonesy and Joe) give a bearable performance, although the ridiculous lines kept distracting me.

Throughout the movie, you'll see influences / theft from: Stand by Me, Independence Day, Outbreak, and Signs. And oh yeah... don't expect to see an original portrayal of what an alien looks like either.

I'll give this **out of 4.

Muriel's Wedding (1994)

2004-05-12T19:42:00.000+02:00

A review that I wrote on June 16, 2003 for Choking on Popcorn:

When I first saw this movie, I expected nothing more than a romantic comedy. I had no idea that for a romantic comedy, this was to be a particularly delicious one. Yes, it has some romantic moments and plenty of comedy moments, but in fact Muriel's Wedding scores even higher as a touching family drama than as just another romcom. A delightful and sincere movie that has become an instant favourite of mine!

Muriel Heslop, an overweight, unemployed twenty-something, prefers to deafen herself with ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' and hopes that one day she'll be The Dancing Queen herself by getting married. Her father is a local councilman trying to 'improve' the local community and who is charming to everyone except his family. Muriel's 'friends' are the cool girls (or at least she thinks so), yet they are incessantly mean to her.

Finally, desperate after being shunned by her group of so-called friends, Muriel steals her parents' money to chase after her friends vacationing on Hibiscus Island. From there on, her life turns colourful. She meets Rhonda, another high-school friend, a lively girl who brings out Muriel's courage. They move to Sydney where Muriel lives as a 'fugitive' from her parents under the assumed name of Mariel.

With a new name, being asked out for dates, away from her evil dad, Mariel is having the time of her life until.... reality takes over. Rhonda is diagnosed with cancer, Muriel's father arrives in Sydney to take her back and her urge to get married is stronger than ever. Why get married? She believes that getting married will make her a new person. A great opportunity presents itself, but will she take it? Meanwhile she is oblivious to the fact that the people around her (especially her mum) are crumbling as they are more dependent on her than she ever realized.

Toni Collette is absolutely magnificent in this one. This is the movie that introduced me to her and made me follow her acting career. So far I haven't been disappointed with her. The rest of the cast did a marvellous job as well, especially Rachel Griffiths as Rhonda.

The peripheral characters are very interesting too. One I particularly like is Muriel's mom. Her enormous and continuous faith in Muriel's innocence is very touching, although too naive. Confronted with one heartbreak after another, being ignored and verbally abused by the rest of the family, she's actually the Cinderella and the sweetest character of them all.

I enjoyed the delicious twists and turns of the story, Toni Collette's performance, and finally.. the ABBA-packed soundtrack didn't hurt either! :)

So I'll give this *** out of 4.

Ocean's Twelve Cast and Crew are Shooting in Amsterdam

2004-05-10T19:10:00.000+02:00

I always thought that Steven Soderbergh's 'Ocean's Eleven' is one of the coolest movie ever, it's not that great or awesome or revolutionary, but it's just cool. The all-star ensemble of cast, the sharply dressed men (Clooney and Pitt), the glossy and hip feel of the movie, and in the end: how they are successful in pulling the heist. Overall, it's just a great heist movie.

As everyone might already know, 'Ocean's Eleven' is originally a remake of a 1960 film with the same title that features all of the member of Ratpack. In fact, the 1960's 'Ocean's Eleven' is just an excuse for all of the Ratpack to star in one movie. Soderbergh turns the 2001 version into a real movie.

Apparently, due to the success of 'Eleven', Soderbergh is making a sequel aptly titled 'Ocean's Twelve' with a plot involving a major European heist. It was first planned that the gang would try to steal 'Nachtwacht', also known as 'Nightwatch' a famous painting of Rembrandt. But, due to the rennovation of Rijks Museum lasting until December 2008, the plotline was changed to the stealing of the first bond certificate from VOC (Vereeniging Oost-Indische Compagnie), owned by an agoraphobic living in the 'grachten' area (expensive area along the canal).

So, since the 5th of May 2004 until 20th of May 2004, all the gang (a massive and deadly combination of Clooney, Damon, and Pitt has made all layers of society gone topsy-turvy) will be here in town and shooting in the Herengracht, Weteringstraat, Haarlem C(entraal) S(tation), Het Spui in Den Haag and the new town council, and... on the 19th and 20th will end up shooting in the coffeeshop Dampkring and the Kalverstraat shopping area.

Here's some photos from the location shoot by a self-confessed groupie (I wouldn't be able to wait for 7 hours in front of The Amstel Hotel just to get a glimpse of them), and some snapshots from the Dutch version of celebrity-lifestyle show.

And apparently, a hot red flashing news just come and Mrs.Douglas, aka Catherine Zeta-Jones has arrived and join the rest of the cast in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam is hot, hot, HOT...

First Posting in "I am a Pop Culture Whore" and the Justification of Having Another Blog

2004-04-28T18:25:00.000+02:00

The title already says it all. I meant to have this blog as a place to write about pop culture in general, be it television, movie, songs, character of pop culture, etc. I did have another blog that to practice my writing in general, but when I posted couple of film reviews, I felt that somehow it was a bit out of place. Then I also have all the opinions that I can possess and muster when it comes to movies or music.

Not wanting everything that I wrote in my previous blog is only about movies or music, I decided to make this blog so I can rant and/or rave about those topics, while leaving the 'Helpless Attempt...' as the title suggested, a place where I can practice my writing and form my opinion about...well, other than movies or music.

I can say that what I am about to say sounds incredibly egoistical, although I meant it not to be, that I have different taste when it comes to music and I just barely can't contain myself to express my opinion on those who listens to stuff I hate. I said barely, so I tried to suck it in and tries not to sulk when people rant and rave about U2, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, or even Linkin Park. I tried again to hold that thought only for myself when people think that Christina Aguilera is such a rebel (anyone ever heard of Patti Smith?), and I tried to suck it in again, when people rave and gush about Gwen Stefani, while I have already heard and admire Debbie Harry. So I need a place, where I can pour it all out. My infatuation over Dusty Springfield's 'Son of a Preacher Man', that Prince is...well, all that, that Lord of the Rings trilogy is basically junk food, and not care a damn thing about what people's reaction about my opinion and then hate me for it. In a way, this is where I massage my ego and act all superior.

On a lighter note, I was also inspired from Nick Hornby's 'Songbook', a collection of essays that he wrote on 31 of his favourite songs and how it has affected him. I am thinking of having something similar such as that. So, here it is.